extenfive Views, which they have taken. of the various Subjects of Human Enquiry. A great Philofopher has Partition of laid it out into three general Knowledge. Provinces, HISTORY, POETRY,

and PHILOSOPHY; which he refers to three feveral Powers of the Mind, MEMORY, IMAGINATION, and REASON. Memory stores up Facts, or Ideas, which are the Materials of Knowledge. Imagination ranges and combines them into different Affemblages or Pictures. Reafon obferves their Differences, Connections, and mutual Relations, and argues concerning them.

Philofophy in general.

The laft is the proper Bufinefs of PHILOSOPHY, which has been defined, the " Knowledge of whatever exifts," or the "Science of Things Human and Divine." According to this Definition, its Object comprehends the Universe or Whole of Things. It traces whatever can be known by Man concerning the Deity and his Werks, their Natures, Powers, Operations, and Connections.

Divifion of
Philofophy.

Therefore to give our Definition more Precifion, PHILOSOPHY may be defined, the Know

* Vid. Bacon, Aug. Scient. Lib. II. cap. 1.

Knowledge of the Universe, or of Nature,
and of its Powers, Operations and Con-
nections, with juft Reasonings

deduced from thence. Natural Natural.
Philofophy inveftigates the Pro-
perties and Operations of Body
or Matter. Moral Philofophy Moral.
contemplates Human Nature,

its Moral Powers and Connections, and from
thefe deduces the Laws of Action; and is
defined more strictly the "Science of MAN-

NERS or DUTY, which it traces from "Man's Nature and Condition, and fhews "to terminate in his Happiness." Therefore it is called Ethics, Difciplina Morum. In fewer Words, it is the "Knowledge of "our DUTY and FELICITY, or the Art of being virtuous and happy.”

It is denominated an ART,

as it contains a Syftem of Rules How an Art.
for becoming virtuous and hap,

py. Whoever practifes thefe Rules, by fo
doing, attains an habitual Power and Fa-
cility of becoming virtuous and happy. It
is likewife called a SCIENCE,
as it deduces thofe Rules from
the Principles and Connections,
of our Nature, and proves that the Obfer-

How a

Science.

vance of them is productive of our Happiness.

Its Object.

Its Office.

It is an Art, and a Science of the higheft Dignity, Importance, and Ufe. Its Object is Man's Duty, or his Conduct in the feveral Moral Capacities and Connections which he fuftains. Its Office is to direct that Conduct, to fhew whence our Obligations arife and where they terminate. Its Ufe, or End, is the Attainment of Happiness; and the Means it employs are Rules for the right

Its End.

Its Means.

Conduct of our Moral Powers.

The Standard of other

Arts and
Sciences.

As every Art and Science is more or less valuable, as it contributes more or lefs to our Happiness, this Moral Art or

Science which unfolds our Duty and Happinefs, must be a proper Canon or Standard, by which the Dignity and Importance of every other Art or Science are to be afcertain'd. It is therefore preeminent above all others; it is that Master-Art, that Mafter-Science, which weighs their refpective Merits, adjusts their Rank in the Scale of Science, prefcribes their Measures, and fuperintends

their

their Efficacy and Application in Human Life. Therefore Moral Philofophy has been honoured with the glorious Epithets of the Directress of Life, the Miftrefs of Manners, the Inventrefs of Laws and Culture, the Guide to Virtue and Happiness, without fome degree of which Man were a Savage, and his Life a Scene of Barbarity and Wretchedness.

The Method.

Having thus fettled the Subject and End of the Science, the Elements of which we are attempting to difcover, and fufficiently diftinguifhed it from all others, it feems proper next to fix the Method of profecuting it. Moral Philofophy has this in common with Natural Philofophy, that it appeals to Nature or Fact; depends on Obfervation, and builds its Reasonings on plain uncontroverted Experiments, or upon the fulleft Induction of Particulars of which the Subject will admit. We must obferve, in both thefe Sciences, Quid faciat & ferat Natura; how Nature is affected, and what her Conduct is in fuch and fuch Circumftances. Or in other words, we must collect the Phænomena, or Appearances of Nature in any given Inftance; trace thefe to fome General Principles,

A 4

ciples, or Laws of Operation; and then apply thefe Principles or Laws to the explaining of other Phenomena.

Therefore Moral Philofophy enquires, not how Man might have been, but how he is conftituted; not into what Principles, or Difpofitions his Actions may be artfully refolved, but from what Principles and Difpofitions they actually flow; not what he may, by Education, Habit, or foreign Influence, come to be, or do, but what by his Nature, or Original Conftituent Principles he is formed to be and do. We difcover the Office, Ufe or Deftination of any Work, whether natural or artificial, by obferving its Structure, the Parts of which it confifts, their Connection or joint Action. It is thus we understand the Office and Use of a Watch, a Plant, an Eye, or Hand. It is the fame with a Living Creature, of the Rational, or Brute Kind. Therefore to determine the Office, Duty, or Deftination of Man, or in other words what his Bufinefs is, or what Conduct he is obliged to purfue, we muft infpect his Conftitution, take every Part to pieces, examine their mutual Relations one to the other, and the common Effort or Tendency of the Whole.

SEC