thing and every thing, which a jealous or malignant heart can suggest.

3. There is need of caution, that we hurt not others in their substance.

In a state of society there must be a distinction of property. This is necessary to industry, frugality, the culture of the mind, and the exercise of benevolence, as well to the improvement of arts, and the increase of wealth. In a state of nature, it is observed, men have few vices: It is also true, they have fewer virtues. For vices they seldom have the means; for virtues they have little opportunity; the occasions and calls for justice, fidelity and benevolence are but rare. Hence, in such a state, men are generally cruel and ferocious; for the tender feelings have never been cultivated in the little circles of family and neighborhood; and a sense of wrong and a regard to right have never been acquired by an interchange of benefits. It was the design of providence, that men should live in society and maintain the exercise of social affections and virtues. Heaven is a state of society; and to prepare for heaven, we must learn the social tempers here below.

The rule which, which our Savior has given to direct our conduct to one another is, that we do to our neighbors the same, as we wish them to do to us. The rule is plain and obvious; and if we will honestly apply it, we can judge from our own feelings what is right. We are seldom in doubt, how others ought to treat us: It is only then to change places, and we shall see, how we ought to treat them. We value our own rights, and we know that our neighbors ought not to invade them by force or injure them by fraud. They have rights as well as we, and they value them in the same manner as we do And every violation of them is as criminal

ours.

in us, as the same violation of our rights would be in them.

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The high crimes of robbery, theft and forgery most men abhor, and few practise. These are such an outrage on society, that we are generally agreed to bring them to detection and punishment. But if it is wrong to take to ourselves another's property by theft or rob. bery, it is wrong to do it by any kind of deciet or oppression. The law which forbids us to steal, forbids us to deal falsely, or to lie one to another"— "to go beyond and defraud a brother in any matter." If a man is unfaithful to a trust reposed in him-embezzles goods committed to his carecontracts debts without ability or intention to pay them-takes advantage of men's necessity or ignorance to make undue profits in dealing with them, or avails himself of an unforeseen change of times to defeat the spirit of a fair contract-if by idleness and intemperance he reduces himself to poverty, and thus in a time of infirmity becomes a burden to his neighbors, or by alienating and secreting his property he frustrates the just demands of his creditors, or by any other unfair and indirect means, transfers or retains to himself the property, which belongs to others, he is as really guilty of injustice, as the man who steals from his neighbors; and the crime is very little different; for he takes or detains from them their right without their free consent.

4. We do hurt and injury to men, when we scatter the seeds of disaffection and contention among them.

Peace and mutual confidence are the happiness of families, neighborhoods and other societies; and every thing which we do to disturb the social harmo ny, is evil in itself, and tends to vice and misery. It is a precept in the divine law, "Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people."

Such a character Solomon describes as peculiarly mischievous and detestable. "An ungodly man diggeth up evil, and in his lips is as a burning fire. A froward man soweth strife. A talebearer revealeth secrets, and a whisperer separateth chief friends. Where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth."

Some unguarded things may be spoken in the social circle, which would be harmless, if they had died there. But if we take them up and hand them round, we may excite a disturbance, which cannot easily be quieted. The expressions may have been innocently intended at first, but the recital of them has usually an evil design. The words first spoken are so altered in the repetition, as to carry quite a different meaning, and make quite a different impression, from what was originally intended or imagined. There are no greater pests in society, than they, who curiously pry into the concerns of their neighbors, the affairs of families, and the behavior of relatives toward one another-who pick up ill stories of this and that person to spread them in conversation who tell one neighbor what another said of him, and bring back to the latter what was heard from the former, and perhaps communicate to a hundred more what the two said of each other. Disquietudes and contentions often arise from this foolish curiosity and impertinent loquacity; and perhaps oftener from this cause, than from any real injury, which, the parties at variance have ever received from each other. This busy humor does not always proceed from malice; but sometimes from weakness of mind and vacancy of sentiment, or from a mere love of talking and telling news, and sometimes from idleness and want of employment. The Apostle says, "There are some, who walk disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. They learn to be idle, wandering about from house

to house, and not only idle, but tatlers also, speaking things which they ought not." To prevent this evil, he advises, that all study to be quiet, and do their own business.

If all would attend to their own business, as much as prudence directs, and concern themselves in other people's affairs no more than charity requires, there would be little disturbance in families, contention among neighbors, or animosity in societies.

5. We do men great injury, when we corrupt their religious principles, and vitiate their morals.

To strengthen the hands of evil doers, and hinder their return from their wickedness, is termed in scripture a horrible thing. There are none so severely condemned, as they who corrupt the earth with their abominations. Of him who turns from

the law of God and draws others after him Moses says, "The Lord will not spare him, but his anger will smoke against him, and he will separate him unto all evil." The chief ground of the woes against the pharisees was, that "they shut up the kingdom of heaven against men." We find not in all the bible a more awful rebuke, than that which Paul gave to Elymas the sorcerer, who sought to turn away the deputy of Paphos from the faith of the gospel. "O full of all subtilty and mischief; thou child of the devil; thou enemy of all righteousness; wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? Behold now, the hand of the Lord is upon thee." Paul says of the Jews, who forbade the Apostles to speak the word of salvation to the Gentiles, "They please not God, and are contrary to all men. They fill up the measure of their sins always, that wrath may come upon them to the uttermost."

By fraud, oppression and slander we may do much hurt to mankind in their worldly interest. But all this will appear trifling, when we compare it with the

injury done to them in their spiritual interests by in. fusing into their minds corrupt sentiments, and seducing them to vicious manners. The two cases

are as different as body and soul-time and eternity. If we think it would be vile and criminal to cheat a man out of his substance, or rob him of his good name, shall we deem it a light thing to seduce him from religion and destroy his soul?

We are required "to be fellow helpers to the truth-to consider one another, that we may provoke unto love and good works."

Some of you will probably say, "There is little that we can do in promoting religion among men. Our age and station in life will not allow us to take a distinguished part in a business of this kind. We must leave it to heads of families, aged people, pub. lic teachers, who by their office and relation are particularly called to such work. We are young and in a private capacity; we must be excused."

If

You may, however, at your age and in your station, do something in so great and good a cause. At least, you may forbear to injure the cause. you cannot help forward the piety and salvation of your fellow mortals, yet you may be careful not to divert them from a godly life, and hinder them in working out their own salvation. You are under no necessity of setting before them a vicious example, of enticing them into wicked company, and of emboldening them in the practice of iniquity. You are under no necessity of using impious language or of profaning holy time. You are under no necessity of treating with open contempt the instituted means of religion, the word, worship and ordinances of God. You need not plead in defence of impiety, and of those opinions which lead to it. You need not ridicule the virtue and seriousness of others and take pains to bring a religious character into dis