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    til fettirn however , he has planted me upon the horns of what he thinks to be " a indre goring dilemm , a : ** vits . that the doctrine of necessity is inconsistent With . the justice , of God in the

    xmhishfrient of the widced . But this , though a popular , is a mere verbal objection . My friend Assumes the Very point which he is toptovfc . " Punishment is unjtist Where tltere is no liberty of choice . ** ' * This pretended axiom

    I deny : fciid on the contrary I maintain that piinishment is useless arid therefore uiijust when inflidted upon an agent philosophitaily free . Punishment is the application of suffering to an offender with a view to his own

    reformation , or to warn and deter others * This supposes the influence of motive : ai \ d punishment is useful and therefore just , ia exact proportion to this influence . Where the influence of motive

    ends , and philosophical liberty begins , there the utility , and consequently the justice of punishment ends with it . Upbn the system of liberty , all punishment

    is " vindictive , upon the system of necessity , it is all remedial , all wise and kftid . But , say the libertarians , " would you punish a man for what he could not

    4 &vbid ?' Not flow to insist upon the ftict that upon the princi p les of necessity , every man might avoid crime if he would , I reply that the proposed question is

    exactly bf the same import , as if you were to ask a physician , would you tease a man with nauseous medicines , or torment him with blisters , tp recover him from

    the fever which he took by unavoidable infection ? Would you cut bff the gangrened limb to save

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    \ life , when you know tfa&t tfiie f calamity was constitutional and ? inevitable ? Who doesf not see the s afisurdity of ^ such questions Ms . these wtien applied to the case of

    natural diseased Exactly similar is the ^ bsutfd ity when th <^ &tfe ap £ lifed to mo ^ al * distempeh > V t » diseased <^ f "the mind . " ** Tfrey are riot to be c # red because they were not to b ^ iavoided * ' * Tfee

    proper i"oply to Jhte misembfe reasoning fe , remove tire disorder , or the patient will perish , Optm each hypothesis , whether of liberty or necessity , suffering is annexed to crime . Tire differenoe

    is , that " upon the principle of necessity it is applied for a salutary and benevolent purpose . 1 ft is a bitter potion to heal the feidfc . Upon the hypothesis of liberty , where motives have none , or sit best 'a very precarious influence ,

    punishment is wholly useless and therefore uiTjust . It is the Application of moral discipline tb a lunatic . It is inflicting paiits and penalties upon insanity . I am Sir , yotir ' s , &c , T . BELSHAM .

    1 ^ . S . The above was written in reply to my fiiehd ' s first letter of rermiFks not expecting , as he gave no notice of his intention , thtat fve would have added any thing more . In your Repository for April , he has however made some additional

    remarks , but I do not see that they are such as to require a detailed reply . He tells us , what indeed I can readily believe , that though I think him defective in candour , others -are of opinion that he has conceded too much

    to the Unitarians . I have no doubt , that whereas my friend has only chastised us with whips , there

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    Mr . Behhafns Repty to Mr . Carpenters Remark * . & £$

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    o

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), July 2, 1808, page 359, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2394/page/7/