stop the mouth of truth, and screen the most notorious sinners from reprehension, because they are his friends. If he could arrest the arm of Justice, and protect them from the notice and curse of his Maker, his jealousy would be of some moment. Till then it is as foolish as it is impotent.

Sometimes sins of great atrocity in civil transactions become very frequent in the community, and from the numbers who are involved in them, are scarcely thought to be a reproach. Their turpitude is merged in their frequency, and men begin to think they may sin with impunity, when they can sin without disgrace. If then a minister of the gospel lay hold of these fashionable transgressors; if he bring them to the bar of God, and show them that in his sight numbers are no apology for crime, and from his hand cannot effect an escape; if he dispute the Christianity of all who, under whatever pretext, live in the commission of deeds which they know to be contrary to the commandments of God, and insist that they must be new men in heart, and lead lives of new obedience, before they can make the least claim to the possession of eternal life, why then the provocation assumes a different shape. They who smart under the fair application of the rod, discover that the preacher

has traveled out of the limits of his commission; that he injures himself and his cause by meddling with things which do not belong to him; "Let him," is their practical language, "let him confine himself to the doctrines and duties of Christianity, and not thrust himself into concerns which are out of his sphere, and where nobody thanks him for his intrusion." What storms of wrath have men excited in this way, when, for example, they have ventured to touch the sinful party politics of the day, or to bring the power of truth to bear upon a favorite political sinner! How impatient is a party-man under the rebuke of his iniquities! How strenuously does he argue against the impertinence of Christianity interposing to check his most flagrant transgressions, or even against the divine law itself undertaking to control his excesses, and to dictate his moral course! Of all this you are yourselves sufficient witnesses.

On the other hand, when a man teaches boldly the doctrines of the Gospel; when he presses them home upon the conscience; when he exposes to just detestation those "damnable heresies" which subvert the whole "gospel of the grace of God," and people the regions of despair with the victims of their seduction; how loud is the cry against

his "bigotry," his "uncharitableness," his "unchristian temper," his "pride," his "ferocity," his "damning spirit," and the other amiable attributes in which rational Christianity is ever ready to array him.

All these forms of treating the minister of religion are very common, and they fall to his lot nearly in proportion to his honesty. And what are they but "smiting" him for "speaking" well? He has set men at variance with their own conscience, and they try to make themselves amends by reviling him, and casting out his name as evil. But the facts remain as they are. Doctrines of devils will be doctrines of devils still, though all the friends and servants of the devil fret and rave. Sinful habits will be sinful habits still, and as much exposed to the righteous judgment of God, though a whole world of sinners conspire to excuse them and to uphold one another, and rend the air with their clamors against him that reproveth in the gate. God's holy truth is still his holy truth, though it be rejected and scorned by the wretched unbelievers whom it was revealed to save, and involves as terrible a responsibility on their part. Considering these things, the hearers of the gospel are not to form rash and hasty judgments. It is unwise, unfair, and may be ruin

ous.

When their consciences get a prickwhen their notion or opinions are condemned -when their practices as severely arraigned, they are not forthwith to fly into a passion, to flout at the preacher's doctrine, to resent it as a personal insult, and to heap injurious epithets upon him. This refutes nothing, establishes nothing but your own unreasonableness and obstinacy. If you think that he "has spoken evil," the Lord Jesus Christ has prescribed the proper course, "Bear witness

of the evil."

The word of God is the universal and infallible standard of truth, by which every opinion, principle, and practice, must be tried; and according to which it must stand or fall. The testimony by which you are to show that a preacher of righteousness has spoken evil, is the contrariety of his doctrine to the divine word. Bring his declarations most freely to this ordeal. Lay your finger upon any part of what God is pleased to teach, and demonstrate to the preacher, and to all the world if you please, that he has contradicted the teachings of inspiration. When you shall have proved that he has not spoken as becometh the oracles of God, you will convict him, to some purpose, of having spoken evil. You will be yourselves more established in the

faith of the gospel; you will edify your brethren; will do good service to the Christian cause; will bid fair to correct the mistake of the man himself, leading him to sounder views, promoting his own growth in grace, and subserving his usefulness in the church of God. I submit to yourselves, my brethren, a much more rational, dignified, honorable, and profitable proceeding, than the common method of growing angry, and indulging in ill-natured and bitter remarks. You may possibly discover that what you reject as false or resent as improper, may turn out, upon investigation, to be the very truth of God. And you may have been all the while revenging a supposed affront upon your Maker himself. And this may draw after it serious consequences to your everlasting welfare. For you must remember that when the preacher has laid before you the truth of God, he has delivered his message; and he has delivered his soul. Not a drop of your blood shall be found in his skirts, in that day of reckoning. The moment he has done, responsibility ceases with him, and it passes over to you. Take heed then, that in your displeasure against him, you be not found fighting against God. I would recommend the same course to you, when you happen to be much