to employ all our powers of overcoming, and returning from a worse to a better state.

Every man, independant of schools and philofophy-I had almost said, (in condescension to pleaders for the test of natural conscience) independant of revelation itself-must be fenfible of this. And if we would have any right pretenfions to wifdom, we may be fure we can never more fuitably employ our time, than in continued and most earnest endeavours to reduce the doctrine to practice.

Conviction may be the work of a moment: an enlargement of it may be the work of an hour; but that amiable forgiveness and benevolence, which diftantly resemble the "face of "GOD," may be the privileged and happy work of our whole lives.

Upon every occafion, and in every instance of the conception of anger and difrespect, either in ourselves or others, with whom we have to do, we have a new and important call to selfexamination, confideration, fear of ourfelves, and endeavours after an inward victory.

This kind of victory was well spoken of in the schools of ancient philofophy, thus: "The greatest victory that a man can gain, is the victory over himself."

Human nature in the depravity of its will, hath been the fame in all recorded ages. And though inftances have been too rare, of that nature being fubdued by voluntary discipline, and brought under fubjection to the laws of heaven; yet every inftance that is recorded of fuch a conqueft, is confeffedly an ornament to the page of history; and we ever contemplate the character in whom it was found, with fome degree of veneration and love.

But we may be fure of this, that, amiable as such a circumftance is in itself, and pleasantly as our minds are affected by it, the fenfations of the reader must fall far fhort of those happy and glowing sensations, which the party whose qualities we admire must inwardly have felt on every fuch occafion: fo true is the import of that moral maxim, that "virtue brings its "own reward:" fo divinely true is that gofpel declaration, that "godlinefs is profitable

"unto

"unto all things, having the promise of the "life that now is, and also of that which is to ❝ come."

We may not hesitate to pronounce, that the amiable qualities of forgiveness, and the strong defire of reconciliation, on the ground of virtuous affection, are of the first importance in every good mind, and effential to the being of godlinefs. It is an infufion of sweetness into the mind, which proceeds out of the very nature of GOD himfelf; by whose attribute of love it is, that we exift, as the subjects of his providence; and by whofe fovereign benignity it is, that in the fincerity of our cries, we are made the subjects of his pardon, forgiveness, and peace!

We never can rife, nor can any order of created beings rife, to a full refemblance of his love; but we never had been made the fubjects of a law proceeding from his all-perfect nature, but for the purpose of rifing to fome degree of resemblance of those amiable attributes, which we are constrained to afcribe unto Him.

Impreffed

Impreffed then, as we must be, from these confiderations, with a fenfe of the distinguished privileges of our nature, it becomes, and fupremely behoves us, to endeavour to embrace and rife by them, into the nearest faint resemblance, that our frail nature can rise to, of the Supreme Being!

The benevolent man's best idea of his Maker is, that of a Being every where exifting, in the attributes of love and benignity towards his creatures: a Being who "knows our frame, " and remembers that we are but duft;" who will not enter into strict and absolute judgment with us, for if he should do that, who should stand before him?

To forgive then one another-whose mutual offences, in comparison of our manifold offences against the purity of heaven, are but as duft in the balance;-to feek every opportunity of reconciliation, friendship, and love; and to love as brethren, being more and more charitable and courteous; is to effect, in the worthieft manner we can, that refemblance of himself, which GOD is requiring at our hands.

Then,

Then, only, fhall we be able to enter into those feelings of Jacob, when looking with new and glowing affection upon his once-injured brother; and in the tranfport of reconciliation, mutually adopt the substance of his language, "I have seen thy face, as though I had seen "the face of GOD, and thou waft pleased with "me!"

XIII.

The following reflections were occafioned by the request of one of the author's most valued friends, to receive his fentiments on the following quotation:

And he went on his way rejoicing. Acts viii. 39.

Ir is one great excellency of the facred writings, that while their whole tenor inculcates, in the most encouraging and fublime manner, the lasting advantages of virtue and godlinefs; particular portions, and even members of a sentence, like stars that differ from other stars in glory, are found to affect us, and even to enliven