matter, and by which he is allied to beings of a superior order. The faculties of consciousness, perception, memory, conception, imagination, judgment, reasoning, and moral feeling, are common to men of all casts and nations. The power of recollecting the past, and of anticipating the future--of deducing conclusions from premises previously demonstrated-of representing to the mind objects and scenes which have long ceased to exist; of forming in the imagination new combinations of the objects of sense; of perceiving the qualities of moral actions, and distinguishing between right and wrong; of recognizing a supreme intelligent Agent in the movements of the universe, and of making perpetual advances in knowledge and felicity; faculties which distinguish man from all the other tribes which people the earth, air, or sea, are possessed by the dwarfish Laplander and the untutored peasant, as well as by the ruler of kingdoms, the enlightened statesman, and the man of science. It is true, indeed, that there is a mighty difference among men in the direction of these faculties, in the objects towards which they are directed, in the cultivation they have received, and in the degree of perfection to which they have attained. There are innumerable gradations in the improvement and the energies of intellect, from the narrow range of thought possessed by a Greenlander or an Esquimaux, to the sublime and expansive views of a Bacon or a Newton, But, this difference depends more on the physical and moral circumstances in which they are placed than on any intrinsic difference in the faculties themselves. Place the son of a boor or of a Laplander in circumstances favourable to the developement of his mental powers, and afford him the requisite means for directing and increasing their activity, and he will display powers of intelligence equal to those which are found in the highest ranks of civilized life. A sound understanding, a correct judgment, vigour of mind, control over the irascible passions, and other mental endowments, though destitute of polish, will as frequently be found in the lower walks of life as in the elevated ranks of opulence and power.

The philosopher, however, as well as the man of rank, is apt to look down with a contemptuous sneer on the narrow conceptions of the husbandman, the mechanic, and the peasant; and is disposed to treat them as if they were an inferior species of intelligent beings. He does not always consider that the profound and the subtle speculations, which are dignified

h the title of philosophy, are frequently of less importance to the progress of the human mind, and to the enjoyment of substantial comfort, than the deductions of common sense and

the dictates of a sound, though plain understanding; that they torment him with feelings, doubts, and perplexities, which sometimes shake the whole fabric of his knowledge, and lead him into labyrinths, out of which he can scarcely extricate his way; while the man of plain understanding, guided by a few certain and important points of truth, prosecutes the path of virtue with safety and success. For it may be considered as an established maxim, that the most interesting and salutary truths connected with the happiness of man are neither numerous nor difficult to be acquired, and are level to the comprehension of men of every nation and of every rank. But however grovelling may be the affections, and however limited the intellectual views of the untutored ranks of society, they are capable of being trained to the knowledge and the practice of every thing which regards their present comfort and their future happiness; and to devise and execute the means by which this object may be accomplished, is one way among many others by which our love to mankind should be displayed and demonstrated. We have no reason to complain of the want of mental energy, or of the ignorance and folly of the lower orders of mankind, and to despise them on this account, while we sit still in criminal apathy, and refuse to apply those means which are requisite to raise them from their state of moral and intellectual degradation.

Thirdly, mankind are on an equality, in respect of that moral depravity with which they are all infected. From whatever cause it may be conceived to have originated, the fact is certain, that a moral disease has spread itself through all the branches of the human family, in whatever station, or in whatever regions of the globe they may be placed. Whether we look back on the "generations of old," or survey the moral state of the nations in modern times; whether we turn our eyes to the abodes of savage or of civilized life; whether we contemplate the characters of the higher orders of society, or the practices which abound among the inferior ranks of social life; the stamp of depravity, in one shape or another, appears impressed upon the general conduct of mankind. In the case of nations, this depravity has manifested itself in those wars, dissensions, devastations, and contentions for territory and power, which have in all ages convulsed the human race and disturbed the peace of the world. Among lesser societies, families and, individuals, it is displayed in the operation of the principles of pride, ambition, tyranny, persecution, revenge, malice, envy, falsehood, deceit, covetousness, anger, and other malignant passions, which have infested all ranks and condi

trns of men. This depravity infects the higher ranks of mankind equally with the lower, though among the former it is sometimes varnished over with a fairer exterior; and therefore, there is no rank or order of men that have any valid reason on this ground for despising their fellow-creatures, or withholding from them the exercise of love and affection. For "there is none righteous, no, not one: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." And in this point of view, love ought to exercise its beneficent energies, in endeavouring to counteract the stream of human corruption, and in disseminating those divine principles which are calculated to raise mankind to the moral dignity of their nature.

