ture life? What muft man be to man, when every moral principle, that would check his paffions and regulate his defires, is exploded and laughed to fcorn? Shall writings, which would turn mankind loofe, like beafts of prey, to devour one another, have free circulation ? Shall they be read with pleasure and avidity? In this cafe the education of children and youth can avail nothing. The inftructions of parents, and others who are appointed to guide their early steps, must be loft. Any impreffions of virtue will wear off. The direction to train up a child in the way he fhould go was unneceffary. The inftruction of fuch books will efface them all. The amount of it is, to forfake the guide of your youthful and tender years, and forget the covenant which bound you to God-to treat the good doctrine of your father and law of your mother, the fear of the Lord in which you were brought up, as the fuggeftion of weaknefs and folly, meriting your contempt, not your regard. Will you liften to fuch inftruction, and number fuch books among your favourite authors? Ufeful information and knowledge is the proper end of reading. And the proper end of writing books is to impart needful inftruction. But the books which contain fuch inftruction are few compared with those which inftruct in errour. Books of this kind are multiplied only in proportion to the demand for them. This clearly indicates the extent of a vicious taste, and proclaims the shame of these times.

Beware left any author fpoil you through philofophy and vain deceit-Beware of books on infidelity, writ ten with great labour and fubtilty. In them errour is taught by the rules of art. There are but few comparatively whofe talents and fituation enable them to read deep fpeculations on infidelity-to detect their fophiftry, and examine all fides. It requires much study, extenfive reading, and confequently free accefs to the various defences of religion, to form a clear and found judgment of the moft ftudied publications

against it. Religion does not fhun, it invites, examination: It appeals to our understanding: It commands us to "be ready always to give a reafon of our "hope"-to" prove all things, and hold fast that "which is good-Let every man be fully perfuaded " in his own mind."

The principal vouchers for revelation are prophecy and miracles. This branch of the evidence is an appeal to fact, of which men in common life, and of common understanding, are as good judges as the learned. If the Author of our religion, by fpeaking the word, gave fight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, reftored withered limbs, healed all manner of disease, raised the dead, and made winds and feas obey him, then he was a teacher fent of God. All who have eyes and ears can judge of fuch facts. If Jefus died and rofe again, they could easily determine the fact of his refurrection. This alfo was an infallible proof of his divine miffion. The extraordinary events which preceded, accompanied and followed the deftruction of the Jewish temple and capital city, the perpetuity of that defolation, the difperfion and preservation of that people, are facts of which all men are alike competent judges. The forefight that could diftinctly predict them must be divine. Here then is another decided proof of revelation, which all men may fee. The wild Arabs, the pofterity of Ifhmael, have existed, for thoufands of years, a fignal inftance of the truth of prophecy; and this is also a cafe of which all men may judge. I do not infift on the moral inftructions of the bible, the decalogue, for inftance, and the fermon on the mount: For thefe belong to the internal evidence of revelation--their fuperiority to any fyftem of morali ty ever taught by the moft learned philofophers, is a proof of the divinity of the fcriptures, which he who runs may read. Such proofs are abundantly sufficient to convince all men of the divinity of our religion. There are other proofs, of which the learned are the proper judges; and to them it belongs to meet

the sceptic and infidel philofopher on fuch points. But the arguments of infidels, however studied and fpecious, can have no weight against the external evidences of religion, which are open to all mankind. With this evidence before you, be affured, that the sophistry of the sceptic and fatalift, though it may bewilder, need not shake your faith. For faith ftandeth not in the wifdom of men, but in the power of God. The teftimony of God fhould not be confronted by the fpeculations of men. Facts should never give place to conjecture, nor practical principles to theory. If you fhould read books, written with much ability and art, against religion, juftice requires that you also read the ableft defences of it. If you have any wish that religion may be true, you may be sure to find it fo, upon the stricteft fcrutiny. The more you examine, with fuch a temper, the more you will be fatisfied that it contains the words of eternal life. The more reason will you find to join with an apoftle in his determination to know nothing compared with JESUS CHRIST, and him crucified. For the excellency of this knowledge all other will be accounted lofs. Pray that "the God "and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift would enlight

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en the eyes of your understanding; that you may "know what is the hope of his calling, and what the "riches of the glory of his inheritance in the faints.”

