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learning as may fit us for the station to which it shall please thee to call us, and enable us to make great advances in virtue and religion, and shine as lights in the world, by the influence of a good example.

Give us grace to be diligent in our studies, and that whatever we read, we may strongly mark, and inwardly digest.

Bless our parents, guardians, and instructors, and grant 11 that we may make them the best return in our power, for giving us opportunities of improvement, and for all their care and attention to our welfare. They ask no return, but 12 that we should make use of those opportunities, and cooperate with their endeavors: O grant that we may never disappoint their anxious expectations.

Assist us mercifully, O Lord, that we may immediately 13 engage in the studies and duties of the day, and go through them cheerfully, diligently, and successfully.

14 Accept our endeavors, and pardon our defects, through the merits of our blessed Saviour, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Definitions, &c.—Night season—the season of night. What is a season? Define accept, unfeigned, mercies, during, helpless, infancy, continue, beseech. Under the shadow of thy wing-as chickens under the wing of the hen. Tender age-an age at which human beings are tender, frail, easily destroyed. Define influence, grace, (favor?) deceit, lie, abhorrence, loathsomeness, pollutions, sensual, wash, innocency, (what did Pilate do just before he gave Jesus up to the wicked Jews?) knowledge, taste, (relish?) sublime, quicken, apprehension, store, learning, advances, (progress?) example, studies, mark, (observe?) digest, welfare, co-operate, anxious, assist, cheerfully, successfully, defects, merits, Saviour, Amen.

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SECT. CCVI.-RIDICULE.

I CAN as well be hanged, as tell the manner of it'; it was 2 mere foolery. I saw Mark Antony offer him a crown; and, as I told you, he put it by once, but, for all that, to my 3 thinking, he would fain have had it. Then he offered it to him again: then, he put it by again; but, to my thinking, he was very loth to lay his fingers off it. And, then he 4 offered it a third time: he put it the third time by; and still as he refused it, the rabblement shouted, and clapped their chapped hands, and threw by their sweaty night-caps,

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and uttered such a deal of bad breath, because Cæsar refused the crown, that it had almost choked Cæsar; for he swooned, and fell down at it; and for mine own part, I durst not laugh for fear of opening my lips, and receiving the bad air.

Before he fell down, when he perceiving the common herd 5 were glad that he refused the crown, he plucked me open his doublet and offered them his throat to cut if I had been a man of any occupation, if I would not have taken him at a word, I would I might go to perdition among the rogues! -and so he fell. When he came to himself again, he said, 6"If he had done, or said any thing amiss, he desired their worships to think it was his infirmity." Three or four 7 wenches, where I stood, cried, Alas, good soul!-and forgave him with all their hearts.

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Mark Antony and Cæsar were Romans who lived a little before the coming of Christ. Define hanged, mere, foolery, crown. Why do we say crown of the head, the crown of a hat? Define once, for all that, (notwithstanding that?) to my thinking, (I think ?) fain, put it by, both, rabblement, clapped, chapped, night-caps, choked, swooned, durst, common, herd, (by the use of this word what are the people represented as being? and why?) plucked open, doublet, word, rogues, came to himself, amiss, desired, worships, (i. e. people to be worshipped, i. e. honored, respected,) infirmity, wenches, (See Sect. 153,) good soul, (good man?) Let this piece be read in a lively, sarcastic, sneering style.

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SECT. CCVII.-DISTRACTION.

MERCY! 2 I know it not'; for I am miserable. 3 I'll give thee misery, for here she dwells:

This is her house; where the sun never dawns; The bird of night sits screaming o'er the roof; Grim spectres sweep along the horrid gloom; And naught is heard, but wailings and lamenting.4 Hark! something cracks above! it shakes! it totters! And see! the nodding ruin falls to crush me!— 5 'Tis fallen! 'tis here! I feel it on my brain! A waving flood of bluish fire swells o'er me!And now 'tis out, and I am drowned in blood! 6 Ha! what art thou: thou horrid headless trunk! 7 It is my Hastings! 8 See! he wafts me on! Away I go! I fly!· -I follow thee!

EXAMPLE SET BY OUR SAVIOUR.

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DEFINITIONS, &c.-Sentence 1st, to express the meaning of the author, should be treated as an exclamatory question and delivered with the rising or waving slide; (see Part I., Exercises;) and rather with the last than the first. Define miserable, dawns, bird of night, (owl?) screaming, grim, spectres, horrid, gloom, naught, wailings, lamentings, cracks, above, shakes, totters, nodding ruin, (ruined building?) crush, waving, flood, bluish, fire, drowned, in, (would it have been proper to say drowned into blood? What then is the difference between these two little words in and into?) wafts, (waves or beckons with the hand?)

This piece should be read with a great deal of emotion. It ought to occupy a class at several recitations.

SECT. CCVIII.-OF THE EXAMPLE SET BY OUR SAVIOUR, AND HIS CHARACTER.

