^W OF PRI/VC£7^ MAR 21 }9flp 257r . P849 LECTURES ON THE / ^ // '// GOSPEL OF ST, MATTHEW; DEHVERED IN THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST. JAMES, WESTMINSTER, IN THE YEARS 1798, 1799, 1800, AND I80L BY THE Jt^-HT REVEIIEND BEILBY^PORTEUS, d. d. BISHOP OF LONDON'. TWO VOLUMES IN ONE. ^5e fi'r0t amerkat: from x%z fiftl) ilonaon CBition* Printed for increase cooke & co. and sold by them at THEIR BOOK STORE, SOUTti CORNER OF THE GREEN NEW-KAVEN, AND BY THE PRIN-QIPAL BOOK- ' SELLERS IN THE UNITED STATES. tram Sidnej/^s Press, 1803. TO THE I N H A B I T A N T S OF LONDON AND WESTMINSTER, THESE LECTURES, WRITTEN PRINCIPALLY FOR THEIR BENEFIT, AND FAVORED WITH THEIR UNREMITTED ATTEND- ANCE FOR FOUR SUCCESSIVE YEARS, ARE WITH VERY SINCERE SENTIMENTS OF REGARD AND ESTEEM, AN© WITH FERVANT PRAYERS FOR THEI.R HAPPINESS HERE AND HEREAFTER- INSCRIBED, BY THEIR FAITHFUL AND AFFECTIONATE FRIEND AND SERVANT, THE AUTHOR. EXTRACT FROM THE BRITISH CRITIC. THESE LECTURES, thus circumstanred,* «::;>::; ::i<>«::;w;;:;'<>!>:;!-!;;;s-^:;>!;:;:-!;:::i<::!<;;';;;>::: :;:■:::>:;: ::i<;ui<:::<>s:;:!-::: .:!•!:: LECTURE I, •<• < -^^-O- © '<>• <^V I .T being my intention to give from this place, on the Fridays during Lent, a courfe of Lectures explanatory and pradlical on fuch parts of Scripture as feem to me beft calculated to inform the underftandings and affedt the hearts of thofe that hear me, I fhall proceed, without further pre-^ face, to the execution of a defign, in which edification, not entertainment, ufefulnefs, not novelty, are the obj efts I have in view ; and in which therefore I may fometimes perhaps avail myfelf of the labors of others, when they appear to me better calculated to anfwer my purpofe than any thing I am myfelf capable of producing. Although my obfervations will for the prefent be confin- ed entirely to the Gofpel of St. Matthew, and only to cer- tain feleft parts even of that, yet it may not be improper or unprofitable to introduce thefe Lectures by a compendious view of the principal contents of thofe writings which go under the general name of the Holy Scriptures. That book which we call the Bible (that is, the Book, by way of eminence) although it is comprized in one volume, yet in faft: comprehends a great number of different narra- tives and compofitions, written at different times, by different perfons, in different languages, and on different fubjecls. And taking the whole of the colledion together, it is an unqueftionable truth that tliere is no one book extant, in any language, or in any country, which can in any degree be ie LECTURE!. compared with it for antiquity, for authority, for the import* ance, the dignity, the variety, and the curiofity of the mat- ter it contains. It begins with that gieat and ftupenduous event, of all others the earlieft and moft interefting to the hiainan race, the creation of this world, of the heavens and the earth, of the celeftial luminaries, of man, and all the inferior animals, the herbs of the field, the fea and its inhabitants. All this it defcribes with a brevity and fublimity well fuited to the mag- nitude of the fubjeft, to the dignity of the Almighty Arti- ficer, and unequalled by any other writer. The fame won- derful fcene is reprefented by a Roman poet,* who has evi- dently drawn his materials from the narrative of Mofes. But though his defcription is finely imagined and elegantly wrought up, and embellifhed with much poetical ornament, yet in true fimplicity and grandeur, both of fentiment and of di<5lion, he falls far fliort of the facred hiftorian. Let there BE LIGHT AND THERE WAS LIGHT; is au iuftance of the fublime, which ftands to this day unrivalled in any human compofition. But what is of infinitely greater moment, his hiftory of the creation has fettled for ever that moft important queftion, which the ancient fages were never able to decide ; from whence and from what caufes this v/orld, with all its inhabi- tants and appendages, drew its crigin ; whether from feme inexplicable neceffity, from a fortuitous concourfe of atoms, from an eternal feries of caufes and effedts, or from one fu- preme, intelligent, felf-exifting Being, the Author of all things, himfelf without beginning and without end. To this laft caufe the infpired hiftorian has afcribed the fonna- tion of this fyftem ; and by fo doing has eftablifhed that great principle and foundation of ail religion and all morali- ty, and the great fource of comfort to every human being, the exijlence of one God, the Creator and Preferver of the world, and the watchful Superintendent of all the creatures that he has made. The Sacred Hiftory next fets before us, the primeval hap- pinefs of our firil parents in Paradife ; their fall from this * Ovid. LECTURE I. 17 blifsful ftate by the wilful tranfgreffion of their Maker's com- mand ; the fatal eSe6ts of this original violation of duty j the univerfal wickednefs and corruption it gradually intro- duced among mankind ; and the fignal and tremendous pun- ilhment of that wickednefs by the deluge ; the certainty of ^;7hich is acknowledged by the moft ancient writers, and very evident traces of which are to be found at this day in various parts of the globe. It tlien relates the peopling of the world again by the family of Noah ; the covenant enter- ed into by God with that patriarch, the relapfe of mankind into wickednefs ; the calling of Abraham ; and the choice of one family and people, the Ifraelites (or, as they were afterwards called, the Jews) who were feparated from the reft of the world to preferve the knowledge and the woi-fliip of a Supreme Being, and the great fundamental dodrine of the Unity ; v/hile all the reil of mankind, even the wifeft and moft learned, were devoted to polytheifm and idolatry, and the grofTeft and moft abominable fuperftitions. It then gives us the hiftory of this people, with their various migrations, revolutions, and principal tranfadions. It recounts their re- moval from the land of Canaan, and their eftablifhment in Egypt under Jofeph ; v/hofe hiftory is related in a manner fo natural, fo interefting and affefting, that it is impoflible for any man of common fenfibility to read it vrithout the ftrong- eft emotions of tendemefs and delight. In the book of Exodus we have the deliverance of this people from tlieir bondage in Egypt, by a feries of the moft aftoniftiing miracles ; and their travels through the wilder- nefs for forty years under the condudl of Mofes ; during •which time (befides many other rules and diredions for their moral condu6t) they received the Ten Commandments, WTit- ten on two tables of ftone by the finger of God himfeif, and delivered by him to Mofes v/ith the moft av^ful and tremend- ous folemnity ; containing a code of moral law infinitely fuperior to any thing knov/n to the reft of mankind in thofe rude and barbarous ages. The books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, are chiefly occupied with the various other laws, inftitutions, and regulations given to this people, refpeding their civil C 18 LECTURE!. \ government, their moral condud, their religious duties^' and their ceremonial obfervances. Among thefe, the book of Deuteronomy (which concludes ■what is called the Pentateuch, or five books of Mofes) is dif- tinguilhed above all the relVby a concife and ftriking recapit- ulation of the innumerable blefiings and mercies which the/ had received from God fmce their departure from Horeb ; by ftrong expoftulations on their pad rebellious condudl, and their fhameful ingratitude for all thefe diftinguifhing marks of the Divine favor ; by many forcible and pathetic exhort- ations to repentance and obedience in future ; by promifes of the moPi fubftantial rewards, if they returned to their duty ; and by denunciations of the feverefl punilhments, if they continued difobedient ; and all this delivered in a ftrain of the moil animated, fublime, and commanding eloquence. The hiftorical books of Jofhua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, continue the hiftory of the Jewifh nation under their leaders, judges, and kings, for near a thoufand years ; and one of the moft prominent and inftrudive parts of this hiftory is the account given of the life and reign of Solomon, his wealth, his power, and all the glories of his reign ; more paiticularly that noble proof he gave of his piety and munificence, by the conftrudion of that truly magnificent temple which bore his name ; the folemn and fplendid dedication of this temple to the fervice of God ; and that inimitable prayer which he then offered up to Heav- en in the prefence of the whole Jewifh people ; a prayer evi- dently coming from the heart, fublime, fimple, nervous, and pathetic ; exhibiting the jufteft and the warmeft fenti- ments of piety, the moft exalted conceptions of the Divine nature, and every way equal to the fandity, the dignity, and the folemnity of the occafion. Next to thefe follow the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, ■which contain the hiftory of the Jews for a confiderable pe- riod of time after their return from a captivity of 70 years in Babylon, about which time the name of Jews feems firft to have been applied to them. The books of Ruth and Efther are a kind of appendage to the public records, delin- eating the characters of two ■very amiable individuals, difr tinguifhed by their virtues, and the very interefting incidents LECTURED IS which befel them, the one In private, the other in public life, and which were In feme degree conneded with the honor and profperity of the nation to which they belonged. In the book of Job we have the hiftory of a perfonage of high rank, of remote antiquity, and extraordinary virtues 5 rendered remarkable by uncommon viciffitudes of fortune, by the moft fplendid profperity at one time, by an accumu- lation of the heavieft calamities at another ; conduding him- felf under the former with moderation, uprightnefs, and un- bounded kindnefs to the poor ; and under the latter, with the moft exemplary patience and refignation to tlie will of Heaven. The compofition is throughout the greater part highly poetical and figurative, and exhibits the nobleft re- prefentations of the Supreme Being and a fuperlntending Providence, together with the moft admirable leifons of for- titude and fubmifllon to the will of God under the fevereft afflidions that can befall human nature. The Pfalms, which follow tills book, are full of fuch exalted ftrains of piety and devotion, fuch beautiful and animated dcfcriptions of the power, the wifdom, the mercy, and the goodnefs of God, that it is impoftible for any one to read tliem without feeling his heart inflamed with the moft ardent afreiftion tovs^ards the great Creator and Governor of the univeife. The Proverbs of Solomon, which come next In order, contain a variety of very excellent maxims of wifdom, and invaluable rules of life, which have no where been exceeded except in the New-Teftament. They afford us, as they pro- fefs to do at their very firft outfet, " the inftruclion of wif- dom, juftice, judgment, and equity. They give fubtility to the fimple ; to the young man, knowledge and difcretion." The fame may be faid of the greater part of the book of Ecclefiaftes, which alfo teaches us to form a juft eftirnate of this world, and its feeming advantages of wealth, honor» power, pleafure, and fcience. The prophetical v/rltlngs prefent us with the worthieft and moft exalted ideas of the Almighty, the jufteft and piueft notions of piety and virtue, the awfulleft denunciations againft wickednefs of every kind, public and private j the 20 LECTURE!. moll affedlionate expoftulations, the moft inviting promifes, and the warmefl concern for the public good. And befides all this, they contain a feries of predictions relating to our, ble/Ted Lord, in which all the remarkable circumftances of his birth, life, m.inillry, miracles, dod:rines, fufferings, and death, are foretold in fo minute and exaft a manner (more particularly in the prophecy of Ifaiah) that you would al- moft think they were defcribing all thefe things after they !had happened, if 3''ou did not know that thefe prophecies were confeflediy v/ritten many hundred years before Chrift came into the world, and were all that time in the polTeffion of the Jews, who were the mortal enemies of Chriftianity, and therefore would never go about to forge prophecies, which moft evidently prov6 him to be what he profeifed to be, and what they denied h^m to be, the Meffiah and the Son of God. It is to this part of fcripture that our Lord particularly di- rects our attention, when he fays, " fearch the Scriptures, for they are they that teftify of me."* ThA^teftimony he alludes to is that of the prophets ; tlian which no evidence can be more fatisfadory and convincing to any one that reads them with care and impartiality, and compares their predic- tions concerning our Saviour with the hiftory of his life, given us by thofe who conftantly lived and converfed with him. This hiftory we have in the New Teftament, in that part of it which gees by the name of Gospels. It is thefe that recount thofe Avonderful and important events with which the Chriftian religion and the divine Au- thor of it were introduced into tlie world, and which have produced fo great a change in the principles, the manners, the morals, and the temporal as well as the fpiritual condi- tion of mankind. They relate the firft appearance of Chrift upon earth ; his extraordinary and miraculous birth ; the tefdmon^r borne to him by his forerunner John the Baptift j his temptation in the wildeniefs ; the opening of his divine commiiTion ; the pure, the perfed, the fublim.e morality which he taught, efpecially in his inimitable fermon from the mount ; the infinite fuperiority which he fhewed to every ot'.er moral teacher, both in the matter and manner of his difcourfes ; more particularly by crufhing vice in its very * John V, 39, L E C T.U R E L 21 cradle. In the firft rifings of wicked defires and propenfities in the heart ; by giving a decided preference of the mild, gentle, paffive, conciliating virtues, to that violent, vin- di(5^ive, high-fpirited, unforgiving temper, which has been always too much the favorite charafter of the world ; by requiring us to forgive our very enemies, and to do good to them that hate us ; by excluding from our devotions, our alms, and all our other virtues, all regard to fame, reputa- tion, and applaufe ; by laying down two great general prin- ciples of morality, love to God and love to mankind, and deducing from thence every other human duty ; by convey- ing his inftrudlions under the eafy, familiar, and impreffive form of parables ; by expreffing himfelf in a tone of dignity and authority unknown before ; by exemplifying every vir- tue that he taught in his own unblemifhed and perfect life and converfation ; and above all, by adding thofe awful fan<5lions, which he alone, of all moral inftrudlors, had the power to hold out, eternal rewards to the virtuous, and eternal puniftiments to the wicked. The facred narrative then reprefents to us the high chara<5ler he alliimed ; the claim he made to a divine original ; the wonderful miracles he wrought in proof of his divinity ; the various prophecies which plainly marked him out as the Mcffiah, the great de- liverer of the Jews ; the declarations he made, that he came to offer himfelf a facrifice for the fms of all mankind ; the cruel indignities, fufferings, and perfecutions, to which, in confequence of this great defign, he was expofed ; the ac- complifhment of it by the painful and ignominious deatli to whicii he fubmitted ; by his refurredion after tliree days from the grave ; by his afcenfion into heaven ; by hisTitting there at the right hand of God, and performing the office of a mediator and an intercefTor for the fniful fons of men, till he comes a fecond time in 4iis glory to fit in judgment on all mankind, and decide their final doom of happinefs or mifery for ever. Thefe are the momentous, the interefting truths, on v/hich the Gospels principally dwell. The Acts of the Apostles continue the hiftory of our religion after our Lord's afcenfion ; the aftonifliing and rapid f2 LECTURE!. propagation of it by a few illiterate tent-makers and fifher- men, through almoft every part of the world, " by demon- ftration of the fpirit and of power ;" without the aid of elo- quence or of force, and in oppofition to all the authority, all the power, and all the influence of the opulent and the great. The Epistles, that is, the letters addrefled by the Apof- tles and their aflbciates to different churches and to particu- lar individuals, contain many admirable rules and dire^ions to the primitive converts ; many affeding exhortations, ex- poftulations, and reproofs ; many explanations and illuftra- fions of tlie do(5lrines delivered by our Lord ; together with conftant references to fa<5ts, circumftances, and events, re- corded in the Gofpels and the Adls ; in which we perceive fuch ftriking, yet evidently fuch unpremeditated and unde- £gned coincidences and agreements between the narratives and the epiftles, as form one moil conclufive argument for the truth, authenticity, and genuinenefs of both.* The facred volume concludes with the Revelation of St. John, which, under the form of vifions and various fymbol- ical reprefentations, prefents to us a prophetic hiftory of the Chriftian religion in future times, and the various changes, Ticiffitudes, and revolutions it was to undergo in different ages and countries to the end of the world.f Is it poflible now to conceive a nobler, a more compre- henfive, a more ufeful fcheme of inftru<5lion than this ; in which the uniformity and variety, fo happily blended to- gether, give it an inexpreffible beauty, and the whole com- pofition plainly proves its Author to be divine ? " Tlie Bible is not indeed (as a great v/riter obferv^esj) a * See the Horse Paulinas of Dr. Paley. f A fuller and more detailed account of the contents of the feveral Books of Scripture may be found in Mr Gray's Key to the Old Tef- lament. Bp. Percy's to the Nenu, and the Biftiop of Lincoln's late excel- lent work on the Elements of CbriJIisn Tbeoloay. That part of It which relates totho Scriptures has been lately re-printed for the accommodation of the public at large, in a duodecimo volume, wliich I particularly recom- mend to the attention of my readers. JArchbilhop Seeker, V. 6. I.ECTUREI, m j)lan of religion delineated with minute accuracy, to inftru<9: men as in fomething altogether new, or to excite a vain ad- miration and applaufe ; but it is fomewhat unfpeakably more great and noble, comprehending (as we have feen) in the grandeft and moft magnificent order, along with every effen- tial of that plan, the various difpenfations of God to man- kind, from the formation of this earth to the confummation of all things. Oi/jer books may afford us much entertainment and much inftrudtion ; may gratify our curiofity, may deiiglit our imagination, may improve our underflandings, may calm our paffions, may exalt our fentiments, may even im- prove our hearts. But they have not, they cannot have that authority in what they affirm, in what they require, in what they promife and threaten, that the Scriptures have. There is a peculiar weight and energy in t/jem, which is not to be found in any other ^vritings. Then- denunciations are more awful, their convidions ftronger, their confolations more powerful, their counfels more authentic, their warn- ings more alarming, their expoftulations more penetratingo There are paiTages in them throughout fo fublime, fo pathet- ic, full of fuch energy and force upon the heart and confcience, yet without the leafl: appearance of labour and ftudy for that purpofe ; indeed, the defign of the whole is fo noble, fo well fuited to the fad condition of human kind ; the mor- als have in them fuch purity and dignity ; tlie doctrines, fo many of them above reafon, yet fo perfectly reconcileable with it ; the expreffion is fo majeftic, yet familiarized with filch eafy fimplicity, that the more we read and ftudy thefe writings with pious difpofitions and judicious attention, the more we Ihall fee and feel of die hand of God in them."* * That accompliHied fchclar and diftingulfhed writer, the late Sir William Jones, chief juftice of Bengal, at the end of his Bible wrote the following note ; which, coming from a man of his profound^eruditioa, and perfecfl knowledge of the oriental languages, cuftoms, and man- ners, muil be conudered as a moft powerful tellimony, not only to the fublimity, but to the divine infpiration of the facred writings. " I have (fays he) regularly and attentively read thefe Holy Scriptures:, and am of opinion, that this volume, independently of Its divine origin, contains more true fublimity, more exquifite beauty, more pure morality', more important hiuory, and finer ftrains both of poetry and eloquence, than can be collected from all other books, in whatever age or language ihey may have been compofcd. 24. L E C T U R E 1. But that which ftamps upon them the higheft value, that which renders them, ftri">->->">">->">'>->">- >••>••>••>•■>••>••>■■>••>•>>•' LECTURE 11. MATTHEW ii. H AVING in the preceding Ledture taken a fhort comprehenfive view of the feveral books of the facred volume, I now proceed to the Gofpel of St. Matthew ; and ihall in this Ledlure confine myfelf to the two fiift chapters of that book,* The hiftory of our Saviour*s birth, life, do£lrines, pre- cepts, and miracles, is contained in four books or narratives called Gofpels, written at different times, and by four differ- ent perfons, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, who were among the firft converts to Chriftianity, and perfectly well acquainted with the fadts they relate ; to which two of them were eye-witnelTes, and the other two conftant compan- ions of thofe who were fo, from whom they received immedi- ately every thing they relate. This is better authority for the truth of thefe hiftorles than we have for the greater part of the hiftories now extant, tlie fidelity of which we do not in the lead queftion. For few of our beft hiftories, either an- cient or modem, were written by pei-fons who were eye- witneiTes of all the tranfaftions which they relate ; and there is fcarce any inflance of the hiftory of the fame perfon being written by four different contemporary hiftorians, all perfedly agreeing in the main articles, and differing only in a few minute particulars of no moment. This however we find actually done in the life of Jefus, which has been written by each of the four evangelifts, and it is a very ftrong proof of their veracity. For let us confider what the cafe is, at this very day, in the affairs of common life. When four different peribns are called upon in a court of juftice to prove tlie * For fome very valuable obfervations in fome parts of this, and the third and thirteenth Ledure, I am indebted to nny late excelknt frieo4 and patroHj Arch-bifhop Seeker, 50 L E C T U R E IL reality of any particular fzSi that happened twenty or thirty years ago, Vv^hat is the fort of evidence which they ufually give ? Why, in all the great leading circumftances which tend to ellabliih the fafl in queftion, they in general perfeflly agree. In a few other points perhaps they differ. But then thefe are points which do not at all affed the main queftion, which were too trifling to make much impreffion at the time on the memory of the obfervers, and which therefore they would all relate with fome little variation in their account. This is precifely the cafe with the writers of the four Gof. pels ; and this fubftantial coincidence and accidental varia- tion has much more the air and garb of truth, than where there is a perfe<5i: agreement in every the minuteft article ; which has too much the appearance of a concerted ftory. That the bocks which we now have under the names of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, were written by tlie per- fons whofe names they bear, cannot admit the fmallefl doubt with any unprejudiced mind. They have been acknov/ledged as fuch by every Chriftian church in every age, from the time cf our Saviour to this moment. There are allufions to them, or quotations from them, in the earlieft writers, as far back as the age of the apoftles, and continued down in a regular fuccelT.on to the prefent hour ; a proof of authen- ticity, v/hich fcarce any other ancient book in the world can produce. They were received as genuine hiftories, not only by the firft Chriftians, but by the fxrfl enemies of Chriftianity, and their autliority was never quefticned either by the ancient heathens or Jews.* The firft of thefe Gofpels is that of St. Matthew. It v/as written probably at the lateft not mere than fifteen years, fome think only eight years, after our Lord's afcenfion. The author of it v/as an apoftle and conftant companion of Jefus, and cf courfe an eye-witnefs of every thing he relates* He was called by our bleiTed Lord from a moft lucrative oc- cupation, that cf a collector of the public revenue, to be one of his difciples and friends : a call which he immediately * Whoever wifhes for further fatisfa£lion on this moft important fub- je6l, will net fail of Ending it in Dr. Gardner's learned work, The Credibility \f the Go/pel Hif.ory, whcrc this qucftion ha? been very ably treated, aud the authenticity pf the Gofpels cftablilhcd on the nioft Iblid grounds. L E C T U R E 11. SI obej-ed, relinquifliing every thing tliat vrzs dear and valuabk to him in the prefent life. This is a facrince which few peo- ple have made for the fake of religion, and had St. Matthew's objed been the applaufe of men, he might have difplayed the merits of this facrifice in a light very favorable to himfelf. Bat the apoftle, ccnfcious of much nobler views, defcribes this tranfaftion in the flmplefl: and raoft art- lefs words. " As Jefus,'* fays he, " paiTed forth from thence, he faw a man named Matthew, fitting at the receipt of cuftom, and he faith unto him. Follow me : and he arofe and fol- lowed him." The firft thing that occurs in the Gofpel of St. Matthew, is the genealogy of Chrill, in order to prove that he was defcended from the houfe and family of David, as the pro- phets foretold he Ihould be. In tliis genealogy there are" confeiTedly fome difficulties> at which we cannot be much furprifed, when we confider of what prodigious antiquity this genealogy is, going back fome thoufands of years ; and when we know too that feveral Jewifh perfons had the fame name, and that the fame perfon had different names, (efpecially under the Babyloniih captivity) which is ftill the cafe in India, and ether parts of Afia. This muft neceflarily create fome perplexity, efpecially at fuch a diftance as we are from the firft fources of information. But to the Jews themfelves at the tim.e, there were probably no difficulties at all ; and it does not appear that they (who were certainly the beft judges of the quellion) made any objeftion to this genealogy of Chriil, or denied him to be defcended from tlie family of David. We may therefore reafonably conclude, that his defcent was originally admit- ted to be fairly made out by the evangeiiils, whatever obfcu- rities may have arifen fmee. Indeed it is highly probable,, that this genealogy was taken from fome public records or regiiters of the ancient Jewilh families, which is very evident from Jofephus that the 3ev/s had, efpecially with regard to the lineage of David, and which were univerfally known and acknowledged to be authentic documents. I thaii tiiere- fore only obferve further on this head, that St. Mattliew gives the pedigree of Jofeph, and St:. Luke tliat of Mary. ^2 L E C T U R E It But they both come to the fame thing, becaufe among the Jews the pedigree of the huftand was confidered as the legal pedigree of the wife ; and as Mary and Jofeph were nearly related, and were of the fame tribe aiid family, their gene- alogies of courfe mull run nearly in the fame line. After the genealogy of Chrift, follows an account of his birth, which, as we may eafily fuppofe of fo extraordinary a perfon, had fomething in it very extraordinary. Accord- ingly the evangelift tells us, " that the angel of the Lord appeared unto Jofeph in a dream," faying, "Jofeph, thou fon of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghoft : and ihe fhall bring forth a fon, and thou fhalt call his name Jefus (that is a Saviour;) for he fhall fave his people from their lins."* This undoubtedly was a moft wonderful, and lingular, and unexampled event. But it was natural to imagine, that when the Son of God was to appear upon the fcene, he would enter upon it in a way fomewhat different from the fons of men. And in faft we find him appearing upon earth in a manner perfectly new, and peculiar to himfelf ; in a manner which united in itfelf at once the evidence of prophe- cy and of miracle. He was born of a virgin, and what is no lefs wonderful, it was predided of him feven hundred years before that he fhould be fo bom. " Behold," fays Ifaiah, " a virgin fhall conceive and bear a fon, and they Ihall call his name Immanuel ;"t a Hebrew word, fignify- ing, God ivith us. What man, but a prophet, infpired of God, could have forefeen an event fo completely improba- ble, and apparently impoffible ? What impoftor would have hazarded luch a prediftion as this ? and, what is ftill of more importance, what impoftor could have fulfilled it ? What lefs than the power of God could have enabled Jefus to fulfil it ? By that power he did fulfil it. He only, of the whole human race, did fulfil it, and thus proved himfelf to be at the very moment of his birth, what the whole courfe of his fu- ture life, his deathj his refurreftion, and his afcenllon into heaven, farther declared him to be, the Son of God. * Matt. J, 20. f Ifaiah, vii. 14. L E C T U R E IL ^3 And asfuch he was foon acknowledged, and due homage paid to his divinity by a very fmgular embafly, and in a very fmgular manner. F6r the evangelift proceeds to tell us in the beginning of the fecond chapter, that " when Jefus was boi*n in Bethlehem of Judea, there came wife men from the eaft to Jerufalem, faying, where is he that is bom King of the Jews ? for we have feen his ftar in the eaft, and~ are come to worfhip him-'* As this is a very remarkable, and very im- portant event, I fhall employ the remaining part of this iefture in explaining it to you at large, fubjoining fuch reflec- tions as naturally arife from it. The name of thefe perfons, Vvhom our tranflation calls *wife men., is in the original magoty in the Latin lang^uaee, rnag't, from whence is derived our Englilh word, magicians. The magi were a fet of ancient philofophers, living in the eaftem part of the world, colleded tcgetlier in colleges, addicted to the fludy of aftronomy, and other parts of natural philofophy, and highly efteemed throughout the eaft, having jufter fentiments of God and bis worfliip than any of the ancient heathens : for they abhorred the adcraticn of images made in the form of men and animals, and though they did reprefent the Deity under the fymbol of fire ( the pureft and moft adlive of all material fiibftances) yet they v/oi-ihipped one only God ; and fo blamelefs did their ftudies and their religion appear to be, that the prophet Daniel, fcrupulous as he was to the hazard of his life, with refpedt to tlie Jewiih religion, did not refufe to accept the office which Nebu- chadnezzar eave him, of being; mafter of the miaffi, and chief governor over all the v/ife men of BabyloUc* They V7ere therefore evidently the fitteft of ail the ancient heathens to have the firfl knowledge of the Son of God, and of falvation by him imparted to them. The country from whence they came is only defcribed in St. Matthew as lying eaft from Judea, and therefore might be either Perfia, where the principal refidence of the mag-t was, or elfe Arabia, to which ancient authors fay they did, and undoubtedly they eafily might extend themfelves ; vidiich it is well known abounded in the valuable things that thej * Vid. Dan. V. n. E $^ L E C T U R E IL prefents confifled of; and concerning which the feventy- fecond Pfalm (plainly fpeaking of theMeffiah) fays, "The' kings of Arabia and Saba, or Sabsa (an adjoining region) fhall bring gifts ;" and again,. " unto him fhall be given of the gold of Arabia*"^ Suppofmg this prophecy of the Pfalmifl to point out the perfons whofe journey the evangelift relates, it will alfo de- termine what their ftation or rank in life was, namely kings, ■** the kings of Arabia and Saba." Of this clrcumftance St, Matthew fays nothing diredly, but their offerings are a fuffi- cient evidence that their condition could not be a mean one : and though there :o certainly no proof, there is, on the other hand, no improbability, of their being lords of fmall fove- reignties, which might afford them a claim, according to the ancient ufage of that part of the world, to the name of kings. For we read in Scripture not only of fome fmall* towns or trads that had each of them their king, but of fome alfo which could not be very large, that had each of them feveral.f What number of the wife men, or magi, came to our Lord,, is entirely unknown, and perhaps that of three was imagin- ed for no other reafon, than becaufe the gifts which they brought were of three forts. The occafion of their coming is exprefled by St. Matthew in their own v/ords : " Where is He that is born king of the Jews ? for we are come to ■worfhip him." That a very extraordinary perfon was to appear under this character about that time, was a very general perfua- fion throughout the eaft ; as not only Jewifli but heathen wri- ters tell us, in conformity with the New Teftament. And that this perfon was to have dominion over the wliole earth, was part of that perfuafion, founded on predidlions of the cleared import. I need produce but one, from die above- mentioned 72d Pfalm, which, as I before obferved, plainly relates to Chrift. " All kings fhall fall down before him ; all nations fliall do him fervice." There were Jews enough even in Perfia, and much more in Arabia, to propagate this doctrine, and fhew it to be contained in their facred books ; * Jolh. X S' t Jerem. xxv. 20 — »4, L E C T U R E 11. SS from whence therefore the wife men may well be fuppofed to have received it. But their knowledge that he was adliially bom, miift ftand on fome other foundation ; and what that was, themfelves declare, " We have feen his ftar in the eaO;."* This muft plainly mean fome new appearance in the Iky, which they, whofe profeflion (as is well known) led them peculiarly to the ftudy of aftronomy, had obferved in the heavens. Now any appearance of a body of light in the air, is called by the Greek and Latin authors a Jlar, though it be only a meteor, that is, a tranfient accidental luminous vapor, nei- ther of confiderable height, nor long continuance ; in which fenfe alfo the Scripture fpeaks o£ ftars falling from Heaven.^ And fuch was that which the wife men faw, as will appear from a circumftance to be mentioned hereafter. Poffibly indeed the firfl: light which furprized them, m.ight be that mentioned by St. Luke, when the glory of the Lord defcend- ing from Heaven, fhone round about the Ihepherds, and his angel came upon them, to bring them the news of our Saviour's nativity. :]: For that glory, feen at a diftance, migiit have the appearance of a ftar ; and their feeing the ftar in the eafly is not to be underftood as if they faw it to the eaft- ward of themfelves ; but means, that they being eallward of Judea, faw the (lar, feeraing probably to hang over that country. Now fuch an uncommon fight alone, fuppoflng their ex- pe(5tation of him raifed (as there was then a general expec- tation of him) might naturally incline them to think he v/as come ; and efpecially as it was a current opinion amongft perfons profeffing Ikill in thefe matters, that the fhining forth of a new ftar denoted the rife of a new kingdom, or of a great and extraordinary prince ; whence, as Pliny relates, || Auguftus tlie Roman emperor faid, that the comet which appeared on Casfar's death, Vv-hom he fucceeded, was bora for him, and that he vras bom in that comet ; for fo it feems he exprefled himfelf. * Mattb. li. a. f Matf. xxlv- 29. Mark, xm- aj*. \ Luke, ii, 9. ij Vid. Plin. Nat, Hiii. L. ii Ch, aj. $6 L E C T U R E II. This, I fay, being a current opinion, the wife men would be apt enough to conclude, that the prefent ftar betokened the birth of that prince, of whom (as they might eafily have heard) it had been fo very long foretold, " There Ihall come a ftar out of Jacob, and a fceptre fhall rife out of Ifrael."* And it is a very remarkable circumftance, that one of the ancient commentators on the Timasus of Plato,f alluding to this very ftar, exprefTes himfelf in thefe words : « There is a ftill more venerable and facred tradition, which relates, that by the rifnig of a certain uncommon ftar, was foretold, not difeafes or deaths, but the defcent of an adora- ble God for the falvation of the human race, and the mel- ioration of human aifairs ; which ftar, they fay, was ob- fcrved by the Chaldasans, who came to prefent tlieir offer- ings to the new-born God."}: On their arrival at Jerufalem, and making the enquiry they come for, Kerod, we find, was trouhled, and all Jerufa- lem with him. That fo jealous a tyrant as Herod fhould be troubled at this event is no v/onder ; and it is no iefs na- tural that the people alfo ftiould be difturbed and alarmed, not knowing what the confequences of fo extraordinary a birth might be. Herod, therefore, calls the chief pricfts and fcribes together, and demands of them, whether it were kno-v.v;n where the Christ ftiould be bom ; and hav- ing learnt from them, that, according to the prophet Micah, Bethlehem was the place appointed by Heaven, fends the wife men thither with a requeft that they would inform him when they had found the child, that he alfo might go and pay him due homage, intending all the while to deftroy him, when he had obtained the requiftte intelligence. According- ly the wife men proceeded on their journey from Jerufalem to Bethlehem ; when the fame luminous appearance, v/hich they had obferved in their ouna country, now attended them again to their very great joy, and condu6led them at lengtli to the very houfe where the child was ; which probably (as is common in villages) had no other houfe contiguous to it, and therefore might be eafily marked by the fituation of the meteor. * Numb. xxlv. 17. t Chaloidlus. \ See Brucker's Hiftory of Philofophj, v. iii. p. 4?^' LECTURE 11. SV When the wife men came into the houfe and faw the child, they fell down and worfhipped hhn, that is, bowed and prcilrated themfelves before him, in the eaftem manner of iloing obeifance to kings. Whether they defigned alfo pay- ing him religious adoration, or how dldind a knowledge had been given them of the nature and rank of tlie Saviour of the world, we cannot fay ; but may be fure, that what they believed and what they did, was at that time fuffxcient to procure them acceptance with God. Indeed, according to the opinion of fome ancient fathers conceniing their pre- fents, their faitli muft have been very great. For they re- prefent the incenfe, as offered to our Saviour as God ; the gold to have been paid as tribute to a king ; and the myrrh (a principal ingredient ufed in embalming) brought as an acknowledgment that he v/as to die for men. But others inter- pret the fame gifts very differently, and take them to fignify the three fpiritual offerings, which we mull all prefent to Heaven, through Jefus Chrid ; the incenfe to denote piety towards God ; the gold, charity towards our fellow-crea- tures ; and the myrrh, purity of foul and body ; it being highly efficacious in preferving them from corruption. But though either or both thefe notions may be pioufly and inno- cently entertained, yet all we know with certainty is, that in thofe parts of the world no one did then or does now appear before a prince, without a fui table prefent, ufually of the moft valuable commodities of his country ; and that three of the principal produdrions of the eafl, particularly of Arabia, were gold, frankincenfe, and myrrh. - How the wife men were affeded with the fight of fo un- fpeakably important a perfon,*'in fuch mean circumflances ; or Jofeph and Mary, and all that mufl flock around them, with fo humble an addrefs from ftrangers of fuch high dig- nity ; and what further paifed in confequence of this on ei- ther fide, every one may in fome degree imagine ; but no one can undertake to relate, fmce the Gofpels do not. We are there only told, that thefe refpedlable vifitors, having paid their duty in this manner, and being warned of God not to return to Herod,* " departed into their own country another way." » Matth. ii. 12. 38 L E C T U R E II. Thus ends this remarkable piece of hiftory, in which all the circumflances are fo perfedly conformable to the man- ners, the cuftoms, the prevailing opinions and notions of thole times, in which the narrative is fuppofcd to have been \\riiten, that they tend greatly to confirm the truth and credibility of the facred hiilory. I have already in going along touched flightly on fome of thefe circumflances, but it may be ufeful here to draw them all into one point of view. 1. In the firfl place, then, the journey of thefe wife men, and the objeft of it, namely, to find out him who was born king of the Jews, correfponds exadlly to the information giv- en by feveral heathen authors,* that there v/as in thofe days a general expeftation of fome very extraordinary perfonage, who was to make his appearance at that particular period of time, and in that particular part of the world. 2. If the birth of this extraordinary perfonage v/as mark- ed by a new flar or meteor in the heavens, it was very natur- al that it fhould firft ftrike the obfervation of thofe called the with no fmall labor and fatigue, the in- fant Saviour of the world ; if they, though philofophers and deiils (far different from, the philofophers and deliis of the prefent day) difdained not to proltrate tliemfelves before * Matth. xvii. 5. f Luke, xxii. 43. \ Matth. xxvli. 54. 5 Matth. xxviii. i8. Luke, xsiv, ji. ]| Philip, il 9 — it. E 2 #Sr LECTURE IL liim, and prefent to him the richeft and the choiceft gifts they had to offer ; well may we, when this child of the Mod High is not only grown to maturity, but has lived, and died, and rifen again for us, and is now fet down at the right hand of God (angels and principalities sjid powers being made fubje6t to him) well may we not only pay our homage, but our adoration to the Son of God, and offer to him oblations far more precious than gold, frankin- cenfe and myrrh ; namely, ourfelves, our fouls and our bo- dies, ** as a reafonable, holy and lively facrifice unto him ;'* well may we join with that innumerable multitude in heav- en, which is continually praifmg him and faying ; " Blefling, and honor, and glory be unto him, that fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.''* * Kev, V. 13. ;; ;::•:::-'•:!:;-•;;; i"'i;:i;'<>c>c;-'«;^!-:>iSUi<>';;»:-:2^ LECTURE IIL MATTH. Chap. ill. HE fubjed of this ledlure will be the third chap-- ter of Saint Matthew, in which we have the hiftor}^ of a ve- ry extraordinary perfon called John the Baptist; to dif- tinguifli him from another John mentioned in the New Tef- tament, who was our Saviour's beloved difciple, and the author of the Gofpel that bears his name ; whence he is called John the Evangelist. As the chara(5ter of John the Baptift is in many refpe^ts a very remarkable one, and his appearance bears a ftrong teftimony to the divine miflion of Chrift and the truth of his religion, I fhall enter pretty much at large into the particu- lars of his hiftory, as they are to be found not only in the Gofpel of St. Matthew, but in the other three Evangelifts ; collecting from each all the material circumftances of his life, from the time of his firft appearance in the wildernefs to his murder by HerodI St. Matthew's account of him is as follows :* In thofe days came John the Baptift, preaching in the wildernefs of Judea, and faying, repent ye, for the kingdom of heav- en is at hand. For this is he that was fpoken of by the" prophet Ifaiah, faying, " Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths ftraight. And the fame John had his rai- ment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins, and his m.eat was locufts and wild honey. And there went out to him Jerufalem and all Judea, and all the regions round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan confelling their fms." Here then we have a perfon, who appears to have been fent into the world, on purpofe to be the precurfor of our * Matth. iii, i— 6. 44 LECTURE III. Lord, to prepare the way for him and his religion, here call- ed the kingdom of heaven, and as the prophet exprefles it, to make his paths ftraight. This is a plain allufion to the cuftom that prevailed in eaftern countries, of fending meffengers and pioneers to make the ways level and ftraight before kings and princes and other great men, when they pafled through the country v/ith large retinues, and with great pomp and magnificence. They literally lowered mountains, they raifed valleys, they cut down woods, they removed all obfta- cles, they cleared away all roughnefles and inequalities, and made every thing fmooth and plain and commodious for the great perfonage whom they preceded. In the fame manner was John the Baptifl in a fpiritual fenfe to go before the Lord, before the Saviour of the world, to prepare his way, to make his paths ftraight, to remove out of the minds of men every thing that oppofed itfelf ta the admiffion of divine truth, all prejudice, biindnefs, pride, obftinacy, felf-conceit, vanity, and vain philofophy ; but above all, to fubdue and regulate thofe depraved afFeftions, appetites, pafiions, and inveterate habits of wickednefs, which are the grand obilacles to converfion and the reception cf the word of God, His exhortation therefore was, ^^ Repent ye '^* renounce thofe vices and abominations which at prefent blind your eyes and cloud your underftandings, and then you v/ill be able to fee the truth and bear the light. This was the method which John took, the inftrument he made ufe cf to extirpate out of the minds of his hearers all impediments to the march of the Gof- pel, or, as the prophetic language moft fublimely exprelTes it, ** He * cried aloud to them. Prepare ye tlie way of the Lord make ftraight the highway for our God. Let every valley be exalted, and every mountain and hill be made low ; let the crooked be made ftraight, and the rough places plain ; and the glory of the Lord ftiall be revealed, and all flefU ftiall fee'it." What a magnificent preparation is this for the great found- er of our religion ! What an exalted idea muft it give us of his dignity and importance, to have a forerunner and a hai> * Ifaiah, xl- 3 — f. LECTURE IIL 45 dinger fuch as John to proclaim his approach to the world, and call upon all mankind to attend to him ! It was a dif- tindtion peculiar and appropriate to him. Neither Mofes nor any of the prophets can boaft this mark of honour. It was referved for the Son of God, the Mefliah, the Redeem- er of mankind, and was well iiiited to the tranfcendant dig- nity of his perfon, and the grandeur of his defign. The place which St. John chofe for the exercife of his minif- try v>?-as the wildemefs of Judea, v/here he feems to have lived conftantly from his birth to the time of his preaching ; for St. Luke informs us, * " that he was in the wildemefs till the time of his fliewing unto Ifrael." Hear it appears he lived with great aufterity. For he drank neither wine nor ftrong drink ; a rule frequently obferved by the Jews, when they devoted themfelves to the ftrider exercifes of religion. And his meat was locufts and wild honey : fuch fimple food as the defert afforded to the loweft of its inhabitants. For eating fome forts of locufts was not only permitted by the law of Mofes, but as travellers inform us, is common in the eaft to this day. The clothing of the baptift was no lefs fimple than his diet. His raiment, we are told, was of camel's hair with a leathern girdle about his loins ; the fame coarfe habit which the meaner people ufually wore, and which fometimes even the rich afTumed as a garbe of mourn- ing. For this raiment of camel* s hair was nothing elfc than \h2LX. fach-cloth which we fo often read of in Scripture. And as almoft every thing of moment was, In tliofe nations and thofe times, expreiled by vlfible figns as well as by v/ords, the prophets alio were generally clothed in this drefs, be- €aufe one principal branch of their office was to call upon men to mourn for t'heir fms. And particularly Ellas or Eli- jah is defcribed In the fecond book of kings as a hairy man,f that is, a man clothed in hair-cloth or fack-cloth (as John was)- with a leathern girdle about his loins, Eveii in outv/ard appear- ance therefore John v/as another Elias 5 but much more fo as hev/as endued, according to the angel's prediclion, with the fpirit and poiver of Elias.^ Both rofe up among the Jev/s in times of univerfal corruption ; both were authorized to denounce fpecdy vengeance from Heaven, unlefs they repent- ed ; both executed tlieir commiiTion with the fame intrepid * I.uke, i. 80. f a Kings, i. 8, % Luke, i. r?. 46 LECTURE III. zeal ; both were perfecuted for it : yet nothing deterred ei- ther Elias from accufmg Ahab to his face, or John from re- buking Herod in the fame undaunted manner. But here an apparent difBculty occurs, and the facred 'vrriters are charged with making our Lord and St. John flatly contradid each othen When the Jews fent priefts and Levites from Jerufalem to a{k John who he was, and particularly whether he was Elias ; his anPvver was, / a77i not :* But yet our Lord told the Jews that John luas the Elias which was to come.f How is this contradidlion to be reconciled ? Without any kind of difficul- ty. The Jews had an expedation founded on a literal inter- pretation of the prophet Malachi, J that before the Meffiah came, that very fame Elias or Elijah, who lived and prophefied in the time of Ahab, would rife from the dead and appear again upon earth. John therefore might very truly fay that he was not thai Elias., But yet as we have feen that he refembled Elias in many ftriking particulars ; as the angel told Zacharias that he fhould come in the Jpirit and pGvjer of Elias ; and as he actually approved himfelf, in the turn and manner of his life, in his dodtrine and his condud, the very fame man to the latter Jews which the other had been to the former, our Saviour might Vv-ith equal truth allure his difciples that John ivas that Elias, whofe coming the prophet Malachi had in Tijigurat'ive fenfe foretold. This difnculty we fee is fo eafily removed, that I fliould not have thought it worth noticing in this place, had it not been very lately revived with much parade in one of thofe coarfe and blafphemous publications which have been difperfed in this country with fo much activity, in order to diiTeminate vulgar infidelity among the lower orders of people, but which are now finking faft into oblivion and contempt. This is one fpecimen of what they call their arguments againfl Chriflianit}'-* and from this fpecimen you will judge of all the reil. But to return. The abftemioufnefs and rigour of the BaptiR's life wa^^ calculated to produce very important effeds. It v/as fitte^d * John, i, 21, f Match, xi. 14. t Malachi, iv, 5. LECTURE III. 47 to excite great attention and reverence in the minds of hi?. hearers. It was well fuited to the dodlrine he was to preach, that of repentance and contrition ; to the ferioufnefs he wifhed; to infpire, and to the terror which he was appointed to rmprefs on impenitent offenders. And perhaps it was furtlier defigned to intimate the need there often is of harfh reftrairJ:? in the beginning of virtue, as the eafy familiarity of our Lord's manner and behaviour exhibits the delightful freedom which attends the perfe£ilcn of it. At leaft, placing thefe two chara(5lers in view of the world, fo near to each other, mufl: teach men this very inftrudive lelTon ; that though feverity or conduct may in various cafes be both prudent and neceiTary, yet tlie mildeft and cheerfuleft goodnefs is the compleateft ; and they the moll afefal to religion, who are able to converfe among fmners without rifquing their innocence, as difcreeC phyficians do among the fick without endangering their health. It is remarkable however that whatever mortifications John pradtifed himfelf, it does not appear that he prefcribed any thing to others beyond the ordinary duties of a good life. His difciples indeed fafted often, and fo did many of the Jews befides ; probably therefore the former as A^nell as the latter by their own choice. His general injunction v,'as only,* " bring forth fruits meet for repentance.*' When more particular direftions were defired, he commanded ail forts of men to avoid more efpeciaily the fms, to vv^hlch their condition moft expofed them. Thus when thef people afked him (the common people of that hard-hearted nation) what iliall we do ? John anfwered, " He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none, and he that hath meat, let him do hkewife." That is, let every one of you accord- mg to his abilities exercile thofe duties of charity and kindnefs to his neighbor, which you are all of you but toa apt to negledt. The publicans or farmers of the revenue came to him, and faid, " % Mailer, what fhall we do :" And he faid, " Exa<5l no more than that which is appointed you." Keep clear from that rapine and extortion of which you are fo often guilty in the colledtion of the revenue. Theji foidiers too demanded of him, " What fhall we do :'* * Ma'th. ill 8. | L'jke, iii lo. ir. \ Ibid IS. ij. Ij Ibid, iii, 14. m LECTURE Iir. Ms anfwer was, " Do violence to no man, neither tccxiCd any falfely, and be contented with your wages." That is, ab- lain from tliofe acts of injuftice, violence, and oppreffion, te> which your profeffion too often leads you. Lewd and ifebauched people alfo applied to him, to whom no doubt he ^ave advice ftiited to their cafe. And therefore what he raught was not cerimonial obfervances, but moral condu(ft on religious principle ; and without this he pronounced Ihowaver difgufling the doctrine muft be to a proud and faperilitious people) the higheft outward privileges to be of -sm value at all. " Think *not,^' faid he to the Jews, " to jay within yourfelves * we have Abraham to our father, and are therefore fure of God^s favor, be our condudt what it icay :' for I fay unto you that God is able of thefe ftones to raife up children unto Abraham ;" is able to make the moft fe:pid and ignorant of theie heathens, whom you fo utterly defpife, converts to true religion and heirs of tlie promifes. Such v/ere the do(5trines which John preached to his difci- ]ple3, and the fuccefs which attended him was equal to their magnitude and importance. This v/as plainly foretold by the angel that announced his birth to his father Zacharias. " Many f of the children o^ Frael (faid he) ihall he turn to the Lord their God. Which m faa he did. For the evangelift s tell us that " there went oat unto him into the wildernefs Jerufaiem and all Judea, and all the region about Jordan, and were baptized of liim."j: The truth of this is amply confirmed by Jofeph^s, Vviio in- forms us, that " multitudes flocked to him ; for they were" greatly delighted with his difcourfes,'* || It mip-ht naturally be expected that fuch extraordinary popularity and applaufe as this would fill him Vvith conceit and vanity, and infpire him v/ith a moil exalted opinion of bis own abihties, and a fovereign contempt for any rival teacher of religion. But fo far from this, the mofl promi- nent feature of his character ^as an unexampled modefty and humiHty. Though he had been ftiled by Malachi the meflenger of the Lord, and even Ehas (the chief prophet * Matth. Hi. 9. t Luke^i. 16. | Matth- iii. 5- ^^ I Joieph Ant;q. Jiid. ::viii. a. Edit. Huds. LECTURE Iir. 43 ft^ the Jews next to Mofes) he never afTumed any higher title than that very humble one given him by Ifaiah ; the voice of ens crying in the ivildsrnefs. Far from defiring or attempting to fix the admiration of the multitude on his own perfon, he gave notice from his firft appearance of another immediately to follov/ him, for whom he was unworthy to perform the inoft ferviie offices. He made a fcruple, till exprefsly com- manded, of baptizing one fo infinitely purer than himfelf, as he knew the holy Jefus to be. And when his difciples complained that all nien deferted him to follow Chrifl (a mofl mortifying circumftance, had worldly applaufe, or intereft, or power, been his point) nothing could be more ingenuoufly felf-denying than his anfwer ; " Ye yourfelves bear me witnefs, that I faid I am not the Chrift, but am fent before him. He that hath the bride, is the bridegroom ; but the friend of the bridegroom, which ftandeth and hear- eth him, rejoiceth greatly. This my joy therefore is ful- filled. He mud: increafe, but I muft decreafe ; he that is of the earth is earthy : he that cometh from heaven is above all."* Of fuch unafFe(5ted and difinterefted humility as this, where fhall we find, except in Chrift, another inftance ? Yet with this was by no m*eans united what we are too apt to afTociate with our idea of humility, meannefs and timidity cf fpirit ; on the contrary, the whole condufl of the Baptiil was marked throughout with the moft intrepid courage and magnanimity in the difcharge of his duty. Inftead of paying any court either to tlie great men cf his nation on the one hand, or to the multitude on the other, he reproved the former for their hypocrify in the ftrongeil terms ; " O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come ?"f and he required the latter to renounce every one of thofe favorite fins which they had long indulged, and were moft umvilling to part with. But what is ftill more, he reproved without fear and without re- ferve the abandoned and ferocious Herod, for injurioufly taking av/ay Herodias his brother's wife, and afterwards incefluoully marrying her, and for all the other evil that he * John iil ^8. 29. f Matthew iil 7, ^0 LECTURE in, had done. He well knew the favage and unrelenting temw per of that fanguinary tyrant ; he knew that this bcldnefs of expoftulation would fooner or later bring down upon him the whole weight of his reientment. But knowing alfo that he was fent into the world to preach repentance to all, and feeling it his duty to cry aloud and fpare not, to fpare not even the greateft and moft exalted of fmners, he determined not to Ihrink from that duty, but to obey his confcience, and take the confequences, Thofe confequences were exadlly what he muft have fore- feen. Ke was firft (hut up in prifon ; and not long after- wards, as you all know, the life of this great and innocent man was wantonly facrificed in the midll of conviviality and mirth to the ralh oath of a worthlefs and a mercilefs prince, to the licentious fafcinations of a young woman, and th& implacable vengeance of an old one. After this fliort hiflory of the doiflrines, the life, and the death of this extraordinary man, I beg leave to offer in con- clufion a few remarks upon it to your ferious confideration. And in the firft place, in the teffimony of John the Bap- tift, we have an additional and powerful evidence to the truth and the divine authority of Chrift and his religion. If the account given of John in the Gofpels be true, the hiftory given there of Jefus muft be equally fo, for they are plainly parts of one and the fame plan, and are fo conne<5t- ed and interwoven with each other, that they muft either ftand or fall togetlier. Now that in the firft place there did really exift fuch a perfon as John the Baptift at the time fpecified by the evangelifts, there cannot be the fmalleft doubt j for he is mentioned by the Jev/ifh hiftorian Jofephus, and all the cir- cnmftances he relates of him, as far as they go, perfe<5Hy . correfpond with the defcription given of him by the facred hiftorians. He reprefents him as ufmg the ceremony of baptifm. He fays that multitudes flocked to him, for they were greatly delighted with his difcourfes, and ready to ob- ferve all his diredions. He afTerts that he was a good man ; LECTURE IIL SI feiid that he exhorted the Jews not to come to his baptifm without firft preparing themfelves for it by the pradice of virtue; that is, in the language of the Gofpels, without repentance. He relates his being inhumanly murdered by- Herod ; and adds, that the Jews in general entertained fo high an opinion of the innocence, virtue, and fandity of John, as to be perfuaded that the definition of Herod's army, which happened not long after, was a divine judg- ment inflicted on him for his barbarity to fo excellent a man.* It appears then that St. John was a perfon, of whofe virtue, integrity, and piety, we have the moft ample tefti- mony from an hiftorian of unqueftionable veracity, and we may therefore rely with perfecft confidence on every thing he tells us. He was the very man foretold both by Ifaiah and Malachi, as the forerunner of that divine perfonage, whom the Jews expeded under the name of the Meffiah. He de- clared that Jefus Chrift was this divine perfon, and that he himfelf was fent into the world on purpofe to prepare the Way before him, by exhorting men to repentance and re- formation of life. If then this record of John (as the evan» gelifts call it) be true, the divine million of Chrift is at once eftablilhed, becaufe the Baptift exprefsly afTerts that he was the Son of God, and that whoever believed in him ihould have everlafting life.f Now that this record is true, we have every reafon in the world to believe, not only becaufe a man fo eminently diftinguifhed for every moral virtue as St. John confefTedly was, cannot be thought capable of publicly proclaiming a deliberate falfehood ; but becaufe had his character been of a totally different complexion, had he for inftance been influenced only by views of intereft am- bition, vanity, popularity ; this very falfehood muft have completely counteracted and overfet every projed of this na- ture. For every thing he faid of Jefus, inftead of aggran- dizing and exalting himfelf, tended to lower and to debafe him in the eyes of all the v/orld ; he affured the multitude who followed him, that there was another perfon much more worthy to be followed ; that there v/as one coming after him Gf far greater dignity and confequence than himfelf^ one * Jofeph. Antiq. 1- xviii- c. 6. s. %, Ed. Kuds. t John iii. z(>^ i- 34* ^ LECTURE III. whofe flioes latchet he was not worthy to unloofe ;* one f& infinitely fuperior to him in rank, authority, and wifdom, that he was not fit to perform for him even the moft fervile offices. He himfelf was only come as a humble meffenger to announce the arrival of his Lord, and fmooth the way before him. But the great perfonage to whom they were to- dired their eyes> and in whom they were to centre all their hopes, was Jesus Christ. Is this now the language of a man who fought only for honor, emolument, or fame, or was actuated only by the fond ambition of being at the head of a fe xl. 5. LECTURE IV. MATTHEW iv. — ^fonner parto X HE fourth chapter of St. Matthew, at v/hkh we are now arrived, opens with an account of that mod iin- gular and extraordinary tranfa<5lion, The Temptation of Christ in the wilderness. The detail of it is as fol- lows: <' Then was Jefus led up of the fpirit into the wildemeii to be tempted of the devil : and when he had fafted forty days and forty nights he was afterw^ards an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he faid, if thou be the Son of God, com- mand that thefe ftones be made bread. Eut he anfwered and faid, it is written man ihall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into tlie holy city, and fetteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and faith unto him, if tliou be the Son of God, cail thyfelf dawn ; for it is vvTit- ten, he (hall give his angels charge, concerning thee, and in their hands they fhall bear thee up, left at any time thou dafti thy foot againft a ftone. Jefus faid unto him, thou fhalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and fheweth him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, and faith unto him, all thefe things will I give thee, if thou wiit fall down and Vv-orfliip me. Then faid Jefus unto him. Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, thou llialt worfhip the Lord thy God, and him only (halt thou ferve. Then the $levil leavetlv him, and behold argels came and miniftere4 Vnto him."* Such is the hlftory given by the Evangelifts of our Lord's temptation, which has been a fubject cf much difcuffioa * Matth. iv. i—n, S» LECTURE IV- smcng leamsd men. It is well known in particular that leveral ancient commentators as well as many able and pious men of our own times, have thought that this temptation was not a real tranfadlion, but only a vifion or prophetic trance, fimilar to that which Ezekiel defcribes in the 8th chapter cf his prophecy, and to that which befel St. Peter when he fa w a veflel defcending unto him from heaven, and let down to the earth.* And it muft be acknowledged that this opinion is fupported by many fpecious arguments, and feems to remove fome confiderable difficulties. But upon the whole there are I think ftronger reafons for adhering to the literal interpretation, than for recurring to a vifionary re- prefentation. For in tl^e firil place, it is a rule admitted and eftablifhed by the beft and moft judicious interpreters, that in explain- ing the facred writings we ought never, without the moft apparent and moft indifpenfable neceflity, allow ourfelves the liberty of departing from the plain, obvious, and literal meaning of the words. Now, I conceive that no fuch ne- cefHty can be alledged in the prefent inftance. It is true> that there are in this narrative many difficulties, and many extraordinary, farprifing, and miraculous incidents. But the whole hiftory of our Saviour is wonderful and miraculous Irom beginning to end ; and if whenever we meet with a diffic ulty or a miracle, vie may have recourfe to figure, met- ophor, or vifion, we fliall foon reduce a great part of the fa- cred writings to nothing elfe. Befides, thefe difficulties will feveral of them admit of a fair folution ; and where they do not, as they afFe<5l no article of faith or practice, they muft be left among thofe infcrutable myfteries which it is natural to expeft in a revelation from heaven. This v/e muft after all be content to do, even if we adopt the idea of vifion ; for aven that does not remove every difficulty, and it creates fome that do not attach to tlie literal interpretation. 2. In the next place, I cannot find in any part of this irarrative of the temptation the flighteft or moft diftant in- timation that it is nothing more than a vifion. The very 6rft words with v/hich it commences feem to imply the dU ♦ A6ls X. xo — 16, T L E C T U R E IV. 63' re£l contrary. " Then was Jefus led up of the fpirlt into the wildemefs to be tempted of the devil." Does not this lay in the mofl; exprefs terms that our Lord was led, not in a dream, or trance, or vifion, but was adually and literally led by the fpirit into the wildemefs of Judea ? There is, I know, an interpretation which explains away this obvious meaning. But that interpretation refts folely on the doubt- ful fignification of a fmgle Greek particle, which is furely much too flender a ground to juftify a departure from the plain and literal fenfe of the pafiage. Certain it is, that if any one had meant to defcribe a real tranfaclion, he could not have feledled any expreffions better adapted to that pur- pofe than thofe actually made ufe of by the Evangelift ; and I believe no one at his firft reading of our Lord's temptation ever entertained the flighteft idea of its being a vifionaiy reprefentation. S. There Is an obfervation which has been made, and which has great weight in this queftioi\. It is this : All the prophets of the Old Teftament, except Mofes, faw vifions, and dreamed dreams, and the prophets of the New did the fame. St. Peter had a vifion, St. John faw vifions, St. Paul had vifions and dreams : but Chrift himfelf neither faw vifions nor dreamed dreams. He had an intimate and im- mediate communication with the Father ; and he, and no one elfe in his days, had /ee?i the Father. The cafe was the fame with Mofes ; he faw God face to face. " If there be a prophet among you, fays God to Aaron, and Miriam, I the Lord will make myfelf known to him in a vifion, and will fpeak unto him in a dream. My fervant Mofes is not fo, who is faithful in all my houfe ; with him will I fpeak mouth to mouth, even apparently and not in dark fpeeches ; and the fimihtude of the Lord fnall he behold."