absurd, us it is, then the upstart is the noble man; the man who got it by his virtue, and those only are entitled to his honor who are imitators of his virtue, the rest may bear his name from his blood, but that is all.

But personal pride ends not in nobility of blood. It leads folks to a fond value of their persons, be they noble or ignoble, especially if they have any pretence to shape or beauty.

Art thou shapely, comely, beautiful, the exact draught of an human creature? Admire that Power that made thee so. Live an harmonious life to the curious make and frame of thy creation; and let the beauty of thy body teach thee to beautify thy mind with holiness, the ornament of the beloved of God. Art thou homely or deformed? With the grace that is given unto thee, for it has appeared unto all, learn to adorn thy soul with enduring beauty. Remember the King of heaven's daughter, the church of which true Christians are members, is all glorious within; and if thy soul excel, thy body will only set off the lustre of thy mind.

What folly, as well as irreligion, is there in pride? It cannot add one cubit to any man's stature. What crosses can it hinder? What disappointments help or what harm frustrate? It delivers not from the common stroke. Sickness disfigures, pain mis-shapes, and death ends the proud man's fabric. Six feet of cold earth bounds his big thoughts, and his person, which was too good for any place, must at last lodge within the strait limits of so little and so dark a cave; and he who thought nothing well enough for him is quickly the entertainment of the lowest of all animals, even worms themselves. The proud man's antiquity cannot

secure him from death, nor his, heraldry from judgment. Titles of honor vanish at this extremity, and no power or wealth, no distance or respect can rescue or insure them. As the tree falls it lies, and as death leaves men judgment finds them.

TRULY IT IS a reproach to a man, especially the religious man, that he knows not when he hath enough, or when to leave off and be satisfied. That notwithstanding God sends him one plentiful season of gain after another, he is so far from making that the cause of withdrawing from the traffic of the world that he makes it a reason of launching farther into it, as if the more he hath the more he may have. This is as if cumber, not retirement, and gain, not content, were the duty and comfort of a Christian. It is plain that most people strive not for substance, but wealth. Some there be who love it strongly and spend it liberally when they have got it. Though this be sinful, yet more commendable than to love money for money's sake. This is one of the basest passions the mind of man can be captivated with.

Thousands think themselves unconcerned in the caution who yet are perfectly guilty of the evil. How can it be otherwise when those that have, from a low condition, acquired thousands labor yet to advance, yea, double and treble those thousands. Is this to live comfortably or to be rich? It hurts society, for old traders keep the young ones poor. And the great reason why some have too little, and so are forced to drudge like slaves to feed their families and keep their chin above water, is because the rich hold fast, and press to be richer, and covet more, which dries up the little streams of profit from smaller folks

'There should be a standard both as to the value and time of traffic, and then the trade of the master to be shared among his servants who deserve it. This were both to help the young to get their livelihood and to give the old time to think of leaving this world well, in which they have been so busy, that they might obtain a share in the other, of which they have been so careless.

Man was made a noble, rational, grave creature. His pleasure stood in his duty, and his duty in obeying God, which was to love, fear, adore, and serve Him, and in using the creation with true temperance and godly moderation, as knowing well that the Lord his judge was at hand, the inspector and rewarder of his works. In short, his happiness was in his communion with God; his error was to leave that conversation and let his eyes wander abroad to gaze on transitory things. The best recreation is to do good; and all Christian customs tend to temperance and some good and beneficial end, which more or less may be in every action.

Redeem then the time, for the days are evil and yours but very few. Therefore gird up the loins of your minds, be sober, fear, watch, pray, and endure to the end, calling to mind, for your encouragement and consolation, that all such as through patience and well-doing wait for immortality shall reap glory, honor, and eternal life in the kingdom of the Father, whose is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

The discourse is illustrated with many interesting recitals of the example and sayings of self-denying men and women of all ages of the world.

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IV.

T the time when William Penn was discharged from his confinement in the Tower, his father's asperity towards him was considerably softened. The mortification which he felt on discovering that his son was firmly united to the Society of Friends, then almost universally vilified and despised, must have rendered him averse to an open reconciliation. Yet the severity with which he saw him treated, the malicious efforts which were used to destroy his reputation, and the tedious imprisonment to which he had been subjected, could hardly fail to excite his sympathy; while the patience with which he sustained his complicated trials, the firmness with which he maintained his principles, and the innocent boldness with which he vindicated his character, excited his respect, and tended to satisfy his father both of the sincerity of his intentions and the soundness of his religious principles. He allowed him to reside at his own house, though he did not see him, and caused it to be signified to him, through his mother, that he might return to Ireland to execute a commission for him. He accordingly left London, and arrived at Cork in the Eighth month of 1669.

In the fragment of autobiography before alluded to, he says: "Within six weeks after my enlargement (from the Tower) I was sent by my father to settle his estate in Ireland, when I found those of that kingdom under too

general persecution, and those of the city of Cork almost all in prison; and the jail by that means became a meetinghouse and a workhouse, for they would not be idle anywhere. I was sorry to see so much sharpness from English to English, as well as Protestants to Protestants, when their interests were civilly and nationally the same, and their profession of religion fundamentally so too. Having informed myself of their case, and the grounds of this severity, as near as they could inform me, (which, without doubt, was at least as much from envy about trade as zeal for religion,) I adjourned all private affairs to my return from Dublin, whither, in a few days, I went post, and after conferring with my friends at that city, and digesting the whole into a general state of our case, I went with two or three of them to the castle." Here his narrative ends; but it is known that he went to Dublin, and attended the National Meeting of Friends, which was held at his lodgings. At that meeting an account of the sufferings of Friends was prepared, which, a few days afterwards, he presented to the lord-lieutenant.

During his continuance in Ireland, he usually resided either at Dublin or Cork. His sympathy with those who were suffering on account of their religion led him often to visit those who were in prison, and to hold meetings among them. He also wrote several tracts to promote the cause of religion, one of which was "A Letter to the Young Convinced." Some idea of the spirit of this production may be formed from the following extracts:

"In the tender love of Jesus Christ, I earnestly entreat you, let us no more look back upon our ancient pastimes

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