her life here in this folitude, as feems to be her inclination, is not proper; and to go into the world by herfelf, when I am dead, without knowing any mortal in it, may involve her in troubles and diftreffes. Hear then, my fon, what I propose to you. You are a young man, but ferious. You have got fome wisdom in the fchool of affliction, and you have no averfion to matrimony, as you have juft buried, you fay, a glorious woman, your wife. If you will stay with us here, till Statia is two and twenty, and in that time render yourself agreeable to her, I promise you, the shall be yours the day the enters the three and twentieth year of her age, and you fhall have with her fortune all that I am owner of, which is no fmall fum. What do you fay to this propofal?

§. 11. Sir, I replied, you do me vast My reply. honour, much more I am fure than my merits can pretend to. I am infinitely obliged to you, and must be blind and infenfible, if I refused fuch a woman as Miss Henley, were the far from being the fortune the is: But I have not vanity enough to imagine, I can gain her affections; efpecially in my circumftances; and to get her by your authority, or power of difpofing of her, is what I cannot think of. I will flay however, a few months here, fince you fo generously invite

me,

42

My refi

dence at

Bafil Groves for seven months,

ner of liv

ing.

me, and let Mifs Henley know, I will be her humble fervant, if fhe will allow me the honour of bearing that title. This made the old gentleman laugh, and he took me by the hand, faying, This is right. Coie, let us go and take a walk before dinner.

§. 12. There I paffed the winter, and part of the fpring, and lived in a delightful manner. The mornings I generally spent in the library, reading, or writing extracts and man- from fome curious MSS. or fcarce books; and in the afternoons Mifs Henley and I walked in the lawns and woods, or fat down to cards. She was a fine creature indeed in body and foul, had a beautiful understanding, and charmed me to a high degree. Her converfation was rational and eafy, without the least affectation from the books the had read; and fhe would enliven it fometimes by finging, in which kind of mufic fhe was as great a mistress as I have heard. As to her heart, I found it was to be gained; but an accident happened that put a stop to

of old Mr.

the amour.

The death. 13. In the beginning of March, the Henley, and old gentleman, the excellent Mr. Henley, Statia's Statia's grandfather and guardian, and my thereupon. great friend, died, and by his death a great alteration enfued in my affair. I thought

behaviour

to

to have had Mifs Henley immediately, as there was no one to plead her father's will against the marriage, and intended to fend O Finn for Fryar Fleming; but when Statia faw herself her own miftrefs, without any fuperior, or controul, and in poffeffion of large fortunes, money, and an eftate, that fhe might do as fhe pleased; this had an effect on her mind, and made a change. She told me, when I addreffed myself to her, after her grandfather was interred, that what the intended to do, in obedience to him, had he lived, the thought required

very ferious confideration now the was left to herself: That, exclufive of this, her inclination really was for a fingle life; and had it been otherwife, yet it was not proper, fince her guardian was dead, that I fhould live with her till the time limited by her father's will for her to marry was come; but that, as she had too good an opinion of me, to imagine her fortune was, what chiefly urged my application, and muft own the had a regard for me, fhe would be glad to hear from me fometimes, if I could think her worth remembring, after I had left the Groves of Bafil. This fhe faid with great seriousness, and feemed by her manner to forbid my urging the thing any further.

§. 14 I

My reply to Mils Henley:

matrimo

§. 14. I affured her, however, that time. only could wear out her charming image being an a- from my mind, and that I had reafon to pology for fear, the would long remain the torment of my heart. She had a right to be sure to difpel made a miss me from her fervice; but in respect of memorial her inclination to live a fingle life, I begged venant of leave to obferve, that it was certainly quite

ny, as it is

by the gof

of the co

grace.

wrong, and what he could not answer to the wife and bountiful Father of the Universe, as she was a Chriftian, and by being fo, must believe, that baptifm was a memorial of the covenant of grace.

The Catholics, and the Vifion-mongers of the proteftant fide, (the Rev. Mr. Wm. Law, and others of his row) may magnify the excellence of celibacy as high as they please, and work it into chriftian perfection, by founding words and eloquent pens; but most furely, revelation was directly against them, and required the faithful to produce in a regular way.

Confider, illuftrious Statia, that when the Moft High gave the Abrahamic covenant in thefe words, I will be a God unto thee, and to thy feed after thee, and in thy feed fall all the families, or nations of the earth be blefed; which includes an intereft in God, as a God, father and friend for ever, and a share in all the bleflings wherewith the Meffiah, in the gofpel, hath inriched the world; thefe inef

timable

timable bleffings and promifes of life and favour, were defigned by the divine munificence for rifing generations of mankind; and it was moft certainly intended, not only that they should be received with the higheft gratitude and duty, but that they fhould be strongly inculcated upon the thoughts of fucceeding generations, by an instituted fign or memorial, to the end of the world.

Circumcifion was the first appointed token or memorial, and at the fame time, an inftruction in that moral rectitude to which the grace of God obliges: and when the New Teftament fucceeded the Law, then was the covenant intereft of infants, or their right to the covenant of grace, to be confirmed by the token or fign called baptifm; that action being appointed to give the expected rifing generation an intereft in the love of God, the grace of Chrift, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, that is, in all covenant bleffings. But what becomes of this great charter of heaven, if chriftian women, out of an idle notion of perfection, will resolve to lead fingle lives, and thereby hinder rifing generations from fharing in the honours and privileges of the church of Jefus Chrift. Millions of the faithful must thereby be deprived of the token inftituted by God to convey to them thofe covenant bleflings, which his love and goodness defigned for the rifing generations of his people. Have a care then

what