the unaffected turn of her shape and perfon, fhot me through and through every time I saw her, and did more execution upon me in grogram, than the greatest beauty in town or court had ever done in brocade. In fhort, the is fuch an one as promifes me a good heir to my eftate; and if by her means I cannot leave to my children what are falfely call ed the gifts of birth, high titles and alliances, I hope to convey to them the more real and valuable gifts of birth, ftrong bodies and healthy conftitutions. As for your fine women, I need not tell thee that I know them. I have had my fhare in their graces, but no more of that. It fhall be my business hereafter to live the life of an honest man, and to act as becomes the mafter of a family. I queftion not but I fhall draw upon me the raillery of the town, and be treated to the tune of The Marriage-hater matched ; but I am prepared for it. I have been as witty upon others in my time. To tell thee truly, I faw such a tribe of fashionable young fluttering coxcombs fhut up, that I did not think my poft of an Homme de ruelle any longer tenable. I felt a certain stiffness in my limbs, which intirely destroyed that jantinefs of air I was once master of. Befides, for I may now confefs my age to thee, I have been eight and forty above these twelve years. Since my retirement into the country will make a vacancy in the club, I could with you would fill up my place with my friend Tom Dapperwit. He has an infinite deal of fire, and knows the town. For my own part, as I have said before, I shall endeavour to live hereafter fuitable to a man in my station, as a prudent head of a family, a good husband, a careful father, (when it hall fo happen) and as your moft fincere friend, and humble fervant, N° DXXXI. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8. SIMON QUI MARE ET TERRAS VARIISQUE MUNDUM TEMPERAT HORIS: UNDE NIL MAJUS GENERATUR IP30, NEC VIGET QUICQUAM SIMILE AUT SECUNDUM. HOR. OD. XII. L. I. VER. IS. WHO GUIDES BELOW, AND RULES ABOVE, IMONIDES being asked by Dionyfius the tyrant what God was, defired a day's time to confider of it be fore he made his reply. When the day was expired, he defired two days; and afterwards, instead of returning his an fwer, demanded ftill double the time to confider of it. This great poet and phi lofopher, the more he contemplated the pature of the Deity, found that he waded but the more out of his depth; and that he loft himself in the thought, instead of finding an end of it. CRZZCH. thefe perfections, and what is a faculty in an human foul, becomes an attribute in God. We exist in place and time, the Divine Being fills the immenfity of fpace with his prefence, and inhabits eternity. We are poffeffed of a little power and a little knowledge, the Divine Being is almighty and omnucient. In fhort, by adding infinity to any kind of perfection we enjov, and by joining all these different kinds of perfections in one Being, we form our idea of the great Sovereign of nature. If we confider the idea which wife Though every one who thinks must men, by the light of reafon, have framed have made this obfervation, I shall proof the Divine Being, it amounts to this: duce Mr. Locke's authority to the fame that be has in him all the perfection of purpose, out of his Effay on Human a fpiritual nature; and fince we have no Understanding. If we examine the notion of any kind of fpiritual perfec-idea we have of the incomprehenfible tion but what we difcover in our own. fouls, we join infinitude to each kind of Supreme Being, we fhall find, that we come by it the fame way; and that 6. R ⚫ the the complex ideas we have both of his word all things confift. We may God and separate spirits, are made up (peak much, and yet come fhort: of the fimple ideas we receive from wherefore in fum, he is all. How reflection: v. g. having, from what fhall we be able to magnify him? For we experiment in ourselves, got the he is great above all his works. The ideas of existence and duration; of Lord is terrible and very great; and ⚫ knowledge and power, of pleasure and • marvellous in his power. When you happiness, and of feveral other quali-glorify the Lord, exalt him as much ⚫ties and powers, which it is better to It is not impoffible that there may be many kinds of fpiritual perfection, befides thofe which are lodged in an hu man foul; but it is impoffible that we fhould have the ideas of any kinds of perfection, except thofe of which we have fome fmall rays and fort imperfect trokes in ourfelves. It would be therefore a very high prefumption to determine whether the Supreme Being has not many more attributes than thofe which enter into our conceptions of him. This is certain, that if there be any kind of spiritual perfection which is not marked out in a human foul, it belongs in it's fulness to the divine na ture. Several eminent philofophers have imagined that the foul, in her feparate ftate, may have new faculties fpringing up in her, which the is not capable of exerting during her prefent union with the body; and whether thefe faculties may not correfpond with other attri butes in the divine nature, and open to us hereafter new matter of wonder and adoration, we are altogether ignorant. This, as I have faid before, we ought to acquiefce in, that the Sovereign Being, the great Author of nature, has in him alt poffible perfection, as well in kind as in degree; to fpeak according to our methods of conceiving, I fhall only add, under this head, that when we have raised our notion of this Infinite Being as high as it is poffible for the mind of man to go, it will fall infinitely fhort of what he really is. There is no end of his greatnefs:' the moit exalted creafure he has made is only capable of adoring it, none but himself can com prehend it.. The advice of the fon of Sirach is very just and fublime in this light. By as you can: for even yet will he far exceed. And when you exalt hím, put forth all your strength, and be not weary; for you can never go far enough. Who hath feen him, that he might tell us and who can magnify him as he is? there are yet hid greater things than thefe be, for we have feen but a few of his works. I have here only confidered the Supreme Being by the light of reafon and philofophy. If we would fee him in all the wonders of his merey, we must have recourfe to revelation, which reprefents him to us, not only as infinitely great and