ir^£ DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Treasure H&om i> ; i V///76 i 7 i k LETTERS TO A YOUNG LADY, ON' A VARIETY Of USEFUL and INTERESTING SUBJECTS r CALCULATED TO IMPROVE the HEART, to FORM the MANNERS, and ENLIGHTEN the UNDERSTANDING. " That our Daughters maybe as fiolified Corners of the Temple" By the Rev. JOHN BENNETT, Author of Striftures on Female Education IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. HARTFORD: PRINTED BY HUDSON y GOODWIN. 1798. <7IL L- ADVERTISEMENT. ■* HE following Letters have long lain by the au- thor in ajlate ofneglecl ; indeed of uncertainty whether the publication of them would do any credit to himfelf, orfer- vice to the world. Nor does he think, that he Jhould ever have prefumed to expofe them before the formidable tribunal of the public, unlefs animated by the name vf the very exalted and amiable perfonage, to whom they arc addrejfed. If they deferve no fame, they ought, however, in his opinion, to be branded with no malignant or invidious cenfure, as it heir intention is really to ferve the fairejl and mojl amiable part of the creation ; to roufe young ladies from a vacant or injipid life, into one of ufefulnefs, and laudable exertion — to recal them from vijionary novels and romances into folid reading and reflection — and from the criminal abfurdities offajhion, to the Jimplicity of nature and the dignity of virtue. He has attempted a method of uniting, in their character, the graces with the virtues ; an amiable heart with elegant manners and an enlighten- ed under/landing ; and if he Jhould not have fucceeded, is, by no means the jirjl perfon, who has misjudged his pow* ers, " qui magnis excidit aufis," andean refleSfor his comfort, that laudable projects are perhaps the whole, that lies within the narrow circle, or the talents of the bulk of mortals. jJfafJK&AskjgJk&qJKiqJK&s^^ TABLE of CONTENTS. This JVorh recommends, in the following Order, I. RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE with a Lift of proper Writers. II. Polite Knowledge, as it relates to the Belles Let- ins in general ; Epiftolary writing, Hiftory, the Lives of particular Perfons, Geography, Natural Hiftory, Aftronomy, Poetry, Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Heraldry, Voyages, Travels, &c. with a catalogue of, and criticifms upon, the moil approved authors under each article. III. Accomplifhments, as difplayed in Needlework, Embroidery, Drawing, Mufic, Dancing, Drefs, Polite- nefs, &c. IV. Prudential conducl and maxims, with refpect to Amufements, Love, Courtfhip, Marriage, &c. TO THE Q^ U E E N. MADAM, T HE encouragement of every thing virtuous and laudable has been a diftinguiihing characleriilic of your reign ; and if licentioufnt-fs and vice have infefted the kingdom, it is not becaufe they have received any countenance from your fovereign authority, or even wanted its mod falutary reftraints and pointed oppo- fition. To your own fex, in particular, you have exhibi- ted a mofr. inltruclive and animating example. — You have taught them by a (ilent, but impreffive language, to depend more for real influence and efteem, on the mild, the foft, and the attractive graces, than on all the perifhable appendages of greatnefs, illuftrious birth, political interference, or even the dazzling fplendours of a throne. In an age, when artificial gaieties have almoft ban- ifhed the fweeter pleafures of fimplicity and nature, you have difplayed as great a fondnefs, as the necef- A 2 vi DEDICATION. fary avocations of royalty would permit, for domeftic retirement. Fafhionable mothers might have derived a lefTon from your conduct. You/ royal breaft has appeared to vibrate with a more exquifite delight, to the carefTes of a tender offspring, in the (hades of Windfor, than it ever received from crowded levee;, or the fuperbeft brilliance of a court. In a period of falfe refinement, when conjugal fidel- ity has not appeared a favourite virtue, your Majefty has been a model of as delicate an attachment, as ever graced the pureft ages of antiquity, or occurs in the voluminous annals of the world. And in an era of fallidious affluence, when Christianity has been under- mined by the fubtilty of fceptics, and ftill more difgra- ced by the lukewarmnefs and irregularities of its pro- feilbrs ; when its grand bulwark, the chriftian fab- bath, has been daringly attacked, particularly amongft the higher ranks of people, by ma»y kinds of licen- tious amufement, you have done every thing in co-op- eration with our beloved Monarch, to ftop the progrefs of the evil, that could refult from virtuous precepts, or the unfullied luftre of example. Amicfil: this general afTemblage of virtues, there is one point, however, in which your Majefty's charac- ter mines forth with peculiar luftre, and will command the grateful veneration of the moil: diftant pofterity. It is that, which is particularly enforced in this work, and fo clofely interwoven with the mod: elTential in- tereft of fociety — female education. This, your Ma- jefty is allowed to have ftudied with greater earneft- nefs than any woman throughout your dominions ; I may add, with better fuccefs. Your royal daughters are a daily living comment on the excellence of your inftruftions, and are infinitely more celebrated for the graces of their hearts, the elegance of their manners, DEDICATION. f ii and the improvement of their underftanding, than the magnificence of their family, or the fplendour of their birth. I cannot, therefore, but be deeply fenfible of the high honour, that was conferred on me, when your Majefty condefcended to look into this work in man- ufcript, and give me the unreferved privilege of infcri- bing it to your protection ; and I would take a refpect- ful leave of your Majefty with uttering an earned wifh, which, elevated as you are, muft come near the heart —that the daughters you have cultivated with fuch a tender afliduity, may long continue (what they are,) the ornament of their fex — of their kingdom — of Eu- rope — the prop, when file wants it, of their declining parent ; your confolers in that awful moment, when even Majefty muft be duft, and your companions in that heaven, where the virtues will remain, though ti- tles and greatnefs and diftinclions are forgotten ! I have the honor to be, with the moft profound gratitude and refpecl, Madam, Your Majesty's moft devoted Subject and Servant, THE AUTHOR. LETTERS, &c. LETTER I. To Miss LUCT MY DEAR LUCY, THOUGH I myfelf have fuftained an heavy Iofs by the death of your excellent mother, who Jived fo much in my friend/hip and efteera, and by her letters and fociety had conferred upon me fome of the fweeteft pleafures in human life, yet you alas ! are the principal fufFerer by this afflicting difpenfation. It would give me the lincereft pleafure, if I knew how to alleviate your grief, or afford you a fingle moment's confolation. I need not prefs on you the doctrines of religion. You have, doubtlefs, confidered who it is, that has de- prived you of this invaluable parent ; a God of infinite wifdom, who never ftrikes, but at the fitteft moment ; a God of equal goodnefs, who without the ftrongeft reafons, would not afflicl, and a being of unbounded power, who is abundantly able to make up your lofs, and open to you a thoufand fources of comfort. Chriftianity mould exclude all unreafonable forrow. If we believe that our friends are dead in God ; we know that this life is only a vapour ; that our fepara- i« LETTERS TO A tion is but for a moment, and that we (ball foon be re- stored to them in a world, where life is without pain, and where friendfhip is immortal. Though you are, in the literal fenfc, an orphan, yet the number of friends, to whom you arc fo juftly dear, will render your fituation neither folitary, nor defcnce- lefs. The fenfible, the elegant and the good will think themfelves honored by your acquaintance. They will give you credit for inheriting all the amiable qual- ities of a mother, who was revered, as far as known, whilft nature has fo ftrongly imprinted, on your face, the refemblance of her features. The fcene is ft ill frefh upon my memory, when, in her lad moments, fhe fo flrongly recommended you to my protection. And though me naid a compliment to my abilities, which only a partial friendfhip could have excited, fhe did nothing more than ftridt juftice to the warmth of my affection. I mall really think myfelf complimented by your correfpondence. If you will call me father or brother, you will give an unufual luftre to my name. This fond heart mall vibrate to your wifhes and your happinefs : and, if you will oc- cafionally vifit my little cot, it mall put on all its love- liefl charms, and fmile in all its gayeft attire, to receive fo dear and fo amiable a ftranger. The rofes of my humble garden fhall, if poflible, be doubly fweet ; my Jeffamines fhall emit an unufual fragrance ; and if na- ture will but obey, I will order the general fcenery to be delightful. We fhall reap, I am afTured, mutual benefits by this acquaintance. If I am able to communicate to you any little knowledge, you will more than repay it by that eafe, delicacy, refinement, confidence and expan- fion, which the mind never effectually feels, but in the friendfhip of a fenfible and an interefting. woman. Such a friendfhip is the richeft cordial of life. Either •f the fexes without it, are never what they fhould be. YOUNG LADY. n Like the beft figures, mutilated, they appear to difad- vantage. Unnatural expedients may be tried to fup- ply its place. Bufinefs, ambition, an ojl and great commandment. If a virtuous attachment to an imperfect creature here is attended with fuch tranfports ; if friendship, pure and difmterefted, has fuch exquifite enjoyments, the pleafure, refulting from an intimacy with God muft far furpafs all human comprehenfioR, and be infinitely more exalted and fublime. It is heaven, compared with earth, or the immenfity of fpace, with the little, narrow boundaries of aprifon, or a convent. N LETTER IV. EVER fancy, that religion will render you gloomy, or unpleafing. If indeed you take it