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their most laudable designs and exertions for the public welfare. On all these accounts, a good citizen will be wary and deliberate in his censures of public men or measures; he will neither forwardly listen to popular rumours or accusations, nor to the rhetoric of patriots out of place; but like an equitable and humane judge in our criminal courts, will rather act as counsel for the accused, than as a party against him.

2. That it is the part of a good citizen to give no entertainment to imaginary political evils, is a position, like many others both in morals and politics, as obvious in theory as it is often difficult to realize in practice. This difficulty is experienced whenever the general clashes with a particular interest; which must frequently happen in the course of human affairs. Thus when the trade of a country flows in new channels, those who suffer by the change, will be tempted to consider it as a political evil, though, on the whole, it should advance the common welfare; that is, though it should enable a

greater mass of the people to live comfortably with moderate labour. Or, suppose some heavy tax to be laid which goes to promote the same end, it will be in danger to be accounted impolitic and oppressive by those classes on which it chiefly bears. Or, lastly, when a nation is reduced in its territorial possessions, though the reduction should neither impair its resources nor its security, nay, though it should tend to consolidate the one and strengthen the other; yet a relic of national vanity might tempt a zealous patriot to lament it as a national misfortune. From these, and various other cases that might be supposed, it is evident, that some effort is required to discharge the mind of its partialities; and that it is necessary, in such circumstances, to be a good man in order to be a good citizen.

3. In the last place, As the common evils of humanity mingle themselves with all others, we should learn to bear them with patience, lest the resentments which they excite should, from the principle of association and the communicative nature of the passions, extend themselves to those

evils with which they are combined; and thus, because of our infelicity as men, we should become disaffected as citizens. To prevent this unhappy consequence, we should study to obtain a just acquaintance with our common condition in this world; and to do this effectually, besides a critical examination of ourselves, and of the present state of mankind, we should take a retrospective view of past ages. Thus, after we have looked back upon what has been done during a period of several thousand years, (a sufficient time surely for experiment) after we have looked around us, and considered how much evil, moral and physical, still remains in the world, notwithstanding all the attempts of philosophers and divines, moralists and legislators, for prevention and remedy; we shall be able, from the whole, to form a judgment of what is practicable, and be taught a lesson of great moderation in our designs and expectations; we shall be taught to place no great confidence of redress in any schemes of human wisdom and policy, nor be surprized if we are called to share in the

general calamity; we shall see that all which is possible to be done, is to mitigate those evils which cannot be cured, and to alleviate those burdens which cannot be removed.

SECTION III.

On the third Rule to be observed by a good Citizen, namely, To avoid an idle Curiosity in political Matters; and still more a Disposi tion to hunt after small or unknown Griev

ances.

I. CURIOSITY is an original passion in our nature. It discovers itself early in children, who, when any thing appears to be concealed from them, show themselves very anxious to detect the secret; or when any singular event engages their attention, are apt to be inquisitive after its cause.

This, like every other principle implanted by the Author of nature, neither can nor ought to be eradicated; our only business is to direct it to its proper objects, and to regulate the manner and measure of its exercise.

The objects to which it ought to be directed, relate either to our natural, our mo

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