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Love of pleasure is undeniably one part of our nature: but sense of duty, and concern for lasting happiness, are as evident and much more important parts: yet we must often trample upon these, if we always follow that. Immoderate defires of present gratification, if we fuffer them to be constantly foliciting us, will frequently prevail when they ought not; and hurfy us on fuddenly, or intice us gradually, to such lengths as we never intended; possibly till our heart is totally corrupted, and the care of our conduct intirely thrown afide. Witness the many examples of difpofitions, that once promised better things, betrayed by indulgences merely indifcreet at first, into gross vices, and sometimes open diffoluteness. Now what ruins or impairs our virtue, is in proportion prejudicial to our happiness; even that present happiness, which the votaries of pleasure are puriuing. Not only reason proves this, if they would condescend to be reasoned with, but daily experience, How many have we all of us feen or heard of, who setting out with nothing worse than a thoughtless paffion for diversion and entertainment, have grievously, nay perhaps irrecoverably, injured, in a few years, some their healths or fortunes, others their characters and peace of mind; and treasured up for the remainder of their days, pain and want, remorse and shame, it may be artfully palliated, but severely felt! Think then a while, you that are young, and have pity on yourselves. Shall all this firm and vigorous strength, this affluence of circumstances, this ease of heart and openness of face, this delightful profpect of being esteemed and happy through the whole of life; shall it, merely for want of a little self-restraint, be caft away in the very entrance upon life, and exchanged for guilt and mifery, to abide with you during the rest of it? For these are the natural fruits of such neglect: and it is the weakest vanity, to hope that you shall escape better than others, unless you keep fafe upon firm ground.

Or fuppofe you come off ever so much better than you had cause to expect: still making pleasure your main business must hinder you, first from preparing for, then from attending to, the proper employments of your station: by which alone you must be great fufferers, and probably others befides you. But farther; indulging, and, by indulgence, adding force to defires of this kind, spoils and vitiates the inward frame, just as feeding too freely on meats of high relish doth the bodily appetite.

Common

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Common food quickly becomes infipid: and in a little time we are furfeited of what pleased us most. Then follow fickly longings for we scarce know what: and the conclufion is abhorring and naufeating every thing. So it is with the mind. They who must always have fomewhat extremely delicious to fill up their hours, reject as flat and tasteless a number of things, with which others are very well entertained. What they themselves were entertained with once, after a while grows cloying and as the world is not formed to afford exquisite novelties frequently, they have miferable intervals of eager wishing for delight, which if they seem now and then to obtain, their fatisfaction in them very foon deadens away to nothing. And thus they waste their days in the affectation of wonderful felicity, but in the real fuffering of most wearifome satiety and listlessiness. Human nature is not fitted to support a perpetual flutter of jollity and mirth: Which, like fpirituous liquors, may appear at the instant to raise and enliven those who use them; but, generally speaking, will foon wear them out, and fink them down into a deplorable state of languor and lowness; from which at length the most pernicious augmen tation of the dofe will scarce afford them a moment's relief.

Therefore be perfuaded to look forward a little, and attend to consequences. Let the love of pleasure importune you ever so strongly; still, how delightful foever the draught is, to swallow it can never be all, that a thirsty perfon hath to confider. It must be a much more material question, whether no mifchief will ensue. Mistake not the beginning of life for the whole. Providence in great wisdom hath furnished every period of it with proper fatisfactions 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 blessednefs 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 fuch and fach 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 elfe: how fad a figure must your youth have made! Why, just as contemptiblę ble 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 our 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 preferve yourselves from fin, to improve yourselves in goodness: eternal rewards are promised to such as thus become qualified for them; eternal punishments are threatened to thofe, who are lovers of pleasures 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 beart, and in the fight 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

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all fuch 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 leaft poffeffion of you. Be industrious to check fo abfurd 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 fee whereabouts you are; to confider 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 anfwering these questions well. And if any thing be otherwife than well, knowing it, is the only way to mend it, and that, the only way to inward peace; of which our gracious

God

2 Tim. iii, 4.

† Eccl. xi. 9.

God and Father is willing that they, who have most offended him, should on their fincere repentance and reformation immediately partake. Therefore often examine your own condition: and at fuch times also, turn off your eyes a little from the gay scenes of life; take the other parts of it into view, and confider 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 forrows, of which you amongst the rest of mankind must undergo your share: and while the appearance of things is brightest, as the wife 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 apprehenfions; 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 fuch 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 foul 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 ali his laws as kind and neceffary provisions for your temporal and eternal welfare; think of every tranfgreffion as the grossest folly, mixed with the basest ingratitude; and have Jofeph's reply in readiness for every temptation, How can I do this great wickedness, and fin 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 fentiments; and you will never repine at any needful restraints from earthly gratifications. Only preserve in your piety itself that foberness 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 be

ments

Eccl. xi. 8,

† Gen. xxxix. 9.

neficent.

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

II. A fecond instance, in which they have great need to be fober-minded, is their defire of imitating others; and doing many things in compliance with fashion, to which they would otherwife 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 reputation 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 mifplaced, 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, fuch 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 thoughtlesly by others. Be not deceived therefore by the self-fuficiency, noise and vain shew, of wretches like thefe; nor ever mistake their opinion for the sense of mankind: but be affured, many more will efteem you for right conduct, than wrong; and even the filent approbation of the wife and good will do you much more service, than the loudest applaufes

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