Parents should rather take all occasions to instil into their children this most certain truth: that nobody ever was, or will be respected the more for being finer than their state or condition of life requires, but rather become the scorn and contempt of others.

To proceed: If parents would but take a little more pains to give their children a great abhorrence of the most shameful vice of pilfering and stealing, we should not have so many complaints of people when they are grown up being given to the scandalous sin of defrauding their masters or parents of their goods.

Children should be seriously and often warned against setting their hearts upon what is not their own, and that it will never prosper with them; and that they will be tempted from small sins of this kind to greater, which has at last brought many a man and woman to the gallows, (by a just judgment of God,) who little thought of coming to such an untimely end.

The seeds of INTEMPERANCE, of GLUTTONY, and DRUNKENNESS, are very often sown in youth, and grow up with their years. And a sad account parents will have to give, who indulge their children in any of these vices.

In the first place, they lay a sure foundation for future miseries; for sickness, very often for poverty, for the ruin of their families, for untimely death, and too too often for death eternal.

Parents, instead of indulging their children in any thing that leads to any of these vices, should endeavour all they can to make them sensible, that by giving way to their appetites they are making themselves bonds which cannot easily be broken; that it will cost them dear to leave off the love of drink, of eating to intemperance, of being fond of dainties. They should therefore use them betimes to a sober way of living; to deny their appetites; to lay a prudent restraint upon them before custom is become a second nature. Their children should be often put in mind, that meat and drink are the gifts of God; that we should never take them without begging His blessing upon them, and giving Him thanks for them; and that the doing of this is the likeliest way to keep us from abusing any of the gifts of God to His dishonour and our own misery.

SERM. LXXXIV.

Hosea 4. 11.

YOUTHFUL LUSTs are very naturally and too often the fruits of intemperance. "Whoredom and wine" (saith the Spirit) "take away the heart;" that is, all fear of God, all care for the soul, all concern for what must come hereafter. In short, the sins of impurity and uncleanness will in time root out all good principles, make men forget their most solemn resolutions, and grieve that Holy Spirit by which we are sealed unto the day of redemption.

And yet these are crimes too often laughed at, made a jest of, and committed, without fear of the judgment and vengeance of God, with which He has threatened such sinners, to make them have their portion with devils, and everlasting fire.

What pains, therefore, ought parents to take to save their children from falling into these sins, and the punishment which certainly attends them? How often should they repeat to them the lesson which saved Joseph from being [Gen. 39. ruined by this sin: "How can I do this great wickedness, 9.] and sin against God?" How often should they put them in Prov. 7. 27. mind of the truth set down by the wisest of men : house of the whore is the way to hell."

"The

How careful should they be to warn them against keeping immodest, unchaste, and loose company; against hearing filthy talk, lewd songs, wanton discourses, which corrupt the heart before people areaware of the mischief!

How often should young maids be told, that when they lose their modesty, they lose a great grace of God, and a great guard and security against all manner of wickedness!

How often should young men be put in mind of this great truth, that to corrupt and debauch others is to make themselves liable to a double damnation!

In one word; parents who have any love or regard either for themselves, or their children's welfare, reputation, or happiness in this world, or the world to come, will be very careful to watch over their children's conduct with regard to the sins of impurity and uncleanness, which will as surely shut them out of heaven, as that God is there.

We shall only mention one other evil, which children are prone to continually; and this is, TO IDLENESS, which will be attended with infinite mischiefs, if not prevented by good instruction, and wholesome discipline.

There is a state of life to which every man is called; and he that fancies that he has nothing to do, no work to answer for, the devil will find that man work enough.

30.]

Children, therefore, should not be suffered to get a slothful habit of squandering away their time in doing nothing, or that which is worse than nothing. "Cast ye the unpro- [Matt. 25. fitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth," is a truth, which, if often repeated, would, one would hope, cure the most sluggish waster of his time and talents.

Thus far we have considered the duty of parents to teach their children. And parents who neglect this duty will be most inexcusable, because there is not one of these duties but what the most unlearned parent is capable of performing. But the truth is, too many parents are little concerned whether their children are like to go to heaven or hell. They neither teach them, by their advice or example, how to attain the one or escape the other: and if the tender love of God for the salvation of His poor creatures had not made other provision for their safety, they must inevitably have perished.

Now, the provisions which God has made for the salvation of men are the ordinances of the Gospel, which are the ordinary means of grace and salvation.

By baptism, we are admitted into the congregation of Christ's flock; and by that ordinance we had the Holy Spirit communicated to us, for a principle of a new and spiritual life.

At confirmation, you are called upon to consider this more seriously; to consider the sad consequence of grieving that Holy Spirit, of falling into an idle, careless, and wicked course of life.

This is what I will, in few words, set before you,—before you who have been instructed, and know why you come to be confirmed.

You who have put on solemn resolutions of living as becomes the Gospel of Christ; who, being sensible of the weakness and corruption of your nature, do resolve to pray for the continuance and increase of the gifts of God's Holy Spirit, who alone can keep you in the way of salvation; to you I

SERM. now apply, beseeching you, as many as understand me, to consider and remember what I now say to you.

LXXXIV.

Remember, that while you keep the vows which you are going to renew, you will be under the especial protection and guidance of God and His good angels; you will be secured against the great enemy of our souls, who is continually seeking whom he may devour; that is, such as he finds have by their wicked lives taken themselves from under God's especial protection.

On the other hand, if you forget the promises and good purposes you are going to renew before God and this congregation, you will grieve the Spirit of God, and force Him to leave you to your own corrupt nature and choices; and to Satan, who governs all such as are forsaken of God's Spirit.

This you may be sure of, from what you may observe happens every day.

You see people who have been bred and for some time lived like Christians have become afterwards as careless, and as wicked, as if they believed neither God nor religion, neither heaven nor hell.

Let me, therefore, admonish you of those things which force the good Spirit to leave men to themselves. The Rom. 1. 28. Apostle tells us, "that they that will not retain God in their knowledge, God will give them up to a reprobate mind;" that is, to a mind void of judgment.

This is the first step to ruin. God puts into people's hearts good thoughts, good purposes, good resolutions. These they forget, nor will they mind the checks of conscience, which is God's voice speaking to them, till at last He leaves them to take their own ways.

To conclude: do not depend upon this ordinance as a charm, or hope for any benefit by it, without observing the conditions of God's promises and blessing: "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord."

It was the Apostle's own declaration, "Neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." So be you assured of it, that neither Christian baptism, nor confirmation, nor any other ordinance of the Gospel, will profit any person without an holy life.

May the good Spirit of God keep this ever in your hearts and minds! May God give you the Spirit of wisdom, to choose what is good; the spirit of understanding, to know your duty; the spirit of counsel, in all your doubts; the spirit of godly strength, to resist temptations to sin; the spirit of holiness, to be conformed to the will of God; the spirit of piety, in all your actions: and fill them, O God, with the Spirit of Thy holy fear, now and evermore, for Jesus Christ His sake.

To Whom, with Thee, and that Holy Spirit, be all honour, glory, and power, now and for ever. Amen.