The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca

^44LETTER?, TRACTS, life.this refpecr they fee great caufe to beat time and goalong witli them. Here we have made a iniall devia--tion from the ancients, neceflltated to do fo by thatchange in manners and opinions wliich hath beenproduced in a courfe of ages, always advancing tofurther improvement. The defire of making a littlemoney is now a part of foiid wifdom j^'-'i Jcp'itjfhifapiUIt is, if I may fo fay, embodied with, or hath becomethe. very foul and quinteflence of modern philofophy.But it is nothing to have the defire of money, withoutthe fkill of gratifying that defire ; and in this Ikillthe world will do us the jaftice to acknowledge, thatwe have already made feme very confiderable improvement.Let others examine the figure of the earth,its diflance from the fun, the variation of the needle, ^or caufes of the tides ; this is our favourite branch ofphilofophy,Orabunt cauflas mellusj ccElique meatusDcfcritent, radio et furgentia fidera dicent.Ha; tibi erunt artes.This we ftudy, in this we exercife ourfelves by nightand by day, in our houfes, our claiTes, our public andprivate walks ; ever ftriving to find out fome newcommendable method of increafing our revenues, andmaking the moft of our fmall affairs. When we areieen walking on the ftreet, fom.e of us with lank,rneagre, hollow cheek,' a demure count-enance, andferious air, the people believe that we are always inthe exercife of devotion ; but thev are fometimes mif-Taken. Interduw vulgiis reSium vidd eft uhi peccat. Itis true, we are ferious, and there is great propriety inour putting on that appearance •, for, in facrisfnnulatapro veris ao^cipiurdur^ as Scrvius hath judicioully remarked.But we are ferious in cultivating that brancho: true plrilofophy which is our province. And fijit^