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fudden coming in of a friend long unseen, or an alarm for his fafety, if we faw him in the inftant of danger, will equally fufpend corporeal feeling. The tooth-ach fhall fly away, at the prefence of the operator, or at the tidings of fome happy event. A man, in the paroxyfms of rage, shall be as infenfible to wounds and pain, as the pious martyr at the stake.

But let us pafs on beyond the moment of vehement excitation, and then, how great the difference! Among the paffions, we muft, first, distinguish those which are of the longest continuance; because these will produce the longest, and confequently the greateft, effects. Anger and fear are fhort-lived impulfes. And, when their violence is spent, they induce languor and depreffion. Hence, though fenfation may be fufpended by them for a moment, it will foon return with double pungency. On the contrary, love, joy, and hope are paffions which live longer in the human breaft, which leave behind them a firm and animating feeling, and which, therefore, may be expected to produce effects more lafting and important.

Again, we may diftinguish those paffions, which center themselves in a narrower, from those which expand to a wider, circle-the selfish, from the generous and fublime. Those of the former class, after their first agitation, are fo far from blunting the sense of pain, that they irritate and increase

increase it. Thus, fear, and forrow, turn the mind inward upon itself, and aggravate all its painful fenfibilities. Anger, which partakes of the nature of fear and of grief, and is, like them selfish, has the fame confequences. It makes the mind fore, and irritable, and thus whets the edge of fuffering. Love and gratitude, on the other hand, center the heart on other objects; and, if those objects are great, and amiable, and worthy, infpire fublimity and ftrength. Thus, during their whole continuance, they render the mind lefs paffively the flave of bodily impreffion. What has not parental affection done, what has it not endured, for the fupport and defence of its offspring? How amazingly, how long, has it defied danger, and despised fuffering, in fuch a caufe! What has not the love of country voluntarily confented to endure !

The fublimeft feelings which can govern the human heart, are thofe infpired by Religion. For religion carries the foul beyond itself, and centers all its strongest affections upon our Creator, and a better world. If these be properly, that is, habitually felt, they will be most friendly to that felf-poffeffion, which braces the mind in all its beft, and most lafting energies. These feelings are permanent in their nature, and large in their object. And how wonderful are often their effects! In that most awful hour of diffolving nature, when the body is racked with expiring

expiring agonies, faith and hope have often presented the most astonishing fpectacles of fortitude, yea even of triumph! The mind, borne upwards towards its Maker, has been able to fmile in pangs, and to exult in diffolution.

The moral influence of this fentiment is highly interefting and important to us all. It furnishes an argument in favour of virtue and religion, too confiderable to be paffed over in filence. For goodness, not only infpires the pureft fatisfactions, both in the prefent moment, and in future reflection, but it actually leffens the degree of bodily fuffering. It not only increases the mental enjoyment, but it diminishes corporeal pain. It not only adminifters the sweetest confolations under disease, but it renders the disease itself lefs afflictive.

Born into a world expofed to forrow, and inhabiting bodies liable every moment to various fufferings, of what value is it, to have our minds in a condition able to fuftain, and even to mitigate the sharpness of corporeal feeling! Of what importance, to poffefs a spirit firm, vigorous, manly! And of what moment, to act under the direction of those principles, and under the impulfe of those affections, which tend to produce felf-poffeffion, and inward ftrength!

In order to this, it will be neceffary to cultivate the habit of felf-command. It will be

VOL. II.

Hh

proper

proper to accuftom the will to a dominion over -fenfe. And it will be wife to cherish thofe affections, which carry the mind beyond itself, to objects permanent and noble.

Stoicifm, which affected to secure to its votaries an exemption from evil, and which, in order to this, denied that corporeal pain deserved the name, not only took its aim too high, but omitted the proper means of atchieving what it is poffible to attain. It enjoined refolute selfdenial. It established the dominion of mind over sense. But it did not expand, or elevate the paffions to their nobleft objects. Hence, it failed in its effect. For it will follow from what has been observed, that a mind which would be firm, must be humble. Pride may be indeed a lafting paffion-but it is felfifh. And there are many moments in the present life, when the high fenfe of dignity muft yield to humiliating circumstances, to the consciousness of weakness, and of ill defert.

But the nobler paffions, which we have before mentioned, improve by time, and meliorate by habit. The foul, whofe better affections are centered upon proper objects, increases in inward ftrength; it is better fortified against diftress and pain; and it is ripening for a world, where pain and anguish shall annoy it no more for ever.

A NARRATIVE

A NARRATIVE of the Sufferings of a COLLIER, who was confined more than feven Days, without SUSTENANCE, and exposed to the CHOKE-DAMP, in a COAL-PIT not far from MANCHESTER ; with OBSERVATIONS on the Effects of FAMINE; on the Means of alleviating them; and on the Action of FOUL AIR on the HUMAN BODY. By THOMAS PERCIVAL, M. D. F. R. S. and S. A. &c.

IN

JANUARY 6, 1785.

N compliance with the request of this Society, I have obtained an authentic account of the cafe of the unfortunate man, who was fo long confined in a coal-pit at Hurst, near Afhton-under-line. My information, concerning him, has been communicated by Mr. John Lees, of Clarksfield, in that neighbourhood, a Gentleman of probity and good sense, who himself very humanely affifted the poor fufferer, and collected in perfon, or received from those who attended him till his death, the intelligence with which he has favoured me.

On Saturday the fourth of December, 1784, about eight o'clock in the morning, Thomas Hh 2 Travis,

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