he formed as fo many qualifications for happiness and rewards, to be the inftruments of pain and punishment. **************** No 601. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1. Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐνεργετὸς πεφυκώς. ANTONIN. lib. ix. Man is naturally a beneficent creature. ΤΗ fore. HE following effay comes from an hand which has entertained my readers once be Notwithstanding a narrow contracted temper be that which obtains most in the world, we must not therefore conclude this to be the genuine cha racteristic of mankind; because there are some who delight in nothing so much as in doing good, and receive more of their happiness at second hand, or by rebound from others, than by direct and immediate fenfation. Now though these heroic fouls are but few, and to appearance fo far advanced above the grovelling multitude, as if they were of another order of beings, yet in reality their nature is the fame, moved by the fame fprings, and endued with all the fame effential qualities, only cleared, refined, and cultivated. Water is the fame fluid body in winter and in fummer; when it ftands ftiffned in ice, as when it flows along in gentle ftreams, gladdening a thoufand fields in its progrefs. It is a property of the heart of man to be diffufive: Its kind withes fpread abroad over the face of creation; and if there be thofe, as we may obferve too many of them, who are all wrapt up in their own dear felves, without any visible concern for their fpecies, let us fuppofe that their good good-nature is frozen, and by the prevailing force of fome contrary quality reftrained in its operation. I fhall therefore endeavour to affign fome of the principal checks upon this generous propenfion of the human foul, which will enable us to judge whether, and by what method, this most useful principle may be unfettered, and restored to its native freedom of exercise. The firft and leading caufe is an unhappy complexion of body. The heathens, ignorant of the true source of moral evil, generally charged it on the obliquity of matter, which, being eternal and independent, was incapable of change in any of its properties, even by the Almighty mind, who, when he came to fashion it in a world of beings, must take it as he found it. This notion, as most others of theirs, is a compofition of truth and error. That matter is eternal, that, from the first union of a foul to it, it perverted its inclinations, and that the ill influence it hath upon the mind is not to be corrected by God himself, are all very great errors, occafioned by a truth as evident, that the capacities and dispositions of the foul depend, to a great degree, on the bodily temper. As there are fome fools, others are knaves, by conftitution; and, particularly, it may be faid of many, that they are born with an illiberal caft of mind; the matter that ́ composes them is tenacious as birdlime, and a kind of cramp draws their hands and their hearts together, that they never care to open them, unlefs to grafp at more. It is a melancholly lot this; but attended with one advantage above theirs, to whom it would be as painful to forbear good offices, as it is to thefe men to perform them; that whereas perfons naturally beneficent often mistake instinct for virtue, by reafon of the difficulty of diftinguishing when one rules them and when the other, men of the opposite character may be more certain of the motive that predominates in every action.. If they cannot confer a benefit with that ease and franknefs which are neceffary to give it a grace in the eye of the world, in requital, the real merit of what they do is enhanced by the oppofition they furmount in doing it. The ftrength of their virtue is feen in rifing against the weight of nature, and every time they have the refolution to difcharge their duty, they make a farifice of inclination to confcience, which is always too grateful to let its followers go without fuitable marks of its approbation. Perhaps the entire cure of this ill quality is no more poffible, than of fonie diftempers that defcend by inheritance. However, a great deal may be done by a courfe of beneficence obftinately perfifted in; this, if any thing, being a likely way of eftablishing a moral habit, which fhall be fomewhat of a counterpoife to the force of mechanifm. Only it must be remembered, that we do not intermit, upon any pretence whatfoever, the cuftom of doing good, in regard, if there be the least ceffation, nature will watch the opportunity to return, and in a fhort time to recover the ground it was fo long in quitting For there is this difference between mental habits, and fuch as have their foundation in the body; that these last are in their nature more forcible and violent, and, to gain upon us need only not to be impofed; whereas the former must be continually reinforced with fresh fupplies, or they will languish and die away. And this fuggefts the reafon why good habits, in general, require longer time for their fettlements than bad; and yet are fooner difplaced: The reafon is, that vicious habits (as drunkennefs for inftance) produce a change in the body, which the others not doing, must be maintained the fame way they are acquired, by the mere dint of industry, refolution, and vigilance. Another thing which fufpends the cperations of benevolence, is the love of the world; proceeding from N° 601. from a falfe notion men have taken up, that an abundance of the world is an effential ingredient into the happiness of life. Wordly things are of fuch a quality as to leffen upon dividing, fo that the more partners there are, the lefs must fall to every man's private fhare. The confequence of this is, that they look upon one another with an evil eye, each imagining all the reft to be embarked in an interest, that cannot take place but to his prejudice. Hence are thofe eager competitions for wealth or power; hence one man's fuccefs becomes another's disappointment; and like pretenders to the fame miftrefs, they can feldom have common charity for their rivals. Not that they are naturally difpofed to quarrel and fall out, but it is natural for a man to prefer himself to all others, and to fecure his own intereft firft. If that which men esteem their happiness were, like the light, the fame fufficient and unconfined good, whether ten thoufand enjoy the benefit of it, or but one, we fhould fee men's good-will, and kind endeavours, would be as univerfal. Homo qui erranti cemiter monftrat viam, To direct a wanderer in the right way, is to light another man's candle by one's own, which lofes none of its light by what the other 'gains.' But, unluckily, mankind agree in making choice of objects, which inevitably engage them in perpetual differences. Learn therefore, like a wife man, the true eftimate of things. Defire not more of the world than is neceffary to accommodate you in paff ing through it; look upon every thing beyond, not as ufelefs only, but burdenfome. Place not your : your quiet in things which you cannot have without putting others befide them, and thereby mak ing them your enemies, and which, when attained will give you more trouble to keep, than fatisfaċtion in the enjoyment. Virtue is a good of a nobler kind It grows by communication, and fo little refembles earthly riches, that the more hands it is lodged in, the greater is every man's particular ftock. So, by propagating and mingling their fires, not only all the lights of a branch together caft a more extenfive brightnefs, but each fingle light burns with a ftronger flame. And, laftly, take this along with you, that if wealth be an inftrument of pleasure, the greatest pleasure it can put into your power, is that of doing good. It is worth confidering, that the organs of fenfe act within a narrow compass, and the appetites will foon fay they have enough: Which of the two therefore is the happier man? He, who confining all his regard to the gratification of his own appetites, is capable but of fhort fits of pleafure? Or the man, who, reckoning himself a fharer in the fatisfactions of others, efpecially thofe which come to them by his means, enlarges the fphere of his happiness ? The last enemy to benevolence I fhall mention is uneafiness of any kind. A guilty, or a difcontented mind, a mind ruffled by ill fortune, discontented by its own paffions, foured by neglect, or fretting at difappointments, hath not leifure to attend. to the neceffity or reafonableness of a kindness defired, nor a tafte for thofe pleasures which wait on beneficence, which demand a calm and unpolluted heart to relish them. The most miferable of all beings is the moft envious; as, on the other hand, the most communicative is the happieft. feat of perfect love and friendship, you will not find it until you come to the region of the bleffed, where happiness, like VOL. VIII. a refresh ing And if you are in fearch of the the other R |