body can in fome degree encourage virtue and religion, and difcountenance vice and folly. Every body has fome one or other whom they can advife or inftruct, or in fome way help to guide through life. Those who are too poor to give alms, can yet, give their time, their trouble, their affistance, in preparing or forwarding the gifts of others in confidering, and reprefenting diftreft cafes to thofe who can relieve them in visiting and comforting the fick and afflicted.Every body can offer up their prayers for those who need them; which, if they do reverently and fincerely, they will never be wanting in giving them every afliftance that it fhould please God to put in their power. Even those whofe poor and toilfome life can admit of their giving no other help : to fociety, can, by their frugality and industry, at least keep themselves, in ́ a great measure, from being burthenfome to the public, A penny thus faved, is a penny given. Dreadful state of those idle creatures, who, dragging on a wretched, profligate life, in lazinefs and rags, draw to themselves thofe charities that ought to fupport the helpless, and really difabled poor! Severely, I fear, fhall they be accountable for it at the laft day: and every one in proportion, who lives a uselefs and burthenfome drone in fociety. It is our duty to prevent poverty, as well as to relieve it: it is our duty to relieve every other ki of diftrefs, as well as the distress of poverty. People who are always innocently cheerful and good-humoured, are very useful in the world: they maintain maintain peace and happiness, and fpread a thankful temper among all that live around them. Thus far in general but it is well worth confidering in particular, my own duties and obligations. Who are the people that I ought efpecially to study to make happy? Are they parents? What a debt of gratitude do I owe them for all their care of me, and for me in my helpless years! How kindly did they bear with the froward infirmities of my childhood! and fhall not I, with most affectionate tendernefs, fupport and relieve all thofe wants which years and cares bring upon them? My more active strength and vigour, my younger fpirits and clearer thoughts, may now make me, in my turn, very helpful to them. If they are good people and good parents, I am fure this is my duty: if otherwife, I owe them one of ftill higher importance; I owe them the most earneft endeavours I can use for the reformation of their faults, or instruction of their ignorance. This duty extends to all my relations; and to -all from whom I have ever received any benefit, or any offices of friendfhip. It is my misfortune that any of them fhould be bad people, tho' they have been good to me: or if any of thofe who are related to me, are engaged in a wrong courfe of life, ought I to fly from them, and leave them to ruin? no; gratitude and affection forbid it. Ought I then to encourage vice, and flatter folly, if it happens among those that I love? This, my higher duty to Almighty God, to truth and virtue, abfolutely forbid. What then then is to be done? To preferve the tendereft affection for their perfons, and keep up and declare openly the ftrongest abhorrence of their faults.To avoid every degree and every inftance of ease and familiarity, that may seem to give countenance to their vices, and, at the fame time, to employ every art, and every earnest endeavour, that can have the leaft chance of reclaiming them. To pray for, and pity them; to reprove and advise them; to please and oblige them in every thing I innocently can. But if, upon the whole, I find them irreclaimable, and myself in the leaft poffible danger of being infected by their example, then to fly them as I would the plague; then to cut off a right hand, and pluck out a right eye, and break through every foudnefs, and every £ 4 attach |