face-jaundice-pains in the limbs, and burning in the hands and feet-dropsy-epilepsy-melancholy-idiotism -madness-palsy apoplexy-death.

The punishments are, debt-black eyes-rags-hunger -almshouse-work house-jail-whipping post-stocks Castle-Island-Newgate-gallows. And unless repentance should prevent, they will share in the punishment prepared for the devil and his angels.

FROM the abuse of the Bible, you proceed to that of Moses, and again bring forward the subject of his wars in the land of Canaan. There are many men who look upon all war (would to God that all men saw it in the same light!) with extreme abhorrence, as afflicting mankind with calamities not necessary, shocking to humanity, and repug nant to reason. But is it repugnant to reason, that God should, by an express act of his providence, destroy a wicked nation? I am fond of considering the goodness of God, as the leading principle of his conduct towards mankind, of considering his justice as subservient to his mercy.

II. He punishes individuals and nations with the rod of his wrath; but I am persuaded that all his punishments originate in his abhorrence of sin; are calculated to lessen its influence; and are proofs of his goodness; inasmuch as it may not be possible for omnipotence itself to communicate supreme happiness to the human race, whilst they continue servants of sin. The destruction of the Canaanites exhibits to all nations, in all ages, a signal proof of God's displeasure against sin; it has been to others, and it is to ourselves, a benevolent warning.

Moses would have been the wretch you represent him, had he acted by his own authority alone; but you may as reasonably attribute cruelty and murder to the judge of the land in condemning criminals to death, as butchery and massacre to Moses in executing the command of God. WATSON to PAINE.

MOTIVES, according as they appear, will influence a rational mind. But the appearance of motives to our minds, as well as their influence over us, depends very much upon ourselves. If I am prevailed on by motives, do motives force me? Do I not yield to them because I choose to yield to them? If this is not being free, what is freedom? What should I feel pass in my mind if I was really free! What may we suppose superior beings, what may we suppose the Supreme himself to feel in his infinite mind? Does he, (with profound reverence be it spoken) does he act without regard to motives? Does he act contrary to reasonable motives? Can we suppose him uninfuenced by proper motives? Can we suppose he feels himself to be wholly uninfluenced by reasonable and impor tant considerations? Would we be more free than the most perfect of all beings?

II. If he gives us liberty and power to a proper extent, would we have more? If we feel that we have such liberty, why should we, contrary to possibility, endeavour to bring ourselves to doubt of our having it? If we cannot doubt of our being free creatures, what have we more to think of, than how to make a proper f our liberty, how to get our wills formed to a perfect concurrence with the grand scheme of the Governour of the universe, so that we may behave properly within our sphere, which if we, and all other moral agents did, every part must be properly acted, every sphere properly filled, and universal regularity, perfection, and happiness, be the result.

III. Does my watch point to the hour, because it thinks upon the whole it is more proper that it should point to that hour than to any other? If so, then the watch and I are beings of the same sort, endowed with much the same powers and faculties. Do I not lay aside my pen because I choose to lay it aside, that is, because I am willing to lay it aside? Should I give over, if I was unwilling to give over? If I find my usual time past, and yet should be glad to finish the head I am upon, efore I lay aside my pen, does that motive act upon me and force me to go on, as a spring acts upon a watch, or does it act as a consideration upon a rational creature?

IV. Again, suppose I am tempted to do a bad action, do the motives laid in my way force my compliance? Do I not, on the contrary, feel that I yield to them, because I choose to seize the present object, which I expect to yield me some fancied advantage? Do I not feel in my own mind a violent struggle between the considerations of present profit or pleasure, and those of wisdom and virtue? Is it possible I should feel any such struggle if I was not free? Does any such thing pass in a machine? Do I not find that I sometimes yield to temptations which at other times' I got the better of? Have not others resisted temptations which have been too hard for me? Could these differences happen if they and I were machines? Do not these instances of temptations conquered, fix both liberty and guilt upon me, in having yielded to what it was plain I might have resisted at one time if I did at another? If it is extremely difficult, or what may be called next to impossible, to resist temptations at all times, does this prove any thing else, than that human nature is weak? Were man a machine, he must act as a machine, uniformly and invari ably. BURGH.

