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" Man may act according to that principle or inclination which for the present happens to be strongest, and yet act in a way disproportionate to, and violate his real proper nature. "

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" Both our senses and our passions are a supply to the imperfection of our nature; thus they show that we are such sort of creatures as to stand in need of those helps which higher orders of creatures do not. "

Joseph Butler

Imperfection

Nature

Stand

" The principle we call self-love never seeks anything external for the sake of the thing, but only as a means of happiness or good: particular affections rest in the external things themselves. "

" Love of our neighbour, then, has just the same respect to, is no more distant from, self-love, than hatred of our neighbour, or than love or hatred of anything else. "

" The Epistles in the New Testament have all of them a particular reference to the condition and usages of the Christian world at the time they were written. "

" As this world was not intended to be a state of any great satisfaction or high enjoyment, so neither was it intended to be a mere scene of unhappiness and sorrow. "

" Remember likewise there are persons who love fewer words, an inoffensive sort of people, and who deserve some regard, though of too still and composed tempers for you. "

" Compassion is a call, a demand of nature, to relieve the unhappy as hunger is a natural call for food. "

" Self-love then does not constitute THIS or THAT to be our interest or good; but, our interest or good being constituted by nature and supposed, self-love only puts us upon obtaining and securing it. "

" Consequently it will often happen there will be a desire of particular objects, in cases where they cannot be obtained without manifest injury to others. "

" Happiness or satisfaction consists only in the enjoyment of those objects which are by nature suited to our several particular appetites, passions, and affections. "

" The private interest of the individual would not be sufficiently provided for by reasonable and cool self-love alone; therefore the appetites and passions are placed within as a guard and further security, without which it would not be taken due care of. "

" Pain and sorrow and misery have a right to our assistance: compassion puts us in mind of the debt, and that we owe it to ourselves as well as to the distressed. "

Joseph Butler

Compassion

Debt

" The final causes, then, of compassion are to prevent and to relieve misery. "

" Every man is to be considered in two capacities, the private and public; as designed to pursue his own interest, and likewise to contribute to the good of others. "

" For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. "

" God Almighty is, to be sure, unmoved by passion or appetite, unchanged by affection; but then it is to be added that He neither sees nor hears nor perceives things by any senses like ours; but in a manner infinitely more perfect. "

Joseph Butler

Passion

Perfect

" Every one of our passions and affections hath its natural stint and bound, which may easily be exceeded; whereas our enjoyments can possibly be but in a determinate measure and degree. "

" Thus self-love as one part of human nature, and the several particular principles as the other part, are, themselves, their objects and ends, stated and shown. "

" Things and actions are what they are, and the consequences of them will be what they will be: why then should we desire to be deceived? "

" Every man hath a general desire of his own happiness; and likewise a variety of particular affections, passions, and appetites to particular external objects. "

" The object of self-love is expressed in the term self; and every appetite of sense, and every particular affection of the heart, are equally interested or disinterested, because the objects of them all are equally self or somewhat else. "

" People might love themselves with the most entire and unbounded affection, and yet be extremely miserable. "

" Happiness does not consist in self-love. "

" However, without considering this connection, there is no doubt but that more good than evil, more delight than sorrow, arises from compassion itself; there being so many things which balance the sorrow of it. "