' 'i
 
 L A D Y * 
 RELIGION.
 
 w V .
 
 Lady' 
 
 RELIGION. 
 
 I N T W O 
 
 LETTERS 
 
 To the Honourable 
 
 Lady HOWARD. 
 
 The THIRD EDITION, 
 
 By a Divine of the CHURCH of England. 
 
 To which ii added, 
 
 A Letter to a LADY on the DEATH 
 of her H u s B A N D, 
 
 By tfa Editor. 
 
 LONDON, 
 
 Printed for W. OWEN at Homer's Head 
 near Temple-Bar. 
 MDCCXLV1IL
 
 THE 
 
 EDITOR 
 
 T O T H E 
 
 READER. 
 
 following excellent Treat iff 
 of Religion^ is become extremely 
 fcarce, and it is impoffible by any 
 Means to meet with any Number of 
 them j / thought it would be of Ad- 
 vantage therefore to Chriftianity, and 
 to the Publick, to caufe it to be re- 
 printed. 
 
 We are told^ in the Preface to the 
 loft Edition, that it is tranjlated into 
 
 Several modern Languages \ and that 
 the following particular critical Ob~ 
 
 fer nation on it, annex' d to the French 
 ^ranjlation^ was prefix' d to that E- 
 dition, in Hopes (to life the Publificr's 
 Expreffion) that the impartial Judg- 
 ment of fo able a Critick, may delight 
 a the 
 
 2007935
 
 ii The PREFACE 
 
 the Reader and recommend the Book. 
 It is a Letter of Remarks, written, 
 as it is univerfally believ'd, by the 
 great Monf. Le Clerc, well known in 
 the learned World, for his extraordi- 
 nary Skill in Criticifm ; and if we ap- 
 ply what he fays of the Divines in 
 Holland, to the Divines and Writings 
 cf our own Time and Country, it will 
 make his Obfervations appear more 
 jufl and ufeful. 
 
 Indeed I believe and it-i* almoft 
 the only good 'Thing to be faid for the 
 prefent Times , that there is a great- 
 er Spirit of Moderation, and Chriflian 
 Charity in the World, than prevailed 
 in the Times when this Book was pub- 
 lift d. But we Jlill find a prodigious 
 Jncreafe of Treatifes, ElTays, Demon- 
 ftrations, Remarks, and Controver- 
 iies, in Religion, which Religion itfelf 
 has nothing at all to do with ; and 
 which tho* they may Jheiv the great 
 Reading, and Learning, yet fildom 
 
 Jhew
 
 to the E D i T o R. iii 
 
 ffsew the Spirit of Chriftianity in the 
 Writers of them *. 
 
 When Ifrfl red the following 
 ters, is was at the Requefl of a Lady, 
 whom 1 knew indeed to have good 
 Senfe, and to be a Reader of Books, 
 without confining herfelfto Plays, and 
 Romances, on the one Hand, or Books 
 of Devotion and Serioufnefs on the 
 other ; the? in the Affair of Religion, 
 I apprehended that the Nelfon's, Wil- 
 Ibn's, Law's, and juch like, had been 
 moft her Tafle. 
 
 When I heard the Title of the Book, 
 A Lady's Religion, &c, I expected to 
 
 find in if, Formularies of Devotion, 
 Prayers for particular Days, Direc- 
 tions for Clofet Exercifes, Confeffions of 
 a Lift of Sins, and Receipts for Saint- 
 
 fttip, but to my great Difappointment, 
 I found, inftead of thefe t a moft 
 rational Trcafife j telling her Lady- 
 
 * See the Books of Mr. iy-~bn and his 
 
 Frie nd s 
 
 a 2 Jbip\
 
 itr The PREFACE 
 
 hipt 'what in Religion was truly GooJ y 
 and what accidentally fo j 'what foe 
 cught not to be fatisffd without, and 
 what Jhe might innocently not concern 
 her je If with ; in a Word^ what would 
 carry her to Heaven Jafely, and what 
 anfioer'd no other Purpofe^ than either 
 to. furmjh Matter of Di/pute for 
 wrong-headed quarreljome Divines, 
 or to dijlinguijh Religious Seffv, or to 
 employ the idle Hours of Devotees. 
 
 Author's Notion of the Sacra- 
 ment, I found to be 'the fame t as in 
 a late famous 'Treatife of the Bifoop 
 cfW -- r's, and what he fays of 
 Preparation for it, almoft in the fame 
 I7ords* j and yet this Rook was origi- 
 nally publijh'd in the Tear 1697, as 
 well as a fccond 'Time in 1704. How 
 unjuft therefore was the Conjeture t 
 that this was an entire new Notion of 
 
 * A plain Account of the Nature and End 
 of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. 1735. 
 
 that
 
 to the E D i T o R. v 
 
 that Prelates own, and 'which the 
 
 World was obliged for, only to his 
 Lordftip ! 
 
 The great Demand which has been 
 made for the following Letters, will 
 juftify this Edition ; and the Obferva- 
 tions contained in the Preface of that 
 learned and judicious foreigner, will 
 make any other Reflexions upon the 
 Books unneceffary. 
 
 1 ivijh I could fay as much for the 
 Letter I have added \ as I can for the 
 other two, it was wrote feme Tears 
 ago, and fent privately to a Lady, 
 to whom I was a Stranger, but whofe 
 Grief on the Death of her Hufband, 
 was inconfolable to a Degree almofl 
 incredible j and it is now publijh'd 
 from the fame Motive, the Hopes of 
 being ufeful to others infuch Affliction, 
 
 F. W. 
 
 THE
 
 i 
 
 THE 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 T O T H E 
 
 French Tranflation. 
 
 do not not know whe- 
 ther this fmall Trea- 
 tife, will meet in the World, with 
 more Criticks, or Admirers j but 
 whatfoever happens, as I have told 
 you already, fo I tell you again, 
 that in my Judgment it is an excel- 
 lent Book ; mould any one convince 
 me of the contrary, I fball readily 
 renounce the Opinion I have of it. 
 But as I am as yet perfwaded, that 
 this fmall Treatife contains nothing 
 but what is every Way conformable 
 to Reafon, and the Doctrine whicK 
 yefus Chrift came to preach upon 
 the Earth ; fo I am ready to declare 
 as much to any one who fhall afk 
 my Opinion herein. I am always 
 
 us'd
 
 the FRENCH Trwijlation. vii 
 
 us'd to do fo in what relates to any 
 important Truth j being of Opinion, 
 that a Man cannot be filent on fuch ' 
 an Occafion without betraying his 
 Confcience. 
 
 If I am not miftaken, the De- 
 lign of our Author was to make ap- 
 pear, that the Chriftian Religion 
 ought to be levell'd and accommoda- 
 ted to the Reach of the meaneft Ca- 
 pacity ; and that by Confequence it 
 ought not to be confounded with 
 thofe fubtle and abftrufe Queftions 
 with which Divines make fo great 
 a Noife, and upon which they have 
 wrangled for fo many Ages : This, 
 I fay, is the Defign which the Au- 
 thor of this Work propos'd to him- 
 felf ; and in which, it feems to me, 
 he has very happily fucceeded, in 
 giving us a true and faithful Defcrip- 
 tion of Religion, fuch as Jefus Chrtfl 
 taught Mankind ; full of Wifdom, 
 eafy to be explain'd, and every Way 
 adapted to the Capacity of the Illi- 
 terate
 
 viii ttf P R E FACE to 
 
 terate, of Women, and of the mean- 
 eft Sort of People, that is to fay, of 
 the greateft Part of Mankind. 
 
 Suppofing then that Religion is 
 for the Ufe of the Vulgar and Un- 
 learned, which no one, I believe, 
 will be fo bold as to deny, I do not 
 fee what can reafonably be obje&ed 
 againft the Defign of our Author, or 
 his Manner of Performance ; the 
 Defcription he gives us of Religion 
 reprefents it to be of eafy Examina- 
 tion, and extremely clear and plain. 
 Now, is it not requifite that it fhould 
 have thefe Qualifications to be with- 
 in the Reach of the greatefl Part of 
 Men t who being neceflarily obliged, 
 as our Author obferves, to provide 
 for their own and the Neceffities of 
 their Families, and to perform the 
 common Duties of Life, cannot ap- 
 ply themfelves to the Examination 
 of a Religion, that mould be hard to 
 be underftood, or requiring a long 
 Examination. 
 
 Shall
 
 the FRENCH Yranjlathn. ix 
 Shall we object, that our Author 
 has forgot feveral famous Controver- 
 fies in Divinity ? But if the Controver- 
 fies make any Part of Religion, we 
 mull then retradl what we but now 
 fuppofed, viz, that the Chr.ijllan Re- 
 ligion ought to be for the Ufe of 
 the Simple, and Illiterate, as well as 
 for the Learned. We muft then 
 fay, that Religion was given to Men 
 only to exercife their Wit, or to im- 
 prove their Talents in difputing with 
 one another ; whereas, if we may 
 believe St. Paul, God revealed it to 
 us to teach us to put away our evil 
 Habits, and to live foberly^ righteoujly, 
 find godly in tbisprefent World. 
 
 I fee plainly, that to judge of Reli- 
 gion by the Idea which the Apoftk 
 gives us thereof in that Place, it is 
 admirably calculated for the Ufe of 
 all thofe Perfons who are incapable of 
 a long Application of Mind, and who 
 have neither Penetration nor Leifure 
 enough to give up themfelves to the 
 
 Study
 
 x We PREFACE to 
 
 Study of curious and fubtle Inquiries, 
 not eafily to be refolved. 
 
 But I cannot comprehend how the 
 fame Judgment can be made of the 
 Controveriies which have feign'd a- 
 mong Divines for fo long a Time ; 
 they are fo very abftrufe, that even 
 among thofe who make it their Stu- 
 dy to explain them to others, there 
 are but few who perfectly compre- 
 hend what they turn upon. Yet it 
 is not fufficient to know well the 
 knotty Part of the Queftion, unlefs 
 we can give the true Solution of it. 
 But cananyThing be more difficult, 
 than pofitively and abfolutely to de- 
 termine a Matter among fo great a 
 Number of different Opinions ? No 
 fooner hath a Divine pafs'd his Judg- 
 ment upon one of thefe Controver- 
 fies, but he is immediately oppos'd 
 by other Divines, who give quite an- 
 other Determination : Upon which 
 others arife, who make up a third 
 Party follow'd by a fourth, which 
 
 being
 
 Tranflation. xi 
 
 being contrary to all three, is again 
 attack' d by frefh Combatants. Now 
 if Religion mould confift of fuch 
 Controverfies as thefe, what will be- 
 come of the poor illiterate Laity, 
 who are not able to underftand even 
 the very Words or Terms made 
 ufe of in thefe Difputes ? Muft poor 
 Country People adhere to their Cu- 
 rate's or Minifter's Determination 
 blindly, and without comprehending 
 it? 
 
 But fuppofmg that we could un- 
 derftand ou* Divines Determinations 
 (of which Expedience fhews us the 
 contrary) is That fufficient to give 
 us a Right to approve of them ? No 
 certainly ; for we muft alfo under- 
 ftand the Reafons of their Adverfa- 
 ries : And then having compared 
 the Strength of their Arguments 
 with that of our Divines, we are to 
 embrace and adhere only to that O- 
 pinion .which fhall appear moil a- 
 greeable to Reafon. People may 
 
 cavil
 
 xii We PREFACE to 
 cavil as much as they pleafe, but 
 after all, this is a Matter, which, ac- 
 cording to the Law of Juftice and 
 Equity cannot be difpenc'd with. 
 You, and I, know very well fuch and 
 fuch a Minifter, who preaches every 
 Day againft certain Hereticks, hath 
 never feen fo much as the Covers 
 of their Books, nor knows their Ti- 
 tles; Pray tell me, how can we in 
 good Confcience determine ourfelves 
 upon what fuch Divines mall lay to 
 the Charge of their pretended Here- 
 ticks ? Should we approve of a Ma- 
 hometan who would believe all that 
 a Faquir^ who had never red the Gof- 
 pel, mould deliver in a Mofque againft 
 the Cbriftian Religion ? The Cafe is 
 exactly parallel. 
 
 You will, perhaps, reply, That a 
 Preacher of Controverfy doesnot only 
 eftablifh his own Opinion, but at the 
 fame Time he confutes that of his 
 Adverfaries ; and though he has not 
 red their Books, yet he has feen PaA 
 
 fages
 
 the FRENCH Tranjlation. xiit' 
 jfages taken from them in the Books 
 of fome learned Profeflbr of his own 
 Party. But, Sir, who will afTure you, 
 that this Preacher or Profeflbr has 
 given a true and impartial Account 
 of the Opinions which they refute ? 
 How will you know that they do 
 not difguife or fupprefs fome of the ' 
 beft, and ftrongeft of their Adverfa- 
 ry's Arguments ? We fee daily, that 
 a Story, in which nobody has any 
 Intereft, is chang'd and falfify'd as 
 it paffes through different Mouths. 
 With how much greater Reafon 
 ought we to fear and fufpecl, that a 
 Man who undertakes to refute ano- 
 ther in the Prefence of a numerous 
 Affembly, will either willingly or 
 otherwife, weaken, as much as pof- 
 fible, his Adverfary's Reafons, the 
 more eafily to deftroy them, and 
 thereby to fecure to himfelf the Ho- 
 nour of a Triumph ? Therefore it 
 would be an A6t of great Temerity 
 to condemn thofe whom the Chiefs 
 
 b of 
 
 '
 
 xiv tte PREFACE to 
 
 of any Party are pleas'd to ftile He- 
 
 reticks y without reading them. 
 
 Betides, tho' our Divines and 
 Preachers mould have given us a 
 faithful Account of their Arguments, 
 we cannot condemn them upon fuch 
 a Report, without being guilty of 
 the greateft Partiality j for a Judge 
 that mould condemn a Man upon 
 the bare Report of his Adverfary y 
 without ever hearing what he could 
 fay in his own Defence, is an unjuft 
 Judge, tho' in reality his Sentence 
 be according to Juftice. An Heathen 
 Poet hath long fince told us that, 
 
 %ui Jlatult aliquid, parte inauditd 
 
 JEquum licet ftatuerit> baud aquus 
 fuerit* 
 
 If the Heathens have known, by 
 the fole Light of Nature, that no 
 body ought to be condemned, with- 
 out having been heard, how can we 
 
 difpenfe
 
 the FRENCH Tr (inflation, xv 
 
 dii'penfe with ourfelves for not ob- 
 ferving that Rule, which Jefus Chrift 
 liimfdf hath taught us in thefe ex- 
 prefs Terms, Judge not that ye be not 
 
 judged ? 
 
 It may poffibly be reply'd by fome 
 good Perlbns, that Precautions arc 
 by no means fo necefTary in the 
 Church^ as in the Civil State, becaufe 
 Divines have fiich tender Confci- 
 ences, as not to difguife or weaken 
 the Strength and Senfe of their Ad- 
 verfary's Reafons. But, alas! they 
 know little of the World who talk 
 after this Manner. We need but 
 hear the Divines themfelves in order 
 to be convinc'd, that it is not fafe at 
 all to depend upon their Fidelity. 
 
