to be avoided. The fpirit of religion is meeknefs and charity. "Be ready always to give a reafon of the "hope that is in you with meeknefs and fear; having "a good confcience," exhibiting a good converfation in Chrift, that the enemy may be ashamed.

To hold faft your profeflion, in the cafe of any opprobrium or fufferings for his fake and the gofpel, will be your highest honour and happiness, and what is indifpenfibly due to him who endured the cross, defpifing the fhame. Whoever would pollute your morals, or turn you aside from the truth as it is in him, whatever their station, or however you may be connected with them, you must obey God rather than man. A dif ciple of Jefus is not afhamed of him, nor terrified, however the foe may revile or perfecute. Happy the youth whom the force of religious principle fecures against the contagion of the immoral, the fneer of the scorner, and the fubtilty of the infidel. Example has great fway: Bad examples are often the greateft-efpecially the example of fuperiours in ftation, circumftances or talents of thofe on whom there may be much temporal dependence; or whom paft favours, perfonal accomplishments, or the ties of nature may

endear.

Some wreft the fcriptures to ferve an hypothefis: The denial of them is but an easy transition: And the next step is to take the feat of the fcorner. "When "the belief of a future life, and the fuperintendency of "an all-wife and just Ruler of the world, the rewarder "of right and the revenger of wrong; and faith in a "Redeemer, and the influence of his Spirit, and of "his doctrines, are no longer fuffered to check the paffions, regulate the defires, and reftrain the will of "fuch fallen and degenerate creatures as we became by fin, what must man be to man ?"

6:

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A nation "abrogating all the principles, and difclaiming all the fentiments of Christianity, have con"vulfed the whole civil, moral and religious world-

"Their contempt of God, their rejection of the faith "of his Son, their violations of his fabbaths, their neg"lect of the ordinances of religion, have fatally recoil"ed upon themselves. They made impiety the fa"fhion, and it was followed. The world has seen to "what these fafhions lead." They prepared the way to the military defpotifm which that devoted nation, and many of its neighbours, now "bitterly experience. "Do not facrifice your religion, morals, peace with God " and with your own confciences, your well-being in "this life, and your hopes for an hereafter, to the folly "of fools, to the volatility and frivolousness of the idle, "or to the profaneness and impiety of the diffolute and "profligate. Scorn to be the fervile followers of any, ❝ however high in rank or station, who fhew that they "have fet themselves above their God, and that they "despise the service of their Redeemer. Follow not "the example of those who cannot fcreen you in the day of God's dreadful vifitations; or protect you "from the evils, which they shall be themselves the "firft to fuffer." *

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You guard against fuch as would rob you of your earthly treasure, or of your civil liberties against thofe who would deftroy your reputation or your health, or would degrade you from your proper rank in life. Beware much more of fuch as feek to enflave your fouls, to ftrip you of the true riches, to blot out your name from the book of life, and destroy your title to an eternal crown--would bring on you a fpiritual disease, the end of which is the fecond death, everlasting contempt, and the chains of the bottomlefs pit. Embrace principles, which will enable you to withstand the fhock of temptation from every quarter-which will fupport in adversity, and in paffing the fhadow of death. Those principles can be of no value, which, like the house on the fand, fail a man when the rain defcends, the floods come, and the winds blow. With prin

* T. L. O'BEIRNE, D, D. bishop of Meath.

ciples and hopes founded on the oracles of God, you will be as the house on a rock, which cannot be shaken, Religious liberty confifts not in having no fixed principles; but in embracing and holding faft fuch as produce all the fruits of righteousness, charity and peace.

"A wife man will hear, and will increase learning, " and a man of understanding fhall attain unto wife "counfel. When wifdom entereth into thine heart, " and knowledge is pleasant unto thy foul; difcretion "fhall preserve thee-from the way of the evil man, "who leaveth the paths of uprightness, to walk in the

way of darkness-from the enticements of the "ftrange woman, who hath caft down many wounded. "Her end is bitter as wormwood. Her house is the way to hell," It is easier to keep from destructive paths, than, after having been feduced into them, to turn back, and lay hold on the path of life. Let as many as have not been contaminated, fhun all approaches to fin, all appearance of evil. "Watch and 66 pray, that ye enter not into temptation." Say not, Rejoice in thy youth; and walk in the way of thine. heart, and in the fight of thine eyes; but know that "God will bring thee into judgment."

