THE RURAL SOCRATES. 77 



ff and was overwhelmed with melancholy. In this {ItUt 

 f* ation, I fufFered mylelf to be feduced by thofe wht) 

 *' ftyje themfelves, Pietifls or the Ele£l (being Herren- 

 *' hiiters or the followers of Zin^endorf) ; and 1 pafTed 

 *' all my hours in reading and praying ; but I grew flill 

 *' more reftlefs and diflarbed, 1 am obliged to my ex- 

 *' cejlent wife for leading me back to true religion : It 

 *' was fhe who feprefented to me the ruin that threat- 

 '*ened our affairs, and perfuaded me again to fet my 

 !^' band to the plough. An immediate reflexion fuc- 

 *5 cceded, that being placed, by Providence, in the clafs 

 ** of peaHints, I was caljed upon to cultivate the earth ; 

 *' and to bring up my children to the lame bufinefs. 

 '^ From that inflaiu, I refolved to appjy my whole at- 

 *' tention to my farm, and never to be a moment idle. 

 " I iikewife refolved to acfl towards all men, as i wiflied 

 *' in fimilar circUmriances, they fiiould a6l towards me ; 

 *' a maxim which, according to the words of our Sa- 

 *' viour, includes all the law aftd the prop/iets,^ After 

 *' thefe refolutions my heart grew lighter every day ; 

 " and when, in hoursof relaxation,! read a chapter of the 

 ^' bible, every thing appeared clear and diflincl: ; whilft 

 *' before all feemed clouded with oblcurity. Whenever 

 ^' I prayed, I experienced the mod comforting fenfa- 

 *^tions; and I was then convinced of the inefficacy of 

 "- devout forms, wher^ practical duties are neglected ; 

 " though when theie are fulfilled, they give an extraord]- 

 '' nary force to the mind.'- 



Kliyogg was now filent, I thus continued the con-^ 

 veriatiQU — '' You have reafoned admirably, my" dear 

 "Kliyogg and I acknowledge the truth of all you ad- 

 *' vance ; but your labors and mine are extremely dif^ 

 '' ferent. Yours confift in manual exercife, mine 

 "chiefly in what is contemplative ; which this deje£tion 

 " of ipiritsrenders me incapable of purlui'ng, what ever 



" efforts 



* MatN xxii. 40. fays, << On thefe two comrTsndirenfs ijot'e cf 

 Gjd snd /5Xf cfourndghhor) hang aU tbe hvt and the prcohcts/' F 



