virtue is happy in the profperity of the virtuous. He who rejoiceth in the happiness of another, increaseth by it his own. 283. HEAVINESS of HEART. The foul of the cheerful foiceth a fmile upon the face of affliction; but the defpondence of the fad deadeneth even the bright-, neis of joy. What is the fource of fadnefs, but a feebleness of the foul? what giveth it power but the want of fpirit? Roufe thyelf to the combat, and the quitteth the feld before thou ftrikeft. Sadnefs is an enemy to thy race, therefore drive her from thy heart; fhe poisoneth the fweets of thy life, therefore fuffer her not to enter thy dwelling. She raifeth the lofs of a ftraw to the defruction of thy fortune. While fhe vexeth thy foul about trifles, fhe robbeth thee of thine attendance to the things of confequence: behold, the but prophefieth what the feemeth to relate unto thee. She fpreadeth drowfinefs as a veil over thy virtues: the hideth them from those who would honour thee in beholding them; Ee entangleth and keepeth them down, while the maketh it most neceflary for thee to exert them. Lo, the oppreffeth thee with evil; and Le tieth down thine hands, when they would throw the load from off thee. If thou wouldst avoid what is bafe, if thou wouldst difdain what is cowardly, if thou wouldst drive from thy heart what is unjut, fuffer not fadnefs to lay hold upon it. Suffer it not to cover itfelf with the face of piety; let it not deceive thee with a fhew of wildom. Religion payeth honour to thy Maker; let it not be clouded with melancoly. Wifdom maketh thee happy; know then, that forrow in her fight is as a ftranger. For what should man be forrowful; but for afflictions? Why fhould his heart give up joy, when the caufes of it are not reroved from him? Is not this being miferable for the fake of mifery? As the mourner who looketh fad becaufe he is hired to do fo, who weepeth becaufe his tears are paid for; fuch is the man who faffereth his heart to be fad, not becaufe he ffereth aught, but because he is gloomy. It is not the occafion that produceth the forrow; for, behold, the fame thing fhall be to another rejoicing. Ak men if their fadnefs maketh things better, and they will confefs to thee that it is folly; nay, they will praife him who beareth his ills with patience, who maketh head against misfortune with courage. Applaufe thould be followed by imitation. Sadness is against nature, for it troubleth her motions: lo, it rendereth diftorted whatfoever nature hath made amiable. As the oak falleth before the tempeft, and raifeth not its head again; fo boweth the heart of man to the force of fadness, and returneth unto his ftrength no more. As the fnow melteth upon the mountains, from the rain that trickleth down their fides, even fo is beauty wafhed from off thy cheek by tear and neither the one nor the other reftoreth itself again. As the pearl is diffolved by the vinegar, which feemeth at firft only to obfcure its furface; fo is thy happinefs, O man! fwallowed up by heavinefs of heart, though at firfl it feemeth only to cover it as with its fhadow. Behold fadnefs in the public freets; caft thine eye upon her in the places of refort; avoideth not the every one? and doth not every one fly from her prefence? See how the droopeth her head, like the flower whose root is cut alunder! see how fhe fixeth her eyes upon the earth! fee how they ferve her to no purpofe but for weeping! Is there in her mouth difcourfe? is there in her heart the love of fociety? is there in her foul, reafon? Ak her the caufe, fhe knoweth it not; enquire the occafion, and behold there is none. Yet doth her ftrength fail her: lo, at length fhe finketh into the grave; and no one faith, What is become of her? Haft thou understanding, and feet thou not this! haft thou piety, and perceivest thou not thine error? God created thee in mercy; had he not intended thee to be happy, his beneficence would not have called thee into existence: how dareft thou then to fly in the face of Majefty? Whilft thou art moft happy with innocence, thou doft him most honour; and what is thy difcontent but murmuring againft him? Created he not all things liable to changes, and dareft thou to weep at their changing? If we know the law of nature, wherefore do we complain of it? if we are ignorant of it, what fhall we accufe but our blindness to what every moment giveth us proof of? While fadnefs feparateth thee from thy friends, doth it not fay, Thou art unfit for converfation while the driveth thee into corners, doth the not proclaim that she is alhamed of her elf? It is not in thy nature to meet the arrows of ill fortune unhurt; nor doth reafon require it of thee: it is thy duty to bear misfortune like a man; but thou must first alfo feel it like one. Tears may drop from thine eyes, though virtue falleth not from thine heart: be thou careful only that there is caufe, and that they flow not too abundantly. The greatnefs of the affliction is not to be reckoned from the number of tears. The greatest griefs are above thefe