BOOK I.]

our

If actions, otherwise the most comyour days, than with one stroke to end them; and we are suicides but in mendable, lose their merit, when they a different way, if wantonness and disqualify us for continuing themluxury be our gradual destruction, or if generosity changes its name, when despair our instant. It is self-mur- it suits not our circumstances; and der, to take from our continuance even alms are culpable, when by behere any part of that term, to which stowing them we come to want them the due care of ourselves would have if the very best uses, to which we extended it; and our life, probably can put our wealth, are not so to falls a more criminal sacrifice to our draw off, as to dry the stream; we voluptuousness, than to our impa- can by no means suppose, that our amusements are not to be limited, as tience. When we throw off the load, which by other considerations, so by this Providence has thought fit to lay upon in particular-the expense which us, we fail greatly in a proper defer- they create: we cannot imagine, that upon ence to its wisdom, in a due submis- the restraints should not lie sion to its will; but then we have to wantonness, which lie upon our beplead, sufferings too grievous to be neficence. Be our possessions the largest, it sustained a distress too mighty to be contended with; a plea, which is but a very small part of them that can by no means justify us; yet how we have to dispose of as we think fit, preferable to any, that he can al- on what conduces solely to our mirth lege, who, in the midst of all things and diversion. Great affluence, whatthat can give a relish to his being, ever we may account it, is really but neglects the preservation of it-who a greater trust; the means committed abuses the conveniences of life to to us of a more extensive provision its waste, and turns its very comforts for the necessities of our fellow-creato its ruin? or, could we suppose our tures; and when our maintenanceconvenience-an appearance pleasures disordering our constitu- our tion, after a manner not likely to suitable to our rank have been concontribute to its decay, they would sulted, all that remains is the claim not even then be exempted from of others, of our family, our friends, guilt to preserve yourself should our neighbours, of those who are not solely be your concern, but to most in need of us, and whom we are maintain your most perfect state: most obliged to assist.

of your In the figure we make, in our atevery part and every power frame claims your regard; and it is tendants, table, habit, there may be great ingratitude towards him, who a very culpable parsimony: but in gave us our faculties, when we in the expense which has nothing but any wise obstruct their free use. self-gratification in view, our thrift The proper thankfulness to God for can never transgress: here our abour life is to be expressed by our care stinence is the most generous and about it; both by keeping it, till he commendable, as it at once qualifies pleases to require it; and by so pre- us to relieve the wants of others, and serving it, that it may be fit for all lessens our own-as it sets us above those purposes, to which he has ap- the world, at the time that it enables us to be a blessing to it. pointed it. There is not a nobler quality to Further, the pleasure is, undoubtedly, criminal, which is not adapted distinguish us, than that of an indifto our fortune-which either impairs ference to ourselves a readiness to it, or hinders an application of it to forego our own liking for the ease what has the principal claim upon it. and advantage of our fellow-crea

tures. And it is but justice, indeed, do I then make, when I join in all that the conveniences of many should the common amusements-when the prescribe to those of one: whatever world seems to delight me full as his fortune may be, as he owes all much as my hearers, and the only the service he has from it to the con- difference between us is, that their currence of numbers, he ought to words and actions correspond, and make it of benefit to them, and by mine are utterly inconsistent! no means to conclude, that what Have you attained the years, which they are not to take from him, they extinguish the relish of many enjoyments-which bid you expect the

are not to share.

Nor should it be unremarked, that speedy conclusion of the few remainthe gratifications, best suited to na-ing, and ought to instruct you in the ture, are of all the cheapest: she, emptiness of all those of the sensual like a wise parent, has not made those kind? we expect you should leave things needful to the well-being of them to such who can taste them any of us, which are prejudicial to better, and who know them less. The the interests of the rest. We have massy vestment ill becomes you, a large field for enjoyment, at little when you sink under its weight; the or no charge, and may very allowably gay assembly, when your dim eyes exceed the bounds of this; but we cannot distinguish the persons comshould always remember, that the posing it: your feet scarcely support. verge of right is the entrance upon you; attend not, therefore, where the wrong that the indulgence, which contest is, whose motions are the goes to the full extent of a lawful ex-gracefulest: fly the representation pense, approaches too near a criminal designed to raise the mirth of the one, to be wholly clear from it. spectators, when you can only remind them of their coffins.

Again, care should be taken that our pleasures be in character.

