A serious proposal to the Ladies, for the advancement of their true and greatest interest (In Two Parts)Astell, Mary
Religion
A serious proposal to the Ladies, for the advancement of their true and greatest interest (In Two Parts)
Astell, Mary
Feminism -- Great Britain -- History -- 18th century -- Sources; Women's rights -- Great Britain -- History -- 18th century -- Sources
That we always endeavour to be Happy is sufficiently evident, and that
we too frequently fly from GOD who only can make us so, Experience
sadly Demonstrates. Which cou’d not be did we not grosly mistake our
Happiness, as we certainly do whenever we Will any thing in opposition
to the Will of GOD, whatever Appearance of Good it may happen to carry.
’Tis true the Will does always pursue Good, or somewhat represented to
it as such, but it is not always, or rather very seldom, determin’d
to the Choice of what is in it self the greatest Good. And though I
suppose we always Chuse that which in that Juncture in which it is
propos’d seems fittest for our Present turn, yet it is often such
as we wou’d not prefer, did we impartially examin and observe the
Consequences. But we will not do that, chusing rather to Act by the
Wrong Judgments we have formerly made, and to follow blindly the
Propensities they have given us, than to suspend our Inclinations as
we both May and Ought, and restrain them from determining our Will,
till we have fairly and fully examin’d and ballanc’d, according to the
best of our Knowledge, the several degrees of Good and Evil present
and future that are in the Objects set before us. The neglect of which
is at once both our Fault and Misery; Our Fault in that we precipitate
our Choice, refusing to Consider sufficiently to rectifie our Mistakes.
And our Misery because we shall certainly be Disappointed sooner or
later, and be convinc’d that what was so Hastily and Unreasonably
Chosen, ought not even then to have been prefer’d, how Pleasant soever
it appear’d, seeing it neither Was nor Cou’d be Good for us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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