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Sons of the first families in the kingdom, they are polite from the womb. Designed for the first offices in the church, they are virtuous by profession. Enriched with a variety of knowledge, particularly with that which relates to the government of mankind, they know the value of religious worship to the happiness of an individual, to the order of a family, to the government of a state, to the glory of God, and to the universal happiness of mankind. In them you have an example how you ought to behave yourselves in the church of God; and should there be one of this number, who should ignorantly or designedly behave ill at public worship, his rudeness, so contrary to the public expectation, and to his own profession, could not fail of operating as an antidote on you. Let us then for the present waive this part of the subject, and, should it appear necessary, let us return to it by and by.

This epistle was written by the great St. Paul, in favour of a young minister, whose family he knew, whose abilities he admired, for whose usefulness he most ardently prayed, for whom, in a word, he entertained the most cordial respect. The good apostle, like a kind father, contemplates every thing, that could profit his son Timothy, (as he calls him,) and condescends to direct his most minute affairs. Seemingly of a delicate constitution, subject to frequent infirmities, he is advised to a singular regimen ; a little wine, and a deal of episcopal labour. In

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public he was to preach the word, and to be instant in season and out of season. In private he was to give attendance to reading, to meditate on the several branches of theology, to give himself wholly to them. He was to consider first what St. Paul said; that is to say, revealed truth, and then, the apostle prays, the Lord give thee understanding in all things; as if he had said, may you be, if there can be such a person, an universal scholar; for all knowledge may subserve the gospel of Christ. But, as if all the finest natural and acquired abilities, as if all the accomplish-ments of nature and grace, as if all the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost were nothing, unless they tended to the good of society, the apostle adds, I write these things that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the

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Does not St. Paul here prove himself a perfect judge of mankind? He knew, that miraculous gifts void of popular evidence, could answer no valuable end to the bulk of mankind; he knew that they who could not follow a train of reasoning, could, however, judge of a man's deportment; and, from his imitation of the Deity, would infer that his mission was divine; he knew, that a mere scholar was an useless animal, whom the populace would condemn to moulder away in a college apartment, the world a speculation to him, and he a spectacle to the world; he knew, that the happiness of society did not depend on an ar

rangement of words, but on a mutual interchange of kind offices he knew the power of example; and, therefore exhorted Timothy to be an example

the believers in word, in behaviour, in charity in spirit, in truth, in purity. Happy the people whose pastors thus impress the gospel on their hearts!

The importance of the behaviour recommended in the text, will be a sufficient reason for avoiding all the litigations, for which this and the following verse have given occasion. To this behaviour let us wholly attend; and, without pretending to prescribe rules for it, let us only remark, that every idea in the text justifies and enforces a decent deportment in places of religious worship; and each may serve also to confound a contrary conduct.

Behave well in the house of God, because it is a church.

Behave well, because it is the church of the living God.

Behave well, because it is the pillar and ground, that is, the seat, or residence of truth:

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Behave well because you are in a church. word church, you know, is sometimes used indeterminately for any assembly, even for a riotous one. Thus in Acts xix. 32. The church, or the assembly was confused. Sometimes it is put for an assembly met for the worship of God, as in Philemon 2d. Paul to the church in thy house: and sometimes, in a more confined sense still, for that

part of the worshippers only, which worship God in spirit and truth. Now take the word in which sense you will, and you will allow, that a decent behaviour in such an assembly always becomes the man, and the christian, and above all the minister of Jesus Christ.

Suppose in the first place, a confused assembly of ignorant people met for as absurd a purpose as the worship of Diana. This assembly is either allowed, or disallowed, by the statc. If disallowed the cognizance of such an affair belongs only to the magistrates, the guardians of public peace and order. If allowed, the disturbing of such an assembly is an insult on government. But, exclusively of both these considerations, what would a man of sense and religion do in such an assembly? Touched with a feeling of his brethren's infirmities, he would sigh for the depravity of human nature; he would pity and pray for the deluded people; he would exhort by the meekness and gentleness of Christ; but he would never think of insulting them. To exasperate is not the way to convert. The Epicureans and Stoics, indeed, nick-named St. Paul, They called that master of address a babbler: but did that great man imitate so mean a conduct? On the contrary, though noting could be more absurd than the Athenian superstition, though St. Paul was justly offended with it, yet he began his discourse with a title, of which they were not a little proud,—Ye men of Athens and all his address to them is a pattern of good manners as well as of true religion. Peo

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ple may be extremely ignorant of religion, and respectable members of society. Their birth, their rank, their human literature, their fortune, their offices, all these, with a thousand other things, claim respect, although none may be due to them on a religious account. Behave well then in every

assembly.

Suppose again an assembly met for the worship of God. Is it not the height of brutality to behave ill to such people? There is a God,-that God is to be worshipped, are two truths, which all, but here and there an abandoned libertine, confess. The seat of true religion is the heart, and to love God is that religion. The various modes and forms of worship are only different expressions of that love. If men express their veneration for the Deity in such a way, as appears to them most agreeable to him, God, no doubt, accepts such worshippers; and will you curse whom God hath blessed? To mistake or not to mistake, in the mode, is nothing to the purpose; the form chosen by the assembly in question, ought to be supposed to be matter of conscience to them; and church and state unite in protecting honest, though mistaking consciences. They are right, heaven protects them, and proclaims, In the integrity of your hearts ye have done it.

An assembly convened to pay that just homage to God, which reason and revelation claim, is the most venerable sight in the world; as far superior to a circle of literati met to investigate a science; as far superior to an army assembled to protect

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