to make our calling and election fure: fo that they are highly culpable, who fpend whole days and nights at cards and dice, or other idle paftimes; or through any avaricious temper make a trade of gaming, and fo cheat; and, when provoked, ftain their fouls with fury, rage, fwearing, and curfing, as woeful experience too often fhews. Such a gamefter ftakes his foul, which is of too great a value to be ventured at fuch a rate; and, inftead of recreation, loads himself with the greatest vexations; for the fears and defires of the covetous, and the impatience and rage of the angry man, are more real pains than the most laborious work in the world. Yet

mended.

We should endeavour alfo to keep up a conftant chearChearful fulness of fpirit. They difgrace religion, who prenefs recom- tend that it is an enemy to mirth and chearfulness, or imagine it to be a fevere exacter of thoughtful looks and folemn faces; or that men are never ferious enough till they are fullen, or fhut up from all company and recreations. Let men fay what they will, thofe hours, which are wafted away in indulging an idle fullennefs or a moaping melancholy, are no lefs placed to our account, than those which fly away unperceived in unthinking mirth and gaiety. It is the fame thing, as to all religious intents and purpofes, whether our time is mifpent in vanity, or in anguish and vexation of fpirit. It has been a great artifice of the devil to poffefs the minds of unthinking men with an opinion, that religion is a four, morofe, ill-natured thing; an enemy to whatever is pleafant and chearful; and that whoever engages in the practice of it muft from that inftant renounce all the pleasures and enjoyments of this life. But as the devil is the father of lyes, it is no wonder that he fets every thing before us in a falfeand deceitful light; he knows that there is fuch a beauty and comeliness in religion, as no one can behold but with love and admiration; and therefore he endeavours to draw a veil over its luftre, and to raife in our minds frightful ideas concerning it: and too many, alas! are mifled by fuch falfe and unjust reprefentations. Our Saviour was fo far from giving religion a gloomy appearance, that the first miracle which he wrought was at a fcene of feftivity, where he turned the water into

wine.

wine. And he who gave and exemplified the ftricteft rules of life, gave a fanction to the innocent comforts and refreshments of it. Again, a chearful and contented mind is a great bleffing of life; for without it nothing in this world can make us happy: and where fhall a man obtain this, but in the practice of religion? that will teach him to refign his will to God, to fubmit to all the difpenfations of his providence, and to be patient and eafy, chearful and fatisfied, under every difappointment and trouble he meets with; as knowing that God is the fovereign difpofer of all things: and fo long as we keep within the bounds of fobriety, and do not fally out into malicious, fcurrilous, or profane jefting, our religion does not only wink at our mirth, but approves thereof. Chearfulness is nature's best friend, removes its oppreffions, inlivens its faculties, and keeps the fpirits in a brifk and regular motion, and renders it eafy to itself, and useful and ferviceable to God and our neighbour; difpels clouds from the mind, and fears from the heart; kindles and cherishes in us generous affections, and compofes our nature into fuch a temper, as is of all others the most fit to receive religious impreffions and the breathings of the holy Spirit. Whereas melancholy Melanch ly naturally repreffes the Spirit of God, and difturbs prevents the his working within us; overwhelms the fancy with black vapours; and clouds and darkens the Spirit. understanding; diftracts the thoughts, and renders them wild, roving, and incoherent; makes them unfit for prayer and confideration, and renders them deaf and inattentive to all the good motions and infpirations of the Holy Ghoft.

good influ

ences of the

IV. Lastly, We must also be temperate in APPAREL. This is a duty that becomes us as we are rational Of tempecreatures, but more efpecially as we are members rance in apof the chriftian church; forafmuch as we are parel. ftrictly obliged to avoid all kinds of excefs, and in particular to put on modeft apparel. If men are guilty of excefs, the dignity of their fex increases the fault, and makes it unpardonable: nature having defigned them for the nobleft employments, they undervalue themfelves in ftudying dress and ornament; and betray fuch a degeneracy of fpirit, as exposes them to fcorn. Befides, this extravagancy in either

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And the

of it.

sex is destructive of the public welfare. The lawlawful ufe ful ufe of apparel appears, by confidering the ends for which cloathing is appointed; which is a covering from shame, to defend us from the injuries of the weather, and to diftinguish the orders and degrees of men : which ends, if they were attended to, many would reduce themselves into a homelier drefs, who make fo gay an appearance in the vanity of rich habits, and strain both their purfes and confciences to purchase them.

