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thing is really from God, then we must "hold it fast." We must "not be tossed to and fro, like children, with every wind of doctrine;" nor, on the other hand, must we be deterred from confessing Christ through the fear of man: but we must "hold fast that which we have received, that no man may take our crownd:" we must "hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering." St. Paul had enough to intimidate him, if there were any legitimate reason for yielding to the impressions of fear on such occasions: but "nothing could move him: not even life itself was of any value in his sight," when standing in competition with fidelity to his Lord. It was his attachment to Christ that was the real ground of the persecution he now met with; yet he would not deny his Lord; but confessed himself" an heretic," according to their acceptation of the term. Thus should we be steadfast in the faith; and be willing even to lay down our lives in its defence.]

2. With tenderness of spirit

[There is a contemptuous way of speaking of the world, in which some professors of religion indulge themselves, which is extremely reprehensible. It is true indeed that the world are both blind and carnal; but we ought to look well to our own spirit when we take upon ourselves to call them so: for, "who is it that has made us to differ? or what have we that we have not received?" When we think of their blindness and carnality, it should not be in the proud spirit of a Pharisee, "Stand off, I am holier than thou," but with tears, even with floods of tears, on account of their unhappy condition. We should call to mind our own former blindness, (as Paul does,) for the humiliation of our own souls, and as an encouragement to seek their welfare. And we should be ready always to give a reason of the hope that is in us with meekness and fear;"" in meekness instructing them, if God peradventure may give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truthi" -]

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3. With purity of heart

[This the Apostle particularly specified as the associate of his faith and hopek. To profess a regard for Christian principles whilst we are regardless of Christian practice, is only to deceive our own souls. Faith and a good conscience are the two pillars on which the fabric of our religion stands: and if either of them give way, the other falls of course'. The world will try our principles by this touchstone: they will say,

d Rev. iii. 11.

f Luke xix. 41. Ps. Acts xxvi. 9-11.

* ver. 16.

e Heb. x. 23.
cxix. 136. Jer. xiii. 17.
h 1 Pet. iii. 15.

2 Tim. ii. 22-24.

11 Tim. iii. 9. and i. 19.

"What do ye more than others?" And truly, when we profess so much higher principles than they, they have a right to expect in us a purer life. Not that they would be justified in rejecting the Gospel, even if every professor of it were to become a Judas: but such is their perverseness, that they will harden themselves more against religion on account of one Judas, than they will esteem it for the piety of a dozen other Apostles. This however is only an additional reason for watchfulness on our part. Whatever may be the conduct of the world, our duty is to shew them our faith by our works." In this way we may hope at least to do some good: we shall "by well-doing put to silence the ignorance of foolish men," and "make them ashamed who falsely accuse our good conversation in Christ." We may hope too that in some instances we may accomplish more; and "win by our good conversation those who never would listen to the written word." At all events, it is in this way that we must approve ourselves to God, and stand with confidence before him in the day that he shall judge the world.]

66

MDCCCVIII.

A CONSCIENCE VOID OF OFFENCE.

Acts xxiv. 16. Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

THE Gospel of Christ has in all ages been stigmatized as having an unfriendly aspect on morality; and its professors have been accused as maintaining this position, "that we may continue in sin that grace may abound." But, however the disgraceful conduct of hypocrites may have appeared to countenance such a charge, it is certain that every true Christian is a living witness for God, and a public monument of the sanctifying influence of the Gospel. St. Paul was not inferior in holiness to any human being, our blessed Lord alone excepted; yet was he inveighed against as a man that was not fit to live upon the earth. In the passage before us before us we have an account of the accusations brought against him by a certain orator, named Tertullus. He was represented as "a pestilent fellow, a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, a ringleader of the sect

of the Nazarenes, and, to complete the whole, an impious profaner of the temple" In other words, he was accused of sedition, heresy, and profaneness. In answer to these allegations he shews that, as to sedition, the reason of his coming to Jerusalem was to bring alms to his nation, and to present his offerings to God; and that his demeanour there had been peaceable and quiet, for they had not found him in the temple disputing with any man, nor raising up the people either in the synagogue, or in the city. As to the charge of heresy, he acknowledges, that after the way that they called heresy, he did worship the God of his fathers, believing those very Scriptures, and hoping for the accomplishment of that very resurrection, which his accusers themselves professed to believe and hope for. And lastly, as to the profaneness and impiety with which they charged him, he declares that his principles led him to a far different conduct: that that faith and hope, which he professed, stimulated him to the most scrupulous performance of every duty both to God and man: "herein," says he, (or it might be translated, on this account, that is, on account of this faith and hope,) "I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men."

