Dives, we read, was clothed in purple, and yet Lazarus was not relieved; and needlefs excess devoured the fupply of his real wants, leaving no ability perhaps to do it, had he been willing.

We do not find that Dorcas's garments are mentioned, but the widows.

Give no more time to dress than to the fervice of God.

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My God, give me grace not to confume that on vain fuperfluities, which is due to the neceffities of thy "creatures: Let me not stop at juftice: give me grace to “be charitable, and to fubítract something from my own "lawful portion, out of love to thee and my neighbour, that "fo I may in fome measure supply their wants, and caufe "many thanksgivings unto thee, through Jefus Chrift. "Amen."

Left fome over-fcrupulous people should be apt, from what has been said, to raise vain terrors to themselves concerning apparel, it is convenient to remove them, as well as to prevent the falling into the contrary extremity.

We are not to conclude that all rich and gay attire is alike forbidden to all ages and qualities, for Chrift himself tells us, "those who are in king's houfes are cloth"ed in foft raiment." Reason feems to allow a disparity in drefs, as God allows a difference in poffeffions; nevertheless the command against extravagance and wantonnefs in it, should be more regarded than it generally is. Inftead of ufing thefe outward ornaments with fobriety, how many befow that time in clothing the body which they owe to the adorning of the mind? and that money on vain fuperfluities, which is due not only to the neceffities of the miferable, but to the fupport of their family and children? The mistress of the house often fhines in her gold and pearl, while her children and family are in want and raggs; and

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and the master is forced to lay out thofe fums in watches, necklaces, brocades, and the like, which ought to be paid to his impatient creditors. Not only time is wafted, and wealth confamed, but the mind is filled with fantastic images, by which the devotions and conversations of women are infected. Such folicitousness about dress is more fuitable to those unhappy and wretched women whose beauty is fet to fale, than to those who make profeffion of religion, whose end in clothing fhould be cleannefs and decency: if marryed, the pleafing their hufbands, joined with a due regard to their age and degree. But those who adorn themselves to attract the eyes and admiration of the unwary, lay fnares for themfelves as well as others, and it is just if they fall into them. Such fhall be anfwerable not only for their own fins, but for all that they willingly occafion in others.

1

A PRAYER.

My God, fince thou haft been pleased to keep me from deformity, let not the Devil pollute my heart " and make me all rottennefs within. Keep my mind pure, "that evil thoughts may never lodge within me; that I "may find a loathing, not a complacency, in all unclean

imaginations or filthy communications; much more in "all finful and unhallowed actions. What greater glory "can I defire from my outward comeliness, than to be a temple for thy holy Spirit? Had I yet a more curious cafe, "it would be too mean for fo bright a jewel as a foul fanc"tified by grace. I defire no other triumphs, than to be "thy fervant; and if fuch outward advantages may make "my religion appear better, and bring greater glory to my Maker, I rejoice in it. But, lord, I pray thee, never "let my outward comelinefs be a fnare or caufe of fin to "myself or others." Amen.

The king's daughter was all beautiful within: if I want outward beauty I only want what is often a temptation; and if I am contented with this defect, I tife an act of virtue which the more beautiful cannot. pracVOL. I.

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"Submit, O my foul, to this amufement, as a punim❝ment of fin: for fin was the great deformity that intro<duced all others into the world. At the refurrection, if "thou rifeft in grace, all thefe bodily deformities, the "marks of fin, fhall be done away, and the most pure and "perfect foul have the most bright and glorified body."

Much have we to do, much to learn, and no time to lofe; do not therefore spend so precious a treasure on fo poor an improvement as adorning the outward man, and neglecting the hidden man of the heart. Redeem what you can to improve your mind, or to other necessary duties; fo fhall you fupprefs vain complacencies, and a needlefs delicacy. Remember it is a fin and fhame to give hours to dress, and to think half a one long in prayer.

In confidering this fubject, it is probable feme of thefe confiderations may have been urged more than once: and the evil is come to fuch a height, that a reformation cannot be too much preft; nor the duties of avoiding vanity, and improving time, be too much infifted upon. What fays, Wisdom itself?

