God, as a hinderer of his own happiness, and a deftroyer of the happiness of his fellow-creatures.

The well being of a country depends, in a great measure, on the attention which is paid in it to the ordinance of God, refpecting matrimony. It is through the inftitution of families that children are brought up in an orderly manner, and that the knowledge of God and of his laws is handed down from generation to generation. Villages and towns are apt to be peaceable and happy in proportion as the loofer people of each fex are few, and the family-men and women are numerous in the place; and when mutiny or rebellion breaks out in the fleets or armies of the kingdom, it is on the familymen who may be inlisted in them that we more particularly depend for our fecurity.

But fome there are, perhaps, who readily allow all this, and yet there own practice is a contradiction to it. Poffibly they may think that there is no fuch great crime committed in their cafe, because they take care that no one fhall fee them. They fay to themfelves, as is represented by the Pfalmift, "Surely, the darknefs fhall cover me." "But are not the darknefs and the light both alike to God?" And is there not a day coming, when that which has been hidden fhall be made known, and when God fhall judge the fecrets of all hearts by Jefus Chrift?" Bleffed," fays our Saviour," are the pure in heart, for they fhall fee God." In vain, therefore, do men comfort themselves with

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the thoughts of privacy. God fees them now, and it is more than probable that their fellowcreatures alfo will, after a time, find them out, or have even detected them already, though not known to have done fo, for a thousand accidents may bring the moft hidden things to light.. God alfo, in his juft judgment, may fee 'fit thus to punish, even in, this world, the fecret offender. Thus, in the cafe of David, his guilt was for a time artfully concealed, but God was pleafed to make it known as a warning to others, and as a part of the juft penalty due to the two dreadful crimes which he had committed. "Thou didft it fecretly," faid Nathan in the name of the Lord to David, "but I will do this thing, (that is, I will inflict the punishment) before all Ifrael, and before the fun." It is here alfo worthy of obfervation, that there is no fin which men can indulge to a certain point, and which they can afterwards reftrain as they please. "Whofo committeth fin becomes the fervant (or flave) of that fin." He that allows himself even in finful thoughts, gives the reins to his inclinations, and he little knows whither they may carry him.

Let it then be remembered, that fin is to be refifted in its firft beginnings, and that every thing, therefore, which may become a tempta tion either to a perfon himself or to others, is on every principle of the gofpel, to be avoided. Let all vicious curiofity be reftrained in young eople. Let all licentious company, let all im

modeft books, and all loose fongs, as well as that "foolish talking or jefting," which borders on indecency, and which the apostle condemns, as quite unbecoming in a Christian, be utterly avoided; and finally, let it be remembered, that decency, modefty, and propriety, as well as continual watchfulness, temperance, and self-denial, and every thing elfe which tends to promote purity of heart and life, may properly be confidered as required of us by this Commandment.

PART III.

EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.

"THOU fhalt not fteal.”

To fteal is to take either by force or fraud, that which is not our own, and it is a fin which is forbidden both by the laws of God and man. It is punished in this country often even with death, and the New Teftament affures us, that thieves, whom it names together with adulterers, "shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven." Men are commonly led into this fin through the distress, or neceffity, as they are apt to call it, which has been brought upon them by their other fins. They have been first idle and extravagant, or drunken and debauched, or poffibly addicted to gaming; by one or other of thefe means they have brought themselves into ftraits, ider to

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deliver themselves, they have been tempted to take to thieving. Pride alfo, ftrange as it may feem, contributes often to theft. Some men, when they have fallen into diftrefs, though poffibly it may have happened without any fault of theirs, are afhamed to own it. They think it very lowering to ask help from others, and they will not do it for the world. They will rather take fecretly what is not their due, than ask openly some charitable friend to affift them. Now I conceive, that in this country, if a man can really prove his diftrefs not to have been brought upon him by his vices, there are many good Chriftians, who, if he applies to them, will take care at least not to let them ftarve, and there is the parifh help to fly to in all cafes; fo that it seems difficult to ftate a cafe in which there can be any tolerable excufe for ftealing.

In order then to avoid this fin, let every one keep at a distance from whatsoever leads to it; let him keep clear of idleness and debauchery, and extravagant living, and above all, of gaming. And if unhappily he has already got into trouble, either through any of thefe vices, or through misfortune, let him be afraid of that false shame, and of that hurtful pride, or spirit as it is called, which will not permit him to own what has paff ed, and to apply to his friends and neighbours.

Let another caution here be given. The fin of downright theft is what men commonly come to by degrees. A man, for inftance, who cheats his mafter, or fuperior, of money, which has

been intrusted to him for fome fpecial fervice, commonly begins merely by borrowing, as he calls it (though without leave) fome small part, perhaps, of the money of his employer. He fays to himfelf, "I will borrow this only for a day or two, and then I will replace it ;" but a practice of this fort being once allowed, he goes a little further and a little further. Large fums are at length mifapplied; for it is more than probable that his neceffity increases on him; and now, perhaps, he takes money to himself, when there is no chance of his foon reftoring it, or even of his ever doing fo. He is become a thief almoft before he is aware of it. At laft, after trying by various fhameful arts to conceal the ftate of his accounts, and thus adding fin to fin, he is found out, and even though he should not be punished in the fame way as other thieves are, yet he is no doubt as guilty as they, and he pretty fure at least to lofe his character and his employment.

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There are others again, who have, after a while, become finished rogues, by allowing themfelves at firft to fteal, things which they have thought very infignificant and trifling. They have not confidered, that to fteal a little thing may be a great crime, and that this is one very common road to robbery, burglary, and to all kinds of wickedness.

Children, therefore, fhould be taught from their very earliest years to keep their hands from picking and stealing. The children of the rich