"mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor "drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, fhall "inherit the kingdom of heaven*."

Those texts of scripture, which seem to lean a contrary way, as that "charity fhall cover the "multitude of finst;" that "he which convert"eth a finner from the error of his way fhall "hide a multitude of finst;" cannot, I think, for the reasons above mentioned, be extended to fins deliberately, habitually, and obftinately perfifted in.

3. That a state of mere unprofitableness will not go unpunished.

This is exprefsly laid down by Christ in the parable of the talents, which fuperfedes all farther reasoning upon the fubject. "" Then he "which had received one talent, came and faid, "Lord, I know thee that thou art an auftere man, reaping where thou haft not fown, and

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gathering where thou haft not strawed; and I was afraid, and hid thy talent in the earth ; "lo, there thou haft that is thine. His ford "answered and faid unto him, Thou wicked and Aothful fervant, thou kneweft (or kneweft "thou?) that I reap where I fowed not, and

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1 Cor. vi. 9, 10.

Pet. iv.

‡ James v. 20.

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"gather

"gather where I have not ftrawed; thou oughtest "therefore to have put my money to the ex"changers, and then at my coming I fhould "have received mine own with ufury. Take "therefore the talent from him, and give it unto

him which hath ten talents; for unto every "one that hath shall be given, and he shall have "abundance; but from him that hath not shall "be taken away even that which he hath; and

caft ye the unprofitable fervant into outer darkness, "there fhall be weeping and gnashing of teeth*."

III. In every question of conduct where one fide is doubtful, and the other fide fafe, we are bound to take the safe fide.

This is best explained by an instance, and I know of none more to our purpose than that of fuicide. Suppofe, for example's fake, that it appear doubtful to a reafoner upon the subject, whether he may lawfully destroy himself. He can have no doubt, but that it is lawful for him to let it alone. Here therefore is a, cafe, in which one fide is doubtful, and the other fide fafe. By virtue therefore of our rule, he is bound to purfue the fafe fide, that is, to forbear from offering violence to himself, whilft a doubt remains upon his mind concerning the lawfulness of suicide.

*Matt. xxv. 24, &C.

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It is prudent, you allow, to take the safe fide. But our obfervation means fomething more. We affert that the action, concerning which we doubt, whatever it may be in itself, or to another, would, in us, whilft this doubt remains upon our minds, be certainly finful. The cafe is exprefsly fo adjudged by St. Paul, with whose authority we will for the prefent reft contented. "I know and am perfuaded by the Lord Jefus, "that there is nothing unclean of itself, but to "him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him "it is unclean. -Happy is he that con"demneth not himself in that thing which he "alloweth ; and he that doubteth is damned "(condemned) if he eat, for whatsoever is not "of faith (i. e. not done with a full perfuafion "of the lawfulness of it) is fin*.

* Romans xiv. 14. 22, 23.

MORAL PHILOSOPHY,

BOOK II.

MORAL OBLIGATION,

CHAP. I.

THE QUESTION, WHY AM I OBLIGED TO KEEP MY WORD? CONSIDERED.

WHY am I obliged to keep my word?

Because it is right, fays one.-Because it is agreeable to the fitness of things, fays another.Because it is conformable to reafon and nature, fays a third. Because it is conformable to truth, fays a fourth. Because it promotes the public good, fays a fifth.-Because it is required by the will of God, concludes a fixth,

Upon

Upon which different accounts, two things are obfervable :

FIRST, that they all ultimately coincide.

The fitness of things, means their fitness to produce happiness: the nature of things, means that actual conftitution of the world, by which fome things, as fuch and fuch actions, for example, produce happiness, and others mifery: reafon is the principle, by which we discover or judge of this conftitution: truth is this judgment expreffed or drawn out into propositions. So that it neceffarily comes to pafs, that what promotes the public happiness, or happiness upon the whole, is agreeable to the fitnefs of things, to nature, to reafon, and to truth: and fuch (as will appear by and by) is the divine cha racter, that what promotes the general happiness is required by the will of God; and what has all the above properties must needs be right; for right means no more than conformity to the rule we go by, whatever that rule be.

And this is the reafon that moralifts, from whatever different principles they fet out, commonly meet in their conclufions; that is, they enjoin the fame conduct, prescribe the fame rules of duty, and, with a few exceptions, deliver

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