endeavouring to improve in this holy employment, which gives us fuch fatisfaction in the houfe of God? But remember, that the heart in finging should accompany the voice; and that if you fing thofe facred compofitions without due attention, you will receive no advantage. Endeavour to imprefs your fouls with a due fenfe of the subject; elevate your hearts to God; and then fing with the voice of melody, and the foul of praife.

5. With refpect to your converfation, fomething was hinted before: of this you must be especially careful, as well as to avoid all pertnefs to your Superiors and you will be fo, if your hearts are truly changed. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth fpeaketh. Loofe, vain, and vicious converfation, as it will be highly offenfive to your benefactors, and is immediately contrary to the rules of the house; fo will it be uneafy and difpleafing to yourselves, if you fincerely feel and lament the fad effects of loose, vain, and vicious living. Let then no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouths; no profane, loose, wicked words, no profanation of the holy name of God, Jefus, &c. Never suffer yourfelves to trifle with the name of the Almighty, wantonly, without meaning, or on frivolous occafions; or to use any thing tending to an oath, as, Upen my foul, I hope to be faved, &c. but endeavour to purify your lips from all appearance

of

of evil. When you converfe together, let it at least be innocent: if it be poffible, we could wish it might be edifying; and an attendance to the Rules above given, will enable you to make it fo. But,for God's fake, never be so abandoned and detestable, as to glory in your shame; as to repeat those infamous fcenes, which fhould cover your faces with confufion; and which, if you glory in them, unrepenting, will be produced at the laft day, before all the world, to your unfpeakable horror, and be the means to fink you for ever into the bottomlefs pit of endlefs mifery.

You must not conceive, that by entering into this House your business is done, and your Salvation fecured; this would be a fatal mistake. The life of a Chriftian is a continued warfare ; and we have enemies, powerful enemies within, as well as without, to encounter and fubdue. The fad corruption of our nature is the great cause of our misery; and, as long as you bear this mortal flesh about you, you will be fubject to temptations and infirmities. You must refolve, therefore, and endeavour to vanquish all the evil defires and predominant lufts of the flesh, and muft labour to keep under your corrupt affections: this is required of every Chriftian, but peculiarly of you, who, in a life of penance for fenfual' enormities, fhould be par

ticularly

ticularly careful to fubdue the evil propensity of the flesh.

Tempérance and early rifing are friends, no lefs to health and profperity, than to virtue and piety; and we have no doubt but you will be careful to obferve both, as well upon religious as temporal motives. Defirous to mortify all your evil and corrupt affections, you will be diligent in the ufe of all proper means, and in every refpect, will endeavour to fubdue your worst enemy, the enemy within: following the example of St. Paul, "I keep under my body, and bring it into fubjection; left that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a caft away" and if fo great an Apostle, and fo eminent a Saint, found this neceffary for him, how much more neceffary think you, is it for you? you, who like that Apoftle, are monuments of the mercy,may you be eternal monuments of the long-fuffering mercy of Chrift Jefus our Lord!

for

Such are the general Heads of Advice we have thought proper to give you for immediate directions, either as to religious or temporal con

* Amongst which Fafting must be particularly recommended, as a Duty of indifpenfable Obligation; and as a neceffary branch of real mortification. See St. Matt. vi. 16, 17, 18.

cerns,

cerns, you will always have access to our Chaplain and Matron, who will be glad and ready to fuccour and affift you with their best counsel, in every particular that shall respect your welfare. We have faid only what we expect from you in the general; and have neither enlarged on your Duty as Chriftians, or as Inhabitants of this Houfe; fince, for the former, we have appointed regular inftructions from the pulpit; for the latter, we have inftituted a general plan of conduct, with which we expect you to comply; and, in fo doing, you will fecure to yourfelves our favourable notice: which, (tho' a bleffing much to be prized by you) will be but small in comparison of that loving kindness of God, and that protection of his providence, wherewith, for Chrift's fake, he will infallibly bless you.

Once more let us remind you, that we have no intention, either to receive into this house, or to detain in it, any whose inclinations are averse to its important defign, namely, "their own present and eternal happiness." We feek only your good; and on your commendable behaviour, fhall be inclined to continue you till fuch time as you may be put into an ability to procure your livelihood properly. Yet that tender concern we have for your welfare, will always incline us seriously to remonftrate with you, and, with the gentlenefs of parental affection, to admonish you, if

ever,

ever, thro' mistaken notions, you fhould be fo wretchedly wayward, and ignorant of your own true intereft, as to defire a removal hence, with no vifible appearance of good fuccefs, with no probability but of returning again with the fwine. to wallowing in the mire, and of plunging again deeper and deeper into wretchedness and mifery.

And in all fuch cafes, nay, whenever you find a gleam of the least discontent arising in your hearts, caft back your eyes, and reflect upon what you WERE, upon what you muft BE, if you leave thefe friendly walls, and return to vice.

Reflect upon the foul, dead in trefpaffes and fins, a stranger to its God, and loft to happiness: upon the body polluted with iniquity, condemned to the foul drudgery of luft, and to its deplorable confequences, Shame and Disease! Reflect upon yourself, banished from all true peace, a tranger to folid comfort, abhorred by the thinking and the virtuous", defpifed and hated even by the most abject and vicious: caft

There is nothing, one would imagine, which must affect the mind, especially a female mind, equal to that contempt. and neglect to which the lofs of reputation, and a state of proftitution fubjects them. They can never be admitted into the company of any of their own fex, who are worthy to be converfed with: all the virtuous muft forfake and fly from them they are neglected and defpifed by all; and even those who use them have no true value for them, but the greatest hatred. O miferable fituation! ye daughters of fhame, re. flect and return!

:

our,