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of the world, without the assistance of much more wealth than will serve to feed and clothe you; and canst thou not be content with these possessions? is not this a sort of merchandise to be preferred before that of fine gold?

I know the greater part of those who accuse their fortune of misery do at least pretend that their condition and circumstances of life are so incommodious, that they have not time to attend to the great interest of the soul, or at least not with that application which they should. Alas! thus not the mean only, but almost all talk, from the porter to the prince: the circumstances of one are too strait, too narrow; of another too full of trouble, because too full of state; one complains that he is withdrawn from his great end, by the many allurements and sensual temptations to which his rank and quality in the world expose him; another, that he is daily fretted and indisposed by the little cross accidents and the rugged conversation which he is necessarily obliged to bear with; one complains of too much business, another of too little; the hurry and multitude of things distracts the one, infidel fears and anxious despondencies the other; one complains that his acquaintance and friends are too numerous, and intrench too far upon his precious hours; another is querulous, melancholy, and peevish, because he looks upon himself either for his meanness neglected, or for his misfortune deserted and forsaken; company is burdensome to the one, and solitude to the other. Thus all conditions are full of complaints, from him that trudges on his clouted shoe, to him who can scarce mention the manners or the fortunes of the multitude without some expressions of contumely and disdain. Thou fool! dost thou not see that all these complaints are idle contradictions? for shame, correct the wantonness of thy humor, and thou wilt soon correct thy fortune: learn to be happy in every state, and every place: learn to enjoy thyself, to know and value the wealth that is in thine own power, I mean wisdom and goodness; learn to assert the sovereignty and dignity of thy soul. Methinks that, if philosophy could not, pride and indignation might conquer fortune. It is beneath the dignity of a soul, that has but a grain of sense, to make chance, and winds, and waves, the arbitrary disposers of his happiness; or, what is worse, to de pend upon some mushroom upstart, which a chance smile raised

out of his turf and rottenness, to a condition of which his mean soul is so unequal that he himself fears and wonders at his own height. Oh, how I hug the memory of those honest heathens, who, in a ragged gown and homely cottage, bade defiance to fortune, and laughed at those pains and hazards, the vanity and pride of men, not their misfortune, drove them to! Men may call this pride or spite in them; as the beggarly rabble doth usually envy the fortune it doth despair of: but there were a great many of these who laid by envied greatness, to enjoy this quiet though generally despicable meanness: but let the contempt of the world be what it will in a heathen; let it be pride or peevishness, vainglory, or any thing, rather than a reproach to Christians; what say you to the followers of our Lord and Master ? "Then said Peter, silver and gold have I none," Acts iii. None? what hast thou then, thou poor disciple of a poor Master? A true faith, a godlike charity, and unshaken hope: blessed art thou amongst men; nothing can make thee greater, nothing richer, nothing happier, but heaven. You see plainly, then, a man may be virtuous, though not wealthy; and that fortune, which prevents his being rich, cannot prevent his being happy.

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This discourse will never down; this is not calculated for this age; philosophy must be a little more mannerly, and religion a little more genteel and complaisant than formerly, ere it can be adapted and accommodated to the present state of things. Go on then, let us try how far it will be necessary to condescend. cannot be happy; why? because you are not rich; go then to God, and beg you may be rich: I have not the face to put up such arrogant and intemperate requests to God; it is plain, then, it is not necessary to be rich in order to be happy for whatever is necessary to this thou mayest with good assurance beg of God. But thy desires are more humble and modest; thou aimest at nothing but what is very necessary; a fairer house, another servant, a dish or two of meat more for thy friends, a coach for thy convenience or ease, and a few hundred pounds apiece more for thy children: O heavenly ingredients of a rational pleasure! O divine instruments of human happiness! O the humble and mortified requests of modest souls! Well, if these things be so recessary, and these desires be so decent and virtuous, if thou

canst not be happy, and consequently must be miserable, without them-put up a bill, represent thy condition in it; such a one wants a more commodious house, more servants, more dishes, &c., and desires the prayers of the congregation for support under this affliction. You are profane: far be it from me; I would only let thee see the wantonness of thy desires. If thou thinkest this would expose thee to public laughter, go to thy minister, unfold thy case to him, let him pray for thee: he is a good man, and his prayers will go far; you rally and ridicule me. Enter then into thy closet, shut thy door; thou mayest trust God, he pities and considers even human infirmities; I could even almost in my mind desire it of him; but I am ashamed to do it in a set and solemn prayer. I could almost make the petition in the gross, but I blush to think of descending to particulars. Well, then, I see plainly that wealth in any degree of it is so far from being necessary to our happiness, that it has so little of usefulness or conveniency in it, that, in thy conscience between God and thee, thou canst not think fit to complain of the want of it.

