felves the fevereft fufferers; and may be almost as fure as we can be of any thing, that our unconcernedness about them mult be attended with confequences thus fatal to us. The feveral rules which regard the lengthening of life-the prefervation of health-the enjoyment of eafe, though they carry with them the cleareft evidence of their importance, how very little weight have they with the generality of mankind -how unheeded are they when oppofing an eager appetite, a ftrong inclination! while yet these rules are acknowledged to remain as true, as worthy of our notice, as certain in their falutary effects when obferved, as if all that practical regard to which they are entitled, was paid them; and we may be as juftly thought endowed with a capacity of difcovering thofe effects in order to their profiting us, as if they univerfally took place. What benefit was intended in qualifying us for the difcernment of any truth, is by no means to be inferred from what ordinarily enjues to us when difcerning it. A juft in ference as to this can only be made from regarding the dictates of reafon upon fuch a truth being difcerned by us; or, what ufe of its difcernment reafon directs us to make. When we are lefs wicked than very bad principles prompt us to be, which is often the cafe; thefe are, nevertheless, full as blameable as they would be if we were to act confiftently with them. That they are not purfued, is, as to them, quite an accidental point; in reafon and nature they hould be; and therefore are fitly chargeable with all the confequences that acting according to them would produce. So, on the other hand, though it must be confefied, that, with the best principles, our courfe of life is, frequently, very faulty; the objection must lye not to the nature or kind of their influence, but to a weakness of it, which is our crime, and not their de fects. We will not let them act upon us; as they are qualified to do. Their worth is to be eflimated by the worth they are fuited to produce. And it would be full as abfurd, when we will not mind our way, to deny that the light can be of any help to us in feeing it; as to deny the ferviceableness of any principle, because we fail in its application. Nor is it, indeed, only our unhappiness that we are inattentive to what the belief of a future recompence requires from us; religion itfelf, is, alas! every where abused to the obftructing the proper effects of this belief. I mean, that whatever religion is any where profeffed, fome or other rite or doctrine of it does favour, as in Paganism and Mohammedifin; or is fo conftrued, as in Jadaifm and Christianity, that it is made to favour a departure from the practice which fuits the perfuafion of a future reward. The reproach that belonged to the Jews in our Saviour's time, they have, as far as appears, deferved ever fince; that by their fcrupulous regard to the leffer points of their law, they think they make amends for the groffeft neglect of its most important precepts. And with respect to us Chriftians, whence is it, that there is fo lit tle virtue among us-that we are throughout fo corrupt, but from taking fanctuary for our crimes in our very religion,-from perverting its moft holy inftitutions and doctrines to be our full fecurity whatsoever are our vices †? Thus, we are either of a church in which we can be abfolved of all our fins; or we are of the number of the elect, and cannot commit any; or the merits of Christ atone for our not having the merit even of honesty and fincerity; or a right faith makes amends for our most corrupt practice 1. * Sir Ifaac Newton having obferved, That the prophecies concerning Chriff's first coming aere for letting up the Christian religion, adds, tubich all nations bavé fince corrupted, &c. Obferv. upon the Proph. of Dan. &: p. 252. The general and great defe in thofe that profefs the Chriftian faith is, that they hope for life eternal, without performing thofe conditions, whereupon it is promifed in the G fpel, namely, repentance and reformation. They will truft to a fruitless, liveless fanh, or to fome fenances, and fatisfactions, and commutations made with God, doing what he hath not required inftead of what he hath commanded. No periuafions fhall prevail to move and excite them to do this, no reafons, arguments, or demonftration, no not th: expreis words of God. that it is neceifary to be done; or to forbear to cenfure them as Enemies to the grace of God, who do with clear and exprefs Scripture thew the abfolute neceffity of it. wiram's Sermons, p 166, 167. I heartily with, that by public authority it were fo ordered, that no man fhould ever preach or print this detrine, That Faith alone juftifies, unless he joins this together with it, That univerfal