'^ff^f^-r, 
 
 
 ^^^■■^Jia-' 
 
PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 Division ""s^ TT^r: . 
 
 Section . . . 
 Nianber X.'..(^. 
 

 
 ^^'';S;.:t" 
 
 :iJS 
 
 
-^ 
 
THE 
 
 PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL; 
 
 OR, THE 
 
 TRUE MODEL 
 
 FOR 
 
 CHRISTIANS AND PASTOHS. 
 
 translated 
 
 From a French manusc^pt of the latz 
 
 Rev. JOHN WILLIAM de la FLECHERE, 
 
 VICAR OF MADE LET, 
 
 TO WHICH IS ADDED, 
 
 SOME ACCOUNT of the AUTHOR. 
 
 By the Rev. JOSHUA GILPIN, 
 
 Vicar of Rockwardine, in the County of Salop. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 \ 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. CORRECTED. 
 
 Be ye followers of me^ enjen as I alfo am of Cbiifl. — 1 Cor. xl. i. 
 
 SHREWSBURY: 
 
 PRINTED AND SOLD BY J. AND W. EDDOWES i 
 
 Sold also by T.Longman, Paternoster-row, London, 
 
 1791- 
 
The portrait of St. PAUL, t^c. 
 
 ne I)o5frines of an evangelical Pajior, 
 
 X HE minlfter of the prefent age, being 
 deftitute of chrlftian piety, is neither able to 
 preach, nor clearly to comprehend, the truths 
 of the Gofpel, In general, he contents him- 
 felf with fuperficially declaring certain attri- 
 butes of the Supreme Being; while he is 
 fearful of fpeaking too largely of grace 
 or its operations, left he fhould be fufpedled 
 of enthuliafm. He declaims againft fome enor- 
 mous vice, or difplays the beauty of fome 
 focial virtue. He aifedls to eflablifh the doc- 
 trines of heathen philofophers : and it were to 
 be wifhed, that he always carried his morality 
 to as high a pitch, as fome of the moft cele- 
 brated of thofe fages. If he ever proclaims 
 the Lord Jefus Chriil:, it is but in a curfory 
 way, and chiefly when he is obliged to it, 
 
 A 2 by 
 
4 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 by the return of particular days. He himfelf 
 continues the fame through all feafons ; and 
 the crofs of Chrift would be entirely laid afide, 
 unlefs the temporal prince, more orthodox than 
 the minifter, had appointed the paffion of our 
 Lord to be the preacher's theme, during certain 
 folemnlties of the church. 
 
 With the evangelical paftor it is wholly 
 otherwife : J ejus Chrifty he is able to fay with 
 St. Paul, fent me to preach the Go/pel^ not with 
 wifdom of words y left the crofs of Chrift Jlwuld 
 he made of none effeoi. For the preaching of the 
 crofs isy to them that perifh^ foolifhnefs \ but unto 
 tts^ which are faved^ it is the power of God. 
 For it is written^ I will deftroy the vain wif- 
 dom of the wife^ and will bring to nothing the 
 falfe underftanding of the prudent. Hath not 
 God made foolifh the wifdom of this world ? For 
 after that the world by this wifdom^ this boaded 
 philofophy, knew not God^ but refted in ma- 
 terialifm and idolatry, it pleafed God by the 
 foolifhnefs of preachings to five them that be- 
 lieve (a). The preaching of the true minifter, 
 which commonly pafTes for folly m a degene- 
 rate world, is that, through which God em- 
 ploys his power, for the converfion of finners 
 
 and 
 
 (a) I Cor. i. 17—21. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 5 
 
 and the edification of believers. It conipre- 
 hends all that is revealed in the old and new 
 Teftament : but the fubjeds on which it is 
 chiefly employed, are the precepts of the de- 
 calogue, and the truths of the apoftles' creed. 
 They may be reduced to four points : i. True 
 repentance toward God. 2. A lively faith in 
 our Lord Jefus Chrift. 3. The fweet hope, 
 which the Holy Spirit fheds abroad in the 
 hearts of believers. 4. That chriftian charity, 
 which is the abundant fource of every good 
 work. In a word, the good paftor preaches, 
 repentance^ faith^ hope^ and charity, Thefe four 
 virtues include all others. Thefe are the 
 four pillars which fupport the glorious tem^ 
 pie, of which St. Paul and St. Peter make 
 the following mention : Te are God's build- 
 ing (b). Te alfo^ as lively ft ones ^ are built up a 
 fpiritual houfe (c). 
 
 By fearching into the folidity of thefe four 
 fupports, we may obferve how vaft a diiFer- 
 ence there is between thp materials 0^ which 
 .they are compofed, and that untempered mortar^ 
 with which the minifters of the prefent day 
 are ftriving to eredl a ftiowy building upon 
 a fandy foundation. 
 
 A3 The 
 
 (b) I Cor, iii. 9. (c) 1 Pet. ii, 5. 
 
6 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 ne evangelical pajlor preaches True Repent- 
 ance toward God, 
 
 THE true minlfter, convinced, both by re- 
 velation and experience, that Jefus Chrift alone 
 is able to recover difeafed fouls, employs every 
 effort to bring finners into the prefence of 
 this heavenly phyfician, that they may obtain 
 of him fpiritual health and falvation. He is 
 fully perfuaded, that he who is not weary and 
 heavy laden^ will never apply for relief;' that 
 he who is not poor in fpirit^ will conftantly 
 defpife the riches of the Gofpel ; and that they, 
 who are unacquainted with their danger, will 
 turn an inattentive ear to the loudeft warnings 
 of grace. His firft care, then, is to prefs 
 upon his hearers the neceflity of an unfeigned 
 repentance ; that, by breaking the reed of their 
 vain confidence, he may conftrain them, with 
 the pQor^ the miferabk^ the hlind^ and the naked^ 
 to fall before the throne of divine juftice : 
 whence, after feeing themfelves condemned by 
 the law of God, without any ability to de- 
 liver their own fouls, he is confcious they will 
 have recourfe to the throne of grace, intreat- 
 ing like the penitent publican, to be jujlified 
 freely by the grace of God^ through the r^edemp- 
 
 - tion 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. *7 
 
 iion that is in Chrift Jefus (d). It is 
 
 in this ftate of humiliation and compundtion 
 of heart, that finners are enabled to experience 
 the happy efFedls of that evangelical repentance, 
 which is well defined in the xivth chap, of 
 the Helvetic Confeilion : *' By repentance," 
 fay our pious reformers, '' we mean that for- 
 " row, or that difpleafure of foul, which is 
 *' excited in a finner, by the word and fpirit 
 *' of God, &c. By this new fenfibility, he is 
 *' firft made to difcover his natural corrup- 
 " tion, and his adlual tranfgreflions. His 
 " heart is pierced with fincere diftrefs \ he 
 " deplores them before God ; he confefles 
 '' them with confufion, but without referve ; 
 " he abhors them with holy indignation ; 
 *' he ferioufly refolves, from the prefent mo- 
 " ment, to reform his condud, and religioufly 
 " apply himfelf to the pradlice of every vir» 
 " tue, during the remainder of his life. Such 
 " is true repentance: it confifts, at once, in 
 " refolutely renouncing the devil, with every 
 " thing that is finful •, and in fincerely cleav- 
 " ing to God, with every thing that is 
 " truly good. But we exprefsly fay, this 
 *' repentance is the mere gift of God, and 
 " can never be effeded by our own power (e)." 
 
 A 4 It 
 
 (d) Rom. Hi. 24. (e) 2 Tim, li. 25. 
 
8 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 It appears, by this definition, that our re- 
 formers diftlnguifhed that by the name of re- 
 pentance, which many theologifls have called 
 the awaking of a foul from the fieep of car- 
 nal fecurlty •, and which others have frequently 
 termed converjion. But, if dinners underftand 
 and obtain the difpoHtion here defcribed, no 
 true minlfter will be over-anxious, that they 
 fhould exprefs it in any particular form of 
 words. 
 
 How fin and the necejjity of repentance entered 
 into the world, 
 
 OBSERVE the account, which the evan- 
 gelical minlfher gives, after Mofes and St. 
 Paul, of the manner in which that dreadful 
 infedlion made its way into the world, that 
 corrupt nature, that old man^ that hody of deaths 
 which Chrift, the feed of the woman, came to 
 deftroy. When the tempted woman faw^ that 
 the fruit of the tree, which God had for- 
 bidden* her to touch, was pleafant to the eyes^ 
 good for food^ and to he dejired to make one 
 wife^ fhe took thereof and did eat^ and gave alfo 
 unto her hufhand with her^ and he did eat (f ). 
 Thus entered into the fountain-head of na- 
 ture 
 
 (f) Gen. iii. 6, i Tim. ii. 14. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 9 
 
 ture that moral evil, that complicated malady, 
 that lufi of the flejh, that lufi of the eyes^ and 
 that pride of life (g), which the fecond Adam 
 came to crucify in the flefh, and which is ftill 
 daily crucified in the members of his myftical 
 body. 
 
 If Jefus Chrift never publicly difcourfed 
 concerning the entry of fin into the world, it 
 was becaufe his fermons were addreiTed to a 
 people, who had been long before inftrudled 
 in a matter of fo great importance. On this 
 account, he fimply propofed himfelf to Ifraei, 
 as that promifed Mefliah, that Son of God 
 and Son of man, who was about to repair 
 the error of the firft Adam, by becoming the 
 refurredion and the life of all thofe, who 
 fhould beheve in his name. 
 
 St. Paul was very differently circumftanced, 
 when laboring among thofe nations which were 
 unacquainted with the fall, except by uncer- 
 tain and corrupt tradition. Behold the wifdom, 
 with which he unfolds to the heathen, that fun- 
 damental dodlrine, which was not conteiled a- 
 mong the jews : ^hefirfl man Adam^ the head of 
 the human fpecies, was made a living foul \ but 
 
 Jefus 
 
 (g) I John ii. 16. 
 
lO THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 Chrid, the laft Adam^ was made a quickening 
 fpirit', and he alfo is the head of the human 
 fpecies, for the head of every man is Chrijl (h). 
 "The firfi man is of the earthy earthy : the fecond 
 man is the Lord from Heaven, As is the earthy, 
 fuch are they alfo that are earthy [worldly :] and 
 as is the heavenly^ fuch are they alfo that are 
 heavenly [regenerate.] And as we have borne 
 the image of the earthy , we, whofe fouls are al- 
 ready regenerate, Jhall alfo hear the complete 
 image of the heavenly *, when this mortal fhall 
 have put on immortality : For the fiefh and blood, 
 which we have from the hrft Adam, cannot 
 inherit the kingdom of God (i). 
 
 As human pride is continually exalting itfelf 
 againft this humiliating dodlrine, fo the true 
 minifter as conftantly repeats it, crying out in 
 the language of this great apoftle : All un- 
 regenerate men are under fin : there is none that 
 underffandeth, there is none that feeketh after 
 God: they are all gone out of the way, they are 
 together become unprofitable : the way of peqce 
 have they not known: there is no fear of God 
 before their eyes : we know that whatfoever things 
 the law faith, the natural or the mofaic law, 
 it faith to them that are under the law : that 
 
 every 
 (h) I Cor. xi. 3, (i) I Cor, xv. 45 — 53. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. I I 
 
 every mouth may he Jlopped^ and all the world 
 may become guilty before God (k). 7' here is 
 no differences for as all have finned and come 
 fhort of the glory of God^ fo all equally need 
 the merits and afTiftance of Jefus Chrifl, whom 
 God hath fet forth to be a propitiation^ through 
 faith in his blood (1). All thofe, there- 
 fore, who, negleding Chrid, rely upon the 
 works of the law^ are under the curfe\ and all 
 their endeavours to deliver themfelves, by 
 their imperfe(51: obedience, are totally vain : 
 For it is written^ curfed is every one that con- 
 iinueth not in all things which are written in 
 the book of the law^ to do them. Thus, by de- 
 nouncing maledidions, as dreadful as the thun- 
 ders from mount Sinai, againft every ad: of 
 difobedience, the law becomes our fchool-mafier 
 to bring us unto Chrifl^ that we might be jufiified 
 by faith (m). 
 
 ms doBrine is maintained by all the Chriflian 
 Churches, 
 
 WHEN an evangelical miniiler infifts upon- 
 the fall, the corruption, and the danger, of 
 unregenerate man, he adls in conformity to the 
 
 acknowledged 
 
 (k) Rom. iii« 9—19. (1) Rom. iii. 22—25. 
 
 (m) Gal. iii. 10—24. 
 
12 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. 
 
 acknowledged opinions of the pureft Churches. 
 As I chiefly write for the French proteftants, 
 I fhall here cite the confeiTion of faith now 
 in ufe among the French Churches. "We 
 " believe,'* fay they, in the ix. x. and xi. articles 
 of their creed, " that man, having been created 
 " after the image of God, fell, by his own 
 " fault, from the grace he had received •, and 
 " thus became alienated from God, who is 
 " die fountain of holinefs and felicity ; fo that, 
 " having his mind blinded, his heart depraved, 
 " and his whole nature corrupted, he loH all 
 *' his innocence. — We believe, that the whole 
 " race of Adam is infeded with this conta- 
 " gion, that in his perfon we forfeited every 
 " blefling, and funk into a ftate of univerfal 
 " want and malediction. — We believe alfo that 
 " fin, &c. is a perverfenefs producing the fruits 
 " of malice and rebellion.'* 
 
 The reformed Churches of Switzerland make 
 as humiliating a confeflion. " Man," fay they, 
 " by an abufe of his liberty, fufFering himfelf 
 <' to be feduced by the ferpent, forfook his 
 " .primitive integrity. Thus he rendered him- 
 " felf fubje^l to fin, death, and every kind of 
 *' mifery : and fuch as the firft man became, 
 
 " by 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 1 3 
 
 <* by the fall, fuch are all his defcendants (n). 
 When we fay, man is fubjed to fin, we 
 mean by y?;^^, that corruption of nature, which, 
 from the fall of the firft man, has been 
 tranfmitted from father to fon : vicious paf- 
 fions, an averfion to that which is good, 
 *' an inclination to that which is evil, a dlf. 
 pofition to malice, a bold defiance and con- 
 tempt of God. Behold the unhappy effeds 
 of that corruption, by which we are fo wholly 
 " debilitated, that of ourfelves we are not able 
 " to do, nor even to choofe, that which is 
 " good." Helvetic ConfelTion. Chap. viii. 
 Every man may find in himfelf fufiicient proofs 
 of thefe painful truths. " God is the creator 
 of man," fay the Fathers who compofed the 
 fynod of Berne, "and he intended that man 
 " fhould be entirely devoted to his God. But 
 *' this is no longer his nature •, fince he looks 
 "' to creatures, to his own pleafure, and makes 
 " an idol of himfelf." Acts of Synod. Chap. viii. 
 
 This dodrine is alfo fet forth in the Augf- 
 bourg confefiion ; as well as in the ix. and 
 X. articles of the Church of England, where 
 it is exprefled in the following terms : " Origi- 
 *' nal fin ftandeth not in the following of Adam, 
 
 " but 
 (n) Rom. V. 12, 
 
14 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 " but is the fault and corruption of the nature 
 
 cc 
 
 of every man, whereby he Is very far gone 
 from original righteoufnefs, and is, of his 
 own nature, inclined to evil, fo that the flefh. 
 luiieth alway contrary to the fpirit ; and 
 therefore, in every perfon born into this 
 " world, it deferveth God's wrath and dam- 
 *' nation." — " The condition of man, after 
 " the fall of Adam, is fuch, that he cannot 
 *' turn and prepare himfelf, by his own natural 
 *' ilrength and good works, to faith and calling 
 *' upon God : wherefore we have no power 
 ** to do good works, pleafant and acceptable 
 to God, without the grace of God by Chrifl 
 preventing us, that we may have a good 
 will, and working with us Vv'hen we have 
 that good will." 
 
 Nothing lefs than a lively convidion of the 
 corruption, weaknefs, and mifery, dtfcribed in 
 thefe confeffions of faith, can properly difpofe 
 a man for evangelical repentance. 
 
 Without 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. I5 
 
 Without evangelical repentance^ a lively faith in 
 Chrift^ or regeneration by the Holy Spirit^ will 
 appear not only unnecejfary^ but abfurd, 
 
 AS the knowledge of our depravity, is the 
 fource from whence evangelical repentance and 
 chrlftian humility flow, fo it is the only necefTary 
 preparation for that living faith, by which we 
 are both juftified and fandified. He who ob- 
 ftinately dofes his eyes upon his own wretch- 
 ednefs, fhuts himfelf up In circumftances, which 
 will not luffer him to receive any advantage 
 from that glorious Redeemer, whom God hath 
 anointed to preach the Go/pel to the poor ; to 
 heal the broken-hearted ; to preach deliver- 
 ance to the captives, and recovering of fight to 
 the BLIND : to fet at liberty them that are 
 BRUISED ; to preach the acceptable year of the 
 Lord (o). Reafon itfelf declares, that if 
 
 finful man is poiTefTed of fufficient ability to 
 fecure his own falvation, he needs no other 
 Saviour, and Chrifi is dead in vain (p). In fhort, 
 fo far as v^e are unacquainted with our de- 
 generate eftate, fo far the important doArine 
 of regeneration muft neceflarily appear fuper- 
 £uous and abfurd. 
 
 Here 
 
 (o)Lukeiv. 18, 19. (p) Gal.ii. 21. 
 
l6 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.* ' 
 
 Here we may perceive one grand reafon, 
 why the' minifters of the prefent day, who are 
 but fuperiicially acquainted with the depravity 
 of the human heart, difcourfe upon this myf- 
 terlous fubjed in a flight and unfatisfadory 
 manner. 
 
 The true minliler, on the contrary, follow- 
 ing the example of his great mailer, fpeaks 
 upon this momentous change with affedion and 
 power. Obferve the terms, in which our Lord 
 himfelf declares this negleded dodlrine : Verily^ 
 verily^ I fay unto you, except a man he horn of 
 water and of the fpirit^ he cannot enter into the 
 Kingdom of God (q). As though he Ihould 
 fay •, The natural man, how beautiful an ap- 
 pearance foever he may make, is pofTefled of 
 an heart fo defperately wicked, that, unlefs it 
 be broken by the repentance which John the 
 Baptlft preached, and regenerated by the faith 
 which I declare, he can never become a citizen 
 of Heaven : for the doors of my Kingdom 
 mull rem.ain everlaftingly barred againft thofe 
 ravening wolves^ who difguife themfelves as 
 fheep (r), and thofe painted hypocrites, who 
 falute me as their lord, without embracing 
 my dodlrlnes and obferving my commands. 
 
 Verily:^ 
 (q) John iii, 5. (r) Matt, vii, 15. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 17 
 
 Ferifyy therefore, / fay unto you^ my firft diC- 
 ciples and friends, except ye he converted and 
 become as little children^ who are ftrangers to 
 ambitious, envious, and impure thoughts, ye 
 ftidll not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (s). 
 
 Such IS the dodrine that is ftlU able to 
 convert every inquiring Nicodemus. At firft 
 It may perplex and confound them; but, at 
 length, fubmitting to the wifdom of their 
 heavenly teacher, they will be conftrained to 
 cry out. Impart to us. Lord, this regenerating 
 faith : and when once they have obtained their 
 requeft, they will adopt the prayer of the dif- 
 ciples (t), and proceed like them, from faith 
 to faith, till all things in their regenerate hearts 
 are become new. 
 
 But, if this dodrine Is a favour of life unto 
 fome, it is alfo a favour of death unto others. 
 It gives offence to blinded bigots, while modera 
 infidels ftrengthen themfelves againft it, as Pha- 
 raoh once ftrengthened himfelf againft the au- 
 thority of Jehovah, ^hus faith the Lordy faid 
 Mofes to that obftinate monarch; Let my people 
 go^ that they may ferve me {\x) : and the haughty 
 infidel replied, JVlio is the Lord that I fliould 
 Vol. II. B obey 
 
 (s) Matt, xviii. 3. (0 Lukejfvii. 5. (u) Exod. vUi. i. 
 
iS, THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 obey his voice? I know not the Lord^ neither 
 vnll I let Ifrael go (w). Come up out of 
 myilic Egypt, faith the Son of Gop to every 
 iinful foul : Follow me in the regeneration (x), 
 and I will teach you to 'worjliip God in fpirit 
 and in truth (y). And who is the Son of 
 God ? replies fome- petty Pharaoh : I know 
 neither him, nor his father, nor conceive myfelf 
 in any wife obliged to obey his commands. 
 
 Impious as this language may appear, the 
 condud: of every irreligious chriflian mufl; be 
 conddered as equivalent to it, according to 
 thofe words of our Lord : He thai defpifeth 
 my fervants and my dodtrines, defpifeth me-, 
 and he that defpifeth me^ defpifeth him that fent 
 me (z). Whatever mafk fuch a pharifaical 
 profeflbr may wear, he loves the worlds there- 
 fore the love of the Father is not in him{2L): 
 he hates both Chrift and his Father (b), his 
 repentance is fuperficial, his faith is vain, and, 
 fooner or later, his adlions or his words will 
 teftify, that he is an utter enemy to Chrift: 
 and his members. 
 
 How^ 
 
 (w) Exod. V. 2. (x) Matt. xix. 28. (y) John iv. 24. 
 (z) Luke X. 16. (a) i John ii. 15. (b) John xv. 24. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST« PAUL. ig 
 
 How the faithful pajl or leads Jinners to repentance, 
 
 WHAT was fpoken by God to Jeremiah, 
 may in fome fort be applied to the true minif- 
 ter; / have fet thee to root out and to plants 
 to pull down and to build (c). For before the 
 facred vine can be planted, the thorns of {\Ti 
 muft be rooted up, together with the thiftles 
 of counterfeit righteoufnefs : and before the 
 ilrong tower of falvation can be ereded, that 
 fpiritual Babel muft be overthrown, by which 
 prefumptuous men are ftill exalting themfelves 
 againft Heaven. 
 
 To lead finners into a ftate of evangelical 
 repentance, the true minifter difcovers to their 
 view the corruption of the heart, with all the 
 melancholy eiFeds it produces in the characSler 
 and converfation of unregenerate men. After 
 he has denounced the anathemas of the law 
 againft particular vices, fuch as fwearing, lying, 
 evil-fpeaking, extortion, drunkennefs, &c. he 
 points out the magnitude of two general or 
 primitive fins. The greatcft offence, accord- 
 ing to the law, he declares to be that, by 
 which its firft and great command is violated: 
 
 B 2 ' confequently, 
 
 (c) Jcr, i. lo. 
 
20 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 confequently, thofe, who love not God beyond 
 all created beings, he charges with living in 
 the habit of damnable fin j fince they tranf- 
 grefs that rnoft facred of all laws, which binds 
 us to love the Deity with all our heart (d). 
 Hence, he goes on to coiivi6b thofe of vio- 
 latinor a command like unto the firft, who 
 love not their neighbour as themfelves (e) : 
 and to thefe two fins, as to their deadly fources, 
 he traces all the crimes, which are forbidden 
 in the Law and in the prophets (f ). 
 
 And now he proceeds to lay open, before 
 the eyes of profefTmg chriftians, the two greateil 
 fins which are committed under the Gofpel dif- 
 penfation. If the two great commands of 
 God, under the new covenant, are to this 
 efFed y that we believe on his Son Jefus Chrifl, 
 and love one another (g) ; it is evident, that 
 the two greateft fins under the Gofpel, are, 
 the want of that living faith, which unites us 
 to Chrift, and that ardent charity, which binds 
 us to mankind in general, as well as to believers 
 in particular, with the bands of cordial affec- 
 tion. As darknefs proceeds from the abfence 
 of the fun and moon j fo from thefe two fins 
 
 of 
 
 (d) Matt. xxii. 37, 38. (e) Matt. xxli. 39. 
 (f) Matt. xxii. 40. (g) i John iii. 23. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 21 
 
 of omifTion, £ow all the various offences, which 
 are prohibited by the evangelical law. And 
 if thofe, who are immerfed in thefe primitive 
 /ins, are withheld from the adlual commiffion 
 of enormous oiFences, they are not on this 
 account to be efteemed radically holy ; fince 
 they are poflefTed of that very nature from 
 which every crime is produced. Sooner or 
 later, temptation asd opportunity may caufe 
 fome baneful fhoots to fpring forth in their 
 outward condud, in teftimony that a root of 
 bitternefs lies deep within, and that the leaft 
 impious of men carry about them a degenerate 
 nature, a body of (in and death. 
 
 To give more weight to thefe obfervations, 
 he fets forth the greatnefs of the Supreme 
 Being, enlarges on his juftice, and difplays the 
 feverity of his laws. He tramples under foot 
 the pharifaical holinefs of (inners, that he may 
 bring into eftimatlon the real virtues of the 
 new man^ which after God is created in righteouf- 
 nefs and true holinefs. To awaken thofe Vfho 
 are fleeping in a ftate of carnal fecurity, he 
 dehounces the moft alarming maledidions, call- 
 ing forth againft them the thunders of mount * 
 Sinat, till they are conftrained to turn their 
 faces Zion-wardj till they feek for fafety in 
 
 B 3 the 
 
22 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 the Mediator of the new covenant, and hadcn 
 to the fprinkling of that bloody which fpeakeik 
 better things than the blood of Abel (h). 
 
 By this method, he condudls his wandering 
 flock to the very point where ancient Ifrael 
 Rood, when God had prepared them to re- 
 ceive the law by his fervant Mofes. Now after 
 the people had heard the thunderings^ and the 
 noife of the trumpet j after they had feen the 
 lightnings^ and the mountain fmoking (i): when, 
 unable any longer to gaze on the dreadful 
 fcene, they faid unto Mofes^ Speak thou with uSy 
 and we will hear ; but let not God fpeak unto 
 uSi without a Mediator, lejl we die (k) — 
 Then it was that Mofes began to confole them 
 in the following words : Fear not : for God is 
 come to prove you^ and that his fear may he 
 before your faces ^ that ye ftn not (1), So, in 
 the prefent day, they only, who are brought 
 to this poverty of fpirit^ are properly dif- 
 pofed to receive the riches of divine mercy. 
 As foon, therefore, as the evangelical minifler 
 has fufHciently alarmed a finner, with the ter- 
 rors difcovered upon mount Sinai, he anxioufly. 
 prepares him for the confolations of the Gof- 
 
 pel, 
 
 (h) Hcb. xii. 24. (i) Exod. xx. 18. 
 
 (k) Exod. XX. \^, (0 Exod. xx. 20. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUI,. 23 
 
 pel, by a fight of the fuitering fcene upon 
 Calvary. 
 
 Many pious divines have fuppofed that, by 
 preaching the crofs of Chrift alone, mankind 
 mi^ht be brought to true repentance.' What 
 the fathers of the Synod of Berne have fa'id 
 upon this point, deferves the attention of 
 thofe, who defire fuccefsfuliy to ufe that fpin- 
 tual weapon, which is Jharper than any two-edged 
 [word (m). 
 
 " The knowledge of fin," fay they, ^' rauft 
 " of neceflity be drawn frpm Jefus Chrift. 
 " The apoftle writes thus; Gad -commendeth his 
 *' love toward us^ in that while we were yet Jin^ 
 " ners^ Chrift died for us (n). It follows, that 
 " fin mufl have made us abominable and ex- 
 " tremely hateful, fmce the Son of God could 
 " no other way deliver us from the burden 
 " of it, than by dying in our flead. Hence, 
 " we may conceive, what a depth of mifery 
 ** ^nd corruption there is- in; the heart, fince 
 " it w^s not able to be purified, but by the 
 " facrifice of fo precious a vidim, and by 
 « the fprinkling of the blood of God," i. e. 
 of a man miraculoufly formed, in whom 
 
 B 4 dwelt 
 
 (m) Heb. iv. xli. (n) Rom, v. 8. 
 
24 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 dwelt all the fulnefs of the Godhead bodily (o), 
 
 ** The apoftles have clearly manifefted the 
 
 ** finfulnefs of our nature, by the death of 
 
 " Chrift; whereas the jews, after, all their 
 
 ** painful refea?ches, were not convinced of 
 
 ** fin by the Law of Mofes. After a folid 
 
 ** knowledge of fin has been drawn from the 
 
 ** paiTion of our Lord, there v/i:l nituraliy 
 
 " flow froni this knowledge a true repent- 
 
 f' ance, that is, a lively forrow for {in, ipln- 
 
 " gled with the hope of future pardon. To 
 
 " this neceflary work the Holy Spirit alfo 
 
 *' powerfully contributes, bringing more and 
 
 ^ more to the light, by its myfterious opera- 
 
 *' tions, the hidden evils and unfufpeded cor- 
 
 *' ruptions of the heart ; daily purifying it 
 
 ** from the filthinefs of fm,- as filver is purified 
 
 ** by the fire." A5is of Synods chap, viii. ix. xiv, 
 
 Jiow the prophets^ J^fus Chrijl^ his forerunner^ and 
 his apojlles^ prepared /inner s for repentance, 
 
 EVER faithful to the veord of God, the 
 minifter of the Gofpel endeavours to humble 
 the impenitent, by appealing to the facred 
 "writers, and particularly to the declarations of 
 Jefus Chrift. 
 
 Th€ 
 
 (p) CoIofT. ii..^. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 25 
 
 The corruption of the heart is the moft 
 ancient and dreadful malady of the human 
 race. Man had no fboner made trial of fin, 
 but he was driven hy it from an earthly para- 
 dife (p) : and fo terrible were its firft effedls, 
 that the fecond man was feen to aflaiTmate 
 the third (q). This moral contagion increaf* 
 ed through every age to fo ailonifhing a de- 
 gree, that, before the deluge, God faix) that 
 the mckednefs of man was great in the earthy 
 and that every imagination of the thoughts of his 
 heart was only eiil continually (r). After the 
 flood, God ftill declared the imagination of man's 
 heart to he evil from his youth (s). ^he heart 
 of man, faith he again long after that time^ 
 is deceitful above all things and defperately uickedr 
 ivho can know it ? I the Lord fearch the heart, 
 J try the reins {t). 
 
 Our Lord himfelf, who perfedly knew what 
 was in man (u), being the phyfician who alone 
 is able to heal us, and the Judge who will 
 render to every one recording to his works; 
 our Lord has deicribed mankind as alienated 
 from the chief good, filled with averfion to 
 his people, and enemies to God himfelf. / 
 
 fend 
 
 (p) Gen. iii. 24, (q) Gen. iv 8. (r) Gen. vi. 5. 
 
 (s) Gen. viii. ai, (t) Jer. xvii. 5, 10. (u) John ii. 35. 
 
26 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 fend you forth^ faith he to his difciples, as 
 lambs among wolves (w). If the world hate you^ 
 ye know' that it hated me before it hated you. 
 If ye were of the worlds the world would love 
 his own ; but becaufe I have chofen.you out of 
 the worlds that ye fhould walk in : my • fteps, 
 therefore the world h'ateth you. If they have' per- 
 fecuted me, they will alfo p erf e cute you (x). All 
 tbefe things will they do unto you for my name's 
 fikey becaufe, notwithftanding their deifm and 
 pplytheifm, they know not him that fent mer 
 For he that hateth me, hateth wy father alfo (y), 
 l^hefe things have I told you, that, when they 
 iball chafe you from their churches, as demons 
 would chafe an Angel of light, ye may remem-^ 
 her that I told you of them (z). 
 
 The jews were doubtlefs, in one fenfe, the 
 moft enlightened of all people ; feeing they 
 offered to the true God a public worfhip un- 
 mixed with idolatry, were in pofieflion of the 
 I;aw of Mofes, the Pfalms of David, together 
 with the writings of the other prophets, in 
 which the duties required of man, both with 
 refped to God and his neighbour, are traced 
 out in the moft accurate manner. Neverthe- 
 
 lefs, 
 
 (w) Luke X. 3. (x) John xv.. 18, 19, 20. 
 
 (y) John XV. 21, 23. (z) John xvi. 4. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 1*J 
 
 lefs, Jefus Chrifl reprefents this enlightened 
 people as' univerfally corrupted, in fpite of all 
 thefe advantages: Did not Mofesy faith he to 
 them, give you the Law ? and yet none of you 
 keepeth the Law (a). 
 
 What appears moft extraordinary in the fer- 
 mons of our Lord, is the zeal, with which 
 he bore his teftimony againft the virtues of 
 thofe jews, who were reputed men of uncom- 
 mon devotion. Although they piqued them- 
 felves upon being eminently righteous, he declared 
 to his difciples, that, unlefs their righteoufnefs 
 ftiould exceed the righteoufnefs of the fcribes and 
 fharifeesy they fhould in no cafe enter into the 
 Kingdom of Heaven (b). And obferve the man- 
 ner, in which he generally addrefled thofe 
 religious impoftors : Woe unto you^ fcribes and 
 'pharifeesy hypocrites I for ye make clean the out^ 
 fide of the cup and of the platter^ hut within 
 they are full of extortion and excefs [full of 
 covetous defires and diforderly paffions ;] nou 
 blind pkarifee^ cleanfe firft that which is withiny 
 that the outfide may be clean alfo (c). 
 
 Nothing is more common than that bllnd- 
 nefs, which fufFers a man to eileem himfcif 
 
 better 
 (a) John vii, ip, (b) Matt, v, 20. (c) xxlii. 25, 26. 
 
28 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 better than he really is, and this blindnefs isr, 
 in every period and in every place, the diilln=. 
 gulfhlng charaflerlftic of a pharlfee. This 
 fpecles of -hypocrify, with which St. Paul 
 himfelf was once elated, agrees perfeftly weU 
 with the ordinary lincerity of nominal chrlf- 
 tlans, who blindly regard amufements the mofl 
 trifling and expenfive, as allowable and in- 
 nocent pleafures •, who look upon theatres 
 as fchools of virtue ♦, intrigue and deceit, as 
 prudence and fafhion •, pomp and profuiion, 
 as generosity and decorum *, avarice, as fru- 
 gality, pride, as delicacy of fentimenti adul- 
 tery, as gallantry *, and murder, as an affair' 
 of honor. 
 
 To all fuch modern chriftians, may we not, 
 with propriety, repeat what our Lord once 
 openly addrefled to their predecefTors ? With- 
 out doubt, we are authorized to cry out againfl 
 them, with an holy zeal. Woe unto you^ hypo- 
 crites I for ye are like unto whited fepulchres^ 
 which indeed appear beautiful outward^ hut are 
 within full of dead men^s bones and of all un- 
 cleannefs (d). Te outwardly appear righteous unto 
 meny but within ye are full of hypocrify and ini- 
 quity : of hypocrify-, becaufe, your virtues have 
 
 more 
 
 (d) Matt, xxiii. 27. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 20 
 
 mor^ of appearance than folidity ; and of />/- 
 Ji{/lice, becaufe you render not that which is 
 due to God, to Cefar, or to your fellow- 
 creatures, whether it be adoration, fear, honor, 
 fupport, or good-will (e). 
 
 But, if the depravity of the Jews in general, 
 and of the pharifees in particular, appears abun- 
 dantly evident, muft we fuppofe there were no 
 happy exceptions among them ? It is true, 
 the royal prophet declares — "T/ie Lord looked 
 down from heaven upon the children of men^ to 
 fee if there were any that did under f and and 
 feek God, They are all gone qfide^ they are alto- 
 gether hecotne filthy : there is none that doeth good^ 
 no not one (f ). But were not the difciples of 
 our Lord to be confldered in a different point 
 of view ? No : even after the extraordinary 
 afTiftance afforded them by the Son of God, 
 the apoflles themfelves did but confirm the 
 fad aiTertion of the Pfalmift. Our Lord, upon 
 whom no appearances could impofe, once tef- 
 tified to James and John, that, notwithfland- 
 ing their zeal for his perfon, they were un- 
 acquainted with his real charader; and that, 
 inftead of being influenced by his fpirit, they 
 were adluated by that of the d.eftroyer (g). 
 
 Te 
 (e) Matt, xxlil. 28. (f) Ffalm xlv. 3, 3. (g) Luke ix. 55. 
 
30 THE PORTRAIT OF ST* PAUL. 
 
 11? then^ heing evil-, faid he to all his difci- 
 pies (h). Have not I chofen you twelve^ and 
 one of yoti is a devil {})? One of you Jh all he- 
 tray nie — Peter, who is the moil refolute to 
 confefs me, ihall deny me thrice — and all ye 
 /hall be offended becaufe of me (k). Laftly : our 
 Lord conftantly reprefented the unregenerate, 
 as perfons difeafed and condemned, ^hey that 
 are ivhole^ faid he, have no need of the phyjician^ 
 hut they that are ftck : I came not to call the 
 righteous^ but Jinners^ to repentance (1). Te are 
 of this worlds therefore I faid unto yoii^ that ye 
 Jhall die in your fins : for if ye believe not that 
 I am He, and refufe to obferve the fpiritual 
 regimen I prefcribe, ye fhall die in your fins (m). 
 ^'^cept ye repent ye fiiall perif}i (n). 
 
 It is notorious, th?.t John the Baptift pre* 
 pared the way of his adorable mafter by preach- 
 in p^ the fame do6lrine : O generation of vipers^ 
 faid he to the pharifees and fadducees, to the 
 profane and profeffing part of the nation, 
 who hath warned you to flee from the wrath ts 
 come ? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for re- 
 pentance (o). 
 
 It 
 
 (h) Matt. vii. ii. (i) John vi, 70, 
 
 (k) Matt. xxvi. 21, 34, 31. (1) Mark ii. 17. 
 
 (m) John viii. 23, 24. (n) Luke xiii. 5. 
 (o) Matt. iii. 7, 8. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. 3 1 
 
 It is equally well known, that the difclples 
 were inftruded by Chrift himfelf to tread it\ 
 the fteps of his forerunner: // behoved^ faid 
 he, Chrift to fuffer\ and that repentance 
 Jhould he preached in his name among all na- 
 tions (p). Hence, an apoftle was heard to cry 
 out j God now commandeth all men every where 
 to repent (q). And at other times, the fam« 
 divine teacher was infpired to write as follows : 
 JVe^ who are Jews by nature^ and not fmners of 
 the gentiles^ were by nature the children of wrathj 
 even as others (r) ; for we were fcmetimes fooUfhy 
 difobedient^ deceived^ ferving divers lufis and plea- 
 fures^ living in malice and envy^ hateful and hat- 
 ing one another (s). 
 
 The fame docflrine was conftantly held forth 
 by the other apoftles, as well as by St. Paul. 
 In time paji, faith St. Peter, we have wrought 
 the will of the gentiles^ walking in lafcivioufnefs^ 
 tufts^ revellings^ &c. (t)', The whole world lieth 
 in wickednefs •, faith the beloved John (u) : and 
 St. James folemnly teftifies, that every friend 
 of the world is the enemy of God (w). 
 
 This 
 
 (p) Luke xxiv. 46, 47. (q) Ads xvii. 30, 
 
 (r) Gal. ii. 15, Eph. ii. 3. (s) Tit. iii. 3. 
 
 <t) I Pet. iv. 3, (u) I John v, 19. (w) James iv. 4. 
 
32 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUl.' 
 
 This humiliating doflrine, which the world 
 oniverfally abhors, is a light too valuable to 
 be hidden under a bufhel : and till it Is raifed, 
 as it were upon a candleilick of gold, we 
 can never hope to fee the vifible church en- 
 lightened and reformed. 
 
 Obfervaiions upon the repentance of worldly men, 
 
 IF it be enquired, Do not all minifters 
 preach repentance ? We anfwer ; that ordina- 
 rily, true minifters alone preach true re- 
 pentance. The preachers of the day, as they 
 are conformable to the world in other things, 
 fo they are perfedlly contented with pradifing 
 the repentance of worldly men. Now as he 
 who receives only bafe coin, cannot poflibly 
 circulate good money, fo he who fatisfies his 
 heart with a jfhort-lived forrow for fin, cannot 
 poflibly give free courfe to that evangelical 
 repentance, which the Gofpel requires. And 
 it is obfervable, that the hearers of fuch ill- 
 inftruded fcribes, generally fix thofe bounds 
 to their repentance, v/hich are fatisfadory to 
 their impenitent pallors. 
 
 The repentance, we here condemn, may be 
 known by the following marks. 
 
 I. It 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 23 
 
 I. It is fuperfidaly and founded only upon 
 the moft vague ideas of our corruption : hence, 
 it cannot, like that of David and Jeremiah, 
 trace fin to its fource, and bewail the de- 
 pravity of the whole heart (x). 
 
 - 2. It is pharifaical^ regarding only outward 
 fins. The righteoufnefs of the pharifees refted 
 upon the moft trifling obfervances, while they 
 negleded thofe weighty commands of the Law, 
 which refped the love of God and our neigh- 
 bour (y). They afflided themfelves, when they 
 had not fcrupuloufly paid the tenths of their 
 herbs ; but they fmote not upon their breafts, 
 when they had rejedled the glorious Gofpel 
 of Jefus Chrift. In the fame dangerous cir- 
 cumftances are thofe penitents of the prefent 
 day, who are lefs forrowful on account of having 
 offended God and rejeded Chrift, than that 
 they are become objedls of ridicule, contempt, 
 or punifhment, by the commiflion of Tome 
 impious or difhonorable adion. We frequently 
 hear thefe faife penitents bewailing the con- 
 dition, to which they have reduced themfelves, 
 and giving vent to the moft pafiionate ex- 
 preffions of forrow. But, when are they feen 
 to afflid: themfelves, becaufe they have not 
 Vol. II. C been 
 
 (x) Pfalm li. 5. Jer. xvii. 9. (y) Matt, xxlii. 23. 
 
34 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 "been wholly devoted to God ? Or when do 
 they fhed a fingle tear at the recolledlion, that 
 they have not cherifhed their neighbour as 
 themfelves ? Are they ever heard to lament 
 the want of that faith in Chrift, which workeih 
 by love (z) ? Are they ever engaged in feeking 
 after that communion of faints, by which be- 
 lievers become of one heart and one foul } 
 Alas ! fo far are they from this, that they con- 
 tinue equally tranquil under the maledidtions 
 of the Gofpel, as under thofe of the Law, 
 They hear, without terror, thofe dreadful words 
 of the apoftlcj If any man love not the Lord 
 Jefus Chrifly let him be anathema maranatha (a): 
 and though they neither love^ nor know him, 
 yet they vainly look upon themfelves, as godly 
 mourners and unfeigned penitents. 
 
 3. This riepehtance is unfruitful^ inafmuch as 
 thofe who repent after this manner, are utter 
 ftrangers to compundion of heart. None of 
 thefe are conftrained to cry out. Men and hre- 
 'thren^ what fhall we do (b) ? They come not 
 to the Redeemer among fuch as are weary 
 and heavy laden (c). They have no experience 
 of that godly forrow, by which the true peni- 
 tent 
 
 (z) Gal. V 6. (a) i Cor. xvi. iz, 
 (b) Ads ii. 37. (c) Matt, xi, 28. 
 
THE PORTRAIT ^OF ST. PAUL, 35 
 
 tent dies to fin: and Co far are they from 
 being born again of the Spirit, that they nei- 
 ther exped, nor defire, any fuch regeneration. 
 In fhort, this repentance is rarely as fincere 
 as that of Judas, who confefled his fin, juC* 
 tified thei nnocent, fubdued his ruling paflion, 
 -and returned the money he had fo dearly 
 obtained. 
 
 Evangelical repentance is an incompfehenfible. 
 work to the generality of minifters. Wherever 
 it appears, they are prepared to cenfure it ; 
 and are earneft in exhorting men to fly from 
 it, rather than requeft it as a gift from God.' 
 Thus, when they behold any one truly mourn- 
 ing under a fenfe of fin 5 finiting upon his 
 breaft, with the publican-, dripping off, with 
 St. Paul, the covering of his own righteoufnefs 5 
 and enquiring, with the convidled jailor, P^hat 
 raujl I do to be faved (d) f they fuppofe thefe 
 to be certain figns of a deep melancholy : 
 they imagine the converfation of fome enthufiaft 
 has driven the man to defpair, and will not 
 fcruple to affirm, that he has loft the proper 
 ufe of his reafon. So true it is, that the 
 natural man receiveth not the things of the fpirit 
 of God (e), nor is able even to form any juft 
 
 C 2 idea 
 
 (d) Adls xvi. 30. (e) i Cor. ii. I4» 
 
^6 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 idea of that repentance, which is the firft duty 
 impofed upon us by the Gofpel, and the firft 
 ijep toward that holinefs^ without which no man 
 Ih$U f^^ the Lord, 
 
 yiie moral ifts of the prefent time acknow- 
 ledge that all men are Tinners j but they negled 
 to draw the juft confequences from fo fad a 
 truth. To be found a ftnner before an in- 
 finitely -holy and juft God, is to forfeit, at 
 once, both our felicity and exiftence. To appear 
 as an impenitent offender in the eyes of our 
 all-feeing Judge, is to lie in the condition of 
 a broken veffel, which the potter throws afide 
 as refufe : it is to ftand in the circumftances 
 of a criminal, convided of violating the moft 
 facred laws of his Prince. The two moft im- 
 portant laws of God are thofe, which require 
 piety toward himfelf, and charity toward our 
 neighbour. Now if we have violated both 
 the one and the other of thefe laws ; and 
 that times without number ; it becomes us 
 not only to confefs our tranfgreftion, but to 
 confider our danger. When a traitor is con- 
 vided of treafon, or an afTaflin of murder, he 
 immediately expeds to hear his fentence pro- 
 nounced : and thus, when a finner confefTes 
 himfelf to be fuch, he makes a tacit acknow- 
 ledgment. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 37 
 
 ledgment, that fentence of death' might juftly 
 be pronounced upon him. 
 
 Some perfons are naturally fo fhort-fighted, 
 that they can only difcover the moft ftriking 
 objeds about them. Many in the moral world 
 are in fimilar circumflances, to whom nothing 
 appears as fin, except impieties of the grofleft 
 kind. If we judge of God's commands ac- 
 cording to the prejudices of thefe men, idolatry 
 is nothing lefs than the a<5l of proftrating our- 
 felves before an idol ; and murder is merely 
 the ad, by which a man deftroys the life of 
 his fellow-creature. But, if thefe deluded per- 
 fons could contemplate fin in a fcriptural light ; 
 if they could avail themfelves of the Law of 
 God, as of an obfervatory ereded for facred 
 meditation, their moral view would be fu^Rci- 
 ently fi:rengthened to difcover the following 
 truths. 
 
 I. If we have not, at all times, placed a 
 greater confidence in the Creator, than in any 
 of his creatures ; if we have either feared or 
 loved any one more than our celeftial parent, 
 we have then really fet up another God, in 
 oppofition to the Lord of heaven and earth. 
 
 C 3 2. If, 
 
3$ THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 2. If, negledling to worfhip the Almighty 
 in fpirit and in truth, we have fuiFered our- 
 felves to be feduced from his prefence by any 
 fplendid vanity ■ of the age, we have fmned, 
 in the fame degree, as though we had fallen 
 down before a molten image. 
 
 3. If, in our converfation, our reading, or 
 our prayers, we have ever irreverently pro- 
 nounced the name of God^ we have then taken 
 that facred name in vain: and God himfelf 
 declares, that he will not hold fuch a one 
 guiltlefs, 
 
 4. If we have refufed to labor diligently, 
 thro' the week, in the work of our particular 
 calling j or if we have ever made the fab bath 
 a day of fpiritual indolence and frivolous amufe- 
 rnent*, — then we have negledted and broken 
 that Law, which we are peculiarly commanded 
 to rememher and keep^ 
 
 '5. If we have been wanting, at any time, 
 in obedience, refped, or love, to our parents, 
 our pallors, our magiftrates, or to any of 
 our fuperiors ; or if we have negledted any 
 of thofe duties, which our relations in fociety, 
 pr our particular vocation, have impofed upon 
 
 us. 
 
THE PORTRAIT Of ST. PAUL. 39 
 
 US; we have merited that God ihould cut us 
 off from the land of the Hvlng. 
 
 6. If we have weakened our conftltution 
 by excefs of any kind ; if we have ftruck our 
 neighbour in a moment of pafTion ♦, if we have 
 ever fpoken an injurious word •, if we have ever 
 caft a lool^ direded by maHce ♦, if we have ever 
 formed in our hearts a fingle evil wifh againft 
 any perfon whatever, or if we have ever ceafsd 
 to love our brother; — we have then, in the 
 fight of God, committed a fpecies.of murder (f ). 
 
 7. If we have ever looked upon a woman with 
 any other feelings, than thofe of chaftity (g) ; 
 or if we have, at any time, caft a wiihful glance 
 upon the honors and pleafures of the world ; 
 we have fufficiently proved the impurity of 
 our nature, and muft be confidered, as living 
 in enmity with God (h). 
 
 8. If we have received the profit annexed 
 to any poft or employment, without carefully 
 difcharging the duties incumbent upon us, in 
 fuch fituation ; or if we have taken advantage 
 either of the ignorance, or the neceflity of 
 others, in order to enrich ourfelves at their 
 
 C 4 expence ; 
 
 (f) I John ill. 15. (g) Matt, v, 28. (h) Jamea iv. 4- 
 
4© THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 expenc6; we may juftly rank ourfelves with 
 thofe, who openly violate the eighth command, 
 
 p. If we have ever offended againft truth 
 in our ordinary converfation *, if we have neg- 
 leded to fulfil our promifes, or have ever 
 broken our vows, whether made to God or 
 ^lan ; .we have reafon, in this refped, to plead 
 guilty before the tribunal of immutable truth. 
 
 lo. If we have ever been diffatisfied with 
 our lot in life-, if we have ever indulged reii- 
 lefs defires, or have given way to envioub and 
 irregular wifhes *, we have then aflurediy ad- 
 mitted into our hearts that covetoufnefs, which 
 is the root of every evil. 
 
 "When St, Paul confidered the Law in this 
 point of view, he cried out : // is fpiritual\ 
 ht J am carnal^ fold under Jin (i). And when 
 Ifaiah, pafTing from the letter to the fpirit, 
 difcovered the yaft extent of the decalogue, 
 Iiie exclaimed : Woe is ime f for J am a man of 
 Unclean Up, and I dwell in the midft of a people 
 of unclean lips (i). If our felf-applauding 
 inoralifls would be perfuaded to weigh their 
 piety in the fame balance, they would find it 
 
 as 
 (3) Jlom, vii. 14. (k) Ifaiah vi. 5. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 41 
 
 as defedive, at leaft, as that of Ifaiah aod 
 St. Paul. 
 
 Here, perhaps, fome objeding pharifee may 
 fay ; if I have iinned in fome degree, yet I 
 have not committed fuch crimes as many others 
 are guilty of: and I truft, that God will not 
 be fevere in attending to trflitig fins. But, 
 I, Thefe pretended trifling fins are ordinarily 
 of fo great a number, that the multitude of 
 them becomes equivalent to the enormity of 
 thofe crimes, which are rarely committed : (o 
 mountains and feas are but coile(ftions of grains 
 of fand and drops of water. 
 
 2. Every voluntary tranfgreflion argues a real 
 contempt of the Legiflator's authority ; and in 
 fuch contempt, there is found the feed of every 
 fin that can poflibly be committed, in oppo* 
 fition to his exprefs command. All the com- 
 mands of God, Vvhether they be great or 
 fmall, have no other fandion than that which 
 confifts in his divine authority; and this au- 
 thority is trampled under foot, by every petty 
 delinquent, as well as by every daring tiant 
 greflbr, 
 
 3. Thofe 
 
42 THE PORTRAIT 07 ST. PAUL.. 
 
 . .3. Thofe, which we ufually efteem trivial 
 fins^ are the more dangerous on account of 
 their being lefs attended to. They are com- 
 mitted without fear, without remorfe, and, ge- 
 nerally, without intermiffion. As there are 
 more fhips of war deftroyed by worms, than 
 by the ihot of the enemy, fo the multitude 
 of thofe who deftroy themfelves through ordi-- 
 nary fins^ exceeds the number of thofe who 
 periih by enormous offences, 
 
 4. We have a thoufand proofs, that (mdll 
 fins will lead a man, by infenfible degrees, to 
 the commiiTion of greater. Nothing is more 
 common among us than the cuftom of fwear- 
 ing and giving way to wrath without reafon ; 
 and thefe are ufually regarded as oirences of 
 an inconfiderable nature. But there is every 
 reafon to believe, that they who have con- 
 traded thefe vicious habits, would be equally 
 difpofed to perjury and murder, were they 
 aiTailed by any forcible temptation, and un- 
 reftrained with the dread of forfeiting their 
 honor or their life. If we judge of a com- 
 modity by obferving a fmall fample ; fo, by 
 little fins, as well as by trivial ads of virtue, 
 we may form a judgment of the heart. Hence, 
 the widow's two mites appeared a confidera- 
 
 ble 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 42 
 
 ble oblation in the eyes of Chrift, who judged 
 by them, how rich an offering the fame 
 woman would have made, had fhe been pof- 
 fefled of the means. For the fame reafon, 
 thofe frequent exclamations, in which the name 
 of God is taken in vain, thofe poignant rail- 
 leries, and thofe frivolous lies, which are pro- 
 duced in common converfation, difcover the 
 true difpofition of thofe perfons, who, without 
 infult or temptation, can violate the facred 
 laws of piety and love. The feme feeds pro- 
 duce fruit more or lefs perfed, according to 
 the fterility or luxuriance of the foil, in which 
 they are fown. Thus, thQ very fame princi- 
 ple of malevolence, which leads a child to 
 torment an infed, ads more forcibly upon the 
 heart of a flanderous woman, whofe higheft 
 joy confifts in mangling the reputation of a 
 neighbour: nor is the moft deteftable tyrant 
 aduated by a dliFerent principle, who finds 
 a barbarous pkafure in perfecuting the righ- 
 teous, and fhedding the blood of the innocent. 
 
 If prejudice will not allow thefe obfervations 
 to be juft, reafon declares the contrary. The 
 very fame adion that, in certain cafes, would 
 be efteemed a failing, becomes, in fome cir- 
 cumftances, an offem -, and in others, an enor- 
 mous 
 
44 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 7nou5 crime. For inftance — If I defplfe an 
 inferior^ I commit a fault-, if the offended 
 party is my equals my fault rifes in magni- 
 tude •, if he is my fuperior^ it is greater ftill : 
 if he is a refpedable magiilrate — a beneficent 
 prince—- if that prince is my fovereign Lord, 
 vvhofe lenity I have experienced after repeated 
 acls of rebellion ; who has henped upon me 
 many kindnefles -, who means to beftow upon 
 me ftill greater favors : and if, after all, I 
 have been led to deny and oppofe him, my 
 crime is undoubtedly aggravated, by all thefe 
 circumftances, to an extraordinary degree. But, 
 if this offended benefadtor is Lord of Lords 
 and King of Kings — the Creator of man — the 
 Monarch of Angels — the Ancient of days, be- 
 fore whom the majefty of all the monarchs 
 upon earth difappears, as the luftre of a thou- 
 fand ftars is eclipfed by the prefence of the 
 fun — if this glorious Being has given his be- 
 loved Son to fuffer infamy and death, in order 
 to procure for me eternal life and celeftial 
 glory — my crime muft then be aggravated, in 
 proportion to my own meannefs, the greatnefs 
 of benefits received, and the dignity of my 
 exalted Benefadlor. But our imagination is 
 bewildered, when we attempt to fcan the enor- 
 mity, which thefe accumulated circumftances 
 
 add 
 
«t 
 
 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 45 
 
 dd to thofe adls of rebellion, denominated 
 fins. 
 
 They, who are not working out their fal- 
 vation with fear and trembling (1), mull ne- 
 ceflarliy live in the pradtice of fbme conftitu- 
 tional fin •, and this feif-indulgence, however 
 fecret it may be, will not fuffer them to per- 
 ceive the demerit of their daily tranfgreflions. 
 An old debauchee, whofe chief delight has 
 been in feducing women, or an infamous 
 murderer, who has fned human blood like 
 water, may as eafily conceive the horror that 
 adultery and murder excite in virtuous fouls. 
 
 Before we can form a rational judgment of 
 lin, and the puniihment it deferves, it be- 
 comes us to entertain juft ideas of moral 
 order; to mark the obligation laid upon the 
 fupreme leglflator to maintain that order by 
 wholefome laws, and to difcover, in fome de- 
 gree, the fandity, the excellence, and the 
 extent of thofe abfolute commands. It is ne- 
 ceflary to underftand the dependence of the 
 creature upon the Creator ; fince the image 
 formed by the prefence of an objed before 
 a mirror, is not more dependent upon that 
 
 objedl, 
 (I) Phil. il. 12. 
 
4^ THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 objed, than all orders of created beings de- 
 pend upon the Creator : if he withdraws his 
 protedling hand, they are no more; if he 
 ftretches out the arm of his vengeance, they 
 are plunged, at once, into an abyfs of mifery. 
 We muft refled upon all the various obliga- 
 tions, under which we lie to the Almighty, 
 as Creator, Preferver, Redeemer, and Com- 
 forter. We muft coniider thofe examples of 
 his vengeful juftice, which he has placed be- 
 fore our eyes, on purpofe to awaken our 
 fears ; together with the unmerited favors, by 
 which he has conilantly fought to engage our 
 grateful affedtion. It becomes us, llkewife, to 
 obferve the vanity of all thofe appearances, 
 by which we are allured into fin : and laftly, 
 it is necefTary to remember, that God will 
 bring every work into judgment^ with every fecret 
 thing (m). While we pay not a proper at- 
 tention to every one of thefe circumftances, 
 v/e muft neceftarily form an imperfed judg- 
 ment concerning the nature of fin, the fe verity 
 with v/hich God has determined to punifh it, 
 and the greatnefs of that expiatory facrifice, by 
 virtue of which his juftice and his mercy unite 
 in pardoning the penitent. 
 
 When 
 (m) Ecclef. xii, 14, 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 47 
 
 When the law of God is wilfully tranf- 
 grefTed, it is ridiculous, in any man, to at- 
 tempt the jufllfication of himfelf, by pleading, 
 that he has committed no enormous crimes *, 
 or that, if ever he has been guilty of any fuch 
 offences, his good adlions have always been 
 fufficient to counterbalance their demerit. Fri- 
 volous excufes ! Is not one treafonable ad fuf- 
 ficient to mark the traitor ? Is not that foldier 
 punifhed as a deferter, who flies his colors 
 but a iingle time ? And does not a woman for- 
 feit her honor, by one moment of weaknefs ? 
 
 Though we grant, there are fome fins of a 
 peculiarly attrocious kind ; yet as murder will 
 always appear, before an earthly tribunal, accord- 
 ing to its horrible nature, fo fin will ever be 
 confidered as fuch, before an infinitely holy God. 
 If a man, accufed of having wilfully poifoned 
 a fellow-creature, fiiould addrefs his judge in 
 terms like thefe-, — The charge brought againil 
 me is jufl: : but, let it be confidered, that the 
 perfon I have deftroyed was only an infant — 
 that he was the child of a common beggar—^ 
 and that this is the only murder I have com- 
 mitted through the whole of my life. On 
 the other hand, I have been a conftant bene- 
 fador to the poor : and furely a thoufand 
 
 ads 
 
4S THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. 
 
 acls of chanty will abundantly outweigh one 
 ilttle dofe of arfenlc. No ; the Judge would 
 anfwer : when you prolonged the life of the 
 indigent by your alms, you merely performed 
 a duty, which is univerfally required of every 
 worthy citizen ; and the law allows you no- 
 thing on this account. But if you have given 
 the fmalleil dofe of poifon to any human 
 creature, with an intent to deftroy his life, 
 the law pronounces you a murderer, and will 
 punilh you as fuch. 
 
 After our firft parents had oiFended by eat- 
 ing the forbidden fruit, they had but vainly 
 excufed themfelves in faying : * We have 
 gathered only that, vshich appeared to be of 
 little worth — we have tailed it but once — 
 moreover, our labor in the garden is of much 
 greater value than the fruit we have taken. 
 Lord ! condemn us not to death for fo in- 
 confiderable an offence.' Such, however, are 
 the frivolous excufes, with which every blinded 
 moral ift contents his feared confcience, and 
 with which he hopes to fatisfy his omnifcient 
 judge. When St. Paul was one of this clafs, 
 he praiflifed upon himfelf the fame delufions. 
 Capable only of natural fentiments, the hid- 
 den truths of a fpiritual law v»'ere not only 
 
 incom- 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUU 49 
 
 incomprehenfible, but vain and foollfh things, 
 in his eftimatlon. This we learn from the 
 following paflage in his epiftle to the Romans : 
 / was alive without the law once^ paying little 
 attention to the fpirituality of its precepts, or 
 the feverity of its threatenings, and indulging 
 no fufpicion either of my corruption, or my 
 condemnation. But^ when the commandment came^ 
 in its fpiritual energy, Jin revived, aflliming 
 an appearance fuited to its infernal nature, 
 and, receiving a fentence of death in myfelf, 
 / died. I had not then known Jin, hut by the 
 law : for I had not known luft, which is the 
 fource of every evil, and the firft caufe of 
 our condemnation, except the law had faid^ 
 thou /halt not covet (n). 
 
 Every fincere chriftian, in imitation of this 
 apoftle, may with propriety fay ; There are 
 various fins, which I had never {ttn as fuch, 
 but by the light of the Gofpel. For example : 
 I had lived in fecurity with refped to* abufing 
 the faculty of fpeech, and had never known 
 the Almighty's intention of judging me upon 
 that article, if Chriil himfelf had not made 
 the following folemn declaration — Every idle 
 word that men /hall fpeak^ they Jliall give account 
 Vol. II. D thereof 
 
 (n) Rona. vi, 9, 7. 
 
^O THE PORTP.AIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 thereof in the day of jidgment : for by thy words 
 thou Jlialt be juftifisd^ a'lid by thy words thou 
 /halt be condemned (o). If thofe, who truft 
 in their own rlghteoufners, would ferloufly ex- 
 amine themfelves by the twofold law of Mofes 
 and of Chrift, they would form a new judg- 
 ment of their fplritual clrcumftances, and pafs, 
 with St. Paul, from the ftate of the pharifee, 
 into that of the publican. 
 