* Now Mo- fes we all know was a type of Chrift ; and the refemblance holds between them in this inftance as well as in many others. They neither of them had vifions or dreams, but had both an immediate communication with God. They both " faw God face to face."f This was a diftinction and a^mark of dignity peculiar to thofe two only, to the great legiflator of the Jews, and the great legiflator of the Chriftians. It is * Numb, xll, 6 — 8. f Exod^^ rsxiii. ii. m L E C T U R E IV. tfterefore mconfiflent with this high priviledge, this mark: cf fuperior eminence, to fuppofe that our Lord was tempt- ed in a vifion, when we fee no other inftance of a vifxon in tSie whole courfe of his miniftry. 4. There is ftill another confideration which militates ftrong* ly againft the fuppofition of a vifionary temptation. It was in itfelf extremely probable that there fhould be a real and perfonal conflict between Chrill and Satan, when the former W3S entering upon his public miniftry. It is well known that the great chief of tlie fallen angels, '^ho is difcribed in fcripture under the various names of Satan, Beelzebub, the Devil, and the Prince of the devils, has ev» «r been an irreconcileable enemy of the human race, and iias been conftantly giving the moft decided and moft fatal proofs of this enmity from the beginning of the world to this lrour» His hoftility began with the very firft creation of man upon earth, when he no fooner difcovered our firft parents in that ftate of innocence and happinefs in which the gracious h^xid of the Almighty had juft placed them, than with a malignity truly diabolical, he refolved if poffible to deftroy «11 this fair fcene of virtuous blifs, and to plunge them into the gulph of fni and mifery. For this purpofe he exerted all Iris art and fubtilty and powers of perfuafion ; and how well he fucceeded we all know and feel. From that hour he ef- tablilhed and exercifed an aftonifhing dominion over the minds of men, leading them into fuch ads of folly, ftupid- Tty, and wickednefs, as can on no other principle be account- ed for. At the time of our Saviour's appearance his tyranny feems to have arrived at its utmoft height, and to have ex- itended to the bodies as well as to tlie fouls of men, of both •which he fonrietimes took abfolute poffelpon : as we fee in the Siiftory of thofe unh'appy perfons mentioned in fcripture "wrhom we call demoniacs and who were truly faid to be pojjfejf' «fi? by the devil. It was therefore extremely natural to fup- pofe, that when he found there was a great and extraordina- ry perfonage who had juft made his appearance in the world, who was faid to be the Son of God, the promifed Saviour of mankind, that feed of the woman who was tobruife theferpent's sead J it was natural that he ftiould be exceedingly alarmed LECTURE IV. €i f Jit thele tidings, that he fhould tremble for his dominion | that he fhould firll endeavour to afcertain the fad, whether this was really the Chrlft or not ; and if it turned out to be {o^ that he fhould exert his utmoft efforts to fubdue this formida- ble enemy, or at leaft to feduce him from his allegiance to God, and divert him from his benevolent purpofe towards anan. He had ruined tlie firft Adam, and he might there- fore flatter himfelf "v^^th the hope of being equdlyYuccefsful with tlie fecond Adam. He had entailed a mortal difeafe on the human race ; and to prevent their recovery from that difeafe, and their reftoration to virtue and to happinej&, would be a triumph indeed, a conquefl worthy of the prince of the devils. On the other hand it was equally probable that our blelTed Lord would think it a meafure highly proper to begin his miniftry with Ihewing a. decided fuperiority over the great adverfary of man, whofe empire he was going to abolifh ; with manifefting to mankind that the great Captain of their falvation was able to accomplifh the important work he had undertaken, and with fetting an example of virtuous firm- nefs to his followers, which might encourage them to refift the moft powerful temptations that the prince of darknefs could throw in their way. Thefe confiderations, in addition to many others, afford a. Urong ground for believing that the temptation of Chrifl: ia the wlldeniefs was, as the hiflory itfelf plainly intimates, a real tranfadlion, a perfonal contefl between the great enemy and the great Redeemer of the human race ; and in this point of view therefore I fhall" proceed to confider fome of the moft remarkable circumflances attending it, and the practi- cal ufes refuiting from it.* * It is an ingenious otfervation of a learned friend of mine, that the temptation of Chrift in the wildernefs bears an evident analogy to the trial of Adam in Paradife, and elucidates the nature of that trial in whicb the tempter prevailed and man fell- Thcficond Adam, who undertook: the caufe of fallen men, was fubjedled to temptation by the fame apoflate fpirit. Herein the tempter failed, and the fecond Adam in confequence became the reftorer of the fallen race of the firft. St. Paul in more pla- ces than one, points out the refemblance between the firft Adam and the fecond, and the temptation in the wildernefs exhibits a moft intercfting* sranfadiioa, wh«re the fecood Adam was avSlually placed in a fiiuatio« te LECTURE IV. We are told in the firft place that " Jefus was led up of the fplritintothe wildemefs," that is, not by the evilfpiritbutbythe fpirit of God, by the fuggeftions and by the impulfe of the Holy Ghoft, of whofe divine influences he was then full.— . For the time when this happened was immediately after his baptifm, which is related in the conclufion of the preceding chapter. We are there informed that Jefus when he was baptized went up ftraightway out of the water, and lo the heavens were opened, and he faw the fpirit of God defcend- ing like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo a voice from heaven faying. This is my beloved fon, in whom I am well pleafed.* Then (it immediately follows) was Jefus led up of the fpirit into the wildemefs to be tempted of the devil.— In that moment of exaltation, w^hen he was acknowledged by a voice from heaven to be the Son of God, and when the Spirit of God had taken full pofleffion of his foul, then it was that Jefus went forth under the guidance of that fpir. it in full confidence of his divine power into the v/ildernefs, to incounter the prince of this world. A plain proof that this conteft was a preconcerted defign, a meafure approved by heaven, and fubfervient to the grand defign, in which cur Saviour was engaged of refcuing mankind from the do- miiiion of Satan. The place into which our bleffed Lord was thus led was the 6. L E C T U R E IV. m Ion from all danger, and plainly manifefting by their foK- citude to proted and to preferve him, that they had a mod invaluable treafure committed to their care, and that he was in truth the beloved Son of God, the peculiar favorite of heaven. To a vain-glorious tnind nothing could have been more gratifying, more flattering, than fuch a propofal as this ; more efpecially as fo magnificent a fpecflacle in the fight of all the Jews would probably have induced them to receive him as their Meffiah, whom it is well known they expe<5led to defcend vifibly from heaven in fome fuch triumphant manner as this. But on the humble mind of Jefus all this had no eiFe(5l.— To him who never affedled parade or fhew, who never court* ed admiration or applaufe, who kept himfelf as quiet and as retired as the nature of his midion would allow, and fre- quently withdrew from the multitudes that flocked around him, to deferts and to mountains, to him this temptation carried no force ; his anfwer was, " Thou fhalt not tempt the Lord tliy God ;" tliou fhalt not rufli into unneceffary danger in order to tempi God, in order to try whether he will interpofe to fave thee in a miraculous manner ; much iefs ought this to be done as now propofed for the purpofes of vanity and oftentation. The next temptation is thus defcribed by St. Matthew : " Again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and flieweth him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them ; and faith unto him, all thefe things will I give thee, if thou wilt fail down and v/orfhip me."* It has been thought an infuperable difficulty to conceive how Satan could from any mountain however elevated, fliew to our Saviour all the kingdoms of the earth, and the glory of them. And even they who defend the hteral fenfe of the tranfadlion in general, yet have r^ourfe to a vifion- ary reprefentation in this particular inftance. But there feems to me no neceffity for calling in the help of a vKion * Matth. iv. 8, 9. G 66 L E C T U R E IV. even here. The Evangelift defcribes the mountain oil which Chrill was placed as an exceeding high one ; and the traveller* to whom I before referred, defcribes it in the fame terms. — From thence of courfe there muft have been a very extenfive view ; and accordingly another writer, the *Abbe Mariti, in his travels through Cyprus, &c. fpeaking of this mountain, fays, " Here we enjoyed the moft beauti- ful profped imaginable. This part of the mountain over- looks the mountains of Arabia, the country of Gilead, the country of the Ammonites, the plains of Moab, the plain of Jericho, the river Jordan, and the whole extent of the Dead fea." Thefe various domains the tempter might Ihew to our Lord dillindly, and might alfo at the fame tim.e point oui (for fo the original word deikn:m} fom.etimes fignilies) and direfl our Lord's eye towards feveral other regions that lay beyond them, which might comprehend all the principal kingdoms of the eaftem world. And he might then properly- enough fay, " all thefe kingdoms v/hich you now fee, or^ tov^ards which I now point, will I give thee, if thou v^ilt fall down and worlliip me." This explanation appears to me an eafy and a natural one. But if others think dilFer- entl/j it is fufficient to fay, that this particular incident is not more extraordinary than almcft every other part of this very fmgular tranfaftion ; throughout the whole of which the devil appears to have been permitted to exercife a power far beyond what naturally belonged to him. But whatever we may decide on this point, the nature and magnitude of the temptation are evident. It is no lefs than an offer of kingdoms, with all their gloiy ; all the honors, power, rank, wealth, grandeur, and magnificence, that this world has to give. But all thefe put together could not for one moment fhake the firm mind of our divine Maf- ter, or feduce him from the duty he ov/ed to God. He re- jefted with abhorrence the impious propofition made to him, and anfwered with a proper indignation, in the words of fcripture, *'• Get thee hence, Satan ; for it is written, thou ihalt worfhip the Lord thy God, and him only fhalt thou lerve.f " Upon tfiis we are told that the devil left him, and that angels came and miniflered unto him. * MiundrdJ. f Matth, iv. lo, ii. L E C T U R E IV. 67 Thus ended this memorable fcene of Chrift's temptation in the wilderaefs. The reafons of it refpe<5ting our Lord have been already explained ; the inftrudions it fumifties to ourfelves are principally thefe : 1. It teaches us, that even the beft of men may fome* times be permitted to fall into great temptations, for we fee that our blefTed Lord himfelf was expofed to the fevereft. They are not therefore to be confidered as marks of God's difpleafure or defertion of us, but only as trials of our virtue ; as means of proving (as Mofes tells the Ifraelites) what is in our hearts, whether we will keep God's commandments or no ; * as opportunities gracioufly afforded us to demon- flrate our fmcerity, our fortitude, our integrity, our undia- ken allegiance and fidelity to the great Ruler of the world. 2. Whenever we are thus brought into temptation, we have every reafon to hope for the divine alTillance to extri- cate us from danger. We have the example of our bleffed Lord to encourage us. We fee the great Captain of our falvation affaulted by all the art and all the power of Sa- tan, and yet rifnig fuperior to all his efforts. We fee him going before us in the paths of virtue and of glory, and calling upon us to follow him. Though he was led by the fpirit of God .himfelf into the wildernefs in order to be tempted, yet the fame divine fpirit accompanied and fup- ported him throughout the whole of his bitter confli6>, and enabled him to triumph over his infernal adverfary. To the fame heavenly fpirit wv? alfo may look for deliverance. If we implore God in fer\"ent prayer to fend him to us, he v/ili afTurediy grant our petition. He will not fuffer us to be tempted above what we are able, but will with the temptation alfo make a way to efcape (vvhen vv'-e ourfelves cannot j^;?i one) that we may be able to bear it=f 3. We may ieam from the condudl of our Lord under this great trial, that when temptations allail us we are not to parley or to reafon with tliem, to hefitate and deliberate whether v/e fhall give way to them or nor, but mull at once jepel them vrlth tirmnsfs and vdth vigour, and oppofe to * Deut V'Xi z, f I Cor. r. 13, i^ LECTURE IV. the di(flates of our paffions the plain and pofitive commands of God in his holy word. We muft fay refolutely to the tempter, as our Lord did, " Get thee hence, Satan,'** and he will inftantly flee from us, as he did from him, 4. It is a moft folid confolation to us under fuch contefts as thefe, that if we honeftly exert our utmoft efforts to van- quilh the enemies of our falvation, mofl humbly and de- voutly foliciting at the fame time the influences of divine grace to aid our weak endeavours, the unavoidable errors and imperfections of our nature will not be afcribed to us, nor will God be extreme ta mark every thing that is done amifs ; for we ftiall not be judged by one who has no feel' ing of our infirmities, but by one who knows and who pi- ties them, who was himfelf in all things tempted like as we are, yet v/ithout fmf , and who will therefore make all due allowances for our involuntary failings, though none for our wilful tranfgreffions. 5o And laftly, in the various allurements prefented to our Lord, we fee but too faithful a pi<5):ure of thofe we are toex- pe6l ourfelves in our progrefs through life. Our Lord's temptations were, as we have feen, fenfual gratifications, in- citements to vanity and oftentation, and the charms of wealth, pov/er, rank, and fplendour. All thefe v/ill in the different flages of our exiftence fuccefllvely rife up to feduce us, to oppofe our progrefs to heaven, and bring us into cap- tivity to fm and mifery. Pleafure, interefl, bufinefs, hon- our, glory, fame, all the follies and all the corruptions of the world, will each in their turn affault our feeble nature ; and through thafe we mufl: manfully fight our way to the great end we have in view. But the difficulty and the pain of this conteft will be confiderably leffened by a refb- lute and vigorous exertion of our powers and our refources at our firft fetting out in life. It was immediately after his baptifm, and at the very beginning of his miniftry, that our Lord was expofed to all the power and all the artifices of the devil, -and completely triumphing over both, effe(5i:- iially fecured himfelf from all future attempts of that im- placable enemy. In the fame manner it is on our firfl fet- * Matth. Iv. lo. t Heb. iv. 15, LECTURE IV. 69 ting out in life, that we are to look for the mcft violent afl. faults from our pallions within, and from the world and the prince of it wltliout. And if we ftrenuoufly refift thofe enemies of our falvation that prefent themfelves to us at that mod critical and dangerous period, all the reft that follow in our maturer age will be an eafy conqueft. On him who in the beginning of life has preferved himfelf unfpotted from the world, all its fubfequent attra<5lions and allurements, all its magnificence, wealth, and fplendour, will make little or no impreiTion. A mind that has been long habituated to difcipline and felf-govemm.ent amidfl far more powerful temptations, will have nothing to ap- prehend from fuch affailants as thefe. But after all, cur great fecurity is affiftance from above, which will never be denied to thofe who fervently apply for it. And with the power of divine grace to fupport us, with the example of our Lord in the wildemefs to animate us, and an eternity of happinefs to reward us, what is there that can ihake our conftancy or corrupt our fidelity ? Set yourfelves then without delay to acquire an early habit of ftrid felf-government, and an early intercourfe with your heavenly Protedor and Comforter. Let it be your firft care to eftablilh the fovereignty of reafon and the empire of grace over your foul, and you will foon find it no difficul- ty to repel the moft powerful temptations. " Watch ye, ftand faft in tlie faith; quit youi-felves like men; be ftrong,"* be refolute, be patient ; look frequently up to the prize that is fet before you, left you be weary and faint in your minds. Confider that every pleafure you facrince to your duty here, will be placed to your credit and encreafe your happinefs hereafter. The conflid with your paffions will grow lefs irkfome every day. A few years (widi fome of you perhaps a very few") will put an entire end to it ; and you will then, to your unfpeakable comfort, be enabled to cry out with St. Paul, " I have fought a good fight, I have finifhed my courfe, I have kept the faith. Hence> for'eih there is laid up for me a crown of righteoufnefs, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, fiiall give me ia tliat day."f * I Cor. zvl 13, f 2 Tira. iv, 7, §, J .' i . — — -— ' ■ ■" 1^""- ■e -sag^ LECTURE V. MATTH. iv. Latter Part HE former part of the fourth chapter of St. Matthew, which contains the hiftory of our Saviour's temptation, having been explained to you in the preceding jLedlure, I ftiall now proceed to the latter part of the chap- ter, in which an account is given of the firll opening of our blefTed Lord's miniftry, by his preaching, by his chu- fmg a few companions to attend him, and by his beginning to work miracles ; all which things are ftated very briefly, 'without any attempt to expatiate on the importance and magnitude of the fubjeft, which was nevertlielefs the no- bleil and moft interefting that is to be found in hiftory ; an enterprize the moft ftupendous and aftonifhing that ever be-* fore entered into the mind of man, nothing lefs than the converfion of a whole world from wickednefs zs.nd idolatry to virtue and true religion, On this vaft undertaking our Lord now entered ; and we are informed by St. Matthew, in the 17th verfe of this chapter, in what manner he firft announced himfelf and his religion to the world. His firft addrefs to the people was fimilar to that of the Baptift, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The very firft qualification he re- quired of thofe Vv'ho afpired to be his difciples was repentance^ a fmcere contrition for all paft offences, and a refolution to renounce in future every fpecies of fm ; for fm, he well knew, would be the grand obftacle to the reception of his Gofpel, "What a noble idea does this prefent to us of the dignity and fan(ftity of our divine religion ! It cannot even be ap-^ proached hy the unhallowed and the profane. Before they can be admitted even into the outward courts of its iandtu» 72 LECTURE V. ary, they muft leave their corrupt appetite and their fmful pra&iices behind them. " Put off thy Ihoes from off thy " feet," faid God to Mofes from the burning bufh, <* for the '^' place whereon thou ftandeft is /joly groundJ'^^ Put off all thy vicious habits, fays Chrift to every one that afpires to be his difciple, for the religion thou art to embrace is a ho- ly religion, and the God thou art to ferve is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot even look upon iniquity. lu fome of the ancient fefts of philofophy, before any one could be admitted into their fchools, or initiated in their myfteries, he was obliged to undergo a certain courfe of preparation, a certain term of trial and probation, which however confifled of little more than a few fuperftitious cer- emonies, or fome adls of "external difcipline and purification. But the preparation for receiving the Chriftian religion is the preparation of the heart. The difcipline required for a participation of its privileges, is the mortification of fm, the facrifice of every guilty propenfity and defire. This facrifice however the great founder of our religion did not require for nothing. He promifed his followers a recompence infinitely beyond the indulgences they were to renounce ; he promifed them a place in his kingdom, a kingdom of which he was the fovereign ; a kingdom of righteoufnefs here, and of glory hereafter. Repent ye^ for the kingdom of heaven is at handj. He then proceeds to fele6l and afibclate to himfelf a cer- tain number of perfons, who were to be his affiflants and coadjutors in the eftablifliment and the adminlftration of his heavenly kingdom. And here it was natural to expert, that in making this choice he fhould look to men of influence, authority, and weight ; that being himfelf deftiiiute of all the advantages of rank, power, wealth, and leai-ning, he fliould endeavor to compenfate for thole defecls in his own perfon by the con- trary qualities of his afibciates, by connedting himfelf with fome of the moft powerful, moft opulent, moft leamed> a^nd moft eloquent men of his time. * Exod iii. j. f Matth. iv. 1 7, LECTURE V. 73 And this moft undoubtedly would have been his mode of proceeding, had his object been to eftabhfh his religion by mere human means, by influence or by force, by the charms of eloquence, by the powers of reafon, by the ex- ample, by the authority, by the fafhion of the great. But thefe were not the inftruments which Chrift meant to mate ufe of. He meant to fhow that he was above them all ; that he had far other refources, far different auxiliaries, to call in to his fupport, in comparifon of which all the wealth and magnificence, and power and wifdom of the world, were trivial and contemptible things. We find therefore that not the wife, not the mighty, not the noble v/ere called* to co-operate with him ; but men of the meaneft birth, of the ioweft occupations, cf the humbled talents, and moft un- cultivated minds. ** As he was walking by the fea of Gal- ilee, St. Matthew tells us, he 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 v^^ill make you fifhers of men ; and they ftraightway left their nets (that is in fad all their fubfiil- ence, all the little property they had in the world) and followed him. And going from thence he faw other two brethren, James the fon of Zebedee and John his brother, in a fhip with Zebedee their fatlier mending their nets ; and he called them, and they immediately left the fliip, and their father, and followed himf." Thefe were the men whom he felecled for his companions and affiflants. "jrhefe fifhermen of Galilee were to be, under him, the inftruments of over-throwing tiie ftupendous and magnificent fyftem of paganifm and idolatry throughout the world, and produ- cing the greateft change, the moft general and moft mi- portant revolution in principles, in morals, and in religion, that ever took place on this globe. For tliis aftonifning work, thefe fimple, illiterate, humble men, were fingled out by our Lord. He chofe, as the apcftle exprefTes it, « tlie foolifli things of the world to confound tlie wife, and the v*-eak things of the world to confound the things v/hich are mighty % ; that his religion might not be eftabliilied by the enticing words of man's v,- ifdom, but by demcnftratiou * I Cor. i. a6. t Matth. iv- iS— az. \ i Cor. i. 37> G 2 fJ4 LECTURE V. of the fpirit and of power ; that our faith fhould not flan<3[ in the wifdom of men, but in the power of God *." Such were the afTociates chofen by him, who was the del* egate of heaven, and whofe help was from above. We may expect therefore that an impollor, who meant to rely on 6uman means for fuccefs, would take a diredly contrary courfe. And this v/e find in fad: to be the cafe. Who were the companions and affiilants feledled by the grand impoftor Mahomet ? They were men of the moft weight and authority, and rank and influence, among his country- men. The reafon is obvious ; he wanted fuch fupports ; Chrifc did not ; and hence the marked difference of their conclu<5l in this inftance. It is the natural difference between truth and impofture. Tliat the power cf God and not of man was the foundation on which our Lord meant to ere<5t his new fyilem, very foon appeared ; for the next thing we hear of him is, that he " went about all Galilee teaching in their f^Tiagogues, and preaching the gofpel of the king- dom, and healing all manner of ficknefs and all manner of difaafe among the peoplef." Here then began that demonstration of the spirit AND OF POWER, v/hich v/as to be the grand bafis of his new kingdom, the great evidence of his heavenly miflion. It is indeed probable that the wifdom and the authority with which he fpake, and the v/eight and importance of the doflnnes he taught, would of themfelves make a deep im- prefilon on the minds of his hearers, and produce him fome followers. But had he ftopt here, had he given his new difciples nothing but words, their zeal and attachment to him would foon have abated. For it was natural for thefe converts to fay to him, " You have called upon us to repent and to reform ; you hav^ commanded us to renounce cur vices, to relinquilh our favourite pleafures and purfuits, to give up the world and its enjoyments, and to take up our crofs and follow you ', and in return for this you promife us diflinguifhed happinefs and honour in your fpiritual king- dom. You fpake, it is true, moft forcibly to our confciences ^d to our hearts ; and we feel ftrongly difpofed to obey * ; Cor. ii. 4, 5. f M?.tth. iv. «5. LECTURE V. 75 your injun^ions, and to credit your promifes ; but ftill the iacrifice we are required to make is a great one, and the conflid we have to go through is a bitter one. We find it a moft painful ftruggle to fubdue confirmed habits, and to part at once with all our accuflcmed pleafures and indul- gences. Before then we can entirely reiinquilh thefe, and make a complete change in the temper of our fouls and the conduct of our lives, we muil have fome convincing proof that you have a right to require this compliance at our hands ; that what you enjoin us is in reality the command of God himfelf ; that you are a(5tualiy fent from heaven, and ccmmifhoned by him to teach us his will, and to in- llru^l us in our duty ; that the kingdom you hold out to us in another world is fcmething m^ore than micre imagination : that you are^in fhort what you pretend to be, the Son of God ; and that you are able to make good the punifl.ment you denounce againft fm, and the rewards you prcmife to virtue." Our Lord well knew that this fort of reafoning mufl occur to every man's mind. He knew that it was highly proper and indifpenfably necelTary to give feme evidence of his divine commiflion, to do something which fliould fatisrj^ the world that he was the Sen of God, and the delegate of heaven. And how could he do this fo effedually as by perform.ing works which it utterly exceeded all the ftrengtli and ability of m.an to accomplifh, and which nothing iefs than the hand of God himfelf could pcfTibly bring to pafs ? In other -words, the proofs he gave of his miiflion were thcfe aflonifhing miracles w^hich are recorded in the Gofpel, and which are here for the f rft time mentioned by St. Matthew in the 2Sd verfe of this chapter : " And Jefus went about all Galilee, teaching in their fynagogues, and preaching the gofpel of the kingdom, and heahng all manner of fick- ?iefs and all manner of difeafe among the people." This then is the primary, the fundamental evidence of his divine authority, which our Lord was pleafed to give to his followers. His firil application, as v/e have fetn, was (like that of his precurfcr, John the Baptift) to their /Wr/^j 1* REPENT ye/* lay afide your vices and your prejudicgs.^^ 75 L E C T U R E V. Till this was done, till thefe grand obftacles to the admif- fion of truth were removed, he well knew that all he could fay and all he could do would have no efFed ; they would not be moved either by his exhortations or his miracles, ^^ they would not be perfuaded though one rofe from the dead*/' And in fad we find that feveral of the pharifces, men abandoned to vice and wickednefs, did adually refift the miracles of Chriii, and the refurrea;ion of a man from the grave ; they afcribed his cafting out devils to Beelze- bub ; they were not convinced by the cure of the blind man, and the raifnig of Lazarus from the dead, though they faw them both before their eyes, one reftored to fight, the ©ther to life. This plainly proves how far the power of fin and of prejudice will go in clofmg up all the avenues of the mind againft convidion ; and how wifely our Saviour adt- «d in calling upon his hearers to repent, before he offered any evidence to their underftandings. But the way being thus cleared, the evidence was then produced, and the ef- fecl it had was fuch as might be expected ; for St. Matthew tells us, that his fame went throughout all Syria ; and that there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerufalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan f ; that is, from every quarter of his own country and the adjoining nations. And indeed it can be no wonder that fuch multitudes were convinced and converted by what they faw. The wonder would have been if they had not. To thofe who were themfelves eye-witneffes of his miracles, they mud have been (except in a few inftances of inveterate depravity of heart) irrefiftible proofs of his divine miffion. When 5hey faw him give eyes to the blind, feet to the lame, health to the fick, and even life to the dead, by fpeaking only a lew words, what other conclufion could they poffibly draw than that which tlie centurion did, truly this 'was the Son of God-^, To us indeed who have not feen thefe mighty works, and wdio live at the diftance of eighteen hundred jeai's iVom the time when they were wrought, the force of this evidence is undoubtedly lefs than it was to an eye wit- -fiefs. But if the reality of thefe miracles is proved to us '...';c, >:vi. II. •\M:\i'i.\\, iv. J4, 25. j: Matth. xxvii. 54. L E C T U R E V. 77 "hy fufficient teftimony, by teflimony fuch as no ingenuous and unprejudiced mind can withfland, they ought Itill to produce in us the firmeft belief of the divine power of him who wrought them*. It mufl be admitted at the fame time, that thefe mira- cles, being facls of a very uncommon and very extraor- dinary nature, fuch as have never happened in our o^vn times, and but very feldom even ia former times, they re- quire a much flronger degree of teftimony to fupport them than common hiftorical fa<5ls. And this degree of tefti- mony they adually have. They are fupported by a body of evidence fully adequate to the cafe ; ^lly competent to outweigh all the difadvantages arifmg from the great dif- tance and the aftonifhing nature of the events in queftion. 1. In the fir ft place, thefe miracles are recorded in four different hiftories, written very near the time of their be- ing performed, by four different men, Matthew, Mark,^ Luke, and John ; two of v/hom faW thefe miracles with their own eyes ; the other two had their account from them, who did the fame ; and affirm, that " tliey had a jberfed knowledge of every thing they reiatef ." They were plain artlefs men, without the leaft appear- ance of enthufiafm or credulity about them, and rather flow tlian forward to believe any thing extraordinary and out of the common courfe of nature. They were perfe<5t-r ly competent to judge of plain matters of fa6i, of things which pafied before their eyes, and could certainly teli^ without the leaft poflibility of being miftaken, v/hether a perfon whom they knew to be blind was a.S:n2lly reftored to fight, and a perfon whom they knew to be dead was raifed to life again by a few words fpoken by their maften They were men, who, from the fimplicity of their maH- ners, were not at all likely to invent and publifti falfehoods of fo extraordinary a nature; much lefs falfehoods by which they could gain nothing, and did in fa6t lofe every thing. There is not therefore, from the peculiar charader of thefe" * Mr. Hume's abftrufe and fophlftical argument againfi; miracles, kzs oeen completely refu-*-l'l'<"<-<"<<'<-'<"<"<"<-<'<'<"<"<-<-<-< •<•'<••<>•■>•>••>•>••>'>••>*>'•>•♦• >">">'*">"^'>"*"*'**'* LECTURE VI. MATTH. Chap. v. o UR blefled Lord having by his miracles ef- tablifhed his divine authority, and acquired of courfe a right to the attention of his hearers, and a powerful influ- ence over their minds, proceeds in the next place to ex- plain to them in fome degree the nature of his religion, the duties it enjoins, and the difpofitions it requires. This he does in what is commonly called his fermon on the mount ; which is a difcourfe of confiderable length, be- ing extended through this and the two following chapters ; and we may venture to fay it contains a greater variety of new, important, and excellent moral recepts, than is any where to be found in the fame compafs. At the fame time it does not pretend to give a regular, complete, and perfed fyftem of ethics, or to lay down rules for the reg- ulation of our condu(5t in every poffible inftance that can arife. This would have been an endlefs taik, and would have multiplied precepts to a degree that would in a great meafure have defeated their utility and deftroyed their ef- fect.* Our Lord took the v/ifer and more impreffive method of tracing out to us only the great outlines of our duty, of giving us general principles and comprehenfive rules, which we may ourfelves apply to particular cafes, and the Various fituations in which we may be placed. He begins with difcribing thofe difpofitions and virtues tvhich mark tlie Chriftian chara^er, in which the Gofpel peculiarly delights, but which the world defpifes and xejeds. « Blefled, fays he, are the poor in fpirit, for theirs Is the kingdom of God. * Vid. John, xxi. 25. 66 L E C T U R E VI, BlefTed are they that mourn, for they fhall be comforted. BlelTed are the meek, for they Ihall inherit the earth* BlefTed are they which do hunger and thirft after right- eoufnefs, for they fhall be filled. BlefTed are the merciful, for they fhall obtain mercy« BlefTed are the pure in heart, for they fliall fee God. Bleffed are the peace-makers, for they Ihall be called ^;he children of God. BlefTed are they which are perfecuted for righteoufnefs fake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. BlefTed are ye when men fhall revile you, and perfecute you, and fhall fay all manner of evil againfl you falfely for my fake : rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven."* It is evident that our Lord here ment at the very outfet of his public inflrudions, to mark at once in the flrongeft and mofl decided terms the peculiar temper, fpirit, and character of his religion ; and to fhew to his difciples how completely oppofite they were to all thofe fplendid and popular qualities vvhich were the great objefts of admira- tion and applaufe to the heathen world ; and are ftill too much fo even to the Chriflian world, " There are (as a very able advocate for Chriftianity well obfervesf) two oppofite charaders under v^.'-hich m.ankind may generally be clalVed. The one pofTefTes vigour, firmnefs, refolution, is daring and adlive, quick in its fenfibilities, jealous of its fame, eager in its attachments, inflexible in its purpoi> es, violent in its refentments. The other, meek, yielding, complying, forgiving ; not prom.pt to aft, but willing to fuffcr ; filent and gentle under rudenefs and infult ; fuing for reconciliation wher^ Otliers would demand fatisfaftion ; giving way to the pufh- es of impudence ; conceding and indulgent to the preju- * Matth. V, 3— J a, f Dr. Paley, V. ii, p. 30» LECTURE VI. S7 dices, the wrongheadedriefs, the intradlabllity of thofe with whom he has to deal/' The former of thefe characters is and ever has been the favourite of the world ; and though it is too ftem to con- ciliate afFedion, yet it has an appearance of dignity in it which too commonly commands lefpecl. The latter is, as our Lord defcribes it, Iramble, meek, lowly, devout, merciful, pure, peaceable, patient, and mirefifting. The world calls it mean-fpirited, tame, and abjeft ; yet, notwithftanding all this, with the divine Au- thor of cur religion this is the favourite characler ; this js the conftant topic of his commendation ; this is the fub- je6l that runs through all the beatitudes. To this he af- figns, under all its various forms, peculiar bledings. To thofe who polTefs it, he promifes that they fhall inherit the earth ; that they fliall obtain mercy ; that theirs fnall be the kingdom of heaven; that tliey fhall fee God, and ihall be called the children of God, The recommendation of this charader recurs frequent- ly in different fhapes throughout the whole of the fermoa on the mount, and a great part of that difcourle is noth- ing more than a comment on the text of the beatitudes. — On thefe and a few other palfages which have any thing particularly novel and important in them, I fhall offer ibme obfervations. But before I quit this noble and confolatory exordium of our Lord's difcourfe, I fnall requeft your attention to one particular part of it, which leems to require a little expla- nation. The part I allude to is this : ' " Bleffed are the meek, for they fhall inherit the earth." The blefTmg here promifed to the meek, feems at firft fight fomewhat fmgular, and not very appropriate to the virtue recommended. That the meeh of all others fnould be deflined to inherit the earth, is what one ihould not naturally have expeded. m L E C T U R E VI. If we may judge from what pafies in the world, it is thoie of a quite oppofite charader, the bold, the forward, the active, the enterprifmg, the rapacious, the ambitious, that are beft calculated to fecure to themfelves that inherit- ance. And undoubtedly, if by inheriting the earth is meant acquiring the wealth, the grandeur, the power, the property of the earth, thefe are the perfons who generally feize on a large proportion of thofe good things, and leave the m.eek, and the gentle far behind t]iem in this unequal conteft for fuch advantages. But it was far other things than thefe our Lord had in view. By inheriting the earth, he meant inheriting thofe- things which are, without quefiion, the greateft hhjfmgs tipon earth, caimnefs and com-pofure of fpirit, tranquil- ity, cheerfulnefs, peace and comfort of m.ind. Now thefe, I apprehend, are the peculiar portion and recom- pence of th e meeh. Unaffuming, gentle, and humble in their deportment, they give no offence, they create no enemxies, they provoke no hoftilities, and thus efcape all that large proportion of hum.an mifery which arifes from difienfions and difputes. If differences dq unexpe<£ledly Hart up, by patience, mildnefs, and prudence, . they difn ai-m tlieir adverfaries, they foften refentment, they court xeconciliation, and feldom fail of reftoring harmony and peace. Having a very humble opinion of themfelves, they fee others fucceed without uneahnefs, without envy : having no ambition, no fpirit of competition, they feel no pain from difapp ointment, no mortification from defeat. By bending under the ftorm.s, that affail them, they greatly mitigate their violence, and fee them pafs over their heads almofl without feeling their force. Content and fatisfled witli their lot, they pafs quietly and filently tlrrough the crowds that furround them ; and encounter much fewer difficulties and calamities in their progrefs through life than more adive and enterprifmg m.en. This even tenor of life may indeed be called by men of the world flat, dull, and infipid. But the meek are excluded from no rational pleafure, no legitimate delight ; and as they are more cx- em.pt from anxiety and pain than other men, their furn total of happinefs is greater, and they may, in the bell fenfc of the word, be fairly faid to inherit the earth. LECTURE VI. s^ I fhall now proceed to notice fuch other paffages of this admirable difcourfe, as appear to me to deferv^e pe- cuHar attention and confideration. The firft of thefe is that which begins with the 2111 verfe : " Ye have heard that it was faid by tliem of old time, thou fhalt not kill ; and whofoever fhall kill, fhall be in danger of the judgment ; but I fay unto you, that whoever is angry with his brother without a caufe, fhall be in danger of the judgment ; and whofoever fhall fay to his brother, Raca, fhall be in danger of the council • but whofoever fhall fay, thou fool, Ihall be in danger of hell fire." And again in the fame manner at tlie 27th verfe : " Ye have heard that it was faid by them of old time, thou fhalt not commit adultery ; but I fay unto you, that whofoever looketh on a woman to luft after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.'* I put thefe two inftances together, becaufe they both enforce the fame great leading principle, and both illuf- trate one great diflinguifliing excellence of the morality taught by our Saviour ; namely, that it does not content itfelf with merely controlling our outward adions, but it gees i^.uch deeper, it impofes its reftraints, it places its guard exaaly where it ought to do, on cur tlioughts and on our hearts. Our Lord here flngles out two cafes, re- ferring to two different fpecies of pafTions, the m.alevolent and the fenfual, and he pronounces the fame fentence, the lamedecifive judgment on both ; that the thing to be reg- ulated is the intention J the pajjion, the prcpcnf.ty. Former moraiius contented themfelves with faying, thou fhalt not kill. But / (fays our Lord) go much further; / fay thou fhalt not indulge any refentmeni againft thy brother, thou fhalt not ufe any reproachful or contemptuous lan- guage towards him ; for it is thefe tilings that lead and provoke to the moft atrocious deeds. Former moralifts have faid, thou fhalt not commit adultery. But / fay, let not thine heart or^thine eye commit adultery ; for here it is that the fm begins ; and here it muft be crufhed in its H 2 95 LECTURE Vt This IS wifdom, this is morality in its moft peifedl formf m its eifence, and in its firft principles. Every one that is acquainted with men and manners muft know that our Lord has here ftiewTi a confummate knowledge of human nature ; that he has laid his finger on the right place, and exerted his authority where it was moft wanted, in checks ing the firft movements of our criminal defires. Every one muft fee and feel, that bad thoughts quickly ripen in^ to bad alliens ; and that if the latter only are forbidden, and the former left free, all morality will foon be at an end. Our Lord therefore, like a wife phylician, goes at once to the bottom of the evil ; he extirpates the firft germ and root of the difeafe, and leaves not a fmgle fibre of it remaining to fhoot up again in the heart, It was obvious to forefee that the dlfciples, and the peo- ple to whom our Saviour addrefted himfelf, would confid- er this as very fevere difcipline, and would com.plain bit- terly, or at leaft murmur fecretly, at the hardftiips of parting with all their favorite paflions, of eradicating their ftrongeft natural propenfities, of watching conftant- ly every motion of their hearts, and guarding thofe iffues of life and death, thofe fountains of virtue, and of vice, with the moft unremitting attention. But all this our di- vine mafter tells them is indifpenfably neceflary. All thefe cautions muft be ufed, all this vigilance muft be ex- ercifed, all this felf-govemment muft be exerted, all thefe facrifices muft be made. It is the price we are to pay (befides that price which our Redeemer paid,) and furely no unreafonable one, for efcaping eternal mifery, and ren- dering Gurfelves capable of eternal glory. He therefore, goes on to fay, in terms highly figurative and alarming, but not too ftrong for the occafion, " If thy right eye of- fend thee, pluck it out and caft it from thee ; for it is profit- able for thee that cue of thy members fhould peiiili, and not that thy whole body ftiould be caft into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and caft it from, thee ; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members fhould per- ifh, and not that thy v/hcle body fhould be caft into hell*." Every one muft immediately fee that the eye to be plucked * Mattiv V. S9, 30. 1. E C T U R E Vt 9t ♦ut IS the eye of concupifcence, and the hand to be cut oit is the hand of violence and vengeance ; that is, thefe pafTions are to be checked and fubdued, let the conflift coft us what it may. This naturally leads our divine teacher, in the next verfe, to a fubjed clofely connefted with one of our ftrongeft paffions, and that is, the power of divorce. Among the Jews and the Heathens, but more particularly the latter, this power was carried to a great extent, and exercifed with ^e mod capricious and wanton cruelty. The beft and moft affedionate of wives were often difmifTed for the flighteft reafons, and fometimes without any reafcn at all. It was high time for feme flop to be put to thefe increafmg barbarities, and it was a talk wxrthy of the Son of God himfelf to Hand up as the defender and protedor of the weak, of the mcft helplefs and moft opprefTed part of the human fpecies. Accordingly he here declares, in the moft pofitive term-s, that the only legitimate caufe of di- vorce is adultery. " It has been faid, whofoever fhall put av/ay his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcemient. But I fay unto you, whofoever Ihall put away his wife, faving for the caufe of fornication, caufeth her to ccmimit; adultery ; and whofoever marrieth her that is divorced, committeth adultery*. This has, by the experience of ages, been found to be a moft wife and falutary provifion, and no lefs conducive to the happinefs than to the virtue of mankind. And we are taught by the fatal example of other nations, that wherever this law of the Gofpel has been abrogated or relaxed, and a greater facility of di- vorce allowed, the confequence tas conftantly been a too vifible depravation of manners, and the deftrudion of many of the moft effential comforts of the married ftate. The paiTage to which I ftiall next advert, is the follow- ing : " Ye have heard it has been faid, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But / fay unto you, that ye re- fift not evil ; but whofoever ftiall imite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other alfo ; and if any man wiU fje thee at the law, and take away thy coat^ let hinxhav« 92 L E C T U R E VI, thy cloak alfo ; and whofoever Ihall compel thee to go a jnile, go with him twain*." By the Mofaic law, retaliation was peimitted ; an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, might legally be de^ jnandedf. Among the ancient heathens, private revenge was indulged without fcruple and without mercy. The favage nations in America, as well as in almoft every other part of the world, fet no bounds to the perfevering rancour and the cool deliberate malignity with which they will purfue, for years together, not only the perfon him- felf from whom they have received an injury, but fome- times every one related to or conne<5led with him. The Arabs are equally implacable in their refentments ; and the Koran itfelf, in the cafe of murder, allows private jrevengej. It was to check this furious, ungovernable paflion, fo univerfally prevalent over the earth, that our Saviour de- livers the precepts now before us. " I fay unto you refift not evil ; but if any one fmite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other alfo." No one can imagine that this injundlion, and thofe of the fame kind that follow, are to be underftood ftrictly and literally ; that we are to fubmit, without the leaft oppofition, to every injury and every infult that is offered to us, and are abfolutely preclu- ded from every degree of felf-prefervation and felf-defence. This can never be intended ; and the example of St. Paul» who repelled with proper fpirit, the infult offered him as a Roman citizen, veiy clearly proves that we are not to permit ourfelves to be trampled on by the foot of pride and opprefiion, without exprefllng a juft fenfe of the inju- ry done to us, and endeavoring to avert and repel it. It cannot therefore, be rneant, that if any one, by a cruel and expenfive litigation, fliould depnve us of a part of our property, we fhould net only relinquifh to him that part, but requeft him alfo to accept every thing elfe we have in the world. Nor can it be meant, that if a man ihould adually ftrike us on one cheek, we fhould immedi- * Matth. V. 38 — 4r. f Levit. xxiv. 20. Deut. xix. ai< \ Koran, v. a. c. 17. p. ico- L E C T U R E VL ^ ately turn to him the other, and defire the blow to be re-» peated. This could not poffibly anfwer any one rational purpofe, nor conduce in the leaft to the peace and happi- nefs of mankind, which were certainly the objeds our Saviour had in view ; on the contrary, it would tend ma- terially to obftrua both by inviting injury, and encourag- ing infult and oppreffion. Common fenfe therefore, as well as common utility, require that we fhould confider the particular inftances of behaviour under the injuries here fpecified, as nothing more than ftrong oriental idioms, as proverbial and figurative expreflions, intended only to convey a general precept, and to defcribe that peculiar temper and difpofition which the Gofpel requires ; that pa- tience, gentlenefs, mildnefs, moderation, and forbearance under injuries and affronts, which isbeft calculated to pre- ferve the peace of our own minds, as well as that of the world at large ; which tends to foften refentment and turn away wrath ; and without which, on one fide or the oth- er, provocations muft be endlefs, and enmities eternal. All therefore, that is here required of us is plainly and fimply this, that we fliould not fuffer our refentment of in- juries to carry us beyond the bounds of judice, equity, and Chriftlan charity ; that we ihould not (as St. Paul well explains this paflage) recompence evil for evil*, that Is, repay one injury by committing another ; that we fhould not take fire at every flight provocation or trivial offence, nor purfue even the greateft and mofl flagrant Injuries with inplacable fury and inextlngullhable rancour : that we fhould make all reafonable allowances for the infirmities of human nature, for the pafTions, the prejudices, the failings, the mifapprehenfions of thofe we have to deal with; and without fubmltting tamely to oppreffion or infult, or giving up rights of great and acknotvledged impor- tance, fhould always fhow a difpofition to conciliate and forgive ; and rather to recede and give w^ay a little in certain inftances, than infift on the utmofi fatisfaalon and reparation that we have perhaps a ftrid right to demand. * Rom. xli, 17. e4 LECTURE Vf. The chapter concludes with another remarkable precept? which may ftridtly be called a new commandment ; for in no moral code is it to be found, till our Lord gave it a place in his. The precept is this : " Ye have heard it has been faid? thou {halt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But / fay unto you, love your enemies, blefs them that curfe you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which defpitefully ufe you, and perfecute you ; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven ; for he maketh his fun to rife on the evil and on the good, and fendeth rain on the juft and oh the unjuft*." So noble, fo fublime, and fo benevolent a precept, was never before given to man ; and it is one ftrong proof, among many others, of the originality of our Saviour^s charafter and religion. The Jews were exprefsly commanded to love their neighbor ; but this injundion was not extended to their enemies, and they therefore thought that this was a tacit permiflion to hate them ; a conclufion which feemed to be much ftrengthened by their being enjoined to wage eternal war with one of their enemies, the Canaanites, to fhow them no mercy, but to root them out of the land. In confequence of this, they did entertain ftrong prejudices and malignant fentiments toward every other nation but their own, and were juftly reproached for this by the Roman hiftorian ; " apud ipfos mifericordia in promptu, adverfus omnes alios hoftile odiumf :" that is, towards each other they are compaffionate and kind ; towards all others they cherifii a deadly hatred. But it ought in- juftice to be obferved, that this remark of Tacitus might have been applied, with almoft equal aptitude, both tO his own countrymen the Romans, and to the Greeks, for they gave to all other nations but themfelves the name of barbarians ; and having ftigmatized them with this oppro- brious appellation, they treated them as if they were ir> reality what they had wantonly thought fit to call them. » Matth. V. 43—45, t TacJt. Hlft. v, r. LECTURE vr, 95 They treated them with infolence, contempt, and citielty,* They created and carried on unceafmg hoftilities againft them, and never flieathed the fword till they had exter- minated or enflaved them. In private live alfo, it was thought allowable to .purfue thofe with whom they were at variance with the keeneft refentment and moft implacable hatred ; to take every opportunity of annoying and diftreffing them, and not to reft till they had felt the fevereft effedls of unrelenting ven- geance. * In this fituation of the world, and in this general fer- ment of the malevolent paflions, how feafonable, how falatary, how kind, how conciliatory was the command to love, not only our friends, not only our neighbours, not only ftrangers, but even our enemies ! Hov\^ gracious that injunction, " / fay unto you, love your enemies ; do good to them that hate you, blefs them that curfe you, and pray for them that defpitefully ufe you, and perfecute you!" And how touching, how irrehftible is the argu- ment ufed to enforce it : " That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven ; for he maketh his ran to rife on the evil and on the good, and fendeth rain on the jaft and on the unjuft 1" It is remarkable that the philofcpher Seneca makes ufe of the fame argument, not exactly for the fame purpofe, but for a fimilar one. " If (fixys he) you would imitate the gods, confer favors even on the ungrateful, for the fun rifes on the wicked, and the feas are open even unto pirates :'* And again, " the gods lliow many afts of kind- nefs even to tlie ungrateful*/' It is highly probable that- the philofopher took this fentiment from this very pailage of Sto Matthew ; for no fuch fublime morality is, I be- lieve, to be found in any heathen v/rlter previous to the Chriftian revelation. " Seneca flourifhed and v*rrote after tlie Gofpels were writ- ten, after Chriftianity had made fome progrefs. Beiides * Sen. de. Benef- lib. 4- c. 16 aod c. ai. 0$ XfiCTUREVt. this, he was brother to Gallio, the proconful of Achaitl^ before whofe tribunal St. Paul was brought by the Jews at Corinth.f From him he would of courfe receive much information refpefling this new religion, and the principal characters concerned in it ; and from the extraordinary- things he would hear of it from fuch autlientic fources, his curioflty would naturally be excited to look a little further into it, and to perufe the writings that contained the hiftory and the do6lrines of this new fchool of philof- ophy. This^ and this only, can account for the fine ftrains of moralit^we fometimes meet with in Seneca, Plutarch, Marcus Antoninus, Epiitetus, and the other philofophers who wrote after the Chriftian sera, and the vifible fuperi- ority of their ethics to thofe of their predecefTors before that period. But to return. It has been objected to this command of loving our ens" m'lesy that it is extravagant and impradlicable ; that it is impoflible for any man to bring himfelf to entertain any real love for his enemies : and that hirnian nature revolts and recoils againft io unreafonable a requifition. This objeftion evidently goes upon the fuppofition that we are to love our enemies in the fame manner and degree, and with the fame cordiality and ardour of affection, that we do our relations and friends. And if this were requir* ed, it might indeed be confidered as a harfh injundlion. But our Lord was not fo fevere a taik-mafter as to expeft this at our hands. There are different degrees of love as well as of every other human affection ; and thefe degrees are to be duly proportioned to the different objeds of our regard. There is one degree due to our relations, ano- ther to our benefa<5tors, another to our friends, another to ftrangers, another to our enemies. There is no need to define the precife fhades and limits of each, our own feel- ings will fave us that trouble ; and in that only cafe where our feelings are likely to lead us wrong, this precept of our Lord will diredt us right. And it exacEts nothing but what is both reafonable and pra(5licable. It explains what Is meant by loving our f Ails xviii. 5Z„ L E C T U R E VL S7 enemies in the words that immediately follows ; " Blefs them that curfe you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that defpitefully ufe you, and perfecute you :** that is, do not retaliate upon your enemy ; do not return his execrations, his injuries, and his perfecutions, with fimilar treatment; do not turn upon him his own weapons, but endeavpr to fubdue him with weapons of a celeflial temper, with kindnefs and compaffion. This is of all others the moft efFeci:ual way of vanquifhing an enraged adverfary. The interpretation here given is amply coniirmed by St. Paul in his epiftle to thcs^.Romans, which is an admirable comitient on this paflage, * Dearly • beloved, fays he, avenge not yourfelves, but rather oive place unto wrath ; for vengeance is mine, I will repay, faith the Lord. Therefore, if tliine enemy hunger feed him ; if he thirll, gis^e him drink. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good*." This then is the love tliat we are to fhow our enemies ; not that ardour of afFedlion which we feel towards our friends, but that lower kindof /oTf, whis is called Chriftian charity (for it is the fame word in the original) and which we ought to exer- cife toward every human being, efpecially in diflrefs. If even our enemy hunger, we are to feed him ; if he thirft, we are to give him drink ; and thus fhall obtain the nobleft of all triumphs, " w^e lliall overcome evil with good." The world if they pleafe may call this meannefs of fpirit : but it is in faft the trueft magnanimity and elevation of foul. It is far more glorious and more difficult to fubdue our own refentments, and to adl Vv^ith generofity and kind- nefs to our adverfary, than to make him feel the feverell efFeds of our vengeance. It is this nobleft act of felf- govemment, this conqueft over our ftrongeH paffions, which our Saviour here requires. It is v^hat conftitutes the highell perfediion of our nature : and it is this perfec- tion which is ment in the concluding verfe of this chap- ter ; Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfedlf ;" that is, in your condud towards your enemies appoach as near as you are able to that perfeclion of mercy which your heavenly Father manifells tov/ards * Rom. xii. 19--ZI. t Matth. v, 48. I S8 L E C T U R E VI. its enemies, towards the evil and the unjuft, on whom he maketh his fun to rife as well a's on the righteous and the juft. This fenfe of the word pcrfe^ is eftablifhed beyond controverfy by the parallel palfages in St. Luke ; w^here, iriftead of the terms made ufe of by St. Matthew, " Be ye therefore psrp£l, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,'^ the evangeiid exprefsly fays, " Be ye tlierefore mercifid, as your Father alfo is mercifuL* This tlien is the perfection whith you are to exert your iitmoft efforts to attain ; and if you fucceed in your at- tempt, your reward fliall be great indeed ; you fliail, as our Lord affures you, be the children of the Mojl High,\ Having novr brought thefe Leflures to a conclufion for the prefent year, I cannot take my leave of you without exprefling tire great comfort and fa.tisfa(5tion I have derived from the appearance of fuch numerous and attentive con- gregations as I have feen in this place. That fatisfaction, if I can at all judge of my own fentiments and feelings, does not originate from any felfifh gratification, but from the real intereft I take in the welfare, the eternal welfare of every one here prefent ; from the hope I entertain that fome uieful impreffions may have been made upon your minds ; and from the evidence which this general eameft- jiefs to hear the word of God explained and recommeded affords, that a deeper fenfe of duty, a more ferious atten- tion to the great concerns of eternity, has, by tlie bleffing of God' been awakened in your fouls. If this be fo, al- low me moil eameftly to entreat you not to let this ardour cool ; not to let thefe pious fentiments die away ; not to let thefe good feeds be choaked by the returning cares and pleafures of the world. But go, retire into your clofets, fall dov/n upon your knees before your Maker, and fer- vently implore him. to pour down upon you the overruling influences of his Holy Spirit ; to enlighten your under- ftandings, to fan(5lify your hearts, to fubdue your paffions, to confirm your good refolutions, and enable you to refift every enemy of your falvation. * Luke vi. 36. f Matth. v. 45. L E C T U R E VL 99 The world will foon again difplay all its attraftions be- fore you, and endeavor to extinguifli every good principle you have imbibedo But if thq divine truths you have heard explained and enforced in tliefe Lectures have taken any firm root in your minds ; if you are ferioufly convin- ced that Chriil and his religion came from heaven, and that he is able to make good whatever he has promifed and whatever he has threatened, there is nothing fiirely ia this world that can induce you to rifque you the lofs of eter- nal happinefs, or the iaflicllon of never-ceafmg punifament. Leaft of all, .will you think that this is the precife mo- ment for fetting your affections on this world and its en- joyments ; that thefe are the times for engaging in eager purfuits after the advantages, the honors, the pleafures of the prefent life ; for plunging into vice, for diiTolving in gaiety and pleafures, for fijffering every trivial, every in- lignificant objef):, to banifli the remembrance of your Ma- ker and Redeemer from your hearts, where they ought to reign unrivalled and fupreme. Surely aniidti the dark clouds that now hang over us,* thefe are not the things that will brighten up our profpedtS; that will lelTen our danger, that wdl calm our apprehenfions, and fpeak peace and comfort to our fouls. No, it muft be fomething of a very different nature ; a deep fenfe of our own unworthi- nefs, a fincere contrition for our paft offences, a prollra- tion of ourfelves in all humility before the throne of grace, an earneil application for pardon and acceptance through the merits of him who died for us (whofe death and fuf- ferings for our fakes the approaching week will bring freih before our view,) an ardent defire to manifeil: our love and gratitude, our devotion and attachment to our Maker and our R-edeemer, by giving them a decided priority and predominance in our affections and our hearts ; by making their will the ruling principle of our conduft ; the attain- ment of their favor, the advancement of their glory, the chief obje May he now fay to his thoughtlefs difclples. Let none of us then ever fubjed- ourfelves to this bitter reproach. Let us refolve from this moment to make the Chriftlan fabbath a day of holy joy and confolatidn ; a day of heavenly reft 'and refrefhment ; and above all, a day for the attentive perufal of thofe fa- cred pages which have been the fubjed of thefe Ledlures, and of your moft ferious attention. It is to be hoped, in- * Mark xiv. ^tl' lOSr LECTURE VI deed, that we fnall not confine our religion and our devo- tion to that day only ; but even that day properly employ- ed, will in fome degree fandlify all the reft. It will difen- gage us (as it was meant to do) gradually and gently from that world, which we muft foon (perhaps fooner than we imagine) quit for ever ; it will raife our thoughts above the low and trivial purfuits of the prefent fcene, and £x them on nobler and worthier objcifls ; it will refine and purify, exalt arid fpiritualize our aifeftions ; will bring us nearer and nearer to God, and to the world of fpirits ; and thus lead us on to that celestial sabbath, that ever- lasting REST, for which the Chriftian fabbath was meant to prepare and harmonize our fouls. >•<•■<■•< ■<■•<-<■■<■< ■< •<■<■<■■<■< ■<..<■•<•.<•.<.■<..<..<>.•>•>..>.■>..>..>..>. >..>..>.>..>.)...>.>..>«>, ►.>..>.>..>.. LECTURE VIL MATTH. Chap. vI. and viu 1 N thefe two chapters our Lord continues and con- cludes his admirable difcourfe from the Mount. The firll thing to be noticed here is a ftrong and repeat- ed caution to avoid all fhow and oftentation in the per- formance of our religious duties. The three inflances fpecified are the a6ls of giving alms, of praying, and of fafting. The diredion with regard to the firft is, " Take heed that you do not your alms before men, to be feen of them, othenvife ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doeit thy alms, do not found a trumpet before thee as the hypocrites do in the fynagogues and in the (Ireets, that they may have glory of men ; verily I fay unto you, they have their reward. But when t/jou doeft alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth, that thine alms may be in fecret ; and thy Father which feeth in fecret himfelf ihall reward thee openly."* In the fame manner with regard to prayer ; the rule is, " When thou prayed thou fhalt not be as the hypocrites are, for they love to pray (landing in the fynagogues and in the comers of the ftreets, that they may be feen of men ; verily I fay unto you they have their reward. — But thou, when tliou haft ftiut thy door, pray to thy Father v/hich is in fecret ; and thy Father which feeth ii> fecret fhall reward thee openly."f * Matth. vl. 1—4 t Ibid, s-^^* 101' LECTURE VIL Laftly, a fimilar precaution applies alfo to the acl of failing ; " When ye fa ft, be not as the hypocrites of a fad counteriance, for they disHgnre their faces that they may appear unto men to faft ; verily I fay unto you they have their reward. But thou, when thou fafteft, anoint thy head and wafh thy face, that thou appear not unto men to faft, but unto thy Father vvhich is in fecret ; and thy Father v/hich feeth in fecret fhall reward thee openly."* In all thefe paiTages the point to be noticed is a ftrong; and marked difapprobation of every thing that looks like oftentation, parade, vain-glory, infmcerity, or hypocrify,. in the difcharge of our Chriftian duties. They fhow in the cleareft light the fpirit and temper of the Chriftian religion, which is modeft, filent, retired, quiet, unobtru- five, lliunning the obfervation and the applaufe of men,, and looking only to the approbation of him who feeth eve- ry thought of cur hearts, and every fecret motive of our actions. They eftablifu this as the grand principle of aflion for every difciple of Chrift, that in every part of his moral 2.nd religious conduct he is to have no other object in view but thefdvour of God. This is the motive from which all his virtues are to flow. If he is actuated by any other ;, if he courts the applaufe of the world, or is ambitious to acquire, by a fhow of piety, a cliaracSter of fandity among men, he may perhaps gain his point ; but it is all he wiU gain. He will have his reward here ; he muft expect none hereafter. Having made this general obfervation upon the whole,. I fhall now proceed to remark on the particular inftances adduced, in order to eftablifli the leading principle. And nrft, we are diredted to give our alms {o privately, that (as our Lord moft emphatically and elegantly exprefT- es it) " our left hand iliall not know what our right hand doeth." This evidently Implies the utmoft fecrecy in tire diftributicn of our charity ; and this is undoubtedly the '■■ Matth, vi. 16—18. LECTURE VIL . lOS mle we are in general to obferve. But it is by no means to be inferred from hence that we are never, on any occa- fion, to give our alms in public. In fome cafes, publicity is fo far from being culpable, that it is neceflary, ufeful, and laudable. In contributing, for inftance, to any pub- lic charity, or to the relief of fome great calamity, pri- vate or public, we cannot well conceal cur beneficence, cr if v/e could we ought not. Our example may induce many others to exert a fimilar generofity ; and befides this there are perfons in certain fituations who are expeded to be charitable, and who fliould give proofs to tlie world that they are fo. And accordingly in thefe and in fuch like cafes we are required to make our " light fo fhine be- fore men, that they may fee our good works, and glorify cur Father which is in heaven."