1000000031

MORAL

P HI L O S O P H Y.

made him feofible of ,heir good and h'ppinef., but ef–

peeially of ,helf ill and mif<ry, by an imm.ediJte fy ,npa–

t llY, or quiek f«l ing of pl. afure and of palo.

'The laucr we e.U

pity

or compaffion.

For the former,

tboueh

t Tery cne

who is not

quite

divdll!d of humanity

fC!cls

f~me

dc:gree, we holve not

gOl

a name,

unler,

Wt:

calJ

congra1ulation, or

joyru! fympathy,

(hat

gaod bumour ",hieh arifes on feeing o,her. pleafed or

h .ppy. Bo,h ,hefe

feol:n~s

have been e.Jled, in ceneral,

the public or eommon f! of<, by \Vhieh we fe. 1for olhers,

aod are ¡nreTelled in tlJeir

Ct)ocerns

as really. thougb

perh. p. lefs fenfiuly, -lhan in our o\Vn.

Wlu:n \Ve Cce

OUT

fdlow-crcatures unhappy

through

the. tault or injury of

olhen,

\"e

fte!

rerentmcnt

(,.If

in–

dignation ag.infl Ihe unjufl eaufers of Ih.. mifery.

we are confcious

thu 1t

has

hif.prened

through

OUT

fault

or injurio... coodu·a. we feel lhame ; and bOlh Ihefe

c1.If

« of fenfes and

p.Ol

.,ns, reg.rding mifery .nd wrong,

are armed wi,b fueh lharp fen fations of p. in, as nOl ooly

prove a

powerful

guard and

rc:carity

"the

fpeciu,

publie fyflem, .g,infl Ihefe ills il may, bUl fe"e . Ifo 'o

n or remove ,hofe iJls il doc., Cutrer. Comp.Oloo

draws us out of ourfelves

bear

pan of

lhe: I\llsfor·

tUDes of

orheu,

powcrfully

foJiciu

thcir

(¿vour,

m ehs us at Ggh l of Iheir diflrefs, aod tn. kes us iD fome

d egree unhappy tiJl ,hey are relie..d (rom ir.

1I.is

pe–

euliarly weJl .dapled lO ,-be eondilion of hom.n life, be–

cauCe

is much more and oftener

iD on T

powcr

mifehief thao good, .nd to preven< or 1c'If<n mifery Ihao

to -cornmunicatt pofitive happinefs ; and thererore

is al}

admirable reflraiol upoo ,he :nore fclfilh paOlon., or thofe

.iolent impulfes that carry us

the:

hun

Olhers.

There are other particuJ.u ¡nnioéts or p...lñons, whicb

intereO: us in lhe coneerns of otht::rs, even while \Ve are

IUofl buCy about ourown, and which are f1rongly altrae–

t i.e of good, and repulG.: of

íJl

to Ihem. Sueh are

llatural atr:{lion, (riendlhip, love, grati,ude, deGre of

(ame, )(,ve of focictr, of ooe's country.

Now as the

prívate appetites and paffions were found

be armed

Wilh

llrong reofations

defire

and uneafinefs,

10 prODlpt

man lhe Qlore:

effd lually

{u(lain

labours, and

en–

cauattr dangers, in purruit of

thore goods

,hat are necer·

fary lO ,he prd.,varion and welfare o( Ihe individual,

and ' o avoid Ihofe

iJI.

~·hieh

tend lO his deflrutlion ; in

Jikc manner it

was

occerrary that this olher

c1ars·

de–

lires .nd .ffeaions O,ould be prompled wilh as quiek

feofJ,ions of paio, no' ooly lO eounleraa ,he flrength of

thcir anf3gonirls, bUI tO engage us in a vinuous aétivity

for our reJations,

famiJics.

fricod" neíghbours, coaotry.

1ndeed our feofe of righr and wrong will admonilh us

rhat

¡a our

duty, and

reafon

and

expericncc (arrher ar–

fure us ,hat il is bo,h our interell and befl feeuriry, to

promole Ihe happinefs of olhers : bu, ,hal CenCe, Ihat

reafon , and ,hat experienee, would frequently prove but

we.k and inetr<tluaJ prompten lO fueh • eondua, efpe–

ei.Jly in eafes of danger and hardlhip, .nd .midll . JI Ihe

importunítiea of nature, an.o

,h,u

con(lant hurry in wlllch

the pril'ate pallions involve us, wilhout Ihe .id of IhoCe

particular kind

affetlioos,

which

ma rk

OUt

particu.

lar fpheres of dUly, and wilh an .¡rec.ble violence en–

gage and fix us dowo lO thern.