 Further — Sins of omiflion, as well as thofe 
 of commlfTion, are fufficlent to draw upon us 
 the maledidions of the law, which equally com- 
 mands us to do good and to abftain from evil. 
 OiFences of this nature are feldom regarded 
 as fms, by the generality of mankind : and 
 hence, they are wholly unalarmed at the re- 
 colledlon of them. To lack diligence in our 
 duties, moderation in our joys, attention in 
 our prayers, and zeal in our devotions ; to 
 live without gratitude toward our divine be- 
 nefaclor, without relignatlon under lofies, with- 
 out patience in afflldlon, without confidence 
 in God during times of danger, and without 
 contentment in the ilate to which he has called 
 us; to want humility toward our fuperiors, 
 courtefy toward our equals, affability toward 
 
 our 
 
 (o) Matt. xii. 36, 37. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 51 
 
 our inferiors, meeknefs toward thofe who dif- 
 pleafe us, faithfulnefs to our word, ftridl truth 
 in our converfation, or charity in the judg- 
 ment we form of others — All the/e are things 
 which never difturb the repofe of a worldly 
 man •, nor does he efteem them as real offences 
 in the fight of God. He confiders not, that 
 an inattentive nurfe may as eflFedually deffcroy 
 a child, by withholding from it proper nourifh- 
 ment, as by obliging it to fip a poifonous 
 draught; that a foldier would be condemned 
 to death, if the enemy fhould furprize a town 
 while he was fleeping on his pof^, equally, as 
 though he had been bufy in opening the gates 
 for their admifTion ; and that Chrifl: reprefents 
 the want of an holy fervor, as the grand reafbn 
 why lukewarm chriftlans excite in him the ut- 
 mofl deteflation and abhorrence (p). An entire 
 chapter in the Gofpel is employed to teach 
 us, that fins of omifTion will conflitute the 
 principal caufe of a finner's condemnation at 
 the lafl day. The flothful fervant is cafl into 
 outer darknefs, not for having robbed another 
 of his talent, but for the non-improvement 
 of his own : the foolifh virgins are excluded 
 from the marriage feail, not for having be- 
 trayed the bridegroom, but becaufe they were 
 
 D 2 unprepared 
 
 (p) Rev. iii, 16. 
 
52 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 unprepared to receive him: and every chrlf- 
 tian is acquainted with that terrible fentence, 
 which (hall one day be pronounced upon the 
 wicked — Depart from me ye curfed j for I was 
 an hungered^ and ye gave me no meat : &c (q). 
 — To have that religion^ which is pure and imde- 
 filed before God^ It is not only necefiary, that 
 we keep our f elves unfpotted from the worlds but 
 we mull alfo viftt the fatherlefs and widows in 
 their affli^ion (r) ; relieving the unfortunate to 
 the utmoft of our ability, and exerting our 
 whole power in fpreading truth and happlnefs 
 among all around us. 
 
 Thus hunted, at length, from many a dan- 
 gerous fhelter, unhumbled fmners will ftill 
 prefume to adopt the following plea — We 
 pray, we fail, we give alms, we receive the 
 holy facrament : and what more do you re- 
 quire? Such was the foundation of the 
 ancient pharifees' hope r but Chrift and his 
 apoilles overthrew their vain confidence, by 
 the fame arguments, which evangelical mlnif- 
 ters are ftill obliged to turn againft multitudes 
 of religious profeflbrs, who indulge an exalted 
 opinion of their own contemptible merits. 
 
 The 
 (q) Matt, XXV. (r) James i.27. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 53 
 
 The Gofpel requires, fay thefe faithful paf- 
 tors, that, to the external marks of religion, you 
 fhould be careful to add humility and charity : 
 and if thefe two capital graces are wanting, 
 your religion is but a body without a foul (s). 
 You have received the holy facraments of our 
 church : but what falutary effeds have they 
 produced in your life and converfatlon ? The 
 circumcijion^ which faved the jews, was not 
 the circumciiion of the flefh, but that of the 
 heart (t) ; and the hapiifm^ which faves chrif- 
 tians, is not that by which the body is 
 {prinkled with water, but that which purifies 
 the foul (u). So the pajfover^ which was ac- 
 ceptable to God on the part of the jews, con- 
 fifted not fimply in eating the pafchal lamb ; 
 but in penetrating their fouls with gratitude, 
 on recoUeding the many wonderful deliver- 
 ances, which the Almighty had wrought for 
 his people. And the communion, which is 
 acceptable on the part of chrlftians, confifts 
 not merely in receiving the confecrated ele- 
 ments, as various clafTes of finners are accuf- 
 tomed to do -, but in uniting themfelves to 
 the Lord by a living faith, and to all his 
 members by an ardent charity. You pray — 
 And did not the pharifees fo ? yea, they were 
 
 D 3 remarkable 
 
 (s) 2 Tim. iii. 5. (t) Rom. ii, 29. (u) i Pet, iii. 21. 
 
,54 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 
 
 remarkable for their long and zealous prayers: 
 but, alas 1 while they acknowledged God with 
 their lips, their hearts were far from him (w). 
 You give alms-. — but, if you mean with thefe 
 to purchafe Heaven, you do but deceive your 
 own fouls, while your pretended charity de- 
 generates into infolence : or, if you merely 
 feek to procure the reputation of being chari- 
 tably difpofed ♦, you have your reward. You 
 fafi — but, if you do this chiefly through cuf- 
 tom, or through refped to the orders of your 
 Prince, your faft can no more be counted 
 tteligious, than the regimen prefcribed you by 
 a phyfician : and if thefe fails have not pro- 
 duced in you a fincere repentance, and a true 
 converfion, however you may regard them as 
 ac5ls of devotion, they are in reality no other 
 than adls of hypocrify. Moreover, the phari- 
 fees fafted twice in the week; while you, it 
 rnay be, are am.ong the number of thofe, 
 who imagine they have made a valuable fa- 
 crifice to God, by abilaining from a fingle 
 repaft in a year. 
 
 As pharifaical moralifts have fought out (q 
 many inventions (x), to evade the necefTity of 
 an unfeigned repentance j and as philofophizing 
 
 chriiiians 
 (w) Ifaiah xxix, 13, (x) Ecclef. vii. 29. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. ^^ 
 
 chriftians rife up, with one confent, againft this 
 dodcrine of the Gofpel •, we fhall conclude this 
 fubjed, by difclofing the fources of their com- 
 mon error. 
 
 I. There are phantoms of virtue, or vir- 
 tues purely natural^ which pafs in the world 
 for divine. But, who ever imagined the dove 
 to be really virtuous^ becaufe ihe is not feen, 
 like the eagle, to make a il:oop at birds of a 
 weaker frame than herfelf? or who fuppofes 
 wafps to be generous infefls, becaufe they are 
 obferved mutually to defend themfelves, when 
 their neft is attacked ? Is not the conjugal 
 and maternal tendernefs of the human fpecies 
 apparent, in an eminent degree, among va- 
 rious tribes of the feathered kind ? And do 
 we not fee, among bees and ants, that ar- 
 dent patrlotifm, which was fo highly extolled 
 among the Romans ? Does not the fpidef 
 exhibit as manifeft proofs of Ingenuity and 
 vigilance, as the moft induftrious artift ? And 
 do not carnivorous animals difcover all that' 
 fearlefs intrepidity, which is fo univerfally 
 boafted by vain-glorious heroes? Let 
 
 us not miftake in a matter of fo much im- 
 portance : as nothing but charity can give to 
 our alms the value of good works, fo nothing 
 
 D 4 lefs 
 
^6 THE PORTRAIT QF ST. PAUL. 
 
 lefs than the fear of God, and a fincere in- 
 tention of pleafing him, can give, to our 
 moft valuable propenfities, the ftamp of folid 
 virtues. If we could completely expofe the 
 worthlefs alloy, which worldly men are accuf- 
 tomed to pafs oiF as fterling virtue, many of 
 thofe, who now efteem themfelves rich in good 
 works, would be conftrained to abhor themfelves^ 
 (ind repent in dujl and ajhes (y). 
 
 2. Many perfons indulge too favorable ideas 
 of the human heart, through their ignorance 
 of that unfullied purity, which God requires 
 of his intelligent creatures. They judge of 
 themfelves and others, as a peafant judges of 
 a theme replete with folecifms, who, far from 
 exprefTmg the difcernment of a critic, admires 
 the vaft erudition of the young compofer. 
 Thus, fome external ads of devotion are ap- 
 plauded by undifcerning chriftians, as coni- 
 mendable works, which, in the fight of God, 
 and before holy fpirits^ appear altogether pol- 
 luted and worthy of punifhment. 
 
 3. If we are fometimes deceived, by our 
 own ignorance, we more frequently impofe 
 ypon others, by our innate hypocrify. Un- 
 
 regenerate 
 (y) Job xlii. 6. 
 
THE* PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.^ 57 
 
 regenerate men, after having thrown a cloak 
 over their diftinguilhing vices, are anxious to 
 make a parade of virtues, which they do not 
 pofTefs* The proud man is, fometimes, ob- 
 ferved putting on the garb of humility, and, 
 with the moft lowly obeifance, profefling him- 
 fielf the very humble fervant of an approach- 
 ing ftranger. Immodefty is frequently mafked 
 with an affeded air of chaflity and bafhful- 
 nefs-, hatred, envy, and duplicity, vail them- 
 felves under the appearances of good-nature, 
 friendfhip, and fimplicity : and this univerfal 
 hypocrify contributes to render its pradition- 
 ers lefs outwardly ofFeniive, than they would 
 otherwife be *, as an unhandfome woman ap- 
 pears lefs defedlive to a diftant beholder, after 
 having nicely varnifhed over the blemifhes of 
 her face. 
 
 4. It frequently happens, that one vice puts 
 a period to the progrefs of another. Thus 
 vanity, at times, obliges us to adl contrary 
 to the maxims of avarice, avarice contrary to 
 tjiofe of indolence, and indolence contrary to 
 thofe of ambition. A refined pride is gene- 
 rally fufficient to overcome contemptible vices, 
 and may influence its pofTefTor to the per- 
 formance of many apparently virtuous adions. 
 
 Hence, 
 
^S THE PORTRAIT OF ST* PAUL. 
 
 Hence the impious and fordid pharifee went 
 regularly to the temple : he prayed, he faffed, 
 he gave alms ; and, by all thefe appearances 
 of piety and benevolence, acquired the com- 
 mendation of the world. Society makes a 
 kind of gain by thefe adls of diflimulation, 
 which are as the homage paid to virtus by 
 vice^ and by impiety to devotion. But, not- 
 withftanciing every plaufible appearance, that 
 can pofTibly be put on, when the minifter of 
 the Gofpei declares the fall of man, together 
 with the abfolute need of regeneration, he is 
 fupported, at once, by revelation, reafon, and 
 experience. 
 
 5. If the moral diforder, with which human 
 nature is infeded, appears not always at its 
 utmoll: height, it is becaufe regeneration hav- 
 ing commenced in many perfons of every rank, 
 the wicked are overawed by the influence of 
 their example. Add to this, that God re- 
 ftrains them, as with a bridle, by his provi- 
 dence, and by thofe motions of eonfcience, 
 which they vainly endeavour to ftifle. It is 
 notorious, that the fear of public contempt 
 and punifhment is, fometimes, fuiEcIent to 
 arreft the moft abandoned in their vicious 
 career J fince they cannot difcover what they 
 
 really 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 59 
 
 really are, v/ithout arming againft themfelves 
 the fecular power. Thus, the terror which 
 prifons and gibbets infpire, conftrains ravening 
 wolves to appear, at particular feafons, in the 
 garb of inoifenfive Iheep. But is it poffible, 
 that innocence fo conftralned, ihould be ac- 
 counted of any value, even among heathens 
 themfelves ? It is impoffible, fince Vv^e find 
 one of their own poets declaring — 
 
 Oderunt peccare mali^ formidine pmcs^ 
 
 The wicked abftain from mifchief, through 
 fear of punifhment. And all the recompenfe, 
 he conceives due to fuch guiltlefs perfons, con- 
 fifts in not becoming the food of ravens upon 
 a gibbet : 
 
 non fafces in cruce corvos* 
 
 6, If fervlle fear is fometimes the caufe of 
 our innocence, mcejfity is more commonly the 
 caufe of our apparent virtues. A youth of 
 any modefty is generally cautious among his 
 fuperiors, who afford him neither money to 
 indulge, nor liberty to difcover, his inclina- 
 tions. Now, if this forced difcretion fhould, 
 at length, become habitual to him, he may 
 
 in 
 
6o THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAVl^, ' 
 
 in fuch circumftances efteem himfelf a virtuous 
 man, becaufe he has not, like the fon of a 
 diflblute courtier, plunged himfelf into every 
 kind of impiety : whereas had he enjoyed but 
 equal liberty with the licentious rake, he might 
 have furpafled him in every finful excefs. On 
 the other hand, when an infamous voluptuary, 
 enfeebled either by age or by his frequent de- 
 baucheries, finds it abfolutely needful to live 
 in more fober and orderly ftyle. Immediately 
 he takes himfelf for another Cato j not con- 
 fidering, that necejfity alone is the fource of his 
 temperance. The kafl excefs diforders his 
 health, and the weaknefs of his ftomach o- 
 bliges him to abftain from thofe luxurious 
 feafts, which lie can ftlll converfe of with fo 
 much fatisfa6lion. If fuch a one is virtuous, 
 becaufe no longer able to rufh into his for- 
 mer exceffes ; then we may prove the mod 
 incorrigible robber to be an honeft man, while 
 the irons are on his hands, or when, feared 
 by the officers of juftice, he flies to fome 
 fecret retreat. Has that woman any reafon to 
 boaft of her virtuous condudt, who was never 
 follcited by thofe men, who were moft likely 
 to have triumphed over her modefty ? And 
 yet, many fuch, filled with felf- approbation, 
 v;ill frequently applaud their own innocence, 
 
 placing 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 6l 
 
 placing that to the account of virtue, which was 
 merely owing to providential circumftanccs ; 
 or, perhaps, to the want of perfonal attradion. 
 Such plaufible appearances no more merit the 
 commendation due to folid virtue, than the 
 fickly wolf, who peaceably pafles by a flock 
 of fheep, can be faid to deferve the carefles, 
 which a ihepherd beftows upon his faithful 
 dog, 
 
 7. Effedually to impofe upon others by a 
 beautiful outfide, we pradlife a deeper deceit 
 upon our own hearts : and very frequently we 
 fucceed as well, in hiding from ourfelves our 
 own evil difpofttionsy as in concealing from 
 others our unworthy a^mis. Could we difco- 
 ver all that fecretly pafTes in the world, we 
 fliould not want demonftrative proofs of the 
 depravity of the human heart. But why need 
 we go abroad in fearch of a truth, which is 
 eafily evidenced at home ? Had we ourfelves 
 but dared to have executed openly, what we 
 have a<5ted in imagination, when our irafcible 
 or concupifcible paflions have been rouled, 
 where fhould we have hidden our guilty heads, 
 or how fhould we have efcaped the fword of 
 juftice? Convinced, too late, of our degenerate 
 nature, we fhould, haply, have fmittcn upon 
 
 our 
 
OZ THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 our breafts, with the repentant publican, adopt- 
 ing long ago his humiliating confeffion, in the 
 anguifh of our fouls. Every thinking perfon 
 muft allow, that, had evil intentions fallen under 
 the cognizance of human laws, and had the 
 fecular power poflefled equal ability to punifh 
 them, as it punifhes thofe adlions, of which 
 they are the very root and foul, the whole 
 earth muft, in fuch cafe, have become as vaft 
 a fcafFold, as it is now a place of graves. Can 
 it be neceflary to multiply obfervations upon 
 this head, when the Almighty, whofe mercy 
 and juftice are infinite, fufEciently declares the 
 univerfal depravity of mankind, by the variety 
 of fcourges, with which He is conflrained to 
 puniili both individuals and commonwealths ? 
 
 8. If the children of this world are unable 
 to form any juft conception of the human 
 heart and its evil propenfities, it is becaufe 
 they are in the number of thofe natural men, 
 of whom the apoiile Paul makes mention (z). 
 And fuch, having a natural antipathy to the 
 Gofpel, while they are ever ready to caft re- 
 proach upon the faithful, are equally prepared 
 to favor thofe of a like difpofition with them- 
 felves. Thus Herod, Caiaphas, and Pilate, 
 
 mutually 
 (z) I Cor. ii. 14. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 63 
 
 mutually overlooked the faults of each other, 
 while they united ia accufing and perfecutinp- 
 Chrlil. 
 
 It is ufual with many, who are deftitute 
 of true religion, to efteem fome among their 
 iinful companions, as moral and well-difpofed 
 men : but, were they themfelves to be really 
 converted, their error, in this refped, would 
 foon become apparent. Upon daring to op- 
 pofe any torrent of impiety, with the zeal of 
 their heavenly mafter, inftead of finding a- 
 mong their afTociates any natural difpofition to 
 real virtue, they would meet with indifputable 
 proofs. In fpite of a thoufand amiable quali- 
 ties, that all unregenerate men refemble one 
 another, in their enmity againft God (a). Yes ; 
 whether they inhabit the banks of the Thames, 
 or the Seine ; the lake of Genefareth, or that 
 of Geneva ; they are, in the fight of God, 
 as filthy fwine trampling under foot the pearls 
 of the Gofpel (b), or, like ravening wohes (c), 
 outrageoufly tearing in pieces the Lamb of 
 God. 
 
 It might, perhaps, have been objeded, that 
 this Portrait is overcharged, had not Chrift 
 
 himfelf, 
 (a) Rom. vlii. 7. (b) Matt, vii. 6. (c) Matt. vii. 15. 
 
64 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 himfelf, who is immutable Truth and unfearcha- 
 hie Lovey pencilled the gloomieft traits obfef- 
 vable in it. Following fuch a guide, though 
 we may give much offence, yet we can 
 never err. 
 
 ne 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 65 
 
 The fecond important do5irine^ injified upon by the 
 true minifter^ is^ A Living Faith. 
 
 X O iKew the neceflity of repentance, with- 
 out publifhing the remiffion of fins, through 
 'faith in Jefus Chrift, would be to open a wound 
 without binding it up. It would be leading 
 finners to the brink of a tremendous gulph, 
 ^nd cutting off all poflibility of their retreat. 
 But nothing can be more contrary to the in- 
 tention of the faithful minifter, than to fport 
 with the miferies of man, or ultimately to ag- 
 gravate his diftrefs. 
 
 When he has difcovered to his hearers that 
 hatural propenfity to evil, which manifefls its 
 exigence in every heart, by a variety of ex- 
 ternal tranfgreffions : when he has convinced 
 them, by the word of God, and by an appeal 
 to every man^s confcience (a), that they are unable 
 to deliver themfelves, either from that fatal 
 propenfity, or its dreadful confequences : after 
 he has thus demonftrated the need in which 
 they ftand of a Redeemer, who hath all power 
 in Heaven and in earth (b). If they harden not 
 Vol. II. E their 
 
 (a) 2 Cor. iv. 2, (b) Matt, xxviii. 18. 
 
66 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 their hearts (c) •, if they ftand, like the firft 
 {inner, 7iaked and trembling before God (d), 
 having received the fentence of death in them- 
 felves (e) — In a word, when they cry out, 
 like the pubHcans and foldiers alarmed by the 
 preaching of John, what Jliall we do (f) .^ They 
 are then properly difpofed to receive the glorious 
 Go/pel of Chrifl (g\ and will be enabled to ex- 
 perience its powerful efFeds. From this time, 
 the evangelical paftor aiFedlionately preaches 
 remiflion of fins, through faith in the name of 
 a merciful Redeemer, 
 
 This Is the very fame method, which Chrift 
 and his forerunner purfued. Behold the Lamb 
 of Godi 7vhich taketh away the fins of the world I 
 was the cry of John the Baptift (h). And 
 hleffed^ faid our Lord, are the poor in fpirit ; 
 for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (i). God 
 fo loved the worlds that he gave his only -begotten 
 Sony that whofoever believeth in him^ fJiould 
 not ferifhy but have everlafling life (k). He that 
 BELIEVETH OH the Son^ hath everlafling life: and 
 he that believeth not the Son^ fhall not fee life ; 
 but the wrath of God abideth on him (1). Who- 
 
 foever 
 
 (c) Pfalm xcv. 8. (d) Gen. HI. lo. (c) i Cor. i. 9. 
 (f) Luke iii. 12'. (g)"2 Cor. iv. 4. (h) John i. 29. 
 (i) Matt. V. 3. (k) John. iii. 16. (1) John iii. 35. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. 67 
 
 foever /hall drink of the water ^ that 1 /hall give 
 hi my /liall never thir/t\ hut it /hall be in him 
 a well of water y a fource of facred confolation, 
 fpringing up into everla/iing life (m). Again, 
 when it was enquired by the multitude. What 
 /hall we doy that we may work the works of 
 God? Jefus faid unto them^ 'This is the work 
 of Gody that ye believe on him^ whom he hath 
 fent. And this is the will of him that fent 
 mey that every one which feeth the Son and be- 
 LiEVETH on himy may have everla/iing li/e : and 
 I will rai/e him up at the la/i day (n). Thus 
 it was, that our adorable mafter proclaimed 
 falvation through faith in himfelf : and, in- 
 deed, it was for this end alone, that he ap- 
 peared upon earth; as we learn from the laft 
 addrefs he made to his difciples — It hehovedy 
 faid he, Chri/i to fufefy and to rife from the 
 dead the third dayy that remi/Jion of /ins fhould 
 be preached in his name among all nationsy be- 
 ginning at Jeru/alemy the abode of his mur- 
 derers (o). 
 
 Obferve the great commiflion given to thofe 
 meflengers of peace. Go ye into all the worldy 
 and preach the Gofpel to every creature : he that 
 
 E 2 BELIEVETH 
 
 (m) John iv. 14* (n) John vL 28, 29, 40. 
 (o) Luke xxiv. 46, 
 
68 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. 
 
 BELiEVETH and is baptized /hall he faved •, hut 
 lie that BELiEVETi-i not JJiall be damned (p). To 
 the fame purpofe was the commiffion, with 
 which the apoftle Paul was afterwards honored. 
 / have appeared unto thee^ faid the perfecuted 
 Jefus, for this purpofe^ to make thee a minifter 
 and a witnefs to the gentiles^ unto whom I now 
 fend thee^ to open their eyes^ to turn them from 
 darknefs to lights and from the power of Satan 
 unto Gody that they may receive forgivenefs of 
 ftns^ and inheritance among them that are fan^i* 
 fed-, hy faith that is in me (q). 
 
 The apoiiles unanimoully preached in obe- 
 dience to the orders, and in conformity to 
 the example, of their benevolent Lord, And 
 all true minifters, inftruded by the fame di- 
 vine teacher, continue to proclaim the glad 
 tidings of the Gofpel, through faith in Jefus 
 Chrift-, laying as much ftrefs, in all their fer- 
 mons, upon this efficacious grace, as the apof- 
 tle of the gentiles was accuftomed to do, in 
 all his epiftles. Take a few inflances of St. 
 Paul's ufual method in this refpedt. — After 
 having convinced the Romans of their corrup- 
 tion and mifery, he fets before them the r^- 
 demption that is in Chrifi Jefus^ whom God hath 
 
 fit 
 
 (p) Markxvi. 15, i6. (q) Ads xxvi. 16, 17, 18. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. Qi) 
 
 Jet forth to he a propitiation through faith in 
 his bloody to declare his right eoufnefs for the n?- 
 mijjion of fins that are pafi : that he might be 
 juft and the juflifier of him which helieveth in 
 Jefiis (r). Therefore^ continues he, being jujlu 
 fed by faith, we have peace with God, through 
 our Lord Jefus Chriji (s). To the Co- 
 
 rinthians, he writes — Brethren, I declare unto 
 you the Gofpel, which I preached unto you, which 
 alfo ye have received, and wherein ye fiand ; by 
 which alfo ye are faved, unlefs ye have believed 
 in vain (t). For ye are jujlified in the name cf 
 the Lord Jefus (u). God hath reconciled us t'O 
 himfelf, by Jefus Chrift, and hath committed unto 
 us the word of reconciliation: to wit, that God 
 was in Chriji reconciling the world unto himfdf^ 
 not imputing their trefpaffes unto them : — For he 
 hath made him to be fm for us^ who knew no 
 Jtny that we might be made -the right eoufnefs of 
 God in him (w). To the Gaiatians~ 
 
 Knowing that a man is not Jufiified by the works 
 of the Law, but by the fajth of Jefus Chrifl-, , 
 tven we have believed in Jefus CJmfl, that 
 we might be jufiified by faith, and not by the 
 works of the Law .(x). Before faith came^ 
 
 E 3 we 
 
 (r) Rom. iii. 24, 25, 26. (s) Rom/v. i, 
 
 (t) I Cor. XV. 1,2. (u) I Cor. vi. 13. 
 
 (w) 2 Cor. V. 18, 2j. (x) Gal. ii. 16, 
 
70 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 we were kept under the Law. Wherefore the 
 Law was our Jchoolmafier to bring us unto Chrijl: 
 hut aftdr that faith is come^ we are no more 
 under a fchoolmafter. For ye are all the children 
 of God by FAITH in Chrift Jefus (y). To 
 
 the Ephefians — Bleffed be the God and Father 
 of our Lord Jefus Chrijly who Jiath made us aC' 
 cepted in the Beloved : in whom we have re- 
 demption through his bloody the forgivenefs of 
 Jins (z). By grace are ye faved^ through faith: 
 and that not of y our f elves -, it is the gift of God: 
 not of works ^ left any man fhould boaft (a). Fi- 
 nally^ my brethren^ — put on the whole armour of 
 God — above all^ taking the fhield of faith, 
 wherewith ye fhall he able to qiiench all the fiery 
 darts of the wicked (b). To the Philip- 
 
 Tphns-^-Stand faft in one furit^ with one mind^ 
 f riving together for the faith of the Gofptl (c). 
 We rejoice in Chrijl Jefus^ and have no confidence 
 in the fiefh, — Tea^ I count all things but lofs^ 
 that I may win Chrijl^ and be found in him^ not 
 having mine own right eoufnefs^ which is of the 
 Law^ but that which is through the faith of 
 Chrijl^ the righteoufnefs which is of God by 
 f/iiTH (d). To the Coloflians — It pleafed 
 
 the 
 
 (y) Gal. iii. 23—26. (z) Eph. i 3, 6, 7. 
 
 (a) Eph. ii. 8, 9, (b) Eph. vi. 10, 11, r6* 
 
 (c) Phil. i. 27, (d) Phil iii. 3, 8, 9, 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 7 1 
 
 the Father^ that in him [the Son] Jhould all- 
 fulnefs dwell \ and (having made peace through 
 the blood of his crofs) by him to reconcile all 
 things unlo himfelf. And ycu^ that were fometimes 
 alienated^ and enemies in your mifid^ by wicked 
 works, hath he reconciled in the body of his flefhy 
 through deathy to prefent you holy and unblame^ 
 able in his ftght \ if ye continue grounded and 
 fettled in the faith (e). As ye have therefore 
 received Chrift Jefus the Lord, fo walk ye in 
 him : rooted and built up in him, and fiablifhed 
 in the faith, as ye have been taught, abound- 
 ing therein with thankfgiving (f ). To the 
 Theffalonians — Let us, who are of the day, be 
 fiber, putting on the breafi -plate of faith : for 
 God hath not appointed us unto wrath ; but to 
 obtain falvation by our Lord Jefus Chriji, who 
 died for us, that whether we wake or fleep, we 
 Jhould live together with him (g). JVe are bound 
 to thank God always for you, brethren, becaufe 
 that your faith groweth exceedingly. ^^'Now the 
 Lord fliall come to be glorified in his faints, and 
 to he admired in all them that believe. Where- 
 fore we pray that our God would fulfil in you 
 the work of faith with power \ that the name 
 of our Lord Jefus Chrift may he glorified in youy 
 cind you in him (h). To Timothy— 
 
 E 4 This 
 
 (e) Col. i. 19, 23. (f) Col. ii. 6, 7, 
 
 (g) I ThefT. V. 8, 10. (h) 2 ThefT. i. 3, 12. 
 
72 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 ^his is a faithful faying^ and worthy of all ac^ 
 ceptationy that Chrift Jefus came into the world 
 to fave finners^ of ivhom I am chief, Howbeit^ 
 for this caufe 1 obtained mercy ^ that in me firft 
 Jefus Chrijl might fhew forth all long-fuffering^ 
 for a pattern to them which Jhould hereafter be- 
 lieve on him to life everlajling (I). For God 
 our Saviour will have all men to be faved^ and 
 to come unto the knowledge of the truth : For 
 there is one Gody and one Mediator between God 
 and men J the man Chrift - ^efus^ who gave him- 
 felf a ranfom for all {k). Great is the myftery 
 of Godlinefs : God was manifeft in the flefh^ juf 
 tified in the fpirit^ feen of Angels^ preached unto 
 the gentiles^ believed on in the worlds received 
 up into glory (1), God hath faved uSy [that Is 
 to fay, hath put us in poirefTion of the fame 
 prefent falvation, which the finful worn^n ei?- 
 perienced, who, while fhe proftrated herfelf at 
 the feet of Jefus, in faith and prayer, re- 
 eeived from him thefe confolatory fentences ; 
 Thy fins are forgiven thee — %hy faith hath 
 faved thee-y go in peace \xxi).'\ God hath faved 
 us, not according to our works^ but according to 
 his. own gracey which was given us in Chrift 
 JefuS'-'^who hath abolifhed deaths and hath brought 
 .... life 
 
 (i) 2 Tim. i. 15, 16. (k) i Tim. ii. 3, 6. 
 
 (1) I Tim. iii. 16. (mj Luke vii. 4.8, 50. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 7g 
 
 life and immortality to lights through the Go/- 
 pel (n). To Titus — Paul, an apoftle of 
 
 Jefus Chrift, to I'itus pnne oivn Son after the 
 common faith : grace, mercy, and peace, from 
 God the Father, and the Lord Jefus Chriji our 
 Saviour (o), who gave himfelf for us, that he 
 might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify 
 unto himfelf a peculiar .people, zealous of good 
 *Works (p), TFe ourf elves were fame times dif obe- 
 dient, but after that the kindnefs and love of God 
 our Saviour toward / in appeared, not by works 
 of righteoufnefs whic we have done, but accord^ 
 ing to his mercy he faved us — that, being jujiu 
 fed by his grace, we fhoidd be made heirs of 
 eternal life (q). To Philemon, he writes 
 
 • — Grace be to you, and peace from God our Fa^ 
 iher, and the Lord Jefus Chrifi, I thank my 
 God, hearing of thy f aith, which thou hafi to- 
 ward the Lord Jefus Chrifi, The grace of our 
 Lord Jefus ChriJI be with your fpirit {v)» Thus, 
 a perfecuted Saviour became the Alpha and the 
 Omega of this great apc/ftle. 
 
 In his epifde to the Hebrews he ufes \}ci^ 
 fame language. It begins and concludes with 
 Him, who is the Beginning and the End of all 
 things (s). God, faith he, hath in thefe lajl 
 
 days 
 (n) 2 Tim. i, 8, lo. (o) Tit. i. i, 4. (p) Tit. ii. 34. 
 (q) Tit. iii. 3, 7. (r) Philemon, (s) Rev, xxii. 13, 
 
74 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 days fpcken unto us hy his Son^ by whom alfo he 
 made the worlds. Who being the brightnefs of 
 his Fathers glory and the exprefs image of his 
 perfony and upholding all things by the word of 
 his power ^ when He had by Himfelf purged our 
 f.ns, fat doivn on the right hand of the majefty 
 en high (t). It became Him, for whom are all 
 things^ in bringing many fans unto glory y to make 
 the Captain of their Salvation perfect through 
 fufferings, Forafmuch then, as the children are 
 partakers of flefli and blood. He alfo himfelf took 
 part of the fame, that through death. He might 
 deflroy him that had the power of death, that isy 
 the Devil j and deliver them, who, through fear 
 cf death, were all their life- time fubje^ to bon- 
 dage (u). 'Though He were a Son, yet learned 
 He obedience by the things which He fuffered: and 
 being made perfeU, He became the author of eter- 
 nal falvation (w). This many becaufe he continu- 
 eth ever, hath an unchangeable priefthood. Where- 
 fore He is able to fave them to the uttermoft 
 that come unto God by' Him, feeing He ever 
 liveth to make inter cejfion for them (x). Having, 
 therefore, an High Prieft over the houfe of Gody 
 kt'^ us draw near in full affurance of faith (y). 
 
 Now 
 
 (t) Heb. i. I, 2, 3. (u) Heb. ii, 10, 15. 
 
 (w) Heb. V. 8, 9. (x) Heb. vii. 24s 25, 
 
 (y) Heb. 7. 21, 22. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST« PAUL. 75 
 
 Now FAITH is the fub fiance of things hoped for ^ 
 the evidence of things not feen : for by it the 
 elders obtained a good report^ whoy through faith, 
 fubdued kingdoms^ wrought right eoufnefs^ obtained 
 promifes^ flopped the mouths of lions, quenched the 
 violence of Jire^ efcaped the edge of the fword^ 
 out of weaknefs were made ftrong, waxed valiant 
 in fight, turned to fiight the armies of the aliens (z). 
 Wherefore, feeing we are compaffed about with fo 
 great a cloud of witnejfes, let us run with pa- 
 tience the race that is fet before us, looking unto 
 Jefus, the author and finifher of our faith (a). 
 Now the God of peace — make you perfe^i in every 
 good work to do his will, working in you that 
 which is well-pleqfing in his fight, through Jefus 
 Chrifi : to whom be glory for ever and ever (b). 
 
 The fame Saviour, whom St. Paul was fb 
 anxious to declare in his epiiiles, he as con- 
 ftantly preached in his fermons. He was no 
 fooner converted, but, firaightway, fays Su 
 Luke, he preached Chrifi in the fynagogues, that 
 He is the Son of God (c). Take an 
 
 abridgment of the firft of his fermons, which 
 is left upon record, and which was preached 
 at Anticch in Pifidia. After afTerting the 
 
 fulfilment 
 
 (z) FIet>. XI. I, 2, 33, 34. (a) Heb. xii. i, 2, 
 . , (b) Heb, xiii. 20, 21. (c) A*r:s ix, to. 
 
76 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 fulfilment of that glorious promife, which had 
 been anciently given, refpeding the birth of 
 ou^: omnipotent Saviour, he cries out; Men 
 and hrethren^ children of the ftock of Abraham-^ 
 and whofoever among you feareth God, to you is 
 the word of this falvation fent. For the in- 
 habitants and rulers of Jerufalem, hecaufe they 
 knew Him not, nor underftood the (tn(Q of 
 thofe prophecies, which are read every fahhath- 
 day, have given them their fad completion, 
 h^ condemning the Lord of life and ' glory. 
 'Though they found no caufe of death in Him^ yet 
 defired they Pilate, that He fJiould he flain. And 
 when they had fulfilled all that was written of 
 Him, they laid him in a fepulchre. But God, 
 after three days, raifed Him triumphantly 
 from the grave : and He was feen many days 
 of his wondering difciples, whom he continu- 
 ed to vifit and inftrudt even after his refur- 
 redion, that they might become his witnejfes 
 to the people. And now. We declare unto you, 
 that God hath fulfilled the promife which was 
 made unto the fathers, in thai He hath raifed 
 up Jefus from the dead. Be it known 
 
 nnto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through 
 this Man is preached unto you the forgivenefs of 
 Jins : and hy Him, all that believe, are juftified 
 from all things, from which ye could not he juf- 
 tified 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 77 
 
 tified hy the Law of Mofes, Beware^ therefore^ 
 left that come upon you^ which is fpoken of in 
 the prophets. Behold^ ye defpifers^ and wonder^ 
 and periJJi : for I work a work in your days^ a- 
 work which you fJiall in no wife believe, though 
 a man declare it unto you (d). When the 
 
 crofs of Chriil:, and its happy efFeds, are thus 
 faithfully declared, the word of God is never 
 wholly preached in vain. Some, it is true, 
 will always reject, and count themfelves tin- 
 worthy of everlafting life (e). But others \v\\{ 
 rejoice in the truth, glorifying the word of the 
 Lord ; and all thofe^ who, by a true poverty 
 of fpirit, are difpofed for eternal life, ihall 
 efFedlually believe (f). 
 
 Sometime afterwards, St, Paul delivered a 
 fermon in the prifon at Philippi, the capital 
 of Macedonia, St. Luke, his hiftorian, has 
 not favored us with this difcourfe, but he has 
 tranfmitted to us the fubjecu matter of it. 
 Defpairing finner, faid the apoftle to the af- 
 frighted jailor, who Jay trembling at his ftQty 
 Believe on the Lord Jefus Chrifi^ and thou /halt 
 he favedy and thy houfe. After hearino- thus 
 much, the aftonifhed man colleded his family 
 together, and the apoftle continued his dif- 
 
 courfe, 
 (d)Aasxxm. (e) Aas xiii, 46; (f) <y. 48. 
 
78 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 courfe, declaring unto them all the word of 
 the Lord, Such are the fmali remains we 
 
 are able to collec^l of this excellent fermon. 
 But though we are unacquainted with its feveral 
 parts, we know that it was attended with the 
 happieft eireds : for, before the return of day, 
 this converted jailor, fnatched from the very- 
 brink of deftru6lion, was feen, with all his 
 believing family, rejoicing in God (g). 
 
 When the fame apodle was afterwards ap- 
 pointed to fpeak before the fenate at Athens, 
 he could not, with propriety, fet before thofe 
 unhumbled philofophers, the m^ftery of the Gof 
 felih). But, after bearing a public teftimony 
 againft their fuperflition and idolatry, he prefled 
 upon them the neceflity of an unfeigned re- 
 pentance-, announcing Chrift as an omnifcient 
 judge, that he might afterwards proclaim him 
 as the companionate Saviour of men (I). To 
 the fame purpofe was that other fermon of 
 his, v/hlch was delivered before the tribunal 
 of Felix •, when the roman Governor was (Qtn 
 to tremble under the power of an apoftle's 
 preaching (k). The little effedl produced by 
 thefe two laft-mentioned dlfcourfes, may be 
 
 brought 
 
 (g) A£ls xvJ, (h) Eph, vi. 19. (i) Acts xvii. 
 (k) A^s xxiv. 2^, 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 79 
 
 brought as a proof, that the mofl: momen- 
 tous truths are hidden frcm the wife and pru^ 
 dent^ while they are revealed unto babes (1). 
 
 It was by proclaiming the fame mighty Sa- 
 viour, that St. Stephen obtained for himfelf the 
 firfl: crown of martyrdom among the chriftians. 
 Behold an abridgment of his celebrated apology, 
 Men^ brethren^ and fathers^ you accufe me of 
 having fpoken blafphemoufly againd Mofes. 
 But, on the contrary, I publicly acknowledge 
 him as the deliverer of our fathers, and gladly 
 embrace this opportunity of reafoning with you 
 from the character of that favored Prophet. 
 He once fuppofed that, by certain of his adions, 
 his brethren would have underjlood^ how that God 
 hy his hand would deliver them. But io hr 
 were they from underflanding any fuch matter, 
 that one of them thrufl him away, crying out 
 in an infulting manner, W/io made thee a ruler 
 and a judge over us? 'This Mofes ^ hov/ever, 
 whom they thus refufed^ was chofen of Gcd, to 
 be their future prince and deliverer. This is 
 that MofeSy who faid unto the children of ifrael^ 
 a Prophet fhall the Lord your God raife up unto 
 you^ of your brethren^ like unto me\ a Prophet, 
 whom you will at firft rejed, as you rejeded 
 
 me; 
 
 (1) Matt. xi. 25. 
 
So THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 iriej but who, neverthelefsj when you fhall 
 receive him, will deliver you out of fpiritual 
 Egypt, as I once delivered, you from the land 
 of bondage, when you gave credence to my 
 word. This promifed Saviour has already made 
 his appearance among us, whom ye have re- 
 jeded to your own condemnation. As our 
 fathers rejeded Mofes in the wildernefs, thruft- 
 ing him from them, and in' their hearts turn- 
 ing back again into Egypt -, fo you have rejed- 
 ed your greater Deliverer. Te uncircumcifed in 
 heart and ear s^ ye do always rejift the Holy Ghofi : 
 as your fathers did^ fo do ye, V/hich of the 
 Prophets have not your fathers perfecuted ? And 
 they have flain them which fliewed before of the 
 coming of the juft one^ of whom^ ye have been 
 now the betrayers and murderers: ye^ who have 
 received the haw by. the difpojition of Angels^ and 
 have not kept it {m). 
 
 That the powerful preaching of the Gofpet is 
 fometimes made the favour of death unto, death (n}^ 
 is fufficiently clear from the following account. 
 After Stephen had finiihed this difcpurfe, the 
 hearts of his hearers were tranfported with rage^ 
 infomuch that they gnafhed upon him with their 
 teeth, .Mean-while the holy martyr continued 
 
 to 
 
 (m) Ads vii. .(n) 2 Cor. ii. 16. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAULJ 8t 
 
 to proclaim Chrift, and, far from being in- 
 timidated by their threatenings, looking fted- 
 faftly up to heaven, in a kind of ecftacy, 
 produced by the ftrength of his faith, the 
 vigor of his hope, and the ardor of his love, 
 he cried out : / fee the heavens opened^ and the 
 Son of Man fiandtng on the right hand of God* 
 And while the multitude ran upon him with 
 ftones, after committing his own foul to the 
 care of his exalted Saviour, he cried, with a 
 loud voice ; Lord^ lay not this fin to their charge. 
 Behold an apology, which was looked upon, 
 by the preachers of the day, as replete with 
 ignorance and fanaticifm, though delivered by 
 an evangelift, who was filled with faith, with 
 power, and with the Holy Ghoft ! 
 
 The fame dodrine was preached by \[\z 
 evangelifts, who were difperfed abroad by the 
 perfecution excited againft Stephen, and was 
 followed by the benedidlion of the Lord. For 
 we find, that fome of them, entering into the 
 city of Antioch, fpake unto the Grecians there, 
 preaching the Lord Jefus ; and the hand of the 
 Lord was with them^ fo that a great number 
 BELIEVED and turned unto the Lord (o). 
 
 Vol. 1L F We 
 
 (o) Afls xi. 19, 20, 21* 
 
82 THE PORTRAIT OF ST* PAUL. 
 
 We iliall go on to fele6t a few proofs, that 
 all the apoftles were of one heart in this 
 matter, preaching Jefus Chrift as the Saviour 
 of all thofe, who believe in him. 
 
 Though St. James profefTedly wrote hi& 
 epiftle againft the error of thofe, who had 
 deftroyed the law of charity, by an imaginary 
 faith in Chrift; yet fo far is he from de- 
 fpifing the fubftantial faith of believers, that, 
 as the fervant of God and of the Lord Jefus 
 Chrifl^ he exhorts falfe brethren to feek after 
 and manifeft it by its proper fruits. He even 
 employs a fpecies of irony to point out the 
 necefTity of this powerful grace : Shew me tJry 
 FAITH without thy works^ and I will fhew thee 
 my FAITH hy my works (p). He intimates, 
 that our faith muft be tried by divers temp- 
 tations^ in order to our becoming perfe5i and 
 entire before God : whence we learn that, ac- 
 cording to his judgment, the perfedion of 
 chriftians abfolutely depends upon the perfec- 
 tion of their faith (q). On this account, he 
 exhorts us to afk wifdom in faith (r). And 
 laftly, he declares, that the prayer of faith 
 fliall be powerful enough to procure health 
 for the fick, and remiflion for the fmful (s). 
 
 There 
 
 (p) James iu i8, (9)1.2,4. (r) i. 6, 
 
 (s) V. 15. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, B^ 
 
 There needs nothing more than an atten- 
 tive perufal of this epiftle, to convince us, 
 that St. James announces a faith which faves 
 the chrifl-ian, by producing in him hope, cha^p 
 rity, and every good work. 
 
 The fame dodrine was inculcated by St. 
 Peter, both in his fermons and epiftles. Three 
 thoufand fouls were converted, while he cried 
 out, upon the day of Pentecoft : Te men of 
 IfraeU Jefus of Nazareth^ a man approved of 
 God among you^ by miracles and wonders and 
 fignss him^ being delivered by the determinate 
 counfel of God^ ye have taken^ and by wicked 
 hands have crucified and Jlain : whom God hath 
 raifed up^ having loofed the pains . of deaths be-- 
 caufe it was not poffihle that he^ who is the 
 refurre5lion and the life (t), Jhould be holden of 
 it, This Jefus^ therefore^ being by the right hand 
 of God exalted^ hath fhed forth this, which ye 
 now fee and hear. Therefore^ let all the houfe 
 of Ifrael affuredly know^ that God hath made that 
 fame Jefus^ whom ye have crucified, both Lord 
 and Chrifl, Now when the convidled multi- 
 tude enquired in their diftrefs. Men and bre- 
 thren, what fhall we do ? Peter anfwered and 
 faid : Repent and be baptized every one of you 
 
 F 2 [that 
 
 (t) John xl. 25. 
 
84 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 [that Is to fay, firft cordially believe, and 
 then by baptifm make a public confefTion of 
 that faith] in the name of Jefus Chrift for the 
 remijfion of fins^ and ye fhall receive the gift of 
 the Holy Ghofl (u). 
 
 His fecond difcourfe was to the fame effed. 
 'The God of our fathers hath glorified his fin 
 Jefus^ whom ye delivered up and denied in the 
 -prefence of Pilate^ when he was determined to let 
 him go. But ye defired a murderer to be granted 
 unto you^ and killed the Prince of life-) whom God 
 hath raifed from the dead \ whereof we are wit- 
 neffes. And faith in his name hath made this 
 man flrong^ whom ye fee and know ^ yea the 
 faith which is by him^ hath given him this 
 perfect foundnefs^ in the prefence of you alh—^ 
 And now^ brethren-^ repent ye and be converted^ 
 that your fins may be blotted out, when the times 
 of refrefhing fhall come from the prefence of the 
 Lord (w). 
 
 His apology before the council was founded 
 upon the fame divine truths. Be it known 
 unto you all^ and to all the people of Ifraely 
 that by the name of Jefus of Nazareth^ whom 
 ye crucified^ whom God raifed from the deady even 
 
 by 
 
 (u) Acts ii. (w) Afts iii. 13, 19, 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. S§ 
 
 hy him doth this man Jland here before you whole, 
 ^his is the ftone which was Jet at nought of you 
 builders^ which is become the head of the corner, 
 I<1 either is there fahation in any other : for there 
 is none other Name under heaven given among 
 men whereby we muft be faved (x). Thus 
 
 St. Peter, filled with the Holy Ghofl^ fpake the 
 word of God with boldnefs^ and with great 
 power gave witnefs to the refiirre^fion of the 
 Lord Jefus (y). Even after being commanded 
 to fpeak no more in tHe name of Jefus, he 
 departed from the council, rejoicing that he 
 was counted worthy to fufFer fhame for his 
 mafter's fake : and daily in the temple^ and in 
 every houfe^ he ceafed ?wt to teach and preach 
 Jefus Chrifl (z). 
 
 The fourth fermon of this apoftle perfedlly 
 correfponds with the foregoing. This difcourfe 
 was delivered in the houfe of Cornelius the 
 Centurion, to whom an Angel had before 
 revealed, that Peter fhould declare unto him 
 things, whereby both himfelf and his houfe 
 ihould be faved. Of all the fermons which 
 have ever been preached, this was, perhaps, 
 the moft effedlual •, iince it is obferved, that 
 the Holy Ghofv fell on all- them which heard 
 
 F 3 the 
 
 (x) Aas iv. 10, 12, (y) iv. 31, 33. (z) V. 40, 42. 
 
S6 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAULJ • 
 
 the word. Take an abridgment of this 
 
 powerful difcourfe. God hath proclaimed peace 
 to the children of Ifrael^ hy Jefus Chrift^ whom 
 they Jlew and hanged on a tree. But He^ being 
 raifed again by the power of God, commanded 
 us to preach unto the people^ and to teftify^ that 
 it is He^ which was ordained of God^ to he 
 the judge of quick and dead. 'To Him give all 
 the Prophets witnefs^ that whofoever belie veth 
 in Hunjhall receive remijfion of fins (a). . 
 
 And, as in his fermons, fo alfo in his 
 epiftles, St. Peter was ever anxious to declare 
 falvation, through /^///^ in the name of Jefus 
 Chrift. 
 
 Teter^ an apoflle of Jefus Chrifl^ to the ele5i 
 of God, Bkjjed be God, who hath begotten us 
 again unto a lively hope, by the refurre5Iion of 
 Jefus Chriji from the dead, to an inheritance in- 
 corruptible, referved in Heaven for you, who are 
 kept by the power of God, through faith, unto 
 falvation (b). It is contained in the fcripture. 
 Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner jlone, ele^i, 
 precious: and he, that believeth on Him, fkall 
 not he confounded. Unto you, therefore, which 
 BELIEVE, He is precious: but unto them, which 
 
 be 
 (a) Afts X. 36, 43. (b) I Pet. i. i, 5. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. Sj 
 
 he difobedienty He is made a ftone of Jlumhling 
 and a rock of offence (c). 
 
 The fecond epiftle of St. Peter was written 
 for the confirmation of the weak, and the 
 eftablllhment of the ftrong- In the fir ft verfe^ 
 Chrift is reprefented as the author and finifher 
 of our faith : in the laft, the glory of our 
 falvation is exprefsly afcribed to the fame di- 
 vine perfon : and thefe two verfes may be 
 given as an abridgment of the whole epiftle. 
 
 This powerful faii/i, and this adorable Sa- 
 viour, were as conftantly proclaimed by the 
 apoftle John. Though St. Luke has not 
 tranfmitted to us any extrads from his dif> 
 courfes, yet his dodrine is fufficlentiy manl- 
 feft in his epiftles. 
 
 Jf any man fin^ faith this favored apoftle, 
 we have an Advocate with the Father .^ Jefus 
 Chrift the righteous: and He is the propitiation 
 for cur fins (d). He was rmnifefted to take 
 away our fins'— And 'this is the commandment of 
 God^ that we fhould believe on the name of 
 lis Son Jefus Chrift (e). Whofoever believeth, 
 is horn of God — whatfoever is horn of God^ over^ 
 
 F 4 cometh 
 
 (c) I Pet. ii. 6, 8. (d) i John iit i^ 2, (e) iii. 5, 23. • 
 
S8 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 Cometh the 'world: and this is the vi5lory that 
 overcometh the worlds even our faith (f ). Thefe 
 things have I written unto you that believe on 
 the name of the Son of God^ that ye may know 
 that ye have eternal life^ and that ye may yet 
 more ftedfaftly believe (g). 
 
 Many deceivers^ continues the fame apoflle, 
 in his fecond , epiftle, have entered into the 
 worlds who confefs not that Jefus Chriji is come 
 in the flejh, ^his is a deceiver and an Anti^ 
 chriji. Whofoever ahideth not in the doEirine of 
 Chriji^ hath not God\ he that ahideth in the 
 do5irine of Chriji^ hath both the Father and the 
 Son (h). Here St. John, forefeeing the melan- 
 choly revolution that would one day be effeded 
 m the church, by thefe antichriftian teachers, 
 notwithftanding his natural gentlenefs, cries 
 out againft them, with an holy indignation : 
 Jf there come any unto you^ and bring not this 
 do^rinCy receive him not into your houfe^ neither 
 bid him God fpeed. For he that biddeth him 
 God fpeedy is partaker of his evil deeds (i). 
 
 In his third epiftle, he expre/Tes the utmoft 
 • joy over Gaius, on account of his neady ad- 
 herence to the truth J afTuring him, that he 
 
 had 
 
 (f)j Johnv* 1^4. (g)i'» 13. (h) 5 John 7, 9. (i)-*;. 10, ii« 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 89 
 
 had no greater joy, than to hear that his 
 children continued to walk in the truths of 
 the '"'ofpel. He commends his charity toward 
 the people of God, and exhorts him to con- 
 tinue a fellow- helper to the truth, by afford- 
 ing an hofpitable reception to thofe, who, with 
 a view of fpreading that truth, were journey- 
 ing from place to place. 
 
 St. Jude, in his fhort epiftle writes thus— 
 Belovedj when I gave all diligence to write unto 
 you of the common falvation^ it was needful for 
 we to exhort you^ that ye Jhould earnefily con- 
 tend for the FAITH, which was once delivered 
 unto the faints. For there are certain men crept 
 in unawares^ denying the only Lord God, and our 
 Lord Jefus Chrifi (k). But ye, beloved, build* 
 ing up yourfelves on your moft holy faith, pray- 
 ing in the Holy Ghofl, keep yourfelves in the love 
 of Cod, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jefus 
 Chrifi, unto eternal life (l). 
 
 The concluding book of the new Teftament 
 abounds with ftriking teftimonies to the fore- 
 going truths, and was added for the confo- 
 lation of the church in every age. It opens 
 with a fublime elogy pronounced upon that 
 
 incom- 
 (k) Jude <v. 3, 4. (I) <u, 20, 21. 
 
90 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAVU 
 
 incompreheniible Saviour, who is the AlphO' 
 and the Omega ^ the faithful wilnefs^ the firft he- 
 gotten of the dead^ and the Prince of the kings 
 of the earthy who hath loved us, and njoafhtd us 
 from our fins in his own bloody and hath made us 
 kings and friefts unto God and his father^ for ever 
 md ever (m). 
 
 The faithful, who groan, in fecret, to behold 
 their mailer rejeded by deifts, and negleded 
 by the greater part of chriilians, attend, with 
 holy tranfport, to the reprefentations here 
 given by St. John. Here they perceive that 
 condefcendlng Saviour, who was dilhonored 
 upon earth, acknowledged and adored by the 
 hofcs of Heaven. They fee the proftrate 
 elders, and behold the innumerable multitude 
 of the redeemed afiembled before the throne. 
 They hear that new fong of adoration, in 
 which Angels, and the fpirits of juft mm 
 made perfed, unanimoully cry out ; Worthy is 
 the Lamb that was Jlain^ to receive power and 
 riches^ and wifdom, and flrength^ and honor ^ and 
 glory ^ and hlejfing (n). Thefe are fcenes, 
 
 which the believer is aflifted to realize, by 
 means of a lively faith^ and in which he al- 
 ready bears an humble part, afcribing, with 
 
 his 
 
 (m) Rev. i. 5, 6. (n) Rev. v. 12. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 9 1 
 
 his more exalted brethren, Blejfing and honor 
 and glory and poiver unto Him^ that fitteth upon 
 the throne^ and unto the Lamh^ for ever and 
 $ver (o). 
 
 This myfterious book concludes with that 
 fliort prayer of St. John, which fhali one day- 
 be offered up, with the energy of the Holy 
 Spirit, by ten thoufand times ten thoufand of 
 the faithful — Come^ Lord Jefus^ fully to accom- 
 plifh thy gracious promifes (p). 
 
 If it be here enquired: Do not all minif- 
 ters maintain this fcriptural faith ? I anfwer ; 
 It is a rare thing, with the "generality of 
 minifters, to treat on a point of fo vail im- 
 portance : and even when they are heard to 
 fpeak of this mighty giace, they reprefent it 
 as fomething manifeftly different from that 
 living faithy by which we are regenerated. If 
 ever they difcourfe with their catechumens on 
 this fubjed, they fpeak as men, who attempt 
 to teach, what they have yet to learn. They 
 frequently repeat the word faith y but are un- 
 able to open its fpiritual figniiication. They 
 take it for granted, that all their neighbours 
 are pofTeffed of this grace, except thofe who 
 
 openly 
 
 (o) Rev. V, 13. (p) xxli. 20. 
 
92 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 openly rejedb the word of God : and thus, 
 they become perfectly fatisfied with that fpe- 
 cies of faitk^ againil which St, Paul and St. 
 James were authorized to denounce the ana- 
 themas of the Gofpel. On this account, one 
 of the laft texts a worldly paftor would make 
 choice of, is that folemn exhortation of the 
 apoille ; Examine y our f elves ^ 'u:;hethcr ye he in the 
 FAITH : prove your own felves : know ye not 
 your own felves^ how that Chrift Jefus is in yoUy 
 except ye be reprchates (q) ? The faith^ with 
 which he contents himfelf, and which he pub- 
 lifhes to others, may be equally poflefled by 
 thofe, who are conformable to this prefent 
 evil world, and thofe, who have crucified the 
 fiejh with the affedlions and lufts (r). It be- 
 longs to felf exalting pharifees, who hoaft of 
 their own righteoufnefs, as well as to thofe 
 humble believers, who count themfelves uri- 
 worthy of the benefits they have received. 
 
 Further; fo far is the ill-inftruded minif- 
 ter from preaching the true faiih^ that he is 
 always prepared to plead againft it. In con- 
 firmation of this melancholy truth, take the 
 following relation. A believer^ whofe circum- 
 ^ances frequently engaged him in converfation 
 
 with 
 . (q"! 2 Cor, xiii 5. (r) Gal. v. 24* 
 
THE PORTRAIT Of ST. PAUL. 93 
 
 with a worldly man of his neighbourhood, 
 once took occafion to offer him fuch advice, 
 as brotherly charity fuggefted. After the cuf- 
 tomary civilities •, Sir, faid he, we have lived 
 as neighbours long enough to know one ano- 
 ther ; and, 1 prefume, the intimacy of our 
 acquaintance authorizes us to fpeak to each 
 other without any referve. It has given me 
 real fatisfadlion to obferve your conftant at- 
 tendance at our church, and your flrid atten- 
 tion to her moft folemn fervlces. Neverthelefs, 
 permit me to exprefs my fears, that you are 
 not yet feeking the Kingdom of God, with 
 that earneftnefs and fohcitude, without which 
 it can never be obtained. Though you are 
 conftant at church, yet you are as conftant 
 at tables of feftivityj and an approaching en- 
 tertainment appears to afford you greater plea- 
 fure, than an approaching facrament. I regu- 
 larly obferve the gazette upon your table, 
 with a variety of new and ingenious publica- 
 tions-, but I have never found you perufing 
 the facred pages of a more important volume. 
 I have heard you fpeak, in an agreeable man- 
 ner, upon twenty different things -, but cannot 
 recoiled, that your converfation ever turned 
 upon what our Lord has defcribed, as the 
 
 one 
 
94 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. 
 
 one thing needful (s). In iliort, Sir, I appre- 
 hend from your condudl, that you are alto- 
 gether unacquainted with evangelical faith : and 
 if fo, your hope is as fallacious, as your de- 
 votion is pharifalcal. Neighbour. I am obliged. 
 Sir, by the intereft yoa appear to take in my 
 falvation ; but allow me to fay, with Solo- 
 mon, there is a time for all things. Believer m 
 Yes, Sir ; for all that is good. But, if you 
 really believe there is a time for all things, 
 is it not amazing, that, 'after you have found 
 four feafons in every day convenient for eat- 
 ing and drinking in your family, you ihould 
 find no proper opportunity, through the whole 
 courfe of a week, to pour out your prayeif 
 with that family before God ? Neighbour, It 
 is true, I do not pique myfelf upon my 
 piety : and I will confefs to you, that I fre- 
 quent the church and the holy communion, 
 rather out of decency than choice. But, not- 
 withftandlng this, my faith is as orthodox as 
 that of my neighbours. We all believe m 
 God, as our Creator ; and in Chriil:, as our 
 Redeemer ; except fome few perfons, who glory 
 in trampling all revelation under foot. For 
 my own part, I have never erred from the 
 faithy fince I firft became acquainted with the 
 
 apoftles* 
 
 (s) Luke X, 42. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. ^5 
 
 ripoftles' creed; and that was fo early in life, 
 that I cannot now recoiled who firfk inftruded 
 me in it. Believer, It feems then, neighbour, 
 that you imbibed your faith^ as you drew in 
 your nurfe's milk : and you have learned to 
 believe in Chriil, rather than in Mahomet, 
 becaufe you happened to be taught the eng- 
 lilh, rather than the turkifh language. Neigh- 
 lour, That may be. However, if I had been 
 a Mahometan, I truft, I might alfo have been 
 an lioneft man* I give to every one his due: ^ 
 this is the grand principle upon which I have 
 always a6ted, and from this I leave every 
 rational man to form a judgment of my faith. 
 Believer, Ah Sir! if fuch are the principles, 
 by which your condud is regulated, then 
 make a full furrender of your heart to God, 
 and confecrate to his fervice thofe powers of 
 body and foul, which you have received from 
 his bounty, and to v/hich he has fo juft a 
 title. But, alas ! without piety, your JlriSi 
 jujlice is like the fidelity of a fubjed, who ful- 
 fils his engagements with a few particular per* 
 fons, while he withholds the homage due to 
 bis rightful fovereign. If fuch a fubjed can 
 be termed faithful^ then may you, with pro- 
 priety, be accounted juft^ while you offer not 
 to God that tribut© of love, gratitude, adora- 
 
 tlon^ 
 
q6 the portrait of ST, PAUL. 
 
 tion, and obedience, which is your reafonable 
 fervice. You made a confeffion but now, that 
 you piqued not yourfelf upon your piety : it 
 would not have aftonifhed me more, had you 
 fald, that you piqued not yourfelf upon pay- 
 ing your debts, and afting with common 
 honefty in the world. Alas, Sir, your boafted. 
 principles do but confirm the fears, to which 
 your conduct had given rife. I intreat you, in 
 the moft folemn manner, " examine yourfelf, 
 " whether you be in the faiih" Neighbour » 
 What do you call faith ? Believer, The fcrip- 
 tures teach us, that w^e m.uft believe with the 
 heart, and that faith is the fuhjlance of things 
 hoped for ^ and the evidence of thtJigs not feen (t). 
 He, therefore, who truly believes in the Fa* - 
 ther, the Son, and the Holy Ghofl, carries 
 within him a lively demonftration of the Al- 
 mighty's prefence, which penetrates him with 
 fentlments of fear, refpedb, and love, for a 
 Being fo powerful, juft, and good : he pof- 
 fefles an internal evidence of the alFedllon of 
 that Redeemer, upon whom alone he grounds 
 his hope of falvation, faluting him, with Na- 
 thanael, as the Son of God, the King of Ifrael (u) : 
 and he difcovers in his own heart the moft 
 indifputable tejllm.onles of the fandifying and 
 
 confoling 
 
 (t) Heb. xi. I. (u) John i. 49. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. (^"J 
 
 confoling operations of the Holy Spirit. Now, 
 from this threefold demonftration, he is en- 
 abled to fay, with fuitable fentiments of gra- 
 titude and devotion •, Behold what manner of 
 love the Father hath beftowed upon us^ that we 
 Jhould he called the fons of God (w) ; He hath 
 made us accepted in the Beloved^ in whom we 
 have redemption^ through his bloody the forgive-^ 
 nefs of fins (x) ; and the Spirit it f elf beareth 
 witnefs with our fpirit^ that we are the children 
 of God (y). Tell me, then, lince you 
 
 boaft of having received the chrijiian faith ^ 
 have you ever experienced thofe falutary ef- 
 feds of faith^ which I have now defcribed ? 
 Neighbour. If that demonftration, and that 
 lively reprefentation, of which you fpeak, are 
 eflential to chrijiian faith^ I muft confefs that, 
 to fuch a faith^ I am a perfedl ftranger. But 
 the writings of St. Paul, whofe definition of 
 faith yoM have juft cited, are generally look- 
 ed upon as remarkably dark and myfteri- 
 ous : 1 wifti you had rather quoted St. John. 
 Believer, I doubt. Sir, whether you will gain 
 any thing by fuch an appeal. Whofoever be- 
 LiEVETH that Jefus is the Chrifiy faith St. John, 
 is born of God, '^his is the vi£lory^ that over» 
 Cometh the worlds even our faith, IVho is he 
 Vol. II. G that 
 
 (w) I John iii. i. (x) Eph. i* 6, 7. (y) Rom. viii. i6. 
 
