ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

and Devotion towards the Supreme Being, the former feem particularly careful to do every thing which may =poffibly please him, and the other to abstain from every thing which may poffibly displease him.

BUT notwithstanding this plaufible Reason with which both the Jew and the Roman-Catholick would excuse their respective Superftitions, it is certain there is fomething in them very pernicious to Mankind, and destructive to Religion; because the Injunction of fuperfluous Ceremonies makes fuch Actions Duties, as were before indifferent, and by that means renders Religion more burdenfom and difficult than it is in its own Nature, betrays many into Sins of Omiffion which they could not otherwife be guilty of, and fixes the Minds of the Vulgar to the fhadowy uneffential Points, inftead of the more weighty and more important Matters of the Law.

THIS zealous and active Obedience however takes place in the great Point we are recommending; for if, inftead of prescribing to ourselves indifferent Actions as Duties, we apply a good Intention to all our most indifferent Actions, we make our very Existence one continued Act of Obedience, we turn our Diverfions and Amusements to our eternal Advantage, and are pleasing him (whom we are made to please) in all the Circumftances and Occurrences of Life.

IT is this excellent Frame of Mind, this holy Officioufnefs (if I may be allowed to call it fuch) which is recommended to us by the Apoftle in that uncommon Precept, wherein he directs us to propose to our felves the Glory of our Creator in all our most indifferent Actions, whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do.

A Person therefore who is poffeffed with such an habitual good Intention, as that which I have been here speaking of, enters upon no fingle Circumftance of Life, without confidering it as well-pleafing to the great Author of his Being, conformable to the Dictates of Reason, fuitable to human Nature in general, or to that particular Station in which Providence has placed him. He lives în a perpetual Senfe of the Divine Prefence, regards himfelf as acting, in the whole Course of his Existence, under the Obfervation and Inspection of that Being, who is

privy to all his Motions and all his Thoughts, who knows his Down-fitting and his Up-rifing, who is about his Path, and about his Bed, and fpieth out all his Ways. In a word, he remembers that the Eye of his Judge is always upon him, and in every Action he reflects that he is doing what is. commanded or allowed by Him who will hereafter either. reward or punish it. This was the Character of those holy Men of old, who in that beautiful Phrase of Scripture. are faid to have walked with God.

WHEN I employ my felf upon a Paper of Morality, I generally confider how I may recommend the particular Virtue which I treat of, by the Precepts or Examples of the antient Heathens; by that means, if poffible, to fhame those who have greater Advantages of knowing their Duty, and therefore greater Obligations to perform it, into a better Courfe of Life: Befides that many among us are unreasonably disposed to give a fairer hearing to a Pagan Philofopher, than to a Christian Writer.

3

I fhall therefore produce an Inftance of this excellent Frame of Mind in a Speech of Socrates, which is quoted by Erafmus. This great Philofopher on the Day of his Execution, a little before the Draught of Poison was brought to him, entertaining his Friends with a Discourse on the Immortality of the Soul, has these Words: Whe-ther or no God will approve of my Actions, I know not ; : but this I am fure of, that I have at all Times made it my Endeavour to please him, and I have a good Hope that this my Endeavour will be accepted by him. We find in thefe Words of that great Man the habitual good Intention which I would here inculcate, and with which that divine Philofopher always afted. I fhall only add, that Erafmus, who was an unbigotted Roman-Catholick, was fo much tranfported with this Paffage of Socrates, that he could fcarce forbear looking upon him as a Saint, and defiring him to pray for him; or as that ingenious and learned Writer has expreffed himself in a much more lively manner: When I reflect on fuch a Speech pronounced by fuch a Perfon, I can fearce forbear crying out, San&te Socrates, ora pro nobis: O holy Socrates, pray for us.

[ocr errors]

BONACIÓN DEL

BR. 2. J. 7. (A32

1894

MADRI

L

Monday,

1

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

DRYDEN.

A long Dependence in an Hour is loft

Did fome time ago lay before the World the unhappy Condition of the trading Part of Mankind, who suffer by want of Punctuality in the Dealings of Persons above them; but there is a Set of Men who are much more the Objects of Compaffion than even those, and thefe are the Dependents on great Men, whom they are pleased to take under their Protection as fuch as are to fhare in their Friendship and Favour. These indeed, as well from the Homage that is accepted from them, as the Hopes which are given to them, are become a Sort of Creditors; and these Debts, being Debts of Honour, ought, according to the accuftomed Maxim, to be firft discharged.

