lead to, tempt us to the gratification of every evil defire, and thus equally become the foes of our own houfhold.

Permit me to obferve further, that these principles, with all their train of evils, not only exist in the mind, but become the objects of our affections-we love them, they are a part of ourselves, and become our life. They are as much our own houfhold as our brethren, our children, our kindred. By our affection for them, we are blind to their nature, their accurfed designs, and confequences. If reafon exhibits a charge against them, our affections deny the charge-If ferious reflexion whispers how vile they are, our impetuous paffions will not let us hear the friendly voice. We are too unwilling to believe any thing we love ought to be hated—or any thing we have chofen ought to be relinquished. But let it not be fo with us-may we rather,

In the third place, confider in what respects these are our foes. "A man's foes fhall be they of "his own houfhold."

Firft, Suppofe a man under the influence of a fenfual earthly principle. He is given up to the gratification of his carnal lufts, defires, and paffions. Adultery, fornication, lafciviousness, intemperance, and the like, are his beloved evils. What greater foes can he poffibly have? Thefe vices may lead him to shame, poverty, affliction, and forrow; but they cannot make him happy. No, they are foes to his peace-they degrade the man-debafe all his

rational powers-and fink him into contempt, And while a man is in the love

infamy, and woe.

of these evils, indulging himself in the practice of them, he unfits himself for reflexion, deprives himfelf of reafon; he is deaf to the remonftrances of confcience the warnings of revelation-and the voice of God. And why is he fo? Because the rational principle is become fenfual-the body is preferred to the foul-and what is earthly to what is heavenly. And while this fenfual principle reigns, and the mind is thus depraved, how can the man be his own friend? All the overtures of divine mercy are difregarded, the word of truth rejected, conscience filenced, reafon led captive, and the man's foes are they of his own houfhold.

Again, when felf-love is a ruling principle in the mind, then pride, covetoufnefs, contempt of others, injuftice, and the like, are indulged; and these are fo many powerful foes to the happiness of man. Humility, generofity, charity, good-will, uprightness, can find no place in fuch a mind, and from those true happiness flow. But, moreover, while a man is under the influence of these principles and evils, he is in clofe connexion, in intimate affociation with evil fpirits; infernal beings, who will ever exert themselves to prevent the true happiness of man: their influence is great and powerful; and fo long as evil is indulged, fo long will they have a place in the mind; fo long will they be foes of our own houfhold. Let us be affured, therefore, that the

principal

principal foes we have to our true peace and happiness in this world and the next, are those which we harbor and cherish in our minds. We may fay the world is enfnaring, the concerns of life lead us away from that which is for our good, the converse and company of men betray us to evil; that these are our enemies: but, firs, our chief foes are within. The heart is deceitful, and defperately wickedfenfuality, felf-love, love of the world, pride, luft, and a thousand other evils, have entered into the mind, contaminated the affections, perverted the judgment, and endangered our everlasting peace and felicity. And these must be driven out, overcome, and fubdued, if we would be happy. Which leads me to notice, in the

Fourth place, how, and by what means, they are to be overcome.

And here we fhall do well to confider, that powerful as the influence of evil is, deep as it is rooted in the mind, and long as it may have been indulged, yet the ftrong man is to be driven out, the foe is to be conquered.

Firft, then, let us exercise our reafon-we are. men-we are immortals-we are to live for ever. Are we capable of judging between evil and good? Can we reflect, examine, and confider? We can. Why, then, fhould we suffer paffion to triumph over reafon, folly to lead wisdom captive, and the body to debafe the foul. Confcience, reason, and revelation, convince us, that evil was never defigned for

man-he was created in the image and likenefs of God-in that state alone could he be happy, because all happiness is in and from Jehovah. If we have departed from that state, and chosen evil in preference to good, it is time for us to abandon the choice. The divine word of truth has directed us how to proceed; depart from evil, fly from thy enemies, return to thy centre, and be happy. There is no evil but the Lord enables us to relinquish-no enemy but we may escape. If our foes are they of our own houfhold, if they exift in the affections, it becomes us to examine what they are, to enter into our own hearts; to fee if we are fenfual, earthly minded, full of self-love, pride, hatred, or whatever else. To reafon upon the nature of those evils, the confequences of them, the danger attending them, to confider they are fins against a good God, a holy, pure being, a kind and tender parent; that we are exhorted and commanded to give them up, because they will render us eternally miferable and thus to turn away from them with all the heart and foul. And by fo doing we admit the divine influence of love and wisdom from the Lord into the mind, by which thofe interior evil principles will be eradicated and fubdued; evil fpirits difperfed; and our foes configned to their proper hells and in their place we shall entertain angels, true friends, heavenly virtues; fuch as love to God, spiritual affections, charity to man, humility, heavenly mindedness, and ten thousand beatitudes will

follow

follow in their train. I do not know, my chriftian friends, what you may think of it; but I fee an abfolute neceffity of entering into my own heart, of fearching every corner of it, lest any infernal foes, any accurfed evil, fhould lurk there. I have need to say with David, "Lord, search me, and try me, "and fee if there be any evil way in me, and lead "me in the way everlasting."

I fear most of us have fome foes yet remaining -fome evils yet unfubdued-fome fenfual difpofitions; and I can but folicitoufly advise and exhort you, to fearch them out, and put them away. The divine rays of light, which now fhine from the fun of heaven, are fufficient to penetrate the most secret receffes of our minds; and the divine beams of love from that fun, fufficient to burn up every fenfual luft and vile affection. To that light and that heat, that heavenly truth and love, I would commend you. Give yourselves up thereto, and your foes will fly before you; evils will be fubdued, and you will return to the bleffed image and likeness of the Lord, which by evil and falfhood were defaced.

And let me entreat you to recollect, how effential to your happiness it is, that thefe foes be caft outthese evil loves, affections, and difpofitions overcome. They are by our Lord called foes, because they rob the mind of peace, tranquility, pleasure, happiness; they plunge it into forrow, trouble, pain, and woe. What man in his fenfes would, therefore, encourage fuch enemies?

Secondly,