 For without running back into 
 the Hiftory of the firft Ages, when 
 ths Bifhops, true Court- Weather- 
 Cocks, turn'd about with every lit- 
 tle Wind, to conform themfelves to 
 the Pleafure of the Prince; I fay, 
 b 2 with-
 
 v xvi -Me PREFACE to 
 
 without running back fo far, do we 
 jnot every Day hear the Divines com- 
 plaining of their Adverfary's Unfaith- 
 ftilnefs, reproaching one another for 
 being made to fpeak againft the^ 
 own Minds, for horrible Opinions, 
 for odious and deteftable Confequen- 
 ces imputed to them, fuch as they 
 never once dreamt of ? Nor are thefe 
 Reproaches to be found only among 
 Divines of different Communions - f 
 but even they of the fame Party, 
 whenever divided about the Expli- 
 cation of fome particular Text or 
 Doctrine, do the fame Thing. One 
 may fee them in fuch a Cafe, falling 
 upon one another with greater Rage 
 and Fury, than if they were writing 
 againft the profeffed Enemies of their 
 Society. We hear of nothing but 
 falfe Imputations, imperfect Quo- 
 tations, and malignant Reflections. 
 And if we believe the reciprocal 
 Complaints of each Party, we mall 
 find Reafon to conclude, that 
 
 One's
 
 Tranjlation. xvii 
 
 One 's in the Right, and 
 
 T'other is not Wrong. 
 
 Furthermore, Divines who meet 
 together to examine thofe fcandalous 
 Quarrels of their Brethren, and put 
 an End to the Difpute by a defini- 
 tive Decree or Sentence ; Divines, I 
 fay, fo affembled, Wreft and Difguile 
 the Sentiments of one of the Parties, 
 and make them fpeak another Senfe 
 than what was really theirs. The 
 late Difference, between Monfieur 
 Saurin and Monfieur Jitrieu, will 
 here prefent itfelf to my Memory 
 whether I will or no. I leave it to 
 you to make the Application. One 
 needs only to read the Prefaces of 
 thefe two famous Antagonists, to be 
 fully convinc'd, that he would do 
 himfelf an Injury to place a blind and 
 implicit Dependance on the Truth 
 and Fidelity of Divines, whether 
 apart or in Convocation, and this ac- 
 cording to their own Confeffion. 
 
 The
 
 *\viii' ?be PREFACE to 
 
 The Conclufion from what has 
 been faid, is- this, that Religion does 
 not confift in thofe fubtle and ab- 
 ftrufe Queftions, about which Di- 
 vines have been divided in their O- 
 pinions, for ib many Ages; fmcethe 
 Common People do not underftand 
 them, and are in an abfolute Incapa- 
 city ever to do fo; for does not 
 Jefus Cbrift exprefly jdeclare, that 
 he came to preach the Gofpel to the 
 Poor ? from whence it necerTarily 
 follows, that his Doctrine ought to 
 be proportionate to their Capacities : 
 And fuch it is in Effect, as any one 
 may fee plainly, by reading over the 
 Gofpel-, as the Author of this Book 
 hath in few Words clearly made 
 out. 
 
 We may conclude alfo from hence, 
 that we ought to take care, that we 
 make not ourfelves a Party with 
 Divines, by Jiding in their paffionate 
 Contejis, fince it is not in our Power 
 perfectly to know the Differences be- 
 tween
 
 the FRENCH Tranjlation. xix 
 tween them: There being no Dan- 
 ger in a Man's forbearing to give his 
 Judgment upon thefe Matters, which 
 he does not underftand ; but we 
 cannot lawfully condemn both the 
 Opinions of a Man, and the Man 
 himfelf, (for in true Divinity thefe 
 two go all together) without juft and 
 cogent Reafons moving us fo to do. 
 This is vifibly expofing ourfelves to 
 the fame Punimments, which we 
 judge to be due to them whom we 
 condemn fo rafhly ; that is, if we 
 damn a Man for holding fuch or 
 fuch Opinion, which we ourfelves, 
 by our own Study and Diligence, 
 could not be throughly acquainted 
 with, have we not Reafon to fear 
 leaft we alfo mould incur the fame 
 Damnation, for paffing fo rafli and 
 hafty a Judgment ? The Declaration 
 which JESUS CHRIST hath made us 
 in this Cafe cannot be more exprefs 
 than it is j Judge, not, (faith that Di- 
 vine Preacher) that you be not judged, 
 for WITH WHAT Judgment 
 
 you
 
 xx The PREFACE to 
 you Judge, you Jhall be judged. And 
 WITH WHAT: Meafure you 
 mete, it /hall be meted to you again. 
 Mat. vii. j, 2. 
 
 To be able to pronounce deci- 
 fively upon the Difputes of Divines, 
 one muft plunge himfelf over-head 
 in reading a great many large Vo- 
 lumes, full of barbarous and unintel- 
 ligible Terms, and alfo of intricate 
 and endlefs Queftions. But our Pro- 
 feffion does not allow us to play 
 away our Time : Let us not then 
 concern ourfelves in judging of fuch 
 Controverfies, but rather leave to the 
 Dwines, the forry Comfort of difpu- 
 ting eternally and bitterly againfl 
 thofe who contradict then*. I am 
 in doubt whether they will fave them- 
 felves by thofe Means j but this I am 
 fure of, that we mould run the Rifk 
 of loofing ourfelves, if we mould 
 fecond them in their paffionate Con- 
 tefts ; not knowing why, or for 
 what Caufe we do fo. It is fuffici- 
 
 ent
 
 the FRENCH T^ranjlation. xxi 
 ent to fatisfy ourfelves with the 
 Knowledge of God's Will, as it is 
 clearly revealed to us in the Goipel. 
 Let us endeavour all we can to put 
 it in Pradice : Let us love one 
 another, and do unto others as we 
 would they mould do unto us : Let 
 us live without envying, being con- 
 tented with that State of Life which 
 God has been pleas'd to call us to ; 
 and let us labour in earnefl to correct 
 in ourfelves what we find amifs, and 
 to make continual Improvements in 
 Virtue ; and by this Means, when 
 this Life is ended, to fecure to our 
 felves the Poffeflion of an eternal 
 Happinefs. This is properly our 
 Bufmefs ; and it is no fmall Work 
 if we acquit our felves therein as we 
 ought to do. 
 
 Having thus freely given you my 
 Thoughts concerning Divines and 
 their Difputes, I perceive that I have 
 fpoken in too general a Manner* 
 We mufl give every one his Due.
 
 xxii tte PREFACE to 
 It is not true that all Divines are e- 
 qually infatuated with Theological 
 Controverlies. There are fome who 
 fay with St. yames, that Pure Reli- 
 gion and undefiled before God, is to 
 ^ifit the Father Icfs and the Widows, 
 and to keep himfelf unfpotted jrom the 
 World. Such is the Author of the 
 Lady's Religion ; for he is a Divine 
 of the Church of England: You 
 know it no otherwife than by the 
 Title, which often times is Deceit- 
 ful : But I was inform'd fo by a 
 learned Englijh Gentleman, who 
 writ to me from London ; and af- 
 fured me of it as of a known and 
 unqueftionable Truth. 
 
 Give me leave to add one Word 
 more upon the Occasion of writing 
 this Book. You muft know that 
 the Author being confulted by the 
 Lady Howard, upon the Manner of 
 preparing ones felf for the Holy Com- 
 munion, took Occafion from thence 
 to draw this excellent Portrai&ure 
 
 of
 
 the FRENCH T^ranjlation. xxiii 
 of the Chriftian Religion, to the End 
 that he might mew, what are the 
 Duties which its Profeffion obliges 
 us to, at all Times j both before, at, 
 and after our preparing for that Ho- 
 ly Ceremony. Do you not admire 
 this Anfwer ? for my Part I am of 
 Opinion, that our Author could not 
 have given a more excellent Proof of 
 his folid Judgement, and the Know- 
 ledge he hath of the true Nature 
 and Genius of Religion. The moffc 
 Part of Men reduce Religion to 
 fome particular Acts of Devotion, 
 practis'd at certain fet Times ; but 
 they are grofly Miftaken : Religion 
 does not confift in certain Formali- 
 ties, depending on certain Times 
 and Places, but in a conftant Habit 
 of Watching over our Conduct, of 
 conquering our Paffions, and ftu- 
 dying incefTantly to grow more and 
 more Virtuous. This is what your 
 Author has happily made good, and 
 wherein he has given us fuch ex- 
 cellent Directions, which, if ferioufly 
 
 apply 'd
 
 xxiv The PREFACED. 
 
 apply'd to and practis'd, will be of 
 great Ufe and Service in the Refor- 
 mation of Manners. This, in my 
 Judgement, is one of the beft Per- 
 formances in his Treatife
 
 ( I ) 
 
 A 
 
 LAD Y's 
 
 RELIGION. 
 
 MADAM, 
 
 SINCE God has been pleas'd to 
 incline your Heart to an early 
 and ferious Enquiry after Religion, 
 fo that you are fincerely defirous to 
 know the Will of God, in order to 
 do it, I heartily wim you had laid 
 your Commands upon one more 
 able to afiift you than I am j who, 
 being bred up in an Age of Spe- 
 culation and Controverfy, have ad- 
 didled myfelf to the Study of Di- 
 vinity, more perhaps than to the 
 Practice of Religion ; and have 
 been (I pray God forgive me) more 
 defirous to furnim my Head with 
 Notions, than my Heart with good 
 A Inclinations.
 
 2 A Lady s Religion. 
 
 Inclinations. I thought my felf, by 
 my ProfefTion, chiefly engag'd in 
 a Study, how to defend the Church, 
 by Law eftablifh'd, againft all Dif- 
 fenters, rather than to promote the 
 common Caufe of ferious Piety ; and 
 whilft by the ftrange unaccountable 
 Genius of this Age, I have been led 
 afideto mix the Study of Politics 
 with that of Religion, I have been 
 bufily affifting the Office of a Mi- 
 nifter of State, rather than doing the 
 good Work of a Minifter ofjefus 
 
 Now altho' it has pleas'd God to 
 make me in fome meafure fenfible 
 of thofe By-paths, in which I have 
 fometimes walk'd, to the hinderance 
 of that Duty unto which I ought 
 intirely to have devoted myfelf ; yet 
 I am apt to fear left thofe Prejudices 
 and undue Prepofleffions of Mind 
 may ftill remain within me, by 
 which I mail be prevented from giv- 
 ing your Lady fhip fuch an Idea of 
 
 Religion,
 
 A Lady's Religion. 3 
 
 Religion, as is fhort, plain, and pure> 
 free from fuperftitious Appendages, 
 and feparate from every By-intereft. 
 
 But, witheut doubt, fuch as this is 
 the true Spirit of the Chriftian Reli- 
 gion ; every Line whereof directly 
 tends to make us eafy within our 
 felves, kind and comfortable to one 
 another here, and happy with God 
 hereafter. 
 
 That our holy Religion is a wife 
 Inftitution, will be evident to any 
 one who confiders that God is its 
 Author, whofe Wifdom appears in 
 all his Works: Thus the Frame of 
 vifible Nature being agreeably fet to- 
 gether, and having each Part of it 
 fuited to ufeful and proper Ends, 
 demonftrates itfelf to be the Work 
 of Divine Wifdom : In like Manner 
 the whole Plan of pure Religion, 
 having alfo its Parts fuitable to each 
 other, and every one of them agree- 
 ably fet to the fame good and great 
 A 2 Deiign
 
 4 A Ladfs Religion. 
 
 Defign of the Whole, does thereby 
 prove itfelf to be the Contrivance of 
 an All-wife God. 
 
 And hereby the Wifdom of the 
 Chriftian Religion will particularly 
 appear, becaufe every Part of it tends 
 to promote the univerfal Good of 
 Mankind j for which Reafon, the di- 
 vine Founder thereof was named 
 jfefas, that is, Saviour j becaufe his 
 only Defign was to fave us from the 
 prevailing Power of Sin, and from 
 thofe Miferies which That evil Pow- 
 er would involve us in. 
 
 Thus Temperance promotes our 
 Health ; Jujiice in our Dealings, 
 prevents us from fuftaining the Re- 
 venges of the injured, and gains us 
 Truft among Men, with all the Be- 
 nefits which arife from thence. 
 Charity, by promoting the common 
 Good of others, draws back 
 their Love and Affection to our 
 felves; while Patience preferves 
 
 Quiet
 
 A Lady's Religion. 5 
 
 Quiet within our own Breafts, and 
 Self-denial, by retraining our extra- 
 vagant Appetites, eftablimes the juft 
 Power of Reafon over us, thereby 
 fitting us for all Conditions of Life : 
 And thus the Law of Chrift anfwers 
 to the Character of Wifdom, by its 
 Agreeablenefs to the bed Defign of 
 God in the chiefeft Good of Man ; 
 and upon this Account Solomon 
 charafter'd the Idea of Religion un- 
 der the Name of Wifdom. 
 
 Betides thefe moral Duties, there 
 are feveral Threats of God's Judg- 
 ments, and Promifes of his Favour 
 contain'd in Chrifts Inftitution ; the 
 former were wifely defign'd to re- 
 ftrain us from Immoralities, which 
 are our greateft Follies ; and the 
 latter to engage us in the Practice 
 of Virtue, which is our greateft Wif- 
 dom : The Threatnings prepare the 
 Way for the Promifes, and qualify 
 us to receive them ; inafmuch as they 
 make off our Affections from ill 
 A 3 Obje&
 
 6 A Lady 'Religion. 
 
 Objects, in order for the Promifes 
 to fix them upon good ones. We 
 muft needs ceafe to do Evil, before 
 we can learn to do well. 
 
 Now altho' a due Confederation 
 of the Divine Nature, will carry us 
 on to the Belief of a future State, in 
 which he who is in Perfection the 
 beft of all Beings, will diftinguifh the 
 Good from the Bad by ample Re- 
 wards and juft Punifhments j yet be- 
 caufe every one's Capacity may not 
 be fufficient to make this wife Re- 
 flection, therefore Jefus Cbriji was 
 pleafed (as the Gofpel phrafes it) to 
 bring Lije and Immortality to light j 
 that is, to give the World full AiTu- 
 rance of a future State, in which the 
 juft God will diftinguifh Men here- 
 after, in fuch a Manner as they fhall 
 diftinguifh themfelves here - } and 'tis 
 the Wifdom of every one to 
 prefer ve this Belief in his Heart, and 
 bear it always about him, be- 
 it is the moft awful Monitor 
 againft
 
 A Lady's Religion. 7 
 
 againft our committing Folly, and 
 yields the ftrongefl Encouragement 
 to Virtue. 
 
 From what has been faid, your 
 Ladymip fees firft, what is meant by 
 faving a Soul, viz. to deliver it from 
 vicious Habits and fearful Punim- 
 ments, the fatal Confequents of fuch 
 Habits ; and by eftabliming Virtue 
 therein, to recommend it to the Fa- 
 vour of God. And, fecondly, that 
 the Gofpel of Chrift was defigned 
 to this very End ; and its Tendency 
 hereunto is its Wifdom. And, third- 
 ly, from hence you alfo perceive, in 
 what Refpeft Faith in Jefus Chri/l, 
 is faid to fave us, viz. becaufe this 
 Faith is our receiving the Chriftian 
 Moral for the Rule of our Lives, and 
 the Threats and Promifes contained 
 in the Gofpel, for the outward Mo- 
 tives of our Practice according to 
 that Rule 
 
 And from thefe three Confidera- 
 
 tions
 
 8 A Lady's Religion. 
 
 tions, fumm'd up together, you may 
 examine all the various Pretences 
 which differing Churches and Com- 
 munions make to the Purity of 
 Chriftian Faith, fo as to form a 
 right Judgment of them ; for That 
 Communion which manifefts itfelf 
 to have no other Defign, than to 
 affift its Members in faving their 
 Souls from the Power of Sin, by the 
 Moral and Motives aforemention'd, 
 is certainly the pureft Church j and 
 That Faith, which has no other 
 Tendency, is the pureft Faith. So 
 that if you form your felf upon this 
 Principle, you may pafs by all nice 
 Speculations, or profound Myfteries, 
 which have no direct Tendency to 
 improve your Morals, without any 
 Hazard of Salvation. 
 
