saying, "I Am that I Am," that is, being itself, | Justice and Mercy. I am Grace and Goodness, without any mixture or composition. And there. I am Glory, Beauty, Holiness, Eminency, Sufore we must not conceive of God, as made up pereminency, Perfection, All-sufficiency, Eterof several parts, or faculties, or ingredients, but nity, Jehovah, I Am. Whatsoever is suitable only as one who "is that he is," and whatsoever to their nature, or convenient for them in their is in him is himself: And although we read of several conditions, that I am. Whatsoever is several properties attributed to him in scripture, amiable in itself, or desirable unto them, that I as wisdom, goodness, justice, &c. we must not am. Whatsoever is pure and holy; whatsoever apprehend them to be several powers, habits, or is great or pleasant; whatsoever is good or qualities, as they are in us; for as they are in needful to make men happy; that I am." So God, they are neither distinguished from one that, in short, God here represents himself unto another, nor from his nature or essence, in whom us as a universal good, and leaves us to make they are said to be. In whom, I say, they are the application of it to ourselves, according to said to be: for to speak properly, they are not our several wants, capacities, and desires, by in him, but are his very essence, or nature it- saying only in general, "I Am." self; which acting severally upon several ob- Again, page 27, he thus discourses: "There jects, seems to us to act from several properties is more solid joy and comfort, more real delight or perfections in him; whereas, all the differ- and satisfaction of mind, in one single thought ence is only in our different apprehensions of of God, rightly formed, than all the riches, and the same thing. God in himself is a most sim. honours, and pleasures of this world, put them ple and pure act, and therefore cannot have any all together, are able to afford.-Let us then call thing in him, but what is that most simple and in all our scattered thoughts from all things pure act itself; which seeing it bringeth upon here below, and raise them up and unite them every creature what it deserves, we conceive of all to the most high God; apprehending him it as of several divine perfections in the same under the idea, image, or likeness of any thing Almighty Being. Whereas God, whose under-clse, but as infinitely greater, and higher, and standing is infinite as himself, doth not apprehend himself under the distinct notions of wis. dom, or goodness, or justice, or the like, but only as Jehovah: And therefore, in this place, he doth not say, "I am wise, or just, or good," but simply, "I Am that I Am." "

better than all things; as one existing in and of himself, and giving essence and existence to all things in the world besides himself; as one so pure and simple that there is nothing in him but himself, but essence and being itself; as one so infinite and omnipotent, that wheresoever Having thus offered at something towards any thing else is in the whole world, there he the explication of the first of these mysterious is, and beyond the world, where nothing else is, sayings in the answer God made to Moses, there all things are, because he is there, as one when he designed to encourage him to lead his so wise, so knowing, so omniscient, that he at people out of Egypt, he proceeds to consider the this very moment, and always, sees what all other, whereby God calls himself absolutely "I the angels are doing in heaven; what all the Am." Concerning which he takes notice, that fowls are doing in the air; what all the fishes though "I Am" be commonly a verb of the are doing in the waters; what all the devils are first person, yet it is here used as a noun sub- doing in hell; what all the men and beasts, and stantive, or proper name, and is the nominative the very insects, are doing upon earth; as one case to another verb of the third person in these so powerful and omnipotent, that he can do words, “I Am hath sent me unto you." A whatsoever he will, only by willing it should be strange expression! But when God speaks of done; as one so great, so good, so glorious, so himself, he cannot be confined to grammar-immutable, so transcendent, so infinite, so inrules, being infinitely above and beyond the reach of all languages in the world. And therefore, it is no wonder that when he would reveal himself, he goes out of our common way of speaking one to another, and expresseth himself in a way peculiar to himself, and such as is suitable and proper to his own nature and glory.

