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• God was entirely repugnant to their schemes of natural philofophy, they contented themfelves with the ⚫ denial of a Providence; aflerting, at the fame time, ⚫ the exiftence of gods in general; because they would. not fhock the common belief of mankind, and the. religion of their country.'

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On CHEARFULNESS.

[Spect. No. 381.]

Have always preferred chearfulness to mirth: The latter I confider as an act, the former as a habit of the mind. Mirth is fhort and tranfient, chearfulness fixed and permanent. Thofe are often raifed into the greateft tranfports of mirth, who are fubject to the greatest depreffions of melancholy on the contrary, chearfulness, though it does not give the mind fuch an exquifite gladnefs, prevents us from falling into. any depths of forrow. Mirth is like a flash of lightning that breaks through a gloom of clouds, and glit ters for a moment; chearfulness keeps up a kind of day-light in the mind, and fills it with a steady and. perpetual ferenity..

Men of auftere principles look upon mirth as too wanton and diffolute for a state of probation, and as £lled with a certain triumph and infolence of heart that is inconfiftent with a life which is every moment obnoxious to the greatest dangers. Writers of this complexion have obferved, that the facred perfon who was the great pattern of perfection, was never feen to laugh.

Chearfulness of mind is not liable to any of these exceptions; it is of a ferious and compofed nature; it does not throw the mind into a condition improper for the prefent ftate of humanity, and is very confpi-cuous in the characters of those who are looked upon as the greatest philofophers among the heathens, as well as among thofe who have been defervedly esteemed. as faints and holy men among Christians.

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If we confider chearfulness in three lights, with regard to ourselves, to thofe we converfe with, and tɔ the great author of our being, it will not a little recommend itself on each of these accounts. The man who is poffeffed of this excellent frame of mind, is not only eafy in his thoughts, but a perfect mafter of all the powers and faculties of the foul: his imagination is always clear, and his judgment undisturbed: his temper is even and unruffled, whether in action or folitude. He comes with a relish to all thofe goods which nature has provided for him, taftes all the pleafures of the creation which are poured about him, and does not feel the full weight of thofe accidental evils which may befal him.

If we confider him in relation to the perfons whom he converfes with, it naturally produces love and good will towards him. A chearful mind is not only dif pofed to be affable and obliging, but raifes the fame good humour in thofe who come within its influence. A man finds himself pleafed, he does not know why, with the chearfulness of his companion: it is like a fudden fun-fhine that awakens a fecret delight in the mind, without her attending to it. The heart rejoices of its own accord, and naturally flows out into friendfhip and benevolence towards the perfon who has fo kindly an effect upon it.

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When I confider this chearful ftate of mind in its third relation, I cannot but look upon it as a conftant habitual gratitude to the great Author of nature. inward chearfulnefs is an implicit praise and thankfgiving to Providence under all its difpenfations. It is a kind of acquiefcence in the flate wherein we are placed, and a fecret approbation of the divine will in his conduct towards man.

There are but two things, which, in my opinion, can reasonably deprive us of this chearfulness of heart. The first of thefe is the fenfe of guilt. A man who lives in a state of vice and impenitence, can have no title to that evennefs and tranquillity of mind which is the health of the foul, and the natural effect of vir

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tue and innocence. Chearfulness in an ill man deferves a harder name than language can furnish us with, and is many degrees beyond what we commonly call folly or madnefs.

Atheism, by which I mean a disbelief of a Supreme Being, and confequently of a future ftate, under whatfoever title it fhelters itfelf, may likewife very reafonably deprive a man of this chearfulness of temper.. There is fomething fo particularly gloomy and offenfive to human nature in the profpect of non-existence, that I cannot but wonder, with many excellent writers, how it is poffible for a man to outlive the expectation of it. For my own part, I think the being of a God is fo little to be doubted, that it is almost the only truth we are fure of, and fuch a truth as we meet with in every object, in every occurrence,, and in every thought. If we look into the charactersof this tribe of infidels, we generally find they are made up of pride, fpleen, and cavil: it is indeed no wonder, that men, who are uneafy to themselves, fhould be fo to the rest of the world; and how is it poffible for a man to be otherwise than uneafy in himself, who is in danger every moment of lofing his intire existence, and dropping into nothing?

