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diff --git a/old/69816-h/69816-h.htm b/old/69816-h/69816-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 684bc64..0000000 --- a/old/69816-h/69816-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14945 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The works of Richard Hurd, Volume 7 (of 8), by Richard Hurd. - </title> - <style type="text/css"> - -a { - text-decoration: none} - -small { - font-style: normal; - font-size: small} - -body { - padding: 4px; - margin: auto 10%} - -p { - text-align: justify} - -.medium { - font-size: medium} - -.large { - font-size: large} - -.xx-large { - font-size: xx-large} - -h1, h2 { - page-break-before: always} - -h1, h2, h3 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - font-weight: normal; - clear: both; - margin: 2em auto 1em auto} - -.author { - display: block; - text-align: right; - margin: auto 10px} - -p.drop:first-letter { - float: left; - clear: left; - font-family: serif; - font-size: 300%; - line-height: 70%; - padding: 2px 6px 0 6px} - -p.drop { - text-indent: -6px} - -.uppercase { - text-transform: uppercase} - -.hang { - text-indent: -2em; - padding-left: 2em} - -/* Tables */ -.table { - display: table; - margin: auto} - -table { - margin: 2em auto} - -th { - padding-top: 20px} - -td { - text-indent: -1em; - padding-left: 1em} - -.tdrb { - vertical-align: bottom; - text-align: right} - -/* End Tables */ - -.copy { - font-size: small; - text-align: center} - -.smcap { - font-style: normal; - font-variant: small-caps} - -/* Images */ -img { - border: none; - max-width: 100%} - -.figcenter { - clear: both; - margin: 2em auto; - text-align: center; - max-width: 600px} - -/* Footnotes */ -.footnotes { - margin: 2em auto; - border: 4px double #004200} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-style: normal; - font-weight: normal; - font-size: x-small; - line-height: .1em; - text-decoration: none; - white-space: nowrap /* keeps footnote on same line as referenced text */} - -.footnote p:first-child { - text-indent: -2.5em} - -.footnote p { - margin: 1em; - padding-left: 2.5em} - -.label { - width: 2em; - display: inline-block; - text-align: right; - text-decoration: none} - -.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - /* visibility: hidden; */ - color: #004200; - position: absolute; - right: 5px; - font-style: normal; - font-weight: normal; - font-size: small; - text-align: right; -} /* page numbers */ - -/* Transcriber's notes */ -.transnote { - background-color: #E6E6FA; - border: #004200 double 4px; - color: black; - margin: 2em auto; - padding: 1em} - -/* Poetry */ - -.poetry { - margin: auto; - text-align: center} - -.poem { - margin: auto; - display: inline-block; - text-align: left} - -.poem .stanza { - margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em} - .poem span.i0 {display: block; margin-left: 0em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} - - </style> - </head> -<body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The works of Richard Hurd, volume 7 (of 8), by Richard Hurd</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The works of Richard Hurd, volume 7 (of 8)</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Richard Hurd</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: January 16, 2023 [eBook #69816]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Charlene Taylor, Bryan Ness and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WORKS OF RICHARD HURD, VOLUME 7 (OF 8) ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<div class="transnote"> -<h3>Transcriber’s Note:</h3> - -<p>This project uses utf-8 encoded characters. If some characters are -not readable, check your settings of your browser to ensure you have a -default font installed that can display utf-8 characters.</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_i">i</span></p> - -<h1><small>THE</small><br /> -WORKS<br /> -<small>OF</small><br /> -RICHARD HURD, D.D.<br /> -<span class="large">LORD BISHOP OF WORCESTER.</span><br /> -<span class="medium">VOL. VII.</span><br /></h1> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_ii">ii</span></p> - -<p class="copy"> -Printed by J. Nichols and Son,<br /> -Red Lion Passage, Fleet Street, London.<br /></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_iii">iii</span></p> - -<h2 class="xx-large"><small>THE</small><br /> -WORKS<br /> -<small>OF</small><br /> -RICHARD HURD, D.D.<br /> -<span class="large">LORD BISHOP OF WORCESTER.<br /> -IN EIGHT VOLUMES.<br /> -VOL. VII.</span><br /> -<img src="images/titlepage.png" alt="" /><br /> -<span class="large">LONDON:</span><br /> -<span class="medium">PRINTED FOR T. CADELL AND W. DAVIES, STRAND.<br /> -1811.</span> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_iv">iv</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_v">v</span></h2> - -<h2 class="xx-large"> -THEOLOGICAL WORKS.<br /> -<span class="large">VOL. III.</span> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_vi">vi</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_vii">vii</span></h2> - -<h2 class="xx-large"> -SERMONS<br /> -<small>PREACHED AT</small><br /> -LINCOLN’S-INN,<br /> -<span class="large">BETWEEN THE YEARS 1765 AND 1776:</span><br /> -<small>WITH</small><br /> -<span class="large">A LARGER DISCOURSE,</span><br /> -<small>ON</small><br /> -<span class="large">CHRIST’S DRIVING THE MERCHANTS<br /> -OUT OF THE TEMPLE;</span><br /> -<small>IN WHICH THE NATURE AND END OF THAT FAMOUS<br /> -TRANSACTION IS EXPLAINED.</small></h2> - -<p class="hang"> -SATIS ME VIXISSE ARBITRABOR, ET OFFICIUM -HOMINIS IMPLESSE, SI LABOR MEUS ALIQUOS -HOMINES, AB ERRORIBUS LIBERATOS, AD ITER -CŒLESTE DIREXERIT. -<span class="author smcap">Lactantius.</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_viii">viii</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_ix">ix</span></p> - -<h2 id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS<br /> -<small>OF</small><br /> -THE SEVENTH VOLUME.</h2> - -<table summary="Contents"> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XXIX"><span class="smcap">Sermon XXIX.</span> Preached March 21, 1773.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Acts</span> xxiv. 24, 25.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>After certain days, when Felix came with his - wife Drusilla, which was a Jew, he sent - for Paul, and heard him concerning the - faith of Christ. And, as he reasoned of - righteousness, temperance, and judgment to - come, Felix trembled, and answered</i>, <span class="smcap">Go - thy way for this time, when I have a - convenient season, I will call for - thee</span>.</td> - <td class="tdrb">1<span class="pagenum" id="Page_x">x</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XXX"><span class="smcap">Sermon XXX.</span> Preached Dec. 19, 1773.<br /> -<span class="smcap">1 John</span> v. 11.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>And this is the record, that God hath given to - us eternal life; and</i> <span class="smcap">THIS LIFE IS IN HIS - SON</span>.</td> - <td class="tdrb">18</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XXXI"><span class="smcap">Sermon XXXI.</span> Preached June 12, 1774.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Gal.</span> vi. 8.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>He that soweth to the Spirit, shall</i> <span class="smcap">OF THE - SPIRIT REAP LIFE EVERLASTING</span>.</td> - <td class="tdrb">32</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XXXII"><span class="smcap">Sermon XXXII.</span> Preached June 19, 1774.<br /> -<span class="smcap">2 Cor.</span> vii. 1.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>Having therefore these promises (dearly beloved) - let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness - of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness - in the fear of God.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">46</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XXXIII"><span class="smcap">Sermon XXXIII.</span> Preached April 28, 1776.<br /> -<span class="smcap">1 Tim.</span> iii. 16.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>Without controversy great is the mystery of - godliness: God was manifest in the flesh; - justified in the spirit; seen of Angels; - preached to the Gentiles; believed on in the - world; received up into glory.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">62<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xi">xi</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XXXIV"><span class="smcap">Sermon XXXIV.</span> Preached May 19, 1776.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Isaiah</span> l. 11.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass - yourselves about with sparks; Walk in the - light of your fire, and in the sparks which - ye have kindled: This shall ye have of my - hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">77</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XXXV"><span class="smcap">Sermon XXXV.</span> Preached Nov. 15, 1767.<br /> -<span class="smcap">2 Cor.</span> iv. 3.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that - are lost.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">95</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XXXVI"><span class="smcap">Sermon XXXVI.</span> Preached Nov. 13, 1774.<br /> -<span class="smcap">1 Peter</span> iii. 15.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>—Be ready always to give an answer to every - man that asketh you a reason of the hope - that is in you, with meekness and fear.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">110</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XXXVII"><span class="smcap">Sermon XXXVII.</span> Preached Feb. 4, 1770.<br /> -<span class="smcap">John</span> vii. 46.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>Never man spake like this man.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">124</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XXXVIII"><span class="smcap">Sermon XXXVIII.</span> Preached Nov. 20, 1774.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Matth.</span> xiii. 10.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>The Disciples came, and said unto him, Why - speakest Thou to them in Parables?</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">143<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xii">xii</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XXXIX"><span class="smcap">Sermon XXXIX.</span> Preached Nov. 27, 1774.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Matth.</span> xiii. 58.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>And he did not many mighty works there, because - of their unbelief.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">159</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XL"><span class="smcap">Sermon XL.</span> Preached May 23, 1773.<br /> -<span class="smcap">2 Cor.</span> iv. 5.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the - Lord.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">176</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XLI"><span class="smcap">Sermon XLI.</span> Preached. Dec. 15, 1771.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Matth.</span> xi. 5.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>The Poor have the Gospel preached unto - them.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">193</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XLII"><span class="smcap">Sermon XLII.</span> Preached Jan. 24, 1773.<br /> -<span class="smcap">John</span> xiv. 2.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>In my Father’s house are many mansions: if - it were not so, I would have told you.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">210</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XLIII"><span class="smcap">Sermon XLIII.</span> Preached May 5, 1776.<br /> -<span class="smcap">John</span> xvi. 12, 13.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye - cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he, - the Spirit of truth, shall come, he will guide - you into all truth: for he shall not speak - of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, - that shall he speak: and he will shew you - things to come.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">222<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xiii">xiii</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XLIV"><span class="smcap">Sermon XLIV.</span> Preached May 29, 1774. T.S.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Acts</span> i. 11.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up - into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken - up from you, shall so come, in like manner - as ye have seen him go into heaven.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">237</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XLV"><span class="smcap">Sermon XLV.</span> Preached June 23, 1776.<br /> -St. <span class="smcap">Matth.</span> xiii. 55, 56.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his - mother called Mary? And his brethren, - James and Joses and Simon and Judas? - And his sisters, are not they all with us? - Whence then hath this man all these things? - And they were offended in him.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">253</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XLVI"><span class="smcap">Sermon XLVI.</span> Preached Feb. 4, 1776.<br /> -<span class="smcap">James</span> iv. 7.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">267</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XLVII"><span class="smcap">Sermon XLVII.</span> Preached March 29, 1772.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Prov.</span> xvi. 6.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>By the fear of the Lord men depart from - evil.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">283<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xiv">xiv</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XLVIII"><span class="smcap">Sermon XLVIII.</span> Preached May 31, 1772.<br /> -<span class="smcap">1 Cor.</span> vi. 12.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>All things are lawful unto, me; but all things - are not expedient: All things are lawful for - me; but I will not be brought under the - power of any.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">296</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_XLIX"><span class="smcap">Sermon XLIX.</span> Preached July 5, 1772.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Matth.</span> v. 38, 39, 40, 41.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>Ye have heared that it hath been said, an eye - for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I - say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but - whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, - turn to him the other also: And, if any - man will sue thee at the law, and take away - thy coat, let him have thy cloak also: And - whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, - go with him twain.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">310</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_L"><span class="smcap">Sermon L.</span> Preached May 14, 1775.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Luke</span> ix. 26.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my - words, of him shall the Son of man be - ashamed, when he shall come in his own - glory and in his Father’s, and of the holy - Angels.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">327<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xv">xv</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_LI"><span class="smcap">Sermon LI.</span> Preached May 21, 1775.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Luke</span> ix. 26.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my - words, of him shall the Son of man be - ashamed, when he shall come in his own - glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy - Angels.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">341</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_LII"><span class="smcap">Sermon LII.</span> Preached Jan. 29, 1775.<br /> -St. <span class="smcap">Matth.</span> xvi. 18.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon - this rock I will build my Church; and the - gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">354</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="2"><a href="#SERMON_LIII"><span class="smcap">Sermon LIII.</span> Preached Feb. 5, 1775.<br /> -St. <span class="smcap">Matth.</span> xvi. 18.</a></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><i>And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, - and upon this rock will I build my Church, - and the gates of Hell shall not prevail - against it.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb">367</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td style="padding-top: 20px;"><a href="#A_DISCOURSE"><span class="smcap">A Larger Discourse</span></a>, <i>by way of Commentary, - on that remarkable Part of the Gospel-history, - in which Jesus is represented, as - driving the Buyers and Sellers out of the - Temple</i><a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a>.</td> - <td style="padding-top: 20px;" class="tdrb">383</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_1">1</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XXIX">SERMON XXIX.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED MARCH 21, 1773.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Acts</span> xxiv. 24, 25.</h3> - -<p><i>After certain days, when Felix came with his -wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent -for Paul, and heard him concerning the -faith of Christ. And, as he reasoned of -righteousness, temperance, and judgment to -come, Felix trembled, and answered</i>, <span class="smcap">Go -thy way for this time; when I have a -convenient season, I will call for thee</span>.</p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">This</span> Felix, whose name is become so memorable -in the Christian church, had been -made Procurator of Judæa by the Emperor -Claudius, and continued in that government<span class="pagenum" id="Page_2">2</span> -during the six or seven first years of Nero: -when he was recalled to answer for his oppressive -administration before the emperor; who, -we are told, would have punished him, according -to his deserts, but for the interposition of -Pallas, at that time Nero’s chief minister.</p> - -<p>He was, indeed, in all respects a very corrupt -and profligate man, as appears from the testimony -of Tacitus<a id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> and Josephus<a id="FNanchor_3" href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a>; from whom -we learn, that he was more especially addicted -to the vices of <i>lust and cruelty</i>; both which -he exercised in the most audacious manner; -vexing the people with all sorts of oppression, -and rioting in his excesses, without restraint. -Drusilla, too, is represented to us in a light, -not much more favourable. For, though a -Jewess, and the wife of another man, she had -contracted a marriage, or rather lived in adultery -with this pagan governor of Judæa; transgressing -at once both a moral and positive law -of her religion, for the sake of ascending to -that honour.</p> - -<p>One would wonder how persons of this character -should have any curiosity to <i>hear Paul<span class="pagenum" id="Page_3">3</span> -concerning the faith of Christ</i>. And, without -doubt, they had no serious desire of information. -It is likely they proposed to themselves -some entertainment from questioning the prisoner; -and the presence of Drusilla makes it -credible that the entertainment was chiefly -designed for <i>her</i>; who might be a bigot to her -religion, though she scorned to live up to it; -and therefore wanted, we may suppose, to insult -Jesus in the person of his disciple.</p> - -<p>However, let their purpose be what it would, -such were <span class="smcap">Felix</span> and <span class="smcap">Drusilla</span>, before whom -Paul <i>reasoned of righteousness, temperance, -and a judgment to come</i>.</p> - -<p>Paul was not in the number of those complaisant -preachers, who take a text, in which -their hearers have no concern. He had to do -with persons, who bade defiance to religion in -all its forms; and his subject was well suited -to the occasion. They expected an amusing -tale of Jesus Christ: but the Apostle, who -knew how unworthy they were of being instructed -in the faith, as not yet possessing the -fist principles of morals, took up the matter a -great deal higher; and, discoursing to them -on the natural duties of justice and temperance, -which they had grossly violated, and on the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">4</span> -natural doctrine of a judgment to come, which -they had never believed or respected, gave -them to understand, that they had much to -learn, or practise at least, before they were fit -hearers of what he had further to say concerning -the Christian revelation.</p> - -<p>Being taken at this advantage, we may easily -conceive their surprise and disappointment: -and, as the speaker knew how to give an -energy to his discourse on these interesting -topics, we cannot wonder, that one or both of -them should be much discomposed by it. Of -Drusilla the sacred text says nothing: she was, -perhaps, the more skilful dissembler of the -two; or her rage and indignation might, for -the moment, get the better of her fears: but -Felix had not the address, or the fortune, to -disguise his feelings; he <i>trembled</i> before this -plain, intrepid speaker.</p> - -<p>This event is instructive, indeed, as it sets -before us the power of conscience over the -worst of men; and, at the same time, the -meanness of guilt, which, in such place and -dignity, could not help shrinking at the voice -of truth, though speaking by the mouth of a -poor dependant prisoner. But when we have -made the proper use of these reflexions, on the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">5</span> -case of Felix, we shall find a still more instructive -lesson in <i>the subsequent conduct of -this affrighted sinner</i>.</p> - -<p>When the fit of trembling came upon him, -he said hastily to the preacher: <i>Go thy way -for this time; when I have a convenient season, -I will call for thee.</i></p> - -<p>How striking a picture of that fatal disposition -which men have to put off repentance, -even under the fullest conviction of guilt; and -that too, on the most frivolous pretences! -What Felix should have done instantly, when -his conscience was so much alarmed, he omits -to do: <i>Go thy way for this time</i>: and yet, to -quiet that conscience, he would not be thought -to lay aside all purpose of reformation: <i>When -I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.</i></p> - -<p>With this famous example in my eye, I shall -attempt to shew in the following discourse: 1. -<i>That</i> <small>PROCRASTINATION</small> <i>is the usual support of -vice</i>: 2. <i>That false reasoning</i>, or, what we -may call, <i>the</i> <small>SOPHISTRY OF VICE</small>, <i>is the great -support of procrastination</i>: 3. That a <small>FINAL -IMPENITENCE</small> is the too common effect of this -pernicious confederacy. And</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">6</span></p> - -<p>I. <span class="smcap">Procrastination</span> is the main support of -vice; the favourite stratagem, by which the -grand deceiver himself ensnares the souls of -men, and maintains his empire over them.</p> - -<p>There are few persons so desperately wicked -but they resolve, secretly at least, and in their -own minds, to amend their bad lives, at some -time or other. But that time is rarely the -present. They have other business in hand: -some scheme of interest to manage, some project -of ambition to pursue, some intrigue of -pleasure to accomplish; in short, some darling -sin or other to gratify, before they can be at -leisure to execute this intended work of reformation.</p> - -<p>Nay, there are seasons of recollection, in -which the memory of their past lives afflicts -and torments them; there are hours of melancholy, -or ill health, in which the necessity of -repentance seems pressing and instant; there -are certain moments of terror, in which the -final resolution is on the point of being taken: -yet still, this delusive idea of <i>to-morrow</i> steps -in: the memory, the necessity, the terror, are -over-ruled: the ungrateful task is, for the present, -deferred; to-morrow laid aside, and the -next day forgotten.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">7</span></p> - -<p>This was the case of Felix in the text. -When bad men are clothed with power, it is -not easy for truth of any kind, especially for -moral truth, to gain access to them. Yet it -made its way to this potent governor, and with -a force which nothing could resist. It borrowed -the thunder of Paul’s rhetoric to speak -home and loudly to his affrighted conscience. -It shook his guilty mind with the sense of his -crimes, his incontinence and injustice, his riot -and rapine, his lust and cruelty; and still more, -with the apprehension of <i>a judgment to come</i>, -armed with terror, and ready to take vengeance -of his multiplied iniquities.</p> - -<p>You expect now, that, in this agony, he -should take the part, which duty and prudence, -his conviction and his fears, equally -recommended to him. You expect, that he -should apply to his instructor, who had raised -this storm, to compose it; and that, leaving -his chair of state, he should spring forth and -accost his prisoner, as the honest jaylor at Philippi -had done, on a similar occasion: <i>What -must I do to be saved<a id="FNanchor_4" href="#Footnote_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a>?</i> But, no; it was not -yet convenient to put that question. His -pleasures, his fortune, his ambition, might be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">8</span> -endangered by it. It was not the moment to -take this decisive step. Better to think twice -of it, and dismiss the preacher <i>for this time</i>.</p> - -<p>And is there nothing in this case which we -may apply to ourselves? Is there none here, -whom the free remonstrance of a friend, an unexpected -sentence in a moral writer, the admonition -of a preacher, and, above all, the <i>word -of God</i>, hath, at any time, awakened to a -lively sense of his condition? A reproof from -one or other of these sometimes falls in so exactly -with a man’s own case, and goes so directly -to the heart, that he is more than commonly -disturbed and confounded by it. It -flashes such conviction on the mind, and shews -the sinner to himself in so just a light, that he -stands aghast at the deformity of his conduct, -and at the peril of it. In the agitation of this -distress, he half resolves to repent: nay, he -strives for a moment to enforce this good resolution: -when, let but that dæmon, which -every sinner carries about with him, whisper -the word, <i>to-morrow</i>, and his conscience revives, -his fears disperse, and this precious opportunity -is lost, though at the hazard of never -returning any more.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">9</span></p> - -<p>Not that he permits this idle insinuation to -banish all thoughts of future repentance, or to -prevail with him, for the present, in its true -and proper form: No: to be thus far the dupe -of his own folly, would disgrace him too much, -and expose his prevarication too plainly: if it -pass upon him, it shall be under the mask of -wisdom. He turns sophister then in his own -defence, and is easily convinced, “That his -conduct is not altogether absurd or unreasonable.”</p> - -<p>And thus, as I proposed to shew,</p> - -<p>II. In the next place, this fatal procrastination, -which supports vice, is itself supported -by a <small>READY AND CONVENIENT SOPHISTRY</small>.</p> - -<p>The case of Felix will again illustrate this -second observation; and shew us the whole -process of that preverted ingenuity, by which -the credulous mind is made easy under its delusion.</p> - -<p>He thought it not sufficient to say to Paul; -<i>Go thy way for this time</i>. This abrupt dismission -of the preacher was to be justified, in -some sort, to himself, and to those who were -witnesses of his consternation. He covers it,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">10</span> -then, with this pretence; <i>When I have a convenient -season, I will call for thee</i>.