MORAL THOUGHTS: Written by Mifs SPENCE.

MORALITY.

ABSTRACT, mathematical, or phyfical

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truth, may be above the reach of the bulk and community of mankind. They have neither the leifure, nor the neceffary helps and advantages to acquire the natural knowledge of arts and fciences. The many calls and importunities of the animal kind, take up the greatest part of their time, thoughts, and labor, fo that the more abstract fpeculations, and experimental difquifitions of philofophy, are placed by providence quite out of their reach, and beyond their sphere

of action.

On the contrary, moral truth, right and wrong, good and evil, the doing as we would be done by, and acting towards all men as they really are, and ftand related in fociety; these things are as evident to the understanding, as light and colors are to the eye, and may be called the intellectual, moral fenfe. Here needs no deep learning, or trouble and expence of education, but the fame truths are as evident, and as much feen and felt by the learned and unlearned, the gentleman and

the ploughman, the favage or wild Indian, as by the best instructed philosopher. The divine perfections fhine through all nature, and the goodness and bounty of the Creator to all his creatures, imprefs the obligation of imitating this wisest and best of Beings upon every man's heart and conscience.

But notwithstanding the maxims of morality are thus folidly eftablished, and adapted to all capacities; and though every man has a happiness to feek, and a main end to fecure, which must be infinitely preferable to any concerns of life, yet here it is we find, that mankind in general have been moft loft and bewildered, as if providence had placed their own happiness, and the way to it, more out of their power than any thing else. How this fhould happen, might feem unaccountable at first fight, and yet it can be no great mystery to any man tolerably acquainted with the world and human nature. It is no diffi. cult matter to discover the reafons hereof, and it is withal highly useful to give them their due confiderarion.

1. The principal caufe I take to be the prevailing ftrength and bias of private, corrupt, animal affection, and defires. Reafon is filenced and borne down by brutal appetite and paffion. They refolve to gratify their fenfual appetites and defires, and will therefore never taffe or try the fuperior pleasures and enjoy

ments

ments of reafon and virtue. But fuch men as these having declared open war against their own reason and confcience, and being refolved at all rifks to maintain the combat, must be felf-condemned, and cannot plead ignorance, or error of judgment in the cafe.

2. Another fundamental cause of moral error, is the prejudice and prepoffeffion of a wrong education. False principles and abfurd notions of God and religion, wrought early into the tender, unexperienced mind, and there radicated and confirmed from time to time, from youth to riper age, by parents, teachers, our most intimate friends and acquaintance, and fuch as we have the best opinion of, and confide moft in; fuch causes make such strong impreffions, that the groffeft errors, thus rivetted and fixed, are with the greatest difficulty ever conquered or cleared off. In this cafe, men turn out well-grounded believers, and are well-armed against conviction. Circumcifion or baptifm fixes their religion in their infancy, and their church is as natural to them as their country. Free enquiry is with them an apostasy from the orthodox party, and as the great and fure tryal of their faith and fortitude, they will hear no reasonings about the holy religion hey have taken upon truft.

3. Then the few, who have applied themfelves to the study of morality, have done it

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for the most part in a manner confufed; and fuperficial enough: and often fo, as even to build upon principles either entirely false, or obfcure and uncertain; either foreign to its proper business, or mixt up with grofs errors, and abfurdities. From whence it comes to pafs, that in all languages, the terms of morality, both in common difcourfe, and in the writings of the learned, are fuch as have the most obscure, confufed, indetermined, and unfixed ideas, of any other terms whatever; men for the most part defpifing the things which are plain and ordinary, to run after fuch as are extraordinary and mysterious; and that they either will not know, or reject even truth itself, unless the brings fome charm with her, to raife their curiofity, and gratify their paffion for what is marvellous and un

common.

In fum, the prejudices of the understanding, the illufions of the heart, and the tyranny established in the world with relation to opinions, form a grand obftacle to the ferious ftudy of morality; and to the attainment of a more exact knowledge of our duty. Nor is it to be expected that any will very much apply themselves to make discoveries in these matters, whilst the defire of esteem, riches, or power, makes men espouse the well-endowed opinions in fashion, and then seek arguments either to make good

their beauty, or varnish over and cover their deformity.Whilft the parties of men, cram their tenets down all men's throats, whom they can get into their power, without permitting them to examine their truth and falfehood; and will not let truth have fair play in the world, nor men the liberty to fearch after it; what improvements can be expected of this kind? What greater light can be hoped for in the moral fciences? The fubject part of mankind in most places might, inftead thereof, with Egyptian bondage, expect Egyptian darknefs, were not the candle of the Lord fet up by himself in men's minds, which it is impoffible for the breath of man wholly to extinguith; how much foever the infallible guides of one church, and the orthodox rulers of another, may scheme and labour to fubject confcience to human jurisdiction, and bring the inward principle and motive of action within the cognizance of their political theocracy, or theocratic policy.

After all this, is it to be wondered at, that fuch, whofe occupations and diftractions of life, or want of genius and outward helps, do not allow them to engage in long and profound meditations, are found to have gencrally understandings fo fhort and narrow, and ideas fo falfe or confused, in matters of morality.

And