This is a

Man, however, furnished with scanty powers of perception, is cooped up on every side, and vainly "We strives to disclose the secrets of futurity. know not what to-morrow brings forth." measure ordained in infinite wisdom. The anticipation of our joys, or of our griefs, is often a burden Pretensions, indeed, are too heavy to be borne. made to a knowledge of our future destiny-but the imposition has been detected and exposed. Our wisest way is to throw the reins over a vain curiosity, Let us never attempt, on any occasion, to lift up the awful veil which divides the present moment from futurity! Such a procedure shews only our own impiety and folly. Conterted with that portion of information which is commensurate with our faculties and congenial with our present situation, let us devote our knowledge to the purposes of faith and practice. A larger degree of intelligence cannot, perhaps, in this life, be the legitimate object of attainment. Henceforwards, then, let us dismiss our anxious thoughts, banish our corroding cares, and shudder at the indulgence of impious anticipations. In fine, let us calmly and cheerfully resign ourselves to the disposal of that Great Being who cannot err, and who will with consummate ability conduct the affairs of his wise and righteous government to the happiest termination :—

IMMORTAL KING! from all mutation free!
Whose endless being ne'er began to be ;
Who ne'er was nothing-who was ever all,
Whose kingdom did not rise, and cannot fall;
On a mysterious throne, high rais'd above,
E'en the fair chains which heavenly orders prove!
While their bright excellence progressive grew,
He perfect was-ne'er imperfection knew!
Ere worlds began, with boundless goodness blest,
Ne'er needing to be better-always best!
The pensive muse who thus a mournful sigh,
Hath paid to stars that fall, and flowers that die ;

While the short glories brief as fair she mourns,
TO HIM, the GREAT ENDURER, joyful turns.
Glad she adores, deprest by gloomy wanes,
That undecreasing LIGHT, who all ordains;
On HIM she leans, relieved from withering things,
And his immortal counsel raptur'd sings:
That scheme of good, which all that dies survives,
Whate'er decays, forever fair that thrives:

Whose progress, adverse fates and prosperous chance,
Virtue and vice, and good and ill advance,

Which draws new splendour from all mortal gloom,
Which all that fades, but feeds with riper bloom;
Each human fall but props-each fall succeeds,
And all that fancy deems obstruction-speeds:
In nature's beauteous frame as cold and heat,
And moist and dry, and light and darkness meet-
Harmonious in the moral system-join

Pleasure and pain, and glory and decline !-Fawcett.

The great utility and importance of Epistolary Writing, is so well known, and so universally acknowledged, that it is needless to insist on the neces~ şity of being acquainted with an art replete with so many advantages. Those who are accomplished in this art are too happy in their knowledge to need further information concerning its excellence; and those who are unqualified to convey their sentiments to a friend, without the assistance of a third person, feel their deficiency so severely, that nothing need be said to convince them, that it is both their interest and their happiness to be instructed in what is so necessary and agreeable.

Had letters been known at the beginning of the world, Epistolary Writing would have been as old as

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love and friendship; for, as soon as they began to flourish, the verbal messenger was dropped, and the language of the heart was committed to characters that faithfully preserved it, and hereby secrecy was maintained, and social intercourse rendered more free and extensive.

The Romans were perfect masters of this art, and placed it in the number of liberal and polite accomplishments; and we find Cicero mentioning with great pleasure, in some of his letters to Atticus, the elegant specimen he had received from his son in this way. It seems indeed to have formed a part in their education; and in the opinion of Mr. Locke, it well deserves to have a share in ours.

The writing of letters enters so much into all the occurrences of life, that no lady or gentleman can avoid shewing themselves in compositions of this kind. Occasions will daily force them to make this use of their pen, by which their sense, their abilities, and their education are exposed to a severer examination than by any oral discourse.

Epistolary Writing, in the common and just acceptation of the word, is confined to those compositions which serve to transact the common business of life, or to promote its most pleasing intercourses. In this point of view, letter writing is the most necessary, at the same time it is happily the most easy of all literary accomplishments.

It was a just observation of the honest Quaker, that, If a man think twice before he speak, he'll speak, twice the better for it. With great propriety the above may be applied to epistolary as well as to all sorts of writing.

In letters from one relation to another, the different characters of the persons must be first considered : Thus a father in writing to a son, will use a gentle authority; a son to a father will express a filial duty. And again, in friendship the heart will dilate itselt with an honest freedom: it will applaud with sincerity, and censure with modest reluctance..

In letters concerning trade, the subject matter will be constantly kept in view, and the greatest perspicuity and brevity observed by the different correspondents; and in like manner, these rules may be applied to all other subjects, and conditions of life, namely a comprehensive idea of the subject, and an unaffected simplicity, and modesty, in expression. Nothing more need be added, only, that a constant attention to the above for a few months, will soon convince the learner, that his time has not been spent in vain.

Indeed, an assiduous attention to the study of any art even the most difficult, will enable the learner to surmount every difficulty; and writing letters to his correspondents becomes equally easy as speaking in company; and, if he carefully avoids affectation, will enable him to write in the language of the present times; his thoughts will be clear, his sentiments judicious, and his language plain, easy, sensible, elegant, and suited to the nature of the subject. As letters are the copies of conversation, just consider what you would say to your friend if he were present, and write down the very words that you would speak, which will render your epistle unaffected and intelligible.

When you sit down to write, call off your thoughts from every thing but the subject you intend to handle; consider it with attention, place it in every point of view, and examine it on every side before you begin. By this means you will lay a plan of it in your mind, which will rise like a well contrived building, beautiful, uniform, and regular; whereas, if you neglect to form some method of going through the whole, and leave it to be conducted by giddy accident, your thoughts upon any subject can never appear otherwise than as a mere heap of confusion. Consider, you are now to form a style, or, in other words, to learn the way of expressing what you think; and your doing it well or ill for your whole life, will de pend in a great measure, upon the manner you fall into at the beginning. It is of great consequence,

therefore, to be attentive and diligent at first; and an expressive, and easy manner of writing, it is so useful, so engaging a quality, that whatever pains it cost, it will amply repay.

As to the subjects, you are allowed in this way the utmost liberty. Whatever has been done, or thought, or seen, or heard; your observations on what you know, your inquiries about what you do not know, the time, the place, the weather, every thing around stands ready for your purpose; and the more variety you intermix, the better. Set discourses require a dignity or formality of style suitable to the subject; whereas letter-writing rejects all pomp of words, and is most agreeable when most familiar. But, though lofty phrases are here improper, the stile must not therefore sink into meanness and to prevent its doing so, an easy complaisance, an open sincerity, and unaffected good nature, should appear in every place. A letter should wear an honest, cheerful countenance, like one who truly esteems, and is glad to see his friend; and not look like a fe admiring his own dress, and seeming pleased with nothing but himself.

Express your meaning as briefly as possible: long periods may please the ear, but they perplex the understanding. Let your letters abound with thoughts more than words. A short stile, and plain, strikes the mind, and fixes an impression; a tedious one is seldom clearly understood, and never long remembered. But there is still something requisite beyond all this, towards the writing a polite and agreeable letter, such as a gentleman ought to be distinguished by; and that is, an air of good-breeding and humanity, which ought constantly to appear in every expression, and gives beauty to the whole. By this, I would not be supposed to mean, overstrained or affected compliments, or any thing that way tending ; but an easy, and obliging manner of address, a choice of words which bear the most civil meaning, and a gen-' erous and good-natured complaisance.