1. The first is Courage. A good Soldier of Jefus Chrift must have Refolution to oppose the Corruptions of a fuperftitious and an irreligious Age. He fhould have Bravery enough to enter the Enemy's Entrenchments, and diflodge Sin from its strongest Holds. If Need be, he should even dare to ftand alone in the Field, and, on the Day of Battle, to combat, fingly, all the Forces fent against him i.e. he should dare to be fingularly good and virtuous, rather than cowardly defert his Poft, and follow even a Multitude to do Evil. However, Courage is not all that is required in a good Soldier of Jefus Chrift. In the next Place, therefore, let it be observed,

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2. That Strength is a fecond neceffary Quality in the Character before us. A good Soldier of Jefus Chrift must " be strong in the Lord, and in the Power of his Might." Minifters of the Gospel must not only have Refolution enough to undertake the Defence and Support of Religion and Truth, under all the Difficulties and Difcouragements which attend the arduous Tafk, but they should have Abilities too, either natural, or acquired, or both. If they have neither, they had much better quit the Service; for Abilities imply Skill in the Management of Arms: And should the Weapons of the Chriftian Warfare fall into the Hands of fuch as have not Skill to use them, there is Danger of their doing Mischief with them. They may wound their Friends, in

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ftead of their Enemies, and fo a Defeat, rather than a Conqueft, be likely to enfue. Again,

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3. A third Thing neceffary in a good Soldier of fefus Chrift is Conduct. He fhould know when to attack, and when only to watch the Motions of an Enemy. He fhould know when to proceed by Storm, or Affault; and when by Stratagem, or Surprize. He should know how to improve, as well as how to gain an Advantage. There is great Prudence to be expected from the Ministers of the Gospel, as well as Ability and Refolution, “that their Good be not evil fpoken of." Our divine Mafter, in his firft Miffion of the Disciples, tells them," Behold I fend forth as Sheep in the midft of Wolves; be ye therefore wife as Serpents, and harmlefs as Doves. But beware of Men, for they will deliver you up to the Councils, and fcourge you in their Synagogues." With this Counfel of our Saviour, we have the Concurrence of his own Practice and Example, who, till his Hour was come, would not put himself into the Hands of his Enemies, nor needlefsly provoke them by too direct and public an Avowal of his being the Meffiah, or Chrift. It can be no Part of Prudence, every one will own, for a Man to run himfelf upon Inconveniences, which he may honourably decline; and if it be no Part of Prudence, I fhould think it was none of Religion; fince Religion, which is a wife and reasonable

reasonable Thing, can never oblige us to any Thing that is unreafonable and foolish; and and whether it be any better to invite Sufferings, when we are not called to them, and they will answer no valuable End, let any wife Man judge. "Give not that which is holy unto the Dogs, neither caft ye your Pearls before Swine, left they trample them under their Feet, and turn again and rent you," was a Piece of prudential Advice which our Lord gave his Disciples in his excellent Sermon from the Mount, but which we are thought to overlook, when we reprove and advife Perfons, from whom we have no Return to expect but Hatred and Ill-language; as we are likewise guilty of great Indiscretion, when we scatter our Reproofs and Admonitions without any Confideration of Time, or Place, or Manner, and talk religioufly out of Seafon. The wife Man has obferved, "To every Thing there is a Seafon, and a Time to every Purpose under the Heaven:" And much of a Minifter's Succefs in the Chriflian Warfare depends upon confulting that Time, in the various Duties of his Station. As, on one Hand, he fhould never betray his Truft, or, cowardly conceal the Truth; fo, on the other, it would not be his Prudence, or agree with that Conduct which a good Soldier of Jefus Chrift fhould obferve, to provoke an Enemy to an Engagement without any Prospect of

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Advantage; however, not when there is evident Danger of lofing Ground, and doing Differvice by it in the End, to the Cause which he is engaged in. Farther,

4. Diligence and Activity compofe a fourth Quality requifite in a good Soldier of Jefus Chrift, who fhould be poffeffed of fuch vigorous Principles of Piety and Virtue, as will readily exert themselves, and suitably too, upon every Emergency. Minifters of the Gofpel fhould be always, as it were, under Arms, watching and waiting for every Opportunity of promoting their Mafter's Intereft, or, the Cause of Religion. But to proceed,

5. A fifth Thing indifpenfably required in a good Soldier of Jefus Chrift, is Obedience to Order, without which the best Plan of Operations may be ruined. The Minifters of the Gofpel, who fight, as it were, under the great Captain of their Salvation, Jefus Christ, have his written Orders, in the Scriptures, always about them, from which they should never fwerve. In the laft Place.

6. A fixth neceffary Quality in a good Soldier of Jefus Chrift, is Perfeverance. This implies, Fidelity, Stedfafinefs, and Loyalty, and muft finifh the Character in the Text. A good Soldier of Jefus Chrift must chearfully facrifice even his Life, rather then defert or betray his royal Mafter, and the Intereft of his Kingdom, Minifters of the Gospel must

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be faithful unto Death, if they expect to receive a Crown of Life, according to what was written to the Angel, or Minifter, of the Church at Smyrna, See Rev. ii. 10.

In these imperfect Sketches of the Character which the Text exhibits to us, I perfuade myself, you may difcern fome faint Features of your late worthy Paftor, whofe uncommon Courage, and great Abilities; whose fingular Management, and indefatigable Labours; whole fixed and immoveable Adherence to the Christian Discipline, as prescribed in his Bible, whofe Fidelity to the Truft his heavenly Mafter had committed to him, viz, the Care of Souls, yours, my Brethren, in particular, amongst many others; in few Words, whofe exemplary Life, and whofe honourable Death, as a Member and an Officer of the Church Militant, first suggested to me the Idea of a brave or a good Soldier of Jefus Chrift. For the Propriety of it, I appeal to you, who have more fully known his Doctrine, Manner of Life, Purpofe, Faith, Longfuffering, Charity, Patience, Perfecution, Affliction. I cannot fay, all thefe Particulars are fo applicable to the Object of our present Attention, as fome of them are; however, there are none of them quite foreign to my prefent Views, as may appear, perhaps, from a few Minutes of his Life and Converfation, which may be as pertinently introduced here

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