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TERM.

VIII.

FALLING

SHORT OF

HEAVEN.

137

Oh

that

I

could

speak

in

melting language,

or

in

the

lan-

guage

of

effectual

terror,

that

I

might

by

any means

awaken

your

souls to

jealobsy and

timely

fear

!

That

so many

natural

excellencies,

as

God

has

distributed

amongst

you,

might

not

be

wasted

in sin,

abused to dis-

honour, and aggravate

your everlasting

misery.

[This sermon

may be

divided

here.]

2.

My

next exhortation

shall be

addressed

to

those

youths

who

have been trained

up

in all

the

arts

of

civi-

lity,

and

have

acquired

a

courteous

and becoming

car-

riage.

There

is

something

lovely in such

an

appear-

ance,

and it

commands the

love even

of

the

rude and

uncivil.

It

so

nearly resembles the sweetness

of natural

temper, and imitates

good

-

humour

so

much

to

the

life,

that it

often

passes

upon company instead

of nature,

and attains

many valuable

ends

in

human

society.

But

where

both

these are

happily joined,

how

shining

is

that

character, and

universally beloved

?

We are pleased

and charmed

with

your conversation,

whose

manners

are

polished, and whose language

is

refined from

the

rude

and vulgar

ways

of

speech.

You

know

how

to

speak

civil things,

without

flattery,

upon

all

occasions;

to

instruct, without

assuming

a

superior

air, and

to

re-

prove without a

frown,

or forbidding countenance.

You

have

learned

when

to

speak,

and

when to be

silent,

and

to perform every

act

of

life

with its

proper graces; and

can

ye

be

content

with all this good

breeding, to

be

thrust

down to hell

?

is

it

not

pity

that

you

should

be

taught

to pay all

your honours

to

men,

and practise

none

to

the

living

God?

Have

you

not

read

those

du-

ties

in

connection

?

1

Pet.

ii.

17.

Honour all

men,

love

the

brotherhood,

fear

God,

and

honour the

king.

And

why

will

you divide

what

God

has

joined,

and

give

every

one

their

due,

besides

God your

Maker

?

how

dare

you

treat

the

creatures

with

decency and ceremony,

and

treat

God the Creator

with

neglect? salute

all

men with

their proper

titles

of

distinction, and

not learn

how

to

address

God

in

prayer

?

pay due

visits

to all

your

ac-

quaintance,

and

yet scarce ever make

a

visit

to the

mercy

-seat, or

bow

your

knees before

the Majesty

of

Heaven.

I

pity those

who

have all

the

arts of

complaisance

in