The first defign of apparel having been, as we read in Genefis, to cover the nakedness of our first parents, whose shame was the effect of the fin by which they brought death into the world; we fhould be fo far from delightApparel defigned for ing in apparel unbecoming us, that it should be a covering conftant check against all other offences, and from shame. teach us never to covet better apparel than will serve to cover us decently. Yet many chriftians will comply The folly with every fashion, and fuit their drefs to all the and danger changes, infomuch that by drefs and habit there of fashions. is no diftinguishing an honeft woman from a common prostitute: but with difcreet chriftians it ought to be otherwife; they are bound to abstain from all appearance of evil, to avoid all approaches towards it, and deny themselves the use of such ornaments, and forbear fuch geftures, which give ground of fufpicion to the cenfurer, or whereby themselves may be tempted to pride, or their admirers to the lufts of the flesh. But they are always guilty of excess in their apparel, who have neither quality nor any good defign to justify the wearing thereof; who propofe no other ends but to fet off their beauty, or to make fuch a figure as may deceive the world into a falfe opinion of their greatness and bonour, to which they have no title: and they are as much exalted with it, in their own vain conceit, as if they had gained fome real worth or power; as their haughty looks, their infolent and scornful behaviour plainly fhew: which verifies the wife man's obfervation, A man's attire, exceffive laughter, and gait, fhew what he is. Gay apparel has ever been obferved to corrupt men, putting thofe upon extravagancies, who are otherwife fober and induftrious; and though

fome

fome are fo much mafters of themselves as to retain their innocence with it, yet frequently it tempts to fin, kindles luftful defires, and is too often worn for that very defign. The over-curious in adorning the body commonly neglect their better parts; though they shine in the eyes of men, their foul remains in darkness, in grofs ignorance of their duty or defiled with pride, and all manner of uncleanness. They not only employ their thoughts, but their time alfo, in this vanity; they fpend fo much at their glass, or in the dreffing-room, or in making a fhew of themselves to company, that there is none to fpare for performing the offices of religion and virtue.

Loofe dress is deftructive to many christian virtues; fuch as charity, which fuffers much thereby. Those who are fo much taken up with love and admira- Excels in apparel tion of themselves, have little difpofition to con- dangerous and finful. fider the ftraits and hardships of other men; they can easily overlook their neighbour's poverty, and defpife him for it: the moft diftreffed object moves no compaffion in them: but under this fenfe they can hide themfelves from their own flesh: nay, it is well if they do no more than fo; for fuch as will pinch their bellies, and starve their families, to feed this vanity, are too often known to lie in wait, and catch the poor, when they can draw them into their net by any indirect means. They who think rich apparel becomes them well, and that much happiness confifts in it, having no eftates to fupport it, will stick at no villainy whatsoever to gratify their pride. What fhall we fay of those who run deep into the tradefmen's books, without any poffibility of paying them; to which is owing the ruin of many families? Is not their drefs a load of fin? What can be faid by way of excufe for thofe, who are fine at their neighbour's coft, by means that are not very easily discovered; where bribery, extortion, breach of truft, and deceit in dealings, must bring in the supplies for their maintenance in apparel? This muft of neceflity bring many into straits and difficulties, who are immediately taught by the devil to lay the blame of their credit's being funk and leffened by this kind of profuseness, upon the times, the decay of trade,

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[Sund. 16. and fearcity of money; as the times of the greatest plenty can witnefs: fince it is impoffible for art and induftry, or the moft gainful returns of trade, to answer all the unreafonable demands of luxury and pride.

The fecond end of apparel being to defend us from the in

Fencing

juries of the weather, we ought only to wear such from cld. cloathing as fhall be neceffary to keep us from cold and preferve the health of our bodies. They therefore are guilty of intemperance in apparel, who take fuch pride in their cloaths, as, by regarding the fashions, to neglect, and even prejudice their health: in which cafes cloathing is fo far from being a benefit, that it hurts the body. But left it fhould be understood that I would countenance thofe, who, out of a covetous temper of hoarding up riches, deny themfelves the conveniencies of life, and contend it is utterly unlawful to comply with the innocent and becoming fafhions of their country, or to lay out any thing more upon cloathing, than juft what is neceflary or fufficient to clothe them; who arraign thofe of pride and wastefulness, who put on ornaments fuitable to their rank and quality, and fuch as their circumftances in the world will eafily and honestly afford them: I fay, thefe pretended fcrupulous notions are not the fruits of chriftian inftruction, but the figns of a narrow fpirit; fo that, when they are taught for religious doctrines, they are no better than fuperftitious impofitions, like thofe of the judaifing chriftians, who faid, Touch not, tafte not, handle not; putting a reftraint upon men in those things which God and the laws of their country give them liberty to enjoy. Yet we must take care, left, under the pretence of liberty, we go beyond our rank and degree, and defpife thofe, who either through choice refufe to come up to the fame excefs, or whofe circumftances will not allow them to do it: we muft alfo fhun all thofe kind of dreffes, as have a natural tendency to raise lafcivious and wanton thoughts.

Thirdly, We have faid that dress was intended to diftinguish Diftin&ion the orders and degrees of men; and this both in of perfons. refpect of fex and quality: for all nations have affigned a diftinction of cloathing between man and woman;