armour wherein they truft, and shames them with the humiliating conviction of their nakedness. Hence alfo it is that the determined votaries of iniquity calumniate not only the fervants of religion, but religion itself. Sometimes, like the Jews, who through averfion to the doctrine of John the Baptist denominated him a morose fanatic, they defcribe the reftraints which Christianity imposes on the evil inclinations of men as a yoke of intolerable bondage, They declaim against the Gospel as a fyftem of hardship and rigour; as making no allowance for human infirmities; as prohibiting the indulgence of innocent defires, and the enjoyment of the ease and confolations of focial life. If they are not thus open their cenfures, they betray their fecret thoughts by invectives against every one who delineates the corruption of human nature, the guilt and confequences of fin, and the import and extent of human duty, faithfully and zealously according to the Scriptures and by their own reprefentations of religion as neither unfolding those views of the depravity and helplessnefs of man, nor urging thofe demands of conftant watchfulness and stedfast purity, which the perfons whom they deride as righteous overmuch

in

overmuch discover in every page of the Word of God. At other times, as the enemies of Chrift reviled him as addicted to finful indulgences, they misrepresent some of the leading doctrines of the Gospel as virtually affording encouragement to immorality: and with fingular eagerness set themfelves in array against the fundamental principle of redemption, that man is to bẹ juftified in no refpect or degree by works of his own, but entirely by faith in Christ, as though it rendered good works unneceffary and fubverted and fwept away the ground-work of holiness. It is thus that, by multifarious and contradictory flanders, wicked men labour to render true religion abfurd, contemptible, and odious, in order to provide an apology for their own difobedience and unbelief. If you difcover in your own bofom those difpofitions, which you perceive to have always prevailed in the breafts of the wicked; are you not conftrained to infer that your mind exhibits a fubftantial refemblance to theirs? If you difcern a lurking inclination to be diffatisfied with the doctrines and precepts of the Bible; if you detect a fecret pleasure in raifing or hearing objections against parts of the Scriptures; if you perceive

yourself gladly fnatching at pretexts for depreciating the principles and cenfuring the conduct of religious men; is it not evident that you have not a warm and cordial love for religion? Your heart is not right with God. Delude not yourselves by whifpering to your confciences that, although you must admit the truth and the relevancy of the preceding obfervations, you occafionally make respectful mention of religion, and pay a decent regard to her ordinances and to many of her injunctions. The Scribes and Pharifees talked, according to their own views of the fubject, largely of religion; and in fome points were punctilious obfervers of the law. But you know that their religion was not the religion of the Scriptures. You know that in body and foul they were devoted to wickedness, See that your religion be the religion of Chrift Jefus. See that you love that religion. If you do not feel pain when it is contemptuously treated, if you are not grieved when its followers are calumniated; in the bottom of your heart you love it

not.

Secondly: If, through the influence of divine grace, you have been brought to the love of religion, wonder not, nor be difcouraged,

discouraged, when you hear the truths of the Gospel flandered, or yourself made the theme of evil-speaking for their fake. Thus it always has been; and thus, until Chrif tianity shall have established a more general dominion over the hearts of those who avow themselves her fubjects, it always will be. Evil men, whether regarding the man of piety as a fool and a fanatic; or conscious that he is a far more religious character than themselves, and feeling his fuperiority as a reproach; will affuredly be on the watch to contrive opportunities of degrading him in public esteem, of fixing fsome name of obloquy upon him, and of disparaging those views of religion which have conducted him to excellence in holinefs. If you are a zealous fervant of God, prepare to behold many of your purest intentions misconftrued; prepare to hear yourself reproved and vilified for actions, which, according to a more equitable interpretation, might have been deemed worthy of praise. Prepare yourself to hear principles ascribed to you the reverse of those which you hold, the reverse of those which you publicly maintain. Prepare to hear epithets and appellations borrowed from obnoxious fects; fects, it may be,

from

from whofe errors you may have been the inftrument in the hand of God of rescuing or guarding weaker brethren; prepare to hear them borrowed for the purpose of fixing the odium of thofe errors upon yourfelf. What is the leffon which this expectation should teach you? It should teach you how great is the folly of folicitude for the applause of men. When you deferve blame, encomiums may be poured out upon you; when have the fairest claim to approyou bation, you may be repelled with cenfure and contempt.

But let the fervant of Chrift not only be indifferent as to general applaufe. Let him be jealous over himself, if it should fall to his lot. Wo unto you, faid our Lord, to his difciples, when all men fpeak well of you: for fo did their fathers unto the falfe prophets. If you are thus praised by the world; examine yourself. Is it not because you are conformed to the evil principles and practices of the world? Is it not because you live to the world, not unto Chrift? The world will love its own. Men will praise thee, faith David, when thou doft well to thyself. If you are fuccessful in your worldly plans; if you give the reins * Luke, vi. 26.

Pfalm, xlix. 18.

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