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finding profeffors, who deal around them an unbridled tongue in rash judgings, cenfures, obloquy, pious hints, religious innuendos, lamentable reports, and ear-whispered dirty tales, are base Chriftians, and nuifances in fociety, both civil and ecclefiaftical. They are the reverse of that modefty, purity and chastity, here fo beautifully recom. mended. The constituent branch, the effential nature, or the first fruit of true religion, or the wifdom which defcends from above, is, that it is pure. Wherefore, having great and precious promifes, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and fpirit: Cleanse your bands ye finners, and purify your hearts ye double minded.

The fecond line in this beautiful picture of true religion is, that it is peaceable. First pure, then peaceable. Peace follows after fpiritual purity, ftands connected with it, and depends upon it. Those who are truly wife, will endeavour to preferve peace where it exifts, reftore it where it is broken, and recover it where it is loft. Peace, how charming, how entertaining, and captivating to the pure mind! In families, neighbourhoods and focieties, where this heavenly wisdom governs men, it renders them peaceable. The diftinguished features of a truly religious man are, that he is peaceable, and a peace maker; he loves peace; peace is his atmosphere; he dwells in peace; and the benign rays of peace flow from him as beams from the fun. Our exalted Mediator, ftyled the Wisdom of the Father, is called our Peace. An honourable branch of the name of the Most High is, that he is the God of Peace. True peace is the purchase of Christ Jefus, and an effect of the operation of the Spirit of grace. The great defign of heaven, in the whole fcheme of our redemption, was to accomplish and promote peace; peace between an offended God and offending man; peace of confcience; and peace between the children of men.

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The great bleffednefs of the celeftial state is, that all is harmonious, tranquil and peaceable there. We are commanded, as far as poffible, to live peaceably with all men. Follow peace and holiness, without which no man can fee the Lord. The truly religious are not addicted to ftrifes and contentions; they do not indulge boisterous paffions and furious heats; they are peaceable, being governed by the religion of peace. They neither offer wrong to others, nor bitterly revenge wrong when offered to themselves. They know it to be their wisdom to be harmlefs and innocent; when they are reviled, not to revile again; not to return railing for railing. They have made their peace with God by faith in Chrift Jefus-They preferve peace of mind in a diligent discharge of all Christian duties; and endeavour to keep a confcience void of offence. They promote peace among their fellow-men; maintain it in their families, cultivate it in their neighbourhoods; and the establishment of it in church and state, affords them the highest pleasure. They are opposed to schisms, rents, and divifions. They well know that Cain, who separated himself, and went out from the prefence of God, had a mark fet upon him; as also those mentioned by St Jude, who separated themselves, were branded with being senJual, not having the Spirit. They attend to the commandments of heaven, which require them to mark those who caufe divifions. The pious are not only peaceable themfelves, but they will be ftriving to be peace-makers, in order that they may be partakers of the bleffings, and interested in the promises of Chrift, when he fays, Bleed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God. From these things, it is manifeft, that all are far from true wisdom, who love to live in differences, and cherish contentions; who prefer throwing oil into a flame rather than water. Many feem as if they cared not whe

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ther church or state, or fociety prospered, or was destroyed, provided their corrupt humours might have room to difplay themselves and be gratified. But, how far is this temper from the religion which is from above!

