hended in this fingle phrafe. And no doubt infinite wildom felected this term, as the reverse of it is too incident to the young, to wit, levity, vanity, folly and inconfideration. And I hope, my dear young friends, you will fuffer this exhortation to be pressed upon you with all earneftness, as it is the counsel of an inspired apoftle, yea, of God your Maker himself. And according to your conformity to it or otherwife, you will be finally judged and fo faved or loft to all eternity. The whole of this fubject will be confined to thefe two things,

First, the explanation of fober mindedness.

Secondly, to lay before the younger part of my audience, fome of the innumerable motives which should engage them to be fober minded.

None who are acquainted with the nature and conduct of youth, and the state of the world in general, can deem fuch a fubject either unfeasonable or impertinent.

First your attention is invited to the explanation of fober mindedness, to which the young are exhorted.

First it may be observed, that this phrase imports a found mind, and thus it is rendered in another epiftle. "For God "hath not given us the fpirit of fear, but of power, of love, and "of a found mind." A found mind is opposed to one that is difordered and corrupted; and this is unhappily the cafe of every mind by nature. We are born unholy and unclean, vitiated and depraved. "We were fhapen in fin and brought "forth in iniquity. God made man upright but he hath "fought out many inventions." By reafon of our apoftacy our minds are become the abodes of darkness, confufion and diforder. Thofe powers which were first formed for fubjection have ufurped the government in the foul; the inferior paffions and fenfitive appetites now rule over the fuperior faculties of

reafon and understanding. Reafson, which was formed to go vern and direct in the human mind, is ejected from its throne; the understanding is overwhelmed in clouds of darknefs; and the lower propenfities and affections bear fway and triumph; hence all is anarchy and derangement in the foul. In order to become of a found mind, thefe maladies must be healed, and these disorders must be rectified. And this is done by regeneration, repentance and faith; by a reftoration of the loft image of God; of divine love and holiness. Hereby the mind becomes found, and thus perfons are formed to be fober minded.

Secondly, it implies in it confideration and thoughtfulness. The heart is naturally full of vain, foreign and impertinent thoughts. When, my young friends, will you command home your roving minds, and begin to think soberly and seriously as you ought to think? When will you turn your minds to matters of infinite moment ?—to think with anxious folicitude about the concerns of your everlasting peace? "Thus faith "the Lord of hofts, confider your ways." Enter into your hearts and lives, and confider whether they are right with God according to the Gofpel. Confider for what your capacities were created; for the fervice of your generation, for usefulness in the world, for the enjoyment of God and happiness forever. Confider whether it be not full time for the youngest of you to meditate upon the defign of your creation, and reflect how you have lived and what you have been doing. Your paffed years are gone as a tale that is told. Surely the feafon is come, that the youngest of you should awake from your flumbers of folly, and turn from your excurfions in the fields of delusion, and begin to exercife your thoughts upon religion and the falvation of your fouls. When the apoftle iffues forth this admonition to youth, that they fhould be fober minded, it is the fame thing as to exhort them to be religious. And O that God would imprefs the counfels upon your hearts, in fuch a manner, that you would not allow yourselves peace, nor indulge your eyes in fleep, nor your eyelids in flumber,

till this molt important matter be fecured, that you are wholly reduced to the renunciation of youthful lufts, your fouls dedi cated to God, and by faith repofed in the bofom of your precious faviour. Remember, all youthful follies, all manner of fin and blafphemy fhall be forgiven, and heaven will not, and earth and hell cannot pluck you out of his hands. Confider, death is approaching,-eternity opening,-and before the fun concludes the day, you may launch into that future and unknown world-you may pafs the bourne from whence there is no return! "O that you were wife, that you understood "this, that you would confider your latter end." You know that multitudes have launched out of this ftate by unforeseen and unexpected deaths. Accidents, which no human powers can provide against, have inftantly broken the thread of life, and in a moment opened the gates of eternity. My children, many deaths you have already escaped, and whether ever you will escape another is with a fovereign God, who gives not an account to any of his matters. Confider, God may not preferve you from another, and it is an abfolute certainty you can not preferve yourfelves; wherefore, immediately receive the divine counfel and turn unto the Lord. "Turn ye, turn ye, "for why will you die ?" There is no caufe why you should perish, but what arifes from yourfelves. There is enough in your heavenly father's houfe, and an abundance to spare. Instantly give yourfelves up to the bleffed Jefus, who poured out his foul unto death for you. He is the compaffionate Saviour of youth; loved children; took them into his divine arms; laid his bleffed hands upon them; and declared that of fuch is the kingdom of heaven. Thofe who deny children the blessed dedication to the arms of Jefus, I país them over to their ignorance and their mafter; but Chrift is merciful to little ones, whatever may be the ignorance, delufion, and perverfenefs of unhappy parents, deftitute of natural affection. Are not children of the church God's children were they Lot his, and devoted to him, in all the forms of vifible inftitu