glorious, but as infinitely good and juft in his difpenfations towards man. But as this is a theory which falls under every one's confideration, though indeed it can never be fufficiently confidered, I fhall here only take notice of that habitual worship and veneration which we ought to pay to this Almighty Being. We should often refresh our minds with the thought of him, and anpihilate ourselves before him, in the contemplation of our own worthleffness, and of his tranfcendent excellency and perfection. This would imprint in our minds fuch a constant and uninterrupted awe and veneration as that which I am here recommending, and which is in reality a kind of inceffant prayer, and reafonable humiliation of the foul before him who made it. This would effectually kill in us all the little feeds of pride, vanity, and felfconceit, which are apt to fhoot up in the minds of fuch whofe thoughts run more on thofe comparative advantages which they enjoy over fome of their fellowcreatures, than on that infinite distance which is placed between them and the fapreme Model of all perfection. It would likewife quicken our defires and endeavours of uniting ourselves to him by all the acts of religion and virtue. Such an habitual homage to the Sus preme Being would, in a particularmanner, banili from among as that prevailing impiety of afing ins same on the moli trivial occations.. voj I find I find the following passage in an ex cellent fermon, preached at the funeral of a gentleman who was an honour to his country, and a more diligent a's well as fuccessful inquirer into the works of nature, than any other our nation has ever produced: He had the profoundeft veneration for the great God of heaven and earth that I have ever obferved in any perfon. The very name of God was never mentioned by him without a pause and a vifible ftop in his dif⚫ courfe; in which, one that knew him most particularly above twenty years, has told me, that he was fo exact, ⚫ that he does not remember to have ob♦ ferved him once to fail in it.' Every one knows the veneration which IT was paid by the Jews to a name fo great, wonderful, and holy. They would not let it enter even into their religious dif courfes. What can we then think of those who make use of fo tremendous a name in the ordinary expreffions of their anger, mirth, and most impertinent paffions? Of those who admit it into the most familiar queftions and affertions, ludicrous phrafes and works of humour? not to mention those who violate it by folemn perjuries? It would be an affront to reafon to endeavour to fet forth the horror and profanenels of fuch a practice. The very mention of it expofes it fufficiently to thofe in whom the light of nature, not to fay religion, is not utterly extinguished, N° DXXXII. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10. FUNGOR VICE COTIS, ACUTUM REDDERE QUE FERRUM VALET, EXSORS IPSA SECANDI. HOR. ARS POET. VER. 304. VALI PLAY THE WHETSTONE: USELESS AND UNFIT T is a very honest action to be tu dious to produce other men's merit; and I make no fcruple of faying I bave as much of this temper as any man in the world. It would not be a thing to be bragged of, but that it is what any man may be mafter of who will take pains enough for it. Much obfervation of the unworthiness in being pained at the excellence of another, will bring you to a fcorn of yourself for that unwillingness: and when you have got fo fo far, you will find it a greater pleafure than you ever before knew, to be zealous in promoting the fame and welfare of the praife-worthy. I do not fpeak this as pretending to be a mortified felfdenying man, but as one who has turn ed his ambition into a right channel. I claim to myself the merit of having extorted excellent productions from a perfon of the greatest abilities, who would not have let them appeared by any other means; to have animated a few young gentlemen into worthy purfuits, who will be a glory to our age; and at all times, and by all poffible means in my power, undermined the interests of ig norance, vice, and folly, and attempted to fubftitute in their ftead, learning piety, and good fenfe. It is from this CREECH. honeft heart that I find myself honoured as a gentleman-uher to the arts and fciences. Mr. Tickell and Mr. Pope have, it feems, this idea of me. The former has writ me an excellent paper of verfes in praife, forfooth, of myfelf; and the other inclofed for my perufal an admirable poem, which, I hope, will fhortly fee the light. In the mean time I cannot fupprefs any thought of his, but infert this fentiment about the dying words of Adrian. I will not determine in the cafe he mentions; but have thus much to fay in favour of his argument, that many of his own works which I have feen, convince me that very pretty and very fublime fentiments may be lodged in the fame bofom without dimis nution to it's greatness. I confess I cannot apprehend where lies the trifling in all this; it is the most natural and obvious reflection imaginable to a dying man: and if we confider the emperor was a heathen, that doubt concerning the future ftate of his foul will feem fo far from being the effect of want of thought, that it was fcarce reafonable he should think otherwife; not to mention that here is a plain confeffion included of his belief in it's immortality. The diminutive epithets of vagula, blandula, and the reft, appear not to me as expreffions of levity, but rather of endearment and concern: fuch as we find in Catullus, and the authors of Hendeca-fyllabi after him, where they are used to exprefs the utmoft love and tenderness for their mittreffes.If you think me right in my notion of the aft words of Adrian, be pleafed to infert this in the Spectator; if not, to fupprefs it. I am, &c, Permit thefe lines by thee to live--nos blame A mufe that pants and languithes for fame That fears to fink when humbler themes the fings, Loft in the mafs of mean forgotten things, Receiv'd by thee, I prophefy, my rhimes The praife of virgins in Tucceeding times: Mix'd with thy works, their life no boundi shall fee.95 But ftand protected, as infpir'd, by thee. So fome weak fhoot, which else would poorly rife, Jove's tree adopts, and lifts him to the skies; Thro' the new pupil foft'ring juices flow, Thruft forth the gems, and give the flow'rs' to blow Aloft; immortal reigns the plant unknown, With borrow'd life, and vigour not his own. то |