could, from a wise preference of the blessings of peace, before the advantages arising from the most splendid victories, They have relieved the people from burdensome taxes, and defended the poor from oppressions, and the pious from persecutions; and, by thus providing for the temporal welfare of the state, they have obtained the endearing title of fathers of their people.' The real Christian, when placed in authority, will carefully imitate this conduct from higher motives; and will unite with it an uniform endeavour to render his whole administration subservient to the interests of true religion and this constitutes the proper improvement of his talents.

But not only "the king as supreme" is intrusted with this talent; for all his counsellors and ministers of state, the members of the legislature, and the magistrates, from the highest to the lowest, have a degree of power and authority vested in them, by the great Ruler and Judge of the world, and to him they must be accountable for the use which they make of it. As they are placed in a conspicuous situation, multitudes scrutinize their conduct, either to censure or to imitate it; and consequently their example becomes proportionably more important. This will be an additional motive to the true Christian " to walk circumspectly" and accurately; to shew himself a pattern of a reverential regard to the name, the day, the word, the house, and the ordinances of God; of sobriety, temperance, moderation, and beneficence, in the use of outward things; of equity, punctuality, sincerity, and fidelity, in all his transactions, promises, and engagements; of meekness, condescension,

courteousness, kindness, and compassion in all his deportment; and of attention to his domestics, and to all the duties of relative life. He will endeavour to unite wisdom, firmness, and justice, with candour and clemency, in his public conduct; to manifest a disinterested impartial spirit; to be the patron of the poor, the oppressed, and the friendless, without respecting the persons, or fearing the unmerited displeasure of the rich and powerful; and to cleave to what is right, without deviating from it, even when his conduct excites the censures and clamours of an ill-judging multitude. His principles will influence him "to love righteousness, " and hate iniquity;" to promote to the utmost the peace of nations, the good order of the community, and the temporal advantage of all ranks of men in it and they will also dispose him to render all this subservient to still more important purposes: he will aim "to adorn" and recommend "the doctrine" of God our Saviour in all things;" to soften men's prejudices and silence their calumnies; and to win their attention to it by making them feel its benign effects. He will not indeed attempt to compel any man to assent to his creed, or conform to his mode of worship: for this can only make hypocrites: but many things may be done by those in authority to promote religion, consistently with the most complete toleration. They may very properly repress, by coercive means, various kinds of vice and impiety, and endeavour to exterminate the seminaries and haunts of profligacy and villany, and the schools of blasphemy and profaneness. They may furnish the endowed seats of learning with teachers of sound principles and good morals;

and countenance every reasonable plan for the good education of youth, and especially for instructing the children of the poor. They may protect from insults, and liberate from restraints, such ministers of the gospel" as labour in the word and "doctrine;" and favour their being placed in extensively useful situations. They may select young persons who give evidence of piety and ability, and assist them in obtaining that learning from which their circumstances would otherwise exclude them. They may render the admission into the ministry open to able conscientious men, and close it, against the vicious, the ignorant, and the mercenary. They may shew a decided regard to upright, diligent, and pious ministers, who differ from them in some forms or sentiments; and a marked disapprobation of the negligent and the profligate, who pretend to be of their judgment. Thus authority may be improved as a talent, in promoting the cause of truth and piety; in the religious instruction of the people at large; in preventing the effects of the indolence, carelessness, ignorance, and vice of those who ought to instruct them; and in countenancing such as would do all in their power for this purpose.

Books may also be dispersed, and multitudes taught to read. The attendance on divine worship may be encouraged, and every thing discountenanced, that tends to keep men from it. Prisons, workhouses, hospitals, the army and the navy, may be supplied with diligent, able, and pious teachers and various societies and plans may be formed and adopted, to promote this great end, by rulers and magistrates, who are

zealous for the honour of Christ and the interests

of pure and undefiled religion; and yet every man may be allowed to worship God according to his conscience, and care also taken not to allure mercenary men to an unprincipled conformity. Thus the rulers of Judah, from Moses, Joshua, Samuel, and David, even to Nehemiah, according to the dispensation under which they lived, restrained vice and idolatry, and supported the worship of Jehovah; and true religion uniformly flourished in proportion to their prudent and pious endeavours. Nor would it be easy to assign a reason why the same talent may not be improved to similar purposes by Christian rulers, according to the genius of the new dispensation: except it be thought, that, because many have abused it by intolerance and tyranny, all the rest ought to bury it in the earth! a conclusion well suited to the lukewarm indifference, which in this age has succeeded to fiery zeal and cruel bigotry, and assumed the dignified name of moderation! But judicious Christians will, nevertheless, continue to beseech the Lord to make all kings and rulers like Jeho- * shaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah, that they may be nursing fathers to the church; and neither spare pains nor expense, to disperse the knowledge of God's word, by faithful men, throughout whole nations.1 But let this suffice on a subject, coincident indeed with the plan, but in some respects perhaps out of the sphere, of these Essays.

II. Natural abilities and acquired knowledge constitute a talent of great importance; as they

2 Chron. xvii. 7-9. xxix.-xxxii. Neh. viïi. VOL. II.

2 F

confer a distinguished reputation, and as they qualify the possessor to propagate with effect whatever principles he adopts. Nor is there any essential difference, in this respect, between the more solid and the more shewy kinds of genius and accomplishment; for each gives a proportionable degree of influence in a different circle. Philosophers, poets, orators, historians, and other learned and ingenious men, possess a peculiar advantage for giving a good or bad bias to the sentiments and conduct of mankind; though much less ability will enable a man to do extensive mischief, than is requisite for enlarged usefulness: because our fallen nature strongly inclines to that side. But, alas! it has been abundantly proved that far more abuse distinguished talents, than make even a tolerable improvement of them: and the fatal success with which the deformity of vice, and the unreasonableness of impiety and infidelity, have been varnished over by vain reasoning, and ingenious misrepresentations, and empty declamations, and set off with all the charms of style, and the authority of erudition; and with which the violations of God's law, the neglect of his worship, and the contempt of his gospel have been disseminated by men of genius and learning, in books of all kinds and on all subjects, can never be sufficiently lamented.

Nor has a superior eminence in painting, sculpture, or other elegant arts; or the charms of engaging conversation, or the fascinating powers of music, or the talent for fine speaking, or that for theatric imitation of nature and real life, been less fatally abused. If, then, every one must give an