12. A day will come, when Christ the teacher of teachers, the light and Lord of Angels, shall appear, and at his omniscient tribunal hear the lessons which conscience has given to all; and then shall Jerusalem be searched with candles; the hidden things of darkness shall be brought to light; and the clamorous tongue of reasoning and disputing man shall be silent as the grave!

24. Ornaments of Youth.

1. Among all the accomplishments of youth, there is none preferable to a decent and agreeable behavior among men, a modest freedom of speech, a soft and elegant manner of address, a graceful and lovely deportment, a cheerful gravity and good humor, with a mind appearing ever serene under the ruffling accidents of human life; add to this a pleasing solemnity and reverence when the discourse turns upon any thing sacred and divine, a becoming neglect of injuries, a hatred of calumny and slander, a habit of speaking well of others, a pleasing benevolence and readiness to do good to mankind, and special compassion to the miserable; with an air and countenance, in a natural and unaffected manner, expressive of all these excellent qualifications. DR. WATTS, ON EDUCATION.

25. Advice.

1. When you are once established upon just grounds in the faith of the gospel, do not rashly expose yourselves to temptation. Do not run into free conversation, with infidels and apostates, without a plain call

from Providence. A needless indulgence of dispute and fondness for controversy, upon this subject, with subtle men, who lay in wait to deceive, has too often exposed young christians, and shaken their faith. Though there may be various and abundant proof of the truth of the gospel, and it may be well defended on the foot of right reason, yet, every one is not fit to enter into these debates with men of wit and learning, who are engaged on the side of infidelity.

2. Common plain christians, should rather abstain from such sort of conferences, as will fill their minds with cavils against the Scriptures, and objections against the gospel. You know not what unhappy impressions a profane jest or a shrewd cavil, may make upon your spirits. And as the devil is an enemy to the doctrine and kingdom of Christ, so we have just reason to believe he is ever ready to assist the infidel party.

3. A witty scoff, thrown out against the truth, may pierce the mind deeper, and stick longer, than a solid argument to support the truth. How well-soever you fancy yourself settled in the principles of your holy religion, yet, perhaps you may hear some new subtle objections, or some witty turn upon the sacred history of the Bible, that may weaken your belief, when you have not an answer ready at hand, to ward off the force of it. Some have been taken and ruined in our age by these snares of the devil, who thought themselves as safe as you.

4. If the Providence of God plainly call you into an infected house, and evident duty require you to venture

your life in the midst of the pestilence, you may humbly hope for divine preservation and security. But if you venture without a call, you have reason to dread the event. A sincere and humble christian may be led, by the course of his duty, into such dangerous company, and he may hope for the assistance of the Spirit, and the grace of God to fill his mouth with arguments, and enable him to defend his faith with holy skill and courage. But if he mingle himself in such sort of conversation at every turn, without any evident call of Providence, and out of mere curiosity of spirit, or from a presumption of the strength of his own faith or arguments, he has but little reason to hope for divine protection from these dangerous and fatal snares.

5. It is a rule among philosophers, that if a man on just grounds or reasons had embraced any opinion or persuasion, he is not to desert it, merely because he cannot answer every objection against it. If Believers will let go and part with their faith in any truth, because they are not able to answer, distinctly, some objection that may be made against it, they may quickly find themselves disputed into atheism.

6. It is true, the gospel of Christ has strong and immovable foundations, richly sufficient for the support of it. There are abundant vindications of it published, against all the assaults of wit and reasoning.

7. But a sly and perplexing sophism may be cast into the mind, and seize the soul in an unguarded hour, when you may not have an answer ready at hand, and

the poison may penetrate too far, and corrupt the mind before the antidote is found and applied.

8. Maintain a solemnity of spirit, and a serious temper of mind, in all your enquiries and discourses on a theme of such everlasting importance. While modern deists affect to show themselves men of wit, and make a jest serve for an argument, they do not appear to be in good earnest, enquiring the way to please God, and save their own souls. God, and souls, and eternity are no trivial ideas. It is no ludicrous matter to treat, or discourse of them. Such jesters have no reason to hope for divine light.

9. If you have occasion to speak of the obscure and difficult parts of Scripture, do it not in a trifling humor, or with a licentious levity of spirit, nor indulge your lips to mix them with sneer and merriment. It is dangerous to jest with weapons that will wound the soul. When christians give themselves aloose, and venture at this rate upon the borders of profaneness, they may be left of God, and be righteously given up to a spirit of unbelief.

10. If you have any solicitude for the honor and preservation of the gospel in the world, if you have any tender concern for the souls of posterity, and the eternal happiness of the rising age, use your utmost endeavors to plant the seeds of christianity in children, and to propagate the faith of Christ to the next generation.

11. Watch against every temptation to apostacy from the christian faith, and endeavor to guard and fortify

your friends against seducers. Satan has many busy emissaries, many subtle agents, who, with fair words, entice the souls of men away from the gospel of Christ.

DR. WATTS.

26. Mathematical Questions.

1. If killing a neighbor to revenge a wrong, to settle a controversy, or to acquire wealth, be murder, when done by a poor man, How much property must a man possess to render such conduct innocent?

2. If the combination of three ruffians for the practice of robbery and murder, be a crime deserving the halter, How many christians must combine in such a practice to render it glorious?

3. If a family of ten persons have no right to wage war on another family, How many families must combine to acquire the right of making war?

4. If the laws of God require every christian to love his neighbor as himself, to love even his enemies, and not to render evil for evil, How many christians must be associated in a war, to supersede or suspend the authority of the divine precepts?

5. If falsehood, reviling, enmity, rapine, and manbutchery, be abhorrent in the eyes of infinite purity, when seen in men of private stations, What must be the rank of a ruler which can render such atrocities pleasing in the sight of God?

6. If the chief of a small band of private robbers or pirates, be deserving of a gallows fifteen feet high, for causing the death of five men, What should be the