their ground, when attacked by fuch powerful antagonifts. The affections take a narrower and more natural furvey of their object; and by an economy, more fuitable to the infirmity of human minds, regard alone the beings around us, and are actuated by fuch events as appear good or ill to the private system.

The cafe is the fame with moral as with phyfical ill. It cannot reasonably be fuppofed, that those remote confiderations, which are found of fo little efficacy with regard to one, will have a more powerful influence with regard to the other. The mind of man is fo formed by nature, that, upon the appearance of certain characters, difpofitions, and actions, it immediately feels the fentiment of approbation or blame; nor are there any emotions more effential to its frame and conftitution. The characters, which engage our approbation, are chiefly fuch as contribute to the peace and fecurity of human fociety; as the characters, which excite blame, are chiefly fuch as tend to public detriment and disturbance: Whence it may reafonably be prefumed, that the moral fentiments arife, either mediately or immediately, from a reflection on thefe oppofite interefts. What though philofophical meditations establish a different opinion or conjecture; that every thing is right with regard to the WHOLE, and that the qualities, which difturb fociety, are, in the main, as beneficial, and are as fuitable to the primary intention of nature, as those which more directly promote its happiness and welfare? Are fuch remote and uncertain fpeculations able to counterbalance the fentiments, which arife from the natural and immediate view of the objects? A man, who is robbed of a confiderable fum; does he find his vexation for the lofs any wife diminished by thefe fublime reflections? Why then should his moral refentment against the crime be fuppofed

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fuppofed incompatible with them? Or why should not the acknowledgment of a real diftinction between vice and virtue be reconcileable to all fpeculative fyftems of philofophy, as well as that of a real diftinction between perfonal beauty and deformity? Both thefe diftinctions are founded in the natural fentiments of the human mind: And these fentiments are not to be controuled or altered by any philofophical theory or fpeculation whatfoever.

The fecond objection admits not of fo eafy and fatisfactory an answer; nor is it poffible to explain diftin&tly, how the Deity can be the mediate caufe of all the actions of men, without being the author of fin and moral turpitude. These are myfteries, which mere natural and unaffifted reason is very unfit to handle; and whatever fyftem fhe embraces, fhe muft find herself involved in inextricable difficulties, and even contradictions, at every ftep which he takes with regard to fuch fubjects. To reconcile the indifference and contingency of human actions with prefcience; or to defend abfolute decrces, and yet free the Deity from being the author of fin, has been found hitherto to exceed all the power of philofophy. Happy, if she be thence fenfible of her temerity, when the pries into thefe fublime myfteries; and leaving a fcene fo full of obfcurities and perplexities, return, with fuitable modefty, to her true and proper province, the examination of common life; where he will find difficulties enow to employ her enquiries, without launching into fo boundless an ocean of doubt, uncertainty, and contradiction!

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SECTION

IX.

Of the REASON of ANIMALS.

A

LL our reafonings concerning matter of fact are

founded on a species of ANALOGY, which leads us to expect from any cause the fame events, which we have observed to refult from fimilar causes. Where the causes are entirely fimilar, the analogy is perfect, and the inference, drawn from it, is regarded as certain and conclufive: Nor does any man ever entertain a doubt, where he fees a piece of iron, that it will have weight and cohesion of parts; as in all other inftances, which have ever fallen under his obfervation. But where the objects have not fo exact a fimilarity, the analogy is lefs perfect, and the inference is lefs conclufive; though ftill it has fome force, in proportion to the degree of fimilarity and resemblance. The anatomical obfervations, formed upon one animal, are, by this species of reasoning, extended to all animals; and it is certain, that when the circulation of the blood, for inftance, is clearly proved to have place in one creature, as a frog, or fish, it forms a strong prefumption, that the fame principle has place in all. Thefe analogical obfervations may be carried farther, even to this fcience, of which we are now treating; and any theory, by which we explain the opera

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operations of the understanding, or the origin and connexion of the paffions in man, will acquire additional authority, if we find, that the fame theory is requisite to explain the fame phænomena in all other animals. We fhall make trial of this, with regard to the hypothefis, by which, we have, in the foregoing difcourfe, endeavoured to account for all experimental reafonings; and it is hoped, that this new point of view will ferve to confirm all our former obfervations.

First, It feems evident, that animals, as well as men, learn many things from experience, and infer, that the fame events will always follow from the fame caufes. By this principle they become acquainted with the more obvious properties of external objects, and gradually, from their birth, treafure up a knowledge of the nature of fire, water, carth, ftones, heights, depths, &c. and of the effects, which refult from their operation. The ignorance and inexperience of the young are here plainly diftinguishable from the cunning and fagacity of the old, who have learned, by long obfervation, to avoid what hurt them, and to purfue what gave ease or pleasure. A horfe, that has been accuftomed to the field, becomes acquainted with the proper height, which he can leap, and will never attempt what exceeds his force and ability. An old greyhound will truft the more fatiguing part of the chace to the younger, and will place himself fo as to meet the hare in her doubles; nor are the conjectures, which he forms on this occafion, founded in any thing but his obfervation and experience.

This is ftill more evident from the effects of difcipline and education on animals, who, by the proper application of rewards and punishments, may be taught any courfe of action, the most contrary to their natural in