Lastly, every pleasure should be The station of some, the profession avoided, that is an offence to the of others, and an advanced age in all, scrupulous, or a snare to the indisrequire that we should decline many creet. I ought to have nothing more pleasures allowable to those of an in- at heart than my brother's innocence, ferior rank of a different profes- except my own; and when there are sion-of much younger years. so many ways of entertaining our

Do your decisions constitute the selves, which admit of no misconlaw does your honour balance the struction, why should I choose such plebeian's oath? how very fitting is as afford occasion for any? it that you should never be seen To be able greatly to benefit our eager on trifles-intent on boyish fellow creatures is the happiness of sports-unbent to the lowest amuse- few, but not to hurt them is in the ments of the populace-solicitous af- power of all; and when we cannot ter gratifications, which may show, do the world much good, we must be that neither your sagacity is greater, very unthinking indeed, if we endeanor your scruples fewer than what vour not to do it the least possible are found in the very meanest of the mischief. community!

How this action will appear, to Am I set apart to recommend a what interpretation it is liable, ought reasonable and useful life-to repre- to be our consideration in whatever sent the world as a scene of vanity we engage. We are here so much and folly, and propose the things interested in each other's morals, above as only proper to engage our that, if we looked not beyond our affections? how ungraceful a figure present being, it should never be a

point indifferent to us, what notions thereto, could it properly operate on our conduct may propagate, and for those whose advantage is its immewhat corruptions it may be made the diate aim.

plea but professing the doctrine of We have been told, by very good Christ as our rule, we can in nothing judges of human nature, how engagmore directly oppose it, than in taking virtue would be, if it came under ing those liberties, by which the vir- the notice of sense. And what is a tue of any is endangered. Which right practice, but virtue made, in of our pleasures have this pernicious some measure, the object of our tendency, it will be more proper for sense? What is a man ever acting my readers to recollect, than for me reasonably, but, if I may so speak, to describe. To those who are in impersonated virtue-Virtue in a earnest I have said enough; to the visible shape, brought into view, preinsincere more would be fruitless. senting itself to the sight, and through What has been said deserves, I think, the sight as much affecting the mind, some consideration, and that it may as it could be affected by any elehave a serious one, is the most ear-gance of form, by any of the beaunest wish of, ties of colouring or proportion.

Dear Sir,

Yours, &c.

$111. Three Essays on the Employment of Time.

PREFACE.

The notions most dishonourable to the deity, and to the human species, are often, I suspect, first taken up, and always, certainly, confirmed by remarking how they act whose speculations the express greatest honour

towards both.

The essays I here publish, though When the strongest sense of an at first penned for the benefit of all powerful and wise, a most holy some of the author's neighbours in and just Governor of the world, is the country, may, it is hoped, from professed by those who show not the the alterations since made in them, least concern to please him— be of more general use. The sub- When reason, choice, civil obligaject of them is, in itself of the high- tions, a future recompense, have for est importance, and could, therefore their advocates such as are governed never be unseasonably considered; by humour, passion, appetite; or who but the general practice, at present, deny themselves no present pleasure more especially entitles it to our no- or advantage, for any thing that an tice. The principles on which their hereafter promises; it naturally leads argumentative part proceeds, are de- others, first, to think it of little monied by none whose conviction it ment which side is taken on these consults. Such as regard the human points, and then, to take that which frame as only in its mechanism ex- suits the manners of them who, in celling that of beasts-such as their declarations, are its warmest would deprive man's breast of social opposers. affections, exempt him from all ap- Whereas, were the apprehensions prehensions of a deity, and confine that do justice to a superintending his hopes to his present existence, providence- -an immaterial princiare not the persons whom any thing ple in man-his liberty- his duhere said proposes to affect. They ties in society-his hopes at his are not, I mean, directly applied to dissolution, to be universally evidencin this work; but even their benefit ed by a suitable practice; the great it may be said consequentially to in- and manifest advantage arising from tend, as it would certainly contribute them would be capable of suppress

ing every doubt of their truth, would | tinuance of our present frame, since prevent the entrance of any, or after its dissolution we have nothing would soon remove it. to hope or fear; their practical di

As, indeed, all that we are capable rections were, however, that we ought of knowing in our present state, ap- to be strictly just, severely abstinent, pears either immediately to regard its true to our friendships, steady in the wants, or to be connected with what pursuit of honour and virtue, attenregards them, it is by no means a tive to the public welfare, and willslight confirmation of the truth of a ing to part with our lives in its dedoctrine, that the persuasion thereof fence.

is of the utmost consequence to our Such they admitted man ought to present well being. And thus the be-such they exhorted him to be, great advantages that are in this life and, therefore, when they would alderivable from the belief of a future low him to act only upon motives utretribution that are here the pro- terly incongruous to his being this per fruits of such a belief, may be person, it followed either that these considered as evidencing how well it were wrongly assigned, or that a conis founded- -how reasonably it is duct was required from him unsuitaentertained. On this it may be of ble to his nature. some use more largely to insist.

