I attended at Mr. Carey's meeting, all day. In the forenoon he was quite severe upon
all persons who either did not attend divine services so steadily as they might, or
who being at the house of the Lord do not behave with proper decorum and respect.
No person said Mr. Carey who is going into the presence of an earthly prince, will
appear in a loose, neglected, attire; as it would be considered as a mark of contempt,
and as an insult to the dignity of the sovereign. Hence he deduced the necessity of
a serious, devout, attentive mind, at times when we go more immediately into the presence
of god. His conclusion, were it placed as a distinct proposition, no one I presume
would deny; but his perfectly stale and hackney'd allusion, is in my opinion not only
false, but impious. I would ask Mr. Carey's, why, it is necessary to appear with such
an accurate precision of dress at the Court of an earthly prince? What other cause
can be assigned for the importance of a thing so very indifferent in itself, but the
ridiculous vanity and fantastic foppery of the great? It is impossible to deduce an
argument from similarity of effect, unless a like similarity of cause exists, and
in this case, the supposition is not to be made.
In short if our preachers in general, would not take so much pains as they do, to
prove facts which no man in his senses can deny, they would save themselves much exertion
of thought, without injuring their reputation's.
In the evening I went with Dr. Kilham, and past an hour or two at Mr. Carter's: the
family are all of them exceedingly agreeable: Miss H. Emery was there a young lady
with a beautiful countenance, an elegant person, and (I am told) an amiable mind.
What more could any person wish to find in a female? A fortune?—Ah! can a vile metal
drag'd by the hands of slavery from the bowels of the earth, be put in competition
with charms like those. The wretch who could harbour the idea, deserves to be barred
forever from the pleasures of friendship and of love.