born virtue, I might have conquered my own paffions. I now became a perfect hypocrite! My perfon and converfation firft caught her attention; but nothing could gain her efteem but worth. Alas! how little pretenfion had I then to it! and yet what I admired her goodness, I endeavoured to undermine it. I recollected all my former virtues, only to further my prefent wicked purpofe. Whilft I converfed with her, I was fo charmed with her goodness, that fometimes I could fancy I too was good. I loved her paffionately, and I almost flattered myfelf, as well as her, that I loved her innocently. But oh! Schilft I would most readily have facrificed my own life for her safety, I was watching for an opportunity to facrifice her peace, and perfection, to my own gratification. What ftrange contradictions! My eyes were again opened to the beauty of goodness. But in proportion as my efteem for the beauties of her mind increased, my paflion for her perfonal charms grew more violent; fo that as the one invited me to return to virtue, the other tempted me to perfift in vice. I was all war within! I was moft miferable! I was fometimes ready to defroy myfelf; but I could not quell my paffion.-Ha! art thou flattering thyfelf fill? I could not?-I would not.-I never refolutely attempted it. I was a vile flave to my fenfual appetites. I felt the weight of my chains; they galled me, and I fretted under them; but I made no fincere efforts to break them. What a ftate!-O Sophronius, you know not what it is; the miferies of the good, are happinefs to our pleasures! Hope fweetens their bittereft potions; faith enlightens their gloomieft profpects; whilft doubt perpetually diftracts our minds; fear cafts a damp upon all our joys; and remorfe for ever gnaws our hearts. And what was my reward for all this toil of wickednefs-thefe years of flavery to a tyrant paffion! I had-But I will not vex your ears, nor have I life enough perhaps, to enter into a particular detail of the numberless fchemes of villainy, the little bafe arts of cunning, and the thoufand, thoufaud minute circumftances of watchful wicked

nefs,

nefs, by which I undermined the fondness of this faithful couple, tainted their imaginations with mutual doubts and difpleasures, unhinged their principles, corrupted their hearts, and utterly deftroyed the happiness of their lives-O how is it poffible I can be faved! When I condemn myself-I deteft and abhor myself-and take delight in torturing myfelf-Why do not you affift me! Have you loft all sense of injuries? Have you no regard to juftice? Come, come, Sir, tear my heart! rack me, torture me!I do not feel enough! My heart is bardened!-Whip me with iron rods! Scourge this cruel flave who delighted in mifchief-who wrung the heart of innocence! O that I could weep!-I burft with bitter forrow!

Sophronius. Great God of heaven and earth, have pity on him! Look on his fufferings, merciful Creator!

Calliftus. Amen-amen!-Ay, now they gufh-Are they not blood, Sophronius?-Weep heart, as well as eyes! thou fupreme, thou righteous-I dare not pray-O how should I lift up my eyes to him who knows my heart! Bafe, cruel, felfifh heart!-burft-burft

Sophronius. Weep on, poor Calliftus! Thou muft fuffer! and heaven knows how much I fuffer with thee! Pour out thy foul in penitential forrow; but in the midft of thy deep distress, remember hope; for God, in the midst of justice, will remember mercy.

Calliftus. O Sir, fpeak on of forrow-bittereft forrow,diftrefs, and unutterable anguifh, but talk not of mercy, for alas! you will only flatter me; you know not yet half my guilt.

Sophronius. Good God, is there any thing worse?

Calliftus. Ay, dear Sophronius, there is more, much more, and therefore worfe! But as my ftrength and fpirits are fo much exhaufted, I am not able to declare it now: when I am, I will snatch the first opportunity to go on.

A FAIR REVENGE.

A Jeweller fold the wife of Galianus the Emperor, coun

terfeit glass gems for true ones. The Emprefs being told of the cheat, requested that he might have due punishment. The Emperor commanded the man to be dragged from his prefence, and to be expofed to a lion. But whilft the impofter expected fome terrible lion to be let out to devour him, the head of a man appeared from the den and by the Emperor's

order, proclaimed, "He has played the cheat; and now he is cheated himfelf."

MALCO

ALCOLME, King of the Scots, hearing of a confpiracy to murder him, diffembled the knowledge of it, till one day as he was hunting, he took the traitor apart from the company, and faid, "Here is now a fit time and place to do that manfully, which you have intended to do treacherously. Draw your weapon then; for if you now kill me, you can incur no danger." With which fpeech the traitor was fo daunted, that he fell down at the King's feet, confeffed his fault, and humbly asked forgiveness; which being granted, he was ever after faithful to the King.

み

VANITY in DE At h.

IN the year 1544, there was found in Rome, a coffin of

marble, eight feet long, and in it a robe, embroidered, which yielded fix and thirty pound weight of gold; befides forty rings, a clufter of emeralds; a little moufe made of another precious ftone: and among the reft, two leg-bones of a corpfe, known by the infcription on the tomb, to be the bones of the Emprefs Mary, daughter of Stilicon, and wife of the Emperor Honorius.

LETTERS.

[From Mrs. Mary Jones, to the Rev. J. Wesley.]

Rev. Sir,

Dec. 6, 1774

SINCE I wrote last I have been led to adore that God who dealeth fo bountifully with me. At prefent I feel peace and joy in believing; and believe, that he is engaged to bring me fafe to glory.

My foul truly thirfteth for God. I long to bear all the image of the meek and lowly Jesus, and that all I am may be holinefs to the Lord. But truly I am an unprofitable fervant. Yet Chrift is rich in mercy, and from him is my fruit continually found.

The few moments of retirement I can get are greatly bleft to me. I am then enabled to lay all my wants and weaknesses before God, and to pour out my foul in tears of gratitude, for his manifold favours.

When I come to hear his word, on entering the house, a folemn awe ftrikes my foul; and a power is given me to attend to what is spoken without distraction. I view the Speaker as a fervant of God, and hearken for the message which God fends by him to me. I fit, trying my own foul by the law and the testimony; and have no time to judge my neighbours.

I highly esteem my Teachers; not being fo vain as to think I have no need of them. On the contrary, I feel great need of the leaft of them. I look upon them all, as true Servants of Chrift: and my defire is, that I may be little and learn.

I love all that bear the image of Chrift; let them be called by what name they will. I confider, they are children of the fame Father, and are travelling to the fame country. And that when we arrive there, we shall be employed in the fame work, even praifing God and the Lamb for ever. Yet I have abundant reafon to praife God that my lot is caft where it is.

I am not exempt from temptations of various kinds; but hitherto the Lord hath helped me. Thus, Sir, I have written to you the feelings of my foul; and defire that you would approve or correct as you fee needful: which will be received with much gratitude by,

Rev. Sir,

Your very unworthy, but much favoured,

LETTER

MARY JONES.

CCCXCIII.

[From Mifs P. B. to the Rev. J. Welley.]

Rev. Sir,

March 18, 1773

I

Have lately felt all that my nature feemed capable of bearing. My external crosses have been chiefly occasioned by being connected with unreasonable perfons, who wreft my words, and mifconftrue my actions. Even my fpiritual friends feldom blame me for my real faults; but rather for things I cannot poffibly help, or for what I might reasonably expect would gain their good-will. Indeed some of my friends on the other hand, are fo lavish in profeffions of esteem, that if I did not know a little of myfelf, I fhould fancy I was fomething very excellent. Thus exalted by fome, and depreffed by others, I find little confolation from human fociety. This, Sir, I confefs has contracted my heart, and greatly hindered the spirit of brotherly love.

From