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ist, I am certain that man is not the being. There is perhaps not a person above the condition of a changeling, but can fay why he did fo and fo, what moved him, what he intended. Nor is a fingle fact ftated to make us believe, that ever a man acted against his own will or defire, who was not compelled by external force. On the contrary, conftant and univerfal experience proves, that human actions are governed by certain inflexible laws; and that a man cannot exert his felf-motive power, but in pursuance of fome defire or motive.

Had a motive always the fame influence, actions proceeding from it would appear no less neceffary than the actions of matter. The various degrees of influence that motives have on different men at the fame time, and on the fame man at different times, occafion a doubt by fuggesting a notion of chance. Some motives however have fuch influence, as to leave no doubt: a timid female has a phyfical power to throw herself into the mouth of a lion, roaring for food; but fhe is withheld by terror no lefs effectually than by cords: if the fhould rufh upon the lion, would

VOL. IV.

N

would not every one conclude that she was frantic? A man, tho' in a deep fleep, retains a physical power to act, but he cannot exert it. A man, tho' desperately in love, retains a physical power to refuse the hand of his mistress; but he cannot exert that in contradiction to his own arpower dent defire, more than if he were faft afleep. Now if a strong motive have a neceffary influence, there is no reason for doubting, but that a weak motive must alfo have its influence, the fame in kind, tho' not in degree. Some actions indeed are ftrangely irregular: but let the wildest action be fcrutiniz'd, there will always be difcovered fome motive or defire, which, however whimsical or capricious, was what influenced the person to act. Of two contending motives, is it not natural to expect that the stronger will prevail, however little its excefs may be? If there be any doubt, it must arife from a fuppofition that a weak motive can be refifted arbitrarily. Where then are we to fix the boundary between a weak and a strong motive? If a weak motive can be refifted, why not one a little ftronger, and why not the ftrongeft? In Elements of

Criticism

Criticifm (a) the reader will find many examples of contrary motives weighing against each other. Let him ponder these with the ftrictest attention: his conclufion will be, that between two motives, however nearly balanced, a man has not an arbitrary choice, but muft yield to the stronger. The mind indeed fluctuates for fome time, and feels itfelf in a measure loofe at last, however, it is determined. by the more powerful motive, as a balance is by the greater weight after many vibra

tions.

Such then are the laws that govern our voluntary actions. A man is abfolutely free to act according to his own will; greater freedom than which is not conceivable. At the fame time, as man is made. accountable for his conduct, to his Maker, to his fellow-creatures, and to himself, he is not left to act arbitrarily; for at that rate he would be altogether unaccountable his will is regulated by defire; and defire by what pleafes or difpleafes him. Where we are fubjected to the will of another, would it be our wifh, that his will

(a) Chap. 2. part 4.

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fhould

fhould be under no regulation? And where we are guided by our own will, would it be reasonable to wifh, that it should be under no regulation, but be exerted without reafon, without any motive, and contrary to common fenfe? Thus, with regard to human conduct, there is a chain of laws established by nature, no one link of which is left arbitrary. By that wife fyftem, man is made accountable: by it, he is made a fit fubject for divine and human government by it, perfons of fagacity foresee the conduct of others: and by it, the prescience of the Deity with refpect to human actions, is clearly established,

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The abfurd figure that a man would make acting in contradiction to motives, fhould be fufficient to open our eyes without an argument. What a defpicable figure does a perfon make, upon whom the fame motive has great influence at one time, and very little at another? He is a bad member of fociety, and cannot be rely'd on as a friend or as an affociate, But how highly rational is this fuppofed perfon, compared with one who can act in contradiction to every motive? The

former

former may be termed whimsical or capricious: the latter is worfe; he is abfolutely unaccountable, and cannot be the fubject of government, more than a lump of matter unconfcious of its own motion.

Let the faculty of acting be compared with that of reasoning: the comparison will reconcile every unbiaffed mind to the neceffary influence of motives. A man is tied by his nature to form conclufions upon what appears to him true at the time. This indeed does not always fecure him against error; but would he be more fecure by a power to form conclufions contrary to what appears true ? Such a power would make him a moft abfurd reafoner. Would he be lefs abfurd in acting, if he had a power to act against motives, and contrary to what he thinks right or eligible? To act in that manner, is inconfiftent with any notion we can form of a fenfible being. Nor do we fuppofe that man is fuch a being: in accounting for any action, however whimsical, we always afcribe it to fome motive; never once dreaming that there was no motive.

And after all, where would be the advantage of fuch an arbitrary power? Can

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