nations, or providing for the comfort of the poor victims of their pride-the consequence is notorious-these dutiful daughters become adulteresses, and neglect the education of their children, from whom they in their turn exact the same kind of obedience."

P. 174.-NEGATIVE AND ACTIVE CHARACTERS CONTRASTED.

"I am apt to conclude from experience, that where the virtue of two people is nearly equal, the most negative character is liked best by the world at large, whilst the other may have most friends in private life-But the hills and dales, clouds and sunshine conspicuous in the virtues of great men, set off each other, and though they afford envious weakness a fairer mark to shoot at, the real character will still work its way to light, though bespattered by weak affection or ingenious malice."

REMARKS-Hills and dales, clouds and sunshine, are metaphors which require some consideration—she has not honoured the negative characters spoken of with these metaphors-it may be worth our while to trace the two examples she has introduced, through the successions of nature, fortune, education and habits; and by giving to each class its appropriate features, see which is the most beatiful I shall begin with the negative, and shall be short-It is the character which in this life, truly possesseth its good things-few are its hills and dales, clouds and sunshine-for its life runs on in one uniform useless current-And first we shall examine its nature— born of healthy parents, the animal is landed sound upon the green sod of life-Secondly its fortune-the pasture assigned for its support was rich and plentiful-with conscientious scrupulosity, or great mental powers, it was never overstocked- -it had no great extremes of passion to contend with, and it was burdened with few instructions; of these, the principal were, to conform to the existing customs of society, whatever they might be, and to its laws, from a motive of present safety and honour. Within these enclosures it might range at large-it might feed and fatten, and pass without a shade of calumny to its grave-If it overlooked the poor and the afflicted in its private walks-in its public contributions, it paid homage to the rights of humanity-if in its private gratifications it disregarded the laws of religion, as infringing upon its pleasures; in its public

conduct, it maintained the pomp and respectability of religion, as a good political machine, by a strict attendance at the temple, and by contributing to the maintenance of its priests-In fact it was born well-lived well-was well received through the whole course of its life in society; and without a single scruple of genuine virtue, or independent principle, died with a good reputation.

With the negative, I shall contrast the great or perfect character, and shall give a few specimens from well known examples Perfection in the absolute sense, belongeth only unto God-nevertheless there have been persons, whose characters, by a happy concurrence of nature, grace and fortune, have exhibited to mankind singular examples of greatness, considered as men; and others upon whom this triumvirate have not so graciously smiled, have nevertheless, ultimately manifested true greatness of mind, by their pursuit of valuable objects; and although discouraged and oppressed by innumerable difficulties, have risen again and again, to grasp the true objects of existenceUnder the head, of great and extraordinary examples, I think William Penn considered as a religious and political reformer, and the Abbe Fenelon as a pious priest and philosopher, may be justly ranked-The mild and tolerant system of Penn, so opposite to that sanguinary policy, which spurns at every patient effort to reform, and will be glutted only with blood; has given posterity an unerring clue to his character-his piety as well as abilities, have become conspicuous, by the sacrifices which he made to conscience, and by his firm adherence to the peaceable principles of the gospel, in an age, when even religion itself seemed under martial and sanguinary influence.

The sun of prosperity shone upon the birth of Pennfor his father was an officer of high rank in the British navy-and the duke of York, afterwards king James II. was their friend and patron-but notwithstanding these auspicious omens (such is the uncertainty of human things) that he had scarcely attained his sixteenth-year, before he was expelled from college for non-conformity; and for his subsequent obedience to apprehended duty, was even turned out of doors by his father-In a few years, however, the cloud of parental disapprobation gave way to natural affection and the force of truthIt is reasonable to suppose, that this change in his father's

