themselves, are ftewards of another's goods, and muft give account of their stewardship. Would you give a good account of your own, then keep company with fuch-not with the idle and murmuring, who hide their talent; nor with the steward who waftes his Lord's goods.

Fourthly, Pious companions will beft guard your virtue in perilous circumftances, and in perilous times. The foes of piety are always numerous. Some are of an infidious character; others are impudent and fhameless fcoffers. Such characters walk on every fide at the prefent day. To withstand the craft of Satan and his agents will call for all your vigilance. To refift the torrent of vice and the derifion of mockers will

"afnare."

require great fortitude. "The fear of man bringeth Amidft an evil and adulterous generation, the temptations to be afhamed of religion are many and powerful. Those in youth are peculiarly liable to falfe fhame, the dread of fingularity in the caufe of truth. They naturally follow the multitude and the fashion, in the paths of errour and destruction, rather than the few, in the paths of truth and life. It is hoped that our young people will receive the exhortation to be companions of them who fear God. Such will be conftant guards to their principles and moralsconftant monitors of the delufions and danger that furround them. With fuch they may escape temptations, which have proved fatal to thofe who have not had the counsel and warning of fome able and faithful friend, when their faith and virtue have been affailed. Such a friend may perfuade you never to make shipwreck of faith and confcience, be the temptations what they may-to hold fast integrity till you die. Such an affociate, fpeaking the language of his own experience and of the purest friendship, may convince you, that confcious integrity and the hope of heaven are too dear to be facrificed to any fear of the adversaryany apprehenfion of outward fhame and fufferings.

Such a friend may prevail with you to ftand faft in the Lord, trufting his promife, "I will keep thee in time "of temptation-will make a way to efcape." Such a friend will remind you, when you moft need to be

put in mind, of the power, and grace, and and pattern

of Chrift, "who was in all points tempted as we are; 66 yet without fin-who endured the contradiction of “finners against himself endured the cross," overcame, and is crowned; and through whofe ftrength his disciples are more than conquerors. Have you great temptations from within or without? Does your mind waver between truth and errour, duty and fin? Are you even ready to refolve on the fide of irreligion? ready to be led captive by the devil? In fuch a perilous fituation, a wife and virtuous friend, obferving that you lie open to temptation, may, by feasonably interpofing, fnatch you from the tempter, and keep you from prefumptuous fins. See then the importance of being a companion of them who fear God, and keep his commandments.

Fifthly, Be a companion of them; for they are the beft comforters in affliction.

If

you do not lay your account for various afflictions, and prepare to meet them, they must fall the heavier. You are liable to frowns on your laudable industry and enterprize. You may be caft on the bed of pain and languishment. You may be injured in your good name. You may be bereaved of kindred and friends, on whom you have much temporal dependence, the objects of your earthly hopes. You are liable to mental darkness. Such circumstances peculiarly call for the fuccours of religion. In fuch circumftances, what miferable comforters are vicious companions? They can only add affliction to the afflicted. Or if they are capable of mere human fympathy, adverfity calls for divine confolations; and the fuitable perfons to administer them are those who have tafted that the Lord is gracious. Such are friends at all times; and efpe

cially when a friend is most needed; and in the thing moft needed, the one thing needful. The fearers of God fmooth for each other the rugged paths of life; lift up the bands which hang down, and ftrengthen the feeble knees. They have learned contentment in whatever ftate they are. Whatever the gloom in their outward condition, or that of their connections, or people, or of Zion, they rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of their falvation. They have a perpetual spring of inward fupport in the principles and fpirit of religion. If the world rejoice, while they are forrowful, their forrow fhall be turned into joy. Their sufferings are working out for them a far more exceeding weight of eternal glory. Like the good Samaritan, who fhewed mercy to the wounded traveller, the fearers of God will pour an healing balm into your wounded breast. Their converfation, in a day of trouble, will do good like a medicine.