teftimonies, as the greatest joys are beyond utterance. What is there that weakeneth the foul like grief? what depreffeth it like fad nefs? Is the forrowful prepared for noble enterprizes? or armeth he himself in the caufe of virtue? Subject not thyfelf to ills, where there are in return no advantages: neither facrifice thou the means of good unto that which is in itself an evil. Of the ADVANTAGES MAN may acquire over his Fellow-Creatures. § 284. NOBILITY and HONOUR, Nobility refideth not but in the foul; nor is there true honour except in virtue. The favour of princes may be bought by vice; rank and titles may be purchased for money: but thefe are not true honour. Crimes cannot exalt the man, who commits them, to real glory; neither can gold make men noble. When titles are the reward of virtue, when the man is fet on high who hath ferved his country; he who beftoweth the honours hath glory, like as he who receiveth them; and the world is benefited by it. Wouldst thou wish to be raifed, and men know not for what? or wouldst thou that they fhould fay, Why is this? When the virtues of the hero defcend to his children, his titles accompany them well; but when he who poffeffeth them is unlike him who deferved them, lo, do they not call him degenerate? Hereditary honour is accounted the most noble; but reafon fpeaketh in the cause of him who hath acquired it. He who, meritlefs himself, appealeth to the actions of his ancestors for his greatnefs, is like the thief who claimeth protec tion by flying to the pagod. What good is it to the blind, that his parents could fee? what benefit is it to the dumb, that his grandfather was eloquent! even fo, what is it to the mean, that their predeceffors were noble? A mind difpofed to virtue, maketh great the poffeffor: and without titles it will raife him above the vulgar. He will acquire honour while others receive it; and will he not fay unto them, Such were the men whom ye glory in be ing derived from? As the fhadow waiteth on the fubftance, even fo true honour attendeth upon vir tue. Say not that honour is the child of bold. nefs, nor believe thou that the hazard of life alone can pay the price of it: it is not to the action that it is due, but to the manner of performing it. the All are not called to the guiding t helm of ftate; neither are there armies to be commanded by every one: do well that which is committed to thy charge, and praise fhall remain unto thee. Say not that difficulties are neceffary be conquered, or that labour and dange must be in the way of renown. The w man who is chafte, is fhe not praifed? the man who is honeft, deferveth he not to be honoured? The thirst of fame is violent; the defe of honour is powerful; and he who gave them to us, gave them for great purpofes When deiperate actions are neceffary to the public, when our lives are to be expe for the good of our country, what can se force to virtue, but ambition? It is not the receiving honour that de lighteth the noble mind; its pride is the deferving it. Is it not better men fhould fay, Why hath not this man a ftatue? than that they fhould afk, Why he hath one? The ambitious will always be firft in de Crood; croud; he preffeth forward, he looketh not behind him. More anguish is it to his foul, to fee one before him, than joy to leave thoufands at a distance. The root of ambition is in every man; but it rifeth not in all fear keepeth it down in fome; in many it is fupprefled by modesty. It is the inner garment of the foul; the first thing put on by it with the flesh, and the laft it layeth down at its feparation from it. It is an honour to thy nature when worthily employed; when thou directeft it to wrong purposes, it fhameth and deftroyeth thee. In the breaft of the traitor ambition is covered; hypocrify hideth its face under her mantle; and cool diffimulation furnifheth it with fmooth words; but in the end men fhall fee what it is. The ferpent lofeth not his fting though benumbed with the froft, the tooth of the viper is not broken though the cold clofeth his mouth: take pity on his fate, and he will fhew thee his fpirit; warm him in thy bofom, and he will requite thee with death. He that is truly virtuous, loveth virtue for herself; he difdaineth the applaufe which ambition aimeth after. How pitiable were the ftate of virtue, if fhe could not be happy but from another's praife? the is too noble to feek recompenfe, and no more will, than can be rewarded. moment; his life is one continued aft of devotion. Cafteth he his eye towards the clouds, findeth he not the heavens full of his wonders? Looketh he down to the earth, doth not the worm proclaim to him, Lefs than Omnipotence could not have formed me? The higher the fun arifeth, the lefs fhadow doth he make; even fo the greater is the virtue, the lefs doth it covet praife; yet cannot it avoid its reward in honours. Glory, like a fhadow, flieth him who purfueth it; but it followeth at the heels of him who would fly from it: if thou courteft it without merit, thou shalt never attain