making his last days comfortable. Also, yielding one another, as they, in this case, necessarily must do, mutual support through life, they will have that frequent intercourse which the established modes of living hardly adınit between parents and children in very high life, but which is absolutely necessary to a reciprocal and lasting affection.

This is one among the many advantages by which those which are on the side of riches are compensated, and by which, in the excellent constitution of nature, provision is made for an almost equality of real happiness in all the ranks of life. Much, indeed, might be done by the rich to obviate this inconvenience, as much may be done by the poor to remedy their respective inconveniences; but they seldom give themselves leisure to attend to it.

In this place I shall take the liberty to introduce some observations which relate to this subject from my " Institutes of Natural and Revealed Religion."*

"The experience of ages testifies, that marriage, at a proper time of life, whereby one man is confined to one ⚫ woman, is most favourable to health, and the true enjoyment of life. It is the means of raising the greatest number of healthy children, and of making the best provision for their instruction and settlement in life; and nothing more need be said to shew that this state of life has every character of what is right, and what ought to be adopted in preference to every other mode of indulging our natural passions.

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Marriage is, moreover, of excellent use as a means of transferring our affections from ourselves to others. We see, not in extraordinary cases only, but generally, in common life, that a man prefers the happiness of his wife and children to his own; and his regard for them is frequently a motive to such industry, and such an exertion of his powers, as would make him exceedingly unhappy, if it were not for the consideration of the benefit that accrues to them from it. In many cases, we see men risking their lives, and even rushing tain death in their defence. The same is also, generally, the attachment of wives to their husbands, and sometimes, but not so generally, the attachment of children to their parents.

"We may add, that when once a man's affections have been transferred from himself to others, even to his wife and children, they are more easily extended to other persons still more remote from him, and that by this means he is in the way of acquiring a principle of general benevolence, patriot

* Vol. I. pp. 92-96. (P.) Ed. 1772.

ism, and public spirit, which persons who live to be old without ever marrying are not so generally remarkable for. The attention of these persons having been long confined to themselves, they often grow more and more selfish and narrowspirited, so as to be actuated in all their pursuits by a joyless desire of accumulating what they cannot consume themselves, and what they must leave to those who, they know, have but little regard for them, and for whom they have but little regard.

"A series of family cases (in which a considerable degree of anxiety and painful sympathy have a good effect) greatly improves, and, as it were, mellows the mind of man. It is a kind of exercise and discipline which eminently fits him for great and generous conduct; and, in fact, makes him a superior kind of being, with respect to the generality of those who have had no family connexions.

"On the other hand, a course of lewd indulgence, without family cases, sinks a man below his natural level. Promiscuous commerce gives an indelible vicious taint to the imagination, so that to the latest term of life those ideas will be predominant which are proper only to youthful vigour. And what in nature is more wretched, absurd, and despicable, than to have the mind continually haunted with the idea of pleasures which cannot be enjoyed, and which ought to have been long abandoned for entertainments more suited to years; and from which, if persons had been properly trained, they would, in the course of nature, have been prepared to receive much greater and superior satisfaction?

"Besides, all the pleasures of the sexes in the human species, who cannot absolutely sink themselves so low as the brutes, depend much upon opinion, or particular mental attachments, and consequently they are greatly heightened by sentiments of love and affection, which have no place with common prostitutes or concubines, with whom the connexion is only occasional or temporary, and consequently slight. Those persons, therefore, who give themselves up to the lawless indulgence of their passions, besides being exposed to the most loathsome and painful disorders; besides exhausting the powers of nature prematurely, and subjecting themselves to severe remorse of mind, have not (whatever they may fancy or pretend) any thing like the real pleasure and satisfaction that persons generally have in the married state.'

Before I conclude these observations, I shall add, that it is

* See Vol. II. pp. 34–35.

more in the power of the ladies, than of any thing that can be suggested to young men, either by myself, their friends, or their own reflections, to bring them into a right method of thinking and acting in this respect. Were it sufficiently known to young men that a commerce with the abandoned part of the sex would be a bar to their acceptance with the modest and worthy part of it, and that known profligacy in this respect would be real infamy, the end that I have in view would be effectually answered: but I am sorry to observe, that I cannot avail myself of an appeal to the conduct of the generality of young ladies, who have had what is called a polite education, in aid of my argument.

Whether they have learned this part of their morality from wretched modern plays, in which it is constantly inculcated, or from any other source, they do not seem to have any objection to a suitor on account of his illicit amours; imagining perhaps that a reformed rake will make the best husband;* though, if there be any truth in the preceding observations, never was any maxim worse founded. If it were possible that a rake, as the word is generally understood, should be completely reformed, which, however, is very questionable, it is certain that he never can make a good husband, or be a suitable object of the entire affection and confidence of a worthy woman, and a proper father to their common children.

Would this amiable part of our species only do themselves the justice to insist upon the same strict chastity and honour with respect to men, which men universally insist upon with respect to them, our sex would, no doubt, be as virtuous as theirs, and they would make much better husbands and fathers than they now do. In countries where no object is made of the chastity of women before marriage, their morals in this respect are as dissolute as ours.