Sixthly, Be a companion of the fearers of God; for with them you will beft enjoy profperity-the various bleflings of life. Are you in health? They will put you in mind that a found heart is to be preferred to a found conftitution; and will inftruct you to improve the vigour of your powers to the most valuable purpose. Are you rich and profperous? They will excite you to be rich in good works; to truft in him who giveth you all things richly to enjoy. They will help to inflame your gratitude for health, peace, plenty, friends, and other delights. They will guard you against a denial and contempt of God, the infolent and oppreflive treatment of man, which not feldom attend on a fulness. They may prevent your table from becom ing a fnare-your affluence from proving an occafion of leannefs being fent into your fouls. They will help to fanctify your profperity, as Job sent and fanctified his children on their days of feftivity. They will teach you, indeed, to eat your bread with joy, and to drink your wine with a merry heart—to rejoice with your families

and friends for the abundance of all things. For every gift of God is good, and nothing to be refufed. They will teach you, at the fame time, fuch ufe of the world as does not abuse it-even moderation and temperance in all things-joy with trembling-a remembrance of the days of darkness. They will caution you against a prefumption that you shall never be moved, because that now, through God's favour, your mountain ftands ftrong. The bleffing of the Lord maketh rich; and he addeth no forrow with it. For riches, obtained and enjoyed by his bleffing, are neither ill gotten, nor ill used. The gifts are not confided in, but the Giver. If you are a companion of them who fear God, while they rejoice for all his goodness to you, they will help you to realize the mutability and emptinefs of external goods; and will point you to the fuperior gladness of God's reconciled face. Their joy is not the extravagant mirth of fools; but calm, manly, focial joy, which centres in joy in God. Their converfation is not frivolous and light; much less is it profane and filthy; it is always with grace, chafte, favoury, entertaining and ferious. Are your children and friends round you Is no rod of God upon you? Do you know no forrow? If you are a companion of them who fear God, they may guard you against fetting your affection, your hope, on any of the endearments of life-against prefuming on their continuance--against expecting too much from them-against placing them in God's ftead. Let them inftruct you to rejoice as though you rejoiced not; and to weep as though you wept notto fulfil your duty to the friend or relative who may be dear to you as your own foul, reflecting how frail you refpectively are. Your present joy may be turned into heaviness at any hour. With the fearers of God for your company, joy in your dearest comforts will be tempered with this ferious impreffion, that God destroyeth the hope of man--that he giveth and taketh away.

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Laftly, be a companion of them who fear God, for with them you will wish to be united at death. No one in the hour of death, will fay, Gather my foul with inners. Those who have been companions in fin thro' life, fervently wifh and pray, that they may have other company in the future world, however unqualified and indifpofed for it. What is earth and time to heaven and eternity? That fociety to which you would choose to be united for ever, and which will be eternally delightful, is doubtless the best for this life. Behold the company in heaven, glorified faints, among whom may be numbered fome whom you knew, and who were highly esteemed on earth; yea, fome of your kindred -behold angels of every order, thrones, dominions, principalities and powers, who minifter for the heirs of falvation-behold Jefus who was crucified, but is now crowned with glory, whom all the angels worship, who is able to fave to the uttermoft, and hath declared, that every one who overcometh fhall fit with him on his throne, and reign for ever and ever--In that high and holy place dwelleth the King eternal and immortal, with whom is the spring of life, and whose prefence is the fulness of unmingled, eternal joy. To be united to fuch fociety is to be bleffed beyond all that eye hath feen, or ear heard, or hath entered into the heart of man. For fuch fociety you can be made meet only by an union with those on earth, who have the temper, and live the life, of heaven. If you have no love to fuch company now, if you do not prefer them, what lot or portion can you have with them hereafter? There is neither an hypocrite, nor a profligate, nor an atheist, who, on the fuppofition of an after ftate, does not wish to attain the happiness, and fhun the misery of it. Companions in holiness and blifs mutually enjoy and improve each other. But what joy have the vicious and profane in each other? What enjoyment is there among infernals? Inftead of alleviating each other's mifery, fuch company can but