In the year five hundred and thirty-two, so formidable a sedition was excited at Constantinople, that Hypatius was proclaimed emperor; and so powerfully was he supported by Probus and Pompeius, nephews of Anastasius, that Justinian was on the point of fleeing the city. From this measure, however, he was dissuaded by Belisarius, who soon suppressed the rebellion And so disinterested and faithful a subject was he, that, having captured Vitiges, king of the Goths, and his whole family, in the city of Ravenna, this general chose rather to convey them to Constantinople, than to accept the Gothic crown, which he was even pressed to receive.

BUT see the effects of envy! See the consequences of credulity and injustice in a monarch!

BELISARIUS, without proof, was accused of a conspiracy against his prince. And behold! in consequence of the accusation, the venerable patriot-soldier divested of authority, reduced to poverty, and, after having had his eyes plucked out, abandoned, compelled to beg his bread in the streets of Constantinople !

BUT our Washington nobly disclaimed the reward of gold for his services; nor did he covet the praise of men! His countrymen, however, with the most heart-felt pleasure, honored him with their approbation; with their gratitude and applause! He enjoyed also the applause of Europe and even of the whole world!

BUT, to the disgrace of human nature, towards the close of his administration, there were a few unworthy men, who had the audacity and impiety to open their lips of calumny against him! Men who, from the baseness of their hearts and wickedness of their views, were unworthy even to utter the name of Washington!-But men (among whom stood conspicuous the noted sot and infidel, Thomas Paine) who were as unable to detract, by their language of scurrility, folly and falshood, from the merits of a Washington, as would have been futile their attempt to poison the Atlantic, by infusing into it the venom of a reptile; or their effort to have extinguished the sun, by ejecting their filthy saliva towards it!

If we view general Washington in private life, we shall still perceive that he acted worthy of himself.

As an husband, besides his fidelity, he was attentive and affectionate. As a friend, he was faithful and sincere. As a neighbor, he was just, generous and obliging. As a citizen, he was highly deserving praise; for he not only honored the laws of his country, but, in every respect, promoted its interest to the utmost of his power; especially by countenancing and promoting seminaries of learning and works of public utility.

To the poor, he was liberal; to the stranger, hospitable. As a master, he was lenient and kind, and, to all, his deportment was affable, though grave; benevolent, without pride; and pleasing, without affectation. His manners were plain, but dignified; in his conversation he was easy, instructive, but not loquacious; and he made no display of any superior knowledge, virtue or talent that he possessed.

He encouraged modesty and virtue; but frowned upon impudence and vice. As he venerated truth, he discountenanced falshood; and, being generous himself, he abhorred meanness of spirit. He was revered and beloved by all who had the honor of his acquaintance. His person was tall and majestic; his eye intelligent and penetrating; his countenance placid, serious and thoughtful; and his dress devoid of superfluous ornament, but always neat and becoming the character in which he appeared.

BUT there is yet another point of view, in which we are to behold general Washington, and in which he shines also with great lustre ;—we must see him in his christian character.

EDUCATED in the principles of the christian religion, he continued to embrace it from a conviction of its truth.* The impious and infidel philosophy of the present day, excited only his pity, his virtuous contempt and indignation! His faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was unshaken; and he was careful to

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* He was a member of the Protestant Episcopal church.

venerate the precepts and public institutions of that holy and divine religion he professed. He adorned it by a life of indust ry, sobriety, temperance and chastity; humility, justice, charity, piety, faith and trust in God.

AND is it not most reasonable to conclude, that to his christian virtue it was principally owing, that in prosperity he was not haughty? That in adversity he did not despair? That in the hour of temptation he was inflexible? And that, amidst all the changes and vississitudes; the storms and tempests of life,-he remained calm, serene, unappalled, undismayed; putting his trust in that God who " is a present help in time of trouble ;" and who "saveth the upright in heart?"

In this character, we behold him rising superior to every sinful indulgence; to every calamity or affliction that awaited him ; to all the praises and acclamations of men; to all the pomp and shew and grandeur of the world.