Upon confidering what has been faid, to guard you against bad books, you are, perhaps, convinced, that all your wisdom and care, and wisdom from above, are neceffary to preferve you from the trifles of one clafs, the indelicacy of another, the fashionable depravity of a third, the ridicule of a fourth, and the fophiftry of a fifth. Sacrifice to none of these your judgment, principles and morals, your peace, your honour, and your fouls. Be affured, that to follow where they lead, is to wander in pursuit of reft thro' dry places. But few of the clafs of books we have referred to can be read with fafety-and fewer with

improvement. A wife man will hear the inftruction that will increase his stock of valuable knowledge, and that will be wisdom in the latter end; not the inftruction that causeth to err from fuch knowledge-inftruc tion at the expence of character, usefulness, kindred, friends, the true enjoyment of this life, and which muft end in infamy and perdition in the next.

No good end can be propofed from the ufe of fuch books, which would not be more eafily and fully attained by books of another defcription. They can anfwer no purpofe long; becaufe life is fhart. They may have the worst iffue in time and through eternity, unless you foon ceafe from following their inftruction. If ceafed from at all, muft it not be in youth? Erring from the words of knowledge at this period, the errour may grow with your growth, and strengthen with your strength.

You

The defire of our progenitors to forbidden knowledge has defcended to their pofterity. Knowing the fatal effects of fuch defire in them, check it in yourfelves. Bad books are read at a fimilar peril as they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The inftruction of fuch books is forbidden fruit. defire fuch wisdom at your peril. If they have been put into your hands, and at all drawn your attention, the fooner you lay them afide, the better. If you have not been converfant with them, why fhould you wish to be? The reasons are obvious and weighty for refraining from them: They enfnare and poifon the foul: They lead in the way to hell. We recommend, in your choice of books, a determined felection of the folid and chafte, thofe diftinguished for elegant fentiment, ferioufnefs, and for clear and found reafoning. Would you prefer to thefe, the trifling, the immodeft, the merely fashionable, the ludicrous, and the fophiftical? What is the chaff to the wheat? Let a few books, ftored with good fentiments, well arranged, adapted to your genius, talents and fituation, and written in a pure ftyle, fuffice you.

In a moral and religious discourse, defigned as a caveat against dangerous books, it would be an effential omiffion, did I not particularly exhort you to a careful study of the book of books. Search the fcriptures. "They are able to make you wife to falvation.

They are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for "correction and inftruction in righteoufnefs;" they can "thoroughly furnish you to every good work. They contain inftruction adapted to perfons of every age, rank and condition-inftruction in the whole duty and happiness of man. It will be your highest honour and advantage to be well acquainted with them in the morning of life-to make them your delightful study by day, and meditation by night. There you will find a treasure of wisdom and knowledge more precious than gold. They will be your beft guard against the fnares and allurements of the world, and beft fupport under the various afflictions of life. They will elevate your views and affection from terrestrial and tranfitory objects to things above, eternal in heaven-things which eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man. The fcriptures, emanating from the Father of lights, guide into all truth, and lead in the way everlasting. There is no light in those who will not be guided by the oracles of infallible wisdom. "The wisdom from above "is firft pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be "intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without

partiality, and without hypocrify." However well inftructed in human fcience, or in the theory of religion, man knoweth nothing as he ought to know, until he is taught of God by the fanctifying influence of the Spirit. I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts. May this precious word be fulfilled in the youth of this fociety. Ceafe, my young brethren, to hear the counfel that caufeth to err from the words of knowledge. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. To him be glory both now and forever. AMEN.