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النشر الإلكتروني

Sweet health to pafs the moments o'er,
And joy when time shall be no more.

'TIS a contradiction to imagine, that reputation or praise is a fuitable recompence for virtue; fince it is a reward that nothing but vanity can make acceptable; it declares a man both foolish and vicious, that can be pleafed and fatisfied with it; and that his merit is only owing to his pride.

TRUE virtue, as it has no other aims than the fervice and honour of God, so the least and only recom pence it aspires to, is his approbation and favour.

MY God! my all-fufficient good!
My portion and my choice;
In thee are all my hopes renew'd,
And all my pow'rs rejoice.

GRANT me to live, and if I live, to find
The dear lov'd portion of a peaceful mind;
That health, that fweet content, that pleafing reft
Which God alone can give, as fuits me beft.

CHARITY.

CHARITY, decent, modest, easy, kind,
Softens the high, and rears the abject mind;
Knows with just reins, and gentle hand to guide,
Betwixt vile fhame, and arbitrary pride.
Not foon provok'd, fhe eafily forgives;
And much the fuffers, as fhe much believes ;
Soft peace she brings wherever fhe arrives,
She builds our quiet, as fhe forms our lives;
Lays the rough paths of peevish nature ev'n,
And opens in each heart a little Heav'n.

THERE is no preservative from vice, equal to an habitual and conftant intercourfe with God: Neither does any thing equally alleviate diftrefs, or heighten profperity; in diftrefs it fuftains us with hope, and in profperity it adds to every other enjoyment, the delight of gratitude.

IN true good nature, there is neither the acrimony of fpleen, nor the fullennefs of malice; it is neither clamorous nor fretful, neither easy to be offended, nor impa tient to revenge; it is a tender fenfibility, a participation of the pains and pleasures of others, and is therefore, a forcible and conftant motive, to communicate happinefs, and alleviate mifery.

IT should be a general rule, never to utter any thing in conversation, which would justly dishonour us if it fhould be reported to the world.

TO a benevolent difpofition, every ftate of life will afford fome opportunities of contributing to the welfare of mankind. Opulence and fplendour are enabled to difpel the cloud of adverfity, to dry up the tears of the widow and the orphan, and to increase the felicity of all around them. Their example will animate virtue, and retard the progrefs of vice. And even indigence and obfcurity, though without power to confer happiness, may at least prevent mifery, and apprize thofe who are blinded by their paffions, that they are on the brink of irremediable calamity.

O REPUTATION! dearer far than life,
Thou precious balfam, lovely, fweet of fmell,
Whofe cordial drops once fpilt by fome rafh hand,
Not all thy owner's care, nor the repenting toil
Of the rude spoiler, ever can collect
To its first purity and native sweetness.

Solomon's good Wife paraphrased. Proverbs, 31ft Chapt
THE wife, in whose soft, faithful bofom, dwells
The mingled warmth of love and virtue's flame,

As much in worth the ruby's price excels,
As greatest merits highest honours claim.
On her the partner of her breast relies,
In her can fulleft confidence repose,
Can ev'n the pride and spoils of war defpife,
For good, not ill, from all her conduct flows.

The

The wool and flax employ her willing hands,
And tho' domeftic arts are most her care,
Yet, as the merchant-fhip from diftant lands

- Brings precious freight, fhe brings her food from far..
E'er light the forces fleep's foft bands to yield,
And to her houshold gives refreshment due ;
With careful earnings purchafes a field,

And, ftill more wond'rous, plants a vineyard too.
By daily ufe her arms their ftrength increafe-
Her merchandize is good, fhe gladly finds;
And as by day her labours rarely ceafe,

By night her candle unextinguifh'd fhines.
Her lib'ral hand extends to all the poor,
Bestowing alms as diff'rent wants require;
Nor fears her houfhold hardships may endure,
For they in fcarlet boast a rich attire.
To clothe herself the weaves gay tapestry,
Purple and filk the labour of her hand,
With which bedeck'd, her husband fits on high,
Diftinguifh'd 'midft the elders of the land.
Fine linen alfo, by her art is made,

