"Hear the lecture we are reading, 66 Flutt'ring high in fancied worth, "Lo! the fickle air that raises, Brings us down to parent earth. "Learned fires, in fystem jaded, "Who for new ones daily call, "Ceafe at-length, by us perfuaded; Every leaf must have a fall. "Youth, tho' yet no loffes grieve you, Gay in health, and many a grace, "Let not cloudlefs fkies deceive you : "Summer gives to autumn place.” On the tree of life eternal, Man let all thy hopes be ftay'd; Which alone, for ever vernal, Bears the leaves that never fade. A MAN who entertains an high opinion of himself, is naturally ungrateful. He has too great an efteem of his own merit, to be thankful for any favours received. WHEN tired and fick of all mortal vanities, the religious mind reposes itself in the firm expectation of drinking at the fountain of life, and of bathing in rivers of immortal pleafure. Even death (which to the guilty is the gloomy period of all their joys, and the entrance to a gulph of undying wretchednefs) brightens into a fmile, and, in an angel's form, invites the religious fout to endless reft from labour, and to endless scenes of joy. THOU C 6. THOU great, ador'd! thou excellence divine! Th' eternal spring of life, the fource of love ACTIVE in indolence, abroad we roam, OH, what a scene of blifs the foul employs, A COURSE of virtue, innocence, and piety, is fuperior to all the luxury and grandeur, by which the greateft libertines ever propofed to gratify their defires; for then the foul is ftill enlarged, by grafping at the enjoyments of eternal blifs. The mind, by retiring calmly into itfelf, finds there capacities formed for infinite objects and defires, that ftretch themselves beyond the limits of this creation, in search of the great Original of life and pleasure. SUCH is the uncertainty of human affairs, that we cannot affure ourselves of the conftant poffeffion of any objects that gratify any one pleasure or defire, except that of virtue; which, as it does not depend on external ob、 jects, we may promife ourselves always to enjoy. WHEN you are lawfully engaged in the bufinefs of life, take heed that your heart and affections cleave not to the duft. IT is not without good reason that we are exhorted to pafs the time of our fojourning in fear: an attachment to riches, to worldly greatnefs, or its cares, has a natural tendency to divert the mind from better objects, to draw off its attention from the one thing needful, and to impede its progrefs in the purfuit of that happiness, which is only worth pursuing. O, WHILE we breathe this fleeting air, To love divine, continue chafte, "Fill at the fource, when going hence, PROVIDENCE is commonly indulgent to the honeft endeavours of induftrious perfons, that the more laborious they are in their employments, the more they thrive and are bleffed in them. KNOWLEDGE, foftened with complacency and good breeding, will make a perfon beloved and admired; but being joined with a fevere and morofe temper, it makes him rather feared than respected. WHEN once the foul, by contemplation, is raifed to any right apprehenfion of the Divine perfections, and the foretastes of celeftial blifs, how will this world, and all that is in it, vanifh and difappear before his eyes! With what holy difdain will he look down upon things, which are the highest objects of other men's ambitious defires! All the fplendour of courts, all the pageantry of greatness will no more dazzle his eyes, than the faint luftre of a glow-worm will trouble the eagle after it hath been been beholding the fun. WERE there but a fingle mercy apportioned to each minute of our lives, the fum would rife very high; but how is our arithmetic confounded, when every minute has more than we can distinctly number! Reflections Reflections on the Clofe of the Year. THE year expires, and this its latest hour Ah! think, my foul, how fwift the moment flies, Attend time's awful call, and be thou wife. Nor wealth they ask, nor poverty they fear! may The pitying tear, fad figh, and friendly aid Almighty Lord! be pleased to extend Thy wonted kindnefs; ftill thy bleflings pourOh! may thy grace into my breast descend: Teach me to work thy will, and thee adore! OF all the caufes which confpire to blind A RICH man is no way happier than another man, but that he hath more opportunities miniftered unto him of doing more good than his neighbour. HUMILITY is the grand virtue that leads to contentment. It cuts off the envy and malice of inferiors and equals, and makes us patiently bear the insults of fuperiors. POVERTY has not always the nature of an afffiction or judgment, but is rather merely a state of life appointed by Providence for the proper trial and exercise of the virtues of contentment, patience, and refignation: and for one man to murmur against God, because he poffeffes not thofe riches he fees given to another, "is the wrath that killeth the foolish man, and the envy that flayeth the filly one." SURELY SURELY, if we did not lofe our remembrance, or at leaft our fenfibility, that view would always predominate in our lives, which alone can afford us comfort when we die. A SERIOUS and contemplative mind fees God in every thing. Every object we behold, the food by which we are fustained, the raiment wherewith we are cloathed, fuggeft thoughts of piety and gratitude; and if we attend to the filent voice of meditation, we shall "Find tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, "Sermons in ftones, and good in every thing." OUR principles only become pleafing and delightful, when by the influence of them we learn to calm and govern our paffions; and are formed by them into fuch a temper, as renders us capable of chearfully enjoying the blefings of the prefent world, and the higher happiness of a better. THE most momentous concern of man is, the ftate he fhall enter upon, after this fhort and tranfitory life is ended and in proportion as eternity is of greater importance than time, fo ought men to be folicitous upon what grounds their expectations, with regard to that durable ftate, are built; and upon what assurances their hopes or their fears stand. WE fhould take all the care imaginable, how we create enemies; it being one of the hardest things in the Christian religion, to behave ourselves as we ought to do towards them. THE HAPPY MAN. HAPPY the man, who, free from noify fports, Regarding |