* As far therefore as the reafon of this command goes, it is not only allowable, but our duty, to let our generous deeds he fomctimes known to the world. But tlien we ought to take efpecial care at the fame time that v/e beftow a much larger proportion of our alms in fecrecy and in filence ; that we fuiFer no one to witnefs our benificence but Him v/ho mnjl fee every thing we do, and that v/e have no other obje(5t whatever in view but his approbation, and his immortal rewards. The next inftance adduced to ccnfirni the general prin- ciple of feeking the approbation not of men, but of God, is that of prayer. " When thou prayell, thoU fnalt not be as the hypo- crites ai-e, for they love to pray ftanding in the fynagogues and in the corners of the ftrcets, that they may* be feen of m.en ; verily I fay unto you, they have their reward. — But tliou when thou prayeft, enter into thy clofet, and when thou haft Ihut the door, pray to thy Father which is In fecret and tliy Father vdiich feeth in fccret fliall reward, thee openly." This paiTage has been made ufe of by fome wTiters as an argument againPc all public prayer, which they fay h here plainly prohibited. But for this there is not the * Matth. V. 1 6, I 2 106 LECTURE VIL fmallefl: foundation. It is of private prayer only that our XiOrd is here fpeaking ; and the hypocrites whom he con- dems were tliofe oftentatious Jews, who performed thofe devotions which ought to have been confined to the clofet> in the fynagogues, and even in the public ftreets, that they might be noticed and applauded for their extraordinary piety and fanflity. But this reproof could not pofiibly mean to extend to piihlic devotions in places of worfhip. — This is evident from the corners of Jlreets being mentioned ; for thofe are places in which public devotions are never performed. But befides this, we find in Scripture that public worfhip is enjoined as a duty of the higheft impor- tance. It made a confiderable part of the Jewifh religion, and the Mofaic law is filled with precepts and dire^ions concerning it. God declares, b)- the prophet Ifaiah, ** that his houfe fliall be called a houfe of prayer for all people."* Our Saviour quotes thefe very words when he caft out thofe that polluted the temple ; and was himfelf a conftant frequenter of divine worfnip, both in the tem- ple and in the fynagogues. He taught his difciples (as we fhall foon fee) a form of prayer, which, though very proper to be ufed by any fmgle perfon in private, yet is throughout expreffed in the plural number, and adapted to the ufe of feveral perfons praying at the fame time. — ■*If two of you," fays he to his difciples on another occa- fion, " fhall agree on earth touching any thing that they fhall afk, it fhall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven ; for where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midfl of them."f By St. Paul we are commanded " not to forfake the afTembling of ourfelves together, as the manner of forae is."J And v/e find, that after our Saviour's afcenfion his followers ** continued fledfaftly in tlie apoftles doctrine and fellowfhip, and in prayer, and fupplication, praifmg God, and having favor with all the people."} It is therefore inconteflably clear, that our Saviour could not pofTibly mean to forbid that public worfhip which he himfelf praftifed and commanded. His intentions could * Ifalah Ivi. 7. f Matth. xviii. 19— 20. I Hcb. X, a5. § A^» u. 42. 47« T. E C T U R E VIL lOT only be to confine our private prayers to privateplaces, in which we are to keep up a feeret interccurfe with our Ma- ker, Vv-ithdrawn from the eye of the world, and unob- served by any other than that Almighty Being to whom our petitions are addrelTed. The laft inftance produced by our Saviour is that of rafting. " When ye fail, be not as the hypocrites of a fad countenance, for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fafi; ; verily I fay unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou faileil, anoint thy head and wafh thy face, that thou appear not unto men to faft, but unto thy Father which is in feeret ; and thy Father which feeth in feeret fliall reward thee openly." There Is very little necefllty to dwell on tlils precept here, for there are fcarce any in thefe times and in this country who feem difpofed to m.ake ^lJ/jcw of faftingj or to be ambitious of acquiring a reputation for that kind of religious difcipline ; on the contrary, it is by great num- bers entirely laid afide, and too frequently treated with derifion and contempt. Yet from this very palfage we may learn that it ought to be confidered in a much more ferious light ; for although our Saviour did not command his difciples to faft whilft he was with them, yet he himfelf fafted for forty days. He here plainly fuppofes that his difciples did fometimes faft ; and gives them diredlions how to perform that duty in a manner acceptable to God. And it appears alfo, that if they did fo perform it, if they fafted without any oftentation or parade, v/ith a de- fign not to catch the applaufe of m.en, but to approve themfelves to God, he afiured them they JlooiiU ha've their reward. Before we quit this divifion of the chapter, we muft go back a little to that admirable form of prayer which our Lord gave to his difciples, after cautioning them againft all oftentation in their devotions. This prayer ftands unrivalled in every circumftance that conftitutes the perfeftion of prayer, and the excel- lence of that fpecies of compolition. It is concifs, it '^ 408; I. E C T U R H VII.. perfpicuous, it is folemn, it is compiehenfive, it is adapt- ed to all ranks, conditions, and clafles of men ; it fixes cur thoughts on a few great important points, and im- preiTes on our minds a deep fenfe of the goodnefs and the greatnefs of that Almighty Being to whom it is addrefied* It begins with acknowledging him to be our moft gra- cious and merciful Father ; it begs that his name may every where be reverenced, that his religion may fpread ever the earth, and that his will may be obeyed by men witli the fame ardour, and alacrity, and conflancy that it is by the angels in heaven. It next intreats the fupply of all our eflential wants, both temporal and fpiritual ; a fufficiency of thofe things that are abfolutely neceffary for our fubfillence ; the forgivenefs of our tranfgreffions, on condition that we forgive our brethren ; and, finally, fupport under the temptations that aifault our virtue, and deliverance from the various evils and calamities that every where furround us ; expreffing at the fame time the ut- moft truft and confidence in the power of God, to grant whatever he fees it expedient and proper for his creatures to receive. The full meaning then of this admirable prayer, and of the feveral petitions contained in it, may perhaps be not improperly expreffed in the following manner. : O thou great Parent of the univerfe, our Creator, our Preferver and continual Benefactor, grant that vre and all reafonable creatures may entertain jull and worthy notions of thy nature and attributes, may fear thy power, admire thy wifdom, adore thy goodnefs, rely upon thy truth ; may reverence thy holy name, may blefs and prais thee, may worfliip and obey thee. Grant that all the nations of the earth m.ay come to tlie knowledge and belief of thy holy religion ; that it may every where produce the blefled fruits of piety, righteoufnefs, charity, and fobriety ; that, by a conftant endeavour to obey thy holy laws, we may approach, as liear as the infirmity of our nature will allov/, to the more perfeft obedience of the angels that are in heaven ; LECTURE VII. logt -snd thus qualify ourfelves for entering into thy kingdom of glory hereafter. Feed us, we befeecli thee, with food convenient for us. We alk not for riches and honours ; give us only what is neceffary for our comfortable fubfiflence in the feveral ftatlons which thy providence has allotted to us ; and above all give us contented minds. We are all, O Lord, the beft of us miferable fniners.^-- Be not extreme, ws befeech thee, to mark what we have done amifs, but pity our infirmities, and pardon our offences. Yet let us not dare to implore forgivenefs from thee, unlefs we alfo from our hearts forgive our offending brethren. We are furrounded, on every fide, witla temptations to fm ; and fuch is the corruption and frailty of our na- ture, that without thy powerful fuccour we cannot al- ways (land upright. Take us then, O gracious God, under thy almighty protedion ; and amidil all the dangers and difhculties of our ChriHian warfare, be thou our re- fuge and fupport. Suffer us not to be tempted above what v/e are able to bear, but fend thy holy fpirit to ftrengthen our own w^eak endeavours, and enable us to efcape or to fubdue all the enemies of our falvation. Preferve us alfo, if it be thy bleffed will, not only from fpiritual, but from temporal evil. Keep us ever by thy watchful providence, both outward in our bodies, and in- wardly in our fouls ; that thou, being in all cafes our ruler and guide, we jpaay fo pafs through things temporal as finally to lofe not the things eternal. Hear us, O Lord our governor, fl-om heaven thy dwelling place ; and when diou heareft, have regard to our petitions. They are offered up to "diee in the fulleff confidence that thy goodnefs will difpofe, and thy power enable thee to grant whatever tliv wifdom feeff to be con- venient for us, and conducive to our final happinefs. The next thing which peculiarly demands our attention in this cliapter is the declaration contained in the 21th Zia LECTURE VII. Terfe, which prefents to us another fundamental principle of the Chriftian religion ; namely, the neceffity of giving xhejlrjl place in our hearts and our affe(5lions to God and religion, and purfuing other things only in fubordination to thofe great objeds. << No man," fays our Lord, " can. ierve two mafters ; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or elfe he will hold to the one and defpife the other. Ye cannot ferve God and mammon*." The word mammon is generally interpreted to mean riches only ; but the original rather direds us to take it in in a more general fenfe, as comprehending every thing tliat is capable of being an objedl of tpijfi or a ground of confidence to men of worldly minds ; fuch as wealth, pow- er, honor, fame, bufmefs, fenfual pleafures, gay amufe- ments, and all the other various purfuits of the prefent fcene. It is thefe that conftitute what we ufually exprefs by the word world, when oppofed to religion. Here then are the two mailers who claim dominon over us, God and the world ; and one of thefe we mujl ferve ; both we cannot, becaufe their difpofitions and their commands are in general diametrically oppofite to each other. The world invites us to indulge all our appetites without con- trol ; to entangle ourfelves in the cares and diftradions of bufmefs ; to engage v/ith eagernefs in endlefs con- tefts for fuperiority in power, wealth, and honor ; or to give up ourfelves, body and foul, to gaiety, amufement, pleafure, and every kind of luxurious indulgence. Thefe are the fervices v.hich one mafter requires. But there is another mailer, whofe injunctions are of a very different nature. That mafter is God ; and his commands are, to give him our hearts ; to love him with all our heart, and fcul, and mind, and flrength ; to be temperate in all things ; to make our moderation known unto all men ; to fix our affections on things above ; to have our converfa- tion in heaven ; to c aft all our care upon him ; and to take up our crofs and follow Chrift. Judge now wliether it he pofTible to ferve thefe two maf- ters at one and the fame time, and to obey the commands * Mattli. vL 24. LECTURE VII. Ill cf each ; commands fo perfectly contradi(5tory to each other. Yet this is what a great part of mankind moft abfurd- ly attempt ; endeavor to divide themfelves between God and mammon, to ccmpromife the matter as well as they can between the commands of one and the fedudlions of the other ; to vibrate perpetually between vice and virtue, between piety and pleafure, betv/een inclination and duty ; to render a vv^Orldly life and a religious life confiftent witli each other ; and to take as much as they can of the en- joyments and advantages of the prefent world, without ioiing their hold on the rev/ards of the next. Yet, in dire<5t contradiction to fo extravagant and pre- pofterous a fyftem as this, Chrifl himfelf alfures us hera that we cannot ferve two mafters ; that we cannot ferve God and mammon. Our Maker expecfls to reign abfolute in our hearts ; he will not be ferved by halves ; he w^iii not accept of a divided empire 5 he will not fuffer us to halt betvveen two opinions. We muft take our choice, and adhere to one fide or the other. " If the Lord be God, follow him ; but if Baal, then follow him*." But what then are we to do ? Are we to live in a ftate of perpetual warfare and hoftility with that very world in which the hand of Providence has placed us, and which is prepared in various ways for our reception and accom- modation ? Are we never to taft^ of thofe various delights which our Maker has poured fo bountifully around us ? Are we never to indulge thofe appetites which he him.felf has planted in our breafts ? Are we fo entirely to confine ourfelves to the paths of righteoufnefs, as never to enter thofe that lead to power, to honor, to wealth, or to fam.e ? Are we to engage in no fecular occupations, to make no provifion for ourfelves and our families ? Are we altogeth- er to withdraw ourfelves from the cares and bufmefs and diftraiSions of the world, and give ourfelves wholly up to folitude, meditation, and prayer? Are we never to min- gle in the chearful amufements of fociety ? Are vre not to * I Kings, sviii. 31. iri LECTURE VII. indulge ourfeives in the refined pleafures of literary pur* fults, nor wander even for a moment into the delightful jegions of fcience or imagination ? Were this a true pidure of our duties, and of tlie fac- xifices which Chriilianity requires from us ; were thefe the commands of our divine lawgiver, well might we fay with the aftonifhed difciples, " who then can be faved ?" But the God v/hom v/e ferve is not fo hard a mafter, nor does his religion contain any fuch fevere reftriclions as thefe. Chriftianity forbids no necelTary occupations, no reafonable indulgencies, no innocent relaxations. It al-« lows us to ufe tlie world, provided we do not abufe it. It does not fpread before us a delicious banquet, and then come with a " touch not, tafte not, handle not."* All it requires is, that our liberty degenerate not into licen- tioufnefs, our amufem.ents into diffipation, our induftry into inceffant toil, our carefulnefs into extreme anxiety and endlefs folicitude. -So far from forbidding us to engage in bufmefs, it exprefsly commands us not to be flothful in it,-|* and to labor -with our hands for the things that be need- ful ; it enjoins every one to abide in the calling wherein he was called,'! and perform all the duties of it. It even ftigmatizes thofe that provide nol for their own, with tel- ling them that they are worfe than infidels.} When it re- quires us " to be temperate || in all things,*' it plainly tells us that we may ufe all things temperately ; when it diredls us " to make our moderation known unto all men," a. satct him, and to make his acknovv'icKigir.er.ts to him in perfon ^ ^^ LECTURE VIII. he gave a very convincing proof in the folicitude he fhe^v - ed for the welfare of his fervant, and the ftrong intereit he took in the recovery of his health. And this is the more remarkable and the more honorable to the centurion, be- caufe in general the treatment which the fervants of the Remans experienced from their mafters was very different indeed, from what we fee in the prefent inflance. I'hefe fervants were almoft all of them flaves, and were too com- monly treated with extreme rigor and cruelty. They were often ftrained to labor beyond their ftrength, were confin- ed toloathfome dungeons, were loaded with chains, were fcourged and tortured without reafon, were deferted in ficknefs and old age, and put to death for trivial faults and flight fufpicions, and fom.etimes out of mere wanton- nefs and cruelty, without any reafon at all. Such barbar- ity as this, which was at that time by no means uncom- mon, which indeed has in a greater or lefs degree univer- fally prevailed in every country where flavery has been ef- tablifhed, and which fhows in the ftrongeft light the dan- ger of trufting abfolute power of" any kind, political or perfonal, in the hands of fuch a creature as man ; this barbarity, I fay, forms a moft ftriking contrail to the kindnefs and companion of the centurion, who, though he had fo much power over his flaves, and fo many inftar- ces of its fevereft exertion before his eyes, yet made ufe of it*as we here fee, not for their oporeffion and deftruc- tion, but tlieir happinefs, comfort, and prefervation. The next virtues which attract our notice in the cenli;- rion's chara^er are his piety and generofity. Thefe were eminently difplayed in the aifedion he manifefted towards the Jewifh people, and his building them a place of wor- fhip at his own expence ; for the elders of the Jews in- formed Jefus, " that he loved their nation, and had buik them a fynagogue*." The Jews, it is well known, were at this time under the dominion of the Romans. Their country was a Ro- man province, where this centurion had a military com- nuand ; and they who iwc acquainted v.ith tlie Roman 1 li- * Luke vii, 5. LECTURE Vni. 225 lory know well with what cruelty, rapacity, and oppref- ion, the governors and commanding officers in the con- quered provinces too commonly behaved towards the ,:.eople whom they were lent to keep in awe. So far were ihey from building them temples or fynagogues, that tliey frequently invaded even thofe fkcred retreats, and laid their facrilegious hands on every thing tliat wa.s valuable in them. Of this we have abundant proofs in the hillory oi. Verres, when governor of Sicily ; and Verres w^as in many refpe^^s a faithful reprcfentative of too large a part of the Roman governors. In the midil of this brutality and infolence of power does this gallant foldier ftand up CO patronize and aiTill a diftrelTed and an injured people ; and it is a teftimony as glorious to his memory as it is fm- gular and almoft unexampled In his circumftances, that he lovecl the jeivtjh nat'tGru and that he gave a very decifive d:ad magnificent proof of it, by building them a fyna- gogue ; for there cannot be a ftronger indication both of iove to mankind and love towards God, than ere^ing places of worfhip where they are wanted*. Without buildings to afTemble in, there can be no public worihip. Without public worflnp there can be no religion ; and what kind of creatures men become without religion ; in- to v/hat excefTes of barbarity, ferocity, impiety, and ev- -fry fpecies of profligacy they quickly plunge, we have too plainly feen ; God grant that we may never feel, * There is a moft dreadful Trant of this nature in the wefcern pure of this great metropolis. From St, MartinVin-the-Fields to Mary- bone church inclufive, a fpace containing perhaps 2CO,ooo fouls, there are oniy five parifii churches, St. Martin's, St. Anne's Soho, St.^ james's, St. George's Hanover Square, and the very fmali church c£ Marybonc. There are, it is truer, a few chapels inteffperfed in this ipace ; but v/hat they can contain is a mere trifle, compared to the -whole nucib-^r of inhabitants in thofe parts, and the lowed claffes arc akacft entirely excluded from them. The only meafurc that can be of any eflential fervice, is the eredion of feveral fpaclous parlfli church- es- capable of receiving very larjije congregations, and affording de- cent accommodations for the lower and inferior, as well as the hi^^hcr ordei-5 of the people. In the reign of Queen Anne, a coniiderabic funi of money was voted by Parliament for fifty new churches. It is moft devoutly to be wifhed that the.prefent Parliament would, to a certain extent at ieaft, follow fo honorable an example. It is, I am furc, in every point of view, political, moral, and religious, well Woruhy the atteation of the Bririlh legillaturc, A fuflicient number t2^ LECTURE vin; Tht next remarkable feature in the charader of xlit CfiUurion is his humility. How completely this mod amlablf ©f human virtues had taken pofleflion of his foul, iis evldiftt from the manner in which he folicited our Sav- iour for thg cure of his fervant : how cautious, how mod- #ft, hew diffident, how timid, how fearful of offending, ev§n whlld he was only begging an ad of kindnefs for another I Twice did he fend melfengers to our Lord, as thinking himfelf unworthy to addrefs him in his own per- fon I and when at cur Saviour's approach to his houfe he hlmffilf ea^ne out to m.eet him, it v/as only to entreat him not to trouble himfelf any further ; for that he was not Lvorthy thit Jefos fhould enter under his roof. This lewlinefs of mind in the centurion is the more re- markabki becaufe humility ^ in the gofpel fenfe of the werdf i§ a virtue with which the ancients, and more par- lleuUrly the Romans, were totally unacquainted. They had nol ©veri a word in their language to defcribe it by. The only \¥ord that feems to exprefs it, humilltas^ figni- fiiS bsftneis, fervility, and meannefs of fpirit, a thing Vtry dl^frfnt from true Chriftian humility ; and indeed this wa§ th§ only idea they entertained of that virtue. — Ev§ry thing that we call meek and humble, they confid- €r8d %% m§an and contemptible. A haughty imperious OVirbgaring temper, a high opinion of their ov;n virtue afld wifdofflj a contempt of all other nations but tlieir evrnj a quiek i^'^S^ and a keen refentment, not only of Injuns^f but even of the fiighteft affronts, this v/as the lkv<5fit€ and predominant charader among the Romans ; and tllii-6 ggrtitknefs of difpofition, that low eftimation of mif own merits, that ready preference of others to our- M'fMt that fearfulnefs of giving offence, that abafement of ©urfelve^ in the fight of God which zue call hinnirity, they cpniidered as the mark of a tame, abject, and un- manly mind. When, therefore, we fee this virtuous cen- tUi'iQn diifering fo widely from his countrymen in this rcf- th§ mitrefla cf religion, and the fccurity and welfare of the €itftWifl)e4 Clinch. LECTURE viii; mi ^ea, we may certainly coneludi that hii notions of fflo- rality were of a much higher ftittdard than thtirsj and that his difpofition peculiarly ^tt§.d him for th«^ rfciption -of the Gofpel. For humility is that virtu©, which, moii than any other, difpofes the mind to yield to thi ividgnci§, and embrace the dodrines of thg Chriftian rgvilation. It is that virtue which the Gofpel was peculiarly meant to produce, on which it lays tlm graatift ftrda, and in which perhaps, more tlian any othtri confiftg th© trut eilinc© iind vital principle of the Chriftian ttmpfr. We, th©rg« fore, find the ftrongefc exhortations to it in almoit evgry page of the Gofpel. " I fay to ivery man that if among you," fays St. Paul, " not to think more highly of biffl« felf than he ought to think, but to think foberly. Mind not high things : be not wife in your own concetti, but ccndefcend to men of low eftate. Stretch not yonrfelves beyond your meafure. BlefTed are the poor in fpirit, fay? our Lord, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Whofo- ever Ihall humble himfelf as a littk child, the fame k greateft in the kingdom of heareft* Though the Lord be high, yet hath he refped to the lowly. As for th^ ■proud, he beholdeth diem afar off. Humble yourfelves in the fight of the Lord, and he fhall lift you up. God refifteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.— ^ Learn of me, fays our Saviour, for i am meek and lowly in heart, and ye fiiall find reft unto your fouls*/* I come novv', laHly, to confider that remarkable part of the centurion's charad:er, more particularly noticed by our Lord, I mean his faith. " I fay unto you, I have not found fo great faith, no, not in lirael.*' Now the reafon of the high encomiums bedowed on him by our Saviour on this account was, becaufe he reafoned himfelf into a belief of our Lord's pov/er to work miracles, even at a Jiftance ; becaufe he Vv^ho had been bred up in the princl' pies of heathenifm, and whofe only guide wa§ the light of nature, did notwithftanding; frankly fubmit himfelf to fufficient evidence, and was induced by the accounts he had received of our Saviour's do6lrines and mirackf, to * Rom. xli. 3. 6' i Con x. 14. Muth. v, ^. %vrX 4 Plalni cxxxviii. 6, James iv. 6. xo, Mattb. %l> JJ•>••>••>">••►.•>••>->••>••>•><>•>•><•>■■>■•»• >•>■>>•>" LECTURE IX. MATTHEW X. I NOW proceed to the confideration of tlie 10th Chapter of St. Matthew. In the preceding chapter v;e find our Saviour working a great variety of miracles. He healed the man that was fick of the palfy, and forgave his fins ; a plain proof of his divinity, becaufe none but God has the power and the prerogative of forgiving fins ; and therefore the Jews accufed him of blafphemy for pretending to this pow- er. He alfo cured the woman who touched the hem of his garment. He raifed to life the deceafed daughter of the ruler of the f)Tiagogue. He reftored to fight the two blind men that followed him j and he caft out from a dumb man the devil with which he was pofTefled, and reftored him to his fpeech. Thefe miracles are par- ticularly recorded : but befides thefe there muft have been a prodigious number wrought by him, of which no dif- tindt mention is made ; for we are informed in the 3111 verfe that he went about all the cities and villages teaching in their fynagogues, and preaching the gofpel of the kingdom, and healing every ficknefs and every difeafe among the people. Thefe continued miracles muft necefiarily have produc- ed a great number of converts. And accordingly we find the multitude of his foliov/ers was now fo great, that he found it neceflary to appoint fome coadjutors to himfelf in this great work. " The harveft truly is plenteous, fays he to his difciples, but the laborers are few ; pray ye therefore the Lord of tlie harveft, that he would fend forth laborers into his harveft*." * Matth. H. 37, 38. 1S4 L E C T U R E IX. Thefe laborers he now determined to fend forth ; and in purfuance of this refolution we find him in the begin- ning of this chapter calling together his difciples, out of whom he felected twelve, called by St. Matthew apollles or meffengers, whom he fent forth to preach the gofpel, and fumillied them with ample powers for that purpofe ; powers fuch as nothing lefs than Omnipotence could be- ftow. The names of thefe apoftles were as follows ; Pe- ter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Tho- mas, Matthew, another James, Thaddeus or Jude, Simon, Judas Ifcariot. Thefe twelve perfons, St. Mat- thew tells us, Jefus fent forth, and commanded them, faying, " Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any cities of the Samaritans enter ye not ; but go rather to the loll fheep of the houfe of Ifrael ; and as ye go, preach, faying. The kingdom^ of heaven is at hand*.** This was the bufmefs which they were fent to accomplifh ; they were to go about the country of Judea, and to preach to the Jews in the nrft place the holy religion which their divine mafter had juft began to teach. Then follow their powers ; " heal the fick, cleanfe the lepers, raife the dead> caft out devils." After this come their inftru(5Hons, and a variety of di- . regions how to condudl themfelves in the difcharge of their arduous and important mJffion, of which I fhall take notice hereafter ; but muft firft offer to your confid- eration a few remarks on this extraordinary defignation of the apoftles to their important office. And in the firft place, who were the men fmgled out by our bleffed Lord for the purpofe of diifufing his reli- gion through the world ; that is, for the very fmgular purpofe of perfuading men to relinquifh the religion of their anceftors, the principles they had imbibed from their infancy, the cuftoms, the prejudices, the habits, the ways of thinking which they had for a long courfe of years in- dulged, and to adopt in their room a fyftem of thinking and a6ling in many refpecls diredtly oppofite to them ; a religion expofmg them to many prefent hardfhips and fe* * Matth. X. a— 3, L E C T U Rf E IX.- 135- vere trials, and referring them for their reward to a dif- tant period of time, and an invifible world. Was it to be expeded tliat fuch a change as this, fuch a fudden and violent revolution in the minds of men, could be brought about by common and ordinary inftruments ? Would it not require agents of a very fuperior order, of confidera- ble influence from tlieir birth and wealth and fituation in life, men of the profoundefc erudition, of the brigliteft talents, of the moft confummate knowledge of the world and the human heart, of the moft infniuating manners, of the moft commanding and fafcinating eloquence ? — Were then the apoftles of this defcription ? Quite the con- trary. They were plain, humble, unpretending men, of iov/ birth and low occupations, without learning, without education, without any extraordinary endowments, natur- al or acquired, Vv'ithout any thing in fliort to recommend them but their firnplicity, integrity, and purity of manners. With what hopes of fuccefs could men fuch as thefe fet about the moft difficult of all enterprizes, the reformation of a corrupt world, and the converfion of it to a new faith ? Yet we all know that they adlually did accomplifh thefe two moft arduous things, and that on the foundations they laid the whole fuperftruclure of the Chriftian clmrch has been raifed, and the divine truths of the Gofpel fpread through all parts of tlie civilized world. How then is this to be accounted for ? It is utterly impoffible to ac-r count for it in any way but that which Chrift himfelf points out, in this very charge to his apoftles : " Heal the fick," fays he to them in the 8th verfe, " cleanfe the lepers, raife the dead, caft out devils." Here is the ex- planation of the whole myftery. It was the powers with which they were invefted, the miracles they were enabled to perform, which procured fuch multitudes of converts. The people faw that God v/as with them, and that, tliere- fore, every thing they taught muft be true. Here is at once a fufficient caufe afligned for the effect produced by agents, apparently fo unequal to the produce tion of it. We challenge all tlie infidels in the world to aflign any other adequate caufe. They have never yet done it ; and we affert with confidence that they never can. l$6 ' LECTURE IX. Thefe then were the powers the Apoftles carried along with them ; and where fhall we find the fovereign that could ever furnilh his ambafladors with fuch qualifications as thefe ? If they were alked with what authority they were invefted, and what proofs they could give that they were adually commi0ioned to inftruft mankind in the principles of true religion, by that great perfonage the Son of God, whofe fervants and minifters they pretended to be, their anfwer was lliort and decifive ; bring us your fick, and we will heal them ; fliew us your lepers, and we will cleanfe them ; produce your dead, and we will reflore them to life. It would not be very eafy to difpute the authenticity of fuch credentials as thefe. It is further to be obferved on this head, that the cir- cumftance of our Saviour not only working miracles him- felf, but alfo enabling others to perform them, is an in- ftance of divine power, to which no other prophet or teacher before him, true or falfe, ever pretended. In this, as in many other refpecSs, he ftands unrivalled and alone. After this follow fome direftions, no lefs lingular and new. *< Provide neither gold nor filver, nor brafs in your purfes, nor fcrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither fhoes, nor yet ftaves*." That is, they were to take a long journey, without making any other provificn for it than the ftaff in their hand, and the clothes they had on, for, fays Jefus, the workman is worthy of his meat ; an intimation that the providence of God would watch over and fupply their wants. This required fome confidence in their Mafter ; and unlefs they had good grounds for thinking that it was in his power to engage Providence on their fide (or in other words, that he was a(5tually tlie Son of God) they would fcarce have run the rifk of fo unpromifmg an expe- dition. But this conclufion grows infinitely ftronger when we come to the declaration in the next and following verTes. * Matth. X. 9— 10- L E C T U R E IX. 1S7 «* Behold, I fend you fcrth as fheep in the mldft of wolves ; be ye therefore, wife as ferpents, and harmlefs as doves. But beware of men ; for they v.-ill deliver you up to the councils ; and they v/ill fcourge you in the fynagogues ; and ye fhail be brought before governors and kings for my name's fake, for a teflimcny againft them and the Gen- tiles ; and the brother fliall deliver up the brother to death* and the father the child ; and the children fhall rife up againft their parents, and caufe them to be put to death ; and ye fliall be hated of all men for my name's fake*." What now Ihall we fay to this extraordinary and unex- ampled declaration ? When a fovereign fends his ambafladors to a foreign country, he makes an ample provifion for their journey, he afligns them a liberal allowance for their fupport, and generally holds out at the fame time the profpea of a fu- ture reward for their labors and their fervices to their country on their return from their embafTy. And without this few men would be difpofed to undertake the commif- fion. But here every thing is the reverfe ; inftead of fupport, they were to micet with perfecution ; inftead of an honor- able reception; they were to experience univerfal hatred and deteftation ; inftead of rew^ard, they were to be ex- pofed to certain ruin and deftruflion, and to be let loofe like fo many fheep among wolves- Can we now conceive it pcfiible that any men in their fenfes ftiould, without fome very powerful and extraordi= Tiary motive, voluntarily undertake fuch a ccm-miflion as this, in which their only reccmpence was to be affliaion, mifery, pain, and death ; in which all the natural affec-^ tions of the human heart were to be extinguifhed or in- verted, and their neareft relations, their parents, children, or brethren, were to be their perfecutors and executioners ? Is it ufual for human beings wantonly and needlefsly to ?xpcfe themfelves to fuch evils as thefe, without the leaft ♦ Matth- X. i6, 17, 18, ai, 2?,, L 2 138 LECTURE IX. profpe6l of any advantage to themfelves or their families ? You may fay perhaps that fimple, ignorant, uneducated men, like the apoftles, might eafily be deluded by an art- ful leader, and betrayed into very dreadful calamities, and that we fee multitudes thus deceived and ruined every day. It is true ; but where in this cafe is the ari of the leader, or the dehfwn of his followers ? In the cafes allud- ed to, men are induced to embark in perilous undertak- ings, and to run headlong into deft ruction, by fair prom- ifes and tempting offers, by promifes of liberty, of wealth, of honor, of popularity, of glory. But here, inftead of employing any art, or making any attempt to deceive his followers, our Saviour plainly tells them they are to expeft' nothing but what is moft dreadful to human nature. What- ever they fuffered, therefore, they fuffered with their eyes open, and with their ov/n free choice and confent. It is true they were plain ignorant men ; but they could feel pain, and they could have no more fondnefs for mifery and death than other people. Yet this they did adually and chearfuUy undergo at the command of their Lord. How is this to be explained and accounted for ? Is there any inftance up- on record before this in the annals of the world, where twelve grave fober men, without any reafon, and without being mified by any artifice or delufion whatever, volun- tarily expofed themfelves at the defire of another perfon to perfecution, torment, and deftrudtion ! There mull liave been fome cogent reafon for fuch a conduct as this ; and that reafon could be nothing lefs than a full and per- fefl: conviftion, arifmg from the miracles which they faw with their ov/n eyes, and which they themfelves v/ere ena- bled to perform, that Chrift was what he pretended to be", the Son of God ; that ^11 power was given to him in heavr en and on earth ; and that he was able to fulfil the promif^ es he had made them of a recompence in a future life, infinitely furpaifrng in magnitude and in duration all tlic fufferings they could experience in the prefent world. This is the only rational account to be given of their condavfi:, and it prefcnts to us in a fliort compafs a ftrong convincing evidence of the truth of the Chriftian reve- lation. LECTURE IX. 139 In order to fortify the minds of his difciples againft the fevere trials they were to undergo, our blefTed Lord, in the 28th verfe, adds the following exhortation : " Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the foul ; but rather fear him which is able to deftroy both foui and body in hell." This palTage contains a decifive proof of two very im- portant dcdtrines, the exiftence of a foul diftindl from the body, and the continuance of that foul after death (both of which, in dircd oppcfition to this and many other paf- fages of fcripture, feme late writers have dared to contro- vert ;) and it plainly refers the apoftles to the ccnfideration cf a future life, in which all their viewsi, their hopes and fears, were to center, and by which their condu6h in this world was entirely to be regulated. The worft their ene- mies could do to them in this life was to kill the body, which muft fcir.e time or other be deftroyed by age or difeafe. Eut God was able to kill the foul, which was foimed for immortality, to annihilate it at once, or to condemn it to everlafting punilhment. It was, therefore, cf infinitely more confequence to avoid his difpleafure> and to fecure his approbation by performing their duty, than by fiiamiefully deferting it to efcape the inflidion of the bittereft evils that their fellow creatures could bring up- on them. In conformity to this advice he tells them, " that he that endureth to the end fhall be faved : and that he who lofes his life for his fake in this world, fhall find it in a far more exalted fenfe in the next*." This was fohd comfort and fubftantial fupport. But unlefs cur Lord had given them irrefiftible miraculous evidence cf the reality of this future reward, unlefs they had abfolute demonftration cf its certainty, it was utterly imipcfiible that they could bs fo mad as to facrifice to this expedaticn every thing moft valuable in this life, and even life itfelf, * Matth. X. 3?, — 39, i^O JU E C T U R E IX. As a mil further fupport under the terrifying profped which our bleffed Lord had held up to the apoftles, he af- fures them tliat the providence of God would continually fuperintend and watch over them. " Are not two fparrows, fays he, fold for a farthing, and one of them fhall not fall to the ground without your Father ; but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not, therefore, ye are of more value than many fparrows*." Here we have that mofl important and comfortable doc- trine of a particular Providence plainly and clearly laid down. That he who erefled the immenfe and magnificent fab- ric of the univerfe will continue to regard and to preferve the work of his own hands, and maintain what is called the general order of nature, and the ordinary courfe of human affairs, is fo confonant to reafon and common fenfe, that few even of the pagans who believed the being of a God, entertained any doubt of this general fuperintend- ence of the Deity over the worlds he has created, and the inhabitants he has placed in them. But when we defcend from this comprehenfive view of things to the feveral con- ftituent parts of the general fyftem, and to every individ- ual of every fpecies of animated beings difperfed through- out the whole ; when we refleft how very inconfiderable a place this globe .that we inhabit holds amongft the celeftial bodies, how very fmall a portion it occupies of unbound- ed fpace, and how infinitely minute and infignificant every human creature mufc appear in the vaft mafs of created beings, we can hardly think it poflible that the care of the Supreme Being ihould extend to ourfelves ; we cannot help fearing that we (hall be loft and overlooked in the immenfity of creation, and that we are objeds far too fmall and minute to fall within the fphere of our Maker's obfervation. The more we reafon on this fubje(5t, the more ground we fhall find for thefe apprehenfions ; and there is nothing, I will venture to fay, in the whole com' * Mattli. X. 29, 10^ 31. L E C T U R E IX. 141 pafs of what is called natural religion or modem philofo- phy, that can in the finalleft degree tend to allay or to re- move thefe natural, thefe unavoidable mifgivings of the human mind. Here then is one of thofe many inftances in which we can have no certainty, no folid ground for the fole of our foot to (land upon, but in the Gofpel of Chrift. Our rea- fon, though fent out ever fo often in fearch of a refting place, returns to us, like Noah's dove, when the waters covered the earth, without any token of comfort. It is fcripture only which in this important point can give reft unto our fouls. There we are afTured that every individual being, even the leaft and moft contemptible, even the fpar- row that is fold for lefs than a farthing, is under the eye of the Almighty ; that fo far from man being too inconfider- able for die notice of his Maker, the minuteft parts of his body, the very hairs of his head, are all numbered. Thefe very ftrong inftances are plainly chofen on purpofe to quiet all our fears, and to banifh from our minds every idea of our being too fmall and infignificant for the care and protection of the Almighty. This moft confolatory dodtrine of a particular Provi- dence, of a Providence which watches over every individ- ual of the human race, places the Chriftian in a fituation totally different from that of every one who disbelieves revelation. The latter muft conceive himfelf under no other government but that of chance or fortune, and of courfe muft confider the whole happinefs of his life as ex- pofed every moment to the mercy of the next accident that may befal him. The true believer on the contrary has the moft perfed convi^ion that he is conftantly under tlie protedion of an almighty and merciful God, in whom he lives, and moves, and has his being ; " whofe eyes are over the righteous, and whofe ears are open to their pray- ers ;" that therefore if he lives, fo as to merit the appro- bation of his heavenly Father, he has every reafon to hope for fuch a degree of happinefs, even here, as the imperfedion of human nature will admit ; and he is cer- tain that notliing dreadful can bcfal him without the know- 142 L E C T U R E IX. ledge and permlflTion of his great Proteclor, who will even in that cafe fupport him under it, and render it ulti- mately conducive to his good. The next paflage In this chapter to which I fhall diredl your attention, is that very remarkable one which has furnifhed the enemies of Chriftianity with fo much pre- tence for obloquy and inve£live againil the Gofpel, and has been the fource of no fmall uneafmefs and difmay to fome of its warmell friends. The parage I mean is this ; " Think not" (fays our Lord) " I am come to fend peace on earth, I came not to fend peace but a fword ; for I am come to fet a man at variance againft his father, and the daughter againft her mother, and the daughter-in-law againft her mother-in-law, and a man's foes fhall be thofe of his own houfehold *.'* What fhall we fay now (exclaims the infidel) to this extraordinary declaration ? Here we have the Author of the Chriftlan religion himfelf openly and explicitly avow- ing that he came to fend a fword upon earth, to dilTolve all the tender endearing ties of domeftic affection, to fet the neareft relations at variance, and to arm them with inextinguifhable rage and rancor againft each other. But can this be really tlie fenfe of our Saviour's words I Can He mean to denounce war and deftrafllon to the hu- man fpecies ? He whofe whole religion breathes nothing but peace, gentlenefs, klndnefs, and compaftion, to every human being ; who made charity or the love of man the great chara6teriftic mark of his religion : who exprefsly forbade his difciples " to call down fire from heaven'* on thofe who had infulted them ^ who in this very chapter commanded them " to be harmlefs as doves ; and declar- ed that he came not to deftroy men's lives, but to fave themf ?" It is evidently impoffible that the author of fuch precepts and fuch profeffions could mean literally to fpread ruin and defolation over the earth. What then was his meaning ? It was to obviate an error into v/hich . the apoftles would be very apt to fall, and which proba- * Matth. X. 34. 25, 3^r f Matth- x 16. Luke ix s^. LECTURE IX. 14^ bly our Saviour faw rifmg in their minds. You tell us (they perhaps faid within themfelves, ) you tell us that we fliall be perfecuted, tormented, and put to death, and that, even by thofe who are moft nearly conneded xAxh. us. But how is this poffible ? How can all this happen under your prctedlion, under the reign of the Meffiah, the Prince of Peace, under whom we have always been given to exped tranquility, repofe, and happinefs ? To this fuppofed reafoning our Saviour anfv/ers ; You are miftaken in your idea of that peace, which I, your Meffi- ah, am to give you. It is not immediate temporal peace, but peace in a fpiritual fenfe, peace in your own minds, and peace witli God. Ultimately indeed I fhall eflablifli peace in every fenfe of the word, and ** fhall make wars to to ceafe in all the world* ;" but at prefent, and indeed for many years to come, I fhall not bring peace but a fword upon earth. The promulgation of my religion will be productive of much diffenfion, cruelty, and pcr- fecuticn, not only to you, but to all thofe who for many ages afterwards fhall preach the Gofpel in purity and truth. The true eav/e of this will be the wickednefs and the fe- rocious paffions of men ; but the occafion and the pretence for it will be the holy religion which you are to promul- gate. In this fenfe, and in this only, it is that I may be faid to bring a fword upon earth ; but they who rea//y bring it, are the open enemies or pretended friends of tlie Gofpel. Still it is faid by tlie adrerfaries of our faith, that how- ever thefe words may be interpreted, the fad is, that Chriftians themfelves liave brought a fword, and a moft deftmdive fword, upon earth : that they have perfecuted one another with inconceivable rancor and fury ; and that their dilfenfions have produced more bloodflied, mifery, and defolation, among mankind, than all the other wars of contending nations put together. To this I anfwer in the firft place, tliat tlie charge as here ftated is not true. It is not true that wars of leligion have been more frequent and more fanguinary than any "" Pfalmxlvi 9, Ui LECTURE IS. others. On the contrary, it may be proved in the cleared manner, from the moll authentic fadis, that by far the greateft number of wars, as well as the iongeft, moft ex^ tenfive, and moil deftruftive, have been owing to caufes purely poKtical, and tliofe too fometimes of the moil trivial nature. And if we can allow men to harafs and dellroy one another for a mere point of honor, or a few acres of land, why fhould we think it flrange to fee them defending, with the fame heat and bitternefs, what they conceive to be the mod effential requilite to happinefs both here and here* after ? 2dly. I muft obferve, that a very large part of thofe animofities, wars, and maflacres, which have been ufually ftiled religious y and with the entire guilt of which Chrif^ rianity has been very unjuftly loaded, have been altogether, or at leafl in a great meafure, owing to caufes of a very different nature ; to the ambition, the refentment, the avarice, the rapacity of princes and of conquerors, who alTumed the mafk of religion to veil their real purpofes, and who pretended to fight in the caufe of God and his church, when they had in reality nothing elfe in view than to advance their power or extend their dominions. All hiHory is full of inllances of this kind. Sdly. It fhould be remembered, that the wildeft ex- ceffes of religious perfecution did not take place till the world was overrun with barbarity, ignorance, bigotry, and fuperllition ; till military ideas predominated in every thing, in the form of government, in the temper of the laws, in the tenure of lands, in the adminiftration of juf- lice itfelf ; and till the Scriptures were fliut up in a foreign tongue, and were therefore unknown to the people. It was not therefore from the Gofpel, but from a total ignor- ance of the Gofpel, from a total perverfion of its true temper, genius, and fpirit, that thefe exceffes and enormi- ties arofe. 4jtlily. That this is tlie real truth of the cafe appears demonllrably from this circumftance, that when after the reformation the Scriptures were tranflated into the feveral vernacular languages of Europe, and the real nature of IL E C T U R E IX. 145 the Chriftian revelation became of couiie more generallr known, the violence of perfecuticn began to abate ; and as tlie facred writings were more and more ftudied, and their true fenfe better underftood, the baneful fpirit of in- tolerance loft ground every day, and the divine principle of Chriftian charity and benevolence has been continually gaining frefn ftrength ; till at length, at the prefent moment? perfecution by Chriftians on the fccre of religion only has almoft entirely vanifned from the face of the earth ; and we may venture to indulge the hope, that wars of religion> .ftridtly fo called, v/ill be heard of no more* I now proceed to explain the verfes immediately follow- ing tliat which we have been juft confidering. " I am come, fays our Lord, to fet a man at variance .againft his father, and the daughter againft her mother, and the daughter-in-law againft her mother-in-law, and a •man's foes fhall be thofe of his ov/n houfehcld." This pafTage is a clear proof that the calamities and "miferies predi6ted in the preceding verfe relate primarily and principally to the apoftles themfelves, becaufe thefe words are almoft a repetition of "what our Lord applied to them in the 27th verfe, " The brother jQiall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child ; and the chil- dren ftiall rife up againft their parents, and caufe them to be put to death*." Now as thefe cruelties were iniii<5Led on the apoftles, not by believers, but by unbelieving Jews and heathens, that is, by the enemies of the Gofpel, it is evident, that when our Saviour fays he came to fet a man at variance againft his father, and fo on, he meant only to fay, that the reli- gion which he taught would meet with the moft violent oppofition from the world, and would expofe his. apoftles and difciples to tlie moft unjuft and inhuman treatment, even fometimes from their neareft relations. Our Lord then goes on to fay, " He that loveth father and mother more than me, is not worthy of me f ." This * M?.tth. s. 2r. t Matth, x. 37, M * 346 L E C T U R £ IX. has an evident reference to the two preceding verfes ; 'hr which our Lord had declared, that araidft the various raiieries that would be occafioned by the wiclcednefs and barbarity of thofe who rejected and refilled the Chriftian religion, diffentions would arife even among thofe mod nearly connedled with each other, and the tiue Chriftian would fometimes find his bittereft enemies even in the bo- fom of his own family. A father would perhaps perfe- cute his own fon, and a mother her daughter, an ac- count of -her religious opinions, and would by argu- ment and by influence endeavor to perfuade, or by au- thority and power to compel them to abjure their faith. In cafes flich as thefe our Lord here intimates, that when the choice is between renouncing our neareft re- lations and renouncing our religion, we muft not hefitate a moment what part we ai^ to take ; we muft, to obey God rather than man, we muft give up all and follow Chrift. " He tliat loveth father and mother more than me, is not worthy of me ; and he that loveth fon and daughter more than me, is not worthy of me*." That is evidently when the neareft and deareft relation^ come in competition with our behef in Chrift, and obedience to his commands, our affedlion for them and deference to their opinions muft give place to love for our Redeemer and attachment to our Maker. In the parallel place of St. Luke this precept is expreff- ed in ftill ftronger terms. " If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and fifters, yea, and his ovm .life alfo, he cannot be my difciplef .'' The mind of the reader Is at the firft view apt to revolt at the feeniing harflmefs of this declaration ; but it is evi- dently nothing more than a bolder and more figurative way (according to a well-known Hebrew Idiom) ot con- veying the very fame fentlment that St. Matthew clothe^: in gentler language. It means nothing more than that we ought to entertain a more ardent aifedion for our heavenly father than for our eartlily parents ; and tliat his com- * A(5ls, V. .29. f Luke. xiv. 26. JL E C T U R E IX. 147 mands mad be preferred to theirs whenever they liappen to interfere. And in the fame manner feveral other appa- rently fevere injunaions in the Gofpel are to be explained and mitigated by others of the fame import, but more perfpicuoufly and more mJIdly expreffed. But we are not only enjoined to love Chrift and his reli- gion more tlian our neareft relations, Tvhere they happen to interfere, but even more than our o^vn life. " Ke that taketh not his crofs and followeth after me, is not worthy of me*." This plainly alludes to the culiom of perfons who were going to be crucified bearing their own crofs ; and the literal and primary meaning is, that we fhould be rea- dy, if called upon, to undergo even that painful and ig-- nominious death, rather than renounce our faith. This indeed is a moft fevere trial ; but it is a trial which it is not only our duty but our intereft to undergo, if reduced to the nec^flity either of forfeiting our life, or renouncing our allegiance to Chrift. For we are told here by our jLord himfelf, tliat « he who findeth his life, fhall lofe it, ^d he that lofeth his life for his fake ihail find it f.'^ That is, whoever to fave his life apoftatizes from his faith, lliall be punifhed with the lofs of that life which alone de- ferves the name, life everlafting. But he who facrifices his life to his religion in this v/orld, fhall be rewarded with eternal life in the world to come. * Matth. X. 38. t Ibid. 39 ^..<..<..<..<..<..<..<. .<..<..<..<<.<••<■•<-<••<'<■•<••<••<••<>••>••>">•>••>••>•>•>••>•>■•>■>•>•>•>•■>• >••>■>'•>">'- LECTURE X. MATTHEW xlL i HE nest chapter which feems more peculiarly to deferve our attention, and to require fome explanation and illuftration, is the 12th chapter of St. Matthew. It begins thus : " At that time Jefus went on the fab- bath-day through the corn, and his difciples were an hun- gred, and began to pluck the ears of com and to eat. But when the Pharifees faw it, they faid unto him, behold thy difciples do that which is not lawful to d® on the fab- bath-day. But he faid unto them, have ye not read what David did when he was an hungred, and they that were with him ? How he entered into the houfe of God, and did eat the fhew-bread, which it was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priefts ? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on tlie fabbath-day the priefts in the temple profane the fab- bath, and are blamelefs ? But I fay unto you, that in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth^ / will have mercy and not facri- Jicey ye would not have condemned the guiitlefs ; for the Son of man is Lord even of the fabbath-day. And when he was departed thence, he went into the fynagogue. And there was a man which had his hand withered ; and they afked him, faying, is it lawful to heal on the fabbath- day ? that they might accufe him. And he faid unto them, what man fhall there be among you that fhall have one iheep, and if it fall into a pit on the fabbath-day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out ? How much then is a man better than a flieep ? Wherefore it is lawful to do VN^ell on the fabbath-day. Then faith he to the man, ftretch forth thine hand. And he ftretched it forth, and it was reftored whole like the other." 150 I. S C T U R E X, Although here are two different tranfadions related,. that of plucking the ears of corn, and healing the wither* ed hand, yet as they are clofely connected together by the evangeiiir, and relate to the fame fubje(5l, the obfervation- cf the fabbath, I have recited the whole pafTage compre- hending both thefe incidents at length, that you might have before you at one view all that our Saviour has faid on tliis important branch of our duty, and that we might fully underlland what kind of reji it is that our bleffed Lord judged to be neceliary on the Jewiih fabbath, and what limitations and exceptions to it he admitted ; from whence we may form fome judgment what our own duty isonthatholyday which we juftly call The Lord's Day, and which mull be ccnfidered as the Chriftian fabbalh. From, this paffagej as v/ell as from many others, it ap* pears, that the Jews had their eyes conftantly fixed on Je- lus and his followers, and mofl an:::ioufly fought out for opportunities of faftening fome guilt upon them. It ap- pears alfo that they were extremely unfortunate in thefe at- tempts, and compelled (as inthe prefentinftance) to have recourfe to the filiieil and moft trivial charges ; and even thefe turned out to be perfectly unfounded. From whence 1 think we may fairly draw this inference, that the charac- ter and condu<5l of cur Lord and his difciples were per- feftly blamelefsj fmce with all the induilry of fo many fnarp-fighted obfer/ers, fo extremely well difpofed to dif- cover guilt or to make it, they could find no real fault in himc The pretence on this occafion was, that the difciples, by plucking a few ears of corn and eating them as they pafTed through a corn-field on the fabbath day, had viola- ted the reft of that holy day, and thus tranfgreffed the ^r^olaical law. But to this our Lord replied, that in cafes of extreme neceffity the feverity of that law might be dif- penfed with and relaxed. As a proof of this, he appeal- ed firft to the example of David, the man after God's own heart, who (as may be feen in 1 Samuel, xxi. C.) v^hen he and his men were reduced to great ftreights for want of food, afked and obtained from Ahimelech the LECTURED. 151^ prlefl a part of the confecrated bread which had been ta<- ken from the altar, and which it was not lawful for any but the priefls to eat. The other inftance he adduced, was that of the priefts themfelves, who in the nece/Tary fervice cf the temple on the fabbath-day were obliged to work with their own hands, by lighting the fires, killing the vii^Im^, offering up the facrifices, &c. This in any other perfons would have been confidered as profanations of the • fabbath ; but in the priefts who were engaged in the duties o£ religion it was not.. Thefe arguments addrefTed to a Jew were in themfelves unanfv/erable ; becaufe they appealed to the practice ot perfons whom the Jews held facred, and whofe conduct they durft not condemn. But they went flill further than this ; they went to eitablifn tliis general principle, that there might be obligations of a force fiiperior even to the lav/ of Mofes, and to which it ought in certain cafes to give way ; as in the firfl inftance to the prefTmg demands of necefhty, in the other to the fervices of the temple. If then in thefe cafes the law might be difpenfed with, flill more might it be overruled by a power paramount to every ether power, by him who was far greater and holier than the temple itfelf, who was Lord even of the fabbath, who was indeed fupreme Lord over all, and might, there- fore authorize his difciples, in a cafe of real urgency, to depart a little from the rigor of the fabbatical reft. It fnould be obferved here, that where St. Matthew fays, " the Son of man is Lord even of the fabbath- day ;'* St. Mark, in the parallel place, expreffes himfelf thus : " The fabbath was made for man, and not man for the fabbath." That is, the fabbath was given to man for his benefit, for the improvement of his foul, as well as for the reft of his body ; and the latter, when neceffary, muft be facrificed to the former. For man Vvas not made for the fabbath ; was not made to be a flave to it, to be fo fer- vilely bound down to the ftridl pharifaical obfervance of it, as to lofe by that rigorous adherence to the letter, op- portunities of doing eiTential fervice to himfelf and his fellow creatures. 252. LECTURE X. To this irrefiftible force of reafoning cur blefled Lor J adds another argument of confiderable '.veight : " If ye. had known, fays he, what this meaneth, / lulll ha've mer-^ cy, and not facrijice, ye v;ould not have condemned the guiltlefs." The quotation is from the prophet Hofea ; the words are fuppofed to be thofe of God himfclf ; and "the meaning is, according to a well-knov/n Jewidi idiom, I prefer mercy to facr'tfice ; that is, when any ceremonia' inftltution interferes v/ith the execution of any charitable or pious defign, the former mufl give place to the latter ; as in the prefent inftance, a flrift obfervance of the fabbath. muft not be fuffered to deprive my difciples of that refrefh- ment which is necefTary to fupport them under the fatigue of following me, and difpending to mankind the blefTmgs- of the gofpel. We fee then with what fuperftitious rigor the Jews adhered to the letter of their law refpecling the Jewifh fabbath ; and with what fuperior wifdom and dlg-^ nity our Lord endeavored to raife their minds above fuch trivial things to the true fpirit of it, to the life and foul of religion. The fault however here reproved and correcled is not one into which we of this country are likely to fall, nor is there any need to warn us againfl: imitating the Jews in this inftance.. There is no danger that we fhould carry the obfervance of our fabbath too far, or that we fhould be too fcrupuloufly nice in avoiding every the minuteft in- fringement of the reft and fanclity of that holy day. — The bent and tendency of the prefent times is too evident- ly to a contrary extreme, to an excefilve relaxation inftead of an exceffive ftriftnefs in the regard Ihewn to the Lord's day. I am not now fpeaking of the religious duties ap- .propriated to the Lord's day, for thefe are not now before us, but folely of the rejl, the repofe which it requires. — This reft is plainly infringed, whenever the lower claffes of people continue their ordinary occupaticns on the fab- bath, and whenever the higher em-ploy their fervants and their cattle on this day in needlsfs labor. This, however, •we fee too frequently clone, mere particularly hj fele&ing Sunday as a day for travellings for taking long journies^ which might as v/ell be performed at any ether time.