^S - TTIE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 that ever come th the worlds but he that believeth, 
 that Jefus is the Son of God (z) ? You perceive 
 Sir, that, according to this apoftle, faith is a 
 principle of grace and power, fufficiently forcible ; 
 and vi(florious to regenerate and make us par- 
 takers of the divine nature, enabling us to tri- 
 umph equally over the moft feducing, as well as 
 the moil affliding, occurrences in the world. 
 Have you obtained, or have you even fought 
 the faithj of which fuch excellent things are 
 fpoken ? Neighbour, You embarras me. I 
 never heard the leaft intimation of fuch a 
 faith in this country. Believer, Indeed, Sir, 
 you are in an error, fince this very faith is 
 plainly fet forth in the xvith chapter of the 
 Helvetic Confeflion. " The chriftian faith 
 *' [fay the pious minifters who compofed that 
 " work] is not a mere human opinion or per^ 
 ^' fuajion^ but a ftate of full affurance : it not 
 *' only gives a conftant and clear aflent to, 
 " but alfo comprehends and embraces the 
 ^'- truths of God, as propofed to us in the 
 " apoftles' creed. The ibul, by this adt, unites 
 '' itfelf to God, as to its only, eternal, and 
 " fovereign good ; and to Jefus Chrift, as 
 *' the centre of all the promifes." Have you, 
 then, this divine perfuajion^ this full afjurancey 
 
 of 
 (z) I John V. 2—5. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 99 
 
 of the truths of our holy religion ? And have 
 you experienced this adl, by which the foul 
 is united to God, through Chrift, as to its 
 fovereign good ? Neighbour, I have, undoubt- 
 edly, a perfuafion, that the word of God is 
 true. But how may I abfolutely determine, 
 whether or no I am a pofTefTor of the faith, 
 of which you fpeak ? Believer. If you are 
 poflefTed of faith, you have fome experi- 
 mental knov/ledge of thofe happy eiFedls of 
 that grace, which are thus enumerated m 
 the fame confefTion. " True faith reftores 
 " peace to the confcience. It procures a free 
 " accefs to God, enabling us both to ap- 
 " proach him with confidence, and to obtain 
 " from him the things we need. It retains 
 " us in the path of obedience, enduing us 
 " with power to fulfil our feveral duties, both 
 " to God and to our neighbour. It main- 
 *' tains our patience in adverfity, and difpo- 
 " fes us, at all times, to a fmcere confeilion 
 *' of our confidence. To fum up all in a 
 " fingle word, it produces every good work." 
 " Let it be obferved [fays the fame confef- 
 *' fion] that we do not here fpeak of a pre- 
 '' tended faith, which is vain, ineffedual, and 
 " dead, but of a living, effedual and vivi- 
 ^' fying faith. This is a dodrine, which 
 
 G 2 ^' St. James 
 
100 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 *' St. James cannot be underftood to combat, 
 '' feeing he fpeaks of a vain and prefumptuous 
 " confidence, of which fome were known to 
 " boaft, while they had not Chrift living in 
 " them by means of faith." Neighbour, 
 " Chrift living in them by means of faith /" 
 I pray, Sir, what is to be underftood by this 
 expreflion ? I do not comprehend the thing. 
 But, if I recolledl, I fhall have an opportu- 
 nity, in a few hours, of mentioning the mat- 
 ter to our paftor, whom I exped here this 
 evening to make up a party at cards. The 
 true believer, after thanking his worldly neigh- 
 bour for the patience, with which he had 
 liftened to his converfation, took his leave 
 and withdrew, apprehending every evil confe- 
 quence from the decifion of a paftor, who was 
 known to indulge a tafte for play and vain 
 amufement. His fears were too well founded. 
 The minifter, true to his engagement, arrived 
 at the appointed hour, and the gentleman 
 thus eagerly addrefTed him : I have been re- 
 ceiving .fome fingular advice from a perfon of 
 a very unaccountable turn, who appears to 
 agree, either with the myftics, or the pietifts. 
 He fpoke much of faith^ afterting, that all 
 true chriftians are really regenerate, and that 
 thty have Chrijt living in them by faith. What 
 
 think 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. lOI 
 
 think you, Sir, of fuch aflertlons as thefe ? I 
 will tell you freely, replied the minifter, that 
 thefe aSftrufe points of do(5lrine are among 
 thofe profound myfteries, which neither you 
 nor I are appointed to fathom. It is ufual 
 with enthufiafts to fpeak in this manner : but 
 fuch myftic jargon is now out of feafon. There 
 have been ages, in which divines were accuf- 
 tomed to fpeculate concerning this faith^ and 
 publicly to iniift upon it in their fermons. But, 
 in an age like this, enlightened by found 
 philofophy and learned difcoverics, we no lon- 
 ger admit, what we cannot comprehend. I 
 advife you, as a friend, to leave thefe idle 
 fubtilties clofe fhut up in the unintelligible vo- 
 lumes of our ancient theologifts. The only 
 material thing, is, to condudl ourfelves as 
 honeft men. If we receive revelation in a 
 general fenfe, and have good works to pro- 
 duce, there can be no doubt but that our 
 faith is of the proper kind, and highly ac- 
 ceptable before Gop. To this fhort dif- 
 courfe the card table fucceeded, which ferved 
 to (Irengthen the bands of intimacy between 
 the carelefs clergyman and his deluded neigh- 
 bour : fo perfedly alike were their faith and 
 their mamers* 
 
 G 2 The 
 
102 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 
 
 The circumftances alluded to in the above 
 relation, are not imaginary ; and there is 
 every reafon to fear, that circumftances* of the 
 fame nature are no Jefs common in other chrif- 
 tian countries, than in that which gave birth 
 to the writer of thefe pages. 
 
 Thus, the worldly minifter, inftead of preach- 
 ing this important dodlrine in its purity, feeks 
 to deftroy even the curiolity, which would 
 engage an irreligious man to enquire into the 
 neceflity, the nature, the origin, and the ef- 
 fects of evangelical faith. And while the gene- 
 rality of thofe, who are required to publifh 
 this vidorious grace, are {t^vi to rejedt it 
 with contempt, no wonder that the true minif- 
 ter efteems himfelf obliged to contend for it, 
 with increasing earnefinefs^ both in public and 
 in private (a). 
 
 To clofe. this fedion. When the chriftian 
 rninifter proclaims falvation by faith^ he ad- 
 heres not only to the holy fcriptures, but 
 alfo to thofe public confeflions of faith, v^hich 
 are in common ufe among the churches of 
 Chrift. '' We believe," fay the churches of 
 France, ^' that every thing neceffary to our 
 
 " fai- 
 (a) Jude 1^. 3. ^ 
 
cc 
 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 
 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. lOJ 
 
 " falvation, was revealed and offered to us 
 " in Chrift, who is made unto us wifdom^ 
 " right eoiifnefs^ fan^ification^ and redemption J'^ 
 Art. xiiith. " We believe, that we are made 
 " partakers of righteoufnefs by faith alone ; 
 *' 'nee it is faid, that he, " [Chrift] fuffered 
 *•• m order to procure falvation for us, and 
 *' that whofoever believeth in him fhall not 
 periih." Art. xxth. " We believe, that 
 we are illuminated by faith, through the 
 fecret grace of the Holy Spirit," Art. xxift. 
 We believe that, by this faith, we are re- 
 generated to newnefs of life, being by na- 
 ture in bondage to fin. So that faith, in- 
 ^^ {lead of cooling in us the defire of living 
 *' righteoufly and godly, naturally tends to 
 " excite fuch defire, and necefTarily produces 
 
 ^' every good work." Art. xxii. 
 
 « 
 
 Such alfo is the dodlrine of the Helvetic 
 Confeflion. " We believe, with St. Paul, 
 " that fmful man is jaflified by faith alone 
 " in Jefus Chrifl, and not by the law. Faith 
 " receives Jefus, who is our righteoufnefs; 
 " and on this account juflification is attributed 
 " to faith. That, by means of faith, we re- 
 " ceive Jefus Chrifl, he himfelf has taught 
 " us in the Gofpel, where he fignificantly ufes 
 
 G 4 " the 
 
104 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 <* the terms applied to eatings for believing : 
 " For as, by eatings we receive bodily nou- 
 *' rifhment, fo by believing,^ wc are made par- 
 « takers of Chrift." Chap. xv. " Man is 
 " not regenerated, by faith, that he (hould 
 " continue in a ftate of indolence; but i' • 
 " that he fhould apply himfelf, without ceal- 
 " ing, to the performance of thofe things, 
 '' which are ufeful and good: iince tlie^ Lord 
 *' hath faid, every good tree bringetJ^ exhilarai- 
 '^ fruit (b) ; He that abideth in me\ infeparRbl- 
 ^' him^ the fame bringeth forth much fruU' ^Jf. " 
 
 The church of England exprefles herfelf in 
 the following terms upon falvation by faith^ 
 and the good works produced by that faith. 
 *' We are accounted righteous before God only 
 *' for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jefus 
 ^' Chrift, by faith, and not for our own works 
 and defervings. Wherefore, that we are juf« 
 tified by faith only, is a mofl wholefome 
 dodrine, and very full of comfort." Art. xi. 
 Good works do fpring out neceflarily of a 
 true and lively faith, infomuch that by 
 them a lively faith may be as evidently 
 known, as a tree difcerned by the fruit." 
 Art. xii. 
 
 The 
 (b) Matt. vii. 19. (c) John xv. 6. 
 
 ftC 
 
 It 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 105 
 
 The true minifier got^ on to announce A Lively 
 
 Hope. 
 
 C- iiDLINESS^ with contentment^ is great 
 ^mn\z): and the paftor, who is pofTe/Ted of 
 fo invaluable a blefTing, cannot be backward 
 in foliciting all, within the circle of his ac- 
 r to fhare it with him. Happy in 
 
 i_ . lent of that precious fecret, which 
 
 enabict, m to rejoice without ceafing, lie rea- 
 dily communicates it to the afHided, by lead- 
 ing them to that lively hope^ which confoles 
 and fuftains the heart of every believer. 
 
 In a world, where the bitternefs of evil is 
 continually increafing ; where we difcover the 
 fcourges of a God, who will not fail to chaf- 
 tize his rebellious creatures \ where difappoint- 
 ment and death fucceflively deprive us of our 
 deareft comforts, and where the forerunners of 
 death are continually weakening all our imper- 
 fedl enjoyments : in fuch a world, it is evi- 
 dent, that the moft exalted pleafure we are 
 capable of, muft fpring from a well-grounded 
 hope of thofe immortal joys, which are re- 
 
 ferved 
 
 (a) I Tim. vi. 6% 
 
I06 THE POkTRAIT OF SY. PAUL. 
 
 ferved for the righteous. The language of 
 mortality is too feeble to defcribe either the 
 power, or the fvveetnefs of fuch an ho-pe» Here 
 we can only cry out, with the Pfalmift \ tafte^ 
 and fee how gracious the Lord is (b)^ in pro- 
 viding fo potent a cordial for thofe, who are 
 travelling through a vale of tears. 
 
 The lively hope^ which gives birth to ?> be- 
 liever's felicity, is one of the mo 
 ing fruits of his faith, and is - ..^.y 
 
 conne6led with it, fince true faith is the fuh- 
 fiance of things hoped for. In proportion as 
 the truths and promifes, upon which faith is 
 founded, are evidenced and apprehended, fuch 
 will be the hope with which that faith is ac- 
 companied. If Mofes then, by the faith 
 which he profefTed, was enabled to renounce 
 the profped of an earthly crown, with the 
 hope of obtaining a more glorious inherit- 
 ance •, if he efteemed the reproach of Chrift 
 greater riches than the treafures of Egypt^ hav- 
 ing refpe5i unto the recompence of reward (c) j 
 what may not be expelled from an hope found- 
 ed upon thofe precious promifes, which have 
 been fealed with the blood of that conde- 
 fcending Saviour, who brought life and immor- 
 
 (b) Pfalm xxxiv.'B. (c) Heb, ix. 26, 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, I07 
 
 tality to lights through the Gofpd (d) ? "The law-, 
 faith the apoflle, made nothing perfeB^ but the 
 bringing in of a better hope did-, by the which 
 we draw nigh unto God (e). Seeing then^ that 
 we have fuch hope, continues the fame apof- 
 tle, we all-, with open face beholding^ as in a 
 glafs^ the glory of the Lord^ are changed into the 
 fame image ^ from glory to glory (f). 
 
 We every day obferve the men of the world 
 exulting in the hope of fome temporal ad- 
 vantage. The profped of an honorable title, 
 an augmentation of fortune, an advantageous 
 marriage, or even a poor party of pleafure, 
 is fufficient to allure, to animate, to enrapture 
 them. They will even acknowledge, that the 
 flattering hope of future pleafure is fweeter 
 than enjoyment itfelf. Who then fhall attempt 
 to declare thofe tranfports, which flow from 
 the lively hope of a triumphing chriftian ? A 
 hope^ which is founded upon the Rock of ages, 
 and which has for its multifarious objedl, 
 riches, honors and pleafures, as much fuperior 
 to thofe of worldly men, as the foill is fu- 
 perior to the body, heaven to earth, and eter- 
 nity to the prefent fleeting moment. 
 
 ' The 
 
 (d) 2 Tim. i. 10. (e) Heb. vii, 19. 
 
 (f) 2 Cor. iii. 12, 18. 
 
I08 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 The true minifter publicly announces this 
 hope to the world, perfuaded that, if mankind 
 were once happy enough to poffefs it, they 
 would exchange a load of mifery for a prof- 
 pe<5i: of blefiednefs. But fince he knows, that 
 this hope can never be admitted into hearts 
 replete with fm, his firft concern is to over- 
 throw the vain confidence of the imperitent, 
 to undermine the prefumption of the pharifai- 
 cal, and to point out the true diftindlion be- 
 tween a finner's groundlefs expedation, and 
 the well-founded hope of a believer in Chrifl. 
 
 In every place, there are many to be found, 
 who, without evangelical faith or hope^ are filled 
 with a prefumption as blind as that of the 
 pharifees, and as fatal as that of heathens 
 hardened in their fin. To every fuch perfon, 
 the true minifter uniformly declares, that he 
 is without Chrifi^ without hope^ and without 
 God in the world (g), Thefe very men, it is 
 probable, may offer to the Deity a formal 
 worfhip, and indulge high expedations from 
 the mercy of a divine Mediator, though they 
 are totally deftitute of an unfeigned repentance 
 toward God^ and a true faith toward our Lord 
 Jefus_ Chriji (h). Thus far the unconverted 
 
 may 
 (g) Eph. ii, 12. (h) Ads xx 21. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. IO9 
 
 may proceed in a feemingly religious courfe. 
 But the regenerate alone can truly fay ; Tikt 
 grace of God^ that bringeth falvation^ hath ap- 
 peared unto all men^ teaching us that^ denying 
 nngodlinefs and zvorldly lufis, we JJiould live foberlyy 
 righteoujly^ and godly ^ in this prefent world : look" 
 ing for that hleffed hope, and the glorious ap- 
 fearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jefus 
 Chrifi (i). 
 
 / The hoDe of unrigrhteous men is founded 
 upon pride, falfe- notions of the Deity, igno- 
 rance of his law, and upon thofe prejudices, 
 which the irreligious communicate one to ano- 
 ther. On the contrary, the hope of believers 
 has for its bafis, the word of him who can^ 
 not lie (k). Whatfoever things were written 
 aforetime, faith the apoftle, were written for 
 our learning, that we, [the children of God] 
 through patience and comfort of the fcriptures 
 might hofue hope (1). It is founded not only 
 upon the word, but equally upon the oath, 
 of God. Men verily fwcar by the greater \ 
 and an oath, for confirmation, is to them an 
 end of all firife. Wherein God, willing more 
 abundantly to fhew unto the heirs of the pro- 
 mife the immutabilily of his counfel, confirmed it 
 
 by 
 (i) Tit. ii, 1 1, 13. (k) Tit, i, 2. (I) Rom. xf, 4. 
 
no THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 by an oath : 'That by two immutable things^ in 
 which it was impqffiblc for God to lie [namely his 
 word and his oath] we might have ftrong con- 
 folation^ who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon 
 the hope fet before us ^ which hope we have as 
 an anchor of the foul^ both fur e and fiedfafi (m). 
 
 When the faithful minifter has rooted up 
 every falfe hope^ he then announces Jefus 
 Chrift, who hath brought in a better hope than 
 that of heathens or jews. Obferve here the 
 reafon, why thofe paftors, who preach not 
 Chrifl, are incapable of doing any thing to- 
 v/ard the furtherance of that living faith^ of 
 which Chriit is the grand objedt, and that 
 lively hope^ of which he is the inexhauftible 
 fource. Jefus Chrift faith St. Paul, is our 
 HOPE (n) : and we declare unto you the myf- 
 tery^ which hath been hid from ages^ and is ftill 
 hidden from worldly men, which is Chrift in 
 you, the hope of glory. Thus the everlafting 
 Son of the Father is made to his true fol- 
 lowers the beginning, and the confummation 
 of hope^ as well as the author and finifher of 
 faith (o). 
 
 By 
 
 (m) Heb. vi. i6, 19. (n) i Tim. i, i. 
 
 • 
 
 (o) Heb. xii. 2. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. Ill 
 
 By the mercy of God, and through the re- 
 demption that is in Jefus Chrift, the believer 
 has ah'eady received the promife of a free par- 
 don for paft offences ; otherwife he deferves 
 not to be termed a believer : at leaft,. he Is 
 deftitute of evangelical faiths Now when the 
 believer fincerely receives the glad tidings of 
 redeeming grace, he then afTuredly receives 
 Jefus Chrift, in whom all the promifes are yea 
 and amen (p) : and, in fuch circumftances, he 
 would conduct himfelf in a manner contrary 
 to that, which both reafon and fcripture pre- 
 fcribe, if he ihould refufe to rejoice in God 
 his Saviour. By fuch a mode of ad:ing, he 
 would prove his want of gratitude for that, 
 which Chrift hath already done, and of hope 
 for that, which he hath promifed {till to per- 
 form. But when he gives himfelf up to a 
 joy, as reafonable, as it is refrefhing, he then 
 anfwers the gracious defigns of his benevolent 
 Lord. Continually taken up with more fatis- 
 i fadory enjoyments, he defpifes the .feducing 
 pleafures of fin. He carries in his own bofom a 
 fource of celeftial pleafure, while the man o^ the 
 world difquiets his heart in the vain purfuit 
 of earthly joys. The difference between the 
 enjoyment of thefe two charadlers is as great, as 
 
 betwixt 
 (p) t Ccr. i. 20, 
 
112 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 betwixt the rational pleafure of thofe, who gather 
 their wheat into the barn, and the puerile mirth 
 of children, who are bufied in colledling the 
 fcattered ftraws and thorns : the former are 
 fecuring an ineftimable treafure, while the lat- 
 ter have nothing more in view, than to dance 
 round a fhort-lived blaze, the trueft emblem 
 of a linner's fatisfadion. 
 
 In the Holy Scriptures very excellent things 
 ?re fpoken of the hope which produces this 
 facred joy. i. It is a divine hope; fince it 
 has for its objedl the enjoyment of God, and 
 becaufe it draws fupplies of ftrength from that 
 Holy Spirit, which difcovers to believers the 
 greatnefs and {lability of gofpel-promifes. Thus, 
 St. Paul teacheth us, that the Father of glory 
 giveth us the Spirit of wifdom and revelation \ 
 enlightening the eyes of our underjlanding^ that we 
 may hiovc^ what is the hope of our callings and 
 what the riches of the glory of his inheritance 
 among the faints (q). 
 
 2. It gives lionor to the faithfulnefs and 
 power of God. Abraham, faith St. Paul, a- 
 gainft all human probability, believing in hope» 
 fiaggered not at the promife -, i>ut was ftrong in 
 
 faith 
 
 (q) Eph. i, 17, 1%, 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. II2 
 
 faith giving glory to God: being fully perfuaded, 
 that what he had promifed^ he was able alfo to 
 perform (r). Therefore^ being juftified, like Abra- 
 ham, by faithy we rejoice^ continues the apoftle, 
 with a confidence like his, in hope of the glory 
 of God, And this hope maketh not afhamed (s). 
 How unlike the fallacious hope of worldly men, 
 who are frequently put to fhame by their 
 blafted expedations ! 
 
 3. This HOPE is faid to fill us with a holy 
 joy. Bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord 
 Jefus Chrifty faith St, Peter, who hath begotten 
 us again unto a lively hope, by the refurre5iton 
 of Jefus Chrift from the dead. Wherein ye greatly 
 rejoice {t). And on this account it was, that 
 the apoftle Paul prayed, with fo much ardor, 
 
 for an increafe of hope among believers Now 
 
 the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace 
 in believing^ that ye may abound in hope through 
 the power of the Holy Ghofi (u), 
 
 4. It adlually faves us \ as Sit, Paul him- 
 felf declares in the following words : — / reckon 
 that the fufferings of the prefent time are not 
 worthy to be compared with the glory which fhall 
 Vol. II. H be 
 
 (r) Rom. iv. 18, 21. (s) Rom. v. i, 5. 
 
 (t) I Pet. i. 3, 6. (u) Rom. xy. 13. 
 
114 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 he revealed in us. And^ fupported by this fweet 
 perfuafion, we wait for the adoftion-^ to wit^ the 
 redemption of our body, For^ in this refpedl, we 
 are fcived by hope (w). 
 
 5. It is equally fweet and folid ; fince it 
 refts upon the right which the children of 
 God jnay claim to the inheritance of their 
 heavenly Father j a facred right, which is con- 
 firmed to them with the utiYioil folemnity in 
 the new Teftament. Now every man, who re- 
 ceives, with fincerity, the Lord of life and glo- 
 ry, receives with him a title to everlafling pof- 
 feiTions, and ranks, from that moment, among 
 the Sons of God (x). So that to fuch, the fol- 
 lowing paflages may, with propriety, be ap- 
 plied — He hath made us accepted in the beloved—^ 
 In whom ye alfo trujied^ after that ye heard the 
 word of truthy the gofpel of your fahation: in 
 whom alfoy after that ye believed^ ye were fealed 
 with that Holy Spirit of promife^ which is the 
 earnefi of our inheritance^ until the redemption of 
 the pur chafed poffeffion (y). 
 
 6. It purifies us. Now are we, faith St. 
 John, the fons of Cod, and it doth not yet ap- 
 pear 
 
 (w) Rom. viii» 18, 24. (x) John i. 12, 
 
 (y) Eph. i, 6, 12, 14. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. II5 
 
 fear what we /hall he : hut ,we know that^ when 
 he /hall appear^ we fliall he like him \ for we 
 /hall fie him as he is. And every man^ that 
 hath this hope in him^ purifieth himfelf^ even as 
 he is pure, Who/oever is horn of God^ or re- 
 generated by a true faith and a lively hope, 
 doth not commit fin \ for his feed remaineth in 
 him : and he cannot fin^ becaufe he is born of 
 God (z). The truth of this afTertion is clear 
 to the eye of reafon. We fall into fin, be- 
 caufe we fuffer ourfelves to be feduced by the 
 allurements of fome tranfitory good, which 
 prefents itfelf either to our fenfes or imagina- 
 tion. But when we are once perfiiaded, that 
 infinite enjoyments await us, we can then look 
 with contempt upon thofe deceitful appearan- 
 ces : and after our hearts are animated with 
 a confident hope of pofiefTing thofe invlfible 
 realities, the charm of fin is broken. In fuch 
 a flate, we break through temptations with 
 as much refolution, as a prince, who is going 
 to take pofTefHon of a kingdom, renounces the 
 little amufemeats that occupied his thoughts, 
 before they were engroffed by a concern of 
 fo vail: importance. Who is he that overcornetk 
 the worlds but ' the m^n who believes with 
 that faith, which affords him a lively repre- 
 
 H 2 fentation 
 
 (2) I John iii, 2, 3, 9. 
 
.Il6 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 fcntation of things hoped for ? Compare i 
 John V. 5. with Heb. xi. i. 
 
 7. This lively hope produces charity in the 
 foul. We give thanks to God, faith the apoftle, 
 praying always for you^ Jince we heard of the 
 kve^ which ye have to all the faints \ for the 
 HOPE, which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof 
 ye heard before in the word of the truth of the 
 
 Gofpel (a). Nay, of fo prevailing an influence 
 is this foHd hope, that the apoftle intimates, 
 in the fame chapter, that believers ihall be 
 prefented before God, holy and unhlameahle^ 
 provided they be not moved away from the 
 HOPE of the Gofpel (b). For, continues he, we 
 are made far takers of Chrifl, if we hold the be-- 
 ginning of our confidence fledfaft unto the end (c). 
 And we dejirey that every one of you do /hew 
 the fame diligence, to the full ajfurance of hope 
 unto the end : that ye be not Jlothful, but follow- 
 ers of them, who through faith and patience in- 
 her it the promifes (d). 
 
 8. This hope is full of confoktion. IVe, 
 ivha remain, faith the apoftle, /hall be caught 
 up to meet the Lord in the air : and fo fliall we 
 
 ever 
 
 (a) ColofT. i. 5 — 5. (b) -z/. 22, 23. 
 
 (c) Heb. iii. 14. (d) Heb. vi. ir, 12< 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. llj 
 
 ever he with the Lord, Wherefore comfort one 
 another with thefe words (e). Now our Lord 
 Jefus Chrift himfelf and God^ even our Father^ 
 which hath loved us^ and hath given us everlaft- 
 ing confolation and good hope through grace^ 
 comfort your hearts (f). When we obferve a- 
 mong us feme, who are difquleted and caft 
 down, who want courage to fupport afflidtion 
 without impatience, and to fill up their du- 
 ties with cheerfulnefs, we then behold perfons 
 who never enjoyed, or who have unhappily 
 loft, the lively hope of true chriftians. If all 
 minifters of the Gofpel had experienced the 
 fwectnefs and .power of this hope, with what 
 pleafure would they publifh it to the afflicled. 
 And with what perfeverance would they join 
 to their difcourfes the moft ardent prayers, 
 that all their hearers might come to the en- 
 joyment of fo invaluable a blefling. 
 
 When the true minifter leads his flock to 
 this lively and joyful hope^ he treads in the 
 footfteps of his divine mafler. Chrift, it is 
 true, began his miniftry by preaching repent- 
 ance (g). But, immediately after, we find him 
 placing before the believer's eye, beatitudes 
 
 H 3 and 
 
 (e) I TlKfT. V. 17, 18. (f) 2 Them ii. 16, 17. 
 
 (g) Matt. iv. 17. 
 
H8 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 and promlfes of the moft confolatory nature (h). 
 In a vaft variety of afredling paflages, he ex- 
 horts his follov.'crs to the exercife of a joyful 
 hope in the fevereft trials, making that an 
 indifpenfable duty, which is indeed a glorious 
 privilege — Fear not them^ which are not able 
 to kill the foul — 'The very hairs of your head 
 are all number ed'-^W ho fo ever fnall confefs me be^ 
 fore men^ him will I confefs alfo before my Fa- 
 ther ^vhich is in heaven (i). Fear not^ little flock -y 
 for it is your Fathers good pleafure to give you 
 the Kingdom (k). / give unto myfneep eternal 
 life^ and they fhall never perifh^ neither fJiall 
 any pluck them out of my hand (1). , 
 
 He appears anxious, that his people fiiouid 
 participate his peace, his confolation, and his 
 confidence, till they come to the pofTefTion of 
 confummate blefiednefs. Thefe things have I 
 fpoken^ faith he, that in me ye might have peace, 
 la the world ye fhall have tribulation : but be 
 of good cheer y I have overcome the wt^rjd (m). 
 Let not your heart be troubled. I go Jor.rprepare 
 a place for you. And if 1 go to prepare a place 
 for you^ I will couie again^ and receive you unto 
 
 myfelfy 
 
 (h) Matt. V. I, &:c. (i) Matt. x. z8, 32. 
 
 (k) Luke xii. 31. (J) John x. 27, 29. 
 
 (m) John xvi. 33- 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' I I9 
 
 myfelf'i that where I am^ there ye may he alfo (n). 
 Te now have forrow : But I will fee you again^ 
 and' your heart Jliall rejoice^ and your joy no 
 man taketh from you (o). He exhorts them 
 continually to expedl his return (p); and evert 
 condefcends to mention the very terms in 
 which he will, on that folemn occadon, falute 
 every waiting believer. 
 
 The prayers of Chrift, as well as his ex- 
 hortations and promifes, tend to produce and 
 fupport the moft exalted hope in the fouls of 
 believers. He has gracioufly interceded for 
 them, he ftill continues to make intercefiion, 
 and his prayer is always prevalent. Mark a 
 few fentences of that memorable prayer, which 
 he once offered up for all his followers, and 
 which forms the xviith chapter of St. John's 
 Gofpel. Father ! I pray not for the worlds 
 hut for them which thou haji given me. Holy 
 Father ! keep, through thine own name, thofe 
 whor/i thou hafi given me: and fan5lify them 
 through thy truth. Neither pray I for thefe alone ^ 
 hut for them alfo, which fliall helieve on ?ne 
 through their word -, that they may all he one, 
 even as we are one> Father] I will, that they 
 
 H 4 whom 
 
 (n) John xiv. i, 3. (0} xvi. 72. (p) Luke xil. 40. 
 
I20 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 whom thou hajl given me, he with me where I 
 amy that they may behold my glory, 
 
 A lively hope founded upon thefe prayers 
 and declarations of the blefled Jefus, enabled 
 the primitive chriftians to triumph over every 
 afflicftion. In the midft of the moft terrible 
 perfecutions, they could congratulate one ano- 
 ther on their common bleffednefs, and fay ; 
 Our life is hid with Chrijl in God: and when 
 Chrijly who is our life, Jhall Mppear^ then Jhall 
 we alfo appear with him in glory (q). For He 
 Jhall yet come to he glorified in his faint Sy and 
 to he admired in all them that believe (r). 
 
 The apoftles, agreeable to the example of 
 their divine mafter, were unanimous in pub- 
 lifhing this glorious hope: and Su Paul very 
 frequently infifts upon it, as a moft important 
 duty. Let us, faith he, who are of the day^ he 
 fober^ putting on the hreafi-plate of faith and love, 
 and, for an helmet, the hope of falvation (s). I 
 hefeech you, brethren, prefent your bodies a living 
 facrifice unto God — rejoicing in hope (t). Re» 
 joice in the Lord alway : and again I fay, 
 rejoice (u). This evangelical hope will 
 
 ever 
 
 (q) ColofT. iii. 4. (r) 2 Their, i. ?o. (?) iThefT. v. 8» 
 (.t) Rom. xii. !, 12. (u) Phil. iv. 4» 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 121 
 
 ever be experienced, as a never-failing fource 
 of confolation and thankfulnefs : and hence, 
 wherever the hope of the Gofpel is preached, 
 there believers continue to be filled with un- 
 fpeakable^'^ (w). How truly happy would 
 chriftians be, were fuch an hope to flourifh 
 among them ! Far from difputing any longer 
 for the trifles of time and fenfe, they would 
 joyfully renounce them all, in expedlation of 
 an eternal inheritance : and, inflead of running 
 to the frivolous amufements of the world for 
 a momentary recreation, every pafTing day 
 would appear too fhort for the exhilarating 
 duties of praife and thanksgiving. 
 
 It IS aflerted by many, that this divine hope 
 IS ufually infifted upon by every minifter. That 
 preachers, in general, are accuftomed to ex- 
 hort their hearers, in a cold and languid man- 
 ner, to hope in the divine mercy, will readily 
 be granted : but that fuch do not publifh the 
 real^ evangelical hope^ of chriftians, may be eafily 
 proved beyond the poflibility of a doubt We 
 have feen, in the preceding fe<5tions, that the 
 minifter of the prefent day is unacquainted 
 with this hope: that he is even without any 
 juft ideas of that true repentance, and that living 
 
 faith, . 
 (w) A€is xiii. 52* 
 
122 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 f.ith, from which alone this hope can flow : 
 and hence, it is impoiiible for him, in the 
 rature of things, to publifn it in the church 
 of God. In vain has Chrift himfelf declared, 
 that the broad way v;ill condudl multitudes to 
 deftrudion, and that, except a man he horn again^ 
 he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God (x) ; 
 in fpite of thefe folemn declarations, the worldly 
 paflor {lill imagines, that this very v;ay will 
 condud him to life, and that he fhall be count- 
 ed among the inhabitants of that Kingdom, 
 without fcriptural regeneration. He fuppofes, 
 at leaft, that he is fufficiently fancftified, though 
 his righteoufnefs exceeds not that of the pha- 
 rifecs, nor his devotion that of the Laodicean 
 church. Thus, entertaining a "jain hope in 
 his own heart, and indulging a confidence, 
 which is repugnant to the concurrent tefti- 
 monies of every facred writer, he neceflarily 
 leads his hearers into the fame dangerous de- 
 luiions. 
 
 As, in oxditv folidly to found our hopes upon 
 a benefador, or a fureft', it is necefiary to 
 have an acquaintance vith the perfon, who 
 prefents himfelf in either of thefe charafters ; 
 fo, the lively hope of Vv'hich v/e fpeak, mufl: 
 
 flow 
 (x) John iii. 5. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 1 23 
 
 .flow from an experimental knowledge of God, 
 by Jefus Chrill: : T7«'j is eternal life^ that they 
 may know ^hee the only true God^ and Jefus 
 Chrift whom thou hafi fent (y). But the child- 
 ren of this worlds whether they be laymen 
 or ecclefiailics, are deftitute of this knowledore. 
 They know neither the Father, nor the Son: 
 and were it otherwife, the love of the world 
 would not have dominion over them. 
 
 This lively hope can never dwell in an un- 
 regenerate heart. The child, that is not born, 
 cannot pofTibly rejoice in hope of pofTeffing 
 the heritage of his father \ fince he is equally 
 unacquainted with his parent, and the patri- 
 mony, that is likely to be refer ved for him. 
 It is, therefore, abfolutely neceflary to be born 
 of God, before we can exercife this exhilarate 
 ing hope. Ts^ow a man is thus born, when 
 he is regenerated by that fpirit of adoption, 
 which God hath promifed to thofe, who fni- 
 cerely believe in Jefus Chrifi:. But they, who 
 are conform.able to the maxims of the world, 
 are not able to receive this vivifying Spirit. 
 / will pray the Father^ faid Chrift to his dif- 
 ciples, and he Jliall give yen another comforter^ 
 that he may abide with you for ever^ even the 
 
 Spirit 
 
 (y) John xvii. 3, 
 
124 "^^2 PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 Spirit of truths whom the world cannot receive, 
 hecauje it feeth him not^ iieither knoweth him j 
 to, being already regenerate in part, ye know 
 him ', for he dwelkth with you^ and Jhall he in 
 you^ when you are fully born of the Spirit (z). 
 It is not, till after the accompliihment of this 
 promife has been experienced, that the fol- 
 lowing expreffions can be perfedlly underftood 
 ' — Know ye noty that your body is the temple of 
 the Holy Ghojt (a) ? Now the God of hope fill 
 you with all joy end peace in believing^ that ye 
 may abound in hope, through the power of the 
 Holy Ghoft (b). 
 
 Far from preaching this primitive hope^ the 
 worldly minifter is alarmed at the bare men- 
 tion of it. Let it here be obferved again, 
 that this celeftial plant can fiourifh only in 
 thofe hearts, where the word of God, fharper 
 than any two-edged fword, has cut down every 
 unfruitful appearance of pharifaical hope. Now 
 when a true rniniiler is engaged in perform- 
 ing this preparatory work, cutting away the 
 mortified members of the old man, and pluck- 
 ing from pride its unprofitable fupports ; the 
 inexperienced miniiler prepofteroufly takes of- 
 fence 
 
 (z) John xiv. 16, 17. (a) i Cor. vi. 19. 
 
 (b) Rom XV. 13. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 125 
 
 fence at his holy zeal, and cenfures this ns- 
 ceflary feverity, as leading fouls Into the hor- 
 rors of defpair. ^\ow of underftanding in 
 Ipiritual concerns, he comprehends not, that 
 they who .recline upon a broken reed, muft 
 give up all the confidence they foolifhly place 
 in fo flender a. prop, before they can efFedu- 
 ally choofe the Rock of ages for their fupport. 
 
 The true charadler of thefe falfe apoflles 
 is not generally known. Covering their im- 
 piety with the cloak of religion, they are fup- 
 .pofed by many to ad on the part of ChrKr, 
 and are frequently efteemed as pillars in the 
 church. But there are occalions, on which 
 they unwittingly throw off the mafk, and make 
 an open difcovery of their fecret thoughts. 
 Some few perfons are found in the world, 
 who, refufing to attend card afTemblles, re- 
 joice to be prefent in thofe lefs polite affem- 
 blies, which are formed for the purpofe of 
 prayer. Here it is ufual for confenting neigh- 
 bours to take fweet counfel together, and 
 wreftle with ardor for the hope of the Gofpel, 
 in words like thefe : — " Gracious Father 1 for- 
 *' give the fins of thy returning children, and 
 " grant us an increafe of fpiritual ftrength. 
 *' Senfible of our own unworthinefs, affift us 
 
 " to 
 
126 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 " to place all our confidence in thine un. 
 " bounded mercy, manifefted through Jefus 
 " Chrift. Increafe our faith in the Son of 
 " thy love, and confirm our hope in thine 
 " unchangeable promifes. O thou divine Sa- 
 " viour ! defcend this drv into our hearts, as 
 " thou didil once defcend ■ upon thy firft dif- 
 " ciples. Confecrate us thy living temples, 
 " fill us with thy graces, and, during the 
 " time of our earthly pilgrimage, vouchfafe to 
 " lead us with the right hand of thy power, 
 '' Let not thy fpirit of illumination and holi^ 
 *' nefs, thy fpirit of confolation and joy, aban- 
 *' don us for a moment, as we pafs through 
 *' this valley of tears. May its potent ope- 
 " rations fubdue in us the pov/er of fin, 
 *' and produce in our outward converfation 
 *' the happy fruits of righteoufnefs, peace, and 
 " joy. PermJt us, at this time, to return to 
 " our houfes, with a confcioufnefs of thy 
 " love, and an afTu ranee " of thy favor : and 
 " grant that, after having been the temples 
 " of thy Spirit upon earth, we may one day 
 '' be received into the temple of thine eternal 
 " glory in the Heavens." 
 
 A worldly minider, on a certain time, en- 
 tering into an afTembly of this kind, heard 
 
 the 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 1 27 
 
 the prayer of thefe humble believers •, and, as 
 much furprized to fee the ardor with which 
 they ofFer.^d their petitions, as to obferve the 
 time and place in which they were prefented, 
 withdrew from their fociety, with as much 
 indignation, as a good paflor would retire 
 from a company of jugglers. But having 
 underftood that one of his own parifhioners 
 was of the religious party, he took the earliefl 
 opportunity of teftifying the utm.oil difappro- 
 bation of his condud. ' What was it,' Md 
 he, ' that you was doing with thofe people 
 the other day, in fuch a place ? Conventi- 
 cles of that kind are contrary to order, and 
 unworthy of toleration. The church is the 
 only proper place for the performance of 
 divine worfhip : moreover, I heard you fool- 
 ifhly praying for, I know not what confo- 
 lation, light, and power, of the Holy Spirit. 
 Receive in good part the advice I offer 
 you— Look upon infpirations and illumina- 
 tions of this fort, as no other than the idle 
 fancies of vifionaries and enthufiafts : re- 
 nounce the imaginary aillirance, with which 
 you do but deceive^ yourfelf, and repofe 
 upon the hope which I have conllantly 
 preached to you; a hope, with which you 
 and your neighbours may very well reft con- 
 
 * tented.* 
 
128 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 * tented.' Confounded with a difcourfe of 
 this kind, a weak and inexperienced chriftian 
 might have been drawn afide from the narrow 
 path of truth. But the perfon here alluded 
 to, by citing Eph. i. 17, 18. was enabled to 
 prove, that the very fame illumination and 
 power, which were treated fo contemptuoufly 
 by his opponent, were neverthelefs abfolutely 
 neceflary, as the ground work of a folid kope. 
 Nay, he pufhed the matter ftill further*, and 
 afTerted, that the prayer agalnft which the 
 zealous paftor had fo angrily exclaimed, was 
 ufed in exadt conformity to thofe very pe- 
 titions, which he himfelf was inconflftently 
 heard to offer, at the feaft of Pentecoft, and 
 on other folemn feafons. 
 
 If this little relation faithfully defcribes the 
 manner of thinking, which is too common 
 among the clergy of the day, is it not evi- 
 dent, that they are more difpofed to ridicule, 
 than to preach, the chriftian hope •, and abun- 
 dantly more earnell to obftru6l, than to further, 
 their parifliioners, in the purfuit of everlafting 
 bleffednefs. 
 
 When the dawn of this glcrioiis hope firft 
 began to glimmer ; when, at the defcent of 
 
 the 
 
THE PORTRAIT OP ST. PAUL.' 129 
 
 the mount of Olives, the whole company of 
 the difciples began to praife God with a loud 
 voice, ftrewing the way, by which their Lord 
 was to pafs, with garments and branches of 
 trees, and crying out before him ; Hofanna 
 to the Son of David ! Blefed is he that cometh 
 in the name of the Lord ! Hofanna in the high- 
 ejll — Some of the pharifees, who had mixed 
 among the multitude, rudely exclaimed ; Maf^ 
 ter^ rebuke thy difciples. And when he 
 
 had entered into the temple, the chief friefis 
 and fcribes [thofe models by which the gene- 
 rality of minifters feem anxious to form them- 
 felves] feeing the wonderful things that he did^ 
 and the cJdldren crying Hofanna, were fore dif- 
 pleafedy and faid unto him, Hearefi thou what 
 thefe fay ? And Jefus anfwered them, Tea ; 
 have ye never read. Out of the mouth of babes 
 and fucklings thou haft perfected praife ? I tell 
 you, that, if thefe fJiould hold their peace, the 
 Jiones would immediately cry out (c). There ftill 
 exifts the fame oppofition betwixt thofe, who 
 cordially embrace the Gofpel, and thofe, who 
 ungratefully rejed it. As often as the for- 
 mer are perceived to give a loofe to the 
 tranfports of their gratitude, rejoicing in hope 
 of the glory of God; the worldly minifter. 
 Vol. II. I difpleafed 
 
 (c) Matt. xxi. Luke xlx. 
 
f 130 TKE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 dlfpleafed to obferve any thing that appears 
 to reproach his own lukewarmnefs, is pre- 
 pared to ftifle the emotions of that joyful hope^ 
 which he deems no better than the confidence 
 of prefumptuous fanatics. "While the faithful 
 minifter, on obferving fuch a fcene, cries out, 
 in imitation of the great apoftle : Now the 
 God of HOPE Jill you with all joy and peace in 
 believing^ that ye may abound in hope through 
 the power of the Holy Ghofv. 
 
 If penitents are not pointed to the blelTed- 
 nefs of this hope, they will ftrive, like Cain, 
 to ftifle their remorfe, by pailionately aban- 
 doning themfelves to the bufinefs and enjoy- 
 ments of the prefent world : or, like the 
 Ifraelites, who found not fufficient pleafure in 
 religion to banifh the recolledlion of Egypt's 
 vanities, they will indulge that fpirit of tri- 
 fling which the apoftle thus defcribes — The 
 people fat down to eat and to drink^ and rofe 
 up to play (d). On the contrary, when the 
 chriftian is dire6led to the hope of his high 
 calling, he finds it a fource of unutterable con- 
 folation : and having difcovered the treafure 
 hidden in the Gofpel field, for joy thereof he 
 felleth his all^ in order to purchafe that field. 
 
 He 
 
 (d) I Cor, X, 7. 
 
TiiE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. I3I 
 
 He now renounces, without pain, what before 
 had hindered him in running the heavenly 
 race, counting nothing dear to himfelf, that 
 he may finifh his courfe with joy, and infure 
 the crown of everlafting hfe. So power- 
 
 fully were the firft chriftians fupported by this 
 Gofpel hope^ that they remained immoveable 
 amid the foreft calamities of life, and fufFered 
 death itfelf with a courage that aftoniftied 
 the perfecutors. But when they lofl their con- 
 fidence, like Demas, they began to indulge 
 the fond hopes and fooliih fears of the pre- 
 fent world, becoming altogether weak as other 
 men : and fuch are the generality of chrif- 
 tians at this day« The love of many is wax- 
 ing cold, while the church of God is evidently 
 falling into ruins : and how fhall we aflift to 
 rekindle that love, or repair that church, but 
 by zealoufly proclaiming abroad the hope of 
 the Gofpel ? 
 
 I 2 <The 
 
132 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 i'he true minijier preaches Christian Charity. 
 
 X F the evangelical paflor proclaims repenl' 
 ance^ faitk^ and hope^ it is with a view of 
 leading finners to that chrijlian charity^ which 
 is juftly efteemed the crown of every grace. 
 In preaching repentance^ he lays the axe to 
 the root of every corrupt tree — In publifliing 
 evangelical faith^ he plants the tree of life — 
 When he proclaims the hope of the Gofpel, 
 he caufes that tree to put forth a beautiful 
 bloflbm — But, when he preaches chrijlian cha^ 
 rityy he calls forth the rich fruit from every 
 vigorous branch. And while he is engaged 
 in performing the various parts of this im- 
 portant work, he denounces the anathemas of 
 the Gofpel againft that repentance^ faith^ and 
 hope^ which are fuperjicial^ unfruitful^ and de- 
 lufive. 
 
 The minifter of the day piques himfelf 
 upon preaching morality, which he is ordi- 
 narily accuftomed to do, in the manner of 
 an heathen philofopher. Unacquainted with 
 the importance and power of the docflrines of 
 chriftianity, he is afliamed to walk in the tra- 
 ces 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 1^7 
 
 CCS of St. Paul. If he is enabled to paint, 
 with any degree of ability, the ferpents of 
 envy, the inquietudes of avarice, and the de- 
 lights of charity, he imagines that he fhall 
 readily difpofe his neighbours to love as bre- 
 thren. He knows not, that the law of the 
 fprit of life in Chrijl Jefus is that alone, which 
 can make any man free from the law of fin 
 and deaths by delivering him from that envy, 
 that avarice, that ambition, that indifference, 
 and thofe worldly fears, which are incompa- 
 tible with evangelical charity. What the law 
 could not do^ in that it was weak through the 
 flefli^ i. e. our degenerate nature^ which has need 
 of ftronger motives and more powerful fup- 
 ports than thofe which the law propofes, God^ 
 fending his own Son in the likenefs of ftnful flefh^ 
 and for fin^ condemned fin in the flefh : that^ by 
 the new motives, and the divine alTiftancej, 
 offered in the Gofpel, the righteoufnefs of the 
 law might he fulfilled in us, who, being regene- 
 rate, walk 72ot after the flefh, but after the 
 fpirit (a). 
 
 The judicious paftor, obferving the fame 
 connexion between the morals and dodlrines 
 of chriftianity, as between the root and fruit 
 
 I 3 of 
 
 (a) Rom. viii, 4.. 
 
134 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 of a vigorous tree, Is conftrained Inceffantly 
 to preach thofe important truths, which natu- 
 rally give rife to the three firfl mentioned 
 graces : and he is perfedly aflured, that where- 
 ever thefe truths are permitted to take root, 
 he Ihall ihortly rejoice over the ineftimable 
 fruits of chnfiian charity* This mode of a6l- 
 ing is equally conformable to reafon and reve- 
 lation. By publilhing thofe doClrines, upon 
 which the neceifity of repentance is founded, 
 he exterminates pride and inordinate felf-love, 
 which are the greateft pbftacles to charity. By 
 preaching the do6lrines of faith, he gives rife 
 to that univerfal love, which extends to God 
 and man — Thus, v;hen a finner lincerely be- 
 lieves, that God is love (b) ; when, penetrated 
 with admiration and gratitude, he can fay 
 with the apoflle, / lii:le by the faith of the Son 
 of Gody who loved me and gave himfelf for 
 rne (c) \ at that moment, he neceffarily feels 
 a degree of affedtlon to\y"ard the creating Fa- 
 ther, and the redeeming Son, whom he longs 
 to imitate, and whom he rejoices to obey. 
 This love is as boundlefs as it is ardent, and 
 reaches to the moft unworthy of his fellow- 
 creatures, enabling him, after the example of 
 Chrift, to facrifice for his very enemies, not 
 
 only 
 (b) I John VI, i(>^ (c) Gal. ii. 20. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. I35 
 
 only outward comforts, but even life itfelf. 
 Hence, the chriftlan faith is faid to work by 
 love. Now, if this lively perfuafion of the 
 unfpeakable bleflings, which God hath already 
 given us in Chrift Jefus, is fufficient to pro- 
 duce in the foul a high degree of fcriptural 
 charity -, it is evident, that a well-ground- 
 ed hope of greater bleflings ftill to come, 
 muft necefTarily ferve to quicken and increafe 
 this charity. And if we are fully perfuaded, 
 that our labours of love fhall never be for- 
 gotten; that even a cup of cold water, im- 
 parted for the love of Chrift, fliall not go 
 unrewarded *, how vaft an influence may fuch 
 a hope be expeded to exert, in opening the 
 heart to univerfal benevolence, and in pro- 
 ducing all the fruits of evangelical love ! 
 
 Convinced that, to plead for charity^ with- 
 out Infifting upon the do6lrInes, by which it 
 muft be fupported, would be building a houfe 
 without laying a folid foundation, the true minif- 
 ter induftrioufly labors to explain the nature, to 
 exhibit the motives, and reprefent the effeds of 
 this wondrous grace, in the cleareft manner. 
 To fome, indeed, fuch difcourfes are vain ; 
 but others among his hearers are found, who, 
 raviihed v/ith the lovelinefs of this virtue, and 
 
 1 4 con- 
 
136 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 
 
 conftrained by tbofe motives which the Gof- 
 pel propofes, betake themfelves to the exer- 
 cife of it, with as much ardor, as the vo- 
 luptuous run to their fenCual entertainments. 
 
 Darknefs differs not more from light, than 
 the charity of the faithful minifter differs trom 
 that of a fcribe ill-inftrucled in the myfferies 
 of the kingdom. The love of the good paf- 
 tor rejoiceth not in iniquity^ hut rejoiceth in the 
 truth (d), which frequently comes to humble 
 human pride. On the contrary, the charity 
 which every falfe apoftle preaches, is no more 
 than the phantom of a virtue, confoling the 
 heart in the midft of fin, rejoicing in a lie^ 
 and refting upon affurances altogether contrary 
 to the v/ord of God. To be charita- 
 
 ble, is, according to the notions of thefe men, 
 to indulge a perfuafion, that there is much 
 to be abated of the threatenings contained in 
 the Gcfpel, and -that St. Paul is far befide 
 the truth, when he declares, that no mi" 
 clean or covetous perfon hath any inheritance in 
 the kingdom of Chrift (e). It is to believe, that 
 the Holy Spirit was too fevere, wlien it .dic- 
 tated to St. James, that he^ who is a friend 
 cf the world, is the enemy of God^ and violates 
 
 hl3 
 (d) 1 Cor. xiil. 6. (e) Eph. v. 5. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 137 
 
 his baptlfmal vow in as full a fenfe, as adul- 
 terers violate the facred vow of conjugal 
 fidelity (f). It is to infinuate, that Chrifl: 
 himfelf overpafTed the bounds of reafon, when 
 he publicly cried out ; Whofoever JJiall fay to 
 his brother^ thou fooly Jliall he in danger of 
 Hell-fire (g). Judge not^ 
 
 faith the Redeemer, that ye he not judged (h). 
 But, according to the fentiments of thefe erring 
 guides, to be divinely charitable, is to conclude 
 from this precept, that a man may even re- 
 voke the judgments of Chrift himfelf: thus, 
 under pretext of not judging thofe, who are 
 evidently walking in the road to perdition, they 
 indiredly give judgment againft the Redeemer, 
 as bearing a falfe teftimony. In errors like 
 thefe, it is, that the world will needs have the 
 greateft part of charity to confift. 
 
 The true minifter attacks this falfe grace, 
 as an enemy to the truth of the Gofpel, while 
 he pleads for that Chrift-like charity^ which 
 may properly be called the fifter of truth. 
 He afferts the dignity and power of truth ; 
 holding it up to the veneration and love of 
 thofe, who would not wilfully offend the God 
 of truth. Let us, continues he, fpeaking the 
 
 truth 
 
 (f) James iv. 4. (g) Matt. v. 22. (h) Matt. vii. i. 
 
138 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 truth in love, grow up into him in all things^ 
 which is the heady even Chrifi (i) : and, having 
 fird purified our fouls in obeying the truths let us 
 love one another with a pure heart fervently (k). 
 Between thefe fcrlptural companions he will 
 fuffer no feparation to take place •, and when 
 they are treated by the injudicious, as enthu- 
 fiaftic and heretical, he will dare to fland forth 
 in defence of thefe two confederate virtues. 
 
 Another opinion, that generally prevails a- 
 mong the profeflbrs of chriftianity, Is, that 
 charity confifts in giving alms to the poor : 
 and this opinion is earneflly contended for 
 by many, although the pharifees, * who were 
 regarded by our Lord as ferpents and vipers (1), 
 through their want of an unfeigned charity^ were 
 yet remarkable for their generofity in alms- 
 giving. St. Paul manifeftly oppofes this erro- 
 neous notion, where he declares, that it is 
 pofTible for a man to give all his goods to feed 
 the poory and yet be deftitute of charity (m). 
 The faithful paftor, it is true, maintains, that 
 every charitable perfon is conftrained to aiTifl 
 the poor, according to his ability : but he 
 adds, that alms- giving is as uncertain a mark 
 
 of 
 
 (i) Eph. iv. 15. (k) I Pet. I, 22. 
 
 (1) Matt, xxlii, 33. (m) i Cor. xiii, 5. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST* PAUL. 139 
 
 of charity^ as a conftant attendance upon the 
 facramental table, is an equivocal evidence of 
 faith : iince it is as pofTible to relieve the 
 poor through weaknefs or vanity, as to re- 
 ceive the holy communion through timidity or 
 cuftom. 
 
 If the charity of worldly men is ever found 
 to exceed this defcription, yet it will always 
 be limited to the neceflities of the body. As 
 they know not, how far the immortal fpirit 
 is fuperior to the perllhing body, which muft 
 foon be blended with the duft of a thoufand 
 carcafes, it is no wonder, that their chief con- 
 cern is engrofled by the latter. The welfare 
 of their own fouls is attended to with a very 
 fmall degree of folicitude ; and while this is 
 the cafe, it cannot be imagined, that they 
 fhould manifeft any extraordinary degree of 
 afFedion toward the fouls of their neighbours. 
 They behold, without forrow, thofe deluded 
 pardzans, who make war upon each other 
 for the fake of their particular errors : they 
 can even gaze, without pity, upon thofe 
 obdurate fouls, who are defperately plung- 
 ing from one abyfs of fin to another. How 
 different were the feelings of David, when, 
 like a true penitent, he not only v/ept 
 
 for 
 
I40 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 for his own offences, but fhed torrents of 
 tears for thofe, who tranfgrefTed the law 
 of God (n) ! And how contrary was the 
 charafler. of St. Paul, who went through a 
 kind of fplritual travail, till the degenerate 
 were born again (o) ! In like manner the 
 primitive chrifHans expofed themfelves to im- 
 minent dangers, that they might give proofs 
 of the moll; exalted chanty, by fnatching fouls 
 from fin and death. And when they were 
 not able to eifedl this by their external la- 
 bors, they then w^eftled in their clofets, with 
 fecret prayers and tears, for the converiion of 
 the ungodly. Where there is no defire after 
 the falvation of others, there chrijlian charity is 
 unknown : fince, while a man difregards the 
 foul of his neighbour, all the interefl he takes 
 in his temporal affairs, can manifeft no more 
 than the charity of a difciple of Epicurus, which 
 is as far below the charity of Chrift's difciples, 
 £s materialifm is inferior to chriflianity. 
 
 In oppcfition to all the erroneous notions, 
 which too generally prevail upon this im- 
 portant fubjed:, the minifter of the new Tell- 
 arnent teaches, that evangelical charity is the 
 image of God j and that eternal and infinite 
 
 charity^ 
 
 (n) Pfalm cxix. 136. (0) Gal, iv. 19. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 14c 
 
 iharity^ is nothing lefs than God himfelf. One 
 apoftle declares that God is love -, and another 
 aflures us, that we are called to be made par^ 
 takers of the divine nature (p) : whence the facred 
 preacher infers, that the new creature-^ of which 
 St, Paul makes mention (q), muft necefiariljr 
 confiil: in charity. When a chriflian is filled 
 with charity^ he is then regenerate and born 
 of God. Chrift is then formed in his heart, 
 the Holy Spirit refts upon him, and he is 
 filled 'with all the ftdnefs of G^d (r). He keeps 
 the firft commandment of theJaw, by making 
 a full furrender of his heart to God, from 
 a confcioufnefs that he is, in himfelf, the fo- 
 vereign good: but he chiefly loves him in the 
 perfon of Chrifl, through whom the Father 
 is pleafed peculiarly to fhine forth, as a God 
 cf love. In a fecondary fenfe, he loves the 
 works of God in all their wonderful variety, 
 as they ihadow forth his matchlefs perfec- 
 tions, and place them within the reach of 
 man's underftanding : and his eileem for thefe 
 admirable produdlions, is in proportion to 
 the nearer or more difuant relation in which 
 they {land to that eternal wifdom, which form- 
 ed them all. Guided by this principle, he 
 loves all mankind with an extraordinary de- 
 gree 
 (p) 2 Pet. i. 4. (q) 2 Cor, v, 17. (r) Eph. ili. 16, 19. 
 
142 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. t»AUL» 
 
 gree of afFedtion. The foul of man is pecif-i 
 liarly dear to him, becaufe created in the 
 image of God, and redeemed with the blood 
 of his beloved Son : while, as the organized 
 vehicle of the foul, he admires and loves the 
 perifhable body. As the fouls of the poor 
 and the rich are equally immortal, he is 
 never meanly prejudiced in favor of the lat- 
 ter ; but, on the contrary, is ever ready to 
 prefer a poor and pious beggar, before a fen- 
 fual and fupercilious noble. Thus, the true 
 chriftian cheriihes the faithful, not only for 
 love of the Creator, and Redeemer; but alfo 
 for love of the Sandlifying Spirit, unto whom 
 their fouls are confecrated as living altars, 
 and their bodies as hallowed temples (s). 
 From this divine charity good works of every 
 kind proceed, as from an inexhauitible foun- 
 tain ; a fountain which is making, as it were, 
 continual efforts to enrich the barren foil a-^ 
 round it. But where this is wanting, all ex- 
 ternal appearances are without any real value : 
 the lavifh giver lofes his worth before pious 
 men, and the zealous martyr his reward before 
 a righteous God. 
 
 - Uniting in his own heart the love of 
 
 God, with the love of his neighbour, the 
 
 true 
 . (s) I Cor, vi. 19, 20. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. I43 
 
 true mlnlfl:er anxloufly endeavours to demon- 
 ftrate the folly of thofe, who feek to feparate 
 thefe kindred virtues. He maintains that cha- 
 rity^ without piety, is but a mere natural 
 virtue, which difcovers itfelf as frequently in 
 the brute creation, as among unregenerate 
 men — thus, the fwallow and the bat are care- 
 ful of their young *, the beaver and the ant 
 are obferved to labor for the refpedlive fo- 
 cleties, of which they are individuals ; and the 
 llie-bear Is ready to meet death in defence 
 of her cubs. On this account the good paf- 
 tor furnifhes his flock with thofe exalted mo- 
 tives to love, which, by imparting an evan- 
 gelical principle to natural charity^ ennoble it 
 in man, and render it divine. 
 
 As charity, without piety, is no more than 
 a natural virtue, and may be the effed of 
 pharifaical or diabolical pride *, fo devotion, 
 without brotherly love, is to be confidered as 
 a fpecies of hypocrify. This our Lord hlm- 
 felf teaches, in the following paflage — If thou 
 bring thy gift to the altar ^ and there remernherefi 
 that thy brother hath aught againfi thee •, leave 
 there thy gift before the altar ^ and go thy 'way ; 
 firfi be reconciled to thy brother^ and then come 
 and offer thy gift^ which would otherwife be 
 
 rejedted. 
 
144 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. 
 
 rejeded, as an abomination, by the God of 
 love (t). True charity embraces all men, be- 
 caufe, being, made of one blood, they com- 
 pofe but one vaft family, of which God liim- 
 {df is the great parent. And here our Lord 
 permits us not to except even our moft cruel ene- 
 my — Te have heard^ faith he, that it hath been 
 faid^ thou JJialt love thy neighbour^ and hate thine 
 enemy: hut I Jay unto you^ love your enemies y 
 hlefs them that curfe you^ do good 'good to them 
 that hateyoUy and^ manifeiling a concern for their 
 fouls, as well as an attention to their per- 
 fons, pray for them that defpitefuUy ufe and per- 
 fecute you ; that ye may be the children of your 
 Father^ which is in Heaven : for he maketh his 
 fun to rife on the evil and on the good (u). 
 
 Charity confifls of two parts, patience and 
 benevolence. By the one, we fuffer every kind 
 of indignity, without entertaining a thought 
 of revenge •, and by the other, we heap upon 
 our enemies unfolicited favors. Our adorable 
 mafter, whofe condud has furnijfhed us with 
 examples of the raoft perfe^ charity^ difcovers 
 to us the extent of this virtue, in the fol- 
 lowing pafiages. The world hath hated both 
 me and my Father (w) : neverthelefs, God fo 
 
 loved 
 (t) Matt. V. 23, 24. (u) 1/. 43, 45. (w) John xv. 24. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, I45 
 
 loved the worlds that he gave his only-hegotten 
 Son-i that whofoever believeth in him /hould not 
 peri/hy but have ever lofting life (x). // hath been 
 faid^ An eye for an eye^ and a tooth for a tooth ; 
 and the time is coming, when it fhall be faid, 
 A thruft with the fword, for an abufive word'; 
 a piftol fhot, for a fatirical exprefTion : hut 
 I fay unto you^ Rejifi not^ according to the 
 maxims of thofe, by whom you are evil- 
 intreated ; hut whofoever fhall fmite thee on thy 
 right cheeky turn to him the other alfo : i. e. 
 fuffer two infults rather than revenge one. 
 Follow the fame rule likewife with refpedl to 
 your worldly fubilance, and if any man will fue 
 thee at the law^ and take away thy coat^ let him 
 have thy cloak alfo : i. e. far from exa fling, 
 with rigor, be ready to remit much of thy 
 right, for the maintenance of peace : fince it 
 is better to fuffer a double injuftice, than to 
 lack condefceniion and charity, And whofoever 
 fhall compel thee to go a mile^ go with him 
 twain: i. c. merely yielding to others in 
 things, that are good, or indifferent, is not 
 enough-, thy charity fhould rather prevent and 
 furprize them with unexpedled ads of civility 
 and kindnefs. From thefe expreflions, it ap- 
 pears, that our Lord would have his difciples 
 Vol. IL . K to 
 
 (x) John iii, 16, 
 
146 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. 
 
 to pofTefs a charity not only extraordinary 111 
 fome degree, but altogether divine. In point of 
 quality, he requires, that it fhould be equal to 
 the inexpreflible love of the Father •, as a drop 
 taken from the ocean is of the fame nature 
 with thofe mighty waves, that roll over the 
 unfathomable deep. If ye love them, faith he, 
 that love you, what reward have you? do not 
 even the 'publicans ju ? Be ye, therefore, perfe5i 
 in charity, even as your Father which is in 
 Heaven (y). 
 
