charge may not extend too far among those who pretend to sobriety. If you cannot allow yourselves entirely to dethrone reason, and to transform the man into a beast, as the open drunkard does; if other people cannot charge you with transgressing the bounds of temperance, or discover any alteration in you for the worse; yet are you never conscious to yourselves, that you suffer reason to be muddled, and your thoughts to be more confused, instead of being more free? That though you have not lost the use of your better powers, yet you cannot use them so well as at other times? That you are neither equally fit for useful conversation, nor for the service of God, nor for application to your proper business? If this should be your case, though the guilt of it comes not up to the more notorious and scandalous instances of intemperance; yet, surely, conscience can hardly fail to admonish you in serious hours, that it is amiss. And if such a practice as this should be frequent and habitual with you, I cannot but apprehendit more henious in the sight of God, than a single act of the grossest intemperance, into which a man is surprised quite contrary to his usual character.

5. All such use of provisions for the body, as is known usually to excite criminal and impure inclinations; either such kinds of provision, as people have experienced to have such an effect upon themselves, or such a measure and quantity. Certainly, where this is found to be the case, it is not consistent with temperance, to take the same freedom in the use of those provisions, as of others, or as other people may do in the use of the same things without danger, because they find no such effect from them. This every man, who tenders his own soul, and the maintenance of his purity, stands obliged to by the eral precept, Not to make provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof," Rom. xiii. 14.

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6. Such studied and customary gratifications of appetite, as tend to settle the spirit in a sensual frame, or a strong turn and addictedness towards bodily satisfactions, should not be esteemed harmless things by a Christian: "The carnal mind is enmity against God," and find a Christian work for conflict all his days; and while he feeds his body, it should be his endeavour, as little as may be, to feed that. This makes frequent and high feasting, though it should not be attended with any of the bad consequences already mentioned, yet to be inex

pedient and dangerous for most people. Though all feasting is not unlawful, as I shall have occasion to shew presently, yet I doubt there are very few, who make a frequent practice of it, who, like the rich man in the parable, "fare sumptuously" almost "every day," Luke xvi. 19. ; but must own, if conscience may speak freely, that they put their minds out of frame, give too strong a bent to sensible good, and abate the edge of their desire and delight, with reference to spiritual and eternal blessings. Now, whatever hath that effect, is so far an enemy, and should not be indulged by a man that values the prosperity of his soul.

II. I proceed to shew the obligations which lie upon Christians, to maintain a strict guard against intemperance.

1. The gospel recommends temperance as a matter of great importance in Christianity. We have many precepts about it. As our Lord and Master here strongly enjoins it, so the apostle: "Be not filled with wine," Eph. v. 18. It is inculcated upon us from the clear light of the gospel which we enjoy, Rom. xiii. 13. "Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness," 1 Thess. v. 5-8. "Ye are all the children of the light, and the children of the day we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch, and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken, are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober." When the apostle mentions it as a common observation, even concerning the heathen world, that those among them who were drunken, were drunken in the night, it reflects the greatest shame upon the present degenerate manners of too many in Christian lands, who are not ashamed to be disordered at noon-day, as well as in the noon-day light of the gospel. The excessive indulgence of appetite in the primitive times, is spoken of as the character of people before their conversion, but which they were under the clearest engagements to change upon their entertaining the gospel, 1 Pet. iv. 3. "The time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries." These sensualities were chiefly practised by them, as attendants of the profane and impure festivals of their false gods; and, therefore, when they turned to

God from idols, they should drop all these sinful indulgences also: "For the grace of God, which hath now appeared to all men, teaches us," in the first place, "to live soberly," Tit. ii. 11, 12. “Drunkenness and revellings are the works of the flesh," Gal. v. 21.; which, therefore," they that are Christ's have crucified," ver. 24. Therefore the drunkard is to be excluded from Christian communion, 1 Cor. v. 11. "I have written to you, if any one that is called a brother, be-a drunkard—with such a one, no not to eat." It is observable, that the sacred historian intimates temperance to be an eminent part of the doctrine of the gospel, when he tells us, Acts xxiv. 24, that "Felix heard Paul concerning the faith in Christ.” And what was that? We have an account of no more of his discourse upon this subject, but that he "reasoned" with him "of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come," ver. 25.; the apostle choosing out of those parts of the Christian doe trine for his discourse with Felix, which were most suitable to his sins and circumstances.

