abers he has been busy, yet he can give no account of ess which has employed him...

SECTION IX.

BLAIR.

DIGNITY OF VIRTUE AMIDST CORRUPT EXAMPLES. nost excellent and honourable character which can man and a christian, is acquired by resisting the torrice, and adhering to the cause of God and virtue. corrupted multitude. It will be found to hold in geat they, who, in any of the great lines of life, have shed themselves for thinking profoundly, and acting ve despised popular prejudices; and departed, in seve3, from the common ways of the world. On no occais more requisite for true honour, than where religion lity are concerned. In times of prevailing licentiousmaintain unblemished virtue, and uncorrupted integrity; ic or a private cause, to stand firm by what is fair and dst discouragements and opposition; despising groundure and reproach: disdaining all compliance with pubers, when they are vicious and unlawful; and never of the punctual discharge of every duty towards God -this is what shows true greatness of spirit, and ce approbation even from the degenerate multitude This is the man," (their conscience will oblige acknowledge) "whom we are unable to bend to mean nsions. We see it in vain either to fiatter or to threaten rests on a principle within, which we cannot shake. man we may, ou any occasion, safely commit our He is incapable of betraying his trust, or deserting his r denying his faith."

es.

accordingly, this steady inflexible virtue, this regard to , superior to all custom and opinion, which peculiarly the characters of those in any age, who have shone tinguished lustre; and has consecrated their memory sterity. It was this that obtained to ancient Epoch the gular testimony of honour from heaven. He continued with God," when the world apostatized from him. sed God and was beloved of him; so that living among he was translated to heaven without seeing death; speedily was he taken away, lest wickedness should ered his understanding, or deceit beguiled his soul." -odom could not furnish ten righteous men to save it,

gined umepotted amidet the contamien

was not permitted to go forth, till the good man was called away by a heavenly messenger, from his devoted city. When "all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth," then lived Noah, a righteous man, and a preacher of righteousness. He stood alone, and was scoffed by the profane crew. But they by the deluge were swept away; while on him, Providence conferred the immortal honour, of being the restorer of a better race, and the father of a new world. Such examples as these, and such honours conferred by God on them who withstood the multitude of evil-doers, should often be present to our minds. Let us oppose them to the numbers of low and corrupt examples, which we behold around us; and when we are in hazard of being swayed by such, let us fortify our virtue, by thinking of those who, in former times, shone like stars in the midst of surrounding darkness, and are now shining in the kingdom of heaven, as the brightnces of the firmament, for ever and ever.

SECTION X.

BLAIR.

THE MORTIFICATIONS OF VICE GREATER THAN THOSE OF VIRTUE.

THOUGH no condition of human life is free from uneasiness,yet it must be allowed, that the uneasiness belonging to a sinful course, is far greater than what attends a course of welldoing. If we are weary of the labours of virtue, we may be assured that the world, whenever we try the exchange, will lay upon us a much heavier load. It is the outside only, of a licentious life, which is gay and smiling. Within, it conceals toil, and trouble, and deadly sorrow. For vice poisons human happiness in the spring, by introducing disorder into the heart. Those passions which it seems to indulge, it only feeds with imperfect gratifications; and thereby strengthens them for preying, in the end, on their unhappy victims.

It is a great mistake to imagine, that the pain of self denial is confined to virtue. He who follows the world, as much as he who follows Christ, must "take up his cross ;" and to him assuredly, it will prove a more oppressive burden. Vice allows all our passions to range uncontrouled; and where each claims to be superior, it is impossible to gratify all. The predominant desire can only be indulged at the expense of its rival. No mortifications which virtue exacts, are more severe than those, which ambition imposes upon the love of case, pride upon interest, and covetousness upon vanity. Self-denial thereforc, belongs, in common, to vice and virtue; but with this re

markable difference, that the passions which virtue requires us to mortify, it tends to weaken; whereas, those which vice obliges us to deny, it, at the same time, strengthens. The one diminishes the pain of self-denial, by moderating the demands of pas sion; the other, increases it, by rendering those demands im perious and violent. What distresses that occur in the calin life of virtue, can be compared to those tortures, which remorse of conscience inflicts on the wicked; to those severe humiliations, arising from guilt combined with misfortunes, which sink them to the dust; to those violent agitatious of shame and dig appointment, which sometimes drive them to the most fatal extremities, and make them abhor their existence! how often, in the midst of those disastrous situations, into which their crimes have brought them, have they execrated the seductions of vice; and with bitter regret, looked back to the day on which they first forsook the path of inaocence!

BLAIR,

CONTENTMENT produces, in some measure, all those affects which the alchymist usually ascribes to what he calls the philosopher's stone; and if it does not bring riches, it does the same thing, by banishing the desire of them. If it cannot remove the disquietudes arising from a man's mind, body, or fortune, it makes him easy under them. It has indeed a kindly influence on the soul of man, in respect of every being to whom he stands related. It extinguishes all murmur, repining, and ingratitude towards that Being who has allotted him his part to act in this world. It destroys all inordinate ambition, and every tendency to corruption, with regard to the community wherein he is placed. It gives sweetness to his conversation, and a perpetual serenity to all his thoughts.

