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those who are not beautiful are freed from many impediments. Tertullian said, beauty is to be feared, on account of the injury it does to the beholders. Socrates said, that the kingdom of beauty is violent for the time, but of short continuance; and Petrarch has left this sentence on record, "That beauty has made many adulterers, but has never made any chaste." Let not the possessors of it then be vain. It may prove to them the greatest of all curses. sioned the misery of thousands. have idolized their children, on the account of it, have had reason at last to weep over the evils it has produced! Let the vain remember what a world it is in which they live; that the most beautiful flower is in an unfriendly soil; that it cannot be secured from the wintry blasts of adversity. Vicissitudes attend us on every side, and a very trifling circumstance may impair the finest form. A short fit of sickness, the reproach of an enemy, the unfaithfulness of a professed friend, the death of a dear relative, inay so affect the spirits as to produce an evident alteration in the animal frame. Observe the case of Naomi; the death of her husband and sons had such an

effect on her, that they scarcely knew her. Is this Naomi? said the whole city of Bethlehem, when they saw her. And she said, "Call me not Nacmi; i. e. beautiful, call me Mara, bitter, for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me."*

Let those who are destitute of it not repine. It is not a qualification for happiness, for society, for usefulness. You may be intelligent; you may be prosperous; you may be contented; you may be serious; you may be useful without it. But, my reader, let me, remind you, that there is an object worthy of your pursuit; and that is, moral beauty; the beauty of the mind. This consists in a perception of what is right; an inclination to practise it, an aversion to every thing opposite to it. What this is Revelation informs you: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbour as thyself."+ To revere him; believe in his Son; submit to his providence; to be influenced by his grace; to depend on his promise, and to aim at his glory: this constitutes the true dignity

* Ruth i. 19, 20.

+ Mat. xxii. 37.

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of mind, and beauty of character. This will af ford happiness, when all other things will fade. Many outlive the beauty for which they once were so distinguished. The flower remains, but the colos is gune. Dut interual beauty, mental excellence, still increases in those who are devoted to the best Object. As they approach the grave, the world recedes; hope brightens; faith realizes; the dawn of the celestial world opens upon their view; till at last the shackles of mortality drop, and they find themselves surrounded with light and glory, in that paradise, where the perfection of beauty for ever dwells!

APPAREL.

How much is thought of decorating the body! Alas! to what expense do some go, in order to purchase costly apparel, that they may appear superior to others; as if excellency consisted in exterior habiliments. But, what is it?' Can a fine garment create intellect, enlarge the mind, alleviate pain, soothe sorrow? Can beautiful attire enrich the understanding, mature the

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judgment, or heal the disorders of the mind? Can decorations, derived from the labours of the insect, the animals of the forest, the birds of the wood, or the plants of the field, be worthy of the inordinate affection of a rational ture? O! foolish and unwise, to glory in that which is a badge of our shame! What childish, misplaced regard is this! And yet how astonishing is its influence! Who is there that is not, or has not been affected by it? It may be said by some, that they can well afford it, and that they have a right to do as they please with their own property: but admitting that some difference may be made for situations in life, how great the folly of placing our happiness in mere external ornament! To many, dress is like money; it is the root of all evil! When the heart has been set upon this idol, what vast portions of time has it swallowed up; what vanity has it excited; what ridiculous figures has it sometimes metamorphosed men into; what neglect of important duties has it occasioned; and what property has it consumed!* How many poor fami

* Tertullian complained, that there were some in

lies might be supplied by retrenching the luxuries of dress, and the prodigality of ornament! After all, what is more admirable than simplicity? What rationality is there in choosing a cumbrous, expensive form of dress, while one of a more easy, cheap, and convenient nature will suffice! What charity is there in lavishing so much upon ourselves; while with less expense we could make the hearts of multitudes glad? What dignity is there in mere apparel; and how litttle must that mind be that prides itself in it? What certainty is there of long enjoyment of it? How short is the path from the wardrobe to the grave; and how quick the exchange of the costly raiment for the shroud! And what a melancholy tale to relate of many, that they have spent a whole life in adorning their own persons, but never presented a garment to the naked, to screen them from the cold; never thought of the sufferings and miseries of the poor; but, while clad in purple and fine linen, and faring sumptuously every day,

his time, who did not scruple to hang at their wives' ears the value of a good farm.

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