dominion of felfish and unfriendly paffions. Several real and important virtues will be very weak, or intirely wanting, fuch as piety, equity of difpofition, moderation of mind in profperity, patience in adverfity, and contentment with his condition and lot in life. And thus the character becomes very mixed and imperfect. He will indeed on fome occafions put the more fplendid kind of virtues in practice, but thefe will be only like jetts of water from a muddy and corrupted well, which tho' they appear clear and bright, by the reflexion of the fun-beams while they pafs thro' the air, yet they really carry along with them, a mixture of the mud and corruption of the bottom, from which they were rais'd. Thus I hope it appears, that it is a matter of real importance, that we inculcate the morality of the gofpel, on the principles of the gofpel, and in the manner and order it directs.

Time will not allow me to treat more particularly the importance of enforcing the moral duties of life, from the peculiar motives Divine Revelation fuggefts. Let us study human nature, and study the doctrines of the Gofpel, and we fhall find that they tally to one another. And as, in this study, we shall be employed in that way which our duty and the propriety of our character requires, fo we fhall find the true fources of Christian oratory will open themselves to our view.

To conclude, let us who are the Minifters of the Gofpel, beware of fatisfying ourfelves, with admiring and extolling the excellency of the Gofpel morality; but let it be our chief care, to copy the perfect pattern of our great Mafter, in all the virtues of his life, and efpecially in that meeknefs and humility which he exemplified in the character of

H

an

1

an inftructor, and has enjoined us to imitate in the fame character. Learn of me, fays he, for I am meek and lowly in heart. He manifefted the full power of this bleffed difpofition, in that unruffled Tweetnefs and mildnefs, with which he bore the flowness of understanding, the unbelief, and the many weakneffes of his own difciples, as well as all the outrages and provocations of his moft inveterate enemies. As meeknefs ought to adorn our whole behaviour, fo it fhould particularly fhine forth in our public, and even in our private inftructions. A fmall degree of acquaintance with the world, and of infight into human nature, will convince us that every thing unfriendly, every thing biting and fatyrical, every tincture of the four and angry paffions appearing in our fentiments, our words, or even our manner and gefture; as it is contrary to the meek spirit of the Gospel and its author, so it muft hurt the good effect of the beft inftructions we can give; Inftruct, fays the Apostle, thofe who oppose themselves in meekness. Let us be particularly careful to cherish kind, friendly and candid thoughts and designs towards our brethren; and keep at the utmost distance from all ungenerous, or unjuft infinuations, which tend to leffen their character or usefulness: Let us always be fo much on our guard as never to speak a word, or write a line, that can mark the leaft departure from the kind, meek and candid spirit of our holy religion; If we are not, the more difcerning part of mankind, at least, will conclude, that our hearts must be under very bad difcipline, when we cannot, during the time of the compofition, or delivery of a fermon, fupprefs the workings of the little, the felfifh, and party paffions: Befides, they will be apt to fay, and not without

fome

fome foundation, that tho' the fpeaker or writer intended, indeed, only to draw a picture of others, not at all to their advantage, yet he hath really drawn a truer and blacker one of his own heart.

In like manner, let us imitate the humility of our great Mafter: In order to this, we must watch over our own tempers, left we infenfibly fet too great a value on our station, our parts, our learning or labours; and at the fame time, we must watch over our behaviour, so that true humility may difcover itself in our intercourfe with all ranks of men, the lowest as well as the higheft. As the lower claffes of men must always compofe the greatest part of the body of mankind, whom we are called to inftruct; if we contemn thofe for whom our instructions and labours are principally defigned, we can never discharge our duty to them with faithfulness or fuccefs. It ought further to be considered, that our humility ought to appear in the manner in which we hold and deliver our fentiments and opinions. There is a pulpit modefty, which is very beautiful and engaging; as there is a pulpit pride, extremely difagreeable and disgusting: Nothing can make a more odious appearance than pride preaching up humility, and a man defcribing himself as exceeding little, when it plainly appears he has an idea of himself as exceeding great. In order to preferve a proper modefty as to our notions and fentiments about things of doubtful difputation, and the circumftantials of religion, and to abate that pofitiveness in our own way, which is fo oppofite to real humility, and which leads us to complain of the pride of other men's understandings, when there is no other reafon for the charge, than that they cannot adopt our notions or phrases; let us seriously afk ourselves

the

the following questions. Can I pretend to a clearer understanding, to a more diligent and impartial inquiry into revelation, or to greater degrees of Divine illumination, than all others who differ in opinion from me? What grounds have I to imagine I am in the full poffeffion of all divine truths? Do I not acknowledge that I may err? What fecurity then have I that I do not actually err, in fome inftances, amidst the multitude of opinions which I hold? May I not be in a mistake, nay, in many mistakes, tho' I am not confcious of the particular inftances? Is there not ground to expect that the admiffion into the regions of perfect light, will prove not only an enlargement, but a correction of former views, to men of the wifeft, beft, and fairest minds? Such queftions seriously put, and urged upon our own confciences, in filence and retirement, and under the awful impreffion of the prefence of the Great Searcher of hearts, would naturally check that prefumptuous confidence, that our own particular views are certainly right, which is fo common in the world, and fo frequently accompanied with that wrath of man, which never works the righteousness of God. Such ferious foliloquies, would lead us to fufpect, that we are departing from the meeknefs and humility of the Gofpel fpirit, when we allow ourselves to think, and to fpeak hardly of others, because they do not fee every thing juft in the fame, light with us, or have not freedom to exprefs themfelves in our phrafes, which are perhaps not only unfcriptural, but were unknown in the Chriftian Church for many centuries, and can claim no better, nor higher original, than the dregs of the Scholaftic Philofophy. There be phrafes not ftrictly Scriptural, which must be acknowledged

may

acknowledged to be venerable by their hoary antiquity; but even these ought not to be too much urged upon honeft and tender minds. May what has been faid have its due weight and influence upon all of us.

We now conclude the whole with the Apoftolic direction, Let us meditate on these things, let us give ourselves wholly to them, that our profiting may appear unto all: Let us take heed unto ourfelves, and to our doctrine, continuing in them; for in fo doing, we shall fave ourselves, and them that bear us.

F IN IS.