"fuch an one no not to eat." The ufe of this affociation against vice continues to be experienced in one remarkable inftance, and might be extended with good effect to others. The confederacy amongst women of character, to exclude from their fociety kept miftreffes and prostitutes, contributes more perhaps to difcourage that condition of life, and prevents greater numbers from entering into it, than all the confiderations of prudence and religion put together.

We are likewise allowed to practise so much caution, as not to put ourselves in the way of injury, or invite the repetition of it. If a servant or tradesman has cheated us, we are not bound to truft him. again; for this is to encourage him in his dishonest practices, which is doing him much harm.

Where a benefit can be conferred only upon one or few, and the choice of the perfon, upon whom it is conferred, is a proper object of favour, we are at liberty to prefer thofe who have not offended us to those who have; the contrary being no where required.

Chrift, who, as hath been well demonftrated, estimated virtues by their folid utility, and not by their fashion or popularity, prefers this of the forgiveness of injuries to every other. He enjoins it oftener; with more earneftnefs; under a greater variety of forms; and with this weighty and peculiar circumftance, that the forgiveness of others is the condition, upon which alone we are to expect, or even afk, from God, forgiveness for ourselves. And this preference is juftified by the fuperior importance of the virtue itfelf. The feuds and animofities in families and between neighbours, which disturb the intercourfe of human life, and collectively compose half the mifery of it, have their foundation in the want of a forgiving temper, and

See a View of the internal Evidence of the Chriftian Religion.

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can never cease, but by the exercife of this virtue, on one fide, or on both.

CHA P. IX.

D

DUELLING.

UELLING as a punishment is abfurd; because it is an equal chance, whether the punishment fall upon the offender, or the perfor offended. Nor is it much better as a reparation; it being difficult to explain in what the fatisfaction confifts, or how it tends to undo the injury, or to afford a compensation for the damage already sustained.

The truth is, it is not confidered as either. A law of honour having annexed the imputation of cowardice to patience under an affront, challenges are given and accepted with no other defign than to prevent or wipe off this fufpicion; without malice against the adverfary, generally without a wifh to destroy him, or any concern but to preferve the duellift's own reputation and reception in the world.

The unreafonablenefs of this rule of manners is one confideration; the duty and conduct of individuals, whilt fuch a rule exists, is another.

As to which, the proper and fingle question is this, whether a regard for our own reputation is or is not fufficient to juftify the taking away the life of another?

Murder is forbidden; and wherever human life is deliberately taken away, otherwife than by public authority, there is murder. The value and fecurity of human life make this rule neceffary; for I do not fee what other idea cr definition of murder

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4

can be admitted, which will not let in fo much private violence, as to render fociety a scene of peril and bloodshed.

If unauthorized laws of honour be allowed to create exceptions to divine prohibitions, there is an end of all morality as founded in the will of the Deity; and the obligation of every duty may at one time or other be difcharged by the caprice and fluctuations of fashion.

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"But a fenfe of thame is fo much torture; and

no relief prefents itself otherwise than by an at"tempt upon the life of our adverfary." What then? The diftrefs which men fuffer by the want of money is oftentimes extreme, and no refource can be difcovered but that of removing a life, which ftands between the diftreffed perfon and his inheritance. The motive in this cafe is as urgent, and the means are much the fame, as in the former: yet this cafe finds no advocates.

Take away the circumftance of the duellift's expofing his own life, and it becomes affaffination: add this circumftance, and what difference does it make? none but this, that fewer perhaps will imitate the example, and human life will be fomewhat more fafe, when it cannot be attacked without equal danger to the aggreffor's own. Experience, however, proves that there is fortitude enough in most men to undertake this hazard; and were it otherwife, the defence, at beft, would be only that which a highwayman or houfebreaker might plead, whofe attempt had been fo daring and defperate, that few were likely to repeat the fame.

In expoftulating with the duellift I all along fuppofe his adverfary to fall. Which fuppofition I am at liberty to make, because, if he have no right to kill his adverfary, he has none to attempt it.

In return, I forbear from applying to the cafe of duelling the Chriftian principle of the forgiveness of injuries; because it is poffible to fuppofe the injury to be forgiven, and the duellift to act entirely from

a con

a concern for his own reputation: where this is not the cafe, the guilt of duelling is manifeft, and greater. In this view it feems unneceffary to diftinguifh between him who gives, and him who accepts a challenge for they incur an equal hazard of destroying life; and both act upon the fame perfuafion, that what they do is neceffary in order to recover or preferve the good opinion of the world.

Public opinion is not easily controlled by civil inftitutions; for which reafon I question whether any regulations can be contrived of fufficient force to fupprefs or change the rule of honour which ftigmatizes all fcruples about duelling with the reproach of cowardice.

The infufficiency of the redrefs which the law of the land affords, for thofe injuries which chiefly affect a man in his fenfibility and reputation, tempts many to redress themselves. Profecutions for fuch offences, by the trifling damages that are recovered, ferve only to make the fufferer more ridiculous.This ought to be remedied.

For the army, where the point of honour is cultivated with exquisite attention and refinement, I would eftablish a Court of Honour, with a power of awarding those fubmiffions and acknowledgments, which it is generally the purpose of a challenge to obtain; and it might grow into fashion, with perfons of rank of all profeffions, to refer their quarrels to the fame tribunal.

Duelling, as the law now ftands, can feldom be overtaken by legal punishment. The challenge, appointment, and other previous circumftances, which indicate the intention with which the combatants met, being fuppreffed, nothing appears to a court of juftice, but the actual rencounter. And if a perfon be flain when actually fighting with his adverfary, the law deems his death nothing more than manflaughter.

CHAP.

С НА Р. X.

LITIGATION.

F it be poffible live peaceably with all men;" which precept contains an indirect confeffion that this is not always poffible.

The inftances in the fifth chapter of St. Matthew are rather to be understood as proverbial methods of defcribing the general duties of forgiveness and benevolence, and the temper we ought to aim at acquiring, than as directions to be specifically obferved; or of themselves of any great importance to be obferved. The firft of thefe is, "if thine enemy "fmite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the "other alfo," yet, when one of the officers ftruck Jefus with the palm of his hand, we find Jefus rebuking him for the outrage with becoming indignation: "If I have fpoken evil, bear witnefs of the " evil; but if well, why fmiteft thou me?" (John xviii. 22.) It may be obferved likewife, that the feveral examples are drawn from inftances of fmall and tolerable injuries. A rule which forbad all oppofition to injury, or defence against it, could have no other effect, than to put the good in fubjection to the bad, and deliver one half of mankind to the depredation of the other half; which must be the cafe, fo long as fome confidered themfelves as bound by fuch a rule, whilft others defpifed it. St. Paul, though no one inculcated forgivenefs and forbearance, with a deeper

"Whofoever shall finite thee on thy right cheek, turn to "him the other alfo; and if any man fue thee at the law, and "take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak alfo; and whofoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain."

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