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Good hopes may be entertained of those whose minds have this liberal and elegant turn. It is favourable to many virtues; whereas, to be en. tirely devoid of relish for eloquence, poetry, or any of the fine arts, is justly construed to be an unpromising symptom of youth, and raises suspicions of their being prone to low gratifica. tious, or destined to drudge in the more vulgar and illiberal pursuits of life." Blair.

DEVOTION

Is a passion of the mind arising from the contemplation of the divine perfections; it is at once sublime and elevated, it seizes the ima gination and impresses the heart.

"A DEVOTIONAL spirit, united to good sense and a cheerful temper, gives that steadi. ness to virtue, which it always wants when produced and supported by good natural dispo. sitions only. It corrects and humanizes those constitutional vices, which it is not able entirely to subdue; and though it too often fails to render men perfectly virtuous, it preserves them from becoming utterly abandoned. It has, besides, the most favourable influence on all the passive virtues; it gives a softness and sensibility to the heart, and a mildness and gentleness to the manners; but above all it produces an universal charity and love to mankind, however different in station, country, or religion.

"There is a sublime yet tender melancholy, almost the common attendant on genius, which is too apt to degenerate into gloom and disgast with the world. Devotion is admirably calculated to soothe this disposition, by insen

sibly leading the mind, while it seems to indulge it, to those prospects which calm every murmur of discontent, and diffuse a cheefulness over the darkest hours of human life.

"Persons in the pride of high health and spirits, who are keen in the pursuits of pleasure, interest, or ambition, have either no ideas on this subject, or treat it as the enthusiasm of a weak mind. But this really shows great narrowness of understanding; a very little reflection and acquaintance with nature might teach them on how precarious a foundation their boasted independence on religion is built; the thousand nameless accidents that may de stroy it; and though for some years they should escape these, yet that time must impair the greatest vigoar of health and spirits, and deprive them of all those objects, for which only, at present, they think life worth enjoying. It should seem, therefore, very necessary to secure some permanent object, some real support to the mind, to cheer the soul, when all others. shall have lost their influence.

"The greatest inconvenience, indeed, that attends devotion, is its taking such a vast hold of the affections, as sometimes threatens the extinguishing of every other active principle of the mind. For, when the devotional spirit falls in with a melancholy temper, it is too apt to depress the mind entirely to sink into the weakest superstition, and to produce a total retirement and abstraction from the world, and all the du ties of life."--Dr. Gregory.

BAD COMPANY

HAS ruined its tens of thousands; its pernicions effects are sad beyond expression, no one

But if we cultivate our minds in youth, attain habits of attention and industry, of virtue and sobriety, we shall find ourselves well prepared to act our future parts in life; and what above all things ought to be our care, by gaining this command over ourselves, we shall be more able, as we get forward in the world, to resist every new temptation as soon as it appears. Gilpin.

RESENTMENT

Is a violent and destructive passion of our nature; it needs great regulation and govern

ment.

"RESENTMENT may be distinguished into anger and revenge. Anger is the pain we suffer upon the receipt of an injury or affront, with the usual effects of that pain upon ourselves. Revenge is the inflicting of pain upon the person who has injured or offended us, further than the just ends of punishment or reparation require.

Reflections proper for this purpose are the following the possibility of mistaking the motives from which the conduct that offends us proceeded how often our own offences have been the cause of inadvertency, when they were construed into indications of malice; the inducement which prompted our adversary to act as he did, and how powerfully the same inducement has at one time or other operated upon ourselves; that he is suffering perhaps under a contrition, of which he is ashamed, or wants opportunity, to confess; and how ungenerous it is to triumph by coldness or insult, over a spirit already humbled in secret; that the

returns of kindness are sweet, and that there is neither honour, nor virtue, nor utility, in re. sisting them. To this we shall particularly advert; for too many think themselves bound to cherish and keep alive their indignation, when they find it dying away of itself.

"We should remember, that others have their passions, their prejudices, their favourite aims, their fears, their cautions, their interests, their sudden impulses, their varieties of apprehensions, as well as ourselves. We may recollect what has sometimes passed in our minds, when we have been on the wrong side of a quarrel; and imagine the same to be passing in our adversary's mind now when we became sensible of our misbehaviour, what palliations we perceived in it, and expected others to perceive; how we were affected by the kindness, and felt the superiority, of a generous reception and ready forgiveness; how persecution revived our spirit with our enmity, and seemed to justify that conduct in our. selves, which we before blamed."

Dr. Paley.

THE BEAUTIES OF NATURE

ARE open to all, and by all may be relished and enjoyed. A taste for them is highly desirable and we should cherish it as the source of real pleasure.

"THE scenes of Nature contribute powerfully to inspire that serenity which heightens their beauties, and is necessary to our full en joyment of them. By a secret sympathy, the soul catches the harmony which she contemplates; and the frame within assimilates itself

to that without. In this state of sweet composure, we become susceptible of virtuous im pressions from almost every surrounding object. The patient ox is viewed with generous complacency; the guileless sheep with pity; and the playful lamb with emotions of tenderness and love. We rejoice with the horse in his liberty and exemption from toil, while he ranges at large through enamelled pastures. We are charmed with the songs of birds, soothed with the buz of insects, and pleased with the spor tive motions of fishes, because these are pressions of enjoyment; and, having felt a common interest in the gratifications of infe rior beings, we shall be no longer indifferent to their sufferings, or become wantonly instrumental in producing them.

"But the taste for natural beauty is subservient to higher purposes than those which have been enumerated. The cultivation of it not only refines and humanizes, but dignifies and exalts the affections. It elevates them to the admiration and love of that Being, who is the author of all that is fair, sublime, or good in the creation. Scepticism and irreligion are hardly compatible with the sensibility of heart which arises from a just and lively relish of the wisdom, harmony, and order subsisting in the world around us. Emotions of piety must spring up spontaneously in the bosom that is in unison with all animated nature. Actuated by this beneficial and divine inspiration, man finds a fane in every grove; and glowing with de vout fervour, he joins his song to the universal chorus, or muses the praise of the Almighty in more expressive silence!"-Dr.Percival.

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