The Theological and Miscellaneous Works. Ed. with Notes by John Towill Rutt Volume 2

Download or read book The Theological and Miscellaneous Works. Ed. with Notes by John Towill Rutt Volume 2 written by Joseph Priestley and published by Rarebooksclub.com. This book was released on 2013-09 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1831 edition. Excerpt: ...the idea of it present to his mind, during the whole time of his confinement, sweetening all the bitterness of it, and will never have known the distress of uncertainty, or the agony of despair. Whenideas only are concerned, and not both ideas and sensations, the influence of hope and fear is much more distinctly perceived, and the nature of this comprehension of mind will be better understood by it. Instead, then, of putting a case in which we ourselves are concerned, let us put the case of a wife, a child, or any other near relation or friend, with whom we can truly sympathise, taking part in all their joys and sorrows. If we see them in prison, and, after apprehending that their confinement will be for life, have private information that they will be released, and placed in very agreeable circumstances in a few days, weeks, or months; we can see them in the mean time, even though we are, not allowed to communicate our intelligence to them, with joy almost unmixed; because the future is realized, and the agreeableness of it heightened in our ideas by its contrast with the present; which, being temporary, is overlooked by us, as nothing, and has not power to damp our satisfaction. If my child be peevish and obstinate, and I be sensible that pain and mortification will do him good, I can, without the help of much anger, have a kind of satisfaction in inflicting it, and have little or no sympathy with what he suffers; though, for a time, he be in an agony of distress, and think very unkindly of me. On the other hand, ifl foresaw that he would lose a limb in a few days, weeks, or months, I should look upon him in the mean time with a most painful compassion, notwithstanding he himselfshould be ever so happy, and enjoy himself ever so much;...