much less actually, meditate an attack on her virtue: and, you will generally find, that those silly fair ones, who become the victims of their artifice, were previously the foolish and illiterate votaries of fashion.

-I would ask, for what was every faculty adapted to scientific improvement given you, in the same quota as to us? Were they given by another god, or by a discriminating hand? Surely not. God is not, and why shall man be, a respecter of persons. These qualifications and capacities were given to you for improvement; and, by neglecting to improve them, you sin against the law of nature, and nature's God. And, believe me to be your friend, when I tell you, that he is a fallacious foe to your sex, who attempts to establish the worst kind of tyranny over them-I mean the tyranny of the mind. What illiberal monopolizers of dignity are to be found amongst the sons of men, in every part of the world. How can they be such implacable enemies to your charming sex? But it is your business to counteract their malevolent machinations, by using unwearied assiduity, in attaining a liberal education: and, if you should already have arrived at the years of maturity, and cannot attend to scholastic resources and researches, you may attain, notwithstanding, by indefatigable perseverance, a sufficieney of polite information, to put you on an equality, in point of intellectual improve ment, with a great majority of our sex. For my part, I have attained more information in nine months, by my individual endeavors, than I did from the most ingenious tutors, in one of the prineipal towns in Europe, in the same number of years 1, therefore, can speak with certainty on this head. The study of astronomy is my greatest delight; on this subject have I written and on it do I still contemplate, not only with ineffable delight, but with great benefit; nothing can give us more glorious

ideas of the creation, more humiliating thoughts of ourselves, or more confidence in the goodness of our Heavenly Father, than astronomical contemplations.

I would, therefore, encourage my fair readers, to appropriate less time to the decoration of their persons, and more to the improvement of their minds. The study of astronomy will be to them a most useful as well as entertaining source of luxurious investigation. The perusal of sacred and civil history will greatly enrich the mind; while the lighter study of belles lettres will embellish and ornament it. I would caution them to avoid the voluptuous rhapsody of the novelist, the romancer, and the new philosophy, as they would the face ofa fiery serpent. These deleterious vehicles have ruined their millions of the human race; yet works of philanthropy, morality, and christian philosophy, which develope what is harmonious and amiable in moral life, may be read with avidity, and be productive of utility. From them we derive a degree of mechanical virtue, and learn to abhor systematic vice. The humanizing influence of virtuous poetry, and its pathetic powers, may likewise be productive of charming sensibility, enthusiastic tenderness and luxuriancy of sentiment. But in all your literary researches, you should never forget, that the ingenuity of the head, without ingenuousness of heart, will never render you amiable in the estimation of your or our sex. If local circumstances should leave it out of your power to attain any degree of proficiency from the treasures of antiquity, remember that the august book of creation is open to all for investigation. In it study the philosophy of nature. By this you may not only embellish your natural genius, but replenish your heart with imperishable beauties, from the inexhaustible magazine of benefactions. And you shouldever bear in mind, in your laborious and scientific pur

suits, that you are not toiling for the acquisitions, fashions, and fopperies which perish in the using: but rather for the bread which endureth unto eternal life.

I think it should prove a formidable stimulus to récollect, that while your corporeal charms languish and fade, your mental accomplishments will be improving to all eternity.

Here we see and know more, and consequently improve more, from day to day; yet still we cannot ascertain the thousandth part of the uninvestigable wonders of creation, and the unfathomable benefits, astonishing munificence, super-eminent privileges, and intrinsic excellencies of the covenant of grace and wonders of redeeming love. And it will be the same, no doubt, with us hereafter. We shall see as much more of the immutable architecture and unutterable benevolence of our heavenly Father, as this earth exceeds in magnitude the circumference of a particle of dust. And yet what we shall then see (though endowed with the same visual rays as the most exalted cherubims and seraphims,) when compared to what is to be seen of his inaccessable glory, brilliancy, magnificence, and munificence, will be like comparing the the thousandth part of a moment to boundless eternity. If, then, we are susceptible of such amazing and divine improvement, both here and hereafter, how reprehensible must we be to neglect the improvement of our minds, not only almost but altoge:her? Instead of promoting, by our conduct, conversation, or writings, the cause of piety, and facilitating the intellectual improvement of our fellow travellers to the grave; we contaminate their minds and poison the whole moral system. Surely, we cannot meet the approbation of a just and holy God, if the sacred remembrance of the former conduct is pregnant with prolific pleasures, whether in a world of sycophants or a world of spirits! Surely, the

reflection of the latter must be big with the triple thunders of Jehovah's indignation and the vengeance of eternity.

May I humbly and earnestly beg the patience of my fair reader, while I drop a few hints on a subject that I have scarcely suggested in the antecedent strictures, from a tenacious wish to accommodate my matter to the taste of the volatile and gay, who, I am confident, do not wish to hear or read much about vital religion, having reserved that subject for the consideration of old age. Millions of prolix and puerile discourses have been delivered from the pulpit and the press, doctrinal and practical, on this subject, which have tended to lead the mind into a labyrinth of uncertainties, both premises and conclusions having often been equally ambiguous. By such performances, religion is made to appear the greatest mystery and phenomenon in nature; whereas it is, in reality the most simple thing under the broad canopy of heaven, which I will endeavor to make appear in a few words.

It is, in short, nothing more than pure love to God and man. This love will stimulate the soul to the performance of aetions, which will be well pleasing to God and beneficial to man The omission of duties, or the commission of sins, will grieve such a one more than any pain or punishment; and the performance of dutics will be productive of the sacred pleasures which I have pointed out in the prefixed pages. Such a soul loves God for his own intrinsic excellence, and not for what he can give or take away. The religion of such a man is seated in his heart, not his head.

Few can say this much; and I will assign an autheutic reason, namely, a mistaken notion of the severity of Providence, whose despotism is magnified at the expense of his munificence. It is ungenerous and unjust to impute to God the evils we bring upon ourselves, by our imprudence and dis

obedience. That freedom of will, which is the quintessence of our natural and moral powers, is perverted and corrupted by our perverseness, and misery is the necessary result. God is not, nor indeed can he be, the author of evil. Could I believe this of him, the supposition would not only shake my confidence, but annihilate my love, though not my fear.

Alas! how has religion been dishonoured by blind and bloody zealots, and fanatics, by whom the source of benevolence has been metamorphosed to a blood thirsty monster. O, conscience, thou vicegerent of Heaven! assume thy legal prerogatives, vindicate the honour of the eternal, and let loose thy tenfold vengeance upon such enthusiastic and impious calumniators. To be blinded by such fanaticism, I might say heresy; and of course, to be ignorent of the simple religion of Christ; i. e. repentance towards God, and faith in our dear Redeemer, is the greatest curse that can befal a human being. Reader, may the good God open your eyes to see the truth, as it is in Jesus, before you sleep the sleep of death. The most refined pleasure results from the candid investigation of sacred truths. For instance, when I find that God not only loves the whole human family collectively but myself as an individual, surely this sentiment will create love in mine or any generous breast. Gratitude will revive, and tears of penitential sorrow will begin to flow; that is, when we readily see, feel, and believe this truth. One expression of gratitude from such a person, will be more acceptable than a thousand volumes of formal declamatory and systematical prayers. One sincere penitential sigh is more efficacious than all the wicked prayers carried by proud, perverse, and petulent devotees to the church militant for a thousand years.

How many make a pompous profession of reli

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