rife no higher till we gave our hands, as we had already plighted our hearts.

This world is a series of vifionary scenes, and contains fo little folid, lafting felicity, as I have found it, that I cannot call life more than a deception; and, as Swift fays it, he is the happiest man, who is beft deceived. When I thought myfelf within a fortnight of being married to Mifs Noel, and thereby made as compleatly happy in every respect as it was poffible for a mortal man to be, the fmall pox steps in, and in feven days time, reduced the fineft, human frame in the univerfe to the most hideous and offenfive block. The most amiable of human creatures mortifyed all over, and became a spectacle the moft hideous and unbearable.---This broke her father's heart in a month's time, and the paradice I had in view, funk into everlasting night.

Mifs Noel's My My heart, upon this fad accident, bled character, and mourned to an extreme degree. All the

tender paffions were up in my foul, and with great difficulty could I keep my ruffled fpirits in tolerable decorum. I loft what I valued more than my life- more than repeated millions of worlds, if it had been possible to get them in exchange. This engaged, beloved partner, was an honour to her fex, and an ornament to human kind. She was one of the wifeft and most agreeable of wo

men;

men; and her life quite glorious for piety to God, compaffion to the neceffitous and miferable, benevolence and good will to tall, with every other grace and virtue. These

hined with a bright luftre in her whole dea portment, and rendered her beloved, and the delight of all that knew her. Senfe and genius were in her united, and by study, reflexion, and application, the improved the talents, in the happieft manner. She had e acquired a fuperiority in thinking, speaking, writing, and acting, and in manners, her beehaviour, her language, her defign, her unb derftanding, was inexpreffibly charming. Mifs Noel died in the 24th year of her age, le the 29th of December, in the year 1724.

on the death

This dismal occurrence fat powerfully on A reflexion my fpirits for fome time, and for near two of Mile months, I fcarcely spoke a word to any one. Noel I was filent, but not fullen. As my tears and lamentations could not fave her, fo I knew they could not fetch her back again. Death and the grave have neither eyes nor ears. The thing to be done upon fo melancholly an occafion, is to adore the Lord of infinite wisdom, as he has a right to ftrike our comforts dead, and fo improve the awful event, by labouring to render our whole temper and deportment christian and divine, that we may able to live, while we do live, fuperior to the ftrokes of fortune, and the

ca

calamities of human life; and when God bids us die, (in whatever manner, and at whatever time it may be) have nothing to do but to die, and fo go enter into our mafter's joy. This is wisdom. This good we may extract from fuch doleful things. This was the effect my dear Mifs Noel's death had on me, and when I faw myfelf deprived of fo invaluable a thing in this world, I determined to double my diligence in fo acting my part in it, that whenever I was to pass through the last extremity of nature, I might be difmiffed with a bleffing to another world, and by virtue of the fublime excellencies of our holy religion, proceed to the abodes of immortality and immutable felicity.

I wish I could perfuade you, reader, to refolve in the fame manner. If you are young, and have not yet experienced life, believe me, all is vanity, difappointment, wearinefs, and diffatisfaction, and in the midft of troubles and uncertainties, we are haftening on to an unknown world, from whence we shall never return again. Whether our diffolution be near, we know not; but this is certain, that death, that univerfal conqueror, is making after us apace, to feize us as his captives; and therefore, tho' a man live many years, and rejoice in them all, (which is the cafe of very few), yet let him remember the days of darkness.

And

T:

And when death does come, our lot may be the most racking pains and diftempers, to faften us down to our fick-beds, till we refign our fpirits to fome ftrange region, our breath to the common air, and our bodies to the duft from whence they were taken. Difmal fituation! If in the days of our health, we did not make our happiness and moral worth correfpond did not labour, in the time of our strength, to efcape from wrong opinion and bad habit, and to render our minds fincere and incorrupt; if we did not worship and love the fupreme mind, and adore his divine adminiftration, and all the fecrets of his providence. If this was not our cafe, before corruption begins to lay hold of us, deplorable must we be, when torments come upon us, and we have only hopeless wishes that we had been wifer, as we defcend in agonies to our folitary retreat; to proceed from thence to judgment. Language cannot paint the horrors of fuch a condition. The anguifh of mind, and the torture of body, are a scene of misery beyond description.

Or if without torment, we lie down in filence, and fink into the land of forgetfulness, yet, fince the Lord Jefus is to raise us from the regions of darkness, and bring us to the feffions of righteoufnefs, where all our actions are to be strictly tried and examined, and every one shall be judged according to

G

the

Left the

and went

the deeds done in the body, whether they have been good or evil; what can screen us from the wrath of that mighty power, which is to break off the ftrong fetters of death, and to throw open the iron gates of the grave, if injuftice, cruelty, and oppreffion, have been our practice in this world; or if, in the neglect of the diftreffed and hungry, we have given up ourselves to chambering and wantonnefs, to gluttony and voluptuousnefs? It is virtue and obedience, acts of goodnefs and mercy, that only can deliver us. If we worship in fpirit and in truth the most glorious of immortal Beings, that God who is omnipotent in wisdom and action, and perform all the offices of love and friendship to every man, then our Lord will pronounce us the blessed of his Father. If we do evil, we fhall come forth unto the refurrection of damnation. This merits your attention, reader, and I hope you will immediately begin to ponder, what it is to have a place affigned in inconceivable happiness or mifery for ever.

14. Having thus loft Mifs Noel, and my University, good old friend, her worthy father, I left the down to fee univerfity, and went down to the country, my father in after five years and three months abfence, try, and had to fee how things were pofited at home, and a very mi- pay my refpects to my father; but I found ception. them very little to my liking, and in a fhort time, returned to Dublin again. He

the coun

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