'SECTION N. 3,P that you are excluded by certain lawsfrom all offices of trust and profit in the nation merely for your nonconformity. Besides this, there-are some angry bigots in the world who hate you and your profession, and would blast you all together, and would rejoice to root you out of the earth ; though for the most part, I would hope these furious enemies of yours are only such as are rio friends to thepresent settlement of the crown in the illustrious family who possesses it, and are enemies to thehappiness of this !nation and the liberties of mankind : but however, it is certain there are many who envy and hate us, though we acknowledge it with gratitude, to the honour of our rulers, that they have so much equity and goodness as to withhold the hands of the sons of violence from persecuting and ,destroying us. -It is certain that we are observed with an evil eye, we are sometimes bantered and ridiculed by evil tongues; we suffer many an opprobrious name,.many a malicious sneer and in- solent affront, because we cannot comply with some inven- tions of men, and dare to worship God in another manner than the chief part of the nation. Now shall we suffer all these 'things in vain? Gal. iii. 4. And indeed it is, and will be in main, that we exposé ourselves by our profession to these suf- ferings , if we have no _recompence in acquiring greater de- grees of virtue and goodness; in attaining firmer hopes and a surer interest In the favour of God, and the blessings of eternal concernment. Awake, ,artake, my friends, and bethink yourselves a little Do you not aim at something glorious and' divine that will coun- terpoise all the evils you sustain ? Awake, and let your cha- racter and your piety brighten upon the world, let your uncon- tested virtues shine among men, let them efface all the gloom and darkness that is thrown upon your names, and overpower the unrighteous scandal. What ! shall we be cast out of all public offices, trustsand salaries, as men unworthyofcivil benefits and honours, and in many instances he retrenched as to the more private and common profits of this world, and yet content our- selves to obtain none of the treasures that relate to another world in the room of them .? Shall we bear the scoflings of our neigh, b.iurs, and. be derided as fools and fanatics ? Shall we be reviled aas men of humour and hypocrisy, as dece'i ers andfalse brethren, and content ourselves to bear all these indignities in the present life, without gaining any thing by it with regard to grace and righteousness and the life to come? This would be to confirm the reproachof folly upon ourselves with awitness, and justify the world when they charge us with madness and fanaticism. What is there can bring our wisdom, or even our common sense into question more justly than such a foolish conduct, to profess and assume -a character hi this world which sensibly exposes ús
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