caft into prison, therefore the profeffion of the gofpel, in fuch a place, was juftly intitled to the moft favourable conftruction: for nothing lefs than a deep conviction of its truth and excellence, could be fuppofed to have induced any inhabitant of that city, to profefs a religion that inevitably expofed him to those contemptuous, as well as painful fufferings, which a generous and feeling mind would of all others moft anxioufly wish to avoid.

Surely, then, the Apoftle could have no reafon to fufpect, that a demand fo moderate would either offend or furprise them: Let your converfation be as it becometh the gospel of Chrift.--You have embraced the faith of the gofpel, and continued to make an open confeffion of it, without any allurements of a temporal nature, nay, in the face of the most obvious and alarming difcouragements; and therefore, as there can be no room to call in queftion either your belief of its doctrines, or your regard to its laws, I may, without prefumption, hope to obtain your confent, when I only exhort you to act a consistent and uniform part, by fuiting your converfation to the religion you have chofen, and have the fortitude to avow.

It is true, and it ought to be gratefully acknowledged, that our prefent fituation in these lands is very different from that of the ancient Philippians. Christianity, as reformed from the corruptions of Popery, is the established religion of our country: fo that if a man believe the gofpel of Chrift, he may, with the most perfect fafety to his perfon and property, make as pub

But

lic a confeffion of his faith as he inclines. it is equally true, that no man is compelled by the terrors of perfecution to profefs Christianity, if he do not believe it; nay, the profeffion of incredulity itself, if it break not forth into blafphemy, aggravated by fedition, doth not always prove an infurmountable bar in the way to any office civil or military, which the perfon is otherwife qualified to fill, or hath intereft to obtain: and therefore, though the mere profeffion of Christianity be not attended with any temporal inconveniencies, yet as the want of fuch profeffion doth not exclude a man from any temporal advantages, and as neither the profeffion nor practice of Chriftianity can be faid, in the ordinary course of things, to help any man forward in the line of worldly promotion; hence it follows, that every baptized person, who hath not openly renounced "the Lord that bought him," but ftill retains the name of Chriftian, and would complain of abuse and injury if his title to that appellation were either denied or called in queftion, must be confidered as acting from the freeft choice in the profeffion he makes; and can have no reason to be ftartled, far lefs to be offended, when we addrefs him in the words of this holy Apoftle, Let your converfation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ.-Should it be otherwife with any of us, the confequences are obvious; and upon every fuppofition we can make, must prove equally fatal to our peace and

to our honour.

If we believe not the gofpel, why do we profess it?-To lie in any cafe is fhameful, how great

great foever the temptation may be: but to lie deliberately without any temptation at all, which, as I juft now obferved, is the prefent cafe, nay, to perfift in that lie from day to day, when telling the truth could not hurt nor endanger any fecular interest whatsoever, is a basenefs the moft fuperfluous, and confequently the most contemptible, that can poffibly be imagined.

On the other hand, if we truly believe what we profefs, what an odious as well as difgraceful appearance muft we make, when our conversation is such as doth not become the gospel of Chrift? By "holding the truth in unrighteoufnefs," and counteracting the dictates of religion, and the conviction of our own minds, we expofe ourfelves to the lashes of that felf-reproach which will not fail to occupy every lucid interval betwixt the tumultuous gratifications of paffion and appetite; while at the fame time, by continuing to profefs that gospel we counteract it, we every day publish our fhame and mifery to the world around us, and virtually confefs, that we are guilty and felf-condemned before all who have an opportunity of obferving our conduct.

So that the fubject of my text is one of the most important that can employ our attention, as our practical regard to this demand of the Apoftle is abfolutely neceffary to preferve the peace and purity of our own hearts, and to fupport that character which the most profligate reverence, and which all who can difcern real beauty and excellence will covet to poffefs; I mean, the venerable character of an upright

man.

1

Having thus prepared the way, by fhowing, that the fame charge which was primarily addreffed to the Philippians, may, with strict juftice and propriety, be extended to us, let us now proceed to examine, with attention and candour, the ftandard to which our conformity is enjoined; or, in other words, let us inquire into that Gospel of Chrift to which our converfation, that is, the whole of our external conduct, as expreffing the inward temper of our hearts, ought to be fuited.

Among the various particulars included in the gofpel of Chrift, the two following may be felected as the most diftinguifhing and comprehenfive, namely,

I. The Doctrines we are taught to believe; and,

II. The Laws we are commanded to obey. Each of these particulars I fhall examine apart; from whence we fhall difcover, with eafe and certainty, what manner of converfation it is that may be faid to become the gospel of Chrift.

I. I BEGIN with the Doctrines of the gospel, or the truths we are taught to believe. And without defcending to the peculiar tenets, or modes of expreffion, by which Chriftians of any denomination have chofen to diftinguish themfelves, I fhall confine myself entirely to those capital points, in which the fober and intelligent of almost every denomination will be found to agree.

Now the gospel, ftrictly fo called, or that "word of reconciliation," the fubftance whereof

the

the Apostle hath elsewhere expreffed in one short fentence, to wit, "That God was in Chrift re

conciling the world unto himself, not imputing "their trefpaffes unto them," neceffarily fuppofes, that man is in a state of distance and alienation from God, liable to punishment in confequence of his apoftafy; and fo perverted and enfeebled, that he hath neither the difpofition nor the ability to do any thing that can be effectual for his own recovery.

It informs, us that "God, who spared not "the angels that finned, but hath referved " them in everlasting chains under darkness to "the judgment of the great day," fo pitied the human race," that he fent his only begotten "Son into the world, not to condemn the world, "but that the world through him might be "faved."-The nature and dignity of this great Deliverer are thus defcribed by an inspired Apoftle: "In the beginning was the Word, and the "Word was with God, and the Word was God. "All things were made by him; and without "him was not any thing made that was made." This "Word," adds he, " was made flesh, and "dwelt" or tabernacled " among men."-" He "who was in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God, made him"felf of no reputation, took upon him the form "of a fervant, and was made in the likeness of

men and being found in fashion as a man, "he humbled himself, and became obedient "unto death, even the death of the crofs.". This death is, uniformly reprefented by all the New Teftament writers as an atoning facrifice

for