2. We have lively representations in the word of God, of the danger and mischief of intemperance.

We are put in mind of those bad effects for this world, which so often follow it. The ruin of health and estate; the quar, rels and contentions it so often excites, to the prejudice of others, and often to men's own destruction; that "the drunkard and the glutton shall come to proverty," Prov. xxiii. 21. "Who hath wo? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine, they that go to seek mixed wine," ver. 29, 30.

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It is big with innumerable other sins; the parent especially of impurities: "Be not filled with wine, wherein is excess,' or unbridled dissolution of manners. It is mentioned as one fruit of tarrying long at the wine, Prov. xxiii. 33. "Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. It often prompts to do others the most extravagant injuries; and though in human courts of judicature, it is often admitted for a plea in abatement of such crimes, that a man was disordered with liquor when he did them; yet I very much doubt how far they will be allowed at God's tribunal for an extenuation, as long as men were forewarned of such consequences, as possible and probable to ensue upon intem

perance, and were cautioned against it from that consideration.

It is eminently of a hardening nature, and tends to make conscience insensible and stupified: "Whoredom, and wine, and new wine, take away the heart," Hos. iv. 11. It makes men forget the law of God, Prov. xxxi. 5. They are not only unteachable while in an act of intemperance but commonly fre quent acts sear the conscience, and render them unapt for im, pression, even at other times.

And as the fruit of all, without solemn repentance, it will certainly exclude from the kingdom of God, 1 Cor. vi. 10. This quickened holy Paul to the utmost guard and caution over his bodily appetites, 1 Cor. ix, 27. "I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that, by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast,

3. The bounty and goodness of God, in granting us the comforts of life, and leave to use them as far as is for our real good and safety, is an argument to gratitude not to abuse his favour.

He "gives us all things richly to enjoy,” 1 Tim. vi. 17: And shall we employ the fruits of his rich beneficence to his dishonour, and to our own hurt? How justly, then, may he resume his own forfeited gifts? "Take "Take away his corn in the time thereof, and his wine in the season thereof ?" as he threat ened to do to Israel, Hos. ii. 9.

He allows us not only the necessaries of life, but all reasonable conveniences, which we can fairly come by: a vast variety of creatures for our food, and wine in its season, to "make glad the heart," Psal. civ. 15. He does not confine us to the mere supply of the necessities of nature, but allows a freer use of his creatures in proper time and measure. All feasting is not forbidden. There were sacred feasts of divine appointment under the law, wherein the people were to rejoice before the Lord every year, and to partake of the bounties of providence with a sober freedom. And there were feasts among good men in those times upon civil occasions; as Lot's, when he entertained the angels at unawares; and Abraham's, at the weaning of Isaac. We find the Lord himself countenancing a marriage-feast with his presence, and by working a miracle to supply their want of wine, in John. ii.

Feasting, therefore, is not unlawful in itself, when it is manag ed in the fear of God, with sobriety, and in due time and place. All that God forbids us, is to unman ourselves, and to do our souls a prejudice.

Besides this, under the gospel, our charter is enlarged from what it was under the law; all the ceremonial distinction of meats being abolished, and our liberty, by that means, extended to a greater variety. Therefore, an intemperate abuse of our liberty to licentiousness, must be more criminal under the gospel, when we are taught, that "God hath created," all sorts of "meats to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth; for every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving; being sanctified by the word of God and prayer," 1 Tim. iv. 3-5.; that is, being warranted to use it by the word of God, if we do not forget to acknowledge God in it by prayer and praise. Now, how ungrateful shall we be, if we cannot satisfy ourselves with the regular use of so large a supply? Like our first parents, who could not be content without the forbidden fruit, though they were allowed the use of every other tree in the garden.

4. The gospel directs us to a better use of our superfluities, which will redound very much to our own advantage; that is, to relieve the necessitous with what we can spare ourselves: and this enforced with a declaration of the high honour which our Master will put upon such services, Matt. xxv. 35. “I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink," &c. For, as in ver. 40. "Insomuch as ye have done it unto one of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.' And shall we ruin our souls by an intemperate use of those things, with which we might lay up a good security for the time to come?

5. The example of Christ, in this matter, lays a strong en gagement upon Christians. He was not, indeed as he takes notice himself, Matt. xi. 18, 19. like John the Baptist, who "came neither eating nor drinking;" that is, not as other men do, but using a very spare and peculiar diet. But Christ" came eating and drinking;" that is, using such a diet as other sober people were wont to do, and conversing freely with all sorts for their good. His malicious enemies, indeed, called him for this "a man gluttonous and a wine-biber, a friend of publicans and