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him? Some perfons, indeed, would make him go from houfe to houfe. But who, let me afk, does this, except for offices of kindness and charity ? We leave worldly and fpiritual goffip to enthufiafts; many of whom are not indifferent to what is doing in the kitchens. If religious doubts and fcruples arise, we are ready to remove them by wholefome counsel; and we endeavour to be courteous and affable to all, but we cannot refign our ftudies in order to court popularity, and under the plea of being fociable and condefcending. Let me add, that I fee no good effect from compelling a clergyman to live in a dark, incommodious houfe, obviously unhealthy, and particularly is this obfervation applicable to the metropolis, and other ancient towns and cities, in which the parishes are very numerous. Profperous nien, in other callings, have their country-boxes, as well as houfes in the faid large places; but a clergyman can feldom maintain more than one habitation. A prelate once told the pluralifts, that they ought to refide two months upon that living, from which they fhould be abfent the rest of the year. How inconfiderare was this, how cruel to a large family? One would think fuch a man had come from Utopia. Another took upon him to infinuate, that the clergy lofe their auditors by neglecting to enforce the gofpel motives; and he has been quoted by every malignant enthufiaft, down to Overton and company.

Another prelate, hearing the name of a clergyman called over for four different places, pronounced it impoffible that he could take care of them as he ought; and when the anfwer was, that none of the parishioners would complain; the reply was, that perhaps fome of them would not complain, if they were not ferved once a month; and after all, there was not a clergyman prefent more confcientous and refpectable; and every body left the church with indignation against the diocefan. The clergyman has been long dead; but the four parishes fmall, contiguous, and far from being well endowed, feel and gratefully acknowledge the usefulness of their beloved paftor; and in proportion to the fize, there are not any parishes in Britain more orderly or more regular in attendance upon the service of the church. Sarcasms are thrown out against clergymen, who officiate three times in one day. The divine I allude to, and many others by fo doing, never loft their energy and seriousness; and have arranged the times of beginning, fo as not to inter fere with the neceffary bufinefs of the farmers. I should not have adverted to this, perhaps, but with a view to do away a calumny,

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a calumny, of clergymen hanging their horfes at the churchgates, and galloping through the fervice.. Even if one, or a few inftances could be adduced, which is more than I will allow, a conclufion against others is entirely unjuft. I have no fcruple in adding, that the increase of enthufiafls is owing to grofs ignorance and folly, to a love of vociferation and fullian; and the Hints on Evangelical Preaching, by a Bar rifter, will be productive of fome good with them who are as yet unprejudiced and undefiled.

I am, fir,

Your humble fervant,
CLERICUS.

N. B. Where had the laft prelate alluded to, led his life, not to know that parishioners are ready to complain, even without a caufe; and that the most querulous are those who feldom attend public worship? But peevifhnefs, which debases the best talents, and degrades authority and dignity, was the real caufe of his rafh and intemperate language.

ON THE NAME OF CHRISTIANS.

A my eye upon

SI was lately turning over fome leaves of the facred

Acts xi. 26. "And the difciples were called Christians first at Antioch:" At which, I could not help but make a ferious pause. Chriflians! faid I, What is comprehended under this name?-The followers of the Son of God: how honourable a distinction!-The difciples of Jefus Chrift: those who are alive from the dead: called from darkness unto the marvellous light of the gofpel. How glorious a change! and, how inexpreffible the goodnefs of God to. wards guilty finners, in effecting this change! Juft at the time that men's abominations had rendered them ripe for deftruction, he published his mercy unto all, and affured them of his ever lafting loving-kindness, if they would hearken unto the voice of his well-beloyed fon. Aftonish

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ing change! and ever worthy of the God of the univerfe. Chrift Jefus came into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be faved; to deliver us by the word of truth, the gofpel of our falvation; to caft down all abominations, and every thing that maketh a lie; to recover mortals to the ufe of their reafon; to dethrone the empire of fin and Satan, and make iniquity everywhere afhamed; to banifh all animofities, and hatred, and revenge, and strife, and fedition, and bitterness, and envying, and every evil work, from off the earth; to humanize the tempers, and foften the hearts of men, by inculcating upon their minds every civil and focial virtue, and uniting them all together in the bands of love: In fhort, to conquer death and the grave; and upon the ruins of darkness and violence, to establish a kingdom of light and peace, that he might lead us, not to a land flowing with milk and honey, but to a heavenly country, even the everlasting city of the great king.

