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Rh body does not trengthen its fibres till it has reached its full growth.

There appears to be omething analogous in the mind. The enes and the imagination give a form to the character, during childhood and youth; and the undertanding, as life advances, gives firmnes to the firt fair purpoes of enibility—till virtue, ariing rather from the clear conviction of reaon than the impule of the heart, morality is made to ret on a rock againt which the torms of paion vainly beat.

I hope I hall not be miundertood when I ay, that religion will not have this condening energy, unles it be founded on reaon. If it be merely the refuge of weaknes or wild fanaticim, and not a governing principle of conduct, drawn from elf-knowledge, and a rational opinion repecting the attributes of God, what can it be expected to produce? The religion which conits in warming the affections, and exalting the imagination, is only the poetical part, and may afford the individual pleaure without rendering it a more moral being. It may be a ubtitute for worldly puruits; yet narrow, intead of enlarging the heart: but virtue mut be loved as in itelf ublime and excellent, and not for the advantages it procures or the evils it averts, if any great degree of excellence be expected. Men will not become moral when they only build airy catles in a future world to compenate for the diappointments which they meet with in this; if they turn their thoughts from relative duties to religious reveries. Mot