trouble. Defended by his fhield, though afflictions spring not out of the duft, they fhall not hurt us; fupported by his power, though the mighty rage, they shall not prevail against us; guided by his wifdom, though fnares and evils encompass our paths, we fhall efcape them all. In vain may be our toil for riches to fecure us; but our truft in him will never be in vain. The arrows of affiction may reach the very pinnacle of greatnefs, and cares and terrors climb up to us, however high we may place ourselves; but he is a tower of defence, a place of fafety, a rock of falvation. O then! amidst all the ftorms, and tumults of the world, give ear to that voice which speaketh peace, and fays, Come unto me, all

ye

that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft; take my yoke upon you, and ye fhall find "reft to your fouls; for my yoke is eafy, and my bur "then is light."

VIRTUE has fecret charms which all men love; And those that do not choose her, yet approve.

TRUE happiness-man's gen'ral aim and end,
The point of reft to which our wishes tend,
To no externals ever was affign'd,
But fix'd the portion of a fteady mind;
A fteady mind, that no defires inflame,
Still conftant to itself, and ftill the fame;
The fame when fortune blows an adverse gale;
The fame when on a throne or in a jail:
A mind that can each mad excess controul,
Subdue the paffions, and direct the foul;
That, fummon'd, chearfully refigns her breath,
Nor trembles, anxious, at th' approach of death.

Epitaph upon Epictetus, the Stoic Philofopher.

"EPICTETUS, who lies here, was a flave and "a cripple ; poor as the beggar in the proverb, and the "favourite of Heaven."

In

In this diftich is comprized the nobleft panegyric, and the most important inftruction. We may learn from it, that virtue is impracticable in no condition, fince Epictetus could recommend himself to the regard of Heaven, amidst the temptations of poverty and flavery. Slavery has been found fo deftructive to virtue, that, in fome languages, a flave and a thief are expreffed by the same word. And we may be admonished by it, not to lay any ftrefs on a man's outward circumstances, in making an estimate of his real virtue; fince Epictetus the beggar, the cripple, and the flave, was the favourite of Heaven.

Occafioned by a Recovery from a tedious Illness.
FATHER Divine, Eternal One!
While Heav'n pure homage pays,

From this dark point, beneath the fun,
Accept a mortal's praife.

Yet what's the praife my breath can give ;
What's all that I can fay,

But that the God in whom I live
Has giv'n me health to day?
The theme my voice in vain affays,
Then let my life purfue;

Let what I am, record thy praise,
Exprefs'd in what I do.

Thee more than all-and, as myself,
Oh teach me man to love:
Be this my fame, my glory, wealth,
My blifs below - above!

Nor let my love to man be vain,
My love to God be blind;
Of thee fome knowledge let me gain,.
Some bleffing give mankind.
Through ev'ry change my life may know,
My ebbing, flowing tides,

Firm be my faith, that all below,

Love, join'd with wifdom, guides.. That e'en thy juftice tends to blefs, Though little understood;

That

That partial evils love exprefs,
And work the gen'ral good.
But frail, alas! this mortal clay,

This reafoning mind how frail!
Let ftrength be equal to my day,

Nor heighth nor depth prevail.
When o'er my roof affliction low'rs,
Suftain my finking heart;

In all my gay, unguarded hours,
Oh keep my better part!

And when this tott'ring fabric falls,
Affift my foul to foar,

Where full poffeffion never palls,

To know and love thee more.

THE ufe of learning is not to procure popular applaufe, or excite vain admiration; but to make the poffeffor more virtuous and ufeful to fociety, and his virtue a more confpicuous example to thofe that are il- literate.

WHAT exalted mortal, in the laft hour of life, would not refign all the advantages of greatness and power, for a few moments of leifure and obfcurity?

IF there is any happiness below the ftars, it confifts in a freedom from the hurry and cenfure of the world, where the mind may devote all its bright and ferene intervals to Heaven.

THE courfe of human things is all decreed,
With each minuteft circumftance, above:
No fickle chance, no blind contingencies,
No unforeseen events arife, to cross
The purposes divine.-

"Hope

Hope travels through."-POPE.

THE fweet deceiver, hope, deftroys,
By airy vifions, real joys.

Each future fcene, by her array'd
In brightness, makes the prefent fade.
All the long day we wish for night,
Then figh for the return of light;
Through gloomy winter's reign we mourn,
"Till pleafure-pinion'd fpring's return.
But here, with joylefs feet, we tread
The verdant lawn, or painted mead,
*Till fummer comes-yet e'en from this
Enjoyment's fled-the promis'd blifs
Is now poftpon'd, 'till autumn fhews
Her golden fields, and loaded boughs;
Hither we prefs-but vain the chace!
The phantom flies with equal pace.
Now winter charms-again it comes,
And her ftill taftelefs reign refumes.
The trav❜ller thus thick mists enclose,
But feem to fly where'er he goes.

HE is no fool, who parts with that which he cannot keep, when he is fure to be recompenfed with that which he cannot lofe.

THE purfuit of glory and happiness in another life, by every means of improving and exalting our own. minds, becomes more and more interesting to us, the nearer we draw to the end of all fublunary enjoyments.

AS that God, whom we all adore, is a God of peace and concord, there ought to be a facred harmony between all that profefs and believe in the fame Saviour.

THEY must certainly be perfons of narrow and mean conceptions, who (though under the mask of fuperficial greatnefs of fpirit) cannot raise their little ideas above pleafures familiar to their fenfes.

BUT

BUT the main ftrefs of all our cares must fie,
To watch ourselves with ftrict and conftant eye:
To mark the working mind when paffion's courfe
Begins to fwell, and reafon ftill has force;
Or if he's conquer'd by the ftronger tide,
Obferve the moments when they first fubfide.
For he who hopes a victory to win

O'er other men, muft with himself begin,
Elfe like a town, by mutiny opprefs'd,
He's ruin'd by the foe within his breast.

ARISE, my foul, furvey the morn,
And purple beauties of the dawn,
In order as they shine;

The herbs that with the dew-drops glow,
The grafs, the fhrubs, the flow'rets fhew
Their Maker all divine!

Hark how the warbling feather'd throng
Now tune their foft melodious fong,
From ev'ry leafy spray.

The black-bird here with mellow throat,
And there the thrush with fofter note,
In concert pour the lay.
Do thou my foul refponfive join,
Ambitious of a theme divine,

And fing thy Maker's praise :

Unnumber'd objects he supplies,
For contemplation's wandering eyes,
And all the Mufe's lays.

FRIENDSHIP's a pure, a Heav'n-defcended flame,
Worthy the happy region whence it came;
The facred tye, that virtuous fpirits binds,
The golden chain that links immortal minds.

WE fhould never be over eager for any thing, either in our pursuits or our prayers, left what we endeavour, or afk too violently, for our intereft, fhould be granted us by Providence only in order to our ruin.

Concluding