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Uniformity is, in no refpect, the genius of the world. Every man is marked by fome peculiarity which diftinguifhes him from another and no where can two individuals be found, who are exactly and in all refpects, alike. Where fo much diverfity obtains, it cannot but happen, that, in the intercourfe which men are obliged to maintain, their tempers will often be ill adjusted to that intercourfe ; will jar, and interfere with each other. Hence, in every ftation, the highest as well as the loweft, and in every condition of life, public, private, and domeftic, occafions of irritation frequently arife. We are provoked, fometimes by the folly and levity of thofe with whom we are connected; fometimes, by their indifference or neglect ; by the incivility of a friend, the haughtiness of a fuperior, or the infolent behaviour of one in lower station. Hardly

a day paffes, without fomewhat or other occurring, which ferves to ruffle the man of impatient fpirit. Of course, fuch a man lives in a continual storm. He knows not what it is to enjoy a train of good humour. Servants, neighbours, friends, fpoufe, and children, all, through the unrestrained violence of his temper, become fources of difturbance and vexation to him. In vain is affluence in vain are health and profperity.

The leaft trifle is iufficient to discompofe his mind, and poifon his pleasures. His very amulements are mixed with turbulence and pafüon.

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I would beseech this man to confider, of what small moment the provocations which he receives, or at least imagines himself to receive, are really in themselves; but of what great moment he makes them, by fuffering them to deprive him of the poffeffion of himself. I woulefeech him, to confider, how many hours of happines, he throws away, which a little more patience would allow him to enjoy; and how much he puts it in the power of the most infignificant perfons to render him miferable. "And who can expect," we hear him exclaim, "that he is to poffefs the infenfibility of a stone? How is it poffible.

human nature to endure fo many repeated provocations? or to bear calmly with fuch unreasonable behaviour?" My brother! if thou canst bear with no inftances of unreasonable behaviour, withdraw thyfelf from the world. Thou art no longer fit to live in it. Leave the

intercourfe of men. Retreat to the mountain, and the defert; or fhut thyfelf up in a cell. For here, in the midst of fociety, offences must come. We might as well expect, when we beheld a calm atmosphere, and a clear fky, that no clouds were ever to rife, and no winds to blow, as that our life was long to proceed, without receiving provocations from human frailty. The careless and the imprudent, the giddy and the fickle, the ungrateful and the interested, every where meet us. They are the briers and thorns, with which the paths of human life are befet. He only, who can hold his courfe among them 'with patience and equanimity, he who is prepared to bear what he must expect to happen, is worthy of the name of

a man.

If we preferved ourselves composed but for a moment, we fhould perceive the infignificancy of most of thofe provocations which we magnify fo highly. When a few funs more have rolled over our heads, the ftorm will, of itfelf, have fubfided; the caufe of our prefent impatience Y and disturbance will be utterly forgotten. Can we not then anticipate this hour of calmnefs to ourselves; and begin to enjoy the peace which it will certainly bring? If others have behaved improperly, let us leave them to their own folly, without becoming the victim of their caprice, and punishing ourselves on their account. Patience, in this exercise of it, cannot be too much ftudied by all who wifh their life to flow in a smooth stream. It is the reafon of a man, in oppofition to the paffion of a child. It is the enjoyment of peace, in oppofition to uproar and confufion.

SECTION XIV.

MODERATION IN OUR WISHES RECOMMENDED.

BLAIR

THE active mind of man feldom or never rests fatisfed with its prefent condition, how profperous foever. Originally formed for a wider range of objects, for a higher fphere of enjoyments, it finds itself, in every fituation of fortune, ftraitened and confined. Senfible of deficiency in its ftate, it is ever fending forth the fond defire, the afpiring wifh, after fomething beyond what is enjoyed at prefent. Hence, that reftleffnefs which prevails fo generally among mankind. Hence, that difguft of pleafures

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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 themselves an indistinct idea. All which may be confidered as indications of a certain native original greatnefs in the human foul, fwelling beyond the limits of its prefent condition; and pointing to the higher objects for which it was made. Happy, if there latent remains of our primitive ftate, ferved to direct our wishes towards their proper deftination, and to lead us into the path of true bliss!

But in this dark and bewildered ftate, the aspiring tendency of our nature unfortunately takes an oppofite direction, and feeds a very misplaced ambition. The flattering appearances which here present 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 moft men.

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are the objects which engrofs their folitary mufings, and ftimulate their active labours; which warm the breasts 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 wishing to be freed from whatever is disagreeable, and to obtain a fuller enjoyment of the comforts of life. But when these wishes are not tempered by reafon, they are in danger of precipitating us into much extravagance and folly. Defires and wishes are the first springs of action. When they become exorbitant, the whole character is likely to be tainted. If we fuffer our fancy to create to itself worlds of ideal happiness, 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 frayed, my friends, from the road which conducts to felicity; you have dishonoured the native dignity of your fouls, in allowing your wishes to terminate on nothing higher than worldly ideas of greatnefs or happinefs. Your imagination roves in a land of fhadows.

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

Do you imagine, that all are happy who have attained to those fummits of distinction, towards which your wishes afpire Alas how frequently has experience shown, that where roses were fuppofed to bloom, nothing but briers and thorns grew! Reputation, beauty, riches, grandeur, nay, royalty itfelf, 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 shining in the world, it is decreed that there fhould mix many deep fhades of wo. On the elevated fituations of fortune, the great calamities of life chiefly fall. There, the ftorm fpends its violence, and there the thunder breaks; while, fafe and unhurt, the inhabitants of the vale remains below. Retreat, then, from thofe vain and pernicious excurfions of extravagant defire. Satisfy yourselves 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 fteal; and take the name of my God in vain."

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BLAIR.

OMNISCIENCE AND OMNIPRESENCE OF THE DEITY, THE SOURCE OF CONSOLA

TION TO GOOD MEN.

I was yesterday, about funfet, walking in the open fields, till the night infenfibly fell upon me. I at firft amufed myself with all the richness 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 bluenefs 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. complete the fcene, the full moon rose, at length, in that

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clouded majefty, which Milton takes notice of; and opened to the eye a new picture of nature, which was more finely fhaded, and difpofed among softer lights than that which the fun had before difcovered to us. 1947-5

As I was furveying the moon walking in her brightness, and taking her progrefs among the constellations, a thought. arofe in me, which I believe very often perplexes and difturbs men of serious and contemplative natures. David himself fell into it in that reflection; "When I confider the heavens, the work of thy fingers; the moon and the ftars 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 manner, when I confidered that infinite hoft 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 refpective funs; when I ftill enlarged the idea, and fuppofed another heaven of funs and worlds, rifing ftill above this which we difcovered; and thefe ftill enlightened by a fuperior firmament of luminaries, which are planted at fo great a distance, 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 ahidft the immenfity of God's works.

Were the fun, which enlightens this part of the creation, with all the hoft of planetary worlds that move about him, utterly extinguifhed and annihilated, they would not be miffed, more than a grain of fand upon the fea fhore. The fpace they poffefs, is fo exceedingly little in comparifon 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 nature, and pafs. from one end of the creation to the other; as it is poffible there may be fuch a fenfe in ourfelves hereafter, or in creatures which are at prefent more exalted than ourselves. By the help of glaffes, we fee many ftars, which we do not discover 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, fite their first creation.

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