The blooming flowers with opening beauties glow,
And grazing flocks their milky fleeces fhew.
The barren cliffs, with chalky fronts, arife,
And a pure azure arches o'er the fkies.
But when the gloomy reign of night returns,
Stript of her fading pride, all nature mourns;
The trees no more their wonted verdure boast,
But weep, in dewy tears, their beauty loft.
No diftant landskips draw our curious eyes,
Wrapt in night's robe the whole creation lies.
Yet still ev'n now, while darknefs clothes the land,
We view the traces of th' Almighty hand;
Millions of stars in heaven's wide vault appear,
And with new glories hang the boundlefs fphere.
The filver moon her western couch forfakes,
And o'er the fkies her nightly circle makes;
Her folid globe beats back the funny rays,
And to the world her borrow'd light repays.

Whether those ftars, that twinkling luftre fend,
Are funs, and rolling worlds thofe funs attend,
Man may conjecture, and new schemes declare,
Yet all his fyftems but conjectures are.

But this we know, that heaven's eternal King,
Who bid this univerfe from nothing fpring,
Can at his word bid num'rous worlds appear,
And rifing worlds th' all-powerful word fhall hear.
When to the western main the fun defcends,
To other lands a rifing day he lends ;
The fpreading dawn another fhepherd fpies,
The wakeful flocks from their warm folds arise.
Refresh'd, the peasant seeks his early toil,
And bids the plough correct the fallow foil.
While we, in fleep's embraces, wafte the night,
The climes oppos'd enjoy meridian light.
And when thofe lands the bufy fun forfakes,
With us again the rofy morning wakes;
In lazy fleep the night rolls fwift away,
And neither clime laments his abfent ray.

When

When the poor foul is from the body flown,
No more fhall night's alternate reign be known;
The fun no more fhall rolling light beftow,
But from th' Almighty ftreams of glory flow.
Oh! may fome nobler thought my foul employ,
Than empty, tranfient, fublunary joy!

The ftars fhall drop, the fun fhall lofe his flame,
But thou, O God! for ever fhine the fame.

AS riches are in general the means of procuring fome of the comforts, and almost all the conveniencies of life, we moft commonly think that happiness is annexed to the poffeffion of them. We, therefore, toil and labour for abundance; and when abundance is obtained, we find as many wants, as many cares, and as many forrows, as when humble poverty was our only burthen; when industry procured the neceffaries of life; or when mediocrity of circumftances placed us beyond the reach of

want.

IT is our bufinefs to follow the leadings of Divine Providence, as the best and wifeft rule for our conduct in every stage and circumftance of life. If worldly affluence is to be the portion of the labouring man, the hand of God will point out the way, and he will furmount the greateft difficulties.

LET us be particularly careful to fhun all occafion of fuperfluous difcourfe, and watch over our words, that we utter nothing but what may tend to the glory of God, or the good of our neighbour.

HE that does good for virtue's fake, feeks neither praise nor reward, though fure of both at last.

THIS fib'rous frame, by nature's kindly law,
Which gives each joy to keen fenfation here,
O'er purer scenes of blifs the veil may draw,
And cloud reflection's more exalted sphere.

When

When death's cold hand, with all-diffolving pow'r,
Shall the clofe tie with friendly ftroke unbind,
Alike our mortal, as our natal hour,

May to new being wake the rifing mind;
On death's new genial day the foul may rife,
Born to fome higher life, and hail fome brighter skies.

THIS is the ftate of man; to-day he puts forth
The tender leaves of hope, to-morrow bloffoms,
And bears his blushing honours thick upon him;
The third day comes a froft, a killing froft,
And nips his root.

SO fond of liberty is man, that to reftrain him from any thing, however indifferent, is fufficient to make that thing an object of defire.

NO man ever did a defigned injury to another, without doing a greater to himself.

MAN's chief good is an upright mind, which no earthly power can beftow, nor take from him.

