give Orders, nor to execute them. He is unable to stand upon his Guard, or to discern the Face of an Enemy from a Friend. And when his Senses return to him, it will be matter of fore Reflection, to confider that he fhamefully parted with his Manhood, his Honour, and his Innocence, for the inconfiderable Pleasure of a little Drink, whilft it ran over his Tongue.

III. Let the brave Soldier preferve himself from any impure Luft. The Luft of Uncleanness tends to fink and foften even the braveft Spirits, and to take a Man off from Warlike Defigns and Enterprizes, by engag ing him in the Profecution of base and fhame. ful Intrigues; and in the Event, he is ufually covered with Shame, and brought into an odious and fatal Bondage and Slavery, out of which he feldom or never escapes, (Prov. ii. 19.) He fhall be holden with the Cords of his Sins. Here, alas! many a great Man has buried his Honour, and marred the Glory of many brave Actions paft. It was this that caft a Blot on the Hiftory of the Wife Man, Solomon, and rendered the otherwife invincible Samfon, the Prey and Sport of his cowardly Enemies. And all Hiftories abound with Examples of the like Nature; and our own Obfervation will frequently fhew us very mournful Inftances of the Ruin of Persons and Families by this deftructive Vice, which, as the Wife Man fays, is a deep Pit, (Prov.

xxii.

xxii. 14.) destructive as the Mouth of Hell itfelf, (Prov. vii. 27.) infomuch that a Man's following of this Sin, is a Token of his being bereft of the Protection of God's Grace, yea, that he is in a State of Wrath and Abhorrence with GoD, (Prov. xxii. 14.) The Mouth of strange Women is a deep Pit: He that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall into

it.

And above other forts of Uncleanness, let your Soul abhor the very Thoughts of that unnatural and abominable Kind of it, which brought Fire from Heaven upon Sodom, and which derives its infamous Name from those filthy Wretches. This is a monstrous piece of Villainy, condemned to Death by the Laws of GOD and Man, and ought to be chased from off the Earth, by the general Abhorrence of Mankind. For hereby Men fink below the utmost Irregularities of the shamelefs Beasts; and one would wonder, that such a monftrous Wickedness could ever be admitted into the Heart of any one that deserves the Name of a Man. And therefore, I pray you, treat it always with the utmoft Scorn, and the most implacable Indignation.

IV. Let me intreat you to keep a strict Watch against the fudden Breakings out of Paffion, and against all Inclinations to Violence and Cruelty: For all these are Tokens of a weak Mind, and of a very low and bafe Spirit. The generous and brave

Sol

Soldier huns all private Difcord and Contention, confidering that his Life is devoted to the public Intereft, and is therefore by no means to be facrificed to private Refentments. He referves the Ufe of his Strength and Spirit for those honourable Contests with the Public Enemy, in which he will give fuch undoubted Proofs of his Valour, as will fet him above the Reproaches of fuch as would reflect upon him for Cowardice, on the account of his declining private Challenges and Duels. For the common Notion of this Matter is quite wrong; it is not a Man's Honour to Refent or Revenge an Offence? but it is his Honour to Wave it, and Pass it by; as the inspired Solomon has long fince determined the Cafe, (Prov. xix..11.) The Difcretion of a Man deferreth his Anger : and it is his Glory to pass over a Tranfgreffion. To be over-born by Paffion, is a Testimony of the Weaknefs of the Mind, and what Women and Children, and fickly Perfons, are most subject to; but to overcome our Refentments, and bridle our Paffions, is the Effect of a discreet, and noble, and reasoning Mind. In this the great and brave Spirit excels the rash and mean, in that it can generoufly forgive those Indecencies and Affronts, or perhaps Mistakes, which little narrow Souls are not able to pafs over without being all fet on fire with them.

Let

Let all brave Soldiers therefore agree together to bear down that falfe Notion of Honour which Men do most unreasonably fuppofe is to be gotten by Duelling and private Combats; which has in a manner compelled many Perfons to embrue their Hands in the Blood of their Friends, Relations and Fellow-Soldiers, to the Wounding of their own Confciences, the Lofs of their Peace, and of their Lives; yea, to the utter and eternal Ruin of their own Souls; (for it is directly contrary to the Law of GoD) and probably the Deftruction of the Soul of the Perfon that is thus killed too. And then, what a fad Meeting will it be to those fiery Duellers below, who, by Tripping up each others Heels, fell together into the bottomless Pit, and plunged each other into everlafting Torments. Befides, where Fellow-Soldiers fight thus, they weaken their own Side, and gratify two forts of Enemies at once, the visible and invifible.

Let this teach you true Notions of Honour, my Brother; and be affured, That He that is flow to Anger, is better than the Mighty; and he that ruleth his Spirit, than he that taketh a City, (Prov. xvi. 32.) You cannot but pay very great Honour to that Man whom you fee fcaling the Baftions of a very ftrong City, fcattering and beating down the thickeft Crouds of his Enemies, whenever they make head against him:

But

But here the Oracles of GOD fhew you a more noble Conqueft, my Brother, which will render you more highly efteemed by GoD himself, whofe Favour is better than Life; namely, the Conqueft of your Paffions; by which you may excel many of those mighty Conquerors, who have often won the Field in the duty and bloody Campaigns of this turbulent World.

V. In the laft Place, let me diffuade you from the mif-fpending of your Time and Eftate in Gaming; which is falfely called a Diverfion, fince it rather perplexes than recreates the Mind; throws it into Paffion, and profane Swearing and Curfing, tempts to Cheating, and is ufually attended with very ill Company, and various Quarrels and Abusements; together with an endless Circle of Projects, and Designs of farther Advantages or Reparation.

Thus much of what I proposed to speak to in the first Place; to wit, thofe Defaults, wrong Steps, and Mifcarriages of human Life, against which a virtuous Soldier will always ftand upon his Guard.

But what has hitherto been faid, my Brother, tends only to keep you from being of the Number of vile and profane Men; which is but a negative fort of Excellence, and is not a fufficient Character to recommend a good and virtuous Perfon. Such a one muf

B

not