and to put off the awful concern of eternity, to a bed of sickness, or a dying hour, till it is too late, and you will be led to exclaim, with extréme anguish of soul, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!" Bad companions will teach you to desire sinful pleasures, and entice you to use sinful ways in order to obtain them. Another evil is, that you will not only be enticed to commit sin, but be tempted to excel in it; to take the lead in every thing that is sinful and wicked. To keep company with sinners, will harden your hearts, corrupt your principles, curse your earthly blessings, sear your consciences, destroy your spiritual pleasures, shorten your life, injure your character, hasten your death, deprive you of God's favour, ruin your souls, and plunge you at last into eternal misery. 2. "Consent thou not." Keep no company with sinners; go not with them; enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men; avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away; the wicked do not live out half their days. O my dear young friends say to all evil companions "No longer will I ask your love, "In vain your words accost my ear, Of all Mr. Theatre will entice you by saying, Come and pay me a visit, and you shall have the most exquisite pleasure-consent thou not. the various and fatal methods made use of by the enemies of God and religion, to ruin the morals of the young, none are more fatal, none more mischievous than bad books: A bad example though it is productive of great evils, extends only to those who are near enough to observe it, and live within the reach of its baneful influence; but a wicked book will poison the mind, and continue to destroy the souls of the young, when the author lies silent in the dust: It is impossible to tell the bounds of its fatal effects particularly if it is entertaining and amusing; it is then like poison thrown into a river; it is carried to the utmost part of the world; it silently enters the cottage of the simple countryman, finds its way to the shepherd's humble cot, and the shop of the industrious tradesman; it is destructive to all ages, ranks and conditions of men, but more particularly to the young and thoughtless, to them its breath is poison and its touch death. Miss Novel will say to you, come and spend an hour or two with me and my dear Miss Romance, you will be highly entertained. Whatever pleasure or entertainment such books may afford you, remember, they are forbidden by God: Therefore, consent thou not Mr. Song-book will say to you, Make choice of the prettiest of my relations you can find, I will amply reward you, if you commit me to memory, I shall give you pleasure and teach you a lively and beautiful tune into the bargain. First enquire, if this was Mary's choice, if this was that good part which could not be taken away? if it was not, then be warned, consent thou not. If wicked children say to you, Your parents sell such and such things, I wish you would get me some, you can have plenty, but I cannot obtain any of these things without your parent's knowledge. No, my dear children, consent thou not. For whoso robbeth father or mother, and saith it is no transgression, the. same is a companion of the destroyer. If your companions say, don't go to school, but go with. me to such a place, where we shall have this and that and other good things-consent thou not; for though your sin may not be known, yet you may "be sure your sins will find you out." V. I will endeavour to give you a few directions in the choice of your companions. See that their conduct is good. Say as David did, "I am a companion of them that fear thee." Let your companions be such as love God. For those whom God loves, we ought to love. Let them be such little children as love Jesus: if Jesus is their Friend, or they know him as such, they will be your best friends. Let them be such as love prayer, so that when you go to visit them, and they come to visit you, you may be able to go to your heavenly Father, and join together in prayer to him for his blessing on you both. There was a little girl, who used to pray with her playmates whenever they came to see her; so should you. Let your companions be such as love the Bible: when you are together, read the Bible; and tell one another what you think of what you read and hear from the Bible. Let your companions be such as are obedient to their parents, and kind to their brothers and sisters: if they are disobedient and unkind they will learn you to be so too; you will not gain any thing that is good from them. Let them be industrious children: never keep: company with idle children; for they are children who are ripe for every mischief, they are at every one's beck and call, and are in a fair way to that which is worse than nothing. Let your companions be such as love their school and their books, for if they are idle at school, and you sit near them, or chuse them for your companions when school is over, they will make you as bad as themselves: never go with those children who play truant. Let your companions be such as are sensible children; then you will be likely to learn wisdom from them. These are the companions that will do you good and be useful to you; from them you will receive instruction, and to their advice you ought to attend. "You should be walking with the wise, that wiser you may grow." Chuse those children for your companions, who will stand by you in the time of danger: not those children who come round you, only when you have something to give them: you will have many companions who will seek to be friends with you, only for what they can get: despise them; for when you need their friendship most, they will be sure to leave you to help yourself as well as you can. "A friend in need, is a friend indeed." Trust none of your friends with a secret, that would hurt your character in the sight of others; because the first time you displease them, they will reveal all your se crets out of revenge: When such children have once abused the confidence that you put in them, take heed of trusting them again; they are false friends. Never be angry with your companions without a real cause; always examine into the matter; do not go by what you hear, nor yet by what you see, at all times. Keep no company with proud children; but let humble and meek children be your companions; for they will not be so easily offended, nor wilfully hurt or offend you. Keep not company with cross and ill-natured children; for you will, at one time or another, feel the effects of their temper. When your companions fall out, or quarrel with each other, do what you can to make peace: never strive to increase |