suspected of indifference; and of something worse, if, instead of coming constantly to the temple of Jehovah, he had gone as regularly to the temple of Baal, and especially if he had joined in the cry, O Baal, hear us, and partaken of all the rites and cercmonies employed in the worship of that God. In vain would it have been for him to say; I mean nothing by this conduct, I follow the example and imitate the actions of the multitude; but my heart is secretly devoted to another being. A true Israelite would have replied: By attending in company with the sincere worshippers of Baal, you virtually declare your faith in the same God, and your persuasion of the propriety of worshipping him as they do. Had the same person attended alike the temple of Baal and the temple of Jehovah, and devoted an equal portion of his time to each, his conduct would then have been deemed equivocal. It would have been like a man affirming a thing at one time, and denying it at another; in which case his declarations. would amount to nothing. Of such a worshipper, it must have been supposed, either that he halted between two opinions, without being able to determine whether Baal were God, or Jehovah were God, or (which would be more probable, as it would be impossible for the mind to remain long in suspense upon such a subject) that he believed neither in Jehovah nor in Baal, but frequented their temples with equal indifference for his own private ends, to obtain the good will of the worshippers of both,

which might be useful to him in the way of trade or preferment.

When the Christian religion was introduced, the obligation of every friend to truth to countenance it by his actions as well as by his words, by joining the society of Christians, and attending their public assemblies for divine worship, as well as by profess ing faith in Christ, was obvious and indisputable. But there were many Jews, who believed in Jesus, who were so timid, or so careful to preserve their rank and their good name, as to content themselves with being believers in private, without making any open professions. This was the conduct of many of the chief rulers who believed on him, but were afraid to confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. Many heathen also, no doubt, discovered the like timidity or selfishness; but both lose all claim to the character of lovers of the truth.

When Christians began to deviate from the genuine principles of their religion by introducing the corruptions of popery, it was evidently the duty of the true professors of the Gospel, when every method of reason and remonstrance had failed, to withdraw from their society in order to condemn their errours, and to bear their own testimony in support of truth; and had they generally done so, those corruptions would have been effectually checked in the beginning; but being indifferent to truth, they were not willing to adopt a conduct, which would cost them some trouble, and might expose them to dan

ger; and to that indifference we are indebted for the growth of those errours. When protestants became sensible of the numerous corruptions of the apostate church of Rome, they endeavoured to reform it by bringing it back to the standard of the New Testament; but finding their endeavours ineffectual, they withdrew from it's communion, in order to bear a decided and open testimony against it's errours; and in this instance they acted like sincere friends of truth. Had they continued with that church and complied with all it's rites and ceremonies, it might have been justly inferred that they approved of By withdrawing, they evidently expressed their disapprobation. If, however, when a separation had thus taken place, any persons had chosen to attend half their time with the protestants and half with the papists, the construction, which would have been naturally put upon such conduct, would have been, either that they were undetermined which to approve, if that were possible, or that they were equally indifferent to both, and that in fact they did not attend from any religious motive, but from worldly views.

them.

The same reasoning is applicable to every other material corruption of the Christian religion, in whatever form it may appear, whether in doctrine or in discipline, Men cannot, consistently with that regard they owe to truth, countenance pernicious errours, although only by their silence; nor can they, consistently with that regard, give equal

come in time to view with these sentiments, without reflecting upon the reason, which first produced that state of mind.

In this manner is the moral sense, as it has been called, formed, and becomes the most useful faculty we possess; for it leads us to admire piety and virtue wherever they appear, and to love those by whom they are possessed; to dislike impiety and wickedness, under whatever disguises they may be concealed, and to despise the character, which is stain-ed with them. This faculty, when exercised about our own actions and occasioning pleasure or remorse, is called conscience. It exists in some degree in almost every mind; for if we do not receive the above impressions from education, yet we acquire them afterwards, although in a much more imperfect manner, from our intercourse with mankind, in which we hear and see good actions and dispositions commended and rewarded, and the contrary condemned and punished. In virtuous characters, however, the dictates of this faculty are overpowered by sense, passion, and interest; in virtuous minds it's influence is stronger than that of any other principle.

I come now to make some inferences from the subject.

First, then, from the subject we have been considering we may draw encouragement to the practice of our duty. It is the way to get honour and esteem, the honour and esteem of the wise and good,

whose opinion is alone worth regarding, and to receive such acts of kindness as their friendship is able to perform for us. It is the peculiar excellence of this friendship too, that it is not liable to be killed or destroyed by those causes which produced a change in worldly attachments, by an alteration in opinion or condition. The friendship which is formed upon early intercourse, upon gratitude for favours received, upon similarity of opinion, upon the possession of wealth or talents, is as fleeting and unstable as the gifts of fortune. Let but trouble arise, and these friends will soon forsake you; let but a change take place in your opinions, and they will discard you from their acquaintance for ever; cease to partake with them of the same pleasures, and they will cease to give you their regard. But that friendship, which is procured by the good qualities of the mind, will last as long as these qualities continue, that is, through every change of external condition, and through every period of life.

Fear God then, and do good; be prudent and temperate. And although you may not obtain the favour of the great, yet be assured, that there are a few at least, whose esteem you will not fail to obtain, which will be of more real service to you in your passage through life than the friendship of the most exalted of mankind.

II. The description, which is here given of the temper of a good man, that he honoureth them that