often deprived of the power of thinking for ourselves, or of devifing means to meliorate our condition; but in this wilderness of imagination, friendship will benevolently lend it's aid, and will, excite a hope, which, like a reviving cordial, will keep life from finking beneath the weary load.

BUT these advantages are only to be hoped for, from the fenfible and intelligent, as well as fincere; from thofe who are bleffed with fentiment, probity, generofity, and all the fine feelings of nature. In friendship between perfons of this happy frame, and elevated temper, the heart may dilate itself in mutual complacence and esteem; and the mind may exult in all the luxury of focial intercourse. Mutual happiness, and mutual fafety, are the noble privileges of fuch a friendship. It confifts not in a torrent of kind words, but a series of kind actions. It has virtue for it's bafis, and reafon for it's guide. It is active and vigilant, prudent and cautious, fteady and intrepid, fincere and permanent, warm and affectionate. It is at all times illuftrious, but never appears to greater advantage than when it combats difficulties. It fhines brightest in the gloom of

adverfity;

adverfity; and in the chill hour of affliction fends forth the warmeft rays. It braves with cheerfulness the greateft dangers; and, inftead of cooling, acquires fresh ardour from refiftance. How excellent then is true friendfhip, and how valuable a faithful friend! But let us hear the animated effufions of an eastern imagination on this subject. A faithful friend (the friend whofe virtues and qualities I have been now defcribing) is a Strong defence; (fays the fon of SYRACH) and be that bath found fuch a one, hath found a treafure. Nothing doth countervail a faithful friend, and his excellency is invaluable. A faithful friend is the medicine of life; and they, that fear the Lord, fhall find him. Whofo feareth the Lord, shall direct his friendship

ཝཱ

aright; for as he is, fo fhall his neighbour be alfo; that is, the neighbour, whom he shall chufe for his friend.

THE royal prophet likewife has, in many parts of his writings, beautifully enlarged upon this fubject. Wicked men, fo far from being permitted to fhare in his friendship, he would not fo much as fuffer, he fays, to remain under his roof. He that worketh deceit, fhall not dwell within my boufe; he that

telleth

telleth lies, fhall not tarry in my fight. And in another Pfalm, how fervently does he pray, that God would preferve him from all connection with wicked men, as well as their wicked deeds! Incline not my heart to any evil thing, fays he, to practise wickedness with the workers of iniquity. Let me not eat of their dainties, fays he again in another place. But with the good and virtuous of whatever order, he, on the contrary, gladly affociated. I am a companion, fays he, of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. And again he fays, Let the righteous fmite me, (as the most familiar mark of his friendship) it fhall be a kindness; and let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil, which Shall not break my head. From the righteous, who alone are my companions, and with whom I take fweet counfel, I expect this inftance of real regard for me; for he, who is my fincere friend, will always be my faithful reprover.

DAVID, although a powerful Monarch, did not regard his station as a privilege from reproof, when his conduct was justly reprehenfible. A noble pattern for modern Princes! He delighted in the way of righteousness,

and

and when he erred from it, he esteemed it an act of kindness, even in the humbleft of his companions, to admonish him of his error. Indeed a due regard for the rectitude of our conduct, is the best difpofition to qualify us for true friendship. For fuch a difpofition will not only permit, but require the mutual exercise of this honeft freedom; a requifite fo very effential to friendship, that it is never known long to furvive it. For the claims of fuperiority are the grave of friendship. For however differently Providence may have caft our lot in this tranfitory life, in true friendship there is no pre-eminence. State and form ever vanish before it; and it either finds us equals, or makes us fo. christianity, had, we read, it, all things in common; by which, as to degrees of condition, they were all reduced to a level. This effect of christianity at that time, is the effect of true friendship at all times. It not only unites poffeffions, but unites fouls. Nor indeed was the benevolence of Christians under the bright irradiations of the gofpel, more illuftrious than that of DAVID and JONATHAN under the dark difpenfation of the law. So very distinguished indeed was their example, that it ap

The profeffors of in the infancy of

proaches

1

proaches nearer, perhaps, than any other upon record, to that of the great Captain of our falvation, who to friendship facrificed what is of far greater value than any kingdom, even life itself. Greater love, faith he, hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.---Ye are my friends, if ye do whatfoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not fervants; for the fervant knoweth not what bis Lord doth. But I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my father, I have made known unto you.-- What a divine emblem of this love of our Saviour's to his difciples, was that of JONATHAN to DAVID! For though they feemed congenial fouls, yet it appears from facred hiftory, that JONATHAN loved DAVID firft, and that whatfoever he knew of his father, he made known unto him; verifying the truth of what SoLOMON Wrote long after, that a brother, or friend, is born for adverfity.

FOR certainly the time of adverfity, is the proper season for friendship to exert itself. In the warm funshine of profperity, when the candle of GOD illuminates our path, as did JOB's, and our way is plain before us; when public honours and private congratulations