not fleep as do others; but let us watch and be fober. For they that fleep, fleep in the night; and they that be drunk, are drunken in the night.

Many of you that have lately fet up this practice of frolicking and jollity, profefs to be children of the light and of the day; and not to be the children of darknefs. Therefore walk as in the day and do not those works of darkness that are commonly done at unfeafonable hours of the night.

Such things are not only condemned by the Apoftle, but are looked upon as infamous through the world in all ages among fober fort of people; and all paft writings fhow it. Therefore it is a thing of bad report, and fo forbidden, Phil. iv. 8.-Whatfoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue-any praife, think on these things.

Objection 1. But the wife man allows of this practice, when he fays, Ecclef. iii. 4. There is a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

་

Answer. This is nothing to the purpose; for the utmost that any can pretend that it proves, is denying it to be lawful, and allowing it may be used under fome circumstances; but not at all, that dancing and other things ufed by our young people in their frolicks are lawful in thofe circumstances, any more than what is faid in the fame chapter, verfe 3. there is a time to hill, proves that it is lawful for a man to commit murder..

To deny that dancing, under any circumstances whatever, was lawful, would be abfurd: for there was a religious dancing in the Jewish church, that was a way of expreffing their fpiritual mirth. So David danced before the Lord. And he calls upon others to praise God in the dance. So there may be other circumftances wherein dancing may not be unlawful. But all this makes nothing to the prefent purpofe; to prove that this particular cuftom, that we have been fpeaking of among our young people, is not of a bad tendency. And befides, when the wife man fays, there is a time

to dance, that does not prove, that the dead of the night The fame wife man doth not juftify condemns it, Ecclef. ii. 2. I faid mad; and of mirth, what doth

is the time for it. carnal mirth, but of laughter, it is

it?

Objection 2. If we avoid all fuch things, it will be. the way for our young people to be ignorant how to behave themselves in company.

Anfwer. But confider what this objection comes to.. It certainly comes to this, viz. That the pouring. out of the Spirit of God upon a people, tends to banifh all good conduct, good breeding, and decent behaviour from among them; and to fink them down into clownifhnefs and barbarity. And if fuch a pour-. ing out of the Spirit of God, as has been amongst us, fhould be continued, it would tend to have this effect;. for that we have feen by experience. The Spirit of God did actually put an end to this practice among us.

But who is it amongst us that is not afhamed to make fuch an objection? Will any of our young converts talk thus ? Will you that think you were converted. by the late pouring out of the Spirit of God, and are made holy perfons, heirs of eternal life, talk fo blaf. phemously of it?

If our young people are refolute ftill to go on, notwithstanding all that has been faid, I hope that thofe of them that call themselves converted, will first find out fome rational, fatisfying anfwer to the arguments that have been used against it. This at least may be reafonably expected of them, feeing they make fuch a profeffion. You have this day been partaking of the facrament of the Lord's fupper, and therein folemnly, renewed your profeffion.

If after fuch light fet before you, and fuch mercy given, you will go on, Be it known to you, that your eating now, and at other times, will prove only an eating and drinking judgment to yourselves.

And I defire heads of families, if they have any government over their children; or any command of

their own houses, would not tolerate their children in fuch practices, nor fuffer fuch conventions in their houses.

I do not defire that young people fhould be abridged of any lawful and proper liberties.But this cuftom can be of no benefit or service in the world; it tends only to mifchief.

Satan doubtless would be glad to have fuch an interest amongst us as he used to have; and is therefore ftriving to teal in, while we are fleeping; but let us roufe up ourselves, and vigorously oppofe his encroachments..

I fhall repeat those words of the Apostle, Rom. xiii. 12, 13, 14. and leave them to the ferious confideration of all perfons, old and young: The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore caft off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honeftly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonnefs, not in ftrife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and make no provifion for the flesh, to fulfil the lufts thereof.

SER.

SERMON III.

Man's natural Blindness in the Things of

Religion.

[February 1740.]

PSALM XCIV. 8, 9, 10, 11.

Underfland, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wife? He that planted the ear, fhall he not hear? he that formed the eye, fhall he not fee? He that chafifeth the Heathen, Shall he not correct? he that teacheth man knowl edge, fhall he not know? The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.

IN thefe words the following things are to be obferved.

IN

1. A certain fpiritual difeafe charged on fome, viz. dark nefs and blindness of mind, appearing in their ignorance and folly. 2. The great degree of this difeafe; fo as to render the fubjects of it fools. "Ye fools, when will ye be wife?" And fo as to reduce them to a degree of brutishness. "Ye brutifh among the people." This ignorance and folly was to fuch a degree, as to render men like beafts. 3. The obftinacy of this disease; expreffed in that interrogation, when will ye be wife? Their blindness and folly was not only very great, but deeply rooted and established, refifting all manner of cure. 4. Of what nature this blindness is. It is especi ally in things pertaining to God. They were ftrangely ignorant of his perfections, like beafls; and had foolish notions of him, as though he did not fee, nor know; and as though he would not execute. juftice, by chastifing and punishing wicked men. 5. The unreasonableness and fottishness of the notion they had of God, that he did not hear, did not obferve their reproaches of him and his people, is shown by obferving that he planted

the

the ear. It is very unreasonable to fuppofe, that he who gave power of perceiving words to others, fhould not perceive them himself. And the fottifhnefs of their being infenfible of God's all-feeing eye, and particularly of his feeing their wicked actions, appears, in that God is the being who formed the eye, and gave others a power of feeing. The fottifhnefs of their apprehenfion of God, as though he did not know what they did, is argued from his being the fountain and original of all knowl. edge. The unreasonablenefs of their expecting to escape God's juft chaftifements and judgments for fin, is fet forth by his chaflifing even the Heathen, who did not fin against that light, or againft fo great mercies, as the wicked in Ifrael did, nor had ever made fuch a profeffion as they. 6. We may observe, that this dreadful disease is afcribed to mankind in general. "The Lord know"eth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity." The Pfalmift had been fetting forth the vanity and unreasonbleness of the thoughts of fome of the children of men ; and immediately upon it obferves, that this vanity and foolishnefs of thought is common and naural to mankind. DOCTRINE.

There is an extreme and brutish blindness in things of religion, which naturally poffeffes the hearts of mankind.

This doctrine is not to be understood as any reflection on the capacity of the human nature; for God hath made man with a noble and excellent capacity. The blindness I fpeak of, is not a merely negative ignorance; fuch as in trees and stones, that know nothing. And no wonder, for they have no faculties of understanding and perception, whereby they fhould be capable of any knowledge. And fuch as is in inferior animals, who, though they have fenfitive perception, yet are not capable of any intellectual views. There is no fault to be found with man's natural faculties. God has given men those faculties that are very noble and excellent; well capable of true wifdom and divine knowledge.

Nor is the blindness I fpeak of merely negative, in

the