hend, that what has been now said, must SERM. have excited in you thanksgivings to God for VIII. the advantage you have had of a religious education: and that you have renewed your resolutions, to emprove it. And it is indeed prudent, to be very serious and deliberate in refolving to walk with God, and perfevere in the way of his commandments all the days of our life. You should continue in the use of all the means of your establishment: and should carefully decline the snares, that are dangerous to your virtue. If unawares you meet with them, and sinners entice you to evil; resolutly withhold your consent, and withstand their enticements and folicitations. You need not to be told, that children of such parents, of so many prayers, of fuch hopes and expectations, cannot fin at so easie a rate, as others. In every step you should take, in the way of folly and fin, you would meet with checks and rebukes. And if you should break through, and harden yourselves against all the remonftrances of your enlightened confcience and understanding, the issue would be unutterable remorse and anguish. SERM. But this, I trust, shall not be your cafe. VIII. Your goodnesse, I hope, shall not be like a Hof. vi. 4. morning cloud, or the early dew, that foon pafProv. iv. feth away: but rather be as the dawning light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 18. May you then, willingly admit and entertain the wholsome instructions of those who with you well. And may you in the way of virtue ever have countenance and encouragement. But if you should meet with obstacles, may you surmount them, and be faithful to God. And having experienced fome good portion of peace in the way of God's commandments on earth, may you, and yours, partake with all the people of God in the full rewards, and everlasting joys, of religion and virtue, which are fure, and are referved for the world to come. SER SERMON IX. The Virtue and Benefit of early Piety, or fearing the Lord from the Youth. I KINGS xviii. 12. ... But I thy fervant fear the Lord from my youth. T HOUGH this good character be here given by the person himself, we are not immediatly to admit the suspicion of pride and vanity. What he says is only for the fake of self-preservation. If we never commend ourselves for a less weighty reason, we N 4 shall SERM. shall not incur the just censure of boafting and vain glorie. IX. き The perfon is Obadiah, whose historie we have in the former part of this chapter. He is now speaking to the Prophet Elijah. And the thing happened in the time of the long dearth in the reign of Ahab King of Ifrael. At the begining of the chapter it is faid : And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying: Go, shew thy self unto Abab, and I will fend rain upon the earth. And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a fore famine in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the Governour of his house. Some have put the question, whether this It follows in ver. 3. and 4. Now Obadiah ( Obadiah took an hundred Prophets, and hid SERM. them by fifty in a cave, and gave them bread IX. and water. By Prophets, as is generally supposed, we are not here to understand inspired persons, with a special commission from God: but men educated in the schools of the Prophets. These Jesebel looked upon as her enemies, because they opposed her idolatrous worship, and taught the people the true religion. And, poffibly, she suspected them of favoring the interests of the kingdom of Judah, where was the appointed place of worship for all the tribes of Ifrael. It was therefore an act of great piety, and much resolution, in Obadiah, in a time of such danger, to protect those Prophets. He bid them by fifty in a cave, and gave them bread and water: that is, all needful provifisions, sending them meat and drink privatly every day. Ver. 5. 6. And Abab faid unto Obadiah: Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks. Peradventure we may find graffe to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. So they divided the land between them, to pass through |