Advice to a daughter as to religion, husband, house, family and children, behaviour and conversation, friendship, censure, vanity and affectation, pride, diversions : to which is added The character of a trimmer, as to the laws and government, Protestant religion, the papists, forreign affairs / by the late noble M. of H..

RELIGION.

THe first thing to be considered, is Religion. It must be the chief Object of your Thoughts, since it would be a vain thing to direct your Behaviour in the World, and forget that which you are to have towards him who made it. In a strict sense, it is the only thing ne∣cessary: you must take it into your Mind, and from thence throw it into your Heart, where you are to embrace it so close as never to lose the Possession of it. But then it

is necessary to distinguish be∣tween the Reality and the Pre∣tence.

Religion doth not con∣sist in believing the Le∣gend of the Nursery, where Children with their Milk are fed with the Tales of Witch∣es, Hobgoblings, Prophecies, and Miracles. We suck in so greedily these early Mi∣stakes, that our riper Ʋnder∣standing hath much ado to cleanse our Minds from this kind of Trash: The Stories are so entertaining, that we do not only believe them, but relate them; which makes the discovery of the Truth somewhat grievous, when it makes us lose such a Field of Impertinence, where we might

have diverted our selves, be∣sides the throwing some shame upon us for having ever received them. This is making the World a Jest, and imputing to God Almighty, That the Province he assign∣eth to the Devil, is to play at Blind-mans-buff, and shew Tricks with Mankind; and is so far from being Religion, that it is not Sense, and hath right only to be call'd that kind of Devotion, of which Ignorance is the undoubted Mother, without competi∣tion or dispute. These Mi∣stakes are therefore to be left off with your Hanging∣sleeves; and you ought to be as much out of counte∣nance to be found with them

about you, as to be seen playing with Babies, at an Age when other things are expect∣ed from you.

The next thing to be ob∣serv'd to you, is, That Re∣ligion doth as little consist in loud Answers and devout Convulsions at Church, or Praying in an extraordinary manner. Some Ladies are so extream stirring at Church, that one would swear the Worm in their Conscience made them so unquiet. Others will have such a Divided Face be∣tween a Devout Goggle and an Inviting Glance, that the unnatural Mixture maketh even the best Looks to be at that time ridiculous. These affected Appearances are ever

suspected, like very strong Perfumes, which are general∣ly thought no very good Symptoms in those that make use of them. Let your ear∣nestness therefore be reserv'd for your Closet, where you may have God Almighty to your self: In Publick be still and calm, neither undecently Careless, nor Affected in the o∣ther Extream.

It is not true Devotion, to put on an angry Zeal against those who may be of a differing Persuasion. Par∣tiality to our selves makes us often mistake it for a Duty, to fall hard upon others in that case; and being push'd on by Self-conceit, we strike without mercy be∣lieving

that the Wounds we give are Meritorious, and that we are fighting God Al∣mighty's Quarrel; when the truth is, we are only setting out our selves. Our Devo∣tion too often breaketh out into that Shape which most agreeth with our particular Temper. The Cholerick grow into a hardned Severity a∣gainst all who dissent from them; snatch at all the Texts of Scripture that suit with their Complexion; and because God's Wrath was some time kindled, they conclude, That Anger is a Divine Vertue; and are so far from ima∣gining their ill natur'd Zeal requireth an Apology, that they value themselves upon it,

and triumph in it. Others, whose Nature is more Credu∣lous than ordinary, admit no Bounds or Measure to it; they grow as proud of extending their Faith, as Princes are of enlarging their Dominions; not considering, that our Faith, like our Stomach, is ca∣pable of being over-charg'd; and that as the last is de∣stroy'd by taking in more than it can digest, so our Reason may be extinguish'd by op∣pressing it with the weight of too many strange things; espe∣cially if we are forbidden to chew what we are command∣ed to swallow. The Melan∣choly and the Sullen are apt to place a great part of their Religion in dejected or ill-humour'd

Looks, putting on an unsociable Face, and de∣claiming against the Innocent Entertainments of Life, with as much sharpness as they could bestow upon the greatest Crimes. This generally is on∣ly a Vizard, there is seldom a∣ny thing real in it. No other thing is the better for being Sowre; and it would be hard that Religion should be so, which is the best of things. In the mean time it may be said with truth, That this surly kind of Devotion hath perhaps done little less hurt in the World, by frighting, than the most scandalous Ex∣amples have done by infecting it.

