and Impertinencies of their ordinary Life and Conversation, have the Guilt of deftroying Souls, and that the Blood of those, whom their Follies have destroy'd, will be required at their Hands.

IT is fometimes faid of a foolish, irregular and vain Person, that he is only his own Enemy; but this is as abfur'd as to say, that a Person of exemplary and eminent Piety, is only his own Friend; for as his lively Piety will certainly communicate it felf to those about him, fo the Folly and impertinent Spirit of an irregular Man, will naturally infect those who are oblig'd to be near him.

A MISTRESS whofe daily Conversation is a daily Proof to her Maids, that she is govern'd by a Spirit of true Piety in all that the fays and does, whose regular Life is a continual vifible Labour to work out her Salvation with Fear and Trembling, is a Bleffing to all that stand about her; fhe communicates Happiness even to those who are born of her Servants; they will be educated in Piety, because their Parents learnt what Piety was, in waiting on fuch a Mistress.

A GOOD-NATUR'D, drinking, fleeping, playing, fwearing Mafter, is a Curfe to thofe who attend upon him; they are led into all Irregularities, by following his Steps,

Steps, and are fent into the World hardened in Follies, and infenfible of Religion, by having lived with fuch a Master. This therefore ought carefully to be confidered by all Chriftians, as a mighty Encouragement to an exact Strictnefs and Regularity of Behaviour; that as a holy Converfation entitles us to a Reward for other People's Virtues, fo an evil Communication and the Folly of our Lives, makes us liable to a Punishment for other Men's Sins. For we can neither live well or ill to our felves alone, but muft of Neceffity do either Good or Harm to others, by our Manner of Converfation. This is one great Reafon why a vain corrupt Communication does fo grieve the Holy Spirit, because it is fo infecting an Evil, and does fo corrupt the Manners of thofe that we converse with. This Doctrine of abstaining from corrupt Communication, that we may not grieve the Spirit of God, teaches us a high Aim and exalted Degree of Perfection, which is peculiar to Christianity. As Chriftianity lays the Defign of uniting us to God, and railing us to a more intimate Participation of the Divine Nature, so we are to make the Spirit of our Religion, and the Greatness of its Designs, the Rule of our Perfection.

WE

WE must not only conduct our felves by Rules of Morality, but pùrfue fuch Degrees of Purity, as can only be expreffed by an Imitation of God, and afpire after fuch Wisdom, as is fuggefted to us, by confidering that we are Temples of the Holy Ghoft, and must live like Beings confecrated by the Spirit of Wisdom. If we were frequently to confider the Holy Prefence of this God within us, and to ask our felves, Does this Difcourfe, this Behaviour, become one who is to act according to the Infpirations of the Divine Spirit? we fhould find, that the very Thought of this Dignity of our State, would determine feveral Points where no exprefs Law condemns us; we fhould find fuch a Contrariety in many of our allowed Ways, to our Chriftian Greatness, to this Holy Spirit that is given unto us, as would fufficiently check our Behaviour, only by fhewing us that we acted below our felves.

IT is common in Life to hear a Man fay, this does not become a Gentleman, that does not become a Man of Quality: Now I would have us find out fomething like this in Religion; for certainly if any State of Life has its Dignity, which can excite Men to a fuitable Greatness of Action, furely the State of a Chriftian, which is a State of fuch relation to God, which

unites us to his Holy Spirit, ought to raise in us a Defire of acting fuitable to fo exalted a Condition. For who can fo justly be afraid of acting below himself, as he that is made one with Chrift? Who can fo reasonably think that he is never wife, or holy, or pure enough, as he that is to walk with God in the Light of his Holy Spirit, whose Soul and Body is made a facred Temple for

the Divine Prefence?

THE Heathen Philofophers exhorted Man to reverence his Reason, as a Ray of the Deity; but we can go much higher, we can exhort him to reverence the Deity that dwelleth in him, and to act with fuch Purity, as becomes Persons that are inspired by the Holy Ghost.

THIS is the Improvement that we are to make of this Doctrine of Divine Grace; it must make us exact and careful of our Behaviour, that we may walk worthy of that Holy Spirit that dwelleth in us.

The Neceffity of Divine Grace,

obligeth all Chriftians to a conftant Purity, and Holiness of Converfation; wherein is fhewn, the great Danger, and great Impiety, of reading vain and impertinent Books.

HAVE fhewn in the foregoing Chapter, that the Neceffity of Divine Grace is a mighty Argument for an univerfal Care and Exactness of Life and Converfation. I come now to speak to one remarkable Branch of it; Let no corrupt Communication proceed out of your Mouth, but that whieh is good to the Ufe of edifying, that it may minifter Grace to the Hearers, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are fealed to the Day of Redemption. Now if we are to let no corrupt Communication proceed

out