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transformed into the likeness of him that created us. This inward Religion bears the shape of God, so visibly impressed upon it, that a soul must be wholly immersed in flesh and blood, when he can doubt of its divine original. We may say of this in a secondary sense, even as of the Son of God himself, That it is the "brightness of his glory, and express image of his person:" aяavyaoμa Tns dons aure, The beaming forth of his eternal glory; and yet so tempered and softened, that even the children of men may herein see God and live: χαρακτηρ της υποςάσεως αυτό, The character, the stamp, the living impression of his Person, who is the fountain of beauty and love, the original source of all excellence and perfection.

2. If Religion therefore were carried no farther than this, they could have no doubt concerning it; they should have no objection against pursuing it with the whole ardor of their souls. But why, say they, is it clogged with other things? What need of loading it with doing and suffering? These are what damps the vigor of the soul, and sinks it down to earth again. Is it not enough to follow after Charity? To soar upon the wings of Love? Will it not suffice, to worship God, who is a Spirit, with the spirit of our minds, without encumbering ourselves with outward things, or even thinking of them at all? Is it not better, that the whole extent of our thought should be taken up with high and; heavenly contemplation? And that, instead of busying ourselves at all about externals, we should only commune with God in our hearts.

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3. Many eminent men have spoken thus: have advised "To cease from all outward action;" wholly to withdraw from the world; to leave the body behind us; to abstract ourselves from all sensible things: to have no concern at all about outward Religion, but to work all virtues in the Will, as the far more excellent way, more perfective of the soul, as well as more acceptable to God.com, bh

4. It needed not that any should tell our Lord of this master-piece of the wisdom from beneath! This fairest of all the devices, wherewith Satan hath ever perverted the right

ways of the Lord. And, O! what instruments hath he found from time to time, to employ in this his service! To wield this grand engine of hell, against some of the most important truths of God! Men that "would deceive, if it were possible, the very elect;" the men of faith and love: yea, that have for a season deceived and led away no inconsiderable number of them; who have fallen in all ages into the gilded snare, and hardly escaped with the skin of their teeth.

5. But has our Lord' been wanting on his part? Has he not sufficiently guarded us against this pleasing delusion ? Has he not armed us here with armour of proof against Satan "transformed into an angel of light?" Yea, verily : he here defends, in the clearest and strongest

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anner, the active, patient religion he had just described: what can be fuller and plainer than the words he immediately subjoins, to what he had said of doing and suffering? Ye are the

salt of the earth." But if the salt have lost its savour, wherewithal shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world: a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel; but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

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In order fully to explain and enforce these important words, I shall endeavour to shew, First, that Christianity is essentially a social Religion, and that to turn it into a solitary one, is to destroy it. Secondly, that to conceal this Religion is impossible, as well as utterly contrary to the design of its Author. I shall, Thirdly, answer some objections; and conclude the whole with a practical application.

I. 1. First, I shall endeavour to shew, that Christianity is essentially a sócial Religion; and that to turn it into a solitary Religion, is indeed to destroy it.

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By Christianity I mean, that method of worshipping God, which is here revealed to man by Jesus Christ. When I say, This is essentially a social Religion, I mean not only,

that it cannot subsist so well, but that it cannot subsist at all without society, without living and conversing with other men, And in shewing this, I shall confine myself to those considerations, which will arise from the very discourse before us. But if this be shewn, then doubtless, to turn this Religion into a solitary one, is to destroy it.

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Not that we can in any wise condemn, the intermixing so litude or retirement with Society. This is not only allowable, but expedient: nay, it is necessary as daily experience shews, for every one that either already is, or desires to be a real Christian, It can hardly be that we should spend one entire day, in a continued intercourse with men, without suffering loss in our soul, and in some measure grieving the Holy Spirit of God. We have need daily to retire from the world, at least, morning and evening, to converse with God, to commune more freely with our Father which is in secret. Nor indeed can a man of experience condemn even longer seasons of religious retirement, so they do not imply any neglect of the worldly employ, wherein the providence of God has placed us.

