the falfe witnefs to take the name of God in vain; he is in effect, putting arms into the hands of the highwayman, and letting loose the robber on the streets by night.

THE

THE TEMPORIZER.

IE mere temporizer, the man of accommodating principles, and inferior virtue, may fupport a plaufible character for a while among his friends and followers; but as foon as the hollowness of his principles is detected, he finks into contempt. They who are prone to deride men of inflexible integrity, only betray the littleness of their minds. They fhew that they understand not the fublime of virtue; that they have no difcernment of the true excellence of man. By affecting to throw any discouragement on purity and ftrictnefs of morals, they not only expofe themselves to just contempt, but propagate fentiments very dangerous to fociety. For, if we loosen the regard due to virtue in any of its parts, we begin to fap the whole of it. No man, as it has been often faid, becomes entirely profligate at once. He deviates, ftep by step, from confcience. If the loose casuistry of the scoffer were to prevail, open difhonefty, falfehood, and

trea

treachery, would speedily grow out of those complying principles, those relaxations of virtue, which he would reprefent to be neceffary for every man who knows the world.

RIDICULE OF RELIGION.

RELIGION and virtue, in all their forms,

either of doctrine or of precept; of piety towards God, intregrity towards men, or regularity in private conduct; are fo far from affording any grounds of ridicule to the petulant, that they are entitled to our highest veneration; they are names which should never be mentioned, but with the utinoft honour. It is faid in Scripture, Fools make a mock at fin. They had better make a mock at peftilence, at war, or famine. With one who should chufe these public calamities for the subject of his sport, you would not be inclined to affociate. You would fly from him, as worse than a fool; as a man of distempered mind, from whom you might be in hazard of receiving a fudden blow. Yet certain it is, that to the great fociety of mankind, fin is a greater calamity than either peftilence, or famine, or war. These operate only as occafional causes of mifery. But the fins and vices of men, are perpetual

.

tual scourges of the world. Impiety and injuftice, fraud and falfehood, intemperance and profligacy, are daily producing mischief and disorder; bringing ruin on individuals; tearing families and communities in pieces; giving rise to a thoufand tragical fcenes on this unhappy theatre. In proportion as manners are vicious, mankind are unhappy. The perfection of virtue which reigns in the world above, is the chief fource of the perfect blessedness which prevails there.

THOU

CREATION,

HOUGH there was a period when this globe, with all that we fee upon it, did not exift, we have no reafon to think that the wif dom and power of the Almighty were then without exercife or employment. Boundlefs is the extent of his dominion. Other globes and worlds, enlightened by other funs, may then have occupied, they still appear to occupy, the immenfe regions of space. Numberless orders of beings, to us unknown, people the wide exrent of the univerfe; and afford an endless variety of objects to the ruling care of the great Father of all. At length, in the course and progrefs of his government, there arrived a period,

when

when this earth was to be called into existence. When the fignal moment, predestined from all eternity, was come; the Deity arose in his might; and with a word created the world.-What an illuftrious moment was that, when, from nonexistence,there fprang at once into being this mighty globe, on which so many millions of creatures now dwell?-No preparatory meafures were required. No long circuit of means was employed. He spake, and it was done: He commanded, and it flood faft. The earth was, at first, without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. The Almighty surveyed the dark abyfs; and fixed bounds to the feveral divifions of nature. He faid, Let there be light, and there was light. Then appeared the fea, and the dry land. The mountains rofe; and the rivers flowed. The fun and moon began their course in the fkies. Herbs and plants clothed the ground. The air, the earth, and the waters, were ftored with their respective inhabitants. At laft, man was made after the image of God. He appeared, walking with countenance erect; and received his Creator's benediction, as the Lord of this new world. The Almighty beheld his work when it was finished; and pronounced it good. Superior beings faw with wonder this new acceffion to exiftence. The morning ftars fang together; and all the fons of God fhouted for joy.

THE

THE

THE STUDY OF NATURE.

HE ftudy of nature, which, for ages, has employed the lives of fo many learned men, and which is ftill fo far from being exhausted, is no other than the ftudy of divine wisdom difplayed in the creation. The farther our refearches are carried, more ftriking proofs of it every where meet us. The provision made for the conftant regularity of the universe, in the difpofition of the heavenly bodies, fo that in the course of several thousand years, nature should ever exhibit the fame ufeful and grateful variety, in the returns of light and darkness, of summer and winter; and ever furnish food and habitation to all the animals that people the earth; must be a lafting theme of wonder to every reflecting mind.

GOODNESS OF THE CREATOR.

ALIGNANT must be the mind of that

MAL perfon; with a distorted eye he must have

contemplated creation, who can suspect, that it is not the production of infinite benignity and goodness. How many clear marks of benevo

lent