from the coarfe daubings of fuperftition or of enthufi- afm, it is a frightful raonfter, or a melancholy fpectre, that will difcourage people from approaching you. If you deduce it from the fcriptures, and ground it upon reafon, folid argument and truth, it will become a fource of perpetual cheerfulnefs to yourfelf, that will be re- flcfted on every perfon and objecl: about you. Never fail to treat, with the greater!: reverence, ev- ery thing, that relates to the houfe of God, to his min- ifters, to his facraments, and to his word. To men- 1 6 LETTERS TO A tion any thing, that is (acred, with kvity, is a certain mark of a depraved heart, and a weak undcrflanding. A witty fneer or farcafm, on fuch (objects, is not to be forgiven. It fnocks all the fenfible and better part of mankind, and, is a fpecies of blafphemy or facnlege. You remember who has laid, that " every woman u is at heart a rake." This fentence is fevere, and not to be admitted without rellriclions. Pope was a rancorous fatirift of women. Whatever be his merit in the world of letters, they, at lealt, owe no extraor- dinary gratitude to his memory or talents. " Tread " lightly upon the afhes of the dead," is a maxim I revere. I would, otherwife, retaliate his infults on the fex, and become the champion of their injured honor. I would infinuate, that the poet was little and deformed, and had experienced few of their carefTes or attentions. Other writers, however, have charged you with a ftrong preference for dffipated men. But this, furely is the ungenerous afperfion of your enemies, or of thofe, who have not known the moft deferving amongft you, and have formed an unjuft and unfavora- ble conclufion, from the unamiablenefs of a few. Tour example, I truir, will always contradict fuch indifcriminate cenfure. The idea, if we could admit it in its full extent, would be unfriendly to the focial happinefs of life. It would deitroy that cfteem and confidence in your virtues, which the beft and wifeft men have uniformly thought no inadequate counter- poife to their forrows, and their cares. A bad man is terrible in fociety ; but an unprincipled woman is a manjler. The peace, happinefs and honor of our fex are fo very much in die power of yours after marriage, that the moil: abandoned libertine iliudders at thetho't of an union with a woman, who has not piety and vir- tue. His intimacy with fome females, of a certain de- fcnptiotiy has given him fuch a diigufting picture, as will r -be forgotten. In his moments q£ reflexion, he YOUNG LADY. a 7 ♦execrates his folly, and, when he deliberates, whom tfie fhould choofe for the companion of his life, appeals from the treacherous, ruffled bofora of an harlot, to •one, that will be always faithful, and always ferene. Without piety) indeed, a woman can never fully pof- •fefs the true powers of plcafing. She will want that week benevolence, fympathy and foftnefs, which give •an inexpreffible lujlre to her features, and fuch a won- • derful afcendancy over our affections. We {hall not ■other wife approach her with confidence, or dare to re- •pofe any of our fecrets, our concerns or our forrows^ un her fympathizing bread. LETTER V. TMY DEAR GIR TF your mind is in a proper frame, every thing in you and about yoti will inculcate the neceiTity, and ■prompt you to the continual cxercife of, devotion^ You will find yourfelf encompafled with innumerable •fears, weaknefTes, wants, forrows, difeafes, wiihes, hopes* -under which all human creatures will be unable to alfifr, •or give you any adequate relief ; bat wherever you caft your eyes, you will, at the fame time, be environed with the immenfity of a Being, who is poffelTed of all pomble perfections, and who holdeih the iffues of life -and death, of Jiappinefs and mifery, folely in his hands. The power, majefty, grandeur and wifdom of this Being are difccrnable in every part of your frame, ia every function of your body, and operation of your unind, nay in the curious and exquifite formation of ev- ery animal and infect. They are feen, on a dill fubli- tticr fcale, i« the fize, the didances, grandeur, and w.&u- £.2 i8 LETTERS TO A derful revolution of the heavenly bodies ; in the beau- tifully variegated canopy of heaven, in all the delicious landfltips of nature, in thepleafing fucceflion of day and night, fpring and autumn, fummer and winter. In fhort, winds and dorms, thunder and lightning, earth- quakes and volcanoes, the grand, magnificent ocean, waves and somets, fulfilling his word, appearing and receding, at his fovereign command ; flower3, blofToms, fruits, foflils, minerals, petrefactions, precipices, hills, caverns, valleys, all tell you, that their former is im- menfely magnificent, " that he doeth what he will in " the armies of heaven, and amongft the inhabitants of " the earth, and that none can withftand the thunder " of his power." This God then is able to gratify your wifhes, and fupport you under all your furTerings ; he has ivi/Jom enough to protect and guide you ; the queftionthen is ; is he willing ? On this head, hearken to all nature, for it fpeaks aloud. Look through the number- lefs orders and gradations of animals, infects, nay the meaneft reptiles, and yon will be aftoniihed with the attention, that has been laviflied on them, in the contrivance of their frame, the allotment of their fitu- ation, and theprovifion, made for their continual fup- port. They are happy. Shift your eye to all the inan- imate creation, and you will find it a fcene of harmony, of order, and beauty, and feemingly constructed for our 'ratification. Lovely picturefque views delight our imagination ; fhrubs and plaats and flowers regale us with aromatic fmells. But a poet, of very decriptive talents, mail fpeak on this occafion. Wherefore nature's form So exquifitely fair ? her breath perfum'd With fuch ethereal fwectnefs ? whence her voice, Inform'd at will, to raife or to deprefs Th' impaffion'd foul, and whence the robes of light, Which thus invefiher with more lovely pomp, YOUNG LADY. 19 Than fancy can defcribe ? whence but from Tbce, O fource divine of never failing love, And thy unmeafur'd goodnefs ? not content With ev'ry food of life to nourifh man, Thou mak'fl all nature, beauty to his eye, Or mufic to his ear ; well pleas'd he fcans The goodly profped:, and with inward fmiles, Treads the gay verdure of the painted plain, Beholds the azure canopy of heav'n, And living lamps, that overarch his head With more than regal fplendour, lends his ears To the full choir of water, air, and earth. In every part We tra«e the bright imprciTions of his hand, In earth, or air, the meadow's purple ftores, The moon's mild radience, or the virgin form, Blooming with rofy fmiles, we fee pourtray'd That uncreated beauty, which delights The mind fupremc — Indeed, if you reafon for a moment why could the Al- mighty create at all> but to diffuje and variegate enjoy- ment ? InexhaufHble fource of happinefs, from all eternity, he needed not, and, in fact, could not receive, an addition to his own. In himfelf fupremely bleiTed, fountain of eternal majefty and fplendour, adored by feraphs, furrounded by myriads of angels and archan- gels, what dignity could he derive from the exigence, or fervices of man, who is but a worm, or the production of ten tkoufand worlds ? It was infinite wifdom, there- fore, that fketchedout the plan of univerfal nature, and all-communicative goodnefs, that bade fo many worlds exift, and bade them to be happy. The fupreme and gracious former wifhed to communicate fome fcattered rays of his glory and his bleiTednefs to this extended world of matter and of life, ajid has therefore replen- iflied every leaf, every drop of water, and every pof- fibility of fpace with meals of inhabitants ; for sd LETTERS TO A Scarce buds a leuf, or fprings the laweft weed, But little flocks upon it>> Ik u>m U No fruit our palate courts, or talk- our fmell, But on its fragrant bofom, nation* dwell. Is it not then a certain conclufion, that he created you, as well as all inferior animals for happinefs ? On this you may depend, as much as you can upon the ,:crtuin(y of your exigence, and that he is always more willing to .be your protector, than you are ready to re- •quert it. Open they "acred booh, and, from beginning to end, it will confirm this opinion, and exalt your ideas ofthe idivine perfections. " I delight in exerciiing loving- *' kindnefs, faith the Lord. — The Lord is good to all, • i and his tender mercies are over all his works. If •*' he clothes the grafs ofthe fields which, to-day., is, " and to-morrow is cart into the oven, how much " more mail he clothe you, O ye of little faith : M That religion is built on wrong notions, or a melancholy ttemper, that fills us with imaginary terrors. All na- ture breathes a language of hope and mtrcv. And nature is the meflengcr of God. It is true there is evil in the world, as well as good ; -there are marks of judgment, as well as mercy. There .are hurricanes, as well as fanning breezes ; noxious .are intermixed with ufeful animals ; poifonom and faluta- ■ry herbs grow befule each other, and rofes have their •thorns. There are wars and rumours of wars ; there are earthquakes, that defolate to hole countries ; a thou- sand forms of difeafe.; a .thoufand modifications of for- row, anxiety, death. If he, who fits at the helm, be 110 gracious, whence all this difordcr ? If his infinite power be combined with equal wifdom and goodnefs, •why did he not prevent it ? If men were not to be free .agents, the total preven- tion of fin and evil feems an impojjibilily. Moral lib- tcrtj could not contort with a mechanical^ forced o.h&di- YOUNG LADY. 21 «nce ; and if we had not been free, the idea of punifh- ments or rewards, of an heaven or an hell, would be the greateft of all poffible abfurdities. So that thequeftion ultimately amounts to this, whether it was proper for the Almighty to create fuch a world at all ? Had we not better referve the propriety of. this conduct to be difpii- tedwith him, at his great tribunal ? There, I doubt not, we mail be amply convinced, that the creation was a