impulses; and he is manifestly designed to produce some result. As to the ultimate design for which man was created, there may be a difference of opinion. In one view, however, I presume there will be no difference. It will be allowed by all, that he was designed for the produc tion of his own happiness. Look at his senses, his intellect, his affections and at the external objects with which these are brought into relation; and at the effects of the legiti mate action of these powers upon their appropriate objects; and no one can for a moment doubt, that this was one object for which man was created. Thus, it is as clear, that the eye was intended to be a source of pleasure, as that it was intended to be the instrument of vision. It is as clear, that the ear was intended to be a source of pleasure, as to be the organ of hearing. And thus of the other faculties.

But when we consider man as an instrument for the production of happiness, it is manifest, that we must take into the account, man as a society, as well as man as an individual. The larger part of the happiness of the individual depends upon society; so that whatever would destroy society, or, what is, in fact, the same thing, destroy the happiness of man as a society,-would destroy the happiness of man as an individual. And such is the con

stitution under which we are placed, that no benefit or injury can be, in its nature, individual. Whoever truly promotes his own happiness, promotes the happiness of society; and whoever promotes the happiness of society, promotes his own happiness. In this view of the subject, it will then be proper to consider man as a society, as an instrument for producing the happiness of man as a society; as well as man as an individual, as an instrument for producing the happiness of man as an individual.

Let us now consider man as an instrument for the production of human happiness, in the sense here explained.

If we examine the impulsive and restraining faculties of man, we shall find, that they may, generally be compre hended under three classes :

1. Passion or appetite. The object of this class of our faculties is, to impel us towards certain acts, which produce immediate pleasure. Thus, the appetite for food impels us

to seek gratification by eating. The love of power impels us to seek the gratification resulting from superiority; and so of all the rest.

If we consider the nature of these faculties, we shall find, that they impel us to immediate gratification, without any respect to the consequences, either to ourselves or to others; and that they know of no limit to indulgence, until, by their own action, they paralyze the power of enjoyment. Thus, the love of food would impel us to eat, until eating ceased to be a source of pleasure. And where, from the nature of the case, no such limit exists, our passions are insatiable. Such is the case with the love of wealth, and the love of power. In these instances, there being, in the constitution of man, no limit to the power of gratification, the appetite grows by what it feeds on.

2. Interest or self-love. This faculty impels us to seek our own happiness, considered in reference to a longer or shorter period; but always beyond the present moment. Thus, if appetite impelled me to eat, self-love would prompt me to eat such food, and in such quantity, as would produce for me the greatest amount of happiness, upon the whole. If passion prompted me to revenge, self-love would prompt me to seek revenge in such a manner as would not involve me in greater distress than that which I now suffer or, to control the passion entirely, unless I could so gratify it, as to promote my own happiness for the future, as well as for the present. In all cases, however, the promptings of self-love have respect solely to the production of our own happiness; they have nothing to do with the happiness of any other being.

3. Conscience. The office of conscience, considered in relation to these other impulsive faculties, is, to restrain our appetites within such limits, that the gratification of them will injure neither ourselves nor others; and so to govern our self-love, that we shall act, not solely in obedience tc the law of our own happiness, but in obedience to that law which restricts the pursuit of happiness within such limits, as shall not interfere with the happiness of others. It is not here asserted, that conscience always admonishes us to this effect; or, that, when it admonishes us, it is always

;

successful. We may, if we please, disobey its monitions; or, from reasons hereafter to be mentioned, its monitions may have ceased. What we would speak of here, is the tendency and object of this faculty; and the result to which, if it were perfectly obeyed, it would manifestly lead. And, that such is its tendency, I think that no one, who reflects upon the operations of his own mind, can, for a moment, doubt.

Suppose, now, man to be a system, for the promotion of happiness, individual and social; and that these various impelling powers are parts of it. These powers being frequently, in their nature, contradictory; that is, being such, that one frequently impels to, and another repels from, the same action; the question is, in what relation of these powers to each other, can the happiness of man be most successfully promoted.

