Application of these Reflections to yourself.

I shall myself experience, sooner or later, these consequences of death. When I shall have expired, the first emotions of the few who may sincerely love me will be regret; but a very short time will suffice to console them, and wipe away their tears. I shall be forgotten, and in process of time not one on earth will know that I ever existed: even though I should be recollected, regretted, and loved after my death, of what use will that be to me in those terrible moments when I shall stand alone before God, obliged to render an exact account of all the thoughts, words, actions, and omissions of my life?

Exercise of the Will.-O how wise were those who, looking forward to the consequence of death, despised all earthly pleasures, and considered the opinion, praise, and honours of the world, as mere vanity! Where are all those who made so many sacrifices to the world? whose idol was their body, whose reputation among men was dearer to them than their innocence before God; who preferred the esteem of creatures to the friendship of their Creator? Alas! they are dead-their bodies are mouldered in the earth, and their souls burning in hell. While the names of the humble, mortified, retiring servants of God are handed down to posterity, the very names of those who served the world are forgotten. It is then the height of madness, to cleave to such vain and short-lived advantages as worldly pleasures or honours, and absurd in the extreme, to seek after the esteem of creatures! My God! give me grace to perceive daily more and more the nothingness of this world, that by a Christian life I may effectually dispose myself for appearing before thee, my God, my Sovereign Lord, to whom alone I will adhere during life, since thou alone wilt remain to me after death. A Prayer after Meditation.

I THANK thee, O my God! with all the affection

of my heart, for having permitted me to converse with thee, and for all the graces thou hast bestowed on me during the holy time of meditation. Pardon me, I conjure thee, every distraction I have been guilty of, or any other fault I committed, and vouchsafe to enable me to accomplish the resolutions I have made in thy presence. Grant in particular, that the fruit of my meditation may be an increase of love for thee, and charity towards my neighbour; a lively sorrow for my past offences, and a heartfelt detestation of sin, and every occasion that may lead thereto. Accept, O Lord! a renewal of the consecration I lave already made to thee of my whole being; of every day, hour, and moment of my remaining life; and vouchsafe to assist me so powerfully by thy grace, that I may endeavour in all things to copy thy sacred life, and thus fulfil the obligations I contracted at baptism.

On the predominant PASSIONS.

It is not usual, that in young persons, whose char acters have not taken any settled form, any vice should have gained so decided an ascendency, as to enable themselves or others to discern clearly the nature of their predominant passion. Generally speaking, they should be more anxious to correct all their faults, than to find out the chief among them; as that is not discernible until they are placed amidst the busy scenes of the world. Still, as they cannot be made acquainted too early with the evil consequences of vice, it would be advisable for them to examine occasionally their dispositions, lest any evil propensity may take root in their hearts, thereby become the principle of their actions, and frustrate the ends pro posed in the most Christian education.

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The predominant passion of most persons is Pride, which never fails to produce not only thoughts of pride and vanity, but also such haughtiness of man

ner and self-sufficiency, as to render them absolutely disgusting and ridiculous. Incessantly endeavouring to attract admiration, and become the sole object of attention, they spare no pains to outdo others, to set themselves off, and by their conceited airs, their forwardness, their confidence in their own opinion, and neglect or contempt of that timid, gentle, retiring manner, so amiable and attractive, particularly in youth, they defeat their own purpose, and become as contemptible as they aim at being the contrary.

Many are so little sensible of the awful duties im posed by Christian Charity, as to be ever ready to blame, criticise, and condemn all who come under their observation. This is one of the most dangerous propensities, as the occasions for manifesting, it occur incessantly, and frequently lead to mortal sin. The persons thus uncharitably disposed, talk continually of the faults of others, which they are always inclined to exaggerate, though often those defects exist only in the detractor's embittered imagination, which represents others in so unfavourable a point of view, as to subject their actions to the most unkind Censure. To this may be added a satirical propensity, which criticises and turns every thing and every person into ridicule, sparing neither superiors, friends, enemies, nor even the most sacred characters, as Clergymen. This disposition never fails to make numerous enemies; and though occasionally encouraged by laughter and smiles of approbation, it nevertheless is generally as hated as it is hateful.

Those whose temper is violent and unrestrained, cannot be ignorant that Anger is their predominant passion-their frequent unreasonable and impetuous sallies of anger, on the slightest occasions, render intercourse with them as unsafe as it would be with a maniac.-Such dreadful and melancholy consequences have followed from even one fit of passion, as to render any family truly unhappy, who may possess a member with a violent temper. Those who

feel inclined to this passion, should, while young, use all their efforts to overcome so dangerous a disposition. Reason, affection for their family, consideration for all those with whom they may be connected, and, above all, religion, furnish powerful motives and means for reducing any temper, however violent, to the standard of Christian meekness. The chief among those means is prayer, and the next, perhaps most efficacious, is absolute silence under all emotions of anger.

There are many other persons who, though they do not rank among the passionate, are nevertheless the pests, particularly of domestic society. Their predominant passion is a certain ill-humour, fretfulness, peevishness, and irritability, which pervades their words, manners, and even looks; and it is usually brought into action by such mere trifles, as leave no chance of peace to those who live in the house with them. Children and servants are the ordinary butts of their spleen; and even their best friends, their superiors themselves, are not always secure from their ill-tempered sallies, and their incessant complaints. In a word, their sourness, their dissatisfied, discontented manner, effectually embitters every society, and throws a gloom over the most innocent amusements. As this luckless disposition is peculiarly that of women, young persons cannot be too earnestly recommended to combat in youth any tendency thereto, lest they become, when older, the greatest torment of that society they are certainly intended to bless and ornament.

Sloth, which is the predominant passion of many persons, is alone one of those vices most difficult to correct. It shows itself by habitual indolence, and such negligence and apathy, that no duty, however serious, can rouse a person of this character to exertion. Days, weeks, and even years, pass over without any account of how they have passed; for though the indolent form many projects of amend.

ent, yet those projects are never executed, because procrastination is the daughter of sloth. Any time but the present appears calculated for the discharge of duty, precisely because the most heroic efforts in prospect cost less than a single actual exertion. Thence it follows, that spiritual duties are so long neglected and deferred, that the torpor, which in youth could easily have been broken off, gains such an ascendency as to become almost unconquerable, and at length reduces the soul to that dreadful state generally called tepidity, which is only another word for sloth in spiritual matters. Then it is that every social and personal duty is abandoned; children, servants, affairs spiritual and temporal, order, cleanliness, every thing is neglected, and permitted to run into such disorder and confusion, as to render the persons degraded by this vice no less a disgrace to themselves, than to their friends and to society. In a word, there is no passion which leads more certainly to misery hereafter; for after all, the inanimate victim of sloth, who has lived without energy, without sentiment, almost without a soul, will at last be effectually roused by death, whose approach is terrible indeed to those who lead a useless inactive, idle, and consequently most sinful life.

Those whose predominant passion is deceit, are frequently not considered dangerous characters, until after they have given many persons cause to repent having had any intercourse with them. Their manners are generally as insinuating as their motives are base and interested. They are usually distinguished by à total disregard for truth; a base system of appearing to coincide with every one, the better to gain that confidence which they only intend to abuse; deceitful expressions-eternal manœuvring-equivoca4ions and so great an opposition to candour and plain dealing, as to adopt a thousand underhand means for carrying on their most simple and ordinary transactions, thereby engaging themselves and others in a