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ignorant of our duty under the prepoffeffion of ill habits and the biafs of a wrong education: In all thefe inftances, the providence of God remarkably favoured us: Early were our minds tinctured with a diftinguishing fenfe of good and evil; early were the feeds of a divine love, and holy fear of offending, fown in our hearts. If therefore our improvements be not answerable to fuch beginnings, if we "fall away after tafting of the heavenly gift, and the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come;' how criminal muft fuch a defection be, and how terrible the condemnation with which it is attended.

St. Chryfoftome *, in his admirable treatife of the priefthood, obferves, not only that the exe piation, appointed for the fin of the high-prieft, was equal to that which was prescribed for the whole congregation; but that even the children of priests (fuch, whofe fex permitted them not to minister at the altar) were, by the Levetical law, to be punished more feverely than an other offenders in the fame kind were; Not, fays he,

Δείξαι βελομενο [ο Θεός] οτι τα αμαρτηματα μείζονα πολλά εκδέχεται τιμωρίαν, ὅταν ὑπὸ τῶν ιερέων γινεται, η όταν υπο των ιδιωτών, προςατίει τοσαύτην υπέρ των ιερέων προσαγεαθαι την θυσιάν στην υπερ παντος τω λας, Lev. iv. 3. Τυτο δε «δεν ετερον δέλωντος 8517. η οτι μείζον βοηθείας δεῖται τα τα ιερέως τραυμαία, Μείζονα δε εκ ανέδιτο, ει μη

τοσαυτης, όσης με τα παντοσ λας,

χαλεπώτερα ην, Χαλεπώτερα δε γινεται η τη φυσει, αλλά τη αξία τολμώντα αυτα ιερέωα βαρημένα. Και τι λεγω της ανδρας της την λαιζυργιαν μετιονίας; αι γαρ θυγατέρες των ιερέων, σες ουδείς προς την ιερωσυνην λόγω, ομως δια το πατρικον αξίωμα των αυτον αμαρτημάτων πολυ πικρότερων υπέχουσι την τιμωρίαν, Lev. xxi 9. Deut. xxii Το μεν πλημμέλημα ίσον αυταις καὶ ταῖς των ιδιωτων Συγκρασι (πορεια γαρ αμφότερα) το δε επιτιμίον πολλω τουτών χαλεπώτερον, &c. Chryf. περι Ιεροσ. p so. Ed. sav.

that

that the offences were, in their own nature, unequal; but thofe committed by the children of priests were aggravated, á 71 'Halpexón Bži wμz by the dignity of their parents. The very relation which those children bore to the priesthood, contributed to enhance their guilt, and increase their punishment.

"I beseech you therefore, Brethren, by the " mercies of God, that ye prefent your bodies "and fouls a living facrifice, Holy, acceptable "unto God, which is your reasonable fervice," Roin. xii. 1. "Whatfoever things are true, what"foever things are honeft, whatsoever things are "juft, whatfoever things are pure, whatfoever "things are lovely, whatfoever things are of good "report; if there be any virtue, if there be any "praife, think on thefe things. Thofe things

which ye have both learned, and received, and "heard, and feen, do," Phil. iv. 8, 9. "Re"membring them which have had the rule over "you" (both as your natural and spiritual parents), "whofe faith follow, confidering the end "of their converfation," Heb. xiii. 7.

Many are the enemies of the priesthood, and of you, for the fake of it. They are diligent to obferve whatever may either nearly or remotely blemish it; and ready to impute to the order itself, the faulty conduct of those who owe their birth and education to it; that they may wound religion through the fides of its moft profeffed fervants and followers. Let not any of us furnish their malice with objections, or give an edge to the weapons which they use against us, by fo living as mifbecomes our holy ftock. The facred office VOL. II. Да

