THUS you have feen on one hand, whom you will certainly please by being fober-minded; and on the other hand, whom you will, or may poffibly gratify by the contrary. By it you will pleafe God, your Maker and compaffionate Father; the Lord Jefus Chrift, who laid down his life for you; the good fpirit of God, which is ftriving with you; the holy angels, who are daily miniftring unto you; the noble army of martyrs, and all the faints in heaven, who long to hail your arrival there; your parents, and many other wife and good men on earth, who fincerely wish well to you. But then, on the other hand, you will not hereby gratify, but displease the god of this world, the devil and his angels, who feck your deftruction; and, perhaps, the wicked already in a state of torment; as well as a few profligate, abandon'd rakes of both Jexes, on earth;-fome of the most foolish, wicked and infamous of the human race, who may either defire you as their affociates in vice and folly, or might confider your repentance and reformation as a tacit reproof of their impiety, impudence, and profligate lives. This, I think, is fumming up the prefent argument fairly and impartially: Nor will I call in question the goodness of your understandings fo much, my young brethren, as to fuppofe it possible for you to doubt in any degree, whether it becomes you to gratify the former or the latter. of them you must needs please, and displease the other: You cannot gratify both. It therefore only remains for you to make your choice!

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XII. IF

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XII. IF you should continue in the practice of vice, folly and wickedness, one principal end of Chrift's coming into the world;-of his teaching, life and death, will, as to you, be intirely fruftrated. The important end which I have here in view, is your recovery to a found mind; your deliverance from your natural darkness and depravity, your lufts, and finful practices; by being brought to the knowledge, love and practice of true virtue, godlinefs, and all good works. That this was a principal end of Chrift's mediation, is very clearly and forcibly declared in the fame chapter with my text, as an argument for fobriety and good works. "For the grace of God that bringeth falvation to all men, [fo it might be rendered] hath appeared; teaching us that, denying ungodliness, and worldly lufts, we should live foberly, righteously and godly in this present world." And again afterwards; "Who gave himself for us, "that he might redeem us from all iniquity, "and purify unto himself a peculiar people, " zealous of good works." Now what do these expreffions imply, either more or less than this, That one great defign of Chrift's mediation, and of the grace of God appearing in the gofpel, was, that we might be fober-minded in that comprehenfive fenfe, in which these terms were explained in fome preceeding discourses? The whole evangelical history, wherein we have an account of our Lord's doctrine, example and precepts; and all the apoftolical writings in general, are a clear, inconteftible proof of the

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fame

fame thing. And does it not from hence' as plainly appear, that if you continue to live unfoberly, unrighteously and ungodly in the world, you will thereby counteract and defeat one principal end of Chrift's manifeftation in the flesh? Let me add, that if this defign of his mediation is fruftrated as to you, it will be in vain for you to expect, that the other important ends thereof will be anfwered; fuch as, your being pardoned and justified, and being finally happy in the kingdom of heaven. For without that repentance and faith, which are the principle and beginning of a fober, righteous and godly life, there is no forgiveness of fins, no juftification with God, no title to future glory, honor and immortality.

IF you pay any regard at all to the chriftian revelation,as I prefume you do, you cannot, furely, but be in fome measure concerned, that the design of Chrift's mediation in general, and particularly this effential and important part thereof, may be answered as to yourselves. One would think, you must be greatly fhocked at the thought of its being fruftrated by your perfevering in the ways of vice and folly; as tho' the Son and grace of God had never appeared, bringing falvation to all that will thankfully accept of it. What! did the Son of God, the brightness of his glory, and" in whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily;" did the Son of God, I say, give himself for you, that he might redeem

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deem you from all iniquity,-from the power, as well as the guilt of fin; and will you, notwithstanding this, live in the practice of fin, of ungodlinefs and worldly lufts! Hath fuch grace appeared, and has the Lord from heaven preached and died, that he might purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works; and will you still do the works of darknefs, the works of the devil, thofe evil works which God abhorreth! I am aftonifhed, and even tremble, as you may well do, to think of your thus counteracting the defign of the glorious gofpel. What the confequence of this will be, may appear more particularly in my next difcourfe. In the mean time, let me exhort you feriously to confider of the matter; and to bear in mind thofe words of the apoftle, with which I conclude for the prefent "Therefore we

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ought to give the more earneft heed to the things which we have heard, left at any "time we fhould let them flip. For if the "word spoken by angels was stedfast, and

every tranfgreffion and difobedience re“ceived a juft recompence of reward: How "fhall we escape if we neglect fo great fal"vation, which at the firft began to be fpo"ken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto έσ us by them that heard him; God alfo bearing them witnefs, both with figns and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of "the Holy Ghoft, according to his own will?

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Heb. II. 1,

4.

SERMON

SERMON VIII.

Young Men exhorted to Sobriety by fome other Confiderations, viz. (13.) Of an happy Death, and (14.) Of eternal Life, as the confequence thereof. (15.) Of the miferable Death of the wicked. And (16.) Of their Punishment in the World to come. The extreme Folly and Danger of delaying to be fober-minded. Miscellaneous Counfels and Warnings to young Men: And the whole concluded with a Prayer more particularly for them and the Author.

TITUS II. 6.

YOUNG MEN likewife exhort to be foberminded.

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HE firft difcourfe upon this fubject was taken up with fome introductory obfervations. In the fecond and third, the nature of chriftian fc briety was diftinctly explained.

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