A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

INTRODUCTION,xxiyou will find everywhere the same principles and distinctionsof moral good and evil. The paganism of theancient world produced indeed abominable gods, whoon earth would have been shunned or punished asmonsters; and who oflfered, as a picture of supremehappiness, only vices to commit and passions to satiate.But vice armed with this sacred authority, descendedin vain from the eternal abode : she found in the heartof man a moral sentiment to repel her. The continenceof Xenocrates was admired by those who celebratedthe amours of Jupiter. The chaste Lucretia adoredthe unchaste Venus. The intrepid warrior sacrificed toFear. The most contemptible divinities were served bythe gi'eatest men. The holy voice of nature, however,stronger than that of the gods, made itself heard andrespected and obeyed on earth, and seemed to banishas it were to the confinement of heaven both guilt andthe guilty."A final argument may be drawn from the nature ofthose emotions which we denominate a gratified orwounded conscience.theIt has been justly said, that the happiness derived fromcontemplation and especially from the consciousnessof virtue, is not capable, either in respect of itsnature or permanency, of being compared with anyother of our pleasures. Even the contemplation ofvirtuous actions is peculiarly satisfactory' and refreshing: the mind feels conscious that its attention isworthily bestowed ; that it is gaining additional abilityfor the purest enjoyments. Of this nature also are thefeelings with which we contemplate the scenes of greatactions, or the persons of those who are eminent forexcellence. Of the same nature, only raised in somec