ence; embraces every occafion; lays hold of every opportunity; who marks down every accident and occurrence by which his neigh. bour rofe to profperity, and carefully avoids thofe fhoals and quickfands on which the fortunes of others have been fhipwrecked.

Who is it that becomes great and powerful? -The man who watches the motions, and knows the folds and windings of the human heart; whofe eye can trace the infirmities; whofe understanding can dive into the thoughts of others; who is always vigilant, active, and induftrious.

And what then is the fource of all his fuccefs? who are his great guides to power and fplendour but vigilance and alacrity?

Thus ufeful, and thus falutary, is the advice of the Apostle in the common concerns of life. Let us examine then, whether that industry, which is fo ufeful in our temporal and worldly affairs, may not be ftill more fo in regard to what is of infinitely more importance and concern, our eternal happiness. Whether the same methods which men make ufe of to become wife, rich, and powerful, would not alfo enable them to become what is infinitely better, -wife, and good. Whether that vigilance which enfures pleasure and profperity, might · not enfure to us the far nobler poffeffions of wisdom and virtue.

That industry, which for the most part doth but contribute to make us the flaves of fin, might, if rightly applied, fecure our freedom from it, and half the pains which men take to

become

become guilty, would be more than fufficient to keep them innocent.

Let us not then, my brethren, fleep as do others. And firft, I think, we fhould be extremely vigilant and careful with regard to the ufe we make of our time.

2dly, We fhould be vigilant and careful with regard to the connections and friendships we

enter into.

us,

And in regard to the employment of our time, it will become us to confider, time is a precious talent, intrufted to our care; God will certainly one day call upon and demand of in what manner we have employed it; he did not give it us, that we might fquander it away in trifling amufements, in a round of fashionable follies, but that we should lay it out in the improvement of our faculties, in purchasing the knowledge of his laws, and in the conftant and steady execution of his commandments. Our glafs runs, as it were, but for an hour, and we should be careful to watch every grain of fand.

Let not the force of bad example, therefore, warp us from our duty; let us be awake to all the offices of humanity, all the acts of devotion, all the functions of our profeffion and calling; not liftlefs, indolent, and inactive, but like the divine Being, active and beneficent, employing our time in fomething ferviceable to man, or expreffive of our reliance on, and gratitude towards God.

When we confider the defpotic power of cuftom, and the extenfive influence of example,

we

we are no longer at a lofs to account for the multitude of those who wander in the maze of crror, or tread the deceitful paths of guilt and mifery; fo eafily are we induced to follow the steps of thofe whom we value and efteem; fo willing are we rather to be mifled by others, than take the pains ourfelves to find out the right way, that we may perhaps even venture to affert, that where one man goes wrong by choice, hundreds do it from example, and thoufands from indolence. To be carried on our journey by our friends, is a much pleasanter way of travelling than to take the reins into our own hands; and to drive down the stream is much ealier than to ftem the torrent.

Be fober therefore, be vigilant-Let us not fleep as do others, but watch and be fober; our adverfary, the devil, goeth about feeking whom he may devour; he need not indeed feek long, for we are ready enough to meet him half way; our weakness, however, doth not in the leaft abate or leffen his vigilance; he is perpetually foliciting our paffions with every thing that can pleafe and indulge them, fetting before us temptations of every kind, finding out and foothing the ruling appetite, and, in fhort, omitting no artifice to delude and betray us.

Such is our hard lot in this world, that all evil is in its nature pregnant and fertile, and the little good we have to boaft of amongst us barren and unfruitful. Health is fingle, it doth not impart itself to others, or diffuse its fweets: whilft, on the other hand, plagues, diftempers, and difeafes, are dangerous, from the infec

tion they carry with them; they spread their contagion on every fide, and multiply the mif. fortunes and forrows of mankind: and thus it is too in regard to virtue and vice. With what rapidity does error, when once propagated, fpread itself through all ranks and degrees of men! how do corruption and iniquity, when they have once crept into fociety, contaminate the whole mass of the people, and convey their poifon into every limb! The eye of malevolence is fharp and piercing, fpies out the blemishes of a character with wonderful acuteness and fagacity, whilft, what we generally term good nature, can fcarce ever, or if ever, with the utmost difficulty, difcover and distinguish any of those few perfections which human nature is capable of attaining.

Falfehood will fly, as it were, on the wings of the wind, and carry its tales to every corner of the earth; whilft truth lags behind; her fteps, though fure, are flow and folemn, and she has neither vigour nor activity enough to pursue and overtake her enemy.-Vice, to fay the truth, that mean and fervile thing, which has no right to command, no authority to direct, doth by mere dint of induftry and vigilance prefide over and direct; whilft virtuc, which should be the pilot, tamely refigns her power, fleeps at the helm, and leaves the fhattered veffel to the mercy of the form.

Mark the industry, and obferve the pains which the profligate and licentious man will take to draw over the good and virtuous to his party, to make him the companion of his fol

G g

lies,

lies, and lead him into a participation of his guilt.

Obferve the free-thinker and the infidel, with what warmth he expreffes himself, with what vehemence he exclaims against, with what rancour he abuses Christianity, with what zeal and ardour he folicits new converts to his opinion, and new followers of his doctrine; whilft the cold and languid believer wraps himfelf up with careleffnefs in the integrity of his heart, and leaves the victory and the triumph to his infulting rival. All the ftories of fcience are drained, all the powers of eloquence are exhaufted to point out and adorn the charms of folly, vice, and atheism; whilft fcarce a hand is ftretched out, or a voice heard, to plead the deferted caufe of truth, religion, and virtue.

Shall we not then, my brethren, on our part, at leaft endeavour to gain induftry over to the fide of truth? Shall not man be as vigilant to promote his own welfare and happiness, as Sin and Satan are to fecure his deftruction? Let us not then fleep as do others, but let us watch and be faber: let us watch the motions, and be guarded against the attacks of vice; let us watch the open attacks of our bold and rebellious paffions, and above all, let us watch the fecret fallics, the dangerous frauds of our own treacherous and delufive hearts; let us detect, fubdue, and punish, or which is ftill more defirable, fill more glorious, win them over to our true intereft, perfuade, convince, and con

vert them.

We