"will not come to the fhould be reproved." "ber of those who fay

light, left your deeds You are of the num

to the feers, See not,

and to the prophets, Prophefy not unto us "right things, fpeak unto us smooth things, and "prophefy deceit." You will not "endure "found doctrine," but love and follow only that which will exercife and amufe your imagination and fancy, footh and gratify your pride and vanity, or make and keep you at peace with yourfelves. You are afleep in fecurity, and will avoid every thing that may tend to disturb or interrupt your dangerous repofe. And how hurtful is your conduct to others? You blaft the characters and leffen the usefulnefs of the minifters of Chrift. You bring an evil report upon the truth, by rendering them odious or contemptible who bear it. -And if we, my brethren, who are minifters of the gospel, imitate this example in any measure, if we difcover a fufpicion and jealoufy, or an averfion and hatred, at all who are more diligent than ourselves, what dishonour must fall upon our profeffion, what a hindrance is it to the edification of others, and what guilt do we bring upon our own fouls.

3. If this has been the conftant lot of all the fervants of God, to be accufed as feditious and troublesome, let every cautious perfon beware of being mifled by the perfecuting cry. I ask any man who is converfant in the world,

if

if he hath not, in many inftances, been infenfibly taught to form a hateful idea, or to entertain a defpicable opinion of many minifters, without the leaft perfonal knowledge, the leaft fatisfying evidence or proof. What is the reafon? Why, he hath been told, that they are proud, hypocritical, factious, cenforious, troublefome men. Well. The thing is poffible, no doubt. But, in the mean time, it is far from being certain; and this fort of character industriously propagated, is no evidence of it at all, or rather is a prefumption of the contrary. You fee, from the inftances produced above, that this is a reproach perpetually thrown upon the most upright and faithful of the fervants of God; that it may very naturally arife from their fidelity itself; and that it cannot be avoided by thofe who refift the corrupt measures, who reprove the public vices, or who fhame the criminal laziness, and negligence of others. An ignorant, vicious, worthlefs minifter, is envied by no body. He is therefore quite fafe from all the poisoned arrows which Ay from that quarter. He is rather a foil to many, to fet off and illuftrate their own comparative excellence. He is therefore often pardoned, pitied, and protected. Whereas a faithful minister, who openly dares to bear witness against the apoftacy of others, is traduced and flandered, loaded with imaginary crimes, and often falls a martyr to the finking caufe of truth and righteousness.

4. Since

4. Since the world is fo prone to receive the accufation of faction against the children of God, let them be careful to give no real ground for it. Unjuft calumny has fometimes the contrary ef fect. When men find, that it is impoffible to please a capricious world, or wholly to escape flander, they are apt to give up all folicitude upon that head, and take no farther pains to avoid fufpected appearances. This I take to be, precifely, what the Scripture calls being over"come of evil." But how much better is it " to evercome evil with good?" Let us, as often as poffible, confute the accufation by an unblameable carriage; and when we must fuffer, let us be careful that we fuffer, not as evil doers, but for well doing. For this purpose I would humbly offer to minifters the two following directions, which I efteem of great moment.

(1.) Let all our zeal for the glory of God be conducted not only with steadiness, but with meekness. Let us ever remember, that the wrath of man worketh not the righteoufnefs of God. Let our language be always ftrictly guarded, and free from expreffions of rage and fury. If we are faithful to our duty, it will fufficiently provoke finners, we need not add to it by any mixture of human paffion. What noble and effectual principles are we furnished with in Scripture, for avoiding every dangerous extreme? Love to God, and love to man, make up the VOL. I. fum

L

fum of practical religion. Thefe are the immediate fruits of faith, and all the truths of the gospel tend to strengthen and improve them. And as love to God produces indignation against fin, refolution and boldness in oppofing it; fo, love to man will naturally produce the deepest compaffion for the miferable ftate of every enemy of God, and prevent firmness from degenerating into violence.

(2.) The other direction I would offer upon this fubject is, that minifters take care to avoid officioufly intermeddling in civil matters. A minifter fhould be feparated and fet apart for his own work; he fhould be confecrated to his office. It is little glory to him to be eminently fkilled in any other fcience, except fuch as may be handmaids to theology, and are by him habitually turned into a divine channel. Minifters giving themselves to worldly employments, has been commonly of bad fame; and, where there is a fufficient provifion made for their mainte. nance, feems to be an unjuft alienation of their time and talents. But it is ftill more finful and dangerous, for them to defire or claim the direction of fuch matters as fall within the province of the civil magiftrate. When our bleffed Saviour fays, "My kingdom is not of this world," he plainly intimates to his difciples, that they have no title to intermeddle with ftate affairs. Nay, he exprefsly warns them against a lordly

and

and arbitrary dominion, even in their own proper fphere." The kings of the Gentiles exer"cife lordship over them; and they that exercife

ઃઃ

authority upon them are called benefactors. "But ye fhall not be fo: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and "he that is chief, as he that doth ferve*." I cannot help mentioning here, that this is one of the things, for which our worthy ancestors of the church of Scotland (now defpifed by many) deferve the higheft commendation. It was an invariable principle with them, to be against the - civil power and places of kirkmen. And furely, if minifters confine themfelves entirely to their own proper duty, they will be much lefs liable to exception than otherwife. They may then, warrantably use the greateft fidelity in reproving, and the greatest ftri&tnefs in difcipline; and tho' the wicked flander and oppofe them, the good will defend them, and God will fupport them.

5. In the laft place, Since the charge of faction and fedition has been always brought against faithful ministers, let us learn to bear it with patience, and never diffemble the truth, or depart, in any meafure, from our duty, in order to avoid it. A perfon of a generous mind feels a wound in his reputation more deeply, than almoft any other injury. We are still apt fondly to flatter ourselves, that as religion istruly amiable * Lake xxii. 25, 26.