SINCERITY, from its nature, inclines to simplicity in the manner of expressing itself; and especially from the consideration, that it is difficult to find any form of ele gance, which falsehood has not assumed.

On a certain time, Falsehood and Truth took a walk together. The season was warm; and a fine stream being in their way" Come, sister Truth," says Falsehood, (for it seems she always affected to call her sister) "come, let us make a stop and bathe here.”

Truth, very innocent and unsuspecting, at once complied, and was soon undressed and in the water. Falsehood was more slow in her motions; but having deliberately thrown off her own tawdry attire, she seizes the opportunity to slip on Truth's clothes and away he runs.

Falsehood had run

Poor Truth was in a sad dilemma. away with her dress, and she scorning to appear in one which Falsehood had worn, at length took the resolution

to go without any; and has been stark naked ever since; hence she is called the naked Truth. SPECTATOR.

THE first fault in delivery is, when the voice is too. loud; this is always disagreeable to hearers of good taste; who look upon it to be the effect either of ignorance or affectation.

Besides an overstrained voice is very inconvenient to the speaker, as well as disgusting to judicious hearers. It exhausts his spirits to no purpose; and takes from him the proper management and modulation of his voice, according to the sense of his subject: And, what is worst of all, naturally leads him into a tone.

Every man's voice, indeed should fill the place where he speaks; but if it exceed its natural key, it will be neither sweet, soft, nor agreeable; because he will not be able to give every word its proper and distinguishing sound. BUCHANAN.

THE second fault in delivery is, when the voice is too low. This is not so inconvenient to the speaker, but it is as disagreeable as the other extreme. It is always disgusting to an audience to observe any thing in the reader or speaker that looks like indolence or inattention.

To manage the voice properly, these two extremes should be avoided. And perhaps the best rule for this purpose is, carefully to preserve the key of the voice, and at the same time to adapt the elevation and strength of it to the condition and numbers of the persons you speak to, and the nature of the place you speak in.

It would be as ridiculous in a general, when haranguing an army, to speak in a low, languid voice, as in a person who reads a chapter in a family, to speak in a loud and eager one. BUCHANAN

THE third fault in delivery is, a thick, hasty, clutter. ing voice. This is often owing to a defect in the organs of speech, or a too great flutter of the animal spirits, but oftener to a bad habit uncorrected.

The great disadvantage which attends a too precipitate pronunciation, in reading or speaking, is, that the hearers lose the benefit of half the good things they hear, who would fain remember, but cannot: Therefore, a speaker should always have a regard to the memory, as well as to the understanding of his hearers.

II. A quick manner of reading may do well enough in examining leases, perusing indentures, or reciting acts of the legislature, where there is always a great redundancy of words; or in reading a newspaper, where there is but little matter that deserves our attention: But it is improper in reading books of instruction, devotion, and especially the sacred scriptures, where the solemnity of the subject, or the weight of the sense, demands a particular regard.

Every publick speaker should beware of monotony, or a dull, uniform tone of voice, which not being attended either by cadence or emphasis, is also a great disadvantage to an audience, by depriving them of reaping any benefit from the most interesting parts of the subject, which should always be distinguished or pointed out by the pronunciation: For a just pronunciation is a good comBUCHANAN.

mentary.

LESSON CX.

THE greatest and most common fault of all is, reading with a tone.-No habit is more easy to be contracted than this, or more hard to be conquered.

This unnatural tone in reading or speaking is various ; but whatever it be, it is always disgusting to persons of delicacy and judgment.

Some affect an awful and striking tone, attended with solemn grimace, as if they would move you with every word, whether the weight of the subject bear them out or not: This is what persons of a gloomy, melancholy east of mind are most apt to give into.

Again, some have a canting or singing note; and others