 . Faith, unfpeakably excellent as It is, would 
 be void of any real worth, unlefs it pro- 
 duced this happy difpofition. In Chriji, faith 
 the apoftle, the whole body of the faithful, fitly 
 joined together^ and compaEled by that which every 
 joint fupplieth, according to the effectual working in 
 the meafure of every part, makeih increafe of the 
 body, unto the edifying of itfelf in love (z). In 
 Jefus Chriji neither circumcifwn availeth any things 
 nor uncircumcifion -, but faith, which worketh by 
 LOVE (a) : and though I have all faith, fo that 
 I could remove mountains, and have not chari- 
 ' TY, / am nothing (b). This celeftial grace 
 runs through the whole circle of chrlftian vir- 
 tues, 
 
 (y) Matt. V. (z) Eph, iv. 15, 16. 
 
 (a)Gal. V. 6. (b) i Cor. xiii, 2. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 147 
 
 tues. Thus, when St. Paul enumerates the 
 fruits or eiFects of the Spirit, he points to 
 charity as the foremoft of the train : and when 
 St. Peter recounts the virtues which a chrlf- 
 tian fhould add to his faith, he concludes 
 with the finifliing graces of brotherly kindnefi 
 {ind charity (c). Both thefe ideas are after- 
 wards united by the great apoftle, where. he^ 
 exhorts the ColofTians to put on charity, as 
 that bond of perfetlnefl (d), without which the 
 chriftian 'charadter would be incomplete, and 
 which may be faid to include all the graces 
 of the Spirit, as a thoufand ears of corn are 
 united in the fame iheaf by one common 
 band* 
 
 It was with thefe fubllme views of charity^ 
 that St. Paul thus addreiTed his converts. By 
 LOVE ferve one another \ for all the law is ful- 
 filled in one word^ even in this j Thou flialt love 
 thy neighbour as thyfelf (e). Owe no man any 
 things but to love one another : for he that loveth 
 another^ in obedience to Chriil's command, 
 hath fulfilled the law (f). Charity never faiU 
 eth •, inafmuch as it is the fource of heavenly 
 joy. Now^ in the church militant, abide faith^ 
 
 K 2 hope^ 
 
 (c) Gal. V. 22. 2 Pet. i. 7. (d) Colof. iii. 14. 
 
 (e) Gal. V. 13, 14. (f) Rom. xiii. 8» 
 
I4B THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 hope^ and chanty ; hut the great eft of thfe is 
 CHARITY, which fhall eternally animate the 
 church triumphant (g). 
 
 Even here on earth, it is counted as the 
 beginning of eterTid life^ to knov/, by faith, 
 that God is love^ and that he feeks to gain 
 our affedtions by bleffings v;ithout number (h). 
 A difcovery of this kind cannot but give rife 
 to fome grateful return in the foul ; iince it 
 is impoffibie firmly to believe thefe raviihing 
 truths, without crying out, like the firft chrif- 
 tians ; JVe love him^ hecaufe he firft loved us{i)l 
 If God has mercifully made the firft advan- 
 ces toward his rebellious creatures •, if, not- 
 "withftanding the diftance between him and us 
 be infinite, and the obftacles to our union 
 innumerable, he yet gracioufly prefents him- 
 felf, in fpite of all, within cur reach j if he 
 yet inclines to pardon the guilty, and endea- 
 vours to reconcile the world unto himfelf by 
 Jefus Chrift (k) ; what confcious heart can be 
 unaffeded with thefe tokens of his love, or 
 what tongue be filent in his praife ! 
 
 This God of charity thus affedionately ad- 
 
 drefled an ancient clafs of his fervants j / have 
 
 loved 
 (g) I Cor. xiii. 8, 13. (h) John xvii. 3. 
 
 (i) I John iv, 19. (k) 2 Cor. v. 18. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUU l^Q 
 
 loved thee with an everlafting love * therefore^ 
 with loving'kindnefs have I drawn thee (1). The 
 favor here exprefTed toward the jewifh church, 
 is great ; but that, which is teftified by the 
 fame adorable Jehovah to the chriftian church, ' 
 is ftill more aftonifhing. His Son, the liv- 
 ing and eternal image of his Father, hum- 
 bles himfelf to the duft, and invefts himfelf 
 with our nature, that, raifing us from our 
 low eftate, he may, at length, place us at 
 the right hand of the Majefty on high. He 
 loved the churchy faith St. Paul, and gave him- 
 felf for it^ that he might fanBify and cleanfe it^ 
 and that he might prefent it to himfelf a glo- 
 riotis churchy not having fpot or wrinkle^ or any 
 fuch thing (m). Thus he has given to be- 
 lievers an example of the love, which they 
 ought to entertain for all their chriftian bre- 
 thren, and to hufbands a pattern of the at- 
 tachment they fhould feel to their wives; 
 fince he left the bofom of his Father, for 
 the very purpofe of fuffering with and for 
 his church, which, in the language of fcrip- 
 ture, is called his fpoufe (n). But, adds the 
 apoftle, this is a great myftery (o). Now the 
 
 true minifter is happily initiated into this 
 
 K 3 grand 
 
 (1) Jer. xxxi. 3, (m) Eph. v. 25, 27 
 
 (n) Rev. xix. 7., (o) Eph. v. 32. 
 
150 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL^ > 
 
 grand myftery of charity. He can fay, with 
 Peter, Lord! thou kmweft all things^ thou knozV' 
 efi that I love thee : he can teAify, with Paul, 
 the Jove of Chrifi confer aineth me : and, at other 
 times, when the emotions of his heart are 
 too tender for utterance, tears of gratitude 
 and joy, filently cry out, hke thofe of dif- 
 folving Mary \ Lord, thou art worthy of all 
 my love, fince thou haft gracioufly pardoned 
 nil my fin. Animated with this love, he 
 publicly infifts upon univerfal charity^ with all 
 the ardor of St.. John, teftifying that it flgws 
 from the knowledge of God, and muft be 
 confidered as the root of chriilian obedience. 
 Hereby^ faith he, perceive we the love of God^ 
 hecaufe he laid down his life for its: and we 
 ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 
 My little children^ let us not love in word^ nei' 
 ther in tongue \ hut^ according to the example 
 of Chrift, in deed and in truth (p) ; for, if God 
 fo loved us, we ought alfo to love one another. And 
 remember, he that loveth nct^ knoweth not God^ 
 for God is love (q). 
 
 Although Chrift evidently cam.e to break 
 down the wall of feparation between the Jews 
 ^nd Gentiles, by preaching the dodrine of 
 
 univerfal 
 (p) I Johp. iii. 16,. i3. (q) iv, u, S. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL." I51 
 
 univerfal charity, yet he willed, that believers 
 Should love one another, with a peculiar de- 
 gree of affeiflion. We are required to meet 
 the unregenerate with a love of benevolence : 
 but believers fhould be bound to each other 
 by ties fo tender and powerful, that the 
 world may acknowledge them to be men of 
 one heart and one foul. By thisy faith our 
 Lord, Jkall all men know that ye are my dif^ 
 ciples^ if ye have love one to another (r). And 
 who can defcribe the generofity, the fweetnefs, 
 . the ftrength, and the conftancy, of this enliven- 
 ing grace ? It is more adive than the pene- 
 trating flame; it is ftronger than death. 27^<f 
 communion of faints^ is received among chrif- 
 tians as a fentence in their eftablifhed creed : 
 happy would it be, did it conditute a part 
 of their religious experience 1 , As to 
 
 the difference betwixt chriftian charity^ and that 
 which was required under the law, it feems 
 to be fatisfadorily pointed out by St. John, 
 in the following pafTage : Brethren^ I write 
 no new commandment unto you^ hut an old com- 
 mandment^ which ye had frora the beginning : 
 for Mofes himfelf earneftly exhorted his peo- 
 pie to maintain . among themfelves the holy 
 fire of fraternal love. Again, a new command^ 
 
 K 4 mejit 
 
 (r) John xiii. 35. 
 
152 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL; 
 
 ment I write unto you (s) ; new^ ? relation 
 to Chrift, who hath loved us not only as 
 himfelf, but even more than himfelf; fince 
 he offered up his life a ranfom for the re- 
 bellious. Mofes tafted not of death for Pha- 
 raoh, as Jefus did for Pilate, Herod, and 
 Caiaphas. The chriftian legiflator alone requires 
 a charity of this perfedly difinterefted nature; 
 and for the fupport of io exalted a precept, 
 he has feconded it with his own great exam- 
 ple. Herein is love^ continues the apoftle, not 
 that we loved God^ but that he loved us^ and 
 fent his Son to he the propitiation for our fins, 
 Love^ then, is undoubtedly of God-, flowing 
 from him, as from an inexhauftible fpring ; 
 and he that loveth^ after the fame pure and 
 fervent manner, is horn of God^ and knoweth 
 God{t).. 
 
 This charity Is fet forth by St. Paul, as 
 a fource of confolation. If faith he to the Phi- 
 lippians, there he any comfort in love, he ye 
 like-minded^ having the fame love one to another : 
 and, let this mind he in yoUy which was alfo in 
 Chriji Jefus (u). And in another epiftle, he 
 cries out ; / have a great confii5l for them at 
 
 Laodicea^ 
 
 (s) I John ii. 7, 8. (t) i John iv. 7, 11, 
 
 (u) Phil. ii. I. 6. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 153 
 
 Laodicea ^-Hhat their hearts might be comforted^ 
 beir.g knit together in love (w). 
 
 1. Charity may be confidered as a fpring 
 of comfort, becaufe it frees us from the fear 
 of death, and delivers us from a thoufand 
 other terrors, which trouble the peace of 
 worldly men. nere is no fear in love ; but 
 ferfe5i love, hoping all things, cafteth out 
 fear : becaufe fear hath torment, He^ therefore, 
 that fear eth^ is not made perfe5i in love (x). 
 
 2. Charity is confoling, becaufe it aflifts 
 and encourages us in the difcharge of our 
 feveral duties. When we glow with afFedlion 
 to God and our neighbour, works of piety 
 and charity are performed, not only without 
 pain, but with heart-felt fenfations of fecret 
 delight. This is the love of God, that we keep 
 his commandments : and to thofe v/ho iincerely 
 love him, his commandments are not grievous (y). 
 Thus, a tender mother lofes her repofe, with- 
 out repining, that fhe may attend to the 
 wants of her reftlefs infant ; thus, an aiFedion- 
 ate father labors, with pleafure, for the fup- 
 port and education of his children ; and thus, 
 with every teflimony of joy, the primitive 
 
 chriftians 
 (\v) Cclof, ii. I, 2. (x) I John iv. 18. (y) i John v. 3. 
 
154 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 
 
 chriftlans relieved and fupported one another. 
 The admirable efFeds, produced by this un- 
 feigned love, are defcribed by St. Luke in 
 the following terms : The multitude of them that 
 believed were of one heart and one foul ; neither 
 faid any of ihem^ that aught of the things, which 
 ^^ Pjj^j]^^'> '^^^ his own: but^ lofing fight of 
 every felf-interefted view, they had all things 
 common (z). 
 
 Here we behold that eminently accomplifhed 
 by Chrift, which was anciently prefigured un- 
 der Mofes in the defert, when the manna 
 v/as fo equally diflributed among the people, 
 that he who gathered much^ had nothing over, 
 end he who gathered little, had no lack (a). 
 Happy were thefe " fleeting days of chriflian 
 feilowfhip ! Days, that had long been promifed 
 by God, and of which a foretafte had been 
 given in the land of Canaan, when it was 
 ordained that, during the year of jubile, the 
 poor fhould be permitted to fnare the com- 
 forts of their richer neighbours. It mud be 
 allowed, that a multitude of infincere profeflbrs 
 overfpreading the church in thefe melancholy 
 times, will not permit this method to be ge- 
 nerally adopted among us, which would, never- 
 
 thelefsj 
 
 (z) A£ls Iv» 32. (a) Exod* xvi, 18. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 1 55 
 
 thelefs, be entirely pradlicable in a country 
 inhabited by the afFedionate followers of Jefus. 
 But, at the fame time, it is no lefs true, that 
 every individual, who is pofiefled of real charity, 
 is ilill treading in the fteps of his elder brethren, 
 and waiting only the return of favorable times 
 to prove, that Jefi^s Chrift is the fame yefierday^ 
 to-day^ and for ever (b) ; and that unfeigned 
 charity^ in the fame circumflances, will ever 
 produce the fame efFecls, 
 
 It is impoflible too highly to exalt this charity, 
 which fprings from a grateful fenfe of the re- 
 demption that is in Jefus. He, who is un- 
 acquainted with this grace, is a ftranger to 
 every real virtue, and utterly deftitute of that 
 holinefs^ without which no manfhallfee the Lord{c). 
 Hence we find the apoftle Paul fo frequently 
 conned:ing holinefs with love^ or rather prefling 
 the latter as the ground of the former. God^ 
 faith he, hath chofen us in Chrift^ that we fliould 
 he holy and without blame before him in love (d). 
 Let Chrifi dwell in your hearts by. faith-, that 
 ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be 
 able to comprehend^ with all fatnts^^ what is the 
 breadth and length and depth and height \ and to 
 know the love of Chrifi^ which paffeth knowledge^ 
 
 that 
 (b) Keb. xili. 8. (c) Heb. xii. 14. (d) Eph. i. 3^ ^, 
 
1^6 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 ikaf ye aight he filled with all the fulnefs of 
 God (e). The Lord make you to increafe and 
 ahound in love one toward another^ and ioivard 
 Gil men : to the end that he may ejlablifh your 
 hearts unhlameahle in holinejs before God (f }. 
 
 Knowledge alone puffeth up^ but charity, 
 added to knowledge, edifieth (g), and conduds 
 the foul, from grace to grace, unto the mea^ 
 fure of the fiature of the fulnefs of Chrifi (h). 
 Happy they, who have attained to this high 
 degree of fpirituality, from which, with a look 
 of pure beneficence, they can fmile on all 
 abound them ! Such may join the firft profeflbrs 
 of chriftianity, and fay j We have known and 
 believed the love^ that God hath to us-, and, 
 penetrated with a deep fenfe of his afFe(5lion, 
 we declare, from happy experience, that God 
 is LOVE, and he that dwelleth in love, dwell- 
 leth in God^ and God in him (i). The love of 
 thefe perfevering difciples may, in a fcrlptural 
 fenfe, be termed perfe^i-^ fince It enables them 
 to bear a jufi:, though faint refemblance to the 
 God of love (k). Their hearts are as replete 
 with charity, as fparks are filled with fire : 
 
 and 
 
 (e) Eph. iii. 17, 18. (f) i ThelT. iii. 12, 13. 
 (g) 1 Cor. viii. i, (h) Eph. iv. 13. 
 
 (i) 1 John iv. 16. (k) i John iv, ly. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. I57 
 
 and doubtlefs the fmalleft fpark. may be faid 
 to fhine, with a degree of perfedion, in its 
 little fphere, as well as the brighter fun in 
 his more boundlefs courfe. 
 
 St. Paul, who preached this charity with fo 
 extraordinary a degree of fervor, declares, that 
 it was kindled in his heart by the love of 
 Chrift; and upon this account he labors to 
 found it upon thofe dodlrines, which are uni- 
 verfally defpifed by every clafs of deifts. In 
 his epiftle to the Romans, which contains 
 fixteen chapters, he employs t\Q,Ytn in laying 
 this foiid foundation, while the duties of charity ' 
 are declared only in the ^^t remaining chap- 
 ters. Like a wife mafter-builder, before he 
 attempts to raife this facred edifice, he en- 
 deavours to remove out of the way the ruins 
 of corrupted nature, and the rubbifh of felf- 
 love. But had he endeavoured to do this, 
 without calling in to his aid the dodrines of 
 the Gofpel, he would have a6led as rldiculoufly 
 as Archimedes, had that philofopher attempted 
 the removal of earth, without having firft fe- 
 cured a folid footing fuited to his purpofe. 
 
 The mod powerful motives employed by 
 this apoftle, in urging us to the pradlice of 
 
 chriftiant 
 
^ ^S ■ THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 
 
 chrlflian charity, are the love of God, and tha 
 compajjion of Chrift. God^ faith he, commend" 
 eth his love toward ns^ in that^ while we werd 
 yet fimiers^ Chrijl died for as {\) : and, j^ know 
 the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift^ that though 
 he was rich^ yet for your fakes he became poor^ 
 that ye^ through his poverty^ 7mght 'he rich (m)* 
 Now, whoever is fenfible of the power, and 
 tailes the fw^eetnefs, of thefe two grand truths, 
 feels himfelf, at the fame time, carried to 
 every good work, in the fame manner as the 
 mlfer is led to thofe actions, which ferve to 
 increafe his hoard. For, being faved by grace^ 
 through faith in thefe very truths, we are created 
 hy Chrift Jefus unto good works (n) ; Who gave 
 himfelf for usy on this fole account, that he 
 might redeem us from all iniquity^ and purify unto 
 himfelf a peculiar people^ zealous of good zvorks {o). 
 The confolatory dodlrine of a gratuitous par- 
 don offered to iinners, as a token of God's 
 unfathomable love, is another motive frequent- 
 ly made ufe of to the like purpofe. Put on^ 
 continues the fame apoftle, as the eleB of God^ 
 boiJoels of mercies^ kindnefs^ humblenefs of mindy 
 meeknefs^ longfufferi^ig •, forbearing one another^ 
 and forgiving one another^ if any man have a 
 
 quarrel 
 
 (1) Rom. V. 8. (m) 2 Cor. viii. 9. (n) Eph. ii. 8., la. 
 (0) Tit. ii. 14. 
 
TPIE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 1 50 
 
 quarrel againji any : even as Chrijl forgave you^ 
 fo alfo do j^ (p) . Above all things^ have fervent 
 charity among yourfelves : for en a^it: y fliall cover 
 the multitude of fins (q). Yes, it not only covers 
 the fins of others, by coniiderlng their doubt- 
 ful afcions in the moil fav.orable point of view, 
 and by overlooking the moft unpardonable of 
 their failings; but may, in fome meafure^ be 
 faid to cover our own offences, fince God, for 
 Chrift's fake, has promifed to overlook our 
 tranfgrefTions, as we give proof of a forgiving 
 temper toward our brethren. 
 
 Difcord entered into the world by fin. Hence, 
 we fee unregenerate men, not only feparated 
 from God, but divided among themfelves : 
 and hence, by the rebellion of his growing 
 paiTions againll: his enfeebled reafon, every un- 
 righteous man is at war with himfelf. Dread- 
 ful as thefe evils are, we are here prefented 
 with a perfedt remedy for them all. He, who 
 created man upright, hath fent his Son to 
 re-eftablifh harmony in the world, to reduce 
 our paffions under the dominion of univerfal 
 benevolence, to fubjed our reafon to the au- 
 thority of truth, and to bring the whole man 
 under the fweet yoke of divine charity mani- 
 
 fefted 
 (p) Coloff. iii. 12, 13. (q) I Pet, iv.^8. 
 
l6o THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 fefted in the flefh ; that charity, which is 
 deftined to reign for ever, and whofe happy 
 empire is called the Kingdom of Heaven, The 
 Father of glory ^ fays St. Paul, hath put all 
 things under the feet of Chrift^ and hath given 
 him to he the head over all things to the churchy 
 which is his hod.y^ the fulnefs of him that filleth 
 all in all {r), Te^ who fometimes were far off^ 
 are now made nigh hy the Mood of Chrijl, For 
 he is our peace ^ between jews and gentiles, 
 between man and man, who hath made both 
 one^ and hath broken down the middle zvall of 
 partition between us^ that he anight reconcile both 
 unto God in one body^ by the crofs^ having flain 
 the enmity by that perfect charity, of which 
 he gave fo many wonderful proofs. Now^ 
 therefore^ we, who are adluated by the fame 
 fpirit of love, are no more flrangers and fo-- 
 reigners^ but fellow- citizens with the faints and 
 of the houfehold of Gody and are built upon the 
 foundation of the apoftles and prophets^ J^fi^^ 
 Chrijl himfelf being the chief corner flone. In 
 whom the whole buildings fitly framed together ^ 
 groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord : In whom 
 alfo ye are builded together for an habitation of 
 God^ through the fpirit of charity (s). 
 
 The 
 
 (r) Eph. i. 17, 23. (s) Eph, ii, 13, 22. 
 
tH£ PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. l6l 
 
 The minifter, who feels the force of thefe 
 conftraining motives, cannot fail to place them 
 continually before his hearers. The various 
 parts of his public difcourfes as naturally incline 
 to this grand point, as the feveral parts of a 
 folid edifice mutually reft upon the common 
 foundation. There is one body, faith he with 
 the apoftle, and one fpirit, even as ye are called 
 in one hope of your calling % one Lord, one God 
 and Father of all, who is above all, and through 
 all^ and in you all (t). As we have many members 
 in one body, fo we, being many, are one body 
 in Chriji, and every one members one of another. 
 Let love be, therefore, without diffimulation : be 
 kindly- affe^lioned one to another with brotherly love\ 
 in honor preferring one aiiother. Rejoice with them 
 that do rejoice , and weep with them that weep. 
 Be of the fame mind one toward another. Avenge 
 not yourfelves, but rather give place unto wrath. 
 If thine enemy hunger, feed him -, if he thirfi, 
 give him drink. Be not overcome of evil-, but 
 overcome evil with good (u). In a word j Let 
 all your things be done with charity (w). 
 
 To conclude. The evangelical paftor points 
 out the excellence of charity, and urges every 
 Vol. II. L motive 
 
 (t) Eph. Iv. 4, 6. (u) Rom. xii. 4, 21. 
 
 (w) I Cor. xvi, 14. 
 
l62 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL; 
 
 motive that can lead to the pradllce of It., 
 till worldly men are conftrained to cry out, 
 with all the admiration of the ancient hea- 
 thens •, " See how thefe chriftians love one 
 " another !" Lucian, indeed, could look with 
 ridicule upon the zeal, with which the primi- 
 tive chriftians fuccoured one another : " For," 
 fays he, " their legiflator has made them be- 
 " lieve, that they are all brethren *, and hence 
 " they have all things common among them, 
 *' defpifing even death itfelf, through the hope 
 '' of immortality." The good paftor, how- 
 ever, is anxious to do that, which this hea- 
 then writer was impious enough to cenfure in 
 Chrift. He admonifhes believers to addrefs 
 the Almighty, as their common parent (x), 
 confcious, that fo foon as they receive power 
 to cry Ahba^ i. e. Father^ by the Holy Spi- 
 rit, they will neceffarily forget every fcrupu- 
 lous diftincflion between mine and ihine^ and 
 put up, with unfeigned fincerity, that univer- 
 fal prayer, give us this day our daily bread. 
 This petition is commonly ufed by every 
 member of our degenerate church, while their 
 hearts are comparatively infenfible to the wants 
 of their neceffitous brethren. But was the love 
 of ancient days to revive among us, we 
 
 fhould 
 
 (x) Luke ii. 2. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 163 
 
 /Iiould not only foliGit common bleffings from 
 above, but rejoice to fhare them with each 
 other, as brethren partake of a repaft pro- 
 vided for them at the table of their common 
 Parent. 
 
 Happy days! when the Gofpel of Chrifl 
 •was feen to flourifh in the earth. Surely that 
 facred feafon might, with propriety, be term- 
 ed the golden age of the church. O that 
 we could recall the felicity we have forfeited, 
 and fee the joys of unanimity reftofed to a 
 diftraded world! But, while we give vent to 
 our lamentations, let us not fmk into def- 
 pair ; fince, however deplorable our prefent 
 circumftances may be, they are not totally 
 remedilefs. Though, for fo many ages, felf^ 
 love has ufurped the throne of charity : though 
 mankind are prone to injure one another, in 
 their reputation, by flander ; in their property, 
 by injuftice ; and in their perfons, by murder, 
 whether perpetrated in the charadler of an 
 aflaffin, or that of a duellift : though wars are 
 fomented on the llightell: pretences, and chrif- 
 tian princes appear eager to wafh their hands 
 in the blood of thoufands : though all the 
 earth is full of darknefs and cruel habitatioyis (y), 
 
 L 2 yet 
 
 (y) Pfalm Ixxlv, 21. 
 
164 THE POP.TRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 yet will we not give up our hope. Thefe 
 unhappy times wete foretold by our gracious 
 niafter (t). And as he had prefcience enough 
 ' to predid the decays of chrifiian love^ and the 
 calamities confequent thereupon*, fo he is pof- 
 fefled of fufficient power to re-eftablifh the 
 empire of charity in the world. Believers, 
 then, amid all their afflidlions, may patiently 
 and confidently expedl thofe times of refrejhing^ 
 which Jhdll afluredly corm from the prefence of 
 the Lord'y looking forward to that promifed 
 rejiitution of all things^ concerning which God 
 hath fpoken^ by the mouth cf all his holy Prophets^ 
 fince the world began (a). In the mean 
 
 while, let thofe who are haftening, by their 
 prayers, this defirable revolution, be careful 
 to preferve in their own hearts thofe fparks 
 of charity^ which fhall one day kindle the uni- 
 verfe into a facred flame. And let the minif- 
 ters of the Gofpel make a conftant difplay of 
 thofe evangelical truths, which were formerly 
 fufficient to light up this glorious fire; that, 
 by fl:irring up the dying embers of grace, the 
 little light, which flill remains in the church, 
 may be preferved from total extindion. 
 
 Should it be here objeded — Are not all 
 the miniiiers of our church to be coniidered 
 
 as 
 
 (z) Matt, xxiv. 12. (a) A<5ts iii. 19, 2t, 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST* PAUL, 165 
 
 as preachers of chrijlian charity ? We anfwer, 
 by no means. The charity^ concerning which 
 we fpeak, muft flow from a union with Chriftj 
 a union, which minifters of the prefent day- 
 are accuftomed to treat as enthuiiaflic and vain. 
 This excellent grace is Jhed abroad in our hearts 
 hy the Holy Ghofi^ which is given unto lis (b). 
 But he, who dares openly to plead for this 
 fcriptural truth, is efleemed, by fuch paflors, 
 no better than a deluded fanatic. Thefe in- 
 fincere preachers are frequently heard, indeed, 
 to fpeak of chrijlian ' charity ; but, far from 
 endeavouring to fpread it through the world, 
 they ufe every effort to deftroy the very feeds 
 of this grace in the church of God. If, in a 
 parifh that is unhappy enough to have a paf- 
 tor of this kind, a few perfons are happily 
 converted to God, aind united together in 
 Jefus Chrift \ if, having one heart, and one 
 foul, they frequently join together in prayer 
 and in praife, mutually exhorting and provok- 
 ing one another to love and good works;—- 
 the worldly minifter, inftantly alarmed, ima- 
 gines that thefe perfons, for the fake of 
 forming a new fed, are deftroying the unity 
 of the church : when, on the contrary, they are 
 but juft about to experience the communion of 
 
 L 3 faints. 
 
 (b) Rom. V. 5, 
 
l66 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUX. 
 
 Jhints. And, if he Is pofTefied of zeal, or 
 party-fpirit, he will labor to make it appear, 
 that thefe chriflians, who are beginning to 
 love as brethren, are forming conventicles to 
 difturb the order both of church and ftate. 
 Such a minifter will give encouragement to 
 companies of jugglers, dancers, and drunkards, 
 rather than tolerate a fociety, which has chrij% 
 tian charity for its objed and its bafis. 
 
 The 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 167 
 
 '^he true minifier believes and preaches the three 
 grand promifes of God, together with the three 
 great difpenfations of grace, 
 
 W E have feen, In the preceding chapters, 
 that believers are faved by a hvely faith and 
 a joyful hope, which mutually ferve to excite 
 and Increafe In their fouls the fuperior grace 
 of charity. Now this faith, and this hope, 
 muft neceflarily have for their foundation fome 
 promife of God. A promife already accom- 
 plilhed Is embraced by faith alone ^ but a 
 promife, whofe accomplifhment Is protrafted, 
 is equally the objedl of faith and of hope. 
 He, therefore, who is appointed, by Chrift, a 
 preacher of the everlafting Gofpel, is felici- 
 tous to obtain clear ideas of the great pro- 
 mifes of God. He Is conftantly engaged in 
 meditating upon their pad or future accom- 
 plifhment, in order to maintain In his own 
 heart thofe Ineftimable graces, with which he 
 is deiirous to animate the fouls of others. 
 Obferve the order. In wliich he confiders, 
 epibraces, and preaches them. 
 
 L 4 Under 
 
l68 THE portrait' OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 Under the dlfpenfation of the Father, the 
 grand promife was that, which refpedled the 
 external manifeftatlon of the Son The ori- 
 ginal promife, as made to Adam^ was ex^ 
 prefled in the following terms : " The feed 
 of the woman fnall brulfe the head of the 
 ferpent (a)." As the MefTiah was to defcend 
 from Abraham, according to the flefh, the 
 fame promife was thus renewed to that patri- 
 arch : In thee Jhall all families of the earth he 
 hleffed (b). In the days of Mofes, it was re- 
 peated to ail Ifrael, as follows : ne Lord thy 
 Cod will raife up unto thee a prophet^ from the 
 midji of thee^ of thy brethren •, unto him fhall ye 
 hearken (c). David, and the other prophets, 
 powerfully cpnifirmed this prophecy ; and Ma- 
 lachi thus recaultulates the promifes which had 
 been given before his time : I^he Lord^ whom ye 
 feek^ fhall fuddenly come to his temple^ even the 
 fneffenger of the covenant^ whom ye delight in ; 
 behold^ he fhall come, faith the Lord of Hofis (d). 
 Unto you, that fear my name, fhall the Sun of 
 right eotifnefs arife with healing in his wings ; 
 and ye fhall go forth, out of your prefent ob- 
 jcure dlfpenfation, and grow up, in fpiritual 
 Hrength, as calves of the fi all (e). Thus fpeaks 
 
 the 
 
 (a) Gen, iii. 15. (b) <5en. xn. 3. (c) Beut. xviii. is- 
 (d) Mai. iiie 1. (e) Mai. iv. 2. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 169 
 
 the laft of the prophets, under the difpenfa- 
 tion of the Father, 
 
 Immediately upon the accomplifhment of 
 thefe promifes, while the difpenfation of the 
 Son was but darkly opened by his precurfor, 
 another promife was given for the exercife of 
 faith and hope, under this new economy, re- 
 fpedling the full manifeftation of the Holy 
 Ghoft, as a Spirit of truth and love. Be- 
 hold this grand promife, as announced by 
 John the Baptift. / am not the Chriji -, 1 am 
 the voice of one crying in the wildernefs^ make 
 ftraight the way of the Lord (f ). / baptize you 
 with water unto repentance^ as a preparation for 
 the fpiritnal kingdom and baptifm of the Mef- 
 iiah : but he that cometh after me^ is mighier 
 than /, whofe fhoes I am not worthy to bear. 
 He fhall introduce a more fpiritual difpenfa- 
 tion, and adminifter a more efficacious bap- 
 tifm •, for he fJiall baptize you with the Holy 
 Ghoft and with fire^ fhedding abroad thofe gifts 
 and graces of his Spirit, which fhall penetrate 
 and purify your hearts, as metals are pene- 
 trated and purified by material fire (g). This 
 promife is of fo great importance, that it 
 
 was 
 
 (f) John i. 20, 23. (g) Matt. lii. 11. 
 
170 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL^ 
 
 was thought neeeflary to be repeated by the 
 four evangellfts. 
 
 Our Lord, continuing the difpenfation, which 
 his forerunner had opened, made and baptized 
 more difcipks than Johny though Jefus himfelf 
 baptized not^ with water, hut his difcipks (h). 
 The baptifm, which he was about to adminif- 
 ter, was as far fuperior to the baptifm of 
 John, and that of his own difciples, as the 
 water, of which he fpake to the woman of 
 Samaria, was fuperior to the water of Jor- 
 dan, or that of Jacob's well, Wliojoever /hall 
 drink of the water that 1 fhall give him^ faid 
 he to that enquiring woman ; whofoever fhall 
 come to my baptifm, and let down his vefTel 
 into the inexhauftible fountain of my grace, 
 Jhall never thirfi : but the water ^ that I fhall 
 give him^ fhall be in him a well of water^ a 
 fource of righteoufnefs, peace, and joy, fpring-^ 
 ing up into everlafling life (i). 
 
 In order to flrengthen the hope of thofe, 
 who had been baptized with water, our Lord 
 publicly ratified the promife, which had been 
 fo frequently repeated to them by John the 
 Baptift. In the laft day^ that great day of the 
 
 (h) John iv. i, 2. (i^ iv. 14. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. X'/l 
 
 feajl^ Jefus flood and cried-. If any man thirft^ 
 let him come unto me and drink. He that heliev- 
 eth on me, as the Scripture hath faid, out of 
 his belly Jhall flow rivers of living water. But 
 this he fpake of the Spirit^ which they that he* 
 lieve on him, in every age, Jlwuld receive. For 
 the Holy Ghoft was not yet fully given, hecaufe 
 that Jefus was not yet glorified (k). An inef- 
 tlmable promife this, which deferves to be 
 deeply engraven on the hearts of thofe, who 
 are merely acquainted with Chrift, according 
 to his exterior appearance in the world. Ob- 
 ferve here, the method, by which the blefTed 
 Jefus endeavours to prepare all fuch, in every 
 country and in every period, for his mani- 
 feftation in the Spirit: If you love me, keep 
 rny commandments, be faithful to the. prefent 
 difpenfation of my Gofpel, and I will pray 
 the Father, and he will give you another Corn- 
 farter, that he may ahide with you for ever* 
 At that day, when ye fhall experience the ful- 
 nefs of his prefence, Te fhall know that I am 
 in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 
 For he that hveth me, fliall he loved of my 
 Father, and I will love him, and we will come 
 unto him, and make our abode with him (I). By 
 .comparing thefe words with the feventeenth 
 
 and 
 (k) John vii. 37, 39, (1) John xiv. 15, 23, 
 
• 172 THE PORTRAIT OF ST* PAUL. 
 
 and twenty- fixth verfes of the fame chapter, 
 it is evident that, by this fpiritual manifefla- 
 tion of the Father and the Son, nothing lefs 
 can be intended, than the full meafure of 
 that Holy Spirit, which proceedeth from the 
 Father (m), and which is exprefsly called, tJie 
 Spirit of his Son (n). 
 
 Our Lord, who knew the ftupidity of thofe, 
 who were under the inferior difpenfation of 
 his Gofpel, and how flow of heart they were 
 to believe^ what either the prophets or him- 
 felf had fpoken, judged It expedient to re- 
 peat the grand promife of the Spirit, again 
 and again. JVhen the Comforter is come, faid 
 he, lahcm I will fend unto yoii from the Father^ 
 he fhall tefiify of me (o). It is expedient for 
 you, that I go away : for if I go not away^ 
 the Comforter will not come unto you j but if I 
 depart, I will fend him unto you (p). Behold I 
 fend the promife of my Father upon you (q). 
 
 The abundant effufion of the Holy Spirit 
 was termed, by our. Lord, the promife of the 
 Father, for two reafons. Firft, becaufe com- 
 ing to inftru6l mankind how to worfhip the 
 
 Father 
 
 (m) John XV. 26. (n) Gal. iv. 6. (o) John xv. 26. 
 (p) John xvi. 7. (q) Luke xxiv. 49. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. I75 
 
 Father ;/; fpirit and in truths it became hitn 
 to refer all things to that Father; and this 
 he was (Iridly and conflantly accuflomed to 
 do. Secondly, becaufe the Father of lights is 
 to be confidered as the author of every good 
 and perfe5l gift. It was he, who fo loved the 
 world, that he gave his only begotten Son 
 to die for the world •, and from him proceeds 
 that Holy Spirit, which Jefus Chrift ftiil con- 
 tinues to ihed abroad among his faithful fol- 
 lowers. The Father had already promlfed, 
 under the law, that he would grant unto his 
 people a general out-pouring of his Spirit, 
 under the reign of the Mefliah. The memo- 
 rable prophecy of Joel, as quoted by St. Peter, 
 is generally known ; and the following pro- 
 mifes equally merit the attention of believers. 
 In that day^ I will pour upon the houfe of Da- 
 vid, and upon the inhabitants of Jerufalem, the 
 fpirit of grace and of fiipplications : and they fhall 
 look upon me, whom they have pierced, and they 
 /hall mourn for him, as o?ie mourneth for his 
 only fin (r). / will pour water upon him that 
 is thirfly, and floods upon the dry ground : I will 
 pour my Spirit upon thy feed, and my hleffing 
 Upon thine ofl spring (s). / will fprinkle clean 
 water upon you, and ye fliall he clean, I will 
 
 put 
 (r) Zech. xii. 10. (s) Ifaiah xliv. 3. 
 
174 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 put my spirit within you^ and caufe you to walk 
 in my Jiatutes (t). I .will give them one hearts 
 I will take the ftony heart out of their flejh^ and 
 will give them an heart of fltjh (u). That man 
 muft be prejudiced to an extreme degree, who 
 perceives not, that thefe gracious prophecies 
 began to receive their accompliihment upon 
 the day of Pentecoft, when the multitude of 
 them that believed were of one heart and one 
 foul. 
 
 The lafl day our rifen Saviour pafTed upon 
 earth, was employed in ftrengthening the faith 
 of his difciples, with refped: to this promife. 
 After having aflembied them together, he com- 
 manded them that they flioidd wait for the promife 
 of the Father^ which^ continued he, ye have heard 
 of me. For John truly baptized with water ^ and 
 ye have done the fame by my diredion, but ye 
 fiiall he baptized with the Holy Ghofi^ not many days 
 hence (w). 
 
 After the grand promife under the difpen- 
 fation of the Son was in part accomplifhed ; 
 when the difciples were filled with faith, and 
 with the Holy Ghoft, another promife was given 
 to exercife their faith, to fix their attention, 
 
 and 
 (t) Exod. xxxvl. 25, 27. (u) Ezek. xi. 19, 
 (w) Ads i. 4, 5. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 1 75 
 
 and to perfed their patience ; the promlfe of 
 Chrift's fecond coming, to gather his '-joheat into 
 the garner^ and to hum up the chaff with un- 
 quenchable fire (x). l^his fame Jefus^ faid the 
 Angels who appeared to the difciples on the 
 day of their mailer's afcenfion ; ^bis fame 
 Jefus^ which is taken up from you into Heaven^ 
 fhall fo come^ in like manner as ye have feen 
 him go into Heaven (y). This important pro- 
 mlfe was afterwards repeated by St. Paul, and 
 the other apoftles. T^he Lord Jefus fhall he 
 revealed from Heaven^ with his mighty Angels^ in 
 flaming fire^ taking vengeance on ther/i that obey 
 not the Gofpel-^ who fhall he puniflied with ever- 
 lafting deftruciion from the prefence of the Lord^ 
 when he fhall come to he glorified in his faints^ 
 and to he admired in all them that helieve (z). 
 Behold he comcth with clouds^ and every eye fhall 
 fee him^ and they alfo which pierced him\ and 
 all kindreds of the earth fhall wail hecaufe of 
 him (a). I^he day of the Lord will come^ as a 
 thief in the night (b). 
 
 This coming of Chrift, which is difregard* 
 €d by many, for the reafon affigned h^ St. 
 Peter (c), is fo fully expeded by thofe, who 
 
 (x) Matt. iii. 12. (y) Aas i. 1 1. (z) 2 Thef. i. 7, 10. 
 (a) Rev. i. 7. (b) 2 Pet. iii, 10. (c) 2 Pet. iii, 9, 10. 
 
iy6 THE PORTRAIT OF Btf PAUL. 
 
 live under the difpenfation ot the Spirit, that 
 they are conftantly looking for^ and haftening 
 to^ the coming of the day of God (d). Accord- 
 ing to St. Paul, finners are converted from 
 the error of their ways, that they may ferve 
 the living and true God, and wait for his Son 
 from Heaven^ whom he raifed from the dead (e) : 
 looking for that hlejjed hope, and the glorious ap- 
 pearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jefus 
 Chrijl (f). This fecond coming of Chrift was 
 the objedl of this apoftle's highefl hopes, after 
 which he reprefents himfelf as groaning with the 
 moft fervent defire (g) — Tea, I count all things 
 hut lofs, that I may. know him, and the 'power 
 of his refurre5lion» Our converfation is in heaven^ 
 from whence alfo we look for the Saviour, who 
 fhall change our vile body, that it may he fajliioned 
 like unto his glorious body, according to the work- 
 ing, whereby he is able even to fubdue all things 
 unto himfelf (h). 
 
 As God had afforded believers, under the 
 
 old Teftament, a perfpedive view both of the 
 
 manifeftation of the Redeemer in a mortal body, 
 
 and of that difpenfation of the Spirit, which 
 
 he was to open among his followers under 
 
 the 
 
 (d) 2 Pet. ill. 12. (e) i ThefT. i. 9, lo, (f) Tit. ii. 13. 
 (g) Rom. viii. 23. (h) Philip, iii. 20, 21. 
 
THE PO. '"RAIT OB ST. PAUL.' 177 
 
 /OR ' ' 
 
 the new TeftameriL; fo he had likewlfe fore- 
 told, by his Prophets, the glorious return of 
 that Saviour to the earth. "The Lord cometh with 
 ten thoufands of his faints to execute judgment (i). 
 Behold^ he fhall come^ faith the Lord of Hofls, 
 But who may abide the day of his coming? and 
 who fhall fiand^ when he appear eth? for he is like 
 a refiner's fire ^ and like fuller' s foap (Ic), 
 
 Mark the terms, m which our Lord him- 
 felf declares this fublime difpenfation. T7ie love 
 of many fliall wax cold, Falfe prophets fhall arife^ 
 end ye fhall fee the abomination of defolation^ fpoken 
 of by the prophet Daniel^ fiand in the holy place. 
 Immediately , after the tribulation of thofe days, 
 the powers of the Heavens fhall be fhaken. And 
 then fhall appear the ftgn of the Son of man in 
 heaven : then fhall all the tribes of the earth mourn^ 
 and they fliall fee the Son of man Coming in the 
 €louds of heaven^ with power and great glory, Bui 
 of that day and hour knoweth no man. JVatch 
 therefore : for ye know not what hour your Lord 
 doth come (1). Thus Jefus himfelf teftified of 
 his fecond coming, and his firft difclples, in 
 conformity to their mailer's declaration, ad- 
 drefied a large afTembly in the following terms, 
 almoft immediately after his afcenfion : Repent 
 Vol. 1 1. M ye, 
 
 (i) Jude 14. (k) Mal.iii. i, 2. (1) Matt. xxiv. 
 
1^8 THE PORTRAIT OT ST* PAUL. 
 
 ye^ and he converted^ that your fins may be ^blotted 
 out^ when the times of refrefliing /hall come from 
 the prefence of the Lord j and he fhall fend Jefus^ 
 which before was preached unto you: whom the 
 heaven niuft receive^ until the times of reflitii- ^ 
 iion of all things^ which God hath fpoken by the 
 mouth cf all his holy prophets^ fince the world 
 began (m). 
 
 So long as a minifter embraces thefe different 
 promifes : fo long as, with a lively faith which 
 is the evidence of things not feen^ he believes, 
 that the Father fent his Son for the redemp- 
 tion of finners, and his Holy Spirit for the 
 fandlification of believers — fo long as, with 
 a faith which is the fubflance of things hoped for ^ 
 he believes, that Chrift fhall one day return 
 for the glorification of his faints-, fo long he 
 is faved by that faith and hope^ which enable 
 him to preach the Gofpel in all its wondrous 
 extent. So long, he not only comprehends, 
 but experiences the power of that Gofpel In 
 his own foul, while he labors to make it mani- 
 feft before the world, by his public difcourfes, 
 and by the whole tenor of his condud. 
 
 "The 
 (m) A^s ill, 19— 2T. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL,' 1 79 
 
 ^he true mmlfter Jludics the different difpejtfations^ 
 in order to qualify himfelf for the difcharge of 
 every part of his duty. 
 
 X HE paftor, who is ill-inftruded m the 
 myfterles of our holy religion, lofes himfelf, 
 and leads his iheep aftray. The good paftor, 
 on the contrary, having found out the way to 
 everlafting life, prefTes forward therein at the 
 head of his flock, and exhorts every heedlefs 
 wanderer to follow his fteps. He is confcious, 
 not only that he has a mixture of fheep and 
 goats in his fold; but he knows that, among 
 the former, there are fome, to whofe fplri- 
 tual condition the fmcere milk of the word is 
 much better adapted, than ftronger food. To 
 all of thefe he ftudies to addrefs himfelf in 
 a fuitable manner. To thofe who are dead 
 in trefpafTes and fin, equally deftltute both of 
 love and fear, he proclaims the firft principles 
 of the Gofpel, fuch as repentance from dead 
 works^ faith toward God, and an eternal judg- 
 ment (a). Thofe who are already awakened 
 from the delufions of fln, he anxloigfly leads 
 Into the paths of grace, and endeavours to 
 
 M 2 condu(a 
 
 (a) Heb. vi. i, 2, 
 
l80 THE PORTP.AIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 condudl . thofe to evangelical perfecflion, who 
 have felt the powers of the world to come (b). 
 He eafily diftinguiihes the mixed multitude 
 of his hearers into a variety of clafles. The 
 unbelieving and impenitent, who are to be 
 confidered as without God and without hope 
 in the world, are fuch as go on, without any 
 fyq;iptom of fear, toward the gulph of per- 
 diion •, whether it be by the high road of vice, 
 with the notorioufly abandoned, or through 
 the by-path of hypocrify, with pharifaical pro- 
 feflbrs. Converted finners, or believers, are 
 either under the difpenfation of the Father, un- 
 der that of the Son, or under that of the Holy 
 Ghoft, according to the different progrefs they 
 have made in fpiritual things : and the faith- 
 ful paftor is as perfedlly acquainted with their 
 various attainments, as a diligent tutor is ac- 
 quainted with the different abilities of his feveral 
 pupils. 
 
 Believers, under the difpenfation of the Fa- 
 ther, are ordinarily furrounded with a night 
 of uncertainty and doubt, though vifited, at 
 times, with a few fcattered rays of hope. Under 
 the difpenfation of the Son, the doubts of be- 
 lievers are diffipated, like thofe of the two 
 
 difciples 
 
 (b) Heb. vi. 6. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUt'^ l8l 
 
 difciples who journeyed to Emmaus, while they 
 difcover more clearly, and experience more 
 powerfully, the truths of the Gofpel. But 
 under the difpenfation of the Spirit, they walk 
 in the light (c), and are led into all truths by 
 the Spirit of truth (d) ; the anointing which they 
 have received ahideth in them^ and teacheth them 
 of all things necelTary to falvation (e). 
 
 A father of the church paraphrafing upon 
 thofe words of the apoftle, Lord^ fave us \ we 
 perifJi — apoftrophizes thus with the doubting 
 difciples : ' You have your Saviour with you, 
 ' what danger can you fear ? We are yet, they 
 ' reply, but children, and have attained but 
 ' to a fmall degree of ftrength : hence we are 
 ' afraid. The defcent of the Holy Spirit, that 
 ^ divine protedlor which has been gracioufly pro- 
 ' mifed, has not yet filled us with full afTurance. 
 * This has been the caufe of our urifteadinefs 
 ' hitherto : and hence, the Saviour fo frequently 
 ^ reproaches us with the weaknefs of our 
 ' faith (f).' Now, all thofe chriftians, who 
 have not yet received the fpiritual baptifm fo 
 frequently n\entioned in the new Teftament, 
 are fhut up in this ftate of weaknefs and doubt. 
 
 M 3 But 
 
 (c) I John i. 7. (d) John xvi. 13. (e) i John ii. 27. 
 (f) Origen* Horn. Matt. viii. 23, 28. 
 
1 82 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 But no fooner are they born of the Spirit, 
 than, ceafing to cry out, with trembling fear. 
 Save us \ we peri/hl they cry out, in tranfports 
 of gratitude ; God^ according to his mercy ^ hatk 
 faved us, hy the wa/hing of regeneration and renew- 
 ing of the Holy Ghofl, which he hath Jhed on us 
 abundantly, through Jefus Chrtfi our Saviour (g). 
 
 Under the difpenfation of the Father, be- 
 lievers conftantly experience the fear of God, 
 and, in general, a much greater degree of 
 fear than love* Under the economy of the 
 Son, love begins to gain the afcendency over 
 fear. But under the difpenfation of the Holy 
 Spirit, perfect love cajleth out fear {h.)'^ becaufe 
 it is the peculiar office of the Comforter, 
 to deliver the foul from every thing, that is 
 liable to diftrefs and torment it. 
 
 Under the economy of the Father, the be- 
 liever is frequently heard to exclaim ; wretch^ 
 ed man that I am I who fhall deliver me from 
 the body of this death (i) ? Under that of the 
 Son, he gratefully cries out ; / thank God, who 
 hath effedually wrought this deliverance, through 
 "Jefus Chrift our Lord (k) ; but under the perfed 
 
 Gofpel, 
 
 {g)Tit, iii, 5, 6. (h) i John iv. i8, (i) Rom. vii. 24, 
 (k) Rora. vii. 25. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 183 
 
 Gofpel, which is the difpenfation of the Spirit, 
 all believers are enabled to fay, with one voice ; 
 We have not received the fpiril of bondage again 
 to fear ; hit we have received the fpirit of adop- 
 tion^ whereby we cry^ Ahba^ Father] 'The Spirit 
 itfelf heareth witnefs with our fpirit^ that we are 
 the children of God, and joint heirs with Chrifl (1). 
 
 St. Paul thus diftinguifhes the different ftates 
 of advancement in the chriftlan faith. The heir^ 
 as long as he is a child-^ [and fuch is the cafe 
 with believers under the difpenfation of the 
 Father] differeth nothing from a fervant^ though 
 he he Lord of all -, but is under tutors and gover- 
 nors until the time appointed of his Father. Even 
 fo we were once in a ft ate of bondage : but 
 when the fulnefs of the time was come^ God fent 
 forth his Son to redeem them that were under 
 the Law, that we might receive the adoption of 
 fons. And becaufe ye are fans, God hath fent 
 forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, 
 Abba, Father I Wherefore, thou art no more a 
 fervant, but a fon -, and if a fon, then an heir 
 of God, through Chrifl (m) : by whom we have 
 accefs into this grace, and rejoice in hope of the 
 glory of God (n). 
 
 M 4 Our 
 
 (1) Rom. vlii. 15, 17. (m) Gal. iv. 1—7. (n) Rom. v. 3. 
 
1 84 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL^ 
 
 Our Lord himfelf evidently pointed out the > 
 progreffive Hate of the church, when, turning 
 to his difciples, he /aid-, Blejfed are the eyes, 
 which fee the things that ye fee : for I tell you, 
 that many prophets and kings have defired to fee 
 ihofe things^ which ye fee^ and have not feen them \ 
 and to hear thofe things^ which ye hear^ and have 
 not heard them (o). Neverthelefs, when their 
 gracious mafter held this language, he was at 
 that time neither glorified, nor crucified : and 
 it is well known, that the great glory of the 
 Gofpel was to follow his fuiFerings and his 
 triumph. 
 
 The fame fubjed is treated by St. Peter 
 in his firft epiftle, where he fpeaks of that 
 full falvation^ which is to be confidered as the 
 end-, or recompenfe, of faith (p). Of which 
 falvation^ faith he, the prophets have enquired 
 and fearched diligently^ who prophejied of the grace 
 that fhould come unto you: fearching what^ or 
 what manner of time^ the Spirit of Chrift^ which 
 was in them^ did fignify^ when it teflified before^ 
 hand the fufferings of Chrift^ and the glory thai 
 fhould follow. Unto whom it was revealed^ that 
 not unto theinfelvesy but unto us they did minifier 
 the things^ which are now reported unto you^ by 
 
 them 
 (p) Luke X, 21, 24. (p) I pet. i. 9. 
 
 / 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.^ 185 
 
 them that have preached the Gofpel unto you^ with 
 the Holy Ghoji Jent down from heaven^ which 
 things the angels dejire to look into (q). Happy 
 are ye ! for the fpirit of glory and of God refteth 
 upon you (r). Te are a chofen generation^ a 
 peculiar people^ that ye fhould fhew forth the praifes 
 of him^ who hath called you out of darknefs into 
 his marvellous light (s). 
 
 Without an experimental knowledge of thefe 
 feveral ftates, a minifter can no more lead fin- 
 ners to evangelical perfedlion, than an illiterate 
 peafant can communicate fufficient intelligence 
 to his ruftic companions, to pafs an examina- 
 tion for the higheft degree in a univerfity. 
 
 It may here be necefTary to mark out the 
 grand truths, by which thefe diipenfations are 
 feverally charaderifed. 
 
 The common language under the difpenfation 
 of the Father, is as follows — God hath made 
 of one hlood all nations of men^ and hath ap~ 
 pointed the hounds of their habitation ; that they 
 fhould feek the Lord^ if haply they might feel 
 after him and find him^ though he he not far from 
 
 every 
 
 (q) I Pet. i. 10, 12. (1) I Pet. iv. 14, 
 
 (s) I Pet. ii. 9. 
 
l86 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 every one of us {t), ^ he grace of God^ that hring- 
 eth fahvation^ hath appeared^ in different degrees^ 
 to all men (u) : For the living God is the Saviour 
 of all men^ efpe daily of thofe that believe (w), 
 God is no refpe5ier of perfons \ but^ in every nation^ 
 he that feareth him end worketh right eoufnefsy is 
 accepted with him (x). Without faith^ it is im- 
 foffible to pleafe him: for he that cometh unto 
 God, muji believe that he is, and that he is a re^ 
 warder of them that diligently feek him (y). He 
 hath fnewed thee, O man, what is good-, and 
 what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do 
 jujlly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly 
 with thy God (z) ? 
 
 Cbferve the language of the Son's difpen- 
 fation. Glory to God in the highcft, and on earth 
 peace, good-will toward men. I bring you good 
 tidings of great joy, which fhall be to all people : 
 for unto you is born this day, in the' city of 
 David, a Saviour, which is Chriji the Lord (a). 
 Grace and truth came by Jefus ChriJI (b), who 
 hath aboliflied death, and hath brought life and 
 immortality to light, through the Gofpel (c). ^he 
 hour cometh, and now is, when the true worfhip- 
 
 pers 
 
 (t) Ads xvii. 26, 27. (u) Tit. ii. 11. (w) i Tim; iv. 10. 
 (x) A61S X. 34, 35. (y) Heb. xi. 6. (z) Mic. vi. 8. 
 (a) Luke ii, 10, 14* (b) John i, 17. (c) 2 Tim. i. io» 
 
TR£ PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 187 
 
 pers piall wor/hip the Father in fpirit and in 
 truth (d). Te believe in Gody believe alfo in 
 me (e). If the Son Jhall make you free^ ye Jhall 
 be free indeed (f ). T'his is the work of God, 
 that ye believe on him whom he hath fent — No 
 man can come unto me^ except the Father^ which 
 hath fent me^ draw him: and every man^ that 
 hath heard^ and hath learned of the Father ^ cometh 
 unto me (g). He that believeth on the Son^ hath 
 everlafiing life: and he^ that believeth not the 
 Son, JJiall not fee life-, but the wrath of God 
 abideth on him (h). 
 
 The difpenfatlon of the Spirit is again diftin- 
 guifhed by the following peculiar language. This 
 is that which was fpoken by the prophet Joel: 
 In the lafl days, or under the laft difpenfations 
 of my grace, faith God, I will pour out of my 
 Spirit upon all fleffi, upon my fervants, and upon 
 my hand-maidens \ and they Jhall prophefy, Jefus^ 
 being by the right hand of God exalted, and having 
 received of the Father the promife of the Holy 
 Ghofl, hath fhed forth this plenitude of grace, 
 the efFeds q{ which ye now fee and hear. Repent, 
 therefore, and be baptized every one of you in 
 the name of Jefus Chrtfi, for the remiffion of fins, 
 
 and 
 
 (d) John iv. 23. (e) John xiv. i. (f ) John viii. i^, 
 (g) John vi. 29, 44, 45. (h) John iii\ 36. 
 
1 88 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 
 
 md ye Jliall receive the Holy Ghoft. For the pro^ , 
 mife is unto you^ and to your children^ and to all 
 that are afar off\ even as many as the Lord our 
 God /hall call (i). 
 
 If at any time it is to be apprehended, that 
 believers are ftill carnal, and unrenewed by the 
 Spirit of God, the paftor, who is converfant 
 with thefe different economies of grace, enquires 
 with St. Paul j Have ye received the JHoly Ghoft 
 fince ye^ believed (k) ? When others, among his 
 flock, demonftrate both by their converfation 
 and condudt, that they are influenced by the 
 Spirit of Chrifl, he exhorts them in a manner 
 fuitable to the glorious difpenfation under which 
 they live — Te are wajhedy ye are fan^lified^ ye 
 are juftified^ in the name of the Lord Jefus^ and 
 hy the Spirit of our God, Tour body is the 
 temple of the Holy Ghoft: therefore glorify God^ 
 in your body and in your fpirit^ which are God's (1). 
 Grieve 7iot the Holy Spirit of God^ whereby ye 
 are fealed unto the day of redemption (m). Be 
 filled with the Spirit-, fpeaking to yourf elves in 
 pfalms and hymns^ and fpiritual fongSy making 
 melody in your hearts unto the Lord (n). Rejoice 
 evermore* Pray without ceafing. In every thing 
 
 give thanks (o). 
 
 This 
 (i) A6ls ii. 1 6, 39. (k) Ads xix. 2. (1) i Cor. vl, 11, 20. 
 (m) Eph. iv. 30. (n)— V. 18, J9. (o) i ThefT, v. 16—18. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 1 89 
 
 This language Is too elevated for natural 
 men, who underftand it no more than illiterate 
 perfons comprehend the moft abftrufe parts of 
 fcience. Hence, it is necefTary, that the faith- 
 ful minifter ihould acquaint himfelf with the 
 different conditions and capacities of all his 
 hearers, if he would happily accommodate fpi- 
 ritual things to fpiritual men. Without this 
 knowledge, he will, under every difpenfation, 
 run the hazard of refufmg to advanced chrif- 
 tians the folid nourifhment they need, and of 
 prefenting to the natural man that celeflial man- 
 na, which his very foul abhors. 
 
 Tk 
 
ipO THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 ^he different difpenfations are produced hy that 
 lovely variety^ with which the Almighty is 
 pleafed to dijiribute his favors. 
 
 jL F the light of the Gofpel had been due 
 from God to every individual flnner-, If he had 
 not been left entirely free, in every fenfe of the 
 word, to impart it to whom, at what time, and 
 in what degree foever was moft pleafing to 
 himfelf i his impartial juftice would then have 
 engaged him equally to illuminate all man- 
 kind, and he muft have caufed the Sun of 
 righteoufnefs, immediately after the fall, to 
 have fhone out in its meridian brightnefs. In 
 fuch cafe, there would have been but one dif- 
 penfation of grace •, and the light of the Gof- 
 pel would not have proceeded to its hlgheft 
 glory, by fuch juft gradations, as are obferv- 
 able in all the produdions of nature. 
 
 But the Almighty has proceeded in the 
 work of our redemption, according to the 
 didlates of his own unerring wifdom, and not 
 upon the plans of our pretended fages. The 
 day of the Gofpel, whether it be confidered 
 as enlightening the world in general, or the 
 
 heart 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. I9I 
 
 heart in particular, rifes, like the natural day, 
 from one degree of brightnefs to another, till 
 all its glories are fully manifefted. 
 
 The confufion, which many divines have 
 fpread over this part of theology, makes it 
 neceflary to go into particulars, that we may 
 place in a juft point of view, both the gra- 
 dations, and the harmony, of thofe three dif- 
 penfations, which colledlively form the glorious 
 Golpel of God. 
 
 If fome naturalifts were determined to con- 
 fine their obfervations upon the rainbow, to 
 thofe lines in it, that are manifeftly red; if 
 naturalifts of another clafs were as obftinate 
 In contemplating thofe of an orange hue ; and 
 if others were as refolutely bent in iingling 
 out thofe of a blue colour ; they would con- 
 tradia and difpute with each other in as ri- 
 diculous a manner, as many ignorant worfhip- 
 pers of the triune God are obferved to do 
 at this day. Thus, deifts difpute for the 
 honor of God the Creator; and, while fome 
 chriftians pay all their homage to God the 
 Redeemer, others are as wholly taken up with 
 .J God the Sandifier. Amid all the confufion 
 f of thefe jarring fentiments, the prudent paf- 
 
 tor 
 
192 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 tor admits, in their proper place, the various 
 difpenfations of evangelical light, conducing 
 his followers from faith to faith, till he be- 
 holds them illuminated with all the truths, 
 and experiencing all the power, of the chriftian 
 religion. 
 
 We acknowledge that God is juft, though 
 the light of the natural fun approaches us 
 only in a gradual manner, producing a con- 
 flant variety both in our days and feafons. 
 We do not accufe the fupreme Being of in- 
 juftice, becaufe he is not pleafed to bring the 
 fruits of the earth, in an inftant, to their 
 highefl maturity ; or, becaufe the fame fpe- 
 cies of fruit, which is efteemed for its deli- 
 cious flavor in one climate, is found worth- 
 lefs and infipid in another. And if the So- 
 vereign of the world is not expeded to ripen 
 on a fudden, either the reafon of individuals, 
 or the knowledge of nations, it fhould not 
 be matter of furprize, to obferve him ading 
 in his ufual manner, with refped to things 
 of a fpiritual nature. His plans are all equally 
 wife : but it is impofTible for man to form a per- 
 fect judgment of them, unlefs the creature could 
 ftand for a moment in the place of the Crea- 
 TORj and take one comprehenfive view of earth 
 
 and 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. I93 
 
 and heaven, time and eternity. If one day 
 is with the Lord as a thoufand years^ when he 
 is pleafed, in an unexpe(5led manner, to fulfil 
 his grand defigns ; and a thoufand years as one 
 day (p), when he fees good to accompliili his 
 purpofes in a more gradual way \ why fhould 
 it fo ftrangely afflld and amaze us, that he 
 has left the human race in a ftate of fiif- 
 penfe, with regard to his unfearchabie coun- 
 fels, for near fix thoufand years ? The tim.e 
 is coming, when he will difcover to us that 
 ftupendous plan, which, in our prefent cir- 
 cumftances, we contemplate with every difad- 
 vantage ; and juft as an animalcule, whofe life 
 is limited to fix hours, would contemplate 
 the plan of an immenfe palace, which a fkil- 
 ful architect had promifed to complete in as 
 many years. Supposing fuch an infedl en- 
 dued with reafon, and coming into exiftence 
 during the night, fhould blindly crawl among 
 the loofe materials of which the intended 
 edifice was to be coni1:ru<5led \ what opinion 
 could it form either of the archited, or his 
 plan ? 'Would not this infignificant creature 
 be led to judge of thefe matters, as the pre- 
 tended philofopher inconfiderately judges of 
 that myfterious plan, upon which the Almighty 
 Vol. II. N is 
 
 (p) 2 Pet. iii. 8. 
 
