fruits without them are not to be expected. What God hath united, let not man disjoin. Go thy ways, fon of man, repent, and turn to God: think not that thy prayer and fasting fhall be remembered, to any other end than thy condemnation, if thou shalt tread again in the paths of folly. "A man that fafteth for his fins, and goeth again and doeth the fame, who will hear his prayer? and what doth his humbling profit him?" The Almighty hand, which holdeth the golden fceptre of the world, holdeth, oh Sofimenes, the keys of life and death; he abhorreth the hypocrite; he difcerneth the deepest secrets of the foul-Miferable is that deluded mortal, who compelleth the indignant hand of this unbiaffed juftice, to unlock the gates of deathto affign the felf-deceiver a portion of unalterable punishment, and to fhut upon him that door, which no man can open!-Son of Arcadius, confider these things, and be wife." S NUM NUMBER LXXXIV. Levius fit patientia SIR, THE To the VISITOR.. HOR. HE miferies and misfortunes of life are the subject of continual complaint: We are ever hearing from almost every tongue que rulous lamentations, and forrowful tales of di ftrefs. It is certain, that humanity is neceffarily connected with trouble; there are many evils and inconveniences, which no philofophy, forecaft, or power, can prevent or remove. And it is as certain, that many advantages spring from thefe evils, whether we confider them with a view to prefent or temporal concerns. But it seems strange and unaccountable, that, well fatisfied as we all are of the neceffary debt of trouble and anxiety, which every man must pay to life, in fome way or other, we fhould yet unwifely aggravate our diftreffes, and add to cure own uneafinefs, rather than apply to every wife and rational method of alleviating them. That every human evil will admit of much alleviation; 06 tion; that the method in which we bear misfortunes may increase or diminish their weight, is too plain and palpable a truth to admit of difputation. Why then is it, that we do not ftudy the arts of supporting the necessary inconveniences to which flesh is heir? Why is it that we are fuch enemies to ourselves? and why is it, that when, confeffedly, happiness is the one pursuit of us all, we do not study the first principles of attaining it, or as much of it as our prefent ftate will admit? I was lead into thefe reflections laft night, at my friend Timander's, who gave me an invitation, with another friend, to pass the evening with him at his own house. Timander is a man in trade, with many amiable qualities; and his wife, for whom he has a good regard, is a woman, of whom we might fpeak with efteem. But like other people, engaged in the thorny difficulties of trade, (where, fo far as I have found, perplexities many and various are unavoidable) this couple have met with their perplexities; and furely when they came together they could not expect the contrary. People, with a few grains of prudence, would endeavour, one fhould imagine, to make the beft of evils they could not fhun, and to render loads as light to each other's fhoulders as poffible, which their fituation made it neceffary to bear. But in direct contradiction to fuch philofophy, 301 our worthy friends feem mutually agreed to add weight to every load, and thorns to every difficulty. We were scarce fat down to fupper, before fome unwelcome altercation began: fome crofs events that day had happened; concerning which, when Timander interrogated his wife, she replied with fome tartness, and his rejoinder was made with no lefs acrimony. They went on to teize and whet each other, 'till at length my naughty pride would not permit me to be filent. "Sir, said I, to my friend, I am sorry that I am fo unfeafonably admitted to your table, when you and your wife have matters of moment to discuss: I must be free to say, I expected different entertainment: I will not be fo rude as to interfere with your family differences-fo you will excufe me, and I wish you a good night." You cannot wonder, that fuch a remon ftrance had its effect: they were both confounded, and made many apologies, entreating my pardon, pleading the fituation of things, and infifting upon my ftay. I fate down again; for I had taken my hat, and with fome gravity told them, "My good friends, you know I love and esteem you both, and wish nothing more fincerely than your felicity. It grieves me to fee you both such enemies to yourselves, fo weak and abfurd. You are under difficulties, great, very great difficulties: I grant it: So a I; you, I: So are thousands; what then? Shall we encrease those difficulties by our manner of bearthem: This wou'd be ftrangely ridiculous. Your peevifhness, paffion, altercation, and impetuofity, deprive you of all that comfort, which alone makes difficulties light and eafy to be borne. You know, that I have lived long and happily with an excellent wife: and you know that we have fought our way through many uneafy circumftances. Now I must freely tell that fo far have we been from adding to each others evils, which is your cafe, that we have mutually lightened each others burden. However chagrining our affairs have been, I never concealed the real truth from my faithful and best friend my wife; fhe never aggravated or confidered matters in the worst view, but with fmiles and good nature alleviated all my fears, and fixed the eye of my hope on fome favourable circumftance. In return, I have always endeavoured to keep up her fpirits, with the utmost chearfulness ; and in short, we have learnt to take life as it is, and to make the best of it ; always determined to footh each others cares, and to pour balm into each others hearts, not to add fuel to the flame ;-So are we, so have we been long and exquifitely blessed,—and ́ let come what will, we are ever sure of finding confolation, peace, and reft in each others bofom." My |