1, is evidenr ,herefore, Iha< Ihefe t,,·o c1. If.. of .ffee–

tioo,

rhe

private: and public, are

(c:t

on!

ag;¡inrl

lhe oth.:r,

ar.d deligned to coOlroul and Ilml( e.ach othcn ioH, enee,

and ,hereby lO

p~9duee

a jufl bab nee in ,he whol.

general,

tbe violcnt

renlarions

Piio

untéJiu: r,

wbich accompany hanger, thirn, al'ld the other

priv.He

ilppetites,

or tOO great fatigue of

mind

well

as of

body, preveot the individual from running to

~re"t

ex–

eelf. . io rhe exercif. of Ihe higher (unaions of the

minJ

tOO

intenrc

lhouglu

(he fearcb

truth,

violeDl appliearion lO bufinefs of . ny ktnd, and di!Foreot

decrees

of romantic

he.roirm . On

the

otb'er

hand, th:

fin«

Cenfes of percep,ion, and Ihofe generou. d. Gres anJ

affeétions which art

connetlC!d

with them, the

]O\"C

of ac·

tion, of imitat ion, of rruth, honour,

public

virtue,

and

Ihe like, are \Vifely placed in Ihe oppoG.e Ccale. iD order

ro prevenl us from fjnking ioto Ih< dregs of Ihe animal

Jife, and debaGng ,he dignilY of m'n bdow Ihe eondilioo

of brutes. So ,ha< by the mUlual rea{líon o( thofe op–

pofi,e powers. Ihe bad ctreéls are preveoted lhar would

naturally refu h (rom lI,eir aaing Gngly and apart, and

Ihe good <!Fea, are produeed wbich eaeh are feverally

formed lO produce.

The fame "holefome oppoGlion 'ppears likewife in

the panicular couoterworkiogs of the pri'fate and public

atr.aions ooe acainfl lbe o,her. Thu. eompaOloo is

adapled to eounlerpoife Ihe love of ea(e, of pleafur.,

and of Jife ; aod lO difarm, or lO fet bound. lO refen t–

mene : lnd reCentment

injury done to

ourfelves

or to

our friends, prevents an cffc:minate

compaffioD

con–

llernuion; 3nd givel us a noble contetnpt oflabonr, pain,

aod deatb. N alural atreaioo, frieodlhip, love of one's

cOUDtry, Day, zcal forany particular virtue,

3rt

frequentl y

more· than a match for Ihe .,hole train o( felGOl paOlons.

the

other

hand, without that intimate

over-ruling

pooloo of fel f-Iove, ond Ihofe prrvale deGres \Vbieh are

eonneaed wi,h il, the foei.1 and lender ioflinas of Ihe

human he'TI would degenera« inro Ihe wildelt dotage,

the molt torturing .0xieIY, ond downrigh, frenzy.

BUI nOl only are ,he d,trereol orders or c1alf, s of af–

(eétion checks one upon another, but paflioos

rbe fame

el. fies are mUlu.1 c1ogs . Thus, how many are.\Vilhheld

fronl Ihe . iolenl outrages of refenl ...ent by fear? .nd

how eafily_ is fe.r eontrouled in its lurn, while mighlY

wroogs

awaken

a mighty refcntment? The private

paf~

fiens often intereferc, and thercfore mod(fate the vio–

lenee of eaeh o,her; and a

e.lm

felf-Iove is plaeed

thcir head

direét, ¡nfluence,

ando

cOOlreul their parti–

euljlr altraaion, and repulGons. The publie affdlions

likewife reOraio

ene

the other;

anei

al!

them are

pUl

under the controul

a c"lm

di(pj(ffionatc

bencvoJeDce-,

whieh ough, iD like maoner tO <Iirea and limil rb eir par–

ticular motions.--Thu, mofl

pan,

DOt

all the

p",ffiODS

have a ,wofold afpea, . nd ferve a 'WOfDld eod. In one

view Ihey may be eonGdcred as powers, impeJling maD–

kind to a certain

tourf~,

wilh a force proponioned

Ihe apprehended moment of , he good they .ion ato ID

anolher view Ihey 'ppear as weighu b.l.neing Ihe . a ioo

of the po\\'erS", and

controuling

lhe violence of their ¡rn·

pulf<s. By mean. of Ihefe pOIVers and IVeighrs a nat ural

poife i¡ fenJed iD Ihe humaDbrean by il6 all·wife .'\.Ulhor,