do ill offices to others exposes a man to the hatred and ill-offices of others. The malevolent man arms all mankind against him.

Anger is, indeed, in fome cafes, reasonable; as when it is directed against the vicious, and injurious, who are the pefts of society; fo that being enemies to fuch perfons is being friends to mankind at large. But here great caution fhould be used, left this paffion of anger fhould, as it is very capable of doing, degenerate into pure ill will towards those who are the objects of it. Nay, we should never indulge to anger fo far as to cease to have the real good and welfare of the offender at heart, but be ready even to do our greatest perfonal enemies any kind office in our power, provided that the confequence of it would not be injurious to fociety. This, indeed, is what the law of univerfal benevolence plainly requires, as it strictly forbids the doing any unnecessary evil; and that evil is unneceffary, which the good and happiness of others does not require. If, therefore, we would appear to act upon this principle, we must be careful fo to conduct our refentment, as that it may be manifeft that it is with reluctance that we entertain fentiments of enmity.

If it be our duty to bear good will even to our enemies, much more should we exercife it to our real friends, and ufe our endeavours to make the moft ample return for any kindness that they do to

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us.

Indeed there is no virtue which has a ftronger teftimony in the confciences of all men, than gratitude, and no vice is univerfally fo hateful as ingratitude.

If the good of fociety be our object, there can be no question, but that veracity, with refpect to all our declarations, and fidelity, with refpect to all our engagements, is one of the most important of all focial duties. All the purposes of fociety would be defeated, if falfhood were as common as truth among mankind; and in thofe circumftances all beneficial intercourfe would foon ceafe among them; and notwithstanding temporary inconveniencies may fometimes arife from a rigid adherence to truth, they are infinitely overbalanced by the many fuperior advantages that arife from our depending upon the regard to it being inviolable.

Since an oath, or an appeal to the divine being, is the most deliberate, and the moft folemn of all the modes of affeveration, it ought to be the most fcrupulously obferved. There is not, in the nature of things, any ftronger guard againft impofition and deceit; and therefore a perfon who has once perjured himself, deferves not only to be detefted, and shunned, as the bane of fociety, but to be expelled out of it.

$ 5. Of

$ 5. Of the relative duties.

As we ftand in a variety of relations to one another, and have much more opportunity of doing kind offices to fome than to others, we cannot fuppofe that the divine being intended that our benevolence should be like his own, univerfal and impartial. He ftands in the fame relation to all his creatures, and he is capable of attending to the wants of them all; whereas our beneficence is neceffarily limited, and therefore fhould flow the moft freely towards thofe whom we can moft conveniently and effectually ferve. Befides the good of the whole will be beft provided for by every perfon making this a rule to himself; whereas, if every perfon, without any particular regard to his own limited province, fhould extend his care to the wants of mankind in general, very little good would, in fact, be done by any.

The domeftic relations of life are the foundation of the strongest claim upon our benevolence and kindness. The interefts of bufband and wife are the fame, and inseparable, and they must neceflarily pass a very great part of their time together. In these circumstances, to be mutually happy, their affection must be ftrong and undivided. The welfare of their offspring, likewife, requires this, that they may give their united care and attention form their bodies and minds, in order to fit them

for

for the business of life, and to introduce them with advantage into the world.

As nature makes children the charge of their parents in younger life, so it lays an equal obligation on children to provide for their parents, when they are old and infirm, and unable to provide for themselves.

Mafters and fervants are under a variety of mutual obligations; and if that connection be happy; and mutually advantageous, there must be justice, humanity, and liberality on the one hand, requited with fidelity, reasonable fubmiffion, and affection on the other.

Our own country, likewife, claims a particular preference. We ought to give more attention to its welfare than to that of any other country, and its magiftrates are intitled to our particular reverence and refpect.

It is for the good of the whole that we proportion our regards and benevolent attention in this manner; that is, regulating them, according to those connections in life that are of the most importance to our own happiness; but ftill, we should never lose fight of the relation we stand in to all mankind, and to all the creation of God; with refpect to whom we are brethren, and fellow fubjects; and whenever the intereft of ourfelves, our own families, or country does not greatly interfere, we should lay ourselves out to do good

to

to ftrangers and foreigners, or to any perfons that may ftand in need of our affiftance; doing to others as we would they should do to us; which is a rule of the gospel that is perfectly agreeable to natural reafon.

$ 6. Of the Theopathetic affections.

As benevolence, or the love of mankind, fo alfo the love of God, and devotednefs to him bears every character of one of our highest and most proper principles of conduct.

1. This principle interferes with no real gratification, but in such a manner that all the restraint it lays upon any of them is, in reality, favourable to the true and perfect enjoyment we derive from them. No pains that we can expofe ourselves to for the fake of mortifying ourselves, can be pleafing to that being who made us to be happy, and who has, for that purpose, given us the power, and the means, of a variety of gratifications, fuited to our state and condition. In this general manner it is fhewn that the love of God, and devotedness to him, is perfectly agreeable to a regard to our own greatest good. This principle must be confiftent with our attention to the good of others, because God is the father of us all, and we are equally his offspring; and nature teaches us to confider him as our father, moral governor, and judge, and therefore