parture: he feels only nature's pang in the final feparation; and this is no way greater than he has often fainted under before: for, after a certain degree of pain, every new breach that death opens in the constitution, nature kindly covers with infenfibility.

ment.

Thus, Providence has given the wretched two advantages over the happy in this life, greater felicity in dying, and in heaven all that fuperiority of pleasure which arifes from contrasted enjoyAnd this fuperiority, my friends, is no fmall advantage, and seems to be one of the pleafures of the poor man in the parable; for though he was already in heaven, and felt all the raptures it could give, yet it was mentioned, as an addition to his happiness, that he had once been wretched, and now was comforted; that he had known what it was to be miferable, and now felt what it was to be happy.

Thus, my friends, you fee religion does, what philosophy could never do it shows the equal dealings of Heaven to the happy and the unhappy, and levels all human enjoyments to nearly the fame ftandard; it gives to both rich and poor the fame happiness hereafter, and equal hopes to afpire after it. But if the rich have the advantage of enjoying pleasure here, the poor have the endlefs fatisfaction of knowing what it was once to be miserable, when crowned with endless felicity hereafter; and, even though this fhould be called a fmall advantage, yet, being an eternal one, it muft make up by duration, what the temporal happiness

happiness of the great may have exceeded by intenseness.

These are therefore the confolations which the wretched have peculiar to themselves, and in which they are above the rest of mankind; in other respects, they are below them. They who would know the miseries of the poor, muft fee life, and endure it. To declaim on the temporal advantages they enjoy, is only repeating what none either believe or practise. The men who have the neceffaries of living, are not poor; and they who want them, must be miferable. Yes, my friends, we must be miferable. No vain efforts of a refined imagination can footh the wants of nature, can give elaftick sweetness to the dank vapour of a dungeon, or eafe to the throbbings of a broken heart. Let the philofopher from his couch of foftnefs tell us that we can refift all these. Alas the effort by which we refift them, is ftill the greateft pain! Death is flight, and any man may sustain it; but torments are dreadful, and these no man can endure.

To us, then, my friends, the promises of happinefs in heaven fhould be peculiarly dear; for, if our reward be in this life alone, we are then, indeed, of all men the moft miferable. When I look round these gloomy walls, made to terrify, as well as to confine us; this light, that only serves to show the horrors of the place; those fhackles that tyranny has impofed, or crime made neceffary; when I furvey thefe emaciated looks, and hear thofe groans; O my friends! what a glorious

a glorious exchange would heaven be for thefes To fly through regions unconfined as air, to bask in the funshine of eternal bliss, to carrol over endlefs hymns of praife, to have no master to threaten or infult us, but the form of Goodness himfelf for ever in our eyes; when I think of these things, death becomes the meffenger of very glad tidings; when I think of these things, his sharpest arrow becomes the ftaff of my fupport; when I think of these things, what is there in life worth having? when I think of thefe things, what is there that fhould not be spurned away? Kings in their palaces fhould groan for fuch advantages; but we, humbled as we are, fhould yearn for them.

And shall these things be ours? Ours they will certainly be, if we but try for them; and, what is a comfort, we are fhut out from many temptations that would retard our purfuit. Only let us try for them, and they will certainly be ours, and, what is ftill a comfort, fhortly too: for, if we look back on paft life, it appears but a very fhort fpan, and, whatever we may think of the reft of life, it will yet be found of lefs duration: as we grow older, the days feem to grow fhorter, and our intimacy with time, ever leffens the perception of his ftay. Then let us take comfort now, for we fhall foon be at our journey's end; we fhall foon lay down the heavy burden laid by Heaven upon us and though death, the only friend of the wretched, for a little while mocks the weary traveller with the view, and, like his horizon

horizon, ftill flies before him; yet the time will certainly and fhortly come, when we fhall cease from our toil; when the luxurious great ones of the world fhall no more tread us to the earth; when we fhall think with pleasure on our fufferings below; when we fhall be furrounded with all our friends, or fuch as deferved our friendfhip; when our blifs fhall be unutterable, and ftill, to crown all, unending.

CHA P. XXX.

Happier profpects begin to appear. Let us be inflexible, and fortune will at last change in our fa

vour.

WH

HEN I had thus finished, and my audience was retired, the gaoler, who was one of the most humane of his profeffion, hoped I would not be difpleafed, as what he did was but his duty; obferving, that he must be obliged to remove my son into a stronger cell, but that he should be permitted to revifit me every morning. I thanked him for his clemency, and, grafping my boy's hand, bade him farewell, and be mindful of the great duty that was before him.

I again therefore laid me down, and one of my little ones fat by my bed-fide reading, when Mr. Jenkinfon entering, informed me that there was news of my daughter; for that the was feen

by

by a perfon, about two hours before, in a strange gentleman's company, and that they had stopped at a neighbouring village for refreshment, and seemed as if returning to town. He had scarce delivered this news, when the gaoler came, with looks of hafte and pleasure, to inform me that my daughter was found. Mofes came running in, a moment after, crying out that his fifter Sophy was below, and coming up with our old friend Mr. Burchell.

Juft as he delivered this news, my deareft girl entered, and, with looks almost wild with pleafure, ran to kifs me in a tranfport of affection. Her mother's tears and filence alfo fhowed her pleafure" Here, papa," cried the charming girl," here is the brave man to whom I owe my "delivery; to this gentleman's intrepidity I am "indebted for my happiness and safety

A kifs from Mr. Burchell, whofe pleasure seemed even greater than hers, interrupted what fhe was. going to add.

"Ah, Mr. Burchell," cried I, "this is but a "wretched habitation you now find us in; and " we are now very different from what you laft faw us. You were ever our friend: we have "long discovered our errors with regard to you, "and repented of our ingratitude. After the "vile ufage you then received at my hands, I am "almost afhamed to behold your face; yet I hope "you'll forgive me, as I was deceived by a bafe ungenerous wretch, who, under the mask of "friendship, has undone me."