21 AN ESSAY ON CHARITY-SCHOOLS. cated by a paper-messenger? Perhaps some of their,souls may have as much humanity and softness in them as those of the rich, and they may have as sweet a relish of the endearments of kin- dred or friendship : They may long asmuch to know how it stands with their father's house, from which they are as it were banished by the necessities of life and their servile stations ; and it is a hard case if none of these must ever be permitted to par- take of this privilege, because they happen to be poor : Hard case indeed, that they must never taste of these refreshments, these sweet solaces of the' heart, to relieve the drudgery and fatigues of life. 2. There are many of the poorer parts of mankind, who have not their minds so crouded and encumbered with other things, that fill their letterswith serious religion, and communi- eäte to each other the lively sense which they have of divine things on their own hearts, and encourage each other in their progress in virtue and piety. There are several of these pious poor, who have given their friends many a supporting word in their conflict with temptations, and mutually send this sort of assistance to each other, and are encouraged hereby to go through their daily labours with chearfulness. And why should this be utterly forbidden them ? I wish all those who enjoy bet -, ter circumstances improved their pens for so pious a purpose. 3. When the poorer part of the world who are truly serious attend upon the ministry of the gospel, they labour as well as the rich to treasure up in their minds as much of it as they are able, and take as much pains to retain it : But alas ! Their me- mories are as feeble and treacherous ; may they not be permitted then to take the first moments of leisure, and commit to writing those thingswhich have affected their own hearts ? May they not, in this manner, by a frequent review of what they have heard and written, maintain upon their souls a long and lively relish of divine truths, and preserve the sermon from being utterly lost ?' I know this is the practice of several who can use a pen, and I wish it were more universally practised. Perhaps we should not preach so many sermons, with so little profit to our hearers in this manner ; and why should the poor in an auditory be for fiver cut off from this religious advantage, and forbid to use a pen for so sacred a service ? 4. May not the poor have some little concerns of their own that relate to their souls, or their bodies, or their friends, or their engagements, and their circumstances in life ? And must we suppose all their memories to be so extensive and capacious, so happy and faithful as to preserve all these concerns, and recol- lect them whensoever they have occasion ? Are not the memo- ries of the rich perpetually unburdened, relieved and assisted by the pen? Whymay not the poor in their littleatlitirs, be indulged
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