[ocr errors]

WHEN I speak of Dependents, I would not be understood to mean those who are worthless in themselves, or who, without any Call, will prefs into the Company of their Betters. Nor, when I fpeak of Patrons, do I mean those who either have it not in their Power, or have no Obligation to affift their Friends; but I fpeak of fuch Leagues where there is Power and Obligation on the one Part, and Merit and Expectation on the other.

THE Divifion of Patron and Client, may, I believe, include a Third of our Nation; the Want of Merit and real Worth in the Client, will ftrike out about Ninety Nine in a Hundred of thefe; and the Want of Ability in Patrons, as many of that Kind. But however, I must beg leave to fay, that he who will take up another's Time and Fortune in his Service, though he has no Profpect of rewarding his Merit towards him, is as unjuft in his Dealings as he who takes up Goods of a Tradesman without Intention

or

No. 214. or Ability to pay him. Of the few of the Clafs which I think fit to confider, there are not two in ten who fucceed, infomuch that I know a Man of good Sense who put his Son to a Black-fmith, tho' an Offer was made him of his being received as a Page to a Man of Quality. There are not more Cripples come out of the Wars than there are from thofe great Services; fome through Difcontent lose their Speech, fome their Memories, others their Senfes or their Lives; and I feldom fee-a Man thoroughly discontented, but I conclude he has had the Favour of fome great Man. I have known of fuch as have been for twenty Years together within a Month of a good Employment, but never arrived at the Happiness of being poffeffed of any Thing.

THERE is nothing more ordinary, than that a Man who is got into a confiderable Station, shall immediately alter his Manner of treating all his Friends, and from that Moment he is to deal with you as if he were your Fate. You are no longer to be confulted, even in Matters which concern your self; but your Patron is of a Species above you, and a free Communication with you is not to be expected. This perhaps may be your Condition all the while he bears Office, and when that is at an end, you are as intimate as ever you were, and he will take it very ill if you keep the Distance he prefcribed you towards him in his Grandeur. One would think this fhould be a Behaviour a Man could fall into with the worft Grace imaginable; but they who know the World have seen it more than once. I have often, with fecret Pity, heard the fame Man who has profeffed his Abhorrence against all Kind of paffive Behaviour, lose Minutes, Hours, Days, and Years in a fruitlefs Attendance on one who had no Inclination to befriend him. It is very much to be regarded, that the Great have one particular Privilege above the reft of the World, of being flow in receiving Impreffions of Kindness, and quick in taking Offence. The Elevation above the reft of Mankind, except in very great Minds, makes Men fo giddy, that they do not fee after the fame manner they did before: Thus they defpife their own Friends,

and

and strive to extend their Interest to new Pretenders. By this means it often happens, that when you come to know how you loft fuch an Employment, you will find the Man who got it never dreamed of it; but, forsooth, he was to be furprised into it, or perhaps folicited to receive it. Upon fuch Occafions as these a Man may perhaps grow out of humour; if you are fo, all Mankind will fall in with the Patron, and you are an Humourist and untractable if you are capable of being four at a Disappointment. But it is the fame thing, whether you do or do not refent ill Ufage, you will be used after the fame manner; as fome good Mothers will be fure to whip their Children till they cry, and then whip them for crying.

THERE are but two Ways of doing any thing with great People, and those are by making your self either confiderable or agreeable: The former is not to be attained but by finding a Way to live without them, or concealing that you want them; the latter is only by falling into their Taste and Pleasures: This is of all the Employments in the World the most fervile, except it happens to be of your own natural Humour. For to be agreeable to another, especially if he be above you, is not to be poffeffed of fuch Qualities and Accomplish'ments as fhould render you agreeable in your self, but fuch as make you agreeable in refpect to him. An Imitation of his Faults, or a Compliance, if not Subfervience to his Vices, must be the Measures of your Conduct.

WHEN it comes to that, the unnatural State a Man lives in, when his Patron pleases, is ended; and his Guilt and Complaifance are objected to him, tho' the Man who rejects him for his Vices was not only his Partner but Seducer. Thus the Client (like a young Woman who has given up the Innocence which made her charming) has not only loft his Time, but also the Virtue which could render him capable of refenting the Injury which is done him.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

IT would be endless to recount the Tricks of turning you off from themselves to Perfons who have lefs Power to ferve you, the Art of being forry for fuch an unaċcountable Accident in your Behaviour,' that such a one

(who,

« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »