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Miranda (the Sister of Flavia) is a sober, reasonable Christian; as soon as she was mistress of her time and fortune, it was her first thought, how she might best fulfil everything that God required of her in the use of them, and how she might make the best and happiest use of this short life. She depends upon the truth of what our blessed Lord hath said, that there is but one thing needful, and therefore makes her whole life but one continual labour after it. She has but one reason for doing, or not doing, for liking, or not liking anything, and that is, the will of God. She is not so weak as to pretend to add, what is called the fine lady, to the true Christian; Miranda thinks too well, to be taken with the sound of such silly words; she has renounced the world to follow Christ in the exercise of humility charity, devotion, abstinence, and heavenly affections; and that is Miranda’s fine breeding.
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If a poor old traveller tells her, that he has neither strength, nor food, nor money left, she never bids him go to the place from whence he came, or tells him, that she cannot relieve him, because he may be a cheat, or she does not know him; but she relieves him for that reason, because he is a stranger, and unknown to her. For it is the most noble part of charity, to be kind and tender to those whom we never saw before, and perhaps never may see again in this life. I was a stranger, and ye took me in, saith our blessed Saviour; but who can perform this duty, that will not relieve persons that are unknown to him?
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When you are at any time turning away the poor, the old, thesick and helpless traveller, the lame, or the blind, ask yourself this question, Do I sincerely wish these poor creatures may be as happy as Lazarus, that was carried by Angels into Abraham’s bosom? Do I sincerely desire that God would make them fellow-heirs with me in eternal Glory? Now if you search into your soul, you will find that there are none of these motions there, that you are wishing nothing of this. For it is impossible for anyone heartily to wish a poor creature so great a happiness, and yet not have a heart to give him a small alms. For this reason, says Miranda, as far as I can, I give to all, because I pray to God to forgive all; and I cannot refuse an alms to those whom I pray God to bless, whom I wish to be partakers ofeternal glory, but am glad to show some degree of love to such, as, I hope, will be the objects of the infinite Love of God. And if, as our Saviour has assured us, it be more blessed to give than to receive, we ought to look upon those that ask our alms, as so many friends and benefactors, that come to do us a greater good than they can receive, that come to exalt our virtue, to bewitnesses of our charity, to be monuments of our love, to be ouradvocates with God, to be to us in Christ’s stead, to appear for us at the day of judgment, and to help us to a blessedness greater than our alms can bestow on them.
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This therefore is the way that you are to judge of the crime of vain apparel: You are to consider it as an offence against theproper use of clothes, as covetousness is an offence against the proper use of money; you are to consider it as an indulgence ofproud and unreasonable tempers, as an offence against the a Devout and Holy Life. humility and sobriety of the Christian spirit; you are to consider it as an offence against all those doctrines, that require you to do all to the glory of God, that require you to make a right use of your talents; you are to consider it as an offence against all those texts of Scripture, that command you to love your neighbour as yourself, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, and do all works of charity that you are able; so that you must not deceive yourself with saying, Where can be the harm of clothes? for the covetous man might as well say, Where can be the harm of gold or silver? but you must consider, that it is a great deal of harm to want that wise, and reasonable, and humble state of heart, which is according to the spirit of religion, and which no one can have in the manner that he ought to have it, who indulges himself either in the vanity of dress, or the desire of riches.
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They who are of this order of people, seem dead to the life of this world, and having their bodies only upon earth, are in their minds, and contemplations, dwelling in heaven. From whence, like so many heavenly inhabitants, they look down upon human life, making intercessions and oblations to Almighty God, for the whole race of mankind. And this not with theblood of beasts, or the fat, or smoke, and burning of bodies, but with the highest exercises of true piety, with cleansed and purified hearts, and with an whole form of life strictly devoted to virtue. These are their sacrifices, which they continually offering unto God, implore his mercy and favour for themselves and their fellow-creatures.
