On the other hand, fuperftition arifes from miftaking the proper object of the divine favour and approbation, for want of having a juft idea of the moral perfections of God, and of the importance of real virtue. Perfons of this character are extremely punctual with refpect to the means and circumftantials of religion, or things that have only an imaginary relation to it, and may be quite foreign to its real nature; instead of bringing to God the devotion of the heart, and the proper fruits of it, in the faithful difcharge of the duties of life, in the perfonal and social capacities. The omiflion of fome mere form, or ceremony, fhall give fuch perfons more real uneafinefs than the neglect of a moral duty; and when they have complied with all the forms which they think requifite to be obferved, their confciences are entirely cafy, their former guilt has no preffure, and they are ready to contract new debts, to be wiped off in the fame manner. Almost all the religion of the Mahometans and Papifts confifts in this kind of fuperftition, and there is too much of it in all fects and denominations of chriftians. I cannot give a clearer idea of the nature of fuperftition than by what appeared in the conduct of fome Roman Catholicks in Ireland, who, I have been told, broke into a house, where they were guilty of robbery and murder, but, fitting down to regale themfelves, would not tafte flesh meat, because it was Friday. There is no quality of the heart fo valuable as a juft and manly piety, and nothing fo abject and pernicious as fuperftition. Superftition and enthufiafm are generally denominated the two extremes of religion, and in fome fenfes they are fo; but, at the fame time, they have a near connection with one another, and nothing is more common than for perfons to pafs from the one to the other, or to live under the alternate, or even the conftant influence of them both, without entertaining one fentiment of generous and ufeful devotion. Indeed the ufual ground of the prefumption and rapture of the enthufiaft is fome external obfervance, or internal feeling, that can have no claim to the folid approbation of a reafon able being. 87. Of the obligation of confcience. In order to govern our conduct by a regard to our own true intereft, to the good of mankind, or the will of God, it is neceffary that we use our reason, that we think and reflect before we at. Another principle, therefore, was neceffary, to dictate to us on fudden emergencies, and to prompt us to right action without reafoning or thinking at all. This principle we call confcience, and being the natural fubftitute of all the three other rules of right conduct, it must have the fame title to our regard. As this principle, however, is a thing of a variable nature, it must be corrected from time to time, by recurring to the principles out of which it was formed. Otherwife, as we fee exemplified in fact, confcience may come to dictate things moft injurious to our own good, or that of others, and even most dishonourable to God. What impurities, what what ridiculous penances and mortifications, yea, what villainies and cruelties do we not find to have been acted by mankind, under the notion of rendering themfelves accepta-ble to the object of their fupreme worship. If, however, a perfon has been well educated in a christian and proteftant country, and has lived fome time under the influence of good impreffions, fuch as are favourable to virtue and happinefs, the dictates of his conscience (which has been formed from thofe good principles) will generally be right, and may be depended upon not to mislead him. At all events, it is very dangerous to flight and difregard the real dictates of our own minds, fo as either to do what we have a feeling of as wrong, and what we condemn ourfelves for at the time, or to forbear to do what appears to us to be right, what we think we ought to do, and what we feel a fudden impulfe to do. For if we can' difregard even an erroneous confcience, we may come to difregard the authority of conscience in general, and as fuch, which after all, is the 'fureft and best guardian of our virtue. 2. If the principle of confcience has been well formed, in confequence of a just train of fentiments, and proper impreffions, fince it is the refult of rational felf intereft, benevolence, and picty, jointly, it may be confidered as the very quinteffence and perfection of our rational natures; fo that to do a thing because it is right, will be to at from a nobler, and more exalted principle of conduct than any of the others. For it is, in fact, every juft principle united, and reduced into one; and, on this account, it will naturally claim the pre-eminence over the dictates of any of them fingly, fuppofing them to clash; and many cafes may be put, in which it ought to correct and over-rule any of them. The regard I have to my own intereft, believing it to be my higheft, the love I bear to my fellow creatures, or even what I take to be the command of God, may dictate one thing, when my sense of right and wrong, whether natural or acquired, may dictate another; and it may be fafeft and best for me to follow this guide. Thus a Papist may |