before men," by discharging in a faithful, a diligent, and a consistent manner, the personal and particular duties of his station.

As a Member of Society, he must be dis tinguished by a blameless and an inoffensive conduct, by a simplicity and an ingenuousness of character, free from every degree of guile, by uprightness and fidelity in all his engagements.

As a Subject, he must be orderly, peaceable, submissive. He must render to all their due, "tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom." He must cheerfully pay his full share to the public expenses. He must obey magistrates, and them that have the rule over him. He must not indulge" in railing accusation" against his superiors, but by contributing all in his power to the support of civil government, he must show his grateful sense of the blessings which he receives from it.

As a Member of the Church of Christ, he must show love and good-will to all the other members of the same body. However in some points they may differ from him in judgment, or in forms, he is not on that account to shut them out from his heart; or to suppose that such a difference is any ground of enmity against them. At the same time, he must not needlessly, or on

slight grounds, create or countenance dissensions in the church. He must endeavour to promote and to maintain peace, order, and unity, in the body of Christ.

As a Neighbour, he must be kind, friendly, and accommodating. He must show, that he has a regard for others as well as for himself, that he respects and consults their happiness and interests equally with his own. He must be no backbiter, slanderer, nor evil-speaker. His discourse must be mild and instructive. He must labour to prevent quarrels, to reconcile those who differ, to comfort the afflicted. In short, he must be “ ready for every good work," and all his dealings with others must show the heavenly principle which dwells and works in his heart.

Is he a Father? He must be distinguished by a proper regard to the eternal interest of his children; by bringing them up" in the nurture and admonition of the Lord;" by early training them to habits of industry, honesty, sobriety, and submission; and in all circumstances by preferring the good of their souls to that of their bodies.

Is he a Son? He must show the excellence of his principles, by loving, honouring, and succouring both his father and mother;" by consulting their ease and happiness;

by listening to their advice; by submitting in all lawful things to their commands; by contributing to their wants; by bearing with their infirmities, by drawing a veil over their faults.

Is he a Master? Here also his Christian character must shine forth. He must be kind both to the bodies and to the souls of his servants. He must endeavour to maintain good order among them. He must not exact their labour with severity, nor treat them with harshness. He must not knowingly permit evil among them; and must be as ready to reprove them for offences committed against GOD, as for offences committed against himself.

Is he a Servant? As a servant let him "adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour." Let him be "obedient unto his own master, and please him well in all things, not answering again, not purloining, but showing all good fidelity." Let him perform his work," not with eye-service, as a manpleaser, but as the servant of Christ, doing the will of GOD from the heart; with good will, doing service as to the Lord, and not

Is he a Husband? shine before men.

Here also let his light Let him promote the

*Titus, ii. 9.- Ephes. vi. 6, 7.

spiritual, as well as the temporal good of his wife. Let him consult her happiness, share in her troubles, and help to diminish her labours. Need I stop to observe, that in substance, all these directions equally belong also to the other sex? Let those women "who profess godliness, prove the sincerity of their profession by discharging, in a consistent manner, the several duties of wives, of mothers, of daughters, of mistresses of families, of servants. Let all these, in their respective stations, put on "the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit; which is in the sight of God of great price."* Thus let them adorn the Gospel, and win many to Christ.

But to bring the subject to a close, I shall only add under this head, that while the Christian thus lets his light shine before men, he must be careful to keep within the limits of his proper place. He must discharge all these duties with an especial regard to that particular station, in which the Lord has placed him. It is this which crowns the whole, and gives perfection and beauty to the Christian Character. Without this, in fact, the ends so much to be desired, will be entirely lost. Does the professed disciple of Christ intrude beyond his proper

line of duty? Does he meddle with matters in which he has no concern? Does he push himself into situations or employments for which he is neither designed nor qualified? Such conduct will very much lessen, nay, may utterly destroy, all the good which his example, however otherwise unblameable and even excellent, might have done. In the eyes of those who are disposed to judge him most charitably, he will appear at the best to be carried away by "a zeal without knowledge." But in the opinion of the more numerous part of mankind, who are far from being inclined to show favour to a religious character, his injudicious conduct will be considered as springing from presumption, from officiousness, from impatience of controul, or from a secret desire of introducing confusion and disorder. It is true that they may mistake his motive. But he clearly gives too just ground for the mistake. So that in acting thus, far from "letting his light shine before men, he, in fact, darkens it; he dims the brightness of his character; and instead of winning others to Christ by his example, helps to drive them from him. "Let all things be done decently and in order."* For GoD is the GoD, not of confusion, but of order, * 1 Cor. xiv. 40.