ing extends his care, and whether he prolongs our exift ence beyond the grave, in order to bestow on virtue its juft reward, and render it fully triumphant. The man of morals, without deciding any thing on fo dubious a fubject, is fatisfied with the portion, marked out to him by the supreme difpofer of all things. Gratefully he accepts of that farther reward prepared for him; but if dif appointed, he thinks not virtue an empty name; but justly esteeming it its own reward, he gratefully acknowledges the bounty of his creator, who, by calling him into existence, has thereby afforded him an opportunity of once acquiring fo invaluable a poffeffion.

T

ESSAY XVI.

The PLATONIST †,

O fome philofophers it appears matter of furprize, that all mankind, poffeffing the fame nature, and being endowed with the fame faculties, should yet differ fo widely in their pursuits and inclinations, and that one fhould utterly condemn what is fondly fought after by another. To fome it appears matter of ftill more furprize, that a man fhould differ fo widely from himself at different times; and, after poffeffion, reject with difdain what, before, was the object of all his vows and withes. To me this feyerifh uncertainty and irrefolution, in human conduct, feems altogether unavoidable; nor can a rational foul, made for the contemplation of the Supreme Being, and of his works, ever enjoy tranquillity or fatisfaction, while detained in the ignoble purfuits of fenfual pleasure or popular applaufe. The divinity is a boundless ocean of blifs and glory: Human minds are smaller ftreams, which, arifing at first from this ocean, feek ftill, amid all their wanderings, to return to it, and to lose themselves in that immensity of perfection. When checked in this natural course, by vice or folly, they become furious and enraged; and,

Or, the man of contemplation, and philofophical devotion.

fwelling

fwelling to a torrent, do then spread horror and devasta, tion on the neighbouring plains.

In vain, by pompous phrafe and paffionate expreffion, each recommends his own pursuit, and invites the cre dulous hearers to an imitation of his life and manners. The heart belies the countenance, and fenfibly feels, even amid the highest fuccefs, the unfatisfactory nature of all thofe pleasures, which detain it from its true ob. ject. I examine the voluptuous man before enjoyment; I measure the vehemence of his defire, and the importance of his object; I find that all his happiness proceeds only from that hurry of thought, which takes him from himself, and turns his view from his guilt and mifery. I confider him a moment after; he has now enjoyed the pleasure, which he fondly fought after. The fenfe of his guilt and mifery returns upon him. with double anguifh: His mind tormented with fear and remorfe; his body depreffed with difguft and fatiety.

But a more auguft, at leaft a more haughty personage, prefents himself boldly to our cenfure; and affuming the title of a philofopher and man of morals, offers to submit to the most rigid examination. He challenges, with a vifible, though concealed impatience, our approbation and applaufe; and feems offended, that we should hefitate a moment before we break out into admiration of his virtue. Seeing this impatience, I hefitate ftill more: I begin to examine the motives of his feeming virtue: But behold! ere I can enter upon this enquiry, he flings himself from me; and addreffing his difcourfe to that crowd of heedlefs auditors, fondly abuses them by his magnificent pretenfions.

O philo

O philofopher! thy wisdom is vain, and thy virtue unprofitable. Thou feekeft the ignorant applauses of men, not the folid reflections of thy own confcience, or the more folid approbation of that being, who, with one regard of his all-feeing eye, penetrates the universe. Thou furely art confcious of the hollowness of thy pretended probity, whilft calling thyself a citizen, a fon, a friend, thou forgetteft thy higher fovereign, thy true father, thy greatest benefactor. Where is the adoration due to infinite perfection, whence every thing good and valuable is derived? Where is the gratitude, owing to thy creator, who called thee forth from nothing, who placed thee in all these relations to thy fellow-creatures, and requiring thee to fulfil the duty of each relation, forbids thee to neglect what thou oweft to himfelf, the most perfect being, to whom thou art connected by the closeft tye?

But thou art thyfelf thy own idol: Thou worshippeft thy imaginary perfections: Or rather, fenfible of thy real imperfections, thou feekeft only to deceive the world, and to please thy fancy, by multiplying thy ignorant admirers. Thus, not content with neglecting what is moft excellent in the univerfe, thou defireit to substitute in his place what is most vile and contemptible.

Confider all the works of mens hands; all the inventions of human wit, in which thou affe&teft fo nice a difcernment: Thou wilt find, that the most perfect production ftill proceeds from the most perfect thought, and that it is MIND alone, which we admire, while we bestow our applause on the graces of a well-proportioned ftatue, or the fymmetry of a noble pile. The ftatuary, VOL. I.

M

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