SECTION IV- qI tration of holy things on which you attend; why then should you not dare to be singular in your behaviour, in the civil life among your neighbours, when any other rules of christianity call you to it ? Y, a practise the forms of religion in a singular manner with courage, and why should you not dare to practise all virtue and godliness with holy courage too in the face of a world, that is ashamed of inward and real religion, andalmost ashamed of the appearances of it, unless it be in geing tochurch ? To be singular inour mannerof life, and distinguish ourselves from our neighbours, is no part of religion or virtue considered in itself ; but there are many seasons that occur frequently, arid which will occur in all ages of sinful mankind, wherein every one who is a servant of God, in any form or party, is called to practise singularity, and to distinguish himself from the vicious, and irreligious world. Moses forewarns us of it in his early days, and lays down this rule in Ex. xxiii. 2. " Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil." The wicked of the earth will always " think it strange that you will not run with them to the same excess of riot;" 1 Pet. iv. 4. Yet you are to rï'mem- ber, that you are " redeemed from this present evil world, that you might be a peculiar people to God, zealous of good works ; Gal. i. 10. Tit. ii. 14. The people of God in every generation havebeen distinguished from a world that lies in wickedness, and our blessed Lord has most expressly foretold us in several places, that there must and will be a difference between the men of the world and his disciples. Now have you arrived at this holy fortitude bravely to maintain this distinction at every call of providence, and to shew yourselves with more zeal to be noncoriformists to a wicked world, than to divide yourselves from Your christian brethren, because of their di:ferentforms of worship ? When you are in company with profane sinners, who make a jest of the things of religion, and triflewith the sacred names of God and our Saviour, there is sometimes a fair occasion in providence, and a loud call of duty to stand up for the name and honour of God, and shew your zeal for religion among those who seem to have renounced it : when you are in the midst of infidels or apostates from thechristian faith, it may be sometimes proper to appear boldly in the vindication of the name of Jesus and his gospel: when you see profligate wretches wallowing in their iniquities, and sporting with things sacred, conscience will tell you sometimes it is your duty to bear your testimony for the authority of the law of God, and for the purity of manners among men : I will not say it is always a necessary duty; there are seasons when we should not cast our pearls before swine, where there is no probability of doing good to arty person in the company, and where they will not only trample upon holy things,
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