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It is plainly contrary to the benevolent affection we ought to have for our fellow-creature, to put him to any pain or diftrefs of body, as by beating, wounding, or maiming, unless in felf-defence, when unjustly attacked; in lawful war; or in cafe of his having deserved corporal correction, and if we are authorised by a juft law to inflict, or cause it to be inflicted upon him.

If it be contrary to the affection we ought to have for our neighbour, to put him to bodily pain needlessly, or unjustly, it is much more fo, to deprive him of life, unless he has forfeited it according to law.

This injury is fo much the more atrocious, as it is irreparable. And it feems to me very much to be doubted, whether human authority ought in reason to be extended to the pardon of the murder of the innocent. Scripture is exprefs, "that he who sheds man's "blood, by man fhall his blood be fhed."

There feems to be in this crime fomewhat peculiarly offenfive to Heaven, in that the Divine Providence does fo often, by moft ftriking and wonderful interpofitions, bring the authors of it to light in a manner different from what happens in other cafes. For, of the numbers, who lofe their lives by violence, it is remarkable, that there are few inftances of the murderer's escaping. That in fo great and wicked a city as London, for example, there should not every year be many people miffing, being made away with fecretly, and the authors of their death never found, is very remarkable. We find that often the fagacity of dogs, and other animals, and even inanimate things, have been the occafion of bringing this foul crime to light. But the moft common means of the difcovery of bloody deeds has been confcience, which acting the part of a torturer, has forced the tongue, through extremity of anguish, to disclose the secret, which no other but itself could bring to light.

It being by pride and paffion, that men are incited to break loofe upon one another in acts of violence, it is plain, that the best method of preventing our falling into them is, by fubduing thofe fatal paflions, which tranfport us beyond the power and ufe of reafon. And

if

if nothing tends more to inflame every paffion, than the ufe of ftrong liquors, how cautious ought we to be of indulging the maddening draught, which may drive us upon extravagances, we could not in our cooler hours believe ourselves capable of? Cruelty, even to the brute creation, is altogether unjuftifiable, much more to our fellow-creatures. Nor can any thinking perfon believe it poffible, that a mind difpofed to barbarity, or infenfible of the miferies of our fellow-beings, can be at all fit for a future ftate, in which goodness is to prevail.

A wife man will dread the beginning of quarrels. For no one knows where a quarrel, once begun, may, end. None of us knows how much of the evil fpirit is either in himself or in his adverfary. And he, who begins, is in confcience anfwerable for all the confequences. Nor was there ever a falling out without folly, at least on one fide, if not on both. Were one fure the worst that was to happen would be the ruffling of his own or his neighbour's temper, or the difcompofing of their fpirits, even that cannot be without guilt. And is an empire of confequence enough to make any thinking man offend God, and endanger his or his neighbour's foul? Tremble, reader, at the thought of being fuddenly fnatched away, (as nothing is more common than fudden death) and fent into the world of fpirits, hot from a contest with a fellow-creature, and fellow-chriftian.

Hurting our neighbour's health by tempting him to be guilty of intemperance, is as really contrary to that affection we ought to have for him, as wounding, or poisoning him. It is no more an alleviation of the guilt of feducing him into debauchery, that it may not cut him off in lefs than feveral years, (which is likewife more than can be certainly affirmed) than it is lefs murder to poifon in the Italian manner, than with a dofe of arfenic. But to lead a fellow-creature into a courfe of debauchery is, as above obferved, poisoning both foul and body at once.

To grieve, afflict, or terrify a fellow-creature needlefsly, or unjustly, is injuring him as to his foul. And the anguish of the mind being more feverely felt, than bodily pain, the inflicting the former upon an innocent

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perfon is a greater act of cruelty. It is therefore shocking to think how one half of mankind fport with the anguish of the other. How little they make the cafe of their fellow-creatures their own, or confider what they muft fuffer from their wicked afperfions, mifreprefentations, and oppreffive and injurious treatment; which bring a pain proportioned to the fenfibility of the fufferer. And every one knows, that the delicacy of fome minds renders them as different from others, as the temper of the lamb is meeker than that of the tiger.

But the most direct injury against the fpiritual part of our fellow-creature is, leading him into vice; whether that be done by means of folicitation; by artfully impofing on his judgment; by powerful compulfion; or by prevailing example.