How peaceful and serene was his breast! How happy his life! And what blessedness attended him at his death! Though its approach was sudden, it seems to him not to have come unexpected! He received its summons without fear or dread! With calmness; with dignity; with perfect resignation to the will of heaven, and with rational hopes of a blessed immortality, he resigned his breath to him who gave it!

HAPPY spirit! Delivered from the clog of mortality, with what holy triumph was it conveyed by angels to the world above; ushered into the courts of God, and invested with that palm of victory and crown of glory, which fade not away!

How, my brethren, should our hearts glow with gratitude to God, for blessing us with so inestimable a character? What greater bonor can we now do bim-or what greater benefit can we bestow on our country, than by our endeavors to imitate his example? And though we cannot hope, by our best conduct, tą be as useful to mankind, nor to enjoy his earthly fame; yet, all of us, through divine goodness, may equal him in christian vir

tues, enjoyments and rewards! Let us, then, devote our hearts to God; put our trust in him, and revere his holy laws!

WILL God Almighty of his infinite mercy grant that such may be our happiness;-for the sake of the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord; to whom, with the Father and Holy Ghost, three persons, but one God, be ascribed everlasting praise

Extract from a discourse, delivered at Woodbury, in New-Jersey, on the death of general GEORGE WASHINGTON. By JOHN CROES, A. M. rector of Trinity-church, at Swedesborough.

THA

HAT great and good man, that first of citizens, and first of heroes, "O! how my heart trembles to relate it!" is gone, irrevocably gone, to the mansions of the dead! His fine majestic form, so expressive of native dignity; his mild but animated countenance, so true an index of the excellencies of his mind; that corporeal mansion, in which he ran his glorious earthly race, has ceased to be the habitation of his immortal part, and, like all terrestrial things, is now rapidly decaying, and mouldering to its native dust. Alas! no more shall we see that interesting figure, that placid but manly face; to behold which was the luxury of curiosity, and the pride and dedelight of the heart. No more shall the music of his voice charm our admiring ears, Ah! no more shall our gallant soldiers follow their Washington to victory and fame. No more shall the influence of his name be the palladium of our republic, and the terror of faction. The loss we have sustained, accordto our finite calculations, is truly immense and irreparable. No mortal's death, since the existence of man, has been more sincerely and universally deplored. But while we grieve for the excessive calamity we have experienced, let us remember, that death is inseparable from our nature; that nothing within the limits of human excellence and attainments, can rescue any one froin that inevitable fate which awaits us all that if the sum

mit of human glory, if the brightest virtues of man, if the tears and supplications of a nation, if the respect and applauses of a world; in fine, if the whole assemblage of mortal honors and perfections could have revoked that destiny of our nature, Washington, our glory and our delight, would not have died. Under the impression of this self-evident truth, however excessive our loss, we should not repine; but, with entire resignation, consider that the ways of heaven, though inextricable by our limited capacities, are notwithstanding fraught with infinite. wisdom, and consummate goodness. Let us therefore dry up our tears, and while we cordially and cheerfully submit to a dispensation of providence so peculiarly afflictive, let us make our grateful acknowledgements to the source of all good for his distinguishing favor, in sparing, so long, a life so precious, and so useful.

SHALL we stop here, my respected audience, and seek no further for an alleviation of our sorrow? Are there not consolations more ample and joyful yet remaining? Yes, infinite. ly more. Our WASHINGTON is not dead!

"Dignum laude virum musa vetat mori. Celo musa beat.*

He has only exchanged a world of temptation and woe, for a world of bliss and glory eternal. "I am the resurrection and the life;" saith our Lord," he that believeth in me, though "he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth, and "believeth in me, shall never die." Having devoted a life, full of years, to the most honorable and beneficial offices; having been the bulwark of his country in war, and her mentor in peace, and having set the purest and brightest examples of virtue, and piety, before his successors, before his countrymen and the world, his course being finished, he left all that was mortal behind him, and soared like a cherub to the realms of perpetual day; and is now resting, we trust, in the bosom of his saviour and God, and enjoying the sweet rewards of his well-spent life.

* Horace.