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felves together; till their roots come to be spread wide and deep over all the foul.

SECTION X.

WHENCE arifes the mifery of this prefent world? It is not owing to our cloudy atmosphere, our changing feafons, and inclement skies. It is not owing to the debility of our bodies, or to the unequal distribution of the goods of fortune. Amidft all disadvantages of this kind, a pure, a steadfast, and enlightened mind, poffeffed of trong virtue, could enjoy itself in peace, and smile at the impotent affaults of fortune and the elements. It is within ourselves that misery has fixed its feat. Our difordered hearts, our guilty paffions, our violent prejudices, and misplaced defires, are the inftruments of the trouble which we endure. These sharpen the darts which adversity would otherwise point in vain against us.

While the vain and the licentious are revelling in the midst of extravagance and riot, how little do they think of thofe fcenes of fore diftrefs which are paffing at that moment throughout the world; multitudes ftruggling for a poor fubfiftence, to fupport the wife and children whom they love, and who look up to them with eager eyes for that bread which they can hardly procure; multitudes groaning under fickness in defolate cottages, untended and unmourned; many, apparently in a better fituation of life, pining away in fecret with concealed griefs; families weeping over the beloved friends whom they have lost, or in all the bitterness of anguish, bidding those who are just expiring the laft adieu.

Never adventure on too near an approach to what is evil. Familiarize not yourselves with it, in the flightest instances, without fear. Liften with reverence to every reprehension of confcience; and preferve the most quick and accurate fenfibility to right and wrong. If ever your moral impreffions begin to decay, and your natural abhorrence of guilt to leffen, you have ground to dread that the ruin of virtue is fast approaching.

By disappointments and trials the violence of our passions is tamed, and our minds are formed to fobriety and reflection. In the varieties of life, occafioned by the viciffitudes of worldly fortune, we are inured to habits both of the active and the fuffering virtues. How much foever

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we complain of the vanity of the world, facts plainly show, that if its vanity were lefs, it could not answer the purpose of falutary difcipline. Unfatisfactory as it is, its pleasures are ftill too apt to corrupt our hearts. How fatal then muft the confequences have been, had it yielded us more complete enjoyment? If, with all its troubles, we are in danger of being too much attached to it, how entirely would it have seduced our affections, if no troubles had been mingled with its pleasures?

In feasons of distress or difficulty, to abandon ourselves to dejection, carries no mark of a great or a worthy mind. Inftead of finking under trouble, and declaring " that his foul is weary of life," it becomes a wife and a good man, in the evil day, with firmness to maintain his poft; to bear up against the ftorm; to have recourfe to thofe advantages, which, in the worst of times, are always left to integrity and virtue; and never to give up the hope that better days may yet arise.

How many young perfons have at first set out in the world with excellent difpofitions of heart; generous, charitable, and humane; kind to their friends, and amiable among all with whom they had intercourfe! And yet, how often have we feen all thofe fair appearances unhappily blafted in the progrefs of life, merely through the influence of loofe and corrupting pleasures: and those very perfons, who promised once to be blessing to the world, funk down, in the end, to be the burden and nuisance of fociety!

The most common propenfity of mankind, is, to store futurity with whatever is agreeable to them; especially in thofe periods of life, when imagination is lively, and hope is ardent Looking forward to the year now beginning, they are ready to promise themselves much, from the foundations of profperity which they have laid; from the friendships and connections which they have fecured; and from the plans of conduct which they have formed. Alas! how deceitful do all thefe dreams of happiness often prove! While many are faying in fecret to their hearts, "To-morrow fhall be as this day, and more abundantly," we are obiiged in return to fay to them; "Boaft not yourselves of tomorrow; for you know not what a day may bring forth !"

CHAP. II.

NARRATIVE PIECES.

SECTION I.

No Rank or Possessions can make the guilty Mind happy. DIONYSIUS, the tyrant of Sicily, was far from being happy, though he poffeffed great riches, and all the pleafures which wealth and power could procure. Damocles,

one of his flatterers, deceived by thofe fpecious appearances of happiness, took occafion to compliment him on the extent of his power, his treasures, and royal magnificence: and declared that no monarch had ever been greater or happier than Dionyfius. "Haft thou a mind, Damocles," fays the king, "to tafte this happiness; and to know, by experience, what the enjoyments are, of which thou haft fo high an idea?" Damocles, with joy, accepted the offer. The King ordered that a royal banquet fhould be prepared, and a gilded fofa, covered with rich embroidery, placed for his favourite. Side-boards, loaded with gold and silver plate of immenfe value, were arranged in the apartment. Pages of extraordinary beauty were ordered to attend his table, and to obey his commands with the utmoft readiness, and the moft profound fubmission. Fragrant ointments, chaplets of flowers, and rich perfumes, were added to the entertainment. The table was loaded with the most exquisite delicacies of every kind. Damocles, intoxicated with pleasure, fancied himself amongst fuperior beings. But in the midst of all this happiness, as he lay indulging himself in state, he fees let down from the ceiling, exactly over his head, a glittering fword hung by a fingle hair. The sight of impending destruction put a fpeedy end to his joy and revelling. The pomp of his attendance, the glitter of the carved plate, and the delicacy of the viands, ceafe to afford him any pleasure. He dreads to stretch forth his hand to the table. He throws off the garland of rofes. He haftens to remove from his dangerous situation; and earnestly entreats the king to restore him to his former humble condition, having no desire to enjoy any longer a happinefs fo terrible.

