Thoughts on nature and religion. Or, an apology for the right of private judgment / maintained by Michael Servetus [i.e. P. Blair] M.D. in his answer to John Calvin. [Anon].

  • Blair, Patrick, M.D., of Cork, active 1738-1780.
Date:
1774
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Thoughts on nature and religion. Or, an apology for the right of private judgment / maintained by Michael Servetus [i.e. P. Blair] M.D. in his answer to John Calvin. [Anon]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    [ 3 ] caufe he has no fenfe of moral obligations, has there¬ fore no law to reft rain’ him ; of fuch we fee many ex¬ amples. If we enquire into the caufes, which tempt men to this defection, we fliall find them to proceed, either from their paftions, from the violence of others, or from prejudice. As to the firft, when our paftions, whether luft, envy, hatred, revenge, covetoufnefs, intemperance, &c. prefent themfelves to the mind, in too ftrong a light, to give time for our reafon to examine, or our virtue to refill:, we fearch after ex- cufes for our actions ; we flatter ourielves with the thought, that God would not have endowed us with paftions, and at the lame time have forbid the gratifi¬ cation of them. We will not allow, that our being endowed with them, is only to try our virtue : we argue, that as thefe paftions are natural, fo whatever nature directs, fhould be obeyed. This indeed is a proper argument for brutes to ufe, who have no con- fcious rule of duty to curb their wills ; but cannot be ufed by men, who acknowledge an inward fenfe of duty, to reftrain their appetites, by truth andjuftice. We often obferve, that men will indulge thern- feives in fome particular vices, while they hold others in abhorrence ; and will exclaim againft tfiofe who indulge paftions, which their own difpofitions do not tempt them to gratify. The crime in both is equal. Adultery, revenge, and oppreftion are as criminal as murder, theft, or perjury. The law is equally obligatory in any one part as in another ; and in the whole as in any one part. There are fome men fo abandoned as to difregard the whole law; they indulge every defire, which their appetites pre¬ fent to their minds. They believe in no future ftate, and therefore admit of no tie from moral dutv. j Should that confcious pleafure a man perceives in his mind from doing good, or that fecret reproach from doing evil, even in private, be objected as a proof
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