WITH a heart deeply impressed, with a serious belief in the divine originality of the christian dispensation: Awed, as in the presence of the dread Sovereign of the universe: to whose penetrating eye the secrets of all hearts are disclosed: And sensibly affected, by the solemnity of the present occasion: I shall address you, my christian friends, in the un­daunted, though truly pathetic language of the great Apostle Paul to the Ephesians.

[Page 6] IF any considerations were sufficient to control the angry passions and blind prejudices of man­kind; to subdue the enmity of the human heart; to calm the raging tumults of the troubled breast; and cause the wrath of man to give place to the tender feelings, and kind affections of friendship and brotherly love: surely they must be those, which are suggested by that pure and holy reli­gion, which originated in the infinite wisdom, and boundless goodness of the Almighty.—Which was published to a fallen world, by Jehovah's first-born; recommended to human observation in his own perfect example: Which is still urged upon mankind by the life and conversation of every faithful disclple of Jesus Christ; And by the powerful, though silent pleadings of the holy Spirit; And which has for its only objects, the glory of the ever blessed God, and the felicity of his intelligent offspring.

It is the design of christianity, to make men benevolent and good here; that they may be happy and glorious hereafter. To accomplish this all-gracious design, the Son of God, for a time, forsook his Father's bosom; and descended from his throne, in the highest heavens, to the humiliating situation of a man despised upon earth. To every indignity, that the blind malice of an abandoned world could invent, he willingly sub­mitted. Knowing that to teach and instruct man­kind by his example and doctrines; and by his sufferings and death to redeem and save them; [Page] [Page 7] were the great and important purposes to be gained by his mission; he patiently received the full vials of divine wrath, which were prepared for him.

With an uniform submission to his Father's will, and with a single aim to the glory of the Godhead, in the salvation of sinners; he steadily pursued the thorny path, which led through every species of suffering and abuse, from his manger to his cross. "He was despised and rejected of men, he was indeed, a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief." Yet mark his deport­ment! "He was oppressed and he was afflicted; yet he opened not his mouth. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. When he was reviled, he reviled not again. When he suffered he threatened not; but com­mitted himself to him that judgeth righteously." And when nailed to the accursed tree; amidst the insults of an unfeeling multitude; as he bowed his sacred head in death, his spotless soul ascended to the throne of grace, with this servent suppli­cation, for those who spilt his blood. ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’

Such, my friends, was the Master whom the Apostle was miraculously called to serve. And such were the examples in patience and resigna­tion, which were proposed for his imitation. [...] ministry which he had received of the [...] was to testify the gospel of the grace [...].

[Page 8] This certainly is a sacred, and a most important trust. Sufficient to exercise the distinguished abilities, and to justify the zeal of this truly great man, and faithful disciple of Christ.

Next to his divine Master, perhaps no indivi­dual has ever done more, to promote the dignity and happiness of human nature, than the Apostle Paul. And excepting Christ, perhaps no one ever met with more ungrateful returns for all his ser­vices and his sufferings than he did. His history, commencing with his conversion to christianity, is filled with a series of surprising exertions in the cause of Christ; And with affecting repre­sentations of the cruel and barbarous treatment he suffered from those, whose eternal interest he endeavoured to promote, at the expense of every worldly consideration. He does himself the justice to say, that he is in nothing a whit behind the chiefest Apostles. ‘Are they ministers of Christ (said he) I am more: in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep: In journeying often, in perils of waters; in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils amongst false brethren. In weariness and pain­fulness, [Page 9] in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.’

These were the rewards which an ungrateful world had to bestow upon one of the brightest ornaments of human nature. Upon one of the most faithful and deserving of the sons of men. These were the evidences which St. Paul pro­duced of his Apostleship. ‘Therefore (said he) I take pleasure infirmities, in reproaches, in distresses, in necessities, in persecutions, in di­stresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. And truly (added he) the signs of an Apostle were wrought among you in all patience.’

Our context exhibits a truly interesting and an affecting scene. Let us accompany, in our ima­ginations, this holy man, on his journey through various parts of Asia, dispensing the glad tidings of salvation by a Redeemer; and saluting the several churches, which he had been instrumental in forming in the name and under the authority of his divine Master, until he arrived at Ephesus. There behold him in the midst of his beloved church, whom by the instrumentality of his preaching, the grace of God had converted to the christian faith. To whom the felt himself attached by every tender and endearing sentiment. For whom he had been willing to spend and be spent, that he might bring them to Christ. And whom he had now assembled, for the purpose of bidding a final farewell. And of commending [Page 10] them to God and the word of his grace. See with what confidence he appeals to the consciences of those who best knew him, whether he had not discharged with fidelity the duties of his Apostle­ship. "Ye know (said he) from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptations, which befel me by the lying in wait of the Jews; and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house: Testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ.