</p> - -<p>The <small>TIME</small>, it seems, was not proper for his -immediate conversion. To become a penitent -just then; on the instant; to be surprised into -a good life, had the appearance of too much -facility and inconsideration. He must take a -space to reflect on the grounds and reasons of -what had been offered to him. He had, besides, -other affairs, which pressed upon him at this -moment: or, if not, to deliberate on the matter, -would render his conversion more solemn -and effectual.</p> - -<p>The <small>PLACE</small>, too, we may believe, was as little -suited, as the time, to this business. “What! -in a public apartment of his palace! in the -presence of Drusilla, whose tenderest interests -were concerned in the case, and whose delicacy -required managing! before his pagan courtiers, -and many, we may suppose, of his Jewish -subjects, who would be equally scandalized at -this precipitate conversion of their master and -governor!” These, and other pretences of the -like sort, without doubt, occurred to him: and -on the strength of these he concludes his procrastination -to be fit, and decent, and justifiable, -in a good degree, on the principles of virtue -and prudence.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">11</span></p> - -<p>“But why, unhappy man (if one may presume -to expostulate the case with thee) why -this hasty and unweighed conclusion? Could -there be any time more convenient for thy conversion, -or any place more suitable, if thou -wert in earnest to be converted?</p> - -<p>Wast thou ever so prepared for this change -as now? Was thy mind ever so convinced, or thy -heart so affected? Didst thou ever hear and -<i>tremble</i> till this day, and wilt thou expect such -a miracle a second time? Can thy bad life be -reformed too soon, or can it need an afterthought -to justify such reformation? Can any -other business come in competition with this? -and can it deserve the name of weakness and -surprise to give way to the powerful workings of -thy own conscience? In a doubtful case, it may -be well to deliberate: but can it be a secret even -to thyself, that nothing is questionable here, -but thy sincerity?</p> - -<p>For what, let me ask, is that <i>convenient -season</i>, which flatters thy present irresolution? -Wilt thou find such a monitor, as Paul, in thy -dependants? Will thy tax-gatherers preach -<i>righteousness</i> to thee, and thy centurions, -<i>temperance</i>? or, thy philosophers (if, perhaps, -thou hast of these about thee, to grace thy provincial<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">12</span> -pomp) will they reason with thee, on a -<i>judgment to come</i>?</p> - -<p>But the <small>PLACE</small> is unfit; and thou wilt send -for Paul to confer in private with thee.</p> - -<p>Wast thou then afraid to expose thy honour -by this step? And did it seem too much to give -to God and truth, the glory of thy conversion? -True penitence knows nothing of these punctilios. -The example had edified thy unbelieving -court; and might have had its effect on the -insensible Drusilla. Thy injustice and incontinence -had been open to all men. Was it not fit -thou shouldst atone for this scandal by as public a -reformation? Yet still thy pretence is, <i>a convenient -season</i>! As if the first season, that offers -for renouncing a bad life, were not always the -most convenient.”</p> - -<p>But I continue this address to the Roman -governor too long, if you consider me as directing -it to him only. Let me profess, then, that -by Felix I mean every sinner at this day, who -procrastinates in the affair of his salvation, and -would colour that procrastination by a still -more contemptible sophistry. For, let us be -ingenuous. This miserable Pagan, after all, -had something to say for himself. This was,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">13</span> -probably, the only time that repentance had -ever been preached to him. He still, perhaps, -was acquainted with little more than the name -of Jesus: for his teacher, as we have seen, insisted -chiefly on the great truths of natural religion. -If he then scrupled to take the benefit of -this first and imperfect lecture, there is some -allowance to be made for his folly. But what -shall we say of those who possess every possible -advantage of light and knowledge, who have -grown up in the profession of Christianity, and -are not now to learn either its duties or terrors? -If such as these have sinned themselves into the -condition of Felix, and yet resist the calls of -grace, the commands of the Gospel, the exhortations -of its ministers, the admonitions of -their own conscience, all of them concurring to -press upon them an immediate repentance; if -there be among us such procrastinators as these, -what topics of defence are there by which they -can hope to excuse, or so much as palliate, -their prodigious infatuation?</p> - -<p>“Shall we say for them, or will they say for -themselves, that they are young and healthy? -that they have time enough before them, in -which to grow wise at their leisure? that they -wait till the boisterous passions have been -calmed by reason and experience? that they<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">14</span> -expect <i>a convenient season</i> for repentance, in -declining life, and the languor of old age? or -that they shall find it, as others have done, on -the bed of sickness, or on the bed of death?”</p> - -<p>I have never heard that Christians have any -better reasons than these for delaying repentance: -and, if they have not, though the -sophistry of Felix deserved to be laid open, the -respect I owe to those who now hear me, will -not permit me to imagine that such sophistry -as this, can want to be exposed.</p> - -<p>It will be to better purpose to set before -you,</p> - -<p>III. In the last place, the issue of this too -natural alliance between procrastination and -vice, in a <small>FINAL IMPENITENCE</small>; of which the -case of Felix, again, affords us a striking -example.</p> - -<p><i>When I have a convenient season</i>, says he -to Paul, <i>I will call for thee</i>. This season -came, and Paul attended; to what effect, we -shall now understand.</p> - -<p>When Felix dismissed him from his presence, -he insinuated, nay perhaps thought,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">15</span> -that he should have a disposition hereafter to -profit by his religious instructions. But time -and bad company quieted his fears: and a -favourite vice inspired other motives for the interview, -than those of religion. <i>For he hoped</i>, -says the historian, <i>that money should have -been given him of Paul, that he might loose -him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, -and communed with him</i>.</p> - -<p>The case, we see, is well altered. He -<i>trembled</i> before at Paul’s charge against him of -rapine and extortion: he would now exercise -these very vices on Paul himself. Such was -the fruit of that <i>convenient season</i>, which was -to have teemed with better things!</p> - -<p>But this is not all: <i>For, after two years -Portius Festus came into Felix’s room; and -Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, -left Paul bound</i>.</p> - -<p>Felix then had his preacher within call for -<i>two whole years</i>: time sufficient, one would -think, to afford the opportunity of many a -lecture <i>concerning the faith of Christ</i>. Yet, -though he communed with Paul oft, it does -not appear that his conferences with him -turned on this subject. What he wanted to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">16</span> -draw from him was, not truth, but money; -and, when this hope failed, he was little concerned -about the rest. Nay, the impression -which Paul had made upon him was so entirely -effaced, that he left an innocent man <i>in bonds</i>, -for the sake of <i>doing a pleasure to the Jews</i>. -But he had his reason still for this unwonted -courtesy. For their complaints were ready to -follow him (as indeed they did) to the throne -of Cæsar; whither he went, at last, unrepentant -and unreformed, to encounter, as he could, -the rigors of imperial justice; just as so many -others, by the like misuse of time and opportunity, -expose themselves to all the terrors of -divine.</p> - -<p>Not but there is yet this advantage in the -parallel on the side of <i>Felix</i>. He neglected to -use the space of <i>two years</i>, which was mercifully -allowed him for the season of reformation: -but how many Christians omit this work, not -for <i>two</i> only, but for twenty, forty years; nay, -for the whole extent of a long life; and never -find a <i>convenient season</i> for doing the only -thing, which it greatly concerns them to do, -although with the astonishing delusion of -always intending it.</p> - -<p>To conclude: We have seen that procrastination -serves the ends of vice; and that vice,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">17</span> -in return, is but too successful in pleading the -cause of procrastination: leaving between them -this salutary lesson to mankind, “That he who -seriously intends to repent to-morrow, should -in all reason begin to-day; <i>to-day</i>, as the -Apostle admonishes, <i>while it is called to-day, -lest the heart</i>, in the mean time, <i>be hardened -through the deceitfulness of sin</i><a id="FNanchor_5" href="#Footnote_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a>.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">18</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XXX">SERMON XXX.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED DECEMBER 19, 1773.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">1 John</span> v. 11.</h3> - -<p><i>And this is the record that God hath given to -us, eternal life; and</i> <small>THIS LIFE IS IN HIS SON</small>.</p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">We</span> are indebted to the Gospel for the knowledge -and hope we have of eternal life; this -important doctrine having, <i>first</i>, been delivered -by Jesus Christ, and <i>only</i> by him, on any -proper grounds of authority. This then is the -<i>record</i>, or the substance of what the Gospel -<i>testifies</i> and affirms, <i>That God hath given to -us eternal life: and this life</i>, adds the Apostle, -<small>IS IN HIS SON</small>: that is, he <i>procured</i> this -blessing for us; he is not only the teacher, but -the <i>author</i> of eternal life.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">19</span></p> - -<p>This last is a distinct and very momentous -consideration. Reason might seem to have -some part in discovering, or at least in confirming, -the doctrine itself: but the <i>manner</i> -of conveying the inestimable gift of eternal life, -whether <i>immediately</i> from the giver of it, or -by the <i>mediation</i> of some other, this is a matter -of pure revelation; and reason hath nothing -more to do in the case, than to see that the -revelation is, indeed, made, and then with all -humility to acquiesce in it.</p> - -<p>Being, then, to treat this sublime subject, -<i>the redemption of mankind through Christ</i>, I -shall do it simply in the <i>terms</i> of scripture, or -at least with a scrupulous regard to the plain -and obvious <i>sense</i> of them. The text says, -<i>eternal life is in the Son of God</i>; and my discourse -must be merely a <i>scriptural comment</i> on -this declaration.</p> - -<p>Now, the scripture teaches, that immortality -was originally, and from the beginning, -the free gift of God to man, on the condition -of his obeying a certain law, or command, -prescribed to him: whether that command be -interpreted <i>literally</i>, of not eating the fruit of -the forbidden tree in paradise, as we read in -the second and third chapters of Genesis; or<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">20</span> -<i>allegorically</i>, of some other prohibition, expressed -agreeably to the oriental genius, in -these terms. This diversity of interpretation -makes no difference in the case: whatever the -test of man’s disobedience was, the will of the -law-giver is clearly announced: If thou art -guilty of disobedience, <i>thou shalt surely die</i><a id="FNanchor_6" href="#Footnote_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a>.</p> - -<p>Obedience, then, had the promise of <i>continued</i> -life; the penalty threatened to disobedience, -was <i>death</i>: which was only saying, -that the gift freely bestowed on a certain -condition (and surely what man had no right -to demand, might be offered on what terms -the giver pleased) should be withdrawn on the -breach of it. The loss, indeed, was immense; -but to the loser no wrong was done: and of him -who recalled the free gift, conditionally bestowed, -and justly forfeited, no complaint, in -reason, can be made.</p> - -<p>But to what purpose, some will ask, to give -that with one hand, which was presently to be -withdrawn by the other? for the best reason, -no doubt, whether conceivable by us, or not. -However, the sad event was certainly foreseen: -and, what is more, such provision was made<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">21</span> -against it, as to infinite wisdom and goodness -seemed meet.</p> - -<p>By contemplating the gradual steps of Providence, -as we are able to trace them in the -revelation itself, we understand, that it was in -the eternal purpose of the divine Governor to -restore life to fallen and mortal man, as <i>freely</i> -as it had been at first bestowed, and on <i>terms</i> -still more advantageous him. But <i>the ways -of heaven are not as our ways</i>, nor to be regulated -by our impatient wishes, or expectations. -What man, in a moment, had wantonly thrown -away, he was to recover once more; but in -God’s good time; not instantly, but after a -long succession of ages, and such a state of -intermediate discipline and preparation, as -might best serve to introduce the intended -blessing with effect.</p> - -<p>Man, then was to be reinstated in his forfeited -inheritance: and the <i>promise</i> was made, -though purposely in obscure terms, from the -moment the forfeiture was incurred. In process -of time, it was less, and still less obscurely -signified; yet so as that the full discovery of -what was intended, and, still more, the execution -of it, was long deferred.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">22</span></p> - -<p>At length, Jesus Christ came into the world -to fulfill and to declare the whole will of God -on this interesting subject: and from him, and -from those commissioned by him, we learn -what the wisest men, and even <i>angels</i>, <i>had desired -to look into</i>, and could at most discern -but imperfectly through the types and shadows -of the patriarchal and Mosaic dispensations.</p> - -<p>The great mystery, now unveiled, was -briefly this: that God of his infinite goodness -had, indeed, from the foundation of the world, -purposed the restoration of eternal life to his -unworthy creature, man; but that in his wisdom -he saw fit to confer this unmerited blessing -in a way, that should at once secure the -honour of his government; and, if any thing -could secure it, the future obedience and happiness -of his creature: that he would only confer -this mighty privilege at the instance, as it -were, and for the sake of a transcendantly divine -person, his only begotten Son, the second -person in the glorious Trinity, as we now style -him: that this divine person; of his own free -will co-operating with the <i>eternal purpose</i><a id="FNanchor_7" href="#Footnote_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a> of -the all-gracious Father, should descend from -Heaven; should become incarnate; should as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">23</span> -man, converge with men, and instruct them by -his heavenly doctrine; should taste deeply of -all their sorrows and infirmities (<i>sin only excepted</i>); -should even pour out his blood unto -death, and by that blood should wash away -the stain of guilt; and, on the condition of -<i>faith</i> in his name, operating, as of course it -must do, by a sincere obedience to his authority, -should admit us, once more, to the possession -of eternal happiness; of which, finally, -we have a <i>lively</i> and certain hope, in that he -who had laid down his life, had power to take -it again, as was declared to all the world by -his resurrection from the dead<a id="FNanchor_8" href="#Footnote_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a>.</p> - -<p>In this awfully stupendous manner (at which -reason stands aghast, and faith herself is half -confounded) was the Grace of God to man, at -length, manifested: and thus it is, when we -come a little to unfold the <i>record</i>, or testimony -of the Gospel, that <i>God hath given to as eternal -life</i>; and that <i>this life is in his Son</i>.</p> - -<p>Curious men have perplexed themselves and -others by inquiring into the nature of this -astonishing scheme, and have seemed half inclined -not to accept so <i>great salvation</i>, till -they could reconcile it to their ideas of philosophy.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">24</span> -Hence those endless altercations concerning -<i>merit, satisfaction, imputed sin, and -vicarious punishment</i>; in which it is hard to -say, whether more subtlety has been shewn, or -more perverseness; more ingenuity, or presumption. -If most of these questions were -well examined, it would appear, perhaps, that -they are mere verbal disputes, and as frivolous -as they are contentious. But, be the difference -between the parties nominal or real, this -we are sure of, without taking part in the controversy, -that the scriptures speak of the <i>death</i> -of Christ, as a <i>ransom for many</i><a id="FNanchor_9" href="#Footnote_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a>; <i>the price -of our redemption</i><a id="FNanchor_10" href="#Footnote_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a>; <i>a sacrifice for us</i><a id="FNanchor_11" href="#Footnote_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a>; <i>a -propitiation for the sins of the whole world</i><a id="FNanchor_12" href="#Footnote_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a>: -that they speak of Christ himself, <i>as dying for -us</i><a id="FNanchor_13" href="#Footnote_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a>, <i>as bearing our sins in his own body on -the tree</i><a id="FNanchor_14" href="#Footnote_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a>; as <i>suffering for sins, the just for -the unjust</i><a id="FNanchor_15" href="#Footnote_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a>; as <i>tasting death for every man</i><a id="FNanchor_16" href="#Footnote_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a>; -<i>as giving himself for us, an offering and sacrifice -to God</i><a id="FNanchor_17" href="#Footnote_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a>; as <i>justifying us by his blood</i><a id="FNanchor_18" href="#Footnote_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a>; -and <i>redeeming us by the price of it</i><a id="FNanchor_19" href="#Footnote_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a>: with a -multitude of other passages to the same purpose.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">25</span> -Now let men use what art they will in -torturing such expressions as these; they will -hardly prevent our seeing what the plain doctrine -of scripture is, “That it pleased God to -give us eternal life only <i>in his Son</i>; and in his -Son <i>only</i> as suffering and dying for us.”</p> - -<p>But in this consideration the whole mystery -consists; how to be fully cleared up -to our reason, men may dispute if they will, -and they will dispute the rather, because -the subject is out of their sphere, and beyond -their comprehension. Whether God <i>could</i> -accept such a sacrifice for sin as the death of -his own Son, many have presumptuously asked. -Whether he <i>could not</i> have given life to man, -in another way, some have more modestly -doubted: but the issue of all this arrogant or -needless curiosity, is but the discovery of their -own weakness, on the one hand, and the confession -of this stupendous truth, on the other; -That God did not see fit to bestow eternal salvation -on mankind, but in his own appointed -way, through Christ Jesus.</p> - -<p>In this momentous truth, then, enough for -us to know, let us humbly acquiesce, and leave -to others the vanity of disputing the grounds -of it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">26</span></p> - -<p>But, though the reasons of this dispensation -be inscrutable to us, the measure of its <i>influence</i>, -some think, they have the means to -discover. For it seems to follow from St. -Paul’s assertion, that, <i>as in Adam all died, so -in Christ shall all be made alive</i><a id="FNanchor_20" href="#Footnote_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a>; and from -the idea given us of the Redeemer, as of <i>the -lamb slain from the foundation of the world</i><a id="FNanchor_21" href="#Footnote_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a>; -that the benefits of Christ’s death extend to all -men, of all times, and are, in the proper sense -of the word, <i>universal</i>. Only it is to be remembered, -that, if all men have an interest in -Christ, whether they know it or not, <i>we</i> who -do know what our interest in him is, have infinitely -the advantage of them, and are inexcusable, -if we reject it.</p> - -<p>Thus far then we go upon safe grounds, and -affirm without hesitation, that <i>God</i>, through -his mercies in Christ Jesus, <i>is the Saviour of -all men</i>, but <i>especially of them that believe</i><a id="FNanchor_22" href="#Footnote_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a>.</p> - -<p>Another consideration, and of the utmost -moment, is yet behind. Though eternal life -be now again bestowed on mankind, this gift -is not one and the same thing to all, but is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">27</span> -differently modified according to the different -conduct of those to whom it is given. All shall -<i>live</i>; but whether to happiness, or misery, -and to what degree of <i>either</i>, will depend on -the use of those advantages, whether of nature -or grace, which every one enjoys. Not, that -any degree of eternal happiness is, or can be -strictly due to any man, but that the several -degrees of it will be <i>proportioned</i> to our respective -moral and religious qualifications. To -have done otherwise, would have been to confound -the order of things, and to appoint a -scheme of salvation, which must utterly extinguish -all virtuous industry among men. Hence, -we are told, that the righteous shall shine out -in different degrees of happiness, <i>as one star -differeth from another star in glory</i><a id="FNanchor_23" href="#Footnote_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a>.</p> - -<p>In like manner, they who shall be found -worthy, not of happiness, but misery, will be -sentenced to several allotments of it, by the -same equal rule.</p> - -<p>It may seem, perhaps, that, as our best -works could not <i>merit</i> eternal life in happiness, -so our worst cannot <i>deserve</i> eternal life in -misery. But let us take care how we push our<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">28</span> -inquiries into this aweful subject. In rewarding -obedience, the <i>divine goodness</i> is chiefly -displayed; and who shall presume to set bounds -to it? But, in punishing disobedience, the -<i>divine Wisdom</i>, of which we conceive much -more imperfectly, is mainly concerned: and -what examples of severity in the punishment -of incorrigibly impenitent offenders, after such -means as have been devised to reclaim them, -and for the support of his moral government -over more worlds than we have any idea of, this -attribute may demand, we shall do well, with all -submission and modesty, to leave unexplored.</p> - -<p>Still, what is just, that is, what is right and -fit, on the whole, undoubtedly take place: -but we <i>are</i> not, we <i>cannot</i>, be competent -judges of what is fit and right in this instance. -It will be safest to rely, without further inquiry, -on the general declaration of him, who -was not only our Redeemer, but shall one day -be our merciful judge: <i>These</i>, says he, [that is, -the wicked] <i>shall go away into everlasting punishment: -but the righteous into life eternal</i><a id="FNanchor_24" href="#Footnote_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a>.</p> - -<p>What remains on this subject, is only to admonish -you of those <i>relations</i>, in which we<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">29</span> -stand towards the Author of our salvation, and -the correspondent <i>duties</i> they impose upon us. -I can but just point out these <i>relations</i> and -<i>duties</i>: though they deserve to be inculcated -(as, in fact, they have been, by the sacred -writers) with all the force of eloquent persuasion, -that words can give.</p> - -<p>With regard, to the supreme cause of all -things, who is of himself only the source, and -principle of deity, and the original author of -our salvation, God, thus understood, is graciously -pleased to present himself to us in the -Gospel, under the idea of <span class="smcap">the Father</span>, and to -consider us in the tender relation of <i>sons</i>. We -owe him, therefore, all possible filial love and -reverence, and must so conceive of his part in -the mystery of our redemption, as to refer all -the fruits of it, ultimately, <i>to the glory of God -the Father</i><a id="FNanchor_25" href="#Footnote_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a>.</p> - -<p>In subordination to the <i>Father</i>, <small>HE</small> in whom -we have eternal life, is our <i>friend</i><a id="FNanchor_26" href="#Footnote_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a>, and therefore -entitled to our warmest love: he is our -greatest <i>benefactor</i><a id="FNanchor_27" href="#Footnote_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a>, and therefore claims our -utmost gratitude: he is our only <i>master</i><a id="FNanchor_28" href="#Footnote_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a>, and -of course, must be followed with all observance:<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">30</span> -he is our <i>redeemer</i>, and <i>sole mediator between -God and man</i><a id="FNanchor_29" href="#Footnote_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a>; therefore he challenges an -implicit, an exclusive trust and confidence -from us: he is the appointed <i>judge</i> of the -world<a id="FNanchor_30" href="#Footnote_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a>; therefore to be regarded with the -humblest fear and veneration: lastly, he is <i>the -only begotten Son of God</i><a id="FNanchor_31" href="#Footnote_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a>, nay <i>our Lord and -our God</i><a id="FNanchor_32" href="#Footnote_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a>; to whom therefore we are to pay -transcendant honour, so as <i>to honour, the Son -even as we honour the Father</i><a id="FNanchor_33" href="#Footnote_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a>.</p> - -<p>These are some, the chief of those duties, -which, as Christians, we are bound to perform -towards the Author of our salvation. The <i>relations</i> -from which they spring, could not be -discovered by the light of nature; but, when -made known to us by revelation, they require -as certainly, and as reasonably, the several -<i>duties</i> which correspond to them, as the <i>relations</i> -in which we stand to God and man, as -discoverable by nature only, require their -respective <i>duties</i>.</p> - -<p>You see, then, the sphere of a Christian’s -duty is much enlarged beyond that of the natural -man: and not in these instances only, for<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">31</span> -the gospel has made known another divine -<i>person</i>, (so we are obliged to speak) <i>the holy -Spirit of God</i>, who stands in a distinct relation -to us; and to whom, therefore, his proper and -peculiar honour is due. But of this divine -person in the glorious Trinity, I shall find -another occasion to lay before you, at large, -what the scriptures have brought to light.</p> - -<p>For the present, it may suffice to have put -you in mind of what we are taught concerning -<i>the grace of God in his Son Jesus Christ</i>; to -the end that, religiously observing all the duties -which this revealed doctrine requires of us, -we may fully correspond to the gracious intentions -of the revealer, by having <i>our fruit unto -holiness</i>; and <i>the end, everlasting life. For -the wages of sin</i> (be it ever remembered) <i>is -death: but eternal life is the gift of God -through Jesus Christ our Lord<a id="FNanchor_34" href="#Footnote_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a>: To whom -be all praise, thanksgiving, and honour, now -and for evermore. Amen.