"Thou

feel the constraint of this divine law. "fhalt in any wife rebuke thy neighbour, and "not fuffer fin upon him*." Some fins are fo Aagrant in their nature that, even to witness them with filence, would imply fome participation of the guilt. In such cases it is the glory of the poorest and meaneft fervant of God, to refent the difhonour that is done to his name, and reprove the most exalted finner.

But this duty, and the odium arifing from it, falls moft frequently to the fhare of the prophets and minifters of God, who have received a commission to speak in his name, and to plead his caufe. The faithful difcharge of their duty, includes in it plainnefs and boldness in reproving fin of every kind. They muft affert and maintain the truth, and point out the errors oppofite to it, with all their guilty fruits, and all their dreadful confequences. How offenfive this to human pride? It must certainly either convince or provoke, reform or inflame. When righteous Lot fays, in the mildeft terms, to the luftful Sodomites, "I pray you, brethren, do not fo wickedly," how fierce is the answer?" And "they faid, Stand back. And they faid again, "This one fellow came in to fojourn, and he "will needs be a judge t."

¢

* Lev. xix. 17.

† Gen. xix. 9.

How

How many martyrs to truth have there been fince the world began? Without mentioning thofe in the old teftament, you see John the baptift loft his life by reproving the incestuous adultery of Herod and Herodias. Our bleffed Saviour gives the following account of the hatred of the world to him, and the contrary reception it gave to his temporifing brethren, "The world cannot hate 66 you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, "that the works thereof are evil." By confulting the hiftory of the gospel you will find, that what gave rife to the conspiracy of the Scribes and Pharifees against him, was his dragging off the mask under which they lay concealed, and difcovering the errors of their doc, trine, and the licentioufnefs of their practice. When they perceived that he spake against "them, they took counsel against him to put

"

him to death ;" and acccomplished it fo foon as they could do it with fafety. But there cannot be a better example, or indeed, a more lively and well drawn picture of the effect of plain and just reproof, than in the cafe of Stephen, when pleading his caufe before the Jewish rulers. "Ye ftiff-necked, and uncircumcifed in heart "and ears, ye do always refift the Holy Ghost; "as your fathers did, fo do ye. Which of the "prophets have not your fathers perfecuted?

And they have flain them which shewed be

"fore

"fore of the coming of the just One; of whom 66 you have been now the betrayers and mur<derers. When they heard thefe things, "they were cut to the heart,

and they gnashed

It is plainly for

66 on him with their teeth *." this reafon that the apoftles, in their prayers for affiftance, do almoft conftanly afk, that they may be endued with a proper degree of boldness and refolution, "And now, Lord, behold their threat"nings; and grant unto thy fervants that with "all boldness they may speak thy wordt." Many other prayers are to be found in the apoftolic writings, which run in the fame ftrain."

It is very natural for every one at this dif tance, to imagine, that he could have been in no danger of making fuch an obftinate refiftance to the truth, or perfecuting, with fuch implacable enmity, those who espoused it. But, my brethren, all worldly men, in every age, have still the fame abhorrence of the faithful fervants of God; the fame impatience of reproof, when it touches themselves. Our Saviour draws their character with great beauty, in fpeaking to the Pharifees; "Wo unto you Scribes and Pharifees, hypo"crites, because ye build the tombs of the pro"phets, and garnish the fepulchres of the righ"teous; and say, If we had been in the days

*Acts vii. 51, 52, 54.

vi, 19. 2 Theff. iii. 2.

† Acts iv. 29.

See Eph.

"of

"of our fathers, we would not have been "partakers with them in the blood of the pro"phets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto your"felves, that ye are the children of them which "killed the prophets *." It is very delicately hinted in this laft verfe, that they were of the fame nature, that they grew, as it were, upon the fame ftock, and therefore it might be expected that they would bring forth the fame fruit. I cannot but here mention a remark of a very eminent writer upon this paffage; "That all nations. "partake much of this difpofition of the Jews, "to honour the dead faints, and perfecute the "living t."

I have taken notice above, that in every period of the church, the most faithful of the fervants and minifters of God, have, in fact, been counted troublesome by corrupt and worldly men. The fame paffages of hiftory conftantly fhew, that this has arifen chiefly from their attempts to ftem the tide of prevailing vice; from their boldness and faithfulness in reproving fashionable crimes. In the twelfth century Arnulphus a devout man, and excellent preacher, fpeaks thus to the clergy: "I know that you feek my life, and "will fhortly kill me; But why? I speak the "truth to you, I reprehend your pride and "haughtiness, avarice and luxury, therefore I * Matt, xxiii, 29, 30, 31.

+ Tillction.

"please

"please you not *." And in the fourteenth century, an ancient writer fpeaks of the court of Rome in the following terms: "For what can

you conceive will happen where virtue was "long ago extinct and buried? There furely "truth is the highest crime, and of itself fuffi"cient to procure the hatred of many. For "how can we expect but that should happen, "where a true word cannot be fpoken without

a great reproach, where the worft of men are "promoted,-where fimplicity is esteemed mad"nefs,-where good men are rendered ridicu"lous, infomuch that now fcarce any of them doth appear to be laughed at. These few "things truth itself hath dared to speak, whence you may gather what you are to think of ma<< ny others, which fear doth force me to con

ceal t." It is unneceffary to cite many paffages to this purpofe; Ifhall therefore conclude this head with the following just reflection of the pious, diligent, and catholic Mr. Baxter ; "I fee there is no help for it, but we must of"fend wicked men. It is impoffible to avoid it, but either by our filence or their patience. "Silent we cannot be, because the word of God "commands us to fpeak; and patient they can

Whitby's App. to his book on Hot-worship. trarch's Ep.

+ Pe

nat