Some tempers are fo impotently ductile, that they can refufe nothing to repeated folicitation. Whoever takes the advantage of fuch perfons, is guilty of the lowest bafenefs. Yet nothing is more common, than for the debauched part of our fex to fhew their heroifm by a poor triumph over weak, eafy, thoughtlefs woman! nothing more frequent, than to hear them boaft of the ruin of that virtue, of which it ought to be their pride to be the defenders. "Poor fool! fhe loved me, and "therefore could refufe me nothing. Bafe coward! Doft thou boaft thy conqueft over one, who, by thy own confeflion, was difabled for refiftance, difabled by her affection for thy worthlefs felf? Does affection deferve fuch a return? Is fuperior understanding, or rather deeper craft, to be used against thoughlefs fimplicity; and its fhameful fuccefs to be boafted of? Doft thou pride thyfelf, that thou haft had art enough to decoy the harmlefs lamb to thy hand, that thou mighteft fhed its blood?

To call good evil, and evil good, is in Scripture ftigmatized with a curfe. And to put out the bodily eyes is not fo great an injury, as to miflead, or extinguish the understanding, and impofe upon the judgment in matters of right and wrong. Whoever is guilty of this inhuman and diabolical wickedness, may in reafon expect to have the foul, he has been the ruin of, required hereafter at his hands. I am

I am very fufpicious, that many perfons in eminent ftations have very little notion of their being highly criminal in the fight of God, in fetting a bad example before the reft of mankind. No perfon, who thinks at all, can doubt, whether it is juftifiable to advife, or fo.ce others to be guilty of vice. But if there is a way incomparably more effectual and alluring, by which pecple are more powerfully drawn into wickednefs; farely that is more mifchievous and hurtful, and ought moit. carefully to be avoided.

Of all tyranny, none is fo inhuman, as where men ufe their power over others, to force them into wickednefs. The bloody perfecutor, who uses threats and punishments, prifons, racks, and fires, to compel the unhappy fufferer to make fhipwreck of faith, and give up truth and a good confcience; the corrupt minifter, or candidate, who bullies the unhappy dependent into the perjured vote; thefe, and fuch like, are in the way toward being qualified for beconíing furies and fiends in the lower regions. For who is fo fit for the place of a tormentor, to ftand among evil fpirits, and plunge the emerging fouls deeper in hell-flames, than he, who, on earth, made it his infernal employment, to thrust his fellow-creatures into thofe ways, which lead down to the chambers of deftruction?

Reader, if thou hast ever been the caufe of a fellowcreature's guilt; if thou haft, by force or art, betrayed a wretched foul into vice, and acted the part of an agent of Satan; I charge thee on thy foul, put not off thy repentance for an hour. Prevent, if poflible, the final ruin thy curfed arts tend to bring upon a human creature. Endeavour to open the eyes, which thou haft closed; to enlighten the understanding thou haft blinded; and to lead again into the right way the feet, thou haft taught to wander from it. If thou wilt go to deftruction, why shouldst thou drag others with thee? If thy ambition prompts thee to ruin thy own foul, fpare that of thy poor fellow-creature, who has no concern with thy schemes. Must thy brother have a place in the infernal regions, to get thee a place at Court? Take back the damning bribe; prevent the perjured vote: think

how thou wilt bear the eternal howlings of a fpirit, by thy temptations funk to irrecoverable perdition.

Befides the general duty of benevolence to all, who partake of the fame common nature, which is indifpenfably neceffary in the nature of things toward the very being of fociety, in the prefent ftate, and for fitting us for entering into a more extenfive fociety hereafter; befides the general benevolence we owe to all our fellowcreatures, it is evident, that we owe particular duties to particular perfons, according to the relations and connections we have with them. This propriety is founded in the nature of things*, and is felf-evident. It is as plain, that reverence to fuperiors, for example, is proper, as that all the angles of a plain triangle are equal to two right ones. It is as evident, that the contempt of one really fuperior to us, would be wrong, as that it would be wrong to fay that twice two are equal to fifty."

The firft, and most important of all relative focial duties, is that which we owe to our country. That we ought to ftudy the interest of our country, is plain from confidering, that the love of our families, and even felflove, cannot be purfued, or established, on any rational footing, but what will extend to that of our country (for it is impoffible for all families and individuals to be happy in a ruined country) and from confidering, that, if no perfon loved his country, but every individual was indifferent about its intereft, no country could fubfift; but the world muft quickly come to an end.

The virtue of patriotifm is moft indispensable in perfons in high ftations, whofe rank gives them an opportunity of being of important fervice to the public intereft. These ought to confider themselves as general protectors and fathers, to whofe care the reft of mankind are by Divine Providence committed; and ought to tremble at the thought of betraying fo awful a truft. And the intereft of a country confifts briefly in its being properly fecured against enemies; in its being governed by good laws, duly executed; in its being fe cured in its liberties, civil and religious, the boundaries

See the first Section of this third book,

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