the laws of God and of the Church, which God has committed to him, and for the exercise of which his soul must give account at the day of judgment; for unless the man is considered absolved from the guilt of self-murder in the sight of God, it is admitted on all hands, that it is unlawful to give him Christian burial. A DEFENCE, &c. 1 THESSALONIANS II. 4. As we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God which trieth our hearts. As nothing can be more painful to a clergyman who desires to discharge his duty to his people, than that differences of opinion should exist between him and them, especially on matters connected with the performance of his religious duties; and as all such differences of opinion usually arise from misunderstanding the nature of the case, I believe I can hardly employ the time more profitably for us both than by endeavouring to show you that in the melancholy case which has been uppermost in all our minds during the week, I have not done without cause what I have done in it; and that, after the instructions which I have received, and the rules which have been set me, and the vows I have made, and the view which I have taken, I could not have done otherwise without violating my duty to God and man, and bringing my own soul into hazard. Ι I have, therefore, chosen the text before us, that may remind you at once whom alone I must seek to please in the exercise of the religious offices, and to whom I must account for what I do. "As we have been allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God which trieth our hearts." By which text these two things appear, first, that the authority by which the clergy act, as ministers of religion, does not come from men, or from the laws of the country, but from God. Christ left this authority, this warrant, or commission, to the clergy of his days, the apostles, with a promise that it should continue in the Church till the end of the world: the apostles left it to the clergy who succeeded them, and these again to others, and so from clergy to clergy, by the hands of the bishops, this warrant or commission for exercising the office of a minister of religion has been handed down to these times; and will continue to be handed down till the end of the world. The second thing which our text teaches us is, that as our warrant for exercising the office of ministers of religion comes from God, and not from man, so, in the discharge of the duties of that office, we are to be guided by what God tells us, and not by what men tell us. Let me repeat the words, "As we were allowed to be put in trust with the Gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God which trieth our hearts." So that, however desirous a clergyman may, and must be, of pleasing his people, in all things where he can do so with a safe conscience, yet, if he believes to be his duty to God, there he must stop, and say, I am sorry I cannot, but I fear God, and dare not. "For my own sake, and for your's I dare not: for my own, lest I bring my own soul into trouble; for you, lest I encourage you to do ill, by setting you so glaring an example of acting contrary to conscience, and the fear of God." And who would wish to see him act otherwise? who would wish to see any human being, whose soul must answer at the day of judgment for what he does, act contrary to what he believed to be his duty to God for the sake of pleasing man? No, brethren, I am sure you would not; I am sure you will think that I was right in acting according to the conscientious opinion I embraced, even though I should fail to convince you that that opinion was correct. At least, if there are any who would wish otherwise, I can only say I had rather they should continue to think ill of me; for I fear in such a case, they would not think well, unless I acted ill. Let me now endeavour to state plainly to you the grounds on which I acted. The objects for which the clergy are sent, are to preserve the honour of the religion of Jesus Christ, and to teach and persuade the people committed to them to be saved; as St. Paul writes, "We are ambassadors of Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you, in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." Their chief, I may say their only rule or guide in the dis-charge of their duty, is the Bible, the written word of God. I say the only rule, because they are not permitted to teach any thing which is contrary to this. But the Bible itself points out another help, in what |