42 AN HUMBLE ATTEMPT, &C. but turn again and rend you; Mat. vii. 6. Under this pretence we ought not to maintain an everlasting silence, and hear the name of God always blasphemed, and the gospel of Christ ridi- culed, without any remonstrance or reproof. If a churchman persuade you to come and worship God according to the parochial and public-forms, perhaps you would shew yourself to be a dissenter, i. e. a separatist from the na- tional worship, and refuse to comply : well then, if sinners would entice you to any wicked practice, or would draw you away or divert you from your present duty to God, to your family, to yourself or your neighbours, I am sure that is a sea- son when you ought to shew yourself a christian, i. e. a sepa- ratist, from all that issinful. Singularity in our ways and forms ofworship and separation from an established Christian church, is so far from being a park of our religion considered in itself, that it would be geperally criminal in us, if we did not think there was something in that church so defective, so irregular, or so imposing as to justify a separation in the sight of God. To be singular in any part of our behaviour from our brethren or our neighbours, is not a thing to be chosen or desired, or practised for itself, or its own sake ; it looks too much like humour and fancy, or pride and conceit, unless there is something wherein we can exceed them in the things of duty and virtue, in matters of religion and god- liness by this singularity : the dissenting interest is neither wor- thy nor fit to be maintained merely for the sake of dissenting, or for the keeping up of a separate party in.the nation : but since we believe and are persuaded that God and our consciences call its to singularity and \separation from human appointments in divine worship, let us remember that 'morality sometimes as well as devotion requires its votaries also, to practise singularity and courage: we must sometimes stand up alone for virtue in a vicious age, and maintain sobriety, temperance, truth and jus- tice, in opposition to a muhitude of evil doers. Let us appear to he,all of a piece, and since weare not ashamed to be separati. fists in the cause of religion, let us never be ashamed'of it in the cause of virtue. You profess to rank yourselves among a people with whom a public and sincere regard to God and his word, even in the common affairs of life, is not yet an unfashionable thing, and God grant that it may never be put out of fashion among us, ai it has long been among the bulk of this nation ! See to it then that religion influences your whole form, and manner, and fashion of life, that you dare not live as without God in the world, without conversing with him by daily prayer and praise : vee that you dare notplunge yourselves into the world, and the daily business of your calling, so as to b sry and forget religion
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