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the mob of faction in every country-And your idle politicians, your lounging patriots, and men who have embarraffed their circumftances by their own folly and neglect, are always hoftile to good government, as if the laws were their enemies, and are ready for any disorder in the republic whenever they can find a wicked and a daring leader.

Honeft industry exempts men from the temptations that lead to moft, or to all of the crimes which have just been mentioned. Intereft, in that cafe, concurs with inclination to render them fober, peaceful, and orderly citizens-The fermentation of finful pasfions is checked by the active labours, either of the body, or of the mind-Secure, in the exercife of their own talents, of a competence always refpectable in the eftcem of the wife, and poffeffing fufficient to fatisfy the moderate defires that are connected with industry and labour, they feel little inducement, to turn afide to the criminal, precarious, and dangerous refources of knavery for mending their fortune. Along with induftry we will generally find fober manners, tranquil paffions, modeft defires, up

right defigns, benevolent difpofitions, a mind fuperior to fraud, able to rely upon itself, folicitous for the intereft of fociety, and inflexibly attached to duty.

V. I proceed, in the last place, to shew that useful employment is indispensable to the best enjoyment of life.

Idleness, though often fought for that purpose, is an enemy to true pleasure. Enjoyment requires vigor, activity, and a certain fpring upon the powers of nature that cannot exist in the langour and laflitude of inaction. The moderate and conftant exercise of our faculties is no lefs necessary in order to taste the fatisfactions they are capable of yielding, than it is to bring those faculties to the perfection of which they are fufceptible. God hath graciously and infeparably connected the happiness of all fenfible and rational beings with the progrefs and improvement of their nature.-Induftry is abfolutely requifite to true enjoyment.

After labour, how fweet to an induftrious man is that reft that is neceflary to refresh him for his work? What a relih does

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ufeful employment give to thofe innocent amusements with which it is fometimes lawful to unbend nature after the fatigues of duty? What an exquifite pleasure do found organs, undepraved appetites, fimple taftes, temperate purfuits, ferene fpirits, and all the ufeful progeny of labour add to every enjoyment of fenfe? Do the children of idlenefs and effeminacy know any fatisfactions comparable to these?—Their reft is laffitude-their amufement diffipation-their appetites are cloyed, and their taftes blunted by pleafures that continually offer themselves before they are demanded by nature. Luxury wears out, and depraves the appetites it was invented to gratify-and indolence rendering them debilitated and impaired, they can enjoy nothing but in confequence of a thousand artificial provocatives that rouse them to a momentary but difeafed action.

Are not these reflections verified by experience? Where do we find those who are most ferene-who perceive the most equal and cheerful flow of fpirits-and who appear, upon the whole, to have the beit enjoyment of life? Is it not among the

industrious and diligent who are always engaged in fome proper and beneficial occupation? Where do we find the greatest littleffnefs, and the most frequent chagrin, and complaints of the heavinefs and tedioufnefs of time? Is it not among the indolent? Hardly are they capable of being roufed into any enjoyinent of themfelves but by company, gaming, routs, affemblies. They are ready to die with a diftreffing langor till the feafon of their diversions returns-And day after day they repeat the fame frivolous and infipid round without tafte, without fentiment, without any ufeful engagement, and with infinitely lefs fatisfaction and true relifh of life than the humble labourer who earns his daily bread by the fweat of his brow.

If we turn our reflections to the pursuits of literature we fhall find the idle and the ignorant equally far from true happiness. It hath pleafed the Creator to connect the moft pure and exquifite fatisfactions with the love of fcience, and the attainment of truth. By penetrating and unfolding the fyftem of nature we fecm to enlarge our own being, and to approach towards the

fupreme felicity of its Author. A man who cultivates liberal knowledge, like him who cultivates piety and virtue, can seldom be dependent on any thing without himself for his happiness. He carries continually with him the moft precious fources of it in his own breaft. In profperity, next to the hopes of religion, it is his richest treasure— by it he is enabled to alleviate affliction— it is the ornament of fociety, and in folitude always a delightful companion-it adorns and ennobles youth-it is the confolation of age-and confers on venerable years respectability and lustre.

On the other hand, ignorance is as void of fatisfaction as it is difgraceful in those who have had the opportunity and the means of improvement. Idleness in youth unavoidably lays the foundation of dishonorable manhood, and of defpicable age. Nothing can be more contemptible, and often nothing more pitiable, than a vacant old age after an idle and mis-fpent youth. Without induftricus habits, and without fentiment, tafle, or knowledge, it is a miferable void. It has no refource within itself to fupport the folitude, the want of cufto

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