Though as a disciple of the crucified Jesus, no discouragements, however great, were sufficient to dissuade the Apostle from his determined pur­pose; or even to check his resolution to serve the cause in which his whole sould was engaged. Yet as a man, he could not but feel the injuries he had sustained, and the ungrateful returns, which had been made by some of his barbarous and un­feeling countrymen, to his most vigorous exer­tions to promote the real happiness of his fellow mortals. And therefore, in this last public address to his beloved brethren in Christ, he could not help adverting to them And by past experience taught, he looks forward in expectation of farther trials and afflictions from the malice and hatred of those, who are opposed to the interest of the Redeemer's kingdom; and the discipline of that [Page 11] holy religion, whose mild and benevolent precepts discountenance the angry passions of the human heart, and requires that hatred and revenge should give place to the grateful emotions of love, cha­rity, mutual forbearance, forgiveness and compas­sion: Of that religion, which is not armed with vengeance, to destory the humble penitent; But is ever ready to drop the tear of condolence over the unhappy; and to guide the unwary step into the paths of peace and truth: Of that religion, which has for its objects, the glory of the Deity, and the honour, and the happiness of all mankind; Which inspires each individual of its sincere vota­ries, with such ardent and diffusive benevolence, as shall draw forth his soul to the great Father of all, in this devout address.

‘And now (saith the Apostle) behold, I go bound in spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befal me there. Save that the holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying, that bonds and afflictions abide me.’ But while the Apostle anticipates the evils and dangers attend­ant on the discharge of his ministry, he nobly rises superior to all his apprehensions; And fired with an heroic ardor, he sets danger, and even death, in open desiance. ‘But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course [Page 12] with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.’

O happy Apostle! Who would not wish to emulate thy resolution, who has a clear prospect of the rewards that will crown fidelity, in the immediate presence, and under the almighty pro­tection of thy God? Above the reach of envy; and where the rage of persections can never harm thee! Thou hast fulfilled the ministry, which thou didst receive of thy blessed Master: Thou hast faithfully testified to a deluded, misjudging world the gospel of the grace of God. And thou hast finished thy course with joy. For in the near prospect of death; while on the confines of the eternal world, thou wast able to look back with satisfaction on thy past life. And rejoicing in thy prospects of future glory, thou wast able to say, I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righ­teous judge shall give me at that day.

But although the Apostle Paul has finished his course, and is now at rest in the abodes of bliss; yet the cause, which he so successfully plead, is not brought to a final issue. Nor will it be, un­til all the wandering tribes of Adam's race are brought home to their father's house. Until the children of men shall be persuaded to seek one [Page 13] common interest; and be united in one happy family. Until the ferocity of the lion shall give place to the Inoffensiveness of the lamb; and ‘the leopard shall lie down with the kid. When the envy of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off. When Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. When the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea; and when there shall be nothing to hurt or destroy in all his holy mountain.’ An consummation this, devoutly to be wished.

In the mean time, the King of Zion continues to send his Ambassadors to the children of men; and the religion of the Redeemer, has this day an advocate in every honest heart.

The faithful ministers of the gospel, are the successors of St. Paul in the serviee of the same Master. Like him they must expect to encounter innumerable difficulties; and like him, they must resolve, relying on divine grace, to surmount them all. And, in opposition to the passions and the prejudices of ungodly men, they must determine faithfully to discharge the duties of their impor­tant, and very difficult station.

