SECTION VII. 457 Isere, let it be observed, according as I have before hinted in general, that gent'o.dty and humility may be called virtues rather than passions ; because ti,e ferments which are raised by them in the blood and natural spirits, are very small, and not often sensible : But pride and abjection of mind, may be justly counted passions, as well as infirmities or vices of nature, for -both of them betray themselves very sensibly in animal nature, in the outward behaviour, in the contenance and the gestures. Though these two passions, viz. abjection and pride, seem to be contrary to each other, yet they very commonly meetin the same Parsons : For those who in prosperous circumstances are puffed up with pride, and carry it with a haughty disdain and insolence towards their neighbours, are oftentimes found to be of a mean and cowardly soul, and sink into the greatest meanness and ab- jectness of spirit, when adverse providence and calamity attend. them. The mind that is generous and humble, that has a just and becoming apprehension of its own worth, and a lowly sense of its frailties, maintains generally a more equal temper in different circumstances of life, and possesses the pleasing virtue which we call equanimity. SECT. VILBenevolence and Malevolence. The second sort of love is called benevolence or good-will. -Jiut before I divide it into,severkl kinds, I would distinguish it -from the love of complacence or delight ; and indeed, if words or names were now to be coined and appropriated to these two sorts of love, as they are called, I should scarce use the word love to signify both of them, since their objects are so very dis- tinct, as will appear by what follows : Theobject of benevolence, is a thing or person fit to receive good from me : The object of complacence, is a thing or person fit to dojne good, or to give me pleasure. Benevolence is an inclination or propensity M seek the hap- piness or welfare of any being': Complacence is the derivation of sonic degree of happiness to one's self from any being.* Complacence is a passion, that terminatesalways finally in one's self, to make one's self easy and pleased, though another thing or person may be the object of it : Benevolence always terminates in that which is the objectof it, in order to Make that object easy and happy, whether it be ourselves or our neighbours, Benevolence or good-will therefore chiefly and most pro- * I desire it may be observed here, and throughout this discourse of the passions, that i describe them all as they are found in men, and not as they may he, by way of analogy, transferred to pure spirits, or to God himself: For when these human passions are 'ascribed to God in scripture, or in theological wri- tings; we mdst'a little alter our idea of them, and remove every thing from the divine idea that is frail or imperfect. -
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