ANALYSIS OF THE CONTENTS.
To insure safe decisions, however, the conscience must be guided and en- lightened, and the mind must be kept free from passion and prejudice,
The conscience is to be guided and enlightened from several sources,
1. By the law of the land; but this is an imperfect guide,
Review of the morality of the Psalms, the Proverbs, and the Apocrypha, Review of the morality of the Christian dispensation. The morality of the Gospel is superior to that of the patriarchal and Mosaic dispensations,
Its design was, so far as morals are concerned, to furnish motives to moral
conduct, rather than rules; sanctions, rather than precepts,
Confirmation of this, by reference to the sentiments, designs, and actions of the ancient founders of cities, lawgivers, philosophers, &c., Other chief characteristics of the morals of Christianity, Our Saviour's character a part of the morality of the Gospel, Tests by which to try the moral sublimity of his character. 1. The design of his coming. 2. The nature of the means which he employed to ac- complish his sublime and beneficent design. 3. The personal qualities displayed by him. 4. The effects actually produced by Christianity thus far, and those which we may anticipate,
An objection to the science of Moral Philosophy anticipated,
OUR RELATION TO GOD, AND THE MORAL DUTIES THENCE
ARISING.
CHAPTER I. ELUCIDATION OF THIS HIGHEST OF OUR RELATIONS, AND
OF THE MORAL INFLUENCE OF A BELIEF IN A SUPREME BEING.
Our conception of the Deity unites in itself the richest moral elements, all that is fair, great, and good, whatever bears the impress of beauty, grandeur, sublimity, order, harmony, dignity, and happiness,
Hence, the character of the Deity is to us a fixed and ultimate standard of
moral excellence, by the contemplation of which, the tendencies of man
to wickedness are counteracted, and human nature rises above its natural
condition,
This argument respecting the special moral influence arising from a belief
in God, and his superintending providence, confirmed, .
1. By an appeal to the recorded sentiments and convictions of all nations
which have left any writings,
2. By citing the sentiments of the American revolutionary Congress,
Belief in God, then, and his superintending providence, is alike the founda-
tion of morals and religion,
Case of the heathen who knew God, but glorified him not as God,
To preserve that strong conviction and deep sense of God, which is the root
and branch of practical morals, we must perform the duties which spring
from the relation in which we stand to him,
The subject matter of which prayer and thanksgiving ought to consist,
Remarks on the part of Divine service which consists of preaching and cate-
chetical instruction, .
Importance of catechetical instruction,
The benefits, public and private, of Divine worship,
1. It does not seem possible, in any other way, to keep up any practical
knowledge of God, and the ascendency of Christian principles,
CHAPTER IV. THE OBSERVANCE OF SUNDAY.
The moral influence of the private and public worship of God, makes the
observance of Sunday a matter of great moment in the view of the moral
philosopher,
Review of the early history of the Hebrew Sabbath,
The question, whether the institution known originally by the name of the
Sabbath, and in later times by the name of Sunday, was designed, save
the mere change of the day, to be the same, and to be of perpetual obliga-
tion, argued and answered in the affirmative,
The duty of civil obedience is prescribed in the New Testament in strong
terms, because of the overwhelming evils of anarchy and revolution, 101
The right of revolution begins, at the point where civil obedience ceases to
be a virtue,
What this point is, those who undertake a revolution must judge for them- selves,
Mr. Burke quoted in illustration of this subject,
Our Declaration of Independence has marked the right and duty of resistance
with as much definiteness as seems practicable,
CHAPTER I. MORAL DUTIES OF RULERS OF EVERY GRADE.
Rulers of every grade occupy a common ground, and sustain a common re- lation to their country, from which spring important moral duties,
It is their duty to guard themselves against faction and party spirit, which
have been the bane of all free governments,
The New Testament ranks these among the most important moral duties, 110
Civil governors are entitled to a fair, candid, and even favorable representa- tion of their sentiments, conduct, and official measures, They are entitled, too, to a fair and reasonable active support, until their conduct has been such as to forfeit a liberal confidence,
Even when an administration comes into office against our wishes and en-
deavours, they are still entitled to be judged by their measures,
Much of the martial spirit has descended to our times, and is regarded by
many as almost the exclusive test and evidence of patriotism,
Such a view of patriotism is unnatural, illiberal, and unreasonable,
Patriotism analyzed into its elements, and illustrated by citing Vattel,
The martial spirit and virtues were esteemed superior to the peaceful spirit
and civil virtues, in the time of Cicero, but this opinion was not received
by him,
In the mean time it is the duty of the citizen to aid in the defence of his coun- try,.
The trial by jury commended, and the duty of the citizen to serve on juries, and to qualify himself for such service, explained and enforced, The distinction between malum prohibitum and malum per se, when made for the purpose of obeying one law and evading another, entirely unsound,
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