Belsham, William (1752-1827)

On the Connection between Virtue and Happiness [from Essays, Philosophical, Historical, and Literary]

London

Printed for C. Dilly

1789

"Hope and fear are the two grand springs by which that curious machine, the human mind, is actuated; and to deprive Virtue of that support which she receives from their influence and operation, and to substitute in their room a sense of honour, or a love of moral beauty and order, is to betray the cause of Virtue."

First, As it is a truth which cannot, so it is a truth which needs not, to be concealed or palliated, that Virtue is not necessarily productive of, or connected with, temporal Happiness. "Dies deficiet," fays the Roman orator, "si velim numerare quibus bonis malè evenerit :nec minus si commemorem, quibus improbis optimè." To maintain, with the learned Professor whom I have already quoted, that we are happy in exact proportion as we are virtuous, is, in other words, to assert, with the ancient Stoics, that Virtue is the only good, i. e. the sole source of our enjoyments;--an opinion so contrary to fact and experience, that it is wonderful any man can seriously attempt to defend it. Are the pleasures we receive from the senses to be entirely left out of the account? Are the pleasures of imagination nothing? Or, do we derive no addition to our happiness from our literary and intellectual pursuits? If the moral sense is carefully cherished and cultivated, it is indeed the source of a very sublime and exalted species of enjoyment. On some occasions, however, it is rather the source of pain than pleasure; and the more virtuous a man is, the larger sacrifices of private happiness he is disposed to make to the general good; so that it may well admit of a doubt, if he has no future reward in prospect, whether, upon the whole, his happiness would be promoted by an undeviating perseverance in a course of the most perfect Virtue to which a human being can attain. It should seem that Virtue of a lower standard, and mixed with a considerable portion of alloy, is better calculated for the purposes of this world merely. We see it passes every where current, and the acquisition of it is by no means difficult. To speak without a figure, I assert, that whatever we may suppose respecting a few sublimer spirits, the bulk of mankind, I mean those who are destitute of the finer feelings of Virtue, would certainly, in many instances, add to their temporal happiness by deviating from the strict line of rectitude; and 1 affirm, that there is no motive of a moral nature, but such as a future state furnishes, of sufficient force to deter such men from the practice of vice. Hope and fear are the two grand springs by which that curious machine, the human mind, is actuated; and to deprive Virtue of that support which she receives from their influence and operation, and to substitute in their room a sense of honour, or a love of moral beauty and order, is to betray the cause of Virtue. Secured by the awful sanctions of religion, the temple of Virtue stands unshaken upon a rock: but these, her false and pretended friends, would fain subvert that firm and solid foundation, and in lieu of it would erect an house for her upon the sand; but if I may be allowed to borrow the language of Scripture, "When the floods come, and the winds blow, and "beat upon that house, it will inevitably fail, "and great will be the fall of it."
(pp. 143-5)

Machine::Springs

Reading in Google Books

William Belsham, Essays, Philosophical, Historical, and Literary (London: Printed for C. Dilly, 1789). <Link to Google Books>

08/24/2011