But any one who has read the foregoing Lines attentively, must observe, that there is no Neceflity for fuppofing the Exiftence of Self-love as an univerfal Principle: and that while we have natural Appetites and Paffions to impel us, if we fuppofe the universal Agency of Self-love, we admit a double Principle, without any Occafion. Hunger alone is undoubtedly fufficient to impel a Man to eat, and Thirst to make him drink; what need then of looking out for any other original Principle, to perfuade us to eat and drink. 9. If we fufpend our Prejudices a Moment, and look at the Man of Nature, we will foon difcover the Truth in this Cafe. We find ourselves, and fee others blindly and involuntarily impelled by the Force of Inclination or Averfion, which we feel equally, whether the Enjoyment we feek be for our Interest or no; Nay, though we fee plainly our Ruin depends upon it, we ftill feel the Defire, and often plunge deliberately into Destruction with our Eyes open. But, fays Mr. Locke, this is the Force of prefent Defire or Uneafiness, acting against our deli berate Intereft, and the greater vifible Good: it is, I own it: Therefore we are not always determined by deliberate Self-intereft, or the kind Wishes we have for ourselves, but must have fome other Motive, and a strong one, that is thus able to infult and depofe Self intereft. If Mr. Locke had proceeded a Step farther, he would have discovered the Truth, that the present Uneafinefs or Defire is formed by the natural Inclinations and Appetites, the true Springs of human Actions. It is plain, that if Self-love or Self-intereft ultimately formed the Springs of Action and Plan of Life, we would never give up our Eafe and Content, nor fuffer the Growth of Pride, of Anxiety, Jealoufy, nor Envy, thofe Torturers of the human Breft. When the modern Philofophers put SelfVOL. III. L intereft intereft at the Head of the Paffions, they formed a Labyrinth, from which they were never able to extricate themselves; and put themselves under the Neceffity of making a Variety of forced and painful Evolutions, and Countermarches in their System, to account for the Eagerness with which Men plunge into the Way of Cares, Fatigues, and Disappointments; and for their eternal Tendency to forfake Peace of Mind and Content, and act with their Eyes open against their Interefts. The selfish Philofopher is obliged to fhew us, how Self-love diftreffes us with Compaffion, and make us take Part with the Unfortunate; how it betrays us into the Inquietudes of Love, and Tortures of Jealoufy; how it makes us in the Midft of Defpair, even then, eagerly fofter and indulge the devouring Paffion: He is obliged to explain how Interest inspires the yet innocent Virgin's Bofom with a Tenderness, whose End or Gratification fhe does not comprehend; and he must fuppofe that the fame Motive whets the Appetite for Food, to repair the Decays of the Body, although we be not confcious that we are the Projectors of the Appetite, and know as little of the Caufes of it, as we do of the Oeconomy of the Stomach after we have eaten. The Truth is, we know, by the clearest Intuition, that neither the Appetite for Food, nor the tender Paffion, are defigned or calculated by us; on the contrary, we are not furer of our own Exiftence, than that they are involuntary Emotions; and if neither Self-love nor Self-intereft be the Motives of thofe Defires, which preferve our own Being, or the Continuation of the Species, it is in vain to fuppofe that they are the primary Springs of any other Paffion or Appetite. 10. It is very carefully to be atteded to, that I do not deny the Reality of Self-love and Self-intereft: My View is only to reduce thofe Words, and the Ideas annexed to them, to the exact Standards of Nature, Nature, and to that Part they really act in the human Mind. All the Signification we can attribute to the word Self-love, is, that we ourselves feel our own Inclinations and Averfions, and are ftimulated by them. The word Love, when directed to external Objects, has quite a different Meaning from the fame Word applied to Self: Properly fpeaking, Love fignifies an Inclination of the Mind to enjoy in fome Manner an external Object; in this Senfe, we cannot love or defire ourfelves. What is called Self-love is very foreign from this Idea, and means no more than that we feel our own Defires; that the Impulse or Inclination has a certain determined final End or Object, which when attained, the Uneafinefs of the Defire ceafes to goad the Mind, and we are restored to our former Ease and Tranquillity; but we feel not this Impulse, because we do love ourfelves; Self-love ought therefore to be diftinguished from the Inclination that attracts us to external Objects. In Fact, Mankind