ed from it. Nay, our prefent ftate as a church and nat‍on, feems to render fuch a warning peculiarly feasonable. We have long enjoyed outward peace. In every other country this has introduced a worldly fpirit, ambition, luxury, and floth. And is there no veftige of these characters among us now? Who will pretend it? Are there not fome who cannot endure fuch ftrictnefs as is inconfiftent with conformity to the gay and fashionable world? Do not all fuch incline to charge every profeflion of piety with hypocrify? Do they not confider every faithful reprover, as an enemy to their peace? Do they not hear with fecret pleasure, and fpread with apparent triumph, every report, to the prejudice of fuch troublers of Ifrael?

This then is the character; and as many of you as confcience charges with the guilt, may fee your danger. You may fee whofe caufe you plead, and whofe reward you fhall fhare. What inward enmity do you difcover against the spirit and power of true religion? You are of the number of thofe who "Hate the light, and will not come "to the light, left your deeds fhould be reproved." You are of the number of those who fay "to the feers, fee not, "and to the prophets, prophefy not unto us right things, fpeak unto us fmooth things, and prophety deceit." You will not endure found doctrine," but love and tolly only that which will exercife and amule your imagination and fancy, footh and gratify your pride and vanity, or make and keep you at peace with yourfelves. You are afleep in fecurity, and will avoid every thing that may tend to disturb or interrupt your dangerous repofe. And how hurtful is your conduct to others? You blatt the characters and leffen the ufefulnefs of the minifters of Chrift. You bring an evil report upon the truth, by rendering them odious or contemptible who bear it. -And if we, my brethren, who are minifters of the gofpel, imitate this example in any measure, if we difcover a fufpicion and jealoufy, or an averfion and hatred, at all who are more diligent than ourfelves, what difhonor muft fall upon our profeffion, what a hindrance is it to the edification of others, and what guilt do we bring upon our own fouls.

3. If this has been the conftant lot of all the fervants of God, to be accufed as feditious and troublesome, let every cautious perfon beware of being mifled by the perfecuting cry. I afk any man who is converfant in the world, if he hath not, in many inftances, been infenfibly taught to form a hateful idea, or to entertain a despicable opinion of many minifters, without the leaft perfonal knowledge, the least fatisfying evidence or proof. What is the reafon? Why, he hath been told, that they are proud, hypocritical, factious, cenforious, troublesome men. Well, the thing is poffible, no doubt. But, in the mean time, it is far from being certain; and this fort of character induftriously propagated, is no evidence of it at all, or rather is a prefumption of the contrary. You fee, from the inftances produced above, that this is a reproach perpetually thrown upon the moft upright and faithful of the fervants of God; that it may very naturally arise from their fidelity itfelf; and that it cannot be avoided by those who refift the corrupt measures, who reprove the public vices, or who fhame the criminal lazinefs, and negligence of others. An ignorant, vicious, worthless minifter, is envied by no body. He is therefore quite fafe from all the poifoned arrows which fly from that quarter. He is rather a foil to many, to fet off and illuftrate their own comparative excellence. He is therefore often pardoned, pitied, and protected. Whereas a faithful minifter, who openly dares to bear witness against the apoftacy of others, is traduced and flandered, loaded with imaginary crimes, and often falls a martyr to the finking caufe of truth and righteoufnefs.

4. Since the world is fo prone to receive the accufation of faction against the children of God, let them be carc ful to give no real ground for it. Unjuft calumny has fometimes the contrary effect. When men find, that it is impoffible to please a capricious world, or wholly to escape flander, they are apt to give up all folicitude upon that head, and take no farther pains to avoid fufpected appearThis I take to be, precifely, what the Scripture -calls being" overcome of evil." But how much better is it "to overcome evil with good? Let us, as often as pofli

ances.

ble, confute the accufation by an unblameable carriage; and when we muft fuffer, let us be careful that we futler, not as evil doers, but for well doing. For this purpose I would humbly offer to minifters the two following directions, which I efteem of great moment.

