Lastly, we may observe also, in the behaviour of St. Paul, the marks of an undaunted and exemplary courage. He fears not, we see, to utter necessary, though harsh and ungrateful truths in the ears of one, who had the power of life and death over him. He knew, with what dangers the faithful discharge of his duty would, in this case, be attended; how impatient the great are, under a reproof, though couched in the most gentle and least offensive language; what absolute empire Drusilla had gained over the heart of Felix, and with what revengefulness that impure woman would be sure to pursue any one, who should venture to represent his guilt to him, and to rouse his sleeping conscience: and yet none of these frightening considerations were able to repress his godly zeal, or to check his freedom; which he conducted indeed, with great caution and prudence, insinuat-. ing his reproofs under the cover of some evangelical doctrines, then proposed by him: however, with so great force and success, as to strike confusion and terror into the person, for whom they were intended.

4

Let us copy the excellent pattern which this apostle hath set us, by taking all proper opportunities of spreading the kingdom of Christ in the hearts of men, and of advancing the interests of his Gospel. Let us resolve. always to do our duty, and discharge a good conscience faithfully, without being deterred by possible inconveniencies, or dangers that may attend us for so doing; without suffering secular views, and our own private interests, to divert us from pursuing any good design, whereby we may reasonably hope to promote the divine glory, and the good of mankind. Let us act in such cases discreetly indeed, warily, wisely; but withal courageously, zealously, firmly, as disregarding the fear of man, when it comes in competition with the fear of God. These, I say, are the intimations, these the instructions, given us by the behaviour of St. Paul; when, before an oppressive, a dissolute, and an unbelieving magistrate, he took an occasion to discourse of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come.

In which discourse of his,

II. The second thing observable is, his manner of handling these subjects; he reasoned; that is, he treated of them in a rational way; proving from the nature and tendency of those virtues our obligation to practise them; and inferring from those obligations the certainty and necessity of a future account, wherein notice should be taken how we have, or have not complied with them; and we should be rewarded or punished accordingly. And can any thing be said more to the advantage of a rational way of evincing the doctrines of morality, and the truths of the Gospel, than that St. Paul practised it? He practised it, not on this only, but on many other occasions in his several apologies for himself and for his Gospel, recorded in the Acts, throughout his epistles sent to the several churches he planted, we find this great apostle of the Gentiles continually reasoning; not merely proposing doctrines in an authoritative manner, by virtue of his apostleship and commission from God, but proving and making good what he proposes by inference and argument. Thus he frequently did; and by so doing has sanctified reason to the purposes of religion, and shewed us that one sort (indeed the best sort) of good preaching, consists in good arguing.

Some pious and well-meaning Christians have a very wrong notion concerning edifying discourses, and profiting by sermons. They relish nothing from the pulpit, but what is addressed to their passions, and set out with all the advantages of a popular eloquence, and moving delivery. By this means they find themselves inwardly affected and warned; and that heating of their fancy they esteem and call spiritual edification. But when any point of doctrine is handled in a close and argumentative manner, it appears flat and unsavoury to them, has nothing in it of the life and power of godliness, and is all mere human reasoning. But herein they are widely mistaken for it is a far greater and more useful work, to inform the understandings, and convince the judgments of men, than to raise their passions, and that dis

course, which is most instructive, and best supported by reason, is certainly, if men attend to it as they ought, most edifying too. A vehement and voluble tongue, a languishing tone of voice, a pious set of phrases, or the like, will very powerfully move the affections of some sort of hearers: but the warmth by that means raised, is momentary, and vanishing, without any true, sound, lasting, spiritual improvement. To compass that, the way, we find, which the mighty and successful preacher St. Paul took, was, to reason. Though he were divinely inspired, and spake therefore as the oracles of God, with an uncontrollable authority; though he were endued with supernatural powers, and could therefore have confirmed the truth of what he uttered by miracles; yet, in compliance with the way in which human nature, and reasonable creatures are usually wrought upon, he reasoned. But these reflections have been, in some degree, anticipated; and, therefore, without enlarging further upon them, I hasten to consider the

III. Third and last thing observable in the text, the wonderful effect that followed upon St. Paul's thus reasoning on these important subjects; Felix trembled. His mind was filled with horror at the remembrance of his past crimes, and the apprehension of a future reckoning; and these inward fears and forebodings appeared in the outward and visible marks of a great consternation.

