ceffities of the poor, the excellency of Charity, which is receiv'd as done to Chrift himself, is a much greater reafon, why no one should ever waste any of his money. For if he does fo, he does not only do like the poor man, only waste that which he wants himself, but he waftes that which is wanted for the most noble ufe, and which Chrift himself is ready to receive at his hands. And if we are angry at a poor man, and look upon him as a wretch, when he throws away that which fhould buy his own bread; how much we appear in the fight of God, if we make a wanton idle ufe of that, which would buy bread and cloaths for the hungry and naked brethren, who are as near and dear to God, as we are, and fellow heirs of the fame ftate of future Glory? This is the spirit of Miranda, and thus fhe uses the gifts of God; he is only one of a certain number of poor people, that are relieved out of her fortune, and the only differs from them in the blefedness of giving.

EXCEPTING her victuals, fhe never spent ten pound a year upon herself. If you was to fee her, you would wonder what poor body it was, that was fo furprizingly neat and clean. She has but one rule that fhe obferves in her drefs, to be always clean, and in the cheapest things. Every thing about her resembles the parity of her foul, and fhe is always clean without, because she is always pure within.

EVERY morning fees her early at her prayers, the rejoices in the beginning of every day, because it begins all her pious rules of holy living, and brings the fresh pleasure of repeating them. She feems to be as a guardian angel to thofe that dwell about her, with her watchings and prayers bleffing the place where she dwells, and making interceffion with God for those that are afleep.

HER devotions have had fome intervals, and God has heard feveral of her private prayers, before the light is fuffered to enter into her fifter's room. Miranda does not know what it is to have a dull half-day;

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the returns of her hours of prayer, and her religious exercises, come too often to let any confiderable part of time lie heavy upon her hands.

WHEN you fee her at work, you fee the fame wifdom that governs all her other actions, fhe is either doing something that is ncceffary for her self, or necessary for others, who want to be affifted. There is fcarce a poor family in the neighbourhood, but wears fomething or other that has had the labour of her hands. Her wife and pious mind, neither wants the amusement, nor can bear with the folly of idle and impertinent work. She can admit of no fuch folly as this in the day, because she is to answer for all her actions at night. When there is no wisdom to be observed in the employment of her hands, when there is no useful or charitable work to be done, Miranda will work no more. At her table the lives ftrictly by this rule of holy fcripture, whether ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. This makes her begin and end every meal, as fhe begins and ends every day, with acts of devotion : She eats and drinks only for the fake of living, and with fo regular an abstinence, that every meal is an exercife of felf-denial, and fhe humbles her body, every time that the is forced to feed it. If Miranda was to run a race for her life, fhe would fubmit to a diet that was proper for it. But as the race which is fet before her, is a race of holiness, purity, and heavenly affection, which she is to finish in a corrupt, diforder'd body of earthly paffions, fo her every day diet has only this one end, to make her body fitter for this fpiritual race. She does not weigh her meat in a pair of fcales, but the weighs it in a much better balance; fo much as gives a proper ftrength to her body, and renders it able and willing to obey the foul, to join in pfalms and prayers, and lift up eyes and hands towards heaven with greater readiness, fo much is Miranda's meal. So that Miranda will never have her eyes fwell with fatnefs, or pant under a heavy load of flesh, till fhe has chang'd her religion.

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THE holy fcriptures, efpecially of the New Teftamcnt, are her daily ftudy; thele fhe reads with a watchful attention, conftantly cafting an eye upon her felf, and trying her felf, by every doctrine that is there. When fhe has the New Teftament in her hand, fhe fuppofes her felf at the feet of our Saviour and his apoftles, and makes every thing that she learns of them, fo many laws of her life. She receives their facred words with as much attention, and reverence, as if fhe faw their períons, and knew that they were just come from heaven, on purpose to teach her the way that leads to it.

