Thoughts on nature and religion. Or, an apology for the right of private judgment / maintained by Michael Servetus [i.e. P. Blair] M.D. in his answer to John Calvin. [Anon].

  • Blair, Patrick, M.D., of Cork, active 1738-1780.
Date:
1774
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Thoughts on nature and religion. Or, an apology for the right of private judgment / maintained by Michael Servetus [i.e. P. Blair] M.D. in his answer to John Calvin. [Anon]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    both it and the reft of the world his Haves: but he took care, that they, whom he had reduced to that ft ate, fhould obferve ftrict juftice to one another. This we obferve to be the general practice of ufur- pcrs. The Romans, in their conquefts, deftroyed all thole who would not fubmit to be their Haves ; but for thofe who did fubmit, they inftituted laws, to oblige them to behave with juftice to one another. Simple honefty is held by the world to be a cowardly, or at belt a negative virtue. It is always on the de- fenfive, like one clad in armour, which it dares at no time throw oft'. But honour is held a brave, a dar¬ ing quality, which fcorns danger; it is made to rule and command ; and will punifti any one who dares to difpute its will, or queftion its integrity. A man of honour muff be fuppofed incapable of doing wrong; yet a man of honour will lie with his friend’s wife, he will baftardize his eftate, and put the hulband afterwards to death, if he prefumes to tell him, he did wrong. He dares no more refufe a fine woman, who is willing to be debauched, (altho* his friend’s wife) than a challenge from a man to fight him. His reputation is his confcience: his con¬ cern is not, what he knows himfelf to be, but what the world dare fay of him; to their opinion he is a Have. This made Alexander exclaim, how much fatigue do I undergo to gain the efleem of the Athe¬ nians ! A man of honour will undergo as much in fupport of his reputation and dignity, as a man of honefty can for his confcience ; he will die for it ; be his engagements right or wrong, no future infor¬ mation can difengage him from his promife ; he has pawned his honour to perform it, and cannot forfeit it. A man of honour is more bound by that, than by his oath, or any moral obligation. In a late pub¬ lic trial, the judges were applyed to in thefe words, Gen-