upon his kindness. A third in his general behaviour is found to be generous, difinterested, humane and friendly,--hear but the fad ftory of the friendlefs orphans, too credulously trufting all their little fubstance into his hands, and he fhall appear more fordid, more pitiless and unjust, than the injured themselves have bitterness to paint him. Another fhall be charitable to the poor, uncharitable in his cenfures. and opinions of all the rest of the world befides; temperate in his appetites, intemperate in his tongue; fhall have too much conscience and religion to cheat the man who trufts him, and perhaps as far as the business of debtor and creditor extends, shall be just and fcrupulous to the uttermoft mite; yet in matters of full as great concern, where he is to have the handling of the parties reputation and good name, -the deareft, the tendereft property the man has, he will do him irreparable damage, and rob him there without measure or pity,

And this feems to be that particular piece of inconfiftency and contradiction which the text is levelled at, in which the › words

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words seem so pointed, as if St. James had known more flagrant inftances of this kind of delufion than what had fallen under theobfervation of any of the rest of the apol tles; he being more remarkably vehement and copious upon that fubject than any other.

Doubtlefs fome of his converts had been notoriously wicked and licentious, in this remorseless practice of defamation and evil-speaking. Perhaps the holy man, though spotless as an angel, (for no character is too facred for calumny to blacken,) had grievously fuffered himself, and as his blessed mafter foretold him, had been cruelly reviled, and evil Spoken of.

All his labours in the gofpel, his unaf fected and perpetual follicitude for the prefervation of his flock, his watchings, his faftings, his poverty, his natural fimplicity and innocence of life, all perhaps were not enough to defend him from this unruly weapon, fo full of deadly poison. And what in all likelihood might move his forrow and indignation more, fome who feemed the moft devout and zealous of all

his converts, were the most merciless and uncharitable in that refpect. Having a form of godlinefs, full of bitter envyings and ftrife.

With fuch it is that he expoftulates fo largely in the third chapter of his epiftle; and there is fomething in his vivacity tempered with fuch affection and concern, as well fuited the character. of an inspired man. My brethren, fays the apostle, these things ought not to be. The wisdom that is from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, full of mercy, without partiality, without hypocrify. The wifdom from above, that heavenly religion which I have preached to you, is pure, alike and confiftent with itfelf in all its parts; like its great author, 'tis univerfally kind and benevolent in all cafes and circumftances. Its first glad tydings, were peace upon earth, good will towards men; its chief corner ftone, its moft diftinguishing character is love, that kind principle which brought it down, in the pure exercise of which confifts the chief enjoyment of heaven from whence it came. But this practice, my brethren, cometh not from above,

but

but is earthly, fenfual, devilish, full of confufion and every evil work. Reflect then a moment; can à fountain fend forth at the fame place, sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree my brethren bear olive berries, either a vine, figs? Lay your hands upon your hearts, and let your confciences fpeak.-Ought not the fame juft principle which restrains from cruelty and wrong in one cafe, equally to with-hold you from it in another?Should not charity and good will, like the principle of life, circulating through the fmallest vessels in every member, ought it not to operate as regularly upon you, throughout, as well upon your words, as upon your actions?

-if

you

If a a man is wife and endued with knowledge, let him fhew it, out of a good converfation, with meeknefs of wisdom. But -if any man amongst you, feemeth to be religious,-feemeth to be, -for truly religious he cannot be,-and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.This is the , full force of St. James's reafoning, upon which I have dwelt the more, it being the

founda

1

foundation, upon which is grounded this clear decifion of the matter left us in the text. In which the apoftle feems to have fet the two characters of a faint and a flanderer, at fuch variance, that one would have thought they could never have had a heart to have met together again. But there are no alliances too ftrange for this world. How many may we obferve every day, even of the gentler fex, as well as our own, who without conviction of doing much wrong, in the midst of a full career of calumny and defamation, rife up punctual at the ftated hour of prayer, leave the cruel story half untold till they return,-go, and kneel down before the throne of heaven, thank God that he had not made them like others, and that his Holy Spirit had enabled them to perform the duties of the day, in fo christian and confcientious a manner!

This delufive itch for flander, too common in all ranks of people, whether to gratify a little ungenerous refentment;

-whether oftener out of a principle of levelling from a narrowness and poverty of foul, ever impatient of merit and fuperiority