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other. When freer and more cheerful minds have not had oc cafion to fee it accompanied with thofe feelings of delight and benevolence which naturally attend it, they are apt to be prejudiced against piety at large, by mistaking this ungracious appearance for its genuine form: Nor has the rant of vulgar enthusiasts contributed a little to beget or Itrengthen the fame averfion, in perfons of a cool and fpeculative temper; who have happened to meet with fuch images and phrafes among religionifts of a certain ftrain, as ill fuit the rational, pure, and spiritual nature of true devotion. It may likewife be remarked on the other fide, that people of tafte and fenfibility have not feldom been disgusted with the infipid ftyle too often employed on fuch fubjects, by those who poffefs neither, or who purpofely avoid every thing of that kind, from an aim at fimplicity mifunderstood, or perhaps from a fear of being thought too warm, in an age of fashionable indifference, and falfe refinement.

Wherever the vital and unadulterated spirit of Chriftian devotion prevails, its immediate object will be to please Him, whom we were made to please, by adoring his perfections; by admiring his works and ways; by entertaining with reverence and complacence the various in timations of his pleasure, efpecially thofe contained in holy writ; by acknowledging our abfolute dependence, and infinite obligations; by confeffing and lamenting the diforders of our nature, and the tranfgreffions of our lives; by imploring his grace and mercy

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through the Saviour of mankind; by interceding for our fellowcreatures; by praying for the propagation and embellishment of truth, righteousness, and peace on earth; in fine, by longing for a more entire conformity to the will of God, and breathing after the everlafting enjoyment of his friendship. The effects of fuch a spirit habitually cherished, and feelingly expreffed before him, with conceptions more or less enlarged and elevated, in language more or lefs emphatic and accurate, fententious, or diffuse, must furely be important and happy.

Among thefe effects, may be reckoned a profound humility in the fight of God, a high veneration for his prefence and attributes, an ardent zeal for his` worfhip and honour, an affectionate faith in the Saviour of the world, a conftant imitation of his divine example, a diffufive charity for men of all denominations, a generous and unwearied felf-denial for the fake of virtue and fociety, a total refignation to Providence, an increasing esteem for the gofpel, with clearer and firmer hopes of that immortal life which it has brought to light. It is of the last importance to season the paffions of a child with devotion, which feldom dies in a mind that has received an early tincture of it. Though it may feem extinguifhed for a while by the cares of the world, the heats of youth, or the allurements of vice, it generally breaks out and discovers itself again as foon as difcretion, confideration, age, or misfortunes have brought the man to himself. The fire may be covered and overlaid, but cannot be entirely

quenched

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quenched and fmothered. ftate of temperance, fobriety and juftice without devotion, is a cold, lifeless, infipid condition of virtue; and is rather to be styled philofophy than religion. Devotion opens the mind to great conceptions, and fills it with more fublime ideas than any that are to be met with in the most exalted fcience; and at the fame time warms and agitates the foul more than fenfual pleasure. It has been obferved by fome writers, that man is more diftinguished from the animal world by devotion than by reafon, fince several brute creatures discover in their actions fomething like a faint glimmering of reafon, though they betray in no fingle circumftance of their behaviour, any thing that bears the leaft affinity to devotion. It is certain, the propensity of the mind to religious worship, the natural tendency of the foul to fly to fome fuperior being for fuccour in dangers and diftreffes, the gratitude to an invifible fuperintendant, which rifes in us upon receiving any extraordinary and unexpected good fortune, the acts of love and admiration, with which the thoughts of men are fo wonderfully tranfported in meditating upon divine perfections, and the univerfal concurrence of all the nations under heaven in the great article of adoration, plainly fhew that devotion or religious worfhip, must be the effect of a tradition from fome first founder of mankind, or that it is conform able to the natural light of reafon, or that it proceeds from an instinct implanted in the foul itfelf. Perhaps all thefe may be

concurrent caufes; but whichever of them fhall be affigned as the principle of divine worship, it manifeftly points to the Supreme Being as the first author of it. The devotional taste, like all other tastes, has had the hard fate to be condemned as a weakness by all who are ftrangers to its joys and influences. Too much and too frequent occafion has been given, to turn this fubject into ridicule. A heated and devout imagination, when not under the direction of a very found understanding, is apt to run very wild, and is at the fame time impatient to publifh all its follies to the world. The feelings of a devout heart fhould be mentioned with great referve and delicacy, as they depend upon private experience, and certain circumftances of mind and fituation, which the world can neither know nor judge of.

