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SACRED BIOGRAPHY 5 
 
 OR THZ 
 
 HISTORY OF JESUS CHRIST, 
 
 3EING A 
 
 COURSE OF LECTURES, 
 
 DELIVERED AT THS 
 
 SCOTS CHURCH, LONDON-WALL* 
 
 BY HENRY HUNTER, D. D. 
 
 The Firfi American Edition, 
 
 Jesus said unto them, verify, verify, I say unto you, before 
 Abraham was, lam. John viii. 58. 
 
 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the 
 Lord, which is, and whiefi was, and which is to come, the 
 Almighty,—* Revelation i.B. 
 
 WALPOLE, K # H. 
 ttlMTIO EOR THOMAS AND THOMAS, B"Y D. NEWHALL. 
 
 »Sc>3. 
 

 
PREFACE 
 
 TO THE ENGLISH EDITION OF THIS WORK. 
 
 HAVING found it requifite to publish a new and 
 uniform Edition of Sacred Biography in 
 four volumes, together with an additional volume of 
 lectures, frequently called for, on the hiftory of our 
 bleiled Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 1 felt my 
 felf in juftice obliged to print that volume feparately, 
 for the accommodation of thofe who may have pur- 
 chafed prior editions of the book in fix volumes. 
 Being of nearly the fame fize with thefe, it admits of 
 being bound up in the fame form, and may be mark- 
 ed Vol. VII. But though of the fame fize, the Read- 
 er will pleafe to obferve that this volume contains 
 fully a third more matter than any of the preceding, 
 the fixth excepted. 
 
 For the liberal patronage given to the work by the 
 public I feel myfelf highly indebted, and beg leave 
 hereby to exprefs my cordial acknowledgments. To 
 the people of my immediate charge I owe a tribute of 
 peculiar thanks, for the encouragement and fupport 
 given to my various labours during an union of more 
 than thirty years. Many of them, I know, will be 
 gratified in reading what they heard with fo much 
 patience, attention and candor, duiing the months of 
 November, December and January lad. If this vol- 
 ume fhall furvive me, I bequeath it to them as a fmal! 
 token of an affe&ion and gratitude which no length 
 of time or change of circumftances can diminiih. 
 
 From the very nature of the thing, this could not 
 poflibly pretend to be confidered as a whole. But la 
 
 not 
 
not tvtry incident of our Saviour's life, a whole of 
 itfelf, while it is in an intimate connection with others, 
 and a part of the ftupendous Whole, which far 
 tranfcends the comprehension of men and of angels f 
 Though, therefore, the entire volume be but a frag- 
 ment, each particular difcourfe aims at prefentingone 
 diftinGand individual object, gradually melting away 
 into another, and it may, of courfe, be read either fep- 
 arately, or as a link in a chain. The additional vol- 
 ume, and its predecefTors, I again recommend to the 
 blefling of God Almighty, and with equal deference, 
 as in the beginning, cheerfully fubmit my work to* 
 the judgment of the candid, the ferious and 1 th,e be- 
 rievolent. 
 
 HENRY HUNTER, 
 
 ..flexion, tzth March, 1802* 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 LECTURE I. 
 
 Paje 
 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chrift. 17 
 
 John i. 1 — 14. — tn the beginning was the word, and the word 
 was with God. The lame was in the beginning with God. 
 and the word was God. All things were made by him ; and 
 without him was not any thing made that was made. In 
 him was lite ; and the life was the light of men. And the 
 light fhineth in darknefs ; and the darknefs comprehended 
 it not. There was a man fent from God, whole name was 
 John. The fame came for a witnefs, to bear witnefs of the 
 light, that all men through him might believe. He was not 
 that light, but was fent to bear witnefs of that light. That 
 was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh in- 
 to the world. He was in the world, and the world was made 
 by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his 
 own, and his own received him not. But as many as receiv- 
 ed him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God ; 
 even to them that believe on his name : which were born, 
 not of blood, nor of the will of the flefh, nor of the will of 
 man, but of God. And the word was made flcfh, and dwelt 
 among us, (and w r e beheld his glory, the glory as of the only 
 begotten ot the Father,) tull ot grace and truth. 
 
 LECTURE II. 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chrift, 28 
 
 Ifaiah liii. 8r— Who fhall declare his generation ? 
 
 A LECTURE 
 
LECTURE JIL 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chrift. J| 
 
 Haggai ii. 6— 9.— For thus faith the Lord of Hofts. Yet once, 
 it is a little while, and I will make the heavens, and the earth : , 
 and the fea, and*the dry land ; and I will fhake all nations, 
 and the defire of all nations (hall come : and I will fill this 
 houfe with glory, faith the Lord of Hofts. The filver is 1 
 mine, and the gold is mine, faith the Lord of Hofts. The 
 glory of this latter houfe (hall be greater than of the former, 
 ifeith the Lord of Hofts : and in this place will I give pea^e, 
 iakh the Lord of Hofts. 
 
 LECTURE IV. 
 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chrift. 43 
 
 Luke i. 1 1 — 20. —And there appeared unto him an angel of the 
 Lord Handing on the right fide of the altar of incenfe. And 
 when Zacharias faw him he was troubled, and fear fell up- 
 on him. But the angel laid unto him, fear not, Zacharias : 
 for thy prayer is heard ; and thy wife Elifabeth fhall bear 
 thee a fon, and thou fhalt call His name John. And thou 
 fhalt Have joy and gladnefs ; and many fhall rejoice at his 
 birth. For he fhall be great in the fight of the Lord, and 
 fhall drink neither wine nor ftrong drink ; and he fhall be 
 filled with the Holy Ghoft, even from His mother's womb. 
 And many of the children of Ifrael fhall he turn to the Lord 
 their God. And he fhall go before him in the fpirit and 
 power of ERas, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the chil- 
 dren^ and the difobedieat to the wifdom of the juft; to make 
 ready a people prepared for the Lord. And Zacharias faid 
 unto the angel, whereby fhall I know this ? for I airi an old 
 man, and my wife well ftricken in years. And the angel 
 anfwering, faid untohim, I am Gabriel; that fland in the 
 prefence of God ; and am fent to fpeak unto thee, and to 
 fhew thee thefe glad tidings. And, behold, thou fhalt be 
 * dumb, and rfcTt able to fpeak, until the day that thefe things 
 
 fhall be performed, becaufe thou believeft not my words* 
 
 which Olall be fulfilled in tb?ir feajbn. 
 
 LECTURE 
 
CONTENTS. • fttl 
 
 LECTURE V. 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chrifh 53 
 
 ILuke i. 26— 33.— And in the forth month the Angel Gabriel 
 was fent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth. 
 To a virgin efooufed to a man, who.'e name wja Joleph, or 
 the houfe of David ; and the virgin's name was Mary. And 
 the angel c^me in unto her, and faid, hail thou that art high- 
 ly favoured, the Lord is with thee ; bleifcd art thou among 
 women. And when fhe faw him Ihe was troubled at his 
 faying, and call in her mind what manner of falutation this 
 mould be. And the angel faid unto her, fear not, Mary : 
 for thou haft tound favour with God. And behold, thou 
 fhalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a fon, and (hall 
 call his name Jefus. He ill a II be great, and (hall be called 
 the fon ot the higheft : and the. Lord God fhall give unto 
 Sim the throne of his father David : and he fhcdl reign over 
 e houfe of Jacob tor ever ; and of his kingdom there fhall 
 
 jbe no end, 
 
 » 
 
 LECTURE VI. 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chiifi\ 61 
 
 tittke, ii. I— 14.— And it came to pafs in thofe days, that there 
 went out a decree from Ceiar Auguflus, that all the world 
 Chould be taxed, (and this taxing was firft made when Cyre- 
 nius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, ev- 
 ery one into his own city. And . Jofeph aifo went up from 
 Galilee, out of the city ot Nazareth, into Jadea, unto -the 
 •cfty of David, which is called Bethlehem, (becaufe he was 
 ot the houfe and lineage ot David.) To be taxed with Mary 
 ■his' efpoufed wife, being great with child. And fo it wa<, 
 while they were there, the days were accomplished that fiie 
 mould be delivered. And (he brought forth her rirft-born 
 -foh, and wrapped him in fwaddling- clothes, and laid him in 
 a manger ; becaufe there was no room tor them in the inn. 
 And there were in the huie country fhepherds abiding in 
 the field, keeping watch Gver their flock, by night. And, 
 M, the angel oi the Lord came upon them, and the glory of 
 
 the 
 
{y CONTENTS. 
 
 the Lord (hone round about them ; and they were fore a~ 
 fraid. And the angel laid unto them, fear not : for behold, 
 I bring you good tidings of great joy, which fhall be to all 
 people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, 
 a Saviour, which is. Chrift the Lord. And this (hall be a, 
 Hgn unto you : ye ihall find the babe wrapped in Twaddling- 
 clothes, lying in a manger. And fuddenly there was with 
 the angel a. multitude of the heavenly hoft, praifing God, 
 and faying, Glory to God in the higheft, and on earth, peace, 
 good willtoward men.. 
 
 LECTURE VII. 
 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chfift. * 69 
 
 Luke, ii.40. — And the child grew, and waxed ftrong in fpirit* 
 filled with wifdom; and the grace of God was upon him* 
 
 LECTURE VIIL 
 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chrift. 7? 
 
 |,uke, ii. 41 — 52;— Now his parents went to Jerufaiem every 
 year at the feaft of the paffover. And when he was twelve. 
 years old, they went up to Jerufaiem alter the cuftom of the 
 feaft. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they return- 
 ed, the child Jefus tarried behind in Jerufaiem ; and Jofeph 
 .and his mother knew not of it. But they, fuppofing him to 
 have been in the company, went a.day's journey ; and they 
 fought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And 
 when they found him not, they turned back again to Jeru- 
 faiem feeking him. And it came to pafs, that alter three 
 days they found him in the temple, fitting in themidftof the 
 doftors, both hearing them and afking them queftions. And 
 all that heard him were aftonifhed at his un^erftanding and 
 anfwers. And when they taw him they were amazed : and 
 his mother faid unto him, Son, why haft thou thus dealt with 
 us? behold, thy father and I have fought thee farrowing. 
 And he faid unto them, how is it that ye fought me ? wiil ye 
 not that I mufi be about my father's buGnefs f And they un« 
 
 derftood 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 derftood hot the faying which he, /pake unto them. And he 
 •went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was fub- 
 jeer, unto them ; but his mother kept all thefe fayings in her 
 heart. And Jefus increafed in wifdom and itature, and in 
 iavour with God and man* 
 
 LECTURE IX. 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chrift. 85 
 
 Luke, iii. 21 — 23.— -Now, when all the people were baptized, 
 if. came to pafs, that Jefus alfo being baptized, and praying, 
 
 ■■ the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghoft defcended in a 
 bodily fhape, like a dove, upon him, and a voice came from 
 heaven, which faid, thou art my beloved fon ; in thee I am 
 well pleafed. And Jefus himfelf began to be about thirty 
 years of age, being, (as was fuppofedj the fon of Jofeph, 
 which was the fon of Hcli. 
 
 LECTURE X, 
 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chrift* 96 
 
 Matt, iv. 1— 1 1.— Then was Jefus led up of the Spirit into the 
 "wildernefs, to be tempted of the Devil. And when he had 
 failed forty days and forty nights, he was attcrwaids an hun- 
 gered. And when the tempter came to him he laid, it thou 
 be the fon of God, command that thefe flones be made bread. 
 But he anfwered and faid, it is written, man fhall not live by 
 bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out df*thr 
 mouth of God. And the Devil taketh him up into the holy 
 city, and fetteth him on a pinnacle ot the temple, and faith 
 unto him, if thou be the Son of God, caft thyfelr down : for 
 it is written, he fhall give his angels charge concerning thee ; 
 and in their hands they fhall bear thee up, left at any time 
 thou dafh thy foot ag^infl a ftone. Jefus faid unto him, it 
 is written again, thou fhalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 
 Again the Pevil taketh him up into an exceeding Righ 
 mountain, and iheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, 
 
 and 
 
Vi CONTENTS- 
 
 and the glory of them, and faith unto him, all rhefe things 
 will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worfhip me. 
 Then faith Jefus unto him, get thee hence, Satan : for it is 
 written, thou (halt worfhip the Lord thy God, and him only 
 ihah thou ferve. Then the Devil leaveth him, and, behold^ 
 angels came and miniflered unto him. 
 
 LECTURE XL 
 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chriflr. 107 
 
 Luke, iv. 13— 32.— And when the Devil had ended all the 
 temptation he departed from him for a feafoia. And Jefus 
 returned in the power of the fpirit into Galilee : and there 
 went out a fame of him through all the region round about. 
 And he taught in their fynagogues, being glorified of all. 
 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up : 
 and, as his cuftom was, he went into the fynagogue on <the 
 .Sabbath day, and flood up for to read. And there was de- 
 livered unto him the book of the prophet Efaias : and, when 
 ifoe had opened tshe book, :he found the place where it was 
 written, the fpirit of the Lord is upon me, becaufe he hatl^ 
 .anointed me to preach the Gofpel to the poor ; he hath fent 
 me to heal the broken-hearted,. to preach deliverance to the 
 captives, and recovering of fight to the'-blind, to fet at liber- 
 ty them that are bruifed ; to preach the acceptable year o£ 
 
 - -t&e Lord.' And he clofed the book, and he gave it again to 
 die minifler, and fat down. And the eyes of all them that 
 were in the fynagogue were fattened on hi.ni. And he be- 
 
 1 .gan to fay .unto them, this day is this Scripture fulfilled in 
 your ears. And all bare him witnefs, and wondered at the 
 gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And 
 they faid, is not this Jofeph's fon ? And he faid unto them, 
 ye will furely fay unto me this proverb, Phyfician, heal thy- 
 
 ■ felf : whatfoever we have heard done in Capernaum', doal- 
 fo here in thy country. And he faid, verily, I fay unto you,, 
 no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you 
 of a truth, many widows were in Ifrael in the days of Eiias, 
 when the heaven was (hut up three years and fix months,, 
 when great famine was throughout all the land ; but unto 
 none of them was Elias fent, fave unto Sarepta, a city of Si- 
 4on, unto a woman that was a widow. And .many lepers 
 
 were 
 
consents. vii 
 
 herein Iirael in the time of Elifeus the prophet ; and none 
 of them was cleanfed, faving Naaman the Syrian. And al: 
 they in the fynagogue, when the? heard thefe things, were 
 filled with wrath, and rofe up and thruft him out of the city, 
 and led him unto the brow of the hill, whereon their city was 
 built that they might caft him down headlong. But he, paff- 
 ing through the midft ot them, went his way, and camt 
 down to Capernaum, a city ot Galilee, and taught them on 
 the Sabbath days. And they were aftonifhed at his doftrinc ! 
 for his word was with power.- 
 
 Lecture xil 
 
 Miftory of Jefus Chrift. 1 17 
 
 Luke, iv. 16— 22.— And he came to Nazareth, where he had 
 been brought up : and, as his cuflom was, he went into the 
 fynagogue on the Sabbath day, and flood up for to read. 
 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet 
 Efaias : and, when he had opened the book, he found the 
 place where it was written, the fpirit of the Lord is upon me, 
 iecaufe he hath anointed me to preach thegofpel to the poor; 
 he hath fent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliv- 
 erance to the captives, and recovering of fight to the blind,, 
 to fet at liberty them that are bruifed ; to preach the ac- 
 ceptable year of the Lord. And he ciofed the book, and 
 gave it again to the minifter, and fat down. And the eyes 
 of all them that were in the fynagogue were fattened on him. 
 And he began to fay unto them, this day is this Scripture 
 fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witnefs, and won- 
 dered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his 
 xnouttn 
 
 LECTURE XIII. 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chrift. 129 
 
 Luke, iv. 26— 32. — And he ciofed the book, and he gave it 
 again to the minifter, and fat down. And the eyes of all 
 them that were in the fynagogue were fattened on him. And 
 
 he 
 
Viii CO.NTE.NXS. 
 
 he began- to. fay unto them, this day is this Scripture fulfil- 
 led in your ears. And all bare him witnefs, and wondered 
 at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. 
 And they faid, is not this Jofeph's fon ? And he faid unto 
 them, ye will furely fay un*o me this proverb, Phyfician, 
 -heal thyfeif : whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, 
 do alfo here in thy countiy. And he faid, verily I lay unto 
 -you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I 
 tell you of a truth, many widows were in Ifrael in the days 
 of Elias, when the heaven was fhut up three years and fix 
 months, when great famine was throughout all the land : 
 but unto none of them was Elias fent, fave unto Sarepta, a 
 city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many 
 lepers were in Ifrael in the time of Elifeus the prophet ; 
 and none of them was cleanfed, laving Naaman the Syrian, 
 And all they in the fynagogue, when they heard thefe things, 
 were filled with wrath, and role up, and thruft him out of 
 the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill, whereon 
 their city was built, that they might caft him down headlong, 
 i But he, pacing through the midft of them, went his way, 
 and came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught 
 them onthe Sabbath days. And they were aftonifhed at his 
 doctrine : for his word was with power. 
 
 LECTURE XIV. 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chrift. 140 
 
 Ivlatt. iv. 12 — 22— Now, when Jefus had heard that John 
 was caft into prifon he departed into Galilee ; and leaving 
 Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon 
 the fea coaft, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim : 
 that it might be fulfilled which was fpoken by Efaias the 
 prophet, faying, the land of Zabulon, and the land of Neph- 
 thalim, by the way of the fea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the 
 Gentiles ; the people which fat in darknefs faw great light ; 
 and to them which fat in the region and fhadow of death 
 light is fprung up. Prom that time Jefus began to preach, 
 and to fay, repent ; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 
 And Jefus walking by the fea of Galilee, faw two brethren,, 
 Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, cafting a net 
 into the fea :. for they were fifhers. And he faith unto them, 
 follow me, and I will make you fifhers of men. And they 
 
 ilraightway 
 
CONTENTS. iK 
 
 ftraightway left their nets, and followed him. And going 
 on from hence, he faw other two brethren, James the fori ofr 
 Zebedee, and John his brother, in a fhip with Zebedee their 
 father, mending their nets ; and he caUed them. And 
 they immediately left the fhip and their father, and followed 
 him. 
 
 LECTURE XV. 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chrift. 152 
 
 Bejore (he Admiwjiration t>j the Lord's Supper. 
 
 Luke, x. 17 — 22. — And the feventy returned again with joy, 
 faying, Lord, even the devils are fubject. unto usthrough thy 
 name. And he faid unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning 
 fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread 
 on ferpents and fcorpions, and over all the power of the en- 
 rny ; and nothing mall by any means hurt you. Notwith- 
 standing, in this rejoice not that the (pirits are iubject unto 
 you ; but rather rejoice, becaufe your names are written in 
 heaven. In that hour Jefus rejoiced in f'pirit, and faid, I 
 thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou 
 haft hid thefe things from the wife and prudent, and bail re- 
 vealed them unto babes : even fo, Father ; for fo it feemed 
 good in thy fight. All things are delivered tome of my Fa- 
 ther : and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; 
 and who the Father is but the Son, and he to whom the Son 
 will reveal him. 
 
 LECTURE XVI, 
 
 Hiiiory of Jefus Chrift. 16S 
 
 John, ii. 1 — 1 1. — And the third day there was a marriage in 
 
 Cana of Galilee ; and the mother of Jefus was there, And 
 
 both Jefus was called, and his difciples, to the marriage. 
 
 And when thev wanted win«, the mother ui jelus faith un- 
 
 B 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 ?o h'tn, they have no wine. Jefus faith unto her, woman, 
 what have I to do with thee ? mine hour is not yet come. 
 His mother faith unto the fervants, whatfoever he faith unto 
 you, cio it. And there were fetthere fix water pots of {tone, 
 alter the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing 
 two or three firkins apiece. Jefus faith unto them, fill the 
 water-pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 
 And he faith unto them, draw out now, and hear unto rhe 
 governor of the feaft. And they bare it. When the ruler 
 of the feaft had tafled the water that Was made wine, and 
 knew not whence it was, (but the fervants which drew the 
 water knew) the governor of the feaft called the bridegroom, 
 and faith unto him, every man at the beginning dotn fet 
 forth good wine ; and when men have well drunk, then that 
 which is worfe: but thou haft kept the good wine until now. 
 This beginning of miracles did Jefus in Cana of Galilee, 
 and manifefted forth his glory ; and his difciples believed on 
 him. 
 
 LEGT0RE XVII, 
 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chrift. . *8i 
 
 Luke, iv. 38—44. — And he arofe out of the fynagogue, and en- 
 tered in Simon's houfe : and Simon's wife's mother was 
 taken with a great fever ; and they befought him for her* 
 And he ftood over her, and rebuked the fever ; and it left 
 her. And immediately flie arofe, and miniftered unto them. 
 Now, when the fun was fetting, all they that had any fick 
 with divers difeafes brought them unto him : and he laid 
 his hands on every one of them, and healed them. And 
 devils alfo came out of many, crying out, and faying, thoii 
 art Chrift, the Son of God. And he, rebuking them, fuf- 
 iered them not to fpeak : for they knew that he was Chrift. 
 And when it was day he departed, and went into a defer! 
 place ; and the people fought him, and came unto him, and 
 flayed him, that he fhould not depart from them. And he 
 faid unto them, I muft preach the kingdom of God to other 
 cities alfo ; for therefore am I fent. And he preached m 
 the fynagogues ot Galilee. 
 
 LECTURE 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 L EC TU R E XVIN. 
 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chrift. 293 
 
 J«hn, ii. 13—17. — And the Jews, pafTover was at hand ; and 
 Jefus went up to Jerufalem, and found in the temple thofe 
 that fold oxen, and iheep, and doves, and the changers or* 
 money, fitting : and when he had made a fcourgeof frnall cords, 
 he drove them all out of thetempfe, and the fheep, and the 
 oxen ; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew 
 the tables : and laid unto them that fold doves, take theft- 
 things hence ; make not my Father's houfe an houfe of 
 merchandize. And his difciples remembered that it wa: 
 written, the zeal of thine houfe hath eaten me up. 
 
 LECTURE XIX. 
 
 Hiftory of Jefus Chrift. 206 
 
 ■ 
 
 John, ii. 18 — 2 3. —Then anfwered the Jews, and fa id unto him, 
 what lign flieweft thou unto us, feeing that thou doeft thefe 
 things ? Jefus anfwered and faid unto them, deftroy this 
 temple, and in three days I will raife it up. Then faid the 
 Jews, torty and fix years was this temple in building, and 
 wilt thou rear it up in three days ? But he fpakc of the tem- 
 ple of his body. When, therefore, he was rii'en from the 
 dead, his difciples remembered that he had laid this unto 
 ihem ; and ;hey believed the Scripture, and thje word which 
 Jefus bad faid. Now, when he was in Jerufalem at the paf- 
 iover, in the feaft-day, many believed in his name, whes 
 they faw the miracles which he did. But Jefus did not com- 
 mit himfelf unto them, becaufe he knew all men : and need- 
 «d not that any mould tcftify of .man : for he knew wHai 
 w ; as in man. ;r; ^ ./_" 
 
 I.LCTURE 
 
xiv CONTENTS, 
 
 feeal hi« fervant. An^ when they came to Jefus they be* 
 fought him inftantly, faying, that he was worthy for whom 
 he mould do this : for he loveth our nation, and he hath 
 built us a fynagogue. Then Jefus went with them. And 
 when he was now not far from the houie, the centurion fent 
 friends to him, faying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyfelf ; 
 'for I am not worthy that thou moulded enter under my 
 roof : wherefore neither thought I myfelf worthy to come 
 unto thee : hut fay in a word, and my fervant (hall be heal- 
 ed. For I alfo am a man fet under authority, having under 
 me foldiers ; and I fay unto one go, and he goeth : and to 
 another come, and he cometh ; and to my fervant, do this, 
 and he doeth it. When Jefus heard thefe things he marvel- 
 fed at him, and turned him about, and faid unto the people 
 that followed him, I fay unto you, I have not found fo great 
 faith, no not in Ifrael. And they that were fent returning 
 to the houfe, found the fervant whole that had been fick. 
 
 LECTURE XXIII, 
 Hiflory of Jefus Chrift. 259 
 
 John. vi. 1—14. — After thefe things Jefus went over the fea 
 of Galilee, which is the fea of Tiberias. And a great multi- 
 tude followed him, becaufe they faw his miracles which he 
 did on them that were difeafed. And Jefus went up into a 
 mountain, and there he fat with his difciples. And the pafT- 
 over, a feaft of the Jews, W3S nigh. When Jefus then lift- 
 ed op bu eyes, and faw a great company come unto him, he 
 faith unto Philip, whence (hall we buy bread, that thefe may 
 cat ? (And this he faid to prove him : tor he himfelf knew 
 what he would do.) Phiiip anfwered him, two hundred 
 pennyworth of bread is not Sufficient for them, that every 
 one of them may take a little. One of his difciples, Andrew, 
 Simon Peter's brother, faith unto him, there is a lad here, 
 which hath five barley loaves, and two fraall fifhes, but what 
 are they among fo many ? And Jefus faid, make the men 
 fit down. Now there was much grafs in the place. So the 
 men fat down, in number about five thoufand. And Jefus 
 look the loaves ; and when he had given thanks he diftribu- 
 
 ted 
 
CONTENTS. xy 
 
 ted to the difciples, and the difciples to them that were fet 
 down ; and likewife of the fifties as much as they would. 
 When they were filled, he faid unto his difciples, gather up 
 the fragments that remain, that nothing be loft. Therefore 
 they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with 
 the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over 
 and above unto them that had eaten. Then thofe men, when 
 they had feen the miracle that Jefus did, faid, this is of a 
 truth that projphet that fhould come into the world. 
 
 SACRED 
 
SACRED BIOGRAPHY. 
 
 LECTURE ti 
 
 JOHN, 1. I—I4. 
 
 in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God % 
 and the ward was God. 'Ike fame was in the beginning with 
 God. All things were made by him ; and without him was 
 not any thing made that was made. In him was life: and 
 the life was the light of men. And the light Jliineth in dark- 
 nefs ; and the darknefs comprehended it not. There was a, 
 man fent from God, who fe name was John. The fame came 
 Jor a witneCs, to bear witnefs of the light, that all men through 
 him might believe. He was not that light, but was fent to 
 bear witnefs of that light. That was the true tight which 
 lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was m 
 the zuorld, and the world was made by him, and the world 
 knew him not. He came vnto his own, and his own received 
 him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he pow- 
 er to become the fons of God ; even to them that believe on his 
 name : which wert born, not of blood, nor of the will of the 
 fltfJi, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the wo r d was 
 madeflefk, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld Jus glor\, 
 the glory as of the only begotten of the fathtrj full of grace 
 and truth. 
 
 TPHE idea of a beginning involves that of antecedent e 
 -*■ ence, from which that beginning originated. The begin- 
 ning of a man's life implies parentage ; the being of a tower of 
 a city, necefTarily fupriofesa pre-exiftfnt heat! to plan, and a 
 hand to execute. The vail frame of Nature taoft have had its 
 commencement from a preceding fkill to contrive, and apow- 
 it ro perform. Thf Mofaic account of the Creation 11 
 
 cnJy 
 
)l3 history of [Lea* U 
 
 only one that found reafon can admit. If God created the 
 heavens a-.d the earth. God was hefore the heavens ad 
 the earth. Mofei the hifVorian, and John the evarigelifi arrjr 
 ns back to one and the fame era, carrv us up to one and the 
 fame all-wife, all-powe» ful Bring. Nature and Grace i flute 
 from the fame fource and tend toward the fame grand confum- 
 jria ion. The prophet and the apoftle employ the feff-fame 
 terms to defcribethe fame objecls, " He that built all things 
 is God " 
 
 It has been remarked! that the four Evangelifts introduce 
 their great fubjeel in a retrograde fer'ies of repreferitation. 
 Matthew's gofpd opens with a difplay brthe Saviour's human* 
 uy. and prefnts us with his defcentas a man. Mark conveys 
 us back to the age of prophecy, and" the beginning of the 
 gofpel of Jefus Chrift the Son of God" is traced up to the pre-, 
 diclions of Malachiand Ifaiab. Luke the beloved phyfician 
 refers us to the, Levitica) prielrhood, to the altar of incenfe, 
 and the fen ices of an earthly 'ancillary. " a fhadow of good 
 things to come." But John (bars ebove all height ; he re- 
 curs to the birth of nature, and afcribes that birth to apre-exif- 
 t nr, omnific Word, which in " the fulnefs of time was made 
 flefh, and dwelt among ns." We have beheld hi c glory dif play- 
 ed in the ages before the flood, in the perlohs and prediclions 
 of patriarchs and prophets, by whom " God at fun dry times 
 and in divers manners fp^ke unto the fathers." But M jfes and 
 Eliashave difappeared ; the " voice crying in t'le wilderncfi" 
 is heard no more ; it is loft in a" voice from heaven," faying, 
 "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed ; hear 
 ye Him." 
 
 We are now therefore to contemplate " him, to whom all 
 the prophets gave uitnefs," in his own perfon. doftrine, and 
 mighty works ; and, as the order of things prefcribes, our 
 contemplation mnft commence in what he was in the begin- 
 ning, prior to the lapfe of time, for " he is before all things, 
 and by him all things confift." John," the difciple whom 
 Jefus loved." long furvived the reft of his fellow-difciples 
 He kn*w what fome of them had written. He lived to fee 
 the progrefsof the tru'has it is in Chrift. He faw the divine 
 origin of Ghrifhanity demonftrated hy its fuccef^, and he be- 
 came a joyful martyr to the truth which he publifhed to the 
 world. A " brother and companion in tribulation, and in the 
 kingdom and patience of Jefus Chrift," in common with other 
 faints, he ret ; red into exile in " the iile that is called Patmos," 
 a cheerful victim to " the word of God, and the teftimony of 
 
 lefus 
 
Left, l.j JESUS CHRIST. |a 
 
 Jefus ChriftV Io that facred retirement, more to be prized 
 tha . all the blefiings of fociety, he is vifited with the vifions 
 of the Almighty, and becomes the highly honoured minifter 
 of unfolding the charaHer, offices and work of his divin« 
 and beloved Mafter, from the days of eternity to the final con. 
 lummation, when fie who (itteth upon the throne (ball fay, 
 11 Behold I make ail things new." The Gofpel, according to 
 St. John, and t e Revelation of St. John, may therefore be 
 conudered as together forming an abflracl of the plan ofl'ruv- 
 idence from the fi lit dawning of 1'gh' upon the world of na- 
 ture to the perfect day of ' k the refiuution o* all thing*.'' A id 
 one and the fame Agent is reprelented as the animating princi- 
 ple which is before all, and through alt, and in all. 
 
 In ike beginning* The mind, With ail its powers, lofes it felt 
 in Purveying the works and the ways oi God. I have a dark, 
 indiftinct recollection of my firit emerfion into thought. lean 
 remember fome of the im| leflion^ made, of the forgows 
 joys felt, when I was a little child. Soon after I began to exiff, I 
 began to perceive that I did exift, but for the knowledge of all 
 thai preceded I iland indebted to a father's intelligence, to a 
 mother's tendernefs. They were to me the beginning of days 
 and the oracles of truth. Their own pittanc? of illumination 
 Sowed in the fame channel. But there muff have been a point 
 when thought began. There mull have Deen an intelligence 
 which could communicate the power of comprehenfion ; there 
 muff, have been a fpirit which could breathe into man's noftriU 
 the breath of life ; there mull have been one without a begin- 
 ning to make a beginning. And who He was the Eva.igelift 
 untolds. 
 
 In the beginning mas the Word. Let us not contend a- 
 bom the import of a Greek term. If our evangelift has not 
 an intention to miilead, but one idea can be affixed to that term. 
 He is evidently defcribing God the crea or. in the view of 
 leading us to know and to acknowledge the Redeemer of man- 
 kind as one and the lame with him. "Who was made flelh 
 and dwelt among us ?•" Who *• came to his own and his own 
 received him not ? ; ' Who M was defpifed and rejected of 
 men?"' The Word that was in the beginning, and who has 
 revealed himfelf by a dilplay of lb many glorious attributes. 
 4 * Without controverfy. great is the myftery of godlin 
 God was manifefl in t!v j fleth." Is this propofitiou to be 
 jotted becaufe it is mylterious ? For the lame reafon the 
 tern of nature, in whole, and in all its parts, is robe rejected? All 
 is myftery ; anda ilafiori arid difco very, from the in- 
 
 fecl 
 
80 HISTORY GF [Left. 1, 
 
 fe£l too f mall for fight f wimming In a drop of water, up to yon- 
 der flaming orb which revolves at an immeafurable diitance o- 
 ver our heads. Is not man a great myflery to himfelf ? But is 
 he to renounce his being becaufe he is unable to explain it ? 
 Is he to call the union ot matter with mind an abfurdity be- 
 caufe their mutual influence efcapes his penetration ? How 
 many combinations actually exifl of which we have no per- 
 ception, and which we would pronounce to be impofiible ! In 
 all the ways and works ot the Mod High there is a wonderful 
 mixture ot luminousnefs andobfcurity,of minu r enefs and mag- 
 nitude, of complexnefs and fimplicity. And Scripture ex- 
 hibits the connexion of extremes fimilar to that which is ap- 
 parent in the world of nature and in the ways of Providence. 
 This is a prefumptios at leaft, it not a proof, that they have all 
 one original ; and who can that original be but the divine per^ 
 ion emphatically called the Word, which exifted in the 
 plenitude of power, wifdom and goodnefs " before the world 
 was," but ot whofc pre-exiftent ftate very general ideas only 
 are communicated. Indeed none other can be communica- 
 ted, for when the mind launches into infinity it is overwhelmed 
 and loft. If the wifdom which cries, and the underftanding 
 which puts forth her voice in the writings ot Solomon, be 
 the fame with the Word which was in the beginning, as a com- 
 parifon of the two pafiages will render highly probable, we 
 lhall have a fublime and interefting idea ot this pre-exi(tent 
 ilate. The evangelift fays, 
 
 The word was with God, as the deliberative, active, deter- 
 mining principle ot the Eternal mind. The wiie man ex- 
 pands the thought, and reprefents the plans of eterna} 
 Wifdom as digefting ; the framing, arranging, fupporting, 
 governing, redeeming ef a world, as in contemplation. As it 
 admitted into the counfels ot peace, he thus unfolds the pur- 
 pose of Hun who workethail things after his own will, that alj 
 {honld be to the praife of his glory : " The Lord poflefled me 
 in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was 
 fet up from everlafting, from the beginning, or ever the earth 
 was. When there were no depths I was brought forth ; when 
 there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the 
 mountains were fettled ; before the hills was I brought forth : 
 while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the 
 highefl part of the duff ot the world. When he prepared the 
 heavens I was there ; when he fet a compafs upon the face ot 
 the depth ; when he eflabliflied the clouds above ; when he 
 {trengthened the fountains of the deep ; when he gave to the 
 feahis decree, that the waters fhould »ot pafs his command- 
 
 mer t t $ 
 
te£r, I.j JESUS CHRIST. a 4 
 
 merit ; when he appointed the foundations of the earth ; then 
 I was by him. as one brought up with him ; and I was daily 
 his delight, rejoicing always before him : rejoicing in the hab- 
 itable part or his earth ; and my delights were with the fons 
 of men/' Thus was the Word with &od irom eternity taking 
 plealure in the profpeel of the fabric which He was about to 
 rear ; of the creature whom he was going to frame, and whole 
 nature he was in due time to aflame ; that he might make the 
 children o'f men *■ partakers oi' the divine nature," an un:on as 
 myiterious andincomprehenfible as that of foul and body, as 
 that ot the perfons in the Deity, and as evidently matter of 
 truth and revelation as thele are. 
 
 And the Word "-c.\ God. f-Jere " the difciple whom Jefus 
 loved" recognizes in his Mailer, oo whofe bofom he leane*d at 
 fupper, kl all the fulnefs ot the., godhead dwelling .bodily." 
 Left the exprellion the Word^as WITH God might be fup- 
 pofed to imply feparation, difference, as a man who fojourns 
 i<ith his friend is nevertheless a different being from that friend, 
 the eva-igeilt fpeaks out fairly, fully, unequivocally, the 
 truth which he himfell believed, and which he was divinely 
 infpircd to deliver to mankind, that they alio might believe. 
 If St. John be not in th-fe words delivering the do6trine of 
 the real and proper Deity ot Jefus Chrifr, he is e:ther himfelf 
 labouring under a delufion, or he intentionally means to de- 
 ceive, or there is no meaning in language, and confequently 
 no diftintt and fare channel ot communication between man 
 and man. 
 
 The fame was in the beginning with God. John i peaks as - 
 propiet a-: well as an evangeliit. Forefeeing that" talie teach- 
 ers" mould arife, " even denying theLordthaf bought them,' 
 he employs a clearness, a copioufnefs, a force of ex predion or. 
 this momentous point, not to be mifunder (food, not to be (lighted, 
 not to be explained away. When a mailer charges his fervan: 
 with a melTage ot peculiar importance, he repeats it again and 
 again. he puts it into every different form, in order to avoid am- 
 biguity and to prevent miftake. This is evidently thecale here. 
 It muil not be made a queftion, " Of whom fpeaketh" the e- 
 vangeliihhus? u of himfelf, or of fome other man ?" The iden- 
 tity ot the perfon is afcertained beyond the reach of doubt. 
 He is the fame betore time began its race ; the fame who let 
 time a flowing; the fame through every period ot duration ; the 
 Jame under every character and in every condition. 
 
 Where is the prooi that the Word was God? All things 
 'were made by him j and without him was not any thing made. 
 
 that 
 
2* HISTORY OF [Left. f„ 
 
 that -vat made. Behold the execution oF the eterml plan. 
 The defign is copied to an iota. It is the incommunicable 
 prerogative of Deity to create. He who creates cannot be 
 him felt" a creature By //^Word were all things made, the 
 Word therefore could not have been made. What God did 
 bv the Word of his power he did by himfelt ; and " through 
 filth we understand 'hat the worlds were trained by the Word 
 of God." Mark the univerfality of this creative energy ; All 
 things were made by Him. The apottle makes a fplendid enu- 
 meration of thole all Hvn^s, in his epiftle to the Colofiians, 
 ch. i. v. .6. " For by Him "-ere all things created that are in 
 heaven, and that are in earth, vifible and invifible, whether 
 they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers ; 
 nil things were created by him and for him " Wherever 
 therefore there is created evidence, there is omnipotent, omni- 
 pref-m, creating and luftaining virtue, and there can be but One 
 Omnipotent Omniprefent. " Angels" are fad to " excel in 
 ftxength," but that ftrength is imparted, and it is exerted or re- 
 trained by a will not their own ; they " do His command- 
 ments, hearkening unto the voice of" his word." Man is capa- 
 ble ot doing great things, but his power is limited to the modi- 
 fication of m terials provided to his hand. Chrifiians are in- 
 deed faid to be " labourers together with God,'" and " workers 
 together with him ;" it s the higheft glory ot human nature : 
 but this labouring and working is not in aid to feeblenefs, it 
 goes not to the production of what had no previous being; it 
 iimpiy implies the adoption ot the lame views with God, and 
 the imitation of his works of goodnefs and mercy. The unit, 
 ed powers of angels and men are unequal to the formation of a 
 Jingle atom, for, to the afcription ot the creation of univerfal 
 nature to the W r ord, John iubjoins his exclufive title to the. 
 character of Creator : it is a glory which he will not give to a- 
 nv other ; " without him was not any thing made that was 
 made." *' He fpake, and it was done ; he commanded and it 
 Mood faft." kt God faid, Let there be light, and there was 
 light." And who but God could thus fpeak, thus produce ? 
 
 In Him uashfe. In the vegetable world life is a ftate of ex- 
 nanhon, a progrefs of fructification, a power ot reproduction, 
 but ali iffuing in the decay and diffolution of the parent germ. 
 A grain of wheat fit order to vitality muff, itfelf con fume. 
 " That which thou foweft is not quickened, except it die." 
 It has not the, cforc life in itfelf It was the divine mandate 
 which firff generated, and which ftifl Supports the wonderful 
 procefs. " God faid, Let the earth bring forth grafs, the herb 
 yielding feed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit, whofe feed was 
 
Lecl. I ."] J2SUS CHRIST. £ g 
 
 in itfelf upon the earth after his kind : and it \tfas fo : and 
 God faw that it was good." From the fame fountain of liie 
 proceeded animal nature : '* All fheep and oxen, yea and the 
 beafts ot the field : the fowl ot the air, and the fifh of the fe^ 
 and whatfoever palfeth through the paths ol the leas/' A 
 higher fpecies of life i flues from the feif fame fource. " Ti:e 
 Lord God formed man o l the duft ot the ground, and breathed 
 into his noftnls the breath oi life and man became a living 
 foul." In all thefe gradations we behold a vital principle: 
 but that principle derived, flanding in need ot continual (up* 
 plies, and haftening to extinction. Here we are pre fen ted 
 with life underived, needing no external fȣport, ibexiinguifht 
 able. " In Him" fupercmmently kt was lite ;" a lite of 
 which man is in a peculiar fenfe partaker : and the life <uas the 
 light of men. 
 
 " The light of the body is the eye ;" and a precious gift it 
 is. M Truly the light is fweet, and a pleafant thing it is for 
 the eyes to behold the fun." Rut the faculty of vifion, as well 
 as fome others, is heilowed in a higher degree of acutenefs on 
 certain of the animal creation, than upon man. lie however 
 pofTefles a light denied to the beafts that perifh. M Thete is 
 a fpirit in man and the infpiration of the Almighty givcth 
 th^m underftanding." ** The fpirit ot man is the candle of the 
 Lord." by which he is diftinguifhed fiom, and exalted far a- 
 bove the beatts ot the ea.th and the fowls of heaven. And 
 this " light of men* 1 is the gift ot Him who " has lite in him- 
 felt." " He that planted the ear, (hall he not hear ? He that 
 formed the eye, (hall he not fee ? He that teacheth man knowl- 
 edge, fh ill not he know V* 
 
 4nd the light /hi net h in dafknefs. Material light neceflarily 
 difpels darknefs ; when the fun rifes the fhadows flee away. 
 But mental darknefs refills thecleareftlight. The great foarce 
 ot intellectual day has fhined through every age and upon eve- 
 ry land ; but every age and every land have exhibited men 
 grovelling sn the dark, wilfully (hutting their eyes, and then 
 denying the exiftence of light. The hiftory of mankind is a 
 melancholy demonftration ot tin's, ' and this is the condemna- 
 tion, that light is come mto the World, . >vcd darl 
 rather than light, becaufe their deeds were evil, tor everj 
 that doth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, 
 his deeds (hould be reproved." It is a coi heart that 
 diftu'bs and miileads the intellect. '* If, thereto] O man, 
 " the light that is in thee be darknefs, how g'eat is that dark- 
 nefs !" On whom docs this cenlurc tali r* On 
 lions, and the grofler periods o' tgn i rbarifra ? 
 
H 
 
 HISTORY OF [Left. U 
 
 Yes, and likewife on periods ofillumination and refinement 
 on nations w^o, in the pride of their heart, appropriated all . 
 wifdom to themfelves, and ftigmatized the reft of mankind 
 -with the name ot Barbarian ; it falls on the boafted ages of 
 Alexander and of Auguftus, on learned Athens and imperial 
 Rome Ot them it is that the apoftle Paul thus writes: 
 " When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neith- 
 er were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations and 
 their foolifh heart was darkened. Profe fling themfelves to be 
 wife, they became fools : and changed the glory of the un- 
 corruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and 
 to birds, and four-footed beafts, and creeping things. Who 
 changed the truth of God into a lie, and worfhipped 
 and ferved the creature more than the Creator." This 
 accounts for that earneftnefs of exhortation employed by 
 the lame apoftle in his epiftle to the Ephefians : " This I fay, 
 and teftify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other 
 Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the under- 
 {landing darkened, being alienated from the life of God, 
 through the ignorance that is in them, becaufe of the blindnefs 
 of their heart : who, being paft feeling, have given themfelves 
 over unto lafcivioufnefs, to work all Uncleannefs with greedi- 
 nefs." Thus though the Light of the world (hone, and ftili 
 Jhinetk, the darknefs comprehended it not. On whom does the 
 cenfure fall ? On pagans of ages paft, and on pagans now 
 "• walking in darkrtefs, and dwelling in the land of the fhadow 
 of death ;" on unbelieving Jews and the blinded pofterity of 
 Ifhmael ? Alas ! " darknefs ftill covers earth" of lands de- 
 nominated Chriflian, " and grofs darknefs the people" who 
 bear that venerable name. What grievous ignorance have we 
 to deplore 1 what impudent infidelity, what abounding iniqui- 
 ty, what horrid profanation of the name, ot the day, of the book 
 of God ! ' Sun of righteoufnefs, arife" on thefe finful lands 
 M with healing in thy wings," " deliver us from the power of 
 darknefs," that we may -be " light in the Lord." 
 
 The evangelift having difplayed the glory of the Word, as 
 the fource of all being, whether material, anima'l or intelligent^ 
 adverts to the million of John Baptift, his immediate forerun- 
 ner, " the voice crying in the wildernefs, Prepare ye the way 
 of the Lord, make ftraight in the defert a high-way for our 
 God ;" the finger pointing to " the Lamb of God which tak- 
 eth away the fin of the world." Paying all due honour to 
 that" burning and mining light" which came in the fpirit and 
 power of Elias, he reprefents him as merely the harbinger or. 
 
 the 
 
Left. I.] JESUS CHRIST. fi 5 
 
 the LiCHT, the true Light, which hghtdh every man that com* 
 ith into the world. John Baptift came for a mtne/s $ and he 
 faithfully delivered histcflimony : " He that cometh after me 
 is prefened before me ; for he was before me — whole fiioes* 
 latchet I am not worthy to unloofe : He mud increafe, but I 
 mulidecreafe," as the morning ftar " hides his diminished head" 
 When the great orb of day appears, 
 
 " Through faith we underffand that the worlds were framed 
 by the Word of God," but " the world by wifdom knew not 
 God " He was in the world through the whole extent of its du- 
 ration, as the all- upholding Word, the all-regulating power, 
 but the men of the world, e en " the wife and pfwdent" dif- 
 cemed him not, ackri - 'd him not, adored him not. 
 
 "The fulnefs of tim. g h cattle. 1 he Scriptures were 
 
 fulfilled ; the day whii h ' Abraha n rejoiced to fee" began to 
 dawn ; the " Star out o^ Jacob" aro r e. Surely man will fall 
 down and worfhip h m. The^ f ntly, at 1 aft, " to whom 
 pertdineth'the adopion and theglorx. and the covenants and 
 the gr ing of the law. and f :.e ten : eoi G id, and the promif- 
 es, whofe are the fathers an-' of whom, as com erning the flefn, 
 Chrifl: came,"- they fuiely will fi ck to " the brightness of his 
 rifmg." Th s is a reaforiable expedition, but it was not real- 
 ized. The melancholy faci is, H came unt his o /?, and Ins 
 own received km not % and the prediction is verified by the e- 
 vent ; " When we (hall fee him, there is nolcauty that we 
 fhould defire him : He is defpifed and rejected of men" — 
 they " hid their faces from him ; he was defpifed, and they 
 efteemed him not." 
 
 This carries us forward, with our" ev angel i ft, to the great, 
 the eventful d<y when tie Word s/«j 7nadefl flz and dwelt a- 
 mong us. The Scripture term, flfi, it is well known means 
 man, human nature, the human race. Thus in defcribing the 
 universality of human degeneracy it is laid, M All fljh had 
 corrupted their ways " 1 hus, in confidence of divine protec- 
 tion, the Pfalmift exultingly exr*aims, " I will not fear what 
 Jlejli can do unto me." And the Prophet, viewing the redemp- 
 tion of mankind as co-ex ten G e with mortality, while he de- 
 Clares that •* tWJlrJh is grafs," triumphs in the thought 
 " iWpjh mould fee the falvation of God." To thefe, inou- 
 merable inftances might be adduced to prore that the Evan 
 ift, when he lays " the Word was made/ 7 ^" means to cor 
 this idea, that the Word, all-creating, all-vivifying, all-illu- 
 rninatmg, ailnmed humanity, " was in the world," tabern. 
 among men, emitted a :■ . glorv, " as of the onh 
 
26 HISTORY OF [Left. f„ 
 
 of the Father, full of grace and truth." " Verily he took not 
 on him the nature of angels ; but he took on him the feed of. 
 Abraham' 1 — " as the children are partakers of flefh and blood, 
 healfo himfeli likewife took part of the lairie'V' in all things 
 it behoved kirn to be made like unto his brethren" — " ior which 
 cau/e he is no? afhamed to call them brethren " 
 
 And thus. Men and Brethren we perceive one and the fame 
 animating principle calling worlds into exiftence, peopling 
 them with angels and men, communicating intelligence, ex- 
 cicifing unbounded empire— and making himfeli of no repu- 
 tation, in the form of a fervam, in the likenefs of men, and 
 being found in fafbion as a man, humbling himfelf to a mean 
 eflate, to the ■ fuffcring of reproach and contempt, becoming 
 " obedient unto death, even the death of the crois." To what 
 meannefij of condiiion ought not we his dtfciples, therefore, 
 cheerfully to fubmit ? " For our fakes he became poor," and 
 mall we be afhamed ofhoneft poverty ?' Did he go by the 
 name of ** the carpenter's fon," and dare a C nftian oftenta- 
 tioufly to difpl >y the heraldry of his anceftors, or to bluih at 
 what the world calls low birth ? " He hath not defpifed, nor 
 abhorred the affliction of the affii&ed, nor hid his face hottt 
 him when he tried," and can one called by his name turn a 
 deaf ear to the cry of dilirefs, or hide his lace irom a poor broths 
 er ? We cannot like him fay " Let there be light"—" Laza- 
 rus come forth ;" we cannot like him walk on water or filence 
 the wind ; we cannot like him give eyes to the blind, 01 fpeech 
 to the dumb. But we may with him be " meek and lowly in 
 heart." merciful and companionate, forbearing and forgiving: 
 we can go abou doing good, and miniftering to the neceffitouf* 
 We cannot attain to the height of his divine excellence and 
 perfection, but we may with him defcend to the low Heft offices 
 ol ; r-eneficence and c ndefcenfion ! we may learn ol him to 
 " overcome evil with good." 
 
 On the other hand, to what height of elevat ; on may not the 
 Chriftian afpire ? Let not the idea of temporal elevation feduce 
 you. Think not of" the kingdoms of this world and the glory 
 or them;" which perifh with the ufing. Chrift's " kingdom is 
 riot of this world." Let not the biind ambition of the fons of 
 Zebedee fuggeft a dream of right and left hand places by the 
 fide ol an earthly throne Be it your ftudy and ambition to 
 " have this mind in you which alfo was in Chnft jefus " Let 
 the avarice of the orldly mind accumulate bag upon bag, add 
 houle to hoiife, field to field, but let a nobler avarice excite 
 you, the difciples of the bleffed Jefus, to " add to your faith, 
 virtue ; and to virtue, knowledge ; and to knowledge, temper- 
 ance : 
 
Left. 1.] JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 ance; and to temperance, patience; and to pati 
 nefs ; and to godlinefs, brotherly kindnefs ; and 
 kindnefs, charity." Thefe are the titles, the liars r.nd the . - 
 bons in the kingdom of heaven, and '* it thefe tfii - ie in 
 you. and abound, they make you that you ihall neitliei 
 barred nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord JefusChrift." 
 Let the fpirit of adventure and fcience discover unknown re- 
 gions and nations on the globe, and new planets in the firma- 
 ment of heaven ; be it your concern, Chrifrian, your fludy, 
 your employment, to contemplate, through the %hlsot'promi/e t 
 '• new heavens and a new rath, wherein dwelieth rig hteouf- 
 neis." Suffer the man of the world toenjoy his triumph ; iui 
 ler him to outflrip his rival, to run down his enemy ; be thine 
 the more glorious triumph to promote a rival, to fpire an ad- 
 verfary, as knowing that " He who is How to anger is better 
 than the mighty : and he thatrulelh his fpirit than he that tak« 
 eth a city." \ 
 
 Such, difciple of Jefus, be thy holy afplfatiOfW, fuch 
 pride and ambition; and may fuch be thy blefled attainments 
 even in time : thought is loft in contemplating " the glory 
 that is to follow. •' The beloved difciple lhall declare it, in the 
 fublimity of his own conception and expreflion, or rati, 
 the idea and diftion with which the Holy Spirit fupplied his 
 pen : *' Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bellowed 
 upon us, that we fhould be called the Ions of God ! therefore 
 the world knoweth us not. becaufe it knew him not. Beloved, 
 now are we the fons of God ; and it doth not yet appear what we 
 fhall he: but we know that, when he (hall appear, we (hall be 
 like him ; for we fhall fee him as he is. And every man that 
 bath this hope in him puntieth himfeli, even as he is pure." 
 
 
sS HISTORY 2 [Left. «- 
 
 LECTURE IL 
 
 ISAIAH, LIU. & 
 
 Who/hall declare his generation f 
 
 THE hiftory of countries generally c< mmences with a geeM' 
 graphical account ot their fituation and extent ; of the cli- 
 mate and foil ; of the names and the reafon of irr.ponng fuch. 
 names ; ot the era and the means ot difcovery ; of the origin- 
 al inhabitants, and ot other circumiiances tending either to 
 communicate ufefui information or «o gratify cunoiity. The 
 biographer, in like manner, in delineating tlwlife of his prince, 
 itatefman, hero or philoiopher, ufally begins with tracing his 
 pedigree and parentage, and enables the reader to form fome, 
 acquaintance with his anceljors, in order to introduce theper- 
 fonage himfelf with greater advantage and effecl Bat both 
 the general hiftorian andthe biographer qnickly lofe themfelves 
 in refearch. The origin of no nation or individual can be 
 traced up to its fource. The light becomes fainter and fainter 
 as we proceed, the object is rendered more obfcure and uncer- 
 tain.. till time at length fpreads his (able mantle over it, and we 
 berold it no more. Who then (hall declare his generation, 
 who '" was in the beginning with God, by whom all things 
 were made, and without whom was not any thing made that is 
 made." 
 
 We are advancing, men and brethren, upon holy ground ; 
 ground fared as Lden's blifstal plains, as the region which 
 Surrounded the huih that burned with fire, as Sinai's awful 
 fummit. Borne aloft on the pinions ot the celefiial dove, we 
 are aiming a l old, adventurous flight into the heaven of heav- 
 ens, to expatiate through the boundlef- regions of eternity, to 
 contemplate objects which "angels defire to iook into." to 
 iearch into the " g eat myftery of godlinefs," to lofe ou Helves 
 in feeking " to know the love of Chrifl which paiTeth knowl- 
 edge." 
 
 We are going to attempt a delineation of the Life and Hif- 
 tory of Jcfus Chrift, the Saviour ot Men. My heart fails a* 
 the thought of the tafk wh»ch I have undertaken ; my tongue 
 
 cleaves 
 
jjLect. tiv] Jesus CHiusi 
 
 *9 
 
 cleaves to the roof of ray mouth. Spirit of Grace, efrabliCh 
 thou my heart — 
 
 " O thou my voice infpire, 
 
 *« Whotoudi'd Uriah's hallow'd lips with fiic !'• 
 
 The queftiort of the prophet which has now been read and 
 which fLiggeHedthe idea that we mean to puriue through this 
 Lecture, is interwoven with a variety ot pointed and linking 
 predictions which, whether taken feparatcly or in theii combi- 
 nation, can apply mly to one peifon ; and who that perfon is, 
 no doubt can poilibly be entertained when yre con Oder, rh tt 
 this is the very pafTage of Scripture to whrch Phil p the Evan- 
 geliil was providentially directed, as a text tor M preaching 
 Jefus," to the Ethiopian Eunuch. I fhall not employ any part 
 or your time in detailing the various opinions whn h ha e been 
 entertained refpetting the meaning of the pillage in general, 
 or the precife import ot the term " generation" in particular. 
 The queftion apt ears (imply to be a bold defiance gii en to al| 
 created wildom to investigate, to unfold the generation, the or- 
 igin, the elfence of that wonderful Perfon c 
 fuch lingular circumftances and event| are predicted ; it a- 
 mounts to a ftrong and pofitive affirmation that it is impoflible 
 to declare Him as tie is, to trace his exiiler-ce through the fuc- 
 *:e Hive periods ot duration up to us commencement, as you 
 may dothat of a mere man from 'he moment of his birth, or 
 through- a ferie^ or ancsftors. What, in this view is thj ob- 
 vious doctrine of the text ? 7 liat the generation of Him who 
 the Spr.it of prophecy, and the correfponding hiftory repre- 
 sent as an innocent, patient, vicarious fufferer, extends beyond 
 the fphere ot created nature, eludes purfuit, fpread 'ory 
 
 pf eternity around it, and conceals it from mortal eyes. It is 
 worthy of remark, that the genealogy of our bleiTed Lord's 
 Jiumanity is more clear, « r :nd diftinci, sind extended, than thai of 
 any other perfon. Two feveral Evangel i ft i have i it, 
 
 purluingii, through two different but parallel chann (H, up to 
 Abraham, and from him up to the common Father of the hti- 
 man race. In this refpe;l, therefore " the Sp<r:' frmfelfc 
 helpeth our infirmity ;" and he who by the mouth of Ifaiali 
 feems to forbid and defy all inquiry, by the pen of Matt' ew 
 and Luke, makes a clear and full difcovery. and ena - les US to 
 trace the pedigree of Jefus Chrilt, like that of an\' o'her man, 
 It is the peculiar privilege of the. facred volume to unfold the 
 real hiftory of human nature, of the globe, of the univerfe, to 
 follow nature up to the hour of her birth, to declare " the 
 generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were 
 
 created ; 
 
5« history or fLe&l. 11. 
 
 cheated ; in the flay that the Lord God made the earth and the 
 heavens ;" to exhibit the fir ft man Adam in the plaftic hands 
 of the Creator fpringirig out ot the dult of the ground, and, 
 infpired with the breath ot lite, becoming " a living foul." 
 The fame infpired volume reprefents to our attention one per- 
 fon, and one event, as of peculiar importance ; as pervading, 
 influencing and affecting the whole courfe of Nature and Prov- 
 idence; as contemporary with every generation ot men; as 
 looked unto, and longed for by iu.ccefhve ages. In order that 
 the truth of God might be fully juftitied and have its complete 
 effe£>, the relation, in which this illuftrious perfon flood to thofc 
 who had received the promises of his coining, is diftinhly af- 
 certained and m nutely defcribed , fo that at every period of 
 the world we can fay, lo He is here, and lo He is there. But 
 the infpired volume like wife reprefents him as before all and 
 above all. If therefore this book be a Revelation from heaven, 
 it muft contain real and important truth, and that truth clothed 
 in plain, fimple and intelligible lang -age ; we muft perceive, 
 of confequence, in the " man ot lorrows and acquainted with 
 grief," a perfon whole generation no one is able to declare, 
 who is " before all and i y whom all things do confift :" whom 
 all the angels of God are commanded to worihip, " the heir of 
 all things," by whom the worlds were made and are upheld, 
 whofe " throne is tor ever and ever ;" in one word Chnft Je- 
 fus, " who is over all, God blefled for ever." 
 
 You are well aware that the doctrine, which we wifh to ef- 
 tablilh, is in the prefent day violently oppofed ; and while it is 
 ma.ntained in this place, it may be perhaps in the next ftreet 
 the fubj eft of profane mirth, or of fenous argumentation ■— 
 Thinking as we do, we will rot enter the lifts ot controveriy. 
 We will not employ your time, nor endeavour to enlift your 
 paflions, by running down one name, party or opinion and 
 exalting another ; but will (imply and humbly, though at the 
 fame time, firmly and unrefervedly, propofe for you* inftruc- 
 tion and improvement, what appears to be the meaning and 
 object ot Scripture ; and, confidermg the divinity of our Lord 
 and Saviour Jefus Chrifi as the firft leading object of all Rev- 
 elation, we will uniformly bring it forward in every difcourfe. 
 It therefore thefe exercifes are at all frequented, or attended 
 unto, it will be by fuch as expect, and are well pleafed, to hear 
 of the great Mediator between God and man, the Man Chrifi 
 Jefus, in his original, everlafting, unchanging glory, and 
 in his humiliation, as the fon of man, to the form of a 
 fervant, to the death of the crofs, a propitiation for fin. To 
 this, we truft, not unknown God, our altar is ere&ed, and ded- 
 icated, 
 
Left. II.] JESUS C'HftlS?, 2j 
 
 tcated, and on it we would again prefent our whole felves a 
 
 living facrifice unto the one true God, and " our Saviour Je- 
 fus Chrift ; to whom be glory forever and ever." 
 
 " Who (hall declare his generation ?'' Incapable thou arf 
 O man, to trace hack the fhort and (lender thread of. thy own 
 exiUence and defcent Thou mayerthave iorae faint recollec- 
 tion of weak and dependent childhood ; of a lather's early care. 
 and of a mother's tendernefs ; of the amufements, the compan- 
 ions, the folicitudes, the forrows and joys of thy boyifli days-, 
 But all beyond is a blank ; to thee creation began a tew years 
 ago ; the fecond or third, at mofr, of thy own immediate pro- 
 genitors, is blended with the men who lived beyond the flood. 
 We are ignorant of and unknown to each other. How much 
 more lo are the men of diftant nations and of times more re* 
 mote ? But family tradition, national record, the infpired page 
 can fupply the want of perfonal knowledge, can carry us 1 
 to departed forefathers, and bring them down to us. But 
 what recollecliori, what tradition, what record, can carry ua 
 beyond the birth o-f nature, can convey us to a (late of exitt- 
 ence previous to the lapfe of time ? Now the per Ion of whom 
 the prophet fpeaks, as we faw in the preceding LeBure is the 
 Word who fpake all things into exigence, who built the 
 world, who fpread the flood, wbo fet time a flowing, who 
 " breathed into man's noftrils the breath of life." Who then 
 of the Tons of men, which of the angels of God (hail declare 
 the generation of Him who made them what they are, who 
 placed tl>em in their nations, who prescribed to them bounds 
 which they cannot pais ? The (lighten 1 detail of nature, O 
 man, preients a my iter y which thou canft not folve, a world 
 which thou canft not comprehend unto perfection. That feed 
 caff into the ground cannot be " quickened excepj it di . 
 canft thou declare the generat on of this in feci, to day a butter- 
 fly, yefterday a moth, the third day a mere iifelefs incruftation, 
 and prelumeft thou to explain the great my fiery of godlin 
 " God made manifeft in thefleih ;" at fo many difTeient times, 
 in fuch dirers manners made known unto the Fathers by the 
 prophets ; and in thci'e 1 jft days unveiled to us in the perfoi 
 the Son, the brightnefs of his Father's glory and the expi 
 image or his perfon ? We repeat the queftion, un lerftan 
 thou, and art thou able ta unfold, the union that exifts in 
 own frame, between the clay ta ernacle ahd the immo 
 mind ; earth and heaven blended in thme own perfon ? . 
 (hall " it be thought a thing incredible," that He who, in 
 uninterrupted courfe of his providence, pro< 
 
 wi: 
 
^3 HISTORY C? [Left. 11, 
 
 which every one is ccnfcious of exifting, though no one is 
 capable of explaining, fhould form other combinations, unite 
 other natures, to declare his power and manifeft bis glory ? 
 Wherefore fhould " it be thought a thing incredible, 3 ' that He 
 who unites himfelf to every one of us, through the medium of 
 reafon and confcience, for carrying on the plan of nature, 
 ihould have united humanity to himlelr in the perfon of the 
 Redeemer, in a manner Kill more incomprehenfible. tor Der- 
 ieclmg the plan of redemption ? Shall I reject as untrue or ab- 
 furd whatever I do not clearly underftand or am unable per- 
 fectly to explain ? The confcioufnefs which I have of my 
 own being muft be renounced then among the fir ft, and every 
 thing within and around us muft be reduced to darknefs, doubt 
 and uncertainty. 
 
 Blefled Jefus, w£ cannot declare thy generation, and would 
 hot be wife above what is written, but we adore in filent won- 
 der, we rejoice that ' k the Word was made fleth and dwelt a-' 
 inong us, 5 ' and that men " beheld his glory, the glory as of the 
 Only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." We re- 
 joice that what we know not now we fliali know hereafter. Suf- 
 fice it now that " we fee Jefus who was made a little lower than 
 the angels, for the fuffeiing of death crowned with glory and 
 hdnour, that he by the grace of God mould tafte death for eve- 
 ry man :" that**' it became him, for whom are all things and by 
 whom arraii things in bringing manyfons unto glory, to make the 
 Captain of their frlvation perfect, through fufferings." We can 
 form no conception of a flare pre-exiftent to this frame of na- 
 ture, for imagination itfelf muft draw its ideas from reality ; and 
 to give fcope to a faculty fo fantaftical, in treating a fubject of 
 fuch high moment, were prefumptUous and profane. Let us reply 
 then to the prophet's challenge, with the modefly and humili- 
 ty becoming creatures fo ignorant, fo limited, and fo imperfect. 
 We prefume not to explore the records of eternity, to pry in- 
 to the counfels of peace, to meafure the infinite Jehovah, his 
 nature, his decrees, his operations, by the contracted line o£ 
 our finite underftancling ; but. taking Scripture for our in- 
 ftru&or and guide, we will with reverence and joy contem- 
 plate the maniteftation of the Son of God in the likenefs of 
 man, the myflcry of the incarnation, his generation as owe of 
 Our brethren. In the next Leclure therefore, if God permit, we 
 will endeavour to lead your attention to fome of the remarka- 
 ble circumftances which immediately preceded the birth of 
 our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrifl, and which give celebrity 
 and notoriety to that illuftrious event, and mark the interefl 
 
 which 
 
Left, tr.j jesus c jurist, frg 
 
 Which eternal Providence took in it, and the importance there- 
 by ftamped upon it to every ferious and reflecting mind. 
 
 We conclude at prefent, with fuggefting, from what ha.-. 
 been faid, and from every view which is given us in Scripture 
 "of the perfon of the Saviour, that there is fpread around it at 
 once an effulgence that dazzles and repels, and a mildnefs and 
 fimplicity which compofes and attracts. Is he fpoken of as a 
 Man, we are fent to Bethlehem to behold a babe wrapped in 
 fwaddling clothes to Nazareth to converfe with the carpen- 
 ter's fon, to Cana of Galilee tojoin with him in the innocent 
 feftivity or a marriage folemnity, to Bethany to witnefs the 
 endearments ot private friendship, to Gethfemanc to fympai 
 thize with the agonizing mourner, to fcenes fuch as daily oc- 
 cur in human life ; but we are never left long to confider a 
 mere man in Situations and employments like our, own, a man 
 of like paffions with ourfelves ; the glory ot the Lord arifes, 
 the Son of God ftands confefled, a generation not to be de- 
 clared^ power that nothing can refill, at which devils trem- 
 ble, \Sfiich winds and fea< obey, to which death and the grave 
 are fubfervient. He fpeaks as never man fpake, legions of 
 angels are continually on the wing to minifler unto him.— 
 Prophecy and hiilory reprefent him in the fell fame lights, in 
 alternate humiliation and majefty, obfeurity and fplendour. 
 What a contrail does the defcripnon of our prophet prefent ? 
 11 For unto us a child is born, unto us a fon is given, and the 
 government (hall be upon his moulder ; and his name fhall be 
 called Wonderful, Counfellor, The mighty God, The erer- 
 lafting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increafe of hit 
 government and peace there Jhall be no end, upon the throne 
 of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to cftab'ifh 
 it with judgment ?nd with Juftice, from henceforth even 
 ever. The zeal of the Lord of holts will perform this." Th<S 
 progrefs of his hiftory, in every particular (rage of it, will 
 elucidate the farrie observation, and therefore it fliall not r.o ■«■• 
 be farther profecuted. 
 
 Again, this fubjecl feeitts much calculated to correct th< 
 prejudices which prevail among men in the matter of pedigree 
 There is in reality no fuch thing as mean and high birth : or 
 if there be a diflinction, to he born perfect in every limb and 
 feature, with a found and vigoious conllitut'on, with a mind 
 complete in all its faculties, this is 'o he nobly born ; 
 on the contrary, to come into the world difeafed and del 
 tated, with a conftitution undermined and deftroyed by 
 vice of parent?, is to hare the di fad vantage of bciri 
 
 born ; 
 

 H-I STORY Qf [Lea . 1 E, 
 
 born ; a diftinclion which, if founded in redon, truth, and 
 fuUic-, leaves the great, in general, little to glory in, and the 
 poor linle at which to repine. Have we not all one father ? 
 What genealogy is pure from every flam ot infirmity, foU 
 ly or vice ? I* it any diminution oi our Saviour's digni- 
 ty, any impeachment of his perfect purity, or any imputa- 
 tion on his great public character, that in the roll of his 
 anceftry after 'he flefh, we find the name of Rahab the 
 hat lor, and of her who had been the wife ol Uriah, and that he 
 was brought up under the roof perhaps to the occupation, of 
 an obicure caff (man ?' Virtue and vice are perfbnal not he- 
 reditary and nothing but vice 's a juft ground of (hame. Shall 
 I call myHf a difcipie of jefus then, and think it a reproach 
 to be called a carpenter's fon, defpifed becaufe I am a Gali- 
 lean lightly effeemed becaufe my parents were poor and ig- 
 noble, becaufe a paltry monofyllable introduces not my name r 
 Real worth ennobles it felt" independent of the breath of Kings, 
 it draws onfeure progenitors into light, and leaves a fair and" 
 honorable inheritance to pofterb.y — in 2 bright example, and 3 
 refpecfable name. 
 
 Once more, whatever may be our pretentions, or our want oP 
 pretenbon as citizens of this woild, we have all equal right 
 and encouragement to afpire after the title and the fpirit, and 
 the privileges of the fons of God. He whofe generation can- 
 not be declared, is not afhamed to call the humbleft of you* 
 fcrethren. The en<i of his coming into the world, of his humb- 
 ling himfelfto death, of (bedding his blood, was to make you 
 " kings and priefts unto- God and his Father." What he is by 
 eternal generation, that he is making you by redemption, by 
 ihe i pirit of adoption, by the hope of Glory to be revealed. Sup-, 
 port the honour of younheavenly Father's name, prove your 
 relation, .preferve unclouded your profpe&s. You are now 
 in a ftate of depreffion, *'" in heavinefs through manifold tempt- 
 ations,'' your title lies dormant, your pofleffion is at a difrafl.ee,, 
 
 but '' your Jife is hid with Chrift in God, and when he fhall 
 appear, you (hall appear with him in glory. Beloved, now are 
 we the fons of God, ami it doth not yet appear what we (hall 
 be but when He 'ball appear we (hall be like him, for we lhali 
 fee him as he is." ** Fear not," then, " little flock, for it is 
 your Father's good pleafure to give you the kingdom." " Ye 
 are a » hofen generation, a royal priefthood, an holy nation, a 
 
 pe-uliar people ; that ye fhould (hew forth the praifes of him 
 who hath called you out oi darknefs into his marvellous light. * 
 
 LECTURE 
 
■ 3&. ill. JESUSCHRIST* 
 
 LECTURE III 
 
 IIAGGAI, II. 6 — 9. 
 
 thus faith the bard 0/ hofls. Yet omc % ii is a Utile mckilt* 
 and I will fiiake the heartens, and the earth, and thefea, and 
 the dry land ; and I will fh>ike all n&tiom, and the defire rf 
 
 a't nations JJiall com,- : And I will fill this houjt with glor% 
 
 faith the Lord ofhojh. The fiver is mine, and the g old is 
 
 mine, faith the Lord of heft*. The glory of this latter houfe 
 
 Jliali be prater than of the format faith t lit Lord of ho /Is ; 
 
 And m this plaa will I g<ve peace, faith the Lord of hojls. 
 
 THE great Lord of Nurture demonstrates his exiflcnce and 
 divine perte6tkm, in the original foi mation, and in the 
 
 conftant piefervation ot ail things. " He fpake and it was 
 done, he commanded and it ftood fait." He uphddeth all " by 
 the word ot his power." The continual (up port ot the uni- 
 ▼erfe has accoidingly, with th« utrooft propriety, been repre- 
 refemed as creation ev«ry inftant repeated. In a fyftem which 
 is all lile and motion, power almighty, and attention unimermit- 
 ting, mu ft ever be exerted to maintain lite to cany on motion, 
 to prefcrve harmony. Every being-is fubjecled to the peculiar 
 law of its own nature ; ;>nd the great whole is governed by gen- 
 era, laws. Unity, iimpltcity, multitude variety, ftrike the eye 
 of every attentive beholder ; every individual prefents a little 
 world apart, and the vaft combination of individuals form but 
 one world, animated by one vital principle. 
 
 But Jehovah makes him felt known to his intelligent crea- 
 tures not only in the {bred order and harmony ot his works, 
 bnt in the occafional and temporary interruption ot that ord-r, 
 and in deviation from that harmony. The powers ot earth 
 and heaven are ihaken J the fun is turned into darknefs and 
 the liars withdraw their light; the barrier whLh re ft rained 
 the ocean is removed, the windows or heaven are opened, and 
 the earth is overflowed. The ram that tails on £>od«»m be- 
 comes a fiery "lid" ; the fiame ot fcebuchadncazarTs fiery fur- 
 nace is rendered harinlclsair ; the hungry lion licks the proph- 
 et's feet- The glar ng excentric comet, the wandering, plan- 
 et, and the fixed ftar, all, all refer us to one original, to one 
 
 evinz, retraining, directing, fupporting caufe. , 
 
g& HISTORY~GF [Left. IIL 
 
 Neither, however, the regular obfcrvance, nor the occa- 
 sional fufpenfion ot the laws of nature are mere wanton dis- 
 plays of power., to. amufe the curious, to alarm the fearful, or 
 to confound the proud. Every word that proceeded) out of the 
 mouth ot God. and every a6l of omnipotence have an impor- 
 tant meaning and defi,gn. The end at which the Ruler of the, 
 world {fill aims, is the manifeltation of his own glory in pro- 
 moting the wildom and happinefs of his creatures. 
 
 The Prophet, in the pafTage of the facred volume which 
 lias now been read, is evidently referring to fome fignal dif- 
 playofthe divine glory. We behold univerfal commotion 
 raifed and fettled by the fame power ; heaven and earth, the 
 fea and the dry land, and all the kindreds of the nations fhaken 
 together. Univerfal attention is excited, univerial expecta- 
 tion is raifed, and that expe61ation is completely gratified, by 
 the appearance of" the defire of all nations ;" by the reitera- 
 tion of peace to a troubled world; by a luftre beffowed on 
 the fecond temple which mould eclipie the glory ot the firft. 
 Now the expreflion, " the glory of this latter houfe lhall be. 
 greater than the former, faith the Lord of hefts," enables us 
 to fix the period, and to dikoverthe pcrfon here defcribed. 
 Haggai lived and prophefied after the Babylonifh captivity, and 
 the immediate object of his prophecy was to urge his reftored 
 countrymen to inctuftry and perfeverance, in the work ot re- 
 building the temple of the Lord. And as the rnoft powerful 
 and encouraging of all motives, he is cornmifhoned to affure 
 them, that the period tail aproacned when the fabric which 
 they were then rearing mould be invefted with much 
 greater honor, than that of Solomon and all his glory ever 
 poileffed. But if this were meant ot temporal fplendor mere- 
 ly, the fatt contradicts it ; for from Ezra we learn, that, in 
 this refpett, the former temple was far luperior to the latter ; 
 " many of the priefts and le.vites, and chief of the fathers who 
 were ancient men that had feen the firft. houfe, when the 
 foundation of this houfe was laid before their eyes, wept with 
 a loud voice ;" fo mortifying was the companfon. Our 
 Prophet himfelf holds the fame language, ch. ii. 3. '* Who is 
 left among you that faw this houfe in her firft glory ? and how 
 do you fee ir now ? is it not in your eyes in comparifon of it 
 as nothing ?" We mult look therefore for a different kind of 
 glory, to explain and confirm the prediclion ; and it is im- 
 pofhble to be at a lofs about an interpretation, when we confid- 
 er wherein the real glory of the fecond temple confiftecL 
 
Left. III.] JESUS CHRIST. *fc 
 
 Wot in being filled, and overlaid with filver and gold, for 
 thefe are fpoken of as comparatively vile and contemptible! 
 '.' The filver is mine, and the gold is mine, faith the Lord of 
 hofts," a claim exactly in the fame fpirit with that made in the - 
 fiftieth Pfalm. k * Hear, O my people, and I will ipeak : O 
 Ifrael, and I will teftity againft thee : I am God, even thy 
 God. 1 will not reprove thee for thy facnfices, or thy burnt- 
 offerings, to have been continually before me. I will take no 
 bullock out of thy houfe, nor he-goats out of thy folds : for 
 every beafl of the forefl is mine, and the catile upon a thouf- 
 and hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains ; and the 
 wild beafls of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would 
 not tell thee ; for the world is mine, and the iulncfs thereof. 
 Will I eat thcflefh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats ? Of- 
 fer unto God thankfgiving ; and pay thy vows unto the moil 
 High." " Lebanon is not fufficient to burn, nor the beafls 
 thereof fufficient for a burnt-offering." But when M facrifice 
 and offering thou didlf not defire, when burnt-offering and fin- 
 offering were not required, then fai i I, Lo, I come, I delight 
 to do thy will, O rny God." This^ Chriftians, like the ftar 
 which condu6*ed the wife men of the Eaft, leads us directly 
 to the Saviour of the world. Would you behold the fupenor 
 gloryof the latter temple, look to Simeon vifiting it, looking 
 and longing for the confolation of Ifrael ; behold him with 
 the babe in his arms, exulting with joy unfpeakable and full of 
 glory, in having feen thefakation of Go.d. Look to jefus at 
 the age of twelve yeais " fitting in the temple in the rmdft of 
 the doclors, both hearing them and anting them queiiions," 
 difplaying at that tender age, a wifdom and dignity far fuperi- 
 or to that of Solomon in his zenith. Look to that fame Jelus, 
 in his zeal for the honor of the facred edifice, purging it of 
 thofe impurities which a worldly fpirit had introduced into it. 
 Liften to the divine eloquence which there flowed from the 
 Jips of him who fpake as never man fpake. Hear him predic- 
 ting its deft ruftion, and eflablilliing the truth ot his own mif- 
 lion in denouncing againft it, and devoting it to, total and ir- 
 recoverable ruin. Behold Him on thofe ruins, rearing an ev- 
 erlasting and a fpiritual building, on a rock again!!, which the 
 gates of hell fhall never prevail; and in all this, behold as in 
 a glafsthe glory here fpoken of. the advent of " the_iiefire ot 
 ail nations," the " ifar ot Jacob" arifen, Shiiok come, to whom 
 the gathering of the nations mall be, " the Prince ot Peace," 
 by whom peace is proclaimed, and through whom peace u 
 given to " him that is afar off and him that is nigh." 
 
 In 
 
,.-. HISTORY €>F [Le£L III. 
 
 In order till farther to juftily the application oi this prophe* 
 cy to theperfon and character oi the Redeemer, we may in- 
 </aire into the import oi the other exprefhons here employed, 
 to defcribe the appearances oi nature and providence, which 
 fignalized the era of his manifedation in the flefh. " Yet once, 
 jit is a little while " The reign of prophecy was haftening to 
 a Condlufion. Hriggat was one of the laft on whom that fpirit 
 reded ; with Malachi, who lived probably (brae what later, it 
 entirely ceafed ; and a dark period oi five hundred years with- 
 out a vifioft, intervened, till it was revived in one who came 
 in the fpirit and power of Elias, the forerunner of the Me Mian, 
 •! the voice crying in the wildernefs, Prepare ye the way of 
 the Lord; make ftraight in the defert a highway for our God,'* 
 Ifaiah xl. 3. and it (hone in all its ludre in the Median him- 
 feii, " the great prophet that mould come into the world." 
 By him k is here intimated that God mould fpeak " once'* 
 for all ; that he mould be the iull and final declarer oi the will 
 of God to mankind ; " yet once" but no more 
 
 " It is a little while." With God what is purpofed, is be- 
 gun to be executed, his agents are already at work time is loft 
 with him who fees the end from the beginning. ** The Lord is not 
 flack concerning his promife, as fome men count flacknefs;" "be- 
 loved, be not ignorant oi this one thing, dhat one day is with the 
 Lord, as a thouland years, and a thoufand years as one day.'* 
 The interval between the prediction and the accomplifhment, 
 though a period of five centuries, is, in the fight of God, " a 
 little while ;" and five centuries, when they are pad, are but " a 
 little while" in the eyes of man alfo. But to what circum- 
 ftances attending the coming of our Saviour refers the Proph- 
 et, when he reprefents the great God as " making the 
 heavens and the earth, and the fea, and the dry land, and all 
 nations ?" It is well known that the facred writers frequently 
 employ, by a bold figure, the appearances of the natural world 
 to repreient and explain moral objefts. In the cafe before us, 
 it will be found that both the literal and figurative fenfe of the 
 words are driclly applicable to the iubjeft. Every one, who 
 is at all acquainted with the hiftory of mankind, knows that 
 tr\Q whole courfe oi things has been a condant and fuccedive 
 concudion and convulfion, a making of the nations, druggie 
 for dominion, the progrefs oi empire from eaft to wed; and 
 an afpectof the heavenly bodies and influence, analogous to 
 the date of the moral world. The obferver of nature endeav- 
 ours to trace all thefc up to their native caufes in the great 
 
 fyftero. 
 
Left. HI.] JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 fyftemof the efniverfe ; the moralift looks for them, in the 
 nature and conftitution of man, and the politician, in the 
 conciliations and exertions of paflion and intereft. The Be 
 liever, the Chnftian refers all to God, fees him in the .cloud, 
 m the fky ; hears him in the wind, in the thunder, in the 
 fongfter ot the grove ; and he fees the fwelling tide of nature 
 and providence labouring with one objec.1 ot peculiar impor- 
 tance ; all things are fhaken and compofed in fubordinatioa 
 to the preparation or the gofpel of peace. 
 
 Let me comprefs what I mean to* fay within a narrow com- 
 pafs ; and I (hall do it nearly in the words of an elegant 
 preacher whom I have oftener than once had the honour to 
 quote in this place. The eaftern part of the world was, in the 
 wifdom ot Providence, firii peopled, great and extenfive em- 
 pires were fit : ft formed there, and there learning and the aits 
 were fir it brought to perfe6tion. But while fcience and em- 
 pire flourifhed in the eaft, a power was rifing by degrees in 
 the weftern world, which was one d3V to furpafs all that had 
 gone before it. Unknown to the proud empires ot the eaft- 
 ern hemifpherc, which vainly flattered themlelves that they 
 divided the world among ft them, this power was then filently 
 advancing from conqueft to conqueit, and the Roman eagle 
 was by degrees ftrcngthening her wing, and preparing to take 
 her flight round half the globe. The fuccefiion of thofe great 
 monarchies, thofe makings of the heavens and the earth, t&s 
 ihakingof all nations, led gradually and imperceptibly to that 
 happy conjuncture, that tuhiefs of time, that matuihy of di- 
 vine counfel which Suited the introduction of Chriiltanity. 
 They arofe one after another, they enlarged one upon another, 
 till at length the genius of Rome, under the peimiflton of 
 heaven, triumphed over and (wallowed up all others, and ex- 
 panded, opened, united, confolidated, that w i de-ex ten 
 well-informed, civilized empire, through which the gofpel of 
 Chnit was deflincd to make a progrefs fo rapid and fo fuccefs- 
 ful. To favour this great event, to procure attention to the 
 Author and finifher ot our faith, and to render the lit It app 
 ance of our holy teligion at once- more aug'.ift and more fe- 
 cure, the druggies of ambition which had fo long Biaken 
 world, thofe reftlefs contefts for fuperiority, iubhded at 
 Suddenly and unexpectedly, into univerfal peace. That ftofm? 
 ocean, which had been for ages and generations in contii 
 agitation, now all at once funk into a furpriling calm - r ttoe 
 bloody portal of Janu«, which had [o 1c : 
 delirucfion to mankind, was fhut, and the glebe ww 
 
 eve/fpreal- 
 
4 o HiSTOiiY Of [Left, in 
 
 overfpread with tranquillity, relieved from the din of arms, 
 from the confufed noife ot the warrior, and the horrid fight 
 of garments rolled in blood, in order to receive the Prince of 
 Peace. 
 
 The making of the nations, as paving the way for the define 
 of -all nations, is finking to the contemplative mind in another 
 point of view. Philofophy rode triumphant, every queftiort 
 relating to phyfics, morals, politics fcience, religion, Was free- 
 ly canvafled ; and the noife of the fchools in many inflances 
 drowned that of the enfanguined plain. The introduction of 
 Chriftianity was preceded by a remarkable diffusion of knowl- 
 edge, and the radiance of fcience ufhered in the gofpel day, as 
 Aurora announces the approach of the fun, and prepares the- 
 world for it. Egypt, Perlia, Greece, and Rome, poured from 
 their feparate urns, thofe diftintl rills of fcience, which meet- 
 ing in one great channel, became a mighty flood, and overfpread 
 the vaft Roman empire. And thus was Revelation enabled to 
 give a molt illuftrious proof of its coming down from above, 
 by diffufing over the world, all at once, a light fuperior to aft 
 collected human wifdom in itsbrighteft glory. And need we 
 afk who it was thai thus fhook and fettled the fea and the dry 
 land, who regulated the vaft engine, who conducted all thefe 
 great events, and brought them to one iflue, concurrence and 
 conclusion? At the fame period of time, the proinifed Mefliah 
 carne : the greateft empire that ever exifted was at the height 
 ot its glory : learning flourilhed beyond what it had done in 
 any former age : and the world was blefled with univerfal 
 peace. A coincidence of fatfo, every one of which is in itfelf 
 fo extraordinary that it cannot be paralleled by any othef 
 times clearly points out the hand of that fupreme, over-ruling 
 power, who from eternity beheld the great plan bf his provi- 
 dence through its whole extent, who alone M can declare the end 
 from the beginning, and from ancient times' the things which 
 are not yet done," faying, " My counfel mall Hand, and I will 
 do all my pleafure " 
 
 To put this beyond all doubt, let it be obferved, that thefe 
 events took their rife in remoter! ages, and were prepared in 
 times and countries far diftant from and unknown to each oth- 
 er. Empire which fprang uparnidft the (even hills of Rome ; 
 Science nurft in the academic groves of Greece ; and religion 
 from the obfeure vales ot Judea, all met at one grand crifis. 
 To one another unknown, they muft have been conduced by 
 the hand of Providence. But meet they did, and peace from 
 heaven crowned them with her olive. And thus were the 
 
 nation % 
 
Left. III.] JESUS CHRIST. *i 
 
 nations fhaken, to prepare the way of the Lord ; thus " the 
 Valleys were exalted, and the mountains and hills laid low, 
 the crooked made ftraight, and the rough places plain," and 
 the high and afpiring thoughts or men were brought into cap- 
 tivity to the obedience or Chnft. 
 
