invitation to take a fhare in the indulgences, which those about us are enjoying with fo much apparent relish and delight or from want of regular employment, which is fure to let in many fuperfluous cravings and cuftoms, and often this amongst the rest: or laftly, from grief or fatigue, both which ftrongly folicit that relief which inebriating liquors administer for the present, and furnish a specious excufe for complying with the inclination. But the habit, when once fet in, is continued by different motives from those to which it owes its origin. Perfons addicted to exceffive drinking suffer, in the intervals of fobriety, and near the return of their accustomed indulgence, a faintnefs and oppreffion circa præcordia, which it exceeds the ordinary patience of human nature to endure. This is ufually. relieved, for a short time, by a repetition of the fame excefs: and to this relief, as to the removal of every long continued pain, they who have once experienced it are urged almost beyond the power of refiftance. This is not all: as the liquor lofes its ftimulus, the dose must be increased, to reach the fame pitch of elevation or ease; which increase proportionably accelerates

the

[

the progrefs of all the maladies which drunkenness brings on. Whoever reflects upon the violence of the craving in the advanced ftages of the habit, and the fatal termination to which the gratification of it leads, will, the moment he perceives the least tendency in himself of a growing inclination to intemperance, collect his refolution to this point, or (what perhaps he will find his beft fecurity) arm himself with some peremptory rule as to the times and quantity of his indulgences. I own myself a friend to the laying down of rules to ourselves of this fort, and rigidly abiding by them. They may be exclaimed against as stiff, but they are often falutary. Indefinite refolutions of abftemiousness are apt to yield to extraordinary occafions, and extraordinary occafions to occur perpetually. Whereas the ftricter the rule is, the more tenacious we grow of it; and many a man will abftain rather than break his rule, who would not easily be brought to exercise the fame mortification from higher motives, Not to mention, that when our rule is once known, we are provided with an anfwer to every importunity.

VOL. II.

C

There

There is a difference, no doubt, between convivial intemperance, and that folitary fottishness, which waits neither for company nor invitation. But the one, I am afraid, commonly ends in the other: and this laft is the bafeft degradation, to which the faculties and dignity of human nature can be reduced.

CHAP.

THE

CHA P. III.

Suicide.

HERE is no fubject in morality, in which the confideration of general confequences is more neceffary, than in this of fuicide. Particular and extreme cafes of fuicide may be feigned, and may happen, of which it would be difficult to affign the particular harm, or demonftrate from that confideration alone the guilt and thefe cafes have chiefly occafioned confufion and doubtfulness in the queftion. Albeit this is no more, than what is fometimes true of the most acknowledged vices. I could propofe many poffible cafes even of murder, which, if they were detached from the general rule, and governed by their own particular confequences alone, it would be no eafy undertaking to prove criminal.

The true queftion in the argument is no other than this-may every man who pleafes to deftroy his life, innocently do fo? Twift, limit, and diftinguish the subject, as C 2

you

you can, it will come at last to this ques

tion.

4

For fhall we fay, that we are then only at liberty to commit fuicide, when we find our continuance in life become useless to make mankind? Any one who pleases, may himself useless; and melancholy minds are prone to think themfelves useless, when they really are not fo. Suppofe a law were promulged, allowing each private perfon to deftroy every man he met, whofe longer continuance in the world he judged to be ufelefs; who would not condemn the latitude of fuch a rule? who does not perceive that it amounts to a permiffion to commit murder at pleasure? A fimilar rule, regulating the right over our own lives, would be capable of the fame extenfion. Befides which, no one is ufelefs for the purpose of this plea, but he who has loft every capacity and opportunity of being useful, together with the poffibility of recovering any degree of either; which is a state of fuch complete deftitution and defpair, as cannot, I believe, be predicated of any man living.

Or rather shall we fay, that to depart voluntarily out of life is lawful for those alone,