2. Yet such retirement must not swallow up all our time; this would be to destroy, not advance true Religion. For, that the Religion described by our Lord in the foregoing words, cannot subsist without society, without our living and conversing with other men, is manifest from hence, that several of the most essential branches thereof, can have no place, if we have no intercourse with the world.

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3. There is no disposition (for instance) which is more essential to Christianity than meekness. Now although this, as it implies resignation to God, or patience in pain and sick. ness, may subsist in a desert, in a hermit's cell, in total soli❤ tude; yet as it implies (which it no less necessarily does) mildness, gentleness and long-suffering, it cannot possibly have a being, it has no place under heaven, without an in tercourse with other men. So that to attempt turning this into a solitary virtue, is to destroy it from the face of the earth.

4. Another necessary branch of true Christianity, is

peace-making, or doing of good. That this is equally es sential with any of the other parts of the Religion of Jesus Christ, there can be no stronger argument to evince (and therefore it would be absurd to allege any other) than that it is here inserted in the original plan he has laid down, of the fundamentals of his Religion. Therefore to set aside this, is the same daring insult on the authority of our great Master, as to set aside mercifulness, purity of heart, or any other branch of his institution. But this is apparently set aside, by all who call us to the wilderness; who recommend entire solitude either to the babes, or the young men, or the fathers in Christ. For will any man affirm, that a solitary Christian (so called, though it is little less than a contradiction in terms) can be a merciful man? That is, one that takes every opportunity of doing all good to all men? What can be more plain, than that this fundamental branch of the Religion of Jesus Christ, cannot possibly subsist without society, without our living and conversing with other men?

5. But is it not expedient however (one might naturally ask,) to converse only with good men? only with those whom we know to be meek and merciful; holy of heart, and holy of life? Is it not expedient to refrain from any conversation or intercourse, with men of the opposite character? Men who do not obey, perhaps do not believe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? The advice of St. Paul to the Christians at Corinth, may seem to favour this. "I wrote unto you in an Epistle, not to company with fornicators," 1 Cor. v. 9. And it is certainly not advisable so to company with them, or with any of the workers of iniquity, as to have any particular familiarity, or any strictness of friendship with them. To contract or continue an intimacy with any such, is no way expedient for a Christian. It must necessarily expose him to abundance of dangers and snares, out of which he can have no reasonable hope of deliverance.

But the Apostle does not forbid us, to have any intercourse at all, even with the men that know not God. For then, says he, "ye must needs go out of the world," which he could never advise them to do. But he subjoins, “If

any man that is called a brother," that professes himself a Christian, "be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner," 1 Cor. v. 11. "Now I have written unto you not to keep company with him; with such an one, no not to eat." This must necessarily imply, that we break off all familiarity, all intimacy of acquaintance with them. "Yet count him not," saith the Apostle elsewhere, "as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother," 2 Thess. iii. 15: plainly shewing that even in such a case as this, we are not to renounce all fellowship with him so that here is no advice, to separate wholly, even from wicked men. Yea, these very words teach us quite the contrary.

6. Much more the words of our Lord: who is so far from directing us, to break off all commerce with the world, that without it, according to his account of Christianity, we cannot be Christians at all. It would be easy to shew, that some intercourse even with ungodly and unholy men, is absolutely needful, in order to the full exertion of every temper, which he has described as the way to the kingdom that it is indispensably necessary, in order to the complete exercise of poverty of spirit, of mourning, and of every other disposition which has a place here, in the genuine Religion of Jesus Christ. Yea, it is necessary to the very being of several of them; of that meekness, for example, which instead of demanding "an eye for an eye, or a tooth for a tooth," doth "not resist evil;" but causes us rather, when smitten" on the right cheek, to turn the other also:" of that mercifulness, whereby we "love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them which despitefully use and persecute us:" and of that complication of love and all holy tempers, which is exercised in suffering for righteousness' sake. Now all these, it is clear, could have no being, were we to have no commerce with any but real Christians.

7. Indeed were we wholly to separate ourselves from sinners, how could we possibly answer that character, which our Lord gives us in these very words; "Ye" (Christians,

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