drove him into the wilderness. Now in the evening, Aram lifted up his voice unto the Lord, and prayed unto him; and the Lord faid, Aram, where is the stranger that fojourned this day with thee? And Aram anfwered and faid, Behold, O Lord! he ate of thy bread, and would not offer unto thee his prayers and thanksgivings. Therefore did I chastise him, and drive him from before me into the wilderness. And the Lord said unto Aram, Who hath made thee a judge between me and him? Have not I borne with thine iniquities, and winked at thy backflidings; and shalt thou be fevere with thy brother, to mark his errors, and to punish his perverseness ? Arife and follow the ftranger; and carry with thee oil and wine, and anoint his bruises, and speak kindly unto him. For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, and judgment belongeth only unto me. Vain is thine oblation of thanksgiving, without a lowly heart. As a bulrush thou mayest bow down thine head, and lift up thy voice like a trumpet; but thou obeyest not the ordinance of thy God, if thy worship

be

be for ftrife and debate. Behold the facrifice that I have chofen, is it not to undo the heavy burdens; to let the oppreffed go free; and to break every yoke? To deal thy bread to the hungry; and to bring the poor, that are cast out, to thy house? And Aram trembled before the presence of God. And he arofe, and put on fackcloth and ashes; and went out into the wilderness, to do as the Lord had commanded him. *

TRUTH NEVER IMPRESSES THE MIND MORE FORCIBLY, THAN WHEN SUGGESTED BY A JUST AND STRIKING ANALOGY.

WHEN

HEN Charles the V. had refigned the fceptre of Spain, and the imperial crown of Germany, he retired to the monastery of St. Juftus, near the city of Placentia, in Eftremadura. It was feat

*This parable is an imitation of one compofed by Dr. Franklin; if that may be called an imitation which was written without a fight, and from a very imperfect account of the original. Mr. Dodfley has inferted the prefent piece in the Annual Register for 1777; but it has here undergone fome alterations.

ed

ed in a vale, of no great extent, watered by a small brook, and furrounded by rifing grounds, covered with lofty trees. From the nature of the foil, as well as the temperature of the climate, it was esteemed the most healthful and delicious fituation in Spain. Here he cultivated, with his own hands, the plants in his garden; and fometimes he rode out to a neighbouring wood, on a little horse, attended only by a fingle fervant on foot. When his infirmities confined him to his apartment, and deprived him of these more active recreations, he either admitted a few gentlemen, who refided near the monaftery, to vifit him, and entertained them familiarly at his own table; or he employed himself in ftudying mechanical principles, and in forming works of mechanifm, of which he had always been remarkably fond, and to which his genius was peculiarly turned. He was extremely curious with regard to the construction of clocks and watches; and having found, after repeated trials, that he could not bring any two of them to go exactly alike,

he

he reflected, with a mixture of furprize as well as regret, on his own folly (as he might alfo on his cruelty and injustice) in having exerted himself, with fo much. zeal and perfeverance, in the more vain attempt of bringing mankind' to a uniformity of fentiment, concerning the doctrines of religion.* Happy would it have been for Europe, if this just and striking analogy had occurred to the monarch, during the plenitude of his power! And happy might it now prove, if allowed to operate against the spirit of bigotry and perfecution, which ftill actuates many individuals, and even large communities.

THE PEDLAR AND HIS ASS.

T was noon day, and the fun fhone in

IT

tenfely bright, when a pedlar, driving his afs laden with the choiceft Burflem ware, stopped upon Delamere forest, to taste some refreshment. He fat down upon the turf, and after confuming the provifions

*See Robertfon's Hiftory of Charles V.

in his fatchel, emptied his dram bottle, and then composed himself to fleep. But the afs, who had travelled many a wearifome mile without tasting a morfel of food, remained muzzled by his fide, wiftfully viewing the bloffoms of furze which grew in great abundance around them. Fatigue and heat, however, overpowered the fenfations of hunger, and drowsiness stole upon him. He kneeled down, and doubling his legs under him, refted upon his belly in fuch a pofition, that each of the panniers which he carried touched the ground, and was fecurely supported by it. But his flumbers were of short duration. An angry hornet, whose nest had been that morning deftroyed, perched upon his back, and ftung him to the quick. Roused by the finart, he fuddenly fprung up, and by this violent motion produced a loud jarring of the earthen ware. The pedlar awaked in confternation; and fnatching his whip, began to lafh the afs with merciless fury. The poor beaft fled from his ftripes, and was heard of no more; the panniers were thrown off; and the Burflem ware was

entirely