subjects, but to upbraid and excite myself, on the footing of her question, to a greater degree of watchfulness over my own ways. Two of them, I said, had been of singular use to me for this purpose, more than the most excellent performances of Barrow, Tillotson, or Stanhope, could have been, because they stared my own failings in the face, like an additional conscience, with greater sternness, than the better writings of other men could do. I confessed, there was no necessity for my publishing, or ever writing new sermons, had no new crops of heresies, infidelities, and vices sprung up, which ought to be weeded out; or had not my zeal, perhaps my vanity, persuaded me, that my particular manner might have been of some use in checking the pernicious growth. New attacks on religion and virtue seemed to call for new defences, especially as the older defences had been, in a too great degree, antiquated to the attention of an age, almost wholly given up to a taste for new things. The reproofs of Christ, uttered against those who say, and do not,' all along, flew in the face of my conscience, and induced me to do somewhat, though far short of what I ought to have done. I considered too, that men, not angels, have been chosen for the ministry of God's word; that the apostles confess themselves to be of 'like infirmities with other men;' and that they, and we all, have our gifts in earthen vessels;' that we are not at liberty to speak, or write, down to the standard of human opinions or vices, as if they were, in any degree, to be tolerated; but making the word of God our guide, to inculcate the most perfect rules of thinking and acting, knowing the infinite danger of qualifying and relaxing the rules of God to a people, so prone to content themselves with loose principles, and unwarrantable latitudes in action. All that have gone before me, have written with as much strictness as I, or have been false to the trust reposed in them. In regard to your question, madam, they should have written with a precision equal to mine, or not written at all. But, as to the conformity of their lives and mine with our writings, we all stand in great, I will not say equal, need of infinite mercy in our Master and Judge. Whatever the laws of men may be, those of God are perfect; but in neither are we ever told, what salvos, qualifications, or subterfuges, may be allowed us; nor how much of any law we may transgress with impunity. The same is to be said, and with equal reason and truth, of sermons, which are, or should be, nothing else but commentaries on the law, or gospel, of God. The clergyman in the

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pulpit ought to be a good Christian, and the lawyer at the bar an honest man; but the failures of both, if duly repented of, and amended, will be forgiven, although in both cases, mercy will be put more on the stretch for pardon, than by the sins of other men, because, to whom much is given, of him will be much required,' and the servant that best knows his duty, and doth it not, is to be beaten with many stripes.' Though I most firmly believe Barrow, Tillotson, and Stanhope, were much better men than me, I should not be a whit comforted, to know they were not. They and I had the same perfect rule to preach and live by, and I hope it will not be among their sins or mine, that we dealt falsely between God and his people, by cooking his word to the vitiated palates of our hearers, than which I know no greater crime; by no means common murder, for this would be to murder souls. When my wise and good father, within a few hours of his death, was giving a charge to his ten children, he ordered me, who had then been but half a year at the Latin school, to study physic, and learn to cure the disorder that was killing my father. As I grew up towards manhood, I was possessed with a strong desire to go into holy orders, to which I was prompted by a very warm and persevering zeal to discharge, with more than ordinary diligence and fidelity, the duties of that sacred function. Considering this as a call from God, I obeyed, I fear, with a small mixture of vanity. Be that as it might have been, as soon as I had by study, qualified myself for the service of a country parish, wherein I was singularly active, I set myself to the study of physic, pursuant to the dying command of my father, that I might relieve the poor of my flock from their disorders, and the more dangerous and expensive practice of ignorant quacks, reflecting, at the same time, that as my great Master had miraculously healed both the mental and corporeal disorders of mankind, so his ministers ought to aim at the natural relief of his people in both respects. For this latter purpose, I gave an application of four years to the best authors, and to the conversations of the most able physicians I had access to. One of these gave me a piece of advice, from which I never departed. I, said he, when I am employed, must prescribe somewhat, were it but horse-dung, or brick-dust, for my fee; but as you mean to prescribe merely from a motive of charity, never prescribe but when you perfectly understand the disorder and its circumstances; nor recommend a medicine, the effect of which you are not as sure of. By following this rule you will

kill none; and if you kill none, and cure but one, you will be a great physician. By strictly adhering to this rule, and by the blessing of God, the lives of many were saved, and their health restored, under my care. Some good, I hope, was done by my instrumentality, in my clerical function. Yet, madam, such have been my sins, that I have often regretted my ever having been a clergyman. My sermons, and other more occasional documents, have frequently stuck in the throat of my conscience. Whatever I have been in other respects, I never accommodated my preachings to my own failings, but to the word of God alone. Now, madam, after all this talk, give me leave to ask you, Whether you always keep strictly up to those rules of life and economy, which you lay down to yourself, your family, and relations. She answered, Touch me not there, till I employ you as my father confessor; not but I could bear to confess to you, so far as the question goes, that my precepts are better than my practice, and that I labour to make my children and servants better people than I am myself. Ask no more of me now. I shudder at the return of my own question, and am afraid both you and I border a little on hypocrisy, for what is hypocrisy, but an endeavour to appear possessed of more piety and goodness, than we feel within? Your readers will hardly suppose you so warm in reality, as your discourses speak you to be. They will, here and there, think they perceive in your writings a great deal of artificial fire used to raise a cold cucumber, and a syllabub hard whipped into froth. If they do, madam, I cannot help it, whether the fault lies in their criticisms, or my performances, or in both. In no one sermon I ever preached, had I one lesson for myself, and another for my hearer. My heart and conscience made always a part of the audience; and the pure word of God, ever dictated to me, what I delivered to them. Whatsoever constitutional warmth was mixed with my zeal, and much there certainly was; and howsoever earnestly I threatened the terrors of the Lord to obstinate sinners, especially such as preach unsound doctrines to his people; I trembled when I did it, and pushed with a weapon, sharp at both ends, that pointed at my own sins, as well as theirs. I can sincerely declare, I write and speak on religious subjects in earnest. I never durst do otherwise. The utmost efforts of human genius, nay, of angelic eloquence, are, in my opinion, utterly inadequate to the infinite dignity, the infinite demand on wonder, on fear, on gratitude, in all points of faith and practice of our religion. Here

