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The Arts of deceiving Conscience.

T is eafy for every man, whatever be his character with others, to find reasons for esteeming himself; and therefore cenfure, contempt, or conviction of crimes, feldom deprive him of his own favour. Thofe, indeed, who can fee only external facts, may look upon him with abhorrence; but when he calls himself to his own tribunal, he finds every fault, if not abfolutely effaced, yet so much palliated, by the goodnefs of his intention, and the cogency of the motive, that very little guilt or turpitude remains; and when he takes a furvey of the whole complication of his character, he dif covers fo many latent excellencies, fo many virtues that want but an opportunity to exert themselves in act, and so many kind wishes for univerfal happiness, that he looks on himself as fuffering unjustly under the infamy of fingle failings, while the general temper of his mind is unknown or unregarded.

It is natural to mean well, when only abstracted ideas of virtue are propofed to the mind, and no particular paffion turns us afide from rectitude; and fo willing is every man to flatter himself, that the difference between approving laws and obeying them, is frequently forgotten; he that acknowledges the obligations of morality, and pleases his vanity with enforcing them to others, concludes himself zealous in the cause of virtue, though he has no longer any regard to her precepts than they conform to his own defires; and counts himfelf among her warmeft lovers, because he praises her beauty, though every rival fteals away his heart.

There are, however, great numbers who have little recourse to the refinements of fpeculation, but who yet live at peace with themselves, by means which require lefs understanding, or lefs attention. When their hearts are burthened with the consciousnefs of a crime, instead of seeking for fome remedy within themselves, they look round upon the rest of mankind, to find others tainted with the fame guilt: They please themselves with ob

ferving,

ferving, that they have numbers on their fide; and that though they are hunted out from the fociety of good men, they are not likely to be condemned to folitude..

No man yet was ever wicked without fecret difcontent; and according to the different degrees of remaining virtue, or unextinguished reafon, he either endeavours to reform himself, or corrupt others; either to regain the station which he has quitted, or prevail on others to imitate his defection; for, as guilt is propagated, the power of reproach is diminished; and, among numbers equally deteftable, every individual may be fheltered from shame, though not from confcience.

The man who is branded with cowardice, may, with fome appearance of propriety, turn all his force of argument against a ftupid contempt of life, and rafh precipitation into unneceffary danger. Every receffion from temerity is an approach towards cowardice; and though it be confeffed that bravery, like other virtues, ftands between faults on either hand, yet the place of the middle point may always be difputed; he may therefore often impofe upon careless understandings, by turning the attention wholly from himself, and keeping it fixed invariably on the oppofite fault; and by fhewing how many evils are avoided by his behaviour, may conceal for a time those which are incurred.

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It is generally not fo much the defire of men, funk into depravity, to deceive the world, as themselves; for when no particular circumstances make them dependent on others, infamy difturbs them little, but as it revives their remorse, and is echoed to them from their own hearts. The fentence moft dreaded is that of reafon and confcience, which they would engage on their fide at any price but the labours of duty, and the forrows of repentance. For this purpose every feducement and fallacy is fought; the hopes ftill reft upon fome new experiment, till life is at an end; and the last hour steals on unperceived, while the faculties are engaged in refifting reafon, and repreffing the fenfe of the Divine disapprobation,

On

On the Guilt of incurring Debts, without an Intention or Prospect of Payment.

