and Elias did, on what once paffed at Jerufalem, when · Jefus gave his life a ranfom for many; and their experience fo confirms their intereft in that work of love, that their hearts burn within them, and like St. Peter,. they find it good to be there.

The hour to dine being come, Honorio returns, and probably brings a religious friend or two to his hofpitable manfion. The table being fpread with plenty, without oftentation, the provifion is fanctified by the prayer of Honorio, penetrated with a fenfe of having forfeited every thing by fin, but having recovered all by the merit of his great Saviour, a remembrance of whofe love makes every thing more fweet and refreshing. Having ufed, but not abufed, the bounties of Providence, grateful acknowledgements are returned to the great Giver of every good gift; and the pious few mingle profitable difcourfe with their wine, or concert fome plan for fupplying the wants of thofe who are in diftreffing circumstances. Towards evening, a felect company grace the tea-table; and the interefts of the Gofpel, with the beft means of fpreading its influence around them, become the fubjects of their converfation. Should national affairs happen to be introduced, they exprefs their loyalty towards their lawful fovereign, and their thankfulnefs to God for the many invaluable privileges enjoyed by Englishmen. The hour of parting being come, the praifes of God introduce the devotion of the evening, in which, as in the morning, the fcriptures are read, and all the family called to unite. Care is taken not to protract this fervice to an immoderate length, left the children, on account of their tender years, and the fervants, wearied with the labour of the day, might be inclined to fleep when their minds ought to be attentive. Nor is it hurried over as though it were of no importance; but fufficient time is taken reverently and decently to thank God for his goodness, earnestly to intreat him to pardon their fins, and to commit themselves into his care and protection.

O ye worldlings! what can ye produce in the fcenes of your lives that is worthy to be compared with this 2

"The curfe of God," fays the fcripture," is in the of the wicked." Your parlours have no dwellings of the wicked." bleffing in them. Your children and fervants never hear the name of God mentioned in them, unless it be to blafpheme it. Your tables are unbleffed. At your banquets, intemperance reigns, and modesty is put to the blufh. The parlours I have been defcribing are types of heaven, where due returns are made to God for his bounty. Ye are deluded by what you call rational amufements. Like children you divert yourselves in foolish play, night after night, wafting your time and substance." "And the God in whofe hands your breath is, and whofe are all your ways, you have not glorified". Any thing that is ferious and ufeful to your fouls, you will not once hear, much lefs will you hear it repeated. "And what will ye O that ye were wife, that you should confider your ways, and at last make some returns of gratitude to a gracious God for all his benefits bestowed upou you...

do in the end thereof?"

FIDELIO.

*

CHARITY.

CHARITY is a virtue of the heart, and not of

the hands, fays an old writer. Gifts and alms are the expreffions, not the effence of this virtue. A man may bestow great fums on the poo: and indigent without being charitable, and may be charitable when he is not able to bestow any thing. Charity therefore is a habit of good-will or benevolence in the foul, which difpofes us to the love, affiftance, and relief of mankind, cfpecially of those who, ftand in need of it. The poor man who has this excellent frame of mind, is no less intitled to the reward of this virtue, than the man who founds a college. For my own part, I am charitable to an extravagance this way: I never faw an indigent perfon in my life, without reaching out to him fome of this imaginary relief. I cannot but fympathise with every one I meet who is in afflic

tion ; and if my abilities were equal to my wishes, there fhould be neither pain nor poverty in the world. GUARDIAN, Vol. II, No. 166.

CHARMS.

THERE is no charm in the female fex that can fupply the place of virtue. Without innocence, beauzy is unlovely, and quality contemptible; good-breeding degenerates into wantonnefs, and wit into impudence. It is obferved, that all the virtues are reprefented by both painters and ftatuaries under female Thapes; but if any one of them has a more particular title to that fex, it is modefty, I fhall leave it to the divines to guard them againft the oppofite vice, as they may be overpowered by temptations it is fufficient for me to have warned them againft it, as they may be led aftray by inftinct.

BUT

SPECTATOR, Vol. VI. No. 395. X.

CHASTITY.

