If we experience these, we have a mark of our acceptance with God, which cannot deceive: all other marks, all other feelings, be they ever so lively, ever so pleasing, may. Doubtless, if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his*. Our pious disposition, our well-grounded comforts, all proceed from the Holy Ghost: and we can have neither, without perceiving them. But we may perceive them, without certainly knowing by the manner of the perception, that they are his work it suffices, that, on the authority of Scripture, we believe they are. And Scripture hath no where taught us to distinguish, what impulses, or sensations within us, come from God, and what from a different source, by the mere strength and delightfulness of them. Without question, clear and joyful persuasions of our interest in the divine favour, if we have foundation to judge that we are intitled to them, are the greatest felicity, that we can enjoy in this world. But whoever relies on such persuasions alone, instead of examining what ground they stand upon, exposes himself to the utmost danger of being misled by a heated imagination, or a sinful confidence: of which kind of delusions the history of the church in all ages hath been full. And whoever determines either his own state towards God, or that of any one else, to be a bad one, for want of such tokens of its being a good one, contradicts the rule of holy writ. Every one that doth righteousness, is born of him †, and unwisely dejects himself, or uncharitably condemns his brother.

Let us therefore be very cautious not to fancy the paths of religion either narrower or broader, than they are: neither to make the heart of the righteous sad, whom God hath not made sad; nor strengthen

*Rom. viii. 9.

+ 1 John ii. 29.

the hands of the wicked, by promising him life*: for of both these errors we may be guilty at once. But in order to avoid both, let us form our notions of ourselves and others by God's unerring word, interpreted with the reasonableness and mildness of a truly Christian temper; and then we shall quickly discern, that the only sure test of good and bad persons is that, which St. John hath so solemnly delivered from above. This then is the message, which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say, that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, that is, wickedness, we lye, and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, if we studiously imitate the purity and holiness of our heavenly Father, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin t.

SERMON XVIII.

ACTS VII. 59, 60.

And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he feel asleep.

As the interests of religion and virtue require, that due regards be paid to the memory of pious and good persons; and as they who have laid down their lives for God and their duty, have given the strongest proofs of their attachment to the noblest cause: so the Christian church hath, from the beginning, shewn distinguished honours to those professors of its holy faith, who have sealed their testimony to it with their blood. The first martyr, or witness, of this kind, after the blessed Jesus himself, was St. Stephen, a man full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost and of power and of wisdom *, whose death is related in the text. And we find in the next verse but one, that devout men carried him, with decent solemnity, to his burial, and made great lamentation over him; undoubtedly mixed with equal triumph, that he had finished his course in so exemplary a manner; nor were they withheld from it by fear of the resentment, to which so public an instance of respect must provoke his murderers and all their adherents.

Acts vi. 3. 5. 8. 10.

Two of the most ancient monuments of ecclesiastical history, that we have, excepting the New Testament, are the accounts of the martyrdom of Ignatius and Polycarp, both disciples of St. John, written at the time of their suffering, by the churches of Antioch and Smyrna, of which they were bishops. And in those they mention, as of course, their purpose of celebrating yearly the festival of their birth-days, of their entrance into a better life, for the commemoration of their excellent graces, and the incitement of others to imitate them. Thus did they provide, that the righteous should be had in everlasting remembrance*: and observed the more particular direction, given to that intent in the Epistle to the Hebrews: Remember them which have [had] the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God; whose faith follow, considering the end, the event, of their The rest of the primitive churches appear to have followed the same rule: and each to have honoured the more eminent of their own martyrs, who had been usually their teachers also, by anniversary assemblies for preserving the reverence due to their characters, and offering up thanks to God for their examples.

conversation.

But the increase of their numbers, and the adoption of the sufferers of one church into the liturgies of others, and the admission of eminently good persons, who had not resisted unto blood, and the frequent grants, which in subsequent ages were made, of so high a distinction, with little care of previous inquiry, multiplied the returns of these solemnities very improperly and inconveniently. Then besides, a still greater evil was, that praises and panegyrics too soon

*Psalm cxii. 6. + So it should be translated, Heb. xiii. 7. ↑ Heb. xii. 4.

grew to be immoderate, and afterwards impious. In the vehemence of oratorical encomiums and exclamations, the saint was called upon as present, till by degrees he was thought so: and what at first was merely a bold and moving figure of speech, became at length in good earnest a prayer; which requested of a dead man who was unable to hear it, not only that he would intercede with God in behalf of his fellowservants, but that he would himself bestow such blessings upon them, as no creature hath in his power. Things being found in this condition at the Reformation, it was necessary, both to abolish intirely these unlawful addresses, and to limit the original sort of commemorations to a moderate list of persons, indisputably worthy of them. Accordingly no day is appointed by our church for the celebration of any other, than the principal saints, mentioned in the New Testament, it being hard to stop, if more were added. And amongst these, St. Stephen is the only one, who stands solely on the foot of being a martyr: as indeed it was fit, that the foremost, the leader, of that noble army should be distinguished, and chosen, as it were, to represent the rest. Now we shall keep his festival in a due manner, if we make use of it to place before our thoughts,

I. The sinfulness of persecution for conscience sake.

II. The excellency of bearing it well.

I. The sinfulness of persecution for conscience sake.

Taking away the lives, the fortunes, the liberty, any of the rights of our brethren, merely for serving their Maker in such manner as they are persuaded they ought, when by so doing they hurt not human society, or any member of it, materially, is evidently incon

!