which is finite, might be better secured by another; yet it often falls out that we are in great hazard by our very company and converfe. For company is of a bewitching, moulding and transforming nature: and therefore we should take great heed of our company, and associates. Go not (faith Solomon) in the way of finners, avoid it, turn from it, and pass away. And David faith, fit not in the seat of the scornful. And we have a rule, that whosoever is not known by himself, may be known by his company. For converse doth affimilate; and a man either finds his ́ny such as he is, or he will be like them. Ecclus. xiii. 1. For he that toucheth pitch that defileth, will be defiled; and he that goeth with vain persons, shall be

vain.

into evil.

compa

5. He that is officious to bring us into his condemnation, he is forward to fit us with suitable objects that shall raise our apprehensions, and draw us This he did to our first parents. It is good for food, and defirable to make one wife, faid the ferpent to Eve. And we read Mat. iv. 10. That Satan fhewed to our Saviour all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and said, These will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship And we read, that he was a lying spirit in the mouths of four hundred false prophets at one time And that the devil is fo busy to seduce and draw men into evil, may appear to be the common sense of mankind, by thofe expreffions we find in the arraingment of notorious malefactors, who are faid not to have the fear of God before their eyes, but to act by the instigation of the devil. As he that endea

me.

vours to purify himself shall not want the divine afsistance to encourage and assist him; so on the contrary he that neglects himself and confents to known iniquity, fhall not want those that will drive him on; and as we fay, he must needs go, that the devil drives. But then,

6. There are many things impure, and contrary to religion, to which we are tempted, that the world do not reckon among the greatest crimes. There are other evils that are destructive to us, befides treafon, murder, and theft and these we are to beware of, as well as those that make us obnoxious to human laws; as I will give you fome inStances. It is a very great evil to make God a mean, and the world an end; to name God, and to intend the world; I dread to have to do with any man that will make use of his religion, to gain him credit, and to make a bargain: as also to be under the power of the world, and wholly at its beck or call; or to be under the power of ungoverned paffions; to be vainly fraught and poffefs'd; to be out of the true ufe of reason, and self-government. These are inftances of evils that are very deftructive, though the world takes little notice of them, and do not reckon them in the number of mortal fins. Yet if a man will fecure his intereft for eternity, he must take care to avoid thefe things. And herein is our great danger, because men do not charge themselves in these things, as in other crimes.

7. Man is fuch a compound, that heaven and earth as it were meet in him, terms that are extreinely diftant."" Man in refpect of his mind, is qualified to converse

with angels, and to attend upon God; and in refpect of these noble faculties, he is liable to be tempted to infolency, arrogancy, and great prefumption, and felf-exaltation. For it cannot be denied, but that in respect of his highest faculties, he is the image of God, which is his honour; being both intelligent and voluntary, having understanding, liberty, and freedom; which is his prerogative, above all other creatures below him. But yet in respect of these, he is tempted to lift up himself, and this was the fall of Lucifer; though there be no reason for it for what is a ray that flows from the fun, to the fun itself? which the fun could fpare, without any diminution. Why should any arbitrary and precarious being lift up itself, and leave God out? what an iniquity is this for fuch beings to act as independ ent, self-sufficient, never to acknowledge God as original, or referring to him as final, or refting in him as the centre of his fpirit! this is a high mif behaviour in an intelligent agent, far from duty, humility, or modefty. Yet this he may be tempted unto, by reason of his height and excellency, in respect of his higher faculties. Now in respect of his lower parts, he is apt to fink down into fenfuality and brutishness: man in honour, and not understanding himself, is like the beasts that perish. From all which you may perceive, in how great danger man is, and what great need there is that he be not deceived.

8. I add; If we do not ufe felf-government, and moderate our powers, by subduing the inferior to the fuperior, we fail in that which is our proper work

work and province, as we are invefted with intellectual nature; and if we are led to gratify sense against reason, we are cheated and couzened. We render those words of the apoftle, Rom. xiii. 14. to make provision for the flesh; but the Greek word fignifies, to make it the bufinefs of mind and understanding, to cater for the body; which is no less than to make it the employment of the spirit to feed the beast; when it should be the business of mind and understanding, to contemplate God and things divine. For otherwife, the mind of man is as the field of Solomon's fluggard, that instead of bringing a good crop, is overgrown with thorns and briars ; and a man lives in a lie, and hath no judgment. For the use of judgment is to observe the difference of things, which he doth not, that knows not how to value spiritual and eternal things before those that are present and temporal.

9. Lastly, If God be not understood and acknowJedged in our worldly enjoyments, and recommended to us by them : if he be not intended in all our actions, then do we not comply with the relation we ftand in to God, nor act according to our higheft principles, nor answer our capacity; nor are true to our own intereft. For it is the work of mind and understanding, to seek after God, and to find him out in his ways and works, as you read, As xvii. 27. To be without God in the world, is degeneracy in full proportion; and to alienate our felves from him, is the greatest and trueft facrilege. For our highest faculties are God's peculiar, God's appropriate, God's referve, made for God, and fit

our

to attend upon him, and to receive from him. Since therefore there is this danger, ft. Let us act with caution and with good advice, by converfation with the best and wisest men. For 'tis an easy matter to be deceived without great care and diligence. 2dly. But chiefly, let us make application to God, by meditation and prayer, who will not be wanting to us. Let us carefully avoid all presumption, pride, arrogancy, and self-affuming. Do not on the fudden, but fee before you do, and understand well before you act. And in all thy ways acknowledge God, and lean not to thy own understanding.

DISCOURSE XII.

The Converfion of a SINNER.

EZEK. xviii. 27.

When the wicked man turneth away from his wickednefs that he hath committed, and dath that which is lawful and right, he shall fave his foul alive.

F we would be true to our great interest, and be

I wire wrote great on our great, of off, anub

and fecure them for eternity; we must then put evil from us, and repent of what we have done amifs ; we must disclaim it, and condemn ourselves in it; we must be reformed, and return to our duty.

I say,

I. That