— L E C T U R E X. US This is a dire^fl violation of the fourth commandment, "which exprefsly gives the fabbath as a day of reft to our ferrants and our cattle. This temporary fufpenfion of labor, this refrefhment and relief from inceffant toil, is moft gracioufly allowed even to the brute creation, by the great Governor of the univerfe, whofe mercy extends over ali his works. It is the boon of heaven itfel£ It is a fmall drop of comfort thrown into their cup of mifery ; and to v/reil from them, this only privilege, this fweeteft corifolation of their wretched exiftence, is a degree of inhumanity for which there wants a name ; and of which few people I am per- fuaded, if tliey could be brought to reflecl ferioufly upon it, would ever be guilty. Thefe profanations of the fabbath are hov/ever fome- times defended on the ground of the very pafTage we have been juft confidering. It is alledged, that as our Lord here reproves the Jev/s for too rigorous an attention to the reft of the fabbath, it conveys an intimation that we ought not to be too exaft and fcrupulous in tliat refpeft ; and that many things may in fa6t be allowable which timid minds may confider as unlawful. But it fhould be obferved, that Jefus condemns nothing in the condufl: of the Jews but what was plainly abfurd and fuperllitious ; and he allows of no exceptions to that reft from labor which they obferv- ed on the fabbath, except fimply works of necejfity and charity ; fuch for inftance as thofe very cafes which gave occafton to tlie converfation in this chapter between Chrift and the Jews, that of the difciples plucking the ears of com en tlie fabbath-day to fatisfy their hunger, and that of our Saviour's reftoring the withered hand. It is lawful, in fliort, as our Saviour expreffes it, to do ivell on the fab- bath-day ; to preferve ourlelves, and to benefit cur fellow creatures. Thus far then vre may go, but no farther. In other refpe«5ts, the reft of the Lord's day is to be obferved ; and thofe very exceptions which cur Saviour makes are a proof, that in every other cafe he approves and fandions the duty of reftirg on the fabbath-day. It is alfo remarkablej, that ou;- own laws, grounding them-felves no doubt on this M 2 l54f L E C T U R E X. declaration of Chrlft, make the fame exceptions to the reft of the fabbath that he does ; they allow works of ne- ceflSty and charity, but no others*. To thefe, therefore, we ought to confine ourfelves as nearly as may be ; and with thefe exceptions, and thefe only, confecrate the fab- bath as a /joly reft unto the Lord, This reft tlie Almighty enjoined, not, as is fometimes pretended, to the Jews only, but to all mankind. For even immediately after the great work of creation was finifhed, we are told, " that God ended his work that he had made, andherefted onthefeventh day from all the work which he had made ; and God bleffed the feventh day, and fandified it ; becaufe that in it he had refted from all his work which God created and madef ." It is evident, therefore, that the feventh day was to be a day of reft to oil manhind, in memory of God having on that day finifii- ed his great work of creation ; and this feventh day, after our Lord's refurreftion, was changed by his apoftles to ihefrjl day of the week, on which our Lord rofe from tlie dead, and refted from his labors ; fo that the reft of this day is now commemorative of both thefe important events, the creation and the refurredion. I nov7 proceed to confider the confequences of this con- verfation between our Lord and the Pharifees on the fub^ jeft of the fabbath. One fliould have expeded that fo wife and rational an explanation. of the lav/ refpeding that day, releafmg men from the fenfelefs feverities i'mpofed npon them by the fervile fears of fuperftition, but at the fame time requiring all that refpite from labor which is really conducive to the glory of God and the happinefs of man ; one fhould have expefted, I fay, that fuch wifdcm and fuch benevolence as this would have triumphed over even pharifaical obftinacy, and extorted the admiration and ap- plaufe of his hearers. But ftubbcrn prejudices, and deep- rooted malignity, are not fo eafily fubdued. For fee what adually followed. " The Pharifees went out," fays the cvangelift, " and held a council how they might deftroy him." Deftroy him ! for what ? Why for giving eafe to • See the StatuU of 49 C. a, c, 7. f Gen. li- 2, 5. J. E C T U R E 3t. I5sr timid minds and fcrupulous confciences, and for refloring' the withered hand of a poor decrepid man. And were thefe deeds that deferved deftriidion ? Would it not rather have been the juft reward of thofe inhuman wretches who were capable of conceiving fo execrable a proje6l : and would not our Saviour have been juftified in calling down fire from heaven, as he eafily might, to confume tliem ? Eut his heart abhorred the thought. He purfued a direft- I7 oppofite condud j and inftead of inflidting upon them a punifhment which might have deftroyed them, he chof-^ to fet them an example that might amend them. He chofe to fhevv' them the difference between their temper and his own, between thofe malignant vindi^flive paffions v/hich governed them, and the mild, gentle, conciliating difpofition which his religion infpired ; between the fpirifc of the world, in fhoit, and the fpirit of the Gofpel. He withdrew himfelf filently and quietly from them ; and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all ; and, to avoid all irritation and all conteft, he charged them that they fliould not make him known. " Thus was fulfilled," fays the evangelift, that which was fpoken by Efaias the prophet, faying, " Behold my fervant whom I have chofen ; my beloved, in whom my foul is well pleafed. I will put my fpirit upon him, and he Ihall fliew judgment to tlie Gentiles. He fhall not ftrive nor cry ; neither fiiall any man hear his voice in the flreets. A bruifed reed ihall he not break, and fmoking flax fliall he not quench, till he fend forth judgment unto vi'ftory*." A moft fublime paffage ; which may thus be paraphrafed. Eehold my fervant whom I have chofen, my beloved, in whom my foul is well pleafed I I will put my fpirit upon him, and he fnall teach true religion, not only to the peo- ple of Ifrael, but to the heathens alfo ; and this he ihall do with the utmoft tendemefs, mildnefs, and meeknefs, without contention and noife, without tumult and dlfturb- ance. A bruifed reed fnall he not break ; he ihall not bear hard upon a wounded and contrite, and truly hum- ble and penitent heart, bowed down with a fenfe of its infirmities. And fmoking flax ihall he not quench ; die * Ifaiah xlli. i — 3. ISS L E C T U R E X. feinteil: fpark cf returning virtue he will not extinguifli by feverity ; but will cherilli and encourage the one, and will raife and animate and enliven the other ; till by thefe gen- tle conciliating means he fhall have triumphed over the wickednefs and malevolence of his enemies, and complete- ly eftabliihed his religion throughout the world. What an amiable pidure is here given us of the divine Author of our faith ! and how exadly does this prophetic defcription correfpond to the whole tenor of his condu<5l in the propa- gation of his religion I The next remarkable occurrences which prefent them- felves in this chapter are thofe of our Saviour cafting a devil out of a man that was both blind and dumb ; the r©- fiedlions which the Pharifees threw upon him in confequence of this miracle, and the effedual manner In which he fi- lenced them, and repelled their calumny. The paflage Is as follows : " Then was brought unto him one poiTeffed with a devil, blind and dumb, and he healed him, infomuch that the blind and dumb both fpake and faw. And all the people were amazed, and faid, is not this the Son of David ? But when the Pharifees heard it, they faid, this fellow doth not caft out devils but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And Jefus knew their thoughts, and faid unto them, every kingdom divided againft itfelf is brought to defolation ; and every city or houfe divided againft itfelf fhall not ftand. And if Sa- tan caft out Satan, he is divided againft himfelf, how fhall then his kingdom ftand ?" This pafTage affords room for a variety of obfervatlon* In the firft place, It is evident from this, as well as from many other paflages of holy writ, that at the time when our Saviour promulged his religion, there was a calamity incident to the human race, of which at prefent we know nothing, and that is, the pofTefTion of their bodies by evil fpirits or devils (as they are ufually called in fcripture) which occafioned great torments to the unhappy fuirerers, and often deprived them both of tlieir fight and hearing,, as in the prefent inftance. Such poffeffions having long X. E C T U R E X. 157 fmce ceafed, they have appeared to feveral learned men fo incredible, that they have been led to deny that they ever exifted, and to maintain that they were only difeafes of a violent and terrifying nature, attended v.'ith convulfive or epileptic fits ; that this fort of difeafe was afcribed by the Jews to the operation of evil fpirits ; and that our Saviour, in compliance with their prejudices, treated them as cafes of real pofleffion, and pretended to caft out devils, when in fad, he only cured the diforder with which the patient was afHided. This opinion is fupported by great names ; but howev- er great and refpe<5table they may be it appears to me utterly indefenfible. Every expreffion that our Lord makes ufe of with ref- ped to thefe demoniacs plainly fuppofes them to be really poffeiTed ; and it is not eafy to affign any admiffible reafon why he fhould treat them as fuch, if they were not fo, and why he fhould not corred inftead of countenancing fo grofs an error ; as fuch a condud could anfwer no one good purpofe, and feems hard to reconcile with his own uniform faimefs and fmcerlty of mind. To have done it to magnify his own power in calling out the evil fpirits* would haveheen, to all appearance, a very needlefs expe- dient ; becaufe the immediate removal of a natural dif- eafe (if it was one) would have been an equal proof of his divine power. But befides this, there is every where a plain diftindion made between common difeafes and de- moniacal poffeffions ; which fhews that they were totally different things. In the fourth chapter of this Gofpei, where the very firft mention is made of thefe pofTeffions, it is faid, that our Lord's fame went throughout all Syria, and they brought unto him all fick people that were taken with divers dileafes and torments, and thofe vdiich were poffeiTed with devils, and he healed them. Here you fee thofe that were taken with divers difeafes and torments, and thofe poffeffed with devils, are mentioned as diflinft and feparate perfons ; a plain proof that the demoniacal poffeffions were not natural difeafes ; and the very fame diftindion is niade in feveral other paiTages of holy writ. us LECTURE X. There can be no doubt, therefore, that the demoniacs were perfons really pofTeffed with evil fpirits ; and although it may ieem ftrange to us, yet we find from Jofephus, and other hiftorians, that it was in thofe times no uncommon cafe. In fa(5l, it appears that about the time of our Lord's miniftry, that tremendous fpirit, Satan, or, as he is fometimes called in fcripture, the Prince of this world, had obtained an extraordinary degree of power over the human race, infliding upon them the cruelleft pains and torments, depriving them of their fenfes, rendering them wretched in themfelves, and terrible to all around them. To fubdue this formidable and wicked being, and to de» llroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, was one great objedl of our Saviour's divine miffion ; and it feems to have been indifpenfably necelTa-ry for accom- plifhing the redemption of mankind, that the kingdom of Satan fhould in the firft place be deftroyed, and that the fons of men ihould be refcued from that horrible and dif- graceful ftate of fiavery in which he had long held them enthralled. One of the firft fteps, therefore, that our Lord took before he entered on his miniftry was, to eftab- lifh his fuperiority over this great enemy of mankind : which he did in that memorable fcene of the temptation m the wildemefs ; and among the earlieft of his miracles recorded, is that of cafting out devils from thofe who were polTed by them. And perhaps one reafon why thefe poiTeffions were permitted, might be to aiford our Lord an opportunity of giving the Jew^s a vifible and ocular demonftration of his decided fuperiority and fovereignty over the prince of the devils, and all his agents, and of his power to fubdue this great adverfary of the human fpecies. He appears indeed to have been in a ftate of conflant hoftility and warfare with this wicked fpirit j and in this very paffage Satan is defcribed by our Saviour un- der the image of ajirong man, whom it was necelTary io hind before you could fpcil his houfe, and exterminate him and his coadjutors, as Jefus was then doing. Yet fo little y/cre the Jews fenfible of this enmJty between ChriH and Beelzebub, that on the contrary they charged them v/ith being friends and confederates. They faid, " This fellow doth not caft out devils but by Beelzebub the prince of the JL E C T U R E X. 159 devils.^' The anfwer of our Lord to this was decifive and fatisfactory to every reafonable mind. " Every king- dom divided againft itfelf is brought to defolation ; and every city or houfe devided againft itfelf fhall not ftand. And if Satan cad out Satan, he is divided againft himfelf, how fhall then his kingdom ftand ?" His argument is this ; Hov/ abfurd and prepofterous is it to fuppofe that Satan will act againft himfelf, by expelling his owti minifters and agents whom he has fent to take poffefficn of the minds and bodies of men, and by afllfting me to eftablifti my religion, and thereby diffafe virtue and happinefs throughout the world, which it is his great objedt to de- ftroy, and to introduce vice and mifery in their room. This muft clearly end in his ruin, and the overthrow of his em.pire over mankind. It is evident then that it is not by his affiftance, but by the power of God, that I caft out devils ; and if fo, it is clear to demonftration that I am commifHoned by heaven to teach true religion to mankind. I cannot quit this fubje6t of miracles v/ithout obferving, what a remarkable difference there is between the fenti- ments of modem infidels and thofe of the iirft enemies of the Gofpel refpeding tlie miracles of Chrift. The form.er affert, that our Saviour wrought no real miracles : that miracles are in their own nature incredible and impoftible ; and that no human teftimony whatever can give credit to events fo contrary to experience, and fo repugnant to the ordinary courfe of nature. But go to thofe unbelievers who Hved in the earlieft ages of the Gofpel, and even to thofe who were eye-wItnelTes to our Lord*s miracles, and they will tell you a very different ftory. They affert, that Jefus //iJ work miracles; they acknowledge that he did expel evil fpirits out of tliofe that were pofieffed. They afcrlbed the miracle indeed to the pov/er of Beelzebub, not of God. But this we know to be abfardity and non- fenfe. The fa^fi of the miraculous cure they did not dif- pute ; and this at once eftabliihes the divine million of our Lord. To which then of thefe two defcriptions of infi- dels fliall we give moft credit, to thofe who lived near eighteen hundred years after the xraracles v/ere peiform- 16Q L E C T U R E X. €d, or to thofe who faw them wrought with their own eyes : and though they deteiled the author of them, ad- mitted the reality of his wonderful works ? • Our Lord then, continuing his converfation with the Pharifees, addreffes to them, in the 31ft verfe, thefe re- markable words : " "Wherefore I fay unto you, all manner of fin and blafphemy fhall be forgiven unto men ; but the blafphemy againft the Holy Ghofh fliall not be forgiven unto men. And whofoever fpeaketh a word againft the Son of man, it fhall be forgiven him ; but whofoever fpeaketh againft the Holy Ghoft, it fhall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neitlier in the world to come." Our Lord's meaning In this obfcure and alarming paf. fage feems to be this ; there is no other fm or blafphemy which argues fuch a total depravation of mind, but that it may be repented of and forgiven. Even he that fpeaks againfc me, the Son of God, and is not convinced by my preaching, may yet be afterwards converted by the power of the Holy Ghoft, by the miracles which he enables me and my difciples to work, and may obtain remiffion of his fm. But he that fhall obftinately refift this laft method of conviftion (that of miracles wrought before his eyes) and fhall malicioully revile thefe moft evident operations of the Cplrit of God, contrary to the reafon of his own mind and the di yet we mufl beware of giving way too much to trifling, foolifh, unprofitable and unmeaning talk. Even tbiSjv when carried to excefs, becomes in fome degree criminal ; it produces, or at leaft increafes a frivolous turn of mind ; unfits us for the difcharge of any thing manly and ferious ; and indicates a degree of levity and thoughtlefiiiefs not very confident with a juft fenfe of thofe important inter- efts, which as candidates for heaven we fliould have con- ftantly prefent to our thoughts, nor fuitable to thofe awfal profpeds into eternity w^hich the Chriftian revelation opens to our view, and which ought to make the moft ferious impreffions on every fmcere believer in the Gofpei of Chrift. ,.<..<..<..<..<,.<..<..<..<,.<..<..<-<-<"4-< •<••<••<•■<••<••<>••>■ >■>•>••>•>■•>•■>■>••>••>• >••>••>■>•• LECTURE XI. MATTHEW xill. w. E are now arrived at the thirteenth chap- ter of Su Matthew, in which our blefTed Lord introduces a new mode of conveying his inftruii»a>tIon, to refled: calmly and feri- oully on their c vvn condutfl:, In a moral and religious point 0^ view. But if tlieir thoughts are at any time forced in- N a 170 Lecture xl wards, and they cannot help taking a view of themfelves, a deeper fource of delufion is ftill behind. The fame actions which, when committed by others, are immediate- ly difcenied to be wrong, are palhated, explained, quali- fied, and apologized away, when we happen to be guilty of them ourfelves. The circnmftances in the two cafes are difcovered to be perfeftly different in fome eifential points ; our pailions were ungovernable, the temptation irrefiftible. In fnort, fomehow or other, all guilt vanifh- es away under the management of tlie dextrous cafuift^ and the intrufion of felf-condemnation is efFedhially pre- cluded. Still there remains, It may be faid, the admonition of fome zealous friend or faithful inftruftor ; but zeal is gen- erally vehement, and often indifcreet. By exciting the refentment, and inflaming the anger of thofe it means to reform, it frequently defeats its own defigns. For who- ever is offended inftantly forgets his own faults, and dwells v/holly upon thofe of his imprudent monitor. But when the veil of parable conceals for a moment from the offend- er that he is himfelf concerned in it, he may ,2;enerally be furprized into a condemnation of every one that is guilty of a bafe difhonorable action ; and when the unexpe6ted application, Thou art the man^ comes thundering fuddenly upon him, and points out the perfeft fimilarity of the fuppofed cafe to his own, the aftoniflied criminal, over- whelmed with confufion, and driven from all his ufual fubterfuges and evafions, is compelled at length to con- demn himfelf. It v/as probably the confideration of thefe delufions, and the other reafons above affigned, which gave rife to fo general and fo ancient a cuftom of conveying moral inftruftion under the cover of imaginary agents and fidi- tious events. We find traces of it in the earlielf writers ; and it was more peculiarly cultivated in the eaft, the re- gion where religion and fcience firft took their rife. The moft ancient parables perhaps on record are thofe we meet with in the Old Teflament ; thdt of Jotham, for inf^ance, where the trees defired the bramble to reign over them* ; * Judge* ix. 14. L E C T U R E XL 171 that cf Nathan* ; that of the woman of Tekoahf , in ths reign of David ; and that of the thiftk and tlie cedar of Lebanon^, by Jehoafh, king of Ifrael. From the eaU this fpecies of compofition pafled into Greece and Italy, and thence into the reft of Europe ; and there are t\vo celebrated writers, one In the Greek, the other in the Roman tongue, whofe fables every one is acquainted with from their earlieft years. Thefe, it muft be owned, are elegant, amufmg,. and, in a certain degree, moral and inilruclive. But they are not in any degree to be compar- ed with the parables of our blefled Lord, which infinitely excel tLem, and every otlier compofition of that fpecies, iu many eiTential points. 1. In the firfl place, the fables of the ancients are ma- ny of them of a very trivial nature, or at the befc contain nothing more than maxims of mere worldly wifdom and common prudence, and fometimcs perhaps a little moral inilrudion. But the parables of our blefTed Lord relate to fiibjefis of the very higheft importance ; to the great leading prin- ciples of human condnft, to the eflential duties of man,, to the nature and progrefs of the Chriftian religion, to the moral government of the world, to the great diftinc- tions between vice and virtue, to the awful fcenes of eter- nity, to the divine influences of the Holy Spirit, to the great work of out redem.ption, to a refurredlion and a fu- ture judgment, and the diftribution of rewards and pun- illiments in a future (late ; and all this expreffed vrith a. dignity of fentirrient, and a fimplicity of language, per- fectly well fulted to the grandeur of the fubjeft. 2. In the next place, the fables of the learned hea- thens, though entertaining and well compofed, are in general cold and dry, and calculated more to pleafe the underftandlng than to touch the heart. Whereas thofe of our bleifed Lord are moft of them in the higheft degree affe61ing and interefttng. Such for inftance are the para- ble of the loft flieep, cf the prodigal fon, of the rich man and * a Sam. xii- t- + t Pp.m. ^iv. t 2 Kings xiv, 9. in LECTURE XL Lazarus, of the Pharifee and Publican, of tTie unforgiv- ing fervant, of the good Samaritan. There is nothing- m all heathen antiquity to be compared to thefe ; nothing- that fpeaks fo forcibly to our tendereft feelings and affec- tions, and leaves fuch deep arid lafting impreflions upon the foul. Sdly. The Greek and Roman fables are moft of them founded on improbable or impoffible circu-mftances, and arefuppofed converfations between animate or inanimate beings, not endowed with the power of fpeech ;. between birds, beafts, reptiles, and trees j a circumftance which' fhocks the imagination^ and of courfe weakens the force of the inftrudticn. Our Saviour's parables on the contrary are all of them images and alluficns taken from nature, and from occur- rences v/hich are moft familiar to our obfervation and ex- perience in common life ; and the events related are not only fuch as might very probably happen, but feveral of them are fuppcfed to be fuch as actually did ; and this would have the effect of a true hiflorical narrative, which we all know to carry much greater weight and authority with it than the moft ingenious fidion. Of the former fort are the rich man and Lazarus, of the good Samari- tan, and of the prodigal fon. There are others in which our Saviour feem.s to allude to fome hiftorical fafts which happened in thofe times ; as that wherein it is faid, that a king went into a far country, there to receive a kingdom. This probably refers to the hiftory of Archelaus, who, after the death of his father, Herod the Great, went to Rome to receive from Auguftus the confirmation of his father's will, by which he had the kingdom of Judea left to him. Thefe circumftances give a decided fuperiority to our Lord's parables over the fables of the ancients ; and if we compare them with thofe of the Koran, the difference is ftill greater. The parables of Mahomet are trifling ; unintercfting, tedious, and dull. Among other things which he has borrowed from Scripture, one is the para- LECTURE :^a, 17S ble of Natlia^, In which he has moft ingenuoiifly contriv- ed to deftroy all its fplrit, force, and beauty; and has £o •completely diftorted and deformed its whole texture and compofition, that if the commentator had not informed you, in very gentle terms, that it is the parable of Nathan n little d'lfgu'ifed, you would fcarce have known it to be the fame. Such is the difference between a prophet who is really infpired, and an impoflor who pretends to be fo. Nor is it only in his parables, but in his other dlfcourfes to the people, that Jefus draws his doftrines and inftrudions from the fcenes of nature, from the objeds that furround- ed him, from the mod common occurrences of life, from the feafons of the year, from fome extraordinary incidents or remarkable tranfadlions. " Thus,'' as a learned and ingenious writer has obferved*, upon curing a blind man,, ** he ftyles himfelf the light of the world, and reproves the Pharifees for their fpiritual blindnefs and inexcufable obftinacy in refufmg to be cured and enlightened by him. On little children being brought to him, he recommends the innocence, the fimplicity, the meeknefs, the humility, the docility, of that lovely age, as indifpenfable qualifi- tions for thofe that would enter into the kingdom of heav- en. Beholding the flowers of the field, and the fowls of the air, he teaches his difciples to frame right and worthy notions of that Providence which fupports and adorns them, and will therefore afTuredly not negled the fuperior order of rational beings. Obferving the fruits of the earth, he inftru6ts them to judge of men by their fruit- fulnefs under all the means of grace. From the mention of meat and drink, he leads them to the facred rite of eating his body and drinking his blood in a fpiritual fenfe. From external ablutions, he deduces the neccflity of puri- fying the heart, and cleanfmg the affections, Thofe that were filters, he teaches to be fifhers of men ; to draw them by the force of argument and perfuafion, aided by the influence of divine grace, to the belief and pradice of true religion. Seeing the money-changers, he exhorts his difciples to lay out their feveral talents to the beft advan- tage. Being among the fheep^folds, he proves himfelf ♦ Ssc Bifliop \uvx\ C^nfitleration? on the Theory of Religion, 174 L E C T U R E XL tiie true fheplierd of Souls. Among vines he difcourfes of the fpiritual hufbandman and vine-dreiler, and draws a parallel between his vineyard and the natural one. Upon the appearance of fummer in the trees before him, he points out evident figns of his approaching kingdom When the harveft comes on, he reminds his difciples of the fpiritual harveft, the harvell of true believers ; and exhorts them to labor diligently in that work, and add their prayers to Heaven for its fuccefs. From fervants being made free in the fabbatical year, he takes occafion to proclaim a nobler emancipation and more important re- demption from the flavery of fm, and the bondage of cor- ruption, by the death of Chrift. From the eminence of a city Handing on a hill, he turns his difcourfe to the con- fpicuous fituation of his own difciples. From the temple before him, he points to that of his own body ; and from Herod's unadvifedly leading out his army to meet the king of Arabia, who came againft him with a fuperior force, and defeated him, a leffon is held out to all who entered on the Chriflian warfare, that they Ihould firft well weigh and carefully compute the difficulties attending it, and by the grace of God refolve to furmount them.'' In the fame manner, when he delivered the parable of tlie fower, which we find in this chapter, and which will be the next fubjeft of our confideration, it was probably feed-time, and from the fliip in which he taught he might obferve the hufbandmen fcattering their feed upon the earth. From thence he took occafion to illuftrate, by that rural and familiar image, the different eifeds which the docTcrines of Chriftianity had on different men, according to the different tempers and difpofitions that they happen- ed to meet with. " Behold," fays he, "a fower went forth to fow. And when he fowed, fome fell by the way-fide, and the fowls came and devoured them up. Some fell upon flony places, where they had not much earth, and fortwith they fprung up, becaufe they had no deepnefs of earth ; and when the fun was up they were fcOrched, and becaufe they had no root they A\nthered away. And fome fell among tlioms, ani the thorns fprang up and choked tliem. But other LECTURE XL 175 ^ell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, fome a hundred fold, fome fixty fold, fome tliirty fold." As our bleiled Lord, foon after he had uttered this parable, ex- plained it to his difciples, it is highly proper that you ihould have this explanation in his own words. *• Hear ye, therefore," fays he, " the parable of the fower. — When any one heareth the word of the kingdom and un- derftandeth it not, then coraetli tlie wicked one, and catcheth away that which was fown in his heart. This is he which received feed by the way-fide. But he that received the feed into ilony places, the fame is he that heareth the word, and anon witli joy receiveth it ; yet hath he not root in himfelf, but dureth for a while ; for when tribulation or perfecution arifeth becaufe of the word, by and by he is offended. He alfo that received feed among the thorns, is he that heareth the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulnefs of riches choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received feed into the good ground, is he that heareth tlie word and underftandeth it ; which alfo bearetli fruit, and bringeth forth fome a hundred fold, fome fixty, fome thirty." Such is the parable of the fower, and the explanation of it by our Saviour, which will furnifh us with abundant matter for a great variety of very important reSedlions. But as thefc cannot be diftin••>•••>••>••>■•>■•>••>••>••>•>••>•>•>->••>••>•■>•>■>•> >■■►" LECTURE XII. MATTHEW xlif. continued* HE lafl Le<5lure concluded with a recital of tlie parable of the fower, and our Lord's explanation of it ; and 1 now proceed to lay before you thofe reflevlicns which it has fuggefted to my mind. In the firft place then it mufl: be obferved, that this parable, like many others, is prophetic as well as inftruc- tive ; it predicts the fate of the Chriftian religion in the -world, and the different forts of reception it will meet with from different men. And as tliis predidion is com- pletely verified by the prefent ftate of religion, as we fee it at this hour exilHng among ourfelves, it affords one ve- ry decifive proof of Chrift's power of forefeeing future events, and of courfe tends ftrongly to eftablifh the truth of his pretenfions, and the divine authority of his religion. In the next place it is evident tliat there are four differ- ent clafTes of men here defcribed, which comprehend all the different religious or irreligious charat^ers tliat are to be met with in the world. The firft confifts of thofe ** that hear the word of the kingdom (as our Lord ex- prefies it) andunderftand it not ; then cpmeth the wicked one and catcheth away that which was fown in their hearts. Thefe are tliey, fays he, which received feed by the way- fide." By thefe are meant thofe perfons whofe minds, like the beaten high road, are hard and impenetrable, and inacceflible to convii^tion. Of tliefe we all know there are too many in the world ; fome who have imbibed early and deep-rooted prejudices againft Chriftianity ; v/ho either conceiving themfelves fuperior to the reft of mankind in genius, knowledge, and penetration, rejedt with fcorn whatever tlie bulk of mankind receives v/ith veneratipn, O 178 LECTURE XII. and ered favourite fyftems of their own, which they con- ceive to be the very perfedion of human wifdom ; or, on the other hand, having been unfortunately very early ini- tiated in the writings of modern philofophills, implicitly adopt the opinions of thofe whom they confider as the great luminaries and oracles of the age, receive ridicule as argument, and afTertion as proof and prefer the fdly witticifms, the fpecious fophiftry, the metaphyfical fubtle- ty, the courfe buffoonery, which diftinguifh many of the moft popular opponents of our faith, to the fimpllclty, dignity, and fublimity of the divine truths of the Gofpel. Thefe are the profelTed infidels, or, as they choofe to ftyle themfelves, the difciples of philofophy and reafon, and the enemies of priedcraft, fanaticifm, and fuperftition. But beildes thefe there is another defcription of men, on whom the good feek makes little or no imprefhon ; thefe are the thoughtlefs, the inattentive, the inconfiderate, the trifling, the gay, who think of nothing beyond the pre- fent fcene, and who do not confider themfelves as in the fmallell degree intereiled in any thing elfe. Thefe men, without profeffing themfelves unbelievers, without formal- ly and exphcitly rejecting the Gofpel, yet do In fad never concern themfelves about it. It forms no part of their fyftem, it does not at all enter into their plans of life. The former fort above defcribed are infidels on principle ; thefe are practical infidels, without any prmciple at all. Being born of Chrifllan parents, and inflru6led perhaps in the firft rudiments of Chriftianlty, they call themfelves Chrif- tian ; they attend divine fervice, they repeat their prayers, they liften to the difcourfes of the preacher, they make no obje-ftions to what they hear, they queftion not the pro- priety of what they are taught ? but here their religion ends ; it never goes beyond the furface, it never penetrates into tlieir hearts. It lies on the hard beaten highway. The inllant they leave the church, every idea of religion van- ifhes out of their thoughts ; they never refiefl for one mo- ment on what they have heard ; they never confider the infinite importance of what is to happen after death ? the awful profpefts of eternity never prefent themfelves to their minds, neither excite their hopes nor alarm their fears.— ^ LECTURE Xn, 17i^ ** With their mouths indeed they confefs the Lord Jefus, but they do not 'believe with their hearts unto falvation ;" and although perhaps in the wide wafte of a trifling infig- nificant hfe, a few worthy a6iions or a few fcHtary virtues appear, yet their affections are not fet on things above, their hopes are not centered there, their views do not tend there ; their treaiure is on earth, and there is their heart alfo. Thefe two charafters, the hardened unbeliever, and the mere nominal Chriftian, conftitute the firft clafs defcribed by our Saviour in the parable of the fower. Thefe are they which receive the feed by the way fide, where it lies neglected upon the furface, 4:ill " the fowls of the air de- vour it, or the wicked one catcheth it out of their hearts ;'* and there is an end at once of all their hopes of falvation, .perhaps for ever. Secondly, There is another fort of foil mentioned in the parable, which gives the feed at firfl a more favourable re- ception. When it falls on ftony ground, it finds no great difficulty in gaining admiffion into a little loofe earth fcat- tcred upon a rock ; it fprings up with amazing rapidity ; but no fooner " does the fun rife upon it with its fcorching heat, than it withers away for want of depth of earth, root, and moifture," What a lively reprefentation is this of weak and unlia- ble Chriftians ! They receive Chriftianity at firft with glad- nefs ; they are extremely ready to be made eternally hap- py, and fappofe that they have nothing elfe to do but to repeat theif creed, and take poffeffion of heaven. But when they find that there are certain conditions to be per- formed on t/mr parts alfo ; that they m-uil give up their favourite interefts and reftrain their ftrongeft paffions, mull fometimes even pluck out a right eye or tear off a right arm ; that they muft take up their crofs and follow a cru- cified Saviour through many difficulties, diftre/Tes, and perfecuticns, their ardour and alacrity are inftantly extin- guifhed. They want ftrength of mind, foundnefs of prin- ciple, and fmcerity of faith to fupport them. No wonder then that they fall away and depart from their allegiance aso X E C T U R E XIL to their divine Mafter and Redeemer. This is the feconS fort of hearers defcribed in the parable, *• that receive the word at RrH with joy ; but having no root in themfelves, when tribulation and perfecution arife becaufe of the word, by and by they are offended." This refers more imme- diately to the firft difciples and iirft preachers of the Gof- pel, who were expofed in the difcharge of their high of- fice to the fevered trials, and the crueleft perfecutions from their numerous and powerful enemies. Some of them undoubtedly, who had not fufEcient root in themfelves, gave way to the ftorms that affailed them, and made ffiip- wreck of their faith, as our Lord here foretels that they would. But others we know flood firm and unmoved, amidft the mofl tremenduous dangers, and underwent, with unparalleled fortitude, the moft excruciating torments. The defcription which the writer to the Hebrews gives of the faints and prophets of old, may, with the flriclefl truth, be applied to the apollles and their fucceffors in the iirft ages of the Gofpel, under the various perfecutions to which they were expofed. "** They had trial of cruel mockings and fcourgings, yea m.oreover of bonds and im- prifonments. They were ftoned, they were fawn aflmder, were tempted, were llain with the fword, were deftitute, afflidted, tormented*." All thefe barbarities they "endur- ed with unfhaken patience and firmnefs, and thereby bore the flrongeft poffible teftimony, not only to their own fni- cerity, but to the divine and miraculous infiaence of the religion which they taught. For it is juftly and forcibly obferved by the excellent Mr. Addifon, that the aftonifh- ing and unexampled fortitude which was fhewn by innu- merable m.ultitudes of martyrs, in thofe flow and painful torments that were infli6ted on them, is nothing lefs than ajlanding rmrack during the three firft centuries. " I cagt- not, fays he, conceive a man placed in the burning iron chair of Lyons, amidft the infults and mockeries of .1 crowded amphitheatre, and ftill keeping his feat ; or ftretched upon a grate of iron over an intenfe fire, and breathing out his foul amidft the exquifite fufFerings of fuch a tedious execution, rather than renounce his religion, or blafphenic his Saviour, without fuppofing fomethin^ * Hebrew w, 37, LECTURE Xir. 1st fiipernatiiral. Such trials feem to me above the (liength of human nature, and able to oTerbear duty, reafon, faith, convidion, nay, and the moft abfolute certainty of a future ftate. We can eafily imagine that a few perfons in fo good a caufe might have laid down their lives at the gibbet, the ftake, or the blocli: ; but that multiiudes of each fex, of every age, of different countries and condi- tions, Ihould, for near three ^xundr^d years together, ex- pire leifurely amidft the moll exquifite tortures, rather than apoftatize from the truth, has fomething in it fo far be- yond the natural flrength and force of mortals, that one cannot but conclude there was fome miraculous power to fupport the fufFerers ; and if {q, here is at once a proof, from hi (lory and from fa(5t, of the divine origin of our religion*." There is a third portion of the (eed that falls among thorns. This wants neither root nor depth of earth. It grows up ; but the misfortune is, that the thorns grov/ up with it. The fault of the foil is not tliat of bearing noth- ing, but of bearing too much ; of be?.ring what it ought not, of exhaufling its flrength and nutrition on vile and worthlefs produflions, which choke the good feed, and prevent it from coming to perfection. " Thefe are they, fays our Saviour, in the parallel place of ^t. Luke, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares, and riches, and pleafures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfedlion." In their youth perhaps they receive reli- gious inllrudion, they Imbibe right principles, and liften to good advice ; but no fooner do they go forth , no fooner do they leave thofe pei-foiis and thofe places from whom they received them, than they take the road either of bu- fmefs or of pleafure, purfue their interefts, their "amufe- ments, or their guilty indulgences with unbounded eager- nefs, and have neither time nor inclination to cultivate the feeds of religion that have been fown in their hearts, and to eradicate the, weeds that have been mingled with tliem. The confequence is, that the v^-eeds prevail, and the fe^ds ^are choked and lod. * Addifon's Evidences, S. 7. IB2 LECTURE XII. Can there poffibly be a more faithful pidure of a- large- proportion of the Chrlftian world ? Let us look around us^ and obferve how the greater part of thofe we meet with • are employed. In what is it that their thoughts are bufi- ed, their views, their hopes, and their fears eentured, their attention occupied, their hearts and fouls and, affections en- gaged ? Is it in fearching the Scriptures, in meditating on. its do(5lrines, its precepts, its exhortations, its promifes,. and its threats ? Is it in communing with their own hearts,, in probing them to the very bottom, in looking carefully whether there be any way of wickednefs in .them, in pluck- ing out every noxious weed, and leaving room for the good feed to grow and fwell and expand itfelf, and bring forth fruit to perfection ? Is^ it in cultivating pu-rity of manners,, a fpirit of charity towards the whole human race, and the^ moft exalted fentiments of piety, gratitude, and love to- wards their Maker and Redeemer ? Tliefe I fear are far from being the general and principal occupations of man- kind. Too many of them are, God knows, very differ- ently employed. They are overwhelmed with bufmefs, they are devoted to amufernent, they^are immerfed in fen- fuality, they are mad with ambition,' they are idolaters of wealth, of power, of glory, of fame. On thefe things all their affedions are fixed. Thefe are the great objeCls of their purfuit ; and if any accidental thought of reli- gion happens to crofs their way, they inftantly difmifs the mibidden, unw^elcome gueft, v/ith the anfwer of Felix to Paul, " Go thy v/ay for this time ; when we have a. con^' venient feafon we will fend for thee." But how then, it is faid, are we to conduCl: ourfelves ? If Providence has bleffed us with riches, with honor, with pov/er, with reputation, are we to reject thefe gifts of our heavenly Father ; or ought we not rather to accept them with thankfulnefs, and enjoy with gratitude, ,the advan- tages and the comforts which his bounty has bellowed up- on us ? Moll aikiredly we ought. But then they are to be enjoyed aifo with innocence, with temperance, and with moderation. They muft not be allowed to ufurp the firfl place in our hearts. They mufl not be permitted to fup- LECTURE Xir. IS5 plant God in our afFedlon, or to difpute that pre-eminence and priority which he claims over every propenfity of our nature. This and this only can prevent the good {eed from being choked with the cares, the rices, and the plea- fures of the prefent life. We now come in the lall place to the feed which fell on good ground, which our Lord tells us in St. Luke, de- notes thofe that in an honeft and good heart, having heard word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience, fome an hundred fold, fome fixty, fome thirty. We here fee that the firft and principal qualification for hearing the word of God, for keeping it, for rendering it capable of bringing forth fruit, is an honeft and a good heart ; that is, a heart free from all thofe evil difpofitions and corrupt paflions which blind the eyes, diftort the un- derftanding, and obftrudi: the admiffion of divine truth ; a heart perfe(5lly clear from prejudice, from pride, from vanity, from felf-fufficiency, and felf-conceit ; a heart fincerely difpofed and earaeftly defirous to find out the truth, and firmly refoived to embrace it when found ;-— ready to acknowledge its own ignorance, and v/eaknefs, and corruption, and " to receive with meeknefs the in- grafted word, which is able to fave the foul." This is that innocence and fimplicity and fmglenefs of mind, which we find fo frequently recom.mended and fo highly applauded by our blefifed Lord, and which is fo beautifully and feelingly defcribed when young children were brought to him that he fhould touch them, and were checked by his difciples. " Suffer little children to come unto me, fays he, and forbid them not, for of fuch is the kingdom of heaven ; and then he adds, whofoever fliall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child he fhall not enter therein*." Here, in a few words, and by a moft fignificant and atleffting emblem, is exprefTed that temper and difpofition of mind which is the moil effential qualifi- cation for the kingdom of heaven. Unlefs we come to the Gofpel with that meeknefs, gentlenefs, dogility, and * Mark x. 14, x$. 184. LECTURE XII. guilelefs fimpiicity, which conftitute the charaiJler of z child, and render him fo lovely and captivating, we can- not enter into the kingdom of heaven ; vv-e cannot either aiTent to the evidence, believe the doftrines, or obey the precepts of the Chriftian religion. Hence we fee the true reafon why fo many men of diftinguifhed talents have rejeft- ed the religion of Chrift. It is not becaufe its evidences are defedive, or its doftrines repugnant to reafon ; it is be- caufe tlieir difpoiitions were the very re-verfe of what the Gofpel requires ; becaufe (as their writings evidently fhow) the)'- were high-fpirited, violent, proud, conceited, vain, difdainful, and fometimes profligate too ; becaufe, in fliort, they wanted that honell and good heart, vrhich not only receives the good feed, but keeps it, and nouriflies it with unceafmg patience, till it bring forth fruit to perfection. They could not enter into the marriage feaft becaufe they had not on the wedding garment, becaufe they were not clothed iviih humiliiy^. For " God refifteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Them ' that are meek Ihall he guide in judgment, and fuch as are gentle, them fhall he learn his wayf ." But here arifes a difficulty on which the enemies ©f our faith lay great ftrefs, and frequently alledge as an excufe for their infidelity and impiety. If, fay they, the fuccefs of the good feed depends on the foil in which it is fown, the fuccefs of the Gofpel mufl, in the fame manner, de- pend (as this very parable is meant to prove) on the teni- per and difpcfition of the recipient, of the perfon to whom it is oS'ered. Now this temper and difpofition are not of our own making : they are the work of nature ; they are what our Creator has given us. If then, in any particu- lar inflance, they are unfortunately fuch as difqualify lis for the reception of the Gofpel, the fault is not ours ; it is in the foil, it is in cur natural conftitution, for which farely we cannot be held refponfible. This plea is fpecious and plaufible ; but it is nothing more- The fa6t is, that the imbecility and corruption in- troduced into our moral frame by the fall cf cur firft pa- * I Pet. V. 5. f James, iv. 6. Tfalni, x>v, 9. LECTURE XII. 185 rents, is in fome meafure felt by all ; but undoubtedly in different individuals fliews itfelf in different degrees, and thai from their very earlieft years. Look at any large family of children living together under the eye of their parents, and you will frequently difcovcr in them a fur- prizing variety of tempers, humors, and difpofitions ; end although the fame infl:ru»5lions are given to all, the liime care and attention, the fame difcipline, the fame vigilance exercifed over each, yet fome fhall be, in their general conduft, meek, gentle, and fubmiffive ; others impetuous, paffionate, and froward ; fome a■■>•■>••>•■>•>■•>■>•■>•>••>•>••>••>••>■■>•>•>■■>■>•■>■•>■' LECTURE XIIL MATTHEW xili'. continued. T HE Lectures of the laft year concluded with an explanation of the parable of the fower ; and immedi- ately after this follows in the Gofpel the parable of the tares, which will be the fubje(5l of our prefent confidera- tion*. The parable is as follows : " The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which fowed good feed in his field ; but while men flept, his enemy came and fowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was fprung up, and brought forth fruit, then ap- peared the tares alfo. So the fervants of the houfeholder came and faid unto him, Sir, didft thou not fow good feed in tliy field ; from whence then hath it tares ? He faid unto them, an enemy hath done this. The fervants faid unto him, wilt thou tlien that we go and gather them up. But he faid nay, left while ye gather up the tares» ye root up alfo the wheat with them. Let both grow together unto the harveft ; and in the time of harveft I will fay to the reapers, gather ye together firft the tares, and bind them up in bundles to bum them, but gather the wheet into my barn." After our Lord had delivered his parable, and one or two more very Ihort ones, we are told that he fent the multitude away, and went into the houfe ; and his difci- ples came unto him faying, " Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He anfwered and faid unto them, he that foweth the good feed is the Son of man. The field is the world ; the good feed are the children of the kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked * Matth. xiii. 34. P 194^ LECTURE XIII, one. Tlie enemy that fowed them is the devil. The har- veft is the end of the world, and the reapers are the an- gels. As tlierefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, fo fhall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man fhall fend forth his angels, and they {hall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquit;f, and fiiall caft them into a furnace of fire, there fhall be weeping and gnafning of teeth. Then fhall the righteous fliine forth as the lim in the kingdom of their Father: who hath ears to hear let him hear." This parable well deferves our mofl: ferlous confidera- tion, as it gives an anfwer to tvfo quePcions of gren.t cu- riofity and great importance, which have exercifed the ingenuity and agitated the minds of thinking men from the earlieft times to the prefent, and perhaps were never, at any period of the world, more interefting than at this very hour. Tlie £rft of thcfe queflions is, how came moral evil into the world ? The next is, why it is fuffered to remain a fmglc mo- ment ; and wh]'' is not every wicked man immediately puniflied as he deferves ? The firft of thefe queflions has, we know, in almoft all ages, and in all countries, been a conflant fubje(5t of in- veftigation and controverfy among metaphyficians and theologians, and has given birth to an infinity of fanciful theories and fyftems, to one more particularly in our own times, by a miin of very diflinguifhed talents* ; all which however have failed of folving the diihculty, and have proved nothing more than this mortifying and humil- iating truth, namely, the extreme weaknefs of the hu- man intellcift, when applied to fubjedls fo far above its reach, and the utter inalDllity of m.an to fathom the coun- fels of the Moft High, and to develop the myflerlous ways •of his providence, by the folc flrength of unafTifted rea- * Soame Jenyns. LECTURE XIIL 195 foil*. That thofe who were never favored with the light of revelation ftiould indulge themfelves in fuch abftrufe fpeculations, can be no great wonder, but that they who have accefs to tlie original fountain of truth, and can draw from that facred fource the moft authentic information on this point, fhould have recourfe to the fallible conjedluros of human ingenuity, and fhould hew out to themfelves " cifterns, broken cifterns, that can hold no water," is a moft unaccountable error of judgment, and a ftrange miifapplication of talents, and wafte of labor and of timxe. We are told in tlie very beginning of the Bible, that he who firft brought fm or moral evil into the world, was that great adverfary of the human race, the devil, who firft tempted the woman, and flie the man, to ad in di- re<5l contradidion to the commands of their Maker. This a6t of difobedience deftroyed at once that inno- cence and purity and integrity of mind, with which they came out of the hands of their Creator ; gave an hnme- diate and dreadful Ihock to their whole moral frame, and introduced into it all thofe corrupt propenfities and difor- dered paffions which they bequeathed as a fatal legacy to their defcendants ; of which we all now feel the bitter fruits, and have, I fear, by our own perfonal and volun- tary tranfgreflions, not a little improved the wretched in- heritance we received from our anceftors. This is the true origin of moral evil ; and it is exprefsly confirmed by our Saviour in the parable before us ; in which, when the fer- vants of the houfeholder exprefs their furprife at finding tares among the wheat, and afk whence they came, his aiifwer is, a?i enemy hath done this ; and that enemy our our Lord informs us is the devil ; that inveterate implaca- ble enemy (as the very name of Satan imports) of the human race, the original autlior of all our calamities, and * Among the dilTertations of Plutarch (which go by the name of his morals,) there is a very curious and ingenious one, \x\X.\t\c6 peri ten upo iou the'iou bradeos timdroumeiwn, concerning tliofe whom the Deity is How in punifhjng. In tliis, among other juft rem.arks, he obferves, " that many things which great generals, and legiflators, and ftatef- men do, are to common obfervers incomprehenfible. What wonder is it then, Tays he, if we cannot underftand why the gods infiivft pun- ifliment on the wicked, fometimcs at an earlier, fometimes at a later period? Plut. Ed. Xyland. v. %, p. 549- F. 196 LECTURE XIII. at this moment the prime mover and great mafter-fpring of all the wickednefs and all the mifery that now over- whelm the world. To this accomit great objections have been made, and no fmall pains taken to confute, to expofe, and to ridicule it. But after all the wit and buffoonery which have been lavifhed upon it, it may fafely be affirmed, and might eafily be fhown, -that it ftands on firmer ground, and is encumbered with fewer difficulties than any other hypothe- fis that has been yet propofcd. But ftill, as I have already obferved, there rem.ains another very important queftion to be anfv/ered. Why is the wickednefs of man, from whatever fource it fprings, fuffered to pafs unobferved and unpuniflied by the Judge of all the earth ? Why is not the bold offender ftopped ffiort in his career of vice and iniquity ? Wliy is he permit- ted to go on triuniphantly, without any obflacle to his wiflies, to infult, opprefs, and harafs the virtuous and the good, without the lead check or control, and, as it were to brave the vengeance of the Almighty, and fet at nought the great Governor of the world ? Why, in fhort, in the language of the parable, are the tares allowed to grow up unmolefted with the wheat, to choke its vigour and im- pede its growth ? Why are they not plucked up inftantly with an indignant hand, and thrown to the dung-hill, or committed to the flames ? This has been a moft grievous " Humbling ftone, a rock of offence," not only to the unthinking crowd, but to men of ferious thought and refledlion in every age ; and fcarce any thing has more perplexed and difturbed the minds of the good, or given more encouragement or au- dacity to the bad, than the little notice that feems to be taken of the moil enormous crimes, and the little dii- tinaion that is apparently made between " the wheat and the tares, between the righteous and the wicked, betv%rcen him that fcrveth God and him that ferveth him not." The reflediions which thefe myfterious proceedings are apt to excite even in the bell and humblcft of men, are LECTURE XIII. 197 moft inimitably exprefTed by the royal Pfalmift in the 73d Pfalm, where you fee all the different turns and workings of his mind laid open without difguife, and all the various ideas and fentiments that fueceffively took poffeilion of his foul in the progrefs of his enquir)^, defcribed in the moil natural and affeding manner. " Truly, fays he (with that piety which conftantly infpires him) God is loving to Ifrael ; even unto fuch as are of a clean heart ; nevertlie- lefs my feet were almoft gone ; my treadings had well nigh flipped. And why ? I was grieved at the wicked ; I do alfo fee the ungodly in fuch profperity. For tliey are in no peril of death, but are lufty and ftrong. They coma in no misfortune like other folk ; neither are they plagued like other men. And this is the caufe, that they are fo holden with pride, and overwhelmed with cruelty. Their eyes fwell with fatnefs, and they do even what they luft. They corrupt other, and fpeak of wicked blafphemy ; their talking is againft the Moft High. Tufh, fay they, how lliould God perceive it ; is there knowledge in the Moft High ? Lo, thefe are the ungodly. Thefe profper in the world, and thefe have riches in pofTeffion. And I faid, then I have cleanfed my heart in vain, and waflied my hands in innocency l^'' Sentiments fuch as thefe are, I believe, what many good men have found occafionally rifmg in their minds, on obferving the profperity of the worthlefs part of man- kind. But never were they before fo beautifully and fo feelingly exprefled as in this pafTage. Thefe complaints, however, foon pafs away with men of pious difpofitions, and end in meek fubmiffion to the will of Heaven. But not fo with the wicked and profane. By them the for- bearance of Heaven towards fmners isfometimes pervert- ed to the very worft purpofes, and made ufe of as an ar- gument to encourage and confirm them in the career of vice. This effed: is well and accuraOely defcribed in the book of Ecclefiaftes. " Becaufe fentence againft an evil Vv^ork is not executed fpeedily, therefore the hearts of the fons of men are fully fet in them to do evil*." * Eccles. viii, ii. 198 LECTURE XIII. It was to obviate thefe fatal ronfequences, as well as to give fupport and confolation to the good, that our Lord delivered this parable of the tares and the wheat, which will enable us to folve the arduous queftion above-men- tioned, arifmg from the impunity and profperity of the wicked, and to vindicate in this inftance the ways of God to man. But before I begin to flate and explain the reafons of that forbearance and lenity towards fmners, which is fo much objefted to in the divine adminillration of the world, I mull take notice of one very mateiial circumllance in the cafe, which is, that the evil complained of is greatly magnified, and reprefented to be much more generally prevalent than it really is. The fad: is, that although punifliment does not alivays overtake the wicked in this life, yet it falls upon them more frequently and heavily than we are aAvare of. They are often puniflied when we do not obferve it ; but they are alfo fometimes pi.milhed in the mod public and confpicuous manner. The very firfl offence committed by man after the cre- ation of the world v^as, as v^e know to our coft, followed by immediate and exemplary punifhment. The next great criminal, Cain, was rendered a fugitive and a vagabond upon earth, and held up as an objed: of execration and abhorrence to mankind. When the whole earth was funk in wickednefs, it was overwhelmed by a deluge. The abominations of Sodom and Gomorrah were avenged by lire from heaven. The tyrant Pliaraoh and his hoft were drowned in the Red Sea. Koran, Dathan, and Abiram, and their rebellious companions, v/ere buried alive in the bowels of the earth. It was for their portentous vv icked- nefs and favage pradices that the Canaanite nations were exterminated by the Ifraelites ; and it was for their idola- tries, their licentioufnefs, and their rebellions againfl God, that the Ifraelites themfelves were repeatedly driven into exile, reduced to fiavery, and at length their city, their tcnjple, and their whole civil polity utterly deftroyed, and themfelves fcattered and difperfed over every part of the known world, and every where treated with derifion and LECTURE Xni. i^J» contempt. It will be faid, perhaps, that thefe were the confequences of the peculiar theocratic form of their gov=.- emment, under which the rew^ards and the punifhments were temporal and immediate, and that they are not to be expe^fred in the prefent ftate of human affairs. Still how- ever they are proofs, and tremendous proofs, that God is not an inattentive and unconcerned fpedcator of hum.an wickednefs. But let us come to our own times, and to the fates and fortunes of individuals under our own ob- fervation. Do we not continually fee that they who in- dulge their paffions without control,, and give an unbound- ed loofe to ever/ corrupt propenfity of their hearts, are fooner or later the vidims of their own intemperance and licentioufnefs ? Do they not madly facrifice to the love of pleafure, and frequently v/ithin a very fhort fpace of time, their health, their fortune, their chara<5lers, their'peace of mind, and that too completely and effecflually, and be- yond all hopes of recovery ? The inftances of this are many and dreadful, without taking into the account fuch flagrant crimes as deliver men over into the hands of pub- lic juftice. Now what is all this but the fentence of God fpeedily executed againft evil works ? It may be alledged, tliat thefe are only the natural confequences of wrong con- dud:, and not the immediate judicial infliftions of Heaven. But who is it that has made thefe evils the natural confe- quences of vice ? Who but the great Author of nature ? He hath purpofely formed his world and his creature man in fuch a manner, that thefe penalties (hall follow clofe upon wickednefs, as a prefent mark of his abhorrence and deteftation of it ; and they fall on many offenders, both fo fpeedily and fo heavily, that till fecond thoughts correct th« firft impreffion, it feems almoft an impeachment of. his goodnefs that he inflidls them. Still it muft be confelTed that wickednefs Is fometimes triumphant ; and fo alfo does folly fometimes meet with fuccefs in the world ; but it is true notwichftanding, that it labors under great difadvantages, and immoral conduct under ftill greater. The tiatiiral tendency of fin is to mif- ery. Accidents may now and then prevent this, but not generally ; art and cunning may evade it> but not nearly fo often as men imagine. 200 LECTURE XIII. But fuppofmg the guilty to efcape for a time all fuiGTer-^ ings, and in confequence of it, to pleafe themfelves high- ly with the prudence of their choice ; yet ftill punifhment> though flow, may overtake them at laft. The blindnefs of fach men to confequences is quite aftoniftiing. One man evades the penalties of human lav^^s in a few inftan- ces, and therefore C9ncludes he fhall never be overtaken by them. Another preferves his reputation for a time, and thence imagines it to be perfedly fecure. A third finds his health hold out a few years, and therefore has not the'leaft fufpicion that what he is always undermining muft fall at laft. Now each of thefe may, if he pleafes, applaud his own wifdom ; but every one elfe muft fee his extreme ftupidity and folly. In fad:, whoever commits fm has fwallowed poifon, which from that moment begins to operate ; at firft perhaps by a pleafmg intoxication, afterward by flow and uncertain degrees, but ftill the difeafe is within, and is mortal ; and fnice it may every inftant break out with fatal violence, it is a melancholy thing to fee the perfon in- feded filled with a mad joy, which muft end in heavinefs and death. Vice, efpecially of fome forts, afFeds to wear a fmiling countenance, and the days that are fpent in it pafs along for a time pleafantly enough ; but little do the poor wretch- es that are deluded by it refle<5l what bittemefs they are treafuring up for the reft of life, and how foon they m.ay come to tafte it in fuch confequences, as even the complet- eft reformation, and the ftricteft care afterwards, will very imperfedly either prevent or cure. After all, however, it muft be acknowledged, that there are numbers of v/ortlilefs and profligate men, who go en for a confiderable length of time, perhaps even to the end of their days, in a full tide of worldly profperity> blelfed with every thing that is thought moft valuable in this life, wealth, power, rank, health and ftrength, and enjoying all thefe advantages without interruption and al- loy, " corning in no misfortune like other folk, and not plagued or affii own hand. * Gen. xvlii. 2j. f Ifaiah x- 5. 206 LECTURE XIIL There is ftill another very important conli deration, which may frequently occafion a delay in punifhing even grievous offenders ; and that is, the goodnefs and long- fuffering of God, who is not willing that any fhould per- ifli, but that all fhould have time for repentance. He who looks into the hearts of men, may fee various reafons for fparing thofe whom we would confign to im- mediate deftrudion. He may difcern fome good qualites in them which are unknown to us, fome good difpofitions and good principles, which have entirely efcaped our ob- fervation. He may perceive that they have been betrayed into the crimes they have committed, more by unfortunate circumfiiances, by eiTor of judgment, by miftaken zeal, by wrong education, by the folicitation and the influence of wortfiefs companions, than by an incurable and invet- rate depravity of heart. He may fee, that amidft a mul- titude of vile weeds, there are ftill fome feeds of virtue remaining in their breafts, which, if duly cheriftied and foftered, and cultivated with care and tendernefs, may produce moft valuable fruits of righteoufnefs. " He is unwilling therefore to break the bruifed reed, or to quench the fmoking flax*." He is unwilling to deftroy what may ftill pofl[ibly be reftored ; he is unwilling to extingulfti, by feverity, the fainteft fparks of latent goodnefs. He fees, in fhort, that if they have time for reflexion, if they have fpace for repentance, they ivlll repent, and he gracioufly gives them a refpite for that purpofef . * Matth. xii. 20. f " Thofe offenders wliom the Deity knows to be abfolutely- incur- able, he deftroys ; but to thofe in whom he difcovers fome good difpo- fitions, and a probability of reformation, he gives time for amend- ment. Thus by immediate punifhment he corrects a feiv, but by fome- times delaying it he recovers and reforms ?wa;2y Piut. v. a p. 551. C. D, To this may be added another fine obfervation of the fame author ; *' that God is fometimes flow in punifhing the wicked, in order to teach us mortals a leffon of moderation ; to reprefs that vehemence and pre- cipitation with which we are fometimes impelled to avenge ourfelves on thofe that offend us In the firid heat of our paflion immediately and immoderately? and to induce us to imitate that mlldnefs, patience, and forbearance, which He is often fo merciful as to exerclfc towards thofe that have incurred his difoleafure." P. 550- F. • LECTURE XIII. 207 And {hall we repine or murmur at this forbearance, tiiis indulgence of God towards fmners i Are not we our- felves all of us fmners, miferable fmners : and do we think that God treats us with too much indulgence ? Is there any one here prefent who would be content that God fhould immediately, and without mercy, infiidl on him the utmoll punifhment which his fms juftly deferve ? "WHiat, alas ! would become of the very bed of us, if this was the cafe ; and who could abide thefe judgments of the Lord ? And how then can we refufe to others that mercy of which we ftand fo much in need ourfelves ? It is evident, and we fee it every day, tliat men who once were profligate have in time become eminently virtu- ous ; and what pity would it have been if extreme or un- timely feverity had either fuddenly cut them off, orliard- ened them in their wickednefs ! Great minds are fometimes apt to fly out into exceffes at their firfl: outfet, but after- wards, upon refledion, and with proper culture, rife up to the pradice of the noblefl: virtues. And it is mercy worthy of God to exercife, and which men infliead of cenfuring ought to admire and adore, if he choofes the aailder, though flower methods, with thofe who are capa- ble of being reformed by them. Thefe fentiments cannot be better illufl:rated than by the example of St. Paul. That illuftTious apoftle was we know once, as he himfelf confelfes, t/jc chief of f inner s ; he was a fiery zealot, and a furious perfecutor of the firfl: Chriftians, breathing out continually threatening and flaughter againfc them, mak- ing havoc of the Church, entering into every houfe, and hauling men and women to prifon ; and being, as he ex- preffes it, exceedingly mad againfl: them, he perfecuted them unto Arrange cities, and when they were put to death, he gave his voice againfl: them. In the eye of the Chrif- tian world then at that time, he mufl: have been conflder- ed as one of the fitteft objeifls of divine vengeance, as a perfecutor and a murderer, vdio ought to be cut off in an inrtant from the face of the earth. But the great Difcenier of Hearts thought otherwife. Ke faw that all this cruelty, great as it undoubtedly was, ^8 LECTURE XIIL arofe, not from a difpofition naturally favage and fero- cious, but from ignorance, from early religious prejudi- ces, from mifguided zeal, from a firm perfuafion that by thefe a6ts of feverity againft the firft Chrillians he was do- ing God fervice. He faw that this fame fervor of mind, this excefs of zeal, properly informed and properly di- redted, would make him a moft active and able advocate of that very caufe which he had fo violently oppofed. In- ftead therefore of an extraordinary a^ of power to deftroy him, he vifibly interpofed to fave him. He was in a mi- raculous manner converted to the Chriftian faith, and be- came the principal inftrument of diffufnig it through the world. We fee tlien what baneful efFedls would fometimes arife from the immediate punifhment even of notorious delinquents. It would in this cafe have deprived the Chriftian world of the abilities, the eloquence, the indefa- tigable and fuccefsful exertions of this learned and intrepid apoftle, whofe converfion gave a ftrong additional evidence to the truth of the Gofpel, and who laid down his life for the religion he had embraced. Yet notwithftanding all the reafons for fometimes de- laying the punifhment of guilt in the prefent world, it cannot be denied that there are fome inftances of profper- ous wickednefs, which cannot well be accounted for by any of them ; and therefore, for a complete vindication of the moral government of God, we muft have recourfe to the concluding part of the parable, which will give us the fuUeft fatisfacflion on this interefting fubje(5l. To the queftlon of the fervants, whether they {hould gather up the tares from the midft of the wheat, the houfeholder anfwers, " nay ; left while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat alfo. Let both grow together until the har- veft, and in the time of harveft I will fay to the reapers, gathei' ye together firft the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." The harveft, our Lord tells us in his explanation, is the end of the world, at which awful period the Son of man ftiall fend forth his angels, and they ihall " gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniqui- ty, and fliall caft them into a furnace of fire ; there ftiall L E C T U R E XIII. 209 he weeping and gnaflilng of teeth. Then fhall the right- eous ftiine forth as the fan in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear*." Here then is the great mafter-key to the whole of this myilerious difpenfation of Heaven. God we fee, has ap- pointed a day when every deficiency in his adminiftration ihall be fupplied, and every feeming difproportion and in- equality fhall be redlifiedf . Even in this v/orld it appears that wickednefs is punilh- ed in fome meafure, and to a certain degree ; and we have feen that the intcrefts of virtue itfelf, among other confiderations, require that it fhould not be inftantly pun- ifhed to the full extent of its deferts, God is perpetually iliowing, even in the prefent life, his different regard to right and ^^nrong, by every fuch method as the conftitution . of the world which he has created admits ; and therefore no fooner fhall that world come to an end, and all obfta- cles to an equal adminiftration of juftice be taken out of the way, than he fhall come to execute righteous judg- ment upon earth. " He is not flack as men count flacknefsj,'* that is neg- ligent and remifs ; he only waits for tlie proper feafon of doing all that hitherto remains undone* Human weak- nefs indeed, by a fmall delay of punifhing, may lofe the power of doing it for ever. " But in the Lord Jehovah is everlafting ftrengthj." Human inconflancy may be vehement and paffionate at firfl ; then negligent and lan- guid. The fenfe of an unworthy adion that does not injure us, quickly v/ears out of our mind ; and if we take no immediate notice of it, we fliall pofTibly take none at * Matth. xiil. 41, 4%, 43. f " As the foul furvives the dlffolution of the body (fays the excel- lent Plutarch) and cxifts after death, it is mofl probable that it will receive rewards and punifliments in a future ftate ; for it goes through a. kind of conteft during the prefent life, and when that is over, it will have its due recompence hereafter." 561. A. How nearly does this approach to the do(2nne of the Gofpel, which had been promulgated nearly one hundred years before Plu- tarch wrote But thanks be to God, what this great man though* only probable, we have the happincfs of knowing to be certain- \ % Pet, ii». 9. ^ Ifaiah xxvi. 4 Q .