Virtue has in herself the most engaging charms; and chriftianity, as it places her in the strongest light, and adorned with all her native attractions, fo it kindles a new fire in the foul, by adding to them the unutterable rewards which attend her votaries in an eternal state. Or if there are men of a faturnine and heavy complexion, who are not easily lifted up by hope, there is the profpect of everlasting punishments to agitate their fouls, and frighten them into the practice of virtue and aversion from vice.

Whereas your sober free-thinkers tell you, that virtue indeed is beautiful, and vice deformed; the former deserves your love, and the latter your abhorTence; but then, it is for their own fake, or on account of the good and evil which immediately attend them, and are inseparable from their respective natures. As for the immortality of the foul, or eternal punishments and rewards, those are openly ridiculed, or rendered fufpicious by the most fly and laboured artifice.

I will not fay, these men act treacherously in the cause of virtue; but will any one deny, that they act foolishly, who pretend to advance the interest of it,by destroying or weakening the strongest motives to it, which are accommodated to all capacities, and fitted to work on all dispositions, and enforcing those alone which can affect only a generous and exalted mind ?

Surely they must be destitute of paffion themselves, and unacquainted with the force it hath on the minds of others, who can imagine that the mere beauty of fortitude, temperance, and justice, is fufficient to fuftain the mind of man in a fevere course of self-denial against all the temptations of present profit and fenfuality.

It is my opinion the free-thinkers should be treated as a fet of poor ignorant creatures, who have not sense to discover the excellency of religion; it being evident those men are not witches, nor likely to be guilty of any deep design, who proclaim aloud to the world, that they have less motives to honesty than the rest of their fellow subjects; who have all the inducements to the exercise of any virtue which a free-think

er can possibly have; and besides, the expectation of of never-ending happiness or misery as the consequence

choice.

Are not men actuated by their passions, and are not hope and fear the most powertul of our paffions? And are there any objects which can rouse and awaken our hopes and fears, like those prospects that warm and penetrate the heart of a chriftian, but are not regarded by a free-thinker?

It is not only a clear point, that a Christian breaks through ftronger engagements whenever he furren-. ders himself to commit a criminal action, and is stung with a sharper remorse after it, than a freethinker; but it should even seem that a man who believes no future state, would act a foolish part in being thoroughly honeft. For what reason is there why such a one should postpone his private interest or pleasure to the doing his duty? If a Christian foregoes some present advantage for the fake of his confcience, he acts accountably, because it is with a view of gaining fome greater future good. But he who, having no such view, should yet confcientioufly deny himself a present good in any incident where he may fave appearances, is altogether as stupid as he who would trust him at fuch a juncture.

It will, perhaps, be faid, that virtue is her own reward, that a natural gratification attends good actions, which is alone sufficient to excite men to the performance of them. But although there is nothing more lovely than virtue, and the practice of it is the surest way to folid, natural happiness, even in this life; yet titles, estates, and fantastical pleasures, are more ardently fought after by most men, than the natural gratifications of a reasonable mind; and it cannot be denied, that virtue and innocence are not always the readieft methods to attain that fort of happiness. Befides, the fumes of passion must be allayed, and reason must burn brighter than ordinary, and, to enable men to fee and relish all the native beauties and delights of a virtuous life. And though we should grant our free-thinkers to be a fet of refined spirits, capable only

of being enamoured of virtue, yet what would become of the bulk of mankind who have gross understandings, but lively senses and strong paffions? What a deluge of luft, and fraud, and violence would in a little time overflow the whole nation, if these wife advocates for morality were univerfally hearkened to ? Lastly, opportunities do sometimes offer in which a man may wickedly make his fortune, or indulge a pleasure, without fear of temporal damage, either in reputation, health or fortune. In such cases what restraint do they lie under who have no regards beyond the grave? The inward compunctions of a wicked, as well as the joys of an upright mind, being grafted on the fenfe of another state.

The thought, that our existence terminates with this life, doth naturally check the foul in any generous purfuit, contract her views, and fix them on temporary and selfish ends. It dethrones reason, extinguisnes all noble and heroic sentiments, and subjects the mind to the flavery of every present passion. The wife heathens of antiquity were not ignorant of this; hence they endeavoured by fables and conjectures, and the glimmerings of nature, to pofless the minds of men with the belief of a future state, which has been fince brought to light by the Gospel, and is now most inconfiftently decried by a few weak men, who would have us believe that they promote virtue by turning religion into ridicule.