obedience is neceffary to falvation. Chillingworth's Relig. of Prot. p. 362. By our zeal in our opinions we grow cool in our piety and practical duties. Epift. Dedicat. prefixed to b. Dioufe of Liberty of Proph We We have prayers, facraments, fafts, that are never thought of to improve us in virtue, but to fupply the want of it-to quiet our confciences under the moft culpable gratification of our lufts. How the belief of a future recompence fhould, in reafon, affect our practice what its proper and natural influence is, folely concerns the prefent argument. It feems enough, in the cafe before us, that no one can be confiftent with himself, but, if he has any hopes of happiness in another world, his conduct will be regular, becoming, rational: and, that where we find thele hopes entertained on mature confideration, jufly reafoned upon, duly attended to, there we certainly find great parity of morals, a ftrict regard to the Fat befitting a reasonable creature, and ery other advantage afcribed to them. If I cannot be allowed to infer from hence that they are well founded, they have till for their fupport all thofe arguments in favour of a final retribution, with which I have rot at all meddled, nor in the leaft weakened by any thing I may have lefs pertirently obferved. The fubject of the third of the following eflays led me to the remarks here made; and to me they appar not immaterial. I cannot, indeed, ng myself to think but that the hopes wich induce me to act most agreeably to Creator's will, he has formed me to extertain; and will not let me be difappointed in them. Of one thing I am fure, that they who fter the perfuafion of a future happiness to operate, as it ought, on their practice, antly experience their practice addin ftrength to their perfuafion; the better become by their belief, the more cond they become in it. This is a great al to fay on its behalf. What weightier tommendation to our affent can any docve, than that, as it tends to improve in virtue, fo the more virtuous we are, Le more firmly we affent to it; or, the Better judges we are of truth, the fuller afface we have of its truth? $148. On the Employment of Time. ESSAY THE FIRST. To demum intuligt, q id facierdum tibi, quid vifarsam ft, cùm u.siteris quid naturæ tuæ debeas. SEN. Ep. 121. Amazing! that a creature, fo warm in perfuit of her pleafures, fhould never one thought towards her happiness." -Arefaction this, made indeed by a comic ner, but not unworthy the most fericus. To be intent on pleasure, yet negligent of happincfs, is to be careful for what will eafe us a few moments of our life, and yet, without any regard to what will diftrefs us for many years of it. When I ftudy my happiness, I confult the fatisfaction of the whole continuance of my being endeavour, that throughout it I may fuffer as little, and enjoy myfelf as much, as my nature and fituation will admit. Happiness is lafting pleafure; its purfuit is, really, that of pleature, with as fmall an allay as poffible of pain. We cannot, therefore, provide for our happiness, without taking our fhare of pleafure; though, as is every where but too evident, our eagernefs after Pleasure may plunge us into the mifery we are unable to support. Nothing, indeed, is more fpecious than the general term Pleafure. It carries with it the idea of fomething which must be permitted us by our Maker; fince we know not how to fuppofe him forbidding us to tafte what he has difpofed us to relish. His having formed us to receive pleasure, is our licence to take it. This I will admit to be true, under proper reftrictions. It is true, that from our nature and conftitution we may collect wherein we act agreeably to our Creator's will, and wherein we act contrary to it; but the mischief is, we commonly mistake our nature, we mifcal it; we call that it which is but a part of it, or the corruption of it; and we thence make conclufions, by which when we govern our practice, we foon find ourfelves in great difficulties and diftrefs. For instance, we call our paflions our nature; then infer, that, in gratifying them, we follow nature; and, being thus convinced that their gratification must be quite lawful, we allow ourfelves in it, and are undone by it. Whereas, the body is as much the man, as his paffions are his nature; a part of it, indeed, they are, but the lowest part; and which, if more regarded than the higher and nobler, it muil be as fatal to us, as to be guided rather by what is agree able to our appetite, than conducive to our health. Of this more hereafter. The call of nature being the favourite topic of all the men of pleafure-of all who act the most in contradiction to rature, I will confine the whole of the following effay to the confideration of it, fo far