we cannot exceed; here we must fall short. Another reason, of nearly equal force with the former, for the utmost religious warmths in a clergyman, arise from the lamentable coldness, observable at present in all ranks of people, to both the principles and practice of Christianity. For this paralytic disorder, not cooling, or relaxing medicines, but bracers and stimulants, are called for; and if not at hand, death must ensue. Not a lulling, but a rousing sermon, should be applied to a dozing congregation. One in a lethargy (not your case I hope, madam), may fret at the blistering plaister, or actual cautery, that awakes him to pain, and may cry out for his former soporific emollients; but his physician must be either very ignorant, or unfaithful, if he yields to the wish of his unhappy patient. So much, madam, for my manner of preaching. Now, as to the hypocrisy whereof you seem to form some suspicion in me, and to avoid the offence that suspicion might excite in my mind, join yourself in the censure; I solemnly protest, there is nothing I abhor so much, as putting on a greater shew of religion, than one feels within, that some worldly, ambitious, or sinister, or even good purpose, may be thereby promoted. I never asked, or employed any one to ask, any of the ecclesiastical emoluments, I have successively enjoyed; have declared, they were a great deal more than I deserved; and confessed myself the vilest and most unworthy of all God's servants, and that publicly as well as pri vately. If my not publishing a full list of my secret sins, and wearing clothes to cover my nakedness, as well as to keep out the cold, make me a hypocrite, I am then a hypocrite; but so is every man living, and every woman, you, madam, among the rest of your sex, a great deal more so. If this is not absolutely the naked truth, a very little stripping would complete the exposure by shewing the despicable vanity which too deeply blotted the fairer part of my life and conversation. Your definition of hypocrisy, sir, I close with, as better than my own; and am rejoiced to find, that I have little or none of it in me. Having been your mother-confessor on this occasion, be assured, whenever I am disposed to be as open with any one living, you shall be my father-confessor.

175. There are few words which have degenerated farther from their original meaning, than the word competency. This term, at first, signified nearly the same with competition, or the pretensions of two or more, who stood candidates, or competentes, for some post of honour, power, or profit. In somewhat a like

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sense it is still taken among the great ones, who, sensible that wealth gives precedency and titles, never think they have enough, till they can outshine their competitors in splendour; and if their funds are insufficient for this purpose, they attempt it by running in debt. But among the lower classes of mankind, it now simply signifies enough. A very sensible poor man, being asked, What he took to be a competency, satirically answered, I believe it is 'a little more than one has.' Who indeed thinks he hath enough? It is true, there are men who abound on twenty pounds a year; and others, who are reduced to indigence on as many thousands; yet both wish for more. Plain it is therefore, that neither hath enough. How few have enough, if another hath any thing! Let us suppose Pompey and Cæsar, when infants, the former with a rattle, and the latter with a pipe; little Pompey must have the pipe, and little Cæsar the rattle, or both will fall to crying. The adorers of nature would do well to consider this. When these two grew up to be men, little Pompey (still little) could not bear an equal, nor little Cæsar a superior. Nothing less than the whole world, perhaps hardly that, could furnish either with a competency. The world abounds with little Pompeys and Cæsars, struggling to be uppermost, though in a poor village, of but ten cottages; and wealth is all they have to rise on. It is a maxim, vouched by experience, that no sum can make a man rich; for, be it as great as you please, he is poor if he wants more, and who does not want more? One, habituated to the luxury, the pomp, and splendour of high life, must inevitably be poor, for his wants are innumerable, and infinitely above his fortune. Besides, he feels through every want, with a keenness to which he is a stranger, who can be satisfied with a pound of bread, and, four ounces of butter. The latter can walk thirty miles a day, and whistle as he goes; the former cannot get to the next street without a gilded coach, and half a dozen lacquies to attend it; and grows miserable if, in his way, he sees another carriage a little higher gilded than his own. The stupid walker however would be glad to exchange conditions with him. With people of either sort it is impossible to define a competency, because it lies entirely in opinion, and that opinion so vague, and so ill founded, that the throw of a die, or a blast of wind, is far more stationary. In reality, there is no such thing to be found among the men of this world. To investigate this fugitive idea, we must have recourse to religion, where it is precisely defined. Our religion tells us, that 'having food