(1.) Let all our zeal for the glory of God be conducted not only with fleadiness, but with meekneis. Let us ever remember, that the wrath of man worketh not the righteoufnefs of God. Let our language be always ftrictly guarded, and free from expreffions of rage and fury. if we are faithful to our duty, it will fufficiently prokoke finners, we need not add to it by any mixture of human paffion. What noble and effectual principles are we furnished with in Scripture, for avoiding every dangerous extreme? Love to God, and love to man, make up the fun of practical religion. Thefe are the immediate fruits of faith, and all the truths of the gofpel tend to firengthen and improve them. And as love to God produces indigmation againft fin, refolution and boldnefs in oppofing it; fo, love to man will naturally produce the deepeft compaflion for the miferable flate of every enemy of God, and prevent firmnefs from degenerating into violence.

(2.) The other direction I would offer upon this fubject is, that minifters take care to avoid officio fly intermeddling in civil matters. A minifter fhould be feparated and fet apart for his own work; he fhould be confeeated to his office. It is little glory to him to be eminently killed in any other fcience, except fuch as may be handmaids to theology, and are by him habitually turned into a divine channel. Miniflers giving themfelves to worldly enrployments, have been commonly of bad fame ; and, where there is a fufficient provifion made for their maintenance, seems to be an unjuft alienation of their time and talents. But it is fill more finful and dangerous, for them to defire or claim the direction of fuch matters as fall within the province of the civil magiftrate: When our bleffed Saviour fays, "My kingdom is not of this world," he plainly intimates to his difciples that they have no title to intermeddle with ftate affairs. Nay, he exprefsly warns them against a lordly and arbitrary dominion,

even in their own proper fphere. "The kings of the Gemiles exercife lordfhip over them; and they that "exercife authority upon them are called benefactors. "But ye fhall not be fo: but he that is greatest among you "let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he "that doth ferve."* I cannot help mentioning here, that this is one of the things, for which our worthy ancestors of the church of Scotland (now defpifed by many) deferve the highest commendation. It was an invariable principle with them, to be against the civil power and places of Kirkmen. And furely, if minifters confine themfelves entirely to their own proper duty, they will be much lefs liable to exception than otherwife. They may then, warrantably use the greateft fidelity in reproving, and the greatest ftrictness in difcipline; and though the wicked flander and oppofe them, the good will defend them, and God will fupport them.

5. In the last place, Since the charge of faction and fedition has been always brought against faithful ministers, let us learn to bear it with patience, and never diflemble the truth, or depart, in any measure, from our duty, in order to avoid it. A perfon of a generous mind feels a wound in his reputation more deeply, than almoft any other injury. We are ftill apt fondly to flatter ourselves, that as religion is truly amiable in itself, and ought to make no enemies, that therefore we fhall have none. Some are very apt to omit, or flightly to perform, feveral parts of their duty, through that fear of man that bringeth a fnare-" They are unwilling to forego the hope, that by certain prudent compliances they will conciliate and preferve the favor of every man and every party. But the expectation is wholly vain. The experience of many ages hath proved it fo. Let us therefore bear with patience the falfe accufation. It hath been the lot of the beft and worthieft men in every age. It was the lot of our blefied mafter, and fhall we refufe to bear his crofs? Is it not enough for the difciple that he be as his master, and the "fervant that he be as his Lord ?" The triumph of fin

* Luke xaii. 25, 26.

ners is but very fhort. In a little time all earthly relations fhall be diffolved. Then high and low, magiftrates and fubjects, minifters and people, fhall ftand before the judg ment-feat of Chrift. He fhall "render to every one ac"cording to his deeds." There the great and noble fhall find no partial favor; there the poor and mean fhall not escape obfervation; and there the lying flanderer fhall be put to eternal filence. He fhall openly acknowledge every faithful fervant, and "bring forth his righteoufnels as the light, and his judgment as the noon day."