But alas! how few of those who take upon them the sacred office of the ministry, can affirm with the confidence of the Apostle, that they have not in any thing been deficient? Ministers are but men: subject to like passions with their fellow mortals: and exposed to all the frailties and in­firmities [Page 14] of human nature. Perfection is not attainable by them; nor ought it to be expected from them. It is true, however, that the sacred office which they sustain, places them in an ele­vated point of view. They are therefore, under peculiar obligations to use the utmost circum­spection in their conversation and deportment; and to cause their light so to shine before men, that others, seeing their good works, may a glorify their heavenly Father. Those who are constituted sacred guides to a benighted world, should be careful to have those rays of divine wisdom and knowledge, which have been communicated to them, from the father of lights, dissuse their benign influence, on all around them. The ministry which they have received of the Lord, should always hold the first place in their thoughts; and whatever discouragements may avait them, in the execution of their important trust, they ought never to despair. But to testify the gospel of the grace of God in their lives and in their preach­ing, should always be their single aim. Although enemies should persecute, and friends betray them. Though they should be made the scorn and deri­sion of the mad multitude. Though poverty and ruin, destruction and death should stare them in the face; yet none of these things should move them, neither should their lives be dear unto them­selves, when set in competition with their faith▪ But with a firm reliance on divine support; and with unshaken confidence in him, in whose cause they are engaged: they should not shun to declare [Page 15] the whole counsel of God, though all the powers of darkness should arise in opposition to it. Ani­mated by the pleasing consideration, that in thus doing, they may finish their course with joy; they will rise above the fear of every disasterous event in this life; and look forward to the hour of death in grateful expectation.

But it must be confessed, that the work of a gospel minister, is difficult and arduous, as well as infinitely important. Our adorable Saviour, hav­ing redeemed our fallen race, from the ruins of apostacy, by his own sufferings and death; not only exhibited in his own character, that temper and conduct, which his disciples should imitate: but established his church under special ordi­nances; and published that system of faith and morals, through which he would have the child­ren of men qualified for the heavenly world. And that mankind might be instructed in the knowledge of the divine will; and be persuaded to embrace him, as the only mediator, through whom they may become reconciled to their of­fended Maker, receive the pardon of all their sins, and obtain the final and everlasting salvation of their souls: he was graciously pleased to ordain and appoint a succession of gospel teachers; who should bear rule in his church; administer the ordinances of his gospel; impress the seals of his covenant; solemnly warn and exhort in his name; preach him, in his person, character and offices; and declare the whole counsel of God, to the [Page 16] conviction and conversion of sinners, and to the edification, comfort and establishment of the saints. It is therefore the indispensible duty of a gospel minister to watch, that he may be instru­mental in saving souls. Great will be his reward, if he is faithful in the discharge of his duty; and solemn will be the account, which he must give to his divine Master if he is not. While exposed to the wicked and malicious dispositions of man­kind, he has to conflict with many temptations to forsake Christ, and to abandon his cause: but they are all confined to the present term of his existence: while he has many great and precious promises, to encourage him to persevere in his attachment to the truth, and the interests of his Redeemer, which shall have their full accomplish­ment in the eternal world.

Although the word faithfully preached, will prove the savor of life unto life, unto all them who hear and obey it; and a favor of death unto death, to those who disregard it: yet the doctrines of grace and salvation by Christ; which it is the indispensible duty of a gospel minister to preach; are so extremely ungrateful to a great part of mankind; that the preacher is too often made the object of their unrighteous resentment.

The most examplary life, and unblemished cha­racter, are not always secure from the shafts of malice and detraction. With the bitterest invete­racy the hardened Jews persecuted the holy Lamb of God; and abused him with every term [Page 17] of reproach, with which their ingenuity could furnish them. And when (while they inhumanly sought his life) our Lord said unto them, many good works have I shewed you from my Father, for which of these works do ye stone me? They made him this unfeeling reply. For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy, and because that thou being a man, makest thyself God. Implying that he was an infamous impostor, endeavouring to practise upon the credulity of the multitude. And if these things were done in a green tree, what can we expect in a dry? If men have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his hous­hold? If he, who is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person, could not pass through this censorious world, without meeting the bitterest reproaches of those whom he died to save, his frail and imperfect disciples cannot reasonably expect any thing better.

The most faithful servant of Jesus Christ that ever existed, falls infinitely short of his blessed Master. Even the most vigilant and circumspect of those who sustain the sacred office of the gos­pel ministry have not only abundant occasion to humble themselves before God, on account of their numberless imperfections; but they likewise frequently stand in need of the candor and charity of their fellow men—Of those to whom it is their duty to come, in the name of the Lord, de­claring his hatred of all unrighteousness. For who can say, I have made my heart clean; I am free [Page 18] from transgression? Could that divine and hea­venly principle which suffereth long and is kind, which vaunteth not itself, and rejoiceth not in iniquity; could that cardinal virtue, which is the basis of all true religion, maintain the place it merits in the hearts of men, they would be mer­ciless only to those errors and imperfections which they find in themselves. But unhappily for the peace, the harmony and security of those who should be distinguished for the exercise of all the christain virtues, they are generally the most quicksighted in discerning, and the most severe in censuring the faults of others, who need the thickest veil to conceal their own.

