But take care that " you give no just occasion to the enemy to speak reproachfully." The world, and
1 Luke xvi. 15.
^ By this expression is meant, Those who professing, like the Pharisees, to reverence the Scriptures as the word of God, expound them as they did, and make use of them to discourage, rather than promote, real piety. But it is not to he limited to any order of men whatever.
especially those who resemble the Scribes and Phari- sees, will watch your conduct narrowly, just as their forefathers did that of our Lord himself; and happy will they be to find occasion against you. As for your secret walk with God, they know nothing about it : your hopes and fears, and joys and sorrows, are nothing to them: these are the things which they deride as airy visions and enthusiastic cant. They will inquire into those things which come more under their own observation, and on which they set an exclusive value : they will inquire how you demean yourselves in your several relations of life ; whether you are temperate in your habits, modest in your demeanour, punctual in your dealings, true to your word, regular in your duties, and diligent in your stu- dies. They will point to many of their own followers as highly exemplary in all these particulars ; and if they find you inferior to them in any respect, they will cast all the blame upon religion, and take occa- sion from your misconduct to confirm themselves in their prejudices. Permit me, then, to say to all my younger brethren, and especially to all who shew any respect for religion, that religion, if true and scrip- tural, is uniformly and universally operative; and that it is a shame to a religious person to be surpassed by a Pharisee in any duty whatsoever. Though I would be far from encouraging any of you to boast, I would entreat all of you so to act, that you may, if com- pelled by calumnies, adopt the language of the Apo- stle ; " Are they Hebrews ? so am I : Are they Israelites ? so am I : Are they of the seed of Abra- ham ? so am I : Are they ministers of Christ ? I speak as a fool ; I am more ; in labours more abundant." Thus be ye also prepared to repel comparisons, or to turn them to your own advantage : and shew% that, in all the social and relative duties, and especially in those pertaining to you as students', you are " not a whit behind the chiefest among them ;" but even in the things wherein they most value themselves, " the righteous is more excellent than his neighbour*."
* Preached before the University of Cambridge. * Prov. xii. 26.