Mosaic law; on which the Jews laid the greatest stress, as necessary to salvation.

3. But St. James tells us, that "if any man among us seems to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, that man's religion is vain;" and that "pure religion, and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." Faith in Christ, if it do not produce these ef fects, he declareth, is dead, or of no power.

4. The Epistles of St Peter are also full of the best instructions and admonitions, concerning the relative duties of life; amongst which are set forth the duties of women in general, and of wives in particular. Some part of his second Epistle is prophetical; warning the church of false teachers, and false doctrines, which should undermine morality, and disgrace the cause of Christianity.

5. The first of St. John is written in a highly figurative style, which makes it, in some parts, hard to be understood; but the spirit of divine love, which it so fervently expres ses, renders it highly edifying and delightful. That love of God and of man, which this beloved Apostle so pathetically recommends, is in truth the essence of religion, as our Saviour himself informs us.

6. May you love and reverence, as it deserves, this blessed and invaluable book, which contains the best rule of life, the clearest declaration of the will and laws of the DEITY, the reviving assurance of favor to true penitents, and the unspeakably joyful tidings of eternal life and happiness to all the truly virtuous, through JESUS CHRIST, the Saviour and deliverer of the world!

CHAPTER C.

THE FLATTERER. An odious Character.

1. Of all the characters among mankind, no one is more degrading to human nature, than the flatterer. Flattery is not only odious to sincerity and truth, but it evinces a want of true sense, a want of esteem for those, whom it was intended to please, and proves a deficiency of sentiment and delicacy.

2. Even the wild, uncultivated aboriginal, is a stranger to dissembled thought. His tongue is governed by the genuine dictates of sincerity. But shall we compare the mind, brightened with the beam of knowledge, to the rude child of nature? In fact, the latter boasts pre-eminence. He soars aloft on wings of truth, looks down with scorn, and upbraids the civilized world for flattery, which puts sensibility to the blush, and shocks even the harsher feelings of unpolished men.

3. When the influence of a sycophant, like the fatal charms of a syren's voice, deludes fair innocence, virtue recoils and turns abhorrent from the rueful scene. It is necessary that every member of society should possess the art of pleasing, as it not only unites thought with thought, but tunes the mind to notes of love, sympathy and friendship. But, alas! shall the enchanting smiles of a parasite allure the daughter of virtue and blight her opening blossoms? Forbid it, ye guardian protectors of fair innocence !

4. When we see the rose of beauty torn from the bosom of candor, by the fatal hand of a sycophant, and all the delicacies of female worth, offered up as a sacrifice, at the altar of savage barbarity, can the manly feelings of the independent soul cease to vibrate with the warmest touches of pity; and even burn with indignant frowns of resentment?

5. Bush, frightful monster! at thy vileness, blush! thy crime is base, unmanly, murderous! Stab not the child of innocency with thy deadly smile! Thy smiles are treacherous, and tell the world the baseness of thy soul. Thy fatal venom taints the blended streams of mutual love, dissolves the ties of amity, and poisons the endearing affections that conspire to render man agreeabletoman.

6. Virtue will not hold society with such traitors; such base, degenerate men. She dreads their near approach, and shrinks with horror from their frightful mein Learn, ye fair, ye virtuous, to despise the alluring voice of the flatterer. His breath will blast the bloom of loveliest charms. When once by flattery caught, your drooping beauty weeps, virtue drops a tear of regret, and innocence hall mourn thy loss of worth.

DIALOGUES.

CHAPTER CI.

ON GAMING.

MR. AND MRS. KEPPEL.

SCENE 1.

Mr. Keppel. WHAT a wretched man am I! I wish I had hearkened to my wife. I have not only lost my money, but every thing else. I despised the counsel of the most amiable of women What a fool !

Mrs. Keppel. My dear friend, who has offended you? Mr. Kep, No one, but myself. I am the most imprudent man on earth. I wish I had followed your advice. Mrs. Kep. Have you then lost the rest of the money? Mr. Kep. Yes, every farthing I never had such ill

luck.

Mrs. Kep. Chance governs the game. It was to be expected. I am not disappointed in the least. Mr. Kep. I am utterly undone.

