him from his purpose. He is not insensible how hard it is to flesh and blood to " cut off a right hand, and to pluck out a right eye :" but no regard to carnal ease will induce him to spare his idol. He expects not that the world should love or honour him, when he recollects how it treated his divine Master : he is well assured that, " if he will live godly in Christ Jesus, he must suffer persecution." But so far from being terrified at the cross, he takes it up and glories in it. He reverences himself, his conscience I mean, more than he does the whole world. He studies by meditation and prayer to get his conscience well informed ; and then he confers not with flesh and blood : he asks only, " What is duty ? How shall I maintain a good conscience ? How shall I please my God?" These questions satisfactorily determined, he can say with the Apostle, " I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in the path of duty, for the name of the Lord Jesus."
That this is no exaggerated statement, but really the character of every true Christian, will appear from the clearest declarations of Holy Writ.
St. Paul repeatedly speaks of Christians in this light : he represents them as being " blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom they shine as lights in the world :" and he prays for them that they may be " sincere and without offence until the day of Christ ;" yea, " that their whole spirit, soul, and body, may be preserved blame- less unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." And David, giving the character of those who are accepted of God, expressly declares that they are " without guile." " Blessed is he whose transgression is for- given, and whose sin is covered ; blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile."
If it would afford us any additional satisfaction to find men of like passions with ourselves who have attained to this character, the Scriptures afford us many striking instances. St. Paul himself could testify