But so long as the mild and gentle spirit of christianity shall warm the hearts of the wise and good; so long, shall the humble and sincere, though imperfect servant of Jesus Christ, find a place in their esteem. Wherever he goes, their best wishes will attend him; and their devout and servent prayers will be, that God may pro­tect and bless him.

Virtuous friendship is an exalted passion. It is the key that opens to all the social affections. It is the secret and delicate, though firm and in­separable ligament that unites congenial souls; and constitutes the tenderest attachments that nature knows. It seeketh not its own aggran­dizement, but the happiness of others. It sets no bounds to its kind and beneficent offices. It begins in virtuous souls upon earth, and will be consummated in heaven.

[Page 19] The full force of this divine passion the Apostle Paul felt for his beloved Church at Ephesus; and in their breasts it met a generous return. It was this that cemented their mutual affections, and rendered the thoughts of their separation so ex­tremely painful.

But perfect happiness has not place below the skies. Even the joys of virtuous friendship are embittered, by the sad recollection, that the objects of our fondest affections must soon be parted from us.

Behold, the ship is already launched; the breeze arises, and the canvass swells; the moment, the affecting moment, is arrived, when Paul must take his last farewell of his Ephesian friends. His soul, which had maintained its firmness through all his sufferings, and nobly rose superior to all the dangers with which he was threatened, is now subdued by love. I see his virtuous conflict, with all the tender passions; while I hear him say, Now behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.

And while I speak of his attachment to his beloved Church, methinks I feel my heart glow, with the same exalted passion for those, of whom I shall, this day, publicly take my leave. But, as on parting with his friends, Paul recommended them to God, and the word of his grace: So, after his example, and by your indulgence, I wish to take my leave of you, my friends, this afternoon.—

PART II.

AS the offices and duties of an evangelical teacher are solemn and sacred, so the connexion that subsists between him and the church and people to whom he has statedly administered the ordinances, and dispensed the doctrines of the gospel, is tender, interesting and important. They are equally interested in all religious truths; they are accountable to the same Lord, for their fidelity to each other; for their fidelity to Christ, and to the interests of his kingdom.

The day is not far distant, when every servant of the Lord Jesus must give an account of his stewardship; and when all those who have been favored with the means of grace must appear be­fore the tribunal of Jehovah, and shew how they have improved under them. Then if he, to whom has been intrusted the ministry of the gospel of the grace of God, shall be found to have been faithful to his sacred, trust, and to the all-important cause in which he has been employed: If it shall then appear, that he has not shunned to declare the whole counsel of God; and that he is pure from the blood of all; he shall then be owned; approved and honoured by his divine Master, who is his final judge. And an unfading crown of glory in the heavens shall reward him for all [Page 21] his services and his sufferings upon earth. Not­withstanding, while in this state of trial and disci­pline, he may be (as his master was before him) despised and rejected of men, and regarded by short-sighted mortals, as one who is stricken, smitten of God and afflicted; and persecuted by their relentless rage even unto strange cities.

Happy is that minister of Christ, whose life has uniformly corresponded with the gospel he has preached. And happy is that people who have realized the worth of such a faithful servant of their ascended Lord, and obeyed the precepts of the gospel which he has inculcated. They may look on death without one distressing ap­prehension. And with unspeakable satisfaction, they can anticipate that solemn moment, when they shall again unite at the impartial bar of their righteous Judges; receive his applaudit, and ac­company each other to those blessed abodes where all virtuous friends shall meet, and part no more through the unmeasurable ages of an endless eter­nity. Such a minister was the apostle Paul, and such were those who composed his church at Ephesus. And therefore, while he bids them a long farewell, expecting never more to see them upon earth; he can confidently affirm, that he is pure from the blood of all men. And that he has not shunned to declare unto them all the counsel of God. This great Apostle is an example to his successors in sufferings and in patience; in word, in charity, in faith and in purity. But [Page 22] there are but few however of his successors, who do not fall short of the example he has set them. The height of their pretentions in general is, that they have endeavoured to walk worthy of their high and holy vocation; and that they have not willingly shunned to declare all the counsel of God.

