There is a set of religious, or rather moral, writings which teach that virtue is the certain road to happiness, and vice to misery in this world. A very wholesome and comfortable doctrine, and to which we have but one objection, namely, that it is not true.

The passion of acquiring riches in order to support a vain expense corrupts the purest souls.

To be faithful in prayer it is indispensable that we arrange all the activities of the day with a regularity that nothing can disturb

Worry is the cross which we make for ourselves by over anxiety.

When kings interfere in matters of religion, they enslave instead of protecting it.

In the light of eternity we shall see that what we desired would have been fatal to us, and that what we would have avoided was essential to our well-being.

Do we accustom ourselves to see all things in the light of faith? Do we correct all our judgments by it? Alas! The greater part of Christians think and act like mere heathens; if we judge (as we justly may) of their faith by their practice, we must conclude they have no faith at all.