and thy loving kindness and mercy do appear in the feveral difpenfations of thy providence, of which, at this time I earneftly defire to have a deep and humble fenfe. It has pleafed thee to take to thy mercy my deareft hufband, who was the comfort and joy of my life, after we had lived together many years happily in all conjugal love and affection. May I readily fubmit myself to thy good pleafure, and fincerely refign mine own will to thine, with all Chriftian patience, meeknefs and humility. Do thou gracioufly pardon the errors and failings of my life, which have been the occafion of thy difpleafure; and let thy judgments bring me to fincere and unfeigned repentance, and to answer the wife ends for which thou haft fent them. Be thou pleafed fo to affift me with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that I may continue to govern the people which thou haft committed to my charge, in godlinefs, righteoufnefs, juftice, and mercy. In the management of all affairs, public and private, grant I may have a ftrict regard to thy holy will, that I may diligently and heartily advance thy glory, and ever entirely depend on thy providence. Do thou, O gracious Father, be pleafed to grant I may do the greatest good I can in all my capacity, and be daily improving every Christian grace and virtue: fo that when thou fhalt think fit to put an end to this fhort and uncertain life, I may be made a partaker of thofe gracious, endless joys, which thou haft prepared for thofe that love and fear thee, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

$216. Prince Eugene's Prayer.

I believe in thee, O my God! Do thou ftrengthen my faith: I hope in thee; confirm my hopes: I love thee; inflame my love more and more: I repent of all my fins; but do thou encrease my repentance! As my first beginning I worship thee; as my laft end I long for thee: as my eternal benefactor, I praife thee; and as my fupreme protector I pray unto thee; that it may please thee, O Lord, tó guide and lead me by thy providence, to keep me in obedience to thy juftice; to comfort me by thy mercy, and to protect me by thy almighty power. I fubmit unto thee all my thoughts, words, and actions, as well as my afflictions, pains, and fufferings, and. I defire to have thee always in my mind, to do all my works in thy name, and for

thy fake to bear all adverfity with patience. I will nothing but what thou willeft, O God; becaufe 'tis agreeable unto thee. O give me grace that I may be attentive in my prayer, temperate in iny diet, vigi lant in my conduct, and unmoveable in all good purposes. Grant, moft merciful Lord, that I may be true and faithful to thofe that have entrusted me with their fecrets; that I may be courteous and kind towards all men, and that both in my words and actions, I may fhew unto them a good example. Difpofe my heart to admire and praife thy goodness, to hate all errors and evil works, to love my neighbour, and to defpife the world. Affift me geod God, in fubduing luft by mortification, covetoufnefs by liberality, anger by mildness, and lukewarmnefs by zeal and fervency, Enable me to conduct my felf with prudence in all tranfactions, and to fhew courage in danger, patience in adverfity, and in profperity an humble mind. Let thy grace illuminate my understanding, direct my will, fanctify my body, and blefs my foul Make me diligent in curbing all irregular affections, zealous in imploring thy grace, careful in keeping thy commandments, and conftant in working out my own falvation. Finally, O God, make me fenfible how little is the world, how great thy heavens, how fhort time, and how long will be the bleffed eternity. O that I may prepare myself for death! that I may dread thy judgments, that I may avoid the torments of hell, and obtain of thee, O God! eternal life through the merits ot Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

§ 217. The gay, young Altamont dying.

The fad evening before the death of this noble youth I was with him. No one was there, but his phyfician, and an intimate friend whom he loved, and whom he had ruined. At my coming in, he faid;

You, and the phyfician, are come too late.-I have neither life, nor hope. You both aim at miracles. You would raise the dead.

Heaven, I faid, was merciful.

Or I could not have been thus guilty. What has it not done to blefs and to fave me?-I have been too.ftrong for Omnipotence! I plucked down ruin !.

I faid, The bleffed RedeemerHold! hold! you wound me!-This is the rock on which I fplit-I denied his name.

