is written, could not forbear inferting it in words so nearly the fame, that there can be no doubt from whom the thought was borrowed. Let us therefore, faith he, communicate of our fubin Stance to all men, but more freely to thofe of good minds *. And certainly nothing can be more judicious t. Every kind of diftinction ought to have a proportionable regard fhewn it: and therefore the highest and most honourable ought to have the greateft. The private prudence of acting thus, though a felfish reafon, deferves mention: that whoever affifts a worthy perfon, may be fure to have the favour gratefully received; and as far as poffible, repaid; whereas on others there is no dependance. When thou wilt do good, faith the fon of Sirach, know to whom thou doeft it: So fhalt thou be thanked for thy benefits. Do good to the godly man, and thou shalt find a recompence: and if not from him, yet from the Moft High‡. For God, who, to speak in the language of St. Paul, is the faviour, the preserver and benefactor, of all men, but especially of those that believe §, expects us to imitate him, not only in the universality. of his beneficence, but in the peculiar notice, which he takes of the fittest objects of it. And accordingly we find, that this was the deliberate folemn refolution of the pfalmift. O my foul, bou haft faid unto the Lord, thou art my God. ness extendeth not to thee: but to the faints that are in the earth ; even to thofe, who excel in virtue; in whom is all my delight ¶. My good It is one of the oldest complaints in the world, that no fufficient difference is made between the good and bad in the dif tribution of happiness. And though it belongs only to the great judge of all to remedy this evil completely, as he will at the last day, yet we should every one contribute our utmost to leffen * Κοινωνητέον ουν των χρημάτων άπασιν ανθρωποις αλλα τοις μεν επιεικέσιν ελευθεριώτερον τοις δε απόροις και πένησιν, ὅσον επαρκέσαι τη χρει α. p. 290. Ed. Spanh. Though I may feem opposed to arogos, and there. fore to fignify what fometimes honefti doth in Latin, and the better. fort in English; yet I find not, that it hath that fenfe. And Julian, a lit tle before, faith we muft not negle&t της πενητας, αλλως τε όταν ή επιεικείς TIVES TUŻWOL TOV Ttgozov. And Arift. Rhet. 1. 1. c. 2. §. 3. ufes exteixns for a good man, and xxx for a worthy character. + Donabit (fapiens) aut bonis, aut eis quos facere poterit bonos. Donabit cum fummo confilio, digniffimos eligens. Sen. de vita beat. c. 2 where, and c. 24. fee more. Ecclus xii. 1, 2. ŞI Tim. iv. 10, ¶ Pfal. xvi. 22 3a leffen it in the mean time. Not only the intereft of religion requires it of us, but that of mankind; who will always be miferable in proportion as they are wicked: and it is encouraging wickednefs, not to encourage virtue. This neglect, in those who have power and influence, produces unspeakable mifchief: and in all ranks downwards, it must be of far greater confequence, than is generally apprehended, to lay hold on every opportunity of fhewing, that we refpect and will befriend worthy characters, and think no obligation fuperior to that of fupporting piety and morals in this manner. chief claims, that can be The more of them unite Thus I have gone through the made to our regard in doing good. in one perfon, the ftronger his plea becomes: and if, at any time, being divided between feveral, they make the rule of our conduct feem dubious; let us only take care to preferve an impartial defire of acting rightly, and we shall make few, if any, mistakes of great importance. The integrity of the upright fall guide them: and the righteousness of the perfect shall direct bis way * Moft of our difficulties about the best forts, and fittest objects, and requifite proportions of beneficence, arife, it may be feared, not fo often from real ignorance or doubt, as from unwillingnefs. Let us all therefore endeavour first to conquer that, by reflecting seriously on the many and strong motives, that urge us to do good and to communicate+: let us form our minds, with the most affiduous care, to a temper of univerfal benevolence and love, not to be exercised now and then only, on extraordinary and diftant occafions, but to animate the whole of our behaviour to each other. To the exacteft vigilance over ourselves, let us join our most ardent prayers to God, that his Holy Spirit, for the fake of his bleffed Son, may quicken, reftrain, direct us; and then let us chearfully go on our way: where the cafe is plain, follow the dictates of an honest heart without hefitation; where it feems perplexed, judge as well as we can, without fcruple or terror. For we ferve a moft gracious master and fo long as we serve him with a fincerely right intention, we fhall probably feldom err from our duty; and certainly never fail of our reward. * Prov. xi. 3, 5. † Heb. xiii. 16. SER. SERMON · XIII. THE DUTIES OF THE YOUNG. TIT. ii. 6. Young men likewife exhort to be fober-minded. INSTRUCTING men to remember their Creator in the days of their youth*, is laying in their hearts the only foundation of every thing good and happy: but the work is far from being compleated, when the foundation is laid. Not only the general duties of life are to be built upon it; but the particu lar duties of every one's condition in life: for thefe of all others, we are most concerned, and yet often leaft willing, to know and attend to. They should therefore be drawn out, and laid before us as minutely as they well can: and each be called upon to ftudy those more especially, which he is more especially obliged to practife. Now as the several tempers, ranks, and employments