Some Remains (hitherto unpublished) of Joseph Butler Part 1

Some Remains (hitherto unpublished) of Joseph Butler, LL.D.

by Joseph Butler, Edited by Edward Steere.

PREFACE.

It has long been a subject of regret that we should have so few remains of so great a writer as the author of the "a.n.a.logy," not only the greatest thinker of his day, but one almost equally remarkable for his personal religion and amiability.

The few fragments and letters which remain unpublished, derive from this circ.u.mstance a value wholly incommensurate with their extent, though, as to the few I have been able to recover, they seem to me worthy of notice even for their own sake.

There can, I suppose, be no doubt but that many letters on subjects connected with their common pursuit,--the defence of religion by rational arguments,--must have pa.s.sed between Dr. Clarke and the "Gentleman in Gloucestershire," even up to the time of the former's decease; and the specimen I am now able to exhibit certainly excites a wish that one could recover more of a series which it is most likely that Dr. Clarke at least carefully preserved. The three letters now printed were all addressed to Dr. Clarke; the first and last, though little known, were published many years ago in the European Magazine.

The second and third Fragments are printed as they were written, having apparently been noted down from time to time as the ideas occurred to their author; thus at the end of the first paragraph of the third Fragment, the word "direction" was originally written "advice," but was subsequently altered in a different ink, being the same with that in which the sentences immediately following were written. I have not thought myself at liberty to make any attempt to reduce these Fragments to better consistency; indeed, their present disordered state seems to me rather to add to their interest, as showing the mode in which the stones were gathered for building up such works as the "a.n.a.logy" and the "Sermons." It will be observed that I have found a difficulty in reading the last part of the third Fragment, and I am by no means sure that I have quite hit the sense intended; I should like it to apply either to the Cross set up at Bristol, or to the famous Charge delivered at Durham.

I have added a cotemporary notice of the buildings at Bristol, and an anecdote showing how they were thought of, as well as a statement, made after the Bishop's death, of his proceedings with regard to the church, which is now St. George's, near Bristol, in order to establish the fact of the separation of the property there mentioned from the bulk of his estate;--showing his desire to do something for the benefit of the people of Kingswood, a district the moral degradation of which had already attracted the attention of Whitefield and Wesley.

The following extract has been kindly communicated to me from the Diary of Dr. Thomas Wilson, the son of the great Bishop of Sodor and Man; and I print it here more especially to invite the attention of all who take an interest in these things to the fact, that a copy may have been made for the King of the sermon there mentioned, and may possibly even yet be in existence somewhere; if so, it cannot but be worth the trouble of recovery and publication.

1737, December, Friday, 23rd. "The Master [_i.e._ Sir Joseph Jekyll, Master of the Rolls] told me that the King desired that Dr. Butler, Clerk of the Closet to the late Queen, might preach before him in the Princess Amelia's apartments. He preached upon the subject of being bettered by afflictions, which affected His Majesty so much that he desired the sermon, and a.s.sured him that he would do something very good for him. The Master desired that it might be known publicly, it was told him by the Bishop of Oxford [Seeker]. The Master seemed mightily pleased, and was in hopes it would be of great service to the public as well as his private family, which will be a pleasure to every body, and make even the death of Her Majesty (so great a seeming loss) of advantage to the nation."

I have been mainly induced to publish these Remains by the pleasure with which some copies I had given away privately have been received, and I confess that the fruit I should be most gratified to see, would be the recovery of some longer work, not less worthy of its Author's reputation.

EDWARD STEERE, LL.D.

University College, London, 1st September, 1853.

FRAGMENTS.

From the autographs of Bp. Butler now in the library at the British Museum. [Add. MS. 9815.]

I.

G.o.d cannot approve of any thing but what is in itself Right, Fit, Just.

We should worship and endeavour to obey Him with this Consciousness and Recollection. To endeavour to please a man merely, is a different thing from endeavouring to please him as a wise and good man, _i.e._ endeavouring to please him in the particular way, of behaving towards him as we think the relations we stand in to him, and the intercourse we have with him, require.

Almighty G.o.d is to be sure infinitely removed from all those human weaknesses which we express by the words, captious, apt to take offence, &c. But an unthinking world does not consider what may be absolutely due to Him from all Creatures capable of considering themselves as His Creatures. Recollect the idea, inadequate as it is, which we have of G.o.d, and the idea of ourselves, and carelessness with regard to Him, whether we are to worship Him at all, whether we worship Him in a right manner, or conceited confidence that we do so, will seem to imply unspeakable Presumption. Neither do we know what necessary, unalterable connexion there may be, between moral right and happiness, moral wrong and misery.

