Virtue has in herself the moft engaging charms, and chriftianity, as it places her in the strongest light, and adorned with all her native attractions, fo it kindles a new fire in the foul, by adding to them the unutterable rewards which attend her votaries in an eternal state. Or if there are men of a faturnine and heavy complexion, who are not eafily lifted up by hope, there is the profpect of everlasting punishments to agitate their fouls, and frighten them into the practice of virtue and averfion from vice.

Whereas your fober free-thinkers tell you, that virtue indeed is beautiful, and vice deformed; the former deferves your love, and the latter your abhorrence; but then, it is for their own fake,or on account of the good and evil which immediately attend them, and are infeparable from their refpective natures. As for the immortality of the foul, or eternal punishments and rewards, thofe are openly ridiculed, or rendered fufpicious by the most fly and laboured artifice.

I will not fay, these men act treacherously in the caufe of virtue; but will any one deny, that they act foolishly, who pretend to advance the intereft of it,by deftroying or weakening the ftrongest motives to it, which are accommodated to all capacities, and fitted to work on all difpofitions, and enforcing thofe alone which can affect only a generous and exalted mind?

Surely they must be deftitute of paffion themselves, and unacquainted with the force it hath on the minds of others, who can imagine that the mere beauty of fortitude, temperance, and justice, is fufficient to fuftain the mind of man in a fevere courfe of self-denial against all the temptations of prefent profit and fenfuality.

It is my opinion the free-thinkers fhould be treated as a fet of poor ignorant creatures, who have not sense to discover the excellency of religion; it being evi dent those men are not witches, nor likely to be guilty of any deep defign, who proclaim aloud to the world, that they have lefs motives to honefty than the reft of their fellow fubjects; who have all the inducements to the exercife of any virtue which a free-think

er can poffibly have; and besides, the expectation of never-ending happiness or misery as the confequence of their choice.

Are not men actuated by their paffions, and are not hope and fear the most powerful of our paffions ? And are there any objects which can roufe and awaken our hopes and fears, like thofe profpects that warm and penetrate the heart of a chriftian, but are not regarded by a free-thinker ?

It is not only a clear point, that a Chriftian breaks through ftronger engagements whenever he furren-. ders himself to commit a criminal action, and is ftung. with a fharper remorfe after it, than a freethinker; but it fhould even feem that a man who believes no future ftate, would act a foolish part in being thoroughly honeft. For what reafon is there why fuch a one should poftpone his private intereft or pleasure to the doing his duty? If a Chriftian foregoes fome prefent advantage for the fake of his confcience, he acts accountably, because it is with a view of gaining fome greater future good. But he who, having no fuch view, fhould yet confcientiously deny himself a prefent good in any incident where he may fave appearances, is altogether as ftupid as he who would truft him at fuch a juncture.

It will, perhaps, be faid, that virtue is her own reward, that a natural gratification attends good actions, which is alone fufficient to excite men to the performance of them. But although there is nothing more lovely than virtue, and the practice of it is the fureft way to folid, natural happiness, even in this life; yet titles, eftates, and fantastical pleasures, are more ardently fought after by moft men, than the natural gratifications of a reasonable mind; and it cannot be denied, that virtue and innocence are not always the readiest methods to attain that fort of happinefs. Befides, the fumes of paffion must be allayed, and reafon muft burn brighter than ordinary, and, to enable men to see and relish all the native beauties and delights of a virtuous life. And though we fhould grant our free-thinkers to be a fet of refined fpirits, capable only.

of being enamoured of virtue, yet what would become of the bulk of mankind who have grofs underftandings, but lively fenfes and ftrong paffions? What a deluge of luft, and fraud, and violence would in a litthe time overflow the whole nation, if these wise advocates for morality were univerfally hearkened to? Laftly, opportunities do fometimes offer in which a man may wickedly make his fortune, or indulge a pleafure, without fear of temporal damage, either in reputation, health or fortune. In fuch cafes what refraint do they lie under who have no regards beyond the grave? The inward compunctions of a wicked, as well as the joys of an upright mind, being grafted

on the fenfe of another ftate.

The thought, that our exiftence tern.inates with this life, doth naturally check the foul in any generous purfuit, contract her views, and fix them on temporary and felfish ends. It dethrones reafon, extinguifles all noble and heroic fentiments, and fubjects the mind to the flavery of every prefent paffion. The wife heathens of antiquity were not ignorant of this ; hence they endeavoured by fables and conjectures, and the glimmerings of nature, to poflefs the minds of men with the belief of a future ftate, which has been fince brought to light by the Gofpel, and is now most inconfiftently decried by a few weak men, who would have us believe that they promote virtue by turning religion into ridicule.