GUARDIAN, Vol. I. No. 55.

FRIENDSHIP.

0 NE would think that the larger the company is, in which we are engaged, the greater variety of thoughts and fubjects would be started in difcourse; but inftead of this, we find that conversation is never fo much strained and confined as in numerous afsemblies. When a multitude meet together upon any fubject of difcourse, their debates are taken up chiefly with forms and general positions; nay, if we come into a more contracted assembly of men and women, the talk generally runs upon the weather, fashions, news, and the like public topics. In proportion as conversation gets into clubs and knots of friends, it descends into particulars, and grows more free and communicative : But the most open, instructive, and unreferved difcourse, is that which passes between two persons who are familiar and intimate friends. On these occafions, a man gives a loose to every paffion and every thought that is uppermost, discovers his most retired opinions of persons and things, tries the beauty and strength of his fentiments, and exposes his whole foul to the examination of his friend."

Tully was the first who observed, that friendship improves happiness, and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy, and dividing of our grief; a thought in which he hath been followed by all the effrayers upon friend

ship, who have written fince his time. Sir Francis
Bacon has finely described other advantages, or, as he
calls them fruits of friendship; and indeed there is no
subject of morality which has been better handled and
more exhaufted than this. Among the several fine
things which have been spoken of it, I shall beg leave
to quote fome out of a very ancient author, whose
book would be regarded by our modern wits as one of
the most shining tracts of morality that is extant, if it
appeared under the name of a Confucius, or of any cel-
ebrated Grecian philofopher : I mean the little apo-
cryphal treatise entitled, The wisdom of the son of Sirach.
How finely has he described the art of making friends,
by an obliging and affable behaviour ? And laid down
that precept which a late excellent author has deliver-
ed as his own-That we should have many well-wish-
ers, but few friends;' sweet language will multiply friends,
and a fair speaking tongue will increase kind greeting. Be in
peace with many, nevertheless have but one counsellor of a thou-
fand. With what prudence does he caution us in the
choice of our friends; and with what strokes of na-
ture (I could almost say of humour) has he described.
the behaviour of a treacherous and self-interested friend,
If thou wouldst get a friend, prove him first, and be not hafty
VOL. II.
G2

Af

to credit him: For some man is a friend for his own occafion, and will not abide in the day of thy trouble. And there is a friend, who being turned to enmity and strife, will discover thy reproach. Again, some friend is a companion at the table, and will not continue in the day of thy affliction: But in thy profperity he will be as thyself, and will be bold over thy fervants. If thou be brought low, he will be against thee, and hide himSelf from thy face. What can be more strong and pointed than the following verse, Separate thyself from thine enemies, and take heed of thy friends? In the next words he particularizes one of those fruits of friendship which is defcribed at length by the two famous authors abovementioned, and falls into a general eulogium of friendship, which is very just as well as very fublime. A faithful friend is a strong defence; and he that bath found fuch a one, hath found a treasure. Noth ng doth countervail a faithful friend, and his excellency is invaluable. A faithful friend is the medicine of life; and they that fear the Lord shail find bim. Whoso feareth the Lord shall direct his friendship aright; for as he is, so shall his neighbour (who is his friend) be also. I do not remember to have met with any faying that has pleased me more than that of a friend's being the medicine of life, to express the efficacy of friendship in healing the painsand anguish which naturally cleave to our existence in this world; and am wonderfully pleased with the turn in the last sentence, that a virtuous man shall, as a blessing, meet with a friend who is as virtuous as himself. There is another saying in the fame author, which would have been very much admired in an heathen writer: Forsake not an old friend, for the new is not comparable to him. A new friend is as new wine; when it is old thou shalt drink it with pleasure. With what strength of allufion, and force of thought, has he described the breaches and violations of friendship! Whoso casteth a stone at the birds, frayeth them away, and he who upbraideth his friend, breaketh friendship. Though thou draweth a fword at a friend, yet despair not, for there may be a returning to favour: If thou hast opened thy mouth against thy friend, fear not, for there may be a reconciliation; except for upbraiding, or pride, or disclosing of fecrets, or a treacherous wound; for, for these things every friend will depart. We may obferve in this and feveral other precepts in this