 Secondly, As the Chriftian Inftitu- 
 tion is wifely practical, fo it is plain: 
 Or ia other Words, we may fay, 
 that as the Wifdom of the Chriftian 
 Religion appears firft by its being 
 
 practical
 
 A Lady's Religion. 9 
 
 pratfical, fo it appears, fecondly, by 
 being plain. The obfcure Anfwers 
 which were given out from the old 
 Heathen Oracles, are now known to 
 have proceeded from the Indireft- 
 nefs of a defigning Priefthood : Who, 
 to maintain their Pretence of fore- 
 telling what mall come to pafs, fent 
 back all thofe who came to enquire 
 after future Events, with doubtful 
 and uncertain Anfwers. And it has 
 been the Obfervation of wife Men, 
 that when any one affects to be dark 
 and myfterious in his Converfation, 
 either he has fome indirect Deiiga 
 in fo doing, or elfe whilft he makes 
 an Oftentation of Wifdom, he does 
 in Reality but difcover his Folly. 
 
 Now the Wifdom of God cannot 
 be conceived to aim at any other De- 
 fign in communicating itfelf to us, 
 than the Information of our Minds 
 in the Nature of Good and Evil, and 
 this in order to direct our Choice ; 
 and all Inftmction muft of Necefiity 
 
 be
 
 io A Ladys Religion. 
 be plain ; fince it is by Things eafy 
 and familiar, fuch as at firfl Sight we 
 may apprehend, whereby we can be 
 led on to the Knowledge of Matters 
 more remote and difficult : But ob- 
 fcure and unintelligible Doctrines, 
 can have no Effecl: upon us befide 
 unprofitable Amufement; and wbat- 
 foever is by the Wifdom of God laid 
 out of our Reach, can be no Part of 
 our Concern. 
 
 Farther, to what End did he give 
 us intellectual Faculties ? furely not 
 to amufe, but to improve us, by en- 
 abling us thorowly to underftand 
 each Part of our holy Religion, which 
 diredtly tends to that End, viz. our 
 moral Improvement ; as you will 
 foon perceive, if you reduce the 
 Chriftian Institution to its general 
 Heads, which are thefe. 
 
 Firft, A Narration of Matters of 
 Facl. 
 
 Secondly,
 
 A Lady's Religion n 
 
 Secondly, A Declaration of Moral 
 Laws. 
 
 Thirdly ', a Revelation of fuch Mo- 
 tives which are proper to enforce 
 this Law upon our Minds. And, 
 
 Fourthly, Serious Exhortations to 
 refrem our Memories with our Du- 
 ty ; and earneftly to recommend it 
 to our Practice. 
 
 Fir ft, Your Ladyfhip fees, that 
 the Matters of Fact contain'd in the 
 Four Gofpels, and the Acts of the 
 Apoftles (viz. the Travels and Tranf- 
 actions of Chrift and his Difciples) 
 are fo plainly related, that you under- 
 ftand the Relation as eafily as you 
 read it. And, Secondly, All Laws 
 mufl be plain, becaufe they are Di- 
 rections. Now, obfcure Directions are 
 but Delufions j and Laws which are 
 dubious and difficult to be underftood, 
 are 'Traps and Snares. And, Thirdly, 
 
 it
 
 12 A Lady 1 s Religion. 
 it is as neceffary that Motives hould be 
 very intelligible, becaufe their Defign 
 is to work ftrongly upon our Wills, by 
 convincing our Underftandings. Add 
 to this, Fourthly, That myftical and 
 unintelligible Exhortations, are ri- 
 diculous ; upon which Account, St. 
 Paul forbad religious Exercifes to be 
 perform' d in an unknown Tongue. 
 
 Now as the four Gofpels and 
 A&s of the Apoftles, contain Mat- 
 ters of Facls, Laws, and Motives ; fo 
 the Epiftles, contain Exhortations 
 to Serioufnefs and Piety, arifing from 
 the Laws, Facts, and Motives before- 
 mention'd : and I take thefe Books 
 to be fufficiently comprehenfive of 
 the Inftitutions and Ordinances of 
 Jefus Chrift : which ought indeed to 
 be eafily intelligible, becaufe they 
 concern the poor, weak, and un- 
 lettered People, as much as the 
 Learned. 
 
 Nor
 
 A Lady's Religion. 13 
 
 Nor can I fee that the Doc- 
 trine of Chrift, was by Him, or his 
 .Apoflles, deliver 'd firfl of all into 
 the Hands of the Learned, to be by 
 them convey'd into the Minds of 
 the Ignorant; but, on the contrary 
 it is manifeft, that our Saviour di- 
 rected both his Difcourfes and 
 Adions, immediately to the common. 
 People, as well as to the Scribes ; 
 and, in like Manner, did his Dif- 
 ciples addrefs their Preachings and 
 Writings. 
 
 From all this Difcourfe, concern- 
 ing the Clearnefs of Chrift's Infti- 
 tution, you may learn, that you may 
 fpare yourfelf the needlels Trouble 
 of reading abflrufe and myflerious 
 Points of Divinity. Nor need you 
 fuffer your felf to be arriufed with the 
 pretended deep Speculations of pro- 
 found Men, when you have the 
 plain Directions of a wife and a good 
 God before you, in following whereof 
 you mall meet with great Reward. 
 B Thirdly,
 
 14 -A Lady's Religion. 
 
 thirdly, the Chriftian Inftitution 
 is fhort. True and genuine Religion 
 has always been fumm'd up, and 
 gathered together into a narrow Com- 
 pafs, by thofe who beft underftood 
 it. Thus Micah (vi. 8.) fpeaking of 
 God, faith, He hath Jhewn thee, O 
 Man, 'what is good, and what doth the 
 Lord thy God require of thee ? but to 
 do yuftice, to love Mercy, and to 
 wdk humbly with thy God. And our 
 Saviour furns up the whole Law, 
 in our Love to God, and our Neigh- 
 bour : And in another Place, in- 
 cludes the whole Scope of the Law 
 and the Prophets, in this one Rule, 
 Whatfoever ye would that Men Jhould 
 do unto you, even fo do unto them - y 
 hereby directing us to make a right 
 Ufe of that Reafon, which God 
 eftablifh'd as his Oracle in our 
 Breaftsj to which we may at all 
 Times refort, and from whence 
 we may be refolved, in fuch Cafes 
 as concern our Duty to one an- 
 other. 
 
 For
 
 A Lady's Religion. 1 5 
 
 For as by confulting your own 
 Reafon, you know wherein you arc 
 juftly dealt with, and wherein you 
 receive Wrong -, when you are kindly 
 ufed, and when otherwife ; fo from 
 the fame Principle of Reafon, you 
 cannot but know, when you deal 
 juftly or wrongfully, and when you 
 do kind or ill Offices to another : 
 This one fhort comprehenfive Rule, 
 taking for its Foundation the Equa- 
 lity of Mankind, in reipecl: of their 
 common Nature, renders Religion 
 itfelf a Matter fenjtik unto us. 
 
 For I can feel the Wound of a 
 marp flanderous Tongue, as ienubly 
 as that of a Sword ; I can feel the 
 Wrongs done to my felf .and Family ; 
 and am as much fenfible of the Be- 
 nefits I enjoy, from the juft and kind 
 Dealings of thofe with whom I am 
 concerned j and hereby, I am in the 
 fhorteft and plaineft Way, admo- 
 nim'd of my Behaviour to others: 
 And if this one mort Rule were re- 
 duc'd to Practice, the State of Pa- 
 B 2 radife
 
 16 A Lady' 3 Religion. 
 
 radife would be reftored, and we 
 ihould enjoy a Heaven upon Earth. 
 
 For hereby, Firft, all Perfections 
 for Conference fake, which have oc- 
 cafion'd fuch violent Diforders, and 
 vaft Effufion of Blood, would be at 
 *m End ; becaufe every one who has 
 any Confcience, would moft willing- 
 ly preferve it free from the Impofi- 
 tions of Men in the Wormip of 
 God. To compel Men by Fire and 
 Faggot, to partake even of a deli- 
 cious Entertainment, is a favage Sort 
 of Hofpitality. 
 
 Secondly, All Factions in any State 
 would be at an End, if every Mem- 
 ber thereof were contented, that e- 
 very one of his Fellow-Members, 
 who was not an Enemy to the Go- 
 vernment, might, having equal Pre- 
 tence of Merit, enjoy equal Privi- 
 leges with himfelf. 
 
 Thirdly ', The Occafions of War, 
 
 and
 
 A Lady's Religion] 17 
 
 and Law-Suits, would be taken away; 
 iince nothing but manifeft Wrong, 
 can be the juft Caufe of either. 
 
 And. Fourthly, There would be 
 no private Quarrels, and Uneafinefs 
 among Neighbours; lince by this 
 Rule of doing as we would be done 
 unto, all ram Cenfures, fharp Re- 
 fleftions, and ungrounded Sufpici- 
 ons and Jealoufies, which are the 
 Seeds of private Animofi ties, are ta- 
 ken away. And hereby we may 
 expeft a plentiful Store of God's 
 Blemngs among us, who will mea- 
 fure out his Kindnefs to Us, in the 
 fame Manner as we meagre out ours 
 to One another. 
 
 The Reafon why Religion mould 
 be both a Short and Plain Inftitu- 
 tion, will appear if you confider the 
 common Circumftances and Con- 
 ditions of Men in this World. For 
 though your Ladymip and many 
 more, have Leifure enough to read 
 
 and
 
 1 8 A Ladfs Religion. 
 
 and digeft whole Volumes of ufeful 
 Knowledge (if there be any fuch) yet 
 the greateft part of Mankind, being 
 neceflarily employ'd in making dai- 
 ly Provifions for themfelves and Fa- 
 rnalies, and difcharging the com- 
 mon Offices of Life, cannot attend 
 to any religious Inftitution, which is 
 either difficult or tedious. 
 
 It is certain, that the whole Life 
 of Man, is not fufficient for him to 
 read all the Controverfies which 
 have been written, upon Pretence of 
 Religion j but it is ascertain, That 
 God never lays on us a greater Tafk, 
 than what he affords us both Abilities 
 and Opportunities to perform ; 
 wherefore we may conclude, that 
 itnce the Duties of Religion are laid 
 in common upon all, the poor Day- 
 Labourer muft have Ability and 
 Opportunity, fufficient to inftrudl 
 himfelf therein, without hindering 
 the conftant Work of his Calling. 
 And in all this the Wifdom and 
 Goodnefs of God are made known 
 
 by
 
 A Lady's Religion. 19 
 
 by adapting our Duties to our Cir- 
 cumftances of Life. 
 
 From hence you may fee that you 
 may fave yourfelf the Trouble of 
 reading the long and tedious Dif- 
 putes, which, with fuch intempe- 
 rate Zeal, are always in Agitation 
 among the feveral Parties of Chrifti- 
 ans. Indeed the true Chriftian 
 Inftitution being mort, it cannot 
 admit of being fpun out into long 
 Controverfies : And though I have 
 read many Books of Controverfial 
 Divinity, I do not remember, that 
 I have met with any one Coatrover- 
 fy, about the matter of mere Reli- 
 gion ; as whether I mould maintain 
 in my Heart, a high Reverence and 
 Veneration for Almighty God ; Whe- 
 ther I ought to walk before him in 
 Sincerity and Uprightnefs ; Whe- 
 ther or no I mould be thankful to 
 him, for all the Benefits which I 
 have received from him j Whether 
 I fhall fubmit to his Will with Pa- 
 tience, and endeavour to govern my 
 
 Paffions-
 
 2O A Ladfs Religion. 
 
 Paflions i to bring them to a due Mo- 
 deration and Temper, by making 
 them fubjedt to the Law of Reafon ; 
 Whether I mould be true to my 
 Promife, juft in my Dealings, cha- 
 ritable to the Poor, and fincere in 
 my Devotions ; Whether I fhould 
 be temperate and fober, modeft and 
 chafte, and demean myfe f in an 
 humble, civil, and agreeable Manner 
 towards thofe with whom I con- 
 verfe ; Whether I fhould be heartily 
 forry when I come fhort of my Du- 
 ty, and mould be watchful in the 
 Denial of my irregular Appetites, 
 Paflions, and evil Inclinations for the 
 future;. In fhort, it has not (that I 
 know of) been difputed, whether 
 Juftice, Benignity, Meeknefs Cha- 
 rity, Moderation, Patience, and So- 
 briety, fhould be received into our 
 Affedtions; Or whether we fhould 
 love God, and our Neighbour j Ortho- 
 doxy of Faith is made the Pretence of 
 Controverfy, but the One Thing ne- 
 cefTary, is Orthodoxy of Pratfice.
 
 A Lady's- Religion. 21 
 
 I know your Ladyfhip will not 
 be pleas' d with a Difcourfe upon the 
 Subject of Religion, unlefs Devotion 
 have its due Place in it ; nor ought 
 it indeed to be left out; becaufe 
 Thankfulnefs is a neceffary Part of 
 Religion, and Prayer is the Prefer- 
 native of the Whole. A frequent 
 Repetition of our Thanks for all the 
 Benefits we enjoy, prefer ves in our 
 Minds the Confideration of God, as 
 the Greateftand Beftof Beings; and 
 thereby nourishes Veneration and 
 Gratitude. In like Manner Prayer 
 for Pardon of Sin, and for Prefer va- 
 tion of our Perfons, is a con- 
 ftant Recognition of the Mercy 
 and Bounty of God. But Prayer 
 againfl the Power of Sin, is the ac- 
 tual withdrawing of our Inclinations 
 from Evil ; and Prayer for any Grace, 
 is an actual Application of our Minds, 
 to attain the particular Virtue for 
 which we pray. 
 
 Now although I would not ad- 
 rife
 
 22 A Lady's Religion. 
 vife you againft fet Hours and Forms 
 of Devotion, either private or public j 
 yet I would rather recomend, a fort 
 cf habitual and occafional Devotion, 
 as very proper to preferve the 
 flrongeft Impreffions of Religion up- 
 on your Mind. 
 