The vicious man and atheist have therefore no pretence to chearfulness, and would act very unreasonably, fhould they endeavour after it. It is impoffible for any one to live in good humour, and enjoy his prefent existence, who is apprehenfive either of torment or of annihilation; of being miferable, or of not being at all.

After having mentioned thefe two great principles, which are deftructive of chearfulness in their own nature, as well as in right reafon, I cannot think of any other that ought to banish this happy temper from a virtuous mind. Pain and fickness, fhame and reproach, poverty and old age, nay death itself, confidering the fhortness of their duration, and the advantage we may reap from them, do not deferve the name of evils. Á good mind may bear up under them with fortitude, with indolence, and with chearfulness of heart. The

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toffing

toffing of a tempeft does not difcompofe him, which he is fure will bring him to a joyful harbour.

A man, who ufes his beft endeavours to live according to the dictates of virtue and right reason, has two perpetual fources of chearfulnefs, in the confideration of his own nature, and of that Being on whom he has a dependence. If he looks into himfelf, he cannot but rejoice in that existence, which is fo lately beftowed upon him, and which, after millions of ages, will be still new, and still in its beginning. How many felf congratulations naturally arife in the mind, when it reflects on this its entrance into eternity, when it takes a view of thofe improveable faculties, which in a few years, and even at its first fetting out, have made fo confiderable a progrefs, and which will be still receiving an increase of perfection, and confequently an increase of happiness? The confcioufnefs of fuch a being fpreads a perpetual diffufion of joy through the foul of a virtuous man, and makes him look upon himself every moment as more happy than he knows how to conceive.

The fecond fource of chearfulness to a good mind, is, its confideration of that Being on whom we have our dependence, and in whom, though we behold him as yet but in the firft faint discoveries of his perfections, we fee every thing that we can imagine as great, glorious, or amiable. We find ourselves every where upheld by his goodness, and furrounded with an immenfity of love and mercy. In fhort, we depend upon a Being, whofe power qualifies him to make us happy by an infinity of means, whofe goodness and truth engage him to make thofe happy who defire it of him, and whofe unchangeableness will fecure us in this happinefs to all eternity.

Such confiderations, which every one fhould perpetually cherish in his thoughts, will banifh from us all that fecret heavinefs of heart which unthinking merr are fubject to when they lie under no real affliction, all that anguish which we may feel from any evil that actually oppreffes us, to which I may likewife add thofe

little cracklings of mirth and folly, that are apter to betray virtue than fupport it; and establish in us fech an even and chearful temper, as makes us pleafing to ourselves, to those with whom we converfe, and to him whom we are made to please.

On the Advantages of a chearful Tempers

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[Spect. No. 387.1

HEARFULNESS is, in the first place, the best promoter of health. Repinings and fecret murmurs of heart give imperceptible ftrokes to thofe des licate fibres of which the vital parts are compofsed, and wear out the machine infenfibly; not to mention those violent ferments which they ftir up in the blood, and thofe irregular difturbed motions, which they raise in the animal spirits. I fcarce remember, in my own observation, to have met with many old men, or with fuch, who (to ufe our English phrafe) wear well, that had not at least a certain indolence in their humour, if not a more than ordinary gaiety and chearfulness of heart. The truth of it is, health and chearfulness mutually beget each other; with this difference, that we seldom meet with a great degree of health which is not attended with a certain chearfulness, but very often fee chearfulness where there is no great degree of health.

Chearfulness bears the fame friendly regard to the mind as to the body: it banishes all anxious care and difcontent, fooths and compofes the paffions, and keeps the foul in a perpetual calm. But having already touched on this laft confideration, I shall here take notice, that the world, on which we are placed, is filled with innumerable objects that are proper to raise and keep alive this happy temper of mind.

If we confider the world in its fubferviency to man, one would think it was made for our ufe; but if we confider it in its natural beauty and harmony, one

would

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