one of the firmeft maintainers of his principles that ever came before us. Others we prevailed upon one time or another, to waver, but him we never could move. Where we left him, there we found him. We never could make him yield or vary in the leaft. He was of all men we have seen, determined to abide by the old way of church government; had he lived in Knox's days, he would not have died by any laws then exifting." Mr. Renwick was the last, that on a scaffold, sealed his teftimony for religion, liberty, and the work of reformation in Scotland.

When we confider the foregoing account, we can hardly for bear faying, that it is pity but fuch a pious and zealous youth had lived in better days, in which he might have exercifed all his talents for the glory of God and the falvation of fouls. But the ways of GOD are myfterious to us; we cannot fully compre. hend them. But we know in whofe hands are the refidue of the Spirit, and that he can raise up and duly qualify what number of minifters he fhall fee good; therefore it concerns us to pray, that the Lord of the harveft, will graciously condefcend to fend forth more faithful labourers into his harvest.

11.

A SERMON ON MERCY.

[ Concluded from page 429. ]

LE ET us now examine, in the fecond place, the Productions and Effects of this Mercy. Jefus Chrift points out two in our text; which are, 1. To do noevil to our neighbour, Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: Condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned, &c. 2. To do good to our neighbour. Give, and it Shall be given unto you: Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. The evil which mercy fhuns, is judging and condemning. By a fecret and criminal inclination of nature, corrupted man endeavours always to elevate himself above others, and by confequence, feeks for opportunities to deprefs them. In order to this, he magnifies the faults and imperfections of others, and extenuates the good qualities which may be found in them. His jealous and envious heart wifhes that there may be no good quality but in himfelf, and that others may have none but evil ones, to the end that he alone may be efteemed, and that all others may be abafed, Such is the condition of every unconverted man; and it is from this criminal difpofition, that evil furmises, rafh judgments, precipitate decifions, and all the other unjuft procedures against our neighbour flow.

This malignity of the corrupted heart, fheds its baneful influence over the beft things. There is nothing, however innocent or holy, which a proud unmerciful man does not give himself liberty to condemn. But to whom does our Lord fay in the text, judge not, condemn not? It is to his difciples, to those who

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had already received a certain measure of the gifts of his Spirit. He well knew that his difciples were as yet liable to be deceived by good appearances, and to make many falfe fteps, under cover of an indifcreet zeal. Satan, who is always harraffing the followers of God, never fails to profit by the weakneffes of nature, in order to turn the upright from the Truth. The hatred which a man should always feel to fin, Satan endeavours to turn against the perfon in whom the fin is found. He tempts men to mingle their own judgments with the judgment of GOD, and to unite their own ftrange fire, with the facred flame which is taken from the Altar of the Lord,

This deceit is the more dangerous, because it works imperceptibly; a man will not be upon his guard against that which he believes to be good, and as foon as he prefumes to have the Word of GOD on his fide, he may eafily make use of it to justify his paffion, to fatisfy the fecret hatred which he bears to his neighbour, and to give elafticity to his pride. In confequence of this, his neighbour is judged and condemned under the appearance of truth, justice, and zeal for the glory of God. This is one of the remains of the poifon of the old ferpent, which fhould neither be fuffered in, nor fpared by thofe who call on the Name of the Lord Jefus, and who profess to have God for their Father. To fuch, it is neceffary to fay, with our Lord, "Judge not, that ye be not judged:" They alfo fhould hear that cutting reproach which God gives to the hypocrites among his people, Pfalm 1. 19, &c." Thou giveft thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit; Thou fitteft, and speakeft againft thy brother, and flandereft thine own mother's fon. These things haft thou done, and I kept filence; thou thoughteft that I was altogether fuch an one as thyself; but I will reprove thee, and fet them in order before thine eyes.