TAKE no advantage of the ignorance, neceffity, or prodigality of any man, for that gain can never be bleft.

UPON whatfoever foundation happiness is built,. when that foundation fails, happiness must be deftroyed: for which reafon, it is wisdom to choose fuch a foundation for it, as is not liable to deftructive accidents.

IF happiness be founded upon riches, it lies at the mercy of theft, deceit, oppreflion, war, and tyranny; if upon fine houfes, and coitly furniture, one fpark of fire is able to confume it; if upon wife, children, friends, health, or life, a thousand diseases, and ten thousand accidents, have power to deftroy it; but, if it be founded upon the infinite bounty and goodness of God, and upon thofe virtues that entitle to his favour, its foundation is unmoveable, and its duration eternal.

PHA

PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER.

FAST by the margin of her native flood,
Whofe fertile waters are well known to fame,
Fair as the bord'ring flow'rs the princess stood,
And rich in bounty as the gen'rous stream.
When, lo! a tender cry afflicts her ear,

The tender cry declares an infant's grief;
Soon fhe, who melted at each mortal's care,

With tend'reft pity fought the babe's relief. The babe, adorn'd in beauty's early bloom,

But to the laft diftrefs expos'd, appears, His infant foftnefs pleads a milder doom,

And fpeaks with all the eloquence of tears. The kind Egyptian gaz'd upon his charms,

And with compaflion view'd the weeping child She fnatch'd the little Hebrew to her arms,

And kifs'd the infant-the fweet infant fmil'd.
Again the clafps him with a fond embrace,

Yet more the pities the young ftranger's woe;
She wip'd the tears that hung upon his face,
Her own the while in pious plenty flow.
Now, cruel father, thy harsh law I fee,

And feel that rigour which the Hebrews mourn;

O! that I could reverfe the dire decree,

Which dooms the babe a wretch as foon as born! But that, alas! exceeds my flender pow'r

And muft this tender innocent be slain ? Poor harmless babe! born in a luckless hour, Yet fweet as ever footh'd a mother's pain. Muft thou, poor undeferving infant, die?

No! in my bofom ev'ry danger shun; A princefs fhall thy parents lofs fupply,

And thou art worthy to be call'd her son.

SENECA himself allows, that in conferring benefits, the present should always be fuited to the dignity of the receiver. Thus the rich receive large prefents, and are thanked for accepting them. Men of middling sta

tions are obliged to be content with prefents fomething lefs, while the poor beggar, who may be truly faid to want indeed, is thought to be well paid if a fingle farthing rewards his warmest folicitations.

SEFL-DENIAL is the most exalted pleafure; and the conqueft of evil habits is the most glorious triumph.

THE true way to advance another's virtue, is to follow it; and the best means to cry down another's vice, is to decline it.

HOW ought every teftimony of God's goodness to excite our love, our gratitude, and praise! The smallest temporal advantage is a bleffing, to which we have no title; if we have food and raiment, they are more than we deserve.

WHY are we commanded to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," if not to teach us, among other things, our daily dependance upon God as the difpenfer of all our temporal bleffings? Our various wants return with the morning; and to whom should we look, but to him who is able to fupply them? We need his direction through the perplexities and difficulties of every day; and without his bleffing and fupport, we can effect nothing to any valuable purpofe. In the evening, we feek reit in vain, unless he give flumber to the eye-lids, and fleep to the eyes and as there are wants common to every family, and what all its members conftantly experience, they ought certainly to unite in fupplicating the fame Divine Goodness, and also in returning thanks for the mercies of which they have all been joint partakers.

THE neglect of any fpiritual duty, arifes from a declenfion of religion in the foul. Were we to live more under the sensible enjoyment of divine love, we should be more active, vigorous, and steady in the performance of every divine precept or command. The ways of God would not then appear either burthenfome, or grievous, but as they truly are "Ways of pleafantnefs, and paths " of peace."

THE