After taking this general view of your condition, I would intreat you to accompany me while I descend more into particulars, (Chap. 3.) and set before you some of the more common sins of youth. I would then point you to the Lamb of God, who alone has power to deliver you from the state described; and would represent to you the nature of true piety, (Chap. 4.) Pursuing this subject, I would (Chap. 5.) affectionately warn you against those delusive supports, on which many rest to their eternal ruin; and that merely formal religion which deceives the souls of multitudes. When I have thus described to you what religion is, I would urge on you the infinite importance of early piety, by showing you (Chap. 6.) the worth of your soul. By referring (Chap. 7.) to the advice of the Eternal God. By displaying to you (Chap. 8.) the love of God and Christ. By setting before you (Chap. 9.) the peculiar acceptableness of early piety. By enumerating (Chap. 10.) some of its numberless advantages. By glancing (Chap. 11.) at some of its pleasures. By conducting you (Chap. 12.) to take a view of the happy conclusion of a life of religion; and attempting (Chap. 13.) an imperfect description of that heaven and that eternity to which Religion conducts the soul. But fearing that in many instances, all the pleasing motives which these considerations yield, may be of no avail; I shall then present to you reasons for Religion, drawn from very opposite sources. I would here show you (Chap. 14.) that while you neglect early piety you are destitute of all real good, and in want of all that should make you happy. I would describe to you (Chap. 15.) the unkindness and ingratitude visible in such a course to God, and its cruelty to yourself. I would show (Chap. 16.) the vanity of youth; and (Chap. 17.) the sorrows and dangers that attend the way of transgressors. I would remind you (Chap. 18.) of the approach, to the most careless, of judgment and eternity: and (Chap. 19.) would glance at the dismal abode of eternal wretchedness to which youthful sins would lead you. Having finished this part of the book I would then (Chap. 20.) urge on you to inquire what, and whose you really are; and, if you have not chosen true Religion, would affectionately beseech you to choose it without delay. But,

knowing how many objections are started against early piety, I propose (Chap. 21.) to state and answer some of the principal of these. Having noticed these, permit me to occupy a few more lines, (Chap. 22.) intreating you, without delay, to make your choice; and then (Chap. 23.) to conclude the whole with a few directions to the young christian, and some brief addresses to persons of several different descriptions, And now may God in unspeakable mercy make this little book promote his glory, and your eternal benefit.-Amen.

CHAPTER II.

The fallen and ruined state of man.

A conviction of the truth of the subsequent statement most important, s. 1....Delusion on this subject most mischievous, s. 2. ...Scriptural view of man's fallen condition, s. 3. 4....Objec tion answered, s. 4....The subject pursued and various particulars specified, s. 6....Man's blindness, s. 7....Subjection to Satan, s. S....Aversion to good, s. 9....Alienation from God, s. 10....Depth of man's fall shown in the means employed for his recovery, s. 11....All mankind thus fallen, s. 12....Scriptural account of man's danger, which is great, s. 13....Inexpressibly dreadful, s. 14....And escaped by few, s. 15..... Objection answered, s. 16....The subject continued in an address to the young reader, s. 17....In familiar illustration, s. 13. 19.... Quotation from Mr. Wilberforce, s. 20....Prayer. SECT. 1. I Now, my young friend, address you on a subject unspeakably important; as no hope can be entertained of doing you lasting good, till you feel the truth of the statement, contained in this chapter describes your own condition, there will then be a pleasing prospect, of your becoming acquainted with those things, which belong to your everlasting peace.

In reference to bodily disorders it is said, that to know our disease is half the cure: the same observation will apply to the disorders of the soul. If one deeply infected with a fever, or the plague, were so deluded, as to believe himself enjoying perfect health, or to think himself at worst, but slightly disordered, and therefore

to neglect the means for restoring health, how SOOL would death and the grave convince him of his sad mistake! Such delusion is seldom met with; but ar infinitely more dreadful and more mischievous delusion, is as common as the fight of day. Perhaps you labour ander its baleful influence. Perhaps, if your life has been unstained by flagrant enormities, you imagine yourself a good hearted young man, or an innocent young woman. Your sins are softened down under the name of youthful follies. The deep corruption of your nature is totally hidden from your view. You are in danger of dying eternally of the worst of plagues, and yet thinking that all is well. You are exposed to the wrath of a justly offended God, and saying to yourself peace, peace.

