fa little do they know that to forgive is the most arduous pitch human nature can arrive at: a coward has often fought, a coward has often conquered, but a 'coward never forgave.' The power of doing that flows from a ftrength of foul confcious of it's own force; whence it draws a certain fafety, which it's enemy s not of confideration enough to interrapt; for it is peculiar in the make of a brave man to have his friends feem puch above him, his enemies much behow him.

Yet though the neglect of our enemies may, fo intenfe a forgiveness as the love of them is not to be in the leaft accounted for by the force of conftitution, but is amore fpiritual and refined moral, introduced by him who died for thofe that perfecuted him; yet very justly delivered us, when we confider ourselves offenders, and to be forgiven on the reaenable terms of forgiving; for who can ak what he will not beftow? Efpecially when that gift is attended with a redemption from the crueleft slavery to the toff acceptable freedom: for when the nd is in contemplation of revenge, all r's thoughts must furely be tortured with the alternate pangs of rancour, eny, hatred, and indignation; and they ho profefs a fweet in the enjoyment of certainly never felt the confummate ifs of reconciliation: at fuch an inlant the falfe ideas we received unravel, and the fhynefs, the diftruft, the fecret torns, and all the bafe fatisfactions men and in each others faults and misforames, are difpelled, and their fou's apear in their native whitenefs, without be leaft ftreak of that malice or diftate which fullied them: and perhaps thofe ey actions, which (when we looked at hem in the oblique glance with which tred doth always fee things) were hor. id and odious, when obferved with hoef and open eyes, are beauteous and #namental.

But if men are averse to us in the most iolent degree, and we can never bring tem to an amicable temper, then indeed at are to exert an obftinate oppofition, them; and never let the malice of our memies have fo effectual an advantage er us, as to escape our good-will: for the neglected and defpifed tenets of region are fo generous, and in fo tranEendent and heroic a manner difpofed public good, that it is not in a man's

power to avoid their influence; for the chriftian is as much inclined to your fervice when your enemy, as the moral man when your friend.

But the followers of a crucified Saviour muft root out of their hearts alt fenfe that there is any thing great and noble in pride or haughtinefs of fpirit; yet it will be very difficult to fix that idea in our fouls, except we can think as worthily of ourselves, when we practife the contrary virtues; we must learn and be convinced, that there is fomething fublime and heroic in true meeknefs and humility, for they arife from a great, not a grovelling idea of things; for as certainly as pride proceeds from a mean and narrow view of the little advantages about a man's felf, fo maknefs is founded on the extended contemplation of the place we bear in the univerfe, and a juft obfervation how little, how empty, how wavering are our deepeft refolves and counfels. And as (to a well-taught mind) when you have faid an hauglity and proud man, you have fpoke a narrow conception, little fpirit, and defpicable carriage; fo when you have faid a man is meek and humble, you have acquainted us that fuch a perfon has arrived at the hardest task in the world, in an univerfal obfervation round him, to be quick to see his own faults, and other men's virtues, and at the height of pardoning every man fooner than himself; you have alfo given us to understand, that to treat him kindly, fincerely, and refpectfully, is but a mere juftice to him that is ready to do us the fame offices. This temper of soul keeps us always awake to a juft fenfe of things, teaches us that we are as well akin to worms as to angels; and as nothing is above thefe, fo nothing below thofe. It keeps our understanding tight about us, fo that all things appear to us great or little, as they are in nature and the fight of heaven, not as they are gilded or fullied by accident or fortune.

It were to be wifhed that all men of fenfe would think it worth their while to reflect upon the dignity of chriftian virtues, it would poffibly enlarge their fouls into fuch a contempt of what fa-, fhion and prejudice have made honourable, that their duty, inclination, and honour, would tend the fame way, and make all their lives an uniform act of religion and virtue.

As

As to the great catastrophe of this day, on which the Mediator of the world fuffered the greatest indignities and death itself for the falvation of mankind, it would be worth gentlemens confideration, whether from his example it would not be proper to kill all inclinations to revenge: and examine whether it would not be expedient to receive new notions of what his great and honourable.

This is neceffary against the day wherein he who died ignominiously for us fhall defcend from Heaven to be our judge, in majesty and glory.' How will the man who shall die by the fword of pride and wrath, and in contention with his brother, appear before him, at whose prefence nature fhall be in an agony, and the great and glorious bodies of light be obfcured; when the fun fhall be darkened, the moon turn⚫ed into blood, and all the powers of Heaven fhaken; when the heavens themselves fhall pafs away with a great < noife, and the elements diffolve with ⚫ fervent heat; when the earth alfo, and ⚫ all the works that are therein shall be "burnt up?'

