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conscious of frailties and crimes, confider forgiveness as a debt which they owe to others. Common failings are the ftrongest leffon of mutual forbearance, Were this virtue unknown among men, order and comfort, peace and repofe, would be ftrangers to human life. Injuries retaliated according to the exorbitant meafure which paffion prefcribes, would excite refentment in return. The injured perfon would become the injurer; and thus wrongs, retaliations, and fresh injuries, would circulate in endlefs fucceffion, till the world was rendered a field of blood. Of all the paffions which invade the human breast, revenge is the most direful. When allowed to reign with full dominion, it is more than fufficient to poifon the few pleafures which remain to man in his present state. How much foever a perfon may fuffer from injustice, he is always in hazard of fuffering more from the profecution of revenge. The violence of an enemy cannot inflict what is equal to the torment he creates to himself, by means of the fierce and defperate paffions which he allows to rage in his foul.

Thofe evil fpirits who inhabit the regions of mifery, are represented as delighting in revenge and cruelty. But all that is great and good in the univerfe, is on the fide of clemency and mercy. The almighty Ruler of the world, though for ages offended by the unrighteoufnels, and infulted by the impiety of men, is "long fuffering and flow to anger." His Son, when he appeared in our nature, exhibited, both in his life and his death, the most illuftrious example of forgiveness which the world ever beheld. If we look into the history of mankind, we fhall find that, in every age, they who have been refpected as worthy, or admired as great, have been distinguished for this virtue. Revenge dwells in little minds. A noble and magnanimous fpirit is always fuperior to it. It fuffers not from the injuries of men those fevere fhocks which others feel. Collected within itfelf, it ftan is unmoved, by their impotent affaults; and with generous pity, rather than with anger, looks down on their unworthy conduct. It has been truly faid, that the greatest man on earth can no fooner com nit an injury, than a good man can make himself greater by forgiving it.

BLAIR.

SECTION IV.

Motives to the practice of Gentleness.

To promote the virtue of gentlenefs, we ought to view our character with an impartial eye; and to learn, from our own failings, to give that indulgence which in our turn we claim. It is pride which fills the world with so much harshness and feverity. In the fulness of self estimation, we forget what we are. We claim attentions to which we are not entitled. We are rigorous to offences, as if we had never offended; unfeeling to diftiefs, as if we knew not what it was to fuffer. From thofe airy regions of pride and folly, let us defcend to our proper level. Let us furvey the natural equality on which Providence has placed man, with man, and reflect on the infirmities common to all. If the reflection on natural equality and mutual offences, be infufficient to prompt humanity, let us at least remember what we are in the fight of our Creator. Have we none of that forbearance to give one another, which we all fo earnestly intreat from heaven? Can we look for clemency or gentleness from our Judge, when we are fo backward to fhow it to our own brethren ?

Let us alfo accuftom ourselves, to reflect on the small moment of thofe things, which are the usual incentives to violence and contention. In the ruffled and angry hour, we view every appearance through a falfe medium. The most inconfiderable point of intereft, or honor; fwells into a momentous object; and the flightest attack feems to threaten immediate ruin. But after paffion or pride has fubfided, we look around in vain for the mighty mifchiefs we dreaded. The fabric, which our disturbed imagination had reared, totally difappears. But though the caufe of contention has dwindled away, its confequences remain. We have alienated a friend; we have imbittered an enemy; we have fown the feeds of future fufpicion, malevolence or difguft. Let us fufpend our violence for a moment, when caufes of difcord occur. Let us anticipate that period of coolness, which, of itself, will foon arrive. Let us reflect how little we have any profpect of gaining by fierce contention ; but how much of the true happiness of life we are certain of throwing away. Eafily, and from the fmalleft chink, the bitter waters of ftrife are let forth; but their courfe cannot be forefeen; and he feldom fails of fuffering

moft from their poisonous effect, who first allowed them to flow.

SECTION V.

BLAIR.

A fufpicious temper the fource of mifery to its poffeffor.

As a fufpicious fpirit is the fource of many crimes and calamities in the world, fo it is the fpring of certain mifery to the perfon who indulges it. His friends will be few; and fmall will be his comfort in those whom he poffeffes. Believing others to be his enemies, he will of course make them fuch. Let his caution be ever fo great, the afperity of his thoughts will often break out in his behavior; and in return for fufpecting and hating, he will incur suspicion and hatred. Befides the external evils which he draws upon himself, arifing from alienated friendship, broken confidence, and open enmity, the fufpicious temper itself is one of the worst evils which any man can fuffer. If " in all fear there is torment," how miferable must be his state who, by living in perpetual jealoufy, lives in perpetual dread! Looking upon himself to be furrounded with fpies, enemies, and defigning men, he is a ftranger to reliance and truft. He knows not to whom to open himself. He dreffes his countenance in forced fmiles, while his heart throbs within from apprehenfions of fecret treachery. Hence fretfulness and ill humor, difgust at the world, and all the painful fenfations of an irritated and imbittered mind.