work of infinite mercy, as well as power, and that a greater degree of happinefs, than mifery has arifen from it. There too, when we are able to difcern with glori- fied eyes, the whole chain of caufes and effects, from the beginning, to the end, of time ; the dependence •of one link of being on another, and of worlds, on worlds ; this evil we now complain of, may become a means of exalting our ideas of the attributes of the Al- mighty ; and we mall blufli at ourfelves for even ha- ving queftioned his goodnefs for a moment, or encour- aged a reafoning pride, fo ill becoming creatures, whofe •days are few, whofe ftrength is weaknefs, whofe wif- dom folly ; and who, in theprefent immurement of their underftanding, fcarcely know the nature of a blade of grafs, or of the very pebbles, on which they tread. This queftion concerning the origin of evil has puz- zled the whole tribe of rcafoners and philofophers, from the creation, to the prefent moment. The fcrip- ture alone has folved the enigma to our fatisfaclion. This deranged ftate of things is the providential pun- ifhmentofguilt,but at the fame time, contrived in mercy, as a falutary regimen, and as a iviode of purifying fallen ereaturesjfor the innocence andhappinefs of abetter world. It is a chaos, fitted to our prefent conftitution, and will refine, as ive do, into its primitive beauty and fplendour. " There mall then be new heavens and a new earth, " wherein dwelleth righteoufnefs. The wolf mail " dwell with the lamb, and the leopard lie down with ■" the kid, when the earth is full of the knowledge of LETTERS TO* A "** the Lord, as the waters cover the Teas." Resigna- tion, in the mean time, has a balm for furTering, and the faith of a chriilian " looketh to a better country, with " foundations, whofe builder and maker is God." But fpeculations apart, if you draw nigh to the Al- mighty, he will draw nigh to you ; if you feek his fa- vor and friendfliip, all things (hall work together for your good. Tribulation, anguiih, nakednefs, or fam- ine, or peril, or the fword will all be fo many inftru- ments, in his hands, of procuring your eternal happi- nefs and glory. Remember the gift of his only Son to be a facrifice for your fins, and it is more than a thoufand lefTons of a mercy beyond a parallel, and that far exceeds all hu- man comprehenfioH. On fo delightful a fubject, it is difficult to flop one's pen, or retrain the fallies of imagination. This idea of the fupreme being calls a delicious fragrance over all the real enjoyments of life. It gives an inexprefli- ble poignancy to friendship, and to the affection, with which I {hall ever feel myfelf inviolably yours. LETTER VL MY DEAR GIR3 DEVOTION, confidered fimply in itfclf, is an in- tercourfe betwixt us and God ; betwixt the fu- preme, felf-exiftent, inconceivable fpirit, which formed and preferves the univerfe, and that particular fpirit, with which, for awful reafons, he has animated a por- tion of matter upon earth, that we call man. It is a filefot act, in which the foul diverts itfelf of outward things, flies into heaven, and pours forth all its wants, wiflies, hopes, fears, guilt or pleafures, into the bofom e: an almighty friend. YOUNG LADY. 23 Though this devotion, in its firfl: llages, may be a wearifome or infipld exercife, yet this arifes merely from the depravity of nature, and of our pafiions. A little habit will overcome this reluctance When you have fairly entered on your journey, " the ways of this " wifdom will be ways of pleafantnefs, and all its M paths, peace." True devotion, doubtlefs, requires a. confiderable degree of abjlratllon from the world. Hence modern chriftians treat it, as a v'fion. Hence many modern writers have little of itsun&ion. But it glows in the fcriptures. It warms us in the fathers. It burned in an Auftin, and in many other of thofe perfecuted mar- tyrs, who now are with God. That we hear little of it, is not wonderful. It makes no noife in the circles of the learned or of the elegant. Under an heap of worldly cares, vtzf mother the lovely infant, and will not let it breathe. Vanity, ambition, pleafure, avarice, quench the celeltial fire. And thefe alas ! are too much the god of mortals ! Ever fince the world began, writers have been amufing us only with Jhadotvs of this piety, inftead of giving us hs foul and fuhjlance. Superftition has placed it in opinions, cere- monies, aufterities, pilgrimages, perfecution, an >auguil temple, or fplendid imagery, which had little connex- ion with fentiment or fpirit. Enthufiafm has fwelled with unnatural conceptions, and obtruded zfpurious offspring on the world, inftead of this engaging child. of reafon and truth ; whilft the lukewarm have refted in a few outward duties, which have had no vigor, and, as they fprung not from the heart, never entered the temple of the moft High. Real piety is of a very different, and of a much more animated, nature. It looks up to God, fees, hears, feels him, in every event, in every viciffitude, in all places, in all feafons, and upon all occafions. It is theory, vivified by experience. It is faith, fubjlantlated 24 LETTERS TO A by mental enjoyment. It is heaven, tranfplanted into the human bofom. It is the radiance of the Divinity, warming and incircling man. It is fpiritual fenfe, gratified by fplritual fenfations. Without this, all cer- emonies are inefficacious. Books, prayers, facraraentg and meditations are but a body, without a foul, or a ftatue, without animation. That man is capable of fuch an intercourfe with his maker, there are many living witnefTes to prove. With- out having recourfe to the vifions of fanatics, or the dreams of tnthufiafts, it may be proved to fpring from natural and philofophical caufes. God is a fpirit ; fo is the mind. Bodies can have intercourfe ; fo can fouls. When minds are in an ajftmilat'wg (late of pu- rity, they have union with their Maker. This was the blifs ofparadife ; fin interrupted, and holinefs muft reftort it. To a foul, thus difpofed, the creator com- municates himfelf, in a manner, which is as infenfible to the natural eye, as the falling of dews, but not lefs refrefhing to its feeret powers, than that is to vegetation. The'primitive faints are defcribing this, when they fpeak of their tranfports. David felt it, when he longed for God, as the heart panteth after the water brooks. St. Paul knew it, when he gloried in his tribulations. It was embodied in him, when he was carried up into the third heavens, and heard things, impoflible to be uttered. St. Stephen was filled with it, when he faw the heavens ©pen, and prayed for his murderers. By it, martyrs, were fupported, when they were ftoned, and fawn afunder. And till we feel it in our/elves, we (hall never fully know, how gracious the Lord is. If you can acquire this fpiritual abJlracHon^ you will, at once, have made your fortune for eternity. It will be of little moment, what is your lot on earth, or what the diftinguifhing viciflitudes of your life. Piofperity or adverfity, health or ficknefs, honor or difgrace, a YOUNG LADY. $5 cottage or a crown, will all be fo many inftruments of glory. The whole creation will become a temple* Ev- ery event and every object will lead your mmd to God, and in his greatnefs and perfections, you will infenfibly lofe the littlenefs, the glare and tinfel of all human tkings. If I wifhed only to fet off your per/on to the greatest advantage, I would recommend this true fublime of re- ligion. It gives a pleafing ferenity to the countenance, and a cheerfulnefs to the fpirits beyond the reach of art, or the power of affectation. It communicates a real tranfport to the mind, which diflipation mimics only for a moment ; a fweetnefs to the difpofition, and a lujlrc to the manners which all the airs of modern politenefs ft udy but in vain. Eafy in yourfelf, it will make you in perfect good humor with the world, and when you are diffufing happinefs around you, " you " will only be dealing out the broken fragments, that " remain after you have eaten." LETTER VII. THIS devotion, however, though effentially a filent intercourfe betwixt the foul and God, yet, to creatures, confining of matter, as well as fpirit, muftbe nourifhed by external forms. It mult itrike the fenfes, in order to awaken the imagination. The bulk of people, indeed, are fo far materialized, (if I may thus exprefs it,) and funk \xi fenfe, that noth- ing but outward ceremonies would give them any ade- quate perception either of the neceffily or pleafures, of devotion j and even the mod: fp'iritual, in a (late of frailty, will need thefe powerful calls and leffons to retrace the vaniihing impreflions of their duty. C 56 LETTERS TO A Public worfliip and the facraments are the grand outwork of piety. They are the doors, by which we enter the fanctuary of God. They are the channels for conveying heavenly grace and vigor to the foul. It is here the Redeemer gives us food, that nourifhes to eternal life. It is here he rains down fountains of living water. Whoever pretends to be above thefe forms, is the fanatic, who might as well tell us, that his animal life can be fupported without food ; whoever defpifes them, is the Infidel, that does every thing in his power, to root out the remembrance of God from the earth, and violate the deareft interefts of mankind. Whoever, confcientioujly attends, yet confiders them, only as in- troductory to good, is a true rational chriftian, that unites the feparate links of matter and fpirit, and lets his Hght mine before men, that they may fee his good works, and glorify his father, who is in heaven. Lukewarmnefs, an infenfibility to all facred things, fcepticifm, profligacy, and licentious pleafures are the difcriminating traits of thofe, who neglect, from what- ever vain pretences, thefe means of grace. The bed difpofed are gradually hardened, and the poor are plun- ged into fuch diforders, as bring them to the fatal tree. LETTER VIII. ANOTHER excellent method of inkindling pie- ty, is reading the fcriptures. A chriftian, in- deed, mould have this facred book, ever folded in his breaft. There is a richnefs and a comfort