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daughter would pray for him, for that he was not in a condition to pray for himfelf, though he found nothing else could give him any comfort. His deep dejection brought on a fit of sickness : O faid he, I now begin to feel an expreffion in the facrament which I used to repeat without thinking it had any meaning, the "remembrance of my fins is grievous, the burthen of them is intolerable." O, it is awful to think what a finner a man may be, and yet retain a decent character! How many thousands are in my condition, taking to themselves all the credit of their prosperity, inftead of giving God the glory! Heaping up riches to their hurt, instead of dealing their bread to the hungry. O, let those who hear of the Bragwell family, never fay that vanity is a little fin. In me it has been the fruitful parent of a thousand fins, selfishness, hardness of heart, forgetfulness of God. In one of my fons, vanity was the cause of rapine, injustice, extravagance, ruin, felf-murder. Both my daughters were undone by vanity, though it only wore the more harmless fhape of dress, idleness, and diffipation. The husband of my daughter Incle it destroyed, by leading him to live above his ftation, and to defpife labor. Vanity enfnared the fouls even of his pious parents; for while it led them to wish to see their fon in a better condition, it led them to allow him fuch indulgences as were unfit for his own. O, you who hear of us, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God; refift high thoughts; let every imagi

nation be brought into obedience to the Son of God. If you fet a value on finery, look into that grave; behold the mouldering body of my Betfey, who now fays to "Corruption, thou art my father, and to the worm thou art my mother and my fifter." Look at the bloody and brainless head of her husband. O, Mr. Worthy, how does Providence mock at human forefight! I have been greedy of gain, that the son of Mr. Squeeze might be a great man; he is dead; while the child of Timothy Incle, whom I had doomed to beggary, will be my heir. Mr. Worthy, to you I commit this boy's education; teach him to value his immortal foul more, and the good things of this life lefs, than I have done. Bring him up in the fear of God, and in the government of his paffions. Teach him that unbelief and pride are at the root of all fin. I have found this to my cost. I trusted in my riches; I faid, to-morrow fhall be as this day and more abundant. I did not remember that "for all these things God would bring me to judgment." I am not fure that I believed in a judgment.

Bragwell at length grew better, but he never recovered his fpirits. The conduct of Mrs. Incle through life was that of an humble Chrif tian. She fold all her fifter's finery which her father had given her, and gave the money to the poor, faying, it did not become one who profeffed penitence, to return to the gaieties of life. Mr. Bragwell did not oppofe this; not that he had fully acquired a juft notion of the felf-de

nying spirit of religion, but having a head not very clear at making diftinctions, he was never able, after the fight of Squeeze's mangled body, to think of gaiety and grandeur, without thinking at the fame time, of a piftol and bloody brains; for, as his first introduction into gay life had presented him with all these objects at one view, he never afterwards could separate them in his mind. He even kept his fine beaufet of plate always fhut, because it brought to his mind the grand unpaid-for fideboard that he had feen laid out for Mr. Squeeze's fupper, to the remembrance of which he could not help tacking debts, prisons, executions, and felf-murder.

Mr. Bragwell's heart had been so buried in the love of the world, and evil habits were become fo rooted in him, that the progrefs he made in religion was very flow; yet he earnestly prayed and ftruggled against vanity; and when his unfeeling wife declared fhe could not love the boy unless he was called by their name inftead of Incle, Mr. Bragwell would never con fent, faying he ftood in need of every help against pride. He also got the letter which Squeeze wrote juft before he shot himself framed and glazed; this he hung up in his chamber, and made it a rule to go and read it as often as he found his heart difpofed to VANITY.

Z.

U

THE

PILGRIMS.

AN ALLEGORY.

METHOUGHT I was once upon a time travelling through a certain land which was very full of people, but what was rather odd, not one of all this multitude was at home; they were all bound to a far diftant country. Though it was permitted by the Lord of the land that these Pilgrims might affociate together for their prefent mutual comfort and convenience; and each was not only allowed, but commanded to do the others all the fervices he could upon their journey, yet it was decreed, that every individual traveller muft enter the far country fingly. There was a great gulf at the end of the journey which every one muft pafs alone, and at his own rifk, and the friendfhip of the whole united world could be of no use in shooting that gulf. The exact time when each was to pafs was not known to any; this the Lord always kept a close fecret out of kindness, yet ftill they were as fure that the time must come, and that at no very great distance, as if they had been informed of the very moment. Now, as they knew they were always liable to be called away at an hour's notice, one would have thought they would have been chiefly employed in packing up, and preparing, and getting every thing in order. Not

they indeed. It was almoft the only thing which they did not think about.

Now I only appeal to you, my readers, if any of you are fetting out upon a little common journey, if it is only to London or York, is not all your leifure time employed in fettling your business at home, and packing up every little neceffary for your expedition? And does not the fear of neglecting any thing you ought to remember, or may have occasion for, haunt your mind; and sometimes even intrude upon you unseasonably? And when you are actually on your journey, especially if you have never been to that place before, or are likely to remain there, don't you begin to think a little about the pleasures and the employments of the place, and to wish to know a little what fort of a city London or York is? Don't you wonder what is doing there, and whether you are properly qualified for the bufinefs or the company you expect to be engaged in? Do you never look at the map, or confult Brookef's Gazetteer? and don't you try to pick up from your fellowpaffengers in the ftage coach any little information you can get? And though you may be oblig. ed out of civility, to converfe with them on common fubjects, yet do not your fecret thoughts ftill run upon London or York, its bufinefs, or its pleasures? And above all, if you are likely to fet out early, are you not afraid of overfleeping, and does not that fear keep you upon the watch, fo that you are commonly up and

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