GUARDIAN, Vol. I. No. 55.

FRIENDSHIP.

ONE would think that the larger the company is,

in which we are engaged, the greater variety of thoughts and fubjects would be ftarted in difcourfe; but inftead of this, we find that converfation is never fo much trained and confined as in numerous affemblies. When a multitude meet together upon any fubject of difcourfe, their debates are taken up chiefly with forms and general positions; nay, if we come into a

more contracted affembly of men and women, the talk generally runs upon the weather, fashions, news, and the like public topics. In proportion as converfation gets into clubs and knots of friends, it defcends into particulars, and grows more free and communicative : But the most open, inftructive, and unreferved difcourse, is that which paffes between two perfons who are familiar and intimate friends. On thefe occafions, a man gives a loose to every paffion and every thought that is uppermoft, discovers his moft retired opinions of perfons and things, tries the beauty and ftrength of his fentiments, and expofes his whole foul to the examination of his friend."

Tully was the first who obferved, that friendship improves happiness, and abates mifery, by the doubling of our joy, and dividing of our grief; a thought in which he hath been followed by all the effayers upon friendship, who have written fince his time. Sir Francis Bacon has finely defcribed other advantages, or, as he calls them fruits of friendship; and indeed there is no fubject of morality which has been better handled and more exhaufted than this. Among the feveral fine things which have been spoken of it, I fhall beg leave to quote fome out of a very ancient author, whofe book would be regarded by our modern wits as one of the most fhining tracts of morality that is extant, if it appeared under the name of a Confucius, or of any celebrated Grecian philofopher: I mean the little apocryphal treatise entitled, The wisdom of the fon of Sirach. How finely has he defcribed the art of making friends, by an obliging and affable behaviour? And laid down that precept which a late excellent author has delivered as his own-That we should have many well-wishers, but few friends;' fweet language will multiply friends, and a fair speaking tongue will increafe kind greeting. Be in peace with many, nevertheless have but one counsellor of a thoufand. With what prudence does he caution us in the choice of our friends; and with what strokes of nature (I could almost say of humour) has he defcribed the behaviour of a treacherous and felf-interested friend, If thou wouldst get a friend, prove him firft, and be not haftp VOL. II.

G. 2.

to credit him: For fome man is a friend for his own occafion, and will not abide in the day of thy trouble. And there is a friend, who being turned to enmity and ftrife, will discover thy reproach. Again, fome friend is a companion at the table, and will not continue in the day of thy affliction: But in thy prof perity he will be as thyfelf, and will be bold over thy fervants. If thou be brought low, he will be against thee, and hide himJelf from thy face. What can be more ftrong and pointed than the following verfe, Separate thyself from thine enemies, and take heed of thy friends? In the next words he particularizes one of those fruits of friendship which is described at length by the two famous authors abovementioned, and falls into a general eulogium of friendfhip, which is very juft as well as very fublime. A faithful friend is a strong defence; and he that bath found fuch a one, hath found a treafure. Noth ng doth countervail a faithful friend, and his excellency is invaluable. A faithful friend is the medicine of life; and they that fear the Lord shall find him. Whofo feareth the Lord fhall direct his friendship aright; for as he is, fo fhall kis neighbour (who is his friend) be also. I do not remember to have met with any faying that has pleased me more than that of a friend's being the medicine of life, to exprefs the efficacy of friendfhip in healing the pains and anguifh which naturally cleave to our existence in this world; and am wonderfully pleased with the turn in the last sentence, that a virtuous man fhall, as a bleffing, meet with a friend who is as virtuous as himself. There is another faying in the fame author, which would have been very much admired in an heathen writer: Forfake not an old friend, for the new is not comparable to him. A new friend is as new wine; when it is old thou shalt drink it with pleasure. With what ftrength of allufion, and force of thought, has he defcribed the breaches and violations of friendship! Whofo cafteth a stone at the birds, frayeth them away, and he who upbraideth his friend, breaketh friendship. Though thou draweth a fword at a friend, yet defpair not, for there may be a returning to favour: If thou hast opened thy mouth against thy friend, fear not, for there may a reconciliation; except for upbraiding, or pride, or disclosing of fecrets, or a treacherous wound; for, for these things every friend will depart. may obferve in this and feveral other precepts in this

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