anger never confults times or seasons; envy waits for the lucky moment when the wound it meditates may be made the most exquifitely painful, and the most incurably deep: anger ufes more invective; envy does more mifchief.

Simple anger foon runs itself out of breath, and is exhausted at the end of it's tale, but it is for that chofen period that envy has treasured up the moft barbed arrow in its whole quiver: anger puts a man out of himself; but the truly malicious generally preserve the appearance of self-poffeffion, or they could not fo effectually injure: anger talks loudly of its own wrongs; envy of its adversary's injuftice: anger is a violent act; envy a conftant habit: no one can be always angry, but he may be always envious.

An angry man's enmity (if he be generous). will fubfide when the object of his refentment becomes unfortunate; but the envious man can extract food for his malice out of calamity itself, if he finds his adversary bears it with dignity, or is pitied or affifted in it. The rage of the paffionate man is totally extinguished by the death of his enemy; but the hatred of the malicious is not buried even in the grave of his rival; he will envy the good name he has left behind him; he will envy him the tears of his widow,

the

the profperity of his children, the esteem of his friends, the praifes of his epitaph; nay, the very magnificence of his funeral.

MAN

EVENTS UNCERTAIN.

are

walketh in a vain fhow. His fears often as vain as his wishes. As what flattered him in expectation, frequently wounds him in poffeffion; so that the event to which he looked forward with an anxious and fearful eye, has often, when it arrived, laid its terrors afide; nay, has brought in its train unexpected bleffings.

Both good and evil are beheld at a distance, through a perspective which deceives. The colours of objects when nigh, are entirely differenţ from what they appeared, when they appeared in futurity. It is common for men to be deceived in their profpects of happiness. They judge by the fenfations of the prefent moment, and in the fervour of defire pronounce confidently concerning the defired object. But reflect not that their minds, like their bodies, undergo great alteration from the fituation into which they are thrown, D

and

and the progreffive ftages of life through which they pafs.

Hence, concerning any condition which is yet untried, they conjecture with much uncertainty. In imagination they carry their prefent wants, inclinations, and fentiments, into the ftate of life to which they afpire. But no fooner have they entered into it than their fentiments and inclinations change. New wants and defires arife, new objects are required to gratify them; and by confequence their old diffatisfaction returns, and the void which was to have been filled, remains as great as it was before.

FAITH, PIETY, AND ACTIVE VIRTUE,

L'

IFE paffed under the influence of fuch difpofitions naturally leads to an happy end. It is not enough to fay, faith and piety joined with active virtue conftitute the requifite preparation for heaven. They in truth begin the enjoyment of heaven. In every ftate of our exiftence they form the chief ingredients of felicity.

FELICITY EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED.

MONG the different conditions and ranks

A of men, the balance of happiness is pre

ferved in a great measure equal; and the high and low, the rich and the poor, approach in point of real enjoyment much nearer to each other than is commonly imagined. Providence never intended that any state here should either be completely happy, or entirely miferable.

If the feelings of pleasure are more numerous and more lively, in the higher departments of life, fuch alfo are thofe of pain.-If greatnefs flatters our vanity, it multiplies our dangers.If opulence encreases our gratifications, it encreases in the fame proportion our defires and demands.-If the poor are confined to more narrow circle, yet within that circle lie moft of thofe natural fatisfactions, which, after all the refinements of art, are found to be the most genuine and true. For the happiness of every man depends more upon the ftate of his own mind than upon any one external circumstance; nay, more than upon all external things put together.

Inordinate paffions are the great difturbers of life; and unless we poffefs a good confcience, D 2

and

and a well-governed mind, discontent will blaft every enjoyment, and the higheft profperity will only prove difgufted mifery. This conclufion then should be fixed in the mind; The deftruction of virtue is the deftruction of peace. In no ftation-in no period are we secure from the dangers which spring from our paffions. Every age, and every station they befet, from youth to grey hairs, and from the peafant to the prince.

OUR

FELICITY TEMPORAL.

UR imperfect knowledge of what is good or evil fhould attach us the more to those few things, concerning which, there can be no doubt of their being truly good.

Of temporal things which belong to this clafs, the catalogue, it must be confeffed, is fmall. Perhaps the chief worldly good we should wish to enjoy, is a found mind in a found body. Health and peace, a moderate fortune, and a few friends, fum up all the undoubted articles of temporal felicity.

He whose wishes, refpecting this world, are the most reasonable and bounded, is likely to

lead