</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">32</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XXXI">SERMON XXXI.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED JUNE 12, 1774.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Gal.</span> vi. 8.</h3> - -<p><i>He that soweth to the spirit, shall</i> <small>OF THE -SPIRIT REAP LIFE EVERLASTING</small>.</p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">Without</span> staying to point out the immediate -occasion of these words, or to enumerate -and define the several senses of the word -<i>spirit</i>, in sacred scripture, it is sufficient to -my present purpose to observe, that the text -affirms <i>a general and fundamental truth of -the Gospel</i>, more clearly and particularly explained -elsewhere. It is this: That he who -in this life conducts himself according to the -rules and admonitions of God’s holy spirit, -which the Apostle calls, <i>sowing to the spirit</i>,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">33</span> -shall, through the influence of the same spirit, -obtain, that is, in the Apostle’s figurative style, -<i>shall reap, life everlasting</i>.</p> - -<p>But, what! you will say, everlasting life -is the <i>gift of God through Christ</i>: how is it -then that we receive this gift at the hands of -another, of <i>God’s holy spirit</i>?</p> - -<p>To resolve this difficulty, and to open to you -at the same time the Christian doctrine of grace, -together with the concern which we have in it, -I shall consider,</p> - -<p>I. In what <i>sense</i> we are to understand the -assertion, <i>That everlasting life is of the spirit</i>.</p> - -<p>II. In what <i>way</i> this blessing is conferred -upon us; under which head I shall have occasion -to set forth the several <i>offices and operations</i> -of the holy Spirit.</p> - -<p>III. Lastly, what <i>returns of duty</i>, as corresponding -to these <i>offices</i> of the Spirit, and as -resulting from the <i>relations</i> in which we stand -towards him, are, in consequence of this revelation, -reasonably required of us.</p> - -<p>I. To understand in what <i>sense</i> the scriptures -assert <i>everlasting life to be of the spirit</i>, it will<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">34</span> -be necessary to form to ourselves a distinct idea -of the divine œconomy in the whole work of our -redemption; which (to sum up briefly what is -revealed to us) appears to have been conducted -in the following manner.</p> - -<p>God the Father of his mere grace, purposed -and <i>willed</i><a id="FNanchor_35" href="#Footnote_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a>, from all eternity, the restoration of -<i>life</i> to man, after his forfeiture of it by disobedience: -but he saw fit to make our <i>title</i> to -this free gift depend on the death and sacrifice of -his son Jesus Christ: and, lastly, to give the -<i>actual possession</i> of it only through the ministration -of his holy Spirit.</p> - -<p>The whole of this process is full of wonder; -but there is no contradiction, or inconsistency -in its several parts.</p> - -<p>However, to open the œconomy of this dispensation -a little more distinctly, it is to be -observed, that eternal life may be taken in two -senses. It may either imply <i>a mere state of</i> -<small>ENDLESS EXISTENCE</small>; and, in this sense, it is -solely and properly the gift of God through -Christ; <i>for as in Adam all died, even so in -Christ shall all be made alive</i><a id="FNanchor_36" href="#Footnote_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a>: Or, it may -mean, what it always does mean in those passages<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">35</span> -of scripture, where it is magnified so much, -<i>a state of</i> <small>HAPPINESS</small>, in that existence; and -then only a capacity of being put into this state -is procured for us by the Redeemer. But this -capacity, this <i>grace of God</i>, may be <i>frustrated -by us</i><a id="FNanchor_37" href="#Footnote_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a>, may even turn against is, if we be -not duly prepared to enjoy that <i>happiness</i> of -which we are made capable; and such <i>preparation</i>, -is the proper distinctive work of God’s -holy spirit.</p> - -<p>Further, to see the necessity, the importance -at least, of such preparation, we are to reflect, -that, by the fall of man, not only life was forfeited, -but the powers of his mind were weakened. -Transgression had clouded his understanding, -and perverted his will. He neither -saw his duty so clearly as before, nor was disposed -to perform it so vigorously. And this -depravation of his faculties, we easily conceive, -<i>might</i>, as an original taint, be transmitted to -his posterity; nay, we certainly feel that it <i>is</i> so: -yet, without any imputation on the author of -our being, who might have placed us in this -disadvantageous state, if he had pleased, from -the beginning; and to whom we are accountable -for the right use of the advantages we have, -not of those we have not. Still, the purity of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">36</span> -God’s nature might require what his wisdom -has decreed, that <i>without holiness no man shall -see the Lord</i><a id="FNanchor_38" href="#Footnote_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a>, and that Jesus should be <i>the -author of eternal salvation to those</i> only, who, -in a higher degree than our fallen nature of -itself permits, <i>obey him</i><a id="FNanchor_39" href="#Footnote_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a>. And this change in -our moral condition from bad to good, from a -propensity to evil to a love of righteousness, is -called in scripture, <i>a renewing of our minds</i>, -<i>a new creation</i>, <i>a new man</i>; in opposition to the -former so different state of our minds, which is -called <i>the old man corrupted according to the -deceitful lusts</i><a id="FNanchor_40" href="#Footnote_40" class="fnanchor">[40]</a>.</p> - -<p>For the <i>change</i> itself, it is represented in -scripture as proceeding, not from the virtue of -our own minds, but from the influence of the -Holy Ghost upon them<a id="FNanchor_41" href="#Footnote_41" class="fnanchor">[41]</a>: and when it has taken -place in us, then, and not till then, is <i>our -election sure</i>, and we are <i>made heirs according -to the hope of eternal life</i><a id="FNanchor_42" href="#Footnote_42" class="fnanchor">[42]</a>.</p> - -<p>This extraordinary provision for restoring -man to the image of God, to <i>the new man, -which after God is created in righteousness -and true holiness</i><a id="FNanchor_43" href="#Footnote_43" class="fnanchor">[43]</a>, is what reason could not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">37</span> -have hoped for, but, when made known by revelation, -seems to have been expedient, may be -conceived to have been even necessary, and is -clearly an expression of the divine goodness, -which, though it fill our minds very justly with -wonder, well as gratitude, none of our natural -notions contradict.</p> - -<p>We see, then, in general, <i>how</i> the new man -receives the gift of eternal life from the spirit. -Let us now consider more particularly,</p> - -<p>II. In the second place, in what <i>way</i> this new -creation is carried on and perfected in us. -And here we shall find all the marks of that -wisdom and fitness, which are discernable in the -thing itself.</p> - -<p><i>For</i> we are <i>renewed in the spirit of our -minds</i><a id="FNanchor_44" href="#Footnote_44" class="fnanchor">[44]</a>, <i>by the teaching of the spirit of truth</i><a id="FNanchor_45" href="#Footnote_45" class="fnanchor">[45]</a>, -<i>through sanctification of the spirit</i><a id="FNanchor_46" href="#Footnote_46" class="fnanchor">[46]</a>, and -<i>comfort of the Holy Ghost</i><a id="FNanchor_47" href="#Footnote_47" class="fnanchor">[47]</a>: that is, we have -a new and better turn given to our minds, by -the light derived into them from the spirit; by -the good thoughts and purposes which he excites -in them; and by the joy and consolation -with which he rewards our endeavours to profit<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">38</span> -by the assistance thus graciously afforded -to us.</p> - -<p>That we very much want these helps and -encouragements, we <i>all</i> know: that we are -very much indebted to them, we <i>Christians</i> -believe: and that they are not the less real, -because, perhaps, not distinguishable from the -workings of our own minds, now that revelation -assures us of the fact, we have no scruple to -affirm.</p> - -<p>To this divine Spirit, then, <i>the spirit of the -Father</i><a id="FNanchor_48" href="#Footnote_48" class="fnanchor">[48]</a>, and <i>the spirit of the Son</i><a id="FNanchor_49" href="#Footnote_49" class="fnanchor">[49]</a>, as he is -equally styled, because proceeding from both; -to this spirit, I say, <i>enlightening</i> our understandings, -<i>purifying</i> our wills, and <i>confirming</i> -our faith, we must impute all that is good in us, -all that proficiency in <i>true holiness</i> which -qualifies us for the enjoyment of heaven: and -through this discipline it is, that they <i>who -sow to the spirit</i>, are, in the end, enabled <i>of -the spirit to reap everlasting life</i>.</p> - -<p>These <i>three</i> characters might be further -opened and distinctly considered; and then -it would appear, that all the revelations of -God’s will, chiefly with regard to the redemption<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">39</span> -of man, made to the patriarchs of old, to -the prophets under the law, to the Apostles of -our Lord, nay to our Lord himself, as <i>the -man Christ Jesus</i>, and all the secret illuminations -of the faithful in all times, are to be regarded -as so many emanations from the spirit -of God, <small>THE ENLIGHTENER</small>: that at the gradual -improvements of our virtue, all the graces -which first descend upon our hearts, and then -manifest themselves in every good word and -work, are the production of the same spirit, in -his office of <small>SANCTIFIER</small>: and, lastly, that all -the firmness and resolution we possess under -every trial in this world, all the foretaste we -have of future favour and acceptance, all our -joy and peace in believing, are the signs and -proofs of the <small>COMFORTER</small>, speaking to us, and, -according to our Saviour’s promise, <i>abiding -in us</i>.</p> - -<p>It is very conceivable that all this diversity -of operations may be justly and reasonably ascribed -to the influence of the holy Spirit, without -supposing that our own freedom is impeded -or infringed. For influence is not compulsion; -and we are every day induced by others to do -that which we should not have done of ourselves, -without feeling or suspecting that the -least violence is offered to our free-will. <i>A<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">40</span> -convincing truth</i> clearly presented to us; <i>a -virtuous thought</i> incidentally suggested; <i>a -gleam of hope or gladness</i>, suddenly let in -upon us; all this is no more than we frequently -experience in the company of wise and good -men, who yet would be much surprised, and -would have reason to think themselves much -injured, if we complained of any undue influence -exerted by them. Yet thus it is, and -thus only, that the holy spirit <i>constraineth us</i>: -and the scriptures are so far from representing -this constraint under the idea of force, or physical -necessity, that they speak of it as the perfection -of moral freedom: <i>Where the spirit of -the Lord is</i>, says the Apostle, <i>there is liberty</i><a id="FNanchor_50" href="#Footnote_50" class="fnanchor">[50]</a>.</p> - -<p>Having, therefore, seen in <i>what sense</i> it is -affirmed that the spirit <i>giveth</i> life; and in <i>what -way</i>, consistently with the free use of our faculties, -he dispenses this gift, and exercises a -variety of offices towards us; it remains,</p> - -<p>III. In the last place, to see what <i>returns -of duty</i>, as corresponding to the several characters -of the holy Spirit, and resulting from -the relations in which we stand to him, are required -on our part; in other words, what we<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">41</span> -are to do, before we can hope to be <i>transformed -by the renewing of our minds</i>, under the influence -of the holy Spirit.</p> - -<p>One previous indispensable condition of our -obtaining that influence seems to be, that we -<small>ASK</small> <i>it</i>, that is, put up our petitions to God for -it: a consideration, which, while it shews the -utility, the necessity of prayer, sufficiently accounts, -I doubt, to many of us, for the little -or no effect which, as we pretend and sometimes -lament, this renovating power of the -spirit has upon us.</p> - -<p>This duty of prayer being supposed; with -regard to the holy spirit himself, <i>in general</i>, -all the reverence, honour, worship, which his -divine nature exacts from us, and all the love -and gratitude which his gracious concurrence -with the Father and the Son, in the great -work of our redemption, so eminently deserves, -are to be religiously paid to him.</p> - -<p>More <i>particularly</i>, we are to consider, that -to the several characters or offices, sustained by -this divine person, and exercised towards us, -several duties respectively correspond; which -indeed are obvious enough, but must just be -pointed out.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">42</span></p> - -<p>1. If a ray of light break in upon us, if a -new degree of knowledge be imparted to us, -if we see the truth of the gospel more clearly -in any respect than before we had done, we -cannot mistake in ascribing this additional information -or conviction (which comes very frequently -we know not how, and when the general -bent of our thoughts, perhaps, lies another -way) to the illuminating spirit within us; and -we are to see to what further purpose that illumination -may serve, and how far it may go towards -dissipating the darkness of our minds in -other instances.</p> - -<p>2. If we feel (as at times we all of us do) a -vicious inclination checked, a virtuous purpose -encouraged, a moral or a pious sentiment suggested, -these secret motions are, nay, must be, -from the holy Spirit; and our duty is to entertain -and to improve them.</p> - -<p>3. Or, again, if we perceive our devotions -to be quickened, our hopes enlivened, our -faith fortified, though the present state of our -temper or constitution may be instrumental in -producing these effects, yet, if they go no father -than scripture warrants, and right reason -allows, we shall not mistake (having the express -promise of our Lord and Master) in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">43</span> -ascribing these consolations of peace and joy -to the <i>Comforter</i>; we may regard them as <i>the -earnest and pledge of the spirit in our hearts</i><a id="FNanchor_51" href="#Footnote_51" class="fnanchor">[51]</a>: -and then, our part is so to cherish and use -them, as to <i>go on from strength to strength</i><a id="FNanchor_52" href="#Footnote_52" class="fnanchor">[52]</a>, -till we arrive at perfection.</p> - -<p>You see there is enough for us to do, though -<i>the spirit strive with our spirit</i><a id="FNanchor_53" href="#Footnote_53" class="fnanchor">[53]</a>, and in such -sort that we derive the power <i>to will and to do</i><a id="FNanchor_54" href="#Footnote_54" class="fnanchor">[54]</a> -what we ought, ultimately from him.</p> - -<p>I know that this, and other things, which -on the authority of scripture, I have delivered -on the present subject, will appear strange to -natural reason. But so that scripture has prepared -us to expect they would do. <i>For the -natural man</i>, says the Apostle, <i>receiveth not -the things of the spirit of God: for they are -foolishness unto him</i><a id="FNanchor_55" href="#Footnote_55" class="fnanchor">[55]</a>. And to the same purpose -our divine Master himself, speaking <i>of -the spirit of truth; whom</i>, says he, <i>the world -cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither -knoweth him: but ye</i>, addressing himself<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">44</span> -to his disciples [that is, to men, who walk by -<i>faith</i>, and not by sight] <i>ye know him, for he -dwelleth with you, and shall be in you</i>.</p> - -<p>On this assurance, then, we may reasonably -believe what, by reason, we cannot understand. -And the substance of what we are to believe -on this whole subject, is contained in a single -text of St. Peter, where the <i>three</i> divine persons, -yet ineffably <i>one</i> God, “<i>the Trinity in -unity</i><a id="FNanchor_56" href="#Footnote_56" class="fnanchor">[56]</a>,” whom we adore, and their respective -offices, are accurately distinguished. For -in the opening of his first epistle, he pronounces -the Christians, to whom he writes, -<small>ELECT</small>, that is, entitled to salvation, <i>according -to the foreknowledge</i>, or pre-determination<a id="FNanchor_57" href="#Footnote_57" class="fnanchor">[57]</a>, -<i>of God the father; through the sanctification -of the Spirit unto obedience; and sprinkling -of the blood of Jesus Christ</i>.</p> - -<p>In these memorable words, we have a brief, -yet clear epitome of our whole faith. And<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">45</span> -thus at length you see that, though eternal life -be <i>the gift of</i> <span class="smcap">God</span> <i>in his</i> <span class="smcap">Son</span>, it is only ensured, -and finally conveyed to us, by the ministry -of <i>his</i> <small>HOLY SPIRIT</small>: to which blessed -<span class="smcap">Trinity</span>, therefore, be all honour, and praise, -and adoration, now and for ever! <span class="smcap">Amen.</span></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">46</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XXXII">SERMON XXXII.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED JUNE 19, 1774.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">2 Cor.</span> vii. 1.</h3> - -<p><i>Having therefore these promises (dearly beloved) -let us cleanse ourselves from all -filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting -holiness in the fear of God.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">Our</span> discourses from this place turning very -much, as they ought to do, on the great -Christian doctrine of salvation, that is, of -<i>eternal life</i>, considered as the gift of God to -mortal and sinful man, through the redemption -of his Son, and the sanctification of his -holy Spirit, it would be a strange neglect in us, -if we did not take care to remind our hearers<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">47</span> -of the effect which that doctrine ought to have -upon them.</p> - -<p>This duty I mean now to discharge towards -you: and I cannot do it more properly than -by enforcing that advice which St. Paul gave -the Corinthians, as the result of a long and -eloquent discourse to them on the same subject. -<i>Having</i> <small>THEREFORE</small> (says he) these promises -[i. e. the promise of <i>eternal life</i>, and of -<i>acceptance through Christ</i>, so as to become -<i>the people of God</i>, nay <i>the sons of God</i>, with -other assurances of the like sort<a id="FNanchor_58" href="#Footnote_58" class="fnanchor">[58]</a>, interspersed -in the two preceding chapters, <i>Having these -promises</i>] <i>let us cleanse ourselves from all -filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness -in the fear of God</i>.</p> - -<p>The inference, you see, is direct to our purpose: -and common ingenuity, if nothing else, -might well engage us, in return for such great -and precious promises, to draw the same conclusion -for ourselves. But, when we further -consider that these promises are conditional, -and made only to those who obey the giver -of them<a id="FNanchor_59" href="#Footnote_59" class="fnanchor">[59]</a>, interest, as well as gratitude, will -oblige us to yield that obedience so expressly -required of us.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">48</span></p> - -<p>This obedience is briefly summed up in the -direction; <i>to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness -of flesh and spirit</i>, that is, to take care, -agreeably to the double obligation imposed -upon us by the distinct parts of our constitution, -that we consult the integrity both of our -bodies and minds; and preserve them both -from that defilement which each of them, according -to its nature, is liable to contract in -this state of moral probation.</p> - -<p>I. With regard to the <small>FLESH</small>, the gross vices -which defile that part of our frame, are so expressly -condemned by the law of reason, as -well as of the gospel, and are so repugnant to -the inbred modesty of every man, especially, -a such as have had their natural sense of -decency quickened by a good education, that -but to mention them in this place, I would -hope, is quite sufficient. If I go farther, it -shall only be to remind you of one thing, -which I have explained at large on a former -occasion<a id="FNanchor_60" href="#Footnote_60" class="fnanchor">[60]</a>, That Christianity hath added unspeakably -to the worth and dignity of the -human body, by considering it no longer as -the store-house of impure lusts, but as the -habitation, the <i>temple</i> of the living God, to -whose sole use it is now dedicated<a id="FNanchor_61" href="#Footnote_61" class="fnanchor">[61]</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">49</span></p> - -<p>The turpitude, the dishonour, the impiety -of desecrating this sanctuary of the holy Spirit -by sordid, carnal excesses, is then apparent to -every Christian.</p> - -<p>But the vices of the <small>SPIRIT</small> do not always -strike the attention so forcibly; though they -be as real as those of the body, and sometimes -more fatal. The reason is, that the spiritual -part of man does not lie so open to observation -as the corporeal. The mind is not easily made -an object to itself; and, when it is, we have a -strange power of seeing it in a false light, and -of overlooking its blemishes, or of even mistaking -them for beauties. In short, <i>the filthiness -of the spirit</i> may be long unobserved, -and therefore <i>uncleansed</i>, if it be not pointed -out to us by some friendly monitor, who is -more practised in this mental inspection than -ourselves, or has less interest, however, to conceal -our depravity from us.</p> - -<p>Permit me, then, to assume the charitable -office of holding up to your view these <i>spiritual -vices</i>; not all of every sort (for that -would be endless) but the chief of those which -tend more immediately to defeat the gracious -<i>promises</i> made to us in the gospel.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">50</span></p> - -<p>II. I say nothing of that corruption which -direct and positive infidelity strikes through -the soul, whether it be the infidelity of -Atheism, or what is called Deism; because, -on men who espouse either of these systems, -the promises of the gospel take no hold; and -because it ought not, cannot be supposed, that -men of no religion, or of no faith, appear in -these Christian assemblies. You will think me -better employed in pointing out such corruptions, -as may not improbably adhere even -to believers; though concealed from their own -observation, it may be, or disguised, at least, -to themselves, under various pretences.</p> - -<p>1. The first of these that I shall mention is -a sort of <small>HALF-BELIEF</small>, which floats in the -mind, and, though it do not altogether renounce -the hopes of the Gospel, is far from -reposing a firm trust in them. Many professed -believers have, I doubt, this infirmity, -this taint of infidelity, still cleaving to them. -They think Christianity an useful institution; -nay, they think it not destitute of all divine -authority. But then they reduce this authority -to just nothing, by allowing themselves to put -it as low as they can—by taking great liberties -in explaining both its doctrines and precepts—by -admitting such parts of this revelation, as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">51</span> -they believe themselves able to make out to -the satisfaction of their own minds, and by -rejecting, at least by questioning in some sort, -whatever they cannot perfectly understand—by -treating some things as incredible, others, -as impracticable; one part of their religion as -too mysterious, and another as too severe. -“They believe, they say, what they can: but, -after all, there are many strange things in -this religion; and the evidence for the truth -of them is not so controuling, but that there -is room for some degree of doubt and -hesitation.”</p> - -<p>All this, perhaps, they do not say to others; -nay, not to themselves, except when they are -pressed by some conclusion from scripture, -which either their prejudices, or their passions, -make them very unwilling to admit; and then -they take leave to be as sceptical as the occasion -requires.</p> - -<p>But now from such a faith as this, no -wholesome or permanent fruits can be expected. -It has no root in them; and the -<i>promises</i>, that should feed and nourish it, -have but a faint and feeble effect; just enough, -perhaps, to keep their hopes from dying outright,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">52</span> -but much too little to push them into -any vigorous efforts of obedience.</p> - -<p>The way for such to <i>cleanse themselves</i> from -this pollution of spirit (for to the several defects, -the proper remedy in each case shall, as -we go along, be subjoined) is, once for all, to -examine the foundations of their religion; and, -if they find them, on the whole, solid and satisfactory, -to rely upon them thenceforth with -a confidence entire and unshaken. They should -reflect, that every revealed doctrine, of whatever -sort, as standing on the same ground of -infallible truth, is equally to be admitted. -There is no compromising matters with their -divine Master: they must either quit his service, -or follow him without reserve. And this, -upon the whole, they will find to be the manly -and the reasonable part for them to take. To -halt between two opinions so repugnant to -each other, to embrace so interesting a thing -as religion by halves, is neither for the credit -of their courage, nor of their understanding.</p> - -<p>Having then the <i>promise</i> of eternal life, let -them reckon upon that promise, like men who -know its value, and do not mistrust on what -ground it stands. If they are Christians at all, -they cannot justify it even to themselves not to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">53</span> -be Christians in good earnest. And thus will -they happily escape the disgrace of an <i>irresolved -and indolent faith</i>; which involves -them in much of the guilt, and in almost all -the mischiefs, of infidelity. But,</p> - -<p>2. There are those who have not a doubt -about the truth of Christianity, and yet, -through a certain <small>LEVITY OF MIND</small>, derive but -little benefit from their conviction.</p> - -<p>This spiritual vice is, perhaps, the commonest -of all others; and, though it seems to -have something prodigious in it, is easily accounted -for from the intoxication of health, -youth, and high spirits; from the restless pursuit -of pleasure, which occupies one part of -the world, and of business, which distracts -another; from a too passionate love of society -in many; from feverish habits of dissipation in -more; and from a fatal impatience of solitude -and recollection in almost all.</p> - -<p>But, by whichsoever of these causes the vice -of inconsideration, we have now before us, is -produced and nourished, it is of the most -malignant sort, and being ready to branch out -into many others, should be resolutely checked -and suppressed. Though there be nothing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">54</span> -directly criminal in the pursuit which takes us -from ourselves, it is always dangerous to lose -sight of what we are, and whither we are -going, and may be fatal. For, not to believe, -and not to call to mind what we believe, is -nearly the same thing. And when a temptation -meets us thus unprepared, it wants no -assistance from infidelity, but is secure of -prevailing by its own strength, under cover of -our inattention.