SECTION XXII.

Piety and Gratitude enliven Profperity.

PIETY, and gratitude to God, contribute, in a high degree, to enliven profperity. Gratitude is a pleasing emotion. The fense of being diftinguished by the kindness of another, gladdens the heart, warms it with reciprocal affection, and gives to any pofsefsion which is agreeable in itself, a double relish, from its being the gift of a friend. Favours conferred by men, I acknowledge, may prove burdenfome. For human virtue is never perfect; and fometimes unreasonable expectations on the one fide, fometimes a mortifying fenfe of dependence on the other, corrode in fecret the pleasure of benefits, and convert the obligations of friendship into grounds of jealoufy. But nothing of this kind can affect the intercourse of gratitude with Heaven. Its favours are wholly difinterested; and with a gratitude the moft cordial and unfufpicious, a good man looks up to that Almighty Benefactor, 'who aims at no end but the happiness of those whom he blefses, and who defires no return from them, but a devout and thankful heart. While others can trace their profperity to no higher fource than a concurrence of worldly causes; and, often, of mean or trifling incidents, which occafionally favoured their defigns; with what fuperior fatisfaction does the fervant of God remark the hand of that Gracious Power which hath raised him up; which hath happily conducted him through the various fteps of life, and crowned

him with the most favourable diftinction beyond his equals ?

Let us farther confider, that not only gratitude for the past, but a cheering fense of Divine favour at the prefent, enters into the pious emotion. They are only the virtuous, who in their profperous days hear this voice addrefsed to them, "Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a cheerful heart; for God now accepteth thy works." He who is the Author of their profperity, gives them a title to enjoy, with complacency, his own gift. While bad men fnatch the pleafures of the world as by flealth, without countenance from the Great Proprietor of the world; the righteous fit openly down to the feast of life, under the fmile of approving Heaven. No guilty fears damp their joys. The blessing of God refts upon all that they pofsefs; his protection furrounds them; and hence, "in the habitations of the righteous, is found the voice of rejoicing and falvation." A luftre unknown to others, invefts, in their fight, the whole face of nature. Their piety reflects a funshine from heaven upon the prosperity of the world; unites in one point of view, the fmiling afpect, both of the powers above, and of the objects below. Not only have they as full a relifh as others, of the innocent pleasures of life, but, moreover, in these they hold communion with their Divine Benefactor. In all that is good or fair, they trace his hand. From the beauties of nature, from the improvements of art, from the enjoyments of focial life, they raife their affection to the fource of all the happiness which furrounds them; and thus widen the fphere of their pleasures, by adding intellectual, and spiritual, to earthly joys.

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For illuftration of what I have faid on this head, remark that cheerful enjoyment of a profperous state, which King David had when he wrote the twentythird pfalm; and compare the highest pleasures of the riotous finner, with the happy and satisfied spirit which breathes throughout that pfalm.-In the midft of the splendour of royalty, with what amiable fimplicity of gratitude does he look up to the Lord as "his Shepherd;" happier in afcribing all his fuccefs to Divine favour, than to the policy of his councils, or to the force of his arms? How many inftances of Divine goodnefs arofe before him in pleafing remembrance, when with fuch relish he speaks of the green pastures and fill waters, befide which God had led him; of his cup which he had made to overflow; and of the table which he had prepared for him in the prefence of his enemies!" With what perfect tranquillity does he look forward to the time of his passing through "the valley of the fhadow of death;" unappalled by that fpectre, whofe moft diftant appearance blasts the profperity of finners! He fears no evil, as long as "the rod and the staff" of his Divine Shepherd are with him; and, through all the unknown periods of this and of future exiftence, commits himself to his guidance with fecure and triumphant hope: "Surely goodnefs and mercy will follow me all the days of my life; and I fhall dwell in the houfe of the Lord for ever."-What a purified, fentimental enjoyment of profperity is here exhibited! How different from that grofs relish of worldly pleasures, which belongs to those who behold only the terrestrial side of things; who raise their views to no higher objects than the fuccefsion of human con

tingencies, and the weak efforts of human ability; who have no protector or patron in the heavens, to enliven their profperity, or to warm their hearts with gratitude and trust!

BLAIR.

SECTION XXIII.

Virtue, when deeply rooted, is not fubject to the Influence of Fortune.

THE city of Sidon having furrendered to Alexander, he ordered Hepheftion to bestow the crown on him whom the Sidonians fhould think most worthy of that honour. Hepheftion being at that time refident with two young men of diftinction, offered them the kingdom; but they refused it, telling him that it was contrary to the laws of their country, to admit any one to that honour, who was not of the royal family. He then, having exprefsed his admiration of their difinterested fpirit, defired them to name one of the royal race, who might remember that he received the crown through their hands. Overlooking many, who would have been ambitious of this high honour, they made choice of Abdolonymus, whofe fingular merit had rendered him confpicuous, even in the vale of obscurity. Though remotely related to the royal family, a series of misfortunes had reduced him to the necefsity of cultivating a garden, for a small ftipend, in the fuburbs of the city.

While Abdolonymus was bufily employed in weeding his garden, the two friends of Hepheftion, bear

ing in their hands the enfigns of royalty, approached him, and faluted him king. They informed him that Alexander had appointed him to that office; and required him immediately to exchange his ruftic garb, and utenfils of hufbandry, for the regal robe and fceptre. At the fame time, they admonished him, when he should be feated on the throne, and have a nation in his power, not to forget the humble condition from which he had been raised.

All this, at the first, appeared to Abdolonymus as an illusion of the fancy, or an infult offered to his poverty. He requested them not to trouble him farther with their impertinent jefts; and to find fome other way of amufing themfelves, which might leave him in the peaceable enjoyment of his obfcure habitation. At length, however, they convinced him, that they were ferious in their propofal; and prevailed upon him to accept the regal office, and accompany them to the palace.

No fooner was he in pofsefsion of the government, than pride and envy created him enemies; who whif pered their murmurs in every place, till at last they reached the ear of Alexander. He commanded the new-elected prince to be fent for; and required of him, with what temper of mind he had borne his poverty. "Would to Heaven," replied Abdolonymus, "that I may be able to bear my crown with equal moderation: for when I pofsefsed, little, I wanted nothing: thefe hands fupplied me with what1 defired." From this anfwer, Alexander formed fo high an idea of his wisdom, that he confirmed the choice which had been made; and annexed a neighbouring province to the government of Sidon.

ever

QUINTUS CURTIUS.