and futile.-In doubtful cafes confcience is called in to arbitrate: while the Holy Spirit of God, the greateft light within us, throws its divine rays upon every part; and gives life, and energy to the whole.

But now all these lights, which the great Creator hath thus given to man for his direction, may be turned into darkness —unless, as the text advifeth, we take heed.-An uncontrouled imagination, for inftance, runs wild. I omit the many difafters it leads to in worldly matters; and confine myself merely to religion. Here we often fee it take the moft extravagant flights. If it be not properly reftrained, it leads into all the abfurdities of fuperftition, and fanaticifm.-Reafon, again undisciplined, generates pride, and felf-fufficiency. It fwells into various extravagancies. It will even fet itself above divine revelation.-Often also, it will connect itself with vice, as well as irreligion. Sometimes it forms an alliance with both; and both find it a very able affiftant. When a man of abilities employs his reafon (as is often the case) in contriving, and perpetrating crimes, he forms the connecting tie between the human, and diabolical nature. Confcience too may be darkened, as well as reason, either when it is misinformed, or inattentive to its charge. When mifinformed, it will fometimes

fometimes authorize horrid crimes with a view of doing God fervice. But moft frequently it is darkened by being inattentive to its charge. Amidft the temptations of the world its voice is filenced; it becomes by degrees hardened, and makes no oppofition to the perpetration of any immorality.

Laftly, the Holy Spirit of God may be darkened within us, by improperly prefuming upon it-or by our leading wicked lives.-In the former cafe, by carrying the idea of infpiration higher than any fcriptural warrant allows, a man may be led, as we have often feen, into innumerable follies, and even crimes. The idea of immediate infpiration ftamps a divine authority on every thing which a weak mind can imagine. And when a man quenches the Holy Spirit of God by wickednefs, his mind is left under the influence of its greatest darkness.

He

LXXXI.

He killed James, the brother of John with the fword; and because he faw, it pleafed the Jews, he proceeded farther to take Peter alfo.-Acts, xii. 2.

WE have here a remarkable paffage. Two of the apoftles, James, and Peter, on an equal footing, as far as appears, are treated in a different manner. A tyrannical prince feizes them both. James is put to death: Peter is delivered miraculously by an angel.

Now on the face of the story, there seems to be great partiality. Whence arifes this difference in the ways of Providence? Why was one more favoured than the other?

If either was favoured, it feems to have been James. He was immediately taken into glory; while Peter had a long, laborious life before him, with a cruel death at the end of it.

But we confider neither favour, nor distinction meant to either of them. On the face of the tranfVOL. II.

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action,

action, we fee only God's common mode of dealing with mankind. He leaves us always in uncertainty with regard to the time of our death. One is taken, and another left, without any material difference in the cafe of either.

Chrift's fervants have various offices. One is ordered on this fervice-another on that. One preaches the gofpel-another ferves the caufe of christianity by fuffering martyrdom.

That there fhould have been early martyrs in the church, many reafons might be fuggested.

They gave a proof of the truth of the gospelthat is, of their belief of all those matters of fact, on which the truth of the gospel depended. This, no doubt, would strengthen the faith of many new

converts.

They afforded alfo a degree of confirmation to all the gracious promises, which Jesus had given his difciples. Thefe promises were always guarded with intimations, that they should be hated of all men for his fake-that they should be perfecuted, and put to death. They might reasonably therefore found a hope, that their bleffed master would never have involved them in fuffering, unless he had meant to lead them to glory.

The

The martyrdom also of one of their body was an example to the rest of the apostles. None of them could draw back, after feeing St. James fo nobly lead the way.

It would be a test also of the faith of novitiates. Our Saviour wanted only true disciples; and wished none to follow him, who looked back, after they had put their hands to the plough. He himself often used to bring them to proof, by telling them, he had not where to lay his head—and that through much persecution, they must enter the kingdom of God.