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cy and Compaffion, who always made their SER M. Days of Feafting Times of fending Gifts to the Poor, and Portions to them for whom nothing was prepared, Nehem. viii. 10. Efther ix. 22. And certainly we give the greatest Testimony of our Love to our Lord for the Bleffings we commemorate, when we endeavour at fuch Times to relieve the Neceffities of his diftreffed Brethren, and fo give them alfo an Opportunity of Rejoicing, fince they are equally with ourselves concerned in the Occafions of our Joy.

[The Exclufion therefore of the Poor from partaking of our Feafts is certainly an Abuse, fince it contradicts the Design of them: And yet it is very obfervable that at these Times we are often moved more by Vanity than Hofpitality; the Promotion of Charity and good Neighbourhood being the least Thing we aim at. How frequently do we invite one another, not fo much out of Love and Friendship, as a Defire of emulating and outrivalling one another in our Entertainments? Let our Circumstances be never fo difficult, yet the Entertainment at our Neighbour's Table must be equalled at least, if not exceeded, at our own; left the World should think us more fparing or less genteel than our Neighbours, a Thing now-a-days we cannot bear the Thoughts of. C 3

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SERM. But this is not to feaft for Love and Unity, but for Strife and Contention, and confequently is what renders our Feafts very unacceptable both to GoD and Man. For it is very apparent that nothing is more contrary to the true End of Hospitality than this Sort of Extravagance, whereby instead of benefiting our Neighbours we injure ourselves, overcharging our Eftates, and wafting our Substance, only to gratify a foolish, ambitious Defire of feeming Great and Splendid, An Affectation of which Vanity has occafioned the Ruin of many Families, who, through thefe Means, and thefe Means only, have reduced themselves and their Dependants to Want and Beggary; whereas if they had contained themfelves within the Bounds of Moderation, they might have fupported as many as they have entirely ruined. But I must not run out too far upon one Particular; and fhall therefore now proceed to confider]

A Fourth and more univerfal and common Abufe of Feafting, and that is the Intemperance and Impiety which are generally the Attendants of it. And indeed it is not to be wondered at, that Excefs and Profaneness hould be fuch conftant Attendants upon our Feafting and Mirth, when the Dangers of

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them are fo great, and yet Men come fo lit- SER M. tle prepared against them. To defire God's Bleffing upon his Creatures which we are going to partake of, or to dart up an Ejaculation, that he would vouchfafe to preserve us in a moderate Ufe of them, is now looked upon, in too many Families, as precife and formal: How then can it be otherwise expected, but that they who truft in their own Strength, and think it beneath them to ask for the Divine Affiftance, fhould fink into the Follies of degenerate Nature? But Men look upon a Festival now-a-days as a Licence for their Extravagance; and to fay it is a Holy-day, is thought a fufficient Excufe for Surfeiting and Drunkenness. But this is quite the Reverse of true Feafting, and what quite overthrows the End and Defign of it. For this is not to keep a Day holy, but to take the Opportunity of the Leifure of it to wafte and confume it in Intemperance and Debauchery: This is not to commemorate a Mercy or Bleffing, but to neglect and defpife it: not the way to apply the Benefits of it to ourselves, but to make ourselves incapable of being the better for it: and confequently, without Repentance, we bring ourselves under a more miferable Condition, than if the Mercy

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SER M. Mercy had never been offered to us. I. word, This is fuch a profane and open Contempt of GOD's Mercies, that he fingled it out himself by the Prophet to denounce his Judgments against it. Woe, faith he, unto them that rife up early in the Morning that they may follow ftrong Drink, and continue unto Night until Wine inflame them. And the Harp and the Viol, the Tabret and the Pipe, and Wine are in their Feafts, but they regard not the Work of the LORD, neither confider the Operation of his Hands, Ifa. v.

II, 12.

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And I can't forbear obferving further, that idle and loofe Difcourfe will be the natural Refult of debauched and wicked Tempers: Oaths and Blafphemy, Ribaldry and Profanenefs, Slandering and Backbiting, is the only Conversation such Company can relish. certainly a Festival is the most improper time, if there be any one more fo than another, for Difcourfes of this Nature. The Defign of our meeting at fuch Times fhould be to congratulate one another upon the Mercy we commemorate, and to warm and enflame each other's Affections and Devotions with fuitable Difcourfes: And therefore to fingle qut thefe Times for wanton and irreligious Conyer

Conversation, is fo profane and impious, as SER M. one should tremble to think of it.

These are the Abuses which I have chosen to mention, as being fo apparently finful that there is not a Shadow of an Excufe to be urged for them. Notwithstanding which, the Dangers of running into them are no fmall ones. Our own Inclinations, the Force of Temptation, and the Enticements of Company, are so prevalent over fome or other of us, that there is scarce any of these Sins but what we have, most of us, at some Time or other been guilty of, To convince ourselves of this, let us only call to Mind any one Occafion of Mirth, we have had and made Ufe of, which we can particularly remember; and then let us reflect upon our Behaviour at that Time, and examine ourselves whether we have avoided every one of these Abuses, whether we have escaped clear from them all, or whether we have not faid or done fomething which we now condemn ourselves for. And if after fuch Examination, there are but few who can acquit themselves, but few who can declare themselves entirely innocent; then

I hope I may look upon this Second Head of my Difcourfe as fufficiently made out, viz.

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