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    have rejoicing in yourselves * a joy which no man fan take from you . But , indeed it will commonly be the case , that yOn will also secure the approbation of vour fellow-men , at least of all whose J _ . • _ . L _ " 11 t 1 _ 1 XT inion is at all valuable

    good op . Nay , with regard to others , he who shews himself a pattern of good works , in doctrine uncorruptness , gravity , sincerity , sound speech which cannot be con * deinned / will generally make him that is of the contrary part ashamed , having no evil thing to say of him .

    tc But the man wrho is approved of God will learn ( I will not say to despise , for 1 would not have such a feeling come into the breast of a Christian minister , but he will be disposed ) to make allowances for , to pity , and to preserve his own tranquillity under the perverse spirits and tempers of men . For it must

    not be concealed from you , my young friends , you ought not to conceal it from yourselves , that you will be sure to meet with many of these things ; many little circumstances , in the most favourable situations , which , if you be disposed to be irritated and vexed , will not fail to irritate and vex you . You should never

    forget that , while you are in the world , you must take the world as you find it ; endeavour , indeed , to make it as much better as you can ; but still you must expect to meet with obstacles to your success , drawbacks upon your happiness . Churches are little worlds ; or like the sea iu the parable , into which if , as fisheis of men , we cast our Master's net

    we must expect to take of every kind , and we shall not always , or generally , be able to gather the good only into our vessels , and cast the bad away . To drop the metaphor , you must expect to meet in the course of your ministerial engagements with frequent sources of disappointment and mortification ; but

    at the same time 1 persuade myself , if you enter upon your office with right views of its nature and objects , and to whom you should study to shew yourwlves approved , you will meet with "inch more abundant opportunities of

    usefulness and success , and consequently ' ^ happines s . You may , however , meet with many trials , * " with injudicious flatterers , who by indiscriminate praise ma as Mr . Wakcneld says , < puff you

    Many of these trials arc well repre-^ 'ited iu Mr . Binney ' s Memoir of Mr . wphen Morell , which , with due allowances , may be read with profit by young '" Jinsters of any denomination . Only et lt not ( it wasnot 1 am sure intended ) ¦ xcite a spirit of suspicious jealousy , « t only check too sanguine expectations .

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    up with the wind of self-sufficiency / and render you only more conspicuous objects for the darts of such as may be disposed to disparage and bring you into contempt ; you may meet with a Diptrephes , who loveth the pre-eminence ; with a false disciple , who will raise up factions in the church ; with aHymenseus

    and Philetus , sceptical explainers-away . All these St . Paul encountered , and you may not hope to be entirely free from them . Think not by changing from place to place to get rid of all annoyances ; I repeat it , in the most favourable situations , though you should t > e exempt from those already mentioned , you will

    have the sorrow to see grievous misconducts in those from whom you had hoped for better things ; young persons with whom you had taken the most pains disappointing your favourable expectations ; many of their elders , on whose co-operation you had counted , declining to encourage your schemes of usefulness ;

    others , perhaps from some imaginary pique , some prospect of worldly advancement , or some whim for which you have no means of accounting , deserting your ministry , and even dropping your acquaintance . Now , if you have only the common worldly motives of temporal emolument , empty distinction for popular talents , general estimation , or even

    ministerial success , I pledge myself that , in any place , you will find yourselves grievously disappointed . But if through your whole conduct you lay down this for your principle , to ' study to approve yourselves unto God , ' the consciousness of this object having been steadily pursued and , consequently , secured , will support you under all disappointments ; and , at the same time , will be the most

    likely means of securing you from them , For this will be found most effectual to your attaining the further object , on which my friend Mr . Shepherd has , I understand , so eloquently enlarged , to

    < let no man despise you . ' And if you thus . support the credit and dignity of your profession , it will appear to the world that your religion is calculated to promote the freedom of the mind , to enlarere the heart , to sweeten the nasenlarge the heartto sweeten the

    pas-, sions , and to unite mankind in the bonds of love ., and prepare them for the heavenly world . In that world you will have . praise of God for your diligence , fidelity and sincere endeavours to know , to practise , and to teach his will , whether you may here have praise of men or not . Let it then be < a small matter

    with you to be judged by men or of man ' s judgment : he that judgeth all things is the Lord . ' " Wait , therefore , on the Lord - be of good courage , and he shall strengthen

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    InteJUgehce : ~ MahchesteiCollege , York . 433

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), July 2, 1826, page 433, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2550/page/53/