be a sufficient reason to deter people of piety from partaking of them; the same evil use, and ill consequences of the stage, ought to keep all people of virtue from it. If people will consult their tempers only, they may take the entertainment of one, and condemn the other; as following the same guide, they may abhor intemperance, and indulge malice: but if they will consult religion, and make that the ground of their opinions, they will find more and stronger reasons for a constant abhorrence of the stage than of masquerades.

Again; If Trebonia should hear a person excusing her use of paint in this manner; that truly she painted but very seldom; that she always said her prayers first; that she never used it on Sundays, or the week before the communion: Trebonia would pity such a mixture of religion and weakness. She would desire her to use her reason, and either to allow painting to be innocent, suitable to the sobriety and humility of a Christian, or else to think it as unlawful at one time as at another. But, Trebonia, would you not think it still stranger, that she should condemn painting as odious and sinful, and yet think that the regularity of her life, and the exactness of her devotions, might make it lawful for her to paint now and then?

I do not doubt but you plainly see the weakness and folly of such a pretence for painting, under such rules, at certain times. And if you would but as impartially consider your pretences for going sometimes to the playhouse, under the same rules, you would certainly find them more weak and unreasonable. For painting may, with more reason, be reckoned an innocent ornament, than the playhouse an innocent diversion. And it supposes a greater vanity of mind, a more perverted judgment, and a deeper corruption of heart, to seek the diversion of the stage, than to take the pleasure of a borrowed colour. Painting, when considered in itself,

is, undoubtedly, a great sin; but when it is compared to the use of the stage, it is but as the mote compared to the beam.

I know you are offended at this comparison, because you judge by your temper and prejudices, and do not consider the things as they are in themselves, by the pure light of reason and religion. Painting has not been the way of your family; it is supposed to be the practice but of very few; and those who use it endeavour to conceal it; this makes you readily condemn it. On the contrary, your mother and your aunt carry you to the play; you see virtuous people there, and the same persous that fill our churches; so that your temper is as much engaged to think it lawful to go sometimes to a play, as it is engaged to think the use of paint always odious and sinful.

Lay aside therefore these prejudices for a while, and fancy that you had been trained up in some corner of the world in the principles of Christianity, and had never heard either of the playhouse or painting. Imagine now that you was to examine the lawfulness of them by the doctrines of Scripture; you would first desire to be told the nature of these things, and what they meant. You would be told, that painting was the borrowing of colours from art, to make the face look more beautiful. Now, though you found no express text of Scripture against painting, you would find that it was expressly against tempers required in Scripture: you would therefore condemn it as proceeding from a vanity of mind, and fondness of beauty. You would see that the harm of painting consisted in this, that it proceeded from a temper of mind contrary to the sobriety and humility of a Christian, which indeed is harm enough; because this humility and sobriety of mind is as essential to religion as charity and devotion. So that, in judging according to Scripture, you would hold it as unrea

sonable to paint sometimes, as to be sometimes malicious, indevout, proud, or false.

You are now to consider the stage; you are to keep close to Scripture, and fancy that you yet know nothing of plays. You ask therefore first, what the stage or playhouse is? You are told, that it is a place where all sorts of people meet to be entertained with discourses, actions, and representations, which are recommended to the heart by beautiful scenes, the splendor of lights, and the harmony of music. You are told, that these discourses are the invention of men of wit and imagination, which describe imaginary intrigues and scenes of love, and introduce men and women discoursing, raving, and acting, in all the wild, indecent transports of lust and passion. You are told, that the diversion partly consists of lewd and profane songs, sung to fine music, and partly of extravagant dialogues between immodest persons, talking in a style of love and madness, that is no where else to be found; and entertaining the Christian audience with all the violence of passion, corruption of heart, wantonness of mind, immodesty of thought, and profane jests, that the wit of the poet is able to invent. You are told, that the players, men and women, are trained up to act and represent all the descriptions of lust and passion in the liveliest manner, to add a lewdness of action to lewd speeches; that they get their livelihood by cursing, swearing, and ranting for three hours together, to an assembly of Christians.

Now, though you find no particular text of Scripture condemning the stage, or tragedy, or comedy, in express words, yet what is much more, you find that such entertainments are a gross contradiction to the whole nature of religion; they are not contrary to this or that particular temper, but are contrary to the whole turn of the heart and mind which religion requires. Painting is contrary

to humility, and therefore is to be avoided as sinful; but the entertainment of the stage, as it consists of blasphemous expressions, wicked speeches, swearing, cursing, and profaning the name of God, as it abounds with impious rant, filthy jests, distracted passions, gross descriptions of lust, and wanton songs, is a contradiction to every doctrine that our Saviour and his apostles have taught us. So that to abhor painting at all times, because it supposes a vanity of mind, and is contrary to humility, and yet think there is lawful time to go to the playhouse, is as contrary to common sense as if a man should hold that it was lawful sometimes to offend against all the doctrines of religion, and yet always unlawful to offend against any one doctrine of religion.

If therefore you was to come (as I supposed) from some corner of the world, where you had been used to live and judge by the rules of religion; and upon your arrival here, had been told, what painting and the stage was; as you would not expect to see persons of religious humility carrying their daughters to paint-shops, or inviting their pious friends to go along with them; so much less would you expect to hear, that devout, pious, and modest women, carried their daughters, and invite their virtuous friends to meet them at the play. Least of all, could you image that there were any people too pious and devout to indulge the vanity of painting; and yet not devout and pious enough to abhor the immodesty, profaneness, ribaldry, immorality, and blasphemy of the stage.

To proceed: A polite writer of a late paper thought he had sufficiently ridiculed a certain lady's pretentions Specta. No. 79. to piety; when, speaking of her closet, he says,

Together lie her prayer-book and paint,
At once t' improve the sinner and the saint.

Now whence comes it that this writer judges so rightly, and speaks the truth so plainly, in the matter of painting? Whence comes it, that the generality of his readers think his observation just, and join with him in it? It is because painting is not yet an acknowledged practice, but is, for the most part, reckoned a shameful instance of vanity. Now, as we are not prejudiced in favour of this practice, and have no excuses to make for our own share in it, so we judge of it impartially, and immediately perceive its contrariety to a religious temper and state of mind. This writer saw this in so strong a light, that he does not scruple to suppose, that paint is as natural and proper a means to improve the sinner, as the prayer-book is to improve the saint.

I should therefore hope that it need not be imputed to any sourness of temper, religious weakness, or dullness of spirits, if a clergyman should imagine, that the profaneness, debauchery, lewdness, and blasphemy of the stage, is as natural a means to improve the sinner as a bottle of paint; or if he should venture to show that the church and the playhouse are as ridiculous a contradiction, and do no more suit with the same person than the prayer-book and paint.

I shall now make a reflection or two upon the present celebrated entertainment of the stage, which is so much to the taste of this Christian country, that it has been acted almost every night this whole season---I mean Apollo and Daphne.

The first scene is said to be a magnificent palace discovered: Venus attended with Graces and Plea

sures.

Now how is it possible that such a scene as this should be fit for the entertainment of Christians? Can Venus and her Graces and Pleasures talk any language that is like themselves, but what nust be unlike to the spirit of Christianity? The