Refufing

Refufing to hear any thing from me, or take any thing from the phyfician, he lay filent, as far as fudden darts of pain would permit, till the clock ftruck. Then with vehemence;

Oh, time! time! it is fit thou fhouldeft thus ftrike thy murderer to the heart.-How art thou fled for ever!-A month!—Oh, for a fingle week! I afk not for years; tho' an age were too little for the much I have to do.

On my faying, we could not do too much: that heaven was a bleffed place So much the worfe. 'Tis loft! 'tis loft!-Heaven is to me the feverest part of hell!

Soon after I propofed prayer.

Pray you that can. I never prayed. I cannot pray-Nor need I. Is not heaven on my fide already? It clofes with my confcience. Its feverest strokes but fecond my own.

His friend being much touched, even to tears, at this, (who could forbear? I could act) with a moft affectionate look, he fid:

Keep those tears for thyfelf. I have endone thee.Doft weep for me? That's cruel. What can pain me more?

Here his friend, too much affected, ould have left him.

No, ftay. Thou ftill mayeft hope. Therefore hear me. How madly have I Liked? How madly haft thou liftened and believed? But look on my present ftate, as a full answer to thee, and to myfelf. This body is all weakness and pain; but my foul, as if ftrung up by torment to greater strength and fpirit, is full powerful to reafon; full mighty to fuffer. And that, which thus triumphs within the jaws of mortality, is doubtlefs immortal.-And, as for a Deity, nothing less than an Almighty could inflict what I feel.

I was about to congratulate this paffive, involuntary, confeffor, on his afferting the two prime articles of his creed, extorted by the rack of nature; when he thus, very pasionately:

No, no! let me fpeak on. I have not long to fpeak-My much injured friend! my foul, as my body, lies in ruins; in fattered fragments of broken thought: remorfe for the paft, throws my thoughts on the future. Worfe dread of the future, Frikes it back on the paft. I turn, and tarn, and find no ray. Didft thou feel half the mountain that is on me, thou

wouldft ftruggle with the martyr for his flake; and blefs heaven for the flames ;that is not an everlasting flame; that is not an unquenchable fire.

How were we ftruck! Yet, foon after, ftill more. With what an eye of distraction, what a face of defpair, he cried out:

My principles have poifoned my friend; my extravagance has beggared my boy; my unkindnefs has murdered my wife! And is there another hell?-Oh! thou blafphemed, yet moft indulgent, Lord God! Hell itself is a refuge, if it hides me from thy frown.

Soon after his understanding failed. His terrified imagination uttered horrors not to be repeated, or ever forgot. And ere the fun arofe, the gay, young, noble, ingenious, accomplished, and moit wretched Altamont expired. Young.

$218. The Majefty and Supremacy of the

Scriptures confeffed by a Sceptic.

I will confefs to you, that the majefty of the Scriptures ftrikes me with admiration, as the purity of the Gofpel hath its influence on my heart. Perufe the works of our philofopers with all their pomp of diction: how mean, how contemptible are they compared with the Scripture! Is it poffible that a book, at once fo fimple and fublime, fhould be merely the work of man? Is it poffible that the facred perfonage, whose history it contains, should be himself a mere man? Do we find that he affumed the tone of an enthufiaft or ambitious fectary? What sweetness, what purity in his manner! What an affecting gracefulness in his delivery! What fublimity in his maxims! What profound wifdom in his difcourfes! What prefence of mind, what fubtlety, what truth in his replies! How great the command over his paffions! Where is the man, where the philofopher, who could fo live, and fo die, without weakness, and without oftentation? When Plato defcribed his imaginary good man loaded with all the fhame of guilt, yet meriting the highest rewards of virtue, he defcribes exactly the character of Jefus Chrift: the refemblance was fo fhiking, that all the Fathers perceived it.