• I beheld among the fimple ones a young man void of understanding; and behold there met him a woman with *the attire of an harlot, and subtle of heart.”

How it is that wicked women adorn themfelves, we read in the ftory. of Jezebel, who hearing "Jehu was "come to Jezreel, painted her face, and tired her head." Dinah was beautiful, and what evil did her beauty occafion? How was David enfnared by the beauty of Bathsheba? That man after God's own heart, was fo far bewitched by it, as to run at once into the damnable fins of murder and adultery. How often has the beautiful mask gilded the otherwile deformed vice of impurity? Learn that quiet and meek spirit, that modefty and humility in all your actions, and especially in your drefs, which becomes the religion you profefs: "after this manner, fays "the apoftle, in the old time, the holy women alfo who trufted in God, adorned themselves, being in fubjection "to their own husbands.”

CHA

CHASTITY,

O

F all the Chriftian virtues, there is none that fhews the dignity and power of the foul fo much as chastity: it is a triumph over a defire which nature has imprinted in the heart of man, fierce and unruly, full of falfe hopes and imaginary delights, which too often blinds the understanding, and leads to deftruction. Chastity fuppreffes whatever is unlawful in this paffion; and all defire is unlawful, which is not warranted by marriage, which is not within the order of nature, and the moderation of Chriftian modefty.

This is a very tender subject, and is hardly to be touched upon without giving offence. Fornication is of late foftened by the gentle name of gallantry. The whoremonger, whom God will judge and condemn, is now the gallant man; and the adulterer, whofe portion thall be in the lake that burns with eternal fire, glories in his adulteries, as if they were not fo many triumphs over innocence and virtue. The hidden fins of both sexes are not fit to be expofed to light: they are too well known, and too commonly practifed, to need any explanation: but let all voluntary polluters of themfelves know that they must be judged for thofe their fecret pollutions, by a judge who tries the heart, and whofe all-fearching eye nothing can efcape. Thanks be to God, as wicked as we are, there are fins of this kind which are unknown to us, or if known, held in deteftation. All unnatural lufts are abhorred, and inceftuous enjoyments feldom or never heard of. It is the infinite mercy of God that keeps us, by his restraining grace, from these detefted and damnable crimes :

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would

wou'd the fame infinite mercy purify our hearts as he is pure, and cleanse them of all luft, we should have equal abhorrence for all impurity, and excufe none on account of the degree of it.

The immoderate ufe, even of lawful love, is one of thofe irregular defires which is fuppreffed by chastity. The fame judgment is to be made in this, as concerning meats and drinks, there being no certain degree prefcribed to all perfons, but it is to be ruled, as the other actions of men, by proportion to the end. Let us in all of them have in remembrance, that we should in every thing have the glory of God in view, and we shall never abuse the liberty of the nuptial bed, nor turn a chafte paffion into luft. "For this is the will of God, as St. Paul tells us, " even our fanctification, that we fhould abstain from for

nication, that every one of us fhould know how to poffefs *his veffel in fanctification and honour, not in the luft of concupifence, even as the Gentiles which know not "God."

4

Chastity is either abftinence or continence. Abstinence is that of virgins or widows, continence of marryed perfons. Chafte mariages are honourable and pleafing to God; widdowhood is pitiable in its folitarinefs and lofs, but amiable and comely when it is adorned with gravity and purity, not fullyed with the remembrances of paft enjoyments, nor with the present defires of a fecond bed.

A virgin life gives us an image of charming ease and spotlefs innocence, when it is bleft with a just contempt of thofe carnal delights, that are apt to bury the foul too much in the fenfes; when it is not disturbed with defires of change, and is always happy in full content with its prefent condition. The vowed virginity of people in cloisters, is capable indeed of very pious reprefentations: but as thofe vows are generally conftrained, or if fometimes taken by choice, are as often afterwards repented of: so thofe only who build too much on appearances, on outward works, and not on the fincerity of the mind, the only facrifice

that