of the dose will scarce afford them a moment's relief.

Therefore be persuaded to look forward a little, and attend to consequences. Let the love of pleasure importune you ever so strongly; still, how delightful soever the draught is, to swallow it can never be all, that a thirsty person hath to consider. It must be a much more material question, whether no mischief will ensue. Mistake not the beginning of life for the whole. Providence in great wisdom hath furnished every period of it with proper satisfactions of its own, and proper employments for the service of the next. Youth is to prepare us for the comfortable enjoyment of manhood: manhood for that of old age: each part of our existence on earth for the blessedness of Heaven. Second the intention, pursue the direction of your gracious Maker; and be assured you will never find your account in contradicting it. You relish only such and such things at present; but provide for the feelings you will have hereafter; and, like those who are to travel through different climates, lay in for them all, what the knowing and prudent advise. Suppose in your childhood you had done whatever was then agreeable to you, and nothing else: how sad a figure must your youth have made! Why, just as contemptible and wretched will your riper age be, if you follow that rule now.

Or could you escape all inconveniences here from such behaviour; yet, as you cannot think this even a moral, much less a religious manner of life, you may be sure it must end ill hereafter. You were created, not merely to please yourselves, but to serve your fellow creatures, and honour your Maker. You have faculties given you for these purposes: you are to account for the use of them. They are

become by the fall of our first parents weak and insufficient: you have used them ill; and made your condition yet worse. A method of pardon and recovery is offered to you; but offered on terms of deep repentance, humble faith in a Redeemer, diligent care to preserve yourselves from sin, to improve yourselves in goodness: eternal rewards are promised to such as thus become qualified for them; eternal punishments are threatened to those, who are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God*. Think well of this: and run mad after them if you can. Rejoice, O young man in thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment †. Solomon doth not forbid here all use of worldly gratifications, but all such use as we cannot answer for.

Therefore allow yourselves in fit instances of pleasure, at fit seasons, to a fit degree; and enjoy them with a merry heart: but never let the thought of living to pleasure get the least possession of you. Be industrious to check so absurd and destructive an imagination, by diligent application to some proper business, and fixing a frequent return of hours devoted to retired and serious recollection. The mere composure and quiet of them will be no small advantage to you: but you will find it a much greater, to stop from time to time, and see whereabouts you are; to consider whether you are fallen into no wrong course; whether you make any progress in the right; whether any danger be near, whether you are taking the best method to avoid it. No joy on earth can exceed that of answering these questions well. And if any thing be otherwise than well, knowing it, is the only way to mend it, and + Eccl. xi. 9.

* 2 Tim. iii. 4.

that, the only way to inward peace: of which our gracious God and Father is willing that they, who have most offended him, should on their sincere repentance and reformation immediately partake. Therefore often examine your own condition; and at such times also, turn off your eyes a little from the gay scenes of life; take the other parts of it into view, and consider on the whole, what this world is. A very different place, from what those who are intoxicated with youthful warmth and sanguine expectations, for a while imagine it to be. Set therefore in your view the disappointments and perplexities, the cares and fatigues, the pains and sorrows, of which you amongst the rest of mankind must undergo your share: and while the appearance of things is brightest, as the wise king directs, remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many *. Not that you are to break your spirits or damp your activity, by melancholy prospects and apprehensions; but only to compose your hearts into a state suitable to that which you live in, and form your minds to be content with few and low enjoyments from the things around you for in such a world as this, it is certain misery to aim at high happiness.

Still prudence may secure you a good degree of comfort here: and religion will exalt it into joy. For to the pious soul light will arise out of darkness; and all the vanity and vexation of the present life give assurance to those, who go through it as they ought, that God will make them ample amends in a better. Therefore in your hours of private meditation, fail not to renew the remembrance of your Creator; think of all you enjoy as his gift; think of all his laws as kind and necessary provisions for your temporal or eternal welfare; think of every transgres

* Eccl. xi. 8.

sion as the grossest folly, mixed with the basest ingratitude; and have Joseph's reply in readiness for every temptation, How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? Fervent devotion from a pure heart is undoubtedly the most pleasing of all employments: for it is the exercise of the sweetest affections, hope and love on the worthiest of objects; a Being infinitely able, and equally attentive, to reward our attachments to him, to defend us from every real evil, to bestow on us every real good, and in due time the full enjoyment of the supreme good himself. Therefore warm but your hearts with these delightful sentiments, and you will never repine at any needful restraints from earthly gratifications. Only preserve in your piety itself that soberness of mind, which is requisite in every thing: that it may not fly out into raptures of enthusiasm, or zeal without charity; but may be uniformly rational, mild and beneficent.

This article of moderating their love of pleasure, is of such singular importance to the young, that I could not avoid enlarging upon it much more than I shall on any of the rest.

II. A second instance, in which they have great need to be sober-minded, is their desire of imitating others; and doing many things in compliance with fashion, to which they would otherwise have no inclination. Now conforming to those around us in points of indifference, is one commendable part of social behaviour. And moderately absurd customs, if they be harmless, it is very allowable, when once they become general, to follow and despise at the same time. But if you catch yourselves growing really fond of such things, running to the utmost lengths of them, and building to yourselves a kind of repu* Genesis xxxix, 9.

tation upon them; then it is high time to stop, indeed to retreat. For attending to trifles will take off, in proportion, your attention to matters of moment: and if your esteem be misplaced, your lives will be misled. But, above all, beware of yielding, where it may more immediately endanger your innocence; beware of that indifference to religion and religious duties, which of late hath appeared so peculiarly infectious; beware of being led insensibly into such a turn of talk and behaviour, such methods of employing your thoughts and your time, however polite they are accounted, as may weaken your regard to the principles of virtue. Always examine the rules of custom by those of God's word, of reason and experience; and where you have cause to distrust your own judgment, adhere to that of prudent friends, if need were, against the world. But indeed it is generally a small part of the world, a few forward empty people, that make the high vogue in every thing, and are followed thoughtlessly by others. Be not deceived therefore by the self-sufficiency, noise and vain shew, of wretches like these; nor ever mistake their opinion for the sense of mankind: but be assured, many more will esteem you for right conduct, than wrong; and even the silent approbation of the wise and good will do you much more service, than the loudest applauses of the inconsiderate and the libertine. You may be afraid perhaps of the censure or ridicule of the latter: but only take care to be pious and regular without ostentation or sourness, and by acquiring as far as you can, every laudable accomplishment, to make amends for wanting that of being wicked; and there will be no small doubt of your receiving much better quarter from such than they commonly give one another. At least, if you cannot prevent their scorn, surely you may stand