as it relates to the employment of our time: and fhew how our time should be employed, if we have a just regard to our nature-if what it requues be confulted by us. L 2 That That man is the work of a wife agent, is in the cleareft manner difcovered by the marks of wisdom, that fhew themfelves in his frame-by the contrivance and skill, that each part of it expreffes-by the exact proportion and fuitable difpofition, that the feveral parts of it have to each other, and by their respective fitness to promote the well-being of the whole. When we muft thus acknowledge the great wiflom exerted in our ftructure; when we are fo capable of difcerning its beauties and advantages, and fo fully know their prefervation and improvement to depend upon ourselves, upon our own endeavours, care and pains: we cannot poffibly be at a lofs to discover what our wife Maker muft, in this particular, expect from us. The duty of man is as certainly known from his nature-what he ought to do for himself is as fully understood from what he can do, as the ufes of any machine are understood by a thorough acquaintance with its powers. I can no more doubt for what I am intended-what must be required of me, when I fee plainly what I am able to effect; than I can queftion for what purpofes a watch or a clock is defigned, when I am duly apprised how the different parts of it act upon each other, to what they all concur, and to what only. We want no reafoning to convince us, that a frame fo curious as the human, muft be made in order to its continuance, as long as the materials compofing it will admit; and that we ourselves muft give it fuch continuance: how this is fhortened, how it is prolonged, we are likewife all of us fully fenfible. There is no man but perceives what will haften his diffolution, and what will probably, retard it; by what management of himself he is fure to pafs but few years in the world; and by what he is likely to be upheld in it for many. Here then our rule is obvious; thefe notices afforded us to make it fo: when we are taught, that the fupport of our life must be agreeable to him from whom we received it, and that we are appointed to give it this fupport, that it must come from ourselves, from what we do in order to it; we are at the fame time inftructed to regard all things contributing to it as enjoined us, and all things detrimental to, and inconfiftent with it, as forbidden us; we have it fuggefted to us, that we are properly employed, when we confult the due prefervation of life, and that the engagements are improper, are blameable, that hinder it. Thus, to spend our time well, we muft give our bodies fuch exercise, such reft, and other refreshments, as their fubfiftence demands; and we mif-fpend it, when we are lazy and flothful, when we are less sober, chafte and temperate; when we proceed to exceffes of any kind, when we let our paffions and appetites direct us: every thing in this way tends to haften our diffolution; and therefore must be criminal, as oppofing that continuance here, which our very compofition fhews our Maker to have defigned us. But that our frame fhould be barely upheld, cannot be all we are to do for it; we muft preferve it in its most perfect state, in a ftate in which its several powers can be beft exerted. To take this care about it, is evidently required of us. Any unfitnefs for the func tions of life is a partial death. I don't fee of what we can well be more certain, than that all the health and ftrength, of which our conftitution admits, were intended us in it; and they muft, therefore, be as becoming our concern, as it is to hinder the ruin of our conftitution: we know not how fufficiently to lament the lofs of them, even from the advantage of which they are to us in themfelves, not only from their preventing the uneafinefs, the pains, and the numerous inconveniencies with which the fickly and infirm have to ftruggle, but likewife from the fatisfaction they give us in our being, from what we feel, when our blood flows regularly, our nerve have their due tone, and our vigour i entire. Yet thefe are but the leaft of the bene fits we have from them. We confit of two parts, of two very different parts; the one inert, paffive, tterly incapable of directing itfelf, barely minifterial to the other, moved, animated by it. When our body has its full healt and ftrength, the mind is fo far affifted thereby, that it can bear a clofer and longer application, our apprehenfion is readier, our imagination is livelier, we can better enlarge our compafs of thought, we can examine our perceptions more strictly, an compare them more exactly; by which means we are enabled to form a truer judg ment of things-to remove more effectually the miftakes into which we have