CHAPTER XXII.

DR. FERGUSON.

INSTITUTES OF MORAL PHILOSOPHY.

DR. ADAM FERGUSON was born at the manse of Logierait, of which parish his father was minister, in 1724, and received his early education at the parish school. He was made Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh, in 1759. His "Institutes of Moral Philosophy" were published in 1769; and his "Principles of Moral and Political Science" in 1792. He died in 1816.

The "Institutes of Moral Philosophy" is a very useful work for students, inasmuch as it contains a concise view of many interesting subjects of inquiry; namely, the natural history of man, metaphysics, the principles of natural religion, the nature of moral good and evil, jurisprudence, and politics.

Mr. Ferguson's work, like all similar ones, which are written merely with a view of giving a condensed sketch of the nature of a course of lectures on Moral Philosophy, is but little calculated to give rise to any lengthened discussion. Theoretical statements and reasonings are, in such publications, for obvious reasons, kept as much as possible out of sight, in order that the youthful mind may not be distracted by subtile and intricate speculations, for the entering into which, with any thing like a probable chance of making himself master of them, he has not the requisite knowledge nor powers of mind. Such a work, therefore, does not afford the materials for moral discussion; but as the reader may feel a desire to know something of the "Institutes of Moral Philosophy," we will here give a short abstract of two or three subjects of importance, namely, the theory of the human mind-the principles of natural religion, and the nature of moral good and evil.

1st, Dr. Ferguson's notions of mental philosophy appear to be in principle, as well as in detail, nearly the same as those of Mr. Locke's. The Doctor considers the powers of the mind to be the following-1st, Consciousness, which is considered to be the same as feeling. 2d, Animal sense, or per

ception, which is the result of the exercise of our bodily organs, as touch, taste, smell, hearing, and seeing. 3d, Observation, or special attention paid to any particular thing. 4th, Memory, that is, the recollection of perceptions or trains of thought. 5th, Imagination is the clothing of objects with real or fictitious qualities or circumstances. 6th, Abstraction, which is the stating or consideration of some qualities or circumstances apart from other qualities or circumstances to which they are actually joined by nature. 7th, Reasoning comprehends a classification of particular subjects, investigation, the application of general rules, the weighing of evidence, and the deducing of inferences. 8th, Foresight is the faculty of anticipating or conjecturing what is to follow from certain present or past events. 9th, Propensity is an original bias or limitation towards certain objects; such as a free and unfettered exercise of our physical powers. 10th, Sentiment is defined to be a state of mind relative to supposed good or evil. 11th, Desire and aversion arise from our conception of objects founded on experience, fancy or report. 12th, Volition is the act of willing, or the faculty of making free determinations.

2d, The principles of natural religion come next

under consideration. The first of these is that of the being of a God. This is established, 1st, by the universality of this belief; and this again rests partly on a suggestion of nature, and the appearances of design, order, wisdom, and benevolence, which are so strikingly characteristic of the government of the world. 2d, The attributes of the Supreme Being are the features or characters of his moral nature, and are commonly designated by five appellations; namely, Unity, Power, Wisdom, Goodness, and Justice. 1st, The Unity of God is established from our perception of final causes. 2d, Power must be an attribute of the Great First Cause; as He who is the Creator of all things cannot be limited in His power. 3d, Wisdom is an attribute of the Divine nature; for it follows from, or rather may be said to be implied in, the perceptions of final causes. 4th, The Goodness of God is suggested to our minds from being the Creator and Preserver of all things. 5th, The Justice of God is derived from his wisdom and goodness, and must necessarily be perfect.

The second fundamental principle of natural religion is the immortality of the soul. This doctrine is chiefly supported on pure reason, by considering the almost universal notions of a future state enter

tained by men of all countries, climates, manners, and religion. The same goodness which prompted the Almighty to create us may likewise dispose him to preserve for ever his rational and intelligent offspring. The government of God is proved to be righteous; but the instinctive desire of distributive justice implanted in men's minds is not fulfilled in this life. Hence the universal belief, that wicked men will be punished, and good men rewarded, in another state of existence, beyond death and the grave.

3d, The moral law is defined by Dr. Ferguson to be "a general expression of what ought to be;" and in this he appears to agree with Dr. Hutcheson, that the rules of morality are referable to the same standard as the rules of art, or the canons of criticism, beauty, and propriety. The moral law, as relating to intelligent creatures, is nothing but the expression of what ought to be done. The obligation to obey this law is resolved by our author into the obligation to observe the law of nature; and the first and fundamental law is that which expresses the greatest good to men's nature; all other laws are but branches or applications of this general principle. "The terms," says Dr. Ferguson, "good and evil are applied to enjoyment and