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It never reftrains.
His generous pains,

But ftudies to fee me with different wiles ;
But because he wants cash

(The de'el take all trash)

I dare not oblige him with one of my fmiles:
How to change my friends mind,
And make 'em more kind,
Amyntas's ruin, with mine, pray prevent,
And in your next say,

If lawfully I may;

To please my felf, marry without their confent ?
[By my friends I mean brothers in Law.]

A. If Amyntas his flame,

With yours be the fame,

And his morals are fuch, will fecure you from

ruin;

And you've enough cafh

For both, tho' but trash,

'Tis fuch, many comforts from thence are accruing. Then ne'er be in awe,

Of a brother-in-law,

Whofe pretended regard may be only defign;
For fuch have no force,

In for better, for worse,

By human injunctions, or precepts divine. Q. Which are most to be admir'd, the works of nature, or the works of grace?

A. If it be ftupendious, out of nothing to make a man, it is more ftupendious, out of worfe than nothing to re-make a man. If it be difficult out of non-existence to make us be, it is more difficult out of finners to make us faints. Nature writes upon unblotted paper; grace firft erafes the blot, and then makes a new, a fair impreffion. It is glorious in the almighty Potter, out of a non fubftratum to make comely veffels ; but it is more tranfcendently fo out of veffels of wrath, to make veffels of honour. Creation is a fingle task: Renovation includes annihilation and

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creation too. The Creator exerted his omnipotence in one; the Creator became a creature to effect the other. Happy Adam, that he was able to fay, in paradife, by nature I am, what I am; but more happy fons of Adam, that they are able to fay, even out of paradife, by grace we are what we are. If in the works of nature we furvey feveral attributes of God; in the works of grace we behold the fame attributes, with additionary ones more eminently difplay'd. Here we behold his juftice in the punishment of fin, and yet his mercy too in the pardon of the finner. Here we view his wifdom in the contrivance of fuch a method, as at once releafes the criminal, and yet preferves authority; at once remits our difobedience to his laws, and yet guards thofe very laws from a future breach. Here we admire his holiness, in that, tho' he cancels our unhappy guilt, he yet more strongly obliges us to be holy, even as he is holy. Here we wonder at his power, in effecting our redemption by fuch an union, as is infcrutable to man, unfathomable to Angels, for the very Angels defire to pry into it. Here we ftand in admiration at his goodness, which, notwithstanding our provocations, could yet prompt him to exert fuch wonders in our behalf. O! the glori ous attributes of God, fo furprizingly difplay'd in pardon'd finners! His works of grace are all unfearchable, and his ways patt finding out.

But to make a right ufe of all this, let us confider the intention of it; confider, that the grace of God, which hath appear'd unto all men, teaches us, that denying ungodliness, and worldly lufts, we should live foo berly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world.

Q. Whether 'tis really a crime for a young man, (that has not wherewithal to keep a wife) to converfe moderately with a mifs, fince 'tis only following the dictates of nature, as to eat when hungry, drink when dry, &c.

4. We must acquaint you, that the fimilitudes you ufe, are no ways parallel. For though nature cannot fubfift without meat and drink, yet it may without the other. Our Saviour indeed fays of perpetual vir

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ginity

ginity, where there are opportunities of marriage, all men cannot bear this, but they to whom it is given. But chaftity is a gift we may be fure he will bestow on thofe, to whom he denies the opportunities of marriage, unless we will fuppofe him an Egyptian taskmafter, fuppofe him to refufe us ftraw, and yet require the full tale of brick.

Q. What will, (at the last day) be done with those men, who are not good enough for heaven, nor bad enough for hell?

A. There is no such thing as a middle state, whoever therefore are not bad enough for the fhades below, we doubt not, but a merciful Redeemer will graciously admit them into his heavenly paradise. But let us carefully beware, that we judge not too favourably of our felves, left by a false, a mistaken eftimate, we fall short of the glory that is to be revealed.

Q. How can it ftand with the just wisdom and goodnefs of God to give man free-will, feeing God foreknew he would abuse that free-will to his own hurt and damnation, or why he fuffered him to be tempted? It may be answered, That the advantage we have by Chrift's dyng, fufficiently equalizes, if not exceeds the lofs we fuftain by the fall of Adam. I anfwer no, for (notwithstanding redemption) the greater part of mankind must remain in endless mifery to all eternity.