What may juftly damp in our minds the diabolical madness, which prompts us to decide our petty animofities by the hazard of eternity, is, that in that one act the criminal does not only highly

offend, but forces himself into the prefence of his judge; that is certainly his cafe who dies in a duel. I cannot but repeat it, he that dies in a duel knowingly offends God, and in that very action rushes into his offended prefence. Is it poffible for the heart of man to conceive a more terrible image than that of a departed spirit in this condition? Could we but fuppofe it has juft left it's body, and struck with the terrible reflection, that to avoid the laughter of fools, and being the by-word of idiots, it has now precipitated itself into the din of demons, and the howlings of eter nal defpair, how willingly now would it fuffer the imputation of fear and cowardice, to have one moment left not to tremble in vain?

The Scriptures are full of pathetical and warm pictures of the condition of an happy or miserable futurity; and, I am confident, that the frequent reading of them would make the way to an happy eternity fo agreeable and pleafant, thất he who tries it will find the difficulties, which he before fuffered in thunning the allurements of vice, absorbed in the pleasure he will take in the pursuit of virtue: and how happy muft that mortal be, who thinks himself in the favour of an Almighty, and can think of death as a thing which it is an infirmity not to defire?

MUNERE

OCTOR Tillotfon, in his difcourfe concerning the Danger of all known fin, both from the light of nature and revelation,' after having given us the defeription of the laft-day out of Holy Writ, has this remarkable paffage.

'I appeal to any man, whether this be not a reprefentation of things very proper and fuitable to that great day, wherein he who made the world fhall come to judge it? And whether the wit of man ever deviled any thing so awful, and fo agreeable to the ma་ jesty of God, and the folemn judg

VIRG. ÆN. 6. v. 885.

ment of the whole world? The defcription which Virgil makes of the Elyfian Fields, and the Infernal Regions, how infinitely do they fall fhort of the majefty of the Holy Scripture, and the defcription there made of Heaven and Hell, and of the great and terrible day of the Lord! so that in comparison they are childish and trifling; and yet perhaps he had the molt regular and moft governed imagination of any man that ever lived, and obferved the greateft decorum in his characters and defcriptions. But who can declare the great things of

! Godj

God, but he to whom God fhall re• veal them?

This obfervation was worthy a moft palite man, and ought to be of authoity with all who are fuch, fo far as to examine whether he spoke that as a man of a juft tafte and judgment, or advanced it merely for the fervice of his doctrine as a clergyman.

I am very confident, whoever reads the Gofpels with a heart as much prered in favour of them as when he fits down to Virgil or Homer, will find no paffage there which is not told with more tural force, than any epifode in either of those wits, which were the chief of mere mankind.

The last thing I read was the twentyfourth chapter of St. Luke, which gives an account of the manner in which our bleffe Saviour, after his refurrection, joined with two difciples on the way to Emmaus as an ordinary traveller, and took the privilege as fuch to enquire of them what occafioned a sadness he obterved in their countenances; or whether it was from any public caufe. Their wonder that any man fo near Jerufalem houli be a ftranger to what had paffed there; their acknowledgment to one they raet accidentally that they had believed in this prophet; and that now, the third day after his death, they were in doubt as to their pleafing hope which occafoned the heaviness he took notice of; are all reprefented in a ftyle which men of Letters call the great and noble fmplicity. The attention of the difpies when he expounded the Scriptures concerning himfelf, his offering to take Lis leave of them, their fondness of his fay, and the manifeftation of the great queft whom they had entertained while he was yet at meat with them, are all incidents which wonderfully please the imagination of a chriftian reader; and give to him fomething of that touch of mindwhich the brethren felt, when they faid one to another Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened ⚫ to us the Scriptures?'

I am very far from pretending to treat these matters as they deserve; but I hope thofe gentlemen who are qualified for it, and called to it, will forgive me, and confider that I fpeak as a mere fecular man, impartially confidering the effect which the Sacred Writings will have upon the foul of an intelligent

reader; and it is fome argument, that a thing is the immediate work of God, when it fo infinitely tranfcends all the labours of man. When I look upon Raphael's picture of our Saviour appearing to his difciples after his refurrection, I cannot but think the just difpofition of that piece has in it the force of many volumes on the fubject: the evangelifts are easily diftinguished from the reft by a paffionate zeal and love which the painter has thrown in their faces; the huddled group of those who ftand moft diftant, are admirable reprefentations of men abathed with their late unbelief and hardness of heart. And fuch endeavours as this of Raphael, and of all men not called to the altar, are collateral helps not to be despited by the minifters of the gospel.

It is with this view that I prefume upon fubjects of this kind, and men may take up this paper, and he catched by an admonition under the difguife of a diverfion.

All the arts and fciences ought to be employed in one confederacy against the prevailing torrent of vice and impiety; and it will be no finall ftep in the progreis of religion, if it is as evident as it ought to be, that he wants the best taste and bet fenfe a man can have, who is cold to the beauty of holiness.'

