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When he can fay with truth, I have not fhunned to declare unto you the whole counfel of God; nor have fuppreffed any Chriftian truths through ignorance, floth, fear, or regard for man; nor have I purchafed my own ease, or temporal advantages, at the expence of the truth, or the dignity of my facred calling.

When a man can fay with truth, as the apostle did, I have wronged no man, I have corrupted no man, I have defrauded no man.

When he can truly tell the people of his flock, that without ceafing he makes mention of them in his prayers. That as he prays for a bleffing upon his own labours, fo he prays for a bleffing upon theirs, upon their families, and upon their children.

When a pastor has fuch a real love for his flock, as that he can truly fay with the fame apostle,' re are in our heart to live and to die with you. Such a paftor cannot but hope, that fuch a love for his flock must recommend him to the love of Christ.

And fuch, by the way, was the love of your paftor for you, good Christians, of this parish; it was in his heart to live and to die with you.

A good proof of which is now to be seen amongst his papers; namely, a presentation to a very confiderable living in Ireland, which was freely fent him, which yet he never would make use of.

Acts xx. 27.

2 Cor. vii. 2.

Rom. i. 9.

i 2 Cor. vii.

This perhaps may not be credited, at least not much minded by those whose hearts are fet upon preferments;-who count their flock their own no longer then they can change them for a better, without any vifible profpect of being more ferviceable to God, to his church, or to the fouls of men.

And yet most furely a time is coming when it will be more fatisfaction, more profit to a paftor, to have edified the pooreft parish, than to have changed for the richest benefice, without an affurance of doing much more good; which is feldom, I fear the cafe.

But to return to St. Paul, and the reasons he had for concluding that his death would be a gain to him.

He was called by Jesus Christ to the ministry. He confulted not with flesh and blood, but was obedient to the heavenly call.

He became a true follower of Jefus Chrift, both in his labours, and in his fufferings; and in his contempt of the world, its pleasures, profits, honours, and all its idols.

The oppofition which the gospel met with in every place did not hinder him from preaching it fincerely; and with what wonderful fuccefs God was pleased to bless his labours, the Christian world is fenfible of.

As alfo with what a steady resolution he exercised the power of difcipline committed to him by Jefus Chrift, which is manifeft from his delivering the incestuous Corinthian

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to Satan, notwithstanding the countenance he had even from fome powerful Chriftians of that place.

In fhort; his manner of life, his faith, long-fuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, as he himfelf affures us, were well known to the church.

So that he was poffeffed of all those qualifications which render a man meet to be partaker of the inheritance of the faints in light.

And therefore he might with good affurance fay, There is laid up for me a crown of righteoufnefs, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, Shall give me at that day.

From all which it appears, that afflictions of any kind are fo far from being a sign of God's difpleasure, that they are diftinguishing marks of his favour to fuch as fear him, that the faithful difcharge of the duties of a man's proper ftate is one of the fureft marks of his being in the way to happiness;-and laftly, that the troubles we meet with, whether in the way of our duty, or in the way of God's providence, are defigned, in mercy, to wean us from this world, to make us weary of its corruptions, and that we may defire to repose ourselves in the grave in hopes of a better life.

This was the cafe of our friend and brother lying dead before us; whofe faith and patience having been exercifed with a great variety of trials, and very uncommon, as well as

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very grievous afflictions; yet he never repined or charged God foolishly, but looked upon them as the effects of his mercy, and faw approaching death with that comfort and steadihefs of mind, that for my part, I wish my own case when I come to die.

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II. This leads us to the fecond particular, which may be very proper to be enquired into at this time; namely, Whether every minister of Chrift may not (if it is not his own fault) be able to say with St. Paul, and with fome reasonable affurance, TO ME TO DIE IS GAIN?

St. Paul was a man of like paffions and infirmities with us;-of himself he could do no more towards working out his own falvation, than the weakest of us :-he stood in need of, and was fupported by the fame grace which any of us may have for asking, provided we afk it with the fame fincerity, and make use of the graces God has given us.

You have heard what it was which made the profpect of death a comfort to him; namely, an unwearied diligence in the duties. of the ministry, out of a principle of love to Chrift, and for the fouls of men.

Every Christian, as he hopes for heaven when he dies, has a work upon his hands, and is bound to confider seriously what he came into the world for, and what will be expected from him.

But a minifter of Chrift has others to anfwer for, as well as himself. And his falva

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tion depends very much on the salvation of his flock. What is our hope? (faith St. Paul) are not even ye in the perfon of our Lord Chrift at his coming?

I fhall therefore, think this no improper occafion, when one of our brethren lies dead before us, to put the living in mind of their duty, and of the account we must give, when it comes to be with us as it is with him.

Now, the great bufinefs of our Lord Chrift on earth, being to eftablish the Chriftian religion; that is, to put mankind into the way of falvation; in order to this he took our nature upon him, and made known to us what God expected from us, in order to fit us for heaven and happiness.

He made known to us the condition of the dead: that fome are in paradife waiting for an happy refurrection, and that others are referved in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day.

He appointed certain ordinances, as fure means of grace and falvation to all fuch as fhould fincerely close with them.

And he appointed an order of men, whose duty and business it should be, at the peril of their fouls, to adminifter these ordinances; to publish these glad tidings; to pray for and blefs his people in his name; and to adminifter the facrament of reconciliation to fuch, and to fuch only, as profess with hearty repentance and true faith to turn unto God.

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