 But the heavens and the earth were literally fh a ken, at the 
 coming of M the defire of all nations." Witnefs that new cre- 
 ated (tar which conducted the eaftern Magi to the place where 
 the Saviour was born ; witnefs thedefcent of Gabriel and a 
 multitude or the heavenly hofl, to anno jnce his arrival ; and wit- 
 nefs the other appearances of celefhal fpirits to miniftVr to the 
 Lord or Glory in his temptation and agony, at* his refurreclion 
 and afcenfion into heaven ; witnefs the defcent of Mofcs and 
 Elias to the mount of transfiguration ; witnefs too the eclipfe 
 of the fun beyond the com fe of nature, which marked the hour 
 of his death, the quaking of the earth, the reading of the rocks, 
 the riling of the dead : witnefs the voice from heaven which, 
 like thunder, oftener than once, Oiook the echoing air, while 
 God himfelf declared his well beloved Son, and demanded 
 attention for him. All thefe confirm the teftimony of the 
 Prophet, they point it tothe Lord Jefus, and infpire joy un- 
 speakable and full of glory, on difcovering the perteel coinci- 
 dence between prediction and event. To this aulpicious, this 
 all important era we are now brought ; and the next Leclure, 
 with the divine permiilion, will detail the remarkable circum- 
 ftances which immediately preceded, or which accompanied 
 the birth of Chnft. 
 
 And was all this mighty preparation made to introduce a 
 mere man of like paiTions with ourfelves ? Were the heavens 
 from above and the earth beneath ftirred to meet him at his 
 coming ? Did flaming miniifers defcend fingly and in bands, 
 did departed prophets revifit the earth, and the dead bodies of 
 faints arifeto do homage to a creature, their equal, their fel- 
 low ? It is not to be believed. But finely this is the Son ot 
 God ; and to receive him, coming for our falvation, what fo- 
 lemnity ot preparation was too great ^ hat homage of angels 
 and men too fubrniflive, what teftimony of created Nature too 
 ample ? " Hofanna to the fon ot David, bleiled is he who 
 cometh in the name of the Lord, Hofanna in the higheft." 
 
 Is his name and defcription "the defire of all nations?" 
 how fniy applied ! Is light defirable to the henigh'cd, bewil- 
 dered traveller in a land ot fnares and of the fhadow of death ? 
 Is pardon defirable to a wretch condemned? Is the coo i ig 
 dream defirable to the parched pilgrim, and bread :o the him 
 
 f 
 
42 HISTORY ©F f*Le£l. III. 
 
 gry perifhing wretch ? Is the friendly haven defirable to the 
 .tempeft-toffed mariner, and liberty to the languishing captive ? 
 What then to an ignorant, guilty, periming world mull that 
 Wonderful man be whom Providence has railed up to be " a 
 hiding place from trie wind, and a covert from the tempeft ; 
 «s rivers of water in a dry place ; as the (hadowof a great rock 
 in a weary land." 
 
 But what if when he (hall appear, defirable as he is, a blind 
 world fhall fee" no form orcomelinefs in him, no beauty why 
 lie fliould be defired ?" Afflicting thought ! 'He was defpif- 
 cd jnd rejected of men ?" " He came to his own and his own 
 received him not." They * denied the holy one, and the jufl, 
 and defired a murderer to be granted unto them" The cry 
 was" away with him, crucify him ;" his " blood be upon 
 us and upon our children !" O Lord, remove the film from 
 the eyes of thole prejudiced Jews ; difpofe them to receive 
 4 *The Prince of Peace," let him be all their falvation and all 
 their dehre. Lord remove the film from my eyes that I may 
 fee in him, whom God the Father hath fent and fealed, one 
 *' fairer than the children of men ; into whofe lips grace is 
 poured :" that though he may be " unto the Jews a Humbling 
 block, and unto the Greeks toolimriefs, He may be unto us 
 who believe, Chiiff, the power ot God, and the wifdom o£ 
 God." Amen. 
 
 LLO'UKE 
 
Left. IV.J JESUS CHRIST. 43 
 
 LECTUR3 Ivr. 
 
 LUKE I. 1 1 — 20. 
 
 And there appeared unto him an Angel of the Lord flan din p- on 
 the right fide oj the altar of incenfe. And wh?n Zacharias 
 faw him he was troubled and fear felt upon him. But the 
 Angel find wto him, Fear not, Zacharias : For thy prayer is 
 heard j and thy zufe Elizabeth /hall bear thee a/on % and thou 
 fhalt call Ins name John, And thou [halt have joy and g'-ad- 
 nefs ; and manyjkall rejoice at his birth. For he fhalt be 
 great in the fight of the Lord, and fhalt drink neither wine 
 norjlrong drink ; andhejhall be filed with the Ho'y Ghofl, 
 even frovi his mother's womb, sind many of the children of 
 lfrael /hall he turn to the Lord their God, And he flia'l go 
 before him in the/pint and Power of Eli as, to turn the hearts 
 of the Fathers to the children, and the df obedient to the wif- 
 dom o/ the jufl ; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord, 
 And Zzcharias (aid ante the Angel, whereby Jkatl L know 
 this ? For L am an old man, and my wife well flricken in 
 years. And the Angel anfwering find unto him, Lam Gabri- 
 el, that fland in the prc/ence of God; and amfent to (peak, 
 unto thee, and to Jhew thee the fe glad tiaings. And, behold, 
 thou fliatt be dumb, and not ab'e to fpeak, until the day that 
 thefe things fliall be performed, becau/e thou btlicvfl not my 
 words, nxhickjlull be fulfilled in their Jeafon. 
 
 11 r I 'HE prophecy came not in old time by the will of man ; 
 A but holy men ot God fpake as they were moved by 
 the Holy Ghott." Being determined through the courfe of 
 thefe exercifes to avoid every thing that has the appearance ot 
 controverfy, I take it tor granted that you believe and re- 
 ceive the hiitory of our blefled Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrifl, 
 as delivered in the tour gofpels according to Matthew, M^rk, 
 Luke, and John, as ot divine mfpiration and authority. 
 Of the tour Evangflifts two were ot the number of the 
 twelve whom Chnli called to the office ot apoftlefhip, 
 and who recorded events of which they were witneii'es 
 and partakers, and tr«mfcnbed difcourfes which they heard 
 and well remembered. The other two derived their in- 
 formation 
 
44 
 
 II I S TO & Y OF [$- e &- Iv ° 
 
 formation immediately from thofe " who from the be- 
 ginning were eye witnelles and rninifters of the word." 
 Their harmony, in every particular oi any importance, is a 
 proof oi the truth and certainty oi each individually, and of 
 the whole, John, as one borne aloit on the wings of an eagle, 
 afcends into the heaven of heavens, and begins his account of 
 his beloved Mafter with a fubl'me and interefting reprefenta- 
 tibn of his divine nature'; for which we refer you to Lec- 
 ture I. Mark introduces " the beginning of the gofpel of 
 Jefus Chrift the Son ot God," with the voice of a lion M cry- 
 ing in the wildernefs, prepare ye the way ot the Lord, make 
 his paths ftraight." Luke ufhers in the great Prophet, " the 
 defire of all nations,'' with an account oi the conception and 
 birth of his forerunner John the Baptift, and is o»" courfe led 
 to extract the commencement of "the evangelical, out of the 
 legal difpenlation : and he fets out with exhibiting Zacharias 
 in the exercile of the prieft's office. Matthew commences at 
 once with thehiilory of Chriti's humanity, as the fon of Da- 
 vid, the ion oi Abraham. For thefe reafons, the four facred 
 hiflorians of the New Teftament difpenlation have been 
 di'ltinguifhed by cbrrefpondihg fymbolical reprefentations, 
 analogous to the vifion of the prophet Ezekiel, Matthew by 
 the face of a man, Mark by that of a lion, Luke by that of ah 
 ox, and John by that of an eagle. 
 
 St. Luke was by profefjion a phyfician ; he became early a 
 profelyfe to the Jewifh religion, and he is generally fuppofed 
 to have been one of ChriiVs fir ft difciples, and ot the number 
 of the feventy whom " He lent out two and two into every 
 city and place, whither ne himfelt would come.'* After he 
 had concluded the hiftory of our Lord himfeif, at the period 
 ol his afcenhon into heaven, he undertook that ot the acts of 
 the Apollles, and he addreftes both his books to a perfon of 
 amiable character and exalted rank, named Theophilus, and 
 in him, to every lover of God, in every age of the Church, 
 who is defirous to know " the certainty otthe things wherein' 
 he has been inftru6ted." On the converfion of St. Paul to the 
 Chrift ian laith,he feems to have attached himfelt with much 
 zeal and affection to that great Apoftle of the Gentiles, he be. 
 came voluntarily the companion of his travels and affli6f,ions, 
 and brought down his hiftory to his arrival at Rome as & 
 prifoner, on an appeal to the Emperor Nero. His gofpel and. 
 hiftory of the a£ts were probably fubmitted to the infpetlion 
 ot his illuftrious fellow-traveller, and received the feal of his 
 approbation. In the preface to the gofpel inferibed with his 
 
 name, 
 
LecL iv.] jEsus christ. 4$ 
 
 name, he modeftly, yet with firmnefs, lays claim to the great, 
 thecflential qualification of a hillorian, namely, accurate and 
 complete information respecting his Subject., M having," f d ys 
 he, " had perfect undcrftanding of all things, from the very 
 firft:" and the pro fe fled end which he had in view is no leSs 
 worthy of a great and enlightened mind, that arefpected friend 
 might be eftabhflied in the knowledge, faiilu and hope of the 
 gof'pcl. The tongue of prophecy had now been blent tor 
 more than four hundred years. The laft word which it had 
 fpoken announced the fending of Elijah the prophet, to pre- 
 cede the great and notable day of the Lord, to work a remark- 
 able change in the temper and character of mankind, to pre- 
 vent the earth fiom being M fmitien with a curie," 
 
 A period of darknefs and diforder Succeeded. The land 
 which had been for ages fo renowned in hiftory feems as if 
 blotted out of the globe ; the people, which had been hung 
 up as a fign before the eyes ol lo many fucceffive generations, 
 feems to be extinguished and loft ; the predictions and prom- 
 ifes which conferred upon them Such high importance, and du- 
 ration fo extended, feem to have been defeated and rendered 
 of no ef7e6L 'The throne of David, whofe permanency was So 
 often, and fo Solemnly declared, has iunk into the earth and 
 difappeared. The representative of the royal line of Judah 
 is Sunk into an humble carpenter: andali hope of revival is at 
 3n end. But the Lord hath fpoken- and (hall he not do it, he 
 hrith promifed and Snail he not bring it to pafs ? Yes, but not 
 at the feafon, nor in the way which human wifdom would 
 have prefcribed, nor by means which human wifdom would 
 have employed. Behold light once more, and Suddenly, 
 ihines out ol darktiefs : the land of Ifrael rifes once more into 
 importance ; Jerufalem rears her head among the nations, the 
 ftar of Jacob ariSes, '* a rod Springs- out of the Hem oi Jefte, 
 and a branch out of his roots;" and the glory of the latter 
 temple eclipfes that of the former. 
 
 The Lvangelift informs us that at this eventful period Her- 
 od was King of Judea. Princes are often among the inferior 
 aclors in the great drama of Providence. Their will (hakes 
 'the nations of the earth, but the hearts and arms of Kings 
 themSeives are in the hands of the Lord to be by him turned 
 which way Soever he will. This man has by Some been dKnifie4 
 with the addition of M the great :" an appellation more fre- 
 quently beftowed as a reward to fplendid vice, than as a trib- 
 ute to mode ft merit. Herod the great ! and yet a paltry fubfti- 
 tute of ft Romsto Empcior, an habitual {Jave to the vilefl of hu- 
 man 
 
46 history of [Left. iv. 
 
 man panTiom, envy, hilt, jeakmfy, cruelty, revenge. The in- 
 spired penman gives him no names, either go d or bad, but 
 fimply teils his itory as tar as it is connected w.th that ot Him 
 by whom " Kings reign and Princes decree judgment." The 
 reign or Herod tons lerves merely as a prologue to introduce 
 the more important name ; and hiftory ot an ancient, obfcure 
 prieit called Zacharias, and our attention is initantly called a- 
 vay from the fplendor, noife and intrigue ot a bufy, vain-glo- 
 rious, debauched court, to contemplate the humble concerns 
 or a private-family , and the noifelefs performance ot a religous 
 fervice. 
 
 . How different are the ideas affixed to the terms great and 
 little by fober reaion and popular opinion, by the wifdom of 
 God and the tolly ot man ! Weighed in the balance ot the 
 fancfuary, Herod fawning on Auguftus, or on one ot his ta- 
 vorites, diffolvcd in luxury, itained wnh blood, inilamed with 
 resentment, is little and contemptible ; while the aged prieft, 
 reconciled to the will ot God, who had written him childlels, 
 puriuing the calm tenor ot his wuy, fulfilling the unoitenta^ 
 tious duties ot his place and itation, '' ngtheous before 
 God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances ot the 
 Lord, blamtleis," commands affection, eiteem and refpect. 
 This venerable pair, Zacharias and Elizabeth, were both of 
 the tribe of Levi, on which the office ot piiellhood was en- 
 tailed, iio h nature and religion taught them to confider the 
 gift ot children as a blefling ; but the hope ot that bleffing 
 they feem now calmly to have reftgned, and they are qu leily 
 iinKing into the decline of life, if not with the conlolauon of 
 leaving their name and office to their children, poffeffing nev. 
 erthelcfs that of mutual affection, ot a devout fpirit and a con- 
 science void ot offence. The midnight of nature is the dawn- 
 ing ot the day of grace ; and he who in wifdom and jultice 
 bungs to nought the wifdom ot the worldly prudent, '• raifeth 
 up tne poor out ot the dull, and litteth the needy out of the 
 dunghill, that he may fet him with princes, even with the prin- 
 ces ot his people. He maketh the barren woman to keep 
 houfe, and to be a joytul mother of children." 
 
 The Prince ot Peace is ready to make his public entrance 
 on the grand theatre, and it is time tor his harbinger to pre- 
 pare the way, and for the herald to announce his approach. 
 And where thall we look tor him ? Turn your eyes to Judea, 
 to Jerufalem, to the temple. See, the lot is prepared, to de- 
 termine whofe turn it fhould be to burn incenfe before the 
 Lord in the holy place. Providence prefides over it, and 
 
 Zacharias 
 
Left. IV.] Jesus CHtfist. 4J 
 
 Zacha ias is taken. Behold him, with joy accepting the fac- 
 red talk ot paying a grateful tribute ot'praife to God, and ot 
 alii Ming the prayers ot the people without, with the com- 
 manded perfume of the altar of incenle. Behold him entering 
 within the veil, under the mixed emotions ot godly fear, and 
 exalted delight, to worfhip trnt God who once reiided there in 
 fenhble glory, but from which the glory had long departed. 
 All is folitude and filence ; the unextinguilhed light that burnt 
 continually before Jehovah lends its flame to fet on fire the in* 
 cenfe, when lo, the luftre of material fire is loft in the brighter 
 glory ot the great Archangel, and the iolemn filence is bioken 
 by the melodous accents ofa cekftial voice. Gabriel who five 
 hundred and forty years before, announced to the prophet Dan- 
 iel the commencement of the determined weeks which ihouid 
 precede the Mefhah's day, now announces to Zachariah their 
 confummation. He opens the fealed book, of prophecy, and 
 to his afronimment informs him that the promifed coining of 
 Elias, with which the ancient canon clofed, was near at kand ; 
 that this great prophet mould appear in the perfon of a foil ok 
 liis own, whom God by a fp^cial difpenfation of his provi- 
 dence was railing up to fulfil the Scriptures, to turn many of 
 the children ot Ifrael to the Lord their God, " to go before 
 the Saviour in the fpirit and power ot Elias, to turn (lie hearts 
 ot the fathers to the children, and the difobedicnt to the wif- 
 dom of the juft, to make ready a people prepared tor the 
 Lord." How is the pride of Kings levelled to the - dull before 
 an appearance like this ! How many princes and potentates 
 have arilen, and fallen, and funk into oblivion fince Gabriel 
 lad vifited the earth ! How have the kingdoms of this vtorfd 
 been fhaken during the courfe of five centuiies ! How ohen 
 has the feat ot empire changed, and the globe changed its in- 
 habitants \ but the heavenly meffenger enjoys unfading iuflre 
 and undiminished flrength. The purpofe of the Eternal has 
 been proceeding all the while and the convuihons and conten- 
 tion of the nations have been working (be r ghteoufnef* oi* 
 God, and preparing the: way for the king. lorn of peace and tave. 
 The appearance of an angel, however, though lent on an er- 
 rand ot mercy, though delivering a meflage oi grace Ironaon 
 high, is an object of terror to Iraii mortality. 4 ' When 7. . 
 Arias faw him he was troubled, and fear fell upon 
 it the upright and biamelefs man tremble at the i>refenceoi an 
 angel, M where fhall the ungodly and the tinner appear," when 
 * { the Lord himielf mall be revealed from heaven in fldiisssrg 
 lire, taking vengeance Oil ^ them that know, not GoJ acid tr 
 
4$ h i s t o r y o f [Left, i v, 
 
 bey net the gofpel ! 5> The triumph of goodnefs is the glory ol 
 a really fuperior being. The Angel that" flands in the pref-* 
 ence of God," exults not. in the confufion of a frail mortal, 
 but faid to him " fear not, Zacharias." The infolence of fupe- 
 riority, and the delight oi outfhining, of dazzling, ot diitreil* 
 ing an inferior, are the charafteriftics of a little ibul, of fome 
 angels falfely fo called ; thofe who are truly fuch condefcend- 
 ingly (ink to the level of thofe who are beneath them, or af- 
 fectionately raife the humble up to their own. In the pref- 
 encQ of God all diffinclions vanifh ; Gabriel and Zacharias 
 are tellow creatures, fellow fervants, fellow dependants; 
 the inferior being makes himfelr known by his timidity, the 
 fuperior by his. benevolence and love : this marks the 
 difference, trie affe&irig difference which purity and guilt have 
 rnade. 
 
 The flaming minifter addre fifes the attendant on the earthly 
 fan&uary, with all the familiarity andeafeofancientfriendfhip ; 
 the de fires of his heart, the fubjeft of his prayers are well 
 known to him ; he has all along been the fympathizing, though 
 unfeen, unknown witnefs ot his anxieties and diitrefTes, and he 
 efieems it an honour and a happinefsto be employed as the 
 meffen'ger of glad tidings to a pious, fuffering human being. 
 Zacharias had long ago ceafed from expefting, had ceafed 
 from' praying for the building- up of his own houfe, but 
 he waited for the confolatioh of Ifrael, he continued in- 
 flant in prayer for the rebuilding of the tabernacle of David 
 which was fallen down, and lo, God at length beftows, as he 
 did upon Solomon, not only the blefTing which he allied, but 
 that alfo which he afked not ; namely, a fon to fupport the 
 honour of his own name, and the promife of the Son that 
 mould be born, the Child that mould be given, in whom all 
 the families of the earth mould be blefied. The injunctions 
 of the law refpefting Nazarites are repeated and applied to the 
 prefent cafe, and the future greatnefs and importance of this' 
 miraculous child, in the fcaieof Providence, are foretold ; and 
 Zacharias has the fatisfaclion of hearing that he was to be the 
 father of him who fhouid be the accompliihment of ancient 
 prophecies, " The voice crying in the wildernefs," the finger 
 to point out to mankind " the Lamb of God, which taketh a- 
 way the fin of the world." 
 
 Terror gives way by degrees to feelings of a different kind, 
 and, with the glory ot the heavenly virion before his ever., 
 with the faith of father Abraham, in fimilar circumflances, ar. 
 an encouragement to his own, and with the manifold instan- 
 ces 
 
Left. IV.] JESU3 CHRIST. 4Q 
 
 ces which the hiflory ot his own country afforded of (imilar 
 interpolition, he converfes with flefli and blood, he /taggers at 
 the promife through unbelief, and for a moment forgets that 
 with God all things are pollible. The angel veuchfates to ex- 
 plain himfelf to the unbeliever ; his incredulity (hall not fruf- 
 trate the purpofe ot Heaven, nor evea divert into a different 
 channel the mercy which he doubted ; but his frailty (hall not 
 go wholly unpunifbed, he (hall be wounded in thole faculties 
 which he had fo ill employed as the avenues to his mind, the 
 tongue which dared to exprefs the language ot doubt and fuf- 
 picion mutt undergo a temporary filence, the ear which would 
 not admit the communications ot an Archangel, fhall be (hut 
 for a feafon againft the delights of focial intercourfe, and the 
 fign which he unwifely demanded fliall bear upon it a mark of 
 diipleafure. Striking mixture of goodnefs and fevcrity, ot 
 goodnefs unbounded, and feverity retrained ! Striking view 
 ot the fu pre me power pofTeffed and exercifed by the great 
 Lord ot Nature, over all our powers and pofleffions. Me who 
 bellowed the gitt of fpeech on man can withdraw it in a mo. 
 ment ; or confound it fo as to be no longer a medium ot cons- 
 munication between mankind ; He can confer it on the dumb 
 afs t© reprove "' the madnefs ot the prophet ;" or inftanfarie- 
 oufly communicate it, in all its different forms, to the ignorant 
 and illiterate, for the inftruction and falvation of the various 
 nations of the earth. Let a gift fo preciOul never be vilely 
 profaned as an organ ot fdlfebood, pride, luff, or profanity. 
 
 The words ot the Angel all meet their accomplifliment in 
 their feafon. The pretended oracles of paganifm were con- 
 strained to veil their prophetic enunciations in terms of my fie- 
 ry and obfeurity ; they fpake with timidity and caution ; 
 they clothed their refponfes and mandates in general and am- 
 biguous exprefhons, which fuperftltion might interpret what 
 way foever it would ; and which any event might be wrefled 
 to juflify and fupport ; but the lively oracles of God are mi- 
 nute, diflincl, intelligible and pointed ; he who runs may read 
 them; they clothe predictions with fuch an exa£inefsof circum- 
 ftance ; they appeal to events fo near at hand, fo obvious to in- 
 vefligatiorvhat it is impcflibletomiliakeonc thing for another.to 
 confound one with another. Zachariass dumhnefs, the feafon ot 
 bis being attacked with it, the unexpected, miraculous pregi 
 of Elizabeth, the birth of the child according to ih< ;imeot life, 
 thefudden rcftoration of the Father's hearing and fpeeeh, at the 
 very moment predicted, were all matters of public notoi: 
 every one lingular in itfe!< bole taken in connexion h 
 
 G gular, 
 
$<d HISTORY Of [Left. IV. 
 
 Angular, as to mark the intereft which eternal Providence 
 took in an event, at firft fight, cf no great general importance, 
 but in its effects and confluences involvingthe fate ot nations, 
 the everlafting destination of worlds. 
 
 What ! all this Hate and magnificence ; the trumpet of 
 prophecy refounding, the prince of Angels delcending, to pro- 
 claim the advent of merely a man with raiment of camels' 
 hair, with a leathern girdle about his loins ! The Ruler or the 
 Univerfe, be allured, is not fo lavilh of extraordinary difplays 
 of his power and wifdom. If the true Go$ appear, it is on an 
 creation worthy of a God. And if this be the preparation 
 made for the appearance of the fervant, what ftate mall pre- 
 cede the entrance of the Sovereign ? Gabriel, I forefee has a- 
 nothermefiage to bring, a multitude of the heavenly hofl is 
 on the wing, to announce a greater than John Baptift, even 
 Him of whom John Baptift himfelf fays. '* There ftandeth one 
 among you, whom ye know not ; He it is who coming after 
 me is preferred before me, whofe fhoes' late he 1 1 am not wor- 
 thy to unloofe." This lolcmn preparation foi the manifefta- 
 tion of God in the flefh, if God permit, will be the fub- 
 ject of the next Lecture. I now conclude with the following 
 reflection : 
 
 I. Angels, we perceive, take a lively, an affectionate, and 
 a companionate intereft in the affairs of men. " Are they not 
 all mirjiftering fpiiits, lent forth to minifter for them who (hall 
 be heirs of falvation ?" The " little ones" of Chrift's family, 
 the little in age and ftature, the little in condition, muff not be 
 cefpifed, " for I fay unto you," are his emphatic words, " that 
 in heaven their angels do always behold the face ot my Father 
 which is in heaven :" and " There is joy in the prefence of 
 the angels of God over one (inner that repenteth." What 
 condefcenfion on the part of beings fo highly exalted ! What a 
 protection provided for the feeble ! What encouragement 
 propofed to the penitent ! " The angel of the Lord encamp- 
 eth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.' r 
 Pleafing, awful thought ! The hoft of heaven guards my path 
 and my bed, watches over my lying down and rifing up ; but 
 their eyes are continually upon me, I am '* compafled about 
 with a great cloud of witneffes," they bear teftimony to what I 
 am, whither I go, how I am employed. Is the eye of a child 
 a guard to virtue ? What holy circumfpefclion and watchful- 
 nefs, then, what earneflnefs and perfeverance in well doing, 
 what abhorrence of that which is evil, ought the infpe6tio« of 
 an angel, ought the all-feeing eve ot God to produce ? *' He 
 
 fhall 
 
Left, iv.] jesus christ, 51 
 
 (hall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy 
 ways ;" " keep," therefore, " thy heart with all diligence ; for 
 out of it are the iifues or" life." 
 
 2. From a preparation thus folemn and magnificent what 
 are we not to expect ? Four thoufand years have been employ- 
 ed in making it ; a proceflion of patriarchs, of prophets, of 
 fages, or prieirs, of potentates, has parted on before in uninter- 
 rupted fucceflion ; angels have defcended from heaven : 
 Surely He who thus cometh is the Son ot God. " When he 
 bringeth in the firft begotten into the world, He faith, M And 
 let all the angels of God worihip Him :*' And " unto the Son 
 He faith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever ; a fceptre 
 of righteoufnefs is the fceptre or thy kingdom :" for" Thou, 
 Lerd, in the beginning, haft laid the foundation of the earth ; 
 and the heavens are the works of thine hands." " Flis name 
 lhall endure lor ever : his name (hall be continued as long as 
 the fun : and men (hall be bleiied in him : all nations (hall call 
 him bleifed. Blefled be the Lord God, the Godof Iirael, who 
 only doth wondrous tilings : And bleffed be his glorious name 
 lor ever and ever ; and let the whole earth be filled with his 
 glory. Amen, and amen." 
 
 3. Though predicted events are ftriclly conformable to 
 the word of prophecy, they nevenhelefs, in many cafes, con- 
 tradict, difappoint and far exceed human expectation. The 
 prophets themfelves had not always a diitin6f. and complete 
 perception of the object which they were com mi (honed to hold 
 up to the eyes of the world. Thofe " holy men of God fpake 
 as they were moved by the Holy Ghoit." The agents em- 
 ployed in the accompli (hment of prornife and prediction, lit- 
 tle underftood the part which they a&ed. They thought of 
 nothing lefs ; they intended nothing lefs. They were uncon- 
 scious inftruments in the hand of God to execute a purpofe, 
 which had they known they would have ftriven to defeat. 
 44 The heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing. The 
 Kings of the earth let themfelves, and the rulers take counfel 
 together, againft the Lord, and againfl his anointed— He that 
 fitteth in rem lhall laugh : The Lord fhall have them 
 
 inderi M H I and Pontius Pilate, with the 
 
 Gentiles, and the people oflfrael, gathered together" to pro- 
 m te the caul \ they meant to deftroy it. 
 
 But " of a tru conftrained " to dowl 
 
 ever thy hand and thy counfel determined before to be done." 
 Happy are th m Gabriel and tl other flaming 
 
 min • ' ■ ' :,e volun - 
 
t.0. HISTORY OF [Left. IV. 
 
 tary, the joyful agents under, and together with God, in pro- 
 moting the great work ot Salvation. 
 
 4. Let not man, then, prefume to make his own under- 
 ftanding the meafure of revealed truth, or of divine conducl. 
 <s Who hath dire&ed the ipirit ol the Lord, or Who being 
 his eounfellor hafh taught him ?" It ill becomes a creature 
 confcious to himfelf of fo much weaknefs, of fo much igno- 
 rance, ol fuch liablenefs to error, toereft himfelt into an in- 
 fallible judge, " Search the Scriptures," but with reverence, 
 with humility, with a defire to be infrrucled, not ceniorioully, 
 felf-fufijciently, not to wreft Scripture in favour ot a precon- 
 ceived opinion, or long-eftablifhed dogma. Study the ways 
 of Providence ; but dare not to interpret them according as 
 paflion or prejudice may diciate. " Thy way," O God, *.' is 
 in the fea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footfleps 
 are not known." Scripture is the baft interpreter of Scrip- 
 ture, and Providence of Providence ; and'* if any man will do 
 his will, he fhall know of the doclrine, whether it be of God." 
 Practical conformity to the divine will is preferable to the high- 
 eft attainments in knowledge, and it is the moil direft road to 
 farther dilcovery. 
 
 £. Superior beings are now en obje£r. of terror, and it is 
 confcious guilt in man which clothes them with that terror. 
 They are our friends, they take delight in miniftcring to our ne- 
 ceflities, they cherifh the gracious afFeclions ot elder to young- 
 er brethren, yet the apparition is formidable even to a Zachari- 
 as. But " there is no fear in love ; for perfect love cafteth 
 out fear : becaufe fear hath torment. He that feareth is not 
 made per feci: in love." To that glorious perfection theChrif. 
 tian is encouraged to afpire. We (brink from the idea of a 
 vifit from a departed friend arifing out of the grave, but we 
 look with hope and defire to the day when we (hall be added 
 "to the general aflembly and church of the full-born, which 
 are written in heaven— and to the fpirits ©f juft men made per- 
 fect.." The vifion of one angel, in our prefent ftate of depref- 
 fion, flrikes the mind with awe ; but we hope to come " t© 
 an innumerable company of angels ;" nay " to God the judge 
 ot all," for we come through " Jefus the Mediator of the new 
 covenant, and the blood ot fprinkling, that fpeaketh better 
 things than that of Abel." " Now we fee through a glafs, 
 darkly ; but then face to face : now I know in part ; but then 
 {hall I know even as alfo I am known." 
 
 LECTURE 
 
Lett. JESU3 CHRIST, 03 
 
 LECTUR E V. 
 
 I 
 
 LUKE, I. 25—33. 
 
 .-!"*/ is the fix th Month the angel Gabriel was fent J unte 
 
 a city of Galilee, named Nazareth. To a v I to 
 
 a man, who ft name was Jojtph, of the h&ufe cj David; and 
 the virgin s name was Mary. And the ange 1 c&m her, 
 
 and /aid, hail, thou that art highly favored, the I era u with 
 thee : BUjfed art thou among women. And when /he Jaw him 
 fie was troubled at his faying, and call - tan* 
 
 nr of falutation tkisjhould be. And the angel far d unto her, 
 fear not, Mary : For thou hajljound favor zvith God. . 
 behold, thou JJidli conceive in thy womb, and bring forth 
 a fon, and Jlialt call his name fefus. He /hall be great, 
 JJiall be called the Son ef the Highefi; And the Lord • 
 give unto him the throne of his father David: And he i 
 reign over the houfe of Jacob jor eve? ; dad oj his kingi 
 there JJiall be no t 
 
 EVERY thing in nature, we hare obferved, is revel 
 and diicovery, and yet all is myftcry inexplicable. Every 
 flower oi the held, every pebble in the brook, every leaf on the 
 tree, every grain of farid on the Tea fhore, is a world in minia- 
 ture, pofTefTed of qualities which a little child is capable of ob- 
 ferving and p{ comprehending ; yet at the fame time containing 
 hidden treafures which no Solomon can find out unto perfec- 
 tion. One objeel overwhelms us with its magnitude, the mi- 
 nutenefs of another mocks our refcarch. The Creator here, 
 involving bimfelf in clouds and darknefs, eludes our purfuit ; 
 there, arrayed in " light inacceflible, and full of glory," He 
 jorbids our approach. In all the ways and works of God there 
 is a (implicity level to the meanefl: understanding, and a com- 
 plexnefs which confounds the moit acute and enlarged. It all 
 nature and Providence prcfent this flrange mixture, is it any 
 wander if we find it in the work of redemption ? That giani 
 ?era, called in fciipturc " the fulnefsof time," was now come; 
 even the time for accomphfhing ancient predictions and prom- 
 ifes; for difplaying and fulfilling the purpofcoi the Eternal in 
 the falvation of mankind, by him to whom all the prophets 
 £ive witnefs, and in whom all the prqmifcs are yea and amen, 
 
 la 
 
54 history or [Left. v» 
 
 In order to introduce him with more than royal ftate, God 
 (hook the heavens and the earth, the fea and the dry land; the 
 gentiles preffed toward the appearing ot this grea- light of the 
 world, and kings to the brightnefs of his rifing. To prepare the 
 way ot the Lord, throne was (haken after throne, empire (wal- 
 lowed up empire. Alexander carried his ail-conquering arms 
 into the lerroteft regions of the eaft; Cefar extended his con- 
 quefts as far as to France and Britain in the well : and Augus- 
 tus gave peace to a troubled world. We are now led to attend 
 to the minuter circumirances ot this all-important event. 
 
 We perceive trom the beginning what we are never permit- 
 ted to lofe fight ot to the end, a magnificence that dazzles, con- 
 nected with a plainnefs and ftmplicity which intereft and attract, 
 the heart; declaring at once the Son ot God, and the Son ot 
 man; Him whom angels worlhip, and whom the poorefl ot 
 mankind confider as one of their kinfmen. Obferve the exact- 
 nets ot arrangement in every part ot the plan of Providence. 
 Time is fettled to a moment, place to a point. No defign of 
 heaven can be accelerated or retarded, changed or iruitrated. 
 God faid unto the ferpent, in the day that man by tranfgreflion 
 fell, " I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and be- 
 tween thy feed and her feed; it mail bruife thy head, and thou 
 fhaltbruife his heel ;" and it is not an unmeaning, lifelefs fen- 
 tence, filling up fpace in the facred page. Lo, it awakens into 
 animation and energy, not one tittle ot it (hall fail. 
 
 To accomplish it behold Gabriel is again on the wing ; but 
 not armed with a flaming fword to guard the way ot the tree of 
 lift*, but bearing the olive branch, and the mefTage of peace, 
 announcing a new and living way into the holieft ot all, into 
 the paradife ot God. It there be joy in heaven over one (inner 
 that repenteth, what was the jov of heaven on that day when 
 the great archangel received his commiffion to re vi fit the earth, 
 to convey the glad tidings ot great joy. The celeftial bands 
 adoring pronrate themfelves before the eternal throne ; con- 
 templating this new creation ot God, the morning ftars fing 
 together, and all the fons of God fhout for joy. Thefe things 
 they have for ages and generations been looking- into, the 
 great myftery ot godlineis. God made maniteft in the flefh : 
 they enjoy the exalted delight of beholding % it unfolded, and 
 the time, the fet time, to favour a perifhing world arrived. 
 Gabriel has received his inftruftions ; he flies with tranfport, 
 fuch as angels feel, to execute the will lupreme ; the flaming 
 portal flies open ; myriads of pure fpirits celebrate his defcent 
 with fongs of praife. And whither does he bend his flight ? 
 To learned Athens or imperial Rome ? To give undemanding 
 
 to 
 
Lc£i. V."j JESUS CHRtST. £& 
 
 to the prudent, or to hold the balance o\ power ? No: hut to 
 bring to nought the under ftanding of the prudent, to humble 
 
 the rnigh y and coniound the proud. He is fent to a country 
 favoured indeed or nature and renowned initory but funk in the 
 fcaleol nations, the fkeleton of ancient grandeur, and to a difti ict 
 ofthatdefpifed country proverbially contemptible, and to oneot 
 the lead of the cities of that region, and to one of the poor eft and 
 meaneft of the inhabitants of that city— to a virgin indeed ol 
 Toyal extraction, but fallen into indigence, betrothed to an ob- 
 fcure mechanic, a {hanger in a ftrange place. It is thus that 
 Godchoofe'h " the foolilh things ol the world to confound the 
 wife, and the weak, things of the world to confound the things 
 which are mighty, and bafe things of the world, and things 
 which are defpifed, yea, and things which are not, to bring to 
 nought things which are." 
 
 The deltinations ot the Almighty flamp a dignity and im- 
 portance on perfons, places, and things which they pofleffed 
 not before; to be employed of him is the higheft dignity 
 which the creature can at quire ; to minifter to him, in minif- 
 tcring to the objects of his companion or of his love, is the glo- 
 ry and joy of angels and archangels. Galilee and Nazareth now 
 poffefs an eminence unknown to the mod illuftrious kingdoms 
 andtheproudeff. capitals. He makethhis angels Spirits, but we 
 difcern, andreafon, and converfe through the medium of fenfe. 
 Men cannot rife to the level of angeh, but angels are permitted, 
 for wife and gracious purpofes, to defcend to the level of men, 
 to affume an organized body, to convey their ideas in the ac- 
 cents of the human voice. But can this be a degradation of 
 their fuperior nature ? No : it is its glory and perfe£Hon. To 
 delcend to thofe who are below us, to alpire alter greater re- 
 femblance to thofe who are above us, in this eon fi ft s the real 
 excellency of a created being. We cannot imitate angels in 
 their intelligence and elevation, but in their condefcenfioii 
 and humility we may, and we ought. 
 
 What a contrail have we here, between (he ran!; of the mef- 
 fenger and of the perfon to whom the mefTage is addrefled I 
 But the pre fence and pnrpofe of God level all diftinclions. 
 Mary, the mother of our Lord, rifes, and Gabriel finks, for 
 the Son of God himfelf, ihe Lord ol angels, is about to " 
 upon him the form of a fervant." The evangelifts are min- 
 utely particular in detailing the circum dances which concur- 
 red to imprefs the characters ol truth and importance 
 event. This fpirit of prophecy had lately and unexj 
 beeo. revived in the perlons of Simeon and of - 
 •tkers who were waiting lor tl ilation of Ifi 
 
 - 
 
§6 HISTORY CF [Left. V. 
 
 extraordinary cafe of Zacharias and Elizabeth, which was well 
 known to all who attended the worfliip of the tempie, mall; 
 have excited the public attention and expectation. This is 
 followed, fix months after, by a cafe fHll more extraordinary, 
 more out ot the courle ot nature, and of ftill higher moment, 
 and ot equ.o] notoriety. Opportunity was thereby afforded to 
 the fufpiciou* and incredulous to inquire and examine ; that 
 inquiry mult lead to the difcovery of a cloud of witnefTes, lying 
 dormant in books universally held facred, but neglecled, mif- 
 tmde'rp.o'od and mifapplied : life and fubftance, meaning and 
 luftre, are in a moment given to them by well known and 
 undeniable fa6b. No appearance of a?t or induftry is dif- 
 eernable, but a {Imple, eafy, natural tranfition from (one thing 
 to another. The appearances, indeed, are oiat of the ordinary 
 courfe of nature ; but they are narrated as mere ordinary 
 things ; and the defcent oi- an archangel, and his fpeech and 
 demeanear are defer bed with rio more parade of words, no 
 more labour of thought, than the Springing ot an ear of corn, 
 or the fall of a fparrow to the ground. 
 
 This majeftic, dignified eafe marks the prefence of a God, 
 with whom nothing can be extraordinary or miraculous ; who 
 exhibits perfeas ?.rA events as they really are, whether men 
 will hear or whether they will forbear. The angel reprefents 
 none but objecls of the higheft intereft and importance. He 
 announces the approach of a great prince, who mould afcend 
 the throne of David, who was to exercife unbounded authori- 
 ty, and enjoy e.verlaiting dominion ; who mould be diftin- 
 guivhed by the ftat ; and title of the Son of the Higheft ; and 
 that this extraordinary perfonage mould be introduced upois 
 the grand theatre by the Almighty's creating a new thing up- 
 on the earth. te The Holy Ghoft fhall come upon thee, and 
 the power of the Higheft fhall overfhadow thee; therefore alfc 
 that holy thing which fhall be born of thee fliall be called the 
 Son of God." The Angularity of this wonderful conception 
 and birth was greatly heightened by having been prefigured 
 and foretold at lundry times, and in diners manners; fuch as 
 reternatural birth of Ifaac, of Jacob, of Sampfon, of John 
 ft, and the exprefs and pointed prediction of Ifaiah. " the 
 Lord himfelf (hall give you a fign, behold, a virgin fhall con- 
 e /.ud bear a fort, and fhall call his name Emanuel," God 
 us. All thefe hold u ; 'to us, through a fucceftionof ages, the 
 fubftance of the fir ft threatening to the ferpent, which was at the 
 i arne time the firft promife ofgracato mankind was made, that 
 ' in whomall the familiesof the earth (hould be blefled, and wha 
 I uife the ferpent's head, mould be in a proper and pecu- 
 
 liar fenfe the feed of the woman. Affoniihing and initruclive 
 
 view 
 
[ Led. v .] j £ s u s c h r i s f . 
 
 view of the urideviating fleadinefs of the divine coiinfels ! Hd 
 Willeth and none can let it ; hraven and cartn may pafs away, 
 but his word mall not pafs away, but every one come to pals 
 in his feafori. 
 
 Mary having been referred to her coufin Elizabeth, whofc 
 advanced ftate of pregnancy was to be an additional confirma- 
 tion of her own faith in the promifes of God, as foon as the an- 
 gel dcpaned f'ora her, retired from Nazareth into the hill 
 country of Juda to falute her kmfwoman, and to confer with 
 her on the feveral maniteftations of divine tavor to them. 
 This interview produced another declaration or the intercft 
 that providence took in the event which was pretTmg to its 
 accomplimment ; Elizabeth is not only deftined to be a moth- 
 er in lfrael, a mother of John the Baptift, but fhe becomes al- 
 ready a prophetefs ; (he has a figti given her in her own perfon 
 equivalent to the declaration of the Archangel. " And it 
 came to pafs, that when Elizabeth heard the fahration of Ma- 
 ry, the babe leaped in her womb ; and Elizabeth was filled 
 with the Holy Ghoft : and fhe fpake out with a loud voice, 
 and faid, blefled art thou among women, and blelfed is the' 
 fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the moth- 
 er or my Lord mould come to me ? For, lo, as foOn as the 
 voice or thy falutation founded in mine ears, the babe leaped 
 in my womb for joy. And blefled is fhe that believed ; for 
 there fhall be a performance of thofe things which were told 
 her from the Lord." This fills the virgin's mouth with a 
 long of praife dictated by faith, piety, humility and gratitude ; 
 and thefe are the rapturous {trains which flow from her lips, 
 M My foul doth magnify the Lord, and my fpirit hath rejoiced 
 in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low eflate of 
 his hand-maiden : for^ behold, from henceforth all generations 
 fhall call me blelTed. For he that is mighty hath done to me 
 great things j and holy is his name. And his mercy is on 
 them that tear him, from generation to generation. He hath 
 fhewed ftrength with his arm : he hath fcattered the proud in 
 the imagination of their hearts. He harh put down the mighty 
 from their feats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath 
 filled the hungry with good things : and the rich he hath frnt 
 empty away. He hath holpen his fervant lfrael, in remem- 
 brance of his mercy ; as he fpake to our fathers, to Abraham < 
 and to his feed forever." 
 
 The courfe of nature now takes place, and he who mane 
 fnan, the firfl man Adam, perteft at once, from duff of the 
 ground, and who is able oi thefe ilones to raiie up childrr 
 
 H: Abraham, 
 
£g to I STORY at [Le£t. %t 
 
 'Abraham, raifes up firft John and then Jefus in a way at once 
 miraculous, and natural, according to the way ot fovereign, ir* 
 refifrible power, and according to the time of life. Glorious 
 in eftabliming and fupporting the laws ot nature, glorious in 
 fufpendingand difpenfing with them, we behold thee, O God,, 
 fubduing a!! things to the counfel of thy will, that all fhould 
 be to- the praife ot thy glory. At the end ot three months 
 more, Elizabeth, as it was predicted of the angel, is delivered 
 of a fon- ; the name of John, as the heavenly melTenger di- 
 rected, was impofed on him, the father's fpeech was fuddenly 
 reilored. and the firlt ule which he makes of it is to celebrate 
 the high praifes ot that God, who had made him fuch an illuf- 
 trious example of both mercy and judgment. He " wa- filled 
 with the Holy Ghoft and prophsfied, faying, BleiTed be the 
 Lord God of Ifrael ; for he hath vifited and redeemed his 
 people. And hath raifed up an horn of falvation for us in the 
 houfe of his fervant David ; as he fpake by the mouth of his 
 holy prophets, which have been fince the world began ; that 
 we fhould be faved from our enemies, and from the hand of all 
 that hate us ; to perform the mercy promifed to our fathers, 
 and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he (ware 
 to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, that we, 
 being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might fervc 
 him without fear in holinefs and righteoufnefs before him, all' 
 the days of our life. And thou, child, malt be called the Proph- 
 et of the Higheil : for thou fhalt go before the face ot the' 
 Lord to prepare his ways ; to give knowledge of falvation un- 
 to his people, by the rernifiion of their fins, through tke ten- 
 der mercy of our God : whereby the dayfpring from on high 
 hath vifited us, to give light to them that fit in darknefs, 
 and in the (hadow of death, to guide our feet into thefway of 
 peace." 
 
 And now the way is prepared, the voice is heard crying ia 
 the wildernefs, the forerunner of the Lord has begun his 
 courfe, the Saviour comes. But other mefTengers, of whom 
 we have not yet heard, precede him. Behold yonder comet 
 glare in the eaftern fky, it performs a track untrodden before, 
 the wife men of diitant lands are fummoned to meet hira at 
 his coming, to lay their gifts at his feet ; Auguftus Cefar, the 
 fble regent of half the globe, is prefTcd into the miniftering 
 train, an unconfeious, unintentional fervant to the Prince ot 
 the kings of the earth. 
 
 But here we muff once more paufe and inquire, Is this a 
 cunningly deviled fable, or a real hifiory ? Is it a fanciful rep- 
 
 telentfttioBfe 
 
Lech V\] JESUS CHRIST. 59 
 
 refentation, or the fimple truth ? If it be a fine tiflue woven 
 by a luxuriant imagination, fay fo at once, unbeliever, and re- 
 nounce the fiction in whole, as a rule of faith, or as a ground 
 of hope. Say unrefervedly that the milfion and meffage of 
 the angel is merely a bold eafhrn metaphor : and the whole 
 mere ordinary facis, related with fomewhat more than ihe urn- 
 al pomp of diction, but to let forth only a man ot like pallioiis 
 -with ourfelves, whom the credulous, prejudiced and illiterate 
 are difpofed to receive as a fuperior being — In a word, give 
 up the evangelifts as plain men conveying, to plain men like 
 ihemfe-ives, fimple matters of fact, and recur ar once to unmix- 
 ed, undifguifed deifm. But are thefe things indeed fo ? 
 Were angels fent from God to declare the approach ol what 
 prophets had of old predicted ? Did the Son of the Higheft 
 vouchfafe tobe born of a Woman, and thereby become partaker 
 of fiefh and blood, David's fon, yet David's Lord, then let earth 
 prepare to receive its king. Lo, the angels of God worfhip 
 him. He is the Son of God, he is our Lord, and let us wor- 
 ship him. 
 
 This hiftory aflifts us in corre&ng the falfe fcale of human 
 grcatnefs. Mere we behold the princes and the potentates o! this 
 world finking to their proper level ; Herod, Auguftus Gefar, 
 and perfons of their character and ftation are thrown into the 
 back ground of the piece, while Zacharias, Elizabeth and Ma- 
 ry are brought forward with honour, and to fill a higher des- 
 tination than that of kings. Refpect, by all means, the powers 
 that are, as the ordinance of God, but refpect with higher, with 
 l'upreme veneration, Him who ordained them, to carry on the 
 purpofes of his wifdom and his love. 
 
 Learn, Chriltian, to make a juft eftimate of thy own im- 
 portance in the fcale of being. Thou art a creature of God, 
 formed after his image, a partaker of immortality, de dined to 
 glory and honour. An origin fo dignified confers true nobil- 
 ity ; faculties fo fuperior, profperts fo extended, denote a be- 
 ing of high eftimaiion in the fight of God, and who ought to 
 be of high eitimation in his own eyes. Defile not that fair 
 temple, difcredit not that illuflrious defcent, difhouour not a 
 father's name. But well does it become a creatine To depend- 
 ent, fo frail, fo fallen, fo loft, to be clothed with humility; O 
 man, thou fiindeft in need ot every thing ; what poffeffe ft thou 
 that thou didft not firft receive ? Thou haft hern forgiven 
 all ; by the grace of God thou art what thou art. The reli- 
 gion of Jefus Chrift alone effectually teaches aman to defcend* 
 without degradation, and to rife without pride ; reduces him 
 
 to 
 
6q history of [Left. v. 
 
 to the level of his natural guilt and mifery, and exalts him t& 
 the glorious liberty, and the heavenly inheritance of the fons 
 or God. 
 
 We have here a preternatural, a miraculous conception. 
 It reminds us of our common origin, of our common feeble- 
 nefs, ot our mutual connexion and dependence. God " hath 
 rnade of one blood all nations oi' men, for to dwell on all the 
 lace of the earth." Every man therefore is a brother, and 
 bound to entertain the affections, and to perform the part of a. 
 near kinfman to every man. This confederation I prefs upon 
 you in the words and the fpirit of the Apoflle of the Gentiles : 
 •' For I fay, through the grace given unto me, to every man. 
 that, is among you, noi to think of himfeli more highly than ha 
 ought to think ; but to think foberly, according as God hath 
 dealt to every man the meafure of faith. For, as we are ma- 
 ny members in one body, and all members have not the fame 
 office : fo we being many are one body in Cbrift, and every 
 one members one of another. Having then gifts, diffenng 
 according to the grace that is- given to us, whether prophecy^ 
 let us propriety according to the proportion of faith ; Or min- 
 iflry, let us wait on our miniitering ; or he that teacheth, on 
 teaching ; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation : he that giv- 
 eth, let him do it with fimplieity ; he that nil th, with dili- 
 gence ; he that fheweth mercy with cheerf ulnefs. Let love 
 be without difiimuJation. iVbhor that which is evil, cleave to. 
 that which is good. Ee kindly affeftioned one to another 
 with brotherly love ; in honour preferring one another !" — 
 " Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that 
 weep. Be of the fame mind one towards another. Mind 
 not high things, but condefcend to men of low eftate"— " If it 
 be poflible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all 
 men." " Be not overaome of evil, but overcome evil with 
 good." 
 
 The fubject of the next Le&ure will be the hiftory of the 
 nativityj of our bleiTed Lord, and of the more remarkable 
 circumflances which accompanied that all-important event. 
 May what has been fpoken become " profitable for doclrine, 
 for reproof, for correction, and for inftruction in righteouf- 
 nefs." Amen. 
 
 LECTURE 
 
j^a. VI. J JESUS CHRIST- 6| 
 
 L E C T U R E VI 
 
 I UKE, II. I — I4. 
 
 *And it came to pafs in tkofe (fays, that there went out a dec ft 
 
 from Cefar Aug u/l us, that alt the world JhouUl be taxed, (And 
 this taxing was firfl made **. hen Cyremus was governor of 
 
 Syria. J And all went to be taxed, every one into his own 
 city, fnd Jcfeph alfo went up from Galilee, out of the city 
 of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which, is 
 called B thlehem, fbetau/e he was of the hou/e and lineage of 
 David J to be taxed uith Mary his efpoufid wife, being 
 great with child. And fo it was., that while they were there, 
 the days were accompli fhed thatJheJJiould be delivered. And 
 JJie brought forth her frfl-born fon, and wrapped him in 
 f waddling- clothes, and laid him in a manger ; becauje there 
 was no room for than in the inn. And th<rewere in the fame 
 country fliepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch ov^r 
 their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came up- 
 on them, and the glory of the Lord [hone round about them ; 
 and they were fort afraid. Ah d the angel fa^d unto thejn, 
 Fear not : For behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, 
 which fhall be to all people, For unto you is bom this day, 
 in the city of D avid, a Saviour, which is Chnjt the Lord. — 
 And th>.s fhall be a fign unto you ; yefliallfind the babe wrap- 
 ped in jzoaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And fuddenly 
 there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hoff, 
 praifing God , and faying, glory to God in the highefl % and on 
 earth peace, good will toward men. 
 
 T^ROM the firfl inftant of time until now, every inflant has 
 -*- been difplaying fome new wonder, unfolding lome ncwde- 
 fignoi the Eternal mind. God gives the word. Light arifes, 
 thCearth emerges out of ocean, the firmament is expanded, 
 fun, moon, and flars appear, nature teems with life, man ftaits 
 up out oi the dull, rears his erect form to heaven, mines in his 
 Maker's likenels ; the Creator contemplates the progrefTive 
 glories of his power, and pronoances every thing good. The 
 Lord gives the word, and ocean again covers the earth, Chaos 
 and ancient night refume their empire, the breath of ?very liv- 
 ing 
 
62 HISTORY OF [Left. VI, 
 
 sng thing expires. Again he fends forth his word, the win^ 
 4ows ot heaven are ftopped, the feas retire to their appointed 
 bed, the dry land appears, the bow is feen in the cloud, the 
 Cgn ot God's covenant of peace. The period of every event ie 
 fettled to a moment, the intlrument is provided, the hand is pre- 
 pared. But of ail the events which have taken place fmce the 
 beginning of the wofld, themoft illuftrious and important furely 
 is that recorded in the vf ords now read. The moment ot eve- 
 ry child's birth, is highly interefting, at leaft to the mother.— 
 The birth ot an heir, to a title, to an eilate, to a crown, is felt 
 by thousands, by regions, by empires. 
 
 Here we have the birth ot the " firlt among many brethren,'* 
 of " the heir ot all things," of " the Prince of the kings ot the 
 earth." Toward this eventful hour, time, from the fir ft dawn 
 of light, began to flow in one rifmg, fwelling tide, here it came 
 to its iulnefs, and hence it began to bend its awful courfe to 
 lofe itfelf in eternity again. Toward this, as to their common 
 central point, all the powers of nature are attracted ; from this, 
 as from the tun the central light of the univerfe, glory is in all 
 direclions^difTufed. In the birth ot this wonderful child, all 
 the children of men who lived before, or who arofe after it, 
 have a ferious, an everlafting concern. Is it any wonder, then, 
 that by fo many figns in heaven and figns on earth, that 
 by the tongues of prophets, the decrees of Princes, the revo- 
 lution of empires, the defcent of Angels, the finger of God 
 mould have pointed it out to mankind ? 
 
 The Evangelift, at the beginning ot the chapter, conveys us 
 to Rome, the proud and puiflant miftrefs of the world; the en- 
 Haver of the nations, finking, funk herfelf into flavery. From 
 what particular motive we are not informed, nor is it of much 
 importance to determine, Auguftus Cefar thought proper to 
 jiTue a decree tor making an exacl enrolment of all the fub- 
 jech of his vaft empire. A vain-glorious monarch, who could 
 exultingly call a fiibjiigated hemifphere his own, might be 
 prompted by pride to afcertain the number of flaves deftined to 
 obey him. As it was the boaft of this magnificent prince that 
 he had found Rome a city ot bricks, and was leaving it a city 
 of marble, the fplendour of the capital was no doubt extracted 
 out ot the ruins of the provinces, and enrolment probably was 
 intended to precede taxation. However it was, and on whom- 
 foever befide the decree of the emperor feJl, it affetf ed one lit- 
 tle, poor family in circumftances of lingular delicacy, and fel! 
 upon it with uncommon feverity. Behold the meffenger ot 
 Cefar at the door of an obfeure carpenter at Nazareth ot Gali- 
 lee, fummoning him with all his family to repair to his native 
 
 citv. 
 
LtSi. VI.] JESUS CHRIST, 6^ 
 
 city, to be enrolled in their proper diftrift : and 2s the com- 
 mandments of kings require hafte, and do not always iloop to 
 confult the feelings of the humble and the miferable, he muffc 
 depart on a moment's warning, with his tender companion 
 now in the laft week of pregnancy, poor and unprovided, to 
 a home from which he had been long exiled, and to vifn kinf- 
 men to whom he had become a (hanger. 
 
 But this removal was wholly ordered by the fupreme will of 
 Heaven. The Son of David, who was to re-efhblifh his. 
 throne, could be born no where but in Bethlehem the city of 
 David. Thus the great Ruler of the world had willed, and 
 thus prophecy had declared, And thus Cefar was merely the 
 unconfcious, unintentional minifter of the Son of Mary ; fur- 
 niftiing a link to the chain of evidence refpecling the truth and 
 divine original of Chriftianity, and exhibiting an illuftrious in- 
 itance of the fovcreign control which the great Jehovah pof- 
 fefles and exercifesover the counfels of princes, theconvuifton 
 of nations, the fate of worlds. 
 
 We haften from proud Rome to humble Nazareth, from a 
 haughty defpot to uncomplaining fufferers, from unfeeling 
 power to patient iubmiflion. Behold that delicate woman, ia 
 the moft delicate and interefting of all female fituations, forced 
 from home, conflrained to undertake a painful and anxioui 
 journey in a condition which rendered eafe, and attention, and 
 tendernefs, and the accommodations of fympathy, peculiarly 
 defirable. See her advancing by flow and di if re fling flages 
 towards the refidence of her forefathers, once llluitrious, but 
 now fallen into decay ; to the city of her anceftors, but not to 
 receive the attendance of royal ftate, not to ufher into the world 
 the heir of David's throne, amidft the prayers, and expecta- 
 tions, and kind wifhes of the myriads of Ifrael : no, not fo- 
 much as to enjoy the confolation and fupport which even the 
 poor enjoy in fuch a cafe, to depofit the folicitudeof approach- 
 ing child-birth in the bofom of a fond mother, or fympathiz- 
 ing friend ; alas, not even to partake of the ordinary conven- 
 iences which a traveller has reafon to expect., the general hofpi- 
 tality, and mercenary comforts of an inn :— but to know the 
 heart of a flranger, to fwallow down the bitternefs of neglect 
 to feel the in fait of the proud, and the mercilefs pity of the 
 mean. " There was no room for them in the inn." Bethle- 
 hem was crouded with gueits, but lo, the lineal heirs of the 
 royal houfe of Judah, in the city of David, are fo unconnected^ 
 io forlorn, fo friendleis, that not a door will open to let them, 
 
64 HlsroRV Ob [Left, vi. 
 
 in, not a tongue fay " God relieve you" as they pafs by ; and 
 fo poor, that an apartment in the liable is all the accommoda- 
 tion which, by intreaty, or promife, or by prefenting the tacc 
 of mifery, they are able to purchafe. 
 
 The inevitable hour, to which nature at once looks with 
 hope and fhrinks from with horror, overtakes her ; andunfup- 
 ported, unaflifted, as it mould feem, (he brings forth her firff- 
 born Ton ; and is able at once to perform the earlierl duties of 
 a mother, " fhe Wrapped him in Twaddling clot hes," and with 
 the humility and refignaion becoming her deftitute condition, 
 
 laid him in the manger, " leaving it to Providence to unveil 
 its own fccret counfcis and accbmplijh its own gracious pur- 
 pofes. And thus the Saviour of the world entered upon that 
 ftate of depreffion, poverty andfuffering, which terminated on- 
 ly with his life. 
 
 But the affectingly humiliating fc'ene in the flable at Beth- 
 Jehem of Judah is relieved by the glory of the Lord mining 
 round about it. That Babe neglefcled, unknown, defpifed, 
 outcaft of men, is declared, by the concurring teftimony of 
 patriarchs and prophets, of angels and men, by the (baking of 
 the heavens and the earth, of the fea and the dry land, to be 
 *' the Son of the Higher!." His parentage, his name, the 
 time and place of his birth, the condition of his infant hours 
 have all the feal of heaven upon them. For what end did Ifai- 
 ah prophefy, Alexander conquer, and Auguftus give laws, but 
 to point out to the world the in Man t, the fpot, the defcent, the 
 eftate ifl which the Son of God afiumed our nature, in order to 
 enter on the work of our redemption. 
 
 Preparation is making in another quarter of the globe, to 
 bring a tribute of praiie to the Redeemer of mankind. The 
 Eaft is ready to contribute its gifts, is preparing its gold and 
 Iran kin e'en' fe and myrrh to lay them at his feet. The wife meri 
 of diftant nations, occupied in the ftudy of nature, and atten- 
 tive to the figns of the times, are awaked to inquiry by a filenf. 
 but fhining monitor. The appearance of the flarry heavens 
 was well known to them, they can calculate the diftances and 
 revolutions of each little ftar that fparkles in the expanfe oi 
 heaven ; but in a moment all their fcience is confounded, all 
 their experience is overthrown, by the appearance of a new' 
 created light, in motion and at reft by a law peculiar to itfelf, 
 to fulfil a tranfitory indeed, hut a mod important purpofe, and 
 which having pointed to " the place where the young child 
 Jay," is blotted out of nature, and difappears for ever. 
 
 Now none of " thefe things were done in a corner." Chrif- 
 
 tianiiy 
 
Le£l. vi. ] uschri 65 
 
 <ianity did not iteal in upon the world, without Warning ; all 
 characters and defcri prions of men were called in to give teiti- 
 mony to it, and without acquaintance, concurrence, or co- 
 operation they eftablifh the fame truth. Th e eastern Magi on 
 their arrival at Jerufalermand on explaining the reafon or their 
 journey thither, are not treated as vifionaries, who dreamed ok 
 things that never exifted, but arc liftened to ancl refpefcted as 
 reaionable men inquiring after important tru.h. The attention 
 of Herod, and of all Jerufalem with him, is roufed ; tha» jeal- 
 ous and languinary tyrant, takes every precaution, fets on toot 
 every inquiry that his reigning paflioris could fuggeft, to elu- 
 cidate the cafe ; to fecure polTeihon to himfelf, and to crufh 
 every rival. He fummons the chief prhfts and fcribes of ihe 
 people, confults them refpeclingthe determinations of proph- 
 ecy, as to the birth place of the expected King ot the Jews, he 
 compares their opinion with the report of the wife men, and acls 
 upon the refultot thatcompanfon. A coincidence of perfons and 
 circumftancesfo linking, and all relating to one perfon andone 
 point, mult lead to the acknowledgment and adoration of that 
 God, in whofe hand are the hearts of princes, the deliberations 
 ot councils, the number and motions of all the hoft ot heaven. 
 *' He telleth the number ot the liars ; he calleth them all by 
 their names ; great is our Lord and ot great power; his un- 
 derstanding is infinite." Augultus Cefar, Herod the Magi, 
 the Jewifh Sanhedrim, the inhabitants of Bethlehem, ot Jeru- 
 falem, all concur to give witnefs to yonder babe laid in a man- 
 ger, and they involuntarily a Hi ft in demonllrating 'he certain- 
 ty of thofe things wherem ye have been inftruhrd : that ye 
 might have ilrdng confolation in having fled for lefuge to the 
 hope fet before you. 
 
 But higher teftimony ftill than that of the potentates ot the 
 earth is given to the Lord ot glory. Angels defcend with 
 fongs 10 meet him at his coming ; the gloom ot night is d.f- 
 peli-ed by celellial radiance ; Silence, wel'-pleafed, hears the 
 Iweet melody of angelic notes chanting the glid tidings ot 
 great joy, " unto you is born this day. in the city ot David, a 
 Saviour which is Chriit the Lord." The harmony of a 
 thoufand heavenly voices in chorus join, to celebrate the ad- 
 vent of the Prince ot Peace; to announce to a numbering 
 world Him in whole light they fhme, by whole power they 
 are fupported, in whofe praife they unite, to whofe will they 
 are devoted. What a wonderful contrail ! A defi rted, trie id- 
 lefa mother, a hetplets infant, a ftable, a manger ! Whai bu- 
 mtliation like this humiliation ! A throne above the heavens, 
 'j'jmajje of pii 1 .. . ■ eff\iJ$tnce Qfa Bar to mark tfce w iy 
 1 f 
 
&& history or [Left. vi„ 
 
 to his cradle, the adoration of the glorious hoft- of heaven, the 
 arm of the Lord revealed ! What defign but the falvation of a 
 loft world, what event but the birth of a Saviour, what perfon 
 but the Son of God, could warrmt all this difplay of majefty 
 and might ? Chriftian, keep thefe aftonifhing extremes con- 
 tinually in fig ; t. This is bone ot our bone, an; flefli of our 
 flelh ; " as children are partakers of flefli and blood he like- 
 wife him-felf alfo took part of the fame ; verily he took not on 
 him the nature of angels, but the feed of Abraham. In all 4 
 things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that 
 he might be a merciful and faithful high prieft, in things per- 
 taining to God, to make reconciliation lor the fins of the peo- 
 ple ; for in that he himfeif hath fuflfered being tempted, he is 
 able to fuccour them that are tempted." The fubjett teaches 
 us, 
 
 1. How incompetent judges we are of the ways and works 
 of God. Few events, it any, cortefpond to our preconceived 
 opinions of them From the glimmering that we ha<<e, with- 
 out any light at all fave :he fparks of our own kindling, we 
 take upon us to arrange and decide, and to limit the holy one 
 of Ifrael. Like Naaman the Svrian, we have fettled the mode 
 of cure in our own mind, drefTed it in proper parade and cere- 
 mony, and fall out with the prophet becaufe the fimplicity of 
 the procefs confounds the airy vifion with which our imagina- 
 tion had amuied itfelf. Not knowing the fcriptures nor 'he 
 power ot God, the carnal Jews had drefled out, for Medi- 
 an the prince a throne like Solomon's, of ivory overlaid with 
 gold, had placed him at the head of armies, had furrounded him 
 with yuaids had crowned him with laurels. When the event 
 belied their groundiefs expectations, with Naaman they turned 
 away in a rage, faying, {l Are not Abana and Pharpar, livers of 
 Damafcus, better than all the waters of Ifrael V* " Away with 
 this man, crucify him, not this man but Barabbas." 
 
 2. Obfeive here in how many.inftances God writeth vani- 
 ty on all the glory of man. In the pride of their hearts, the 
 princes and potentates here mentioned, vainly imagined a 
 proftrate world to be alltheirown. Every will muft bend to 
 theirs ; to their pleafure every power and pofTeiTion muft min- 
 ifler ; all the while they are the mere attendants on the royal 
 fiatc of the real Prince. Their names are indeed fome of them 
 {fill had in remembrance, but their power is annihilated, their 
 confequence is fwallowed up, or if any remain, it is derived 
 from the relation which it bears to the fuperior, the command- 
 ing, the undiminished importance ot Him to whom they gave 
 witnefs, and whole ftate, in fpite ot themfelves, they continue 
 
 i- to 
 
Left. VI.] JESUS CHRIST. 67 
 
 to fupport. The empire of Auguftas fpeedily fell under its 
 own weight, and the downfal of Rome quickly followed that 
 of Jerufalem, and '>oth approved the truth and power, and 
 juftice of God : while that child born, that Saviour given, 
 holds Undivided empire, and exercifes unbounded fway. 
 Eighteen centuries have confirmed, not fhaken his authority, 
 and time has dicovcred another hemifphere, Jar more exren- 
 five than the former, and added it to his dominion. Let us 
 again fing, " His name (hall endure for ever His name fhall 
 be continued as long as the fun : aid men (hall be bleffed in 
 him ; all nations fliall call him blefTed. Bleliedbe the Lord 
 God, the God of Ifrael, who only doth wondrous things ; and 
 blefTed be his glorious name for ever, and let the whole earth 
 be filled with his glory." Amen and Amen. 
 
 Auguftus, in the pride of his heart, and an abjeel world in 
 flattery to him, prefixed his name to the age in which he liv- 
 ed—and let this piece of vanity have its fcope. With the 
 claflical, philofophic feholar, let the Auguftan age boaft of a 
 Cicero, a Virgil, a Livy, a Maecenas ; the humble chriffian 
 will rather glory in its having produced light from heaven, 
 which eclipfed al.l human eloquence and wildom in their high- 
 eft fplendor, and, resigning to the fchoolstheir favourite hifto- 
 rians, orators and poets, will rejoice in revolving in their place 
 the hallowed page of Luke, the beloved phyfician, and in lift- 
 ening to the fervid, native, inartificial eloquence of Paul of 
 Tarfus, and above all, in attending to the dignified wifdom 
 which flowed from the lips of him who " fpake as never man 
 fpake." 
 
 3. Finally, this wonderful child born teaches us the value 
 and importance of little children. What human fagacity could 
 penetrate the thick cloud which fhrouded his nativity ? What 
 but the fpirit of prophecy could draw afide the veil which con- 
 cealed his future eminence ? Who but a Simeon could difcera 
 in him the falva.tion of God, and foretel that " this child was 
 let for the fall and rifing again of many in Ifrael ; and for a 
 fjgn which Ihould be fpoken againft ?" And who but He who 
 a ' declareth the end fcrom the beginning, and fromancient times 
 the things that are not yet done, faying, My counfdjlialljlind, 
 and I will do all my pteafure ;" who but He knows what the 
 infant, now drawing its full breath, is one day to become ? 
 What dormant powers may there lie hid ! What a germ of 
 wifdom ready to expand ! What godlike faculties, which are 
 at length to affonifh, to delight, to blefs mankind ! Watch o- 
 ver the expanfion. The precious feed is fown by the hand of 
 the Creator. Mark its fpringing ; mark its progrefs. God 
 
 has- 
 
68 HISTORY. OB [<U£t,. VU 
 
 has done IiTs. p,ar^, parent, matter, miniver, fee that thou do&, 
 thine. " It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven*' 
 that one oi thefe little ones mould perifh." 
 
 The next Lefture will have for its fubjeft the hiilory oi the 
 infancy and childhood of jjefus Chriit May he who conde- 
 scended to become a little child tor our fakes; who, as Hs 
 " vyent about doing good," encouraged the approach of little 
 children, faying, " lufferthem and forbid them not to come 'in* 
 to me : for of i'uch is the kingdom of God :" may he blefs us. 
 with the fpirit of adoption, and endow us with the lovely fim~ 
 plicity, the docility, the fubmiflivenefs of little children, that" 
 we may enter into the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 
 
 LECTURE 
 
£,eft. yij.] jesus chiust. 
 
 LECTURE VII. 
 
 lui;e, ii. 40. 
 
 And the child grezv, and waxed flrong infpirit, filled zuith wif- 
 dom ; and the grace oj God was upon him. 
 
 OF a]l the wonders prefented to us In the woild of nature, 
 man is the greateft wonder to himfelf. His body dud of. 
 the ground, and mouldering back to duff ; reduced to the lev- 
 el of the beafts of the field ; but that duft animated with the 
 breath of life, a living foul, exalted to the rank of angels, an 
 emanation from God himfelf. In him are blended, in a moft 
 wonderful manner three dillinft kinds of life, fanning one 
 glorious individual formed •' after the image of Him who 
 creat-d him." As the tree in the toreft imperceptibly nfes, in- 
 creafes from lownefs and feeblenefs to ftattlinefs and ftrength, 
 and having attained full maturity imperceptibly decays, lo the 
 feeble infant gradually increafes in ftature. changes the grovel- 
 ling into the erect form, rears his head to the vault of heaven, 
 exulting in the greatnefsot his ftrength ; he begins to verge 
 towards decay, he bends to the ground from whence he was 
 taken, and a: length finks into it again. But he is not like the 
 plant rivetted to one fpot. unconicious of exigence, incapable 
 of felf motion. With the other animals around him, he feeis 
 hi mi elf umong his fellows, he rejo ces in fociety. he poiTelTes 
 confeioufnefs, he is directed by motives, he aims at a determin- 
 ate end. But he is not like the beafts that peritn, impelled 
 "by inftinfcl merely, the fla\e of appetite and {eni'c. To the an- 
 imal, the goodnefs of ihe Creator has fuperadded the rational 
 life, the faculty of contemplating that great univerfe of which 
 he conftitutesa part fo eflential, the capacity or ritihg from the 
 effect to the caufe, from the work to the Author : Man en 
 the gift of fpeech, whereby he is rendered capaM" of commu- 
 nicating bis reflections and reafonings, of forming cot! 
 tions of power which awe, control, and diiect the 
 world. 
 
 To mark the prourefs of a human being is an inrerefting 
 and delightful employment — to obferve how the limb . 
 jirmnefs and ftrength, how tke mental powers unfold I 
 
 felves, 
 
£0 HISTORY OF £Lec*t. »1L 
 
 lelves, and ail the padionsof the man, in fucceffion, ftancl con- 
 fefTed. See the fond mother bending with delight over hei? 
 infant, at firfl a littje pliant lump of animated clay, every pow- 
 ;er lying dormant fave one, that of drawing its nourifh- 
 ment from her breaff. By and by the eye begins to feel and 
 follow the 1-ght, the flender neck ftrengthens and fuftains the 
 reclining head ; the babe Imiies, and the parent's heart is over- 
 whelmed wjth joy. Now he can diftinguifh the face of her 
 that fuckles him from that of a Granger, a - leafl (he flatters her- 
 felf he can, while the fbft murmur of infantine fatisfa£fion ex- 
 preffes his gratitude. The figure by degrees becomes ere£l, 
 every limb is in motion, the uncertain tongue attempts to imi- 
 tate the lounds which llrike the opening ear, and tiie ieet prefs 
 downward to the fupporting earth ; tremblingly he totteis into 
 walking, and Hammers into fpeech. The powers of recohec- 
 tion and comparing appear, the fymptoms of pafli >n become 
 vifible, love and averfion, defire and gratitude. The moral 
 fenfe at length begins to dawn, and the man in miniature finds 
 himfelf a limited, dependent, fubject, accountable being ; hence 
 hope and fear, felf-complacency and remorfe. 
 
 We are this evening to contemplate infancy and childhood 
 in their lovelieft and moft attractive form, and in their moft 
 interefting and affecting circumftances. Look yet again to 
 Bethlehem of Judea, and behold the nothingnefs of human 
 greatnefs ; the offspring of kings a ftranger in his paternal city, 
 the heir of David without a place where to lay his head a 
 Sovereign deftitute of all things. When Qod, at the fulnels 
 of time, fent forth his own Son, as he was made of a woman, fo 
 was he " made under the law," fubje&ed to all its rites and 
 reflraints however painful and humiliating, and the Saviour of* 
 mankindi that he might fulfil all righteoufnefs, and become a 
 perfect pattern of obedience, nrft paflively fubmitted to every 
 ordinance of religion, and then by an active and exact con- 
 formity, magnified the law and made it honourable* 
 
 The minuter circumftances of this period of our blefTed 
 Lord's life are not left on record ; thofe excepted which relate 
 to his public character and divine million, for as to thefe 
 Scripture is moft exact and particular. Of the progrefs of his 
 infant mind no traces remain ; n-t a word is laid even of the 
 beauty of his perfon ; though the general terms which the 
 Evangelifts employ warrant us in thinking, that never in child 
 born of a woman did fu-ch early dawnings oi fuperior wifdom 
 appear, that never was human form io perfect. The modefi 
 referve of the hiftorians of Jefus Chrift, in this refpect, feems. 
 to miniftera fevere reproof of the ridiculous details to be found, 
 
 in 
 
left, vii.] jEsrrs CHRIST, y* 
 
 irf modern biography, ot infantine actions and fayings', the 
 fuppofed prognoftics of future eminence and diflinclion. We 
 can forgive a fond mother, nay love her the more for the amia- 
 ble weaknefs, when we hear her repeat the pretty fayings, in- 
 terpret the fig-nificant looks, and defcribe the wonderful deeds 
 of her foul's darling ; but itexcite< pity, if not an ungentler 
 feeling, to be told gravely, from the prefs, of the infipid noth- 
 ings which a great man (aid and did, when he was an ignorant, 
 and filly, perhaps a pert and petulant boy, who probably merited 
 correction where he obtained praife. 
 
 Of our divine Matter we are told what was done to him, not 
 what he did; what wasfaid by others, concerning him, not what 
 he laid concerning either himfelf or others. And thus was he early 
 an inftru6ior of parents to ab (tain from partial and excefTive ad- 
 miration ot their child, en and to little children to cultivate 
 modelty, docility, and humblenefs of mind, which are the real 
 ornament and honour of their tender age Behold in him then,- 
 parents, children, a helplefs infant at the difpofal of others. It 
 is of importance to the world to know that, at the appointed" 
 period,' the terms of the Abrahamic covenant were complied 
 with; that the name of Jesus was given him, according to the 
 direcfionof the angel; that as the firflborn of his mother, being 
 facred to God, he was folemnly prefented to the Lord in the 
 temple at Jerufalem ; foi thefe things admonilh us of the di- 
 vine truth and taithfulnefs in keeping covenant and promife 
 with his people, and of the right which he has to expect, and 
 require taithfulnefs and obedience on their part ; of the char- 
 acter and offices annexed to that facred, precious and venera- 
 ble name, and of the felt-dedication which not the. firfi-borrt 
 only, but even all owe unto God. On theeigh h day, .hen, he 
 was circumcifed, and named, according to the commandment, 
 and on the fortieth day he was prefented with the accuftorned 
 offering in the temple. 
 
 Providence lays hold of 'his latter occafion to procure a no- 
 ble tellimony to the high rank and character ot the Son of 
 God. The fpirit ot proohecy had lately revived, and 1 many 
 in Jerufalem were "waiting for the confolation of Ifrae!. M and 
 confidered it as near at hand. Ot this number was a jufl «nd 
 devout man named Simeon, to whom it was communicated by 
 a fpecial revelation, that, oid as he was, his eyes fhouM not be 
 clofed in death, till he had feen the Lord's Chrift. Heaven- 
 directed he goes up to the temple, probably to en 1 real the 
 fpeedy accomplilhment of this gracious promile, at the very 
 inftant when the ceremony of the law was performing, and 
 :hi fpirit that was upon him infiantly points to Jelua *s the 
 
 tiling 
 
J J HISTORY OF [Left. Vlic 
 
 fulfilling of the word in which God had caufed him to hope. 
 Filled with holy joy he takes the expe&ed child into his arms, 
 and lilting up his eyes to heaven, blefles God, faying, " Lord, 
 now letteft thou thy fervant depart in peace, according to thy 
 word : for mine eyes have feen thy falvation, which thou hall 
 prepared before the face of all people ; a light to lighten the 
 Gentiles and the glory of thy people Ifrael." He then points 
 him out to the by Zanders as the perfon fpokeh of by ancient 
 prophecy. " who mould be fet for the fall and rifing again of 
 many in Ifrael, and for a (ign which mould be fpoken againft;" 
 a predi6Ho'n defcriptive of the reception the Meffiah mould 
 meet with from that world which he came to redeem. The 
 fame important truth is immediately confirmed by an ancient 
 propbetefs, who, coming in the inllant Simeon had done 
 fpeaking, gave public thanks likewife unto the Lord, and 
 *' fpake of him to ail them that looked tor redemption in Je- 
 rufalem." 
 
 Thus He, whofe birth-place was determined many ages be- 
 fore, by prophetic illumination, whofe natal hour was announ- 
 ced by one angel, and celebrated by a multitude of the heav- 
 enly hoft ; to whofe feet a company of (hepherds is led, with 
 their fimple offering, by a voice from heaven, and to whom 
 eaftern fages are conducted by an extraordinary fiar, is in the 
 rnoft public place of refort in the jewifh metropolis, declared 
 aloud, a few weeks after his birth, at a public religious fervice, 
 by teftimony on teftimony, the accomplishment of God's great 
 purpofe of mercy to mankind. 
 
 While fo many illuftrious perforiages were producing their 
 concurring evidence to the truth as it is in Jefu% exalting hint 
 to endleft honours and universal dominion, one is cruelly plot- 
 ting his deftruction. Agitated by jealoufy as groundlefs, as it 
 was barboufly purfued, Herod determines to crufh at once 
 this pretender to a throne, whom (o many fignal and fplendid 
 appearances in heaven and earth were driving to difplay in fu- 
 perior glory. To make fure of his blow, his dark remorielefs 
 mind enlarges the circle of fufpicion from a few days to two years, 
 and from a fingle feared, hated individual, to all the male children 
 of a great city. Humanity fickens at the thought of the dread- 
 ful tragedy of that day, when "in Rama a voice was heard* 
 lamentation and weeping, and great mourning^ Rachel, weep- 
 ing for her children, and refuting to be comforted, becaufe 
 they are net." By aiming at too much, the tyrant milTes his 
 aim altogether. The vigor of his purfuit exerted in one direc- 
 tion, confined to one objeft, might have overtaken it ; but 
 extending the fphere, dividing the purfuit, " the captive of 
 
 the 
 
Left, vii.] jesus christ. 73 
 
 the mighty is taken away, and the prey of the terrible is deliv- 
 ered, for thus faith the Lord, I will contend with him that con- 
 tended with thee" And how was this deliverance effected ? 
 Providence employs not extraordinary means, to fulfil its de- 
 figns, wantonly and unnecefTarily, but makes ordinary inftru- 
 ments to produce mighty events. The bloody intention of 
 Herod is hardly conceived in the gloomy hell of his own 
 breaft , than it is feen of that eye which nothing can efcape, 
 and no (boner is it {cen than prevented. In a dream, in a vif- 
 ion ot the night, when deep deep fallethon men Jofeph is ad- 
 monifhed of the danger which threatened the child's lite, and 
 warned to fhun it, by fleeing into Egypt. Thus at every ftage 
 of his lite was the Saviour ot mankind hated and perfecuted of 
 men ; thus the all- wife Ruler of the Univerfe knows how to 
 deliver, and finds a way to efcape ; thus He " confounds the 
 wifdom of the wife, and brings to nought the understanding of 
 the prudent." 
 
 By a ftrange, perhaps unaccountable direction ot the fttprekius 
 will, the land of Egypt frequently ferves as an afylum to per- 
 secuted goodnefs, protects and chenfhes the precious leed of 
 the church. Thither Abraham flees from the pre flu re of 
 famine, and is thence difmiifed with riches and honour. Here 
 Jofeph finds refuge from the malice ot jealous and cruel broth- 
 ers ; from hence Jacob and his itarving family are repeatedly 
 fed. Here fprung up Mofes, in t'mes of extreme danger and 
 diftrefs j here he was miraculously preferved, and reared to 
 unexampled eminence and ufetulnefs. Here Ifrael mirac- 
 uloufly increales into a great nation, and from Ik- nee trium- 
 phantly departs ; and here, finally, He whom all the reft pre- 
 figured, and in whom their federal glory united as in their 
 centre, fought and found protection from the rage of an in- 
 cenfed king. This too was ordered ot Him who feeth the end 
 from the beginning. He went down into Egypt that in his 
 return the Scripture might be fulfilled, which f.iith, " out ot 
 Egypt have I called my Son." Surely. O Lord the wrath 
 ot man (hall praifc thee, and the remainder ot wrath thou 
 "fhalt reftrain." 
 
 A vail is drawn over the fojourn in Egypt, and it were prc- 
 fumption to attempt to draw it afide : neither is it polhble ex- 
 actly to afcertain its duration. The infamous Hr-rod mean- 
 while paid the debt of Nature, leaving behind him a name load- 
 ed with the execrations of the age in which he lived, and with 
 the detestation of every future generation to which the hHlory 
 of his enormities fhall defcend. His death w s the iignal cit 
 return to the land of Ifrael ; but prudence fuggefted the retire. 
 K merit 
 
• ,v history op [Left. \ii: 
 
 merit of the poor and defpifed town of Nazareth, as a refidence 
 more fuitable to the c i re um Ranees of the times, than the noife 
 end hurry ot a metropolis, the feat of fa6f ion and intrigue, or 
 the fufpicioufly obferved city of David, to which the jealous 
 eyes of fuccefiive tyrants bad been attrafcted by well known 
 prophecies and by recent portents. 
 
 As the place of Chrift's birth, fo that of his up-bringing was 
 prophetically marked, not indeed by any particular text 
 that appears in the facred code, but by its whole fpirit and ten- 
 or, which reprefent him as voluntarily fubmitting to every 
 ipecies of reproach and indignity; the carpenter's fon, a Gali- 
 lean, a Nazarene,can any good come out of Nazareth ! It was 
 in this obfeure village, ot a region of a conquered country, 
 proverbially contemptible, that the childhood of Chrift pafTed 
 unfeen. unnoticed ot the great world * but caretully obferved 
 of an attentive mother, who, to the tender folicitudes of that 
 relation, was infpired with hopes, and animated with profpects^ 
 and torn with anxieties which rro mother before Or fince ever 
 could know; there this wonderful " child grew and waxed 
 ftrong in fptrit, filled with wifdom," exhibiting unequivocal 
 figns of a fuperior nature, without courting the public notice, 
 or attraclmg premature homage ; and thus humility, from the 
 beginning and throughout, marked the charatter of the con- 
 defcending friend of mankind, who became of no reputation, 
 fought not glory of man, took on him the form of a" fervant • 
 he V ftrives not, nor cries, neither doth he lift uphis voice in 
 the fireets ;" and from the return out of Egypt, which was 
 probably not beyond his fecond year, up to the twelfth, hiftory 
 is entirely filent as to the particulars — but O how much is 
 conveyed in the ftrong general terms employed, by infpira- 
 tion, to imprefs on our hearts the discovery and progrefs of 
 thefe vailed ten year?. May not the hiftory of them be one of 
 the precious arcana which " the Father hath kept in his owri 
 power," and referved tor the information, wonder and joy of 
 an improved (late of exigence, when things hard to be under- 
 ftood (hall be fully explained ; and things known in part fhali 
 be unfolded in all their conne6tions and dependencies; and 
 infinite intelligence fhal'l fupply all the deficiencies of human 
 under (landing. 
 
 It was in that fanrelefs village, and in thole tra'c kiefs years 
 that the foundation was laid of agreatnefs which fhould eclipfe 
 all created glory ; of a kingdom that mould fwallow up every 
 other; ot an enterprize which fhould extend its influence to 
 the remoteft ages ot eternity. 
 
 The next Le6ture will, if God permit, take up the next re. 
 
 corded 
 
Lett. VI I.J JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 /:> 
 
 corded period of our Saviour's hiflory, his a (Turning ior a mo- 
 ment a public character at the age of twelve years, and his Hid- 
 ing away from it again into filence and retirement, till his 
 thirtieth year, the time or. his final manileihtion unto Jl- 
 rael, as the great *' Prophet that mould come into the 
 world." 
 