This, my friends, is the most that I pretend to. Many are the imperfections of my life, and great is my need of pardoning mercy, and renovating grace. With a submissive temper of mind, I would notice the dispensations of divine provi­dence towards me. And I would ascribe righte­ousness to my Maker, under all his dealings with me. I would cultivate and cherish the temper of the meek and lowly Jesus, in which he said to the Roman governor, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, expect it were given thee from above." And of holy David, when under his severest trials and afflications, "Let Shimei curse, for the Lord hath bidden him." But my friends, I can with confidence appeal to the God who knows my heart, to witness the sincerity of my desires, to serve him with fidelity, in the gos­pel of his Son. And that I have not, knowingly, kept back any thing that was profitable unto you, through the fear of man; or under the apprehen­sion of incurring the displeasure of those, who do not conceive of some of the doctrines of the gos­pel in the same light with myself. It has been my uniform endeavour, to urge upon you all, the necessity and the infinite importance of attending [Page 23] on the means of grace, and the institutions of our holy religion; to hold up to your view the moral sentiments and the practical duties of christianity; and to testify to all, whatever their speculative opinions might be, repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. And if I cannot say with the confidence of the Apostle in the text, that I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God; yet I can say, with as much sincerity as he felt, that I have not de­signedly neglected it. And if the most ardent wishes for your present peace and prosperity, and for your future and eternal glory and happiness, will justify the assertion, I can say, that I am pure from the blood of all men. I have wished and prayed for your good, but I have never had in my heart to injure any individual of you. And though my services and my sufferings, my prayers and my tears, may not be felt or acknowledged by my fellow men; yet I have the heart-ani­mating satisfaction of reflecting with holy Job, "that my witness is in heaven, and that my re­cord is on high." With him, "I know that my Redeemer lives."

Many, my friends, have been the evils with which I have been called to encounter, from my first entering upon the work of the gospel in this place. The envenomed tongue of the most mali­cious slander has been employed to wound my fame; my most studious exertions to assert and maintain, what I have received as the truths [Page 24] of the gospel, have been despised by some as the warm effusions of an heretical brain. And my firm adherence to an incumbent duty has been constru­ed into obstinacy, and imputed to the want of an obliging dispostion. Sincere in my concessions, and sanguine in my expectations, I have been betrayed in my confidence; and seen all my sairest prospects in a moment blasted. And now, shall I say that none of these things move me? and that neither do I count my life dear unto myself? Yes, I will truly say it, if I may but finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

My brethren, I have not unfriendly passion to gratify. I have no disposition to revenge upon the most unfeeling of my enemies. I will not even say of them (as St. Paul said of Alexander the copper-smith) they have done me much evil, the Lord reward them according to their works. No, but I will leave them with their God, and pray for the salvation of their souls. I have no doubt, but that many who have taken a part in afflicting me, have been led to it through mis­information, or the want of proper attention, or by the influence of bad advisers; which there­fore, I can freely overlook, and heartily forgive.

This world, my friends, is not our home, and when compared with the glories that are to be revealed, its interests are not worth contending for. We are designed for another state of exis­tence. [Page 25] this life is but the dawn of that eternal day, to which we are as yet scarcely awakened. We enter upon this stage of mortality in a pro­miscuous order; we here form various con­nexions which must be all of short duration. Disaster or death soon disunites us for a time; but we part, soon to meet again.

You and I, my friends, have been connected under the most interesting and important of all relations; it is now dissolved. Perhaps this is the last time we shall ever behold each others faces upon earth. This is undoubtedly the last time you will ever hear my voice from this sacred desk. But, my friends, we soon shall meet again; at the moment of our separation, we are all hastening, as fast as the wings of time can carry us, to unite with a whole assembled world, before the impartial bar of the dread Sovereign of the universe; whose piercing eye now searches the human heart, and tries the reins of the children of men. Yes, my friends, we must shortly, very shortly, all appear before our Judge; where our late relation to each other will be brought into view. Where I must give an account of the errors of my life, and for every neglect of my duty as a minister of the gospel of the grace of God; and where you, my friends, must likewise give an account of the temper and disposition with which you have attended on my ministry, and the manner in which you have profited under it; and where you must account not only for [Page 0026] your conduct towards me as a christian brother and a christian minister; but likewise for the motives which actuated you thereto. With pleas­ing hope and grateful expectation, I look forward to the events of that all-important period; and may God of his infinite compassion and grace dis­pose and enable each of us so to rectify whatever has been amiss, either in our temper or conduct, as that the approaching day of final retribution may be as happy as it must be solemn to us all.

