XXXVIII ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND

per either to be done or avoided. Some of theiractions Jhock ail onr natural fentiments; ar d whenwe obferve other people affect eel in the fame man-ner with ourlelves, we are confirmed in the belief,that our difapprobation was juft. We naturallytherefore lay it down as a general rule, that all fucha&ions are to be avoided , as tending to render usodious, contemptible, or punilliable; and we en-deavour , by habitual reflection, to fix this gene-ral rule in our minds, in order to correct the mif-reprefentations of felf-love, if we Ihould ever becalled on to aft in fimilar circumftances. The manof furious refentment, if he were to. liften to diediftates of that paffion, would perhaps regard thedeath of his enemy as but a fmall ’compenfationfor a trifling wrong. But his obfervations on theconduCt of others have taught him how horriblefuch fanguinary revenges are; and he has imp-reliedit on his mind as an invariable rule, to abftainfrom them upon all oceafions. This rule preferve.sits authority with him, checks the impetuofity ofhis paffion , and correCts the partial views whichfelf-love fuggefts; although, if this had been thefirft time in which he conficlered fuch an aClion,he would undoubtedly have determined it to bejuft and proper, and what every impartial fpe&a-tor would approve of.—A regard to fuch generalrules of morality conftitutes, according to Mr.Smith, what is properly called thefenfe of duty,