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his occafional ftay in that town, and which had been prepared for his reception, two or three nights before. It was at the Three Cups: an inn, which he purchased a few years ago.

How black is the ingratitude of human nature! Though this valuable man lived entirely to the benefit of others, and may be claffed with the most public-fpirited worthies that ever breathed; yet I have feldom known a death fo little regretted by the generality. An eminent foreigner was of opinion, that there is no fuch thing as friendship in the world." Had he faid, "there is not much," he would have hit the mark.

"With fame, in juft proportion, envy grows:The man, that makes a character, makes foes."

Very exalted virtue is often admired: but not often loved. What is the reafon? Because, few are truly virtuous. And we must have fome virtue, ourfelves, ere we are capable of loving it in others, or of loving others for it.

You knew and efteemed Mr. Hollis's virtues; nor (which is one of the higheft encomiums his memory can receive) was he unworthy even of your friendship.

Allow me, madam, to exprefs my wish, that the precious blood and the imputed righteoufnefs of the adorable Meffiah, who lived and died for finners, may present you, in the hour of death, and in the day of judgement, faultlefs and complete before the uncreated Majefty. But, for the fake of thofe whom, in virtue and in knowledge, you fo greatly furpafs; may you be long detained from receiving that crown of life, to which (I truft) the Son of God has redeemed you by the atonement of his incftimable death.-

Auguflus Toplady.

LETTER.

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LETTER

XXXIV.

TO AMBROSE SERLE, Efq.

Broad-Hembury, Jan. 11, 1774.

WAS in Dorfet fhire, when dear Mr. S's favour, of the 4th inftant, arrived here: elfe, my thanks had waited on him, much earlier than they now do, for his repeated obligations. I never was mafter of fo useful a pocket-book, as that, which your last packet conveyed. Nor have I often met with compofitions, fo pleafing, and fo profitable, as thofe, which your friendhip was fo good as to communicate, under the fame inclofure. But how could my dear friend (whofe judgment rarely fails, unlefs when his own pieces are the objects of its criticifm) ever think of fubmitting fuch finished performances to my corrections? No. To preferve their excellence, they muft continue as they are. I muft fay of them, as Handell faid concerning the old tune of the 100th Pfalm, when he was afked to improve that confummate piece of noble mufic:

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was I to alter a note, I should spoil the whole."Make your obligation complete, by favouring me with more of thofe elegant and devout productions. If you have copies, of thofe already fent, I fhall beg leave to keep them. If not, I fhall folicit your permiffion to tranfcribe them, before they are returned.

I was once in company with Mr. M'Gregor, of Woolwich; whom you have honoured with your pious, benevolent, and judicious animadverfions. I believe him to be a good man: but he is, certainly, a very ignorant one. If you fuffer yourfelf to be at the beck of every conceited nibbler, who dreams himfelf qualified to conteft the plaineft truths, you

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will have work enough upon your hands. best thanks are due, for your valuable tract. Though, perhaps, it may conduce to render both your antagonist, and his antecedent fcrawlation (forgive an homely Devonshire term), more confpicuous, than they might otherwife have been.

I am happy, in the expectation of foon receiving your introduction to your great work. Do not fufpect me of complaifance, for ftyling it great, before I have feen it. I give it that epithet, on account of the unutterable confequence of the fubject on which it treats. What my unworthy judgement may be, of the manner, in which you have treated the argument; fhall, as ufual, be tranfmitted to you, ex animo, when I have had the long wifhed-for indulgence of perufing the welcome pacquet.

Some confiderable time ago, I requested my ever dear friend, to restrain the overflowings of his kind partiality toward, not the leaft grateful, but the least important, of his obliged confidence. Talk no more, of a "giant" and a "dwarf," unless you will allow me to affume all title to the latter denomination. If you love me, treat me as (what I am) an ignorant, feeble, dying finner. And, if you are fo benevolent, as to entertain a favourable idea of my wifhes for the caufe of God, keep that favourable idea to yourself, in time to come.

The holidays, 1 fuppofe, will hardly be expired, when this reaches your hands. Commend me, therefore, to your dear little folks. And may the children of my ineftimable friend be the children of the living God.

Mr. Fletcher may fire off, as foon as he pleases. The weapons of his warfare can never wound the truths of God, any more than an handful of feathers can batter down my Church tower. I fall, however, be glad to fee his performance, when it appears. Mr. Shirley told me, when I was laft at Bath, that Fletcher is to fucceed pope Wefley, as VOL. VI. (31.) commander

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commander in chief of the focieties, if he should furvive his holiness. No wonder, therefore, that the cardinal of Madely is fuch a zealous stickler for the caufe. One would think, that the Swiss were univerfally fated to fight for pay. Adieu.

Auguftus Toplady.

LETTER

XXXV.

To the Rev. Mr. ROMAINE.

Broad-Hembury, Jan. 11, 1774

ACCEPT my thanks, honoured and valued fir, for the welcome prefent of your three precious volumes. May the life of faith be more and more operative in my heart; and may the walk of faith be difplayed in every part of my converfation; until the great author and finifher of faith give me an abundant entrance into the land of fight and of glory.

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I wish it was in my power, to render you an acknowledgement, adequate, in worth, to the kind. favour you have conferred. When the printer will. give my intended publication leave to appear, a copy of it, fuch as it is, will folicit your acceptance.

The God, whofe you are, and whom you ferve, lend you long to his Church; multiply his mercies toward you, and caufe your path to fhine, with increafing brightness, to the perfect day. You give me your friendship; give me alfo your prayers, and confider me as

your affectionate and obliged, Auguftus Toplady.

My best remembrance waits on dear Mrs. Romaine. Mifs L-expreffes much concern and

furprize,

furprize, at your having paffed through Wellington, without calling on her; and wishes to know the reason.

LETTER XXXVI.

To Mr.

DOCTOR

Broad-Hembury, Feb. 9, 1774.

OCTOR Young has an obfervation, which discovers, as much as any he ever made, his knowledge of human nature: "It is dangerous," I think he fays, " to dive, into moft men, deeper than the furface; left clofer acquaintance fhould abate our good opinion of them.'

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You, my dearest friend, are primus è paucis, eminent among the rare exceptions to that rule. The perfon, who knows you beft, will be fure to value you moft: and, the longer he has the happiness of knowing you, the more muft he regard and refpect you. His efteem will refemble the progreffive enlargements of a river, which widens and increafes as it flows. I am led to this remark, by a repeated perufal of your valuable manufcript. Pardon the delay, if no part of it wait on you by the prefent pacquet. Were your papers lefs excellent, they would be difmiffed from hence with greater expedition.

I did not doubt of your approving Gale's Court of the Gentiles. It is indeed a treafure. Though, I think, in fome cafes, the learned and devout author winds up his darling hypothefis too high, in fuppofing, that the Jews, during the very infancy of their nation, were the fole lumina terra, or the fountains from whom the Egyptians and other eaftern literati derived the fubftance of their erudition. I likewife

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