SERMON III.

CHARACTER OF A WISE AND AMIABLE WOMAN.

ISAIAH XXX. 26.

THE LIGHT OF THE MOON SHALL BE AS THE LIGHT OF THE SUN.

THE Contemplation of the various natural objects, which God has created, impresses this idea on the mind, that many of them are formed for beauty, as well as utility. Without regarding the advantages, which flow from them, they afford pleasure by their color, circular or undulating lines, or harmony of proportions. Of these natural objects, there are few which are more delightful, and there are none which excite more attention, than the gentle luminary, which extends its sway over the night it charms both the eye and the fancy. Hence in all ages, the poet and the orator, who have written to the imaginations of men, have enriched their compositions with metaphors and comparisons derived from its reflected beams. The most elegant simile in the Iliad is one of this kind; and I need not point out instances in modern writers of beautiful imagery, which, like the rays of the globe from which they are borrowed, shed a mild lustre over their language and sentiments.

The text presents us with an agreeable image, a light,

which is soft and gentle, like the moon; but which, at the same time, without being dazzling to the eye, is constant like the sun. It has suggested to me the design of describing a character, to which it bears a resemblance.

Of human characters there is a great variety, both among women and among men. Of women, one has been compared to a flower, which is beautiful, but the bloom of which soon passes away. Another, says the great Cervantes, resembles a delicate vase of glass it is free from a speck; but wanting firmness, it is broken in pieces by the first stroke of temptation. One woman is like a temporary torrent, noisy and shallow; while another resembles a perennial and silent fountain. Of men, one may be compared to a volcano, which hurls fire and destruction around. Another man stands immovable, like a lofty mountain: eternal ice chills his head, and sharp-pointed rocks and horrid precipices encompass his heart; but he benefits the world by the mines of knowledge, which are contained in his bosom, or by the streams of science, which rush down from his summit. One man, like a meteor, with his intense flame, threatens to outshine all the stars in the sky, and to fill every soul with wonder; but he blazes for a moment only, and then sinks into profound darkness. Another man, like the sun, with his genius enlightens the universe; but so brilliant are his talents, and so powerful his rays, that he almost blinds the eye, which cannot follow him without pain, as he runs his rapid course from one end of the heavens to the other.

The character, which I undertake to describe, is of a different cast. It can be contemplated with ease and

satisfaction; and whilst it is universally loved, it excites admiration without awe. This character belongs to a wise, discreet, and amiable woman. I will endeavor to make it a general character; and will borrow its features from many excellent women, whom I have known; from some, who are still alive; and from others, who are numbered among the dead. My design in the delineation is to recommend certain virtues, and to censure the opposite vices.

The woman, whom I would exhibit to your view, possesses a sound understanding. She is virtuous, not from impulse, instinct, and a childish simplicity; for she knows that evil exists, as well as good; but she abhors the former, and resolutely chooses the latter. As she has carefully weighed the nature and consequences of her actions, her moral principles are fixed; and she has deliberately formed a plan of life, to which she conscientiously adheres. Her character is her own; her knowledge and virtues are original; and are not the faint copies of another character. Convinced that the duty of every human being consists in performing well the part, which is assigned by divine Providence, she directs her principal attention to this object; and whether as a wife, a mother, or the head of a family, she is always diligent and discreet. She is exempt from affectation, the folly of little minds. Far from her heart is the desire of acquiring a reputation, or of rendering herself interesting, by imbecilities and imperfections. Thus she is delicate, but not timid she has too much good sense ever to be afraid where is no danger; and she leaves the affectation of terror to women, who, from the want of a correct education, are ignorant of what is truly becoming. She is still further removed from the affectation of sensibility:

she has sympathy and tears for the calamities of her friends; but there is no artificial whining on her tongue; nor does she ever manifest more grief than she really feels. In so enlightened an understanding humility appears with peculiar grace. Every wise woman must be humble; because every wise woman must know, that no human being has anything to be proud of. The gifts, which she possesses, she has received: she cannot therefore glory in them, as if they were of her own creation. There is no ostentation in any part of her behaviour: she does not affect to conceal her virtues and talents, but she never ambitiously displays them. She is still more pleasingly adorned with the graces of mildness and gentleness. Her manners are placid, the tones of her voice are sweet, and her eye benignant; because her heart is meek and kind. From the combination of these virtues arises that general effect, which is denominated loveliness, a quality, which renders her the object of the complacence of all her friends, and the delight of every one who approaches her. Believing that she was born, not for herself only, but for others, she endeavors to communicate happiness to all who are around her, in particular to her intimate connexions. Her children, those immortal beings, who are committed to her care, that they may be formed to knowledge and virtue, are the principal objects of her attention. She sows in their minds the seeds of piety and goodness; she waters them with the dew of heavenly instruction; and she eradicates every weed of evil, as soon as it appears. Thus does she benefit the church, her country, and the world, by training up sincere Christians, useful citizens, and good men. It is scarcely necessary to observe, that with so benevolent a heart, she remembers the poor, and that

she affords them, not only pity, but substantial relief. As she is a wise woman, who is not afraid to exercise her understanding, her experience and observation soon. convince her, that the world, though it abounds with pleasures, is not an unmixed state of enjoyment. While therefore she is careful to bring no misfortunes on herself by imprudence, folly, and extravagance, she looks with a calm and steady eye on the unavoidable afflictions, through which she is doomed to pass; and she arms her mind with fortitude, that she may endure with resolution and cheerfulness the severest trials. When sickness and distress at last come, she submits to them with patience and resignation. A peevish complaint does not escape from her lips; nor does she murmur, because the hand of her heavenly Father lies heavy upon her. She is, if possible, more serene, more mild, more gentle, on the bed of disease, than she was in the seasons of health and felicity. So affectionate is she to her surrounding friends, and so grateful for the attentions, which they pay to her, that they almost forget, that she suffers any pain. The love of God crowns all her virtues: religion is deeply fixed in her heart; but here, as in all her behaviour, she is without parade. Her piety is sincere and ardent, but humble and retired. She attends only to the essentials of religion, and leaves doubtful controversies to angry theologians, who more highly value the doctrines of their particular creeds, by which they are distinguished from other men, than the duties of the gospel, which belong to all Christians. A mind, in which strength and gentleness are thus united, may be compared to the soft light of the moon, which shines with the perpetual rays of the sun. We are at first view ready to imagine that it is more lovely than great, more charming