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The two sons of the first man carried in their names a memorandum of what they and their posterity were to expect. Cain signifies possession: and Abel signifies vanity, or emptiness. All worldly possessions are, at once, empty and vanishing; unsatisfactory while they continue, and liable to a speedy decay. ibid.

As, when an army of men come to drink at some mighty river, there is no want, but all go satisfied away; whereas, had they come to a paltry brook, they would not have found water enough to quench the thirst of each so, created things are narrow brooks, or, rather, broken cisterns; from which immortal souls cannot but return empty, dissatisfied, and disappointed. But Christ hath a river of love and joy and peace, whereof he gives his followers to drink; and, drinking whereof, they are easy, safe, and happy.

ibid. See the vanity of the world, and the consumption that is upon all things; and love nothing but Christ. Wilcox.

The world will be burnt up, in the day of Christ's appearance. And why should night-dreams, and day-shadows, and water-froth, and May-flowers, run away with your heart in the mean while? When we come to the water side, and set our foot in the boat, and enter on the river of death, we shall wonder at our past folly. Rutherfoord.

Earth, earth is what worldly men never think they have enough of, until death comes and stops their mouth with a shovelful of earth digged out of their own grave. Gurnall.

YOUNG CONVERTS.

Glowings of affection are usually wrought in young converts, who are, ordinarily, made to sing in the day

of their youth, Hos. ii. 14. While the fire-edge is upon the young convert, he looks upon others, reputed to be godly; and not finding in them such a [lively] temper and disposition, as in himself, he is ready to censure them, and to think that there is far less religion in the world than indeed there is. But, when his own cup comes to settle below the brim, and he finds that in himself, which made him question the state of others, he is more humbled, and feels more and more, the necessity of daily recourse to the blood of Christ for pardon, and to the Spirit of Christ for sanctification: and thus grows downwards in humiliation, self-lothing, and self-denial. Boston.

ZEAL.

Young zeal, and old knowledge, make that Christian both happy and useful, in whom they meet.

Mr. Russell, July 19, 1769.

CHRISTIANITY REVERSED:

OR,

A NEW OFFICE OF INITIATION, FOR ALL YOUTHS OF THE SUPERIOR CLASS.

BEING

A SUMMARY OF LORD CHESTERFIELD'S CREED.

I BELIEVE, that this world is the object of my hopes and morals; and that the little prettinesses of life will answer all the ends of human existence.

I believe, that we are to succeed in all things, by the graces of civility and attention; that there is no sin, but against good manners; and that all religion and virtue consist in outward appearance.

I believe, that all women are children, and all men fools; except a few cunning people, who see through the rest, and make their use of them.

I believe, that hypocrisy, fornication, and adultery, are within the lines of morality: that a woman may be honourable when she has lost her honour, and virtuous when she has lost her virtue.

This, and whatever else is necessary to obtain my own ends, and bring me into repute, I resolve to follow; and to avoid all moral offences: such as scratching my head before company, spitting upon the floor, and omitting to pick up a lady's fan. And in this persuasion I will persevere, without any regard to the resurrection of the body or the life everlasting. Amen.

Quest. Wilt thou be initiated into these principles?

Ans. That is my inclination.

Quest. Wilt thou keep up to the rules of the Chesterfield morality?

Answ. I will, Lord Chesterfield being my admonisher.

Then the Officiator shall say,

Name this child.

Answ. A fine gentleman.

Then he shall say,

"I introduce thee to the world, the flesh and the devil, that thou mayest triumph over all awkwardness, and grow up in all politeness; that thou mayest be acceptable to the ladies, celebrated for refined breeding, able to speak French and read Italian, invested with some public supernumerary character in a foreign court, get into parliament (perhaps into the privy council), and that, when thou art dead, the letters written to thy bastards may be published, in seven editions, for the instruction of all sober families.

"Ye are to take care, that this child, when he is of a proper age, be brought to court, to be confirmed."

A SKETCH OF MODERN FEMALE EDUCATION.

FROM the present mode of female education, one would really imagine, that the people of England were Turks, and did not believe that their daughters have souls.

A lady of fashion, if she knows not God, usually brings up a daughter in the following style. Little miss, almost as soon as born, is (it may be) so straitened and pinched up in her dress (under pretence of giving her a fine shape), that her health, and perhaps her shape itself, are materially the worse for it, during life.

As succeeding weeks and months roll on, her constitution receives still farther detriment, by the per

VOL. IV.

H H

nicious kindness of a too delicate and tender method of treatment. The nursery must always be over heated in order to be well aired. Miss must never be drest, nor undrest, but before a large fire. Nor have her hands and face washed but in warm milk and water, corrected with elder flowers or with a decoction of tansey. Nor on any pretence be carried, except when the sun shines, out of the house.

At four or five years old, she is taught to entertain false ideas of her own importance. Her mamma will not let her be contradicted. If she fall into a passion she must be soothed and humoured; not to say, applauded as a child of spirit. If she invents a falsehood, the dear little creature, instead of being punished as she deserves, is kissed and commended for her wit.

By degrees, she begins to consider herself as formed of more refined materials, and cast in a more elegant mould, than the generality of other people. She is struck with the love of pomp and equipage. Grows haughty and insolent to the servants. Values herself upon dress, and admires the reflection of her own face in the looking-glass.

At six or seven years of age, she looks over her papa and mamma, when they play at cards; and miss has some idea of gaming, before she is thoroughly versed in her A B C.

In due season, the care of her head is committed to a friseur; a Monsieur le Puff, from Paris. Her head-piece is also carefully cultivated by the milliner, and the jeweller; who decorate, with festoons, the pyramid which the friseur has raised. Perhaps the little pullet (shall I call her, or chicken) suddenly erects herself into a gigantic peahen, by tufting the pyramid with plumes half a yard high.

But what is a superb roof, without a well furnished front; swayed by this consideration, she begins to pencil her eye-brows, and to assume an artificial complexion. But let her not enamel. Let

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