perish. These are essentials, because they are absolutely necessary; for it is written, " He that believeth not shall be damned," m and, "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord:" " and they are essential likewise, because they demonstrate an interest in the promise of everlasting life. Thus our Lord declares, "He that heareth my words, and believeth in him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life:" and the apostle, writing to the believing Romans, tells them, "Now being made free from sin, and become the servants of God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." These, then, are the essentials of religion; and though they are produced by the same power of the Holy Spirit, and derived from a knowledge of the same truths, and therefore cannot be separated, they may properly be distinguished, for the conviction of those who pretend to one without the other. The most specious appearances of holiness, which are not accompanied with faith in Christ, may be safely rejected as counterfeits. On the other hand, a profession of faith which is not evidenced by the fruits of holiness, by gracious tempers, and a tenour of life becoming the Gospel, is dead, delusory, and destructive.

If the question is removed another step, and it should be asked, which, or how many of the doctrines of Scripture are necessary to produce the faith and holiness supposed requisite ? it may suffice to say, that, in the nature of things, no person can be expected to believe in Christ, till convinced of his need of him, and of his ability, as a Saviour, fully to answer his expectations.

And as a supreme love to God, and a hatred of all sin, are evidently included in the idea of holiness, it supposes a disposition of mind which every man's experience proves to be beyond the power of fallen nature; and therefore a competent knowledge and cordial acceptance of what the Scripture teaches, concerning the nature and desert of sin, the person and mediatory acts of Christ, the causes, ends, and effects of his mediation, together with the necessity of that change of heart which is expressed by a being born again, appear to be essentially necessary to that faith and holiness which are described in the Gospel.

3. The circumstantials of religion include all those particulars of revelation which a person, possessed of the above-mentioned essentials, may as yet be unacquainted with, or unable to judge of with certainty. A careful application to the Scripture, a diligent waiting upon God in prayer, and an improvemement of the means of grace, will, by the divine blessing, which is promised to those who seek in this manner, increase our light, comprehension, and certainty, with regard to these points, which, though not essentially necessary to the being of a Christian, are exceedingly conducive to his well-being, to his growth and establishment in the truth.

This subject may be, perhaps, illustrated from the animal frame, in which what we call the vital parts may be considered as essential to life, because there can be no life without them. We may easily conceive that a man may live without an arm or leg, or several members and organs, which, though highly valuable for use and comfort, are not necessarily connected with life; but if we conceive of him as deprived of his head, heart, or lungs, we can no longer consider him

as living; yet it is desirable to have a body not only animated, but organized. So likewise in religion, those who are truly partakers of it will not too curiously inquire, how much knowledge, or what degree of practice, is barely consistent with a possibility of life; but they will earnestly desire to be acquainted with the whole will of God, and that every part of it may have a suitable influence upon their practice. But, in the mean time, a consolation is provided, in the promises of God made to those who have received the seeds of faith and true holiness, against the fears, doubts, and involuntary mistakes, which, from remaining ignorance, they are yet subject to. He will supply what is wanting, pardon what is amiss, and lead them on from strength to strength. They are to walk by the light already afforded, to wait on him for an increase, to be diffident of themselves and gentle to others; and things which as yet they know not, God will, in his due time, reveal to them. But to return from this digression.

V. Every part of St. Paul's history and writings demonstrates a disinterested spirit, and that his uncommon labours were directed to no other ends than the glory of God and the good of men. No man had, probably, so great an influence over his hearers, or could have a juster claim, from the nature and number of his services, to a suitable provision for himself; but he could say, with truth, We seek not yours, but you." To cut. off all occasions of misapprehensiou on this head, he usually submitted to work with his own hands. rather than be chargeable to his friends. It is true,

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1 Cor. ix. 18. That" I may make the Gospel of Ch ist without charge”—Adañavov Snow, that I may set it before you gratis, or a free Gospel. The messengers of good news

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he does not propose himself to us as a pattern in this respect, for he tells us "that the labourer is worthy of his hire," and that "the Lord had ordained that those who preach the Gospel should live by the Gospel;" and when he saw it expedient, he did not refuse to be himself assisted by others. He showed, by accepting such assistance from some, that he understood his liberty, and did not act from a spirit of pride or singularity when he declined it; and, by his more general practice, he evidenced that he was superior to all selfish and mercenary motives; and, upon the whole, he was content to appear and live as a poor man. And though he had learnt in the school of Christ, how to abound, as well as to suffer want, the latter seems to have been more frequently his lot. He saw too many false teachers, who, under the sanction of a sacred character, made merchandise of souls, and he not only severely censured them, but by this selfdenial, which they were unable to imitate, he manifested the vanity of their pretences in setting themselves forth as the apostles of Christ. This seems to have been his chief design in it, and the reason of his repeating, with so much earnestness, his determination to take nothing from the Corinthiaus, who were too much inclined to listen to some of these teachers to his disadvantage. But whatever parade they might make of gifts or zeal, or however they might presume to equal themselves to him in other respects; he knew are usually gratified with a reward; but the apostle, though he brought the most welcome and important tidings that ever rejoiced the hearts of men, would not encumber or disgrace the news, by receiving any thing for it. The truth is, he took as much pleasure in delivering his message as they could in hearing it, and found his reward in his employPhil. iv. 12.

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1 Cor. ix. 14.

they would not attempt to share with him in the glory of preaching the Gospel freely, which was diametrically inconsistent with their whole design. The circumstances with us are so far different, that, in proposing St. Paul as a pattern of disinterestedness, we do not lay a stress upon his preaching the Gospel without expense to his hearers; yet, in his noble contempt of worldly advantage, and making every thing stoop to the great ends of his mission, he stands as a precedent to all Christian ministers in succeeding times. In those passages of his epistles to Timothy and Titus, where the negative part of a minister's character (whether bishop or deacon) is given, this is constantly one branch of it, that he must not be influenced by a love of gain; and as constantly the word is compounded with the epithet, filthy"not given to filthy lucre;" to intimate that nothing can be more dishonest or dishonourable than to make a traffic of this service. Nor is this the judgment of Scripture only, but the general voice of mankind. Nothing is a greater bar to a minister's usefulness, or renders his person and labours more contemptible, than a known attachment to money, a griping fist, and a hard heart. They who enter into the priest's office for a piece of bread, who are less concerned for the flock than the fleece, who employ all their arts and influence to exchange a less emolument for a greater, or to superadd one to another, may have the reward they seek; but of all the methods of acquiring wealth, which do not directly expose a man to the lash of human laws, this is the most to be lamented and avoided. If the Scriptures are true; if St. Paul was a servant of Christ, and if the authority of his precepts and example is still binding, a day will come when mercenary preachers will wish they had begged