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cations, till they become infipid. But the man of virtuous fenfibility moves in a wider fphere of felicity. His powers are much more frequently called forth into occupations of pleafing activity. Numberless occafions open to him of indulging his favourite tafte, by conveying fatisfaction to others. Often it is in his power, in one way or other, to footh the afflicted heart; to carry fome confolation into the house of woe. In the scenes of ordinary life, in the domestic and focial intercourses of men, the cordiality of his affections cheers and gladdens him. Every appearance, every defcription of innocent happiness, is enjoyed by him. Every native exprefsion of kindness and affection among others, is felt by him, even though he be not the object of it. Among a circle of friends, enjoying one another, he is as happy as the happiest. In a word, he lives in a different fort of world from what the felfifh man inhabits. He pofsefses a new sense, that enables him to behold objects which the felfifh cannot fee. At the fame time, his enjoyments are not of that kind which remain merely on the furface of the mind. They penetrate the heart. They enlarge and elevate, they refine and ennoble it. To all the pleafing emotions of affection, they add the dignified confcioufnefs of virtue.--Children of men! men formed by nature to live and to feel as brethren! how long will ye continue to eftrange yourfelves from one another by competitions and jealoufies, when in cordial union ye might be fo much more bleft? How long will ye feek your happinefs in felfifh gratifications alone, neglecting thofe purer and better fources of joy, which flow from the affections and the heart?

BLAIR.

SECTION XII.

On the true Honour of Man.

THE proper honour of man arifes not from fome of those splendid actions and abilities, which excite high admiration. Courage and prowefs, military re nown, fignal victories and conquefts, may render the name of a man famous, without rendering his character truly honourable. To many brave men, to many heroes renowned in story, we look up with wonder. Their exploits are recorded. Their praises are fung. They stand as on an eminence above the reft of mankind. Their eminence, nevertheless, may not be of that fort, before which we bow with inward efteem and refpect. Something more is wanted for that purpose, than the conquering arm, and the intrepid mind. The laurels of the warrior muft at all times be dyed in blood, and bedewed with the tears of the widow and the orphan. But if they have been ftained by rapine and inhumanity; if fordid avariee has marked his character; or low and grofs fenfuality has degraded his life; the great hero finks into a little What at a distance, or on a fuperficial view, we admired, becomes mean, perhaps odious, when we examine it more clofely. It is like the Colofsal flatue, whofe immenfe fize ftruck the fpectator afar off with aftonithment; but when nearly viewed, it appears difproportioned, unfhapely, and rude.

man.

Obfervations of the fame kind may be applied to all the reputation derived from civil accomplishments; from the refined politics of the ftatefman; or the lite

rary efforts of genius and erudition. These bestow, and, within certain bounds, ought to bestow, eminence and distinction on men. They discover talents which in themselves are fhining; and which become highly valuable, when employed in advancing the good of mankind. Hence, they frequently give rife to fame. But a diftinction is to be made between fame and true honour. The ftatefman, the orator, or the poet, may be famous; while yet the man himfelf is far from being honoured. We envy his abilities. We wish to rival them. But we would not choose to be classed with him who pofsefsed them. Inftances of this fort are too often found in every record of ancient or modern history.

From all this it follows, that, in order to difcern where man's true honour lies, we must look, not to any adventitious circumstance of fortune; not to any fingle fparkling quality; but to the whole of what forms a man; what entitles him, as fuch, to rank high among that class of beings to which he belongs; in a word, we must look to the mind and the foul.-A mind fuperior to fear, to felfifh intereft and corrup tion; a mind governed by the principles of uniform rectitude and integrity; the fame in profperity and adverfity; which no bribe can seduce, nor terror over awe; neither by pleasure melted into effeminacy, nor by diftrefs funk into dejection: fuch is the mind which forms the diftinction and eminence of man.One, who, in no fituation of life, is either ashamed or afraid of difcharging his duty, and acting his proper part with firmness and conftancy; true to the God whom he worships, and true to the faith in which he professes to believe; full of affection to his brethren of man

kind; faithful to his friends, generous to his enemies, warm with compafsion to the unfortunate; felf-denying to little private interefts and pleasures, but zealous for public intereft and happinefs; magnanimous, without being proud; humble, without being mean; juft, without being harsh; fimple in his manners, but manly in his feelings; on whose word we can entirely rely; whofe countenance never deceives us; whofe profefsions of kindness are the effufions of his heart: one, in fine, whom, independent of any views of advantage, we would choose for a fuperior, could truft in as a friend, and could love as a brother:-This is the man, whom in our heart, above all others, we do, we muft, honour.

BLAIR

SECTION XIII.

The Influence of Devotion on the Happiness of Life.

WHATEVER promotes and ftrengthens virtue, whatever calms and regulates the temper, is a fource of happiness. Devotion produces thofe effects in a remarkable degree. It inspires composure of spirit, mildness, and benignity; weakens the painful, and cherishes the pleasing emotions; and, by these means, carries on the life of a pious man in a smooth and placid tenour.

Befides exerting this habitual influence on the mind, devotion opens a field of enjoyments, to which the vicious are entire ftrangers; enjoyments the more valuable, as they peculiarly belong to retirement, when the world leaves us; and to adverfity, when it

becomes our foe. These are the two feafons, for which every wife man would most wish to provide fome hidden store of comfort. For let him be placed In the most favourable fituation which the human state admits, the world can neither always amuse him, nor always fhield him from distress. There will be many hours of vacuity, and many of dejection, in his life. If he be a stranger to God, and to devotion, how dreary will the gloom of folitude often prove! With what opprefsive weight will fickness, disappointment, or old age, fall upon his fpirits! But, for those penfive periods, the pious man has a relief prepared. From the tiresome repetition of the common vanities of life, or from the painful corrosion of its cares and forrows, devotion transports him into a new region; and furrounds him there with fuch objects, as are the most fitted to cheer the dejection, to calm the tumults, and to heal the wounds of his heart. If the world has been empty and delufive, it gladdens him with the profpect of a higher and better order of things, about to arife. If men have been ungrateful and base, it difplays before him the faithfulness of that Supreme Being, who, though every other friend fail, will never forfake him. Let us confult our experience, and we shall find, that the two greatest sources of inward joy, are, the exercife of love directed towards a deferving object, and the exercise of hope terminating on fome high and assured happiness. Both these are fupplied by devotion; and therefore we have no reason to be surprised, if, on fome occafions, it fills the hearts of good men with a fatisfaction not to be ex• pressed.

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