unto it; if thou deservest it, though thou hideft thyself, it will never forfake thee. While the planets perform their courfes; while the fun remaineth in his place; while the comet wandereth through the liquid air, and returneth to its destined road again; who but thy God, O man! could have formed them what but infinite wifdom could have appointed them their laws? Purfue that which is honourable; do that which is right; and the applaufe of thine own confcience will be more joy to thee, than the fhouts of millions who know not that thou deferveth them. $285. SCIENCE and LEARNING. Behold how awful their fplendor! yet do they not diminish: lo, how rapid their motions! yet one runneth not in the way of another. Look down upon the earth, and fee her produce; examine her bowels, and behold what they contain: hath not wisdom and power ordained the whole? Who biddeth the grafs to fpring up? who watereth it at its due feafons? Behold the ox croppeth it; the horfe and the sheep, feed they not upon it? Who is he that provideth it for them? The nobleft employment of the mind of man, is the ftudy of the works of his Creator. To him whom the fcience of nature delighteth, every object bringeth a proof of his God; every thing that proveth it, giveth caufe of adoration. His mind is lifted up to heaven every Who giveth increase to the corn that thou foweft? who returneth it to thee a thousand fold? Who ripeneth for thee the olive in its time? and the grape, though thou knowet not the cause of it? Can the meaneft fly create itfelf; or wert thou aught lefs than God, could thou have fathioned it? The beafts feel that they exift, but they wonder not at it; they rejoice in their life, but they know not that it fhall end: each performeth its courfe in fucceffion; nor is there a lofs of one fpecies in a thoufand generations. Thou who feeft the whole as admirable as its parts, cant thou better employ thine eye than in tracing out thy Creator's greatrefs in them, thy mind, than in examining their wonders? Power and mercy are difplayed in their formation; juftice and goodness fhine forth in the provifion that is made for them; all are happy in their feveral ways; nor en vieth one the other. dies for thy diseases, all derived from this fuccefs and happiness cause even our friends fource alone? to envy. Who is wife then, but he that knoweth it? who hath understanding, but he that contemplateth it? For the reft, whatever fcience hath moft utility, whatever knowledge hath leaft vanity, prefer thefe unto the others; and profit from them for the fake of thy neighbour. To live, and to die; to command, and to obey; to do, and to fuffer; are not thefe all that thou hast farther to care about? Morality hall teach thee thefe; the Economy of Life fhall lay them before thee. Behold, they are written in thine heart, and thou needeft only to be reminded of them they are eafy of conception; be attentive, and thou shalt retain them. All other fciences are vain, all other knowledge is boaft; lo, it is not neceflary or beneficial to man; nor doth it make him more good, or more honeft. Piety to thy God, and benevolence to thy follow creatures, are they not thy great dudies? What fhall teach thee the one, like the study of his works? what fhall inform thee of the other, like underitanding thy dependencies? Of NATURAL ACCIDENTS. $286. PROSPERITY and ADVERSITY. Let not profperity elate thine heart above meafure; neither deprefs thy foul unto the grave, because fortune beareth hard again it thee. Her fmiles are not stable, therefore build not thy confidence upon them; her frowns endure not for ever, therefore let hope teach thee patience. To bear adverfity well, is difficult; but to be temperate in profperity, is the height of wisdom. Good and ill are the tefts by which thou art to know thy conftancy; nor is there aught elfe that can tell thee the powers of thine own foul: be therefore upon the watch when they are upon thee. Behold profperity, how fweetly the flattereth thee; how infenfibly fhe robbeth thee if thy ftrength and thy vigour? Though thou hast been con ant in ill fortune, though thou haft been invincible in ditref; yet by her thou art conquered: not knowing that thy ftrength returreth not again; and yet that thou again mayft need r. Affliction moveth our enemics to pity: Adverfity is the feed of well-doing: it is the nurfe of heroifm and boldness; who that hath enough, will endanger himself to have more? who that is at eafe, will fet his life on the hazard? True virtue will act under all circumftances; but men fee most of its effects when accidents concur with it. In adverfity man feeth nimfelf abandoned by others; he findeth that all his hopes are centered within himself; he roufeth his foul, he encountereth his difficulties, and they yield before him. In profperity he fancieth himfelf fafe; he thinketh he is beloved of all that smile about his table; he groweth careless and remifs; he feeth not the danger that is before him; he trufteth to o.hers, and in the end they deceive him. Every