Impure Reflections ftain each drooping Charm,
Blot her whole Form, and all her Pow'r difarm;
Defpis'd, deferted, and condemn'd by all,
Nay, by the very Wretch who works her* Fall,
She finks, of innate Modefty bereft,
A fhining Monster then is all that's left.
Preserve from baleful Vice her spotless Mind,
She'll be the lovely Creature HEAV'N defign'd:
A Form, in which each rival Grace combines,
Where inward Worth in outward Softness shines :
Where Virtue, to her highest Pitch refin'd,
Is clad with native Tenderness of Mind,
Which thus can Man's moft ftubborn Pow'rs controul".
And gently steal into his inmoft Soul;
Those finer Feelings to his Mind impart,
Hence Virtue and Efteem with Paffion blend,
Hence nobly join the Loyer and the Friend;
Thus is the man of Sense securely won,
Which charm, fubdue, and humanize his Heart.
And Virtue finishes what Love begun ;
Virtue alone invests the heav'nly Maid
With Charms, which envious Time can ne'er invade;
*Life fwarms with Ills, the boldeft are afraid
Where then is Safety for a tender Maid?
Unfit for Conflict, round befet with Woes
And Man, whom least the fears, her worst of Foes!
When kind, moft cruel; when oblig'd the moft,
The leaft obliging; and by Favours loft.
Cruel by Nature, they for Kindness hate,
And scorn you for those Ills themselves create.
If on your Fame our Sex a Blot has thrown,
"Twill ever stick, thro' Malice of your own,
Moft hard! in pleasing your chief Glory lies;
And yet from pleasing your chief Dangers rise.
Then please the Beft; and know, for Men of Senfe,
Your ftrongest Charms are native Innocence.
Which firmly fix her Lover's Heart and Eye,
Tho' all the Roses on her Cheek should dye.
These are the Leffons Friendship would fuggeft
To kindle Virtue * in the female Breast;
To fhew the Fair that Dignity of Mind,
Which HEAV'N the Guardian of their Sex defign'd,
And teach those latent Sparks of Worth to glow
Which fhew what Duties to themselves they owe.
If by these Cautions one affaulted Fair
Should shield her Virtue from the fatal Snare;
If one Attempt of treach'rous Vice is foil'd,
Or one fond Parent fave a darling Child,
Ör one aw'd Son of Guilt, with conscious Mind,
Shou'd hence forbear the Ruin he defign'd,
How nobly has the Mufe employ'd her Lyre!
'Tis all to which her loftiest Notes aspire;
A heav'nly Recompence rewards her Lay,
Which Vice ne'er gave, nor Malice takes away.
*Of Virtue's Foes retain a constant Dread,
This o'er your Cheeks will throw the conscious Red,
Will give that facred Lightning to your Eye
Which Vice and Impudence will always fly.
If in Love's Field you wou'd be truly brave
The Man of Virtue and of Sense inslave :
For ever keep this golden Rule in View,
Who's true to Virtue will be true to You.
To thofe who can with Innocence receive
You may with Safety modeft Freedoms give:
And tho' the vicious Coxcomb calls You Prude
Dare to be angry, when he dares be rude.
The falfe Pleas of Paffion. Temptation the Teft of Virtue, tho' not always the Cause of Vice; inftanc'd in thofe Crimes which cannot plead this Pretence. The Danger of repeating other Men's Oaths. The Guilt of Equivocation prov'd equal to that of literal Untruth. A Sketch of the Gamefter. A drunken Evening particularly enlarg'd upon. A Picture of its odious Conclufion: The OMNIPRESENT DEITY reprefented as viewing this vile Abuse of buman Nature. The proper Ufe of Liquor. Temperance its own Reward. The dreadful Confequences of a vicious Life both here and hereafter. The Wisdom of bim who forfakes his Sins, and perseveres in Virtue, in Spite of all his former Temptations.