And, in order to accomplish thefe glorious purposes, what a multitude of troubles did he encounter? What calumny and fcorn? What watchings, what faftings, what poignant diftreffes of every kind did he endure? And, how undauntedly did he brave them all? Unconquered even in death, the bar of Pilate could not move his integrity. The coronet of thorns could not make him defert his caufe. The ignominious crofs could not make him either afraid or alhamed. Obedience to the will of his heavenly Father, and the good of fouls, was his only concern; and he knew that his God would never forfake him; that he would not forfake him even in the "" grave, nor fuffer his holy one to fee corruption. As a lamb, therefore, led to the flaughter, he opened not his mouth." When he was ftretched out on the accurfed tree, he could behold the hands of the execu tioner raised up against him, and the horrid nails that were juft ready to pierce his facred body, without any recoilings, without uttering one fingle complaint. And,-what particularly commands our attention,-under the inconceivable load of forrows which oppreffed him, his compaffion towards finful creatures failed not. Inftead of reproaching them with that barbarous ufage which he met with; in the midst of his agonies, he prayed to his heavenly Father to have mercy even upon those wicked men, by whom he was crucified and flain.

Such was the Saviour of the world-that mafler after whom we are called Chriftians: and fuch his love to frail

mortals,

mortals, from his cradle to his tomb! Yea, and after he had shaken off the fetters of the grave, his love was ftill the fame. He would not immediately go into the bofom of his Father: He would firft fhew himself alive to his difciples, and fuffer them to handle him, and fee, that he was that fame Jefus, who was nailed to the crofs. To fatisfy every doubt of the moft diffident, he did not make his appearance only to two or three, but to all of them together: nor did he make his appearance only once, but converfed with them for forty days together and at laft, to confirm all their hopes beyond the poffibility of being deceived, he afcended up vifibly into heaven, in the prefence of above five hundred brethren at once. Still further, to comfort them, and thofe who heard them, after his afcenfion, he fealed those who believed with the fpirit of promife; he fhed abroad fuch miraculous powers amongit them, as were fufficient to fupport the weak, the fearful, the afflicted, and to convince all gain-fayers. By all which, the divinity of his miffion is irrefragably established, and all those promises confirmed upon which he hath caused our fouls to hope. We now know, and are affured, that we have not followed after cunningly devised fables; that the calls of the gofpel are not delufive, but the power of God, and the wifdom of God. We now know, that we are no longer aliens from the cominonwealth of Ifrael, but a chofen generation, a peculiar people, the favourites of heaven, created for immortality: the fons of God, and the heirs of glory. Our great Redeemer hath purchased for us an inheritance that is incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away: He hath brought us forth from the most dreadful abyfs of mifery and confufion: He hath separated us from the more than brutal follies of paganism, and called us to confider the Ruler of the univerfe, as the only object of religious worship. Praises be to God Moft High! The tyrant Dagon has fled beyond our borders, and Immanuel is our king! We, who were not a people, are now the people of God. We, who had not obtained mercy, have now obtained mercy; and as lively flones, are built up a spiritual houfe, an holy priesthood, to offer up fpiritual facrifices ac ceptable to God, through Jefus Chrift. What a glorious revolution; and, how flrikingly expreffive of the love of God! The temple is no more at Jerufalem only, but every where around the earth, where the found of the gospel has been heard. The enmity, even the law of commandments, contained in ordinances, the captain of our falvation hath evermore abolished; to make in himfelf of twain one new

man,

man, fo making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God, in one body, by the cross, having flain the enmity thereby. Now is the middle wall of partition broken down; and the doctrines of a future ftate as certainly eftablished, as that Jefus himself is rifen from the grave. A happy, and everlasting inheritance is put into our hands; if we walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. An inheritance, according to the fcripture accounts, how inconceiv ably abundant! how ravishing! how delightful! Nothing to be compared unto it: far above all fublunary enjoyments. A kingdom that cannot be moved by all the revolutions of time! A crown of glory, whofe luftre fadeth not away! A pearl of great price; of which the wife man will forego all the pleasures of sense, and fell all that he hath, to get poffeffion! A prize, in the purfuit of which all the labours of man are to be confidered as nothing; yea, lefs than nothing! A treasure, that never can perifh or decay! A glory, exceeding the fplendor of the fun, out-fhining the brightness of the firmament, and illuftrious as the ftars for ever and ever! A fulness of joy that knows no bounds or interruption! A fountain of pleasures, that will be increasing for evermore! A fanctuary, which is guarded with the arm of God, and everlastingly furrounded with his favour and loving kindness, as with a fhield! nay, which is more than the most exalted conceptions we can form of fuch things: "For eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the things which God hath prepared for them that love him!"-Such then are the privileges that we enjoy as Chriftians.

And, can we poffibly reflect upon them without being moved?-Without being moved did I fay? Nay, can we poffibly reflect upon them, without ever after making them the most delightful fubjects of our meditations ;-without continually crying out, in the language of the pfalmist, “As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, fo do our fouls pant after thee, our God!" For what is all the glory, pomp, and fplendor of this world? What are all the riches which the imagination can wander over, or the power of man collect? What is all that the vain and profligate call pleafure? What is even health itself, or ftrength, or beauty, or any other temporary gratification? They are all of them but vain, uncertain and fluctuating things; nay, but mean and contemptible poffeffions; no more to be esteemed than as drofs or dung, when compared to the privileges that we enjoy as Chriftians,

And

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