Page images
PDF
EPUB

brawlers, but gentle, fhewing all meekness unto all men." Jam. iv. 1. "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lufts, that war in your members ?” See also the notes on fection 10. chapter 1. concerning going to law with each other.

We also conceive it scarcely poffible to use many words in buying and felling, without being frequently guilty of lying, and no lyar can inherit the kingdom of God. John viii. 44. "When he [the devil] fpeaketh a lye, he fpeaketh of his own: for he is a lyar, and the father of it." Ephef. iv. 25. "Wherefore, putting away lying, fpeak every man truth with his neighbour." Col. iii. 9. "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put. off the old man with his deeds." Rev. xxi. 8. "All liars fhall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the fecond death." xxii. 15. “Without are dogs, &c.. and whofoever loveth and maketh a lie."

6. We are debtors to the constitution under which we live (we, efpecially in thefe United States) for all the bleflings of law and liberty which we enjoy: and without a government to fup- port that conit,tution, all would be anarchy and confufion. It is, therefore, our duty to support it by bearing, with our fellowcitizens, an equal proportion of its expences; and it is as great a crime to rob our country, as to rob a private individual; and the blindness of too many to this truth injures not, in the least, the veracity of it. See the fcripture-references on the 23d article of religion, and thofe alfo on the 15th fection of the first chapter, 5th article.

7. Ufury has been condemned in all civilized nations of the world. It is the offspring of covetousness arrived to its height. It is a vice which belongs only to the bafeft of the human race and the mind which is under its government is in danger of being led on, by degrees, to the higheft excefs. Exod. xxii. 25. “If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou fhalt not be to him as an ufurer, neither fhalt thou lay upon him fry." See alfo Lev. xxv. 35-37. Jer. xv. 10. “I have neither lent on ufury, nor men have lent to me on ufury." Ezek. xviii. 5-9." If a man be juft, and do that which is lawful and right, he that hath not given forth upon ufury, &c. he is just, he fhall furely live, faith the Lord God." Jam. v. 1-3. "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miferies that fhall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and filver is cankered: and the ruft of them fhall be a witness against you, and fhall eat your flefh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days."

8. If our converfation is to be alway with grace, seasoned with falt" (Col. iv. 6.) how oppofite to this is the flandering our

:

:

neighbours, or speaking evil of any. We are not in our con verfation to speak evil of another, however true it may be nothing can juftify it, but the cautioning of a friend from fome immediate danger. It will, in every other cafe, be condemned on the day of judgment, not merely as an idle but as a criminal word. If this be the cafe, it is ftill more criminal to speak evil of public characters. It is taking the most unjust advantage of them and we may, perhaps, without intention, ruin the characters and usefulness of much better men than ourselves. This is a vice which we should particularly guard againft, because the temptations to it are fo frequent and various; and fo many profefors (we can fcarcely fay poffeffors) are guilty of it. Follow always the rule of good bishop Beveridge, “Speak of men's vices only to their faces, and of their virtues only behind their backs." A&s xxiii. 25. “It is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people." See the fcripture references in the notes on the 23d article of religion, and chap. 1. fect. 15.

9. To do to others as we would wifh they fhould do to us (See Matt. vii. 12, and Luke vi. 21) includes in it the whole of our duty to our neighbour-even the difinterefted love of man, which can flow alone from the love of God. It is natural for the men of the world to imagine that all mankind are influenced by private motives, because they know nothing of the love God, and esteem the profeffors of grace as enthusiasts. It is the love of God alone which can raife the foul above every thing on earth, and crucify it entirely to the world, and, confequently, to every object which could intereft it here below. It is only this which can enable us to act to others continually according to that golden rule, on which hang all the law and the prophets. See I Cor. xiii.

on.

10. To do all to the glory of God, is the fpring of all religi Every thing is finful which proceeds from any other principle: but every thing is an acceptable facrifice to God, through Christ, which proceeds from this heavenly motive-the glory of God. He, who thus acts, has found out the philofopher's ftone, the art of turning every thing into the true gold of the fanctuary. He is bleffed in his basket and ftore, in his going out and coming in, and in his lying down and rifing up. But the very reverse is the cafe with all who act from any other principle, however fpecious their outward conduct may be. Without this, every thing is carnal or devilish, finful and accurfed. I Cor. x. 31. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." I Cor. vi. 19, 20. "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your fpirit, which are God's."

The man who acts from this heavenly principle,

(1.) Cannot wear any apparel which tends to feed his own pride, or to prevent his liberality to the poor. See the 7th section of this chapter.

(2.) He cannot indulge himself in the carnal diverfions of the world. What blafphemy would it be for men or women, when they were throwing themselves about in a dance, to cry "I do this in the name of the holy Jefus !" What infolence would it be for the card-player, when he is toffing about his cards, or the horfe-racer when he is driving furioufly, to fay, "I do this to the glory of God!" Thefe diverfions have been pronounced by the fpiritual minifiers of Christ, of all denominations in all ages, as inconfiftent with true religion: and we fhall find on the day of judg ment, that they were better acquainted with the mind of God in these refpects, than the children of Satan. I Tim. v. 6. "She that liveth in pleasure, is dead while she liveth.” 2 Tim. iii. I-

4. "This know alfo, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men fhall be lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God." Job xxi. 7-11. "Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power: -they fend forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.

(3.) He fings and reads for the glory of God-for the fole purpofes of gaining clearer light in the truths of God, inflaming his heart with more of the love of God, and promoting the temporal, fpiritual, and eternal interests of his fellow-creatures. Pfal. cxix. 54. Thy ftatutes have been my fongs in the houfe of my pilgrimage." Ver. 99. "I have more understanding than all my teachers for thy teftimonies are my meditation.' Ver. 148. "Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate on thy word."