 Shall I degrade my fuhjeft, by faying it fuggefts to parents 
 many ufeful hints refpecting the early treatment of their chil- 
 dren ? Be as tender and attentive as you will; liften to the 
 voice of nature and learn your duty : but dream not of mak- 
 ing a ltranger bend the knee to your idol, perhaps he has an i- 
 dol of his own, weak, filly and ridiculous as yours ; perhaps 
 he fees nothing but impertinence and imperfefciion, where 
 you behold only grace and love'jnefs and the more you force 
 your Dagon upon his attention, the more hideoufne/s and 
 deformity he will rlifcover in it. Be not eager to bring 
 foi ward the accompHfhmcnts of your child. If they are wor- 
 thy of being feen, your referve and the child's modefty will 
 give a glow to the colouring which will ftrike every eye, and 
 pieafe every heart. If they be trivial, why will you force, a 
 good-natured looker-on, to flatter your vanity at the expenfe 
 of bis own judgment ; or provoke a ftern and fevere one, to 
 approve his (incerity and truth at the expenfe of your feeling 
 and ot your idol's fancied importance ? In private let the per- 
 fon mod dear to you, be moft dear to you ; in fociety, the 
 darling obje£l, the firft in confideiati.cn and Election, ought 
 to be the laft in refpect of attention. 
 
 Be not over anxious about an early crop from your offspring. 
 You may have the fruit, it is true by means of vehement cultiva- 
 tion^ little earlier in the feafon, but it favours of the.artificial heat 
 that hurried it forward ; the tree is wailed and fades before 
 the time ; and at the proper feafon, when nature is clothing 
 the vigorous plant with its golden harveft, the languid child 
 ot art Hands lifelefs and leaflefs. expiring before its time. 
 There is always danger from a premature fpring, though it be 
 in the courfe ot nature. Happy i\ the man who can hit the 
 temperate mean betwixt indecent hafte and indolent delay. 
 I would addrefs a few words, to the lame efTett, to advanced 
 ch ldhood and early youth. But childhood and youth are not 
 difpofed to attend ferious Lectures or do nut underftand, 
 difbelieve, and therefore do not attend to them. They muifc 
 be left to the forcible, the irrehftible Icllbns of experience. ^ 
 eameftly recommend them to the teaching ot God's good fpir- 
 lt. May the Son of God, who vouch fated for our fake to 
 
 pafs 
 
y6 HISTORY 01 [Lech VII, 
 
 pafs through infancy and childhood poor, neglecled, unknown, 
 guard our helplefs infants, direct our thoughtlefs, wayward 
 children, counfel and inftrucl; manly, maiured reafon, and 
 fmile with complacency on the hoary head, and make it a 
 crown or righteoufnefs. And to, Gpd in Chrift be afcri.bed 
 immortal praife. Amen* 
 
 LECTURE 
 
jLe6l. VIII.] JESUS CHRIST. Jf 
 
 LECTURE VIII. 
 
 LUKE, II.4I — 52. 
 
 Now his parents went to J erufalem every year at the Feafl of 
 the paffover. And when he was twelve years old, they went 
 up to Jerufalem, after the cuflom of the Fea/t. And when 
 they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jefus 
 famed behind in Jerusalem : and Jofeph and his mother 
 knew not of it. But they, fuppofing him to have been in the 
 company, went a day's journey ; and they fought him among 
 their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him 
 not, they turned back again to Jeru/alem feeknig him. And 
 it came to pa/s, that after three days they found him in the 
 Temp 'e, fitting in the midfl of the Do&ors, both hearing them, 
 and afk'.ng them queftions. And all that heard him were aj- 
 tomfhrd at his under/land ng and anfwers. 4nd <uhen they 
 /aw him they were amaze a : and his mother j aid unto him 
 fan, why hafl thou thus dealt with us ? Behold, thy Father 
 and I have fought thee jort owing. And he f aid unto them, 
 how is it that ye /ought me ? IViJl ye not that I muft be about 
 my Father's bufinejs ? and they u^derjlood not the faying 
 uhuh he J pake unto them. And he went down with th.m, 
 and came 10 Nazareth, and zvas fubjeel unto them; but his 
 mother kept all thfefaymgs in her h fl art. And Jefus increased 
 in wifdom and fiature, and in favour with God and ?nan. 
 
 UNIVERSAL Nature is progrefs, fucceflion and change. 
 We obferve it in every thing around us, we feel it in ev- 
 ery particle o" our own frame. But obvious as this progref- 
 fion is, in its larger portions, the minuter details defy the ciof- 
 eft attention ot the acuteft eye. Darknefs has evidently given 
 place to light ; but what vigilance ot inlpection co<>! i afcer- 
 tain the precife inftant when night ceafed and light began to 
 dawn ? That plant is palpably increafed in ftrength an 1 fize, 
 but let me hang over it the live-long day, with the unremitting 
 penetration ot an eagle's eye, and I am incapable of catching a 
 fingle ftep of the progrefs. Shade mcltls imperceptibly into 
 (hade ; the tranfition is made, bur we were not aware ot it; 
 whether we be afleep or awake, carelefs or attentive, the ^reat 
 pomplex machine keeps in motion, performs its revolution, 
 
 produces 
 
/$ HISTORY of [Left. vm e 
 
 produces its e£e&. The progrefs o\ man, the rnoft 'perfe£lo£ 
 all creatures that we are acquainted with, is the molt interefting 
 of all ohjefts to man. If it be delightful to behold the trees or. 
 the forefl burft into verdure, and thofe of" th * garden putting 
 on their beautiful garments, and changing that beauty into 
 fruitfulnefs ; if it be plea'ant to behold the fpringing corn 
 multiply thirty, fixty, a hundred fold ; to behold the flocks 
 and herds iipcreafe— what mull it be to behold the image of 
 Cod multiplied on the earth, the human form divine rear it- 
 felf toward heaven, the poucrs of thought and reafon ex- 
 
 pand. 
 
 ■By degrees, 
 
 The human blofibm blows ; and every day, ' 
 Sottas it rolls along, fhews fome new charm. 
 Then infant reafon grows apace, and calls 
 For the kind hand of an affiduous care. 
 Delightful tafk ! to rear the tender thought. 
 To teach the young idea how to fhoot, 
 To pour the frefh inftru&ion o'er the mind, 
 To breathe th' enlivening fpirit, and to fix ; 
 The generous purpofe in the glowing breafj^ 
 
 Thomson's Spring, 1, 1143, 
 
 But this, like every other human delight, is blended with 
 pain. Even the partiality of parental affe£lion is conftrained 
 to cbferve rank and noifome weeds fpringing up with the deli- 
 cate feeds of goodnefs ; the dawning of reafon is obfeured by 
 the clouds of folly and vice, and the promife of a golden har- 
 veft is blighted in early fpring, by late frofl or premature heat. 
 Before we are well awake to the joy of fome newly difcover- 
 ed excellency, we are overwhelmed with the diftrefs of per- 
 ceiving fome glaring imperfection, or ungracious propenfity : 
 and where we love and rejoice, there alfo we find caufe to la- 
 ment and condemn. The fpirit of God has feen mfet to pre- 
 fent the world with one perfeel: model, for the inftru&ion of 
 every age of human life. We have held it up in a ftate of in- 
 fantine beauty, fimplicity and gentlenefs, a paffive example of, 
 fubjeciion to poverty, and danger, and perfecution ; but we 
 have feen the meannefs and obfeurity of that ftate relieved by 
 the decided attention of eternal Providence, and by the volun- 
 tary homage of angels and men. 
 
 • On returning from Egypt, Jefus was carried to the obfeure 
 village of Nazateth, and the veil is drawn over him till his 
 twelfth year, when he was pleafed to clothe himfelf for a little 
 while with majefty, and then difappeared, till the time of his fi- 
 Eal raanife&ation to the world, as the Saviour of it. The la\^ 
 
 obliged 
 
L*£t. win.] jesus christ; ;j 
 
 obliged every male of Ifrael to appear before the Lord in the 
 place which he had chofen to put his name there, three times 
 every year, at the three great feafts of pafTover, pentecoft, and 
 tabernacles. This was evidently intended to maintain a good 
 correfpondence between all the members of the commonwealth, 
 by the focial intercourfe, the innocent feftivity and the devo- 
 tional exercifes which thefe folemnities promoted. 
 
 Jofeph and the mother of Jefus, though the inj unci ion ex- 
 tended not to females, were in the habit of regularly attending 
 the fervice of the temple on thofeoccafions ; and Jefus, anoth- 
 er ** Nazarite toGod from his mother's womb," accompanied 
 them to the holy place. Self-evident marks of the favour ofc 
 heaven were already upon him. " He grew, and waxed ihong 
 in fpirit filicd with wifdom." Exprefliorcs importing uncom- 
 mon comelinefs of perfon, and luperior powers of underifand- 
 ing ; but in Him, as in other children, we behold a gradual 
 progreflion from knowledge to knowledge, as from flature to 
 itature. For as nature conceals from us at what moment fhe 
 unites the immortal mind to the mortal frame, fo the Holy Spir- 
 it h-is thought proper to conceal at what ieafon, and in what 
 rneafure, Deity was pleafed 10 Unite himfeff to the human na- 
 ture of the Redeemer ; and let us not over-curroufly feek " to 
 Xnow the times arid the feafons which the Father hath put in his 
 own power." Neither the lovely form, nor the attra6tive good- 
 hefs, not the excellent wifdom, however, of this wonderful 
 child, feem to have roufed much attention or commanded un- 
 common refpeft. The world is captivated not by real ant fol- 
 id worth, but by the gaudy outfide of fhewy, fuperficial quali- 
 ties. Rank and riches fpread a glare over the perfon of their 
 poflefTor that makes it known and remembered : they add 
 weight to his rnoft ordinary fayings, which gives them curren- 
 cy and importance ; while poverty, like a bufhel put over a 
 canjle, prevents it, however clear it may be, from giving its 
 light. What carnal mind can reconcile the idea of great and 
 diftinguifhed qualities with that of the carpenter's fori ? No, 
 " He hath no form nor comelinefs, and when we (hall fee him, 
 there is no beauty that we Ihould defire him." 
 
 In tho e ftated journeys to Jerufalem, it was cuftomary for 
 many families of the fame neighhourhood. or of the fame kin- 
 dred, to travel in company. The road was Jweetened and 
 fhortened by friendly communication, and religion ilreiigihen- 
 ed the bands of friendfhip and the ties o\ blood. Were there 
 no other reafon but this to prefs upon the heart the importance 
 of attendance on the ordinances of God's houie, that it I 
 tn ftrengthen the bond ot nature between hulband and 
 
ga HISTORY OF [Lett Vll!« 
 
 parent and child, one neighbour and another, it were enough 
 to recommend it to every one who prizes the comfort of the 
 life that now is ; how much more, when there are involved in 
 it, all t!e infinitely more important inierefts of that which is 
 to come ! Happy are thofe focieties in which the powers ot a 
 world to come are fo felt, as to died a fweetening, cheering, 
 enlivening influence over prefent connections, enjoyments 
 and purfuits. The folemnities ot the feaft being ended, all 
 prepare to return to their refpeclive homes and their ufual em- 
 ployments. Thus wifely and mercifully, He who knows what 
 is in man makes devotion, labour and reft, alternately to recom- 
 mend, to relieve, and to iupport each other. A perpetual fab- 
 bath would foon prove the death of religion ; under uninter- 
 rupted labour the man would quickly fink ; reft protracted 
 beyond a certain bound would prove deftru&ive of all repofe. 
 But to the heart in which the lave of God is fhed abroad, the 
 painful toil of the week is mitigated and diminifhed by the 
 profpeft ot the day of facred intermiflion, of heavenly commu- 
 nication ; and the calm, fatisfying delights of the Lord's day, 
 bellowing eafe on the body, and compofure on the mind, ferve 
 as a reftorative toward undertaking and undergoing the fatigues 
 of another week. 
 
 The numeroufnefs of the company which travelled back to! 
 Nazareth prevented its being obferved that one was wanting, 
 and a complete day's journey is performed, before the eager, 
 attentive eye of even a mother, mifles its darling object 
 How is this to be accounted for ? The whole train was a band 
 ot brothers, ot one heart and of one foul ; in whatever part of. 
 it the child was* behind or before, he was, encompatTed with 
 tnends : other children ot twelve years old need attention, pro- 
 tection and fuoport but he has given many unequivocal proofs 
 of a wifdom capable of conducing himfelf. The time is now 
 come that his mother herfelt mult learn with whom (he had to 
 do. and to revere in her own fon, the Son of the Higheft. All 
 was ot God, who thus prepaied the way for another public 
 declaration ot the gr- at Prophet who mould come into the 
 world, and that not by the tongue of an Archangel, nor by a 
 multitude of the heavenly holt, but by the mouih of 
 Jefus himfelf ; into whofe lips grace was poured and 
 praife perfe6ted It is eafier to conceive than to defcribe 
 the forrow and anxiety occahoned bv the difcovery that Jefus 
 was not in the train. The ihades ot night fpread over the 
 foul ot a mother the terror ot evil beaits, of evil men ; of hun- 
 ger and cold, o^miffing the road, and ot all the namelefs ap- 
 prehcnfions which felicitous parents feel foe unprotected youth 
 
 an 4 
 
Le£r. VIII.] ^ESUS CHRIST. §t 
 
 nnri innocence. Nothing remains but to tread back their 
 weary, anxious, fteps and the clofe of the feeond day fees them 
 enter Jerufalem, with the. mixed emotions of hope and def- 
 pondency ; and another fleeplefs night fucceeds the panful 
 day. The third day, well knowing the zeal which he had tor 
 God's houfe, they repair betimes to the temple : they find him, 
 think, O mothers, with what aftonifhment and delight; in 
 health, fatety and ccmpofure, and gracious heaven ! how em- 
 ployed ? " fitting in the midfr. of the Doctors, both hearing 
 them and afldng (hem queftions." Fainters and commenta- 
 tors feem to have entirely tniftaken this paffage of our Sa- 
 viour's hiftory. They place him in the centre, in the chief 
 feat, afluming authority, infrrufciing grey hairs. The Evan- 
 geliff. places him in the modeft feat of a pupil, a pattern to 
 children of twelve, of docility, of humility, of nieeknefs * 
 carefully liftening to the queftions propofed to him by the 
 public teachers, and anfwering with deference and fuhmiflion, 
 though with intelligence and decifion ; and pronoun?, in hi-- 
 turn, queftions that led to important truth and really uTeful 
 knowledge, not fuch as difplayed the acutenefs ot him who 
 interrogated, or that aimed at expofing him of whom the an . 
 fwer was demanded. In trum ever fmce I cciild read and uh> 
 derftanri the words of the hiftorian, I have confidered this lit- 
 tle anecdote ot our blefTed Lord, a\s ot lingular importance in 
 his character, as the great teacher of mankind. The age of 
 twelve is an interefting crifis in human lite. The rational 
 loul is then making off the child, and emerging into the man. 
 There is about that period, knowledge enough to minifter fuel 
 to vanity and felt-conceit, but not enough to difcern igno- 
 ranee arid tolly ; there is learning fufficient to teafe and per- 
 plex, but not to attract and conciliate affe6tion. And did it 
 pleafe thee meek, and condelcendirig Jems, to inftruft tha: 
 wayward feafon ot exiftence, when youth begins to feel the 
 force of example, to blufh at petulance, t© be influenced by 
 honeft thame arid' honeff praife, that feafon when the hear. 
 is awake, alive aJl over to the bitternefs ot cenfure, or to th^ 
 fweets of approbation ? Yes, and we fee in thee with wonder 
 and joy the happy medium between the Rrtrinefs ot confeions 
 wifdom, and the forwardnefs ot affumed luperiority : between 
 the meeknefs and gentlenefs which are the inseparable con- 
 comitants ot real ability, and the (eff-fufficiency v>hich betrays 
 want of talents, fupporting lifeTf bj extravagance of claim. 
 That this is the jnff view of our blefTed Lord's conduct is e\ U 
 ^cnt from the effect which it produced. You need not to be 
 
 L toli 
 
HISTORY OF [Left. VIII, 
 
 told of the jealoufy of aged and piofeflional men. Not a 
 doctor in the temple but would have felt and lefented the 
 mortifying fuperiority of a child -had that fuperiority been of- 
 ientatioufly difplayed ; but his whole deportment excited only- 
 admiration and love ; his understanding was equalled only by 
 his affability and condefcenfion ; he at once inftru&s his 
 teachers and gains their good will ; *■ all that heard him were 
 aftoniihcd at his underftanding and anfwers." 
 
 If flrangers were thus moved by a mild difplay of early, un- 
 affected wifdorn, what muff, a parent have felt, whofe heart but 
 a moment before was throbbing with anguifh unutterable? 
 How happy is (he to acknowledge fitch a fori, the delight of 
 every eye, the theme of every tongue. But even Mary, the 
 mother of. Jefus, is weak and imperfeft, me fpeaks unad- 
 vifedly with her lips, fhe prefumes to mingle upbraiding and 
 reproach with expreflions of endearment and exultation ; fhe 
 has forgotten from whence fhe received him the character 
 given him of the angel before he was conceived in the womb, 
 the facred names which he bore, the teftimony which God 
 had fo repeatedly given to his beloved Son ; fhe addreffes 
 him, all-wonderful as lie was, as if he had been merely an or- 
 dinary child, who had thoughtlefsly and wantonly rambled 
 away from his parents, and had given them unneceffary trou- 
 ble and pain, He whofe e\ery word, every action had an. 
 important meaning and defign. " Son, 5 ' fays fhe, " why haft 
 thou thus dealt with us ? Pehold thy Father and I have fought 
 thee farrowing." And now the anfwer of Chi iff to this quef- 
 tion unfolds the great end which he had in view, through 
 the whole tranfaftion. It was time for him to affert his di- 
 vine original ; and the meekeft and mcft fubmiffive of all 
 children Hands invefted with divine roajefly, " how is it that 
 ye fought me? Wift ye not that I muff be about my Father's 
 bufinefs ?" or, as it might perhaps with greater propriety have 
 been rendered, " in my Fathers houfe." 
 
 What a leffon is conveyed to the world in this reply ? Sa- 
 cred is the authority of a mother over a fon of twelve years of 
 age, but there is an authority {till more facred, of which a child 
 even of thtat age may be fenhble. When the honour of 
 God is concerned, the voice of nature muff be fupprefled. 
 When the voice of heaven calls, ihz decencies and civilities 
 of life muff give place, and all fecondary obligations and con- 
 fiderations mufl be fvval lowed up of tljie firft. He filently en- 
 dured the reproach, of being called the carpenter's fon by 
 {■rangers, but his own mother mufl; denominate- him what he 
 
 is.. 
 
jLe£L vni.] jesus ciirist. g? 
 
 is, and what fhe knew him to be. But reproof of a parent 
 mult be ijiflnuated, not brought directly forward ; and hero 
 again the pattern is perfect. ; delicacy and firmnefs unite to 
 fpare the mother, yet reprove the offence \ and whatever were 
 the other queftions and anfwers of this celebrated conference, 
 thofe which are on record will remain an everlafting monu- 
 ment of the pertecr. union of wildom and harmlefmefs, which 
 diftingutfhed the Son of God from every other. 
 
 The Sun, having ihone forth in this temporary effulgence, 
 again hid its face in cioucls, and fubmitted to an eclipfe of 
 eighteen years longer ; He divefted himfelf of all authority ; 
 He fought not glory from man ; He became of no reputation, 
 He took on him the form of a fervant. " He went down with 
 them, and came to Nazareth, and was fubjeel unto them ;" 
 and by this voluntary humiliation of himfelf, by this retreat 
 into the fhade, more than by ten thoufand precepts and argu- 
 ments, He has inculcated the practice of humility on his dif- 
 ciples. A few fliort words contain the hiltory of many years, 
 even fo, holy Father, for fo it feemed good in tiiy fight ; 
 " Jefus increafed in wifdom and ftature, and in favor with 
 God and man." Let us not prefume to draw afide the veil 
 which infinite wifdom has fpread, nor feck to be wife above 
 what is written, thelc things the angels defire to look into, 
 and lome of thefe things, though now they are hidden iron? 
 us, we may be permitted to know hereafter. 
 
 About the period of this paffover, when Chrift was (hewing 
 himfelf in the temple, after this extraordinary manner, as the 
 Son of God, Augufius Cefar, the emperor of Rome, dies, and 
 is fucceeded in the throne by Tiberius. About fix ye^ars after, 
 Jofephus, called Caiaphas, was made high priefi of the Jews, 
 through the partial favour of Valerius Gratus, the Roman gover- 
 nor. Toward: the end of the twelfth year from that period, Pon- 
 tius Pilate was fent into Pdleftineas procurator of Judea, in the 
 I torn of Valerius Gratus, and John Baptifl entered on theexer- 
 cife of his public miniffry. Thofe names are now ftripped of ail 
 their glory ; thofe Rations are now fallen into difufe, thofe events 
 are now ftripped of all their importance^ lave what they de- 
 rive from the relation which they bear to yonder babe in the 
 liable, that child in the midft of the doctors, that gentle, ob- 
 fcure, unaffuming youth of Nazareth of Galilee. So differ- 
 ently do objects weigh when examined by the fcale of the 
 vorld, and tried by the balance of the fanctuary. In the next 
 Leftnre we will proceed, it God permit, to the htftory or 
 Child's baatifoi, and of the illultrious teftimony then given 
 
 from 
 
8 4 msTo.ny. ot [Lea. via, 
 
 ii.oin the i&pfi, excellent glory to Jefus Chriffc, as God's well- 
 beldved Son, 
 
 '' Let us wih Mary keep all thefe fayings in our heart.'" 
 Let us, trom, the evampie oFthis pious pair, regularly attend 
 the wbrfbip ot God's houfe. " 6 not forfaking the affembling of 
 ourfelves as he manner of (orne is :." and thus fhall we " <jq 
 from iir-ng'h to fhength" til! we appear before God in Zion. 
 Let us lardully attend to the proper mode of treatment of 
 children, uuted to age. to capacity, to temper and difpofition. 
 1 he difciplme ad <pte,d to childhood is by no means f u i ted to a 
 more advanced £ate ; and. when the youth has become a man, 
 and " put away childifh things/ 5 he muft be treated as a man. 
 It is of importance to know when the flimulus, when the bri- 
 dle is to be employed. What would overwhelm the timid,, 
 may prove hardly a curb to the heaciuVong ; the (low of fpeech 
 and underftanding mu'i| not be urged into the fpeed of the a- 
 cute and impetuous. ' Parents rejoice in a forward difplay of 
 faculties in their children ; they encourage it, and they not 
 feldom repent it. The oppofite error is not common, and is 
 therefore lefs an objeel of caution. The difficulties which dau 
 3y prefer*!; themfelves, in managing the progrefs of the human 
 mind, are frequently infurmountable by the ordinary powers 
 of man, which therefore iland in need of the illumination of 
 V wifdom from above ;"- " if any of you," then, 4 ' lack wif- 
 dom, let him alk ot God. that giveth to all men liberally, and 
 upbraideth not ; and it {hall be given him." 
 
 Let the young be inftrutted how to rife into eminence and 
 di(tin6Hpn. Covet not, purfue not premature honour and ap- 
 plaufe. Extorted praife is gratifying neither to the giver nor 
 the receiver ; a free-will offering ot approbation is " twice 
 bleft ; it blefleth him that gives and him that takes." Med- 
 itate on the familiar image, which, no doubt, has frequently 
 been fuggefted to you : honour, like the fhadow, purfues the 
 ilyer, and flies fremthe purfuer. Demand lefs than your due, 
 and men will be difpofed to give you the more. My young 
 friends, " be not children in underftanding : howbeit, in mal- 
 ice be ye children, but in underftanding be men/' 
 
 LECTURE 
 
Left. I X.J jEI>US CHRIST, fa 
 
 LECTURE IX. 
 
 LUKE, III. 21—23. 
 
 Jfow, 2>/k« all the people were bapti/ed, it came to pafsjhatjefus 
 alfo'bang bapti/ed, and praying, the heaven zcas opened, and 
 the Ho'\ Ghojl de/cended in a bodily JJiape, like a dove, upon 
 him, and a voice camejrom heaven, which Jaul, thou art my 
 beloved Son ; in thee I am welt pUaJed. And Jt/us tiim/elf 
 bt^an to be about thirty years of age % being fas teas fuppojed) 
 the Jon of Jojeph, which was t lit Jon oj Hell, , 
 
 'TpHE declared purpofe of our Evangelift, in undertaking to 
 -*• write this hiftory, is that his moft excellent friend Theo- 
 philus, and with him every lover ot God and truth, ''might 
 know the certainty of thofe things wherein he had been inflruc- 
 icd." This " certainty" is demonstrable from the fpirit which 
 Chriftianity breathes, and from the externa! evidence by which 
 its divine original was confirmed. The religion of Jefus Chi iii 
 proves that it came down from heaven. Jrom the Father oi lights, 
 by the character of the great Author and f inifher of our Faith, 
 by the example of all righteoufnefs which he fet, by the purity 
 and heavenly-mindednefs which hedifplayed and recommend- 
 ed, by the labours ot mercy and love, which he performed, by 
 the fuffenngs which he patiently underwent, and by ' the glory- 
 that followed." To thefe Providence was pleafed to fuperadd 
 proofs that reach the underftanding through the medium ot 
 \cn[c: namely ugnal, fupernaturaland frequently-repeated tef- 
 timonies, exhibited in the prefence of a qloud ot witnefTes, who 
 produced a clear, concuning, confident mafs ot evidence, ref- 
 peCting tacts which tell under the perfonal obfervation ot their 
 own eyes and ears and which were never contradicted nor 
 even called in queftion. 
 
 At this diftance of time and place, the laft mentioned fpecies 
 of evidence, that of external circumftances, mult of neceflity 
 be tranfuntted to u through the channel of hiitory, and its va- 
 lidity mutt reft on the veracity ot the hiUrorian. The other 
 fort ot evidence is the Lme yefterday, and to day, and forever. 
 This counfel approves itfelt to be of God, to the conviaionot 
 every one who lerioufly examines it, at whatever diftanca ot 
 urac and place, from us indelible chara&ers, from the urm'CT"- 
 
 fality 
 
B6 HISTORY of *Lecl. 
 
 IX, 
 
 fality of the field which it embraces, and from the glorious and 
 godlike end at which it aims : in a word, from its congeniality 
 Itp4he leelings, to the wifiies, and to the wants of human na- 
 ture. Had no prediction taught the world to expetf a Deliv- 
 erer ; had no miracle declared Him the great Lord of the Uni* 
 Vi »>& ; had no voice from Heaven proclaimed Him the belov- 
 ed Son of God, He mull have flood confeffed, the predicted E- 
 manuel, God with us in his companion to the miferable, in, 
 his patience with the froward, in his forbearance toward the e- 
 vil and uniha.nki.ul, in his clemency to the guilty. The Gof- 
 pei breathes " peace on earth and good will to men ;" its un- 
 bounded liberality dilutes iis influence over the whole world 
 ot mankind ; its proieiTed cV.-n and end are to confer all pofii- 
 bly atiainabie happinefs on every human being, in the life 
 which now is, and perfe^ and everlafting felicity in that which 
 is to come. The objeci wich Chriflianity propofes to itfelf 
 is to reform, to purity, to exalt our fallen nature, by making us 
 partakers ot a divine nature ; it is to rear the fabric of prefent 
 and everlafting bleflfednefs on the folH foundation of wifdom, 
 truth and virtue. It penetrates and pervades every principle 
 ot our nature, and enters completely into the detail of human 
 Jife and conduct : it informs the und-rftanding, melts the heart, 
 overawes the conscience, and brings the trembling, guilty, 
 helplefs, defponding creature unto God. If thefe are not the 
 characters of a Revelation from the God and Father of all men, 
 What characters are fufficient to produce belief ? If the fpirit 
 and tendency of the Gofpel work not conviction, the defcent 
 of an angel from heaven, or the return of one from the re> 
 giousot" the dedd would be equally inefficacious. 
 
 In this " dofctrine according to godlinefs," Men and Breth- 
 ren, we behold genuine philofophy, not carelefsly Cumbering 
 over fancied plans of improvement, not coldly fuggefling ideas 
 of reform, not bewildering herfelf in the perad ventures of 
 doubtful difputation,butphilofophy alive, awake and in aftion; 
 philofophy doing good and diftufing happinefs ; the divine 
 philofophy which brings God down to dwell with men upon 
 earth, and which raifes men from earth to heaven. In its great 
 Author we behold not the fullen, fupercilious reclufe, looking 
 with affected contempt on the weaknefsand ignorance ot man- 
 kind, talking and arguing fagely, and effecting nothing, but 
 the beneficent friend ot man, mixing with foeiety, looking 
 with complacency on harmlefs enjoyment, ftretching forth the 
 hand to relieve diflrefs, with patience and condefcenfion in- 
 ilru£iing the ignorant, outrunning the expectations and even 
 the de fires of the humble, and overcoming evil with good. At 
 
 every 
 
Left. ix. "J j-bSus ciirist. 
 
 every period, and in every condition of life, we behold linn a 
 perfect pattern ot every potTible excellence. 
 
 We have already contemplated the blefled Jefus in his orig- 
 inal glory, before the world was, and in ail the wonders of his 
 humiliation to the level of humanity : we have beheld Him in 
 all the affecting intereir. or infancy and chihlheod, born in a 
 {table, laid in a manger, aimed at by the dagger ot a ruffian, 
 driven into exile, meekly retiring into obfcuiity, Olently in- 
 creafing in wifdom and flat lire, and in favour with God and 
 man. From the age of twelve to thirty years, that is for more 
 than halt the period which He tabernacled among men, P 
 dence has feen meet to withhold all traces of Ins hiftory. Widi- 
 in the fhort fpace of about three years is corhprized the derail 
 of all the things which Jefus did, and taught, and fufTercdas the 
 Saviour of mankind. To this eventful era'weare now brought 
 forward, and we enter on the contemplation of it with mixed 
 emotions of wonder, reverence and joy. 
 
 Stand by, ye princes and potentates of the earth ; the King 
 ot kings is about to make his public entry. What is the con - 
 fecration of a prelate, the coronation o: an emperor, the voice 
 ©fa trumpet, the anointing with oil, compared to the majeiry. 
 folemnity and importance of the fcene difplayedon the banks 
 ot the Jordan! Bend your heads and cover your faces, "ye 
 angels that excel in ftrength," He whom you are all com- 
 manded to worfhip is here. Behold he cbmeth from Nazareth 
 ot Galilee, to the baptifm of John ; the greater to be baptized 
 by the Lefs. Eighteen years haft thou now palled, Jefus of 
 Nazareth! uafeen, unknown, unregarded ; under the humble 
 appellation of the carpenter's fon, partaking perhaps of the la- 
 bours ot his occupation, taring (imply, fubrhitting to auth« 
 unmortified by fubjeclion to poverty, neglect and reproach , 
 and thus haft thou become a gentle and filent, but a feveie 
 prover ot the reftlefTnefs or ambition, of the thirfl ot diilin&- 
 ion, ot the impetuofity ol appetite, oi impatience of reftramt. 
 The Saviour ot the world, my triends, was pleafed to 
 through the fucceflive ftages of human lite, that he aright fanc- 
 tiry and inflrucl every age of man'. He became an infant o'i 
 days, that He might fanftify infancy, and ftamp nnper 
 and refpect upon it ; he mewed himhlt in the temple at thi 
 of twelve, that he might fanctity, and inftfu6t that more ad 
 Ced period of file in the duty ot frequenting the botlfeof ( 
 and ot reforting to age, office and experience 
 wifdom. He advanced to maturity 
 
 grown men to practife fell-denial, felt-government, to be con- 
 tent with their lot, to repreis inordinate defire, to a; 
 
B8 HISTORY of fleet. i$ 
 
 hence by learning tobecome ufeful. " Pie that believeth (hall 
 not make hafte." He remained thus long in the fhade, that 
 He might teach his difciples to bear obfcurity and retirement, 
 and to ceafe from premature afpiring. He emerges at length" 
 into the light, the feafon of open and beneficial exertion being 
 come, that he might correct a fpirit of indolence, irrefoiution 
 and affetled humility; and to tell every ma'n, that he is fent 
 into the world to aft an important part, that he is entrufted 
 with talents for the employment of which he is accountable, 
 that God and his fellow creatures have claims upon him> which 
 he muft fatisfy at his peril. 
 
 The approach of Jefus to Jordan is perceived and announc- 
 ed by the Baptift. The Spirit which enabled Simeon to dif- 
 cern the Saviour in the perfon of a little child, when prefent- 
 ed in (he temple, now difclofes to the eye of the Prophet, 
 who came in the fpirit and power of Elias,- the fame divine 
 Perfon on the eve of entering upon his public miaiftry. He 
 fufpends for a moment the employment of teaching and bap- 
 tizing the multitude, in which he was engaged, to point out 
 to them ''the Lamb of God which taketh away the fin of the 
 World." " As the people were in expectation, and all men 
 mufed in their hearts of John whether he were the Chrift or 
 not ; John anfwered, faying unto them all, I indeed baptize 
 you with water ; but one mightier^than I cometh, the latched 
 of whofe (hoes I am not worthy to unloofe : he mail baptize 
 you with the Holy Ghoft, and with fire." 
 
 John, at firft, m^deftly declines the exercife of his ofSce 
 in a cafe fo very extraordinary. Hitherto he had taught only 
 the ignorant and vicious and baptized only the impure, in 
 the view of preparing them to receive the blefiings of the 
 approaching kingdom of heaven ; felf- righteous Pharifees, 
 unbelieving, profligate Sadducees, rapacious publicans, fedi- 
 tious, violent and difcnmented foldiers, fuch were the men 
 who came to his baptifm. But here the application is made 
 by Him "who is holy, h*rmlefs, undefiled, feparate from 
 finners : who did no fin, neither was guile found in his lips." 
 This, prophet as he was, confounds all he Baptift's ideas of 
 propriety, and he exclaims : " I have need to be baptized of 
 thee, and corned thou to me ?" The reply of Chrift unfolds his 
 fpirit, and convpys to us many a ufeful leOon : " Suffer it to 
 be fo now ; for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteoufnefs." 
 Perfect purity can fuffer no contamination from intercourfe 
 with the unclean ; the impure pollute each other and the con- 
 tagion fpreads. Conformity in things innocent and lawful is 
 
 a-duty 
 
Left. IX.] JESUS CHRiiV, 
 
 a duty impofed by decency, kindnefs and regard to peaqe; dif- 
 fent merely for the fake of difTem is a mixture of pride and big- 
 otry. That may be admitted under peculiar circumftai 
 which is not to be drawn into a precedent, nor eftabli 
 general rule. A public character is concerned to ftudy his own 
 dignity, and the propriety and confiflency of hil conduct. The 
 queflion is not what he may do, but what it becomes him to do. 
 *' Things lovely and or good report" muff be thought of to- 
 gether with things that are " true, honeff , juft and pure." It 
 became Him to give public teftimony to the baptifm of John, 
 the baptifm of repentance, becaufe it led dir &ly to his owti 
 miffion, and to the kingdom which He was about to eftablifli 
 in the world. It betam? him to put refpecl: on every inititu- 
 tion, ceremonial as well as moral, that had the fanclion of di- 
 vine authority, of general ufe, or of obvious utility. The cere- 
 monial law required "divers warnings," and the immerfion of 
 the body in water was by no means a novel practice introduced 
 "by John, but tranfmitted through the fucceeding ages or the 
 legal difpenfation, and compliance with it our Lord confiders 
 as part of. ''the fulfilling ot all righteoufnefs, M and therefore as 
 incumbent on himfelf, being the great pattern of propriety. 
 We find him, on another occafion, fubmitting to an arbitrary 
 impofition, that he might not feem to give offence, in the 
 matter of the tribute money, and p rforrmng a miracle rather 
 than fhew difiefpe6t to government " Left we fhould of- 
 fend thern," fays he to Peter, M go thou to the fea, and caff an 
 hook, and take up the fiih that firfl: cometh up ; and when 
 thou hart: opened his mouth thou malt find a piece of money : 
 that take, and give unto them for me and thee." Thus he 
 not only " fulfilled," to an iota, " all righteoufnefs," prefcribed 
 by the law, but fubmitted himfeif to-the " ordinance of man, 
 for the Lord's fake" 
 
 But there was a farther vieto in this folemn transition. 
 The Median muff be publicly fet apart to the execution ot 
 his high prophetic office, and He prefers the baptifm of John 
 as the mode of performing that auguft ceremony. He paffes 
 through the water into the reign ot Grace ; the kingdom of 
 heaven was now come, and ftich was his humble entry into 
 it. But this voluntary defcent is to be immediately followed 
 by a rife into glory which eclipfes all the glory of tfrs world, 
 Samuel anointed Saul with a vial, and afterwards David with 
 a horn ot material oil ; the Prince " upon the throne ot David, 
 of the increafe of whofe government and peace there mould 
 be no end," is anointtd with the Holy Spirit. The numerous 
 
 M and 
 

 iiisrony of fLecl. ix 
 
 and founding titles of earthly potentates are, at their inaugura- 
 tion, proclaimedby found oi trumpet; the fimple title of the King 
 of kings and Lord of lords is proclaimed by a voice from heav- 
 en. The eyes and ears of the fpeclators at once bear witnefs to 
 the declaration of the Son of God. "It came to pais, that 
 Terns alfo being baptized, and praying, the heaven v as open- 
 ed, and the Holy Ghoif defcended in a bodily fhape, like a 
 dove, upon him, 3nd a voice came irom heaven, which laid, 
 thou art my beloved Son ; in thee 1 am well pleafed." Paint- 
 ers have prefamed to reprefent this defcent of the Holy Ohoft 
 under the form of a material dove. The defcending. hovering 
 motion, not the bodily fhape of that bird, is furelv all that the 
 exprelfion in the Evangelifts conveys to the mind As well 
 might art attempt to paint the dazzling Iuflre of flaming fire, 
 or the found oi the voice that fpake, or the motion of the 
 fplendid appearance which then filled the fky, as pretend to 
 give precife and permanent form to an apparition of Deity, 
 which, having fufilled its purpofe, paffed away. 
 
 Thus, Chnflians was confecrated to the nobleft work ever 
 undertaken the great " Proohet that fhould come into the 
 WorkU"V The Prince of the kings of the earth"—" The a- 
 poflle and high Pried of our profeflion," God " alfo bearing 
 witnefs, both with figns and wonders, and with divers mira- 
 cles, and gifis of the Holy Oh oft, according to his own will." 
 And thus was fulfilled the Scripture which faith : " There 
 fhall come forth'a rod out of the flem of JefTe, and a branch 
 ihall grow out of his roots : and the Spirit of the Lord fhall' 
 reft upon him, the fpirit otwifdom and underfbnding, the fpir- 
 it of counfel and might, the fpirit of knowledge and of 
 the fear of the Lord ; and mall make him of quick under- 
 Handing in the fear of the Lord ; and he fhall not judge after 
 the fight of his eyes, neither reprove after the bearing of his 
 ears : but with righteoufnefs fhall he judge the poor, and re- 
 prove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he fhall 
 fmite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath 
 of his lips fhall he flay the wicked. And righteoufnefs mall 
 be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulnefs the girdle of his 
 reins." And thus is the church of Chrift founded upon a 
 rock, " and the gates of hell (hall not prevail againft it." 
 
 hit unwonhv of remark, that this teitimony to the Son of 
 God, from " the excellent glory," was given while he was 
 praying P " As He prayed" alfo, en the mount of transfigura- 
 tion, a firriilar teftrfnony was exhibited, " There came a cloud, 
 and 'overfiindowcd them : and there came a voice out of the 
 cloud faying, This is my beloved Son ; hear Him." Again. 
 ' ° while 
 
Left. IX.J JESUS CHRIST. qi 
 
 while Jefus prayed, " Father, glorify thy name ;" the tefliim- 
 rry from on high was repeated. " Then came there a voice 
 from heaven faying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify 
 it again." Such is the promptitude of intercommunication 
 between earth and heaven. So rapidly afcend the breathings 
 of a devout fpirit to the throne of God ; lo fwiftly defcend 
 the tokens of "good- will to men." "The e fT»6> upa I, fervent 
 n. yer of a righteous mm. availetli much." And if the earneft 
 praver of an Kla had. power to bind up the clouds of heav- 
 en for y ar together, and to fruit- a guilty land with thirft and' 
 famine ; how much more powerful mult be the prayer of 
 the great Interceflbr, that " m the wilderftefs waters i 
 break out, and ftr earns in the defect ;" that " the parched 
 ground may become a pool, and thethirfty laud rprings of water!'* 
 Therefore alfo " men ought always to pray, and not to faint," 
 
 Here are the " Three that hear record in heaven, the Fath- 
 er, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft : and thefe three are one." 
 <4 Who can by fearching find out God : Who can find out 
 the Alm'ghty unto perfection ?" Who is able to compre- 
 hend what is the breadth and length, and depth, and height ; 
 and to know the love of Chrift which pafTeth knowledge r" 
 
 We have made no remark on the mode of bautifm which 
 John employed, becaufe it might lead h> controverfy, which 
 is unprofitable, to the neglect of practical " goodnefs," which 
 " is profitab e unto all things." " Let every man be fully 
 perfuaded in his own mind." " Why dolt thou judge thy 
 brother ? or why doll thou fet at nought thy brother ? ' *' Who 
 art thotd that judgeft another man's fcrvant ? to his own maf- 
 ter he ftandeth or falleth." Let the fpirit ot the ordinance be 
 chiefly attended to : wife and good men may very innocent- 
 ly differ about- the form. "It is the fpirit that quickened]," 
 the outward form is of fecondary importance. 
 
 Parents, have ye devoted your infant offspring to God, by 
 the fprinkling with water ? Remember the folcmn engage- 
 ments which you then voluntarily undertook to bring them 
 up in the fear, M nurture and admonition ot the Lord." Med- 
 itate frequently and ferioufiy on the refponlibiiity under 
 wbich you are laid, to God, to. your children, to the world. 
 Your fell v V worlhippers will witnefs ag*inft you, if you tri- 
 fle with, if you neglect if you corrupt your facred charge. 
 . 'young ones look up to you for protection. 1 >r inihuc- 
 tion, for an example : they call upon yon to lulfrl your prom, 
 n their behalf. They afk bread ot you.; Will you give 
 h. a. (Ions? Theyafkafifh; Will you give them a fer- 
 
 pent } 
 
£2 ISTOR'Y 0* (Xeri. IK, 
 
 pent ? They look to you for the portion er goods that falU 
 trh to iheirfhare ; not only " the meat which peri (he h, but 
 teat which endureth uiro everlafting life." It you are 
 unfaithful- they are undone. On the other hand, "great it 
 your reward" on earth, and ftill greater " your reward in 
 heaven," if you are honoured to become their fpiritual parents, 
 as you are parents after the flelh ; if, after having introduced 
 them into this world ot nature, you are made the happy in- 
 ftruments ot introducing them into the kingdom of God; if 
 \ ou and they together are at length added " to the general af- 
 fembly and church ot the firil-born, which are written in 
 heaven, and to the ipirits of juftmen made perfecT," through 
 Jeius the mediator of the new covenant, and the " blood of 
 ipnnkling that .'peketh better things than that of Abel." 
 
 Young man, thou weft ia early infancy, by the piety of 
 affectionate parents baptized in the name of the Father, and 
 or the Sun, an 1 ot the Holy Gholt. The birth ot nature bef- 
 don thee the name ot thy Father after the flefh ; when 
 r ou t'ert fprinkled with water, another name was prefixed to 
 h continues to be thy diftinclive appellation. Both 
 were indeed impoferi without thy confeioufnefs or confent, but 
 in both thou hall cheerfully acquiefced, perhaps they are a, 
 fource of pride to thee. Even the acqniiition of an eliate 
 will hardly induce a m d n of fpirit to forego his parental de- 
 flation hut the Chriflian name is indelible. Every time 
 tbou writeil it then, every time thou hearefl it addrefled to 
 thfe, thou art admonifhed ot thy dedication to God. Baptif- 
 mal engagements rife into view. "I am not my own, ior I 
 an; bought with a price. What deny my name! What, fell 
 it :oi a painted bauble ! No, I glory in it ; I will not permit 
 it to be dishonoured. What my parents did in my behalf 
 -when I was a little child, I now openly avow. They have 
 cone their part, through the help ot God I will do mine, 
 The name of Chi ill fliall not be blafphemed through my un- 
 worthineis. My brothers bear with me the common name of 
 our anceftors, but I will render my own diflinguifhed among 
 many brethren. I will never bluih at being called a Chrif, 
 tian " 
 
 My friend, thou hail paffed through the water at the age of 
 puberty. Baptifm was thy own acf and deed. Thou haft en- 
 tered into the kingdom ol God, confeioufly, deliberately. The 
 vows of God are upon thee. That young perfon, made a chrif- 
 
 \ \ by the ad ot parents, when come to years may difallow 
 
 Ijbat 
 
Left. IX.] JESUS CHRIST, 93 
 
 that aft, may renounce the name, but thou haft (ubfcribed with 
 thy hand unto the Lord. 
 
 Thou haft put the yoke of Chrift upon thy own neck and 
 haft aiTumed his burthen. Thou haft opened thy mouth unto 
 the Lord, and mult not look, muft not go back. Thou itandeft 
 pledged to God and to the world to {upport the honour of the 
 Chriitian name. " to adorn the doftrine or God our Saviour in 
 all things." You feel and acknowledge the obligation ; no 
 temptation, no compulfion can induce thee to retract it. Next 
 facramental foiemnity the vow lhall be renewed, repeated. 
 The language or thy heart is: " 1 am not afhamed or the gof- 
 pel ot Chrift: for it is the power of God unto falvation, to 
 every one that believeth :" ' k God forbid that I fhould glory, 
 fave in the crofs of our Lord Jefus Chrift, by whom the world 
 is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." 
 
 It the fpirit and power of the inftitution, we repeat it, are 
 thus underftood and fe ! t, let a man pafs through water into the 
 pale of the church of Chrift, or procure that privilege for his 
 child, by the rite of afperfion as confcience may prefcribe, and 
 ictus "be kindly afteftioned one to another, with brotherly 
 lo^e ; in honour preferring one another." 
 
 The Eva-.gelift, at this interval, prefents us with the geneal- 
 ogical table of Chrift's defcent from Adam downward. It brings 
 us all to the common level of brethren. Through endlefs and 
 intricate ramifications every man finds himfelf derived from 
 one and the fame root, " the fon of Adam, the fon of God." 
 And the Chriftian is ** born again," he is ■' a new creature," 
 being " begotten again unto a lively hope, by the refurrettion 
 ot Jefus Chrift from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, 
 undefiled,and that fadeth not away." The law of nature binds us 
 to each other as men, the law ot thegofpel doubles and ftrength- 
 ens the cord of love. This is Chri It's " new commandment;' the 
 badge of difcipleihip, " the fulfilling ot the law," ■« the bond of 
 perteftnefs." " A new commandment," fays our blefled 
 Lord, " I give unto you, That ye love one another ; as I have 
 loved you, that ye alfo love one another. By this (hall all 
 men know that ye are my difciples, it ye have love one to 
 another." 
 
 Has God vouchfafed to give fuch teftimony to the Son of 
 his love ? Receive it, reft upon it, improve it as a rule ot life, 
 as a fource of confolatiop. Ye " have no! Followed cunni gly 
 devifed tables, when we have made known unto you the pow- 
 er and coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift;" for though y 
 not 4V eye-witnefles of his majefty," you have " a more Cure 
 word ot prophecy ; v/bcreunto ye do well that ye take bet 
 
94 HISTORY OF [Left. IX. 
 
 unto a light that fhineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, 
 and the day-ftar arife in your hearts." 
 
 Ye call Chrift; ' Aiafterand Lord :" and ye fay well, for fo 
 He is. " It became Him to fulfil all righteoufnefs ;" He put 
 refpecl: on the ordinances, on the houfe, on the word oi God : 
 " leaving us an example, that ye mould follow his fteps." Let 
 the name, the day, , the temple, the word ot the Lord be hal,- 
 Jowed in your eyes. " Know ye not. that fo many of us as 
 were baptized into Jefus Chrift were baptized into his death ? 
 Therefore we are buried with him by baptifm into death ; that 
 like as Chrift was raifed up from the dead, by the glory of the 
 Father, even fo we alfo fhould walk in newnefs of lite." 
 
 " The Holy Ghoft defcended in a bodily ihapelikea dove up- 
 on Him :" when He was leaving the world, and going unto the 
 Father, he promifed his difciples to " give them another Com- 
 forter, to abide with them for ever ; even the Spirit of truth." 
 That Comforter was to teach them all things and bring all things 
 to their remembrance. " He Ihe wed himfelt" to them "alive after 
 his pafhon, by many infallible proofs:" He repeated his prom- 
 ise • " He commanded them that they fhould not depart from 
 lerufalem, but wait for the promife of the Father, which, faith 
 He ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with wa- 
 ter ; but ye (hall be baptized with the Holy Ghoft, not many 
 day's hence." It was accordingly fulfilled : " When the day 
 of Pentecoft was fully come, they were all with one accord in 
 one place. And fuddenly there came a found from heaven, 
 as of a rulhing mighty wind, and it filled all the houfe where 
 thev were fitting. And there appeared unto them cloven 
 tongues, like as of fire, and it fat upon each of them : and they 
 were all filled with the Holy Ghoft, and began to fpeak with 
 other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Thus were 
 they comforted for their Matter's departure ; thus they receiv- 
 ed •' an unftion from the Holy One," whereby they were fet 
 apart unto, and fitted tor their great work ; thus were they 
 Strengthened to begin and purine a career which will be felt till. 
 time expire. The fame Spirit is promifed, and is given to us 
 to " help our infirmities," to " guide us into all truth," to take 
 what is Chrift's and fhew it unto us-, to " comfort us in all our 
 tribulation," to fiiew us things to come. We look not for a 
 miraculous effufion, to enable us to fpeak with tongues, to 
 prophecy, to work miracles ; but we have good ground to afl; 
 and to hope that God will give us " the fpirit ot power, and o? 
 Jove and of a found mind." " O fend out thy light and thy 
 truth ; let them lead me, let them bring me unto thy holy hi\l t 
 
 and 
 
Left. fSt J JESUS CHRIST. 95 
 
 and to thy tabernacles ; then will I go unto the altar of God, 
 unto God my exceeding joy." 
 
 Our blefTed Lord entered on his public mifliftry at the age 
 of thirty, and it was accomplifhed within the fpace of little 
 more than three years. Think how much was done in that 
 fhott fpace. Were the things which Jefus did, as they 
 ftand on thisrecord, and the V many oth< r things" not re- 
 corded therein, to be rt written every one," fuoh would he 
 their number and their luff re, that they would to the world 
 appear to be absolutely incredible, and therefore the world 
 would not be difpofed to receive them. Here we have an il- 
 lult'ious pattern of the employment, of the improvement ot time. 
 •* I muff work." fays he, ' the works of Him that lent me, while 
 it is day;" the duty of the feafon initsfeafon. How ought wc to 
 blufh at our laborious idlenefs, at our pompous nothings ! 
 Wha f have we to Ihew for our thirty, forty, fitly, threefcore 
 years ? Hardly enough to furnim a decent infeription tor a 
 tomoftone. Were the hiflory ot the moft induftrious and 
 ufeful life to be fairly delineated, the world would have caufe 
 to wonder at the freqient and hideous chafms, the wild con- 
 fufion, the indecent rapidity, the caufelefs delay which the 
 detail would prefent. Whata piclure then muff the life of 
 (he protefTedly idle and diflipa ed. of the profligate and vi- 
 cious exhibit ! All enters into the book of God's remem- 
 brance, and muff all come into judgment. What precious time, 
 what invaluable opportunities ot doing and of receiving good, 
 have been fliametully neglecled, have been vilely caff a- 
 way ! 
 
 What moment granted man without account ? 
 What years are l^uaader'd, Wifdom'i debt unpaid ! 
 
 Night Thouchts, II, 30. 
 
 Much is irretrievably loft. Who knows how little may re- 
 main ? •■ Now it is high time to awake out ot ileep : the 
 night is far fpent the day is at hand : let us therefore caff off 
 the works ot darknefs, and let us put on the armour of 1 ght. 
 Let us walk honeftly as in the day," and " put ye on t\\c 
 Lord Jefus Chrift." " Awake thou that ileepeft. and arife 
 from the dead, *nd Chrift fhall give thee light. See that ye 
 walk circumlpectly not as fools but as wile, redeeming the 
 time, becaufe the days are evil." 
 
 .ZCTURE 
 
96 HISTORY o£ [Left. x. 
 
 LECTURE X. 
 
 MATT. IV. 1 — XI. 
 
 Then was Jefus led up of the fpirit into the wildernefs, to be 
 tempted of the devil. And when he had fa/led forty days and 
 jorty nights ', he was afterward an hungered. And when the 
 tempter came to him he /aid, if thou be the Son of God, com- 
 mand that thefe Jlones be made bread. But he anfwered and 
 faid, it is written, manfliall not live by bread alone, but by ev- 
 ery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. And the 
 devil takech him up into th? holy city, and fetteth him on a 
 pinnacle of the temple, andfaith unto him, %j thou be the Son of 
 God, cafl thy J elf down : for it is written, hefliall give his an- 
 gels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they fhall 
 bear thee up, leflat any time thou dafh thy foot againft aflone, 
 Jefus faid unto him, it is written again, thou fhalt not tempt 
 the Lord thy God. Again the devil taktth him up into an ex- 
 ceeding high mountain, and fheweth him alt the kingdoms of 
 the worid, and the glory of them, and faith unto him, all 
 thefe things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and wot- 
 (hip me. Then faith Jefus unto him, get th-e hence, fatan ; 
 for it is written, thou fhalt worfh'p the Lord thy Gud, and 
 him only fhalt thou ferve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, 
 behold, angels came and miniflered unto him. 
 
 WONDERFUL is the influence which external obje8s 
 poflefs over the mind of man : wonderful it is to refleft 
 how body and fpirit aft upon each other. On a hmple determ- 
 ination oi the will, every limb is in motion, every nerve is ex- 
 erted; and the man is burning under the line, or freezing at 
 the pole. Let the blood be tranfmitted with a little more than 
 ufual rapidity, or move a little more fluggiihly, and al) the mental 
 faculties are deranged, a new world arifes, every former idea is 
 blotted out. The glance of that eye, at one time, chills me 
 with tenor, and at another it melts me into love. This note 
 roufes me to the battle ; and that (bothes me into melancholy. 
 Internal ferenity and depreffion are produced by a clearer or 
 groffer ftate of the air. And if we are thus liable to be aflefted 
 by obje&s merely material, what mu ft be the influence of mind 
 
 upon 
 
Left. x.J jesus Christ. 57 
 
 upon mind! How powerful muft be the fympathy,how prompt 
 the communication of kindred fpirits, intuitively perceiving 
 and interchanging mutual fentiments of kindnefs, gratitude or 
 efteem! Who can conceive or explain the influence which be- 
 ings wholly fpiritual may exercifc over the human fpecies, 
 creatures compofed of matter and fpirit, whofe fenfes, whofe 
 imagination, whofe memory, whofe underftanding, all are fo 
 cafily imprefBble? 
 
 Of all the faculties which fpiritual beings pcffefs, that of 
 rendering themfelves the objects of fenfe mod of all exceeds 
 our comprehenfion. They prefent a form, they utter, and re- 
 ceive, and return articulate founds, and anon they are " van- 
 ished into air, thin air " The appearance of Gabriel to Zach- 
 arias and to Mary, and of the multitude of the heavenly hod 
 to the fhepherds, is a finking demonffration of it. We have 
 before us another inftance ot this aftonifhing faculty, in a fpir- 
 it ot a very different character, and for a very different pur- 
 pofe— Satan, the deftroyer, " foe to God and man,'* tempting 
 Chrift in the wildernefs. 
 
 The two Evangelifts, who have given us the hiftory of this 
 temptation in detail, differ only in refpe£t of the order of the 
 Sa&s related, that which is placed fecond in St. Matthew's 
 Gofpel is the third in Luke's, and that which is the fecond in 
 Luke is the third in Maithew. We have chofen to follow the 
 hfer, becaufe, as he was fliortly after called to the office of a- 
 poftlefhip, he probably received the hiflory from Chrift's own 
 rnouth ; and becaufe the words which He addrelfes to the 
 wicked one, in the clofe of the third temptation, according to 
 Matthew's ftatement ot it, u Get thee behind me, Satan," feem 
 to have concluded the fcene. This flight difference, however, 
 ferves only to confirm the authenticity of both historians, as it 
 is a proof that the one did not copy from the other. We now 
 proceed to the temptation itfelf. 
 
 " And when the tempter came to him, he faid, if thou be the 
 Son ot God, command that thefe ftones be made bread." At- 
 tend to the feafon which he laid hold of. It was at the mo- 
 ment that he faw Jefus ready to faint with hunger. Aitend to 
 the place ; it was in the wildernefs, which produced nothing 
 fit for food Attend to the fuggeftion ; it preients nothing ap- 
 parently offenfive. He only wifhes a little feaf.mable relief to 
 one under the preffure of the greateft diftrefs, and that relief 
 procured by means at once fimple and inno« ent. The law 
 had relaxed fomewhat ot its fe verity in favour ot cafes like the 
 prefent, by exempting from the punifhment of theft, the per- 
 fonwhohad committed it only to fatisfy his hunger. But 
 N here 
 
qg history of fLefr. Jfc. 
 
 Here there was not the (hadow of a crime ; He had but to em^ 
 ploy the power which he certainly poffefled, and which he 
 lawfully might exercife. It would be a dernonftration of hir 
 immediate reliance on his heavenly Father ; it would remove 
 all doubt refpeftin? the divinity of his mif^on ; Who could re= 
 f'ufe to acknowledge Him who was thus declared to be the Son 
 of God ? Hf him I elf wants only this proof, to induce him, 
 like another Heiod, to fall down'and'worfriip him. 
 
 It is clear that the tempter, when he ufed the expreflion u the 
 Son of God," did not fully apprehend" trie import of what he , 
 faid. that He did not mean by it to acknowledge the ivinitv of 
 the Saviour. Had he known with whom h* had to do, Durtl 
 lie have undertaken to tempt and feduce him ? By ■ the Son 
 of God," therefore, he underftands only a Prophet of diltin- 
 guifhed rank, fuperior to all others, of pre-eminent virtue and 
 ihent, endowed with higher giftsand powers, chofen and com- 
 riii (Honed of Providence for the converfionand fal nation of the 
 world, and of confluence infinitely dear to God. In this 
 perfuafion his objeel is an attempt to defea* the plan of Provi- 
 dence, to counteract the meafures of' Heaven, and, as he had 
 fucceeded in the feduclion of the reprefentativehead of the hu- 
 man race, he entertained the infernal hope of prevailing alfo 
 over its Reftor&r and Redeemer. He wouict dive, therefore, 
 to the bottom ofthe character oi Him, for whofe appearance 
 in the world (uch mighty preparation had been made and whom- 
 a feries of circum fiances the rrioft extraordinary had pointed 
 out as the peculiar, care of heaven. The operation of a mira- 
 cle will one way or another ferve to clear this up. The con- 
 verfion of (tones into bread appearing to him an impoifihility 6 
 if Chrift refufes to perforin it, an imputation lies againft his 
 power ; it he undertake without effecting it, his divine million 
 is rendered queftionable. Can he be God's beloved Son, if 
 he withhold the concurrence of omnipotence in a fituation 
 where it is of fuch high importance to determine what he in 
 truth is ? And again, on the other hand, if Jefus pay any at- 
 tention whatever to the fuggeflions of Satan, he cannot be the 
 Son of God, for that were to betray ignorance of the perfon 
 who accofts him, and of the defign which he entertained. 
 
 Mark ftill farther " the depths of Satan." He too, unhap- 
 pily, knows what is in man : and he well knew what a ftimu- 
 •ltis'it is to a mind ever fo (lightly tinctured with pride or vain- 
 glory when placed, efpecially in eminence of ftation, to have 
 the power and authority of that ilation called in queftion* 
 The temptation has, in this view the air of a challenge to 
 Shrift, to fupport his high pretenfions by correfponding ac- 
 tions* 
 
ILcct. X.j JESUS CRRIST. Ofe 
 
 *ions, and thus he would draw Him into a ram, imprudent, 
 vain-glorious difplay ot his power, without a reafon and 
 without an end. Miracles are intended, and performed tor 
 the converfion of the incredulous, at leafl: for their conviclion 
 -and to render them inexcufable. Unlefs this be in view, 
 power ceafes to be under the direHion ot wifdom. Accord- 
 ingly we find that whenever haughty, determined unbeliev- 
 ers expe&ed or demanded a fign, it was conftantly denied 
 them. What, has the Father entrufted him with his authori- 
 ty, to fatisfy a malignant curiofity : and (hall ihat power be 
 Javifhed away, in humouring the obltinate and incorrigible, 
 which is defigned for the inltrutHon and confirmation ot luch 
 as love and fee k. the truth? How, 'Satan call on Chiifl to 
 work a miracle ? and lor what end ? that he might believe in 
 him ? Was the object of his mi (Ron to reftore '* angels who had 
 left their fir ft eftate." Had Chrift, then, at the requifition ot 
 Satan, performed a miracle, he could have noihng in view 
 but an oftentatious exhibition or the gilts committed to him, 
 which was all that the tempter wanted. 
 
 This leads to a general obfervation on the wifdom and 
 moderation which ever governed our L ord's conduct, in this 
 refpect. As he never employed his power for the purpofes 
 of his own glory, becaufe h<* fought only that ot his heavenly 
 Father, fo he never exercifed it to promote his own advantage ; 
 Charity, not felt-love, dictated all his words, all his actions. 
 He withdraws, he retires, when he meant to provide for his 
 own fafety ; and He remains upon the crofs when infidelity 
 defied him to come down. An amiable view of the Son of 
 God ! In Him all power appears enthroned, with wildom 
 ftanding on the right hand, and charily on the left ; and it is 
 acling continually in conformity to rheir advice. How then 
 does he efcape the fnare laid for him by the devil with fuch 
 dexterity and artifice ? By an anfwer artlefsly fimple, but at 
 the fame time exactly pointed, and directly to the purpofe* 
 The Ifraelites, when prclTed by famine, bread failing them in 
 the wildernefs, were iuftained for forty years by manna falling 
 day by day from heaven ; God fubftituting in place of bread, 
 the common aliment of man. a celeftiat fo^d, denominated in 
 Scripture " Angel's bread," probdbly becaufe it was prepared 
 and difpenfed by the mi»iftration ot angels. This gives occa- 
 fion to Mofes to obforTe, in recapitulating «4*e conduit of 
 Providence toward th#i people, ' the L>rd thf God led thee 
 thefe forty years in the wildernefs, to humble thee, and to 
 prove thee, to kno\f what was in th'ne heart, whether thou 
 
 wouldett 
 
iOO HISTORY of [Left, x, 
 
 wouldeft keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled 
 thee and differed thee to hunger, and led thee with manna, 
 which thou kneweft not, neither did thy fathers know, that 
 he might rmke thee kn >w that man doth not live by bread on- 
 ly, but by every word that proceedeth 0,111 of the mouth of the 
 Lord doth man live." 
 
 Jefus was now in a fituation. exaclly (imilar to that ot the 
 Israelites, in the barren wildernefs, conducted thither by the 
 Spirit of God, following the deftination ot divine Providence ; 
 hunger prefTes, and the demon urges him t© find a fupply by 
 con verting (tones into bread. " There is no occafion to 
 have recourfe to this, or to any other extraordinary, uncom- 
 manded means," is the Saviour % reply, " the unlimited pow- 
 er of my Father in heaven is not fubjected to the neceflity of 
 fupportmg thofe who are following the leadings ot his Spirit 
 and Providence, by bread alone ; it has an infinity of other 
 methods to fupply their wants, to provide for their fubfiftence. 
 Knoweft thou not what he did to the Fathers in the defert, as 
 I now am, and what the Scripture faith upon the fubjeft, 
 " Man mall not live by bread alone, but by every word that 
 proceedeth out of the mouth of God," that is through any 
 other medium, " and by any other fubftance which he fhali 
 pleafe to appoint, and to which he fhali affix his blefling." 
 It is thus that Jefus inftrucis his difciples to wield " the f word 
 of the Spirit, which is the word ot God ;" thus he confounds 
 the tempter, and, without calling himfeit the Son of God. or 
 proving that he was fo by working a miracle, he fatisfies him- 
 feit with making the adveriary feel it by the wifdom ol his an- 
 fwer, by his confidence in God, and by a patient and pro- 
 found fubm flion to. his will. 
 
 How mortifying is ^tke. contrail between the perfeverance ot 
 wickednefs in the worft of caufes, and the faintnefs and lan- 
 guor ot human virtue in puriuing the heft! We are eafily 
 difcouraged, we are foon weary ot well-doing, but the enemy of 
 our falvation is indefatigable, he goeth about continually, he 
 returns ftill to the charge. He has failed in his firft attempt, 
 but he is determined to make another. He goes on a princi- 
 ple but too ftrongly verified by melancholy experience, that 
 every man, and in Chrift he fees nothing yet but a man, 
 that every man has his weak fide, fome fin that doth more ea- 
 fily befet b.m, fome leading propenfuy that rules him at pleaf- 
 ure, and which makes intereft, and lcafon, and confeience, 
 and every thing bend to it. Let the tempter but find this 
 out, and the whole man is his pwn. He finds Jefus invulner- 
 able on the fide of fenle and vain-glory ; he has efcaped the 
 
 (pare 
 
Lecr f ,X.] JESUS CHRIST. l 0l 
 
 ftiare by- the" wife and feafonableapplication of Scripture ; but 
 may not a net be woven to entangle him, whofe cords mail be 
 drawn from Scripture itfelf ? Here, in my appreheniion, lies 
 the force of the fecond temptation* It is of a piece with the 
 temptation which prevailed over "the man oi God"|who ex- 
 claimed again:!: 'he aitar which Jeroboam had ere&ed, '' I am 
 a. Prophet alfoas ihou art, and an an^el fpake unto me by the 
 word oi the Lord," and (he tempter flattered himfelf it would 
 be as readily believed, and therein the deceiver deceived him- 
 felf. 
 
 "Then the devil taketh him," fays the Evangelift, "up 
 into the holy city, that is, Jeruidlein, and (etteih him on a 
 pinnacle of the temple," probably the fummit of one of ihe 
 porticos, which termin it-d in a platform, and were Uirround- 
 ed. by a battlement, for. the p. nm. le of- the temple propyl ly 
 fo called, was macceiliblc, being lzniihcd in form of a dome, 
 {tuck full of marp paints gilded over to prevent the buds 
 trom perching upon it. Joftplms- reprefents thefe porticos, 
 efpecially that on the fouth, as of a height lo prodigious, 
 from the depth of the valley below, that no head tould look, 
 downward without becoming giddy. It was to this awlul em- 
 inence that Satan was permitted to tranfport from the wilder, 
 nefs the Son ot God, and there to propofe to him to make ex- 
 periment of the power, truth and faithlujnefs ot God, laying, 
 " If thou be the Son ot God, call thyfelf down ; for it is 
 written, He {hall give his angels charge concerning thee; 
 and in their hands they Ihall bear thee up, le it at asy time 
 • hou dalh thy toot againft a ftone." The propofal was wild 
 and extravagant in the extreme : but not lefs artful than ex- 
 travagant. The import ot it is plainly this, if Jefus Chnft be 
 the Son ot God, mull he m>t repofc confidence jn the promtles 
 which He has made, and reft afluredof his conftant care and 
 protection ? If he does not, it mull be from a fecret didruft: 
 of his power and goodnefs, from a difbeliet of Scripture 
 promifes, which were in effect to renounce his character as 
 the Son of God. The deiign ot the. tempter is apparent : he 
 means to deitroy, if he can, the objecr ot bis fear and envy. 
 Ferfuaded that a ta.l fiom (uciia height muft prove fatal, and 
 feeling his power limited to ait and iutin-jution, he tiies to in- 
 fpire a prefumptuous confidence in heaven, and thus. io bring to 
 an open tell what iie really was, the uei-jved of God, con- 
 cerning whom he. had given his angels charge, and thereby 
 terminate his own. hopes, or ruin a rafh and fallible nun, like 
 every other whom he had (o fuccefdully tried, and thus com- 
 plete his triumph over ird.il humanity. 
 
 tiow 
 
*«a history of [Lech x. 
 
 How plaufible ! No miracle is fo likely to make an im-' 
 jpreflion in his favour on the multitude below ; and what fe- 
 curity is equal to the promife of that God who cannot lie ? 
 Who can f efficiently admire the calmnefs and wifdom with 
 which the infmuation is repelled? the promife is admitted, 
 <he fecurity which it bellows is acknowledged, and the au- 
 thority of Scripture is eftablifhed. But Scripture is not in- 
 confiltent with itfelf, otherwife it were not the word of God : 
 ipiritual things mull therefore' be compared with fpiritual, 
 and it is written, " ( hou malt not tempt the Lord thy God." 
 A man is faid to tempt God, when he calls for extraordinary 
 and unneceflary proofs or his providential care, through diffi- 
 dence, or to fatisfy curiofity. 
 
 Thus Ifrael is faid to have tempted the Lord, when preiTed 
 by the want of water in Rephidim ; the fupply was granted, 
 but the place was marked by a name which expreffed dif- 
 pleafure : " he called the name of the place Mcribah, Jlrife % 
 becaufe of the chiding of the Children of Ifrael, and becaufe 
 they tempted, the Lord, faying, Is the Lord among us, or not ?" 
 The fame offence was again committed in the wildernefs of 
 Sin, under the preffure of hunger : " Can God turnifh a ta- 
 ble in the wildernefs ? can he give bread alfo ? can he pro- 
 vide £efh for his people ?" The miracle ot relief was again 
 interpofed. " He commanded the clouds from above and o- 
 pened the doors of heaven — he rained down manna upon 
 them to eat, and gave them of the corn of heaven. Man did 
 eat angels' food. He rained flefh alfo upon them as duft, and 
 feathered fowls as the fand of the fea." But it is dangerous to 
 pat the goodnefs and power of God to trial, and by impatience 
 and importunity to extort the indulgence of a man's " own 
 defire." God often with-holds in love, and grants from juft 
 difapprobation. " They were not eftranged from their lufts ; 
 but while their meat was yet in their mouths, the wrath o£ 
 God came upon them."— And tor all this " they finned ftill." 
 
 We have another noted inftance of a man's tempting his 
 Maker, in the cafe of Gideon, the fon of Joafh the Abi-ezrite. 
 He had been called from the threfhing floor to fight the battle* 
 of his country ; " the Lord looked upon him, and faid, Go in 
 this thy might, and thou (halt fave Ifrael from the hand of the 
 Midianites : 'have not I lent thee ?" Gideon hefitates, argues, 
 excafes himfelf. " And the Lord faid unto him, Surely I 
 will be with thee, and thou (halt fmite the Midianites as one 
 man" This does not yet overcome his diffidence; he mull 
 have a fan to cure his unbelief. " And he faid unto him If 
 now I have found grace in thy fight, then fhew me a fign 
 that thou talked with me. Depart not hence I pray thee, 
 
 unti! 
 
left, x j jesus GHiusr. 103- 
 
 until I come unto thee, and bring forth my preterit, and fef 
 it before thee. And he faid, I will tarry until thou come- 
 again." The fign is granted. The offering is prefented up- 
 on the rock ; M then the Angel of the Lord put forth the 
 end of the ftafTthat was in his hand, and touched the flefh and 
 the unleavened cakes ; and there rofe up fire outof the ro^k, and 
 confumed the fleih and the unleavened cakes. Then the An- 
 gel of the Lord departed out of his fight." Gideon perceives 
 that he has prefumed too far, and begins to tremble for his life, 
 but is inftantly relieved from that terror : " And the Lord 
 faid unto him, Peace be unto thee, fear not, thoufhalt not die." 
 Who would not have deemed this proof fatisfa6tory ? Is not 
 incredulity now completely difarmed ? The champion of If- 
 rael muft have fign upon fign.. "And Gideon faid unto God, 
 If thou wilt fave ffrael by mine hand, as thou haft faid, behold 
 I will pu* a fleece of wool in the floor ; and it the dew be ou 
 the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth befide, then 
 fliall I know that thou wilt fave Ifrael by mine hand, as thou 
 Baft faid. And it was fo : for he rofe up early on the mor- 
 row and thruft the fleece together, and wringed the dew out 
 of the fleece, a bowl-full of *ater." Surely the contention is 
 at lengn come to an end, and the patienee of God will be put 
 to no further trial. Wonder, O heavens, and be aftonifhed, Q 
 earth, at the prefumption of man, and at the condefcenfion or' 
 God f " And Gideon faid unto God, Let not thine anger be,- 
 Rot agairfi me, and I will fpeak but this once :. Let me prove, 
 1 pray thee, but this once with the fleece ; let it now be dry 
 only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew*. 
 And God did fo that night : for it was dry upon the fleece 
 Only, and there was dew on all the ground." But though 
 Deity is thus pleafed to yield »o the unreafonable demands cl" 
 man, it ill becomes man to encroach and to prefcribe. 
 
 In our Lord's repulfion of this temptation, mark the happy 
 union which he recommends to his difcioles ; " Be ye wife as 
 ferpents, and harmlefs as doves." Harmleflnefs brings no 
 ** railing accufation." florms not, threatens not ; even the ad- 
 verfaiy is not borne dowa by the weight of authority, but 
 craft is confounded by wifdom. Scripture mutilated, pervert- 
 ed, mifapplied, is explained by Scripture in its purity and fim- 
 phcity ; and the tempter is again made to feel his inferiority. 
 With a peiieverance, however, worthy of a better caufe, he 
 returns to the charge. He has been able to make no impref- 
 fion on the fide ot fenfe, appetite or vanity. But ambition is 
 the paflion ot great fouls ; and the mighty Julttis had lately 
 hirnifhcd him with an example of the irrefiftible power of that 
 
104 feist OR V of [Left. X4 
 
 }uft. " If," fair! the mighty conqueror, ,c jullice is to' be vio- 
 lated, the pleafure of domineering muff plead the excufe." 
 This " prince of the power of the air, the fpirit that worketh 
 m the children of difobedience," employs his permitted ener- 
 gies, accordingly, to expand a delight! j1 profpeft of the pomp 
 and glory of this world, rendered H: ill more alluring by contra ft 
 with the real horrors of the wafte howling wildernefs, from the 
 fummit of one of whofe fterile mountains the vifion was dif- 
 plaved. Over all this glory Satan claims abfolute and un- 
 bounded dominion, and the fole right of difpo'al : a claim, 
 alas, but too well fupported by reality ; and of the whole he 
 tenders an immediate transfer, on the eafy condition of receiv- 
 ing homage for it. Ye fhall be as gods, knowing good and 
 evil" was the temptation addreffed to the firft. Adam, and it fa- 
 tally prevailed, and mankind was undone. All this power 
 will I give, and the glory of them : for that is delivered unto 
 me, and to whornfoever I will I give it : If thou therefore wilt 
 worfhip me, all fhall be thine. " By this temptation was the 
 fecond Adam afTailed ; but it was refitted, repelled, and man- 
 kind was reftored. " Jefus anfwered and faid uiito him, Get 
 thee behind me, Satan : for it is written. Thou fhalt worfhip 
 the Lord thy God, and him only fltalt thou ferve." In Chrift's 
 rejection of the former temptation we had occafion to remark 
 the lovely mixture of wifdom and innocence ; here we have 
 an equally interefting union of wifdom and zeal : of wifdom, 
 in wielding '* the fword of the fpirit, which is the word of 
 God i° of zeal, in reprefTrng with holy indignation the info- 
 lent aflumption of the empire of the world, and the no lefs in- 
 folent demand of the homage and worfhip which are due to 
 Deity alone. There is a point beyond which patience ceafes 
 to be a virtue, and degenerates into weaknefs. It is particu- 
 larly fo, when the name, the day, the houfe, the word, the 
 worfhip of the great Jehovah are impioufly invaded and pro- 
 faned. The cloven foot is then fo apparently uncovered, that 
 nothing is left but an inftantaneous and abhorrent diflent, 
 •\ Get thee hence, Satan," Thus when " the prince of this 
 world" came he found nothing in Chi ill ; no weak part, no 
 unguarded moment, no fubje^ion to the frailties of that na- 
 ture which he had aflumed. The demon hears his own name. 
 Satan, the adverfary, pronounced by the lips of truth, and feels 
 hirnfeif detected ; 
 
 AbafhM the devil Rood, 
 And felt how awful goodnefs is ; and law 
 Virtue in her fhape how loveiv ; faw, and pio'd 
 His lofs. 
 
 Parad, Lost, IV, 846, 
 
 Thus 
 
: !e£h X.] JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 Thus our Lord's public miniftry commencec- In unparallel- 
 ed trials. Thus " the Captain of our Salvation" began his 
 rious career, and was at length made " perfect through fuffcr- 
 ing." But thefe things v. ere fpoken, and done, <md fufFered 
 for our fakes. " Chrift fuffered for us. leaving us an example 
 that we fhould follow his Heps." — * ; Forafmuch as Chrift hath 
 fuffered for us in the flefh, arm yourfelves likewife with the 
 fame mind" — " Beloved, think it not flrange concerning the 
 fiery trial which is to try you, as though fome flrange thing 
 happened unto you : But rejoice in as much as ye arc partak- 
 ers of Chrift's fufferings ; that, when his glory (hall be reveal- 
 ed, ye may be glad aifo with exceeding joy." Draw your hip- 
 plies, in " the evil day," from the fame facred treafury. " Be 
 ilrong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on 
 the whole armour of Go:l, that ye may be able to ftand againft: 
 the wiles of the devil. For we wreftle not againft fiefn and 
 blood, but againft principalities, againft powers, againft the 
 rulers of the darknefs of this world, againft fpiritual wicked- 
 nefs in high places. Wherefore, take unto you the whole ar- 
 mour cf God, that ye may be able to withftand in the evil day, 
 and having done all to ftand. Stand, therefore, having your 
 loins girt about with truth, and having on the breaftplate of 
 righteoufnefs ; and your feet (hod with the preparation of the 
 gofpel of peace; above all, taking the (hi eld of faith, where- 
 with ye (hall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wick- 
 ed. And take the helmet of Salvation, and the fword of the 
 Spirit, which is the word of God : praying always with nil 
 prayer and fupplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto 
 with all perfeverance and fupplication for all faints." 
 
 Good foldier of Jefus Chrift, thy chief danger is from v. 
 in. There is a traitor in the fortrefs, carrying on a conef- 
 pondence with the foe without. Let him be watched ni^ht 
 and day ; let him be (acrificed without remorfe. The moment 
 he is fubdued, the external enemy is ftripped of his 
 y Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation." ' 
 fober, be vigilant ; becaufe your adverfary the devil, as a i 
 ing lion, walketh about feeking whom he may devour : w 
 refift ftedfaft in the faith." Thou haft a weak fide ; there is a 
 " fin that doth eafily befei" thee, and that the tempter k 
 eth full well, though it may have efcaped thy own penetration. 
 Oppofe to his cunning the wifdom which is From above. In 
 a ftate of warfare, remember that no danger is flight, and no 
 foe contemptible. " Be faithful unto death," and thou fhalt 
 receive " a crown of life." u To him that overcometh, faith 
 the Amen, the faithful and true wJtnefs, will I grant io lit with 
 
 O me 
 
HI-STOR.Y o? [Left* >2; 
 
 rhe in my throne, even as I alfo overcame and'am fet dewiH 
 with my Father in his throne." 
 
 Men and Brethren, we take encouragement to refill tempta- 
 tion not only from the example but from the interceflion of je- 
 fus Chrift. Peter was to pafs through a fiery trial, and to be 
 linger! at lead, if not fcofched in the -flame. It was forefeen 
 and foretold by ins < ompaflionate Mailer ; but he would not 
 take warning ; he ruined into the fnare and was taken, but was 
 riot left in it. He wa- delivered, raifed up again, reflored, and 
 h is f 1! was bjefled to the confolation and recovery of thoii- 
 fands : 'And the Lord fa id, Simon, . Simon, behold, Satan 
 hath defired to ha^e you, that He m<.y fift you as wheat : but 
 I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not ; and when thou 
 art converted, ftrengfchen thy brethren." " Brethren, if a man 
 be overtaken in a fault, ye which are fpiritual reftore fuch an 
 one in the fpirit of meeknefs ; confide.ring thyfelf, left thou al- 
 io be tempted." And let him that has fallen, and hath been 
 lifted up again, " team to walkcircumfpecrly :" let him " not 
 be high-minded, but fear ;" let him no longer truft in himfelf,. 
 but " let him truft in the name of the Lord, and ftay upon 
 his God ;" let him be merciful, as he hath obtained mercy. 
 
 The grand tempter forced his way into a terreftrial paradife, 
 into the holy city, fcaled the pinnacle of the temple, mingled 
 with the ions of God. has " transformed himielf into an angel 
 of light, and ever with a defign to wafte and to deftroy." But 
 into '' the paradife of God," *' that great city, the holy Jerufa- 
 lem, descending out of heaven from God, (hall in no wile enter 
 any thing that defileth, neitherwhatfoever worketh abomination 
 or maketh a lie." Blefled Hate ! when there fhall be no inward 
 corruption, and no fear of a [fault from without. Fear not, " 1 he 
 God of peace {ball bruife Satan under your feet fhonly." " If 
 God be for us, who can be againft us ? Who fhall lay any thing 
 to the charge of God's ele6t ? L is God that juftifieth ; who is 
 he that condemneth ? It is Chrift that died yea rather, that is 
 rifen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who all* 
 maketh interceflion ior us. Who fhall feparate us from the 
 love of Chrift ? Shall tabulation, or diftreis. or perfecution, or 
 famine, or nakednefs, or peril, or fword ? Nay, in all thefe 
 things we are nioie than -conquerors, through him that loved 
 us* For I am perfuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor an- 
 gels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things prefent, nor 
 things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, 
 ftall be able to feparate us from the love of God, which is in 
 thrift Jefus our Lord." 
 
 LECTURE 
 
;Le£i. XI.] jESO/S CHRIST, 
 
 ■LECTURE XL 
 
 LUKE, IV. 13—32. 
 
 when the (trvil had ended ail the temptation he depai tedfi om 
 him for a feafoa. And Jefus returned in the power of the 
 
 rit into Galilee ; and there went out a fame of him . 
 all the region round about. And he taught in their jyia- 
 gasu.es, being glorr/ied of all. And he came to Nazarcih % 
 where he had been ^brought up: arid, as his cuflom was, hi 
 zuent into fh a fym 1 the fdb bath day, and flood up for 
 
 td re&d\ was delivered unto mm the book of the 
 
 Prophet E/aias: ami, when he had opened the book, he found 
 tfu place where it was written, the fpir.it of the Lord is upon 
 me, btcau/e he hafh anointed me to preach the ^o/p I to the. 
 poor ; he ha tit ,ent me to 'heat the broken-heai ted, to < preach de- 
 liverance to the captives, and recovering pf fight to the blind, 
 ^to fet at liberty them that are to preach the acccpta- 
 
 : year of the Lord, And /■• c Id fed the hoik, and he gave it 
 again to the minifti r, and fat down. And the eyes of all them 
 
 l ■ were in the (yiiagogue werefafiened or, hm. And he began 
 to fay unto them, this day u this fctipfure fulfilled in your ears. 
 Andai bare him witnefs, and wondered at the gracious words 
 which proceeded out of his mouth. And fheyja,d, is not t/ns 
 Jofplis fon f and he f aid unto them, ye will furdy.fay unto 
 me this proverb, phyf'aan, heal thy/elf ; whatjoever we .have 
 heard done in Capernaum, do al/o here in thy country. And 
 he ,'2-J, verily, I jay unto you, no prophet is accepttd in his 
 own country. But I tell you of a truth. , many widows were 
 in I rael in the days of Elias] when fke heaven was fhut up 
 three yars and fix months, when great famine was throughout 
 all the land ; but unto none of them was Eiias jent, jave unto 
 Sarcpta, a city cf St don, unto awoman thai was a wid 
 And many lepers were iv Ijrael in the time of E a/eits the pro- 
 
 /: and none of them was cfea avihg Naaman 
 
 Syrian. And alt they in the fynagopue, token they heard thefe 
 things, were fi'te] with wrath, and rofe up and thrufl him cut 
 of the city, and led him unto the brow of the IvJt , whereon t 
 
 ty wa> bunt, thai they H cafi fain adfong. Bu: 
 
 'he, pajfing through the midfi of them, zoeut his tvay, and c 
 down to Capernaum, a city of Gal: vv, and tavght them on tk< 
 
 Jabi 
 
2c8 HISTORY OF [Le£L XI, 
 
 f abb atk days,, And they were ajlonijlied at his dotirine : for 
 his word was with power., 
 
 ^TTH^f the Son of God came, for the Salvation of a loft; 
 V ▼ world, 4 * verily he took not on him the nature of an- 
 gels ; but he took on him the feed of Abraham ;" he afTumed 
 not royal Rate, but "the form of a fervant ;" his progrefs 
 was marked, not by the blood of thofe who oppofed them- 
 felves, but by the benefits which he conferred on the evil and 
 unthankful. Subjefct himfelt to the finlefs infirmities of hu- 
 man nature, he was experimentally taught to fympathize with 
 the weak ; " in that he himfelf hath fuftered being tempted, he 
 is able to fuccour them that are tempted." 
 
 The wildernefs exhibited a wonderful difplay of the divine 
 nature united to humanity, of" the humiliation of the " man of 
 foYrpws and acquainted with grief," and of the majefly. of 
 the mighty God s who has all creatures at his difppfal, and un- 
 der his control. The man " was an hungred," and expofed to 
 temptation, and arbitrarily difpofed of by an infoient foe : He 
 was humbled to the healing 01 blafphemous fuggeilions, and 
 the bearing oi cruel and unmerited infults. The Divinity 
 iniraculouily fuffainrd the infirmity of nature, quenched the 
 fiery d ns of the devil, put Satan to flighty received the horn- 
 age and fervice of angels. In all he prefented an object, of 
 admiration and love, and in every difplay of human excellence 
 he exhibited a pattern for imitation. 
 
 Jefus had now attained his thirtieth year. The Spirit of 
 God and of glory relied on him ; and a voice from heaven 
 had declared his generation. In the folemnity and folitude 
 ot a forty days retirement from all human converfe, the order 
 of his future procedure is fettled, according to the plan of the 
 eternal mind. Behold him then in the power of the Spirit, in 
 the greatnefs of his flrength, in the travail of his foul, return- 
 ing from the defert into. Galilee, to enter on his aiduous and 
 important undertaking. The public attention was fixed, and 
 expectation excited by the fingular circumilances attending 
 his birth and baptifm. The difcerning eye of the Baptift 
 faw in him " The great Prophet who fhould come into the 
 world," and with the finger he pointed him out as " the lamb 
 of God which taketh away the fin of the world." His fudden 
 difappearance afur his baptifm, and after the teftimony then 
 borne to him from above, mufl have been an occafion of fome 
 wonder, and a fubjecl: of much converfation, for on his re- 
 turn, at the end of the forty days, we find his fame already fpread 
 abroad, and a general difpofuion to receive and to hear him 
 
 raanifefledc 
 
Left, xi.j jesus christ. 109 
 
 manifefted. And where does he begin his career, and what 
 charaMerdoes he affume, and what arms does he employ? 
 At Rome, the feat of empire, in the triumphant itate oi a con- 
 queror, with his fword dyed in the blood oi his enemies ? No, 
 in Gaiilee the proverbially reproichful refHence of almoft 
 his whole life, in the humble character of a teacher of relig- 
 ion, and employing only the fword of the Spirit which is the 
 word of God. In this we behold him teaching us a generous 
 iuperiority to the little invidious diilinctions of country and 
 kindred, a noble contempt of the glory of this world, an ar- 
 dent zeal for the glory of God, a benevolent concern for the 
 happineis of men, and a juft difcernment of the means bed a- 
 dapted to the attainment of ihefe ends. 
 