But this answer will never satisfy him who complains of want, or of being engaged in continual troubles, and tossed by the daily changes and revolutions of the world. I confess it will not but I must tell such a one, if Solomon's observation be true, "The hand of the diligent maketh rich," Prov. x.; and that other, "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings, he shall not stand before mean men," Prov. xxii.

Then his poverty is his crime as well as his calamity; he must redeem himself from this his punishment by industry and prayer. As to calamities, this must be acknowledged, that the mind of a good and great man, which stands firm upon its own basis, a good God, a good Saviour, and a good conscience, may remain unmoved, when the earth trembles, and the sea roars round about him. Chances indeed befall things temporal; but he leans not upon them. I may say farther, that he who, upon mature deliberation and upon necessary obligations of duty, engages himself in a just cause, may be unfortunate, but he cannot be miserable: his suffer'ngs carry a secret pleasure in them, and his misfortunes are full of hope and glory; if he consider, if he reflect, if he do not feed on vain and airy projects, and suffer himself to be unwarily trans

ported by very irrational, though seemingly just passions. I must lastly add, that it is not the necessity of their affairs, nor the iniquity of times, which doth commonly involve and entangle men in public or private calamities, but some secret vanity, some blind impetuous passion, some ill-laid project, or some treacherous or dishonorable fear.

135.-MENTAL STIMULUS NECESSARY TO EXERCISE. ANDREW COMBE.

[IN the desire to enhance the benevolent intentions of its author, we give the following extract from one of the most valuable and popular works of our time. "The Principles of Physiology applied to the Preservation of Health, and to the improvement of Physical and Mental Education:" By Andrew Combe, M.D. This article was in type when the newspapers announced the death of Dr. Combe, on the 9th of August. This eminent man was only in his forty-ninth year. His knowledge was of the best kind; but he had the high merit, which men of science have sometimes thought beneath them, of rendering that knowledge useful to the greatest number.]

That exercise should always spring from, and be continued under, the influence of an active and harmonious nervous and mental stimulus, will scarcely require any additional evidence; but, as the principle is not sufficiently appreciated or acted upon, a few remarks seem still to be called for to enforce its observance. The simple fact that the muscles are expressly constructed for the purpose of fulfilling the commands of the will, might of itself lead to the inference that a healthy mental stimulus ought to be considered an essential condition or accompaniment of exercise; and, accordingly, the muscular action becomes easy and pleasant under the influence of mental excitement, and a vigorous nervous impulse is useful in sustaining and directing it. On the other hand, how difficult, wearisome, and inefficient, muscular contraction becomes when the mind, which directs it, is languid or absorbed by other employments! Hence the superiority, as exercises for the young, of social and inspiriting games,

which, by their joyous and boisterous mirth, call forth the requisite nervous stimulus to put the muscles into vigorous and varied action; and hence the utter inefficiency of the dull and monotonous daily walk which sets all physiological conditions at defiance, and which, in so many schools, is made to supersede the exercise which it only counterfeits. Even the playful gambolling and varied movements which are so characteristic of the young of all animals, man not excepted, and which are at once so pleasing and attractive, might have taught us that activity of feeling and affection, and sprightliness of mind, are intended by nature to be the sources and accompaniments of healthful and invigorating muscular exercise; and that the system of bodily confinement and mental cultivation now so much in vogue, is calculated to inflict lasting injury on all who are subjected to its restraints. The buoyancy of spirit and comparative independence enjoyed by boys when out of school prevent them from suffering under it so much as girls do; but the mischief done to both is the more unpardonable when it does occur, because it might so easily have been entirely avoided. Even in some infant schools, where properly conducted exercise ought to be considered as a necessary of life, the principle on which I am insisting is so little understood or valued, that no play-grounds have been provided, and the very best means of moral as well as physical training-play with companions-has, to the great injury of the poor children, been wholly omitted. Under judicious direction the play-ground affords the most valuable and effective aid to the parent and teacher, not only in eliciting the highest degree of physical health, but in developing the general character by the practical inculcation of moral principle, kindness, and affection, in the daily and hourly conduct of the children committed to their charge. A double evil is thus incurred in its neglect or omission.

Facts, illustrative of the beneficial influence of a mental stimulus as the only legitimate source of muscular activity, abound everywhere, and must be familiar to every reflecting mind; but as the practical influences deducible from them have, to a great extent, escaped the notice of parents and teachers, I shall add a few remarks in their farther elucidation.

Every-body knows how wearisome and disagreeable it is to

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