</p> - -<p>Such, I doubt not, is the sad experience -of thousands, every day; while yet the misjudging -world, that part of it, especially, -whose interest it is to suppose that all men -are equally destitute of religious principles, -rashly conclude that there is no faith, where -there is so much folly. “These hypocrites, -say they, are convicted of the same unbelief, -which they perpetually object to us:” Alas, -no: they are convicted of inconsequence, -only.</p> - -<p>Not that this consideration excuses their -guilt: it even aggravates and inflames it. For, -when <i>one thing</i>, only, <i>is needful</i>, and they -know it to be so, not to retain a practical, an -habitual sense of it, but to suffer every trifle -to mislead, every sudden gust of passion to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">55</span> -drive them from <i>the hope</i> and end <i>of their -calling</i>, argues an extreme depravity of mind, -and deserves a harsher name than we commonly -give to this conduct.</p> - -<p>However, soften it to ourselves, as we will, -under any fashionable denomination, the <i>spirit</i> -must be cured of this vice, or the <i>promises</i> of -the Gospel are lost upon us. And the proper -remedy is but one. We must resolve, at all -events, to acquire the contrary habit of consideration. -We must meditate much and often -on what we believe: we must force our minds -to dwell upon it: we must converse more with -ourselves, how bad company soever we take -that to be, and less with the world, which so -easily dissipates our thoughts, and oversets our -best resolutions.</p> - -<p>If we would but every day set apart a small -portion of our time, were it but a few minutes, -to supplicate the grace of God, and to say seriously -to ourselves; <i>I believe the promises, -and I acknowledge the authority of the -gospel</i>; (and less than this, who can think -excusable in any man, whatever his condition -of life may be, that calls himself a Christian?) -this short and easy discipline, regularly pursued, -and, on no pretence whatever, intermitted,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">56</span> -would presently effect the cure we so much -want, and restore the sickly mind to its health -and vigour.</p> - -<p>3. Still, there may be a general belief in the -promises of the Gospel, and a good degree of -attention to them, and yet men may be but -little impressed by what they thus believe and -consider. This affection of the mind is sometimes -experienced, but has hardly acquired a -distinct name. Let us call it, if you please, a -<small>DEADNESS</small>, or <small>INSENSIBILITY OF HEART</small>; which, -so far as it proceeds from natural constitution, -is a misfortune only; but, when cherished or -even neglected by us, it becomes a fault.</p> - -<p>The danger of it lies here, lest by seeing -with indifference the most important objects -of our hopes and fears, we come by degrees to -neglect or overlook them; to question, perhaps, -the reality of them; or, to lose, however, the -benefit which even a calm view of these objects, -when frequently set before the mind, -must needs convey to us.</p> - -<p>The rule in this case plainly is, To prescribe -to ourselves such a regimen as is proper to -correct this spiritual lethargy: that is, to stimulate -the sluggish mind by the most poignant<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">57</span> -reflexions; to bring the objects of our faith as -near and close to us as we can; to paint them -in the liveliest colours of the imagination, -which, when touched itself, easily sets fire to -the affections; and, above all, to keep our eye -intently and steadily upon them.</p> - -<p>We may see the utility of this regimen, in a -case which is familiar to every body.</p> - -<p>When we look forward to the end of life, it -appears at a vast distance. The many, or the -few years, that lie before us, take up a great -deal of room in the mind, and present the idea -of a long, and almost interminable duration. -Hence the fatal security in which we most of -us live, as conceiving that, when so much time -is on our hands, we need not be sollicitous to -make the most of it.</p> - -<p>But that all this is a mere delusion, we may -see by looking back on the time that is already -elapsed. We have lived in this world, twenty, -forty, it may be, many more years: yet, in -reflecting on this space, we find it just nothing: -the several parts of it run together in -the mind, and the first moment of our existence -seems almost to touch upon the present. -Now, by anticipating this experience, and applying -it to the remaining period of our lives,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">58</span> -we may satisfy ourselves, that the years to -come will pass away as rapidly, and, when -gone, will appear as inconsiderable as the past; -and the effect of this anticipation must be, to -convince us, that no part of this brief term is -to be trifled with, or unimproved.</p> - -<p>Then, again, we have the power of imaging -to ourselves, in a very lively manner, the circumstances -in which death surprises very -many thoughtless persons every day; and what -we should feel in their situation.</p> - -<p>Lay then these two things together; make -<i>the shortness of life</i>, and <i>the terrors of an -unprepared death</i>, the frequent object of your -meditation; and see if the most callous mind -will not presently be much affected by them.</p> - -<p>4. The fourth and last vice of the spirit, -which I have time to mention to you, is -rather, perhaps, to be accounted a complication -of vices. But what I mean is that unhappy -turn of mind which prompts many persons to -elude the effects of faith, reflexion, and even -a lively sense, in matters of religion, by certain -tricks of <small>SOPHISTRY</small>, which they practise on -themselves. They believe, and they would -gladly obtain, the promises of the gospel, but<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">59</span> -repentance, they suppose, will supply the -place of uniform obedience: they will repent, -but not yet; there is time enough, and fitter -for that purpose, when passion cools, and the -heat of life is over: or, they fancy to themselves -an inexhaustible fund of goodness in -their religion; the terms of it may not be rigidly -insisted upon; the promises may not be -so conditional as they seem to be; and the -threats, without doubt, will not be punctually -executed. At the worst, there is no need to -despair of mercy, considering the frailty of -man, and the infinite merits of the Redeemer.</p> - -<p>Such reasonings as these argue a depraved -mind, and tend, further, to deprave it. But -your good sense prevents me in the confutation -of them. I would only observe, that this vice -is, as I said, a complicated one: for, together -with the unfairness and disingenuity (which -belongs to all sophistry, as such) we have here -united (what is too common in religious -sophistry) a great deal of unwarrantable presumption.</p> - -<p>The remedy in the case is, To cultivate in -ourselves a modest and ingenuous love of -truth; an awful reverence of the revealed word,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">60</span> -and that simplicity of heart which excludes all -artifice and refinement.</p> - -<p>From these so pernicious vices of the spirit, -then, that is, from a <i>fluctuating faith</i>, an -<i>inconsiderate levity</i>, an <i>inapprehensive deadness -of heart</i>, and a <i>perverse sophistical -abuse of the understanding</i>, let us emancipate -ourselves by a firm, attentive, vigorous, and -ingenuous dependance on the promises of the -gospel; from these defilements, I say, in particular -(having shaken off the other more -sordid corruptions of the <i>flesh and spirit</i>) -let us anxiously <i>cleanse</i> our minds, with the -view of <i>perfecting holiness</i>, as the text admonishes, -<small>IN THE FEAR OF GOD</small>.</p> - -<p>This last clause is by no means an insignificant -one; as ye will see by recollecting, that -the true temper of a Christian is, hope mixed -with fear; <i>hope</i>, to animate his courage, and -<i>fear</i>, to quicken his attention. For, unless -this principle of fear, not a servile, but filial -fear, inform the soul and invigorate its functions, -we shall be far from <small>PERFECTING -HOLINESS</small>; we shall at best exhibit in our -lives but some broken, detached, incoherent -parcels of it. A steady, uniform piety, -such as begets that <i>hope, which maketh not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">61</span> -ashamed</i><a id="FNanchor_62" href="#Footnote_62" class="fnanchor">[62]</a>, is only kept up by a constant -watchfulness and circumspection; which our -probationary state plainly demands, and which -nothing but <i>the fear of God</i> effectually -secures.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">62</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XXXIII">SERMON XXXIII.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED APRIL 8, 1776.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">1 Tim.</span> iii. 16.</h3> - -<p><i>Without controversy great is the mystery of -godliness: God was manifest in the flesh; -justified in the spirit; seen of Angels; -preached to the Gentiles; believed on in the -world; received up into glory.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">The</span> inspired writers, sometimes, dilate on -the articles of the Christian religion; pursue -them separately, and at length, for the fuller -and more distinct information of the faithful. -Sometimes, again, they give them to us, as it -were, in clusters: they accumulate their awful -doctrines and discoveries, to strike and astonish -the mind with their united force.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">63</span></p> - -<p>This <i>last</i> is the method of the text, which I -shall a little open and explain; but so as to -conform myself to the Apostle’s purpose in -giving a brief collective view of Christianity, -that, the whole of it being seen together, we -may be the more sensibly affected by it.</p> - -<p>1. This <i>great mystery of godliness</i> opens -with—<span class="smcap">God manifest in the flesh</span>.</p> - -<p>When the scheme of man’s redemption was -laid, it was not thought fit that an Apostle, -a prophet, a man like ourselves, no nor an -Angel or Archangel, should be the instrument -of it; but that the <i>word of God</i>, the <i>Son of -God</i>, nay <i>God</i> himself (as he is here and elsewhere<a id="FNanchor_63" href="#Footnote_63" class="fnanchor">[63]</a> -called) should take this momentous -office upon him: that heaven should stoop to -earth, and that the divine nature should condescend -to leave the mansions of glory, inshrine -itself in a fleshly tabernacle, should be <i>made -man</i>, should <i>dwell among us</i>, and <i>die for us</i>.</p> - -<p>If you ask, why may not a man, or angel, -have sufficed to execute this purpose of man’s<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">64</span> -salvation; or, if only this divine person was -equal to it, why he did not rather assume a -glorified, than our mortal body; why it was -necessary for him to inherit all our infirmities -(sin only excepted,) and yet be conceived, in -so extraordinary a manner of the holy Spirit; -nay, and why he should be so conceived, and -born of a <i>virgin</i> (a miracle of that peculiar sort -as scarce seems capable of proof, and, in fact, -is only proved indirectly by the subsequent life -and character and history of this divine person): -If you ask these, and a hundred other such -questions, I answer readily and frankly, <i>I -know not</i>: But then consider, that <i>my</i> ignorance, -that is, any man’s ignorance, of the -reasons why these things were done, is no argument, -not so much as a presumption against -there being reasons, nay, and the best reasons, -for so mysterious a dispensation. Consider, -too, that these mysteries no way contradict -any clear principle of your own reason: all that -appears is, that you should not have expected, -previously to the revelation of it, such a design -to be formed; and that, now it is revealed, -you do not understand why it was so conducted. -But we are just in the same state of ignorance, -with regard to almost every part of the divine -conduct. This world, so unquestionably the -work of infinite wisdom and goodness, is not,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">65</span> -in numberless respects, what we should expect -it to have been; of many parts we see not the -use and end; in some, there is the appearance -of deformity; in others, of mischief; in -all, when attentively considered, of something -above, or beside, our apprehension.</p> - -<p>Such then being the case of the natural world, -why may not the moral have its depths and -difficulties? You see God in the creation: -why not in redemption? In the former, he -condescends, according to our best philosophy, -to manifest himself in the meanest reptile, all -whose instincts he immediately prompts, and -whose movements he directs and governs: why -then might he not manifest himself in man, -though in another manner, and by an union -with him still more close and intimate?</p> - -<p>But I pursue these questions no farther. It -is enough that, admitting the fact, on the faith -of the revelation itself, we see a wonderful -goodness and condescension in this whole procedure: -that we understand the importance of -having such a saviour and guide and example of -life, as <i>God manifest in the flesh</i>; that we are -led to conceive, with astonishment, of the -dignity of man, for whose sake the Godhead -assumed our nature, and, at the same time,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">66</span> -with consternation, of the guilt of man, for -the atonement of which this assumption, with -all its consequences, became necessary.</p> - -<p><i>God manifest in the flesh</i>, is then the <i>first</i> -chapter of this mysterious book: and yet, as -mysterious as it is, full of the clearest and most -momentous instruction.</p> - -<p>2. The <i>second</i> is, that this wonderfully compounded -person was <small>JUSTIFIED IN THE SPIRIT</small>: -that is, <i>by</i>, or <i>through</i> the Spirit: another -mystery, which, however, acquaints us with -this fact, that a third divine person ministered -in the great work of our redemption.</p> - -<p>And his ministry was seen in directing the -ancient prophets to foretell the Redeemer’s -coming<a id="FNanchor_64" href="#Footnote_64" class="fnanchor">[64]</a>; in accomplishing his miraculous -conception<a id="FNanchor_65" href="#Footnote_65" class="fnanchor">[65]</a>; in assisting at his baptism<a id="FNanchor_66" href="#Footnote_66" class="fnanchor">[66]</a>; in -conducting him through his temptation<a id="FNanchor_67" href="#Footnote_67" class="fnanchor">[67]</a>; in -giving him the power to cast out devils, which -is expressly said to be <i>by the Spirit of God</i><a id="FNanchor_68" href="#Footnote_68" class="fnanchor">[68]</a>; -in raising him from the dead, by which event -he was <i>declared the Son of God with power, -according to the spirit of holiness</i><a id="FNanchor_69" href="#Footnote_69" class="fnanchor">[69]</a>; in descending<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">67</span> -on his disciples on the day of Pentecost<a id="FNanchor_70" href="#Footnote_70" class="fnanchor">[70]</a>; -in bestowing diversities of miraculous gifts<a id="FNanchor_71" href="#Footnote_71" class="fnanchor">[71]</a> -upon them, for the confirmation of his doctrine, -and the propagation of it through the world; -and lastly in sanctifying and illuminating the -faithful of all times and places<a id="FNanchor_72" href="#Footnote_72" class="fnanchor">[72]</a>.</p> - -<p>In all these ways (and if there be any -other) Jesus was <i>justified</i>, that is, his commission -was authenticated by the testimony of the -Holy Spirit. Here, again, many curious -questions may be asked: but what we clearly -learn is, the awful relation we bear to the -Holy Ghost, as co-operating in the scheme of -man’s redemption; and the infinite dignity of -that scheme itself, the execution of which required -the agency of that transcendantly divine -person.</p> - -<p>Hitherto the mystery of godliness has been -doubly mysterious, being wrapped up in the -incomprehensible essence of the Deity. It now -stoops, as it were, through this cloud of glory, -and gives itself to be somewhat distinctly apprehended -by us.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">68</span></p> - -<p>3. In the <i>next</i> view we have of the Redeemer, -as being <small>SEEN OF ANGELS</small>.</p> - -<p>We have some grounds from analogy to -conclude, that, as there is a scale of beings below -us, there is also one above us: at least, -the conclusion has been pretty generally drawn: -and the belief almost universal of such a scale -ascending from us to God, though the uppermost -round of it still be at an infinite distance -from his throne. But the direct, indeed the -only solid proof of its existence, is the revealed -word, which speaks of <i>Angels</i> and <i>Archangels</i>, -nay <i>myriads</i><a id="FNanchor_73" href="#Footnote_73" class="fnanchor">[73]</a> of them, disposed into different -ranks, and rising above each other in a wonderful -harmony and proportion.</p> - -<p>Such is the idea which scripture gives us of -the invisible world. Now, to raise our minds -to some just apprehension of the great scheme -of our redemption, it represents that world, -as being put in motion by that scheme, as -attentive and <i>earnest to look into it</i><a id="FNanchor_74" href="#Footnote_74" class="fnanchor">[74]</a>: and, -to exalt our conceptions of the Redeemer -himself, it speaks of that world as being in -subjection to him; of all its inhabitants, the -highest in place and dignity, as serving in his -retinue, and paying homage to his person<a id="FNanchor_75" href="#Footnote_75" class="fnanchor">[75]</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">69</span></p> - -<p>They accordingly ministered to him in this -capacity, when they celebrated his birth in the -fields of Bethlehem<a id="FNanchor_76" href="#Footnote_76" class="fnanchor">[76]</a>; when they took part with -him in his triumphs over the adversary in the -desart<a id="FNanchor_77" href="#Footnote_77" class="fnanchor">[77]</a>: when they flew to strengthen him in -his last agonies<a id="FNanchor_78" href="#Footnote_78" class="fnanchor">[78]</a>; when they attended, in their -robes of state to grace his resurrection<a id="FNanchor_79" href="#Footnote_79" class="fnanchor">[79]</a>: and -when they ranked themselves, with all observance, -about him, as he went up into -heaven<a id="FNanchor_80" href="#Footnote_80" class="fnanchor">[80]</a>.</p> - -<p><i>Of the angels</i>, then, <i>he was seen</i>, on all these, -and doubtless other, occasions. But how was -he seen? With love and wonder unspeakable, -when they saw their Lord and Master thus -humbling himself for the sake of man; when -they contemplated this bright effulgence of the -Deity, <i>the express image of his person</i><a id="FNanchor_81" href="#Footnote_81" class="fnanchor">[81]</a>, veiling -all his glories in flesh, and,</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">—<i>low-rooft beneath the skies</i>,<br /></span> -</div></div></div> - -<p>as our great poet sublimely represents his humiliation<a id="FNanchor_82" href="#Footnote_82" class="fnanchor">[82]</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">70</span></p> - -<p>Still the <i>mystery</i> continues, though it now -submits itself to the scrutiny of our senses; for -it follows,</p> - -<p>4. That he was <small>PREACHED TO THE GENTILES</small>.</p> - -<p>To enter into the full meaning of this clause, -we are to reflect, That, when the nations of -the earth had so prodigiously corrupted themselves -as to lose the memory of the true religion, -and to give themselves over to the most abominable -impieties, it pleased God to select one -faithful family from the rest of the degenerate -world, and in due time to advance it into a -numerous people; which he vouchsafed to take -into a near relation to himself, and, by a singular -policy, to preserve distinct and separate -from the surrounding tribes of Idolaters. -Henceforth, the Jews (for of that people I -speak) considered themselves as the sole favourites -of Heaven (as they were, indeed, the sole -worshippers of the true God), and all the -heathen as the outcasts of its providence.</p> - -<p>This notion, in process of time, became so -rooted in them, that when Jesus now appeared -in Judea, they were ready to engross all his -favours to themselves, and thought it strange -and incredible, that any part of them should be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">71</span> -conferred on the reprobate heathen. So that -he himself was obliged to proceed with much -caution in opening the extent of his commission, -and St. Paul everywhere speaks of the -design to save the Gentiles as the profoundest -mystery, as <i>that which had been kept secret -since the world began</i><a id="FNanchor_83" href="#Footnote_83" class="fnanchor">[83]</a>.</p> - -<p>In the mean time, the mercy of God had -much larger views, and sent the Messiah to be -<i>the saviour of</i> <small>ALL</small> <i>men, especially of them</i>, -out of every nation, <i>that believe</i><a id="FNanchor_84" href="#Footnote_84" class="fnanchor">[84]</a>.</p> - -<p>But this mercy, so <i>mysterious</i> to the Jews, -could not be much less so to the Gentiles, who -must feel how disproportioned the blessing was -to any deserts of man; and who saw how -enormous and how general that corruption was, -which in all likelihood must exclude them from -it. Thus it might reasonably be matter of <i>silent -wonder</i><a id="FNanchor_85" href="#Footnote_85" class="fnanchor">[85]</a>, to both parties, to hear <i>Christ -preached to the Gentiles</i>: only, this <i>latter</i> -(of which party we ourselves are) might say -with a peculiar exultation, what the Jews, even -in <i>glorifying</i> the Author of it, were not, without -some reluctance, brought to acknowledge;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">72</span> -<i>Then hath God, also, to the Gentiles granted -repentance unto life.</i></p> - -<p>And if the surprize be deservedly great to -hear Christ <i>preached to the Gentiles</i>, it must -in all reason grow upon us to find,</p> - -<p>5. In the succeeding link of this <i>mysterious</i> -chain, that he was even <small>BELIEVED ON IN THE -WORLD</small>; that is, in the world both of Jews and -Gentiles; in the former, to a certain extent; -and, in the latter, to one which, though not -universal, is truly astonishing.</p> - -<p>Of the Jews it is affirmed, that <i>multitudes</i><a id="FNanchor_86" href="#Footnote_86" class="fnanchor">[86]</a> -of them believed: and what especially redounds -to their honour and to our benefit, is, that out -of the Jewish believers were taken those favoured -servants of God, that opened the door -of faith to the Gentiles, and became his instruments -in conveying the light of the Gospel to -all generations. And, considering the inveterate -prejudices of that people, such a measure -of faith, and such effects of it, could not -well have been expected from that quarter.</p> - -<p>But then, for the Gentiles, it is astonishing -to observe how quick and how general their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">73</span> -conversion to the faith was: so that all men -seemed to <i>press</i><a id="FNanchor_87" href="#Footnote_87" class="fnanchor">[87]</a> into the kingdom of God, and, -as it were, to <i>take it by violence</i><a id="FNanchor_88" href="#Footnote_88" class="fnanchor">[88]</a>. For, within -forty years from the death of Christ, the sound -of the Gospel <i>had gone out into all lands</i><a id="FNanchor_89" href="#Footnote_89" class="fnanchor">[89]</a>; -and, in less than three centuries from that -event, the empire itself, that is, all the civilized -part of the earth, became Christian: and -this, in spite of every obstruction, which the -lusts of men, operating with all their force, -and confederated together, could throw in the -way of the new religion.</p> - -<p><i>So mightily grew the word of God, and -prevailed<a id="FNanchor_90" href="#Footnote_90" class="fnanchor">[90]</a>!</i> and it still prevails: not every where -indeed, nor any where to that degree in which, -we trust, it one day will; but to a certain degree -over a great part of the globe, and especially -in the more enlightened parts of it: an -evident proof, that reason is congenial with -faith; and that nothing but ignorance, corrupted -by vice, can hold out against the cross -of Jesus.</p> - -<p>Yet this power of the cross must be thought -prodigious; since its pretensions are so high, -and its doctrine so pure, that, in a world overgrown<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">74</span> -with presumption and vice, it could -never have made its way to so much consideration, -if the hand of God had not been with it.</p> - -<p>Such is the mystery of Christ <i>believed on in -the world</i>!</p> - -<p>But now the Apostle, who had digressed a -little from his main subject, or rather had anticipated -some part of it, returns, from the -effects which Christianity was to have on the -world, to the person of its divine Author; who, -as it follows in the</p> - -<p>6. <i>Sixth</i>, and last clause of this panegyrick, -<small>WAS RECEIVED UP INTO GLORY</small>.</p> - -<p>And this circumstance was proper to shut up -so stupendous a scene. It opened with a view -of <i>God manifest in the flesh</i>, degraded, eclipsed, -obscured by this material vestment; yet emerging -out of its dark shade through the countenance -of the <i>spirit</i>, and by the ministry of -<i>angels</i>; then shining out in the face of the -<i>Gentiles</i>, and gradually ascending to his meridian -height in the conversion of the whole -<i>world</i>. Yet was this prize of glory to be won -by a long and painful conflict with dangers, -sufferings, and death; in regard to which last<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">75</span> -enemy (the most alarming of all) the Apostle -affirms, that <i>it was not possible for so divine -a person to be holden of it</i><a id="FNanchor_91" href="#Footnote_91" class="fnanchor">[91]</a>. It follows, therefore, -naturally and properly (to vindicate the -Redeemer’s honour, and to replace him in that -celestial state, from which he had descended), -that, in his own person, he triumphed over -hell and the grave, and went up visibly into -heaven; there to sit down at the right hand of -the Father, till, his great mediatorial scheme -being accomplished, he himself shall voluntarily -quit the distinction of his name and place, -and <small>GOD SHALL BE ALL IN ALL</small><a id="FNanchor_92" href="#Footnote_92" class="fnanchor">[92]</a>.</p> - -<p>On this brief comment on the text, thus far -unfolded to you, I have but one reflexion to -make. Ye will not derive from it a clearer insight -into the reasons of all the wonders presented -to you: for I undertook only to lay before -you those wonders themselves; not to -account to you for them: but, if ye feel yourselves -touched with a view of these things; if -ye find your hearts impressed with an awful -sense of your divine religion, and <i>nourished</i><a id="FNanchor_93" href="#Footnote_93" class="fnanchor">[93]</a> -in the faith of it, then will ye be in a way to -reap that fruit from this discourse, which is -better than all wisdom and all knowledge; the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">76</span> -fruit of <small>HOLINESS</small>, in this short but unspeakably -momentous stage of your existence; and of -<small>HAPPINESS</small> without measure, and without end, -in the kingdom of glory.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">77</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XXXIV">SERMON XXXIV.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED MAY 19, 1776.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Isaiah</span> l. 11.</h3> - -<p><i>Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass -yourselves about with sparks; Walk in the -light of your fire, and in the sparks which -ye have kindled: This shall ye have of my -hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">The</span> expression, we see, is figurative. By -the <i>fire kindled</i>, and the <i>sparks, with which -men compass themselves about</i>, may, indeed, -be understood any of those worldly comforts, -such as honours, riches, and pleasures, which -the generality of men are studious to procure -to themselves; and in the <i>light</i> of which they -love to walk, as being that, which, in their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">78</span> -opinion, contributes most to warm, to chear, -and illustrate human life.