 What a filent inftructor had his childhood and youth been 
 of fubjeclion to parental authority, of contentment with a 
 poor and mean condition, of holinefs in all manner of conver- 
 fation ? What an interesting object was prefented to t\,e eye 
 in a form fo fair, animated by a mind lo pure and exalted! 
 With what delight mull the ear have hung upon thofe lips 
 which wifdom infpired, and into which grace was poured ! 
 How commanding, how attractive that goodnefs which was 
 inceiTantly aiming at communicating good to others ! Is it any 
 wonder that when He became the public and active inftructor 
 of his countrymen, he fhould be "glorified of all." It was 
 probably about this period, that " the beginning of his mira- 
 cles" he performed at Cana of Galilee, " and manifefted forth 
 his glory," by turning water into wine, at the mairiage Solem- 
 nity of one of his relations or friends. By this he approved 
 himfelf the afTe&ionate, condefcending brother of mankind, 
 and, at the fame time, the great Lord of nature, to whom all 
 elements are fubject ; and whereby he reproves the unbend- 
 ing pride of affecled wifdom, the uncomplying precifenefs 
 which refufes to partake of the harmlefs intercourse and en- 
 joyments of human life, and the coldnefs and indifference 
 with which felfifhnefs endeavours to ftifle the voice oi 
 blood, of triendlhip and of natural affection. How greatly 
 mud his public miniitrations have been enhanced and endear- 
 ed by the meeknefs and gentlenefs of his priva-e deportment ! 
 What force rauft divine truth, delivered in the fynagogue, 
 have derived from the utterance of that tongue which in do- 
 meftic and focial communication was governed by "the law 
 of kindnefs." 
 
 In the mere human teacher, the profefTional appearance muft 
 frequently beat variance with the perfonal ; a heart torn, with 
 a thoufand anxieties, mull try to conceal its biuernefs under a 
 
 ferene 
 
HISTORY OF fLecT. XI, 
 
 Serene forehead, arid calmnels of fpeech ; and the unhappy 
 man may be adminiilering to others that confolation to which 
 'he himfelf is a llranger, or, what is infinitely worfe, may "be 
 called by public duly to declare that truth which is his fecret 
 reproach and condemnation. But O how delightful the enter- 
 tainment, when the hand which diipenfes to others can with 
 r hoiy confidence take its own appropriated fliare ! How digni- 
 fied is the character which, in the clofet, in the parlour, in the 
 ■market-place, in the fynagegue, m the pulpit, prefents but one 
 and the fame peiTon, the fervaiit of'God, the 'friend of man ; 
 the rcfpeftable and amiable member of fociety, the kind rela- 
 tion, the agreeable neighbour, the gentle rrafter, the patriotic" 
 citizen, the faithful pallor! What a model, in all thefe refpe&s, 
 is prefented to the Chriftian mini Iter, in tne perfon, the char- 
 after and the conduct of his divine Mailer ! What mud have 
 "been the ineffable charm oi that divine eloquence which capti- 
 vated every ear, every heart ; which commanded univerfal 
 admiration and applaufe ; and which, alas, fuch is the enmiiy 
 -of. the carnal mind, fo foon rod fed the vileft and worft oi hu- 
 man paflions in the breaft of his neighbours and acquaintance, 
 «nvy, and jealoufy, and malice, and hatred ! O how pleafant it 
 Is to accompany, in thought, the bleffed Jefus from houfe to 
 lioufe; from devotional retirement, to uieful and neceflary em- 
 ployment; from honourable employment, to fecial endear- 
 ment ; from the pure and innocent delights of virtuous friend- 
 '{lup, to the folemii and fuhlime exercifes of public worfhip ; 
 and to obferve in all the changing fcenes, the fame lovely fim- 
 plicity, the fame unafiuming dignity, the fame unvarying char- 
 ity and good will ! 
 
 But the Evangelift leads us from general to particular ideas ; 
 and gives vivacity and effect to our meditations, by bringing 
 them to one point of time, of place and of expreflion. Be- 
 hold him then at Nazareth, where he had been brought up, in 
 the fynagogue, on the fabbath day, according to his ufual cuf- 
 tom, (landing up to read, unfolding the prophecy, the prophe- 
 cy of Kaias, a remarkable predi&ion, and himfelf the fubjecl of 
 ^it ; then clofing the book, delivering it again to the minifler, 
 fitting down to explain and apply what he had read ; and how 
 pleaiant it is to mark the emotion which every word, every 
 -action produced in an aftonifhed and delighted audience ! Ev- 
 <ery one of thefe circumfiances feems to merit a lew moments 3 
 meditation. 
 
 He came to Nazareth. Having vifited other parts of Gali- 
 lee, and taught in their fynagogues, and received the cheerful 
 homage which heartfelt gratitude pays to real worth ; having 
 
 performed 
 
$.«££ JtT.J JEWS CH1VISTV Uj : 
 
 performed (he duties of a benevolent neighbour and kind i 
 tion at Cana, rejoicing with them that rejoiced, and putting^, 
 refpeci on the ordinance of God, the idea of home fuggefls it- 
 felf, the kind affections become concentrated, the calls oi na, 
 ture are <elt and obeyed. At Nazareth his mother dwelt ; he. 
 was well aware of her maternal tendernefs and folicitude ; his 
 forty days ablence about his " Father's bufinefe" mud have 
 filled her with pain inexpreffible ; her foul was about to be 
 pierced through with many a (word, whofe keen point coukV 
 not be averted ; but filial affection will not fuffer her to feel 
 the ftroke before the time; and what moments of eeffacy to a 
 mother thofe mud have been which paffed atNazaieth, in the 
 houfe and in the fynagogue, during this bleffed interval ! And 
 what delight mud it have been -to that Son to minifter to the 
 confolation of his mother ! 
 
 He came to Nazareth, inhere he had been bronchi up, Tha 
 fcenes,in which early life was paffed, are painted in lively coL 
 ors on the imagination Memory frequently rec«ls, and the 
 heart fondly cherifhes them. They are blended with the i 
 of gaiety, and want of care and innocence. I think with rap- 
 ture on the tree from which my childifh hand plucked thoi 
 golden fruit ; on the cooling dream which refreshed the tongue>. 
 parched with juvenile exercife ; on the flower-enamelled tur<c 
 whereon I caftmy weary limbs ; on the afcent to the houfe o£ 
 God along which my yet unconfirmed footdeps accompanied 
 ray venerable grind fire at the hour of prayer ; the note of the 
 fummoning bell is even now in mine ears. The feeling is nat- 
 ural ; it is harmlefs ; perhaps it may be virtuous. And is it a. 
 degradation of our fubject to fay that we fee in the hiilory be- 
 fore us, the ingenuous, generous Nazarene, thinking with c< 
 placency on the particular fpots confecrated by the recollec- 
 tions of early piety, of friendihip and of enjoyment ; thinking 
 with affeciion, fuch as only the Son of God could feel, on the 
 ailociates of tender years ; on the relations which the hand of* 
 nature, on thofe which the wifdom of Providence had torn, 
 driving in the maturity of thirty, to communicate to grown men 
 thai wifdom and happinefs, which the unlufpecting, unenvii 
 generofny of twelve delights to convey to its equal. The 
 Saviour of the world is here held up in the honourable, engag- 
 ing, and attractive character of a liberal and generous townf- 
 man ; rejoicing in the exertion of his ripened talents, his im- 
 proved powers, his enlarged abilities, for the information, im- 
 provement and comfort of the friends o{ his youth. 
 
 Attend to the p nee which he chofe for this purpofc — ' 
 pjdLce of public aifembly, devoted to the fcrvicc of God, to the- 
 
 conveyance 
 
ili 
 
 History of [Left, xi* 
 
 conveyance of ufeful knowledge, and to the devout aiTociatiori 
 of kindred (pints, the synagogue. There is indeed no real dif- 
 ference of place, in refpeft of fanaity. Wherever God is 
 worfhipped " in fpirit and in truth," there is holy ground. But 
 man, fwallowed up as he is of fenfe, mull have the devout af- 
 fections railed by an appeal to the lower faculties of his na- 
 ture : and the form and fituation et the fpot wher^he worships, 
 mull; be called in to afiift the mind, to promote the love of his 
 fellow worfhippers, to give energy to kind affections, and to 
 elevate the foul to the Creator, on the wings of love to the 
 creature whom he has formed after his own image. To thee, 
 biefled Jefus ! the city and the wildernefs, the mountain and 
 the fea-fhore, the temple and the upper chamber were one and 
 the fame thing ; but it pleafed thee to be a pattern of* decen- 
 cy and order," to exemplify fu'omiflion to the ordinance of 
 God, to walk before thy kindred and acquaintance, in " things 
 which are lovely and of good report." 
 
 The fervice of the fynagogue was not at that time perfectly 
 pure ; many corruptions both in doclrine and praclice had 
 been introduced, but flill God was worfhipped there, and Scrip- 
 ture ftill flowed pure and uncontaminated ; and he will not 
 feem to pour contempt on what favoured of human imperfec- 
 tion, left that which was genuine and divine fhould fall into 
 difrepute. A virtuous (fate of Society, and a pure Church are 
 highly defirable ; but in order to enjoy fuch a happy order of 
 things, a man " mufl needs go out of the world." All that 
 wifdom and piety united can atchieve, is gradually and temper- 
 ately to ameliorate the public morals, and to refclify diforders 
 which may have crept into the Church. No vigilance nor fa- 
 gacity can prevent the enemy from fowing tares among the 
 wheat ; but though they may be ever fo diftinguifhable, they 
 are not rudely and prematurely to be rooted up, " left, while 
 ye gather up the tares, ye root up alfo the wheat with them." 
 They mufl " both grow together until the harveft." The ho- 
 ly Jefus derived no taint from a diforderly fynagogue and a 
 profaned temple ; but he reftored the order of the fynagogue, 
 and the fanHity of the temple. He could contra£f. no impuri- 
 ty by fitting down to meat with publicans and finners ; and 
 learn no hypocrify by communication with pharifees ; but by 
 the wifdom and purity of his converfation publicans and fin- 
 ners were reproved, inftru£fed and reformed, and hypocrify 4 
 ftood detected. There is a mean, difhonourable and criminal 
 bt becoming all things to all men," for the fordid purpofes of 
 felf intereft, or the gratification of a vain-glorious fpirit ; but 
 there is likewife an honourable, manly and praife-worthy ac- 
 commodation 
 
LeO. XI.] JESUS CHRIST. 113 
 
 <:ommodatron to the wants and withes of our fellow-creature.-, 
 Which difintereftedlv aims at their good. This leffon " Paul, 
 the fervant of Jefus Chriit " and the mod independent in fpirit 
 •of all mankind, had been taught in the fchool ot his divine 
 Matter. "For though," fays he, u I be free from all men, yet 
 have I made myfelf fervant unto all, that I might gain the 
 more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain 
 \he Jews ; to them that are under the law as under the law, that 
 I might gdin them that are under the law; to them that are 
 without law, as without law (being not without law to God, 
 but under the law to Chiiflj that I might gain them that are 
 without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I mi^ht 
 gain the weak: I am made all things to all men. that I might 
 by all means fave fome. And this I do for the Gofpel's fake, 
 that I might he partaker thereof with you." 
 
 Time permits not at prefent to proceed on the confideration 
 oT the other particular circumltances attending this faired 
 Lecture ot the great Teacher ; fuch as 'he time when it was 
 delivered — the Sabbath-day ; the uniformity and conftancy of 
 the practice, as his cujiont <-as ; the attitude and exercile. he 
 flood up fur to read ; the fubjeel, a prediction concerning him- 
 felt from the book of the prophet Efaias ; his commentary up* 
 on it, this day is this Scripture fu'fied in your ears ; and fi- 
 nally, the effect produced on his audience, the eyes of all them 
 that iKtrt in the Synagogue were fajlened en him ; and all bare 
 him witnefs, and wondered at the gracious words whek pro* 
 ■ceeded out of his mouth. Thefe particulars, therefore, will con- 
 ftitute the fubjeel ot our next exercife ot this kind. We con- 
 clude the prefent with a few praftical reflections. 
 
 l. Meditate on the venerabilhy ot the fabbath, the day of 
 facredreft. It is he ordinance of God himielf, who is repre- 
 sented in Scripture, not only as the Author of the inftitution, 
 but as fetting the example ot its devout obfervance. *' On the 
 feventh day God ended his work which he had made ; and he 
 relied on the feventh day from all his work which he had 
 made." He made it a feafon ot tolemn contemplation : '* God 
 faw every thing that he had made, and behoM it was very 
 good. ;> He pronounced a benediction upon it, and fet it a- 
 part to holy purpofes : " And God blefled the feventh day 
 and fan^tified it : becaufe that in it he had retted from all his 
 work which God created and made." It is one of the natural 
 m.afurements of time, though modern infidelity has made an 
 attempt to efface it. It wears a benevolent and merciful afpefl 
 toward man and beafl. It is intimately snd indiflolubly con- 
 nected with religion. The violation of the fatjbath was cn- 
 
 ? hdered, 
 
;.::£ HISTORY Qt [Le£h XW 
 
 fidered, under the Mofaic difpenfation, as a flagrant contempt 
 of the divine authority, and fubjecled the offender to the pun- 
 5 fh merit of death To the regular and (pi ritual obfervance of 
 it, on the other hand, were annexed many and gracious prom- 
 ifes. I quote only the following : ''If thou turn away thy 
 foot from the fabbath. from doing thy pleafure on my holy* 
 day : and call the fabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, hon^ 
 ©rable ; and malt honour him, not doing' thine own ways, nor 
 finding thine own pleafure, nor fpeaking.. thine own words : 
 tnen (halt thou deligin thy felt" in the Lord ; and I will caufe 
 thee to ride upon the higbupiaces of the earth,' and feed thee 
 with the heritage of Jacob thy tatner : for the mouth of the 
 Lend hath fpoken it." The fubftitution of the firftV in place 
 of the feventh day of the week, under the evangelical difpen- 
 fation. binds more clofely-, not relaxes the obligation ; and the 
 honour which God has been, pleafed to put upon it is a (urn- 
 cient recommendation,, independent of the authority ot 
 human laws. As, on the contrary, the character of the perfons 
 who live in the open and habitual neglect or profanation of it, is 
 the reverfe of a recommendation to every man of fenfe, decen- 
 cy and virtue. But", 
 
 2.. Take care not to fink the fpirit in the letter of the ordi- 
 nance. It is a -lay of r ft, but idlenefs and reft are very differ- 
 ent things, The mental compofure and repofe of the man in- 
 finitely tranfeend the lift Iefs ina&ion of the brute. The body 
 ot the man indeed reus from the painful toil ot the week, and 
 his mind from its-perplexing cares. But this is perfectly con^ 
 fiftent with vigorous bodily exertion, and with intenfenefs oi 
 mental application. The feet, the hands, the eye, tine tongue, 
 may all be actively employed in.rendering unto God a " rea- 
 fonable fervice." The fup.erior p.owers ot the foul may be in 
 an afcending motion, u v , to " the Father of lights ;" and in a 
 progreflive motion,. to ward the " reft which remaineth to the 
 people of God." The lips of the wife and good may be de- 
 voted to the diffufion ot ufeful knowledge, and the ear of the 
 willing and obedient may drink in the doclrines of truth, and 
 the obligations of duty. This mutual interchange of kind of- 
 fices will produce an interchange of kind affe£t.ions. Good- 
 will among men will be preferved and promoted. The bands 
 of Nature .will be ftrengthened by ihofe of religion. To wor- 
 ship in one temple will become a bond of union among breth- 
 ren, and will extinguifh the coal of ammofity ; and thus "god- 
 Hqefs will be found profitable unto all things," and will exert 
 a- happy influence over "the life which now is " while it em- 
 'jfuees " the piomife of that which is to come." 
 
 3, Conformity; 
 
Left. XI.] JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 3. Conformity in things of inferior or of no moment, is ■ 
 duty which we owe botli to ourfelves and to oiiic! s : to our- 
 selves, becaufe it is the mark of a gracious and condefceni 
 character; to others, becaule every man has a title, to defer- 
 ence and relpecl, in matters where another man's conference 
 is not concerned- Sournefs and incompliance are no part of 
 the Spirit of Chrilt. Neverthcleis, many who bear that name 
 difcover a tcnacioufnefs of trifles, a bigotry to fell-opinion, in- 
 conuftent not only with the Chtiliian temper, but with good 
 fenie and good manners. This morofeneis ot difpofuioa lev- 
 els all diihnciions, and affixes the lame idea of criminality to 
 an enormous offence and adherence to a barrjple/s form or cere- 
 mony. With a 111 ci n of this ddcription, " He that kiileth an 
 ox, is as if he flew a man : he that faLrificeth a lamb, as li he 
 cut off a dog's neck ; he that orfereth an oblation, as if he of- 
 fered (wine's blood ; he that burnetii incenie, as it he bleiled 
 an idol." Difference of opinion among men is part of the 
 plan of a wife Providence. It affords ex'ercile to human fac- 
 ulties ; it expands a field for the dilplay of mutual forbear- 
 ance ; it is a linking mamfeftation of the variety of the works 
 of God. He who will yield no point, however inugnincant, 
 has no reafon to expect ih .t his punctilio fhould'be regarded. 
 Were the whole world of this ungainly, untracfable, uncomply- 
 ing nature, foeiey would prefent a perpetual and univerlal 
 ilrite ol com adietory feelings, humours and interefls. The 
 rule of the Gufp.T is in this cd(c, as in every other, abfolute : 
 "All tilings whatloever ye would that men (hould do to you, 
 do ye even fo to them : for this is the law and the prophets." 
 Indeed the great Prophet carries the fpirit of his religion 
 much farther : " I fay unto you, that ye refill not evil ; but 
 whofoever ihall finite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him. the 
 otUeralfo. And it any man will fue ihee at the law, and take 
 away thy coat, let him have thy cloak alfo. And whofoever 
 ihall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to 
 him that alketh thee ; and from him that would borrow of thee 
 turn not thou away." 
 
 _j. Watch and leize every prornifing oppoitunity of doing 
 good; and luch occur every day that we live. Have we not the 
 poor always with us ? Might not the crumbs which fail Irom 
 that table be given to feed many ilarving mouths ? Do we not 
 live in contact with ignorance and vice, with mifery and dif- 
 eafe ? And is it in our power to grant no relief, not fo much 
 as " a cup of cold water V* It is truly humbling to reflect how 
 means and occahons of being m'etul to the bodies and to the 
 fouls of men., and of promoting our own highcit interefls, 
 
 have 
 
a 10 HISTORY &i [heft* xt a . 
 
 have been carelefsly neglected, or deliberately abufed. Judg- 
 ment to come, however, fets the matter in a very ferious light : : 
 " I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat : I was thirfty, 
 and ye gave me no drink : I was a ftranger, and ye took me 
 not in : naked, and ye clothed me not : fick, and in prifon, and 
 ye vifited me not." " Vei iiy X lay unto you, in as much as ye did/ 
 it not to one ol the leaft of thefe, ye did it not to me." 
 
 But this direction too muft be accompanied with a caution. 
 " Let not your good be evil fpoken of.'? " Gi-e not that which 
 is holy unto the dogs, neither caft ye your pearls before fwine, 
 left they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rent 
 you." There is an officioufnefs of perhaps well-meaning good- 
 nets, which fometimes difdains to weigh the circumftances of 
 times, places and perfons; which will introduce certain topics 
 out of, as well as in feafon, to the grief of the more prudently 
 ferious, the difguft of the lukewarm, and the minh of the pro- 
 fane. "A word fpoken in due feafon, how good is it!" " A 
 word fitly fpoken is like apples of gold in pictures ot filver. 
 As an ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, fo is a 
 wife reprover upon an obedient ear." Finally, 
 
 5. Bring forh " things new and old," from the inevhauflible- 
 ilores of Scripture. From this facred repofhory our blefTed 
 Lord derived arguments to filence and confound the adve fary a 
 and a fubject of inftru£lion for the men of Nazareth From the 
 fame precious treafury, from thofe'* wells of lahation "the faith- 
 ful of every age have drawn the waters of confolation, to fupporf 
 and refrefh them under every pre flu re of diftrefs to counter- 
 act the bitternefs of death, and to enjoy a foretafte of the ' pure 
 river of water of life, proceeding out of the throne of God, and 
 of the Lamb." M Jefus anfwered and fai ," to the woman ot* 
 Samaria, at Jacob's well, ■ • Whofoever drinketh of this wa er 
 fhall thirft again : but whofoever drinketh of the water that I 
 fhall give him fhall never thirft; but the water that I (hall give 
 him fhall be in him a well of water fpringing up into everlaft- 
 ing life ." and "all Scripture is given by infpiration of God, 
 and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 
 inftruction in righteoufnefs ; that the man of God may be per- 
 fect., thoroughly furnifhed unto all good works:" Therefore, 
 " fearch the Scriptures;" as Chrift hath commanded, "for in 
 them ye think ye have eternal lite : and they are they which 
 teftify of me." Ye " have Mofes and the Prophets ;" ye have 
 Chrift and his Apoftles ; hear them. It men reject their tefti- 
 monv, "■• neither will they be perfuaded, though one rofe from 
 the dead." 
 
 LECTURE 
 
LtEt. xil.j jesus ciiKii.. ny 
 
 LECTURE XII. 
 
 LUKE, IV. i6—22. 
 
 /ind he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up : and, 
 as his cujlom. was, he went into the Synagogue on the jab bath- 
 day, and flood up for to read. 4nd there was delivered unto 
 him the book oj the prophet Efaias : and when he had opened 
 the book he found the place where it was written, the /pint of 
 the Lord is upon me, becav/e he hath anointed me to preach the 
 Go/pel to the poor ; he hath fent me to heal the brokeu-hearttd, 
 to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering oj fi^ht 
 to the blind, to Jet at liberty them that are bruijed : to preach 
 the acceptable year of the Lord. And lie clojed the book, and 
 gave it asain to ike mrnifler, and /at down. And the eyes of 
 a'l them thai were m the fynagoguc were fa/lened on him. And 
 he began to fay unto them, this day is this /enpture fulfilled t a 
 your tars, And all bare him witnefs, and wondered at tht 
 gracious words which proceeded cut of his mouth. 
 
 WE read, in the biftory of the patriarchal ages, of an illui- 
 trioufi perfonage who exercifed at once the functions of 
 a prieit and of a foverejgn ; Melchizedec, "King ot Salem, 
 and priell of the Mod High God." He, whom this venerable 
 perfori tTius early represented to the world, united to thefe two 
 jcharaHers, a third, Jeis fplendid indeed, but not lefs important, 
 t: a ot a teacher and in (true! or ot mankind; and thus He be- 
 came all that a guijty eoilaved, ignorant world flood in need 
 of. In the bleffed Jefus, O wretched man, thou beholdeft the 
 1 :. il : .; 1 rebellion, who hath, by one offering, 
 
 tinf, one biood, procured the remiflion of all thy offen- 
 :<:e ol the kings of the earth, who has broken 
 ei the bands of thy y die, and aflerted thee into the " glo- 
 : . e nns ot God ;" and the great, the unerring 
 
 10m God, who ipal.e as never man fpake, whofe 
 . 1 w fe uiit ) faj ' jnon. 
 
 1 Lord ot Nature we have [cen him ex- 
 
 a powers of the worlds vifible and 
 
 ..ight by a word, receiving the hom- 
 
 trations 1 r aii^els. As an High Priell, "alter the 
 
 r ot Melchizedec," we mail in the progrefs oi this hiltory 
 
 be!' Id 
 
, r i8 history of [;Le£r. r xi& 
 
 behold him offering himlelf, cnce for all, "a facrifice of a fweet 
 rlmelling favour unio God." We are this evening to fit at his 
 feet and to liflen to him m his humbler and more familiar 
 character of the meek, patient, and condefcending inftru&or of 
 the weak, the ignorant, and the prejudiced. And, O may the 
 o-iacious words which proceed from his mouth not only excite 
 our wonder, but penetrate and melt our heaits, kindle our re- 
 pentings together, and put, all that remains ot our exiflence un^ 
 <fcr the dominion or love. 
 
 His Brft labours of affection were bellowed upon his kin- 
 dred and acquaintance, they were confecratea to the improve- 
 ment of the companions and triends of early life. He had 
 hitherto taught them by example, he now teaches them out of 
 the written word. Had he been covetous of fame or of hon- 
 our he would furely have chofen another theatre on which to 
 difplay his fuperior powers, for, he well knew that no prophet 
 is accepted in his own country He well knew that eminent 
 excellency excites envy, that envy produces malignity, and 
 that malice prompts to evil fpeaking. But regard to his own 
 intereft and eafe is loll in companion to others, and the love of 
 reputation with men reverently bends to zeal for the glory of 
 God. Every circumftanceof the fee ne before us -is imereiling 
 and inftruBive. 
 
 We have in the preceding Leclure adverted to thofeof place, 
 it was " in Galilee at Nazareth where He had been brought 
 up," and " in the fynagogue." Attend now to the Jeajon, it 
 was on the fabbaih-day . As to the pure all places, fo all times 
 are pure, yet to man, weak and imperfect as he is, diflinclion 
 of both time and place is important and necelTary. Shew me 
 a man who is habitually and uniformly that in the world, 
 which decency obliges him to appear to be in thehoufe of God, 
 and I mail not preiume to condemn him, though he frequent 
 not the temple ; although fitch an one is of all others the leaft 
 likely to delert it. Shew me the man whole every day is a 
 day ot order, of piety, of mercy, and of good works, and luch 
 an one Ihall, for me, fpend the feventh day in what manner he 
 wilt ; though fuch an one is of all others themoft likely to put 
 refpecl on the ordinance of God. Who of all thofe, who are 
 born ot a woman, flood leafl in need ot the influence and af- 
 fiflanceof facred edifices andfeafons ? He whofe converfation 
 -was continually in heaven, whofe M meat and drink it was to. 
 do the will of his heavenly Father," who never loft fight, for 
 a moment, of the great end ot his million. And who was fo 
 regular in his attendance on the exercifes of religious worfhip; 
 
 who 
 
Lett. XII-.] £ESUS CHRIST nr ( 
 
 who wasfo exa£t in the obfervance of every inft'itution that was- 
 damped with marks ot divine authority ? 
 
 The fabbath is an ordinance ot mercy, defigned by Him who 
 " preferveth man and beau 1 ,'' to be an interruption ot painful; 
 toil, a reftorer of ex hauled nature, a feafon of repofe ; but in-. 
 perfect confiftency with this, it is a feafon ot" mental exertion 
 of beneficence ; ot devout contemplation, of virtuous, facial. 
 intercourse. But the obfervance of the labbath had, when our 
 Saviour came into the world ; degenerated into a* narrow and- 
 grovelling fuperftition, which (eparated from it every idea of 
 mercy and good will to men, and tKe fpirit was funk in the 
 letter. It therefore became, this great Teacher, to re ft ore the 
 iiiftitution to its primitive defign and ufe, and to guard man- 
 kind equally againft the extremes ot fuperftition, oh the one 
 hand, and of profanity on the other : and this he does wi h a-. 
 wifdom, a delicacy, and a dignity peculiar to himfelf; Who 
 can think flight ly of what he treated with rcfpecl ? Who dares. 
 to violate what he obferved as " the holy of the Lord and hon- 
 ourable ?" And who again can think he it doing honour to- 
 God by exprefling indifference, unkindnefs, and want of fym- 
 pathy to men ?' He who attended the fynagogue, who read 
 and expounded the Scriptures on the fabbath • on the labbath 
 alfo reftored the withered band, defended his difciples from the 
 charge of profanation difplayed the character of the fover- 
 Lord of the fabbath, as preferring mercy to facrifice, and as^ 
 having inllituted " the fabbath for man, and not man tor the 
 labbath." 
 
 Obferve farther, the Evangelift takes care to inform us that 
 Chrift's attendance on th? fervices of the fynagogue and the 
 fabbath was not merely accidental'or occafional, but habitual 
 and ftated : as his cu/tom was. What we do according to no- 
 Sxed rule, we do feebly and confiifedly. What we do feldoiriv 
 we do with reluctance and diflike ; and from di (like the nat- 
 ural tranfition is to totaT omilTion. On the contrary, what is 
 fubje&ed to rule is done accurately and efficiently ; what we 
 do habitually, wedo with cafe and delight ; For cuftom, fays 
 the ptoverb, and with much truth, is a fecond nature. The 
 Saviour ot the world, accordingly, vouehfafed to become an 
 example here alfo, as of every thing elfe that is wife and good; 
 He was a pattern ot regular, orderly conduct; from his chi 
 hood, and upward, He was a filent instructor of the fucceflive 
 fiages of rifing exiflence, in docility, in contentment, in fub- 
 miffion,in regularity. 
 
 Let no one tell me that it is ufelefs to habituate children he- 
 times to the forms oi devotion ; to the obfervance of in ft it u- 
 
 _ 
 
120 HISTORY OF [Lea. xtt< 
 
 tions whofe meaning and intention they do not fully compre- 
 hend : to reftraints which to them appear harfh and unreafona* 
 ble. It is a great thing, indeed it is every thing, to be under 
 the government of innocent or praife-worthy cuftoms : to bt 
 mured to the laws of order ; to be prepared for thinking tot 
 themfelves, and for having their ientimenfs heard and attended 
 to, by learning to pay re f peel: to the underftanding, to the opin- 
 ions, and to the experience of others. Think with what holy- 
 indignation, He, whofe name we bear, would have liftened to 
 a propofal to violate his cuftotn, and to make the hour of the 
 devotions of the fynagogue, the hour of walking into the corn- 
 fields ! 
 
 The hiirorian is here frngularly minute, and gives wonder- 
 ful vivaoiiy to'his ■ reprefentation. by going into a detail of par- 
 ticulars. Among thefe, we mufl advert to his pofture and at- 
 titude, when employed m reading to the people the word of 
 God. He flood up for io read. Nature feems to point this 
 out as an attitude of reverence and refpecl. Since the days of 
 Abraham, who Rood up and bowed himfelf before the people 
 of the land wherein he dwelt, the wife, the benevolent, and 
 the courteous have employed it as an exprefhon of regard to fu- 
 perior fan6tity, power, majefty or multitude. Pofture is, in it- 
 felf, {fill more indifferent than time or place - r but nothing is 
 indifferent in the eyes of true wifdom by which the interefts 
 of eitherhuman virtue or felicity can be affected. Truth is the 
 fame whether delivered in an ereel: or a recumbent pofture 
 But in matters of this lort, What fays common practice? Will 
 my compliance conciliate affection, procure attention, give 
 force to what is faid ? Then I will cheerfully conform Will 
 my fingularity give offence, will it awaken prejudice, will it 
 injure the caufe I mean to promote ? Then I will not affect 
 fingula-iry ; I will not be uncomplying nor unkind ; and I 
 will diffent only where confcience is concerned, and where 
 compliance would be criminal. 
 
 How melancholy it is to refleel:, on the talents which have 
 been perverted, on the time which has been wafted, but that is 
 comparatively nothing, on the angry fpirits which have been 
 excited, on the oceans of blood which have been fpilt, in de- 
 termining whether ft.nding, fitting or kneeling ; whether this 
 or the other uneffehtial circumftance were moft adapted to 
 the nature of things, or moft conformable to the will, or con- 
 ducive to the glory, of the Creator. In this too, therefore, I 
 confider the example of Chrift as intelligible, decided and in- 
 olruclive. 
 
 He il ifood up io read;' Happily for the world, its infor- 
 mation' 
 
Left. &II.] JESUS CHRIST. ISi 
 
 mation and inftrucTion in matters of pverlafling moment were 
 not entrufted to the uncertainty, the changeablenefs and the 
 corruptibility ot oral tradition He who bellowed on man 
 the gift of fpeech, for the mutual communication of thought, 
 gave likewife the pattern of permanent fpeech by means of 
 writing; by which thought is tranfmitted from region to re- 
 gion, from generation to generation, unfophiflicated, unim- 
 paired Hence the events which Mo Pes recorded, and which 
 Ifaiah predicted, the precepts ol the Law and the promifes or. 
 the Gofpel defcend from age to age in equal purity, weight 
 and meafure : and the fon fees, reads and apprehends the felf- 
 fame truth which was the light and joy ot his progenitors. 
 And what mud it have been to hear the fublime and pathetic 
 {trains of Ifaiah pronounced by the tongue of Him who formed 
 the ear for the perception of melodious founds, the mouth to 
 utter them, and the heart to receive the impreffion of facred 
 and infrefting truth ! We may judge of it from the mute at- 
 tention with which he was heard, and from the wonder exprefT- 
 ed, after he had finiihed, ** at the gracious words whch pro- 
 ceeded out of his mourh." 
 
 It would appear that it was not only " his cuftom" to attend 
 the fynagogue, but to perform the office of public reader to 
 the affembly. For the proper mini Pier delivers to Him, as to 
 the acknowledg.d conductor of this part of the fervice, that 
 portion of the Sacred Code which either order prefcribed, or 
 which his felection called for, or to which Providence fpecial- 
 ly directed ; and he received it from Him again to be deooru- 
 ed in its place. And whether indeed did Providence, inde- 
 pendent ot human defign or forefight, by a fpecial interpofi- 
 tion unfold the particular paffage from ancient prophecy ; or 
 did his own choice felect it as peculiaily applicable totheocca- 
 fion ? In either cafe, what portion of the Old Tellamcnt Scrip- 
 tures is more emphatically defcriptive of his perfon, character, 
 and divine million ? And what can be fo worthy of our moft 
 deep and ferious attention, whether we con fid er the infinite 
 and everlafting moment of the fubjecl, the inter >ft which we 
 have in it or the affecting correfpondence ot the event with 
 the prediction, of the prophet with his ubjeft. 
 
 The prophecy holds up to view a perfon of the mod dif- 
 tinguilhed eminence, confecrated in the molt extraordinary 
 manner, to the execution ot the mod geneious, mercitul and 
 benevolent purpoles. and in language the moft powerful and 
 pathetic. It is the anointed of the Lord God, his Holy One, 
 who alone could without pielumption undertake, and trium- 
 phantly accompliih, the work of redemption, and could un- 
 
 Q lol<* 
 
t§* HISTORY OF [Left, xir, 
 
 f.Jd that " great myftery of Godlinefs" which angels defire td 
 took into : who was fet apart from everlaiting to this high des- 
 tination, who was gradually revealed, and in the fulnefs of 
 time, fent to be the falvation of God to all the ends of the earth. 
 Who was anointed, not as Aaron to the prieflhood, and David 
 to the fovereignty by a material oil of exquifite odour and coft- 
 1'y price, but by the efTufion of the Spirit, the Spirit of power,, 
 of wifdom, of holinefs, which retted upon him without meaf- 
 ure ; and which was beftowed upon him for what purpofe ? 
 with Mofes to humble the pride, and crufh the power of E- 
 gypt ? or with Cyrus, " to fubdue nations, to I'oofe the loins of 
 lings, to open before him the two-leaved gates, to make the 
 crooked places ftraight, to break in pieces the gates of brafs, 
 and cut in fonder the bars of iron \ 3 to execute the righteous 
 judgment of the Eternal on rebellion, prefurription and difobe- 
 dience ; to condemn and to deftroy ? No, when this mighty 
 One cometh, armed with power, anointed with the Spirit, it 
 is to difpenfe grace, to diffufe bappinefs, to relieve the mifer- 
 able. 
 
 " He hath anointed me to preach the gofpel to the poor.** 
 The poor are, with the great of the earth, the objects of neg- 
 leB, arid contempt, and oppreffion. In the dictionary of the 
 world, rich means refpecfable, poweiful and important : and 
 poverty is equivalent to wretcliednefs, riieannefs, defpicability. 
 But the d Ipeniation of grace by the gofpel inverts this order ; 
 n affixes a different, indeed an oppofite meaning to words, it 
 raifes into confluence what was iightly efteemed, and it hurls 
 pride down to the ground. It '* puts down the mighty from 
 their feats, and exaheth them of low degree." Is it poverty of 
 condition ? That is no bar againfl the admiflion of the confo- 
 lations of Chriftianity ; that is no difqualification for enjoying 
 the rights of citizenfhip of the kingdom of heaven ; that im- 
 plies no exclufion from the glorious " privileges of the fons of 
 God ;" that implies neither fin nor fhame. Is it poverty of 
 fpirit ? It is the creature's higheft glory ; it is the Redeemer's 
 brighteft and moll perfect image ; it is the foul's preparation 
 for the kingdom of heaven. To the one and to the other is the 
 anointed of the Lord fent to preach the gofpel; to the poor 
 in this world, that they may learn to be fober minded; patient 
 and content ; net envying nor grieving at the good of others, 
 but laying up for themfelves " treafures in heaven ;" looking 
 for " another Country," for " a city which hath foundations, 
 whofe builder and maker is God :"— to the poor in fpirit, that 
 they may "grow in grace," that they may contemplate and 
 Sallow their pattern more clofely, learning of him daily to be 
 
 * meek 
 
£.€&. XII.J JESUS CHRIST. i «j 
 
 f< meek and lowly in heart, that they may find reft to their 
 fouls." 
 
 " He hath fent me to k?al the broken hearted.'" Gracious 
 office ! divine Phyfician ! Thou on!/ art equal to the tafk. 
 M The heart knoweth its own bitternefs ;" Ttie ill admi's of 
 no cure ; the officious confolationof thecrea'ure onJy irritates 
 the wound ; time itfelf brings no relief. But behold, here, 
 not a temporary relief, but a lading cure i not the tranfient 
 foirit and calm of a ftupifying opiate, but the folid fupport of 
 wholelome food, and the relrelhing balm of wholefome reft, 
 An infnaring, perlecuting world, mourner in Zion, difturbs 
 thy peace, and breaks thy heart ; but He hath fa»d " be of 
 good cheer, I have oveicome the world " ** In the world ye 
 fhall have tribulation, but in me ye fhajl have peace." , In the 
 bitternefs of thy foul thou cricft out, * : O wretched man that J 
 am ! who fhall deliver me from the body of this death ?"— 
 Trembling, finking creature, fpeak peace to thy foul, " return 
 to thy reft," " there is no condemna ion to them th.»t are in 
 Chrift Jefus ; it is God that juftifieth : who is he that con- 
 demneth ?" 
 
 To preach deliverance to the captives. Bondage, flavery, 
 captivity are happily known to us only by the name, or in 
 idea. We are more than Abraham's children ; our lathers 
 contended for liberty, Heaven granted it, and we enjoy it. 
 But ah ! our country is but a fpeck on the globe ; our popula» 
 tion is but a handful of men. And alas, even in our own 
 country there is captivity. How many among us " wax poor 
 and fall into decay," and that not from profligacy and produ 
 gality alone ? The creditor cometh, and th j re is nothing to 
 give him. The lofs of liberty is the confequence : the evil 
 becomes worfe and worfe. He who entered within the walls 
 of a prifon unfortunate only, continues there under a total in* 
 capacity of fhaking off calamity. What was at fit ft the pref- 
 fure of debt, imperceptibly changes into an intoLrab.e load of 
 vice, from which a m ; racle of grace alone can deliver. How 
 many thoufands of our fellow fuhjects are in this unhappy. 
 this alrnoft hopelefs condition ! But liberty may exift even in 
 a dungeon. If the prifoner carries with him into confine- 
 ment the " fpirit of adoption," he is already delivered from 
 bondage. No bolts, nor bais, nor fetters of iron can re (train 
 the heaven-born min : he can look up and " cry, Abba, Fath- 
 er!" " He that is cal led in the Lord, being a flave, is ihe 
 Lord's freeman." M It the Son fhall make you free, ye fhall be 
 free indeed." Paul in bonds, a prifoner in the caufe of Jefus 
 Chrift, poif fles a nobly free and independent fpir'tt. Galled 
 
 with 
 
i*4 HISTORY OF [Left. XII. 
 
 with "many {tripes ;" " thrufl into the inner prifon" at Phil- 
 ippi, with Silas his companion in tribulation, *■ their feet made 
 fail in the flocks," they enjoy liberty of accefs to the<hrone of 
 Grace. *t At midnight they prayed, and fang praifes unto 
 Go 1 " Thus " the Lord loofeth the prifoners," and thus the 
 Anointed is ,4 lent to preach," and to give '* deliverance to the 
 captives." 
 
 Bu' what, in refpec> either of multitude or of mifery, are 
 imprisoned debtors, or even felons lying under the rod or the 
 law, compared to the voluntarily en flawed ? V Whofoever 
 committeth fin is the flvive of fin." And what blindnefs is like 
 wilful blindnels, and what fei ^itude fo hopelefs, lo inglorious 
 as that into which a man degrades himfelt ? It is fome allevia- 
 tion ot the depreilion ot a iervile eftate, that, the mailer is hon- 
 ourable, and that the fervice required is neither humiliating nor 
 fevere : but O how mortifying the reflection of being in fub* 
 jection to an unfeeling monller, to a capricious tyrant, to a 
 contemptible groundling ! And fuch is every Have to irregular 
 appetite, whether v he " the lull of the flelh, or the lull ot the 
 eyes, or the pride of life." Such dream that they are follow- 
 ing their own will but in truth they '* are led captive by Sa- 
 tan at his will :" and*' the wages of fin is death." To deliver 
 from this moll inglorious, this fatal thraldom, then, is the ob- 
 ject of Chrift's million. What, Britons, glory, and weli you 
 may, in your civil liberties ! and willingly afTume the yoke ot 
 a paltry intereft, of a grovelling propenfity which you are a- 
 iharaed to avow ! What, m^ke it your boaff. that the moment 
 the ill-fated African breathes Britith air he becomes free ! and 
 continue deliberately to " fulfil the defires of the nVlh and 
 of the mind," which " war again!! the foul !" Great Deliver- 
 er, exert thy power, difplay thy grace ; " open their eyes, turn 
 them from darknefs to light, and from the power ot S;itan un- 
 to God. that they may receive forgivenefs ot fins, and inheri- 
 tance among them which are fan&ificd." 
 
 " He hdth fent me — tor the recovering o f fight to the blird." 
 On what numberlefs., and what delicate hinges does human 
 comfort turn ! Who cart defcribe " the thouiand natural lhocks 
 that llcfh is heir to ?" Were the kindnefs of Nature or the care 
 of Providence to be fulpended but for a day, into what a lazar- 
 houfe would the world be inftantty transformed ! The defect 
 "of a nail of a little finger is a blemifh in organization, but a 
 blemifh which nature leldom permits ; how much lefi> a defi- 
 ciency of one of the nobler pans, or a difarrangement cf the 
 whole fylfem ! " But that the works of God fhould he made 
 maniteft," a " man is blind from his birth j" and another lofes 
 
 41 the 
 
Le'cl. xii.] jesus christ. 125 
 
 " the precious treafure of his eye-fight." Of the two, the lat- 
 ter furely is the greater evil. We cannot regret what we have 
 hardly an idea of, what we never pofTefTed, and to which we 
 become perfectly reconciled before we are confcious of exig- 
 ence. But to recollect the pleafures of vifion after the organ 
 is dedroyed ; but to be reduced to mourn with the Poet in 
 {hefe afFe&ing flrains : 
 
 With the year 
 Scafons return ; but not to mc returns 
 P>v, or the fweet approach of ev'n or morn. 
 Or fight of vernal bloom, or maimer's rcfe, 
 Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine : 
 But cloud inlfead, and ever during dark 
 Surrounds me ! from the cheerful ways of men 
 Cut off; and for the book of knowledge fair, 
 Prefented with a univerfal blank 
 Ot na ure's works, to me cxpung'd and raf'd, 
 And wifdom at one entrance quite fhut out ! 
 
 Farad* Lost, III. 40, &c. 
 
 This is c< darkneis which may be felt." In reprefenting, ac- 
 cordingly, the deplorable itate of the world under the image 
 of biittJne/s, a (late ol ignorance, guilt and wretchednels . and 
 in reprefenting the con efpondent office and work of the Re- 
 deemer th it blindneis is not defcribed as an original and radi- 
 cal defect ot figfi f , but as the cafual deprivation of a blefling 
 once in pofTefhon : and he is confidered as fent not to confer 
 a benefit unknown, unenjoyed before, but to reftore that which 
 wt \% loft, to i el Limine the extinguifhed orb. The truth is, men 
 had wilfully fnut their eyes, becaufe they could not bear the 
 1 his was the condemnation of the unbelieving Jews, 
 1 all 'heir fuperior advantages : " Jefus faid, For judgment 
 I am (Tome into this world ; that they which fee not might fee, 
 which fee might be made blind. And fome of 
 mJi were with him heard thefe words, and faid 
 w p blind alfo ? Jefus faid unto them, If ye were 
 bhnH, v >uld bave no fin : but now ye fay. We fee; there- 
 to . ■ ■ j ■ fin remaineth" And this was the condemnation of 
 the frlf-conceited Gentiles, uith all their afTecla'ion of wif- 
 d m : " pxofefljng ihem/elyes to be wife, they ''tcame fools ;" 
 " they became I'aiij in their imaginations, and their foolifh 
 was Jarkened " v are in another place thus defcrib- 
 
 ed. and under the f me image ; *! 'he Gentiles walk in the 
 vanity of their mind I a\ mg the upderftanding darkens 1, l, e- 
 ing alienated bom tne life of God through the ignorance that 
 \z in them, becaufe ot the blindnefsof their heart:" And this 
 
 mental 
 
*26 HISTORY OF [Le&. XII t 
 
 mental darknefs is reprefented as neceflarily blended with mor- 
 al corruption of the grofieft kind, Thus are both Jews and 
 Gentiles involved in thick darknefs, and both under the do- 
 minion ot (in ; " God hath concluded them all in unbelief, 
 that he might have mercy upon all." The promifes of Meffiah 
 are ot equal extent ; as •* a falvation prepared before the 
 iace of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory 
 of his people Ifrael." 
 
 " He is fent, to Jet at liberty them that are bruijed." We 
 have here a reprefentation ot human milery in every circum-.. 
 /lance ot aggravation ; poverty, mental depreMion, captivity, 
 blindnefs, tetters ot iron. There is in this gradation, perhaps, 
 .an allufion to the horrid treatment of unhappy prifoners on 
 i-dling into the hands ot their enemies. They were (hut up in 
 prifon, their eyes werefhruft out, they were loaded with chains. 
 Thus was Samfon treated, the moment hts il»en.gt}i failed, and 
 his cruel adverfaries had obtained power over him : " The 
 Phi liftines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him 
 down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brafs ; and he 
 did grind in theprrfon-houfe." And the fight of his wretched- 
 nefs they called /port. In this manner could one king a£l by 
 another. " So they took the king, and brought him up to 
 the king of Babylon to Riblah ; and they gave judgment up- 
 on him. And they flew the fons of Zedekiah before his eyes, 
 znd put out the eyes ot Zedekiah, and bound him with tetters 
 ot brafs, and carried him to Babylon." Such are the dreadful 
 abufes which a man commits againft his brother! fuch is the 
 dreadful malignity ot the human heart ; fuch the deteftable 
 working oi " the carnal mind," which " is enmity againf\ 
 God;," and an unrelenting foe to man ! 
 
 This enumeration of human woes, is equivalent to a declara- 
 tion, that whatever may be the nature, and whatever the extent 
 of the malady, the promifed Deliverer mould come provided, 
 with a fuitable remedy. And when he did come, he not 
 only exercifed this gracious power himfelf ; for" they brought 
 unto him all tick people that were taken with divers difeafes 
 and torments, and thofe which were poffeffed with devils, and 
 thofe which were lunatic, and thofe that had the palfy ; and 
 tie healed them;" but he communicated the fame falutary vir- 
 tue to his difciples alio ; M He gave them power againft unclean, 
 Spirits, to cafr. them out, and to heal all manner of ficknefs, and 
 all manner ot difeafe." And thus was the Scripture fulfilled. 
 The prophecy contains one important article more: 
 
 The Anointed is fent to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 
 ""The Law had a fliadow of good things to corae." With its 
 
 fever i^ 
 
left. XII.] JESUS CHRIS?. ,»/ 
 
 feverity was blended a powerful infufion of mercy and mikl- 
 fiefs, the particulars of which had a direct reference to the times 
 and the fpirit of the Gofpef. Of thefe the year of jubilee was 
 oneof the moil; diftinguifhed. It was ufliered in with the found 
 of the trumpet, *' proclaiming liberty throughout all the land, 
 unto all the inhabitants thereof." On the return of this hallow* 
 ed fiftieth year, debts were remitted ; alienated lands reverted 
 to the original proprietor; the Hebrew bond.fervant to a He- 
 brew, " he and his children with him" were to be fet free, and 
 reftored to their rank in Ifrael ; the poor Hebrew, who had 
 been reduced to the fad neceflity of felling himfelt as a Have to 
 a ftranger, was to be redeemed by his next of kin. In a word, 
 at the expiration of every feven times (even years, all the dis- 
 orders which had crept into the commonwealth, from the period 
 of the preceding jubilee, were to be rectified, and all reinftated 
 on the original balls. It is eafy to conceive how fuch an era 
 would be looked unto and longed for, what a happy tendency 
 it had to ameliorate the condition of myriads, and to check the 
 progrefs of oppredion. In contemplating it, the Pfalmifl ex- 
 claims: " BleiTed is the people that know the joyful found 1" 
 It was a figure of that " acceptable year of the Lord" which it 
 was predicted the Median mould be fent to proclaim, the per- 
 petual jubilee otthe Gofpel, for the remiflion< of fins ; for the 
 reftoration of the forfeited inheritance of the faints ; for the 
 manumiflion ©f the (lave ; tor the redemption of the captive ; 
 for releafing and bringing back the exile : in a word, " to dcf- 
 troy the works of the devil," to repair the ravages of fin and* 
 death, to introduce univerfal and everlafling liberty, and peace 
 and joy. 
 
 The fequel of this fervice of the fynagogue, and the effect 
 which it produced, will be the fubjecl of the next Leclure. 
 
 Learn, Chriftian, to compare Scripture with Scripture, and 
 predictions with their correfponding events. Search diligentjy 
 for him to whom all the prophets give witnefs, and in whom 
 41 all the promifes of God are yea, and in Him amen, unto the 
 glory of God." Much is clearly manifefled, and pointedly 
 applied ; but much ftill remains to be brought to light. Truth 
 will not obtrude itfelf on the carelefs, fuperficial reader or ob- 
 server, but difclofes its hidden charms to the diligent, the de- 
 vout and the inquifitive. It is the injunction of Chrift him- 
 felt: " Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have 
 eternal life : and they are they which teftify ot me." Search 
 men in this particular view, and you will have to tell to othei i 
 what Philip faid to Nathaniel ; " We have found him of whom 
 Mofcs in the law, ami the prophets, did write, Jelus of Nazar- 
 
 eih.' 
 
128 HISTORY OF [Left. XII. 
 
 eth." " With joy fhall ye draw water out of tliefe wells of fal- 
 vation :" and having tatted how fweet and refrefhing it is, you 
 will be difpofed to impart it to others, for in this, if in any cafe, 
 the faying of the wife man is verified : " There is that fcattereth 
 and yet increafeth:" and "it is more blefled to give than t© 
 
 LECTURE 
 
Left. XI'IlJ JESUS CHRIST. i«9 
 
 LECTURE XIIL 
 
 LUKE, IV. 20—32. 
 
 jlnd he do 'edlhe book, and he gave it again to the minijler, and 
 /at down. And the eyes of all them that were in the fyna- 
 gogue iverefaftened on him. And he began to fay unto them, 
 this day is this Scripture fulfilled in yow ears. And all bare, 
 him witnefs, and wondered at the gracious <uords which pro- 
 ceeded out of his mouth, And they [aid, is not this Jof.plis 
 fon ? And he faid unto them, Ye will fur ely jay unto me this 
 proverb, phyfician, heal thyfelf : Whatfoever we have heard 
 done in Capernaum, do alfo here in thy country. And he faid, 
 verily I fay unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own coun- 
 try. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Ifrael in 
 the days of Elias, when the heaven was fut up three years 
 and fix months, when g? eat famine was throughout all the 
 land ; But unto none of them was Efiasfeni, Jave unto Sa- 
 repta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 
 And many lepers were in Ifrael in the time of Eli feus the 
 prophet ; and none of them was clean/ed, faving Naaman the 
 Syrian, And all they in the fynagogue, when they heard theft 
 things, Were filled with wrath, and rofe up, and thrift him out 
 of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill, whereon 
 their city was built, that they might cajl him down headlong. 
 But he, pajfing through the midfil of them, went his way, and 
 came down to Capernaum, a city of G alike, and taught them 
 on the fabbath days. And they were aftonifKcd at his doclruv: : 
 For his word was with power. 
 
 IT is truly affecting to think on what a fitppcry foundation 
 men attempt to rear the fabric of happinefs. They dream, 
 of deriving it from their own (lores. In the pride of his heart. 
 a man imagines himfelf to be equal to every thing. What can 
 elude his penetration ; what can refift his force ; what can fa- 
 tigue his induftry ? Neverthelefs, theftammering ot a child be- 
 betrays his purpofe ; the ruffling of a leaf melts his resolution ; 
 a ftone cut out ol the mountain, and hurled at him by 3n in- 
 vifible hand, crulhes in a moment all his powers into the dull; 
 Are they more fecure, or more fuccefsful, who depend on for- 
 eign aid ; who build their felicity on the ability, the conftaocy, 
 
 u or 
 
'■&> hIstOrY ofr [Left, xiih 
 
 or the afteBion of others? Alas, it is an attempt to ere& a 
 houfe upon the land ; the warning of the next tide levels it to 
 the ground. Friendship, in a flum of zeal, promifed you all 
 encouragement and Pup port. The hour of need comes, and 
 you have recourfe to the heart which fondly cherifhed you ; 
 it has waxed cold, it is alienated, it acknowledges you no long- 
 er Your mountain Mood ftrong in a prince's favor. What 
 fhall not " be done to the man whom the king delights to hon- 
 our ?" Ah, his breath is in his hoftrils, he died yefterday, he 
 has returned to his duft. Applauding multitudes hang upon 
 your lips, the public finger points you out with approbation : 
 but**ybu haveheard"ofthe fufferings, as well as of the patience 
 of Job. " When I went out to the gate through the city, when 
 1 prepared my feat in the ftreet, the young men faw me and hid 
 themfelves : and theagedarofe and ftood up. When the ear heard 
 ine,thenit bleffedme; and when the eye faw me, it gave witnefs 
 to me. Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept filence at 
 my counfel. They waited for me as for the rain, and they open- 
 fe heir mouth as for the latterrain ; I chofe out their way, and fat 
 chief, and dwelt as a king in the army.— But," O fad reverfe ! 
 
 . ** they that are younger than I, have me in'derifion. And 
 iiow I am their fong, yea I am their by-word. They abhor 
 me, they flee far from me, and fpare not to fpit in my face.— 
 Upon my right hand rife the youth, they pufh away my feet : 
 they mar my path, they let forward my calamity."— And fuch 
 is every one who ruffcth in popular favour; he feedeth on 
 the wind andgrafpeth the eaff wind in his ar.ns. 
 
 But a more illuftrious an^ more mftrucHve infrartce, to this 
 plirpofe, than that of Job, is before us. Now the eyes of the 
 
 _ admiring multitude in the fynagogue are fattened with won- 
 der and delight on the face of Jefus ; anon they are filled with 
 Wrath againft him : now all bear him witnefs, and dwell upon 
 " the gracious words which proceed out of his mouth ;" next 
 moment they are up in arms, they tbruft him out of the city, 
 they hurry him to the brow of the hill, wkh an intention to 
 caff him down headlong. The cry to-day is, " let us take him 
 and make him a king, never man. fpake like this man;" to- 
 morrow it is, " away with him, crucify him ; not this man but 
 .Barabbas." Let us trace the progrefs of the fcene, and ob- 
 ierve what produced the fudden change, and learn to ceafe from 
 man, and to draw confolation and fuppoit from the approba- 
 bation of God, and from theteflimony of a confcience void of 
 cflence. 
 
 The pafTage which he had read from the prophet was deeply 
 k^refting and affecting. It held up fc view a rnoft illuflri- 
 
 GUS- 
 
Le&. xiii."] jesus carkisT. m 
 
 ©us perfonage, fupporting a dignified and important charafter,. 
 and Angularly qualified for the exercife of it, employed in ren 
 dering the mod feafonable and the mod efTential fervices re 
 mankind ; evangelizing the poor, healing the broken-hearted", 
 redeeming the captive, enlightening the blind, fetting the prif- 
 oner free, proclaiming the Jnhilee year, the era of univerfaJ 
 joy. The value and weight of the fubjecf. were greatly en- 
 hanced by the manner in which he rehearfed it. Into his lips 
 grace was poured : what majefly fat enthroned on his brow \ 
 what mild glory beamed from his eyes! what dignity and 
 grace in his attitude as he rofe and fat down, in receiving the 
 book and delivering it again to the mi.nifter ! Behold every 
 eye is fixed upon him, every ear is attention, while in ihefe 
 few but emphatical words, he explains and applies the predic- 
 tion of the prophet, "This day is this fcripture Fulfilled in your 
 ears." " I am He to whom the prophet gives witnefs ; I am 
 come into the world on this benevolent defign ; I, your bone 
 and your flefh, your brother, your neighbour, your fellow- 
 citizen, your friend." " Come to me ail ye that labour and 
 are heavy laden, and I will give you reft." 
 
 On this admiration gradually gives way to a feeling lefs gen- 
 tle. Familiarity lowers the object with which it converfes : 
 felf-Iove cannot brook to acknowledge a fuperior in an equal ; 
 envy feeks to indemnify itfelf under the oppreflion of emin- 
 ent worth and excellence, by difcovering and fixing upon lome 
 humiliating, mortifying circumftance, that reduces the hated 
 greatnefs nearer to its own level. This explains the change 
 which fo quickly appeared in our Saviour's auditory. Daz- 
 zled, at firft, by both the matter and manner of his addrefs, 
 they crown him with applaufe. But perceiving thcmfelves 
 eclipfed j'n the luflre of his graces arid virtues, finking as he 
 rofe, they flrive to tumble him from his excellency, as if by 
 degrading him, they were themfelves to mount. His parent- 
 age is his only vulnerable part ; that was poor, and mean, and 
 defpifed, and that, accordingly, envy brings forward with af- 
 fected f urprize. " Is not this Jofeph's fori ?" And when once 
 this baleful, malignant palTion has taken poflciTion of the 
 bread, every claim of jufticc, every plea of worth, ev.*ry call 
 of gratitude, every emotion of mercy, is drfregarded, iiifieuy 
 trampl -d under foot. 
 
 Ctirift obfeives it with' pity, not win indignation ; for he 
 came not only to relieve the miferable, but to bear with and o- 
 rercome the froward, to convince, fnbdne and melt the obfti- 
 nate, to cure prejudice, and to inftru6t indocility. Their un- 
 civil, invidious inquirv excites. in him no rei rrtfnent ; livan 
 
 d* 
 
i^a history- of [Left, xiu. 
 
 do him no hurt ; but grieved at the hardnefs of their heart, and 
 at the fame time, compaffionating their weaknefs, he at once 
 jeproves the one, and makes an apology for the other. The 
 apology he draws from the common, and well known, princi- 
 ples ot human nature. No prophet is accepted in his own 
 country. Among ftrangers, a man is efteemed according to 
 his talents and virtues. His anceftry and kindred are a matter 
 of no moment. It is even a degree of merit to have emerged 
 out of obfcurity ; but at home, among kindred and acquaint- 
 ance, eminent qualities are regarded with a jealous eye. The 
 reputation, ability and wifdom of exalted goodnefs are confid- 
 ered by the lefs deferring as a reproach to themfelves : What 
 is every day within our reach we every day neglect. What 
 cofls us little we lightly eileem. Difficulty, and danger, and 
 diftance enhance the value of every object ot purfuit. But the 
 very apology implies a ctnfure of human nature, as wicked, 
 unjuft ana abfurd, in undervaluing worth merely becaufe it is 
 allied to us, and neglecting good for no better reafon than that 
 it is known. 
 
 Our blefled Lord, accordingly, blends mild and gentle re- 
 proof with the excufe which he makes for the unkind return 
 that his countrymen and kinsfolk had made to h'u affectionate 
 endeavours to ferve and to initru6t them. And this feems to 
 be the force of his reafoning. — " You have heard, my dear 
 friends, of my going about doing good, at Capernaum and 
 eliewhere ; and you will naturally and with juftice fay to me, 
 in the language ot the common proverb, Phyfician, heal thy- 
 felf : look at home ; in attention to objects more remote, over- 
 look not luch as are equally preffing, and i i ill more nearly in- 
 terefting ; let thy own country, if not in preference, at leaft in 
 common with ftrangers, reap the benefit of thefe thy extraor- 
 dinary, fnpernatural powers. Well, my belqved countrymen, 
 here I am for this very purpoie : ready to Lnftruft you in the 
 way of falvation, ready to heal all your plagues, to perform all 
 the offices ofmercy and loving kindnefs which the prophet, in 
 the parage which I now read, predicted concerning me : but I 
 know the meaning .of thefe ungracious looks, of thefe malig- 
 nant whifpers, of that envious inquiry into my pedigree, and 
 occupation, and connexions in lite. You are under the power 
 ' of prejudice, you are too well acquainted with me to reap ben- 
 efit from my miniftrations : my labours will be more accepta- 
 ble where. I am lefs known. 
 
 11 It happeneth to me as it did to the prophets oi old; they 
 were negle&ed, hated, perfecuted of their own countrymen ; 
 and you inherit the fpirit of your fathers, whom no calamity 
 
 could 
 
Left. XIII.] JESUS CHRIST. fjgQ 
 
 could fubdue, no arguments convince, no goodnefs charm. I 
 appeal to the hiftory of our own nation. The times of Elijah's 
 prophecy were marked with many fignal interposition* ot Di- 
 vine Providence, particularly with a grievous Famine, occa- 
 lioned by a drought of uncommon duration, three years and 
 fix months. It was univei tally felt, particularly by the poorer 
 and more unprotected part of the community, the widow and 
 the tatherlefs ; and the extraordinary powers ot the prophet 
 were equally well known and acknowledged. But what is the 
 facl ? Was the prophet fought unto ? Did the general diftrcf; 
 drive the fufferers to leek relict in the piety and miraculous 
 powers ot the man of God ? No, lie was the T.JJibite, the foil 
 of fomebody whom they knew, he wasathome, among his own 
 and therefore his perfon was defpifed, his office flighted, and 
 even the widow and the tatherlefs, unfubdued by the Hroug hand 
 of neceflity, perilhed Irom want, becaufethey fcorned the hu- 
 mane and companionate interpofition of a neighbour and kinf- 
 man. ButQ how acceptable was hisvifit to a ilranger, a pa- 
 gan, a woman ot Sidon ? She teh with others the pre (lure of the 
 common calamity ; the law ot felf-prefervatioji, and compaf- 
 fion for the Ion of her womb, were flrong in her, as in any 
 widow or mother in Ifrael ; but more faithful and believing 
 than they, the cheerfully made the facrifice ot her lalf earthlv 
 provifion ; at the word ot the prophet, (he gave up her own and 
 her foil's fubfiftence ; (he repofed confidence in heaven, ffie ac-i 
 Jcnowledged the enfigns of Deity, me caft herfelf upon a mira- 
 cle, and her hope made her not aihamed." 
 " Take another example, my friends, from your own hiftory, 
 and let it admoniih and reprove you. Eliflia inherited a doub- 
 le portion oi the fpirit of his matter Elijah ; he performed ma- 
 ny notable miracles, he divided the waters of the river,he made 
 iron to iwim, he raifed the dead to life, he employed the fa- 
 pernatural powers which were conferred upon him, in remov- 
 ing the miferies of his fellow-creatures. Among thefe the lep- 
 rofy was one, a difeafe which baffles the fkilT ot the phyfician, 
 which not medicine, but the immediate power ot God alone 
 can cure. Now, what faith the record ? What Ifraelitith le- 
 pers applied to the prophet, ot the multitudes who we;e affefcl- 
 ed with this loathfome difteniper ? Not fo much as one. He 
 was at home, among thofe ot his own honk- ; the wretched 
 patient, loathfome to himfelf, and a burden oflFenfiva to every 
 one about him, chutes rather to continue an abomination, than 
 to he beholden to an acauaintance, to an equal, to a prophet ot 
 h own country, for the miracle of cleanfing. Not fo the fon 
 pt th :!■ : Naaraai • •■,, the commander of ar- 
 
134 HISTORY OT> [Left. X11U 
 
 rnies, the favourite of a prince, a worfhipper of ftrange gods. 
 .He believes the report, he flies to the phyficiarn he follows 
 the prefcription, he wafhes in Jordan, and becomes clean." 
 
 The conference of his audience makes the application of our 
 Saviour's doctrine ; and What enfues ? What always did, and 
 always will, when the principle of confeience is awakened, ei- 
 ther humble and contrite fubmiffion to the reproof, and anhon- 
 eft endeavour to profit by it ; or elfe a rancorous animofity a- 
 gainit the reprover, the confirmation of prejudice, a wilful ex- 
 clufion of light, or a determined perfeverance in what is known 
 to be wrong. Unhappily the frequenters of the fynagopue at 
 Nazareth were of this laft defcription. Their indignation falls, 
 not as it ought to have done, on their own mean, unworthy, 
 ungenerous, unmanly fpirit, but on their kind, affectionate, gen- 
 tle monitor. And what follows ? Is it the cynical reprefentation 
 of fome furly traducer of mankind ; or is it truth and hiflory ?■ 
 Merciful Father of mankind ! muft I believe that the very per- 
 sons who juft now gazed with delight on that fuper-angelic-- 
 iace, who liftened with rapture to the accents of that celefliaf- 
 voice, who juftly gloried in their towtifman, companion and 
 friend, are inftantaneoufly converted in'o demons of hell? 
 What, meditate, digeft murder ! the murder of innocence, 
 truth and wifdo'm ! What all of them ! not one calm, moderate 
 fpirit to fuggefl milder counfels, to plead the caufe of goodnefe, 
 to arreft the hand of violence ! No, not one. O human na- 
 ture, what wert thou ; and what art thou become ! I tremble 
 to think that I am a partaker of thee ; of a " heart deceitful 
 above all things and defperately wicked." " They rofe up, 
 and thiuft him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of 
 the hill, whereon their city was built, that they might call him 
 <iown headlong," And (hall not fire come down from heaven, v 
 as it did once, and a fecond time, to avenge a {lighter infult of- 
 iered to a much inferior prophet ? O no ! " the Son of man 
 came not to deilroy men's lives, but to fave them." Behold a 
 more glorious triumph, a miracle of grace and condefcenfion, 
 a triumph worthy of the Son of God, and the Saviour of men. 
 •' He, pafling through the midfl; of them, went his way." Be- 
 hold power and mercy unhed. Were they like the men of 
 Sodom, ftricken with blindnefs ? Were their hands, like Jero- 
 boam's, dried up 3nd rendered immoveable ? Were their eyes, 
 like the difciples going to Emmaus, holden, that they fhouli 
 not knew him ? I (lop not to inquire. Suffice it to fay, his 
 4i hour was rot yet come," and they had no power at all over 
 him but what was permitted of God. And vain is the con- 
 tention of man again It God : it is hard for thee, O perfecutor, 
 
 zo " kick againft the pricks." 
 
 In 
 
&,ecl. xin.] >ESUS CHRIST. 135, 
 
 In the hiftory referred to by our Lord, and in the inilance o't 
 a miraculous fupply ot food to the widow ofSarepta, in a fea- 
 fon ot extreme fcarcity, as well as in the other equally noted: 
 in (lance of a miiaculous cure of leprofy performed on the body 
 of Naaman the Syrian, we perceive the dawning of the gofpeT 
 day upon the Gentile world. They believed and obeyed the 
 word of the prophet, and they obtained relief, while " the ifeci 
 of Abraham after the flefh" remained unbelieving and impeni- 
 tent. •' Of a truth, God is no refpe£fer of perlbns : but in 
 every nation, he that feareth Him, and worketh righteoufnefs^ 
 is accepted with him." " The times of this ignorance God 
 winked at ; but now commandeth ail men every where to re- 
 pent : becau'e he hath appointed a day in the which he will 
 judge the world in righteoufnefs by that man whom he hath 
 ordained ; whereof he hath given afl'urance unto all men, in 
 that he hath railed him from the dead." How God will deal 
 in the judgment with thofe who never enjoyed the benefit of 
 either the Law or the Gofpel, it is not for us to determine. 
 " Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right r 1 " But M we 
 ought to give the more earneft heed to the things which we 
 have heard, left at any time we mould let them flip. For it the 
 word fpoken by angels was ftedfaft, and every tranfgreffion 
 and difobedience received a juft recompence of reward ; how- 
 mall we efcape if we negleti (o great falvation ; which, at the 
 firft began to be fpoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us 
 by them that heard him ; God alio bearing them witnefs, botii 
 with figns and wonders, and with divers miracles and gifts of 
 the Holy Ghoft, according to his own will ?" 
 
 Among other evidences that the Chriilian difpenfation is 
 from heaven, the univerfality of it is not the leaft. This aft 
 of grace contains no unkind exceptions. There is no pro- 
 fcribed region, or family or individual. The proclamation is, 
 " peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near,, 
 faith the Lord." This dawning light was now in a progrefc 
 unto " the perfecl: day." Though Chiift's perfonal miniftry 
 was, in the firft in fiance, addrefTed %< to the loft fheep ot the 
 houfe ot Ifrael." its influence quickly fpread far beyond the 
 confines of Judea. " His fame went throughout all Syria;"" 
 a woman ot Canaan believed on him, and her daughter was 
 healed : the Roman Centurion, who had been made partaker 
 ot the fame precious faith, in like manner had power with 
 God, and prevailed in behait ot his palfied fervant. Some o| 
 our Lord's immediate attendants lived to fee " the kingdom of 
 God come with power." *' The Centurion, and they that 
 were with him watching Jefus" on the crofs,." when they fav/ 
 
ig6 HISTORY O^ []M&« : - 
 
 the earthquake, and thofe things that were done, 5 '' though 
 accuftomed to fear, M they teared greatly," and made this opeii 
 confeflion, " Truly this was the Son of God." 
 
 The miraculous effufion ot the Holy Spirit on the Apoflles^ 
 in the gift ot tongues on the day of Pentecoff , opened a paflage 
 in all directions for the fpeedy difrufion of the truth as it is in 
 Jefus, over all lands. Peter no longer trembles and denies his 
 Mailer, hut {lands' boldly up to plead his caufe, and precious 
 fouls by thoufands are added unto the Lord. Cured of his 
 Jewifh prejudices, by a vrfion from heaven, he defcends to 
 Cefarea, preaches the word of life to the Centurion, Cornelius 
 and " his kinfmen and near friends." It- is accompanied with, 
 power, and " with the Holy Ghofl ferit down from heaven.'* 
 That fame Apoftle was fparcd to aadrxfs epiftles " to the Gran- 
 gers fcattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Afia, 
 and Rythinia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God 
 the Father, through fanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, 
 and fprinkling ot the blood of Jefus ChrinV' Philip, the 
 Evangel iff, M went down to the city of Samaria, and preached 
 Chi ill unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed 
 unto thofe things which Philip fpake, hearing and feeing the 
 miracles which he did." That Evangelift finds a profelyte in 
 the defert of Ga2a, in a perfon "of great authority under Can- 
 dace, queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her 
 treafure." He, too, gladly receives the word, is baptized, and 
 goes on his way rejoicing, to carry into thofe dark regions the 
 light ot divine truth, and the Scripture is fulfilled which faith, 
 " Ethiopia (hall foon flretch out her hands unto God." 
 
 Time would fail in tracing the progrefs, and marking the 
 fuccefs, of him, who is emphatically denominated the Apoftle 
 of the Gentiles, through the iflands of the Mediterranean, over 
 the ftates of Greece, in Italy, at Rome. John the beloved 
 difciple, had the pleafure of difpatching particular letters, dic- 
 tated by the Spirit of wifdorh and revelation, to the feven 
 churches ot Afia. He was one of thofe, then, concerning 
 whom Chrift faid, in the palfage already quoted, " verily I 
 fay unto you, that there be fome of them thatfland here, which 
 mall not tafte of death till they have feen the kingdom of God 
 come with power." His life was prolonged to extreme old 
 age. He law the kingdom of his divine Matter eftablifhed m 
 Europe, in Afia, in Africa. The great Weftern World was 
 ftill unknown ; but, in the wifdom of God, it too has emerged 
 out of the bofom of the vaft ocean, lb fwell the Redeemer's 
 empire. To embrace the whole globe is its generous defign, 
 ■the period'approaches, when " great voices in heaven" fhali 
 
 proclaim. 
 
Lect. Xlll.] }ESUS CHRIST, 137 
 
 procLum, faying ; *' The kingdoms of this world are become 
 the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his (Thrift ; and he mall 
 reign forever and ever." " Though Ifrael," therefore, '* be 
 not gathered," Mefliah " (hall be glorious in the eyes of the 
 Lord:" for he faith of him ; '* it is a light thing that thoit 
 {honldeft be my fervant, to raife up the tribes of Jacob, and to 
 reftore the preferved of Ifrael : I will alfo give thee for a light 
 to the Gentiles, that thou mayeft be my falvation unto the end 
 of the earth." And as the ancient difpenfation contained ma- 
 ny intimations of favour to the Gentile world, fo the Gofpel 
 contains and difclofes a dawn of hope to the Jewifii nation. 
 u Blindnefs in part is happened to Ifrael, until the fulnefs 
 of the Gentiles be come in. And fo all Ifrael fhall befaved ; 
 as it is written, There fhall come out of Sion the Deliverer, 
 and fhall turn away ungodlinefs from Jacob." w O the depth 
 of the riches both of the wifdom and knowledge of God ! How 
 unfearchable are his judgments, and his wavs naft finding 
 out !" 
 
 Some interpreters of note have remarked a coincidence 
 between the duration of the great famine which afliicled Ifrael, 
 in the days of Elias, and that of our Saviour's miniftry from 
 his baptifm to his death, namely three years and fix months. 
 As during the former period, at the word of the prophet, heav- 
 en was fhut up, and all elementary influence fufpended, to the 
 inexpreflible diilrefs of the whole land ; fo during the latter, 
 through the mediation of a greater than Elias, full communica- 
 tion was opened. In the one we have difplayed the feverity 
 of the Law, in the other the grace of the Gofpel ; in Elias the 
 miniiler of wrath and condemnation ; in Jefus, the minifter of 
 mercy and reconciliation ; the one inflating a temporary curfe, 
 the other calling down an everlafting benedi&ion ; there the 
 clouds bound up, and the dew retrained ; here a " dotlrine 
 dropping as the rain, and fpeech diftilling as the dew ; as the 
 fmall rain upon the tender herb, and as the fhowers upon the 
 grafs." The prophet reprefents, in beautiful language, the 
 bleffcdnefs of an open communication between earth and heav- 
 en : " It fhall come to pafs in that day, I will hear, faith the 
 Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they (hall hear the earth ; 
 and the earth fhall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil ; 
 and they fhall hear Jezreel. And I will fow her unto me in 
 the earth ; and I will have mercy upon her that had not ob- 
 tained mercy ; and I will fay to them which were not my peo- 
 ple, Thou art my people; and they fhall fay, Thou art my 
 God." But the contrail is dreadful ! ** She did not know that 
 I gave her com, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her filver 
 
 S and 
 
rStf HISTORY OF* [LaSh XZTL 
 
 and gbld, which they prepared for Baal. Therefore will I re- 
 turn, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine 
 in the feafon thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax p 
 and I will deftroy her vines and her fig-trees." The prayer 
 of faith is the channel of this interesting communication. 
 
 It is humiliating to obferve and to refiecl: on the uniform and 
 Unrelenting malignity of the human heart. That greatnefs, 
 power, wealth mould be envied, and the poffefTor hated and^ 
 thruft at, is not fo much an object of furprize. But that fim~ 
 plicity, innocence, kindnefs, beneficence fhould provoke hof- 
 tility, would exceed belief, were not the proofs too numerous. 
 ^nd too ftubborn to be refined. We juftly deteft the wicked* 
 neft. injufticeand ingratitude of the Nazarenes, in attemptiug 
 to deftroy their unafTuming, unoffending, to wnfman : but is the 
 angry, the lofty fpiritof man now fubdued to the obedienceand 
 love of Chrift ? Has not a daring attempt lately been made by 
 a great nation, once denominated Chriftian, to obliterate the 
 name, and overwhelm the caufe of Chrift ? Wherefore change 
 the ancient meafurements of time? It was in the hope of f wallow- 
 ing up the diftin&ion of days, and thereby of finking the obf 
 fervance of the Lord's day in the mafs. With the abolition of 
 the Sabbath the fervice of the fan£luary is fwept away ; and 
 the fpirit of Chriftianity. it was prefumed, would not long fur- 
 vive its forms and rites. Are there none among ourielves who 
 exprefs rancorous animofny againft the worthy" name which 
 they fo unworthily bear ? Is not the Lord's day- profaned and 
 the temple deferted ; and, in defiance of the law of the land, 
 to fay nothing of the obligations of decenc'^and religion, are 
 not efforts made by perfons high in place and ftation, to dif-' 
 credit and difufe the ordinances of the Gofpel, and thereby to 
 bring the Gofpel itfelf into difrepwte ? We fay, however, 
 concerning, fuch men, in the fpirit and words of the wife Ga- 
 maliel : " Refrain from thefe men and let them alone: for if 
 this counfel; or this work, be of men, it will come to nought : 
 btit if it be of God, they cannot overthrow it ; left haply they 
 be found even to fight againfl God." 
 
 To this fell fpirit ir» man, what a ftriking, what an amiable 
 contrail have we in the temper and conduct of our bleffed 
 Lord ! To withdraw himfelf from among. thefe ingrates is the 
 only mark of di'fpleafure expreHed by him. He defifted from 
 teaching perfons who were determined not to learn ; " He did 
 not many mighty works there," becaufe they were liable to 
 mifapprehenfion, to mifreprefentation. " He, palling through 
 the midft of them, went his way." Thus men grieve the Holy 
 %icit of God, and he departs from them, And thus the Al 
 
 poillee 
 
£ecL xnl/j JESTJS Christ. U| 
 
 •poftles of the Lord, Paul and Barnabas, when " the Jews, fi- 
 led with envy, fpake againft them, contradicting and blas- 
 pheming," they {'aid ; " It was necellary that the word of Gud 
 i'hould nrit have heen fpoken to you : but feeing ye put it Irona 
 you, and judge yourfelves unworthy of evcrlafting life, lo, we 
 .turn to the Gentiles." And is it no punimment to be forfak - 
 en of a friend ; a friend whom we have grieved and offended, 
 who leels himfelr conftrained to retire, but retires (ilenly, 
 {lowly, reluctantly ? Little do men reflect, what forrovv, what 
 remorfe they aretreafuiingupto themfelves, in flighting, in neg- 
 kcling a day of merciful vifitation. It drew tears from tin- 
 eyes of the companionate friend of mankind : " And when he 
 was come near he beheld the city, and wept over it, faying, If 
 thou hadft known, even thou, at ieaft in this thy day, the things 
 which belong unto thy peace ! but now they are hid from thine 
 eyes." " For if we fin wilfully after that weiiave received the 
 knowledge of the truth, there remameth no more facrifice for 
 fins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery in- 
 dignation, which fhall devour the adverfaries." 
 
 We conclude with pointing out the Saviour as a pattern of 
 perfeverance in well-doing. Nazareth is no longer a thentre of 
 teaching and working. Does l\e therefore fullenly, refenttully 
 ceafe from difcharging the duties of his high office ? No, other 
 cities will gladly receive him. I 4 , He came down to Caperna- 
 um, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the fabbath days." 
 And what a courfe of active, unwearied beneficence did the re- 
 mainder of his earthly pilgrimage exhibit ! through evil report 
 and good report, through oppofition and difcouragement, 
 through forrow and fuiFering, by night and by day, till, bowing 
 his head, he could fay, " It islanifhed." " Arm yourfelves," 
 therefore, Chriftians, "with the fame mind:" " Let us run 
 with patience the race that is fet before us, looking unto Jefu% 
 the Author and Finifher of our Faith : — conhder him that erw 
 dured fuch contradiction of finners againft kimfelf, left ye be 
 wearied and taint in your minds." <; And let us not be weary- 
 in well-doing ; for in due feafon we (hall reap, if we faint not." 
 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye fteafaft, unmoveable, 
 always abounding in the work of the Lord, forafmuch as ye 
 know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." 
 
 LECTl 
 
14^ history o? [4-e£l, xiv* 
 
 h E CTIIRE XIV 
 
 MATTHEW, XV. 12—22, 
 
 JVW-, w^4» jk/aj h a d heard that John was cajl into p<rifon hz 
 departed into Galilee ; and leaving Nazareth, lie came and 
 dwelt ?7i Capernaum, which is upon the fea-coafl, in the bor- 
 ders oj Zabui on and Nephtkalrm ; that it might be fulfilled 
 which was fpoken byHfaias, the prophet, faying, The land of 
 gabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the fea, 
 beyond Jordan, Galilee of tlie Gentiles ; the people which fat 
 in daknefs faw great light • and to them which fat in the ire- 
 gion andjliadow of death light is fprung up. From that time 
 jefus began to preach, and to /ay, repent : for the kingdom 
 of heaven is at hand. And Jefus, walking by the fea ofGali- 
 lee, faro two brethren ^ Simon called Peter, and Andrew his 
 brother, cajhng a net into thejea ; for they werefi/hers. And 
 he faith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fijliers of 
 ■men. And they jiraightzoay left their nets, and followed him. 
 And going on from thence, he faw other two brethren, James 
 the Jon of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a fihip <with Zeb~ 
 edee their father, mending their nets ; and he called unto them* 
 And they immediately left the Jkip and their father , and fol- 
 lowed him. 
 
 AMONG the other means of arriving at certainty, refpeft- 
 irfg ** the things wherein we have been inftrucled," i^ 
 may be of importance to compare the prefent ftate of Chris- 
 tianity with its origin ; to contraft the frnajlnefs oi its begin- 
 nings with the greatnefs of its fuccefs ; to confider the real in* 
 fluence which a caufe fa unpromifing has had on human af- 
 fairs, and the changes which it actually has produced on the 
 iace of the Globe. Who is its Author ? A mighty potentate, 
 armed with Sovereign power and authority ? An invincible 
 conqueror travelling in the greatnefs of his strength, at the head- 
 of triumphant legions, from vi6tory to victory ? An experien- 
 ced ftatefman (killed in every art of intrigue, and amply far-, 
 milled with all commanding gold, to gain over credulous* or 
 to purchafe the Suffrages of corruptible multitudes I The re- 
 
 verfc 
 
fc.'Kf*J] jEStJS CHRiST. 1^1 
 
 veiTe of all this is the fa£L The Author of our Faith, Chrif- 
 tians, as has frequently been repeated, was the reputed fon of a 
 carpenter ; be was brought up in an obicure village of a re- 
 gion proverbially contemptible, of a conquered country ; be 
 was deftituteoi means, ol iriends, of worldly wifdom ; he w».»; 
 .a pen doner on the bounty of others, and frequently without a 
 | be to lay his head. 
 
 Vv 7 i ! i Bfi.y one prefume to allege thaf he aiTociatcd with the 
 g-eat of tr.i* world, that he infin-uated himfclf into the Favo u r 
 counfels of the princes of the earth, that he went forth 
 d v.- i 1 1 1 their commifhon, and advanced in their name con- 
 quering and to conquer? No, hiftory contradicts all this. H* 
 lived up to the age or thirty in the very depth ol obfeurity ; 
 his alFocta fee sand coadjutors were few m number, men of wear* 
 parentage and parts, in the very ioweft ranks of Society, fifh- 
 frmen, the fons oi filhermen. Did he employ, then, the art* 
 of inlinuation, addrefs and flattery to captivate the vulgar ? 
 Did he teach an eafy, palatable, pliant morality, and attract 
 ».he countenance and fop port of the million, by gratifying- 
 their paffions, by conniving at their vices, or by humouring' 
 their prejudices ? No fuch thing. His life and dottrine were 
 ^juite the reverie. He preached and exemplified mortification, 
 and felt-denial, and patient fubmiflion to painful and unmerited 
 fufTering, and renunciation of the world. Undoubtedly then 
 his followers could not be numeious, nor his reputation exten* 
 five'; nor his power of long duration. This too is contradict- 
 ed by ir -atter of tact. No teacher can boall of fo many difci- 
 ples ; no name is fo widely dif>ufed ; and after a lapfe of eigh- 
 teen centuries, the field of his triumph is extended and extend- 
 ing, and his outftretched arms are expanded to embrace a 
 globe. 
 
 How is all this to be accounted for ? Who fhall explain this 
 accumulation of m> fiery? Confult, on the (abject., the learned 
 jewifh dodor of laws, whom we formerly quoted with refpeci. 
 Mis realoning t?pon it is as found, and as conctufive now, as 
 it was near two thotifand years ago. " If this co».mfel or thi* 
 work were of men, it mull have come to nought ; but becaufe 
 it is of God, it cannot be overthrown." Chriitiamty is the 
 .caufe of heaven, and therefore it hath profpered, and iiall con- 
 tinue to profper. 
 
 Wc have hi;herto beheld our hlefled Lord frhgle and uncon- 
 nected ; gradually (hewing ljimfelf to the world ai a Teacher 
 ient trora God. In the pafTage which has now beer read, we 
 find him laying the foundation of his church, forming andmod- 
 ciirog bis houfeho!d, beginning to provide a facceflion of pub* 
 
 lie 
 
*4$ history of [Lea. XIV, 
 
 lie teachers of his religion, who mould carry on to the end of 
 *ime, the inftru&ion of an ignorant, the reformation of a corrupt- 
 ed, the falvation of a perilling world. The career of John Bap- 
 till, his kinfman and forerunner, was now come to an end. That 
 rigid moralift and honeft reformer had, by fpeaking truth and 
 acting faithfully, incurred the difpleafure of an arbitrary defpot, 
 who call him into prifon, where he foon after fell a viftim to 
 the refentment of ^n abandoned woman. But this John had 
 already given a repeated and public teftimony to Jefus Chrift, 
 as the Median promi fed to the fathers, and as "the Lamb of 
 God that taketh away the fin of the world." And, at his bap- 
 tiim by John,. God had confirmed that teftimony by a voice 
 from heaven. 
 