tion in the vifible church, from Adam to Abraham, from Abraham to Mofes, and from Mofes to Chrift, and of fuch has not Chrift declared the kingdom of heaven to confift? God forbid that true and rational chriftians fhould prohibit their infant feed from the precious ordinance, initiating them into the church, and placing them under the bleffings of the covenant of mercy. Miftaken, milinformed and deluded parents, defpife the ordinance of baptifm, fome neglect it altogether, and fome have contracted it into the narrow limits of adults. But can any make void the mercy and grace of God? Ignorant, weak and unnatural parents cannot. The covenant of grace refts upon a firmer foundation, than the feeble opinions of men. This I purpose to demonftrate with the leave of divine providence, in fome future difcourfe, that those who deny baptifm altogether, and thofe who deny it to infants, are grossly criminal before God, have departed from the truth, and must fall under the displeasure of heaven. It is an infinite mercy, that tho' they may deprive their children of covenant bleffings in the vifible church, and wickedly fcreen themfelves from many gofpel duties, yet I have always confidered the former as more confiftent than the latter. This is a deviation which I must relinquish, and refer to future attention.

Thirdly, another thing implied in fober mindednefs is caution, circumfpection, and prudence. How arduous the task to reduce youth to thefe virtues? The word fober minded, is fometimes rendered difcreet as in the verfe preceding our text. This I apprehend would be a leading ftep to true reli gion, and perhaps it is a conftituent of its nature. Nothing can form us to wisdom and discretion equal to religion. This is one of the highest evidences which can be afforded of real picty .Thus fays St. Paul," Walk circumspectly, not as fools, but "as wife redeeming the time." The refolution of the Pfalmift was, "I will behave myself wifely in a perfect way." To this Solomon often exhorts; "My fon, be wife, therefore get "wisdom, get understanding?" Thofe who are young and

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about entering upon the tumultuous ocean of this world, the best advice can be given you, is to take wisdom for your coun fellor, and true religion for your monitor. These will be as pillar of cloud to fcreen you by day, and as a pillar of light to direct your paths through this dark and dreary wildernets.

Fourthly, humility is another effential ingredient of a fober mind. Therefore St. Peter exhorts youth, "To be cloathed with humility." Perhaps more young people are ruined by pride than by any other fin. Let not the beautiful glory in his beauty, nor the ingenious in his, wit," But if any man

will glory, let him glory in the Lord." Our Saviour's direction is, "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart,"

Fifthly, purity and chastity are involved in and must not be neglected in the explanation of a fober mind. Remember our apostle declares, "Fornication, uncleanness, and lasci“viousness, youthful lufts." Abftain from every appearance of thefe things, and " Even from the garment fpotted by the

Alefh." Hear the warning voice of Solomon, “Come not "near her house, whofe feet go down to death, and her steps "take hold on hell, least thou mourn at last, when thy fles and thy body are consumed."

Sixthly, fober mindedness implies fteadiness and compofure in oppofition to an airy, fickle and giddy temper. "My heart "is fixed, faith the Pfalmift, trusting in the Lord." Establish 66 your hearts therefore, and be not as Reuben, unstable as "water, for fuch will never excel." Halt not between opinions, but come to a conclufion, to be for God or the enemy. Chufe you this day whom you will ferve, the Saviour or Destroyer of your fouls. I must not omit, to obferve,

Seventhly, that gravity, fincerity, ferioufnefs, and an orderly conduct are involved in a fober mind. He who is ferious in