What if the like tremendous calamities should befab you, that befel the family of Job! What if in the midst of your mirth and jollity you should be told, as Belshazzar was by the hand writing on the wall of his palace, that "the boasted reign of lawless vice and "intemperance is at an end, and that having been "weighed by God in the balance of justice, you are "found wanting!" How will your countenance, like his, be changed, your thoughts trouble you, the joints of your loins be loofed, and your knees fmite

66

66

one against another *!" Or if that should not be the cafe, depend upon it you will suffer effentially by thefe exceffes in your temporal, spiritual, and everlafting interests. Your health will be impaired, your fubftance diminished, your character difgraced, and what is infinitely worse, if mercy does not interpofe. in a way you have little reason to expect, your foul will be loft for ever.-To what has been faid, we have only to add,

5. And lastly, One word, to excite parents to the prudent and faithful discharge of their duty.

*

Let me ask you, my friends, whether the interests of your children do not lie near your hearts? Would you not wish them to be respectable and useful in this world, and for ever happy in that to come? Look well then after their morals. Keep them out of the. way of vice and fin. And do your utmost, in a dependence upon the divine grace, to conciliate their regards to religion, that best and noblest of all bleffings. But your own perfonal happiness alfo is very nearly concerned. Should you fail in the line of conduct you pursue respecting your children, the like anguish,

* Dan, v. 6.

you

you will feel that Job felt on this fad occafion. May you efcape a forrow fo pungent, and not need be told, to relieve you of despondency, that God can overrule even this affliction for great good to you in the end, as he did to the pious patriarch, of whofe unhappy children we have been difcourfingen9ins game

THE fad story in our text we have confidered. ‹ ̈Job was a man of wealth and piety. He had a numerous family, no less than feven fons and three daughters. Thefe young people, poffeffing the means of diffipation, and having perhaps been treated by their parents with too much indulgence, were hurried by their violent pallions into a course of vicious practices. They were used to affemble together at each others houses, and in the midst of their criminal exceffes, to treat the religion of their father, whofe company they cared not to enjoy on these occafions, with contempt. He, good man! at home, felt no small pain on their account, fearing that their irreligious and riotous benaviour would draw down the refentments of heaven upon them. With all the tenderness, therefore, of a pa rent, and all the pious fervour of a patriarch, he interpofed by prayers and facrifices on their behalf. But it was too late. Being on a certain day at their eldeft brother's house, eating, and drinking wine; in the midst of their mirth and jollity, and probably whilft they were curfing Gode with their lips as well as in their hearts, there came a great wind, which inftantly destroyed the house where they were thus riotous-> ly affembled, and buried them beneath the ruins of it.

PA

We

We have made fome général reflections on this fad flory, and proceed now to the main thing propofed'; which is, a 90 1801 309 3r que

FIRST, To give fome account of the nature, origin, andrufe of festivals, and more efpecially of domeftic or family entertainments; and then,

SECONDLY, To direct to fuch a prudent arrange ment of circumstances in these circular vifits, as may prevent the irregularities they are fometimes the occafions of, and fecure all the falutary advantages propofed by them. is

.. FIRST, Festivals, of which we are here to give fome general account; may be confidered in three views, as religious, civilard domeftic.

·Religious feftivals have obtained time immemorial in all countries, among Pagans, Mahometans, Jews, and Chriftians. Difmiffing however thofe of the two former profeffions, the rites and grounds of which are all of human invention, and which it is not to our purpofe here to examine; it shall fuffice to obferve, that thofe only of the two latter owe their authority to divine appointment. The feftivals enjoined by Mofes were founded in reason, and adapted, circumftanced as the Ifraelitish nation was, to anfwer very important political and religious purposes. But these feftivals: are now at an end, the positive laws respecting them being exprefsly repealed by the fame authority that enacted them. And under the Chriftian difpenfation," no rite of this fort that I know of is in force, but that of the Lord's fupper. This was inftituted by Chrift, who hath commanded that it should be observed ito: the end of time; and is with good reafon fpoken of in the New Teftament as a feast ****

As to the numerous feftivals of the Romilochiffch, and those still retained in the softablished church of this country, there appears to me to be no foundation for them in the sword of Gods On the contrary, we are rather cautioned against such ceremoniakobfervandes, cas tending to enslave the minds of omen, and to beget av kind of fuperftition very injurious to religion *ur Tolwhich it may be added, that the fcrip tures seem to have purposely left us in the dark about the exact time when thofe great events happened, the commemoration of which on certain days is nevertheless enjoined by human authority--an authority which, with all becoming deference, we are obliged to protest against as not competent to fuch injunctions. But it is not our business here to enter particularly into this argument. We must, however, maintain that it is lawful for any number of Chriftians, with mutual confent, to fet apart days of thanksgiving for blethings they have received, and days of humiliation under calamities they fuffer; nor is it only allowable to do so, it is their incumbent duty. And indeed it ftrikes me, that it is an expreffion of very unreasonable and criminal perverfenefs in any people who diffent from the eftablished religion of their country, to refuse, at the inftance of the civil power, to acknowledge national benefits and to deprecate national judgments. And then, as to public feftivals that are purely civil, and to tally unconnected with religious matters, there furely can be no harm in paying a decent regard to them, provided they are held under due regulations. They have their use in fociety, to promote benevolence and a good understanding among mankind. to 1165 16 70 arbrodd to ey But

*Gal. iv. 9, 10, II.

66

But our views at prefent is to festivals of a private or domeftic kind, obferved by families periodically, or son occasion of profperous events, fuch as marriages, births, removals to new habitations, and the like. In most ages and countries it has been usual for relations and friends to entertain one another, on fuch occafons, at their houses. The practice has ever been held lawful and commendable. Abraham made a feast at the weaning of his son Isaac * Thefelcircular feafts in the family of Job, however abused, were conformable to the custom of the times. Samfon made a feat at his marriage, which lafted feven days die And we read of " a yearly facrifice, or feaft, there was at "Bethlehem, for all the family of Jeffe, the father "of David ." Indeed, it were endless to enumefate the many instances of this fort which occur in the Old Testament. And in the New, we frequently read of our Saviour's being entertained at the houses of his friends, and once of his being prefent at a marriage feast in Cana of Galilee || Apractice, therefore, in which mankind have so universally agreed, is no doubt natural and lawful. And as it is innocent, fo it is capable, if properly conducted, of anfwering very useful purposes. The harmony of families is hereby preferved, and friendship among individuals promoted. Indeed the nobleft ends, civil, moral, and religious, may hereby be attained. But then it must be admitted, on the other hand, that thefe, feftivities. are capable of being abused to the most pernicious purposes. They have fometimes proved the unhap py. occafions of intemperance, animofity, and flander or at least of indecent levity and dissipation. -2402J¢ will go on therefore,

SECONDLY,

* Gen. xxi. 8. † Judg. xiv. 10, 17. ‡1 Sam. xx. 6 || John ii. 1, 2,