194 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 IS ereding the temple of truth, and creating 
 an incorruptible world ? If the Creator thought 
 it neceffary to employ fix days in completing 
 the beauties of the material world*, and if 
 the Redeemer judges it expedient, progref- 
 fively to perfed the more lafting beauties of 
 a fpiritual world, during fix of his more am- 
 ple days ', how little reafon have we to def- 
 pife the comprehenfive defign •, efpecially, when 
 ' we coniider, that fix thoufand years are far 
 more inconfiderable in comparifon with eter- 
 nity, than fix atoms in comparifon with this 
 tcrreftrial globe ? 
 
 Now, if fuch a plan is not only reafonable, 
 but has been evidently adopted by him, who 
 giveth not account of any of Ms matters (q), it is 
 imdoubtedly true, that thofe who have lived 
 in different periods of time, have not been 
 permitted to enjoy all the various truths, 
 which God has fucceflively revealed to man. 
 Neverthelefs, it is equally certain, that every 
 man,- in what period of time, and in what 
 peculiar circumftances foever he found him- 
 felf placed, has received fuificient light to dif- 
 coverj as well as fufficient power to perform, 
 what God has been pleafed to require at his 
 hands. 
 
 The 
 
 (q) Job xxxiii. 13. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, I95 
 
 The day of evangelical truth is gracioufly 
 allowed to all mankind, that they may thereby 
 be aflifted to difcover, to love, and to obey, 
 their celeftial Parent : and, finally, that they 
 may reach the mark of their high deftina- 
 tion, which is the enjoyment of thofe dif- 
 ferent degrees of blefTednefs, which are re- 
 ferved for the different clafles of the faithful. 
 Let us confider the morning of this facred 
 day. When the firft man had extinguiihed 
 in his heart the light of truth, and the fire 
 of charity : when he became fuificiently ftupid, 
 to think of concealing himfelf from his God 
 among the trees of the garden, and fufficiently 
 impious, to throw the blame of his oifence 
 upon his companion in tranfgreffion, inftead 
 of confefling his difobedience with all its ag- 
 gravations : it is evident, that man was then 
 without Chrlft, i. e. without a Saviour, with- 
 out hope^ and without God in the world (r). 
 In that night of error, of confufion, and, 
 probably, of defpair, the promife of a power- 
 ful Redeemer was given to our firft parents, 
 whence certain beams of hope were produced, 
 which formed the earlieft twilight of the Gofpel- 
 day. 
 
 N 2 The 
 
 (r) Eph. ii. izt 
 
196 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 The tradition of this gracious promife, 
 %vhich was made to Adam, and confirmed. to 
 Noah *, the natural law, which is nothing. lefs 
 than the remains of the Creator's imiage in 
 the human heart *, and the. fecret grace of 
 the Redeemer, which is more or lefs operative 
 in every mian ; thefe colledlively formed that 
 evangelical dawn, which was for a long time 
 univerfally experienced in the world, and 
 which may, with propriety, be termed, either 
 gentilifm, the religion of the firft patriarchs, 
 the Gofpel of the heathen, or the difpenfa- 
 tion of the Father. In this low difpenfation, 
 and under thefe faint glimmerings of truth, 
 the generality of mankind are ftill unhappily 
 obferved to live. And though clouds of pre- 
 judice, together with vain tradition, deprive 
 many pagan nations, .in part, of this inefti- 
 mable light, yet fufficient remains among them, 
 for the diredion of thofe, who are feeking 
 after the light of a lefs obfcure difpenfation. 
 
 When mankind had become almoft univer- 
 fally unfaithful to the grace of gentilifm, and 
 unm.indful of the paft vengeance of God in 
 destroying the world-, when they had plunged 
 themfelves into the moft impious excefles, 
 and were wholly given up to the grofTefl 
 
 idolatry t 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. I97 
 
 idolatry : at that time, the Almighty refolved 
 to feparate from the corrupted nations a fin- 
 gle .-people, who fhould preferve among them 
 the divine worfnip in its purity-, a people, 
 among whom the Mefliah fliould be born, 
 and who fhould fpread around them, both 
 the expedtatlon, and the promlfe, of fo won- 
 derful a Deliverer. Mofes, Aaron, and Jofhua, 
 were the reprefentatives of. this extraordinary 
 perfon. Mofes, as a Prophet and Legiflator; 
 Aaron, as an High-prieft appointed of God ; 
 and Jofhua, as an illuflrious conqueror, divid- 
 ing the Kingdoms of Canaan among thofe, 
 who had followed him through the dangers 
 of a tedious warfare. Thus, the Jews be- 
 came a preaching people to the reft .of the 
 world, preferving in it the light of the Fa- 
 ther's difpenfation, and preparing it for the 
 further difpenfation of the Son : infomuch, 
 that the expedlation of a divine Reftorer was 
 fpread over many parts of the earth, as we 
 learn from two pagan hiftorians (s), whofe 
 teflimony deferves credit, Nay^ the Sybils, 
 
 N 3 and 
 
 (s) Percrebruerat Oriente toto vetus et conftans opinio, 
 eiTe in fatis ut Judea profe<!li rerum potirentur. 
 
 Suetonius, 
 
 Pluribus perfuafio inerat, antiquis facerdotum libris 
 contineri eo ipfo tempore fore, ut valefceret Oriens, 
 profedique Judea reruiii potirentur. Tacitus, 
 
198 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 
 
 and even Virgil himfelf, took occafion, ftoif^ 
 this general expectation, of applying to Au- 
 guflus the predidions of a fublime conqueror, 
 who was to ifllie from the eaft, renewing the 
 face of things. 
 
 Judaifni> then, feems to have been nothing 
 more than the difpenfation of the Father, 
 though undoubtedly more luminous than it 
 had formerly appeared before the calling of 
 Abraham. The moral Lav/, given by Mofes, 
 was but a new edition of the natural Law, 
 which had been given long before; and the 
 ceremonial Law was added thereto, as a fur- 
 ther confirmation of the original promife. 
 This was, however, a remarkable advance tq- 
 >vard the difpenfation of the Son, and that 
 of the Holy Ghoft, fince the myfteries of 
 both were fhadowed forth by the interior parts 
 of the temple, by facrifices, by ablutions, by 
 anointings, by perfumes, by burning lamps, and 
 facred fires. 
 
 The univerfal creed under this ancient dif- 
 penfation ftiil forms a part of that, which is 
 received among chriftians : and there is no 
 true worfnipper under this economy, but who 
 can fay, with fincerity ; ' / bdieve in Gody the 
 
 * FatJier 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, tgg 
 
 ' Father Almighty^ the Creator, and Preferver, 
 
 * of heaven and earth, the avenger of fin, 
 
 * and the rewarder of thofe, who faithfully 
 
 * ferve him : and I truft the time is coming, 
 
 * when fome divine inftrudtor will enable me 
 
 * more fully to know, and obey, this incom- 
 
 * prehenfible Father of the univerfe.' May 
 fuch an inftrudor foon appear ! was the united 
 prayer of Socrates and Plato. « Let him 
 
 * haften his coming,' fays the true jew, and 
 the pious theift, « under whatever appellation 
 
 he may choofe to appear. Let him be 
 called, the feed of the woman, the feed of 
 Abraham, or the Son of David; let his 
 name be, the MefTiah, the Son of God, 
 the Logos, Emmanuel, Jofhua, Jefus, Sa- 
 viour-, or only, the Prophet, the Angel of 
 the covenant, or, the MefTenger of God ; it 
 is of little confequence : if he brings but 
 life and immortality to light, I will receive 
 him with gratitude and joy.* Such 
 
 s the faith, by which thofe Jews, Mahome- 
 tans, and Pagans, whofe hearts are principled 
 n humility, candor, and the fear of God, 
 have been, and ftill continue to be, faved in 
 every part of the world. For the Father of 
 mercies, who knoweth whereof we are made, 
 will no more abfolutely condemn fuch worihip- 
 
 N 4 pers. 
 
200 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 
 
 pers, on account of the extraordinary rcCpeCt 
 they difcover for Mofes, Mahomet, and Con- 
 fucius, than he will finally rejedl fome pious 
 chriftians^ for the fake of that exceffive ve- 
 neration, which they manifeft for particular 
 faints and reformers : nor will he puniih either, 
 becaufe their guides have mingled prejudice 
 with truth, and legendary fables with the doc- 
 trines of theology. 
 
 As a prudent phyiician proportions his me- 
 dicines to the different ages and habits of 
 his patients, fo the enlightened paftor, who 
 feels himfelf concerned for the fpiritual health 
 of his flock, fees it neceffary to ad with 
 equal care and difcretion. He preaches the 
 diipenfation of the Son to thofe, who, like 
 Socrates and Plato, are longing for a divine in- 
 firudlor, as well as to thofe, who, like Simeon, 
 Nicodemus, and Cornelius, are waiting for the 
 confolation of Ifrael. He leads them, either 
 from iho. Law of Mofes, or from the Law 
 of nature, to the Gofpel of Chriil: ♦, explain- 
 ing, with precifion, thofe parts of the new 
 Teiiament, which exhibit the commencement 
 of the Son's difpenfation, together with all 
 he taught, performed, and fuitered, while he 
 continued upon earth. 
 
 Laftlye 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, - 20i 
 
 Laftly. To fuch as have devoutly embraced 
 this part of the Gofpel, he publilhes the glo- 
 rious economy of the Holy Spirit, which was 
 not fully opened, till after the bodily ap- 
 pearance of the Redeemer was withdrawn from 
 the world. Then it was, that he defcended 
 in the fulnefs of the Spirit, direding and fup- 
 porting his dilciples, animating and fanclifying 
 his members, and manifefting that Kingdom 
 of God, that difpenfation of right eoufnefs^ peace^ 
 and joy\ which is fo largely treated of in the 
 ads and epiflies of the apoftles. 
 
 Thefe three difpenfations have one common 
 end. They mutually tend to manifeft the 
 different perfedions of the Supreme Being, 
 to raife man from his prefent low eftate, and 
 to perfect his nature. This three-fold de- 
 iign is apparent under the difpenfation of the 
 Father; it unfolds itfelf more clearly under 
 that of the Son ; and fhines out with increaf- 
 ing luftre under that of the Holy Spirit. As 
 it is one and the fame Sun, that animates 
 every thing in the natural world, fo it is one 
 and the fame God, v/ho operates every thing 
 in the kingdom cf grace. He, whom we 
 addrefs as our Heavenly Father, in that 
 facred form of prayer which is common among 
 
 chriilians, 
 
202 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 chriftlans, is the ve}y God, in whofe name the 
 ancient patriarchs were accuftomed to blefs 
 their children ! The word, through which 
 we addrefs hin^, is no other than that %/// of 
 the worlds by which the antediluvian fathers 
 were illuminated in their feveral generations. 
 And the Holy Ghoft, by which the fouls of 
 the faithful are divinely regenerated, is the 
 fame Spirit, that primarily moved upon the face 
 if the waters (t) ; of which alfo it was faid, 
 in the days of Noah — My Spirit fhall not always 
 Jirive *ugith man (u). 
 
 There never was a time, m which the Son 
 and the Spirit were not occupied in com- 
 pleting the falvation of believers. But there 
 was a time, when the Son became manifeft 
 upon the earth, making a vifible difplay of 
 his aftonifhing labors : and then it was, that 
 his particular difpenfation had its commence- 
 ment. So likewife there was a time, when 
 the Holy Ghoft, more abundantly fhed forth 
 by the Father and the Son, began to work 
 his myfierious operations in a more fenfible 
 manner : and at that time commenced the 
 particular difpenfation of the Spirit, which 
 ferves to perfed the difpenfation of the Son, 
 
 as 
 
 (t) Gen. i. 2, (u) Gen. vi. 3. 
 
THE PORTRAIT CF ST. PAUL. 20^ 
 
 as that of the Son was given to perfe<5l the 
 jdifpenfation pf the Father. 
 
 Thefe diftindions are founded upon reafon, 
 upon revelation, and upon the Apoftles' creed. 
 
 1. Reafon fuggefts, that mankind muft for 
 ever remain under the fovereignty of their 
 omnipotent Creator, and accountable to him 
 for the ufe they make of his innumerable fa- 
 vors, Reafon further difcovers, that if man 
 ihould admit the darknefs of error into his 
 underftanding, and the fatal influence of fin 
 into his will, he cannot poflibly recover his 
 priftine ftate, except through the manifeftation of 
 a new light, and the exertions of a ftronger 
 influence. But who fhall produce the former, 
 except that Saviour, who is the light of the 
 world (w) ? Or, who fhall fupply the latter, 
 except that energetic Spirit, which hel-peth our 
 infirmities (x) ? 
 
 2. Thefe diftindions are founded upon re- 
 velation» The volume of truth informs us, 
 that the Creator foretold the coming of a 
 Redeemer, and that the Redeemer, during his 
 outward manifeftation, proclaimed the near 
 
 approach 
 
 (w) |ohn viii. 12» (x) Rom, viii. 26. 
 
204 THE PORTRAIT OF ST* PAUL. 
 
 approach of another Comforter {y). It is uii-^ 
 doubtedly true, that fome earnefts of redeem- 
 ing grace, together with the firft fruits of the 
 Spirit, were experienced even by the moil: 
 ancient inhabitants of the earth. It is true 
 alfo, that, by means of thofe earnefts and 
 firfl fruits, many myriads of m.ankind have 
 been faved in every age of the world. But 
 it is no lefs true, that the plenitude of thefe 
 facred gifts was refer ved to a very diftant pe- 
 riod of time J fince, after the firll promiie 
 of a Redeemer was given, near four thoufand 
 years elapfed before he made his public ap- 
 pearance : and while he continued upon earth, 
 it is exprefsly faid, that the Holy Ghoft was 
 not yet given^ in its full meafure , becaufe that 
 J ejus was not yet glorified (z). 
 
 3. Chriftians are taught to diflinguifh thefe 
 different degrees of evangelical grace, and to 
 rejoice in all the advantages of thefe three 
 difpenfations, when they are folemnly baptized 
 in the name of the Father? the Son, and the 
 Holy Ghoft. And this they publicly profefs 
 to do, fo often as they repeat the three prin- 
 cipal articles of the Apofiles' creed. Happy 
 would it be, if, through ithe demonftration of 
 
 that 
 (y) John xiv, 16, 17. (z) John.viii, 39. 
 
THE PORTPvAIT OF ST* PAUL." 205 
 
 that Holy Spirit, in which they affed to 
 believe, they were enabled experimentally to 
 confefs their Almighty^ Father, and his 
 REDEEMING SoN. Evcry one of them might 
 then thankfully add, I experience the communion 
 of faints^ and the forgivemfs of fins : 1 joyfully 
 and confidently exped the refurre5fion of the hody^ 
 and life everlafiing. 
 
 It is prefumed, that no dodrines can come 
 more ftrongly recommended to the confidera- 
 tion of profeffing chriflians, than thofe, which 
 are undeniably founded upon reafon and reve- 
 lation, upon that outward form of baptifm, 
 and that primitive creed, v/hich are univer- 
 fally received in the chriftian world. 
 
 The attentive reader will eaiily perceive, that 
 the difference, between thefe feverai difpenfa- 
 tions,. is formed by thofe different degrees in 
 which the Redeemer is manifefled among men. 
 Under gentilifm and judaifm, or, under the gene- 
 ral and particular difpenfations of the Father, 
 the Redeemer is both announced and expeded : 
 he is announced by the Father's original pro- 
 mife, by tradition, by types, by prophecies •, 
 and he is expeded as a Saviour, who fnail, 
 fooner or later, make his appearance. Under 
 
 the 
 
206 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL* 
 
 the baptifm of John, and under that imper- 
 fed: chriftianity which is received by, a bap- 
 tifm of water, the Redeemer is apprehended, 
 in feme meafure, by kniQ -, or, by a faith, 
 which merely refped:s the hiftory of the Gof- 
 pel : but he is apprehended, only, as a Sa- 
 viour manifefted in the fiefh, to accomplifh 
 the external ad of redemption. It is other- 
 wife under that perfed chriftianity, to which 
 we are introduced by the myfterious baptifm 
 of the Spirit, in which the Redeemer is ma- 
 nifefted after a manner abundantly more glo* 
 rious. He is now received as coming in the 
 Spirit, after having died for our fins, and 
 rifen again for our juftification. Now he per- 
 forms the fpiritual work of redemption in the 
 foul, delivering his people from the power of 
 fin, by communicating to them the fpecial 
 efficacy of his death, his refurredion, and his 
 triumph. Henceforth, he is a Comforter^ not 
 only witk^ but in us ; where he fpiritually 
 exercifes his acknowledged offices, inftrucfling, 
 purifying, and, finally, fubduing all things to 
 himfelf. 
 
 fhe 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 20'j 
 
 *The Afferent preachers under tJiefe different 
 difpenfations. 
 
 p 
 
 ERSUADED, that confuilon Is thefourcc 
 of a thoufand errors, the prudent minifter en- 
 deavours to place the truths of the Gofpel in 
 their proper order : and refleding upon thofe 
 preachers who have formerly proclaimed them, 
 he is enabled to produce fomething upon their 
 feparate teftimonies, which may ferve to edify 
 the diiFerent clafles of his hearers. Thus St* 
 Paul, when preaching to the Athenians, judged 
 It convenient to cite one of their own poets, 
 rather than Mofes: and thus, in addreffing 
 thofe teachers who leave the Gofpel, in order 
 to fet up a vain philofophy, the true minifter 
 may find it neceffary to produce the defcription, 
 which Epidetus has given of a real philofbphen 
 
 Every difpenfation has had its peculiar prea- 
 chers, and the paflor who is led into all truth, 
 is anxious to . fecond thefe preachers, by pub- 
 lifhing, in their proper place, thofe facred truths, 
 which they have refpedlively delivered, accord- 
 ing to their diiFerent proportions of grace. 
 
 The 
 
208 THE PORTRAIT OF ST» PAUL.' 
 
 The preachers under the difpenfation of the 
 ^ Father, are 
 
 1 . 'The works . of creation. The h&avens^ faith 
 David, declare the glory of God^ and the firmament 
 
 Jlieweth his handy work (a). That which may 
 he known of God^ adds St. Paul, is manifefi^ 
 even among the heathen — For the inviftble things 
 of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly 
 feen, being underftood hy the things that are made^ 
 even his eternal power and Godhead-, fo that they 
 are without excufe : hecaufe that when they knew 
 God, they glorified him not as God (b). 
 
 2. Providence, The living God, faith the apof- 
 tle, who, in times paft, fuffered all nations to 
 walk in their own ways, left not himfelf without 
 witnefs, in that he did good, and gave us rain 
 from heaven, and fruitful feafons, filling our hearts ' 
 with food and gladnefs (c). 
 
 3. Thofe dreadful fcourges, with which an 
 avenging God is conflrained to corredl a re- 
 bellious world. Such as famine, peftilence, war, 
 &c. 
 
 4. Reafon: 
 
 (a) Pfalmxix. i. (b) Rom. i. 19, 21. (c) Adsidv. 15, 17, 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 200 
 
 4. Reafon: which is a ray from that divine 
 word, that eternal logos, that true lights which 
 lighteneth every man that cometh into the world. 
 
 5. Confcience, For the gentiles^ faith St. Paul, 
 which have not the law^ written by prophets 
 and apoftles, are a law unto themfelves : their con- 
 fcience bearing witnefs^ and their thoughts accufing^ 
 or elfe excufing one another (d). 
 
 6. Enoch, Noah, and all the holy patriarchs 
 who lived before the flood. 
 
 7. All thofe pious perfons, who have incul- 
 cated the fear of God, and publifhed the tra- 
 ditionary promife which was given to our firft 
 parents. 
 
 8. The prophets and priefts among the jews, 
 together with the facred poets and true philo- 
 fophers among the ancient heathens. 
 
 9. Thofe priefts, who, among jews, maho- 
 metans, and modern pagans, recommend, with 
 fmcerity, holinefs and the fear of God. 
 
 And laftly, all thofe preachers of Chriften- 
 dom, who, blind to the difpenfations of the 
 Vol. II. O Son 
 
 (d) Rom. ii. 14, 15. 
 
2IO THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 Son and the Spirit, fall back into gentilifm, 
 delivering only fuch moral eflays, as have been 
 abundantly exceeded by philofophers of old. 
 
 As this difpenfation has ever had, and dill 
 continues to have, its celebrated preachers; fo 
 it has frequently had, and may yet continue 
 to have, its confeflbrs and martyrs. If it was 
 pofiible to come at the hiftory of all thofe, 
 who have been eminently diftinguifhed by their 
 piety under this economy, and who have 
 nobly fuffered in the caufe of godlinefs, we 
 might probably difcover many an Abel, and 
 many a Zacharias, many an Ariftides, and 
 many a Socrates, in every nation^ under hea- 
 ven. In company with thefe amiable and 
 honorable chara6lers, the evangelical paftor is 
 conftantly obferved, fo far as they proceed in 
 the high-way of truth : but, he advances far 
 beyond them, when he would alTociate with 
 the preachers of the Son's difpenfation. 
 
 The heralds of truth, under this difpenfation, 
 are, 
 
 I. The prieft Zacharias, who announced the 
 
 accompliftiment of the promife made to the 
 
 fathers (e)» 
 
 2. The 
 (e) Luke 1. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL; 211 
 
 2. The Angel, who firft brought down the 
 tidings of the Mefliah's birth, attended by a 
 multitude of the heavenly hoft. 
 
 3. Thofe jewifti priefts, who direded the 
 magi from Jerufalem to the city, in which 
 Chrift was born. 
 
 4. Thofe celeftial voices, which declared, 
 upon mount Tabor, and on the banks of 
 Jordan, that Jefus Chrift was the beloved Son 
 of the Father. 
 
 5. John the Baptift, who proclaimed Chrift 
 come in the flefh, and endeavoured to pre- 
 pare the penitent for the difpenfation of the 
 
 Spirit. 
 
 6. Thofe feventy difciples, who were com- 
 miflioned by our Lord to preach the Gofpel. 
 
 And, laftly ; all thofe teachers of the pre- 
 fent day, who, like Apollos in the beginning 
 of his miniftry, perceive nothing beyond that 
 inferior difpenfation, of which an outward bap- 
 tifm IS confidered as the fcal. 
 
 O 2 Under 
 
212 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 Under the difpenfation of the Spirit, the 
 preachers are, 
 
 1. The apodles, who entered upon their ex- 
 cellent miniftry, after being firft miraculoufly 
 endued with power from on high. 
 
 2. All thole miniilers of the Gofpel, who, 
 after receiving into their own hearts the Spirit 
 ef adoption (f), proclaim the coming of that 
 Spirit to thofe, who have already experienced 
 repentance toward God, and faith toward our 
 Lord Jefus Chriji (g). Such miniil-ers 
 alone may be faid to proclaim the fpirltual 
 Kingdom of God : and thefe alone can ex- 
 perlmentally diredl believers to the abfolute 
 fulfilment of every Gofpel promife. The 
 teachers of this day, inftead of proclaiming 
 the grand promife of chriftianity, unhappily 
 renounce that promife *, imagining, that it 
 merely refpedted the firft followers of Jefus, or, 
 at moft, that it was confined to the earlleft 
 ages of the chrlftian church. Far from pub- 
 llfhlng the Gofpel in its abundant plenitude, 
 thefe unfkllful evangelifts are not able to 
 preach all that imperfed Gofpel, which, in 
 fcripture language, is called, the haptifm of 
 
 John 
 (f) Rom. viii# 15. (g) Adls xx, zr. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 213 
 
 John (h). John publicly announced the bap- 
 tifm of the Holy Ghoft ; and, far from de- 
 fpifing fuch baptifm himfelf, openly de- 
 clared, that he had need to he baptized of 
 Chriji (i). Neverthelefs, John was put to 
 death before the promife of the Father was 
 fully accompiiihed : and, on this account, our 
 Lord declared, that the leaft in the Kingdom 
 of Heaven^ i. e. the lowed under the difpen- 
 fation of the Spirit, fhould be accounted 
 greater than he (k). Yea, even the foUiers of 
 Cornelius, after the Spirit had defcended upon 
 them, were affifted to publifli the myfteries of 
 that kingdom with greater clearnefs, and with 
 a more lively convidion, than the forerunner 
 of Jefus had ever done. 
 
 That prophet doubted before his death, as 
 well as all the apoftles before the day of 
 Pentecoft. But under the difpenfation of the 
 Holy Spirit, the great truths of. the Gofpel 
 are demonftrated by the power of an inter- 
 nal evidence, which leaves in the heart no 
 more room for doubt, than a mathematical 
 demonftration leaves room for hefitation in 
 the mind. Further— John the Baptifl barely 
 intimated the neceflity of a fpiritual baptifm j 
 
 O 3 but 
 
 (h) Ads xviii. 25. (i) Matt. iii. 14. (k) Matt. x. u. 
 
214 "THS PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL.' 
 
 but the moft illiterate among the centurion's 
 fervants could fay •, Chrift hath baptized me 
 mth the Holy Ghoft and with fire; and the 
 promife, which he hath already fulfilled to 
 me, a poor gentile, he will as glorioufly ac- 
 compliih in favor of others, fince the promife 
 is given to all that are afar off^ even as many 
 as the Lord our God Jhall call (1). Thus, 
 
 under this fublime difpenfation, every faithful 
 fervant of the Lord is enabled to piopheiy 
 out of the fulnefs of his heart, and to fpeak 
 the wonderful works of God. Thus alfo, 
 every zealous minifter, perfevering in his 
 purfuit of evangelical truth, ranks, at length, 
 with the firft and mofl effedlual preachers of 
 the everlafting Gofpel. 
 
 {!) A<5ls ii, 39, 
 
 rke 
 
THE PORTRAIT OP ST. PAUL. 215 
 
 ^he difpenfation of the Holy Spirit is now in force^ 
 and the minijler^ who preaches this difpenfatioUy 
 cannot juftly he ejieemed an enthufiaft. 
 
 A O rejecft the Son of God manifefted in 
 the Spirit, as worldly chriftians are univerfally 
 obferved to do, is a crime of equal magiii- 
 tude with that of the jews, who rejeded Clirifl 
 manifefted in the flefh. Neverthelefs, in vain 
 has the apoftle Paul informed us, that Jefus 
 Chrift is a prieft for ever^ after the order of 
 Melchifedec (m) j the fame yefterday^ to-day y and 
 for ever (n). In vain has John the Baptift 
 declared, that He fhall baptize us with the Holy 
 Ghoft and with fire (o). In vain has Chrift 
 himfelf made a gracious ofi^er of this baptifm 
 to all nations (p). In fpite of all thefe de- 
 clarations, our incredulity ftill feeks out fome 
 plaufible reafon for rejeding the difpenfation 
 the Spirit. 
 
 So long as thofe perilous times fliall con- 
 tinue, which were foretold by St. Paul (q), {q 
 long we may expedl to behold multitudes of 
 
 O 4 erring 
 
 (in) Heb. vii, 17, (n) Heb. xiii. 8. (o) Matt. lii. il. 
 (p) Matt, xxviii, 19. (q) 2 Tim. iii. i. 
 
2l6 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 
 
 erring profeflbrs, who, like the ancient pha- 
 rifees, not only refufe to enter into the King- 
 dom of God themfelves, but refolutely with- 
 ftand all thofe, who are ftriving to enter in. 
 Thefe faithlefs chriftians, refembling the timo- 
 rous fpies of old, are conftantly prepared to 
 difcourage every perfevering Ifraelite, by raif- 
 ing evil reports of their promifed reft. At- 
 tached to this prefent degenerate world, as 
 the wife of Lot was attached to her polluted 
 city, they are ever infinuating, that there is 
 little danger to be apprehended in their pre- 
 fent iituation. And as for that full difpenfa- 
 tion of the Spirit, concerning which fo many 
 excellent things are fpoken, they confidently 
 afTert, that it cannot be expedled in the pre- 
 fent time, without giving way to the highell: 
 prefumption and folly. On thefe accounts, it 
 becomes abfolutely neceflary, that the true 
 minilier fhould ftand prepared to give every 
 man a folid anfwer^ that a/keth a reajon af the 
 hope that is in him (r). 
 
 That the extraordinary gifts of the Holy 
 Spirit were peculiarly neceluiry to the apof^ 
 tles^ and that they were acftually put in pof- 
 feffion of fuch gifts, we readily allow. But, 
 
 at 
 (r) I Pet. ii'i. 15, 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 217 
 
 at the fame time, we confider thefe gifts as 
 entirely diftind from the Spirit itfelf. When 
 the Spirit of grace takes the full pofleiTioti 
 of a particular perfon, he may, if the edifi- 
 cation of the church requires it, beftow upon 
 that perfon fome extraordinary gift, in an in- 
 ftantaneous manner : as the prince, who honors 
 any fubjed with an important commifHon, 
 invefts him with fufRcient power for the 
 execution of fuch ccmmiiTion. But the pre- 
 fents of a prince do not always demon- 
 ftrate his adual prefence-, fince it is very 
 poffible for a prince to lodge with one of 
 his fubjec5ls, upon whom he has conferred no 
 ineftimable favor, while he makes a magni- 
 ficent prefent to another, whom he has never 
 condefcended to vifit in perfon. Thus the 
 Holy Spirit defcended upon Mary the mother 
 of Jefus, together with feveral other holy 
 women, as well as upon the apoftles, with 
 whom they continued in earneft fupplication 
 and prayer : never thelefs, it does not appear, 
 that any one of them received, even the gift 
 of tongues. On the other hand, we are well 
 affured, that many perfons, who never re- 
 ceived the Spirit of holinefs, were yet out- 
 wardly diftinguilhed by feveral extraordinary 
 gifts of the Holy Ghoft. The firft king of 
 Ifrael gave rife to that memorable proverb; 
 
 Is 
 
2l8 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 Is Said Ifo among the prophets (s) ? Jonah, 
 though he pofTefied neither the faith, nor the 
 chrrity, which are common to many chrlftians 
 of this age, was yet commliTioned to vifit 
 Nineveh with an extraordinary meflage from 
 heaven. And we are informed, ' that J udas 
 was endued with the power of performing 
 miracles, as Balaam hnd before been honored 
 with the gift of prophecy. But, notwithftand- 
 mg thefe external appearances, we may reft 
 sfTured, that neither Saul, nor Balaam, nor 
 Judas, had fully experienced that happy eftate, 
 v/hich the meaneft among the primitive chrlf- 
 tians was permitted to enjoy. When, there- 
 fore, we aflert, that every lincere behever 
 becomes a temple of the Holy Ghoji (t) : it is 
 not to be underftood, by fuch exprefHon, that 
 they have received the power of working 
 kilracles; {ince, in this fenfe, St. Paul him- 
 felf was not always replenifhed with the Spirit. 
 But it fhould rather be underftood, that the 
 fam.e fpirit of humility, of zeal, of faith, 
 and of charity, which fo eminently dwelt in 
 Chrift, continually flows from him to the 
 meaneft of his fpiritual members, as the fap 
 is known to pafs from the trunk of a vine 
 into the leaft of its branches (u). 
 
 . ' The 
 
 (s) 1 Sam. X. 12. (t) I Cor, vi. 19. (u) John xv, 5. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 219 
 
 The old and new Teftament fufficientiy 
 prove, that the fpecial influences of the Spirit 
 are to be univerfally experienced by the faith- 
 ful in every age. Ifaiah promlfes this invalu- 
 able blefling to thofe, who are athirft for 
 God (w). Ezekiel announces the fame blef- 
 iing, in a variety of pafTages, to all thofe, 
 who enjoy the privileges of the new covenant. 
 The prophet Joel more diredly promifes the 
 extraordinary eifufion of the Holy Spirit, to 
 the young and the old among the people of 
 God; to their fans and their daughters^ their 
 fervants and their handmaids (x), John the Bap- 
 tift exprefsly repeats the fame promife to all 
 thofe, who partake of his inferior baptifm (y). 
 Our Lord invites every believer freely to 
 come and receive the long expeded blefling (z). 
 St. Peter unrefervedly offers it to the truly 
 penitent (a) ♦, and St. Paul every where de- 
 clares, that it is the common privilege of 
 chrlftians to he filled with the Spirit (b). Nay, 
 he even intimates, that the name of chrifiian 
 fhould be refufed to thofe, who have not re- 
 ceived the promife of the Father (c). Thefe 
 few pafTages abundantly teftify, how itrangely 
 
 thofe 
 
 (w) Ifaiah xliv. 3. (x) Joel ii. 28, 29. 
 
 (y) Luke in. 16. (z) John vii. 37, 39. (a) hOi^ ii. 38- 
 (b) Eph. V. 18. I Cor. vi. 19. (c) Rom. viii. 9. 
 
2 20 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 thoie profefTors deceive themfelves, who con- 
 fidently affirm, that the Holy Spirit was pro- 
 mifed to the apoftles alone. 
 
 Revelation is no fooner admitted, but rea- 
 fon itfelf confirms the very truth for which 
 we contend. Why was the Holy Spirit to 
 be poured out in its full meafure upon the 
 firfi: followers of Chrift ? If in order to their 
 fandlification ♦, have v.'e lefs need of holinefs 
 than the apoftles had ? — If it was to fiied a- 
 broad in their hearts the love of God -, is 
 that love lefs necefTary for us than for them ? 
 —If to make intercefiion for them with groan- 
 ings which cannot be uttered -, were the apof- 
 tles fuppofed to {land in greater need of fuch 
 interceffion than all other men ? Laftiy. If 
 the Holy Ghoft was given, that believers 
 might be enabled to cry out — W/io fkall fepa- 
 rate us from the love of Chrifl ? fhall tribula- 
 tion^ per f edition^ or death?.. deaths where is 
 thy fling ? grave^ where is thy vi£fory ? 'Thanks 
 he to God^ who giveth us the "ci5lory^ through 
 our Lord Jefus Chrifl — if fo ^ then it fhould 
 feem., that the apoftles alone were called to 
 fuffer and die, in a manner fo perfedly worthy 
 of chrifiians. 
 
 The 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 221 
 
 The more we meditate upon the fcrlptures 
 of truth, the more we ftiall be convinced^ 
 that the experience of real chriftians, and the 
 reafon of natural men, coincide with that facred 
 volume, in demonftrating, that the grand pro- 
 mife of a Comforter mud refpedb every fin- 
 cere believer, as well as the firft difclples of 
 Jefus. To reject, then, this precious gift, is 
 to trample under foot the pearl of great 
 price, and to defplfe the Redeemer himfelf 
 in that fpiritual appearance, which is of far 
 greater Importance to us than his outward 
 manifedation in Judea. Further : to Infinuate 
 among chriftians, that the promife of Chrift's 
 fpiritual coming is no longer in force, Is to 
 enervate the glorious Gofpel of God, and to 
 maintain in his church that deteftable lukewarm- 
 nefs, which will ultimately prove the ground 
 of its condemnation. It is to furpafs the jews 
 in their obftinate rejedion of our only Lord 
 and Saviour. There was no need, fays the 
 incredulous jew, that the Mefliah fhould fufFer 
 and die for our fins : nor is there any need, 
 fays the carnal chriftian, that the Saviour 
 fhould come in a fpiritual manner to reign 
 in my heart. The one deftroys the hGd)\ the 
 other the fouU of chriftianity \ and both are 
 
 equal 
 
222 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUU 
 
 equal ftrangers to the renovating power of 
 the Gofpel. 
 
 The true minifter, ftruck with the magni- 
 tude of this fin, fo general in the prefent 
 day, inceflantly labors for the reftoration of 
 thofe, who are deeply plunged in fo deftruc- 
 tive an error. 
 
 r/;i 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 223 
 
 "The evangelical paftor defends the difpenfation of 
 the Spirit againft all oppofers. 
 
 Whatever difpenfation of grace the 
 true minifter announces, he is conftralned, 
 with St. Paul, to brandifli his fpiritual wea- 
 pons on the right handy and on the left. If he 
 publifhes the difpenfation of the Father, he 
 finds it neceffary to defend its important truths 
 againft the daringly prophane, on the one 
 hand, and on the other, againft the vainly 
 fuperftitious. When he preaches the difpen- 
 fation of the Son, he has ft ill greater occafion 
 to arm himfelf on every part, in defence of 
 the dodlrine he maintains. On the left hand, 
 he is attacked either by deifts, who wholly 
 difclaim all Ideas of a Saviour ; or by foci- 
 nians, who defpoil that Saviour of his great- 
 eft glory : and on the right, he is aflailed by 
 ill-inftruded chriftians, who, under pretence of 
 exalting the Son, look down with contempt 
 upon the difpenfation of the Father ; not con- 
 ftderlng that, by this error, they oppofe one 
 principal deftgn of Chrift's appearing, which 
 was, that we might worlhip the Father In 
 fpirit and in truth. But it is chiefly with 
 
 refped 
 
224 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 refped to the third dlfpenfation, that the 
 chriftian preacher is conftrained to wield, 
 without ceafing, that fword of the Spirit^ and 
 that Jhield of faith (a), with which St. Paul 
 was fo anxious to fee every chriftian armed. 
 As this dodrlne is abundantly more elevated 
 than the preceding difpenfations, fo it ftands 
 more expofed to the fhafts of innumerable 
 enemies. On the left, it is inceflantly attack- 
 ed by carnal profeflbrs, and on the right, by 
 fanatical zealots. Thefe two clafles of adver- 
 faries, though continually at war with each 
 other, unhappily agree in oppoling, either di- 
 redly or indiredly, the progrefs of this glo- 
 rious difpenfation, obliging the faithful minif- 
 ter, with equal intrepidity, to combat both. 
 
 Cbferve the grand argument, with which 
 carnal chriftians carry on this oppofition, ' The 
 Comforter,' fay they, ' which was gracioufly' 
 promifed to our Lord's firil difciples, was 
 undoubtedly received by thofe highly- favored 
 miffionaries, and conduced them into all the 
 truths of the Gofpel. From this divine Spi- 
 rit they received continual afliftance in fpread- 
 ing that Gofpel, and by him they were en- 
 dued with thofe miraculous gifts, which ferved 
 
 as 
 
 (a) Eph. vi. i6, 17. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 225 
 
 as Co many inconteftable marks of their facred 
 miilion. But, as chriftianity is at this time 
 firmly eftablifhed in the world, the letter of 
 the Holy Scriptures is now abundantly fuf- 
 ficient for every purpofe; and there is no 
 longer any neceflity for that baptifm and illu- 
 mination of the Spirit, which were evidently 
 requiiite among the primitive chriftians.* 
 
 As the miftaken jews, perfedly fatisfied with 
 the law of Mofes infcribed upon tables of 
 ftone, rejeded, witH obflinacy, the promifed 
 Mefliah ; fo thefe carnal chriftians, contented 
 with the letter of the new Teftament, per- 
 verfcly reject the Holy Spirit of promife (b). 
 Search the Scriptures ; for they teflify of me (c) 
 — was our Lord's exhortation to thofe de- 
 luded formalifts : and the true miniffer con- 
 tinues to prefs the fame exhortation upon 
 thofe, who blindly oppofe the coming of 
 Chrift's fpiritual kingdom. He is anxious, 
 with his heavenly mafter, to put the matter 
 upon this ifliie ; fully confcious, that they 
 who perufe thofe facred pages, with an un- 
 prejudiced mind, muft readily obferve, that, 
 inftead of fuperfeding the neceflity of a fpiri- 
 tual baptifm, they give ample teflimony, that 
 Vol. II. P fuch 
 
 (b) Eph. i. 13. (c) John v. 39. 
 
226 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 fuch baptifm is to be confidered as a privi« 
 lege freely offered to the whole multitude of 
 believers. 
 
 When chriiVians affirm, that the manifefta- 
 tion of the Spirit is no longer to be fought 
 after, except in that myfterious volume which 
 promifes this manifeftation ' to the church ; 
 modern jews might as well declare, that they 
 look for no other manifeftation of the Mef- 
 fiah, than that which is to be found in thofe 
 books of Mofes and the Prophets, where the 
 coming of that Mefliah is repeatedly promlfed. 
 But if it be fald, the Spirit of Chrift was 
 fully given to his firft difciples, and that is 
 fufficient for us : this argument has in it as 
 great abfurdity, as the following method of rea- 
 foning. Mofes inftruds us, that God created 
 the Sun, and that the patriarchs were happily 
 enlightened by it: but the fupreme illumina- 
 tion of that Sun is no longer to be difcover- 
 ed, except in the writings of Mofes ; and 
 thofe laborers are downright enthufiafts, who 
 imagine they need any other rays from that 
 luminary, except fuch as are refleded upon 
 them from the book of Genefis. The 
 
 fcripture informs us, that God commanded 
 the earth to produce a variety of fruits and 
 
 plants 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL^ 22/ 
 
 plants for the nourifliment of its inhabitants ; 
 covenanting, on his part, to fend refrefhing 
 rains and convenient feafons. But, we do 
 not live, exclaims a rational farmer, in the 
 feafon of miracles, nor am I enthufiaftic e- 
 nough to exped, that rain fhall be fent upon 
 the earth. Mention indeed is made, in an- 
 cient hiftory, of the former and the latter 
 rain ; and the books, which fpealc of thefe 
 frudtifying fhowers, and promife a continu- 
 ance of them to the lateft pofterity, are un- 
 doubtedly authentic : neverthelefs, all the rain 
 we can now reafonably exped, muft flow from 
 thefe books alone, and from thofe fpecula- 
 tions, which our reafon can make upon the 
 truths they contain. Who will not 
 
 fmile at fuch a method of reafoning as this ? 
 
 In thofe things, which refped our temporal 
 interefts, we are not ftupid enough to be de- 
 luded by. fuch wretched fophifms, though we 
 frequently deceive both ourfelves and others, 
 with regard to fpiritual things, by arguments 
 no lefs palpably abfurd. God, fays the ortho- 
 dox profeflbr, undoubtedly caufed the Sun of 
 righteoufnefs fo effedlually to fhlne upon be- 
 lievers, on the day of Pentecoft, that they 
 
 P 2 were 
 
228 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 '-were inftantaneoufly baptized with the Holy 
 Glwft and with fire, A celeftial fhower, at that 
 time, refrefhed the church ; and the myftic 
 vine, matured on a fudden, by the diredl rays 
 of lb glorious a luminary, was alTifted to pro- 
 duce, internally, all the graces^ and, externally, 
 all the fruits^ of the Spirit. But fome ex- 
 traordinary phenomena, which accompanied that 
 dazzling Sun, and thofe gracious fhowers, 
 have long ago difappeared. Nay, that Sun 
 itfelf is totally eclipfed, with refpedt to us; 
 and the book, which bears teftimony to the 
 conftant influence of that Sun, and the end- 
 lefs duration of thofe iliowers, now abfolutely 
 (lands in the place of both. Ridicu- 
 
 lous divinity! And ihall they be called en- 
 thuflafts, who oppofe fuch abfurdities as thefe? 
 Then fanatlcifm may be faid to confift in mak- 
 ing a rational diftindlon, between the pearl 
 of great price, and the teftament that be- 
 queathes it •, between that facred volume, in 
 which the comforter is merely promifed, and 
 the adual prefence of that comforter in the 
 heart. To pretend, that we have no longer 
 any need of the Spirit of Chrift, becaufe we 
 are in pofleflion of an incomparable book, 
 which declares, that // any man have not the 
 
 Spirit 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 229 
 
 Spirit of Chrijl^ he is none of his (d) : is not 
 this to deftroy, at once, both the letter and 
 the fpirit of the Gofpel ? And when we fee 
 thofe chriftians, who profefs the utmoft re- 
 fped: for revelation, deriding, without fear, 
 the manifeftation of that Spirit, by which a- 
 lone the love of God can he Jhed abroad in our. 
 hearts (e) : what judgment can we form of 
 fuch peifons, but that they are difpofed to 
 treat the Gofpel of our glorified mafter, as 
 Judas once treated its perfecuted author ? 
 Whatever air of devotion they may aflume, 
 while they falute the exterior of it, their fe- 
 cret intention is to betray the very life of the 
 Gofpel to derifion and infamy. By arguments 
 of this nature it is, that chriftian minifters 
 are obliged to defend the difpenfation of the 
 Spirit, from the outrageous attacks of car- 
 nally-minded chriftians. 
 
 But there are times, in which the faithful 
 paftor finds it equally necefTary, to defend this 
 part of his dodrine againft high and fanatical 
 profeflbrs. In every chriftian country, there 
 are not wanting fuch as have rendered the 
 difpenfation of the Spirit contemptible, by 
 their ridiculous and impious pretenfions. Pro- 
 
 P 3 teftants 
 
 (d) Rom. viii. 9. (e) Rom. v. 5. 
 
23« THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 teftants have blufhed for the prophets of 
 Cevennes, and Catholics for the convulfiona- 
 ries of Paris. In order fuccefsfully to oppofe 
 the progrefs of cnthufiafm, he publicly con- 
 trafts the two different charadters of a pre- 
 fumptuous fanatic and an enlightened chriftian, 
 in fome fuch terms as follow. The 
 
 me extinguifhes the torch of feafon, that he 
 may have opportunity to difplay, in its room, 
 the vain flaflies of his own pretended infpi- 
 rations : the otiier entertains a juft refped for 
 reafon, following it as the fureft guide, (o far 
 as it is able to dired him in the fearch of 
 truth •, and whenever he implores a fuperior 
 light, it is merely to fupply the defeds of 
 reafon. The one deftroys the clear fenfe of 
 Scripture language, that a way may be made 
 for his own particular manifeftations : the other 
 refers every thing to the Lain} and to the 'Tef- 
 tmony\ fully fatisfied, that if high pretenders 
 to fandity fpeak not according to this word^ it 
 is hecaufe there is no light in them (f ). The 
 
 former flatters himfelf, that, while the means 
 are negledled, the end may be obtained ; pre- 
 fuming that God will illuminate him ia a 
 miraculous manner, without the help of prayer, 
 ftudy, meditation, fermons, or facraments; the 
 
 latter 
 
 (f) Ifaiah vm, to* 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 2^1 
 
 latter unprefumingly expedts the fuccours of 
 grace, in a conftant ufe of the appointed 
 means ; and confcious, that the Holy Scriptures 
 are able to make him wife unto fahation (g), he 
 takes them for the fubjed of his frequent 
 meditation, the ground of his prayers, and 
 the grand rule of his condu<5l. The 
 
 fanatic imagines himfelf independent of fu- 
 perior powers, both in church and ftate : the 
 real chriftian^ a conftant friend to truth and 
 order, looking upon himfelf as the fervant of 
 all, not only acknowledges the refpec^ due 
 to his fuperiors, but is ready to give them 
 an account either of his faith or his condud:, 
 with meeknefs and fubmiffion ; anxious to 
 have his principles fupported by appeals to 
 the reafon and confcience of his adverfaries, 
 as well as by the teftimony of revelation. 
 The fanatic pays but little regard to the in- 
 eftimable grace of charity: like Simon the 
 forcerer, he afpires after the extraordinary 
 gifts of the Spirit, and, feduced by a vain 
 imagination, forfakes the fubftance, that he 
 may purfue the fhadow :-^the true chrijiian^ 
 without defplfing the moft inconiiderable fpi- 
 ritual gifts, implores only thofe, which may 
 affift him in the difcharge of his feveral du- 
 
 P 4 ties, 
 
 (g) 2 Tim. iii. 15, 
 
232 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 ties, and peculiarly that charity, which is 
 to be ranked as high above the performance 
 of miracles^ as miracles are to be titeemed 
 above the tricks of jugglers. The fanatic 
 
 conceives himfelf to be animated by the Spi- 
 rit of God, when his body is agitated by a 
 rapid motion of the animal fpirits, excited by 
 the fallies of an over-heated imagination, and 
 augmented by hyil:erical or hypochondriacal 
 vapors : — the judicious chrlflian detefts this en- 
 thuliafm, which, covering religion with a vail 
 of delufion and frenzy, renders it contempti- 
 ble in the eyes of thofe, who are ever ready 
 to treat devotion zs fanaticifm. 
 
 When the true minifter unhappily falls a- 
 mong perfons, who evidence a difpodtlon to 
 enthufiafm, carrying mortification to an un- 
 warrantable excels, publicly uttering long and 
 paflionate prayers, produced with the moil 
 violent efforts -, he calls their attention to 
 that beautiful paffage In the hiftory of Eli- 
 jah, where God is reprefented as manifefting 
 himfelf, neither in the wind^ the earthqiiake^ 
 nor the /r^-^but in a fiill fmall voice » To 
 infpire them with a juft horror for this kind 
 of fanaticifm, he points them to thcfe con- 
 cpntemptible charaders, whofe conduft they are 
 
 unwittingly 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 233 
 
 unwittingly copying, and exhorts them to leave 
 the horrible cuftom of crying with a loud voices 
 together with every other fpecies of religious 
 extravagance, to the fuperftitious priefts of 
 Baal. If it be neceflary, he even applies 
 thofe farcaftic expreffions of Elijah, Cry a- 
 loud^ &c. In performing this part of 
 
 his duty, he is anxious, however, to ad: with 
 the utmoft difcretion •, not ridiculing the fa- 
 natical with an irreverent llghtnefs, but ex- 
 horting them with all poffible afFedion and 
 folemnity. It appears, from the writings of 
 S>t, Paul, that enthufiafm had once rifen to 
 fo great a height in the Corinthian church, 
 that the communion was polluted by the mem- 
 bers of that church, and its public ordinances 
 thrown into the utmoft diforder. Now, if the 
 apoftle had himfelf been an enthufiaft, he w^ould 
 have feen thofe diforders without regret •, or had 
 he been like the minifters of the prefent day, 
 he would have rejoiced at the pretext afford- 
 ed him by the fanatical Corinthians, for turn- 
 ing into ridicule devotion and zeal^ the power 
 of prayer, and the gift of exhortation. But, 
 equally attached both to order and zeal, he 
 wrote to them in the following terms : / 
 would^ that ye all /pake with tongues^ but rather 
 that ye prophefted: for he that prophefieth edi- 
 
 Jieth 
 
234 ' THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL* 
 
 Jieih the church. Forafmuch^ then, as ye are 
 zealous of fpiritual gifts^ feek that ye may excel 
 to the edifying of the church. Brethren^ be not 
 children in underjiandingy but men, Te may all 
 prophefy^ that all may learns and all may be com- 
 forted. And obferve this, that the fpirits of 
 the prophets are fubjeSi to the prophets : for God 
 is not the author of confuftony but of peace^ as 
 in all churches of the faints. If any man think 
 himfelf to be a prophet^ or fpiritual^ let him ac- 
 knowledge^ that the things I write unto you are 
 the commandments of the Lord. Let all things 
 be done decently and in order (h). It is 
 
 by adopting the admirable method of this 
 apoftle, that the good paftor endeavours to 
 root up the tares of enthufiafm, without in- 
 juring the invaluable grain of devotion. 
 
 Here it may, perhaps, be enquired ; If par- 
 ticular manifeftations of the Spirit are admit- 
 ted, how is it pofTible to fhut the door againft 
 dangerous illulions ? Would it not be wifer 
 entirely to rejed the difpenfation of the Spi- 
 rit, while it is, confefTedly, attended with fo 
 many difficulties ? and would it not make for 
 the happinefs of the church, was every mem- 
 ber of it to reft contented with having the 
 
 holy 
 
 {h} 1 Cor. xiv. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 235 
 
 holy fcriptures explained, according to the beft 
 rules of reafon and criticifm ? We anfwer *, 
 By no means. Bad money, indeed, is frequently 
 put into our hands: but is it neceiTary, on 
 this account, to obftrud the free courfe of 
 that, which is intriniically good ? And would 
 it be reafonable to refuie a fovereign prince 
 the right of coining for the date, left that 
 coin fhould be counterfeited or defaced ? As, 
 in foclety, after warning the public of their 
 danger, we content ourfelves with apprehend- 
 ing the man, who attempts to impofe upon 
 us in this way; fo we may reft fully fatis- 
 fied with adopting the fame mode of condud, 
 jn regard to the church of God, 
 
 Let it be here obferved, that the operations 
 of the Holy Spirit upon the hearts of be- 
 lievers are to be diftinguifhed from the effedls 
 of enthufiafm in the imagination of vifiona- 
 ries, juft as readily as we diftinguifh health 
 from ficknefs, wifdom from folly, and truth 
 from falfehood. The believers of Rome could 
 fay ; ne Spirit itfdf heareth witnefs with our 
 fpirit^ that we are the children of God (i). By 
 one Spirit are we all baptized^ fay the Corin- 
 thians, and haz'e been all made to drink into 
 
 one 
 (i) Rom. vili. i6* 
 
236 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL, 
 
 one Spirit {k). And St. Paul could teiiity-, 
 that many of the Epheiians were fealed, by 
 the Holy Spirit of God^ unto the day of redemp- 
 tion (1). They were all enthufiafts, fays a 
 modern Dodor, unlefs they could reftore fight 
 to the blind, raife the dead from their graves, 
 and fluently converfe in a variety of language^, 
 which they had never taken the trouble to 
 ftudy. No; infmuates the apoftle : you for- 
 get the efjential for the acceffory^ ,and found 
 your fyftem upon falfe fuppofitions. Are all 
 workers of rmracles ? Have all the gifts of healing ? 
 Do all fpeak with tongues ? There muft, then, 
 be fome more indubitable method of diftin- 
 guifhing thofe, whofe bodies are become tem- 
 ples of the Holy Ghoft; and I fhew unto you. 
 this more excellent way (m). What was meant 
 by this excellent way may be fatisfadorily dif- 
 covered by an attentive perufal of the follow- 
 ing chapter , in which the apoftle would have 
 the examination to turn, not upon the gift of 
 prophecy, and much lefs that of languages, 
 but efTentially upon all the charadlers of cha- 
 rity. This was the reafoning of Au- 
 gufiine, as well as of St. Paul, when he made 
 ufe of the following expreflion; " You then 
 
 " fpeak 
 
 (k) I Cor. xii. 13. (I) Eph. iv. 30. 
 
 (m) I Qor, xii, 29, 3!. 
 
THE PORTRAIT CF ST. PAUL. l^-J 
 
 *' fpeak from the Spirit of God, when you 
 *' fpeak from a heart glowing with love (n)." 
 This alfo was the method, in which Chrift 
 himfelf was accuftomed to argue on this point. 
 Beware^ faid he, of falfe prophets. Every good 
 tree bringeth forth good fruit. Wherefore^ by their 
 fruits ye fhall know them (o). And, the fruit 
 of the Spirit^ continues St. Paul, is love^ joy, 
 peace, lo^ig-fuffering, gentknefs, goodnefs, faith, 
 meeknefs, temperance (p). Now fanaticifm 
 
 was never known to bear fuch fruits as thefe. 
 On the contrary, it produces divilions, fool- 
 ifli joy or ftupid melancholy, trouble, impa- 
 tience, and excefs of different kinds. Nay, 
 it Is frequently obferved to produce afTertions 
 diametrically oppofite both to fcripture and 
 reafon, together with abfurd pretenfions to new 
 revelations. 
 
 It may be afked, in this place, with a 
 fhew of reafon ; If Chrift ftill continues to 
 reveal himfelf, by his Spirit, to every true 
 believer, are not fuch manlfeftations to be 
 confidered as fo many new revelations ? To 
 
 this we reply, that when the apoftle of the 
 
 gentiles 
 
 (n) Dc fpiritu dicis, fi dicis ardens Igne carltatis. 
 
 Augustine, 
 (o) Matt, vii. 15, 20. (p) Gal. v. 22, 23. 
 
238 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 gentiles petitioned for his Ephefian converts, 
 the fpirit of wifdom and revelation (q), he was 
 not to be underftood as requefting, that God 
 would communicate to them a new Gofpel; 
 but rather, that He would affift them to dif- 
 cover all the glory, and to experience all the 
 power, of that ineftimable Gofpel, which had 
 been already publifhed among them. Open 
 mine eyes^ faid David, tfiat I may behold won* 
 drotis things out of thy Law (r) : and when 
 God was gracioufly pleafed to anfwer this 
 prayer of the royal prophet. He undoubtedly 
 vifited him with the illumination of his Holy 
 Spirit. But that Spirit was imparted, not for 
 the purpofe of revealing to him a new Law, 
 but merely that he might be enabled to fa- 
 thom the depths of that holy Law, which 
 had been given long before. Thus alfo chrif- 
 tian believers are conftantly offering up their 
 joint fupplications, that God would ftrengthen 
 them by his Spirit in the inner man^ not for 
 the experience of new revelations, but that 
 they may be enabled to comprehend^ with all faint Sy 
 the unfearchabk love of Chrift -, and be filled 
 with all the fulnefs of God (s). 
 
 After 
 
 (q) Eph. i. 17. (r) Pfalm cxix. i3. 
 
 (s) Eph. lii. 16, 19. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 239 
 
 After having defended internal chrlftianity 
 againfl: carnal chriftians and deluded fanatics, 
 the faithful paftor is obliged, on another part, 
 to refift the attacks of gain-faying philofophers. 
 And this he endeavours to do, by reafoning 
 with them upon this important fubjed, in the 
 following manner. 
 
 We condder the Supreme Being, as a divine 
 Sun, whofe centre is every where, and whofe 
 circumference is no where : a Sun, whofe light 
 is truth, and whofe heat is charity. The 
 truths of chriftianity, we confider, as fo many 
 beams ifTuing from this glorious Sun for the 
 illumination of the foul : and as the rays of 
 the natural fun may be colleded and rendered 
 more powerful by the interpofltion of a pro- 
 perly conftruded medium, fo the rays of this 
 divine Sun are concentred, and rendered more 
 operative, by the humanity of Chrift, When 
 any of thefe rays, palTmg through the un- 
 derftanding, begin to ftrike forcibly upon the 
 heart, they melt down its ftubbornnefs, refine 
 its nature, and kindle in it a fire of love to 
 God and man. Further; we believe thefe 
 changes to be effedled in the foul by that 
 fecret energy, which is called by many i/ie 
 
 infpiration 
 
240 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. 
 
 injpration of the Holy Spirit y by fome the influence 
 of that Spirit, and by others the grace of God, 
 
 Is there any abfurdity in this doctrine ? Can 
 the intelledual world be fuppofed to merit the 
 Creator's attention, in a lefs degree than the 
 material world ? If the rays of light, that in- 
 ceflantly ifTue from the fun, are fuppofed to 
 pafs through the fpace of many millions of 
 miles in a fingle moment, for the illumina- 
 tion and fupport of the material world •, fhould 
 it appear incredible, that the mod fpeedy and 
 effectual faccours may be imparted to holy 
 fouls, by that more glorious Sun, which en- 
 lightens and vivifies the intelledlual world ? 
 From the cedar of Lebanon, to the mofs that 
 covers its bark, no plant can vegetate ; from 
 the ailronomer, who meafures the heavens, 
 to the animalcule, that lofes itfelf in the cup 
 of a violet as in a vaft abyfs, not a crea- 
 ture can exiftj but through the all-pervading 
 influence of the natural fun. Beneath this 
 wonderful ftar, not a fmgle animal is -found, 
 which carries in itfelf its grand principle of 
 light, heat, and motion. And if all organ- 
 ized bodies depend upon this indefcribable 
 luminary for their cxiftence, their increafe, and 
 their perfedicn •, may we not reafonably argue 
 
 from 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL* 24! 
 
 from the rules of analogy, that as certainly as 
 there Is a fplritual world, fo there muft be a 
 fpirltual Sun, which carries life and light to the 
 inhabitants of that world ? 
 
 Do you adt In a rational manner, continues 
 the true minifter, if, becaufe you cannot com- 
 prehend how this Sun may be faid to a6t upon 
 fpirits, you fhut your eyes againft his light, 
 and obftinately deny his very exiftence ? Can 
 you comprehend how the material fun, without 
 fuffering any decay in himfelf, is continually 
 darting around him rays fujSicIent to illumine 
 and cheer revolving worlds ? Can you explain, 
 how thefe rays are impelled, with fuch amazing 
 velocity, through the immenfe fpace, by which 
 that fun is feparated from thofe worlds ? Or 
 can you defcribe the means, by which they 
 aw^aken in us the fenfation of fight ? Moreover, 
 is it not abfurd to fuppofe, that the Almighty 
 is moi-e folicitous, that we fhould perceive the 
 difference between white and blacky than that 
 we fhould difcover the more important dif- 
 tindlions between virtue and vice^ truth and 
 error ? 
 
 If you objedl, that the material fun Is plainly 
 ferceivedy and the power of his beams univerfally 
 Vol. II. Ct /^^^ 
 
242 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 /<?//, by mankind. It may be replied, that he 
 is not always difcoverable. Sometimes he is 
 eclipfed -, frequently he is enveloped with thick 
 clouds 'y and, at other times, his rays glance 
 upon us in fo oblique a manner, that their 
 influence is fcarcely perceptible: it is poffible 
 alfo to exclude his light by means of curtains 
 or walls, and the cataradl efredlually oppofes 
 his moil diredt beams. In the moral world 
 there are obftacles of a fimilar natiue, which 
 frequently obilrud the courfe of celeftial light. 
 Clouds of error and vice are conftantly rifing 
 around us, which, by obfcuring the Sun of 
 righteoufnefs, leave room for the incredulous 
 to doubt of his exiftence. The eye is, in 
 general, fo much dazzled with the glare of 
 material objevfls, that it cannot difcover the 
 luftre of a different light. Sometimes, invin- 
 cible prejudice, like a confirmed catarad, in- 
 tercepts the flrohgeft rays of truth : and, at 
 other times, we are fo clofely fhut up within 
 the narrow limits of felf-love, that the moft 
 piercing beams of uncreated love cannot pene- 
 trate into our gloom^y retirement, where that 
 ipark of reafon, which might have diredled 
 us to a higher light, is at length totally ex- 
 tinguiflied. 
 
 The 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 243 
 
 The light of the Gofpel is never abfolutely 
 reje(5led, but through the influence of fin, ac- 
 cording to thofe words of Chrift: Every one 
 that doeth evil hateth the lights neither cometh 
 to the lights left his deeds Jhould he reproved (t). 
 And here we fee the caufe, why fo many 
 perfons caft themfelves headlong into materia- 
 lifm, denying the infpiration of the Holy Spirit, 
 and treating every impreflion of his power 
 as the workings of a difordered brain. But 
 as the teftimony of blind men can never per- 
 fuade a reafonable perfon, that he is under 
 a delufion, while he fees, feels, and admires, 
 the material fun; fo the joint teftimony of 
 all the incredulous men in the world may 
 juftly be counted of as little force, when they 
 would prove fcriptural illumination to be down- 
 right fanaticifm. Notwithftanding all the im- 
 potent arguments that can be brought againft 
 him, the chriftian believer deferves not to be 
 efteemed an enthufiaft, when he declares that 
 faith is the evidence of things not feen ; fince he 
 has reafon and revelation to plead in his favor, 
 his own experience, and that of his brethren, 
 together with the univerfal teftimony of the 
 
 primitive church. 
 
