correspondence, to devote a few pages to the enumeration of the chief practical duties which are binding upon Christians. This I shall now attempt with all possible regard to brevity, wishing you to consider it as a bare enumeration, and earnestly referring you to the Bible itself, as to the richest store-house of moral precepts. In this enumeration, I shall adopt the order of several moral philosophers, and consider, 1st, the duties a man owes to himself; 2dly, those which he owes to society; 3dly, those which are due to God.

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I. PERSONAL DUTIES. These will manifestly be such as tend to preserve our health, and to secure our happiness; for "Godliness hath the promise of the "life which now is, as well as of that which is to come:" they will, therefore, include the government of our affections, appetites, and passions, the regulation and improvement of our temper, the purification of the heart, and an increase of useful knowledge. Thus we are earnestly exhorted to humility, meekness, temperance, chastity, and modesty, diligence, contentment, cheerfulness, self-denial, and mortification, and to edification in general; all the contrary vices being forbidden in the most forcible terms. To prove this I need quote but a very few precepts and aphorisms; for the sake of some order, taking the words as I have already placed them before you.

Humility. "Blessed are the poor in spirit; for "Whosoever "theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

"shall humble himself as a little child, the same is "the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." "Let the "brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted,

1

"but the rich in that he is made low."

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"I charge

every one among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, "accordingly as God hath dealt to every man the "measure of faith." "Mind not high things; but "condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise "in your own conceits." "Who maketh thee to "differ from another? and what hast thou, that thou "didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why "dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it ?" "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the "humble. Humble yourselves therefore in the sight "of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." "In low"liness of mind let each esteem others better than ❝ himself." (x)·

Meekness. Meekness is a "fruit of the Spirit." "The meek will God guide in judgment, the meek "will he teach his way." "He that is soon angry "dealeth foolishly: he that is slow to wrath is of

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great understanding; but he that is hasty of spirit "exalteth folly." "Seest thou a man that is hasty "in his words, there is more hope of a fool than of

"him."

"Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for

66 anger resteth in the bosom of fools."

"moderation be known unto all men."

"Let your

"Be angry

"and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your "wrath; neither give place to the devil." (y)

(x) Matt. v. 3. xviii. 4.

v. 7. James, iv. 6, 7, 10.

James, i. 9. Rom. xii. 3, 16. 1 Cor.
Phil. ii. 3.

(y) Gal. v. 23. Ps. xxv. 9. Prov. xiv. 17, 29. xxix. 20. Eccles. vii. 9. Phil. iv. 5.

Eph. iv. 26, 27.

Temperance. "Take heed to yourselves, lest at "any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting "and drunkenness." “When thou sittest to eat, "consider diligently what is before thee; and put a "knife to thy throat if thou be a man given to ap<6 'petite. Be not desirous of dainties, for they are "deceitful meat. Be not amongst wine-bibbers, nor 66 amongst riotous eaters of flesh: for the drunkard and "the glutton shall come to poverty." They that are « drunken are drunken in the night; but let us who are of the day be sober.” "Let us walk honestly

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as in the day: not in rioting and drunkenness." For "drunkenness, revellings, and such like, are "works of the flesh;" and "they which do such

things shall not inherit the kingdom of God:" but "temperance is a fruit of the Spirit." "They that "count it pleasure to riot in the day time, sporting "themselves with their own deceivings while they "feast, shall receive the reward of unrighteousness."(x)

Chastity and Modesty. "This is the will of God,

even our sanctification; that we should abstain from "fornication; that every one of you should know how "to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; "not in the lusts of concupiscence, as the Gentiles "which know not God." "God hath not called us "to uncleanness, but unto holiness." "Abstain from "fleshly lusts which war against the soul." "Walk "not as other Gentiles walk; who, being past feeling, "have given themselves over to lasciviousness, to work

(2) Luke, xxi. 34. Prov. xxiii. 1, 2, 3, 20, 21. 1 Thes. v. 7, 8. Rom. xiii. 13. Gal. v. 19, 21, 22, 23. 2 Pet. ii. 13.

"all uncleanness greedily." "Whosoever looketh on a "woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery "with her already in his heart." "Put all filthy com"munication out of your mouth; indulge neither "filthiness, nor foolish talking." "Neither fornica

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tors, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of "themselves with mankind, shall enter into the king"dom of God." " Know ye not that ye are the temple "of God; and that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you? If any man defile the "temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which temple are ye." "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see "God." "Let women adorn themselves in modest "apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with "broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array : "but (which becometh women professing godliness) "with good works." "Abstain from all appearance

❝ of evil.” (a)

Diligence. "In the morning sow thy seed, and in "the evening withhold not thine hand; for thou "knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that: "or whether they both shall be alike good." "Go to "the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways and be "wise; which, having no guide, overseer, nor ruler, "provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth "her food in the harvest." "Be not slothful." Let every man "labour, working with his hands the

(a) 1 Thes. iv. 3, 4, 5, 7. 1 Pet. ii. 11. Eph. iv. 17, 19. Matt. ix. 28. Col. iii. 8. Eph. v. 4. 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10, 19. iii. 16. 1 Tim. ii. 9, 10. 1 Thes. v. 22.

"thing which is good, that he may have to give to "him that needeth." "There are some which walk "disorderly, working not at all, but are busy bodies: "now them that are such, we command and exhort by “our Lord Jesus, that with quietness they work and "eat their own bread. If any man will not work, "neither should he eat." "Seest thou a man diligent " in his business? He shall stand before kings, he "shall not stand before mean men." "Not slothful "in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord." (b)

Contentment. "Give me neither poverty nor "riches; feed me with food convenient for me: lest I "be full, and deny thee, and say, 'Who is the Lord ?" "or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my "God in vain." "A little that a righteous man hath "is better than the riches of many wicked." "Better "is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great "treasure and trouble therewith." "He that maketh "haste to be rich shall not be innocent." "Be not

"thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of "his house is increased: for though while he lived he "blessed his soul; yet when he dieth he shall carry

nothing away; his glory shall not descend after ❝ him." "Seekest thou great things for thyself, seek

"them not." "I know both how to be abased and "how to abound. I have learnt in whatsoever state "I am, therewith to be content. "Let every man "abide in the same calling wherein he was called. "Art thou called, being a servant (a slave dovλòs) ?

(b) Eccles. xi. 6.

2 Thes. iii. 10-12.

Prov. vi. 7, 8. Heb. vi. 12. Eph. iv. 28. Prov. xxii. 29. Rom. xii. 11.