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trial and tribulation, which "filled them with "all joy and peace in believing;” and enabled them to "abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost "."

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Yet, with reference still to that present recompense which a gracious Providence seems also to have intended should in some degree attend the good and virtuous, it behoves us to remind those whose stations or whose characters in society give them the greatest influence over public opinion, how awful a responsibility lies upon them to use that influence in the encouragement of what is really praiseworthy, and in the discountenance of those false notions of honour and dishonour which find too ready an acceptance in the world. When honour is a support to religion and virtue, and upholds the laws of God and of our country, then it confers benefits the most substantial on the whole community. "When it goeth well with the righteous, the

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city rejoiceth "." When honour is diverted into the opposite channel; when it is bestowed upon the worthless and unprincipled, men regardless of morals and religion; when it gives encouragement to false ambition, false glory, false patriotism, false notions of the public good; it then becomes the bane of sog Rom. xv. 13.

h Prov. xi. 10.

ciety, its plague, and its destruction. To avert these evils, the great and good, the wise and powerful, have one common interest, one common bond of public duty. So long as an honest fame has any charm to win the affections of men, so long will it be necessary to give that sentiment a bias to what is truly commendable. So long as unassuming worth and piety may be liable to droop and decay for want of seasonable support, it will be incumbent all who know how to appreciate such excellent qualities, to mark their reverence and affection by correspondent feelings. So long also as vice and irreligion are wont to present a shameless front, the brand of public censure and indignation, as well as the powerful arm of public justice, will be wanted, effectually to repress their inroads upon social life, and to prevent their contamination from spreading to the very vitals of the state.

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In brief, the only ambition which as Christians we are warranted in cherishing, is that which seeks the esteem and praise of men, by approving our hearts and our ways unto God. To be "men-pleasers" only, is at all times hazardous, and often unsuccessful. To please GOD is an object of rational ambition, and which can never fail. It has the best of all

claims for temporal rewards; it has the certainty of those which are eternal. If, then, there be any virtue, if there be any praise of this description, let our thoughts and endeavours be bent upon its attainment; that, by God's grace, we may go on from strength to strength," provoking one another unto love " and good works," and "perfecting holiness "in the fear of God."

i Hebr. x. 24.

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k 2 Cor. vii. 1.

SERMON XXII.

1 CORINTHIANS X. 23.

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient.

AGAINST extremes in matters of religion we cannot be too carefully guarded; excess of rigour and excess of laxity being almost equally prejudicial to truth, and equally destructive of Christian peace and charity. Upon preserving, therefore, that discreet deportment which abstains not only from evil, but from the appearance of evil, will greatly depend the perfection of the Christian character.

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It is a maxim, indeed, indisputable, that no man liveth unto himselfa." This is evident from that state of mutual dependence in which our Creator hath seen fit to place us, as "members one of another;" and of which we have practical experience every day of our lives. Hence it follows, that in every action there are two points to be considered:

a Rom. xiv. 7.

first, whether it may be done under any circumstances whatever; secondly, whether it may be done under those particular circumstances in which we are placed. These two points are clearly distinguished from each other in the words of the text:-" All things are lawful for me, but all things are not ex

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pedient." An inquiry into the occasion on which this distinction was made by the Apostle, will help to elucidate this very important rule of Christian conduct.

It appears, from the eighth chapter of this Epistle, that a question had been proposed to the Apostle respecting the liberty to be allowed to Christian converts, in partaking of the feasts which the heathen were accustomed to make upon the residue of what had been offered up in their idolatrous sacrifices. Many of the Gentile converts made no scruple in doing this; pleading, in excuse for the practice, that they did not intend any reverence to the heathen deities by eating of that which had been consecrated to idols; since they knew that an idol was nothing, and that what was consecrated to an idol did not thence acquire any real sanctity: but that they partook of these feasts, only as of common entertainments; not at all offending against their own consciences, nor swerving from

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