kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die. And he shall restore the lamb four-fold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said unto David, Thou art the man !-Id. LESSON XXI. On Pride.--ADDISON. 1 If there be any thing which makes human nature appear ridiculous, to beings of superior faculties, it must be pride. They know so well the vanity of those imaginary perfections that swell the heart of man, and of those little supernumerary advantages of birth, fortune, or title, which one man enjoys above another, that it must certainly very much astonish, if it does not very much divert them, when they see a mortal puffed up, and valuing himself above his neighbors, on any of these accounts, at the same time that he is liable to all the common calamities of the species. 2 To set this thought in its true light, we shall fancy, if you please, that yonder molehill is inhabited by reasonable creatures; and that every pismire (his shape and way of life only excepted) is endowed with human passions. How should we smile to hear one give an account of the pedigrees, distinctions and titles, that reign among them. Observe how the whole swarm divide, and make way for the pismire, that passes along! You must understand he is an emmet of quality, and has better blood in his veins than any pismire in the molehill. Do not you see how sensible 3 he is of it-how slowly he marches forward-how the whole rabble of ants keep their distance? Here you may observe one placed upon a little eminence, and looking down on a long row of laborers. He is the richest insect on this side the hillock he has a walk of half a yard in length, and a quarter of an inch in breadth; he keeps a hundred menial servants, and has at least fifteen barley-corns in his granary. He is now chiding and enslaving the emmet that stands before him; one who, for all that we can discover, is as good an emmet as himself. 4 But here comes an insect of rank! Do not you perceive the little white straw that he carries in his mouth? That straw, you must understand, he would not part with for the longest tract about the molehill. You cannot conceive what he has undergone to purchase it. See how the ants of all qualities and conditions swarm about him! Should this straw drop out of his mouth, you would see all this numerous circle of attendants, follow the next one that took it up; and leave the discarded insect, or run over his back to come to his successor. If now you have a mind to see 5 the ladies of the molehill, observe first, the pismire that listens to the emmet on her left hand, at the same time that she seems to turn away her head from him. He tells this poor insect that she is a superior being; that her eyes are brighter than the sun; that life and death are at her disposal. She believes him, and gives herself a thousand little airs upon it. Mark the vanity of the pismire on her right hand. She can scarcely crawl with age; but you must know she values herself upon her birth; and, if you mind, spurns at every one that comes within her reach. 6 The little nimble coquette that is running by the side of her, is a wit. She has broken many a pismire's heart. Do but observe what a drove of admirers are running after her. We shall here finish this imaginary scene. But first of all, to draw the parallel closer, we shall suppose, if you please, that death comes down upon the molehill, in the shape of a cock-sparrow; and picks up, without distinction, the pismire of quality and his flatterers, the pismire of substance and his day laborers; the white straw officer and his sycophants, with all the ladies of rank, the wits, 7 and the beauties of the molehill. May we not imagine, that beings of superior natures and perfections, regard all the instances of pride and vanity among our own species, in the same kind of view; when they take a survey of those who inhabit this earth; or (in the language of an ingenious French poet) of those pismires that people this heap of dirt, which human vanity has divided into climates and regions? The bell strikes one. We take no note of tim I feel the solemn sound. . If heard aright Where are they? With the years beyond the flood. And can eternity belong to mé, Poor pensionér on the bounties of an hour?-Young. LESSON XXII. The Blind Man restored to Sight.-BIBLE. 1 AND as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind 2 man with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way, therefore, and washed, and came seeing. The neighbors therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he others said, He is like him but he said, I am he. : Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus, made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and 3 wash and I went and washed, and I received sight. Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not. They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath day. 4 Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet. But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the paents of him that had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? How then doth he now see? His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was 5 born blind; but by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not; he is of age, ask him: he shall speak for himself. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue Therefore said his parents, He is of age, ask him. Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I 6 know not one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? Will ye also be his disciples? Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses; as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is. The man answered and said unto them, Why, herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, 7 and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and And 8 said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe: and he worshipped him. And Jesus said, For judgment I am co.ne into this world; that they which see not might see, and that they which see, might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth, As when from mountain tops, the dusky clouds LESSON XXIII. The Sea Captain. A Fragment.-BRAINARD. - |