after fomething beyond what is enjoyed at prefent. Hence, that reftleffness which prevails fo generally ́among mankind. Hence, that disgust of pleasures which they have tried; that paffion for novelty; that ambition of rifing to fome degree of eminence or felicity, of which they have formed to themfelves an indiftinct idea. All which may be confidered as indications of a certain native, original' greatness in the human foul, fwelling beyond the limits of its prefent condition; and pointing at the higher objects for which it was made. Happy, if these latent remains of our primitive ftate, ferved to direct our withes towards their proper deftination, and to lead us into the path of true blifs!

But in this dark and bewildered ftate, the afpiring tendency of our nature unfortunately takes an oppofite direction, and feeds a very mifplaced ambition. The flattering appearances which here prefent themselves to fenfe; the diftinctions which fortune confers; the advantages and pleasures which we imagine the world to be capable of beftowing, fill up the ultimate wifh of most men. These are the objects which ingrofs their folitary mufings, and ftimulate their active labours; which warm the breafts of the young, animate the industry of the middle aged, and often keep alive the paffions of the old, until the very clofe of life.

Affuredly, there is nothing unlawful in our wifhing to be freed from whatever is disagreeable, and to obtain a fuller enjoyment of the comforts of life. But when thefe wifhes are not tempered by reafon, they are in danger of precipitating us into much extravagance and folly. Defires and wifhes are the firft fprings of action. When they become ex

orbitant, the whole character is likely to be tainted. If we fuffer our fancy to create to itfelf worlds of ideal happinefs, we fhall difcompofe the peace and order of our minds, and foment many hurtful paffions. Here, then, let Moderation begin its reign; by bringing within reasonable bounds the wishes that we form. As foon as they become extravagant, let us check them, by proper reflections on the fallacious nature of thofe objects, which the world hangs out to allure defire.

You have ftrayed, my friends, from the road which conducts to felicity; you have difhonoured the native dignity of your fouls, in allowing your wishes to terminate on nothing higher than worldly ideas of greatness or happiness. Your imagination roves in a land of fhadows. Unreal forms de

ceive you. It is no more than a phantom, an illufion of happiness, which attracts your fond admiration; nay, an illusion of happiness, which often conceals much real mifery.

Do you imagine, that all are happy, who have attained to thofe fummits of diftinction, towards which your wifhes afpire? Alas! how frequently has experience fhown, that where rofes were fuppofed to bloom, nothing but briers and thorns grew? Reputation, beauty, riches, grandeur, nay, royalty itself, would, many a time, have been gladly exchanged by the poffeffors, for that more quiet and humble station, with which you are now diffatisfied. With all that is fplendid and fhining in the world, it is decreed that there fhould mix many deep fhades of woe. On the elevated fituations of fortune, the great calamities of life chiefly fall. There, the form fpends its violence, and there,

the thunder breaks; while, fafe and unhurt, the inhabitant of the vale remains below. Retreat, then, from thofe vain and pernicious excurfions of extravagant defire. Satisfy yourfelves with what is rational and attainable. Train your minds to moderate views of human life, and human happiness. Remember, and admire, the wisdom of Agur's petition: "Remove far from me vanity and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with food convenient for me: Left I be full, and deny thee; and fay, who is the Lord? or left I be poor, and steal; and take the name of my God in vain.”

HOFBLAIR.

SECTION XV.

Omniscience and Omniprefence of the Deity, the Source of Confolation to good Men.

I was yesterday, about fun-fet, walking in the open fields, till the night infenfibly fell upon me. I at first amufed myfelf with all the richnefs and variety of colours, which appeared in the western parts of heaven. In proportion as they faded away and went out, feveral stars and planets appeared one after another, till the whole firmament was in a glow. The blueness of the ether was exceedingly heightened and enlivened, by the feafon of the year, and the rays of all thofe luminaries that paffed through it. The galaxy appeared in its moft beautiful white. To complete the fcene, the fullmoon rofe, at length, in that clouded majefty, which Milton takes notice of; and opened to the eye a new picture of nature, which was more fine

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ly fhaded, and difpofed among fofter lights, than that which the fun had before difcovered to us.

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man

As I was furveying the moon walking in her brightnefs, and taking her progrefs among the conftellations, a thought arofe in me, which I be lieve very often perplexes and difturbs men of fe rious and contemplative natures. David himfelf fell into it in that reflection; "When I confider the heavens, the work of thy fingers; the moon and the stars which thou haft ordained; what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou regardeft him!" In the fame n ner, when I confider that infinite host of ftars, or, to fpeak more philofophically, of funs, which were then fhining upon me; with those innumerable fets of planets or worlds which were moving round their respective funs; when I still enlarged the idea, and fuppofed another heaven of funs and worlds, rifing ftill above this which we difcovered; and these still enlightened by a fuperior firmament oft luminaries, which are planted at fo great a dif tance, that they may appear to the inhabitants of the former, as the ftars do to us; in fhort, while I purfued this thought, I could not but reflect on >that little infignificant figure, which I myself bore amidst the immenfity of God's works.

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Were the fun, which enlightens this part of the screation, with all the host of planetary worlds that move about him, utterly extinguished and annihilated, they would not be miffed, more than a grain of fand upon the fea-fhore. The space they poffefs is fo exceedingly little in comparison of the whole, it would fcarcely make a blank in the creation. The chafm would be imperceptible to an

eye, that could take in the whole compafs of na ture, and pass from one end of the creation to the other; as it is poffible there may be fuch a fenfe in ourselves hereafter, or in créatures which are at prefent more exalted than ourselves. By the herp of glaffes, we fee many stars, which we do not dif cover with our naked eyes; and the finer our telefcopes are, the more ftill are our difcoveries.Huygenius carries this thought fo far, that he does not think it impoffible there may be ftars, whofe light has not yet travelled down to us, fince their firft creation. There is no queftion that the univerfe has certain bounds fet to it; but when we confider that it is the work of infinite Power, prompted by infinite goodnefs, with an infinite fpace to exert itself in, how can our imagination fet any bounds to it?

To return, therefore, to my first thought, I could not but look upon myself with fecret horror, as a being that was not worth the smallest regard of one who had fo great a work under his care and fuperintendency. I was afraid of being overlooked amidst the immenfity of nature; and loft among that infinite variety of creatures, which, in all probability, fwarm through all thefe immeafurable regions of matter."

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In order to recover myfelf from this mortifying thought, I confidered that it took its rife from those narrow conceptions, which we are apt to entertain of the Divine nature. We ourselves cannot attend to many different objects at the fame time. If we are careful to infpect fome things, we muft of courfe neglect others. This imperfection which we obferve in ourfelves, is an im