conveyance of ufeful knowledge, and to the devout affociation of kindred spirits, theynagogue. There is indeed no real difference of place, in refpect of fanctity. Wherever God is worthipped" in spirit and in truth," there is holy ground. But man, fwallowed up as he is of fenfe, must have the devout affections railed by an appeal to the lower faculties of his nature and the form and fituation of the spot where he worships, must be called in to affift the mind, to promote the love of his fellow worshippers, to give energy to kind affections, and to elevate the foul to the Creator, on the wings of love to the creature whom he has formed after his own image. To thee, bleffed Jefus! the city and the wilderness, the mountain and the fea-fhore, the temple and the upper chamber were one and the fame thing; but it pleafed thee to be a pattern of " decency and order," to exemplify fubmiffion to the ordinance of God, to walk before thy kindred and acquaintance, in "things which are lovely and of good report."

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The fervice of the fynagogue was not at that time perfectly pure; many corruptions both in doctrine and practice had been introduced, but ftill God was worshipped there, and Scripture ftill flowed pure and uncontaminated; and he will not feem to pour contempt on what favoured of human imperfection, left that which was genuine and divine fhould fall into difṛepute. A virtuous flate of Society, and a pure Church are highly defirable; but in order to enjoy fuch a happy order of things, a man must needs go out of the world." All that wifdom and piety united can atchieve, is gradually and temper. ately to ameliorate the public morals, and to rectify disorders which may have crept into the Church. No vigilance nor fagacity can prevent the enemy from fowing tares among the wheat; but though they may be ever fo diftinguishable, they are not rudely and prematurely to be rooted up, "left, while ye gather up the tares, ye root up alfo the wheat with them." They muft" both grow together until the harvest." The holy Jefus derived no taint from a diforderly fynagogue and a profaned temple; but he restored the order of the fynagogue, and the fanctity of the temple. He could contract no impurity by fitting down to meat with publicans and finners; and learn no hypocrify by communication with pharifees; but by the wisdom and purity of his converfation publicans and finners were reproved, inftructed and reformed, and hypocrify flood detected. There is a mean, difhonourable and criminal "becoming all things to all men," for the fordid purposes of felf intereft, or the gratification of a vain-glorious fpirit; but there is likewife an honourable, manly and praise-worthy accommodation

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commodation to the wants and wishes of our fellow-creatures, which difinterestedly aims at their good. This leffon "Paul, the fervant of Jefus Chrift," and the most independent in fpirit of all mankind, had been taught in the fchool of his divine Mafter. "For though," fays he, "I be free from all men, yet have I made myfelt fervant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law (being not without law to God, but under the law to Chrift) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means fave fome. And this I do for the Golpel's fake, that I might be partaker thereof with you."

Time permits not at prefent to proceed on the confideration of the other particular circumftances attending this facred Lecture of the great Teacher; fuch as the time when it was delivered-the Sabbath-day; the uniformity and conftancy of the practice, as his custom was; the attitude and exercile, ke food up for to read; the subject, a prediction concerning him, felt from the book of the prophet Efaias; his commentary upon it, this day is this Scripture fuifilled in your ears; and finally, the effect produced on his audience, the eyes of all them that were in the Synagogue were faftened on him; and all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. Thele particulars, therefore, will conftitute the fubject of our next exercife of this kind. We conclude the prefent with a few practical reflections.

1. Meditate on the venerability of the fabbath, the day of facred reft. It is the ordinance of God himlelf, who is repres fented in Scripture, not only as the Author of the inftitution, but as fetting the example of its devout obfervance. "On the feventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he refted on the seventh day from all his work which he had made." He made it a season of tolemn contemplation: "God faw every thing that he had made, and behold it was very good." He pronounced a benediction upon it, and fet it as part to holy purpofes: "And God bleffed the feventh day and fanétified it because that in it he had refted from all his work which God created and made." It is one of the natural measurements of time, though modern infidelity has made an attempt to efface it. It wears a benevolent and merciful afpect toward man and beaft. It is intimately and indiffolubly connetted with religion. The violation of the fabbath was con

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fidered,

Aidered, under the Mofaic difpenfation, as a flagrant contempt of the divine authority, and fubjected the offender to the punifhment of death. To the regular and fpiritual obfervance of it, on the other hand, were annexed many and gracious promifes. I quote only the following: "If thou turn away thy foot from the fabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day and call the fabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will caufe thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." The fubftitution of the firft, in place of the feventh day of the week, under the evangelical difpenfation, binds more closely, not relaxes the obligation; and the honour which God has been pleased to put upon it is a fufficient recommendation; independent of the authority of human laws. As, on the contrary, the character of the persons who live in the open and habitual neglect or profanation of it, is the reverfe of a recommendation to every man of fenfe, decency and virtue. But,