 It may be obferv'd, that many 
 who are very punctual in keeping 
 to their exaft Times and Forms of 
 Devotion, have fallen fhort of any 
 vifible Improvement in Virtue. The 
 fame Pride, Frowardnefs, Falmood, 
 Covetoufnefs, and Bitternefs of Spi- 
 rit, have appeared in many who have 
 been conftant Frequenters of the 
 Public, as well as Clofet Forms of 
 Prayer ; a s if God had not been in all 
 their Thoughts ; the Reafon whereof 
 feems to be, becaufe their formal Pe- 
 titions fupercede their habitual En- 
 deavours. Men are apt to think, 
 that fince they fpend in every Day, 
 fuch a Portion of Time in Prayer, 
 they have done all their Part ; and 
 fo they leave God-Almighty to take 
 
 care
 
 A Lady's Religion. 23 
 
 Care of the Event. And this is in- 
 deed all we can do, when we make 
 our Petitions to our Benefactors up- 
 on Earth, viz offer up our Requefts 
 to them, either by Word or Writ- 
 ing, and then only expedt their 
 Anfwer, 
 
 But 'tis otherwife with Relation to 
 God. Our Petitions to Him, mud 
 not take off from our conftant En- 
 deavours to perform that Work, for 
 which we pray his Enablemenf. 
 And this oceafional Devotion, which 
 1 would recommend, is in its 
 own Nature a conftant Endeavour 
 after Virtue, as well as a fcrious Pe- 
 tition for it. For it arifeth from a 
 frequent Obfervation of our felves, 
 in our particular occurring Circum- 
 ftances ; from which Obfervation 
 fuitable Deiires will almoft necefTa- 
 r'ily flow. As if at any Time I rind 
 that I have done an ill Thing, im- 
 mediately upon the Difcovery, I beg 
 Gcd's Pardon, and refolve to make 
 recompence
 
 24 '-A Lady's Religion. 
 recom pence for the 111 I have done : 
 Or, if I have defigned any Evil in 
 my Heart, and prefently beg Pardon 
 of him who knoweth the Secrets 
 thereof j in fo doing I have given 
 Check to its Progrefs. In like Man- 
 ner, if I have fpoken flanderoufly, 
 rafhly, or injurioufly concerning any 
 ona, and upon Recollection thereof, 
 I afk Forgivenefs of God, and deiire 
 that I may not do the like for the 
 future, but on the contrary, that I 
 may govern my Tongue better ; in 
 all this, I am labouring to withdraw 
 my Soul from Evil, and to form my- 
 felf upon a Principle of Virtue. 
 
 Every Night, and Morning, are 
 proper Times of Leifure, to call to 
 Mind the Prefer vation, Support, and 
 Advantages, we have receiv'd the 
 Day, or Night, preceding. And 
 this Recollection being accompanied 
 with Thankfulnefs to our great Pre- 
 ferver, is the actual Continuance and 
 carrying on of our Gratitude to God.
 
 A Lady's Religion. 25 
 
 If I perceive Pride, or Paflion, to a- 
 rife in my Heart, fo that I am apt to 
 put a great Value upon every Thing 
 I do, and defpife others; Or if I 
 find myfelf eagerly concerned for 
 any little worldly Advantage, or any 
 fmall Punctilio of Honour; and- 
 hereupon I beg of God for an hum- 
 ble Spirit, and a heavenly Mind ; I 
 am herein endeavouring to expel 
 the Poifon of Sin, by its proper 
 Antidote. 
 
 We cannot but feel the Diforder 
 of our Minds, as much as the Difea- 
 fes of our Bodies. And the Caufes 
 of a diforder'd Mind, are much 
 more eafily difcerned, than the Cau- 
 fes of a bodily Diftemper. For ei- 
 ther my Mind is troubled for Want, 
 or Lofles, or it may be for the Prof* 
 verity of others, or want of a Re- 
 venge, or becaufe I cannot have my 
 Will in what I defigned. Upon 
 thefe, or fuch HkeOccafions, the pro- 
 per Cure is Devotional, in begging 
 C God's
 
 26 A Lady s Religion. 
 
 God's Pardon for my Difcontent; 
 and being defirous that my Will 
 fhould be fubmitted to his, who has 
 taught me that I mould not return 
 Evil for Evil, but that I fhould love 
 my Neighbour as my felf. This 
 fort of Soliloquy, and occafional 
 mental Addrefs to God, is a fure 
 Way to compofe the Diforders of 
 our Thoughts. For the growing 
 Power of any Sin, is moft certainly 
 fupprefs'd, by introducing the oppo- 
 fite Virtue into our Defires. 
 
 The fame Method may be ufed, 
 as to Sins of Omiffion. A ferious 
 Perfon will obferve Neglects of com- 
 mon Duties, which refpeft either 
 God, or Man. He cannot but take 
 Notice, how much he has neglefted 
 his Bulinefs, or his Health; how 
 little he has confidered God as his 
 Owner, Governor, and Benefador; 
 and how fmall a Portion of what 
 God has blefs'd him with, he has 
 laid out upon the Good of his Fel- 
 low-
 
 A Lady's Religion. .27 
 
 low-Creatures. And if hereupon, a 
 Man is ferioufly defirous to become 
 more dutiful to God, more ufeful to 
 himfelf, and beneficial to others, he 
 is therein actually bending his Mind 
 to fupply his former Omiffions. 
 
 This cafual Devotion, arifing from 
 the Obfervation of ourfelves, undep 
 the common Circumftances of Life, 
 (although it can have no fet Times 
 and Forms prefcrib'd to it) will be 
 very effectual to produce, preferve, 
 and increafe, a true Senfe of Reli- 
 gion within us. And if you are 
 pleafed to apply your Thoughts here- 
 unto, as Occaiion fhall direct you, 
 this Devotion will foon become ha- 
 bitual, cuftomary and eafy. And its 
 Returns, which will be frequent and 
 fhort, will be a continual Reftraint 
 from Evil-doing, and an actual Exer- 
 cife of Virtue. 
 
 This Exercife which I have been 
 
 prefcribing, is commonly referved to 
 
 C 2 be
 
 28 A Lady's Religion. 
 
 be performed all at once, in an ac- 
 tual Preparation before receiving the 
 Sacrament of the Lord's Supper ; 
 which is ufually performed, by help 
 of an artificial Catalogue of Sins, 
 methodically collected out of the 
 Ten Commandments , according to 
 which Catalogue, fet Forms of Con- 
 feffions are drawn up, which the 
 Preparant is to take upon Content, 
 and without any fort of Judgment, 
 or Difcretion of his own, he con- 
 fefles himfelf guilty of all the Sins 
 therein mentioned together, with all 
 their Aggravations,, tho' it may be, 
 many of them were of fuch a heinous 
 .Nature, as never enter'd into his 
 Heart to commit. And if thefe Ca- 
 talogues, and confeftional Forms, are 
 red over once a Quarter of a Year, 
 or, it may be, once a Month, againft 
 the ufual Sacrament-Day, the Work 
 of Preparation is thought to be well 
 palTed over. 
 
 Yet I cannot but think it better , 
 
 to
 
 A Lady's Religion. 29 
 
 to keep a constant cuftomary Watch 
 over ourfelves, and upon the firft 
 Difcovery of any evil Delign or Ac- 
 tion, immediately to retra<t it with- 
 in our own Hearts, as in the Prefence 
 of God ; and by mental Prayer, pro- 
 per to the Occafion, arm ourfelves 
 againft committing the like for the 
 future. Hereby you difcharge a Du- 
 ty in its proper Seafon, which is bet- 
 ter than to delay it to a prefixed 
 Diftance of Time: For what is moft 
 frefh in Memory, will make the 
 moft lively Impreffion upon us, but 
 may in a little Time be forgotten. 
 Befides, we are apt to turn Forms 
 into Formalities; and a natural DiC- 
 charge of Religious Duties, muft be 
 more improving than an artificial 
 one. 
 
 And by this your Ladymip fees 
 the Reafon, why I have written a 
 Difcourfe of Religion in general, in 
 Anfwer to your Letter, wherein you 
 wrote only concerning the Lord's 
 
 Supper,
 
 30 A Lady's Religion. 
 Supper, viz. becaufe I efteem a fe~ 
 rious wdl-inclin'd Temper of Mind, 
 to be the beft Preparation, either 
 for That, or any other of the Ordi- 
 nances of Jefus Chrift, that we may 
 partake of them with Advantage and 
 Delight. 
 
 "David advifes us to delight our- 
 felves in the Lord; that w, in all his 
 Ways and Ordinances. And I can- 
 not fee, why our Preparation for the 
 Lord's Table, and Participation at 
 it, mould be accompanied with great- 
 er Anxieties of Mind, than our com- 
 municating in any other holy Office ; 
 fuch as public Prayer, or Preaching. 
 We expeft the fameBleffing of God, 
 in the Improvement of our Virtues, 
 from all of thefe Ordinances alike. 
 And why with Terror upon our 
 Minds we mould ufe any of thofe 
 Means, wich God has ordained for 
 our Good, I do not underftand. A 
 Man indeed ought to perform every 
 religious Office, ferioufly, and foberlyj 
 
 but
 
 4 Lady's Religion. 31 
 
 but Fear, by amufing and diftracling 
 the Mind, is apt to render the Ordi- 
 nance unprofitable. 
 
 Men ought likewife to be difcou- 
 raged from coming to Prayer, Preach- 
 ing, or communicating at the Lord's 
 Table, with a carelefs, or profane 
 Temper of Mind j becaufe fuch Un- 
 preparednefs, does harden Men's 
 Hearts, and renders the Ordinance 
 unprofitable. Such as this was the 
 Cafe of the Corinthians, who in ce- 
 lerating the Lord's Supper, were fo 
 inconfiderate of what they came to 
 do, that fome of them were drunk 
 at the Lord's Table, as you read i, 
 Cor. xi . 21. and to this their pro- 
 phane Behaviour, thofe Texts of 
 Scripture do particularly relate, which 
 affright fome Men from, and others 
 in, receiving the Sacrament : On this 
 Account 'twas faid, by St. Paul, that 
 they were guilty of the Body and Blood 
 of Chrift : and to eat and drink Dam- 
 nation to themfeheS) not difcerning 
 
 tic
 
 32 A Lady's Religion. 
 
 the Lord's Body ver. 27, 29. that /> 
 by fuch a prophane and unworthy 
 Communicating, they call down 
 God's judgments upon themfelves ; 
 for fo the Word Damnation ought 
 to be underftood, becaufe it refers 
 to the Judgments fpecified in the 
 following Verfe, where it is faid, 
 that, For this Cauje (viz. of drunken 
 Communicating) many are iveak 
 andfakly among you, and many Jleep, 
 that is, die, v. 30. Now to avoid 
 thefe Judgments, he exhorts them 
 to examine themfehes, that is, to con- 
 fider with themfelves, what was the 
 Meaning of that Duty which they 
 were to perform at the Lord's Table j 
 which Duty was this, viz. to call to 
 Mind the Death of Jefus Chrift. 
 And this Commemoration, is by St. 
 Paul ftiFd, Difcerning the Lord's 
 Body. 
 
 The vifible Signs of our Saviour's 
 Death, which we difcern on the 
 Lord's Table, do prepare our Minds 
 
 to
 
 A Lady's Religion. 33 
 
 to contemplate a divine Perfon, who 
 for his great Charity to the ftupid 
 World, fuffer'd the higheft Injuftice, 
 with fuch an invincible Patience, 
 and Heroic Fortitude, as was fupe- 
 rior to the fharpeft Malice of his 
 Enemies j thereby fetting before us 
 the brighteft Example, of an unfha- 
 ken Refolution to do Good, in fpite 
 of all Difcouragements. 
 
 You will perceive, Madam, by 
 this Difcourfe, that the Chriftian Re- 
 ligion, is a wife, a plain, and a fhort 
 Inflitution -, the Belief whereof was 
 defign'd to fave our Souls from the 
 Power and Danger of Sin, by ingraft- 
 ing virtuous Habits in our Minds. 
 You will likewife perceive, that I 
 hold it necefTary to keep a conftant 
 Watch over ourfelves, to repent as 
 often as we perceive ourfelves to 
 tranfgrefs, and by occafional mental 
 Devotion, incline our Hearts to ob- 
 ferve the Law of Chrifl j and all 
 this in order to build up a Habit of 
 
 Virtue
 
 34 <A Lady's Religion. 
 Virtue within us. You will alfb 
 perceive, that the Contemplation of 
 the Death of Chrift, with all its Cir- 
 cumftances, tends to the fame ad- 
 mirable End. 
 
 And if thefe, or any other Means, 
 fhall Work upon you to be gene- 
 roufly juft, to bear a good Will to all 
 Men, to do what Good you can, and 
 to be unconcern'd for the Events of 
 Things which are not within your 
 Power ; you will be eafy within 
 yourfelf, and fatisfy'd in your own 
 Confcience; which is the Dawn of 
 Heaven upon Earth, and you may 
 chearfully communicate, at any 
 Time 
 
 THE
 
 (35) 
 
 T H E 
 SECOND 
 
 LETTER. 
 
 MADAM, 
 
 HAVING lately been in Con- 
 verfation with a Lady of 
 your Acquaintance, me took Occa- 
 fion to fpeak concerning the Letter 
 I wrote to your Ladyfhip, which 
 was publifh'd a few Years fince, un- 
 der the Title of A Ladys Religion. 
 She was pleas'd to favour me fo far 
 as to fay, that the Letter did contain 
 a good Moral Doclrine : But (he 
 thought it a blameable Omiffion in 
 me, to pafs over in Silence thofe 
 many Doctrines of the Chriftian 
 Faith, which me thought of abfolute 
 
 Neceffity
 
 36 A Lady's Religion. 
 Neceflity to our Salvation. To this 
 Objection I reply'd, that my Defign 
 in writing the Letter of Religion to 
 your Lady/hip, was only to recom- 
 mend the Moral Law of our Lord 
 Jefus Chrift from its own intrtnjlc 
 Worth; which appears in thofe ma- 
 ny and great Advantages, which the 
 ferious Practice thereof would cer- 
 tainly confer upon Mankind. Not 
 inteading thereby, to diminish ought 
 from the Doctrine of the Chriftian 
 Faith j which is therefore worthy of 
 all Acceptation, becaufe 'tis a Means 
 to enforce the Gofpel Moral upon 
 our Practice. Upon which Ac- 
 count it is truly faid tofave our Souls-, 
 fince it promotes our ready Obedi- 
 ence to the Evangelical Law of our 
 Lor d and Saviour Jefus Chrift. And 
 for this Reafon it was that I advis'd 
 your Ladyfhip, not to perplex your 
 Thoughts with thofe Doctrines of 
 Faith, which are of a myfterious 
 Nature ; for that fuch Doctrines 
 which we cannot well under/land, 
 
 cannot
 
 A Lady's Religion. 37 
 cannot well be apply'd either as Mo- 
 tives, or Means, to engage us in 
 practical Duties. This Reply had 
 the good Fortune to give the Lady 
 fome Satisfaction as to this Point; 
 but prefently me objected to me an- 
 other Omiffion, which, {he thought, 
 was of greater Confequence than, 
 the former. For Solomon of old, faid 
 me, recommended the Pear of God, 
 as a Fundamental of Religion. Our 
 Saviour Cbrift too, puts us in Mind 
 of the Worm 'which never dies. And 
 St. Paul, if I miftake not, makes 
 ufe of the 'Terrors of the Lord, to 
 perfwade Men to Righteoulhefs. But 
 you, faid me, in your Letter to my 
 worthy Friend, have not only omit- 
 ted this fundamental Point, but, in 
 fome Meafure, difcourag'd her, as to 
 La Re/, that Part of Religion which 
 P 34* confifts in Fear ; in faying, 
 That Fear, by amufmg and diflraSt- 
 ing the Mind, is apt to render God's 
 Ordinance unprofitable. 
 
