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From the fam'd aquinoctial fo diftant,
And fifty five whole,

From the northernly pole,

Where no eyes but thine cou'd have mifs'd on't.
'Twixt Mefopotame,
(If you liften to fame)

And the spreading Armenian confines,
Old Eden does stand,

As pleasant a land,

As any whereon the bright fun fhines;
There Adam his Eve

Of old did receive,

The garden's just thirteen miles round, Sir,
If thus you deny,

And fwear 'tis a lye,

Gallop thither, and measure the ground, Sir.
But as for the fpeech,

Which was fpoken by each,

E'er from their bleft feat they were driv'n,
You must patiently wait,

Nor the question once state,

Till your wife has difpatch'd you to heav'n.
Q. Ye fages wife of this our British isle,
Who mount o'er others in a lofty file,
Your works already are fo well begun,
They far furpass the glories of the fun;
Since love-fick maids to you their minds discover,
Pray pity me a poor defponding lover;
I boaft the fpring of youth and blooming years,
Yet love an old man who neglects my tears;
I always found my inclinations bent

For age, my time 'mongst youth I feldom spent ;
His handfome old face I hugely adore,

Tho' wither'd with wrinckles, and years of fourfcore.
For a rival I think, I need have no fears,
Maids rarely do love a man at thofe years;
His apparel, 'tis true, is thin and old,
But this makes amends, he has plenty of gold;
I beg you to put me in a way if you can,
How I fhall procure this wealthy old man?

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You'll oblige me in fending an answer with speed,
For your good advice, O Apollo! I need?!

A. By Jove, young Madam, 'tis a brave design, And fhews your wit does with your beauty fhine, E'er therefore we begin to teach the art,

Whereby you fhall with eafe melt down his heart;
Liften, O Lady bright! to what we difcover,
And learn the conveniences of fuch an old lover.
You love him, you fay, and if fo, we believe
His death or his fickness your mind muft needs grieve;
Now you may help both, when he comfort does lack,
By lying all night clung clofe to his back;

This a young hebrew virgin for David did do,
And why should not your fpark expect it from you?
Next, Madam, the jewel we maidenhead call,
Which always to marriage a victim does fall,
Will remain in your keeping, and blefs your long life
With a fort of a paradox, maiden and wife.
Another advantage from this will accrue, ou
For by your meek thoughts you're an holy one too,
You'll read a memento in gaffer's grave head,
And think on your grave, while you roll in your bed.
Thus much for the future enjoyments you wish,
And now for a method to come at the blifs,
Endeavour to be where the old man does move,
Stare heartily on him, and look him to love.

Q. A Gentleman of honour was charm'd with the beau` ty of a married woman, who being a person, well born, and of confiderable fortune, had thrown that and her felf away upon a base and barbarous husband; the young Gentleman drove on both by love and pity obtain'd at last a free correspondence with the Lady, which ended in unlawful embraces, and an illegitimate iffue. The husband has fince by his own excess kill'd himself. The young Gentleman now would be glad to marry this Lady, tho' left in mean circumftances, but fears the difpleafure of his father and relations; and (tho' not defiring) must wait their removal before he can make himself and the Lady happy. Query, Whether his fecret defires in this cafe are finful?

A. We commend the Gentleman's generous refolu

tion to marry the Lady, notwithstanding the meannefs of her circumstances, fince it is the only reparation he can make to her injur'd honour. But if by bis fecret defires you mean thofe of ufing her as his wife before the opportunity of marriage, we are bound in duty to forbid fuch unlawful banes. For as we may plainly gather what the law of nature directs in the cafe before us from the common ufage of all na tions, fo our own reafon will inform us that fo important an affair, as that of a man's and a woman's be coming one flesh, fhould not commence without a previous folemnity. And as we are under an indispend fible obligation to obey all the laws of our country, fo more especially to obey one that is enforced with fuch variety of political reasons, too many to be here enumerated. And as our fpiritual governours confpire to enhance our obligation, fo we cannot overlook that divine command, Remember those that have the rule over you. And fince the union of husband and wife is become the facred emblem of Chrift's union with the Church, fhall we venture to engage in fo dignified a state, without the due ceremony of a regular confecration? But the Scriptures afford us no particular precept concerning a marriage ceremony. What tho' they don't? Their filence, as to precept, does rather advance than leffen our obligation, for they treat the matter as a thing granted, as a thing that had univerfally obtained; as a thing, which to urge by precept, would be an unneceffary undertaking. Here then Scripture-example is of as good authority as Scripture precept. But were there nothing else to recommend the cuftom, one would think that the affectionate, the pious Chriftian fhould be ambitious to ufher in fo weighty an ingagement with that folemnity which his Saviour vouchfafed to honour with his prefence.

