Of the ruling paffion, and an estimate of the propriety and value of the different purfuits of mankind.

HAVIN

AVING given this general delineation of the various paffions and affections of human nature, which may be called the springs of all our actions (fince every thing that we do is fomething that we are prompted to by one or more of them,) I fhall now proceed to examine them separately, in order to ascertain how far we ought to be influenced by any of them, and in what cafes, or degrees, the indulgence of any of them becomes wrong and criminal.

Actuated as we are by a variety of paffions, it can hardly be, but that some of them will have more influence over us than others. These are fometimes called

ruling paffions, because, whenever it happens that the gratification of fome interferes with that of others, all the reft will give place to these. If, for instance, any man's ruling paffion be the love of money, he will deny himself any of the pleasures of life for the fake of it; whereas, if the love of pleasure were his ruling paffion, he would often run the risque of impoverishing himself, rather than not procure his favourite indulgence.

It must be of great importance, therefore, to know which ought to be our ruling paffions through life, or what are thofe gratifications and pursuits to which we ought to facrifice every thing else. This is the object of our present inquiry, in conducting which we must confider how far the indulgence of any particular paffion is confiftent with our regard to the four rules of conduct that have been explained; namely, the will of God, our own best interest, the good of others, and the natural dictates of our confcience; and

in

in eftimating the value of any particular enjoyment, with respect to the happiness we receive from it, we must confider how great or intense it is, how long it will continue, whether we regard the nature of the fenfe from which it is derived, or the opportunities we may have of procuring the gratification of it, and laftly, how far it is confiftent, or inconfiftent, with other pleasures of our nature, more or less valuable than itself.

§ 1. Of the pleasures of fenfe.

Since no appetite or paffion belonging to our frame was given us in vain, we may conclude, that there cannot be any thing wrong in the fimple gratification of any defire that our maker has implanted in us, under certain limitations and in certain circumstances; and if we confider the proper object of any of our appetites, or the end it is calculated to anfwer, it will be a rule for us in determining how far the divine being intended that they should be

indulged.

indulged. Now fome of our fenfual appetites have for their proper object the fupport of life, and others the propagation of the fpecies. They should, therefore, be indulged as far as is neceffary for these purposes, and where the indulgence is not fo exceffive, or fo circumstanced, as to interfere with the greater good of ourselves and others.

1. But to make the gratification of our fenfes our primary purfuit, must be abfurd; for the appetite for food is given us for the fake of fupporting life, and not life for the fake of confuming food. The like may be faid of other fenfual appetites. Since, therefore, we certainly err from the intention of nature when we make that an end, which was plainly meant to be no more than a means to fome farther end; whatever this great end of life be, we' may conclude that it cannot be the gratification of our fenfual appetites, for they themselves are only a means to fomething else.

2. To

2. To make the gratification of our bodily fenfes the chief end of living would tend to defeat itself; for a man who fhould have no other end in view would be apt fo to overcharge and furfeit his fenfes, that they would become indifpofed for their proper functions, and indulgence would occafion nothing but a painful loathing. By intemperance alfo in eating and drinking, and in all other corporeal pleasures, the powers of the body itself are weakened, and a foundation is laid for diforders the most loathfome to behold, the most painful to endure, and the most fatal in their tendencies and iffues. The ingenuity of man cannot contrive any torture fo exquifite, and at the fame time of so long continuance, as those which are occafioned by the irregular indulgence of the senses; whereas tem-perance, and occafional abftinence, is a means of keeping all the bodily organs and fenfès in their proper tone, disposed to relish their proper gratifications; fo that they fhall give a man the most true

and