folicit your acceptance, when, to the reft of mankind, it is the fruit of long cultivation, and the acquifition of labour and care?-Deceive not yourselves with fuch arrogant hopes. Whatever be your rank, Providence will not, for your fake, reverse its eftablished order.By liftening to wife admonitions, and tempering the vivacity of youth with a proper mixture of ferious thought, you may enfure cheerfulnefs for the rest of your life; but by delivering yourselves up at prefent to giddiness and levity, you lay the foundation of lafting heavinefs of heart.

GEN

The Virtue of Gentleness.

ENTLENESS corrects whatever is offenfive in our manners; and, by a constant train of humane attentions, studies to alleviate the burden of common mifery. Its office, therefore, is extenfive. It is not, like fome other virtues, called forth only on peculiar emergencies; but it is continually in action, when we are engaged in intercourse with men. It ought to form our addrefs, to regulate our fpeech, and to diffuse itself over our whole behaviour.

But, perhaps, it will be pleaded by fome, that this gentleness, on which we now infift, regards only those fmaller offices in life, which, in their eyes, are not effential to religion and goodness. Negligent, they confefs, on flight occafions, of the government of their temper, or the regulation of their behaviour, they are attentive, as they pretend, to the great duties of beneficence; and ready, whenever the opportunity prefents, to perform important fervices to their fellowcreatures. But let fuch perfons reflect, that the occafions of performing those important good deeds very rarely occur. Perhaps their fituation in life, or the nature of their connections, may, in a great measure, exclude them from fuch opportunities. Great events give scope for great virtues; but the main tenor of human life is compofed of small occurrences. Within the round of these, lie the materials of the happiness of most men; the fubjects of their duty, and the trials of their virtue. Virtue must be formed and fupported, not by unfrequent acts, but by daily and repeated exertions. In order to its becoming either vigorous or useful, it must be habitually active; not breaking forth occafionally with a tranfient luftre, like the blaze of the comet; but regular in its returns, like the light of day; not like the aromatic gale, which sometimes feafts

the

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the fense; but, like the ordinary breeze, which purifies the air, and renders it healthful.

Years may pafs over our heads, without affording any opportunity for acts of high beneficence, or extenfive utility. Whereas not a day paffes, but in the common transactions of life, and especially in the intercourse of domeftic fociety, gentleness finds place for promoting the happiness of others, and for ftrengthening in ourselves the habit of virtue.

Gentleness is, in truth, the great avenue to mutual enjoyment. Amidst the ftrife of interfering interests, it tempers the violence of contention, and keeps alive the feeds of harmony.

Whatever ends a good man can be fuppofed to purfue, gentleness will be found to favour them; it prepoffeffes and wins every heart; it perfuades, when every other argument fails; often difarms the fierce, and often melts the stubborn. Whereas, harshness confirms the oppofition it would fubdue; and, of an indifferent perfon, creates an enemy.

Whatever may be the effect of this virtue on our external condition, its influence on our internal enjoyment is certain and powerful. That inward tranquillity which it promotes, is the first requifite to every pleasurable feeling. It is the calm and clear atmofphere, the ferenity and funfhine of the mind. When benignity and gentleness reign within, we are always leaft in hazard of being ruffled from without; every perfon, and every occurrence, are beheld in the most favourable light. But let fome clouds of disgust and ill-humour gather on the mind, and immediately the fcene changes: Nature feems transformed; and the appearance of all things is blackened to our view. The gentle mind is like the fmooth stream, which reflects every object in its just proportion, and in its faireft colours. The violent fpirit, like troubled waters, renders back the images of things diftorted and broken; and communicates to them all that disordered motion which arifes folely from its own agitation.

Religion

Religion never to be treated with Levity.

MPRESS your minds with reverence for all that is facred. Let no wantonnefs of youthful fpirits, no compliance with the intemperate mirth of others, ever betray you into profane follies. Befides the guilt which is thereby incurred, nothing gives a more odious appearance of petulance and prefumption to youth, than the affectation of treating religion with levity. Instead of being an evidence of superior understanding, it discovers a pert and fhallow mind; which, vain of the first smatterings of knowledge, prefumes to make light of what the rest of mankind revere. At the fame time, you are not to imagine, that when exhorted to be religious, you are called upon to become more formal and folemn in your manners than others of the fame years; or to erect yourselves into fupercilious reprovers of those around you. The fpirit of true religion breathes gentleness and affability. It gives a native unaffected eafe to the behaviour. It is focial, kind, and cheerful; far removed from that gloomy and illiberal fuperftition which clouds the brow, fharpens the temper, dejects the fpirit, and teaches men to fit themselves for another world, by neglecting the concerns of this. Let your religion, on the contrary, connect preparation for heaven with an honourable difcharge of the duties of active life. Of fuch religion discover, on every proper occafion, that you are not ashamed; but avoid making any unneceffary oftentation of it before the world.

To piety join modefty and docility, reverence of your parents, and fubmiffion to those who are your fuperiors in knowledge, in station, and in years. Dependence and obedience belong to youth. Modesty is one of its chief ornaments, and has ever been esteemed a prefage of rifing merit. When entering on the career of life, it is your part not to affume the reins

as

as yet into your hands; but to commit yourselves to the guidance of the more experienced, and to become wife by the wifdom of those who have gone before you. Of all the follies incident to youth, there are none which either deform its prefent appearance, or blaft the profpect of its future profperity, more than felfconceit, prefumption, and obftinacy. By checking its natural progrefs in improvement, they fix it in long immaturity; and frequently produce mifchiefs which can never be repaired. Yet thefe are vices too commonly found among the young. Big with enterprize, and elated by hope, they refolve to truft for fuccefs to none but themselves. Full of their own abilities, they deride the admonitions which are given them by their friends, as the timorous fuggeftions of age. Too wife to learn, too impatient to deliberate, too forward to be reftrained, they plunge, with precipitant indifcretion, into the midst of the dangers with which life abounds.