2. Take care not to fink the spirit in the letter of the ordinance. It is a day of reft, but idlenefs and reft are very different things. The mental composure and repose of the man infinitely tranfcend the liftlefs inaction of the brute. The body*

of the man indeed refts from the painful toil of the week, and his mind from its perplexing cares. But this is perfectly confiftent with vigorous bodily exertion, and with intenseness of mental application. The feet, the hands, the eye, the tongue, may all be actively employed in rendering unto God areasonable service." The fuperior powers of the foul may be in an afcending motion, up to “the Father of lights;" and in a progreffive motion, toward the "reft which remaineth to the people of God." The lips of the wife and good may be devoted to the diffufion of ufeful knowledge, and the ear of the willing and obedient may drink in the doctrines of truth, and the obligations of duty. This mutual interchange of kind of,' fices will produce an interchange of kind affections. Goodwill among men will be preserved and promoted. The bands of Nature will be ftrengthened by thofe of religion. To worfhip in one temple will become a bond of union among brethren, and will extinguish the coal of animofity; and thus "god linefs will be found profitable unto all things," and will exert a happy influence over "the life which now is," while it em braces"the promise of that which is to come."

3. Conformity

3. Conformity in things of inferior or of no moment, is a duty which we owe both to ourselves and to others to ourfelves, because it is the mark of a gracious and condescending character; to others, because every man has a title to deference and respect, in matters where another man's confcience is not concerned. Sournefs and incompliance are no part of the Spirit of Chrift. Neverthelefs, many who bear that name discover a tenaciousness of trifles, a bigotry to felf-opinion, inconfiftent not only with the Chriftian temper, but with good fense and good manners. This morofenefs of difpofition levels all distinctions, and affixes the fame idea of criminality to an enormous offence and adherence to a harmless form or ceremony. With a man of this defcription, "He that killeth an ox, is as if he flew a man: he that facrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he of fered fwine's blood; he that burneth incenfe, as it he bleffed an idol." Difference of opinion among men is part of the plan of a wife Providence. It affords exercife to human faculties; it expands a field for the difplay of mutual forbearance; it is a striking manifeftation of the variety of the works of God. He who will yield no point, however infignificant, has no reason to expect that his punctilio fhould be regarded. Were the whole world of this ungainly, untractable, uncomplying nature, fociety would prefent a perpetual and univerfal ftrife of contradictory feelings, humours and interefts. The rule of the Gospel is in this cafe, as in every other, abfolute : "All things whatsoever ye would that men fhould do to you, do ye even fo to them for this is the law and the prophets. Indeed the great Prophet carries the fpirit of his religion much farther: "I fay unto you, that ye refift not evil; but whofoever shall fmite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other alfo. And if any man will fue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak alfo. And whofoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that afketh thee; and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.”

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4. Watch and feize every promifing opportunity of doing good; and fuch occur every day that we live. Have we not the poor always with us? Might not the crumbs which fall from that table be given to feed many ftarving mouths? Do we not live in contact with ignorance and vice, with mifery and difease? And is it in our power to grant no relief, not fo much as" a cup of cold water ?" It is truly humbling to reflect how means and occasions of being useful to the bodies and to the fouls of men, and of promoting our own higheft interefts,

have been carelessly neglected, or deliberately abused. Judgment to come, however, sets the matter in a very ferious light "I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a ftranger, and ye took me not in naked, and ye clothed me not: fick, and in prifon, and vifited me not.' ye ""Verily I lay unto you, in as much as ye did it not to one of the leaft of thefe, ye did it not to me.

But this direction too must be accompanied with a caution. "Let not your good be evil fpoken of." "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither caft ye your pearls before fwine, left they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rent you." There is an officioufnefs of perhaps well-meaning goodnefs, which fometimes difdains to weigh the circumstances of times, places and perlons; which will introduce certain topics out of, as well as in feafon, to the grief of the more prudently ferious, the disgust of the lukewarm, and the mirth of the pro fane. "A word fpaken in due season, how good is it!” “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of filver. As an ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, fo is a wife reprover upon an obedient ear." Finally,

5. Bring forth" things new and old," from the inexhaustible ftores of Scripture. From this facred repofitory our bleffed Lord derived arguments to filence and confound the adverfary, and a subject of inftruction for the men of Nazareth. From the fame precious treasury, from those "wells of falvation," the faith ful of every age have drawn the waters of confolation, to fupport and refresh them under every preffure of diftrefs, to counteract the bitternefs of death, and to enjoy a foretaste of the 'pure river of water of life, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb." "Jefus anfwered and faid," to the woman of Samaria, at Jacob's well, "Whofoever drinketh of this water fhall thirft again; but whofoever drinketh of the water that Į fhall give him fhall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water fpringing up into everlasting life;" and "all Scripture is given by infpiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for inftruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Therefore, "search the Scriptures;" as Chrift hath commanded, “for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which teftify of me." Ye "have Mofes and the Prophets;" ye have Chrift and his Apoftles; hear them. If men reject their tefti mony, "neither will they be perfuaded, though one role from the dead."

LECTURE