design of such a church have been considered above. This is a society distinct from civil or worldly communities, and independent of them, and there are relative duties peculiar to the members of such churches. They are to pay a particular respect to the elders of the churches, to esteem them very highly for the sake of their work, and give them double honor, not only by attending upon their ministry, and submitting to them, when they declare the truths and duties which Christ has revealed and commanded, but also by giving them a sufficient and decent support. They have much duty to do to one another in faithfully attending to that discipline which Christ has instituted, and practising it with prudence, impartiality, and resolution. They are also to provide liberally for the poor of the church, and freely to contribute for the supply of their bodily wants, so that none shall suffer for the want of the necessaries of life; and it is not only the duty of individuals to give relief to particular persons, when they see them to stand in need of their help, but they ought to contribute a sufficient sum, to be lodged in the hands of the deacons, to enable them to give full relief to all the needy of the church; whose duty it is to acquaint themselves with those who may want, and with prudence and faithfulness to distribute, so as in the best and most private manner to relieve and comfort them. If the institution and command of Christ with respect to this were in any good measure observed, every member of his churches would be so supplied with the necessaries for the body, that they would have no occasion to apply to the men of the world, or to any worldly society, for help

and relief.

These duties of Christians, as members of churches, are expressions of piety, and have been mentioned as such; but they are also relative duties of humanity and mercy; while every one attends to the duties of his place and station, according to the grace which is given unto him, so as to promote the peace and comfort of every individual and the edification of the whole body.

III. There are duties included in Christian practice, in which a man has a more iminediate respect to himself, his own person, while they have a more remote respect to God and his neighbor.

Universal, disinterested benevolence, which is opposed to selfishness, desires and seeks the highest happiness of all, and, therefore, of the benevolent person himself, so far as is consistent with the good of others and the greatest general good; and as his individual person is more immediately under his care, and as he is under greater advantage to take care of his

own personal interests than others commonly are, and as there are certain exercises and duties which respect himself more immediately, which are necessary for his own personal comfort and greatest happiness, as well as for the greatest good of others, these are essential to the Christian character, and necessarily implied in loving our neighbor as ourselves. These duties may be ranked under the following heads: —

1. Temperance and frugality in eating and drinking. The body requires constant nourishment by food and drink; and what of this is necessary for health, and to preserve a person in a state most fit to answer the proper ends of life, is commonly taken with pleasure; but all excess and intemperance in eating or drinking is hurtful to the intemperate person, and injurious to others with whom he is connected. The Christian, therefore, is bound by the law of love to be temperate in all things, and to eat and drink for strength and health, and so that he may be best fitted for the duties of his station, and promote his own greatest enjoyment and happiness, and that of others. In this he is obliged to consult his own constitution, experience, and circumstances, that he may find what degree and kind of food and drink are best suited for his health and usefulness; and not to gratify and indulge his appetites any further than is necessary to answer these ends, but to keep his body under, and bring it into subjection to these rules. And in this way alone he can eat and drink, not unto himself, but to the glory of God.

2. Frugality, decency, and prudence in apparel. The Christian is to put on nothing superfluous, or to gratify pride or any lust; but only that which is necessary, and best suited to answer the ends of clothing, in which some regard is to be had to a person's station, business, and circumstances in life. The Christian, whatever apparel he is obliged to wear, or thinks proper to put on, ought to take care to be and appear neat and clean, as the contrary is indecent, and tends to injure the health of the body. The short, but comprehensive and important command of Christ, being strictly and judiciously observed, would regulate and fix the Christian's practice, both in eating and drinking, and in putting on apparel: "LET NOTHING BE LOST."

3. Chastity in thought, speech and behavior is an important Christian duty. This is strictly commanded, and much insisted upon in the Scripture. Christians are commanded to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness." (Rom. xiii. 14. Ġal, v. 19.) "But

fornication and all uncleanness, let it not be once named amongst you, as becometh saints. This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor." (Eph. v. 3. 1 Thess. vi. 3, 4.) The strictest chastity is most for the comfort and happiness and honor of those who practise it, and for the benefit of all with whom they are connected; and every thing contrary to this has the most pernicious and fatal tendency, and is injurious in a greater or less degree to those who indulge it, and those with whom they are concerned; therefore, strict chastity is obedience to the law of universal benevolence; and the contrary, and every thing which tends to it, is opposed to this. There is no virtue more recommended in Scripture than inviolable chastity and continence; and no vice more condemned, and the evil consequences more exposed, both in the historical and preceptive. parts of Scripture, than incontinence and uncleanness. This is particularly done by Solomon in his address to young persons, in the first chapters of his Proverbs, which is proposed as a proper example for all parents in their instructing and warning their children. Youth are most exposed to violate the rules of strict chastity; therefore, have need of instruction, warning, and restraint on this head, and ought to keep at the greatest distance from the contrary vice, and carefully shun every temptation and snare by which they may be decoyed, as thousands have been, and never have recovered from the evil consequences. Therefore, the young Christian is under the greatest obligations to "flee youthful lusts."

