it: Religion and virtue are the great phyficians of the foul; patience and refignation are the nurfing-mothers of the human heart in fickness and in forrow; confcience can fmooth the pillow under an aching head, and Christian hope adminifters a cordial even in our last moments, that lulls the agonies of death: But where is the need of these had this discovery been established ? why call in physicians and refort to cordials, if we can hold danger at a distance without their help? I am to presume therefore, that every human being, who makes his own will his master, and goes all lengths in gratifying his guilty paffions without restraint, must rely upon his own will for keeping him out of all danger of future trouble, or he would never commit himself fo confidentially and entirely to a master, which can give him no fecurity in return for his blind obedience and devotion: All perfons of this description I accordingly set down in the lump as converts to the doctrine of the learned gentleman, who advanced the interesting discovery above-mentioned, but who unluckily miffed some step in the proof, that was to have established it.

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To what lengths of credulity they may really go is hard to fay, but fome fuch hopes as these must buoy them up, because I cannot think that any man would be wilfully wicked, fraudulent, perfidious, avaricious, cruel, or whatever elfe is deteftable in the eye of God, if he faw death, his meffenger, at the door; and I am even unwilling to believe, that he would be wantonly guilty, was he only convinced, that when death shall come to the door, he must be obliged to admit him; for if this be fo, and if admiffion may not be denied, then hath death a kind of vifitatorial power over us, which makes him not a guest to be invited at our pleasure, but a lord and master of the house, to enter it as his own, and (which is worst of all) without giving notice to us to provide for his entertainment. What man is fuch a fool in common life, as to take up his abode in a tenement, of which he is fure to be difpoffeffed, and yet neglect to prepare himself against a surprise, which he is fubject to every moment of the day and night? We are not apt to overlook our own interefts and fafety in worldly concerns, and therefore when the foul is given

up

up to fin, I must fufpect fome error in the brain.

What shall I fay to perfuade the inconfiderate that they exift upon the precarious fufferance of every moment, that paffes over them in fucceffion? how fhall I warn a giddy fool not to play his antick tricks and caper on the very utmost edge of a precipice? Who will guide the reeling drunkard in his path, and teach him to avoid the grave-ftones of his fellow-fots, set up by death as marks and fignals to apprise him of his danger? If the voice of nature, depofing to the evidence of life's deceitful tenure from the beginning of things to the moment prefent, will neither gain audience nor belief, what can the moralist expect?

Which of all thofe headlong voluptuaries, who feem in fuch hafte to get to the end of life, is poffeffed of the art of prolonging it at pleasure? to whom has the fecret been imparted? Either they are deceived by a vain hope of evading death, or there is fomething in a life of diffipation not worth preferving. I am aftonished at the ftupidity of any man, who can deny himself the gratification of conícious integrity: The proud man must

be a confummate blockhead to take fuch wearifome pains for a little extorted flattery of the moft fervile fort, and overlook the ready means of gaining general refpect upon the nobleft terms: Is it not an abuse of language and an infult to common sense for a filly fellow to announce himself to the world as a man of pleasure, when there is not an action in his life, but leaves a fting behind it to belye the character he profeffes? Can one fellow-creature find amusement in tormenting another? Is it poffible there can be a recreation in malice, when it flanders the innocent; in fraud, when it cheats the unfufpecting; in perfidy, when it betrays a benefactor? If any being, who does me wrong, will justify himself against the wrong by confeffing, that he takes delight in injury, I will own to one inftance of human depravity, which till that shall happen I will perfift to hope is not in existence: The fact is that all men have that respect for justice, that they attempt to shelter their very worst actions under it's defence; and even those contemptible pilferers of reputation, who would be as much unknown by their names as they are by the concealment of them, qualify

qualify (I am perfuaded) the dirty deed they are about by fome convenient phantom of offence in the character they affault; even their hands cannot be raised to ftrike without prefacing the blow by saying to themfelves—This man deferves to die.-Foolish wretches, what computation must they make of life, who devote fo great a portion of it to miseries and reproaches of their own creating!

Let a rational creature for once talk common sense to himself, and if no better words than the following occur to his thoughts, let him make use of them; he is heartily welcome to the loan.

"I know there is a period in approach, "when I must encounter an enemy to my life, whose power is irrefiftible: This is a "very serious thing for me to reflect upon, "and knowing it to be a truth infallible, I "am out of hope, that I can fo far forget "the terms of my existence, as totally to ex

pel it from my thoughts: If I could fore"fee the precife hour, when this enemy will "come, I would provide against it as well "as I am able, and fortify my mind to re"ceive him with fuch complacency as I "could

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