corrections made since the last translation, and it is generally preferable to the words of the text. I would wish you to select some of the Psalms that please you best, and get them by heart; or, at least, make yourself master of the sentiments contained in them. Dr. Delany's Life of David will shew you the occasions on which several of them were composed, which add much to their beauty and propriety; and by comparing them with the events of David's life, you will greatly enhance your pleasure in them. Never did the spirit of true piety breathe more strongly than in these divine songs; which being added to a rich vein of poetry, makes them more captivating to my heart and imagination, than any thing I ever read. You will consider how great disadvantages any poem must sustain from being rendered literally into prose, and then imagine how beautiful these must be in the original. May you be enabled, by reading them frequently, to transfuse into your own breast that holy flame which inspired the writer! -to delight in the Lord, and in his laws, like the Psalmist-to rejoice in him always, and to think "one day in his courts better than a thousand!"-But may you escape the heart-piercing sorrow of such repentance as that of David-by avoiding sin, which humbled this unhappy king to the dust-and which cost him such bitter anguish, as it is impossible to read of without being moved! Not all the pleasures of the most prosperous sinners would counterbalance the hundredth part of those sensations described in his penitential Psalms-and which must be the portion of every man, who has fallen from a religious state into such crimes, when once he recovers a sense of religion and virtue, and is brought to a real hatred of sin. However available such repentance may be to the safety and happiness of the soul after death, it is a state of such exquisite suffering here, that one cannot be enough surprised at the folly of those, who indulge sin, with the hope of living to make their peace with God by repentance. Happy are they who preserve their innocence unsullied by any great or wilful crimes, and who have only the common failings of humanity to repent of; these are sufficiently mortifying to a heart deeply smitten with the love of virtue, and with the desire of perfection. There are many very striking prophecies of the Messiah in these divine songs, particularly in Psalm

xxii.-such may be found scattered up and down almost throughout the Old Testament. To bear testimony to him, is the great and ultimate end for which the spirit of prophecy was bestowed on the sacred writers;-but this will appear more plainly to you, when you enter on the study of prophecy, which you are now much too young to undertake. Mrs. Chapone.

141. Of the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Solomon's Song, the Prophecies, and Apocrypha.

The Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are rich stores of wisdom, from which I wish you to adopt such maxims as may be of infinite use both to your temporal and eternal interest. But detached sentences are a kind of reading not proper to be continued long at a time; a few of them, well chosen and digested, will do you much more service, than to read half a dozen chapters together. In this respect, they are directly opposite to the historical books, which, if not read in continuation, can hardly be understood, or retained to any purpose.

The Song of Solomon is a fine poembut its mystical reference to religion lies too deep for a common understanding; if you read it, therefore, it will be rather as matter of curiosity than of edification.

Next follow the prophecies; which though highly deserving the greatest attention and study, I think you had better omit for some years, and then read them with a good exposition, as they are much too difficult for you to understand without assistance. 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; because one of the main proofs of our religion rests on the testimony of the prophecies; and they are very fre quently quoted, and referred to, in the New Testament; besides, the sublimity of the language and sentiments, through all the disadvantages of antiquity and translation, must, in very many passages, strike every person of taste; and the excellent moral and religious precepts found in them must be useful to all.

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

but that the thread of the history is to be pursued, from Nehemiah to the first book of the Maccabees, in the Apocrypha;

will, and of the consequences of your actions, as you are, even now, fully able to understand, if you will but attend to them. If, then, you will imitate his zeal for knowledge, if you will delight in gaining information and improvement; you may even now become "wise unto salvation." -Unmoved by the praise he acquired amongst these learned men, you see him meekly return to the subjection of a child, under those who appeared to be his parents, though he was in reality their Lord; you see him return to live with them, to work for them, and be the joy and solace of their lives; till the time came, when he was to enter on that scene of public action, for which his heavenly Father had sent him from his own right-hand, to take upon him the form of a poor carpenter's son. What a lesson of humility is this, and of obedience to parents !-- When, having received the glorious testimony from heaven, of his being the beloved Son of the Most High, he enters on his public ministry, what an example does he give us of the most extensive and constant benevolence! -how are all his hours spent in doing good to the souls and bodies of men! not the meanest sinner is below his notice; -to reclaim and save them, he condescends to converse familiarly with the most corrupt, as well as the most abject. All his miracles are wrought to benefit mankind; not one to punish and afflict them. Instead of using the almighty power, which accompanied him, to the purpose of exalting himself, and treading down his enemies, he makes no other use of it than to heal and to save.