^IG LECTURE XIIL; all. But v:e muft not think' God to be fuch an one as ourfelves. Eternity itfelf will make no change in his ab- horrence of wickednefs, nor will any thing either tranfport him to act before his appointed time, or prevail upon him to give a refpite when tliat time comes. The fmners of the antediluvian v/orld, abufing the long fpace of one hundred and tv/enty years which ho allowed for their re- pentance, periftied at the end of it without mercy. The angels who fell from their firil eftate before this earth was created, he has referved for torments, that fliall not finally take place till it is conilimed*. The fame im.portant period his Infinite wifdom has marked out for the final judgment of men. And undoubt- edly it may produce advantages of unfpeakable moment thus to defer juftice, vdth a defign of rendering fome cho- fen parts of duration mem.orable thi-oughout the univerfe, by a m.ors extenfive and illuftrious exercife of it. For it rnuO: needs make an inconceivably ftrong and lafting im- preffion upon every order of beings that Ihall then be pre- sent at the folemn fcene, to hear the final doom of a whole world pronounced at once ; and to behold fins that had been committed thoufands of years before, punifhed with the fam.e attention to every circumif ance as if they had been but of yefterda.y. How far ofF thefe judgments of the Lord may be, we none of us know. But with regard to ourfelves, they are near, tliey are even at the door. The few days we have to pafs in this tranfient fcene vi^ill determine our condition for ever, and bring us into an eternal ftate, compared with which the continuance of the prefent frame of na- ture, >from its very beginning, will be as nothing. Then every aft of tlie government of God will be fcen in its true light ; the imagined length of diftance between guilt and its punifiiment will totally difappear ; and oifenders will lament in vain that fentence is executed fo/peedily as It is againft evil works. But with peculiar feverlty will it be executed on them, who defpifing the riches of that goodnefs which would lead them to repentance, " treafure up for themfelves wrath againft the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of Godf ." * Judc vi. 2 Pet. ii. 4. f Rosn. ii, 5. LECTURE Xni. 211 Upon the whole then let not either the fmner triumph, or the virtuous repine, at the apparent impunity or even profperity of the wicked in the prefent Hfe. To the au- dacious fmner we apply thofe moft oppofite and moft aw- ful words of the fon of Sirach. " Say not who fhall control me for my works, for the Lord fl>all furely avenge thy pride. Say not I have fmned, and what harm hath happened unto me ; for the Lord is indeed long-fufFering, but he will in no wife let thee go. Say not, his mercy is great, he will be pacified for the multitude of my fms ; for both mercy and wrath come from him, and his indig- nation refteth upon fmners. Make therefore no tarrying to turn unto the Lord, and put not off from day to day ; for fuddenly fhall the wrath of the Lord come forth, and in thy fecurity fhalt thou be deftroyed, and perifh in the day of vengeance*." To the religious and virtuous on the other hand we fay, ** Fret not thyfelf becaufe of the ungodly, neither be thou envious againft the evil doers. Hold thee ftill in the Lord, and abide patiently upon him ; but grieve not thyfelf at him whofe way doth profper, againft the man that doeth after evil counfels. Wicked doers fhall be rooted out ; and they that patiently abide the Lord, thofe fnall Inherit the landf ." " Be patient therefore, brethren, un- to the com.ing of the Lord. Behold the hufbandman waiteth for the precious fruits of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and the lat- ter rain. Be ye alfo patient for the coming of the Lord draweth nighf ." It is not indeed always an eafy tafk to exercife this pa- tience, when we fee confpicuous inftances either of indi- viduals or of nations, notorious for their profligacy, tri- umphant and profperous in all their ways. We can fcarce reprefs our difcontent, or forbear joining with the proph- et in his expoflulation with the Almighty, " Righteous art thou, O Lord ! yet let me talk with thee of thy judg- ments. Why do the ways of the wicked profper ? Why are#all they happy that deal very treacherouilyjl?" To * Eccles. V, 6, f Pfalm xxxvii. 7, ^ James v. 7. \\ Jerem. xii. i. ^l^ LECTURE XIIL this we can now anfv/er in the words of Job : " KnowefV. thou not this, fmce man was placed upon tlie earth, that the triumphing of the wicked is fhort, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment. Tliough his excellency mount unto the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds, yet he fnall perifli for ever, and they that have ieen him lliall fay, where is he'^?" In fa6l it has been proved, in the courfe of this enquiry, that in fuch an immenfe and complicated fyftem as that of the univerfe, there are many reafons which we can dif- cern, and a thoufand others perhaps totally unknown to us, which render it neceffary that the virtuous fhould fuf- fer a temporary depreffion, and the wicked enjoy a tempo- rary triumph. But let not thefe apparent irregularities ciifpirit or difcourage us : for vrhenever the purpofes of Providence in thefe myfterious difpenfations fliall have been accomplifhed, every diforder ihall be re<5tified, and every appearance of injuftice done away. The time and the feafon for doing this God has referved in his own pow- er : and v%^e mull not prefume to prefcribe rules to the wif- dom of the Almighty. To men excruciated v/ith pain, every moment ieem^ an age ; and to men groaning under opprefiion, their deliverance, if it come not inftantly, may feem extremely diftant. But let them not difpair : in due feafon they {hall leap if tkey faint not. At the period marked out by infinite wifdom, and which it is their duty to await with patience, God fhall caufe his judgment to be heard from heaven, and the earth fliall tremble and be ftilh He fhall then demonllrate to the vdiole world " that his hand Is not fliortened that it cannot redeem, and that he ftill retains the power to favef ." — He Ihall prove, in a manner the moft awful and m.oft fatif- fadory, "that verily there is a reward for the righteous, and a punifliment for the wicked ; that doubtlefs there is a God that judgeth the earth J." * Job XX. 5. t Ifaiah, i, 2 | Pfalm Ivli?, 10. >•■>•>•■>••>•>•>•>>•' LECTURE XIV. MATTHEW xlv. ^V E are now, in the courfe cf thefe Lec- tures, arrived at the fourteenth chapter of St, Matthew? which begins in the following manner : " At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jefns, and faid unto his fervants, this is John the Baptifl ; Jie is rifen from the dead ; and therefore mighty works do fhew forth themfelves in him ; for Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prifon, for Herodias fake, his brother Philip's wife ; for John faid unto him, it is not lawful for thee to have her. And when he would have pu*: him to death, he feared the mul- titude, becaufe they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birth-day v/as kept, the daughter of Hero- dias danced before them, and pleafed Herod ; whereupon he promifed with an oath, that he v/culd give her whatfo- ever ftie would afk ; and fhe, being before inftruded of her mother, faid, give me here John Baptift's head in a charger. And the king was forry ; neverthelefs, for the oath's fake, and them v/hich fat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her, and he fent and beheaded John in the prifon ; and his head was brought in a charg- er, and given to the damfel ; and fhe brought it to her mother ; and his difciples came and took up the body und buried it, and went and told Jefus." Before v/e enter upon this remarkable and affeding narrative of the murder of John the Baptift by Herod, it will be proper to take notice of the two lirfl verfes of this chapter, which gave cccafion to the introdu<5tion of that tranfaflion in this place, although it had happened foine tim*^ before. ^H LECTURE XIV. " At that time, fays the evangelilt, Herod the tetrarcit heard of the fame of Jefus, and faid unto his fervants^ this is John the Baptift ; he is rifen from the dead ; and therefore mighty works- do fhew forth themfelves in him." It is not eafy to meet with a more ftriking inftancc than this of the force of confcience over a guilty mind,. or a ftronger proof how perpetually it goads the fmner, not only with well-grounded fears and appelienfions of impending punifhment and vengeance, but with imaginary terrors and vifionary dangers. No fooner did the fame of Jefus reach the ears of the tyrant Herod, than it immediately occurred to his mind that he had himfelf, not long before, moll cruelly and "U^antonly put to death an innocent, virtuous, and holy man, whofe reputation for wifdom, integrity, and fanc- tity of manners, ftood almoft as high in the eftimation of the world as that of Jefus ; and who had even declared himfelf the herald and the forerunner of that extraordi- nary perfon. This inftantly fuggefted to him an idea the moft extravagant that could be imagined, that this very perfon who affumed the name of Jefus was in fad no Other than John the Baptift himfelf, whom he had be- headed, and who was now rifen from the dead, and was endowed with the pov/er of working miracles, though he never performed any when living. It is evident that nothing could be more improbable and abfurd than thefe fappofitions, nothing more contrary even to his own principles 5 for there is reafon to believe that Herod, like moll other people of high rank at that time, was of the fe(5l called the Sadducees, a feci which reje<5led the im- mortality of the foul, and the dodrine of a refurredion, •and muft therefore be perfectly adverfe to the ftrange im- agination of John the Baptifl being rifen from the dead. — Yet the fears of Herod overruled all the prejudices of his fed, and raifed up before his eyes the femblance of the murdered Baptifl armed with the power of miracles, for the very purpofe (he perhaps imagined) of infliding exemplary vengeance upon him for that atrocious deed, as well as for his adultery, his inceft, and ail his other crimes : which now probably prefented themfelves in their LECTURE XIV. 215 • Sfiofl hideous forms to his terrified imagination, piirfuea him into his moft fecret retirements, and tortured his hreaft with unceaimg agonies. The evangeHft having thus introduced the mention of ' John the Baptift, goes back a httle in his narrative, to make the reader acquainted Vv'ith that part of the Baptifl's hiftory which brought down upon him the indignation of Herod, and was the cccanon of his death. This flagitious prince had, it feems, in the face of day, and in defiance of all laws, human and divine, commit- ted the complicated crime of adultery and incelt, attend- ed with, every circumftance that could mark an abandoned and unprincipled mind. He had been married a confiderable tim-e to the daugh- tei of Aretas, king of Arabia Petrcea, but conceiving a violent paffion for his brother Philip's, wife, Herodias, he firfx: feduced her affeftions from her huiband, then dif- mified his own wife, and married Herodias, during the life-time of his brother. It was impoilible that fuch por- tentous wickednefs as this could efcape the obfervaticn or the reproof of the holy Baptift. He had the honefty and the courage to reproach the tyrant with the enormity of his guilt, although he could not be ignorant of the dan- ger he incurred by fuch a m.eafure ; but he determined to do his duty, and to take the confequences. The confe- quences were, " that Herod laid hold of John, and bound him, and threv/ him into prifon*." And undoubtedly his wifli was to have put him immediately to death, but he was retrained by two confi derations. The firil v/as, becaufe John was held in fuch high eileem and veneration by all the people, that had any violence been offered to him by Herod, he was apprehenfive that it might have occafioned a general infuiTection againft his government ; for we are informed by St. Matthew that " he feared the multitude, becaufe they counted John as a prophetf ." The other reafon was, that although he felt the utmofl; indignation and refentment againft John for the freedom he had ufed in reproaching him for his licentious conduct, * Matth. xiv, 3. f Match, xlv. 5. ^IG LECTURE XIV. yet at the fame time the eharafler of that excellent mail, his piety, his fanftity, his integrity, his diflntereftednefs3^ nay, even the courage which had fo much offended and provoked him, commanded his refpedt and veneration, and excited his fears ; for we are told exprefsly that Herod feared John, knowing he was a juil man and a holy'*. — Nor is this all, he not only feared John, but in fome de- gree paid court to him. He frequently fent for him out of prifon, and converfed with himj and, as the evangel- ift exprefles it, ohferved him ; that is, liftened to him with attention and with pleafure ;, nay he went farther llill, he did many things, many things which John exhorted and en- joined him to dof * He perhaps fiiowed more attention to many of his public duties, more gentlenefs to his fubjects, more com.paffion to the poor, more equity in his judicial determinations, more regard to public worfhip ; and vain- ly hoped perhaps, like many other audacious fmners, that this partial reformation, this half-way amendment, would avert the judgments with which John probably threatened him. But the main point, the great objed of John^s rep- rehenfion, the inceftuous adultery in which he lived, that he could not part with ; it was too precious, too favorite a fm to give up ; too great a facrifice to make to confcience and to God, What a pidhire does this hold out to us of that ftrange thing called human nature, of that inconfiPcence, that contradiftion, that contrariety, which fometimes take place in the heart of man, unfanflified and unfubdued by the power of divine grace ! and what an exalted idea at the fame time does it give us of the dignity of a truly religious char a6ler, like that of John, which compels even its bittereil enemies to reverence and to fear it ; and fore » es even the moft profligate and mofl powerful of men to pay an unwilling homage to excellence, at the very mo- ment, perhaps, when they arc meditating its deftrudlion I In this ftate of irrefolution Herod might probably have continued, and the fate of John have remained undecided for a confiderable time, had not an incident taken place, which determined both much fooner perhaps than was ii> * Mark, vi. ao. f Mark, vl %o. LECTURE XIV. nt tended. Herod, on his birth-day, gave an entertainment to the principal officers of his army and of his court ; and as a peculiar and very uncommon compliment on the occa- fion, Salome, the daughter of his wife Herodias by her former hufband, came in and danced before the company in a manner fo pleafmg to Herod and to all his guefls, that the king in a fudden tranfport of delight, cried out to the da'mfel, as St. Mark relates it, " Alk of me whatfoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee." And he fware unto her, " whatfoever thou flialt alk of me I will give it thee even unto the half of my kingdom*." The folly, the rafhnefs, and the madnefs of fuch an oath as this, on fo fooUfh an occafion, could be exceeded by nothing but the horrible purpofe to which it was perverted by the young creature to whom it was made, or rather by her profligate inftrui^or and advifer, her mother Herodias. Aftonifhed and overwhelmed probably with the magnitude of fuch an une^ipedted offer, v/hich laid at her feet half the wealth, the pov/er and the fplendor of a kingdom, Ihe found her- ielf unable to decide between the various dazzling objects that would prelent themfelves to her imagination, and therefore very naturally applies to her mother for advice and dire(51:ion. Moll mothers, on fuch an occafion, would have afked for a daughter a magnificent eftablifhment, a fituation of high rank and power ! But Herodias had a paflion to gratify, ftronger perhaps than any other, when it takes full poiTefTicn of the human heart, and tliat was reven.^e. She had been mortally injured, as fhe conceiv- ed, by the Baptift, who had attem.pted to diifolve her prefent infam^ous com^edion with FJerod. And (lie not only felt the higheft indignation at this infult, but was afraid that his repeated remonilrances might at length prevail. She therefore did not hefitate one moment what to alk ; fhe gave way to all the fury of her refentment j and without the leaft regard to the character or the delicate fituation of her inexperienced daughter, flie immediately ordered her to demand the head of her detctted enemy, John the Baptift I The wretched young woman unfortu- nately obeyed this dreadful command ; and, as we are told by the evangelift, " came in ftraightway with halte unto the kingf ." She came with fpeed in her fteps, and * Mark, vl, a», 23. f Mark. vi. 25. Matth, xiv. 8. Q 2 2ia LECTURE XIV. eagemefs in her eye, and fald, " Give me here John the Baptift's head in a charger." This favage requeft appal- led even the unfealing heart cf Herod himfelf. He did not exped it, and was not prepared for it ; and although he was highly difgufted with John, yet, for the reafons above mentioned, he did not choofe to go to extremeties with him. He was therefore exceeding forry^ as the facred Hiftorian informs us, to be thus forced upon fo violent and hazardous a meafure ; neverthelefs, for his oath's fake, and them which fat with him at meat, he com- manded it to be given to her." Conceiving himfelf, moft abfurdly, bound by his oath to comply even with this in- human demand, and afraid left he fhould be reproached by thofe that were around him with having broken his promife, he preiered the real guilt of murder to the falfe imputation of perjury, and " fent and beheaded John in prifon ; and his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damfel, and fhe brought it to her mother." — It is well known that it was a cuftom in the eaft, and is fo ftill in the Turkifh court, to produce the heads of thofe that are ordered to be put to death, as a proof that they have been really executed. But how this wretched dam- fel could io far fubdue the common feelings of human nature, and frill more the natural tendernefs and delicacy of her fex, as not only to endure fo difgufling and fhock- ing a fpeftacle, but even to carry the bleeding trophy in triumph to her mother, it is not eafy to imagine ; and it would fcarce be credited, did w^e not know that 'in times and in countries much nearer to our own, fights of Hill greater horror than this have been contemplated, even by women and children, w^ith complacency and with delight. Such was the conclufion of this fmgular tranfa^lion ; and every part of it isfo pregnant with ufeful inftrudtion and admonition, that I fliall ftand excufed, I hope, if I take up a little more of your time than is ufual in dif- courfes of this nature, in commenting fomewhat at large on the condudl and charaflers cf the feveral adors in this dreadful tragedy. And, in the firfi: place, there can be no doubt that the rnoft guilty and the moft unpardonable of all the parties concerned in thib murder of an innocent and excellent man LECTURE. XIV. 219 was the abandoned Herodias. For it was Oie whofe indig- nation againll John was carried to the greateft length* and in the end efFe<5i:ed his ruin. It was ftie who was con- tiually importuning and urging Herod to put the Baptift to deatli, from which, for a confiderable time, his fears re- ftrained him. It was fhe who^ as St. Mark expreffes it, *' /jad a quarrel againft John, and would have killed him, but fhe could not*." The words tranflated, had a quarrel againjl him, have in the original much greater force and energy, Eneiphen auto. She, as it were, faftened and hung upon J(^hn, and was determined not to let go her hold till flie had deftroyed himf . We here fee a fatal proof of the extreme barbarities to which that moft diabolical fentiment of revenge will drive the natural tendemefs even of a female mind ; what a clofe connedlion there is between crimes of apparently a very different complexion, and how frepuently the uncon- trolled indulgence of what are called the fofter affedicns, lead ultimately to the moft violent exceffes of the malig- nant paffions. The voluptuary generally piques hirafeli on his benevolence, his humanity, and gentlenefs of dlf- pofition. His claim even to thefe virtues is at the beft very problematical ; becaufe in his purfuit.of pleafure, he makes no fcruple of facrificing the peace, the comfort, the happinefs of thofe for v/hom he pretends the tendereft affedlion, to the gratification cf liis own felfifli defires. — But however he may preferve his good humour, when he meets with no refiftance, the moment he is thwarted and oppofed in his flagitious purpoles, he has no hcfitation in going any lengths to gain his point, and will fight his way to the objeft he has in view through the heart of the very beft friend he has in the world. The fame thing we fee in a ftill more ftriking point of view, in the conduct of He- rodias. She was at firft only a bold unprincipled libertinej and miight perhaps be admired and celebrated, as many others of that difcription have been, for her good tem.per, her fenfibility, her generofity to the poor ; and with this * Mark, vi. 19. f Hefychlus explains enephei by elLehai, Jlkks clofe to in hatred cr- fpitc. Doddridge gives ftill greater force to the cxpreflion \ but Park- burfl does not allow it. 220 LECTURE XIV. charafter fhe might have gone out of the world, had no fuch perfon as John arifen to reprove her and her hufband for their profligacy, and to endanger the continuance of her guilty commerce. But no fooner does he rebuke them as they deferved, than Herodias Ihewed that flie had other paffions to indulge befides thofe which had hitherto dif- graced her charader ; and that, when fhe found it necef- fary to her pleafures, (he could be as cruel as fhe had been licentious ; could contrive and accomplifh the deflruftion of a great and good man, could feail her eyes with the fight of his mangled head in a charger, could even make her own poor child the inftrument of her vengeance, and, as I am inclined to think, a relu^ant accomplice in a moft atrocious murder. Here is a moft awful leffon held out, not only to the female fex, but to both fexes, to perfons of all ages and conditions, to beware of giving way to any one evil pro- penfity in their nature, however it may be difguifed un- der popular names, however indulgently it may be treated by the world, however it may be authorized by the general praftice of mankind ; becaufe they here fee that they may not onl)r be led into the groifeft extravagancies of that in- dividual paflion, but may alfo be infenfibly betrayed into the commiffion of crimes of the dsepeft dye, which in their ferious moments they alv/ays contemplated with the utmofl horror. Let us now take our leave of this wretched woman, and turn our attention for a m.oment to her unhappy daughter. Kere undoubtedly there is much to blame, but there is alfo fomething to pity and to lament. Her youth, her inexperience, her unfortunate fltuation in a moft corrupt court, the vile example that was conftantly before her eyes, the influence, the authority, the commands of a profli- gate mother, thefe are circumftances that plead power- fully for compaflion, and tend in fome degree to mitigate her guilt. Her firft fault evidently was that grofs viola- tion of all decorum, and all cuftom too, in appearing and dancing publicly before Herod and a large number of his friends alfembled at a feftive meeting, and perhaps half intoxicated with wine. But it is not probable that a young woman of high rank, and fo very tender an age as fhe feems LECTURE XIV. 221 to have been, IhoiJd have voluntarily taken fuch a ftep as this, or fnould have been able to fubdue at once all tlie modefty and the timidity of her fex, and acquire courage enough to encounter the eyes and the obfervations of fo licentious an afTembiy. There can be little doubt, that fhe vv'as wrought upon by the perfuafions of her artful mother, who flattered herfelf that this artifice might pro- duce fome fuch efFecl: in the mind of Herod as aftually followed. What adds great weight to this conjedure is, that her next dreadful tranfgreflion, her fmgular and fan- guinary requeft to have the head of John the Baptift pre- fented to her, vras unqeflionably the fuggeftion ef the abandoned Herodias. The facred hiftorian expresfly informs us, that it was in confequence of being before inJiruEled of her mother that fhe made tliis demand. Nor is this all ; there is great reafon to believe that it was with the utmoft difficulty fhe was pre- vailed on to comply witli the injun<5tions that were given her ; for the original words prohilajlhetfa npo ies metros, which we tranfiate before inJluBed of her mother^ more flrift- iy fignify being ivrought upon, irjiigatedy and impelled by her mother ; for this is tlio fenfe in which that expreilion is ufed by the beft Greek writers. This fuppofition receives no fmall confirmation from the manner in v/hich flie is reprefentcd by the evangelift as de- ilvering heranfwer to Herod. "She came ftrightway vvith hafte unto the king ;" fhe betrayed on her return the Mtmoft emotion and agitation of rnind. She had worked Tiei-felf up to a refolution of obeying her mother ; and was in hafte to execute her commillion, left if any paufe had intervened her heart fliould relent, her fpirits fail her, ind fhe fliould not Irave courage to utter the dreadful de- mand flie had to make. AH this feems to imply great reladriance on her part, and •evidently is a ccnfiderable alleviation of her crime ; yet does by no means exem.pt her from all guilt. For although obe- dience to parents is a very facred duty, yet there is anoth- er du^y fuperior to it, that which we owe to our Maker. And v/henever even a parent would incite us to any thing plainly repugnant tc his laws, as was the cafe in th" pref- LECTURE XIV. ent inftance, we muft, though with all poffible decency and refpe..)...>..>..>...>..>..>.>..>..>.>..>..>„>..>..>..>. >..>..>..,.<..,: LECTURE XV. MATTHEW xvi!. I SHALL now requcfl your attention to a very- remarkable part of our Saviour's liiftcry, that which is called by the evangelift his transfiguration, and which is related in the feventeenth chapter of St. Mattliew. It fo happens, that many years ago I turned my thoughts very much to this particular fubjedl in the facred writings, and ventured (though without my name) to lay my fenti- ments concerning it before the pubhc. I could have v/ifhed therefore to have excufed myfelf from repeating here any part of what I have faid elfewhere, and to have paffed over this incident unnoticed. But when I confid- ered that this tranfaclion is of a very peculiar and extra- ordinary nature ; that there are circumftances attending it which cannot fail to excite the curiofity of an inquifitive mind ; that there are diiiiculties in it which (land in need of a folutiouy and conclufions to be drawn from it of con- fiderable utility and importance ; v/hen I confidered further, that much the greateft part of this audience had probably never feen or even heard of what I had formerly written on this fubject ; I determined not to omit fo mateiial a part of the tafk I am engaged in, but to give you what I conceive to be a true explanation of this inter- efliing event. And I now feel the lefs difficulty in doing this, becaufe, upon a careful review of that interpretation, after an interval of twelve years, I am ftill convinced of its truth, and have had the additional fatisfaclion of finding it confirmed by the authority of fome learned and judicious commentators, whofe opinions on one or two leading principles coincide with my own ; but whofe obfer- vations I had not feen (having confulted but very few expofitors on the fubje(rt) when my effay went to the prefs.. 230 L E C T U R E XV. The relation of this fmgular tranfadion is given us by three out of four evangelifts, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and alluded to in the writings of the fourth. They all agree in the main points. There is no material variation, and not the leaft contradidlion between them. But, as is very natural, where different perfons relate the fame faft (and as indeed muft generally happen where the ftory is not concerted among them) a few particulars are taken notice of by fome which are paffed over in filence by others. St. Mattliew's account of it is as follows : " And after fix days Jefus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high moun- tain apart, and was transfigured before them ; and his face did fhine as the fun, and his raiment was white as the light. And behold there appeared unto them Mofes and Elias talking with him. Then anfwered Peter, and faid unto Jefus, Lord, it is good for us to be here ; if thou wilt, let us make three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Mofes, and one for Elias. While he yet fpake, behold a bright cloud overfhadowed them ; and behold a voice out of the cloud, which faid. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed ; hear ye him. And when the difciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were fore afraid. And Jefus came and touched them, and faid, Arife, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they faw no man fave Jefus only. And as they came down from the mount, Jefus charged them, faying, tell the vifion to no man, until the Son of man be rifen again from the dead. " And his difciples afked him, faying, Why then fay the fcribes, that Elias muft firft come ? And Jefus Anfwered and faid unto them, Elias fhall truly firft come, and reftore all things. But I fay unto you, that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatfoever they lifted : likewife alfo fhall the Son of man fuffer of them. Then the difciples underftood that he fpake unto them of John the Baptift." Such is the hiftory which the evangelift gives us of the transfiguration ; and on the very firft view of it, every one LECTURE XV. 23r. muft fee that a tranfadion of fo uncommon and fplendid a nature could not be intended merely to furprize and amufe the difciples. There muft have been fome great objed: in view ; fome end to be obtained, wortliy of the magnificent apparatus made ufe of to accomplifli it. Now there were^ , 1 conceive (befides fome collateral and fubordinate defigi;is) two principal and important pur|)ofes, which were meant to be anfwered by this illuf« trious fcene. The firft was to fet before the eyes of the difciples a infihle andjigurative reprefentation of Chr'iji''s coming in glory to judge the ivorld, and to reward, nuith . everlafitng felicity^ all his^ faithful fervants. In order to prove this, and at the fame time to bring to the reader's view thofe circumftances which preceded, and in fome degree gave occafion to this celeftial vifion, it will be necefiary to look back to the chapter immediately before that in which the transfiguration is related. In the 21ft verfe of the fixteenth chapter we find, that Jefus then, for the firft time, thought fit to give fome intimations to his difciples of the ftrange and extra- ordinary fcenes he was fbon to pafs through ; his fufferings, his death, and his refurredion ; things of which, before this declaration, they feem not to have had the fmalleft conception or fufpicion. " From that time forth began Jefus to ftiew to his difciples how that he muft go to Jerufalem, and fuffer many things of the elders and chief priefts and fcribes,- and be killed, and raifed again the third day*.'' This information, fo perfectly nev/ and unexpected to the difciples, and fo deftru<5live of all the fond hopes they had hitherto indulged, overwhelmed them with aftonifh- ment and grief. And St. Peter, whofe natural warmth and eagemefs of temper generally led him both to feel fuch mortifications more fenfibly, and to exprefs hi^- feelings more promptly and more forcibly, than any of * Matth. xiv. %i, 232 L E C T U R E XV. the reH:, v/as To fhocked at what he had juft heard, that « he took Jefus, and began to rebuke him, laying. Be it far from thee, Lord ; this fhall not be unto thee." Our Saviour, who faw every thing that pafied in his mind, and perceived, probably, that this expoftulation took its rife more from difappointed intereft and ambition than from a generous concern for his mafter's credit and honour, gave him an immediate and fevere reproof. " Get thee behind me, Satan, for thou art an offence to me ; for thou favoured not the things that be of God, but thofe that be of men." He then proceeded to Ihew, not only that he himfelf muft fuffer perfecution, but that all thofe who would at that tim.e come after him, and Ihare with him the arduous and dangerous tafk of fcwing the firft feeds of the Gof- pel, " niuft deny them.felves, and take up their crofs, and follow him." But then, to fupport them under thofe fevere injunctions, he cheers them immediately with a brighter fcene of tilings, and with a profped of his future glory, and their future recompence. " The Son of man riiall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then fnall he reward every man according to his works." And he adds, " Verily I fay unto you, there be fome Handing here which fhall not tafle of death till they fee the Son of man coming in his kingdom." The meaning of thefe laft words I fhall enquire into hereafter. But the evident tendency of the whole pafTage is to prepare the minds of his difciples for the cruel treatment which both he and they were to undergo, and at the fame time to raife their drooping fpirits, by fetting before their eyes his own exaltation, and their glorious rewards in another life. This difcourfe, however, he probably found had not fufEciently fubdued their prejudices, and reconciled them to his (late of humiliation ; and therefore he determined to try a m.ethod of impreffing them with j after fentiments, which he frequently had recourfe to on fimilar occafions ; and that was, reprefenting to them, by ^ftgnlficant aa'wn, what he had already explained by words. Accordingly, within a few days after the foregoing con- verfation, he taketh witli him Peter, James, and John, LECTURE XV.- and bringeth them up into a high mountain (probably Mount Tabor) apart. Very fanciful reafons have been affigned by fome of the commentators for his taking with him only three of his difciples. But all that it feems neceflary to fay on this head is, that as the law required no more than two or three v/itneiTes to conftitute a regular and judicial proof, our Saviour frequently chofe to have only this number of witnelTes prefent at fome of the moil important and interefting fcenes of his life. The three difciples, whom he now feleded, were thofe that generally attended him on fuch occafions, and who fecm to have been diftinguifhed as his mo(i intimate and confidential friends. St. John, we know, w^as fo in an eminent degree. St. James, his brother, would, from that near connexion, probably be brought more frequently under his mafter's notice 5 and as St. Peter was the very perfon who had ex- prefTed himfelf with fo much indignation on the fubjeft of cur Saviour's fufferings, it was highly proper and necelTa- ry that he fhould be admitted to a fpedacle, which was purpofely calculated to calm thofe emotions, and remove that difguft which the firft mention of them had produced in his mind. With thefe companions, then, Jefas afcended the moun- tain, and w^as transfiguied before them ; " and behold there appeared Mofes and EHas talking with him." They were not only feen by the difciples, but they were heard alfo converfmg with Jefus. This is a circumftance of great importance, efpecially v/hen we are told what the fubje^t of their converfation was. St. Luke gives us this uieful piece of infoi-mation ; he fays, that " they fpake of our Lord's deceafe, which he fnould accomplifh at Jerufalem.'' The very mention of Chrift's fufferings and death by fach men as Mofes and Ellas, without any marks of furprize or diffatisfadion, v/as of itfelf fuScient to occafion a great change in the fentiments of the difciples refpeding thofe fufferings, and to foften thofe prejudices of their's againfl them, the removal of Vv^hich feems to have been one of the more immediate objefts of the transfiguration. But if we fuppofe further (what is far from being improbable) that in the courfe of the converfation feverai interefling particu» lars refipedting cur Saviour's crucifixion were brought un^. R 2 ^^ L E C T U R E XV. der difcuflion 5 if they entered at any length into that im- portant fubjedt, the great ivork of our redemption ; if they touched upon the nature, the caufes, and the confequen- ces of it ; the pardon of fm, the reftitution to God*s favour, the triumph over death, and the gift of eternal life ; if they fhewed that the fufferings of Chrift were prefigured in the law, and foretold by the prophets ; it is eafy to fee, that topics fuch as thefe muft tend ftill further to open the eyes, and remove the prepoffeflions of his dif- ciples ; and the more fo, becaufe they would feem to arife incidentally in a difcourfe between other perfons cafually overheard ; whigh having no appearance of delign or profefTed oppofition in it, would be apt to make a deeper impreffion on their minds than a dired and open attack upon their prejudices. But the circumftance which would, probably, be moft efFedlual in correding the erroneous ideas of his difciples on this head, was the ad of the transfiguration itfelf, the aftonifhing change it produced in the whole of our Lord's external appearance. From the expreffions made ufe of by the feveral evan- gelifts, this change appears to have been a very illuftrious one. They inform us, that " as our Saviour prayed, the fafliion of his countenance was changed ; his face did ftiine as the fun, and his raiment became exceeding white and gliftering ; as white as fnow, as white as the light, fo as no fuller on earth could whiten it." Now Chrift having affumed this fplendid and glorious appearance, at the very time when Mofes and Elias were converfmg with him on his fuflFerings, it was a 'vtftble and ftriking proof to his difciples, that thofe fufferings were not, as they ima- gined, any real difcredit aad difgrace to him, but were perfectly confiftent with the dignity of his character, and the higheft ftate of glory to which he could be exalted. But further ftill; Jefus had (in the converfation men- tioned in the preceding chapter) told his difciples, that the Son of man fhould come in the glory of his Father, with his holy angels, to judge the world. The fcene on the mount therefore, which fo foon followed that convert L E C T U R E XV. 235 fation, was probably meant to convey to them fome idea and fome evidence of his coming in glory at the great day of judgment, of which his transfiguration was, perhaps, as juft a pi.>..>..>..>.>..>..>..>..>..>..>,..>.>.>..>. >..>..>..>..>..>-. LECTURE XVL MATTH. xviii. HE fubjed: of this Lecture is a part of the eighteenth chapter of St. Matthew. It is evident that the difciples of our Lord were, for a confiderable time, pofFefled with the imagination which prevailed univerfally among the Jews refpeding their Meffiiah, that their Maf- ter's kingdom v^as to be a temporal one ; that he was at fome time or otlier to become a prince of great power and fplendor, and that they of courfe fhould enjoy the largeft fliare of his favor, and be placed in fituations of great diflindion and great emolument. And this delufion had taken fuch ftrong hold upon their minds, tliat although our Lord took frequent opportunities of comb-iting their error, and made ufe of every means in his power to unde- ceive them, yet tliey ftill perfifted in maintaining their favorite opinion ; and in the beginning of this chapter they came to Jefus, faying, who is the greateft in the kingdom of heaven ? It appears, from the parallel paiTage in St, Mark, that they had been difputing by the way who ihould be the greateft. Our Lord knovving this, and finding that all he had faid on this fubjecl: had produced no effedt upon them, determined to try whether a different mode of con- veying his fentiments to them might not ftrike their minds more forcibly. He therefore had recourfe (as in the cafe of tlie transfiguration) to what may be called a vifiblekind of language. He took a little child, and placing him be- for^hem, bid them contem.plate the innocence and fim- plicity, the meeknefs and humility which marked its coun- tenance ; and then affured them, that unlefs they v/ere converted, and became as little children ; that is, unlefs a total change took place in the temper and difpofition of their minds, unlefs they became as unambitious and unaf- piring, as mxeek, as humble and contented, as little con- cerned about worldly honors and dillindions, as the child ^S t E C T U R E XVr. before them, they could not enter into the kmgdom of heaven ; they could never be confidered as true objedts of Chrift's kingdom here, or be capable of inheriting the re- wards of heaven hereafter. In the eye of God, true hu- mility is a moft fublime virtue ; and whoever fhall hum- ble himfelf as this little child, the fame is greateft in the kingdom of heaven. Our Lord then goes on to fay, '^* V7hofoever receiveth one fuch little child in my name, receiveth me." That is, it is men of humble minds and meek difpofitions, whom I moft highly prize, and whom I mofl ftrongly recom.m.end to the notice, the kindnefs, the prbte(51:ion of all thofe who are friends to me and my reli- gion ; and fo dear are men of this defcription to m.e, that I make their interefts my own, and I Ihall confider every man who receives, and affifts, and encourages them on my account, and for my fake, as receiving me. But if, inftead of receiving and prote6ling thefe*my humble difci- ples, any one Ihould dare to injure them, he muft expeft the fevereft marks of my difpleafure. " Whofo fhall of- fend one of thefe little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a mill-ftone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the fea. ' Woe unto the world, becaufe of offences ; for it mull needs be that offences come, but v/oe to that man by whom the of- fence cometh." In order to comprehend the full meaning of this denun- ciation, it will be neceffary to explain the peculiar mean- ing of the word offend. Now this expreffion in the pre- fent pafTage, as v/ell as in many other parts of the New Teftament, fignifies to caufe any one to fall from his faith ^ to renounce his belief in Chrifl by any means whatever ; and againft every one that makes ufe either of violence or artifice to terrify or feduce the fuicere and humble, and xmfufpicious believer in Chrifc from his faith and obedience to his divine Mailer, the fevered woes, and the heavieft punlihments are here denounced. This text of fcripture therefore I v/ould moll eameftly recommend to the ferious confideration of thofe who either are or have been guilty of this moil dangerous crime ; and 1 would alfo no lefs earneilly caution ail thofe v/ho LECTURE xvr. 2-ir &ave not yet been guilty of it, to avoid, with the ut^ moft care, every degree of it, and every approach to it>- It is a crime often touched upon in holy writ, but lefs no- ticed, or at leaft lefs enlarged upon by divines and moral- iiis than perhaps any other fm of the fame magnitude. — For this reafon, I Ihall enter more fully into the confider- ation of it than has hitherto, I believe, been ufually done, and fhall advert briefly to the feveral modes of makhig our brother to ojend, that is, to renounce his faitli in Chriil:, which are moft common and moft fuccefsful ; and thefe are perfecution, fophiftry, ridicule, im.moral examples, and immoral, publications. With refpect to the firft of thefe, perfecution ; it was, during the firft ages of the gofpel, and for many years after the reformation, the great rock of ojftncc, tlie chief inftrument made ufe of (and a dreadful one it was) to de- ter men from embracing the faith of Chrift, or to compel them ta renounce it. But iince that time we have heard little of its terrors, till they were fome years ago revived, to ■■ a certain degree, in a neighboring nation, where tiie. various cruelties infliifled on their clergy are too well known, and cannot furely be afcribed altogether and ex- clufively to political caufes. . In our own country, it muft be acknowledged, we. cannot juftly be charged with this fpecies of guilt. Intol- erance and perfecution are certainly not in the number of our national fins. But in the next mode of making our brother to oifend ; that is, by grave argument and reafon, by open and fyftematic attacks on the truth and divine au» thority of the Chriftian revelation, in this we have, I fear, 2L large load of refponfibility upon our heads. It has even been affirmed by fome, that we are entitled to the deftin<5lion of having led the way to this kind of im- piety and profanenefs. We have this honor given to us (for an honor they efteemit) by foreign wi^iters, and what is worft of all, we are applauded for it by fuch men as B' Alembert and Voltaire. To be ftigmatized with their praife, and for fuch a rea"* fon, is a difgrace indeed j and it would be a ftill greater* 24S LECTURE XVT. if we could not juftly difclaim and throw back from our* felves the humiiiating and ignominious applaufe which they would inflict upon us. But this I apprehend we may effectually do. There appears to me fufficient ground for afferting, that the earlieit -tftfidels of modern times were to be found, not in this ifland, but on the continent. If we may credit the account given of Peter Aretin (who lived and wrote in the fourteenth century) by Moreri, and particularly the epitaph upon him, which he recites, there is reafon to believe that he was an infidel of the word fpe- cies ; and Viret a divine of great eminence among the firft reformers, who wrote about the year 1563, fpeaks of a number of perfons, both in France and Italy, who had afliimed the name of Deifts, and feem to have formed themfelves into a feci. But it was not until the beginning of the following century that any men of that defcription, or any publications hoftile to revelation, appeared in this kingdom. From tliat time indeed down to the prefent, there has been a regular fucceffion of anti-chriftian writers of various defcriptions and various talents, whofe uniform objedt has been to fubvert the foundations of revealed reli- gion, and to make their countrymen offend, and renounce their faith. The laft of thefe v/as a man, who, from the loweft origin, raifed himfelf to fome diftindtion in the political and literary world, by his bold anxi impious libels againft government, againfl religion, and the holy Scrip- tures themfelves. In thefe writings were concentrated all the malignity, all the Ihrewdnefs, all the fophiftry of his numerous predeceffors ; and from their brevity, their plainnefs, their familiarity, their vulgar ribaldry, their bold aflertlons, and artful mifreprefentations, they were better calculated to impofe on the ignorant and uninform- ed, and more dangerous to the principles of the great mafs of mankind, than any publicartions that this country ever before produced. And certain it is, that having been diilribured with infinite induitry through every diHricH: of the kingdom, they did for a time diffufe their poifon far and wide, and m.ade a ftrong and fatal impreilion on the multitude. But, thanks be to God ! they at length providentially met with talents infinitely fuperior to thofe of their illiteraie author, which, with the bleffing of Hsaven upon theiu,, gave a fudden and effe<5tual check to L E C T IT R E XVL 249- the progrefs of this mifchief, and afForded a ftriking proof ©f the truth of that prophecy refpeding the ftability"- of our religion, " that the gates of hell Ihall never prevail againfl it»" ^ The next great engine of offence, by which multitudes have been led to renounce their faith, is ridicule. An at- tempt was made early in the laft century to ere^l this into a /£/? of truth, and it has accordingly been applied by many writers fince that time to throw difcredit on the Chriftian revelation. But by no one has this weapon been employ- ed with m.ore force and with more i^uccefs tlian by the great patriarch of infidelity, Voltaire. It is the principal inftrument he makes ufe of to vilify the Gofpel ; and among the inftru»51:ions he gives to his coadjutors and fel- low-laborers in this righteous work, one is, to load the Chriftian religion and the author of it with never-ceafmg ridicule, to burlefque it in every way that imagination can fuggeft, and to deluge the world with an infinity of little tradts, placing revelation in the moft ludicrous point of view, and rendering it an object of mirth and of contempt to the loweft of mankind. This method he ftridly pur- fued himfelf ; to this he bent all the powers of his mind, all die vivacity of his wit, all the fire of his imagination ; and whoever examines his writings againft Chriftianity with care, will find that much the largeft part of them are of this defcription. And in this he Ihowed a thorough knowledge of the world. He knew that mankind in gen- eral prefer wit to logic^ and love to be entertained rather than convinced ; that it is much eaiier to point an epi- gram than to produce an argument ; that few can reafon juftly, but that all the world can be made to laugh ; and that whatever can be rendered an object of derifion, is almoft fure to be rejetfted without examination. Of all thefe artifices he has availed himfelf with infinite addrefs, and we know alfo with fatal fuccefs. His writings have unqueftionably produced more infidels among the higher clafies, and fpread more general corruption over the world, than ail the voluminous produ(ftions of all the other philo- fophifts of Europe put together. There is ftill another way of making our brother to S 2 250 LECTURE XVI. ejfend, or In other words of fhaking his faith in the Gofpefj, and that is by exhibiting to mankind in our life and con- verfation a profligate example. This in the firft place gives the world an unfavorable idea of the religion we profefs. It tempts men to think either that we ourfelves do not believe it, or that we fup- pofe it confiftent with the vices to which we are abandoned ; and either of thefe fuppofitions muft confiderably leffen their eflimation both of its doftrines and its precepts. In the next place a wicked example, as we all know, tends to corrupt in fome degree every one that lives with- in its baneful influence ; more particularly if it be found in men of high rank, great wealth, fplendid talents, pro- found erudition, or popular charaders. The mifchief done by any notorious vices in men of this defcription is inconceivable. It fpreads like a pefl:ilence, and deftroys thoufands in fecrecy and filence, of whom the oiFender himfelf knows nothing, and whom probably he never meant to injure ; and wherever the heart is corrupted, the principle of faith is proportionably weakened ; for no man that gives a loofe to his paflions will choofe to have fo troublefome a monitor near him as the Gofpel. When he has learnt to difregard the moral precepts of that di- vine volume, it requires but a very flight effort to rejedl its doftrines, and then to difbelieve the truth of the whole. A diflblute life then, efpecially in particular clafles of men, is one certain way of making our brother to offend, not only in point of pradice but of belief ; and there is another method of producing the fame effefls, nearly alli- ed to this, and that is immoral publications. Thefe have the fame tendency with bad examples, both in propagating vice and promoting infidelity ; but they are ftill more pernicious ; becaufe the fphere of their in- fluence is more extenflve. A bad example, though it operates fatally, operates comparatively within a fmall circumference. It extends only to tliofe who are near enough to obferve it, and fall LECTURE XVL 251 witRin the reach of the poifonous infe(ftion that it fpreads around it ; but the contagion of a licentious puWication^ efpecially if it be (as it too frequently is) in a popular and captivating fhape, knows no bounds ; it flies to the remot- eft corners of the earth ; it penetrates the obfcure and re* tired habitations of fimplicity and innocence ; it makes its way into the cottage of the peafant, into the hut of the ihepherd, and the ihop of the mechanic ; it falls into the hands of all ages, ranks, and conditions ; but it is peculiarly fatal to the unfufpeding and unguarded minds of the youth of both fexes ; and to tliem its " breatli is poifon, and its touch is death." •What then have they to anfwer for who are every day obtruding thefe publications on the world, in a thoufand different fhapes and forms, in hiftory, in biography, in poems, in novels, in dramatic pieces ? in all which the prevailing feature is tiniverfal ph'ilanthrophy and indifcnmi- nate henevolence ; under the protedion of which the hero of the piece has the privilege of committing whatever ir- regularities he thinks fit ; and while he is violating the moft facred obligations, infmuating the moft licentious fentiments, and ridiculing every thing that looks like reli- gion, he is neverthelefs held up as a model of virtue ; and though he may perhaps be charged with a few httle veni- al foibles, and pardonable infirmities, (as they are called) yet we are afTared that he has notwithftanding the very hefi heart in the ivorld. Thus it is that the principles of our youth are infenfibly and almofl: unavoidably corrupted; and inflead of being infpired, as they ought to be, even upon the ftage, with a juft deteilation of vice, they are funiiihed v/ith apologies for it, which they never forget, and are even taught to ccnfider it as a necelTary part of an accomplifhed charader. And as if we had not enough of this difgufting non- fenfe and abominable profligacy in our own country, and in our ovm language, we are every day importing frefh famples of them from abroad, are ingrafting foreign im.- morality on our ovv'n native flock, and introducing char- a<5lers on the ftage, or into the clofet, which are calculated to recommend the mofl hcentious principles, and favor ir- 252 LECTURE XVL regularities and attachments that deferve the fevereft re» prehenfion and puniftiment. Thefe are the feveral modes in which we may weaken or even deftroy the moral and religious principles of very fin- cere Chriftians, or in the words of Scripture, may make our brother to oj'end. And whoever is guilty of giving this of- fence, ought moft ferioufly to confider the heavy punifh- ment, and the bitter woe which our Lord here denounces againft it. There is fcarce any one fm noticed by him, which he reprobates in fuch ftrong terms as this : " Who fo Ihall ojfeniJ one of thefe little ones which believe in me -5 it were better for him that a mJll-ftone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the fea. Woe unto the world becaufe of offences ; for it muft needs be that offences come ; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh." Thefe are tremendous words ; but we cannot wonder that our Lord fhould ex- prefs himfelf thus flrongly, when we confider the dread- ful confequences of fpreading infidelity and immorality among our fellow-creatures. We diftrefs them with doubts and fcruples which never before entered into their thoughts ; we rob them of the mofl invaluable bleflings of life, of that heavenly confolation and fupport which is derived from religious fentiments and virtuous habits ; of that trull and confidence in^ the Supreme Difpofer of all things, which gives eafe and comfort to the aflli(5led foul ; of that unfpeakable fatisfadion which refults from a con- fcientious difcharge of our duty ; and of that peace of God which pafTeth all underftanding. But what is ftill worfe, we not only deprive them of the trueft comforts of the prefent life, but we cut off all their hopes of happi- nefs in the next ; we take from them the only fure ground of pardon and acceptance, the death and merits of a cru- cified Redeemer : we bar up againff them the gates of heaven, into which but for us they might have entered, and perhaps confign them over to everlafting perdition. Is not this beyond comparifon, the greatelt injury that one human creature can inliift upon another ? And does it not jullly merit that fevere fentence which our Lord has pro- nounced againft it ? Let then every one keep at the utmoft diltance from this moft atrocious crime. Let every man LECTURE XVI. 253 who commits his thoughts to the public, take efpecial care that nothing drop even Incidentally from his pen tliat can ofFend thofe whom our Saviour calls little children that believe in him ; that can either ftagger their faith or cor- rupt their hearts. Let every father of a family be equal- ly careful that nothing efcape his lips in the unguarded hour of familiar convei-fe, that can be dangerous to the religious principles of his children, his friends, or his fer- vants ; nothing that tends to lelTen their reverence for the facred writings, their refped for the doctrines, the pre- cepts, or the facred ordinances of religion, or raife any doubts or fcruples in their minds refpe<5ting the truth or divine authority of the Chriftian revelation. I mention thefe things, becaufe even the friends of religion are fome- tlmes apt through mer^ Inadvertence or though tlelTnefs to indulge themfelves In pleafantries even upon ferious fub- jects, which though meant at the time merely to entertain their hearers, or to dlfplay their wit, yet often produce a very different effe(5t, and fmk much deeper into the minds of thofe that are prefent (efpeclally of young people) than they are in the leaft aware of. More mifchief may fome- times be done by incidental levities of this kind, than by .grave difcourfes or elaborate writings againfl religion. I have dwelt the longer on this interefting topic, be- caufe few people are aware of the enormity of the fm here reproved by our Lord, of the irreparable Injury it m.ay do to others, and of the danger to which it expofes themfelves. But when they reflect, that by the commlffion of this crime they endanger the prefent peace and the future falvation of their fellow-creatures, and expofe themfelves to the woes which our Lord has in the palTage before us denounc- ed againll thofe from whom thefe offences come, they will probably feel It their duty to be more guarded In this in- llance than men generally are ; and will take heed to their ways that they offend not either with their pen or with tlieir tongue. I now go on with the remaining part of our Lord's ad- monition to his difciples. After having faid In the 7th verfe, " Woe unto the world becaufe of offences j for it muff needs be that of- 254. LECTURE XVL fences come, but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh ;" he then adds, wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off and caft them from thee ; it 1s better for thee to enter into hfe halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be caft into everlaft- ing fire ; and if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out and caft it from thee ; it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be caft into hell fire." Our Saviour here applies to the particular fm which he was then condemning, the very fame words which he had ufed before in his fermon on the Mount with reference to tlie crime of adultery ; and the meaning is this : The henious fm, againft which I have been here cau- tioning you, that of offending your Chriftian brethren, of caufmg them by your mifconducl to renounce their faith in me or to defert the paths of virtue, has its origin in' your depraved appetites and palTions ; as in the prefent inftance it is your ambition, your eagernefs after worldly honors and diftin6lions, which il is to be feared will give offence and fcandal to thofe that obferve it, and may im^ prefs them with an unfavorable idea of that religion which feems to infpire fuch fentiments. You muft therefore go at once to the root of the evil, you muft extirpate thofe corrupt paffions and propenfities that have taken poffeffion of your hearts, tiiough it may be as difficult for you to part with them as it would be to pluck out an eye, or tear off a limb from the body. For it is better that you {hould renounce what is moft dear to you in this life, than that you fhould fuffer thofe dreadfal punifliments in the next, which I have told you will affuredly be inflicted on all imnenitent offenders, and more particularly on thofe who offend in the way here fpeciiied. He then returns to the main fubje<5lof hh exhortation: " -take heed that ye defpife not one of thefe little ones ; for I fay unto you, that in heaven their angels do always be- hold the flice of my Father which is in heaven." That is» I again repeat to you, take heed that ye treat not with fcorn and contempt fuch little children as you now fee LECTURE. XVI. 255 "before you, or thofe believers In me who refemble thefe children in docility, meeknefs, humility, and indifference to all that the world calls great and honourable. Take care that you do not confider their welfare, their falvation, as below your notice and regard, and wantonly endanger both by giving way to your own irregular defires ; for I fay unto you, that however contemptibly you may think of them, your heavenly Father regards them with a more favorable eye. He even condefcends to take them under his protection, he fends his moft favored angels, thofe minillers of his that do his pleafure, and (land always in his prefence ready to execute his commands, even thefe he deputes to guard and watch over thefe little children and thofe humble Chriftians, vv-ho are like them in purity and innocence of mind. From this pafTage fome have Inferred, tliat every child, and every faithful fervant of Chrift, has an angel conftantly attached to his perfon, to fuperintend, direcl:, and protedfc him ; and this is the opinion of the learned Grotius hlm- felf ; whilft others only fuppofe that thofe celeftial fpirits, who (as we are told of Gabriel) Jiand before God, are occafionally fent to affiH the pious Chriftian in imminent danger, in fevere trials, or great emergencies. And hence perhaps the favorite and popular do<5lrine of guardian angels ; a dcdrine which has prevailed more or lefs in every age of the church, which Is without quellion moft footli- ing and confolatory to human nature, and is certainly coun- tenanced by this and feveral other paifages of holy v^Tit, as well as by the authority of Origen, Tertullian, and other ancient fathers and com^mentators. In the Pfalms it is faid, « The angel of the Lord tarrleth round about them tliat fear him, and dellvereth them*.'' And in the Epiftle to the Hebrewsf v/e are told, that the angels are all miniftering fpirits, fent forth to minifter for them who fhall be heirs of falvation." No one therefore that cher- ifhes this notion can be charged with v/eaknefs or faper- ftitlon ; and If It fhould be at laft an error. It Is as Cicero fays of the immortality of the foul? fo delightful an error, that we * Psal rxxiV, 7. f Chap, l 14- 256 LECTURE XVI. ' cannot eafily fuffer it to be wreRed from us.* But whatever may be the decifion of ieanied men on this point, there is one thing moft clearly proved by the text now before us, and confirmed by a multitude of others, and tliat is, the doc- trine not only of a general but of a particular providence, which in one way or other, whether by minifteiing angels, or by the all-comprehending and omniprefent eye of God himfelf, watches over thofe true difciples of Chrift, who, in their tempers, difpofitions, and manners, approach neareft to the humility, the meeknefs, the innocence, and the fimplicity of a child. This doctrine is indeed fo diftinftly and explicitly aflert- ed in various parts of fcripture, that it ftands in no need of any confirmation from this particular pafiage ; but every additional proof of fo material a fupport under the affli ftruck the young man with aftonifhment and grief, and w^hlc]i fome have reprefented as more harfh and fevere than his conduit merited. " If thou wilt be perfeifl, go and. fell that thou haft, and* give to the poor, and tliou fhalt have treafure in heaven, and come and follow me." In the parallel place of St. Mark, it is, " Come and take up the crofs and follow me." The meaning is, although God is pleafed to accept gracioufly your obedience to tlie moral law, yet you muft not flatter yourfelf that your obedience is perfe£i ; and that this perfe(5l obedience gives you a right or claim to eternal life ; much lefs to a fuperior degree of reward in heaven ;: far from it. To convince you how far you fall fliort of perfiSion, I will put your obedience to the teft, in a trying inftance, and you fliall then judge whether you are fo perfeiH: as you fuppofe your- felf. You fay that you have from your youth kept the moral laws delivered to you by Mofes. Now one of tnofe laws is this, " Thouflialt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy foul, and with ail tliy might." If therefore you pretend to perfeflion, you muft obferve this law as well as all the reft, and confequently you muft prefer his favor to every tiling elfe ; you muft be ready to facrifice to his commands every thing tliat is moft valuable to you in this world. I now therefore as a teacher fent from God, require you to fell ail you have, and give to the poor, and follow me, and you fnall then have treafure in heaven. Tlie young man made no reply. He could not. He faw all his pretenfions to perfidion, his hopes of an extraordinary rev/ard, vanifaat once. He was not difpofed to purchafe even treafures in heaven at the price of all he poiTefted on earth. He therefore went away filent and forrow^ul, for he had great pofteffions* There is a queftion v.^hich I fuppofe naturally arifes In every man's mind, on reading this converfation between the young ruler and Jefus. Does the Injundlion here given to ^8 LECTURE XVII, the young man by Jefus relate to all Chrifllans In general^ and are we all of us, without exception, bound to fell all that we have and give to the poor, as a necefiary condition of obtaining treafure in heaven ? Tl:ie anfwer is, moft afliiredly not. Our Lord's command refers folely to the individual perfon to whom he addreffed himfelf, or at the moft to thofe who at that time became difciples of Chrift. I have already fhewn that our Saviour's objedt, in giving this command to the young man, was probably to lower the high opinion he feemed to entertain of his perfedt obe- dience to the laws of Mofes, to convince him that he was very far from that exalted ftate of piety and virtue to which he pretended, and that if he was rewarded with eternal life, it muft be not in confequence of his own righteoufnefs,, but of the mercy of God, and the merits of a Redeemer, as yet unknown to him. But befides this, it is not improbable that the young ruler was ambitious to enlift under the banners of Chrift, and to become one of his difciples and followers. And at that time no one could do this whofe time and thoughts were engaged in worldly concerns, and in the care and management and attendant luxuries of a large fortune. Nor was this all ; every man that embarked in fo perilous an undertaking, did it at the rifque not only of his pro- perty, but even of life itfelf, from the perfecuting fpirit of the J ewiih rulers. When, therefore, our Saviour fays to the young man, if thou wilt be perfe&, that is, if thou art defirous to profefs the more perfedl religion of the Gofpel, and to become one of my followers, go and fell that thou haft, and give to the poor, and take up the crofs and follow me ; he only prepares him for the great hardfhips and dangers to which every follower of Chrift was then expofed, and the neceffity there was for him to fit loofe to every thing moft valuable in the prefent life. This command, therefore, does not in its primary meaning relate to Chriftians of the prefent times ; nor indeed to Chriftians at all, properly fpeaking, but to thofe who were at that time defirous of becoming fo. LECTURE XVII. 269 But though in a ftridt and literal fenfe it cannot be apphed to ourfelves, yet in its principle and in its general import, it conveys a mod ufeful and moft important ieffon to Chriftians in every age and in every nation ; it is an admonition to them not to pique themfelves too much on their exacft obedience to all the divine commands, not to aiTume to themfelves £o much perfedion, as to found upon it a righi and a claim to eternal life ; not to rely folely on their own righteoufnefs, but on the merits of their Redeemer, for acceptance and falvation. It reminds them alfo, that they ought always to be prepared to yield an implicit obedience to the commands of their Maker ; and that if their duty to him fhould at any time require it, they fliould not heiitate to renounce tlieir deareft interefls and moft favorite pleafures ; to part with fame, with for- tune, and even life itfelf ; and, under all circumftances, to confider in the firft place what it is tliat God requires at their hands, and to fubmit to it, whatever it may coft tliem, without a murmur. After tliis converfation Vv'ith tlie young ruler, follows the obfervation made by our Lord on this remarkable incident. Then fald Jefus unto his difciples, " Verily I fay unto you, that a rich man fhall hardly enter into the liingdom of heaven. And again I fay unto you, it is eafier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Vv^'hen his difciples heard it they were amazed, faying, ** who then can be faved ?" But Jefus beheld them, and faid unto them, " With men this is impoflible, but witli God all things are poffible." This fentence paifed upon the rich is a declaration, which if underftcod literally^ and as applying to al! Chriftians of the prefent day, who may juftly be called rich, would be truly terrifying and alarming to a very large defcription of m.en, a much larger than may at firft perhaps be Lrnagined. For by rich men muft be underftood, not only thofe of high rank and large poirelTions, but thofe in every rank of life, vAio have any fuperfluity beyond what is necelfary for the decent and comfortable fupport oi themfelves and their famihes, Thefe are all to be confidered as rtc/j in a greater or le:.