been led by a wrong education, by paffion, inattention, cuftom, example-to have a clearer view of what is beft for us, of what is moft for our intereft, and tl cace determine ourselves more readily to its pur fait, and perfil therein with greater refolution and Peadinels. The foe dhefs of the body can be thus ferviceable to the mind, and when made fo, may ia its turn be as much profited by it. The poet's obfervation is no les true of them, than it is of nature and art, each wants, each helps the other; "Mutually they need each other's aid.” ROSCOM. The mind, when not reftrained by ary thing deficient in its companion, and having from it all the affittance it is adapted to afcrd, can with much greater facility prevent that difcompofure and trouble, by which our bodily health is ever injured, and preferve in us that quiet and peace, by which it is always promoted. Hence we are to conclude, that we fhould forbear, not only what neceffarily brings on dicafe and decay, but whatever contributes to enfeeble and enervate us; not only what has a direct tendency to haften our end, but likewife what leffens craftivity, what abates of our vigour and fpirit-That we fhould alfo avoid whatever is in any wife prejudicial to a due coderation of things, and a right judgment of them; whatever can hinder the understanding from properly informing itff, and the will from a ready compliance with its directions. We must be intent on fuch a difcipline of ourselves as will procure us the fulleft ufe of our frame, as will capacitate us to receive from it the whole of the advantage it is capable of yielding us; fo exercising the members of our body, confulting its conveniencies, fupplying its wants, that it may be the leaft burthenfome to us, may give us the leaft uneafinefs at none of its motions may, through any fault of ours, be obtructed, none of its parts injured-that it may be kept in as unimpaired, as athletic a ftate as our endeavours can procure, and all its functions performed with the utmost exactnels and readinefs; fo guarding, likewife, against the impreffions of fenfe, and deluEverefs of fancy, fo compofing our minds, perifying them, divefting them of all corrept prejudices, that they may be in a a portion equally favourable to them, and to our bodies-that they may not be betrayed into mistakes dangerous to the wilfire of either that they may be in a condition to difcern what is becoming us, what is fitteft for us; defirous of difcovering it, and preparing to be influenced by it. We are thus to feek our moft perfect ftate, fuch as allows us the freeft ufe of our feveral powers a full liberty for the due application of them. And the ability thus to apply them, must be in order to our doing it, to our receiving from them whatever fervice they can effect. As what is corporeal in us is of least. excellence and value, our care in general about it, should bear a proportion to the little worth it has in itself-should chiefly regard the reference it has to our underftanding, the affistance that it may afford our intellectual faculties. Merely to preferve our being-to poffefs our members entire-to have our fenfes perfect to be free from pain --to enjoy health, ftrength, beauty, are but very low aims for human creatures. The moft perfect ftate of animal life can never becomingly engrofs the concern of a rational nature: fitted for much nobler and worthier attainments, we are by that fitnefs for them called to purfue them. Afk thofe of either fex, who rate higheft the recommendation of features, complexion, and shape-who are most intent on adorning their perfons-who study most the accomplishments of an outward appearance; afk them, I fay, which they think their chief endowment, and what it is that does them the highest honour? You will find them with one confent pronouncing it their reason. With all their folly they will not defend it as fuch: with their little fenfe, they will prefer that little to their every other fancied perfection. The fineft woman in the world would rather make deformity her choice than idiocy, would rather have ugliness than incapacity her reproach. Thus, likewife, whom do we perceive fo fond of life, fo defirous of reaching its longeft term, that he would be willing to furvive his understanding; that he would chufe to live after he ceafed to reafon? The health and eafe, the vigour and chearfulness that are often the lunatic's portion, would not induce the most infirm, fickly, and complaining among us, to with himfelf in his fiead; to with an exchange of his own distempered body, for the other's difordered mind. Nor does the mind only claim our chief regard, as it is thus univerfally acknowledged, and as it really is the principal, the moit excellent, the prefiding part