So numerous and great are the evils arifing from a fufpicious difpofition, that, of the two extremes, it is more eligable to expofe ourfelves to occafional difadvantage from thinking too well of others, than to fuffer continual mifery by thinking always iH of them. It is better to be fometimes impofed upon, than never to truft. Safety is purchased at too dear a rate, when, in order to fecure it, we are obliged to be always clad in armor, and to live in perpetual hoftility with our fel lows. This is, for the fake of living, to deprive ourselves of the comfort of life. The man of candor enjoys his fituation, whatever it is, with cheerfulnefs and peace. Prudence directs his intercourfe with the world; but no black fufpicions haunt his hours of reft. Accustomed to view the characters of his neighbours in the most favorable light, he is like one who

dwells amidst thofe beautiful fcenes of nature, on which the eye rests with pleasure. Whereas the fufpicious man, having his imagination filled with all the fhocking forms of human falfehood, deceit, and treachery, refembles the traveller in the wildernefs, who difcerns no objects around him but fuch as are either dreary or terrible; caverns that open, ferpents that hifs, and beafts of prey that howl.

SECTION VI.

Comforts of Religion.

BLAIR.

THERE are many who have paffed the age of youth and beauty; who have refigned the pleafures of that fmiling feafon; who begin to decline into the vale of years, impaired in their health, depreffed in their fortunes, stript of their friends, their children, and perhaps ftill more tender connexions. What resource can this world afford them? It prefents a dark and dreary wafte, through which there does not iffue a fingle ray of comfort. Every delufive profpect of ambition is now at an end; long experience of mankind, an experience very different from what the open and generous foul of youth had fondly dreamt of, has rendered the heart almost inacceffible to new friendships. The principal fources of activity are taken away, when thofe for whom we labour are cut off from us; those who animated, and those who sweetened all the toils of life. then can the foul find refuge, but in the bofom of Religion? There he is admitted to thofe profpects of Providence and futurity, which alone can warm and fill the heart. I speak here of fuch as retain the feelings of humanity; whom misfortunes have foftened, and perhaps rendered more delicately fenfible; not of fuch as poffefs that ftupid ipfenfibility, which fome are pleafed to dignify with the name of Philo fophy.

Where

It might therefore be expected, that thofe philofophers who think they ftand in no need themselves of the affiftance of religion to fupport their virtue, and who never feel the want of its confolations, would yet have the humanity to confider the very different fituation of the rest of mankind; and not endeavour to deprive them of what habit, at leaft, if they will not allow it to be nature, has made

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neceffary to their morals, and to their happiness. It might be expected, that humanity would prevent them from breaking into the laft retreat of the unfortunate, who can no longer be objects of their envy or refentment; and tearing from them their only remaining confort. The attempt to ridicule religion may be agreeable to fome, by relieving them from restraint upon their pleasures; and may render others very miferable, by making them doubt thofe truths, in which they were most deeply interested: but it can convey real good and happiness to no one individual.

SECTION VII.

GREGORY.

Diffidence of our abilities, a mark of wisdom.

It is a fure indication of good fenfe, to be diffident of it. We then, and not till then, are growing wife, when we begin to difcern how weak and unwife we are. An abfolute

perfection of understanding, is impoffible: he makes the neareft approaches to it, who has the fenfe to difcern, and the humility to acknowledge, its imperfections. Modefty always fits gracefully upon youth; it covers a multitude of faults, and doubles the luftre of every virtue which it seems to hide the perfections of men being like thofe flowers which appear more beautiful, when their leaves are a little contracted and folded up, than when they are fall blown, and difplay themselves, without any referve, to the view.

We are fome of us very fond of knowledge, and apt to value ourselves upon any proficiency in the fciences: one fcience, however, there is, worth more than all the reft, and that is, the fcience of living well; which fhall remain, when "tongues fhall ceafe," and, "knowledge fhall vanifh away." As to new notions, and new doctrines, of which this age is very fruitful, the time will come, when we shall have no pleafure in them; nay, the time fhall come, when they fhall be exploded, and would have been forgotten, if they had not been preferved in thofe excellent books, which contain a confutation of them; like infects preferved for ages in amber, which otherwife would foon have returned to the common mafs of things. But a firm belief of Chriftianity, and a practice fuitable to it, will fupport and invigorate the mind to the laft; and most of all, at laft, at that important hour,

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