THE

PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL

OR,

THE TRUE MODEL

FOR

CHRISTIANS AND PASTORS,

TRANSLATED FROM A FRENCH MANUSCRIPT OF THE LATE

REV. JOHN WILLIAM DE LA FLECHERE,

VICAR OF MADELEY.

BY THE REV. JOHN GILPIN,

VICAR OF ROCKWARDINE, IN THE COUNTY OF SALOP.

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ, 1 Cor. xi, 1.

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III. His intimate union with Christ by faith,

IV. His extraordinary vocation to the holy ministry, and in what that minis-

try chiefly consists,

V. His entire devotion to Jesus Christ,

VI. His strength and his arms,

VII. His power to bind, to loose, and to bless in the name of the Lord,

VIII. The earnestness with which he began and continued to fill up the

duties of his vocation,

IX. The manner in which he divided his time between prayer, preaching, and

thanksgiving,

X. The fidelity with which he announced the severe threatenings and con-

solitary promises of the Gospel,

XII. The ingenuous manner in which he acknowledged and repaired his errors,

XIII. His detestation of party spirit and divisions,

XIX. His love to those whom he knew only by report,

XX. His charity toward the poor in giving, or procuring for them temporal

relief,

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XXI. His charity toward sinners in offering them every spiritual assistance, 46

XXII. The engaging condescension of his humble charity, .

XXIV. His prudence in frustrating the designs of his enemies,

XXV. His tenderness toward others, and his severity toward himself,

XXVI. His love never degenerated into cowardice, but reproved and consoled

as occasion required,

XXVII. His perfect disinterestedness,

XXVIII. His condescension in labouring at times with his own hands, that

he might preach industry by example, as well as by precept,

XXIX. The respect he manifested for the holy estate of matrimony, while

Christian prudence engaged him to live in a state of celibacy, .

XXX. The ardour of his love, .

XXXI. His generous fears and succeeding consolations,

XXXII. The grand subject of his glorying, and the evangelical manner in

which he maintained his superiority over false apostles,

XXXIII. His patience and fortitude under the severest trials,

XXXIV. His modest firmness before magistrates,

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XXXV. His courage in consoling his persecuted brethren,

XXXVI. His humble confidence in producing the seals of his ministry,

XXXVII. His readiness to seal with his blood, the truths of the Gospel,

XXXVIII. The sweet suspense of his choice between life and death,

XXXIX. The constancy of his zeal and diligence to the end of his course,

XL. His triumph over the evils of life, and the terrors of death,

II. THE PORTRAIT OF LUKEWARM MINISTERS AND FALSE

APOSTLES.

CHAPTER I. The portrait of lukewarm ministers,

II. The portrait of false apostles,.

III. An answer to the first objection which may be made against the portrait

of St. Paul,

IV. A second objection argued against,

V. A third objection replied to,

VI. A fourth objection refuted,

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VII. The same subject continued,

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VIII. A farther reply to the same objection,

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IX. A farther refutation of the same objection,

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X. A fifth objection answered,

XI. A reply to the last objection which may be urged against the portrait

of St. Paul,

Without evangelical repentance, a lively faith in Christ, or regeneration by

the Holy Spirit, will appear not only unnecessary but absurd,
How the faithful pastor leads sinners to repentance,
How the prophets, Jesus Christ, his forerunner, and his apostles prepared

sinners for repentance,

Observations upon the repentance of worldly men,

The second point of doctrine, insisted upon by the true minister, is a living

faith,

The true minister goes on to announce a lively hope,

The true minister preaches Christian charity,

The true minister believes and preaches the three grand promises of God,

together with the three great dispensations of grace,

The true minister studies the different dispensations, in order to qualify him-

self for the discharge of every part of his duty,

III. THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.-PART SECOND.

The doctrines of an evangelical pastor,

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He preaches true repentance toward God,

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How sin and the necessity of repentance entered into the world,

This doctrine is maintained by all the Christian Churches,

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The different dispensations are produced by that lovely variety with which

the Almighty is pleased to distribute his favours, .

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The different preachers under these different dispensations,

The dispensation of the Holy Spirit is now in force, and the minister who

preaches this dispensation cannot justly be esteemed an enthusiast,

The evangelical pastor defends the dispensations of the Spirit against all

IV. THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.-PART THIRD.-AN ESSAY ON

THE CONNECTION OF DOCTRINES WITH MORALITY.

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS,

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CHAPTER I. Philosophers, so called, exalt themselves without reason, against

the doctrines of the Gospel,

II. The doctrines of natural religion and philosophy are insufficient to pro-

duce true charity in the heart,

III. The great influence of doctrines upon morality,

IV. How the doctrines of the Gospel come in to the succour of morality,

V. Reflections on the apostles' creed

VI. The connection of morality with the second part of the apostles' creed, 211

VII. The connection of morality with the third part of the apostles' creed, 213

VIII. Consequences of the foregoing observations,