Fourthly, Mankind possess substantially the same pleasures and enjoyments. It is a trite saying, but it is nevertheless a true and important one, that happiness does not depend upon the rank and stations we occupy in life, nor upon the quantity of wealth or riches we possess. The pleasures which flow from the movements of the system of nature, and from the beauties which adorn the heavens and the earth, are common and open to all the inhabitants of the globe. The rising sun, the smiling day, the flowery landscape, the purling streams, the lofty mountains, the fertile vales, the verdure of the meadows, the ruddy hues of the evening clouds, the rainbow adorned with all the colours of light, the coruscations of the northern lights, the music of the groves, the songs of the nightingale and the lark, the breath of spring, the fruits of harvest, the azure sky, the blazing comet, the planets in their courses, the moon walking in brightness, and the radiant host of stars, convey to the mind thousands of delightful images and sensations, which charm the cottager and the mechanic no less than the sons of opulence and fame. The pleasures of the senses, of eating and drinking, of affectionate friendship, of social and domestic intercourse, of a cheerful contented mind, of fervent piety towards God, and of the hope of immortality beyond the grave, may be enjoyed by men of every colour, and rank, and condition in life; by the inhabitant of the cottage, as well as by the potentate who sways his sceptre over kingdoms. Nor does it materially detract from these enjoyments in the case of the peasant, that his body is frequently hung with rags, that he subsists on the coarsest fare, and reposes under the thatch of a miserable hut. For habit is the great leveller of mankind; it reconciles us to innumerable inconveniences and privations, and blunts the edge of the keenest pleasures. The owner of a princely mansion frequently loathes the most delicious dainties on his table, and walks through his magnificent apartments,

surrounded with paintings and decorations, with as much apathy and indifference as if he were in an Indian wigwam or a clay-built cottage. So that, in the pleasures of sense, of affection, and sentiment, there is no essential distinction between the high and the low, the rich and the poor. But should it be insinuated that the poor and the ignoble have fewer enjoyments than the rich, then it will follow, that towards them in a particular manner our benevolent affections ought to be directed, in order that they may enjoy a competent portion of those physical and intellectual pleasures which the Creator has provided for all his creatures.

Fifthly, Men in every condition and in every clime have the same wants, and are exposed to the same disasters and afflictions. Hunger and thirst, cold and heat, motion and rest, are common to all orders and conditions of men; and in order to supply and alleviate such wants, the aid of our fellow-men is indispensably requisite, to enable us to obtain food, raiment, light, warmth, comfortable accommodation, and shelter from the blasts of the tempest. We all stand in need of comfort and advice in the hour of difficulty and danger; we all long for the love, and friendship, and good offices of those around us; and we all thirst for an increase of knowledge, happiness, and joy. And those wants and desires can be supplied and gratified only by the kindly intercourse and affection of kindred spirits.

All are exposed to the same sorrows and afflictions. Disappointments, anxiety, disgrace, accidents, pain, sickness, disease, loss of health, fortune, and honour, bereavement of children, friends, and relatives, are equally the lot of the prince and the peasant. The prince in the cradle is a being as weak and feeble, as dependent on his nurse, has as many wants to be supplied, is liable to as many diseases and accidents, and requires as many exertions to learn to lisp, to speak, and to walk, as the newborn babe of his meanest subject. Nay, the rich and the powerful are frequently exposed to miseries and vexations from fancied insults, affronts, and provocations, from frustrated hopes, from pride, vanity, and ill-humour, from abortive projects and disconcerted plans, to which the poor are generally strangers. If we enter into one of the abodes of poverty, where one of the victims of disease is reclining, we may behold a poor emaciated mortal, with haggard looks and a heaving breast, reposing on a pillow of straw, surrounded by ragged children and an affectionate wife, all eager to soothe his sorrows and alleviate his distress. If we pass through a crowd of domestics and courtly attendants into the mansion of

pulence, where disease or the harbinger of death has seized one of its victims, we may also behold a wretch, pale, blotched, and distorted, agonizing under the pain of the asthma, the gravel, or the gout, and trembling under the apprehensions of the solemnity of a future judgment, without one sincere friend to afford him a drop of consolation. Neither the splendour of his apartment, nor the costly crimson with which his couch is hung, nor the attentions of his physicians, nor the number of his attendants, can prevent the bitter taste of nauseous medicines, the intolerable pains, the misgivings of heart, and the pangs of conscience which he feels in common with the meanest wretch who is expiring on a dunghill.

Lastly, All ranks come to the same termination of their mortal existence. "Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return," is a decree which has gone forth against every inhabitant of our globe, of whatever kindred, rank, or nation. The tombs of mighty princes, of intrepid generals, of illustrious statesmen, may be adorned with lofty columns, with sculptured marble, and flattering inscriptions; but within these varnished monuments their bodies present putrid carcases, as loathsome, and as much the prey of worms and corruption, as the corpse of their meanest vassal. Their eyes are equally impenetrable to the light of day, their ears are equally deaf to the charms of music, and their tongues are equally silent in this land of deep forgetfulness. This consideration of itself fully demonstrates, if any demonstration be necessary, the natural equality of mankind, and that there is no essential difference between the noble and the ignoble, the emperor, and the slave. And since mankind are all equally liable to afflictions and distresses, and are all journeying to the tomb, nothing can be more reasonable than the exercise of love, with all its kindred affections, towards every class of our fellow-men, in order to alleviate their sorrows, and to cheer them on their passage through this region of mortality.

Thus it appears, that there is a natural equality subsisting among mankind, in respect of their origin, their corporeal organization, their intellectual powers, their moral depravity, their wants, their afflictions, their pleasures, and enjoyments, and the state to which they are reduced after they have finished the career of their mortal existence. The illustration of such circumstances would be quite unnecessary, were it not that a certain proportion of mankind, under the influence of pride and other malignant passions, are still disposed to look down on certain classes of their fellow-mortals as if they were a species of beings of an inferior order in the scale of existence.