Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/57

§. 2. plexed the law of nature with a multitude of abtracted rules and precepts, referring merely to the fitnes or unfitnes of things, as ome have vainly urmied; but has graciouly reduced the rule of obedience to this one paternal precept, “that man hould purue his own happines.” This is the foundation of what we call ethics, or natural law. For the everal articles, into which it is branched in our ytems, amount to no more than demontrating, that this or that action tends to man’s real happines, and therefore very jutly concluding that the performance of it is a part of the law of nature; or, on the other hand, that this or that action is detructive of man’s real happines, and therefore that the law of nature forbids it.

law of nature, being co-eval with mankind and dictated by God himelf, is of coure uperior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries, and at all times: no human laws are of any validity, if contrary to this; and uch of them as are valid derive all their force, and all their authority, mediately or immediately, from this original.

in order to apply this to the particular exigencies of each individual, it is till neceary to have recoure to reaon: whoe office it is to dicover, as was before oberved, what the law of nature directs in every circumtance of life; by conidering, what method will tend the mot effectually to our own ubtantial happines. And if our reaon were always, as in our firt ancetor before his trangreion, clear and perfect, unruffled by paions, unclouded by prejudice, unimpaired by dieae or intemperance, the tak would be pleaant and eay; we hould need no other guide but this. But every man now finds the contrary in his own experience; that his reaon is corrupt, and his undertanding full of ignorance and error.

has given manifold occaion for the benign interpoition of divine providence; which, in companion to the frailty, the imperfection, and the blindnes of human reaon, hath been Rh