 As the BaptiuVs public labours drew towards a conclufion* 
 thole of J ejus Chrift were advancing to their commencement ; 
 and, as we have feen, they were firft employed for the inftruc- 
 •tion and relief of his kindred and townfmen of Nazareth, where 
 he had been brought up. His benevolent fervices there, how'- 
 ever, were molt ungratefully requited, the minds of his audit- 
 ors being poifoned with envy, and, as a neceflary confequence, 
 their hearts heardened through unbelief, reappointed of fuc- 
 cefs there, where it might have been fo reafonably expected, 
 he gives not up, in fullen di (Fa tis faction, the work which was 
 given him to do, but leaving Nazareth, in the manner related 
 in the preceding Lefture, he proceeds to Capernaum, a town 
 of Galilee, on the fea-coaft, on the confines of the inheritance 
 of the two tribes Zabulon and Nephthalim, denominated "Gal- 
 ilee of the Gentiles, " from its proximity to the regions of 
 Tyre and Sition. 
 
 But what ftep of our Saviour's progrefs was unmarked by 
 fhe finger of ancient prophecy, and confequently direfted by 
 a fpecial interposition of Divine Providence ? Ifaiah, who had 
 "fo clearly and fully defcribed his character and offices, in the 
 pafiage which he read and applied to himfelf, in the fynagogue. 
 at Nazareth, has alfo clearly and undecidedly announced his 
 vifit to Capernasim, and the light and glory which his preach- 
 ing and mighty works mould difTufe over a region which lay 
 buried in heathenifh ignorance and idolatry. How runs the 
 prophecy ? " Neverthelefs, the dimnefs mail not be fuch as v 
 was in her vexation, when at the fTrft he lightly afflicled the 
 land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did 
 more grievouOy afflicl her by the way of the fea, beyond Jor- 
 dan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in 
 ■darknefs have feen a great light ; they that dwell in the land 
 ■of the Jhadow of death, upon them hath the light Jhined," And 
 
 wkat 
 
tccl. xiV.J jEsvs'tuv.i: \ :$c>- 
 
 what faith, the hiftory ? " Leaving Nazirefh, he came and 
 dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the fea-coaft. in the bor- 
 ders of Zahulon and Nephthalim: that it might be fulfilled 
 which was Ipoken by Elaias the prophet, faying, The hnd of 
 Zabulon and the hnd of Nephthalim, by the way of the feu, 
 beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles : the people which fat 
 in darknefs faw great light ; and to thera which fat in the re- 
 gion and fharlow of death light is fprung> up." In this too is 
 rjot " the arm of the Lord revealed ?" Thus clearly does in- 
 finite wifdom forefee whatfoever ihall come 16 pafs : thuj 
 confidently doth unchangeable unerring truth declare the end 
 from the beginning, and thus irrefiftably doth the mighty pow- 
 er of God'bring it to pafs. And tijus by a feries of M immuta- 
 ble things," that " God >vho- cannot |ie" is affording "altrong 
 confolation" to thofe '• who have fled for refuge to lay hold 
 upon the hope fet before us " 
 
 Jefus takes up the fame theme which conftrtuted the fubjec> 
 of John's preaching, namely the doctrine of repentance ; that 
 humbling doctrine, which regards a world lying in wickednefs, 
 ignorance andmifery fo deplorable, as to be fitly reprefented by 
 the powerful and expreffive imagery of" darknefs" and '* the 
 region and fhadow of death." that com:)afSonate doctrine 
 which if retches out a friendly band to the guilty and the 
 wretched ; that reviving do6trine which gently draws ther 
 trembling finner to the God of mercy, and which forbids the 
 vileft to defpair. And by what argument is this falutary doc- 
 trine recommended and enforced, by both the forerunner, and 
 by the greater who followed after him ? " The King o£ 
 heaven is at hand :" the reign ot grace, the dominion of love ; 
 a new difplay of divine perfection, even God defcending to 
 dwell with men upon earth, that he might prepare men to 
 *' fit together in heavenly places i» Ghrift Jefus." What a 
 rulnefs of time was now come whan " the Prophet of the High- 
 eft," like the fun, " rejoicing as a ftrong man to run a race," 
 began to " go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways ; 
 to give knowledge of falvation unto his people by the remif- 
 fion of their fins, through)the tender mercy of our God ; where- 
 by the day-fpring from on high hath vifited us, to give light to 
 them that fit in darknefs, and in the fhadow ot death, to guide 
 our feet in the-way of peace !" The great Sovereign in this 
 heavenly kingdom, in a manner peculiar to himfelf, announcer, 
 his own public entry on the exercife ot his authority ; the 
 Prince of Peace cries aloud, and proclaims " the acceptable 
 year of the Lord !" 
 
 We faid, in a manner peculiar to himfelf : fcr it looks as i r : 
 
Iff Sl'StORYO? [Left. XIVV 
 
 he were meaning to court neglecL to excite compafnon, or t& 
 provoke contempt, not to engage attention or to command rci^ 
 peel. When we behold the carpenter's Ton forming an hum* 
 b-ie alliance with three or four firap'e, illiterate, unconnected 
 iimermeri, the inhabitants of a little town on the cbaft of the fea 
 of Galilee, Who iff fo timid as to take the alarm ? Who is 10 
 ianguine as to expeet any thing- from fu'ch a confederacy ? 
 Who- is fu-ch a vifionary as to prognofticaie from it the down- 
 fall or idolatry, and the revolution of empires ? But this prov- 
 ed indeed' the grand crifis in human affairs. It produced an- 
 univerfal and everlafting change in the flateof the world. lz 
 was the ellabli (lament of a kingdom deftined to control, and, 
 at length to 1 wallow up- every other ; nay, which was- to out> 
 laft the fun, and furvive the fyftem of nature ; which was to 
 prove the foundation whereon to rear a new and more glorious 
 fabric of creation, to ferve as a theatre whereon todifplay woii^ 
 ders which mall leave the pride of kings at an infinite d: fiance 
 behind. *i Ail thefe things (hail be diiTolved : neverthelefs 
 we, according to his promife, look for new heavens, and a 
 new earth, wherein dwelleth righteoufnefs." On the day that 
 Jefus called " Simon and Andrew his brother, James and 
 John his brother" from their boats and fiihing-nets, imperial 
 Rome fkook, to the foundation ; the Jewifh hierarchy expir- 
 ed ; Satan's empire fell; and on their ruins began to arife " a 
 kingdom which cannot be moved ;" the predicted throne and 
 kingdom of David's Lord, which the zeal of the Lord of hofb 
 was " to order, and to eiiablilh whh judgment and with juf- 
 tice,even foiever." 
 
 Thefe fimple men with fimple names, then obfeure, unno- 
 ticed, unknown, were flattening to acquire a celebrity which 
 fpeedily eclipfed the titles of royalty, and the glare of imperial 
 purple. " Peter, a fervant and an apoftle of Jefus Chriil; 5 ' 
 John, " the difciple whom Jefus loved," are held in laiiin^: 
 and grateful remembrance by the nations of the earth, while 
 *he memory of their mighty contemporaries, a Tibeiius, a Ne« 
 ro, and a Domitian, is rotting in the dull, or preferved from 
 oblivion by a note of infamy, and a fentiment of detection. 
 In the former we revere the benefaclors of the human race ; 
 from the latter we turn away with abhorrence, as from fo ma- 
 ny monfters. The defpifed Galileans became " fifhers cf 
 men," converted myriads to the faith and hope of the Gofpei, 
 and, to this day, by their writing?, continue to minifter to the 
 edification and comfort of the Chrifiian world ; and now that 
 the papal throne is finking after the imperial into utter annlhi- 
 U\\on i the thrcue of thole humble followers of the Lamb is, 
 
 like 
 
Lett. XIV.] JESUS CHRIST. 14* 
 
 like that of their divine Matter, built upon a rock, againfl which 
 the gates of hell lhall never prevail. 
 
 The power of perfuafion accompanied the call of Jefus : 
 " Walking by the fea of Galilee, he faw two brethren ; and he 
 faith unto them Follow me, and I will make you f: fliers of 
 men. And th- y ftraightway left their nets and followed him." 
 Prefently alter he faw another pair of brothers, purfuing the 
 accuftomed labours of their humble occupation ; " and he call- 
 ed them. And they immediately left the fliip, ind their fath- 
 er, and fcllowel him." It will be faid that they had very little 
 to lofe, and therefore merit not the praife of having made a very 
 coflly iacnfice. No man can make a greater facrifice than that of 
 hisall, whether it be much or little. When a perton deliberately 
 refigns the means of earning his bread, he calls him felt entirely 
 on Providence. The woman of Sarepta who, at the word of the 
 prophet, brought her laft morfel of bread to fatisfy his hunger, 
 exhibited a moft illuftrious difplay of confidence in Cod; as did 
 Jikewife that other poor widow, whom Jefus beheld catling her 
 two mites into the treafury.an-i whole liberality he fo highly ex- 
 tols : " he faid, Of a truth I fay unto you, that this poor widow- 
 hath call in more than they all. For all thefe have of their abund- 
 ance caft in unto the offerings of God : but (he of Her penury hath 
 call in all the living that (he had." It is not the quantity giv- 
 en, but the fpirit in which it is bellowed, that ftarhps vah'j on 
 thegift. Peter indeed, on a certain occa'iori, ferns to 'nave 
 highly rated the fun erider which he made, and to have deemed 
 himfelf fully entitled to a compenfation: "Then anfwered 
 Peter, and faid unto him, Behold, we have forfaken all, and 
 followed thee; what fhall we have therefore ?" Jefus admits 
 the claim : he undervalues not the facrifice which affection has 
 offered up, and points out the glorious compenfation which hd 
 was ready to make : " And Jefus faid unto them, Venly, I fay 
 unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration, 
 when the Son of man (hall fit in the throne of his glory, y5e 
 alfo fhall fit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of 
 Ifrael. And every one that hath toriaken houfes, or brethren, 
 or fillers, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, 
 ior my name's fake, fhall receiveian hundred fold, and mail 
 inherit everlafling life." Such is Rie unbounded generofity of 
 him who faith in another place : " Whofoever fhall give to 
 drink unto one of thefe little ones a cup of cold water only 
 in the name of a difciple, verily I lay unto you he lhali in no 
 wife lofe his reward." < 
 
 But there rnuit have been an inconceivable fomething in the 
 manner and addrefs of Tefus (Thrift, wffkh cotild induce men 
 
 in 
 
| 4 f HISTORY OF [Left, aftfl 
 
 in circum'ftances luch as thofe ot the difciples, to forego the" 
 very mean* of fubfiftence, and to follow him at all hazards, 
 1 hey feel the attraction of true goodnefs, but hare not as yet 
 any apprehenfion ot theperfon, nature and million of the Maf- 
 ter whom they were preferring to all worldly relations, pof- 
 ieflions and profpe&s. But their choice was fhortly juftified, 
 ss they attended his lootfteps through the cities of Galilee : 
 and it is highly grateful to find a firft favourable impreflioni 
 completely confirmed, or far exceeded by knowledge andexpe- 
 rience. They were to be made witnefFes for Chrift to all nations, 
 every oppo;tunity is therefore afforded them of the molt 
 intimate communication with him, " all the time that the Lord 
 Jefus went in and out among them :" that they might declare 
 to the world " that which was from the beginning, which they 
 heard, which they faw with their eyes, which they looked up- 
 on, and which their hands did handle of the word of life.'* 
 Through a channel, and on the teftimony of witnefles, fo little 
 liable to fufpicion^ M the truth as it is in Jefus" has been tranf* 
 mitted to us. 
 
 The mode of conveying to the minds of rheh " the gofpel of 
 the kingdom;" next arrefts our attention. He went teaching 
 in tkcitfynagpgucs. This confined, if we may judge from his 
 practice at Nazareth, in rehearfing aloud, before worshipping 
 affemblies, the Scriptures of the old Teftament, either in their 
 order, or pailages feletfed for fpec*aI-occafions, and particular- 
 ly applied. And this in every age and flate of the church, ev- 
 er fince a revelation came down from heaven, was and is the 
 ground-work ot public inftru£fion and devotion: even the 
 word of the living God, the ftandard of truth, the foundation 
 of faith the rule of life. 
 
 The feconr? mode ot inflruftion employed by our Lord, wa3 
 '* preach ng the gofpel ot the kingdom." This feems to have 
 Deer* Something more than a fimple reading of the Scriptures, 
 followed" by an equally fimple application of the word read to 
 its appropriate objeft, as in the inftance which has already been 
 Under review : " This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your 
 ears." The word tranflated to preach is derived from a noun 
 which fignifies he* aid, public crier, the meffenger of prince to 
 prince, of nation to nation. Thus the prophet Ifaiah might 
 be faid to preach to the men of his day, when, by the command 
 of God, he executed the office of a herald ; M Cry aloud, fpare 
 not ; lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and ihew my people 
 tlieir trarfprefTion, and the houfe of Jacob their fins." And 
 thus, in flriclnefs of fpeech, Chrift himfelf might be faid to 
 preach, when " in the lait day, that great day of the feaft, Jefus 
 
 flood 
 
£e&. xiv.] jesus Christ. 147 
 
 flood and cried, faying, If any man thirft, let him come unto 
 me and drink. He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath 
 raid out ot his belly (hall flow rivers of hying water." In a 
 greater latitude, to preach is, from a given topic, to argue, to 
 exhort, to reprove, to encourage ; to a flail the heart, in the 
 view of producing conviction, and of regulating the lite 
 through every avenue of the foul, the intellect, the paflions, 
 the very fenfes. Thus Paul, on Mars-hill at Athens, " preach, 
 ed Jefus and the re fur recti on." Thus alfo at Troas, alter 
 breaking of bread, ' 4 he preached, and continued his fpeecH 
 untd midnight." And as Chrift himfelf thus preached, 4 " he 
 fent out his twelve diiciplesto preach, faying the kingdom of 
 heaven is at hand,;" and with this folemn chaige he lett them, 
 when he aicended into heaven : "Go ye, therefore, and teach 
 all nation >, baptifing them in the name of 'he Father, and of 
 the Son and of the Holy Ghofl : teaching them to obferv - all 
 things whatfoever I have commanded you : and, lo, i am with 
 you always, even unto the end ot the world. Amen." And 
 thus unnl now, through the operation of his migl'-ty power, 
 ** the toolifhnels of preaching," the preaching ot " Chriil cru- 
 cified" isl ** to them .that are called, Chrift the power ot God, 
 and the wifdom of God."' 
 
 Teaching and preaching were accompanied and fupported 
 by the difplay of miraculous powers, all employed in doing 
 good. " He healed all manner of ficknefs> and all manner of 
 difeafe, among the people." This general defcription of human 
 wretchednefs,to which the promifed Median was to apply a reme- 
 dy, is followed by aiad enumeration ot the feveral particulars 
 which compofe this deprefling aggregate; fomeofthem were more 
 common, and in many cafes removable by human (kill and theufe 
 of ordinary means ; fome were more obftmateandhopelefs.asthe 
 palfy, lunacy, which in general bid defiancetothe healing art, and 
 terminate at length, the one in the diflblution of the body, the 
 other in a total derangement of the mental powers. This cat- 
 alogue is clofed by an extraordinary malady., feemingly pe- 
 culiar to that period and (pot of the world, diabolical poflef- 
 (ion. Attempts have been m^rie to explain away this terrible 
 arfliclion into a (pecies of madnefs or epilepfy. to which the hu- 
 man frame has in all ages been deplorably fubjecled, but which 
 can with no propriety be afcribed to the operation of malig- 
 nant fpirits. The inftances however, both ot the exiltence of 
 the difeafe. and of the cure, are too numerous, and too fpecific,. 
 ♦{> be confounded with mental diforder or bodily infirmity ; 
 and every attempt of the kind ought to be refilled, as a blow 
 d at all hiftorical evidence, as an infidious defign to limit 
 
 the : 
 
u8 HISTORY OP [Left. XIV* 
 
 the agency oi fpiritua! beings, and to meafure all exifting pow~ 
 ers by thofe of man, "The influence or " the fpirit that now> 
 worketh in the children of difobedience" has no need to be de- 
 rooiiftrateoL And wherefore ihould it be thought a thing in- 
 credible that, for a feafon, and for purpofes by us infcrutable, 
 this evil fpirit might be permitted to harrafs and convulfe the 
 bodies of men, that the fuperior power of the Son of Go& 
 might be maniielted in recovering, both in body and in fpirit, 
 V out of the fnare of the devil, ihem who are taken captive by 
 him at his will ?' 
 
 The whole taken together, the teachings the preaching and 
 the miraculous cures performed by Chrift, in their combined 
 effect, amount to this : There is not an evil which man is lia- 
 ble to, in his body, his mind, his eftate, of yefterday or of ma- 
 ny years ffanding, but what mull yield to the wifdom, the pow- 
 er, the grace of Chrift, It was theunion of thofe feveralmeth- 
 eds of conducting his divine million that gave weight to each 
 leparafely, and to the combined. whole. Miracles without in- 
 ftruclion might have amnfed, might have excited admiration 
 and allonilhrheni. But we know how very tranfient and inef- 
 cient impreffions of this fort are. The wonder ceafes, it is 
 driven out by a new prodigy, and this, in its turn, gives place 
 to a third, and fo on in fuccedion, till extraoidinary become 
 mere common things, and no falutary eflFecl: is produced. But 
 when the perfon who has been trying to inftruel me, and whole 
 JefTons I found wearifome, and treated with negleft, takes a 
 kindly intereft in me and my concerns, makes my health and 
 comfort his own ; when he interppfes feafonably, condefcend- 
 ingly, in behalf of myfelf, my child, my friend, my neigh- 
 bour ; and not only feafonably, but powerfully, effeclually, in 
 a way that far tranfeends the ufual courfe of things ; when I 
 behold my teacher and my benelaftor to be one and the fame, 
 the fame man who vouch iafed to point out truth and 
 tell me my duty, giving fight to a man that was born blind, and 
 railing the dead to life, then the leffon comes with force to the 
 heart and confeience. Nicodemus, the Jewifh ruler, felt and 
 acknowledged the irrefiflible power of this combination. He 
 laid to Jefus, " Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come 
 from God: lor no man can do thefe miracles that thou doeft, 
 except God be with him." Thus the Simplicity of doclrine is 
 dignified and impreffed by the luftre oi miracle, and the 
 effecl of miracle^ on the other hand, acquires permanency 
 from the liability, importance and ufeiulneis of the doclrine. 
 
 The preaching of the Gofpel is no longer fupported and 
 confirmed by miracles* Granted. It is no longer neceffa- 
 
 ry 
 
£,e# . - X If. J JESUS CHRIST. I49 
 
 ' a it mould. While fupernatural, external aid was ne- 
 .y, fuch aid was communicated. In Jeius Chrifr, and in 
 : ;e did, taught ai - d, the Scriptures were fulfilled. 
 
 He authenticated his commiflion by the feal of miracles. Un- 
 der that feal he executed it ; and that feal he tranfmitted to his 
 fciples. Under it they afted, and the world was 
 chnilianized. Miracles have effected all that they were in- 
 tended to effeel, and the Gofpel now refls on its own immove- 
 able balis. What need of the formality ol a feal to a writing 
 which bears the imprefs of Deity on every line, on every let- 
 ter ? You call for miraculous proof of its divine original. 
 i hat very call, in the nineteenth century from its firfl eftab- 
 'iihrnent, is the proof. Had it not been the caufe of God and 
 truth, it mull long ere now have ceafed to be a lubjeci of dif- 
 cuffion. When the oppofition of avowed enemies, and the 
 treachery of pretended friends, are taken into the account, that 
 Chriftianity mould at all exift, is the greateft wonder ihat ever 
 was prefented to the world. You call for proof ; it is at hand. 
 What politic j1, philosophical, moral fyftem ever lalled fo long, 
 or could boafl fo many profelytes ? What fyftem is fo favour- 
 able to fcience, to intellectual, civil, moral improvement ? In- 
 troduce the fpirit of Chrifr, and defpotifm and flavery expire 
 together ; man is fettled on a bafis of equality which diflurbs 
 not the order of fociety, and a profpeH is opened of a flate of 
 being in which all the diforders now prevalent fhall be com- 
 pletely rectified. You call for proof ; it is at hand. Go to 
 hamlets and huts *, look to empty fcrips and exhaufled penury, 
 to the field of painful, unproductive toil, and to the bed of lan- 
 guishing ; fee Rachel weeping for her children, becaufe they 
 are not, and David mourning over living, ungracious children. 
 The fufFerers repine not, they charge not God foolilhly ; they 
 commit themfelves to him who clotheth the lily and feedeth 
 the raven ; labour makes reft fweet, and hope puts a pillow un- 
 der the drooping head ; the heart is poured out before God, 
 and the countenance is no more fa-i. Is this no miracle ? In 
 what fchool of the philofophers are fuch Jettons taught ? And 
 let it be obferved that thefe, and fuch as thefc, are not the glar- 
 ing, fplendid triumphs of Chriftianity, but its daily, noifeiefs, 
 unobtruding, unofrentatious operation. 
 
 V Except ye fee figns and wonders, ye will not believe." Is 
 miraculous proof of the divinity of the Gofnelftili demanded ? 
 It is at hand. By what inftruincmsdoes the great Jehovah ftill 
 fupport and extend the Mediator's kingdom ? By men them- 
 felves feeble, ignorant, forlorn like thofe to whom th^y minif- 
 ter : men Handing in r.esd of the Jell-fame inikiiLlion, confo- 
 
 lation 
 
%$* K1ST0KY OS, fLecl. X i<C. 
 
 Jation anil fupport which they are. called to adminifter to oth-' 
 -ers : men, in general, as little qualified by natural endowm 
 or by the acquifiuons ot literature, to fubvert the kingdo 
 Satan, and to build up that of Median, as thefiihermen a 
 ilee were to fhakethe throne of -the Cefars. and to reft©re 
 ot David which was fallen down. Ii is in every age the fame, 
 " Where is the wife ? wh re is the fcribe ? where is the dif-. 
 puter of this world ?■ Hath r>ot God madefooljflHne vi'domot 
 this world ? For after that, inthe wifdom«>f God, the world by 
 wifdom knew not God it pleafed God by the fooliflin 
 preaching to favcthem that believe."- * -Who then isPaul, 
 who is Apollos, but minifter&by whom ye believed, even as the 
 Lord gave to every man ? 1 have planted Apollos watered, but 
 Ood gave the increafe. So then, neither is he that planteth any 
 thing, neither he that watereth ; but God that giveth the in- 
 crease," "We have this treafure in earthen vedels, that the ex- 
 cellency of the power may be of God : and not of u>." 
 
 Still call for proof \ What kind and degree of proof will fat-. 
 isfy or filence Infidelity ? Shall the fun ft and frill and the moon 
 be ftayed ? Are not the conftant andwniform motions and ap- 
 pearances of thofe great luminaries an equal, or a fuperior 
 demon ftration ot fovereign power and wifdom ? Shall the mod- 
 ow upon the fun dial of Ahaz be accelerated or regarded ten 
 degrees What can it prove more than is done by a fteady 
 and regular progreflion ? Thoufands are fed miraculoufty, at 
 once, by a tew loaves and fiihes. Is the miracle lefs which day 
 by day feeds the innumerable tribes of the human race, by a 
 procefs of vegetation, and of animal increafe ? The producing 
 hand is the fame in both cafes, the manner of production makes 
 all the difference. Should one rife from the dead, will ye be- 
 lieve and repent ? One has arifen from the dead : but infideli- 
 ty (till holds out. And we mult leave it to its confequences : 
 " It they hear not Mofes and the Prophets, neither will they 
 be perfuaded though one rofe from the dead.'* 
 
 As the evidence, fo the doftrine of Christianity is the fame 
 that it was from the beginning. Whether to the Jew or to 
 the Greek ; the preaching of John or of Chrift himfelf, ot the. 
 primitive difciples, or ot the miniftersof to-day, it is a " tefti- 
 fying of repentance toward God, and ot faith toward our Lord 
 Jefus Chrift." From the beginning to the end of the world, 
 the call is, " Turn ye, turn ye, Why will ye die ?" " Bring. 
 forth fruits meet for repentance." The command and the 
 promife are blended together : " Believe on the Lord Jefus 
 Chrift, and thou malt be faved," and they are addreffed equal- 
 ly to the jailor at Philippi, and to the multitudes at Jerufalem : 
 
 *' Repent 
 
hiB\ xi v. ) j b36 a c h ft S s H *$* 
 
 " Repent and be baptifed every one of yon m the* nairie of Je~ 
 fus Chrifl for the remiflion ot fins, and ye (hall receive the gift 
 ot the Holy Gh »ft." The univerfality or guilt demands uni~ 
 verfality of contrition and rerorniatioh ; and there is but one- 
 " blood" that " cleanfe h from all fin ;" " neither is there 
 falvation in any other ; for there is none other name tinder 
 heaven given among men v\ hereby we mufl be faved." 
 
 What, other teacher, what o her leg:Ha f cr did not find him- 
 felf under the neceflity of fufpending, of relaxing, of mitigat- 
 ing the feverity ot the law ; or accommodating himfelt to- 
 times, tempers, and * . ircumftances ? Even Mofes himfeif was 
 obliged to temporize, and to connive at the breach of the bw, 
 in favour of the hardnefs i f the people's hearts. But the great 
 Ghriftian Legislator has but one unvarying, inflexible code, for 
 the prince and the peafant, for the noble and the ignoble, for 
 the Have and his mailer. It alone fuits all nations, all fcafons, 
 all fituations. Among the other marks of Deity this is riot the 
 fcaff. Chriitianity is a religion, not for this diflricl or for that, 
 but for the globe ; not for the Jew or the Greek, but for man- 
 kind, and thus approves ilfeJf to be of him who '* hath made of 
 one blood all nations ot men, for to dwell on all the face of the 
 earth." Nay more, Christianity is a religion tor both earth. 
 and heaven, for time and for eternity. Its fpirit is the fpiriiof 
 love, and perfe6l love is the fulfilling of the Law and the per- 
 fe6Honot felicity. " Now abideth tairh. hope, charity, thefe 
 three: but the greateft of thefe is charity." Wherefore? Faith 
 and hope are adapted :o a ftate ol trial and fuffering ; they im- 
 ply dou!n, difficulty, imperfection : "but wl.en that which is 
 perfect is come, then that which is in par 1 mall he done away." 
 But alter the exercife of faith and hope has ceafed, charity is 
 arrived at its maturity ; a maturity that knows no decay. Thu3 
 are M the fpirks ot jo ft men made perfect." 
 
 Once m Te we afk I-s the hiflory which we have been re- 
 viewing the hiflory of ameieman ? Is there nothing fuperior, 
 nothing divine in this mode of teaching and acting r What 
 mortal could have engaged in fuch an enterprise, with furh 
 fupport and have prdpercd ? What human power and (kill- 
 reach to the paralytic, ihe lunatic, the leper ? What arm ot' 
 flefh can control ** the prince of the nower ot the air ?" What 
 eloquence ot man can perfuade the rich, or the poor, to give 
 up every thing ? What tongue can fay, uith efTeit, to the wind 
 and to the fea, " >'eace, be 11 ill ?" It thefe are not proofs of a 
 prefent Deity, What proof can be demanded, What proof can 
 fee given ? Our knees bow, our tongues confefs M that je(us 
 Chi ill is Lord to the glory of God the Father," Amen. 
 
 LECTURE. 
 
ipl i-:: story i EL xv. 
 
 LECTURE XV. 
 
 luKe, x. 17—220 
 
 3EFORE THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE LORD 
 
 SUPPER. 
 
 And the feventy returned again zoith joy, faying, Lord even the 
 devrs are fu'bjeci unto us through thy name. And he [aid 
 unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fait 'from Heaven. Be~ 
 hold, I give unto you power to tread on firpents and jcorpi- 
 ens, and over all the power of the enemy ; and nothing JJiall 
 b\ any means hurt you. Notzoithftand;ng, in this rejoice not 
 that the [pints' are [ubjecl unto you ; but rather rejoice, be~ 
 Caufe your names are written in heaven. In that hour Jfe/us . 
 rejoiced in [pint, and [aid, 1 thank thee, Father, Lord of 
 • Meaven and earth, that thou haft hid thefe things from the 
 wife and prudent, and haft revealed them unto babes : evenfo, 
 father ; for fo it feemed good in thy fight. All things arc 
 delivered to me of my father : and no man knoweth who the 
 Son is, but the Father ; and who the Father is, but the Son,,, 
 and he to whom the Son will reveal him. 
 
 WISE and good men have attempted' to prefent an artificial 
 arrangement of the feyeral events recorded in the hifto- 
 ry of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrifc, or what they call a 
 Harmony of the Gofpels. It is both a pleafing and an ufeful 
 amufementto afcertain the dates and to fettle 'the order of e- 
 vents ; and labours of this kind merit high commendation. 
 But the native majefty and (implicity of Scripture ftand in no 
 need ot artificial arrangement. The whole fpiritual building 
 isaugufl and venerable, and each particular part has its pecul- 
 iar beauty and excellency. To be affured that fuch things 
 were done, is of infinitely higher importance than to determine 
 the exa£i feries ot fucceflion. Every line ot the hiflory oi 
 (Thrift is a radiant difplay of divine perfection ; every ftep he 
 taker, leaves an imprefs of benignity behind it. It was predict- 
 ed concerning him, that he fhould be " a man of forrows and 
 acquainted with grief." But it was likewife predicted, that he 
 
 mould 
 
Left. X V.J JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 *53 
 
 mould " fee of the travail of Lis foul and be fatisfied." The words 
 which have been read contain theaccomplifhment of this Ltd 
 prophecy. In all our affliction he was afflicted; let us weep 
 with him : and when he " rejoices in fpirit," let us alfo " re- 
 joice with joy unfpeakable and full ot glory ; receiving the 
 end of our faith, even the fal vaiion of our fouls." 
 
 The followers of Chriff had now increafed to a great multi- 
 tude, And need we wonder, if fuch doftrine, fu ported by 
 fuch purity and dignity of character, and by fuch mighty 
 works, had the power ot attracting attention and refpeijt where- 
 ver he w<-nt ? " There followed him great multitudes of peo- 
 ple from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from jerufalem, 
 and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan." Out of thofe 
 multitudes he felected firfl twelve, with the peculiar defigna- 
 nation of difciples and apoltles, to whom he imparted a por- 
 tion of his fpirit and power : " He gave them Authority over 
 all devils, and to cure difeafe^, to preach the kingdom ot God, 
 and to heal thefick." Afterwards " he appointed other Sev- 
 enty, and lent them two and two before his tace into every 
 city and place whither he himielf would come." It was on 
 occafion of the return of thofe feventy, after having fulfilled 
 their mi (lion, and upon the report which they made of their 
 fuccefs, that Jefus broke out into this holy rapture : " In that 
 hour Jefus rejoiced in fpirit, and laid, I thank thee, O Father, 
 Lord of heaven and earth, that thou haft hid thefe things from 
 the wife and prudent, and half revealed them unto babes : e~ 
 ven fo, Father ; for fo it feemed good in thy fight." Let us 
 trace the procefs. 
 
 The Evangelift records, at lull length, the commiflion granted 
 to thofe feventy, but gives us no particulars refpecting their 
 progrefs. Thefe muft be collected from the account which they 
 themfelves give of it. The Seventy returned again with joy. Eve- 
 ry thinking man enters on a difficult or a hazardous entcrprife 
 with very mixed emotions, lie tcels the confequence attach- 
 ed to an arduous and important flation ; he feels the preffure 
 of refponfibility, and the foliciiude of general expectation 
 pointed towards him. The animating ftimulus ot hope is re- 
 prefTed by the dread of mifcarriage. It is a terrible thing to 
 return foiled, difappointed, difcomfhed. The eve of a battle 
 is a feafon of folicitude. But when the conflict is over, when 
 fuccefs is no longer doubtful, the foul enters into a ftate of 
 perfect compofure. Mournful is the reflection, " I have la- 
 boured in vain, I have fpent my llrength for nouqht, and in 
 vain ;" but how complete is the triumph of an apoflle review- 
 ing a fuccefstul miniitry, and looking forward to the glorious 
 '.' • jnfe 
 
*$4 HISTORY OF [LetL X7 
 
 recompenfe or reward. " I have fought a good fight, I have 
 iinifhed my courfe, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is 
 laid up for me a crown of righteoufnefs, which the Lord the 
 righteous judge (hall give me in that day." Such was the tri- 
 umph of the Seventy, having fin if bed their circuit of the cities 
 or Gaiilee. 
 
 They exprefs peculiar fatisfaclion in reporting to their di- 
 vine Mailer, that M even the devils were fubjeft to them; 
 through his name." Ii was matter or great joy to them, that 
 their preaching had been acceptable and ufeful ; that they had 
 beenthe honoured iriftrtfmems in his hand, to" heal aH manner 
 of ficknefs, and ali manner of difeafe ;" to predifpofethe minds 
 ol men to receive the kingdom of God, by healing their bod- 
 ies : but to prevail againil the great adverfary who had fo long 
 tyrannized over the nations, leading them "captive at his will," 
 this filled up the meafure of their joy. At the fame time, they 
 model] ly difclaitri all perfonal'merit. They humbly akribe the 
 glory of all this wonderful fuccefs to the potent name of their 
 almighty Lord. Jfefus himfelf exercifes underived power over 
 univerfal nature/' " What a word is this !" exclaimed the af- 
 tonifhed multitudes. " for with authority and power he com- 
 mandeth the unclean fpirits, and they come out :" but the dif- 
 ciples have power, and prevail only through virtue communi- 
 cated to them. " Without me," fays he, " ye can do noth- 
 ing :" and then is the believer moil iirong when he refls on 
 imparted firength. Now thofe difciples were fpeedily to be 
 fcatterecl abroad upon the face of the earth, carrying with them 
 the do&rine and the name, that is the wonderworking power of 
 their Mailer. Wherever; therefore, virtue accompanied that 
 name, there was Chrift himfelf prefent ; and of whom but of 
 Deity can it be affirmed that he is in more than one place* in ma- 
 ny places, in all fpace at once ? God challenges omniprefence 
 as his own: " Am I a God at hand, faith the Lord, and not a 
 God afar ofF ? Can any hide himfelf in fecret places that I fliall 
 not fee him? faith the Lord : do not I fill heaven and earth? 
 faith the Lord." " Though they dig into hell, thence fhaH 
 mine hand take them ; though they climb up toheaven, thence 
 will I bring them down : and though they hide themfelves in 
 the top of Cannei, I will fearch and take them out thence ; 
 and though they be hid from my fight in the bottom of the fea, 
 thence will I command theferpent, and he mall bite them." 
 The great Author and Finiiher of our faith aflerts to himfelf 
 the fame divine attribute, and connects with it perpetuity of 
 duration, in the charge which he gave to his difciples before 
 lie afcended up into heaven :. " Go ye and teach all nations ;" 
 * there. 
 
Lt£t. XV. j JESUS CHRIST. \$fr 
 
 there is a claim of univerfal power and prefencc ; a.iu\ he adds 
 the grjcious a flu ranee : M and lo, lam with you alway, even 
 unto the end of the world." Here are omniprefence and end- 
 jefs unchanging exiftenee united. When the viper dropped 
 harmlessly from the apoflle's hand, in the ifland of Melita, 
 there was the name, the prelence and the power of Chrift. When 
 Philip, in the defert of Gaza, " preached Jefus" to the Ethio- 
 pian eunuch, and convened hirn to the Chriftian faith, there 
 was the name, the prelence and the power of Chrift. When 
 John, in the ifle that is called PalmOS', " heard a great voice, 
 fating, I am Alpha and Omega," there was the name, the 
 prefencc and the power of Chrrft That prefence, my breth- 
 ren, we hope and trufr, is in the midit of this worfhipping af- 
 fembly, and pcefiding over it ; is to confeerate that table and 
 thofe elements ot bread and wine ; is to fanclify and enno.de 
 our communion and fellowihip. But it is i.ot confined to 
 this place. It is at this moment diffufing light, and Hfe, and 
 joy over myriads ot worlhippers in the eaft in the weft, in the 
 fouth, in the north. It is " the confidence ot all the ends of 
 the earth, and ot them that are afar ofFupon the lea :" 4 * in all 
 places where I record my name I will come unto thee and 
 blefs thee." " Where two or three are gathered together in 
 my name, there am I in the mid 11 of them." 
 ' This fubjeciion of thedevilsto the difciples, through the name 
 ot Chrift, Jefus in his reply contemplates as the beginning ot 
 Satan's complete and final overthrow, as a Jtep toward the to- 
 tal fubverfion of his kingdom. " He fa d unto them, I be- 
 held Satan as lightning tall from heaven :" " when I fent you 
 forth armed with my comrnillion and turnifiied you with pow- 
 er to execute it, I faw fwih deftruclion overtaking i he deftroy- 
 er. You have begun aconqueit which I am proceeding to 
 accomplifh. You have fubjected his mifchievous agent . 
 fhallbruife Satan himfelf under your feet ihortly." "His u- 
 furped dominion, as " the God of this world," as 4< the prince 
 ot the power ot'the air," as " the ruler of the darknefs ot this 
 woitd," is battening " to expire. Rooted, eltablifhed as it may 
 feem to be, it (hall vanilh in a moment, rapid as a fiafh of 
 lightning, which dilappears before it is well feen." 1 he e\- 
 preflion is in ule with both the lacred and profane ami 
 The downfall of the king of Babylon is, by the prophet, re- 
 prefented under this hold imagery : " How art thou fallen 
 from heaven, O Lucifer Ion ot the morning ! how v art thou 
 cut down to the ground !" The Roman orator fays ot Antho- 
 ny, " thou haft dragged downthy colleague from heaven;" 
 aud whenPompey the Great was hurled horn his proud pre- 
 
 eminence. 
 
j, 6 history of [Lecl. xy. 
 
 eminence, Cicero represents birn as having " fallen from the 
 liars." The time to favour a darkened, enflaved world was 
 now come> and J fas triumphs in the near profpecl ot the 
 converfion of the gentile nations " from darknefs to light, and 
 irom the power of Satan unto God." 
 
 The former million of the Seventy was limited to N the 
 cities and places, whither he himfelf would come ;" now 
 their fphere is enlarged, and with an extended commiffion 
 fredi afljrances are given ot divine protection wherever they 
 went. •■' Behold I give unto you power to tread on ferpents 
 and f< -crpions, and over all the power of the enemy ; and 
 nothing 'flial; by any means hurt you." After the refurrec- 
 tion irom the dead, an unbounded career is fet before them, 
 the vail globe is fpread out as the fcene of a&ion, the whole 
 human race, through all ages and generations is the grand ob- 
 ject of the gofpel miniftry and powers adequate to he un- 
 dertaking are granted. " Go \e into all the world, and preach 
 the goipel to every creature" — ** and thefe figns mall follow 
 them that believe ; in my name fhall they caft out devils; 
 they flrall fp?ak with new tongues ; they fhall take up ferpents; 
 and if ihey drink any deadly thing it fhall not hurt them: 
 they mall lay hands on the hck, and they fhall recover." 
 Here every qpflruclion is removed, all oppofition dies, every 
 enemy isfubdued, and the feriptures are fulfilled, which fay : 
 c< Every valley fhall be exalted, and every mountain and hill 
 mail be made low : and the crooked (hall be made ilraight, and 
 the rough places plain :" " Thou (halt not be afraid for the 
 terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day, nor for the 
 peflilence that walketh in darknefs, nor for the deftruclion 
 that wafteth at noon-day." " Thou (halt tread upon the lion 
 adder : the young lion and the dragon fhalt thou trample 
 under feet." Thus was the ferpent's head bruifed, and the tri- 
 ll of the Redeemer completed. Compare ipiritual things 
 with ipiritual, the commiflion ot the great Head of the Church 
 with the execution ot it, the promifed fupport of the apofiies 
 with what they were enabled actually to atchieve, as the facls 
 Hand recorded in the book of their acts. 
 
 But Jeius points out to his difciples a purer fource of joy 
 than even a grant of miraculous powers could bellow. It was 
 highly honourable and unfpeakably grateful to be invefted with 
 authority to control evil fpirits, to cure inveterate diftemper and 
 quicken the dead, and to enjoy perfect perfonal fecurity amidft 
 inares, and dangers and the lhadow ot death, to fpeak with 
 tongues and initruct the ignorant. But thefe and other choice 
 gifts ot God have been conferred on the unworthy. Great 
 
 talents 
 
Left. xv. J jrsus Christ. % 5y 
 
 talents are not always fanftified to the pofleffor* Beneficial to 
 others they may be unprofitable or ev/en pernicious to die man 
 himfelf. He may fpeak with the Tongues of men and of an- 
 gels : he may have the gift of prophecy, and underftand all 
 myfteries and all knowledge ; he may have all faiih fo as to be 
 able to remove mountains ; he may lay out his whole e 11 ate in 
 works ot charity, and even fubmit to futTer mvrtyrdom, and af- 
 ter all remain delfitute of that principle which alone admits in- 
 to the kingdom ot heaven. The magicians of Egypt perform- 
 ed wonders, but they ferved only 10 harden the heart 
 again It God. Balaam was a true prophet, but " he loved the 
 wages of unrighteoufnefs :" he knew and approved the better 
 courie, but he deliberately perievered in the worfe. Simon 
 had the art of bewitching the peopleof Samaria with forceries ; 
 V to him they all gave heed, from the lead to the greateft, fay- 
 ing, this man is the great power of God." " He himfelt be- 
 lieved alio, and was baptized," but his " heart was not right in 
 the fight of God ;" he was fhll '" in the gail of bitternefs, and 
 in the bond of iniquity." " Not every one that faith unto 
 Lord, Lord, fhall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he 
 that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many 
 will fay to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not proph 
 in thy name ? and in thy name have catt out devils ? and in 
 thy name done many wonderful works ? And then will I pro- 
 le fs unto them, 1 never knew you : depart from me, ye that 
 work iniquity." Where God has beitowed much, he will ex- 
 pecl much, and in proportion to the number and value ot the 
 gifts received is the account that mult be given. Wno was e- 
 qually honoured with the apoftle of the gentiles, by extraordi- 
 nary communications from heaven ? but " it is not expedient 
 for me," fays he " to glory :" " of myfelt I will not glory, but 
 in mine infirmities." In what then docs a Paul, in what does 
 every believer chiefly rejoice and glory ? In the composing 
 reflection, " my name is written in the book of life." "I know 
 whom I have believed, and I am pcrfuaded that he is able to 
 keep that which I have committed unto him againft that day," 
 M Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown ol righteoufnefs, 
 which the Lord, the righteous judge, fhall give me at that day : 
 and not to me only, but unto all them alfo that love his ap- 
 pearing." Compared to this, what a poor trifle it is tor a man 
 to know that his name is in an opulent teliator's will tor a I, 
 did bequeft, were it even the reverfion ol a kingdom ? This is 
 that " peace of God which paifeth all undenbmdin^, which 
 ihall keep the heart and mind through Chnit Jeius," and which 
 the world can neither give nor take away. 
 
 This 
 
; : ; | H I S T O K Y O F f L<i£\ . XV , 
 
 This is " the hour* 5 ' the eventful hour when " Jefus rejoiced 
 :in fpirit :" the hour when the great Sovereign of the univerfe 
 wa< fubjecltng fpiritual wickednefTes to human agents, and 
 perfecting praife out ot the mouths ot babe> and i'ucklings; 
 when all the glories of the kingdom of heaven unveiled them- 
 felves to his view, and the nations of the earth haftenedinto it. 
 The fcenes of forrow and fuifering which mull intervene are 
 abforbed in contemplating the blefled effects which they were 
 to produce. " In that hour Jefus rejoiced in fpirit, and laid, I 
 thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou haft 
 hid thefe things from the wile and prudent, and haft revealed 
 them unto babes : even fo, Father ; for io it feemed good in 
 thy fight." Here We behold our great pattern fetting us the 
 example of referring every thing to God, as the firfl caufe and 
 the la ft end of all ; who acts by his own uncontrolable, inex- 
 plicable fupremacy, and with a view to his own glory. But 
 we are not to underftand our Lord as giving thanks that " the 
 wife and prudent" were kept in a ftate ot ignorance refpe£ling 
 the things of God, but that while they were io. while they re- 
 mained under the power ot wilful biindnefs, it had graciouQy 
 pjeafed God to manifeft thefe things to the comparatively fim- 
 ple and illiterate. We have a fimilar mode of expreflion, and 
 which faljs under the fame mode of interpretation, in the epif- 
 t!e to the Romans, vi. 17, where the apoftle fays : " But God 
 he thanked that ye were tfre fervants of fin;" meaning obvi- 
 oufly, 4 that although, that whereas ye were the fervants ot fin, 
 ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was 
 delivered you :" So here, " I thank thee, O Father, Lord of 
 heaven and earth, that while the wife in their own conceits, 
 and the prudent in theeftimation of the world, neglect and def- 
 pife the things which belong to their peace, their all-impor- 
 tance is difcerned, felt, prized and improved by perfons* lowly 
 in their own fight, contemptible in the eyes of men, but eftima- 
 ble in the eyes ot Him who " refifteth the proud, but giveth 
 grace unto the humble." 
 
 Jefus afcribes to the Father univerfality of dominion, under 
 the title ot " Lord of heaven and earth ;" and he refolves all 
 c/eatiires and all events into divine fovereignty : "Even fo t 
 Father, for fo it feemed good in thy fight." " He giveth not 
 account of any ot his matters." " He doth according to his 
 will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the 
 earth : and none can -flay his hand, or fay unto him, What do- 
 eft thou ?" That which is good in the eyes ot man is frequent- 
 ly a fore evil ; but that which is good in the fight of God muft 
 be good in hfclf ; and when Deity fhall have executed the 
 
 whole 
 
Left:. XV.]' jLSUS CHRIST. 'i§£ 
 
 whole plan of bis providence, the myriads of his faints and an- 
 gels (hall with one voice proclaim " all is good." " Blefnng, 
 and honour, and glory and power, be unto him that fitteib up- 
 on the thr >ne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." 
 
 Having made this afcrifction or univerfal power, authority 
 and property to the Father, he leprelents himfelt as invefted 
 m an equal extent of dominion, as fole and fovereign adminif- 
 t'rator of ihe world which he made, which he upholds, an-3 
 which became to redeem. i4 All things are delivered to me of 
 my Father." God is " Lord of heaven and earth." Now 
 the'e two Words imply all fpace, with all the beings which in- 
 habit the worlds ' vifible and invisible, whether they be #hrone3 
 or do ninions, or principalities or powers." To- the utrnovb 
 extent of the words, therefore, and of their import, the fove- 
 reignty of God Redeemer extends, and it is afTerted and af- 
 cribed neither in a (ingle pallage, nor in doubtful terms. Ail- 
 power," fays he in another place, " is given unto me in heav- 
 en and in earth:" M authority to exec ire judgment alio;" 
 " power over all flefh, to give eternal life.*' " The Father raif- 
 eth up the dead, and quickeneth them ; even fothe Son quick- 
 eneth whom he will. For the Father judge m no man ; but 
 hath committed all judgment unto the Son ; that allmenlhould 
 honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." Now thi3 
 is either mere pretenfion, unfounded as that of the devil ovei 
 V all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them," or it 
 is a claim of right : and who but God can fupport fuch a claim ? 
 Who but God can pollefs and exercife the power of quicken- 
 ing the dead, of executing judgment upon all, not oniy accord- 
 ing to their works, but according to their mod beret thoughts, 
 and of bellowing eternal life ? Is a creature, a mere man like 
 ourfelves, to be entrufted with, is he capable of managing luch 
 an empire ? No ; Where all power, then, is lodged, there i -. 
 Deity ; " in that he put all in fubjection under him, he left 
 nething that is not put under him." Behold, Chriilian, and 
 rejoice in fpirit, the powers of darkness proitrae under the 
 feet of the Prince of Peace : He '" maketh his angels fpii 
 his minifters a flaming fire," and " are they not all mini fieri ng 
 fpirits, fent forth to minifter for them who (hall be heirs of fal ■ 
 vation ?" Behold the heathen given him tor his inheritance, 
 and the uttermoft parts of the earth tor apofleflion ; " Herauft 
 reign, until he hath put all enemies under his feet." V\ r e, my 
 beloved brethren, are part of the all things which are delivered 
 by the Father unto the Son ; and the precious depotit is fee 
 !y placed : Thine they were, and thougavefltfrem me :— thole, 
 "hat thou gavefl me I have kept, and none of them is " loll :' 
 
j 66 ::iiIORi OF [Left. XV, 
 
 and you are going this day folemnly to deliver up yourfelves 
 to him, to be taught by his fpirit, to be governed by his laws, 
 to be protected by his arm, to be fupplied by his providential 
 care ; therefore " ye are not your own, for ye are bought with 
 a price : therefore glorify God in your body, and in your fpir- 
 it, which are God's." 
 
 It is added, " and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the 
 Father ; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom 
 the Son will reveal him." That is, the nature, excellency, and 
 dignity of the Godhead can be known only by Deity. God is 
 infinite in all his perfections, but in contemplating infinity all 
 created underftanding is loft. This reciprocal knowledge of 
 the Father and of the Son is itfelf a myftery infcrutable, tor it 
 prefents at once plurality and unity ; which human reafon finks 
 under. " No man hath feen God at any time ; the only be- 
 gotten Son, which is in the bofom of the Father, he hath de- 
 clared him." If man has been enabled to form any right no- 
 tion of God, he is indebted lor it to the revelation of Jefus 
 Chrift the Son of God. That revelation has unfolded God's 
 purpofe and grace, before the world began. That revelation 
 has explained thehiftory of Providence through ages and gen- 
 erations paft. That revelation has difclofed an eternal dura- 
 tion to come, for unfolding, in endlefs fuccefiion, the inex- 
 hauftible treafure of the knowledge of " the only true God, and 
 Jefus Chrift whom he hath fent." Every paft, every prefent, 
 every future difcovery of the divine counfels, and of their ex- 
 ecution, is the operation of the great light of the world ; " for 
 God, who commanded the light to fhine out of darknefs, hath 
 ihined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the 
 glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift." 
 
 If fuch were the honour and the power conferred on the 
 Twelve and on the Seventy fimple Galileans; if through the 
 grace of Chrift they not only exceeded the attainments of fci- 
 ence, and the operations of art, but exercifed authority over 
 the devil and his angels, then what may not man become ? 
 What bounds (hall be fet to the progrefs of an immortal being, 
 -< the new man, which after God is created in righteoufnefs and 
 true holinefs ?" The eye of fenfe difcerns a frail child of duff, 
 finking under a load of growing infirmity ; " in heavmefs 
 thiough manifold temptations;" " through fear of death fub- 
 jecled to bondage." The eye of faith beholds in that fame for- 
 Jorn creature, one haftening unto the refurre&ion of the dead, 
 about to a flume a glorious body fafhioned after the fimilitude 
 of that of a rifen and glorified Redeemer, arifing V to meet the 
 Lord in the air," triumphing over death, and 4 ' him who has the 
 
 power 
 
Lt&.. X V/} ' J E S C S C'HR 1ST. *6l 
 
 |»wcr of death," " with open face, beholding as in a glafr the 
 |be &lory °f the Lord, and changing into the lame image from 
 glory ro glory." 
 
 Chrift has taught us, my brethren, to refbrt to the r-dical 
 fource or confolation ; "rejoice, becaufe your nar.es are writ- 
 ten in heaven." It is a pic Jam and an honourable tee! nj 
 take complacency in an ittuftrmus or even reputable defcettt ; 
 to reflecl: on the attainment bf eminence of ftation by eminence 
 in talent ; to contemplate wealth earned By induftry and fair- 
 dealing. But thele, an i fuc h advantages as rhefe, are tranfient. 
 They .may be marred aad embittered by untoward circumfrkn- 
 ces But to meditate on an inalienable, unalterable good, rt:n- 
 tiihg through the 'whole ipTOgrefs of duration, increafiirg con- 
 tinually in lullre and value ; to think that all is the free gift of 
 & Father, whofe love'is not liable to change, whofe bounty is 
 inexhaulfible. whofe power (uftains the worlds viTible md in- 
 vifible, and whofe exiftehce is from everlaftirfg to everli/ting : 
 this foothes he Too! tc pezte this fweetens the bittereft mc-r- 
 fel, this quenches the flame of the h\-ry trial, this di farms the 
 king of terror*, " T hefe things feUh he 'hat hath the feveh 
 fpints of God, and ihe feven itar." " He that overcometh, the 
 i'ame (hA\ be clothed in white ra>ment ; and I will not blot out 
 his name out of the book of life, but I will confefe hi-s name 
 before mv Father and before his angels." 
 
 The higheft privileges 'which Chriftianity confers, and the 
 fairelt profnect which it open.-;, powerfully recommend the 
 fpirit ol humthty. is thy name written in heaven r What hand 
 wrote it tli -re P 'Might not'the hao'd that wrote blot it out a- 
 gain ? Has not- thy 6Wn right hand ma -e'many a dreadful at- 
 tempt to erafe the fignature ? I' it has. found a place on that 
 hallowed page, if it has been permitted to remain there, if it 
 lias hot in fatherly dilplealure bien forever obliterated, it is 
 »U of free foverogn grace. Art »hdu an heir of " a kingdom 
 vhich cannot be moved ?" " it is your lather's good pleafure to 
 give you the kingdom," have grace, whereby yo.a may " ferve 
 i accep'abiy, with reverence and godly fear." The high- 
 eft and the holied are alfo the hymbleft of being's, With 
 whom does *' tfw? high a r ,d lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, 
 whofe name is Holy," delight to dwell ? " With him who is 
 of a contrite and humble fpirSt, to revive the fpirit ol the hum- 
 ble, and to revive the heart bf'tlie contrite cries." He who 
 ::• mod humble lias the greatelt fiftiilitude t<> his divine Mailer, 
 •and to be like Chrilf is to pbffefi the higheft glo.y which the 
 creature is capable ot attaining. 4I Learn ot me," fays he, not 
 *c walk upon the water or rebuke the wind, not to open the 
 
 era 
 
*& HISTORY of [Left. XV. 
 
 eyes of the blind or quicken the dead, but " Learn of me ; fo? 
 I am meek and Jowly in heart : and ye fhall find reft unt« 
 your fouls/' 
 
 " Jefus rejoiced in fpirit," as he contemplated the rife, the 
 progrefs, the confummation of his kingdom, and the corres- 
 pondent do Wnfal of the empire of fin and Satan. He is the 
 fame who wept over the grave of Lazarus, who '■' groaned in 
 ! the fpirit and was troubled," in fympathy with the wo of oth- 
 ers ; (he fame who beheld the devoted city, " and wept over 
 it ;." the fame who in the agony of Gethfemane exclaimed, 
 '•' My foul is exceeding forrowful, even unto death." Let our 
 forrows and joys flow from the fame fources with his. Are the 
 ravages oi lime and death prefented to our view, or the ftili 
 morerreadful ravages, wmVh ifTue in death committed by " the 
 carnal mind which is enmity againft God," and hatred to man ? 
 Are we the fpecrators of the progrefs of moral corruption from 
 evil to worfe, till all is loft ?' Can we behold it unmoved ? 
 *' Fools make a mock at fin," but every fenous fpirit js very 5 
 differently affected, " 1 beheld the tranfgreffors," fays the 
 Ffalmift, " and was grieved becaufe they kept not thy word. 
 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes ; becaufe they keep not 
 thy law " On the other hand, how delightful is it, to maik the 
 p'rogrefs of goodneis ; '* the path of the juft as the mining 
 light, that (hineth -more and more unto the pprfe£t day ;" to be- 
 hold "■" a brand pluck't out of the fire," a foulfaved from death, 
 an heir born into the kingdom of God ! This caufes " joy in 
 heaven, in the prefence of the angels of God." This is that 
 *' travail of his foul," which the Redeemer " fhall fee, and 
 fhall be fatistied." This is the dawning of that eternal day 
 when' the raniomed of the Lord (hall return, and come to 
 Zion with fongs, and everlafting joy upon their heads : they 
 fhall obtain joy and gladnefs, and forrow and fighing fhall flee 
 away." That we all may be found in that company, partake 
 of that joy. aftift in railing thofe fongs, may God of his in- 
 finite mercy grant, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. 
 
 Prayer in consecrating the Elements. 
 
 WE thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, 
 for all thy inexpreflible, all thy inconceivable goodnefs to the 
 children of men. Thou didft form the nrlt human body of 
 M duff, of the ground." and thou didft breathe into man the' 
 breath of life, and he became a living foul, capable of knowing,, 
 •si admiring, of loving, and of enjoying the glorious excellen- 
 cies 
 
jLecc. X.V.] JESUS CHRIST. 163 
 
 .cies of the Divine Nature. Under thy creative benedi Prion he 
 increafed, and multiplied, and replenifhed the earth. But man 
 that ^vas in honour continued not. Sin entered into the world, 
 and death by fin has patted upon all men. Neverthelefs, God 
 who is rich in mercy pitied and fpared, and faid, ' Deliver 
 him from going down to the pit ; I have found a ranfom." To 
 guilty man, driven out from paradife. a door or gra^ e opene 1 
 dawn ol hope arofe. That dawning light, that day-fpring from 
 on high, through thy favour, waxed brighter and brighter, till 
 it reached meridian fplendor. T'ie Julnefsof time came, when 
 " (rod, who at fundry times, and in divers manners, (pake in 
 times p^it unto the fjihers by the prophets," was plea fed to 
 fpeak " unto us by his Son, the heir of all things," who " made 
 the worlds, being the bright nefs of his glory, and the exprefs 
 ima^e of his perfon, znd upholding all things by the word of 
 his pover." But he " made himfelf of no reputation, and took 
 upon him he form of a fervant, and was made in the likenefs 
 of men :" He was" defpifed and rejected of men, a man of 
 forrows dnd acquainted with grief :"' and M being found 111 
 falhion as a man, he humbled himfelf, and became obedient 
 unto death, even die death of the crols," and " when he had 
 by himfelf purged our fins, fat down on the right hand of the 
 Majefly on high." '* Which things the. angels defire to look. 
 into i" let our fouls rejoice and adore. 
 
 To thee, voluntarily humbled, to thee, highly exahed Sa- 
 viour, our knees (hall bow : ihat sanie which is above every 
 name our tongue ihall contefs ; " the love of C h • 1 ft con- 
 flrasneth us :" " we love him : becaufe he £1 ft loved us." 
 And what proof, blefTed Lord, what proof of love art thou 
 this day demanding of thine infinitely indebted creatures ? 
 Not to lufTer the lols of all things not to go to prifon and to 
 death for thee, not to give our body to be burnt, not to give 
 but to receive : M Take and eat, Take and drink, Do this in 
 remembrance of Me.'' Of a truth thy commandments are 
 not grievous ; ihy yoke is eafy, and thy burden is light. 
 Draw us, we will run alter thee ; thele are cords of a man, 
 thefe are bands ol love. We hear the command and we obey. 
 Y. T e prefent our bodies a living (aci ifice, which is our reafona- 
 ble fervice. We devote the fuperior powers of our immortal 
 fpirits to the contemplation of.thc great myitery of godlineis, 
 we " may be able I > cp b prebend with all faints what is, 
 the breadth, and length,, and depth, and height, and to 
 know the love of Chnft which pafleth knowledge, and 
 that we may be filled with all the I I God." 
 
 We 
 
*5d HISTORY OF [Left. &VL 
 
 We employ, rifen and exalted Redeemer, we employ thefe 
 elements of bread and wine as a memorial of thy' dying' love,, N 
 becaufe, in the near profpeci of death, thou wert pleafed, b v ~ 
 giving thanks over them, to let them apart to this f acred pur- 
 pofe. V/e would, after thy example, look up to our Father, 
 in heaven, and give thanks for all the blefl-irigs which they 
 commemorate, for redemption through the blood ot Chriiiy 
 the rorgiVenefs of fin> according to the riches of free fover^ 
 eign grace ; for the abohihmg of death, and for all the ex- 
 ceedingly great and precious promifes, and the glorious proC- 
 peels of liie and immortality brought to light by the gofpel. 
 
 In thy name we fplemnly feparate from a common to a 
 hallowed ufe, fo much of this bread and of this wine as we 
 are now to employ in commemorating the death of Chriir, 
 his body broken, and his blood ibed as a propitiation for the* - 
 fin of the world. ' And over thefe facre'd fymbols we again 
 Fplemnfy "dedicate ourfelves unto thee,* to. be diipofed of b^ ' 
 thy providence, to be governed by thy laws>, to be guided by 
 thy fpirit. to be accepted through.!}: inter ceffijori. Thee hav-' 
 ing not feen we love ; in thee, though now we fee thee not, 
 yet believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of 
 glory ! receiving the end of our lath,' even the lah'ation of 
 our 'fouls. In thy prefence we become witnefles to each oth-' 
 er, and we call angel's and men io witneis that we fubferibe 
 with our hand unto the Lord, in Ire moling hope that our 
 names are written in the Lamb's book of life, among the liv- 
 ing in the heavenly Jerufalem. And in this blelfed hope we 
 would, with one heart arid voice, afcribe to God in Chrifl the 
 kingdom, and the power, and the glory, now, and for ever- 
 more. Amen. 
 
 Address to Communicants at the Sacramen- 
 tal Table. 
 
 TO. fit down at one table, to partake of the fame fare, 
 is the happieft view of domeflic comfort and of friendly in- 
 tercourlc. The body and the mind are refrefhed at once. 
 The bond of union is ftrengthened and fweetened, between the 
 lather and mother, between the parents and their children, a- 
 rnong brothers and lifters, among kindred and friends. To 
 the enjoyment of that pure and exalted felicity; my brethren, 
 we are now invited ; and with the profpe&s of immortality 
 blend the endearing charities of human life. The great Maf- 
 ter of our Gofpel repafl is not now indeed the object of fenfe, 
 
 but 
 
Lea. 
 
 XV.j JESUS CHRIST. • l£j 
 
 bat he is afluredly with us, he contemplates with complacen- 
 cy oar c ■■mmon faith and hope, our mutual aiiection. He 
 rejoices in fpirir while he beholds thofe for whom he died re- 
 membering his dean, obeying bis commandments, living un- 
 der the influence of his fpiv.it-, advancing in his ftrength toward 
 the kingdom ot heaven. Him not having leen ye love, and ye 
 look, forward to the day when ye mall be like him, tor ye (hall 
 fee him as he is. 
 
 Communicants, ye are elevated to the fummit of an exceed- 
 ing high mountain, but not by the fpirit ot del u (ion, to furvey 
 airy or car h!y' kingdoms, and a glory unfubitantial and tran- 
 sient: but by the fpirijt of power, and ot love, and ot a found 
 mind, to contemplate a kingdom which cannot be moved, a 
 kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 
 You futvey an inheritance incorruptible, and unde filed, and 
 that fadeth not away ; not with the feelings of a Balaam, who 
 beheld from the high places ot Baal, the goodly tents ot Jacob* 
 and the tabernacles ot Ifiael, in which he had neither part nor 
 lot ; nor with the emotions of a Mofes, who from Pifgah view- 
 ed the land flowing with milk and honey into which he mulfc 
 not enter; but with the confidence and compofure ot aw Abra- 
 ham, to whom God Paid ; M Lift up now ihine eyes, and look 
 from the place where thou art northward, and fouthward, and 
 eailward, and weflward : Arife, walk through the land, in the 
 length ot it, and in the breadth of it : {or 1 will give it unto 
 thee;" but with the rapture of a Stephen, who expiring ex- 
 claimed : '" Behold, I fee the heavens opened, and the Son 
 ot man (landing on the right hand of God." That ye, Chrif- 
 tiaris, may through grace be made partakers ot the f<mne di- 
 vine coniolation, We adminiiter unto you, and partake with 
 you, the commanded memorial of the f ufferings and death of 
 the Redeemer of Mankind, 
 
 11 The Lord in the fame night in which he was betrayed, 
 took bread : an;}, when he had given thanks, he brake it, and 
 faid, Take, eat ; this is my body, which is broken for you : 
 this do in remembrance of me." 
 
 How powerfully emphatical every word is ! the bread of 
 nature, in order to become the aliment of the body is bruifed, 
 and broken, and pafTes through the fire : " The bread ot life, 
 which came down from heaven," fays Chrifl in his doftrine, 
 u is my flefh, which I will give tor the life of the woild." 
 " It pleafed the Lord to bruife him; he hath put him 10 
 grief :" behold him buffeted cf kicked men, fcourged, his 
 head crowned with thorns, his hands and his feet pierced, his 
 foul poured out unto death. And for what end? His body, 
 
 my 
 
g£6 history o? [Left, x.y. 
 
 $ny finful fellow-creature, was M broken for you." " He was 
 wounded for our tranfgreiTions, he was bruited for our ini- 
 quities : the chaltilement of our peace was upon him ; and 
 with his ftripes we are healed. All we like (heep, have gone 
 aflray ; we have. turned every one to his way. and the Lord 
 hath laid on him the iniquity of us ail." And what does he 
 detnirA in return ■? Do this in remembrance of me. Bleffed 
 Jefus i ii thou had ft bidden us do fome great thing, would 
 we not have cheertully complied? How much rather then, 
 •when the yoke ot love is imputed ? We come at thy call: 
 " We will remember the name ol the Lord our God ;" *- O 
 Lord our God, other Lords betides thee have had dominion 
 over us; but by .thee only will we make mention oi thy name." 
 
 •* After the fame manner alfo he took the cup, when he had 
 Capped, faying, this cup is the new teftament in my blood : 
 this do ye. as ott as ye drink it, in remembrance ot me, For as 
 often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do fhew the 
 Lord's death till he come." 
 
 In drinking together, my Chriflian friends, from this cup, 
 we joyfully acquietee in the new, and better, and well-ordered 
 covenant," ordained by angels in the hand of a Mediator,'* 
 and " eftahli (bed upon better promites ;" a covenant which 
 makes provihon not only for human infirmity, butforthe deep- 
 eft and mo-it malignant guilt, and which affords not merely a 
 ■temporary relief, but confers an unchangeable and everlafting 
 fecurity. V This is the covenant that I will make with the 
 houfe of Ifrael, after thofe days, faith the Lord, I will- put my 
 laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will 
 he to them a God, and they ftiall be to me a people : and they 
 ihall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his 
 brother, faying, know the Lord, for all fhall know me, from the 
 kali to the greateft. For I will be merciful to their untight- 
 eoufnefs, and their fins and their iniquities will I remember no 
 more.'* And what is the teal of this better covenant ? It is be- 
 fore you, M This cup," fays the Saviour, 4k is the new Tefta- 
 jnent in my blood :" the wine in the cup is a fymbolical repre- 
 fentation of my blood fhed for the remiflion of fin. " Ye know 
 that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as filver and 
 gold ; but with the precious blood of Chrift, as of a Lamb 
 without blemifh and without fpot ;" " fiain from the foundation 
 of the world," and which k< cleanteth us from all fin." 
 
 In celebrating this holy ordinance, we are not only jnore 
 clofely cementing the ties ot nature and the bands of friend- 
 fhir> among ourtelves, but we are extending our communion 
 to the church ol Chrift univerfal, in the Eaft and Weft, in the 
 
 Soutfe 
 
Left. XV.] JESUS CHRIST, i(ff 
 
 So th and North ; we are ftretching out the right hand of fel- 
 lowfhip over continents, over oceans to give the falutation of 
 brotherly-love to all who love our Lord Jefus j and to invite 
 men pj all colours and of all languages, to call in their lot a- 
 mong us, and to take fhelter with us under the fhadow oi this 
 " great rock in a weay land," to lepofe with us amidft* 1 the 
 trees of life," whofe '• leaves arc for the healing Oi the na^ 
 tions." 
 
 . But is not " our fellowship with the Father, and With his< 
 Son Jefus Chrifl ?" Is it not then, with them who are drink- 
 ing new wine in our Father's kingdom ; with the fpirits oi jiift 
 men made perfect. ; with thofe whom on earth wig loved ; with 
 thofe who have often eaten and drank with us at this table, and 
 with whom we hope to eat and to drink at the- table thai is a* 
 bove, fitting down with therri, and " with Abraham, and Ifaac, 
 and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven ?" Deligh'fiil reflection I 
 The employments or earth and heaven are the fame ; the ani- 
 mating principle, the fpiiit of hove is the fame ; the furjeck of 
 their praife and the fource of their joy are' the fame. " Unto 
 Jefus L'hHr, who is the faithful witnefs, and rhe fir ft begotten- 
 of the d'.-ad and the Prince of' the king* of the earth : Unto 
 him that loved us, and wafhed us from our fins in his own 
 blood, and hath made us kings and priefrs unto God and his 
 Father;, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever* 
 Amen. 
 
 The l'olemnuy concludes with an intimation of Gfcrift's fe- 
 sond appearance. M As often a* ye eat this bread; and drink 
 this cup, ye do fhew the Lord's dear h till he come." "Why 
 trouble ye the woman ?" faid Chrift to the indignant d»fciples» 
 who grudged the wafte of the .ointment which me poured on 
 hi- feet,*' tor (he hath wrought a good work upon me ; for in 
 that file hath poured this ointment on my body, (he did it for 
 m\ buriah" Her pious aft- embalmed the body for the grave-; 
 Ours contemplates Jefus, anithe refuriection ; ours looks for- 
 ward to the day when " the So I of man fhall come in the clouds 
 of eaven with power and great glory." '• Yet a little while 
 and He that fhall come will come, and will not tarry." *' He 
 which 'eftifieth thele things faith, furefy I come, quickly. A- 
 men. Even fo, come Lord Jefus. The grace of our Lord Jp~ 
 ftis-Ghrift be with you- ail. Amen." 
 
 LECTURE 
 
j"6S HISTORY 6 if [L<:£h XVI, 
 
 LECTURE XV L 
 
 JOHN, II. 1— Xlc 
 
 And the third day there zoas a marriage in Cana of Galilee % 
 and the mother of Jefus was there. And both Jefus was cal~ 
 led, and Jus difaples, to the marriage. . And when they want- 
 ed wine, the mother of Jefus faith unto him,, they have no wine ' 
 Jefus faith unto her, woman, what have 1 to do with thee f 
 Mine hour is not yet come. H>s mother faith unto the fer~ 
 vants, whutfoever he faith unto you, da it. And. there were 
 fet there fix water pots oj /lone, after the manner of the purify- 
 ing of the Jews, containing two or three firkins a piec. Jefus 
 faith unto them, fill the water -pots with, water. And they fil- 
 led them up to the brim. And he faith unto them, draw out 
 now, and bear unto the Governor of 'the feafi. And they bare 
 it. When the ruler of the feafi had ta fled the wafer that was 
 made wine, and Anew- not whence it was, (but the fervants 
 which drew the water knew) the governor of the Jeafi called' 
 tke bridegroom, and faith unto him, every man at the beginning 
 doth fet faith good wine •; and w hen. ■ men have well drwk ' 
 then that which is worfe ; but thou haft kept the good wine un- 
 til now. This beginning of miracles aid Jefus in Cana of 
 Galilee, and man'ijf led forth his glory J and his difaples bt» 
 lieved on him. 
 
 iT requires no common degree of wifdom to make the tranf- 
 ition from various fituations one to another, with dignity 
 and propriety. The gravity and ferioufnefs of deportment 
 that fuits the temple do not fuddenly melt away into the fa- 
 miliarity and eafe of private life. Men are called to a6f vari- 
 ous parts, but often lack the fkill to difcriminate between 
 character and character. At other times thejfeene changes too 
 rapidly, and the habit of the public perfonage is fcarcely laid 
 afide, when the fpirit ot it is likewife fhifted, and the man dif- 
 ' covers that he is merely an a£tor. Difference of behaviour 
 may undoubtedly be aflumed with change oi pla<:e and o§ 
 company, without incurring the imputation oi hypocrify : 
 but there is a radical character which the honeft man "never 
 
 lays' 
 
Left. XVl.J JESUS CHRIST. i6g 
 
 l 
 
 lays afide, whatever be the feafon, whatever the fituation. He 
 cannot indeed be gay and ferious at the fame moment : but in 
 the houfe of mourning he m ay be fad without finking into de- 
 predion, and in the houfe oi teafting he may be cheerful with- 
 •put riling in'o levity. He can "rejoice with them that re- 
 joice, and weep with them that weep," without lofing the 
 Srmnefsof his mind, or betraying inconfiftency of fpirit and 
 iemper. In truth, it you would be ufeful to men, you muft ac- 
 commodate yourfelt, where the rights of confeience do not 
 interfere, to their circumiiances, arid to the laws of decency 
 and prudence. 
 
 But where, alas ! (hall we find the man who is continually 
 on his guard, who in every fituation poffeffes his foul, and 
 governs his fpirit, and keeps the door of his lips ? In vain we 
 -look for fuch a one among men of like paflions with ourfelves. 
 But it is not for want of a perfect pattern, in the perfon of him 
 who in aL places, at ill feafons, and in every fituation approv- 
 ed himfelt the Son oi God and the friend of men. Let this 
 mind be in you which alfo was in Cliriff Jefu*. He hath left 
 us an example that we mould follow his (tops. Bleffed Lord, 
 *ve will follow thee whitheiloever thou goeif. 
 
 We have attended the great Teacher fent from God to the 
 Synagogue at Nazareth, and have heard him fulfilling the duties 
 of that gracious ofhee by reading and opening up the Scrip- 
 lures, arid thus producing one fpecies of evidence to the truth 
 of his divine million, the accomplifiiment of ancient, wc::- 
 kndwio and acknowledged prophecies concerning himfelf, his 
 pei ion, his confecration to the great work which he ihotild 
 come to execute, and the wonderful fuccefs with which it 
 .ih Mild be crowned. We have fee 11 him with complacency 
 beceu iog his difciples on their return from a progrefsot preach- 
 ing and healing, and of calling out devils; and rejoicing in 
 fpirit, as he contemplated the fudden and utter defhuciion ot 
 Satan'- kingdom, and, on its ruins, the univerfal and everJaif.- 
 ing eftablirhcnent ot his own. We are now to behold him ex- 
 hibiting a d fferent bind of evidence, but calculated to produce 
 the fame t i\ct that is, a full conviction that Jefus Chnff. was 
 the Son ot God, aid the Saviour ot the world, namely, the dif- 
 play of miraculous powers, to fupoort the truth of the doc- 
 trines which lie taught. This V N;codemus, a ruler of the 
 Jews," fell and adm tt • i. M Rabfc>i,!' lays he, * we know that 
 thou art a teacher come from God : for no man can do thefe 
 miracles that thou doeft, exceut God be with him." As on 
 the two great commandments, 'Jove to God and love to man, 
 . *' hang all the !a\v and the prophets," fo pn thefe two unmove- 
 
 X able 
 
t jo EP I S TOR Y O i? [ Le ft . x vi. ' 
 
 able pillars left the whole fabric of Chriftianiiy. The fulfill- 
 mg ot predi6Hon, is a demon (Iration ot the foreknowledge of 
 Deity, " declaring the end from the beginning, and irom an* 
 cient times the tilings that are not yet done, laying, my coun- 
 jfel (hall ftand, and I will do all my pleafure-:" and of his truth 
 and taithfuinefs in bringing it to pais, to an iota, to a tittle: and 
 the working of miracles evinces the pre fence and concunenee 
 of almighty power, which is able to fupport and to fufpend, to 
 control and alter the laws ot nature, by a word, by an " I 
 will," If the fpirit and native tendency of the gofpel be tal^n 
 into the account, we (hall find it to poflefs every character ot 
 Divinity that the heart oi man could deiire, or reafon demand, 
 or imagination figure. 
 
 The period, and the place, and the occafion of Chr-ift's fi?ft 
 public miracle are all fpecified. It was the third day after the 
 noted conversation that paifed between Chriil and Nathanael, 
 which is recorded in the conclufion ot the preceding chapter. 
 There Jefus gave proof not merely of fuperior fagacity, but ot 
 a knowledge that difcerns the thoughts and intents of the 
 heart. Nathanael, with all his guilelefs integrity, laboured un- 
 der the common prejudice of the day, and had the vulgar prov- 
 erb in his mouth, " Can there any good thing come out ot 
 Nazareth?" He ibon received conviction that there could, 
 and that too the befl of all things ; for while he was yet (peak- 
 ing to Philip, Chrift himfelf drew nigh to meet them, and in- 
 stantly, in thehearing ot Nathanael, pronounced- a character of 
 him which the fearcher of hearts only could have unfolded : 
 " Behold, an Ifraelite indeed, in whom is no guile." Nathan- 
 ael, juitly confeious or inward rectitude, finds h ; mfelf at once 
 reproved and- detected. His farcafm refpecting Nazareth not 
 retorted/ but d if armed by receiving in return the honourable 
 appellation of" an- Ifraelite indeed," was a keen reproof to an 
 ingenuous mind ; and to find himfelf minutely known to a 
 it ranger, -mwft have infpired high refpect for that ftranger, not 
 unmixed with awe. With-aflonifhment he exclaims, ■*' Whence 
 knoweir thou me?" The anfwer completely difplaya the 
 character of the Nazarene : " Before that Philip called thee, 
 when thou- watt under the fig-tree, I faw thee." Here is an 
 eye which at once penetrates into the heart, and marks minute, 
 external contingent circumitances, even to the fpecies of plant 
 under the fhadow ot which Nathanael, at a certain moment, 
 happened to repofe. The " Ifraelite indeed" now retigns his 
 prejudices and difmifles his doubts ; wonder changes into ven- 
 eration, M Nathanael anfwered, and faith untohim, Rabbi, thou 
 
 art ' 
 
ILeQ. xvi.j jesus christ. •i^ 1 
 
 art the Son of God ; thou art the King of Hrae] :" and thus 
 another refpectable difciple is added to the School oi Chrift. 
 
 Let not this be confidered as toreign to the fubje£l or the 
 prefent Lecluie. Nathanael was, ot courfe, one of the invited 
 guefh io celebrate die marriage at Cana of Galilee. He was 
 there, within three days, to behold another fpecies of demon- 
 flration of his Mailer's divinity, that he might bear wimefs to 
 it. And it was fit that a man fo candid and upright fiiould be 
 fufniihed with every kind ot evidence, which could remove 
 prejudice or fubdue infidelity. He is not indeed hereafter 
 mentioned in the gofpel hiflory, but it fecms highly probable 
 that a perfon of his defcription, was fpecially called to take an 
 acltive part in propagating the truth as it is in Jeftis. Some 
 comme.'itatois have luppofed him to be the fame with Barthol- 
 omew, one of the Twelve. 
 
 The place, where the miracle exhibited the glory of the Re. 
 deemer, was "Cana of Galilee," perhaps to diiiinguuh it from 
 another city of thai name in Celofyri a, mentioned by Jofephus 
 in his Jewilii Antiquities. It was fituated in that part of the 
 Holy Land, which in the partition under JoflJBS, 1 11 by lot to 
 the tribe of After; and ftood on a river of the fame name, 
 which flowed through part of the inheritance of the tribe of 
 Ephraim.-intu the'Great Sea. It was hi'herto a mere name, or 
 a fpeck which might cafually catch the eye as it wandered over 
 t'ne map of Paleftine ; but Cana now acquired a celebrity which 
 makes her to rank with the proudeft of capitals, from an event 
 which will tranfmit her name to the lateit pofieriry. 
 
 The OLcafion was a marriage -folemnity. It is an rhftifutioa 
 of Heaven nearly as old as the creation : it was firft celebra- 
 ted in Paradife ; God himfelf formed theunion, prefided over 
 and witnefled the contract, and pronounced the nuptial benedic- 
 tion. This ftamps a purity, a dignity, a permanency on the 
 ordinance, which man is bound highly to refpecr. The great 
 Interpreter and R.eflorer of .the Law, accordingly, puts honour 
 upon the inftitution by his prefence and countenance, and by 
 .contributing to the comfort of the ailcmbly convened on this 
 happy occafion, by the charms of his converfation, and by a 
 feafon^ble fupply of one ingredient in a feaft : and he after- 
 wards vindicated the primitive fan&ity of marriage from the 
 hrregularity and impurity which the hardnefs of the human 
 heait had conftrained even a Mofes to permit, at lead to con- 
 nive at. " Have ye not read, that he which made them at the 
 beginning, made them male and female ; and laid, for this caufe 
 fii 1 1 1 a man leave father and mother, and Hull cleave to his wife; 
 ftnd they twain fhall be one flefh ? Wherefore they are no more 
 
 twaiu. 
 
r ?2 history c? [Leel. XVI, 
 
 twain, but one fiefn. What, therefore, God hath joined tc 
 gether, let no man put alunder. - 
 
 John the Baptifl incurred the imputation of being pofTefled 
 with a devil, because he was a man of more auflere manners, 
 and of a more fequeftered mode of living ; becaufe he " came 
 neither eating bread nor drinking wine. " His dvvine Mailer* 
 more gentle in deportment, more affable acceihble, and conde- 
 fcending. becaufe he mixed with fociety, becaufe he "came 
 eating and drinking," is by the felf-fame perfons reorefented 
 as " a gluttonous man, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans 
 and fi nuers. " Where there is a difpofitibn to cenfure, no puri- 
 ty nor prudence can efcape/' 'Nothing can pleafe the peeviih 
 children in the market place. It their fellows excite them to 
 dunce by the found of the pipe, they aredifpofed to look grave 
 and mourn : if their companions are in a ferious mood, it ia 
 with them a time to dance.' • You cannot tell where*" to find 
 them. It is not, at the fame time, a mark or wifdom to brave 
 the opinion or the world ; but wo be to that man whole con- 
 dutf has no better regulator than either popular opinion, or the 
 decifions of a felf-conitituted cenfor. Chnll has by example 
 taught his difciples to feek, and to take opportunities of being 
 ufeful, whatever con flrucTion may be put upon it by malig- 
 nant obfervers, 
 
 *' The mother of Jefus was there," apparently, as one of the 
 family, who took an interefl in the credit of her relations, and" 
 toalhft in attending to the comfort and accommodation of the 
 guefts ; for we find her watching o< er the expenditure of the 
 provifion* and devifmg the m-ans of fupply when it mould 
 fail. But Jefus and his difciples were among the perfons fpe- 
 cially invited. "" As the aim of the Kvangelift is (imply to de- 
 tail the circum fiances relating to the miracle, every thing 
 foreign to this is fuppreffed. This remark is applicable to the 
 facred writers in general. They prefent the leading obje£t in 
 Its iirongeft features, leave it to make its native lmpreffion, and- 
 pafs from it without exclaiming, without parade, without a 
 commentary. On the other hand, where minutenefs of de- 
 f'ciiption and enumeration isneceffary or of importance, all is 
 examined with a microfcopic eye, and beauties difclofe them- 
 felves to clofenefs of inveitigation which the carelefs glance 
 bad overlooked. 
 
 Whether the company had proved more numerous than 
 was expecled, or whether a provifion too fcanty had been 
 made, but in the middle of the banquet wine failed. Things 
 which are in fhemfeives, and as far as man is concerned, mere- 
 ly contingent, are predtfpofed and produced by a fpecial in- 
 
 terpofition 
 
Lea. XVI.] JESUS CHRISSV 
 
 tcrpofuion of divine Providence, to fulfil fbme valuable pur- 
 pofe. This little awkwardnefs of domeilic arrangement tur- 
 -nifhed occafion fdr a grand difplay ot almighty power. The 
 deficiency was obferved by the mother of Jefus, who commu- 
 nicated it tb r him as* (imply a jemark of her own. But 
 "not the cotiimunieatiori partake of the nature of requeft, of ex- 
 peHation, ot fuggeftion ? " They have no wine;" Is not this 
 faying, can nothing be done to lave the credit ot the family? 
 They will fafler in the eflimation of their friends, as too parfi- 
 monious at a feafon ot fefuvity It kef he prefent. Can ft thou 
 '.'ind no fupply ? There muft, undoubtedly, have been fome- 
 thing oflenfive in her meaning or mode ot exprefTion, for fhe 
 meets with a reproof. And the mildeft cenfure from fuch lips 
 »'s a mark ot difplealurel As to Nalhanael before, f'o to Mary 
 now he gives proof that he could read in the heart, what had 
 not yet fallen from the tongue : " Jefus faith unto her, Woman, 
 what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come." 
 m Woman :" we are not to eftimate the fpirit and import of this 
 term of addrefs by the refinement of our modern ideas and 
 manners. A Britifh lemale ot very middling rank would con- 
 fider herfelf as very highly infulted to be thus abruptly accoft- 
 ed by an equal, from an interior it would be intolerable, and 
 even in a ftiperior it would be refented. But it was the appel- 
 lation by which 'princes addreffed themfelves to ladies of the 
 iiigheft rank, and vvhich even Oaves employed in 'peaking to 
 their miitreiTes, for it marks refpeel not familiarity. And we 
 have a demonftratlOfi, in the prefent cafe, that it could implv 
 no hing harfh or unkind, for it is Jefus who ufes the word in 
 fpeaking to his mother. On an occafion frill more tender and 
 mterefling, when foyereign love was in its triumph, and dic- 
 tated every exprefTion ; when his crofs was furrounded by fomc. 
 ot the perions who witneiTed the miracle of Cana of Galilee; 
 this converfation took place : ;t When Jefus, therefore, faw bis 
 mother, and the difciple Handing by whom he loved, he faith, 
 unto bis mother, Woman, behold thy fori ! Then faith he to 
 the difcipie. behold thy mother ! And from that hour that dif- 
 ciple took ii r unto his own home." Here was (he dying effo- 
 fion of filial affection : M Woman, behold thy fon." 
 