Immortal Souls! who defire to escape the judgment of condemnation, befeech him, who is the Judge of quick and dead, that he would put a bridle in your jaws, and a curb on the dangerous inclination you have to judge your neighbour; left you be in the great Day confounded before his Throne! Permit the voice of Divine Wisdom to reprove you, "Judge not, that Judge not, that ye be not judg ed." Be teachable to the inftructions of that Eternal Wisdom, which calls you back from your wanderings, thro' the fincere defire of refcuing you from perdition. When, in judging your neighbour, or in talking of him to his difadvantage, you hear a fecret voice, which reproves you, and disturbs you, praise GoD, who does not leave you without a Witnefs in your confcience; profit by these corrections, and permit this ftrange fire to be quenched, which fo readily mingles itself with the ardour of your zeal. May GOD judge, correct, and amend us here, that we may not perish with thofe who prejudge his Judgments!

Let us now see what is implied in judging, and condemning, to the end, that we may avoid all falfe and precipitate judgment on the one hand; and on the other, that we may not take that for

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rafh judgment, which is not fuch. Our bleffed Saviour, after having faid, Judge not, condemn not, fhews us his meaning, by pointing out thofe judgments which he condemns.

1. A rafh judgment, is that which is pronounced by a man who is ftill in a ftate of fpiritual blindness, and who, not being illuminated from above, is therefore incapable of judging foundly of fpiritual things, yet notwithstanding fets himself up as a leader of others, a judge of their actions, and a cenfor of their conduct. It is of fuch blind guides that Jefus Chrift fpeaks, when he fays, Can the blind, lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditck? ver. 39; as if he had faid, "Is it poffible, that a perfon who is enveloped in the thickest darkness, fhould dare to judge of the fpiritual eftate of others? If he do, muft not his judgment be rafh, and foolish? and does he not endanger his own Soul, and run the rifque of falling into the ditch, while he is conducting another thither?

This teaches us to understand the true value of the judgments which are formed by the world, on the ftate and conduct of the children of God. Spiritual and divine things are not known by this dark world, and it cannot comprehend them, because it re ceives not the Spirit of God, by which alone they can be known and difcerned. Therefore, all the judgments which the natural man forms of a child of God, can be no other than rash and false; and confequently thefe fhould not trouble a faithful foul. Finally, it is not the animal and impious man only, who is capable of forming precipitate and falfe judgments; young converts, who are ad vanced but a little way in the knowledge of divine things, are fubject to this evil alfo: they frequently judge according to their contracted view of things, and condemn that which does not cor refpond to their own opinion. They do not confider, that a man in the beginning of his converfion, is like to the blind man in the gofpel, who having partially recovered his fight, faw men, who appeared to be like walking trees, and did not fee diftindly, till Chrift had touched his eyes the fecond time. He therefore who is yet partially blind, fhould not prefume to lead others: in guiding them badly, he is in danger of falling into the pit of pride and vain glory, and into the fnare of the devil. In this ftate, the wifeft, and fafcft part which a perfon, can take, is to pray, that he may be guided and enlightened by the Lord, left, that looking with half clofed eyes, he take men for trees, motes for beams, and gnats for camels.

2. A rafh judgment, is that which is made by a perfon who is himself engaged in the things which he condemns, who does not think of plucking the beam out of his own eye, before he looks at the mote which is in his brother's.

From fuch a perfon, (who is not fit to reprove in an efficacious and useful manner,) Jefus Chrift takes away all authority of reproving, when he fays, Thou hypocrite! first take away the beam that is in thy own eye. While this is not taken away, he can,

not reasonably fumble at the mote, which is in his brother's eye; nor can he pretend to take it away, without hypocrify and injuftice his judgment is not right: it has not the characters of legitimate judgment: Thefe reproaches of St. Paul, should cover him with confufion, "Thou who teacheft another, teacheft thou not thyfelf? Thou who preacheft a man fhould not steal, doft thou fteal? Thou who fayeft, a man fhould not commit adultery, doft thou commit adultery? Thou who makeft thy boast of the law, through breaking the law, difhonoureft thou God?-The name of God is blafphemed among the Gentiles through you,' Rom. v. 21. We may well fay to each of thofe cenfors "Hypocrite, take firft the beam out of thine own eye, and then fhalt thou difcern how to take the mote out of thy brother's :" Thou livest thyself in gross and fcandalous fins; thou art still a drunkard, a glutton; thou art a lover of the world; covetous and proud; and dareft thou arrogate to thy felf the right of judg ing and condemning others? Thou pretendeft to be a teacher, a fhepherd and leader of others, and thou dareft to cenfure fins lefs enormous than thy own!- Hypocrite, take first the great beam out of thy own eye, before thou lookest at the mote which is in the eye of thy brother.

