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the Week-Days, you would think hini either very Ignorant of the Nature of Religion, or very Prophane. Yet this is as Wife and Religious, as to forbear reading ill Books and wanton Poems only on Sundays, and to take the Liberty of Reading them at other times. For that Vanity of Mind, that Foolishness of Heart, that depraved Tafte, which can relifh the wild Fictions, the lewd Speeches, the prophane Language of mad Heroes, difappointed Lovers, raving in all the furious Expreffions of Luft and Paffion, and Madness, is as corrupt a Temper, as contrary to Holinefs, and as odious on its own Account, as evil Speaking and Malice.

WHEN therefore you fee a Perfon reading a Play, as foon as he comes from the Sunday's Solemnity of publick Service, you abhor his Prophanefs, but pray be so just to your felf, fo confiftent with common Sense, as to think every one liable to the fame Accufation, that delights in the fame Book on any other Time of the Week; and that the Difference of reading Plays on Week-Days and not on Sundays, is only the Difference of Speaking evil on Week-Days, and not on Sundays.

FROM thefe Reflections, I hope, it fufficiently appears, that the reading vain and impertinent Books, is no Matter of

Indifferency, but that it is juftly to be reckoned amongst our greatest Corruptions, that it is as unlawful, as Malice and evil Speaking, and is no more to be allowed in any Part of our Life, than Pride or Covetousness.

READING, when it is an Exercife of the Mind upon wife and pious Subjects, is, next to Prayer, the beft Improvement of our Hearts. It enlightens our Minds, collects our Thoughts, calms and allays our Paffions, and begets in us wife and pious Refolutions. It is a Labour that has fo many Benefits, that does fo much Good to our Minds, that it ought never to be employ'd amifs It enters fo far into our Souls, that it cannot have a little Effect upon us. We commonly say, that a Man is known by his Companions; but it is certain, that a Man is much more known by the Books that he converses with. These Closet-companions with whom we chufe to be alone and in private, are neverfailing Proofs of the State and Disposition of our Hearts.

WHEN we are abroad, we must take fuch as the World gives us, we must be with fuch People, and hear fuch Discourse, as the common State of our Life expofes us to. This is what we must bear with, because not altogether to be avoided. And

as

as it is not altogether Matter of Choice, fo it is no Proof of what Temper we are of. But if we make our Closet an Entertainment of greater Vanity and Impertinence, than any Converfation we can met with abroad, if rakish, libertine Writers are welcome to us in fecret, if Hiftories of Scandal and romantick Intrigues are to be with us in our private Retirements, this is a plain Discovery of our Infide, and is a manifeft Proof, that we are as vain, and foolish, and vicious, as the Authors that we chufe to read. If a wanton Poem pleases you, you may fairly reckon your felf in the fame State and Condition with him that made it. In like manner, if Hiftories of Nonfenfe and Folly, if Compolitions of Intrigue and Scandal fuit your Temper, fuch Books do as truly represent your Nature, as they represent the Nature of their Authors.

JULIA has buried her Husband, and married her Daughters, fince that the fpends her time in reading. She is always reading foolish and unedifying Books: She tells you every time fhe fees you, that fhe is almoft at the End of the fillieft Book, that ever the read in her Life; that the best of it is, it is very long, and ferves to difpofe of a good deal of her time. She tells you that all Romances are fad Stuff,

yet

yet is very impatient till fhe can get all that the can hear of. Hiftories of Intreague and Scandal, are the Books that Fulid thinks are always too fhort. If Julia was to drink Drams in private, and had no Enjoyment of her felf without them, fhe would not tell you this, because she knows it would be plainly telling you that she was a poor difordered Sot. See here therefore the Weakness of Julia; she would not be thought to be a Reprobate, yet the lets you know that fhe lives upon Folly, and Scandal, and Impertinence, in her Closet, that she cannot be in private without them, that they are the only Support of her dull Hours, and yet fhe does not perceive, that this is as plainly telling you, that fhe is in a miferable, difordered, reprobate State of

Mind.

To return. It is reckoned very dangerous not to guard our Eyes; but it is much more dangerous not to guard our Meditations; because whatever enters that way, enters deeper into our Souls, than any thing that only affects our Sight. Reading and Meditation is that to our Souls, which Food and Nourishment is to our Bodies, and becomes a part of us in the fame Manner; fo that we cannot do our felves either a little Good, or little Harm, by the Books that we read. A a

You

You perhaps think, that it is a dull Task to read only religious and moral Books, but when you have the Spirit of Religion, when you can think of God, as your only Happiness, when you are not afraid of the Joys of Eternity, you will think it a dull Task to read any other Books. Don't fanfy therefore that your Heart is right, and that you are well enough affected with Religion, though you had rather read Books upon other Subjects; for it is there that you are to charge your Dulness; Religion has no hold of you, the Things of Eternity are not the Concerns of your Mind, it is dull and tiresome to you to be wife and pious, and that makes it a dull Task to read Books that treat only upon fuch Subjects. When it is the Care of your Soul to be humble, holy, pious, and heavenlyminded, when you know any thing of the Guilt and Mifery of Sin, or feel a real Defire of Salvation, you will find religious Books to be the greatest Feaft and Joy of your Mind.

IF you think it dull and tedious to be in wife, prudent, and fober Company, it is because you are neither wife nor fober your felf: So if it is dull and tiresome to you to be often upon Subjects of Piety and Religion, it is as fure a Proof that you are neither pious nor religious. If therefore

you

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