teach the younger women to be fober, guide the house, love their husbands and their children; to be difcreet, chafte, and keepers at home, Titus ii. 4. Paul had female fervants that waited on him and the churches, but none of them pretended to teach him from the prefs; they did not tell him in print that he was too little because he was let out of a window in a basket, nor that Apollos was too big by one half. Paul's fervants laboured with him, not against him; they fuccoured bim, and did not add affliction to his bonds; they carried his epiftles and his meffages by word of mouth-they waited on him instead of flandering him; they were fwift to hear him, but flow to teach him; they were helpers with him, not plagues to him.

But Paul had other forts of women, who knew not the way of the Lord, nor the pardon of fin, like Mary; nor the Spirit's work on the foul, like thofe good propheteffes; but empty, infolent, tyrannical, bold, daring, and imperious; these are they that would teach and ufurp authority over the men, like fome in our days, whose writings bear just as much refemblance with Hannah's fong, Elizabeth's prophecy, and Mary's triumphs, as the hiftory of Tom Thumb does with Milton's Paradife Loft; the glorious rays of the one, and the confufed gloom of the other, make as great a contraft as the garden of Eden would with the regions of Lapland. With this fort of propheteffes the apoftle had no little trouble;

D

trouble; and it appears there were too many preachers that were gentle towards them, knowing their warm inclination to dictate to the Second Adam, as their poor grandmother had done to the firft: hence the apoftle adds, But younger widows refufe; for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry, having damnation because they have caft off their first faith, 1 Tim. v. II, 12. He goes on and withal they learn to be idle-they would fooner break through the pofitive commands of God, and reprobate the miniftry of his fervants, than work for their bread; wandering about from boufe to house, says Paul; that is, to mump a livelihood under a pretence of religion, rather than handle the Spindle or the diftaff, or look well to her own boufebold, Prov. xxxi. 19. And not only idle, fays Paul, but tatlers alfo; that is, they would fooner carry tales, either with their tongue or pen from the prefs, for twopence apiece, than buckle to the Spinning wheel, or be confined to the intolerable employment of knitting or fewing; thefe things make women cut no figure in life; Dorcas's making garments for the poor-Hannah's making little coats for Samuel -Rachel's keeping fheep-and Ruth's going to gleaning, fhews the weaknefs of those honourable women. These forts of propheteffes have no notion of being the daughters of Sarah, calling the mafter of the household, Lord. It is true, the real daughters of Sarah even in our day will not be ashamed of their mothers humble con

duct;

duct; but as for our propheteffes, falfely fo called, they seem to be of the temper of Hagar;not contented with turning Sarah out of the chair, but they spit their venom at the Lord of the household, that he fends fervants too big into the vineyard; these women lay by their weakness, and let the world know that they can cope with men-their honour confifts in taking a divine by the collar. These had rather be teachers than learners; chufe to guide the officers of the bousehold, rather than their own house; to handle the pen, rather than the Spindle; to ufurp authority over the man, rather than be in subjeɛtion; to break every positive command of God for a few pence, rather than work to earn it; and to be commanders in chief, rather than to be in filence.Hence the apoftle calls them bufy bodies; that is, they neglect all the bufinefs that God has fet them at, and trouble themselves about the bufinefs of others; having difcarded the diftaff and the Spindle, they take to the pen and tongue, and live by that, and all in abfolute rebellion against God; hence 'tis called Speaking things which they ought not, 1 Tim. v. 12, 13. The apoftle, being fick of these female teachers, concludes by ordaining them fome employment, in order I suppose to keep them quiet-1 will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occafion to the adverfary to speak reproachfully; for fome [of thefe women] are already turned afide after Satan, 1 Tim. v. 14, 15. Hence we learn that D 2 fome

some preachers used gentleness with these propheteffes, but this is not the gentleness in my

text.

This gentleness mentioned in my text is not to be found in minifters of the letter, nor yet in bypocritical profeffors; it is a grace peculiar to the regenerate, and is a gift from above, and God will give it to whom he pleafes; but the wisdom that is from above is first pure-it purifies the heart and judgment, and leads the mind into a pure love of the truth; then peaceable-it reveals the way of peace, it proclaims peace to the heart, and makes men earneft in preaching peace, and at keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It is gentle toward the weaklings of the flock; gentle toward the backflider, or those that turn afide; gentle in perfecution toward thofe that oppose themselves, or fet themselves to oppofe the truth; and easy to be intreated-or ealy to thofe that intreat, not flander; full of mercy and good fruits-full of the mercy of God, which produces good fruits instead of antinomianifin; without partiality, and without hypocrify, James iii. 17. It teaches no man to be partial in the word of God; it teaches no man to juftify a falfe preacher, nor to flander a true one; it is without hypocrify-it makes a man honeft in heart, and found in the truth; it teaches no man to condemn the juft, nor juftify the wicked, for both thefe are an abomination.

2dly. This gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit; but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long

Suffering

Jaffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Gal. v. 22.If it be a fruit of the Spirit, it cannot be found in any but those that are born of the Holy Ghoft-who love God-have peace with himand joy in him; hypocrites may pretend to it, and contend for it, but they know nothing about it.

This grace was, and ftill is, wonderfully exercifed by the Saviour toward his own tried children, especially towards poor humble penitents in foul travail: He fhall feed bis flock like a fhepberd: he fhall gather the lambs with his arms, and carry them in bis bofom, and fhall GENTLY lead thofe that are with young, Ifa. xl. 11. But the Saviour made ufe of none of this gentleness to Herod the fox; nor to the dogs, when he tells us not to caft that which is holy to them; nor to the fwine, before whom we are not to caft our pearls; nor yet to the ferpents and vipers, for he was not a gentle shepherd to them; they were not of his sheep; he threatens them with the damnation of hell.

The apostle made use of this grace of gentleness, when he acted the part of a nurse to those that were babes in grace: For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness; God is witness, nor of men fought we glory, nor of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdenfome as the apostles of Chrift. But we were GENTLE D 3 among