The affable man entertains, but the loquacious confounds. The former speaks with reflection, and felects the most profitable and agreeable from what he has to fay the latter delivers every thing that comes into his mind without confideration or choice, and shakes out his wallet of good things and bad, proper and improper, windy conceits and stupid dreams, in every man's face he meets. The former actually converses with others, and hearkens when they speak with the fame attention he, in his turn, requires from them: the latter is constantly speak. ing, never has time to hear, and his perpetual torrent of words rushes over all, like a deluge, deprives the intelligent of the defire and the opportunity to speak, and both the wife and the unwife of all power to hear. The former, in fhort,

knows the fit time for holding his tongue, and is not afhamed of his filence: the other had rather have recourfe to idle reports, or flander, or lies, than allow himself to be robbed of the imaginary honour of poffeffing an inexhauftible fund of en

tertainment.

Strive therefore to maintain and heighten the pleasures of fociety by a rational and discreet affability; but do not heedlefsly fpoil them by loquacity. Learn to hear as well as to fpeak. Diftinguish yourfelf more by the truth, the juftnefs, the moral goodnefs of what you fay, by the delicacy of your remarks, and the fit manner in which you produce them

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them, than by the redundant verbofity, and ftupifying vehemence of your fpeech. Let your difcourfes be feafoned with falt, according to the precept of the apoftle; let them be ever inoffenfive, conducive to edification, and conftantly fo ordered, that the claims of truth, of virtue, of religion, of christianity, be never infringed. Be not diftreffed in those moments when the vivacity of converfation gives place to profound filence, frequently unavoidable, and often fo falutary to the fupport and improvement of reflection. Rather fubmit to the reproach of unfociablenefs, or of poverty in materials of entertainment, than efcape this reproach at the expence of truth or philanthropy, virtue or de

corum.

Mirth, harmless, temperate mirth, is a fixth good quality which we fhould carry with us into focial life, and put in practice there; diffolute mirth, on the other hand, and extravagant jollity, is a fixth fault we have to avoid. The former, decent mirth, recreates and ftrengthens both the health of the mind and that of the body; it is really recreation; is even worthy of the wife man and the christian; and gives to every thing that is spoken or tranfacted an agreeable aspect, a heightened value: the other, diffolute mirth, enervates and perplexes the mind, frequently distorts the body, commonly debafes the character, excludes every finer and more generous fatisfaction, corrupts the tafte, and

leaves nothing behind but confufion and wild

uproar.

Avoid these faults, and acquire thefe good qua lities, if you would give and receive much real pleasure in focial life. Let ferenity accompany you in the fociety of your brethren; let gaiety and chearfulness animate you there; let inoffensive wit and harmless raillery feafon your converfation; enjoy allowable and innoxious mirth. But enjoy them with prudent moderation. Beware of every thing that benumbs your reafon, that deprives you of the consciousness of yourfelf and the refpect that is due to others, of every thing that diftreffes others or degrades them in their own eyes, of every thing that is in oppofition to the dignity of the man and the christian. Rejoice in the Lord alway; that is, conftantly fo as becomes a chriftian. Only that chearfulness which is confiftent with the thoughts of God and your duty, and which will reflect upon you with pleasure in the filence of retirement, or at least in your hours of folitary meditation will not be a cause of regret; only this chearfulness fhould be approved, fought after, enjoyed, and encouraged by you.

If we take with us thefe good qualities, thefe virtues, into focial life, and exercise them there, at the fame time avoiding their oppofite defects; if therefore fincerity and franknefs, but not indifcretion and rudeness; generous freedom, but not licentioufnefs and arrogance; graceful, refined, and agreeable

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agreeable manners, but not foppery, affectation and incivility; benevolence and philanthropy, but not coldness and jealoufy, or flattery and artificial fenfibility; affability, but not garrulity; mirth, but not licentiousness; prevail in focial life: then certainly it has a great value, it then procures us complete. and diverfified pleafures, folid and lafting utility. However, the more particular statement of the pleafures and benefits arifing from fociability, and the arrangement of them in their proper light, as the matter is fo copious, we muft defer to another opportunity. In the mean time, we will just draw a few inferences from what has been already re marked.

Collect from the foregoing caufes, how it happens that society is fo often irkfome to you; that it fo feldom answers your expectations; that you fo frequently go into company, as it were against your inclination; and much oftener leave it, with a heart diffatisfied or totally empty. Either you yourself are deficient in those good qualities and virtues, to which focial life is indebted for all its value, or you mifs them in others. Either you fuffer yourself to be overtaken and beguiled by thofe failings, which diminish or destroy the pleasures of fociety, or you are obliged to experience the disagreeable effects of them in others. More carefully combat or avoid these failings, more ftrenuously strive to acquire thofe good qualities and virtues, and exercife yourself in the practice of them; fo will the principal

principal caufes of languor and difgust be certainly banished from your converse with others, and that fource of fatisfaction and pleafure will be open to

you.

Learn farther from what has been obferved, that, although, to the best use and most folid enjoyment of focial life, outward appearance, genteel and agreeable manners, and what is only to be acquired by frequenting polite circles, are very requifite; yet that likewise these things do not conftitute the fole, nor even the principal requifites; but that depends on good moral qualities, on real virtues, on christian difpofitions, on actual and diftinguished merit both of mind and heart. Thence conclude, that he who comes to his brethren with an empty head and a cold heart, has no reafon to expect either pleasure or profit from his intercourfe with them, and that he who brings with him no difpofition for harmless elegant gaiety, can likewise have no pretenfions to the enjoyment of fuch fatisfactions, and has no right to complain at the want of them. Forget not, that the fatisfactions and pleafures of focial life confift in the mutual interchange and communication of what each perfon poffeffes and knows that is eminently beautiful, good, and agreeable; that they depend on a reciprocal giving and receiving; and that he who has nothing, or but little, to give, is only capable of receiving as little, and has no right to require any more. greater stock, therefore, the more wealth in good

The

thoughts,