the place occurs to his mind, it brings that of the pain and displeasure along with it; he confounds them in his mind, and can as little bear the one as the other. Mr. Locke speaks of a person who was cured of madness by a very harsh and offensive mode of treatment. The Gentleman, he says, who was thus recovered, acknowledged with gratitude the cure all his life after, as the greatest obligation which he could have received; but whatever gratitude and reason suggested to him, he could never bear the sight of the person who had cured him that image brought back with it the idea of the agony which he suffered from his hand, which was too strong for him patiently to endure. The meaner pleasures of sense, and the inferior appetites of our nature, acquire great strength by this principle, when we connect with them some nobler notions, though not naturally allied to them, so that they cannot be easily separated. Hence it is, that by certain associated ideas of elegance, ingenuity, pro

priety, superior taste, or liberality and dignity, the luxurious and expensivemodes of living obtain a much greater reputation than they deserve, and seem of much more importance to happiness than they really are. Hence, therefore,

it is of the utmost importance in what manner children are educated, what ideas are presented together to their minds, what persons they are intimate with, and what sort of conversation they are accustomed to; since, by all these circumstances, strong associations are formed, which they are never able to dissolve in future life.

The next great and important principle in human nature, which, like association, relates both to the understanding and the will, and which depends very much upon association, is the law of Habit. In consequence of this law, actions, by being frequently repeated, first become easy, afterwards pleasant, and at last almost necessary; so that habit is justly termed

a second nature. They are habits which constitute the character, and determine the man; for all our powers, both of body and mind, are strengthened and perfected by exercise. To this law, therefore, and that of association, from which it proceeds, too much attention cannot be paid; and whenever we think that an action is of no great importance, let us remember that habit, which is the result of actions, is every thing. Universal experience shows, that men are strongly inclined to any course of action to which they are accustomed, and cannot be easily restrained from those gratifications in which they have long indulged themselves.

To finish this sketch of human nature, endued with such powers of reason, such sublime perceptive faculties, such social bonds of affection, God has also superadded the powers of speech and eloquence, by means of which we are capable of obtaining from others, information of

what we were ignorant of, and of communicating to others, all we feel, all we think, and all we know. By this power we exhort; by this we persuade; by this we comfort the afflicted, and inspire courage into the fearful; by this we restrain immoderate transports; by this we repress dissolute desires and passionate resentments; by this we enjoy all the pleasures and advantages of social intercourse; and by this we are rescued from the evils of a wild and savage life.

Although all these powers are so common, that there are few, in an advanced state of society, who are deficient in any one of them, yet in the tempers and characters of different men, notwithstanding this uniformity, there is a wonderful variety. In different persons, different powers and dispositions so far prevail, that no two persons can be found, whose characters are, in all respects, similar. In some, the love of knowledge; in others, ambition or avarice, are the ruling prin

ciples; some are distinguished by the kind affections, benevolence, tenderness, and sensibility of temper, with their constant attendants, a high sense of moral excellence, and a love of virtue; others are more prone to anger, envy, and the ill-natured passions. In the present state of mankind, and under the imperfect institutions of society which generally prevail, it cannot be denied, although the acknowledgment must be made with pain and regret, that sensuality, and mean, selfish pursuits, are most commonly to be met with; and those employments which the higher powers recommend, are but too little the objects of attention.

This diversity of temper, sometimes observable from the cradle, is increased by different, customs, modes of education, institutions, connections, and examples; so that there are very few instances of human beings, who are in all respects such, with respect to mental excellence, as we conceive they might be. Every