IT is the duty of every individual to be a friend to mankind, as it is his intereft, that men should be friendly to him. A KIND benefactor makes a man happy as foon as he can, and as much as he can. There fhould be no delay in a benefit, but the modesty of the receiver. NO man ever was a lofer by good works; for, though he may not be immediately rewarded, yet, in process of time, fome happy emergency or other occurs to convince him, that virtuous men are the darlings of Providence. NUMA POMPILIUS thought the company of good men fo real a pleasure, that he esteemed it preferable to a diadem: and, when the Roman Ambassadors solicited him to accept of the government, he frankly declared, among other reafons for declining it," that the conversation of "men who affemble together to worship God, and to “maintain an amicable charity, was his business and delight." PLUTARCH advises to moderate and correct all base, unworthy, and hurtful paffions; that in all our converfation we may be open-hearted; and that we may not seek to over-reach or deceive others in any of our dealings. THERE is no true felicity but in a clear and open confcience; and those are the happy conversations, where only fuch things are spoken and heard, as we can reflect upon afterwards with fatisfaction, free from any mixture of shame or repentance. COVETOUSNESS is an eager defire of getting and keeping the goods of this life in a manner that is contrary to the command of God, and inconfistent with the welfare of men. It confifts in an habitual tendency or luft of the foul, whereby it is carried out and inclined towards the enjoyment of worldly riches, as its higheft end and chiefeft good. VOL. II. H On On the BIRTH of an INFANT.. Smile and chafe her pains away. Lift thy eyes and look around thee, Earth was made for thy delight, Welcome to a mother's bofom, Welcome to a father's arms; Heir to all thy father's virtues, Heir to all thy mother's charms. Joy thou bring'ft but mixt with trembling; Smiles of tranfport dash'd with tears. Who can fay what lies before thee, Calm or tempeft, peace or ftrife; With what various turns and trials Heaven may mark thy chequer'd life. Who can tell what eager paffions In this little breaft fhall beat, When ambition, love, or glory Shall invade this peaceful feat. Who can tell how wide the branches While beneath this ample fhadow Swains may reft and flocks be fed. Angels guard thee lovely bloffom," Hover round and fhield from ill Crown thy parents largest wishes And their fondeft hopes, fulfill.' ; ༣.་ A SUDDEN A SUDDEN death is the object of univerfal dread.And certainly, nothing can be a more affecting spectacle, than to behold gay unthinking creatures, removed in a moment, from the tumultuous hurries of the world, and the defiling pleasures of fin, to the enlightened tribunal of God; where they must receive an irrevocable sentence, according to the deeds done in the body. THOUGH the king of terrors hourly extends his conquests over all forts and conditions of men, who are all made of the fame mould, and muft all crumble into the fame duft; though, this day, one friend mournfully follows another to his long home; and, when a few glaffes more are run, others attend him to the like melancholy manfions of the dead; though we frequently fee fome leaving this world in their full ftrength and vigour, wholly at eafe and quiet, and though we often fee thofe go firft to the grave that came laft into the world; yet notwithstanding the many and conftant fummonfes to think feriously of this great change, with what unaccountable folly, do the generality of mankind, cheat themfelves out of an eternity of bliss, by their fupine neglect of a timely preparation for their laft hour. Death creeps upon them under fuch circumstances, how importunately do they then apply to heaven in words like thofe of the diftreffed Pfalmift: " O fpare me a little that "I may recover myself before I go hence, and am no more "feen!" But fuch late willes are in vain: nothing can keep off the deadly ftroke. THUS fond man himself deluding, Lighter than a water bubble Are the tranfports earth can give, To be virtuous is to live. H 2 The The PROGRESS of LIFE." HOW gaily is at first begun How fmiling the world's profpect lies Parnaffus to the Poet's eyes, How promifing the Book of Fate, How foft the firft ideas move That wander in our mind; How full the joy, how fair the love, Our fighs are then but vernal air, Which fwiftly paffing, all grows fair, But oh! too foon, alas! we climb, Scarce feeling we ascend The gentle rifing hill of time. From whence with grief we fee that prime The The die once caft, our fortune known, The thorns which former years have fown Then ev'ry care's a driving harm, Till with fucceeding ills oppreft, By age fo rumpled and undrest, IN fome cafes it requires more courage to live than to die. He that is not prepared for death, fhall be perpetually troubled, as well with vain apprehenfions as with real: dangers; but the important point is, to fecure a wellgrounded hope of a bleffed immortality, LET us all fo order our converfation in the world, that we may live, when we are dead, in the affections of the best, and leave an honourable teflimony in the confciences of the worst. Let us opprefs none; do good to all; that we may fay when we die, as good Ambrofe did, “ I am "neither afhamed to live, nor afraid to die!" DRUNKENNESS being nothing but a voluntary mad. nefs, it emboldens men to undertake all forts of mifchief. It both irritates wickedness, and discovers it; it does not only make men vicious, but fhews them to be fo; and the end of it is either fhame or repentance. IF you would not be thought a fool in other's conceit, be not wife in your own; he that truits to his own wisdom, proclaims his own folly, |