can

can never be hurt by their fayings, if it be not firft reproached by our doings. Since the eyes of men are upon us, fince "they mark all our steps, " and watch our haltings," let a sense of their infidious vigilance excite us fo to behave ourselves in all the offices of life, and in all the duties of our several stations; that they, who seek occafion, may not only not find occafion against us, but may find alfo what they do not feek, even a conviction of the mighty power of Chriftianity towards regulating the paffions, and fanctifying the natures of men. So fhall we defeat their malice, and draw good out of evil; fo fhall we best put in practice that noble inftance of charity, that divine leffon of loving enemies, which our religion hath taught us; fo fhall we moft nearly trace the example which he, of whofe retinue and houshold we are, hath fet us, of" blefling them that curfe us, and "doing good to them that defpitefully use us."

It might be expected, that among the fons of the clergy themselves, not one of this chararcter fhould ever be found. But "they are not all Ifrael, that are of Ifrael; neither because they are the feed of Abraham, are they all children," Rom. i. 6, 7. "There is a generation that curfeth their father, and doth not blefs their mother," Prov. XXX. 14. "Ye are clean" (faid our bleffed Lord, even of the apostles), "but not all for he knew who should betray him." When fuch inftances happen of men, fprung from the loins of Levi, and yet enemies to the tribe, their rage and malice is ufually exceeding great; and it is natural that it fhould be fo: For a revolted Christian is worse than a mere heathen; and thofe among Chriftians,

whe

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who have been beft educated and principled in their youth, if they once break through fuch reftrains, grow wicked in proportion to their former advantages; "waxing worfe and worse ; deceiving, and being deceived; till, by the just judgment of God, they arrive at the utmoft pitch of impiety. God be thanked, fuch apoftates are few, and do always, fooner or later, meet with the juft reward of their apoftacy, in this life, a general deteftation!

Let us turn our eyes from fuch displeasing objects, and proceed, in the

III and laft place, to take a view of the bleffings, which have attended the fons of a married clergy; and will, I doubt not, ftill attend them, if they live anfwerable to their holy birth and education.

From the dawn of the reformation to this day, it is easy to observe the various and visible interpofitions of God's providence, in behalf of those who waited at his altar, and their children and defcendants. Kings have been raised up to be their nurfing-fathers, and queens to be their nurfing-mothers; under whose shadow and encouragement they have refted and profpered. While the monarchy flourished, these faithful fervants of God and the king wanted not a protector; when it funk, they fell for a time; when it rofe, they revived with it. God put it into the heart of one of our princes, towards the clofe of her reign, to give a check to that facrilege, which had been but too much winked at, in the former parts of it. Her fucceffor paffed a law, which A a 2 prevented

prevented abfolutely all future alienations of the church revenues. The royal martyr took fome excellent steps towards making a more equal diftribution of those revenues between the present poffeffors, and fuch as were to fucceed them, His fon, a gracious prince, pitied the wants, which the great rebllion had caufed or increased among the widows and children of clergymen; and, in order to provide a fupply for their prefent and future neceffities, erected that corporation of charity, to which the perfons, compofing this affembly generally belong; fome as the happy ob jects, others as the worthy directors of it, or ge nerous benefactors to it; All, I hope, as hearty well-withers, encouragers, and friends. But to her present majefty we owe the greatest fhower of royal bounty, that ever fell from the throne: even "a gracious rain, which," by her means, "God fent on his inheritance, and refreshed it "when he was weary," Pfal. Ixiii. 9. Her blef"fings have prevailed above the bleffings of her "progenitors;" Gen. xlix. 36. and have, we truft, the foundation of yet more, and greater, which God, in his good time, will beftow, when we have qualified ourselves for them by a right use of thofe we already enjoy.

Only let us not murmur if he now and then ftop the current of his mercies, if "he hide his face as it were for a moment," and fuffer evil, and not good to lay hold of us. Both are in his power, and he difpenfeth both with equal wif dom and tenderness; and both fhall alike turn to the advantage of thofe, who have the fkill to make use of them. Wherefore," in the day of profperity,

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