in it, that nothing elfe can equal. Every word is big with in- ftru&ion ; every fentence is divine. It is a mine, per- petually opening ; the deeper we dig, the richer is the ore. It is a feaft, adapted to every tafte ; the moft YOUNG LADY. 27 exalted undemanding mufl admire, and the loiuejl can- not fail to comprehend, its inftruclions. If people only read for the fake of entertainment, where can they find a book equal to the Bible ? What other production, either ancient or modern, has fuch ftriking pafl'ages of the pathetic and fublime, the vehe- ment and impaffioned ? Where are there fuch lofty images, fuch grand conceptions, or fuch piclurefque and animated defcriptions, as in the pfalms ? There is fcarcely a perfon in the world, to whole cafe fome of them are not adapted, nor a forrow which they can- not footh. In one part, plaintive, affecting, peniten- tial ; in another full of triumph and exultation, enno- bling, elevating ; here defcribing the immenfity, raa- jefry, omnipotence and omniprefence of God ; there the littlenefs of the world, and the vanity of man ; whoever can read them without emotion, mult be pro- nounced void both of piety and tafte. The prophets are the true fublime of holy reading. The bold images, metaphors, allufions, and defcrip- tions, with which they abound, have been the admira- tion of the moft accomplifhed fcholars, orators and critics in the world. The proverbs of Solomon and the book of Eccleiiafticus are an excellent fyftem for the government of private life, as well as a fund of fpiritual instruction ! They have all the marrow of our modern fyftems of good breeding, without any of their poifon. The facred (lories of the fcripture are related with amazing fimpiicity and pathos ; the parables are beautifully pointed and inftructive ; and the epiftles of St. Paul are a model of the fublimeft and mod: ener- getic eloquence, that can be found in any age, or in any language. When the immortal Locke and Newton had dived into every other kind of knowledge, they fat down to contemplate the vanity and poverty of all, in the rich- aefs of the fcriptures. The famous Bacon, an oracle 2$ LETTERS TO A of learning, in his day, and the wonder of all fucceed- * n £ a g es > confefled them to be the fource of all real mj'tfdom. The illuflrious Sclden, on his death-bed, allured archbifhop Ufher, that the ivhoh of his immenfe library could not give him half the comfort, which he derived from oncfuiglc fentence of the infpircd wri- tings j and Addifon, whofe rame mud be ever dear to every friend of religion and virtue, fpent no little time in collecting together, and arranging into one common point of view, the united evidences of the chriftian religion. The primitive chriftia'RS ufed to read this book, on their knees. Their preface was, " Open thou mine " eyes, that I may fee the wondrous things of thy law." Imitate them on earth, and in time you fhall join that illuftrious choir of fdiRts, that are continually worship- ping before the throne in heaven. LETTER IX. THE old Scriptures may appear, in themfelves, dry and infipid ; but when you confider them, as typical of the new, and affording a (hong, collateral testimony to the truth of revelation ; as the defcribing circamflances, manners, and anecdotes of a peculiar, chofen people, whofe hiftory, rebellion, captivity and difperfion are interwoven with the whole fyfteni of chriftianity, you will read them with a greater relifh, and more godly edification. Jefus Chrift is the foundation of the apofrles and prophets ; all the incidents you read, point to him, as J heir origin, and as their end ; " the great corner (tone " in Zion ; the lamb flain from the foundation of the " world." YOUNG LADY. t 9 The bondage of the children of Ifrael in Egpyt, is an image of our captivity to fin and their deliverance, of our redemption through the blood of Chrift ; their journeying through the wiidernefs, is a ftrong picture of our wearifome paffage through this vale of tears. Mo- les is the Saviour, making waters of comfort gufh from tUc (tony rock ; the manna is the food of his word, and the waters are the graces of his holy fpirit ; the beautiful and affecting hiftory of Jofeph is an emblem of that better perfonage, who was envied, hated, perfe- cted and murdered by his brethren, for the general falvation : Abraham is a linking image of the Al- mighty, offering up his only fon, and all the ceremonies of the law point to that true blood o^ fprinkling, which alone can take away the fins of the world. Thus is every page holy ; thus do you tread, every moment, on confecrated ground, and thus every word, when^ro^- eriy underftood, is fpirit and is life. But of all the fcriptures, the gofpels are certainly the mod edifying and inftructive. They are plain, forci- ble, fpiritual ; they come from the very mouth ofholi- nefs and wifdom, and do not admit of any wrong con- ftru&ions or doubtful interpretations. If there was only the fifth chapter of St. Matthew's gofpel extant, we mould have an incomparible abridgement of chrif- tianity, fuffieient to direct our faith, to animate our practice, and flam confufion on that hoft of writers, who have built fo many ftrong and dangerous opinions on the pretended balls of revelation. Commentators may ferve to explain an eaftern ctif- tom, ceremony, allufion or mode of exprefiion, but I cannot in general, recommend them, at leaft to young peopfe. They cmbarrafs more frequently, than they direct ; they have often perplexed, what, in itfelf, was clear, and darkened, where they affected to illuminate. The fayings of cur Lord are fo very obvious, as to need C 2 30 LETTERS TO A little or no explanation. They are a precious wine, which the profane wifdom offcholars and philofophers has mixed with water. If men had only studied them with earne(tnefs,in(t.eadof their own interefts, prejudices and paflions, we mould never have been diffracted with fo many fyftems of error and fuperftition. Do not read much, at a time. Meditation is the ftomach, which digefts this food ; you mould refleft many hours, for reading one. And there is fuch a condenfed richnefs in the fcriptures, that one fingle verfe will often fugged an ample fund for ferious con- templation. Every moment, that you perufe this book, confider yourfelf as in the immediate prefence of your Maker. Fancy that you heard him, delivering the command- ments, in all the thunder and lightning of the mount. Remember that, though heaven and earth fail, one jot or one title (halt, in no wife, pafs from the law, till all be fulfilled. Coniider what a number of holy men .have fealed the truth of this teftimony with their blood. Examine yourfelf by the promifes and threatnings, as you go along, and do not forget to blefs God, upon your knees, that he has given you fuch a lamp for your feet, and fuch a light to your paths. Without this facred volume, the world would have been at this very moment, confiderably unenlightened ; worshipping (locks or (tones, perhaps offering human blood, and tormenting themfelves with burdenfome ce- remonies, that had no manner of connection with the heart ; immerfed in forrows, which they could not have eafed, and perplexed with a thoufand, gloomy en- igmas, which they never could have folved. The light, whieh fuperficial fceptics vaunt, as that of nature or phi- iofophy, or, in a great degree, derived from the fcrip- tures. The arguments, which they level againft Chris- tianity, haye bsenfuggefted by the light of chtiitianity ufelf . YOUNG LADY. 3 i LETTER X. THOUGH I have reprobated prolix commenta- tat©rs, there are, however, feveral little books, which will illuftrate and enliven the facred writings, and enable you to read them with greater plcafure and advantage. Melmoth, on the beautiful and fublime of fcripture, falls under this defcription. He will fug- geff. fome ftriking paffages, which before may have cf- caped your obfervation. The ComtefTele Genlis is in titled to the gratitude of all young people. She is poflefTed of an elegant tafte, a fplendid ftyle, and a very enlightened under- ftanding. She has thrown into a dramatic form, fev- eral of the hiftorical parts of the Bible; and though the chaftityofan Englilh tafte is not eafily reconciled to ferioufnefs " in fo queftionable a mape," her inge- nuity fparkles through the whole performance, and has given it a pathos, an inter eft and a brilliancy, that will both improve your heart, and delight your imagination. I fcarcely know a woman, that deferves fo much pirom the community at large, as Mrs. Trimmer. Her facred hiftory is a well known, ufeful performance : her unwearied labours for the fervice of the poor, in her Family Magazine, and her active patronage of Sun- day Schools, befpeak an heart, that is warm with be- nevolence, and an underftanding of no ordinary fize. The pride of philofphy and profound learning may, perhaps look down on fuch attempts, as beneath their ambition. But how can talents be fo ufeftilly, or fo amiably employed, as when (tripped ofthair gaudy- plumage, they condefcend to inftrucl, to blefs and re- form the meaneft of mankind. Metaphyseal reafon- •ings are for the learned feiv> and often miflead them ; thefe pratlical labours confult the good of millions, and -will continue to edify, when all fuch cobwebs fyftems 3 2 LETTERS TO A are totally demolifhed, and their authors confined to the oblivion, they defer* C There is not, perhaps, a better method of turning fcripture to ad\antage, than that ufed by the good biih- op Will on, in his Sacra Prroata. He felefts a few, detached verfes, and, in his natural and eafy ityle, raifes upon each, a train of reflections, which mult in- kindle and animate the devotion of every reader. Doddridges paiaphrafe on the new teftament may be juftly recommended for its zeal, piety, carneftnefs and animation. Nor does it want the embellifhments of a lively fancy, or of an eafy and unadorned language. But, like moit diilenters of his time, he was a pupil of the Calviniilic fchool ; and though I mall never be a convert to his fyftem, I cannot but approve the general air and fpii it of his