Solomon in his early life walked uprightly, but towards the close of his reign lapsed into idolatry and sin. And what says Solomon? "The way of the transgressor is

hard."-Prov. xii. 15.

Haman, though raised to the highest honours in the court of Ahasuerus, was infinitely more wretched than Mordecai the Jewish slave.

David had to carry both the cross of Virtue and the cross of Vice. The former was the cross he bore from the unjust persecutions of Saul, the envy of the Philistines, the usurpation of Ishbosheth, and so on: The other was the death of Bathsheba's first child in punishment of his adultery, the death by plague of 70,000 subjects because he numbered the people, the murder of his children at the sheepshearing in Baal-hazor, the rebellion of his favourite son Absalom, banishment from his kingdom, and the deepest remorse of conscience; all brought upon him in chastisement for sin.

Hezekiah suffered both in his innocency and in his guilt. While he was innocent, the Assyrian army invaded his kingdom, and Hezekiah "rent his clothes in grief :" but his grief was much deeper when he turned his face to the wall, and wept sore," because "he was sick unto death," when he "waxed proud."

Cain was wretched from corrosion of heart, and when he sought relief by slaying his brother, found his punishment greater than he could bear." Abel was murdered by a club; but who would not esteem the sufferings of righteous Abel "a light affliction," compared with the weight of Cain's guilty conscience.

QUOTATIONS. The labour of the righteous tendeth to life, but the fruit of the wicked is sin.-Prov. x. 16.

The path of Virtue is the path of peace, (but) the way of transgressors is hard.

What misery does the vicious man secretly endure ! Adversity, how blunt are all the arrows of thy quiver in comparison to those of guilt!

The good man can find enjoyment on a bed of thorns,
but the wicked man is not at peace on a bed of roses.
No wretchedness is like to sinful villanaye.-Spenser.
Over the guilty there the Fury shakes

The sounding whips, and brandishes her snakes,
And the pale sinner with her sisters takes.-Dryden.

If there's a power above,

And that there is all Nature cries aloud in all her works,
He must delight in Virtue, and that which he delights in
Must be happy.-Addison.

Count all the advantage prosperous Vice attains,
"Tis but what Virtue flies from and disdains:
And grant the Bad what happiness they would,
One they must want, which is to pass for good.-Pope.
Oh, blind to truth, and God's whole scheme below,
Who fancy bliss to Vice, to Virtue woe.-Pope.
The broadest mirth unfeeling Folly wears

Less pleasing far than Virtue's very tears.-Pope.

Raro antecedentem scelestum deseruit pede pœna claudo. Nemo malus felix.-Juvenal.

Conscientia bene actæ vitæ, et benefactorum recordatio, jucundissima est.-Cicero.

CONCLUSION.

THEME XXXIX. Endeavour to be what you

seem to be.

would

INTRODUCTION. Some persons are constantly striving to support a character and a reputation which they do not honestly deserve: But those who are wise and honest will always endeavour to merit the praise they gain, and

will scorn to puff themselves off for qualities which they do not really possess.

1ST REASON.-Truth has all the benefits of appearances without the disadvantages. If the semblance of anything be good, the reality must be at least equal, with this advantage, that whereas the semblance is unsubstantial, and can never be relied upon, the reality is based upon truth, and is an "enduring substance."

2ND REASON. The reality is not only equal to the resemblance, but even superior. For why do men dissemble and seem to be what they are not, but because they think it good to have such qualities as they politicly assume?

3RD REASON.-It is more troublesome to support a fictitious excellency, than to acquire real merit; for nature is so elastic and impatient of concealment, that it requires incessant vigilance and self-restraint to preserve a disguise with tolerable success for any length of time.

4TH REASON.-Disguise is but short wisdom, and the arts of deceit grow weaker the longer they are indulged in But integrity gains strength by length of time, and becomes of more value to the possessor the better it is known.

5TH REASON.-Arrogating fictitious merits injures the moral character, by fostering conceit and encouraging falsehood: But integrity of principle improves the heart, superinduces humility, and leads to virtuous practices.

6TH REASON. When falsehood is detected, it brings shame and confusion of face: but when honesty is discovered, it brings glory and joy.

SIMILES.

Esop's fable.

The Jackdaw with borrowed Plumes.

The Wolf in Sheep's clothing.-Æsop's fable.

The Boasting Traveller.-Æsop's fable, No. 74.

The Lion who pretended to be a Physician.-Esop's

fable.

The Ass in the Lion's skin.-Esop's fable.

The mirage in the desert seems to be a lake of water; but, instead of relieving the thirst of the parching caravan, allures with false hope, and provokes the dying curse of those whom it deceives.

The ignus fatuus seems to be a candle from some neighbouring house; but many a traveller would be saved from danger and death, if it really seemed to be nothing else but a luminous putrescent gas.

The frauds of speculators would do no mischief in the commercial world, if they did not assume the appearances of honest traffic.

As real medicine is better than the nostrums of the empiric, so it is far better to be, than merely to seem to be.

As nutritious food is better than that which is adulterated, so reality is to be preferred to fiction.

HISTORICAL ILLUSTRATIONS.-The miracles of the Bible are the seal of Omnipotence to the truth of revelation; but the quackery of priestcraft has done more to injure the cause of Christianity, than all the open attacks of its most inveterate enemies.

Sabbatai Seva, about the middle of the seventeenth century, declared himself to be the Messiah ; but, after deluding vast masses of Jews and Turks, he was seized by the Grand Signior of Constantinople, who declared that he should be shot, and if the balls did him no hurt, his messiahship should be acknowledged. Upon this, Sava confessed his imposture, renounced Judaism, and embraced the faith of the False Prophet of Arabia. Such is the career of imposture; but how different the life and death of a Christian martyr!

When Richard I. was returning from the Holy Land, he assumed the garb and character of a Palmer; but was seized in Germany by the emperor, Henry IV., as a political spy, and cast into prison, from which he was not re

leased till his true station was revealed, and a suitable ransom given.

When certain vagabond Jews, who were exorcists, assumed to themselves the power of casting out evil spirits in the name of Jesus, they were driven from their city naked, and wounded.-Acts, xix. 13. 17.

Lambert Simnel, the son of a baker, pretended, in the reign of Henry VII., to be the son of the Earl of Warwick, and grandson of the Duke of Clarence. But, when the imposture was discovered, Simnel was reduced from a position of respectable independence to live as a common menial in the king's household.

Perkin Warbeck, in the reign of Henry VII., assumed to be Richard, Duke of York, who had been smothered in the Tower by the command of Richard III. But, the imposture being discovered, he was hanged at Tyburn for a traitor. How much better would it have been for this young man, had he endeavoured to adorn the station to which he belonged, than thus to assume a title to which he had no pretension!

When Sarah was passing through Egypt, she declared herself to be Abraham's sister, and not his wife; but reaped the reward of her deception by disgrace and insult. -Gen. xx.

The Jewish Scribes and Pharisees assumed a character to which they had no lawful pretensions; but the censure of our Lord against them was most severe, who told them to cleanse the inside of the platter, that their principles might correspond with their practices.-Matt. xxiii. 25.

QUOTATIONS.-Show not two faces under one hood.
Be aye the same thing ye would be ca'd.
An empty sack cannot long stand upright.
Let every tub stand on its own bottom.

Truth will stand without a prop, but a lie has no leg.