This was the great Business of his Life, and this must be the peculiar Study of thofe who have the Hondur to serve him in the Miniftry. The very Defign of the Inftitution is to do good to the Bodies and Souls of Men, and to help or the Happinefs of both. Let the World fee, my Brethren, that your Hearts glow with this God-like Principle. Approve your felves the Friends of God and sof Chrift by beiitg the Friends of Mankind ;---by ftrenuously afferting the juft Rights of human Nature in civil and religious Concerns ---by adminiftring proper & Directions and Affiftance to thofe of your Charge, that are in Circumftances of Diftrefs ;-by rejoicing with them that do rejoice, and by weeping with them that weep---by all the occafional kind Offices of good Neighbourhood. Be ready to distribute, and willing to communicate (g). As you have Opportunity, and Ability, do Good to all (r); but never allow your felves to flander or injure any Man in any kind, much lefs upon account of Religion and Matters of Confcience. On every Occafion fay all the Good you can of every Body, and never fpeak Evil of any; unless there be fome other Reafon for it, befides barely that it is true. Indulge in your felves, and, as much as you can, promote in others, a Catholic Spirit, a Spirit of Love; which is the Spirit offefus, of the Gospel, and the Spirit of Heaven. Above all things put on Charity (s); the Ardour of which let no ungrateful Returns cool, no Difference of Opinion restrain, nor the greatest Injuries bear down.

THIS noble Virtue will keep you clear from the fordid Purfuits of Avarice, and from all NARROW SCHEMES. It will prevent the Ruffle of your own Minds under Difficulties, and filence the Paffions of others.---It will fecute

(2) 1 Tim, vi. 18.(r) Gat. vi. 10.

(s) Col. iii. 14

ORDINATION of, &c.

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fecure you from giving juft Cause of Offence, and from taking it without Caufe.It will make you eafy of Access to thofe, who apply to you for Advice, with Regard to their Spiritual Concernments, and likewife difpofe you, at proper times, to vifit all the People of your Charge, the Poor as well as the Rich.--It will put Life into the Whole of your Ministry, and make you unwearied in your Endeavours to gain Men to Chrift and Goodnefs.-The Tongues of Men and Angels are not able to fet forth half of its Excellency. St. Paul has done fomewhat towards it in the 13th Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians, and to him I refer you.

3. SUFFER me, my Brethren, here to remind my felf fuffer me to remind you, that a REGULAR ZEAL for the great Truths of the Gospel must always be maintained, and is very confiftent with Charity. You are to contend earnestly for the Faith once delivered to the Saints by Chrift and his Apoftles (t): But you'will remember this is to be done, not by perfecuting others, but by fuffering Perfecution your felves, rather than abandon it; not by hereticating and anathematizing those who are not of your Opinion, but by holding fast the Truth against the Cen fures and Anathema's of others, those vain Terrors of Men. The Mouths of Gainfayers must be stopped (u)s not by Reproach and Violence; but by the clear Force of Reason, and the honest Arts of gentle Perfuafion. You

(1) Fude 3.

(u) Tit. i. 11.

It may fhame Proteftants, who have endeavoured to pervert this Text, to confider the Senfe a Papist has given of it. Aliud. eft filentium indicere, quod eft Imperantis, aliud redarguendo. cuipiam os obftruere, quod Officium hic ab Epifcopo exigitur. Eftius in loc. It is one thing to command Silence by Force of Au.. thority, another thing by dint of Argument to stop a Man's Mouth, robich is the Duty here required from the Bishop.

are

are to speak the Truth but it must be in Love (x). You fhould be zealously affected; but it should be always in a good Thing (y). You must oppose the greatest Errors with a Chriftian Temper, and defend the Gofpel with no other Weapon, than the Armour of Light. Nothing can compel the Mind, but Evidence (z): Nothing can dispose it to be favourable but Kindness. No Pretence of Concern for the Honour of Chrift, and the Faith of his Gofpel, will justify the Wrath of Man, which worketh not the Righteoufnefs of God (a); or that bitter Zeal, which, like Wild-fire, runs hiffing and burning all before it.

OUR Bleffed Lord, that infallible Teacher, never required the Jews to believe him upon his bare Affirmation, but conftantly appealed to the Writings of their own Prophets, and the Miracles he wrought, as affording undeniable Proofs of his Divine Miffion. When the overzealous Sons of Zebedee would have called down Fire from Heaven upon the inhospitable Samaritans, he calmly rebuked them, faying: Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of; for the Son of Man is not come to deftroy Mens Lives, but to fave them (b). Search the Scriptures (c). He that hath Ears to hear, let him hear (d); was his Stile in inviting Men to receive the Gofpel. All Impofitions and coercive Measures he abfolutely condemned.

