his clergy by the prefent Bishop of London; the great importance of which will, I trust, amply excufe the length of the citation. If you wish for any ef"fectual fuccefs, you must lay before your people, "with plainnefs and with force, the great funda"mental doctrines of the gofpel; you must fhew "them to themfelves; you must tell them, plainly "and honestly, what they are, and what they ought "to be; you must convince then, that they are "frail, corrupt, fallen creatures; that man, fince "he came out of the hands of his Creator, has contracted a radical taint, which has miferably "vitiated his moral frame; that the remedy, the only remedy, for this great, this inveterate disease of the foul, is to be found in the gospel; in the application of the means there pointed out for "the recovery of what we have loft; in the reno"vation of the heart and life, by its doctrines and "its precepts; in the illumination of the under"ftanding; in the fanctification of the foul; in "the aid given to the infirmities of our nature, by "the heavenly influences of the Holy Spirit; and, "above all, in the facrifice made for all mankind 66 66 66 66 upon the crofs by our Redeemer, and in humble "reliance on that facrifice for pardon and accept ance. These are the great evangelical doctrines, "which must be preffed repeatedly, with devout "and folemn earnestnefs, on the minds of our "hearers, which can alone fpeak to their con"sciences, their affections, and their hearts; can "alone awaken them to a juft fenfe of their condi❝tion, and convince them of the abfolute neceffity of ""of fincere repentance, of a vital faith in Chrift and an uniform obedience to his laws * &c. In conformity with the above exhortations, the clergy of a diftrict in the diocefe of Lincoln, after confeffing and lamenting the very low ftate of religion in their feveral parishes, which the advertisement, at the beginning of their report, justly reprefents, as applicable to a great part of the king"dom;" proceed to the following RESOLUTION among others. "RESOLVED, That we will fre"quently and faithfully explain to our refpective "congregations the doctrines peculiar to the Chri"ftian faith, and conftantly exhort them to take "the will of God, as it is plainly declared in the "Holy Scriptures, as the rule and measure of "their conduct; and thereby guard them againft "the delutions of all thofe, who pretend to dif "charge men from the ftrict obligations of true ❝ and practical religion, whether by propagating "a capricious and imperfect morality of me e hu "man invention, or by indifcreetly and fanatically "depreciating thofe good works, unto which we** are created, as the workmanfhip of God in "Chrift Jefus, and which God hath before or"dained, that we fhould walk in them t.” The above citations, both from the Holy Scriptures, and from human authorities, will, I hope, be fufficient, not merely to excufe the doctrines of the * Charge delivered in the year 1798 and 1799, page 22, &c. + Report, page 19. the following fermons, but to fhew, beyond all controverfy, that it is my facred duty, both as a minifter of Chrift, and of the Church of England, to bring them forward in the most prominent and forcible manner, at all times, and on all occafions. God forbid that I fhould be withheld from this by fuch terms of reproach as have been frequently affixed to fome of the very best of men, and which our bleffed Saviour and his apoftles frequently teach all his faithful minifters to expect! " The "fervant (Chrift himself declares) is not greater "than his Lord. If they have perfecuted me, they will also perfecute you." " If they have "called the mafter of the houfe Beelzebub, how "much more fhall they call them of his house "hold!"" Bleffed are ye, when men fhall re"vile you, and perfecute you, and fay all manner "of evil against you falfely for my fake. Re"joice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven: for fo perfecuted they the 66 prophets which were before you." "Woe unto you, when all men fhall speak well of you for "fo did their fathers to the falfe prophets +." "Be "hold, I send you forth as theep in the midst of "wolves. Which of the prophets (faid the firft "Chriftian martyr St. Stephen) have not your fa "thers perfecuted? Even hereunto were ye "called, (obferves St. Peter) because Christ also "fuffered for us, leaving us an example that ye 66 "fhould "fhould follow his fteps: who did no fin, neither "was guile found in his mouth: who, when "he was reviled, reviled not again; when he "fuffered, he threatened not; but committed him"felf to him that judgeth righteously *." "Be "loved, think it not ftrange concerning the fiery "trial which is to try you, as though fome ftrange "thing happened to you: but rejoice, inasmuch "as ye be partakers of Chrift's fufferings; that, "when his glory fhall be revealed, ye may be glad alfo with exceeding joy. If ye be reproach"ed for the name of Chrift, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God refteth upon you: "on their part he his evil fpoken of, but on your "part he is glorified t." Thus the enmity will ever exist between the feed of the ferpent, and the feed of the woman: they that " are after the flesh "will ever perfecute them that are after the Spirit." "Haft thou found me, O mine enemy"? they will exclaim. Their reafoning will be the fame in every age. "Let us lie in wait for the righte"ous; because he is not for our turn, and he is "clean contrary to our doings: he upbraideth us with our offending the law; and objecteth, to our "infamy, the tranfgreffings of our education. He "profeffeth to have the knowledge of God; and "he calleth himself the child of the Lord. He "was made to reprove our thoughts. He is griev"ous unto us even to behold: for his life is not like other men's; his ways are of another "fafhion. We are efteemed of him as counter 1 Pet. ii. 21, 22, & 23. † 1 Pet. iv. 12, 13 " feits &14 : feits: he abftaineth from our ways, as from fil, "thinefs he pronounceth the end of the just to "be bleffed, and maketh his boaft that God is his "Father *." We must then take up our crofs, "and follow our Master" through evil report" as well as "good report;" and while fome who know the truth, and are benefited by our miniftry, receive us as angels of God, and are ready to "pluck out their eyes, end give them to us," we must expect to be reproached by others, as " men "that turn the world upfide down, the filth of the "earth, and the offscouring of all things." In fhort, while the religion of Chrift entirely oppofes the finful maxims and practices of a wicked and corrupt world, his faithful minifters will never be without their full fhare of reproach and ignominy. " I have "known, (observes Dr. Edwards, in his Preacher.) "that, when fome of thefe doctrines have been dif"courfed of by one in the pulpit, it hath been faid "that he preached like a Presbyterian,' (for that was the cant phrafe in his time)" which thofe that "spoke it thought was reproachful enough. But, "if this be to preach like a Prefbyterian, I pray "heartily that the number of Prefbyterians may "incr afe more and more. And, if this be to 66 preach like a Prefbyterian, then ALL OUR Bishops, and our Univerfities, and all our Divines, were Prefbyterians in Queen Elizabeth's "and King James the firft's days, and afterwards; for no man can have the face to deny, that thefe *Wisdom ii. 12, to 17. 66 ❝ were |