 0^2 As 
 
 (t) John iii. 20. 
 
244 "THE PORTRAIT Of ST» PAUL, 
 
 As you do not rank with profefTed atheiil:?, 
 it Is probable, that you fometimes pray to the 
 Supreme Being. Among other bleflings, you 
 implore of him, in a peculiar manner, patience 
 to fuftaia thofe afilidlons, which are necefTary 
 to the perfe6lion of virtue. Now, if you are 
 perfuaded, that God is able not only to hear^ 
 but to Jlrengthen you with his might: and, 
 further, if you believe that, when he thus 
 flrengthens you for the day of afflidion, you 
 ihall have any perception of his influencing 
 power •, we are then perfedlly agreed. But 
 if you pray, without a confidence that God 
 attends to your prayer, and without ever ex- 
 pefting to receive the affiftance you implore 
 of Him, you adt like perfons deprived of their 
 reafoning powers : through the fear of praying 
 like enthufiafts, you pray after the manner of 
 idiots, and afford as manlfeft a token of ex- 
 travagant folly, as though you fhould intreat 
 tempefts to grow calm, or befeech rivers to 
 return to their fources. It is by fuch 
 
 a method of reafoning, that the true minifler 
 refifts the attacks of prejudiced philofophers, 
 folicitous to make it appear, that the fancll- 
 fylng and confoling operations of the Holy 
 Spirit are as conformable to reafon, as they 
 are correfpondent to our urgent neceflities. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 245 
 
 But, if it ftill be urged by the enemies 
 of infpiratlon, that we have no diftin(5l idea 
 of the manner, in which any knowledge is 
 conveyed to the foul, except by means of our 
 reafon, or our fenfes •, and that to fpeak of 
 things, which will admit of no clear explana- 
 tion, is running into the wildeft enthufiafm. 
 No, returns the faithful paftor : it is not ufual 
 to efteem that man an enthufiaft, who is em- 
 ployed in beftowing alms upon the poor, though 
 he can neither explain to us, how his gold 
 was produced in the mine, how his will adluates 
 his hand, or how the feelings of charity are 
 excited in his bofom. If nature operates every 
 thing in a myfterious manner, it is unreafonable 
 to expecl, that the operations of grace fhould 
 be conduced in a lefs myfterious way. This 
 is one of the arguments propofed by our Lord 
 to Nicodemus. Except a man he horn of the 
 Spirit^ he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God, 
 But, it may be, you have no comprehenfion 
 of fpiritual things : marvel not, hov/ever, at 
 this-, fince there are many things above thy 
 comprehenfion in the natural woi^d. The mind 
 hloweth where it lifieth^ and thou hearejl the found 
 thereof hut canft not tell., whence it cometh and 
 whither it goeth •, fo is every one that is horn of 
 (h$ Spirit : they prove the operations of that 
 
 0^3 Spirit 
 
24^ THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 Spirit by inconteftable efFedls, though they are 
 unacquainted with naany things, refped^in^ the 
 manner in which thofe effedts; are produced (u). 
 
 We may here very properly apply \5{hat Pro- 
 feflbr Vernet has faid, concerning the manner 
 in which God has frequently manifefted the 
 truth to his prophets, ^' It is eafy to conceive,"-^ 
 fays this judicious divine, " that He who create^ 
 ** the foul as well as the body, and who, for 
 *' that reafon, is called the Father of Spirits^ 
 *' can never be at a lofs for adequate rneans 
 *' of communicating to us, when he judges 
 *^ it neceffary, ideas and difcoveries wholly 
 ^' different from thofe, which we aj"e able to 
 *-' acquire, either by our own powers, or through 
 *^. the alTiftance of other perfons. ^f the- n;ioft 
 ignorant claiTes of men are acquainted with 
 the art of reciprocally communicating their, 
 thoughts to each other ; how much more 
 may we imagine, that God is able to at^ 
 upon the foul, both externally and internally 5.. 
 he, who has already placed within us fonie 
 confufed notions of primitive truth; he, who. 
 *^ holds fecond caufes in his hand, and animates > 
 " all nature (w) ?" 
 
 But 
 
 (u) John iii, 5, 8, (w) Yeritede la Relig. chrets toqi. i. 
 
 it 
 it 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 247 
 
 But if it be afked; Are not prophets, properly 
 
 fo called, the only perfons whom God is pleafed 
 
 to privilege with fuch impreflions as are formed 
 
 by the feal of his Spirit ? it might, with equal 
 
 propriety, be enquired, whether the apoftles 
 
 alone were privileged with that evangelical faith, 
 
 which refpeds invifible and incomprehenfible 
 
 things (x) ? " A foul/' fays the illuftrious Crou- 
 
 faz, " upon which the Spirit of God has moved, 
 
 " mufes upon her Creator with ineffable de- 
 
 " light, and contemplates her Redeemer with 
 
 ^' a mixture of gratitude, admiration, and 
 
 tranfport. O my God 1 fuch a foul is in- 
 
 cefTantly crying out, when ihall I fee thy 
 
 face? When fhall thy light illuminate me 
 
 *' without one darkening cloud ? To approach 
 
 " Thee is my only happinefs. Happy they, 
 
 " who praife thee without ceafing." 
 
 " I acknowledge,'' continues this chriftian 
 philofopher, "that thefe may be the natural 
 *' efFeds of that attention, with which the Spirit 
 " of God has gracioufly fixed our minds upon 
 " thofe objedls, which revelation prefents to 
 " our view, and upon which it diredls us to 
 " occupy our thoughts. But I am not afraid 
 !' of going beyond the truth, when I add, 
 
 0^4 " that 
 
 (x) Heb. xi. i, *" 
 
248 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 <' that the Spirit of God, by his own im- 
 
 *^ mediate agency, may infpire the foul with 
 
 " this facred tafte, and thefe exalted fentiments. 
 
 .** Corporeal objed;s a6t upon the organs of 
 
 " fenfe by a power, which they undoubtedly 
 
 *' receive from God. This may, in fome mea- 
 
 *' fure, be underftood : but in what manner 
 
 ** their adlion pafTes from thence upon the foul, 
 
 ** is a myftery too obfcure to admit of an 
 
 *' explanation. Chriftian philoiophers have 
 
 *' conceived, that the will of God, and fome 
 
 *' eftablilhed order of his appointment, are 
 
 '' the only caufes of thofe internal fentiments, 
 
 *' of which thefe impreffions upon the out- 
 
 *' ward organs are but the occafion. This 
 
 *' being the cafe, under what pretext can we 
 
 *' refufe to believe, that the Spirit of God 
 
 '' may give rife to fuch fentiments in the foul, 
 
 *' as are abundantly more conformable to the 
 
 ^^ nature of their holy caufe, than thofe or- 
 
 *' dinary fentiments, which are, neverthelefs, 
 
 *' referred to the will of God, as their firfl 
 
 *' and true caufe ? Such are thofe fentiments, 
 
 *' which St. Paul fo earneiily foHcited for his 
 
 ^' followers at Ephefus, and for the increafe 
 
 *' of which, he implored upon them the in- 
 
 *' fluence of the Holy Spirit (y)." 
 
 Such 
 
 (y) Fph, iii. 14, 21. See Profeflbr Croufaz's fermon upon 
 2 Cor xiii, 14.. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.^ 249 
 
 Such alfo are thofe impreflions, motions, 
 and aids, of the Holy Spirit, both mediate 
 and immediate, for which we offer up fo 
 many ardent fupplications, in different parts 
 of our public fervice. Every chriftian liturgy 
 is filled with petitions of this nature*, peti- 
 tions, which are equally conformable to the 
 principles of chriftianity, the voice of reafon, 
 and the neceffities of finful men, though they 
 ufually appear to the children of this world, 
 as the mere unintelligible jargon of enthufiafm. 
 The minifter, who ftridlly follows the exam- 
 ple of St. Paul in this refpedt, will mofl 
 probably be regarded as a vifionary by the 
 ignorant and the profane : but, while he breathes 
 out thefe ardent prayers in humble faith, ac- 
 V company ing them with thofe difcourfes and 
 that condu(^t, which are correfpondent to fuch 
 requefts, he has, at leaft, a fatisfadlory con- 
 fcioufnefs, that he has never pradifed the arts 
 of an impoftor with the liturgy in his hand ; 
 nor played the part of a comedian in a chriftian 
 pulpit. 
 
 As to the real advantages, which may be 
 expeded to flow from our dodrine of the dif- 
 penfations, though they have been adverted to 
 in various paflages of this work, yet it ap- 
 pears 
 
250 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 
 
 pears hot unnecefTary to take a tranfient re- 
 view of them in this place. 
 
 1. By an accurate acquaintance with thefe 
 difpenfations, -every evangelical preacher may 
 become an approved workman^ rightly dividing 
 the word of truth (z) ; and a faithful fervant^ 
 diftributing to every domeftic of his mafter's 
 houfehold that peculiar portion of fpiritual 
 food, which is fuited to their feveral circum- 
 ftances (a). 
 
 2. By exacSlly dividing the difpenfations of 
 grace, we are enabled to mark out the boun- 
 daries of thofe particular {lates, which believ- 
 ers of different clafles are obferved to enjoy. 
 We afcertain that degree of fpiritual life, to 
 which we ourfelves have attained* We dif- 
 tinguifh the various graces beftowed upon us: 
 we difcover whatever great promife is ftill 
 before us, and folicit, without ceafmg, the 
 complete accomplifhment of that promife. He, 
 who preaches the Gofpel, without tracing out 
 the lines which feparate the three difpenfa- 
 tions of grace, may be faid to exhibit a fun- 
 dial, upon which the hours are unmarked, 
 and from which, little elfe than confufion, if 
 
 not 
 (2) 2 Tim. ii. 15. (a) Matt. xxiv. 45. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 25 1 
 
 not dangerous miftakes, can be expeded to 
 ijow, 
 
 3. By the light of this dodlrine, true wor- 
 fliippers, of every different clafs, may be 
 taught to acknowledge and efteem one ano- 
 ther, according to their different degrees of 
 faith, Nothing is more common, in a chrif- 
 tian country, than to fee the rigidly ortho-' 
 dox uncharitably treating, as hopelefs outcails, 
 not only thofe virtuous deifts, who are yet 
 unacquainted with the Son, but even thofe 
 pious focinians, who are refling fatisfied with 
 that inglorious flate, in which the firfl difci. 
 pies of our Lord were fo long detained v and 
 who are unable to acknowledge any more 
 than his humanity. Let thefe ortjiodox pro- 
 feifors become acquainted with the various 
 difpenfations of grace,.- and, ceafing to offend, 
 either virtuous deilis or pious focinians, with 
 their furious anathema^, they will treat the 
 former witJi all the benevolence, which St, 
 Peter once expreifed toward Cornelius, and 
 the latter with that brotherly kindnefs, which 
 Aquila manifeiled in his carriage toward A- 
 pollos. On the other hand, if thofe 
 
 chriflians, who are yet carnal, had any proper 
 idea of thefe different difpenfations ; if they 
 
 could 
 
252 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 
 
 could but believe, that the fame Jefus, who 
 was once outwardly manifefted among the jews,- 
 ftill continues to manifeft himfelf in the Spi- 
 rit, through every part of the world, to thofe, 
 who are anxioufly prefling into the Kingdom 
 of God •, if they could admit, but in theory, 
 this eminent difpenfation of grace, they would 
 no longer argue againft thofe, as enthuiiafts, 
 who fpeak of the influence of the Spirit in 
 fcriptural terms. 
 
 So long as this glorious light fhall conti- 
 nue in obfcurity, fo long we may exped to 
 obferve, among chriftians, the moft unfriendly 
 difputes : and though they never again may 
 Jcindle blazing piles for their rr.utual deftruc- 
 tion, yet bitter words interchanged among 
 them, like fo many invenomed fhafts, will 
 continue fternly to declare, that war is in 
 their hearts. Thofe who imagine themfelves 
 in pofleffion of the pureft chriftian faith, will 
 treat others, who indulge different fentiments, 
 as infidels and heretics •, while thefe, in return, 
 will ftigmatize their uncharitable brethren with 
 the opprobious epithets of enthufiafi and fana^ 
 tic* But when every minifter of the 
 
 Gofpel, enlightened with truth and glowing 
 with charity, Ihall faithfully condudl the flock 
 
 of 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 253 
 
 of Chrlft from grace to grace, and from 
 flrength to ftrength ; then the foremofl of 
 that flock fhall manifeft their religious fu- 
 periority, by giving proofs of the moft un- 
 feigned affedlion toward the meaneft and moft 
 infirm of their fpiritual companions. Copy- 
 ing the humble courtefy of St, Paul, thefe 
 unprefuming elders will cry out, among their 
 younger brethren ; Let us^ as many as he like- 
 minded^ forgetting thofe things which are behind^ 
 and reaching forth unto thofe things which are before^ 
 prefs earneflly toward the mark^ for the prize 
 »f the high calling of God in Chrifl Jefi^s : and 
 if in any thing ye be otherwife minded^ that per- 
 fed charity, which hopeth all things, engages 
 us to believe, that God fhall reveal even this 
 unto you, Neverthelefs^ whereto we have already 
 attained^ let us walk by the fame ride^ let us 
 mind the fame things (b). 
 
 It may not be amifs to conclude thefe re- 
 marks upon the three grand difpenfations of 
 grace, by obferving, how imperfedt worfhip- 
 pers deceive themfelves, while they refufe to 
 proceed from faith to faith. It is the opinion 
 of many fincere deiils, who are zealous for 
 the difpenfation of the Father, that, were they 
 
 to 
 
 (b) Phil, iii. 13, 16. 
 
254 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 to embrace the difpenration of the Son, the^ 
 muft necefiarily detrad from the honor due 
 to the incompreheniible God. This prejudice, 
 however, evidently flows from the want of 
 fpiritual difcernment •, iince the holy Scriptures 
 inflrucl us, that, when at the name cf Jefiis 
 every knee /hall how^ and every tongue confefs that 
 he is Lord of Heaven and earthy fuch religious 
 adoration fhall be confidered as ultimately 
 heightening the glory of God the Father (c). 
 If the Father leads us to the Son, by the 
 dawnings of his grace, as we are taught by 
 the. following paflages — No man can come unto 
 me^ except the Father draw him (d). Simon 
 Peter faid, Thou art Chrift^ the Son of the living 
 God: Jefus anfivered Imn^ Ble/Jed art thou^ Si- 
 mon Barjona-, for flefJi and blood hath not re- 
 vealed it unto thee^ hut my Father which is in 
 heaven (e) — It is equally certain, that when 
 we come to Chrift, he teaches us both to 
 know and worfhip the Father. Obferve the 
 language of our Lord, with refpedl to this 
 point — / am the zvay^ the^ truths and the life% 
 no man cometh unto the Father^ hut hy me (f ). 
 Father^ glorify thy Son^ that thy Son alfo 
 ~may glorify 'Thee,. This is life eternal^ that they 
 
 might 
 
 (c) Phil. ii. 10, II. (d) John vi. 44. 
 
 (e) Matt. xvi. 16, 17. (f) John xiv. 6. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL* 255 
 
 might know Tliee^ the only true God, and Jefus 
 Chrift^ whom thou haft fent. Righteous Father^ 
 the world hath not known thee \ hut I have 
 known thee, and thefe have known that thou hafl 
 fent me^ to make an open difplay of thy glory 
 upon earth. / have declared unto them thy 
 name, and I will declare it, yet more per- 
 fectly (g). From thefe paflages, it evidently 
 appears, that the faith of the Son can never 
 pofTibly take away from that profound vene- 
 ration, which is due to the Father. And 
 what is here obferved, relative to the faith 
 of the Son, is no lefs true, with regard to 
 the faith of the Holy Spirit. For if, under 
 the difpenfatlon of Jefus, we learn to addrefs 
 our Father, who is in Heaven, with a degree 
 of humble confidence, it is only under the 
 difpenfatlon of the Spirit, that v/e are enabled 
 'to make thofe addrefTes, with all that filial 
 reverence and that lively fervor, which the 
 Gofpel requires. This Spirit of adoption^ hj 
 witneffing with our fpirit, that we are the child- 
 ren of God (h), affifts us to bow before our 
 celeftlal Parent, with that ineiFabie veneration 
 and love, which are due, to the Supreme Be- 
 ing. If philofophers would duly refledl 
 
 upon thefe important truths, they would no 
 
 longer 
 (g) John xvii. (h) Rom. viii. 15, 16. 
 
256 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 longer tremble under the vain apprehenfion 
 of becoming idolaters and tritheifts, by ad- 
 mitting the dodlrines of the GofpeL On the 
 contrary, we might indulge a hope, that thefe 
 proud rcafoners would one day be feen, in 
 company with humble believers, approaching 
 the God of their Fathers, through the inter- 
 ceffion of the Son, and with the energy of 
 the Holy Spirit ; crying out, with St. Paul : 
 There is one God^ and one Mediator between God 
 and man^ the man Chrift Jefus (i) •, and through 
 him we have accefs^ by one Spirit, unto the 
 Father (k). 
 
 ' There is another clafs of worfhippers, who 
 are zealous for the difpenfation of the Son, 
 and who, wholly taken up with the word ma- 
 nifejied in the flefli, imagine that his difpenfa- 
 tion is rendered contemptible, if it be fepre- 
 fented merely as \\'z commencement of chrif- 
 tianity, while the perfedion of the Gofpel is 
 declared to confift in the difpenfation of the 
 Holy Spirit. To the confideration of fuch, 
 we would propofe the following expreflion of 
 St. Paul — Henceforth^ know we 710 man after 
 the fleJJi : yea, though we have known Chrift after 
 the fiefJh y^U henceforth, know we him no ?nore, 
 
 after 
 
 (i) I Tim. il. 5. (k) Eph. ii. i8» 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, * 257 
 
 after this manner (1). And though our Lord 
 is acknowledged to have fpoken on this wife, 
 Whofo eateth my flefh and drinketh my bloody hath 
 eternal life\ and I will raife him up at the 
 lafi day : for my jiejh is meat indeed j and my 
 blood is drink indeed -^ytt^ it muft like wife 
 be confefTed, that he immediately added, // 
 is the Spirit^ that quickeneth ; the flejh profiteth 
 nothing (m). 
 
 The following obfervations, it is hoped, will 
 entirely diffipate the fears of thefe pious perfons. 
 When the Spirit of truth is come^ faith our Lord, 
 he will guide you into all truth % and efpecially 
 into thofe truths, which refped faith toward 
 me, and repentance toward my Father. He 
 fhall glorify me: for he fhall receive of mine^ 
 and fhall fhew unto you^ the merits of my righ- 
 teoufnefs, the efficacy of my death, and the 
 power of my Gofpel (n). The Father fhall give 
 you another Comforter^ whom ye already know in 
 part; for he dwelleth with you^ even now, in 
 my bodily prefence : but, hereafter, He ffiall 
 he in you^ when I fhall have baptized you with 
 the Holy Ghoft fent down from Heaven. / 
 will not leave you comfortlefs : I will come unto 
 
 ^ you, 
 
 (1) 2 Cor. V. i6. (mj John vi. 54, 6'^. 
 (n) John xvi. 13, 14, 
 
258 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.^ 
 
 you* The zvorld feeth me no more , hut ye iliall' 
 fee me^ in the effedls of my indwelling power : 
 and becaufe I live, ye /kail live alfo. At that 
 'day, ye /hall know, that I am in my Father, 
 and ye in me, and J, by my Spirit, in you (o). 
 This fpiritual abode of Chriih in the fouls of 
 his people, is the mofi: glorious myftery of 
 the Gofpel •, and ;/ any man have not the Spirit 
 of Chri/l (p), he is at beil but a difciple either 
 of Mofes, or of John the Baptifl-, he is not 
 in a fpiritual, but in a carnal, ftate. 
 
 I live: yet not I, hut Ch^i/l liveth in 7ne{c\), 
 Chrifi is our life (r). ^e my fiery, which hath 
 been hid from ages, is Chrifi in you the hope of 
 glory (s). My little children, of whom I travail 
 in birth, until Chrifi be formed in you (t). nefe, 
 with a thoufand other fcriptural expreffions, 
 muft be utterly incomprehenfible to thofe, who, 
 refting contented with a literal knowledge of 
 the incarnate word, admit not the internal mani- 
 feflation of Chrilr, by his fpirit of revelation, 
 wifdom, and power. The deep things of God are 
 revealed unto us by his Spirit (u) ; and, without 
 this Spirit, we mull continue ftrangers to the 
 
 moft 
 
 (o) John xiv. 16, 20. (p) Rom, viii, 9. (q) Gal. ii. 20. 
 (r) Col. iii. 4. (s) CoL i. 26, 27. (t) Gal. iv. 19. 
 
 (u) I Cor. ii, 10. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. 259 
 
 moft exalted truths of the Gofpel, and be 
 cut off from the pureft fprings .of religious 
 confolation. ms is he, faith St. John, ihai 
 came by water and blood, even Jefus Chrift : not 
 by water only, but by water and blood. And it 
 is the Spirit that beareth witnefs, becaufe the Spi- 
 rit is truth (w). As though the apoftle fhould 
 iay ; Chrift, indeed, in the firft part of his 
 miniftry, proclaimed that repentance toward 
 God, which his own difclples, as well as John 
 the Baptift, were accuftomed to feal with a 
 baptifm of water. And to this facred ceremony 
 he himfelf condefcendingly fubmitted. But, 
 after this, he proceeded further, when, as a 
 vifible Saviour, he fealed his own difpenfation 
 of grace with a baptifm of blood upon the 
 crofs. Moreover, it is the Spirit, that gives 
 teftimony to the unfearchable truths of the Gof- 
 pel, by his ftill more excellent baptifm ; deepen- 
 ing our repentance toward God, and adding 
 a full ajfurance (x) to our faith in Jefus Chrift, 
 Let no one then fufped:, that the manifeftation 
 of the Spirit muft neceffarily obfcure the glory 
 of the Son -, efpecially, iince it is exprefsly 
 declared, that no man can fay, that Jefus is the 
 Lord, but by the Holy Ghoft (y), 
 
 R 2 Before 
 
 (w) I John V. 6. (x) Heb. X. 22. (y) i Cor. xii. 3. 
 
26o THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 Before we clofe this fedion, we have to 
 lament, that this important part of the Gofpel 
 is fo rarely publifhed among profefTing chrif- 
 tians. The greater part of the clergy are to 
 be ranked with the moil violent oppofers of 
 fpi ritual religion. They infult its followers, 
 they condemn its advocates unheard, and pre- 
 fumptuoufiy fpeak evil of thcfe things^ which 
 they know not (z). As there was a time, in 
 which the jewifh church overlooked the moft 
 important promife under the difpenfation of the 
 Father •, fo it was intimated, that a time would 
 come, in which the christian church, funk into 
 a flate of lidlefihefs and incredulity, fhould 
 negled: the grand promife under the difpenfation 
 of the Son. F/hen the Son of man cometh^ faith 
 our Lord, Jhall he find faith on the earth (a) ? 
 He will find httle indeed, if we may either 
 rely upon our own obfervations, or give credit 
 to the moil folemn afTertions of a predidling 
 apofile (b). 
 
 All our ecclcfiaflics, however, are not of this 
 defcription. Among the thoufands of this facred 
 order, we find many who are poflefTed of godly 
 fear, fcriptural faith, and chriftian charity. Thefe 
 pious evangeliils are anxious for the falvation 
 
 of 
 
 (z) Jude 10. (a) Luke xviii. 8, (b) 2 Tim, iii. i, 5. 
 
' THE PORTP.AIT OF ST. PAUL. 261 
 
 of thofe committed to their charge. . They 
 labor to fpread the Kingdom of God among 
 men, though they have never experienced that 
 kingdom according to the fuhiefs of the promife. 
 And though they are unacquainted v/ith the 
 abundant plenitude of the Gofpel, yet they 
 ceafe not to pubHih that Gofpel abroad with 
 afFedlion and zeal. They preach the crofs of 
 Chrifti but they proclaim not the fpiritual 
 coming of a rifen Saviour. As their carelefs 
 brethren refufe to publifh the coming of the 
 Spirit, through infidelity and prejudice, fo thefe 
 upright minillers negled to proclaim it, through 
 uncertainty and irrefolution. If they even en- 
 tertain a juft opinion of the doctrine for which 
 we plead, yet they are reftrained from fpeaking 
 frequently and freely upon the fubje6t, becaufe, 
 as many falfe chriftians have rendered the dif- 
 penfation of the Son contemptible in the eyes 
 of deifts ', fo many vainly-infpired zealots have 
 caufed the difpenfation of the Spirit to appear 
 ridiculous before fober-minded chriftians. But, 
 notwithftanding the approach which many fana- 
 tics, of various fedls, have brought upon this 
 fublime part of the Gofpel, by mingling v/ith 
 it the reveries of an heated imagination, yet 
 it will conflantly be regarded, by every well- 
 
 R 3 inftruded 
 
262 THE PORTRAIT OF. ST. PAUL. 
 
 inftru(5led chriflian, as the quintefience of our 
 holy religion. 
 
 There appears little probability, that this 
 negledled doctrine will be either univerfally 
 received or preached, in 6ur degenerate day. 
 But as truth has never been left entirely deftitute 
 of witnejfTes, and as the generality of minifters 
 have ftill courage enough to maintain, before 
 an unbelieving world, the difpenfation of this 
 Son ♦, we may reafonably hope, that they will 
 continue to mention the difpenfation of the 
 Spirit, at leaft, on every commemoration of the 
 pentecoftal glory. By this means we may pre- 
 ferve among us a precious fpark of facred fire, tili 
 our returning Lord, burfting through the clouds 
 of incredulity, fhall kindle that fpark into an 
 everlafting fiame. In that day, the idle pre. 
 tenfions of enthufiafts fnall no more influence 
 believers to reject the Holy Spirit, than the 
 vain pretenfions cf thofe falfe Chrifls, who for- 
 merly appeared among the jews, could influence 
 the faithful to reject their only Lord and 
 Saviour. The difpenfation of the Spirit fhall 
 then appear as glorious to the eyes of ad- 
 miring chriil:ians, as the difpenfation of the 
 Son once appeared to ravifhed Simeon: and 
 every apoftolic pafior inail conduct: his flock 
 
 from 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAITL, 263 
 
 from the difpenfatlon of the Father, through 
 that of the Son, to that of the Holy Spirit, 
 in as rapid a manner, as St. Peter is reported 
 to have done in his firft difcourfe. 
 
 R 4 An 
 
A N 
 
 ESSAY 
 
 ON THE 
 
 CONNEXION OF DOCTRINES 
 
 WITH 
 
 MORALITY, 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL.^ 267 
 
 Preliminary obfervcitions, 
 
 i30ME divines, almoft wholly occupied with 
 the do^lrines of the Gofpel, are not fufficiently 
 careful to infift upon moraiity : while philofo- 
 phers, for the moft part, as wholly taken up 
 with morality^ treat the doSlrines of the Gofpel 
 with negledl and difdain. It is to reconcile, 
 if poflible, thefe two miftaken clafTes of men, 
 that a few obfervations are here prefented 
 upon the importance of fuch dodrines, and their 
 immediate connexion with morality. 
 
 Morality is the fcience, which regulates our 
 conduct, by teaching us to know and to follow 
 juftice, rendering to every one their due, love, 
 honor, obedience, tribute, 6:c. The whole of 
 this morality is included in thofe maxims of 
 natural and revealed religion — Whatfoever ye 
 would^ that men Jliould do unto you^ do ye even 
 fo unto them (a). Render unto Cafar^ the things 
 which are Cajafs\ and unto God^ the things 
 which are God^s (b). Hence it follows, that 
 pure morality mud maintain fome form of 
 divine worfhip. 
 
 Some 
 (a) Matt. Tii. 1 1, (b) Matt. xxii. 21. 
 
268 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 Some moralifts, it is true, imagine it pol- 
 iible to be finally juft^ without making any 
 profelTion of piety. But if jujlice confifts in 
 doing that to others^ which we deiire may be 
 done to ourfelves -, it is clear, that every man, 
 who honors not the fupreme Being, muit be 
 unjufi as well as impious: fince, if we are 
 parents or benefacflors, we manifeft fo deep 
 a fenfibility of the injuflice of our children or 
 dependants, when they repay our kindnefs with 
 infolence and ingratitude. 
 
 Do^rines are, in general, precepts : but by 
 do^lrines are here, particularly, underftood, thofe 
 inftrii5lions^ which Chriil and his apoftles have 
 given, refpeding the different relations, in 
 which we ftand to God, and to each other, 
 together with the various duties confequent 
 upon fuch relations. 
 
 Such infl-rudlions, as are tranfmitted from 
 generation to generation, under the name of 
 maxims or do5irines^ whether they be true or 
 falfe, have a prodigious eifecl upon the con- 
 dud of thofe who admit them. In the an- 
 cient world, how many haplefs infants have 
 been facrificed among the Greeks and Romans 
 to the barbarous maxim^ that fathers have the 
 
 right 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 269 
 
 right of life and death over their new-born child- 
 ren, III the modern world, how vaft a num- 
 ber of unborn infants, and how many fanciful 
 heroes, are falling every year unfortunate vic- 
 tims to thofe maxims of falfe honor : // is 
 better to deftroy the fruit of an illicit love^ or 
 to plunge a fword into the bofor/i of a friend^ 
 than to live without that^ which conjlitutes the 
 honor of the fixes. Overturn thefe maxims of 
 a falfe point of honor,, and you deftroy the 
 principles upon which a thoufand impious 
 adlions are committed. 
 
 Mankind can no more diveft themfelves of 
 all prepofTefTion in favor of general maxims, 
 than they can lofe ifight of determining mo- 
 tives. The atheift and the infidel have their 
 particular dodlrines, as well as the juft man 
 and the chriftian. The inconfiftency of fome 
 philofophers, in this refped, is here worthy 
 to be noted, who begin their difcourfes by 
 decrying maxims in general, and conclude 
 them, by fetting forth and maintaining the 
 moil dangerous dodrines. The road to perma- 
 nent happinefSy fay they, is both convenient and 
 fpacious. The Almighty pays but little regard to 
 our actions, and has endued us with pajfwns, for 
 the very furpofe of gratifying them. They in- 
 
 iinuate 
 
270 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 finuate, that, if a man is fufficiently rich to 
 maintain a number of women, he may inno- 
 cently enjoy whatever pleafure their fociety 
 can afford him : and that, when he has 
 no longer any rehfh for life, he may as in- 
 nocently blow out his brains. Such are the 
 do5irines^ and fuch is the morality^ which many 
 ill inftruded profeffors ar^ preaching among 
 us at this day ; giving ample teftimony, that 
 no men are more ready to fet up for dog- 
 matifls^ than thofe who rejed the do^rines of 
 the Gofpel. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL.' 27 1 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Philofophers^ fo called^ exalt themfehes^ without 
 reafon^ againfi the do^lrines of the GofpeL 
 
 Jl\ S thofe, who affecfl exterior ads of devo- 
 tion, are not always pofTefled of the moft folid 
 piety ; fo they, who are foremoft to magnify 
 philofophy, are not always to be regarded as 
 the wifeft of mankind. It muft, however, be 
 confefTed, that many chriftians have afforded 
 philofophers too jufl a fubjed of fcandal, by 
 continually oppoling faith to reafon : as though, 
 in order to be pofTeffed of the richeft chrif- 
 tian grace, it were neceffary to renounce that 
 noble faculty, which chiefly, diftinguiihes us 
 from the brute creation. Like the great apof- 
 tle, we may rationally oppofe faith to fenfe-, 
 but we can never, without the higheft indif- 
 cretion, oppofe it to reafon. We fhould even 
 be cautious of faying with M. de Voltaire 
 and St, Louis, " Take heed how you fol- 
 " low the guidance of your weak reafon (a)." 
 The reafon of man is acknowledged to be 
 weak, when compared with the intellicrence of 
 
 fuperior 
 (a) A ta foible raifon, garde toi de te rcndre. 
 
272 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 fuperior Beings. But, whatever Its weaknefs 
 may be, it becomes us, with gratitude, to fol- 
 low it as our guide : fince, in a gloomy nighty 
 it is better to profit from the fmalleft taper 
 that can be procured, than obftinately to fhut 
 our eyes, and walk at random. If believers 
 prefer the revelation of Chrift before the 
 philofophy of infidels, it Is becaufe the moft 
 enlightened reafon influences their choice. 
 
 The true believer is not afraid of plead- 
 ing againft modern philofophers before the tri- 
 bunal of reafon. " You accufe me," he may 
 fay, " of fuperftition •, becaufe, in purfuing 
 *' thofe honors, riches, and pleafures, which 
 *' are eternal, I have chofen the rough 
 " and uncomfortable path of piety. But, 
 " while I adt thus, I ad in no lefs con- 
 *' formity to the principles of reafon, than 
 *' the man, who, to expel a fweet poifon, re- 
 « ceives a bitter antidote, and cheerfully fub- 
 " mits to a difagreeable regimen, till he Is 
 " reflored to perfect health. If the facrifice 
 " of a few trifling enjoyments for the pre- 
 *' fent, will fecure to me the pofTefTion of 
 *' everlafling felicity, I do but imitate the 
 " prudent hufbandman, who deprives himfelf 
 " to-day, of a few bufhels of grain, that, 
 
 '« after 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL; 2^3 
 
 " after a few months of patient expedatlon, 
 " he may reap, from his trivial lofs, an abun- 
 " dant harveft. And is it unreafonable in 
 *' me to adopt fuch a mode of conducft-, ef- 
 ** peclally, when the fweet hope of promifed 
 ** bkffings affords me, even now, a joy, as 
 •• folid and conflanl^ as yours is tranfitory and 
 
 Ye men of boafted wifdom ! we dare aflert, 
 that the fecret fprings of your morality are 
 ^i^iak and grofs^ in comparifon with ours. 
 Y^'tj maintain that, in order to bind a ra- 
 tional creature to the pradice of morality, 
 nothing further is requlfite, than the confider- 
 ation of his own interefts. You affirm, more- 
 over, with equal confidence, that all attempts 
 to urge mankind to the exercife of virtue, by 
 the confideration of evangelical m.otlves, is 
 but depending upon the force of ties, which 
 are too feeble to be binding. But you per- 
 ceive not, . that the method upon which you 
 proceed, with fo much felf- approbation, is en- 
 tirely unv/orthy of true moralifts ; fince it 
 merely oppofes one evil, by means of ano- 
 ther full as deteftable, in giving that to pride^ 
 which it wrefts from other vicious propenjities^ 
 And you, undifcerning inftrudor of Emilius 
 Vol. II. S and 
 
274 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 and Sophia ! you, who fay in your confefTion 
 of faith j Unknowing how to determine^ I neither 
 admit revelation^ nor rejeol it : rejecting only the 
 obligation to receive it — if you have removed 
 thofe powerful motives to true virtue, which are 
 drawn, from the Gofpel, what have you given 
 us in exchange for them ? " Love, that you may 
 " be loved again. Become amiable, that you 
 " may be happy. Make yourfelf efteemed, 
 " that you may be obeyed. What greater 
 " felicity can a noble foul poflefs, than that 
 " which flows from the pride of virtue, joined 
 " with beauty ?" How puerile and infufficient 
 are thefe motives, when compared with thofe, 
 which the Gofpel prefents ! Leading mankind 
 to virtue by fuch a route as this, is it not 
 to infpire them, at once, with all a pharifee's 
 pride, and a Jezebel's vanity ? 
 
 When we draw a vail over .the fublime ob- 
 jeds of faith, and place before men the mere . 
 confideration of fome prefent advantage, in 
 order to influence their conducfl, then we 
 adlually. treat the rational part of the crea- 
 tion, as we .are accuflomed to deal with the 
 moft brutifh animals. Behold that fwine mak- 
 ing up to a heap of corn. Throw but a fingle 
 hand-full of that heap in his way, and he 
 
 will 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL* 275 
 
 will pafs on no further; fince fifty grains of 
 corn, fcattered immediately before his face, 
 will attrad him more forcibly, than as many 
 bufhels piled up at a diftance. Were it pof- 
 fible to make him ' an offer all the harvefts 
 in- the univerfe, after a fingle hour; yet he 
 would not facrifice, for them all, the poor en- 
 joyment of the prefent moment. He, 
 who thus fixes his attention upon temporal 
 and fenfible objeds, forgets that his foul is 
 immaterial and immortal. He, who cannot 
 be engaged to the pradice of virtue, but by 
 means of fuch unworthy motives, may be 
 faid to infufe morality in the cup of Circe, 
 left he fhould be conftrained to receive it at 
 the hand of Chrift. 
 
 Why are infidels and unliable chrlftians ob- 
 ferved to fall before temptation ? The only 
 reafon that can be given, is that, being af- 
 fefted in too lively a manner with the things 
 that are immediately before them, they are 
 in no condition to contemplate thofe objedls 
 which are more remote, of how great im- 
 portance foever they may be. Hence, the 
 ineftimable objeds of faith appear to them, as 
 the fixed ftars difcover themfelves to the vul- 
 gar, defpoiled of their real magnitude and 
 
 S 2 glory. 
 
276 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 glory, and apparently of too little confequence 
 to merit much attention. With the fincere 
 chriftian, the cafe is wholly different. His 
 faith, which is the gift of God, may be com- 
 pared to a divine telefcope, by which the 
 moil diftant objeds are brought within his 
 ken. And of this facred help he happily a- 
 vails himfelf, till wholly certified of the na- 
 ture and importance of celeftial things, he ne- 
 ccfTarily acquires ideas fui table to fo grand a 
 difcovery. Obferve here the ground of St. 
 Paul's definition of faith (b). Deflitute of 
 
 the fame afliilance, what v/onder Is it, that the 
 infidel fhould remain a perfed flranger to the 
 chriftian's facred views and exalted fentiments ! 
 He foollfhly refts contented with the naked 
 eye of his reafon, regardlefs of that igno- 
 rance, and thofe prejudices, with which it is 
 too frequently obfcured. Thus, felf-deluded, 
 he defpifes the divine inftrument above de- 
 fcribed, and fcofFs at thofe who are known to 
 ufe it •, juft as the illiterate were formerly 
 accuftomed to fet at nought the moft pro- 
 found aftronomers, and to look with deriiion 
 upon their myfterious apparatus. 
 
 As to the power of this faith, by which 
 
 alone any fpiritual difcovery can be made, it 
 
 is 
 (b) Eph. ii, 8, Heb, xi. i. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 277 
 
 IS too wonderful to be credited either by the 
 ignorant or the impious. It removes mountains: 
 and, to the poflefTor of it, nothing is impojjihk (c). 
 It affords the believer a perfedt viBory over the 
 prefent world (d), by putting into his hand a 
 fhield^ which is impenetrable to all the fiery 
 darts of the wicked (e). Here is the chrif- 
 tian's fecurity ! Behind this buckler of celeftial 
 temper, he remains in undifturbed tranquil- 
 lity, while the incredulous philofopher, to- 
 gether with the abandoned fenfualift, are hurl- 
 ing againft it the feeble darts of ridicule and 
 malice. 
 
 It muft be acknowledged, that many excel- 
 lent precepts of morality are found in the 
 Alcoran, and in the works of modern philo- 
 fophers : but it muft be afferted, at the fame 
 time, that the enemies of Chrift are chiefly 
 indebted to revelation for every juft concep- 
 tion of religious truth. The authors of the 
 Alcoran, of Emilius, and the Philofophical 
 Didlionary, before ever they began to dog- 
 matize, were apprized, that there is a God, 
 whom it is our duty to love above all things, 
 and who has commanded us to love our neigh- 
 bour as ourfelves. It is, therefore, matter of 
 
 S 3 little 
 
 (c) Matt. xvii. 20. (d) i John v. 4. (e) Eph. vi. id. 
 
27S THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 little furprize, that a lovely fentiment of this 
 kind fhould here and there brighten a page 
 of their gloomy volumes. Their falfe coin 
 could never have become current in the world, 
 unlefs they had artfully mingled with it fome 
 little quantity of the pure gold of fcriptural 
 truth. 
 
 We ihall conclude this chapter with a beau- 
 tiful pafTage from TertuUian, in which he 
 points out the difference between a true chrif- 
 tian, and a philofopher fo called. After hav- 
 ing fpoken of the vices, with which the 
 Greek philofophers were infeded, he makes 
 the following reply to a very common objec- 
 tion. " it is objec5led, that fome aifo among 
 *' us, are guilty of violating the laws o'i vir- 
 " tue. But it mufi: be remembered, that fuch 
 " offenders pafs no longer with us for chrif- 
 " tians : while, among you, after the com- 
 " miffion of many vicious adions, philofophers 
 " ftill preferve their reputation, and continue to 
 " be had in honor. What refemblance then 
 " is there, between the chriftian and the phi- 
 " lofopher ? The one is a difciple of Greece : 
 " the other of Heaven. The one feeks to 
 *' eftablifh a fair reputation : the other afpires 
 '' to work out his falvation. The one {peaks 
 
 " admirable 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL^ 279 
 
 " admirable words: the other performs good 
 " adions. The one deftroys; and the other 
 " builds up. The one deals in errors and 
 « the other in truth (f )." 
 
 (f) Apolog. chap. 46. 
 
 S 4 CHAP- 
 
280 THE PORTRAIT QF ST» FAUL, 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 ^he do5!rines of natural religion^ and pkilofoph^^ 
 are infufficient to produce true charity in the 
 heart. 
 
 X H E dodrlnes of natural religion, fuch 
 as the Being of a God, an overruling provi- 
 dence, and a judgment to come, are the firfi 
 dodrines of the Gofpel : but, hitherto, they 
 have never been found fufficient to lead men 
 into the love and pradice of (olid virtue. 
 
 As the earth, deprived of its primitive fe- 
 cundity, requires not only the genial influence 
 of the fun, but muft be enriched and aflifted 
 by many other means, in order to recover 
 its loft fertility : fo the truths of natural re- 
 ligion can never reftore the degenerate foul 
 to its loft perfedtion, without the powerful 
 afliftance of a revealed Gofpel. On this ac- 
 count, the Father of mankind has condefcend- 
 ed to inftrud: us in dodrines more efficacious 
 than thofe, which unaftifted nature can dif- 
 cover, and abundantly better fuited to our 
 weaknefs 5 that the tree of morality, having 
 
 more 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 28 1 
 
 more numerous and vigorous roots, might be af- 
 fifted to throw out fruit of a more exquifite kind, 
 and in greater abundance, than it was formerly 
 known to produce. JVhat the Law^ fays St. 
 Paul, could not doy [the natural or mofaic 
 Law] in that it was weak through the flejh 
 [i. e. our corrupted nature, which ftands in 
 need of greater helps than thofe, which the 
 Law can afford] God^ fending his own Son^ con^ 
 demned Jin in the fiefli^ that the righteoufnefs of 
 the Law might be fulfilled in us^ by a power 
 derived from him (a). Hence, this pro- 
 
 xnifed Saviour was fpoken of as the dejire of 
 all nations (b). And hence, that public de- 
 claration of Chrift concerning the nature of 
 kis miffion to the children of men : / am 
 come^ that they might have life^ and that they might 
 have it more abundantly (c). 
 
 Without revelation, we are left a prey to 
 the moft cruel uncertainty. The Almighty 
 created man, that he might partake of his 
 own felicity : and, after having placed in his 
 heart an ardent delire after the fovereign goody 
 Ke made a benign difcovery of Himfelf, as 
 the one^ only^ and inexhauftible^ fource of true 
 bkjfcdmfs. But, fince the darknefs of fin has 
 overfpread our underflanding, we have loft 
 
 fight 
 
 (a) Rom. viii. 3, 4. (b) Hag. ii. 7. (c) John x. 20. 
 
282 THE PORTRAIT OF*ST. PAUL." 
 
 fight of this fovereign good^ and are feeking 
 it, where it cannot poffibly be found. Like 
 Ixion in the fable, while we embrace a cloud, 
 we imagine ourfelves in poffefTion of a fub- 
 lime reality. And even after repeated con- 
 vidlions of our folly, uninftruded by difap- 
 pointment, we fet out again in purfuit ofobjeds 
 full as frivolous as thofe, by which we have 
 been already beguiled. Philofophers, unable 
 to guide mankind to true happinefs, are vainly 
 fearchmg after it themfelves in darknefs and 
 uncertainty. Divided into a variety of fe<5ls, 
 they maintain a hundred different opinions 
 upon a fubjed of fo great importance. So 
 that, after all the refearches of its profeflbrs, 
 philofophy has left the world in a ftate of 
 equal perplexity, with a man, who, having 
 but one arrow to level at the mark, has a 
 hundred different marks propofed to him at 
 the fame time. 
 
 In all this uncertainty, how happy is it to 
 difcover a volume, which decides the momen- 
 tous queftion in fo clear a manner, that rea- 
 fon itfelf can objed nothing to the deciiion! 
 This book, the moft ancient that can be pro- 
 duced, informs us, that Jehovah once ap- 
 peared to the father of the faithful, and /aid 
 
 unto 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 283 
 
 unto him ; / am the mighty*^ alUfufficient God : 
 walk before me^ and he thou perfe5l. So, will 
 1 -make my covenant between me and thee : and 
 thou fhalt become a joyful poflefTor of the 
 fovereign good {d). When thefe truths 
 
 are once cordially aflented to, the perplexity 
 of the believer is then fweetly terminated, and 
 his high vocation completely pointed out. 
 From this time he feels the importance of 
 thofe dodrines, v.'hich, like fteady lights, e- 
 clipfe a thoufand glimmering meteors, and dif- 
 cover, amid furrounding dangers, a fure though 
 narrow road to happinefs. And here it is to 
 be obferved, that upon thefe important truths, 
 as well as upon every other efTential point, 
 chriftians of all denominations are perfedly 
 agreed. 
 
 What is meant by walking before God in 
 
 ferfe^lion^ is fully explained in the following 
 
 terms j Thou fhalt love the Lord thy God with 
 
 all thy heart: and thy neighbour as thyfelf {€), 
 
 Now, unregenerate man, far from filling up 
 
 thefe duties, negleds the Supreme Being, and 
 
 prefers his own particular intereft, to that of 
 
 fociety in general •, affording the flrongefl proof, 
 
 that he pofTeffes neither genuine piety, nor 
 
 undiiTembled 
 
 * See the original. (d) Gen. xvii. i, 2. 
 (e) Matt. xxii. 37, 39. 
 
284 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 undiilembled charity. Hence, before fuch a 
 man can become truly virtuous, it is evident, 
 that his principles muft be improved, and his 
 inclinations redlified. And till thefe falutary 
 changes take place in his foul, always vicious, 
 reftlefs, and felfilh, he will continually be 
 making fome addition to his external errors, 
 and his internal mifery. 
 
 Deifts, while they acknowledge, that we are 
 bound to love both God and man, prefume 
 upon the fufliciency of their own ability for 
 the due performance of thefe extenfive duties. 
 Were they, however, truly anxious to pradife 
 thefe virtues in as unreferved a manner, as 
 even natural religion requires, they would quickly 
 perceive the weaknefs of humanity, and ac- 
 knowledge the deepeft need of divine afliftance. 
 But fo long as the piety of thefe perfons 
 confifts in honoring God with their lips^ while 
 their hearts are far from him{i): and while 
 they boaft of mahifefting toward mankind a 
 love fo univerfal, that none but their enemies 
 are excluded from it (g) : fo long, they will 
 need no other affiftance for the performance 
 of thefe wretched fervices, than that which cor- 
 rupt nature can amply afford. 
 
 It 
 
 (f ) Ifaiah xxix. 13. (g) Matt. v. 43, 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL^ 285 
 
 It is frequently aflerted, that the myileries 
 of Redemption are utterly ufelefs, with refpedb 
 to morality; and that the benignity of God, 
 as exemplified in our creation and prefervatioHy 
 is a fufficient motive to airedion and obedience 
 on the part of man. But, fince man has be- 
 come a finful and miferable creature, every 
 motive to reditude, that can poflibly be drawn 
 from his creation and prefervation^ has loft much 
 of its former conftraining influence. How many 
 perfons may we find in the world, who, inflead 
 of being penetrated with gratitude on account 
 of thefe bleiTmgs, lament, with defpairing Job 
 and Jeremiah, that ever they were born ! And 
 when the miferies of life have rendered it almoft 
 infupportable, can we reafonably imagine its 
 repining pofTefTor to be glowing with love to 
 the deity, merely as the Author and Preferver 
 of his unhappy exiflence ? Surely nothing can 
 be more abfurd than fuch a fuppofition. Yet 
 how many boafled reafoners confidently main- 
 tain, that the very fame gift, which wretched 
 fufferers, in every age, have thrown back to the 
 giver, with anguifh and contempt; is, never- 
 thelefs, a motive fufHciently powerful, to engage 
 every tranfgrefTor of the Almighty's Law, to 
 love him with all their heart, and ferve him 
 with all their power. 
 
 But 
 
286 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL."" 
 
 But Jet US fuppofe, that man, unafTifted by 
 the dodlrines of the Gofpel, has feme know- 
 ledge of the fovereign good^ and the means by 
 which it may be obtained. Yet how fuper- 
 ficial is this knowledge ! We might here pro- 
 duce a gloomy catalogue of thofe capital errors, 
 into which the ancient philofophers have fallen, 
 with regard to thefe important points. It muft, 
 indeed, be allowed, that modern profefTors have 
 corredled many of thofe errors : but it muft 
 be lamented, at the fame time, that they have 
 unhappily adopted others, not a whit lefs glaring 
 or fatal, Pafling over, in filence, the horrible 
 fyAems of atheiftical writers, let us liften to 
 philofophers of greater eftimation, among whom 
 RoufTeau and Voltaire may rank as the moft 
 confpicuous charadlers. The former of thefe 
 acquired confiderable reputation, by his obfer- 
 vations upon the education of youth ; and the 
 latter, by the courage with which he contended 
 for toleration. 
 
 " Let it be laid down," fays Roufleau, " as 
 " an inconteftable maxim, that the firft m.ove- 
 " ments of nature are always right ; and that 
 " there is no fuch thing as original fm in 
 " the human heart." How large a ftride is 
 here toward the fentiments of la Metrie ; all 
 
 whofe 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 287 
 
 whofe morality was wrapt up in this fingle 
 fentence, Satisfy thy defires : they are ' the voice 
 of Gody and of nature. To enlarge this 
 
 little quotation from J. J. Roufleau, would 
 be a fuperfluous tafk. It muft appear evident, 
 to every unprejudiced reader, from the above 
 afTertion, that the maxims of this admired 
 philofopher have a greater tendency to advance 
 felf -gratification^ than to promote univerfal be- 
 nevolence m the r;orld. 
 
 Turn we now to the toleration of M. de 
 Valtaire. In his epiftle to Boileau, we find 
 him writing thus — "I have confecrated my 
 *' voice to fing the praifes of virtue ^ over- 
 ". coming thofe prejudices, which are idolized 
 " by the ignorant, I dare to preach toleration 
 " to perfecutors (h)." When any man comes 
 forth, in this public m.anner, to plead the 
 caufe of candor and liberality, we are naturally 
 led to admire the generoiity of his condud. 
 And it would be well if M. de Voltaire was 
 really deferving of all that credit, which a 
 flranger feels difpofed to give him, when he 
 aflumes fo queftionabk an appearance. But, 
 
 notwithRanding 
 
 (h) A chanter la virtu j'ai confecre my voix ; 
 Vainqueur des prejuges que I'imbecile encenfe, 
 J*ofe aux perfecuteurs precher la tolerance. 
 
288 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 notwithftanding the pralfes, which this celebra- 
 ted writer has beftowed upon his own huma- 
 nity, and in fpite of all the beautiful things 
 he has faid upon toleration, many ungenerous 
 fentiments may be difcovered in his works, 
 which tend to renew the moil bloody perfe- 
 cutions. Take an inftance or two. 
 
 1. // is Jiever necejfary to rife up againjl the 
 religion of the Prince, Upon this principle, 
 'Jelus Chrift and St. Paul were highly worthy 
 of blame, for withftanding the hypocrify and 
 idolatry, which compofed the religion of Caia- 
 phas and Tiberias. 
 
 2. JVJiat is called a janfeniji^ is really a mad^ 
 man^ a bad citizen^ and a rebel. He is a bad 
 citizen^ becaufe he troubles the order of the ftate : 
 he is a rebels becaufe he difobeys, 'The molinijls^ 
 are madmen of a more harnilefs kind, Thefe 
 two lovely maxims of toleration are to be found 
 in a little piece of M. de Voltaire's, intitled 
 The voice of a fhilofopher^ and of the people* 
 
 Had the King of France attended to this 
 voice, he would have regarded every janfenift^ 
 and, for the fame reafon, every protejlant, as 
 a had citizen^ or a rebel -^ every fpark of re- 
 ligious 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL." 289 
 
 iigious moderation would have been extinguiihed 
 in his royal bofom, and an effedual door thrown 
 open to the terrible exertions of tyrannical 
 power. Thefe pretended rebels might then 
 have perifhed unpitied and unheard; while the 
 bigoted Prince, convinced that a man muft ceafe 
 to he a fanatic before he merits toleration^ might 
 have gloried in the reditude of his public con- 
 dudir. Such a prince might have commanded 
 his blood thirfty troops to advance under the 
 banners of modern philofophy, leaving M. de 
 Voltaire to animate them againft the innocent 
 with, what he calls, The voice of a philofopher. 
 
 It appears, then, according to M. de Voltaire, 
 that every fubjedl ihould profefs the religion 
 of his Prince. Nor is this opinion lefs earneflly 
 contended for by J. J. RoufTeau, who tells 
 us in his Emilius, that every daughter JhouU 
 he of her mothefs religion^ and that every woman 
 JhouU profefs the religion of her hufhand. So 
 that, if a man fliould turn from the true^ and 
 embrace a falfe religion, his wife and children 
 are bound to apoftatize with him : and, in 
 cafe of a refufal on their part, J. J. RoufTeau, 
 while he affeds to plead the caufe of liberty, 
 pronounces upon them a fentence of condem- 
 nation. Upon thefe principles of toleration, 
 the father of a family is authorized to perfe- 
 Vol. IL T cute 
 
290 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.^ 
 
 cute his non- conforming wife and children ; and 
 a Prince may lawfully take up arms againft 
 fuch of his fubjedls as are efteemed fanatics. 
 If the benevolence and morality of thefe candid 
 philofophers were to be fubftituted in the place 
 of that liberality and love, which the Gofpel 
 requires (i), to what a deluge of mifery would 
 it give rife, both in families and in common- 
 wealths ! Kings would tyrannize over the con- 
 fcience of their fubjeds, hufbands over that 
 of their wives, and parents over that of their 
 children : nor would the leaft religious liberty 
 be experienced by any clafs of men, except 
 by the Princes of the earth. Such is the im- 
 perfe^ charity^ and fuch the limited freedom-, for 
 which modern philofophers have contended with 
 equal earneftnefs and approbation. 
 
 The dangerous principles of thefe two oracles, 
 
 upon the fubjedl of toleration, will fuffice to 
 
 fhew, with how juft reafon the former of them 
 
 could fay—/ hate falfe maxims-^ but I deteji evil 
 
 anions yet more. Alas ! the horrible adions 
 
 of a murdering inquliitor terminate with his 
 
 life J but the intolerant dodlrines of thefe reputed 
 
 fages, may continue to fcatter mifery and death 
 
 through the world, long after their negledled 
 
 tombs are mouldered into duft. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 (i) Mark ix. 38, &c. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.^ 29 1 
 
 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 The great influence of doUrines upon morality. 
 
 T, 
 
 O afcertain the importance of dodrines 
 in general, let us confider the influence they 
 have upon our conduct. Our duties in life 
 depend upon the different relations we fuftain 
 in it ; and thefe relations affe<5t us only as 
 they are underftood. Thus, it is neceffary, 
 that a child (hould know his father, before 
 he can truly love him in that charadler. This 
 knowledge is the effec5t of certain infiru5ltons 
 or ma^ms^ which influence our manners, in 
 proportion as they are aflented to. I love the 
 man from whom I have received my birth 
 and education with a particular affedion : but 
 fuch love is founded, firfl: upon this general 
 dodlrine. Every child honorably born /hould re- 
 verence and love his Father \, and, fecondly, 
 upon this particular truth, That man is thy 
 Father, If I am made to doubt of this gene- 
 ral dodrine, or of this particular truth, the 
 moral fprings of that refped, love, gratitude, 
 and obedience, which are due to my father, 
 will neceflarily be weakened -, and if either 
 
 T 2 the 
 
292 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 the one or the other fiiould lofe all its in- 
 fluence over my heart, my father would then 
 become to me as an indifferent perfon. 
 
 The knowledge, therefore, of the affinities, 
 which fubfiil between one being and another, 
 is efTential to m.orality. Why is it, that no 
 traces of morality can be difcovered among the 
 beafts of the field ? It is becaufe they are 
 incapable of underflanding either the relation 
 in which creatures ftand to the Creator, or 
 the affinities which fubfifL among the creatures 
 themfelves. As it becomes the foldier to 
 have a diftind knov/ledge of his officers, that 
 he m.ay render to every one according to his 
 rank, the honor and obedience to which they 
 are feverally entitled-, fo, preparatory to the 
 pradice of morality, it behoves us to have 
 a clear perception of our various duties, to» 
 gether with the proper fiibjeds of thofe du- 
 ties. If fome defperate malady has deprived 
 us of this knowledge, we then rank with idiots, 
 and are in no condition to violate the rules 
 of morality. Hence, the lunatic, who butchers 
 his father, is not punifiiable among us as a 
 parricide, becaufe he has no acquaintance with 
 thefe general maxims. No man Jhould murder 
 another — Every Jon Jhould honor his father ; nor 
 
 has 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 293 
 
 has he any conception of this particular truth, 
 The man whom thou art about to deftroy^ is thy 
 father. 
 
 Take away all dodrines, and you annihilate 
 all the- relations which fubiift among rational 
 creatures; you deftroy all morality, and re- 
 duce man to. the condition of a brute beaft, 
 allowing him to be influenced by pafTion and 
 caprice, as the loweil animals are aduated by 
 appetite and inftlndt. Admit only fom.e few 
 dodlrlnes, and you admit only a part of your 
 duties, as well as your privileges. An ex* 
 ample may ferve to fet this truth in a clear 
 light, Suppofe you have a rich father, who 
 is entirely unknown to you, and whom the 
 world has never looked upon as your parent : 
 if you never receive any certain intelligence 
 concerning him, it is plain, that you can nei- 
 ther render him filial obedience, nor yet fuc- 
 ceed to his eftates. 
 
 Many philofophers, who cannot reafonably 
 be fufpeded of fanaticifm, or even of par- 
 tiality to evangelical principles, have yet ftre- 
 nuoufly infifted upon the importance of doc- 
 trines, as calculated to influence the condudl 
 of mankind. A poliflied WTiter of this clafs 
 
 T 3 feems 
 
294 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 feems to have entertained an idea, that, if 
 all men were poflefled of an enlightened un- 
 derftanding, crimes of every kind would be 
 unknown in the world. Obferve, at leaft, in 
 what terms he fpeaks of war, which is an 
 evil of that complex nature, that it may juflly 
 be looked upon as an afiemblage of every 
 pofTible vice. " What is the caufe of that 
 " deftrudive rage, which, in every period, 
 " like a contagious malady, has infeded the 
 " human race ? Ignorance is, undoubtedly, 
 ^' the fource of our calamities •, ignorance with 
 ** refped: to the relations, rights, and duties, 
 *' of our fpecies. Thus, the moil ignorant 
 '^ and unpolifned people have ever been the 
 " mofl: warlike ; and thofe ages of the world, 
 " which have been peculiarly diftinguifhed 
 " by darknefs and barbarifm, have been in- 
 " variably the mpfl: fruitful in murderous 
 " wars. Ignorance prepares the way for de- 
 " vaftation ; and devaftation, in its turn, re- 
 " produces ignorance. "With a clear know- 
 " ledge of their rights, and their reciprocal 
 " duties, which form the true and only in- 
 '^ tereft of nations, it is a contradiction to 
 " fuppofe, that thofe nations would voluntarily 
 *^ precipitate themfelves into an abyfs of in- 
 
 itable 
 
 e'v^i 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 295 
 
 " evitable evils (a)." This author, if he be 
 fuppofed to fpeak of our relations and duties 
 with refpedl to God^ as well as thofe which 
 regard our neighbour^ had reafon on his fide ; 
 and, efpecially, if his views were diredled to 
 the knowledge of every powerful motive, which 
 fhould conftrain us to fill up thofe duties. 
 
 Upon thefe principles, of what fatal negledl 
 are thofe perfons guilty, who, being charged 
 with the religious inflrudlion of princes and 
 people, leave both immerfed in a deplorable 
 ignorance, which draws after it the horrors of 
 war, with all the various calamities that over- 
 fpread the face of Chriilendom ! 
 
 (a) Principes de la legijlation uni'ver/elU* 
 
 T 4 CHAP. 
 
'.^6 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL^ 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 How the do5innes of the Gofpel come in to the 
 fuccour of morality. 
 
 I 
 
 F to preach the Gofpel, is to teach finners 
 the relations they fuft'ain with refped: to God, 
 as Creator^ Redeemer^ and San^ijier •, if it is to 
 announce the advantages which flow from this 
 threefold relation, till, penetrated with grati- 
 tude and love, mankind apply themfelves to 
 fulfil the feveral duties to. which they ftand 
 engaged •, we may challenge the world, to point 
 out any knowledge of equal importance with 
 that, which is difcovered in the Gofpel, To 
 
 deprive us, then, of the dodlrines contained 
 in this Gofpel, is it not to fupprefs the mofl 
 important inftrudlions we can pofTibly receive, 
 and to conceal from nis a Teftament, made 
 wholly in our favor ? To decide this queftion, 
 we fhall here confider what influence thefe 
 dodrines have upon morality. 
 
 The virtues of worldly men, as well as their 
 vices, are little elfe than a kind of trafHc car- 
 ried on by an inordinate felf-love. From this 
 
 impure 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 297 
 
 impure fource the moft amiable of their ac- 
 tions flow ; and hence, inftead of referring all 
 things primarily to God, they conftantly a(5t 
 with an eye to their own immediate advan- 
 tage. Chrift has offered a remedy to this grand 
 jsvil, by teaching us, that to love the Deity 
 with all our hearty is the Jirft commandment of 
 the Law J and that to love ourfelves, and our 
 neighbour as ourfelves ^ is but a fecondary com^ 
 wandment in the fight of God : thus leading 
 us up to divine love, as the only fource of 
 pure virtue. When felf-love is once reduced 
 to this wholefome order, and moves in exadt 
 obedience to the Creator's Lav/, it then be- 
 comes truly commendable in man, and ferves 
 gs the furefl: rule of fraternal affedion. 
 