 D All
 
 38 A Lady's Religion. 
 
 All that I reply 'd at that Time 
 was, That Solomon meant no more 
 than only to fay, the Fear, or Dread, 
 of God, was introduftory to Reli- 
 gion ; the Fear of God, faid he, is the 
 Beginning of Wifdom, Prov. ix. 10. 
 But he did not efteem the Fear of 
 That Sort, as any Part of Religion ; 
 forafmuch as every Duty, which is 
 acceptable to God, muft arife from 
 our Love to him j which is the only 
 Spring and Fountain, from whence 
 all truly religious Performances can 
 flow; and which fails not to caft 
 out all Sort of Fear, except that filial 
 and legitimate Kind, which Itfelf 
 naturally produceth. And in this 
 Manner, faid I, That great Sage in 
 Ifrael, Jefus the Son of Sirach, ex- 
 plain'd himfelf hereupon, in his 
 Book of Ecclefiafticus y Cha.ip. xxv. ver. 
 u, 12. The Love of the Lord paf- 
 feth all Things for Illumination. 
 That is, true Religion gives the beft 
 Light and Direction to human Un- 
 derftanding. And then it follows, 
 
 ft*
 
 A Lady's Religion. ^g 
 
 *fbe Pear of the Lord, is the Beginning 
 of bis Love. That is the Fear of 
 God will prepare us for that Love 
 of God, which, by its Illumination^ 
 will direct and encourage us in the 
 Duty of Religion. 
 
 To this Quotation, I added the 
 Reafon of the Thing, by appealing 
 to her own Judgement ; whether 
 tiie* would not efteem a Service done 
 to her, by her Children, her Rela- 
 tions, or even her Servants, out of 
 a Principle of Love Y much better 
 than fuch Services which ariie only 
 from Fear. Nay, I afked, if a real 
 Benefit which was done to her, out 
 of no good Will y could be fo much as 
 Thank-worthy. 
 
 But thefe Replies gave her no Sa- 
 tisfaction, becaufe the Book Eccleji- 
 afticus was Apocryphal -, and becaufe 
 Comparifons ought not to be 
 alledged for Proofs, but mould be 
 ufed only for Illuftration. 
 
 D 2 Wherefore
 
 40 A Lady's Religion. 
 
 Wherefore (he defired me to give 
 her better Satisfaction in the Point 
 of Fear, as to what Part it fuftains 
 in the Affair of Religion ; Which 
 realbnable Command, laid on me by 
 her, gave Occafion to the following 
 Difcourfe, which I take the Liberty 
 to addrefs to your Lady /hip in this 
 prefent Letter : It being not ground- 
 ed upon the Authority of any Apo- 
 cryphal Writer, but of St. "John 
 the Apojlle of Jefus Chrift, whofe 
 Words are thefe; i Joh. iv. 18. 
 There h no Fear in Love j but perfett 
 Love cafteth out Fear, becaufe Fear 
 hath 'Torment ; he that fearetb ) is not 
 made perfeft by Love. 
 
 But fince Fear, as well as Lcve 
 and the all other Paflions, is fixed ori- 
 ginally in human Nature, it may 
 juftly feem fomewhat ftrange to 
 your Ladyfhip, that any Thing 
 fhould be fuppos'd capable of cafting 
 it out. For mould Fear, or any o- 
 ther Paflion, be ejected or erafed 
 
 from
 
 A Lady's Religion. 4.1 
 from the Soul, human Nature would 
 appear imperfect ; forafmuch as 
 every Paflion, ferves to a proper Ufe 
 and Defign, in the Frame of Man. 
 Thus Fear gives a Check to rafh 
 Proceedings ; and Hope gives Cou- 
 rage to attempt any good Defign, 
 tho' difficult to be accomplifh'd. 
 Hatred makes the Soul to ftart at 
 the Appearance of Evil ; whilft 
 Love joins it to its trueft Intereft, and 
 produceth Joy in the conftant r5ur- 
 fuit of what is good. &adnefs di- 
 covers to us the Vanity of infatiable 
 Defires, and unreafonable Expec- 
 tations 'j and^/'zgvrftands like a bold 
 Centinel, with a Sword in Hand, to 
 keep infolent Behaviour at a diftance. 
 Surely thefe Springs of Motion 
 which God has placed in the Soul, 
 for the profecuting of good Ends, 
 and avoiding Evil, cannot be caft out\ 
 or if any of them were excluded, 
 fome Scar and Imperfection in the 
 human Temper would be left be- 
 hind. 
 
 D 3 Indeed
 
 42 A Lady Religion. 
 
 Indeed, if any of them exceed 
 their proper Bounds, fo that they be- 
 come malignant, or at leaft burden- 
 fome to Nature, we have Reafon 
 to reduce them within their juft 
 Limits. Or if one of them 
 takes upon him to difcharge the 
 Office, which, o right, belongeth 
 to another, (as a Man may hate 
 what he mould love, and rejoice 
 when he mould weep) it ought to 
 be caft out of that unnatural Ufurpa- 
 tion, and the proper Affection ought 
 to be reflored to its rightful Func- 
 tion ; as in the Cafe alledged by St. 
 John, in that Place upon which I 
 ground my Argument. If Fear 
 fhall take upon itfelf, to be the 
 Spring- bead of all our Reverence for 
 Deity, and of our Obedience to the 
 Divine Will, in fuch a Cafe, the 
 Soul ought to be refcued from the 
 Bondage of Fear, and be fubjected 
 to the rightful Sway of Love; to 
 which Affection it owes its natural 
 Allegiance. For whenfoever a Soul 
 
 is
 
 A Lady's Religion. 43 
 
 is impregnate with fincere Love to 
 God, it will not endure to be enga- 
 ged in the Performance of its Duty 
 by Fear, but will caft off its Yoke, 
 and abhor its Ufurpation. And in 
 this Senfe, Madam, I take it, That 
 Perfett Love cafteth out Fear. 
 
 But fince it is not in the Power of 
 Love, totally to extinguifh the Paf- 
 fion of Fear, but all it pretends to, 
 is only to confine it within its pro- 
 per Bounds, fo that it may not in- 
 trude itfelf into the Sphere of Love ; 
 I {hall from hence take Occafion to 
 fet forth to your Ladyfhip, (i.) 
 What Fear of God is confiftent 
 with the Love of God, and what is 
 caft out thereby. (2.) What Fear 
 of Man is confiftent with divine 
 Love, and what is caft out by it. 
 And (3.) What Fear of Hell is con- 
 fiftent therewith, and what is not. 
 
 I. As to the firft of thefe Parti- 
 culars, it is evident, that whofoever 
 
 fuppofeth
 
 44 A Lady's Religion, 
 
 fuppofeth God to be an Eternal 
 Spirit, 'without Body, Parts, or Paf- 
 Jiom\ of infinite Power, Wifdom, 
 and Goodnefs; the Maker and Prefer- 
 ver of all things ; (as our Church, in 
 her firft Article, defcribes Him) and 
 hereupon has form'd Himfelf upon a 
 Principle of high Efteem and hum- 
 ble Affection, as alfo of Love and 
 Gratitude to his great Owner, Go- 
 vernor, and Benefactor, cannot but 
 be affected with a reverential Awe, 
 and Fear of mifbehaving himfelf in 
 the Prefence of God. Such a one 
 will fear the Lord of Heaven and 
 Earth, walking humbly before Him; 
 and through a watchful Denial of 
 himfelf, he will hold no Confedera- 
 cy with any known Sin ; nor will he 
 dare to do an unjuft Action, though 
 never fo much to his Advantage. 
 And all this, becaufe he fears to of- 
 fend Him, whom he loves, and 
 efteems, as the Fountain of all Good. 
 
 According to this Notion, good 
 
 Men
 
 A Lady's Religion. 45 
 
 Men have been call'd the Children 
 of God; with Refpeft to the dutiful 
 Behaviour of an obedient Child, to 
 an indulgent Father. For by how 
 much fuch a one is feniible of the 
 tender Affection his Parent bears to 
 him, by how much the more fen- 
 fible he is, that all his prefent Enjoy- 
 ments, and Hopes of future Advan- 
 tage, are deriv'd from the conftant 
 loving Difpofition of his Parent, and 
 fo much the more will he indulge 
 within himfelf, a conftant Fear of 
 offending. But then this Fear hath 
 no Torment, neither is it impofed up- 
 on the Child, but is his own 
 free Choice, his Joy and Satisfaction ; 
 and always increafing in Proportion, 
 to the Love he bears to his Father. 
 
 But on the contrary, Madam, Fear 
 which bath Torment, fuch as St. John 
 fpeaketh of, will be caft out by a 
 Love to God. For when with De- 
 light we fee that the World is con- 
 flantly fupported by the Divine Boun- 
 ty 5
 
 46 A Lady 's Religion. 
 ty j why mould we fuffer ourfelves to be 
 tormented with anxious Cares and 
 Fears for Food and Raiment ? 
 Which two Things in Conjunction, 
 are a fufficient Fund of Content- 
 ment, according to an univerfai Rule 
 of Reafon, laid down by St. Paul, 
 Having Food and Raiment let us be 
 therewith content, I ^im. vi. 8. 
 
 Inconfiftent therefore with the 
 Love of God, is fuch a Fear as is 
 felfijh; where the Smart of Punifh- 
 ment for Sin is dreaded more than the 
 Difpleafure of God. In the Spirit of 
 t\i\$jlavijh Fear, Pharaoh made fome 
 faint Refolutions, to fet an enthralled 
 People at Liberty : But as foon as the 
 Smart of God's Rod was allay'd, he 
 recover'd his former Cruelty, and re- 
 folved to perpetuate their Bondage. 
 f-' Thus a Wolf or Lyon, under the im- 
 mediate Difcipline of a fevere Keep- 
 er, holding the Rod of Correction in 
 his Hand, may fufFer a Lamb to 
 lye' fafely within his Reach j but 
 
 this
 
 A Lady's Religion 47 
 
 this Abftinence from prefent Rapine, 
 changes not the Nature of the Beaft. 
 The one is not lefs a Wolf, nor the 
 other lefs a Lyon, than at other 
 Times. 
 
 Befides, Madam, there is this great 
 Inconfiftency between the v Love of 
 God, and fuch a flavifh Fear as has 
 been now defcrib'd, that he who lo- 
 veth God, will take Delight and high 
 Satisfaction, in Contemplation of the 
 Divine Power, Wifdom, and Good- 
 nefs ; but he who ferveth God, out 
 of a Principle of flavim Fear, which 
 always compells him to at contrary 
 to his Inclination, can take no De- 
 light in the Contemplation of God ; 
 but rather wifheth that there were no 
 Knowledge in the Moft High todifcern, 
 or no Power to punifh. In this 
 RefpedT: it is, that the Fool hasfaid in 
 his Heart y there is no God : the Fool 
 is a wicked Man ; the Language of 
 the Heart is Deilre. So that the 
 plain Senfe of that Saying is, that 
 
 an
 
 48 A Lady's "Religion. 
 an ill-inclin'd Man wiflieth that there- 
 were no God. 
 
 But if you will conflder Deity as 
 it was defcrib'd by the Philofophcrs 
 of old, you will find the Divine Na- 
 ture fet forth in the moft lively 
 Manner, by Pythagoras ; as he is 
 cited by Jttftin Martyr, in his Ex- 
 hortation to the Greeks. Thus : 
 God is furely one, nor is he refident 
 (as fome imagine) 'without the Struc- 
 ture of the Univerfe, but is entire 
 'within himfelf-, furveying all Gene- 
 rations in a compleat Circle. He is 
 the Temperament of all Ages, the 
 Agent of his own Powers and Works-, 
 The Principle of all Things indivi- 
 dual : The Light of the Heavens^ and 
 the Parent of all-, The Life and 
 Animation of every Creature ; The 
 Motion of all Succejjions and Altera- 
 tions. I was faying, that if you 
 fliould thus confider Deity as the 
 vital Spirit of the Univerfe, you will 
 find fufficient Engagements to the 
 
 Love
 
 A Ladys Religion. 49 
 Love thereof, from every Obfervation 
 you will make upon Nature. Upon 
 this Confideration of Deity, it may 
 be faid, That the Heavens declare 
 the Glory of God, and the Firmament 
 Jheweth bis handy-Work. Pf. xix. j. 
 And what Sort of Affeclions, can 
 this Declaration of Heaven and 
 Earth raife in the Temper of Man, 
 befides Efteem, Complacency, and 
 Gratitude ? Which being put toge- 
 ther, make up that Competition of 
 Lcve, which cajleth out Fear. 
 
 It is this Contemplation of Na- 
 ture, Madam, it is this clofe Obfer- 
 vation of that Subferviency, which 
 the inferior and fmaller Syflems of 
 natural Beings, pay to the greater 
 and Superior, which raifes an high 
 Efteem for the wonderful Artificer, 
 by whom all 'Things live, and move, 
 and have their Beings ', by whom 
 every Office of Sen&tion is perform- 
 ed : So that we may tajle and fee how 
 good the Lord is : Pf. xxxiv. 8. And 
 E from
 
 ijo A Ladys Religion. 
 from thence conclude by fenfible 
 Demonflration, that all Delight is 
 the Creature of Deity, continually 
 obliging us to a comfortable Parti- 
 cipation of Divine Bounty, and 
 thereby to a conftant Return of 
 Praife and Thanks. 
 
 And if that fmall Portion of ex- 
 perimental Knowledge, in the Wif- 
 dom, Power, and Goodnefs of God, 
 to which in this Life we may attain, 
 can raife us to fuch a fincere Love 
 of God, as can expel all the Torment 
 of Fear ; furely an eternal progreflive 
 Knowledge of that inexhauftible 
 Subject, may be efteem'd an eter- 
 nal Fountain of Delight. 
 
 But at prefent what Countenance 
 can be given to Fear, from the Con- 
 templation of Deity ? Can that Di- 
 vine Wifdom, by which all Things 
 are contrived for our Ufe, or that di- 
 vine Power, by which all Things 
 are fupported for our conftant Satif- 
 
 faftion,
 
 A Ladfs Religion. 51 
 
 faction, differ any one to give Way 
 to fuperititious Fears ? As if the Deity 
 were auftere and rigorous, eafily pro- 
 voked by fome fmall, and, perhaps, 
 unavoidable, Miftakes of Creatures ; 
 and as ealiSy appeas'd with fomc 
 flight Formalities, and external Per- 
 formances. 
 