SHE thinks, that the trying herself every day by the doctrines of fcripture, is the only poffible way to be ready for her trial at the last day. She is fometimes afraid that the lays out too much money in books, because she cannot forbear buying all practical books of any note; efpecially fuch as enter into the heart of religion, and defcribe the inward holiness of the Chriftian life. But of all human writings, the lives of pious perfons, and eminent faints, are her greatest delight. In these the fearches as for hidden treasure, hoping to find fome fecret of holy living, fome uncommon degree of piety, which she may make her own. By this means Miranda has her head and heart ftor'd with all the principles of wisdom and holinefs, fhe is fo full of the one main business of life, that she finds it difficult to converse upon any other fubject; and if you are in her company, when the thinks proper to talk, you must be made wifer and better, whether will or no.

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To relate her charity, would be to relate the hiftory of every day for twenty years; for fo long has all her fortune been spent that way. She has fet up near twenty poor tradeímen that had failed in their bufinefs, and fav'd as many from failing. She has educated feveral poor children, that were pick'd up in the freets, and put them in a way of an honeft employ ment. As foon as any labourer is confin'd at home

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with fickness, fhe fends him, till he recovers, twice the value of his wages, that he may have one part to give to his family, as ufual, and the other to provide things convenient for his fickness.

I a family feems too large to be fupported by the labour of those that can work in it, he pays their rent, and gives them fomething yearly towards their cloathing. By this means there are many poor families that live in a comfortable manner, and are from year to year bleffing her in their prayers.

If there is any poor man or woman, that is more than ordinarily wicked and reprobate, Miranda has her eye upon them, fhe watches their time of need and adverfity; and if fhe can difcover that they are in any great freights or affliction, fhe gives them fpeedy relief. She has this care for this fort of people, because the once faved a very profligate perfon from being carried to prison, who immediately became a true penitent.

THERE is nothing in the character of Miranda more to be admir'd, than this temper. For this tenderness of affection towards the most abandoned finners, is the highest inftance of a divine and godlike foul.

Miranda once paffed by a house, where the man and his wife were curfing and fwearing at one another in a moft dreadful manner, and three children crying about them; this fight fo much affected her compaffionate mind, that she went the next day, and bought the three children, that they might not be ruined by living with fuch wicked parents; they now live with Miranda, are bleffed with her care and prayers,. and all the good works which he can do for them. They hear her talk, they fee her live, they join with her in pfalms and prayers. The eldest of them has already converted his parents from their wicked life, and fhews a turn of mind fo remarkably pious, that Miranda intends him for holy orders; that being thus fav'd himself, he may be zealous in the falvation of

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fouls, and do to other miferable objects, as fhe has done to him.

Miranda is a conftant relief to poor people in their misfortunes and accidents; there are fometimes little misfortunes that happen to them, which of themselves they could never be able to overcome. The death of a cow, or a horse, or fome little robbery, would keep them in distress all their lives. She does not fuffer. them to grieve under fuch accidents as thefe. She immediately gives them the full value of their lofs, and makes ufe of it as a means of raising their minds towards God.

SHE has a great tendernefs for old people that are grown paft their labour. The parifh allowance to fuch people, is very feldom a comfortable maintainance. For this reason, they are the constant objects of her care; fhe adds fo much to their allowance, as fomewhat exceeds the wages they got when they were young. This fhe does to comfort the infirmities of their age, that being free from trouble and distress they may ferve God in peace and tranquillity of mind. She has generally a large number of this kind, who by her charities and exhortations to holiness, spend their laft days in great piety and devotion.

Miranda never wants compaffion, even to common beggars; efpecially towards thofe that are old or fick, or full of fores, that want eyes or limbs. She hears their complaints with tenderness, gives them fome proof of her kindness, and never rejects them with hard, or reproachful language, for fear of adding affliction to her fellow creatures.

IF a poor traveller tells her, that he has neither ftrength, nor food, nor money left, fhe never bids him go to the place from whence he came, or tells him, that fhe cannot relieve him, because he may be a cheat, or fhe does not know him; but the relieves him for that reafon, because he is a stranger, and unknown to her. For it is the most noble part of charity, to be kind and tender to thofe whom we never faw before,

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