 Evangelical morality ennobles our niofl or- 
 dinary actions, fuch as thofe of eating and 
 drinking^ requiring that all things be done to the 
 glory of God (a),, i. e, in celebration of his 
 unfpeakable bounty. A jufl: precept this, and 
 founded upon the following dodrine, All things 
 are of God (b) : to whom, of confequence, they 
 ought finally to refer. If you lofe fight of 
 this dodlrine, your apparent gratitude is no- 
 thing more than a feigned virtue, which has 
 
 no 
 (a) I Cor, X. 51, (b) 2 Cor. v, 18. 
 
29 S THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 no other rPxOtives or ends, except fuch as 
 originate and lofe themfelves in felf-love. In 
 fuch circumfbances, you cannot pOiTibly aflent 
 to the juflice of the grand precept above cited ; 
 but holding it up, like the author of the 
 Phllofophlcal Dictionary, as a fubjed of ridi- 
 cule, you may perhaps burlefque the feelings 
 of a confcientious man, with regard to this 
 command, as the comedian is accuftcmed to 
 fport with the charader of a modeft woman. 
 Thus, many phllofophers are emulating the 
 morality and benevolence of thofe cenforious 
 religionifls, concerning whom our Lord figni- 
 iicantly declared. Verily^ they have their reward. 
 
 How iliali we reduce a fmner to moral or- 
 der ? Will it be fufficient to prefs upon him 
 the following exhortations ? Love God with 
 all thy heart : Be filled with benevolence to- 
 ward all men : Do good to your very enemies— 
 All this v/ould be only commanding a rebel 
 to feek happinefs in the prefence of a prince, 
 whcfe indignation he has juftly merited : it 
 would be urging a covetous man to facrifice 
 his interefts, not only to indifferent perfons, 
 but to his implacable adverfaries. To effedl 
 fo deflrable a change in the human heart, mo- 
 
 tives 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 299 
 
 tives and qffiftance are as abfolutely neceflary, 
 as counfels and precepts > 
 
 Here the dodrlnes of the Gofpel come in 
 to the fuccour of morality. But how fhall 
 we fufficientJy adore that incomprehenfible Be- 
 ing, who has demonftrated to us, by the mif- 
 fion of his beloved Son, that the divine nature 
 is love ! Or, how fhall we refufe any thing 
 to this gracious Redeemer, who clothed him- 
 felf with mortality, that he might fuffer in 
 our ftead ! All the docflrines of the Gofpel 
 have an immediate tendency to promote the 
 practice of morality. That of the incarnation, 
 which ferves as the bafis of the new Tefta- 
 ment, exprefles the benevolence of the Su- 
 preme Being in fo ftriking a manner, that 
 every finner, who cordially receives this doc- 
 trine, is conftrained to furrender his heart un- 
 refervedly to God. His fervile fear is changed 
 into filial reverence, and his inveterate averfion 
 into fervent love. He is overwhelmed with 
 the greatnefs of benefits received, and, as the 
 only fuitable return for mercies of fo ftupen- 
 dous a nature, he facrifices, at once, all his 
 darling vices. " IF the Son of God has united 
 " himfelf to my fallen nature," fuch a hum- 
 ble believer will naturally fay, " 1 will not 
 
 " reft, 
 
2QO THE FORTP.AIT OF ST* PAUL, 
 
 " refl, till I feel myfelf united to this divine 
 " Mediator: if He comes to put a period 
 " to my mifery, nothing fball ever put a 
 " period to my gratitude : if He has vifited 
 " me with the beams of his glory, it fhall 
 '' henceforth become my chief concern, to re- 
 " iied thofe beams upon all around me, to 
 *' his everlafting praife." 
 
 The memorable facrifice, which was once 
 offered up in the perfon of Chrift, as a propitia- 
 tion for our fins, is wonderfully calculated to 
 produce the fame extraordinary effec5ts. This 
 myfterious offering (cts forth the malignity 
 of our offences, and reprefents the compaf. 
 fion of the Deity, in fo overpowering a man- 
 ner, that, while it fills us with horror for fin, 
 it completely triumphs over the obduracy of 
 our hearts. From the moment we come to 
 a real perception of this meritorious facrifice, 
 from that moment we die to fin, till, rijng 
 again with Chriji into a new life (c), we be- 
 come, at length, wholly renewed in the fpirit of 
 CUT mind (d). Point out a man, who 
 
 unfeignedly believes in a crucified Saviour*, 
 and you have difcovered a man, who abhors 
 all manner of vice, and in whom every vir- 
 tue 
 
 (c) ColofT. iii. I. (d) Eph. iv. 23. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 3OI 
 
 tue has taken root. Such a one can thank- 
 fully join the whole multitude of the faithful, 
 and fay : Being jufiified hy faithy zve have peace 
 with Gody through our Lord Jefus Chrift (e) : 
 and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God (f ), we 
 have obeyed^ from the hearty that form of doc- 
 trine ^ which was delivered unto us. Once, in- 
 deed, when we were without the knowledge of 
 Chrift, we were the ferv ants of Jin : hut now^ 
 being made free from fin^ and become fervants to 
 Gody we have our fruit unto holinefs^ and the 
 end everlafiing life (g). 
 
 Ravifli from fuch a man thefe confolatorv 
 and fandifying do6lrines, and you leave him 
 either in the flupid infenfibiiity of thofe, who 
 give themfelves up to carnal fecurity, or in 
 the perplexity of others, who are crying,^ What 
 fliall we do to be faved? The one or 
 
 the other of thefe ftates muft be experienced, 
 in different degrees, by every man, who is 
 unacquainted with the efficacy of evangelical 
 dodlrines. And if the firft moralift * of 
 the pagan world was obferved to rife above 
 this ftupldity and confufion, it v^as merely 
 through the regenerating hope he indulged, 
 
 that 
 
 (e) Rom. V. I, (f) <v, 2. (g) Rom. vi. 17, 22. 
 
 * Socrates, 
 
^02 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 that a reftoring God, of whofe internal opera- 
 tions he had already been favored with fome 
 faint perception, would one day afford him a 
 more clear and perfedl light. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAULJ JOj 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Containing reflexions upon the Apfths' creed. 
 
 OR the fulleft proofs that a ftrld connexion 
 fubfifts between the dodiines of the Gofpel and 
 the moft perfed morahty, let us call cur eyes 
 upon an alTemblage of thofe dodrlnes, known 
 by the name of The Apoftles' Creed \ a creed,' 
 to which every true chriflian confcientioufly 
 fubfcribes, and which baptized hypocrites make 
 a folemn fhew of a/Tenting to. Our prejudice 
 againil: thefe holy dodrines muft necefiarily 
 vanifh, after we have duly confidered the in- 
 fluence they naturally have upon the condud 
 of true believers. 
 
 This confefTion of faith has three parts. The 
 firift contains the principal dodrlnes of delfm, 
 or natural religion, fetting forth the relation 
 in which we ftand to God, as Creator. Txhe 
 fecond part of this creed includes the prin^ 
 cipal dodrlnes contained in the four Gofpels^ 
 and places before us the relation we bear to 
 God, confidered in the charader of Redeemer^ 
 or as coming to fave the world, by that ex- 
 
 traordlnarv 
 
304 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL." 
 
 traordinary perfon, who is called, the only- 
 begotten Son of God. The dodlrlnes, here 
 enumerated, are thofe, with which the difciples 
 of our Lord were wholly taken up, till the 
 day of their fpiritual baptifm. The third part 
 prefents us with a recapitulation of the prin- 
 cipal dodlrines fet forth in the A6ls and Epiftles 
 of the apoftles. This latter part of the chrif- 
 tian creed inftrudls us in our relation to God, 
 as San5ftfier^ or as coming to regenerate man, 
 by that Spirit of truth, confolation, and power, 
 which was promifed by Chrlft to his follow- 
 ers : a Spirit, whofe office is to injlru5l and 
 fan5iify the church of Chrift, to maintain a 
 conftant communion among its members, to feal 
 upon their confciences the pardon of fin ^ to afllire 
 them of a future rejurreElion^ and prepare them 
 for a life of everlafling bkffednefs. Let us review 
 thefe three parts of this apoPcolic Creed, and 
 obferve the neceiTary reference they have to 
 morality. 
 
 The fir ft article of this creed informs us,^ 
 that there is an alUpowerfuLGod^ viho is the 
 Creator of all things in Heaven and in earth. 
 It is evident, that no man can renounce this 
 dodrine, without renouncing natural religion, 
 and plunging headlong into atheifm. If there 
 
 is 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 305 
 
 IS no God, there can be no divine Law, and 
 morality becomes a mere infignificant term. 
 Human laws may, indeed, reftrain the wretch, 
 who indulges a perfuafion of this nature -, but 
 was it not for the authority of fuch laws, 
 he would throw off the mafk of decency, and 
 laugh at the diftindion between virtue and vice. 
 
 If you admit, with Epicurus^ the Being of 
 a God^ without admitting an overruling provi» 
 dence\ if you believe not, that the Creator is 
 an all-powerful Parent^ and, as fuch, peculiarly 
 attentive to the concerns of his immenfe family ; 
 you then deftroy all confident in the Supreme 
 Being : you take from the righteous their chief 
 confolation in adveriity, and from the wicked 
 their chief retraining curb in profperity. 
 
 Mutilate this important do(5lrine, by admit- 
 ting only a general providence, and you deftroy 
 the particular confidence, which holy men in- 
 dulge, that God difpenfes to his children, 
 according to his unfearchable wifdom, both 
 profperity and adverfity ; that He liftens to 
 their fupplications, and will finally deliver them 
 out of all their afflidicfjis. You trample under 
 foot the moft powerful motives to refignation 
 and patience j you nourifh difcontent in the 
 Vol. IL U heart. 
 
306 THE PORTRAIT Of ST. PAUL. 
 
 heart, and fcatter the feeds of defpair among 
 the unfortunate. Yet all this is done by many 
 inconfident advocates for morality. 
 
 Heathens themfelves were perfedly convinced, 
 that the pradice of morality was clofely con- 
 neded vvith the above-mentioned dodlrines. Ci- 
 cero in his book, concerning the nature of 
 thQ Gods, feems to apprehend, that the whole 
 edifice of morality would fall to the ground, 
 was the dodrine of a particular providence to 
 be taken away. " For, '* fays he, " if the 
 " Gods obferved not what is tranfadled here 
 *' below, what would become of religion and 
 '^ hoHnefs, without which human life would 
 " be replete with trouble and confufion ? I 
 am perfuaded that, in banifhing the fear 
 of the Gods, we fhould, at the fame time, 
 banifh from among us good faith, juftice, 
 and all thofe other virtues, which are con- 
 sidered as forming the balls of fociety." 
 
 C FI A P. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 307 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 '^he connexion of morality with the fecond part 
 of the Apoftks^ creed. 
 
 T 
 
 H E dodlrines adverted to, in the latter 
 part of the preceding chapter, compofe the 
 religion of theifts, who believe in God, as Crea- 
 tor and Prefer ver, but who know him not, 
 as the Reftorer of fallen man. They, how- 
 ever, who give their unfeigned affent to the 
 firft part of this Creed, will never contentedly- 
 reft at the threihold of truth. After duly at- 
 tending to the bleffings of creation and pre- 
 fervation, they will readily perceive how deftitute 
 they are of that love, that gratitude, and that 
 obedience, which arefo juftly due to the Author 
 of all their mercies. Hence, gradually dif- 
 covering that, even with refpedl to their neigh- 
 bour, they are void of that juftice and charity, 
 which fhould be mutually exercifed between man 
 and man,. they will humbly acknowledge their 
 .tranfgreffions, and begin to apprehend thofe 
 myfterious truths, by which the chriftian religion 
 is diftinguiihed from deifm. 
 
 In our ancient confeflions of faith, no mention 
 is made of the mifery and depravity of man. 
 
 U 2 For 
 
308 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAVL, 
 
 For what need was there to make {o melan- 
 choly a truth an article of faith, iince it has 
 been publicly demonftrated in . every age and 
 country, by the conduct of all clafles of men ? 
 To deny that indifputable evidences of this 
 truth are every day to be met with, is to deny 
 that there are in the world, prifons, gibbets, 
 foidiers, fields of blood, and beds of death. 
 
 If we give up the dojflrine of the fall^ and, 
 of confequence, that of the rejioration^ we give 
 the lie to the general experience of mankind, 
 as well as to that of our own hearts ; we fhut 
 our eyes againft the light of convidion ; we 
 call away, in the midft of a labyrinth, the 
 only clue, that can guide us through its winding 
 mazes. And, after fuch an adl of folly, we 
 fhall either, with infidel philofophers, difdain 
 to implore the affiftance of the Supreme Being •, 
 or, like the haughty pharifee, we ihall approach 
 him with infolence. 
 
 If, in dired oppofition to the dodlrine of 
 our depravity, we afiirm, that all things are 
 'goody and the human fpecies as free from im- 
 perfeftion^ as the Almighty at firft intended; we 
 then negled the only probable means .of over- 
 coming fin, and obflinately endeavour to pre- 
 clude 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 309 
 
 d>ude all pofTibility of our reftoratlon. Thus, 
 by perfuadlng a loathfome leper, that his malady 
 •is both convenient and becoming, we teach him 
 to defpife the moft efficacious remedies^ and 
 leave him a deluded prey to deformity and 
 corruption. But, if it be once admitted, 
 
 that we are immerfed in fin, without the leaft 
 poffibility of reftoring ourfelves to a ftate of 
 innocence ; we have, then, fome degree of that 
 humility, which difpofed St. Paul to embrace 
 a perfecuted Saviour, and by which alone we 
 can be prevailed upon to embrace the fecond 
 part of this facred Creed. 
 
 To rejed that which refpedcs, either the 
 Conception^ the Birth^ the Sufferings^ the Deaths*' 
 
 U 3 the 
 
 * Here is no mention made of our Lord's defcent 
 into Helly becaufe the expreflioa itfelf is an equivocal 
 one ; the greek word Hades ^ by no means anfwering to 
 the englilh word Hell, St, Paul was ever ready to 
 make mention of every thing that refpedled his divine 
 mafter ; but, where he fpeaks of his Death and Rejurrec- 
 tion, he is not obferved even to hint at this Angular 
 doctrine: and if, by omitting it in this place, we are 
 judged guilty of a capital error, the great apoftle 
 himfelf was equally guilty in this refpeft ; fee Rom. iv. 
 25. viii. 34. I Cor. xv. 4. But, if St. Paul and the 
 four Evangelifts have made no mention of this extra- 
 ordinary circumftance, it cannot certainly be confidered 
 as a fundamental article of the chriftian faith. 
 
3lO THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 the Refurre^ion, ot the Afcenjion of Jefus Chrift, 
 is to reje(5t every thing that concerns this con- 
 defcending Saviour ; fince it is one and the 
 fame Gofpel that inftruds us in all thefe differ- 
 ent do(5lrines. To remove one of thefe dodlrines, 
 is to break the chain of evangeHcal truth, by 
 deftroying one of the links of which it is com- 
 pofed ; it is, ultimately, to deny the authority 
 of Revelation, if not abfolutely to overthrow 
 that grand edifice, of which Jefus Chrift is 
 the chief Corner- Stone, In a word, as the doc- 
 trine of our Redemption by a crucified Saviour, 
 is rejeded either wholly or in part, fo we re- 
 ject either in part or altogether^ the moft con- 
 draining motives to repentance and gratitude^ 
 obedience and purity. 
 
 An unholy courfe of condud proceeds from 
 two principal caufes, pride^ and the rebellion of 
 the fenfes : from the former, arifes the diforder 
 of our irafcible paffions; and from the latter, 
 proceed all our irregular defires. Now, before 
 thefe evils can be perfedly remedied, or the 
 unholy become truly virtuous, it is necefiary to 
 eradicate pride from the heart, and to fubdue 
 the irregular appetites of our degenerate nature. 
 This is undoubtedly the moft difficult tafk to 
 be accompiifhed in life: but what is imprac- 
 ticable 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 3II 
 
 ticable to the incredulous deift, becomes adually 
 poflible to the fincere believer. By the ex* 
 ample of, his perfecuted mafter, he is animated 
 to trample upon all the pride of life; and 
 upon the Crofs of his dying Lord, he is 
 crucified to the feniual delights of this prefent 
 world. 'Take my yoke upon you^ fays the blefTed 
 Jefus, and learn of me: far I am meek and 
 lowly in heart (a). Chrifi hath fuffered for usy 
 continues St. Peter, leaving us an example^ that 
 ye Jhould follow his Jieps (p)j^ Let the fame 
 mind he in you^ adds St, Paul, which was 
 alfo in Chriji Jefus^ who^ being in the form of 
 God, voluntarily took upon him the form of a 
 f^rvant, and became obedient unto the death of 
 the crofs (c). 
 
 It is neceflary to be well acquainted with 
 the human heart, and to have 'accurately ob- 
 ferved the influence that example has upon man- 
 kind, in order to underftand the great advantage 
 which chriftians have over deifts \ even allowing 
 the morality of both parties to be equally pure. 
 What is there, of which thofe perfons are 
 not capable, who follow the King of Kings, 
 encouraged by his example, and fupported by 
 his power ? Thus fupported, no command will 
 
 U 4 appear 
 
 (a) Matt. xi. 29. (b) i Pet. u. 21. (c) Phil. ii. 5, 8. 
 
312 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 appear too ftrid to be obeyed, no burden too 
 heavy to be fuftalned : but we may joyfully 
 triumph, like the firft imitators of Jefus, over 
 that innate pride, and thofe fenfual defires, 
 i]pon which the incredulous continually ftriking, 
 as upon dangerous rocks, make fhipwreck of 
 all their boafted morality. 
 
 The laft article recounted in this part of our 
 Creed, muft be fuppofed to have a prodigi- 
 ous influence upon the minds of men. Take 
 away the dodrine of a judgment day^ in which 
 an infinitely holy and powerful God will render 
 unto every man according to his works ; you 
 then take from the wicked thofe falutary fear^, 
 which reftrain them in the career of vice, and 
 from the righteous thofe glorious hopes, which 
 are the flrongeft incentives to a life of godlinefs. 
 
 CHAP, 
 
THE P0:8.TRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 313 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 ^he connexion of morality with the third part of 
 the ApofHes" Creed, 
 
 A HE firft article, in the third part of this 
 ancient confeffion of faith, refpedls the con- 
 fidence, which every believer indulges in the 
 divine grace, or rather, in that Holy Spirit, 
 which fandtifies the finful, and confoles the 
 afflided. If, by an obftlnate incredulity, we 
 rejed this facred Comforter, we refufe the 
 wifdom and power which refult. from an in- 
 timate union with the Father pf lights, and 
 difclaim all fellowfhip with that djvlnp Media- 
 tor, whofe humanity is far removed from the 
 fight of men. As we could derive no 
 
 poflible advantage from a fun, whofe rays, 
 concentered in himfelf, fhould neither viflt 
 our eyes with their cheering light, nor our 
 bodies with their kindly heat ; fo, if the Al- 
 mighty neither illumines our minds by the 
 Spirit of truth, nor animates our fouls by the 
 Spirit of charity, we may reafonably fuppofe 
 him to have as little intereft in the concerns 
 pf men, as the ftatue of Olympian Jupiter. 
 
 The 
 
3 14 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 The remainder of this Creed, refpedls the 
 nature of the Church, and the privileges of 
 its members. 
 
 To deftroy the doclrines which relate to 
 the hollnefs of thofe, who truly appertain to 
 the church of God, the urdverfality of that 
 Church, and the communion of thofe faints^ of 
 whom it is compofed^ — this is to overthrow 
 the barriers, which form the pale of the 
 Church, confounding the holy with the pro- 
 fane, and the fincere with the hypocritical. 
 
 Take away the dodrine, that refpedls the 
 remijfion of Jins^ and you leave us in a ftate 
 of the moft cruel uncertainty. You take a- 
 way from penitents the expectation that fuf- 
 tains them ; and from believers, the gratitude 
 that engages them to love much^ becaufe much 
 h^s been forgiven them (a). You deftroy the 
 mofc powerful motive we have to pardon the 
 offences of our neighbour (b), and leave us 
 in a ftate of folicitude incompatible with that 
 internal peace, which is the peculiar privilege 
 of chriftians (c). 
 
 Rob us of the dodrlne of a future refur- 
 region, and you leave us weak in times of 
 
 danger, 
 
 (a) Luke vii, 47. (b) Eph. iv. 32, (c) John xiv. 27. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL^ 315 
 
 danger, alarmed in times of ficknefs, and 
 wholly in bondage to the fear of death. But, 
 while we remain in pofTeflion of this exhila- 
 rating truth, we can follow, without fear, the 
 ftandard of the crofs ; the moft cruel torments 
 are rendered tolerable ; and we can fubmit, 
 without repining, to a temporary death, look- 
 ing forward to a glorious refurreclion, and a 
 happy immortality. 
 
 CHAR 
 
3l5 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 CHAP. VIIL 
 
 Conjequences of the foregoing ohfervations. 
 
 L L crimes are founded upon thofe errors, 
 which are firit embraced in theory, before they 
 are adopted in praelice. Overthrow thefe er- 
 rors, by oppofing to them pure and .incon- 
 trovertible dodrines, and you deftroy iin in 
 the bud. On the other hand, true virtue is 
 produced by truth, Oppofe a lie to this 
 truth, and, if it be admitted, you deftroy the 
 feeds of virtue. So long as the firft man 
 had his heart penetrated with the certainty of 
 this do(5lrine. If I am ungrateful enough to difohey 
 my Creator^ I fhall die \ fo long he remained in 
 a ftate of innocence. But to this dodrine, the 
 tempter oppofed his falfe promifes. Tou fhall 
 not furely die^ faid he ; on the contrary, you; 
 Jhall become wife and happy as Gods, No fooner 
 were thefe delufive dodrines afTented to on 
 the part of Adam, but his underftanding be- 
 coming neceffarily clouded, his will was im- 
 mediately beguiled : and thus, blindly follov/- 
 ing the temptation, he fell into an abyfs of 
 mifery. 
 
 Dodrines, 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 317 
 
 Dodrines, whether they be good or bad, 
 dill continue to have the fame influence upon 
 the condud of men ; and to fuppofe the con- 
 trary, is to fuppofe, that light and darknefs 
 can ever ceafe to produce their ordinary effeds. 
 The following dodrine, Out of the pale of the 
 RomiJJi church there is no falvation^ has filled 
 Europe with fires, fcafFolds, and maffacres. 
 Eradicate this dodrine from every prejudiced 
 heart, and plant in its room the following 
 fcriptural truth, God is no refpe5!er of perfons ; 
 but^ in every nation^ he that feareth him and 
 worketh right eoufnefs is accepted with him^ and, 
 in the place of ftreaming blood, we fhall fee 
 ftreams of charity uninterruptedly flowing 
 through every chrifl:ian kingdom. 
 
 The mifer imagines, that riches are the fo- 
 vereign goody and that the highefl: pleafure con- 
 fifl:s in counting over and over his fplendid 
 hoards. The debauched youth is confident, 
 that the fovereign good confifl:s in fenfual gra- 
 tification, and the highefl: gratification, in the 
 enjoyment of a frail beauty defl:ined to be the 
 prey of w^orms. Deflroy thefe groundlefs per- 
 fuafions by folid dodrines : demonfl:rate to 
 thefe infatuated creatures, that God himfelf 
 is the fovereign good^ and that this good is 
 
 oiFered 
 
3i8 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL." 
 
 offered to us in Jefus Chrlft ; that the highed 
 enjoyment coniifts in having the heart pene- 
 trated with divine love, and in looking for- 
 v/ard with a lively hope of being one day 
 eternally united to God : convince them of 
 thefe momentous truths, and the charms by 
 which they have been captivated fo long, will 
 be immediately broken. Ah ! how delightful 
 is it, to behold fuch fenfual reafoners awaking 
 from their deathful {lumber, and crying out^ 
 with St. Auguftine : " O eternal fweetnefs ? 
 " Ineffable greatnefs ! Beauty for ever new ! 
 '• Truth, whofe charms have been fo long 
 *' unnoticed, alas, how much time have I loft, 
 *' in not loving thee !" 
 
 Sound reafon muft unavoidably fubmit to 
 the force of thefe obfervations, the truth of 
 which is demonftrated by the general condudt 
 of mankind. But, perhaps, the beft method 
 of reafoning with the incredulous, is, to point 
 out the confequences of their own fyftem. 
 Imagine a man, who, inftead of receiving the 
 dodrines of the Gofpel, publicly prefumes to 
 make the following declaration : 1 believe not 
 in God the Creator-, I triift not in any Mediator, 
 nor acknowledge any fan5iifying Spirit » And, as 
 I believe not in God, fo I believe not in what 
 
 is 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 319 
 
 h called his church ; nor do I look upon the com- 
 munion of thofe who wor/hip him^ in any other 
 lights than that of a mere chimera, 1 believe 
 not in the remijfion of fins, I look for no refur- 
 re^ion^ nor indulge any hope of everlafting life. 
 Let us eat and drink ; for to-morrow we die. 
 Was any man ferioufly to repeat, in your 
 hearing, fuch a confefTion of his faith ; would 
 you fix upon fuch a one for the manage- 
 ment of your eftate ? Would you entruft him 
 with the charge of your wife, or chufe him 
 for the guardian of your children ? Would it 
 be poflible for you to depend upon his word, 
 or confide m his honefty ? Now, ima- 
 
 gine this very infidel, in fome future feafon, 
 convinced of his former errors, and firmly 
 perfuaded that he ads under the eye of an 
 omnifcient God, who will bring every work into 
 judgment^ with every fecret thing (a). Suppofe 
 him fmiting upon his breaft with the peni- 
 tent publican, and determining with St. Paul, 
 to know nothing among men^ fave Jefus Chrifiy 
 and him crucified (b). Would you not indulge 
 a better opinion of this man, in his believ« 
 ing ftate, than when he rejeded, with modern 
 philofophers, the dodrines of chrifi-ianity ? It 
 could not pofiibly be ctherwife. So true it h^ 
 
 , that, 
 (a) Ecdef. xii. 14. (b) i Cor. ii. 2. 
 
$26 TitE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL* 
 
 that, in certain cafes, your condud will give 
 the lie to your arguments againft the utility 
 of evangelical doflrines. 
 
 J. J. RoufTeau profefTes to have hated l^ad 
 maxims lefs than evil anions; when, as a wife 
 man, he ihould have deteR:ed the former as 
 the caufe of the latter. It is not fufficient, 
 that we profefs to make the principles of virtue 
 the ground of our condu6c, unlefs that bafisr 
 be eftablifhed upon an Immoveable foundation. 
 Without attending to this rule, w^e refemble 
 thofe Indians, who fuppofe the world to be 
 founded upon the back of an elephant, while 
 that elephant is fupported by the ihell of a 
 tortoife *, and who, perfectly fatisfied with fuch 
 a difcovery, attempt not to underhand any 
 more of the matter. 
 
 A fyftem of morality, how beautiful foever 
 it may appear, unlefs it be fupported by 
 dodlrines of the utmoft confiftency and firm- 
 nefs, may be compared to a fplendid palace 
 eredted upon the fands : in fome unexpeded 
 ftorm it will afuiredly be fwept away, prov- 
 ing, at once, the difgrace of its builder, and 
 the ruin of its inhabitant. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
The portrait of st. paul. 321 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 An appeal to experience, 
 
 XLXPERIENCE goes far in the decifion 
 of many difficult queftions, and before it the 
 moft fubtile fophifm cannot long maintain its 
 ground. To this, therefore, we cheerfully ap- 
 peal, for the happy efFeds of the Gofpel. 
 Ye Incredulous fages of the day, fhew us a 
 ftngle enemy to the dodrines of revelation, 
 who may truly be called a humble man, con- 
 ducing himfelf foberly, juftly, and religioufly, 
 in all the trying circumftances of life — Through 
 the whole circle of your infidel acquaintance, 
 you will feek fuch a one in vain. 
 
 If it be faid, that J. J. Roufleau, though 
 a profefTed fceptic, prefented us with the por- 
 trait of a perfedlly honeft man. We anfwer, 
 in the firft place, that J. J. Roufleau rejeded 
 not the Gofpel, as an obftinate enemy; but 
 rather counted it an afflidlion, that he was un- 
 able to embrace its dodrines: and fecondly, 
 that this philofopher was equally deftitute of 
 humility and religion. 
 
 Vol. II. W It 
 
322 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 
 
 It muft be confefled, that there are multi- 
 tudes of inconfiftent perfons in the world, who 
 conftantly deceive themfelves, and who fre- 
 quently delude others, by their fallacious no- 
 tions o^ faith and incredulity. We meet with 
 many, who, while they rank themfelves in 
 the number of believers, are ufually employed 
 in the work of infidels : and, on the other 
 hand, we obferve divers penitent worfhippers, 
 v/ho, through an excefs of humility, account 
 themfelves no better than infidels, while they 
 manifefl in their condudl the fidelity of chrif- 
 tians. But thefe particular exceptions are in- 
 fufHcient to deftroy the general rule here con- 
 tended for : fince the former mufl be looked 
 upon as helieverSy and the latter as infidels^ 
 only in appearance. The firfl have not fin- 
 cerity enough to acknowledge their fecret in- 
 credulity: and the lafl have not light fufHcient 
 to determine the exa6t degree of their ad- 
 vancement in the chriftian faith. The latter 
 deferve our pity, while the former merit our 
 Indignation. 
 
 But turn your eyes upon an enlightened 
 believer. Behold St. Paul, after his memora- 
 ble fubmifTion to the perfecuted Jefus ! The 
 love of God pofTefTes his foul, and he con- 
 
 fecrates 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 323 
 
 fecrates all his powers to the fervlce of his 
 exalted mafter. Appointed to inftru6l the ig- 
 norant, he difcharges his important commifTioii 
 with indefatigable zeal. Carrying to the af- 
 flidled both fpiritual and temporal fuccours, 
 he appears to be borne from eaft to weft, as 
 upon the wings, of an eagle. He is ready to 
 fpend and be fpent, for the common interefts 
 of mankind. He proves his fidelity and gra- 
 titude to Chrift, at the hazard of his life. 
 His magnanimity and fortitude, his refigna- 
 tion and patience, his generofity and candor, 
 his benevolence and conftancy, are, at once, 
 the amazement of his enemies, and the glory 
 of his followers. Behold this converted pha- 
 rifee, and acknowledge the wondrous efficacy 
 of evangelical dodtrines. 
 
 Ye flaves of philofophical prejudice ! how 
 long will you miftake the nature of dodrines 
 fo happily adapted to humble fupercilious man ; 
 fo perfedlly calculated to deftroy both prefump- 
 tion and defpair-, to bend the moft hardened 
 under the tender prefTure of mercy, and carry- 
 up grateful believers to the fublimeft fummit 
 of virtue ? Behold three thoufand jews fub- 
 mitting, at the fame inftant, to the conftrain- 
 ing power of thefe dodrines. Through their 
 
 W 2 tran^ 
 
^24 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 tranfcendent efficacy, innumerable miracles are 
 ftill daily operated among us. They difpel the 
 mifts of ignorance, they deflroy the feeds of 
 injuftice, they extinguilTi irregular defire, and 
 open in the heart a fource of univerfal charity 1 
 Thus, the multitude of them^ that formerly be- 
 lieved^ were of one heart and one foul: Sec, 
 Enjoying together the fovereign good^ it was 
 not poffible for them to contend with each 
 other for the trifling enjoyments of time and 
 fenfe. God had given them his only-begot- 
 ten Son \ how then could they refufe any thing 
 to their indigent brethren ! 
 
 Long after St. Luke had borne teftimony 
 to the unexampled charity of chriftians, we 
 find TertuUian citing the following teftimony, 
 which his heathen cotemporaries were con- 
 ftrained to bear in favor of the fame chriftian 
 virtue. Behold^ fay they, how thefe chriflians 
 love^ and are prepared to die for each other! 
 Yes, adds this celebrated chriftian father. We 
 who have hut one heart and one foul^ are not 
 afraid to have one purfe. Among us all things 
 are common^ except our wives (a). 
 
 If 
 
 (a) Vide, inquiunt [gentes] ut [ifll chrlftiani] invicem 
 fe diligunt, et ut pro alterutro mori funt parati.— -Qui 
 
 animo 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 325 
 
 If the teftlmony here produced fhould be 
 dlfregarded, becaufe drawn from the writings 
 of a profefled advocate for chriftianity, we will 
 readily come to another teft. Pliny bears wit- 
 nefs to the pure converfation of the perfecuted 
 chriftians of his time. And the Emperor Ju- 
 lian himfelf, one of the moft enlightened as 
 well as implacable enemies of chriftianity, ex- 
 horted his heathen fubjecfts to pradife among 
 themfelves the duties of charity after the exam- 
 ple of chriftians, JVho abound^ faith he, in a5ls 
 of benevolence. And as to the joy, with which 
 they facrificed their lives, when occafion fo 
 required : ^hey go^ continues he, to deaths as 
 bees fwarm to the hive. Such influence have 
 the dodrines of our holy religion upon the 
 condudl of its fincere profeflbrs, even by the 
 confeflion of their inveterate enemies. 
 
 It appears, then, that St. Paul was employ- 
 ed like an experienced moralift, while he was 
 engaged in ereding the facred edifice of mo- 
 rality, upon the folid foundation of evangelical 
 truths. And the doctrines he made choice 
 
 W 3 of 
 
 animo animaque mifcemur, nihil de rei communicatlone 
 dubitamus. Omnia indifcreta funt apud nos, prs^ter 
 uxores, Apologeticus, chap. 39, 
 
326 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL^ 
 
 of, as peculiarly fuited to this purpofe, were 
 thofe which refped the mercy of God in 
 Chrift Jefus. Upon thefe he laid the greateil 
 flrefs, and from thefe he drew his moil per- 
 fuafive arguments to virtue and piety. Wit- 
 nefs that memorable exhortation delivered to 
 his Roman converts — / befeech you^ brethren^ 
 by the mercies of God^ that ye prefent your bodies 
 a living facnfice^ holy^ acceptable unto God^ which 
 is your reafonable fervice (b). 
 
 To withhold from the degenerate this cheer- 
 ing truth, Te are bought with a price (c), is 
 to deny them one of the mod powerful mo- 
 tives to love and glorify God in their bodies 
 and in their fouls^ which appertain to him by 
 the endearing right of redemption^ as well as by 
 that original right of creation^ to which they 
 are generally rendered infenlible through the 
 afflidlions and difappointments of life. Inftrudl 
 them concerning the fandtity of the divine 
 Law \ fet before them the guilt of their in- 
 numerable offences \ and the juil fears, to 
 which fuch difcoveries muft naturally give rife, 
 will make exigence itfelf an intolerable bur- 
 den. But when the Gofpel of our redemp- 
 tion 
 
 (b) Rom. xii. i. (c) i Cor. vi. 20. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. QZy 
 
 tion begins to difUpate their doubts, and allay 
 the anguifh of their remorfe, they will be en- 
 abled to go on their way rejoicing, through 
 the ftrideft paths of obedience and morality. 
 
 W 4 CHAP. 
 
328 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL^ 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 'An olje5flon anjwered^ which may he drawn from 
 the ill conduct of unholy chriftians^ to frove the 
 inutility of the do5irines of the GofpeL 
 
 X HEY, who exalt philofophy againft reve- 
 lation, imagine that, to invalidate the preceding 
 refledions, they need only make the following 
 reply: All chrijiians receive the Apoftles^ Greedy 
 hut their faith is^ in general^ unattended with the 
 happy effeSis you have been recounting. Grimes 
 of every kind are com?nitted by the difciples of 
 Jefus ; and their do^irines^ inflead of producing 
 charity^ engender little elfe than difpute and per- 
 fccution. The ferious nature of this ob- 
 
 jedion demands a fuitable reply. 
 
 A true chriftian was never known to be a 
 perfecutor. The cruel difputes which have 
 arifen among faithlefs chriftians, have not ne- 
 ceflarily fprung from the nature of fcriptural 
 dodlrines, but rather from the pride of thofe 
 tyrannical dodtors, who have contended for 
 their particular explications of fuch dodrines. 
 To infinuate, then, that the dodrines of the 
 
 Gofpel 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 329 
 
 Gofpel (hould be utterly rejedled, becaufe fome 
 churchmen have taken occafion from them to 
 ftir up vehement contefts, would fcarcely be lefs 
 abfurd, than to contend that anarchy Is to 
 be preferred before an excellent code of laws, 
 becaufe unprincipled lawyers are accuftomed to 
 foment ftrife, and have it always in their power 
 to protrad a caufe. As to the extravagant 
 explications, which the fubtllty or power of 
 man has fubftituted In the place of evangeli- 
 cal dodrlnes, they can no more be fald to 
 prove the falfity or unprofitablenefs of fuch 
 dodtrlnes, than the detefted policy of tyrants 
 can weaken the force of that apoftolic pre- 
 cept, Let every foul he fuhje5i unto the higher 
 powers (a). But let us come to the main knot 
 of the difficulty. 
 
 They, who have unfeignedly embraced the 
 dodlrines of Chrift, far from indulging in any 
 fpecies of vice, have carried every virtue to 
 a degree of perfedion, furpaffing almod the 
 conception of other men. Rouffeau and Mon- 
 tefquieu acknowledge that, even in thofe coun- 
 tries where the Gofpel has but imperfedlly 
 taken root, rebellions have been lefs frequent 
 than in other places. The fame acknowledg- 
 ment 
 (a) Rom, xili, i» 
 
33 O THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 
 
 ment mull: be made, by every unprejudiced 
 obferver, with regard to crimes of every kind. 
 Many offences. It mufl: be owned, are every 
 where common among the profejGTors of chrif- 
 tianity, but they would have been abundantly 
 more frequent, if antichriftian philofophers had 
 been able to take from them the little re- 
 fpe^fl they ftill retain for a revealed Gofpel. 
 Moreover, there are many rare virtues, which 
 chiefly flouriili In fecret : and they, who de- 
 ferve the name of chrlfl-Ians, might aftonifh 
 incredulity itfelf, had not Chrlft commanded 
 them to perform their bell: fervices in fo pri- 
 vate a manner, that the left hand might not 
 know how the right was engaged. 
 
 Nothing can be more unjuft, than to im- 
 pute thofe evils to the chriftian religion, which 
 evidently flow from Incredulity and fuperfti- 
 tion, fanaticifm and hypocrify, Jefus Chrift 
 requires of his followers an ardent love both 
 to God and manj fuch a love as was exem- 
 plified in the whole of his own condud through 
 life. The incredulous deny, either wholly or 
 in part, the debt of grateful love, which the 
 innumerable mercies of God impofe upon 
 them : fmce while the atheift refufes to ac- 
 knowledge him as the Creator and Preferver 
 
 of 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 33 1 
 
 of m^n, the deift rejeds him as the author of 
 our redemption and fan5lification. The fuperfti^ 
 tiousy indeed, acknowledge thefe immenfe debts ; 
 but they pretend to pay them with idle cere- 
 monies, and vain repetitions of tedious forms. 
 The fanatic attempts to difcharge them with 
 unfruitful fervors ; and the hypocrite with ftudied 
 grimace. But thefe errors cannot reafonably 
 be confidered in common with our holy re- 
 ligion, which expofes and condemns them all. 
 
 The life of a chriftian, fo called, mufl ne- 
 cefiarily become pure, when he is adually 
 poflefTed of chriftian faith, i. e. when he is 
 ftrongly perfuaded, that he walks in the pre- 
 fence of the Almighty, who being his father 
 by Creation^ becomes fo in a ftill more affec- 
 tionate and effedtual manner, by the myfterious 
 exertions of his redeeming and fanElifying grace, 
 Thefe three aftonifhing operations of the Su- 
 preme Being, are imdoubtedly three grand 
 evidences of his love to man, and muft be 
 confidered, as fo many abundant fources of 
 chriftian charity among the members of his 
 church. Hence, the man, who acknowledges 
 but one of thefe proofs, cannot pofTibl^ bc- 
 united either to his brethren, or to his God, 
 • with fo ardent an affedlion, as he who admits 
 
 and 
 
3J2 THE PORTRAIT OF ST* PAUL. 
 
 and experiences all the three. The divine 
 charity, here fpoken of, is produced in the 
 heart by means of faith, and from it proceeds 
 every focial virtue, with every praife-worthy 
 aflion. 
 
 All this is conformable both to reafon and 
 experience. A weak fubjecfi: will fear to dif- 
 obey a powerful king, whofe eye is actually 
 fixed upon him ; at lead, fo long as he is 
 penetrated with this thought, The King oh- 
 ferves me, A fon will never exalt himfelf 
 againft a good father, while he believes, that 
 his father, in every poflible fenfe, is good with 
 refped to him. Brethren, who cordially ac- 
 knowledge each other as fuch, will not dare 
 to abufe one another in the prefence of a fa- 
 ther, who is infinitely powerful : and while he 
 leads them to take pofTefTion of a kingdom, 
 which his generofity has divided among them, 
 they will not threaten to murder each other, 
 under the eyes of their parent, for the pof- 
 feiTion of any little enjoyment that prefents 
 itfelf upon the road. The fons of Jacob had 
 never fold their brother Jofeph, if they had 
 been firmly perfuaded, that Ifrael would one 
 day difcover their crim.e: and they would 
 
 have 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL; 2:?.? 
 
 ^ %J K^ 
 
 have conceived the greateft horror, had they 
 really believed that their Heavenly Father was 
 prefent at the impious tranfadlion, refolvlng 
 to call them, at fome future feafon, to a fe- 
 vere account, in the face of the world. A 
 faith, which has no influence upon the con- 
 dud, is no other than the faith of hypocrites, 
 upon whom our Lord denounces the moil 
 terrible judgments, threatening them with ever-' 
 lafting baniihment from his prefence, into that 
 outer darknefs, where fnall be weepings and 
 wailing^ and gnajliing of teeth, I will /hew thee 
 my faiths faith St. James, by my works (b). 
 If any man fay^ continues St. John, / believe 
 in God, / love God^ and hateth his brother^ he 
 is a liar (c). The fame principles, which, m 
 the prefent moment, gain the afcendancy in 
 man, give rife to the words and adlions of 
 the moment: and hence that faying of the 
 apoille, Whofoever abideth in him^ [Chrift] ftn- 
 neth not : whofoever ftnneth^ hath not feen hiniy 
 through the medium of a true and lively 
 faith (d). 
 
 If there are found profefTors of chriftianity, 
 in whom the truths of the Gofpel have failed 
 to produce a holy converfation, we may take 
 
 it 
 (b) James il, 18. (c) i John iv. 20. (d) x John iil. 6. 
 
3^4 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL.' 
 
 It for granted, that fucli perfons are infidels 
 in dirguife, and totally unacquainted with the 
 Gofpel, except it be in theory. The faith 
 which is common to thefe nominal chriftians. 
 Is purely fpeculative^ not differing lefs from 
 the folid faith of a true believer, than a fun 
 upon canvafs differs from that, which fpreads 
 light and heat among furrounding worlds. As 
 a plant cannot be nourifhed by the fuperficial 
 application of ftrange fap to its rind, but 
 by a fap peculiar to Its own nature, which, 
 flowing beneath its bark, penetrates, enlivens, 
 and nouriihes every part of the plant : fo 
 the condud of a man cannot poffibly be 
 reformed by notions or do6lrines colle6led 
 from books, but by thofe, which, penetrating 
 beyond his judgment, infinuate themfelves into 
 his heart, and become incorporated with his 
 very being. 
 
 This anfwer cannot juftly be regarded as a 
 vain fubterfuge. To be convinced of its fo- 
 lidity, it will be fufficient to confider, how the 
 foul is affeded according to the different de- 
 grees of any impreffion that is made upon it* 
 While Jacob was ftill lamenting the fuppofed 
 death of Tofeph, Reuben informed him that 
 his beloved fon was yet alive,- and enjoying 
 
 the 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. 235 
 
 the fecond place of dignity In Egypt. Thcfs 
 tidings at fir ft appeared delufive to the good 
 old man, who was no otherwife affeded by 
 them, than by fome extravagant relation. But 
 when the affirmations of Reuben were feconded 
 by the joint teftlmony of his other fons, his 
 earneft attention was Immediately excited, his 
 incredulity was gradually overcome, and his 
 fainting heart began to revive. The waggons 
 and prefents of Jofeph now appearing, in con- 
 firmation of his childrens' report, his doubts 
 were entirely diifipated : My fen, cried he, is 
 yet alive I I will go and fee him, before I die. 
 This animating perfuafion, Jofeph is yet alive^ 
 feemed to reftore the languifhing patriarch to 
 all the vigor of former years. Fie renounced 
 a terreftrial Canaan •, he turned his back upon 
 the tombs of Ifaac and Rachel ; and, with 
 all the courage of youth, fet forward to em- 
 brace his newly difcovered fon in Egypt. So 
 certain it Is, that a truth in which we are 
 deeply interested, will change, m fome degree, 
 our very nature, and modify the foul itfelf. 
 
 Thus the Gofpel of God our Saviour af- 
 fe6ls every true believer. And why Ihould 
 Egypt have greater charms than Heaven f 
 Or, why fhould an invitation from the virtu- 
 ous 
 
33^ THE PORTRAIT OF St. PAUL.^ 
 
 ous foil of Rachel have greater weight, than 
 that which comes from the divine Son of 
 Mary ? Were the fruits, which Jofeph fent 
 his father, to be preferred before thofe of the 
 Spirit, with which Chrift replenifhes his fa- 
 vored Ifrael (e) ? Or, did the diflembling fons 
 of Jacob merit greater credit, than the apof- 
 tles of our exalted Lord, though feconded by 
 that noble army of martyrs, who have fealed 
 with their blood the truths of the Gofpel ? 
 Alas ! if the fundamental dodlrines of this 
 Gofpel, (for we fpeak not here of thofe hu- 
 man additions, by which it is too frequently 
 disfigured and weakened) had but deeply pene- 
 trated our hearts, we fhould bear teftimony 
 by our condu6l, to the truth of the follow- 
 ing aflertion — If any man be indeed a chrif- 
 tian, he is a new creature \ old things are pajfed 
 away \ all things are become new (f )• 
 
 But why fhould we go back to the times 
 of Jacob, to prove, that do6trines have an in- 
 fluence upon the conducl of men, in propor- 
 tion to the degree of faith, with which they 
 are received ? Let us return, and caft a re- 
 trofpedive viev/ upon the various circumftances 
 of our pad life. If we have at any time 
 
 felt 
 
 (e) Gal. V. 22, 23. (f) 2 Cor. v. 17. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 337 
 
 felt a lively perfuafion of the truth of the 
 Gofpel. If, at our firft approaching the facra- 
 mental table, or, after hearing fome pathetic 
 fermon, we have really believed, that God was in 
 Chriji reconciling the world unto himfelf (g), and 
 promifing his people, in return for their tempo, 
 rary labors, everlafting rewards— have we not, 
 at fuch a moment, perceived the love of God 
 and man fpringiiig up in our hearts ? Now, if this 
 partial perfuafion had fpread itfelf through the 
 whole foul, would not our devotion, our hu- 
 mility, and our charity, have been carried to 
 a much higher degree of perfedlion, than we 
 have hitherto experienced ? Would not our 
 good works, of every kind, have been abun- 
 dantly more excellent and numerous, than we 
 can now poflibly pretend to ? 
 
 On the other hand, let us look back to 
 the days of youth, and we ihall recolledl a 
 time, in which the dodrines of the Gofpel 
 began to lofe the little influence, they had 
 once maintained over our condud : we fhall 
 remember, at leail, when the licentious prin- 
 ciples of worldly men, and the falfe maxims 
 of infidel philofophers, infinuated themfelves 
 into our corrupted hearts. And have we not. 
 Vol. IL X lince 
 
 (g) 2 Cor. V. 19. 
 
33^ THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUt. 
 
 fince that time, experienced, that the flrldefl 
 connexion fubfifts between thofe maxi?m and 
 mmorality ? Have we not, from that unhappy 
 period, become more debauched in fentiment, 
 lefs circumfpedl in our outward behavior, and 
 more difpofed to trample upon the principles 
 of natural religion, as well as upon evangeli- 
 cal precepts ? From thefe obfervations, 
 we fhall proceed to draw the following in- 
 ferences. 
 
 1. If morality may be compared to a tree, 
 whofe fruit is for the nourilhment of man- 
 kind, true doolrines may be conlidered as the 
 roots of this tree. Take away thefe dodlrines, 
 under pretence that they embarrafs morality, 
 and you ridiculoufly cut away the roots of 
 this facred plant, left they fbould prove an 
 impediment to its rifing perfedlion. Now he, 
 who thus feeks the morality of the Gofpel 
 by reprobating evangelical dodlrines, would adt 
 entirely confiftent with his charadler, was he 
 to plant his orchard with trees deprived of 
 their roots, in order that they might produce 
 the more excellent fruit. 
 
 2. As in the vegetable kingdom, fruits are 
 nouriftied and matured by that vegetative 
 
 energy, 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL," 3^9 
 
 hhergy, v/hlch draws the fap from the root^ 
 refining, and diftributlng it among the feveral 
 branches : Co in the moral world, charity and 
 good works can only be produced by that 
 living faith, which firft receives the dodrines 
 of truth, and then becomes a kind of vehicle 
 to their invigorating virtue. This faith 
 
 was rightly characterized by Chrift and his 
 apoftles, when they reprefented it as the 
 grace, by which we are principally faved; 
 fince this grace alone is capable of producing 
 in us that lively hope, that ardent charity, 
 and that univerfal obedience, which will ever 
 diftinguifh the believer from the infidel. He, 
 therefore, who declaims againft this fcriptu- 
 ral faith, whether he be a novice 6r a phi- 
 lofopher, indiredtly pleads the caufe of vice, 
 and gives fufficient proof of his fpiritual ig- 
 norance. 
 
 3. From what has been advanced, we may 
 infer the neceflity there is, of avoiding the 
 miftake of the gnoftics on the one hand ; and 
 the error of incredulous fages on the other: 
 the former of whom, contending for a fpecu^ 
 lative faith^ falute Chrift as their Lord^ though 
 they refufe to obey his commands; while the 
 
 X 2 latter 
 
340 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 latter, holding faith m the utmoft derifion, and 
 depending upon their own power for the per- 
 formance of every good work, pollute, by 
 unworthy motives, the moft excellent of their 
 adlions. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
^HE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 34I 
 
 CHAP. XI. 
 
 ne fame fubje£f coiitinued. 
 
 Jl\ S many have taken great offence in 
 obfervlng, how little eifedl the dodrines of 
 the Gofpel have upon the lives of chriftians, 
 fo called, it becomes us here to enquire into 
 the caufes of this grand evil. 
 
 The dodrines, which diftinguifh chriftianity 
 from theifm, have this peculiarity, that no 
 man can poflibly receive them, unlefs he has 
 firft fincerely embraced the dodlrines of theifm. 
 He muft believe in God, before he can be- 
 lieve in Chrift; he muft have the fincerity 
 of an honeft heathen, before he comes to the 
 poflefTion of chriftian charity. It is ufual with 
 the whole multitude of outward profeffors to 
 cry out, in their public fervices ; IVe believe 
 in J ejus Chriji. We believe in the Holy Ghofl : 
 &c. though their faith, it may be, is not 
 equal to that of devils, who believe in the 
 exiftence of a rewarding and avenging God, 
 with fincerity fufficient to make them tremble 
 before him. But thefe hypocrites can no more. 
 
 X 3 be 
 
342 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUW 
 
 be fald to believe, from the heart, the latter 
 articles of the Apoftles' Creed, than thofe 
 children, who are yet unacquainted with the 
 alphabet, may be faid to have perufed and 
 digeiled the moft profound authors. The 
 
 higher dodlrines of the Gofpel muft necefTarily 
 appear botji ufelefs and abfurd to thofe, whoie 
 faith in God is not fufficient to penetrate 
 them with a holy fear : for as we cannot ar- 
 rive at manhood, without firft paffing through 
 the ftate of infancy, fo we cannot cordially 
 receive the latter part of the Apoftles' Creed, 
 till we have firft embraced the former part 
 by a lively and ftedfafl: faith. Why did Caia- 
 phas refufe to believe in Chrlft ? Becaufe he 
 was but an hypocrite with refped to the jewifh 
 faith. On the contrary, why did Cornehus the 
 centurion fo readily believe ? It was, undoubted- 
 ly, becaufe the fmcerity of his faith in God had 
 prepared his heart for the reception of faith in 
 Chrift. Every man^ faith this divine Saviour, 
 t1;at hath heard^ and hath learned of the Father^ 
 cometh unto me {^). Te who believe in God, he- 
 lieve alfo in me : and I will pray the Father, and 
 He Jliall give yon another Comforter, even the 
 Spirit of truth (b). 
 
 ' Tbefe 
 
 (a) John vi. 4?. (b) John xiv. i, 16, 17. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 343 
 
 Thefe fundamental dodlrines compofe the 
 ladder of evangelical truth, in which he who 
 tafces oflFence at any fingle ftep, runs a dou- 
 ble hazard, that of afcending no higher, and 
 even that of falling from the ftep where he 
 has obftinately determined to take up his reft. 
 He that doeth truths comet h to the light (c) ; 
 but he that refufes the firft truthw^, places 
 himfelf beyond the poffibility of receiving 
 thofe which are of a more fublime nature. 
 If he has not firft obferved the dawn of the 
 Gofpel day, he can never comtemplate our 
 divine Sun, when fhining in his meridian 
 brightnefs. 
 
 The articles of the chriftlan faith may be 
 comparjsd tq a courfe of geometrical propo- 
 rtions, the laft of which always fuppofe a 
 perfed: knowledge of the firft. To require, 
 then, of fpiritual infants any high and im- 
 portant adls of faith in Jefus Chrift, or in 
 the Holy Spirit, before they are taught to 
 entertain juft notions of the Supreme Being, 
 v/ould be equally unreafonable, as for a man 
 to pretend, that it is poflible to make a good 
 geometrician of an ignorant peafant, by in- 
 ftrudling him to repeat the terms of Euclid's 
 
 X 4 laft 
 
 (c) John ill. 21. 
 
344 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, - 
 
 iaft propoiitions, without ever bringing him 
 to a true underftanding of the firft. Now if 
 the generality of chriftians are contented with 
 learning merely to repeat our dodrinal terms, 
 we muft exped to fee them as. far from mani- 
 fefting the virtues of St Paul, as the fuper- 
 ficial peafant from poffeffing the folidity of 
 Euclid, 
 
 CHAP. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL* 345 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 Other reafons given for the littk influence^ which 
 the foregoing doBrines are ohferved to have upon 
 chrijlians in generaU 
 
 JlRO FIT ABLY to teach the do(5lrines of 
 the Gofpel, there are certain rules neceflarf 
 to be obferved ; and where thefe rules are 
 either unknown or negledled, the Gofpel be- 
 comes of little importance. 
 
 I. A true dodrine, in order to have its 
 due effedl, muft be announced with purity. It 
 fhould neither be mutilated by hafly contrac- 
 tions, nor corrupted by vain additions. The 
 prince of error equally ferves his own intereft, 
 by perplexing the truth, as by fpreading a 
 falfehood : and when errors are added to evan- 
 gelical truths, thofe truths may be compared 
 to excellent medicines unhappily mingled with 
 dangerous poifons. Thus, the do61:rine of 
 future punifhm.ents is not only deprived of 
 its utility, but becomes really pernicious, by 
 the addition of another do6lrine, which teaches, 
 that a fum of money left as the price of 
 
 prayer 
 
34^ THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 prayer for a departed foul, will effedually 
 foften, and even terminate its pains. 
 
 2. A dodrine fhould not only be delivered 
 m the purejl manner, but they, who announce 
 it, fhould ftudy to demonftrate its excellency 
 and power, by the whole courfe of -their con- 
 dudl. Were leprous phyficians to cry up a fpe- 
 cific againlx the leprofy^ it cannot be imagined, 
 that lepers, in general, would anxiouily adopt 
 a remedy, which had been attended with fo 
 little efFed: upon the recommenders of it. We 
 here intimate, not without the utmoft regret, 
 that too many of the clergy deftroy the efFedl 
 of their dodrines, by the immorality of their 
 cqndud. 
 
 3. To give fcriptural dodrines their full 
 efFed, it is necefiary to make them pafs from 
 the underftanding to the will, or from the 
 judgment to the heart, of thofe who admit 
 them. It would be in vain to procure for 
 a patient the moft efficacious remedy, if, in- 
 ftead pf applying it according to the method 
 prefcribed, he fhould think it fufficient to 
 touch it with his lips, or fhould content him- 
 felf with drawing in the grateful odor ex- 
 haling from it. To fuch a patient, however, 
 
 the 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. 347 
 
 the greater part of chrlftlans bear a ftrid re- 
 fembJance, who {peculate upon the Gofpel, 
 yilthout ever embracing it with that Ywdy faith^ 
 which worktth by love (a). 
 
 4. It IS not fufficient, that thefe dodtrines 
 fhould be preached in their native purity^ 
 but it is equally neceflary, that they fhould 
 be preferved in that puriiy by thofe who 
 receive them. Our Lord makes this fo- 
 lemn declaration to finners : Except ye repent^ 
 ye Jhall all likewife perijh (b). Yet how is it, 
 that many thoufands of chriftians, who admit 
 this important truth, remain to the prefent day 
 in a ftate of impenitence ? It is becaufe they 
 mingle with it the following pernicious error : 
 though I fpend the prefent momeyit in fin, 
 God will afluredly give me grace to repent 
 in the latter part of my life. Hence that la- 
 mentable inattention to the duties of religion, 
 which is fo univerfal among us at this day. ' 
 
 5. Very frequently, the dodrines of the 
 Gofpel are attended with no conliderable eiFedl 
 upon thofe who admit them, becaufe the fa- 
 lutary operation of thefe truths is counteradled 
 J)y the powerful influence of earthly deflres 
 
 indulged 
 (a) Gal. V. 6. (b) Luke xiii. 3. 
 
24-S THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 indulged in the heart. Thus, in a difordered 
 ftomach, the moil wholefome food is deprived 
 of its virtue.. To remedy this evil, it is 
 neceflary to enter upon a regimen too fevere 
 to be regarded by an obftinate patient, and 
 upon the abfolute necefTity of which an inat* 
 tentive phylician will not peremptorily infift. 
 
 6. Where dodlrines of the mofl: humiliat- 
 ing tendency have not firfl made a deep im- 
 prefTion, there the confolatory dodtrines of the 
 Gofpel tend only to uphold the finner in a 
 courfe of impiety. Thofe preachers, who fa- 
 vor the falfe judgm.ent of worldly men, want- 
 ing either courage or experience wifely to 
 minifter the dodrines of the Gofpel, fo that 
 they may alarm the impenitent and confole 
 the dejedled ♦, thefe preachers, inftead of eradi- 
 cating, do but increafe the evil we lament. 
 It cannot, indeed, be denied, that they offer 
 many facred truths to the world : but, while 
 they do not nicely diftinguifh and apply them 
 to the different ftates of their hearers, as 
 they only draw their bow at a venture, it is 
 no wonder that their arrows fo frequently fall 
 befide the mark. Thefe perplexers of truth 
 contribute as little to the converfion of iinners, 
 as a phyfician would contribute to the recovery 
 
 of 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 349 
 
 of the fick, who, without any prudent fele6tion, 
 compounding together all the drugs of an ex- 
 cellent pharmacopoeia, ihould indlfcrlmlnately 
 offer the fame confufed recipe to every patientr 
 
 7. The dodlrlnes of chrlfllanlty are fre- 
 quently delivered as the opinions of men, rather 
 than as the declarations of God, founded upon 
 events much better attteiled than the moil 
 certain hlftorical fadls : and to this Jingle error 
 the InefHcacy of thofe dodrlnes may, in a 
 good degree, be imputed. Were reafon and 
 confcience made to walk in the front of the 
 Gofpel, the want of a Redeemer would be 
 more unlverfally experienced In the world, than 
 it has hitherto been. But, while the preach- 
 ers • of that Gofpel negledt to aflert the de- 
 pravity of human nature ; or,' while they omit, 
 in confirmation of fo melancholy a truth, to 
 make the moft folemn appeals to the con- 
 fciences of men ; fo long we may expecfl: to 
 fee their ill-dlre6led labors unlverfally unfuc- 
 cefsful. Had thefe teachers in Ifrael an expe- 
 rimental acquaintance with thofe truths, upon 
 which they prefume openly to defcant, their 
 word would fpeedlly be attended with unufual 
 efficacy \ their example would give it weight, 
 and, in anfwer to their fervent prayers, the 
 
 God 
 
350 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAtJL, 
 
 God of all grace would fet his feal to the 
 truth of the Gofpel. 
 
 Whenever the mefiengers of religious truth 
 fhall become remarkable for the purity of their 
 lives, and the fervency of their zeal, their doc- 
 trines will be foon attended with fufHcient in- 
 fluence in the chriftian world, to overthrow the 
 objedion we have been here confidering, and 
 efFedually to flop the mouth of every gainfayer. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 351 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 
 ^he do5frines of chrifiianity have an ohfcure Jide, 
 ^he reafons of this ohfciirity, 'The error of feme 
 philofophers in this refpeB, 
 
 jThE GofpeU %s J. J. Roufleau, is acconu 
 fanied with marks of truth, fo great, fo Jir iking, 
 fo perfe^ly inimitable, that the inventor of it ap-^ 
 pears abundantly more admirable than its Hero, 
 But, after all, this Gofpel is filed with incr edi- 
 ble things, with things that are repugnant to 
 reafon, and which no fenjible man can pojfibly 
 conceive, or admit. Remove all the diffi- 
 
 culties, continue the admirers of this philo- 
 fopher, dijfipate all the obfcurity with which its 
 do5lrines are furrounded, and we , will cheerfully 
 embrace the Gofpel, 
 
 Extraordinary things appear always incredible, 
 in proportion to our ignorance. Thus, an 
 ignorant negro of Guinea would look upon 
 that man as a deceiver, who fhould afTert, 
 that there are places in the world, where the 
 furface of rivers become fo folid, at particu- 
 lar feafons, thaC, without bridge or boat, whole 
 
 armies 
 
352 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. 
 
 armies may pafs them dryihod. And it is 
 well known, that the dodrine of Antipodes 
 gave no lefs ofFence to the celebrated geogra- 
 phers of a former age, than is unhappily 
 given to the deiftical fages of modern times 
 by the docflrine of a divine I'rinity, 
 
 As we become better acquainted with fpi- 
 ritual things, inftead of defpifing the truths 
 of the Gofpel as altogether incredible, we 
 fhaii be truly convinced, that J. J. RoufTeau 
 pafTed the fame kind of judgment upon the 
 dodrines of chriflianity, as a favage might be 
 expeded to pafs upon fome late difcoveries 
 in natural philofophy. The fclences prefent a 
 hundred difficulties to the minds of young 
 Hudents. By entering upon an obfcure courfe, 
 they, at length, attain to fuperior degrees of 
 illumination : but, after all the indefatigable 
 labors of the moft learned profeiTor, the higheft 
 knowledge he can poffibly acquire, will be 
 mingled with darknefs and error. If men of 
 wifdom, however, do not look with contempt 
 upon thofe fciences, which are ufually taught 
 among us, becaufe all of them are attended 
 with difficulties, and mofl of them are too' 
 abftrufe to permit a thorough inveftigation ; 
 how abfurd would it be in us, for thefe in- 
 
 fufficient 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. ^^7 
 
 fufficient reafons, to rejed that revelation, 
 which may be confidered as the fcience of 
 celeftial things ? 
 
