is, in the more difpaffionate moments, a fettled defire to preferve domeftic union, the tranfient violence of paffion will not often produce a permanent rupture.

It is another moft excellent rule, to avoid a grofs familiarity, even where the connection is moft intimate. The human heart is fo conftituted, as to love refpect. It would indeed be unnatural in very intimate friends to behave to each other with ftiffnefs; but there is a delicacy of manner, and a flattering deference, which tends to preferve that degree of efteem which is neceffary to fupport affection, and which is loft in contempt when it deviates into exceffive familiarity. An habitual politeness of manners will prevent even indifference from degenerating to hatred. It will refine, exalt, and perpetuate affection.

But the best and most efficacious rule is, that we fhould not think our moral and religious duties are only to be practifed in public, and in the fight of those from whofe applaufe we expect the gratification of our vanity, ambition, or avarice; but that we fhould be equally attentive to our behaviour among those who can only repay us by reciprocal love. We muft fhew the fincerity of our principles and profeffions by acting confiftently with them, not only in the fenate, in the field, in the pulpit, at the bar, or in any public affembly, but at the fire-fide.

The Voyage of Life; an Allegory.

LIFE,' fays Seneca, is a voyage, in the progrefs of which we are perpetually changing our fcenes: We firft leave childhood behind us, then youth, then the years of ripened manhood, then the better or more pleasing part of old-age.'-The perufal of this paffage having excited in me a train of reflections on the state of man, the inceffant fluctuation of his wishes, the gradual change of his difpofition to all external objects, and the thoughtleffnefs with which he floats along the ftream of time, I funk into a flumber amidst my meditations, and, on a fudden, found my ears filled with the tumults of labour, the fhouts of alacrity, the shrieks of alarm, the whistle of winds, and the dafh of waters.

My astonishment for a time repreffed my curiofity; but foon recovering myself so far as to inquire whither we were going, and what was the cause of fuch clamour and confufion? I was told that we were launching out into the ocean of Life; that we had already paffed the ftraits of Infancy, in which multitudes had perifhed, fome by the weakness and fragility of their veffels, and more by the folly, perverfenefs, or negligence of those who undertook to fteer them; and that we were now on the main fea, abandoned to the winds and billows, without any other means of fecurity than the care of the pilot, whom it was always in our power to chufe, among great numbers that offered their direction and affiftance.

I then looked round with anxious eagerness; and first turning my eyes behind me, faw a ftream flowing through flowery islands, which every one that failed along feemed to behold with pleasure; but no fooner touched, than the current, which, though not noify or turbulent, was yet irrefiftible, bore him away. Beyond these islands all was darknefs, nor could any of C

the

the paffengers describe the shore at which he first embarked.

Before me, and on either fide, was an expanse of waters violently agitated, and covered with fo thick a mist, that the moft perfpicacious eye could fee but a little way. It appeared to be full of rocks and whirlpools; for many funk unexpectedly while they were courting the gale with full fails, and infulting those whom they had left behind. So numerous, indeed, were the dangers, and fo thick the darkness, that no caution could confer fecurity. Yet there were many, who, by false intelligence, betrayed their followers into whirlpools, or by violence pufhed those whom they found in their way against the rocks.

The current was invariable and infurmountable; but though it was impoffible to fail against it, or to return to the place that was once paffed, yet it was not fo violent as to allow no opportunities for dexterity or courage, fince, though none could retreat back from danger, yet they might often avoid it by oblique direc

tion.

It was, however, not very common to fteer with much care or prudence; for, by fome univerfal infatuation, every man appeared to think himself fafe, tho' he faw his conforts every moment finking round him; and no fooner had the waves clofed over them, than their fate and their mifconduct were forgotten; the voyage was pursued with the fame jocund confidence; every man congratulated himself upon the foundness of his veffel, and believed himself able to ftem the whirlpool in which his friend was fwallowed, or glide over the rocks on which he was dafhed: Nor was it often obferved that the fight of a wreck made any man change his course; if he turned for a moment, he foon forgot the rudder, and left himself again to the disposal of chance.

This negligence did not proceed from indifference, or from wearinefs of their prefent condition; for not one of those who thus rufhed upon deftruction failed,

when

when he was finking, to call upon his affociates for that help which could not now be given him: And many fpent their last moments in cautioning others against the folly by which they were intercepted in the midft of their course. Their benevolence was fometimes praised, but their admonitions were unregarded.

The veffels in which we had embarked being confeffedly unequal to the turbulence of the ftream of Life, were vifibly impaired in the course of the voyage, fo that every paffenger was certain, that how long foever he might, by favourable accidents or by inceffant vigilance, be preserved, he must fink, at last.

This neceffity of perishing might have been expected to fadden the gay, and intimidate the daring, at least to keep the melancholy and timorous in perpetual torments, and hinder them from any enjoyment of the varieties and gratifications which nature offered them as the folace of their labours; yet in effect none feemed lefs to expect destruction than those to whom it was moft dreadful; they all had the art of concealing their danger from themselves; and those who knew their inability to bear the fight of the terrors that embarraffed their way, took care never to look forward, but found fome amusement of the prefent moment, and generally entertained themselves by playing with Hope, who was the conftant affociate of the Voyage of Life.

Yet all that Hope ventured to promife, even to those whom the favoured moft, was, not that they should efcape, but that they fhould fink laft; and with this promife every one was fatisfied, though he laughed at the reft for feeming to believe it. Hope, indeed, apparently mocked the credulity of her companions; for, in proportion as their veffels grew leaky, the redoubled her affurances of fafety; and none were more busy in making provifion for a long voyage, than they whom all but themselves faw likely to perifh foon by irreparable decay.

In the midst of the current of Life was the gulph of Intemperance, a dreadful whirlpool, interfperfed with rocks

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rocks, of which the pointed crags were concealed under water, and the tops covered with herbage, on which Eafe fpread couches of repose; and with fhades, where Pleasure warbled the fong of invitation. Within fight of these rocks, all who failed on the ocean of Life muft neceffarily pafs. Reason indeed was always at hand to fteer the paffengers through a narrow outlet, by which they might escape; but very few could, by her intreaties or remonftrances, be induced to put the rudder into her hand, without ftipulating that the fhould approach fo near unto the rocks of Pleasure, that they might folace themselves with a fhort enjoyment of that delicious region, after which they always determined to pursue their course without any other deviation.

Reason was too often prevailed upon fo far by these promises, as to venture her charge within the eddy of the gulph of Intemperance, where, indeed, the circumvolution was weak, but yet interrupted the course of the veffel, and drew it, by infenfible rotations, towards the centre. She then repented her temerity, and with all her force endeavoured to retreat; but the draught of the gulph was generally too strong to be overcome; and the pafenger, having danced in circles with a pleafing and giddy velocity, was at last overwhelmed and loft. Those few whom Reason was able to extricate, generally fuffered fo many fhocks upon the points which shot out from the rocks of Pleasure, that they were unable to continue their courfe with the fame ftrength and facility as before, but floated along timoroufly and feebly, endangered by every breeze, and shattered by every ruffle of the water, till they funk by flow degrees, after long ftruggles and innumerable expedients, always repining at their own folly, and warning others against the gulph of Intemperance.

There were artists who profeffed to repair the breaches and ftop the leaks of the veffels which had been shattered on the rocks of Pleasure. Many appeared to have great confidence in their skill, and fame, indeed, were preferved by it from finking, who had received only a