But devotional writings, executed with judgment and tafte, are not only highly useful, but to all, who have a true sense of religion, peculiarly engaging. The devotional fpirit, united to good fenfe, and a cheerful temper, gives that steadinefs to virtue, which it always wants when produced and fupported by good natural difpofitions only. It corrects and humanizes thofe conftitutional vices, which it is not able entirely to fubdue; and though it too often fails to render men perfectly virtuous, it preferves them from becoming utterly abandoned. It has, befides, the most favourable influence on all the paffive virtues; it gives a softness and fenfibility to the heart, and a mild

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nefs and gentleness to the manners; but above all, it produces univerfal charity, and love to mankind, however different in ftation, country, or religion. There is a fublime, yet tender melancholy, almoft the univerfal attendant on genius, which is too apt to degenerate into gloom and disgust with the world. Devotion is admirably calculated to foothe the mind, while it feems to indulge it, to thofe profpects which calm every murmur of difcontent, and diffufe a cheerfulness over the darkest hours of human life.-Perfons in the pride of health and spirits, who are keen in the purfuits of pleafure, intereft or ambition, have either no ideas on this fubject, or treat it as the enthusiasm of a weak mind. But this really fhews great narrowness of understanding; a very little reflection and acquaintance with nature might teach them, on how precarious a foundation their boafted independence on religion is built, the thoufand nameless accidents that may destroy it; and that though for fome years they fhould efcape thefe, yet that time muft impair the greatest vigour of health and fpirits, and deprive them of all thofe objects for which, at prefent, they think life only worth enjoying. It fhould feem therefore very neceffary to fecure fome permanent object, fome real fup

port to the mind, to cheer the foul, when all others fhall have loft their influence. The greateft inconvenience, indeed, that attends devotion, is its taking hold of the affections, as fometimes threatens the extinguishing of every other active principle of the mind. For when the devotional spirit falls in with a melancholy temper, it is too apt to deprefs the mind entirely, to fink it to the weakest fuperftition, and to produce a total retirement and abstraction from the world, and all the duties of life. We cannot conclude this article without adding the remark of a popular author, which may reconcile perfons of a certain tafte to devotion. We are obliged, fays he, to devotion, for the nobleft buildings that have adorned the feveral countries of the world.

It is this which has fet men at work on temples, and places of public worship, not only that they might for the magnificence of the building, invite the Deity to refide within it, but that such ftupendous works might, at the fame time, open the mind to the vaft conceptions, and fit it to converfe with the divinity of the place. For every thing that is majeftic, imprints an awfulness and reverence on the mind of the beholder, and ftrikes in with the " natural greatnefs of the foul.

FOR THE COLUMBIAN PHENIX.

THE HERMIT OF VIRGINIA.

No. I.

IN the time of the late Ameri- terior part of Virginia, they dif

can war, as a party of foldiers were traverfing a forest in the in

covered a cave of fingular appearance, which attracted their

attention.

attention. It bore the afpect of a regular improvement of art upon the almost perfections of naturę. It was a little hillock in the fide of a fmall rocky mountain; a compact, but beautiful green fpread itfelf around the cave, interfperfed with various kinds of fruit trees; and a small but well cultivated garden appeared in the midft, wherein arofe a fpring of excellent water in a folitary corner of the plain a weeping willow Kung its inverted branches, and mourned to the fighing winds. The entrance to the cave was obftructed by the twisting wild briar, interweaving its vines with the boughs of a thorn tree; under this was a fmall aperture, through which a man might enter by bending to the ground.

