that of the greatest heroe. After all, the eternal, wife being feems to have placed them in more advantageous circumstances than he has done men: He has implanted in them some native propenfions, which much facilitate the operations of grace upon them. Befides, there are many temptations to which men are expofed, that are out of their road. How hard is it for a man to converfe in the world, but he fhall be importuned by debauchery and excefs, muft forfeit his fobriety, to maintain the reputation of a fociable perfon. Again, how liable are men, by a promifcuous converfation among variety of humours, to meet with fome affronts, which the maxims of honour will tell them muft (in fpight of all Chrift's interdicts) be revenged; and this engages them in quarrels, fometimes in murders. Now none of these are incident to women; they must in these and some other instances attack temptation, and abandon their fex, and the whole economy of their estate, before they can diveft themselves of their innocence : So that God feems, in many particulars, to have closer fenced them in, and not left them to those wilder excurfions, for which the customary liberties of the other sex afford a more open way. In short, they have fo many advantages towards virtue, that though the + philofopher made it one of his folemn acknowledgments to God, that he had made him a man, and not a woman, yet, I think, christian women have now reafon enough to invert that form, and to thank God that he has made them women, and not men. How many women do we read of in all the duties of affiduous attendance

the gofpel, who, in

+ Socrates.

on

on Christ, liberalities of love and respect, nay even in zeal and courage, furpaffed the apostles themselves. We find his crofs furrounded, his paffion celebrated, by the avowed tears and lamentations of devout women, when the most courageous of his disciples had denied, yea forsworn, and all had forfaken him: Nay even death itself could not extinguish their love; we find the devout Marys designing a laborious, chargeable, and, perhaps, hazardous respect to his corps; and accordingly it is a memorable atteftation Chrift gives to their piety, by making them the first witnesses of his refurrection, the prime evangelists to declare the glad tidings. Nor is the devotion of that sex to be found only in the facred records, the primitive times have left us many memorials of the like, and the martyrologies are full of female fufferers of all ages and conditions, who, by the fervour of their zeal, had overcome the timorousness of their nature, and wearied the cruelty of their perfecutors. And as women helped to augment the number of martyrs, fo did they of confeffors alfo, in a ftout owning, and diligent practice of christianity. Queens and empreffes knew then no title fo glorious, as that of nurfing-mother to the church, and have often exchanged their large and magnificent palaces, for little retired cells, and private oratories; and valued not their own diadems in comparison with their Saviour's crown of thorns. And though, by a perpetual declination from their pristine zeal, the examples have in every age grown lefs numerous, yet none has wanted fome very illuftrious patterns, enough to credit and ennoble the female world. For instance, our late incomparable and

never enough to be admired Queen Mary II. This great, this virtuous queen, was a compound, of the various good qualities, that embellish the whole fpecies, adorned with most of the beauties of her sex below, and virtues of the blest above; grave, when her duty to God required it, yet, in her common conversation, fhe had a spring of chearfulness not to be exhausted; so steddy in her friendfhip, that whoever was fo happy as to gain her approbation, never lost it, because she did not give it blindly. It was scarce poffible to look on her without veneration, her countenance being unfpeakably awful, yet moft exquifitely grateful, being sweetened with humility, raised with contemplation, emboldened with refolution, and adorned with all the most agreeable airs, that proceed from the fecret habits of virtue. Tho' fhe was advanced to one of the highest pinacles of human glory, yet the readily condefcended to the very meaneft offices of piety, and charity; for fhe was reckoned one of the most obliging and best of wives to her husband, as well as the most excellent and indulgent of miftreffes to her domeftick fervants; a great patronefs of religion and learning, a true and certain friend, a christian, mild and merciful to her enemies; her life a perpetual courfe of pious practice, not diftempered with fits of unsubstantial zeal, which are fuddenly raised, and as fuddenly vanish: No, the spring was in the judgment and the heart, and from thence the whole living was regular and conftant.

Mild as the bleft above, without ferene

As Edom's air, and calm as heaven within.

Her goodness (like the unwearied fun, ever moving, but

never tired) had advanced her in reputation faster than in years; and, if one may depend on all that is faid of her, fcarce any woman lived more worthy of fame fo that her character is too celestial to be frequently met with, and deserves to be defcribed with the utmost flights of human imagination, but that she has been fo long the fubject of panegyrick, that nothing new can be faid in her praise. To conclude, therefore, as all her life was crowned with glory, fo was her death with peace; and few in the world ever lived more beloved, or died more lamented, than this glorious queen.

To chriftian rules fhe ftrictly liv'd confin'd,

Was just to God, and good to all mankind.

1217. The wickedness of other men we have always in our eye, but we caft our own over our fhoulders. He that loves his neighbour's wife, and for that very reason because she is another's, locks up and a worfe father chaftifes a better fon.

his own;

1218. It is with juftice as with fick men : In time past, when we had few doctors, as well of law as of phyfick, we had more right and more health. But we are now destroyed by multitudes and confultations, which serve to no other end, than to inflame both the diftemper and the reckoning.

1219. The most tolerable fort of revenge, is, for those wrongs, which there is no law to redress: But, then, let a man take heed that the revenge be fuch as there is no law to punish; elfe a man's enemy is ftill before hand, and it is two for one.

i

1220. It

1220. It is a troublefome fort of disease, the living ftrictly by rule, for the prefervation of health.

1221. Sobriety, in the generality of men, is only a fondness of health, or the effect of a weak constitution, which will not bear intemperance.

1122. It is highly neceffary for a man to avoid too much familiarity in converfation. He that familiarizes himself presently, lofes the fuperiority that his ferious air gave him, and by confequence his credit. The more common human things are, the lefs they are esteemed : for communication difcovers imperfections that refervednefs concealed. We must not be too familiar with fuperiors, because of danger; nor with inferiors, by reafon of indecency; and far lefs with mean people, whom ignorance renders infolent; in as much as being infenfible of the honour that is done them, they prefume it is their due.

1223. It may feem to be a kind of a malicious fatisfaction, that one man derives from the misfortunes of another. But the philofophy of this reflection stands upon another ground; for our comfort does not arise from other people's being miferable, but from this inference upon the balance, that we fuffer only the lot of human nature; and as we are happy or miserable, compared with others, fo other people are miferable or happy, compared with us: By which juftice of providence, we come to be convinced of the fin, and the mistake of our ingratitude.

1224. Unfaithfulness ought to quench our love quite; and we do ill to be jealous when there is no reafon: No