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Bended knees, whilst you are clothed with pride; heavenly petitions, whilst you are hoarding up treasures upon earth; holy devotions, whilst you live in the follies of the world; prayers of meekness and charity, whilst your heart is the seat of spite and resentment; hours of prayer, whilst you give up days and years to idle diversions, impertinent visits, and foolish pleasures; are as absurd, unacceptable service to God, as forms of thanksgiving from a person that lives in repinings and discontent.
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If you go on and ask, what is the happiest thing, for anyyoung Gentleman or his sisters to do? The answer must be the same; that nothing can be so happy or glorious for them, as to live in such habits of piety, in such exercises of a Divine life, as this good old Bishop does. For everything that is great and glorious in Religion, is as much the true glory of every man or woman, as it is the glory of any Bishop. If high degrees of Divine love, if fervent charity, if spotless purity, if heavenly affection, if constant mortification, if frequent devotion be the best and happiest way of life for any Christian; it is so for every Christian.
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Cœlia is always telling you, how provoked she is, what intolerable shocking things happen to her, what monstrous usage she suffers, and what vexations she meets with everywhere. She tells you that her patience is quite worn out, and there is no bearing the behaviour of people. Every assembly that she is at, sends her home provoked; something or other has been said, or done, that no reasonable, well-bred person ought to bear. Poor people who want her charity, are sent away with hasty answers, not because she has not a heart to part with any money, but because she is too full of some trouble of her own, to attend to the complaints of others. Cœlia has no business upon her hands, but to receive the income of a plentiful fortune; but yet by the doleful turn of her mind, you would be apt to think, that she had neither food nor lodging. If you see her look more pale than ordinary, if her lips tremble when she speaks to you, it is because she is just come from a visit, where Lupus took no notice at all of her, but talked all the time to Lucinda, a Devout and Holy Life. who has not half her fortune. When cross accidents have so disordered her spirits, that she is forced to send for the Doctor, to make her able to eat; she tells him, in great anger at Providence, that she never was well since she was born, and that she envies every beggar that she sees in health.
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It supposes therefore, that it is happy to be kept from theexcesses of envy, but unhappy to be kept from other degrees ofenvy. That it is happy to be delivered from a boundless ambition, but unhappy to be without a more moderate ambition. It supposes also, that the happiness of life consists in a mixture ofvirtue and vice, a mixture of ambition and humility, charity and envy, heavenly affection and covetousness. All which is as absurd, as to suppose that it is happy to be free from excessivepains, but unhappy to be without more moderate pains; or that the happiness of health consisted, in being partly sick, and partly well.
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Must it be tedious and tiresome, to live in the continual exercise of charity, devotion, and temperance, to act wisely and virtuously, to do good to the utmost of your power, to imitate the divine perfections, and prepare yourself for the enjoyment of God? Must it be dull and tiresome, to be delivered from blindness and vanity, from false hopes, and vain fears, to improve in holiness, to feel the comforts of conscience in all your actions, to know that God is your friend, that all must work for your good, that neither life nor death, neither men nor devils can do you any harm; but that all your sufferings and doings, that are offered unto God, all your watchings and prayers, and labours of love and charity, all your improvements, are in a short time to be rewarded with everlasting glory in the presence of God; must such a state as this be dull and tiresome, for want of such happiness, as Flatus, or Feliciana enjoys?
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But now if Cognatus, when he first entered into holy orders, had perceived how absurd a thing it is to grow rich by theGospel; if he had proposed to himself the example of someprimitive father; if he had had the piety of the great St. Austin a Devout and Holy Life. in his eye, who durst not enrich any of his relations out of the revenue of the Church, if, instead of twenty years’ care to lay up treasures upon earth, he had distributed the income of every year, in the most Christian acts of charity and compassion.
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Let it be supposed, that from reading this book, he had discovered that his soul was more to him than his body; that it was better to grow in the virtues of the soul, than to have a large body, or a full purse; that it was better to be fit for heaven, than to have variety of fine houses upon the earth; that it was better to secure an everlasting happiness, than to have plenty of things which he cannot keep; better to live in habits of humility, piety, devotion, charity, and self-denial, than to die unprepared for judgment; better to be most like our Saviour, or some eminent saint, than to excel all the tradesmen in the world, in business and bulk of fortune.