FALSE PHILOSOPHY CONSIDERED.

COL. ii. 8.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy.

ON N men of ingenuous but inexperienced minds there is nothing so imposing as a specious name. To such persons, under the disguise of an assumed appellation, vices recommend themselves with so much success, as to deceive the unwary into a confident opinion that their conduct is proper, although to judicious observers it appears palpably wrong. And this delusion continues to beguile them till some unhappy consequence begins to create in them suspicions of error, and at length convinces them that they have been too long mistaken. In private life, some are brought into great distress, from having acted under an idea that inattention to pecuniary concerns was a mark of generosity. Others fall into vicious practices, because easy compliance with every proposal of a companion appears to them a proof of good temper. Others commit irregularities, through a persuasion that to despise the uniformity of rules is an indication of high spirit. Others violate the decencies of polite

ness, conceiving disregard to forms a sign of superior ability. Then, again, in public life; many do in reality serve the cause of licentiousness, whilst with the purest intentions they mean only to extend liberty and many give encouragement to indifference for all religion, whilst they imagine themselves to be promoting only liberality of sentiment. Now, in the one case, admirable are generosity, good temper, high spirit, and superior ability: but, surely, no man in his right senses can say it is admirable, either to bring on himself indigence through imprudent neglect of his property, or to become depraved through weakness in yielding to solicitations; or to injure society by bad example; or to insult established usages of behaviour by an affected impertinence. So, in the other case, liberty is precious as life itself; and liberality in thinking and judging is part of Christian charity, than which nothing is more lovely: but, surely, no man of mature judgment can wish genuine liberty to be converted into a cloak for every species of enormity; nor liberality of sentiment be made the occasion of propagating direct atheism. Yet in these points of view are to be seen many measures which upright but misguided men frequently pursue, merely because they do not fully apprehend the tendencies of their actions.

Persons, therefore, who want experience should be extremely cautious how they depart from those principles which have been received generally, because founded on solid reason; and how they deviate

from those customs which have obtained long, because in their effect they have proved good. Thus circumspect should all persons be who cannot yet have acquired much practical knowledge of the world; lest, instead of becoming what they anxiously wish to become, more beneficial to mankind than those who have preceded them, they should actually, though inadvertently, be instrumental towards occasioning some of the worst evils that can befal human society.

The present generation hath been injured by nothing so much as by the imposing name of PHILOSOPHY. Philosophy, when it is employed in promoting good morals, in cultivating liberal arts, in strengthening social union, in contemplating the works of creation, and thus leading man to acknowledge and adore the Supreme Being, is a noble science: it is noble because true; and true, because consistent and corresponding with the nature of man, and with the relations he bears to his fellowcreatures and to his Maker! But that which assumes the name of philosophy, and under this mask debauches morals, dissuades from mental improvement, disunites society, discerns not the wisdom of God either in the earth or the heavens, and discourages men from paying the tribute of gratitude to their universal Father; such a system of doctrines is detestable, because false,―and false, because contrary to the nature of man, and his several relations to society and God. Real philosophy we should cherish and love; it is the friend of man,

being the source of wisdom, the origin of many comforts, and the handmaid of religion. That which comes under its borrowed name, which puts on a semblance of what in fact it is not,—and which if we are compelled to call philosophy, we must, if we would speak properly, term false philosophy; that is the evil against which we are to guard: and that the credulous and innocent may not be betrayed by the deceits, the forgeries, and enchantments of this visored impostor*, let us now enumerate some leading points in which this philosophy is false.

1. It is false, in asserting that man in society retains all his natural rights. In exchange for the more certain subsistence, the more secure protection, the greater degree of assistance in times of sickness, or need, or casualty; in exchange for the delights of friendly intercourse, and the improvements of civilisation; in exchange for these blessings which man enjoys in society; he relinquishes the savage liberty of roaming at large for prey, of exercising horrid vengeance on the person who has offended him, and of following without control his ferocious and brutal passions, to the annoyance, disgrace, and destruction of his species.

2. It is false, in maintaining that all men are equal. In every point of view, there is among men

"Hence with thy brew'd enchantments, foul deceiver ! Hast thou betray'd my credulous innocence

With visor'd falsehood and base forgery?"

MILTON'S Comus, 696.