whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you ? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Ye have" indeed "been called unto liberty: only use not liberty as an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the Law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. Now the works of the flesh are manifest," among which are these, "hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, and heresies: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things, shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, faith, meekness, temperance. If we live in the Spirit let us walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Endeavour," therefore, "to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

When the people seek to honour a true minister by placing him at the head of any party in the church, he refuses the proffered dignity with a humble and holy indignation. His soul is constantly penetrated with those sentiments, under the influence of which the apostle Paul thus nobly expressed himself: "I seek not mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind. For it hath been declared unto me, that there are contentions among you; and that every one of you saith, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ." But, Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? Who is Paul, but a minister by whom ye believed? Therefore let no man glory in men, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas;" but rather in "our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named."

By such exhortations, it is, and by maintaining, at the same time, a conduct conformable to the nature of such exhortations, that every faithful minister endeavours to engage christians of all denominations, to walk together "in love as Christ also walked, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord, and submitting one to another in the fear of God," till the arrival of that promised period, when the whole company of the faithful shall be of one heart and one mind.

But after all these exertions, for the extirpation of a sectarian spirit from the church, they, who content themselves with the exterior of christianity, as the pharisees were contented with the ceremonies of the mosaic worship, will, sooner or later, accuse every evangelical pastor of attempting to form a particular sect. When modern pharisees observe the strict union, which reigns among true believers, a union, which every faithful minister labours to establish among his people, as well by example as by precept; when they behold penitent sinners deeply sensible of their guilt, and frequently assembling together for the purpose of imploring the blessings of wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; they immediately take the alarm, and cry out " These men do exceedingly trouble our city, teach

ing customs, which are not lawful for us to receive," and maintaining such a conduct as is most inconvenient for us to follow.

Happy are those cities, in which the minister of Christ is able to discover a Nicodemus, a Gamaliel, or some worshippers possessed of as much candour as the Jews of Rome, who desired to hear what the persecuted Paul had to offer, in behalf of that newly-risen seet, which was every where spoken against. Till this amiable candour shall universally prevail among the nominal members of the church, true christianity, even in the centre of Christendom, will always find perverse contradiction, and sometimes cruel persecution.

TRAIT XIV.

HIS REJECTION OF PRAISE.

THE minister of the present day labours chiefly with a view to his own advantage and honour. He endeavours to please, that he may be admired of men. "He loves the chief seats in synagogues," public greetings, and honourable titles: thus tacitly challenging, by his unreasonable pretensions to the respect and homage of men, a part of that glory which is due to God alone.

A totally different character is maintained by the true minister. His discourses, his actions, his look, his deportment, all agree to say, "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake." If the arm of the Omuipotent enables him to perform any extraordinary work, which the multitude do not immediately refer to the Author of every good and perfect gift, he cries out with St. Peter, "Why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness" we had performed what appears to excite your astonishment? "The God of our fathers hath," upon this occasion," glorified his Son Jesus: and the faith, which is by him," hath effected this extraordinary work in the presence of you all. On all occasions he can say with the great Apostle: “ Do I seek to please men? if I yet pleased men," unless for their edification, "I should not be the servant of Christ. With me it is a very small thing, that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment. But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel. even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who trieth our hearts. Neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know: nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others." By such a conduct he distinguishes himself, as a faithful ambassador of the blessed Jesus, who expressed himself in the following lowly terms, to those who had reproached him with a spirit of self-exaltation: "I do nothing of myself, but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. I seek not mine own glory: there is one, that seeketh and judgeth. If I honour myself, my honour is nothing. It is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that He is your God."

There may be peculiar cases, in which a ministering servant of God may be allowed to call upon christians, for a public testimony of their, approbation; and when this is refused, he is justified in modestly calling their attention to every past proof of his integrity and zeal. Thus St. Paul, as a proper means of maintaining his authority among the Corinthians, who had manifested an unjust partiality towards teachers

of a very inferior order, entered into a long detail of those revelations and labours, which gave him a more than ordinary claim to the respect of every church. But whenever he commended himself, he did it with the utmost reluctance, as one constrained by the peculiarity of his circumstance to act in immediate contrariety to his real disposition. Hence, whenever he recounts the particular favours, with which God had honoured him, he speaks in the third person, as of another man: "Of such a one will I glory; yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. For we dare not make ourselves of the number of those, who commend themselves, measuring themselves by themselves," without any reference to the excellent graces and endowments of others. "But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he, that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth."

Nothing affords greater satisfaction to false apostles than commendation and praise; while the true minister shrinks with horror from those very honours, which they assume all the forms of Proteus to obtain. When the multitude, led by their admiration of a faithful preacher, follow him with unsuitable expressions of applause, he meets them with unfeigned indignation, arrests their impious plaudits, and rejects their idolatrous adulations, crying out with St. Paul-"Sirs! why do ye these things? we also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you, that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God." We are neither the way, the truth, nor the life: but we point you to that way, which the truth has discovered, and through which eternal life may be obtained, intreating you to walk therein with all simplicity and meekness. And remember, that instead of affecting in our discourses that vain wisdom, which the world so passionately admires, we faithfully proclaim Christ: and, to humble us the more before God and man, we preach Christ crucified.

By this humble carriage the ministering disciples of Christ are principally known. By this they copy the amiable example of John the baptist, who cheerfully humbled himself, that Christ might be exalted, crying out in the language of that self-renouncing teacher"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world! There standeth one among you, whom ye know not, whose shoes latchet we are not worthy to unloose. We baptize with water: but he baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." Beware then of entertaining too high an idea of our ministry; and remember, that " He must increase" in your estimation," but we must decrease."

