ftronger and stronger, univerfal experience proves too fufficiently.

Do not deceive yourfelf: The true preparation for death, is not living at random to threescore, and then retiring from the world, and giving up a few of the last years of life to prayer and repentance: But cultivating in your mind, from the beginning, the fubftantial virtues, which are the true ornament of a worthy character and which naturally fit for endless happiness.

He only is truly virtuous, who would be fo, if he had no profpect of gaining more happiness by virtue than vice: though at the fame time, it is reasonable, and commendable, to have a due refpect to the recompence of reward, as things are at prefent conftituted.

The lot of mankind, upon an average, is wonderfully equal. The diftribution of happiness is not fo irregular, as appears at first view. There cannot indeed be any great inequality in the diftribution of what is fo inconfiderable as the temporal happiness enjoyed by mankind. i he contented, retired, and virtuous man has the best share.

Who could imagine it poffible to forget death, which every object puts one in mind of, and every moment brings nearer ?

What a frange condition a man must be in, whose judgment and practice are at variance. If a man does. not perfectly agree with his wife, they can fometimes avoid one another's company, and fo be eafy. But can one run away from himself?

Of all virtues, patience is ofteneft wanted. How unhappy must he be, who is wholly unfurnished with what is wanted every moment?

He, who endeavours to drown thought, and ftifle confcience, or who goes on in expentive living, without looking into his affairs, is about as wife, as he whọ fhould fhut his eyes, and then run toward the precipice, as if his not feeing the danger would annihilate it.

That the ways of virtue are preferable to thofe of vice, is evident, in that we do not find people in old age, fickness, or on a death-bed, repenting, that they have lived too virtuously; but the contrary. This is a ge

neral

neral confeffion from mankind, and at a time when they certainly are fincere. And they would give the fame teftimony to virtue at other times, if they could difengage themselves from the prejudices and paffions, which blind them.

A good man, when he comes to die, has nothing to do, but to die.

Perhaps no created nature could be happy, without having experienced the contrast of unhappiness.

As no character is more venerable than that of a wife old man; fo none is more contemptible than that of an old fool.

It makes wretched work, when the married pair come to disputing about privilege and fuperiority.

There is nothing more foolish than for thofe to fall out, who must live together, as hufband and wife, and fuch near relations. But there is no falling out without folly on one fide or the other, or both.

is beneath

The folly of fome people in converfatio criticism. The only way of anfwering, them is to go out of hearing.

Confider with yourself, whether the wife and good would value you more or lefs, than they do now, if they knew your whole character.

It is well when old people know that they are old. Many, on the contrary, ftill affect to fet themselves off as unimpaired in abilities both bodily and mental, long enough after they have outlived themselves.

It is neceffary often to find fault. And the only way to do it, fo as to be regarded, is to keep up your own dignity. A mafter, who blufters and fwears at his fervant, is defpifed; while he, who reproves with mildness and gravity, is likely to be reverenced and obeyed.

What embitters the common accidents of life to moft people is, their entertaining a foolish notion, that calamities are unnatural, and that we have a right to the pleasures of life. Whereas the true ftate of the cafe is, that affliction is what we greatly need, and richly deferve, and that the pleasures of life are the mere gift of God, which therefore he may withhold, or beftow as he fees fit.

The

The ufe of reading is, to fettle your judgment; not to confound it by a variety of opinions, nor to enflave it by authority.

If you will not listen to calm reafon, take care left you be made to feel the rod of fevere affliction. If God loves you, he will drive you from your follies, if you will be drawn from them.

If you are ever fo fure that you ought to refent an in- { jury, at leaft put off your refentment till you cool. You will gain every end better by that means, and can lofe nothing by going cautioufly and deliberately to work; whereas you may do yourself, or your neighbour, great mischief, by proceeding rafhly and haftily.

If you find you cannot hold your own with the world, without making fhipwreck of confcience and integrity; retire in time with a flock of honefty, rather than continue in business to retire at laft with a flock of wealth, which will not yield you happiness when your integrity is gone.

The giver is the creditor; the receiver the debtor. Had you not better be the former than the latter?

