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Untitled Article
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Twas night—and I looked on the spangled sky , And the thousands of worlds that were rolling by ; The moonbeams slept on the silver deep , And the hum of voices was hushed in sleep , Not a sound was heard , save the night-wind's sigh , That whispered of peace and harmony . And I said can it be , that the Author of these
Is a God of vengeance that none can appease ? I will not , I cannot , believe it true , While all these things are before my view . Ah ! think ' st thou not that they clearly prove A Father ' s mercy—a Father ' s love ? Manchester , 1831 . H . H .
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Refinement of character arises from sensibility . It is that delicate perception of the feelings and wishes of others , which enables us to avoid whatever will give them pain , or be offensive to them , and to enter into their tastes , their sympathies , or
aversions . It requires cultivation of mind , quickness of discernment ^ and a constant habit of observation to carry it to any perfection ; and even with all these , if it be not grounded on Christian principle , and connected with the exercise of the benevolent affections , it may be so far from being productive of good , that in some instances it has been known to be in itself a primary source of
irritability and unhappiness . It is always so when self is the principal object of its attention ; when , instead of consulting the comfort , or increasing the enjoyment of others , entering into their situation , or attending to their wishes , it is occupied with a morbid anxiety about personal gratification , and a sickly sensibility to personal injuries ; for unless the self-command and amiable
dispositions of a character preponderate , the cultivation of its perceptions and the acuteness of its taste are only so many new avenues to misery . If observation of human character , for instance , be principally directed to the faults and peculiarities of others , instead of resting on their virtues and valuable qualities , the more perfect such a perception is , the greater torment it must bring to its
possessor . If it only enables us to see the weakness and imperfection of those around us in a more striking point of view , surely it were well exchanged even for obtuseness or ignorance . In this case , even those we love will not be exempted from our Argus-eyed scrutiny ; and everything in the conduct of others will be brought to judgment as it has a bearing on our own personal feelings , till
at last we cease to value actions for their intrinsic beauty or merit , and become ourselves the standard by which we judge of others . Refinement is also something apt to give rise to an indifference to common blessings . In some characters it creates imaginary wants ; and they pass over the deep , rich , daily bounties of God ' s providence ; they forget , the thankfulness due for them , in craving
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ON REFINEMENT OF CHARACTER ,
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Tke Light of Nature . 1 : 87
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), March 2, 1832, page 187, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1808/page/43/
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