As for my part, when I have happened to attend the corpfe of a friend to his interment, and have feen a graceful man at the entrance of a church-yard, who became the dignity of his function, and affumed an authority which is natural to truth, pronounce I am the

refurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet fhall he live; and whofoever liveth and believeth in me fhall never die:" I fay, upon fuch an occafion, the retrofpect upon paft actions between the deceafed whom I followed and myself, together with the many little circumstances that trike upon the foul, and alternately give grief and confolation, have vanished like a dream; and I have been relieved as by a voice from Heaven, when the folemnity has proceeded, and after a long pause I again heard the fervant of God utter I know that my Re

deemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though worms deftroy this body, yet in my feth thall I fee God; whom I * shall fee for myfelf, and my eyes fhall G behold,

cafion fome rivalfhips amongst them, because many lovers fix upon one object, for the lofs of which they will be ftisfied with no compenfation. Otherwife it was a state of eafe, innocence, and contentment; where plenty begot pleafure, and pleafure begot finging, and finging begot poetry, and poetry begot pleafure again.

Thus happy was the first race of men, but rude withal and uncultivated: for before they could make any confiderable progrefs in arts and fciences, the tranquillity of the rural life was deftroyed by turbulent and ambitious fpirits; who, having built cities, railed armies, and ftudied policies of ftate, made vafials of the defenceless fhepherds, and rendered that which was before easy and unre trained, a mean, laborious, miferable condition. Hence, if we confider the pastoral period before learning, we fhall find it unpolished; if after, we shall find it unpleasant.

The ufe that I would make of this fhort review of the country life fhall be this. An author that would amufe himelf by writing Paftorals, fhould form in his fancy a rural fcene of perfect eale and tranquillity, where innocence, fimplicity, and joy, abound. It is not enough that he writes about the country; he must give us what is agreeable in that scene, and hide what is wretched. It is, indeed, commonly affirmed, that truth well painted will certainly pleafe the imagination; but it is fonetimes convenient not to difcover the whole truth, but that part only which is delightful. We inuft fonetimes how only half an image to the fancy; which if we difplay in a lively manner, the mind is fo dextroufly deluded, that it doth not readily perceive that the other half is concealed. Thus in writing Paftorals, let the tranquillity of that life appear full and plain, but hide the meannefs of it; reprefent it's fimplicity as clear as you pleafe, but cover it's mifery. I would not hereby be fo understood, as if I thought nothing that is irkiome or unpleasant fhould have a place in thefe writings; I only mean that this ftate of life in general thould be fuppofed agreeable. But as there is no condition exempt from anxiety, I will allow fhepherds to be afflicted with fuch misfortunes, as the lofs of a favourite lamb, or a faithlefs miftrefs. He may, if you pleafe, pick a thorn out of his

foot, or vent his grief for lofing the prize in dancing; but thele being mall torments, they recommend that ftate which only produces fuch trifling evils. Again, I would not feem fo itrict in my notions of innocence and fimplicity, as to deny the ufe of a little railing, or the liberty of ftealing a kid or a sheephook. For these are likewife fuch petty enormities, that we must think the . country happy where thefe are the greateft tranfgreffions.

When a reader is placed in fuch a fcene as I have defcribed, and introduced into fuch company as I have chofen, he gives himself up to the pleafing delufion; and fince every one doth not know how it comes to pafs, I will venture to tell him why he is pleafed.

The first reafon is, becaufe all mankind love eafe. Though ambition and avarice employ moft meas thoughts, they are fuch uneafy habits, that we do not dulge them out of choice, but fi om fome neceffity, real or imaginary. We feek happinefs, in which cafe is the principal ingredient; and the end propofed in our moft rettlefs purfuits is tranquillity. We are therefore foothed and delighted with the reprefentation of it, and fancy we partake of the pleasure.

A fecond reafon is our fecret appro"bation of innocence and fimplicity. Human nature is not fo much depraved, as to hinder us from refpecting goodnels in others, though we ourselves want it. This is the reafon why we are fo much charmed with the pretty prattle of children, and even the expreffions of pleafure or uneafinefs in fome part of the brute creation. They are without artifice or malice; and we love truth too well to refift the charms of fincerity.

A third reafon is our love of the country. Health, tranquillity, and pleafing objects, are the growth of the country; and though men, for the general good of the world, are made to love populous cities, the country hath the greateft fhare in an uncorrupted heart. When we paint, defcribe, or any way indulge our fancy, the country is the fcene which fupplies us with the most lovely images. This fate was that wherein God placed Adam when in Paradife; nor could all the fanciful wits of antiquity imagine any thing that could adminifter more exquifite delight in their Elyum.