THE EMPLOYMENT. HE wants of fociety call for every man's labour, and require various departments to be filled up. They require that some be appointed to rule, and others to obey; fome to defend the society from danger, others to maintain its internal order and peace; fome to provide the conveniencies of life, others to promote the improvement of the mind; many to work; others to contrive and direct. In short, within the sphere of fociety there is employment for every one; and in the course of these employments, many a moral duty is to be performed; many a religious grace to be exercifed. No one is permitted to be a mere blank in the world. No rank, nor station, no dignity of birth, nor extent of poffeffions, exempt any man from contributing his share to public utility and good. This is the precept of God.-This is the voice of nature. This is the juft demand of the hu man race upon one another. - IDLENESS. IDLENESS is the great corrupter of youth, and the bane and dishonour of middle age. He who, in the prime of life, finds time hang heavy on his hands, may with much reason fufpect, that he has not confulted the duties which the confideration of his age impofed upon him; afluredly he has not confulted his own happiness. ; WERE DEATH. ERE death a rare and uncommon object; were it only once in the courfe of a man's life, that he beheld one of his fellow-creatures carried to the grave, a folemn awe would fill him; he would stop short in the midst of his pleafures; he would even be chilled with fecret horror. Such impreffions, however, would prove unfuitable to the nature of our prefent ftate. When they became fo ftrong as to render men unfit for the ordinary bufinefs of life, they would in a great measure defeat the intention of our being placed in this world. It is better ordered by the wisdom of Providence, that they should be weakened by the frequency of their recurrence; and fo tempered by the mixture of other paffions, as as to allow us to go on freely in acting our parts on earth. Yet, familiar as death is now become, it ought not to pass over, as one of those common incidents which are beheld without concern, and awaken no reflection. There are many things which the funerals of our fellow-creatures are calculated to teach; and happy it were for the gay and diffipated, if they would liften more frequently to the inftructions of so awful a monitor. THE FUNERAL. WHEN we obferve the funerals that pafs along the ftreets, or when we walk among the monuments of death, the first thing that naturally ftrikes us, is the undistinguishing -blow, with which that common enemy levels all. We behold a great promiscuous multitude all carried to the fame abode; all lodged in the fame dark and filent manfions. There, mingle perfons of every age and character, of every rank and condition in life; the young and the old, the poor and the rich, the gay and the grave, the renowned and the ignoble. A few weeks ago, I most most of those whom we have feen carried to the grave, walked about as we do now on the earth; enjoyed their friends, beheld the light of the fun, and were forming defigns for future days. Perhaps, it is not long fince they were engaged in scenes of high feftivity. For them, perhaps, the cheerful company affembled; and in the midst of the circle they fhone with gay and pleasing vivacity. But now-to them, all is finally closed. To them no more fhall the seasons return, or the fun rife. No more fhall they hear the voice of mirth, or behold the face of man. They are fwept from the universe, as though they had never been. They are carried away as with a flood: the wind has passed over them, and they are gone. A THE TOMB. TOMB, it has been juftly faid, is a monu ment fituated on the confines of both worlds. It, at once, prefents to us the termination of the inquietudes of life, and fets before us the image of eternal rest. There, in the elegant expreffions of Job, the wicked ceafe from troubling; and there the weary be at reft. There the prifoners reft together; they hear not the voice of the oppreffar. The Small fmall and the great are there; and the fervant is free from his mafter. It is very remarkable, that in all languages, and among all nations, death has been described in a style of this kind; expreffed by figures of fpeech, which convey every where the fame idea of reft, or fleep, or retreat from the evils of life. Such a ftyle perfectly agrees with the general belief of the foul's immortality; but affuredly conveys no high idea of the boafted pleasures of the world. It fhews how much all mankind have felt this life to be a scene of trouble and care; and have agreed in opinion, that perfect reft is to be expected only in the grave. WH THE MOURNER. HILE the funeral is attended by a numerous, unconcerned company, who are difcourfing to one another about the news of the day, or the ordinary affairs of life, let our thoughts rather follow to the house of mourning, and reprefent to themfelves what is going on there. There, we should fee a difconfolate family, fitting in filent grief, thinking of the fad breach that is made in their little fociety; and with tears in their eyes, looking to the chamber that is now left vacant, and to every memorial that prefents |