man can advife his own fool in diftrefs; but profperity blindeth the trath Better is the forrow that leadeth to cotentment, than the joy that rendereth man unable to endure diftrefs, and after plugeth himself into it. Our paffions dictate to us in all our extremes: moderation is the effect of wildom. Be upright in thy whole life; be content in all its changes: fo fhalt thou make thy profit out of all occurrences; fo fhall every thing that happeneth unto thee be the fource of praife. The wife maketh every thing the means of advantage; and with the fame counte nance beholdeth he all the faces of fortune: he governeth the good, he conquereth the evil: he is unmoved in all. Preiume not in profperity, neither defpair in adverfity: court not dangers, nor meanly fly from before them: dare to defpife whatever will not remain with thee. Let not adverfity tear off the wings of hope; neither Ict profperity obscure the light of prudence. He who defpaireth of the end, fhall never attain unto it; and he who feeth not the pit, fhall perish therein. He who calleth profperity his good; who hath faid unto her, With thee will I eblish my happiness; lo,! he anchoreth bis veffel in a bed of fand, which the return of the tide wafheth away. As the water that paffeth from the mountains, kiffeth, in its way to the ocean, every field that bordereth the rivers; as it tarrieth not in any place; even fo fertune vifiteth the fons of men; her motion is is inceffant, fhe will not ftay; she is unflable as the winds, how then wilt thou hold her? When the kiffeth thee, thou art bleffed; behold, as thou turneth to thank her, fhe is gone unto another. $287. PAIN and SICKNESS. The fickness of the body affecteth even the foul; the one cannot be in health without the other. Pain is of all ills that which is moft felt; and it is that which from nature hath the feweft remedies. When thy conftancy faileth thee, call in thy rea on; when thy patience quitteth thee, call in thy hope. To fuffer, is a neceffity entailed upon thy nature; wouldst thou that miracles fhould protect thee from it? or fhalt thou repine, because it happeneth unto thee, when lo, it happeneth unto all? It is injuftice to expect exemption from that thou wert born unto; fubmit with modefty to the laws of thy condition. Wouldst thou fay to the feafons, Pafs not on, left I grow old? is it not better to feffer well that which thou canst not avoid? Pain that endureth long, is moderate; blush therefore to complain of it: that which is violent is short: behold thou feeft the end of it. The body was created to be fubfervient to the foul; while thou afflicteft the foul for its pains, behold thou fetteft that above it. As the wife afflicteth not himself, because a thorn teareth his garment; fo the patient grieveth not his foul, becaufe that which covereth it is injured. his joy appeareth to him a jewel which he expecteth every moment he shall lofe. Wouldst thou learn to die nobly? let thy vices die before thee. Happy is he who endeth the bufinefs of his life before his death; who, when the hour of it cometh, hath nothing to do but to die; who wisheth not delay, because he hath no longer use for time. Avoid not death, for it is a weakness; fear it not, for thou understandeth not what it is all that thou certainly knoweft, is, that it putteth an end to thy forrows, Think not the longeft life the happieft; that which is beft employed, doth man the most honour; himfelf fhall rejoice after death in the advantages of it. This is the complete ECONOMY of HUMAN LIFE. $289. A Morning Prayer for a young Student at School, or for the common Use of a School. Father of All! we return thee moft humble and hearty thanks for thy protection of us in the night feafon, and for the refreshment of our fouls and bodies, in the fweet repofe of fleep. Accept alfo our unfeigned gratitude for all thy mercies during the helpless age of infancy. Continue, we befeech thee, to guard us under the fhadow of thy wing. Our age is tender, and our nature frail; and, without the influence of thy grace, we shall furely fall. Let that influence defcend into our hearts, and teach us to love thee and truth above all things. O guard us from temptations to deceit, and grant that we may abhor a lye, both as a fin and as a difgrace. Infpire us with an abhorrence of the loathfomenefs of vice, and the pollutions of fenfual pleasure. Grant, at the fame time, that we may early feel the delight of confcious purity, and wash our hands in innocency, from the united motives of inclination and of duty. Give us, O thou Parent of all knowledge, a love of learning, and a taste for the pure and fublime pleafures of the underftanding. Improve our memory, quicken our apprehenfion, and grant that we may lay up fuch a ftore of learning, as may fit us for the ftation to which it shall pleate thee to call us, and enable us to make great advances in virtue and religion, and thine as lights in the world, by the influence of a good example. Give us grace to be diligent in our Cc ftudies, |