of men, and the feveral relations they ftand in to each other, fo their several ages also, lay them under peculiar obligations: for which reason St. Peter and St. John in their epiftles addrefs themfelves to younger persons, and to elder separately; and St. Paul in this epiftle dire&s Titus to do the fame thing. But though both have much need of admonition, yet the young plainly need it moft; as they are juft entering into the world, with little knowledge, lefs experience, and yet fcarcely ever any diftruft; with lively fpirits and warm paffions to mislead them, and time to go a great way wrong, if they do not go right. In the fpring-fcafon of life, ef pecially as it advances towards fummer, whatever the foil produces, (and the human heart is fruitful of evil) fhoots out fo faft, that a few days neglect of weeding and pruning, occafions a vifible alteration for the worfe. And therefore the utmost VOL. I. S care * Eccl. xii. Is care should be taken then, to keep all in good order, by the continual exercife of that fobriety of mind, that confiderate selfgovernment, which the apoftle prefcribes indeed to every one, but which they who principally want it, ought to understand as principally prefcribed to them. It is true, in this verse he mentions only young men: but in the preceding he had given the fame rule for young women: and accordingly I shall speak to both, without distinction, in two difcourfes on this subject. I. The first and chief thing, in which young people are concerned to fhew fobriety of mind, is moderating their natural fondnefs for pleafure; and the two forts of pleasure, from which they are in danger, are fenfual gratifications, and gay amufements. As to the former, St. Paul hath directed that fornication and all uncleannefs be not once named among ft* Chriftians. And the lefs they are named, even to caution againft them, the better: provided it be well understood and confidered, that they not only fill the lives of thofe who are guilty of them, and of others, with a variety of temporal fufferings, too commonly experienced; but fatally indifpofe them to the love of God and virtue, and difqualify them for the fpiritual happiness of the world to come. Therefore, dearly beloved, I befeech you, as Strangers and pilgrims, whose chief intereft lies not here, but in another state, abftain from fleshly lufts, which war againft the foult. All ranks, both fexes, how ftrangely foever multitudes of one fccm to forget it, are equally bound by this reftraint bound to avoid every thing likely to misguide their conduct, or to inflame their defires; and to employ their thoughts fo conftantly on what is good or lawful, as to exclude from them what is bad. For by fuch care, early taken, the prefervation of their innocence will be eafy: which, for want of it, is fally imagined impoffible. Thus then, to fpeak in the words of our apoftle, Let every one know how to poffefs bis vefel in fanctification and honour, not in the luft of corcupifcence, even as the Gentiles, which know not God. that end, Let every one, as Solomon advises, keep his heart with all diligence: for out of it are the iffues of life §. Together with the fins of this kind, thofe of intemperance And to in drinking, or even eating, which are clofely connected with them, ought to be carefully fhunned, as peculiarly oppofite to the character of fober-minded, by young people; who of all others have the leaft need of fuch indulgences, and are the moft hurt by them; fubjected to painful and dangerous difeases; exposed to early diftrefs in their circumftances; and befides, for the most part, either funk into ftupidity and infignificance, or raised into wildness and madnefs, frequently followed by proportionable dejection and melancholy. Therefore, instead of such excefs, they muft, as St. Paul farther directs, keep under the body and bring it into fubjection *; not by hurtful or fanciful aufterities, but by rational felf-denial: remembering, that even in common exercises and contefts of strength and activity, every man, that friveth for the mastery, is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. This and every passage of fcripture, which admonishes to flee youthful lufts ‡, they muft frequently read and recollect and pray over, as the most powerful means to fecurè, and if they fall, to recover themselves. For wherewithal fhall a young man cleanfe his way? even by ruling himself after thy word §. The other fort of pleasures, especially dangerous to young people, are gay amufements. Undoubtedly cheerfulness is as innocent, as it is amiable: it may and should be expreffed by thofe that have it, and allowed and encouraged by those who have it not for it both gives delight, and doth good. The difpofition to it was unquestionably planted in us by our Maker, with intent that it should be gratified: and youth is plainly the natural season for it. But ftill, all this by no means exempts it from difcipline and government. Suppofe a conftitution or a temper by nature warm and cholerick fhould be industriously or negligently farther heated, inftead of being watched and moderated, what would be the confequence? Suppofe that gravity and warinefs, which is as natural to old age as gaiety to youth, fhould for that reafon be carried on to its utmolt extent; plainly that would be wrong; furely then the contrary extreme is equally wrong. And indeed if we confider the make and circumftances of man, we fhall foon difcover many motives for keeping a strict hand upon our inclinations to all the feveral things which I have just mentioned. S 2 1 Cor. ix, 27. † v. 25. ‡ 2 Tim. ii, 22. $ PL. cxix. 9. Love |