</p> - -<p>The effect, however, of these comforts, is, -that they who possess the largest share of them, -and seek for no other, <i>lie down in sorrow</i>: -that is, their lives are without joy, and their -end is without hope. This is the recompense, -which they receive from <i>the hand of God</i>; as -might easily be shewn, if my purpose, at this -time, were to enlarge of that common-place in -morals, <i>the unsatisfactory nature of all earthly -enjoyments</i>.</p> - -<p>But my design is to engage your thoughts on -a different argument, to which the letter of the -text more directly leads us. For <i>light</i>, in all -languages, is the emblem of knowledge; which -is to the mind, what that is to the eye: And, -the speaker in the text being God himself, we -are naturally led to interpret that light, of <i>religious -knowledge</i>; that genial fire, which, -more than the Sun itself, is necessary to warm -our spirits, and guide our steps through the -cold and dark passage of this life.</p> - -<p>The question is, Whether we are to kindle -this <i>fire</i>, for ourselves; or, whether we should -not derive it, if we have it in our power so to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">79</span> -do, immediately from heaven: Whether we -shall do best to walk in the light of those few -<i>sparks</i>, which our Reason is able to strike out -for us, on the subject of religion; or, whether -it will not be our interest, and should not be -our choice, to take the benefit of that pure and -steady flame, which Revelation holds out to us.</p> - -<p>The text, in a severe, indignant irony, refers -us to the former of these expedients, the better -to excite our attention to the latter. <i>Walk</i>, -says the Almighty, addressing himself to the -idolaters of human reason, <i>Walk in the light -of your fire, and in the sparks which ye have -kindled</i>. But to what end is this advice given? -To one, they little dreamt of, and would surely -avoid—<i>This ye shall have of my hand</i>, in recompense -of all your speculations, <i>Ye shall lie -down in sorrow</i>.</p> - -<p>It seems, then, to be the purpose of the text, -to inculcate this great truth, <i>That Revelation -is the only sure and comfortable guide in matters -of religion</i>. And, to second this purpose, -so energetically expressed by the prophet, I -would now shew you, that all the <i>sparks</i> of -human knowledge, on this important subject, -are but smoke; and all the <i>fire</i>, which human -genius or industry can kindle at the altar of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">80</span> -human reason, ice itself; when compared with -the light and heat of divine Revelation.</p> - -<p>I <small>SUPPOSE</small>, that we are all convinced of what -the voice of nature so loudly proclaims, that -there is a God, a moral governor of the world; -and that we are intimately related to him, and -dependant upon him. The sum of our religious -inquiries will then be</p> - -<p>I. <i>What we are to do, in order to obtain -the favour of that God: And</i></p> - -<p>II. <i>What that favour is, which, when we -have done our best, we have reason to expect -from him.</i></p> - -<p>Now, it will be easy to shew, that the issue -of our best reason, in the former of these enquiries, -is suspense and doubt; and despair, -or disappointment, in the latter. It will appear, -that we cannot assure ourselves of the -means, by which the favour of Heaven is to be -obtained; and that the highest degree of favour, -we have a right to claim, is not that to which -we aspire. So fated are we, when trusting to -the faint, delusive light of our own minds, on -this great, this only important subject, <i>to lie -down in sorrow</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">81</span></p> - -<p>I. To begin with the consideration of <i>what -we are to do, in order to obtain the favour of -God</i>.</p> - -<p>That we are to <i>worship</i> God, will be allowed -by all reasonable theists.</p> - -<p>But in what way is he to be worshipped? -By <small>GIFTS AND OFFERINGS</small>? So a great part of -the world has believed. But, by <i>what</i> gifts -and offerings, <i>how</i>, and <i>when</i>, and <i>where</i>, and -<i>by whom</i> presented? Are <i>all</i> indifferent to -him, and is no preference due to some above -others? or, may not my offering lose its value, -unless made in a certain <i>manner</i>? Is it of no -moment with what <i>rites</i> I tender my gifts to -God? Are all <i>seasons</i> equally fit; are all -<i>places</i> equally pure; are all <i>persons</i> equally -hallowed, for the oblation of them?</p> - -<p>Or, again, are gifts and offerings, to the -lord of all things, impertinent and vain? And -is my reverence of him to be expressed by acts -of <small>SELF-DENIAL</small>, <small>PENANCE</small>, AND <small>MORTIFICATION</small>? -So the pious of all times have very generally -conceived. But by <i>what</i> penance, to what <i>end</i> -referred, to what <i>degree</i> carried, and how <i>long</i> -continued?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">82</span></p> - -<p>We may think of these questions, and of -ourselves, what we will. But such questions, -as these, have been asked by wise men, and, -when those wise men had only to take council -of their own reason, have rarely been answered -to their satisfaction.</p> - -<p>Or, let us advance a step further, and say -that our dependance on God is to be signified, -and his favour obtained, by <small>PRAYER</small>: that gifts -are mercenary, and penance servile; both, a -manifest affront to the all-sufficient and all-merciful -Deity; and that the supplications of a -devout mind are the only incense fit for heaven. -Be it so: Good and wise men have at all times -thought highly of prayer; and are generally -agreed in recommending it as the most becoming -expression of human piety. But here -again, doubts and difficulties meet us. <i>How</i> -are we to pray, and for <i>what</i>?</p> - -<p>Are all <i>forms</i> of address equally acceptable -to him, we adore? The Gentile world thought -not: they were solicitous to petition their Gods -in a certain style, and to gain their ear by some -favourite appellation. Let this, again, pass for -a scruple of superstition. Still, is it indifferent -with what sentiments we approach the throne of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">83</span> -God, and with what ideas of his nature and -attributes we prostrate ourselves before him? -If those sentiments or ideas be not suited, in -some degree, to the majesty of that great being, -is there no danger that we may dishonour, may -injure, may insult him by our addresses? May -not our very prayers become affronts, and our -praises, blasphemies?</p> - -<p>And is it so easy to think justly on this mysterious -subject, as that reason, every man’s -own reason, can instruct him? What if two -or three divine men of the pagan world guessed -right? Was their opinion any rule, was it -even any authority, to the bulk of worshippers<a id="FNanchor_94" href="#Footnote_94" class="fnanchor">[94]</a>?</p> - -<p>But say, that it was their own fault to misconceive -of the Deity: still, for <i>what</i> shall -they pray to him? For every thing, they -want or wish? But thus, they would most -commonly pray amiss, for what they should -pray against, for what would corrupt and hurt -them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">84</span></p> - -<p>These difficulties, with regard both to the -mode and matter of this duty, appeared so -great to the old masters of wisdom, that some<a id="FNanchor_95" href="#Footnote_95" class="fnanchor">[95]</a> -of them thought it the highest effort of human -wit, to form a reasonable prayer; and others -supposed that none but God himself could instruct -man how to do it<a id="FNanchor_96" href="#Footnote_96" class="fnanchor">[96]</a>.</p> - -<p>There is a way, indeed, to cut these difficulties -short; which is, by maintaining, as -some<a id="FNanchor_97" href="#Footnote_97" class="fnanchor">[97]</a> have done, that prayer is no duty at all; -but a vain superfluous observance, justly ranked -with the fancies of superstition: that God is -not honoured by any external, no, nor by any -mental, applications to him: that a good conscience<a id="FNanchor_98" href="#Footnote_98" class="fnanchor">[98]</a> -is true piety, and a spotless life, the -only religion.</p> - -<p>Admit this exalted idea of divine worship; -yet, where shall we find, among the sons of -Adam, one such worshipper? Who shall lay -claim to that conscience, or this life? Where -is the man, that passes a single day, an hour<span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">85</span> -almost, without doing that which he ought -not to do, or omitting somewhat he ought to -have done? And what multitudes are there, -who cover themselves with infamy, and with -crimes?</p> - -<p>And what shall the trembling mind do, when -it looks up, as at times it cannot help doing, -to that God, who <i>is of purer eyes, than to behold -iniquity</i>?</p> - -<p><i>Repent</i>, it will be said: that species of piety -is all-powerful with Heaven; it can efface sin, -and restore tranquillity.</p> - -<p>Here, again, the general sense of mankind -runs another way. For, if it be so clear, that -repentance alone has this virtue, how came the -idea of atonement and expiation into the -world? and whence the almost universal practice -of <i>propitiatory sacrifices</i>?</p> - -<p>It is easy, no doubt, to brand this disposition -of the human mind, as so many others, -with the opprobrious name of superstition. -Let us see, then, what the merits and claims -are, of <i>Repentance itself</i>.</p> - -<p>A man offends against God, and the sense of -his own mind. On reflexion (what can he do<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">86</span> -less?) he repents; and (if it please God) is -forgiven. But passion revives; he offends again, -and repents again; and so goes on, through his -whole life, in a course of alternate transgression, -and repentance. And is this all the claim he -has to be received, at length, into the favour of -God, that he never sinned, though he did it -every day, but he was sorry for it?</p> - -<p>Yes, you will say, <i>If my brother trespass -against me seven times in a day, and seven -times in a day turn again and repent</i>, I am -bound by the law of Christ himself to forgive -him<a id="FNanchor_99" href="#Footnote_99" class="fnanchor">[99]</a>. And will God be less placable, than his -creature man is required to be<a id="FNanchor_100" href="#Footnote_100" class="fnanchor">[100]</a>?</p> - -<p>This rule of conduct is very fit to be observed -by one offender towards another: but is it past -a doubt that it will, that it must take place -between God and man? <small>WE</small> are bound to this -repeated, this continual forgiveness of others, -by a sense of our common infirmities. <small>HE</small> has -a government to support; of what extent, over -what worlds, and how connected with this, no -man may say: And what would become of -government in this world, if every convict was -to be pardoned on repentance?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">87</span></p> - -<p>Nor is it enough to reply, that human governors -cannot pronounce on the sincerity of -such repentance. If they could, they would -certainly not regulate their proceedings by that -consideration. The law has denounced a penalty -on such a crime: And the public interest -requires that the penalty, for example-sake, be -inflicted.</p> - -<p>Something, like this, may be true of God’s -moral government. No man can say, it is not. -And therefore repentance, as plausible as its -plea may appear, can never free the guilty mind -from all apprehension.</p> - -<p>But another dreadful circumstance attends -this matter. We often satisfy ourselves, that -we repent of a past crime: Yet we commit that -crime again; perhaps the very next hour. -Can we call that repentance sincere? Or, have -we a right to conclude that God, who sees -through all the prevarication and duplicity of -our hearts, must accept such repentance, on -our profession of it? Let what virtue there will -be in repentance, when seen by the unerring -eye of God to be true and unfeigned, how shall -man reckon on the efficacy of it, when he may -so easily mistake, and cannot certainly know -the real worth and character of what he calls -repentance?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">88</span></p> - -<p>Here then, whether we consider what the -moral attributes of the Deity, and his righteous -government, may demand; or whether we -regard the weakness and inefficacy of our best -purposes; there is room enough for the terrors -of religion to invade and possess the mind, in -spite of all that Reason can do to repell, or -dislodge them from it.</p> - -<p>After all, in contemplation of that infinite -mercy which surrounds the throne of God, and -of the infirmity incident to frail man, I am -willing to suppose (as it is our common interest -to do) that <i>repentance</i>, at all times, and how -oft soever renewed, is a ground, on which he -may reasonably build fair hopes and chearful -expectations. To repent, is always the best -thing we can do: It is always a conduct right in -itself; and, as such, is intitled, we will say, on -the principles of natural religion, to the divine -acceptance.</p> - -<p>But what does that <small>ACCEPTANCE</small> import? -<i>The reward of eternal life? A remission of all -punishment? or, only an abatement of it?</i> -Here, again, fresh difficulties start up, and -come to be considered,</p> - -<p>II. Under the second general head of this -discourse; in which it was proposed to inquire,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">89</span> -<i>What that favour is, which, when we have done -our best to recommend ourselves to God, we -have reason to expect at his hands?</i></p> - -<p>1. If presumptuous man could learn to estimate -himself at his true worth, he might -perhaps see reason to conclude, that his highest -moral merit can pretend to no more, than -to some <i>abatement</i> of present or future punishment.</p> - -<p>Let him calculate how oft, how knowingly, -how willfully he hath offended; and, on the -other hand, when he did his duty, how coldly, -how remissly, how reluctantly he did it: with -what a gust of passion he disobeyed; and -with what indifference he repented: with how -full a consent of his mind, with what deliberation, -and against what conviction, he sinned; -and then, again, with what hesitation, by what -degrees, in what circumstances, and upon what -motives, he recovered himself from any bad -habit: In a word, how full and complete and -contagious his vices have been; and how faint -and partial and ineffective, his best virtues: -Let him, I say, calculate all this, and then tell -us where is the stock of merit, on the balance -of the account, that should encourage him to -do more than hope that some part of the punishment,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">90</span> -he hath justly incurred, may by a merciful -judge be struck off, in consideration of -his virtues? If such a man recovered his -health, when he left his intemperance; or his -credit in the world, when he shook hands with -his injustice; or, if his penitence could avail -so far as to shorten the term, or qualify the -rigour, of his sufferings in some other state -of being, would he not have reason to think -he had all the recompense he deserved? Could -most men, at least, on a strict scrutiny of their -hearts and lives, carry their pretensions higher? -But,</p> - -<p>2. But let us be indulgent to human virtue, -and suppose it pure and active enough to work -out all the guilt, which vice had contracted, -could it do more than cancel the punishment -due to vice, and should we be authorized to -expect more than a <i>full remission</i> of it? Suppose, -that after a long life, checquered with -good and bad actions, but in such sort as that -the good equalled the bad, and perfectly atoned -for them (and which of us will say, that this -is not a favourable supposition?); suppose, I -say, that after such a life, as this, the whole -man were suffered to fall into a state of insensibility, -that all his powers and faculties were -suspended, or the man himself utterly extinguished,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">91</span> -could we complain of this allotment, -or could reason pretend that it was not according -to the rules of strict justice?</p> - -<p>3. Still I agree to make a further concession -to the pride of Virtue. Let the moral qualities -of some men be so excellent, and the tenour -of their lives so pure, as to entitle them to a -<i>positive reward</i> from the great searcher of -hearts and inspector of human actions: would -not the daily blessings of this life be a suitable -recompense for such desert; would not health, -and prosperity, and reputation, and peace of -mind, be an adequate return for their best services? -Or, if all this did not satisfy their -claims, could they require more than such a -portion of happiness in a future state, as should -correspond to their merits, and make them -full amends for all the sacrifices they here -made to Conscience and to Virtue? And might -not a small degree of such happiness, and for -a short term, be an equivalent for such sacrifices? -Could they dream of living <i>for ever</i>, -and of living <i>happily</i> for ever in heaven; and -call such a reward, as this, a debt, a claim -of right, which could not justly be withheld -from them? Could any man in his senses -pretend, even to himself, that a Virtue of sixty -or seventy years, though ever so perfect, ever<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">92</span> -so constant, deserved immortal life in bliss and -glory? Incredible: impossible: the merit and -the recompense are too widely disjoined, the -disproportion between them is too vast, to give -the least colour of reason to such expectations. -A Saint, or a Martyr, has no claim of -right to so immense a reward, so transcendant -a felicity.</p> - -<p>’Tis true, Christianity gives us these hopes, -which Reason forwardly assumes, and makes -her own; forgetting at the same time, or unthankfully -slighting, the only grounds on which -they are founded. For, though eternal life be -promised to favoured man in the Gospel, it is -there promised to him, not as a debt, but as a -free gift; and that, not in consideration of his -good works, but of his faith in Jesus.</p> - -<p>See then, to what the hopes of nature, the conclusions -of reason and philosophy, amount, on this -interesting subject. We are in the hands of an -all-wise and all-righteous God, and are undone -without his favour. Yet how that favour is to -be obtained, we know not; or, if we do know, -we are unable of ourselves to obtain it in the -degree, we wish, and to the ends, for which -we aspire to it. Our best speculations on the -<i>means</i> of propitiating Heaven, are mixed with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">93</span> -uncertainty; and our best <i>hopes</i> dashed with -mistrust and suspicion. For what man is so -righteous as to have perfect confidence in his -good works; or, so sanguine, as to think heaven -the due reward of them? And yet will any -thing, short of this, content our impatient -desires? Should our virtues merit no more -than some abatement of future misery, so justly -due to our innumerable ill deserts, how sad a -prospect have we before us? or, if they do but -free us from punishment, what man is so abject -as not to shudder at the thought of extinction -or insensibility? or, lastly, if they supply some -faint hope of future reward, what generous -man but wishes more to himself, than a slight, -a precarious, and short-lived happiness; beyond -which, as we have seen, he has no right to extend -his expectations?</p> - -<p>If the Gentiles, who had only the light of -Nature to conduct them, had no way to get -quit of these doubts and fears, their condition -was certainly unhappy, but would bespeak the -mercy of God: their disadvantages and distresses -would be allowed for, and considered -by him. But for those, who have now the -light of Heaven shining about them, and yet -chuse to walk in the dim, disastrous twilight of -their own reason, what must be their folly, as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">94</span> -well as misery? I say, their <i>misery</i>. For this -last is no secret to observing men, notwithstanding -the airs of gaiety and satisfaction, they -sometimes assume; and indeed deserves the -tenderest pity, though their perverse <i>folly</i> be -apt to excite a different passion.</p> - -<p>But to conclude: It is enough to have shewn, -in justification of the sacred text, that they -who <i>walk in the light of their own fire, and -in the sparks which they have kindled</i>, have -this recompense of their choice, allotted to -them by the hand of God, and the nature of -things, <i>That they</i> do and must <i>lie down in -sorrow</i>.</p> - -<p>To you, who have determined more wisely -to govern yourselves by faith, and not by Reason -only; who rejoice to walk in the clear sunshine -of the blessed Gospel, and not in the -malignant light of philosophical speculation, -To you, I say, the reward of your better conduct, -is, that ye know how to recommend -yourselves to the favour of God; and ye know -what to expect from that favour: Ye understand -that, by <small>FAITH AND REPENTANCE</small>, ye have peace -of mind in this transitory life, and assured -hopes of immortal unspeakable felicity, reserved -for you in the heavens.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">95</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XXXV">SERMON XXXV.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED NOVEMBER 15, 1767.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">2 Cor.</span> iv. 3.</h3> - -<p><i>If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that -are lost.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">The</span> text implies, that the evidence, with -which Christianity is attended, may fail of -convincing the minds of some men. And indeed -from the time that <i>the Sun of righteousness</i> -rose upon the earth, there have always -been those, who could not, or would not, be -enlightened by Him.</p> - -<p>Now it might be a question, whether this -effect were owing to the nature of the evidence<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">96</span> -itself, or to some obscurity in the manner of -proposing it. This, I say, might have been a -question, even among Christians themselves, -if the Apostle had not determined it to our -hands. He who was fully instructed in the -truths of the Gospel, knew the evidence, with -which they were accompanied, was enlightened -by the same spirit that had inspired them, and -had great experience in the different tempers -and capacities of men, roundly asserts that -Infidelity has no countenance, either from -within or without, neither from the sort or -degree of evidence, by which the Christian -Revelation is supported, nor from any mysterious -conveyance of it; but that, universally, -the fault lies in those, who do not receive it. -<i>If the Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that -are lost</i>: to those, who would not be convinced -by any evidence whatsoever.</p> - -<p>What the evidences of Christianity, in fact, -are, and how abundantly sufficient for the -conviction of all reasonable men, I shall not -now enquire. The subject is fitter for a volume, -than a discourse in this place. Let it -be supposed, on St. Paul’s authority, that -those evidences are sufficient; still ye may be -curious to know, and it may tend to the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">97</span> -establishment of your faith to understand, how -it has come to pass, that so much light could -be resisted.</p> - -<p>To this question a pertinent answer has been -given from the prejudices and passions, from -the vices and corruptions of unbelievers; it -being no new thing that men should <i>love -darkness rather than light</i>, when <i>their deeds -are</i>, and when they have resolved with themselves -they shall be, <i>evil</i><a id="FNanchor_101" href="#Footnote_101" class="fnanchor">[101]</a>. <i>For</i>, as our Lord -himself argues in this case, <i>Every one that -doth evil, hateth the light, lest his deeds should -be reproved: But he that doth the Truth, -cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifested, -that they are wrought in God</i><a id="FNanchor_102" href="#Footnote_102" class="fnanchor">[102]</a>.</p> - -<p>But then it has been replied, that, though -Vice may be many times the ground of infidelity, -and the condemnation of such men be -just, yet that some, too, have disbelieved from -no such motives; that the Gospel has been rejected -by persons, who appear to have been -men of large and liberal minds, as free, as -others, from all perverse prejudices, and as -little subject to gross vice or passion: Nay, -that, in the class of unbelievers, there have<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">98</span> -been those who have distinguished themselves -as much by the purity of their lives, as the -brightness of their understandings.</p> - -<p>All this may be true; and yet our Saviour -affirms, <i>that he, who believeth not, is condemned -already</i><a id="FNanchor_103" href="#Footnote_103" class="fnanchor">[103]</a>; and St. Paul in the text, -to the same purpose, <i>that if the Gospel be hid, -it is hid to them that are lost</i>. There must -needs, then, be some latent cause of this strange -fact; some secret depravity lurking in the mind -of those, who disbelieve the Gospel, thought -appearances be thus fair and flattering. And, -though Christian Charity be not forward <i>to -think evil</i> of his neighbour, yet in this case -we have reason to suspect it: and what we suspect, -we may perhaps find, in a <small>VICE</small> so secret -and insinuating, that it creeps upon men unawares; -so congenial, as it were, to our depraved -nature, that hardly any man can be sure -of his being wholly free from it; and so ingenious -in disguising itself, as to pass upon others, -nay upon the man possessed by it, for one of -his best qualities.</p> - -<p>By these characters, ye will easily see I speak -of self-love, or rather the vicious exertion of it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">99</span> -in what we call, <small>PRIDE</small>: A vice, which may as -fatally obstruct our pursuit of Truth, as any -the most vulgar immorality; and the rather, -because it is not easily suspected or acknowledged -by us.</p> - -<p>This vice then it may be, that <i>hides the -Gospel from those</i> better sort of men, <i>to whom -it is hid</i>. They had need examine themselves -well, for it assumes, as I said, the most imposing -forms. Who would look for it, in the -cultivation of the mind, and the love of Virtue? -Yet in either of these, it may lie concealed: -and an inquirer into the truth of the most rational, -and the purest of all religions, may be -prejudiced against it by a double Pride, by the -<small>PRIDE OF REASON</small>, and the <small>PRIDE OF VIRTUE</small>.</p> - -<p>I. <span class="smcap">First</span>, <i>Infidelity may proceed from the -Pride of Reason</i>.</p> - -<p>When it pleased God to bestow the faculty -of Reason on his creature, Man, he intended -that this substitute of himself should be the -guide of life, and the handmaid of Religion. -And that it might serve to these purposes, it -was made sagacious enough, if honestly exerted, -to lead him to some competent knowledge -of his Maker, and of his moral duty, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">100</span> -to judge of the pretensions of any further light -from Heaven, which might be graciously vouchsafed -to him.</p> - -<p>Man, proud of this free Gift, was in haste to -make trial of its strength; and finding it could -do something, too easily concluded it could do -every thing. Yet its weakness soon appeared; -first, in man’s transgression, and consequent -forfeiture of another free Gift, that of immortality; -and next, in the portentous errors he -fell into, both in respect of virtue and religion. -For God, who had graciously intended for -him, in due time, another and safer guide, to -prepare him for the reception of it, and to -convince him, in the mean time, how much -it was wanted, had suffered him to abuse this, -to the worst purposes, of immorality, and -idolatry: by both which the earth was generally -overspread for many ages, and even in the -most enlightened times, notwithstanding his -Reason might, and should have taught him -better.