WRITINGS OF DR. SMITH.

XXXV

The remaining part of Mr. Smith’s theory isemployed in lhowing, in what manner our J'ctj'e ofduty comes to be formed, in confequence of anapplication to ourfelves of the judgments we haveprevioufly paifed on the condubl of others.

In entering upon this inquiry, which is undoubt-edly the moil important in the work, and forwhich the foregoing fpeculations are, according toMr. Smith’s theory, a neceffary preparation, hebegins with hating the Ja£l concerning our con-feioufnefs of merited praife or blame; and it muffbe owned, that the firft afpe£l of the fafl, as hehimfelf hates it, appears not very favorable tobis principles. That the great object of a wife andvirtuous man is not to a£t in fuch a manner as toobtain the a£tual approbation of thofe around him,but to a<ft fo as to render himfelf the jujl and pro-per object of their approbation, and that his fatis-faction with his own conduct depends much moreon the confcioufnefs of deferving this approbationthan from that of really enjoying it, he candidlyacknowledges; but hill he infifts, that althoughthis may feem , at firft view, to intimate the exift-ence of fome moral faculty which is not borrow-ed from without, our moral fentiments have al-ways fome fecret reference, either to what are, orto what upon a certain condition would be, or towhat we imagine ought to be, the fentiments ofothers j and that if it were pofiible, that a human