The prevalence of principles deftructive of found morals and piety is a characteristic of the present age. The inftitutions of religion are much neglected and defpifed. The way of truth is evil spoken of. Many depart from the faith, giving heed to feducing Spirits. The foundations are deftroyed. Publications on infidelity are circulated with great induftry, and read with avidity. The fceptic and the fcoffer walk on every fide. In fuch times, there is great occafion for a caution to young people with respect to their company. "When they

find what honour is often done to unbelievers, and "how well they are recieved, whilst religion suffers "under the hard names of ignorance and fuperftition, "they grow afhamed of" the gofpel; "and, if not really, yet affectedly they put on the fashionable air

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" of difregard to every thing that is ferious. By degrees they harden; till, from being afhamed to own God, they grow bold enough to deny him, encouraged by example and by precept to brave his utmost vengeance.'

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Such, my young friends, is the ruinous effect of walking in the counfel of the ungodly, of standing in the way of finners, and fitting in the feat of the fcornful. "You who have not made fhipwreck of reason "and confcience-who have not yet renounced your "God and Redeemer," but are "expofed to the "temptations of crafty finners-give me leave to ex"poftulate this cafe with all the seriousness the subject "requires. It is an unpardonable folly and inexcufable perverfeness for men to forfake religion out of van"ity and oftentation; as if irreligion were a mark of "honour, and a noble diftinction from the rest of man"kind. To fear, where there is true caufe of fear, "where our fouls and our eternal happiness are at

ftake, is not below the dignity of man. To out"brave God and his juftice is a fad inftance of courage. "And men who fin through fuch a ridiculous vanity, "may value themselves for their bravery in defpifing "the fears, and their wisdom in deriding the weakness, "of religion; but perhaps a little time, a very little "time, may fhew them what learned pains they take "to difpute themselves into hell." They "muft an"fwer for the vanity of taking pains to invent" fophiftical "reasoning, to oppofe to the plain evidences which God hath afforded of his being and power, " and to undermine the proofs and authorities upon "which religion stands." *

It will be a peculiar advantage and felicity to perfons coming forward in life, if they are unconnected with, uninfluenced by, fuch characters as the text mentions-characters abhorred of God, of good angels, and of all wife and good men-affimilated to Satan in deceit and turpitude-deceivers and deceived. They

SHERLOCK, Vol, iii. p. 14, 15.

proftrate truth, holiness and peace; and exalt errour, impurity and difcord. They are diftinguished for arrogancy, envy, hatred, confufion and every evil work. They feek whom they may devour. Heaven fhall reveal their iniquity, and earth fhall rise up against them.

Confider their odious, mifchievous characters, the deftruction and mifery which are in their paths: You muft acknowledge it to be of the laft importance, that you walk not in the counfel of the ungodly, nor ftand in the way of finners, nor fit in the feat of the fcornful. Would you walk furely, take the facred oracles for counfellors. Choose for your friends the characters there recommended. Then you will never liften to the inftigations of the ungodly; nor affift to accomplish their devices by supplying the means, or by any compliances. You will not try to exempt them from deferved opprobrium. Such characters will be contemned in your eyes, as you honour them that fear the Lord. Inftead of winking at their folly and profaneness, through fear of their cenfure or their scorn, your example will be a standing reproof; and, as far as may be proper, will be accompanied with faithful rebuke. You may spare no means and endeavours to convert them from the errour of their way; to guard those of your early period, who, from their difpofition or fituation, may lie open to their counfel or company; to prevent the devious from wandering further, and to reclaim them.

Finally, my young brethren, answer fairly to the demand, and follow the advice of an apoftle. What fellowship hath righteoufnefs with unrighteousness? and what communion bath light with darkness? and what concord bath Chrift with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the tem¬ ple of God with idols? Wherefore, come out from them, and be ye feparate, faith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and I will be a Father unto you, and ye fhall be my fons and daughters, faith the Lord Almighty.