1. It cannot be asserted, that, when these impulsions are at variance, it is a matter of indifference to which of them we yield; that is, that a man is just as happy, and renders society just as happy, by obeying the one as the other. For, as men always obey either the one or the other, this would be to assert that all men are equally happy; and that every man promoted his own happiness just as much by one course of conduct, as by another; than which, nothing can be more directly at variance with the whole experience of all men, in all ages. It would be to assert, that the glutton, who is racked with pain, is as happy as the tem.. perate and healthy man; and that Nero and Caligula were as great benefactors to mankind, as Howard or Wilberforce

2. If, then, it be not indifferent to our happiness, to which of them we yield the supremacy, the question returns, Under what relation of each to the other, can the happiness of man be most successfully promoted?

1. Can the happiness of man be promoted, by subjecting his other impulses to his appetites and passions?

By referring to the nature of appetite and passion, as previously explained, it will be seen that the result to the individual, of such a course, would be sickness and death. It would be a life of unrestrained gratification of every desire, until the power of enjoyment was exhausted, without

the least regard to the future; and of refusal to endure any present pain, no matter how great might be the subsequent advantage. Every one must see, that, under the present constitution, such a course of life must produce nothing but individual misery.

The result upon society would be its utter destruction. It would render every man a ferocious beast, bent upon nothing but present gratification, utterly reckless of the consequences which gratification produced upon himself, either directly, or through the instrumentality of others; and reckless of the havoc which he made of the happiness of his neighbor. Now, it is manifest, that the result of subjecting man to such a principle, would be, not only the destruction of society, but, also, in a few years, the entire destruction of the human race.

2. Can the happiness of man be best promoted by sub'ecting all his impulses to self-love?

It may be observed, that our knowledge of the future, and of the results of the things around us, is manifestly insufficient to secure our own happiness, even by the most sagacious self-love. When we give up the present pleasure, or suffer the present pain, we must, from necessity, be wholly ignorant whether we shall ever reap the advantage which we anticipate. The system, of which every individual forms a part, was not constructed to secure the happiness of any single individual; and he who devises his plans with sole reference to himself, must find them continually thwarted by that Omnipotent and Invisible Agency, which is overruling all things upon principles directly at variance with those which he has adopted. Inasmuch, then, as we can never certainly secure to ourselves those results which self-love anticipates, it seems necessary, that, in order to derive from our actions the happiness which they are capable of producing, they involve in themselves some element, irrespective of future result, which shall give us pleasure, let the result be what it may.

The imperfection of self-love, as a director of conduct, is nobly set forth in Cardinal Wolsey's advice to Cromwell.

"Mark but my fall, and that which ruin'd me.
Cromwell, I charge thee fling away ambition

Love thyself last. Cherish the nearts that hate thee.
Be just, and fear not,

Let all the ends thou aim'st at, be thy country's,

Thy God's, and truth's; then, if thou fall'st, O Cromwell!
Thou fall'st a blessed martyr.'

For truth's sake, and
When he has run his

Henry VIII, Act iii Sc. 2

"May he do justice,

is conscience; that his bones course, and sleeps in blessings

May have a tomb of orphans' tears wept on them.

For care and trouble set your thought,
Ev'n when your end's attained;
And all your plans may come to nought,
When every nerve is strained."

Ibid

BURNS's Epistle to a Young Friend

"But, mousie! thou art not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain.
The best laid schemes of mice and men

Gang oft agley,

And leave us nought but grief and pain
For promised joy.'

BURNS, On turning up a Mouse's Nest.

Besides, a man, acting from uncontrolled self-love, knows of no other object than his own happiness. He would sacrifice the happiness of others, to any amount, how great soever, to secure his own, in any amount, how small soever. Now, suppose every individual to act in obedience to this principle; it must produce universal war, and terminate in the subjection of all to the dominion of the strongest; and in sacrificing the happiness of all to that of one: that is, produce the least amount of happiness of which the system is susceptible. And, still more, since men, who have acted upon this principle, have been proverbially unhappy; the result of such a course of conduct is, to render ourselves miserable by the misery of every one else; that is, its tendency is to the entire destruction of happiness. It is manifest, then, that the highest happiness of man cannot be promoted by subjecting all his impulses to the government of self-love.

Lastly. Suppose, now, all the impulses of man to be subjected to conscience.

The tendency of this impulse so far as this subject is