Months together without Intermiffion; to Ser. VI. which no Enjoyments of Life do in Degree and Continuance bear any fort of Propor

to us.

tion. And fuch is our Make and that of the World about us, that any thing may become the Inftrument of Pain and Sorrow Thus almost any one Man is capable of doing Mischief to any other, though he may not be capable of doing him Good: and if he be capable of doing him fome Good, he is capable of doing him more Evil: And it is in numberless Cases much more in our Power to leffen the Miferies of others, than to promote their pofitive Happiness, any otherwise than as the former often includes the latter; Eafe from Mifery occafioning for fome time the greateft pofitive Enjoyment. This Conftitution of Nature, namely, that it is so much more in our Power to occafion and likewise to leffen Mifery, than to promote pofitive Happiness, plainly required a particular Affection to hinder us from abufing, and to incline us to make a right Use of the former Powers, i. e. the Powers both to occafion and to leffen Mifery; over and above what was neceffary to induce us to make a right Use of the latter Power, that of promoting pofitive Hap

H 3

Ser. VI. Happiness: The Power we have over the Mifery of our Fellow-creatures (to occafion or leffen it) being a more important Truft, than the Power we have of promoting their pofitive Happiness. The former requires and has a further, an additional Security and Guard against its being violated, beyond and over and above what the latter has. The focial Nature of Man, and general Good-will to his Species, lead him to all three of thefe equally; equally prevent him from doing Evil, incline him to relieve the Diftreffed, and to promote the positive Happiness of his Fellow-creatures: But Compaffion only reftrains from the first, and carries him to the second; it hath nothing to do with the third.

The final Causes then of Compaffion are to prevent and to relieve Mifery.

As to the former, this Affection may plainly be a Reftraint upon Resentment, Envy, unreasonable Self-love; i. e. upon all the Principles from which Men do Evil to one another. Let us inftance only in Rcfentment. It feldom happens in regulated Societies, that Men have an Enemy fo intirely in their Power, as to be able to fatiate their Refentment with Safety: But if

we

we were to put this Cafe, it is plainly fup- Ser. VI. pofeable, that a Perfon might bring his Enemy into fuch a Condition, as from being the Object of Anger and Rage, to become an Object of Compaffion, even to himself, though the most malicious Man in the World: And in this Cafe Compaffion would stop him, if he could stop with Safety, from pursuing his Revenge any farther. But fince Nature has placed within us more powerful Restraints to prevent Mischief, and fince the final Caufe of Compaffion is much more to relieve Misery, let us go on to the Confideration of it in this View.

As this World was not intended to be a State of any great Satisfaction or high Enjoyment, fo neither was it intended to be a meer Scene of Unhappiness and Sorrow. Mitigations and Reliefs are provided by the merciful Author of Nature, for most of the Afflictions in Humane Life. There is kind Provifion made even against our Frailties, as we are fo conftituted that Time abundantly abates our Sorrows, and begets in us that Refignment of Temper, which ought to have been produced by a better Cause; a due Senfe of the Autho

Ser. VI.rity of God, and our State of Dependance.

This holds in respect to far the greatest Part of the Evils of Life; I suppose, in some Degrce, as to Pain and Sickness. Now this Part of the Conftitution or Make of Man, confidered as fome Relief to Mifery, and not as Provision for pofitive Happiness, is, if I may so speak, an Inftance of Nature's Compaffion for us; and every natural Remedy or Relief to Mifery, may be confidered in the fame View.

But fince, in many Cafes, it is very much in our Power to alleviate the Miseries of each other; and Benevolence, though natural in Man to Man, yet is in a very low Degree, kept down by Intereft and Competitions; and Men, for the most Part, are fo engaged in the Business and Pleasures of the World, as to overlook and turn away from Objects of Mifery; which are plainly confidered as Interruptions to them in their Way, as Intruders upon their Business, their Gaiety and Mirth: Compaffion is an Advocate within us in their behalf, to gain the Unhappy Admittance and Accefs, to make their Cafe attended to. If it fometimes ferves a contrary Purpose, and makes Men induftrioufly turn away from the Mi

ferable,

few

ferable, these are only Inftances of Abufe Ser. VI. and Perverfion; for the End for which the Affection was given us, moft certainly is not to make us avoid, but to make us attend to the Objects of it. And if Men would only refolve to allow thus much to it; let it bring before their View, the View of their Mind, the Miseries of their Fellow-creatures; let it gain for them that their Case be confidered; I am perfuaded it would not fail of gaining more, and that very real Objects of Charity would pass unrelieved. Pain and Sorrow and Mifery have a Right to our Affiftance: Compaffion puts us in Mind of the Debt, and that we owe it to ourselves as well as to the Di ftreffed. For to endeavour to get rid of the Sorrow of Compaffion, by turning from the Wretched, when yet it is in our Power to relieve them, is as unnatural as to endeavour to get rid of the Pain of Hunger by keeping from the Sight of Food. That we can do one with greater Success than we can the other, is no Proof that one is lefs a Violation of Nature than the other. Compaffion is a Call, a Demand of Nature, to relieve the Unhappy; as Hunger is a natural Call for Food. This Affection plainly gives

the