Married people ought to confider, that the keeping up of mutual love and peace is of more confequence than any point, which either the one or the other can want to gain, where life or fortune are not engaged, Let the husband confider, that it fuits his fuperior wifdom to yield to the weaker in ordinary cafes. Let the wife remember the folemnly promifed to obey.

The devil is feared and hated.

The consciousness of having acted from principle, and without the praise or privity of any perfon whatever, is a pleafure fuperior to all that applaufe can yield.

Why do you defire riches and grandeur? Because you think they will bring happiness with them. The very thing you want is now in your power. You have only to study contentment.

Don't be frighted if misfortune ftalks into your humble habitation. She fometimes takes the liberty of walking into the prefence-chamber of kings.

Be open with prudence. Be artful with innocence: Wife as the ferpent, harmlefs as the dove. If either of

thefe

these two qualities muft predominate, by all means let it be the latter.

It is a fhameful wickednefs, common in trade, to conceal the faults, or artfully heighten the good qualities of what one wants to fell, or to difparage any article one has a mind to buy, in order to have it the cheaper. That trader, who cannot lay his hand upon his heart, and fay, God, who knows all things, knows I ufe my neighbour as I would wish to be used, is no other, in plain English, than a downright knave.

To love a woman merely for her beauty, is loving a corpfe for the fake of its being covered with a fair skin. If the lovely body has a bad foul in it, it becomes then an object of averfion, not of affection.

Never think yourself out of danger of a diforder of body by fickness, or of the mind by passion.

Those who have not courage to refift fashion, would ill refift tortures.

Nothing can materially hurt you, but what hurts your virtue.

When we hear of one dead fuddenly, we are furprised. Whereas the great wonder is, that a machine of fuch frail materials, and exquifite workmanship, as the human body is, fhould hold in motion for an hour to gether.

Let a man confider what the general turn of his thoughts is. It is that which characterifes the man. He who thinks ofteneft, and dwells longeft on worldly things, is an earthly man. He whofe mind is habitually employed in divine contemplation, is a heavenly

man.

Abfolute refignation to the divine disposal, teaches neither to defire to live nor to die.

In proportion to the grief and fhame which a bad action would have caufed you, fuch will be your joy and triumph on reflecting, that you have bravely refifted the temptation.

Are not the great happiest when moft free of the incumberances of greatneis? Is there then any happiness in greatnefs?

Forgive

Forgive others who have fallen, and be on your guard left you yourself fall. The angels in heaven, and the first of our fpecies in innocence have fallen..

The hand of time heals all difeafes. Human Nature cannot long continue in violent anger, grief, or diftrefs of any kind. Spare yourfelf immoderate uneafinefs. The time will come, when all these things which now engage you so much, will be, as if they never had been; except your own character for virtue or vice.

If you live fuch a life, that you may be able, upon rational grounds, to be patient at the last hour, when your near friends lofe all patience, you will fhew yourfelf a true hero.

Don't be uneafy if you cannot mafter all science. You may easily know enough to be good and happy.

He who fuffers luft to fteal away his youth, ambition his manhood, and avarice his old age, may lament too late the shortnefs of the useful part of his life.

If you have a family, it is no more allowable that you fqander away your fubftance, than for a steward to embezzle the eftate of which he is manager. You are appointed steward to your children; and if you neglect to provide for them, be it at your peril.

A truly great mind, from mere reverence for itself, would not defcend to think a base thought, if it was never to be known to God or man.

This book is not likely to be read by any, whofe station in life is not fuch, that thoufands and millions of mankind would think worthy of envy. It will then be very ftrange if it fhould be read by any difcontented perfon.

He that has no fhame, has no grace.

Before you think of retiring from the world, be fure that you are fit for retirement. In order to which it is neceffary that you have a mind fo compofed by prudence, reafon, and religion, that it may bear being looked into; a turn to rural life; and a love for ftudy.

He who is free from any immediate diftrefs, and cannot be happy now, it is in vain for him to think he ever fhall, unless he changes the temper of his mind, which is what hinders his happiness at prefent.

Do

1