(y) Gal. iv. 18.

(z) To attempt to influence the Will by Force, is like applying Sounds to the Eyes in order to be feen, or Colours to the • Ears in order to be heard. The Abfurdity in both Cafes is • exactly the fame; for as nothing affects the Eyes but Light, nor the Ears but Sounds, fo nothing affects the Understanding and the Will but Reafon and Perfuafion. A Man's external Acts may be compelled, or may be restrained by Force; and in many Cafes 'tis very fit they fhould; but the inward Acts of • the Mind cannot be forced; nor is it poffible for a Man to be compelled, against his Will, to fear God, and be fincerely re(a) James i. 20. (c) John v. 39. (d) Matt. xi. 15.

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(6) Luke ix. 55, 56.

ORDINATION of, &c.

----The infpired Apostles purfued the fame Method. They declared, that the Weapons of their Warfare were not carnal, but mighty through God (e). They endeavoured only by the Manifeftation of the Truth to commend themJelves to every Man's Confcience in the Sight of God (ƒ). They exhorted their Converts to try the Spirits (g); to prove all Things, and to hold fast that which was good (h). Dominion over the Faith and Consciences of Men they never affumed: A blind Submiffion to their Authority and Dictates they always abhorred.--- This was the Spirit, This was the Behaviour of Jefus and his immediate Difciples; and This, my Brethren, must be yours. You know how the Apoftle has defcrib'd the Gospel Minifter. The Servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle to all Men, apt to teach, patient, in Meekness inftructing those that oppose themselves (i)..!

AMONG fuch Creatures as Men, in fuch a World, a Variety of Sentiments there will be; and this will occa fion frequent Disputes,, If you are, in any respect drawn into Controversy, and forced to engage, it behoves you greatly to manage the Debate with Decency of Tempers and Language; to bear Oppofition to your Tenets with Meeknefs, fairly acknowledging what may be alledged against them with Truth; to wipe off Afperfions without Rancour to endeavour to convince Opponents by the Reafonableness of what you fay, rather than to exasperate them by the Vehemence of it. This calm, difpaffionate Manner to the Honeft and Well-meaning, is but Juftice; to others of a different Character, it is Prudence. Every one, who knows any thing of human Nature, muft be fenfible, that the Manner of defending a Cause is of vast. Importance to the fucceeding therein. Moderation and Candour

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fe) 2 Cor. 4.) 2 Cor. iv. 2. (g) 1 John iv. 1. (b) 1 Thef.iv. 21.

(i) 2 Tim. ii. 24, 25.

Candour naturally tend to abate Mens Prejudices, and to conciliate their Affections: Whereas Paffion and undue Severity of Speech, instead of promoting Truth, raise Prejudices in the Minds of Men againft it, and give them ill Impreffions of the Perfon who brings it.

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I will take Leave to affirm, that if we would approve our felves worthy, Juccessful Advocates of Chriftianity, we muft carefully abftain from all unbecoming Heat and Paffion; from all Scorn and infulting Rudeness from all reviling and railing at Men for their Infidelity; and endeavour only by cool Reasoning to convince, and by mild Inftructions to reclaim (k).

FOR my own Part, fo far would I be from treating the Adverfaries of the Chriftian Scheme with unchristian Ufage, or opprobrious Language, that I would even invite them to propofe their Doubts, and to offer their Arguments. If they treat the Subject in the way of Banter and Cavilling, of petulant and abufive Raillery, This must recoil upon themfelves: It cannot hurt the Chriftian Caufe. That which once triumph'd in its amazing Success, when the Powers of this World were bent upon its Extirpation, is not to be overturned by a few flight Cavil or bold fests. No, The Religion of JESUS CHRISTmiles at pointed Wit, and mocks the Seoffer's Tongue. It fears no Enquiry, and will ftand the Teft of the strictest Search. Error feeks' the Shade, and, like other Counterfeits, looks beft in Darkness: But Truth

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(k) This puts me in, Mind of what the Rev. Dr. Qaden aptly fays on the like Occafion. It were Inhumanity (Jays that Great Man) to ftand on the Shore, and feeing Men ready to perifh in a Storm at Sea, to form at them our felves, or to pot them to Death, or to a Fire into their Veffels and burn them, because they are in Danger of being drowned: Yet thus do we deal with those whom we perfecute, becaufe they mifs of the Truth; and, it may be, raife a worfe Storm in our own felves, as to our own Morals, than they fuffer in their Intelle&uals. Dr. Owen of Underft. Script. p. 138.