sxx

ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND

refentment, which every reafonable inan is readyto adopt and fympathize with.

It is however very neceffary to obferve, tiiat wedo not thoroughly fympathize with the gratitudeof one man towards another, merely becaufe thisother has been the caufe of his good fortune,unlefs he has been the caufe of it from motiveswhich we entirely go along with. Our fenfe there-fore, of the good defert of an a£hon,is a com-pounded fentiment, made up of an indirect fym-patliy with the perfon to whom the action is bene-ficial , and of a direft fympathy with the affections

and motives of the agent.-The fame remark

applies, mutatis mutandis , to our fenfe of demerit,or of ill-defert.

From thefe principles, it is inferred, that theonly actions which appear to us deferving of re-ward, are actions of a beneficial tendency, pro-ceeding from proper motives; the only aClionswhich feern to deferve punifhment, are actionsof a hurtful tendency, proceeding from impropermotives. A mere want of beneficence expofes tono punilhment; becaufe the mere want of bene-ficence tends to do no real pofitive evil. A man,on the other hand, who is barely innocent, andcontents himfelf with obferving flriClly the lawsof juftice with refpeCl to others, can merit only,that his neighbours, in their turn, fliould obfervereligioufly the fame laws with refpeCt to him.