date

2 Sept 1811 Jug Util B.II Under
2 Sept 1811

Jug Util

B.II Under Revelation

Ch.5. Mischief Weakning Natural

8

 Quaere whether to observe in the inconsistencies of this reasoning?

(7) A child was to be pitched upon, a child within that age of innocence /before/ till the expiration of which the /inbred/ capacity of sinning has not /never/ yet ripened into act. This innocent was to be murdered. The soul of the nascent victim /[...?] of [...?]/ rise to heaven: the /slaughterer/ murderer, /found his way/ fell in due course of law into the hands of the executioner. Two birds were thus according to the familiar proverb, killed with one stone. The murderer, taking the primitive martyrs for his patterns, mounted the scaffold and made a glorious end. (8) Physical suffering and /psychological/ mental together, a quantity of pain and then of merit was accumulated to the virtue of which there was no bounds. Sufficient to atone not only for the chosen and voluntary /instrumentary/ sin by which the /injuring sinner/ murderer had been brought /conducted/ to the scaffold, but for all other /the/ sins of his former life /the former part of his life/ /anterior/. (9) In this rich compost of meritorious suffering, the grand /ingredient/ article was the repentance, the pain of the repentance: his business therefore and consequently his case was to inject /condense/ into the interval between conviction and execution or into whatever quantity of time, suppose the interval between conviction and execution, as large a portion of this pretious good as the whole force /strength/ of his mind could contrive to force into it.

17

7. Display on the scaffold repentance, contrition in all its glory.

8. Thus your accumulated merit sufficient to atone not merely for the instrumental sin, but for all prior ones.

9. Of the suffering the repentance being the only meritorious part, inject of that as much as possible.
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  • Title: [2 Sept 1811 Jug Util B.II.]
    Description: 2 Sept 1811

    Jug Util

    B.II. Under Revelation

    Ch.5. Mischief. Weakning Natural

    7

    Merit consisting in repentance in the pain of repentance, (1) /the/ an occasion for repentance was to be made. That this merit might not be effaced by ordinary sins or the indifferent transitions of ordinary life, (2) the [...?] of the meritorious person was to be closed by it it was to fill up /the last act and/ the last scene of life. What then was the means to /be/ chosen for bringing life to /its close/ a termination at the exactly proper period. (3) A man was not to die /by/ with his own hand: that would have been suicide, suicide a crime and a sin that admitts of no repentance /atonement/, suicide the sin against the Holy Ghost excepted, the most unatoneable and most /unpardonable/ irremissionible of all sins. It was therefore to be the hand of another. (4) But what other hand so attainable, and at the same time so apt as that of the executioner of public justice? This was not suicide: no more than Jesus's death. Attainable? but by what means? (5) There was but one, and that was the comitting a crime, the /co-operating in the/ punishing of which would thus become a part of his public duty. (6) /What remained was/ There remained nothing but the /making/ choice of the crime: and in this choice the same religious and christian spirit by which the idea had been suggested still manifested itself /bore away/. A crime was thought of by which crime as it was more good than evil /would/ was to be done, since /the salvation of a soul/ the securing of a [...?] soul against all perils of damnation would be the fruit of it.

    16

    1. Make an occasion for repentance.

    2. Choose the close of life repentance will then not be obliterated by first offences.

    3. Close not life by your own hand: that excludes repentance. (hence suicide worst of sins, sin against Holy Ghost excepted)

    4. Executioners the [...?] other hand at command.

    5. means committing a capital crime.

    6. Which that Christianity more good than evil may be done by it. should be infanticide age earlier than that of sin.
  • Title: [1 Sept 1811 Jug Util + B.II]
    Description: 1 Sept 1811

    Jug Util

    + B.II. Ch.3. B

    B.II. Under Revelation

    Ch.3. Mischief Weakening Natural

    6

    Repentance

    The physical evil of repentance being thus converted into a psychological a moral or rather a religious good. Observe the consequence /consequences/.

    One is that come when it will it makes no difference, so it does but come. The /evil deed/ crime committed be it what it may it is atoned for by repentance, but the mere pain of repentance, although the deathbed being the /place/ scene of it and the act of repentance the /sinners/ mans last act, all practical fruit from it is impossible.

    2. In this same state of things, the greater the pain the greater the merit; and the greater the merit, the greater the quantity of evil, of evil in other shapes which /than/ evil in this shape is capable of atoning for, and expunging from the account.

    In force so great is the merit and power of compensation compensative power /virtue/ attracted to this pain, that it is capable of making atonement not only for the evil of the sinful /evil/ /mischievous/ act by which it was produced, but for the evil of other mischievous acts, of other mischievous acts without number.

    Acting upon this principle, and pursuing it with consistency, a set of Christians in Denmark it is said discovered in premeditated murder the most effectual /efficient/ means that could be devised for recommending themselves /securing to themselves/ to the favour of almighty benevolence.

    12.

    Consequence of the example of the physical evil of repentance into the psychological merit of religious good, 1; Good still, how late soever, even though on deathbed, when all practical fruit is impossible.

    13.

    2. Greater the pain, greater the merit. Thence the quantity of mischief it can attone for and expunge.

    14.

    Be the pain great enough, it may atone for the evil not only of the offence that produced it, but of other offences.

    15.

    Denmark fanatics their contrivance for gaining [...?] by child murder and repentance: process—
  • Title: [2 Sept 1811 Jug Util B.II.]
    Description: 2 Sept 1811

    Jug Util

    B.II. Under Revelation

    Ch.5. Mischief. Weakning Natural

    10

    Is it believed to be unavailing? The commodity not being to be purchased the pain is not found.

    Under the system the case of a death-bed repentance is rather a perplexing one. It is unavailing? The sins of the whole life remain unatoned for, and /everlasting/ eternal misery is the consequence. Is it unavailing? To be put off til the last moment is the natural lot of a task so irksome. Meantime the efficacy of the remedy stands unimpeached. With the Catholic it is beyond doubt /out of question/. With the Anglico Protestant /Protestant will/ it is /at least/ no less so. ‘He pardoneth and absolveth all those /them/ who truly repent and unfeignedly believe his Holy Gospel.’ +

    Bentham footnote: ‘ + Liturgy’. Here their repentance being a price by the payment of which a mass of merit is purchased sufficient for the rubbing off the sins of a whole life, be this life ever so long and the sins crowded into the compass of it ever so flagrant and now so numerous /good/ economy prescribes the husbandry of so pretious a matter and forbids the expenditure of any portion of it in waste.

    19

    Deliverance on deathbed repentance. Unavailing? All sins unatoned for, end less torment the cause genuine. Availing? Confiding in this abstinence a man adds sin to sin his whole life long.

    Economy forbids expenditure of so pretious a matter in waste. Anglican absolution promises pardon to all believers.