XVIII.

Luke, vi. 26.

Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you!

THIS text is sometimes applied by divines to modern times. * Whereas, I apprehend, it should chiefly be applied to the Christians of the first age.

Our Saviour, with a view to fortify the early preachers of the Gospel against the ill usage of the world, tells them plainly what reception they should find after his departure. Mankind in general should be armed against them should hate them should separate from their company should reproach them, and cast out their name as evil. He soon after adds the text, Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of

* See a sermon by Bp. Hurd on this subject.

you!

you! As they were about to establish a new institution, intended to overturn all the religious prejudices, and idolatrous practices of the world, it would certainly follow, that if they and their doctrine were received with general respect, they must have been remiss in the execution of their commission. In the parallel place of St. Matthew, we find persecution coupled with defamation : Blessed are ye, when men shall revilė you and persecute you. We may as well, therefore, suppose a woe pronounced upon all who do not suffer persecution.

The whole history of the apostles shews religion, in those early times, to be always under the same cloud of defamation. Do I seek, says St. Paul, to please men? If I pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. And this is a language which all the apostles might have held, as well as St. Paul.

Upon the whole I would observe, it seems to be of no service to religion, to draw passages of Scripture from apostolical to modern times. Error is often engrafted on such violent applications. The application of the woe, therefore, to modern times, may mislead weak Christians to form undue estimates of their own lives, and false

false judgments of the characters of others. For, in truth, the text, taken literally, seems to oppose experience. Though all men may not speak well of the good Christian, who may have his various failings, and indiscretions; yet, in a Christian country, the woe, I think, chiefly belongs to him of whom all men speak ill.

It may be added, that a man's character is a pledge to the community; and it is not agreeable to the Gospel to destroy any bond of union among men.

XIX.

Matt. xv. 9.

Teaching for doctrines the commandments of

men.

IN many parts of Scripture, a distinction is made between the commandments of God and the commandments of men.

But why? says the objector; which of the commandments of God is carried higher than the commandments of men? He then boasts, that Christianity hath done little in explaining morals; and will readily quote Socrates, Tully, Antoninus, and other philosophers, to show how far human reason was able to carry the commandments of men. In what, he asks, lies the difference?

In the first place, the Christian law is in many instances more refined and pure. Gratitude and love to God is a principle of action never before

held

held out. Universal charity, the love of our enemies, humility, and heavenly-mindedness, were never the commandments of men, though highly productive of human happiness.

But even, on a supposition, the heathen and Christian morality were in themselves of equal value, let it, secondly, be considered, that the elevated sentiments of the philosopher (which we wish not to depreciate) were never calculated for general use. They were intended merely for his own school, and were indeed written in a sublime language, beyond the intellect of the vulgar; whereas, the precepts of Christianity were intended for all mankindfor the lowest orders, as well as the highest.

Besides, the philosopher had no power to enforce his precepts; whereas, the precepts of Christianity are the general code of all Christian people, and sanctioned, not only by human laws, but by such penalties as no human laws can provide.

Lastly, let it be observed, that while the commandments of men chiefly forbid crimes, the commandments of God prevent them. The commandments of men reach only the action; the commandments of God reach the heart and the

motive.