be, like well enough the company of perfons that are religious; but it is not for their religious converse, but because they are affable, difcreet, learned, judicious, or have fome other fuch qualifications as thefe. If any of you fay ye love the company of religious perfons; is it for the religi on of their converfe? I fear few can fay it. And therefore few can say they are clean in this matter. I shall not undertake to discourse of all the fins of converfe: it were almost endless. Only I would, with refpect to your converfe, defire you every night to put a question or two to your own hearts, and thereby you will difcover much fin. (1.) Say, Tell me now, O my foul, what have I been doing in company? Have I bridled my tongue? Have I kept it from vain, idle and fruitlefs difcourse, this day in company with others? James i. 26. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, that man's religion is vain: and confe quently all he doth is fin. (2.) Have I endeavoured to be edifying in my discourse? Eph. iv. 29. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good, to the ufe of edifying, that it may minifter grace to the hearers. (3.) Have Ifpoken evil of no body? Tit. iii. 2. Put them in mind to speak evil of no man; for we ourselves alfo were fometimes foolish, difobedient, etc. 1 Pet. ii. 1. Wherefore, laying afide all malice, and all guile and hypocrifies, and envies, and all evil Speakings, as new-born babes defire the fincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. One that would obferve the ordinary converfe of most part of people, would be ready to think, that ei ther they never read or heard thefe laws, or that they never obferved what they heard. Look to your G 4 yourselves here, and obferve your own ways, and O what fin will appear in them! These three queftions will difcover almoft innumerable fins every day: and if one day have so many, what will many days have? Nay, how many fins in fome months or years will you be guilty of? But, 4. If we proceed to confider you as you are related to others, we will be fure to make further difcoveries of fin in your carriage. All of you ftand fome one or more ways related to others; ye are either mafters or fervants, parents or childrens, husbands or wives: now every one of these relations have peculiar duties belonging to them; and lay these who contract fuch relations, under peculiar obligations to walk according to the rules prefcribed them of God: and therefore we may and do fin, in walking contrary to thefe divine prefcriptions. We fhall not attempt to mention the particular fins you may be guilty of in your feveral relations; this were a work that would almoft be endless: therefore we fhall only pitch upon fome generals which may discover to your confciences that ye fin in all of them. (1.) I fay most of you do fin in contracting these relations. How few mafters dare fay, That in the choice of their fervants, they went to God for counfel? And how few mafters can fay, that ever they acknowleged God in the choice of their fervants? Nay, it may, when ye have been anxi oufly defirous to have good fervants, even then ye have not been at pains to confult God; not minding that gracious direction that is given by the Spirit of God, Phil. iv. 6. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and fupplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. Nay, is it not to be feared, That、 in the choice of husbands and wives, few do enquire the mind of God? Now, I am fure, if ye deal impartially with your own hearts, ye will find that here ye have finned, and have not`acknowleged God in your ways. (2.) Do ye feek direction of God, how to carry in your relations? I fear the confciences of many of you can tell, that ye never are at pains to enquire in reference to the duties called for at your hands. Moft are quick fighted enough in observing the advantages or difadvantages that redound to their temporal concerns by these relations, but have never a ferious thought of the duties called for at their hand; and therefore, herein ye may all in more or lefs find yourselves guilty. (3.) Do ye make it your aim to promote the spiritual advantage of your relations? Servants, do ye pray for your masters? Mafters, do ye pray for your fervants, that they may be acquainted with God's ways? If not, furely ye fin; for prayers are to be made for all, but in a special manner for those in whom we have fo peculiar concernment. Nay, we fear, which is yet more fad, that there are not a few hufbands and wives, parents and children, who pray not for one another. How fad is it to think, that there fhould, in thefe relations, be fo much care for the outward man, and fo little for the inward? The parent will toil himself night and day before the child want bread, and it may be fo will the child do for the parent; and yet, it may be, never one of them fpent an hour in wrestling with God a-, bout one anothers eternal falvation. Are there no confciences here this day accufing any of fins in this matter? Sure I am, there are here who have ground fufficient for accufation. 5. We fhall follow you into your closets, and there there a little enquire what ye do. (1.) Whether take ye moft time in the morning for adorning your fouls, or for adorning your bodies? I fear the foul gets the leaft part of your time: nay, it may be, fome of you will go abroad to your employments, and never bow a knee to God. Sure, here is fin enough to fink you lower than the grave. (2.) If you do pray in fecret, what leads. you to it? Is it confcience of duty? Is it custom, or fome fuch principle as this? I fear few can fay, that when they go to prayer, they do it from a fincere refpect to their duty; and therefore I fear, but few can juftify themselves as to their defign in the duty. (3.) When you do pray, is it a burden to you? Are ye foon weary of it, and glad when it is over and by hand, as it were? I fear most of your confciences can tell that it is indeed fo, that ye fay of the fervice of God, What a burden is it to you? (4.) Once more I would afk you, What good get ye by your prayers? Can ye ever fay, that you were heard? Can ye ever say, ye received grace for enabling you to the confcientious discharge of any duty? Most part, I fear, can fay no more of their prayers, but that they prayed, or rather have faid words, without any fenfe, either of the advantage of doing fo, or of the need they stand in of the things they afk of God in prayer: doth not confcience tell that it is fo with many of you? 6. And lastly, I would come a little nearer for the difcovery of your finfulness. I have a queftion or two to put to you, in reference to your thoughts. And, (1.) I ask you, What thoughts are most numerous? Whether spend ye maniest thoughts about your fouls, or about your bodies; about God or about the world; about other things that contribute nothing to your happiness, Now, we have done with you of a middle age; in what we have faid for your conviction, we have rather mentioned fuch things as are unqueftionably finful, than endeavoured to restrict ourselves to these fins that are peculiarly incident to your age. This we have willingly fhunned, because it would have obliged us to spend almoft as many fermons, as there are different ways of life to which perfons of this age do betake themselves. Before I proceed to the third fort of perfons, I fhall put a few questions to you. (1.) Though ye had been guilty of no more fins, fave these which we charged not long ago upen. children, would not these have been fufficient to have ruined you? (2.) What will then your cafe be, who have over and above all these which we have now laid to your charge, and referred to your own confciences for proof of what we have faid? (3.) When generals make you guilty of fo many fins, what will particulars do? When ye are found guilty fo many ways in your thoughts or words; for example, What will be your cafe, when you are brought to particulars? If ye may fin by fpeaking idly, by fpeaking ill of others, what will it amount to, when every particular idle word fhall 1 |