Otherwise you will injure many, give offence to many, keep numbers of weak but well-intentioned perfons aloof from you, prevent many good defigns, but not yet ripe for execution, from coming to effect, cause the truth to be fufpected which is not comprehenfible to every one, and bring contempt on your ill-timed expreffions of fentiment. Your franknefs will become folly, and your fincerity degenerate into rudeness.

The use of a generous freedom is another good property, another virtue, which we must take with us and display in focial life; abfolute licentiousness and effrontery, on the other hand, is another fault we must avoid. Would you run no risk of finding focial life burdenfome to you; would you have it to be not fo much labour and toil as refreshment and recreation: then, by all means, you should breathe freely, think freely, judge freely, act freely; you should venture, in most cafes, to follow your own innocent humour and your irreproachable inclinations; you fhould not decline to appear what you are, and to do what you find agreeable; you should not think yourself bound to comply with the self-conceit and the humour of others, to model yourfelf by other perfons in all things, and abfolutely to fay and to do nothing but what has been heretofore received and is handed down, or what every one fays and does. This would be introducing an infipid uniformity and an oppreffive languor into focial life.

But,

But, on the other fide, if you would have it as little burdenfome and difagreeable to your company as to yourself; then you must not pretend to prefide alone, not constantly lay down the law, not always endeavour to arrange and controul the pleasures, the affairs, and the connections of others; you must allow others the faine liberty you use yourself, and they allow, make them the fame little facrifices of complaifance and indulgence which they at other times make you; and therefore interchangeably direct and obey, now follow others, and then be followed. In short, you must fet bounds to the ufe of your freedom, whenever it would be injuri ous to others, or they might reafonably take offence at it; particularly whenever it might have a tendency to lead the younger members of society into error or fin. The unlimited use of one's liberty in focial intercourse is criminal licentiousness, is actual tyranny and disgusting arrogance.

Graceful, polite, and agreeable manners are a third requifite which we should carry into focial life, and attend to the obfervance of; artificial conftraint, on the contrary, and a stiff and formal carriage, is a third fault we are to avoid; and even the christian, who in every respect ought to be the moft accomplished as well as the best of men, fhould not imagine that matters of this kind are indifferent to him, or unworthy of his attention. To be agreeable to others, and even to please by the exterior,

VOL. II.

terior, is a purpose of focial life, and one of the principal fources of the pleafures it procures us. The eye must not there be hurt by any thing repugnant and fhocking in mien, geftures, or in apparel; no harfh, difcordant, fhrieking tones muft grate upon the ear; the tafte for the beautiful must be fatisfied and entertained, by the natural, the becoming, the proper, the captivating, in the figure, the posture, the voice, the garments, and the whole demeanor. Would you, my pious hearers, attain and promote these views; then adorn your perfons, but overload them not with borrowed ornaments: follow the fashion fo far as is confiftent with propriety and a cultivated tafte; but run not into the extravagant or ridiculous; let a graceful eafe and a noble freedom, not an artificial formality, a childish levity, or an offensive ferocity, be the rule of your movements and outward appearance. Let the tone of your voice be natural and firm and foft, and fuitably modulated to the fubject of your difcourse, but never so as to become inaudible by an exceffive modefty, or disgusting by an affected fuavity: ftudy to acquire elegant and complacent man ners, but let them be your own, and not a clofe, fervile, and thereby a ridiculous imitation of extraneous behaviour. Whatever relates to decorum and outward addrefs muft not be the effect of affectation and artifice, but the genuine refult of an inward fenfe of the beautiful and becoming, and re

ceive animation from that fentiment alone; and even the outward deportment, the very garb of wildom and virtue, muft give a luftre to intrinfic worth, and thus render it more amiable.

Benevolence and philanthropy is a fourth good property, a fourth virtue, which we must carry with us and practife in focial life; envy, coldnefs, indifference, and jealoufy, on the contrary, or flattery and affected fenfibility, compofe a fourth clafs of the faults we should there avoid. And, indeed, would you receive pleasure from the countenance of your brethren, and from your converfation with them; then must you enjoy their welfare, and be delighted with their good fortune. Otherwise every better quality you perceive in them, every mark of approbation conferred on them by others, every praise they obtain, muft give you uneafinefs. Would you have your intercourse with them not irksome or painful, would you fupport it with pleasure then muft vou take part in all that relates to them; you fhould not be indifferent to whatever befalls them, whether good or bad; then muft you rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Would you procure fuftenance and employ ment for your heart by your converse with others: then must you expand it to the feelings of humanity and friendship; then must you let it be animated by correfpondent estimation and love; then must selfintereft, felf-love, and mifanthropy be eradicated

from it. Coldnefs, indifferency, infenfibility, envy, hatred, are the death of all focial pleafures; are what constantly, more or lefs, impair and weaken thefe fatisfactions, and are the caufes that difgust, difpleafure and languor fo often prevail in com

pany.

But in avoiding these mistakes, take care not to boast of difpofitions which are foreign to you, or to testify a sensibility which you do not poffefs. Seek not to compenfate the defects of your benevolence and affection by the base arts of flattery. Put not on the femblances of gladnefs, or forrow, while your heart neither feels the one nor the other. Accoft not with pretended friendship thofe from whom your heart is averfe. Feign not to fhed tears of compaffion, of fympathy, of joy, or of tenderness. Be not lavish in particular protestations of friendship to any man that is not the friend of your foul, the confident of your heart. Rarely can artifice conceal the defects of nature and the want of veracity; and people in general would rather you let coldnefs appear, your than be duped by the femblance of a cordial concern. Would you avoid thefe errors; then be christians, for the christian is animated by unfeigned love; that is the prime motive of all he thinks and speaks and does.

Affability is a fifth good quality, which we should bring and employ in focial life; loquacity, on the contrary, is a fifth failing which we fhould avoid.

The

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