[ocr errors]

(4.) He is well aware, how all that is carnal draws him from God. He therefore daily takes up his crofs. He feels a delight (though perhaps mixed with fome natural relictance) to restrain and oppofe his fleshly affections. He keeps at a distance from felf-indulgence, and draws not too near to the brink of the precipice. He feels his own weakness: and though he lives by faith upon the Son of God, yet he would not prefame upon him. Matt. x. 38. "He that taketh not his crofs and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." xvi. 24. "Then faid Jefus unto his difciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his crofs and follow me." Mark viii. 34. "And when he had called the people unto him, with his difciples alfo, he faid unto them, Whofoever will come after me, let him deny himfelf, and take up his crofs, and follow me." x. 21. "Come, take up the crofs, and follow me." Luke ix. 23. "And he faid to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." xiv. 27. " And whofoever doth not hear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple."

[ocr errors]

(5.) He is a faithful steward of the manifold bleffings of his God. He provides for his family with chriftian wisdom and chriftian prudence; and all the rest he lays out for the relief of the poor and afflicted, and for the advancement of the kingdom of God upon earth. He does not wish to have his good things in this world, and afterwards in hell to lift up his eyes in torments: but his highest ambition is to enjoy the fovereign good, the God of his falvation, to the utmost capacity of his renewed nature and to all eternity. Matt. vi. 19-21. "Lay not up for yourselves treafures upon earth, where moth and ruft doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treafures in heaven, where neither moth nor ruft doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through, nor fteal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10. "They that will be rich fall into temptation, and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lufts, which drown men in deftruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while fome coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many forrows."

(6.) He is ftrictly honeft. He abhors the iniquitous attempt of getting money at his neighbour's risk. But alas! this is too common a practice even among many who call themselves profeffors. A man is poor, and wishes to be rich; or he is rich, and wifhes to be richer; he accordingly takes up a great quantity of goods to form a large but falfe capital; or he borrows money of his friends for the fame purpofe: if he fucceed, he has his ambition gratified, and becomes a man of fortune; if he fail, he is only where he was before, or at least fuffers but little; whilst those who have in confidence fold him goods, or advanced to him money, are the only or chief fufferers. He is, what he would call tolerably fafe at all events. This is an unjust, an iniquitous practice and the more fo, because the whole is carried on under the mask of honour and honefty, of friendship or integrity. Such perfons fhould have no admiffion among us; or, if they have, fhould, when difcovered, be expelled as fome of the greatest enemies of civil fociety; whofe practice has an immediate tendency to break all the bonds of focial union, and to destroy all confidence among men. Mark x. 18, 19. 66 Jefus faid unto him, Defraud not." I Cor. vi. 8. " Nay, ye do wrong and defraud, and that your brethren." Ifa. xxi. 2." A grievous vifion is declared unto me; The treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the fpoiler spoileth" xxxiii. 1. "Woe to thee that dealeth treacheroufly, and they dealt not treacheroufly with thee;-when thou fhalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacheroufly with thee." See also the scripture references, in the notes on fect. 15th. chap. I.

4th. True conviction of fin and an earnest longing for falvation will also be accompanied with every outward fruit of righteoufnefs. The love of God may not yet have become the governing principle of the whole foul, fo as to make obedience flow as from a fecond nature; but yet the contrite foul will have a conftant fear of offending God, and this will be accompanied with a conftant defire of pleafing him. Dan. iv. 27. “Break off thy fins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by fhewing mercy to the poor," Matt. iii. 8. "Bring forth, therefore, fruits meet for repentance," See alfo Luke iii. 8. Acts xxvi. 19, 20. “I was not difobedient to the heavenly vifion; but fhewed-that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance."

1. This principle will make us feel for the infirmities of others, and fympathize with them. We shall delight to afford to the hungry and naked, the ftranger, the fick and imprifoned, the neceffaries or comforts they ftand in need of. And in all this, we fhail confider the poor as the reprefentatives of Jefus Christ, and that in doing it to them we do it to him. See Matt. xxv. 3146.

2. It is a perfect mistake to suppose, that a real penitent cannot or is not called to do good to the fouls of others. Many in their awakened state have done considerable good in this refpect. But when the love of God is become the reigning principle of the foul, we hunger and thirst for the falvation of others. Our cry is, "Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my foul," Pfal. Ixvi. 16.

3. Though he does good to all according to his ability, yet he particularly feels for the members of Chrift's myftical body. They are to him as his own foul. With them he experiences an union which the world is utterly unacquainted with. They are like the members of his own family: they are bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh,, "As we have, therefore, opportunity let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the boufebold of faith," Gal. vi. 10. "We know that we have paffed from death unto life, becaufe we love the brethren," 1 John iii. 14.

4. It is frequently one of the devices of Satan, to tempt the children of God to be negligent in their business, under the pretext that they will be able to live more in heaven by having nothing to do with earthly things. But the believer, when called to labour in a profeffion or trade for the support of his family, or to fill up fome useful station in fociety, may fo intermix pious ejaculations with his ftudies or labours, and improve fo many fhort intervals in private prayer, as not only to preferve his grace, but to increafe daily in the divine life. Ejaculations are fwift meffengers, which foon enter heaven, and foon bring down a gracious answer. Rom. xii. 11. "Not flothful in business; fervent in fpirit; ferving the Lord." Ver. 17. "Provide things

« PreviousContinue »