who prayed at the corners of ſtreets, to be ſeen of men, verily obtain the reward they ſeek; for the heart of man cannot be read by man! Still the fair fame that is naturally reflected by good actions, when the man is only employed to direct his ſteps aright, regardleſs of the lookers-on, is, in general, not only more true, but more ſure.
There are, it is true, trials when the good man muſt appeal to God from the injuſtice of man; and amidſt the whining candour or hiſſings of envy, erect a pavilion in his own mind to retire to till the rumour be overpaſt; nay, the darts of undeſerved cenſure may pierce an innocent tender boſom through with many ſorrows; but theſe are all exceptions to general rules. And it is according to theſe common laws that human behaviour ought to be regulated. The eccentric orbit of the comet never influences aſtronomical calculations reſpecting the invariable order eſtabliſhed in the motion of the principal bodies of the ſolar ſyſtem.
I will then venture to affirm, that after a man is arrived at maturity, the general outline of his character in the world is juſt, allowing for the before-mentioned exceptions to the rule. I do not ſay that a prudent, worldly-wiſe man, with only negative virtues and qualities, may not ſometimes obtain a more ſmooth reputation than a wiſer or a better man. So far from it, that I am apt to conclude from experience, that where the virtue of two people is nearly equal, the moſt negative character will be liked beſt by the world at large, whilſt the other may have more friends in private life. But the hills and dales, clouds and
