unite themselves into little focieties, profeffing voluntary poverty, virginity, retirement and devotion, living upon bare neceffaries, that fome might be relieved by their charities, and all be bleffed with their prayers, and benefited by their example: or if for want of this, they should practise the fame manner of life, in as high a degree as they could by themselves; fuch perfons would be fo far from being chargeable with any fuperftition, or blind devotion, that they might be justly faid to reftore that piety, which was the boast and glory of the Church, when its greatest faints were alive.

Now as this learned hiftorian obferves, that it was an exceeding great degree of heavenly love, that carried thefe perfons fo much above the common ways of life, to fuch an eminent ftate of holinefs; fo it is not to be wonder'd at, that the religion of Jefus Chrift, fhould fill the hearts of many Christians with this high degree of love.

FOR a religion that opens fuch a scene of glory, that difcovers things fo infinitely above all the world, that fo triumphs over death, that affures us of fuch manfions of blifs, where we shall fo foon be as the Angels of God in heaven; what wonder is it, if fuch a religion, fuch truths and expectations, fhould in some holy fouls, deftroy all earthly defires, and make the ardent love of heavenly things, be the one continual paffion of their hearts ?

IF the religion of Chriftians is founded upon the infinite humiliation, the cruel mockings and Scourgings, the prodigious fufferings, the poor, perfecuted life, and painful death of a crucified Son of God; what wonder is it, if many humble adorers of this profound myftery, many affectionate lovers of a crucified Lord, fhould renounce their fhare of worldly pleafures, and give themselves up to a continual courfe of mortification and felf-denial: that thus fuffering with Chrift here, they may reign with him hereafter?

IF truth it felf hath affur'd us, that there is but

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One thing needful, what wonder is it, that there should be fome amongst Christians fo full of faith, as to believe this in the highest fenfe of the words, and to defire fuch a feparation from the world, that their care and attention to the one thing needful may not be interrupted?

If our bleffed Lord hath faid, If thou wilt be perfect, go and fell that thou haft, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treafure in heaven and come and follow me: What wonder is it, that there fhould be amongit Chriftians, fome fuch zealous followers of Chrift, fo intent upon heavenly treasure, fo defirous of perfection, that they should renounce the enjoyment of their eftates, chufe a voluntary poverty, and relieve all the poor that they are able?

IF the chofen veffel, St. Paul, hath faid, He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how be may please the Lord: and that there is this difference alfa between a wife and a virgin; the unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that he may be holy both in body and Spirit: What wonder is it, if the purity and perfection of the virgin ftate, hath been the praife and glory of the Church in its firft and pureft ages?

THAT there hath always been fome fo defirous of pleafing God, fo zealous after every degree of purity and perfection, fo glad of every means of improving their virtue, that they have renounc'd the comforts and enjoyments of wedlock, to trim their lamps, to purify their fouls, and wait upon God in a ftate of perpetual virginity?

AND if now in these our days, we want examples of these feveral degrees of perfection; if neither clergy nor laity are enough of this fpirit; if we are fo far departed from it, that a man feems, like St. Paul at Athens, a fetter forth of ftrange doctrines, when he recommends felf-denial, renunciation of the world, regular devotion, retirement, virginity, and voluntary poverty,

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'tis

'tis because we are fallen into an age, where the love not only of many, but of moft, is waxed cold.

I HAVE made this little appeal to antiquity, and quoted these few paffages of Scripture, to fupport fome uncommon practices in the life of Miranda; and to fhew, that her highest rules of holy living, her devotion, felf-denial, renunciation of the world, her charity, virginity, and voluntary poverty, are founded in the fublimeft counfels of Chrift and his Apoftles, fuitable to the high expectations of another life, proper inftances of a heavenly love, and all followed by the greatest faints of the belt and pureft ages of the church. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

СНАР. Х.

Shewing how all orders and ranks of men and women of all ages, are obliged to devote themselves unto God.

