blessed with a superior presence of mind in sudden dangers; and, perhaps, the latter is one of the most distinguishing characteristics of true courage.

Presence of mind, and courage in distress, Are more than armies to procure success. True courage but from opposition grows, But what are fifty, what a thousand slaves, Match'd to the sinew of a single arm, That strikes for liberty?

CHARITY.

CHARITY makes the best construction of things and persons, excuses weaknesses, extenuates miscarriages, makes the best of every thing, forgives every one, and serves all.

In order to our final doom and sentence, we need but this one inquiry, whether we were charitable or uncharitable? For they who are possessed with a true divine charity, have all Christian graces. They who have not this divine principle, have no good in them, and that is enough to condemn them, without inquiring what evil they have done.

When a compassionate man falls, who would not pity him! Who that has power to do it, would not befriend and raise him up? Or could the most barbarous temper offer an

insult to his distress, without pain and reluctance? True charity is always willing to find excuses in generous spirits, compassion is sometimes an over-balance for self-preservation: God certainly interwove that friendly softness in our nature, to be a check upon too great a propensity towards self-love.

Under the gospel, God is pleased with a living sacrifice; but the offerings of the dead, such as testamentary charities are, which are intended to have no effect so long as we live, are no better than dead sacrifices; and it may be questioned, whether they will be brought into the account of our lives, if we do no good while living. These death-bed charities, are too like a death-bed repentance; men seem to give their estates to God and the poor, just as they part with their sins-when they can keep them no longer.

Charity obliges us not to distrust a man. Prudence not to trust him before we know him.

The first duty of man, next to that of worshipping the Deity, is, ministering to the nccessities of his fellow creatures.

Are we not all citizens of the world? Are we not all fellow subjects of the universal monarch? Is not the universe our home? And is not every man a brother? Poor and illiberal is that charity which is confined to any particular nation or society. Should we not feel for the stranger, and him that hath no helper ?

He who is charitable from motives of ostentation, will not relieve distress in secret.

For farther thoughts on, or inducements to this virtue, I refer my readers to Spectator, vol. iii. no. 177.

DEATH.

PREPARE

REPARE to part with life willingly; study more how to die than to live; if you would live till you were old, live as if you were to die when you are young. In some cases it requires more courage to live than to die. He that is not prepared for death, shall be perpetually troubled, as well with vain apprehensions, às with real dangers; but the important point is, to secure a well grounded hope of a blessed immortality. When the good Musculus drew near his death, how sweet and pleasant was this meditation of his soul.

Cold death my heart invades, my life doth fly, O Christ, my everlasting life, draw nigh: Why quiv'rest thou, my soul, within my breast?

Thine angel's come, to lead thee to thy rest.

Quit cheerfully this drooping house of clay;
God will restore it in th' appointed day.
Hast sinn'd? I know it, let not that be urg'd
For Christ thy sins with his own blood hath
purg'd.

Is death affrighting? true, but yet withal,
Consider Christ thro' death to life doth call.
He triumph'd over Satan, sin, and death,
Therefore with joy resign thy dying breath.

Destiny has decreed all men to die; but to die well, is the particular privilege of the virtuous and the good.

As there is no covenant to be made with death, no agreement for the arrest and stay of time; it keeps its pace whether we redeem and use it well or not.

He that hath given God his worship, and man his due, is entertained with comfortable presages, wears off smoothly, and expires in pleasure.

Death is no more than a turning us over from time to eternity. It leads to immortality, and that is recompense enough for suffering it.

Death is the crown of life, were death denied, Poor man had liv'd in vain.

The way to bring ourselves, with ease, to a contempt of this world, is to think daily of leaving it. They who die well, have lived

long enough; as soon as death enters upon the stage, the tragedy of life is done. There are a great many miseries which nothing but death can give relief to. This puts an end to the sorrows of the afflicted and distressed. It sets prisoners at liberty; it dries up the tears of the widows and fatherless; it eases the complaints of the hungry and naked; it tames the proudest tyrants, and puts an end to all our labors: And the contemplation on it, supports men under their present adversities, especially when they have a prospect of a better life after this.

Learn to live well, that thou may'st die so

too;

To live and die is all we have to do.

Have we so often seen ourselves die in our friends, and shall we shrink at our own change? Hath our Maker sent for us, and are we loth to go? It was for us our Saviour triumphed over death. Is there then any fear of a foiled adversary?

The grave lies between us and the object we reach after. Where one lives to enjoy whatever he has in view, ten thousand are cut off in the pursuit of it.

Many are the shapes of Death,
And many are the ways that lead