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will prove them to have been the most arrant fools that ever lived on the face of the earth." The fault of not employing our talent for the public good is justly styled, "A great sacrilege in the temple of the God of Nature." It was a sad age of which Tacitus said "Indolent retirement was wisdom."*

PROPOSALS

TO CHURCH, CIVIL, AND MILITARY

OFFICERS.

It will be recollected, that one of our first proposals was, that every one should consider, "What can I do for the service of God, and the welfare of man?" It may be hoped that all OFFICERS, as such, will conform to what has been proposed. It should be the concern of all officers, from the highest to the lowest, to do all the good they can; there is, therefore, the less occasion to make a more particular application to inferior officers of various kinds, all of whom have opportunities to do good, more or less, in their hands. However, they shall not all have reason to complain of being neglected.

In some churches there are ELDERS,† who “rule well," though they do not "labour in the word and doctrine." It becomes such persons often to enquire, "What shall I do to prevent strife, or any other sin, that may become a root of bitterness in the church; and that Christ, and holiness may reign in it; and that the ministry of the pastor may be countenanced, encouraged, and prospered ?" Their visits of the flock, and their endeavour to prepare the people for special ordinances, may be of great advantage to the state of religion.

There are DEACONS also, with whom the temporal. affairs of the church are entrusted. It would be well, if they would frequently inquire: "What may I do that the treasury of Christ may be increased? What may I do that the life of my faithful pastor may be

*Inertia fuit sapientia.

In primitive times, Ecclesia seniores habuit—the church had its elders.

rendered more comfortable? What members of the flock do I think deficient in their contributions to support the interests of the gospel, and what shall I say, "with great boldness in the faith" to them, on this subject?"

In the STATE there are many officers, to whom the most significant and comprehensive proposal that can be made would be, To consider their oaths. If they would seriously reflect on the duties to which their oaths oblige them, and would carefully perform those duties, a great deal of good would be done. But we must a little particularize :

As the REPRESENTATIVES of any place have opportunities to do good to the people at large, so they should be particularly solicitous for the good of that place which has elected them. Their inquiry should be, "What motions may I bring forward which will be for the public good, or for the advantage of my constituents?"

Those, whom we call the " SELECT MEN" of a town, will disappoint the expectations which are justly formed of them, if they do not diligently consider, "What shall I do that I may be a blessing to the town which I am now to serve ?"

GRAND JURYMEN may very profitably inquire, "What growing evils or nuisances do I discover, which I shall do well to make public?" They should hold their consultations upon these matters, as men in earnest for the good of the country. Indeed all jurymen should be good men. Our old compellation of a neighbour by the title of goodman has this origin; it was as much as to say, one qualified to serve on a jury. Let such therefore answer their original designation, by doing good, and by contriving how they may do it.

Why should CONSTABLES be excused from these obligations? Their name (Constabularius) was first derived from the care of "making unruly horses stand well together in the stable." Sirs, you have it in your power to do much good by being "Masters of restraints," in your walks and otherwise, to unruly cattle. What are vicious persons, though perhaps in

Where TITHING-MEN, are chosen and s have an opportunity of doing more than a if they will conscientiously perform their them well study the laws which lay down and let them also make the same enquiry good may I do?" Let them consult with o at certain times, in order to find out what it in their power to do, and to assist and one another in doing it. I have now don civil list.

MILITARY COMMANDERS have their op to "do good." They do this in an emine when they support exercises of piety in the companies and regiments, and when they r vices of the camp with due severity. Mig cieties to suppress these vices be formed in t to very good purpose, under their inspectio soldiers ask, "What shall we do ?" all my present is, Sirs, consider what you have to do

COMMANDERS AT SEA have their opportun The more absolute they are in their com greater are their opportunities. The worsh seriously and constantly maintained aboard, a very happy effect. A body of good orders in the steerage may produce consequences f all the people in the vessel may at last hav to be thankful. Books of piety should also aboard, and the men should be desired to r the perusal of them, and for other pious exer

PROPOSALS TO LAWYERS.

BUT whilst our book seems to have so far ed its office and intention of a counsellor as to further expectations, a considerable number

just cause for complaint, if among proposals to do good, they should remain unnoticed, Some whom we do not find among those who addressed the blessed morning-star of our Saviour for his direction, ye are now found among those who inquire, " And what shall we do?" I refer to the GENTLEMEN OF THE LAW, who have that in their hands, the end of which is, "To do good;" and the perversion of which from its professed end is one of the worst of evils.

Gentlemen, your opportunities to do good are such, that proposals of what you are able to do, cannot but promise themselves an obliging reception with you. You have considerable advantages for this purpose, arising from your liberal and gentlemanly education: for with respect even to the common pleaders at the bar, I hope that maxim of the law will not be forgotten: "The situation of a lawyer is so dignified, that none should be raised to it from a mean condition in life."* Things are not come to so bad a state that an honest lawyer should require a statute, as the honest publican of old did, merely on the score of rarity. You may, if you aim at it, be entitled to one on the score of universal and meritorious usefulness.

In order to your being useful, Sirs, it is necessary that you should be skilful; and that you may arrive at an excellent skill in the law, you will be well advised what authors to study: on this point, it may be of the utmost consequence to be well advised. The knowledge of your own Statute law is incontestibly needful. The same may be said of the common law, which must continually accompany the execution of it. Here, besides useful dictionaries, you have your Cook, Vaughan, Windgate, &c. &c with whom you may converse. I am sorry to find a gentleman, about the middle of the former century, complaining of the English law, "that the books of it cannot be perused, with any deliberation, under three or four years, and that the expense of them is enormous." I do not propose so tedious a task; for the civil law must also

* Dignitas advocatorum non potitur ut in eam recipia tur, qui antea fuerat villioris conditionis.

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be known by those who would be fully acquainted with legal proceedings. Huge volumes, and loads of them, have been written upon it; but among these, two small ones, at least, should be consulted, and digested by every one who would not be an ignoramusI mean the Enchiridon of Corvinus, and Arthur Duck's Treatise De usu et authoritate juris civilis.* I will be still more free in declaring my cpinion. Had I learning enough to manage a cause of that nature, I should be ready to maintain it at any bar in the world, that there never was, under the cope of heaven, a more learned man, than the incomparable ALSTEDIUS. He has written on every subject in the whole circle of learning, as accurately and as exquisitely as those who have devoted their whole lives to the cultivation of any one particular subject. The only reason why his compositions are not more esteemed is, the pleonasm of his worth, and their desert of so much esteem. To hear some silly men ridicule his labours by a foolish pun on his name-All's tedious, is to see the ungrateful folly of the world; for conciseness is one of his peculiar excellencies. They might more justly charge him with any thing, than with tediousness. This digression only serves to introduce a recommendation of his "Jurisprudentia," as one of the best books in the world for a lawyer. I shall wrong it if I say "It is much in a little ;" I would rather say "It is all in one.”

A lawyer should be a scholar. It is vexatious that the emperor Justinian, whose name is now on the laws of the Roman empire,t is, by Suidas, called

Analphabetos-one who scarcely knew his alphabet." It is vexatious to find Accursius, one of the first commentators on the laws, fall into so many

* Concerning the use and authority of the common law. [A century has certainly produced other books of great value to the gentlemen of the law, but it was thought proper to retain the author's advice on this subject, as well as on others.]

They bear his name, because it was by his order that Tribonian made his hasty, and some say fallacious, collection of them, from the two thousand volumes, into which they had been growing for a thousand years.

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