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Sect. 2. God forbid that I should wish to represent your state, by nature, as worse, than he describes it in his word. If I had the wish I should scarcely have the power. Be patient then, and hear the worst. What are you? If guided by the opinions of a poor blind world you might reply, "A frail imperfect creature, guilty of some sins, but yet with so many good dispositions and good actions to counterbalance them, that I may reasonably hope for happiness and heaven." My dear young friend, are these, or such as these, your views of yourself? If they be, no wretched madman, bound with chains, crowning himself with straw, and imagining himself a mighty and happy monarch, was ever more deceived. I repeat the question. What are you? Let the word of the God of truth reply. And what is its answer? It teaches you that you are cor rupt and polluted, and at variance with your God; having all the powers of your soul disordered; and exposed, justly exposed, to everlasting ruin; and so entirely depraved and undone, that without a change, as great as a second birth, you cannot possibly see the kingdom of God.

Perhaps you exclaim,* *66 Shocking doctrine! whilst, full of indignation, you are almost ready to throw this book aside, before you have glanced at the proofs af

*A few lines here are copied with a little alteration from Fletcher's Appeal, p. 152.

forded in scripture, for the assertions I have made. If this be the case, I beseech you to remember I appeal, to scripture, not to your passions; to the declarations of God, not to worldly delusions. You may cry out at the sight of a shroud, a coffin, a grave, Shocking object but your loudest exclamations will not lessen the awful realities, by which many have happily been shocked, into a timely consideration of, and preparation for approaching death."

Refuse not then to listen to the declarations of God, on this momentous subject! to refuse to hearken to them, is to seal your own destruction.

Sect. 3, 4. His word assures you, that every human being is born into this world, with a corrupt and sinful nature.--God formed man in his own image; innocent and holy; but fallen man begat a son, in his own likeness, corrupt and fallen like himself. The consequence is, man comes into this world with a sinful nature; for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. Such is the exceeding sinfulness of human nature, that the word of God strongly describes it by declaring that we are shapen in iniquity and conceived in sin.4 Man is a transgressor from the womb, and goes astray speaking lies. The devil is elsewhere called the father of lies; and one of the earliest tokens of human depravity is, that a disposition to commit that abominable sin, so soon appears in little children.-Man is born untamed and rude as a wild ass's colt.6 Foolishness is bound even in the heart of a child. The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth,8 is only evil and that continually; he is abominable and filthy, and drinketh in iniquity like water. 10 As he advances in life, do his corruptions weaken? The words of the Apostle answer No. We ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another."1 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand. And what is the dreadful result of this

examination? Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether filthy; there is none that doeth good, no not one.12

Sect. 5. This sinfulness of your nature, my young friend, is not partial; but, like a mortal poison, spreads through and pollutes the whole. The whole head is sick and the whole heart faint; from the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrifying sores.' 13 The heart which should be the best part of man, is now the worst. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Such are the windings of its corruption, that no eye but that of Jehovah can trace them out.14 It is full of evil; not merely tainted but filled with sin, and madness dwells in it.15 From this corrupt fountain flows as corrupt a stream. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, theft, false witness, blasphemies, covetousness, wickedness or malevolence, deceit, lasciviousness or immodesty, envy, pride, foolishness, or levity.16 Not merely is the heart thus polluted, but the lusts of men war in their members.17 The eyes, the ears, the hands, the feet, the lips, are all defiled by different sins; and the tongue, that member which was formed peculiarly for its Creator's praise, is now a world of iniquity, and is set on fire of hell.13 Man is elsewhere represented as born in that state which is called flesh; a name applied to this corruption of our nature. That which is born of the flesh is flesh.19 And the works of the flesh, says an inspired apostle, are manifest which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like.20 Such is man when the corruptions of his nature have opportunity for appearing; and has he any deeds of righteousness to counterbalance this exceeding sinfulness? O let the evangelical prophet answer. We are all as an unclean thing; and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade

12 Ps. liii. 2. 3. 13Isa. i. 5. 6. 14Jer. xvii. 10. 15 Eccles. ix. 3. 16Matt. xv. 12. Mark vii. 22, 23. 17 James iv. 1. 18 James Hi. 6. 19 John iii. 6. 20Gal v. 12, 20, 21.