tually poor. There is not one of them faith u! to their keepers, and their lewdness is fo extravagant that they even hire gallants. Many gentleinen reduce themselves to ruin by these abandoned women, and I have heard of fome that have ended their wretched days, to avoid the difgrace of beggary, by their own hands. Thus many men fpend their time in the vile embraces of the moft abandoned women, beftowing far greater fums upon them, than would maintain a chafte wife and family, and prefer the lewd careffes of thefe impudent whores to the pure and unfullied pleafures of the connubial state. And what a pity is it that fome expedients are not contrived for exterminating thofe fhoals of whores with which this city abounds, to preferve the thoughtless youth from utter ruin; for there are many thoufands of them, who live only by prostitution?"

A few days after Mifs Polly's marriage, Henry left London, and retired to his country-feat, from whence he every week wrote the most affectionate letters to his dear Fanny, preffing her to return, and bless him with the poffeffion of the dearly be Joved object of his heart. Though I was delighted with every letter in the large volume of their correfpondence, yet I had only time to extract the select hiftories and anecdotes, of which I have given the reader a fpecimen in the preceding chapters of this fecond part, referving the reft as a noble entertainment for the fequel of the work.

I ftaid much longer in this excellent family than I intended, being charmed with the converfation of the truly amiable Henry and Fanny, than whom I never faw two perfons more equally and happily yoked. They feemed to be actuated by one common foul, to have the fame paffions and fentiments, the fame ideas and conceptions, the fame pious turn, and the fame happy bias to reli

gion, humanity, fympathy with diftrefs, zeal for the divine glory, and to be poffeffed of every qua lification that is esteemed characteristic of true goodness and excellency among mankind. So. true it is, that the righteous is more noble than his neighbour; and that the godly have an excellent fpirit in them.-Happy Henry and Fanny! long may you live to be ornaments to the religion of Jefus, of which you are fuch diftinguished profeffors; to fpread the knowledge of his renowned name among the ignorant, the thoughtlefs, and the profane, that they, like you, may wait for the coming of the Defire of all nations, and may inftruct their children to praise the name of the Lord, and join in the church's prayer, Come, Lord Jefus, come quickly. Amen.

CHA P. VI.

Mally's account of the life and happy death of Peggy a fervant-maid.

After this Fanny gave me the volume of correfpondence that had paffed between her and her favourite Mally, both before and after her marriage. Though Mally was only a fervantmaid, yet the appears to have a folid judgment, good fenfe, and a found understanding. Before her marriage fhe relates, in her letters, feveral excellent anecdotes, befides her own adventures. I extracted the moft ftriking, of which I fhall here infert two, referving the reft, with fome others this accomplished lady afterwards gave me, for the third part.

"Dear Madam, you will remember Peggyto whom and to me Betty left all her cloaths, to be fold for defraying the expenfe of her funeral; but which you generously discharged

for

for us. I was intimately acquainted with Peggy, whom I always took to be a religious young woman, though weak. Some time ago fne fell into a flow fever; and I, being near her, vifited her often, and endeavoured to imprefs her with the thoughts of death, and a fuitable concern about the falvation of her foul. She appeared very ftupid and unconcerned; at which I was amazed. I asked her one day, how it happened, that she, who had been in use to talk about religion pretty fenfibly, fhould now be quite filent and fullen? She answered, "Alas! I was no more than a fair hypocrite and a painted fepulchre; I had a profeffion of religion, but not the practice; though I often talked of it, and had fome knowledge of the doctrines of the gospel, yet I was quite naught at bottom; and am now afraid I must have my portion with hypocrites and unbelievers, in the place where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." I told her, that the mercy of the Lord endureth for ever, and his grace faileth never; that while there was life, there was hope; that fome were called even at the eleventh hour, and fome juft at the point of death, as was the cafe with the thief on the cross ; and that I knew a late inftance of the amazing grace of C God in the falvation of a young man, who had led a very graceless and profane life, when within a few hours of his death : that it was therefore her proper business, in the view of death and judgment, to return to the Lord in the exercife of faith and repentance, crying to him, that he would now call her effectually by his grace, and enable her to disclaim and renounce all her. own righteousness, and fubmit to the righteousness of God; that whatever her fins had been, and

*See above, p. 323. + See above, part 2. chap. iv. whatever

whatever hypocrify fhe had practifed, the call of God was exhibited to her, and her plain duty was to believe in Chrift, to the faving of her foul; that unbelief was the only damning fin, according to that faying of our Lord, If ye believe not that I am he, you shall die in your fins; which imports, that unless a perfon believe that Chrift is. the Meffiah, the Saviour of the world, and a Saviour to the perfon in particular, that perfon muft die in his or her fins; for he that believeth not, fhall be damned. I therefore charged her to ac-. cept of the Lord Jefus Chrift by faith, and rely upon him alone for falvation; and concluded, with begging her to be more particular, and favour me with fome account of her life.

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Peggy answered, "O, that I could by faith apprehend the righteoufnefs of Chrift, and lay hold upon him as the Lord my righteoufnefs, faying, In him I have righteoufnefs, and in him I fhall be justified. O, that he would pardon all. my hypocrify, infincerity, double-dealing, lying, and dishonesty. You will be furprised to hear me confefs fome of these fins; but I must acknow ledge them to my fhame, and pray a gracious God to forgive me all my trefpaffes, which are indeed highly aggravated, as being committed against clear light and knowledge. I am about twentyfix years of age, and have ferved in different families fince I was twenty. I was early inftructed in the principles of religion; and I dare not charge my fins to ignorance. I have many times read the Bible, and other good books. I made a fhew of attending gofpel-ordinances, and prayed evening and morning; but was all the time an hypocrite, a ftranger to the life and power of religion. I cannot charge myself with a variety of grofs fins. I was never addicted to whoring, drinking, or fwearing. I am yet a pure virgin.

I i

The

The firft fervice I made was in a family that kept lodgers. Among these was a spruce young gentleman, who made feveral attacks upon my chastity, though you know I have no charms of beauty to boast of, but am not ugly. I happily refifted all his attempts, and he forboré tempting me. But having naturally a covetous eye, and being fond of fine cloaths, to be revenged on this gentleman for his rudeness to me, I at different times stole from him to the value of three guineas; and was never discovered. Soon after he went away, and I heard died not long after in his own country. My confcience often checked me for these acts of theft, and I have made no ufe of the money to this day; but it lies in my cheft, wrapped up in a linen rag, in fix half-guineas. I was fo afhamed of what I had done, that I was never left to repeat fuch a crime, though I had temptations and opportunities; and I have not looked at the stolen money for these five years. Another fin I have been much addicted to, was lying, in apology for faults, fuch as denying the breaking of ftone and china utenfils, even when I broke them, paffing time idly when fent on errands, mincing and concealing truths and facts, and hiding the faults of my fellow-fervants. I had a good deal' of remorfe for all these offences, and happily got the better of them for about a twelvemonth past. I now foolishly thought I was righteous enough, as I could not charge myself with any open violations of the law of God; and so went about to establish my own righteousness, thinking to recommend myself to God by my own religious performances. So foolish was I, and ignorant of the fpirituality and extent of the divine law, that I placed the whole of religion in the performance of duties, if I had any thing of a good frame therein, without regard to the heart, and the ex