 This falfe Idea of Deity, Madam, 
 cannot be gathered up from your 
 Obfervation of Nature ; but muft 
 arifc from that narrow, and froward 
 Temper, which the weaker Sort of 
 Men too. frequently feel within 
 themfelves. And altho' the wife 
 Solomon built an Houfe for the Lord, 
 which was accepted of God, (as all 
 the yeivtfh Rites were, thro' divine 
 Conddcenfion) yet St. Stephen, 
 fpeaking of that Temple, makes 
 this Obfervation thereupon : Hew- 
 lett the moft high dwelleth not in 'Tem- 
 ples, as faith the Prophet ; Heaven is 
 my Thome ^ and Ear this my Foot/tool , 
 what Houfe will ye build me, faith the 
 E 2 Lord,
 
 2 A Lady's Relig ion. 
 
 Lord, or what is the Place of my Reft ? 
 Hath not my Hand made all thefe 
 Things ? Afts. vii. 48. In like Man- 
 ner, altho' thro' the fame Condefcen- 
 fion, God accepted the Sacrifices of 
 Jfrael, yet the Prophets bare Wit- 
 nefs that he did not require, or com- 
 mand thofe Services. Indeed this 
 appears in the very Beginning of the 
 JLevitical Book of Mofes where it is 
 thus written : An d the L ord called 
 to Mofes out of the Tabernacle of the 
 Congregation, faying, fpeak unto the 
 Children of Jfrael, and fay unto them, 
 If any Man of you bring an Offering 
 unto the Lord, ye Jhall bring your 
 Offering of the Cattle evtn of the 
 Herd, and of the Flock. If his Of- 
 fering be a burnt Sacrifice of the Herd, 
 let him offer a Male 'without Blemifh j 
 be Jhall off er it of his own voluntary 
 Will, at the Door of the Tabernacle 
 of the Congregation, before the Lord, 
 Lev. i. j. &c. So that Sacrifices, 
 feem to be as much a human, as a 
 divine Inftitution. And it may, 
 
 withouf
 
 A Lady's Religion. 53 
 without any Abfurdity, be fuppofed* 
 that Cain and Abel> or any ancient 
 Inhabitants of the World, might 
 appoint fome certain Day to join 
 their Stores together, to the Intent 
 that they aud their Families, might 
 eat and drink to the Glory of God ; as 
 St. Paid fpeaks. i. Cor.x. 31. that 
 is, whilft they were Partakers at a 
 plentiful Table, they might exprefs 
 their Thanks to God who furnimed 
 it cut for them. It is poffible alfo, 
 that the original Defign of this 
 c Thankfgi i ving-Fefti e ual t might in af- 
 ter Times be forgotten by Pofterity, 
 who might yet retain the Cuftom 
 of Sacrificing, upon a miftaken Sup- 
 pofal, that the folemn Slaughter of 
 their Cattle was a Thing well-pleafing 
 to God ; becaufe it was, as to them it 
 feern'd a Religious Obfervation of 
 their Fore-Fathers. And from hence 
 it might come, that Sacrifices and 
 Offerings were once the Catholick 
 Religion of the World. But for an 
 unprejudic'd Perfon to conceive, that 
 
 the
 
 54 -A Lady Religion. 
 
 the Deity mould be pleas'd with the 
 Slaughter of Hecatombs, is a Suppo- 
 fltion of a ftrange Nature. And 
 whence could it arife, but from the 
 mifleading of Fear, which induc'd 
 weak Men to believe, that God be- 
 ing angry with them for their Sins, 
 mufl have his Anger appeas'd by the 
 Slaughter of Beafts, that he may be 
 prevail'd upon to fpare the Lives 
 of Men? 
 
 Now to give your Ladyfhip a 
 general Account, how this Matter 
 flood of old, as far as I can reach 
 into Antiquity ; it appears that Fear 
 gave to Mankind, one Moiety of 
 their Notion of God. For it was 
 -generally believed of old, that Deify 
 was made up oftivo co-ordinate Pow- 
 ers j the one for Good, the other for 
 EviL And it is a long Time paft, 
 iince Men's Fancies found out 
 Names for the chymerical Objedts 
 of their Fears. So of old, the Hf- 
 bre&s call'd thefe two co-ordi- 
 nate
 
 A Ladfs Religion. 55 
 
 natc Principles, by the Names of 
 Gad, and Mem. The Egyptians 
 call'd them OJyris, and Typhon. In 
 the Greek Infcriptions upon Funeral 
 Urns, are frequently met the Letters 
 e: K: the initial Letters of 0Ir K ttX o7r 
 the unlucky Gods. The Romans 
 exprefled the fame Thing, by Joves 
 and Vajvues-y hard Names, which I 
 am forc'd to trouble your Ladymip 
 with. And the Aftrologers carry 
 on the fame Notion to this Day, 
 under the Style of favourable and 
 malignant Afpecls. I cannot tell 
 how long it is, fince the Pvrfians 
 received this Opinion, under the 
 Names of Oromafdes y and Arima- 
 nius ; but it may be computed how 
 long it is fince Manes Manicktem, a 
 Perfian by Birth, and a Cbriftian by 
 Profeffion, revived that an tient Opi- 
 nion of the Perfians, which by the 
 Chriftians of that Age, was called 
 the Manicbcean Herefy, and was a 
 Belief of two co-ordinate fupreme 
 Powers, th one Good, the other 
 
 Evil.
 
 56 A Lady y s Religion. 
 
 Evil. This Herefy was firft broach- 
 ed in the Reign of Aurelian the 
 Emperor 5 and in the Year of our 
 Lord 273. 
 
 Doubtlefs, it was the prevailing 
 Power of Fear, which armed Ju- 
 piter with his Thunderbolt, Mars 
 with his Spears, and Apol'o with his 
 Bow. And what can your Lady- 
 fhip think of thofe Parents, who 
 forc'd their Children to pafs through 
 the Fire to Molech, though it were 
 only to fcorch their Skins? which is 
 the mildeft Interpretation of thofe 
 Words of Mofes y whereby that fort 
 of Cruelty was forbidden, ZmV.xviii. 
 21. What can your Lady/hip think 
 of thofe Parents, but that they were 
 feared out of their Wits? And what 
 Opinion can you conceive of thofe 
 Parents, who burnt their Children 
 to Adramekch y and Anamelech> the 
 Gods of Sepherhaim, z Kings xvii. 
 3 1 . But that they were frightned out 
 of all Senfe of Humanity. For, 
 
 what
 
 A Lady's Religion. 57 
 
 what can be difcover'd in the Phi- 
 lofophic Notion of Deify, which 
 may give Countenance to fuch enor- 
 mous fuperftitious Fears? But on 
 the other Hand, might not Pytha- 
 goras well be fly led a divine Philo- 
 fopher, who came into Italy, in the 
 Reign of Tarquinius Superbus, as 
 CicerQ informs us to give the then 
 barbarous People, fuch a true No- 
 tion of Deity, as might diffipate all 
 fuperftitious Fears, and afford a folid 
 Comfort ? For if Deity be no other 
 than the vital Spirit of the Univerfe, 
 and common Parent of Mankind; 
 Reverence, Love, and Gratitude, be- 
 come due from Man to God: And 
 Pythagoras might well afk the Quef- 
 tion, why Men invented SpeStres to 
 frighten themfelves withal. As 
 Ovid reprefents him fpeaking : 
 
 Quid Styga, quidTenebras, Gf Nomina 
 vana timetis ? 
 
 And for the fame Reafon was it, 
 Madam*
 
 58 A Lady 3 Religion. 
 Madam, that Mofes commanded the 
 Jews, to bring their Sacrifices to the 
 Door of the Tabernacle, viz. that 
 they might not be offer 'd to fearful 
 Objeds, which the Scripture calls 
 Devils. They ft:all no more offer 
 their Sacrifice to Devils, Lev. xvii. 
 7. Upon which Text it may be 
 obferv'd, that the original Word, 
 which in our Tranflation is render 'd 
 Devils^ is by Latin Interpreters, fet 
 forth by moft odious, frightful, and 
 horrid Ideas. Such as pilofi, villofi, 
 hirfuti, bird, Satyri, horridi, horri- 
 fai. And particularly Bochart, in 
 his Treatife upon the Animals men- 
 tion 'd in the Old Teftament, com- 
 menting upon this Text of Mofes % 
 fays, That this Word 'which we 
 tranflate Devils, was given as a 
 Name to the Idols of Canaan, quod 
 horripilationem Us incutiunt quibus 
 apparent ; that is, becaufe their Fi- 
 gures were fo terrible, that a Man's 
 Hair would Hand an end, at their 
 Appearance. And whoever will 
 
 read
 
 A Lady's Religion 59 
 
 read the Chapter laft cited, will find 
 Mofes anticipating Pythagoras, in his 
 Defign of difTwading Men from en- 
 tertaining a frightful Idea of Deity, 
 and commanding, that lince Sacri- 
 fices were the Worfhip then in Ufe, 
 his Countrymen mould thereby pay 
 their Homage to that God, whofe 
 Character was Gracious and Merci- 
 ful-, the great Deliverer of that 
 particular People, and one who ftill 
 referved a particular Kindnefs for 
 them. This Character, is in its Na- 
 ture fitted to raife Veneration, 
 Love, and Hope ; but Fear is an un- 
 becoming Treatment of fuch a 
 Deity. 
 
 And yet behold, Madam, a great- 
 er than Pythagoras is here. I mean 
 St. John ; who in his Epiftle which 
 I at firft cited, fets forth the Charac- 
 ter of God, by the Ideas of Light 
 and Love, i Job. i. 5. God is light, 
 and in Him is no Darknejs at all. 
 And in another Place he gives the 
 
 moft
 
 60 A Lady's Religion. 
 mofl amiable Character of Deity, fay- 
 ing, that God is Love, i Job. iv. 8. 
 
 As to the firft of thefe two Cha- 
 ra&ers of God, that illuftrious one 
 of Light ; you cannot fuppofe it to 
 be an Object of Fear, but rather of 
 Comfort and Joy j forafmuch as 
 the Morning Light has been always 
 obferved, to difpel thofe Fears which 
 have been occafion'd by the fose- 
 going Darknefs ; it is this daily flow- 
 ing Tide of Brightnefs, which tinc- 
 tures the Earth with its Glory, ren- 
 dering it thereby, both ufeful and 
 delightful to Mankind. On the 
 contrary, how dreadful was it once 
 for the Egyptian^ to fit under that 
 thick Mift of palpable Darknefs, 
 which blotted out three whole Days? 
 In how melancholly a Manner did 
 they pafs away their Time, when 
 theyfaw not one another ', neither arofe 
 any one from hh Place ^ Exod. x. 23. 
 But how joyful an Hour was that, 
 wherein the Sun arofe to difpel the 
 
 Horror
 
 A Ladfs Religion* 61 
 
 Horror they had fo long laid under, 
 and look ! what Light is to the Eye, 
 that fame Thing is Knowledge to 
 the Mind. The Inftruftion of God, 
 is as delightful and refrefhing to the 
 Soul, as the rifingSun to a Traveller, 
 who has been beating out his Way 
 all Night. By divine Inftru&ion a 
 Man finds a plain Way through the 
 World, notwithflanding all the By- 
 Paths of Fancy and Perfwafion ; 
 hereby he fums up the whole of 
 religious Duty, in Reverence for 
 God, Care over ourfelves, and Kind- 
 nefs to our Fellow-Creatures : Each 
 Part whereof is delightful and re- 
 creative to the Spirit of Man, Re- 
 verence for the Deity, is the Pri- 
 viledge of Man above the Beaft, 
 which knows not that he is in the 
 Care and Keeping of God. But it is 
 the Glory of Man, to know and ac- 
 knowledge his gracious Owner, Go- 
 vernor, and Benefactor. 
 
 As to the other two fummary 
 F Partj
 
 62 A Lady's Religion. 
 
 Parts of Divine Inftruftion, Care 
 over our felves, and Kindnefs to our 
 Fellow-Creatures, the Performance 
 of thofe Duties, carries nothing in it 
 of Fear, or Torment, but is pleafant 
 as Light to the Eye, and Marrow to 
 the Bones. The firft of thefe two 
 Duties is prefervative of Soul and Bo- 
 dy, the difmal Effects which unruly 
 Paffion, and ungovern'd Appetite 
 too frequently produce. And as it 
 is a horrid Spectacle to behold a 
 Man out of the Ufe of himfelf; as 
 to have feen Saul breathing out 
 'Threatnings, and Slaughter againft the 
 Difciples of the Lord^ making Ha- 
 voc k of the Church^ entering into e<- 
 very Houfe, balling Men and Women, 
 and committing them to Prifon; Atfs. 
 viii. 8. So on the contrary, how 
 pleafing muft it have been, to have 
 feen his Labours of Love ? to have 
 been a Witnefs of his Wearinefs and 
 Painfulnefs, his often thatchings, hi* 
 Hunger and Thirft^ his Cold and Na- 
 kednefs, by Reafon of his great Care 
 
 tf
 
 A Lady's Religion. 63 
 
 of all the Churches, 'which came upon 
 him daily ^ i Cor. xi. 
 
 Befides, let any one but confult 
 his own Experience, and fee if there 
 be any Thing frightful, or torment- 
 ing, in being confcious of his own 
 Good Will and AhVtion to Man- 
 kind -, or in being confcious of 
 the merited Love and Efteem which 
 he has gain'd from others thereby. 
 And let a Man examine himfelf, Hf 
 there be any Pleafure which the 
 World affords, equal to the Satisfac- 
 tion he receives from relieving the 
 Neceflities of his Fellow-Creatures, 
 according to the Inftruction of God. 
 
 But on the other hand, where 
 unwarranted Traditions, and vain 
 Imaginations of Men, prevail over 
 the Light of God, the Minds of 
 Men will be perplex'd with dark 
 Sufpicions, and tormenting Fears. 
 Fa As
 
 64 A Lady's Religion. 
 
 As for Inftance ; if it be not certain 
 that St. Peter was at Rome, all the 
 Pretences which uphold the Roman 
 Cat bolt ck Communion fall to the 
 Ground : Then there is no Succef- 
 for in Power with the Keys of Hea- 
 ven, nor any infallible Apoftolical 
 Commiffioner to guide the Flock 
 of Ghrift. And that St. Peter ever 
 was at Rome, is no part of divine In- 
 flruction. Now fmce this great, and 
 as they pretend, univerfal Flock of 
 Chrift are uncertain of their Guide, 
 how muft their Doubts and Fears 
 multiply upon them, in Relation to 
 the Way they ought to take ? What 
 Security can they have, that the 
 Pardons and Indulgcncies grant- 
 ed by the Holy Fathers, are ratify 'd 
 in Heaven ? What Security that 
 their Pilgrimages, Penances, Mafles, 
 with their Adoration of a God bak'd 
 in an Oven, and fuch like Inven- 
 tions of their High Prieji, fhall be 
 accepted by the greateft and beft of 
 Beings? How fhall they be fure 
 
 that
 
 A Lady's Religion, 65 
 that they walk not in the Paths of 
 Darknefs, but that they are the 
 Children of Light, drawing to- 
 wards the Inheritance of the Saints 
 in Glory ? But when a Man 
 hath a iincere Refpeft to the 
 Light and Inftru<5tion of God, he 
 will thereby be made free from all 
 thofe Uncertainties, Jealoufies, and 
 Fears, which torment the Minds of 
 the Superfluous. 
 
 .Now Madam, if hereupon you 
 mould afk, how you (hall know, 
 that the Books of Script ure contain 'd 
 in the Old and New Teftament, are 
 the real true Light and Inftruflion of 
 God; I think you may eafily fatisfy 
 yourfelf as to that Matter. For tho* 
 many particular Texts therein con- 
 tained, cannot be nicely underftood 
 without fome Knowledge of ancient 
 Cuftoms, to which the Exprerljons 
 allude } yet without any ancient or 
 modern Learning, let any one take a 
 F 3 View
 
 66 A Lady's Religion. 
 
 View of the whole Analogy ', and 
 fuitable Agreement of the Dodrines 
 contain'd in both Teftaments, and 
 he will find that the Defign of all 
 thofe Writers was to fet forth fuch 
 an admirable Rule of Life, as was 
 fit for God to give, and for Man to 
 receive. And if you will compare 
 this moral Inftruction, with the Su- 
 perftitions of Heathens, or Papifts, 
 your Eye cannot difcern the Diffe- 
 rence, between the Light of Sun, and 
 Moon, more clearly, than your 
 Mind will diftinguim, between Re- 
 ligion, and Superftition. 
 
