"Were they treasures rich as the earth-"What! was thy heart fo vain as to be lift"ed up therewith? Was not all that was va"luable in the world - nay, was not heaven "itself almoft at thy command whilft thou waft "humble? and, How was it, that thou couldst "barter away all this, for what was lighter

than a bubble, and defecrate an action fo “full of courtesy and kindness as thine appear"ed to be, by suffering it to take its rife from "fo polluted a fountain ?"

There is scarce any thing which the heart more unwillingly bears, than an analyfis of this kind.

We are a ftrange compound; and fomething foreign, from what charity would fufpect, fo eternally twists itself into what we do, that not only in momentous concerns, where interest lifts under it all the power of disguise,—but even in the most indifferent of our actions,—— not worth a fallacy-by force of habit, we continue it: fo that whatever a man is about, obferve him, he stands arm'd infide

and out with two for the world,

motives; an oftenfible one

and another which he re

ferves for his own private ufe;-this, you may fay, the world has no concern with: it might have been fo; but by obtruding the wrong motive upon the world, and stealing from it a character, instead of winning one; ------ we give it a right, and a temptation along with it, to enquire into the affair.

The motives of the one for doing it, are often little better than the others for deferving it. Let us fee if some focial virtue may be extracted from the errors of both the one and the other.

VANITY bids all her fons to be

generous and brave, and her daughters to be chafte and But why do we want her in-Aik the comedian who is taught

courteous.

ftructions?

a part he feels not

Is it that the principles of religion want ftrength, or that the real paffion for what is good and worthy will not carry us high enough? -God! thou knoweft they carry us too high -we want not to be-but to feem —

Look out of your door,-take notice of that man: fee what difquieting, intriguing and fhifting, he is content to go through, merely

to be thought a man of plain dealing:--three grains of honesty would fave him all this trouble:alas! he has them not.

Behold a fecond under a fhew of piety hiding

the impurities of a debauched life

he is juft entering the houfe of God:--would he was more pure- or less pious:-but then he could not gain his point.

Observe a third going on almost in the fame tract,--with what an inflexible fanctity of deportment, he fuftains himself as he advances: —every line in his face writes abstinence;—— every ftride looks like a check upon his defires: fee, I beseech you, how he is clok'd up with 1ermons, prayers and facraments; and fo be. muffled with the externals of religion, that he has not a hand to spare for a worldly purpose; —he has armour at least-why does he put it on? is there no ferving God without all this? muft the garb of religion be extended fo wide, to the danger of it's rending?-Yes truly, or it will not hide the fecret--and, What is that?

---That the faint has no religion at all. -But here comes GENEROSITY; giving

-not to a decayed artist—but to the arts and sciences themselves.—See,—he builds not a chamber in the wall apart for the prophet; but whole schools and colleges for those who come after. Lord! how they will magnify his name!it is in capitals already; the firft-the higheft, in the gilded rent-roll of every hofpital and afy lum

--One honest tear fhed in private over the unfortunate, is worth it all.

What a problematic set of creatures does fimulation make us! Who would divine that all that anxiety and concern fo vifible in the airs of one half of that great affembly should arife from nothing elfe, but that the other half of it may think them to be men of confequence, penetration, parts and conduct?-What a noife amongst the claimants about it? Behold Humility, out of mere pride,--and honeftly almoft out of knavery:--Chastity, never once in harm's way,--and courage, like a Spanish foldier upon an Italian flage-a bladder full of wind.

-

Hark! that, the found of that trumpet, -let not my foldier run,- it is fome good

Chriftian giving alms. O, PITY! thou gentlest of human paffions! foft and tender are thy notes, and ill accord they with fo loud an inftrument.

Thus fomething jars, and will for ever jar in thefe cafes: impofture is all diffonance, let what mafter foever of it undertake the part; let him harmonize and modulate it as he may, one tone will contradict another; and whilft we have ears to hear we shall dftinguish it: it is truth only which is consistent and ever in harmony with itself: it fits upon our lips, like the natural notes of fome melodies, ready to drop out, whether we will or no;-it racks no in vention to let ourselves alone,-and neads fear no critic, to have the fame excellency in the heart which appears in the action.

It is a pleafing allufion the fcripture makes ufe of in calling us fometimes a house, and fometimes a temple, according to the more or lefs exalted qualities of the fpiritual gueft which is lodged within us: whether this is the pre. cife ground of the distinction, I will not affirm; but thus much may be faid, that, if we are to be temples, it is truth and fingleness of heart