But though this life is not the time to revenge injuries, but to forgive, and if possible, to forget them; yet surely it is a fit season for the grateful acknowledgement of benefits and kindnesses. And therefore, it is with pleasure, that I take this op­portunity publicly to acknowledge the many and repeated expressions of friendship and esteem which I have received from many of the people of this parish, from my first coming among them to the present day. Be assured, my friends, not the smallest token of your kindness has been passed unnoticed. I have a lively remembrance of all your favors, it will accompany me wherever I go, and through whatever scenes I may be called to pass. Although I may be lost to you, yet your friendship is not lost upon me, it has made such a deep impression upon my heart, as can never be crased, until it is asleep in the cold and silent grave. Accept my sincere thanks and most devour good wishes; they are the only returns that are now in my power to make to all your benevo­lence: but they are a grateful offering, which a generous mind will not despise.

[Page 0027] It now remains, that I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

You have now a dangerous path to tread, with­out any spiritual guide to go before you in the exercises of public devotion. The Apostle, in our context, was extremely anxious for the peace and security of his beloved stock at Ephesus, when he could no longer be with them. For I know this, said he, that after my departing, shall griev­ous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of yourselves shall men arise, speak­ing perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. And, have I no longer any interest in you, my friends? God is my witness, who daily hears my prayers for his blessings on you, that I have. Ye are now my brethren, who so lately were the people of my charge. And as we are now about to take our leave of each other, to pursue (as I humbly hope) our journey to our heavenly Father's house; I will offer you the parting cau­tion which Joseph gave to his brethren, when they left him, to go up from Egypt, to their father in Canaan.

‘And he said upto them, see that ye fall not out by the way.’ Let me entreat you to forget all former prejudices, and endeavour to be recon­ciled to one other. Seek a speedy resettlement of the gospel among you, with sincere desires to profit [Page 0028] profit by the dispensation of its doctrines and its precepts. If you can be united, you may yet be a happy and a respectable society. But if malice and ill-will, if prejudice, hatred and re­venge, and every unfriendly and destructive passion are not speedily suppressed, your ruin is unavoid­able. Studiously avoid therefore, all movements towards confusion and disorder. Study the things that make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. Seek to have the word of God dispensed to you in its purity, and cherish the faith that was once delivered to the saints. You have more pressing motives to peace and union among yourselves, and more important considerations to prevent your falling out with each other, on your journey through the wilderness of this life, than the brethren of Joseph had, while they journeyed towards their native land.

You are all the offspring of God; the parent of the universe is the former of your bodies, and the father of your spirits; he regards you as his children; he knows your infirmities, and is gra­ciously attentive to your wants: Your existence originated in his love, and you are all equally dependent on his bounty. He views no indivi­dual with a partial fondness, further than amia­bleness of temper, and propriety of conduct, may justly merit the distinction; but as a kind and indulgent parent, he delights in the peace and hap­piness of all his children. The relation, there­fore, in which you all stand to God should re­mind [Page 0029] you of the relation you bear to each other, and should teach you to cherish that fraternal affection, which should be mutually exercised a­mong brethren. And you are expressly exhorted to the cultivation of brotherly love by the great Redeemer of the world; who, that he might re­concile the children of men to one another, and so prepare them for a reconciliation with offended Heaven, became an instructor and an example in this important duty; and has left it as the indisputable evidence by which we are to prove that we are his disciples.—"For as I have loved you," said Christ, "so ought ye also to love one ano­ther." And ‘by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to an­other.’ What a powerful motive should this be with you, to suppress every unchristian and un­friendly thought, and on every occasion to mani­fest mutual love, kindness and compassion.

In innumerable instances we have all transgressed against the righteous laws of God; and the need we all stand in of his forgiveness should teach us the reasonableness and necessity of our being will­ing to forgive those who may have offended us. And in our addresses at the throne of grace, we are expressly taught by our blessed Lord, to pray for the forgivenes of our own sins, on condition of our being freely disposed to forgive those who sin against us; and are assured, that ‘if we for­give not men their trespasses, neither will our heavenly father forgive us our trespasses.’