 To defpife the dodlrines of the Gofpel, be- 
 caufe they are attended with fome degree of 
 obfcurity, is to adl in as full contrariety to 
 the didates of philofophy, as to thofe of re- 
 velation. No follower of J. J. RoufTeau could 
 blame us, without reproaching himfelf, if, 
 arguing from the erroneous principles of his 
 mafter, we fhould make the following declara- 
 tions — " Natural philofophy abounds with iU" 
 *' credible things^ which no fenfible man can either 
 '' conceive or admit, I have arteries^ it is faid, 
 " which carry my blood, with a fenfible pul- 
 *' fation, from the heart to the extremities 
 '' of my body \ and veins^ which, without any 
 " pulfation, recondudl the blood to the heart: 
 *' but, fmce the union of the arteries and 
 " veins is, to me, an inconceivable myftery, 
 " I cannot admit the generally-received opinion, 
 *' refpeding the circulation of the blood, I 
 *' fee that the needle of the compafs perpe- 
 " tually turns itfelf toward the pole, and I 
 " have obferved, that the loadftone communi- 
 " cates to it this difpolition : but, as it can- 
 " not be afcertained how all this is efFecled, 
 Vol. II. Y " I look 
 
^^^ THE PORTRAIT OF 3T. PAUL. 
 
 " I look Upon the voyages of Anfon and 
 " Cook, which are faij to have been per- 
 " formed by means of the compafs, juil: as 
 '^ infidels are accuftomed to look npon the 
 " Gofpel. I will no longer increafe the num- 
 *' ber of thofe ideots, who unthinkingly pafs 
 " over a bridge, while they are perfedlly un- 
 " acquainted with the plan upon which it 
 " was built •, and who vulgarly depend upon 
 their watches with regard to the regulation 
 of time, without being thoroughly verfed 
 in the mechanifm of time-pieces. I will 
 never again be perfuaded to take a medical 
 preparation, till I have penetrated into the 
 " deepeft myfteries of phyfic and chymiftry. 
 " In fhort, I refolve neither to eat, nor to 
 drink •, neither to fow my grounds, nor to 
 gaze upon th^ fun -, till I am enabled per- 
 fedly to comprehend, whatever is myfterious 
 in vegetation, light, and digeftion." If 
 
 the preceding declarations might reafonably 
 be confidered as evident tokens of a weak 
 and puerile judgment, the following affirmation 
 undoubtedly deferves to be confidered in the 
 fame point of view — " 1 grant, that the fci- 
 '* ence of pk};/ic has its unfathomable myfte- 
 *' ries : but, as a philofopher of the firft rank, 
 " I infifl: upon it, that nothing of a myf- 
 
 '' terious 
 

 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL,' ^^§ 
 
 ^* terious nature (hould be fufFered to pafs in 
 religion, that deep metaphyjical fcience^ which 
 has for its objeds, the Father of fplrits, the 
 relation In which thofe fplrits ftand to their 
 incomprehenfible Parent, their properties, 
 their light, their nourifbment, their growth, 
 their diftempers and* their remedies, their de- 
 generacy and their perfedion." Ye, who 
 are anxious to be faluted as Lovers of wif- 
 domy if fuch is the abfurdity of your common 
 objedlons againft the Gofpel of God our Sa- 
 viour, what poor pretenfions have you to the 
 boafted name of Philofophers ! 
 
 This anfwer may be fupported by the fol- 
 lowing obfervatlons. 
 
 In the prefent world, we ferve a kind of 
 fpiritual apprenticefhip to the truths which is 
 after godlinefs (a) ; and it is not ufual haftily to 
 reveal the fecrets of an art, to fuch as have 
 but lately bound themfelves to any particular 
 profeffion. This privilege is juftly referved 
 for thofe, whofe induftry and obedience have 
 merited fo valuable a teftimony of their mailer's 
 approbation. See John xiv. 21. 
 
 Y 2 A phy. 
 
 (a) Tit. i. I. 
 
^^6 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 A phyfical impoffibility of difcovering, at 
 prefent, certain obfcure truths, conftitutes the 
 vail, by which they are effectually concealed 
 jfrom our view. In order to form a perfeffc 
 judgment of the material fun, it is neceflary, 
 in the firft place, to take a near furvey of it: 
 but this cannot poflibly be done with bodies 
 of a like conilitution with ours. The fame 
 may be faid of the Father of lights. God, 
 as a fpiritual Sun, enlightens, even now, the 
 fouls of the juft : but, while they continue 
 imprifoned in tenements of clay, their views 
 of his matchlefs glory muft neceffarily be in- 
 diftindl, fince they can only behold him through 
 a glafs /darkly (b). Hence we argue, with St. 
 Paul, that as fpiritual things are fpiritually 
 difcerned, the natural man can never trulv 
 comprehend and embrace them, but in pro- 
 portion as he becomes fpiritually- minded by 
 regeneration. 
 
 The wife author of our exiftence Initiates 
 us not immediately into the myfteries which 
 lie concealed under many of our do6lrines, 
 
 e 
 
 for the very fame reafon, that a mathematician 
 conceals the moft abftrufe parts of his fcience 
 from the notice of his lefs intelligent pupils. 
 
 If 
 
 (b) I Gor. xiii. 12, 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 357 
 
 If a preceptor (hould afFedt to bring children 
 acquainted with all the difficulties of algebra, 
 before they had pafled through the firfl: rules 
 of arithmetic, fuch an attempt would defer v- 
 edly be looked upon as ridiculous and vain. 
 And is it not equally abfurd, to expect, that 
 the profoundeft myfteries of the Gofpel fhould 
 be opened to us, before we have properly di^ 
 gefted its introdudlory truths, or duly attended 
 to its loweil precepts ? 
 
 The Almighty will never perform a ufelefs 
 work, nor ever afford an unfeafonable dif- 
 covery. For the pra^iice of folid piety, it is 
 by no means neceflary, that we fhould be 
 permitted to fathom the depths of every fpiri- 
 tual myftery. It is enough, that fundamental 
 truths are revealed, with fufficient perfpicuity, 
 to produce in us that faith, which is the 
 mother of charity. When the Gofpel has 
 propofed to us the truths which give rife to 
 this humble faith, and prefented us with fuch 
 motives as evidently lead to the moft dif- 
 interefted charity, it has then furnifhed us 
 with every thing we ftand in need of to work 
 out for ourfelves a glorious falvatlon. The 
 followers of Chrift are required to tread in 
 the fteps of their mailer, and not deeply to 
 
 Y 3 fpeculate 
 
35S THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL,' 
 
 fpeculate upon the fecret things of his invi^- 
 ble kingdom. 
 
 If a clear knowledge of the myfterious lide. 
 of our do6trines is no more necelTary to man, 
 in his prefent ilate, than an acquaintance with 
 every thing that rtfpeds the art of printing, 
 is neceflary to a child, who is ftudying rhe 
 alphabet -, why then do w^e peevifhly complain 
 of the facred writers, for not having thrown: 
 light fufficient upon fome particular points to 
 fatisfy an inordinate curiofity ? Our fcruples 
 on this head fhould be filenced by the con- 
 ftant declarations of thofe very writers, that 
 the time of perfe£iion is not yet arrived ; that 
 they themfelves were acquainted, but in part, 
 with the myfteries of the Kingdom •, and that 
 the language of mortality is unfuitable to the 
 fublimity of divine things. The fea has its 
 unfathomable abyfTes, and an extent unknown 
 to the moft experienced navigators : but, not- 
 withftanding all this uncertainty, the merchant 
 is perfedbly contented, if he can but glide fe- 
 curely over its furface to the port for which 
 he is bound. 
 
 If we are placed here in a ftate of proba- 
 tion, it is reafonable that our under fianding^ 
 as w^eli as our will^ ihould be brought to the 
 
 trial. 
 
THB PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 359 
 
 n-Ia' But how Ihall the Almighty proceed 
 to make proof either of the felf-fuffidency, or 
 the diffidence, of our underftanding ? No hap- 
 pier method could certainly be adopted, than 
 that of pointing us to fuch truths, as are 
 partly manifeft and partly concealed, that we 
 may fearch them out with diUsence, if there 
 is a poffiblity of comprehending them; or, 
 if placed above the higheft ftretch of our fa- 
 culties, expeft with patience a future revelation 
 of them. 
 
 To acquire and manifeft difpofitions of a 
 truly divine nature, is poffible only under a 
 religious CEConomy, whofe doftrines are m fome 
 degree myfterious, and whofe morality has 
 fomething in it painful to human nature. 
 Why, then, do thofe perfons, who afFeft to 
 be wifer than their neighbours, unlverfally take 
 ofFence at fuch a religion ? If a myfterious 
 vail is thrown over the operations of nm 
 and the workings of providence; why fliould 
 we expeft the more wonderful operations o 
 grace to be laid unrefervedly open to every eye . 
 Philofophy, it is prefumed, will not dare tbas 
 fooliftily to deftroy the rules of analogy. Hu- 
 mility is neceffary to the perfedion of our 
 underftanding, no lefs than fagacity ^nd pene- 
 tration: on which account, God is pleafedto 
 
 Y 4 ^""g 
 
360 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 bring our humility to the teft. And this he 
 does, by difcovering to us fo much of truth, 
 as may enable us to recognife it on its firft 
 appearance; at the fame time, permitting the 
 objedls of faith to be furrounded with difficul- 
 ties, fufficient to leave room for the exercife 
 of that humble confidence in his veracity, and 
 that true poverty of fpirit, which philofophers 
 are pleafed to hold up, as juft fubjecls of ri- 
 dicule. Sound knowledge, however, .and un- 
 afreded humility, will always keep pace with 
 each other. Hence that memorable confeffion 
 of Socrates, All that I know^ is^ that I know 
 -nothing : and hence that rem.arkabie declaration 
 of St. Paul, Jf any man thinks that he know- 
 eth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought 
 to know. 
 
 It IS impoffible, that any thing fhould have 
 a greater tendency to keep man at a diftance 
 from God, than that arrogant felf-fufficiency, 
 with which modern freethinkers are ufually 
 puffed up. This unhappy difpofition mud be 
 totally fubdued, before we can come to the 
 fountain head of pure intelligence (c) : and to 
 effedl this, the Almighty permits our under- 
 ftancting to be embarrafTed and confounded, 
 
 till 
 
 (c) James i. 5. 
 
THE PORTP.AIT OF ST. PAUL. 361 
 
 till it is conftrained to bov/ before his fupreme 
 wifdom, in acknowledgment of its own im- 
 becility. But it is always w^ith ^ the utmoft 
 difficulty, and not till after a thoufand vain 
 devices have been pradifed, that human nature 
 can be forced into this ftate of felf-abafement. 
 Here Socrates and St. Paul may be regarded 
 as happy companions, experiencing, in com- 
 mon, that fubmiflive meeknefs, and that pro- 
 found humility, which are fo terrible to many 
 proteflbrs of wifdom. And it is but reafon- 
 able, that the piety of the one, and ^the phi- 
 lofophy of the other, fhould have been eftab- 
 iifhed upon the baiis of thofe rare virtues, 
 ■which formed the ground of the following ad- 
 drefs from Chrift to his Father : / thank thee^ 
 O Father I Lord of Heaven and earthy becaufe 
 *Thou haft hidden thefe things from the wife and 
 the prudent^ and haft revealed them unto babes (d). 
 
 It becomes us fo much the more to mo- 
 derate the fallies of an impatient curiofity, 
 with refped to truths of a myfterious na- 
 ture, fince Chrift himfelf has given us an 
 example of the obedience due to the follow- 
 ing apoftolic precept — Let no man think of 
 himfeJf more highly than he ought to think-, but 
 
 let 
 
 (d) Matt. xi. 25. 
 
362 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL, 
 
 let him think foberly^ according as God hath dealt 
 to every man the meafure of faith (e). This 
 condefcending Saviour was content, as Son of 
 maq, to remain in the humble ignorance of 
 which we fpeak. If, in order to have fatis- 
 fied his curiofity, with refpei5t to the day of 
 judgment, he had attempted to explore the 
 fecret councils of the Almighty, there can be 
 no doubt but his gracious Father would have 
 admitted him into that impenetrable fandluary. 
 But he rather chofe to leave among his fol- 
 lowers an example of the poft perfedt refpe(5l 
 znd refignation to the will of that Father. 
 
 What was faid by Su Paul concerning here- 
 iies, may, with propriety, be applied to that 
 obfcurity, which accompanies the dodrines of 
 the Gofpel. There mufl be herefies among you^ 
 that ihey^ which are approved^ may be made ma^ 
 nifejl (f ). Monf, de Voltaire, who faw 
 
 not any utility in the proof here mentioned 
 by the apoftle, was accuftomed to cenfure re- 
 velation, becaufe the doflrines it propofes are 
 incapable of fuch inconteftable evidence as 
 mathematical problems. He coniidered not, 
 that lines, circles, and triangles, falling im* 
 mediately under the fenfes, are fubjeds of ir^- 
 
 veftigation 
 (e) Rom. xi;, 3. (f) i Cor. xi. ig. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST* PAULi^ 363 
 
 veftigatlon peculiarly fulted to the natural man. 
 He recolleded not, that many of Euclid's de- 
 monftrations are as incomprehenfible to the 
 greater part of" mankind, as the myfteries of 
 our holy religion are incomprehenfible to the 
 generality of phllofophers. And laftly, he 
 perceived not, that, if all men were to pique 
 themlelves upon their fkili in mathematics, and 
 were equally interefted in the proportions of 
 circles, fquares, and triangles, as in thofe re- 
 lations which fubfift between fallen man and 
 an incomprehenfible God, there would be ex- 
 cited, among ignorant mathematicians, as many 
 warm dlfputes, as are continually arifing among 
 ill-injlru^ed chriftlans. 
 
 The juflnefs of thefe obfervations will be- 
 come more apparent, if we confider the im- 
 portance of that virtue, which is called, in 
 fcrlpture language, The obedience of faith (g). 
 Man originally fufFered himfelf to be feduced 
 with the hope of wonderful effe6ls, to be pro- 
 duced by the fruit of a myfterlous tree ; found- 
 ing his frail hope upon the Jimple declaration 
 of the tempter. God, in order to humble the 
 foul, is pleafed to reftore us through the 
 hope of powerful effeds to be produced by 
 
 the 
 (g) Rom. xvi. 26. 
 
364 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 ihQ truths of a myfterious revelation -, a fwee^ 
 hope^ whofe only bails is the ftmple (leclaration 
 of the God of truth. And it is undoubtedly 
 reafonable, in every refpedl, that the caufe of 
 our reftoration fhould be thus diredly oppofed 
 to the caufe of our fall. The obedi- 
 
 ence that is unattended with difficulties, can 
 never be regarded as a reafonable proof of our 
 fidelity to Qod, Had He merely commanded 
 us to believe that ne whole is greater than a 
 fart •, or that ^wo and two make four : in fuch 
 cafe, no room Vv^ould have been left for a rea- 
 fonable diftributlon of rewards and punifhments. 
 The Deity could not poflibly have been dif- 
 obeyed •, fmce we can no more refufe our af- 
 fent to thefe manlfeft truths, than we can deny 
 the exiftence of the Sun, while we are rejoic- 
 ing in his meridian brightnefs. It appears, 
 therefore, perfectly neceffary, that every truth 
 propofed to the faith of man, in his proba- 
 tionary ftate, ihould have an obfcure, as well 
 as a luminous fide, that it may leave place 
 for the mature deliberation, and, of confequence, 
 for the merit or demerit of thofe, who are 
 called to the obedience of faith. 
 
 To defire a revelation without any obfcu- 
 rity, is to defire a day without night, a fum- 
 
 mer 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL^ 365 
 
 mer without winter, a fky without a cloud. 
 And what ihould we gain by fuch an dxchange? 
 Or rather, what fhould we not lofe •, if thofe 
 intentional obfcurities, which conceal Tome parts 
 of celeftial truth, ihould be as needful to man 
 in his prefent fituation, as thofe clouds, which 
 frequently deform the face of the heavens, 
 are beneficial to the earth ? The faith, which 
 is unaccompanied with any thing myfteri- 
 ous, no more merits the name of faiihy 
 than the tranquillity of a man, who has never 
 been in the way of danger, deferves the name 
 of bravery. An expreffion of our Lord's to 
 one of his doubting difciples, is fufficient to 
 throw the mod convincing light upon this 
 matter : 'Thomas ^ faid he, becaufe thou haft seen ' 
 ine-i i^ou haft believed : but what recompence 
 or praife can be due to fuch a faith ? Blsffed 
 are they^ that have not seen, and yet have 
 believed (h). 
 
 To conclude. What occafion would there 
 be for the exercife of either wifdom or virtue, 
 was the one only good path prefented fo clearly 
 to our view, that it would be difficult to make 
 choice of any other ? Or to what good pur- 
 pofe could true philofophy then ferve, which 
 
 has 
 
 (h) John XX. 29. 
 
^66 tUe portrait of st. paul. 
 
 has no other ufe, except that of teaching uS 
 to regulate our principles and govern our ac- 
 tions, in a manner more fuited to the perfec- 
 tion of our nature than is cuftomarv with thofe^ 
 who are adluated by prejudice andpafTion? 
 
 From all thefe obfervations, it may juftly 
 be argued, that to infift upon having religious 
 dodlrines without obfcurity, and a revelation 
 without myftery, is to deftroy the delign of 
 the Supreme Being, who hath placed us here 
 in a ftate of trial. It is to confound the goal 
 with the courfe, the conflidl with the triumph, 
 and earth with Heaven. Nay more : it is to 
 confound the creature v/ith the Creator. That, 
 which is finite, muft never hope to compre- . 
 hend the heights and depths of infinity. Arch- 
 angels themfelves, though endued with incon- 
 ceivable degrees of wifdom and purity, will 
 continually find unfathomable abyfTes in the 
 divine nature. And if fo, is it not to abjure 
 good fenfe, as well as revelation, to turn our 
 back upon the temple of truth, becaufe 
 there is found in it a moft holy place^ which 
 the profane are never fuffered to enter, and the 
 furniture of which even true worfnippers^ can 
 neither clearly explain nor fully comprehend. * 
 
 CHAP. 
 
t«E PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 367 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 In anfwer to the grand ohje5iion of philofophers 
 againft the doBrines of the Gofpel^ it is argued^ 
 that the advantages of the Redemption are ex- 
 tended^ in different degrees^ to all mankindy 
 through every period of the world. 
 
 A 
 
 S fophiflical reafoners had a hundred ob- 
 jedtions to propofe againft the dodrines of 
 Socrates, who was a true philofopher j fo the 
 philofophers of this age are induftrioufly fram- 
 ing objedions to the dodrines of that Gofpel, 
 which unerring wifdom has announced to the 
 world. To determine whethejr or not thofe 
 objections are juft and unanfwerable, we fhall 
 here coniider that, which appears to be the 
 moft weighty in the balance of thofe two 
 companions in error, Monf. de Voltaire and 
 J. J. Roufleau. If your do^rine of the Re- 
 demption^ fay they, is really as itnportant as you 
 reprefent ity why has it been preached only for 
 thefe laji eighteen centuries P If it was of fo much 
 confeqiience to mankindy Gody without doubty would 
 have publifhed it fooncTy and more univerfally *. 
 
 Anfwer, 
 
 * Monf. de Voltaire, in his Philofophical Didlionary, 
 attacks chtijiianity, under the name of mahometani/m, in 
 
 the 
 
^63 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL^ 
 
 Anfwer, The dodrine of the Redemption 
 was not primarily neceflary to mankind ; fince 
 there was a tim.e, when unoffending man flood 
 in no greater need of a Redeemer, than a 
 healthy perfon ftands in need of a phyficlan. 
 At that time, natural religion was fuitable 
 to the ftate of man, and the dodrines of de- 
 ifm were the fpiritual food of his foul. But^ 
 as 7nedicine^ to a iick perfon, is not lefs neceiTa- 
 ry than nutriment^ fo fallen man ilands in need 
 of the Gofpel^ as well as of natural religion. 
 And as ftrong nourlfhment would be a fpecies 
 of poifon to a man enervated by a raging 
 fever, fo the tenets of theifm adminiftered 
 alone to a linner, who burns with the difor- 
 derly fervors of pride, muft inevitably prove 
 fatal to the health of his foul. Thus, the 
 
 prefumption 
 
 the following words : " If it had been neceflary to the 
 " world, it would have exifted from the beginning of 
 *' the world ; it would have exifted in every place. 
 ** The mahometan religion, therefore, cannot be elTen- 
 *' tially neceflary to man." j. J. Rouffeau was 
 
 perfectly of the fame opinion. " I deny," fays this 
 writer in his Emilius, **' the neceiTity of receiving reve- 
 ** latlon, hecaufe this pretended obligation is incom- 
 " patible with the juftice of God. Should there be 
 " found in the univerfe a fingle perfon, to whom Chrifi: 
 " had r^ever been preached, the objedion would be as 
 ** forcible on the part of that negletfted individual, as 
 *' for the fourth part of the human race." 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 369 
 
 prefumptlon of fome phllofophers is increafed 
 by the do6lrInes of deifm, as the fever of a 
 debilitated patient is redoubled by thofe very 
 cordials, which would increafe the ftrength of 
 a vigorous perfon. And this may ferve as 
 a proof, that the natural religion of Jinlefs 
 man, is as little adapted to man in his cor^ 
 rupt eftate, as the fweet familiarity of an af- 
 fedionate infant is fultable to the charader of 
 a daring and difobedient fon. 
 
 It is necefiary here to obferve, that there 
 are two kinds of deifm \ that of the humble 
 finner, who is not yet acquainted with the 
 Gofpel, and that of the prefumptuous reafoner, 
 who rejedls it with contempt. The centurion 
 Cornelius, who lived in the practice of piety 
 before he was perfedlly acquainted with Chrift, 
 and the penitent publican alluded to by our 
 Lord, were deifts of the firft clafs, and fuch 
 as might well be efteemed the younger bro- 
 thers of chriftians. The fecond clafs is made 
 up of thofe theifts, who trample Revelation 
 under their feet, and who may properly be 
 called the prefumptuous pharifees of the pre- 
 fent day. It is the haughty deifm of thefe 
 men, that a falfe philofophy would fubftitute 
 in the place of the Gofpel. The judicious 
 Vol. II. Z author 
 
370 THE- PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 author of l^hs new Theclogical Di5fionary^ has 
 charadlerized thefe two kinds of deifm, with 
 an accuracy peculiar to himfelf. " Deifm," 
 fays he, " was once on the high way from 
 " atheifm to chriftianity •, but, to day, it is 
 " ufually found upon the road from chriftianity 
 " to atheifm." 
 
 To aflert, that the dodrine of the Redemption 
 has been announced for no more than eighteen 
 centuries, is to fuppofe, there can be no ap- 
 pearance of light till the Sun has rifen above 
 the horizon. So foon as th-t work of Re- 
 demption became neceflary, in that very day 
 it was announced to man. When our firft 
 parents had received, from their merciful judge, 
 the fentence, that condemned them to mifery 
 and death j he immediately gave them a pro- 
 mife, that, in fome future day, a repairer of 
 their evils fhould be born of woman, who 
 iliould bruife the head of the Serpent^ i. e. who 
 jfhould crufh, at once, all the power of the 
 tempter, and the pride of the finner. In con- 
 fequence of this gracious covenant, which was, 
 indeed, the firil promulgation of the Gofpel, 
 God implanted m man an interior principle 
 of Redemption, a feed of regenerating grace, 
 which fhould, in the end, fpring up to ever- 
 
 lafting 
 
^j , THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 371 
 
 ■^1'" •■ . . . ■ 'v 
 
 lafting life. Now, this principle was nothing 
 lefs than a ray from that living word, which 
 V was afterwards to be vifibly united with our 
 , nature, in order to raife man from his dif- 
 honorable fall, and, finally, to procure for him 
 a flate fuperlor to that, which he originally 
 enjoyed. Nothing can be more explicit upon 
 this point, than the following declaration of 
 St. John. In him [the living word] was life\ 
 and the life was the light of men. And the light 
 Jhined in darknefs •, and the darknefsy in general, 
 comprehended it not. T!his was, however, the 
 true lighty which lighteth, more or lefs, every 
 man, that cometh into the world (a). When, 
 therefore, a conceited freethinker fupercilioufly 
 exclaims : If the do£irine of the Redemption had 
 been necejfary, it would have been publijhed in the 
 earlieft ages of the world — fuch objedlion fhould 
 ferve as a manifeft token of his ignorance in this 
 matter, fince that important dodrine was mer- 
 cifully announced to the very firft offender. 
 If that dodrine was afterwards corrupted by 
 tradition ; if rebellious man began to exalt 
 himfelf as his own Saviour; or if, through 
 impatience, he fet up falfe mediators, inftead 
 of patiently expedling the fulfilment of Jeho- 
 vah's promife : all this evidently proves his 
 
 Z 2 extreme 
 
 (a) Jolm i, 4, 9. 
 
37^ THE. POR.TRAIT OF ST. PAULV 
 
 ext^reme need of a Redeemer. In fhort, if 
 the greater part of the'jewifh nation rejeded 
 this divine Saviour, in t'he days of his ' out- 
 ward manifeftaiion, and if prejudiced deifts 
 ftiJl continue to reject hisc^dfFered afTiftance, 
 all that can be proved by^^heir unrelenting 
 obilinacy, is, the greatnefs of their guilt and 
 the depth of their depravity : juft as the con- 
 dud of a patient, who abufes his phyfician, 
 fufHces only to demonftrate the excefs of his 
 delirium. 
 
 , Several reafons may be here produced, which 
 
 /might have engaged the Father of' mercies to 
 
 defer the external manifeftation of our pro- 
 
 mifed Redeemer, for a period of four thou- 
 
 fand years, 
 
 I. It is probable, that, as every thing is 
 difcovered to operate gradually in the natural 
 world, the' fame order might be eftablifhed in 
 the m.oral world. Even fince the time of 
 Chrift's outward manifeftation, the influence 
 of his redeeming power has but gradually dif- 
 covered itfelf in our yet'benighted world. He 
 himfelf compared the Gofpel to a little leaven, 
 which fpreads itfelf, by flow degrees, over a 
 bulky mafs of meal ; and to a fmall feed, 
 from which a noble plant is produced. To 
 
 this 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PALa. ^7^ 
 
 t^ 
 
 this we may add, that a ^portioa of time, 
 which appears long and tedious to us, appears 
 wholly different in the eyes of the everlaPcing 
 I AM, before whom a thoufand years are no 
 more than a fleeting day. 
 
 2 If, immediately after the commiffion of 
 fin, God had fent forth his Son into the 
 world to raife us from our fall, before we 
 had experienced the melancholy effedls of that 
 fall •, fuch an hafty ad, inftead of manifefling 
 the perfedlions of the Deity, would have drawn 
 a vail of obfcurity between us and them. The 
 divine mercy, difcovered In Jefus Chrifl, might 
 then have appeared as infigniflcarit to us, as 
 to the arrogant deift, who, notwithstanding the 
 crimes, with which the world has been pol- 
 luted for near fix thoufand years, and in fpite 
 of thofe, which he himfelf has added to the 
 prodigious fum, has yet the audacity to afTert, 
 that there is no necefTity for a Redeemer, that 
 man is good in his prefent flate, and that 
 he may conduct himfelf honorably through it, 
 without the aihflance of regenerating grace. 
 Hence it appears, that the outward manifefla- 
 tion of the MefTiah was wifely deferred to a 
 period of time, far removed from the com- 
 mencement of the fall. 
 
 Z 3 3. "While 
 
^74 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. 
 
 3, While the vlfible manifeftation of Jefus 
 was delayed, all things were put into a ftate of 
 due preparation for fo great an event. And 
 in the mean-time, the feed of regeneration, 
 which was received by man, after God had 
 pronounced the firft evangelical promife, was 
 as fufficient to fave every penitent finner, as 
 the dawn of day is fufficient to diredt every 
 erring traveller. 
 
 This merits an explanation. The firft man, 
 to whom the promife of Redemption was m,ade, 
 contained in himfelf the whole of his pof- 
 terity : and this promife wonderfully powerful^ 
 as being the word of God (b), had an inde- 
 fcribable effed upon the whole human race, 
 implanting in man a feed of regeneration^ 3. 
 Logos, a reafon, a confcience^ a light ; in ihort, 
 a good principle, which, in every fincere en- 
 quirer after truth, has been nourifhed by the 
 grace of God, and feconded by the pious tra- 
 ditions of patriarchs, prophets, apoftles, evan- 
 geliils, or true philofophers. Unhappy is it 
 for thofe, who, ftifiing in themfelves every 
 gracious fentiment, have treated this internal 
 principle, as the Jews once treated their con- 
 defcending Lord, and as obftin^^te finners ftill 
 
 continue 
 
 (b) Heb, iy. 12. 
 
TH£ portrait of ST. PAUL. 375 
 
 continue to treat a preached Gofpel. If fuch 
 are not favedy it is not through the want of 
 an offered Saviour^ but becaufe they have wil- 
 fully ihut their eyes againft the twilight, the 
 opening dawn, or the meridian brightnefs, of 
 the Gofpel day. 
 
 Nothing can be more unreafonable than the 
 objedion, to which we now return an anfwer. 
 To argue, that God would be unjuft, if, 
 having given a Saviour to the world, he 
 fhould not reveal that Saviour in an equal 
 degree to all mankind, is to argue, that God 
 is unjuft, becaufe, having given a Sun to the 
 earth, he has not ordained that Sun equally 
 to enlighten and cheer every part of the globe. 
 Again — To iniinuate, that Chrift cannot pro- 
 perly be regarded as the Saviour of mankind, 
 becaufe innumerable multitudes of men are 
 not even acquainted with his name, is to in- 
 iinuate, that the Sun is utterly ufelefs to the 
 deaf, becaufe they have never heard the pro- 
 perties of that Sun defcribed, and to the 
 blind, becaufe they have never it^n his cheer- 
 ing beams. Laftly. To 
 conclude that the Gofpel is falfe, becaufe it 
 has not rapidly fpread itfelf over the whole 
 world, or becaufe it is not obferved to ope- 
 
 Z 4 rate 
 
376 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 rate in a more hafty manner the happy chan- 
 ges it is faid to produce : — thus to argue, is to 
 reafon as inconclufively, as a man who fhould 
 fay J The tree, that produces Jefuits' bark, 
 is an infignificant and ufeiefs tree : for, ift, It 
 grows not in every country. 2dly, It has not 
 always been known, sdly, There are perfons 
 in the country where it grows, who look 
 upon it as no extraordinary thing : and 4thly, 
 Many, who have apparently given this medi- 
 cine a proper trial, have found it unattended 
 with thofe falutary effedls fo generally boafted of. 
 
 Turning the arguments of our philofophers 
 
 againfl- their own fyftem, we affirm, that the 
 
 MefTiah was manitefted in a timiC and place 
 
 peculiarly fuited to fo great an event. With 
 
 refpedt to the timc\ He lived and died, when 
 
 the human fpecies had arrived at the utm.ofc 
 
 pitch of refinement and learning. Had He 
 
 appeared two or three thoufand years fooner, 
 
 He mull: have vifited the world in its infant 
 
 (late, while ignorance and barbarity reigned 
 
 amiong the nations : but in the days of Au- 
 
 guftus and Tiberias mankind m.ay be faid to 
 
 have reached the higheft degree of maturity, 
 
 with refpeft to knowledge and civilization. 
 
 Now, as it is necefiary, that he who bears 
 
 teftimonv 
 
T^E PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 377 
 
 teHimony to any memorable tranfadtion, fhoulcj 
 be a man and not a child \ fo it is equally 
 neceflary, that Chrift Ihould have appeared in 
 the moft polifhed period of the world, as the 
 one Mediator between Gqd and man. 
 
 Deifts fometimes tell us, that the force of 
 hiftoric evidence is greatly diminlfhed by lapfe 
 of time, as a taper placed at. too great a dis- 
 tance lofes much of its brightnefs. If Chrift, 
 then, had offered Himfelf a ranfom for all, 
 many ages fooner than unerring wifdom had 
 ordained, the incredulous might have urged, 
 that the hiftory of a miraculous event, re- 
 ported to have happened in fo remote a period 
 of time, was moft probably corrupted by un- 
 certain tradition, and rendered unworthy of 
 credit. 
 
 On the other hand, if the accomplifhment 
 of the promife had been delayed fome thou- 
 fands of years longer, the faith and patience 
 of believers would have been called to a 
 proof incompatible with the weaknefs of hu- 
 manity. And the impious might have faid, 
 concerning the firft coming of Chriil, what 
 they have long ago tauntingly fpoken of 
 his fecond : Where is the promife of his com^ 
 
 ing ? 
 
SjS THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 commg ? fcr^ ftnce the fathers fell afleep, all things 
 continue as they were from the beginning of the 
 creation (c). 
 
 What IS here obferved with refpeifl to the 
 age^ in which the MefTiah was cut off, is no 
 iefs true of the feafon^ the day^ and the hour* 
 He oiiered himfelf a facrifice for the fins of 
 the people in the noon day^ at the folemn feaft 
 of the Paffover^ and at that feafon of the year, 
 which naturally invited the difperfed jews to 
 vifit the holy city. The place was, like the 
 iime^ peculiarly adapted to fuch an event: a 
 country, in which the promife of Chrift's 
 coming had been frequently repeated. More- 
 over, He became obedient unto death in the 
 time predic5ted by the prophets -, before a 
 people, who pofiefTed the oracles of God; 
 under the eyes of the high prieft ; before 
 Herod the king, together with the grand 
 council of the nation ; before Pilate, who was 
 lieutenant of the greateft prince on earth; at 
 the gates of Jerufalem, in the centre of Ju- 
 dea, and nearly in the centre of the then 
 known world. Thus, the external mani- 
 
 feflation of our glorious Redeemer may be 
 compared to a Sun, whofe rifing was prece- 
 ded 
 (c) 2 Pet. iii. 4* 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 279 
 
 ded by a dawn, which benignly opened upon 
 the firft inhabitants of the earth •, and whofe 
 fetting is followed by a lovely twilight, which 
 muft neceflarily continue, till He fhall again 
 afcend above our horizon, to go down no 
 more. In this point of view, the fcrip- 
 
 tures uniformly reprefent the facrifice of Chr-il. 
 St. Paul exprefsly declares, that, by one offer^ 
 zngj He hath perfected for ever them^ that are 
 fan8ified : i. e. all thofe in every nation, who 
 fear God and work righteoufnefs (d). We 
 argue, therefore, with this apoftle, that, as 
 hy the offence of one^ judgment came upon all 
 men to condemnation^ even fo^ by the righteouf- 
 nefs of one^ the free gift came upon all men unto 
 Jufiif cation of life (e). 
 
 From th'efe obfervations we conclude, Firfi 
 •—That the Gofpel has been more or lefs 
 clearly announced, ever fince the time, in 
 which a Redeemer became neceflary to man. 
 Secondly: That Jefus Chrift openly manifefted 
 Himfelf in a time mofl: proper for fuch a 
 dilcovery. thirdly: That the work of Re- 
 demption is as necelTary to mankind, as xhQ 
 afliftance of medicine is neceflary to thofe, 
 who are ftruggling under fome dangerous dif- 
 
 eafe* 
 
 (d) Heb, X, 14. A6ls x. i^* (e) Rom. r. 18. 
 
380 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 eafe. Fourthly : That an explicit knowledge of 
 the Redeemer and his falvation is as defirable 
 to thofe, who feel themfelves ruined by fin, 
 as the certain knowledge of a phyflcian, pof- 
 fefled of fovereign remedies, is confoling to 
 the patient, who apprehends his life in immi- 
 nent danger. Fifthly: As languifhing infants 
 may be reftored by the medicines of a phy- 
 fician, with whom they are totally unacquaint- 
 ed; fo jews, mahometans, and heathens,' pro- 
 vided they walk according to the light they 
 enjoy, are undoubtedly faved by Jefus Chrift, 
 though they have no clear conception of the 
 ailonifhing means employed to fecure them 
 from perdition. And lajlly : That the grand 
 argument advanced againft the Gofpel by 
 Monf. de Voltaire and J. J. Roufleau, is 
 abundantly more fpecious than folid. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 38 I 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 ReJi£tlion5 upon the danger, to which modern deifts 
 e>:pofe themfehes^ 
 
 X N refuting the objedion of fuperficial mo- 
 ralifts propofed in the preceding chapter, we 
 may, perhaps, have afforded them ground for 
 another, full as, fpecious and folid. 
 
 Objection. If it he allowed^ that in every 
 
 age falvation has been- extended to all the true 
 
 worfnippers of God, whether they have been pious 
 
 jews, fuch as Jofeph, Hezekiah, and Jofiah: jujl 
 
 men among the gentiles, fuch as Melchifedec and 
 
 Arijiides ; or heathen philofophers, who have walked 
 
 in the fear of God, fuch as Pythagoras, Socrates, 
 
 ^and Plato — And if all thefe virtuous men have 
 
 been faved, without fubfcrihing to the do^rines of 
 
 the Gofpel, why may not deifls and modern phi'- 
 
 lofophers be permitted to enjoy the fame ^falvation, 
 
 while they reje5l thofe doctrines? 
 
 Answer. There are three grand difpen- 
 fations of grace. Under the firfl, every 
 heathenifh and unenlightened nation muft be 
 
 ranked j 
 
382 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 ranked; the jews under the y?cW; and chriftians 
 under the thirds which is a difpenfation abun- 
 dantly more perfect than either of the former. 
 The followers of Mahomet may be claiTed 
 with modern jews, fince they are deifts of 
 the fame rank, and have equally deceived 
 themfelves with refpedl to that great Prophet, 
 who came for the reftoration of Ifrael. 
 
 Thofe jews, mahometans, and heathens, who 
 fear God and work right eoufnefs^ are adlually 
 faved by Jefus Chrift. Chrift is the Truth 
 and the Light : and thefe fincere worihippers 
 receiving all the rays of truth, with which 
 they are vifited, afford fufficient proof, that 
 they would affedlionately admire and ador€ 
 the Sun of rightcoufnefs Himfelf, were the 
 intervening mjfts removed, by which He is 
 concealed from their view. But it is wholly 
 different with thofe, who, beholding this di- 
 vine Sun as He is revealed in the Gofpel, 
 determinately clofe their eyes againft Him, and 
 contemptuoufly raife a cloud of objedions to 
 vail Him, if poffible, from the view of others. 
 Every virtuous heathen was accuftomed to 
 manifeft a love for truths while many of our 
 philofophers, in the pride of their hearts, re- 
 iec5l and dcfpife it. The former wrought out 
 
 their 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL* ^S^ 
 
 their falvation, though favored only with the 
 glimmering dawn of an evangelical day : the 
 latter, furrounded with the meridian brightnefs 
 of that day, are anxiDufly feeking the {hadowy 
 coverts of uncertainty and error. The for- 
 mer were faved, according to that apoftolic 
 declaration: gIor}\ honor and -peace to eve'tj man 
 that worketh good^ to the chriftian and the jew 
 firfi^ and alfo to the gentile : - for tJiere is no 
 refpe5i of perfons \iith God (f ). And of this 
 number was the apollle Paul, v/ho obtained 
 mercyy becaufe he was ignorantiy a perfecutor 
 of the truth, livings at the fame time, in all 
 good confcience before God (g). Nor can it be 
 doubted, but the fame grace, with which St, 
 Paul was vifited in thefe circumftances, will, 
 in various degrees, illumine and purify every 
 foul, that refembles him in uprightnefs and 
 iincerity. The latter will be condemned 
 
 by virtue of the following declarations : nis 
 is the condemnation^ that light is come into the 
 worlds and men loved darknefs rather than lights 
 becaufe their deeds were evil (h). God will ren- 
 der unto them that are contentious^ and do not 
 obey the truths indignation and wrathy tribulation 
 and anguifh upon every foul of man that doeth 
 
 evily 
 (f) Rom, ii. 10, n, (g) i Tim. i. 13, (h) John iii. 19. 
 
3^4 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL. 
 
 m/, af the chrlflian and th^ jew Jirft^ and aljo 
 of the gentile (i). 
 
 From thefe citations we may infer, that, in 
 feveral proportions, the falvation of virtuous 
 heathens will differ as greatly from the fal- 
 vation of faithful chriftians, as the brilliancy 
 of an agate differs from that of a diamond. 
 Many manfions and different degrees of glory are 
 prepared in -the houfe of our Father (k). ^here 
 is one glory of the fun^ and another glory of the 
 moon^ and another glory of the Jiars •, for one 
 ftar differ eth from another ftar in glory » So al fo 
 will it be in the refurredtion of the dead, 
 when God will render unto everv man, ac- 
 cording to his works (1). 
 
 ' The higheft degrees of glory are referved, by 
 the righteous Judge of all the earth, for the moil 
 faithful of his fervants. The honorable privi- 
 lege of being feated at the right hand of Chrift 
 will be conferred upon thofe, who have trod- 
 den in their mafter's footfteps, through the 
 narroweft and moft difficult paths of refigna- 
 tion and obedience. On the other hand, God 
 will difplay the mofl terrible effeds of his 
 righteous anger upon thofe, who have tram- 
 pled 
 (i) Rom, ii. 5, 9. (k) John xiv. 2. (I) 1 Cor. xv. 41. 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 385 
 
 pled under foot the greateft and mofl: frequent 
 offers of divine grace, according to that e5c- 
 clamation of the apoftle r How /hall we efcape 
 if we negle5i fo great fahation (m) ? Since thus 
 obftinately to defpife the higheft degrees of 
 glory, which may be attained under the Gof- 
 pel, and daringly to brave the threatenings 
 denounced againft thofe who rejedt that Gofpel, 
 difcovers in the heart a cold indifference to 
 real virtue, together with a fovereign contempt 
 for the divine author of it. 
 
 As true virtue, like a beautiful plant, is 
 continually rifing to a flate of maturity ; fo 
 true philofophy is constantly afpiring to the 
 higheft attainable .degrees of wifdom and purity. 
 If any man- negledls thofe means, which con- 
 duce to the perfedion of virtue, when they 
 sre once propofed to him, he gives evident 
 proof, that he has neither that inftind of vir- 
 tue nor that true philofophy, which cannot 
 but choofe the moft excellent end, together 
 vv^ith the fureft means of obtaining it. What 
 would our philofophers fay to a man, who, 
 afieding to afpire after riches, and being called 
 to receive a large quantity of gold, fhould in- 
 confiftently refufe it, in the following terms : 
 Vol. II. A a Many 
 
 , (m) Heb. il. 3, 
 
386 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.' 
 
 Many perfons have been rich enough^ with a little 
 money y to fr event them from Jlarving^ and I have 
 no inclination to exceed them in point of fortune ? 
 The objedtion propofed in this chapter is 
 founded upon a like fophifm, and amounts 
 but to an equal argument : Jews and virtuous 
 heathens have received ajfijiance fufficient effectually 
 to fecure their falvation^ and we have not pre^ 
 fumption enough to dejire any extraordinary advan- 
 tage above them. 
 
 It is difficult to form a juft idea of the 
 conceitednefs of thofe boafted moralifts, v/ho 
 defpife every help afforded by the Gofpel, be- 
 caufe feme heathens, without fuch aiTiftance, 
 have been acceptable to God. We may com- 
 pare it to the fuppofed felf-fufficiency of a 
 contemptible fubaltern officer, who, being pre- 
 fented vv^ith a more honorable commiffion from 
 his prince, fhould rejedl: it, and cry out : 
 " The commiffion is falie, and they who pre- 
 *' fent it are no better than deceivers, I have 
 " no anxiety to quit my prefent poll:. I 
 " afpire to no higher honors than thofe I 
 " poffefs. Many thoufands have faithfully 
 f' ferved his majefty in the capacity of fubal- 
 ^' terns \ nay, common foldiers themfelves have 
 " received teflimonies of his royal- approba- 
 
 '^ tion : 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. aSj 
 
 " tioti : and why fhould my fervlces afford 
 " him lefs fatisfadion than theirs ?" Was 
 a corporal, in my hearing, thus to excufe his 
 rejedion of a monarch's offered kindnefs, I 
 fhould fuppofe, either that he had no juft 
 conceptions of the honor intended him, or 
 that he was withheld from accepting that ho- 
 Mor, by motives too unworthy to be avowed. 
 But this excufe would be infolent as well as 
 pitiful-, had the terms of the commiifion ran 
 thus :— " Either ferve your prince with fidelity, 
 *' in the poft to Vv'hich he exalts you, or ex« 
 f^ pe6l to be treated with the utmoft fe verity." 
 
 Now fuch is the cafe with all thofe, who 
 ohfiinately rejedt the Gofpel, and perfeveringly 
 trample under foot the richeft offers of un- 
 merited grace. They either rejedt the truths 
 of revelation through haughtinefs of fpirit; 
 or they are held back from embracing them, 
 through the fecret gratification of fome inor- 
 dinate appetite. Obferve here, the ground of 
 thofe memorable declarations of our bleffed 
 Lord : Preach the Gofpel to every creature. He 
 that believeth and is baptized^ /hall he faved ; hut 
 he that believeth not^ fhall he damned (n). He 
 that believeth not the Son^ after hearing him 
 
 A a 2 evan- 
 
 (n) Mark xvi, 15, 16-. 
 
388 THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL^ 
 
 evangelically announced, fliall not fee life\ but 
 the wrath of God abide th on him. He is con^ 
 demned already : for every one that doeth evil^ 
 hateth the light of the Gofpel, neither cometh to 
 the lights left his deeds fhotild be reproved (o). 
 
 Upon this principle, as conformable to ex- 
 perience as to found reafon, the Gofpel is 
 not alfolutily rejedled, except by thofe who 
 are either vi(ibly corrupted, as Pilate and 
 Felix, or fecretly depraved, as Judas and 
 Caiaphas. And it was to perfons of this 
 charader, that Chrift addreffed himfelf in the 
 following terms : How can ye believe^ who receive 
 honor one of another^ and feek not the honor that 
 Cometh from God only (p) ? If any man will da 
 the will of Him that fent me^ and follow the 
 light that is imparted to him, he fliall know 
 of the doctrine^ whether it be of God, or whether 
 I fpeak of myfelf {q). Hence, when any who 
 have been confecrated to Chrifl by baptifm, 
 are feen withdrawing from the footftool of 
 their mafttr to the fchools of philofophy, or, 
 at leaft, making no advances in true holinefs *, 
 we may reft aflured, that their depline is caufed, 
 or their fpiritual growth prevented, by the 
 fecret indulgence of fome vicious inclination. 
 
 Thefe 
 (0) John iii. 18, 36. (p) v. 44. (q) vli. 17^ 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAtTL, 389 
 
 Thefe philofophizing moralifts, and thefe luke- 
 warm difciples, may be compared to the fruit 
 that falls before it has attained to the per- 
 fedlion of its fpecies : examine fuch fruit, and 
 you will find under a beautiful appearance, 
 either a deftrudive worm, or loathfome rotten- 
 nefs. Such is the apoftatizing deift under the 
 tnoft fpecious forms he can pofTibly aflume. 
 
 When J. J. Roufleau expreffed himfelf in 
 the following terms : If God judges of faith by 
 works^ then to he a good man^ is to he a real 
 believer •, he was not far befide the truth, pro- 
 vided that, by a good man^ he intended one, 
 who lives in temperance^ juftice^ and the fear of 
 God', fince every man, in whom thefe virtues 
 are difcoverable, is afluredly principled in the 
 true faith. Such a one is a real believer, 
 according to that osconomy of grace, under 
 which Job, Jofiah, and Socrates, fhone out 
 to the glory of God •, men, who either pof- 
 fefTed principles of faith, or whofe beft adions 
 are no more to be admired, than thofe of our 
 domeftic animals. 
 
 This writer had lefs diftind views of truth, 
 when he added, 'The true chriflian is the jufi 
 man '9 unbelievers are the wicked: fince there 
 
 A a 3 are 
 
390 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 are juft men, who are not yet chriftians^ as . 
 there are ftudious perfons, who cannot yet be 
 accounted profound fcholars. Moreover, there 
 are many v/ho, like the centurion Cornelius, 
 do not yet believe the Gofpel, becaufe they 
 have never heard that Gofpel explained with 
 precifion and fidelity : and furely fuch defer ve 
 not to be termed abfolutely unjuft men. The 
 latter propofition approaches indeed nearer the 
 truth, Unbelievers are the wicked: yet this is 
 falfe ; except the term unbeliever be taken for 
 one who ahftinately difbelieves the Gofpel : iince 
 a good man, who receives the firft part of 
 the Apoftles' Creed, may yet, like Nathaniel 
 and Nicoderaus, be {o forcibly held back by 
 involuntary prejudice, with refpefl to the other 
 parts of the fame Creed, that he may flue-' 
 tuate long between truth and error/ It 
 
 is by propofitions fo vague and infidious, that 
 our philofophers delude themfelves and beguile 
 their difciples. 
 
 But, replies J. J. Roufieau, have we power 
 to believe, or not to believe ? Is the not being 
 able to 'argue well imputed to us as a crime? Con^ 
 fcience informs not^ what we are to think, but 
 what we are to do: it teaches us not to reafon 
 well, but to a^ welL And are all the 
 
 faculties 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL^ 39 1 
 
 faculties of man, except his confclence, to be 
 confidered as utterly ufelefs, with regard to 
 this important matter ? Let it, however, be 
 granted, that a wicked and haughty perfon 
 has it not in his power to believe ; yet it is 
 highly necelTary, that he fhould fear the truth, 
 fo long as he gives himfelf up either to ac- 
 tions or inclinations that are manifeftly evil. 
 Thus, the confcious robber can never over- 
 come his fear of juftice, fo long as he Is dif- 
 pofed to continue his iniquitous pradlces : but 
 If, after making full reftitution, he fhould be- 
 come fincerely upright, maintaining a con- 
 fclence void of offence toward God and to- 
 ward man, he will tremble no more at the 
 idea of judges, tribunals, or executions. 
 
 If it be afked, what fecret vice it was, that 
 would not fuffer fo honeft a man as J. J. 
 Roufleau to embrace the Gofpel ? Without 
 fearching into the anecdotes of his life, we 
 may reft fatlsfied with the difcovery he has 
 made of his own heart. In this fingle fentence : 
 IVJiat can be more tranfporting to a noble foul 
 than the pride of virtue! Such was the pride 
 which made him vainly prefume, that he had 
 power fufficient to conquer himfelf, without 
 invoking the affiftance of Godj and by which 
 
 A a 4 he 
 
392 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 he was encouraged to aflert, that the doc- 
 trines of the Gcfpel were fuch as no fenfible 
 man could either conceive or admits Such 
 
 was the virtuous pride^ which would not fufFer 
 the pharifees to receive the humiliating truths 
 of the Gcfpel, and which filled the heart of 
 Caiaphas with jealoufy and hatred againft Chrifl. 
 
 There is no fpecies of pride more infolent 
 than that, which gives rife to the following 
 language — " It is averted, that God fo loved 
 *' the worlds as to give his only -begotten Son, 
 *' that whofoever believe th in him Jhould not 
 " peri/li^ but have everlafting life, Thefe tid- 
 ** ings, whether they be true or falfe, are^ 
 " highly acceptable to many : but, for my 
 " own part, I openly declare, that I rejedl, 
 " with contempt, the idea of fuch a favor. I 
 " read with attention thofe writings, which tend 
 " to unfold the myfteries of nature, but re- 
 ** folve never to turn over thofe authors, who 
 " vainly attempt to eftablifh the truth of the 
 Gofpel. This fubjed, though it has occu- 
 pied the thoughts and engaged the pens of 
 enquiring ftudents for thefe feventeen hun- 
 " dred years, I fhall ever regard as unworthy 
 " my attention. I leave it to the vulgar, who 
 ♦' are eafily perfuaded of its Importance. My 
 
 " virtues 
 
 cc 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 393 
 
 " virtues are fufficlent to expiate my crimes, 
 *' and on thefe I will refolutely depend, as 
 *' my fole mediators before God." If 
 
 this is implicitly the language of every man, 
 who obftinately rejecffcs the dodlrines of the 
 Gofpel, what heights of prefumption, and what 
 depths of depravity, mud lie open, in the 
 fouls of fuch, to the eye of Omnifcience ! 
 Reafon and Revelation agree to condemn them. 
 Behold the ground of their fentence — Whofo- 
 ever exalteth himfelf Jliall he ahafed\ and. he that 
 humUeth hknfelf Jhall be exalted: for God refijl^ 
 eth the proud y and gi-veth grace to the humble (r). 
 
 Reafon itfelf is fufEcient to difcover that, 
 before the Supreme Being, nothing can ap- 
 pear more deteftable, than the pride of a de- 
 generate and ungrateful creature. And if {o, 
 the delfts of Socrates' time muft have been 
 far lefs culpable, than thofe of the prefent 
 day. The former, confcious of the uncertainty 
 with which they were encompaffed, made ufe 
 of every help they could procure in the pur- 
 fuit of truth, with unwearied afliduity. The 
 latter, prefuming upon their own fufficiency, 
 decide againft dodlrines of the utmoft import- 
 ance, without impartially confidering the evi- 
 dences 
 (r) Luke xiv, 11, 1 Pet» v. 5. 
 
394 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL* 
 
 dences produced in their favor. The former^ 
 by carefully examining every fyftem of morality 
 propofed to their deliberation, difcovered a 
 candor and liberality becoming thofe, v/ho 
 were anxioufly feeling after God, if haply they 
 might find him (s). The latter, by condemning 
 Revelation, without calmly attending to the 
 arguments of its advocates, manifeft a degree 
 of prejudice, that would be unpardonable in 
 a judge, but which becomes execrable in a 
 criminal, who is prefTed by the ftrongeft rea- 
 fons to fearch out the truth. 
 
 Plato, in the fixth .book of his Republic, 
 introduces his mailer marking out the difpo- 
 fitions necefiary to a virtuDus man. het us 
 legiuy fays Socrates, hy recounting 'what quali* 
 ties are neceffary to him^ vjho would one day be- 
 come an honefi man and a true, philofopher. The 
 firft quality is the love of truths which he ought 
 to feek after in every things and hy every means ; 
 true philofophy being ahfolutely incompatible with 
 the fpirit of delufion, He^ who has a fincere de- 
 fire to obtain wifdom^ cannot confine himfelf to 
 things that are here below, of which he can ac- 
 quire but an uncertain knowledge. He is born 
 for truths and he tends to it with an ardor^ 
 
 which 
 (s) Ads xvii. 27, 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAVhl 295 
 
 which nothing is able to reftrain. Ye, who 
 
 oppofe philofophy to Revelation, and rejecfl, 
 without throughly inveftlgating, the dodlrines 
 of the Gofpel, can you be faid to difcover an 
 attachment to truth as fincere as that of So- 
 crates ? Do ye not rather efteem that^ an 
 exceflive fondnefs for truth, or even a dan- 
 gerous fpecles of enthufiafm, which the wifeft 
 heathens have looked upon, as the firfl dif- 
 polition requlfite to an honeft man ? 
 
 Plato and his mafter, who fcrupuloufly ac- 
 knowledged the truth wherever they difcovered 
 it, were afiuredly in a ftate of acceptance be- 
 fore God, without an explicit acquaintance 
 with Jefus Chrift : for where the Almighty 
 hath not ftrewed, there will He never expedt 
 to gather j and where He hath fcattered only 
 the firft truths of the Gofpel, there He never 
 will require that precious fruit, which He ex- 
 pedls to be produced by the higheft truths of 
 Revelation, Thus, the hufbandman is con- 
 tent to reap nothing but barley in a field, 
 where nothing but barley has been fown. But 
 if, after fowing the fame field with the pureft 
 wheat, it ihould produce only tares, with a 
 few fcattered ears of barley j he would, un- 
 doubtedly, exprefs a degree of furprize and 
 
 difpleafure. 
 
^g6 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 difpleafure, at having his reafonable expedls^^ 
 tions fo ftratlgely difappointed. 
 
 In the new Teftament we find a remarkable 
 parable to this purpofe, where mankind are 
 confidered as the domeftics of God's immenfe 
 houfehold. In this parable, the Almighty is 
 reprefented as collecting his fervants together,' 
 and confiding to the care of each a feparate 
 loan, to be employed for the mutual intereft 
 of the covenanting parties. To one of 
 
 his domeftics he imparts five talents -, to ano- 
 ther tzvo', while a third has no more than a 
 Jingle talent committed to his charge : but all 
 are required fo to occupy, that their gains 
 may be proportionate to the feverai fums en- 
 trufted to their fidelity. Now, if the chrif- 
 tian, with fve talents of fpiritual knowledge, 
 acquires no advantage over the jew, who has 
 received but two -, is it not evident, that he has 
 aded the part of an unfaithful fervant ? Nay, 
 he is to be efteemed even more unprofitable 
 than the heathen, who fuffers his fingle talent 
 to lie unimproved •, fince, amid all his trilling 
 gains, he has flothfully concealed three valua- 
 ble talents, while the other has buried but 
 cne. But were the firft and the laft to de- 
 rive equal advantages, from the difproportion- 
 
 ate 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST, PAUL, 3^7 
 
 gte privileges permitted them to enjoy, while 
 the latter would be received as a good and 
 faithful fervant, the former might defervedly 
 be treated with an unufual degree pf feverity 
 by his infulted Lord. This parable may affift 
 us to conceive, that a philofopher, who Is 
 called by baptifm to evangelical perfedlon, 
 and yet contents himfelf with pradlifing the 
 morality of a heathen, has not, in reality, fo 
 much folid virtue as a fmcere deift bred up 
 in the bofom of paganifm. 
 
 Our progrefs in morality, like our advance- 
 ment in fcience, is to be efti mated, by con- 
 fidering the circumftances in which we are 
 placed, and the privileges we enjoy. A dra- 
 matic piece, compofed by a child or a negro, 
 might be received with plaudits, which would 
 be juftly hified off the ftage, had it been pro- 
 duced by a Shakefpear or a Corneille. A tra- 
 veller, who expreffes his admiration at the 
 addrefs with which favages manage a hatchet 
 of {lone, would exprefs equal aftonifhment at 
 the weaknefs of his countrymen, fhould he 
 fee them cafting afide their axes of iron, and 
 felling their trees with ill-formed implements 
 of flint. Thus, after admiring the fuccefsful 
 efforts of Socrates, who drew many facred 
 
 truths 
 
398 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 truths from the chaos of paganlfm, how zC- 
 tonlihing is it, to behold modern philofophers 
 patching up a confufed fyftem of deiftical mo- 
 rality, to be fubftituted in place of the fub- 
 Jimer doctrines, and the purer morality of the 
 Gofpel. Wherever fuch retrograde reafoners 
 are difcovered, their infignificant labors muft 
 be univerfally deplored by the lovers of truth. 
 But when thefe champions of falfe wifdom 
 endeavour to bury, under the ruins of chrif- 
 tlanity, thofe important truths, which heathens 
 themfelves have formerly difcovered, it is im- 
 poffible to behold their impious efforts without 
 feeling all the warmth of an honeft indignation. 
 
 We fhall conclude this ElTay, by tranfcrib- 
 ing a part of that ancient teftimony which was 
 borne, by Ladhantius, to the power of thofe 
 dodlrines, for which we contend. 
 
 "Tfial which many have difcovered^ by the affift' 
 ance of natural religion^ to be their indifpenfible 
 diity^ but which they have never been able either 
 to -praElife themfelves^ or to fee exemplified in the 
 condu5i of philofophers-, all this the facred doc- 
 trines of the Gofpel affifi us to perform^ becaufe 
 that Gofpel is wifdom in its highefi excellence. How 
 fhall philofophers perfuade others, while they them- 
 felves 
 
THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 599 
 
 felves continue in a .flate of perplexity ? Or how 
 fliall they reprefs the pajfions of others^ while^ by 
 giving way to their own^ they tacitly confefs that 
 nature^ in fpite of all their eforts^ is Jiill tri- 
 umphant. But daily experience tejlifies^ how great 
 an influence the ordinances of God have upon the 
 heart. — Give me a pajfionate^ Jlanderous^ implacci-' 
 ble man ; and^ through the power of our Gofpel^ 
 I will return him to you gentk as a lamb.» Give 
 me an avaricious man^ whofe greedinefs of gain 
 will fuffer him to part with nothing j and I .will 
 return him to you fo liberal^ that be will give 
 away his money by handfuls. Bring me ci man^ 
 who trembles at the approach of pain and death-: 
 ire long^ he fliall look with contempt upon crojfesy 
 fres^ and even the hull of Phalaris itfelf. Pre- 
 fent me with- a debauchee^ an adulterer^ a 7nan 
 wholly loft to good manners : you Jhall Jhortly be- 
 hold him an example of fobriety^ uprightnefsy and 
 continence. Give me a cruel and blocd-thirfty man: 
 his ferocious difpofition Jhall fuddenly be fucceeded 
 hy real clew.ency. Give me an unjuft maf}^ a 
 ftupid perfon^ an extravagant finner : you Jhall 
 Jhortly behold him fcrupuloufly juft^ truly wife^ and 
 leading a life of innocence, — Such is the power of 
 heavenly wifdom^ that it is no fooner Jhed abroad 
 in the hearty but, by a Jingle effort^ it chafes 
 avjay folly ^ the mother of fm* To compajs thefe 
 
 invaluable 
 
400 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUU 
 
 invaluable ends^ a man is under no necejfity of 
 faying falaries to mafters of philofopliy, and 
 fajfing whole nights in meditating upon their 
 works. Every 7iecejfary ajfiftance is imparted with- 
 out delay ^ with eafe^ and free from cofi -, if there 
 he 7iot wanting an attentive ear^ and a heart de- 
 fir oils of wifdom, The facred fource^ to which we 
 pointy is plenteous^ overflozving^ and open to all 
 men: the celeftial lights we announce^ indifcrimi^ 
 nately rifes upon all, who open their eyes to be- 
 hold it* 
 
 JVhat philofopher has ever done fo much ? Who 
 anions them is able to perform fitch ^wonders ? 
 After having fafjed their lives in the fludy of 
 philofophyy it appears, that they have neither bet- 
 tered themfelves nor others, when nature caufes 
 them any great rejiflance, 'Their wifdom ferves 
 rather to cover, than to eradicate, their vices. 
 Whereas our divine inflru5iions, i. e. the doc- 
 trines of the Gofpel, fo totally change a man, 
 that you 'would no longer know Imn for the fame 
 perfon. Lad. Lib. iii. cap. 26. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 J 
 
\