</p> - -<p>But God’s wisdom and goodness foresaw this -abuse, and provided, from the first, for the correction -of it. He had signified his purpose -from the moment of man’s transgression, and -afterwards by a gradual opening of his scheme,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">101</span> -in many successive revelations; all terminating -in that universal redemption of mankind by -the sacrifice, and through the Gospel, of his -Son. This last and greatest instance of the -divine love for man, it might be expected, after -so much experience of his own debility and -folly, he would gladly and thankfully receive; -and, that he might be qualified to discern the -hand of God from the practices of fallible and -designing men, was one main end, as I said, -which God designed in lighting up the lamp -of Reason in him.</p> - -<p>But now this boasted Guide, though found -to be poor and weak, grew proud and presumptuous. -It would not only judge of the credentials -of divine Revelation (which was its -proper office, and without which faculty of -judging there could be no security from the -endless impostures of fanaticism and superstition, -but not content with this power) it would -decide peremptorily on the nature and fitness -of the Revelation itself; and would either admit -none, or such only, as it should perfectly -comprehend.</p> - -<p>Here, then, Reason forgot its own use, and -power: its use, which was to bring him to the -acknowledgement of a divine Religion; and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">102</span> -its power, which did not enable him to judge -of the infinite counsels of God, but to try -whether any such were revealed to him. In a -word, he forgot that his utmost capacity extended -no farther than just to see whether the -proposed Revelation were such as might come -from God, as contradicting no clear and certain -principles of reason, and whether the -evidences were such as proved that it did so. If -it contained nothing repugnant to right Reason, -that is, to a prior light derived from the same -source of Truth, it might come from Heaven; -if the attestations of it were clear and convincing, -it must proceed from that quarter. To -try its credibility and authority, was then -within the province of Reason: to determine -of its absolute necessity and fitness, and to -explore the depth and height of those counsels, -on which it is framed, was above its reach and -comprehension.</p> - -<p>Yet Reason assumed to herself, too generally, -this latter office; and this I call, the -<small>PRIDE</small> of Reason. Hence all its wanderings -and miscarriages; from this perverse application -of its powers arose all the heresies that have -distracted the Christian Church, and all the infidel -systems that have been invented to overthrow -it. In both cases, men would be wise -<i>above</i>, or <i>against, what was written</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">103</span></p> - -<p>Of the Heresies, I have nothing to say at this -time. They appear at large in the ecclesiastical -historian. Of the dreams of infidelity, as arising -from the fumes of pride, so much is to be said, -as my present subject requires of me, but this -in as few words as possible.</p> - -<p><i>The pride of Reason</i> has then pronounced -(as it operated at different times, and on different -tempers), that Revelation is unnecessary, -because Reason could see and discover by its -own light all that was needful to our direction -and happiness—that, if it were wanted by us, -it was impossible to be given consistently with -the laws of nature and experience—that as to -that pretended scheme of Revelation, called -the Gospel, its morality indeed was pure -enough, but that it carried no other internal -marks of its divinity: that its doctrines were -such as Reason would not expect, and in many -cases could not understand: that it talked of -divine things in a manner that was strange and -extraordinary; of a purpose to redeem mankind -which, if it were needful at all, might have -been effected by more rational and less operose -methods; and to save and sanctify them by -such means as seemed fanciful and delusive: -that the divine nature was spoken of in high -mysterious terms, which puzzle and confound<span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">104</span> -our Metaphysics; and that the offices, in which -the Godhead was employed, are either degrading, -or such as imply an immoderate and inconceivable -condescension.</p> - -<p>And what then, say others, is the basis on -which this incredible Revelation rests? Why -on <i>Miracles</i>, which we cannot admit, as being -violations or suspensions of those laws, by -which we know the Supreme Being governs -the world; and on <i>Prophecies</i>, which may -have been feigned, as many have been, or -which imply such a prescience in the Deity of -free contingent events, as is perhaps impossible. -If the Gospel then is to be admitted as a truly -divine Revelation, convince us, that its external -proofs are above all doubt and suspicion; -and that all its internal characters are such as -lie open to the perfect scrutiny, and entire investigation -of our faculties.</p> - -<p>Thus does the Pride of Reason vaunt itself, -against Reason. For, if to any or all of these -objections (on which so many infidel systems -hang) we should only say, <i>that they are nothing -to the purpose</i>, what could the objectors -reply to us? If pressed closely, they could -only take refuge in this principle, <i>that no -Religion can be divine, all the reasons of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">105</span> -which are not fully known to us</i>; a principle, -for which they have surely no warrant from -right Reason. How do they know what is -necessary, or fit, or right, with regard to the -divine dispensations, I mean (which is the case -here) when they only silence, not contradict -our Reason? Every thing may be fit and right, -and might appear to be so, if the whole -scheme of Providence were fully unveiled to -us. It must be fit and right, whether we see -it or no, if the Religion in question be credibly -attested: And the credibility will depend not -on our fancies or expectations of I know not -what irresistible evidence (which it might be -best and wisest not to give) but on the real -moment of the arguments, on which it is -established.</p> - -<p>So that the last effort of Infidelity is only an -appeal to the ignorance of mankind; which -proves nothing but the necessity of a long-forgotten -virtue, Modesty, in our researches -into Religion.</p> - -<p>We see then how the <i>Pride of Reason</i> has -betrayed presumptuous men into a disbelief of -Revelation, and how true it is that, <i>if the Gospel -be hid, it is hid to them that are lost</i>, as well -by <i>this</i> means, as by any other.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">106</span></p> - -<p>II. But, secondly, there is <small>A PRIDE OF VIRTUE</small>, -as well as of Reason: and by this Pride, too, -(such is the infirmity of our common nature) -<i>the Gospel may be hid from us</i>.</p> - -<p>On whatever foundation a man chuses to -build his moral system, he easily convinces -himself of the worth and excellence of moral -action. The reasonableness, the utility, and -the beauty of Virtue are so conspicuous, that -even the vicious look up to her with respect, -and the virtuous easily grow enamoured of her. -Thus it came to be among the extravagances -of the Stoics, its best friends in the pagan -world, that virtue was not only the perfection -of man’s nature, but that it raised him in some -sense, above the Divine<a id="FNanchor_104" href="#Footnote_104" class="fnanchor">[104]</a>. And to make their -arrogant system all of a piece, they further -maintained that this super-celestial virtue, in -which they gloried, was their own proper acquisition; -that they derived it wholly from -themselves, and that God did not, and could -not give it<a id="FNanchor_105" href="#Footnote_105" class="fnanchor">[105]</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">107</span></p> - -<p>This, you will say, was stoical pride; but -it is, too commonly, also, the pride of virtue, -of whatever denomination. Penetrated with a -lively sense of its use and excellence, virtuous -men, especially of a certain temperament, take -fire from their own heated ideas, and flame -out into a kind of moral fanaticism. They -consider virtue, as the supreme and only good, -absolute in itself, and independant of any other. -They exalt and deify themselves in their own -imaginations; and, though their language may -be more decent, the sense of their hearts is -truly stoical.</p> - -<p>See, now, whether virtue, under this intoxication, -be in a condition to benefit by the -sober truths of the Gospel. It presents to us -a frightful picture of the moral world; much -is said concerning the weakness and inefficacy -of moral virtue. This representation, of itself, -is disgusting. But one great design of the -Gospel was to reform this state of things: And -thus far is well: But by what means would it -reform it? Why, among others, by Faith and -Hope. Yet, in Faith, the proud moralist -sees no virtue, at all; and Hope, in his ideas, -degrades and servilizes his adored virtue. The -Gospel proposes to save us by the sacrifice of -Christ: But He acknowledges no need of any<span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">108</span> -sacrifice; relies, with confidence, on his own -merits; and disdains the notion of an intercessor. -He holds, that nothing more could -be intended by a Revelation, if such were -given, than the promotion of our virtue; and -that we want not its aid, for that purpose: -that we read our duty in the sense of our own -minds; which Reason enforces in as high terms, -as the Gospel, in a more engaging way, and -on principles more sublime and generous.</p> - -<p>Above all, the Gospel speaks much of the -succours of Grace, as necessary to infuse and -to confirm our virtue; a language, which the -<i>Pride</i> of virtue will not understand: And of a -Heaven, and a Hell; by which if any thing -more be meant than the proper natural effects -of virtue and vice itself, the idea is rejected, as -superfluous and even childish.</p> - -<p>To such an extreme of folly, and even impiety, -may the Pride of virtue carry us; and -so fatally may <i>the Gospel be hid from those</i>, -whom this last infirmity of human nature -blinds by its specious illusions! And that this -is no ideal picture, but one taken from the -life, will appear to those who know any thing -of human nature; and of the perverse prejudices, -by which some ingenious, and otherwise<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">109</span> -virtuous men, have suffered themselves to -be misled in their religious inquiries<a id="FNanchor_106" href="#Footnote_106" class="fnanchor">[106]</a>.</p> - -<p>Enough has been said to shew the issue of -intellectual and moral <i>Pride</i>: And how it -comes to pass that men <i>lose</i> themselves, who -reason, on Religion, without modesty, or would -be virtuous without Religion.</p> - -<p>The application is short, but striking. It is, -That men should examine themselves well, -before they presume to think slightly of the -Gospel. They may learn to suspect the power -and influence of their grosser passions, when -they see that even these refined ones may -corrupt their judgement, and betray them into -Infidelity.</p> - -<p>The Apostle says expressly, that <i>if the Gospel -be hid, it is hid to them that are lost</i>: and -who, that rejects the Gospel, but must tremble -for himself, when his <small>REASON</small>, nay his <small>VIRTUE</small>, -may be the instrument of his ruin?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">110</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XXXVI">SERMON XXXVI.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED NOVEMBER 13, 1774.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">1 Peter</span> iii. 15.</h3> - -<p><i>—Be ready always to give an answer to every -man that asketh You a reason of the hope, -that is in You, with meekness and fear.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">These</span> words have been often and justly -quoted to prove the rational genius of our -religion: but they have sometimes been -quoted to prove much more, “The obligation, -that Christians are under, to justify their -religion, in the way of argument, against all -opposers, and to satisfy all the difficulties -and objections, that can be brought against -it.” A magnificent pretension! but surely -without authority from the text, as I shall -briefly shew, by enquiring,</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">111</span></p> - -<p>1. Who the persons are, to whom this -direction is given:</p> - -<p>2. What that <i>hope</i> is, <i>which is in them</i>, -and concerning which they are supposed -to be interrogated: And therefore</p> - -<p>3. Lastly, what the proper <i>answer</i>, or apology -must be, of those persons, when required -to give a reason of such hope.</p> - -<p>The resolution of these questions will afford -us a clear insight into the meaning of the text: -and then we shall be enabled to make some -pertinent and useful reflexions upon it.</p> - -<p>1. St. Peter addresses himself to <i>the elect -strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, -Cappadocia, Asia, and Bythinia</i>—i. e. -most probably, to Jewish Christians, dispersed -through these countries, in which they were -properly <i>strangers</i>; though, in some sense, -all good men are strangers and sojourners on -earth, and therefore the use of this term may -not necessarily exclude such Heathen converts -to the faith, as lived in those quarters. But -whatever be the precise meaning of the term, -it is clear, that all persons of this general -denomination, or all the <i>stranger</i> Christians, -residing in the places, here mentioned, are,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">112</span> -without distinction, concerned in this catholic -epistle. There is not a word that implies any -difference of age, or sex, or education, or -rank: not the least regard is had to the office -of some, or the qualifications of others: all -indiscriminately, of the class specified, who -had knowledge and understanding enough to -profess themselves Christians, are the objects -of the Apostle’s address: and of these, universally, -is the requisition made, that they be -<i>ready always to give an answer to every man, -that asketh a reason of the hope that is in -them</i>. But what then</p> - -<p>2. Is that <i>Hope</i>, of which all such persons -were expected and required to render a reason? -Plainly the general hope of Christians, the -hope of eternal life, the hope of a resurrection -from the dead, the blessed hope, in short, of -salvation through Jesus Christ.</p> - -<p>The context shews, that it was this hope, -and this only, of which they were to give an -account. For, in the preceding verse, the -Apostle had been speaking of the trials which -they should undergo for the sake of their religion. -Possibly, they were, then, in a state of -persecution; or, it was foreseen that they soon -would be in that state. <i>But and if ye suffer,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">113</span> -says he, for righteousness sake, happy are ye.</i> -Why? because they knew the <i>hope</i> of their -calling, and the ample recompense that would -be made them in a future life for all such sufferings. -Therefore, he advises that they should -always have this precious hope present to -them, and well established in their minds: -nay, and that, for their own better support in -the midst of their sufferings, and for the vindication -of themselves to others, their persecutors, -perhaps, who might ask on what -grounds they exposed themselves to such torments, -they should have in readiness an <i>answer</i>, -or apology for their own conduct, setting -forth the reason they had to confide in that -hope; from which reason it would appear that -they acted, as became prudent men, and not -as blind, frantic enthusiasts.</p> - -<p>It being now seen, to whom the text is -directed, and what the <i>hope</i>, under consideration, -is, we have no difficulty in -answering</p> - -<p>3. The last question, “What the proper -<i>answer</i> might, or rather must be, of such -persons, when required to give a reason of -such hope?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">114</span></p> - -<p>For what other answer could they give (and -this they all might give), than that their Lord -and Master, Jesus Christ, by whom they had -been encouraged to entertain this hope, had -shewn himself well able to make it good by -his own resurrection? They might say, in -the words of the Apostle Paul (who apologized -for himself to the Athenians, in like circumstances), -We therefore think ourselves happy -in suffering for righteousness sake,—<i>because -God hath appointed a day in the which he -will judge the world in righteousness, by that -man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath -given assurance unto all men, in that he hath -raised him from the dead</i><a id="FNanchor_107" href="#Footnote_107" class="fnanchor">[107]</a>.</p> - -<p>This was an obvious reason of the <i>hope, -that was in them</i>, and level to all capacities. -It was, also, a sufficient reason, if it was any -at all, that is, if the fact alleged be true; -and, that it was so, they might appeal to the -testimony of those, who had seen the Lord -and conversed with him, after his resurrection; -nay, whom themselves had seen confirming -that testimony <i>by signs and wonders</i>, done in -the name of Jesus.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">115</span></p> - -<p>We see, then, what is the true and full -meaning of the text. The Apostle exhorts -those, to whom he writes, all of them, the -simpler, as well as more informed, to bear in -mind the end of their religion, <small>EVERLASTING -LIFE</small>; and the grounds, on which they expected -it, the <small>WORD</small> of their divine <small>MASTER</small>, <i>confirmed -to them by them that heared him</i><a id="FNanchor_108" href="#Footnote_108" class="fnanchor">[108]</a>, and by his -rising from the dead.</p> - -<p>And now we are at liberty to make some reflexions -on the text, which may be useful and -instructive to us.</p> - -<p>And, first, I observe, as most others have -done, that Christians are allowed and encouraged -to reason on the subject of their religion, -and to build their faith on conviction. For the -Apostle’s advice is, not to decline the way of -argument, but to use such arguments as are -cogent and satisfactory. And in this free exercise -of the understanding, which is permitted, -or rather enjoined to all Christians, -the manly genius of our religion is seen, and -by it is distinguished from that of every blind -and servile superstition. But then,</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">116</span></p> - -<p>Secondly, I observe, that this work of reason -is enjoined, only, with regard to <i>the hope, that -is in us</i>, that is, to the end and scope of -Christianity, and to the authority on which it -rests; in other words, with regard to the -<small>EVIDENCES</small> of this Religion.</p> - -<p>It is true, these evidences are a different -thing to different persons, according to their -respective situations. To the primitive -Christians, such as those to whom the exhortation -of the text is addressed, it was -evidence sufficient, “That they had the great -facts of the Gospel, especially that decisive -fact, the resurrection of Christ, reported to -them by persons, who had been eye-witnesses -of those extraordinary transactions, -or, who had heared them, at least, from -eye-witnesses, and were endowed, besides, -with the power of working miracles in confirmation -of their testimony.” For in those -days, it is to be observed, they, who were -commissioned to plant the Gospel in the -world, <i>went forth, and preached every where, -the Lord working with them, and confirming -the word with signs following</i><a id="FNanchor_109" href="#Footnote_109" class="fnanchor">[109]</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">117</span></p> - -<p>This state of things continued through -what is called the Apostolic Age, and perhaps -longer, during which time it was easy for the -plainest Christian to give such an <i>answer</i>, to -these who required a reason of <i>the hope that -was in him</i>, as was perfectly satisfactory. But, -when the Gospels were admitted by the faithful, -as authentic accounts of their Master’s history -and doctrine, and when the Apostles had -further drawn out and explained the principles -and proofs of Christianity in their several -writings, that is, when the Canon of the New -Testament was completed, and generally received -(all which was done within the first -century from the Christian æra), Then the -appeal lay to these scriptures, and the ground -of a Christian’s persuasion was, the authority -of the inspired writers. And now, if believers -were asked the reason of <i>the hope that was in -them</i>, the answer was, “That so it was written -in books, which were in all hands, and allowed -by all to contain nothing but infallible -truth.” Nor could the force of this answer -be disputed, when the memory of certain -facts was recent, when the places where, -and the person to whom, or for whose use -the sacred books were written, could be -pointed out, and when the writers of them -were known, by the miracles wrought by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">118</span> -them, to have been under the direction of the -Holy Ghost.</p> - -<p>On the conviction, which this apology carried -with it, the world became Christian. But -in process of time, and after a course of many -ages, it might be doubted whether those books -had been transmitted pure and uncorrupted. -And under these circumstances the <i>answer</i>, -being somewhat enlarged, stands thus: “That -the hope of a Christian is founded on the -authority of the sacred canon, composed by -inspired men, as was universally allowed in -the first ages of Christianity, and not materially -altered, as we have reason to believe, -to this day.”</p> - -<p>The answer given in these three periods, is, -you see, very general, because the question is, -on what grounds of reason a plain man could -justify his profession of Christianity: and the -answer, in each case, is a proper one, and of -real weight. But the answer of knowing and -skilful men is more particular, may indeed be -infinitely varied and extended according to the -abilities of the answerer; and, from such minute, -and laboured apologies much additional -light and conviction hath been derived. Still -you see the subject of inquiry, is, the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">119</span> -<small>EVIDENCES</small> of Christianity, how different soever -in different ages, and in the view of different -persons in the same age. All that unbelievers -have a right to ask, is, on what -grounds we affirm the truth and divinity of -our religion: and the sole duty which the text -imposes upon us, is to satisfy that question. -Their curiosity, and our labour, should not, at -least needs not, be extended beyond these -bounds. But</p> - -<p>Thirdly, what if inquisitive men should go -farther, and, when they have set forth the -evidences of Christianity to their own satisfaction, -and that of others, should proceed to -give us a <i>rationale</i> of its doctrines: Would not -their pains be useful, as tending very much to -promote the honour of our divine religion?</p> - -<p>Perhaps, they might, if <i>soberly</i> employed -and if inquirers would set out with a resolution -of stopping in their curious researches, when -they had no ideas, or no clear or distinct -ones.</p> - -<p>But, even with this restriction, <i>two</i> things -are, further, to be observed. <span class="smcap">One</span> is, that no -Christian is bound to make this solicitous inquiry -into the doctrinal, no, nor into the moral<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">120</span> -part of the Gospel. It is enough that his faith -and life be regulated by its doctrines and precepts, -whether he do, or do not, see the -grounds in reason, on which they stand. Nay, -possibly his conduct is then most acceptable, -when he looks no farther than to the authority -of the Gospel; agreeably to that well-known -decision of our Lord himself—<i>blessed is he, -who hath not seen, and yet hath believed</i>: -not, that he expects any man to believe or to -obey him, without reason: but he most approves -the ingenuous turn of that man’s mind, -who admits his divine mission, on a sufficient -indeed, but not the highest, degree of evidence; -and much more, therefore, who yields -obedience to his laws, acknowledged on such -evidence to be divine, without inquiring further -into the reasons of them. Indeed, to what -purpose do I scrupulously ask a reason of that, -which I already know to be just and fit, because -reasonably admitted to proceed from divine -authority?</p> - -<p>The <small>OTHER</small> observation I would make, is, -That, if after the most diligent inquiry, we -should not, yet, be able to penetrate the -reasons of many things, or to give ourselves -entire satisfaction about them, this unacceptable -experience should not in the least affect<span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">121</span> -our belief and esteem of the Gospel. For all -that follows from such disappointed curiosity -is only this, That we are weak and blind; and -not that the things themselves are either false -or unreasonable. Our duty, therefore, is to -confide in the <i>revealed word</i>; not questioning -its authority, or torturing its language; but -accepting with thankfulness, what we do understand, -and with reverence, what we do -not.</p> - -<p>When these two conditions are inviolably -observed, the way of minute inquiry into the -doctrines of Christianity, so far forth as they -are the objects of inquiry, at all, may be usefully -and commendably employed. For then -none but men of leisure and ability will think -themselves concerned in making such inquiry: -and even these, if they should not obtain all -the satisfaction they propose to themselves, -will neither attempt to disturb the faith of -others, nor suffer their own faith to be disturbed -by their curious speculations. Still: -when learned men are taken up in those profound -inquiries, and seem most confident that -they have penetrated far into the reasons of -many things which are kept secret from others, -they should especially remember (and that is -the Fourth, and <i>last</i> observation I shall make<span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">122</span> -on the text), to present their <i>answer</i> or apology -to mankind, <i>with meekness and fear</i>.</p> - -<p>1. With <small>MEEKNESS</small>, or a soft and gentle -spirit, breathing in words, neither passionate, -nor assuming; that so they may gain as many, -and exasperate as few, as they can. This was -a caution more than commonly necessary to -the first apologists for Christianity, who had -to plead its cause at the tribunal of Kings, at -that time, their enemies and persecutors. But -the rule is always a good one to be observed by -the advocates of the Gospel, who never serve -it better, than when its prime virtue, <small>CHARITY</small>, -corrects, or rather consecrates, their zeal.</p> - -<p>2. The <i>reason of the hope, that is in them</i>, -should, also, be given <i>with</i> <small>FEAR</small>: that is, not -only with a <i>fear</i> of giving needless offence to -those, to whom they address their apology, -but chiefly with a <i>reverential awe</i> of that -transcendantly great Being, whose ways they -desire to contemplate, and some part of whose -councils it is their ambition to unfold. For, -when we speak of God, farther than we are -authorized by himself to speak, we are in constant -danger of ascribing to him our own -weaknesses, and of degrading his ineffable -wisdom, when we think to exalt it most.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">123</span></p> - -<p>Such reason there is, even when we apologize -for the truth of God, to do it <i>with meekness -and fear</i>.