Sincerity is doubtless the thing, and not whether we hit the right manner, &c. But a sense of the imperfection of our worship, apprehension that it may be, and a degree of fear that it is, in some respects erroneous, may perhaps be a temper of mind not unbecoming such poor creatures as we are, in our addresses to G.o.d. In proportion as we are a.s.sured that we are honest and sincere, we may rest satisfied that G.o.d cannot be offended with us, but indifference whether what we do be materially, or in the nature of the thing abstracted from our way of considering it, Good and Right,--such indifference is utterly inconsistent with Sincerity.

No person who has just notions of G.o.d can be afraid of His displeasure any further than as he is afraid of his own Character, whether it be what it ought: but so far as a man has reason to fear his own character, so far there must be reason to fear G.o.d's displeasure, or disapprobation; not from any doubt of His Perfection and Goodness, but merely from the belief of it.

Is it possible that people can be Scepticks in _Opinion_, and yet without any doubtfulness, or solicitude about their _Actions_ and _Behaviour_?

II.

What a wonderful incongruity it is for a man to see the doubtfulness in which things are involved, and yet be impatient out of action, or vehement in it! Say a man is a Sceptick, and add what was said of Brutus, _quicquid vult valde vult_, and you say, there is the greatest Contrariety between his Understanding and his Temper that can be expressed in words.

In general a man ought not to do other people's duty for them; for their duty was appointed them for their exercise; and besides, who will do it in case of his death? Nor has a man any right to raise in others such a dependance upon him as that they must be miserable in case of his death, tho' whilst he lives he answers that dependance.

Hobbs' definition of Benevolence, that 'tis the love of power is base and false, but there is more of truth in it than appears at first sight; the real Benevolence of men being, I think, for the most part, not indeed the single love of power, but the love of power to be exercised in the way of doing good; that is a different thing from the love of the good or happiness of others by whomsoever effected, which last I call single or simple Benevolence. How little there is of this in the world may appear by observing, how many persons can bear with great tranquillity that a friend or child should live in misery, who yet cannot bear the thought of their death.

Good men surely are not treated in this world as they deserve, yet 'tis seldom, very seldom their goodness which makes them disliked, even in cases where it may seem to be so: but 'tis some behaviour or other, which however excusable, perhaps infinitely overbalanced by their virtues, yet is offensive, possibly wrong; however such, it may be, as would pa.s.s off very well in a man of the world.

III.

Shall I not be faithful to G.o.d? If He puts a part upon me to do, shall I neglect or refuse it? A part to suffer, and shall I say I would not if I could help it? Can words more ill-sorted, more shocking be put together?

And is not the thing expressed by them more so, tho' not expressed in words? What then shall I prefer to the sovereign Good, supreme Excellence, absolute Perfection? To whom shall I apply for direction in opposition to Infinite Wisdom? To whom for protection against Almighty Power?

Sunday Evening, June 13, 1742.

Hunger and thirst after Righteousness till filled with it by being made partaker of the Divine nature.

Ad te levo oculos meos, qui habitas in coelis. Sicut oculi servorum _intenti sunt_ ad manum dominorum suorum, sicut oculi ancillae ad manum dominae suae; ita oculi nostri ad Deum nostrum, donec misereatur nostri.

As all my pa.s.sions and affections to my Reason such as it is, so in consideration of the fallibility and infinite deficiencies of this my Reason, I would subject it to G.o.d, that He may guide and succour it.

Our wants as Creatures: our Demerits as Sinners.

That I may have a due sense of the hand of G.o.d in every thing, and then put myself into His hand to lead me through whatever ways He shall think fit; either to add to my burden, or lighten it, or wholly discharge me of it.

Be more afraid of myself than of the world.

To discern the hand of G.o.d in every thing and have a due sense of it.

Instead of deluding oneself in imagining one should behave well in times and circ.u.mstances other than those in which one is placed, to take care and be faithful and behave well in those one is placed in.

That G.o.d would please to make my way plain before my face, and deliver me from offending the scrupulousness of any {11}, or if not, O a.s.sist me to act the right part under it!