ABSTRACT

“True,” rejoin some of the applicants. “With the Deity right and expedient are doubtless convertible terms. Even were the fundamental proposition of the expediency system not thus vitiated by the indefiniteness of its terms, it would still be vulnerable. Yet another fatal objection to the expediency-philosophy, is to be found in the fact, that it implies the eternity of government. Moreover, were the expediency theory otherwise satisfactory, it would be still useless; since it requires nothing less than omniscience to carry it into practice. On reviewing the claims of the Moral Sense doctrine, it appears that there is a priori reason for expecting the first principle of social morality to originate in some feeling, power, or faculty of the individual. The reasons for thus specially insisting on implicit obedience will become apparent as the reader proceeds.