4. A careful government and suppression of all those passions which distrub and ruffle the mind, and unfit persons for duty, and make them uncomfortable to themselves and to others. As Christians ought to govern their bodily inclinations and appetites, and not to gratify, but suppress and mortify, all those, so far as they tend to hurt themselves or others, so they are under obligation to regulate and govern their mental passions, and so to rule their own spirits, as to suppress and lay aside all the angry, unruly passions, which are the production of selfishness and pride, and render themselves unhappy, so far as they are indulged; and, on the contrary, they are commanded to maintain and constantly to exercise a calm, gentle, meek, peaceable, patient spirit, which is the natural attendant and genuine fruit of benevolence, and necessary in order to the Christian's proper possession and enjoyment of himself, and attendance on the duties of Christianity. "He that is slow to anger, is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city. He that hath no

rule over his own spirit, is like a city that is broken down and without walls." (Pr. xvi. 32; xxv. 28.) Agreeably to this are the apostolic injunctions. "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice; and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Eph. iv. 31, 32.) "Let your moderation be known unto all men." (Phil. vi. 5.) "The wisdom that is from above is peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated." (James iii. 17.) "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; is not easily provoked; thinketh no evil." (1 Cor. xiii. 4, 5.)

5. A constant and careful cultivation and improvement of the mind, in seeking, pursuing, and acquiring useful knowl edge and wisdom. Solomon says, "It is not good that the soul be without knowledge." This is the life and enjoyment of the mind, and is unspeakably the highest and most noble kind of enjoyment of which a rational creature is capable. All the knowledge which a person of an honest and good heart obtains is useful to him, and puts him under advantage to be more useful to others. This is not to be obtained, and a constant progress made in it, without labor, by diligent attention and inquiry, in the improvement of all those helps and advantages with which we are furnished. The objects of knowledge are various and infinite; and the knowledge of any of them is not useless to a mind well disposed, and every branch and degree of knowledge is suited to improve such a mind; it really adds to its existence, and increases true wisdom in a wise and benevolent heart. Some objects are more important, grand, and excellent than others, and men have more concern and connection with some than with others; and, therefore, the knowledge of them is proportionably more excellent, important, and useful; and that knowledge which is of the moral kind, and implies a good taste and right exercises of heart, and is, therefore, the knowledge of the great objects and truths which respect the moral world and belong to that, is the most important and excellent kind of knowl edge, and does most enlarge the soul, and gives the highest degree of enjoyment. This kind of knowledge is, therefore, to be sought in the first place, and with the greatest thirst and engagedness of mind.

And as God is infinitely the greatest part of existence, and includes the sum of all the natural and moral world, and the knowledge of his moral character includes the knowledge of his laws, moral government, and kingdom, and of all morality, and of every thing necessary to be known in the moral world,

the knowledge of God is, in Scripture, considered as comprehending the whole. "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." (John xvii. 3.) "Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." (Phil. iii. 8.) "If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding: if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." (Pr. ii. 3, 4, 5.) "Let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord, which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord." (Jer. ix. 24.) This is the knowledge which includes true understanding and wisdom, of which Solomon speaks so much in his writings. It is the duty and interest of every Christian to make advances in this knowledge, and in all kinds of knowledge and speculations for which he has opportunity, as subservient and advantageous to this. In this way he is to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

And this is one end which the Christian ought to have in view, among others, in his devotions and prayers, and in his daily reading and studying the "Holy Scriptures, which are able to make them wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus, being profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. ii. 15-17.) This is one end of his constant attendance on public instruction, and the preaching of the gospel, that by hearing the word he may understand it, and bring forth fruit. For this end, he is to meditate, read, and study, as he has opportunity, that he may improve and advance in useful knowledge; "trying all things, and holding fast that which is good." And this ought to be one end in his conversing with his neighbors and Christian friends. He ought not only to study to speak to their benefit and edification, but to converse in order to get instruction himself, and improve his own mind in knowledge and understanding; and will, therefore, "be swift to hear, and slow to speak." And, . in this view, he will avoid, as much as may be, all trifling and vain company, as well as that which is worse; and he will be ready to obey the command given by Solomon, "Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge." (Pr. xiv. 7.) And, on the contrary, he will seek the company of the serious and wise, from whom

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