- degree, and this of courfe muft comprehend a very larg-. ^70 LECTURE XVIL part of the Chriflian world. Does tlien our Lord meah to fay, that it is fcarce poffible for fuch vaft numbers of Chriftians to be faved ? This does certainly at the firft view feem to be implied in that very ftrong expreflion, that it is eafier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven." But it may fairly be prefumed, that it was not our Lord's intention to pronounce fo very fevere and difcouraging a fentence as this^ and to render the way to heaven almoft inaccefGble to fo very confiderable a number of his difci- ples. And in fa6t on a careful confideration of this paf- fage, of the limitations and abatements necelfary to be made in proverbial exprefTions and oriental idioms, and of the explanations given cf it in other parts of Scripture, and even by our Lord himfelf, it will appear that there is nothing in it which ought to infpire terror and difmay into the heart of any fmcere and real Chriftian, be his fituation ever fo exalted or affluent. It muft be obferved then in the firfl place, what is ex- ceedingly important in this enquiry, that in its original application, this paiTage does not feem to have attached upon thofe who were then actually difciples of Chrift, but upon thofe only who were defirous of becoming fo ^ for confider only the occafion which gave rife tOjrthis re- flexion. It was that very incident on which we have juft been commenting ; that of the young rich ruler whom our Saviour exhorted to fell all that he had and take up his crofs and follow him. The young man notrelifhing thefe condi- tions, inilead of following Jefus, wentav/ay forrowful, be- caufe he had great pofeffions. He therefore never was, as far as we know, a difciple of Clirift ; and it was upon this that Jefus immediately declared, that " a rich man Ihall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven ;" that is, fliall hardly be induced to embrace the Chriftian religion ; for that is frequently the fignification of the k'wgihm of heaven^ in Scripture. What then our Lord affirmed was this, that it was extremely difficult at that time, at the firft preaching of the Gofpel,. for any rich man to become a convert to Chiiftianity. And this we may eaf ily believe ; for thofe who v/ere enjoying all the comforts and elegancies, and luxuries of life, would not be very leady to facrifice LECTURE XVIL 271 ^efe, and fubmit to poverty, hardfliips, perfecutions> 3ind even death itfelf, to which the firft converts to Chrif- tianlty were frequently expofed. They would therefore generally follow the example of the rich man before us : would turn their backs on the kingdom of heaven, and go away to the world and its enjoyments. And this in fadt we know to have been the cafe. For it was of the lower ranks of men that our Lord's difciples principally confifted, and we are exprefsly told that it was the common people chiefly that heard him gladly ; and even after his death, St. Paul afferts that not many mighty, not many noble, were called. It fliould feem then, that the primary ob- jedls of this declaration were thofe rich men to whom the Gofpel was then offered, and of whom very few embraced it. And as no penal law ought to be ftretched beyond its ftri(5l and literal fenfe, I do not conceive that we are authorifed to apply this fevere fentence to thofe opulent perfons who now profefs themfelves Chriftians, and to fay of them that it is eafier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to inherit the rewards of heaven. Still however, as the words themfelves will per- haps bear fuch an application, it is not improbable that our Lord might have an eye to rich men in future profef- fmg Chriftianity, as well as to the rich men of thofe days, who were either Jews or Heathens. But if it does relate to rich Chriftians at all, I have no difllculty in faying, tliat it muft be in a very qualified and mitigated fenfe of the words, fuch as fhall not bar up the gates of heaven againfl any true believers in Chrift, or infpire terror and defpair, where friendly admonition w^as only meant. The firft thing then to be remarked is, that although the fimilitude here made ufe of, that of a camel paffing through the eye of a needle, implies abfolute impofSbility, yet according to every rule of interpreting oriental prov- erbs (for fuch this is) it means only, in its application, great difficulty. And in this fenfe it vras adually ufedbotli by the Jews and the Arabians ; and is plainly fo interpret- ed by our Lord, when he fays that a rich man fhall hv.rdly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 272 LECTURE XVII. But even in this fenfe the words do not apply to all rlcls men without diftinftion. For in the parallel place of St, Mark*, upon the diiciples expreffing their aftonifhment at our "Lord's declaration, he immediately explains himfelf by faying, how hard is it for them that trujl in riches t» enter into the kingdom of heaven ; and it is after this ex- planation, that the proverbial paffage follows, " it is eafi- er for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven." We fee then that thofe rich men only are meant, who truJl in their riches, who place their whole dependence upon them ; whofe views and hopes are centered in them and them only ; who place their whole happinefs, not in re- lieving the diftrefTes of the poor, and foothing the forrows of the affiifted ; not in adts of worihip and adoration, and thankfgiving to him from whofe bounty they derive every bleffing they enjoy ; not in giving him their hearts, and dedicating their wealth to his glory and his fervice, but in amafling it v/ithout end, or fquandering it without any benefit to mankind, in making it the inftrument of pleaf- ure, of luxury, of diflipation, of vice, and the means of ■gratifying every irregular appetite and paiTion without controul. Thefe are the rich men, whofe falvation is repr refented by our Saviour to be almoft impoffible ; and yet even with refpeift to thefe he adds ; with men this is im- poffible, but with God all things are poffible ; that is, al- though if we look to human means, to human ftrengtii alone, it feems utterly impoffible that fuch men as thefe fhould ever repent and be faved ; yet to die power of God, to the overruling influences of the Holy Spirit nothing is impoffible. His grace fned abroad in the heart may touch it with cornpunftion and remorfe, may awaken it to peni- tence, may heal all its corruptions, may illuminate, may purify may fan^ify it, may bring the mofl worldly-mind- ed man to a f:afe of his condition, and make him tranf- 'fer his trull: from riches to the living God. • It is then to thole that irujl in riches that this denunciation of our Lord peculiarly, applies j but even to all rich men in * Mart X 24. LECTURE XVIL 21% general it holds out this moft important admonition, that their fituation is at the beft a lituation of difficulty and danger j that their riches fumiih them with fo many op- portunities of indulging every wayward wifli, every cor- rupt propenfity of their hearts, and fpread before them fo many temptations, fo many incitements, fo many provo- cations to luxury, intemperance, fenfuality, pride, for- getfulnefs of God, and contempt of every thing ferious and facred, that it is fometimes too much for human na- ture to bear ; that they have therefore peculiar need to take heed to their ways, to watch inceffantly over their own condud, to keep their hearts witli all diligence, to guard the iilues of life and death, and above all, to im- plore with unceafing earneftnefs and fervor that help from above, thofe communications of divine grace, which can alone enable them, and which will efFedually enable them to overcome the world, and to vanquifh all tlie powerful enemies they have to contend with. They have in fhort their way plainly marked out to them in fcripture, and the cleareft diredlions given them how they are to condud: themfelves, fo as to become partakers of everlajiing life, « Charge them, fays St. Paul, that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor truft in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly ail things to enjoy ; that they do good, that they be rich in good v/orks, ready to diftribute, willing to communicate, laying up in ftore for themfelves a good foundation againft the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life*." This ftriking charge to the rich is pregnant with moft important and wholefome counfel, and is an admirable comment on that very pa(rage which has fo long engaged our attention. It feems indeed to allude and refer to it, and points out all thofe diftindions which tend to explain away its feeming harfhnefs, and afcertain its true fpirit and meaning. It cautions the rich men of the world not to trujl in un= certain riches: the very expreffion made ufe of by our Lord, and the very circumftance whidi renders it fo hard * Tim. vi- 17—19. u !i74. LECTURE XVIL for thein to enter into the kingdom of heaven. They are tnjoined to place their truft in the living God. They are to be rich in a far brighter treafure than gold and filver, in faith and in good works ; and if they are, they will '**' lay a good foundation againft the time to come, and will lay hold on eternal life." This entirely does away all the terror, all the difmay, which our Lord's denunciation might tend to produce in the minds of the wealthy and the great: it proves that the way to heaven is as open to them^ as to all other ranks and conditions of men, and it points out to them the very means by vv-hich they may arrive there. Thefe means are, truft in the living God, dedica- tion of themfelves to his fervice and his glory, zeal in eve- ry good work, and more particularly the appropriation of a large part of that very wealth, which conftitutes their danger, to the purpofes of piety, charity, and beneficence. Thefe are the ileps by which they muft, through the merits t)f their Redeemer, afcend to heaven. Thofe rich- es which are their natural enemies, muft be converted into allies and friends. They muft, as the fcripture expreffes it, make to themfelves " friends of the mammon of un- righteoufnefs* ;" they muft be ricli towards God ; they muft turn that wealth, which is /too often the caufe of their perdition, into an inftrunWnt of falvation, into an injlrument by which they m*ay lay holdy as the apoftle ex- preftes it, on eternal life. Before I quit this intereftmg paflage, it may be of ufe to obfervc, that while it furnilhes a leffon of great caution, "vigilance, and circumfpeftion to the rich, it affords alfo no fmall degree of confolation to the poor. If they are lefs bountifully provided than the rich, with the materials of 'happinefs for the prefent life, let them however be thankful to Providence that they have fewer difhculties to contend with, fewer temptation's to combat, and fewer obftacles to furmount, in their way to the life which is to come. They have fortunately no means of indulging themfelves in that luxury and diflipation, thofe extravagances and exceffes which fometimes difgrace the wealthy and the great ; and they are preferved from many follies, imprudences, and fms, equally mjurious to prefent comfort and future happinefs. * J.ukc, xvi 9. LECTURE. XVII. . 275 If they are deftitute of all tlie elegancies and many of the conveniences and accommodations of life, they are alfo exempt from tliofe cares and anxieties which frequently corrode the heart, and perhaps more than balance the en- joyments of their fuperiors. The inferiority of their con- dition fecures them from all the dangers and all the tor- ments of ambition and pride ; it produces in them gener- ally that meeknefs and lowlinefs of mind, which is the chief conftituent of a true evangelical temper, and one of the mofl elfential qualifications for the kingdom of heaven. Jefus having made thefe obfervations on the condu6l of the young ruler, who refufed to part with his wealth and follow him, Peter thought this a fair opportunity of afk- ing our Lord what reward fliould be given to him, and the other apoftles, who had actually done what the young ruler had not the courage and the virtue to do* Then anfv/ered Peter and faid unto him, " Lo ! w^ have forfa- ken all, and followed thee ; what fhall we have therefore i"' It is true the apoftles had no wealth to relinquifh, but what little they had they cheerfully parted with ; they gave up their «//, they took up their crofs and followed Chrift. Surely after fuch a facrifice they might well be allowed to aik what recompence they might expeft, and nothing can be more natural and affecting than their ap- peal to their divine Mafter : " Behold, w^ have forfaken all, and followed thee ; what fhall ive have tlierefore V* Our Lord felt the force and the juftice of this appeal, and immediately gave them this moft gracious and confolatory anfwer : *' Verily I fay unto you, that ye which have fol- lowed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man fliall fit in the throne of his glory, ye alfo fhall fit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Ifrael : and every one that hath forfaken houfes, or brethren, or fifters, or fathers, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's fake, fhall receive an hundred fold, and fliall inherit everlafting life." Our tranflators, by connecting the word regeneration v/ith the preceding words, " ye which have followed me in the regeneration," evidently fuppofed that word to 276 LECTURE XVII. relate to the firft preaching of the Gofpel, when thoife who heard and received it were to be regenerated or made new creatures. But mod of the ancient fathers, as well as the befl; modern commentators, refer that expreffion to the words that follow it, " In the regeneration when the Son of man ihall fit in the throne of his glory ;" by which is meant the day of judgment and of recompence, when all man- kind fhall be as it were regenerated or bom again, by rifmg from their graves ; and when, as St. Matthew tells us in the 27th chapter (making ufe of the very fame phrafe that he does here) the Son of man fhall fit on the throne of his glory. At that folemn hour Jefus tells his apoftles that they fhall alfo fit upon twelve thrones judging tlie twelve tribes of Ifrael. This is an allufion to the cuftom of princes having their great men ranged around them as affeffors ^d advifers when they fit in council or in judg- ment: or more probably to the Jewifh fanhedrim, in which the high prleft fat furrounded by the principal rulers, chief priefts, and do<5lors of the law ; and it was meant only to exprefs, in thefe figurative terms, that the apoflles fhould In the kingdom of heaven have a diflinguifhed pre-eminence of glory and reward, and a place of honor affigned them near the perfon of our Lord himfelf. Jefus then goes on to fay, " everyone that hath forfaken houfes, or brethren, or fifllers, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's fake, fhall receive an hundred fold, and fhall inherit everlafling life." It is plain, both from the conftruftion of this verfe, and from the exprefs words of St. Mark in the parallel paffage, tliat the reward here promifed to the apoftles, whatever it might be, was to be beftov/ed in the prefent luorld ; befides which they were to inherit everlafting life. What then, it may be afked, is this recompence, which was to take place in the prefent life, and was to be a hunrj-red fold ? It certainly cannot be a hundred fold of thofe worldly advantages which are fuppofed to be relin- quifhed for the fake of Chrift and his religion ; for a multiplication of feveral of thefe things, inftead of a LECTURE XVIL 277 reward, would have been an Incumbrance. And we know in facl the apoftles never did abound in worldly pofleffions, but were for the moft part deftitute and poor. The recompence then here promifed muft have been of a very different nature ; it is that internal content and fatif- fadlion of mind, that peace of God which pafleth all underftanding, thofe delights of a pure confcience and an upright heart, that affeAionate fupport of all good men, thofe confolations of the Holy Spirit, that truft and confi- dence in God, that confcioufnefs of the divine favor and approbation, thofe reviving hopes of everlafting glory, which every good man and fnicere Chriftian never fails to experience in the difcharge of his duty. Thefe are the things which will cheer his heart and fuftain his fpirits, amidll all the difcouragements he meets with, under tlie preflure of want, of poverty, of aiflidtion, of calumny, of ridicule, of perfecution, and even under the tensors of death itfelf, v/hich will recompence him a hundred fold for all the facrifices he has made to Chrift and his religion, and impart to him a degree of comfort and tranquillity and happinefs, far beyond any thing that all the wealth and fplendour of this world can beftow. That this is not a mere ideal reprefentation, we may fee in the example of thofe very perfons to whom this difcourfe of our Saviour was addrelfed. We may fee a pi6ture of the felicity here defcribed, drawn by the mafterly hand of St. Paul, in his Second Epiftle to the Corinthians. " We are, fays he (fpeaking of himfelf and his fellow-labourers in the Gof- pel) we are approving ourfelves in much patience, in affliaions, in necefTities, in diftrefTes, in ftripes, in imprifon- ments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in faftings ; by purenefs, by knowledge, by long-fulfering, by kindnefs, by the Holy Ghoft, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteoufnefs on the right hand and on the left, by honor and difhonor, by evil report and good report ; as deceivers, and yet true ; as unknown, and yet well known ; as dying, and behold we live ; as chaftened, and not killed ; as forrov/ful, yet always rejoicing ; as poor, yet making many rich ; as having nothing, and yet poffeffing all things." We have here a portrait, not merely of patience and fortitude, but of cheerfulnefs and joy under the accuteft fuiferings, which 278 LECTURE XVIL is no where to be met with in the writings of the mof?: celebrated heathen philofophers. The utmoft that they pretended to was a contempt of pain, a determination not to be fubdued by it, and not even to acknowledge that it was an evil. But we never hear them expreffing that cheerfulnefs and joy under fulFering, which we here fee in the appoftles and firft difciples of Chrifl;. Indeed it was impoffible that they fhould rife to thefe extraordinary exertions of the human mind, fmce they wanted all thofe fupports which bore up the appoftles under the feverefl calamities, and raifed them above all the common weak- neifes and infirmities of their nature ; namely, the confcioufnefs of being embarked In the greateft and nobleft undertaking that ever engaged the mind of man, an unbounded truft and confidence in the protedion of heaven, a large participation of the divine influences and confola- tions of the Holy Spirit, and a firm and well grounded hope of an eternal reward in another life, which would infinitely overpay all their labors and their forrows in this. Thefe were the fources of that content and cheerfulnefs, that vigour and vivacity of mind, under the fevereft affli(5lions, which nothing could deprefs, and which nothing but Chriftian philofophy could produce. Here then we have a full explanation of our Lord's promlfe in the paffage before us, that every one who had forfaken houfes, or brethren, or fifters, or fatlier, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for his name's fake, fhould receive a hundred fold, fhould receive abundant recom- pence in the comfort of their own minds, as defcrlbed in the correfponding pafiage of St. Paul, juft cited ; which may be confidered not only as an admirable comment on our Lord's declaration, but as an exact fulfilment of the predialon contained In It. For that declaration is plainly prophetic ; it foretels the perfecution his difciples would meet with In the dlfcharge of their duty ; and foretels alfo, that in the midft of thefe perfecutions they would be undaunted and, joyful. And there cannot be a more per- fect completion of any prophecy, than that which St. Paul's difcrlption fets before us with refpect to this. But we muft not confine this promlfe of our Saviour's to his own immediate followers and difciples ; it extends LECTURE XVII. 27^ to all his faithful fervants in every age and nation of the world, that part with any thing which is dear and valuable to them for the fake of the GofpeL Whoever has pafTed any time in the world, muil have feen that every man who is fmcere in the profeiTion of his religion, who fets God always before him, and who feeks above all things his favor and approbation, muft fometimes make great and painful facrifices to the commands of his Maker and Redeemer ; and whoever does fo, whoever gives up his pleafures, his interefls, his fame, his favorite purfuits, his fondelt wifhes, and his ftrongen; paffions, for the fake of his duty, and in conformity to the will of his heavenly Father, may reft affiired, that he fliall in no wife lofe his reward. He fhall in a degree proportioned to the felf- ' denial he has exercifed, and the fufferings he has under- gone, experience the prefent comfort and fupport here promifed to the apoftles ; and fliall alfo, though not to the fame extent, have an extraordinary recompence in the kingdom of heaven. Let no one then be deterred from, pei-fevering in the path of duty, whatever difcouragements, difficulties, or ob- ftruftions he may meet with in his progrefs, either from tlie ftruggles he has witli his own corrupt affedtions, or from the malevolence of the world. Let him not fear to encounter, what he muft expe6l to meet with, oppofition, contumely, contempt and ridicule ; let him not fear the enmity of profligate and unprincipled men ; but let him go on undaunted and undifmayed in that uniform tenor of piety and benevolence, of purity, integrity, and upright- nefs of conduct, which will not fail to bring him peace at the laft. Let him not be furprized or alarmed if he is not exempt from the common lot of every fmcere and zealous Chriftian ; if he finds it by his own experience to be true, what an apoftle of Chrift has long fmce prepared him to expedt, that whofoever will live godly in Chrift Jefus ftiall in one way or other Juffer perfecution. But let him remem- ber at the fame time the reviving and Gonfolatory declara- tion of his divine Mafter ; *• Bleffed are ye when men fhall revile you and perfecute you, and fhall fay all manner of evil againft you falfely for my fake. Rejoice, and be ex- ceeding glad ; for great is your reward in heaven." ,^4-<-4..<,.<-<..<..<..<..<..<..< .<..<..<..<..<..<..<..«..<..<>..>..>. >..>..>..>M>.>..>..>..>..>^>..>..>. >.>.>.>..>.->.. LECTURE XVIIL MATTH. xxii. I NOW pafs on to the twenty-fecond chapter of Stc. Matthew, in which our blefled Lord introduces the follow- ing parable : " The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his fon, and fent forth his fervants to call them that were bidden to the wedding, and they would not come. Again he fent forth other fer- vants, faying, tell them which are bidden. Behold I have prepared my dinner ; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready ; come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandize ; and the remnant took his fervants and entreated them fpitefully, and flew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth ; and he fent forth his armies, and deftroyed thofe murderers, and burnt up their city. Then faith he to his fervants, the v/edding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye fhall find, bid to the marriage. So thofe fervants went out into the highways, and gathered togetlier all as many as they could find, both bad and good, and the wedding was furniftied with guefts. And when the king came in to fee the guefts, he faw there a man which had not on a wedding garment. And he faith unto him. Friend, how cameft thou in hither, not having on a wed- ding garment ? and he was fpeechlefs. Then faid the king to his fervants, bind him hand and foot, and caft him into outer darknefs ; tliere fhall be weeping and gnaili- ing of teeth ; for many are called, but few are chofen." The primary and principal objedt of this parable Is to leprefent, under the image of a marriage feaft, the- U 2 282 LECTURE XVIII. invitation given to the Jews to embrace the Gofpel, their rejedion of that gracious offer, the fevere punifliment inflicted upon them for. their ingratitude and obftinacy, and the admiffion of the Heathens to the privileges of Chrlftianity in their room. " The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king> which made a marriage for his fon." That is, the difpenfations of the Almighty, with refpefl to the Chriftian religion, which is called the kingdom of heaven, may be compared to the conduft of a certain king, who (as was the cuftom in thofe times, efpeclally among the eaftern nations) gave a fplendid feaft in confequence of his fon's marriage. And in this comparlfon there is a peculiar propriety, becaufe both the Jewifii and the Chriftian covenant are frequently reprefented in Scripture under the fimilltude of a marriage contract between God and his people*. " And he fent forth his fervants to call them that were bidden to the wedding, and they v/ould not come. Again he fent forth other fervants, faying, tell them which are bidden. Behold I have prepared my din- ner ; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready ; come unto the marriage." This fignlfies the various and repeated offers of the Gofpel to the Jews ; firft by Job_n the Baptift, then by our Saviour himfelf, then by his appoftles and the feventy difciples, both before and after his afcenfion. But all thefe gracious offers the greater part of the nation rejected with fcom. They would not come to the marriage ; they made light of it, and went] their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandife ; and the rem- nant took his fervants, and entreated them fpitefuUy, and flew them. They not only flighted and treated with contempt the words of eternal life, and preferred the pleafures and the interefts of the prefent life to all the joys of heaven, but they purfued, with unceafmg rancour, the firft preachers of the Gofpel, and perfecuted them even, unto death. * See Ifaiah liv. 5. Jeremiah iii. 8. Match, xxv. 5. 2 Cor. xi, a* LECTURE XVIIL 283 ** But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth ; and he fent fortli his armies, and deftroyed thefe murderers, and burnt up their city." This points out, in the plaineft terms, the Roman armies under Vefpafian and Titus, which not many years after this was fpoken, befieged Jerufalem, and deftroyed the city, and flaughtered an immenfe number of the inhabitants. This terrible de- vaftation our Lord here predids in general terms, as he does more particularly and minutely in the twenty-fourth chapter ; and he here reprefents it as the judgment of God on this perverfe and obftinate people for their rejedion of the Chriftian religion, their favage treatment of the apot ties and their allbciates, and their many odier atrocious crimes. This punifhment however is here, by anticipa- tion, reprefented as having been inflided during the mar- riage feaft ; though it did not in fa(5l take place till afterwards, till after the Gofpel had been for fome time promulgated. " Then faid he to his fervants, the wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye fhall find bid to the marriage.' So thofe fervants went out into the high-ways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good ; and the wedding was fumilh- ed with guefts." It may be thought, perhaps, at the firft view, that our Lord has here introduced a circumftance not very natural or probable. It may be imagined that at a magnificent royal entertainment, if any of the guefts happened to fail in their attendance, a great king would never think of fupplying their places by fending his fervants into the highv/ays to coUedl together all the travellers and ftrangers they could meet with, and make them fit down at the marriage feaft. But ftrange as this may feem, there is fomething that approaches very near to it in the cuftoms of the eafteni nations, even in modern times. For a travel- ler of great credit and reputation, Dr. Pococke, informs us, that an Arab prince will often dine in the ftreet before his door, and call to all that pafs, even to beggars, in the name of God, and they come and fit dovm to table ; 284s LECTURE XVIII. and when they have done, retire with the ufual form of returning thanks*. This adds one more proof to the many others I have already pointed out in the courfe of thefe Le6tures, of the exa6t correfpondence of the various fadls and circumftances recorded in the facred writings to the truth of hiftory, and to ancient oriental cuftoms and manners. This part of the parable alludes to the calling in of the Gentiles or Heathens to the privileges of the Gofpel, after they had been haughtily i ejected by the Jews. This was firfl done by St. Peter in the inftance of Cornelius, and afterwards extended to the Gentiles at large by him and the other apoftles, conformable to what our Lord declares in another placef . " Many fhall come from the eaft and from tlie weft, and fhall fit down with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God ; but the chil- dren of the kingdom (that is the Jews) fhall be fhut out." And in the gracious invitation, no exceptions, no diftinc- tions were to be made. The fervants gathered together «//asmany as they found, both ^^z^ and good; men of all charadters and defcriptions were to have the offers of mer- cy and falvation made to them, even the very worft of Unners ; for it was thefe chiefly that our Saviour came to call to repentance ; " for they that are whole need not a phyfician, but they that are fickj ;" and of thefe great numbers did actually embrace the gracious offers made to them ; for our Lord told the Jews, " the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you||." In this manner was the wedding furnifhed with guefts. " And when the king came in to fee the guefts, he faw there a man which had not on a wedding garment ; and he faid unto him, Friend, how cameft thou in hither, not having a wedding garment ? and he was fpeechlefs. Then faid the king to the fervants, bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and caft him into outer darknefs ; there lliall be weeping and gnaftiing of teeth : for many are called, but few are chofen." * Pococke, vol. i. p. 57, and i8z. See alfo Dioi. Sic. 1, xlli p. 375, 376. t Matth. viii. n. f lb. ix, X2. || lb, xxi. 31, LECTURE XVIII. 285 In order to underftand this part of the parable, it mull be obferved, that among the ancients, efpecially in the the eaft, every one that came to a marriage feaft was ex- pe tiality, and difregard to power and greatnefs (calculated evidently to fpirit him up to fome bold and offenfive decla- ration of his opinion) they put this queftion to him : " Is it lawful to give tribute to Casfar, or not ?'* They were perfuaded, that in anfwering this queftion, he muft either render himfelf odious to the Jewifh people, by oppofmg their popular notions of liberty, and appearing to pay court to the emperor ; or, on the other hand, give offence to that prince, and expofe himfelf to the charge of fedi- tion and difaffedion to tlie Roman government, by deny- ing their right to the tribute they had impofed. They conceived it impoffible for him to extricate himfelf from this dilemma, or to efcape danger on one fide or the other ; and perhaps no other perfon but himfelf could have elu- ded the fnare that was laid for him. But he did it com- pletely : and fhowed on this occafion, as he had done on many others, that prefence of mind and readinefs of re- ply to difficult and unexpected queftions, which is one of the ftrongeft proofs of fuperior wifdom, of a quick dif- cernment, and a prompt decifion. He purfued, in fhort, the method which he had adopted in fimilar inftances ; he compelled the Jews in effefl to anfwer the queftion them- felves, and to take from him all the odium attending the determination of it. He perceived their wlckednefs, and faid, ** Why tempt ye me ? Why do you try to enfnare me, ye hypocrites ? Shew me the tribute-money. And they brought unto him a penny (a fmall filver coin of the Romans, called a denarius.) And he faid unto them, whofe is this image and fuperfcription ? And they fay un- to him, Csefar's." By admitting that this v/as Caefar's * Thofe whom St. Mark calls the Leaysn of Herod, c viii. 15. St. Matthew in the parallel paffage, xvi. 5. calls Sadducees. Hence, per- haps, wc may infer, that the Hcrodiane and the Sadducees were the fame pcrfons. LECTURE XVIIL 289 €om, and by confenting to receive it as the current com of their country, tliey in fa<5l acknowledged their fubjedion to his government. For the right of coinage, and of if- fuing the coin, and giving value and currency to it, is one of the hi*heft prerogatives, and mod decifive marks of fovereignty ; and it was a tradition of their own rabbins, tliat to admit the impreflion and the infcription of any prince on their current coin, was an acknowledgment of tlieir fubjedion to him. And it was more particularly fo in the prefent inftance, becaufe we are told that the dena- rius paid by the Jews as tribute-money had an infcription round the head of Csefar, to this effeft ; Cafar Augnfnis^ jfudaa being fuhdued*. To pay this coin with this infcrip- tion, was the completed acknowledgment of fubjeftion, and of courfe of their obligation to pay the tribute de- manded of them, that could be imagined. Our Lord's decifion therefore was a necefFary confequence of their own conceffion. " Render therefore unto Ca^far tlie things which are Casfar's, (which you yourfelves acknowledge to beCaefar's,) and unto God the things that are God^s." And when they heard thefe words, they marvelled ; they were aftonifhed at his prudence and addrefs ; and left him, and went their way. But in this anfwer of our Saviour is contained a much ftronger proof of his ccnfummate wifdom and difcretion than has yet been mentioned. He not only difengaged himfelf from the difficulties in which the queftion was meant to involve him, but without entering into any polit- ical difcuffions, he laid dovm tv/o doiflrines of the very laft importance to the peace and happinefs of mankind, and the ftabiiity of civil government. He made a clear dillin(5tion between the duties we owe to God and the duties we owe to our earthly rulers. He fliowed that they did not, in the fmalleft degree, interfere or clafti with each other ; and that we ought never to refufe v/hat is juftly due to Casfar, under pretence of its being incon- fiftent with what we ov/e to our Maker On the contrary, he lays down this as a general funda- mental rule of his religion, that we ought to pay cbedi- * See Hammond in loc, W g90 LECTURE XVIIL enceto LAWFUL AUTHORITY, and fubiiilt to that acknowl* edged and eftabliflied government under which we live^ The Jews had for a hundred .years acknowledged their iubjeftion, and paid their tribute to the Roman govern- ment ; and our Lord's decilion therefore was, " Render unto Caefar the things that are Caefar's." It is true that the tyrant Tiberius was then emperor of Rome, but tiie Jews alledged no particular grievance or a6t of oppreffion to juftify their refufal of tribute ; and our Lord had no concern with any peculiar form of government. His de- cifion would have been the fame, had the Roman repub- lic then exifted. His doftrine was obedience to lawful authority, in whatever fhape that authority might be ex- ercifed. If it be contented that there may be extraordi- jiary cafes of extreme and intolerable tyranny, which burft afunder at once the bonds of civil fubordination, and juftify refiftance ; the anfwer is, that thefe were confider- ations into which the divine founder of our religion did not think it wnfe or expedient to enter. He left them to be decided (as they always m-uft be) at the moment, by the preffing exigencies and peculiar circumftances of the cafe, operating on the common feelings and common fenfe of mankind. His great objeft was to lay down one broad fundamental rule, which, confidered as a general and leading principle, would be moft conducive to the peace, the comfort, and the fecurity of mankind ; and that rule moft indifputably is the very doctrine which he inculcated ; OBEDIENCE TO LAWFUL AUTHORITY AND ESTABLISHED .GOVERNMENT. In pcrfeft conformity to his fentiments, the apoftles held the fame language after his death, *« Submit yourfelves, fays St. Peter, to every ordinance of man, for the Lord's Hike ; whether it be unto the king as fupreme, or unto governors, as unto them that are fent by him, for the punifhment of evil doers, and the praife of them that do well*." " Be fubjecT: to principalities and powers, fays St. Paul, and obey magiftrates\. Ye muft needs be fubjed not only for wrath, but alfo for con- fcience fakej. Render therefore to all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due, cuftom to whom cuftom, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honorl|." * I Peter, ii- 13 — 14, f Tit. ill. I- \ Rom. xiii. 5. || Rom. xiii. 7. LECTURE XVIII. 291 Here then we fee the whole weight of the Gofpel, and ^f its divine Author, thrown into the fcale of lawful au- thority. Here we fee that the Chriftian religion comes in as a moll powerful auxiHary to the civil magiftrate, and lends the entire force of its fandtions to the eftablifiied government of every country ; an advantage of infinite importance to the peace and welfare of fociety. And happy had it been for mankind, if in this, as in every oth- er inftance, they had conformed to the dire * Chap, xxiii. 8. f Sunaphanizei tois somasi. Antiq- 1 sviiz. C, 2, p. 793, Ed. Huds. i Ex. iii. 6. 2^4 LECTURE XVIII. thou flialt love thy neighbor as thyfelf. On thefe two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." The queftion here propoled to Jefus by the lawyer, ot interpreter of the Mofaic law, took its rife probably from a maxim, which feems to have been received among the Scribes and Pharifees as a firft principle, namely, that fuch a multiplicity of precepts as the law contained was too great for any one to obferve ; and therefore all that could be required was, that each fhould feled to himfelf one or two great and important duties, on account of which, if inviolably obferved, his ti-anfgreffions in other refpe<5ls would be overlooked. But then immediately arofe a queftion, which luere thefe great and important duties that oujifht to have the preference to all the reft, and on which they might fecurely ground all their merit and all their pretences to the favor of God. And on this pueftion a variety of fedts were formed, under their ref- pedive leaders, who difputed about the chief duty much in the fame manner as the ancient pagan philofophers did about the chief good; and exadtly with the fame benefit to tliemfelves and to the world. It was with a reference thtTefore to thefe difputes, which were fo warmly agitated among the Pharifees, that the lawyer afked our Lord, " which was the great command- ment of the law ?" Our Saviour's anfwer was, " thou (hall love the Lord thy God with ail thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy mind. This is the firft and great commandment." He decided therefore immediate- ly in fiivor of the moral law, and yet with his ufual pru- dence did not neglea the ceremonial ; for this very com- mandment of the love of God was written upon their phy- lacteries. Tliis then being declared by our Saviour himfelf to be tliefifl of the commandments, muft be confidered by ev- ery Chriftian as ftanding at the head of that evangelical code of laws which he is bound to obey, and as entitled therefore to his firft and higheft regard. He is to love the Lord his God " with all his heart, v/ith all his foul, and with all his mind :" and the chief teft by which the Gof- LECTURE XVIIL 29^ pel orders us to try and meafure our love to God is, the regard we pay to his commands. " He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, fiiys our Lord, he it IS that loveth me*." St. John in ftill. ftronger terms, af- fures us, that " whofo keepeth God's word, in him verily is the love of Godi perfe8ed\.''* The love of our Maker , then is neither a mere unmeaning animal fervor, nor a life- lefs formal worlhip or obedience. It confifts in devoutnefs' of heart as well as purity of life ; and from comparing together the different pafTages of Scripture relating to it, we may define it to be fuch a reverential admiration of God's perfections in general, and fuch a grateful fenfe of his infinite goodnefs in particular, as render the contem- plation and the worfhip of him delightful to us, and pro- duce in us a conftant defirc and endeavor to pleafe hira in every part of our moral and religious condudr. This is, in a few words, what the fcriptures mean by the love of God, and what our Lord here calls the first AND GREAT COMMANDMENT. It is juftly fo Called for va- rious reafons : becaufe he who is the objeft of it is the firft and greateft of all beings, and therefore the duties owing lo him muft have the precedence and pre-eminence over every other ; becaufe it is the grand leading principle of right condudl, the original fource and fountain from which- all Chriftian graces flow, from whence the living waters of religion take their rife, and branch out into all the va- rious duties of human life ; becaufe, in fine, it is, when fervent and fmcere, the grand mafterfpring of human con- duft ; the only motive fufficiently powerful to fubdue our ftrongeft pafiions, to carry us triumphantly through the fevereft trials, and render us faperior to the moil formida- ble temptations* Next to this in order and in excellence, or, as our Sav- iour expreffes it, Iihe unto it, is, that other divine commandi " thou fhalt love thy neighbor as thyfelf." By the word neighbor is here to be underftood, every man with whom we have any concern ; every one wha ftands in need of our kindnefs, and to whom we are able * John, xiv- ai. f i John, ii. $> S9e LECTURE XVTEL to extend It j which includes not only our relations, friends, and countrymen, but even our enemies ; as appears from the parable of the good Samaritan. The precept tliere- fore requires us generally to love our fellovz-creatures as- we do ourfelves* To this it has been obje^ed that the precept is imprac- tic able and impoilible. Self-love, it is contended, is a paffion implanted in our breails by the hand of God him- felf ; and though fociallove is alfo another afFe6lion v/hich he has given us, yet there is no comparifon between the- ftrength of the two principles ; and no man can or does love all mankind as well as he does himfelf. It is perfect- ly true ; nor does the precept before us require it. The words are not thou flialt love thy neighbor as much as thy- felfy but thou fhalt love thy neighbor as thyfelf ; that is,, thou fhalt entertain for him an affedion fimilar in klndy though not equal in degree, to that which thou entertaineft for thyfelf. Our felf-love prompts us to feek our own happinefs, as far as is confiftent with the duties we owe to God and to man. Our focial love fhould in the fame man- ner prompt us to feek the happinefs of our neighbor, a& far as is confident with the duty we owe to God and our- felves. But in all equal circumftances, our love for our- felves muft have a priority in degree to the love we have for our neighbor. If, for infrance, my neighbor is in extreme want of food, and I am in the fame want, I am not bound to give him that food which is indifpenfably neceffary for my own prefervation, but that only which is cpnfiilent with it. The rule in fliort can never be miftaken by any man of common fenfe. Our buhnefs is to take care to carry it far enough : nature will take fufficient care that we do not carry it too far. It is in fa6l nothing more than what we are taught by another divine rule very nearly al- lied to this, and which all men allow to be reafonable, equitable and pradicable ; " whatfoever ye would that men fhould do unto you, do ye even fo unto them*." This is precifely what is meant by loving our neighbor as ourfelves ; for when we treat him exactly as we would «xpe(5t and hope to be treated by him in the iame circum- * Matth. vJi, X?. LECTURE XVnr. 297 fiances, we give a clear and decifive proof that we love him as ourfelves. And in this there is evidently no im- poffibility, no difficulty, no obfcurity. Thefe then are the tv^^o great commandments, on which we are told hang all the law and the prophets ; that is, on them, as on its main foundation, refts the whole Mofaic difpenfation ; for of that^ not of the Gofpel, our Lord is here fpeaking. To explain, ePtablilh, and confirm thefe two leading principles of human duty, was one of the chief objects of the law and the prophets. But it mull at the fame time be remembered (as I have fhewn at large in a formar ledlure*) that great and important as thefe Xyno precepts confeiTedly are, they do by no means conftitute the whole of the ChrijTian fyjlem. In that we find many eifential improvements of the moral law, which was car- ried by our Saviour to a much higher degree of perfection than in the Jewilh difpenfation, as may be feen more par- ticularly in liis fermon on the mount. We find alfo in the New Teftament all thofe important evangelical dodtrines which diftinguifh the Chriftian revelation ; more particu- larly thofe of a refurredion ; of a future day of retribution, cf the expiation cf our fins, original and perfonal, by tlie facrifice cf Chrift, of fandtification by the Holy Spirit, cf jurtification by a tine and lively faith in the merits of our Redeemer. If therefore we wiih to form a juft and correct idea of the whole Chriftian difpenfation, and if we wiih 10 be confidered as genuine difciples of our divine Mafter, we muft not content ourfelves with obferving only tlie two leading commandments of love to God and love to men, but we muft look to the whole of our religion as it lies in tlie Gofpel ; we muft endeavor to ftand perfeft in all the v/ill of God, and in all the dodlrines of his Son, i'.s declared in the Chriftian revelation ; and after doing our utmoft to fulfil all righteoufnefs, and to attend to every branch of our duty, both with refpeift to God, our neigh- bor, and ourfelves, we muft finally repofe all our hopes of falvation on the merits of our Redeemer, and on our bflief in him as the way, the truth, and the life. * Le^ft. vii- p. 190, W 2 S^ L E C T IT R E XVIIL I muft now put a period to thefe Leftures for thfe pre- sent feafon ; and if it IHould pleafe God to perferve my life for another year, I hope to finiili my obfervations on the gofpel of Sf Matthew ; beyond which I mull not now extend my views. In the mean while, from what 1 have obferved in the progrefs of thefe Ledlures, I cannot help indulging a hum- ble hope that they have not been unattended with fome falutary eifecls upon your minds. But when, on the other hand, I confider that the time of year is now ap- proaching, inwhich the gaities and amufements of this vaft metropolis are generally engaged in with incredible alac- rity and ardour, and multitudes are pouring in from every part of the kingdom to take their fhare in them ; and when I reccolled further, that at this very period in the laft year a degree of extravagance and wildnefs in pleas- ure took place, which gave pain to every ferious mind, and was almoft unexampled in any former times ; I am not, I confefs, without fome apprehenfions, that the fame fcene of levity and diffipation may again recur ; and that fome of thofe who now hear me (of the younger part more efpecially) may be drawn too far into this fafhionable vortex, and loofe in that giddy tumult of diverfion all remembrance of what has pafled in this facred place. I muft therefore mod eameftly caution them againft thefe fafcinating allurements, and recommend to them that moderation, that temperance, that modefty in amufements, which their Chriftian profeffion at all times requires ; but for which at this moment there are reafons of peculiar weight and force*. To indulge ourfelves in endlefs gaieties and expenlive luxuries, at a time when fo many of our poorer brethren are, from the heavy preffure of unfavorable circumftan- ces, in want of the moft eflential neceffaries of life, would furely manifefl a very unfeeling and unchriftian difpofition in ourfelves, and would he a moft cruel and wanton aggra- vation of their fuflPerings. * This Lc6l:ure was given in April 1 800, a time of great fcarcity and extreme dearncfs of all the neceffaries of life. LECTURE XVIIL 29^ It is true indeed that their wants have hitherto been relieved with a liberality and kindnefs, which reflect the higheft honor on thofe who exercifed them. But the evil in queftion ftill fubfifts in its full force, and is, I fear, more likely to increafe than to abate for months to come, and will of courfe require unceafmg exertions of benevo- lence and repeated adls of charity on our part, to alleviate and mitigate its baneful efiecls. Every one ought therefore to provide as ample a fund as pofllble for this purpofe ; and how can this be better provided than by a retrenchment of our expenfive diver- fions, our fplended affemblies, and luxurious entertain- ments ? We are not noiv required, as the young ruler in the Gofpel was, to fell all we have and give to the poor ; but we are required, efpecially in times fuch as thefe, to cut off all idle and needlefs articles of profufion, that we " may. have to give to him that needeth." And when we confider that the expence of a Ungle evening's amufement, or a fmgle convivial meeting, would give fupport and comfort perhaps to twenty wretched families, pining in hunger, in ficknefs, and in forrow, can we fo far diveft ourfelves of all the tender feelings of our nature (not to mention any higher principle), can we be fo intolerably felfifii, fo weded to pieafure, fo devoted to our own gratification, as to let the lowefl of our breth- ren perilh, while we are folacing ourfelves with every earthly delight ? No one that gives himfelf leaf to reileft for a moment can think this to be right, can maintain it to be confiflent with his duty either to God or man. And, even in refpedt to the very objedl we fo eagerly purfue, and are fo anxious to obtain, in point even of pieafure, I mean, and felf-gratification, I doubt much whether the giddieil votary of amufement can receive half the real fatisfadlion from the gayeft fcenes of diffipation he is im- merfed in, that he would experience (if he would but try) from refcuing a fellow-creature from deflrudtion, and lighting up an affli6ted and fallen countenance with joy. Let us tlien abridge ourfelves of a few indulgences, and give the price of what they v/ould cod us to thofe who SOO LECTURE XVIIL have none. By this laudable fpecies of ceconomy, we ihall at once improve ourfelves in a habit of felf-denial and felf-goverament ; we fliall demonftrate the fmcerity of our love to our fellow-creatures, by giving up fomething that is dear to us for their fake, by facrificing our pleafures to their neceflities ; and above all we fliall approve ourfelves as faithful fervants in the fight of our Almighty Sovereign ; we Ihall give ibme proof of our gratitude to our Heavenly Benefador and Friend, who has given us richly all things to enjoy ; and who, in return for that bounty, expedts and commands us to be rich in good works, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to com- fort the fick, to vifit tlie fatlierlefs and widow in their afflic- tion, and to keep ourfelves unfpotted from the world> unpolluted by its vices, and uiifubdued by its predominant vanities and follies. ->«■•<•■<•■<■•■<■.<••<■•<•<•<••■<•<••■<••<•■<••<■•<••<■•< •<-<-o->.->^»->->-»->->- >->•>->•>••>«>• >->•>■>••>•• LECTURE XIX. MATTHEW xHv. HIS courfe of LeSures for the prefent year will begin with the twenty-fourth chapter of St. Matthew ; which contains one of the cleareft and moft important prophecies that is to be found in the facred writings. The prophecy is that which our blefled Lord delivered refpeding the deftruction of Jenifalem, to which, I apprehend, the whole of the chapter, in its primary acceptation, relates. At the fame time it muft be admit- ted, that the forms of expreffion, and the images made ufe of, are for the moft part applicable olfo to the day of judgment ; and that an allufion to that great event, as a kind of fecondary obje6l, runs through ahnoft every part of the prophecy. This is a very common pradice in the prophetic writings, where two fubje«fi:s are frequently car- ried on together, a principal and a fubordinate one. In Ifaiah there are no lefs than three liibjefts, the relloration of the Jews from the Babylonifh captivity, the call of the Gentiles to the Chriftian covenant, and the redemption of mankind by the MciTiah, which are frequently adumbrated under the fame figures and images, and are fo blended and interwoven together, that it is extremely difficult to feparate them from each other*. In tlie fame manner our Saviour, in the chapter before us, feems to hold out the deftrudion of Jerufalem, which is his principal fiibjeft, as a type of the diflblution of the world, which is tlie under- part of the reprefentatlon. By dins judicioufly minglirjg together thefe two important cataftrophes, he gives at the fame time (as he does in many ether inftances) a moft interefting admonition to his immediate hearers the Jews, and a moft awful lefibn to all his future difciples ; and xhe * JBilhop Lowthon Ifaiah. Hi 13. S0^2 LECTURE XlX. benefit of his predi(5tions, inftead of being confined to one occafion, or to one people, is by this admirable manage- ment extended to every fubfequent period of time, and to the whole Chriftian world. After this general remark, which is a fort of key to the whole prophecy, and will afford an eafy folution to feveral difficulties that occur in it, 1 fhall proceed to con- lider diftinftly the moil material parts of it. We are told in the firft verfe of this chapter, that " on our Saviour's departing from the temple his difciples came to him, to fhew him the buildings of it ;^' that is, to draw his attention to the magnitude, the fplendour, the apparent folidity and ftability of that magnificent ftruc- ture. It is obfervable that they advert particularly to the Jiones of which it was compolTed. In St. Mark their ex- preflion is, " See what manner of Jiones, and what buil- dings are here ;" and in St. Luke they fpeak of the goodly Jiones and gifts with which it was adorned. This feems at the firll view a circumftance of little importance ; but it (hows in a very ftrong light with v/hat perfect fidel- ity and minute accuracy every thing is difcribed in the fa- cred writings. For it appears from the hiftorian Jofephus, that there was fcarce any thing more remarkable in this celebrated temple than the ftupendous fize of the ftones with which it was conftrucled. Thofe employed in the foundations were forty cubits, that is above fixty feet, in length ; and the fuperftrudture, as the fame hillorian ob- ferves, was worthy of fucli foundations, for there were flones in it of the whiteft marble, upwards of fixty-feven feet long, more than feven feet high, and nine broad*. It was therefore not without reafon that the difciples particularly noticed the uncommon magnitude of the ftones of this fuperb temple, from which, and from the general folidity and ftrength of the building, they probably flat- tered themfelves, and meant to infinuate to their divine Mailer, that tliis unrivalled edifice was built for eternity, was formed to ftand the ftiock of ages, and to refift the ut- moft eiforts of human power to deftroy it. How aftoniflied • Jofephus de Bell. Jud. 1- x. c. 5. LECTURE XI3^. 305 then and difmayed muft they have been at our Saviour's anfwer to thefe triumphant obfervations of theirs ! Jefus faid unto them, " See ye not all thofe things ? Verily I fay unto you, tliere fhall not be left here onejlone upon another that fhall not be thrown downi." This is a proverbial ex- preffion, ufed on oth^r occafions to denote enlire ilejlruc- tion ; and therefore had the temple been reduced to ruins in the lifual way, the prophecy would have been fully accomplilhed. But it fo happened that this prediction was almoft literally fulfilled, and that in reality fcarce one ftone was left upon another. For when the Romans had taken Jerufalem, Titus ordered his foldiers to dig up the foundations both of the city and the temple*. The Jew- ifh writers alfo themfelves acknowledge, that Terentius Rufus, who was left to command the army, did with a plough-fhare tear up the foundations of the templef ; and thereby fulfilled that prophecy of Micah±. " Therefore fhall Zion for your fake be ploughed as a field." And in confirmation of this remarkable circumflance, Eufebius alfo afTures us, that the temple was ploughed up b)^ the Romans ; arid that he himfelf faw it lying in ruins^. The evangelift next informs us, that as Jefas fat on the mount of Olives, which was exa(5lly oppofite to the hill on which the temple was built, and commanded a very fine view of it from the eaft, his difciples came unto him privately, faying, " Tell us when ihall thefe things be, and what fhall be the fign of thy coming, and of the end of the world." The expreflions here made ufe of, the fign of thy comingj and the end of the ivorldy at the fi*rft view naturally lead our thoughts to the coming of Chrlft at the day of judgment, and the final ciefblution of this earthly globe. But a dew attention to tlie parallel pafTages in St^ Mark and St. Luke, and a critical examination into the real import of thofe two phrafes in various parts of Scrip- ture, will foon convince a careful inquirer, tliat by the coming of Chrlft is here meant, not his comiag to judge the world at the laft day, but his coming to execute judgment upon Jerufalcm^l ; and that by /i- end of the ivjrld is to * Jof. de Bcllo Jud. 1. vil c- I. p. 170. B. f See Whitby in Lcc. \ Chap. ill. I a. § Eufeb. Dem. Evang. 1. vi. 13. ^ See Mark xiii, 4. Luke xxi. 7, Matth xxiv. 4, 5 ; xvi. a8. John xxi az. 304j I. E C T U R £ XIX. "be underftood, not the final confummation of all things here below, but the end of thai ag£, the end of the Jewifb ftate and polity ; the fubveriion of their city, temple, an4 government*. The real queliions therefore here put to our Lord by tlier difciples were thefe two : 1ft. At what time the deftru^lion of Jerufalem was to take place : " Tell us, when fhall thefe things be ?'* 2dly. What the figns were that were to precede it v « What ftiallbe the fign of thy coming ?" Our Lord in his anfwer begins firft with the ftgns, oi which he treats from the 4 of thofe Jews who had been converted to Chriftianity ; and they were fhortened by the befieged themfelves, by their feditious and mutual flaugh- ters, and their madnefs in burning their own provifions. « Then, continues Jefus, if any man fhall fay unto you, Lo ; here is Chrift, or there, believe it not : for there fhall arife falfe Chrifts and falfe prophets, and Ihall fhew great figns and wonders, infomuch that (if it were poffible) they fhall deceive the very eled. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore, if they fhall fay unto you he is in the defert ; go not forth : behold he is in the iecret chambers : believe it not. For as the lightning Cometh out of the eaft and fhineth even unto the the wefl, fo fhall the coming of the Son of man be. For where- foever the carcafe is, there fhall the eagles be gathered together." Our Lord had already cautioned his difciples againft believing the falfe Chrifts and falfe prophets who would appear before the fiege, and he now warns them againft thofe that would rife up during the fiege. This, Jofephus, tells us, they did in great abundance ; and flattered the Jews with the hope of feeing their Meffiali coming, with great power, to refcue them from the hands of the Romans*. And they alfo pretended to * Jof. de Bell. Jud. 1. vL c. 5. f, a. p; n8l. and Eufeb. Hift> Eccles. 1. iv, c. 6. 312 LECTURE XIX. Jhe the " defert, and the fecret chamber." And accordingly, if you look into the hiftory of Jofephus, you will find both thefe places diftinclly fpecified as the theatres on which thefe impoftors. exhibited their delufions. For the hifto- ran relates a variety of inftances in which thefe falfe Chrifts and falfe prophets betrayed their followers into the defert, where they were conftantly deftroyed ; and he alfo mentions one of thefe pretenders, who declared to the inhabitants of Jerufalem, that God commanded them to go up into a par- ticular part of the temple (into the fecret chamber) as our Lord exprefles it) and there they fhould receive the figns of deliverance. A multitude of men, women, and chil- dren went up accordingly ; but, inftead of deliverance, the place was fet on fire by the Romans, and fix thoufand perrifiied miferably in the fiames, or by endeavoring to efcape them.f But the appearance of the true Chrift was not to be in that way ; it was to be as vifible and as rapid as a flafti of lightning : " for as the lightning cometh out of the eaft and fhineth even unto the weft, fo Ihall alfo the coming of the Son of man be." It fiiall not be in a remote defert or in a fecret chamber of the temple, but fhall be ren- dered confpicuous by the fudden and entire overthrow of Jerufalem, and its inhabitants. " For wheiefoever the carcafe is, there will the eagles be gathered together." By the carcafe is meant the Jewilli nation, which was morally and judicially dead ; and the inftruments of divine vengeance, that is the Roman armies, whofe ftandards- were eagles, would be coUefted together againft the wick^ ed people, as eagles are gathered together to devour their prey. * Jof. Antiq. I. XX. c. a;, f. 6. p 983- Ed. Huds. f Jof. Antiq. I- XX. c. 7- f 6. and c- 7. f. lo- De B^IL Jud. 1. ii, c rj-f- 4. and 1. vii. c- 11 L i> Ed Huds. LECTURE XIX. 31S Bi the three following verfes, the language of our di* vine Matter becomes highly figurative and fublime* " Immediately after the tribulation of thofe days fliall the fun be darkened, and the moon fhall not give her light, and the ftars fhall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens (hall be fhaken. And then fhall appear the lign of the Son of man in heaven : and then fhall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they fhall fee the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he fhall fend his angels with a great found of a trumpet, and they fhall gather his eleft from the four winds from the one end of heavsn to the other."" Few people, I believe, read thefe verfes, without fup- pofmg that they refer entirely to the day of judgment, many of thefe expreiCons being adually applied to that great event in the very next chapter, and in other parts of fcripture ; and indeed feveral eminent men and learned commentators are of that opinion, and imagine that our Lord here makes a tranfition from the deflru^Hiion of Je- rufalem to the end of the world, conceiving that fuch ve- ry bold figures of fpeech could not v/Ith propriety be ap- plied to the fubverfion and extinftion of any city or ftate, however great and powerful. But the faft is, that thefe very fame metaphors do frequently in fcripture denote the ■deftrudlion of nations, cities, and kingdoms. Thus Ifaiah*, fpeaking of the deflrudlicn of Babylon, fays, ** Behold the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land defolate, and he fhall deftroy the fmners thereof out of it. For the flars of heaven, and the conftellations thereof, fhall not give their light ; the fun fhall be darkened in his going forth and the moon fhall net caufe her light to fhine." And in almofl the fame terms he defcribes the punilhment of the Idumaeansf , and of Senacherib and his peoplej. Ezekiel fpeaks in the fame manner of EgyptJ ; and Daniel, of the flaughter of the Jewsjl ; and, what is flill more to the point, the prophet Joel defcribes this very deflruflion ot Jerufalem in terms very fimilar to thofe of Chrifl, " I * Ch. xiii- 9. § Ch. xxxii. 7, 8- f Ch. xxxiv. 34. [( Ch- viii. 10. i Ch. li. 6. X 2 314. LECTURE XIX. will fhew wonders in the heavens ; and and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of fmoke. The fun fhall be' turned into darknefs, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord fhall come*." It is evident then that the phrafes here made ufe of, of " the fun being darkened, and the moon not giving her light, and the ftars falling from heaven, and the' powers of heaven being fhaken," are figures meant to exprefs the fall of cities, kingdortis, and nations ; and the origin of this fort of language it well illuftrated by a late very learn- ed prelatef , who tells us, that in ancient hieroglyphic writing, the fun, moon, and ftars, were ufed to repre- fent ftates and empires, kings, queens, and nobility ; their eclipfe or extinction denoted temporary difafters, or entire overthrow, &c. So the prophets in like manner call kings and empires by the names of the heavenly luminaries. Stars falling from the firmament are employed to denote the deftiaidion of the nobility, and other great men ; infomupH, that in reality the prophetic ftyle feems to be a /peaking hieroglyphic^*" In the fame manner, in the next verfe, thofe awfu! words, " then fhall appear the fign of the Son of man in heaven : and then fhall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they fhall fee the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory," feem applicable folely to the laft advent of Chrift to judge the world ; and yet it is certain; that in their primary fignification they refer to the manifeftation of Chrift's power and glo- ry, in coming to execute judgment on the guilty Jews, by the total overthrow of their temple, their city, and their government ; for fo our Lord himfelf explains what is meant by the coming of the Son of many in the 27th, 28th, and 37th verfes of this chapter. And when the prophet Daniel is predidling this very appearance of Chrift to pun- ifh the Jews, he defcribes him as " coming in the clouds of heaven, and there was given him dominion and glory, aiid a kingdom}." * Ch. il. 30, 31. f Bifhop Warburton. I Div. Leg. ▼. a. b. ir. s. 4. § Daniel, vii. 14. LECTURE XIX. 315: The feme remark will hold with regard to the 31^ verfe : " he fhall fend his angels with a great found of a trumpet, and they fliall gather together his ele6t from the four winds, from one end of the earth even to the other." Thefe words alfo, though they feem as if they could be- long to no other fubjedl than the laft day, yet moft afTured- ly relate principally to the great objeft of this prophecy, tAe deftrudion of Jerufalem ; after which dreadful event we are here told, that Chrift will ftnd forth his angels p that is, his mefTengers or minifters (for fo tliat word ftridly fignifies*) to preach his gofpel to all the world, which preaching is called by the prophets, " lifting up the. voice like a trumpet\ ; and they fhall gather together his elect (that is, fhall coUeft difciples and converts to the faith) from the four winds, from the four quarters of the earth ;" or, as St. Luke exprefles it, " from the eaft, and from the v/efl., from the north, and from the Ibutht." Our Lord then goes on to point out the time when all thefe things fliall take place, and thus anfwers the other queifion put to him by the difciples, " Tell us, when fhall thefe things be ?" *^ Novv^ learn, fays he, a parable of the fig-tree ; when his branch is yet tender, and putteth fortli leaves) ye know that tiie fummer is nigh : fo likewife ye, when ye fliall fee all thefe things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I fay unto you,, this generation fhall not pals till all thefe things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth fhall pafs away, but my words fhall not pafs 2,way." The only obfervation necefTary to be made here is, that the time when all thefe predidions were to be fulfilled is here limited to a certain period. They were to be accom- plilhed before the generation of men then exifting fhould pafs away. And accordingly all thefe events did adtually take place within forty years after our Saviour delivered this prophecy ; and this by the way is an unanfwerabk proof, that every thing our Lord had been faying in the preceding part of the chapter related principally, not to * VId. Haggai, i- 13, Malach, ii. 7.