toriously. And if all Affectation be thus bad, how dreadful is that monftrous Affectation of Profaneness and Vice, not uncommonly feen in Perfons who perhaps would like full as well to be pious and virtuous, if they could but believe it would make near fo genteel a Figure! But venture to believe, that a blamelefs Conduct, though it will not raise so early or fo great a Talk about you, will, fooner or later, diftinguish you to your Advantage, which nothing else can: or, however the World may overlook you at prefent, God will you abundant Honour hereafter. What soever thou takest in Hand, remember the End, and thou shalt never do amifs°.

do

4. The fourth Particular comprehended under St. Paul's general Direction for young People in the Text, and the last that can be mentioned now, I fhall exprefs in his own Words: Not to think of themselves more highly than they ought to think, but to think foberly. Liveliness and Want of Experience peculiarly difpofe them to err in this Point; and the fuperficial Education, the Disregard to all Authority, Human or Divine, and the Liberty and the Practice of faying and doing what

. Ecclus vii. 39.

P Rom. xii. 3.

every one pleases, that prevail in the prefent Age, have heightened and fpread the Error to Degrees never known before. Hence they perpetually despise the most useful Qualifications, and the worthieft Behaviour; admire Trifles, Follies, and Sins, as Distinctions and Excellencies; claim a high Merit for Accomplishments of which they have little or no Share; imagine 'themselves totally free from Defects that are moft glaringly visible in them; pity and fcorn thofe whom they have more Cause to envy and thus, judging falfly, in the moft dangerous Manner, of Things and Perfons, others and themfelves, are utterly misled in the main Concerns of Life. Yet they fail not to fee, but take a Pride in observing, from Time to Time, that this is the Cafe of fuch and fuch of their Acquaintance: now, would they but reflect, that it may be their own tco, it would be no inconfiderable Step towards a Cure. It muft put them on examining what Advantages and good Qualities they are really poffeffed of, what the real Value of them is, what Deductions are to be made from them on Account of Imperfections and Failings, and what Ground they have, on the whole, to hope for the Efteem of wife Men, and the Accept

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Acceptance of an all-wife God. It must remind them to confider over again the hafty Judgments of their early Days, and review, with a fufpicious Eye, perhaps many Notions which they are very well fatisfied in, without knowing why, and are proceeding to act upon at all Adventures. Moft People indeed should have more Diffidence than they have, but the Young much more than others. It is not natural, it is not poffible, that, in the very Entrance of Life, one who hath taken no Pains to know any Thing fhould know every Thing. And therefore when fuch are found, as they are every Day, perfectly contented with themselves; abfolutely clear, that their own Way of thinking and acting, whatever it chances to be, is right; when they will venture, in Questions of the greatest Moment, to decide, without the leaft Hefitation beforehand, or the leaft Doubt afterwards, perhaps directly contrary to what the ableft Perfons in all Ages have done; and hold every one in utter Contempt, that can poffibly be of another Opinion; this is surely an astonishing Want of Sobriety of Mind. At least be a little modest, till you can truly fay, that you have confidered and inquired with fome Care : for after

afterwards, in all Likelihood, you will be fo of Course. Especially be modeft, in Proportion as any Point is of Confequence, and out of your Reach. For Inftance, in Religion. The Duties of it are plain, and plainly reasonable. So are the Doctrines too, as far as we can understand them, and judge of them: but we can understand and judge of fome of them but very imperfectly. They relate to the infinite Nature of God, to the boundless Views of his Providence, to future Times, it may be a future World. No Wonder, that of such Things we do not comprehend the whole; though he may have good Reasons, whether we perceive them or not, for telling us Part: and yet, without comprehending the whole, fome Parts muft feem unaccountable. Now fuch Difficulties as thefe, or poffibly lefs, a raw felf-fufficient Youth chances to think or be told of, runs away with them, and derides the Weakness of thofe who believe what they are taught. But can it poffibly make any Doctrine of Religion doubtful, that Perfons, bred up in the Manner that, God knows, too many are, and living afterwards as may be expected, do not understand it, or do not like it, or have heard more of the Objections against it than the Arguments for it? Or fhould

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should they not rather learn to fufpect, that they have not a fufficient Acquaintance with the Subject? For what will become of good Senfe and right Behaviour in the World, if People are to think themselves Masters of every Thing which they know but any Thing of, and to despise every Thing they know nothing of? This is both a very unreasonable and very immoral Turn of Mind: it deftroys all Reverence for Truth, all Attention to the virtuous Conduct of their Faculties and their Lives it leads them, for the moft Part, to early Misery here, and hardens them beyond all Things against that penitent Conviction, which alone can prevent their Mifery hereafter. Juftly therefore doth the Prophet denounce : Wo unto them that call Evil Good, and Good Evil: that put Darkness for Light, and Light for Darkness. Wo unto them that are wife in their own Eyes, and prudent in their own Sight. Therefore, as the Fire devoureth the Stubble, and the Flame confumeth the Chaff: fo their Root fhall be as Rottennefs, and their Bloom go up as the Duft; becaufe they have caft away the Law of the Lord of Hofts, and defpifed the Word of the Holy One of Ifrael.

9 Ifa. v. 20, 21, 24.

SER