When you come to read of his sufferings and death, the ignominy and reproach, the sorrow of mind, and torment of body which he submitted to-when you consider that it was all for our sakes -"that by his stripes we are healed,"-and by his death we are raised from destruction to everlasting life-what can I say, that can add any thing to the sensations you must then feel?-No power of language can make the scene more touching than it appears in the plain and simple narrations of the evangelists. The heart that is unmoved by it, can be scarcely human, but the emotions of tenderness and compunction, which almost every one feels in reading this account, will be of no avail, unless applied to the true end-unless it inspires you with a sincere and warm affection towards your blessed Lord-with a firm resolution to

obey his commands;-to be his faithful disciple-and ever to renounce and abhor those sins, which brought mankind under divine condemnation, and from which we have been redeemed at so dear a rate. Remember that the title of Christian, or follower of Christ, implies a more than ordinary degree of holiness and goodness. As our motives to virtue are stronger than those 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 purposes, in descending from his glory and dwelling amongst men. The first, to teach them true virtue, both by his example and precepts. The second, to give them the most forcible motives to the practice of it, by " bringing life and immortality to light;" by shewing them the certainty of a resurrection and judgment, and the absolute necessity of obedience to God's laws. The third, to sacrifice himself for us, to obtain, by his death, the remission of our sins, upon our repentance and reformation, and the power of bestowing on his sincere followers the inestimable gift of immortal happiness.

Mrs. Chapone.

$144. A comparative View of the Blessed and Cursed at the last Day, and the Inference to be drawn from it.

What a tremendous scene of the last day does the gospel place before our eyes! of that day, when you and every one of us shall awake from the grave, and behold the Son of God, on his glorious tribunal, attended by millions of celestial beings, of whose superior excellence we can now form no adequate idea-when, in presence of all mankind, of those holy angels, and of the great Judge himself, you must give an account of your past 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 desolation, shame, and anguish, of those wretched souls, who shall hear these dreadful words :-" Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."-Oh!

I cannot support even the idea of your becoming one of those undone, lost creatures!-I trust in God's mercy, that you will make a better use of that knowledge of his will, which he has vouchsafed you, and of these amiable dispositions he has

given you. Let us therefore turn from this horrid, this insupportable view-and rather endeavour to imagine, as far as is possible, what will be the sensations of your soul, if you should hear our heavenly Judge address you in these transporting words-"Come, thou blessed 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 applause-not only of all mankind assembled together-but of all the host of heaven, of our blessed Lord himself-nay, of his and our Almighty Father:-to find your frail flesh changed, in a moment, into a glorious celestial body, endowed with perfect beauty, health, and agility:-to find your soul cleansed from all its faults and infirmities; exalted to the purest and noblest affections; overflowing with divine love and rapturous gratitude! to have your understanding enlightened and refined; your heart enlarged and purified; and every power and disposition of mind and body adapted to the highest relish of virtue and happiness! -Thus accomplished, to be admitted into the society of amiable and happy beings, all united in the most perfect peace and friendship, all breathing nothing but love to God, and to each other;-with them to dwell in scenes more delightful than the richest imagination can paint-free from every pain and care, and from all possibility of change or satiety;-but, above all, to enjoy the more immediate presence of God himself-to be able to comprehend and admire his adorable perfections in a high degree, though still far short of their infinity--to be conscious 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 bliss, which may be communicated to us by such a near approach to the Source of all beauty and all good:-we must content ourselves with believing," that it is what mortal eye had not seen, 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 secure of possessing them for ever-what a transporting idea!

pursuit, through the whole course of your life?-If you are not insensible to that desire of happiness which seems woven into our nature, you cannot surely be unmoved by the prospect of such a transcendant degree of it! and that continued to all eternity-perhaps continually increasing. You cannot but dread the forfeiture of such an inheritance, as the most insupportable evil! -Remember then-remember the conditions on which alone it can be obtained. God will not give to vice, to carelessness, or sloth, the prize he has proposed to virtue. You have every help that can animate your endeavours:-You have written laws to direct you-the example of Christ and his disciples to encourage you the most awakening motives to engage youand you have, besides, the comfortable promise of constant assistance from the Holy Spirit, if you diligently and sincerely pray for it.-O! let not all this mercy be lost upon you-but give your attention to this your only important concern, and accept, with profound gratitude, the inestimable advantages that are thus affectionately offered you.