And girdles offer'd to the merchant's choice,
While fhe in ftrength and honour well array'd,
Thro' times to come fhall happily rejoice.
The law of kindness in her heart prefides,
The words of wisdom from her lips diftill,
A meek difcretion thro' her houfhold guides,
And duteous all their deftin'd task fulfil.
Her children, rifing up with grateful voice,
Pronounce her bleft, as love or prudence fways,
Her husband, confcious of his happy choice,
With pleasure joins their voluntary praise.
Tho' many wives, in this and ages past,
Of virtuous conduct bright examples fhine,
Yet all to her, the firft as well as laft,
The palm of female excellence refign.
True as when spoke, remains the royal word,
"That favour's tranfient, and all beauty vain ;"
But the who keeps his law, and fears the Lord,
Shall the juft tribute of applause obtain.

WHEN

WHEN we confider the different allotments of Providence to his creature man, in this state of existence, and compare the wants and fufferings of fome, with the eafe and affluence of others, we fhould be almost ready to conclude, that the preferving care of our Heavenly Father was not equally extended to all; though he has affured us in fcripture, that he is no refpecter of perfons; but we must be very cautious of making fuch an inference; for as our Great Creator fees not as we fee, and has a view in all his difpenfations to the ultimate good of his creatures, we ought rather to fuppofe, that the particular condition of every man, fo far from being an impeachment of divine impartiality, is allotted him in perfect wifdom, in order to his happiness at last.

THE neceflities of the poor may be intended as the most certain means of preferving their health, and keeping them moral, temperate, and humble, which are great virtues. While the fuperfluities of the rich, by fubjecting them to many vices, may render the final account of their stewardship a matter of the greatest anxiety and distress of mind, to which no temporal fuffering can be equivalent. Hence, if we confider prefent lefs grievous than future evil, it will appear, in this comparative view of the higher and lower ranks of men, that the difference is rather in favour of the latter, under all the preffures and mortifications of poverty.-Yet this is by no means to be used as an argument by the opulent, for withholding affiftance and fupport from their fellowcreatures, in real want of them; for humanity, and the cardinal virtue, charity, call upon and require all, who are able, to fuccour and relieve fuch objects-to which may be added, that this is a duty particularly enjoined by our bleffed Saviour, who has told us, as a forcible incitement to the practice of it, that fuch as give to the poor, lend to the Lord; which is telling us, in other words, that by this means treasure is to be laid up in Heaven.

SIMPLICITY, the infeparable companion both of genuine grace, and of real modefty, if it doth not always ftrike at firft (of which it feldom fails) is fure, however,

however, when it does ftrike, to produce the deepest and most permanent impreffions.

IN folitude I'll fpend the day;
The fultry hour I'll pass away,
In calm retirement's feat;

Enraptur'd, fnatch her peaceful joys,
While other court ambition's toys,

And study to be great.

THE BEGGAR.

"PITY the forrows of a poor

old man,

Whofe trembling limbs have led him to your Whose days are dwindled to the fhorteft fpan,

door

Oh! give relief, and Heav'n fhall blefs your ftore.

Thefe tatter'd rags my poverty bespeak,

These hoary locks proclaim my length of years,
And many a furrow in my grief-worn cheek,"
Has been the channel to a ftream of tears.
Yon houfe erected on the rifing ground,
With tempting afpect drew me from the road,
For plenty there a refidence has found,
And grandeur a magnificent abode.
Hard is the cafe of the infirm and poor,
There begging for a morfel of their bread,
A pamper'd menial thrust me from the door,
To feek a fhelter in an humbler shed.

Oh! take me to you hofpital dome,

Keen blows the wind, and piercing is the cold, Short is my paffage to the friendly tomb,

For I am miferably poor and cold,

Heav'n fends afflictions-why fhould we repine?
Here happiness we ne'er were born to fee,
Too foon, alas! your lot may be like mine,
The child of forrow and of mifery.

Was I to tell the fource of every grief,

If foft compaffion ever touch'd your breast, Your hand could not withhold the kind relief, And tears of pity could not be repreft.

A little farm was my paternal lot,

Then, like the lark, I sprightly hailed the morn,

But

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