Short is our longeft day of life,
And foon its profpect ends,
Yet on that day's uncertain date
Eternity depends.

Yet equal to our being's aim,
The space to virtue giv'n;
And ev'ry minute, well improv'd,
Secures an age in Heav'n.

YIELDING to immoral pleafures, corrupts the mind; living to animal and trifling ones, debafes it; both, in their degree, difqualify it for its genuine good, and confign it over to wretchednefs. Whoever would be really happy, muft make the diligent and regular exercife of his fuperior powers his chief attention, adoring the perfections of his Maker, expreffing good will to his fellow-creatures, and cultivating inward rectitude.

THE greatest honour you can pay to the author of your being, is by fuch a chearful behaviour, as difcovers a mind fatisfied with his difpenfations.

THE fcripture fays, we are to forgive until feventy times feven; that is, perpetually, thofe who do repent: and those who do not repent, but perfift in injuring us, we are to pray for, and be willing to do acts of charity and humanity to them, when need requires; and not to revenge, but much rather to defire their amendment, and by all reasonable means promote reconciliation.

ONE part, one little part, we dimly fcan,
Thro' the dark medium of life's fev'rish dream,
Yet dare arraign the whole ftupendous plan,
If but that little part incongruous feem.-
Nor is that part perhaps what mortals deem;
Oft from apparent ill our blefings rife;
Oh! then, renounce that impious, felf-esteem,
For thou art but of duft; be humble, and be wife.

GOOD

GOOD-NATURE is not of lefs importance to ourfelves than to others. The morofe and petulant firit feel the anguish that they give: reproach, revilings and invective, are but the overflowings of their own infelicity, and are conftantly again forced back upon their fource.

The Ten Commandments.

RENOUNCE all other gods, but only me,
And to no image bow thy heart or knee.
Take not the awful name of God in vain,
Nor e'er his holy fabbath day prophane.
Honour thy parents, and thou long fhalt live,
Commit not murder, but all wrongs forgive.
From filthy lufts, keep foul and body free,
Nor fteal, tho' prefs'd by dire neceffity.
Against thy neighbour, ne'er falfe witnefs bear,
Nor covet goods, in which thou haft no share.

From Pope's Effay on Man.

LO, the poor Indian! whofe untutor❜d mind
Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind;
His foul proud fcience never taught to stray
Far as the folar walk, or milky way;
Yet fimple nature to his hope has giv'n
Behind the cloud-topt hill, an humbler Heav'n ;
Some happier ifland in the watry waste,

Some fafer world, in depth of woods embrac'd,
Where flaves once more their native land behold,
No fiends torment, no Chriftians thirst for gold.
To be content's his natural defire,

He afks no angel's wing, no feraph's fire,
But thinks, admitted to that equal sky,
His faithful dog fhall bear him company.

SO much have our common purfuits, which we plead as the means of fupporting life, diverted men from the true ends for which they were fent into the world, that the judicious and pious in all ages, fince the time of Solomon, have readily fubfcribed to his opinion, that

I 2

all

all of them are indeed " vanity and vexation of spirit.” For we find there are fome who spend their whole time in grammar and rhetoric, or in learning to speak well, without allowing themselves any leifure to ftudy the more important concern of living well.

Others there are, who are fo bufy in finding out the riddles of a logical fphinx, that they examine all the trifles and impertinencies of reafon, to find out what reason is, and in the search thereof, oftentimes lofe themselves and their reafon too.

There are many, who, by arithmetic, learn to divide every thing into the most minute fractions, and yet do not know how to divide an halfpenny with a poor afflicted brother in the way of charity.

Many there are, who, by the help of geometry, can fet limits to grounds, and feparate them from one another; can measure cities and countries, and yet cannot attain to any rule whereby they are enabled to measure themselves.

The musician can bring different voices and tones into one harmony, and yet all the while may have nothing that is harmonious in his own mind; nothing, which, by reafon of its perturbation, does not run counter to all mufical measures.

The aftronomer, whilft with fixed eyes he looks up to Heaven, and attentively views the motion of the ftars, very frequently ftumbles into the next ditch; and while he is foretelling things to come, lofes thofe that are prefent; for tho' with fixed eyes he looks up to Heaven, yet his mind is too much darkened and defiled with the mire of this world, to think of a better.

The philofopher difputes gravely and accurately, of the nature of things, and yet, perhaps, is no wifer than a real child, as to the nature of himself, and the things of Heaven.

The phyfician takes care of the health of others, but as to the knowledge of the diseases of his own mind, may be as blind as a beetle; he diligently watches the varia

tions of his patient's pulfe, but how to cure the evil difpofitions and wrong tempers in himfelf, he knows and

cares but little about them.

The historian has the Theban and Trojan wars at his fingers ends, but is almost wholly ignorant of a much higher concern, the proper knowledge of himself.

The lawyer, though he has spent whole years in the conftruction and expofition of human laws, for the government of others, is too often but little acquainted with that divine law which teaches and enjoins a ftrict government over his own actions.

The theologift, earneftly contends for, and difputes about faith, but too feldom thinks of charity; he speaks much of God, but to help his neighbour in time of need, has too little concern.

The merchant is very folicitous of gain from every port to which he can extend his trade, or in which he can obtain credit-yet feldom troubles his head in establishing a correfpondence with that happy country, which offers the richest merchandize that neither moth can corrupt, or thieves have power to steal.

The farmer, though daily exercised with much toil and fatigue, in breaking up and improving the most stubborn and rugged foils, with a view to a beneficial crop, yet how does he neglect, year after year, to break up and improve the barren foil of his own heart, which, without equal care and cultivation, will never produce that crop of good works, which makes truly rich, and adds no forrow.

Arts and sciences do indeed weary the minds of men with continual labour, but yield them no true felicity.

It is religion only can regulate the heart-it caufes it to melt in fympathy with diftrefs, or to glow with plea fure at the happiness of another-it is that alone can harmonize the mind,

"Attuning all its paffions into peace." The aftronomer, if enlightened by it, muft contemplate, with wonder and admiration, thofe luminaries

I 3

which

which his eye fo often gazes on with pleasure. The philofopher too, when the wonders of nature are opened to his view, with what adoration and gratitude muft he look to that great fource from whence they flow! And in all profeffions, how imperfect is man, unlefs illumined by the bright rays of religion, which, like the glorious luminary, the fun, will enlighten all onr paths.

HY M N.

THE Lord my pasture shall prepare, And feed me with a fhepherd's care; His prefence fhall my wants fupply, And guard me with a watchful eye; My noon-day walks he fhall attend, And all my midnight hours defend.

2.

When in the fultry glebe I faint,
Or on the thirsty mountain pant,
To fertile vales, and dewy meads,
My weary, wand'ring fteps he leads,
Where peaceful rivers, foft and flow,
Amid the verdant landscape flow.

Tho' in the paths of death I tread
With gloomy horrors overfpread,
My ftedfaft heart fhall fear no ill,
For thou, O Lord! art with me still;
Thy friendly crook fhall give me aid,
And guide me thro' the dreadful shade.

4.

Tho' in a bare and rugged way,
'Thro' devious lonely wilds I ftray,
Thy beauty fhall my pains beguile-
The barren wildernefs fhall fmile,

With fudden greens and herbage crown'd,
And ftreams fhall murmur all around.

NO thought is beautiful, which is not juft; and no thought can be juft, which is not founded in truth.

WE are apt to fancy, that we fhall be happy and fatisfied, if we poffefs ourselves of fuch and fuch particular enjoyments;