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thofe finful exceffes and irregularities, both in principle and practice, which stand in oppofition to chriftian fobriety. An ugly, deformed picture, fet by the fide of a fair and beautiful one, ferves. as a foil thereto; making its beauty the more confpicuous, and recommending it to the best advantage. It is therefore hoped that what has been faid of irreligion, folly and vice, in this and my laft difcourfe, will ferve to illuftrate and recommend to you that pure and undefiled religion, which was explained to you in fome preceeding ones. If any of you have unhappily, heretofore, preferred vice to virtue, and impiety to godlinefs; it was doubtlefs, in part at leaft, because you did not clearly difcern the real beauty of the one, and the deformity of the other. I have endeavoured to place them both in fuch a light, that you can hardly help doing unless the god of this world has fadly blinded your eyes, left the light of the glorious gofpel fhould appear to them. May He that at first faid, "Let there be light;" and at whose word it" fhined out of darknefs, fhine into all your hearts, to give you the knowledge of his glory, in the face of Jefus Chrift !"

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I HAVE endeavoured faithfully, and in the plaineft manner, by God's bleffing concurring, to lead you to the knowledge and love of the truth, free from all human inventions, refinements, and commandments of men, whatsoever; in humble imitation of the holy apostle, who faid,—“Seeing we have received this miniftry-we faint not: "But have renounced the hidden things of dif honesty,

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honesty, not walking in craftinefs, nor hand"ling the word of God deceitfully; but by manis "festation of the truth commending ourselves

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to every man's confcience in the fight of God."+ If you are convinced in your own confciences, as I doubt not but you are, that I have been recommending to you nothing but fober truth, and fober religion: If you are also perfwaded, that I have been warning you against nothing but what is contrary to found doctrine, and to christian sobriety, from a fincere defire of your eternal happiness; then take heed how you reject thefe friendly counfels and warnings. For in fuch a cafe," he that defpifeth, defpifeth not man, but God.”—If you are wife, you will be wife for yourselves; but if you scorn, you alone fhall bear it!"

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How you have lived in times paft, is best known to God and to yourselves. If I certainly knew that of you had been often and grofly guilty of any of the crimes, which have been cenfured in this and the foregoing discourse, as I do not; yet you may be affured, that I am fo tenderly concerned for your reputation in this world, as well as for your happiness in the next, that I fhould not, without the greatest reluctance, fpeak of it by way of reproof and rebuke, in this public manner. However, if any of you are confcious to yourselves, that you have not hitherto walked according to the laws of christian sobriety; I must admonish you to repent of all your violations of them; and to bring forth fruits

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meet for repentance, by forfaking your past fins, and living foberly, righteoufly and godly for the time to come; that fo you may ftand acquitted in the great day, instead of being “condemned with the world."

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LET me, on the other hand, exhort those of you that are already fober-minded, to persevere in well-doing; to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift; and to perfect holiness in the fear of God-" Finally, "brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatfoever things are honeft, whatsoever things are juft, whatsoever things are pure, whatfoever things are lovely, whatfoever things are of "good report; if there be any virtue, if there "be any praise, think of thefe things. Thofe 66 things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard-do; and the God of peace "fhall be with you."†

+ Eph. Chap. IV.

SERMON VI.

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SERMON VI.

Young Men exhorted to Sobriety by vari ous Confiderations, viz. (r.) Of the Reasonableness thereof. (2.) Of their religious Education. (3.) Of the constant Goodness of God to them. (4.) Of his corrective Vifitations. (5.) Of their Vows and good Refolutions in Times of Trouble. (6.) Of the inward Peace attending Sobriety. (7.) Of the Efteem and Honor which it procures.

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TITUS II. 6.

YOUNG MEN likewife exhort to be fober

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minded.

Y young brethren, in the firft difcourfe upon this fubject, a variety of obfervations were made upon the text, by way

of introduction to the main defign.

In the two next discourses, the nature of chriftian fobriety was fomewhat diftinctly explained, and curforily recommended to you.

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In the two laft difcourfes, fome of the many fins, follies and criminal exceffes which are contrary to fobriety, were particularly mentioned to you; from all which you were warned to abftain.

I HAVE fpoken of nothing as a truth to be believed, or a duty to be practifed by you, as a branch of this fobriety, without affigning fome reafon or reafons for it, how briefly foever. Neither, on the other hand, has any thing been mentioned as repugnant to fobriety, without offering fomething to your confideration, by way of diffwafive from it. So that I have, in effect, been exhorting you to be fober-minded, while my profeffed defign was rather only to explain what is intended thereby, and to fhew you what is inconfiftent therewith. But it has been my intention all along, by the will of God,

THIRDLY, More largely and diftinctly to exhort you to this fobriety of mind, and to diffwade you from the contrary.

I SHALL, accordingly, now proceed to this branch of my defign, by laying before you fuch confiderations and arguments of various kinds, as may be effectual to perfwade you to be foberminded, by the bleffing of God concurring; or elfe, if they are difregarded, will leave you the more inexcufeable. Which I pray God, may not be the cafe with any of you: Though if it should, it will be nothing that is unusual;—nothing but what often happened of old, under the preaching of the apoftles themselves, who were fo eminently faithful to God, and to the fouls of men. Confcious of this fidelity, they left the event, the Juccefs

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