complex Notion commonly understood by CHAP. thofe Words. So that, without determining V. what will be the Employment and Happiness, the particular Life, of good Men hereafter; there must be some determinate Capacities, fome neceffary Character and Qualifications, without which Perfons cannot but be utterly incapable of it: in like manner, as there must be fome, without which Men would be incapable of their present State of Life. Now,

II. The Conftitution of human Creatures, and indeed of all Creatures which come under our Notice, is fuch, as that they are capable of naturally becoming qualified for States of Life, for which they were once wholly unqualified. In Imagination we may indeed conceive of Creatures, as incapable of having any of their Faculties naturally enlarged, or as being unable naturally to acquire any new Qualifications: But the Faculties of every Species known to us, are made for Enlargement; for Acquirements of Experience and Habits. We find ourselves in particular indued with Capacities, not only of perceiving Ideas, and of Knowledge or perceiving Truth, but alfo of ftoring up our Ideas and Knowledge by Memory. We are capable, not only of acting, and of having different momentary Impreffions made upon us; but of getting a new Facility in any Kind of Action, I 4

and

PAR Tand of fettled Alterations in our Temper or Character. The Power of the two laft is the Power of Habits. But neither the Perception of Ideas, nor Knowledge of any Sort, are Habits; though abfolutely neceffary to the forming of them. However, Apprehenfion, Reafon, Memory, which are the Capacities of acquiring Knowledge, are greatly improved by Exercife. Whether the Word Habit is applicable to all thefe Improvements, and in particular how far the Powers of Memory and of Habits may be Powers of the fame Nature, I fhall not inquire, But that Perceptions come into our Minds readily and of course, by means of their having been there before, feems a thing of the fame Sort, as Readiness in any particular Kind of Action, proceeding from being accustomed to it. And Aptnefs to recollect practical Obfervations of Service in our Conduct, is plainly Habit in many Cafes. There are Habits of Perception, and Habits of Action. An Instance of the former, is our conftant and even involuntary Readiness, in correcting the Impreffions of our Sight concerning Magnitudes and Diftances, fo as to fubftitute Judgment in the Room of Senfation imperceptibly to ourselves. And it seems as if all other Affociations of Ideas not naturally connected, might be called paffive Habits; as properly as our Readiness in understanding Languages upon Sight, or hearing

hearing of Words. And our Readiness in CHAP. fpeaking and writing them is an Instance of V. the latter, of active Habits. For Diftinctness, we may confider Habits, as belonging to the Body, or the Mind: and the latter will be explained by the former. Under the former are comprehended all bodily Activities or Motions, whether graceful or unbecoming, which are owing to Ufe: Under the latter, general Habits of Life and Conduct; fuch as those of Obedience and Submiffion to Authority, or to any particular Perfon; thofe of Veracity, Juftice, and Charity; thofe of Attention, Induftry, Self-government, Envy, Revenge. And Habits of this latter Kind feem produced by repeated Acts, as well as the former. And in like manner as Habits belonging to the Body, are produced by external Acts: fo Habits of the Mind are produced by the Exertion of inward practical Principles, i. e. by carrying them into Act, or acting upon them; the Principles of Obedience, of Veracity, Juftice, and Charity. Nor can thofe Habits be formed by any external Courfe of Action, otherwise than as it proceeds from these Principles: because it is only thefe inward Principles exerted, which are strictly Acts of Obedience, of Veracity, of Juftice, and of Charity. So likewife Habits of Attention, Industry, Self-government, are in the fame manner acquired by Exercife; and Habits of Envy and Re

PAR Tvenge by Indulgence, whether in outward I. Act, or in Thought and Intention, i. e. inWward Act: for fuch Intention is an Act. Refo

lutions alfo to do well, are properly Acts. And endeavouring to enforce upon our own Minds, a practical Senfe of Virtue, or to beget in Others that practical Senfe of it, which a Man. really has himself, is a virtuous Act. All these, therefore, may and will contribute towards forming good Habits. But going over the Theory of Virtue in one's Thoughts, talking well, and drawing fine Pictures, of it; this is fo far from neceffarily or certainly conducing to form an Habit of it, in him who thus employs himself; that it may harden the Mind in a contrary Course, and render it gradually. more infenfible, i. e. form an Habit of Infenfibility, to all moral Confiderations. For, from our very Faculty of Habits, paffive Impreffions, by being repeated, grow weaker. Thoughts, by often paffing through the Mind, are felt lefs fenfibly: Being accuftomed to Danger, begets Intrepidity, i. e. leffens Fear; to Diftrefs, leffens the Paffion of Pity; to Inftances of Others Mortality, leffens the fenfible Apprehenfion of our own. And from these two Obfervations together; that practical Habits are formed and ftrengthened by repeated Acts, and that paffive Impreffions grow weaker by being repeated upon us; it muft follow, that active Habits

may be gra

dually

dually forming and ftrengthening, by a Course CHAP. of acting upon fuch and fuch Motives and V. Excitements, whilft thefe Motives and Ex-n citements themselves are, by proportionable Degrees, growing lefs fenfible, i. e. are continually lefs and lefs fenfibly felt, even as the active Habits ftrengthen. And Experience confirms this: For active Principles, at the very time that they are lefs lively in Perception than they were, are found to be, fome how, wrought more thoroughly into the Temper and Character, and become more effectual in influencing our Practice. The three things just mentioned may afford Inftances of it. Perception of Danger, is a natural Excitement of paffive Fear, and active Caution: And by being inured to Danger, Habits of the latter are gradually wrought, at the fame time that the former gradually leffens. Perception of Diftrefs in others, is a natural Excitement, paffively to pity, and actively to relieve it: But let a man fet himself to attend to, inquire out, and relieve distreffed Perfons, and he cannot but grow lefs and less fenfibly affected with the various Miseries of Life, with which he must become acquainted; when yet, at the fame time, Benevolence, confidered not as a Paffion, but as a practical Principle of Action, will ftrengthen and whilft he paffively compaffionates the diftreffed lefs, he will acquire a greater Aptitude actively