 11 What have I to do with thee." This ius an air of feverity, 
 and probably was intended to check'encroachment. T here is 
 a point beyond which parental authority itfelf mult not prefume 
 to go. At the age of twelve 1 , excefs ot matern d folicitude re- 
 ceived a mild rebuke: " How is it that ye fought me ? will ye 
 not that I mult be about my Father's bufinefs?" Neverthelefs 
 "he went down with them" from the temple, "and came to 
 
 Nazareth, 
 
t*;$4 history of [Left, xv^ 
 
 -Nazareth, and was fubjeft unto them." But to the man of 
 thirty even a mother mud not prefume to chelate, or fo much 
 £s inhnuate, The words of the original have by fome been 
 differently tranflated; and Jefus is made to lay, in reply to his 
 mother's obfervation, " they have no wine," " What is that to 
 ■me and thee?" What does it concern us whether there be wine 
 or not? Such a queflion is little in the fpirit of Chrift, who 
 took a condefcending and an affectionate intereft in q\\ the in- 
 firmities and diftreffes incident to humanity, and to whom 
 .nothing could be indifferent which tended to promote the com- 
 fort ot others; and the fequel, plainly {hews, that he actually 
 cherifhed thofe kind affeclions, and expreffed them in a man- 
 ner peculiar to himfelf. It is more natural to adopt our com- 
 mon verfion, confiftent as it is/with the fame fenfe of the phrafe 
 in a variety ot other paffages. " The devils coming out ot the 
 tombs exceeding fierce," in the country ot the Gergefenes, 
 exclaim, " What have we to do with thee, Jefus, thou Son of 
 God ?" Meaning evidently ; " We are afraid of thee ; let us 
 alone; we de fire no acquaintance with thee ; art thou come 
 hither to torment us before the time?" The feventy interpre- 
 ters tranflate the Hebrew idiom in the fame phrafeology and 
 fpirit, in a great many paffages. Thus Jephthah addreffed the 
 king ot Ammon, " What haft thou to -do with me ?" faying 
 plainly, "I with no intercourfe; we. can -have, nothing in com- 
 mon ; Wherefore mould we go to war together ?" And thus, 
 not>to multiply inftances, David laid to Abifhai, when he pro- 
 profed to go over and, in cold blood, to cut off Shimei's head, 
 " What have I to do with you, ye fons of Zeruiah ?" " I like 
 not your fpirit; I want no fuch triumph ; let God's will be 
 done : you are taking his work out of his hand, and are decid- 
 ing nattily .when you ought to wait patiently." This is entire- 
 ly in the fpirit of the paffage before us. " Woman, what have 
 I to do with thee?" " Intrude not; prefcribe not; I know T 
 what is fit for me to do ; all my movements are already fet- 
 tled." In this view all is of a piece ; all breathes the fpirit of 
 rneeknefs; there is the majefly of Deity, and there is the uni- 
 ted firmnefs and mildnefs of the man. 
 
 If there be any thing like fternnefs in the queflion, " What 
 have I to do with thee ?" it is funk in the folemn affeveration 
 concerning himfelf : ,( mine hour is not yet come." The hour 
 ot a man's birth, of his baptifm, of his majority, of his marriage, 
 of his death, is an epoch ot fingular importance both to him- 
 felf and others. We meafure time, we know its value, and we 
 trifle with it. With an experience ot its neceffary lapfe, and 
 with the certain knowledge that no moment can be refponfi- 
 
 ble 
 
Left; xvi.] jeSiTs christ: ^g 
 
 He for the debt of its predeceffor, having enough to do with* 
 itfelf, the thoughtiefs fons of men will be drawing on a dav* 
 Which they are never to fee, and they fport with borrowed 
 property as if it were their own. The wile man, in the lace or' 
 this reckoning oHolly and madnefs, ftates the jufl account of 
 the expenditure and ufe of time : " There is a feafon, and a» 
 time to every purpofe under the heaven." But we look up 
 to Him who is wifer than the wifeft, that we may learn l« 
 meafure time, to underftand the value of a day, and to improve" 
 the flying hour, which is gone before we are fenfible that it 
 has come. 
 
 t% Mine hour is not yet come." It is an expreflion applied 
 to various events of Chrift's life and miniftry. When his un- 
 believing brethren urged him, by way of defiance, to go up to 
 Jerufalem at the feaft of tabernacles, and there make 3n open 
 difplay of his miraculous powers, this was his reply: •• My' 
 time is not yet come — Go ye up unto this feaft : Igo not up 
 unto this feaft ; for my time is not yet full come ;" intimating, 
 that all his movements and operations were regulated to a 
 moment, and therefore could nehher be hunied forward nor 
 retarded. When he did go up to Jerufalem,- and taught opem- 
 ly in the temple, though his plainnefs and fidelity gave much, 
 offence* it is remarked that " no man laid hands on him ; for 
 his hour was not ye: come :" that is, the hour of his apprehen- 
 fion, trial and condemnation. When the devout Greeks who 
 had come to worihip in the temple, defired an interview with" 
 him, Jefus faid to his difciples ; '« The hour is come that the- 
 Son of man fhould be glorified ■" meaning the dawn of the 
 gofpel day upon the gentile world. But while he rejoiced inu 
 fpirit, as he contemplated that aufpicious hour, he faw it lead- 
 ing to another and a darker hour, the hour of fuflering and 
 death. The profpe6l fpreads a tranfient cloud over the fereni- 
 ty of his mind, and he faid : " Now is my foul troubled : and 
 what mail I fay ? Father, lave me from this hour." Thus far 
 the man of finlefs infirmity. But the cloud pafTes away, fe- 
 renity is reftored and the hour of forrow is loft in contemplat- 
 ing the glory that fhould follow, the accomplifhment of his 
 heavenly Father's purpofe of mercy, in the redemption of a loft 
 world : " but for this caufe came I unto this hour. Father, 
 glorify thy name." When his " time was full come" that he 
 fhould glorify God by his death, with heavenly compofure 
 11 Jefus lifted up his eyes, and faid, Father the hour is come ; 
 glorify thy Son, that thy Son alfo may glorify thee." Thu.x 
 every ftep of the Redeemer's progrefs was weighed, meafured, 
 
 eftabliflied 
 
276' history o? [Lea. xvi. 
 
 efiabiifhed by an antecedent counfel incapable of being over*"' 
 thrown or of failing. ... > 
 
 His mother, though reproved, is not wholly difcourage<5i 
 She perceives that whatfoever he did muft be done at his own 
 time and in his own way,. and therefore enjoins the fervants 
 carefully to attend to whatever he fhonld fay unto them. 
 
 The ablutions, at this, period, , praciifed among the Jews,, 
 were carried to an ab-urd and fuperftitious excefs. The law 
 had indeed prefcribed certain warnings, which nature herfeli 
 points out as conducive to health, c'eanlinefs and comfort ;.' 
 but tradition had multiplied thcfe without end ; they had ac- 
 quired an authority paramount to that or law, and the primary 
 duties of liie were funk in an affected attention to external pu- 
 rity. " The Phanfees," fays St. Mark, " and all the Jews, 
 except they wafh their hands oft cat nor, holding the tradition 
 of the elders. And when they come from the market, except 
 they warn they eat not. And many other things there be which 
 they have received to hold, as the Watting of cups, and pots, 
 brafen vefTels, and of tables." This drew upon ihem a fevere 
 cenfure from the lips of Jefus Chnft. He charges them with 
 the vile ft hypocrify, in M teaching for doclrines the command- 
 ments of men." " For," fays he, " laying andethe command- 
 ment of God s ye hold the tradition of men, as the warning of 
 pots and cups : and many other fuch like things ye do." "Full 
 well ye rejecl the commandment of God, that ye may keep 
 your own tradition." He then produces, as an inflance, their 
 open and avowed violation of the fifth precept of the deca- 
 logue, engraven by nature on the heart of man, and proclaimed 
 from Sinai by the mouth of God. The unnatural child had 
 but by a vow to devote his fub fiance to a pretendedly facred 
 purpofe, in order to be for ever rcleafed from all obligation to 
 aflift aged or decayed parents. Thus a punctilious attention 
 to warning the body could be reconciled to a deliberate pur- 
 pofe of hardening the heart. Thefe copious and frequent ablu- 
 tions account for the large prbvifion of water made for themar- 
 riage feaft. " There were fet fix water-pots of ftone, after the 
 manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three 
 firkins apiece." To pretend to afcenain the quantity, by the 
 .names of ancient meafurernent, would be nugatory and abiurd. 
 If the thing could be done, what profit would arife from it ? 
 It is not we*i known that all the wifdom of the British legifla- 
 ture, though frequently exerted, has hitherto been unable to-' 
 eftablifh a ilandard of weights and meafures for the fouthern 
 divifion of this little ifland ? The precife quantity is left in in- 
 tentional bbfeurity, by the ufe of the indefinite expreilion twc 
 
 MP ' 
 
he&. XVI.J JESUS CHRIST. 1*ry 
 
 .or three, it is fufficient for us to know that the fupply was very- 
 con fiderable. The expenditure of water, at this advanced pe- 
 riod of tne teaft, mull have been great. Jefus determined to 
 make thofe partially exhaufted veffels the medium of his in- 
 tended miracle. To have replenished the empty wine veffels 
 'might excite fufpicion of coilufion- but into water-cifterns 
 for purifying, wine never entered, and therefore no doubt could 
 arife He, then, who could have trar^formed the bottom of a 
 drv ciftern into a fountain of water, or of wine, at his pleafure, 
 commands the fervants to " fill the water-pots with water, And 
 they filled them up to the brim." 
 
 The miracle is already performed. Ey an unfeen, unper- 
 • ceived energy ; without a word fpoken, without a gefture, by 
 a (imple act of the will, plain water is inflantaneoufiy convert- 
 ed into wine of the fineit quality. What dignified fimplicity - 
 what unaffe&ed majefty ! A fa6t fo very extraordinary is nar- 
 rated with no more pomp of language than the molt common 
 procefs oi nature. He now desires the attendants, hitherto the 
 only witneifes of this wonderful change, to draw off fome of 
 die wine, and bear it to thegovernor of the feaff, at the mo- 
 ment when the deficiency began to be felt; Thus every fupply 
 which comes immediately from the hand of Providence is at 
 once feafonable, falutary, and excellent in its kind. What comes 
 through the channel of men like ourfelves mufl of ncceflity 
 have a mixture of their impurity and imperfection. 
 
 With us the mailer of the houfe is alio the governor of the 
 feaft. It is his concern to fee that his friends be properly 
 accommodated and fupplied. But among the Jews an officer 
 •of this description was appointed to prefide, whether elected 
 .«by the company, named by the bridegroom, or conlfituted by 
 public authority, whofe bufinefs it was to pronounce a bene- 
 diction on what was provided, and who, when the cup was 
 bleffed, fir ft drank cf it hin: : e!f, and then pa (fed it round the 
 table. In compliance wi«h this cr.ltom, jefus directed the 
 •Jirit-truits of this mini l- t > be carried to him to pafs : 
 tnent. He inllantly perceives the difference, though ignorant 
 of the procefs ; and m f irprife addreiles himlelf to the bride- 
 •groom, whofe it was to pre 'are the entertainment, and to de- 
 4ray tne expenfe, iti theie words ; " Every man at the begin- 
 ning doth let forth gcod wine ; and when men have 
 dru\»k,then that which is worle : but thou haft kept the good 
 wine until how. 1 ' Though this too may not perfectly coincide 
 •with modern manners, it exhibits a picture of the common 
 eice in that country and in that age ; and it led to a diicov- 
 t if the wbvle r-y (texv, and Jefus flood con fe fled the Son at 
 
 God. 
 
1/u HISTORY or PUft. XVI* 
 
 God, the Lord of univerfal nature, the fearcher of hearts, the 
 ruler of elements, the friend and brother of mankind. " This 
 beginning of mitacles did Jefns in Cana of Galilee, and mani- 
 f-efled forth his glory ; and his difciples believed on him." 
 
 Many and ufeful are the practical reflections which flow 
 from this fubject. Permit me to fugged tome of them. 
 
 j. The religion of Jefus Chi ill embraces the whole circle 
 of duty; Duties are of various orders and importance. Some 
 are effrntial and indifpenfabie, others are agreeable and orna- 
 mental ; as in a well-conftrutled edifice tt ere are parts abfo- 
 lutely neceffary to its exigence, and there are parts which 
 might be removed indeed' without affecting the folidity and 
 durablenefs of the fabric, but the removal would greatly im- 
 pair its elegance and beauty. So in 'he fcale of morals there 
 are the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and 
 f a i f h ; and there are obligations of an inferior order ; though 
 highly important in the commerce of human life ; fuch as 
 gcntlenefs, courtefy, affability, fympathy. Of both ranks of 
 duty our bleffed Lord fei the happieft example. He mixed 
 with mankind, he partook of their griefs and their joys, he fat 
 down at their tables, he affiftea at their nuptial feftivity, he in- 
 dulged in the mutual endearments of friendfhip, he paid at- 
 tention tolirtle children, took them to his arms and bleffed them. 
 Difciple of Jefus, go thou and do like wife. Ill does it become 
 thee to be {lately, and diftant r and refer ved and ungracious, when 
 he was fo meek and condescending. There are certain auf- 
 tere Christians who will on no occasion, and on no accourK, 
 defcend from the pinnacle of their dignity, and who render re- 
 ligion dtfgufhng to others by the harfhnefs of their manners, 
 and a feverc, morofe, ungainly deportment. This they can- 
 not have learned of Chrift, nor at his old fchool. Will they" 
 vouchsafe to take a leffon from the apoflle Paul, who under- 
 stood Ins own real dignity as well as any man ? " Mind not 
 high things, but condefcend to men 01 low effate." And 
 I beg leave to -add, from him : " Be not wile in your own con- 
 ceits." 
 
 2. Jefus himfelf was all purity and per feci ion, but the 
 mother of Jefus was fubjeft to culpable infirmity. She incur- 
 red cenfure oftener than once, and therefore is not to be look- 
 ed up to as a perfecf model, much lefs to receive the adora- 
 tion which is due to Deity alone. It is one of the mofir hu- 
 miliating views of human underflanding, to behold it fo far 
 degraded as to think of approaching the great interceffor and 
 iiriend of mankind, through the interccflion of another. 
 44 There is one God," faith the Scripture, and one " Mediator 
 
 between- 
 
£,ecr,. XVI.] JESUS CHRIST. |« 
 
 between God and men, the man Chrift Jefus." No, fays pope- 
 ry, you muft have a mediatrix between you and that Medi- 
 ator ; nay, one armed with authority to control and com- 
 mand him. The mind turns away with horror from the blaf- 
 phemous fuggeftion. The rights ot parents have a bounda- 
 ry, both as to extent and duration, th<^ authority of God 
 knows no limit, and never can expire. Wh-en h:s voice is 
 heard, that ot nature mull be fuppreifed. The duties ot the 
 public character muftabforb the feelings of the private indi- 
 vidual. We may warrantably lay before our. companionate 
 Redeemer our molt fecret thoughts, and pour but our hearts 
 before him in prayer and fupphcation, in perfect, fubmiffion 
 to his will ; but we mutt: not prefurae either to preTcribe to his 
 providence, or to arraign his conduct. He doeth all things 
 wifely and well. 
 
 3. Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refufed, 
 ii it be received with thankfgiving : tor " it is fanctified by 
 the word ot God and prayer." Whether therefore God fup- 
 plies the good things ot lite in the ordinary courfe of nature, 
 or by a fpecial interpofition of his almighty power, they are 
 liberally bellowed, they are the bounty ot a Father, to be ufed, 
 to be enjoyed. When God placed our grand progenitor in the 
 terre final paradife, the parental giant was large : *' Ot every 
 tree ot the garden thou mayeft freely eat ;" but with one fingle 
 refer vat ion; "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil 
 thou fhalt not eat of it : for in the day that thou eateit thereof 
 thou fhalt furely die." We are Itill on the fame tooting, in a 
 world which has indeed ceafed to be a paradife, but which, 
 nevertheleis, is ltill abundantly Itored with ev'ery thing necef- 
 iary, convenient, and comfortable for man. The grant is (fill 
 as liberal : " The good ot the land is betore you :" take, thou 
 mayeft treely eat, freely drink. But, mark the reicivation, 
 ifill indifpenfable as ever, eat, drink, in moderation, to the 
 iupport and retrelhment ot the body, not its de predion and 
 derangement. To a certain bound this is cordial falutary, nu- 
 tritive : beyond, its nature changes, it :eco:ne- a deadly poi- 
 fon. Satisty thy felt with knowing its good, and venture not, 
 to make trial of its evil. Did Jefus convert water into wine 
 that he might minifler fuel to excefs ? The thought is impi- 
 ous. As well might a bountitul providence be charged with 
 ^ie gluttony, the diunkennefs and all the other fenfual iufls in 
 which men indulge them (elves, becaufe it *' gives us rain tiom 
 heaven and fruitful feafons, filling our beans with food arid 
 gjadnefs." The miracle of Cana of Galilee, as all thofe 
 which our Lord wrought, was a miracle ot goodnefs ; it pro- 
 
 V!;: 
 
&o . LSTdtfY e [Left; XVI* 
 
 viced a fupply of a neceffary of life, to a family in moderate 
 eircumftances, and which Iafled them, I doubt not, for many, 
 days : it was the repayment ot a debt of fri^ndffiip and hofpi- 
 tality in a manner peculiar to himfelf; and it was a manifeffa- 
 tion of his glory in the eyes of his difciples, who had far oth- 
 er thoughts than that ofabufi-ng their Maker's bounty; " they 
 believed on him." 
 
 4. We have faid that this and all out Saviour's other mir- 
 acles were miracles ofgoodnefs : We now add, They were all 
 difinterefted. He here gave proof of fovereignty uncontrola- 
 ble. It was-exerciied to fupply the temporal wants of a few, 
 and to minifter to the everlaifing confolation of myriads. 
 But " Chrift pleafed not himfelf."' What might not hi.-, pow- 
 er have commanded, of all that is exquifite on the earth, in the 
 air, through the paths of the fea ? But though an hungred, he 
 will not command ftones to be made bread for his own ufe ; 
 if he miraculoufly multiply a few loaves and fillies, it is to feed 
 a ftarving; fainting multitude; If he makes the fea tributary, it 
 is at one time to compensate the painful labour of poor men, 
 who had " toiled all night and taken nothing," at another, to 
 prevent offence by paying his tribute Money. Fifh broiled 
 on a me of coals, and a morfel of bread, are the fimple fare 
 on which he and his diiciples dine, even " alter that he was 
 rifen from the dead." " Foxes have holes, and birds of the 
 air have nefts ; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his 
 head." «' They that wear foft clothing are in kings' houfes ;" 
 His clothing was not worth dividing among a few ot the baf- 
 eft of mankind : His raiment, his lodging, his fare were all 
 of a piece. And is the fervant greater than his Lord ? To the 
 poor the Gofpel is preached, and to the poor the example is 
 fet, the example of contentment with a low condition, of meek 
 iubmiffion to hardfhip, of fuperiority to the vanities and lux- 
 uries of this world, of fell-government and felf-denial. His 
 modern difciples have been accufed ol iove of eafe and indul- 
 gence, of fondnffs for dainties and delicacies, of aiming at 
 power and pre-eminence. If the imputation be juft, it is to 
 be lamented : and Chriilians of every rank and denomina- 
 tion are concerned, as far as in them lies, to do it away. If 
 it be ill-founded, it muff be borne, as part of the reproach of 
 Chrift ; and his difciple muft bear in mind that he is bound by 
 the law and by the practice of his divine Mailer, not only to 
 abftain from all evil, but from all appearane of evil. 
 
 LECTURE 
 
Left. XVII.] JESUS CHRIST, iSi 
 
 LECTURE XVII, 
 
 LUKE, IV. 38 — 44. 
 
 And he arofe out of the fynagogue, and entered into Simon's 
 houfe : and Simon's wife's mother zvas taken with a great fe- 
 ver \ and they be fought him for her. And he flood over her, 
 and rebuked the fever \ and it left her. And immediately fhe 
 arofe, and mimflerea unto them. Now, when the fun was fet- 
 ting, all they that had any fie A with divers difeajes brought 
 them unto him ; and he 'aid his hands on every one oj them, 
 and healed them. And. devils aifo came out of many, crying 
 cut, and faying, thou art Chrifl, the Son of God. Andhe, re. 
 buking them, fnjfered them not to J peak : for they knew that 
 he was Chrifl. And when it was day he departed, and went 
 into a dejert place ; and the people fought him, and came unto 
 him, and flayed him, that he flwuld not depart from them. 
 And he faid unto them, I mufi preach the kingdom of God to 
 other cities alfo s for therefore am I fent. And lie preached in 
 the fynagegues oj Galilee, 
 
 THE religion- of the Gofpel is adapted to every poflible 
 condition of life, For it is adapted to the nature of man, 
 who, with the variation of a lew circumftances, is ihe fame 
 univerfally, and in every age. There is the difference of 
 colour and fpeech, the difference of climate and foil, the dif- 
 ference of high and low, of rich and poor ; but {"fill it is 
 man, with all his excellencies and imperfections, with all his 
 capability or degradat on and of improvement, with all his pro- 
 pen Pities to evil and to good. Chriitianity takes him up as he 
 is, and undertakes to mike him what he ought to !;e. •' Can 
 the Ethiopian change his colour or the leopard his fpots ?'' 
 No, replies nature, I gave that colour, 1 painted thpfe fpots ; 
 but I cannot undo my own work. He that is black mud, for 
 me, continue black ftill, that which is fpotted mult be fpotted 
 Hill. But the grace of the Gofpel unfold? a myifery which it 
 is beyond the reach of nature to folve. It transforms that 
 which was as fcarlet into the - hitenefs of fnow, what was red 
 like crimfon into the colour ot wool. " Can thefe dry bones 
 live ?" Yes, at the word, and by the fpiritof the Loid. Mir- 
 acles 
 
$$ history ©# [Lett, xyir. 
 
 acles like thefe the Spirit of Chrift is exhibiting every day. 
 iDo we not fee : O that the fpeclacle were more common* 
 Bo we not fee lofttnefs of ftation united to lowlinefs ot mind ;. 
 a hard lot to a contented fpirit ; the fulnefs of this world to ' 
 the exceeding riches of the grace'of God ? 
 
 When the Son of Qod came for the falvation ofa lofl world, 
 " verily he took not on him the nature of angels." Bat more' 
 wonderful dill ! he united the divine nature to the human, and 
 thereby became at once an object of fupreme adoration, and a 
 familiar indructor. What he faid and did as the Lord, " witp 
 in heart and mighty in drength," we mud ever contemplate 
 at an awful diftance, admiring, venerating what we cannot find 
 "out unto perfection, an\ which we are Hill more incapable of 
 imitating, put in what he faid and did as a man, we behold a 
 pattern mod amiably Ample, mod powerfully imprefiive, mod ' 
 confummately perfect. In vain do we look, any where elfe 
 for that deadmefs and uniformity of character which alonecan/ 
 merit the diftinciion of being propo r edasan example Whom 
 elfe can we with fafety follov/ in every thing ? In the mod: 
 perfect of mere men, while there is much to refpeft and to 
 commend, there is ever a fomething to blame and to regret ; 
 fome fault of temper, fome inconOderatenefs of expreffion, 
 fome inconhdency of conduct. But in our divine Mader all 
 isedimable, uniform and confident. Heprefents one and the" 
 lame character in folitude and in fociety, in the fynagogue and 
 in domefl ic retirement, at a marriage fead and before the tri- 
 bunal ; displaying a native dignity undebafed by an infufion of 
 infolence, condefcenfion pure from fervility, fortitude without 
 ferocioufnefs, fenfibility without affectation, the fublimity o£ 
 devotion with the perfect cafe of friendQiip. 
 
 In the lad Lecture we attended this friend of mankind to the 
 celebration ofa marriage folemnity, and beheld him partaking 
 of the pure delights of friendly and domedicintercourfe, ming- 
 ling with his kindred and with the difciples whom hchadchof- 
 -en ; and while he miraculoufly miniftered to their wants, as 
 the great Ruler and Lord of nature, we obferve him, as bone 
 of their bone, and flefh of their flefh, fympathizing in their joys, 
 adopting their folicitudes, their wants and expectations, and 
 joining in their conveifation. Thus he tacitly and obliquely 
 reproves that haughty referve, that unbending datelinefs, that 
 ungracious didance from men which frequently attempts to 
 pafs for fuperior wifdom, fanctity and importance. We pre- 
 tend not to arrange the feveral events of our Lord's hi dory in 
 sheexaci order ot time. The Evangelifts difplay them in air 
 
 energetic 
 
Lea. XVII.J JESUS CHRIST. 18$ 
 
 energetic Gmplicity far beyond the reach of art. There is in? 
 the word of God, it it be lawful to fay fo, a rnajeftic irregularity" 
 that tranfcends the control of rule ; jult as the fufface of our 
 globe, wiih its mountains and valleys, its precipices and plains, 
 its rivers and oceans, defies the application ot the ltraight line 
 and of the compares ; and as the lace of the ftarry heavens 
 prelents to the eye a magnificent aflemblage of worlds leather- 
 ed about by a hand that rejects afl meafutement by any ffand- 
 ard but its own Science nas indeed contrived artificial combi- 
 nations and arrangements both of the heavenly bodies, and ot 
 Scripture truths, but their native glory and magnitude are not 
 reducible to fy items ot human invention. It may he p lea fan t; 
 and far from unprofitable, to ascertain dates, to unravel the 
 chain ; but it is furely ot fecondary moment. The action? 
 and events themfelves, and the evidence that they exifted, are 
 the grerit con. ern of the Cbriilian world ; but above all, the' 
 practical influence of thole gieat truths on the hearts, the con- 
 sciences, and the lives of men. 
 
 Precluded from opportunities of being eminently ufeful at 
 Nazareth, through the envy and unbelief of his townfmrn, Je- 
 fus withdraws from that city no* in angerbutin forrow, though' 
 a mod crue: ungra etui and atrocious attempt upon his lite had 
 been made by its unworthy inhabitants ; and he proceeds to 
 profecute his lanours of love at Capernaum, a city fituated on 
 the fea of Galilee. From this place, it would appear, he was 
 called to the adjacent town of Cana. to the celebration ot the 
 marriage; and that folerrmity being ended, he returns to Ca- 
 pernaum accompanied by he difciples whom he had already 
 cliofen. Here we find this Teacher fent from God ftill inde- 
 fatigably purfuing the great object of his million, and {fill put- 
 ting refpe£fr on the word and ordinances ot God. Behold him 
 devoting the day of facred reft to ufeful purpofes ; employing 
 theleifure and retirement from temporal concerns which it af- 
 forded, in executing the benevolent office cf inflructmg the 
 ignorant ar.d guilty, in the way of life and falvation. We 
 know, from the general ftnta of his public miniflrations, and 
 particularly from the portion of Scripture, which he rehearfed 
 and applied in the fynagogue at Nazareth, that the things writ- 
 ten concerning himfelt conftituted the great burthen ot h.s 
 preaching : Scripture the fource, Chrift Jefus the fubjeft, the 
 fabbath the feafon, the fynagogue the fcene. " Never ma« 
 jpake like this man." 
 
 Bnt the Cervices of an earthly fancluary mufl clofe. 1 here 
 is a feafon of retirement and repofe as there is ot labour and 
 axettion. The duties of private friendfhip, of domeflic devc- 
 
 uoifc 
 
*H history or [Left. XVII. 
 
 tion, the^ptghts of hofpitality, the care of the body, put in their 
 feveraHcJaims, which mult be anfwered. Chrift accordingly 
 " arofe out of the fynagogue.and entered into Simon's houfe." 
 The accommodations of a poor fifherman's hovel, on the fhore 
 of the lake of GennefTaiet, could not be very elegant. The 
 fare provided by a hard-working plebeian, doomed frequently 
 to toil all night long, without taking <my thing, could not be 
 very luxurious or delicate. But when a man gives you the 
 fhelter of his roof, however mean, and a place at his board, 
 however homely, he does all that a prince can do ; and 
 the difference is a paltry circumftance or two, beneath the con- 
 fideraion of a rational being. 
 
 But the houfe cif Peter was, at this time, not only the abode 
 of penury, but hkewife the houfe of mourning, for !* Simon's 
 wife's mother was taken wi^h a great fever." The fabbathhad 
 not been to her a day of rtflf. but of agitation and pain ; and 
 the diftrefs oi a iick-bed mii* t probably be aggravated by re- 
 flecting on abfence from the houfe of prayer, and from thecom- 
 ibrts of the public worfli:p ot God. The value and impor- 
 tance of objects vary ftrangely, in our eitimation, 35 they are 
 viewed through the medium of heahii or of ficknefs, of pain or 
 eafe. The illufion of the vt orld difappears, when the fever in 
 the blood forms in the diftempered imagination, whirling orbs 
 of penurba ion, and perplexi y, and delpair ; or when. in cold 
 blood, confcience darts an anxious look into the world ot fpir- 
 its. Very different i< tie afpect of the fabbath in the eye, and 
 the hour, of thoughtlefs diflipanon, and when the fon ot difli- 
 pation is ftretched on a bed of languishing. Then he " fnuff- 
 ed at it, and faid, Behold, what a wearinefs is it ? When wiii 
 the new moon be gone, that we may fell corn, and the fabbath, 
 that we may fet forth wheat ?" But how very different are the 
 reflections of " the days of datknefs," of the '• months of van- 
 ity," ot the M wearifome nights," appointed, when the fleep- 
 lefs patient is conftrained to cry out, " When fhall 1 arife 3nd 
 the night be gone." " What fruit had I then in tho.'e things, 
 whereof I am now afiiamed ? for the end of thofe things is 
 death." 
 
 The vifit of Jefus to Peter's family had more than one ob- 
 ject in view. The friend ot man retired to converfe with men, 
 the taifter to inhVuct his difciples, the poor to feed with the 
 p r the weary to repofe with the weary. The Son of God 
 ei ed into the houfe to manifeft his glory, to difplay his 
 power, to exercife his benevolence in the miraculous relief of 
 diftrefs. Thus amply does he repay every token of affection 
 beftowed on hirnfell, or on one oi the lead ot his bteihren. 
 
 Diftref* 
 
Left. 'XV? I.] JESUS CHRIST, lf§ 
 
 i) lire's awakens fympa'hy. The children of the family can- 
 not think of fitting down to eat bread, while the mother of it 
 2a'. r in extremity. Filial tendernefs had undoubtedly exerted 
 itfelf to the uitermoft. The poor fcrip of the Galilean had, 
 pe\ l ps, baen drained in purchafing medicine and cordial for 
 his affli&ed rnoth<°r-in~law : though this be none of the leaft 
 •of the evils which attend p-.-verty, to behold the pertbfi whom 
 we love perifh for want of advice and medicine, for want of a 
 co d.al beyond the reac') o* our means. As a laft refourcc 
 they hy h -r cafe before Jefus : ''and ihe'y befought him for 
 her." Did he need to be importuned ? Was he difficult of ac- 
 cefs ? Did his good nefs flow reluctantly ? No, but the inter- 
 courfe between heaven and earth, between the Creator andihe 
 creature is the confidence, the prayer of diftrefs meeting the 
 •benignity, the unremitting attention of the Father of mer- 
 cies, who will be foughi unto, that he may fhew himfelf gra- 
 cious. 
 
 " And he flood over her, and rebuked the fever, and it left 
 her." The m ; rade of turning water into wine was effected by 
 a fimple ael: of the will, without either gefture or fpeecfi, and 
 the evidence of it retted, in part on the teftimony of the fer- 
 vants who had filled the pots with water. Here we have both 
 gefture and fpeech, aad the immediate and perfonal conviction 
 of all who were in thehoufe. In nothing is the lovereignty 
 of Deity more confpicuoufly difplayed than in the manner of 
 his acting. It is fo unlike human conjecture, that the pride of 
 man is apt to be offended that Providence did not obferve the 
 mode which his fagacity had prefcribed. Naaman the Syrian 
 had fettled, in his own mind, the whole procefs of the cure of 
 his own leprofy. " Behold, I thought, He will furely corns 
 out to me, and ftand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, 
 and ftrike his hand over the place, and recover the leper." 
 Not one iota of his conjecture was realized. The prophet did 
 not come out, nor alfume the fuppofed attitude, her pronounce 
 the fuppofed invocation, but " Tent a meffenger uhto him, 
 faying, Go and waih in Jordan feven times:" and pride is hur- 
 rying him away in a rage, to think that the rivers of D^mafcus 
 mould be poftponed to the waters of Ifrael. Thus while 
 prophecy has been fuccefhvely fulfilling, the event fo ill ac- 
 corded with prevailing opinion and expectation, that while the 
 prediction was admitted, the accomplishment, however coinci- 
 dent and exafct, hds been rejected. 
 
 This divine fov^reignty our blefFed Lord exercifes in per- 
 forming all his mighty works. He wiils water into wine. 
 Now he rebukes the difeafe, and now fpeaks to the patic-t. 
 
 B He 
 
*$6 KisfGRtf o? [Lea, xvr^ 
 
 He heals the feverous Ton of the nobleman, at the diftance of 
 Cana from 1 apernaum, and the feverous mother oi Simon's 
 iviie ftanding by her bed-fide. He anoints th blind man's 
 eyes with clay, and fends him to.wafh in the pool of biloam;- 
 lie cries with a loud voice over the grave of his departed friend, 
 '* Lazarus, come forth.." All demonftiates the underived and 
 independent, as well as the almighty power of God. whofe will 
 is the fole and the fupreme lav*', as to the time, the manner and 
 the matter of the work. 
 
 There is a wonderful vivacity in the unaffected concifenefs 
 and funpiicity oi the narration. He ifood, he fpake, he pre. 
 vailed. " He rebuked the fever." Difeafe is here perfonifi- 
 ed. as fufceptible of reprehenfion, and of voluntary fubjeclion 
 to authority* ' end it left her " as one who has en<~ro^ched and 
 intruded, and who feels and acknowledges the power of a fu- 
 perior repelling and calling him out. 
 
 The tran fit ions of nature are gradual, flow, imperceptible in 
 their progreis. When the ocean is roufed into fury by the 
 raging wind, it continues in a Hate of agitation long after the 
 tempeff has ceafed to roar but when C brill fpeaks the word, 
 the effefcl is inftantaneous and complete. ''He arcfe and re- 
 buked the wind, and faid unto the fea, Peace, be itill. And 
 the wind cea f ed, and there was a great c -dm " When the fever 
 has fpent its force, and the crifis of convalefcence has taken 
 place, it leaves the patient feeble and languid, and it frequent- 
 ly requires a considerable length of time to reftore loth the 
 body and the mind to the full exercife of their feveral func- 
 tions ; but when Jefus rebukes the fever, it not only in a mo- 
 ment departs, but the fufferer is at the fame moment made per- 
 fectly whole: ''And immediately the arofe, and miniftered 
 unto them." As in creation fo in Providence, He fpeaks and 
 it is done, he gives commandment and it Hands faff, ** He is 
 the Rock, his work is perfect." 
 
 The circumfiance of her mwiftering to her phyfician and the 
 family, is taking and Lnftru£tive. It teaches us the proper 
 ufe of prolonged life, of reftored faculties. They are to be 
 devoted to die honortr of God, and to the fervice of our fellow 
 creatures. They were deeply affe61ed by her danger, they 
 looked in anxious expectation to the return of her health, and 
 they befought the Lord for it; (he employs that precious gift 
 in contributing her heft endeavours to promote their eafe and 
 comfort. What debt is fo iacred as that of gratitude ? and 
 whatbenef iMor has laid us under fo many and fuch unfpeaka= 
 able obligations as He who gave us life, and who fuflains it, as 
 He who died to- redeem us? We have here a beautiful and in- 
 teresting 
 
Left, xvii.] jesus Christ. 167 
 
 terefting view of human life. Every relation has its corres- 
 ponding fphere of duty. The happinefs ot domelt'c fociety 
 conhfjb not in the interchange of great benefits, on lignal oc- 
 cawons, but in the hourly reciprocation of the little offices of 
 Jove, in kind looks, in kind affections, in mutual forbearance 
 and torgivenefs, in the balm oi fympatby whether we forrow 
 or rejo.ce; in a word, according to th< apoftolic injunction, 
 in being of ihe fame mind one towards another. 
 
 The rel'gion or the Gofpel wears an afpecl peculiarly favor- 
 able to families. 1 i and childhood of Jefus Chriti 
 were patfed in the bofom ol his family. H s firft public mira- 
 cle was performed in putting honour upon a family party, at 
 Cana of Galilee. He made one in the family of Simon, at 
 Capernaum. The houfeof Lazarus and his lifters at Beth ny, 
 he made his home, and there he cultivated all the endearing 
 charities of exalted frien fhi p. To find a home for his mother 
 was his lait earthly care ; and. as the head ot his own family, 
 he prefided at the Pafchal iolemnity, and inftituted the memo- 
 rial of his dying love. Thus are domeftic relations fljrengthen- 
 ed, fweetened. fanctifled, ennobled. A Chriltian kingdom or 
 ftate never rxiited. But a family of Chriflians, ail of one 
 heart and of one foul, we Uult, is not a raiity. And to chris- 
 tianize families is the direct road to the chi iftianizing of na- 
 tions. In the contracted fphere ot a family, however numer- 
 ous, every one knows every one ; every one cares for every 
 one. The matter's influence is felt and acknowledged by all. 
 A common imereft, both temporal and eternal, unites 'he indi- 
 viduals to each other, and heaven defeends to dwell with men 
 upon earth. So propitious is Chriftianity to the dearell and 
 beft intereits ot civil fociety. 
 
 The fcene which we have been reviewing paiTed on the e- 
 veni ' g ot the fabbath. Nor could the fanctity ot the day be 
 profaned hy a work of mercy, or by the pious and friendly 
 intercourfe ot kindred fpirits, whofe religion was feared in 
 heart, not chilled into Hfelefs forms. But the fuperftitious ob- 
 fervance ot the fabbaih operated powerfully on the multitude. 
 Though prompted by natural affection to apply for relief to 
 their affliltcd friends, they defer it till the going down of the 
 fun, that is till the fabbath was over ; foi they had yet to learn 
 " what this rneaneth, I will have men y and not facriflce ," 
 and " the Son ot man is Lord even of the Sabbath day ;" and. 
 "the fabbath was made tor man, and not man for the fabbath." 
 «' Now when the fun was fettiog, ait tr.ey that hid any lick, 
 with divers difeafes brought them unto him." A fenfe of the 
 weuknefs of thofe good people is loit in refpect for their h»- 
 
 mat 
 
HISTORY OF \LeEk. XV lit, 
 
 canity. They are not chidden away from Peter's door as un r . 
 feafonable intruders ; they are not reterred to another day* 
 It is the cry of mifery er.tering into :he ear of mercy, and it 
 cries not in vain : "and he laid his hands on every one ot 
 them, and healed them/' Here the mode of cure is the impo- 
 sition of hands. Even to, blended Jeius. tor fo it feemed good 
 in thy fight. Let me be the fubject ot thy miraculous grace, 
 and convey thou the healing power through whatfoever chan- 
 nel then wilt. 
 
 The iervi.ee of the fynagog-ue. in the morning ot the fab-. 
 hath, bad been difturbed by a wretched demoniac, who " cried 
 out with a loud voice, faying, let us alone : what have we to 
 do with thee, thou Jeius ot Nazareth ? an thou come to de- 
 itroy us ? I know thee who thou art ; the holy One of God.'* 
 Jeius, by a word, difpoifelled the impure fpirit, and reitored 
 the unhappy nian to himfelt, in the pretence of the whole af- 
 fembly, who were juiily tilled with aftonifhment at fuch a dif- 
 play ot power and goodneh. It is abetting to think that this, 
 dreadful 'f pedes ot malady was far from being uncommon at 
 that period. ; for we find the fame ot the morning's miracle 
 fp read abroad, 'and it attracts to the place where Jefus was, in 
 the evening, many perfons in the kime deplorable condition. 
 One of the depths ot Satan, in thefe e*ies, was to pay affected 
 homage to Jeius ot Nazareth, in the view of intufmg a fufpi- 
 cjon that there might be a tecret combination and -collufion be- 
 tween him and them^ and of thereby diminifhmg his dignity 
 and authority in the eyes ot the people. To be praifed by the 
 wicked, is offenfive and diihonourable to the good ; and the 
 adverfary is never more dangerous than when he "is trans- 
 formed into an angel of light." But when the prince ot thi$ 
 world came, he found nothing in Chrift ; no weak part to 
 attack, no foundation whereon to erect his engines ; but wif- 
 n- rn ever prepare^ to meet cunning, purity 10 refift every evil 
 fuggeftion, and authority to tilence the tempter whenever his 
 encroachment became too daring. He diidained the tellimony 
 ot a demon in his favour and rejected the infidious praife of 
 an enemy. " And he, rebuking them, fuffered them not 
 to fpeak : for they knew that he was Chrift :" that is, he per- 
 mitted them not to declare, though they fpake the truth, that 
 they knew him to be the Chrift. 
 
 Having thus fulfilled the public duties of. the fancluary, and 
 the moie private offices of friendmip ; having employed the 
 greater part ot the night in receiving and relieving the numer- 
 ous objects who came, or who were brought to him, he with- 
 « drew 9 
 
Left. XVII.] JESUS CHRIST. 189 
 
 drew, toward the dawning of the day into a flill clofer retire- 
 ment ; and, tor a feafon, fhut the world entirely out. * And 
 when it was day he departed, and went into a defert place." 
 Sacred wcie thofe hours ot lolitude to heavenly meditation, 
 to devotional intercourfe with Him that fent Him, whole glo- 
 ry he ever fought, and whole will it was his delight 10 twecute. 
 " Ye mail leave me alone ;" lays he tohis diiciples, " and yet," 
 adds he. " I am nv»t alone, becaufe the Fath r is with me." 
 When lome great arrangement is to he made toward the ef- 
 tabliih'ite it and extenhon ot his kingdom, preparation lor it 
 paifes in folemn abitraehon from all fublunary things. Thus 
 his ovnt public minittry wa9 preceded by a forty days retreat 
 into the wildernefs " " And it came to pafs in thoe days," 
 when he was about to confecrate the twelve to the office of a- 
 poftleihip, k * their he went up into a mountain to pray and 
 continued all mgru in prayer to God ," thus alio was the glo- 
 rious fcene ot his transfiguration introduced; and thus he exem- 
 plified the practice which he fo powei fully recommends to his; 
 difciples : M But thou, when thou, prayeft, enter into thy clofet, 
 and, when thou halt fhut thy door, pray to thy father which 
 is in fecret, and thy Father, which feeth in fecret, mail reward 
 thee openly." 
 
 The admiring and delighted multitude trace him into his 
 place ot retirement, and fenfible of the value of fuch a vifit, 
 they entreat him to prolong it. Various motives might fug- 
 geflthis requelf. In fome, it might be the attraction ot nov- 
 elty, in others the love ot the truth : here the fenfe of graw- 
 tude tor benefits received, there the principle of curiofity gap- 
 ing after a farther difpiay of wonders. In one it might be the 
 full convi&ion of an honeft and enlightened mind, and in a- 
 nother a malignantdifpofition todiicovej a blemifh. We know 
 from the fequel that the fuccefs of our Lord's miracles and 
 preaching at Capernaum, was wofully fimilar to what -it had 
 been at Nazareth, for this is the difmal account which he him- 
 felf gives of it, M And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted un- 
 to heaven, fhalt be brought down to hell ; for if the mighty 
 works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, 
 it would have remained until this day. But I fay unto you, 
 That it fhall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the 
 day of judgment than for thee." Whatever were their mo- 
 tives for wifhing his longer continuance among them, ihey arc 
 for the prefent refilled, and a reafon is afligned. "I mult 
 preach the kingdom of God to other cities alio, for therefore am 
 I fent." Every word here is fignificant and powerful. "I muft 
 preach." What impofed the neccflity ? The'commillion which 
 
 he 
 
I£0 HISTORY OF [Left. XVlI t 
 
 he had undertaken to execute; his own fovereign will and 
 pleafure ; his own unerring underflanding his own unbound- 
 ed benevolence ; the extenfive demands of perithn g numanU 
 fy. " I mull preach the -kingdom of God ;" its defcent to e-arth ; 
 its adaptation to the nature and conditi n of ignorant and 
 guilty men ; its divine object, to raife fallen man from earthy 
 trom hell, to heaven ; its prefent operation and < ffect. " right- 
 eoufnefs, and peace, andjoy in the Holy Ghoft ;" its {lability, 
 " a kingdom that cannot be moved ;" the lovereigri grace 
 which confers it," tear not little flock : tor n is your Father's 
 good pleafare to give you the kingdom." Such was the glo* 
 rious fubjecf. Of Chnfl's preaching ; a fubject, cpmpa»ed to 
 which the puriuits of avarice, of ambition, and the pride oi 
 kings are lefs than nothing and vanity : a fubject that interefts 
 »ot Nazareth, and Capernaum, and the cities of Galilee only, 
 where it was firft proclaimed, but the men, the cities, the na* 
 tions ot all ages and generations. On fuch a narrow and feem* 
 ingly (lender foundation, what a fabric has arifen ? " This is 
 the Lord's doing, u- is marvellous in oi^r eyes." Let the great 
 objecl. of Chritt's million direct and control our purfuit of ev« 
 ery obj-ft. He was/?/// to bring men under the dominion oi 
 the kingdom of God ; and he has taught us when we pray to 
 fay : "Thy kingdom come." If we enter into the lpirit of that 
 petition, it will be our concern that the empire of fin and Sa- 
 tan m our own hearts be completely fubverted ; that peace on 
 earth, and good will among men be promoted ; that the king- 
 doms ot this world, become the kingdoms of our Lord and of. 
 • his Chrifl, and that he may reign for ever and ever. 
 
 Let us review this portion of our blelTed Lord's hiftory, and 
 thus refle£l : 
 
 *. The duties of religion, then, andthofe of ordinary life are 
 intimately united and interwoven ; they are perfectly confifL 
 ent, and yield mutual fupport. Thefervke of the fancluary 
 mufl not beunneceffarily protracled, to the wearying ot the 
 fiefii, and to become an encroachment on the juft, prudent or 
 necaflaiy concerns of the family, and no domeflic regards muft 
 preclude works of charity and mercy, even to ftrangers. On 
 the other hand, no attention to civil and domeflic affairs, ex- 
 cept in cafes oi urgent neceflity, and no works of mercy muft 
 plead a difpeafation for the non-obfervance oi the ordinance 
 of God. Under the governance ot a well-regulated lpirit, 
 daily lawful employments become not only a reasonable but a 
 religious fervice, and the functions necelTary to the fupport o£ 
 mere animal life, may be performed to the glory of God. And 
 neither the public offices of the temple, nor family order and 
 
 devotion 
 
Le&. xvii.] Jesus Christ. M| 
 
 devotion mn ft be alleged as an exemption from the obligations' 
 of private and perfonai religion. Indeed alt mufl begin here. 
 For families are compofcd of individuals, and the churches of 
 Chrift of families. To the perfect health of the natural hodyy 
 the foundnefs of every flfetttber is ellential : a perfection, how- 
 ever, rarely to be found, and feldorn of long continuance. 
 Bui the prefent feeblenefs, imperfection and disorder of the 
 particular members of that body whereof Chrift is the headj 
 are relieved by the profpeel of •• the perfecting of the faints, 
 ot the edifying of the I >dy oi Chrift," when ' we all come 
 in H • . nity c i th* and ol the knowledge of the Son of 
 
 C a perf • man, unto the meafure ol the ftatur ol 
 
 theful Chrift." 
 
 2. Can the father of lies fpeak truth ? Yes, when it promis- 
 es to anfwerh s purpofe ; and truth itfelf partakes of the na- 
 ture of a lie when fl is employed for the purpofe of deception. 
 Do devils believe ? Yes. to 'heir forrow ; ' they believe and 
 fremble." Doe Satan give a juft teitirrrony to the Son ot 
 God ? Yes, in hope of f ringing it into difcredit. Let no one, 
 then, value him fe If on the mere truth and .oundnels of his 
 principles, on the exacl orthodoxy of his faith. A principle, 
 however excellent, thai remains inaclive, is of no value, like a 
 math matical proportion, demonftrahly certain, but applied to 
 h< e ; or b wholeiome ftrearh frozen tfp and fta^nating at 
 I 'ery tree. " Not every one that faith unto me, Lord, 
 L id, mail enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that do- 
 
 the will of my Father which is in heaven.'"' ' This isthe 
 toi y that overcometh the world even ©ur faith : Who is he 
 Mar dvercometh the world, but he that believeth that Jefus is 
 me Son ot God." 
 
 3. Who has not known difeafe, and danger, and manifold 
 affliction ? And who has nor experienced frequent and merci- 
 ful deliverance ? The di firefs came from an unfeen hand, and 
 fo did the relief. The agent t ! ie in liniment was human, was 
 fenfible. It was the fkill of the phyfician, it was the power ot 
 medicme, it was the fympathy of friendfhip. But who taught 
 the phyfician to comprehend my malady, and to reach it ? 
 Who £av/e virtue to the prefcribed medicine ? Who excited 
 compallion in the bofom of my friend ? He who rebuked the 
 fever, and it fled ; he who laid his hands on the Tick, and they 
 were n.ade whole ; be who took the dead daughter of the rul- 
 er of the lynagogue by the hand, and faid, •• Damfel arife ;" 
 and M ftratghtway (lie arofe and walked." Whether, there- 
 fore, health remain unimpaired, or be reflored, by natural or 
 
 extraordinary 
 
tga History or [Left. xvn. 
 
 extraordinary means ; whether deliverance fome immediately 
 from God, or be wrought through the infirumentality of tec- 
 ond caufes, the hand of Deity is equally to be acknowledged ; 
 and prolonged life, and renewed flrength are to be devoted to 
 Jiim who ''giveth to all life and breath, and all things ; i©f 
 iii Him we live, and move, and have our being," 
 
 LECTOR? 
 I 
 
J^Sit. XVIII. j 7ESW5 CHR-ISTo UQ§ 
 
 LECTURE XVIII. 
 
 irdsir, n. 13— 17. 
 
 And the Jews* pa f over was at hand'; 'and Jc/lis went up' to Je- 
 
 ru/alem, and found in the temple tkofe that fold oxen and 
 :cp, and doves, end the chancers of money, fit tin i? ; and 
 when he had made ajepurge of /mail cords, he drove the. m all 
 out of the temple, and thejkeep, and the oxen ; and poured 
 out the chancer' s money, and overthrew the tables ; and [aid 
 Unto them that fold doves, take theft things hence; make not 
 my Father's ho'ufc an koufe of merchandife. And his difci- 
 pies remembered that it was written, the zeal cf thine houfe 
 hath eaten me. up. 
 
 BESIDES the ultsal, mtiverfal and fixed rneafurements of 
 time, all men have a particular and perfonal ftandard oi 
 calculation and reference, namely, certain incidents oi their 
 own lives, to themfelves inexpretfibly momentous, however 
 tininterefting to the reft of mankind. Thus a mother, with 
 touch accuracy and diflinclnefs, refers every other event, of 
 Whatever magnitude and importance, to the refpecrive dates 
 of the birth of her children. The expiration oi his time, as in 
 is called, that is of his clerklhip, or apprenticeship, forms an 
 ortant epoch in th« extftence of a young man ; and the fate 
 < 1 princes, and the revolutions of empire acquire, in his eyes, a 
 iliar confequence from their relation in point of time, to 
 that grand revolution in his own little ft ate. The coniecration 
 of prelates, and the inauguration ot kings are, at once, public 
 Mid private meafares of duration. Every act of the itate is dat- 
 ed by the year ot the Sovereign's reign. Bat human life ad- 
 mits not of a repetition of thofe more distinguished periods. 
 They are remembered and referred to* becauit they are rare. 
 re every . .:hibit a ftate-tiial, hardly any, except the 
 
 parties and their connections, would caTe to attend it, or think 
 of feiting a mark upon it. 
 
 •ever, oi whi^h every hour is an epoch. 
 A * 
 
*£4 
 
 HISTORY OF [Left. XVI ?U 
 
 of which every aft is decifive, of which every event is highly 
 and univeiTally intereiling, and of which every period is a 
 •■ fulnefs of rime," Or this life each inftant, eath incident, 
 every progreflive (rep furniflies a theme for the tongues, for 
 the pens ot thouiands ot thoufands of men and angels, and,. 
 when their fibres are exhauued, it preients a fub/e • as new, as 
 important, as unbounded as it was at the beginning. The be- 
 loved difciple, having thrown his mite of information into the 
 public treafury, concludes his gofpel with declaring his belief, 
 his deliberate convittion rh'at the hiftbry of the lite and actions 
 of his divine Matter was a fubjecl infinite and inexhauftible. 
 " There are alfo many other things which Jefus did, the which, 
 if they mould Ire written every one, I fuppofe that even the 
 world iiielr could not contain the books thai mould be writ- 
 ten ," meaning undoubtedly, that the things wh-ch Jefus faid 
 and did were fo many fo extraordinary, fo fignificant fo effi- 
 cient, as infinitely to exceed human comprehenfion and belief. 
 But wherefore fhouid the exprefiion of the Evangelift be con- 
 fidered as hyperbolical, when we are told that thefe are the 
 " things which the angels defire to look into;" and when we 
 reflect on the bur hen of the eternal long of the redeemed, in 
 heaven "I heard," lavs John, "the voice of many angelsrcund 
 about tl e throne, and the living creatures, and the elders : and the 
 ■number of them was <en thoufand times ten thoufand, and thou- 
 fands of thoufand* : faying with a loud voice, worthy is the 
 Lam'» that was Plain to receive power, and riches, and wifdom, 
 and ltrength, and honour, and glory, and blefiing. And every 
 creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the 
 earth, and fuch as are in the fea, and all that are in them, heard 
 I faying, Bleihr.g. and honour, and glory, and power, b e unto 
 him lhar fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever 
 and ever." 
 
 From the marriage in Cana of Galilee, Jefus ' again M went 
 down to Capernaum; he. and his mother, and his brethren, and 
 his difciples: and they continued there no' many days." 
 How thofe days were employed we have feen in the preced- 
 ing Lecture : in conduftmg the fervice of the fynagogue in 
 cultivating the chanties ot private li re, in fecret devotion, in 
 healing the lick, in cafting'out devils, in preaching the king- 
 dom of God. Having made a progreis of teaching and preach- 
 ing over the cities and fynagogues of Galilee, He now, tor the 
 fir 11 time iince he a f fumed a public character went up to Jeru- 
 ialem to celebrate the feaft of paifover. Preferving the order 
 of events as accurately as an attentive companion ot evangelift 
 with evangelift enables us, we are now to contemplate an inci- 
 dent" 
 
'Letl. XVIII. J JESUS CHRIST. I93 
 
 -dent in our Lord's hiilory. marked with very peculiar features, 
 and prefenting a new and inftruc'hve opening into his charac- 
 ter, namely his purgation of. the temple from the impurities 
 with which it was profaned by an impious and infamous 
 traffic. 
 
 From his earlieft years the commanded folemnities or that 
 facred place were punctually ohferved. Whatever the Uw 
 enjoined was to his infant ftate duly performed. While un- 
 der parental authority, particularly when it led to the houfe 
 and worfhip of God, He refpec) fully fubmitted to it. In the 
 maturity of age, voluntary and cheerful obedience to the ordi- 
 nances oi heaven dtftinguifhed the great exemplar of decency 
 and ordei. [Through the goodnefs of God, we are delivered 
 from all burdenfome and coftly afendance on the fervice of 
 the temple. We are not called to wait upon God with rams 
 and calves of a year old. Our huibandmen, manufacturers and 
 merchants are not fammoned, under fevere penalties, feveral 
 times in t..e year to join in the worfhip of the metropolitan 
 church, at a great expense of time and fubitance. *1* there- 
 fore the fervice of the Chrillian fanctuary wortWeis and con- 
 temptible ? Do we therefore requite the Lord of the fabhath 
 with neglect and ingratitude ? Do we therefore fnufl at his 
 bloodlefs facrifices, and fay, " Behold, what a wearinefs is it ? 
 and brin^ that which is torn, and the lame, and the, fick for 
 an offering?" Dare Chriftian parents fet the example to their 
 children and dependants of irreligion and profanity, and. be- 
 caufe they are fet fiee from a coftly ceremonial, and a fuper- 
 ilitious obfervance of the fabbath, will they claim and affumc 
 an exemption from the offices and the fpirit of piety, devotion 
 and gratitude ? Liberated from an intolerable yoke of iron, 
 difdain they to wear the honourable, the golden chains of love? 
 
 The Jewifh ritual was at this period vilely profaned, and 
 was rapidly haitening to difi'olution. Buffo long as it is in 
 force, our blefled Lord condefcends to be the pattern of atten- 
 tion and refpect to it. And yet, What a fcene did the houfe 
 of God then pre lent ! The forms of religion remained, but the 
 power and glory had departed. The letter of 'he law was (till 
 held in affected veneration, bat the fpirit was completely evap- 
 orated. Th- facrifices of the living and true God were fhame- 
 fully profhtuted to gratify the rroit fordid of human paflions, 
 go ilmefs was perverted into a mere inllrument of filthy lucre, 
 and the hoafe of prayer was degraded into a den of thieves. 
 And fuch is the fearful prog re fs of moral corruption. Fervor 
 lually fubfides into lukewarmnefs, and lukewarmnefs imo 
 sold. Indifference fooa becomes mere formality, and iormali- 
 
t§6> KISXO^rOF 4&XVIXI. 
 
 ty is bat a frep horn total neglect. Heglecl degenerates into 
 hatred and ayerfion, and an unhallowed zeai at length attempts' 
 to deftrcy what a zeal according to godUne'fs once endeavour- 
 ed to build up. What can be m6re oppoffte and unlike than 
 devout worfhippers engaged in a holy contention of gratitude, 
 praife and love, ftriving.who fhou'dprefent the moft accepta- 
 ble, facri6.ce to the Father of fpirits ; a-ad carnal, world !y-mind~ 
 ed tormajifts trying to ovei reach one another ; the one eager 
 10 purchafethe ox or the {beep For his offering at as cheap * 
 rate as poilibie. and the other to fell it at the higheft price. 
 And the very court of the temple is made the open theatre oi 
 ihts abominable commerce. 
 
 Before tfeou liuelj up thy hand, O man, to fcourge out thofc 
 Impious, [ordid, profane Jews', paufe, and look into thine own 
 heart. Is no unholy traffic going on there ? Knoweft thou not 
 thine own body is the temple of the Jiving God ? Whofe 
 altar, then, is reared up in that facred edifice of God's own 
 building ; and. What incenfe fmokes upon it ? Say, is the name 
 of Mammon inf.nbed there ?. Does'teniuality there celebrate 
 no nocturnal revel? ? What, (hall the palace of the great King 
 be transformed into "a cage of every unclean and hateful 
 bird i" Or, with'the fuperftitious Athenian, art thou ignorant-' 
 ly bowing down before an '* unknown God V* Thou regular- 
 ly oblerveft me hour, and frequenteil the'houfe oi prayer; but 
 is there no table of "the money -chancer" lurking in fome ob- 
 jure corner ? Bid ft thou leave the world at the door on com- 
 ing in ? Why wander thefe eyes abroad over thy neighbour's 
 garb and appearance ? They ought to be fixed on 'thy Father 
 who is in fecret," and who ie feeth in fecret." Doft thou too 
 '• offer the facriftce of fools ?" I) a reft thou approach the altar 
 of Gnd, confeious that thou art not yet reconciled to thy broth- 
 er ? The gift in thy hand is polluted ; prefume not to offer it» 
 44 Leave it before the altar, and go thy way ; firft he reconcil- 
 ed to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." 
 
 It was the coiM of the Gentiles which this fcandalous trade 
 thus {hametnlly profaned, by the buying and felling of Iheep, 
 and oxen, and doves ; and by the exchange of foreign for cur- 
 rent coin, and of money of a higher for that of a lower de- 
 nomination. And thus not only was the wotthip Of the great 
 Jehovah debafedand perverted, but the minds of decent and 
 devout {hangers, who •' h.?d come to jerufalem' for to wor~ 
 ihip,"muil have been grievouOy mocked and fcandalized, to 
 the utter extinction of every ferious and devotional impreffion. 
 This it was which excited a holy and juft indignation in the 
 Son of God; in beholding the temple violated, the facrifices 
 
 of 
 
Leer., xvn;.] jesus cijrioT. 
 
 of God defiled, and a Rumbling block laid in the way of profs - 
 Jytes, by men in veiled with a facred character. 
 
 '* And when he had made a fcourge o.t fmall cords, he drove 
 them all out ot the temple, and the (heep, and the oxen ; and 
 poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables ; 
 and faid unto them that fold doves, Take thefe things hence i 
 make not my Father's houfe an houfe of merchandife. !> This 
 difclofes a new and lingular exhibition ot our blelled Lord's 
 fpirit and temper. No perfena! injury orinfult could provoke 
 one expreflion of refentnic nt. He " gave his back to the 
 fmiters, and his cheek , to them that plucked off the hair : he 
 hid not his lace from foam e and ipitting :" yen have beard o[ 
 the meeknefs <:A' Mofes. and ot the patience of Job. But what 
 are they to the patience? meeknefs and gemleuels of Chi ill { 
 Neverthelels thefe gracious nualitie* have a boundary. There 
 are occafions where trie exerciie of them would ceafe to be 
 virtue, and where a man would J 1 do well to be angry." Wan- 
 ton, deliberate profanation of the name, the day, the houfe of 
 the Lord, is one of thole occafions v. hic{i juftjty Jcverity. A 
 commanding dignity, an irrefutable glory muff have Occafion- 
 ally beamed from the perfon of our Lord, which overawed 
 and intimidated the beholder. How is it poflible otherwife to 
 account for the quiet fubmiflion of thole men to corporal 
 chaftifement. They were many in number ; they had a com- 
 mon i mere ft to bind them to each other ; they were in hitherto 
 un^ueujoned poifelfion ot the ground ; their property was con- 
 cerned ; theyjiad the connivance at leaft, if not the pexmiflioij 
 ot the higher powers. He was alone, unknown, unconnected, 
 unfupported. But they cannot Hand the lightning ot his eye, 
 his voice ftrikes honor into their guilty confciences. They 
 prefume not to reafon or to rehft, hut taniely give up their 
 gainful traffic abafhed and confounded. Thus the multitude 
 that came with Judas to take fcfus, though furnilhed ** with 
 lanterns, and torches, and weapons," were fo overwhelmed by 
 the majefty of his appearance, that " as loon as he had laid un- 
 to them, I am he, th-.y went backward and fell to the ground." 
 And if inch were the glory with which he fometimes invefted 
 himielf, in his ftate of humiliation, what muff be the glory of 
 his fecond coming " with clouds," when *' every eve (hall fee 
 hira. and they alfo which pierced him ?" 
 
 Whit a (evete reproof was this aclien of our Lord, or 
 careleifnefs and indifference of the high-priejr., and ot the i 
 ininifters of religion? To them itbelonged to guard the fantli. 
 ty of the temple and of its worfhip. The dignity of their own 
 flation and character fuffered, when the houic of God was vio- 
 late/ 1 '. 
 
* HISTORY OF ['Left. XVI.Ii* 
 
 lated. Is it doing them injuftice to fufpcft that they partook 
 Ci the profits of this illicit trade? If this fufpicion be well- 
 founded, the gro He ft enormity is immediately accounted for. 
 When the love of money has on e taken pofleffion ol the 
 heart, no tie of religion or morality is binding. Confcience, 
 Jenfe of honour, fenie of decency, fenfe of duty, all, all is Sac- 
 rificed at the fhrine of this in atiate demon, which never fay? 
 V it is enough." At thole feafoos the demand lor cattle to be 
 offered in facrifice mull have been very great. Jofephus, in 
 his Wars of the Jews, informs us, that no lefs than two hun- 
 dred and fifty-fix thoufand and five hundred viftims were pre- 
 sented at one paflbver. A fmall ihare of the gams u on fuch 
 an extenfive conlumption, muii therefore have amounted to a 
 very large Sum. What a confederacy, then, had the zeal and 
 intrepidity of Chrift to encounter ! a whole hoft ol inhuman, 
 unfeeling dealers in flefh, aftuated by the bafeit and moft un- 
 relenting of human paffions, and leagued with a time-ferving 
 priellhood who put every thing up to Sale. 
 
 We have before us a finking and an encouraging inftance 
 of the power and influence of one perfon oi inflexible integri- 
 ty, in a corrupted If ate of fociety. He may fingly and iuc- 
 cefsfully oppofe a torrent of iniquity. Vice is timid when 
 directly attacked. "The wicked flee," faith the wife man, 
 *' when no one purfueth, but the righteous are bold as a lion." 
 Irrefi liable is the force of truth and confcience. " Is not my 
 word like as fire ? faith the Lord ; and like a hammer that 
 breaketh the rock in pieces ?" k ' The word of God is quick, 
 and powerful, and {harper than any two-edged (word, piercing 
 even to the dividing afunder of foul and Spirit, and of the 
 joints and marrow, and is a difcerner of the thoughts and in- 
 tents of the heart." This is the weapon which our Mafter 
 wielded, together with the M Scourge of fmall cords." Smitten 
 at once in their perfons and in their « onfciences, they retreat 
 with fhame from the field, acknowledging, feeling the Supe- 
 riority of real goodnefs. Thus then learn, O man, to arm 
 thyfelf, and fay, M the Lord God will help me ; therefore mail 
 I not be confounded : therefore have I fet my face like 3 
 flint, and I know that I (hall not be alhamed." From the inex^ 
 hauftible ftores of Scripture draw th , refources tor the warfare, 
 and thou (halt find thySelf invincible. What has he to fear, 
 who is confcious of the goodnefs or his caufe, who employs 
 " the fword of the fpirit, which is the word of God," and who 
 goes forth conquering and to conquer in full confidence of dU 
 vine conduct and lupport. 
 
 It is evident from the cenfure pronounced upon the viola- 
 tors 
 
Left. XVIII"/} JESUS CHRIST. 299 
 
 tors of the temple, that their trade was every way unlawful, 
 This tranfaction is recorded by all the four Evaagelifts with 
 Nttle if any variation. And by comparing them together we 
 {hall find, that the abufe expofed and condemned waft a horrid 
 mixture of impiety and difhoneity. of contempt of God, and 
 robbery of man. Not only was " the houfe of prayer lor all- 
 nations" abominably polluted by what fell fjom the flocks and 
 herds for facrifice, but it was literally ptrveited into " a den 
 ot thieves," who had entered into a wicked combinaton to prey 
 upon the public, by enhancing the price of an article which 
 was at once a necefTary ot life and of religion? Tbefe two enor- 
 mities, however, generally go hand in hand. I! there is no fear 
 otGod before a man's eyes, his neighbour has but a (lender hold 
 Upon either his veracity or integrity, when the talfchood'may ber' 
 uttered, or the fraud committed without danger of deteHion. 
 And, on the other hand, he who deliberately praBifes deceit 
 Upon u his brother whom he hath feen," cannot have a very 
 high degree of reverence for M God whom he halh not 
 feen." 
 
 While we contemplate with fhame and forrow the corrup- 
 tions which difgraced the Jewifh Church, is it poflible to re- 
 frain from lamenting the equally deplorable corruptions which 
 have disfigured the hallowed form of Chriftianity ? Did not all 
 hiflory atteft the truth of it, who would believe that there was 
 a 1 ,ng period, not yet quite expired in fome parts of Chriflen- 
 dom, and that there was a fucceflion of priefh, called Chrif- 
 tians,whopiefumed, for apiece of money, to grant a man indul-^ 
 gence to commit every fpecies of wickednefs, which his cor- 
 rupt heart might fuggeft, and lor any given period, with com- 
 plete impunity ? Who could believe that this prieit* in confid- 
 eration ot fomething caft into his treafury, would take upon 
 him to ifTue a pardon of the moft attrocious offences, and there 
 lpy fcreen the vileit of offenders from punifhmmt ; nay, conic. 
 the power ot pardoning on ftone walls and lifelefs altars ? The 
 murderer who fmote his brother to death in the open flreet, in 
 broad day, had but to ftep into the next church, and it flood* 
 always open on purpofe, to be prote61ed from the vengeance, 
 of the law. Who could believe that aprefent or k bequefl to the 
 Church was confidered as a full compenfation for all the crimes- 
 af a life of violence, and rapine, and blood, and as a fair palfport 
 to the kingdom of heaven ? That fuch things mould ever have 
 exiited is moil wonderful ; that they fhould have maintained 
 their ground over all Europe for many centuries together is 
 moft wonderful. But the fcandalous ufurpation is battening. 
 *© a clofe. And with the downfal of popery, may every re- 
 maining 
 
jjfSo UiSTORYOF [Left. XVIII,, 
 
 maining error in the do&rine, difeipline and praclice oi the 
 churches of the Reformation finally terminate. 
 
 The difciples of our Lord poffefled one great preparatory 
 (qualification for the exercife of their future miniftry, acquain- 
 tance with the Scriptures of the Old Teitament. Struck with 
 this difplay ot their Mailer's zeal for the honour of God, and 
 for the purity of Temple-worfhip. they call to remembrance 
 a text from the Flalms oi David, which appeared to them a 
 prefiguration of what had jult paffed. " And his difciples re- 
 membered that it was written, The zea! of thine houfe hath 
 eaten me up." We pretend not to affirm that the words of 
 the Pfalmifl. amount to a prediction of what Chrift telr and 
 (aid, and did upon this occafion. David unqueftianahly ut- 
 tered his own feelings, though there was as yet no temple at 
 Jerufaiem dedicated to the moll High God. But the ex- 
 predion amounts to this : Whatever affecls the eharacler and 
 worfhip of Deity, I make my perfonal concern. " The zeal 
 of thine houfe hath eaten me up :" ardent regard for the hon- 
 our of thy fancluary, like a fecret flame pent up in my breaft, 
 inufl either have vent or confume me : and the^ fequel is in 
 the fame fpirit, M and the reproaches of them that reproached 
 ihee are fallen upon me." But though we may not have here 
 a dtreel prophecy of a future event, we have a powerful a {limi- 
 tation between two mo ft eminent perfonages, at very diftant 
 periods, breathing one, and the fame fpirit, aiming at one and 
 the fame end ; and this fimilitude partakes of the nature of 
 prophecy . And the whole leads us to this conclufion, that 
 there mav be predictions, refembianees, analogies in Scrip- 
 ture, hitherto concealed even from the wife and prudent, to 
 be hereafter unfolded, or perhaps refer ved* for the inftru&ion 
 and delight of the kingdom ot heaven, when there mail he in 
 Scripture nothing obfeure, or hard to be kndei flood. What a 
 motive is this, now to liften to the command of Chrift. 
 44 Search the Scriptures ; for in them ye think ye have eter- 
 nal life : and they are they which teftify of me." 
 
 In this paffage of our Lord's hiftory, as m all Scripture, we 
 Lave many things M profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for 
 correction, tor inftruotion in righteoufnefs." 
 
 i. We have a humiliating view ot the treachery and de- 
 ceitful nefs of the human heart. The very perfons who con- 
 sidered it as a crime to " eat bread with unwafhen hands," 
 could quietly digeft the profanation ot the temple and of the 
 worfhip of God. Such felf-delufion do men praftife every- 
 day. They treat their own infirmities as fome mothers do very 
 homely, wayward, or even deformed children, who not only 
 {hew them all poflible indulgence themfcives, bat are of. 
 
 tended 
 
"■■■Left. XVIIl.^ JESUS CHRIST. *Ol 
 
 tended tf others adopt no? their fondnefs and pariialify. At 
 the (ame time, the lighted hlemifh in the character of another 
 is quickly ieen ani leverely cenfured. Th* deception is fie- 
 -qu'-mtly carried n. uch farther. A man fhali actually decern 
 and r-gidly condemn in his neighbour the very fault 10 which 
 he himfelf is notorfcully addicted. The proud lerfon c« .n en- 
 dure no one's pride hut his own ; the paffionate fluid afton- 
 iflied at he transports of ih fe u ho are hafty like tbemfelves ; 
 and who are upon hypocriry as the hypocritical? 
 
 Ev< ry leffon taught by the great Teacher has a foundation in 
 human corru non a id has a tenden y to correct it, and this « 
 an important one : k Judgenot, that ye be pot judged. For 
 with, what .judgment ye judge \e (hall he judged : and with 
 what meafure ye mete, il (ball bemeafu ed to you again. And 
 why behofdefl thou th - bat is in thy brother's eye, but 
 
 conhder it not the bean that is in thine "wn eye ? Or how 
 ■wilt ;hou lay to thy brother? Let me^pu'I out the mote out 
 of thine eye ; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye ? Thou 
 hyp icrite, firft calf out the beam out of thine own eye ; and 
 ihen (halt thou fee clearly to call out the mote out of thy br- Ch- 
 er's eye." To which I fubjoin the prayer of the Pialmift.t 
 ** Search me, O God, and know my heart ; try me. and know 
 my thoughts ; and fee if there be any wicked way in me, and 
 lead me in the way everlafting." 
 
 s. If fuch were the dignity which the Son of God affumed, 
 and the authority whi< h he exercifed, while he tabernacled 
 with men upon earth, attended by a few (imple Ga'lilcans, is 
 it not a matter of very ferious concern to meditate on the 
 efty and importance of his coming to judge the quick and the 
 dead? If his prefence was thus awful and tremendous when 
 armed with only '• a fcourge of fmall cords, 7 * what muft it 
 be. when " the Lord fefus (hall be revealed from hea • n iv 
 his mighty angels, m flaming fire, taking vengeance on them 
 that know not God, and that obey not the Gofpel of o. r L >rd 
 Jefus Chrift : who (hall be punimeJ with ever afting deftruc- 
 iion from the prefence of the Lord arid glory of his 
 
 power." In this judgment to c me we <ue a I equaiiy inter- 
 effed and we are turnifhed with a prefent n le o! judgment in 
 the decifions of confcience an! wordofG'od. 
 
 Happy is that man who understands, believes and imj io\es 
 ".he teilimony ofthofe taithluland true witnefies ; who know- 
 ing the terrors of the Lord, is perfu-ided to flee irorn the wrath 
 to come, and to lay hold on eternal life, 'lie that believCth 
 ^n him is not condemned : but he that believeth not is con- 
 tfeaatd alreadv j becaufe he hath not believed in the name of 
 
 Bb 
 
CQ2 HISTORY OF [Left. XVllK 
 
 the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation* 
 that light is come into the world, and men lo^ed darknefs rath- 
 er than light, becauie their deeds were evil. For every one 
 that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, 
 left his deeds mould he reproved. But he that doeth truth 
 cometh to the li^bt, that- his deeds may be made manifeft that 
 they are wrought in God." Thefe laft words open a brighter 
 profpect and difclofe to us " the Son of man coming in the 
 clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, and fending 
 his angels with a great found oi a trumpet, and they fhall gath- 
 er together his elect from the four winds, from one end of 
 h. aven 'o the other." Then (hall he be " glorified in his faints, 
 and admired in all them that i elieve." Thus are good and 
 evil deaih dnd'l'ite, the blrffing and the curfe fet before us. 
 Thus all that is terrible in juft:ce, armed with almighty power, 
 addrefTes itfclf to our fear and all 'hat is amidble and alluring- 
 in unbounded goodnels and love, expands to our hope *' an 
 inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that t deth not 
 away, referved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power 
 of God, through faith, unto falvation, ready to be revealed in 
 tbelaff time." May we this day k:iow him as a Saviour whom 
 we muffin that day meet as a judge. May we have wifdora 
 to comply with the counfel of him. as a friend, whom it is 
 certain and utier ruin to encounter as an adverfary. * Behold, 
 cow is the accepted time :. behold, now is the day of falva- 
 tion." 
 
 3. 1 ake care, frail, ignorant, erring man, how thou pi-opofc 
 eft to thy felf the purifier of the temple as a pattern of zeaL 
 " It is good," faith the apoftle "to be zealoufl'y affected al- 
 ways in a good thing but unlefs zeal be directed by prudence 
 and knowledge, it may produce incredible mifchief. There- 
 is a zeal about trifles, which diverts the mind from objects of 
 ferious important e Battles have been fought, and volumes 
 vnitten to determine the pofture in which the facrament ought 
 to be received and the habit to be worn by the prieft in read- 
 ing the fer.vice of the Church. While contention about fuch 
 non-eflentials waxed hot, the fpirit of piety and prayer grew 
 cold. 1 here is a zeal which is the offspring of prejudice and 
 habit. It actuated San! of Tarfus, when " he made havock of 
 the church, entering into every houfe, and haling, men and 
 women, committed them to prifon ,"and while he " yet breath- 
 ed out threatening* and Daughter againft the difciples of the 
 Lord ."and when, fpeaking of himfclf, he fays : " I verily 
 thought with myf If, that I ought to do many things contrary 
 to the name of Jefus of Nazareth. Which thing I alio did in 
 
 Jerufalem ; 
 
Left, xvm ] jesus ciirist. 203 
 
 Jerufalem : and many of the Jain's did I (hat up in prifon, 
 having recived authority from the chief or efts : and when 
 they were put to death I gave my voice again it them And I 
 pu nfned i,hem o' r 111 every fynagogue, and compelled them 
 to blaipheme ; and being exceedingly mad a^ainft them, I 
 pertecuted them even unto ftrange ■ mes." There is a vain- 
 gi ,rious, oitentanous zeal which cannot near to pais unobferv- 
 ed. which muft ^>e fed with public attention and admiration. 
 Such is that which inline 1 Jehu, wnen he exulttrigly chal- 
 lenged ap daufe : * Come w-vh me and fee my zeal for the 
 Loid." Th re is a malignant, ifttolerant zeal, which pities 
 not, fpa.es nor, Even the difciples James and John were un- 
 der its influ-n e; when a village of the Samaritans refufed to 
 Receive t teir Matter, " Lord," fay they, " wilt thou that we 
 i ind fire to :om-° down from heaven, and confume them, 
 even as E'i is di I ?" an i it received a juft and fevere repre>r 
 hen!io:i li vn the mouth of" Ch iff : " He turned and rebuked 
 them, and fa d, Ye know not wha 1 manner of fpirit ye are of. 
 For the Ion o! man 1 no come todeflroy men's lives, but to 
 f. : them " The dif LpJes thernfejves. became the victims of 
 this fiery; exterminating zeal as Chrifl predicted concerning 
 tliem. " They fh-ill put you-puj of the fy nagogues :: yea, the 
 time cometh that whofoever killeth von will ihmk that he do- 
 eth God lervice." Tnus the h-.rd rrteaiure which they would 
 have meted to others, was meafured out unto themfelves. '<ut 
 there is a zeal, as well as a lo trine, *' which is according to 
 god h nets :" a pure and lambent flame of love to God, which 
 admits of no mixture ol human pallion which views every 
 object through the medium of Deity, and aims but at one end, 
 that Go d may be glorified. This excellent fpirit will never 
 think of doing Gud fervice, by fhewing tink ndnefs or Ciuelty 
 to man. But it is fo rare and i'o eafily count* that even 
 
 ks emotions are to be regarded with a jedous eye, tor th re is 
 no 'mill dinger of a man's mill.. 1 ing the ebullitions of his own 
 mind, for the impulfe of God's fpirit, efpecialiy ;n cafes where 
 guilt is to be condemned and vengeance evecutjd. David 
 made a wife and a happy choice, when conftramed to fi 
 to one ol three gredt evils. " I am in a great drait " faid he, 
 *' Let us fall now into the hand of the Loid, (for his mercies 
 are great) and let me not fall into the hand of man." I kike 
 not to fee the fcourge, the lword, the tore!; voluntarily aflu 
 ky one of like paflijns with myfeif In vehement attempts to 
 reform abufe, I lhould tremble to think ot their dig 
 into a rage to deflroy. The tremendous attribute ot vengeance,. 
 Cod will confide to no hands but his own, but he permits man 
 
 to 
 
fC| KiSTORY, Qfi flieft. XV1IU 
 
 to carry the imitation of divine mercy as far as he can " Dear Y 
 Jy beloved, avenge not yonrfeh r es, but rather give place unto. 
 : for it is written* vengeance is mine; I wiil repay, faith-, 
 the Lord. Th re fore, if thine enemy hunger feed him ; If he 
 give him drink : tor in fo doing thou (halt heap coals oL 
 fire on h-s head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil 
 vri h good.'" 
 
 4. Mark the power of confcience- and learn to (ecure its. 
 teftimony in your favour. What mace cowards of thofe grofs. 
 in brutal men? An ill conscience. What chafed away a, 
 fehultHiide ' elore one man ? An ill confcience. What oveiaw-f, 
 ed a rapacious prieilhood and a licentious populace? An ill 
 confcience. Gonfcience drove our guilty progenitors to feefc 
 concealment " from the prefence of the Lord God, arnongft. the 
 trees of the garden.*' Gonfcience fentout murderous Cain **a 
 fugitive and a vagabond in the .earth," under the dire aj»pte- 
 henfion that every one who found him would flay him. It is 
 confcicnce that dictates the unavailing cry to defpair'ng wretch- 
 es, who in bitiernefs exclaim '• to the mountains. and rocks* fall 
 on us, and hide us from the face of him that fitteh on the 
 throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb : for the great day of 
 his wrath is come; and who fhall be able to (land ?" But what* 
 in oppofition to this, is the {puree of a Chriflian's compofure 
 and fatisfaBion ? '• Our rejo ; cing is this, tbe tellimony of our 
 confcicnce, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, not with 
 fie flily wisdom, Hut by the grace of God we have had our 
 converfation iti the world." Herein confifted the triumph o£ 
 the Apoftle over the fear of the Roman governor, and over the 
 oratoty of Tertuilus : " Herein do I e.xercife myfeif> to have 
 always a confeience void of offence toward God and toward 
 men." And this conftitutes the triumph and the fecurity of 
 every believer in Cbfrft Jefus : " Being juft-fied by faith we 
 have peace with G.od, through our Lord Jefus Chrift : by 
 whom alfo we have accefs by faith into this grace where n we 
 ftand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not on* 
 ly 10. but we glory in t ibulations alfo : knowing that tribula- 
 tion worketh patience ; and patten -e, experience ; and expe- 
 rience, hope : and hope maketh not afhamed ; be au<e the love 
 of God is (h ■■-(] abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghcff, which 
 U gis en unto us.'* 
 
 Though the b ilyers and fellers wereabafhed and puttofiigh^ 
 fome oi the conlequential cavillers, who are to be found rn ev- 
 ery ag", and in even- fociety, maintain the ground, and call 
 for he commiiuon under which Jefus acted. ; * Then anfwer- 
 ed the Jews, and faid unto hirn, what figa (heweft thou unto 
 
 us, 
 
jLeft, xv a. jesus Christ. m 
 
 ps, feeing that thou doeft tfcefe things ?y This furnifhed him 
 
 v-'ith a Fair occafion of bringing forward the peculiar and dtfr 
 
 tinguUhing do&rine oi his rd gion, the refurreciion ol "the bod- 
 
 -hi*, h was foon to he evcmp.uir.i in H-is own rcfurreclioQ 
 
 .. the dead^i as '* life ir ft frui •■■ of them that fleep." Thi* 
 
 accordingly conltitute the fuhject of the neu LeFture. 
 
 " Ble0ed and holy is he that hath part in the fiitt rcfurreftioa 
 
 ich the fecond death bath no power; but they fliall b* 
 
 [If oi God and pi Chj-iiV" 
 
 LECTURE 
 
*c6 HISTORY o? [LecV XIX, 
 
 LECTURE XIX. 
 
 JOHN, II. l8— «£. 
 
 Then anfweredthp Jews, and /aid unto him, what fan Jhewefi 
 thou unto us, Jeang that thou doeji tfaje things f Jtjus an- 
 Jwered and jaid unto them, dejtroy this tempt, and in three 
 days I wUl taijt it up. then jaid the Jew>, forty ana fix 
 years was th>.s temp'c in building, and witt thou rear it up in 
 thee days f but he /pake 0/ the temple qj as body. IVnen, 
 therefore, he was 1 ijenji am the uead, /as ai/c p rs it memoeied, 
 that he had /aid this unto than ; and they be,ttved the S^rip- 
 iurt; ana th<> word which jejus had /aid. Aow when he 
 was in Jerufutm at the ptijfooer, in the Jtajl-day, many be- 
 lieved in h s name, when the) aw tke miracles which he did. 
 But Jejus did not commit himjetj unto them, becau e he knew 
 au meti: and needed not that anyjkou a tjtijy oj man ; J: or 
 he knew what was in man, 
 
 THE aftions and events of ChrilVs life are the bafis on 
 which the truth and importance of his doctrine left, and 
 the fohdity of the foundation rauft beeftimated from the it rue- 
 ture which it fupports. The foundation of a building lies buri- 
 ed under ground, and cannot be examined by the eye , out when 
 we behold a {lately, lofty and venerable pile, which has with- 
 stood the attack of ages, and which flill preiei.ts unoiminifhed 
 beauty and fhength, we juftly reafon from what we do lee to 
 what we do not ; and we feel ourfelves conftraincd 10 applaud 
 the excellency mi the defign, from «he per ectnels and durabil- 
 ity ol the execution. '* Behold," faith the Lord God, by 1 ,e 
 mouth ot the prophet Ifaiah, more than [even centuries before 
 the fabric began to appear, " behold, I lay in Zion tor a foun- 
 dation a flone, a tried Gone, a precious corner itone, a lure 
 foundation : he that believeth {hall not make hafte. Judgment 
 alio will I lay to the line, and righteoufnefs to the plummet." 
 Here is the defign of the fovereign Architect, not fleeping like 
 many a beautiful human plan in the portfolio of the artift> 
 never to be realized, but quick with the fpirit of life, already- 
 executed " in the purpofe of him who worketh all things af. 
 
 ter 
 
Le&. XtX.] JESUS CHRTST. f*g 
 
 ter the counfel of his own will," and to arife, in due time, th* 
 wonder of angels and of men. T iisJ>ui!ding o[ God at length, 
 began to appear and to afcend. Bin it accorded not with hu- 
 man ideas ot grandeur and mag nficence. The very depofi- 
 taries ot the original defign, we e the firft 10 refill the comple- 
 tion ot it, bccauf* it juftinVd n >1 their prejud c s and prepof. 
 feflions. Their oppotrijn, however, ferved only more tlluf- 
 trioufly to difplay the manifold wifdom and goodnefs ot God, 
 and to expofe the weaknefs and lolly ot man. Had the edifice* 
 been of man's devi ng and rearing it couid no 1 have itood 
 " the wafhing of a tide," lor the " foolim man bu ; lt his houfe 
 upon the fand : and the rain defcended, and the floods came, 
 and the winds blew, and i.eat upon th t houfe: and it fell : 
 and great was the fall of it" But infinite Wifdom founded 
 the fabric ot Chriftia my upon <* rock. The rains have de- 
 fcended, the floods ha\e come, the winds have blown and heat- 
 en upon this houfe, but it has not fallen; for it is founded upon 
 a rock. 
 
 In t^e gofpel hiftory we behold the grouniibor or plat- 
 form ot the Chriflian religion. It principally confifts in a 
 narration of plain, unadorned tatls welf authenticated, ind-ed, 
 but recommended by no artificial polilh, and deriving all their 
 importance and effect, from their own native truth and excel- 
 lence, le*vmv? 4 nevenhelefs, as a folid fu f ,port to the precepts, 
 the promises, the predictions thedoHnnes. the confolatons ot 
 our moft holy faith. Take, tor inftance.. the event which our 
 bleiled Lord in the paflage which has now been read, fore- 
 told concerning himlelf, namely, that the temple of his body 
 ihonld e d* fir yed, and in three days raifed up again. Novv 
 wh^n this event aMually did take place, not only was the ve- 
 racity ot Jelus, as a prophet, completely eflablimed, but a 
 foundation' was laid of (ufBcient ftren :th to fuftain the whole 
 weight of the Chrtftian's hope, of a refurrecfion to life and 
 immortality We fhall. therefore, fi ft confider thisall-impor- 
 tant donrine. in the htflory which is the foundation of. it, 
 and then in the fuperft u"t.i e reared. 
 