Finally, a rafh judgment is that which is formed on motes, on matters of Small importance, or on weakneffes which might be eafily borne with or excufed. This happens among thofe unmerciful perfons, who give no quarter to their neighbour, who exaggerate his fmalleft faults, make that pafs for vice, which is perhaps a good quality, interpret his best actions in a finifter manner, and criticife unmercifully on the finalleft portions of chaff, which may be found among the good grain. Thefe are wicked, falfe, unjust, and rash judgments. Thefe are what is justly termed, " Straining out a gnat, and fwallowing a camel;" paffing by the greatest disorders, or excufing them, while they judge and condemn their neighbour for the leaft, (and often, imaginary) fault. There is nothing more unjust than those judg ments, nothing more condemnable than thofe condemnations.

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But if our Saviour condemns here, blind, hypocritical, and unjuft judgments, it is not to the true minifters of God, that he fays, judge not. On the contrary, he wills, that after having been purified as the children of Levi, after having judged themfelves and been difciplined by the Holy Spirit, they are to judge between the holy and unclean, between that which is leprous, and that which is not. Son of man, faid the Lord to Ezekiel, wilt thou not judge them? Yes, without doubt, a minifter of God ought to judge the state of his auditors, condemn their vices, reprove, cenfure, and denounce the judgments of God againit them, if they do not turn from them. I will go further; every child of God, after having been rendered capable of difcerning fpiritual things, may judge and condemn the vicious works of the world he should bear witnefs of him by whofe Name he

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is called, and inftead of having fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, he should reprove them, by letting his light fhine before men. Whoever reproves the evil conduct of the ungodly, by his good conduct, and by the word of God, in the fpirit of love and gentleness, with a pure intention of procuring the welfare and edification of his neighbour, fuch a person is not in the ftate which Jefus Chrift condemns here. It is true, the world thinks otherwife: "These pretended Religionifts, fay they, these Pietifts, condemn every body, they have no charity, they pafs nothing, they will fuffer nothing." The reason of all this is, that the wicked world pretends, that it fhould not be disturbed in its impiety. It would have thofe denominated true Chriftians, who deny Jefus by their works; and wishes that we fhould honour thofe with the title of the children of God, who are vifibly the flaves of Satan. O blind world! thou wouldst have thy diffolute,cuftoms confidered as motes, notwithstanding they are abyffes of iniquity, and mountains of abomination! and to complete thy injuftice, of the lightest motes, of the smallest weakneffes of the children of God, thou wouldeft make monfters of hypocrify and iniquity.

Pay attention to this, ye who fear God: when Chrift says, judge not, he does not forbid you to teftify against the corruption and wickedness of the world, by a holy conversation, by words of reproof and inftruction, which proceed from a fincere and loving heart but he informs you at the fame time, that when the cenfure does not directly tend to the glory of God, and the edification of your neighbour, you should abstain from judging and condemning.

Finally, as to what regards your neighbour, who is yet weak in the faith, your Mafter wills, that you who are ftrong, fhould bear with the weak, excufe and cover his faults, and that in every respect, you should prove that you have hearts inclined to fpare and excufe him, as much as the good of his foul, and the glory of God will permit. By this you will evince, that you are the children of your Father, who is in Heaven. To you thereføre, who are his difciples, Jefus Chrift particularly fays, judge not: You should, above all others, fhun rash, false, and precipitate judgments. Remember alfo, that if mercy prohibits a child of God from judging evil of his neighbour, it alfo forbids him to do him any kind of mifchief; as every thing of this kind is incompatible with heavenly Love: A man, therefore, who has obtained mercy, and who has tafted the Power of the Grace of God in Christ Jefus, and to whom ten thousand talents have been forgiven, will readily remit to his brother, the hundred pence which he owes him.

But it is too fmall a matter for Mercy, only to do no evil to its neighbour, it will alfo do him good; and this is what Jefus Christ infinuates when he fays, "Give, and it fhall be given

unto you."

Thofe who have the power of godlinefs, are termed Pietifts in Germany, as the fame description of men are denominated METHODISTS in England.