</p> - -<p>To conclude: Religious inquiries, when thus -conducted (and only then) are commendable -and useful. They exercise our best faculties -on the noblest subjects: They may be the -means of bringing some to the kingdom of -God, and they can alienate none from it. Or, -whatever the merit and the success of these -inquiries may be, the authors of them will -have the satisfaction of knowing, that they -have inquired in a right manner; and, that, -how little soever their <small>UNDERSTANDINGS</small> have -<i>profited</i> the Almighty<a id="FNanchor_110" href="#Footnote_110" class="fnanchor">[110]</a>, they have honoured -Him with the noblest sacrifice, which a mortal -can offer to his Maker, that of an <small>HUMBLE AND -SUBMISSIVE SPIRIT</small>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">124</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XXXVII">SERMON XXXVII.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED FEBRUARY 4, 1770.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">John</span> vii. 46.</h3> - -<p><i>Never man spake like this man.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">If</span> by speaking, be here meant what is called -<i>fine</i> speaking, or a discourse artificially composed -according to the rules of human eloquence, the -subject is unworthy of this place, and the -praise, infinitely disproportioned to the divine -character of Jesus. A pagan philosopher, nay, -and a Christian preacher, might haply so far -forget himself, as to affect the credit of <i>fine -speaking</i>; or, his followers might think to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">125</span> -honour him by applauding this talent<a id="FNanchor_111" href="#Footnote_111" class="fnanchor">[111]</a>: But -the Son of God spake with other views, and -to nobler purposes; and his inspired historians -would not have condescended to make the -panegyric of their Master, from so trivial a -distinction.</p> - -<p>Let us see, then, to what the encomium of -the text amounts; and what those <small>CIRCUMSTANCES</small> -are, in the discourses of Jesus, which -give real weight and dignity to the observation—<i>that -never man spake like this man</i>.</p> - -<p>This will be an inquiry of use, and not of -curiosity only; we shall find, in the course of -it, very much to confirm our faith, as well as -to excite our admiration.</p> - -<p>I. The first particular, that strikes an attentive -mind in considering the discourses of -Jesus, is the <small>MATTER</small> of them; the most important;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">126</span> -and, at the same time, the most -extraordinary; of the utmost consequence to -mankind, and the most remote from all their -natural apprehensions.</p> - -<p>But, by the discourses of Jesus, so qualified, -I mean chiefly those, which are truly his own, -and properly <i>Christian</i>: such as acquaint us -with the dignity of his person, and nature of -his office; with the purpose of his mission, -and the manner in which that purpose was to -be effected.</p> - -<p>His moral discourses, though they be divine -too, yet, being intended, for the most part, to -deliver the religion of nature, or the religion of -Moses, in all its purity, may be thought to -contain nothing more than what human reason -had, or might have discovered, or what the -Law of God, at least, had already revealed. -Yet it may deserve to be mentioned as an argument -of his superiority to all other moral -instructors, that <span class="smcap">He only</span> has delivered a -doctrine of life and manners, free from all -mixture of error, and carried in some instances -to a degree of perfection which, I do not say -Reason, but, no Doctor of reason ever prescribed; -and that he penetrated further into the -true meaning of the Jewish Law, than any of -its expositors had ever done.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">127</span></p> - -<p>But, as I said, I confine myself to his <i>peculiar -doctrines</i>, such as constitute the substance -of that religion, which we properly call -Christian.</p> - -<p>And here, the weight of his doctrine must -be felt by those persons who reflect that, -coming into a world overrun with vice and -misery, he proclaimed pardon and peace in -this life, and everlasting happiness and glory -in the life to come, to all who with penitent -hearts and true faith turned to him. What -Doctor, Philosopher, or Legislator <i>ever spake -as He spake</i>, on these important articles? -What had Nature taught the Gentile world? -Some fine lessons of morality, indeed, which -might direct their lives for the future; but -none that could set their minds at ease from -past guilt, none that could free their consciences -from instinctive terror, much less -could erect their hopes to any assured prospect -of immortality. What had Moses taught the -Jews? A divine religion, it is true, but such -as left them under the burthen of a painful and -oppressive ritual, in which the neglect of any -one precept, or the irregular performance of -any, might shake their security; and of which, -when punctually observed, the reward was -only some present ease or convenience in this<span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">128</span> -world. What was there in either institution, -that could deliver men from all doubt and uncertainty -about their future condition, or that -could disarm and appease the universal guilt of -mankind?</p> - -<p>Let this then admonish us of what, from its -familiarity, we are, now, so prone to forget, -the importance, which characterized the doctrine -of Jesus.</p> - -<p>The <i>extraordinary nature</i> of it equally appears; -but will further and chiefly be seen, if -we attend to the means, by which this supreme -blessing is said to be conveyed, and effected.</p> - -<p>That a divine person, divine in the highest -sense of the word, should descend from heaven -and take our nature upon him; <i>the Heir of -all things</i><a id="FNanchor_112" href="#Footnote_112" class="fnanchor">[112]</a> should be content to appear <i>in the -form of a servant</i><a id="FNanchor_113" href="#Footnote_113" class="fnanchor">[113]</a>; and, having <i>life in himself</i><a id="FNanchor_114" href="#Footnote_114" class="fnanchor">[114]</a>, -should chuse to suffer death; that, by -this astonishing humiliation, he should propose -to effect an end, equally astonishing, The salvation -of a ruined world; that, being without -sin himself, he should offer himself a sacrifice<span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">129</span> -for sin; that in virtue of his all-atoning -death, he should undertake to abolish death, -and open the gates of eternal life to the whole -race of mortal man; that, in this way, he -should assume to be our <i>Wisdom and Righteousness</i>, -our <i>Sanctification and Redemption</i><a id="FNanchor_115" href="#Footnote_115" class="fnanchor">[115]</a>; -These are the great things of which Christ -<i>spake</i>; these the amazing topics with which he -filled his discourses. And must we not conclude, -that <i>he spake as never man spake</i>? I -do not, at present, urge the accomplishment -of all these wonders. That is a distinct consideration. -But it must be allowed, that he -<i>spake</i> in this tone, and to this effect. And did -ever any man before him utter such things? -Did it ever enter into the heart of man to conceive -such things? which surely are enough -to arrest our attention; to turn our thoughts on -the evidence, with which they are accompanied; -and, till we admit the force of that evidence, -to convince us, at least, that such a speaker -as this, is eminently distinguished from all -other speakers, that ever addressed themselves -to mankind. He discovered, on other occasions, -no defect of mind, or temper; nothing, -that should lead us to suspect him of weakness, -or enthusiasm; And when such a person so<span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">130</span> -speaks, the sublime and extraordinary nature -of his doctrine is no small presumption of its -truth.</p> - -<p>II. Another circumstance that distinguishes -the discourses of Jesus, is the <small>AUTHORITY</small>, with -which they were delivered. The people themselves -remarked this circumstance, and were -astonished at it; <i>for he taught them</i>, says the -sacred historian, <i>as one who had authority, -and not as the Scribes</i><a id="FNanchor_116" href="#Footnote_116" class="fnanchor">[116]</a>.</p> - -<p>Interpreters differ in explaining what this -<i>authority</i> was; but it consisted, very clearly, -in these three things. 1. He taught mankind -without any degree of doubt and hesitation, -with the air of one who knew the truth of what -he said, and was perfectly assured of all he -spake. <i>Verily, verily, I say to thee, we -speak that we do know, and testify that we -have seen<a id="FNanchor_117" href="#Footnote_117" class="fnanchor">[117]</a>.</i> 2. He taught his great lessons of -morality and religion, not as derived from the -information of others, or from the dictates of -his own reason, but as immediately conveyed -to him from the source of light and truth, from -God himself. <i>Whatsoever I speak, even<span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">131</span> -as the Father said to me, so I</i> speak<a id="FNanchor_118" href="#Footnote_118" class="fnanchor">[118]</a>. 3. Lastly, -He delivered his doctrine on very many occasions, -as the proper author of it, as one who -had a right to propose the terms of Salvation, -in his own name. I <i>say unto You</i>—is the -formulary, with which he prefaces his momentous -instructions. <i>He that believeth on -the Son, hath everlasting life, and</i> I <i>will raise -him up at the last day</i><a id="FNanchor_119" href="#Footnote_119" class="fnanchor">[119]</a>. <i>Be thou faithful -unto death, and</i> I <i>will give thee a crown of -life</i><a id="FNanchor_120" href="#Footnote_120" class="fnanchor">[120]</a>. Nay, he goes so far as to assert expressly, -<i>that he hath life in himself, even as -the Father hath life in himself</i><a id="FNanchor_121" href="#Footnote_121" class="fnanchor">[121]</a>. And though -he says, at the same time, that he had this -privilege given him by the Father, and though -he declares, elsewhere, that as the <i>Father had -taught him, so he spake</i><a id="FNanchor_122" href="#Footnote_122" class="fnanchor">[122]</a>; yet there is no -contradiction in these affirmations; for he tells -us expressly—<i>All things that the Father -hath, are mine</i><a id="FNanchor_123" href="#Footnote_123" class="fnanchor">[123]</a>; <i>And I and the Father are -one</i><a id="FNanchor_124" href="#Footnote_124" class="fnanchor">[124]</a>.</p> - -<p>These three circumstances, taken together, -constitute the proper authority of Christ’s doctrine.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">132</span> -It was the authority of one, who spake -from conviction; who spake by the special -appointment of God the Father, who even -spake, by virtue of his own essential right, -from himself, and in his own name.</p> - -<p>Compare, now, this <i>authoritative</i> way of -speaking, with that of the Jewish scribes; who -explained their Law, as they could, by the -precarious traditions of their forefathers, and -the uncertain glosses of their celebrated Doctors: -Compare it with that of the Gentile -Philosophers; who quibbled, by the help of a -little logick or metaphysicks, on the nature of -God and the Soul; who advanced their doctrines -of futurity, on the credit of an old fable, or an -old song; and even delivered their moral lectures -on the weak grounds of their fanciful or -discordant systems; in the way of negligent -speculation, or, which was worse, of altercation -and dispute: Compare it, lastly, with that of -all others, who, in antient or modern times, -have taken upon themselves to instruct mankind; -and see, if any of these ever assumed -the exalted tone, or spake with the <i>authority</i> -of Jesus, of <i>the Carpenter’s Son</i>, as Julian -and the followers of that school affect to call -him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">133</span></p> - -<p>But high pretensions, you will say, prove -nothing. Not much, indeed, when destitute -of their proper supports; yet so much, as to -verify the observation of the text—<i>that never -man spake like this man</i>. And if they prove -thus much, they prove more; the necessity, -or reasonableness, at least, of examining whether -these pretensions be well founded. For -claims of so extraordinary a nature, as they -must needs awaken our curiosity, so they may -demand our belief. When a voice speaks, as -from heaven, it naturally turns our attention -to that quarter; and, when it speaks in <i>inimitable -thunder</i><a id="FNanchor_125" href="#Footnote_125" class="fnanchor">[125]</a>, it speaks, methinks, like -itself, and in accents that cannot well be misunderstood.</p> - -<p>But our next observation will carry us further. -For I make it</p> - -<p>III. A third circumstance, in the character -of Christ’s <i>speaking</i>, that he expressed himself -with more than mortal WISDOM, on many occasions, -when the malice and captious subtlety -of his enemies put that wisdom to its utmost -test.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">134</span></p> - -<p>He gave early proofs of his wisdom, when, -at the age of twelve years, he reasoned with -the Doctors in the temple, to such effect, <i>that -all who heared him, were astonished at his understanding -and answers</i><a id="FNanchor_126" href="#Footnote_126" class="fnanchor">[126]</a>.</p> - -<p>These answers, indeed, are not recorded; -but many others are, in the course of his -ministry; answers to nice, insidious, and concerted -questions of the ablest men among the -Jews, in critical circumstances, and on the -most trying emergencies. And to these questions -he always replied with a presence of mind -so unshaken, with a judgment so infallible, -with a dexterity and prudence so conciliating, -and at the same time with an integrity so pure -and perfect, that no advantage could in any -degree be taken against him. His adversaries -came again and again to the charge; whom -yet he repelled with so triumphant a superiority -over all the efforts of their wit and malice, that -he forced them in the end, <i>to marvel and hold -their peace</i><a id="FNanchor_127" href="#Footnote_127" class="fnanchor">[127]</a>. His divine responses came out -so contrary to their hopes and their interests, -that they were discouraged and deterred from -provoking any more of them—<i>they durst not -ask him any more questions</i><a id="FNanchor_128" href="#Footnote_128" class="fnanchor">[128]</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">135</span></p> - -<p>The limits of this discourse will not give -room for a detailed account of these questions -and answers. But they are thick sown in the -Gospels: And ye will understand me to point -more especially at those, that respected his -divine character, and kingly office<a id="FNanchor_129" href="#Footnote_129" class="fnanchor">[129]</a>; in which -conversations the danger was, lest he should -drop something that might be made a handle -against him before the Jewish Consistory, or -the Roman Tribunals; while yet he was not -to betray his cause, or bely his pretensions. -The danger was instant, and, if he had fallen -under it, must have been fatal. For, in withdrawing -his claim of being the Messiah, the -<i>King of Israel</i>, he must have owned himself -an impostor; in asserting it, at this time, -clearly and openly, he would have given his -enemies a pretence for treating him, as a criminal -of state; an imputation which could not -consist with the truth or dignity of his mission. -He came into the world to suffer death, indeed; -but not as convicted of any crime, not -as colourably condemned by any legal sentence. -His innocence was to be conspicuous, and his -honour unimpaired<a id="FNanchor_130" href="#Footnote_130" class="fnanchor">[130]</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">136</span></p> - -<p>In this respect, then, it seems, as if it might -be truly affirmed, that <i>never man spake as this -man</i>. And, if this much must be allowed, we -are, methinks, but a little way from a further -conclusion, <i>That, therefore, he spake by a -divine spirit</i>.</p> - -<p>If it be said, that this conclusion does not -hold, <i>for that the same faculties of the human -mind, which make us capable of</i> <small>SEEING</small> <i>this -wisdom, may have</i> <small>PRODUCED</small> <i>it</i>, the ground -of the observation is neither likely, nor true. -Not likely in the present instance, where the -wisdom in question appears to be exquisite and -constant: qualities which we are not accustomed -to find united in the efforts of human wisdom. -But neither, in general, is the position true: -For then, the power of perception and invention -would be the same; then, the divine intellect -would be levelled with the human; then, -the wisdom of God himself, so far as it was -acknowledged and understood by us, would be -our wisdom. Whereas, common sense tells -us, that to discover a truth and to apprehend -it, to project a measure, and to conceive the -fitness of it, are two things<a id="FNanchor_131" href="#Footnote_131" class="fnanchor">[131]</a>: And, though<span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">137</span> -men differ widely in their capacities from each -other, yet there is a capacity, which no man -may claim, as there is a wisdom, to which no -man pretends. The sublime views of God in -the system of nature are comprehended, to a -certain degree, and justly magnified and unfolded -by many men, who, yet, have not the -presumption to suppose that they were themselves -capable, of planning such a system. In like -manner, we may see and adore the wisdom, -with which Christ <i>spake</i>, and yet conclude, -upon good grounds, that as no man ever -did, so no man ever could, speak with such -wisdom.</p> - -<p>IV. A fourth circumstance (and the last I -shall mention) which distinguished Jesus, as a -Speaker, was the penetrating influence of his -discourses, or the divine <small>ENERGY</small>, with which -they were accompanied.</p> - -<p>Other speakers have thought it enough to -convince their hearers by cogent arguments;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">138</span> -to excite their passions by lively images; to -touch the general springs of humanity, or to -practise on the peculiar foibles and prejudices -of the party addressed. But Jesus had the -singular art to convince without reasoning, and -to persuade without rhetorick. Few and simple -words, from that mouth, attained their end -with ease: they struck the soul with more -than all the effect of that eloquence, which -hath been compared to lightning: they needed -no help from tropes and figures, from the acquired -knowledge of human nature, or from -the information of others, but went directly to -the heart by their own proper and irresistible -virtue. In a word, Jesus saw what no art -could divine, he saw intuitively the naked conscience, -the secret individual thoughts of those, -with whom he had any concern; and being -able, withal, to possess their minds with a -consciousness of this intuition, his least word, -his look, nay his silence must needs <i>speak</i> beyond -the eloquence of other men.</p> - -<p>There are many instances of this sort, recorded -in the Gospels. He saw the malice of -the Scribes and Pharisees<a id="FNanchor_132" href="#Footnote_132" class="fnanchor">[132]</a>, while it was yet<span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">139</span> -latent in the heart, and only forming itself into -secret purposes and mental propositions; and -he surprized them by his answers, into shame -and <i>madness</i><a id="FNanchor_133" href="#Footnote_133" class="fnanchor">[133]</a>. He saw the seeds of ambition -putting forth in the minds of his disciples: -and by a word or two, he prevented the growth -of them<a id="FNanchor_134" href="#Footnote_134" class="fnanchor">[134]</a>. By only <i>looking</i> upon Peter<a id="FNanchor_135" href="#Footnote_135" class="fnanchor">[135]</a>, he -struck him into remorse and tears. And by -<i>answering nothing</i>, he <i>astonished</i>, at once, -and convinced the Roman Governor, who sat -in judgment upon him<a id="FNanchor_136" href="#Footnote_136" class="fnanchor">[136]</a>.</p> - -<p>This inspection of the heart, was that which -confounded the officers, whom the chief priests -had sent to apprehend him, and drew from -them, on their return, the advantageous report -of the text—<i>that never man spake like this -man</i>. For, by what he said in their hearing, -he gave them to understand that he knew their -commission before they had opened it: and so -disarmed their rage, by only signifying his -acquaintance with their design.</p> - -<p>The effect of what he said and did was, in -many conjunctures, wholly disproportioned to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">140</span> -his words and actions: and is only to be accounted -for, from the clear insight he had into -the mind, and from the secret influence which -he knew, by an apt sentence<a id="FNanchor_137" href="#Footnote_137" class="fnanchor">[137]</a>, or by an expressive -emblem<a id="FNanchor_138" href="#Footnote_138" class="fnanchor">[138]</a>, to inject into the conscience -of his hearers. And what resistance can, indeed, -be made to such a <i>speaker</i>, who hath -the hearts of men in his hands, and <i>turneth -them whithersoever he will</i><a id="FNanchor_139" href="#Footnote_139" class="fnanchor">[139]</a>?</p> - -<p>In all views, then, whether we consider the -<i>matter</i>, the <i>authority</i>, the <i>wisdom</i>, or the <i>effect</i> -of Christ’s discourses, we must needs be -convinced that the text is amply verified, and -that <i>never man spake like this man</i>.</p> - -<p>To conclude: I have not amused you, in -this discourse, with vain declamation. I am -not solicitous to establish the credit of Jesus, -as a consummate orator. My views are other -and far higher. I would convince you, by a -reference to plain facts, that he was more than -man; that he spake by the unerring spirit of -God; that his word demands not your praise, -but your adoration.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">141</span></p> - -<p>If men would take their ideas of this divine -teacher immediately from his own doctrines, -and not as they are misrepresented, or at best -imperfectly represented by the glosses of -others, they would come, of themselves, to -this important conclusion: if they would make -the Gospel their serious study, and not their -casual amusement, they would want no monitor -to let them into the merits, or the use -of it. They would more than see, they -would feel the spirit, with which Jesus -spake; and they would readily offer to him, -not their barren applause, but their sincere -obedience.</p> - -<p>Till this salutary effect be wrought in those -who call themselves the disciples of Jesus, -it may not be improper to remind them of -what he himself said to <small>ONE</small>, who was affected, -as we may now be, by a sense of his -divine power in speaking. He had been delivering -great truths, with that authority -and wisdom, which ever accompanied his -instructions, and the effect was answerable. -For <i>it came to pass</i>, as he <i>spake these things, -that a certain woman of the company lifted -up her voice, and said to him</i>, in the customary -style of approbation, <i>Blessed is the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">142</span> -womb that bare thee, and the paps that thou -hast sucked. But</i> <small>HE</small> <i>said, Yea, rather blessed -are they that</i> <small>HEAR THE WORD OF GOD, AND -KEEP IT</small><a id="FNanchor_140" href="#Footnote_140" class="fnanchor">[140]</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">143</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XXXVIII">SERMON XXXVIII.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED NOVEMBER 20, 1774.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Matth.</span> xiii. 10.</h3> - -<p><i>The Disciples came, and said unto him, Why -speakest Thou to them in Parables?</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">Two</span> things are very observable in our Lord’s -conduct towards the Jews. He came to <i>instruct</i> -them in the principles of a new religion, -and to <i>convince</i> them of its divine authority. -Yet to such of them, as were least enlightened -by his doctrine, he generally addressed himself -in Parables: And before such, as were backward -to admit his pretensions, he was sparing -of his Miracles. Now the contrary of this conduct, -it is said, might be expected: That he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">144</span> -should have explained himself in the clearest -manner to the uninformed Jews; and should -have multiplied his miracles, for the conviction -of the unbelieving.</p> - -<p>I propose to consider both these circumstances -in the history of Jesus; and to shew -that his conduct, in either case, was suitable -to his character and mission.</p> - -<p>I, now, confine myself to the <small>PARABLES</small>; -and shall take another occasion to consider the -<small>MIRACLES</small>.</p> - -<p>The Disciples, having observed that their -Master spoke to the Jews in a more obscure -and indirect manner, than he was wont to do -in private to themselves, <i>came and said unto -him, Why speakest thou to them in Parables?</i></p> - -<p>This method of conveying instruction in Parables, -that is, in some feigned story, where -one thing is put for another, and in which the -circumstances of the story are to be applied to -something different in the intention of the -speaker, is well known to have been of constant -and familiar use in the old world, and -especially in the Eastern nations. This figurative -cast of language had its rise from necessity,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">145</span> -the rude conceptions of men requiring general -truths to be presented to them, in sensible -images. But it soon came to be affected as an -ornamental way of speaking or writing, the -liveliness of the image awakening curiosity, -and affording amusement to the mind. Lastly, -it was sometimes employed as a mysterious -cover of important truths, to which a more -than ordinary attention was to be raised, and -especially of such important truths as could -not be communicated openly and directly without -offence. Under this last idea, the Parable, -properly so called, presents itself to us. It -was contrived on purpose to throw some degree -of obscurity over the information, it contained: -And it is in reference to this use and character -of the Parable, that the Disciples ask why -Jesus thought fit to address the Jews in this -way.</p> - -<p>To this question, why he spake to the Jews -in Parables, and not to the Disciples, our -Lord’s reply is in these words—<i>Because, to -you it is given to know the mysteries of the -kingdom of God, but to them it is not given</i>.</p> - -<p>By this answer we learn, <i>First</i>, that the -things delivered by him in this obscure way -were not the fundamental truths of the Gospel,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">146</span> -but <i>the mysteries of the kingdom of God</i>, that -is, certain secrets relating to the progress of -the Gospel, and the event of it in the world; -a consideration, which will be enlarged upon -in its place: And, <i>Secondly</i>, that it was not -<i>given</i> to the Jews, at large, to be let into those -mysteries, but to the disciples only.</p> - -<p>But why <i>not given to the Jews</i>? why was -it thought less fit for them, to be initiated in -these mysteries, than for the Disciples? Our -Lord condescends to answer, or rather to anticipate -this question, likewise—<i>For whosoever -hath, to him shall be given and he shall have -more abundance; but whosoever hath not, -from him shall be taken away even that he -hath</i>.</p> - -<p>The answer, we see, is formed on this general -principle, “That information in the councils -of God is not to be claimed as a debt; but -accepted as a reward: that he, who hath acquired -some knowledge and improved what he -hath, deserves a further communication of it; -but that he, who hath been at no pains to acquire -any, or who puts his knowledge to as -little use, as if he had acquired none, is so far -from having a right to more, that he even deserves -to have the pittance, he may already<span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">147</span> -possess, taken from him.” And what more indisputable -rule of reason, than this, That, in a -matter of pure favour, we should deserve, by -our good dispositions at least, this distinction -before we obtain it. So that the answer comes -out thus—“I speak to the <small>JEWS</small> in parables, -because they do not deserve, by the pains they -have hitherto taken to learn of me, and by the -dispositions they have shewn to improve what -I have taught them, to have further information -plainly and openly conveyed to them: But -to <small>YOU</small>, who have already profited by my doctrine, -and are disposed still further to profit by -it, to you I address myself in a plainer manner, -because ye deserve to be more fully and abundantly -instructed by me.” And to this answer, -thus understood, what objection, or even what -cavil, can be opposed?