the Welfare of our immortal Souls depends upon them. These Confiderations on common Life may be reckon'd too ludicrous for the folemn Meditations of Chriftians; but when we reflect how much Chriftian Life is influenc'd by common Life, we fhall find there are no moral Acts fo trivial as not to be worth our informing ourselves of their Guilt or their Innocence, to regulate ourselves accordingly in practifing or avoiding them.

MEEK NES S.

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HO' Meeknefs is in the main more a feminine Virtue than a mafucline, yet we must consider it with respect to both Sexes; the Practice of all Virtues being alike the Duty of both.

Nature, which abhors every thing that's monftrous and difproportionate, teaches us, that Meeknefs is a Property of Women, whom she has made with a more fmooth and foft Compofition of Body, and intends doubtless, that the Mind fhou'd correfpond with it. Tho' Art can represent in the fame Face Beauty in one Pofition, and Deformity in another; yet Nature is more fincere, and never meant a ferene clear Forehead fhou'd be the Frontifpiece to a cloudy tempeftuous Heart. 'Tis therefore to be wifh'd, the fofter Sex wou'd take the Admonition, and, while they confult their Glaffes, whether to applaud or improve their outward Form, they wou'd caft one Look inwards, and examine what Symmetry is there held with a fair Outfide; whether any Storm of Paffion darkens and overcafts their exterior Beauty; and ufe at least an equal Diligence to rescue that, as they wou'd to clear their Face from any Stain or Blemish.

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We have seen already, that a meek and quiet Spirit is the Characteristic of a Christian Woman given by Scripture; and it must be so to all that will not enter into difpute with God, and conteft his Judgment, who has, by the Apostle, declar'd it to be of great Price in his fight.

Meeknefs, tho' it be a fingle entire Virtue in itself, yet it is diverfify'd according to the feveral Faculties of the Soul, over which it has Influence; for there is a Meekness of the Understanding, a Meekness of the Will, and a Meeknefs of the Affections; all which muft concur to make up the meek and quiet Spirit.

The Meekness of the Understanding confifts in a Pliableness to Conviction; and is directly oppofite to that fullen Adherence to their own Opinion, obfervable in too many, who judge of Tenets, not by Conformity to Truth and Reason, but to their Prepoffeffions and Preju dices, acquir'd generally by Education and Converfation; not to mention the accidental Biaffes of Paffion and Interest: Thence comes Bigotry, and the furious fiery Spirit of Perfecution, whose Origin muft be from Hell, the Devil being Father of Pride, the eternal Oppofite to Meekness. This Prepoffeffion puts People on the Chance of a Lottery; what they first happen to draw determines them merely on the Privilege of its Precedence: Had Mahomet first feiz'd them, his Tenure wou'd have been as indefeasible as Chrift's now is. How great the Force of fuch Prejudices is, we may fee by the Oppofition it rais'd against Christian Doctrine in grofs at its firft Promulgation. The blind Zeal of the Jews for the Traditions of their Fathers, engaging them in the Murder, even of that very Meffias whom thofe Traditions had taught them to expect; and afterwards of perfecuting his Difciples and Followers. Which blind Zeal did in that Age flame out in the Female Sex particularly: The Jews ftirr'd up the devout and honourable Women, &c. and rais'd Perfecution against Paul and Barnabas. They being the weaker as well as the fofter Sex, have in all times been the most subject to take violent Prejudices of Education:

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Education; and they fhou'd therefore see their way well before they run too fierce a Career in it: Otherwise the greatest Heat without Light does but refemble that of the bottomless Pit, where Flames and Darkness do at once cohabit. How many Inftances of this blind Prepoffeffion do we meet with in our time, of Notions embrac'd for the fake of Ancestry, and Tenets adher'd to, because they were in vogue in the Times of Great Grandfathers? With what Rage have the Interests of the moft vile and worthless Perfons been efpous'd, purely because they declare their Principles are the fame they were bred in?

