let him also remember, that making the word of God his principle, and the honour of God his aim, he is still serving God, while he is working with his own hands in his secular vocation, and providing things honest in the sight of all men. The spirit of devotion actuates him in the absence of its forms; and this principle, as is reported of the philosopher's stone, turns all it touches into gold. Thus his natural actions become moral; his civil duties become religious; the field or the warehouse is holy ground; and the man of business is "the man of God."

II. In the World he is in a sphere of OBSER

VATION.

"Ye are the light of the world: a city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." "Ye are manifestly the epistles of Christ, known and read of all men." "We are a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men." It is obvious from hence, that as religious characters, you ought not to be concealed; you will not be concealed; you cannot be concealed. Of this I fear you think too little. Did you sufficiently consider how many eyes are upon you, and the effects that may result from their inspection, you would surely pray, with David, "Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies:" or, as it is in the margin, "because of them that observe

me."

In the Church you have observers. The minister who watches for your souls as one that must give an account; the office-bearers; all your fellow-members all these observe you. But these are good observers, friendly observers: these observe you to

consider you, in order to provoke you to love and to good works. But the world furnishes observers of a very different kind, both as to their qualities and their purposes―

-Curious observers. For "you are men wondered at." They think it strange that you run not to the same excess of riot with them. They are amazed at your resigning dissipations, without which they cannot live, and yet profess to be happy; and to see you bear reproach and persecution, and rejoice] that you are counted worthy to suffer. They are staggered at your principles; and they are not perfectly satisfied with their own; and so resemble Felix, who wished to hear Paul concerning the faith in Christ; and the Jews, to whom the Apostle appealed when he came to Rome-"And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came showed or spake any harm of thee. But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest; for, as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against."

-Malignant observers. Your temper and conduct and pursuits throw censure upon them; and they hate you because you testify that their deeds are evil. They therefore watch not to commend, but to condemn; not to notice the many good steps you take, but to mark the least halting; and are delighted when they can detect any thing to degrade you down to their level, any thing to justify their insinuations against you, any thing to make them better pleased with themselves, any thing that may help their faith in the hypocrisy of all religion.

-Unjust observers. It is proper enough for them to compare your conduct with your principles, and

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your practice with your profession: but they do. more than this. For you do not profess to be perfect; yet by nothing less than this rule do they affect to try you. Yea, all irreligious as they are, they exalt themselves into moral censors, and exact more from you than even your religion exacts: for your religion will allow you to be sincere, though you have infirmities; but they will not. Hence they magnify little failings into crimes. Hence they impute the improprieties of a few to the whole body. Hence, instead of judging of your religion by the Scripture, they judge of your religion by you. Hence they even estimate the Leader by his followers, and the Master himself by the disciple.

This is awful; and it shows what incalculable injury we may do when we walk unworthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. For as the poor Indians said of the Spaniards, what a God must he be, who has such hell-hounds for his servants and children: so what must many think of Christ, were they to judge of him by the folly and pride, and avarice and implacability of many who are called by his name?

And what inferences, my fellow-Christians, ought you to draw from hence? It is in vain to fret yourselves, and complain of the injustice of the world. You must regulate yourselves accordingly. Yea, you must turn this vile disposition into a blessing. You must walk in the fear of your God, because of the reproach of the heathen your enemies. You are not of the night nor of darkness; you must therefore walk honestly as in the day. You are on a stage: you must therefore be attentive to your movements. "What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy

conversation and godliness!" Never be careless of your reputation. Never adopt the maxim of some indiscreet professors-"I care not what the world thinks or says of me"-You ought to care. You ought to value a good name above great riches. You ought to let no accusation attach to you, but in matters pertaining to the law of your God.

III.

In the World he is in a sphere of DANGER.

Our Lord reminds us of this, when he prays not that we might be taken out of the world, but kept from the evil. Hence we are required to pass the time of our sojourning here in fear. And hence we read, "Blessed is the man that feareth always."

We are liable to be drawn sometimes beyond the bounds of permission and duty; and so to intermingle with the ungodly as to neglect the command, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation." "Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing." There are companies, and places, and scenes, to which a Christian may be tempted, but in which he must never be found. We have read in Ecclesiastical History of a damsel supposed to be possessed of the devil. The Bishop approached her, and commanded the unclean spirit to come out of her. But he stoutly replied, "I will not :" adding, as the reason of his refusal, "She is my lawful prize. I took her on my own territory. I found her not in the temple, but in the theatre." I have no faith in the fact: but the moral of the fable-(how much of Ecclesiatical History is no better than a fable!)-the moral is good, and useful; and teaches us that we have no warrant

to look for divine protection when we are on forbidden ground.

We must needs go out of the world, if we would avoid all intercourse with the ungodly. There is scarcely a day in which we are not brought into such contact with them as duty allows and requires. But is there no caution necessary even then? Is there no danger of infection, when we are among the diseased? Has not a heathen told us, that evil communications corrupt good manners? Need you be informed that even the presence of the wicked may chill your religious fervour; and that their conversation may throw doubts into your minds, and leave stains on the imagination, which cannot be easily removed? How insensibly are we drawn to feel and talk and act like others; especially if there be rank to impress, and talent to fascinate, and friendship to allure, and dependance to excite hope, and favours to attach gratitude!

The danger as to the case before us is, not only from what we meet with in the condition, but from what we bring into it. The world is always the same. Its errors, vices, examples, endeavours, frowns, smiles, promises, and threatenings, yield incessant and powerful temptations. Yet an angel is not endangered by them: he has not the senses, the passions, the appetites, the corruptions, on which they can operate. But we are not only rational, but animal creatures. We have not only an immaterial spirit, but a material body accessible to every external impression. We are also fallen creatures, and much of the derangement induced by our depravity consists in the ascendency of the sensual over the intellectual part of our nature.