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other. The adaptation of the parts to each other, is also no less obvious: there appears to be, in many instances, a sort of originality in the constitutions and habits of men, as if Nature had designed them for the very situation in which they are placed. The teacher of occult sciences, the rustic at the plough, or the advocate at the bar, are not always perfect in their art: they may occasionally wander from the point, yet they are seldom found to be endowed with qualifications diametrically opposite to those which their stations require. But perhaps I am attributing that facility, with which every man performs his part on the great stage of life, to improper causes : perhaps I am ascribing that to nature, which only belongs to art. There may be particular propensities; and in the great hive of society, there are few who have not a predilection for some particular employment, in preference to all others. But the truth is, that all men are born with capacities nearly equal, and the difference is made by the spring of activity being damped with the humid mists of poverty; relaxed by lassitude and indolence; or entirely destroyed by an unbounded gratification of the sensual appetites.

"Few can hope ever to attain to such strength of intellect, as to procure to themselves the voluntary admiration of the learned and great; to have their names transmitted to posterity as the enlighteners and benefactors of mankind; yet every man may, without vanity, contribute his mite to instruct or reform, and though he cannot exult in having done much, he may possess the consciousness of having done well. It is under the influence of these views, that I am led to express my decided approbation of the measure which my friends. have adopted for my future

advancement. I can perceive nothing in me like a fitness for the situation, nor dare I affirm, that my morals would be irreproachable, so as to inculcate, by unerring example, sentiments of virtue and religion, in the minds of my pupils; but I would humbly presume, that my habits are not so vicious, as to render their improvement impossible, nor my mental abilitiesso weak, but they may be strengthened by dint of application. There is, however, one consideration which you seem to have overlooked; I mean, my indisposition; which, as I do not perceive the least amendment, I begin to fear will be of long continuauce: I have walked with much more difficulty since my return home than I ever did before; but as this depends alone on the inscrutable will of Providence, I shall: leave it, and have only farther to add, that I hope to make good use of what health and spirits remain, in acquiring more perfectly those particular parts of learning which are most likely to be wanted.

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Thoughts writton 5th month 17, 1813.

"Every one is not born to conquer nations, to plant colonies, or to propagate new and improved systems of philosophy; but every one is endowed with a certain portion of intellect, which it is his duty and interest to improve; it is his duty, because he has received it from his Creator, the supreme source of all good; and no stronger proof can he exhibit of his gratitude to the awful giver, than by improving the gift. It is his interest, because, by calling forth the latent sparks which lie hid in the soul, he may procure to himself a perpetual source of intellectual

pleasures, which are ten thousand times more to be valued than the gross delights of sensual gratifications. In prosperity, he will learn humifity; in adversity, fortitude; and in every situation, content: this will be the happy result of a right cultivation of the mind.

"But let no one imagine, that to do this requires only that he should will it to be done; let such remember, that it is by perseverance and a never-ceasing energy, that he can hope to be freed from the shackles of prejudice, and the errors of education; or in any degree overcome the depravity of his corrupt nature. If, however, he courageously use the strength which he hath, and earnestly supplicate the Almighty for more, he may every day obtain new victories over himself; he may soar to new heights, and into new regions of science; and by an exact, and righteous employment of time, he may enjoy a lively anticipation of eternity.

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To R. O.

“W. T.”

"Lowton, 22 of 5 mo. 1813.

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I have accidentally met with a sententious period of Lord Bacon's, which I believe will be of use to me in my future reading: Some books,' says he, are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.' The misfortune is that we too often invert the order; those which it would be our interest to chew and digest well, we hardly deign to taste; while such books as ought only to be tasted, we can chew over and over again. Dr. Franklin was a useful member of society, and some of his writings seem to have

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been eminently serviceable; he was a man of integrity in his dealings, and in the more settled part of his life was generally of good morals; but I cannot help accusing him of scepticism with regard to religion. I can see in him the frugal tradesman and economist, the philosopher, the politician, and the man of good-sense, but I cannot see in him the christian.

"W. T."

To J. K.

"Lowton, 24th of 5th mo. 1813.

"Few are conscious how much is added to the sublimity of divine truths, by making ourselves acquainted with facts of a different, though not of a less convincing nature, than pure intellectual feelings; I mean the wisdom that is every where displayed in the formation and preservation of the natural world. A farther acquaintance with the visible world which we inhabit, would, I believe, often remove that narrow and illiberal turn of thinking, which we see predominant in some who pretend to be deeply acquainted with the mysteries of the invisible kingdom. Thus, if science is of no other use, it serves as an excellent corrective in innumerable cases in life: by showing man the dignity of his nature, and fixing a true estimate of his worth, it creates in him a wish to act consistently with the native dignity which he possesses: by showing him that he is only as an atom which dances in the sun-beams, when compared with the universe at large; that with all his acquirements he only forms one link in Nature's vast progressive chain,' his views of himself are much abased, and he is filled with awe at the perfec

tions of that Being, who has formed the harmonious whole:' he will contemplate with rapture, the display of His wisdom and love, in the minutest parts of creation.

"Such are the dispositions, and such the views which science invariably inspires when under the guidance and restraint of her elder sister, Religion. But I have observed, with feelings too painful to be described, that this is not always the case; it is a well known fact, that some of the most elaborate, scientific works, have been compiled by men of the most depraved minds. When musing over these subjects,. 1 often recur to the French Encyclopædists, some of whom, if I remember right, had the audacity publicly to avow their disbelief of the Supreme Being. But in viewing over the army of refined infidels, I often think upon the immortal names of Milton, Boyle, and Locke, with exultation. Their vast intellectual powers, whilst they took in the whole universe, and demonstrated the laws which maintain the harmony of the celestial spheres, could discover, even in a grain of sand, such marks of the wisdom of the Divine Architect, as kindled in their bosoms a glow of humble gratitude and love. I had, in the warmth of my panegyric, forgot to mention Sir William Jones, that phenomenon of human nature, who alone ought to be considered as an incontrovertible evidence of the truth of Christianity, and the sublimity of its doctrines. He was acquainted with the various systems of theology, that have appeared in the world, and had, no doubt, drawn accurate deductions of their comparative worth, by considering the influence they have had on society, as exhibited in the page of history; yet we see him give the decided prefer

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