PASSIONS and different TEMPERS. 153 
cxercife of his reafon : or that his happinefs mud arife from the 
good government of his paffions ; but yet there are few a&ions 
or thoughts in which the paffions are entirely unintereded. It 
is not eafy to talk of pure abstract reason, but how diffi- 
cult is it to abt up to the dictates of it! Thofe who in their 
difcourfes have deified reafon mod, have not been the lefs fen- 
fible of the power and influence of the paffions ; tho’ they may 
have been bed acquainted how much the virtue and happinefs 
of life depends on their being well regulated. We mud en- 
devor to didinguiffi the dictates of reafon from the influ- 
ence of the paffions ; and to make them both fubfervient to 
our duty to god and man. 
But who can tell the exatd meafure of allowance which will 
be made for us under the various circumdances of life ? ’Tis 
difficult, if not impoffible, to know our own hearts ; how 
much more to comprehend the knowledge which god has of 
them. Men of tender minds are apt to be depreffed with the 
confcioufnefs of infirmities, as if they were vices. Others, 
of lively fpirits, exult in a prefumption of poffeding virtues 
which are fometimes the produce of pride or vanity ; whild both 
are apt enough to afcribe all their good actions entirely to a 
fenfe of moral obligation. The enquiry may be reduced to this 
idue : as there are degrees in virtue, fo there are in under- 
standing # alfo, to didinguiffi virtue from vice. 
With regard to the paffions of pride or humility ; ambition 
or lowlinefs ; avarice or beneficence ; hope or fear ; love or ha- 
tred ; meeknefs or anger ; compaffion or cruelty \ there is no 
doubt our virtue depends much on them. And not to deceive 
X our- 
