fatisfied with the definition of his predeceffor, and endeavours to mend it. "Virtue," fays Lord Shaftesbury," is a fenfe of beauty, of harmony, "of order, and proportion, an affection towards "the whole of our kind, or species." "It is," fays Lord Bolingbroke, "only the love of ourselves" "It is every thing that tends to preserve and per"fect man," fays Volney; and as "good reputation" has this tendency, it is in his account a "moral good."* "It is whatever is useful in fociety," fays Mr. Hume; and as "health, cleanlinefs, facility of expreflion, broad fhoulders, and taper legs," are of ufe, they are to be reckoned amongst the virtues. To this might have been added, a large portion of effrontery, as the last named writer affures us, it may be from his own experience, that "Nothing carries a man through the "world like a true, genuine, natural impudence."f Mr. Paine brings up the rear, and informs us, "It "is doing juftice, loving mercy, and . . . . endea << vouring to make our fellow creatures happy." O Paine, had you but for once fuffered yourself to be taught by a Prophet, and have quoted his words as they ftand, you would undoubtedly have borne away the palm: but you had rather write nonfenfe than fay any thing in favour of godliness. It is worthy of notice that amidst all the dif cordance of these writers, they agree in excluding the Divine Being from their theory of morals. They think after their manner; but God is not in all their thoughts. In comparing the Chriftian doe • Law of Nature, p. 17. · Enquiry concerning the principles of morals, § 6, 7, 8. trine of morality, the fum of which is love, with their atheistical jargon, one seems to hear the voice of the Almighty, faying, Who is this that darkeneth counfel with words without knowledge? Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole of man. The words of Scripture are spirit and life. They are the language of love. Every exhortation of Chrift and his apoftles is impregnated with this fpirit. Let the reader turn to the twelfth chapter of the epiftle to the Romans, for an example, and read it carefully; let him find, if he can, any thing in the purest part of the writings of deifts that is worthy of being compared with it. virtue itself is no longer virtue in their hands. lofes its charms when they affect to embrace it. Their touch is that of the cold hand of death. The most lovely object is deprived by it of life and beauty, and reduced to a fhrivelled mafs of inactive formality. No; It CHAP. IV. Christianity furnishes motives to a virtuous life, which Deifm either rejects, or attempts to undermine. So long as our adverfaries profefs a regard to virtue, and acknowledge with Lord Bolingbroke that "the gospel is in all cafes one continued leffon of the ftricteft morality; of justice, of benevolence, and of univerfal charity,"* they must allow those *Works, Vol. V. p. 188, to be the best principles which furnish the moft effectual motives for reducing it to practice. Now there is not a doctrine in the whole compafs of Christianity but what is improvable to this purpose. It is a grand peculiarity of the gofpel, that none of its principles are merely speculative : each is pregnant with a practical use. Nor does the discovery of it require any extraordinary degree of ingenuity: real Chriftians, however weak as to their natural capacities, have always been taught by the gospel of Christ, that denying ungodlilinefs, and worldly lufts, they fhould live foberly, rightsoufly, and godly, in the prefent world. Ancient philofophers have taught many things in favour of morality, fo far at least as refpect justice and goodness towards our fellow-creatures; but where are the motives by which the minds of the people, or even their own minds, have been moved to a compliance with them? They framed a curious machine; but who amongst them could discover a power to work it? What principles have appeared in the world under the names either of philofophy or religion, that can bear a comparison with the following ? God fo loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him fhould not perish, but have everlasting life-Herein is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and fent his Son to be a propitiation for our fins. Beloved, If God fo loved us, we ought alfo to love one another-Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Chrift's fake hath forgiven you-Be ye followers, or imitators of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Chrift alfo hath loved us, and given himself for us, an offering, and a facrifice to God of a fweet-fmelling favour-Ye are a chofen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye fhould fhew forth the praifes of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light-Come out from amongst them, and be ye feparate, faith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you; and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my fons and daughters, faith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promifes, dearly beloved, let us cleanfe ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God-If there be therefore any confolation in Chrift, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies; fulfil ye my joy, -be of one accord, of one mind: let nothing be done through ftrife, or vain glory, but in lowlinefs of mind let each efteem other better than themfelves-Dearly beloved, I beseech you as ftrangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lufts which war against the foul; having your converfation honest among the gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evil doers, they may by your good works which they fball behold, glorify God in the day of vifitation-Ye are bought with a price : therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's-The love of Chrift conftraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they who live fhould not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them, and rofe again—The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens fhall pass away with a great noise, and the elements fall melt with fervent heat: the earth alfo, and the works that are therein, fhall be burnt up. Seeing then that all these things fhall be diffolved, What manner of perfons ought ye to be, in all holy converfation and godliness, looking for, and hasting unto the coming of the day of God!-Hold faft that which thou haft ; let no man take thy crown!-To him that overcometh will I grant to fit down with me in my throne, even as I alfo overcame, and am fet down with my Father in his throne.* These are motives by which Chriftians in every age have been induced to practife that morality which Bolingbroke, Paine, and many others, while writing against Christianity have been compelled to applaud but the far greater part of them are rejected by deifts; and what will they fubftitute of equal efficacy in their place? The love of Chrift constraineth us; but what have they to conftrain them? Will felf-love, or the beauty or utility of virtue answer the purpofe? Let history and obfervation determine. It may be alleged, however, that deifts do not reject the whole of thefe important motives; for that fome of them at least admit the doctrine of a future life, which, with the acknowledgement of one living and true God, may be thought fufficient for all the purposes of morality. That the doctrine of a future life is of great importance in the moral fyftem, is allowed; but the greatest truth, if diffevered from other truths of equal importance, will be divefted of its energy. A hand diffevered from the body might as well be reprefented as fufficient for the purposes of labour, John, iii. 18. 1 John, iii. 10, 11. Eph. iv. 31, 32. V. 1, 2. Pct. ii. 9. 2 Cor. vi. 17, 18. vii. 1. Phil. ii. 1, 2, 3. 1 Pet. ii. 11, 12. I Cor. vi. 20. 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. 2 Pet. iii. 10-12. Rev. iii. 11, 21. |