of us, but as our well-being is neceffarily connected with giving it this preference, with L 3 bestowing bestowing the moft of our care and pains upon it. What is beft for the body, what is beft for the whole man, can only be difcovered and provided for, by our rational faculties, by them affiduously cultivated, diligently exerted, and thence ftrengthened and enlarged. Our well-being wholly depends upon the fufficient information of our understanding, upon the light in which we fee things, upon the knowledge we have how far they can profit or hurt us, how the benefit they can be of to us may be derived from them, and how the hurt they can do us may be efcaped. If I think that to be good, or that to be evil, which is not fuchor if I know not that to be good, or that to be evil, which is really fuch-or if I think there is more or lefs good, or more or lefs evil in any thing than there really isor if what, by a proper application, might be made of very great advantage to me, I am ignorant how to make of any, or of as much as it would yield me-or if I am ignorant how to render that very little, or not at all, hurtful to me, which might have its evil either greatly leffened or wholly avoided in all the e inftances, my wellbeing muft of neceffity be a fufferer; my ignorance muft greatly abate of the fatisfaction of my life, and heighten its un ealinefs. No one is prejudiced by his not defiring what he conceives to be good, by his difinclination towards it, by his unwillingness to embrace it. So far is this from being our cafe, that we are always purfuing it. The fource of all our motions, the defign of all our endeavours is to better ourfelves, to remove from us that which is really, or comparatively evil. What alone hurts us is our misapprehenfion of good, our mistakes about, our ignorance of, it. Let us fully understand it-have juft.conceptions of it, we then fhall never deferve the blame of its being lefs earneftly fought after, and therefore unattained by us. The excefs of our earneftnefs after it, is, indeed, ufually the occafion of miffing it. Our folicitude, our eagernefs and impatience are here fo great, that they won't allow us time to examine appearances to diftinguish between them and realities to weigh what is future against what is prefent-to deliberate whether we do not forego a much greater advantage hereafter, by clofing with that which immediately offers; or thall not have it abundantly overbalanced, by its mif chievous confequences. We want not to be put on the pursuit of happiness, but we want very much to have that purfuit rightly directed; and as this must be done by the improvement of our rational powers, we can be interested in nothing more than in improving them, than in fuch an application of them, as will contribute moft to perfect them. We are fo placed, that there are very few of the objects furrounding us, which may not be ferviceable or hurtful to us; nor is that fervice to be obtained, or detriment avoided, otherwife than by our ac quaintance with them and with ourselves: the more exact our knowledge of this kind is, the more we leffen the calamities, and add to the comforts of life: and it cer tainly must be as much the intention of our Creator, that we fhould attain the utmost good which we are capable of procur ing ourfelves, as that we should attain any for which he has qualified us. Nor is the benefit arifing to us from an enlarged understanding rendered lefs certain, by the uneafinefs that we find to be the fhare of the ftudious, the contemplative, and learned-of them whofe intellectual attainments we chiefly admire. The philofopher's obfervation to his friend on books, that it fignifies nothing bow many, but what he had, is applicable to the knowledge they communicate: what it is, and not how various, is the thing that concerns us. It may extend to a prodigious number of particulars of no moment, or of very little; and that extent of it gain us all the extravagance of applaufe, though we have the ignorance of the vulgar, where it must be of the worft confequence. Crowding our memory is no more improving our understanding, than filling our coffers with pebbles is enriching ourfelves": and what is commonly the name of learning, what ufually denominates us very learned is, really, no more than our memory heavily and ufelefsly burthened. How high is the defert, in the more eastern parts, of him who can but read and write the language of his country? A life fpent in the study of it alone fhall be there There is nothing almoft has done more harm to men dedicated to letters, than giving the name of Rudy to reading, and making a man of great reading to be the fame with a man of great knowledge. Locke of the Conduct of the Understanding. judged |