If he ever carries his speculations further
than this necessity constrains him, and philosophises either on
natural or moral subjects, he is allured by a certain pleasure
and satisfaction which he finds in employing himself after that
manner. He considers besides, that every one, even in common
life, is constrained to have more or less of this philosophy;
that from our earliest infancy we make continual advances in
forming more general principles of conduct and reasoning; that
the larger experience we acquire, and the stronger reason we are
endued with, we always render our principles the more general and
comprehensive; and that what we call philosophy is nothing but a
more regular and methodical operation of the same kind. To
philosophise on such subjects, is nothing essentially different
from reasoning on common life; and we may only expect greater
stability, if not greater truth, from our philosophy, on account
of its exacter and more scrupulous method of proceeding.
But when we look beyond human affairs and the properties of
the surrounding bodies: when we carry our speculations into the
two eternities, before and after the present state of things;
into the creation and formation of the universe; the existence
and properties of spirits; the powers and operations of one
universal Spirit existing without beginning and without end;
omnipotent, omniscient, immutable, infinite, and
incomprehensible: We must be far removed from the smallest
tendency to scepticism not to be apprehensive, that we have here
got quite beyond the reach of our faculties.
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