 Thofe Holy Books contain no- 
 thing of Popery or Priejlcraft^ or 
 of any other Defign, but only to di- 
 rect us to fwch Ways and Means, as 
 are bed fitted to work up human 
 Nature, to the higheft Degree of 
 Virtue it is capable of in this Life. 
 And therefore, whofoever mail en- 
 deavour to aflert any low, felf-de- 
 figning Opinion from Holy Writ, 
 
 is
 
 ALadfs Religion. 67 
 
 is the greateft Enemy thereunto. 
 Forafmuch as every mean, bafe, felf- 
 iih Opinion, or any fuch Dodtrine, 
 which is contrary to the common 
 Rights, Liberties, or Advantages of 
 Mankind, being afTerted from thence, 
 is a Mill-ftone hung upon the Book 
 of God, directly tending to fink its 
 Authority, and render it fufpe&ed 
 in the World. Upon this Foot St. 
 Paul referred himfelf to the Judg- 
 ment of the Corinthians, faying : I 
 fpeak unto wife men, judge ye what 1 
 (ay. i Cor. x. 15. Anfwerable 
 whereunto I refer it to the Judg- 
 ment of your Ladyfhip, whether a 
 fmcere Love of the Light and In- 
 ftruclion of God, will not difpel thofe 
 dark Fears, which fuperftitious Fan- 
 cies are apt to create. 
 
 But St. John faith, that God is 
 Love, i John iv. 8. and therefore 
 whatibever proceeds from him, muft 
 not be frightful, but lovely. Thus 
 Solomon fpeaking of Religion, under 
 
 the
 
 68 A Lady's Religion. 
 
 the Character of Wifdom, faith, Her 
 Ways are Ways of Pleafantnefs, and 
 all her Paths are Peace. Prov.iii.if. 
 And St. Paul exhorting the Phi- 
 lippians to virtuous Pract : ce, faith, 
 Whatfoever Thing* are lovely, think 
 on thofe 'Things. Phil. iv. 8. Nor was 
 the Gentile a Stranger, to this Doc- 
 trine, "oli KAM'V VKV s'H that is, That 
 which is good is lovely, was the 
 Saying of an old Greek Poet, 'Theog. 
 How lovely is it to behold the Cre- 
 ation of God, wherein all Things 
 that fall under our Cognizance, dif- 
 cover a wife Defign, by which every 
 Event tends to ths Intereft of the 
 Univerfe ! And the Character by 
 which Mankind doth moft refemble 
 Deity, is in the higheft Degree love- 
 ly; I mean, a virtuous Motion of 
 Mind, towards the Good of our 
 Fellow -Creatures. For by how 
 much the Affections of a Man are 
 fixed upon public Benefit, by how 
 much the more any one endeavours 
 to 'oblige Mankind by fo much are 
 
 his
 
 A Ladfs Religion. 69 
 
 his Action s rendered lovely ; efpe- 
 cially when this Dilpofition of Mind 
 is carried on without the ProfpecT: of 
 Retaliation. For this is the Dif- 
 poiition of God towards Man, as 
 David faith. Like as a Father pi- 
 tieth bis Children, fo the Lord pi- 
 tieth thofe that Jear him. Pfal. ciii. 
 13. The natural Affection of the 
 Father, is fully anfwer'd by the Be- 
 nefit which the Child receives, with- 
 out aiming at any other Advantage. 
 And in this Refpect the Benevo- 
 lence of noble Founders, and public 
 Benefa&ors, as likewife the Bounty 
 of great Princes, fuch whofe high 
 Stations fet them above Self-Intereft, 
 do render their Actions mojl lovely ; 
 becaufe they are incapable of any 
 .Return, betides that Joy which na- 
 turally flows from the Advantages 
 others receive by their Means. 
 
 Add to this, Madam, that a fin- 
 cere Love of Virtue, excludes all ft rong 
 Self-interefted Hopes, as well as 
 
 dilmal
 
 70 A Lady's Religion. 
 difmal Fears. And thus Mofesivhen 
 he 'was come to Tears, refused to be 
 call'd the Son of Pbaro's Daughter, 
 choofng rather to faffer Affliftion 
 with the People of God, than to enjoy 
 the Pleasures of Sin for a Seafon. 
 Heb. xi. 24. Jofephus relates that 
 Matter thus j Thermntis, the Daugh- 
 ter of Pharaoh, who had preferved 
 the Life of Mofes when very young, 
 prefented him to her Father when 
 grown up, deliring that he might be 
 appointed to fucceed in the Govern- 
 ment, me having adopted him for 
 her Son. How lovely was it in 
 Mofes generoufly to refufe thefe Court- 
 Offers of Greatnefs, in order to at- 
 tempt the Deliverance of his Bre- 
 thren ! It was not then underftood, 
 that an eager Purfuit after Court 
 Preferments, was the Mark of a true 
 Patriot ; but the heroic and lovely 
 Difpofition of Mofes, which St. 
 Paul fets forth, was a generous Com- 
 panion to his Countrymen, whom 
 he was willing to refcue from Sla- 
 very
 
 A Lady's Religion. 71 
 
 very, with the Hazard of his Life ; 
 as appear'd by his vigorous oppo- 
 fing the Egyptian, whom he found 
 fmiting an Hebrew \ Exod. ii. 12. 
 And like wife by perfecting their 
 Deliverance after he had conduced 
 them into Canaan. For fuppofing 
 the good MofeSy inftead of following 
 the Advice of Jetbro, and fetting up 
 the Judgment Seats of Ifr ael, mould 
 have been prevail'd upon , to have 
 eftablifh'd an Egyptian Miniftry in 
 Canaan^ he would thereby have tar- 
 nifh'd that lovely Character of a De- 
 liverer of his Country, and Lover of 
 his Brethren ; which laft Character 
 is according to St. Jobn^ihe Character 
 by which one may know, if he be 
 pafs'd from Death to Life. We 
 know that we have pajjed from "Death 
 to Life> becaufe we love the Bre- 
 thren 3 he that loveth not his Brother 
 abideth in Death, j Job. iii. 14. 
 that is, in the State and under the 
 Sentence of Death, as our Commen- 
 tators explain it. Whereas, be that
 
 72 A Lady 1 3 Religion. 
 Jovetb bis Brother abideth in the 
 Light) i yob. ii. 10. Such a one re- 
 fembles God, who is the Father cf 
 Lights, yam. i, 17. 
 
 And mould we confider God, 
 with St. yames> as a common Fa- 
 ther of Comforts, who maintains the 
 Order of the Univerfe, providing 
 fuitable Maintenance for all living 
 Creatures, Who maketb his Sun to 
 Jhine on the Evil and on the Good, 
 and fendeth Rain on the yttft> and on 
 the IJnjuft j Mat. v. 25. as our Sa- 
 viour faith ; can we fuppofe fuch a 
 Fatherly Difpofition as this is, does 
 any Way tend to ftrike Terror into 
 our Hearts; and to lay it there as 
 the Foundation of all our Duties ? 
 Surely nothing but the willing Af- 
 fedion of a dutiful Son, can be a 
 fuitable Return for the conftant Love 
 of an indulgent Father. To con- 
 clude this Argument, I think I may 
 fay, Madam, that although Fear may 
 prevail upon fomc ill Men to abftain 
 
 from
 
 A Ladys Religion. 73 
 from Evil, yet it is only the Love 
 of Virtue, which fixes our Inclina- 
 tions upon good Things. And I 
 hope I may alfo add, that as a good 
 Man has no need of Fear, to affifl 
 him in his purfuit after Virtue; fo 
 is it likewife evident, both from na- 
 tural and revealed Religion, that 
 fuch a one can have no Caufe to be 
 afraid of God. 
 
 II. As to the Fear of Men, which 
 was the fecond Thing I was to con- 
 iider, it is plain, Madam, That if 
 your Ladymip mail obferve Men 
 to act in Subordination to God, by 
 how much the Love of God prevails 
 over you, fo much the more fearful 
 you will be of giving them Offence. 
 Our Parents, under God, are our im- 
 mediate Owners, Governors and Be- 
 nefadiors. And the Honour which 
 hereupon is due to them, includes an 
 awful Refpett towards them; and if 
 the Magistrate be indeed the Mi- 
 nifter of Ged to us for Good (as St. 
 G Paul
 
 74 -d Lady's Religion. 
 Paul fpeaks) every Man will be cau- 
 tious of giving him Offence. In 
 fuch a Cafe, Tribute is to be given 
 to whom Tribute is due, Fear to whom 
 Fear, and Honour to whom Honour. 
 i Cor. xiii. but fince good Magi- 
 ftrates are a Terrortonly to evil Doers, 
 a fincere Lover of Virtue, is far 
 from Fear on that Account. 
 
 But if your Ladyfhip mall con- 
 fider Men, as adting in Oppofition to 
 God, you may be allowed to ufc 
 all necefiary Precautions, to preferve 
 yourfelf from their Tyranny. Nor 
 is there any Thing cowardly, mean, 
 or depreffive of your Spirit, in this 
 fort of Fear. Beware of Men (faith 
 our Saviour to his Difciples) for they 
 will deliver you up to the Councils, and 
 fcourge you in their Synagogues, but 
 if they perfecute you in one City fly in- 
 to another. Mat. x. 17. 23. Nor Jhall 
 he be afraid of evil Tidings ivhofe 
 Heart is jixed upon God; faith holy 
 David t Pfal, cxii. 7. 
 
 But
 
 A Ladfs Religion. 75 
 But then will a Man find himfelf 
 {unrounded with tormenting Fears,i 
 and dreadful Sufpicions ; when thro* 
 Want of a lincere Love to his great 
 Owner, Governor, and Benefactor, 
 he hath caft off ajl fincere and up- 
 right walking, as in the Prefence of 
 the Invifible All-feeing God ; when 
 he hath caft off that Righteoufnefs, 
 Juftice, Honefty, and Faithfulnefs, 
 as would not fail to engage Mankind 
 in his Support, and alfo to yield 
 fuch a Peace of Confcience, as will 
 not fuffer him to be difturbed, tho' 
 the Earth mould /hake, and the 
 Heavens be diffolved. And thea 
 may a Nation be afraid of Evil Ti- 
 dings, when the Love of God, (which 
 is chiefly made manifeil by Love to 
 our Brethren) ivaxetb cold ; when a 
 feaverifh Heat of Diffenfion, arifing 
 from a wretched bafe Self-Intereft, 
 carts them into Parties, when pub- 
 lic Weal is regarded only, as it ferv^s 
 private Ends j as the loud Accla- 
 mation, Great is Diana of the E- 
 G 2
 
 j6 A Lady's Relig ion. 
 
 phejians, was encouraged by the Gain, 
 which the Silver-fmiths made by 
 the Temple of that Goddefs. When 
 public Trufts (hall be coveted by fome, 
 to pleafe their Vanity and Senfuality; 
 by others, to gratify their fordid 
 Love of Money, and by mofl to en- 
 ftave their Brethren ; what Wonder, 
 if -upon any extraordinary Event, 
 Men's Hearts fiall Jail them for Fear, 
 and for looking after thofe Things 
 which are ccrriiug upon the Earth ? 
 Luk.xxi. 26. As our Saviour fore- 
 told, concerning the Deftruclion of 
 f j^rufdktn t which was brought to 
 |uis by their fatal Divifions. How 
 dreadful were the Tydings of IJraeFs 
 Captivity, which were brought to 
 them by the Prophet Jeremiah, and 
 were grounded on their Want of 
 Love to their Brethren, whom for 
 private Intereft they enflaved, when, 
 according to the Law or the Sab- 
 bittical Year, and the Law of the 
 jtfi$ they ought to .have made 
 
 free
 
 A Lady's Religion. 77 
 free? The Words of Jeremiah upon 
 this Occafion are thefe; Thus faith 
 the Lord, ye have not hearken* d unto 
 me in proclaiming Liberty every one 
 to his Brother, and every Man to his 
 Neighbour. Behold ! I proclaim a 
 Liberty to you, faith the Lord, to the 
 Sword to the Peflilence, and to the 
 Famine. And I will make you to be 
 removed to all the Kingdoms of the 
 Earth. Jer. xxxvii. 17. The Ef- 
 fect of this Prophecy is vifible at 
 this Day, though the firft fulfilling of 
 it was by the Arms of a Babylomfo 
 Tyrant, who was in that Day the 
 great Patron of Idolatry and Tyran- 
 ny j himfelf being no more than a 
 King of Slaves. 
 
 But yet Madam, a true Ifraelite in 
 whom was no Guile; who loved 
 the Lord, with all his Heart, and his 
 Neighbour as himfelf, who was 
 neither ambitious, nor covetous, nor 
 over-follicitous concerning the Ho- 
 G 3 nours
 
 78 A Lady "Religion. 
 
 nours, Riches, or Pleafures,, which 
 the World affords ; who walked 
 watchfully in the Denial of himfelf, 
 fo far as to hold no Confederacy 
 with any known Sin; who, when he 
 has fallen from his Duty, has reco- 
 yer'd himfelf by true Repentance j 
 who has been true to his Promife, 
 juft in his Actions, charitable to the 
 Poor, and well inclin'd to all Men ; 
 who could forgive Injuries, laying 
 afide all Thoughts of Revenge ; who 
 could be meek, calm, and gentle, 
 when in the Hands of furious and 
 violent Spirits ; who was of a ten- 
 der Difpofition, being as ready to 
 prevent Men from falling into Im- 
 moralities and Dangers, as he was to 
 compaffionate them in Adverfity; 
 fuch a one as could be moderate in 
 Power, and humble in Profperity ; 
 . . whofe Actions difcoyer a Love to 
 ^ his Country, free from the Bias of 
 private Jntereft, and whofe hearty 
 Inclinations were towards the Good 
 
 of
 
 A 'Lady's Religion. 79 
 
 of Mankind V fuch a Man as this, 
 was privileg'd from the Fear of evil 
 Tidings, and was commiffioned to 
 hope, that Through the Voice of the 
 Lordy the Ajjyrian Jhall be beaten 
 downy who fmote with a Rod. Jffa. 
 xxx. 31. 
 
 Nay, Madam, it was to chear up 
 the Heart of fuch an Ifraelite as 
 this, that the Prophet Ifaiah foretold 
 the Downfall of the Babylonifo 
 Grand Monarch ; whofe Slaves ufu- 
 ally ftiled him the King, as if there 
 were no other King befides him : 
 Saying, T'ophet is ordain d of old, yea 
 for the King // is prepared, he hath 
 made it deep and large: The Pile 
 thereof is Fire and much Wood \ and 
 the Breath of the Lord like a Stream 
 of Brim/lone, doth kindle it. 
 
 III. As to the Fear of Hell, Ma- 
 dam, I have very little to fay j for 
 if your Ladyfhip confiders Hell as a 
 
 con-
 
 So A Lady's Religion. 
 
 confummate State of Wickednefs, 
 doubtlefs a virtuous Perfon is at the 
 greateft Diftance from thence. He 
 who, out of a fincere Love to God, 
 is careful to know, and confcientious 
 to do his Will, fubmitting not only 
 his Words and Adlions, but the ve- 
 ry Purpofes of his Heart thereunto ; 
 he, in whom the Love of God hath 
 caft down all Pride, and Haughtinefs, 
 both of Heart and Carnage, having 
 reduced his Paflions to a due Mode- 
 ration, and Temper j who, through 
 his Love to God, efteems the 
 World no more than it deferves, and 
 makes ufe of it only to gratify a gene- 
 nerous Difpofition of Mind, ready 
 to compaflionate and help in Adver- 
 iity ; This Man, is fo far from any 
 Fear of Hell, that he hr.s in fome 
 Degree, the a&ual Pofleflion of Hea- 
 ven upon Earth : And by being 
 confcious of fuch his Love to God, 
 he is actually Partaker of thofe Di- 
 vine Joys, which alone we can fup- 
 
 pofe
 
 A Lady's Religion. 8 1 
 
 pofe to affect the Saints in Glory : 
 That is fuch a Delight, as never for- 
 feits nor cloys, though never fo fre- 
 quently renew'd, or ever fo long con- 
 tinued, and fuch as leaves no ill Re- 
 lifh behind it. 
 