By this device, Dionysius intimated to Damocles, how miferable he was in the midst of all his treafures; and in poffeffion of all the honours and enjoyments which royalty could bestow.

CIC

SECTION II.

Change of external Condition is often adverfe to Virtue.

When

In the days of Joram, king of Ifrael, flourished the prophet Elifha. His character was fo eminent, and his fame fo widely fpread, that Benhadad, the king of Syria, though an idolater, fent to confult him, concerning the iffue of a distemper which threatened his life. The mefsenger employed on this occasion was Hazael, who appears to have been one of the princes, or chief men of the Syrian court. Charged with rich gifts from the king, he prefents himself before the prophet; and accosts him in terms of the highest respect. During the conference which they held together, Elifha fixed his eyes stedfastly on the countenance of Hazael; and difcerning, by a prophetic fpirit, his future tyranny and cruelty, he could not contain himself from bursting into a flood of tears. Hazael, in furprife, inquired into the cause of this sudden emotion, the prophet plainly informed him of the crimes and barbarities, which he forefaw that he would afterwards commit. The foul of Hazael abhorred, at this time, the thoughts of cruelty. Uncorrupted, as yet, by ambition or greatness, his indignation rofe at being thought capable of the savage actions, which the prophet had mentioned; and, with much warmth, he replies; "But what? is thy fervant a dog, that he fhould do this great thing?" Elifha makes no return, but to point out a remarkable change, which was to take place in his condition: "The Lord hath fhown me, that thou fhalt be king over Syria." In courfe of time, all that had been predicted came to pafs. Hazael afcended the throne, and ambition took poffeffion of his heart. "He fmote the children of Israel in all their coasts. He oppreffed them

during all the days of king Jehoahaz" and, from what is left on record of his actions, he plainly appears to have proved, what the prophet foresaw him to be, a man of violence, cruelty, and blood.:

In this paffage of history, an object is prefented, which deferves our ferious attention. We behold a man who, in one state of life, could not look upon certain crimes without furprise and horror; who knew fo little of himself, as to believe it impoffible for him ever to be concerned in committing them; that fame man, by a change of condi

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tion, and an unguarded ftate of mind, transformed in all his fentiments; and as he rofe in greatness rifing alfo in guilt; till at last he completed that whole character of iniquity, which he once detefted.

SECTION III.

Haman; or, the Misery of Pride.

BLAIR.

AHASUERAS, who is suppofed to be the prince known among the Greek hiftorians by the name of Artaxerxes, had advanced to the chief dignity in his kingdom, Haman, an Amalekite, who inherited all the ancient enmity of his race, to the Jewish nation. He appears, from what is recorded of him, to have been a very wicked minifter. Raised to greatnefs without merit, he employed his power folely for the gratification of his passions. As the honours which he poffeffed were next to royal, his pride was every day fed with that fervile homage, which is peculiar to Afiatic courts; and all the fervants of the king proftrated themselves before him. In the midst of this general adulation, one perfon only stooped not to Haman. This was Mordecai the Jew; who, knowing this Amalekite to be an enemy to the people of God, and, with virtuous indignation, despising that infolence of profperity with which he faw him lifted up, "bowed not, nor did him reverence." On this appearance of difrefpect from Mordecai, Haman was full of wrath: but he thought fcorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone." Perfonal revenge was not fufficient to fatisfy him. So violent and black were his paffions, that he refolved to exterminate the whole nation to which Mordecai belonged. Abusing, for his cruel purpose, the favour of his credulous fovereign, he obtained a decree to be fent forth, that, against a certain day, all the Jews throughout the Perfian dominions fhould be put to the fword. Meanwhile, confident of fuccefs, and blind to approaching ruin, he continued exulting in his profperity. Invited by Ahasuerus to a royal banquet, which Efther the queen had prepared," he went forth that day joyful, and with a glad heart." But behold how flight an incident was fufficient to poifon his joy! As he went forth, he faw Mordecai in the king's gate; and obferved, that he ftill refused to do him homage : "He ftood not up, nor was moved for him ;" although he well knew the for midable defigns, which Haman was preparing to exec

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