UT as I am now talking to the world yet untaint ed, I will venture to recommend chastity as the nobleft. male qualification.

It is, methinks, very unreasonable, that the difficulty of attaining all other good habits, is what makes them honourable; but in this cafe, the very attempt has become ridiculous: but in fpight of all the raillery of the world, truth is ftill truth, and will have beauties infeparable from it. I fhould, upon this occafion, bring examples of heroic chastity, were I not afraid of having my paper thrown away by the modifh part of the town, who go no farther at beft than the mere abfence of ill, and are contented to be rather irreproachable than praife-worthy. In this particular, a gentleman in the court of Cyrus, reported to his majefty the charms and beauty of Panthea; and ended his panegyric by telling him, that fince he was at leif

t

But tha

But

ure, he would carry him to vifit her. prince,who is a very great man to this day anfwered the pimp, because he was a man of quality, without roughnefs, and faid, with a fmile, If I should vifit her upon your introduction now I have leifure, I do know bnow but I might go again upon her own invitation, when I ought to be better employed. But when I east about all the inftances which I have met with in all my reading, I find not one fo generous, so honeft, and fo noble, as that of Jofeph in holy writ. When his master had trufted him fo unrefervedly (to fpeak it in the emphatical manner of the fcripture) be knew not aught he had, fave the bread which he did eat, he was fo unhappy as to appear irrefiftibly beautiful to his miftrefs. when this fhameless woman proceeds to folicit, how gallant is his anfwer! Behold, my mafter votteth not what is with me in the house, and hath committed all that he hath to my hand : There is none greater in the house than I; neither hath be kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife. The fame argument which a base mind would have made to itfelf, for committing the evil, was to this brave man the greatest motive for the forbearing it, that he could do it with impunity. The malice and falfhood of the disappointed woman naturally arofe on that occafion; and there is but a fhort ftep from the practice of virtue to the hatred of it. It would be therefore worth ferious confideration in both fexes, and the matter is of importance to them, to ask themselves whether they would change lightnefs of heart, indolence of mind, cheerful meals, untroubled flumbers, and gentle difpofitions, for a conftant puriency, which huts out all things that are great or indifferent, clouds the imagination with infenfibility and prejudice to all manner of delight, but that which is common to all creatures that extend their fpecies.

A loose behaviour, and an inattention to every thing that is ferious, flowing from fome degree of this petulancy, is obfervable in the generality of youth of both fexes in this age. It is the one common face of moft public meetings, and breaks in upon the fobriety, I won't say severity, that we ought to exercise in

churches. The pert boys, and flippant girls, are but faint followers of thofe in the fame inclinations atmore advanced years. I know not who can oblige them to mend their manners; all that I pretend to is, to enter my proteft that they are neither fine gentlemen nor fine ladies for this behaviour. As for the portraitures which I would propofe, as the images of agreeable men and women, if they are not imitated or regarded, I can only anfwer, as I remember Mr. Dryaen did upon the like occafion, when a young fellow, just come from the play of Cleomenes, told him in raillery against the continency of his principal character, if I had been alone with a lady, I fhould not have paffed my time like your Spartan. That may be, anfwered the Bard, with a very grave face; but give me leave to tell you, Sir, you are no Hero.

GUARDIAN, Vol. I. No. 44

CHEERFULNESS.

is an unreafonable thing fome men expect of their acquaintance: they are ever complaining that they are out of order, or difpleafed, or they know not how; and are so far from letting that be a reafon for retiring to their own homes, that they make it their argument for coming into company. What has any body to do with accounts of a man's being indisposed, but his physician? If a man laments in company, where the reft are in humour enough to enjoy themfelves, he should not take it ill, if a fervant is ordered to prefent him with a porringer of caudle or poffetdrink, by way of admonition that he go home to bed.. That part of life which we ordinarily understand by the word converfation, is an indulgence to the fociable part of our make, and fhould incline us to bring our proportion of good-will or good-humour among the friends we meet with, and not to trouble them with relations which must of neceffity oblige them to a real or feigned affliction. Cares, diftreffes, difeafes, uneafineffes, and diflikes of our own, are by no means to