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Amemingni
394
CHRISTIAN MORALITY,
VIZ.
{SEAM.
XXIII.
religion.
Nor
should
we
run
hastily away from the
duties
of
worship,
and plunge
ourselves
into the midst
even
of
innocent merriment; for
this would look as
though
we
were
weary
of
devotion, and longed to be
at
play.
A
wise
christian
will
divide
his times
aright,
and
make all
the parts
of
his
conduct
to
succeed one
another
in
a
de-.
cent order.
Besides,
the hours
of
recreation
should
not
be multi-
plied
by
those persons
who have
least
need
of them;
such are persons
of a
chearful
and
healthy constitution
:
And
they
will
be
used more sparingly
by
christians
of
maturer
age,
and longer standing
in
religion.
As
a
child
grows
up toward
man, he leaves off
the impertinences
of
infancy,
and
the
sports and
trifles
of
childhood
;
and
as
a man
grows
up more and more toward
a
perfect
chris-
tian,
his
methods
of
pleasure will
be
changed
from
light
and
gay,
to
that
which
is
grave
and
solid.
To
conclude
this subject,
I
would mention only one
powerful motive to preserve
christian
gravity,
and
that
is,
that
hereby the
temper
of
your spirit
will be
better pre-
pared
for
every religious duty,
whether it
be
prayer or
praise,
and better
fitted to meet every providence,
whe-
ther it
be
prosperous
or
afflictive
:
Whereas
those who
perpetually
indulge a merry
temper
of
mind, when
a
prosperous providence attends
them, they
are tempted
tc
excessive
vanity and carnal
joy;
their hearts are not
fille(
with
thankfulness to
that
God
from
whom
their
mercie
come, being
too thoughtless
and
regardless
of
the
origi
nal donor. On the
other
hand, when
affliction
smite
them,
they
are
in
danger
of
despising the
stroke
of
th
rod,
nor
does
the correction
of
their
heavenly
Fathr
make
so
deep and
useful an impression
upon their
spilt
as
it
ought
to
do.
When
in
the
course
of
our
lives we
maintain sucia
grave
and
composed frame
as
becomes
a
christian,
7e
find
our
hearts
more
ready for
all the
duties
of
worslp.
We are prepared
to receive
evil
tidings
as wellas
.good,
and
to
attend
on
the
will
of
God
in
all
his
oulo-
ings
of
providence
:
We are
ready
to receive
message
of
sorrow,
or the summons
of
death, for
we
are
still
in-
versing with
God
:
We
keep
the
invisible world irthe
eye
of
our
faith
:
And
our
spirits are ready
prelred
to
depart
from the
flesh,
and
to
meet our
God
ancour
Saviour
in the unknown regions
of
light and
immorllity.