Though he was one of the mightiest men on earth, and Paul, a poor despised prisoner; though he was then sitting on the seat of judgment, where it behoved him to do nothing that misbecame his high place and character; yet could he not dissemble the pangs and agonies of his uneasy mind, he trembled !

From whence it is natural to observe the great force and efficacy of the word of God, duly handled and applied it is (according to the account of it, given by this very apostle in another place) quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the

dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, Heb. iv. 12. There is no sin so secret, but. that it will find it out and expose it; no heart so hard, but that it can soften it; no conscience so far plunged in, a lethargic sleep, but that it is able to rouse it. Strange are the instances of this kind recorded in Holy Writ! Our Lord opens the prophecies and expounds the Scriptures concerning himself, to the two disciples travelling towards Emmaus; and while he is doing it, their hearts burn within them, Luke xxiv. 13. Philip points out to the eunuch the meaning of a chapter in Esaias: immediately light and conviction rush into his mind; he confesses Jesus, and demands baptism, Acts viii. 35. St. Peter preaches the Gospel to a great multitude of the Jews, who had just before been instrumental in the crucifixion of Christ: they no sooner hear him, than they are pricked to the heart, and cry out, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Acts ii. 37; and straightway there are added to the faith no less than three thousand souls by this single sermón, Acts ii. 41. And here in the text, while St. Paul is reasoning of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembles. Such is the wonderful power of truth, when particularly blessed by the God of truth, and bid to go forth and prosper! Such is the great and astonishing influence of the word of God, when assisted and enlivened by his Spirit! It prevails over all difficulties, all opposition, and is mighty to the pulling down of strong holds, 2 Cor. x. 4. Remarkable to this effect is the different success of Tertullus's and St. Paul's pleading. Tertullus, we may presume, was one of the most famous pleaders of his time; else the high-priest and elders, in a cause of such consequence (which they themselves went from Jerusalem to Cæsarea on purpose to prosecute) would not have pitched upon him for their advocate. And yet th's great orator, with all his studied art and eloquence, made no impression on Felix; whereas St. Paul's speech soon afterwards moved, terrified, con-. founded him. The reason of which different effect seems

to have been, that the one was with good words to varnish over an ill cause, and by the power of oratory to support a false and lying accusation: whereas the other had right and truth on his side, and therefore pressed them earnestly he himself felt what he spake, had an inward and vital sense of those truths he delivered; and therefore he made others feel them too; he spake from his own heart, and to the hearts and consciences of those that heard him; and therefore he prevailed.

How should this instance of the operative virtue of God's word reproach our sluggishness and insensibility? An impure and wicked heathen, we hear, trembled at St. Paul's doctrine. The same doctrine sounds every day in the ears of negligent Christians, without terrifying, without alarming them. The same apostle still reasons with them in his epistles, concerning righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come. But he reasons to no purpose: his words seem to them as idle tales; they neither feel their force, nor regard their meaning. Surely for this Felix shall one day rise up in judgment against them; for he heard and trembled.

I observe, secondly, that though Felix shewed great concern on that occasion, yet Drusilla, the partner of his crimes, did, for ought appears, sit by altogether unmoved with the apostle's discourse. The most probable account of which seems to be this; that she, being born and bred a Jewess, had better opportunities of knowing the will of God and her own duty, and greater obligations to practise what she knew, than those who were guided only by the light of nature and reason. And yet, notwithstanding the mighty restraints which her religion laid upon her, she had forsaken her marriage vows, and gone from the bed of her husband, who was circumcised, into that of an uncircumcised heathen. For which reason, her guilt was of a much deeper die than that of Felix was; and consequently her heart more obdurate, and insensible of reproof. From whence we may raise to ourselves this general and useful reflection; that the more advantages any man has towards discovering the truth,