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their passions to be able to sacrifice their private prospects of pleasure, riches, or power, for the sake of opposing moderate evils; but when the evil becomes great, the disapprobation or dislike of it is apt gradually to grow into a passion. Then the same weakness which rendered them incapable of resisting their other passions, and of early and rationally preventing the growth of evil, now disables them from setting bounds to their hatred of its effects, and from hesitating about the measures which they adopt for, its destruction. The ambitious, the covetous, the sensual, and the vindictive, are sometimes made to halt in their career by the sting of a disapproving mind: but he who has once suffered his thoughts to be completely occupied by the elevated and generous rage to destroy what he accounts a degrading superstition, or a disgraceful yoke of servitude, and has felt at his heart the hope of giving successful aid towards rendering mankind enlightened and free, can scarcely receive any check from within. His passion commenced with an exertion of the understanding. Its purposes are well meant; and the degree in which it at last fills the whole memory and thoughts, and the vehemence to which it gradually rises, prevent his perceiving that any means are extravagant or irrational which have the appearance of tending to promote its success. The more violent its efforts, or the greater his own

sufferings, the more unbounded does the triumph of his self-approbation become. The utter destruction of all opposers he regards as the extermination of evil; and in the ruin of his own affairs, and even in the sacrifice of his existence, he finds a crown of martyrdom. This passion, therefore, is the terrible instrument provided by Providence to rectify every great moral evil that may find its way into the world.

On the other hand, it is unnecessary to state in the present age, that this passion for reforming mankind is highly dangerous. By depriving the mind of its self-command, and rendering it blind to every consideration of consequences, it leads men to dishonour, by extravagant and sanguinary conduct, the cause which they wished to promote. They begin with the intention of ameliorating the moral character of man; but this passion renders them impatient of opposition, and hurries them on to the extermination of those whom at first they proposed to enlighten and improve. Hence those religious and political parties that were formed and united for the express purpose of extending toleration and freedom, have so frequently become, in their turn, the authors of persecution and slavery. The danger is rather increased than diminished by the circumstance, that the most intelligent, accomplished, and energetic minds, are most apt to be seized by this passion. It is even

apt to increase in retirement and amidst the pursuits of science; because temporary solitude and reflection are favourable to the strong discernment of what exalts and degrades our nature. But it is evident, that when such men are misled, the danger into which human society is brought must always be great, on account of the influence which they possess, or may acquire over the minds of others, and on account of the powerful nature of the resources which their ingenuity may call forth.

In times of public contention or alarm, when this passion is most apt to be excited, it is the duty of a virtuous man to recollect often, that human affairs are wisely and beneficently administered, but that they are so contrived, that their amelioration is slow and progressive, and that great good is never suddenly or violently accomplished. It is also his duty to render the passion we have now described unnecessary in his own mind, by acquiring that self-command which, on every occasion, may enable him to do his duty to society, without suffering himself either to be so much inflamed by opposition, or so much blinded by attachment to particular projects or notions, as to forget that force is, not reason, that the edge of the sword introduces no light into the human mind, and that the certain and immediate commission of sanguinary actions can seldom be balanced by the doubtful prospect of future good.

CHAP. XVII.

OF THE ACCESSORY PASSIONS.

THESE HESE are hope and fear, joy and grief. They are not properly passions in themselves, but rather the state of mind which accompanies other passions. They all consist of a certain degree of agitation or want of self-command; but this agitation is pleasing according to the degree of resolution or of energy of which the mind feels itself possessed at the time, and it is painful in proportion to the feebleness or want of vigour that attends it. Hence they have also received the appellation of animating and depres sing passions.

Hope, when it exists in a remarkable degree, is that elated and energetic state of mind that attends the prospect of future good;-Fear is the depression and weakness that arises from the prospect of future evil;-Joy is the exaltation of mind attending upon great and unexpected success or good fortune;-and Grief is the feebleness of mind that attends upon disappointment or suffering. These

passions demonstrate, that pleasing perceptions augment, and that perceptions of irresistible evil diminish our voluntary power.

These passions are much employed by Nature as engines for exciting the activity of the human character. The greater number of men are continually occupied by them, and find in them their chief happiness and misery. In some respects, however, they are hostile to intellectual improvement. They withdraw our attention from the cultivation of excellence, and fix it upon the success or disappointment of our passions, or the events of life, which we cannot controul. The agitation and weakness of mind which they produce, is in direct opposition to that self-command which forms so great a part of the perfection of our nature. Accordingly, our`nature. the pursuit and acquisition of an enlightened and vigorous mind, have a tendency to produce the gradual extinction of that agitation, intemperateness, and confusion of mind, which forms the essence of these passions. With a wise man, the great business of life, to which ordinary occupations are viewed as subservient, consists of the pursuit of intellectual excellence; but such a man will not readily rise into any intemperate degree of joy on account of the progress in this pursuit that has been made by himself, or by those in whom he is peculiarly interested. A small degree of attention will point out enough

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