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ledge of the Gospel. "Iexhort you, therefore, and intreat you by the mercies of Chrft, and furely a more endearing motive cannot offer itself to you, that ye prefent your bodies a living Sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable Service and be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed in the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."

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SERMON IV.

ON THE INFLUENCE OF EVIL COMPANY.

1 COR. XV. 33.

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

WER

ERE there any inclined to queftion this Observation, which was proverbial even before the days of the Apostle, the unhappy circle, which appears around me, would too furely confirm its Truth. Society, which offers happiness to thousands, by a mutual Intercourse of good Offices, abounds

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alfo with innumerable dangers to those who know not, or are not willing, properly to apply its Gifts. All the fweet comforts of focial life, the charms of friendship, and even of domestic blifs itself, inftead of working together for good, produce, by an improper application of them, a dangerous and deadly Evil. Thus from the sweetest flowers and fairest fruit, is extracted the moft fubtle and penetrating poison.

Were I to apply feparately to each of this Audience, and enquire -what was the firft caufe of their departure from Virtue ?-I doubt not but I fhould be informed, that it arose from too great a fondness for Society, and the Influence of bad companions. Shrink not, my brethren, when I call to your remembrance those tempters, that have feduced you to fin, that lured you by falfe promifes from your peaceful homes, and have left you

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to figh out many a melancholy hour, either under the pangs of punishment, or in the gloomy confinement of a prifon. Such recollections, tho' they cannot be made without horror, are yet falutary and proper. They trace the ftream of Evil back to its fource, and restore the Powers of the mind which were enervated by drinking these bitter

waters.

Some of you perhaps can recollect the time, when you lived foberly in your father's house, when your fond parents gave you daily Leffons of Virtue, and with tears intreated you to be faithful unto death. You may remember too the hour, the fatal Hour, when you withdrew yourselves from your kind Inftru&tors, when went into a far country, like the prodigal in the parable, and with feducing companions confumed

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you

Luke xv.

consumed your little means in riotous living. Others of you may remember, not perhaps your firft Inclination to fin, t for you may have been early trained in thofe deceitful paths; but your memories doubtless will fupply you with this obferva. tion, that company of the baseft fort hath often led you to crimes, which you would not otherwise have committed. So true is it, that Evil communications not only corrupt good manners, but prevent thofe, that would reform, from bringing forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness.

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"Pilfering and flealing are frequently owing at first to the want of proper Instruction in early life; and these naturally lead to the commiffion of more enormous offences; for corrupt as our nature is, robbery and murder are seldom, if ever, the first crimes of the unhappy wretches who commit them; but when once perfons have entered upon evil courfes, they commonly advance by hafty fteps, till they become totally depraved, and abandoned to all kinds of wickednefs."

Howard on the Lazaretto's &c. p. 192. note.

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