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lence. The enemies of piety and truth are still ready to renew the old objection of Pharaoh against the service of God: "Wherefore do ye let the people from their works? The people of the land are many, and you make them rest from their burdens. They be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. Let there more work be laid upon the men, and let them not regard vain words." Such is the erroneous judgment, which is generally formed respecting the most zealous servants of God: but while they feel the bitterness of these unmerited reproaches, they draw more abundant consolation from the encouraging language of their gracious Master...." Blessed are ye, when men shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in Heaven: for so persecuted they the Prophets, which were before you."

The declared adversaries of religion are not, however, the only persons, who accuse a laborious minister of diverting the people from their business, by the too frequent returns of public exhortation and prayer there are others, not wholly destitute of piety, who frequently add weight to these unjust accusations. Such are the half-converted, who not yet understanding the inestimable worth of that bread, which nourisheth the soul to everlasting life, are chiefly engaged in labouring for the bread which perisheth. Men of this character, engaging themselves in a vast variety of earthly concerns, incessantly disquiet themselves in vain, and consider those hours as running to waste, in which a zealous fastor detains them from worldly cares and frivolous enjoyments. While he is engaged in teaching, that one thing only is absolutely needful, they are grasp. ing at every apparent good, that solicits their affections and while he is insisting upon the necessity of choosing "that good part, which shall not be tå

ken away," these formal professors are ready to reason with him, as Martha with Jesus....Dost thou not know, how greatly we are cumbered with a multiplicity of vexatious concerns; and carest thou not that our assistants and dependants are detained from their necessary avocations by an indolent attendance upon thy ministry?

These false sentiments, with respect both to the ministers and the word of God, which too generally prevail among nominal christians, have their source in that direct opposition, which must always subsist between the grand maxim of the children of God, and the distinguishing principle of worldly men...." Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness," saith the blessed Jesus, "and all these things," which are further necessary to your welfare, "shall be added unto you :" No, replies the prince of this world; seek ye first the enjoyments of time and sense, and all other things, that are needful to your well-being, shall be added over and above. From these two opposite principles results that entire contrariety, which has been observed in all ages between those, who are laying up treasures upon earth, and those, who have set their affections upon things that are above. Happy are the faithful and doubly happy the pastors, who, constantly imitating the great Apostle, according to their several vocations, pray and labour at the same time, both for their daily bread, and the bread of eternal life! In thus observing the two-fold command of Moses, and of Christ, some reasonable hope may be entertained, that their good works will at length overcome the aversion of their enemies, as those of the first christians overcame the deep-rooted prejudices of the heathen world.

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TRAIT XXIX.

THE RESPECT, HE MANIFESTED FOR THE HOLY ESTATE OF MATRIMONY, WHILE CHRISTIAN PRUDENCE ENGAGED HIM TO LIVE IN A STATE OF CELIBACY.

SOME ministers have carried their disinterestedness to so high a pitch, that they have refused to enter into the marriage state, merely with this view; that, being free from all superfluous care and expense, they might consecrate their persons more entirely to the Lord, and their possessions less reservedly to the support of the poor, whom they considered as their children, and adopted their heirs. But all pastors are not called to follow these rare examples of abstinence and disinterested piety.

When we examine into the life of a celebrated man, we generally enquire, whether he passed his days in a state of marriage or celibacy, and what it was, that determined his choice to the one or the other of these states. Such an enquiry is peculiarly necessary with respect to St. Paul, as many of the faithful, in the earliest ages of the church, deluded by the amiable appearance of celibacy, embraced the monastic life....a state, to which the clergy and the religious of the Romish church still dedicate themselves: whence those disgraceful accusations, which divers philosophers have preferred against the christian religion, as destructive of society in its very origin, which is the conjugal bond. But, leaving the reveries of legend, if we seek for christianity in the pure Gospel of Christ, we shall find this accusation to be totally groundless; since one view of the christian Legislator, in publishing that Gospel, was to strengthen the nuptial tie, by declaring, that an immodest glance is a species of adultery, by revoking the permission formerly given to the hus

band to put away his wife for any temporary cause of dissatisfaction, and by absolutely forbidding divorce, except in cases of adultery. Nay, so far did this divine Lawgiver carry his condescension in honnour of the marriage state, that he was present at one of those solemn feasts, which were usually held upon such occasions, attended by the holy virgin and his twelve disciples and not content with giving this public testimony of his respect for so honourable an institution, he accompanied it with the first miraculous proof of his almighty power.

St. Paul, it is true, passed the whole of his life in a state of celibacy; but he never enjoined it to any person and if he occasionally recommended it to some, to whom it was indifferent, whether they married or not, it was chiefly on account of the distress and persecution of those times. To engage the most pious persons ordinarily to live in a state of celibacy, is not less contrary to nature and reason, than to the spirit of the Gospel. This is to oppose the propagation of the best christians, and the most faithful subjects: it is to suppose, that those persons, who join example to precept in the cause of virtue, and who for that very reason are peculiarly qualified for the education of children, are the only persons in the world, who ought to have none. The absurdity of this opinion constrained the Apostle Paul publicly to combat it, by declaring to the Hebrews, that "Marriage, and the bed undefiled, are honourable among all men." He further affirmed, a Bishop must be the husband of one wife, one that ruleth well his own house, having his chil dren in subjection with all gravity." And if he wished the Corinthians to continue in the state, which he himself had chosen, on account of the peculiar advantages accruing from it, at that season, to the persecuted members of the christian church; "nevertheless to avoid fornication," he counselled, that " every man should have his own wife, and

that "

every woman her own husband." I will, saith he to Timothy, that the younger women marry, bear children, and guide the house." And lastly, he cautioned the same christian Bishop against the error of those, who, in the last times, should" depart from the faith, giving heed to the doctrines of Devils," and forbidding to marry; earnestly exhorting his young successor, to guard the brethren against a doctrine, so fatal to the church in particular, and so destructive of society in general.

But it may be urged....If St. Paul really enter. tained such high ideas of marriage, and represented it as the most perfect emblem of that strict union, which subsists betwixt Christ and his church; why did he not recommend it by his example? I answer.... Although St. Paul was never married, yet he expressly asserted his right to that privilege, as well as St. Peter and some others of the Apostles; intimating, at the same time, that prudence and charity inclined him to forego his right in that respect. When a man is perpetually called to travel from place to place, prudence requires, that he should not encumber himself with those domestic cares, which must occasion many unavoidable delays in the prosecution of his business or if he derives his maintenance from the generosity of the poor, charity should constrain him to burden them as little as possible. This zealous Apostle could not prevail upon himself to expose a woman and children to those innumerable dangers, which he was constantly obliged to encounter. The first peril, from which he made his escape, was that, which compelled him to descend from the wall of Damascus in a basket: now if a family had shared with him the same danger, what an addition would they have inade to his affliction and his care! Is it not evident, that, in such circumstances, every man, who is not obliged to marry from reasons either physical or moral, is called to imitate the example of this

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