potent, often deceitful. What wife man, then, would put from shore ?-Farewell! May that Being whose wisdom is all-sufficient, and whose power is almighty, graciously condescend to direct and defend us in all difficulties and dangers. Amen.

WE should encourage and comfort one another, and agree in waiting patiently God's time to alleviate our forrows, not forgetting to embrace every help that religion and reason suggeft. When the storm rages at fea, do the mariners forego their duty, and leave the ship to drive at the mercy of the wind? No; their courage rifes in proportion to the difficulties they meet with, nor do they quit the pump till they fink. This fhould furnish admonitory leffons to you and me; for certain it is, that a complaining, defponding temper, unfits us for every thing, and renders our burdens more galling and cumberfome.

MY bed is often ftrewed with thorns; but I muft journey through life upon the fame terms that many wifer and better men than myself have done; and must reflect, with fome degree of comfort, that I am making hafty advances to that fanctuary,

fanctuary, "where the wicked ceafe from trou“bling, and the weary shall be at rest.”—Oh! my heart-strings, break not yet, out of pity to the worthier part of my family, who cannot lose me without suffering the greatest inconveniences.

YOU, who know mankind, cannot be infenfible to the evils which always follow upon the alteration of friends. I dare say you will approve a maxim, which I have conftantly adopted through life-Never to ftand upon my own juftification to the man I love, when he appears conscious that the right is on his fide. For it is ten to one whether even the fuccefs of my pleadings be not accompanied with the ill opinion of my friend and the forfeiture of his affection and efteem will be a poor compenfation to me for the vanity of a victory. Only grofs imputations, fuch as reflect upon our integrity and virtue, ought to put us upon difputation. Our arguments, like our swords, fhould be employed for the defence, and not for the conqueft, of our friends.

REFLECTIONS upon paft indifcretion

are only to be encouraged, when we propofe to

avail ourselves, for the future, of prior mifcarriages; otherwise, fuch reviews ferve to gall the mind, and render us unfit for the general duties and offices of life. They are like to the false pangs of parturiency, which diminish the strength and preclude the birth; and therefore, like all fuch impotent throes, they ought to be opiated as fast as you can. But fometimes it happens, that they are restive to such prescriptions. When this is the cafe, they require a different treatment. Change the fimile, and compare these painful thoughts to bold intruders, who are not to be prevailed upon by tender ufage, but who require force to expel them your houfe. Fairly give them battle. A refolute and firm oppofition, with a thorough determination to give them no future advantages over you, no future caufes of triumph, will infallibly weaken their forces, procure a complete victory, and in the end regain peace to your poor distracted breast.

I have fometimes thought, that when the mind is agitated by disagreeable retrospects, too strong to be conquered by amusements, and too numerous to be diffipated by the ordinary business and occurrences of life; the mind, I fay, under such difficulties, resembles a diftempered body, which cannot recover its health till the unnatural ferment in the juices has expelled itself, which it feldom

feldom fails of doing at the long-run, if no further pabulum be again thrown into the habit. This falutary crisis too may be confiderably affifted and forwarded by art; the ftruggles of nature may be hereby alleviated, and a complete recovery insured.

Once more, my dear Doctor, to the difficulties of our profeffion. Indeed, indeed, or, to speak after the manner of the Greeks, Amen, Amen, all that you advance upon this fubject is too, too melancholy a truth. But as we, and many more deferving than we (or rather, more deferving than I am) are involved in equal difficulties with ourfelves, methinks our reiterated complaints enervate our minds, and render us lefs and lefs difpofed every day to combat with evils we cannot avoid. No mariner can foften the severity of a ftorm by fighs and exclamations. But the failor, who ftands collected, can many times obviate, by his fortitude and prefence of mind, thofe dangers which would precipitate the timorous and dejected adventurer into the very bofom of the deep.And thus much as to the moral view of thefe ills and inconveniences,

But when we regard all thefe difcouraging incidents in a fuperior light, and confider the relations and connections we ftand in to a future state of existence, furely we are culpable when we indulge ourselves in profpects only which

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which terminate with the grave. But fay, if you pleafe, that these secular interests are of more importance than I feem to reprefent them; neverthelefs you will find my infinuations are juft. For if a man cannot, by his anxiety and inquietude, alter the difpofition of his fituation, certainly it is folly to difquiet himself in vain; and grant him but a little patience, and the grave fhall put a period to his fufferings. This patience will at leaft mitigate prefent evils; and it is much but reafon and difcretion will remove fome of them. Wherefore, to conclude both my conversation and my paper, let you and myfelf act the parts of reafon and religion; and in every difficulty, where the former cannot fuftain us, most affuredly the latter will.

I MOST heartily with you were in poffeffion of a good-conditioned living. I mean, a benefice fo happily circumstanced as would engage your refidence thereon. Indeed, I hope you will never accept a living where you cannot refide comfortably one half of the year at least, and fuperintend the parish. I venture to say so, because I am fully perfuaded in my own breaft, that the accepting a church, with no other views. than those of gain, is diametrically oppofite to the