Among the many methods which might be made use of for acquiring this virtue, I shall mention only the two following.First of all, a man should always consider how much he has more than he wants; and secondly, how much more unhappy he might be than he really is.

First, a man should always consider how much he has more than he wants. I am wonderfully pleased with the reply which Aristippus made to one, who condoled with him upon the loss of a farm: "Why," said he, "I have three farms still, and you have but one; so that I ought rather to be afflicted for you, than you for me." On the contrary, foolish men are more apt to consider what they have lost, than what they pos

sess; and to fix their eyes upon those who are richer than themselves, rather than on those who are under greater difficulties. All the real pleasures and conveniences of life lie in a parrow compass; but it is the humour of mankind to be always looking forward; and straining after one who has got the start of them in wealth and honour. For this reason, as none can he properly called rich who have not more than they want, there are few rich men in any of the politer nations, but among the middle sort of people, who keep their wishes within their fortones, and have more wealth than they know how to enjoy. Persons of a higher rank live in a kind of splendid poverty; and are perpetually wanting, because, instead of acquiescing in the solid pleasures of life, they endeavour to outvie one another in shadows and appearances. Men of sense have at all times bekeld, with a great deal of mirth, this silly game that is playing over their heads; and, by contracting their desires, they njoy all that secret satisfaction which others are always in quest of. The truth is, this ridiculous chase after imaginary pleasures, cannot be sufficiently exposed, as it is the great Source of those evils which generally undo a nation. Let a man's estate be what it may, he is a poor man if he does not live within it; and naturally sets himself to sale to any one that can give him his price. When Pittacus after the death of his brother, who had left him a good estate, was offered a great sum of money by the king of Lydia, he thanked him for his kindness; but told him he had already more by half than he knew what to do with. In short, content is equivalent to wealth, and luxury to poverty; or, to give the thought a more agreeable turn, "Content is natural wealth," says Socrates; to which I shall add, luxury is artificial poverty. I shall therefore recommend to the consideration of those, who are always aiming at superfluous and imaginary enjoyments, and who will not be at the trouble of contracting their desires, an excellent saying of Bion the philosopher, namely, "That no man has so much care, as he who endeavours after the most happiness."

In the second place, every one ought to reflect how much more unhappy he might be, than he really is. The former consideration took in all those, who are sufficiently provided with the means to make themselves easy; this regards such as actually lie under some pressure or misfortune. These may receive great alleviation, from such a comparison as the unhappy per. son may make between himself and others; or between the misfortune which he suffers, and greater misfortunes which might have befallen him.

I like the story of the honest Dutchman, who, upon breaking

his leg by a fall from the mainmast, told the standers by, it was a great mercy that it was not his neck. To which, since I am got iuto quotations, give me leave to add the saying of an old philosopher, who, after having invited some of his friends to dine with him, was ruffled by a person that came into the room in a passion, and threw down the table that stood before them : "Every one," says he, "has his calamity; and he is a happy man that has no greater than this." We find an instance to the same purpose, in the life of Dr. Hammond, written by Bishop Fell. As this good man was troubled with a complication of distempers, when he had the gout upon him, he used to thank God that it was not the stone; and when he had the stone, that he had not both these distempers on him, at the same time.

I cannot conclude this essay without observing, that there never was any system, besides that of Christianity, which could effectually produce in the mind of man the virtue I have been hitherto speaking of. In order to make us contented with our condition, many of the present philosophers tell us that our discontent only hurts ourselves, without being able to make any alteration in our circumstances; others, that whatever evil befalls us, is derived to us by a fatal necessity, to which superior beings themselves are subject: while others, very gravely, tell the man who is miserable, that it is necessary he should be so, to keep up the harmony of the universe; and that the scheme of Providence would be troubled and perverted, were he otherwise. These, and the like considerations, rather silence than satisfy a man. They may show him that his discontent is unreasonable, but they are by no means sufficient to relieve it. They rather give despair than consolation. In a word, a maa might reply to one of these comforters, as Augustus did to his friend, who advised him not to grieve for the death of a person whom he loved, because his grief could not fetch him again: "It is for that very reason," said the emperor, "that I grieve.". On the contrary, religion bears a more tender regard to human nature. It prescribes to every miserable man the means of bettering his condition: nay, it shows him, that bearing his afflictions as he ought to do, will naturally end in the removal of them. It makes him easy here, because it can make him happy hereafter.

SECTION XII.

ADDISON.

RANK AND RICHES AFFORD NO GROUND FOR ENVY.

Or all the grounds of envy among men, superiority in rank and fortune is the most general. Hence, the malignity which ...E 2