Smitten with fo romantic a fcene, far in the wilderness, the foldiers determined to enter and infpect the cave; the mouth thereof they found barricadoed with stones and pillars of wood; thefe were removed, and they en, tered the first part of the cavern, It was a grotto ftored with fruit and roots, with a few rough antiquated implements of husbandry and materials for cooking: they followed a winding dark alley that led to a kind of door, which opened into a small room that appeared as if it was hewn out of a folid white rock, illuminated by feveral loop-holes cut through the fame. In one corner of this cavern fat the venerable figure of a man, on a ftool, poring over a book of, to them, unintelligible characters; a fort of table ftood beside him, and a couch with a mat of flags covered with leaves;

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a garment of fable crape shrouded his withered limbs his white locks hung over his shoulders, and his filvery beard fell down upon his breaft. At the fight of the ftrangers he started fuddenly from his reyerie, and addreffed them in an unknown language; they ftared at each other, for fome feconds, with much furprise; the Hermit then spake to them haftily, in broken English, "Who are you? Why am I interrupted? What do you want ??? The of ficer of the party answered,

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Father, we come not to do you harm; chance has difcovered to us your retreat; and curiofity led us into your dwelling: If we have tranfgreffed we beg your pardon, and will retire if our prefence is difagrecable or inconvenient; but before we de part I beg the fayour to offer you any affiftance you defire, which is in our power to grant, "I want nothing," replied the Hermit, and immediately fat down and refumed his studies; nor could they prevail on him to utter another word; convinced that their company gave him uneafinefs, they withdrew, and the Hermit clofed the doors after them.

On their return to camp, they put up at a village upon the borders of the foreft, about ten miles from the hermitage, where they related their adventures; the people informed them that they had known this Hermit for feveral years, but how or when he came there, or where he came from, no one could tell; they efteemed him as a kind of prophet; he had foretold many events which took place in the time

of

of the American war, long before they happened; they had frequently offered him affiftance, which was commonly refufed, and when accepted he never fhewed any figns of gratitude to his benefactors; nor even thanked them for their favours; he had commonly made it his practice once a year to visit the fea-port, and at no other time was known to mingle with fociety. So fingular a character wrought fuch an impreffion on the mind of the officer of the party, that he determined to become more acquainted with the Hermit, and for this purpofe, frequently vifited his cell, while he remained in thofe parts, but could never induce him to converfe on any subject, or make any further difcoveries. Several years afterwards, as this

officer was journeying near the place, he heard that the Hermit was dead; curiofity led him to the cell, when, in a niche of the rock, he difcovered a fmall box, containing a bundle of manufcript papers, written in the German language; he brought them home with him and procured a friend to tranflate them; they were principally copies of letters, from the Hermit to his friend in Germany, by which it was discovered that he was a German by birth, and on account of fome youthful misfortunes he had chofen his prefent retreat.

An obliging correfpondent has promised to favour the Editor of the Columbian Phenix with thefe papers, which will be regularly prefented to the public.

THE

CARIB.

GENEROUS [From a late European Publication.]

ON N one of those happy iflands whofe ever-verdant fhores are laved by the billows of the Weftern Ocean; where nations, falfely called civilized, never carried the defolating fword of conqueft; in the bofom of a thick grove of mangoes, the generous Orra had fixed his habitation. From the hour his eyes first beheld the light of heaven, he had been accuftomed only to the fame delightful Spot. From infancy he had been taught day by day to travel the fands, and fupply the wants of nature from the finny productions of the deep. Unaccuftomed to the toils of cultivation, or the cares of traffic, he spent the

morning of his days in a regular fucceffion of innocent amufements. As he fat on the rock, he warbled in untaught numbers, while his eyes wandered over the extenfive ocean, and marked the progrefs of the diftant fails immerging, disappearing, or taking different directions. He looked on thofe as the ordinary productions of nature, though ignorant of their properties or their utility; nor deemed them other than what they feemed-vaft obobjects floating on the unstable billows, without cause or without effect. He obferved the mighty orb of day rife in all its majefty, and defcend in all its magnificence,

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