Hence, therefore, as when he speaks of himself and his own eternal essence, he saith, "I Am that I Am ;" so when he speaks of himself, with reference to his creatures, and especially to his people, he saith, "I Am." He doth not say, "I am their light, their life, their guide, their strength, or tower," but only "I Am" He sets as it were his hand to a blank, that his people may write under it what they please that is good for them. As if he should say, "Are they weak? I am Strength. Are they poor? I am Riches. Are they in trouble? I am Comfort. Are they sick? I am Health. Are they dying? I am Life. Have they nothing? I am All Things. I am Wisdom and Power, I am

comprehensible, so eternal, what shall I say? so Jehovah, that the more we think of him, the more we admire him, the more we adore him, the more we love him, the more we may and ought; our highest conceptions of him being as much beneath him, as our greatest services come short of what we owe him.

Seeing therefore we cannot think of God so highly as he is, let us think of him as highly as we can and for that end let us get above ourselves, and above the world, and raise up our thoughts higher and higher, and higher still, and when we have got them up as high as pos sibly we can, let us apprehend a Being infinitely higher than the highest of them; and then finding ourselves at a loss, amazed, confounded at such an infinite height of infinite perfections, let us fall down in humble and hearty desires to be freed from those dark prisons wherein we are now immured, that we may take our flight into eternity, and there (through the merits of our blessed Saviour) see this infinite Being face to face, and enjoy him for ever.'

I EVER thought it my duty to preserve peace and love among my wards. And since I have set up for a universal Guardian, I have laid no- It cannot at all be doubted, that a part of the thing more to heart than the differences and afore-mentioned sum would be laid out in luxury, quarrels between the landed and the trading in- such as the magnificence of buildings, the plate terests of my country, which indeed compre. and furniture of houses, jewels, and rich appahend the whole. I shall always contribute, to rel, the elegance of diet, the splendour of the utmost of my power, to reconcile these in-coaches and equipage, and such other things as terests to each other, and to make then both sensible that their mutual happiness depends upon their being friends.

They mutually furnish each other with all the necessaries and conveniences of life; the land supplies the traders with corn, cattle, wool, and generally all the materials, either for their sub-conceive that more than two of the twenty mil sistence or their riches; the traders in return provide the gentlemen with houses, clothes, and many other things, without which their life at best would be uncomfortable. Yet these very interests are almost always clashing; the traders consider every high duty upon any part of their trade as proceeding from jealousy in the gentlemen of their rivalling them too fast; and they are often enemies on this account. The gentlemen, on the other hand, think they can never

provides for the annual consumption of our peo- | persons who have no other ways to repay the ple, and a stock of the value of two years' con- value than by part of the things themselves sumption is generally believed to be sufficient The question then is, what effect these twelve for this purpose. If the eighteen millions millions will have towards reducing the interest above-mentioned will not raise a revenue of of money, or raising the value of estates; for as more than one million per annum, it is certain the former grows less, the latter will ever rise that no more than this last value can be added in proportion. For example, while the interes to our annual consumption, and that two of the of money is five per cent. per annum, a man twenty millions will be sufficient to add to the lends two thousand pounds to raise a revenue of stock of our inland trade. one hundred pounds per annum, by the interest of his money; and for the same reason he gives two thousand pounds or more, to purchase an estate of one hundred pounds per ann Again, if the interest of money shall fall ove per cent. he must be forced to lend two thousand four hundred pounds to gain the revenue of one hundred pounds per annum, and for the same reason he must give at least two thousand foar hundred pounds to purchase an estate of the same yearly rent. Therefore if these twelve millions newly gained shall reduce one per cent. of the present interest of money, they must of necessity increase every estate at least four years' value in the purchase.

Our foreign trade is considered upon another foot; for though it provides in part for the annual consumption of our own people, it provides also for the consumption of foreign nations. It exports our superfluous manufactures, and should make returns of bullion, or other durable treasure. Our foreign trade for forty years last past, in the judgment of the most intelligent persons, has been managed by a stock not less than four, and not exceeding eight millions, with which last sum they think it is driven at this time, and that it cannot be carried much farther, unless our merchants shall endeavour to open a trade to 'Terra Australis incognita,' or some place that would be equivalent. It will therefore be a very large allowance, that one of the twenty millions can be added to the capital stock of our foreign trade.

