Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

selves and Characters; and without this Knowledge we can never know whether our Character be faulty or commendable, whether it can be approved by God, our Neighbour, or ourselves. How many Absurdities, how much Disgrace, how much Vice and Folly do we fall into, for want of that Scrutiny of our Conduct, and of our Thoughts, from whence that Conduct flows! But supposing a Man to have once acquired a tolerable Degree of Self-knowledge, yet if he content himself with that, and neglect frequently to examine himself, he will find, when he does undertake the task, many Faults, and much Misconduct, have escaped his Notice. Such a one is in continual Danger of becoming retrograde in Virtue, and imperceptibly degenerating into vicious Courses, merely from this Neglect. Every one, therefore, should make it Part of his daily Business to examine his daily Conduct, that, seeing the Evil of it, he may in Season apply the Remedy.

RETIRING FROM THE WORLD, MONACHISM, &c. It is not of much Importance to Society, how a Person incapable of moral Action disposes of himself, or his Time. But when those in Health, and of a common Capacity, seclude themselves from the World, because, forsooth, they fancy they can honor God more acceptably by retiring from Society, and spending their Time in saying their Prayers and

telling

solitary State. And if our Happiness here depends materially upon the proper Exercise and Enjoyment of the several Appetites and Propensities which the Creator has given us, as it undoubtedly does, the Man who secludes himself from Society, must fall vastly short of the Happiness and Satisfaction enjoyed by his social fellow Mortals, and is accountable to his Maker for the Neglect of all that Good which he might or would have done, had he continued in the social State. The Duties incumbent on the Man in Society are, it is confessed, greatly increased, but his Enjoyment in a much greater Degree. Let us then cultivate the social and benevolent Dispositions, for by so doing, we shall most certainly enlarge the Sphere of our Enjoyments and our Capacity of doing Good; and there is no greater Happiness to the benevolent Man, than the Consciousness that he has promoted the Happiness of others.

SELF-GOVERNMENT.

Man is endowed with Reason and Power of Choice, and thereby he becomes a moral and accountable Agent. For Reason is given us to regulate our Affections, or to govern them by a certain Rule; and that Rule is Virtue, or (which is eventually the same) the Divine Will. For it is impossible the Divine Will should in any case militate with Virtue, though, logically

telling their Beads, than in some Employment or Pursuit, beneficial to others; they do, in effect, tell their Maker, that they have improved upon his Plan of Nature and Providence, and found out a better Way of serving Him than the old one of doing all the Good in their Power, in the social State. A solitary Life tends to lessen our Love to our Neighbour.

The Man, then, who secludes himself from Society when he may be beneficial to it, deserves, instead of Approbation and Support, the Contempt and Neglect of that Society he so grossly injures. And let this Aphorism be impressed on every Mind, "That no Life is pleasing to God, but that which is useful to Mankind."

WANT OF SELF-COMMAND. One who has no Command of himself, is the Sport of every Passion or Appetite which happens to assail him; and unless he make the greatest Efforts, they commonly get such a Head, as to bear down Reason and Judgment, and the poor Man is deprived of all Self-complacency, and the Respect of those around him. "He that hath no Rule over his own Spirit, is like a City broken down, and without Walls." The Man who has no Command of himself is continually running into Difficulties, from which he cannot easily extricate himself. If he is passionate and iras

cible,

logically speaking, the Divine Will does not constitute Virtue. We are, then, bound by our Nature or Constitution to obey God, and it becomes our sacred Duty to regulate every Action to which our several Affections prompt us by that Reason which was given us for that Purpose. And as we are enabled by Reason to govern our Passions and Appetites, and by this Capacity of Self-command become accountable; we are accordingly informed, both by natural and revealed Religion, that God will one Day call us to account, and will reward every Man according to his Works. It becomes us then to cultivate this Faculty of Self-government with much Assiduity, for it is not to be acquired, in any tolerable Degree, without Vigilance and Attention. Our Passions and Appetites naturally so strong and craving, and grow so much more so by Indulgence, that unless we begin to get some Ascendency over them in early Life, we seldom acquire it so thoroughly as a wise Man would wish. Hence the vast importance of a good early Education, for which there is no complete Substitute. But this Self-command, when once attained, enables us to conquer all vicious, malignant and unsocial Affections and Habits, and to acquire and improve on those which are virtuous and beneficent, and is therefore an Acquisition of the highest Consequence to our Happiness, both here and hereafter. DELIBERATION,

are

RE

(UNIV

VICES AND ILL DISPOSITIONS TO BE AVOIDED

105

cible, every trifling Occurrence throws him into a Rage, and perhaps engages him in Broils and Quarrels. If he is vain, and fond of Show and Parade, he often ruins himself and Family by running in Debt to gratify his foolish Fondness for Ostentation, &c. But our Attention must be also extended to our benevolent Affections; for even Benevolence itself, unless under the Direction of Reason, may, and often does, lead us astray, as when it induces us to favour one Person, to the Injury of another, or of the Public; as, for Example, when we assist an Offender in escaping from just Punishment. And an unguarded Good-nature has been the Ruin of Thousands. How often have children been ruined by the foolish Fondness, that is, by the unrestrained and inconsiderate Indulgence of their Parents! How many have, by a too easy Good-nature, ruined themselves, and impoverished their Families, by becoming Surety for others! So important is it, that all our Affections be governed by Reason.

1

[ocr errors]

We should, therefore, constantly bear it in our Minds, that although by Reason we are naturally enabled to keep our Appetites and Passions under due Controul, yet, if, for a considerable Length of Time, we neglect to exercise this controuling Faculty, and suffer our Appetites and Passions to take the Lead, and give ourselves up to them, we are in the utmost Danger of contracting Habits of Vice,

which

« ForrigeFortsæt »