me pain: I like a tranquil life, I prefer obscurity and quiet, I love to cultivate my garden, and to spend much of my time in reading and retirement. Noble efforts of devotion indeed, to choose temporal tranquillity as the chief end of your studies and actions? And pray, what benefit do religion and the state derive from your reading your books and cultivating your flowers? What is it a question between God and you, whether the course of life, that he prescribes to you, be disagreeable to you, whether perpetual consultations be troublesome, whether much business fatigues, whether ceremonies disgust, and whether titles be unsatisfying to you? Is this the dispute between God and you? Is the question what kind of life you prefer? Do you suppose, if God had left to the martyrs the choice of what course they would have taken through life, they would have chosen that, to which God called them? Would they have preferred before every other path that, in which they were stoned, sawn asunder, tempted, slain with the sword, would they have wandered about in sheep-skins, and goat-skins, destitute, afflicted and tormented? Heb. xi. 37. You say, you shall become a martyr, if you execute the elevated office, to which you are called. Very well, God calls you to this martyrdom. The first part of our proposition is indisputable. The disagreeable in the lives of courtiers and of all other persons elevated to eminent posts, ought not to deter any man from accepting an office, when it is probable he may by discharging it well do great good to society in general, and to the church in particular.

I go further, and I maintain the second part of the proposition. The snares which are thick set in high life, and which endanger our salvation, ought not to deter us from accepting high offices, when we 2 A

VOL. IV.

can do good to society and the church by executing them. There is some difficulty in this subject, we will endeavor to explain it. Our principal concern is to be saved. Our highest engagement is to avoid every thing, that would endanger our salvation. Our first exercise should be diffidence, distrust of ourselves. The son of Sirach hath taught us, that he, who loveth danger, shall perish therein, Eccles. iii. 26. What law, then, can oblige us to pursue a course of life, which, all assure us, is almost impassable to men, who would walk in the way of salvation? Is it not presumption, is it not tempting God to expose one's self in this manner?

I reply, it is presumption, it is a tempting of God, to expose one's self to danger, when no good will come of it. For example, you know by experience, that if gaming were innocent in itself, it is, however, dangerous to you, that always, when you allow yourself to game, you receive some injury, you either play with an avidity of gain too great, or you loose all patience with the loss of your money, or some way or other, your mind is always disconcerted. Leave off gaming then. What good do you do to society at large, or to the church in particular by your gaming? Were it bable, that in future you should always escape unhurt, even a probability of suffering is enough to deter you, and you cannot expose yourself without a presumptuous tempting of God. Again, you know by sad experience, that the company you keep is fatal to you, that always, when you are in it, you violate the laws of piety, charity, and modesty. Quit this company then, What good is. done to the state and the church by your frequent

pro

ing this company ? Were it probable, that in future you should receive no damage, the bare probability that you might, ought to induce you to

avoid it. In like manner, you are convinced that your opponent, who is, as well as yourself, a candidate for a certain office, will execute it as well as you would. The office is dangerous, and you fear you have not virtue enough to execute it with safety to your salvation. Renounce your pretensions then. Choose a way of life less dangerous.

Let us go a step further. It is rash, it is tempting God to expose ourselves to difficulties, which cannot possibly be surmounted. A pretence of doing good to the state and the church will not alter the case. A court is pestiferous. A king, who ought to maintain order, lives only to subvert it; he consults no law but his passions, and his will is his only reason. You may, perhaps, moderate his passions, if not wholly regulate them; you may, perhaps, if not wholly terminate the misfortunes of his reign, yet diminish them. But how must you procure this advantage? You must rise into an opportunity to do good by becoming yourself an instrument of his extortions, by passing encomiums on his guilty pleasures, by disgracing yourself to become the panegyrist of his tyranny. In such a case, it would be best to quit the court, to give up the favor of such a prince, to obey the divine laws, and to leave the government of the world to God. It must be granted, that, when crimes are necessary to public good, it is not you who are appointed to commit them, this is not your calling, O my soul, come not thou into their secret, unto their assembly mine honor be not thou united, Gen. xlix. 6.

But, when temptations are surmountable, when God offers to assist us to surmount them, when nothing but our own idleness can prevent our conquering, and when we are able, by exposing ourselves to danger, to serve society and the church, I affirm, that we are then called to expose ourselves,

and to meet, resist, and surmount all difficulties. I affirm, in such a case, it is our duty not to avoid, but to approach difficulties, and to take pains to surmount them. A minister of the gospel hath more difficulty in his way of salvation than a private person. A private christian, in general, is responsible only for his own soul: but a minister of the gospel is accountable for the souls of all, whom God hath committed to his care. Every part of his office is a source of difficulties and trials. If he have great abilities, I fear he will become vain: if he have not, I fear he will envy his superiors. If he be set in some conspicuous place, I fear his feeble eyes will be dazzled with his situation: if he live in obscurity, I fear he will sink into indifference. If he be appointed to speak to the great, I fear he will become pliant and mean: if he be confined to people of ordinary rank, I fear he will become indifferent to their souls, and not take sufficient pains to procure the salvation of them. Snares and temptations every where! Who is sufficient for these things? But what! must a man then bury his talents lest he should abuse them? No. This is not to choose the way, by which it is the pleasure of God to save us. It doth not belong to us to choose what kind of virtue he shall think fit to exercise. The duty of a christian is, not to omit the acquisition of knowledge, but to endeavor not to be puffed up with it. It is not to avoid conspicuous places, but to guard against being infatuated with them. It is not to flee from the notice of the great, but to watch against servility and meanly cringing in their presence.

In like manner. You are sure you may be very useful to religion and society by filling a high office. You are aware of the intrigues of a court. You are certain, that, if the small number of vir

tuous men, who fill high offices, were to retire from public business, the state would be abandoned to injustice and oppression, and become the prey of tyrants. You are one of these virtuous characters. You ought then to fill this post, and the difficulties you meet with cannot dispense with your obligation. I repeat it again, it doth not belong to us to choose the way, in which it shall be the pleasure of God to save us. It is not our business to single out a particular virtue, and insist on such a course of life as shall exercise it; whether it be a noisy or a silent path, whether it be a frequented or a solitary way, whether it be the practice of public or of private virtue. But, say you, I cannot help, while I execute this office, my impatience; I am obliged to give audience to a man, who torments me with tedious and confused harangues in a course of business: I wish to eradicate this evil, and to get rid of this trier of my patience by quitting my place. No, do not get rid of this man: do not quit your place: but take pains with yourself to correct your impatience; try to cool your blood, and regulate your spirits. It is by the way of patience, that God will save you. But I shall not have courage to plead all alone for rectitude, I shall have the weakness to sacrifice. it, if I should happen at any time not to be supported by others. I will eradicate this evil, and avoid the temptation by quitting my employment. No. Do not quit an employment, in which your influence may be serviceable to the interests of virtue: but take pains with your own heart, and subdue it to the service of rectitude, that you may be able to plead for virtue without a second. But I shall certainly sink under temptation, unless God afford me extraordinary support. Well, ask for extraordinary support then; you may have a right to ex