them, against which they were to be admonished, and from the unfriendly light in which they were regarded by the world. It was Paul's object to teach these young ministers to combine prudence and zeal in the execution of their duty, and to unite the bold vindication of evangelical principles with the faithful inculcation of every moral duty. There is a general way of preaching, a perpetual exhibition of religious principles with little reference to their practical results, which has no sanction either in the example or in the injunctions of Paul. Never was the way of salvation more fully opened up than by this Apostle, and never was religion traced with more beauty and power to all the relations and conditions of society. Here the teacher and the scholar, the master and the servant, the husband and the wife, the parent and the child, the rich and the poor, the young and the old, are taught their appropriate duties, and what he practises in his own lessons he enjoined on those whom he charged "to make full proof of their ministry."

In the words of our text he charges Titus to address to the aged various admonitions, and styles them "the things which become sound doctrine." Moral excellence is the proper result and the best recom. mendation of evangelical principles; and it is only when morality is made the substitute for piety, or the ground of acceptance with God, that the grace of the Gospel frowns on it. In addressing practical discourses to the aged, we are complying not only with the injunction of Paul, but of the Master whose will he made known.

The consideration, that the aged must so soon be

removed from their present opportunities of instruction, should make the ministers of the Gospel employ, with peculiar diligence, every means of promoting their spiritual welfare; and to such admonitions the old should listen as to the last counsels of a friend, and implore that divine influence which will seal them on the heart.

In this discourse I shall explain the temper and conduct which are to be maintained by the aged, and shall then call your attention to the charge of the Apostle as to the inculcating of them.

1. Let us then consider the temper and conduct which are to be maintained by the aged.-In stating the duties of aged men, Paul requires, in the first place, that they be sober. The word thus rendered properly signifies watchful; and vigilance is most necessary for the aged. They must watch over their tempers, that they may not, by peevishness or fretfulness, give uneasiness to their friends, or impair the affection with which they wish the young to regard them. They must watch over their affections, that they may not be engrossed by worldly wealth; they must watch over their conversation, that it be instructive, suitable, and agreeable; and they must watch over their conduct; for indiscretions and follies which would scarcely be censured in the young will be condemned in them with severity. They must watch over the interests of their connexions, and warn them with prudence and affection against every thing which seems to them calculated to be injurious. The limited sphere in which they now move, and their dependence on others for their knowledge of what is pass

them, against which they were to be admonished, and from the unfriendly light in which they were regarded by the world. It was Paul's object to teach these young ministers to combine prudence and zeal in the execution of their duty, and to unite the bold vindication of evangelical principles with the faithful inculcation of every moral duty. There is a general way of preaching, a perpetual exhibition of religious principles with little reference to their practical results, which has no sanction either in the example or in the injunctions of Paul. Never was the way of salvation more fully opened up than by this Apostle, and never was religion traced with more beauty and power to all the relations and conditions of society. Here the teacher and the scholar, the master and the servant, the husband and the wife, the parent and the child, the rich and the poor, the young and the old, are taught their appropriate duties, and what he practises in his own lessons he enjoined on those whom he charged" to make full proof of their ministry."

In the words of our text he charges Titus to address to the aged various admonitions, and styles them "the things which become sound doctrine." Moral excellence is the proper result and the best recom. mendation of evangelical principles; and it is only when morality is made the substitute for piety, or the ground of acceptance with God, that the grace of the Gospel frowns on it. In addressing practical discourses to the aged, we are complying not only with the injunction of Paul, but of the Master whose will he made known.

The consideration, that the aged must so soon be

removed from their present opportunities of instruction, should make the ministers of the Gospel employ, with peculiar diligence, every means of promoting their spiritual welfare; and to such admonitions the old should listen as to the last counsels of a friend, and implore that divine influence which will seal them on the heart.

In this discourse I shall explain the temper and conduct which are to be maintained by the aged, and shall then call your attention to the charge of the Apostle as to the inculcating of them.

1. Let us then consider the temper and conduct which are to be maintained by the aged.-In stating the duties of aged men, Paul requires, in the first place, that they be sober. The word thus rendered properly signifies watchful; and vigilance is most necessary for the aged. They must watch over their tempers, that they may not, by peevishness or fretfulness, give uneasiness to their friends, or impair the affection with which they wish the young to regard them. They must watch over their affections, that they may not be engrossed by worldly wealth; they must watch over their conversation, that it be instructive, suitable, and agreeable; and they must watch over their conduct; for indiscretions and follies which would scarcely be censured in the young will be condemned in them with severity. They must watch over the interests of their connexions, and warn them with prudence and affection against every thing which seems to them calculated to be injurious. The limited sphere in which they now move, and their dependence on others for their knowledge of what is pass

ing in the world, unfits them for expressing much interest in matters of public concernment, and should quicken their zeal in their private circle to provoke to love and to good works.

To see the aged aping

Old age is a season in which little is enjoyed of that sound sleep which is experienced in the earlier period of life. Solomon beautifully says of the old man, that he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and this should be a monitor to him of that holy vigilance which he ought to maintain, and which is so peculiarly suitable in one to whom death is so near, and who hath so soon to give an account of himself to God. Old men must be grave. They must avoid all that is fantastic in their apparel. the fashionable attire of the young is most ridiculous. At the same time, all singularity in dress should be avoided which is unsuited to their circumstances, or which will be offensive or disgusting to those with whom they associate. Pride, selfishness, and folly prompt to such peculiarities. They must avoid, too, all levity of behaviour. The giggling of the young we may excuse, because it proceeds from a hilarity of spirit which time will soon repress; but when we see it in age we are disposed to ascribe it to incorrigible folly. Frothy language and vain boasting are also most unsuitable in age. The things of which they vaunt are what once attracted applause, but have long since passed away, and of which sober reflection should have taught them the emptiness. In looking back on a long life, so many faults must rise before the view, that, instead of self-admiration, the old man must see the strongest reason for self-abhorrence, and feel that his only re