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heavenly vifion which appeared unto him; but having no bad motives to stifle a conviction, which he could not but feel, he gave up all that was dear to him, his fortune, friends, reputation, and national dif tinction and privileges, counting them, to ufe his emphatic language, but dung that he might win Chrift. § Though brought up in Jerufalem, at the feet of Gamaliel, a doctor had in reputation among all the people, || cafting down fuch imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the true knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Chrift: though after the Stricteft fect of his religion a Pharifee, an exact obferver of the righteoufnefs which is in the law, and a zealous promoter of it, preaching Chrift crucified. And from a more than commonly vehement perfecutor of the church of Chrift,

becoming

2 Cor. Phil. ch. iii. v. 6.

*Phil. ch. iii. v. 8. § Acts, ch. xxii. v. 3. ch. x. v. 5. † Acts, ch. xxvi. v. 5. Acts, ch. xxii. v. 3. Gal.ch.i. v. 13.

1 Cor.ch. i. v. 23.

becoming its most faithful paftor; the exacteft pattern of virtue, and amiableness of manners, both to infidels and christians; the warmest advocate for christianity, yet guided by the cooleft prudence; the most patient, perfevering, and, except in cafes that required an exertion of his apoftolic authority, the mildest instructor of his flock; confiftent and uniform, taking care in all things that the ministry should not be blamed.

WHAT enabled him to act in this manner, Co-operating with the divine grace, which thus manifested its power in him, was his principle of action; which acquired ftrength, and threw off its imperfections, as all good qualities do, upon his becoming a christian.

FROM that time his fole endeavour was to approve himself in the fight of God; not

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to gain the favor of men, the defire of which had fo unhappily misled him: aware, that if the latter were in any respect the ruling motive of his conduct, he should perhaps fall back into fome of his former mistakes, and foon cease to be the true minister of the gofpel. In feveral parts of his writings he ayows this principle and its importance: and fince in the text he has laid it down as the neceffary fupport of his conduct as the fervant of Chrift; it will not, I truft, be thought either unfuitable to the occafion of our present meeting, or exceeding the duties of the office affigned me, if from the paffage before us I endeavor to trace out the importance of it to the prefent teachers. of religion, with refpect to their opinions, doctrines, and conduct.

AND firft, with refpect to their opinions, it will produce inquiry: he who is perfuaded that he was fent into the world by a fuperior

fuperior intelligent Being, who endued him with powers of examining and determining upon the objects which are presented to his mind, and that this Being is ever attentive to his conduct, cannot poffibly think, that he acts agreeably to his will, when he permits thofe powers to lie inactive: certainly they were implanted in us by our Maker for conftant ufe; and therefore not to make any or but little use of them, is, as far as we can, defeating his gracious intention: befides, as our reafon is manifeftly designed to govern and direct the other parts of our frame, fuch a perfon, fenfible that he must give an account how far this has really been the cafe, will naturally be driven to inquire what the dictates of that reafon are: and fince (the appearances of things being frequently fo different from their realities,) the refult of this will unquestionably be a perfuafion, that, in more inftances than a few, fatisfaction is not to be obtained at first

fight; he will foon apprehend, that an inquiry into his opinions is not only a neceffary, but a very important branch of his duty. The farther he proceeds, the more fenfible he will be of its neceffity and importance; the more convinced that, in a matter so interesting to his nature, and productive of fuch confequences, when pro vidence hath afforded him leisure and opportunity, none of his opinions are to be exempted from fuch an inquiry. If this be in fome measure the cafe of every man who has the free use of his reason, under how much stronger obligations to act thus must he think himself, who is to affift others in their inquiries? who undertakes to teach them the difference between the holy and the prophane, and caufe them to difcern between

the unclean and the clean?

* Ezekiel, ch. xliv. v. 23.

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