HUS were the facred Laws of HE AV'N obey'd,
Confcience wou'd rule, and Equity perfuade :
Th' eternal Intereft of a deathless Soul,
Wou'd all the treach'rous Wiles of Vice controul.
Impetuous Paffions may pretend, in vain,
No Reas'nings can their raging Force reftrain;
'Tis all Pretence; fome Conflicts may enfue,
But Heav'n-fraught Reafon will their Force fubdue
Since these fell Paffions, which inflame the Mind
The genuine Tefts of Virtue were design'd;
* The Author is far from infinuating the Sufficiency of human Reafon And furely every one who reflects at all, must be fully convinc'd, that there is Nothing to be expected from it, as a moral Principle, without the Co-operation of Divine Grace.
Her Worth, her Glory, and her future Prize,
In juft Proportion to Temptation rife.
And yet for ev'ry Crime, and grofs Abuse,
Temptation ftill is made the bold Excufe:
Nay, for those Sins the ready Plea fupplies,
Which must from wilful Disobedience rife.
See Crimes increafing on the guilty Town,
Which once from Heav'n brought * flaming Vengeance
down.
See, and behold that weak, though trite, Pretence
The Power of Paffion, pleaded by Offence:
Man can offend, you fee, without one End,
But only this, the Pleafure to offend,
Can Reafon, Virtue, Paffion, Confcience quell,
To brave OMNIPOTENCE, and purchase Hell.
'Tis hard for Ruin † Nature to Subdue;
How eafy with a promis'd Heav'n in View!
On ev'ry Side, unaw'd by Shame or Fear,
The daring Voice of bold Profaneness hear;
To this, Temptation can have no Pretence,
No Plea of Profit, Pleasure, or of Sense;
No poffible Advantage can accrue,
But Horrour, Scorn, and Infamy, enfue,
And yet, the virtuous Man his Hearing loaths,
Whilft all our echoing Streets refound with Oaths:
Infants imbibe them with the common Air,
Before they learn to Speak, they learn to wear,
Untutor'd Tongues corrupted Ears obey,
And, fearless, lifp Damnation at their Play:
* Alluding to the Deftruction of Sodom by Fire from Heav'n. In the Commiffion of this Crime, Men muft fin meerly for the Sake of finning, muft conquer their own Nature, on Purpose to offend their ALMIGHTY CREATOR and BENEFACTOR, and confequently to purchase eternal Ruin for themfelves.
Thus impious Habits unrefifted grow,
And Children's Vices from their Parents flow.
This Crime from Pride and Paffion rose at first,
'Till o'er Mankind it like a Torrent burft:
Was early bred amongst the guilty Great
By Infolence of Office, or of State:
'Twas here alone each little Tyrant's Claim
To trifle with his dread CREATOR'S Name,
The Poor with impious Expletives to brave,
And curfe the Wretch whom Fortune made his Slave.
But now, the Slave himfelf his MAKER dares,
And boldly, from his Lord's Example, fwears.
Nay, even those whofe Minds in Part reftrain
Their Tongues from what is vicious and profane,
Who juft Abhorrence of this Crime declare,
And for themselves would not be thought to fwear,
From others will repeat the impious Joke,
And thus their MAKER equally provoke:
The Man who laughs at Oaths which he repeats,
Nor thinks he fins, his injur'd Confciente cheats:
If by his Manner he the Crime allows
He shares in all the Guilt which he avows,
Immerges in the fame polluted Tide,
Embracing what he feems but to avoid.
But let all fuch, with juft Degrees of Fear,
Remember that their MAKER'S AWFUL EAR
Is always open to each impious Word,
Which is as furely regifter'd as heard:
And must be anfwer'd for, at that great Day
When Confcience fhall her flighted Pow'r difplay.
Equivocation thus, by Art's weak Aid,
The ftinging Guilt of Falfhood wou'd evade,
And hopes her Fraud unpunish'd to enjoy,
Because fhe lit'rally avoids the Lye:
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