desirous of " having some fruit among them even as he had had among other Gentiles." He had reason indeed to expect, that, in that opulent city, the ahode of so many great and learned men, his ministrations would excite no small measure of contempt : but " he was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ ;" nor did he think he had any occasion to be ashamed of it ; since " it was, and would be, the power of God to the salvation of all who received it in faith." It were well if all who profess to believe the Gospel, were like- minded with him in this particular : but there are multitudes who, notwithstanding they call themselves Christians, are in reality ashamed of the Gospel. That we may assist such persons in discovering their own character, and induce them to walk worthy of their holy profession, we shall shew,
I. When we may be said to be ashamed of the Gospel —
Few perhaps imagine that any such evil is im- putable to them : but they, in fact, are guilty of it, who, through fear of that disgrace which attaches to the Gospel, are deterred,
1. From seeking instruction in it —
[Many, from what they have seen and heard of the effects of the Gospel, have a secret conviction that it has an excel- lence far beyond any they have hitherto discovered : and they would be glad to be better instructed in it : but they dare not go where it is more fully and plainly set forth, because of the odium to which they will expose themselves. They are aware that the very circumstance of attending upon the ministry of one who is stigmatized as evangelical, will tend to fix a stigma on their names also, and to produce an apprehension in the minds of their friends, that they are beginning to favour these obnoxious tenets. If the same doctrines were delivered in a church, where they might attend without suspicion, they would gladly avail themselves of the opportunity to hear them : but, if any sacrifice of character is to be made in order to get instruction, they will rather lose the benefit, than purchase it at such a price. Even a religious book, should it happen to be in their hands when a friend unexpectedly calls in upon them, is put away in haste, lest it should draw down a mea- sure of disgrace upon them. Even the Bible itself they would be afraid to have seen upon their table, if they were supposed