Gambling among Females.-Truth's addrefs to the Ladies.-Confequence of this prac- tice among them.-Gambling among men of rank and distinction.—Its fatal Evils to fociety attendant on gambling.-Preventives of gambling proposed.---Li- fluence of the manners of the "Great" on the body of the community.—The nature of "Right" and " Wrong" unchangeable.-The province of Reafon-the affytance' INTRODUCTION. TH HE publication of the following work is not grounded on an expectation, that the hardened fons of diffipation and infidelity will be led to change their opinions and practices, on any thing that may be advanced in these pages; or that the votaries of fashion, with her numerous train of follies and vices, will bow the knee before the throne of reafon. These were vain conceits and fond imaginations of the closet, which when bid to go forth and prosper, would quickly return into the breaft of their first retainer, because (like the bird of innocence in her flight from the ark) they could find no other reftingplace. But it does not follow, that because a man cannot do "all" the good he wishes, he is therefore to fit ftill, fold his arms [A], and attempt doing "none." The cause of virtue is not to be thus tamely refigned into the hands of her adverfaries; neither is corruption, vice, and infidelity to be thus fuffered to reign without reprehenfion, as well as (what a writer cannot help) without control. Such as have strong prepoffeffions in favour of religion, and are clearly fatisfied of her juft claims on the conduct of mankind, will not be content to mourn in private" the decay of her empire, but will boldly attend her "public" fervice and warfare; and will always be feen at the fide of her car, whether it be driving to victory or captivity. Though the greater number therefore of thofe, who are moft materially concerned, will neither regulate their opinions nor practices by the dictates of rational and liberal reproof, yet a conscious rectitude of intention will fupport a writer under his disappointments of doing good, and will enable him to bear with refignation the contempt of fome, the raillery of others, and the indifference of all. Not indeed but that a moral writer may flatter himfelf with fome fruit of his labours, if his labours be at all deferving of the public eye; fince though he fails of converting [A] "I always difapproved (fays Paley in his Preface to Moral and Political Philofophy) that fafti"dious indolence of literary men, which fits ftill, because it difdains to do "little." the profeffedly and daringly vicious, yet he may reasonably hope to instruct the ignorant, to perfuade the wavering, to uphold the weak, to caution the unwary, to guard the avenues through which youth and inexperience must pass, and to confirm and ftrengthen every previous good inclination to moral and virtuous habits. In an attempt of this fort, confiftent the author trufts with every idea of his profeffional duty, he hopes to meet with a fort of readers, who will be more. ready to enter into the importance of his subjects to the welfare of the community, than to weigh the merits of his compofition in the scale of critical accuracy; and who will indulgently pafs over many defects in the performance, through a perfuafion of the well-meaning and utility of the defign. For whoever undertakes to expofe and ftigmatize the unchriftian practice of " Duelling," the ruinous pursuits of "Gaming," and the daring impiety of "Suicide," has. fome little claim to public indulgence; fince these are crimes fo great in themselves, fo intimately connected with each other, and fuch increafing evils (particularly the two latter), as to require every nerve to be trained in reprobating. their practice. The author does not prefume to entertain a thought of comparing the merits of the prefent publication with any others that have made their appearance on. the fame fubjects. But as there are various methods of illuftrating the fame. points, fome writers pursuing a close and strictly logical style, whilst others fall into. a more diffuse and popular mode of arguing; fo there are alfo various forts of readers, who are all of them equally concerned in moral themes: from whence. it follows, that it is neither to be deemed fuperfluous, nor ufelefs, to make a variety of performances on fuch fubjects public, that fo every reader may find. fomething adapted to his own tafte and comprehenfion. It only remains then. to lay the general plan of the following work before the reader, in order to enable him to judge for himself, how far it may be likely to fuit his taste or merit his perufal. Though many excellent fermons and fhort effays have been written on the guilt of fuicide, yet it has never been treated (as far as the author's knowledge extends) on a large and comprehenfive fcale, fo as to unite all its feveral parts and and branches in one and the fame work. The defign therefore of the following pages is to collect into one view all that concerns the fubject; to consider it on natural, focial, moral, and religious grounds; to point out its "general" guilt arifing from the diftant preparations of the mind for its commiffion and from its immediate incitements :-its " particular and fpecial" guilt, as being against the impulfes of nature; against the authority of God, as our Creator and moral Governor; against the first principles and good order of fociety in general, and of private connexions in particular; against felf-intereft both here and hereafter together with its " great accumulation" of both general and special guilt on the principles of Chriftianity." Under all thefe heads, which will be difcuffed at large, the ufual arguments brought in favour of fuicide will be propofed and answered; and the dreadful tendency of its "principle" to overturn every intereft of focial and domeftic happinefs will be fully expofed. The fubject will then be taken up on "hiftoric" ground; wherein the opinions, laws, and cuftoms of the "ancients" refpecting fuicide will be reviewed. The tenets of the different fects of eastern and western philofophers, the opinions of many famous individuals of old times, and the cuftoms of many nations, will be introduced. Roman fuicide and the laws of the empire relative to it, will be treated at large. The general caufes of ancient fuicide will be investigated and exemplified in a variety of instances. Ancient and modern fuicide will be compared to the great difgrace of the latter. The hiftory of fuicide will then be continued through "modern" times; that is, fince the establishment of Chriftianity. It will begin with an account of the principles on which fuicide was practifed by fome Chriftians, as an act of religion in the firft ages of the church. This will be followed by the opinions of the fathers concerning it; by decrees of councils, by general laws provided against it, and by fetting forth the ufual mode of its punishment in christian. countries.-A full account will then be given of the canons, laws, and customs: refpecting its punishment in England, with a variety of reflections on the fame. The particular imputation of fuicide on this ifland will be confidered, and its practice in it compared with that of other countries:-many caufes alfo will be. affigned, which may be fuppofed to have given rife to the imputation. A review. |