There may be another way of raising interest, that is, by laying up, at a cheap time, corn, or other goods or manufactures that will keep, for the consumption of future years, and when the markets may happen to call for them at an advanced price. But as most goods are perishable, and waste something every year, by which means a part of the principle is still lost, and as it is seldom seen that these engrossers get more than their principal, and the common interest of their money, this way is so precarious and full of hazard, that it is very unlikely any more than three of the twenty millions will be applied to engrossing. It were to be wished the engrossers were more profitable traders for themselves; they are certainly very beneficial for the commonwealth; they are a market for the rich in a time of plenty, and ready at hand with relief for the poor in a time of dearth. They prevent the exportation of many necessaries of life, when they are very cheap; so that we are not at the charge of bringing them back again, when they are very dear. They save the money that is paid to foreign countries for interest and warehouse room; but there is so much hazard, and so little profit in this business, that if twenty millions were to be imported, scarce three of them would be applied to the making magazines for the kingdom.

If any of the money should be lent at interest to persons that shall apply the same to any of the purposes above-mentioned, it is still the same thing. If I have given good reasons for what I have said, no more than eight of the twenty millions can be applied either to our dead stock of luxury, our stock in inland or foreign trade, or our stores or magazines. So that still there will remain twelve millions, which are now no otherwise to be disposed of than in buying of lands or houses, or our new parliamentary funds, or in being lent out at in ferest upon mortgages of those securitics, or to

It is ever casier to meet with men that will borrow money than sell their estates. An evidence of this is, that we never have so good a revenue by buying, as by lending. The first thing therefore that will be attempted with these twelve millions, is to lend money to those that want it. This can hardly fail of reducing one per cent. of the present interest of money, and consequently of raising every estate four years' value in the purchase.

For in all probability all the money or value now in England, not applied to any of the uses above-mentioned, and which therefore lies dead or affords no revenue to the owners, until it can be disposed of to such uses, does not exceed twelve millions; yet this sum, whatever it is, is sufficient to keep down money to the present interest, and to hold up lands to their present value. One would imagine then, if this sum should be doubled, if twelve millions extraordinary should be added to it, they should reduce half the present interest of money, and double the present value of estates. But it will easily be allowed they must reduce one per cent. of the present interest of money, and add the value of four years' rent to the purchase of every estate.

To confirm the belief of this, an argument might be taken from what really happened in the province of Holland before the year on thousand six hundred and seventy. I think it is in sir William Temple's Observations upon the United Netherlands. The government there was indebted about thirteen millions, and paid the interest of five per cent. per annum. They had got a sum of money, I think not above a million, with which they prepared to discharge such a part of the principal. The endors were so unable to find so good an interest else where, that they petitioned the States to keep their money, with an abatement of one per echt, of their interest. The same money was offered to the same number of other creditors with th same success, until one per cent. of their whol interest was abated, yet at last such a part of the principal was discharged. And whên thửa

There are, nevertheless, certain critics, who, seeing that Greek and Latin are in request, join in a thoughtless pursuit of those languages, without any further view. They look on the THE writers of morality assign two sorts of ancient authors, but it is with an eye to phrasegoods, the one is in itself desirable, the other isology, or certain minute particulars which are to be desired, not on account of its own excel-valuable for no other reason but because they lency, but for the sake of some other thing are despised and forgotten by the rest of manwhich it is instrumental to obtain. These are kind. The divine maxims of morality, the exact usually distinguished by the appellations of end pictures of human life, the profound discoveries and means. We are prompted by nature to in the arts and sciences, just thoughts, bright desire the former, but that we have any ap-images, sublime sentiments, are overlooked, petite for the latter is owing to choice and de- while the mind is learnedly taken up in verbal liberation. remarks.

There is no entertainment upon earth more noble and befitting a reasonable mind, than the The principle of this misconduct is a certain perusal of good authors; or that better qualifies shortsightedness in the mind: and as this de-a man to pass his life with satisfaction to him. fect is branched forth into innumerable errors self, or advantage to the public. But where in life, and hath infected all ranks and condi- men of short views and mean souls give themtions of men; so it more eminently appears in selves to that sort of employment which nature three species, the critics, misers, and free-never designed them for, they indeed keep one thinkers. I shall endeavour to make good this another in countenance; but instead of culti.