conduct, was produced by the perception of a divine hand being concerned, in the formation of his son's character for in his last illness, after having bequeathed to him a plentiful fortune, he transmitted through him to posterity this sentence-" Son, William, if you and your friends, continue your plain way of speaking, and your plain way of preaching, you will outdo all thepriests in the world"How far this prediction may yet be fulfilled, is not for us to determine-I should be happy to see the successors of this great man, emulate his zeal and diligence in the work of reformation-The principles he adopted, have no doubt spread far and wide, and although of late apparently much neglected, have not been without their influence in the political and moral world-But it is the character of Penn, and not the conduct of his successors, which is the present object of our consideration-and we shall accordingly take a view of him in the second and more remarkable stage of his character that of the proprietor of a province, and the governor of a free peopleAfter the restoration of Charles II. the assumed sovereignty of England, over a province of North America, since called by his name, is transferred to him, as a debt due to his father by the state-his conduct on this occasion, shews his principles of justice; for not considering the title of England valid by the laws of nature, he again obtains the province, by a right of honest purchase from the natives, and opens an asylum there for the persecuted of all nations, requiring only as the terms of their admission, the worship of one true God; and a submission of their lives to laws founded on the broad basis of universal justice-The wisdom and moderation of his government, are now so well known, and so much admired, that any attempt of mine to pourtray them, I am sensible, must fall far short of the excellent original-his character, however, cannot be held out to posterity as an object of imitation, without noticing the piety and philanthropy which influenced his public conduct, and by which he became a singular and distinct character from all other men in power- -Penn has given the world aproof, that however difficult to human nature, it is not impossible for the governor of a people, to approach the standard of christian morals, in public, as well as in private life-He has proved to posterity, that what is speculatively true, is not practically false for he adhered to the last, to the gospel of peace, which

forbids all wars and fightings, nor was he mistaken in his faith-for both himself, his family, and his friends (without military force) were kept in peace and safety; while the neighboring provinces were exposed to the incursions of the Indians, who by the Divine influence, through the conduct and conversation of Penn and his friends, were converted into friends and allies-Thus Penn and his friends have set the world an example of suffering for the religion of Christ, and of conquering by it-they did the first in their native country; when rather than yield active obedience to cruel and oppressive laws, they often laid down their harmless lives in prison, after having peaceably submitted to be robbed of their liberty and property by the hand of power-they did the second in the new world, when by the force of love and justice, they conquered the ferocity of a savage people-founded a community within. their borders-governed and maintained it for near sixty years without force of arms-and died with the universal approbation of the wise and good-and in harmony with the natives, whose posterity bless their memory to this day.

As Penn was incapable of wading through blood, or even exercising fraud to arrive at dominion-so when he had obtained it by just and peachable measures, he did not, like the Presbyterians of New England, depart from his principles in the exercise of his newly acquired authorityHe put no man to death, but for the crime of wilful murder-and this humanity of the criminal code of Pennsylvania, which has for its object the reformation of offenders, is justly admired by the wise and good of all nations, and has effected in the country where it is established, such a diminution of crimes, as speaks loudly in favour of the gospel system of peace and forbearance- Although William Penn was only an instrument of Providence in the work of reformation; and posterity totally indebted to that all governing power for the light which shone through him-nevertheless as a providential instrument, he is worthy of being had in remembrance-It may prove serviceable, particularly to the great, to recollect the example which he (a man of their own class) has given the world, in the use which he made of wealth and power-in the miseries, from which he actually delivered many-in the immense labors which he went through both by sea and land, for the promotion of religion and virtue; and in the wholesome laws which

he instituted for the comfort and protection of his people-Experience had prepared his mind for, and exactly suited it to the station, which Providence called him to fill in the new world; and the operations of the same Providence are remarkably conspicuous, in sending him a people to govern, who were qualified by similar experience and hardships, to cultivate a wilderness, and to enjoy and communicate to posterity, the sweets of virtuous freedom-had not Penn been favoured with such characters to people his new province, his virtues and abilities must have remained in a great degree in-operative and unknown to future ages-but that Providence which had prepared, and called him to stand upon an eminent scaffold of the reformation, had also prepared a host of similar characters to flock round the edifice he was building-and he lived not only to place the top stone on this temple of peace, but to see it protected by christian laws, under the influence and guardianship of its spiritual founder The talents and labors of William Penn, would have been lost on a warlike people; and his principles would not suffer him to have recourse to finesse as an instrument of policy, or as a substitute for force; nor was it necessary in the government of a virtuous people, who from principle complied with the requisitions of justice-nor in the enforcement of laws, which had nothing for their object, but public happiness grounded on the equal distribution of rights.

What a contrast does this man's character form to that of Lewis le Grand-how strongly are we reminded in the history of this prince, of the grandeur of Satan surrounded by flames and firebrands; or of Pluto in bis dark dominions, with sullen majesty, employing troops of furies to desolate the earth-but the ensigns of destruction and slavery, were not those which Penn held out to the surrounding nations, as the proofs of his greatness, or as a beacon to attract the unfortunate to his shores-ah no his little province, the common asylum of distressed mariners on life's tempestuous sea, invited their approach, by the simplicity of its inhabitants, and the justice of its laws-the consequence is-that not only by such a course of action, he has secured his own hap piness--but that the language of his example continues loudly to speak to all succeeding governors, who profess to admire it" follow me, as I followed Christ.”

Having traced in a very imperfect manner I acknow