of fuch repentance as that of David-by avoiding fin, which humbled this unhappy king to the duft-and which cost him fuch bitter anguish, as it is impoffible to read of without being moved! Not all the pleasures of the most profperous finners would counterbalance the hundredth part of those fenfations described in his penitential Pfalms-and which must be the portion of every man, who has fallen from a religious ftate into fuch crimes, when once he recovers a fenfe of religion and virtue, and is brought to a real hatred of fin. However available fuch repentance may be to the fafety and happiness of the foul after death, it is a ftate of fuch exquifite fuffering here, that one cannot be enough furprized at the folly of thofe, who indulge fin, with the hope of living to make their peace with God by repentance. Happy are they who preferve their innocence unfullied by any great or wilful crimes, and who have only the common failings of humanity to repent of; thefe are fufficiently mortifying to a heart deeply fmitten with the love of virtue, and with the defire of perfection.There are many very ftriking prophecies of the Meffiah in thefe divine fongs, particularly in Pfalm xx-fuch may be found scattered up and down almoft throughout the Old Teftament. To bear teftimony to bim, is the great and ultimate end for which the fpirit of prophecy was bestowed on the facred writers; but this will appear more plainly to you, when you enter on the ftudy of prophecy, which you are now much too young to undertake. Mrs. Chapone.

188. Of the Proverbs, Ecclefiaftes, Solomon's Song, the Prophecies, and Apocrypha.

The Proverbs and Ecclefiaftes are rich ftores of wisdom, from which I wish you to adopt fuch maxims as may be of infinite ufe both to your temporal and eternal intereft. But detached fentences are a kind of reading not proper to be continued long at a time; a few of them, well chofen and digefted, will do you much more fervice, than to read half a dozen chapters together. In this refpect, they are directly oppofite to the hiftorical books, which, if not read in continuation, can hardly be undertood, or retained to any purpose.

The Song of Solomon is a fine poem but its mystical reference to religion lies too deep for a common understanding: if

you read it, therefore, it will be rather as matter of curiofity than of edification.

Next follow the Prophecies; which though highly deferving the greatest attention and ftudy, I think you had better omit for fome years, and then read them with a good expofition, as they are much too difficult for you to understand without affiftance. Dr. Newton on the prophecies will help you much, whenever you undertake this study-which you should by all means do, when your understanding is ripe enough; becaufe one of the main proofs of our religion refts on the testimony of the prophecies; and they are very frequently quoted, and referred to, in the New Teftament; befides, the fublimity of the language and fentiments, through all the difadvantages of antiquity and tranflation, muft, in very many paffages, ftrike every perfon of tafte; and the excellent moral and religious precepts found in them muft be useful to all.

Though I have spoken of these books in the order in which they ftand, I repeat, that they are not to be read in that order

but that the thread of the hiftory is to be purfued, from Nehemiah to the firft book of the Maccabees, in the Apocrypha; taking care to obferve the chronology regularly, by referring to the index, which fupplies the deficiencies of this hiftory from Jofephus's Antiquities of the Jews. The first of Maccabees carries on the ftory till within 195 years of our Lord's circumcifion: the fecond book is the fame narrative, written by a different hand, and does not bring the hiftory fo forward as the firft; fo that it may be entirely omitted, unless you have the curiofity to read fome particulars of the heroic conftancy of the Jews, under the tortures inflicted by their heathen conquerors, with a few other things not mentioned in the first book.

You must then connect the history by the help of the index, which will give you brief heads of the changes that happened in the state of the Jews, from this time till the birth of the Meffiah.

The other books of the Apocrypha, though not admitted as of facred authority, have many things well worth your attention: particularly the admirable book called Ecclefiafticus, and the book of Wifdom. But, in the courfe of reading which I advife, thefe must be admitted till after you have gone through the Gofpels and Acts, that you may not lose the hiftorical thread. Ibid. $ 189.

T

ject. All his miracles are wrought to benefit mankind; not one to punish and afflict them. Inftead of ufing the almighty power, which accompanied him, to the purpose of exalting himself, and treading down his enemies, he makes no other ufe of it than to heal and to fave.

When you come to read of his fufferings and death, the ignominy and reproach, the forrow of mind, and torment of body, which he fubmitted to-when you confider that it was all for our fakes" that by his ftripes we are healed"—and by his death we are raised from deftruction to everlafting life-what can I fay, that can add any thing to the fenfations you must then feel? -No power of language can make the fcene more touching than it appears in the plain and fimple narrations of the evangelis. The heart that is unmoved by it, can be fcarcely human ;-but the emotions of tenderness and compunction, which almot every one feels in reading this account, will be of no avail, unless applied to the true end-unless it infpires you with a fincere and warm affection towards your bleffed Lord-with a firm refalution to obey his commands;-to be his faithful difciple-and ever to renounce and abhor thofe fins, which brought mankind under divine condemnation, and from which we have been redeemed at fo dear a rate. Remember that the title of Chriftian, or follower of Chrift, implies a more than ordinary degree of holiness and goodness. As our motives to virtue are ftronger than thofe which are afforded to the rest of mankind, our guilt will be proportionably. greater, if we depart from it.

Our Saviour appears to have had three great purpofes, in defcending from his glory, and dwelling amongst men. The first, to teach them true virtue, both by his example and precepts. The fecond, to give them the most forcible motives to the practice of it, by " bringing life and immortality to light;" by thewing them the certainty of a refurrection and judgment, and the abfolute neceflity of obedience to God's laws. The third, to facrifice himfelf for us, to obtain, by his death, the remiffion of our fins, upon our repentance and reformation, and the power of beftowing on his fincere followers the ineftimable gift of immortal happiness.

