where constant vigilance is to be kept up, and a guard maintained against the unremitting "attraction of ancient habits," and the force of perpetual temptations. To this he ascribed his longcontinued health and his good constitution. To frugality and industry, he ascribed "the early easiness" and independence of his circumstances, the acquisition of fortune and affluence, with all that knowledge which enabled him to be a useful citizen, and obtained for him the high reputation which he enjoyed among the learned. He was extremely sensible of the value of a habit of order and method, by which "all his things might have their places, and each part of his business might have its time," and he used the greatest exertions to acquire it. He was better satisfied with the fruit of his endeavours to acquire the other virtues, than with the result of those which he made to acquire this, to which he says he had not been accustomed from the outset of life, and with his progress in which he always seems to have been very much dissatisfied. He set himself to acquire humility, in consequence of being kindly informed by a friend, that his pride showed itself frequently in his conversation; that he was not content with being in the right, when discussing any point, but was overbearing, and rather given to insolence. To the joint influence of the virtues, even in the imperfect state in which, he says, he was able to acquire them, he was accustomed to ascribe all that evenness of temper, and that cheerfulness in conversation, which made his company sought for, at a very advanced age, and agreeable even to his young acquaintances.* In respect to moderation, discipline of temper, and love of peace, he does not seem to have failed much of that perfection at which he aimed. His moral practice seems to have been more perfect, than his list of virtues is complete. The cardinal virtues, which he so assiduously cultivated, drew within their influence and attraction those, which are kindred to them, and which his enumeration does not contain. On various trying occasions, and under all becoming circumstances, he showed himself not wanting in firmness, selfrespect, dignity, and independence of mind.

Few men, too, have been more popular; but he used no un

* Franklin's Works, Vol. I. pp. 90, 94-96.

worthy arts to acquire popularity. It is scarcely going too far, in this particular, to apply to him, all that Lord Mansfield claimed for himself. "I wish for popularity;" said that great jurist, "but it is that popularity which follows, not that which is run after. It is that popularity, which sooner or later, never fails to do justice to the pursuit of noble ends by noble means. I will not do that which my conscience tells me is wrong upon this occasion, to gain the huzzas of thousands, or the daily praise of all the papers which come from the press. I will not avoid doing that which I think is right, though it should draw on me the whole artillery of libels, all that falsehood and malice can invent, or the credulity of a deluded populace can swallow. I can say," continues he, "with another great magistrate, upon an occasion and under circumstances not unlike, Ego hoc animo semper fui, ut invidiam virtute partam, gloriam, non invidiam, putarem." In thus adverting to the life of Dr. Franklin, to illustrate the duty of cultivating the personal virtues, I am justified, if not so much by the practice of modern writers, yet by the great writers of antiquity, with whom this was a favorite mode of illustration. It is in this way, that Cicero and Seneca have illustrated the moral doctrines and principles which they taught, by availing themselves of the acts, habits, traits of character, and example, not only of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, but of Cato, Fabius, Lælius, Scipio, and a host of other patriots and statesmen whose names adorn the Roman history. †

* Quoted in Story's "Miscellaneous Writings," p. 415.

† Dr. Franklin had it in mind, during many years, to write and publish a work on practical morals; and he was only prevented from executing his intention by the pressure of his private business, in the earlier part of his life, and, later in life, by public business. He proposed to entitle it, "The Art of Virtue, because," says he, "it would have shown the means and manner of obtaining virtue, which would have distinguished it from the mere exhortation to be good, that does not instruct and indicate the means." It was his design to explain and enforce this doctrine, "that vicious actions are not hurtful, because they are forbidden, but forbidden because they are hurtful, the nature of man alone considered; that it was, therefore, the interest of every one to be virtuous, who wished to be happy, even in this world ;" and, from this circumstance, it was further his intention to "endeavour to convince young persons, that no qualities are so likely to make a poor man's fortune as those of probity and integrity." (Franklin's Works, Vol. I. pp. 96, 97.) It must be admitted, that Dr. Franklin's morals were by far too exclusively utilitarian in their character, and his intend

In cultivating the personal virtues, no one thing is more indispensable to success, than the government of the temper and passions; among which jealousy, envy, anger, and its offspring, resentment, hatred, malice, and revenge, are the most dangerous. These passions are accustomed to disturb society enough; but still more will they disturb and harass, if they do not destroy, the unfortunate individual, who gives way to them.