™iii. I. Matth. xi. 10- Ivlark» I. a. Luke, vii. ay. f Ifaiah, Iviii- i. \ Luke xiii. 29- S16 LE C T U R E XIX. the day of judgment, or to any other very remote event, but to the deftrudion of Jerufalem, which did in reality happen before that generation had pafled away. " But of that day and hour knoweth no man ; no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only ;" that is, al- though the time when Jerufalem is to be deflroyed, is, as I have told you, fixed generally to this generation, yet the precife day and hour of that event is not known either to men or angels, but to God only. This he fpeaks in his human nature, and in his prophetic capacity. This point v/as not made known to him by the fpirit, nor was he commiffioned to reveal it. It is fuppofed by feveral learned commentators, that the words, that day and that hour, refer to the day of judgment, which is immediately alluded to in the prece- ding verfe, heaven and earth Jhall pajs away. This conjec- ture is an ingenious one, and may be true ; but if it be, this verfe fhould be inclofed in a parenthefis, becaufe what follows moft certainly relates to the deftruiflion of Jerufa- lem, (to which St. Luke in tlie feventeenth chapter ex- prefsly confines it*) and cannot, without great violence to the words, be applied to the final advent of Chrift. " As the days of Noe v^rere, fo fhall alfo the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away ; fo fliall alfo the coming of the Son of man be. Then fliall two be in the field ; the one fliall be taken, and the other left. Two Vv^omen fliall be grinding at the mill ; the one fliall be taken, and the other left." That is, when the day of defolation fnall come upon the city and temple of Jerufalem, the inhabitants will be as thoughtlefs and unconcerned, and as unprepared for it, as the antediluvi- ans were for the flood in the days of Noah. But as fome (more particularly the Chrifl;ians) will be more watchful, and in a better fl:ate of mind than others, the providence of God will make a dirtindion between his faithful and his * Luke, xvii, a6, 27, H^ 36, LECTURE XIX. 31? difobedient fervants, and will proteift and preferve the for- mer, but leave the latter to be taken or deftroyed by their enemies ; although they may both be in the fame fituation of life, may be engaged in the fame occupations, and may appear to the world to be in every refpeft in fimilar circum-' (lances. Here ends the prophetical part of our Lord's difcourfe ; what follows is altogether exhortatory. It may be called the moral of the prophecy, and the pradical application of it not only to his immediate hearers, but to his difciples in all future ages ; for this concluding admonition moft certainly alludes no lefs to the final judgment than to the deftru<5tion of Jerufalem, and applies with at leaft equal force to both. Indeed the prophecy itfelf, although in its primary and ftridleft fenfe it relates throughout to the de- ftru6lion of the temple, city, and government of Jerufa- lem, yet, as I have before obfervcd may be confidered, and was probably intended by Jefus, as a type and an em- blem of the diflblution of the world itfelf, to which the total fubverfion of a great city and a whole nation bears fome refemblance. But with refpedl to the conclufion, there can be no doubt of its being intended to call our at- tention to the laft folemn day of account ; and with a view of its producing this efFe(5l, I lliall now prefs it upon your minds in the very words of our Lord, without any comment, for it is too clear to require any explanation, and too impreffive to require any additional enforcement. " Watch ye therefore, for ye know not at what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the houfe had knowoi in what watch the thief v;ould come, he would have watched, and would not have fuf- fered his houfe to be broken up. Therefore be ye alfo ready ; for in fuch an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and a wife fervant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his houfehold, to give them meat in due feafon ? Bleffed is that fervant, whom his Lord when he cometh fliall find fo doing. Verily I fay Unto you, that he fliall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil fervant lliall fay in his heart, my 515 LECTURE XIX, Lord delayeth his coming ; and begin to fmite his fellow- fervants, and to eat and drink with the drunken ; the Lord of that fervant Ihall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and fiiall cut him afunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites ; there fhall be weeping and gnaHiing of t^eth." LECTURE XX. MATTHEW xiiv.— XXV. I .N my laft Le(5lure I explained to you that remark- able prophecy refpeding the deflru6lion of Jerufalem, which is contained in the twenty-fourth chapter of St. Matthew ; and by a reference to the hiftorians who record or mention that event, I proved to you the complete and exad accomplifhment of that wonderful predi6tion in all its parts. And this, in a common cafe, I fhould have thought fully fufficient for your fatisfadion. But this prophecy (lands fo eminently diftinguifhed by its fingular importance, and the great variety of matter which it em- braces, and it affords fo decifive, fo irrefiftible a proof of the divine authority of our religion, that it appears to me to be well worthy of a little more attention and confider- ation. I fliall therefore, before I proceed to the next chapter, make fuch further remarks upon it, as may tend to throw new light upon the fubjedi, to fhew more diftindlly the exaift correfpondence of the prediction with the event, and to point out the very interelling conclufions that may be drawn from it. And firft I would obferve, that, in fome inftances, the providence of God feems evidently to have interpofed in order to bring about feveral of the events, which Jefus here alludes to or predicts. Thus, in the twelfth year of Nero Geftius Gallus, the prefident of Syria, came againft Jerufalem with a powerful army ; and, as Jofephus af- fures us, he might, had he afiaulted the city, eafily have taken it, and thereby have put an end to the vv^ar*. But without any apparent reafon, and contrary to all expeda- tion, he fuddenly raifed the fiege, and departed. This, and fome other v^y incidental delays, which took place before Vefpafian befieged the city, and Titus furrounded it with a wall, gave the Chriftians within an opportunity • De Bell, Jud. 1 % c, 19. 3«0 LECTURE XX. of following our Lord's advice, and of efcaping to the mountains, which afterwards it would have been impoffi- ble for them to do. In the fame manner the befieged inhabitants themfelves helped to fulfil another of our Saviour's predictions, that thofe days Jhould'he Jloortened ; for they burnt their own pro- vifions, which would have been fufEcient for many years, and fatally deferted their ftrongefl holds, where they never could have been taken by force, the fortifications of the city being confidered as impregnable. Titus was fo fenli- ble of this, that he himfelf afcribed his fuccefs to God, " We have fought, faid he to his friends, with God on our fide ; and it is God who hath dragged the Jews out of their ftrong holds ; for what could tlie hands of men and machines do againfl fuch towers as thefe*?" In the next place, it is worthy of remark, that at the time %vhen our Lord delivered this prophecy, there was not the flighteft probability of the Romans invading Judaea, much lefs of their befieging the city of Jerufalem, of their fur- rounding it wdth a wall, of their taking it by ftorm, and of their deftroying the temple fo entirely, as not to leave one ftone upon another. The Jews were then at perfed peace with the Romans. The latter could have no motives of intereft or of policy to invade, deftroy, and depopulate a country, which was already fubjed to them, and from which they reaped many advantages. The fortifications too of the city v^ere (as I have before obferved) fo ftrong, that they were ^eemed invincible by any human force, and it was not the cuftom of the Romans to demolifh and raife the very foundations of the towns they took, and exterminate the inhabitants, but rather to preferve them as monuments of their vidories and their triumphs. It could not therefore be from mere human fagacity and forefight that our Saviour foretold thefe events ; or had he even hazared a conjeftiire, refpedling a war with the Ro- mans, and the jlcge of Jerufalem, yet he could only have done this in general terms ; he could never have imagined * NewtomV- Differt. on,P*ophec>-, v. %. p. ^76, L E C T U R E XX, 321 x>r invented fuch a variety of minute particulars as he did predi^a, and as aftually came to pafs. It is indeed of great importance to obferve the furpriz- ing aflemblage of ftriking circumftances, which Chrift pointed out in this prophecy. They are much more nu- merous than is commonly fuppofed, and well deferve to be diftindlly fpecified. They may be arranged under three general heads. The firfl confifts of thofe figns that were to precsde the deftru<3:ion of Jerufalem. And thefe figns were, falfe Chrifts, falfe prophets, ru«« mours of wars, a6tual wars, nation rifmg againft nation, famines, peftilences, earthquakes, fearful fights, the per- fecution of the apoftles, the apoftacy of Ibme Chriftians, and the treachery of others, the prefervation of Chrift's faithful difciples, and the propagation of the Gofpel through the whole Roman world. The fecond head is the commencement of the ^vs^ii. Under this head are fpecified the diftinguifhing ftand- ard of the Roman army, the eagle, with the images of their gods and their emperors affixed to it. The idolatrous worfhip paid to this ftandard, called the abomination, for fo it was to the Jews. The planting of this jftandard near the holy city, and afterwards in the very temple. The defolation which the Roman armies fpread around them. The efcape of the Chriftians to the mountainous coun- try round Jerufalem. The inconceivable and unparalleled calamities of every kind which the wretched inhabitants endured during the Y ^22 L E C T U K. E ^^, •dege; and the fhortening of tliofe days of vengeance 07. account of the Chriiiians. The third head Is, the atTtual capture of Jerufalern by ■^the befieging army. And here it is ibretold, *' that not one ftone of its mag- niiicent buildings fliould be left upon another ;'' that the temple, the government, the fiate, the polity of tlie Jews, iliould be utterly fubverted : and lalHy, ■ that all thefe things fhould happen before tlie then preient race of men C'lould-bev extinguifned. If now we collect together the feveral particulars her^ Specified, they amount to no lefs than twenty-two in num- ber. A larger detail of minute circumftances than is to he found in any other of our Lord's prophecies ; and all thefe we fee a£9:uaily fulfilled in the hiftory of Jofephus, and other ancient writers ; and it is extremely remarkable that his defcfiption .of the fiege of Jerufalern, like this prophecy, is more minutely circumftantial and more fpread out into detail, than the account of any other fiege^ that we have in ancient hiftor}^ It fhould feem therefore as if this hiilorian was purpofely raifed up by Providence to record this memorable event, and to verify our Saviour's predictions. And ind-eed no one could poffibly be better qualified for the tafk tlian he,, from his fituation and clr- cumftances, from his integrity and veracity, and above all from the opportunities he had of being perfe^ly well aco^uainted wiih every thing he relates. . -He was born at Jeruialem, under the reign of the em- peror Caligula, and about feven years after our Lord's crucifixion. He was of a noble family ; on his father's fide defcended from the moll illuftrious of the high priefts ; and on his motlier's fide, from the blood royal. At the age of nineteen, after having made a trial of all the dif- ferent feds of the Jews, he embraced that of the Phari- fees ; and at the age of twenty-fix lie made a journey to Rome, to obtain from Nero the releafe of fome Jewlfh priefts, who had been thrown into bonds by Felix the pro- curator of Judaea. He fucceeded in tliis bufinefs ; and on L E C T U R E XX. 323 liTS rcturn to Jerufalem found his countrymen reJfolved on commencing hoftilities againft the Romans, from which he endeavored to difliiade them, but in vain. He was foon after appointed by the Jewifh government to the com- mand of an army in Galilee, where he fignalized himfelf in many engagements ; but at the fiege of Jotapata was taken prifoner by Vefpafian, and afterwards carried by- Titus to the fiege of Jerufalem, where he was an eye-wit- nefs of every thing that paffed, till tlie city was taken and deftroyed by the Romans. He then compofed his hiftory of the Jewilh war, and particularly of the fiege and cap- ture of Jerufalem, in feven books ; which he firft ^vrote in Hebrew, and afterwards in Greek, and prefented it to Vefpafian and Titus, by both of whom it was highly ap- proved, and ordered to be made public. And it is in this hillory tliat we find tlie accompliiliment of all the feveral fa<5ts and events relative to the fiege and tlie deftruiftion of Jerufalem, which our Saviour foretold forty years before they happened, and which have been above recited. This hiftory is fpoken of in the highefl terms by men of the greateft learning and the founded judgment, from its firfl publication to the prefent time. The fidelity, the veracity, and probity df the writer, tire univerfally allowed ; and Scaliger in particular de- clares, that not only in the affairs of the Jews, but even, of foreign nations, he deferves more credit than all the Greek and Romon writers put together*. Certain at lea/l: it is, that he had that moft eflbntial qualification of an hiftorian, a perfedt and accurate knowledge of all the tranfactions which he relates ; that he had no prejudices to miflead him in tlie rejvrefentation of them ; and that, above all, he meant no favor to the Chriftian caufe. For even allowing the fo much controverted pafTage, in which he is fuppofed to bear tefllmoiiy to Chrift, to be genuine, it does not appear that he ever became a convert to his reli- gion, but continued probably a zealous Jew to the end of his life. From this account it is evident, that we may moft fe- curely rely on every thing he tells us refpeding the fiege of * In. Prolejom. ad opys de ^n^ndatione Tcmporum. ^* L E C T U R E XX. Jeriifalem ; and that nothing can more completely demon- ilrate the truth of our blefled Lord's predidions, than the uncorrupt, impartial, and undefigned teftimony given to their completion fey this juftly celebrated hiftorian. Here then we have a proof, which it is impofTible to cbntrovert, of our Saviour's perfedl knowledge of future events, which belongs folely to God, and to thofe infpired and fent by him ; v/hich of courfe eilablifhes, in the clear- eft manner, the divine miffion of Chrift, and the divine origin of our religion. The only pretence that can poflibly be fet up againft this prophecy is, that it was not delivered by our Saviour previous to the deftrudlion of Jerufalem, but inferted af- terwards by St. Matthew and the other evangelifts, fubfe- quent to that event. This may undoubtedly be faid, and any tiling may be faid by thofe whofe trade is objeftion and cavil : but can it be faid with the fmalleft appearance of truth ? Is there the flighteft ground to fupport it ? Moft certainly not. It is a mere gratuitous affertion without the leaft (hadow of proof; and an oppofite affertion is a fuffi- cient anfwer to it. We deny the fadl ; and call upon our adverfaries to prove it, if they can : they have never fo much as attempted it. Not even the earliejl enemies of our faith, thofe who were mujch nearer the primitive ages, iind much more likely to dete>5t a fraud in the evangelical writers (if there were any) than modern infidels, even thefe never intimate the flightefl fufpicion that tliis prophe- cy was inferted after the event. But befides this, there are good grounds to believe* not only that the three Gofpels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, where this prophecy is related, were written and pubhftied before the deftruftion of Jerufalem, but that the writers of them were all dead before that event. It is alfo well known, that both St. Peter, and St. Paul, who al- lude in their Epiflles to the approaching ruin of Jerufalem* (which tliey learnt from our Lord's predidtions,) and who had i^QW and approved the Gofpels of St. Mark dnd St. * Ails ii. 19. 1 Pet. iv. 7. Phil, iv- 5. I Thefs. a. 16. Ncw- toa on Proph. v, %■ p. 225. Jortin's Remarks, vt>l. i- p. 49* LECTURE XX. 225 Xuke, were put to death under Nero, and Jerufalem was not taken till the fucceeding reign of Vefpafian. It fhould be obferved further, that although this prophe- cy is by far the fulleft, and cleareft, and moil diftindt, that our Lord delivered refpeding the deftrudlion of Jeru- falem, he plainly, though briefly alludes to it in feveral otlier parts of tlie Gofpels*. And thefe occafional predic- tions of that event are fo frequent, and fo perfedly agree with this larger prophecy, they are introduced fo incident- ally in the way of parables, or in anfwer to fome queftion ; they arife, in fhort, fo naturally from the occafion, and are fo inartificially interwoven into the very efTence and fubftance of the narrative, that they have every- imagina- ble appearance of having formed an original part of it, and cannot pofTibly be confidered by any good judge of compofition as fubfequent or fraudulent infertionsi Indeed fuch a fabrication as this v/ould have been the fiilieft and moft ufelefs fraud that can be imagined. For it is very remarkable that the facred writers make no ufe' of this prophecy as a proof of our Saviour's divine pow* ers, or of the truth of his religion. They appeal fre- quently to the ancient prophecies concerning him, to his miracles, and above all to his refurredion, as evidences that he was the Mefliah, and the Son of God ; but tliey never appeal to the accomplifhment of this prophecy in- fupport of thofe great truths, though certainly a very nat- ural and important proof to be adduced in favor of them.- But that which ought, with every reafonable man, to be decifive of the queftion, is this, that three of the «vangelifts out of four concur in giving us this prophe- cy as a part of tlieir hiftory of our Lord, and as actu- ally delivered by him at the period afligned to it, which we know was nearly forty years before^ the deftrudion of Jerufalem. Now we have no more reafon to doubt their veracity in this point than in any other ; and if, on the ftrength of their charader, on the evident marks of integrity, fimplicity, and truth, which appear in every * Matth. xxii. i — 7 j xxiii, 33— -39. Luke six. 41—44 5 *'»»• 1—5; &c. &c. 326 LECTURE XX. page of their writings ; and above all, if in confequence o^'^ their undergoing the bittereft fiifferings as an evidence of: their fmcerity, we give implicit credit to what they tell us refpeding the Kfe, the death, the doctrines, the miracles, and the refurr-edion of Chrift, there is the very fame*- reafon for admitting the genuinenefs of this prophecy.' It ftands on the fame folid grounds of their veracity and probity J as the reft of the Gofpel does ; and w^hen men lay down their lives, as they did, in confirmation of what they affeit they havse furely fome right to be believed. We may theu fafely confider this prophecy as an unqueftionable proof of the divine foreknowledge of our. Lord, and the divine authority of the Gofpel ; and on this ground only (were it neceflary) we might fecurely reft the whole fabric of our religion. Indeed this remark- able prediiflion has always been confidered, by every impartial perfon, as one of the moft powerful arguments in favor of Chriftianity ; and in our own times, more particu- larly, a man of diftinguifhed talents and acknowledged eminence in his profeflion, and in the conftant habit of weighing, fifting, and fcrutinizing evidence with the minuteft accuracy in courts of juftice, has publicly de- clared, that he confidered this prophecy, if there were nothing elfe to fupport Chriftianity, as abfolutely irrefijiihlc*. But our Lord's predictions refpedling this devoted city do not end even here. He not only foretels the entire- deftru6tion of Jerufalem, but the continuance of its defo- * See Mr. Erflcine's eloquent fpeech at the trial of Williams, for publifhing Paine's Age of Reafon ; to which I muft beg leave to add the weighty and important tcftimony of that moft able and upright judge, Lord Ken^ron, who, in his charge to the jury on the fame ©ccafion made this noble confession of faitu : *' I am fully impreffed with the great truths of religion, which, thank God, I was taught in my early years to believe ; and which €he hour of refledlion ar>d inquiry, inflead of creating any doubt, has fully confirmed me in." How vain are all the idle cavils of the whole tribe of infidels put together, when contralled with fuch a declaration as this from fuch a man ! Since this note was written, the public has to lament the lofs of this truly great man. But he is now at reft from his virtuous labors ; a^d he will long be remembered and revered, not only by ki sown profeflion, but by all defcriptions of men, as the firm friend and intrepid protec- tor of the laws, the conftitution, the morals, and the religion of this country. LECTURE XX. SST Ifttlon and fubje<5lion to heathens, and tlie difperfion and captivity of the Jews for a long period of time. For if we turn to the parallel place in St. Luke, we fhall find him expreffing himfelf in thefe words, refpefting the Jews . and their city ; " tliey fhall fall by the edge of the fword, ■ and fnall be led away captive into all nations ; and Jeru-. falem fnall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the • times of the Gentiles be fulfilled*." That is, not only; vaft n>umbers ot the Jews fliall periih at the fiege of Jeru-. falem, partly by their own feditions, and partly by the- fword of the enemy, but multitudes fliall alfo be made cap- tives, and be difperfed into all countries ; and Jerufalem iliall remain in a llate of defolation and opprefiion, tram- • pled upon and trodden down by heathen conquerors and- Yulers, till all the Gentiles fhall be converted to the faith: of Chrifi, and the Jews themfelves ihall acknowledge him to be the Meffiah, and Ihali be leftored to their an-- cicnt city.. The former part of this prophecy has been already moH exactly fulfilled, and is an eameft that alltherefl: will in due time be accomplifhed. The number of Jews: flain during the fiege was upwards of one million one hun- dred thoufand, and near three hundred thoufand more- were dellroyed in other places in the couile of the warf . Befides thefe as Jofephus informs us, no lefs than ninety- feven thoufand were made captives and difpei-fed into* different countries, fome into Egypt, fome to Casfarea,. fome carried to grace the triumph of Titus at Rome, and. the reft diftributed over the Roman provinces^ ; . and the whole Jewifh people continue to this hour fcattered over: all the nations of the earth* With refpe(5l to tlieir city, it has remained for the nioft; part in a ftate of ruin and defolation, from its deftruftion by the Romans to the prefent time ; and has never been under the government of the Jews themfelves, but op- preiled and broken down by a fucceffion of foreign maf- ters, the Romans, the Saracens, the Franks, the Mama- lukes, and laft by tlie Turks, to whom it is flill fubjed:* * Luke xxl. 24. f BeH. Jud. 1. a, 3, 4, 7, &e. t Jofephus Bell. Jud. 1- vi. c, 9. 32S I. E C T U R E XX. It is not therefore only In the hiftory of Jofephus, and in other ancient writers, that we are to look for the accom- plifhment of our X»ord*s predidions ; we fee them verified at this moment before our eyes, in the defolated ftate of the once celebrated city and temple of Jerufalem, and in the prefent condition of the Jewifli people, not colledted together into any one country, into one political fociety,. and under one form of government, but difperfed over every region of the globe, and every where treated with contumely and fcom. There was indeed one attempt made to rebuild their temple and their city, and reftore them to their ancient profperity and fplendor. It was made too for the exprefs and avov/ed purpofe of defeating that very prophecy we have been confidering ; and the event was fuch as might be expefted from the folly and prefumption of the man who dared to oppofe the defigns of Providence, and to fight againft God. This man was the emperor Julian, who, as you all know, was firft a Chriftian, then apoftatized from that religion, profefled himfelf a pagan, and became a bitter and avowed enemy to the Gofpel. This prince afJured the Jews, that if he was fuccefsful in the Perfian war, he would rebuild their city, reftore them to their habitations, re-eftablifh their government asid their reli- gion, and join with them in worfhipping the great God of the univerfe. He adually begun this fmgular enter- prize, by attempting to rebuild their temple with the great- eft magnificence. He afiigned immenfe fums- for the ftruc- ture ; and gave it in charge to Alypius of Antioch, who had formerly been lieutenant in Britain, to fuperintend the work. Alypius exerted himfelf with great vigour, and was affifted in it by the governor of the province. But foon after they had begun the work, dreadful balls of fire burfting out from the foundations in feveral parts, rendered the place inacceffible to the workmen, who were frequent- ly burnt with the flames ; and in this manner, the fiery elements obftinately repelling tliem, forced them at length to abandon the defign. The account of this extraordinary miracle we have not only from ancient Chriftian writers of credit, who lived at the vej?y time when it happened, but from an heathen author of great veraclry, Ammianus LECTURE XX. Marcellinus, who wrote the hiftory of Roman affilrs froi» Nerva to the death of Valens, in the year 378. Though he wrote in Latin, he was a Greek by birth. He had feveral honorable military commands under different em- perors ; was with Julian in his Perfian expedition, in the year 36 3, and was a great admirer of that emperor, whom he makes his hero ; yet acknowledges that his attempt to rebuild the temple of Jerufalem was defeated in the manner I have mentioned*. The fa6t is frequently appealed to by the Chriftians of thofe days, who affirm that it was in the mouths of all men, and was not denied even by the atheifts themfelves ; and " if it feem yet incredible to any one, he may repair (fay they) both to witnefTes of it yet living, and to them who have heard it from their mouths ; yea, they may view the foundations, lying yet bare and nakedf ." And of this, fays Chryf- oftom, all we Chriftians are witnefTes ; thefe things being done not long fmce in our own time;]:, 8uch are the teftimonies for this miracle, which are colleded and ftated with great force by the learned Biftiop VVorburton, in his work called Julian ; and moft of them are alfo admitted by Mr. Gibbon, who, in his recital of this miracle, acknowledges that it is attefted by contemporary and refpeBahle evidence ; that Gregory Nazianzen, who pub- liilied his account of it before the expiration of the fame year, declares it was not difputed by the infidels of thofe days, and that his teftimony is confirmed by the unexcep* tionalle tcjiimony of Ammianus Marcellinus |(. I now proceed to the explanation of the next chapter, tlie 25th of St. Matthew, which begins with prefenting to us two parables, that of the ten virgins, and that of the fervants of a great Lord entrufted with different talents, of which they are called upon to render an ac- count. As thefe parables contain nothing that requires a very particular explanation, I fhall content myfelf with obferving, that they are defigned to carry on the fubjed * Ammianus Marcellinus, 1. xxiii. c i. p. 350. Ed. Valefil. f Sczomeri- Hift- Eccles- 1. v- c. aa. p. 621- D- 6t,i- B. \ Chrys. adv- Jud.Tos. Orat. iii- p. 436- |i Hiftory of the Roman Empire, v- ii. p. 388^ Y 2 330 LECTURE XX. with which the preceding chapter concludes ; namely, that of the laft folemn day of retribution ; and the objeft of both is to call our attention to that great event, and to- warn us of the neceffity of being always prepared for it. Thus in the parable of the ten virgins, the five that were wife took oil in their veiTels with their lamps, and when the bridegroom appeared they were ready to receive him , and went in with him to the marriage. But the five that were foolifh took no oil with them ; and while they went to procure it, the bridegroom unexpeBedly came, and the door was Jhiit againft them. The application is obvious, and is given by our Lord himfelf in thefe words, " watch ye therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour when the Lord cometh." In tlie fame manner, in the parable of the talents, he that had received the five talents and he that had re- ceived the two, did, during the abfence of their Lord, fo diligently cultivate and fo confiderably improve them, that when at length he came to reckon with them, they returned him his own again with ufury, and received both applaufe and reward : while that flothful and indolent fervant, who had received only one talent, and inPcead of improving it went and hid it in the earth, when his Lord came and required it at his hands, was feverely reprimand- ed for his want of activity and exertion, and was cafl out as an unprofitable fervant into outer dai^nefs. This, like the former parable, was plainly meant to intimate to us that we ought to be ahuays prepared to meet our Lord, and to give him a good account of the ufe we have made of our time, and of the talents, whether many or few, that were entrufted to our care. After thefe admonitory parables, and thefe earneft exhortations to prepare for the lad great day, our blefled Lord is naturally led on to a dcfcription of the day itfelf ; and it is a defcription which for dignity and grandeur has not its equal in any writer, facred or profane. It is as follows : « When the i:>on of man fhall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then fhall he fit upon the throne of his glory ; and before him ihall be gath er«d ^l LECTURE X± '^t nations ; and he fhall feparate them one from another, asf a fhepherd divideth his Iheep from the goats : and he (hall fet the fheep on liis right hand, and the goats on the lefto- Then fhall the King fay unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blelfed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world ; for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat ; I was thirfty, and ye gave me drink ; I was a ftranger, and ye took' me in ; naked, and ye clothed me ; I was fick, and ye vifited me ; I was in prifon, and ye came unto me. Then- fhall the righteous anfwer him, faying, Lord, when law we thee an hungred, and fed thee ? or thirfty, and gave thee drink ? When faw we thee a ftranger, iind took thee hi ? or naked, and clothed thee ? or when fav/ we tlie«- fick, or in prifon, and came uuto ihee ? And the King fhall anfwer and fay unto them, Verily I fay unto you, inafmuch as ye have done it unto one of the leaft of thefe my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then fhall he alio fay unto thofe on the left hand, Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlafting fire prepared for the devil and his angels ; for I was an hungred, 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 viftted me not. Then fhall they anfwer him, faying. Lord, wlien faw we thee an hungred, or athirft, or a ftranger, or naked, or fick, or in prifon, and did not jninifter unto thee ? Then fhall he anfwer them, faying, Verily I fay unto you, inafmuch as ye did it not to one of the leaft of thefe, ye did it not to me. And thefe fnall go away into everlafting punifh- ment ; but the righteous into life eternal." Sach is the defcription which our divine Mafter gives us of the great day of account ; and {o folemn, fo awful, fo fublime a fcene, was never before prefented to the mind of man. Our vSaviour reprefents himfelf as a great and mighty King, as the fupreme Lord of all, fitting on the throne of his glory, with all the nations of the earth ajfemhled hefohe him^ and waiting their final doom from his lipe. What ;tn aftonifhing and flupendous fpevSacle is this ! He theu 333 LECTURE XX. ^t one glance, which penetrates the hearts of every mdU vidual of that immenfe multitude, difcerns the refpeitiyc; merits or demerits of every human being there prefeut, and feparates the good from the bad v/ith as much eafe a& a fhepherd divides his Iheep from his goats. He next queftions them on one moft important branch of their duty, as a Jpecimen of the manner in which the inquiry into the whole of their behaviour will be condu6]:ed ; and theHj with the authority of an almighty Judge and Sovereign, he in a few words pronounces the irreverfible fentence, which configns the wicked to everlafting puniftiment, and the righteous to life eternal. Before I prefs this important fubjedl any further on the hearts of thofe who hear me, I muft make a few obferva- tions on the defcription which has been juft laid before you.^ The firft is, that all mankind, when aflembled before the judgment feat of Chrift, are divided into two great clalTes, the wicked and the good, thofe who are puniflied, and thofe who are rewarded. There Is no middle, no intermediate ftation provided for thofe who may be called neutrals in religion, who are indijBferent and lukewarm, who are " neither hot nor cold,'* who do not rejed the Gofpel, but give themfelves very little concern about it, who, inftead of working out their falvation with fear and trembling, leave that matter to take care of itfelf, and are at perfefl eafe as to tlie event. Thefe men cannot cer- tainly expeft to inherit everlafting life. But they hope probably to be confidered as harmlefs inofFenfive beings, and to be exempted from punifhment at leaft, if not enti- tled to reward. But how vain this hope is, our Saviour's reprefentation of the final judgment moft clearly Ihows. They who are not fet on the right, muft go to the left. They who are not rewarded, are configned to punilhment* There are Indeed diiierent manfions both for the righteous and the wicked ; there are different degrees of puniftiment for the one, and of reward for the other ; yet ft ill it does not appear that there is any middle or intermediate ftate between punifhment ?.i\6. reward. L E C T U R E XX. S83 The next remark, and which has fome affinity to the laft, is, that we are to be examined at the bar of our great Judge, not merely as to our exemption from crimes, but as to our performance of good anions ; fubftantial and genuine Chriftian virtues are expedled at our hands. It will not be fufficient for us to plead tliat we kept our* felves clear from fin, we muft Ihew that we have exerted ourfelves in the faithful difcharge of all thofe various im- portant duties which the Gofpel requires from us. Laftly, it muft be obferved, and it is an obfervation of the utmoft importance, and which I wifti to imprefs moft forcibly upon your minds, that although charity to our neighbor, and indeed only one branch of that compre- henfive duty, viz. riberal'ity to the poory is here fpecified, as the only Chriftian virtue, concerning which inquiry will be made at the day of judgment ; yet we muft not ima- gine that this is the only virtue which will be expetSed from us, and that on this alone will depend our final falvation. Nothing can be more diftant from truth, or more danger- ous to religion, than this opinion. The fa6t is, that char- ity, or love to man in ail its extent, being tlie moft emi- nent of all the evangelical virtues, being that which Chrift has made the very badge and difcriminating mark of his religion, is here conftituted by him tlie reprefentative of all other virtues ; juft as Faith is, in various paiTages of fcripture, ufed to denote and reprefent the whole Chriftian religion. Nothing is more common than this fort of fig- ure (called a fynecdoche) in profane, as well as facred writers ; by which a part, an efTential and important part, is made to ftand for the whole. But that neitlier charity nor any other fmgle virtue can entitle us to eternal life, is clear from the whole tenor of the New Teftament, which every where requires univerfal holinefs of life. We are commanded " to ftand perfed and complete in all the will of God*;" to add to our faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to tem- perance patience, and to patience godlmefs, and to god- linefs brotherly kindnefs, and to brotherly kindnefs char- ityf . Here you fee that charity makes only one in that * Co)- iv. i»- f I Pet- I- 6- ^$1, LECTURE 5CX. l^ir^e afTembla^c of virtues, which are required to confti- tute the Chriftian charafter. And fo far is it from being true, that any fmgle virtue will ^ive us admiffion into the kingdom of heaven, that St. James lavs down a diredtly oppofite doiflrine ; namely, that if we do not to the bed of our power cultivate e'very virtue without exception, we fliall be objefts of punifhment, inftead of reward. " Who- foever, fays he, Ihall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." Nay, even if we en- deavor to fulfil all righteoufnefs, yet it is not on that right- eoufnefs, but on the merits of our Redeemer, that wc muft rely for our acceptance with God. For the plain doftrine of fcripture is, that it " is the blood of Jefo^ Chrift that cleanfeth us from all fm*;" and that " by S^race we are faved through faith ; and that not of our- felves, it is tli^ gift of God." Of this, indeed, no notice is taken in our Saviour's defcription of the-laft judgment, and that for a plain reafon ; becaufe he had not yet finifli- ed the gracious work of our redemption. He had not yet offered himfelf up, upon the crofs as a facrifice, a propi- tiation for the fms of the whole world. But after that great aft of mercy was performed, it is then the uniform language of the facred writers, " that we are juftified freely by tlie grace of God, through the redemption that is in Chrift Jefusf." We muft therefore colleft the terms of our falvatlon not from any one paffage of fcripture, but from tlie whole tenor of the facred writings taken together ; and if we judge by this rule, which is the only one that can be fe- cureiy relied upon, we fnall find that nothing lefs than a fmcere and lively faith in Chrift, producing in us, as far as the infirmity of our nature will allow, unl'verfal hol'inefs of lifoi can ever make our final calling and eleftion ture. But thus much we may certainly colledt from our Lord^s reprefentation of our final judgment, that charity, or love to man, in the true fcriptural fenfe of that word, is one of the mofl effential duties of our religion ; and that to negieft that virtue, above all others, which our Re- deemer and our Judge has felcdted as the peculiar objeft • I JoJin, I. 7. Ephes ii. 8. f Rom- iii- 14- L E C T U R E XX. 335 t)f his approbation, and as the reprefentatlve of all the other evangelical virtues, muft be peculiarly dangerous, and render us peculiarly unfit to appear at the lall day be- fore the great tribunal cf Chrift. How foon we may be fummoned there, no one can tell. The final diffolution of this earthly fyilem may be at a great diftance ; but what is the fame thing to every moral and religious purpofe, death may be very near. It is at leaft even to the younger?: of us uncertain, and in what- ever ftate it overtakes us, in that ftate will judgment find us ; for there is no repentance in the grave, and as we die fo Ihall we ft and before our Almighty Judge. " Take heed therefore to yourfelves, left at any time your hearts be overcharged with furfeiting, and drunkennefs, and the cares of this life, and fo that day come upon you unawares. For as a fnare fhall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of the earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray al- ways, tliat ye may be accounted worthy to efcape all thefe things that fhall come upon you, and to ftand before the Son of man*." •^••<"<-< •^••<<-'<-^-<-«"<"<'<'<"<"<-<-<-<-<"<"^"». >•»••>•>•>>••>••>••>■•>">►>••>■•>••>..>.>.>..>» LECTURE XXL MATTHEW xxvL Y ▼ E are now approaching the laft fad fcene ©f our Saviour's life, which commences with the 26th chapter, and continues in a progreffive accumulation of one mifery upon another to the end of St. Matthew's Gofpel. The 26th chapter, which will be the fubjeft of the prefent Leflure, begins with informing us that two days before the great Feaft of the Paffover, the chief priefts, and the fcribes and the elders of the people afTembled to- gether unto the palace of the high prieft, who was called Caiaphas, and confulted that they might take Jefus by fubtilty and kill him. Whilft they were thus employed, Jefus himfelf was in Bethany (a fmall village near Jerufalem) at the houfe of a perfon called Simon, whom he had cured of a leprofy ; and here an incident took place which marks at once the manners of the country and the times, and places in a ilriking point of view the different characters of the fev- eral perfons concerned in it. " As Jefus was fitting at meat in the houfe above men- tioned, there came unto him a woman, having an alabaf- ter box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head. But when his difciples faw it, they had indigna- tion, faying, to what purpofe is this wafte ? For tliis oint- ment might have been fold for much, and given to the poor. When Jefiis underftood it, he faid unto them, why trouble ye the woman, for fhe hath wrought a good work upon me ? For ye have the poor always with you, but me ye have not always. For in that flie hath poured this oint- Z !338 LECTURE XXI. jnent on my body, fhe did it for my burial. Verily I fay unto you, v/herefoever this Gofpel fliall be preached in the whole world, there alfo fhall this which this woman hath ^one be told for a memorial of her." There are in this little ftory feveral circumftances that fleferve our notice. The firft is, that the a(5l here mentioned of pouring the ointment on the head of Jefus, though it may appear Grange to us, yet was perfe<51:ly conformable to the cuftoms of ancient times, not only in Afia, but in the more pol- ifhed parts of Europe. Chaplets of flowers and odorifer- ous unguents are mentioned by feveral claffic authors, as in ufe at the feftive entertainments both of the Greeks and Romans, and particularly among the Jews, the cuftom of anointing the head feems to have been almoft as common a pra6lice as that of wafhing the face. For tliey are men- tioned together by our Lord in his direction to his difciples on the fabjedt of falling. " But thou, when thou fafteft, anoint thine head, and wafh thy face, that thou appear not unto men to fall, but unto thy Father which feeth in fecret*." But there was a much higher purpofe to which the effu- fion of ointment on the head was applied to the Jews.— It was by this ceremony that Kings, Priefts, and Prophets, were fet apart and confecrated to their refpeftive offices. — And for this reafon it was that our blefTed Lord himfelf, who united in his own perfon the thieefold charad:er of King, Priell, and Prophet, was diftinguifhed by the name of the Messiah, v«^hich in the Hebrew language means THE ANOINTED. It was therefore with peculiar propriety that this difcriminating mark of refpedt was fhewn to Je- fus by the devout woman here mentioned, though fhe her- felf was probably altogetlier unconfcious of that proprie- ty. Jefus however faw at once the piety of her heart, and the purity of her intentions, and with that fweetnefs of temper, and urbanity of manners which were natural to him, not only accepted her humble offering with com* ^ Matth. vi. 17. LECTURE XXI. S39 ^lacency, but generoufly defended her againfl the illiberal cavils of his faftidious followers. And then he added a promife of that diftinguifhed honor which fliould perpetu- ate this meritorious a<5t of her's to all future ages. " Ver- ily 1 fay unto you, that wherefoever this Gofpel fhall be preached in the whole world, there fhall alfo this that this woman hath done be told for a memorial of her.'* This we know was no vain prediftion ; it has been moft literally and pundually fulfilled, and we ourfelves are witneffes of its completion at this very moment. The next remarkable occuirence in this chapter, Is the inftitution of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper by our Saviour, when he was eating the paffover with his dif- ciples. The paffover was one of the moft folemn and facred feafts of the Jews. It was fo called becaufe it was eftab- liihed in commemoration of the deliverance of the Jews from their bondage in Egypt, at which time the deftroy- ing angel, when he put to death the firft-bom of the Egyptians, pajfed over the houfes of the Ifraelites, which were all markedwith the blood of the lamb that had been killed and eaten the evening before in every Hebrew houfe, and was therefore called the Pafchal Lamb, This great feftival our Saviour obferved with his difci- ples, the evening before he fuffered, and with them ate the pafchal lamb, which was a prophetic type of himfelf. For he was the real pafchal lamb that was facrificed for the fins of men. He was the lamb flain from the foundation of the world*. The lamb without blemlfli and without fpotf , as the pafchal lamb was ordered to be:|:. There can be no doubt therefore that the pafchal lamb of the Jews was meant to be an emblem of our Lord. The flaying of that lamb prefigured the flaying of Chrift upon the crofs ; and as thofe houfes which were fprinkled with the blood of the •lamb were paffed over by the deftroying angel, fo they whofe * Rev. xiij. 8- f I Pet i- 19. «<( Ex. xli- 5. :340 LECTURE XXL fouls are fprlnkled with the blood of Chrhl are faved from deilruiftion, and their fins pajfed o'ver and forgiven for his" fake. And it is a very remarkable circumftance, that our Saviour was crucified, and our deliverance from the bon- dage of fin compleated, in the fame month, and on the fame day of the month, that the Ifraelites were delivered from the bondage of Egypt, by their departure from that land. For the Ifraelites Vv^ent out of Egypt, and Chrift ^■3iS put to death, on the fifteenth day of the month "Nifan. I have premifed thus much refpefling the paffover and the pafchal lamb, becaufe it will throw confiderable light on the true nature and meaning of the facrament of the Lord's Supper, Vv^hich Jefus now inftituted, and of which the evangelift gives the following account : " When the even was come, our Lord fat dov/n with the twelve to eat the paflbver ; and as they were eating, Jefus took bread, and bleffed it, and brake it, and gave it to his difciples, and faid. Take, eat ; this is my body. And he took the cup» and gave thanks, and gave it to them, faying. Drink ye all of it : for this is my blood of the New Teftament, which is fhed for many for the rem.iffion of fms." This is the whole of the inftitution of this facred rite by our bleifed Lord, as recorded in St. Matthew's Gofpel ; and nothing can be more evident than that w-hen he brake the bread, and gave it to his difciples, and faid, Take, eat, this is my body ; he meant to fay that the bread was ta reprefent his body, and the breaking of it was to reprefent the breaking of his body upon the crofs. In the fame manner when he took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, faying, " Drink ye all of it, for this is my blood of the New Teftament (or New Covenant) which is fhed for many, for the remifiion of fins ;" his meaning was, that the wHne in the cup was to be a reprefentation of his blood that was fhed upon the crofs as an expiation and atonement for die fins of the whole world. And his difciples v/ere to eat the bread and drink the wine fo con- fecrated, and fo appropriated to this particular piirpofe, in grateful remembrance of what our Lord fuffered for their falvation, and that of all mankind ; for St. Luke adds thefe affeftmg and impreffive v/ords of our Saviour, this do in remnnlrancs of mc. LECTURE XXL 34.1 The Lord's Supper therefore was evidently to be a fol- emn commemoration and recognition of the redemption and deliverance of mankind by the death of Chrift, as the feaft of the pafTover was of the deliverance of the If- raelites from the deftroying angel. Nor is this all ; for as the Jews were accuftomed in their peace offerings to eat a part of the vidtim, and thus partook of the facrifice ; fo they would perceive that in this ne^ju inftitution, the eat- ' ing of the bread and drinking of the wine was a mark and fymbol of their participating in the effe<5ls of this ne'^jj peace offering, the death of Chriil ; v^^hofe body was bro- ken, and whofe blood was fhed for them on the crofs. They would alfo fee that this fupper of our Lord was from that time to be fubftltuted in the room of the paiTo- ver ; and that tliey might have no doubt on this head, our Lord exprefsly declares that this was to be the cafe ; for immediately after the inftitution of this facrament he adds, " I fay unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it ne^uu with you in my Father's kingdom." The meaning is, this is the iafl time that this fupper fhall be a reprefentation of the paffover. It fhall hereafter take a nenx/ fignification.. When my kingdom (that is, my religion) is fully confirm- ed and eftabliihed by my rifmg from the dead, this fupper fhall be the memorial of a more noble facrifice. The paff- over, which was a type of the redemption to be vv'rought by me, fhall be fulfilled and completed by my death and refurreftion. The fhadow paffes away ; tlie fubflance takes place ; and when you eat this fupper in remembrance of me, there will I be virtually prefent amongft you ; and your fouls fhall be nourifned and refrefhed by my grace,- as your bodies are by the bread and wine. You will perceive, by what I have here faid on the Sac- rament of the Lord's Supper, that 1 have confined myfelf to that which was immediately before me, the original in- ilitution of it by our bleffed Lord. I have not entered in- to thofe further illuftrations of this holy rite, which are prefented to us in other parts of fcripture ; particularly in the 11th chapter of the Firft Epiftle to the Corinthians. To go at length into the confideration of this important S*^ LECTURE XXI. fubje^hat caufe * Ch. x'y. 33- -f- Ch. xxli. 44 LECTURE XXL 34^ could thefe uncommonly painful fem'ations be owing ? There is great reafon to believe that they could not arife folely from the fear of death, or of the torments and the ignominy he was about to undergo 5 for many great and good m.en, many of the primitive martyrs for inftance>. and of our firft reformers, have met death and tortures without feeling,^ at ieaft without expreffing, fuch exceilive terrors of mind as thefe. But it fhould be confidered, that befides the apprehen- fions of a death in the higheft degree excruciating and difgraceful, to which in his human nature he would be- as liable as any other perfon, there were feveral circum- iiances peculiar to hlmfelf, which might exceedingly em- bitter his feelings and exafperate his fufferings. In the firfl place, from tlie foreknowledge of every thing that could befal him, he would have a quicker fenfe and a keener perception of the torments he was to undergo, than any other perfon could poffibly have, from the anticipation of future fufferings. In the next place, the complicated miferies which he knew that his death would bring upon his country, for which he manifeiled the tendereft concern ; the diftrefs in which it would plunge a mother and a friend that were infinitely dear to him ; and the cruel perfecutions and afflidtions of various kinds, to which he forefaw that the firft propagation of his religion w-ould expofe his beloved difciples ;• all thefe confiderations operating on a mind of fuch exquifite fenfibility as his, muft make a deep and painful imprefTion, and add many a bitter pang to the an- guifh, which preyed upon his foul. Nor is it at all im- probable, that his great enemy and ours, the prince of darknefs, whom he came to overthrow, and with whom he maintained a conftant confiift through life, and tri- umphed over by his death ; it is not I fay, at all improb- able, that this malignant Being fhould exert his utmofl power, by prefenting real and raifmg up imaginary ter- rors, to ihake the conftancy of his foul, and deter him from the great work he had undertaken. Thefe, and a. multitude of other agonizing diftrefles, unknown and in- Z 2 346 LECTURE XXI. conceivable to us, which might neceflarily fpring from fo vaft, {o momentous, fo ftupendous a work, as the falva- tion of a whole world, make a plain diftindlion between our Saviour's fituation and that of any other martyr to the caufe of truth, and moft clearly prove that there never was " a forrow in every refpedt like unto his forrow*." It is evident, indeed, that there was fome other caufe of his agony befides that of his approaching death : for it is faid in the Epillle to the Hebrews, that he was heard in that hefeared\ ; that is, was delivered from the terrors that oppreffed him ; and yet we know he was noi delivered from the dsafh of the crofs. And it fliould be obferved in the laft place, that not- withflanding his temporary agonies of mind, notwith- ilanding he was " fore amazed and exceeding forrow- ful, even unto death ;" notwithftanding he prayed moft eameftly and fervently " that the bitter cup of afflidtion might, if poffible, pafs away from him ;" yet, upon the final refult, he manifefted the utmoft firmnefs and fortitude of foul : and the conftant termination of his prayer was, not my 'will but thine be done. He fubmitted with the moft perfe(5t refignation to thofe very calamities which he felt fo acutely, and deprecated fo eameftly ; and went out from the garden to meet the dangers that approached him with that noble and dignified addrefs to his {lumbering difciples, ** Rife, let us be going ; behold, he is at hand that doth betray me." It is evident then that this remarkable inci- dent in the hiftory of our Lord, which has given occafion to fo much unfounded and idle cavil, inftead of lowering his character in the flighteft degree, adds frefti luftre to it, and encreafes our veneration for his exalted virtues. And what is of no lefs importance, it prefents to us in- ftrudtions the moft edifying, and reflections the moft con- folatory to the weaknefs of our nature. We fee in the firft place, that our Lord did not pretend to that unfeeling heroifm, that total infenfibility to pain and afflidion, which fome of the ancient philofophers af- * Lam. i. 12- f Heb, v. 7. LECTURE XXI. 347 fedled. On the contrary. In his human nature he felt like- a man ; he felt the weight of his ov.ti forrows, and dropt the tear of fympathy for thofe of others. To tliofe, there* fore, who -are opprefled and bowed down (as the beft of men fometimes are) with a loa.d of grief, who find, as the Pfalmift exprefles it, " their flefli and their heart failing," and their fpirits finking within them, it muft be a moft re* viving confideration to refle6t that in this ftate even of ex- treme depreffion, there is no guilt ; that it is no mark of God's difpleafure ; that even his beloved Son was no ftran- ger to it ; that he was. a man of forrows, and well ac- quainted with grief ; that therefore he is not a hard, un- feeling obdurate mafter, who cannot be touched with our infirmities, but one who was in all things tried and afilidl- ed as we are, yet without fm." He knows what forrow is ; he knows how hard it fometimes prefTes even on the firmeft minds ; and he will not fail to extend that relief to others, for which even he himfelf applied with fo much- fervency to the Father of alL From his example too, on this occafion, we learn what condu<5t we ought to obferve when diftrefs and mifery over- take us. We are not only allowed but encouraged by what he did, to put up our petitions to the Throne of grace, for help in time of need. We are permitted to pray for the removal of our calamities with eameftnefs and with fervour ; we may implore the Almighty that tlie bitter cup of affliction may pafs away from us ; but the conclufion muft always be (what his was) " not my will, O my Father, but thine be done." And one thing we may be aflured of, that if the evils which overwhelm us are not removed, yet our fupplications (hall not be in vain ; we fhall at the leaft be enabled to bear them. And though we muft not ex- pedl: to have an angel fent from heaven to fupport us, as was done to Jefus ; yet we may exped, and expedt with confidence, that a more than angelic comforter, even tlie Spirit of God, will fhed his healing influence over our fouls, and preferve us from finking even under the fever- eft trials. And there is ftill one further leftbn of no fmall import-^ ance, which this part of cur Saviour's hiftory may teach us. 848 LECTURE XXI. Extreme affliftlon, as we all but too well know, has a. natural tendency, not only to deprefs our fpirits, but to four our tempers, and to render us fretful and irritable, and fevere towards the failings of others. But how did it operate on our ble/Ted Lord ? Inftead of injuring, it feem- ed rather to improve the heavenly mildnefs of his difpofi- tion, and to make him more indulgent to the fiilings of his followers. For when in the very midil of all his an- guifh, they could fo far forget his forrows, and their own profeflions of attachment to him, as to fmk into deep, how gentle was his reproof to them for this want of fenfibility and attention to him ? " Could you not watch with me one hour ?" And even this afteftionate rebuke he imme- diately tempers with a kind excufe for them : the fpirit truly is willing, but the flefh is weak.** I now proceed in the melancholy narrative. "And while he yet fpake, lo ! Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with fwords and ftaves, from the chief priefts and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a fign, faying, Whomfoever I fhall kifs, that fame is he : hold him faft. And forth- with he came to Jefus, and faid. Hail, Mafter ; and kiff- ed him. And Jefus faid unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come ? Then came they and laid hands on Jefus, and took him." " And behold one of them which were v/Ith Jefus (St. Peter) ftretched out his hand, and drew his fword, and ftruck afervant of the high prieft, (whofe name v/as Mal- chus) and fmote off his ear." Here again we fee the warmth and vehemence of Peter's temper, wliich prompt- ed him to a well-meant, though injudicious difplay of his zeal in his Mafter*s Caufe. « Then faid Jefus unto him. Put up again thy fword into its place, for all they that take the fword fhall perifh with the fword. Thinkeft thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he fhall prefent- ly give me more than f.velve legions of angels ? But hov/ then fhall the fcripturc be fulfilled, that thus it mud be ?" From this reproof to Peter, we are not to infer that the ufe the fword in felf defence is unlawful ; but that the LECTURE XXr. 349 life of It againft the magiflrates and the mintjlers of juftice (which was the cafe in the prefent inftance) is unlawful. It was meant alfo to check that propenfity, which is but too ftrong and too apparent in a large part of mankind, to have recourfe to the fv^^ord on all occafions ; and more particularly to reftrain private perfons from avenging pri- vate injuries, which they Ihould rather leave to the ma- giilrate or to God ; " for vengeance is mine, I will re- pay, faith the Lord*." In all fuch cafes, they who take the fword unjuftly and rafhly will probably, as our Sav- iour here forev/arns them, perifh with the fword ; with the fword of their adverfary, of of the magiftrate. That denunciation might alfo allude to the Jews, who now feized on Jefus ; and might be meant to ultimate to his difciples, that it was perfe(R:ly needlefs for them to draw their fwords on thefc mifcreants, fmce they w^ould all per- ifh at the fiege or capture of Jerufalem by the fword of rhe Romans. If it had been the intention of Providence to prote<5l Jefus and his religion by force, there is no doubt but a hoft of angels would have been fent to defend him, as one was aflually fent to comfort him. But this would have defeated the very purpofe for which he came into the world, which was, that he fliould " make his foul an offering for fmf .'"' The prophets foretold (more particularly Ifaiah and Daniel) that he (liould do fo. And befides this, nothing could be more abhorrent, from, the fpirit of his re- ligion, than force, violence, and bloodfned. Thefe inftru- ments of deftnidion he left to fanatics and impoftors. The only v^eapons he made ufe of were of a different nature ; the fword of the fpirit, tlie fliield of faith, and the armour of righteoufnefs. " In that fame hour faid Jefus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as againft a thief with fwords and ftaves, for to take me ; I fat daily with you teaching in tlie temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done that the fcriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled ; which, as I have already obferved, predi<5led his fuffeiings and * Rom. xil. 19. t liaiah, liii. lo. 350 LECTURE XXT. liis death. Then all his difciples forfook him and fled*" Here we have the exacS completion of that prophecy, which he had jufl: before delivered, that all his difciples fnould be offended becaufe of him ; that is, fiiould defert him that very night. And that this prediftion was fo accomplifhed, is clear beyond all controverfy ; becaufe it was an event which the difciples would for their own credit gladly have fuppreffed, if they durft. By recording this event, they recorded their own weaknefs, their own pufil- lanimity. And we may be perfectly fure that they would not invent a falfehood on purpofe to perpetuate their own difgrace. We have therefore, in this incident, a demon- ftrative proof, both that our Lord's prophecy was aiSual- ly fulfilled, and that the evangelifts were men of the ftrid- eft veracity and integrity, who were determined to facri- fice every thing, even tlieir own reputation, to the facred caufe of truth. Jefus being now In the polTeflion of his enemies, they that had laid hold on him led him away to Caiaphas the high prieft, where the fcribes and the elders were aflem- bled. But Peter, though he had fled with the reft, yet afhamed of his cowardice, and ftill really attached to his Mafter, fummoned up for the moment refolution enough to turn back and follow the croud (but with cautious and trembling fteps) to the palace of the high prieft, " and went in, and fate with the fervants in the hall of the palace, to fee the end. Now the chief priefts and elders, and all the council, fought falfe witnefs againft Jefus to put him to death, but found none ; yea, though many falfe wit- neffes came, yet found they none." Their obje<^ was to put Jefus to death ; and for this purpofe they faught out for falfe witnefies, to charge him with a capital crime. To condemn any one to death their own law required two witnefies ; and it was alfo necelTary for them to produce evidence fufficient to induce the Roman governor to ratify their fentence, without which it was of no avail. There was no difficulty in finding out and fuborning falfe witneff- es in abundance, who were perfectly well difpofed to con- form to their wilhes ; but for a long time they found none whofe evidence came up to the point they aimed at ; none who could prove againft Jefus a capital oifence. But at LECTURE XXL 351 length " came two falfe wltnefTes, and faid. This fellow faid, I am able to deftroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days." Now to fpeak difrefpeftfully, or to prophecy againft the temple, was confidered by the • Jews as blafphemy, and of courfe a capital offence, t. But the truth was that Jefus faid no fuch thing. The expref- lions alluded to by the witneffes were thofe he fpoke, when, after calling the buyers and fellers out of the tem- ple, the Jews afked him what fign he could give them of his authority to do thefe things ? His anfwer was, not as the witnefTes ftated it, " I am able to deftroy this tem- ple ;" but it was, " deftroy this lemple, and in three days I will raife it up." So St. John exprefsly tells us* ; and alfo, that by this temple he meant his own body, to which he probably pointed at the time. The high prieft, fenfible, perhaps, that even this evidence would not com- pletely anfv/er his purpofe, proceeds to interrogate our Saviour, hoping that he might be drawn by artful quef- tions to condemn himfelf. He arofe therefore, and faid unto Jefus, " Anfwereft thou nothing ? What is it that thefe witnefs againft thee r" Is it true, or is it falfe I and what have you to fay in your own defence ? But Jefus held his peace. He difdained to make any anfwer to fuch unfounded and contemptible accufations. He faw that his judges were predetermined ; that every tiling he could fay would be of no avail ; and that the only proper part for him to take, was to obferve a dignified filence. The high prieft perceiving this, had recourfe to a meaf- ure which he knew muft compel our Lord to fpeak ; " I adjure thee, fays he, by the living God, that thou tell us, whether thou be the Chrift the Son of God." This call- ing upon a man to fwear by the living God was called the oath of adjuration, and was the Jewilh mode of admin- iftering an oath either to a witnefs or a criminal ; and when fo adjured, they were obliged to anfwer. Jefus now therefore conceived himfelf bound in confcience to break his filence, and faid to the high prieft, " Thou haft faid ;" that is, thou haft faid what is true, I cm the Meftiah, the Chrift, the Son of God ; for all thefe were fynonomus terms among tlie Jews. But as our Lord^s actual appear- * Chap ii. 19. 352 LECTURE XXI. ance and fituation did but ill accord with a chara(!ter of iuch high dignity, he proceeds to aiTure his judges, that what he affirmed was neverthelefs unqueftionably true ; and that they themfelves ftiould in due time have the fulleft proof of it. For, fays he, " hereafter ye fhall fee the Son of man fitting on the right hand of power, and com- ing in the clouds of heaven." Sitting at the right hand of power means fitting at the right hand of God, to whom the Jews fometimes gave the appellation of power ; and coming In the clouds of heaven, was with the Jews a char- afteriftic mark of the Meffiah. And the whole paflage relates not to the final judgment, but to the coming of Chrift to execute vengeance on the Jews in the dfeftrudlion •of Jerufalem by the Romans. " Then the high prieft rent his clothes, (a mark of extreme horror and indigna- tion) faying, he hath fpoken blafphemy, by declaring himfelf the Chrift, the Son of God, and affuming all the marks of divine power. What further need have we of witnefles ? Behold, now ye have heard his blafphemy. — What think ye ? They anAvered and faid, he is guilty of death ;" guilty of a crime that deferves death. " Then did they fpit in his face, and buffeted him ; and others" fmote him vnth the palms of their hands, faying, Pro- phefy unto us ; who is he that fmote thee V* Such were the indignities offered to the Lord of all, by his ov/n infatuated creatures ; and although he could with one word have laid them proftrate at his feet, yet he bore all thefe infults v/ithout a fingle murmur or complaint, and never once fpake unadvifedly with his lips. " Though he was reviled, he reviled not again ; though he fuffered, he threatened not, but committed himfelf to him that judgeth righteoufly*." The evangelift now refumes the hiftory of St. Peter, who, while thefe things were tranfading in the council- room, fate without in the palace ; and a damfel came un- to him faying, " Thou alfo waft with Jefus of Galilee. — But he denied before them all> faying, I know not what *hou fayeft. .And v/hen he was come out into the porch, » T Pet. H. 23. LECTURE XXI. S53 another maid faw him, and faid unto them that were there. This fellow alfo was with Jefus of Nazareth. And again he denied v.^th an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto him they that flood by, and faid to Peter, Surely thou alfo art one of them, for thy fpeech betrayeth thee. Then began he to curfe and to Iwear, faying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the words of Jefus, which faid unto him, Before the cock crow thou fhalt deny me thrice. And he went out and wept bitterly.'