 In purifying the temple f om he abominations praftifed in it, 
 Jt fus h :d undoubtedly a flu me .i the authority of one inverted in 
 the off] eof magiftracy or wim rfv» charter of a prophet. That 
 he was no magtftrare all men knew and he never pretended to it. 
 To have a".red in this capacity micht ha^e been confideiedas 
 ufurpa ion. As a prophet, -hen and only as a prophet, could he 
 ap.e^r in the character of a publi reformer. But it is requi- 
 fite that a prophet Ihould produce his credentials. This fug- 
 gefted the demand : •' What lign fheweft thou unto us feeing 
 that thou doeit thefe things ?" which plainly implied, that one 
 
 aclin/* 
 
msfoRY oj f'Le&'&riti 
 
 acVtng under a commifiion from heaven, was obliged to fup~ 
 port hb claim by a fign from heaveri. But is there need to 
 produce fupernatural tefrimony to a right to retoim known, 
 public, flagrant abufe ? Did not their own hiftory furniih sf 
 rioted inftance ot a private perfon's affuming tffe fwbrd of 
 luftice, and afting at once as judge and executioner, in the 
 cafe of open and grofs violation of the divine law; that of 
 Phinehas, who was but the grandfon of Aaron the pried? 
 He not only became liable to no cenfure, but obtained a death- 
 lefs name, and an honourable office for his feafonabie interpola- 
 tion. " Then Rood up Phinehas, and executed judgment : and 
 fo the plague was flayed. And that was counted unto him for 
 lighteoufnefs- unto all generations tor evermore." Did not the 
 fign, in the prefent inftance, appear in the act? D'id not the 
 great Reformer authenticate his powers by themanner in which 
 he exercifed them, and by the efTe6i which they produced ? 
 Did the guilty refill? Did they call in queflion his authority? 
 Did they drag him, in their turn, to the tribunal ? No, they feer 
 his afcendant and (hrink from his rebuke. Who, then, call 
 for a fign ? Not the offenders; they had received fufficient 
 evidence : not the populace, for they mud have been equally- 
 overawed and confounded. The rulers ot the jews hearing ol 
 this lingular tranfaclion, foifie ot them, perhaps, being on the. 
 fpot, and eye-witneiles of what paded, jealous of their honour, 
 and confidering their prerogative as invaded ; they, as men 
 having authority, demanded a fign. From their general charac- 
 ter, and from the inefficacy of this and other figns afterwards 
 given, we know from what motive the prefent demand was 
 »ade ; not in the fpirit of meeknefs, not from the love of truth* 
 not to obtain conviction; but in the hope of finding occafion 
 to cenfure, or of putting the aiTuined authority of Ghrii to a 
 tefl which it could not fland. 
 
 A fign is given them, and a mofl remarkable one it is.- 
 * ; Jefos anfwered and faid unto them, dellroy this temple, and 
 in three days I will raife it up." Whatever confiruclion the 
 Jews might put on thefe words, what Jefus intended to convey 
 h obvious, and it was in every point juflifkd by the correi- 
 ponding event. He who is fimplicity and truth itfelf could 
 have no defign to mifiead. The action and emphafis with 
 which be fpake, clearly pointed out the object. The general 
 attention had juft been directed to a temple made with hands, 
 a temple wickedly profaned by an abominable traffic, which 
 was connived at by its profefied confervators, and whofe hon- 
 our had been fo nobly vindicated by a ftranger. That ftranger 
 had already attracted general notice* by the Angularity of hjs 
 
 fpeech 
 
\XIX.J JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 fpeech and deportment ; every eye was fixed upon him, his 
 every attitude and geflure were obferved, and thefe plainly in- 
 dicated that the temple to be deftroyed, and raifed up in. three 
 days, could not be the venerable piie in the court of which this 
 converfation palled. When he afterwards foretold the ap- 
 proaching deitruclion of that temple, he ex pre (Ted himfelf in 
 terms not liable to mifapprehenfion. *■ As he went out of the 
 temple, one of his difciples faith unto him, Mailer, fee what 
 manner of flones and what buildings are here ! And Jefus an- 
 fwering laid unto him, Gceft thou thefe great buildings ? there 
 (hall not be left one fcone upon another, that lhall not be thrown 
 down." Now he points to an edifice infinitely more facred. 
 Prom Both the firli r.nd fecond hou[ r s built on mount Zion 
 the glory had long fince departed. The fenfible tokens of the 
 divine prefence were withdrawn. The holy oracle was no 
 !onger confulted by Urim and Thummim, But in Him, who 
 ■was the only glory of the feeond houfe, '* dwelled all the ful- 
 nefs of the Godhead bodily," and the deftruriion of this I 
 pie he thus predicts as a fign not to the men of that generation 
 only, but to all ages, even to the end of the world. From the 
 very nature of prophecy, a vail mull be drawn between the 
 prediction and the event. "Hope rh'at is feen is not hope," and 
 "faith is the fubftance of things hoped for, the evidence of 
 things not feen." Chrift indulges not thofe unbelievers with 
 an immediate difplay of his miraculous power, in fupport of 
 his pretentions to the character of a prophet, which they could 
 «afily have explained away, or mifintcrpreted ; but he reiers 
 them to a fign {fcortly to be exhibited, which fhould be, at once, 
 the exa£t accomplifhment of a well known prediction, and the 
 greatelf miracle that can poflibfy exift. That the mifconcep- 
 tion of the Jews was perverfe and affecled is evident from this, 
 that when they had a£"tually fulfilled the part of the prediBion 
 which depended on themfelves, bydeftroying that (acred tem- 
 ple, we find them labouring under the rnoff dreadful appre- 
 henfion that Jefus would accomplish the other part, which de- 
 pended on him, and they employ every precaution, which ter- 
 ror could fuggeft, to prevent and defeat it. " The chief priefh 
 and Pharifeec came together unto Pilate, faying, Sir, we remem- 
 ber that that deceiver fald, while he was yet alive, After three 
 days I will rife again. Command, therefore, that the fepul- 
 chre be made fure until the third day, left his difciples come 
 by night and Ileal him away, and fay unto the people, He is 
 Tifen from the dead : fo the Lift error fha!! be worfe than 
 the firfl." And when the aftonifhed watch came into ihe city, 
 *ad made report to thei: jrers, ct 4 ' all the things that 
 
 C c were 
 
jio ill o TORY Ul [Lt£k. xii\ 
 
 ■wjere done," did it produce conviftion ? No, it only filled them 
 wi h mortification, and kindled rage. " The chief priefts, 
 when they were aifembled with the elders, and had taken coun- 
 fel, they gave la; ge money unto the foldiers, faying, fay ye, 
 His difciples came by nigh't.and ftole him away while we flept. 
 And if this come to the governor's ears, we will perfuade him, 
 and fecure you." To what purpofe, .then, afk for a fign ? 
 They refill and rejcft the rooft illuftrious," which, with rever- 
 ence be it fpoken, Godhimielt could give, thereby approving 
 the truth of what Jefus on another occafion faid, u If they hear 
 not Moles and the prophets, neither will they be pcrfuaded, 
 though one role from the dead." 
 
 ** Deftroy this temple." Let it be obferved, that this is fimpJy 
 a prediction or fuppofition, and not a precept, equivalent to, 
 •\e zvill deftroy this temple, or, though ye Jhculd deftroy this 
 temple. It if a mode ot expreflicn that frequently occurs in 
 Scripture. Thus in the Old Tefiament, Joleph fays to his 
 brethren, " this do, and live," that is, do this, and ye fliall live. 
 Thus God fpeafcs to Mjfes, '* Get thee up into this mountain, 
 and die in the mount whither thou goeft up, and be gathered 
 unto thy people," meaning evidently, thou Jlialt die in the 
 mount, and flia it be gathered unto thy people. Thus, Ifaiah 
 viii. o. " Take counfeltogether^.and it (hall come to nought ; 
 fpeak the word, and it fliall not ftand :" that is, though ye take 
 counfel together, and though ye fpeak the w-ofd. And in the 
 New Tefiament, the word of Chnfi to Judas, V that thou doff, 
 do quickly," cannot be confidered as a command to accomplifh 
 his plan of treachery, but merely as an intimation that he was 
 feen through, and tl at under the imiulfe ot a diabolic fpirit, 
 he was hurrying on to commit that dreadful enormity. Thus 
 Paul exhorts, " B<- angry and fin not ;" furely nor as if he 
 meant to encourage violent tranfports of wrath, but in the e- 
 vent of a<man's giving way to a fit of paffion, theapoftle means 
 10 guard him a-gainft excefiive indulgence in it, by reftricling 
 its duration to the going down of the fun. This early notice 
 did Jefus give, not to his difciples only, but to all who came 
 to worfhip in the temple, " of his difeafe which he fhould ac- 
 complifh a- Jerusalem ;" that it fhould be effected by the hand 
 ot violence , not by decay, but by deitruciion, and that his 
 own count) y men mould be the perpetrators ot it. This decla- 
 iuuoii wa. frequently repeated, and became plainer and plain- 
 er, till the fact jufiified every particular of the prediction. 
 
 M This temple." Our bleffed Lord in this place and elfe- 
 where denominates his body a temple, as declaratory of his fu- 
 ^liorityuotlie lofty pile on Myunt Zion, even in its greatefl 
 
 glory*, 
 
X,t8. XIX.] JESUS CHRIST. »?1 
 
 g*ory, much more in its then degraded defiled flate. *' I fay 
 unto you," addrefhng himfelf to the pharifees, "that in this 
 place is one greater than the temple," becaufe Deity refided 
 continually and infeparably in him, as the Jews believed he did 
 in that which was built by SolomoH, in aniwer to that petition ; 
 M O Loid my God. hearken unto the cry and to the prayer 
 which thy fervant prayeih before thee to-day : that thine eye* 
 inav be opened toward this houfe night and day, even toward 
 the place of which thou 1 alt faid, My name ihall be there:" 
 according as it was loretold by Moles near five centuries, be- 
 fore : tk Tuen there lhall be a place which the l.oid your God 
 ihall cho- (f to caufe his name to dwell there." J Tephus informs 
 us that not only did .the anfwer to Solomon's prayer imply 
 a real and ienfible refidcnce of. Deity, hut that it was the uni- 
 Merial belief of the Jews and of the Grangers who tifit.ed Jeiu- 
 falem, that there was an mgreis of God into the temple, and a 
 habitation in it : and, in an< *h< j r phar.e that God deicended and 
 pitched his tabernacle there. The Jews themleNes, however, 
 admitted, that whatever glory thefe e,\pielTions might figmfy 
 was now departed. To retime that glory, a' d to bellow it on 
 the fecond t mple in more abundant meafure than the fir ft ev- 
 e? pofleffed was the end of -ChrUt's million ; and in htm was 
 the prediction fulfilled : " The glory of this latter houfe (hall 
 be greater than of the former, faith the Lord of holts." He was 
 that oracle by whofe anfwers all light and truth were emitted ; 
 the true Schechinah who had the fpirit without meafure he was 
 2nointed with the '• oil of gladnefs above hisiellows," and thus 
 in all refpects greater than the temple. 7Aa*iemple f fays he, 
 which you have defiled I have cleanfcd : aid this temple pf 
 my body, which you are going to delh.oy, I will raife up a- 
 gain. 
 
 When this prediction was verified by the .matter off aft, that 
 facl became the foundation of one of the diilinguilhing doc- 
 trines of the gofpel, the refurrection of the dead. Jefus early 
 taught and frequently repeated' it, that it might be clearly un- 
 deritood and carefully remembered. 1 he impoftor is at pains 
 to conceal his purpofe till it is ripe for execution. He fears 
 prevention, and therefore endeavours to take yo:i by furprize. 
 The thief gives no warning of his ap-proach, but comes upon 
 men while they fleep. The true prophet difclofes his defign, 
 prepares, forewarns, purs the perfon who doubts or difbelieves 
 i^pon his guard, bids defiance to prevention. His own refur- 
 r-ection, and the doctrine of a general refurrertion which is 
 founded upon it, were not barely hinted at, or declared in ob- 
 ic ure and equivocal terms. They were not the cafual topic, 
 
 and 
 
W HISTORY o^* [Left. XIX* 
 
 ami for once only., of private convention wiih his difciples. 
 No, this was a leading, a commanding object, prefented con- 
 tinually to view, placed in the flrongefl light, announced with 
 equal fairnefs and ./implicit}' to friends and to enemies. *' And 
 Jefus going up to Jerufalem, took the twelve difciples apart in 
 the way, and faid uuto them, behold, we go up to Jerufalem ; 
 and the Son of man fhall be betrayed unto the chief priefts and 
 unto the fcribes, and they fhall condemn him to death, and (hall 
 deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to fcourge, and to 
 crucify him ; and the third day he fhall rife again." He de- 
 clares the fame truth thus openly in the court or the teraple u 
 He repeats it in the prefcnce and hearing of the multitude, 
 44 when the people were gathered thick together, then certain oi 
 the fcribes.and of the phanfees anfwered, faying, Mafter, we 
 would fee a ftgn from thee. But he anfwered and laid unto 
 them, an evil and adulterous generation feeketh after a fjgn ; 
 and there fhall no fign be given to it, but the fign of the proph- 
 et Jonas. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the 
 whale's belly, fo fhall the Son of man be three days and three 
 nights in the heart of the earth"- The Sadducees, opponents 
 iiill more virulent, tfian the Pharifees, perfectly underftood him 
 as meaning on the bafis of his own, to eftablifh the belief of a 
 refnrrection of the body ; for they argue with him on the fub- 
 je£r, andi frame a cafe which they fuppofed. would reduce the 
 author of the do trine to an absurdity. 'This afforded our Lord 
 an opportunity or (hewing that the dc:fnne in difpute was ac- 
 tually an article in their own creed, as being the difciples of 
 Mofes. Thus it runs through the whole of divine Revelation. 
 The fathers beyond the flood lived and died in this faith. The 
 duff, of Abraham, Kaac and Jacob thus refted and refts in hope. 
 It is indeed more clearly flated under the Gofpel difpenfation, 
 and the ground of it is more fully demon ftrated, that is, the 
 dawning light of the morning gradually brightened into the 
 per feci: day, 
 
 " In three days / will rai Te.it up." Thisisan explicit decla- 
 ration of his own inherent Deity, tor God alone has the riglu 
 and the power over life and death An angel may be the del- 
 egated inflrument in executing the lentence of divine juftice, 
 by taking away life ; as in the cafe of the firftborn of £gypt, of 
 thofe who fell by the peftilence,to the number of feventy thou- 
 fand, for the offence of David in numbering the people, andot 
 the hundred, fourfcore and five thoufand fmitten in one night, 
 in the camp of the AfTyrians. But we no where find the pow- 
 er of quickening the dead delegated to a created being. Man 
 has the defperate power ot deftroying his own body, but there 
 
 it 
 
;-:'i>:.j JESUS CHRIST. *i$ 
 
 i{ end", and the difembodied fpirit ceafes from all power to re- 
 par the awful violence which it has committed. Man cannot 
 i mere atl of his will even lay down his lile, any moie 
 ihan he can reanimate the bjeathlefs clay. It is the incommu- 
 nicable prerogative of him who has hie in himfeif, to dilpoie 
 of it at pleafure. This prerogative Jefus Chrift claims and ex* 
 ercifes. Ci For as the Father raifeth up the dead, and quicken, 
 e h them ; even to the Son quickeneth whom he wiii." In 
 the cafe ol his own death, it was an ad of fovereign, almighty 
 power. " Jrfds laid, It is finished : and he bowed hw head, 
 £nd §*V6 up theghoft," while as yet the principle ol natural 
 life was ftrong within him, thus demonftiating that his aflertioa 
 concerning himfeif was founded in truth: " I lay down my 
 life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it irora me, but 
 I lay it down of myfelf : 1 have power to lay it down, and I 
 power to take it again." And un this power over his 
 own life, he founds his right of difpenfing hie and death to 
 otheis. " And this is the Father's wiil which bath fent me, 
 that of all which he hath given me I fhould lofe nothing, but 
 {hould raife it up again at the lafl day. And this is the will o£ 
 him that lent me, that every one which feeth the Son, and be. 
 lieveth on him, may have everiafting life ; and I will raife 
 him up at the J a ft day." Whether therefore it is laid tha; 
 " Chrift was raifed up frrom the dead by the glury of the Fa- 
 ther," or that he himfeir raffed up the temple of his body, one 
 and the fame fource of life, one controling, irreftflibie will, 
 and one fupreme, efficient power are difplayed, 
 
 "Then faid the Jews, Forty and fix years was this temple 
 hi building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days ?" It has 
 been already (hewn that this was a wilful mifapprehenfion : 
 and it exhibits a humiliating view of the power of prejudice. 
 Something may be made of a flupid child, if he be difpofed to 
 exert the poor faculties which be pofleires, but obflinacy fet$ 
 difcipline at defiance. It is poflible to afhlt weak eyes, but 
 what can be done for the man who wilfully fhuts them, or who 
 madly plucks them out ? To enter, with commutators, into 
 difcufnon refpeefing the period of the temple's rebuilding, is 
 foreign to our purpofe. What is it to us how long time was 
 employed in the woik, by what prince or princes it was car. 
 ned on, and what was its comparative magnificence, with re- 
 lation to the fir 11 temple, and to other ftructines of a fimilar 
 kind ? But it is of high ii . • to know, that the predic- 
 
 tion of Chriil concerning it, already quoted, was exactly fulfil- 
 led, about forty years afterward ; when Jerufalem was befieg- 
 ed and taken by the Emperor Titus, was pillaged and burnt, 
 
 the. 
 
* : 4 H LST © R Y o ? [£ett. JC I X . 
 
 thf temple completely deftroyed, upwards of one million and 
 «tne hundred thoufaud ot the Jewsdeftroyed by fdmine and the 
 Pvvord, ninety-feven thoufand taken prifoners, the whole na- 
 tion expatria»ed and difperfed , and that the (late of the tern- 
 pie from the year ot Chrifl 70 down to the prefent 802, and 
 of this fcattered, degraded, yet providentially iupported and 
 diftingui(hed people, at this day, are a (landing evidence ot the 
 truth and certainty of the things wherein we have been inftrucl- 
 ed. He is. faithful and true who prom'fes and who threa ens. 
 V When ye '{hall fee Jerufalem compared with armies, then 
 know that the defolation thereofis nigh. Then let them which 
 are in Judea flee to the mountains ; and let th^m whicn are in 
 ihe midfl of it depart out ; and let not them that are in the 
 countries enter thereinto. For the(e be the* d ty ot vengeance, 
 that all things which are written may be fulfilled. And they 
 fhall fall by the edge ot the fword, and lhall be led away cap- 
 tive into all nations : and Jerufalem (hall ne trodden do'vn of 
 the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles he fulfilled. And 
 there (hall be figns in the fun, and in the moon, and in the flars ; 
 and upon the earth diilrefs of nations, with perplexity ; thefea 
 and the waves roaring; men's hearts tailing hem 'or tear, 
 and for looking after thofe things which are coming on the 
 earth : tor the powers of heaven (hall be fhakeri. Verily Hay 
 u.nto you, this generation fhall not pa saway till all be fulfilled. 
 Heaven and earth (hall pifs away ; but my words (hall not pafs 
 away." 
 
 " When therefore he was rifen from the dead, his difciples 
 remembered that he had faid this unto them." Words as they 
 are fpoken, and events as they pafs, frequently make a flight 
 impreffion, but when recalled and fixed by fome ftriking cor- 
 refpondent circumftance, they rufh on the mind like a torrent, 
 and we wonder at our own preceding careleflnefs and inatten- 
 tion. Had the difciples been men quick of apprehenfion, and 
 of eafy belief, the fabrication of a cunningly devifed fable might 
 have been iufpecled : but they were perfons ot a fimplicity ot 
 character that fometimes bordered on flupidity ; they were 
 ** flow of heart to believe ;" they often mifunderflood their 
 matter ; they were ot all mankind the mod unfit to plan and 
 to fupport impoflure. When Jefus fpake ot deflroying and 
 of raiting up again the temple of his body, the Jews wilfully 
 perverted his meaning, and his difciples feern hardly to have 
 marked his words. The greatefl of miracles mud be perform- 
 ed to fuhdue the incredulity of the one, and to roufe the atten- 
 tion of the other. In both we contemplate the wrath and the 
 weakness of man miniftring to the glory oi God. It was meet 
 
 that 
 
Jieft. XIX, -] JESUS CHRIST*. #& 
 
 thati'i* mouth of malignity (hould be flopped, and that th£ 
 truth as it is in Jefus fbould he taught to the world by men- 
 whofe own ignorance had been inltrufted, whofe doubts had 
 been removed, whofe iaith had been eitablifhed. " We ftili- 
 have this treafure in earthen ve.Tels, that the excellency oi the 
 power may be ot God, and not ot us." 
 
 The ref-irrection of Chrift from the dead, therefore, fo clear- 
 ly predi 'ed, and fo exi&ly accomplifhed, fupplies the Chrif- 
 tian world, in every age, with the firmeft bafis of faith, and 
 ■with the pureil lource ot hope and joy. Thp apoflle of the 
 Gentiles, once the mofl violent oppofer of t u 'e facl:, and of the 
 doctrine founded upon it. thus collects the evidence : *' For I 
 delivered unto you firfl of all that which I alio received, how 
 that Chrift died for our fins, according to the fcriptures ; and 
 that he was buried, and that he rofe again the third day, accord- 
 ing to the fcriptures; and that he was feer. ot Cephas, then of 
 the twelve : after that he was feen of above five hundred breth- 
 ren at once ; ot whom the greater part remain unto this pref- 
 ent, biu fome are fallen afleep. After that he was ieen ot 
 James ; then of all the apoftles. And lafl ot all he was feen 
 of me alfo, as of one born out of due time." Paul's reafomng 
 upon the fubj.e£t is conclufive and fatisfa£lory ; it meets the 
 human heart in all its defires and expectations. We refign- 
 ourfelves to the iiroke of death with compofure. We bury 
 our dead out of our fight, without bidding them a final fare- 
 Wf-1, becaufe " the flefh alfo fhall reft in hope." ** For if we 
 believe that Jefus died, and rofe again, even fo them alfo which 
 fleep in Jefus u ill God bring with him." (i This corruptible 
 muft put on incorruption.and this mortal mutt put on immor- 
 tality. So when this corruptible (hall have put on incorrup- 
 tion, and this mortal fhali have put on immortality, then (hall 
 be brought to pafs the faying that is written, death is fwallow- 
 ed up in victory." 
 
 The importance of this do c .lrine, in the fcale of Chriitianity, 
 will warrant our following up the article ot our Lord's hiftory 
 which we have been reviewing to its more remote eflMs and 
 ermfequences. This will accordingly form the fubftance of 
 the following Lecture. 
 
 Thispaffwer arror led occafionof working various other pub. 
 Itc miracles, which are no', enumerated in the facrediecord but 
 whi< h attracted afention, and produced convi6Hon in the minds 
 of many who Paw and heard him. He was now at the metrop-' 
 ©lis ot tie country, and at the feafon of univerfal refort to Je. 
 r.ufalem. Ot 'he multitudes who flocked thither to celebrate 
 the feait ot pafTbver, very many mud have been in ihe habit of. 
 
 fcarching, 
 
$ifl .STORY 3f [Lech 
 
 fearchinsr the Scriptures, and were, with Simeon, " waiting for 
 the confolationof Ifracl,"and with Anna the prpphetefs, "look- 
 ing for redemption in Jerufalem." Perfons of this defcriptiori 
 muff have been forcibly imprefTed with the perfona! appear- 
 ance of Jefus Chrift, with the fingularity of his manner and ad- 
 cfrefs, with the gravity and dignity of his deportment, with the 4 
 authority which he^xercifed in teaching and reproving. His 
 zeal in the purgation of the temple, and the iign which he pro- 
 pofed as the evidence of his million, mull; have been noticed 
 and felt. When thefe proofs of an extraordinary characler 
 were accompanied and fupported by a difplay of miraculous 
 powers, the effect mufl have been what the Evangelift relates °. 
 ** When he was in jerufalem at the pafTover. in the lead-day, 
 many believed in his name when they faw the miracles which' 
 ke did." Nor was this impreiTion confined to vulgar minds, 
 for we prefently find a man high in rank and office bearing tef- 
 timony to Chrid's prophetic character, and to the foundation 
 6n which it refted. " Nicodemus, a pharifee and ruler of the 
 jews, came to Jefus by night, and laid unto him, Rabbi, we 
 know that thou art a teacher come from God : for no man 
 can do thefe miracles that thou doefr,, except God be with him." 
 But the facred hiflorian fuhjoins a reflection rnoff. humiliating 
 to human nature ; for it implies that the underflanding may 
 be enlightened, and the confcience perfectly convinced, and 
 yet the heart remain corrupted and malignant. " Many be- 
 lieved in his name, when they faw the miracles which he did." 
 But the fearcher of hearts difcerned under a found belief, at 
 dangerous, an unfubdued perverfity of difpofition in which he 
 could not confide. " But Jefus did not commit himfelf unto 
 them." In this Chrifi acted as a pattern to his difciples, and 
 conformed himfelf to the doctrine which he taught them. 
 €4 Beware of men : be ye wife as ferpents, and harmlefs as 
 doves." There is an excefs of caution unworthy of a noble 
 and generous mind, which damps exertion and poifons focie- 
 ty. But there is alio an excels of confidence which puts the 
 candid and fin cere in the power oi the crafty and designing. 
 True wifdom fafely conducts its pofleiTor through the channel 
 which divides them. " A prudent man," fays Solomon, " fore- 
 feeth the evil, and hideth himfelf : but the fimple pafs on, and 
 are punifhed." 
 
 *' The chapter concludes with an afcription to Chrift of one 
 of the incommunicable attributes ot Deity, the knowledge of 
 the thoughts of men : " He knew all men, and needed not that 
 any mould teftify of man : for he knew wha* was in man." 
 Of this he had given an illuftrious inftaace in the cafe of Na- 
 than ael # - 
 
JLe£r XIX.] JESUS CHRIST, 217 
 
 thanael, whofe chara&er he clearly difcerned before any per- 
 fonal intercourfe had taken place : " Before that Philip called 
 thee, when thou waft under the fig-tree, I faw thee." Here it 
 is reduced to a general proposition of high moment. " The 
 Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son :" and he is 
 qualified for the difcharge of this all-important office, by a per- 
 fect knowledge not only ol the actions ot a man's life, but of 
 the motives trom which he a&ed, and of the end at which he 
 aimed. May it be engraved on the living table ot our heart, 
 that God " hath appointed a day in the which he will judge 
 the world in righteoufnefs by that man whom he hath ordain- 
 ed ; whereof he hath given afTurance unto all men, in that he 
 4iaxb railed him from the dead." 
 
 D 4L LE CTURE 
 
ei8 history c* [Left. xsC, 
 
 LECTURE XX. 
 
 I CORINTHIANS, XV. 35—44. 
 
 Eutfomt man will fay, How are the dead rah fed up 9 And witk 
 what body do they come ? Thou fool, that which thou /owe ft 
 is not quickened except 'it die. And that which thou fowefi 9 
 thou fowefl not that body that fliall he \ but bare grain, it may 
 chance of *t heat, or of fome other grain : but God givetk it a 
 body as it hath plea fed Him, and to every feed his own body. 
 AUflefti is not the fame fie [h : but there is one kind of jlefh of 
 men, another Jlejli of beajls, another offifhes, and anottier of 
 birds. There are a I jo celeflial bodies, and bodies terrejlrial ; 
 but the glory of the ceieftial is one, and the glory of the terref 
 trial is another. There is one glory of the fun, and another 
 glory of the moon, and another glory of the jlars ; for onejlar 
 differ etk from another far in glory. So alfo is the rejurrec~ 
 Hon of the, dead t it is fown in corruption, it is raifed in in- 
 corruption : it is fown in dijhonour, it is raifed in glory : if 
 is /own in weaknefs, it is raifed in power : it is fown a natur- 
 al body, it is raifed a Ipintual body. There is a natural bo- 
 dy, and there is a jpiritual body. 
 
 AFTER ADMINISTERING THE LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 TO him who believes in the life and immortality which are 
 brought to light by the gofpel ; to him who has the wit- 
 nels of death every day prefented to his eyes, and who feels it 
 continually in his own frame, can it ever be unfeafonable or 
 unprofitable to hear of the ground of his holy faith, of his glo- 
 rious privileges of his exalted hope ? Does the worldling ever 
 tire in calculating his gains, and of reckoning over his hoard ? 
 Is the eugrer heir ever cloyed in contemplating his fair and am- 
 ple expefted inheritance ? When were the praifes, the report- 
 ed fucceffes, wifdom and virtue of a darling child, a burden on 
 the liftening ear of parental afTeclion ? When was the eye fa- 
 tigued in furveying the beautiful and majeftic fabric of nature, 
 or turned away from it with difguft ? Wherefore, then, mould 
 it be apprehended that the difciple of Jefus, who has fled for 
 
 refuge 
 
Lea. XX.J JESUS CHRIST. 219 
 
 redige to the hope fet before him, whofe brighteft profpc&s 
 open beyond the grave, who is rejoicing in the promife of his 
 Matter's coming M the feeond time, without fin, unto falva- 
 tion ;" wherefore fuppofe that fuch a perfon could fay, " What 
 a wearinefs is it !" when the preacher's theme is the complete 
 reftoration of man's fallen nature, the refurrcclion of the body, 
 the perfe6t refemblance of all the members of Chrift to the 
 glorious head, the final and unfading triumph of redeeming 
 Love? No, well-pleafed you withdraw from the purluit of 
 temporal pleafure and profit, from furveying the kingdoms of 
 this world and the glory of them, from contemplating even the 
 more glorious wondeis of the flarry heavens, to expatiate over 
 the blifsful regions of Emanuel's land, to drink of " the pure 
 river of the water of life," to eat of the fruit of the tree of lite, 
 to'feaft on the promife of ''new heavens and a new earth, 
 wherein dwelleth righteoufnefs," where there i^ no more death, 
 where the curfe is not known, where God himfelf {hall wipe 
 away all tears from all eyes. 
 
 Previous to the breaking of bread, in commemoration of our 
 Saviour's dying love to perifhing Tinners, we were led to med- 
 itate on the final confummation which the ordinance has di- 
 rectly in view. ' As ofren as ye eat this bread, and drink this 
 cup, ye do fhew the Lord's death till he come ;" an event 
 which involves in i:felf the fate of angels and of men ; an event 
 which Hia.ll exhibit the grancleft difplay of the divine power 
 and wifdom, of juftire, goodnefs and truth ; an event which is 
 at once the objed of juff terror, and the pureft fource of joy. 
 One, and that not the lea ft imerefting, confideration connetted 
 with the profpe£t of that «• great and notable day of the Lord,*' 
 is that which conftitutes the fubjett of the apoftle's reafoning 
 in the paflage which has been now read, namely, the refurrec- 
 tion of the dead. The ground of belief refpefting this is the 
 truth anrl certainty of Chriit's redirection, on the third day af- 
 ter his paflion, conformably to frequently repeated, well-known, 
 and minutely particular predictions relpecling this illuftrious 
 event. Thefe were the fubject of the preceding Leclure. " Je- 
 fus and the refurre^t ion," were the great theme of Paul's preach- 
 ing at learned Athens, and of his epiftles to the churches, par- 
 ticularly to the Corinthians, in this chapter. This is the fure 
 foundation which God hath laid in Zion, and lo, What a ffruc- 
 ture is Providence rearing upon it ! 
 
 The apoftle introduces an unbenever cavilling at the doc- 
 trine of the refurreclion, and triumphantly demandng, as one 
 defying all pofTibility of reply, M How are the<dead raifed up? 
 and with what body do they come ?" Grafping at mere phan- 
 toms 
 
£J0 HISTORY ©P [L \ 'T* 
 
 toms of worldly hope, credulous as children in admitting tf the, 
 unreal mockery" oi a heated imagination, men doubt and dif- 
 believe only when the God of truth fpeaks ; they are Carelefs 
 only where their fpiritual andeverlaftinginterefts are con rern* 
 ed: they r.ejecl that which reafon and religion concur to prove, 
 which the conflitution and frame of nature, in her unceafing 
 reproductions, ilamp with ftriking marks oi probability, and 
 which a revelation from heaven has rendered infallible. The- 
 objection of infidelity proceeds on the fuppofition that there 
 is nothing apparent in the fyftem Gf the Univerfe which is an- 
 alogous to the refurreclion of the body ; that it is inconfiftent 
 with all knowledge and experience. Theapoftle goes on to*. 
 demon urate that this change, wonderful as it is, has its coun- 
 terpart in nature, and is perfectly confident with appearances 
 which fall every day under every man's obfervation, and whick % 
 are level to every human capacity.- He refers the infidel to the. 
 univerfally known and underftood progrefs of vegetation, which. 
 is a conftant representation of death and the rpfurre&ion, of 
 corruptibility and corruption. One of the mod obvious and, 
 ordinary operations in hufbandry daily pre fents the image oi 
 this great my ilery of godlinefs. The (eed t O man, which, 
 thou called into. the ground, is furrendered to lofs, to putre- 
 faction, to death. It difappears? it feems for ever gone, its 
 form and fubftance, all, all is diflblved. No, Sir, it dies but to, 
 be quickened. Indeed it could not have been quickened, unlefs, 
 it had died. What dropped into the earth, a (ingle, folitary grain, 
 fprings up out of it, incieafed thirty, fixty, a hundred told. 
 Had the little feed never known corruption, where would 
 have been that goodly tree laden with golden fruit ? It fell nar- 
 ked into the ground ; it rifes thence clothed with a new, ver- 
 dant, tranfparent covering. It every day unfolds fome latent 
 beauty, it affumes a more majeftic form, it expands an unknown, 
 excellence. Its temporary deftru&ion is its perennial eftab<- 
 liihment. 
 
 '' So alfo is the refurre&ion of the dead." The body was 
 emaciated by difeafe, it withered by reafon of age, it was loft 
 in the grave, it became a mafs of corruption. But does it fol- 
 low that it mall remain forever a prey to corruption ? Does 
 it follow, that it fhall rife again with the felf-fame qualities 
 which it foimerly poifefled ? No, it is the glory of God not to 
 raifeup again weaknefs, mortality, corruption; but out of weak- 
 nefs to raife power, to clothe corruption with incorruption, to 
 fw allow up mortality of life- But how is this done ? I cannot 
 tell. O man. " thou knoweft not what is the way of the fpir- 
 it, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with 
 child : even fo thou knowefl not the works of God who mak- 
 
 eth 
 
Left* X X J JESWS CHRI ST. i n 
 
 eth ail." Who is able to trace and to defcribe the common 
 procefs of vegetable nature ? Where is the man that prefumes 
 to explain that whicl is lead . ? Is it any wonder, then, that 
 limited faculties are loft in the inveltigation ot that which i\ A 
 greatefl ? Can the clown tell how the handful ot "' bare grain" 
 -which he (cattered along the fur face ot the ground, has been 
 transformed into a multitude of flaHy, fair and fragrant plants ? 
 No and neither can the phiiofopher. But the fimpleft clown 
 is a phi. Gopher too enlightened to doubt, or to difbelieve 
 what tmtorm obfervation and experience have confirmed to 
 him- He is t>.o wife to fufpend \he operations of his ufeful 
 and neceflary art, till he has difcovered the how and the where- 
 fore ot it. Can the philofopher then arrogate to himfelf the 
 pr3:fe of w:fdom 3 whorefufes the information, and denies him- 
 felf the confolations of Chnftianity, becaufe lie cannot pene- 
 trate into every my if ery, refolve every difficulty, and difpel 
 all the obfcurity which it prefents ? What one r..-t or fcience 
 has been carried to i is higheft pofhbie perfection ? Do men 
 therefore neglect to avail themfelves of '.he progrefs which has 
 been made in fcience ?• And (hall the mod profound ot all fci- 
 ences. but which has, of all others, been moil fuccefsfuily in- 
 vefligated, whofe djfcoveries are more tar in number, and in 
 their nature infinitely more important than all therefl.be laugh-, 
 ed to icorn, be defpifed and rejected, becaufe it prefents V. fome 
 things hard to be understood," becaufe fome of its grander 
 difcoveries are referved to a future exhibition, becaufe there 
 are ** times and feafons." interpolations, relations and depen- 
 dencies " which the Fa h^r hath put in his own power." 
 
 Again, ' k God," it is laid, f* giveth to every feed his own 
 body." " Thou fool," argues' St. Paul, "that which thou 
 fbwefL is not quickened except it die. And that which thou 
 foweft, thou ipweft not that tody that fhali b?, but bare 
 grain, it may chance of wheat, or of fome other grain: But 
 God giveth, it a body as it hath pleafed him, and. to every iced 
 his own body." This implies, that the change produced by 
 the refurreel ion is not arbitrary or contingent, but eftablifhed 
 by a certain law, conformably to the nature and qualities of 
 each diftinclfpecies. What was wheat, continues to be wheat, 
 after it has rifen again. What was any other kind of grain, 
 when calf into the earth, rifes up that fell-fame kind of grain, 
 and no other. The individual fybflance is indeed changed, 
 but the eflential properties, the fpecific and ditfinguiflimg 
 qualities remain. The fame vital principle animates it in ev- 
 ery iiate ; when it fprung up in the germ of the parent feed ; 
 when it became naked, dry grain , when it lay buried under 
 
 the 
 
t*S HISTORY OF [Left. XX* 
 
 the clod; when it mouldered away and died, and when k 
 itarted up again in all the vigour and frefhnefs of a new life. 
 Doth not man, in like manner, in his body, in his mind, in his 
 condition, undergo revolutions equally obvious, equally im- 
 preflive, and yet continue always the lame ? He poflefles lite 
 and motion long before he begins to breathe ; he lives, moves 
 and breathes Jong before he begins to reflect and reafon. The 
 dawnings of his reafon are not greatly fuperior to the inftinfts 
 of fome of the brute creation. Arrived, at length, at fulnefs of 
 ilature and of underftanding, his faculties, like the tide at lull, 
 are inftantly on the decline. Accident deftroys them, vice 
 deranges, difeale impairs, age waftes them. All the while it 
 was one and the fame being who ftruggled in the womb, who 
 crawled in infancy, who tottered in childhood, who flew on 
 the wings of the wind in youth who ftately walked in the 
 majefty of manhood, who again ftooped, bended, tottered, crept 
 under the prefTure of old age, who funk in death It was the 
 felf-fame individual who now blazed in all the luftre of tal- 
 ents, itation and fuccefs, who ftrutted the envy and wonder of 
 mankind, and who now moped and blinked in premature Sec- 
 ond childifhnefs, the pity and fcorn of the world. Explain to 
 me wherein confided the famenefs which ran through all the 
 fucceMive changes of a fhort and tranfitory life of threefcore 
 years and ten, and you will teach yourfelf to conceive what it 
 is that coniiitutes the identity of that which was fown M a 
 natural body," and which (hall be raifed " a fpiritual body." 
 
 Inftead of vainly attempting to account for xhe famenefs, is 
 it not rather the pait of wifdom to -contemplate, and endeav- 
 our to improve the difference of the one trom the other, as 
 it (lands difplayed in the perfon of Chrift the fir ft- fruits, 
 ©•n the ha llowed page of infpiration ? The temple of his body 
 was both before and after his paflion free from (lain and blem- 
 ifh ; but every other human frame has in it radical pollution 
 and corruption. It is earthly, a mafs of clay, taken from the 
 earth, dependant upon it, chained down to it,, and ready to be 
 {wallowed up of it again. Itfiallbe heavenly, fpiritual, impaf- 
 live ; endowed with the capacity of moving with the expedi- 
 tion of thought, the celeftial vehicle of an immortal fpirit, a- 
 dapted to the vigour and activity of that fpirit, fubfervient to 
 its will, on the wing at pleafure up to its native feat, with the 
 velocity of lightning in the eaft, at the weft, according as the 
 command of the Moft High, or the defire of (urveying his 
 ways and his works may determine the choice. Roufed by 
 that voice which awakens the dead, behold the human body- 
 arrayed in light ; it attempts a region, itmingles with elements 
 
 untried 
 
left. XXj JESUS CHRIST. rsg 
 
 untried before ; it fpurns the tomb, it mounts on high, it fprings 
 up " to meet the Lord in the air," it mixes with angels, it 
 checks the afpiring flight, and prefents the firft-iruits of eter- 
 nal blifs before thethrone, it joins with adoration, love and joy 
 in the fong of the Lamb : " Thou waff flaiivand haft redeem- 
 ed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, 
 and people, and nation ; and h^ft made us unto our God kings 
 and priefts ; worthy is the Lamb that was flain to receive pow- 
 er, and riches, and wifdom, and ftrength, and honour, and 
 glory, and bleffing :" '* blefling, and honour, and glory, and 
 power, be unto Him that fitteth upon the throne, and unto the 
 Lamb, lor ever and ever." 
 
 It is now a vile body ; compofed of grofs elements, fubfift- 
 ing on grofs aliment, fubjeclcd to the fame laws which govern 
 the beafts that perifh. It may be rendered loathfome by floth, 
 by infirmity, by difeafe, by vice, by death. The lovelieit 
 form is in one hour fo altered, fo disfigured, that we are oblig- 
 ed to turn from it with horror and averfion. Abraham muft 
 haften to bury his Sarah out of his fight. Remove that tranf- 
 parent veil of (kin which the hand of nature has fo curiouily 
 fpread over the linews and the fleuY and what a frightful fpec- 
 tre inftantly appears I Imagination fhrinks from the hideous 
 apparition. It fhall rife a glorious body, compofed of the pur- 
 er elements which fly upward, living on incorruptible food, a 
 pellucid wall of fire through which every emotion of the foul is 
 distinctly viQhle but which no fword of the adverfary can pene- 
 trate, unfufceptible of wound, unfufceptible of depreffion, of 
 wearinefs, of pain, ot decay. In this world of wo the body 
 has a glory not belonging to it, a glory that is its difgrace, its 
 xnifery ; the unnatural, ruinous glory of holding the immortal 
 fpirit in thraldom, of leading its fovereign, captive at its will,. 
 of bending the heaven-born mind to the ignominious drudgery 
 of the fleih. In the world of blifs, the real order of nature 
 fhall be reftored, the fpirit fhall refume its juft empire, the 
 body (hall be inverted with its proper glory, ihall defcend into 
 its fubordinate ilation ; fhall feel its higheft gratification in be- 
 coming the miniftering fervant of intelligence, of rectitude, of 
 benignity. 
 
 That we may not feem all this while to have been retailing 
 a fond man's dream, we recur to the hiffory o\ the wonderful 
 changes which the bodies of fome men have already under- 
 gone, and from which we may conclude what future changes, 
 through the almighty power of God, the human frame is ca- 
 pable of undergoing. " By faith Enoch was tranflated that he 
 fiiould not fee death : and was not found, becaufe God had 
 
 trarrf 
 
i#| HISTORY of [Lefe; xx 5 
 
 tranfiated him i" Vis body, without being refol ved into its 
 principles, without tailing death, was quickened into new-nets 
 of life, and entered into the kingdom ot heaven without palling 
 through the grave. Motes (ubfifted for forty days together in 
 the mount with God, and neither did "eat nor drink. On his 
 cefcent, the (kin of his face flione, fo as to dazzle the eyes, ot' 
 the beholder, and to render the interpofition ot a veil neceffa- 
 ry. At the age of one hundred and twenty years, M his eye 
 was not dim nor his natural force abated*" Altera lapfe of, 
 fifteen centuries he revifitedour earth in a glorious form, to do 
 homage on the mount of transfiguration. Elijah undifmayed 
 mourns on fiery wheels to meet his God. His body, in an in- 
 ftarit of time, acquires the power of refilling, ot repelling the 
 flame, or becomes affirm lated to it, and burns unconfumed. 
 The three children of the captivity fall down bound in the 
 niidfl of the burning fiery furnace, but arife and walk through 
 the flames uninjured. Paul is " caught up to the third heav- 
 en," carried out of himfelt, tranf ported into Paradife, and made 
 to hear c ' unfpeafcable words, which it is not lawful for a man 
 to utter." 
 
 But even thofe iliuftrious inftagc es " have no glory, by rea- 
 fon ot the glory that excelleth." The glory to be conferred on 
 every believer's vile body is, that it ** (hall be fafhioned like 
 unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he 
 is able even to fubdue all things unto himfelf." Let us, therer 
 fore, take our ideas of the future '* exceeding and eternal weight 
 of glory," from what we know it was in him. What muf£ 
 have been the majefly of his perfon, and the dignity of his de* 
 portment when he expelled the profaners of the temple, and 
 they anfwered him never a word ? With what energy and elo- 
 quence muff he haveexprefled himfelf, when a multitude un- 
 der the influence of violent prejudice againft him, overcome 
 by force oftruth, exclaimed, •' Never man fpakelike this man." 
 Behold him ic the midft of the fea ; the yielding waves become 
 a pavement of adamant under his feet. He fpeaks the word, 
 and the wind ceafes to rage, and the tempeft fuhfides into a 
 calm. Mofes eadured, fupported a fail of forty days and 
 forty nights in communion with God ; Jeius underwent 
 a fimilar period of abflinence in the wilderneis, being 
 tempted of the devil. Mark that band of ruffians, afTembled 
 to apprehend him in the garden : they are loft to decency, 
 loft to (hame ; they are ready to rufli upon their prey : He ar- 
 rays himfelf in mildnefs, he (imply demands, ■• Whom feek 
 ye ?" They inftantly feel how awful goodnefs is, they fhrink 
 from theluftre of his eye. ■ When with native, irrefiftible maj- 
 efly 
 
jjB&.'xV] JESUS CHRIST. S2& 
 
 eily he meets the inquiry,*' lam he," they went backward, and 
 fell to the ground. 
 
 Such was the glory of that facred body while as yet it had 
 notinvefted itfelf with immortality ; while as yet it was liable 
 to pain, and forrow, and death. But he difplaycd an anticipa- 
 ted view, even in a ftate ot humiliation, of that fplendor which 
 he could aflurne and lay down at pleafure. On Tabor his whole 
 form was altered ; " his face did mine as the Tun, and his rai- 
 ment was white as the light.'* This however was to undergo 
 an eclipfe. The fcripture mud be fulfilled which faith, " His 
 vifage was Co marred more than any man, and his form more 
 than the fons of men." ' But afier the refurreclion from the 
 dead, this occafional and tranfient glory, became permanent 
 and immutable. Behold, he burfts afnnder the bars of the 
 grave. On the third day he raifes up again the temple which 
 the hands of wicked men had deftroyed. Earth and heaven 
 feel and acknowledge a prefent Deity. The fons of light de- 
 fcend from their thrones to announce his revival, to minilter 
 at his feet. The folid globe is thrown into eonvulfions. "There 
 was a great earthquake : for the angel of the Lord defcended 
 from heaven, and came and rolled back the (tone from the 
 door, and fat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, 
 and his raiment white as mow : and for fear of him the keep- 
 ers did (hake, and became as dead men" Early in the morn- 
 ing of the firft day, he appears unto Mary, but " her eyes were 
 holden tha r . fhe mould not know him ;" fhe fuppofes him to 
 be the gardener, and in the bitternefs of her foul exclaims : 
 *' Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou haft 
 laid him, and I will take him away." In the twinkling of an 
 eye, his voice, his appearance changes, and as his lips pro- 
 nounce, in their well-known accent, the name of Mary, he 
 ilands confefTed to the a&onifhed mourner as her Lord and 
 her God. 
 
 At a more advanced period of that fame day, we behold him 
 on the road which leadeth from Jerufalem to Emmaus, on 
 which he found two of his difciples, " talking together of all 
 thefe things which had happened." He joins himfelf to them, 
 as they walked on their way in fadnefs. He enters into con- 
 verfation with them ; he expounds to them the Scriptures con- 
 cerning himfelf. They are deeply affecled, they are edified, 
 their hearts burn within them, as he talks with them by the 
 way, and while he opens to them the Scriptures. But all the 
 while his body is concealed under a veil through which their 
 eyes cannot pierce. In a moment the veil is withdrawn, as 
 he blsiTes the bread, breaks it, and gives it to them ; they re- 
 
 E e cognize 
 
£26 history of 1 [Left, xx% 
 
 cognize their much-lamented, greatly-beloved Mafter, he has 
 refumed his form, and in an Iriftant difappears : Their eyes 
 were opened, and they knew him ; and he vanifhed out of 
 their fighr. 
 
 In the evening of that fame memorable firft day of the week, 
 the eleven and their companions heinc* alTemblea to worfhip, 
 and the doors carefully (hut tor fear of the Jews, lo, he is in 
 the midft of them, fpeaking and difpenfing peace. And yet it 
 is the fame body which was crucified. It bears the print of the 
 nails whith pierced his hands and his feet. His fide prefents 
 the fear of the wound inflicted by the foldier's fpear. But that 
 celeftial body is no longer fubjeel to the laws of matter. Walls 
 of ftbne can neither exclude nor confine a fpiritual fubflance. 
 Gates and bars have no power of coercion, they are pafled' 
 without being opened. Behold the fTrft-fruits of them that 
 ileep. Behold the proof, the pledge, the model of the refur- 
 reel ion from the dead. Behold the glory which awaits all the 
 redeemed of the Lord, in that day when he maketh up his 
 jewels;- 
 
 Let us take one glimpfe more of the Saviour's glorified body. 
 See, he leads out his wondering, delighted train as far as to 
 Bethany, " feen of above five hundred brethren at once ;" he 
 lifts up his fcands and blefies them ; " and it came to pafs, while 
 he bleffed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into 
 heaven." Into this bleffed image, Believer in Chrifi Jefus, 
 thou art going to be transformed, That feeble body which 
 ibmetimes can with difficulty creep to the houfe of prayer, to 
 a communion table, " (hall mount up with wings as eagles/' 
 fhall behold the itars under its feet,fha!i range through unboun- 
 ded fpace, fhall afcend into the heaven of heavens, fhall afib- 
 ciate with the Cherubim and with the Seraphim, with the bo- 
 dies and fpirits of jufl men made pertea, " fhall with open 
 face, beholding as in a glafs the glory of the Lord, be changed 
 into the fame imag^, from glory to glory, even as by the fpirit 
 Of the Lord." 8'uch, Chriftian, is the end of thy faith, the fal- 
 vation of the foul, the redemption of the body from the grave. 
 Such is the fruit" of the love ot God, the efrecl of Chrifi's death, 
 the opera-ion of the Holy Spirit. " Beloved, now are we thd 
 ions ot God ; and it doth not yet appear what we fhall be : but 
 we know that, when lie {hall appear, we fhall be like him ; for 
 we fhall lee him as he is." 
 
 The apoflle fuggeils another very intere fling idea on the fub- 
 ject ot the relurre&ion. The children of the refurreclion mall 
 all be glorious, but the glory ot all is not the fame : for as in 
 the natural world, " there is one kind of Hem of men, another 
 
 flefh 
 
Lett, xx.] j e s u s en r i ST. 
 
 fern of beafts, another of fifties, and another of birds ; ?, as there 
 are bodies celeftial and bodies terreftrial, each Inverted with its 
 peculiar and appropriate glory and excellency, as •« there is 
 one glory of the fun, and another glory of the moon, and ano- 
 ther glory of the fiars ; for one flar differeth from another ftar 
 in glory. So alio is the refurreftion of the dead." Next to 
 the uniformity and regularity which pervade the fyftern of the 
 oniyerfe, the diverfity and variety of the productions of nature, 
 and of the ways of Providence, claim our attention and excite 
 our admiration. To this diverfity the field and the foreft. the 
 fragrant earth and. the Harry heavens are indebted for all their 
 beauty; Hence the brute creation derives Utility and import- 
 ance, and human'fociety its being and comfort. Under the ad- 
 dition of another orb fimilar to that which illumines and ani- 
 mates the world, nature would be opprefled, and mourn, and 
 expire. Withdraw that fingle little moon, that fpec.k in crea- 
 tion, that mere attendant mini Iter on our globe, and what a 
 blank, is left in the iy Item, what myriads are rendered corn, 
 ■fortlefs, how the harmony is deftroyed ! Countleis as various 
 are the liars in the firmament ; but the fubtraction, the tranf- 
 pofition. the accelerated or retarded motion of one of the leaft 
 of them would unhinge the general frame, unfettle the balance, 
 and introduce contuhon. But arranged as they are, counter- 
 polled, Curtained by the arm of Omnipotence, every one lends 
 its portion of "Strength, beauty and liability to the whole. Each 
 orb reflects lultre on its oppolite ; an harmonious difcord be- 
 comes productive of perfect union; every thing differs, and 
 yet every thing agrees. In the prefent imperfect jlate of the 
 moral world? we muft not look for the harmonious variety 
 which reigns in the kingdom of nature. Society prefents not 
 only variety of rank, of talents, of poflefhons, but differences 
 of opinion, oppofitions of intereft, the fermentation of paflions. 
 Offences will come, peace cnufl be difturbed, blood mult flow. 
 But in the reCurreciion of the dead the harmonies of grace (hall 
 correfjond to thole of nature, for univerfal nature (hall be un- 
 der the dominion of love. ■'* Chrnl -loved the Church, and 
 gave himfelf for rf ; that he might fmctify and cleanfe it with 
 the wafhing of water by the word ; that he might prefent it to 
 himfelf a glorious church, not having fpot, or wrinkle, or any 
 fuch thing ; but that it lhould be holy, and without blemilh." 
 From what has been laid, let us, 
 
 I. BleCs God for the clear light in which this all-important 
 doctrine is placed. The evidence of it pours into the eye, 
 ruflies into the heart every flop we take. As often as we walk 
 QUt into the corn-field, we have the irsagc of death and of the 
 
 reCurreciion 
 
2# KCTCRY C [Lea. XX. 
 
 xefurrecllon of the dead. The hufbandman call in the feed 
 ;hat it might die, that it might fee corruption. The fight or 
 the fpringing grain allures us that he fowed in hope, and that 
 his hope maketh him not afhamed. "So alfo is the refurrec- 
 tion of the dead." "Every time the epicure fits down to a feaft, 
 he has in the dainties oi his table a reprefentation of the varie- 
 ties which the day oi the renovation of all things {hall difplay." 
 Every time that the contemplative man*' confiders the heav- 
 ens, the work oi God's fingers, the moon and the ftars which 
 he ha'h'crdained," he perceives an image oi the future glory of 
 the redeemed, " As one fkr differeth" from another ftar in 
 glory, fo alfo is the refurre£tion of the dead." The wearinefs , 
 and wading oi' the bodily vigour throws the human frame" 
 night by night into the femblance oi death ; the frefhnefs of 
 the dawn reftores it to newnefs of lite ; " fo alfo is the refur- 
 rection oi the dead/' " them that fleep in Jefus will God bring 
 with him," " Why fhould it bethought a thing incredible witfe 
 you that God fhould "raife the dead ?". Was not that {lately 
 oak once a dry acorn ?. Was not that gorgeous bird of a thou- 
 fand radiant colours enclofed in a putrid {hell ? Did not that 
 wonder of every eye, or every ear, once crawl a poor helplefs 
 reptile? How grievoufly do men err, "not knowing the Scrip- 
 tures and the power oi God." 
 
 2. The doctrine has a happy tendency to reconcile the mind 
 to the profpetl of our own diiTolution. The body, the objecl 
 of fo much anxiety and attention, is after all but a flimfy gar- 
 ment, of feeble texture, and oi perifhable materials. And is it 
 indeed fuch a mortification to lay down an old, rufty, galling 
 armour, and go to reft at eafe, when the labours and dangers ot 
 a hard warfare are at an end? Is it fo very humiliating to part 
 with worn-out raiment, with filthy rags, to exchange them for 
 robes of immortality ? This is the profpecf which the refurrec* 
 tion opens to the Chriflian's hope. This is the change which 
 pa {fed upon Jofhua the high prieft in prophetic vifion,the em- 
 blem ot 'final deliverance, ot unfading glory. " Now Jofhua 
 was clothed with filthy garments, and flood before the angel. 
 And he anfwered and fpake unto thofe that flood before him, 
 faying, take away the filthy garments from him. And unto 
 him he faid, Behold, I have caufed thine iniquity to pafs from 
 thee, and I will clothe thee with change oi raiment. And I 
 faid, let them fet a fair mitre upon his head. So they fet a fair 
 mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And 
 the angel of the Lord flood by." Thefe are words which de- 
 ferve to be written, to be printed in a book, to be graven with 
 an iron pen and lead, in the rock for ever : H I know that my 
 
 redeemer 
 
■. ,aX*J JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 redeemer liveth, and that he (hall ftand at the larfer day upon 
 (he earth : and though after my fkin, worms deftroy this body, 
 yet in my flefh (hall I fee God , whom I fhall fee for my felt, 
 and mine eyes fhall behold, and not another ; though my reins 
 be confumed within me." 
 
 3. M I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, con- 
 cerning them which are afleep, that ye forrownot, even as otfu 
 ers which have no hope." You have been called, it may be, 
 to bury out of your light what was once youth and beauty, tal- 
 ents and virtue, wifdom and piety. But thefe were, on earth, 
 neceflarily blended with weaknefs and imperfection. That 
 weakness and imperfecupn remain in the giavc, never to rife 
 again. What are the Iranfient youth and fading beauty ot this 
 world ? What are the (a^erus and the virtues of the wifefl and 
 the bed of men, con^pareg 10 ;he celeftial radiance, the immor- 
 tal vigor, the unfullicd .purity, the fublime wifdom of beings 
 fhining in their Redeemer's [ikenefs ! Were it in your pow- 
 er, could you fin 1 in your heart, to bring back a beloved child, 
 a friend dear to you as your own foul, to a fiate of depreffion, 
 and pain, and forrow ? No, the bitternefs of death is pad. 
 The lalt enemy ruth done his worff. They were flrlt ready ; 
 They have reached home belore us. Therefore, 
 
 4. *' Be ye not flothful, but followers of them who, through 
 faith and patience, inherit the promifes." Be conflantly aim- 
 ing at higher degrees of moral and intelleHual excellence ; at 
 thofe qualities which, though ot little effimation in the eyes of 
 men, are in the fight of God of great price, and conftitute the 
 glory of the kingdom of heaven. Be filen^Iy, unoftentatioul- 
 ly adding, " with all diligence, to your faith, virtue ; "and to 
 virtue, knowledge ; and to knowledge, temperance; and to 
 temperance, patience ; and to patience, gorilinefs ; and to god- 
 tinefi, brotherly kindnef?, and to brotherly kindnefs, charity. 
 Por it thetc things be in you, and abound, they make you that 
 ye fhall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of 
 our Lord'Jefus Chrift." " Finally, brethren, whdttover things 
 are 1 t/iie, whatfoever things are hone ft, whatfoever things are 
 julf, whatsoever things are pure, whatfoever things are lovely, 
 -whatfoever things are of good" report ; if there be any virtue, 
 and if there be any praife, think on thefe things :" Seeing that 
 xn'thercfurreclion, thole " whoHeep in the duff of the earth 
 fhall awake. — and they that be wifeihall ihine as the brightnei* 
 ot the firmament ; and tfiey that turn many to rigliteoulnefs as 
 the flars forever and even" 
 
 LECTURE 
 
history or [Left. xxi. 
 
 LECTURE XXL 
 
 J-OHN, IV. 46-^4, 
 
 So Jefus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made ike 
 water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whofe fort 
 tvasjick at Capernaum, when he heard that Je/us was come: 
 cut of Judea into Galilee he went unto him, and be fought him, 
 that he would come down and heal his Jon : for he was at the 
 point of death. Then f aid Jefus unto him, except yejcefigns 
 and wonders ye will not believe. The nobleman Jaith unte 
 him^fir, come down ere my child die. Jefus Jaith unto him, 
 go thy way, thy fan 'ivcth. And the man believed the word 
 that J Jus hadfboken unto him, and he went his way. And 
 as he was now going down his fcrvants met him, and told him, 
 Jaying, thy J on livcth. Then inquired he oj them the hour 
 when he began to amend. And they fa?d unto him, yeflerday 
 at the feventh hour the Jever left him. So the Father knew 
 that it was at the fame hour in the which Jefus Jaid untohi?n 9 
 thy Jon Iweth ; and himfelf believed, and /its whole houfe*. 
 This is again the /econdmiraclt that J Jus did., when he was 
 come out of Judea into Galilee. 
 
 HP HE moll ferlous bufinefTes of human life malcebut a lorry 
 ■*■ figure when they come to be recorded, Interefting to 
 the individual, and for the moment, they awaken no general 
 concern, and become to the parties themfelves, when the mo- 
 ment is paft, " trifles light as air." The avidity with which 
 frefh journals are read is a perfect, contrail to the indifference 
 with which they are treated on the fecond or the third day. 
 Let a man fit down to write the hiflory of his own life ; let him 
 be the bufieft and mod important of perfonages, and what has 
 he got to relate ? A meagre account of the miles he travelled, 
 of the bargains he drove, of the fpeftacles he beheld, of the 
 viands which covered his table, and of the guefls who f ur.ro u.nd- 
 ed it. Into this little meafure fhrink the achievements of the 
 great, the fplen&or, pomp and pride of Jcings, as well as the 
 /hort and " Gmple annals of the poor." When the pageant 
 has patted by, it is as a vifcon of the night, it vanifhes into air, 
 
 it 
 
Left. XXI. j JESUS CHRIST. i$t 
 
 it leaves no track behind. In vain is the monumental column- 
 reared. The hand of time erafes the infcription, fhakes the 
 fabric, crumbles it into duft. In vain does Hiftory piomife 
 to fave from oblivion, and to confer immortality. The author, 
 his work, his fubjecl, the very language in which he wrote, ali 
 perifh. 
 
 Neverthelefs there are illuftrious exceptions. There have 
 been perfons whofe names are dear to every fucceeding gen- 
 eration, and who (hall be had in everlafting remembrance ; 
 who were engaged in purfuits of endlefs utility, and produc- 
 ing events which (hall never fpend their force. And there is 
 a record which furvives the iapfe of ages, the ravages of bar- 
 barifm, the revolutions of empire, and which {hall outlive the 
 di Ablution ot worlds. There we contemplate the deathlefs 
 glory of the venerarde benefactors of mankind, who " being 
 dead, yet fpeak," who were and are the light of the world. 
 All thofe fcattered rays of light are collected into one foca! 
 rfoint.in theperfon ot JelusChrift'. " To him give all the proph- 
 ets witnefs ;" "all the promifes of God in him are yea, and in. 
 him amen, unto the glory ot God ;" — " the nations ot them 
 Which are faved walk in his light, and the kings ©1 the earth do 
 bring their glory and honour into it." 
 
 In the bufieft and molt active life there are long and fre- 
 quent intervals of repofe. Much muft be allowed to human 
 infirmity both of body and mind ; the fpirit may be willing, 
 but the flelh is weak. One life alone difplays an inceffrnt 
 progrefs in doing good ; no word idly fpoken, no moment un- 
 profitably fpent, no ftep unneceflarily taken. The night itfelf 
 is made a feafon of devotion, the hour ot focial ref refitment be- 
 comes an occafion of communicating ufetul knowledge, a 
 walk into the corn-fields or by the more ot the lea, a journey 
 from city to city, an afcent into the mountain, all are facred to 
 one commanding object, the glory of God and' the good of man- 
 kind, the inilru&ion ot the ignorant, the pardon of the guilty,, 
 the relief of the miferable. 
 
 The folemnities of the paiTover being finifhed, Jefus, accord- 
 ing to the wifdom which directed all his proceedings, thought 
 it proper to retire from Jerufalem, and to return into Galilee. 
 The road lay through Samaria. The inhabitants of that coun- 
 try, though defcended from the fame ftock with the Jews, and 
 once members together with them of the commonwealth of 
 Ifrael, were now cordially hated and defpifed by them. But 
 they potteded the fame u lively oracles of God," they looked 
 tor the fame Median promifed to their common fathers, and 
 they gladly received the word when it came unto them. The 
 
 great 
 
insfoR? or [Le£L xxr. 
 
 great Prophet whom they ekpeaed takes this opportunity of 
 paying them a vifit; they acknowledge him,, and believe on 
 his name. Having continued with them two days, (owing 
 the precious feed, expounding horn Moles and all the proph- 
 ets, ina] I the Scriptures.the things concerning himfelf, and thus 
 extending the boundaries of the kingdom ot God, he purfued 
 itls journey to G-aliiee, and returned '• to Cana. where he made 
 the water wine.". Befsde his general and leading ©bjecr, to 
 preach the gofpel ot the kingdom, he might intend, by revifit- 
 ing that city, to exprefs the affe&ion of a kind relation to the 
 new- married pair who refided there to ftrengthen their union 
 by his benediction, by his counlel, by participating in .their 
 domeftic cares and comforts, and to confirm them and the 
 other inhabitants of the place in the faith which they had pro- 
 filed. . , 
 
 It was fo ordered of Providence that at the time of his return 
 & diflinguimed family in the neighbouring town of Capernaum 
 was vifited with a fore affliction. " There was a certain no- 
 bleman, whole fon was fick at Capernaum." The wordtranf- 
 Tated ?icbleman fignihes courtier, one employed near the per- 
 ion, or in the fervice of a king. Herod was but a delegated 
 and limited fo'vereign : " Tetrarch of Galilee," that is govern- 
 or, under the Roman emperor, of the fourth part of a province. 
 But he was permitted to affume the title and ftate ot king, 
 becaufe it fwelled the pride of the imperial defpot to lord it 
 over many fubordinate and dependant thrones. Capernaum 
 being within the limits of Herod's government, he no doubt 
 occafionally refided in that city, and there probably at this 
 time held his court ; and the nobleman in queflion might ei- 
 ther officially or from affe&ion be in atendance upon his maf- 
 ter. But the vicinity ot a court, and the rank ot nobility, are 
 no fecurity againft the inroads of difeafe and death, for they 
 too are tainted with fin, The danger ot lofing a child excites 
 a.thoufand anxieties in the bofom of a parent, whatever be the 
 Nation or condition. There are innumerable circumfiances 
 which level ail diitinclions. The honourable feelings of hu- 
 manity are of this defcription, parental and filial affection, with 
 the kindred charities of the human heart, fympathy with the 
 ciilrefTed, and a defireto afTift and relieve them : fhefe confti- 
 tiUe a dignity, a nobility which God alone can befi'ow, and 
 which the air of a court tends rather to blight than to cherifh. 
 This good man however has not funk the father in the courtier. 
 Anxiety about the life of his child fufpends the pride of rank, 
 the duties of office, the etiquette of nobility. " When he 
 heard that Jefus was come out of Judea into Galilee he wen! 
 
 unto 
 
'LecVxxiJ Jesus -chrism. 533 
 
 unto him, and belought him that he would come down and 
 heal his Ton : for he was at the point of death." 
 
 " A city ftiat is fet on an hill cannot be hid." The fame of 
 Jefus was now fpread over the whole land. When he came 
 back from Jerufalem to Galilee, •* the Galileans received him, 
 having feen all the things that he did at Jeiufalem at the feaft : 
 for they alfo went unto the feaft." The report which they 
 made at home, ot his mighty works, as well as of his conde- 
 fcenfion and benevolence, had reached the ears of the great, 
 and excited attention. We fondly liften to what promifes 
 eafe ; we grafp the very fhadows ot probability, and trequent- 
 ly make experiments with little hope of fuccefs. All that med- 
 ical fkill could effect, had, in this cafe, undoubtedly been at- 
 tempted, but attempted in vain. 'It is one, and not the leaft of 
 the evils attendant on poverty, to know of a remedy without 
 the means of procuring it. The rich have at leaft this confo- 
 lation in extremity, that every thing was done which influence 
 could command or money purchafe. But the nobleman of Caper- 
 naum is not to be taxed with credulity for believing the report 
 concerning Chrift, or for building upon it the hope ot a cure 
 which medicine had been unable to effect. Inftead of fending 
 •for him, as in the cafe ot ordinary phyficians, " he went to 
 "him." The diftance between Capernaum and Cana was about 
 "a day's journey, as we may gather from verfe 52. He was met 
 «n his way homeward, rejoicing in the belief of the power and 
 grace ot Chrift, the day after he had received the aMurance : 
 •' Yefterday," faid the fervants, "at the feventh hour the fever 
 left him." Here then we have nobility defcending from its 
 •llatelinefs, waving ceremony, afFuming the form of a fuppli- 
 cant. Was it thereby degraded ? No, to follow the honeft im- 
 pulfe ot nature, to fubmit to the obligations of propriety and 
 decoram, to employ fair means to obtain a defirable end, is no 
 y -4e gradation, even to a prince. Vice alone degrades, and ex- 
 pofesa man to fliame, and lowers his dignity in the eyes of 
 God, and of his fellow creatures. 
 
 Calamity brings down the loftinefs cf the human fpirit. We 
 iiave a noted inftance of this in the hiftory of Ben-hadad the 
 •Icing ot Syria. In the pride of his heart, in girding on his 
 harnels, in the confidence of fuperionty, he fends this infult- 
 •ing meffage to the king of Ifrael ; <c Thus faith Ben-hadad, 
 thy filver and thy gold is mine, thy wives alfo and thy chil- 
 dren, even the goodlieft are mine." Unmollified by fubmif- 
 *f.on, he aflumes a ftill haughtier tone, and proceeds to take by 
 "violence what had been quietly yielded to him. But brought 
 *c b-itefdf by a total defeat ot his formidable-army, he lowere 
 JFr h& 
 
i j£ k i s t or y' c 7 £Lec\ x x A 
 
 Ids tone and humbles himfelf to the man whom he had infult- 
 e'd : fervanrs with fackc loth girded on their loins, and ropes 
 upon their heads, %t cane to the king of Ifrael, and faid, Thy 
 Jkryant Ben-hadad faith, I pray thee, let me live,'*' a confirma- 
 tion of the truh of the wife man's .observation : " Pride goeth 
 before deftru&ion : and an haaghty fpirit before a fall." We 
 would not be thought to-infmua'e that pnde is an infeparable 
 concomitant of greatnefs* or infolence, of a profperous condi- 
 tion. But. the flattery o\ inferiors, and the conftant means of 
 ieU-gratificaiion, act ng habitually on a principle radically cor- 
 rupt, have, without doubt, a \ ery dangerous tendency to. mil- 
 lead the u'ndmrandingf, and to corrupt the heart : Adver> 
 fity difpels the illuflon, and tells a man feelingly what he is» 
 But for the ihdiinpfition of his fon, the father might have re- 
 mained a flave to the world, and died a martyr to the pride o£ 
 life, ancj a, ftfajsger.to the Saviour of mankind. Bieffed is 
 that difpenfation, be it ever fo fevere, which loofeas a man 
 from the things of time, which empties him offelf, which leads 
 him to God. 
 
 The faith of this nobleman, as in every cafe, was blended., 
 with much infirmity. He repofed confidence in the goodnels 
 of Chrift, in the power of Cbrift to heal the fick ; but he 
 weakly imagined that this power could operate only on the 
 fpot. Under 'this impiefiion he travels fiom Capernaum to 
 Cana in hope o\ being able to perfuade Jefus to accompany 
 him to the former city, and {land over the patient, and rebuke 
 the fever, and reifore him to health : '■ he befought him that 
 he would come down, and heal his fon, for he was at the point 
 of death." He urges the importance of difpatch, left death 
 ihould interpofe and extinguish hope for ever ; for his faith 
 carried him no farther than to the brink of the grave, and there 
 gave up all for loft. It was meet that one who thought, who 
 felt, who acted io well, mould be taught to- think, to feel, to aft 
 better. Ii was meet he fhould be taught not to dictate to divine 
 fovereignty but to - adore, and fubmit to it ; taught to enlarge 
 his ideas of the power ancgrace of the Redeemer, as extending 
 to univerfal {pace, and to every poflible ftate of things,- This 
 feems to be the only rational interpretation which can be giv- 
 en of the apparent coldnefs of the reception given him by our 
 jLorcU Inftead of his ufual promptitude to fly to the relief of 
 diftrefs,: the importunate and folicitous farther meets, from the 
 lips oi Chrift, with a feemingly ungracious refle6tion which 
 had nearly chilled his heart. "Then faid Jefus unto him, ex- 
 cept ye fee figns and wonders ye will not believe." In his 
 progrefs through Samaria Chrift had found greater faith than 
 
 ill 
 
LecL XXI.] JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 ia Judea, The Samaritans exacted no fign, expreffed no fuf- 
 picion, infilled on no condition. " Many moie believed be- 
 caufc of his own word, and faid unto the woman, now we be- 
 lieve, not becaufe of thy faying : tor we bave heard him our- 
 felves, and know that this is indeed the Chriit, the Saviour of 
 the woild." But his countrymen of Galilee, though tdiey had 
 been \itneiTes of" his miracles, were " fljw of .heart to believe." 
 They demand farther evidence, and in the true fpirit of Thom- 
 as, one ot the twelve, who, a'terall the iigns and wonders of 
 whi h he had been a (peclatbr, refilled the cleared teftimony ; 
 *' Evcept 1 /hall fet in his 'h«nds the \ nnt of the nails, and put 
 my finger'into the print of the nails, and thrufl my hand into 
 his fide. I will not believe." The nobleman of Capernaum 
 had "pr ba'. ly e<prcded h.mfelf in fimilar terms, and thereby 
 incurre 1 this reproof oi his incredulity, which Teemed to con- 
 vey a denial ot his fui 
 
 Parental ?il..:i ;i perleyerei in following up his re- 
 qucll. He tacitly admits the juftice of Chrift's cenfure, but 
 waves' chfcuiiion, and in the anguilh of his foul renews 
 his lupplici.ion tQ him, to w aura mifery never applied ia 
 vain \ *' Sir, comedown ere my child di,e." Where the heart 
 is deeply interefted the " words are few/' but O how forcible! 
 The feelings ot a parent are feen with approbation by the friend 
 of mankind, who knows what is in man, and to whom nothing 
 that afTefts humanity can be a matter of indifference. •*' Jefus 
 faith unto him, Go thy way ; thy fon liveth." That word, 
 that one little word, has in a moment, in the twinkling of an 
 eye, reached Capernaum, has expelled a mortal diflemper, has 
 relieved a wretched father from a preffure under which he 
 was linking, and has infpired him with a confidence r.ever 
 more to be fhaken. He receives his fon as one alive from the 
 dead he learns to corre£i his falfe ideas of the power oi 
 Chrift. and to fubmit implicitly to his decifions. '* And the 
 man believed the word that Jelus hadfpoken unto hhn, and he 
 went his way." 
 
 Th? fequel unfolds an amiable, interefting and inftruftive 
 view ot domeftic life. When the matter left his home to go 
 in quell of relief to his child, the fervants of the family, fome 
 of them actually Saves, entering into their lord's feelings, tend 
 the fick bed of the young man with all the attention and folic- 
 jtude of humble friends, not with the eye-ferviceof mercenar.y 
 or compelled drudges. They obieive every fymptom of the 
 diforder, they watch over every motion of the pat ent, they 
 outrun his wants and wiihes, they tremble for the iffue, they 
 mark with tranfport the moment of convalefcence, and, to 
 
 fpaic. 
 
#36. history o? [Left, xxl 
 
 fpare the tender parent every unneceffary pang of painful ap- 
 prehenfion, infteacl of waiting far his return, they fend off a 
 deputation of their number, the inftant that the fever came to * 
 a cnfiVto announce the welcome tidings to their beloved maf- 
 ter. What honour does this reflect on all the parties ! Hu» 
 tnan life confifts of a reciprocation ot kind affections, expref- 
 {ions and actions, or their contraries^ In vain does the un« * 
 Reeling, infolent, tyrannical defpot expect dutiful, cheerful, 
 cordial attachment and fubmifEon from domeftics and depend- 
 ants. By failure in his own duty, he has let them the exam- 
 ple of harfhnefs, want of fympathy, and difrefpect. The infe- ' 
 rior almoft always takes the tone from his fuperior. If you 
 fee obfequious, faithful, diligent fervants, or attentive, dutiful/ 
 affectionate children, raft afTmed that the mafter and miftrefs 
 of the family, that the parents of the children are wife, gentle" 
 and good. Moft families in the metropolis* efpecially thofe oi 
 high rank, are uncomfortable, becaufe mutual attachment fub- 
 fifts not between the rulers and the ruled. It is a mere inter- 
 courfe of accommodation and intereft, in which neither the 
 heart nor confeience hath any part. The paltry confederation 
 of a month's wages fettles the account on either fide. In ths 
 remoter parts of the kingdom, the relation of mailer and fer- 
 vant is a tacit compact; of unlimited' duration. The fervant is 
 adopted into the family, and looks up to the heads of it with 
 filial refpeCt, gratitude and confidence. No feparate intereft, 
 210 divided or contradictory views and purfuitsdifturbdomeftic 
 tranquillity. The family of this nobleman was not far from 
 the kingdom of God, for the fplrit of love was its governing 
 principle, and God is love. " And as he was now going down 
 his fervants met him, and told him, faying, thy fon liveth. 
 Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. 
 And they faid unto him, yefterday at the feventh hour the fe- 
 ver left him." 
 
 One of our higheft mental pleafures confifts in comparing 
 ohjeft with obje£r.,in order to difcover coincidence, fimilitude, 
 difference or contraft. This pleafure mult have been enjoyed 
 in lingular purity on this joyful occafion. The di fiance of the 
 two cities was well known. It employed a whole day, and the 
 exertions of a man of rank and fortune, furnifhed with all the 
 means of expeditious travelling, and under the flimulus of pa- 
 ternal affe&'on. to go from Capernaum to Cana. Howpleaf- 
 ant was it to compare that diftance, and the ufual rate ot jour- 
 neying, with the inconceivably rapid tranfition of the word of 
 Chrift ! what a contraft ! Here then was a demonftration of 
 the corrtroling power of Ckrift over fpace ; it was npt needful 
 
 that 
 
Left. XXI.] 4ESUS CHIWiTf. «3/ 
 
 that he fhouJd go up or come down, that he ihould be on the 
 fame fpot with the object of his beneficence, tor the purpofa of 
 effecting a cure. The divine attribute oi omniprefence was ac- 
 cordingly difplayed. The meafurements ot time are equally 
 well- known and undo flood ; and there was a peculiarly pow- 
 erful motive on both fides to mark, the precife moment. Here 
 an opportunity was afforded oi inftituting a fecond compari- 
 son, and lo, what a coincidence between the time of the lather's 
 obfervation and that of the fervants, that is, when Jefus fpakc 
 the word to the one, and when the others perceived a fenfible 
 change to the better, in their young matter's health 1 If ever 
 "the relation of caufe and effect exifted, it was in this cafe. 
 And here was a difplay o\ another divine attribute, time as 
 well as fpace fubdued to the will ot him who filieth all fpace; 
 .whofe exigence was before time began to flow, and runneth 
 through the whole extent ot its duration ; with whom a thou- 
 sand years are as One day, and one day as a thoufand years ; 
 who nieafureth the lapfe of moments and of ages by a ftand- 
 ard unalterable as the ordinances of heaven* and by a flandard 
 {fill more intelligible, fenfible, interesting and endearing, un- 
 interrupted, unwearied acts ot loving- kindnefs and tender 
 mercy. 
 
 It v.-culd be ungenerous and unjufr. to afcribe the nobleman's 
 minutenefs of inquiry to doubt, or flovrnefs of belief, for the 
 hiftory exprefsly faith, "the man believed the word that Jefus 
 had fpoken unto him, and went his way," confiding entirely 
 in the truth and faithfulnefs of that word, long before the evi- 
 dence of it rhft him on the road. But that Jefus in whom he 
 trufled giacioufly gave him this confirmation of his faith, tha£ 
 he might feel the folidity of the rock on which all his hope 
 relied. Faith is taith though but as a grain of muftard-feed; 
 for that grain contains an immortal germ, pregnant with all the 
 beauty ana nchnefs oi a future harveit. The apoflles them- 
 felves were fom; times weak, at other times ftrong in the faith; 
 fenfjble ot this they prayed unto the Lord that he would '■ in- 
 crealc" it. The principle is found, it is vital : it may lie dor- 
 mant, it may fuflfer depreflion, but it cannot expire. " So the 
 father knew that it was at the fame hour in the which Jefus 
 faid unto him, thy fori liveth; and himfelf believed, and his 
 whole houfe." 
 
 The miracles of Chrifl. always look farther than to their im- 
 mediate object. Application is made tor the removal of a bod- 
 ily infirmity ; the difeafes of the mind are at the fame time 
 feached by the healing power of thel\edeemer,andthe fpeHators 
 are made fenfible of a divine energy. The blind man comes in 
 
 hope 
 
„*3& HISTORY OF [Left. XXL 
 
 ■hope or having his fight reftored, he goes away feeing, and 
 *vith the unfpeakably greater blelTing, the eyes of his under- 
 standing are opened. Behold that helplefs paralytic, *' borne 
 of four," ftretched motionlefs on his couch. At the word of 
 Chrifl he recovers ftrength, arifes, takes up his bed, goes forth 
 before them all, and departs to his houfe, not only with a body 
 every whit whole, bat with a foul relieved from the dreadful 
 pre fibre of the guilt of 'Sin : " Jefus laid unto the fick of the 
 palfy, Son, thy fins be forgiven thee." Mark thefe ten lepers, 
 outcafts from fociety, loathfome to them'felves, an abomination 
 "to others, labouring under a malady which medicine could not 
 reach ; they ftand afar off, they lift up their voices, they cry 
 for mercy. As they went, at the command of Chrifl, to fhew 
 chemfeWes to the priefts, they were cleanfed. To nine of the 
 cen it proved a mere temporary relief, a corporal purgation ; the 
 fatal leprofy of fin remained to defile the confcience. To the 
 tenth, a ftranger, a Samaritan, it proved at once the cure of 
 bodily difeafe and of mental pollution: "and one of them, 
 when he faw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud 
 voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giv- 
 ing him thanks : and he was a Samaritan. And Jefus anfwer- 
 ling, faid, were there not ten cleanfed ? but where are the nine ? 
 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, fave 
 . this ftranger. And he faid unto him, arife, go thy way ; thy 
 faith hath made thee whole." 
 
 Illuftrious to the fame purpofe is the hiftory of the miracle 
 under review. The nearer and more immediate objecf is a 
 ikk child at Capernaum, reftored inftantaneoufly from threat- 
 ening indifpofition to perfect foundnefs. But confider how 
 xnany momentous circumftances are involved in that one ob- 
 ject. The father was a perfon of the very firft diftin&iori, .con- 
 nected with the higher powers of this world, at the head of a 
 numerous and well-ordered houfehold, a man of urbanity, un- 
 derftanding and addrefs. Converted himfelf to the faith of the 
 gofpel, behold him difpofed to employ the whole weight of his 
 influence, of his authority, of his example, in promoting the 
 caufe which he himfelf had from conviction embraced. In- 
 calculable is the effeft which one man of character, talents and 
 virtue may produce in a court, a city, a kingdom, a world. No 
 one can be folitariiy either good or wicked. The contagion 
 whether of virtue or vice is quickly caught and communicated, 
 with this difference, that in the one cafe there is a repulfive 
 iaculty that guards the fyftem again ft the admiflion of the gra- 
 cious principle, and which therefore needs to be corrected; 
 whereas in the other there is a predifpofrtion to abforb the poi-' 
 
 fon^ 
 
IjG&rXXW.} JESUS CHRIST. *•<* 
 
 fori, which it requires no common fkill and attention to pre-- 
 vent. Whatever might be the more remote, or more extenfive. 
 influence of this good man's faith and piety, the Evangeliit in-. 
 forms us that it embraced at leafl the whole of his own family : 
 " aud hirnfelf believed and his whole houfe." Here was ano- 
 ther province, by a ftrong hand rent from the empire of Satan 
 and added to the kingdom of the MefTiah ; "for he muft reign- 
 till he hath put all his enemies under his feet." 
 
 We conclude with a few practical reflections fuggefted by* 
 this portion of our blefTed Lord's hillory. 
 
 1. Events, to our apprehenfion, cafual, ordinary, mcrel/ 
 things of coiirfe, are, in the purpofe of the Eternal Mind, order* 
 connection, mutual dependence. Our eyes are too feeble to 
 difcern how delicately fine the hinges are oh which the mighty 
 machinery ot heaven moves. The entefj rizes of rran ex- 
 hibit the noife and tluftte of preparation, and violence of exer- 
 lion, and lo, they come to nothing they commence in a bl:ze, 
 and prefently iiTue in fmoke. The defigns of the Mod High* 
 nave, from imperceptible beginnings made a filent, unnoticed 
 progrefs, and have acquired ftrength irrefiftdble before atten- 
 tion was excited ; they iiTue from. a dark cloud, and advance* 
 "With growing luffre unto the perfect day. What more com. 
 ihon than ficknefs in a numerous family ? Uniform health, not 
 Occafional difeafe, is the wonder. The malady of a beloved 
 Child Ipreads a fable veil over an honourable houfe ; it threat- 
 ens to embiter the future days of furvivors ; the hand of dearh. 
 is lifted up to ftrike the decifive blow. It is a critical mo- 
 ment. The Lord gives the word. The child lives, the parent 
 believes, the whole houfe is converted unto the Lord, an im- 
 preflion favourable to chriftianity is made on the public mind, 
 the dominion of grace is extended, and the kingdom of glory 
 opens to view. From fuch a hidden fource, inacceflible as that 
 of the Nile, iffues the majeftic river, deftined to adorn and fer- 
 tilize diftant regions and the nations which inhabit them. This 
 day falvation came to the houfe of that nobleman. It wore a 
 lowering afpeel, but it brightened as it went. 
 
 2. Mark the impartial regards of the great Lord of all to his 
 creatures of every order and condition. With fome men there 
 is a ftrong prejudice in favour of nobility and affluence, as if 
 they implied grcatnefs generofity, capacity. Others are ac- 
 tuated by a prejudice equally violent and iinreafonable againfl 
 them. Wifd -m fays, look to the man, and not to his cir- 
 cumftances. Goodnefs- is the object of commendation and ef- 
 teem, whether in the high or the low, the rich or the poor ; 
 and vice is odious whatever be the condition of life. A right- 
 *?ous judge confidercth the caufe, not the rank and charaCter 
 
 or 
 
1$© HISTORY OF [Left. xxt. 
 
 of the parties. And left there mould be an improper bias to 
 the fide of poverty, as there fometimes is to the fide of wealth., 
 the law very wifely throws in this caution : " Neither fhalfc 
 thou countenance a poor man in his caufe." Our Lord few 
 the example o^ this impartiality. Nobility could be no recom- 
 rnen'dation to his favour, neither was it any , bar in the way a 
 The diftrefs, the importunity, the parental affection of the man 
 rnoved his companion, the current of which could not be im- 
 peded by the confideration of his being. a courtier. It is a mel- 
 ancholy reflection, " that not many wife men after the flefh, 
 not many mighty, not many noble are called ; but it is pleafmg 
 t reflect that the rule is not abfolute and uhiverfal. The hjf~ 
 tory of the Chriflian church and the ftate of the world at this 
 day, exhibit many glorious inflances of the triumph of divine 
 grace over the fafciriatioB of high rank, the deceitfulnefs oi 
 riches, and the pride of fife. As fuch perfons had more to 
 combat and to overcome than others, the combat and the con- 
 queft redound the more to the glory of God, in whofe ftrengtfa 
 they overcome. 
 
