Page:Moral Pieces in Prose and Verse.pdf/184

 ; and how does it impel to all the holy violence of prayer, lest the plant should at last furnish fuel for everlasting burnings!

"Man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things that he possesseth." Neither the use, respectability, nor enjoyment of the present life depends on external treasures. Far less are the hopes and felicities of the world to come influenced by such slight and variable causes. "The poor of this world hath God chosen, rich in faith, and heirs of his kingdom."

It is thought by some that where there is a taste for literature, and advantages for its cultivation, improvement and success are almost inevitable. But what are the most persevering exertions without the divine favour? Nay "It is God that giveth the increase." The health of the body, the health of the mind, and the prosperity of the soul, must be sought after in the same manner, and found only in the same source.

All actions that proceed from a principle of vanity, must in their end, be unproductive, and, in their restrospection, bitter.