writings. There are few things or characters in life, any more than authors that are formed to command an unreferved admiration. The moil delightful landfkip has its fhades. The molt ani- mated countenance has frequently fame feature imper- fect, or diverted. There will b& accidental he&ts and jJufhes on the molt delicate complexion. LETTER XI. THERE are fereral, excellent manuals of pri devotion. But I have no great opinion of thefe forms. Look into the hiftory of your private life and the difpenfations of Providence ; to what is daily happening within you, and about you, and your own heart will be the beft prayer book in the world. If you attend to its wilhes, its breathings and its wants, you can never want Linkage ; or if you fiouhl, God is ever prefent and will accept the naked villus of your foiil. A le^ar, in great diflrcfs, is always eloquent. YOUNG LADY. 33 Hisjrghs and tears fpeak ; he feels what he wants, and he needs no artificial arrangement of words. Still babes muft be nourished with milk. There is a period in the chri/lian, as weli as the natural, life, when lead- ing firings are neceiTary to the infant. I have known people fall into a total difufe of pri- vate devotion, folely from a fancied poverty of words. This is a very dangerous error. Prayers, drawn from books, are furely preferable to no prayers at all. Ar- tificial exercife is better than total inaction. But prayer of the heart is that fupcrior glow, which arifes from motion in the open air, and exhalirates us with a riew of all the charming pictures and productions of nature. As a public fyftem of devotion, that of our church is excellent. How fimple and energetic is the lan- guage ! How rich and beautifully varied, are the col- lects ! How unconfined and univerfal the prayers, ex- tending to all conditions of men, fituations of life, and comprising every wifli and forrow of the heart. If other forms do not pleafe your tafte, you may con- trive to adapt fome portion of this to your private oc- cafions. Two capital traits will ftrike you in our liturgy ; the great ftrefs, laid upon Jefus drift, and the continual intercellion for the bleilings of the holy fpirit. Theft are, indeed, the grand leffon to be learned from it, as well as from the fcriptures. They arc the pi I/a rs of the church ; the life and blood of 'the chriitian fyftem. Without the atonement of Chrift, criminals as we are, there never could have been any hope of mercy ; without the ailiftance and graces of the fpirit, we could not have been purified for the manfions of glory. If Chrift has been called the fun of righteoufnefs, the holy fpirit is the air, which purifies and invigorates the whole moral world, and prefcrves it from ftagnation and putrefaction. 34 LETTERS TO A Meditate frequently on thefe furTerings or" Chrift, till you abhor every fin, that produced them ; and in order to be enriched with all graces and bieilings, pray daily and fervently for this holy fpirir. The good Bifhop Kenn has a few words, in one of his hymns, which wonderfully epitomize our petitisns and our wants : Direct, control, fuggeft thij day, All I defign, or do, or fay, That all my pow'rs, with all their might, In thy fole glory may unite. LETTER XII. MY DEAR LUCY, YOUR facred reading needs not to be wholly con- fined to the fcriptures. A few, other ferious books will alHft: your piety, as well as ferve to illujlratt and confirm the fcriptures themfelves. I cannot, in this refpecl, fo much recommend modern fermons, as fome little practical treatifes of piety. En- glim difcourfes in general, by a ftrange, fcholaftic mifmanagement, are not fufficiently addrefTed to the heart. Either they are learned difquifitions, on fome fpcculative, controverted fubjedl, more calculated to difplay abilities, than to edify ; or they are fpruce, moral eiTays with little more of chrijltanity in them, than might be gleaned from the works of Plato or E- piftetus. They want that fimplicity, fire, energy, an- imation, that boldnefs of images, appeal to the con- science, and that picrurefque difplay of heaven and hell, which give fuch an un&ion to the writings of St. Paul, and of the fathers. They do not thunder and lighten 4t the firmer j they do not carry us by a whirlwind, YOUNG LADY. s5 into heaven, and fhew us thrones and fceptres ; they convince, but they do not animate ; they glitter, but they do not warm. Ancient divines have more fire and matter. They (tudied the fcriptures, more than human fyflems. " They were filled with the fpirit ;" they were men of watchfulnefs and prayers. A profane fpirit ofcrit- icifm or of philofophy, falfely fo called, makes us cold and languid. In pervading many learned or fplendid pages, the heart is often left devoid of one, pious emo- tion. Many fermons, no doubt, are to be excepted from this cenfure. Thofe of Archbifhop Seeker contain a fund of folid matter, piety and initruction ; but the Jiyle is rather lingular and uncouth. The marble is rich, but it is unpolifhed. There is fuch a thing, as an elegant fimplicity. Seeker had a fimplicity with- out, this elegance. Few prelates, however, have deferved fo well from the church, or pofterity. The metropolitan, though placed in the bofom of a court, had neither pride, in- dolence, nor adulation. His Wgilance was extraordi- nary ; his labors unremitting, and his crofier but an imperfect emblem of the real paftoral zeal, " which eat " up his foul." The prefent bifhop of London has -all the fimplicity of his illuitrious patron, tiiTucd with that elegance, which the archbifhop wanted. His fer- mons have been univerfally read ; they are written on a truly evangelical plan ; and their object is not merely to amufe, but to inflrucl: and edify. E LETTER XIII. VERYperfon fhouldread the difcourfes of Sher- lock, who wiflies to fee the grand doctrines a* 36 LETTERS TO A chriftianity properly illuftrated, and inforced with e~ qual energy of argument and language. Sherlock is one of the few, original writers of fermons. He is the Locke of divinity, who anatomizes the whole fyftem, and difplays its component parts. Many authors glean all their matter from other books. He borrowed bis from the fcriptures and reflexion. He thought many hours, for writing one. If all men did the fame, the prefs would not groan with fuch continual abortions. Ogdcn's Sermons have very great, original merit. Perhaps I mifcalkd them ; they are, more properly, fketches on facred fubjects ; on the fundamental arti- cles of the chriftian faith. There is more vigour, and energy and conviction in one page of this writer, than in whole volumes of fome others, who have received a much more general applaufe. The doctor feems particularly to have ftudied con- cifenefs, and his miniature plan fometimes leaves the features of his pieces indiftinct. There is a fingular abruptnefs in his tranfitions, and the mind is frequent- ly obliged to paufc, in . order to difcover the invifible connexion, and unite the, feemingly, broken chain of ideas. Thefe dilcourfes were, probably, in their original ftate, much more dijfufe. He retrenched by degrees, and, as an ingenious, French writer once faid, " had leifure to be concife." LETTER XIV. THERE is more popular eloquence, argument and pathos in Archbifhop Tillotfon, than in al- moft any ancient writer of fermons, that I recollect:. But his works are much incumbered with the fcholaf- tic divinity of his age, and flrangcly perplexed with YOUNG LADY. 37 divifions and fubdivifions. Unity of defign is the beau- ty of all writings. A religious difcourfe fhould tend only to the enforcing of one grand point. This fhould, always, be kept in fight, and the way to it fliould be as direct, concife and fimple, as poilible. Divines of the laft century fpent more time in proving what was filf-evident, and illuftrating it by learned quotations, than would have fufficed for inculcating fome lefTon of piety, that would never have been forgotten. Modern writers have judicioufly corrected this miftake. The}' come more immediately to the point, and would think it as downright pedantry to amufe their hearers with. a long lift of writers, as to retail little fcraps of Greek or Latin in converfation. Atterbury was the pulpit Cicero of his day, and, for the beauty, fweetnefs and harmony of his ltyle, has Jlill an admirer in every perfon of elegance and tafte. But to me he has always appeared rather graceful, than forcible, and more fplendid, than impafiioned. He is always dreffedfor court ; and Jludied ornaments, how- ever rich, cannot but have an uninterefting uniformity. He is invariably a fine, flowing, pellucid ftream, never that impetuous torrent, which overflows its banks, carries all before it, and gives us the idea of fublimity and grandeur. Nature would have tired, if fhe had prefented us with nothing but fine, level extended lawns. She has wifely intermixed wild heaths, bar- ren rocks, and craggy precipices in her infinitely beau- tiful and variegated landfkips. LETTER XV. THE late, unfortunate Dr. Dodd owed, I mould conceive, his great popularity (0 the advantage D 38 LETTERS TO A of his voice, pcrfon, manner, gefture and addrefs. For indeed his compofitions have not intrinfic merit enough to have challenged any extraordinary applaufe. Weak, flimfy,fuperficial in his arguments, and rather plaufible, than energetic in his language, it mull have been only the popularity of his fubjecls, the new vein of pathetic, which he attempted, and his fortunate con- genial fituation at the Magdalen, and in a metropolis, which, under the management of fuch advantages, procured him his extenfive, temporary reputation. But alas ! his popularity was very dearly purchafed ! Jt was built on the ruins of his innoeence'and virtue. Happy, if he had lived and died in obfeurity, or been an humble curate in fome fequeftered village, where jeffamines had clafped round his unenviedmaniion,with unenlightened nifties only for his aflbciates ! Admira- tion would not then have dazzled his eyes. His van- ity Gould not have fought thofe unequal connexions, which he afterwards found himfelf unable to fupport, nor expenfive