Account of 
Dr Smith. 
$0 HISTORY of the SOGIETY. 
much more coolly than before, yet it is fo difagreeable to 
us to think ill of ourfelves, that we often purpofely turn away 
our view from thofe circumftances which might render ‘our 
judgment unfavourable.—Hence that felf-deceit which is the 
fource of half the diforders of human life. 
In order to guard ourfelves againft its delufions, ‘nature leads 
us to form infenfibly, by our continual obfervations upon the 
condudét of others, certain general rules concerning what is fit 
and proper either to be done or avoided. Some of their actions 
fhock all our natural fentiments; and when we obferve other 
people affected in the fame manner with ourfelves, we are con- 
firmed in the belief, that our difapprobation was juft. We na- 
turally therefore lay it down as a general rule. that all fuch ac- 
tions are to be avoided, as tending to render us odious, con- 
temptible or punifhable; and we endeavour, by habitual re- 
flection, to fix this general rule in our minds, in order to cor- 
rect the mifreprefentations of felf-love, if we fhould ever be 
called on to act in fimilar circumftances. The man of furious 
refentment, if he was to liften to the dictates of that paflion, 
would perhaps regard the death of his enemy as but a {mall 
compenfation for a trifling wrong. But his obfervations on 
the conduct of others have taught him how horrible fuch fan- 
guinary revenges are; and he has imprefled it on his mind as 
an invariable rule, to abftain from them upon all occafions. 
This rule preferves its. authority with him, checks the impetuo- 
fity of his paflion, and corrects the partial views which felf- 
love fuggefts ; although, if this had been the firft time in which 
he confidered fuch an action, he would undoubtedly have de- 
termined it to be juft and proper, and what every impartial 
fpectator would approve of.—A regard to fuch general. rules of 
morality conftitutes, according to Mr Smiru, what is properly 
called the fenfe of duty. 
I perore hinted, that Mr Smiru does not reject entirely 
from his fyftem that principle of utzlity, of which the percep- 
I tion 
