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own lofs, we grieve at their gain. In this manner emulation, envy, jealoufy, and at length actual hatred, and malice, are produced in our hearts.

It is for this reason that gaming is unfavourable to benevolence, as well as other virtues, and high gaming exceedingly pernicious. For, in this cafe, every man's gain is directly produced by another's lofs; fo that the gratification of the one and the disappointment of the other must always go together. Indeed, upon the fame juft principle, all trade and commerce, all buying and felling, is wrong, unless it be to the advantage of both parties.

Malevolent difpofitions, befides that they are clearly contrary to the will of God, and the dictates of conscience, are the fource of much pain and misery to ourselves. They confift of very uneasy · feelings; fo that no man can be happy, or enjoy any fatisfaction, while he is under the influence of them. Even the pleasures

pleasures of revenge are shocking to think of, and what a man must despise himself for being capable of relishing and enjoying; and, they are, in all cafes, infinitely inferior to the noble fatisfaction which a man feels in forgiving an injury. There is a meannefs in the former, but true greatness of mind, and real dignity in the latter, and the pleasure which it gives does not pall upon reflection. Befides, a difpofition to 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, indeed, is in fome cafes, reafonable; as when it is directed against the vicious, and injurious, who are the pests of fociety; fo that being enemies to fuch perfons is being friends to mankind at large. But here great caution should be ufed, 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 fhould never in

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dulge 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 personal 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, 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 fhould. we exercise it to our real friends, and use our endeavours to make the most ample return for any kindness that they do to us. Indeed there is no virtue which has a ftronger teftimony in the consciences of all men,

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than gratitude, and no vice is universally fo hateful as ingratitude.

If the good of fociety be our object, there can be no question, but that veracity, with respect 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 society would be defeated, if falfehood were as common as truth among mankind; and in those circumstances all beneficial intercourse would foon ceafe among them; and, notwithstanding temporary inconveniences may fometimes arife from a rigid adherence to truth, they are infinitely overbalanced by the many fuperior advantages that arise from our depending upon the regard to it being inviolable.

Since an oath, or an appeal to divine being, is the most deliberate, and the moft folemn of all the modes of affeveration, it ought to be the moft fcrupulously obferved. There is not, in the nature of

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things, any stronger guard against impofition and deceit, and therefore a person who has once perjured himself, deferves not only to be detested, and shunned, as the bane of fociety, but to be expelled out of it.

$ 5. Of the relative duties.

As we stand in a variety of relations to one another, and have much more opportunity of doing kind offices to some 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 сараble of attending to the wants of them all; whereas our beneficence is necessarily limited, and therefore fhould flow the most freely towards thofe whom we can most conveniently and effectually ferve. Befides the good of the whole will be best provided for by every perfon making this a rule to himself; whereas, if every perfon,

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