Quit its vain scenes without a tear, XIV. While confcience, like a faithful friend, SINCERITY is firm and fubftantial, and there is nothing hollow or unfound in it; and because it is plain and open, fears no difcovery; of which the crafty man is always in danger. PLUTARCH has written an effay on the benefits which a man may receive from his enemies; and mentions this in particular, "that, by the reproaches caft upon us, we fee the worft fide of ourselves, and open our eyes to feveral blemishes and defects in our lives and converfations, which we should not have observed without the help of such ill-natured monitors." LET us keep the heart with all diligence, feeing out of it are the iffues of life." Let us account our mind the most important province which is committed to our care; and as we cannot rule events, ftudy at leaft to rule ourfelves. IT is too common with the young, even when they refolve to tread the path of virtue and honour, to fet out with prefumptuous confidence in themfelves. Trufting to their own abilities for carrying them fuccefsfully through life, they are careless of applying to God, or of deriving any affiftance from what they are apt to reckon the gloomy difcipline of religion. Alas! how little do they know the dangers which await them? Neither human wisdom, nor human virtue, unfupported by religion, are equal for the trying fituations which often occur in life. By the fhock of temptation," how frequently have the moft virtuous intentions been averthrown! Under the preffure of difafter, how often has the greatest conftancy funk! Deftitute of the favour of God, you are in no better fituation, with all your boafted abilities, than orphans left to wander in a track'lefs defart, without any guide to conduct them, or any fhelter to cover them from the gathering ftorm. Cor. rect, then, this ill-founded arrogance. Expect not that your happiness can be independent of him who made you. By faith and repentance, apply to the Redeemer of the world. By piety and prayer, feek the protection of the God of Heaven. THE cheerfulness of a well-regulated mind, fprings from a good confcience, and the favour of Heaven, and is bounded by temperance and reason. It makes a man happy in himself, and promotes the happiness of all around him. It is the clear and calm funfhine of a mind illuminated by piety and virtue. It crowns all other good difpofitions, and comprehends the general effect which they ought to produce on the heart. LET no man rafhly determine, that his unwillingnefs to be pleafed, is a proof of understanding, unless his fuperiority appears from a lefs doubtful evidence; for though peevishnefs may fometimes boaft its defcent from learning or from wit, it is much oftener of base extraction, the child of vanity and nurfling of ignorance. LET the virtuous remember, amidst all their sufferings, that though the heart of the good man may bleed, even to death, he will never feel a torment equa to the rendings of remorse. PLATO being told, that he had many enemies who fpoke ill of him," It is no matter," faid he, " I will live fo that none fhall believe them." Hearing, at arother time, that an intimate friend of his had spoken detractingly of him, I am fure he would not do it," fays he, "if he had not fome reason for it." This is the fureft, as well as the nobleft way, of drawing the fting out of reproach, and the true method of preparing a man for that great and only relief against the pains of calumny, a good confcience." JUDGE not of mankind in general from the conduct of a few individuals. There are perfons capable of alleviating all our cares by a friendly participation, and of heightening every fatisfaction by fharing them. Cultivate an acquaintance with the truly deferving, and the painful remembrance of ingratitude will foon be lost in the reciprocal endearments of fincere friendship. DOST thou ask a torch to discover the brightness of the morning? Doft thou appeal to argument for proofs of divine perfection? Look down to the earth on which thou ftandeft, and lift up thine eye to the worlds that roll above thee: thou beholdeft fplendour, abundance and beauty; is not he who produced them mighty? Thou confidereft→ is not he who formed thy understanding, wife? Thou en joyet-is not he who gratifies thy fenfes, good? Can aught have limited his bounty, but his wifdom? or can any defects be therein discovered by thy fagacity? RELIGION prefcribes to every miferable man the means of bettering his condition; it fhews him, that the bearing of his afflictions as he ought to do, will naturally end in the removal of them; it makes him easy here, because it can make him happy hereafter. A CONTENTED mind is the greatest bleffing a man can enjoy in this world; and if in the prefent life his happiness arifes from the fubduing of his defires, it will arife in the next from the gratification of them. EVERY wife man will confider this life only as it may conduce to the happiness of the other, and cheerfully fa crifice the pleasures of a few years to thofe of an eternity. HOWEVER far fome men may have gone in the fcience of impartiality, perhaps there is not one of them but would be furprized, if he could be fhewn how much farther he might go.. THO' THO' poor the peafant's hut, his feasts tho' small, Sees no contiguous palace rear its head, At night returning, every labour sped, EVERY ftation of life has duties, which are proper to it. Those who are determined, by choice, to any particular kind of business, are indeed more happy than those who are determined by neceffity; but both are under an equal obligation of fixing on employments, whieh may be either useful to themselves, or beneficial to others. NO one of the fons of Adam ought to think himself exempt from that labour and induftry, which were denounced upon our first parent, and in him, to all his pofterity, Thofe to whom birth or affluence may seem to make fuch an application unneceffary, ought to find out fome calling or profeffion for themfelves, that they may not lie as a burden on the fpecies, and be the only ufelefs parts of the creation. IT fometimes happens, that too clofe an attention to minute exactness, or a too rigorous examination of every H5 thing thing, by the ftandard of perfection, vitiates the tem per, rather than improves the understanding, and teaches the mind to difcern faults with unhappy penetration. It is incident, likewife, to men of vigorous imaginations, to please themselves too much with futurities, and to fret, because thofe expectations are difappointed, which fhould never have been formed. KNOWLEDGE and genius are often enemies to quiet, by fuggefting ideas of excellence, to which men, and the performances of men, cannot attain. WE fhould always act with great cautioufnefs and circumfpection, in points where it is not impoffible that be deceived. we may LET no fond love of earth exact a figh, A Thought on waking. SLEEP by night, and cares by day, |