4. The reafon, why fo many fancy, that freewill as circumftantiated in man, is irreconcileable to the goodness of God, is namely this, they confider his goodness exclufive of his other attributes, which is no less than to un-ged him: According to the objection, juftice cannot poffibly belong to God. And yet to debar God of the poffibility of exercising juftice, vindictive juftice, (for juftice is not compleat without it) what is this but to circumfcribe infinity? Would we therefore but confider, What wonders God has done for the children of men, to determine their free will aright, confiftently with liberty; would we but reflect, how unreafonable it is to diveft our Maker of what goes to the completion of infinite perfec

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tion;

tion; would we but obferve, that his wisdom, (tho' objected by the querift to a contrary purpose) is concern'd to reconcile one attribute with another, his juftice with his goodness; would we but ponder thefe things, we fhould ceafe our unreasonable doubts, and fay, Righteous art thou, O Lord, when we plead with thee.

Q. Why does gun powder, that is composed of such fiery particles, when diffolved in water, have a contrary quality, and be as cold as ice?

A. Because upon its diffolution there becomes a feparation of its contrary qualities, and its inflammable ones, which were before predominant, flying from fo oppofite a body, as that of water, leaves the languid particles of the gun-powder without a mixture, and confequently, occafions an entire reft, which is, what we vulgarly call, intense coldness.

Q. Since the moon is a dark body, which are those two great lights that God made, the one to rule the day, and the other to rule the night?

A. Tho' the moon be an opake (or dark) body, irrespectively, and in its felf, yet it is luminous with refpect to us, in that it reflects the light of the Sun in this lower world. And therefore, by virtue of fuch reflection, it may juftly be ftil'd, as it is in Scripture, the leffer light to rule the night.

Q. Finding in one of your papers, a letter (in behalf of a young Lady of eight hundred pound fortune) complaining of the many fruitless journies he hath made up to London, in quest of a husband, would beg the favour of your directions, how she and I may come to an interview, I lying under the fame unlucky predicament, having done all that in me lies, to engage fome pretty The to accept of my paffion, but in vain. I am young, in good bufinefs, and by the by, think I deferve a wife with fo much money.

A. You cannot be under the fame predicament as the Lady is, fince you have the liberty of addrefs, which the modesty of her sex denies her ; therefore fome greater merit, than your baffled attempts deVOL. II.

monftrate,

monftrate, must be thrown in to balance the account. Q. Are women as capable of learning as men?

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A. Since our fex allow the fairer one a no difobliging character, the character of the foft, the tender fex, they will not, we prefume, at all refent it, if we be unwilling to contradict a character they are not difpleased with, and venture to affirm, that they are caft in too foft a mould, are made of too fine, too delicate a compofure to endure the feverity of study, the drudgery of contemplation, the fatigue of profound fpeculations, of deep refearches. Had Eve fprang out of Adam's head, as according to the poets, Pallas did out of fove's, we might then indeed be of other fentiments. But fince he was taken from his fide, to denote her his companion in inferior matters, but not a fharer in dominion; fince Adam was created for a ruler, thy defire fhall be to thy husband, and he fhall rule over thee, we cannot think, that the God of nature would beftow the fame qualifications for government upon a fex he intended for fubjection, as he would on thofe he defign'd for empire. Not but that there may be fome women eminent for learning, too many to be called Phoenixes, as tho' each fucceffor arofe from her predeceffor's afhes; nay, there may be fome few, who may feem to rival men, to bid fair, tho' not for the palm of victory, yet for the glory of equality. In evidence of which we appeal to a noted foreigner, fcarcely inferior to a very learn'd husband. We appeal to a country-woman of our own, whose fublime, whofe manly energy might befpeak her man. We appeal to a deceafed Lady, whofe uncommon merit has enter'd in the lift of thofe contenders, who lay claim to that admirable book, The whole duty of man. And tho' fhe may not be the perfon, (for the Ladies can never blame us, if unwilling to give away fo glorious a title from our own fex, tho' this be the effect rather of our wishes than of our knowledge) tho' fhe may not be the perfon, yet if one of the mafculine gender can put in a better plea, he may yet fay of her in imitation of what Ajax faid of his antagonist Ulyffes, (but without his contempt)

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