What prepoffeffion, what blindefs muft it be, to compare the fon of Sophronifcus to the fon of Mary! What an infinite difproportion there is between them! Socrates dying without pain or ignominy, eafily fupported his character to the laft; and if

wicked life; that I think I can never f.Eciently admire the goodness of God, who has given me a true fenfe of my pernicious opinions and vile practices, by which I have hitherto lived without hope, and without God in the world; have been an open enemy to Jefus Chritt, doing the utroft defpite to the Holy Spirit of grace: and that the greatet teftimony of my charity to fuch, is, to warn them, in the rame of God, as they regard the welfare of their immortal fouls, no more to deny his being or his providence, or defpife his goodness; no more to make a mock of fin, or contemn the pure and excellent religion of my ever bieffed Redeemer, thro' whofe merits alone, I, one of the greatest of finners, do yet hope for mercy and forgiveness. Amen.

Declared and figned in the prefence of Ann Rochester, Robert Parfons, June 19, 1680.

J. ROCHESTER.

220, To the Biographer of Hume. Upon the whole, Doctor, your meaning od; but I think you will not fucceed, this time. You would perfuade us, by the ple of David Hume, Efq; that them is the only cordial for low fpirits, and the proper antidote against the fear of death. But furely, he who can reflect, with complacency, on a friend thus mifemployg his talents in his life, and then, amusing felf with Lucian, Whift, and Charon, at is death, may fmile over Babylon in ruins; leem the earthquake, which deftroyed Lif ton, an agreeable occurrence; and congralate the hardened Pharoah, on his overrow in the Red Sea. Drollery in fuch circumftances, is neither more nor lefs, than

Moody madness, laughing wild,
Amid fevereft woe.

Would we know the baneful and peftilential influences of falfe philofophy on the human heart? We need only contemplate them in this moft deplorable inftance of Mr. Hume. Thefe fayings, Sir, may appear harfh; but they are falutary. And if departed fpirits have any knowledge of what is paffing upon earth, that perfon will he regarded by your friend as rendering him the trueft fervices, who, by energy of expreffion, and warmth of exhortation, hall moft contribute to prevent his writings from producing thofe effects upon mankind which he no longer wishes they fhould

produce. Let no man deceive himself, or be deceived by others. It is the voice of eternal Truth, which crieth aloud, and faith to you, Sir, and to me, and to all the world" He that believeth on the Son, "hath everlasting life; and he that be"lieveth not the Son, fhall not fee life; "but the wrath of God abideth on him." By way of contrast to the behaviour of Mr. Hume, at the clofe of a life, paffed without God in the world, permit me, Sir, to lay before yourself, and the public, the laft fentiments of the truly learned, judicious, and admirable Hooker, who had fpent his days in the fervice of his Maker and Redeemer.

After this manner, therefore, fpake the author of the Ecclefiafiical Polity, immediately before he expired:

I have lived to fee, that this world is made up of perturbations; and I have been long preparing to leave it, and gathering comfort for the dreadful hour of making my account with God, which I now apprehend to be near. And though I have, by his grace, loved him in my youth, and feared him in mine age, and laboured to have a confcience void of offence, towards him, and towards all men; yet, "if thou, Lord, fhouldeft be extreme to "mark what I have done amifs, who can abide it?" And therefore, where I have failed, Lord fhew mercy to me, for I plead not my righteoufnefs, but the forgivenefs of my unrighteoufnefs, through his merits, who died to purchase pardon for penitent finners. And fince I owe thee a death, Lord, let it not be terrible, and then take thine own time; I fubmit to it." Let "not mine, O Lord, but thy will be "done!"-God hath heard my daily petitions; for I am at peace with all men, and he is at peace with me. From fuch bleffed affurance I feel that inward joy, which this world can neither give, nor take from me. My confcience beareth me this witnefs, and this witnefs makes the thoughts of death joyful. I could wish to live, to do the church more fervice; but cannot hope it; for "my days are paft, as a fhadow that returns not."

