CRUEL fports were thought very high reflections on the politenefs of the Romans. Are they not much greater on the mercy and humanity of Christians?

IT behoves us to accuftom ourselves to a fober, modest way of speaking, and to avoid all thofe modes of speech, which border upon, or naturally lead to falfhood.

be un

BE careful to practise nothing which you are ashamed of; to do nothing for which you need be afraid of the eye or ear of God, and the world: then will you der no temptation of lying, to conceal what you have done amifs.

IF we had true notions of God and eternity, right notions of ourselves and of the world, they could not fail to create in us thoughts full of humility towards ourfelves, full of contempt towards the vain world, full of the highest adoration towards God, and full of earnestness to acquire a happy eternity.

PRAYER, unaccompanied with a fervent love of God, is like a lamp unlighted; the words of the one, without love, being as unprofitable as the oil and cotton of the other, without flame.

HE alone is a great man, whofe heart is strongly dif pofed to acts of humanity and benevolence; and who has fortitude enough to do his duty in all circumstances of life; who acts for the good of mankind, as long as he is able, and then finishes his courfe in the cause of virtue.

THE way to avoid prejudice, is to govern the paflions with a fteady hand; to treat all things, in a calm and difinterested manner, not fuffering our defires or averfions to be moved, but by a juft confideration of real usefulness.

TAKE but the humbleft lilly of the field,
And if our pride will to our reafon yield,
It must by fure comparison by fhewn,
That on the regal feat great David's fon,

Array'd

Array'd in all his robes and types of pow'r,
Shines with lefs glory, than that fimple flow'r.

ENOUGH I think my present store,
Nor do I afk of Heav'n for more,
But thank the kindness of my God,
For that fmall ftock he has allow'd.
Lo, time still waftes, and waftes away,
And moons arise but to decay;

Then why, fond mortals, tell me why!
Ye raise your coftly domes fo high?
Why build ye palaces fo great,
With all th' extravagance of state,
When ev'ry stone muft fall away,
And crumble ftill, and still decay?
Why ftrive ye to enrich ye more,
With ware from every foreign fhore,
When death stands knocking at your door?

PRAYER.

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THERE is fuch a thing as converfe with God in prayer, and it is the life and pleasure of a pious foul: without it we are no Chriftians; and he that practises it moft, is the best follower of Chrift: for our Lord spent much time in converfe with his heavenly Father. This is the balm that eases the most raging pains of the mind, when the wounded confcience comes to the mercy-feat, and finds pardon and peace there. This is the cordial that revives and exalts our natures, when the fpirit, broken with forrows, and almoft fainting to death, draws near to the almighty Phyfician, and is healed and refreshed.

THE mercy-feat in heaven is our fureft and sweetest refuge in every hour of diftrefs and darkness upon earth; this is our daily fupport and relief, while we are paffing through a world of temptations and hardships, in the way to the promised land. "It is good to draw near to "God."

THE

THE Creator is to be firft loved for his own fake, for his infinite goodness and perfection; and then the creature, as his work, and in proportion to its refemblance to him.

HE that thinks twice before he speaks once, will fpeak twice the better for it.

WHEN in thy facred prefence, Lord! I bow,
Let true devotion in my bofom glow;

There, with the fenfe of thy great goodnefs fraught,
May 1 with care correct each wand'ring thought;
Drink at my ears the Preacher's heav'nly lore,
And ftill the more I hear, improve the more;
Make this fhort life an earneft of the next,
And all my acts a comment on thy text.

On the Vanity of Riches.

SEEST thou, fond youth, yon precipice on high, Rob'd by the clouds, and turban'd by the sky, How low'ring darkly o'er the fhadow'd plains, It strikes wild terror thro' the gazing swains? Its craggy fides can boast no fertile foil, No promis'd harveft tempts a rural toil; No grazing cattle find their pasture there, Nor fragrant flowers perfume the ambient air; No fweet-meand'ring current glides along, Courting the meadows with its murm'ring fong; No fhady bow'rs adorn its barren fides, Nor fair enclosure its rough ground divides; No lofty fpires a wond'ring glance invite, Nor artful gardens tempt the diftant fight. All rough and wild, it rears its rocky head, And ftrikes the wond'ring eye with awful dread. From its high top impetuous torrents flow, Form'd by diffolving tracts of native fnow; Sorrow fits brooding on its furrow'd face, And defolation triumphs o'er the place,

Seeft

Seeft thou all this, fond mortal? Think, if fo,
Thou feeft the blifs the vain ambitious know.
Such are the barren pleasures they enjoy,
For this alone whole ages they employ.

They move our pity, tho' they tempt our fight,
High above all, but wretched by their height.

THE Prince of peace-He first reconciled God to man, and then endeavoured to reconcile men to each other. When he came into the world, he, by his angels, proclaimed peace; and when he left the world, he bequeathed the fame as his legacy: "Peace I leave with "you," &c.

THE merciful man will extend his hand of relief and comfort, as far as he may, to his fellow-creatures, whether they labour under temporal or fpiritual diftress, whether they call for his pity from their fins or from their forrows; while, in every relation of life, he will exercise this heavenly temper; as a magiftrate, gentle and humane, however compelled, in certain cafes, to be feverely juft; as a creditor, mild and forbearing, not flying haftily and rigorously to the utmost extremity, much less condemning the unhappy debtor to imprisonment, which may utterly incapacitate from all power and hope of payment; and in fhort, in every cafe exercising that lenity, mildnefs, forgivenefs, and mercy, whereof the eternal God hath fet us fo bright an example; and all our expectation of which from him, he hath made to depend on our fhewing the fame to others: "Bleffed are the merci"ful, for they fhall obtain mercy."

-YE good diftrefs'd,

Ye noble few!-who here unbending stand
Beneath life's preffure, yet bear up a while,
And what your bounded view, which only faw
A little part, deem'd evil, is no more;
The ftorms of wintry time will quickly pass,
And one unbounded spring encircle all.

On

On the Nativity of Chrift.

AWAKE from filence every voice,
Each chearful pipe and founding ftring;
Let ev'ry grateful heart rejoice,

And ev'ry tongue in rapture fing.
On this diftinguish'd day of grace
Th' Eternal Prince of Glory came,
To purge the guilt of human race,
And fave them by his pow'rful name.
Bow down your heads, ye lofty pines,
Ye mountains crown'd with cedars tall;
Be ftill, ye rude imperious winds,
Throughout the wide terreftrial ball.
Let nought but harmony and love
O'er all th' expanded furface reign,
And let the facred choir above

Approve, and join the Heav'nly strain. When we in bondage were exil'd, And rebels to th' eternal God, Our fouls, with blackeft guilt defil'd, Obnoxious to th' impending rod; That from his feat of perfect blifs The Son of Glory fhou'd defcend, To offer man the terms of peace, And his unbounded grace extend. Such goodness, fuch ftupendous grace! Nor men, nor angels can explore ; Then let us, what we cannot trace, With awful reverence adore. Ye wing'd inhabitants of air,

All ye that graze the verdant plain;

Ye herds, that to the wilds repair,
And ye that fkim the furging main,
Some figns of exultation fhow,

While grateful minds your voices raife, 'Tis all that mortals can below,

To hail the day in fongs of praise. While skilful hands the chorus join, And tune the rapture-raising lyre,