confirmed by the pulpit, and nurfed by melancholy. Thus the foolishness of man perverteth his way, and his heart fretteth against the Lord. He placeth his happiness in dreams and fhadows, and efteems all thofe enemies and impertinent who would discover the cheat, and detect the deception. He is blind to his own intereft, and will not open his eyes to admit the rays of light. He laboureth to obfcure the natural light of his mind, because he is in love with darkness; and additional light he is averfe to receive, through fear of being undeceived as to his fanciful nctions of imaginary felicity. Man is his greatest enemy, and is fo bent on his own ruin, that he fpurns at reproof, vilifies advice, and proudly contemns the means of information. Reafon and Confcience, Providence in its fmiles and frowns, God and his word, are his friends; and though they adminifter counfel every day, and give him lectures in thick fucceffions, yet their pains are loft, their inftructions difregarded; and their effects, when they cannot be otherwise prevented, extinguished by fenfuality, overpowered by the gratification of luft, or drowned in liquor. Careleffness and ftupidity increase upon the mind; the confcience comes to be covered with a thick fourf, that is impenetrable by the fharp arrows of conviction; or if capable of being pierced, the wound is foon healed; the understanding lofes its former light, and, in proportion, acquires new degrees of darkness; the affections grow more wild and extravagant, and vice, folly, and vanity become their fole objects. What a terrible creature is man! how inflaved to fin! how averfe to his own "intereft! and how unwilling to be reformed! He fays, I have loved ftrangers, and after them I will go. After this manner did we act, when flaves to the devil,

and

and our own brutish lufts. In this fituation had we continued, increafing our wickednefs, and multiplying our abominations, if the Lord had not checked our mad career, restrained our furious course, and arrested us in the midst of our eager progrefs to the regions of wo. With what reluctance did we part with those vile pleasures we had taught ourselves to esteem the fummum bonum, and (oh! blafphemous!) the all of heaven to be enjoyed below! It was like tearing the flesh from the bones, and disjointing the body; fo wedded were we to fin, fo enamoured with ruin, and so forward to leap into hell! O the amazing grace and love of God, that hath rescued us from that terrible bondage, conquered this gigantic oppofition to God, difpelled the Egyptian darkness, and knocked off the adamantine fetters! What a mighty change has paffed upon us! and how different our notions of things! Former happiness is now confidered as mifery, darkness is. become light, bondage has emerged into liberty; in fhort, every difguife is unmasked, every cheat detected, and we are become new men! Divine grace hath wrought the change, and deferves all the praise.

"Be encouraged, my dear friend, to perfift in the ways of God, and to increafe in the knowledge of Jefus Chrift every day. I will foon die, and enter into the joy of my Lord. But your time is not yet come. Therefore watch and pray, left you enter into temptation. Remember what you was but a few months ago; confider what you now are; and praise the Lord, who has effected your reformation. Live always low in your own opinion, and let not pride poffefs your mind. You are yet young and tender; therefore flee youthful lufts, that war against the foul. Be not entangled with any yoke of bondage. Beware

of

of the company and converfation of women, efpecially the vain and gallantifh; nor frequent the company of thofe who drink to excefs, who employ their conversation on bawdy and obscene topics, mock at religion, and fear not an oath. Be reckoned unfafhionable and unpolite, rather than defile your confcience, or countenance the levity and licentious manners of the age. Employ much of your time in reading, meditation, and prayer. Shew your love to the Lord Jefus, who, I hope, has mercifully redeemed you, by a con.. fcientious regard to all his laws and inftitutions. Be not ashamed or difcouraged to appear for your Redeemer, and to teftify against vice in your ftation, however fashionable, and by whomfoever committed. Speak for God, and he will be with you, and will amply reward all your las bour. In fhort, live by faith on the Son of God,. and maintain conftant communion with him. Love his word, his ordinances, and his people. And may the Lord himself be with you for ever. Amen!"

I thanked my valuable friend for his feafonable. inftruction and advice, begging to be remembered by him in all his applications to the throne of grace, that as I had given my name to the Lord Jefus, at least in profeffion, I might not, by a fatal apoftafy from God, and a new entanglement in the service of Satan, caufe that worthy name to be blafphemed. I told him, that I apprehended nothing was more neceffary for young profeffors than caution and circumfpection; that this was warmly inculcated in the facred fcriptures, and urged by motives drawn from the importance and utility of the duty, its happy confequents and blissful effects, the danger refulting from remiffness and inattention, as difhonouring to God, ruinous to the foul, and tending to dif

credit religion in the world; that I earnestly wifhed and prayed, that I might be enabled to persevere in the ways of God, and retain a good confcience amidst the dangers and fnares, the careffes and frowns of Satan and the world; that I might be kept by the mighty power of God through faith unto falvation; that having begun in the Spirit, I might not end in the flesh, by a conduct inducing people to believe, that religion was a mere fancy, and piety an idle whim, Lord, uphold me according to thy word; let thy grace be fufficient for me, and thy ftrength perfected in weakness; may thy prefence be with me, giving me reft, preferving me from the inchantments of fin, the fafcination of the world, the contagion of vice, and the plots of the devil. Lord, perfect what concerns me; ftrengthen, establish, and fettle me. May he who, I hope, hath begun a good work in me, perform it to the day of Jefus Chrift. May the God of peace, that brought again. from the dead our Lord Jefus, that great Shep herd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlafting covenant, make me perfect in every good work to do his will, working in me that which is well-pleafing in his fight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen!"

To this my friend added with cordial affection, "The Lord grant thine heart's defire, and with-hold not the request of thy lips. The God of Ifrael grant thee thy petition that thou haft afked of him."

CHAP.

CHA P. IX.

Some account of a ftudious young lady dreffed in mens cloaths. Mr Ts's relation of his adventures in petticoats, with a folemn warning given him by a virtuous lady. An account of his mistress in the country.

TH

HE fame day, after noon, my pious friend poke to me as follows. "I could not but obferve that among the gentlemen who vifited me yesterday, there was one who appeared to be pretty much affected by what I then faid. I mean Mr who you know is a young gentlenian of a very delicate and womanifh afpect. I have been acquainted with him for near two years, and I remember fomething odd and fingular in his behaviour. He never attended any of our meetings but in confequence of the most importunate entreaties. In company he always fpóke little; but when he did fpeak, it was very much to the purpofe. He had a charming voice for mufic, and I have often been delighted with his fongs. He danced to admiration. I don't remember ever to have heard him pronounce an oath, fpeak a bawdy word, or utter a fyllable in oppofition to religion or morality; on the con trary, he always feemed so be difpleafed with fuch converfation. He feldom drank above two or three glaffes, and thefe at confiderable intervals. He was never obferved to fhew any attachment to women; and though he has : as feen us oftener than once go to bed one after another with whores, he feemed to frown at the fhame ful behaviour. I remember once when I rallied him on his frigidity and apathy, he replied, "Sir, I love to fee beautiful ladies, and above all the beauty of modefty; but I déclare to you