of coolness, which of itself, will soon arrive. Let us reflect how little we have any prospects of gaining by fierce contention; but how much of the true happiness of life we are certain of throwing away.

8. Easily, and from the smallest chink, the bitter waters of strife* are let forth: but their course cannot be foreseen; and he seldom fails of suffering most from their poisonous9 effect, who first allowed them to flow.

8 Prospect, e object of view.

• Strife, & contention, contest discord.

9 Poisonous,a venomous, the qualities of poi

son.

A suspicious temper a source of Misery to its Possessor.

1. As a suspicious spirit is the cause of many crimes and calami. tics in the world, so it is the spring of certain misery to the person who indulges it. His friends will be few; and small will be his comforts in those whom he possesses. Believing others to be his enemics, 2 he will of course make them such. 2. Let his caution be ever so great the asperity of his thoughts will often break out in his behavior,4 and in return for suspecting and hating, he will incurs suspicion and hatred.

3. Besides the external evils

which he draws upon himself, artsing from alienated friendship, brok

en confidence, and open enmity, 6 the suspicious temper itself is one of will, malice.

6 Enmity, & ill

the worst evils which any man can suffer.

4 If in all fear there is torment,' how miserable must be his state, who, by living in perpetual7 jealousy, lives in perpetual dread! Looking upon himself to be surroundeds with spies, 9 enemies, and designing, men, he is a stranger to reliance and trust.

5 He knows not to whom to open himself. He dresses his countenance in forced smiles, while his heart throbs within, from apprehensions of secret treachery. Hence fretfulness and ill humor, disgust at the world and all the painful sensations of an irritateds and embittered mind.

4 Disposition, s method, tem per. 5 Eligible, a fit to be chosen.

6 So numerous and great are the evils arising from a suspicious disposition, 4 that, of the two extremes, it is more eligibles to expose ourselves to occasional disadvantage from thinking too well of others, than to suffer continual6 misery by thinking always ill of unceasing. them. It is better to be sometimes imposed upon, than never to trust.

7. Safety is purchased at too dear a rate, when, in order to se

6 Continual, a

care it, we are obliged to be always clad in armor,7 and to live in perpetual hostility with our fellows.

8. This is for the sake of diving, to deprive ourselves of the comforts of life. The man of candor* enjoys his situation, whatever it is, with cheerfulness and peace. Prudence directs his intercourse with the world; but no black suspicions haunt his hours of rest.

7 Armor, 3 de fensive arms, to cover the body.

Candor, openness, horn. esty, sincerity.

8 Accustomed part. inured to, habituated.

9 Beautiful, a fair.

9. Accustomeds to view the characters of his neighbors in the most favorable light, he is like one who dwells amidst those beautiful9 scenes of nature, on which the eye rests with pleasure. Whereas the suspicious man having his imaginationf + Imagination, filled with all the shocking forms of human falsehood, deceit and treachery, resembles the traveller in the wilderness, who discerns no objects around him but such as are either dreary or terrible; caverns2 that open, serpents that hiss, and beasts of prey that howl.

s contrivance, fancy.

2 Caverns, s hollow place in the ground.

Diffidence of our Abilities, a mark of
Wisdom.

1. It is a sure indicationt of good sense, to be diffident of it. We then and not till then, are growing wise,

+ Indication, a mark, a sign.

when we begin to discern how weak and unwise2 we are, An absolutes perfection4 of understanding, is impossible; he makes the nearest ap- proaches to it, who has the sense to discern, and the humility to acknowledge its imperfections.6

2 Unwise, a defective in wisdom.

3 Absolute, a unconditional, arbitrary.

4 Perfection, s state of living perfect. 5 Approach, 8 act of drawing

near.

- 6 Imperfections, & defects, faults.

2 Modesty always sits gracefully upon youth; it covers a multitude of faults, and doubles the lustre of every virtue which it seems to hide: the perfections of men being like those flowers which appear more beautiful when their leaves are lit-nown. tle; contracted and folded up than when they are full blown, and displays themselves, without any reserve, to the view.

3 We are some of us very fond of knowledge, and apt to value ourselves upon any proficiency in the sciences: one science, however, there is, worth more than all the rest, and that is, the science of liv. ing well; which shall remain, when tongues shall cease, and knowlodge shall vanisht away. As to new notions and new doctrines, of which this age is very fruitful, the time will come when we shall have no pleasure in them: nay, the time shall come when they shall be exploded, 2 and would have been forgotten, if they had not been preserved in those excellent3 books, which

7 Lustre, s brightness, re

8 Display, spread wide, to describe.

9 Science, s knowledge, deep learning,

art.

+ Vanish, v to be lost, to disappear.

2 Exploded, part. reported;

decreed.
3 Excellent, a

of great value.

contain a confutations of them; like insects preserved for ages in amber,4 which otherwise would ..soon have returned to the common mass of things.

4 But a firm belief of christianity and a practice suitable to it, will support and invigorates the mind to the last; and most of all at last, at that important hour, which must decide our hopes and apprehensions:6 and the wisdom, which, like Four Saviour, cometh from above, will, through his merits, bring us thither.

5 All our other studies and pursuits, however different, ought to be subservient to, and centre in this grand point, the pursuit of eternal happiness, by being good in ourselves and useful to the world.

3 Confutation, s disproof; act

of confuting, 4 Amber, sa sort of Yellow drug; pale ale.

5 Invigorate, v to animate.

6 Apprehin sions, s fears, suspicions.

7 Pursuit, & the act of following

On the importance of Order in the distribution of our Time.

1 Time we ought to consider as a sacred trust committed to us by God; of which we are now the de- & Depositapositariest and are to render ac- ries, s places count at the last. That portion of where things it which he has allotted2 us, is inare kept. 2Allotted, part tended, partly for the concerns of granted,