"of existence, and be filled with gratitude to the be"neficent author of it? Thus to enjoy the bleffings "he has fent, is virtue and obedience; and to reject "them merely as means of pleasure, is pitiable igno❝rance, or abfurd perverfenefs. Infinite goodness is "the fource of created exiftence; the proper tendency "of every rational being, from the highest order of "raptured feraphs, to the meanest rank of men, is to "rife inceffantly from lower degrees of happiness to higher. They have each faculties affigned them for ❝ various orders of delights."

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What, cried I, is this the language of RELIGION? Does fhe lead her votaries through flowery paths, and bid them pafs an unlaborious life 2 Where are the painful toils of virtue, the mortifications of penitents, the felf-denying exercifes of faints and heroes ?'

"The true enjoyments of a reasonable being," answered she mildly, "do not confift in unbounded indulgence, or luxurious eafe, in the tumult of "paffions, the languor of indolence, or the flutter of light amusements. Yielding to immoral pleasure "corrupts the mind, living to animal and trifling ones.

debafes it; both in their degree difqualify it for its "genuine good, and confign it over to wretchedness. "Whoever would be really happy must make the "diligent and regular exercife of his fuperior powers

his chief attention, adoring the perfections of his "Maker, expreffing good-will to his fellow creatures, cultivating inward rectitude. To his lower faculties " he must allow fuch gratifications as will, by refresh"ing him, invigorate his nobler purfuits. In the

regions inhabited by angelic natures, unmingled fe"licity for ever blooms, joy flows there with a per

petual and abundant ftream, nor needs there any mound to check its courfe. Beings confcious of a "frame of mind originally difeafed, as all the human 66 race has cause to be, must use the regimen of a stricter

felf-government. Whoever has been guilty of vo"luntary exceffes, muft patiently fubmit both to the "painful workings of nature, and needful feverities

" of

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*of medicine in order to his cure. Still he is en"titled to a moderate fhare of whatever alleviating "accommodations this fair manfion of his merciful parent affords, confiftent with his recovery. And in proportion as this recovery advances, the livelieft joy will fpring from his fecret fense of an amended "and improving heart.-So far from the horrors of defpair is the condition even of the guilty.-Shud"der, poor mortal, at the thought of that gulph into "which thou waft but now going to plunge.

"While the most faulty have every encouragement <to amend, the more innocent foul will be supported " with ftill fweeter confolations under all its experi<ence of human infirmities; fupported by the glad

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dening affurances that every fincere endeavour to "out-grow them, fhall be affifted, accepted and re“warded. To such a one the lowliest self-abasement " is but a deep laid foundation for the most elevated "hopes; fince they who faithfully examine and acknowledge what they are, fhall be enabled under my conduct to become what they defire. The chrif"tian and the hero are infeparable; and to the afpirings of unaffuming truft, and filial confidence, 66 are fet no bounds. To him who is animated with "a view of obtaining approbation from the fovereign "of the universe, no difficulty is infurmountable. "Secure in this purfuit of every needful aid, his con"flict with the feverest pains and trials, is little more "than the vigorous exercises of a mind in health. His patient dependance on that providence which looks "through all eternity, his filent refignation, his rea"dy accommodation of his thoughts and behaviour "to its infcrutable ways, is at once the most excellent "fort of felf-denial, and a fource of the most exalted "transports. Society is the true fphere of human "virtue. In focial active life, difficulties will per"petually be met with; reftraints of many kinds will "be neceffary; and ftudying to behave right in refpect of thefe is a difcipline of the human heart, "ufeful to others, and improving to itself. Suffering "is no duty but where it is neceffary to avoid guilt,

"or to do good; nor pleasure a crime, but where it "ftrengthens the influence of bad inclinations, or "leffens the generous activity of virtue. The happi"nefs allotted to man in his present ftate, is indeed "faint and low compared with his immortal prospects "and noble capacities; but yet whatever portion of "it the distributing hand of heaven offers to each in“dividual, is a needful fupport and refreshment for "the present moment, fo far as it may not hinder "the attaining his final destination.