I

HAVE in the foregoing chapters gone through the feveral great inftances of Christian devotion, and fhewn that all the parts of our common life, our employments, our talents and gifts of fortune, are all to be made holy and acceptable unto God, by a wife and religious ufe of every thing, and by directing our actions and and defigns to fuch ends, as are fuitable to the honour and glory of God.

I fhall now fhew, that this regularity of devotion, this holiness of common life, this religious ufe of every thing that we have, is a devotion that is the duty of all orders of Chriftian people.

Fulvius has had a learned education, and taken his degrees in the Univerfity, he came from thence, that he might be free from any rules of life. He takes no employment upon him, nor enters into any business, becaufe he thinks that every employment or business, calls people to the careful performance and just dif

charge

charge of its several duties. When he is grave, he will tell you that he did not enter into holy orders, because he looks upon it to be a ftate, that requires great holiness of life, and that it does not fuit his temper to be fo good. He will tell you that he never intends to marry, because he cannot oblige himfelf to that regularity of life, and good behaviour, which he takes to be the duty of thofe that are at the head of a family. He refufed to be Godfather to his nephew, because he will have no truft of any kind to anfwer for.

Fulvius thinks that he is confcientious in this conduct, and is therefore content with the most idle, im- pertinent and careless life.

He has no religion, no devotion, no pretences to piety. He lives by no rules, and thinks all is very well, because he is neither a priest, nor a father, nor a guardian, nor has any employment or family to look after.

BUT Fulvius, you are a rational creature, and as fuch, are as much obliged to live according to reafon and order, as a priest is obliged to attend at the altar, or a guardian to be faithful to his truft; if you live contrary to reafon, you don't commit a small crime, you don't break a small truft; but you break the law of your nature, you rebel against God who gave you that nature, and put your felf amongst thofe whom the God of reafon and order will punish as apo ftates and defertors.

THOUGH YOU have no employment, yet as you are baptiz'd into the profeffion of Christ's religion, you are as much oblig'd to live according to the holiness of the Chriftian fpirit, and perform all the promiles made at your baptifm, as any man is oblig'd to be honest and faithful in his calling. If you abuse this great calling, you are not falfe in a small matter, but you abufe the precious blood of Chrift; you crucify the Son of God afreth; you neglect the highest inftances of divine goodness; you difgrace the church of God;

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God; you blemish the body of Chrift; you abuse the means of Grace, and the promises of Glory; and it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

IT is therefore great folly, for any one to think himself at liberty to live as he pleases, because he is not in fuch a state of life as fome others are: For if there is any thing dreadful in the abufe of any truft; if there is any thing to be feared for the neglect of any calling, there is nothing more to be feared than the wrong ufe of our reafon, nor any thing more to be dreaded, than the neglect of our Chriftian calling; which is not to serve the little uses of a fhort life, but to redeem fouls unto God, to fill heaven with faints, and finish a kingdom of eternal glory unto God.

No man therefore must think himself excufed from the exactness of piety and morality, because he has chofen to be idle and independent in the world; for the neceffities of a reasonable and holy life, are not founded in the feveral conditions and employments of this life, but in the immutable nature of God, and the nature of man. A man is not to be reasonable and holy, because he is a priest, or a father of a family; but he is to be a pious prieit, and a good father, becaufe piety and goodness are the laws of human nature. Could any man pleafe God, without living according to reafon and order, there would be nothing difpleafing to God in an idle priest, or a reprobate father. He therefore that abufes his reafon, is like him that abules the priesthood; and he that neglects the holinefs of the Chriftian life, is as the man that difregards the most important truft.

IF a man was to chufe to put out his eyes, rather than enjoy the light, and fee the works of God; if he fhould voluntarily kill himself, by refufing to eat and drink, every one would own, that fuch a one was a rebel against God, that juftly deferved his higheft indignation. You would not fay, that this was only finful in a priest, or a master of a family, but in every man as fuch. Now