Mrs. Chapone.

§ 191. A comparative View of the Blef jed and Curfed at the Last Day, and the Inference to be drawn from it.

What a tremendous fcene of the last day does the gofpel place before our eyes!— of that day, when you and every one of us fhall awake from the grave, and behold the Son of God, on his glorious tribunal, attended by millions of celestial beings, of whofe fuperior excellence we can now form no adequate idea-when, in prefence of all mankind, of thofe holy angels, and of the great Judge himself, you must give an account of your paft life, and hear your final doom, from which there can be no appeal, and which must determine your fate to all eternity; then think—if for a moment you can bear the thought-what will be the defolation, fhame, and anguifh, of thofe wretched fouls, who fhall hear thefe dreadful words;"6 Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlafting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Oh!-1 cannot fupport even the idea of your becoming one of thofe undone, loft creatures!-I truft in God's mercy, that you will make a better ufe of that knowlege of his will, which he has vouchfafed you, and of thofe amiable difpofitions he has given you. Let us therefore turn from this horrid, this infupportable view-and rather endeavour to imagine, as far as is poffible, what will be the fenfations of your foul, if you fhall hear our Heavenly Judge addrefs you in thefe tranfporting words "Come, thou bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, from the foundation of the world."-Think, what it must be, to become an object of the esteem and applaufc-not only of all mankind affembled together-but of all the hoft of heaven, of our bleffed Lord himfelf-nay, of his and our Almighty Father:-to find your frail flefh changed, in a moment, into a glorious celeftial body, endowed with perfect beauty, health, and agility:-to find your foul cleanfed from all its faults and infirmities; exalted to the pureft and nobleft affections; overflowing with divine love and rapturous gratitude!

to have your underftanding enlightened and refined; your heart enlarged and purified; and every power and difpofition of mind and body adapted to the highest relish of virtue and happiness!-Thus accomplished, to be admitted into the fociety of amiable and happy beings, all united in

T 2

the

the most perfect peace and friendship, all breathing nothing but love to God, and to each other; with them to dwell in fcenes more delightful than the richest imagination can paint-free from every pain and care, and from all poffibility of change or fatiety :-but, above all, to enjoy the more immediate prefence of God himself-to be able to comprehend and admire his adorable perfections in a high degree, though ftill far fhort of their infinity-to be confcious of his love and favour, and to rejoice in the light of his countenance But here all imagination fails:-we can form no idea of that blifs, which may be communicated to us by fuch a near approach to the Source of all beauty and all good:-we muft content ourfelves with believing, "that it is what mortal hath pot feen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive." The crown of all our joys will be, to know that we are fecure of poffeffing them for ever-what a transporting idea!

eye

Can you reflect on all these things, and not feel the moft carneft longings after immortality-Do not all other views and defires feem mean and trifling, when compared with this? And does not your inmoft heart refolve, that this fhall be the chief and constant object of its wifhes and purfuit, through the whole courfe of your life?If you are not infenfible to that defire of happiness which feems woven into our nature, you cannot furely be unmoved by the profpect of fuch a tranfcendant degree of it; and that continued to all eternity-perhaps continually increafing. You cannot but dread the forfeiture of fuch an inheritance, as the most infupportable evil! -Remember then-remember the conditions on which alone it can be obtained. God will not give to vice, to careleffnefs, or floth, the prize he has propofed to virtue. You have every help that can animate your endeavours: You have written laws to direct you the example of Chrift and his difciples to encourage you the moft awakening motives to engage you-and you have befides, the comfortable promife of conftant affiftance from the Holy Spirit, if you diligently and fincerely pray for it.-O! let not all this mercy be loft upon you-but give your attention to this your only important concern, and accept, with profound gratitude, the ineftimable advantages that are thus affectionately offered you.

Though the four Gofpels are each of

them a narration of the life, fayings, and death of Chrift; yet as they are not exactly alike, but fome circumstances and fayings, omitted in one, are recorded in another, you must make yourself perfectly master of them all.

The Acts of the holy Apostles, endowed with the Holy Ghoft, and authorized by their divine Mafter, come next in order to be read.-Nothing can be more interefting and edifying, than the hiftory of their actions of the piety, zeal, and courage, with which they preached the glad tidings of falvation; and of the various exertions, of the wonderful powers conferred on them by the Holy Spirit, for the confirmation of their miffion. Mrs. Chapont.

$192. Character of St. Paul.

The Character of St. Paul, and his miraculous converfion, demand your particular attention: most of the apostles were men of low birth and education; but St. Paul was a Roman citizen; that is, he poffeffed the privileges annexed to the freedom of the city of Rome, which was confidered as a high diftinction, in thofe countries that had been conquered by the Romans. He was educated amongst the most learned fect of the Jews, and by one of their principal doctors. He was a man of extraordinary eloquence, as appears not only in his writings, but in feveral speeches in his own defence, pronounced before governors and courts of juftice, when he was called to account for the doctrines he taught.-He seems to have been of an uncommonly warm temper, and zealous in whatever religion he profeffed: this zeal, before his converfion, thewed itself in the moft unjustifiable actions, by furiously perfecuting the innocent Chriftians: but, tho his actions were bad, we may be fure his intentions were good; otherwife we should not have feen a miracle employed to convince him of his mistake, and to bring him into the right way. This example may affure us of the mercy of God towards miftaken confciences, and ought to inspire us with the most enlarged charity and good-will towards thofe whofe erroneous principles miflead their conduct: instead of refentment and hatred against their perfons, we ought only to feel an active with of affifting them to find the truth; fince we know not whether, if convinced, they might not prove, like St. Paul, chofen veffels to promote the honour of God, and of true religion. It is not now my intention

to