beneath us; nor to defire any thing but what is allotted us. We ought to imagine nothing our own, and furely therefore not our time. Yet how apt are we to think it quite a hardfhip put upon us, if any small portion of it is to be spent difagreeably: and if we have not hours, and days, and years, to indulge in careless idleness and gid. dy pleasure. Among other works, that of reforming my temper is furely a most neceffary one. Let me therefore take myself a little to talk. How have I behaved the last day? I have not, perhaps, been pofitively out of humour; but have I guarded my difpofition against every failing? Have I not indulged a nice fancy, in taking taking fome difguft at any of those that I converfe with; which trifling as it seems at prefent, may, in time, quite alienate our minds from one another? a difagreeable look, or manner, too often gives a prejudice against perfons, who are really deferving. Let me be upon my guard against fuch prejudices. Let me overlook all trifling infirmities in others: but let me fpare them the pain and difficulty of having many fuch to overlook in me. Let me obferve in every thing a perfect cleanlinefs and neatnefs; for nothing is fo difguftful as the contrary. Let me be mild and civil, moderate and discreet in all my ways of fpeaking: let my behaviour always be easy and obliging, natural and unaffected. Let me always preferve, as much as I can, even under fevere trials, B trials, a cheerful pleasing countenance. And, among other things, let me try to avoid, as much as poffible, falling into thofe little foolish tricks and peculiarities, which every body is fo apt to acquire, without even perceiving it. I cannot help feeing in others, how disagreeable they are, though in them, I ought as little as poffible to attend to it. But let me watch myfelf a little, and discover, in order to reform, whatever I may have in me, that makes me lefs agreeable, and *therefore less useful in fociety. WEDNESDAY. (27) WEDNESDAY. AND GOD SAW EVERY THING THAT HE HAD MADE, AND BEHOLD IT WAS VERY GOOD. SUCH was the face of things at the creation. Every view that could be taken, was a view of order and beauty, of happiness and pleasure. Too foon, by the frailty and by the guilt of man, this happy ftate was changed; and, through fin, Death and Mifery, entered into the world. Every part of our world was affected by the general diforder. The earth pro duced thorns and thiftles. The feafons became unfavourable. The beafts grew wild and favage: and hence fprung a neceffity of labour and felfdefence. B 2 defence. Toil and weariness must be : its natural confequence to bodies now become mortal and corruptible. Pain and fickness, the infirmities of old age, the fear of death and sufferings both for ourselves and our friends, with all that variety of evils that burthen human life all are the fad effects of fin. The diforder of our minds, the vehemence of our paffions, the dimnefs of our underftandings, thofe tendencies to evil, which even the best people, at fome times, must feel ftrongly working in their bofoms, are the bitter fruits of the original corruption of human nature in the first of men, our common parent. Hence furely we fhould draw the strongest motives of humility, and throw ourselves down in the deepest abasement of foul, before that God of |