the medium of a pleasant story I had fomewhere met with. Pluto, perceiving that his Furies were beginning to grow old and worn in the service, called Mercury to him, and defired him to go to the upper world, and fearch the globe over, to find him three maids, fuch as were every way proper for the duty in which they were to be engaged. Mercury fet off on his errand. It happened, at the fame time, that Juno was in want of three handmaids, being obliged to turn away those she had, for their intrigues with Jupiter. Iris was accordingly dispatched to look in every corner of the earth, till she could meet with three virgins of fuch fevere chastity, that they were never known to fmile upon a man. After a confiderable time spent in the fearch, Iris returned out of breath and alone. "What!" cried her miftrefs, "have you not "fucceeded then? Is it poffible? O chastity! O virtue !" 66 Goddess, returned Iris, "I "have indeed found three rigid maidens, that "neither Jove nor Mars himself could ever have fubdued; but, alas! I arrived too late." "Too "late !" 66 Yes, too late; Mercury had already "engaged "For Pluto! for "engaged them for Pluto." "what purpofe?" "To make three Furies of "them."-My story had such an effect, that no attention was paid to the reprefentation contained in the paper before them... N° 53. SATURDAY, MAY II. Good with bad Expect to hear; fupernal grace contending By moderation either state to bear, NLY five Papers have yet been confecrated to the subject which ought to be the nearest to every man's heart. This is the greatest fatire I have yet pronounced upon my countrymen; for my age, my profeffion, and my predilection, would naturally have bent my thoughts continually to this object, had I judged that the religious frame of the public mind was fufficiently folid to endure fo much grave deduction and enquiry. The more C 6 rational t rational and thinking part of my readers will forgive me this ill compliment to the many : fenfible of the regard that must be had in thefe delicate times, to the flight conftitution of our minds, they will with me to imitate our fashionable physicians in mixing up together in fuch unequal proportions the naufeous and the nice, as to make of the whole The object of my last speculation on this subject was to prove the moral government of God; a ftate of probation is included almost under the fame idea. The notion of a general righteous judgment hereafter, implies fome fort of temptation to do what is wrong; but as the word probation is more particularly and distinctly expreffive of allurements to wrong, and the danger of mifcarriages, than the words moral government, in this view it may deserve a separate confideration. If we turn our attention from the moral government of God, to his natural governinent over us, we fhall perceive that the whole course and procedure of it plainly indicates a ftate of trial, in a fimilar fenfe, in regard to the present world. The The natural government of God confifts in his placing us in a balance between right and wrong, with a power of choice, and an anticipation of the confequences of that choice. Present fruition and fubfequent forrow, prefent forbearance and fucceeding enjoyment, mark out to us plainly a fort of conditional covenant which God has made with us in refpect to our career through this prefent world. So far as men are under temptations to any courfe of action which will probably occafion them greater temporal uneafinefs than fatisfaction, fo far their temporal intereft is in danger from themselves or they are in a state of trial with respect to it. That which conftitutes our trial in our temporal capacity, does also constitute it in our religious capacity; and the description of the one will be a description of the other, if only what we call temporal interest in one place, we call future in another, and fubftitute virtue for prudence in fpeaking of the trial for a future life. If we contemplate the behaviour of man under his trial in these different capacities, we may observe him proceeding in the fame neglect or defiance of the confequences of his actions in both cafes. Men will perfevere in a courfe courfe of diffolute extravagance with no remorse, and with little dread, with the certain foreknowledge in their minds, that it will end in their temporal ruin, and fome of us under the apprehenfion of the confequences in another state. Thus, our trials of difficulties and dangers in our temporal and our religious capacities, as they proceed from the fame caufes, and have the fame effect upon our behaviour, are evidently analogous and correfpondent, Without this experience afforded us in the natural conftitution of things, we might, perhaps, with fome fpecioufnefs urge, that it is inconfiftent with the character of infinite mercy to involve us in any hazards which he foresees must end in confufion and mifery.. Indeed, why any fort of danger or hazard fhould be impofed on fuch mortals as we are, may well be thought a difficulty in fpeculation, and ever will be fo till we are furnished with a higher degree of intelligence, and are admitted to more comprehenfive views of things than it is the lot of our natures to enjoy. But whatever the vanity of our reafon may fuggeft with refpect to the moral government of God, the |