may not affect us fo fenfibly, nor can be SERM. fuch conftant remembrancers to us of our XII. duty, as the lefs celebrated inftances of piety and virtue in our own familiar acquaintances: Their good converfation every day upbraideth our faults; and befides their words, which it may be expected will convey inftruction to us, and tend to recommend religion, and be, as the apoftle faith, fuch as may be to the use of edifying, and minifter grace to the bearers: Befides this, I fay, their practice itself is a friendly admonition to walk, as they do, circumfpectly, blamelefs, and harmless, in the midst of a perverse generation.

Thus the advantage of walking with wife men is very evident, in order to our becoming wife and virtuous; as on the other hand, the pernicious tendency of chufing the company of fools, will appear to any one who confidereth it. As the good works of fincere christians fhining before men, induce them to glorify God, to acknowledge the reality of religion, and fo fall into the practice of it; the evil works of bad men, efpecially who make a religious profeffion, have the directly oppofite tendency, namely, to perfuade careless unattentive men, that virtue is but an empty fhadow, for which it is not X 4

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SER M. reasonable to forego what they think the XII. substantial, that is, the fenfual enjoyments of life; and that a vicious is more eligible How many are

than a religious course.

there who have at firft fome good fentiments, and feeble virtuous inclinations, who ftartle at ill actions, and are afraid to venture upon them, and yet by feeing the wicked practices of others, which by degrees become familiar to them, they overcome their fears, and at laft get an impious courage to commit the greatest iniquities? Thus it is that mifled finners haften to their ruin, and being the companions of fools are deftroyed.

I fhall now, in conclufion, make fome practical reflections on what hath been said, And, firft, we may obferve that wife, that is, virtuous and good men, are a great blef fing to the world, though they are frequently despised in it; their condition often expofeth them to neglect and contempt, because they are poor; thus Solomon obferveth, Eccl. ix. 16. The poor man's wisdom is defpifed, and his words are not heard; their virtue itself is hated by the ungodly, because it galleth them by condemning their own follies ; and yet really they are the most useful to mankind. It is on their account providence regardeth the places where they live,

overspread with wickedness; and God de- SERM, ferreth his anger, fo that tranfgreffors are XII. not cut off. But especially, because by their good lives they are the most effectual preachers of righteousness, and continually folicit • men to reform. If religion be the greatest good to the world if it did generally obtain, then they who, especially, and in the most effectual manner, promote it, are the most beneficial to mankind; and ftill it is to be hoped, that when providence continueth fuch means of reformation, it is with a gracious defign to make them fuccessful, and do fome great good by them; but, indeed, when they are taken it is a fatal progaway, noftic. The holy Pfalmift, therefore, regretteth this as a most deplorable case, which none could remedy but God himself, Pfal. xii. 1. Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, the faithful fail from among the children of men: And it may well be feared that it hath a dismal portendency of worse times, if such persons are taken away; Ifa. lvii. 1. The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to beart, and merciful men are taken away, none confidering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. But when vile men are exalted, when they grow in power

SERM. and influence, the world then groweth quickXII. ly worse, and all things tend to ruin: For,

2dly, I infer that bad men are not only useless to the greatest purposes of life, but mischievous in fociety. There cannot be a character more juftly abhorred by mankind, than that of a person who is publickly hurtful; our benevolence to fociety, to one's country, or other communities, fill the heart with indignation against him, as those excellent principles claim a peculiar esteem for the good patriot, and the lover of mankind. Now, certainly, he is a public nuisance, who by an open profligate life, debaucheth the world as far as he can, and draweth multitudes with him to ruin; and the more exalted his station, and confequently, the greater his influence is, ftill he is the more pernicious. Outward appearances dazzle the multitude; magnificent titles, a fplendid equipage, and fuch like glaring things, procure a great deal of respect; but strip him of thofe falfe ornaments, and what a poor character, how despicable, nay, a common peft, is a wicked great man, hasting to his own destruction, and hurrying thoufands along with him? And let this be applied by others of foolish and irregular lives, the influence of whofe example is propor

tionably

tionably hurtful in leffer affociations. How SERM. deeply should it affect the hearts of finners, XII. that instead of being serviceable, they have been mischievous to families and other fo

cieties in which they were joined, especially those in fuperior relations, whose instructions and good examples might be very profitable? How many parents, and others in stations of authority, who by living well, and by care in the management of children, and fuch as are committed to their trust and inspection, might be the happy inftruments of forming them to virtue, on the contrary lead them headlong to all manner of wickedness, and to deftruction at laft? I will only add, in the

Laft place, That we ought to be very careful in the choice of our friends and intimate companions. Friendship is certainly one of the greatest and noblest pleasures of life; they who are utter ftrangers to it have, indeed, but a low tafte of life, and have not experienced its best enjoyments: But it is not every kind of familiarity among men, that is worthy the facred name of friendfhip; when it is abufed to mean and unworthy purposes, or is founded on selfish corrupt affections and paffions, it is then not only vicious, but humourfome, precarious,

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