pleafures led him to an aclion, which wounded religion in its very vitals, and brought fo much difgrace on his facred profeflipn. He might, then, like many other excellent men, have " fallen afleep," arnidft the tender offices of be- wailing friends ; and grateful villagers, would have wetted his monument with tears of heart-felt gratitude and efteem. He is now a beacon, rifing high in the bofom of the ocean, which fays to the wary mariner, u beware of rocks and quickfands." It has been faid, that Dodd, in the beginning of his facred office, was remarkably pious. What is the conclufion ? .Hear it from compaffion. Bathed in tears, fke lifts up her voice, and cries aloud, " Let him who thinketh he " ftandeth, take heed left he fall." Faringdon's Sermons have very fingular merit. It is but feldom that fo much vivacity finds its way into this fpecies of writing. They -will improve your heart -, YOUNG LADY. 39 they will pleafeyour tafte, and inchant your imagina- tion. It is many years fince I read them ; but the im- preflion they made upon my mind, will never be erafed. If I durft invidioufly, amidft their many excellen- cies, mention a defect, it is, that they are not fufft- ciently full of fcriptural alluiions. It is amazing what force and energy the judicious introduction of fcriptural pafTages, authorities and images gives to difcourfes of this nature. The reft may be the ingenious conject- ures of the author. Tbefe ftrike the reader with all the certainty and irrefiftible evidence of mathematical demonftration. Though genius and tafte may be permitted to em- belltjby the facrcd writings mould be the groundwork of all pulpit productions. They mould check, our flights into the regions of fancy, and they mould guide us through the bewildering mazes of metaphyfics. Faringdon is long fince dead, but the real* author of thefe Difcourfes is yet alive. I have long had the honor of knowing him, and as long have admired his talents. And of his virtues and great benevolence, he exhibited, I think, no ordinary proof, when, to ferve the family of a deceafed brother clergyman, he gave his time, his labor, his abilities, and (what i» more,) denied himfelfthe dazzling profpect of repu- tation. LETTER XVI. YOUNG people are in raptures with (what thcy choofe to call) Sterne's Sermons. But true crit- icifm will not give them fo dignified a name. They are the facred ftories of feripture embelliihed with his Rev. Mr. O r n, Reftor of W- 4 o LETTERS TO A original talent at the defcriptive and pathetic. They are \\\s fen timet; tal]o\ixnz.y to Zion ; but have little more of true divinity in them, than they might have had, if iuch an heavenly perfonage as Jefus Chrift, had never lived in the world, nor publifhed his gofpel. Sermons, that aim only to amufe or entertain, are beneath the pulpit. They are the moral beauifm of di- vines ; an attempt to mix all the colours ©f the rain- bow, with the dark folemnity of a moft ferious garb. They arc mufic playing in the ears of a man, whofe houfe is on fire, and can only beguile the moment, which mould be fpent in faving all the valuables of his furniture, and efcaping for his life. Difcourfes of this nature fliould alaimthe confeience ; mould difplay at once our mifery and the mode of cure ; mould probe all the rankling fores of the heart, and pour in the precious oil of divine confolati^i. Sterne was a very great, eccentric, original genius, but he was never formed for a clergyman. He had a levity of mind, that ill befitted fo ferious a character. tt painter, in fancying an altar-piece, would have grouped a beau cVefprit, or a facetious bon vivani, with our Saviour and his apoflles at the lad fupper ? LETTER XVII. THE Chriftian Pattern will abundantly recom- mend itfelf by the name. The tranflation of it by Stanhope, is too difTufe. Wefley has, more faith- fully, prelerved the fpirit and concife energy of the -jxcellent original. The (angular merit of this little book is obvious from its tranflation into almoft all languages. Ganganelli afcribes it, with pride, to an Italian author. But, whatever country gave it birth, it is lifted with a facred YOUNG LADY. 41 unclion, and " the wifdom which cometh from above." Read a chapter of it every day, and you will never want a fund of chriftian meditations. There is more true piety and information, couched in reflexions on the feven Days of the Week, by Mrs. Talbot, than you will fometimes meet with in large and fplendid volumes. You cannot have a better train of reflexions for the beginning of your every day. This good lady lived in the family of Archbifhop Seeker, and feems to have imbibed that fpirit of piety, which fo eminently diiHnguifhed this illuftrious pre- late. She is long fince dead ; but her little book will live in the hearts of the pious, when time has tarnifhed all the luftre of more founding names. I have always thought, that little, fhort treatifes of this kind have done the moil extend ve good. We can carry them about us, and the fizc does not deter us from looking within. People will not read large treatifes of religion, and writers, in this refpecr, mould accommo- date themfelves to the weaknefs of mankind. Tender ftomachs cannot digeft rich, fubltantial food, nor much, at a time. Addifon's Saturday's papers are all of them inimita- ble. They contain a rich fund of knowledge and enter- tainment, raife the imagination, and improve the heart. The good man very judicioufly appointed them for Sat- urdays. They are the belt preparatives for being 41 truly in the fpirit, on the Lord's day." Scott is not, perhaps, a lively or entertainiag writer ; but his Chriftian Life is a molt excellent and rational fyftem of divinity. Indeed fubjecls of this nature do not admit of fo much colouring, as fome others. Ima- gination may better lend its charms to painters, poets, orators, than to fyftematic divines. I think, however, that, even on facred topics, genius might more fre- quently, embellifh, than it does. Young people will E 2 42 LETTERS TO A have language, pathos and pictureSque images, or they will not read. Some little condeSccnfion is due to their weaknefs. Children muft be cheated into the taking of ufeful medicines. The pill mould be gilded, and the bitter mixed with a fweet. LETTER XVIII. THE immortal Locke analyzed the powers of the human underftanding. MaSon on Self knowl- edge is the anatomift of the heart. If you would fee yourfelf in your true colours, you muft be daily con- verfant with this book. You fhould take it to your pillow, when you go to fleep. You fhould read it, when you rife. It has, however, in my idea, one cap- ital defect. It is too much ramified into heads, divis- ions and fubdivifions. The fize of the houSe is too fmall for the numerous apartments. Though I am, by no means, partial to the httcr> fan- c'lful writings of Mr. Law, I will venture to recom- mend the two, firft books he ever produced, his Seri- ous Call, and Chriftian Perfection. They are very awakening, animated treatifes, written with great fim- plicity of ftyle, ftrength of argument, and originality of manner. His Miranda is a very amiable character ; and, though her piety has Something of the monajlic, in its air, there are traits in the portrait that deferve your emulation. One cannot recollect the beginning of this good man's life, when his conceptions were fo clear, and his man- ner fo impafiioned, without fhuddering at the danger of giving way to fanciful theories, or vifionary writers. It is wonderful, that fo very discriminating a genius fhould have been, afterwards, fhackled with the Spirit- ual chymiftry,and the unintelligible rhapSodies of Beh« YOUNG LADY. 43 men. But even the great and amiable Fenelon was the difciple of a vifionary. He who wrote Telema- chus, fell into reveries. " We have this treafure in " earthen veffels, and it wi//be tinged with our particu- " lar complexions.'* LETTER XIX. YOUNG's Night-Thoughts have confiderable mer- it, and may occafiona/Jy, be read with advantage. But they are much difcoloured with melancholy, and give chriftianity, which is naturally jfozzxixA, too dark a complexion. Born with no flender fliare of ambition, Young had anxioufly and unfuccefsfully courted promotion. The bubble always burft, as he attempted to grafp it ; the ignis fatuus deluded him, as it has done thoufands be- fides. Difappointment is generally followed with difc guft, and difgufl will always dictate to the pen. With all thatfenfibility, which is the infeparable con- comitant of genius, the author of the Night-Thoughts had likewife the misfortune to be deprived, by an ear- ly death, offeveral of thofe relatives, from whofe ten- der offices andfoothing attentions, he might naturally have expected, in the evening of a gloomy life, to have received fome confolation. His poems, therefore, have much the (train of elegy, and his piety is breath- ed in fighs. But his Night-Thoughts have awakened many into ferioufnefs, and you rauft take them., as you do all other, human things, v/ith their good and their bad. The brighteft pearl is furrounded with a mud. It is the buflnefs of tafte and judgment to make the feparation. The works of Wilfon (the once bifliop of Sodor and Man,) are a treafure of plain, practical devotion. His 44 LETTERS TO A Indian •lftrucled, his Parocbialia, his Sacra Prrvata, and his treatife on the Sacrament, are all ferious and interefting. This good prelate has not difplayed much genius or learning. But his writings are ufeful, in proportion to their plainnefs» and will edify thoufands, who could never have comprehended the depths of learning, or the fubtilties of metaphyfics. Thrown into an ignorant andfuperjlitious diocefs, he {looped to the level of the meanefr. undemanding. He confidered himfelf as the father of his people, and they paid him a filial duty and refpeet. The iflander Jlill vifits his grave, and weeps at the recollection of his deceafed virtues. Such bifliops will live in the mem- ory of the faithful, when fplendor is forgotten. His labours were unremitting, his zeal, primitive ; and if he gave no brilliance to the mitre, he added to its fob d