ESSAY. 825 temper and his conduct altered for the worse by the diseases ofhis body, and restored again by the recovery of hishealth ? 2. Consider how different are the sins of youth and'old age ; how contrary are their several temptations. The youth.delights in gay company, public vanities, sensual amusements, 'luxury, and profuseness ; he contemns money, and despises his ease,: to pursue with labour the gratifications of fancy and wanton appe- tite ; and hereby he neglects all the duties Of retirement, and se- rious thoughtfulness. The old man loves his ease above all things, except his money ; he neglects and despises the pleasures of the flesh, and gay diversions ; but he daily hoards up hisgold for fear of want ; and in counting over histreasure he wastes the latter hours of his life, which lie should spend in a preparationfor death at hand. The youth fears nothing, and rubes on to guilt headlong; the old man is frighited-at every thing, and shrinksback from the most necessary-duties. Whence are all these differences of sin ? The natural philo- sopher will give happy hints toward the solving this question with ease and truth : He knows that one isoccasioned by the flo- rid- blood, and juices, and active powers of young humanna- ture ; these hurry the soul on to pursue every fleshly delight. Theother is owing to the languid and gross stagnant humours that minglewith the blood of old age : Theserender him dull and inactive; and his perpetual fears of want, and poverty, and of everyother evil, arise partly from the poor low state of those feeble spirits that attend that last and expiringperiod of life. The unholy soul is too easily influencedby both these extremes in the different seasons of its dwelling in this mortal and sin- ful flesh ; and the soul that, is sanctified finds it hard ..work tò resist. -4. Let us consider yet again, howgreat a part of the sins of men arise from the presence of tempting sensible objects, and these are conveyed-to 'the mind by the sensitive'pówers of the -flesh. What influence could the wholeworld of enticing objects have on the spirit, if the notices of them were not brought to the sprit by the senses ? Thepresence of alluring temptations strikes strongly on the outward organs of sense, awakens the carnal ap- petite, and with a powerful, an unhappy, and an almost constrain- ing force, persuades the soul to guilty practices and enjoyments. At other times it Causes a sinful neglect of proper duties to God -or man ; or, at least, it calls in vain thoughts to mingle with our services, both civil and religious ; and thus gives them a sensual taint, and pollutes and spoils them. Particular circumstances of time and place, where sensual temptations attend us, become unhappy occasions of defiling the soul. And Where is the time, or where the place, in which such 3
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