Thirdly, This heavenly wisdom is gentle. The term gentle fignifies patient, easy, moderate. It is rendered moderation, Phil. iv. 5. Let your moderation be known to all men. It is tranflated patient, 1 Tim. iii. 3. It dif poses men to treat others with kindness, openness, and candour; to bear with their infirmities; to pass over many injuries as if unnoticed; to forgive offences, and to interpret all things for the best. It is a sweet, equal, and placid fpirit. Gentleness ftands in oppofition to harshness, feverity, cruelty, incivility, and acrimony. To be gentle is not to ftand upon the extremity of right, not to be punctiliously rigorous in fractions of property, not cenforious in judging, not furious in opinion, not rude or overbearing in converfation. He who is governed by this gentle and heavenly religion, will be fair, calm, and equal. He will not kindle into a flame about the precife and perfect boundaries of righteousness with those with whom he has dealings; he will yield in doubtful and smaller matters, and recede in fome things from what he imagines his right, for the fake of love and peace. Virtue and vice ftand ftrongly and eternally distinguished one from another, yet the exact time of separation cannot certainly be determined in a thousand inftances. Virtue and vice in this refpect may be compared to the colours of the rainbow, which are ftrikingly discriminated; yet to fix the perfect line of diftinction between colour and colour, or mark, where the one colour ends and the other begins, is impoffible to the keeneft eye and the most accurate obferver. We are commanded not to be righteous overmuch. The truly gentle man will be avoiding bitter, unneceffary

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and rigorous cenfures. He will be putting the most candid, charitable and favourable conftructions upon the foibles and weakneffes of others that they will poffibly bear: Gentleness, like charity, hopeth all things, believeth all things, and covereth a multitude of failings. Where differences in fentiments take place, he will not wilfully urge his own opinions beyond their weight, nor wreft his adverfary's beyond their intention. He will carefully fhun, as far as possible, all vain disputings and wranglings. He will not fet himself as the ftandard of rectitude and perfection, engroffing all conversation where he comes, and deciding as a mighty judge in every matter. He is rather ready to let his moderation and gentleness be known to all, in all things; patiently and fweetly inftructing them who oppose themselves, and receiving with all tenderness the weak in faith, though not to doubtful difputations. Wherefore let us all put on the ornament of a meek, quiet, patient, moderate and gentle fpirit. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Fourthly, The wifdom which is from above is eafy to be entreated. It is of an ingenious facility, and difpofes the fubject of it to be readily perfuaded or prevailed upon to forfake that which is evil, and to follow that which is good. It is true, there is an eafinefs and perfuafiblenefs which is culpable and bafe, but it is not a blameable phability to yield ourselves to the perfuafions of Divine truth, and to the juft defires and reasonable requests of our fellowcreatures. Many are fo felf-willed, obftinate and perverfe, that they will not relinquifh their purpose, when others around them imagine that they muft, and do feel the glaring conviction. A fool in his own conceit is wifer than feven men who can render a reafon. But all thofe whole hearts have been rendered docile, tractable, and eafy to be entreated by Divine grace, are of a very diffe

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rent temper. Although they are determinately fixed in their averfion from that which is finful, yet they are eafily entreated to receive Divine truth, and readily fubmit to their duty. The unjust judge himself was recommended, in a fort, by our Lord, for his being won by the widow's importunity. The religious will eafily yield to the entreaties of others when better reason is discovered. Job would not defpife the counsel of his fervant,-Mofes was perfuaded by the advice of Jethro,-and David was prevailed upon by the entreaties of a woman. Maný, after fufficient conviction of what is right is administered to them, will not drop their purpose, but either with a fulky obftinacy, or an outragious fury, adhere to their affertions. But those who are made wife from on high, are not self-willed, but eafily entreated.

Fifthly, The wisdom which is from above is full of mercy. The truly pious are disposed to every thing that is kind, benevolent, charitable, and good; feel compaffion for the miferable,-inclined to relieve thofe that want, and to forgive those who offend. Some are ready to apprehend clemency a difgrace, as if it argued men void of fortitude and spirit; but in the Divine judgment it is quite the reverse: It is the glory of a man to pass over a tranfgreffion! It is Chriftianity to pardon and forgive, but it is grofsly wicked to be malicious and revengeful. The religious man will feel a tender compaffion for tranfgreflors, eafily pafs over and forgive offences offered to him. He thinks of his own innumerable trefpaffes against God, for which he hopes for compaffion and forgiveness, and that it would be enormously cruel in him not to forgive the little trefpaffes of his brethren of mankind. A Chriftian fympathy arifes in his foul, when he beholds objects of diflrefs. At seasons he enters into the feelings, pains, and fickness of the afflicted. He does not

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