No

That his obligations were rightly What engagements correspond to stated was on all hands agreed. The the conviction that the state in which mistake was in the inducements alwe now are is but the passage to a leged for discharging them. better, is considered in the last of thing was more improbable than his these essays and that, when so en- fulfilling the duties this scheme apgaged, we are acting the part befit-pointed him, if he was determined by ting our nature and our situation, it in judging of the consequences of seems manifest both on account of his actions- -what good or hurt the approbation it has from our calm- they would do him-- -what happiest hours, our most serious delibera-ness or misery would be their result. tion and freest judgment, and like- While the Epicureans admitted wise on account of the testimony it justice to be preferable to injustice receives even from them who act a -a public spirit, to private selfquite contrary one. What they con- ish views; while they acknowledged form not to, they applaud; they ac- it more fitting that we should sacriknowledge their failures to be such; fice life to the good of our country, they admire the worth, which they than preserve it by deserting the cannot bring themselves to cultivate. common welfare; they must, I think, If we look into the writers who be regarded as authorizing prefersupposed all the pleasures of man to ence of the principles which will be those of his body, and all his views make man just and public spirited, limited to his present existence; we to those which will dispose him to find them, in the rule of life they be unjust, and wholly attentive to his gave, deserting the necessary conse- own little interests.

quences of their supposition, and Let us see, then, what will be the prescribing a morality utterly incon- practical consequences of adopting sistent with it. Even when they or rejecting the Epicurean tenet of taught that what was good or evil our having nothing to hope for bewas to be determined by our feeling yond the grave. only that right or wrong was ac- The value we set on life is shown cording to the pleasure or pain that by what we do to preserve it, and would ensue to us during the con- what we suffer rather than part with

141 it. We support ourselves by the about the existence here appointed hardest labour, the severest drudge- us. We cannot well be reconciled ry, and we think death a much great- to the loss of our being, but are easier evil, than to struggle for years ly so to its change; and death conwith disease and pain, despairing of sidered as only its change, as the cure, and even of any long intervals passage from a less to a more desiraof ease. Such, ordinarily, is our ble state, will, certainly, have the terlove of life. And this desire to keep ror of its appearance much abated.. it cannot but be greatly increased, The conviction that there is a greatwhen we are induced to think that er good in reserve for us than any once lost it is so for ever. To be pleasure which earth can afford, and without all hope of again enjoying that there is something far more to the blessing we thus highly prize, be feared by us than any pain we can must naturally disincline us to hazard now be made to suffer, will, in proit, and indispose us for what will en- portion to its strength, render us indanger its continuance. He who is different to the delights and convepersuaded that corporeal pleasure is niences of our abode on earth, and all he has to expect, and that it is dispose us to qualify ourselves for obconfined to his present existence, taining that greater good, and avoidmust, if he acts agreeably to such a ing that so much more to be dreadpersuasion, be wholly intent on the ed evil. In these considerations of pursuit of that pleasure, and dread life and death, of happiness and minothing more than its coming to an sery, virtue has its proper support. end, or being interrupted. Hence, We are by them brought to judge if his term of life would be shorter, rightly of the part becoming us, and or any greater distress would accrue to adhere to it immoveably: they furto him by adhering to truth and jus- nish sufficient inducements to avoid tice, than by departing from them falsehood and injustice, of whatever

-if he were to be at present more immediate advantage we may be a loser by assisting his friend, than thereby deprived they encourage by forsaking him if he could us to serve our friends and country promise himself a larger share of with the utmost fidelity, notwithsensual gratifications from betraying standing all the inconveniences that his country, than from serving it can be supposed to attend it-they faithfully, he would be false and un-are, indeed, proper incitements to just, he would be perfidious to his prefer the public welfare to our own friend, and a traitor to his country. safety, while they represent to us how All those sentiments and actions that much our gain thereby would overexpress an entire attachment to the balance our loss.

delights of sense, and the strongest Brutes in our end and expectareluctance to forego them, are strictly tions, how can we be otherwise in in character when we look not be- our pursuits? But if the reasoning yond them- -when we acknow- principle in us be an incorruptible ledge not any higher satisfactions, one, and its right or wrong applicaand behold these as expiring with tion in its embodied state affect the us, and sure never to be again tast- whole of our future existence; we ed. have, in that apprehension, the most Whereas the prospect of a return- powerful motive to act throughout in ing life, and of enjoyments in it far conformity to our rational nature, or, superior to any we now experience, which is the same thing in other or promise ourselves, has a necessa- words, never to swerve from virtue ry tendency to lessen our solicitude to despise alike danger and