ration of created things; namely, that we might be led by a sight of them to raise our views from the kingdom of nature to that of grace, and that the contemplation of God in his works might draw us to contemplate him in his word.

In the midst of these reflections, Mr. Johnson's attention was all of a sudden called off by the barking of a Shepherd's dog, and looking up he spied one of those little huts, which are here and there to be seen on those great downs; and near it was the Shepherd himself busily employed with his dog in collecting together his vast flock of sheep. As he drew nearer, he perceived him to be a clean, welllooking, poor man, near fifty years of age. His coat, though at first it had probably been of one dark colour, had been in a long course of years so often patched with different sorts of cloth, that it was now become hard to say which had been the original colour. But this, while it gave a plain proof of the Shepherd's poverty, equally proved the ex

ceeding, neatness, industry, and good management of his wife. His stockings no less proved her good housewifery, for they were entirely covered with darns of different coloured worsted, but had not a hole in them; and his shirt, though nearly as coarse as the sails of a ship, was as white as the drifted snow, and was neatly mended where time had either made a rent, or worn it thin. This furnishes a rule of judging, by which one shall seldom be deceived. If I meet with a labourer, hedging, ditching, or mending the highways, with his stockings and shirt tight and whole, however mean and bad his other garments are, I have seldom failed on visiting his cottage, to find that also clean and well ordered, and his wife notable, and worthy of encouragement. Whereas a poor woman, who will be lying a-bed, or gossiping with her neighbours when she ought to be fitting out her husband in a cleanly manner, will seldom be found to be very good in other respects.

This was not the case with our Shepherd and Mr. Johnson was not more struck with the decency of his mean and frugal dress, than with his open honest countenance, which bore strong marks of health, cheerfulness, and spirit.

Mr. Johnson, who was on a journey, and somewhat fearful from the appearance of the sky, that rain was at no great distance, accosted the Shepherd with asking what sort of weather he thought it would be on the morrow. "It will be "such weather as pleases me," answered the Shepherd. Though the answer was delivered in the mildest and most civil tone that could be imagined, the gentleman thought the words themselves rather rude and surly, and asked him how that could be. "Because, "Because," replied the Shepherd, "it will be such weather as shall "please God, and whatever pleases Him always pleases me.”

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Mr. Johnson, who delighted in good men and good things, was very well satisfied with his reply. For he justly thought

that though a hypocrite may easily contrive to appear better than he really is to a stranger; and that no one should be too soon trusted, merely for having a few good words in his mouth; yet as he knew that "out of the abundance of the heart "the mouth speaketh;" he always accustomed himself to judge favourably of those who had a serious deportment and solid manner of speaking. It looks as if it proceeded from a good habit, said he, and though I may now and then be deceived by it, yet it has not often hapWhereas if a man accosts me with an idle, dissolute, vulgar, indecent, or prophane expression, I have never been deceived in him, but have generally on inquiry found his character to be as bad as his language gave me room to expect.

pened to me to be so.

He entered into conversation with the Shepherd in the following manner : — "Your's is a troublesome life, honest

friend," said he." To be sure, Sir,"

replied the Shepherd, "'tis not a very

lazy life; but 'tis not near so toilsome "as that which my GREAT MASTER led "for my sake; and he had every state "and condition of life at his choice, and "chose a hard one; while I only submit "to the lot that is appointed me.”— "You are exposed to great cold and heat," said the gentleman. "True, Sir," said the Shepherd; "but then I "am not exposed to great temptations; " and so throwing one thing against

another, God is pleased to contrive to "make things more equal than we poor, "ignorant, short-sighted creatures, are "apt to think. David was happier when "he kept his father's sheep on such a

plain as this, and employed in singing "some of his own psalms perhaps, than "ever he was when he became king of "Israel and Judah. And I dare say we "should never have had some of the most "beautiful texts in all those fine Psalms, "if he had not been a shepherd, which "enabled him to make so many fine "comparisons and similitudes, as one may