your imagination to those only which shall entertain you,
is an art, that I am fearful I shall not conduct with the

same degree of success, which I have endeavoured to
make attend your public character-the absence of your
accustomed employments, and the increasing languors of
decayed nature, render this rather a difficult task-the
former will leave a void, which neither parks nor ponds,
gardens, furniture, splendid rooms, the society of your
friends, nor any amusements which I could point out,
will be able wholly to supply-and the latter in spite of
medicine and attendance, will be accompanied with
broken slumbers, restless anxiety, fretful impatience
or perhaps sentiments of horror at nature's approaching
dissolution-It may be thought that religion might now
be suitably introduced, as furnishing the mind with con-
solatory reflections, in such an awful crisis as that to
which you have arrived-but I fear after having spent
whole life in treating with open or secret contempt,
her spirit, messengers and institutions; that the sincerity
of your repentance in the last hour would be doubted;
and her consolations forbidden to enter thy apartment,
would pass on to chear the mansions of virtuous poverty
which thou had robbed!-the heaving breast of the sor-
rowful stranger-or the penitent Magdalene weeping at
the feet of Jesus*-If thy soul hovering on the brink of
eternity, should start at the prospect of immortality and

your

*It is not at the breasts of the truly unfortunate, that the Author has levelled the shafts of satire contained in this pieceGod forbid!-they are the last class of men upon earth, whose feelings he would wantonly invade-but there is a class to whom those remarks are applicable-they are applicable to him who

start in vain; I confess its situation at that awful moment not very enviable-but if conscience like the ghost, of Brutus, should stand forth a spectre before thee, pronouncing itself thy evil genius, and threatening to meet thee in another country, I would think it a bad omeh

'Tis true few of the living will take warning by thy danger, but thou hast now washed thy hands out of all their concerns; and thy soul is hovering on the brink of a gulph, into which if it once fall, neither the riches of the Indies, nor the righteousness of archangels can redeem it..

has his eye fixed on the world alone, and whose talents are exerted to render every thing which it esteems, subservient to his own views of interest-Here the semblance of respect for religion, morality, humanity and public honour, may be maintained, while the heart despises their secret influence—and even to throw off the appearance of respect for virtue-waits only for an advantage, which may amply repay it for the sacrifice-If the human heart is capable of being thus far degenerated, the portrait which the Author has here drawn, will not be found unsupported by facts.

REFLECTIONS

RESULTING FROM THE ABOVE.

And are these O my soul the wages which the world pays its devoted worshippers-does it after a life of faithful dedication to its service leave its votaries thus poor and tormented.-Oh if this be the case, and it is a fact verified in the experience of all who have burned incense

at her shrine-yield her not the homage of thy affectionspush the demon from thy heart—and pray to that Being who formed both the one and the other for himself to take possession of his rightful property." Agree with thine adversary quickly whilst thou art in the way with him, lest the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison"-and who my soul is thy adversary?— it is offended justice, whose laws thou hast broken in innumerable instances--and who is thy judge?-it is Jesus Christ to whom all judgment is committed, who took thy nature upon him, knows thy infirmities, and therefore will not judge thee with rigour-on the contrary, he pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repent; and accepteth those who yield sincere obedience to known duty-Oh my soul, choose him for thy portion; for he is a very present help in the time of trouble-he is a compassionate Saviour; and will therefore hear and receive thee, although thou may have revolted from him; but he is just also, and therefore will punish thee for thy backslidingIt may not be his pleasure to confer upon thee riches and honours-on the contrary, he may permit thee to fall both into poverty and disgrace-but know that all his dispensations are in wisdom, unerring wisdom; and it is thy duty, in the most trying of them all to say "Not my will, but thine be done"-Oh my soul choose him for thy portion, for the days of thy probation will soon be over; so shalt thou when the shades of death exhibit their sable drapery, feel no fear-neither shall the transactions of thy life, like the ghost

of Brutus, appear before thee, as a frightful spectre in thy last agonies.

THE MERIT

OF

1

PUBLIC OPINION CONSIDERED.

There is nothing more certain, than that it is one of the most difficult things in the world, to ascertain the exact degree of merit or demerit that attaches to the actions of our fellow-creatures, as has already been remarked in a former contemplation of this work-to know the exact degree of either, we must be acquainted with their knowledge of good and evil; and with the circumstances which facilitate their adherence to the one-or allure them into the practice of the other.

It is far from being the object of this essay, to confound by speculative reflections, the eternal distinctions of right and wrong-the gospel has established such immoveable barriers between them, that none but persons wishing to deceive themselves, can be mistaken-Heaven and hell lie to the right and left of these barriers in such conspicuous directions, as never to be misunderstood in the great points of morality-but may not a traveller set out from these sign-posts of religion, with full intention to reach the heavenly goal, and yet be seduced by many specious appearances from the right course, exhibited for

the purpose of ultimately engaging him in the wrongAlas! there is nothing more usual-Nature must frequently pass through a dreadful process of affliction, before it will part with known and flagrant evil-but in cases where this has been accomplished, how often has the common enemy gained his point at last, by some species of refined temptation-such as the love of independence the inordinate pursuit of wealth-the indulgence of evil tempers- the pressure of bodily, mental or family afflictions-worldly hope or fear-joy or despair-and, oh! what numbers of those enlisted under the banners of Christ, have been more or less fatally seduced by these, from the high road of gospel holiness, into the bye paths of error and unbelief!-Here I may lawfully take up my lamentation and say-How have the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished !-here from a feeling sense of interest in the doleful theme, I must lament the widely diffused ravages of hell, and although hope like the sun breaking through a cloud, sometimes illuminates the dreary prospect; yet the more frequent and general portion, is that of an heart deeply affected with a sense of its own miseries, and the miseries of a disordered world---but can the degrees of demerit attached to the deviations I have lamented, be comprehended by the multitude---by no means---there are a few stars in the religious firmament preserved in their station, who see and lament the fall of their fellows, and are given to know the cause---but even these are few---the great multitude of mankind are not invested with such vision--their opinion is like the voice of an ass, that brayeth te

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