Mrs. Kep. No, my friend, utterly undone, no; my affection to you is the same as ever.

Mr. Kep. That is no comfort to me, since I must have made you wretched.

Mrs. Kep. Made me wretched! I value not the loss of your money. It was no great sum. You may raise twice as much on the mortgage of the house, and regain what you have lost.

Mr. Kep. The house, my dear friend, is already mortgaged and lost.

Mrs. Kep. There is the shop and all the goods in it. Mr. Kep. They are mortgaged also, and all the money raised on them lost.

Mrs. Kep. The moveables, the furniture of the house, you might raise something on them."

Mr. Kep. My amiable friend, I may as well let you know the worst as not. I have mortgaged all the furniture, carriages, horses, and indeed every thing; and the money raised on them is lost.

Mrs. Kep. Well, what if it be so? I can work for my living. I care not for it. But you must be miserable. What, cannot I think of some way to redeem what lost? e you sure it was owing to ill luck?

Mr. Kep. We may as well resign ourselves to our fate But I know I can play a good game.

and die.

Mrs. Kep. Then see, I have a little box of jewels, given me by my aunt Van Russel; it is worth a large sum, This you could not mortgage, for it was not your property.

Mr. Kep. But I shall not touch that. It is enough that I am a fool. I will not also be a villain, and spend the last part of my wife's property.

Mrs. Kep. But you need have no scruple when I give it to you. (She goes out to bring the box.)

SCENE 11.

MR. KEPPEL AND MISS LEERKINS.

Miss Leer. It is no matter, of my particular concern, I cannot bear your conduct to my sister.

Mr. Kep. If she be contented, what is it to you ?

Miss Leer. You treat my sister ill beyond all sufferance You leave her alone these long winter evenings, that you may spend your time in taverns and gaming houses. The whole care of the family rests on my sister; and you are even a stranger in your own house.

Mr. Kep. If my wife be satisfied, what business of yours is it, that you should lecture me on the occasion? Miss Leer. My sister is indeed a fool She has not the spirit of a woman of sense in her, or she would manage otherwise than she does.

?

Mr. Kep. What would you do were you in her case Miss Leer. Instead of cooking you up with all manner of good things, when you come home from your midnight cabals, I would lay your whole conduct before you, 1 would sing you such a song of your crimes, that you should go to sleep, if you slept at all, with a sting in your heart..

Mr. Kep. I advise you if you do ever marry, (and I doubt much if you ever will) to marry some person who never wishes to sleep, for I am persuaded your tongue must be a mortal enemy to repose.

Miss Leer. I would not bear with you as my sister does. I would not discover the least degree of good nature towards you; and I would let you know that I never would, till such time as you would reform.

Mr. Kep Suppose you wanted customers in your shop, would you set a dog on the first person who entered the shop door?

Miss Leer. No, for that would drive them all away. Mr. Kep. You would gain as little by scolding at a hus band for staying out late.

Miss Leer. Then you might go and shift for yourself, if you pleased. I would not concern myself for you in the least, and account myself happy that I was rid of you. Mr. Kep If you were fond of me you could not do that. Miss Leer Do you think that I should care for such a wretch as you? who could not do that?

Mr. Kep It would make your heart ache, my dear, and you could not bear it.

Miss Leer. Make my heart ache! a fiddlestick. My heart would never ache for such a wretch as you. I almost wish you were my husband, that you might see how I would manage you.

Mr. Kep. I have no thought of wishing you to be my wife at any rate; and mind this, that single women always know how to rule their husbands well; but they fail a little in two points; either they never get husbands, or else lose the faculty of ruling them the moment they are married. (Miss Leerkins goes away.)

(Mrs. Keppel enters with the box.) Mrs. Kep. Here, my dear, take these, and may you be more fortunate than before.

Mr. Kep. No, my dear wife; no, it is yours; do not let me ruin you; no, I cannot accept it.

Mrs Kep. I value it not, take it and do your best; I give it to you, it is now yours.

Mr. Kep, The kindest and most amiable woman in the world.

SCENE II.

MISS LEERKINS AND MRS. KEPPEL.

Miss Leer. Sister, I am ashamed of you. You behave out of all sense and reason.