THE

Country Gentleman's

A D VICE

TO HIS

NEIGHBOURS.

My good Friends and Neighbours,

EING defirous, during my neceffary Abfence from ***** to give You fome Token of my Remembrance, fome Proof that my Heart

is with You, I thought I could not do it better, than in fending You my Opinion, and Advice, upon thofe Things, wherein Your Intereft is concerned.

I am perfuaded that none of You can have any Doubt of my Inclination to promote it upon all Occafions, and hope I have not paffed my Time fo unfruitfully amongst You, as that You fhould be at a Lofs to know in what I think it chiefly confifts.

If I could fuggeft to You any Method of improving Your Wordly Subftance, and adding

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ding to Your Wealth confiftently with good Confcience, I would by no Means be filent upon that Head; but my prefent Addrefs to You has Objects of another, and infinitely more valuable Kind in View. Lak

It is very true, and I acknowledge it with Pleafure, that You have able and religious Teachers in Your feveral Parishes, and that You hear from them, once every Week, that You have a Soul to be faved, and by what Means it is to be faved..

Yet I hope none of You are fo destitute of true faving Knowledge, as to think, that Religion is the Bufinefs of Your Sundays only, or that the great Concern of Eternity deserves no more than a Seventh Part of Your prefent Time.

As You cannot be fo great Enemies to Your own Welfare, as to think thus narrowly of Religion, You ought, and I doubt not will, efteem that Man Your Friend, who endeavours to bring it home to You, by informing Your Understanding, or at least refreshing Your -Memory, concerning the real Duties of it, in Order to make it a frequent Object of Your Reflexions in Your Houfes, in the Field, in the Markets, as well as in the Churches. wa

I do not fay that You fhould think of nothing Elfe but Religion for then (as St. Paul days upon another Occafion) must re needs go cut of the World. But this I fay, that You hould fo accuftom Your Minds to the Defire,

and

and Defign of pleafing God in all Things, that You fhould, even by Habit, make That the Standard of every Thought, every Word, and every Action. on

And do not imagine that my applying myfelf to You upon this Subject is owing to any Apprehenfion that You have more Occafion for fuch Exhortations than Others: I can affure You moft fincerely, that it is not; for I can fay with Truth, that I have found You in General a Sober, Peaceable, and Uncorrupted People. But it is declared by an Apostle, that in many Things We offend all, and there is furely None fo very good, but that they may receive Benefit from Mutual Admonitions.

You are certainly happy in being at fuch a Distance from any of thofe great Sinks of Iniquity where Ingratitude, and Disrespect to Our greatest Benefactor is fashionable, and Neglect of our immortal Souls an Accomplishment. You may thank God that the Contagion has not Yet reached You.

It is a Melancholy Thing to confider, that Thousands of Thofe, who acknowledge their Expectation of a Future State, and of those Rewards and Punishments, which God hath -appointed, will not yet take fo much Pains, not exercise fo much felf Denial for the obotaining the One, and avoiding the Other, tho' believed Eternal, as they do for procuring to themselves the Enjoyment of fome Momenbas

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tary

tary Pleafure, perhaps a Vicious one, or for the efcaping fome Bodily Diftemper, or other Temporary Evil.

You cannot but be fenfible of the Perversenefs and Abfurdity of fuch a Conduct, and it will need no Reafoning to convince You, that the true Standard, and Computation of Happinefs, and Unhappiness, is the Length, or Shortness of their Duration.

Let me advise You to make this Comparifon the Subject of Your frequent Meditation. You are, and juftly, anxious about the Fruit and Product of Your worldly Care and Labour; Endeavour to raife in Your Minds the fame Sollicitude about the Confequences of all Your other Actions, remembring that the Profit, or Lofs, is Eternal.

I do not propofe to enter here into a particular Defcription of every Point of Chriftian Duty. I fhould pay a very ill Compliment, as well to Your worthy Minifters, as to Yourselves, in fuppofing You to want Inftruction therein. I would rather excite You to the Practice of what You already know, than pretend to teach You any Thing, that You do not.

You know, as well as I, or any Man can tell You, What it is to be Honeft, and Sober, and Chaft, and Humble, and Meek; You know what is Good Nature, and Truth, and Piety; You are acquainted too, Who it is that expects thefe Things from You; And what You have to hope, or to fear from Him.

With

With this Knowledge, is it poffible to be : Unconcerned, and Indifferent? When Your Thoughts, and Words, and Actions Here, have: fuch a Connexion with Eternity, Can You take a Step in this World, which will not put You in Mind of the Next?

Yet, tho' I do not propose to enumerate, and Iinforce to You every Precept of God's Moral Law, there are two or three Points, which I = cannot help mentioning more particularly.

The First is what relates to the Indulgence of unlawful Love, which, tho' most expressly prohibited by the Gofpel, is treated by many, in this enlightened Age, and Country, as a flight Offence: And there are Some, who will talk of their own Tranfgreffions against this Divine Law, without Remorfe; and even boast of their diabolical Conquefts over Innocence, and Virtue.

Against this Crime therefore, I would endeavour, in an efpecial Manner, to arm Your Minds, because there is more than ordinary Danger from Without, as well as from Within; from the Suggeftions of profligate Companions, backed, and abetted by Those of inward Paffion.

But confider, or, if You have no Occafion Yourself for fuch Confideration, make the Young People, for whom You may be concerned, as a Father, or Mafter, confider, that He, who corrupts a Woman, is guilty of a vile Dishonesty;