We therefore would entreat the Gentleman at prefent to view the Lady no otherwife than as addref fing him with this indifpenfible motto, Touch not.

VOL. II,

A a

Q. 1

Q. A Gentleman unfortunately married a woman who has liv'd a very loofe and extravagant life, and is very pofitive has been unjust to his bed; fo that upon her account he was forced to quit his habitation, not thinking himself fafe to live with her, notwithstanding he allows her a feparate maintenance. And fince coming into the company of a very good Gentlewoman, who has got as bad a bufband as he has a wife, he being very extravagant and illnatur'd, and unjust to her in all respects. Now this Gentleman is fo in love with this Lady, that he cannot contain himfelf without her converfation: the Lady tells him she loves and refpects him, but she thinks fhe cannot comply with his defires, they being both married. Now it is the Gentleman's opinion, that if they both marry, and are just to each other, their loves being fo affectionate to each, that it is no farther a crime than the breach of the law of the land; for it is the Gentleman's real opinion, that a woman is no more a wife to a husband, nor a man a bufband to a wife, than that they are just to each other; for the Scripture tells us, that where a man or woman are unjuft to their bed, they may write 'em a bill of divorce, and put 'em away?

A. A man however injur'd by his wife could not, by the Gentleman's own confeffion, marry another, without the previous ceremony of fending his adulterous wife a bill of divorce. Now an act of Parliament with us is analogous to their bill of divorce. He fays it is no farther a crime than a breach of the law of the land, whereby he plainly intimates, that a breach of the law of the land is no crime at all. But fure he has forgot that paffage in 1 Pet. ii. 13. Submit your felves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's fake. Would the agree to it, he could engage no clergyman to marry them, unless he should diffemble with him, which is it felf unlawful, efpecially on fo folemn an occafion. And yet to touch a woman without the folemnity of marriage, is abfolutely finful, as you may find at large in the answer to the last question. Though when an husband defiles his wife's bed, the abafed wife would have it in her power to be en

tirely free from him, would the law of the land permit it; yet as long as she cohabits with him, the cannot be accounted free, and therefore the Gentleman cannot obtain his wifhes without the guilt of adultery. And yet were there no adultery in the cafe, what can it be lefs than fornication in her, to have any thing to do with two at once? And tho' he be con ftant to her, yet fince he is fenfible that she is common to two in his own fenfe of the matter, he must plead guilty to the fame crime. We therefore commend the Lady's chastity, and advise the Gentleman to take example by one he fo much admires, and he will receive this advantage by so just an abstinence, namely, he will give the Lady a fignal proof of his efteem, for imitation is very juftly reckon'd among the figns of love.

Q. In our thanks given it is thus, we bless thee for our creation, prefervation; and pray the fignification of the word bless? for I take it to infer fome benefit or happiness, all which come from God, and that he is not capable of receiving any from us. If it be a proper word for thanks given, why is it never used one to another?

A. As we were created for our Maker's glory, fo to offer unto God thanksgiving is the greatest benefit wo can bestow upon him. Not as tho' we mortals could really beftow any thing on God; but it is to be underftood with regard to his condefcenfive, his infinitely condefcenfive acceptance of our praise.

But to the query, why the word blefs is not in the fame fenfe applied to men as well as God, it might be enough to anfwer, that modes of fpeech and appropriations of words are arbitrary things; that the vox populi, which ordains them, may frequently cry out, My pleasure is the reafon of them. But we may here confider, that praise is not the greatest benefit we jcan confer on man; and therefore to blefs and to praise are not coincident.

But to blefs God may also fignify to pronounce him bleffed, emphatically to pronounce him fo. And as fo emphatical a pronunciation is a part of the hoA a 2

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