the love and confidence of our people, it must be our own fault if they are not much bettered by us for we have then ready accefs to their hearts; and our inftructions either in public or private will he liftened to with pleafure, and fucked in with greedinefs: and our reproofs and admonitions, when flowing from love, will be received, not only without refentment, but with ftrong defires of amendment: fo that we may fucceed even beyond our expectations in promoting the eternal as well as temporal intereft of the people of whom we have the charge. But let us remember not to abufe their confidence, by making use of it to carry on our own worldly defigns, or to feed our vanity with their applaufes; but employ it only for the noble and divine purposes of rendering them daily wifer, better, and happier.

To conclude the illuftration of this first rule, let us who are the minifters of the gospel of Jefus, carefully ftudy that blameleffnefs of life, and that peculiar caft and turn of inward character, without which we can never difcharge the duties of our important ftation, with pleasure to ourfelves, or advantage to others. And in order to this, we must learn to dread and cautiously avoid that rock on which many split; the refting fatisfied with an imaginary excellence of outward character, while they are confcious they poffefs but very low meafures of that inward excellence which alone can render them beautiful in the eye of God. Is it not almost incredible, that reasonable beings

fhould

fhould labour fo industriously and unweariedly to embellish and expofe to view an imaginary felf, whofe fole exiftence is in the idea or breath of others, while they ftupidly neglect to improve and adorn the real felf within their own bofoms? Yet, ftrange as it is, daily ob fervation puts it beyond all doubt, that great numbers of men endeavour, with the greatest eagerness, to croud all noble endowments and great virtues into their outward character, while they have not fo much as made one fincere and vigorous effort to better their inward man. Is not this conduct just as vain and ridiculous, as if a man fhould be at the utmost pains to beautify a picture, and to make the whole world admire and applaud it as his exact likeness, while at the fame time it had not the leaft refemblance of him; and his only fafety from the utmoft contempt, lies in hiding himfelf, and never allowing any one to compare the real uglinefs and deformity of his perfon with the comeliness and beauty of his pretended image?

I remember a paffage of an ancient author, in which this folly of mankind is reprefented in a very strong light: I have often wonder'ed,' fays he, 'how it should come to pass, that when every man loves himself more than others, yet every man fhould regard the opi'nions of others concerning him, more than his own: For if God, or an angel ftanding by, fhould command any of us, to think no

t

thing by himself, but what he should prefently fpeak out, no man would be able to endure it for fo much as one day. Thus we fear more what our neighbour will think of us, than what we think and know of ourfelves.".

SER

The Subject continued.

I TIM. iv. 16.

Take heed unto thyself, and unto thy doctrine and continue in them: for in doing this, thow fbalt both fave thyfelf, and them that hear thee.

W

E proceed now to the fecond rule in the text, Take heed to thy doctrine.. What is neceffary for explaining and illuftrationis rule, plainly arifes from what has been faid on the former. The proper improvement of the understanding already mentioned, will fit us for teaching the truths of religion and the purity of the heart already de fcribed, prepares and difpofes us to inculcate the morals and duties of it.

I. As to the truths of religion. From the diligent and impartial ftudy of the holy fcrip tures and natural religion, we fhall be quali fied to teach all thofe truths which are difcoverable only by revelation, as well as thofe which the light of reafon and revelation confpire to dictate. It cannot be called in queftion,, but that by this rule, Of taking heed to our doctrine, a principal thing required of us is to declare the whole scheme of Christianity so far as it is revealed, without any mixture of human invention,,

invention, in that plainnefs and fimplicity in which it is delivered in the holy fcriptures. That we may do this with greater faithfulness and impartiality, we must not reprefent Chriftianity as a chain of abftract fpeculations, and metaphyfical truths, linked together in a certain order, and in a certain form of words of human contrivance; but as a fet of important facts, or remarkable scenes of the great plan of Providence, in which mankind are deeply interested, and which could not have been brought to light but by immediate revelation. When Christianity is reprefented in this view, it will not only make it more eafily understood, but alfo more easily defended against the objections of its adverfaries.

- Thus, that mankind are at prefent in a ftats of ignorance, guilt, and corruption, is a fact feen, felt, and acknowledged. That Jefus Chrift the Saviour is the only begotten Son' of God, is delivered in fcripture, in an easy manmer, as a plain fact: i Jobn iii. 16. "God fo

loved the world, that he fent his only begot"ten Son," &c.; Heb. i. 5. "To which of the

angels faid he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?" It is further revealed to us, Col. i. 15. 16. that "he is the "image of the invifible God, the first"born of every creature for by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, vifible and invifible;"-that he is the head of all principalities and powers," Col. ii. 10. and that "in the beginning was