"Return then with me from continual mifery to "moderate enjoyment, and grateful alacrity. Return "from the contracted views of folitude to the proper ❝duties of a relative and dependent being. Religion " is not confined to cells and closets, nor refrained "to fullen retirement. These are the gloomy doc"trines of SUPERSTITION, by which fhe endeavours "to break those chains of benevolence and social af"fection, that link the welfare of every particular with "that of the whole. Remember that the greatest "honour you can pay to the author of your being is "by fuch a chearful behaviour, as difcovers a mind fatisfied with his difpenfations."

Here my preceptrefs paused, and I was going to exprefs my acknowledgment for her difcourfe, when a ring of bells from the neighbouring village, and a new-rifen fun darting his beams through my windows, awaked me.

On Lying.

W

[Adventurer, No. 50.]

HEN Ariftotle was once afked, what a man could gain by uttering falfehoods; he replied, "Not to be credited when he fhall tell the truth."

The character of a liar is at once fo hateful and contemptible, that even of those who have loft their virtue it might be expected, that from the violation of truth they should be restrained by their pride. Almost every other vice that difgraces human nature,

may

may

be kept in countenance by applause and affociation: the corrupter of virgin innocence fees himself envied by the men, and at least not detefted by the women: the drunkard may cafily unite with beings, devoted like himself to noify merriment or filent infenfibility, who will celebrate his victories over the novices of intemperance, boaft themselves the companions of his prowefs, and tell with rapture of the multitudes whom unsuccessful emulation has hurried to the grave: even the robber and the cut-throat have their followers, who admire their addrefs and intrepidity, their ftratagems of rapine, and their fidelity to the gang

The liar, and only the liar, is invariably and univerfally defpifed, abandoned, and difowned: he has no domestic confolations, which he can oppofe to the cenfure of mankind, he can retire to no fraternity, where his crimes may ftand in the place of virtues : but is given up to the hiffes of the multitude, without friend and without apologift. It is the peculiar condition of falsehood, to be equally detested by the good and bad: "The devils," fays Sir Thomas Brown, "do not tell lies to one another; for truth is necef"fary to all focieties; nor can the fociety of hell fub"fift without it."

It is natural to expect, that a crime thus generally detefted, fhould be generally avoided; at leaft that none should expofe himself to unabated and unpitied infamy, without an adequate temptation: and that to guilt fo eafily detected, and fo feverely punished, an adequate temptation would not readily be found.

Yet so it is, that in defiance of cenfure and contempt, truth is frequently violated; and fcarcely the moft vigilant and unremitted circumfpection will fecure him that mixes with mankind, from being hourly deceived by men of whom it can scarcely be imagined, that they mean any injury to him or profit to themfelves; even where the fubject of converfation could not have been expected to put the paffions in motion, or to have excited either hope or fear, or zeal or malignity, fufficient to induce any man to put his repu

tation in hazard, however little he might value it, or to overpower the love of truth, however weak might be its influence.

The cafuifts have very diligently distinguished lyes into their feveral claffes, according to their various degrees of malignity: but they have, I think, generally omitted that which is most common, and, perhaps, not leaft mischievous; which fince the moralifts have not given it a name, I fhall diftinguish as the LYE of VANITY.

To vanity may juftly be imputed most of the falfehoods which every man perceives hourly playing upon his ear, and, perhaps, most of thofe that are propagated with fuccefs. To the lye of commerce, and the Iye of malice, the motive is fo apparent, that they are feldom negligently or implicitly received; fufpicion is always watchful over the practices of intereft; and whatever the hope of gain, or defire of mischief, can prompt one man to affert, another is by reafons equally cogent incited to refute. But vanity pleases herself with fuch flight gratifications, and looks forward to pleasure fo remotely confequential, that her practices raise no alarm, and her ftratagems are not easily dis covered.

VANITY is, indeed, often fuffered to pafs unpurfued by fufpicion; because he that would watch her motions, can never be at rest: fraud and malice are bounded in their influence; fome opportunity of time and place is neceffary to their agency; but fcarce any man is abstracted one moment from his vanity; and he, to whom truth affords no gratifications, is generally inclined to feek them in falfehoods.

It is remarked by Sir Kenelm Digby," that every man has a defire to appear fuperior to others, though "it were only in having feen what they have not feen." Such an accidental advantage, fince it neither implies merit, nor confers dignity, one would think hould not be defired fo much as to be counterfeited: yet even this vanity, trifling as it is, produces innumerable narratives, all equally falfe; but more or less credible, in proportion to the fkill or confidence of

the