* This mofl intcrefting ftory is related by all the evangel- ills, with a few immaterial variations in each ; but the fubftance is the fame in all. There is however one cir- cumftance added by St. Luke, fo exquifitely beautiful and touching, that it well deferves to be noticed here. — He tells us that after Peter had denied Jefus thrice, " im- mediately, while he yet fpake, the cock crew ; and the Lord turned and looked upon Peter^J'* Wliat efFe<5t that look muft have had on the heart and on the countenance of Peter, every one may, perhaps, in fome degree conceive ; but it is utterly impofTible for any words to defcribe, or, I believe, even for the pencil of a Guido to exprefsf . — The facred hiflorian therefore moll judicioully makes no attempt to work upon our paffions or our feelings by any difplay of eloquence on the cccafion. He fimply relates the faft, without any embellifhment or amplification ; and only adds, " and Peter remembered the words of the Lord, how he had faid unto him, before the cock crow thou flialt deny me thrice ; and he went out and wept bitterly." The refle6lions that croud upon the mind from this moft afFe6ling incident of Peter's denial of his mailer, are ma- ny and important ; but 1 can only touch, and that llightly, on a few. The firft is, that this event in the hillory of St. Peter is a clear and a Hiking accomplifhment of our Saviour's * Ch. xxli. 6 1. f In fa<5t, I cannot. learn that any great mafter has ever yet ffileiit- ed this incident as the fubjedl of a piiflure. Aa •354< L E C T U R E XXI. •predicElIon, tliat before the cock crew he ihould deny him thrice. And it is very remarkable that there are in this fame chapter no lefs than four other prophecies of our Lord, which were all pun6:nally fulfilled, fome of them like this, within a few hours after they were delivered. The next obfervation refulting from the fall of Peter is ■ the melancholy proof it affords us of the infirmity of hu- •man nature, the weaknefs of our beft refolutions, when left to ourfelves, and the extreme danger of confiding too much in our own ftrength. That St. Peter was mofl warmly attached to Jefus, 'that his intentions were upright, and his profeflions at the ■moment fmcere, there can be no doubt. But his temper "vvas too hot, and his confidence in himfelf too great. — When our Lord told him, and all the other apoflles, that they would defert him that night, Peter was the firfl to fay to him, " though all men fliould be offended becaufe of thee, yet will I never be offended." And when Jefus . again affured him, that before the cock crew he fhould deny him thrice, Peter infifled with ftill greater vehe- mence on his unfliaken fidelity, and declared, ** that though he fhould die with him, he fhould never deny him." Yet deny him he did, with execrations and oaths ; and left a memorable lefTon even to the befl of men, not to entertain too high an opinion of their own conflancy and firmnefs in the hour of temptation. " Let him that thinketh he ftandeth, take heed lefl he fall." And hence in the lafl place we fee the wifdom and the necefTity of looking beyond ourfelves, of looking up to heaven for fupport and alliflance in the difcharge of our duty. If, when Peter was firfl: forewarned by our Lord of his approaching denial of him, inflead of repeating his profefTions of inviolable fidelity to him, he had with all humility confefTed his weaknefs, and implored his divine Mafter to flrengtlien and fortify him for the trial that awaited him, the event probably would have been very different. And it is furprizing that he had not learned this leifon from his former experience. For when, con- fiding as lie did novv' in his own courage, he entreated LECTURE XXL S55 Jefus to let him walk to him upon the fea, and was per- mitted to do fo ; no fooner did he find the wind boifterous than he was afraid, and beginning to fnik, he cried out, "Lord, fave me. And immediately Jefus ftretched forth his hand and caught him." This was a plain intimation to him, (as I remarked in a former Ledure) that it was not his own arm that could help him, but that Almighty hand, and that outftretched arm, Vv^hich then preferved him ; and to which, when in danger, we muft all have recourfe to preferve us from finking. " Truft then in the Lord," (as the wife king advifes), " with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own underftanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he fhall dire^ thy paths*." * Prov. Ml. <, ,^..<.,< ,<..<..<..<•.<••<.<■.<■.<.■<••<.< ..<••<•■<••<••<"<■•<>.>•>■■>••><•>••>•>•>•>••>••>•>•>->••>••>••>■>••>■•>•■>•>.«• LECTURE XXII. MATTHEW ixviu- I N the preceding chapter we fiiw that the chief prlefls and elders had, in their fiimmary way, without the lliadow of juftice, without any confiftent evidence, decided the fate of Jefus, and pronounced him guilty of death. Their next care was how to get this fentence confirmed and car- ried into execution ; for under the Roman government they had not at this time the power of the fword, the power of life and death ; they could not execute a crim- inal, though they might try and condemn him, without a warrant from the Roman governor ; they determined therefore to carry him before Piiale, the Roman procura- tor of Judasa at that time. But then, to enfure fuccefs ia that quarter, it was neceiTary to give their accufations againft Jefus fuch a colour and fhape, as fhould prevail upon tlie governor to put him to death. For this purpofe they found it expedient to change their ground, for they had condemned him for blafphemy ; but this they knew would have little weight with a pagan governor, who, like Gallio, would " care for none of thofe things" which related folely to religion* They therefore refolved to bring him before Pilate as a Jiate prifoner, and to charge him with treafonable and feditious pra<5tices ; with fetting himfelf up as a king in oppofition to Casfar, and perfuad- ing the people not to pay tribute to that prince. Accord- ingly we are told in the beginning of this chapter, that ** when morning was come, all the chief priefts and elders of the people took council againft Jefus to put him to death ; " that is, to obtain permlffton to put him to death ; " and when they had bound him they led him away, and dilivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor." The evangelift, having brought the hiftoiy of this dia- bolical tranfa(^ion thus far, makes a fliort digreflion, to S^SS^ LECTURE XXIL inform ns of the fate of that wretched traitor Judas, who had by his perfidy brought his Mafter into this fituation. " Then Judas, vrhich had betrayed him, when he faw that he was condemned, repented himfelf, and brought again the thirty pieces of filver to the chief priefts and elders, faying, I have linned in that I have betrayed the in- nocent blood. And they faid. What is that to us ? See thou to that. And he call down the pieces of filver in the temple, and v/ent and hanged himfelf." From the expreffion made ufe of in the third vcrfe, ** when Judas faw that Jefus was condemned, he repented himfelf,^* fomie commentators have thought that lie did not imagine or expeft that Jefus would be condemned to death ; but fuppofed either that he v/ould convey himfelf away from his perfecutors, or that he would prove his in- nocence to the fatisfaftion of his judges ; or that at the moft fome flight punifliment would be inflidted upon him. One would not wifh to load even the worfl of men with more guilt than really belongs to them ; but, from con- fidering the chara(Ser of Judas, and comparing together all the circumftances of tlie cafe, it appears to me more probable that the acquittal or condemnation of Jefus ne- ver entered into his contemplation. All he thought of was gain. He had kept the common purse, and had rob- bed it ; and his only objeft was, how to obtain a fum of money, wliich he determined to have at all events, and left confequences to take care of themfelves. But when he faw that his divine Mafter, whom he knew to be perfectly innocent, was aftually condemned to death, his confcience then flew in his face ; his guilt rofe up before him in all its horrors. The innocence, the virtues, the gentle- defs, the kindnefs of his Lord, with a thoufand other circumftances, rufhed at once upon his mind, and painted to him the enormity of his crime in fuch dreadful colours, that he could no longer bear the agonizing tortures that racked his foul, but went immediatelv and deftroyed him- felf. The anfwer of the chief priefts to Judas, when he brought back to them the thirty pieces of filver, and de~ LECTURE XXII. 359? dared that he had betrayed the innocent blood, was a, perfe(> I. E C T U R E XXir. i^evelation. It has, In fa(fl, had a moft falutary and bene- ficial influence on our moft important temporal interefts. Its beneficent fpirit has fpread itfelf through all the dliFer- ent relations and modifications of human fociety, and communicated its kindly influence to almoft every public and private concern of mankind. It has not only purifi- ed, as we have feen, the adminiftation of juftice ; but it has infenfibly worked itfelf into the inmoft frame and con- ftitution of civil focieties. It has given a tinge to the com- plexion of their governments, and to the temper of their laws. It has foftened the rigour of defpotifm, and lefTened^ i-n fome degree, the horrors of war. It has defcended into families, has diminifhed the prefTure of private tyranny, improved every domeftic endearment, given tendernefs to the parent, humanity to the mafter, refpedt to fuperiors, to inferiors fecurity and eafe ; and left, in fliort, the moft^ evident traces of its benevolent fpirit in all the various fub- ordinations, dependencies, and connexions of focial life. But to return to the Roman governor. Having thus bafely fhrunk from his duty, and, contrary to his own convidtion, condemned an innocent man, he endeavored to clear himfelf from this guilt, and to fatisfy his con- fcience, by the vain ceremony of wafning his hands before the multitude, and declaring, " that he was innocent of the blood of that juft perfon.'* Alas ! not all the water of the ocean could waih away the foul and indelible ftain of murder from his foul. Yet he hoped to transfer it to the accomplices of his crime. " See ye to it," fays he to the people. And what anfwer did that people make to him ? *' His bloody faid they, be on us and on our children.''^ A moft fatal imprecation, and moft dreadfully fulfilled upon them at the fiege of Jerufalem, when the vengeance of heaven overtook them with a fury unexampled in the hiftory of the world ; when they were expofed at once to the horrors of famine, of fedition, of affaffination, and the fv.^crd of the Romans. And it is very remarkable, that there was a ftriking correfpondence between their crime and their punifhment. They put Jefus to death when tlie nation was aftembled to celebrate the paflbver ; and when the nation was affembled for the famepurpofe, Titus fiiut them up within the walls of Jerufalem. The LECTURE XXir. S67 Tejeclion of the true Mefliah was their crime, and the fol- lowing of falfe Meffiahs to their deftrii61;Jon was their pun- ifhment. They bought Jefus as a flave ; and they them- felves were afterwards fold and bought as flaves, at the loweft prices. They preferred a robber and murderer to Jefus, whom they crucified between two thieves ; and they themfelves were afterwards infefted with bands of thieves and robbers. They put Jefus to death left the Romans fliould come and take away their place and nation ; and the Romans did come and take away their place and na- tion*. And what is ftill more ftriking, and ftill m.ore ftrongly marks the judgment of God upon them, they were punifhed with that very kind of death which they were fo eager to inflidt on the Saviour of mankind, the death of the crofs ; and that in fuch prodigious numbers, that Jofephus affures us there wanted wood for croifes, and room to place them inf. The hiftory then proceeds as follows : " Then releafed he Barabbas unto them ; and when he had fcourged Je- fus, he delivered him to be cmcified." It was the cuftom of the inhuman Romans to fcourge their criminals before they crucified them ; as if the exquifite tortures of cruci- fixion were not fufficient without adding to them thofe of the fcourge. But in this inftance the Roman foldiers went further ftill ; they improved upon the cruelty of their mafters, and to torments they added the moft brutal mockery and infult. " Then the foldiers of the governor took Jefus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of foldiers ; and tliey ftripped him, and put on him a fcarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand ; and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, faying. Hail, King of the Jews ! And they fpit upon him, and took the reed, and fmote him on the head. And after they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to be crucified.*' One haftens over this fcene of infolence and outrage with averted eyes, and can hardly bring one's mind to believe that any thing in * Newton on Prophecy, vol. ii. p. 355. f Dc Bell. Jud. I y. c xi- p. 1147. ^^' H^ds- S68 I- £ C T tJ R E XXir, the Ihape of man could have rifen to this height of wanton barbarity. What a difference between this treatment of an innocent and injured man, to that of the vilefl: crimi- nal in this country previous to his execution j and how ilrongly does it mark the diiference between the fpirit of Paganifm and the fpirit of Chriftianity ! " And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, him they compelled to bear his crofs." It was ufual for criminals to bear their own crofs ; but when they were feeble (as the blefied Jefus might well be after all his bitter fufferings) they compelled fome one to bear it for him | and this Cyrenian was probably known to be a favourer of Chrift. " And when they were come to a place called Golgotha, they gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall ;" a kind of ftupefying potion. Intended to abate the ienfe of pain, and to haften death. " And they crucified him, and parted his garments, cafting lots ; that It might be fulfilled which was fpoken by the prophet, " They part- ed my garments among them, and upon my veflure did they call lots." This is a prediction of king David's, in the 22d Pfalm. " And fitting down, they watched him there ; and fet up over him his aecufation, written. This is JefuSi the King of the Jeivs ; for in extraordinary cafes it was ufual to place fuch Infcriptions over the criminal ; but with regard to this, a remarkable circumftance occured. We learn from St. John, that many of the Jews read this infcription, which gave them infinite offence ; as being a declaration to all the world that Jefus really ivas their king. The chief priefts therefore came to Pilate, and begged of him to alter the infcription ; and inftead of writing, " This is the King of the Jews," to write, " He faid I am the King of the Jews." Pilate, who put up this infcription out of mockery, now retained it, like a true Roman, out of obftinacy. " What I have written (fays he, peeviftily) I have written ; and It fiall ftand ;" unconfclous of what he was faying, and of his being over- ruled all the while by an unfeen hand, which thus com- pelled him to bear an undefigned tcftimony to a moft im- portant truth ; that the very man whom he had crucified as a malefaiftor, did not merely /zy that he was the king ef the Jews, the true MefTiah, but that he really ^ivas fo. LECTURE XXIX. B69 ** Then were two thieves crucified with him, the one on the right hand, the other on the left." This was done with a view of adding to the ignominy of our Saviour's fufferings. But tliis aft of malignity, like many other inftances of the fame nature, anfwered a purpofe which the authors o£ it little thought of or mtended. It was the completion of a prophecy of Ifaiah, in which, allud- ing to this very tranfaftion, he fays of the Meffiah, " he was numbered with the tranfgrefTors*." They then con- tinued tlieir infults upon him, even while hanging in ago- ny upon the crofs, as we find related in the five following ver- fes : We are then told, that " from the fixtli hour there was darknefs over all the land until tlie ninth hour.'" The fixth hour of the Jews correfponds to our twelve o'clock, and their ninth liour of courfe to our three. There was tliere- fore a darknefs over all the eartli, from twelve at noon till three in the afternoon. This darknefs muft have been fuperriatural and miraculous. It could not be an eclipfe of the fun, becaufe that cannot happen but in the new moon ; whereas this was at the feaft of the PafTover, wlitch was always celebrated at the full moon. It is ta- ken notice of by feveral ancient writers, both Heathen and Chriilian ; and Tertullian exprefsly declares, tliat it was mentioned in the Roman archivesf . From whence it appears, that it was not confined to the land of Jed^a, but extended itfelf, as it is exprefTed by St. Luke, over nil the earthy. And about the ninth hour Jefus cried with a loud voice, faying, " Eli, Eli, lama fabachthani ?'* that is to fay, " My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me ?" We are not from hence to imagine, that Jefus meant by thefe words to exprefs any diftruft of God's fiivor and kindnefs towards him, or any apprehenfion that the light of his countenance was withdrawn from him. This was im- pofiible. He well knew, that under that load of afiliftion which for the falvation of mankind, he voluntarily took upon himfelf, he was ftill his heavenly Father's " beloved Son, in whom he was well pleafed." Thefe expreflions therefore of feeming defpondence, were nothing more * Ifaiah, liii. 12. f Tcrtull. Ap<^. c, %i. \ Luke, xxiii- 44, B B 870 LECTURE XXII. than the natural and almoft unavoidable eiFuiions of a mind tortured with the acuteft pain, and hardly confcious of the complaints it uttered ; of which many fimilar in- ftances occur in the Pfalms. Indeed thefe words them- ielves are the beginning of the 22d Pfalm, which perhaps our Lord recited throughout, or at leafl undoubtedly meant to apply the whole of it to himfelf. And this very Pfalm, although in the outfet it breaths an air of dejedion and complaint, yet ends in expreffing the firmeft truft in the mercy and the protedion of God. And our Lord himfelf, when he breathed his laft, committed himfelf with boundlefs confidence to the care of the Almighty. " Fath- er, into thy hands I commend my Ipirit*.'* Then fome of them that flood there, when they heard him crying out " Eli, Eli,*' deceived by the fimilitude of the found, faid " This man calleth for Elias. And ftraitway one of them ran, and took a fpunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink." This as St. John tells us, was done in confequence of Jefus faying, " I thirft." The reft faid, « Let be ; let us fee whether Elias will come to fave him." " Jefus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, gave up the ghoft." This was about the ninth hour, or three in the afternoon. And as he was crucified at tlie third hour, or at nine in the morning, he had hung no lefs than fix hours in agonies upon the crofs. And this, let it never be for- gotten, was for us men, and for our falvation ! " And behold the vail of the temple was rent in twain, from the top to bottom ; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent, and the graves were opened ; and many bodies of the faints which flept, arofe and came out of the graves after his refurredion, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many." Such were the convuliions into which the whole frame of nature was thrown, when the Lord of all yielded up his life. The vail of the temple, we are told, in the firfl place, was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom. * Lwkc, xxiii. 46. LECTURE XXIL S7i The Jewifk temple was divided into feveral parts ; the moft facred was called the Holieft, or the Holy of Holies^ into which none but the high-prieft might enter, and that only once in a year. It was confidered as a type of heaven ; and was feparated from what was called the holy- place, or the place where divine worfiiip was celebrated, by a curtain of rich tapeftry, which is here called the vail of the temple. This vail, when our Saviour expired, was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom ; by which was fignified the abolition of the whole Mofaic ritual, the re- moval of the partition between Jev/ and Gentile, and the admiflion of the latter (on the terms of the Gofpel cove- nant) into heaven, or the Holy of Holies. " And the earth did quake, and the rocks rent." This earthquake is mentioned by heathen authors as having, in the reign of Tiberius, deftroyed twelve cities in Afia*. " And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the faints which flept arofe, and came out of the graves after his refurredtion, and v/ent into the holy city, and appeared unto many." Who the holy perfons were which then arofe from their graves muft be matter of mere conjec- ture ; but moft probably fome of thofe who had believed in Chrift, fuch as old Simeon, and whofe perfons were knov^Ti in the city. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him watching Jefus, faw the earthquake, and thofe things that were done, they feared greatly, faying, " Truly this man was the Son of God." The centurion here mentioned was the Roman captain, who, with a guard of foldiers, was ordered to attend the crucifixion of Jefus, and fee the fentence executed. He placed himfelf, as St. Mark informs us, over againft Jefus. From that ftation he kept his eye conftantly fixed upon him, and obferved with attention every thing he faid or did. And when he faw the meeknefs, the patience, the refignation, the firmnefs, with which our Lord endured the moft excruciating torments ; when he heard him at one time fervently praying for his murderers, at another ♦ Taciti Anna!. I ii. c 4; Suet- in Tib. vi- 44S. PJIn- Nat. HJft. I. a c S4. 372 LECTURE XXIf. difpoiing with dignity and authority of a place m para* dife to one of his fellow fufFerers ; and at length, with that confidence which nothing but confcious virtue and confcious dignity could at fuch a time infpire, recom- mending his fpirit into the hands of his heavenly Father ; he could not but conclude him to be a moft extraordinary perfon and fomething more tlian human. But when moreover he obferved the aftonifhing events that took place when Jefus expired ; the agitation into which the whole frame of nature feemed to be thrown ; the fuper- natural darknefs, the earthquake, the rending of rocks, the opening of graves ; he then burft out involuntarily into that linking exclamation, " Truly this was the Son of God.^' Here then we have a tefllmony to the divine chara^er of our Lord, which muft be confidered as in the higheft degree impartial and incorrupt : the honeft unfolicited tef- timony of a plain man, a foldier and a heathen ; the tef- timony, not of one who was prejudiced in favour of Chrift and his religion, but of one, who, by habit and educa- tion, was probably ftrongly prejudiced againft them. And it is not a little remarkable, that the contemplation of the very fame fcene which fo forcibly ftruck the Ro- man centurion, has extorted a fimilar confefTion from one of the mod eloquent of modem fceptics, who has never been accufed of too much credulity, and who, though he could bring himfelf to refill the evidence both of prophe- cy and of miracles, and was therefore certainly no bigot to Chriilianity, yet was overwhelmed with the evidence arihrig from the characler, the fufferings, and the death of Jei'us. I allude to the celebrated comparifon between the death of Socrates and the death of Jefus, drawn by the mafterly pen of RoulTeau. The pafiage is probably well known to a large part of this audience ; but it affords fo forcible and fo unprejudiced a teflimony to the divinity of Chrift, and bears fo linking a refemblance to that of the centurion, that I fliall be pardoned, I truft, for bring- ing it once more to your recolledlion, and introducing it here as the conclufion of this Le<5lure^ LECTURE XXII. 373 ''* Where, (fays he,) is the man, where Is the philofo- pher, who can ad:, fuiFer, and die, without weaknefs and without oftentation ? When Plato defcribes his imaginary juftman, covered with all the opprobrium of guilt, yet at the fame time meriting the fublimeft rewards of virtue, he paints precifely every feature in the charader of Jefus Chrift. The refemblance is fo ftriking that all the fathers have obferved it, and it is impoffible to be deceived in it. What prejudice, what blindnefs muft pofTefs the mind of that man, who dares to compare the fon of Sophronifcus with the Son of Mary ! What a diftance is there between the one and the otlier ! The death of Socrates philofophiz- ing calmly with his friends, is the moft gentle that can be wifhed ; that of Jefus expiring in torments, infulted, de- rided, and reviled by all the people, the moft horrible that can be imagined. Socrates taking the poifoned cup, bleffes the man who prefents it to him ; and who, in the very a<5l of prefenting it, melts into tears. Jefus, in the midft of the moft agonizing tortures, prays for his enrag- ed perfecutors. Yes, if the life and death of Socrates are thofe of a fage, the life and death of Jefus are thofe of a GOD.'* «<..<..<«<..<..4..<..«..<..<..<..<„<,.<..<..*.<..4..<..<-.<..<.'<>->->">>">- >•>••>">••>••>••>•'>-►••>•■»"►••>••»»>.■.•« LECTURE XXIII. MATTHEW xxvll.— xxviii. I .N the preceding Le£ture we clofed the difmal fcene of our Lord's unparalleled fufferings ; on which it is impoffible to refled without aftonifhment and horror, and without afking ourfelves this queftion. Whence came it to pafs that fo innocent, lb excellent, fo divine a perfon as the beloved Son of God, in whom he was well pleafed, fhould be permitted by his heavenly Father to be expofed to fuch indignities and cruelties, and finally to underga the exqulfite torments of the crofs ? The anfwer is, that the occafion of all this is to be fought for in our own fmful nature, in the depravity and corruption of the human heart, in the extreme wickednefs of every kind which overfpread the whole world at the time of our Lord's ap- pearance upon earth, and which muft neceflarily have fubjeded the whole human race to the levereft efFe<5ts of the Divine difpleafure, had not fome atonement, fome expiation, fome fatisfadion to tlieir offended Maker, been interpofed between them and the punifhment fo juftly due to them. This expiation, this atonement, the Son of God himfelf voluntarily confentedto become, and paid the ranfom required for our deliverance by his own death up- on the crofs. " He gave himfelf for us, as the Scriptures ex- prefs it, an offering and a facrifice to God. He was the Lamb (lain from tlie foundation of the world. He fuffered for fm, the juft for the unjuft, that he might bring us to God. He was wounded for our tranfgreffions, he was bruifed for our iniquities ; with his ftripes we were healed. In his own blood he waflied us from our fms ; in his own body he bore our fms upon the tree, that we being dead unto fm might live unto righteoufnefs*." This is that great doc- * Ephes. V. ». Rev. xiii. 8- i Pet. iii. i8- Ifa, Uii. 5. Rev- 1.5. I Pet. ii. 24. 3^6 L £ C T U R E XXIII. trine of redemption, which is fo fully expl;iined :ind of ftrongly inlillcd on in various parts of the lacrcd writings,, which forms fo e/fcntial a j^rtof theCluiflian fyftem, and is the grand foundation of all our hopes of pardon and acceptance at the great day of retribuiion. This mode of vicarious ptinifhment, this fubilitutioii of an innocent vi»^im in the room of an oflcnding perfon, can he no fyrprifc to any one tliat ieilc<5ts on the well Icnown prn for to-morrow we die ; let us enjoy, without referve, and without meafure, all the pleafures which this world af- fords, for to-morrow we may leave it, and we know of no other. But how abfurd would it be for the Chrijl'ian to fay this, how mad would it be for him to act accordingly, w^hen he knows, that though to-morrow his foul may be feparated from his body, yet that they will be again united, and live for ever in a future ftate of exiftence ? What an amazing difference does this fa6t make in our circumftan- ces, and how inexcufable fhall we be, if it does not pro- * Matth. xi- 4. f Rom. viii, 11. S90 LECTURE XXIII. duce a fultable difference in our conduct ! Even the poffi- hility of fuch an event muft have a powerful influence over our mind and manners ; what then muft be the cafe when it amounts, as it does with every fmcere believer in the Gofpel, to ahfolute certainly ? With what cheerfulnefs Hiall we acquiefce under poverty and misfortunes, vrhen we refleft, that if we bare them patiently, and hold faft our integrity, thefe light afflictions, wliich are but for a moment, fhall work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ! With what indifference fhall we contemplate the charms of wealth and power, with what horror fhall we turn away from the pleafurer, of fin, Vv^hicli are but for a feafon, when we know that the one may, and the other moft certainly w/7/, cut us off from an eternal and invaluable inlieritance* Suppcfe yourfelves for a moment in fome foreign king- dom, where, after having been obliged to fpend many years, you are at length fuffered to return to your own country. Suppofe further, that in this country you have left families that are infinitely dear to you, friends whom you exceedingly love and efteem, wealth and honors to the utmoft extent of your wiflies. When, with the mofl impntient longings after all thefe bleffings, you fet out upon your return to your native land, will any allure- ments that you meet with on the road tempt you from your main objed ? Will any accidental hardfliips or in- conveniencies dcter you from purfuing your journey ? Will you not break through all obftru6tions, refift all tempta- tions, andprefs forwards with alacrity and vigour towards your beloved liome ? And wliy then will you not feek your heavenly country with the fame ardour and perfever- ance that you would your earthly one ? You are all " flran- gers and pilgrims upon earth." This world is ncit your home, though you are too apt to think it fo. You belong to another city, you are fubje<5ls of a better kingdom, where infinitely greater joys await you than have been juft defcribed, or can by the utmoft ftretch of imagination be conceived. Every day you live, every moment you breath, brings you nearer to this country ; and the grave itfelf, difmal as it appears, is nothing more thi-.n the gatz that leads you into it. LECTURE XXIII. 391 Coiifcious tlien of the dignity and importance of our high and heavenly calhng, which renders us candidates for the kingdonn of God, and heirs of immortality, let us perfevcre fteadily and uniformly, in our progrefs to- wards tliofe celeftial manfions, which are prepared for all the faithful fervants of Chrift ; where we fliall he releafed from all the endlefs anxieties, the vain hopes, and caufe- lefs fears that now agitate and difquiet us ; and fhall, througli the merits of our Redeemer, be rewarded, not merely with unintenaipted tranquility and repofe, (the utmoft felicity of the pagan elyfmm) ; not merely with a vifionary poftliumous reputation, which commences not till we are incapable of enjoying it ; but with a crown of glory that fadeih not away, a real immortality in the king- dom of our Father and our God. ■•<-4..< <.<.<.<.. < •< •< •< ■< ■< •< •< •<••< •< ■< ■<>..>..>.>.>..>..>..>.>M>..>..>..>..>„>..^„>..^. ^..^..^ ^_ LECTURE XXIV. MATTHEW xxvi;;.. T. HE laft Ledture ended with the hiftoty of our Lord's refurredlion. The evangelift then proceeds to give a concife account of what pafied after that great event had taken place. " Then, fays he, the eleven difciples went av/ay into- Gahlee, into a mountain, where Jefus had appointed them*." By the eleven difciples he means the apoftles, who, though originally twelve, were now reduced to eleven, by the defedtion and death of Judas. Thefe Jefus had commanded to meet him in Galilee. " Go, tell my brethren, fays he to the women, that they go into Galilee, and there fhall they fee me." There therefore the apof- tles went about eight days after the refurredHon, and many others with them ; for this probably was the time and the place when he fbewed himfelf to about five hun- dred brethren at once. " And when they faw him they worfhipped him ; butfome doubted." Here we have the authority of the apoftles themfelves for the worfnip of Chrift. The women, when they firft faw Jefus, paid him the fame adoration ; " they came and held him by the feet, and worfhipped himf ." But fome, it is added^ doubted. And where can be the wonder, if among five hundred perfons there fhould be two or three, who, like the difciples mentioned by St. Luke J, believed not for joy, and wondered; that is (as is very natural) were afraid to believe what they fo ardently wilhed to be true ; or who, like St. Thomas, would not believe, unlefs they touched the body of Jefus, and thruft their hands into his fides. * Matth. xxviii. 16 f Mattli xxviii, 9. i Ch- xxiv- 41- LECTURE XXIV/ ^95 Bat their doubts, like his, were probably foon removed^ This circumftance therefore only ferves to fliew the fcru- pulous fidehty of the facred hiftorians, who, like honeft men, fairly tell you every thing that pafTed on this and on limilar occafions, whethrer it appears to make for them or againft them. " And Jefus came and fpake unto them, faying, alt power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.*' In his divine nature he had this power from all eternity ;. but it was now to be exercifed in his human nature alfo, which, from a ftate of humiliation, from the form of a fervanty was foon to be exalted to the higheft dignity, and placed at tlie right hand of God. Accordingly St. Paul informs us, that, " God raifed our Lord from the dead, and fet him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and do- minion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but in that which is to come : and put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fiilnefs of him that fiUeth all in all*." And again, in his Epiftle to the Phi- llppians, he fays, that " God has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name ; that TkI the name of Jefus every knee fliould bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth ; and that every tongue fhould ccnfefs that Jefus Chrill rs Lord, to the glory of God the Fatherf ." In the fame magnificent language he is fpoken of in the book of Reve- lations ; " Worthy is the Lamb that was llain to receive power, and riches, and v/ifdom, and ftrength, and honor,, and glory, and blefTmg. And again, Bleding, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, foy ever and ever J." Such is the dignity of the Lord and Mafter whom we ferve ; and fuch is that authority witli which, in the two concluding verfes of this chapter, he gives his laft com- mand to his apoftles : " Go ye, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name ot the Father, and of the • Ei^hes i 2C— 23< f Philip, ii- 9 — 11. \ Rev, v. 12, 13. 394. LECTURE XXIV. Son, and of the Holy Ghoft ; teaching them to oblerve all thhigs whatever I have commanded you ; and lo ! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." The ceremony then by which our Lord*s difciples were to be admitted into his religion, was baptifm. This was fometimes ufed by the Jews on the admiffion of profelytes, and by the heathens on initiation into their myfleries. But the baptifm of Chriftians was to be accompanied witli a peculiar form of words, w^hich diftinguifhed it from every other. They were to be baptized in the name cf the Father, the So/iy and the Holy Ghojl. This form of words has accordingly been ufed in the Chriftian church, from the earlieft times down to the prefent ; and is, as you all know, the mode of baptifm adopted and conftant- iy practifed by the Church of England. And it is re- markable, not only on this account, but as being alfo one principal ground of a very diftinguifhed doftrine of the Gofpel, and of the Church of England, the dodrine of the Trinity. For the plain and natural interpretation of the words is, that by being baptized in the name of the Eather, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, we are dedicated and confecrated equally to the fervice of each of thofe three divine perfons ; we are made the fervants and difci- ples of each, and are confequently bound to honor, wor- jTiip, and obey each of them equally. This evidently implies an equality in their nature, and " that all the fulnefsof the Godhead dwells in each." In confirmation cf this, we find in various parts of Scripture, that all the attributes of divinity are afcribed to each. And yet, as the unity of the Supreme Being is every where taught in the fame Scriptures, and is a fundamental article of our religion, we are naturally led to conclude with our church in its firft article, " That there is but one living and true God, of infinite power and wifdom, the maker and pre- ferver of all tilings, vifible and invifible ; and that, in the unity of this Godhead, there are tliree perfons, of one fubftance, power, and eternity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft." That this is a very rayfterious'dotTrrine we do not deny ; but it is not more fo than many other do(5trines of the LECTURE XXIV, 395 Chriftian revelation, which we all admit, and which we cannot reje<5t without fubverting the foundation, and de- ftroying the very fubftance and efience of our religion* The miraculous birth and incarnation of our blefied Lord, his union of the human nature with the divine, his re- demption of mankind, and his expiation of their fins by liis death upon the crofs ; thefe are dodlrines plainly taught in Scripture, and yet as incomprehenfible to our finite imderftandings as the dodrine of three perfons and one God. But what we contend for m all thefe inftances is^ that thefe myfteries, although confeiTedly above our reafon, are not contrary to it. This is a plain and a well-known diftindion, and in tlie prefent ciife an incontrovertible one. No one for inllance can fay, that tlie fuppofition of three perfons and one God is contrary to reafon. We cannot, indeed, comprehend fuch a diftinftion in the divine nature j but unlefs we knew perfe&ly what that nature is, it is im- poiTible for us to fay that fuch a diftin^lion may not fub- fift in it confident with its unity. The truth is, on a fub- jc6t v/here we have no clear ideas at all, our reafoning faculties tmijl fail us, and we mnft be content to fubmit (as well we may) to the clear and explicit declarations of holy writ. It is indeed natural for the human mind to wifh that every thing in religion fliould be intelligible and plain, and that there fliould be no difficulties to perplex and ftagger our faitli. But natural as this wifh may be, is it a reafonable one ? Do we find, that in the moft im- portant concerns of the prefent life, in thofe where our moft elfential interefts, our property, our welfare,- our health, our reputation, our very life are at ftake, that no difficulties, no perplexities, no intricacies occur; that every thing is plain and level before us, and that we are never at a lofs how to <\S., what opinion to form, or what courfe to take ? There are few, I fancy, here prefent, whofe experience has not taught them, to their coft, the very reverfe of all this. If then, even in the ordinary affairs of life, there is fo much difficulty, doubt, and ob- fcurity, how can we wonder to find it in religion alfo, in thofe enquiries that relate to an invifible world and an mvifible Being, " to thehigli and lofty One that inhabitetk eternity*?" * " So far is it from being true (as fome one has faid) that where tnyflery begins religion ends; that religion, even natiiral reiigioDj 396 LECTURE XXIV. And let it never be forgotten that myfterles are not (as is often infmuated, and often taken for granted) peculiar to the Chriftian religion. They belong to all religions, even to that which is generally fuppofed to be of all others the leaft incumbered with difficulties, pure deifm ; or, as it is fometimes called, the rehgion of nature, of reafon, or of philofophy. Who, for inftance, can grafp with the utmoft ftretch of his underftandhig, the idea of an eternal Being ; of a Being whofe exiftence never had any beginning, and never will have an end ? Where is the man, whofe thoughts are not loft and confounded in contemplating the immenfity of a God, who is intimately prefent to every part of the uni-. verfe ; who fees, with equal cleamefs, a kingdom perifh and a fparrow fall, and to whom every thought of our hearts is perfedly well known* ? Who can reconcile that foreknowledge of future and contingent events, which is an unqueftionable attribute of the Almighty, with that free-will and free agency, which are no lefs unqueftionable properties of man ? Who, in fine, can account, on the begins with a mvftery, with the grated of all myfterles, the felf- exiftence and eternity of God. Let any one tell us how an eternity can be paft, unlefs it was once prefent, and how that can be once prefent which never had a beginning." Seed's Sermons, v. ^ S 7. 459- * " J'apper5ol8 Dieu partout dans fes ceuvres. Je le fens en moi, je le vois tout autcur de moi ; mais fitot que je veux le contempler en Jui meme, fitot que je veux chcrcher ou ii eft, ce qu'il eft, quelle eft fa fubftance, il m'echappe, & mon efprit trouble n* apper9oit plus rien. Rouffeau, v. 8. p- 32. Enfin plus je m' efForce de contempler fon effence infinie, moins je la con9ois ; mats elle eji^ cela me fuifit ; moins je la Contois plus je I'adore." I have cited thcfc fine paffages from the eloquent Rouffeau in his own language (.for no tranflation can do juftlce to them) becaufe no arguments are fo convincing as thofe which are drawn from the con- ceffions of fceptics themfelvc?::, which fall from them incidentally and undefignedly ; and becaufe the fentiments here quoted ftand in diredl c«ntradiAion to that writer's cavils in other places againft the Chrif- tian myfteries. For if notwithftanding the difficulties which attend the contemplation of tlie Deity himfelf, he firmly believes his exiftence, •a what ground can he make his Savoiard vicar doubt the truth of the Gofpel on account cf its myfteriesf ? • t V. viii. p. 93. LECTURE XXIV. 397 principles of mere natural religion, for the introduftlon of natural and moral evil into the works of a benevolent Creator, whofe infinite goodnefs muft neceffarily incline him to intend the happinefs of all his creatures ? Thefe confiderations may ferve to fhew, and it might be fhewn in various other cafes, that it is in vain to exped: an exemption from difficulty and myftery In any religion whatever. The real truth is, that not only the religion of nature, but the philofophy of nature, the works of nature, the whole face of nature, are full of myftery ; we live and move in the midft of myftery*. And if, to avoid this, we have recourfe to atheifm itfelf, even that will be found to be more incumbered with difficulties, and to require a greater degree of faithy than all the religions in the world put together. Let not then the myfteries of the Gofpel ever be a rock of offence to you, or in any degree ftiake the conftancy of your faith. They are infepafable from any religion that is fuited to the nature, to the wants, and to the fallen ftate of fuch a creature as man. When once we are convinc- ed that the Scriptures are the word of God, we are then bound to receive with implicit fubmiffion, on the fole au- thority of that word, thofe fubllme truths, which are far beyond the reach of any finite underftanding, but which it was natural and reafonable to expeft in a revelation per- taining to that incomprehenfible Being, whofe " greatnefs is unfearchable, and whofe ways are paft finding out.'^ — Let us not, in ftiort, " exercife ourfelves too much and too curioufly in great matters, which are too high for us, but refrain our fouls, and keep them lowf . Laying afide all the fuperfluity of learning, and all the pride of hum-an wifdom, let us hold faft the profeffion of our faith, without * This M. Voltaire himfelf acknovvledcrcs. and it U a complete an- fwer to all the objedions he has made in various parts of his works to the myilcries of revelation. See ^ejlicnsfur V Encyclopedic. Article. Ame. ''The whole Intelleilual world is full of truths incomprebenfille^ and yet iricontejiable. Such is the dcdlrine of the exiftence of God, and luch are the myfteries admitted in Protejlant communion^." R-ouffeau, V, 2. ii. 15. t Pfalm, cx:?xi. ^. %. 39S LECTURE XXiV. wavering and without cavilling at what we cannot compre- hend. Let us put ourfelves, without relerve, into the hands of our heavenly guide, and fubmit, with bound iefs confi- dence, to his direction, who, as he died to fave us, will cer- tainly never miflead us. Since w^e kno'w in whom vre believe ; fmce we know that the author of our religion is the Son of God, let us never forget that this gives him a right, a divine right to the obedience of our underftandings, as well as to the obedience of our will. Let us therefore refolutely beat down every bold imagination, every high thing that exalteth Itfelf agalnft the myfterlous truths of the Gof- pel ; bringing into captivity every thought to the obedi- ence of Chrift, and receiving with meeknefs the ingrafted word, which is able to fave our fouls^." Yet, however firmly we may believe all the great eflen- tial doctrines of the Gofpel, this alone will not enfure our falvation, unlefs to our faith v.^e add obedience to ail the laws of Chrift. This w^e are exprefsly told in the con- cluding verfe of this chapter. After our Lord had pre- fcribed to his difciples the fonn of words to be ufed in baptifm, he adds, " teaching them to obferve all things whatfoever I have commanded you." As this is the part- ing diredion, the farewel injun-ftion v/hich Jefus left with his difciples jufi before he afcended Into heaven, it fhows what peculiar ftrefs he laid upon It. It fhows that by making it the conclufion, the winding up as It were of his Gofpel, he meant to exprefs, in the ftrongefi: manner, the indlfpenfable necefiity cf a holy life refalting from a vital faith. He meant to intimate to his ov/n difciples, and to tlie minifters of his Gofpel in every future age, that it was to be one principal objedl of their inftrudlons, and exhortations, to inculcate all the virtues of a Chrlftian life, and an unreferved obedience to all the precepts of their divine ^'lafter. And w^hoever ncglefts this branch of his duty, is guilty of manlfefting a marked contempt of the very laft command that fell from the lips cf his departing Lord. The few words that follow this command, and which conclude tlie Gofpel of St. Matthew, contain a promlfc James, i. 2i. LECTURE XXIV. S99 full of confolation, not only to the apoftles themfelves, but to all the minifters of the Gofpel in every fucceeding age. " And, lo, fays our bleffed Lord, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the vv^orld.'* That is, al- though I am now about to leave you and afcend into heaven, and can no longer be perfonally prefent with you, yet the Holy Spirit, whom I have repeatedly promifed to fend unto you, fliall certainly come to fupply my place, (hall conftantly abide with you, and fhall enlighten, guide, affift, fupport, and confort you to the end of the world. Here ends the Gofpel of St. Matthew. But it muft be obferved, that in this laft part of our Saviour's hiftory, he has been much more conclfe than the other evangelifts, and has palTed over feveral circumftances which they have recorded, and of which it may be proper to take fome notice here, before we clofe this Lefture. It appears from the other evangelifts, and from the A<5ls of the Apoftles, that Jefus continued among his difciples for forty days af- ter his refurredion, giving them repeated and infallible proofs cf his being aflually raifed from the dead, and " fpeaking to them of the things pertaining to the king- dom of God--." In one of thefe difcourfes, he took occafion to advert more particularly to thofe things that were written in the law of Mofes, and in the prophets, and in the Pfalms, concerning him. He Ihowed how exactly and minutely all the predidions refpe(fling him contained in tliofe facred books were accomplilhed in his birth, his life, his doctrines, his fufferings, his death, and his refurredion. This ftamps at once a divine authority on thofe books, and gives a fan6tion to the interpretation of the pafTages alluded to, and the application of them to cur bleiled Lord, by our beft and moft learned expofitors. It is added, that on this occafion he opened tlieir under- ftandings, that they might underftand the Scriptures, and faid unto them, " Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Chrift to iiuTer, and rife from the dead the third day ; and ' Luke, xxlv- 44- Acts, I, ?. «00 LECTURE XXIV. that repentance and remiffion of fins ftiould be preached iu his name amongfl: all nations, beginning at Jerufalem." He entered, we fee, at large Into the great evangelical dodlrines of the atonement, of the redemption of man- kind by his death, of the refurretftion, of repentance, and the remiffion of fms through faith in his name. Thefe are raoft important topics, and his illuftration of them to his difciples muft have opened to them an invaluable treaf- ure of divine knowledge. And as thefe docftrines are but briefly touched upon in the Gofpels, and more fully un- folded and explained in tlie Acls and the Epiftles, it is highly probable that a very confiderable part, if not the whole of what paffed in thefe difcourfes of our Lord to his difciples after his refurredtion, is faithfully preferved and detailed in thofe infpired writings. This places in a very ftrong light the high importance of thofe writings, and the high rank they ought to hold in our eftimation, as forming an effential part of the Chriftian fyftem, and completing the code of dodlrines and of duties contained in that divine revelation. It is remarkable alfo, that St. Matthew has made no mention of the concluding aft of our Lord*s life on earth, his afcenfion into heaven. The reafon of this omifllon it is not perhaps very eafy to affign, nor is it neceffary. We know, that in feveral other inftances various circumilances are omitted by one evangeliit which are fupplied by the reft, and others palled over by thofe v/hich are noticed by the for- mer ; a plain proof by the v\ray that they did not write in concert with each other, but each related his own ftory, and feleded fuch facls and events as appeared to him mofl deferving of notice. In tlie prefent cafe it is faihclent for our fatisfaftion that the afcenfion is related by two of the evangelifts* St. Mark and St. Luke. The latter of thefe tells us in his Gofpei, and in the Ads, " that Jefus led out his apoftles (and tlie difciples that were with them) to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and bleffed them. vVnd it came to pafs while heblelfed them he v/as parted from them, and carried up into heaven, and a cloud received him out of their figlit. L E G T U p. E XXIV. 401 And while they looked fledfailly towards heaven, as he went up, behold, two men ftood by them in white apparel ; which alfo faid, Ye men of Galilee, why ftand ye gazing up into heaven ? This fame Jefus which is taken up fromt you into heaven, (hall fo come in like manner as ye have feen him go into heaven. And they worfhipped him, and returned to Jerufalem with great joy ; and were continu- ally in the temple, praifmg and bleffing God*." The laft obfervation I have to make Is, that neither St. Matthew, nor any other of the evangelifts, have given us a full and complete hiftory of every thing that oui* Sav- iour did during the whole courfe of his miniftry ; but have only recorded the moft important and the mod re- markable of his tranfadlions and his miracles. BefideSy therefore, the many irrefutible proofs we already pofTefs of his divine wifdom and almighty pov/er, there are manv others ftill remaining behind which might have been pro- duced, but which the evangelifts did not think it nece/Tary to fpecify ; for St. John, In the 20th chapter of his Gof- pel, makes this remarkable declaration ; " Many other figns truly (fays he) did Jefus in the prefence of his-difci* pies, which are not written in this book ; but thefe are written, that ye might believe that Jefus is the Chrift the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his nan>e." God grant that this effeft may be produced on ail who nov/ hear me ; otherwife my labours, and tlieir attendance, \\ ill have been in vain ! I have now brought thefe Le<5iures to a conclufion, and muft here take my final leave of you. It was my origi- nal intention and my v/iiti to have proceeded next to the Afts of the Apoftles, which contain the hiftory of the firft: propagation of the Chriftian religion, and the aftoniftiing progrefs it made through a large par; of the world, by the preaching of the apoftles and their coadjutors, after our Lord's departure into, heaven : but I muft not now venture into fo large a fieU. Circumftanced as I am, it * Luke, xxiv 50—53. D D 40a LECTURE XXIV. -^ould be prefumption in me to expect either that Godr would grant me time to accompHfli fo arduous a work, or that you vv^culd have perfeverance to bear with me to the conclufion. I muft here, therefore dole my labors, at ieaft in this place ; and mull now, for the lail time, im- plore yon to think and to meditate again and again on the important and interefting truths which have been unfolded to you in the courfe of thefe Lectures, and to form them into principles of adtiou, and rules of conduct, for the regulation and diredtion of the remaining part of your lives. In the hiftory of our Lord, as given by St. Matthew, 'of which I have detailed the mofl: efTential parts, fuch a fcene has been prefented to your obfervation, as cannot but have excited fenfations of a very ferious and very awful nature in your minds. You cannot but have feen that the divine Author of our religion, is beyond comparifon, the moft extraordinary and moft important perfonage, that ever appeared on this habitable globe. His birth, his life, his dosftrines, his precepts, his miracles, his fufterings, hir> death, his refurreftion, his afcenfion, are all without a parallel in the hiftory of mankind. He called himfelf the Son of God, the Meffiah predicted in the prophets, the great Redeemer and Deliverer of mankind, promifed in the facred writings, through facceflive ages, almoft from the foundation of the world. He fupported thefe great charaders with uniformity, with confiftence, and with dignity, throughout the whole courfe of his miniftry. The work he undertook was the greateft and moft afton- ilhing that can be conceived, and fuch as before never en- tered into the imagination of man. It was nothing lefs than the converfion of a whole world from the grofleft ig- norance, the moft abandoned wickednefs, and the moft fottifii idolatry, to the knowledge of the true God, to a pure and holy religion, and to faith in him, who was the WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. He provcd himfelf to have a co.mmliTion from heaven, for thofe great purpo- fes, by fuch demonftrations of divine wifdom, power, and goodiicfs, as it is irapofllble for any fair and ingenuous, and unprejudiced mind to refift.. Of all this you have feen abundant inftances in the courfe of thefe Lectures ; LECTURE XXIV. 40S and when all thefe circumftances are collcded into one point of view, they prefent fuch a body of evidence, as muft overpov/er by its weight all the trivial difficulties and objedions that the wit of man can raife againU the divine authority of the Gofpel. Confider in the firfl place, the tranfcendent excellence* of our Lord's charadler, fo infinitely beyond that of every other moral teacher ; the gentlenafs, the calmnefs, the com- pofure, the dignity, the integrity, the fpotlefs fandity of his manners, fo utterly inconfiilent with every idea of en- thufiafm or impofture ; the compaffion, the kindnefs, the tendernefs he exprelfed for the whole human race, even for the word of finners, and the bittereft of his enemies ; the perfe61: command he had over his own paflions j the tem- per he preferved under the feverefl: provocations ; the pa- tience, the meeknefs with v/hich he endured the cruelleft infults, and the groileft indignities ; the fortitude he dif- played under the moft excruciating torments ; the fub- limity and importance of his do(5h-ines ; the confummate' wifdom and purity of his moral precepts, far exceeding the natural powers of a man born in the humbleft iltuation, and in a remote and obfcure comer of the world, without learning, education, languages, or books. Confider fur- ther the minute defcription of all the moft material cir- cumftances of his birth, life, fufferings, death, and refur- redtion, given by the ancient prophets many hundred years before he was born, and exadtly fulfilled in him, and him only ; the many aftoniihing miracles wrought by him in the open face of day, before thoufands of fpeftators, the reality of which is proved by multitudes of the moft un- exceptionable witneffes, who fealed their teftimony with their blood, and was even acknowledged by the earlieft and moft inveterate enemies of the Gofpel. Above all, confider thofe two moft remarkable occurrences in the hif- tory of our Lord, which have been paiticularly enlarged upon in thefe Lectures, and are alone fufficient to eftablifh the divinity of his perfon and of his religion ; I mean his wonderful prediction of the deftnKflion of Jerufalem by the Romans, with every minute circumftance attending it ; and that aftoniftiing and well autlienticated miracle of his refijrredion from the grave, which was in the laft 404 LECTURE XXIV. Lexfture fet before you : and when you lay all thefe thmgfe- together, and weigh them deliberately and impartially, your minds mull be formed in a very peculiar manner in- deed, if they are not mofc thoroughly imprefled with faith in the Son of God, and the Gofpei which he taught. Taking it then for granted, that you firmly believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God, that of courfe they contain thofe heavenly dodrines and rules of life by which you are ta be guided here and faved hereafter ; that the prefent fcene is nothing more than a ftateof trial and pro- bation for another world ; that all mankind muft rife from the grave, and (land before the judgment feat of Chrift, to receive from his lips their final doom ; and that there is NO OTHER NAME GIVEN UNDER HEAVEN BY WHICH YOU CAN BE SAVED, BUT THAT OF JesUS ONLY ; HO Other poffible way of efcaping the punifliments, or obtaining the rewards of the Chriftian covenant, but faith in Chrift, reliance on his merits, and an eameft endeavor to pra6tife every virtue and fulfil every duty prefcribed in his Gofpei ; caking it for granted that you believe all thefe things to be true, let me then afk you, v/hat is the courfe of life which every wife man, which every man of common fenfe, muft feel himfelf irrefiftibly called upon to purfue ? Is it poffible, that with fuch awful, fuch divine truths as theffe, deeply imprefied upon your fouls, you can allow yourfelves to be fo entirely occupied with the various purfuits of this life, as to exclude, I will not fay j?.Il thought (for that is impofli- ble) but all ferious folicitude concerning your future and eternal deftiny ? Are there any delights that this world has to offer, that can compenfate for the lofs of heaven ? Some Qi you have perhaps run your career of power, of pleafure, of gaiety, of luxury, of glory, and of fame, and can tell the true amount, the real value of thefe -enjoy- ments. Say then honeftly, whether any one of them has anfwered your expedations : whether they liave left your minds perfedtly content and fatisfied ; whejhei* they have proved fo folid, fo durable, fo perfect, as to be v/orth pur- chafing at the expence of eternal happinefs ? I will venture to abide by your anfwer. Trull then to your own experi- ence, and be no longer the dupes of iilufions which have fo long nvifi^d yoj."^ And if you have any feeling, any LECTURE XXIV. 405 futy for the young, the thoughtlefs, and the inexperiencec?^ let them profit by the inftruclions, the falutary leffons ycii are fo well qualified to give them ; let your 'warning votes- reftrain them from rufhing headlong into thofe errors, into which you have perhaps been unfortunately betrayedi Tell them (for you know it to be true,) that whatever flat- tering profpedts the world may prefent to their ardent im- aginations at their firft entrance into life, there is no folid ground for permanent comfort and content of mind, but a confcientious difcharge of their duty to God and man, an anxious endeavor to recomm.end themfelves to the favor of the Almighty, and a hope of pardon and acceptance Through the merits of their Redeemer. Thefe alone can fmooth the path of life and the bed of death ; thefe alone can bring a man peace at the laftv Refledions fuch as thefe muft, in ail times, and under all circumftances, operate moft powerfully on every con- fiderate mind ; but they receive tenfold weight from the peculiar complexion of the prefent period, and the awful fituation into v^hich, by the difpenfations of Providence, we are now cafi:. Never fmce the world began v/ere fuch tremendous proofs held up to the obfervadon of mankind, of the flender and precarious tenure en which we hold every thing that we deem moft valuable in the prefent life, as have been of late prefented to our view. Look around you for a moment ; confider what has been paffing on the continent of Europe for the laft ten years, and then fay what is there left for you in this world worthy of your at- tention, on the pofleffion of which, for any length of time; you can with any degree of fecurity rely ? You muft have been very inattentive obfervers indeed, not to have perceived that all the great objec^ts of human wifhes, rank, power, honor, dignity, fame, riches, pleafures, gaieties, all the pomp, and pride, and fplendor, and luxury of life, may, wJien you leaft think of it, contrary to all expectation and all probability, be fwept away from you in one moment, and you yourfelves thrown as it v/ere a miferable wreck ciz fome defert fhore, not only witho-Jt the elegs.ncies and the comforts, but even without the common neceiTaries of life. That this is- no imaginary reprefentation you all know too well ; you fse tc:o many melancholv nroofs of it in thcie 406 LECTURE XXIV. unfortunate exiles, who have taken refuge Ip this country j many of whom have experienced, in the utmoft extent, the very calamities I have been here defcribirig ; and who, but a few years ago, had as little reafon to expedl fuch a dreadful reverfe of fortune as any one who now hears me. It is true, indeed, that hitherto we have been moft wonderfully pxeferved by a kind Providence from thofe miferies that have defolated the reft of Europe, and have maintained a noble, though a bitter conflidl, during ma^ ny years, for our religion, our liberty, our independance, our unrivalled conftltution, and every thing that is dear and valuable to man. But it muft at the fame time be admitted, that we are ftlll in a moft critical and doubt- ful fituation, and that our final fuccefs muft principally depend on that to which we have a thoufand times ow^d our prefervation, the favor and protedion of heaven. The rapid the aftonllliing, the unexampled viciflitudes, which have repeatedly taken place during the whole of this arduous conteft, moft clearly fliew, that there is fome- thing in it more than common, fomething out of the or- dinary courfe of human affairs, fomething which baffles all conjedure and all calculation, and which all the wiC- dom of man cannot comprehend or control. What then is this fomething, what is this fecret and invifible agent v/hich fo evidently over-rules every important event in the prefent convulfed ftate of the world, and fo frequently confounds the beft conferted projects and defigns ? Is it fate, is it neceffity, is it chance, is it fortune ? Thefe, alas ! we all know, are mere names, are mere unmean- ing words, by v/hlch we exprefs our total ignorance of the true caufe. That caufe can be nothing elfe than the hand of that omnipotent Being, who firft created and ftill preferves the univerfe ; v/ho is " the governor among the nations, and ruleth unto the ends of the earth." To make him then our friend Is of the very laft importance ; and It highly behoves us to confider, whether we have hitherto taken the right way to make him fo. The an-, fwer to this queftlon Is, I fear, to be found in the unfavor- able afpeft of affairs abroad, and the fcvere dlftrefles arif- ing from unpropitious feafons at home, which too plainly LECTURE XXIV. 40? {hew that the hand of the Almighty is upon us, that we are a fmful people, and He an offended God*. Let it not however be imagined, that I am here hold- ing the language of defpondency and defpair ; no, noth- ing can be farther from my thoughts. But in the prefent calamitous fituation of this courtry, this glorious and ilill unrivalled country, to which all our hearts are bound by a thoufand indifToluble ties, it would have been unpardon- able in me to have pafTed over with unfeeling apathy and cold indifference thofe awakening and unexampled events, which are forcing themfelves every moment on our obfer- vation, and which call aloud on all the fons of men to re- fle(5t and to repent. I felt it to be my indifpenfablc duty, in this my laft folemn addrefs to you, to prefs upon you every motive to a holy life that could influence the heart of man, and with this view to draw your attention to all thole aftonifhing fcenes that are daily paffing before your eyes, and which add irrefiftible force to every thing that has been advanced in the courfe of thefe Leftures. You now fee difplayed, in vifible charaders, in the adual vi- ciflitudes of almofl evey hour, thofe great truths which I have been for four years pad inculcating in words ; the uncertainty of every earthly bleffing, the vanity of all human purfuits, the inftability of all worldly happinefs, and the abfolute neceflity of looking out for fome more iblid ground to ftand upon, fome more durable ireafares on w^hich to fix our affections and our hearts. For many years pad God has been fpeaking to us by the various dif- penfations of his providence, by ads of mercy and of juftice, by his interpofitions to fave us, by his judgments to cor-reft us. He has been fpeaking a language which cannot be mifunderftood, a language which is heard in every quartei of the globe, which makes all nature trem- ble, and {hakes the very foundations ot the earth. Yet (till, though there is juff caufe fcr apprehenfion, there is no occafion for defpair. If from thefe judgments of the Lord, we learn that leffon they were meant to teach us; if we turn, without delay, from the evil of our * ThisLcdiire was given iin the Spring of the yesr rSoi 408 I. E C T U R E XXIV. -lyays ; if we humble ourfelves under the mighty hand of God, and acknowledge our tranfgrefiions with the trueft penitence and contrition of foul ; if we fet ourfelves in earned to relinquifli every vicious habit, every fecret fault, as well as every prefumptuOus fm ; if we deny ourfelves, and take up our crofs to follow Chrift ; if we lay our fol- lies, our vanities, our gaieties, our criminal indulgencies, at the feet of our Redeemer, and purify ourfelves even as he is pure ; if in thefe times of unexampled fcarcity of all the necefTaries of life, we open our hearts and our hands wide to the neceflities of our fufifering brethren ; if, in fhort, by the purity of our hearts, the fanftity of our lives, the fervor of our devotions, the fmcerity of our faith and confidence in Chrift, we recommend ourfelves to the favor of heaven, I fcruple not to fay, that we have nothing to fear. By the mighty hand of God we ftiall be protecSed here ; by the merits of him who died for us we ihall be faved and rewarded hereafter. And we may, I truft, in this cafe, humbly apply to ourfelves that confo- latory declaration of the Almighty to another people, with which i fiiall finally clofe thefe Ledures ; and which may God in his infinite mercy confirm to us all in this world, and in the next I " How can I give thee up, Ephraim ? My foul is turned v/ithin me. I will not execute the fiercenefs of my ano-er, for I am God, and not man. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment : but with everlaft- kig kindnefs * will I have mercy upon theef.'* » This khidnsfs has in fa6l (as hr as the public welfare Is con- cerned) been in feveral important inllances moft gracioufly and con- fpicuoufly extended to this highly favoured land fince thefe LeAures ■were finifted ; and it evidently calls for every return on our part of af- fe(5llQn and obedience to our heavenly Banefadtor. that the deepeft fenfe of gratitude can poffibly di6tate to devout and feeling heart?,— March, i8o;. I Hofea, xi. 8, 9. Ifalah, liv. 8. THE END.