most useful to the world; yet it must be owned that every affection,
as distinct from a principle of reason, may rise too high, and be
beyond its just proportion. And by means of this one carried too
far, a man throughout his life is subject to much more uneasiness
than belongs to his share; and in particular instances, it may be in
such a degree as to incapacitate him from assisting the very person
who is the object of it. But as there are some who upon principle
set up for suppressing this affection itself as weakness, there is
also I know not what of fashion on this side; and, by some means or
other, the whole world almost is run into the extremes of
insensibility towards the distresses of their fellow-creatures: so
that general rules and exhortations must always be on the other
side.

And now to go on to the uses we should make of the foregoing
reflections, the further ones they lead to, and the general temper
they have a tendency to beget in us. There being that distinct
affection implanted in the nature of man, tending to lessen the
miseries of life, that particular provision made for abating its
sorrows, more than for increasing its positive happiness, as before
explained; this may suggest to us what should be our general aim
respecting ourselves, in our passage through this world: namely, to
endeavour chiefly to escape misery, keep free from uneasiness, pain,
and sorrow, or to get relief and mitigation of them; to propose to
ourselves peace and tranquillity of mind, rather than pursue after
high enjoyments. This is what the constitution of nature before
explained marks out as the course we should follow, and the end we
should aim at. To make pleasure and mirth and jollity our business,
and be constantly hurrying about after some gay amusement, some new
gratification of sense or appetite, to those who will consider the