combat the arguments of the lady; nor is it supposeable he could, as he appears to have acted on the same principles at the time. Finding in her,' he adds, all those ideas I had occasion for to secure me from the fears of death, and its future consequences, I drew confidence and securi. ty from this source.'

"The writings of Port Royal, and those of the Oratory, made him half a Jansenist; and, notwithstanding all his confidence, their harsh theory sometimes alarmed him. A dread of hell, which, till then, he had never much apprehended, by little and little disturbed his security, and, had not Madam De Warren tranquillized his soul, would, at length, have been too much for him. His confessor, also, a Jesuit, contributed all in his power to keep up his hopes.

"After this, he became familiar with another female, Theresa. He began by declaring to her, that he would never either abandon or marry her. Finding her pregnant with her first child, and hearing it observed, in an eating-house, that he who had best filled the Foundling Hospital was always the most applauded, 'I said to myself,' quoth he, since it is the custom of the country, they who live here may adopt it. I cheerfully determined upon it without the least scruple; and the only one I had to overcome was that of Theresa, whom, with the greatest imaginable difficulty, I persuaded to comply.' The year following, a similar inconvenience was remedied by the same expedient: no more reflection on his part, nor approbation on that of the mother. She obliged with trembling. My fault,' says he, but it was an error.'

was great;

"He resolved on settling at Geneva, and, on going thither, and being mortified at his exclusion from the rights of a citizen, by the profession of a religion different from his forefathers, he determined openly for the latter. I thought,' says he, "the gospel being the same for every christian, and the only difference in religious opinions the résult of the explanations given by men to that which they did not understand, it was the exclusive right of the sovereign power in every country to fix the mode of worship and these unintelligible opinions; and that, consequently, it was the duty of a citizen to admit the one, and conform to the other, in the manner prescribed by the law.' Ac. cordingly, at Geneva, he renounced popery.

"After passing twenty years with Theresa, he made her his wife. He appears to have intrigued with a Madame De H. Of his desires after that lady, he says, 'Guilty without remorse, I soon became so without measure.' Such, according to his own account, was the life of uprightness and honour, which was to expiate for a theft which he had committed when a young man, and laid it to a female servant, by which she lost her place and character. Such was Rousseau, the -man whom the rulers of the French nation have delighted to honour, and who, for writing this account, had the vanity and presumption to expect the applause of his Creator. Whenever the last trumpet shall sound,' saith he, I will present myself before the Sovereign Judge, with this book in my hand, and loudly proclaim, Thus have I acted-these were my thoughts-such was I. Power Eternal! assemble round thy throne the innumerable throng of my fellow mor

tals! let them listen to my confessions, let them blush at my depravity, let them tremble at my sufferings, let each in his turn expose, with equal sincerity, the failings, the wanderings of his heart; and if he dare, aver I was better than that man.' ” So much for the morality of infidels!!!

DISCONTENT, GRIEF, &c.

"THE discontented man," says Dr. Stennett, "is ever restless and uneasy, dissatisfied with his station in life, his connexions, and almost every circumstance that happens to him. He is continually peevish and fretful, impatient of every injury he receives, and unduly impressed with every disappointment he suffers. He considers most other persons as happier than himself, and enjoys hardly any of the blessings of Providence with a calm and grateful mind. He forms to himself a thou. sand distressing fears concerning futurity, and makes his present condition unhappy, by anticipating the misery he may endure years to come."

If we examine the records of history, recollect what has happened within the circle of our own experience; consider with attention what has been the conduct of almost all the greatly unfortunate, either in private or public life, whom we may have either read of, or heard of, or remember; and we shall find that the misfortunes of by far the greater part of them have arisen from their not knowing when they were well, when it was proper for them to sit still, and to be contented. The inscription upon the tomb-stone of the man

who had endeavoured to mend a tolerable constitution by taking physic, "I was well; I wished to be better: here I am;" may generally be applied with great justness to the distress of disappointed avarice and ambition.

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Men," says an elegant author, are too of ten ingenious in making themselves miserable by aggravating to their own fancy, beyond bounds, all the evils which they endure They compare themselves with none but those whom they ima gine to be more happy; and complain that upon them alone has fallen the whole load of human sorrows. I will restore your daughter again to life,' said an Eastern sage to a prince who griev ed immoderately for the loss of a beloved child, ' provided you are able to engrave on her tomb the names of three persons who have never mourned.' The prince made enquiry after such persons, but found the enquiry vain, and was silent."

It is said of Mr. Gh, who though simple, honest, humane, and generous, yet was so peevish and splenetic, that he would often leave a party of his convivial friends abruptly, in order to go home and brood over his misfortunes. How dif ferent a disposition was that of Mr. Samuel Medley, the grandfather of the late Mr. Medley, of Liverpool! This good man was particularly noted for his cheerfulness, and was a pleasing example of remarkable confidence in God, as it respected his providential dispensations; frequently saying, he could never fret five minutes in his life, let things look ever so dark.

H.2

THE DISGUISED AND DISSOLUTE

CLERGYMAN RECLAIMED.

THE following account, as related by a clergyman, may be depended on as a fact.

"Shortly after the return of the Duke of York from Holland, one of the regiments which had suffered very materially in the different engagements was quartered in my parish. A private soldier called upon me one evening after divine service, with a request that I would explain a particular part of my discourse which he had just heard, expressing at the same time much interest in the general subject of it. I found him to be a very well-informed man, of distinguished piety, and much religious knowledge. His language and address betrayed evident marks of strong natural sense, aided by an unusual acquaintance with the word of God, and the operations of his grace upon the heart.

"He frequently called upon me during the continuance of the regiment in my neighbourhood, and every succeeding interview gave me fresh proofs of his religious attainments. At that time he was the only man in the regiment who made any profession of religion, and on that account was ridiculed and despised by the greater part of his companions.

"At length the regiment, having nearly repaired by fresh recruits the loss sustained in Holland, was ordered to join a camp, then forming, for the purpose of collecting troops for the Egyptian expedition, under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby. A few days before their departure, W- (for that was his name) brought with