Having told you, in these few Instances, to which ma∣ny more might be ad∣ded, what is not true Re∣ligion; it is time to describe to you, what is so. The or∣dinary Definitions of it are no more like it, than the com∣mon Sign-posts are like the Princes they would represent. The unskilful Dawbers in all Ages have generally laid on such ill Colours, and drawn such harsh Lines, that the Beauty of it is not easily to be di∣scerned: They have put in all the forbidding Features that can be thought of; and in the first place, have made it an irreconcilable Enemy to Nature; when, in reality, they are not only Friends

but Twins, born together at the same time; and it is do∣ing violence to them both, to go about to have them separated. Nothing is so kind and so inviting as true and unsophisticated Religion: Instead of imposing unne∣cessary Burdens upon our Nature, it easeth us of the greater weight of our Passi∣ons and Mistakes: Instead of subduing us with Rigour, it redeemeth us from the Sla∣very we are in to our selves, who are the most severe Ma∣sters, whilst we are under the Usurpation of our Ap∣petites let loose and not re∣strain'd.

Religion is a chearsul thing, so far from being always at

Cuffs with Good Humour, that it is inseparably united to it. Nothing unpleasant belongs to it, though the Spiritual Cooks have done their unskil∣ful part to give an ill Relish to it. A wise Epicure would be Religious for the sake of Pleasure; Good Sense is the Foundation of both; and he is a Bungler who aimeth at true Luxury, but where they are join'd.

Religion is exalted Reason, refin'd and sifted from the grosser parts of it: It dwel∣leth in the upper Region of the Mind, where there are fewest Clouds or Mists to dar∣ken or offend it: It is both the Foundation and the Crown of all Vertues: It is

Morality improv'd and rais'd to its height, by being car∣ried nearer Heaven, the only place where Perfecti∣on resideth. It cleanseth the Ʋnderstanding, and brush∣eth off the Earth that hang∣eth about our Souls. It doth not want the Hopes and the Terrors which are made use of to support it; neither ought it to descend to the borrowing any Argument out of it self, since there we may find every thing that should invite us. If we were to be hired to Religion, it is able to out-bid the cor∣rupted World, with all it can offer to us, being so much the Richer of the two, in every thing where Reason is admit∣ted

to be a Judge of the Value.

Since this is so, it is worth your pains to make Religion your choice, and not make use of it only as a Re∣fuge. There are Ladies, who finding by the too visible decay of their good. Looks, that they can shine no more by that Light, put on the Var∣nish of an affected Devotion, to keep up some kind of Fi∣gure in the World. They take Sanctuary in the Church, when they are pursued by growing Contempt, which will not be stopt, but followeth them to the Altar. Such late penitence is only a disguise for the tor∣menting grief of being no more handsome. That is the killing thought which draw∣eth

the sighs and tears, that ap∣pear outwardly to be applied to a beter end.

There are many who have an Aguish Devotion, Hot and Cold Fits, long Intermissions, and violent Raptures. This uneverness is by all means to be avoided. Let your method be a steady course of good Life, that may run like a smooth Stream, and be a per∣petual Spring to furnish to the continued Exercise of Vertue. Your Devotion may be earnest, but it must be unconstrained; and like other Duties, you must make it your Pleasure too, or else it will have very little effi∣cacy. By this Rule you may best judge of your own

Heart. Whilst those Duties are Joys, it is an Evidence of their being sincere; but when they are a Penance, it is a sign that your Nature ma∣keth some resistance; and whilst that lasteth, you can never be entirely secure of your self.

If you are often unquiet, and too nearly touch'd by the cross Accidents of Life, your Devotion is not of the right Standard; there is too much Allay in it. That which is right and unmixt, taketh away the Sting of every thing that would trouble you: It is like a healing Balm, that extinguisheth the sharpness of the Bloud; so this softeneth and dissolveth the Anguish of

the Mind. A devout Mind hath the Privilege of be∣ing free from Passions, as some Climates are from all venomous kind of Crea∣tures. It will raise you above the little Vexations to which others for want of it, will be expos'd, and bring you to a Temper, not of stupid Indifference, but of such a wise Resignation, that you may live in the World, so as it may hang about you like a loose Garment, and not tied too close to you.

Take heed of running into that common Error, of apply∣ing God's Judgments upon particular Occasions. Our Weights and Measures are not competent to make the Di∣stribution

either of his Mercy or his Justice: He hath thrown a Veilover these things, which makes it not only an Imperti∣nence, but a kind of Sacri∣lege, for us to give Sentence in them without his Commis∣sion.

As to your particular Faith, keep to the Religion that is grown up with you, both as it is the best in it self, and that the reason of staying in it upon that Ground is somewhat stron∣ger for your Sex, than it will perhaps be allow'd to be for ours; in respect that the Volu∣minous enquiries into the Truth, by Reading, are less expected from you. The Best of Books will be direction enough to you not to change; and whilst you

are fix'd and sufficiently con∣firm'd in your own Mind, you will do best to keep vain Doubts and Scruples at such a distance, that they may give you no dis∣quiet.

Let me recommend to you a Method of being rightly in∣form'd, which can never fail: It is in short this. Get Ʋnder∣standing, and practise Vertue. And if you are so Blessed as to have those for your Share, it is not surer that there is a God, than it is, that by him all Ne∣cessary Truths will be revealed to you.