tence and goodnefs; for contradictions are no objects of power. God indeed might have refrained from acting, and continued alone felf-fufficient and perfect to all eternity; but infinite goodness would by no means allow of this, and therefore fince it obliged him to produce external things, which things could not poffibly be perfect, it preferred these imperfect things to none at all; whence it follows, that imperfection arofe from the Infinity of Divine Goodness. - ARCHBISHOP KING.

Poft-Auguftan Writers.

N the writers who flourished after the Auguftan age, the decay of tafte is remarkable, although we

should be deficient in juftice not to acknowledge, that they poffefs a confiderable share of beautiful imagery, lively description and juft obfervation, both in poetry and profe. SENECA degraded the dignity of his moral treatises, by fentences too pointed, and ornaments of rhetoric too numerous and

ftudied; and PLINY gave too laboured and epigrammatic a turn to his Epiftles. LuCAN indulged the extravagance and wildness of his genius in puerile flights of fancy; and TACITUS fettered the powers of his judgment and obfcured the brightness of his imagination by elaborate brevity and by dark and diftant allufions.* Such affectation was in vain substituted for the charms of nature and fimplicity. So fruitlefs is the attempt to fupply, by gaudy ornaments of dress and artificial beauty of complexion, the want of genuine charms and the native bloom of youth.-KETT.

* The character given by King to Timanthes may be justly applied to Tacitus. "In omnibus ejus operibus intelligitur plus femper quam pingitur ; et cum ars fumma fit, ingenium tamen ultra artem eft."-LIB. XXXV. C. 10.

Pofthumous Fame.

N our prefent miferable and divided condition, how juft foever a man's pretenfions may be to a great or blameless reputation, he muft, with

regard to his pofthumous character, content himself with fuch a confideration, as induced the famous Sir Francis Bacon, after having bequeathed his foul to God and his body to the earth, to leave his fame to foreign nations.-ADDISON.

2. It is a glorious privilege to have one's memory gloriously handed down to after ages, and to ftand upon record to the latest periods of time.-JEREMY COLLIER.

3. THOSE who defpife Fame, feldom deferve it. We are apt to undervalue the purchase we cannot reach, to conceal our poverty the better. It is a fpark which kindles upon the best fuel, and burns brightest in the braveft breaft.-Ibid.

Prayer.

HREE-FOLD are the prayers of man to GOD, and their efficacy is alfo afcending in its degrees. The quiet prayer of the heart is acceptable to the All-merciful; HE hears and graciously receives it from the moving lip. The loud cry of diftrefs in the hour of need pierces the fky, and heaps burning coals on the head of the oppreffor. But, more mighty than these is the mute tear of the fufferer, who steadfastly cleaves to his God, even though he dies. It forces the gates of Heaven, burfts locks and bolts, appears before the throne of mercy, and calls down the look of HIM, who indeed feeth.-TALMUD.

2. THE folemn worship of God is neglected in many congregations; and instead thereof, an indigefted form and conception of extemporal prayer is fubftituted. — DR. WHITE.

3. PRAYER is public or private; in the communion or fociety of faints, or in our clofets. These prayers have less temptation

to vanity, the other have more advantages of charity, example, fervour and energy. In public offices we avoid fingularity, in the private we avoid hypocrify; those are of more edification, thefe of greater retiredness and filence of spirit: those serve the need of all the world in the firft intention and our own by confequence. These ferve our own need firft and the public only by a fecondary intention: these have more pleasure, they more duty. These are the best instruments of repentance, where our confeffions may be more particular and our fhame lefs fcandalous; the other the better for eucharist and inftruction, for edification of the Church and glorification of GOD. - JEREMY TAY

LOR.

F

Pre-eminence.

you would have your pre-eminence admired in yourself and not for your predeceffor's worth, give fome fpecimen of perfonal merit, that may fignalize your character more than