It gives me pain to lay any part of the profligacy of morals in young men to the charge of the ladies, whose own morals are so exemplary, and especially to hint, as I must do, that it is, in reality, owing to their having less delicacy in this respect than men have. But each sex is naturally the tutor to the

With the ladies," says Dr. Hawkesworth, "it is a kind of general maxiin, that the best husband is a reformed rake;' a maxim which they have probably derived from comedies and novels, in which such a husband is commonly the reward of female merit. But the belief of this maxim is an incontestible proof, that with the true character of a rake, the ladies are wholly unacquainted."

After portraying such a character, the author adds, "it is to be hoped that the mere exhibition of this picture, will be sufficient to deter the ladies from precluding happiness by marrying the original; and from discouraging virtue, by making vice necessary to the character which they prefer."-Adventurer (1753), No. 30.

other, and by this aid vices are best reformed, and virtues promoted.

The Conclusion.

Reason and philosophy, which will always be made to lean to the side of inclination, do, with many persons, give too much countenance to the licentiousness of the present age; but, though men are short-sighted with respect to their true and ultimate happiness, the more wise and provident Parent of mankind has been pleased to interpose his express authority in favour of those rules of conduct which he knew to be of so much consequence to the real welfare of his offspring.

In the scriptures, the irregular commerce of the sexes is forbidden in the most peremptory manner. "Whoremongers" as well as "adulterers" (we read Heb. xiii. 4,) “God will judge." We are also expressly assured (1 Cor. vi. 9, 10,) that neither fornicators, nor adulterers, shall inherit the kingdom of God." Yea, so much purity is required of Christians, (Eph. v. 3, 4, 6,) that " fornication and all uncleanness" is not to be so much as "once named" among us, "neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor (obscene) jesting ;" and we are forewarned that, " because of these things, cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." The apostle Peter also most earnestly and affectionately admonishes us on this subject (1 Pet. ii. 11): "Dearly beloved, I beseech you, as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul."

A man who has any belief in revelation can have no doubt about the regulation of his conduct in this respect; and therefore my principal object in the preceding considerations has been to shew that, even without any regard to the authority of God, a just knowledge of human nature and human life should lead us to adopt the very same maxims of strict purity and chastity which He has prescribed to us.

Let it be observed also, that the object of these considerations is the provision for a man's happiness in this life upon the whole, arising from intellectual as well as corporeal pleasures; so that though by keeping himself within the bounds of strict chastity, there should be even a certainty of a man's abandoning pleasures which would have done him no corporeal injury, (though considering the painful, loathsome, and disgraceful diseases to which a licentious conduct frequently exposes a man, the chance is upon the whole against him even

in this respect,) yet he is a real gainer by the sacrifice, provided the loss be sufficiently compensated by mental satisfaction.

But religion demonstrates it to be our wisdom to make even greater sacrifices than these. For if, in consequence of conscientiously doing the will of God, though it should require the mortification of our members that are of the earth, and, in the expressive language of our Saviour, the cutting off a righthand, or plucking out a right-eye, so that we have less enjoyment of this life upon the whole, we are assured of an abundant recompence at the resurrection of the just.

In other words, the true principles of philosophy encourage a man to persevere in a course of strict chastity, as well as in the practice of every other virtue, by the prospect of his thereby standing a better chance for a purer and more lasting enjoyment of this life; and religion assures him that though, contrary to reasonable expectation, this chance should fail him, he shall not be a loser in the whole of his existence, or have any reason to repent of the resolution to which he has adhered.*

The first of the foregoing works was thus noticed by the author in a letter, dated "Calne, 28 Dec. 1777," to his friend the Rev. John Bretland, Jun., Exeter : "I am about sending to the press some Observations on Education, chiefly respecting the conduct of the mind, in which I have made great use of the doctrine of association."

It was probably with reference to the same work, if not to a more extensive design (see Vol. III. pp. 6, 7), that Dr. Priestley thus wrote to the Rev. N. Cappe: "London, Jan. 10, 1775. I have not done much with regard to the treatise on education. However, I will send you soon by the coach some miscellaneous observations, which I first wrote for the use of Lord Shelborne: but they will disappoint your expectations."

Again: Calne, Aug. 28, 1775. I have made many observations on human nature, with a view to the illustration of Hartley's theory. They relate very much to the conduct of the mind and happiness; and they are so necessarily intermixed with observations on education, that I almost think it will be best to publish them all together as one work, and consequently not very soon."

The

In the note, supra, p. 51, I ought to have referred to Vol. III. p. 450. author there, dedicating (in 1777) his "Philosophical Necessity Illustrated" to Dr. Jebb, fully expresses their united joyful "belief that the whole human race are under the same wholesome discipline," from which "they will all certainly derive the most valuable advantages, though in different degrees, in different ways, and at different periods." This language, which every Christian Necessarian, except a steeled polemic, like the pious and learned Jonathan Edwards, (see Vol. III. pp. 8, 9, notes,) can scarcely fail to adopt, is not easily reconciled to any opinion short of a universal restoration.

nected with

In a letter now before me, to Mr. Lindsey, dated "Northumberland, Oct. 2, 1801," after describing his increasing "satisfaction in theological studies," conmore attention than before to natural history," Dr. Priestley says, "It must appear impossible, that a Being of such immense wisdom and power, can bear the least ill-will to any of his creatures, whose conduct, be it what it may, was a necessary part of his benevolent plan. It follows, with a force that gives me a satisfaction I cannot describe, that the most refractory tempers must be rectified, some time or other, (and, in the mean time, they are not without their use here,) and the worst dispositions must be reclaimed.”