Though the four Gospels are each of them a narration of the life, sayings, and death of Christ; yet as they are not exactly alike, but some circumstances and sayings, 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 Ghost, and authorized by their divine Master, come next in order to be read.-Nothing can be more interesting and edifying, than the history of their actions-of the piety, zeal, and courage, with which they preached the glad tidings of salvation: and of the various exertions of the wonderful powers conferred on them by the Holy Spirit, for the confirmation of their mission. Mrs. Chapone.

Can you reflect on all these things, and not feel the most earnest longings after immortality?-Do not all other views and desires seem mean and trifling, when com

pared with this?—And does not your in

most heart resolve, that this shall be the

most learned sect of the Jews, and by one

of extraordinary eloquence, as appears not only in his writings, but in several speeches in his own defence, pronounced before governors and courts of justice, 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 professed: this zeal, before his conversion, shewed itself in the most unjustifiable actions, by furiously persecuting the innocent Christians: but, though his actions were bad, we may be sure his intentions were good; otherwise we should not have seen a miracle employed to convince him of his mistake, and to bring him into the right way. This example may assure us of the mercy of God towards mistaken consciences, and ought to inspire us with the most enlarged charity and good-will towards those whose erroneous principles mislead their conduct: instead of resentment and hatred against their persons, we ought only to feel an active wish of assisting them to find the truth; since we know not whether, if convinced, they might not prove, like St. Paul, chosen vessels to promote the honour of God, and of true religion. It is not now my intention to enter with you into any of the arguments for the truth of Christianity; otherwise it would be impossible wholly to pass over that, which arises from this remarkable conversion, and which has been so admirably illustrated by a noble writer, whose tract on this subject is in every body's hands.

Mrs. Chapone.

$146. Of the Epistles. Next follow the Epistles, which make a very important part of the New Testament; and you cannot be too much employed in reading them. They contain the most excellent precepts and admonitions; and are of particular use in explaining more at large several doctrines of Christianity, which we could not so fully comprehend without them. There are, indeed, in the Epistles of St. Paul, many passages hard to be understood; such, in particular, are the first eleven chapters to the Romans; the greater part of his Epistles to the Corinthians and Galatians; and several chapters of that to the Hebrews. Instead of perplexing yourself with these more obscure passages of scripture, I would wish you to employ your attention chiefly on those that are plain; and to judge of the doctrines taught in the other parts, by

comparing them with what you find in these. It is through the neglect of this rule that many have been led to draw the most absurd doctrines from the holy scriptures.-Let me particularly recommend to your careful perusal the xii. xiii. xiv. and xv. chapters of the Epistle to the Romans. In the xiv. chapter, St. Paul has in view the difference between the Jewish and Gentile (or Heathen) converts, at that time: the former were disposed to look with horror on the latter, for their impiety in not paying the same regard to the distinctions of days and meats that they did; and the latter, on the contrary, were inclined to look with contempt on the former, for their weakness and superstition. Excellent is the advice which the Apostle gives to both parties: he exhorts the Jewish converts not to judge, and the Gentiles not to despise: remembering that the kingdom of Heaven is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.-Endeavour to conform yourself to this advice; to acquire a temper of universal candour and benevolence; and learn neither to despise nor condemn any persons on account of their particular modes of faith and worship; remembering always, that goodness is confined to no party-that there are wise and worthy men among all the sects of Christians-and that, to his own master, every one must stand or fall.

I will enter no farther into the several points discussed by St. Paul in his various epistles-most of them too intricate for your understanding at present, and many of them beyond my abilities to state clearly. I will only again recommend to you to read those passages frequently, which, with so much fervour and energy, excite you, to the practice of the most exalted piety and benevolence. If the effusions of a heart, warmed with the tenderest affection for the whole human race-if p f precept, warning, encouragement, example, urged by an eloquence which such affection only could inspire, are capable of influencing your mind-you cannot fail to find, in such parts of his epistles as are adapted to your understanding, the strongest persuasives to every virtue that can adorn and improve your nature.

Ibid.

§ 147. The Epistle of St. James. The Epistle of St. James is entirely practical, and exceedingly fine; you can