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Show ceived more difficult than to bring about an Amendment of any thing, however univerfally ken and confelfed to be wrong. The N umbors to be confulted and fatisfied with every public Meafure, together with the licentioufncfs of the People,. who confider the Privilege of clamouring as the Birth-right of Englilhmen, and above all, the endlefs Animalities fubfilling between thofe who differ, they know not about what; or between thofe who are in, and thofe who would be in; thefe unhappy Gircumllances attending Liberty render it extremely hard to bring about any material general Alteration or Amendment. THEOPHILUS therefore endeavoured co put up with Difappointments of his benevolent Ddigns, and to content himfelf with doing all the goodhe could in a more private Way. He ofc~n faid, be had no Conception of the Prudence of l'erfons, . who could let an Opportunity of doing a good . Action flip unimproved, whilll thofe very Perfans would not let flip an Opportunity of getting twenty Shillings .. And they mull have ftrange Notions, he would fay, of the Divine Good nets, . who can imagine, chat ever a well-intended Action will go finally unrewarded~ or that the meanell honell Action or Intention will not procure a Reward better than twenty Shillings, or than all the Wealth of this World. He therefore did not care how much good he himfelf did or encouraaed others to.do. He was almoll conllantly one i~ every ufeful Allociation, and laudable Scheme, and the detached Acts of Charity and Benevolence he did, by the Mediation of myfelf and others, are beyond reckoning. I need hardly obferve to you, that one, who had the rational, extenlive, and fublime Views, ;~, whi•~· ( 79 ) which THEOPHILUS had, of Religion, and ~ts infinite ObjeCt, was far from being b~go_ted to any little Subdivilion, or Sect among Ch;tlltans. At the fame Time, I verily believe, no 1 emptation whatever would have prevailed to draw him into any the moll inconGderable criminal Compliance, or Conformity contrary to th~ fpontaneous and unforced DiCtates of hos Confciencc, which got him, among fame People, the Character of a formal, and obllmatc Man; for many confound the Virtue of Integrity with the V tee of Bigotry. I mull not too far trefpafs upon your Time, by fetting down all the Particulars I know to my Friend's Advantage. Nor mull I reprefent him to a Perfon of your Judgment, as a faultlcfs Chaneter. ·You know, fuch a one never exilled. THEOPHILUS had a Blemilh; but it was a pard0nable I had almoll (aid, an amiable one. His natural' Temper was a little (anguine. He on fame Occalions thought too deeply; fpok-e too eagerly; and acted too vigoroully. But, a~ the TenorofhisThoughts, his Words,and h1sActions, was ever on the virtuous Side, the worll Confequence of his Warmth of Temper was, his being looked upon by narrow-minded, and phlegmattc .Men a~ a' Perfon of an odd Turn of Mind, which preju,diced them againll him, and fomecimes defeated, or embarralled his Schemes for the Advantage of Mankind. My worthy and ever honoured Friend was in lhort every Thing, but an Angel; and that :he ·will be in due Time. He was what I would giYe the World to be ; and if I could at a venture, wilh my own Soul in the Place of any I ever knew, it would be that of THEOPHILUS. The |