mals of our Climate as well as our Men. But if indeed it be fo abfolutely neceffary to the Prefervation of a Man's Honour and Reputation, that he should exprefs his Courage and Valour, I do believe that wife and good Men may every Day find Occafions enough of doing it without ever putting themselves to the Trouble or the Danger of fighting Duels.

But thus much is fufficient to have spoken as to the particular Inftances of fashionable Sins which are here forbidden in the Text, which was our third Point. But it must be acknowledged that the Prohibition in the Text of not conforming to the World, may and ought to be extended further than to the Customs of the World, which are plainly finful, and against the Laws of God, fuch as all thofe are that I have hitherto mentioned. There are feveral other Things which, tho' they are not perhaps against any exprefs Command of God, yet it will be fit for fober Chriftians to abstain from them. And there are feveral Things and Cuftoms likewife, which, tho' they may be lawful and innocent in themselves, yet prove finful by Accident, at fome Times, and in fome Circumftances, and to fome Perfons; and yet at other Times, and in other Circumstances, and to other Perfons, they will not be fo. Now, with refpect to fuch Things and Cuftoms as thefe, I put

our.

IV. Fourth

IV. Fourth and laft Enquiry, viz. By what Rules and Measures we are to guide ourselves in the Matter of Conformity to the World, that what is lawful in itself, may not become unlawful or finful to us.

And because the Circumstances of Things are infinite, all that I can do is to lay down three or four general Rules for our Converfation, to which we are to apply Particulars, as they come in our Way. I fhall do little more than name them, and fo conclude.

1. If we mean to live ferious and confcientious Lives, and not to abuse those Liberties which our Religion allows us, it is fit that we fhould abstain from a Conformity with the World to those Customs and Practices which, tho' they are not directly forbid by the Letter of God's Laws, yet are of ill Fame and Report among wife and good Men. This is that which St. Paul obligeth Chriftians to, when he bids them 2Cor.8.21.to provide things honeft in the fight of all

Men. By honeft Things he there means Things that are decent and comely, and fuch as no good Perfon can juftly take Offence at. Again, in the Theffalonians he bids Chriftians to abstain from all Appear1Ep. 5.22. ance of Evil. Any Thing that looks like a Sin, or is fo accounted by wife and conscientious Men, should be forborn by Chriftians, unless there be great and urgent Reasons for the contrary. And accord

ingly as Chriftians are exhorted to purfue every Thing that is juft, and good, and virtuous, fo are they every Thing that is lau- Phil. 4. 8, dable and of good Report, as the fame Apoftle elsewhere fpeaks. Now nothing is of good Report but what is thought well of, at leaft thought innocent, by ferious, prudent, and virtuous Chriftians. Though it paffes never fo currently among fome of our Acquaintance, yet if it be of an ill Name among thofe whofe Judgments in point of Prudence we ought moft to fet by in this Matter, and whofe Examples we ought chiefly to follow, it is a fufficient Reafon to make us forbear the Practice of that Thing, if we will act fafely. It would be eafy to name fome Practices too much in Ufe among feveral of us, which, if this Rule was obferved, muft neceffarily be laid afide.

2. A fecond Rule which I lay down is this: Thofe innocent Compliances with the World, which are unquestionably lawful in themfelves, yet if they be practifed by us out of ill Defigns; if by thefe Compliances we mean to ferve any Ends of Pride, or Luft, or Ambition, or the like, they ceafe to be innocent to us, and we are guilty thereby of an unlawful Conformity to the World. The main Thing in those Compliances that God looks upon, and that we ought to look upon alfo, is the inward Principle of the Heart from whence they VOL. V. proceed.

U

proceed. If that be laudable and justifiable, the Usage is fo likewife. But if we will follow the Mode of the World to gratify fome ill Affection in us, the whole Rom. 13. Thing is naught; it is a making Provifion 14. for the Flesh to fulfil the Lufts thereof.

3. In this kind of Things there is great Regard and Confideration to be had of our own Tempers and Inclinations. There are feveral Things we might innocently enough comply with, and conform to the World in, if we had the perfect Government of ourfelves. But yet the Weakness of our Tempers may be fuch, that if we use these Compliances we fhall be drawn into horrible great Inconveniencies: We shall be betrayed into Sin, tho' we meant no fuch Thing. Now where we have fuch Experience of ourselves, in this Cafe it is advifeable to abridge ourselves even of our lawful Liberties. Thus for Inftance; if we cannot adorn ourselves, or wear rich Cloaths, but we are in danger to think our felves the better for them, or to be drawn away to purfue fome undecent Design upon the Account of them; if we cannot go into fuch a fort of Company but we are drawn into Intemperance, or foolifh Talking: If we cannot play at any innocent Game, but we are apt either to be angry if we lofe, or to play for confiderable Sums of Money, or the like; in all thefe Cafes it is the best wholly to forbear thefe Things, and to

deny

deny ourselves lawful Liberties, that we may preferve our Innocency, and not engage in Things unlawful.

4. To conclude: Tho' we may conform to the World in all lawful Things, yet to make a conftant Practice of fome Things, which are lawful in themselves, will become unlawful to us, and will prove fuch a Conformity to the World as is here forbidden. A Thing may be done now and then that may be innocent enough, and we fhall deferve no Blame for it. But if we make a common Practice of the Thing, fo as to spend our Time in the minding of it, to the Neglect of other more neceffary Business, it will in this Cafe be fo far from being lawful, that it will be a grievous Sin in us. For Inftance, To ufe innocent Pafstimes and Recreations, to enjoy our Friends, and make Vifits, and the like, is not only allowable, but highly commendable: But yet to make a Trade of thefe Things, fo wholly to give up ourselves to them, as to fpend most of our Time in them, this is intolérable, and we fhall be called to account for it in the other World. The Reason of this is evident: The main Bufinefs we have to do in this World, is to serve God and benefit our Neighbours, and to fit ourselves for Eternity. This is our great Work, and all those other Things we are fpeaking of, ought to be managed and ordered by us in Subfervience thereunto; fo that they may