 3. We have before us an example of high moral virtue, ex- 
 iting without a principle of faving faith. This nobleman a- 
 dorned his exalted ftation by qualities eftimable in whatever 
 rank. He ruled well his own houfe. He was an affectionate 
 parent, and a kind mafler. And when we behold a man ful- 
 filling the duties of one relation reputably to himfelf and ufe- 
 fully to others, we are bound in charity to believe, that he a£fs 
 •worthily in the other relations of life. When an inftance of 
 this kind prefents it.felf. it excites regret that fuch a one. though 
 •' not far from the kingdom of God," mould neverthelefs come 
 (hort. It is religion that confers dignity on high birth, and 
 that gives energy to virtue. If then this man were refpe&able 
 and exemplary by his virtuous conduct, how much more (0 is 
 he, when faith is added t® virtue, now that a divine principle 
 fenclifies, animates, ennobles every action, and renders ordina- 
 ry employments not only a reafonable but a religious fervice. 
 Morality, then, may exiii without religion, but there can be 
 no religion without morality. " Faith, if k hath not works is 
 dead, being alone :" 'Moras the body without the fpirit is 
 dead, fo faith without works is de2d alio." If in his mere civil' 
 and moral capacity the nobleman of Capernaum adminiftered 
 his affairs fo wifely and fo well, what mull have been the ar- 
 dor of natural afFecYion, his difcretion in the management of his 
 houfehold, the propriety of his perfonal deportment, now that 
 his underftanding is illuminated, and his heart warmed, and the 
 path of bis feet guided, by the facred flame of religion I now 
 
 that 
 
^e&. XXI.j JESUS CHRIST. if* 
 
 that " the grace of God, that brir.geth falvation had appeared 
 to him, teaching'.' him, as it does all its fuhjefts, ' ; that deny- 
 ing ungodlinefs and worldly luffs, we mould-live fo:erly,rjght- 
 eouily and godly, in this prefent world ; looking, for that blef- 
 fed hope, and the glorious. appearing ot the great God and our 
 Saviour jefus Chriil ; who gave himfelt f >r us, that he might 
 redeem us from all iniquity, and purity unto himfelt a peculiar 
 people* zealous of good works." 
 
 4. Do v/e feel parental fo! icitude about the bodily heal,t,h, 
 and the mental improvement, and the worldly profperity ot our 
 children ?. What then ought to be the fervor ot our 'fpirits at a 
 ihrone 01 grace, to obtain tor them an intereft in the raVOuf of 
 God, the knowledge that maketh wife unto falvation, the fpir- 
 itof fanftiflcation. a right to '* p.p. inheritance incorruptible, 
 and undefiled^and thatfarieth not away ?" From their relation 
 to us they derive pollution, guilt,, condemnation, and death ; 
 and (hall we net be Simulated to repair the injury we have 
 done them ; and, by nurture, by example, by prayer and fup- 
 plication, become the in'ftruments ot making them *' partakers 
 ot the divine nature," and of rai fi&g them to the rank of " heirs 
 ot God, and joint-heirs with Chrift." Wo unto them, and un- 
 to us, unleis they are adopted into a nobler family, and exalted 
 :o higher privileges, than thofe to which the birth cf nature en- 
 titles them ; and unlefs they "receive the- Spirit of adoption, 
 whereby they may cry, Abba, Father.? What will, it be to 
 . prefent ourfelves, at length, and our offspring,, whether after 
 the flelh, or after the fpirit, or both in one, with joy unfpeaka- 
 .ble and full ot glory, faying 1 , ''Behold, I, and the children, 
 -which Cod hath given me.!" Let this profpec]; direclour wife*. 
 C$, dictate our prayers, animate our exertions, till,, with Ifrael, 
 we have power with God and with men, and prevail. 
 . 5. Finally, In the prefence ot that God with whom we 
 have to do, and of Jefus, " who is God over all, and bleflerl 
 forever," all (pace fhrinks into a fpan, all duration into a mo- 
 ment. " Am I a God at hand, faith the Lord, and not a God 
 afar ofT? Dc not I fill heaven and earth, faith the "Lord ?" Re- 
 alize that awlul omniprefence as a guard upon the heart, upon 
 the tongue, upon the life ; as a ground of hope and a fource ot 
 joy in every dark and trying hour. " God is a very prefent 
 help in trouble." " Though 1 walk through the valley ot the 
 {hadew pi death I will tear no evil ; for thou art with me ; 
 thy rod and thy ftafFtbey comfort me." He is faithful who 
 hath promifed. to bis Ifrael whom he hath created, whom he 
 hath formed, whom he hath redeemed, whom he hath called by 
 name, " When thou pafTeft through the waters, 1 will be with 
 G k thee j 
 
I thee ; and through' the rivers, they fhall not overflow thee: 
 when thou walked through the fire, thou {halt not be burnt; 
 neither fhall the flame kindle upon thee." Are M a thoufand 
 years in his fight but as yefterday, when it is pad, and as a 
 watch in the night ?" And do " we fpend our years as a tale 
 that is told?" <k See then that ye walk circumfpe£Hy, not as fools 
 but as wife, redeeming the time,, becaufe the days are evil." 
 There is no commodity which men trifle with fo fadly, when 
 they have it at command, as time ; and no one the lofs of 
 which they fo bitterly deplore, when it is in their power no 
 longer. Account every inftant critical and decifive, for un- 
 doubtedly many are fo. Remember that you are the difciples 
 of him who faith of rnmfeli ; *' I muft work the work of him 
 that fent me while it is day : the night cometh, when no man 
 can work," 
 
 LECTURE 
 
i-eth xxii.]- jesus Christ. 4'gjg 
 
 LECTURE XXII. 
 
 MATTHEW, VIII. £—12, end LUKE, VII. 1 — 10. 
 
 sind when Jefus was entered into Caper naum, there cam unto 
 him a Centurion, befeeching him, and faying ', Lord, my fer- 
 vant lieth at home fick of the palfy, gnevoiifly tormented, and 
 Jejus faith unto him, I will come and heal him. The Centu- 
 rion anjwered and J aid, Lord, I am not worthy that thou 
 Jliouldejl come under my roof : But f peak the word only, and 
 my Jervant Jial I ie healed. For 1 am a man under authority ', 
 having J olditrs under me, and I Jay to this man, go, and he 
 gceth, and to another, come, and he cometk ; and to my Jer- 
 vanty do this, and he doeth it, IVhen Jejus heard it he mar - 
 veiled, and /aid to them that followed, verily I fay unto you, 
 I have not found fo great faith, no not in IjracL And 1 Jay 
 unto you, that many Jhall come from the eafi and wefl, and 
 JJiall fit down with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, in the 
 kingdom of heaven : but the children of the kingdom Jhall be 
 cafl out into outer darknefs : there JJiall be weeping and gnafh- 
 ing of teeth. And Je/usjaid unto the Centunon,go thy way, 
 and as thou haft believed, fo be it done unto thee. 4nd his 
 fervant was healed in the jetf-jame hour.— Now when he had 
 ended ali his fayings in the audience of the people, he entered 
 into Capernaum. And a certain Centurion's Jervant, who 
 was dear unto him, wasjick, and ready to die. And when he 
 heard of Jejus, hefent unto him the elders of the Jews, bejeecti- 
 ing him that tie would come and heal his Jervant. And when 
 they came to Jejus, they be/ought him injiantly, faying, thai 
 he was worthy for whom hejiowddo this : Jor he loveth our 
 nation, and he hath built us a fynagogue. Then Jefus went 
 with them. And when he was now not Jar frojn the houfe % 
 ike Centurion fentjriends to him, laying unto him. Lord, troub- 
 le not thyjelf ; for I am not worthy that thou Jliouldejt enter 
 under my roof: wherejore neither thought 1 my/ejf worthy to 
 come unto thee : but jay in a word, and my jervant Jhall be 
 healed. For 1 aljoama man jet under authority, having un- 
 der me Joldiers ; and I jay unto one go, and he goct'i ; and to 
 cnot/ier, come, and he ccmeth ; and to my lervant, do this, and 
 
- 
 
 IU$T0RY ©? ^Ltti. XXI, 
 
 hcdocihii. When J ejus heard thefe things he marvelled at 
 trim, arid turned him about, and jcid unto the 'people that joL 
 lowed him, 1 jay untd you; 1 have not found jo great faftk, no 
 not in IjracL' And they that xuere jent returning to thekoujc^ 
 Jound the jcrvani whole thai had been jkk* • 
 
 THE various orders of men which ex ill in fociety are a de~ 
 rhonftratidn that Fociety is in a 'very imperfect/ and cor.*' 
 rupt flate. Re (lore everlaftirig and univerfal peace to a troub- 
 led world,* and the proieilion of a foldier is at an end. There- 
 Were then no V battle of the warrior with oonfufed noife, and 
 'garments rolled in blood.'* /'While injuftice, violence and cru- 
 elty are in the world/there mult be tribunals, and prifons and 
 fcaffolds. The ravages of difeafe, and the "thoufand 'accidents 
 to which" human lite is expbfed, render riecefTary the inter por- 
 tion of the healing art. 'When the time of the reftitution, of 
 all' things (hall come the office of public inftruftor {hall ceafe. 
 '* They mall not teach every man his neighbour, and ever 
 man his brother, faying, know the Lord : for all (hall know 
 me, from the lea If to the greateit . - To this bleifed confumma- 
 tion we are encouraged to look forward, when the fp-int bi 
 love fhall ablorb the flame of difcord, and make the fvvord drop 
 from the hand of the man of war ; when the courts mail be 
 (hut and the prifon-doors thrown open, b'ecaufe fraud and vio- 
 lence are no more -when, in the beautifully figurative lan- 
 guage of the°fjrophet, " The wolf alfo fhall dwell with the 
 lamb, and the leopard fhall lie down' with the kid ; and the 
 call, and the-young lion, and -the 'lading together, and a little 
 child mall' lead the^n. ' And the cow and the bear (hall feed \ 
 their young; ones (hall lie down together : and the lion fhah 
 eat ftrawiike the ox. w And* the' Tucking 'child fhall play on 
 the hole of the afp, and the weaned child mail put his hand on 
 the cockatrice de\ They fhall not hurt nor deftroy in all my 
 holy mountain : 'for the earth (hall be full of the knowledge of- 
 the Lord, as the waters cover the fea." " 
 
 Certain profeflions, it has been alleged, have in their very 
 nature a corruptive quality. s That of the military man is fup- 
 pofed to be o; this number.- The Vulgar alFociate with it the 
 ideas of 'infolence; ferocity, licentioufnefs, and of other hateful 
 qualities. r Like ever? other general cenfure,'this too muft be' 
 taken with many gtc ins of allowance, and candour muff admit 
 that there are excellent men of every pfofefhon ;• and, in the 
 ca r t- oiilluitrious exceptions from the generality of the ftig- 
 matized orders, "higher praife is undoubtedly due to thofe who 
 have the courage \q refifl, and flrength to overcome the tempta- 
 
 lions 
 
LecVxxw.] jedus christ. 
 
 HS 
 
 dons to which their manner of life, and the very means of earn-. 
 ingtheir fubfiftence ex pole them, than to perfons. who had no 
 fuch difiiculties to encounter. : ' Of t his defcription are the no. 
 bieman, and the Roman centurion of Capernaum. The hiito- 
 ry oi the former, as far as connected with that or our bJeifed 
 JLord, was the fubjecl of the la ft Lecture, "that of the latter is 
 now to be the ground or our meditation, The two perfonages 
 prefent a finking relemblance to each other, in their perfonal 
 character, in then condition of life,' in the circumftances which 
 brought them acquainted with the Saviour of the world. They 
 dwelt in the flhife city, perhaps in habits of intimacy, lor the 
 good naturally attract and aflociate with the good ; the one a 
 courtier, the other an officer of very confiderable rank ; both, 
 inen of humanity, of gentle manners, of amiable, of noble de- 
 portment ; the one a i uppliarit in behalf of a darling child, la- 
 bouring cinder an attack of the fever, the other in behalf of a 
 favourite ftffvafet, attacked by a violent paralytic affection ; both 
 fuccefsful in iheir application, and both deeply imprefled with 
 the character of their great Benefactor. Wnh fo many marks 
 of refernblance; (lie two little hidories difplay a lovely, a fife £1- 
 ing and inftiTictive variety, tending to unfold the various (hades' 
 ot the "human mind, in the changing fcenes of human life, and 
 equally tending to illmlrate the grace and power of Chrift, ev- 
 er ready to meet every cafe, adapted alike to the relief of the 
 bodies and of the fouls of men. 
 
 The perfo'n who applied to Jefus Chrift on this occafion was 
 a centurion, that is, as the word imports, an officer in the Ro- 
 man army who had a hundred men under his command. It 
 cor?efponded nearly to the rank of captain in titer military ef. 
 tabli foment. Judea was at this time a conquered province, in' 
 fubjeclion to the authority of a Roman governor, and kept in 
 awe by Rowirin fcldiery. The Jews vainly boafted that they 
 were '■' Abraham's feed, and were never in bondage to any 
 man :" whereas it was notorious to the whole world that from 
 the days of Egyptian bondage, down to the defpotifm of Ti- 
 berius Cefar, their intervals of liberty had been tew, tranfient 
 and interrupted ; and a« that very moment they were murmur- 
 ing under the preflure of a galling yoke, impofed on their 
 neck, and kept there, by the (Irong hand of power ; and Jefus 
 Chnft convicts them of being in fubjection to a yoke ftill more 
 galling and difgracetul : -" whofoever committcth fin is the 
 fervant of fin." But firch a.-e the felf-delufions which men 
 praclile. Every Roman loldier who was feen, every Roman 
 coin that circulated through the land demonftrated that they 
 were not a iree people, ludeed they were not worthy to be 
 
fj& Hi STORY OF [X.C&. XXiJL 
 
 jfo, for they never enjoyed liberty without abufing it. i Hap- 
 py was it ior the diftnct of Capernaum to be under a gov- 
 ernment fa mild and moderate as that of this good centurion. 
 
 The two E.vangeiifts who have recorded this fa£, differ in 
 fame circumitances ot their narration. In reading St. Mat- 
 thew's account we are led to fuppofe that the centurion made 
 perfonal application to Chnfr, for the cure ot his fervant^ 
 whereas in the more circumstantial account of the tranfaclion, 
 tranimitted to us by St. Luke, we find that the application wag 
 made in the firft inilance, through the medium ot 4< the elderp 
 of the Jews." But there is no real difference between the two 
 hiMorians. It was 3 maxim among the Jews, M a man's proxy 
 is the man himfelt," and it is iliii a rule among Civilians,, 
 "What we do by another we are adjudged to have done 
 ourfelves." In a procefs ot law, a party is faid to come into 
 court, and to have made fuchareprefemation, though he appear- 
 ed only by his counfel or folicitor. Thus Jethro came to 
 Motes firft by a meffenger, with thefe words in his mouth; ' S I 
 thy lather-in-law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and 
 her two children." On receiving this meflage, Moles went 
 out to enjoy a perfonal interview with his family. Thus Solo- 
 mon lent ambaiTadors to Hiram, who were to addrefs him not 
 in the plural number, but in the fir ft per fan lingular, as it Solo- 
 mon hirafelf had fpoken the words face to face; " behold, I 
 purpofe to build an houfe unto the name ot the .Lord my God;" 
 and Hiram fairly confiders himfelt as "hearing the words of 
 Solomon," Thus the two fans of Zebedee came to Chrift, 
 with a petition, through the medium ot their mother; and thus 
 John Baptift, now fhut up in a prifan, addreiTed himfelt to 
 Jelus by two ot his difciples, faying, " Art thou he that mould 
 iome, or do we look tor another." Matthew, in conformity to 
 this mode of fpeecU and thought, reprefents the centurion as 
 coming in perfan to Chrift, though at firil, through modefty 
 and humility, he thought proper to employ the interceflion o£ 
 Others. 
 
 We have here a fmgularly pleafant opening into a good 
 mind. This man was accuftomed to command, not to fuppli- 
 cate, to dictate not to bend. But men is his veneration tor the 
 perfan and character ot Chrifl, that he is awed at the thought 
 of appearing in his prefence ; inftead cf refarting to the exer- 
 cife ot authority, he has recourfe to entreaty, and hopes irom 
 the interpolation of men better than himfelt what he dared not 
 to aik on his own account. Does this bring his courage under 
 lufpicion ? Is it likely that fuch a man would turn his back in 
 *he day of battle ? No, iurely. It is the coward that ftruts, 
 
 and 
 
Left. XX II.] JESUS CHRIST. ±Qf 
 
 and boafls, and threatens ; the truly brave are modefr., gentle 
 and unafluming ; they fpeak by their anions, not by high 
 dwelling words of vanity. And yet this centurion bud more 
 than one plea of merit to advance. He had borne his faculties 
 moll meekly in his great office. He had not opprefled, he 
 had not been guilty of extortion ; and even this negative vir- 
 tue merits fome degree of commendation. On the contrary 
 he cherifhed, encouraged, protected the people whom he wan 
 fenttorule. In (lead of reftrifting their religious liberty, ©r 
 permitting their worfhip to be dift'urbed, he liberally contrib- 
 uted toward the maintenance of public worfhip, and more 
 probably affi fled at it. In a word, he was a public bleffing. 
 Men generally fet the fuH value on the good a£lions which 
 they perform, and are frequently at pains to make an oflenta- 
 tious difplay of them. He puts in no claim, exacts'" no ac- 
 knowledgment, expecls no return. The elders of the Jews 
 feel themfelves To much the more called upon to celebrate his 
 good qualities, and to enumerate his benefits. " They came 
 to J'efus, and befought him inftantly, faying, that he was wor- 
 thy tor whom he fhould do this ; for he loveth our nation, and 
 he hath built us a fynagogue." If indeed he had become a 
 profelyte to the Jewim religion, that is, a woifhipper of the 
 one living and true God, as, from the whole hiftcry taken to- 
 gether, there is little reafon to doubt, a ftill higher degree oi 
 refpe&ability attaches to his chai after. What obftacles had he 
 not to furmount, what prejudices to overcome ! The prejudice 
 cf education in the religion of polytheifm, or a plurality oi 
 Gods ; the prejudice of profeflion, which fometimes makes it 
 a point of honour to be of no religion, fometimes to adhere to 
 the firft adopted ; political prejudice, which would have tied 
 him down to the religion of the imperial court, the fource cf 
 all civil and military preferment : and more than all ihefe, he 
 had to encounter the formidable laugh of the world, the raille- 
 ry of his fellow officers, the fneer of witlings. The courage 
 that could meet and overcome fuch difcouragements is indeed 
 the courage of a hero. 
 
 It is now time to inquire into the object of this circuitous 
 expoflulation. What point is to be carried ? what interefl is 
 at' flake to warrant fuch earneflnefs and importunity ? a ler- 
 vant Tick of the palfy, and ready to die. The word tranflated 
 Jtrvant, through the whole of St. Matihew's narration, (ignifies 
 hoy y a term ot ambiguous meaning, being employed to denote 
 either child ot krvani, and it determines the age only, not the 
 quality of the patient. But the Greek word nfed by St. Luke, 
 except in one cjaufe, is of unequivocal import, and indeed re- 
 
24$ HISTORY OF [Left. XXIU 
 
 <luces the young, man's condition lower than that of fervant, 
 for it meznsjlave^ and exprelTes the low eft condition of human, 
 wretchednefs. . This young perfon might have been either a 
 prifoner of war, or purchafed with money ; and fiaves^of both 
 defcriptions were frequently endowed with, rare accomplifh- 
 rnents. As Providence permitted the boy to fink into this de- 
 graded ftate, it was fome compensation, that he fell into the, 
 hands of a kind and affectionate mailer, a man of principle, a \ 
 man of humanity. Where is now the ferociouihefs, the infen- 
 ^bility, the indifference of the ibldier ? All melts into Sympa- 
 thy with diftrefs, and into a fenfe of mutual obligation. Thus 
 it is that the God ; who made us, who " knoweth our frame, and , 
 who remembereth that we are duff.," balances evil with good, 
 and either finds a way to efcape, or adminifters ftrength to fup- 
 port the calamity. Thus neceffary to each other are the mem, 
 hers in both the fecial and the natural body. " It the foot fhalj \ 
 fay, becaufe I am not the hand, I am not of the body ; is it 
 therefore not of the body ? And if the ear mail fay, becaufe I 
 am not the eye, I am not of the body ; is it therefore, not of the 
 body ?" " And the eye cannot fay unto the hand, I have no, 
 need of thee ; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need oi 
 
 ^OU. : • • . 
 
 The cafe of the little (lave was dangerous if not. dejperate* 
 The palfy is a partial death of the limbs afte6ied. Here it was 
 a privation of motion, while acute fenfibility remained, he was 
 •' grievcufly tormented ;" and this combination of pain and in- 
 terrupted circulation threatened approaching diffolution. But. 
 the maxim is excellent both in medicine and in morals. " While 
 there is life there is hope," and religion advances a jlep far- 
 ther, and fays, " Even in death there is hope.*' Many a prom- 
 ifing cafe has been, loft through impatience and defpair. Till 
 Providence has decided, man is bound to perfevere in the ufe 
 of means. It is evident that the centurion expecled every 
 thing from the fovereign power, and not from the perfonal 
 pretence of Chriif. ; and herein his faith foared much higher, 
 than that of the nobieman, who had no idea of a cure efre£te& 
 at a diftance from the objeft. But how (hall we account for 
 the co/d, repulfive reception given to the perfonal felicitation 
 of the nobleman ; * e except ye fee figns and wonders, ye will 
 not believe :" and for th^ frank and cheerful compliance with 
 the centurion's meflage, " I will come and heal him ?" Jefu? 
 will have his fovereignty felt and acknowledged in all things. 
 Humility and felf-abafement are the moll powerful claims of a 
 fuppliant, and the lubli.irier faith has the fuperior power with 
 God and prevails; , 
 
 lnf!ead 
 
'Left. XXII.] JESUS CHRIST. £49 
 
 Xnflead of being transported with joy at the thought of this 
 proffered vifit, the centurion fhrinks from the approach of 
 Chrift. A fenfe of guilt and unworthinefs itares him in the 
 i'ace. The prefence of a perfbnage fo pure, fo exalted, he feels 
 himfelf unable to fupport, and deputes other friends 10 meet 
 .Jefus, to renew his fuit, but to deprecate the degradation of his 
 d:gnified character, by converfing with one fo mean as himlelf, 
 and by coming under a roof fo unworthy to receive fnch a 
 gnefi. Finding however that Jefus drew nigher and nigher, 
 he at length afuirn.es resolution, and goes forth himfelf to meet 
 him, with a heart overwhelmed, overflowing, and a mouth fill- 
 ed with arguments. Never did imagination conceive, never 
 did heart feel, never did tongue exprefs a ftrain of reafoning 
 more forcible, more affefling, more fublime. " The centurion 
 anfvvered and fail, Lord, I am not worthy that th^u fhouldefl 
 come under my roof : but fpeak the word only, and my (er- 
 vant (hall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having 
 foldiers under me, and I fay to this man, go, and. he goeth, and 
 to another come, and he cometh ; and to my fcrvant, do this, 
 and he doeth it." The knowledge which he had of his own 
 profefhon is the foundation of his argument. In a military ef~ 
 tablifhment, all muft be cheerful fubordination and prompt o- 
 bedience. He himfelf was at once under authority, and in au- 
 thority. He had not the idea of disputing the commands of 
 his fuperior, and he knew that his word, that his nod was a law 
 to his inferiors. Under this notion of military <lifcipline he 
 contemplates the fupreme authority of Chrift as extending to 
 all perfons, elements and events. His own orders were obey- 
 ed, though his perfon were at a diftance and unfeen. What 
 then mould retard the execution of a will which all the powers 
 of nature are unable to refift? '* Speak the word only, and my 
 fervant fhall be healed." 
 
 *' When jefus heard it, hs marvelled," not as an ordinary 
 man wonders at fomethirig new, ftriking and uncommon. He 
 knew what was in man. The marvellous faith which lie gra- 
 -cioufly pleafed to approve and to reward was the operation or 
 lits own fpirit ; but he holds it up as a matter of wonder to all 
 who were prefent, and as a fubjefct of reproof t® thofe of the 
 -houfe of Ifrael, who, with all their luperioj advantages, pofTef- 
 Uhg as they did, *' the adoption, and the glory, and the cove- 
 nants, and the giving of the law, and the fervice of God, and 
 the promifes ; and of whom, as concerning the flefh, Chrift 
 Came :" neverthelefs received their promifed, their expected 
 Median coldly, doubtingly, reluctantly ; and at length utterly 
 jejeded Lim, and put him to death. This leads our bleiTed 
 
 H h Lord 
 
*5© HISTORY «F [Left. XXII, 
 
 Lord to unfold the approaching admiflion of the gentile na- 
 tions into the church of God, by believing and embracing his 
 gofpel, and the rejection of the pofterity of Abraham after the 
 ileih, becaufeof their unbelief : 4i And I fay unto you, that 
 many {frail com* from the eaft, and weft, and fhall fit down 
 with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacoh, in the kingdom of heaven: 
 But the children of the kingdom fhall be caff out into outer 
 darknefs : there fhall be weeping and gna'fhing of teeth." Je- 
 fus delivers thi3 all-important doftrine under the folemnity of 
 an " I fay unto you ;" '* mark me well ; my words a»e true 
 and faithful, they are ferious and interefting, they concern ev- 
 ery on" among you, they fhall all have their accomplifhrnent." 
 The affembly to whom this was addreffed, confided of a great 
 variety of perfons. It was compofed of the elders of the Jews, 
 who had come to intercede in behalf of their benefactor, and 
 who were waiting the iffue ; of the Centurion himfelf, origin- 
 ally a Gentile and an idolator ; of the friends whom he had 
 diipatched to meet Jefus, who were likewife, in all probabili- 
 ty, Roman fordiers,and of courfe heathens and idolators ; and 
 of a mixed multitude who followed Chrift wherever he went. 
 The highefl privilege which profelyted Gentiles could obtain 
 from Jewifh bigotry was permifiion to worfhip the true God 
 in the outer court of the temple, which was appropriated to 
 them, and called by their name. To them how grateful muft 
 have been the intimation of being made partakers of all the 
 privileges of the fons of God ! of riling to their fuil and equal 
 rank in the great family of the common- Father of all, of being 
 admitted into the fociety, and of enjoying the felicity of the 
 venerable founders of the Jewifh church, a branch only of " the 
 general afTembly and church of the firft-born, which are writ- 
 ten in heaven !" The like precious faith which exalted the 
 patriarchs, Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob to a place in the king- 
 dom of God, was to be diffufed in every direction, and to raife 
 men " of all- nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues," 
 to the '* inheritance of a kingdom prepared," for all the faith- 
 ful, " from the foundation of the world." The Jews, on the 
 other hand, valued themfcfves on their exclufive privileges. 
 They fcorned to have any dealings with even their neighbours 
 and brethren'the Samaritans. They held themfelves contami- 
 nated by coming into cont'a£l with the impure heathen ; they 
 appropriated to themfelves a right to the favour of God. To 
 perfons labouring under fuch prejudices, which had been in- 
 filled into them with their mothers' milk, what an awful de- 
 nunciation was it, that not only fhould the Gentile nations be 
 received within the pale of the church, but received to their 
 
 ov,*r? 
 
jL,e£h XX1I.J JESUS CHRIST. t$J 
 
 own exclufion ? " Behold,'* exclaims the apoftle, in contem- 
 plating this very object, *' Behold the goodnefs and feverity 
 .of God." — " Of a truth we perceive that God is no refpe&er 
 of perfons : but in every nation he that feareth him, and worfc- 
 cth righteoufnefs, is accepted with him." But the lingular im^ 
 agery, and the very language by which this view of the Re- 
 deemer's kingdom is conveyed, deferve a particular confidera- 
 lion. May they be deeply imprelTed upon our hearts and 
 minds. 
 
 " Many mall come," fays Chrift, as he furveyed the gradual 
 progrefs, and the unlimited extent of his empire. The narrow 
 fpirit of Judaifm is not peculiar to that people. It feems to be 
 a general character of human nature. Abraham and Lot were 
 under the neceflity of leparating, becaufe ''the land was not 
 able to bear them, that they might dwell together." How of- 
 ten has a well of water kindled a flame among brethren ! 
 Whence come pride and envy ? whence come fraud and cun- 
 ning ? whence coine wars and fightings ? whence come mo- 
 nopolies and exclufions, but from the felfilhnefs of an individ- 
 ual, or of a few, to appropriate to themfelves what belongs to 
 many ? Were the operation of this fpirit confined to the things 
 of time, it might be accounted for. The defires of the human 
 mind are unbounded, and the objects of purfuits are few and 
 imall. What another acquires feems to be io much taken 
 away from me. Though in truth there is provifion fuflicient- 
 ly ample tor all ; bread enough and to fpare, room enough and 
 io fpare, were the real wants and the reafonable wifhes of na- 
 ture to fettle the diftribution. But that the kingdom of heaven 
 mould be fubjected to a monopoly ; that its keys mould be 
 feized by the bold hand of an ufurping individual or of an ar- 
 rogant party, would exceed belief, did not the hiftory even oi 
 the Chriftian Church eftablifh the faft. The difciples of Chrifl 
 themfelves brought into his fchool ail the contractednefs of 
 their Jewiih education, liven the mild and affectionate John 
 was tainted with it. " Mailer," laid he, '* we faw one calling 
 out devils jn thy name : and^ve forbade him, becaufe he follow- 
 eth not with us." They are for calling down fire from heaven 
 to confume a whole village of Samaritans, in refentment of a 
 mere piece of incivility. They muft have the higheft places 
 when their Mafter mould come to the throne. The kingdom muft 
 pe reflored to Ifrael, whatever might become ol the reft of the 
 world. This fpirit, though frequently and feverely reprobaU 
 ed by their benevolent Mafter, has unhappily been tranfrnittod, 
 and mutual anathemas and excommunications have been thun- 
 dered by furious fecfaries, who have one alter another aefolated 
 
 the 
 
*5? H i s to r v [Left, xx : u 
 
 the earth, to fecure to-thcmfelyes- the undivided poHetlion of a 
 heaven which they are incapable of enjoying. If the Saviour- 
 of men fays, '* many (hail come, "who dares to.limit the holy- 
 One of L'rael, and to fay, "few f'hall be faved ?" 
 
 '* Many (hall come from the eajl and zve/L" The other two 
 cardinal points are fpecified in a correfponding paffage of the 
 gofpel according to St. Luke, chap. xiii. 29. The import of 
 the exprefllon is obvious. It denotes the.- attractive influence 
 of Chridianity over men of every region ujpder heaven, and 
 the univerfai paternal care and love ct Him who " hath made 
 of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of ; 
 the earth." The day of Pentecoft exhibited the firfhfruits ot 
 this glorious harveft. When the apoftles, M filled with the 
 Holy Ghoft, fpake with other tongues as^the fpirit gave them 
 utterance," " there were dwelling at Jerufalem Jews, devout, 
 men, out of every nation under, heaven. Now, when this, 
 was noifed abroad, the multitude came together, and were con- 
 founded, becaufe that every man heard them fpeak in his own , 
 language. And they were all amazed, and, marvelled, faying 
 one to another, behold, are not all thefe which fpeak Galile- 
 ans ? and how hear we every man in our own tongue, where- 
 in we were born i* Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and 
 the dwellers in Mefopotamia, and in J.udea, and Cappadocia, 
 in Pontus, and Alia, Phrygia* and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and 
 in the parts of Libya about Gyrene, and ftrangers of Rome, 
 Jews andProfelytes"— " and'the fame day there was added un- 
 to them about three thoufand fouls." Since that period what 
 have been the triumphs of the Prince of Peace ! What myri- 
 ads are now proftrate before Kim who fitteth upon the throne, 
 and before the Lamb, adoring the wondersof redeeming grace, 
 looking, with angels, into the great myftery of godlinefs, it 
 haply they " may be able to comprehend with all faints, what 
 is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height ; and to know 
 the love of Chrift, which pafleth knowledge !" And what 
 it II 1 more glorious triumphs remain to be dilplayed, when 
 " the futne/s of the Gentiles mall be come in, and all Krael 
 fhall be faved," when " great voices in heaven" fha|l fay " The 
 kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our 
 Lord, and of his Chrift; and he fhall reign for ever and ever V 
 The multitudes who fhall thus flock to the Saviour, as doves 
 to their windows, from the eaft and from, the weft, from the 
 fouth and irom the north, as they are partakers of the faith of 
 the patriarchs, fo.they fhall at length be made partakers of their 
 . v : " they (hall fit down with Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob in the 
 kingdom of God." What an afTemblage of delicious images ! 
 - projects has the Gofpel opened to the children of men ! 
 
 Thofe 
 
Lea. XXII.l SXo'.Z CHRIST. fgg 
 
 Thofe travellers into a far country have returned to their Fath- 
 er's houfe. They purfued various tracks, but all led home- 
 ward. They were Grangers to each other in a ffrange land, 
 but the prevailing family likenefs now lets them fee that they 
 are brothers. They fometimes fell out by the way, but now 
 there is perfect love. They had heard of the names of their 
 venerabje anceflors and refpeclable kindred, now they fee, and 
 know, and rejoice in them. Their pilgrimage is ended, their 
 6 * warfare isaccomplimed." 
 
 "They fhall/7 down." They were laid in the grave, they fell 
 afleep. they faw corruption. Now they are children of the refur- 
 reclion ; refrefhedby the fleep of death, they have acquired im- 
 mortal vigour, they have put on incorruption. Sitting isthepoff- 
 ureafTumed for the enjoyment ct focial intercourse, and that 
 is the idea here conveyed. The family is affembled, the banquet 
 is prepared, perfect harmony reigns. When men return to the 
 bofom of their friends from tedious and painful journeys, from 
 perilous voyages, from dcflruftive warfare, affec>ion fuggefts 
 many an inquiry, many a communication. Alas, how often do 
 we fondly amicipatethe communications ot diflant friends who 
 are nevcrto return ! But of the expefciedguefls, of the innume- 
 rable company invited to '* the marriage of the Lamb," not one 
 fhall be miflTing, no bitter recollection (hall intrude, no painCiil 
 apprehenfion fhall arile. And with what fubjefcis of converfa- 
 tion are they eternally (applied ! Wirh what enlarged views, 
 o! thofe fubjefcis do they difcourfe I The glories of nature are 
 contemplated with nev/ eyes, and excite emotions before tin- 
 felt. The myflery or Providence, once fo intricate and in- 
 fcnitable, is unravelled ; the mighty plan, the minute parts, 
 the univerfal and the individual intercft are found in perfeel 
 imifon. The wonders of redeeming lore, intermingling with 
 the glo ies of creation and the myftery of Providence, commu- 
 nicating to them all their beauty, all their importance. What 
 a theme for the whole cemp-my of the redermed, for inter- 
 change of perfonal experience, for mutual congratulation and 
 delight ! What exalted employment, what inexrauftible fource 
 of joy for the endlefs days of eternity ! 
 
 " They fhall fit down with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacoh** 
 There is a natural defire in man to be in the company of fhe 
 eminently great, and wife, and good. But this deiire is tern, 
 pered'by a confeioufnefs of our own inferiority. We fhnnk 
 from the penetrating eye of wifdorn, we feel " how awful 
 goodnefs is," we blulh inwardly at the thought of our own lit- 
 tlenefs. But thofe in- gathered outcaffs from the eail and weft 
 feci no uneafv apprehenGons on being introduced to fjciety 
 
 io 
 
4^| HISTOB.Y OF ftea. XX-H, 
 
 lb dignified, for " there is no fear in love.'* They indeed feel 
 their inferiority;, but it excites no mortification. They are in 
 their proper place, and they have their proper meafure of glo- 
 ry. While time was they pronounced thofe veneiable names 
 with awe, they accounted thofe perfons happy who could 
 claim kindred to men fo highly diftinguifhed, admiflion to the 
 court ot the Gentiles terminated their ambition, birth had ex- 
 cluded them forever from the commonwealth of Ifraei. Now 
 they find that they are the real pofterity of Abraham, " born, 
 not of blood, nor of the will of ihe flefh» nor of the will of man, 
 but oi God." II any nun hath not the fpirit of Abraham, he is 
 none of his. By the fpirit they are related to the father of the 
 faithful, and he joyfully acknowledges them as his children, 
 and heirs with him of the promifes. 
 
 " They (hall fit down with Abraham, and Jfaac, and Jacob, 
 in ihe kingdom of heaven* 9 Tbis implies a participation' of ail 
 ihe privileges of faints on earth, communion and fellowfhip 
 with one another, as members together of that body whereof 
 Chrifl is the head, and joint " fellowfhip with the Father, and 
 with the ion Jefus Chrifl." Such is the kingdom of God ia 
 this world, and fuch the preparation for the inheritance of 
 faints in light, for the kingdom which cannot be moved. Let 
 us not prefumeto'* darken counfel by words without knowl. 
 edge." Let us not prefume to draw afide the veil which fep T 
 ? rates a material world from the world of fpirits, which inter- 
 pofes between time and eternity. Scripture itfelf , after ex hau fl- 
 ing every image, every idea of negative and of pofitive glory 
 and felicity, as defcriptive of " the kingdom ot heaven," refers 
 us to a future revelation of that glory. Paul, " caught up to 
 the third heaven,, caught up into paradife," admitted to the in- 
 tercourfe of celeff ial beings, and fent back to earth, finds him- 
 felf incapable of defcribing the heavenly vifion. The words 
 which he heard, were unfpeakable, which it is not lawful, which 
 it is not poffible, for a man to utter. In this bleffed, undefin- 
 ed, undefcribed ftate we leave it : " It is written, eye hath not 
 leen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of 
 man, the things which God hath prepared for them that loye 
 him." 
 
 The contrail is dreadful : " But the children pf the king- 
 dom /hall be cad out in outer darknefs there mall be 
 weeping and gnafhing of teeth." By "the children of the 
 kingdom," cur Lord undoubtedly means to denote the 
 pofterity of Abraham after the fleih, the original heirs of the 
 promifes, the depofitaries of the covenants, who, with aH 
 die advantages of birtb ? of education, of a revelation which 
 
 they 
 
lea/ XXII.} JESUS CHRIST, f^J 
 
 they acknowledged to be divine, and of which they made their* 
 Soaft, obftinatcly rejected the promifed Mefliah, to whom alF 
 J'heir prophets give witnefs ; who, valuing themfelves upon, 
 and vainly reding in, a mere natural defcent from illuftrious 
 anceftorV, withoat inheriting a particle ot their fpirit, wilfully 
 excluded themfelves Irom the kingdom of heaven. Their 
 means of knowledge, their peculiar privileges were a horrid 1 
 aggravation of their guilt, and a full juftifioation ot their tre- 
 mendous punifhment. The blefl'ednefs ot* the righteous, in. 
 the heavenly World, is, in the preceding verie, reprefented un- 
 der the well-known and familiar image of the banquet, or mar- 
 riage feaft, and various p^tTages of the gofpel hiltory throw 
 light upon the allufion, particularly the parable of the ten vir- 
 gins Thofe foremnities were ufually celebrated in the night 
 feafon. The apartments deftined to the entertainment of the 
 guefts were fuperMy illuminated. The bridegroom and his 
 Train came to the banqueting houfe in magnificent procefhon, 
 by lamp or torch light. The invited guefts were admitted 
 through tru- wicket, to prevent promifcuous int'rufion. As 
 foon as the nuptial band had entered the doors were (hut. The 
 carelefs ancf tile tardy Were ot courfe excluded, ajid no after 
 expostulation or entreaty could procure admittance ; they 
 were left in outer darknefs, rendered more hideous by com- 
 panfon with the fplendor which reigned within ; left, in the 
 the cold and damps ot the night, to their own bitter reflections, 
 dreadfully aggtavated by the idea ot a felicity to them for ever 
 inacceflible. By a reprefentation fo powerfully imprefTive, fo 
 eafily undcrftood, fo awfully alarming, were the elders of the 
 Jews admomfhed' of the guilt, danger and rnifery of re>e£Hng 
 the counfel of God againft themfelves, of refuting the teftimo- 
 ny which God had given to his Son Chrift Jefus, 
 
 After this very folemn digreflion, Jefus returns to the fub- 
 ject which had given rife to it, the iervant's malady, and the 
 matter's marvellous faith. He beftows a prefent reward on' 
 the one, by inftantly relieving the other. M And Jefus faid un- 
 to the centurion, go thy way ; and as thou haft believed, fo be' 
 h done unto thee. And his fervant was healed in the felf-fama 
 hour." Here the Saviour condefcends to be dictated to. He 
 yields to the prayer ot a faith fo very extraordinary, he pro- 
 ceeds no father on his way to the centurion's houfe. The pe- 
 tition runs, 4i fpeak the word only, and my fervant fhall be 
 healed ; " he (peaks the word, he wills the cure, and virtue goss 
 out of him to perform it. 
 
 Neither of the Evangelists purfue the biftory of the centuri- 
 on farther. But we have ever/ thing to hope, every thing" to 
 
 believe 
 
J56 UistttitY b* ptett/i'k'h'* 
 
 believe of a man who fo eminently diftinguifhed himfelf as an 
 excellent foldier, a kind mailer, a moderate rul-r, a pious wor- 
 fhipper of God, and an humble but firm believer in Jefus 
 Chrift. In his hifiory the Chriftian world has to boaft ot a* 
 nother oi' the triumphs ot the Captain of falvation, ot another 
 fuccefsful invafion of Satan's kingdom, of another difplay oi" 
 divine perfection in the perfon of Jefus Chrift. It is not un- 
 worthy oi remark that various perfons of the fame rank and 
 proteffion, that of centurion, ftand with high marks ot appro- 
 bation on the facred page. Next to this molt refpeclable char- 
 after, we find another employed en a very trying occafion. 
 He, with the company under his command, was appointed to 
 fee the fentence ot crucifixion executed, ior foldiers are put 
 upon many a painful fervice, and he was not an unconcerned 
 fpeclator ot that awful fcene. " Now when the centurion, 
 and they that were with him watching Jefus, faw theeaithquake 
 and thofe things that were done, they feared greatly, faying, 
 truly this was the Son of God." The name ot Cornelius of 
 Ccfarea, the centurion ot the Italian band, is renowned in all 
 the churches of Chrift, as "a devout man, and one that feared 
 God with all his houfe, which gave much alms to the people, 
 and prayed to God alway." He is farther honourably re- 
 ported of by thofe of his own houfehold, as " a jull man, and 
 of good report among all the nation of the jews." The cen- 
 turion who had charge of Paul and the other prifoners, on the 
 Uifaftrous voyage which terminated in jfhipwreck on the ifland 
 of Melita, paid lingular attention to the Apoftle, followed his 
 advice, and fpared the reft of the prifoners that he might pre- 
 ferve Paul's life. And upon their arrival at Rome, when this 
 generous officer delivered over the reft of his charge to the 
 captain of the guard, he had fufrkient credit and ability to ex- 
 prefs his friendship for our apoftle, by procuring for him a 
 greater enlargement of liberty : :,< Paul was fuffered to dwell 
 by himfelf with a foldier that kept him." 
 From this interefting (lory let us learn, 
 
 l. To defpife no man's perfon, feelings, opinions, profel- 
 fion or country. His perfon is what God made it, and he 
 makes nothing that is in itfeif contemptible. You are bound in 
 equity to refpeft the feelings ot another, for you wifh that your 
 own fhould not be handled rudely. It ill becomes one who 
 has himfelt formed fo many erroneous opinions, and veered a- 
 bout fo frequently with the flitting gale, to prefcribe a ftand- 
 ard ot opinion to other men. Unlets a protefSon be radically, 
 and in its own nature finful, thofe who follow it ought not to 
 
 be 
 
'Left. *K*A»J JESUS CHRIST. * 57 
 
 be condemned in the lamp : if it expofe to peculiar tempta- 
 tions to aft amifs, he who refills the temptation and overcomes 
 himfelf is the more eftiwiable. Over the place of his birth a 
 Inan had no more power than over the height of his ftaiure, 
 or the colour of his fkin. It is an objeft of neither praife nor 
 blame. The apoftle Peter received a fevere and juft rebuke on 
 this head, by a vifion from heaven. He was prepared, and he 
 needed to be prepared, for the exercife of his miniftry at Cefa- 
 rea, and to the family and friends of the excellent Roman cen- 
 turion already mentioned, and whom his Jewifli pride had 
 taught him to hold in contempt, by a thrice repeated mandate 
 which he dared not to difobey : M What God hath cleanfed, 
 that call not thou common." Let usconfider it as addreiTed to 
 ourfelves. " Why doll: thou judge thy brother ? or why doll 
 thou fet at nought thy brother ? for we (hall all ftand before 
 the judgment-feat of Chrift." 
 
 2. The fearful doom denounced againii unbelieving Jews 
 ought to operate as a warning to ft i 1 1 more highly privileged 
 Chriftians, left any man " fall after the fame example of unbe- 
 lief." " For if the word fpoken by angels was fteadfaft, and 
 every tranfgreflion and difobedience received a juft recom- 
 pence of reward ; how fhall we efcape if we neglect fo great 
 falvation ; which at the firft began to be fpoken by the Lord, 
 and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him." We 
 Sometimes exprefs contempt for the pagan world, fometimes 
 affe£l to pity the blinded nations, and without hefitation pre- 
 fume to pafs a fentence of final condemnation upon them. The 
 unhappy tribes of Africa, in particular, Chriftian Europe calm- 
 ly reduces to the condition of beafts of burthen in this world, 
 with hardly an effort to ameliorate it in the next. And yet 
 they aie men, they polTefs many virtues which ought to put 
 their tyrants to the biuih. and which will one day rife up in 
 judgment again ft them. We defpife the miferable Jews, and 
 iiigmatize them as infidels, as if all thofe who bear the name of 
 Chrift actually beheved in him. " Boaft not againft the brok- 
 en-off branches ;"— thou wilt fay : The "branches were broken 
 oft, that I might be grafted in. Well ; becaufe of unbelief, 
 they were broken off, and thou ftandeft by faith. Be not high- 
 -minded, but fear : for if God {pared not the natural branches, 
 take heed left he alfo fpare not thee." I conclude with the 
 folemn denunciation of Chrift himfelf, refpecling the men of 
 his generation, and which is ftill in equal force. " The men 
 of Nineveh fhall rife in judgment with this generation, and 
 &all condemn it : becaufe they repented at the preaching of 
 
 I i Jonas : 
 
a^S history©? [Le&xxtf* 
 
 Jonas ; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queea 
 of the fouth fhall rife up in the judgment with this generation 
 and mall condemn it : for fhe came trom the uttermoft parts of 
 the earth to hear the wifdom of Solomon ; and,behold, a great- 
 er than Solomon is here." 
 
 LECTURE 
 
Lc&.XKllt.] JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 *£9 
 
 LECTURE XXIII 
 
 JOHN VI. 1 — 14. 
 
 After theft things Jefus went over ihefea of Galilee, which is the 
 
 Jea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, becaufe 
 
 they law his miracles which he did on them that were difeafed.. 
 
 And Jefus went up into a mountain, and there he fat with his 
 
 di fa pies. And the paffover, a Jeajl of the Jews, was nigh. 
 
 When Jefus then lifted up his eyes, and faw a great company 
 
 come unto him, he faith unto Philip, Whence fliall we buy 
 
 bread, that thefe may eat? (and this he J aid to prove him-'.. 
 
 for he hi mf elf knew what he would do.) Philip an/wered him, 
 
 ■two hundred pennyworth of bread is not fuffiaent for them, 
 
 that every one of them may take a little. One of his difaplcs, 
 
 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, faith unto him, there is a lad 
 
 here, which hath, five barley loaves, and two fmall fifties, but 
 
 what are they among fo many ? And Jefus faid, make the 
 
 men fit down. Now (here was muck grafs in the place. So 
 
 the men fat down, in number about five thoufand. And Jefus 
 
 took the -loaves ; and when he-, had given thanks he diftributed 
 
 to the difciples, and the difciples to them that were fet down ; 
 
 and liktwife of the fifties as much as they i^uld. IV hen they 
 
 were filled, hef aid unto his difciples, gather up the fragments: 
 
 -that remain, that nothing be toft. Therefore they gathered 
 
 them together, and filled tzvelve bafkets with the fragments of 
 
 •the five barley loaves, iihich remained over and above unto 
 
 them that had eaten. Then tho'e men, ivhen they had feen the 
 
 -miracle that Jefus did, faid, This.is cf a truth that prophet 
 
 -that ftiould come into the world. 
 
 'T'HE courfe of nature is.a {landing miracle. To be an a- 
 A theifl: is to ceafe from being a man. To think of arguing 
 with fuch a one is to undertake a labour as fruitlefs as attempt- 
 ing to reafon the lunatic into a found mind. A cafe like this 
 ought to excite no emotion but compaflion, mixed with grati- 
 tirde toGod that he has not rtduced us to a condition fo de- 
 plorable. 
 
86© HI STORY C¥ [Lea. xx ui., 
 
 plorable. Refinement in reafoning is, in general, both un- 
 profitable and inconclufive. The man of plain common fenfe. 
 may advantageoufly cbferve and devoutly, acknowledge the 
 wifdom and goodnefs of the Great Supreme in the regular eb- 
 bing and flowing of the tide, though he cannot trace the pro- 
 cefs of the Sun's aclion on the waters, of the ocean ; or of the 
 wind, in conveying the fluid to the mountain's top ; or of 
 gravity, lending it down to water the plains beneath ; or the 
 fuppofed influence of the moon, or of the melting ot the polar 
 ices, producing an alternate and regular flux and reflux on our 
 Chores, or in our rivers. Ot what importance is the theory of 
 vegetation, compared to the fimplebut valuable labour and ex- 
 perience of the gardener and hufbandman ?* The fame obfer- 
 vation applies, to the religion ot the Gofpel. Here the learn- 
 ed have no, advantage whatever over the illiterate. It confifts 
 ot a few plain, unadorned rafts, authenticated by the teftimo- 
 ny of a cloud of unfufpecled witneffes ; oi a lew fimple, prac- 
 tical truths, level to the moll ordinary capacity ; and of a tew 
 precepts ot felt-evident importance, which it highly concerns, 
 every man to obferve. Should it be alleged that thefe are 
 blended with things hard to be underilood, it is admitted. And- 
 here again the wife and prudent have no fuperiority over, the 
 vulgar, but both meet the God of grace as well as the God of 
 nature exercifing his divine prerogative, in miniflring to the 
 neceflities, while he checks the pride and prefuraption oi- 
 lman. 
 
 The miracles of ouxblefled Lord which have. hitherto pail. 
 ed i» review, had a more limited objeft. Their defign was to 
 relieve individual, or domeilic diflrefs ; they, were an appeal, 
 public indeed, to the understanding and fenfes of all who wit- 
 neffed them, but fiightly felt, imperfectly underilood, and lit- 
 tie improved, except by the parties more immediately intereft- 
 ed in them. They were granted to importunity, and as a re* 
 ward to the prayer of faith. That which is the fubjeft of the 
 paflage now read, embraces a much, wider range than any ot 
 thefe, and is the fpontaneous efrufion of his. own divine benev- 
 olence and companion. Ten thoufand perfons, at a moderate 
 calculation, were at once the witnefles and the fubjecls ot the 
 miracle, and in a cafe wherein it was impo{Iible they mould 
 be miftaken, for they had every fenfe, every faculty exercifed 
 in afcertaining the truth. And here he waits not, as in other 
 cafes, till the cry of mifery reaches his ear, but advances to 
 meet it, to prevent it ; he outruns expectation, and has a lup- 
 ply in readinefs, before the prefTure of want is felt. 
 
 The duration of Chrift's public miniftry, from his baptifm 
 
|.,e&. XXIII.] JESUS CHRIST. *6l 
 
 to his paflion, has been calculated from the number ot paffo- 
 vers which he frequented. This, as may be fuppofed, has oc- 
 cation ed confiderable variety of opinion. The attentive read- 
 er will probably adopt that of our illuflrious countryman, Sir 
 Ifaac Newton, who reckons five of thefe annual feftivals with- 
 jn the period. The firft, that recorded in the 2d chapter ol St. 
 John's Gofpel, at which he purged the temple, predicted his 
 own death and relurreclion, and performed fundry miracles. 
 The (econd, according to that great chronologiit, took place a 
 few months alter our Lord's converfation with tho woman ot 
 Samaria, which he founds on that text, John iv. 35. ** Say not 
 ye, there are yet four months, and then cotneth harvelf. ? be. 
 hold, I fay unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; 
 for they are white already to harvett." The third, a few days 
 prior to the Sabbath on which the difciples walked out into the 
 ields, and plucked the ears of corn, when he cured the impo- 
 tent man at the pool ot Bethefda. The fourth; that which was 
 now approaching at the era of this miracle ; and the filth, that 
 at which he fuffered. The people were now therefore flock- 
 ing from all parts of Galilee, on their way to Jerufalem to 
 keep the paflbver : and this accounts lor the very extraordina- 
 ry number who at this time attended his preaching and mir- 
 acles. 
 
 " After thefe things," fays Joh:<, The other three EvangeL 
 iffs connect this fcene, in refpect: ottime, with a moft memo- 
 rable event in the hiftory A Chriftianity» the decapitation of 
 John Baptifl in the T 1 un. When thefe melancholy tidings 
 were told to Jefus, Matthew informs us, that " he departed 
 thence by (hip into a defert place apart : and when the people 
 had heard th-reof they followed him en foot out of the cuies. 
 And Jefus went forth, and faw a great multitude, and was 
 moved with companion toward them, and he healed their fick •*■ 
 arid .then immediately follows the miracle ol feeding the mul- 
 titude, recorded with exactly the fame chcumftances in all the 
 four Evangelifts. Mark affixes an additional date. It was at 
 the tirne when the difciples returned from the execution of their 
 iirfl commiflion, with an account of their fuccefs : '' And the 
 apofllcs gathered themfelves togetlier un:o Jefus, and told him 
 all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught." 
 On this Jefus propof'ed a temporary retirement from the pub- 
 lic eye, for the cunveniency of private converfation, of repofe, 
 and of the neceflary refrelhment of the body : " And he laid 
 unto them, come ye yourfelves apart into a defert place, and 
 reft a while : for there were many coming and going, and they 
 had no Icifure fo mmch as to cat, And ihcy departed into a 
 
 defert 
 
*6a history of [Left. *%*IU 
 
 ftefert place by (hip privately ;" and this, as before, prepared! 
 (or the miracle of the loaves and fifties. The felf-fame circum- 
 stances are minutely narrated in Luke's gofpeJ. Thefe mark 
 the precife epoch when Chrift went over the fea of Galilee, 
 and retired with the twelve to a mountain in the defertot Beth* 
 iaida. But though he went by water, to efcape for a feafon 
 the multitudes which thronged after him, the place of his dec- 
 lination is difcovered, and thoufands, filled with impatience, 
 admiration, gratitude, hope, outftrip the fpeed of the veflel, by 
 a circuitous journey aJong the fhore of the lake. Their mo- 
 tives were various. The poweiful principle of curiofity at- 
 tracted many, A thirft of the word of life impelled others, 
 ** A great multitude followed him, becaufe they faw the mira- 
 cles which he did on them that were difeafed," and many had 
 themfelves " need of healing/' An affecting view is exhibited 
 of Chrift's benevolent character. As from the elevation of the 
 mountain he beheld the people preffmg forward by thoufands 
 to the fpot where he was, a-11 thoughts of food, of reft, oi sc~ 
 commodation loft in an appetite more dignified and pure* his 
 bowels melted : " And Jefus, when he came out. faw much 
 people, and was moved with companion toward them> becaufe 
 they were as (beep not having a fhepherd : and he began to 
 teach them many things/' The fight of a great affembly of 
 men, women and children muff ever create a lively intereft in 
 every bofom alive to the feelings of humanity. The view of 
 his mighty holt melted Xerxes into tears, merely from reflec- 
 tion on their natural mortality. What then are the " bowels 
 and mercies" of the companionate friend of mankind, on fur- 
 veying innumerable myriads ready to perifh everlaftingly for 
 lack of knowledge, dying in their fins ! He feels even for their 
 bodily wants, which, in the ardor of their fpirits, they feem to 
 have themfelves forgotten, and a fupply is provided before the 
 cravings of nature have found out that it was neceffary. And 
 thus a gracious Providence, in things both temporal and fpirit- 
 ual, outruns not only the fupplications of the miferable, but 
 their very hopes and deftres. 
 
 : The day began to wear away," they were in adefert place, 
 the multitude was prodigioufly increafed, they had failed long, 
 no provifion of either victuals or lodging had been made, and 
 th^ adjacent villages promifed but a (lender accommodation of 
 either, even had there been money to purchafe them. A cafe 
 of truly aggravated diftrefs ! The forethought and fympathy of 
 the difciples went no farther than to fuggeft the propriety of 
 an immediate difmiffion of the affembly, while fufficient light 
 remained to procure what was needful tor •xhaufted nature. 
 
 " When 
 
left. XXlII.J JE3US CHRISTi 163 
 
 " When the day began to wear away then came the twelve, 
 and faid unto him, fend the multitude away, that they mny go 
 into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get 
 victuals : for we are here in a defert place." But their gra- 
 cious Matter looked much farther, and felt more tenderly. He 
 addreffes himfelt particularly to Philip, who was of the city 
 of Bethfaida, and might be fuppofed to know the ftate of the 
 country, and how much it could produce in an emergency of 
 this kind, on the fuppofition that their (lock of money wa« e- 
 qual to the demand : M he faith unto Philip, Whence mall we 
 buy bread that thefe may eat ?" Why the appeal was perfon* 
 ally made to Philip, may be accounted for from fome pecul- 
 iarity in that difciple's chara6fer. He appears to have been 
 one of thofe who flowly, fufpicioufly, reluctantly admitted the 
 evidence of their Matter's divine miffton ; for we find him* 
 long after this, difcovering a diffident, fcrupulous, incredulous 
 difpofition ; and his kind Matter adminifterin^ a juft and fea- 
 fonable rebuke : " Philip faith unto him, Lord, fhew us the 
 Father, and it fufHceth us. Jefus faith unto him, Have I been 
 fo long time with you, and yet hatt thou not known me. Phil* 
 ip ? he that hath feen me hath feen the Father ; and how fay- 
 eft thou, then, fhew us the Father ?" Thus was it needful that 
 the witneffes of the truth to others fhould have their own? 
 doubts completely removed. And thus, He, who knew what 
 was in man, will bring out of the man himfelf what is in him ; 
 not with the infidious defign of deceiving and expofing him, 
 as men often a£f by each other, but of making him feel his own 
 weight ; of enabling him to form a juft eftimate of his wifdom 
 and ftrength ; of affording him a frefh and irrefiftible proof or 
 his Matter's fupreme power, and divine intelligence, " This 
 he faid to prove him : tor he knew what he would do." 
 
 We have here a mod fublime reprefentation of the Redeem- 
 er's foreknowledge of the natural realonings of the human 
 mind, and of the exiftence and effeel of fecond caufes. That a 
 thoufand perfons of as many different inclinations, purfuing as 
 many different interefts, with as many different capacities, 
 fhould be brought to one point, fhould co-operate in promot- 
 ing the fame purpofe, fhould, unknown to each other, invol- 
 untarily enter into exaftly one and the fame purfuit, is not to 
 be explained on the common principles of human fagacity, 
 and can proceed only " from the Lord of hofts, who is won- 
 derful in counfel and excellent in working." Pnilip immedi- 
 ately has recourfe to arithmetical calculation ; he eftimates 
 the multitude at fo many, he examines into the ttate of their 
 iinances, and finds them deplorably deficient : " two hundred 
 
 penny-worth 
 
£^4 HISTORY or fLefik XXtltt 
 
 penny-worth of bread is notfufficient for them, that every ong 
 of them may take a little." No, the difficulty was not to be 
 thus refolved. Neither was the matter much mended to hu-* 
 man apprehenfion, when Andrew, Simon's brother, brought 
 information that there was a lad preient who had five barley- 
 loaves and two fmall fifties to dilpofe of. He himfelf fets no 
 great (lore by his intelligence ; a fingle loaf to a thoufand 
 men appeared to him a mere nothing, an aggravation rather 
 than an alleviation otthe diftrefs : " but what," fays he defpond- 
 ingly," are they among fo many ?" The cafe is thus brought 
 to an extreme point. Five thoufand men, befide a multitude 
 of women and children, probably to an equal, if not a greater 
 number, feel the preflure of hunger, and of no one of our 
 natural appetites are we more acutely lenfible than of this ; 
 every one of this myriad, therefore, down to the youngeft child, 
 was a difiintt and a competent witnefs upon the occafion, of 
 the individual and of the general calamity, and of the total 
 want of an adequate fupply. Providence thus frequently per- 
 mits things to come to the very verge of wo, that man may feel 
 his own weaknefsand infufficiency, feel his entire dependance, 
 and learn to acknowledge and to adore the feafonable interpo- 
 fltion of heaven ; that God may be feen as f our refuge and 
 our ftrength, a very prefent help in trouble." 
 
 As if every preparation of human fagachy had been made, 
 Jefus, with dignified compofure, commands, laying, fl Make 
 the men fit down." The attention and fympathy of Chrift 
 are obfervable in minute circumftances. His gueils had pafT- 
 ed a day of uncommon fatigue; they were now overtaken 
 with two great infirmities, want of food and want of reft. A 
 ftanding meal, weary as they were, would have been an un- 
 fpeakable benefit ; or to have ftretched out their exhaufted 
 limbs torepofe, even with a {lender provifion, for V the ffeep 
 of a labouring man is fweet, whether he eat little or much." 
 He who careth for oxen, who feedeth the raven, who fuftain- 
 eth the fparrow on the wing, *« fhall he not much more" hear 
 the cry of human wretchednefs ? Both the precious gifts of 
 bread and reft are beftowed at once, and both unhoped for, both 
 unafked. " Make the men fit down :" and it is remarked, 
 " Now there was much grafs in the place." What a delicioUs 
 aifemblage of natural and interefting beauties ! It was the ftill 
 evening ot a day in fpring; the fragrant fertile earth had fpread 
 an ample carpet, at once delightful to behold, pleafant to the 
 fmeli, and fattened to the preflure of the faint, Twenty thou- 
 fand eyes are turned in filent expeftation to their common 
 friend and benefaclor. The very order of tbeir arrangement 
 
 embellishes 
 
Le£h x'xn:.] jesus christ, 265 
 
 embellifhes the fcene, and the fubdivifions and itraight lines of 
 art fet off the majeftic irregularity of nature : a hundred rows 
 of fifty men each. What, compared to this, was the royal 
 " feafl which the king Ahafuerus made unto all his princes, 
 "and his fcrvants ; the power of Perfia and Media, the nobles 
 and princes of the provinces!" What, compared to this, 
 was the great, but impious tea ft, which " BeKhazzar the king 
 made to athoufandof his lords !" Thefe noily and profane 
 revels were quickly difturbed, and iffued in forrow. What a 
 different fpeclacle did the mountain in the defert of Bethfaida 
 prefent ! All is calmnefs and harmony, all is peace and joy. 
 The great Matter of the feafl furveys his vaft family with com- 
 placency and delight ! they behold in him their condescend- 
 ing teacher, their merciful phyfician, their liberal provider, 
 iheir almighty Lord, in whom all fulnefs was pleafed to dwell. 
 
 "And Jefus took the loaves." He miraculoufly fupported 
 Iris own body for forty days in the wildernefs, without eating 
 or drinking ; and the fame divine power could undoubtedly 
 have refrefhed and iuftained this great multitude, for a night, 
 without bread, as eafily as by a fupernatural multiplication of 
 it. But this would have been lefs fenfibleand convincing; and 
 natural vigor of conititution might have been fuppofed equal 
 to the load. In the method of relief which our Lord was 
 pleafed to employ, every man had the witnefs within himfelf, 
 and could bear a clear teftimony concerning all around him, 
 that not the powers of nature, but the God of grace had min- 
 iflered to their common neceflities. M And, when he had giv- 
 en thanks ;" Two different words are employed by the Evan- 
 gelifts to defcribe this action of our Saviour. The firft three 
 fay, " he bletTed" the loaves, pronounced upon them a folemn 
 and powerful benediction, in virtue of which they became pro- 
 lific, and multiplied far beyond the extent of the demand. Our 
 Evangelift reprefents him as " giving thanks," afcribing to 
 God his heavenly Father the glory of every gift of an indul- 
 gent Providence, whether bellowed in the order of natural in- 
 creafe. or produced by an extraordinary interpolation. The 
 form of words, employed by Chriit on this occafion, mofl 
 probably blended both ideas, as indeed they cannot be eafily 
 Separated. To give thanks for what God has given is a devout 
 acknowledgment of dependance upon him, a tacit exprefTion 
 of hope in his goodnefs for the time to come, and the mofl: 
 likely means of increaling our (lore. He a6ted as the great 
 pattern of his difciples, teaching them in difficulty to look up 
 to heaven for direction and affi (lance, to improve the blcflings 
 
 providence by referring them to their great Author, and to 
 * l ^ K k call 
 
*gf H I S TO R Y OF JJLcft. XX It I U 
 
 cafl every Future care on him who hath helped hitherto. Man 
 cannot pronounce a benediction capable of communicating ef- 
 ficacious virtue, but. what is equivalent to it, he can " in every 
 thing, by prayer and fupplication with thankfgiving, let his 
 requefts be made known unto God ;" and time employed in 
 devotion is not'lofs, but unfpeafeably great gain. 
 
 " Hediftributed'to the difciples and the difci pies to them that 
 Were fet down : and hkewife of the fifties as much as they 
 would." The fare was ordinary, bailey bread and dried fi(h 
 •'The full foul lotheth an honey-comb; but to the hungry 
 every bitter thing is fweet." Mark, the^quality op the food is 
 not changed, the quantity only is increafed, rOr the obje£l oi 
 the miracle was not to pamper luxury', but to fatisfy hunger. 
 The difciples had nothing to give but what they ffrft received. 
 And what mufl have been their aftonifhment, their fatisfaaion e 
 as they walked from rank to rank, to behold the food not di- 
 minifh, but multiply to the mouth of the eaer !' No murmur- 
 ing could arife on account of a partial diftribution, for all had 
 enough and to fpare. No doubt could arife refpecling the 
 fountain of fuppl)% for every ear heard the gracious words 
 which proceeded out of his mouth ; every eye beheld his face 
 lifted up to heaven, and his hands extended to diffufe plenty.^ 
 The body and the mind were refrefhed together, with foocT 
 convenient for them. Thus feafonable, thus fuitable, thus fat- 
 isfy ing are the good and per feci: gifts which come down imme- 
 diately from the Father of lights. The felf-fame miracle, my 
 friends, is repeated day by day, through a different procefs, and 
 we obferve it not, we feel it not. An unfeen hand " caufeth 
 the grafs to grow for the' cattle, and herb for the fervice ot 
 man :" it M bringeth foith food out of the earth ; and wine 
 that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to 
 Jrrine, and bread which ftfengtheneth man's heart." " O that 
 •man would pTaife the Lord for his goodnefs,and for his won- 
 derful works to the children of men ! s, \ 
 
 " When they were filled, he faid unto his difciples, gather 
 up the fragments that remain, that nothing be loft." There 
 is a criminal forethought about to-morrow which the Gofpel 
 condemns, becaufe it implies diftruft of the care, wifdom and 
 goodne-fs of Providence, and becaufe it mars the enjoyment, 
 and encroaches upon the duties of to-day. But there is like- 
 wife a prudent and pious forethought, which both reafOn and 
 religion highly approve and powerfully recommend, becaufe 
 it" is the co-operation of human fagacity with the benignity of 
 Providence ; and the happieft and mod honourable condition 
 oi'man is exertion, as it no fupernatural aid were to be ex- 
 
 pecled, 
 
%t£i. XXIII.] JESUS CHRIST. fc$y 
 
 peeled, and reliance on God, as it human efforts amounted to 
 nothing. " Gather up the fragments ;" was the command 6k 
 'him who had the power of" multiplying without end, but who 
 would lay him' felt" under no obligation to exert a miraculous 
 .energy to repair the profufion, or fupply the negligence or. 
 thoughtlefs man. What occafions the prefent dearth or every 
 ueceffary of life ? Not the unkindneis of heaven, for the earth 
 has yielded her increafe, and our garners are iu]! t ; but cruel 
 ©ppreflion on the one hand, and abominable wafteon the other. 
 The precious fruits of the ground ?.rc, contrary to nature, 
 hoarded up in expectation of glutting avarice with a higher re- 
 •turn, till they corrupt; or they are vilely caft away by the 
 -minions of opulence and -grandeur, vvho care not what they 
 (kiti-oV; becaiile the mailer's fortune is able to fupport the ex- 
 penditure. It is one, and not the leait tff the evils of war, that 
 of the provifion necefTary to the maintenance ot fleets and ar- 
 mies, one half at leait goes to lols, through difhonefty. careleffc 
 nefs, and wilful prodigality. This profufion is often found 
 in company with a hard and flony heart. It appears to have 
 conflicted great part of the criminality of the rich man in the 
 Gofpel. He V was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared 
 -jfumptuoufly every day." But this was not initfelf finful, nor 
 ;is it charged upon him as guilt. The ofFal ot his table war 
 .not wifely ufed. While deteftable luxury reigned within doors, 
 the cry of mifery at the gate was disregarded. The beggar 
 .Lazarus defired, but defired in vain, •' to be fed with the 
 crumbs which fell from the rich man's table." It is in every 
 man's power to reduce the price of provifions. Let him pur- 
 chafe no more than what is needful, and let him be careful to 
 look after the fragments whic.h remain. The opulent man is 
 refponfible for the inhumanity, the extravagance, the criminal 
 negle£l of his domeitics, and to no purpofe does he exclaim a- 
 gainft the rapacity of combinations to engrofs and enhance, 
 "vhile he is foftering the mifchiet by the wretched economy of 
 his own houfehold. " Let nothing be loft" is the economy 
 of nature, the maxim ot.true wildom, ( and. a precept of Chrif- 
 tianity. 
 
 44 Therefore they, gathered them together, and filled twelve 
 ; bafkets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which re- 
 mained over and above unto them that had eaten. Thus the 
 miracle was complete : ample provifion was made for the mo- 
 ment, and a lefTon of prudence given for all generations. The 
 bodies of thoufands were refrelhed by homely but wholefome 
 food, and the facred imprefs ox divine truth was applied to 
 **he human heart. Thus tranfitory things ar* rendered perma- 
 nent 
 
«68 HISTORY os [Le#. XXIII, 
 
 nent, and provifion made for fupportmg.the body is converted, 
 into food ior the immortal foul. 
 
 The convi£Hon produced was perfectly natural, and it ope- 
 rated uniformly on the minds of the whole aflembly : " Then 
 thofe men, when they had feen the miracle that Jefus did, faid, 
 this is of a truth that Prophet that mould come into the world.'* 
 There was therefore, it is evident, a generally prevailing ex- 
 petlation of the appearance of the augult perfonage whom the 
 prophets had announced ; and what proof of a divine million 
 more illuitrious could be difplayed, than, that which had juft. 
 reached the underloading through all the avenues of fenfe ? 
 But it is truly humbling to obferve the perpetual intrufion of a 
 worldly (pint, That prophet whom all ranks looked unto 
 and waited for, all ranks thought proper to invert with tempo- 
 ral power and fplendor. The idea of railing him to kingly 
 fupremacy is immediately entertained. What quality could a 
 prince pofTefs that led more certainly to fuccels than that of 
 fubfifting his armies, without the expenfe and incumbrance of 
 magazines? Under this impulie the multitude are difpofed 
 inflantly to rear his ftandard, and to enlifl in his fervice. And. 
 when a man faithfully examines himfelf, he will find that the 
 world, in (ome form or another, is lurking in his heart. He 
 will find time, and fenfe, and felf blending with his pureft, 
 mod generous, moft exalted views, and direcling his mofl 
 ieemingly difmterefled exertions, jefus demonstrates that he 
 is much more than a king, by withdrawing from popular ap- 
 plaufe and proffered royalty. "When he perceived that they 
 would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he 
 departed again into a mountain himfelf alone." He meets and 
 relieves their real neceflities, but retires from their projefts of: 
 power and ambition. To the demand of Pilate, " Art thou 
 the king of the Jews ?" this was his modeft reply: "My 
 kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this 
 world, then would my fervants fight, that I mould not be de- 
 livered to the Jews : but now is my kingdom not from 
 hence." 
 
 We conclude with a, few practical reflections. 
 
 l. The law of man's nature is a ftated religious monitor to 
 him. Every day he hungers, he thirfts, he waxes faint, he 
 muft lie down and go to fleep. He is as often admonifhed of 
 his frailty, of his dependance, of his obligations. Let the ani- 
 mal fun6tions be ever fo little deranged or fufpended, and the 
 whole man, fpiritas well as body, pines and languishes. An 
 eye which never {lumbers nor lleeps watches him by night and 
 by day. An unfeen hand fpreads his board, fills his cup, feed- 
 
 etfr, 
 
JLe£h XXIIi.J jf.SUS CHRJST. 269 
 
 eth him with food convenient for him. A carelefs fpirit over- 
 looks common mercies, lightly efteems them, waftcs, perverts, 
 abufes them. And where the hand of God is not feen, felt 
 and acknowledged, there can be no enjoyment Superior to that 
 which the beads 01 the field have in common with the ration-* 
 al creation. The devout fpirit refers all to Deity, and thereby 
 a relifh is communicated to the Simpleft and moll: ordinary 
 things. ** A dinner of herbs where love is, a dry morfel, and 
 quietnefs therewith," far exceed the luxury of the M flailed ox,'* 
 and of '* a houfe lull of Sacrifices." Herein the poor have in. 
 finitely the fuperiority over the rich and great. Hunger fea- 
 fons the poor man's food, thirft Sweetens his cup, labour Soft, 
 ens his couch. He beholds his daily fupply coming from the 
 bounty of a Father in heaven, he gives God thanks. Thus 
 meditates the Plalm<ift in contemplating the providential care 
 exercifed over all creatures, especially thofe of the human 
 race : " Man goeth forth unto his work, and to his labour, un- 
 til the evening. O Lord, hpw manifold are thy works ! in 
 "wifdom half thou made them all : the earth is full of thy rich- 
 es : So is this great and wide fea, wherein are things creeping 
 innumerable, both (mall and great beaSts. There go the fhips ; 
 there is that leviathan, whom thou hall made to play therein. 
 Thefe wait all upon thee, that thou may eft give them their 
 meat in due feafon. That thougivefl them they gather : thou 
 opened thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidefr. 
 thy face, they are troubled : thou takefl away their preath,they 
 die and return to their dull. Thou fendefl forth thy fpirit, 
 they are created ; and thou rcneweft the face of the earth. 
 The glory of the Lord fhall endure for ever : the Lord fhall 
 rejoice in his works." Thus is the eye of man, from day to 
 day, alternately directed to the ground out of which he him* 
 fell was taken, to behold the fupport of his life likewife fpring. 
 ins up out ot it, and to heaven, toward '• the Father of lights," 
 tor, " every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above." 
 God, in his great mercy, has not entrufted to human reafon 
 the prefervation of the body, but constantly warns him by an 
 animal inftlnft of what his frame requires, and renders that 
 favoury to fenfe which he knows to be neceiTary to life ; and 
 thus pleafure and deity, as they ever ought, go hand in hand. 
 *' O that men would praife the Lord for his goodnefs, and for 
 his wonderful works to the children of men ; lor he fatii, 
 ficth the longing foul, and fjlleth the hungry foul with good- 
 nefs." 
 
 2. If God is pleafed to humble man, and to fuffer him to 
 hunger, it is to '* make him know that man doth not live by 
 
 bread 
 
#7^ HISTORY OV ['Left. X'XIIl, 
 
 •bread only> but by every word that proceedeth out of the 
 -mouth ot the Lord doth man live." In the animal part of his 
 nature he is reduced to the level of the beafis that perifh ; in 
 •his fpirit he rifes to the rank of angels, he draws fupplies im- 
 mediately from the Father of fpirits, he feeds on immortal food, 
 he drinks of the *• pure river of water of life, proceeding out 
 of the throne of God and of the Lamb.'* The Chriftian, like 
 his divine Mailer, has meat to eat whichibe world knows not 
 of. ** My meat," fays he, " is to do the will of him that fent 
 me, and tofinifh his work :" and, fpeaking of his doctrine, in, 
 contrail to the fupport and refrefhment of the natural life, 
 *' Whomever drinketh of this water fhall third again : but 
 wholoever drinketh of the water that I fhall give him fhall 
 never thirft \ but the water that I fhall give him fhall be in 
 him a well of water fpringing up into everlafting life ;" and 
 again, under the fame image of necellary food ; " My father 
 giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread tii 
 <>od, is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life 
 unto the world. And Jefus faid unto them, I am the bread of 
 life : he that cometh to me fhall never hunger ; and he that 
 believeth on me fhall never thirft." " Bleffed are they which 
 <lo hunger and thirft after righteoufnefs : for they fhall be El- 
 led." " For the kingdom ot God is not meat and drink; but 
 :xighteoufnefs, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft." The 
 heliever^s feaft is thus defcribed by one who was a liberal par- 
 taker of it : ** Being juftified by faith, we have peace with 
 God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift : by whom alfo we have 
 accefs by faith into this grace wherein we ftand, and rejoice in 
 hope of the glory of God. And not only fo, but we glory in 
 tabulations alfo : knowing that tribulation worketh patience ; 
 and patience, experience ; and experience, hope ; and hope 
 jnaketh not afhamed ; becaufe the love of God is fhed abroad 
 .in our hearts by the Holy Ghoft, which is given unto us ;" 
 and in another place, " I know whom I have believed, and I 
 am perfuaded that he is able to keep that which I have com- 
 mitted unto him againft that day." *} I am now ready to be 
 offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have 
 fought a good fight, I have finifhed my courfe, I have kept 
 the faith : henceforth there is. laid up for me a crown of right- 
 eoufnefs, which the Lord, the righteous judge, fhall give meat 
 that day : and not to me only, but unto all them alfo that love 
 Wis appearing." 
 
 3. In proportion as this fpiritual appetite increases, at- 
 tachment to the world will diminifh. Nature, fays the prov- 
 erb* is fatisfied with little, and grace with ftill lefs. The dif- 
 
 cipte 
 
Left, xxx!- 1. J' jesus CHiusr. ru 
 
 ciple of Jefus knows and ieels that he has here no continuing, 
 city, and therefore feeks one to come. He " coveteth no* 
 man's filver, or gold, or apparel." While the rich worldling. 
 is pulling down his barns and building greater, in which to 
 beftow his fruits and his goods, laying up treafure for himfelfc 
 without being rich towards God, the follower of Chrift is em- 
 ployed in laying up " treafures in heaven, where neither moth 
 nor mil doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through 
 nor fteal." He defires " a better country, that is an heaven- 
 ly :" he looks for " a city which hath foundations, whofe 
 builder and maker is God." His mafler has taught him, when- 
 he prays, to fay not, M give me much goods to be laid up for 
 many years," but " give us this day our daily bread :" " my 
 heavenly Father, knoweth what things I really need." He 
 Iwiows that the day of the Lord cometh, " in the which the 
 heavens (hall pafs away, with a great noife, and the elements mall 
 melt with fervent heat, the earth alfo-, and the works that are 
 therein, fhall be burnt up." He, according to the promife of 
 God, who cannot lie, " looks for new heavens and a new 
 earth, wherein dvvelleth righteoufnefs." Hence he learns " ii> 
 whatever flate" Providence may be pleafed to put him, " there- 
 with to be content." n I know," fays Paul, " both how to be 
 ^bafed, and I know how to abound: every where, and in alf 
 things, I am inftru6ted, both to b*e full and to be hungry, botl> 
 to abound and to fufFer need. I can do all things through 
 Chrift which ftrengtheneth me." " Brethren, the time is 
 fhort, it remaineth, that they who weep be as they who weep 
 not ; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not ; and 
 they that buy, as though they pofTefTed not ; and they that ufe 
 this world, as not abufing it : for the fafhion of this world paf- 
 feth away." 
 
 4. Let the minifters of Chrift remember that they are " flew. 
 ards ot the rayfteries of God," and that " it is required in flew- 
 ards, that a man be found faithful." That which they deliver 
 to others, they tliemfelves received from the Lord. There is 
 one and the fame fare provided for them, and for their fellow 
 fervartts, and the provifio-n is at once excellent and abundant. 
 Ifcvery one is entitled to the portion moft fuitable to him, and 
 in the proper feafon. M New born babes," in Chrift, " defire 
 the (incere milk ot the word, that they may grow thereby." 
 '* But ftrong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even. 
 thofe who, by reafon of ufe, have their fenfes exercifed to dif- 
 eem both good and evil." In various ways may a fteward be 
 found unfaithful to his trull. He may be negligent, and then 
 the houfehold runs into confufion and every evil work ; eve- 
 ry 
 
£/2 HISTORY Of [Left. XXflXc 
 
 ry one dies that wnich is right in his own eyes, and of confe- 
 quence every thing goes wrong. He may withhold what is 
 due, and the family ftarves. The food may be improperly 
 mixed, and thereby changed into poifon. He may be in- 
 judicious, and the aliment of the healthy and vigorous is ad- 
 miniffered to the ptiny and feeble, while the delicate nourifh- 
 ment that fuits ficklinefs and imbecility is prefented to maturi- 
 ty and Orertgth. He may be deliberately wicked, and betray 
 the truft which he Was appointed to guard. As a contrail to 
 this melancholy picture, turn your eyes to the portrait of that 
 faithful fteward, ar$ able miniiler of the New Teftament, the 
 apoftle of the Gentiles, in the folemrt appeal which he makes 
 to the elders of Ephefus, on bidding them a final farewel ; 
 M Ye know, from the firft day that I came into Afia, after what 
 manner I have been with you at all feafons, ferving the Lord 
 with all humility of mind, and with many tears and tempta- 
 tions which befel me by the lying in wait of the Jews ; and 
 how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, hut have 
 ihewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from houfe to 
 houfe, teftifying both to the Jews, and alfo to the Greeks, re- 
 pentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jefus Chrift. 
 And now, behold, I go bound in the fpirit unto Jerufalem, not 
 knowing the things that (hall befal me there; fave that the 
 Holy Ghoft witnefFeth in every city, faying, that bonds and 
 afflictions abide me. But none of thefe things move me, nei- 
 ther count I my life dear unto myfelf, fo that I might finifh 
 my courfe with joy, and the miniflry which I have received 
 of the Lord Jefus, to teftify the Gofpel of the grace of God." 
 " I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood 
 of all men ; for I have not fhunned to declare unto you the 
 whole counfel of God — remember, that, by the fpace of three 
 years, I ceafed not to warn every one night and day with 
 tears. — I have mewed you all things, how that fo labouring ye 
 ought to fupport the weak ; and to remember the words oi 
 the Lord Jefus, how he faid, it is more blefTed to give than to 
 receive." But there is an appeal ftill more folemn and affeft- 
 ing, and in circumftances infinitely more inteieiling, that of 
 the chief Shepherd himfelf, addreiTed to his heavenly Father,' 
 in the near profpect. ■* of his deceafe which he mould accom- 
 plifh at Jerufalem." " I have glorified thee on the earth: 1 
 have fmifhed the work which thou gaveft me to do. And now, 
 O Father, glorify thou me with thine own felf, with the glory 
 which I had with thee before the world was. I have rnanifeft- 
 ed thy name unto the men which thou gaveft me out of the 
 world ; thine they were, and thou gaveft them me ; and they 
 
 have 
 
Left. kXHIi] JESUS CHRIST. £?3 
 
 have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things, 
 "WhatfoeveT thou haft given me, are of thee : for I have given 
 unto them the words which thou gaveft me : and they have re- 
 ceived them, and have known furely that I came out from thee, 
 find they have believed that thou didft iend me." M Holy Fa- 
 ther, keep through thine own name thofe whom thou haft giv- 
 en me, that they may be one, as we are." 
 
 5. Let not the conftant and regular operations of Deity, in 
 the courfe of nature and providence be overlooked. Like the 
 people who " did eat ofthe loaves and were filled," we take 
 and enjoy the repaft, but difcern not the miracle which pro- 
 duced it. The naturalift traces the progrefs ot vegetation as 
 an amufement, as a branch of fcience. The hufbandman pur- 
 fues it as his deitined occupation, he caffs feed into the ground, 
 leaves it there and goes to lleep, obferves it day alter day 
 fpringing and growing up, he knoweth not how ; firft the 
 blade, then the ear, alter that the lull corn in the ear, but hit 
 eye and his heart are all the while fet on the time of putting in 
 the fickle, when the harveil is come. The eager merchant 
 too watches the procefs, as a commercial fpeculation, as favor- 
 able or unfavorable to his plans ot buying, and felling, and 
 getting gain. With what a different eye does a devotional 
 ipirit contemplate Deity fpreading a table for every thing that 
 lives ! The Chriftian confiders the tare upon his own board, 
 whether fimple or fumptuous, flowing in whatever chan- 
 nel, coming from the eaft or from the weft, from the 
 foHth or from the north, as a fupply immediately furni/hed 
 by the hand of his heavenly Father, as children's bread, 
 as a foretafte of the rich provifion ot his Father's houfe a- 
 bove. This communicates to ordinary things a reliih un- 
 known to the banquets of the luxurious and the proud. 
 With the five thoufand he beholds his God in perfon feeding 
 him. He pafTes from the table which he calls his own, and at 
 which his divine Matter fat as a gueft, though invifible, to 
 that which Jefus emphatically calls his, and he finds it replen- 
 ifhed «' with all the fulnefs ot God." He eats and is fatisfied, 
 he goes on his way rejoicing, he advances From ftrength to 
 ftrength, he mounts upas on eagles' wings, he runs and is not 
 weary, he walks and faints not. Thus may every one o ( us in 
 the Zion that is above appear before God. " The grace ot 
 the Lord Jefus Chrift, and the love of God, and the commun- 
 ion of the Holy Ghoft, be with you all. Amen." 
 
 THE END, 
 LI 
 
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