sent, and many of them beyond my abilities to state clearly. I will only again recommend to you, to read those passages frequently, which, with so much fervour and energy, excite you to the practice of the most exalted piety and benevolence. If the effusions of a heart warmed with the tenderest affection for the whole human race; if precept, warning, encouragement, example, urged by an eloquence which such affection only could inspire-are capable of influencing your mind, you cannot fail to find, in such parts of his epistles as are adapted to your understanding, the strongest persuasives to every virtue than can adorn and improve your nature. The Epistle of St. James is entirely practical, and exceedingly fine; you cannot study it too much. It seems particularly designed to guard Christians against misunderstanding some things in St. Paul's writings which have been fatally perverted to the encouragement of a dependence on faith alone, without good works. But the more rational commentators will tell you, that by the works of the law, which the apostle asserts to be incapable of justifying us, he means, not the works of moral righteousness, but the ceremonial works of the Mosaic law-on which the Jews laid the greatest stress, as necessary to salvation. But St. James tells us, that" if any man among us seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, that man's religion is vain :" and that " pure religion, and undefiled before God the Father, is this- to visit the fatherless and widow in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." Faith in Christ, if it ticular. Some part of the second Epistle i phetical: warning the church of false teacher false doctrines, which would undermine mo and disgrace the cause of Christianity. The first of St. John is written in a highly tive style, which makes it in some parts hard understood: but the spirit of divine love, wh so fervently expresses, renders it highly edifyi delightful. That love of God and of man this beloved apostle so pathetically recomme in truth the essence of religion, as our Saviou self informs us. The book of Revelation contains a prop account of most of the great events relating Christian church, which were to happen fro time of the writer, St. John, to the end world. Many learned men have taken a gre of pains to explain it; and they have done many instances very successfully: but, I th is yet too soon for you to study this part of ture; some years hence perhaps there may objections to your attempting it, and taki your hands the best expositions to assist reading such of the most difficult parts of th Testament as you cannot now be supposed derstand. May Heaven direct you in studyi sacred volume, and render it the means of you wise unto salvation! May you love an 40 ON THE STUDY OF THE HOLY SCRIPTures. rence, as it deserves, this blessed and invaluable book, which contains the best rule of life, the clearest declaration of the will and laws of the Deity, the reviving assurance of favour of true penitents, and the unspeakably joyful tidings of eternal life and happiness to all the truly virtuous, through Jesus Christ, the Saviour and Deliverer of the world. Adieu. IV. TIONS. You will have read the New Testament to very purpose, my dearest niece, if you do not per the great end and intention of all its precepts the improvement and the regulation of the h not the outward actions alone, but the inward tions which give birth to them, are the subje those precepts; as appears in our Saviour's exp tion (Matt. v.) of the commandments deliver Moses; and in a thousand other passages o Gospels, which it is needless to recite. Ther no virtues more insisted on, as necessary to ou ture happiness, than humility, and sincerit uprightness of heart; yet none more difficul rare. Pride and vanity, the vices opposite t mility, are the sources of almost all the faults, both of men and women. The latte particularly accused (and not without reaso vanity, the vice of little minds, chiefly conve with trifling subjects. Pride and vanity have supposed to differ so essentially, as hardly ev be found in the same person. "Too proud vain," is no uncommon expression; by whi suppose, is meant, too proud to be over auxiou the admiration of others; but this seems t founded on mistake. opinion of one's self, and an affected contempt of others: I say affected; for that it is not a real contempt is evident from this, that the lowest object of it is important enough to torture the proud man's heart, only by refusing him the homage and admiration he requires. Thus Haman could relish none of the advantages in which he valued himself, whilst that Mordecai, whom he pretended to despise, sat still in the king's gate, and would not bow to him as he passed. But, as the proud man's contempt of others is only assumed with a view to awe them into reverence, by his pretended superiority, so it does not preclude an extreme inward an. xiety about their opinions, and a slavish dependence on them for all his gratifications. Pride, though a distinct passion, is seldom unaccompanied by vanity, which is an extravagant desire of admiration. Indeed, I never saw an insolent person, in whom a discerning eye might not discover a very large share of vanity, and of envy, its usual companion. One may nevertheless see many vain persons who are not proud; though they desire to be admired, they do not always admire themselves: but as timid minds are apt to despair of those things they earnestly wish for, so you will often see the woman who is most anxious to be thought handsome, most inclined to be dissatisfied with her looks, and to think all the assistance of art too little to attain the end desired. To this cause, I believe, we may generally attribute affectation; which seems to imply a mean opinion of one's own real form, or character, while we strive against nature to alter ourselves by ridiculous contortions of body, or by feigned senti Pride is, I think, a high |