We propose to shew,

I. What is the attainment which every true Christian labours for.

II. The vast importance of it to every child of man. I. What is the attainment, &c.—

Without entering into any metaphysical inquiries concerning the nature of conscience, we may observe that its office is to testify to every man the quality of his past actions, and to regulate his conduct agreeably to some standard of right and wrong. It does not so properly judge respecting the truth or falsehood of any position (that is rather the office of the understanding) it regards rather actions than sentiments; and the good or evil that is in them, rather than any

a ver. 5, 6.

prudential considerations respecting them. It is a monitor in every man's own bosom that may be called, in a qualified sense, the voice of God within him. It is not wholly subject to his own controul: for though much may be done to bribe, or silence it, yet sometimes it will speak out, and force the most obdurate sinner to listen to its voice.

The rules whereby it judges are various: where the light of revelation does not shine, it has no better rule than the law of nature, or the law of a man's own mind. It is then regulated by every man's own apprehensions of good or evil; and therefore must of necessity give a verdict more or less erroneous, as the person's mind is more or less instructed in moral truth. On this account, it would not be easy with respect to heathens to determine precisely what a conscience void of offence is; for certainly, allowances must be made for the different degrees of light which men enjoy. But with respect to us, who live under the clear dispensation of the Gospel, these difficulties in a great measure vanish. The following considerations may help to throw some light upon the subject. The conscience is not to be judged void of offence merely because it does not accuse us. There are many so thoughtless and dissipated that they give themselves no time to reflect. They are engaged in a continual round of business or amusement; they shun all those scenes which would be likely to bring their sins to remembrance; they avoid all serious conversation; and thus they pass months and years without feeling any remonstrances of conscience: that faculty is lulled asleep; and, if by any means it be in the least degree awakened, every method is adopted to check its clamours, and restore its wonted tranquillity. Of such persons God speaks by the Prophet Hosea, when he says, "They consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness."

There are others who imbibe principles which are well calculated to weaken the influence of conscience. They take it for granted, that there is no great evil in sin; that God will never execute his threatenings

against it; that they cannot be obnoxious to his wrath, because they have not committed any heinous sins, or, if they have, they were only such as the fashions of the world, and the frailties of their nature might well excuse. By such principles as these they persuade themselves that they have no ground for fear: like some of the Jews of old, they "heal their wounds slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace," or, like others of them, they affirm boldly, " I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart."

There is yet another description of persons who have at times been harassed with remorse of conscience; but they have so often resisted their convictions, sinned against the light, and done violence to all their own feelings, that they have, as the Apostle says, "seared their consciences as with a hot iron," and rendered themselves "past feeling."

Now it will be needless to prove that such persons have not a conscience void of offence; they may be rather said to have no conscience at all; or, if they have, it must be called, what the Apostle does call it,

an evil conscience.

As a conscience is not void of offence merely because it does not accuse, so neither is it necessarily so, even if it should approve.

Many propose to themselves a false standard of right and wrong. Even among those who bear the Christian name, how many are there who think that religion consists in penances and pilgrimages, and in the observance of superstitious rites and ceremonies; yea, who would think, that the extirpation of heretics was the most meritorious work they could effect! Yet, if they were to abound in such works as these, and thereby gain the approbation of their own consciences, must we therefore say that their consciences were void of offence? Surely not. St. Paul has told us with respect to himself, that he verily "thought he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus" but does he assert his innocence upon that ground? No; he calls himself "a blasphemer and

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