Puslapio vaizdai
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applauses of the inconfiderate and the libertine. You may be afraid perhaps of the cenfure or ridicule of the latter but only take care to be pious and regular without oftentation or fournefs, and by acquiring, as far as you can, every laudable, accomplishment, to make amends for wanting that of being wicked; and there will be small doubt of your receiving much better quarter from fuch, than they commonly give one another. At least, if you cannot prevent their scorn, farely you may stand against it, and defpife it: or, if your mind be too tender for that, as in some young people it is, you have another remedy, as obvious and eafy as it is neceffary; keep out of the way of hearing it. Allow the most agreeable perfons, that would weaken your fenfe of duty, as little familiarity with you as ever you can: and ftrengthen yourselves in goodness continually, by the example, the countenance, the encouragement, the advice, of ferious and difcreet and amiable companions.

3. A third thing which due fobriety of mind requires, ef pecially of the young, is to avoid affectation: pretending, and endeavouring without caufe, to be what they are not, and to like or dislike what they naturally do not. While any thing continues in fashion, they, beyond others, are hurried away by a strange defire of appearing much fonder of it, not only than there is ground to be, (which belongs to the laft head) but than they really are: and often behave fillily, and fometimes wickedly, to exprefs their paffion for things, which at the bottom they have none for; at least hardly any other, than what they took up, merely because they thought it looked well; and can eafily lay down again at the fhortest warning, as experience shews, and be just as highly delighted with any thing else. Now plainly fuch as thefe proftitute their fhare of good sense to whatever happens to be the reigning folly. And there are too many others, who, though perhaps very zealous against thefe public affectations, have there private ones, to which they allow full scope. I am fenfible, that matters of this nature may seem beneath the notice of this place: but nothing is fo, which produces real evils in life. It is very true, in young minds, as in warm and light foils, numbers of weeds will fpring up. But if they are nurfed and cherished, instead of being rooted out, they will exhauft the ground, and choak the good feed. Therefore examine whatever you perceive within you, rather with the greater care for its being of your own growth and never VOL. I. tolerate

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tolerate ftrong fancies with weak reasons for them. Do not imagine things graceful, or important, or proper, without knowing why or that you can ever make them fo, if they are not fo or that any way whatever, of thinking, behaving, or appearing, is in the least the better for your adopting it. Some perhaps may for a while, injudiciously or artfully, applaud your peculiarities: they may procure you much notice, and feemingly of a favourable kind; but this will never end well. You will get a wrong bias, and lose the true notion of the value of things; will lay yourfelves open to the defigns of the crafty, fall into contempt with the difcerning, and by degrees with every one. Youth indeed hath advantages, which may partly conceal, partly excufe, these abfurdities: but then they will fix upon you, and remain with you, after every thing that can palliate them is gone. You will have put on a character, under a falfe notion of its becoming you, and not know how to lay it afide, even when it mifbecomes you moft notoriously. And if all affectation be thus bad, how dreadful is that monftrous affectation of profanenefs 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 blameless conduct, though it will not raise fo early or fo great a talk about you, will, fooner or later, diftinguish you to your advantage, which nothing elfe can: or however the world may overlook you at prefent, God will do you abundant honour hereafter. Whatfoever thou takeft in hand, remember the end, and thou shalt never do amifs *.

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 express in his own words: Not to think of themselves more highly than they ought to think, but to think foberly. Livelinefs and want of experience peculiarly difpofe them to err in this point; and the fuperficial education, the difregard to all authority, human or divine, and the liberty and the practice of faying and doing what every one pleafes, 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 wor thieft

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thieft behaviour; admire trifles, follies, and fins, as diftinctions and excellencies: claim a high merit for accomplishments of which they have little or no share; imagine themselves totally free from defects that are most glaringly visible in them; pity and scorn those whom they have more cause to envy: and thus judging falfly, in the most dangerous manner, of things and perfons, others and themselves, are utterly misled in the main concerns of life. Yet they fail not to fee, but take a pride in obferving, from time to time, that this is the cafe of fuch and fuch of their acquaintance: now, would they but reflect, that may be their own too, it would be no inconfiderable step towards a cure. It must 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 esteem of wile men, and the 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 all adventures. Moft people indeed fhould 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, perfecly 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 least hesitation beforehand, or the least doubt afterwards, perhaps directly contrary to what the ablest perfons in all ages have done; and hold every one in utter contempt, that can poffibly be of another opinion; this is furely an aftonishing want of fobriety of mind. At least be a little modeft, till you can truly fay, that you have confidered and inquired with fome care for afterwards, in all likelihood, you will be fo of courfe. Efpecially be modeft, in proportion. as any point is of confequence, and out of your reach. For instance, in religion. The duties of it are plain, and plainly reafonable. So are the doctrines too, as far as we can understand them, and judge of them: but we can understand and

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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 fuch 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 must seem 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 those 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 they not rather learn to fufpect, that they have not a fufficient acquaintance with the subject? For what will become of good sense 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 most part, to early mifery here, and hardens them beyond all things against that penitent conviction, which alone can prevent their misery 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 darknefs. Wo unto them that are wife in their own eyes, and prudent in their own fight. Therefore, as the fire devoureth the Stubble, and the flame confumeth the chaff: fo their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom go up as the duft; because they have caft away the law of the Lord of Hofts, and defpifed the word of the Holy One of Ifrael *.

Ifa. v. 20, 21, 24.

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SERMON XIV.

THE DUTIES OF THE YOUNG.

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TIT. ii. 6.

Young men likewife exhort to be fober-minded.

IN difcourfing on these words, I have already mentioned four

particulars, in respect of which it is peculiarly neceffary for young perfons to preferve fobriety of mind, and exercife a watchful government over themselves: their natural gaiety and love of pleasure, their fondness for imitating the customs and fashions of the world at fome times, their proneness to affectation and wrong fingularities at others, and their almost univerfal inclination to entertain too high an opinion of their own advantages, accomplishments, and abilities. Were this opinion to go no farther than their own breasts, it would be a great fault, and have very bad effects: but when it is fhewn to others, and even demands their notice, the cafe becomes much worse. And therefore an additional indispensable duty, comprehended under the character of fober-minded, is

5. That how well foever they may apprehend they fee caufe to think of themselves, they should behave with humility towards those with whom they have any intercourfe: and remember that, in young people above all, modesty is exceedingly graceful, and a remarkable want of it fhocking. It is not meant that they should be frighted, confused, and disconcerted in what they fay or do before strangers and fuperiors: this would be a weakness; though, when it doth not go very far, an amiable one. Much less is it meant to enjoin fo ftrict a filence or referve, as may bring the goodness of their underftandings or tempers in queftion: but only, that their words, looks, and actions fhould exprefs a consciousness of what is

very

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