The malignant affection, with which some ill-constituted minds are ever disposed to view those whom they consider as competitors, is called jealousy, when the competitor is one who has not yet attained the height on which themselves stand, and when it is the future advancement of a competitor that is dreaded. It is denominated envy, when it regards some actual attainment of another. But the passion, varying with this mere difference of the present and the future, is the same in every other respect. In both cases, the wish is a wish of evil, a wish of evil to excellence of whatever kind. "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy ? ""* There are minds, to which no scene of torture is half so dreadful, no pain half so exquisite, no sight half so disgusting, as superior virtue, excellence, and happiness. The envious man will wish all mankind to remain in ignorance of important truths, if the most important truths, that can be revealed to them, are to be the discovery of any other genius than his own. He will sigh over the relief which multitudes are to receive from the institutions of a wise benevolence, which he was not the first to prompt. He will sicken at the prosperity of his country, if this prosperity is made to enhance the glory of a rival. He will rejoice at the severest calamities which can afflict his country, if they can be turned to the disgrace, and much more to the ruin of a rival.

One change, however, would, in a moment, dissipate all the malevolence of this gloomy and selfish spirit. It would only be necessary to drive from the earth, every thing worthy of love and

ed work would have been, no doubt, strongly characteristic of his peculiar way of thinking on this subject. This work, too, is mentioned more than once in his correspondence with Lord Kames, in which he explains it further; but his explanation is too long to permit me to quote it. (Life of Lord Kames, by Lord Woodhouselee, Vol. I. p. 372; Vol. II. p. 28.)

* Proverbs xxvii. 4.

approbation, to make wisdom folly, kindness cruelty, heroic generosity sordid selfishness, and all the qualities, which raise admiration, the execration and disgust of mankind. The hatred of the envious might cease, where the hatred of the virtuous might begin. But the wishes of evil, which flow from such a breast, are still more evil to the breast which feels them, than to the excellence and happiness they are so willing to destroy. Hence it has been said of envy, paradoxically, that "it is at once the justest of passions, and the most unjust," the most unjust, in the wrongs which it is ever conceiving or perpetrating against him who is its object; the justest, in the punishment with which it is ever avenging on the envious man, the wrongs of which he has been guilty. This self-consuming misery of envy, is what happens to every envious man. He may, perhaps, overthrow his rival's glory, but he will be crushed, like the rival of Theagenes, beneath the glory which he overturns.*

Nor do the more impulsive and vindictive passions of anger, and its kindred, malice and revenge, less impair personal excellence and happiness, than the malevolent passions, of which jealousy and envy are the chief. "Anger," says Bishop Jeremy Taylor, "hath in it the trouble of sorrow, and the heats of lust, and the disease of revenge, and the boilings of a fever, and the rashness of precipitancy, and the disturbance of persecution."† "There is such a resemblance," says Seneca, "betwixt the transports of anger and those of madness, that it is not easy to know the one from the other. A bold, fierce, and threatening countenance, as pale as ashes, and in the same moment as red as blood; a glaring eye, a wrinkled brow, violent motions, the hands restless and perpetually in action, wringing and menacing, snapping of the joints, stamping with the feet, the hair standing, trembling lips, a forced and squeaking voice, the speech false and broken, deep and frequent sighs, and ghastly looks; the veins swell, the heart pants, the knees knock, with a hundred dismal accidents that are common to both distempers."

"Make no friendship," says a sacred writer, "with an angry

* Brown's Philosophy of the Mind, Vol. III. pp. 112 – 115.

Works, Vol. I. p. 89.

Morals, p. 269.

man; for wrath is cruel and anger is outrageous.

He that hath

no rule over his own spirit, (i. e. does not command his temper,) is like a city that is broken down and without walls. An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression." *

Such is a specimen of the infirmities of temper, and the outbreakings of passion, which are accustomed to impair and obscure personal excellence. They are introduced as illustrative. of this part of my subject; but it is grateful to me, that any further notice of personal infirmities of any kind is uncalled for; as it would be alike an irksome and an unprofitable labor.

Moreover, I am warranted in saying, on the ground of Scripture and experience, that the cultivation of personal religion, and of the personal virtues, contributes essentially to health, length of days, and success in the business of life. "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honor." It is probable, that this sentiment might be brought to the test of positive proof and actual experiment, by an extensive inquiry into the lives of individuals, especially into the lives of those whose biography we possess minutely and circumstantially written. Such an inductive examination my time and avocations have not permitted me to make; but two specimens of testimony on this point have fallen in my way, which are so decisive and valuable, that I should do wrong to omit citing them.

A gentleman, educated at one of our most distinguished colleges, has furnished this statement respecting the class to which he belonged, not more than thirty years since. "It was a class," says he, "from which much was expected, as the instructers were often heard to declare, and was certainly not deficient, when compared with other classes, either as to numbers or talents. Unhappily a very low standard of morals was prevalent; only two of the class were free from the habit of profane swearing, and nearly all, except these two, would occasionally get intoxicated. This class went out into the world as one of the

* Proverbs xxii. 24; xxvii. 4; xxv. 28; xxix. 22.

+ Proverbs iii. 13, 16.