The people had formed a party against their minifters; and, allowing fufficiently for exaggeration in the ftyle of Clemens, who wrote to them upon the occasion, we cannot but, from his epiftle, conceive a very unfavourable idea of their general temper and character: fee the following extract from Bp. Wake's tranflation of that epiftle, cap. 3.

"All honour and enlargement was "given unto you. From hence came "emulation, and envy, and ftrife, and "fedition, perfecution and disorder, war "and captivity. So that they who were "of no renown lifted up themfelves against the honourable, those of no repu

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tation against those that were in respect, "the foolish against the wife, the young against the aged. Therefore righteouf"nefs and peace are departed from you,

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because every one hath forsaken the fear

"of God, and is grown blind in his faith,

nor walketh by the rule of God's com"mandments, nor liveth as is fitting in Chrift. But every one follows his own "wicked

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wicked lufts, having taken up an unjuft and wicked envy, by which first "death entered into the world."

Confidering the ftate of the Gentile world with respect to virtue, I do not wonder that there were these disorders in the primitive chriftian churches. It required some time for the genuine fpirit of chriftianity to infinuate itself into them; and I think we may find, by the epiftles of Ignatius, and other later writings, that a better dipofition generally prevailed fome time afterwards, and continued till the purity of the christian faith and difcipline became corrupted.

Many perfons, I believe, are influenced in their ideas concerning the proper members of chriftian focieties by fuperftitious, and what we may call monkish notions of virtue and fanctity; from which the minds of few perfons are entirely free; and by which they are influenced more than they will acknowledge, and indeed more than they are themselves aware of; notions that lead

D 4

lead us to conceive very falfely concerning a truly chriftian temper and conduct, and which are, in many respects, unfavourable

to real virtue.

The leading idea in this kind of fuperfition is, that men recommend themfelves to the favour of God by what gives pain and mortification to themselves. It may be traced in the maxims and conduct of the Pharifees and Effenes among the Jews, and in the endless variety of aufterities devised by different fects of chriftians. We fee it no lefs influence the conduct of many Mahometans, and various tribes of heathens, particularly those who profefs the religion of the Brachmans of Indoftan. But there is nothing of this in the spirit of the chriftian religion; and nothing in the precepts or example of Chrift gives the leaft countenance to it.

As the founders of all other religions, I believe, have diftinguifhed themselves by the invention of fome whimsical mortification, the fingularity of the chriftian re

ligion in this respect is fo remarkable, and fo confonant to reafon, that it almoft amounts to a proof of its divinity. Chrif tian virtue is an active and chearful thing, and requires no pain or mortification, except what is neceffary to break the force of bad habits, and to difcontinue any finful practices we may have been accustomed to, in order to ceafe to do evil and learn to do well; whereas the aufterities referred to above, terminate in afflicting the body, without contributing at all to the improvement of the mind.

The doctrines of the gofpel are eminently calculated to inforce the practice of virtue, especially by the revelation of a future life, to which we shall be raised at the second coming of Chrift; who will render to every man according to his works. A firm belief of, and an habitual attention to, these important truths, tend to give us a superiority of mind to this world, enable us to forego all the pleafures and advantages of this life, when they cannot be obtained with a good con

fcience,

fcience, and make us to fear none of the things that we can suffer in the practice of our duty; knowing that our reward is great in heaven, and that we fhall be more than recompenced at the refurrection of the juft.

The operation of these principles is evident, and I believe would be much more generally efficacious, if men were not difcouraged from attempting the chriftian character at all, by the idea of its being fomething above their reach, fomething that requires fuch conftant and fevere fpiritual exercifes, as are almoft inconfiftent with the ufual pursuits, and a tolerable enjoyment of life,

It is but an imperfect character that thofe who give the most attention to the principles of chriftianity can attain, and we are but in a progress towards perfection; and though it behoves every man to cultivate the virtues of the heart with the utmost care, and by every exercise that is really adapted to promote them, becaufe