After beholding John the baptist, who was accounted greater than any of the prophets, abasing himself in the presence of Christ; and after hearing St. Paul, who was far superior to the Baptist, exclaiming in the humility of his soul-" I live not; but Christ liveth in me" -how can we sufficiently express our astonishment at the conduct of those titular apostles, who either set up a vain philosophy in the place of Christ, or employ the cross of their Lord, as a kind of pedestal, for the support of those splendid monuments, by which their pride is endeavouring to perpetuate the memory of their cloquence. Self-conceited orators! When shall we rank yon with the faithful ministers of the humble Jesus? When shall we behold the character you have assumed, and the conduct you maintain sweetly harmonizing with eat h other? When shall we hear you addressing your flocks, with the unaffected simplicity and condescension of the great apostle: "We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and," far from elevating ourselves above you, on account of the commission we have

received," ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." Then we might with propriety salute you, as humble imitators of St. Paul, as zealous ministers of the Gospel, and as faithful servants of that condescending Saviour, who came not to be ministered unto, but to

minister."

TRAIT XV.

HIS UNIVERSAL LOVE.

TRUE christians are distinguished from Jews, Mahometans, and all other worshippers, by that spirit of universal love which is the chief ornament and glory of their profession. But among evangelical pastors this holy disposition appears in a more eminent degree. They feel for the inconsiderate, and the sinful, that tender compassion, of which Christ has left us an example. Their conduct answers to that beautiful description of charity, with which St. Paul presented the Corinthian church, and which may be considered, as an emblematical representation of his own character, from the time of his conversion to the christian faith. Universal love is that invigorating sap, which, passing from the true vine into its several branches, renders them fruitful in every good work But this divine principle circulates through chosen ministers, with peculiar force, and in more than ordinary abundance, as so many principal boughs, by which a communication is opened between the root and the lesser branches.

The faithful pastor entertains an affecting remembrance of those benevolent expressions, which the good Shepherd addressed to the apostle Peter, and in the person of that apostle to all his successors in the ministry, repeating them even to the third time: "Lovest thou me? Feed my sheep." As though he had said, the greatest proof you can possibly give of your unfeigned attachment to me, is, to cherish the souls which I have redeemed, and to make them the objects of your tenderest regard. Such is the affectionate precept, which every faithful minister has received together with his sacred commission, and to which he yields a more ready and cheerful obedience, from a firm dependence upon the following solemn declaration of his gracious Master-" When the Son of man shall come in his glory, he shall say" to all the children of love, " Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done good unto one of the least of these my brethren," whether their wants were corporeal or spiritual," ye have done it unto me."

The love of the evangelical pastor, like that of St. Paul, is unbounded. 66 God," saith that charitable apostle," will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth: I exhort, therefore, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men: for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour." But not content with submitting to the exhortation of St. Paul, with respect to the duty of universal prayer, he endeavours to copy the example of that apostle, in labouring for the salvation of all men: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." Being by regeneration " a partaker of the divine nature," he bears a lovely, though imperfect resemblance to his Heavenly Parent, whose chief perfection is Love. Like the High Priest of his profession, he breathes nothing but charity; and like the Father of lights, he makes the sun of beneficence to rise upon all

men.

To describe this lesser sun in his unlimited course, and to point out the admirable variety with which it distributes its light and its heat, is to delineate with precision the character of a faithful pastor.

TRAIT XVI.

HIS PARTICULAR LOVE TO THE FAITHFUL. THE universal love of the true minister manifests itself in a particular manner, according to the different situations of those who are the objects of it. When he finds the whole conduct of professing christians conformable to the nature of their sacred profession," he loves them with a pure heart fervently;" and giving way to the effusions of a holy joy, he expresses his affection in words like these: "Brethren, we are comforted over you, in all our affliction and distress, by your faith for now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord." And "what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy, wherewith we joy for your sakes before God!" In these expressions of St. Paul an astonishing degree of affection is discovered. Now we live-as though he had said, We have a two-fold life, the principal life which we receive immediately from Christ, and an accessory life which we derive from his members, through the medium of brotherly love. And so deeply are we interested in the concerns of our brethren, that we are sensibly affected by the variations they experience in their spiritual state, through the power of that christian sympathy, which we are unable to describe. Thus when sin has detached any of our brethren from Christ, and separated them from the body of the faithful, we are penetrated with the most sincere distress: and, on the contrary, whenever they become more affectionately connected with us, and more intimately united to Christ, our common Head, our spirits are then sensibly refreshed and invigorated with new degrees of life and joy.

Reader, dost thou understand this language? Hast thou felt the power of this christian sympathy? Or has thy faith never yet produced these genuine sentiments of brotherly love? Then thou hast spoken as a person equally destitute of sensibility and truth, whenever thou hast dared to say-" I believe in the communion of saints."

TRAIT XVII.

HIS LOVE TO THOSE WHOSE FAITH WAS
WAVERING.

When a minister, after having been made instrumental in the conversion of sinners, perceives their faith decreasing, and their love growing cold, he feels for them, what the Redeemer felt, when he wept over Jerusalem. Not less concerned for the remissness of his believing hearers, than St. Paul was distressed by the instability of his Galatian and Corinthian converts, he pleads with them in the same affectionate terms: "Ye know," ye who are the seals of my ministry, "how I preached the Gospel unto you at the first. And ye despised me not, but received me as an Angel of God. Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that if it had been possible, ye