What Extravagances have not great Ladies been guilty of to vindicate thefe Prejudices; and where of late does the Spirit of Meekness reign? Not that Men or Women fhould be too eafy and flexible, like Wax ready to take any Impreffion; this Temper is of equal, if not more ill Confequence than the former. The adhering to one Opinion can expofe but to one Error; but a Mind that lies open to the Fluxes of new Tenets, may fucceffively entertain a whole Ocean of Delufions. To be thus yielding is not a Meeknefs, but a Slavishnefs of Understanding: 'Tis fo great a Meeknefs of Mind, that the Apoftle finks it fomewhat below the Impotence of Women, and resembles it to that of Children; yet it feems the Folly of fome Women refembled that of Children in this matter, ever learning and never able to come to the Knowledge of the Truth. A Description, which if we compare with our own Times, we must think prophetick. How many Women have we feen led Captive, being affected with the Novelty, or feduced by the pretended Zeal of a new Teacher, to whom they have given up their Underftandings, and for a while this ftrong Man has kept Poffeffion? but when a ftronger than he has come, it has fared as with him in the Gofpel; a louder Zeal, a newer Doctrine, foon divides his Spoils, and that by force of the very fame Principle on which he fet up, which in a while determines the latter

alfo;

alfo; and fo on, 'till the poor Profelyte has been hurry'd thro' all the Mazes of wild Error. When the Quaker Naylor first vented his Blafphemies, his Followers were most of the Female Sex ; 'twas the Women that run after him, crying Hofanna, and ftrewing his Way into the City with Flowers. When of latter Days, Mafon preach'd his Whimfies to the People, the Crowds that gather'd about him were mostly of the fame Sex ; and how many of them did the raving Inspirations of the modern Prophets deceive? not to mention their political Frenzies ; all which should make them equally watchful, against being too tenacious of old Tenets, or too fufceptible of new. Some Womens Opinions are like the Palate, distracted by too much Variety: and they at laft fix upon what at firft they moft decry'd. Some have fet out in the fierceft Deteftation of Popery, and have wander❜d fo long, like the blinded Syrians, that they have at last found themselves in the midst of Samaria; being brought by an infenfible Circular Motion to that Religion, from which alone they defigned to fly; fo little do itching Ears know whither they may be carry'd. Women, as they are thought more liable to Seducement than Men, are more particularly aim'd at by Seducers: For as he who is to put off adulterated Wares will choose the most unwary Chapman; fo thefe Sophiftacators of Divinity defire the most undifcerning Auditors. That fo many of the Sex are fo, muft not be imputed to any natural Defect, but to the loofe Notions they have of Religion; of which they have perhaps fome general confus'd Ideas, but have fo little penetrated the Depth of it, that they know not why they are Chriftians, rather than Turks, why of the Church of England, rather than that of Rome; and while they are thus unfix'd, and have no better Principle than Custom and Compliance, they have nothing to answer to any the groffeft Deceit that can be obtruded upon them; which for ought they know, or have con. fider'd, may be as true as any thing they have formerly profeit. Now, when any one in this Condition fhall

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be affaulted, not only by the repeated Importunities of falfe Teachers, but alfo by the Threatnings of Hell and Damnation, fhe is like one awak'd by the Outcry of Fire, and in that Amaze will be apt to run wherever the first Discovery of her Danger fhall lead her.

The best Antidote against the Poison of new Doctrines is, to examine well the Grounds of the old, and then they would not be carry'd about by every Wind, as St. Paul phrafes it. The Standard of Truth is the Scripture, the only fure and infallible Guide. If Men and Women would study that with Seriousness and Humility, they wou'd not run the risk of deviating into Error, by the plaufible Pretence of Authority on one fide, and Purity on the other; they wou'd not be aw'd by Power, nor wheedled by Perfuafion; they would weigh every thing in that facred Balance, and by that Rule govern their Faith and Manners.

Meeknefs of Will lies in its juft Subordination to the Will of God in Divine things; in Natural or Moral, to right Reafon; and in human Constitutions to the Command of Superiors; and fo long as the Will governs itfelf by thefe in their refpective Orders, it tranfgreffes not the Meekness requir'd of i'. But Experience fhews, that the Will is now, in its Depravation, an imperious Faculty, apt to caft off that Subjection to which it was defign'd, and act independenely from those Motives which fhould influence it. This, God knows, is too common in all Ages, all Conflitutions and Sexes; but the Feminine lies more especially under an ill Name for it; whether it has grown from the low Opinion conceiv'd of their Reafon, lefs able to maintain its Empire, or from the multiply'd habitual Instances themselves have given of unruly Wills, I fhall not undertake to deter mine; but be it the one or the other, 'tis, I am fure, fo great a Reproach, as they should be very induftrious to clear themselves of. Nothing will prompt them to do this, more than confidering rightly the Happiness, as well as Virtue, of a governable Will. How calmly

do