sometimes, that those who have been celebrated as having a strong genius, have also had a tincture of insanity connected with it? The mind has been too large for the body; and the progress made has been such, that the man has been lost in reveries, and the soul overwhelmed by an inundation of ideas! As to human knowledge, what is it? It is said to be power; but is it a power we can always keep? Is it a throne on which we can always reign? Is its authority. always obeyed? Is its influence always mild, beneficial, and kind? Is there no ignorance mixed up with it? Is there no vanity attendant on it? No pride that follows it? Alas! it has often been abused and perverted to the worst of purposes; rendered its possessor tyrannical; exposed him to to the shafts of envy; caused him to be forgetful of the weakness of human nature, and, after all, left him in a state of poverty and distress!

That this also is vanity will appear, if we consider the labour of attaining it. By the entrance of sin into the world, the understanding is clouded, the faculties of man are injured! He very dimly perceives intellectual objects.

His powers want repeated strokes to awaken them! His judgment is defective; his memory is weak and treacherous: besides, external objects divert his attention, and the glare of sublunary things captivate his senses! In order to rise superior, therefore, to the state of ignorance in which we are by nature, there must be exertion. The fruit that grows on the tree of knowledge does not spontaneously drop upon us, but must be gathered by activity, patience, and perseverance. Now this cannot always be done without difficulty. How soon are the animal spirits exhausted, the application required affects the brain, means for the preser-1 vation of health are neglected, a habit of study is contracted, which becomes very injurious, and at last terminates in death. Let us remember, too, how humiliating it is, that after all our researches, how little knowledge we can obtain! The delineation of scripture is as true as affecting: "we are but of yesterday, and know nothing."* A contracted mind, a superficial pedant may imagine that he knows every thing; but they who know most are most con

* Job viii. 9.

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scious of their ignorance. They see such vast objects before them, such an extended circle around them, so many impediments to be removed, so many objections to be answered, that they are sometimes overwhelmed and confounded with the reflection on the narrow limits of human capacities.

But even those who have attained the highest degrees, who are allowed to excel, who have gone farther than any before them-can they say their knowledge makes them happy? that they are truly satisfied? that they live in a world of their own, where no cloud obscures their light, no tempests beat upon their habitations, no bitter streams flow by their side, no noxious vapours infest their atmosphere? Alas! no: they are mortals still; they have desires yet to be gratified, wants to be supplied, difficulties to meet. Nor is it an uncommon thing for those who are distinguished for some extraordinary talent, to be remarkable for some singular defect. As if the Almighty would stain the pride of human glory, he suffers the brightest intellectual sun to be sometimes eclipsed, the most exalted genius to be degraded, and sus

pends the energies of those minds renowned for wisdom and knowledge; so that we have been filled with astonishment in hearing, that they who possessed almost the powers of angels, should manifest almost the weakness of children, or the conduct of idiots. Let us not then make this our idol: for suppose we could travel round the world, and gather information from every quarter; suppose we understood all languages, could penetrate into the arcana of nature, could explain the laws of matter and spirit, could with vision more perceptive than any yet ever known, see into all the varied operations of the surrounding systems-I say, after all the possession of this vast treasure, we should find still something wanting to complete our happiness. Let not any suppose, however, that I am now degrading human literature, or that any man should be content with ignorance. No. Intellectual darkness was brought into the world by sin, and the more we can diminish it the better. He deserves praise who is determined not to live in ignorance, but who retires frequently from the world to think, to study, to expand his mind, to weigh things in the balance of truth, and to converse with ancient

as well as modern writers for the sake of inprovement. But there is a wide difference between this and worshipping, if I may so speak, an intellectual god, and placing all our happiness in human knowledge; in imagining that a sparkling wit, a brilliant imagination, a fine taste, or literary attainments, form all the felicity of man. Alas! how many have risen to celebrity in the world by their vast powers, and yet have shewn us, that they were neither the most virtuous, the most moral, the most happy, nor the most useful members of society. There is, however, knowledge that in no sense can be called vain. It is the knowledge of God and ourselves. Thus saith the Lord, "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might; let not the rich man glory in his riches. But let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord, which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth for in these things I delight, saith the Lord."*

* Jerem. ix. 23, 24.