SERM. is often the most painful and uneafy ConIII. finement. And in numberless Inftances á prefent Appetite cannot be gratified without fuch apparent and immediate Ruin and Mifery, that the most diffolute Man in the World chooses to forego the Pleasure, rather than endure the Pain. Is the Meaning then, to indulge those Regards to our Fellow-Creatures, and fubmit to thofe Restraints, which upon the whole are attended with more Satisfaction than Uneafinefs, and get over only those which bring more Uneafinefs and Inconvenience than Satisfaction? "Doubtlefs this "was our Meaning." You have changed Sides then. Keep to this; be confiftent with yourselves; and you and the Men of Virtue are in general perfectly agreed. But let us take Care and avoid Mistakes. Let it not be taken for granted that the Temper of Envy, Rage, Refentment, yields greater Delight than Meekness, Forgiveness, Compaffion, and Good-will: Efpecially when it is acknowledged that Rage, Envy, Refentment, are in themselves meer Mifery; and the Satisfaction arifing from the Indulgence of them is little more than Relief from that Mifery; whereas the Temper of Compaffion Compaffion and Benevolence is itself de- SER M. lightful; and the Indulgence of it, by doing III. Good, affords new pofitive Delight and Enjoyment. Let it not be taken for granted, that the Satisfaction arifing from the Reputation of Riches and Power however obtained, and from the Refpect paid to them, is greater than the Satisfaction arifing from the Reputation of Justice, Honesty, Charity, and the Efteem which is univerfally acknowledged to be their due. And if it be doubtful which of thefe Satisfactions is the greatest, as there are Perfons who think neither of them very confiderable, yet there can be no doubt concerning Ambition and Covetousness, Virtue and a good Mind, confidered in themselves, and as leading to different Courses of Life; there can, I say, be no doubt, which Temper and which Course is attended with moft Peace and Tranquillity of Mind, which with most Perplexity, Vexation and Inconvenience. And both the Virtues and Vices which have been now mentioned, do in a Manner equally imply in them Regards of one kind or another to our Fellow-Creatures. And with refpect to Restraint and Confinement : Whoever will confider the Reftraints from Fear and S ER M. Shame, the Diffimulation, mean Arts of III. Concealment, fervile Compliances, one or other of which belong to almost every Courfe of Vice; will foon be convinced that the Man of Virtue is by no Means upon a Difadvantage in this Refpect. How many Inftances are there in which Men feel and own and cry aloud under the Chains of Vice with which they are enthrall'd, and which yet they will not shake off? How many Instances, in which Perfons manifeftly go through more Pains and Self-denial to gratify a vitious Paffion, than would have been neceffary to the Conqueft of it? To this is to be added, that when Virtue is become habitual, when the Temper of it is acquir'd, what was before Confinement ceafes to be fo, by becoming Choice and Delight. Whatever Restraint and Guard ourfelves may be needful to unlearn any unnatural Distortion or odd Gefture; yet, in all Propriety of Speech, natural Behaviour must be the moft eafy and unrestrained. is manifeft that, in the common Course of Life, there is feldom any Inconfiftency between our Duty and what is called Intereft: It is much feldomer that there is an Incon fiftency between Duty and what is really upon It our present Intereft; meaning by Intereft, SERM. Happiness and Satisfaction. Self-love then, III. though confined to the Interest of the prefent W World, does in general perfectly coincide with Virtue; and leads us to one and the fame Courfe of Life. But, whatever Exceptions there are to this, which are much fewer than they are commonly thought, all fhall be fet right at the final Distribution of things. It is a manifeft Abfurdity to fuppofe Evil prevailing finally over Good, under the Conduct and Administration of a perfect Mind. THE whole Argument, which I have been now infifting upon, may be thus fummed up and given you in one View. The Nature of Man is adapted to fome Course of Action or other. Upon comparing fome Actions with this Nature, they appear fuitable and correfpondent to it: From Comparison of other Actions with the fame Nature, there arifes to our View fome Unfuitableness or Difproportion. The Correfpondence of Actions to the Nature of the Agent renders them natural: Their Difproportion to it, unnatural. That an Action is correfpondent to the Nature of the Agent, does not arise from its being agreea E 4 ble SERM.ble to the Principle which happens to be quite difproportionate to the Nature of the Own |