"but will efteem you in their hearts, even while they "laugh, and in the end revere your virtue.

"Let that generous courage, which conscious recti❝tude inspires, enable you to despise and neglect the "affaults of ridicule. When all other modes of attack "have failed, ridicule has fucceeded. The bulwark "of virtue, which stood firmly against the weapons of "argument, has tottered on its bafis, or fallen to the "ground, on the flightest touch of magic ridicule. In "the school, in the college, in the world at large, it is "the powerful engine which is ufed to level an exalted "character. You will infallibly be attacked with it, "if you be in any refpect fingular; and fingular in "many refpects you must be, if you be eminently vir

$tuous.

"With all your good qualities, unite the humility " of a Christian. Be not morofe. Be cautious of "overvaluing yourself. Make allowances for the vices "and errors which you will daily fee. Remember

"that all have not had the benefit of moral instruction; "that a great part of mankind are in effect orphans, "turned loofe into the wide world, without one faith"ful friend to give them advice; left to find their own "6 way in a dark and rugged wilderness, with fnares, " and quickfands, and chasms around them.

" If you follow fuch advice as, from the pure mo"tive of ferving you most effentially, I have given you, "I will not indeed promise that you fhall not be un"fortunate, according to the common idea of the "word; but I will confidently affure you, that you "shall not be unhappy. I will not promise you world"ly fuccefs, but I will engage that you fhall deferve it, " and shall know how to bear its absence."

On

On an excessive and indiscriminate Love of
Company.

THE love of companyattended with fome of the
HE love of company and of focial pleasures is

natural to us,

fweeteft fatisfactions of human life; but, like every other love, when it proceeds beyond the limits of moderation, it ceases to produce its natural effect, and terminates in difguftful fatiety. The foundation-stone and the pillar on which we build the fabric of our felicity, must be laid in our own hearts. Amusement, mirth, agreeable variety, and even improvement, may be fometimes fought in the gaiety of mixed company, and in the ufual diverfions of the world; but, if we found our general happiness on thefe, we fhall do little more than raise castles in the air, or build houses on the fand.

To derive the proper pleasure and improvement from company, it ought to be felect, and to confift of perfons of character, refpectable both for their morals and their understandings. Mixed and undiftinguished society tends only to diffipate our ideas, and induce a laxity of principles and practice. The pleasure it affords is of a coarse, vulgar, noisy, and rude kind. Indeed, it commonly ends in wearinefs and difguft, as even they are ready to confefs, who yet conftantly pursue it, as if their chief good confifted in living in a crowd.

Among thofe, indeed, who are exempted by their circumftances from profeffional and official employments, and who profeffedly devote themselves to a life of pleasure, little elfe feems to conftitute the idea of it, but an unceasing fucceffion of company, public or private. The drefs, and other circumftances preparatory to the enjoyment of this pleasure, fcarcely leave a moment for reflection. Day after day is spent in the fame toilfome round, till a habit is formed, which renders diffipation neceffary to existence. What, indeed, is

A 3

life

life or its enjoyments without fettled principles, laudable purposes, mental exertions, and internal comfort? It is a state worfe than non-entity, fince it poffeffes a restless power of action, productive of nothing but mifery.

I very feriously recommend, therefore, to all who wifh to enjoy their existence, (and who entertains not that wish?) that they fhould acquire not only a power. of bearing, but of taking a pleasure in temporary folitude. Every one muft, indeed, fometimes be alone. Let him not repine when he is alone, but learn to fet a value on the golden moments. It is then that he is enabled to ftudy himself and the world around him. It is then that he has an opportunity of feeing things as they are, and of removing the deceitful veil, which almost every thing affumes in the bufy fcene of worldly employments. The foul is enabled to retire into herfelf, and to exert thofe energies which are always attended with fublime pleasure. She is enabled to fee the dependent, frail, and wretched state of man as the child of nature, and incited by her discovery to implore grace and protection from the Lord of the universe. They, indeed, who fly from folitude, can feldom be religious; for religion requires meditation. They may be faid to live without God in the world; not, it is true, from atheistical principles, but from a careleffness of difpofition; a truly deplorable state, the consciousness of which could not fail to cloud the gaiety of those halcyon beings, who sport in the funfhine of unremitted pleasure.

I may, I believe, affert, that the love of pleasure, the follies of fashion, and the extravagancies of diffipation, are greater enemies to religion, than all the writers who have endeavoured to attract notice by attacking Chrif tianity. Many, it is to be feared, have lived and died in the regions of gaiety, without ever having felt a sense of religion.

Not only religion, virtue, and prudence, will be promoted by occafional folitude, but a relish will be given

to

to the rational enjoyments of a pleasurable life. Viciffitude is effential to every ftate of durable enjoyment. He who has spent a little part of his time in his closet or in his groves, will partake of the gaieties of the affembly with fresh delight; as a man, when he is hungry, finds an additional flavour in his daily food..

But it must be remembered, that, in recommending folitude, I mean only occafional folitude. There is no doubt but man is made for action, and that his duties and pleasures are often moft numerous and moft important amidst the "bufy hum of men." Many vices, and many corrupt difpofitions, have been foftered in a folitary life.

But nothing without moderation is durable or wife. Let there be a fweet interchange of retirement and affociation, of repofe and activity. A few hours spent every day by the votaries of pleafure in ferious meditation, would render their pleasure pure, and more unmixed with mifery. It would give them knowledge, fo that they would fee how far they might advance in their purfuit without danger; and refolution, fo that they might retreat when danger approached. It would teach them how to live; a knowledge, which indeed they think they poffefs already; and it would also teach them, what they are often too little folicitous to learn, how to die.

44

The Journey of a Day, a Picture of Human Life; the Story of Obidah.

BIDAH, the son of Abenfina, left the caravanfera early in the morning, and purfued his journey through the plains of Indoftan. He was fresh and vigorous with reft, he was animated with hope, he was incited by defire; he walked fwiftly forward over the vallies, and faw the hills rifing gradually before him. As he paffed along, his ears were delighted with the morning fong of the bird of paradife; he was fanned by the last flutters of the finking breeze, and fprinkled with dew by groves of fpices; he fometimes contemplated the towering height of the oak, monarch of the hills; and fometimes caught the gentle fragrance of the primrofe, eldest daughter of the fpring: All his fenfes were gratified, and all care was banished from

the heart.

Thus he went on till the fun approached his meridian, and the increafing heat preyed upon his ftrength;

he