WHAT an example is set before us in our blessed Master! 1 how is his wnole life, from earliest youth, dedicated to the pursuits of true wisdom, and to the practice of the most exalted virtue! When you see him, at twelve years of age, 2 in the temple amongst the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions on the subject of religion, and astonishing them all with his understanding and answers, you will say, perhaps, "Well might the Son of God, even at those years, be far wiser than the aged'; but can a mortal child emulate such heavenly wisdom? can such a pattern be proposed to my imitation?" Yes, certainly remember that he has be3 queathed to you this heavenly wisdom as far as concerns your own good: he has left you such declarations of his will, and of the consequences of your actions, as you are, even now, fully able to understand, if you will but attend to them. If then you will imitate his zeal for knowledge, if 4 you will delight in gaining information and improvement, you may even now become "wise to salvation."

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Unmoved by the praise he acquired amongst these learned men, you see him meekly return to the subjection of a child, 5 under those who appeared to be his parents, though he was in reality their Lord: you see him return to live with them, to work for them, and to be the joy and solace of their lives, till the time came, when he was to enter on that scene of public action, for which his heavenly Father had sent him from his own right hand, to take upon him the form of a poor carpenter's son.

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PITY. SAINTS HONORABLE.

6 What a lesson of humility is this, and of obedience to parents!

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define example, dedicated, pursuits, wisdom, true, (is this werd opposed here to not true, i. e. false, or to not genuine, i. e. spurious?) practice, virtue, temple, amongst, doctors, (does this word mean physicians here? what then?) questions, understanding, answers, at those years, (at that age?) aged, mortal, (i. e. human, not divine,) emulate, heavenly, pattern, proposed, imitation, remember, bequeathed, good, (happiness?) declarations, will, consequences, but, zeal, gaining, praise, meekly, in reality, joy, solace, scene, public

SECT. CCIX.-PITY.

1 HADST thou but seen, as I did, how, at last,
Thy beauties, Belvidera, like a wretch

That's doomed to banishment, came weeping forth,
Whilst two young virgins, on whose arms she leaned,
Kindly looked up, and at her grief grew sad'!—
2 E'en the lewd rabble, that were gathered round

To see the sight, stood mute when they beheld her:
Governed their roaring throats, and grumbled pity!

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define seen, how, at last, beauties, wretch, doomed, banishment, weeping, forth, virgins, leaned, kindly, grief, sad, lewd, rabble, gathered, round, sight, (does this mean the sense of sight? or the object to be seen: the spectacle?) mute, beheld, governed, (ruled, i: e. restrained, closed,) roaring, throats, grumbled, pity. This piece should be read in a tender, melting manner

SECT. CCX.-SAINTS HONORABLE.

"AMONG the failings with which the saints are charge1 able, surely this is one: too mean apprehensions of their own greatness; though in their greatness the love of God is exalted. The poor man who has many troubles every day to combat with, and is subjected perhaps to daily indigence, 2 would think it presumption in him to believe that there .were orders given in the court of heaven concerning him by name, that necessary supply should be sure to him; and that no less than angels, who attend the throne, were com missioned to secure his safety! But since God's eternal Son condescended to come to minister to the sons of men, 8' and give his life a ransom for many,' it well becomes the

SAINTS HONORABLE.

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brightest of the angelic hosts to minister unto the heirs of salvation.

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Truly, O saint! a serious consideration of thine high 4 estate (for since thou wast precious in his sight, thou hast been honorable') ought not to puff up thy mind with pride, but to fill thine heart with holy admiration and wonder, and to swell thy soul with ecstasy and love! The men of 5 the world may scorn thy mean cottage, but had they one glance of the angelic guards that do duty there, they would conclude it to be the palace of a king, or the gate of 6 heaven. Elisha's servant was of the same mind with the world: he thought his master was a helpless, though a 7 holy man: 'Alas my master, how shall we do? We are undone, for we have no power to withstand the Syrian 8 army.' But, anon, he sees the mountain shining around them with celestial guards, and covered with the flaming chariots of the King of glory. Now, O saint! Elisha's 9 God is thy God; and the standing forces of eternity are still the same being truly the immortal legion: yes, their employment is also the same, till all the saints are brought to glory.

"When on a journey thou puttest up at an inn, thou mayst be obliged to take the worst room, while others, who 10 have a grand retinue, and numerous attendants, have the best lodgings; but what thinkest thou of this, that not only angels should be thy guards, but the Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods! should himself be thy watchman? 11 How secure, then, seeing thine omnipotent Guardian neither

slumbers nor sleeps! If, under thy earthly sovereign, thou 12 art called to the martial plain, thou mayst pitch thy tent in the open field, while the general of the army fixeth his splendid pavilion in the centre; yet only men encamp around him'; but wherever thou pitchest, the angel of 13 the Lord encampeth round about thee.' What, then, should thy conduct be, O thou that art highly favored of the 14 Lord! Thou shouldst study holiness in the highest degree, in gratitude to him who deals so with thee; and humility, that thou mayst never forget thyself, and so cease to wonder at the heavenly condescension! Is it thy part, O 15 saint! when so honored, so defended by the King, to hold

disloyal conferences with his implacable enemies, self, sin,

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