Should they not with the like difdain turn over all fenfual inordinances to meer Animals, and Creatures that have no higher principles than that of fenfe, whilft themselves foar up to thofe more fublimated pleafures, which are at Gods right hand for evermore, Pfalm 16. 11. We may therefore conclude, that whatever vicious impotence Women are under, it is acquir'd not natural; nor deriv'd from any illiberality of God's, but from the ill managery of his Bounty. He has placed within them a Pillar of Cloud and Fire, fufficient to fhelter and conduct them through all the ftorms, all the intricacies that can occur in their journey to Canaan; if they will forget that more intrinfick part of their Being, live as if they were all Body, reject the Manna, and rave after the Quails; that deAtruction which will thereby be induced, they must own to fpring from themfelves. Let them not charge God foolifi € foolishly, or think that by making them Women, be neceffitated them to be Proud or Wanton, Vain or Peevish; fince'tis manifeft he made them to better purpofes, was not partial to the other Sex, but that having, as the Prophet (peaks,abundance of fpirit, Mal.2. he equally difpenfed it, and gave the feebleft Woman as large and capacious a Soul, as that of the greatest Heroe. Nay, give me leave to fay farther, that as to an Eternal well being, he Jeems to have placed them in more, advantageous circumftances, than he bas done Men. He has implanted in them fome native propenfions, which (as I fhall hereafter have occafion to obferve) do much facilitate the operations of Grace upon them. Besides, there are many temptations to which Men are expos'd that are out of their road. How hard is it for a Man to converfe in the World, but he shall be importun'd to Debauchery and Excefs, muft forfeit his Sobriety, to maintain the the Reputation of a fociable Perfon? Again, how liable are they by a promif cuous Converfation, among variety of humours, to meet with affronts, which the Maxims of Honour will tell them, muft (in fpight of all Chrift's inter dicts) be reveng'd? And this engages them in Quarrels, fometimes in Mur ders. Now none of thefe are incident to Women: they must in thefe and Some other inftances attack temptations, violently ravish guilt, and aban don their Sex, the whole Oeconomy of their eftate, ere they can divest themselves of their innocency. So that God feems in many particulars, to have clofelier fenced them in, and not left them to thofe wilder excurfions, for which the customary liberties of the other Sex afford a more open way. In Short, they have fo many advantages toward Vertue, that tho the Philofopher made it one of his folemn acknowledgments to God, that he had made him a Man, not a Woman: yet Ithink Chri C 2 Chriftian Women have now reafon enough to invert that form, and to thank God that he made them Women, and not Men. But we know advantages which are only in fpeculation, are looked on with fome diffidence, till there have been Tome practical experiment made of them; Ifball therefore evidence the problem by demonftration and inftance; defiring my Readers to meafure the poffibilities of their arriving to eminent degrees of Vertue and Piety, by what others have attained to. I fhall not fetch examples of Morality from heathen Women, because I am now upon an higher ftrain; yet many fuch might be brought to the reproach of many Women, who pretending to more, fall infinitely fhort of that:) 'tis Chriftian Vertue that I am now recommending, and which has been eminently exemplified in many of their Sex. How many Women do we read of in the Gof pel, pel, who in all the duties of affiduous attendance on Christ, liberalities of love and respect, nay, even in zeal and courage, furpaffed even the Apostles themselves? We find his Cross furrounded, his Paffion celebrated by the avowed tears and lamentations of devout Women, when the most fanguine of his Difciples had denied, yea forfware, and all bad for faken him. Nay, even death it felf could not extinguish their love: we find the devout Mary's defigning a laborious, chargeable, and perhaps hazardous refpect to his Corps. And accordingly, 'tis a memorable atteftation Christ gives to their Piety, by making them the first witneffes of his Refurrection, the prime Evangelifts to proclaim thofe glad Tidings, and, as a Learned Man fpeaks, Apoftles to the Apoftles. Nor is the devotion of that Sex to be found only in the facred Records: the Primitive times have left us many Memorials of the like, and the Martyrologies are full of Female fuf ferers |