DISCOURSE VI.

GALATIANS, CHAP. iv. VER. 16.

"AM I THEREFORE BECOME YOUR "ENEMY, BECAUSE I TELL YOU "THE TRUTH?"

M

EN are generally too apt to confider religion as unfriendly to their happiness, and incapable of yielding them any satisfactions, equal to those which they derive from the pursuit of worldly objects. Hence, the averfion to exercises of piety, and the fociety and conversation of the good and virtuous. Hence, the liftleffness and unconcern about the state of their fouls, whilft the whole attention of their minds, their thoughts, their defires and affections, their hands and

their

their hearts, are all bufily and constantly employed, in making provifion for the fupport, ornament, and gratification of a perishing body. Surely, fuch a strange conduct as this, muft proceed from 2. secret persuasion, that religion will interrupt their pursuit of fome present favourite objects, and damp and deaden all the sprightliness of enjoyment. Were they, indeed, charged with holding such principles as these, they would doubtless take it exceedingly amifs; and look upon that man as man as their enemy, who should prefume thus to arraign their conduct, and afcribe it to motives, which they would blush to own.

The tender and affectionate expoftulation in my text, is evidently founded upon an intimate knowledge of human nature. The fagacious Apostle readily discovered the fecret workings of pride and disgust, in the hearts of his Galatian converts. After having expreffed his

aftonish

aftonishment, that " they were fo foon " removed from him, that called them "into the Grace of CHRIST, unto ano"ther Gofpel;" after having charged them with folly, for fuffering themselves to be " bewitched," as he expreffes it, by the artifices of deceivers; after having declared his fears and apprehenfions, left he should have beftowed upon them labour in vain; and, after having enumerated fome former teftimonies of their reciprocal regard and affection for each other; he, at length, addreffes himself to their confciences, and folemnly calls upon them to declare, whether they could, with the leaft juftice or propriety, change their former fentiments of him, or deem him unfriendly to their best interefts, "because he told them the "Truth;" becaufe, by his Christian and apoftolical reprehenfions, he fought to rescue them from the dominion of paffion and prejudice: "Am I therefore become

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your enemy, because I tell you the "Truth?"

One

One would think, that fuch wellmeant remonftrances, from the ministers of Truth and friends of Virtue, would be kindly received, and have a falutary influence upon the hearts of finners; but experience, alas! tells us the contrary. There have been many inftances, and fome, perhaps, within our own perfonal knowledge, in which refentment, rather than gratitude, hath been awakened by fuch expoftulations; and, instead of humbling the spirit, they have produced a reply that bore the marks of paffion, checked and disappointed in its favourite pursuits.

Confidered with respect to the real ftate of his foul, every man, who lives under the dominion of any evil paffion, or fuffers himself to be drawn afide from the paths of virtue by the delufive arts of vice, is doubtless in a fituation fimilar to that of thefe Galatians. For though his paffions and prejudices may not be exactly the same, yet they proceed from the fame fource, and

enmity to God and Goodness is at the bottom.

But, bleffed be GOD! there are no Galatians without an Apoftle; no finner without an higher meffenger of GoD than St. Paul; a greater witness, and more awful reprover of his evil ways; a friend that speaks to him at all times and feasons, in the hurry of the day, and the filence of the night, amidst the anxiety of expectation, and the ardour of poffeffion; vigorously remonftrating against every finful fuggeftion, and sharply cenfuring and reproving the mind for every finful act.

The fallen spirit of man, it is true, brooks not the frequent appearance of this Heavenly Meffenger; but, as the Apoftle fays of the Galatians, treats him as an enemy, and replies and replies to all his friendly remonftrances and affectionate warnings, with indignation and disdain.

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