world,...and to let their light so shine before men, that others, seeing their good works, may glorify our Father which is in heaven.

To be a true Christian, therefore my brethren is to fuftain the most honorable and beautiful of all characters...It is to imitate and resemble Gon, who is the great fource and fountain of light, and in whom there is no darkness at all ;...to imitate and refemble Christ, who is the light of the world, and the life of men ;...to imitate and refemble the saints, thofe brave and generous fouls, who, in all ages, have copied after GoD, and fhone as lights in the world, in the midft of a crooked and perverfe generation, holding forth the word of life.... To be true Christians, is to be as like to the glorious God, both in virtue and happiness, ...and to do as much, good to our fellowcreatures in our day and generation, as poffibly we can ...in a word, to be as lovely, as venerable, as virtuous, as holy, as happy and as ufeful, as the capacities of our limited, depraved nature will permit.

St. Paul had founded a church in Phil

lippi, which worshipped the true God, and received the Lord Jesus Christ, while mapy of their brethren and fellow citizens, ftill continued in their idolatry and infidelity. It was, therefore, the defire and ambition of the good Apostle, that the convert

ed Philippians fhould labor for the converfion of their heathen brethren. He defired that the unbelieving and idolatrous Philippians, (who were attentive and malicious obfervers of their Chriftian brethren, because of the new religion they had embraced, and the new kind of life they had devoted themselves to) fhould fee, nothing in them, but what was wise, reputable, and of good report; and such as becometh the gospel of Christ.

This, however, it feems had not been the cafe, fo much as the good Apostle wifhed. Thefe young converts although they had broke off from the idolatry and infidelity of their neighbors, yet were ftill of very im perfect characters, in point of morality ... Although they had embraced the profeffion of Christianity; yet they had not fully imbibed its spirit and temper. However found they might be in faith, yet they lacked that charity, which is the bond of perfectness, and without which true Chriftianity, cannot either live or move or have its being. No fooner had they broke off from their unbelieving and idolatrous brethren, than they began to quarrel among themfelves. This feems to have been the true ground and motive, of the Apostle's noble and excellent exhortation, in our text; which will ever be equally ufeful, and equally applicable, while Chriftianity has a being

in a corrupt, imperfect, world and state. "Do all things, (fays the Apoftle) with"out murmurings and difputings: That ye may be blamelefs and harmless, the fons "of GOD, without," &c.

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In the words, we have three things obfervable, and which fhall (thro' the divine affistance) be the fubject of the prefent discourfe.

I. The post or station of a Chriftian in this world. He lives in the midst of a 'crooked and perverfe generation;' who are, at heart, enemies to that holinefs which he profeffes; who will be close and malicious obfervers of all his conduct; and who are capable of being either greatly benefited, or greatly hurt by his example and converfation.

II. We have the Christian's destination in this world; what divine providence defigns he should be; or what purpose he is defigned to ferve, in the midft of a crooked and perverfe generation. He is to shine as a light in the world: Holding forth the word of life-that he may ferve the double purpose of both faving himself and oth

ers.

III. We have the duty of a Christian in this world, in order to his anfwering this deftination of providence: 'He is to be * harmless and blameless; a child of GoD, without rebuke;' that the gofpel may not

be blamed; that finners may be converted, and that his Chriftian brethren may be edified In a word, He is to let this light of his fo fhine before men, that others, feeing his good works, may glorify our Fa'ther which is in heaven.'

Are there any amongst us, my brethren, who have the noble ambition, not only of obtaining this heavenly felicity ourselves, but alfo of leading others in the fame road? Are there any amongst us, who have the noble ambition of concurring with Jesus Christ in the work of human redemption? Let fuch learn, to day, from St. Paul, to profecute fo noble a defign by fhining as lights in the world; by being harmless and blameless as the children of GOD without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverfe generation. May the holy Spirit himself infpire us with this divine ambition -and may the bleffing ofGo D, attending this difcourfe, give us power and spirit to purfue fo noble a defign, until our endeavors are crowned with heavenly glory.—Amen.

I. Then we are briefly to confider the post and station of a true Chriftian in this world: He lives in the midst of a crook'ed and perverse generation.'

This fentiment and expreffion of the Apostle might be easily justified and illustrated, by confidering the religion and mørals of the Jews and Heathens, amongst

which the primitive Chriftians lived, to whom he here writes. The character which our Saviour and his Apoftles have left us on record, both of the Jews and Gentiles of that age, (and which is abundantly confirmed by contemporary writers) makes it appear, that they were, indeed, 'a crooked and perverfe generation.'

The Jews had scarcely the very fhadow of religion left amongft them in that abandoned age. The measure of their iniquity feems then to have been filled, and they were ripe for destruction. To the Pharisees, the most numerous and respectable fect amongst them, our Saviour thus addreffes himfelf-Ye ferpents, ye genera'tion of vipers, how can ye efcape the dam'nation of hell? And as to the Sadducees, they were men of atheistical principles, and deteftable morals.

For the morals and manners of the Heathens, of that time, and into what a ftate of luxury, debauchery, and univerfal corruption they had degenerated, I might refer you to their own hiftorians, moralifts and fatyrifts: But that portrait which this Apoftle himself has given us of the Romans, one of the most learned, philofophical, and civilized Heathen nations, fhall fuffice in lieu of cvery other authority. Being filled (fays the Apostle) with all unrighteousness, 'fornication, wickednefs, covetoufnefs ma