171 / 674
MERM.
XXXIX.l
THE
RIGHT
2MPROVEMENT
OF
LIFE,
151
for God,
by
the,long continuance
of
saints
in
this
world°
Survey the
labours and
the
sufferings,
the ministry,
the
zeal
and
the success
of
the blessed apostles,
who
planted
the
first
christian churches.
What
monuments
of
ho-
nour
did
they raise among
Jews and strangers, among
Greeks
and barbarians, the
savage
and
the polite hea-
thens,
to
their crucified
and exalted
Saviour
!
What
multitudes
of
subjects were
brought
to bow
the knee
to,
Jesus
by
their
preaching
!
What
a large harvest
of
souls
was
gathered unto
Christ, when the apostle
scattered the
seed
of
the
gospel all
round
the countries, from
Jerusa-
lem,
through the provinces'
of
the lesser
.
Asia,
and
through
the
southern parts
of
Europe,
as some
have
supposed,
as
far
as
Spain
!
And the
Redeemer
was glo-
rified
by
his
labours
where the naine
of
the
true
God the
Creator
was
hardly
known before.
What
an
extensive
blessing
to
the world
was
the
life
of
Paul?
It
is
to this,
that
the following ages
of
christianity,
as well as
the
pri-
mitive saints,
owe
the unspeakable benefit
of
his
writ-
ings
;
and it
is
to
this,
that Great
Britain
owes
the
bless-
ing
of
his
divine epistles. How
honourable
was
it for
St.
Paul
himself,
and
how
happy for
us,
that
he
was
made
an
instrument of
such service to Christ, such
a
glorious
service,
as
spread itself
round
the nations,
and
reached
to
distant
ages
of mankind. His long
life vas
an
illustri
us
blessing
both
to
himself
and
to
the
cl'ris-
tian
wor
d
III.
(Life
is
yours, O
christians, for
it
allows
many
a
proper
season for giving examples
of
holiness
to mankind.
And
it
is
an
honour
to
a saint, to
be
made an
example
of
religion
amongst a
nation
of
sinners, or
a
pattern of
ho-
liness,
among the churches
of
believers.
Herein you
become followers and
imitators
of
the blessed
Lord your
Master
:
He
is
the
first
pattern,
he
is
the most glorious
example;
for
in all things he
must
have the pre
-emi.,
nence.
If
you
become a public and shining
example
of
virtue,
and
piety,
and
goodness, you may
attain
these four very
valuable ends
at
once.
1.
By
this means you
pay
great
and just
honours to
the blessed gospel whereby
you
are
saved,
and confound
and
silence the impious
accusations and slanders
of
the
wicked
;
and especially
if
your
station and rank
in
the
L
4