[Page 0030] While on earth, you are all, my friends, in a state of pilgrimage; professedly journeying to the same eternal home; and whatever different subordinate views you may each of you have here, yet your principal and ultimate view is the same. The heavenly Jerusalem is the place at which you all hope to arrive. And Heaven, let it be re­membered, admits none of those jarring discords, seuds and confusions which disturb the peace and happiness of the present state; that is the blessed abode of peace, of joy, and everlasting love. No rankled temper, no ruffled passions, no disconso­nant or unfriendly thought, shall ever be found among the saints in light: But felicity and truth, amity and love, complacency and peace, delight and concord, will be the invariable temper of all the sons of glory. And if the temper or conduct of any of your fellow travellers occasion you any present vexation or concern, let this thought afford you comfort and relief, that if ever you meet them in heaven, you will find them so entirely reformed as that you shall cheerfully embrace them for your most cordial friends.

‘There are two things which have a direct and a most unhappy tendency to foment an unfriendly spirit, and prompt men to a viola­tion of the great laws of christian charity, viz. Unruly passions and unreasonable prejudices. When these are indulged so far as to break through the restraints of conscience and of honour, it is no wonder if we see persons un­der the government of them frequently find­ing [Page 34] fault with the best men, and the best things. From hence arose that implacable hatred which the Jews shewed to our Saviour's person, and the violent opposition they made to his doo­trines, and which the bigotted and profane part of mankind have in some degree shewn to his true cause and faithful servants ever since And even good men, so far as they are under the unhappy influence of them, always discover either a very unlovely temper, or very erroneous principles. First then, if you would preserve and cultivate a spirit of unanimity and peace, you must guard against intemperate passions, and especially against those, which are most apt to predominate. Passion is always a blind and a furious guide; and if it is not sanctified by grace, or subdued by reason, proves exceed­ingly detrimental to a man's peace and interest. It was designed to be the servant of reason, and to follow after it; but if instead of being obedient to it, it once gains the ascendency over it, it hurries a man into the wildest ex­tremes, and renders him either a very contemp­tible or a very dangerous enemy; and like an unbridled, headstrong horse, overleaps all the bounds of religion, reason, humanity, common sense, or common decency, that stands in the way of its mad career.’

‘And unreasonable prejudice is equally detri­mental to the interests of peace and brotherly love. Prejudice is a precipitant determination [Page 32] of the mind for, or against any particular object, previous to a proper enquiry into its nature; or, as the word itself imports, to judge before we examine; that is to judge by the passions rather than the understanding. Hence we see that persons of the warmest passions are fre­quently the most subjects to this foible. And opinions thus rashly taken up, without evidence, are called prejudices. And they are most fre­quently the effect of ignorance and vanity united; and most incident to persons of quick and con­fident spirits, who have not patience to examine the premises, before they draw the conclusion. And then, through a weak mistaken notion, that it is dishonorable to be convinced of an error, resolve for the credit of their understand­ing, as they suppose (but really at the expense of it) to retain and defend their error against all evidence of sense, fact and reason. But this not only exposes a man's understanding, but renders him a very unsociable creature; an uncharitable christian, if a christian; or an ob­stinate infidel if not. And where passion and prejudice both unite their influence, they make a man unsufferably arrogant and assuming. If therefore you would cultivate peace and love, you must guard equally against unruly passions and unreasonable prejudices; and the more carefully, because they are both apt to steal in­to the mind unobserved.’ Resolve freely and candidly to examine, before you judge of any thing that is proposed to your faith; and let [Page 33] reason and the sacred scriptures furnish the rules by which you make up your judgment. But always remember to maintain the truth in love, because the wrath of man worketh not the righ­teousness of God.

And may God Almighty, my friends, take you under his holy protection, and may his good [...]pirit lead you into all necessary truth.

It would greatly rejoice my heart, could I see [...]u happily united, in the enjoyment of all the [...]ssings of the gospel of the grace of God. And [...]nestly pray, that it may please the great Head [...] the Church soon to send you a pastor after his [...]n heart; who shall lead you into the green [...]tures of his word, and beside the still waters [...]f his grace.

As for me, I cast myself, and those for whom [...]od and nature command me to be provident, [...]pon the infinite compassion of that kind and in­ [...]ulgent parent, who hears the young ravens when [...]hey cry, and without whose notice even a spar­ [...]ow falls not to the ground.

Finally, my brethren, farewell. Be perfect, [...]e of good comfort, be of one mind, live in [...]eace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you and bless you.

AMEN.