 But on the other Hand, if a Man 
 bears no true Love to the Great and 
 Good GOD, but dares commit Sin 
 with Prefumption } if he be govern'd 
 by unruly PafTions, infatiable . De- 
 fires, or by an ambitious, covetous, 
 or malicious Temper ; if he be 
 moved by Envy, at the Profperity of 
 fome, or by Revenge for fmall Of- 
 fences taken at others ; this Man is 
 already fenfible of Hell upon Earth. 
 And though a thoufand Inventions 
 may be found out to quiet the evil 
 Spirit, which arifes from the Sctf- 
 confcioufnefs of his own wicked Heart, 
 yet nothing can alleviate his Tcr- 
 ment y becaufe nothing can feparate 
 Confcience from the Soul of 
 Man. 
 
 "Tit
 
 82 A Lady 5 Religion. 
 
 'Tis true, Madam, thai fometimes 
 the Inftrumental Parts of Religion 
 are called in aid, to allay the Terrors 
 of a Hell within ; and thefe devo- 
 tional Performances joined with a 
 flrong Fancy, may for a Time have 
 fome Effect upon an Enthtifiaftick 
 Temper ; as David' s Harp had up- 
 on Saul's Melancholly, fo long as the 
 Mufick lafted. But yet the dreadful 
 Apprehenfions of Guilt will not to- j 
 tally be extinguish |d, till our earneft / 
 Endeavours have recovered iis to a 
 fincere Love of God. 
 
 Having thus endeavoured to mew, 
 what Fear of God, of Man, and of 
 Hell, is confident with the Love of 
 God ; I hope it will appear that I do 
 no 111, when I offered to (hew your 
 Lady (hip yet a more excellent Way^ 
 That of Chanty , or Love ; and ad- 
 vifed you in fome Meafure, to foften 
 the Power of Fear, in your Religi- 
 ous Practices, and Devotional Per- 
 formances.
 
 A Lady's Religion 83 
 
 formances. I beg your Ladyfliip's 
 favourable Con ft ruction of what I 
 have written in this Letter, meaning 
 thereby to teftify the Refpeft w 
 is due to you, from 
 
 Tour Ladyjhip* 
 Moft obliged and 
 Moft bumble Servant.
 
 A 
 
 LETTER to a LADY 
 
 ON T HE 
 
 Death of her HUSBAND. 
 
 20 Mrs. C 
 
 MADAM, 
 
 YOU will naturally be much 
 furpris'd, at the firft Sight of 
 3, Letter, in a ftrange Hand, without 
 a Name ; and perhaps ftill more as 
 you read it. But tho' I have not 
 the Honour to be acquainted with 
 you, any otherwife than by Report, 
 yet I know your Lofs, and have 
 heard of your Affliction j heard 
 lately what aftonifhes and really 
 hurts me. 
 
 This being the Cafe, Madam, and 
 H as
 
 86 A Letter to a LADY on 
 as it is the great Pleafure of my Life 
 to give Help to the Diftrefled, to 
 the befl of my Abilities, fo I could 
 not hear of a Lady, plung'd by Pro- 
 vidence, or, rather, by her own un- 
 happy Temper and Difpofition, in 
 a Depth of Mifery, which, I am 
 fure, Human Nature is hardly equal 
 to, without extending my Hand 
 if it be poffible, to lead her out of 
 it. Such, and fuch only, Madam, 
 is the Intention of this Letter ; and I 
 hope it will lofe none of its Weight, 
 in coming without a Name, and 
 from one who has declared, that he 
 is no otherwife your Friend, than as 
 a Lover of the Human Kind. 
 
 Read it therefore with Attention, 
 Madam, and read it without Preju- 
 dice: Don't give it the reproach- 
 ful Character of Impertinent and af- 
 fuming, but look upon it as in 
 
 Truth
 
 the Death of her Hufland. 87 
 Truth it is a ferious, fincere, and 
 benevolent Attempt, to make a ve- 
 ry valuable Life alas ! at prefent, 
 a very heavy Burden comfortable 
 to yourfelf, and agreeable as it has 
 been always to your Friends. 
 Your Friends I believe, Madam ', 
 have not exerted themfelves on this 
 Occaflon, in a Manner I could wifh, 
 out of an ill judg'd Tendernefs and 
 Affe&ion. Indeed it is knpoffible^ 
 but that your own good Senfe and 
 Piety, muft have fuggefled many 
 Reflections of great Ufe in< your pre- 
 fent Gircumftances ; but they may 
 not have fuggefted All-. We know 
 that Paffion very often takes away 
 the right Ufe of Reafon, and either 
 inverts the Objects it looks at, or 
 gives them a Colour which is not 
 their own. And tho' there are many 
 Confolations in Books of Philofophy, 
 and Devotion, which you muft } 
 
 of
 
 88 A Letter to a LADV on 
 of Courfe, have met with, andwhich 
 I have not the Vanity to emulate, 
 yet one Perfon fometimes produces 
 Arguments on a Subject, which are 
 not thought of by another; and every 
 one is not alike affedled with the 
 fame Way of Reafonipg. 
 
 This encourages me to believe, 
 Madam y that I may perhaps drop 
 fome Hints, which you have not 
 yet attended to ; and I am willing to 
 flatter myfelf for your Sake, that, 
 when you have weigh'd them dif- 
 paffionately if you can bringfbur 
 felf to do it they may help to re- 
 ilore you (to fay nothing of your 
 Duty) to Yourfelf, your Friend, and 
 the World. I know it is a mighty 
 eafy Thing, and not an uncommon 
 one, to fay Be chearful and content- 
 ed ; tho' it is in other Words, Be 
 happy. But the Difficulty is to ihew 
 
 the
 
 the Death of her Hii/band, 89 
 the Means, and to put it within our 
 Powerj this I am now attempting, and 
 this I conjure you to recoiled: yourfelf 
 to attend, with Coolnefs and Com- 
 mand. 
 
 I have never heard you mention'd, 
 Madam, under any other Character 
 than that of a prodigious good Wo- 
 man j and I dare fay you juftly de- 
 ferve it. But when you lay before 
 you the Whole of Things, the Wif- 
 dom of your Maker, and the Relation 
 you ftand in to him, the hidden 
 Ways and Goodnefs of his Provi- 
 dence, and the Right which he has 
 to impofe a Difcipline upon us, in 
 the Way of Probation for a Scene 
 of Things to come, you will find 
 that an Immoderate Difcontent, let 
 the Lofs and the Difappointment 
 be what it will how much lefs 
 then when it is only the common 
 
 Fate
 
 9 A Letter to a LADY on 
 Fate of Man ! is in no Sort con- 
 fiflent with a real Senfe of Goodnefs. 
 
 The World has been ftrangely 
 miftaken about Piety j a Belief of 
 God's Exiftence, and a conftant Se- 
 ries of Devotion, in his public and 
 private Worfhip, tho* fo often de- 
 clar'd in Scripture to have no other 
 Efficacy with Regard to Us, than as 
 Means to aflift us in our Duty, yet 
 by a ftrange Sort of Delufion, 
 have pafs'd upon the World for the 
 Fruits of Holinefs and Virtue. Men 
 have fo long made Ufe of thefe Ex- 
 ternals in Religion, not under the 
 proper Notion of their being Means, 
 but as the End Iff elf of Piety, that 
 we often fee Inftances, of thofe who 
 are very deficient, in that abfolute Re- 
 fignation, that entire Truft and Con- 
 fidence, which they ought to have 
 in a Being of fuch confummate 
 
 Power
 
 the Death ofherHujband. gi 
 Power and Goodnefs, who would 
 on no Account omit the Marks of 
 Outward Holinefs. 
 
 But, Madam, I make no Scruple 
 to declare, that Piety, or our Duty 
 to God call it which you pleafe 
 confided d particularly as Jucb, is 
 to caft ourfelves upon him without 
 any Murmuring or Difeontentj to 
 fubmit to him as the wifeft and beft 
 of Beings ; aad abfolutely to depend 
 upon his Care and Providence, as 
 the Governor of the World. This 
 is That Temper of Mind which is 
 moft particularly fuitable to the State 
 we are paffing thro', and there can 
 be no Love of fuch a Being, as God 
 is, without it. We know that we 
 derive every thing which we enjoy 
 in this Life from his eflential Good- 
 nefs $ we know that he has a Pow- 
 er to do what he pleafes ; but we 
 
 likewife
 
 92 A Letter to a LADY on 
 likewife know that he is a Being of 
 the moft abfolute Benevolence, who 
 delights in doing Good to all his 
 Creatures, without Exception ; tho' 
 as he has further Things in View 
 than what appear to Us, his Ap- 
 pointments, on many Occafions, 
 feem unaccountable and fevere. 
 
 And what, Madam, is the Con- 
 clufion that is to be drawn from 
 hence, but that we mould refer our- 
 felves entirely and implicitly to Him, 
 and place all our Truft and Confi- 
 dence in his Goodnefs ? Vain then 
 is all the Pomp of Worfhip, and the 
 Solemnity of Devotion, unlefs this 
 is the habitual Frame and Difpofi- 
 tion of our Minds, towards the great 
 Eternal Mover. 
 
 But to prefs this Truth in all its 
 Force upon you, Madam, addrefs 
 
 your
 
 the Death of her Hujband. 93 
 your defponding Heart, under the 
 Weight of your prefent Sorrows, 
 with fuch Reflexion as thefe : I 
 find, by my Experience, that I came 
 into this World without any Defign 
 of my own, and under the Direction 
 of a Wife, a Good, and Powerful 
 Being ; his Providence has all a- 
 long continually fupported me j 
 to his Favour I owe every thing 
 which I ever had, and the Scrip- 
 tures have afTur'd me, that a Hair 
 does not fall from my Head, 
 without him. But at the fame 
 Time I am his Creature, who can 
 claim nothing from him, and my 
 very Being is an Act of his Free Will 
 and Mercy. Shall I complain then 
 of the Condition or Allotment which 
 he has order'd, and find Fault with 
 his Adminift ration? No. This is 
 an Excefs of Pride and Folly, which 
 
 my
 
 94 -^ Letter to a Lady on 
 
 my Heart can ne'er comply with ; 
 and what am I, to expeft that He 
 who ruleth over all the Kingdoms of 
 the Earth, mould interrupt the gene- 
 ral Laws, by which the World is 
 govern'd, for my Sake ? I fee many 
 of my own Species, many of my 
 own Sex, every Day involv'd in the 
 fame Calamities which I now be- 
 moan, and attended, alas! with Cir- 
 cumftances of far more exquifite Dif- 
 trefs. I find it is the common Fate 
 of Mortals 5 and why then fhould I 
 expedl to be diftinguim'd? It is 
 certain that I was not brought i nto 
 this World, on purpofe to lead a Life 
 exempt from Pain and Sorrow j it is 
 not the Lot of Man j there was 
 another End, 'tis likely, which 
 the great Difpofer of Events intend- 
 ed j He alone fent me forth to inha- 
 bit that Part of Earth I tread on, and 
 
 He
 
 the Death of her Hujband. 95 
 
 He alone knows how long, and un- 
 der what peculiar Circumftance, I 
 mould inhabit it. Shall I not 
 therefore bear the Part which is al- 
 lotted me, with Contentment and 
 Tranquility, rather than difpleafe s 
 by another Conduft, the Author of 
 my Exiftence ? Shall I not fubmit 
 to the worft Condition of Morta- 
 lity, with Refignation and a quiet 
 Mind, rather than hazard an Offence 
 to Him, on whom my Happinefs 
 muft depend for ever ? Thefe are 
 Queftions, Madam, which, in my O- 
 pinion, will have fome Influence on 
 a Mind difpos'd to Serioufnefs and 
 Piety ; and having been fo full upon 
 this Point, which concerns your 
 Duty towards your Maker, I mail be 
 ftiorter in what follows : It is doubt- 
 lefs of lefs Importance, but yet it is 
 proper to be mention' d by me upon 
 
 this
 
 96 A Letter to a Lady on 
 
 this Occafion, and that you fhould 
 calmly attend to it 
 
 If it has pleas' d the Almighty Ruler, 
 toputtheHappinefsof our Nature in a 
 great Meafure within our Power and 
 that, let People think as they will, he 
 plainly has done, then we muft im- 
 pute the greateft Part of our Miferies, 
 if we are miferable, to Ourfelves; to our 
 reflingin External Obje&s as our Hap- 
 pinefs, inftead of ufing the Mind to 
 Self-Enjoyment. This, Madam, 
 tho' a real Leffon of Philofophy, yet 
 I perfuade myfelf is not fo abftra&ed 
 and philofophical, but that you will 
 eafily comprehend it. Such as it 
 js, I leave it with you, and pafs on 
 to obferve, that there is fomething 
 due to Friendfhip j fome Regard to 
 Thofe, who love you too tenderly, to 
 fee you over- whelm' d as you are 
 
 with
 
 the Death of her Hujband. 97 
 
 Sorrows without being themfelves 
 greatly affected. And this is a 
 Confideration, which I think mould 
 work much upon the Difpofition of 
 a Lady, fo humane and good-natur'd, 
 as you are always faid to be. For 
 if your prefent State of Mind, has 
 had fuch an Effect upon a mere 
 Stranger as to produce this Letter, 
 and the Commiferation exprefled in 
 it, how do you think it muft hurt 
 thofe, who, from an intimate Ac- 
 quaintance with your many amiable 
 Qualities, have learnt to take a Part 
 in every Thing which You feel. 
 
 Let me befeech you, therefore, 
 Madam, not to give yourfelf up to 
 fuch an Extravagance of Affliction, 
 as muft not only make you wretched 
 whilft you live, but muft alfo mort- 
 en a Life, that is extremely valu'd 
 I by
 
 9 A Letter to a Lady on 
 
 by your Friends, and which may be 
 ufeful to thofe about you. The 
 World about you, your Relations, 
 your Acquaintance, may have many 
 Demands for the Services which 
 you are able to do them. Reaf- 
 fume, then, your wonted Greatnefs 
 of Mind ; true Piety as I have 
 already told you confifts in fub- 
 mitting to, and not contending a- 
 gainfty the Will of Heaven j It will 
 be your prefent Peace, and your 
 future Glory. 
 
 With thefe Sentiments, Madam., 
 I mall take my Leave ; you will do 
 me the Juftice to believe, I hope, 
 that I have meant nothing through 
 the Whole, but your Felicity ; and 
 to know who has purfu'd fuch an 
 uncommon Way to ferve you, as it 
 cannot give any Thing that .has been 
 
 faid
 
 the Death of her Hull and. 99 
 faid a greater Weight, fo it cannot 
 be of any Moment. It is One who 
 defires to do Good, tho' he has but 
 few Abilities, and who with the ut- 
 moft Sincerity, prays this Attempt 
 may fucceed. It is fubmitted to 
 God, and your own Heart, and lam, 
 
 MA DAM, 
 
 Tour Moft Obedient 
 Humble Servant, 
 
 Aog.1744- F. W. 
 
 FINIS.
 
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