weight. LETTER XX. THE meditations of St. Auftin are admirable, but have fufFered not a little from the tranflation. It is, I frill repeat it, in thefe old books, that we chiefly nnd the true fpirit of piety. Has it evaporated, like fome mineral waters, by a long prefervation ? Or is it that we would be men of philofophy and criticifm, rather than divines ? A modern theologian plays about the head, but fcarcely warms the heart ; an ancient writer carries us, by an irrefiftible impulfe, into heaven, and fills us with all the raptures of devotion. The difference will be very forcibly illudrated by the different conitriiction of ancient and modern churches. The wide magnificence, the luminous darknefs, the mouldering walls and long drawn aite YOUNG LADY. 45 of gothic ftructures infpire us with a pleafing melan- choly, thoughtfulnefs and devotion ; whilfl: the glaring light, artificial ornaments, primnefs and convenience of our modern fynagogues fill us only with little, world- ly ideas of elegance and tafte. Beveridge's private thoughts and reiblutions richly deferve a place in your collection. They are not ani- mated or elegant, but they are pious and ufeful. He is one of thole hofpitable friends, that gives us a very comfortable and rich repair, without ceremony or often- tation. Taylor is the Shakefpeare of divinity. The fertility of his invention, the force of his arguments, the rich- nefs of his images and the copioufnefs of his ftyle are not often to be paralleled in the works of ancient or modern writers. His holy living and dying is a chef iTauvre. I do not remember to have received more pleafure and improvement from any book, that I have read for fome time pad, than from the two firft volumes of Gan- ganelli's Letters. Befides being furprized to fee fuch a generous mode of thinking in the fovereign pontiff, fo much vivacity in a monl', tempered with fo great a fhare of unaffected piety, I was quite charmed with the fimplicity of his ftyle, the beauty of his metaphors, and that fpirit of philanthropy, which pervades the whole, and does, all along, more honor to his heart, than his eafy periods, to his underftanding. There is fomething in the climate of Italy, which wonderfully heats and fublimes the imagination. It is the garden of Europe, and its writers breathe that a- greeable perfume with which it is fcented. Gangancl- li's defcription of this country is particularly fplendid. His ftatues breathe. His torrents abfolutely murmur dfcthe ear. His cliffs have an impending horror on '^ the fancy, and his gardens waft upon us aromatic imells. I would ftill gladly hope, notv/ithftanding all 46 LETTERS TO A that has been advanced to the contrary, that thefe let- ters really came from this diftinguifhed peiibn. I am not willing to give up the idea, that liberality of fenti- nient has extended itfelf, even to the papal tknone. LETTER XXI. MY DEAR LUCY, YOU would obferve from the complexion of my laff. letter, that I have recommended writers of very different fects, and from various denominations of chriilians. The truth is, I have confidered thzivfpirit and tendency, and not their name or party. I do not want to make you a mcthodiff, a diffenter, a rnyflic, a papift, a fanatic, an enthufiafK or any thing but a real christian. I mould, wifh to diveft your mind of every fpecics of bigotry, and convince you, that real piety has exiiled under every communion. When your judgment is more matured, you mould examine authors of all different perfuafions, as the Grecian artifr. did women, when he wifhed to paint his Venus of Medici. He felected from every one he faw, that particular limb or feature, in which they, feparately, excelled. From one, he borrowed the moft beautiful eye ; from another, an hand ; from a third, a bofom, &c. Thefe, by a wonderful effort of genius, he combined into a perfect whole. All fyftems, like all human figures, have their de- fects ; but they have, likewife, their excellencies. Collect thefe, diftinct charms, and work them up in the crucible of your heart, till they produce " the very " beauty of holinefs" in your life and conversation. Above all, look through all books and forms and ordinances, up to your God. Cherifh, by every meth- YOUNG LADY. 47 od, a fpirlt of devotion. Set the Lord always before you. Confider him, as the foul of the world, the Al- pha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Think, act, live, as in his prefencc, and do every thing to his glory. Begin, continue and end every day, as in his light, and every action, as under his direction. Re- member that all things on earth are but a fhadow ; that time is tumbling down the fyflem of the univerfe, and that religion only can rife upon the ruins, by the labors it has inferibed to Eternity and God. LETTER XXII. MY DEAR GIRL, THOUGH it may appear to be dealing with you in dry, abftracled fubjects above your age, yet I do think it neceffary, that you mould underftand the grounds, on which your faith is built, or the teftimony, which confirms the truth of chriftianity, and of the fcriptures. You will thus be preferved from an un- comfortable fluctuation of opinions, and guarded from the falfe infinuations of thofe, that lie in wait to deceive. I believe, indeed, we very falfely eftimate the period, at which the talents of women begin to open, as well as the degree of their extent and comprehenfion, and fupercilioufly withhold from you, that folid informa- tion which, alone in either fex, can be the true founda- tion of a rational, a fteady and confident conduct. This teftimony in favor of revelation, is divided, for the fake of order, into two kinds, internal and f.v- ternal. The internal is that, which arifes from the nature and excellency of the precepts them/elves, and from the writers having had no private or finifter yiews 4 8 LETTERS TO A to anfwcr, but confulting only the general good and edification of mankind. This firjl mark of authenticity is fixed on every page of the fcriptures. The laws of Chrift arc of luch a nature, as no man would have framed, who wiihed to avail himfelf of the paflions, prejudices andinterefts of mankind ; for they prefcribe, on the other hand, an univerfal humility, mortification and felf-denial ; ex- hibit, in the ftrongeft colours, the emptinefs of riches, and the vanity of ambition, and have no other view, but to elevate the affections, regenerate the heart, and put all men on looking beyond the tranfient concerns of this life, to the happinefs of another. What elfe could happen to the original promulgers of thefe laws, but that, which aclually did, violence and perfecution r Our bleffed Lord pofitively declared, that his king- dom was not of this world. He fought none of its diftinctions, and he received none, unlefs, by a ftrange perverfion of ideas, we place them in the poverty of a manger, or the tortures of his crofs. His apoJUes were inflamed with the very fame, d'ifinterejied zeal. They willingly refigned lucrative employments at the call of their mafter ; they cheerfully abandoned weeping friends ; undertook the moll: hazardous voyages and travels ; had no reft day nor night, were carried be- fore kings and governors of the earth, " and even " hated by all men for his name's fake.' , Read the account of their labors, perfecution, ban- ifhment, death ; perufe the hiftory of all the martyrs, written with their blood, and tell me, whether their zeal muft not have come from heaven, or what could ever have infpired it, but a fincere conviction of duty, " a faith, which looked to a city with foundations, " whofe builder and maker was God." YOUNG LADY. 4V LETTER XXIII. THINK, my dear girl, for yourfelf. Are there any marks of fecular wifciom or policy or im- pofture, in the conduct ©f the primitive apoftles and chriftians ? Examine the hiftory of the whole world, as it relates to religion, and where elfe will you dis- cover any portion of the fame, difinterefted fpirit, which actuated thefe original publishers of the gofpel r The Roman Emperor inftituted a facredcode to work upon the confciences, and to keep the minds of a fav- age and a barbarous people in fubjection to government. Zoroafter, Lycurgus, Solon, all celebrated in their day, and certainly men of extraordinary talents, had more a view to policy, than any moral interefts, in their refpective fyftems of legiflation. Mahomet availed himfelf of the narrow, fenfual views, and paffions of his followers, and of the particular complexion and diflenfions of his times, merely to be the fole, exclu- sive monarch of an extenfive empire, and procure a little fading honor and distinction. " The kingdom of all thefe men was certainly of M this world," and their laws, in many inftances, were repugnant to right reafon, and the bed: and deareft in- terefts of their fellow creatures. Of Chrift, his very enemies faid, " never man fpake, like this man ;" his injunctions had but one afpect — -to univerfal happinefs, and one, fimple method to it — univerfal reformation. The angels that announced him, at his mil appear- ance, proclaimed " peace on earth, and good-will to- wards men." Nor is the wonderful progrefs of this religion in (6 Jhort a fpace of time, over all Afia, and a great part of Europe, indeed over almoft the whole of the, then, known world, the lead convincing proof of its divine original. Confider the mijfionaries — illiterate fifher- E 5 o LETTERS TO A men nics, and you muft conclude, either that were endowed with fupernatvral gifts and afliit- , or that their 'A-onderful/z/rr^/r was even a great- racky than the endowment, you difpute. On this fuhjecl permit mc to recommend to your ferious perufal, Soame Jenyn's Internal Evidence of the Chriftian Religion. He is on the whole a fanci- ful writer ; but this is an excellent, little book, that has done much good, and comes with greater force, to every bofom, as he was once, according to his own candid confeflion, in the number of thofe, who difpu- ted the facred truths of revelation. You will receive great pleafure and improvement, likewife from Addi- fon's Evidences of Christianity, arranged and collected into one