His worthy Biographer adds

More he would have spoken, but his fpirits failed him; and, after a fhort conflict between nature and death, a quiet figh put a period to his laft breath, and fo, he fell afleep-And now he feems to reft like Lazarus in Abraham's bofom. Let me

X 3

here

here draw his curtain, till, with the most glorious company of the patriarchs and apoftles, and the moft noble army of martyrs and confeffors, this moft learned, moft humble, and moft holy man fhall alfo awake to receive an eternal tranquillity, and with it a greater degree of glory, than common Chriflians fhall be made partakers of!Doctor Smith, when the hour of his de

parture hence fhall arrive, will copy the example of the believer, or the infidel, as it liketh him best. I muft freely own, I have no opinion of that reader's head, or heart, who will not exclaim, as I find myfelf obliged to do

"Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his !" Rev. G. Herne.

1. Reflections on the Heavens. THE planets and comets which move round the Sun as their centre, conftitute what is called, the Solar Syftem. Thofe planets which are near the Sun not only finish their circuits fooner, but likewife move fatter in their refpective orbits, than thofe which are more remote from him. The motions of the planets are all performed from west to eaft, in orbits nearly circular. Their names, diftances, bulks, and periodical revolutions, are as follow: The Sun, an immenfe globe of fire, is placed near the common centre of the orbits of all the planets and comets; and turns round his axis in 25 days 6 hours. His diameter is computed to be 763,000

miles.

Mercury, the nearest planet to the Sun, goes round him in 87 days 23 hours, which, is the length of his year. But, being feldom feen, and no fpots appearing on his furface, the time of his rotation on his axis, is as yet unknown. His distance from the Sun is computed to be 32,000,000 of miles, and his diameter 2,6oo. In his courfe round the Sun, he moves at the rate of 95,000 miles every hour. His light and heat are almoft feven times as great as ours; and the Sun appears to him almoft feven times as large as to us.

Venus, the next planet in order, is computed to be 59,000,000 miles from the fun; and by moving at the rate of 69,000 miles every hour in her orbit, fhe goes round the Sun in 225 of our days nearly. Her diameter is 7,906 miles; and by her motion upon her axis the inhabitants are carried 43 miles every hour.

The Earth is the next planet above Venus in the fyftem. It is 82,000,000 miles from the Sun, and goes round him in a little more than 365 days. It travels at the rate of 1,000 miles every hour on its axis; is about 8,000 miles in diameter. In its

orbit it moves at the rate of 58,000 every hour; which motion, though 120 times fwifter than that of a cannon ball, is little more than half as fwift as Mercury's motion in his orbit.

The Moon is not a planet, but only an attendant upon the Earth; going round it in a little more than 29 days, and round the Sun with it every year. The Moon's diameter is 2,180 miles, and her diffance from the Earth's centre 240,000. She goes round her orbit in about 27 days, at the rate of near 2.300 miles every

hour.

Mars is the planet next in order, being the firft above the Earth's orbit. His dittance from the Sun is computed to be 125,000,000 miles; and by travelling at the rate of 47,000 miles every hour, he goes round the Sun in about 687 of cur days. His diameter is 4,444 miles, and by his diurnal rotation the inhabitants are carried 556 miles every hour.

Jupiter, the biggest of all the planets, is itili higher in the fyftem, being about 426,000,000 miles from the Sun; and going at the rate of 25,000 miles every cour in his orbit. His annual period is fuifhed in about 12 of our years. He is above 1,000 times as big as the Earth, for his diameter is 81,000 miles; which is more than ten times the diameter of the Earth. Jupiter turns round his axis in near 10 hours, and his year contains upwards of 10,000 of our days. His equatorial inhabitants are carried nearly 26,000 miles every hour, befides the 25,000 above mentioned by his annual motion.

Jupiter has four moons. The first goes round him in about two of our days, at the diftance of 22,900 miles from his centre: the fecond performs its revolution in about three days and a half, at 364,000 miles distance: the third in a little more than feven days, at the diftance of 580,000 miles: and the fourth in near 17 days, at

the