MONG the various devices which young men Ahave invented to involve themfelves in difficulties and in ruin, none is more frequent than that of incurring debt without any real neceffity. No fooner is the aspiring youth emancipated from his fchool, or his guardian and fuperintendents, than he becomes, in his own idea, a man, and not only fo, but a man of confequence, whom it behoves to dress and make a figure. To accomplish the purpose of making a figure, some expenfive vices are to be affected or practifed. But as the ftipends of young men juft entering into life are ufually inconfiderable, it is neceffary to borrow on the most disadvantageous terms, or to purchase the various requifites of a pleasurable life on credit. The debt foon accumulates from fmall beginnings to a great fum. The young adventurer continues, while his credit is good, in the fame wild career; but adieu to real pleafure, to improvement, to honest industry, and to a quiet mind. His peace is wounded. A perpetual load feems to weigh him down; and though his feelings may, by length of time and habit, become too callous to be affected by the misery of his fituation, yet he is loft to all fincere enjoyment; and if he fall not a victim to defpair, furvives only to gain a precarious existence at the gaming-table, to deceive the unwary, and to elude the researches of perfecuting creditors. Even if he be enabled, by the death of his parents or rich relations, to pay the debts which his youthful folly has contracted; yet has he fuffered long and much, and loft the beginning of life, the season of rational delight and folid improvement, in distress and fears; in fabricating excuses and pretences, and in flying from the eager pursuit of duns and bailiffs.

But this folly, however pregnant with mifery, is entitled to pity, and may, in fome degree, admit of those

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ufual palliations, youthful ardour and want of experience. Thousands, and tens of thousands, have ruined their fortunes and their happiness by haftily running into debt before they knew the value of money, or the confequences of their embarraffment. We pity their misfortune, but in the first part of their progrefs we do not ufually accuse them of dishonesty.

But the habit of incurring debt, though in the earlier periods of life it may originate in thoughtleffnefs, commonly leads to a crime most atrocious in itself, and injurious to fociety. He who prayed against poverty, left he should be poor and fteal, understood human nature. Difficulties and diftreffes have a natural tendency to leffen the reftraints of conscience. The fortress of honour, when stormed by that fort of poverty which is occafioned by profligacy, and not defended with found principles (fuch as men of the world do not often poffefs) has for the moft part yielded at difcretion. He then who began with incurring debt merely because he was ftrongly ftimulated by paffion or fancy, and was not able to pay for their gratification, proceeds, when the habit is confirmed, and the firft fcruples difmiffed, to contract debt wherever unfufpecting confidence will afford him an opportunity.

Many of the perfons who live on the fubftance of others, by borrowing, purchafing, or employing, without intending, and without being able, to pay, make a fplendid figure, and pafs for gentlemen and men of honour. But however they may felicitate themselves on their fuccefs, and in the gratification of their pride and vanity, I fhall not hesitate to pronounce them more criminal and deteftable than highwaymen and housebreakers, because, to the crime of actual theft, they add a most ungenerous breach of confidence.

Learning

Learning should be sometimes applied to cultivate our Morals.

NVY, curiofity, and our fenfe of the imperfection of our present state, incline us always to estimate the advantages which are in the poffeffion of others above their real value. Every one must have remarked what powers and prerogatives the vulgar imagine to be conferred by learning. A man of fcience is expected to excel the unlettered and unenlighted, even on occa fions where literature is of no use, and among weak minds lofes part of his reverence by difcovering no fuperiority in those parts of life in which all are unavoidably equal; as when a monarch makes a progrefs to the remoter provinces, the ruftics are faid fometimes to wonder that they find him of the fame fize with themfelves.

These demands of prejudice and folly can never be fatisfied, and therefore many of the imputations which learning suffers from difappointed ignorance, are without reproach. Yet it cannot be denied, that there are fome failures to which men of ftudy are peculiarly expofed. Every condition has its disadvantages.

The circle of knowledge is too wide for the moft active and diligent intellect, and while fcience is purfued with ardour, other accomplishments of equal ufe are neceffarily neglected; as a fmall garrifon must leave one part of an extenfive fortrefs naked, when an alarm calls them to another.

The learned, however, might generally support their dignity with more fuccefs, if they fuffered not themfelves to be mifled by fuperfluous attainments of quali fications which few can understand or value, and by fkill which they may fink into the grave without any confpicuous opportunities of exerting. Raphael, in return to Adam's enquiries into the courfes of the stars and the revolutions of heaven, counfels him to with

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draw

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