volume, and from a late fimilar production of the celebrated Dr. Beattie. Every word of the fcriptures, indeed, muft convince any candid or thoughtful perfon, that they come from God. The pafiions, pride, vices and interefts of man- kind have induced not a few to fet up for fecptics. " Much learning has made them mad," or a little has rendered them frivolous and conceited. They have fought only to diftinguifh themfelves by uncom- mon opinions ; they have been dupes to their own fan- cied penetration ; they have attempted to grafp the im- menfity of the Deity, in arms ofJ?r/b, or have fhrunk into fcepticifm, as a refuge from their vices. Hear what the fcripture faith, " Every one, that ** doeth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the " light, left his deeds mould be reproved. Except " ye become as little children, (humble, docile, trac- " table,) ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. " How can ye believe, which receive honor one of " another, and feek not the honor, which cometh of " God only ?" YOUNG LADY. 51 LETTER XXIV. ^PHE external teftimony, in favour of the chriftian X religion, arifes from prophecy, miracles, and the correfponding evidence of hiftory. And thefe feeni to include all the probable methods, which heaven could employ for the converfion of mankind. The whole facred book of the Old Teftament is, from beginning to end, a clear prediction of the Mef- fiah. One of the prophets has foretold the preciie year, in which this " righteous branch" mould make his appearance. And this event you know, has taken place to the comfort of the chrif Han world. Others have predicted the deftruction of Jerufalem, Babylon, Tyre, the difperfion and calamities of the Jews, &c. long before they happened ; — and all pro- fane hiftory, which has been written fince their time, will inform you, that thefe awful judgments were won- derfully accompliihed, in their proper feifon. The Revelation contains darker hints of fome e- vents, that are vifibly, though gradually fulfilling, at this moment. But as I can only glance at the fubject, you will fee it treated in fuch a manner, as to confirm your faith and exalt your devotion, in the late Bifhop of Briftol (Dr. Newton's) difcouifes on the Prophe- cies. The miracles of our Saviour and of his immediate apoftles meet you in every page of the infpired book ; and in profane hiftory, you will learn from thofe, who were avowed enemies to the caufe, that, at a particular period of time, there did exift fuch a facred perfonage, as Jefus Chrift, who wrought miracles, healed the tick, and raifed the dead ; fuch a feet as that of Chriftians, who met to receive the facrament, who bound them- felves by this oath, to commit no iniquity, practifed a wonderful innocence and aufterity of manners, and, beyond all example, loved one another. You will fee 52 LETTERS TO A likcwife, in the fame pages, a full description of their manners, morals, ceremonies and religious institutions. The lapfe of time, moreover, to us, who live in thefe later times, has given an additional force to the eviden- ces, in favour of revelation. The ingenious author o{ the Spectator, in his day, confidered the particular cafe of the Jews, their calamities, difperfion, vagabond, un- fettled fhite, &c. as a (landing and inconteftible miracle, in fupport of the facred writings. They JIM continue (what is there fo circumftantially foretold,) unable to incorporate with any people, and loaded with the ha- tred and abhorrence of all. The tciiimony, therefore, from //v/V hiftory is proportionably more ill unrated and confirmed. The deftrutftion of the Romifli church, likewife, is palpably predicted in the fcriptures. And, if we may judge from llrong appearances, is daily approaching. The ^reat and general difftifion of knowledge ; the confequcnt progrefs of religious toleration, and that difperfion of the mills of prejudice from all eyes, pro- duced by the genial rays of a meridian fun, muft, in time, effect the downfall of all tyranny and fuperfH- tion : whilft the empsror, employed in destroying monafteries, and encouraging population, appears an in- ifrumentin the hand of Providence, for accelerating the approach of this aufpicious moment. The late difmemberment, moreover, of territory from the Holy Se«s ; the contentions, in which the fovereign pontiff has been involved by thofe monarchs, who once trem- bled at his frown ; and the mere external deference on- ly, which is paid to his authority, prove that his throne is tottering from its bafe, and like all other human things, approaching to its diflblution. Thus is our holy religion founded on a rock, againft which the winds and waves of infidelity beat in vain. Proud men may reafon, and wicked men pretend to doubt, but " the very gates of hell mall not prevail againft it.*' YOUNG LADY. 53 * LETTER XXV. MY DEAR LUCY, WONDER not at the diverfity of opinions in religion. It has been from the beginning, and will continue to be the cafe, to the end, of the world. Men will never have the fame religious fenti- ments, till you~can give them the very fame natural dif- pofitions of humility, candour, teachablenefs ; the fame capacity, education, acquaintance, or even the fame fet of features or the fame complexion. The hiftory of the church, from the firft moment, to the prefent, is an hiftory of thefe diifenfions. So foon as Chriif. and his apoftles disappeared, men mixed " tares of human opinion with this good feed of the word." Even two of thefe apoflles had a fharp con- tention, and the fpirit has never vaniflied from their iucceflbrs. There has been the fame fafliion in religious opin- ions, as in common things. Particular notions have been abetted, laid afide, refumed and difmified again, under different names and leaders, exactly like the va- rying modes of drefs, furniture or entertainments. Nor is this the leaft impeachment of our holy reli- gion. The truth of that, like the God, whence it comes, is the " fame yefterday, to-day and forever." It is nierved, as the privilege of a more glorious era, that an men mall be of one " heart and of one foul 11 and keep the unity of the fpirit in the bond of peace." In all human fyftems of faith, there mud: be error. Where error is involuntary, and fprings from no crim- inal paffions, but only from a weaknefs or mifdireclion of judgment, the Almighty, who looketh chiefly at the heart, doubtlefs will forgive. Charity, in the mean time, is the great bond of union, amongft all parties* E 2 54 LETTERS TO A " They fliall come from the eaft, and from the weft, " and fit down in the kingdom of God." If we hope to be companions in glory, we " mould not furely fall " out by the way." The chriftian blood, which has ftained fo many ages of the church, has flowed from the moft malignant and felliih paflions. The gofpel breathes nothing but uni- verfal love, and candour and forbearance. " Ye " know not what manner of fpirit ye are of," is the mild rebuke to every perfecutor, that would flay with the fword. LETTER XXVI. THOUGH it is really invidious, yet for the fake of directing your judgment, and gratifying a very natural and laudable curiofity, I will give you a brief, comprehenfive ilcetch of the opinions of the more celebrated, religious feels, that have prevailed in this kingdom. You will thus be able to form fome com- parative idea of their merits or defects ; you will not be fo likely to be " toffed about with every blaft of vain ** doctrine," and you will never feel yourfelf at a loft, in company, when they become the fubject of conver- fation. Pagans are thofe who are wholly unenlightened with revelation, and worfhip idols, inftead of the true God. Thefe idols have been various, as the caprices or im- aginations of the people amongft whom they are found ; fometimes fictitious beings, fuch as Jupiter, Apollo, Mercury, Mars, Juno, Venus, Minerva, &c. fometimes, good qualities perfonified ; Faith, Hope, Victory, Con- cord ; fometimes animals, as Serpents, Crocodiles, &c. or even vegetables ; as Leek, Onion, Garlic. Thefe lad were objects of adoration amongft the Egyptians. YOUNG LADY. 55 Before the appearance of Chrifl:, almoft the whole world was covered with paganifm. All the learning and politenefs of Athens and of Rome could not dif- pel this ignorance. It has only vanifhed " where the " fun of righteoufnefs has appeared with healing in " his wings." An ingenious writer has faid, that, if we divide the known countries of the globe into thirty equal parts, five will be Chriftians ; fix, Mahometans, and nineteen Pagans. How dreadful the reflection, that the greateft of all poflible bleflings mould have penetrated but fo fmall a way ! When we confider the privileges of the gofpel, how gladly would one carry it, if it were pof- fible, into every country of the known world ! How ardently mould we pray to our father in heaven, that his kingdom of grace may daily come on earth, and how thankful fhould we be to that gracious Providence, that has fixed our lot in a chriftian land, and under the enlivening beams of revelation ! LETTER XXVII. MY DEAR GIRL, MAHOMETANS are fo called from being fol- lowers of the great impoftor, Mahomet. This extraordinary man was born at Mecca, in Arabia, a- bout the middle of the fixth century ; and, in his for- tieth year, after fome time previoufly fpent in the fi- lence, retirement and aufterity of a cave, prefumed to (tile himfelf, the Apollle of God ; pretended to have received from heaven, a new and a lajl revelation, which was to illuftrate and inforce, what had been miftaken or perverted, in the chrijiian, by the lapfe of time or the fophiftry of men. He affecled, likewife, 5 6 LETTERS TO A a commifllon from above, if gentler methods mould prove inejfedualy to propagate his particular religion by the fword. His tenets are contained in the Koran, which, for its Angularity, is worth your reading. To give them plaufibility, they are interfpcrfed with fome chriftian doclxines, but, at the fame time, carry a moit artful addrefs to the paflions ; allowing polygamy, and de- ferring the future paradife, as confuting principally, of /