First, To the Perfons who ftand in need of Admonition; and indeed all of us are fuch.

(1.) Let us confider, that we are all of us exceeding blind as to our own Faults, and want a good Friend for nothing more than to help us to discover them. As every Creature is naturally fond of its own Offspring, fo we are all fond of our own Conceits, Notions, Actions, Contrivances, and Inventions. Our very Imperfections and Deformities feem Beauteous to us; and therefore of all Things we want a Friend to help us to discover the Faults and Blemishes in our own Actions and Performances. But we are not fo Blind in any other Thing relating to us, as we are in our Morals. In other Things we are not fo hard to be convinced that we are in an Error, or that any Thing is amifs; and we think our felves obliged to any one that will fet us right; only in Opinions and Practices relating to our Morals, we think it is an Affront, and we cannot eafily bear with it. If in a Journey we lose our Way, we are glad to meet any Man upon the Road to fet us right; if we have a Leg or an Arm broken or dislocated, we are presently fenfible of it, and are ready to fend for, and to follow the Advice of a skilful Chirurgeon. And fo it is as to Blindnefs, Deafness, Sickness at our Stomach, or any other common bodily Pain or Infirmity. But it is quite otherwise as to the lofing our felves in our fpiritual Journey; and as to our fpiritual Blindness, Deafness, want of Tafte or Appetite, There is fuch a vast deal of Pride and Self-conceit inherent in our corrupt Natures, that while we contemplate our felves

in

in our own Imaginations, we see our felves as it were in a flattering Glafs, which hides all the Wrinkles and Deformities; and we cannot eafily endure that any one should undeceive us in this particular. And which is ftranger, though we are all very apt to observe this Defect in others, there is none of us hardly can perceive it in himself, or can well brook it when difcovered by others. Now this is what we should by all Means endeavour to be fenfible of, and to amend, and to perfwade our felves that they are our best Friends, who help to cure us of these fpiritual Maladies, and in order to that, fhew us to our felves in a true Glafs. A Thing which we ought therefore not only to bear with, but to encourage.

(2.) And this is the next Advice I would give to all that need to be admonished, that because it is commonly an unacceptable, tho' a most ufeful Duty, we should therefore encourage our Friends to put it in Practice, with regard to us; affuring them, that we will take it kindly at their Hands, and as one of the greatest Expreffions of their Love and Friendship. Our bleffed Saviour, though he had no Faults to enquire after, yet has by his Example encouraged us to enquire what Character the World has of us. For he asked his Disciples privately, Whom do Men fay that I the Son of Man am? Mat. xvi. 13. And there he was pleased to learn what the World thought of him; and afterwards yet more home, But whom fay ye that I am? By which Freedom he encouraged, and even obliged them to declare both the World's Sentiments of him, and their own. An Example

mighty proper for us to imitate, if we intend to encourage this ufeful Duty of Fraternal Admonition; a Duty, which our Lord's Apoftles always fpeak of as proceeding from great Goodnefs, and deferving the greatest Love; as Rom. xv. 14. I my felf am perfwaded of you, my Brethren, that ye alfo are full of Goodness, filled with all Knowledge, able alfo to admonish one another. And I Theff. v. 12. We beseech you, Brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to efteem them very highly in Love for their Works Jake.

(3.) Another Advice, very proper for those who have Occafion to be admonished, is, because we are apt to wrap up our Admonitions in as foft and decent Expreffions as we can, that fo a Thing which is harth in it self, may not be made harfher by the smartness of our Words; that therefore, in order to his receiving due Benefit by the Admonition, the admonished Perfon would lay it home to his own Confcience, as feparate from all that softness of Expreffion, and accufe himself more home than the Monitor does; and that for this End he would duly improve all the gentle Hints and Innuendo's that are made to him, into downright Accufations, and turn general Dehortations against Vice into particular Applications, as if they had been directly faid to him; not to aggravate the Crime of the Monitor, but his own; fo to carry it on more effectually towards Amendment.

(4.) The laft Duty I fhall mention, as proper for the admonished, is a Love and Gratitude to their Monitors; for as this is a Thing highly

reasonable

reasonable in it felf, it is likewife a great Encouragement to the fame Perfons or others to perform the like friendly offices. Are we not thankful to one who tells us we are wrong in a Journey, and is at the Pains to direct or guide us into the right Way? Are we not thankful to a Phyfician, who admonishes us of any Thing we do prejudicial to our Health, and puts us in a Way to prevent the ill Effects of it? Are we not thankful to a Lawyer, who discovers fome Flaw in the Deeds, or Conveyances of our Land, and puts us in a Way how to remedy it? And fhall he who does us the like Kindneffes in our Souls Concerns, which are infinitely more valuable, deserve lefs of our Love and Efteem? And who, think we, will be at the Pains, ever to do us the like good Office again, if he muft, as St. Paul fays, Gal. iv. 16. Be reckoned our Enemy, for telling us the Truth.

So much for the Perfons fit to be admonished; I must add a little to the Monitors, and then I have done. But this will fall in properly under the other Heads I propofed from my Text. Of which having spoke to the firft, I must be shorter on the reft, out of Respect to your Time, and Patience.

II. The Second Thing then, I took to be comprehended in the Defign of the Text was this; that we are prudently to watch the most proper Times, and most advantageous Circumftances, for doing Men good by our Admonitions. For it is not only a different Sort of Men that is marked out to us by this Comparison of Dogs and Swine; but the fame Men in different Tempers, and under different Circumftances. The fame

Man

Man is fometimes a Lamb, and at other Times a Dog; fometimes he is well prepared and difpofed to receive Admonition, and at other Times he will flee in the Throat of the Monitor. This is what renders the Duty much more difficult, for we must watch the mollia tempora fandi, take him in the right Juncture of Time, when diverfe good Circumftances do concur to foften his Heart, and to help our Admonitions to make Impreffion. Even Pharaoh, tho' a great Example of an obdured Sinner, was not equally ftubborn at all Times; for when any of the Plagues were upon him, he would hear Mofes and Aaron patiently, and promife to let the People of Ifrael go, tho' he foon forgat after the Plagues were removed. So fome Men are well difpofed, and brought into a tractable Temper by Afflictions; others by fignal Mercies and Deliverances; moft Men, if ever fo wicked, have their lucid Intervals, when their Confciences are awakened, and they are apt of themselves to form good Refolutions; and then a little Help of a faithful Monitor may come in very feafonably to improve them. And tho' several of our Admonitions should be loft, yet perhaps fome of them, coming in the critical Minute, in a favourable Juncture, may hit; and therefore to this may well be applied the Advice of the wife Man, Eccl. xi. 6. In the Morning fow thy Seed, and in the Evening withold not thine Hand; for thou knoweft not whether shall profper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. A Precept, which encourages rather to venture a little good Advice at hap Hazard, than to be