are fo far from finding Attraction or Complacency in themselves, that they fly their own Conversation, and industrioufly difengage themfelves from their own Company, by plunging into Amufement and Crowds: Even thofe who are fondeft of Solitude, employ the Imagination on foreign and external Profpects, on Schemes of Grandeur, Poetic Scenes, or Dreams of Love. But when they lofe the View of these, and fuch pleafing Vifions, they are as miferable as the rest of Mankind, in a lonely and felf-accompanied State. II. There is alfo a Principle of Self-intereft in the human Breaft, to which moft of our Actions, and our Plan of Life, is to be referred; but it is a fubordinate Principle, and very different from the all-comprehending Self-intereft that appears in the Syftem of the felfish Philofophers. The true Account of it is as follows: Man, who is a fagacious and obfervant Animal, draws general Obfervations and Conclufions from the paft Part of Life to the future, and models his prefent Conduct to fupply the Calls of his Hunger, Thirst, Pride, and of his other Paffions and Defires, for the Time to come. A provident Scheme of Operations, that has in view our Inclinations, Appetites, and Averfions in future Life, is properly called Self-intereft: But this Selfintereft of the Man of Nature presupposes the Existence of the Appetites of the Mind and Body, and is fubfervient to them. If the Appetites cease, Self-intereft and Self-love have no longer any Exiftence or Meaning. Let Pride, and the troublefome Senfations of Cold and Heat, be no more felt by our Species; in fuch Cafe, half the Sources of Selflove and Self-intereft are stopped up; our Defires of Dress, or even of Covering, of Diftinction, and agreeable Accomplishments, are extinguished; and fo far fhould we be from affecting Palaces, or fine Houses, that hardly any one would be at the Trouble to build himself a Hut, and we fhould return back to fleep under Trees, or in Caves. If you would nearly take away the other Half of Self-intereft, let Hunger and Thirst be known no more, or let Food, in its utmoft Perfection, grow to our Hand, and only give us the Trouble of pulling it off from the bended Bough. In that Situation, the Mifer would take no more Pains for Gold, than at prefent he does for broken Bits of Glafs or Tinfel; and Self-intereft would vanifh like a River whose Fountains are dried up. Self-intereft is diftinguished from the Appetites and Inclinations, as the Forefight of a Paffion is from the prefent Impulfe of the fame Paffion; it is therefore more calm, moderate, and deliberate; it takes fcope for a regular Plan of Life: At a Distance we view fedately the Objects of our Appetites and Inclinations, and are able to make a tacit Balance and Comparison, in Proportion to their Greatness and apparent Value, and to form our Conduct Conduct accordingly: This Power of balancing Good and Evil, Prefent and Future, while the Mind is fedate and free, is the material Part of what wẹ call Reafon: But this even and regular Plan of Conduct is always difturbed by the exorbitant Preffure, of the present Paffion or Impulse, which, like a mighty Current, drags us perpetually out of the Course of Reason, in the Voyage of Life; whence it is, that that those who indulge the prefent Paffion, at the Expence of future Happiness of vaftly greater Extent or Duration, are faid to act irrationally; that is, they have not made a Balance in their own Minds; or if they have, they determined in Favour of the leffer Pleasure, because its Influence is prefent; or, to speak in Mr. Locke's Phrafe, because it is juft now attended with Uneafinefs. Real Self-intereft then is evidently a fubordinate and dependant Principle, that owes its Existence to the Appetites and Paffions. The Self-intereft I would explode is that of the selfish Philofophy, which is fuppofed to be in human Nature the primary Spring and firft Mover of our Actions; and in that frigid Syftem is looked upon as the Parent of the Paffions. When we have discovered that the Self-intereft that obtains in Nature, is only the calm Defire of making Provifion for our Paffions and Appetites, then the Inclinations that impel us to action appear; the Plan of human Nature opens to view; we fee why Men ftep cooly and confiderately into Vice and Toil; and we get a Glimmering of the capricious Part which Reafon generally fuftains in the Drama of Life. 12. Having enquired into the true Value of the Words Pleasure, Pain, Self-love and Self-intereft, I must add, that they are useful Terms in Conversation and Philosophy, when they are confined to their intrinfic Meaning and Value. Self-love is that fecret, involuntary, impreffed Force of unknown superior Power, by which the Paffion or Appetite im L3 pels |