</p> - -<p>But, further, when Jesus said to his Disciples, -that <i>to them it was given to know the -mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the -Jews</i>, at large, <i>it was not given</i>, this determination -must be understood as founded, not -merely on the fitness of the thing, as here explained, -but on the positive will and declared -purpose of God. This appears from what follows. -For <i>therefore</i>, proceeds our Lord, -<i>speak I to them in Parables, because they<span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">148</span> -seeing see not, and hearing they hear not, -neither do they understand. And in them is -fulfilled the prophecy of Isaias, which saith, -by hearing Ye shall hear and shall not understand, -and seeing Ye shall see and shall not -perceive. For this people’s heart is waxed -gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and -their eyes they have closed, lest at any time -they should see with their eyes, and hear with -their ears, and should understand with their -hearts, and should be converted, and I should -heal them.</i></p> - -<p>Hence it appears, that the way of speaking -in Parables, which Jesus employed towards the -Jews, was that which the word of prophecy -had declared he should employ towards them. -So that this was one, among others, of the -marks, by which the Messiah should be known -and distinguished. <i>To speak in Parables</i>, -was a part of his office: It was a duty imposed -upon him, in his very commission.</p> - -<p>But this, you will say, is only removing the -difficulty one step backwards, and transferring -it from the Gospel upon the Law; And you -still ask, upon what reasons this strange way of -proceeding with the Jews, thus foretold and -enjoined, was founded?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">149</span></p> - -<p>Now, though it becomes us with much reverence -to inquire into the reasons of God’s -dispensations, yet as we see, in fact, that it -was God’s will to treat the Jews in this manner, -we may be allowed to indulge some conjectures -on the subject; And, as we have -traced this difficulty up to its source, this will -be the proper place to attempt a more full solution -of it.</p> - -<p>To make way for this solution, let it be observed, -that there are two ways in which this -famous prophecy of Isaiah may be regarded by -us; either, first, as <i>a mere prediction of the -event</i>, namely, that by this way of speaking to -them in Parables, the Jews <i>would</i> not be converted; -Or, secondly, <i>as a judicial determination -of it</i>, namely, that this obscure way of -teaching was therefore employed, because it -was in the divine councils that they <i>should</i> not -be converted. In either way of considering the -Prophecy, this mysterious conduct may, I -think, be cleared up.</p> - -<p>If we consider the <i>event</i> only, as pointed -out by this Prophecy, then the reason, which -Jesus himself gives of this conduct, and which -has been before explained, namely the general -fitness of such a procedure in itself, is a satisfactory<span class="pagenum" id="Page_150">150</span> -account of it. For what more just than -to leave men to the consequences of their own -behaviour, and not to reward them with that -which they neither desire nor deserve?</p> - -<p>But, perhaps, the event was not simply predicted -of the Jews, but <i>determined</i> upon them<a id="FNanchor_141" href="#Footnote_141" class="fnanchor">[141]</a>. -And there may be reason to take the prophecy, -the rather, in this light, because however fit -such a conduct, as it describes, may be in itself, -yet, in fact, it was not observed towards -the Gentiles, nor even the Jews after the descent -of the holy Ghost; the Apostles not addressing -either in the way of Parables, as our -Lord had done the unbelieving Jews: and this -agreeably to their Master’s express injunctions -to them—<i>for there is nothing covered that -shall not be revealed, and hid that shall not be -known; What I tell you in darkness that -speak ye in the light, and what ye hear in the -ear that preach ye upon the house-tops</i><a id="FNanchor_142" href="#Footnote_142" class="fnanchor">[142]</a>. This -different conduct may then lead us to suspect -that there was something peculiar in the situation -of those Jews, to whom Jesus addressed -his Parables, which this prophecy respected; -and that it was God’s purpose, in the case of -such of them as should stand out against this<span class="pagenum" id="Page_151">151</span> -so long abused mode of information, when proceeding -from the mouth of the Messiah himself, -to leave them under a judicial blindness. And -supposing this to be the case, the conduct (as -severe as it seems) may be justified by the following -considerations.</p> - -<p>1. All the notices, which it had pleased God -to give to the ancient Jews of the Gospel dispensation, -were conveyed in this way of Parable. -The terms, employed in the old prophecies, -were all taken from the Law, but the -true meaning lay deeper, and the right application -of those prophecies was to the Christian -Covenant, and to the character and dispensation -of the Messiah. This method of predicting the -Gospel under legal ideas, was employed for the -wisest reasons<a id="FNanchor_143" href="#Footnote_143" class="fnanchor">[143]</a>: The Jews had been constantly -trained and brought up in it; and, notwithstanding -the real obscurity this mode of teaching -was intended to have, yet with fair attentive -minds they might easily have apprehended -the true drift and purpose of it. The Prophets -call upon them perpetually to give this attention: -they even drop frequent hints, that -might lead them to the discovery: and, upon occasion, -do every thing but expound in direct -terms, their own parables.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_152">152</span></p> - -<p>What now was the effect of all this intelligence, -so gradually, so repeatedly, so solicitously, -as it were, imparted to them? Why, -they would not hear, nor understand: they -perversely and obstinately rested in the cover -of these predictions; would look for nothing -beneath or beyond it, indulged their prejudices -about the eternity of their law, and the temporal -power of their expected Deliverer, so far, that, -when at length their Deliverer came, for whom -this chain of prophetic instruction was meant -to prepare them, they did not and would not -acknowledge him. For this gross neglect of a -mode of information, so long and so mercifully -indulged to them, God thought fit to punish -them by the very instrument of their offence. -He commissioned Jesus still to continue that -way of Parables, which they had so outrageously -abused; and so, in his justice, <i>made it -the occasion of blinding their eyes and hardening -their hearts</i><a id="FNanchor_144" href="#Footnote_144" class="fnanchor">[144]</a>, to their final rejection and -reprobation.</p> - -<p>This seems to be the true state of the case: -and what has Reason to object to it? Can any -thing be more just, than that a much abused -mercy should end in punishment? And can -any thing be more fit, than that such punishment<span class="pagenum" id="Page_153">153</span> -should be the forfeiture of that blessing, which -the mercy was intended to convey, and should -even be inflicted by the very means of that -mercy<a id="FNanchor_145" href="#Footnote_145" class="fnanchor">[145]</a>? What is there in this œconomy of -God’s religious dispensations, which contradicts -our ideas of the divine attributes? Nay, what -is there in it, which does not accord to the -known methods of his ordinary and moral government -of the world? Health and Prosperity, -Parts and Learning, are the merciful gifts -of God to some men. To these mercies, -rightly improved, certain blessings are, in the -order of his providence, annexed. Yet how -often do we see men deprived of the blessings, -for their misuse of those mercies, and deprived -by means of the very mercies themselves! The -mercies are a snare to them; and in the way of -natural punishment inflict those evils, which -they were intended to prevent. Thus, health -and prosperity, ill employed, bring on a diseased -old age, and an uncomfortable enjoyment -of life; and parts and learning, so fitted to -produce true knowledge, are the means by -which many are led into presumption and -mistake.</p> - -<p>And in this way, we easily conceive how -justly the Jews were punished, in their rejection<span class="pagenum" id="Page_154">154</span> -of the Messiah, for their wilful abuse and misinterpretation -of the Scripture Prophesies concerning -him; and how fitly the punishment -was conveyed by Christ’s <i>speaking to them in -Parables</i>, that is, by that mode of instruction -by that very instrument of mercy, which they -had so much abused.</p> - -<p>But though this perverseness of the Jews -may be reasonably thought judicial, yet even -<i>in his Judgments God remembers mercy</i>. Let -it therefore be considered</p> - -<p>2. In the second place, that, though Christ’s -speaking to the Jews in Parables did eventually -harden their hearts, yet not more so, perhaps -not so much as the open communication of -truth would have done.</p> - -<p>I before took notice, that the subject of -Christ’s parables was not the fundamental tenets -of the Gospel, but <i>the mysteries of the kingdom -of God</i>. This we know from the mouth of -Christ himself; and it deserves to be considered. -That Jesus was the Messiah, that all men -were to believe in him, and to be saved by him, -these great fundamental articles of his religion, -together with his moral doctrine, were published -plainly to all; and the evidences of his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_155">155</span> -Messiahship, as resulting from his miracles and -an appeal to their own prophecies, were in no -sense concealed from the Jews. So that, in -truth, the light afforded to them was by no -means so penurious, or so darkly conveyed, as -the objection supposes. What was kept back -from them and thrown into the shade, was only or -chiefly, the future fortunes of the Gospel, called -<i>the Mysteries of God’s kingdom</i>; of which the -rejection of the Jews, and the call of the Gentiles, -were principal. These Christ delivered -to the Jews in parables, <i>and without a parable -spake he not</i> on these subjects, <i>unto them</i>. -Now, though it be true that, had people -penetrated these mysteries, they might, by a -right use of this knowledge, have been led to a -just apprehension of many of their own prophecies, -and, in the end, to an acknowledgement -of the Christian faith; yet ’tis likely, considering -their inveterate prejudices, that the clear -delivery of these momentous truths would have -had no such effect; nay, that their aversion to -the faith of Jesus might have been increased by -having this offensive information plainly and -nakedly presented to them.</p> - -<p>And there will seem to be more weight -in this conjecture, if we reflect that even to the -Apostles themselves, till after his resurrection, -our Lord proceeded with much caution in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_156">156</span> -unfolding <i>the mysteries of his kingdom. Then</i>, -indeed, <i>he opened their understandings<a id="FNanchor_146" href="#Footnote_146" class="fnanchor">[146]</a>; and, -beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he -expounded unto them, in all the Scriptures, -the things concerning himself</i><a id="FNanchor_147" href="#Footnote_147" class="fnanchor">[147]</a>. But before -that event had taken place, so much light only -was let in upon the minds of the Disciples, as -they were <i>able to bear</i><a id="FNanchor_148" href="#Footnote_148" class="fnanchor">[148]</a>: the <i>parables</i> were in -some measure explained to them; yet a certain -degree of obscurity was still left on the explanation -itself.</p> - -<p>From which conduct of their great Master, -apparently assumed by him in consideration of -their infirmities, it seems reasonable to conclude, -That his greater reserve towards the -rest of the Jews, in speaking to them in <i>unexplained</i> -parables, was, among other reasons, -therefore chosen by him, because it was best -adapted to their prejudices, and even gave them -the fairest chance for apprehending and embracing -his doctrine. But</p> - -<p>3. Thirdly, and lastly, what if we suppose -(as we have the highest reason to do, after the -trials, which had been already made of them)<span class="pagenum" id="Page_157">157</span> -that no evidence whatsoever, not the clearest -possible information, would, under any management, -have had its due effect on the unbelieving -Jews? In this view of things, the proposing -of these mysteries under the impenetrable -cover of Parables was the greatest of all -mercies to them, since a further degree of light -would not only have indisposed them to the reception -of it, but must have aggravated their -guilt beyond measure, and have left them -totally without excuse. To <i>blind their eyes -and harden their hearts</i> was then a <i>judgment</i>, -if you will, but surely a judgment in <i>mercy</i>, if -ever there was any such thing; a punishment -inflicted upon them in the most tender and -compassionate manner, which goodness itself -could contrive, or which their deplorable circumstances -could admit.</p> - -<p>These things being considered, To the -question, <i>Why did Jesus speak to the unbelieving -Jews in parables</i>, we may now reply, -<i>first</i>, That this conduct was reasonable in itself, -on that general principle of <small>EQUITY</small>, <i>that -he only, who hath, shall receive more abundantly</i>: -That, <i>secondly</i>, the <small>JUSTICE</small> of God -was fitly exercised upon them for their refusing -to be instructed by him in the way of Parable, -and by the very medium of Parable, so abused:<span class="pagenum" id="Page_158">158</span> -That still, <i>thirdly</i>, this parabolical method of -instruction was, in all probability, better adapted -to their circumstances, and more <small>LIKELY</small> -to be effectual, than a plainer communication: -And that, <i>lastly</i>, supposing it <small>CERTAIN</small> -that no information whatever would have taken -effect, this obscure and inefficient one of parables -served, at least, as some excuse for their -obstinacy, and was contrived, in mercy, to alleviate -their guilt.</p> - -<p>The result of the whole, is, That we are -hence taught to adore the awful ways of God’s -providence, in this instance of <i>Christ’s speaking -in parables</i>; in which both his Justice and -Goodness are so equally and signally displayed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_159">159</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XXXIX">SERMON XXXIX.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED NOVEMBER 27, 1774.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Matthew</span> xiii. 58.</h3> - -<p><i>And he did not many mighty works there, -because of their unbelief.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">There</span> were two things, I observed, very -remarkable in the conduct of our blessed -Saviour towards the Jews. One was, that -he chose to instruct the more ignorant and -uninformed of them, in the obscure way of -<i>parable</i>: The other, that he wrought but <i>few -miracles</i> for the conviction of such of them as -were incredulous and unbelieving.</p> - -<p>These two circumstances may be thought -strange; because the less informed the people<span class="pagenum" id="Page_160">160</span> -were to whom he addressed himself, the more -need there seems to have been of the <i>plainest -instruction</i>; and the less disposed they were -to believe in him, the greater necessity we may -think there was for subduing their unbelief by -<i>the force of miracles</i>. Yet the conduct of -Jesus was not according to these expectations, -in either instance; and has accordingly furnished -the occasion of <small>TWO</small> corresponding objections -to his divine character and mission.</p> - -<p>To the <i>former</i> of these objections, that -which respects his <i>way of speaking by parables</i>, -I have already replied in a distinct discourse -on that subject. The <i>latter</i>, which -respects his <i>way of working miracles</i>, I now -propose to consider.</p> - -<p>The text, you see, points out the subject, -and confines me to it. Jesus, in discharge of -his general office, and from a principle, as we -may suppose, of private affection, <i>went into -his own country</i>, that is, to Nazareth, where -he had been brought up, with the intention of -preaching the Gospel there, and of giving the -people of that place the proper proofs of his -authority and mission. Accordingly, the sacred -historian tells us, <i>he taught them in their -synagogue</i>; And we know, besides, that he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_161">161</span> -wrought some miracles; for the people were -astonished and said, <i>Whence hath this man -this</i> <small>WISDOM</small>, and these <small>MIGHTY WORKS</small>?</p> - -<p>They were the more astonished, because -Jesus was no stranger to them; and the rest -of his family, people of an obscure condition, -then lived among them. They knew him only -under the idea of a <i>Carpenter’s Son</i>, and they -had observed perhaps nothing extraordinary -him; or, if they had, this very circumstance, -as is not uncommon among neighbours and -countrymen, might have infused some jealousy -and dislike of him. Be that as it will, their -prejudices against him were extreme, and they -expressed them in the most contemptuous -manner. <i>Is not this</i>, say they, <i>the Carpenter’s -Son? Is not his Mother called -Mary? and his Brethren, James, and Joses, -and Simon, and Judas? And his Sisters, -are they not all with us? Whence then hath -this man all these things? And they were -offended in him.</i> To these disparaging questions, -which easily overpowered the evidence -of conviction even from their own senses, -Jesus only replied, <i>A prophet is not without -honour, save in his own country, and in his -own house</i>. And then the text follows, which -says, <i>And he did not many mighty works -there, because of their unbelief</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_162">162</span></p> - -<p>This is the <small>FACT</small>: And the question upon it, -is, <i>Why Jesus forebore to work miracles -among these people, because they did not believe -in him?</i></p> - -<p>Before I reply distinctly to this question, -permit me to premise <i>two</i> general observations; -one, on the use of miracles, considered -in themselves; and the other, on the use of -miracles, as applied to the Christian dispensation.</p> - -<p><i>First</i>, then, I observe, that, a miracle being, -for the time, an alteration or suspension of the -laws of nature, our best ideas of the divine attributes -lead us to conclude, that this violence -on his own plan of government is only exerted -for some very important end, and will be exerted -no farther, nor oftener, than is necessary -to that end. It is true, it may be difficult for -us to judge, in many cases, of that importance, -and of that necessity; but unless both be very -apparent to us, in no case, can we be authorized -to require or even expect, a continuance -or repetition, much less a multiplication of -these miraculous exertions. To judge otherwise -on this subject, would be to charge God -foolishly, and, in effect, to blaspheme his -wisdom.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_163">163</span></p> - -<p><i>Secondly</i>, I observe, that the use of miracles, -as applied to the Christian dispensation, is to -give credit to the character and pretensions of -Jesus. It is supposed in this argument that -miracles, duly circumstanced and fully attested, -are sufficient to this purpose; but there -is no reason to suppose that more or greater -will be wrought, than that purpose requires.</p> - -<p>These things being premised, to the question, -<i>Why Jesus did not many miracles, before -the unbelieving Jews of Nazareth</i>, I -reply directly by saying</p> - -<p>I. In the first place, <i>because such a display -of his power was not necessary to their conviction</i>. -I mean not to say at present, that -more or greater miracles would not have convinced -them (though it be very unlikely, that -they would), but that they were not necessary -to the end proposed by them, which was to -afford such an attestation to the character of -Jesus as might be a reasonable and, in itself, -a sufficient ground of their conviction. More -than this the Jews had no right to expect. -And less than this was not offered: For when -it is said, that Jesus did not <i>many</i> miracles at -Nazareth, it is implied that he did <i>some</i>; and -thus much they confess themselves in asking, -<i>whence hath this man these mighty works?</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_164">164</span></p> - -<p>Now <i>some</i> miracles, nay <i>one single</i> miracle, -seen and confessed as such, was a reasonable -ground of conviction. More therefore could -not be esteemed <i>necessary</i>, that is, were not -required to furnish the fit and proper means of -such conviction. Without doubt, God, if he -had been so pleased, might have shattered and -confounded all the elements, and have driven -the men of Nazareth, and even the Jewish -Sanhedrim itself, by the force and terror of his -almighty power, into an unwilling acknowledgment -of his Son, Jesus. But this is not -the way in which he treats his reasonable creatures, -even when he exceeds the ordinary methods -of his providence. He does that which -is simply fit and right, in respect of the end he -has in view, and leaves the rest to ourselves. -This, as far as we know, is the universal mode -of God’s government, and as far as we can -judge, is the most worthy of him.</p> - -<p>Still, it will be said, though Jesus was not -obliged to do more for the conviction of these -unbelievers, though more or greater miracles -could not strictly be required of him, yet so -limited a display of his power on such an occasion -seemed penurious, and even unkind. -A little more zeal, and some supernumerary -wonders, might have better expressed his concern<span class="pagenum" id="Page_165">165</span> -for his unhappy countrymen. I reply -then,</p> - -<p>II. In the second place, that as more or -greater miracles were not necessary to the end -of giving a just proof of his mission, so they -were most probably not expedient to any other -good end, but, on the contrary, would have -been hurtful and pernicious to his unbelieving -countrymen.</p> - -<p>We have reason to conclude thus, if we -consider that the same prejudices, which obstructed -their conviction from <i>some</i> confessed -miracles, would not have given way to <i>more</i>. -We have an example in the other unbelieving -Jews, especially in the rulers of that people, -who, the more and greater miracles they saw -performed by Jesus, were the more hardened -in their unbelief, and the more exasperated -against him. They even give it as a reason -for their vindictive prosecution of him, that he -<i>did</i>, and <i>was doing many miracles</i><a id="FNanchor_149" href="#Footnote_149" class="fnanchor">[149]</a>.</p> - -<p>Taking the matter then in this light, what -other effect could a waste of miracles have had, -but to heap guilt and vengeance upon their -heads? By leaving these perverse people to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_166">166</span> -themselves, perhaps their prejudices might -subside, and they might yield in time to the -evidence they already had, or they might -submit to other evidence, which they should -collect for themselves hereafter. To have irritated -their prejudices, now, by further miracles, -might have fixed them absolutely in unbelief.</p> - -<p>This conclusion becomes the more probable, -if we admit the pretensions of Jesus: For -then he may be supposed to have certainly -foreseen the present impracticability of converting -these men, and to have restrained his -power before them, on that account. But I -am now arguing with those, who make this -conduct an objection to his pretensions. I -offer it therefore as a conclusion only very probable -from the nature of the thing, that his -<i>not doing many miracles</i> before his unbelieving -countrymen, was, among other motives, from -<i>a principle of mercy and kindness to them</i>. -At least, the contrary, I think, cannot be affirmed -with any shew or colour of reason.</p> - -<p>But whatever kindness our Lord might -have for these men, his continuing to work -more miracles among them, under the present -circumstances, would have been improper, -because</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_167">167</span></p> - -<p>III. In the next place (and this is my <i>third</i> -answer to the objection) <i>this conduct would -have opposed, and tended directly to defeat, -the general end and success of his ministry</i>.</p> - -<p>The proper <small>END</small> of his ministry was to -preach salvation to the Jews, and to give them -such evidence of his being the Messiah, as was -sufficient to their conviction. When he had -done this in one place, if no very important -considerations induced his longer stay, he was -to proceed to another. This was so essential a -part of his office, that it seems not to have -been forgotten, even when there was no peculiar -complaint of <i>unbelief</i>, in those with whom -he had resided. For when the people of another -place, of more <i>faith</i>, as it should seem, -<i>came to him, and</i> would have <i>stayed him, that -he should not depart from them</i>, He refused -to comply with them, and <i>said, I must -preach the kingdom of God to other cities -also, for</i> <small>THEREFORE AM I SENT</small><a id="FNanchor_150" href="#Footnote_150" class="fnanchor">[150]</a>.</p> - -<p>This then was the end of his ministry. He -was to preach the word; but was not obliged -to see that it took effect, or to wait the success -of it. How repugnant then had it been to this -end, to waste unnecessary time and power on<span class="pagenum" id="Page_168">168</span> -unbelieving Nazareth, when so many other -cities, and those better disposed, claimed their -share of each!</p> - -<p>But, further, the dispositions of these people -towards him were such, as seemed likely, not -only to retard and interrupt, but totally to -<i>prevent</i> the execution of his ministry. They -would either have found means, had he continued -longer with them, to deliver him into the -hands of the Jewish rulers, or by some act of -violence would have taken away his life. This -appears from the rage with which they drove -him out of their city, and from their purpose, -as St. Luke relates the story, to <i>cast him down -headlong from the brow of the hill, whereon -their city was built</i><a id="FNanchor_151" href="#Footnote_151" class="fnanchor">[151]</a>. So that his attempt to -convert them by more miracles, might have -put an untimely end to his ministry, when it -was now but little more than begun. And, -though this event might at any time have been -prevented by an exertion of his miraculous -power, and without doubt would have been -prevented in that manner, had the conjuncture -made it necessary; yet this was no reason for -his exposing himself to that danger, since, as -we before observed, miracles are not to be -expected or employed, where the end in view<span class="pagenum" id="Page_169">169</span> -may be accomplished by human means. Accordingly, -our Saviour consulted his own safety -on all occasions during the course of his ministry, -by every prudential method: And when -he afterwards armed his disciples with the -power of working miracles, he prescribed the -same conduct to them, and, when they found -themselves <i>persecuted in one city</i>, bade them -<i>flee to another</i><a id="FNanchor_152" href="#Footnote_152" class="fnanchor">[152]</a>. It is generally thought, indeed, -that nothing but a miracle rescued him -out of the hands of the enraged people of Nazareth. -If so, his danger among them must -have been extreme, and shews the necessity of -his removing from them. However, if this last -miracle was wrought, it was one more added to -the number of those he had worked in that -city, and, like all the rest, was lost upon it. -On the whole, it appears certain then, that the -<i>unbelief</i> of these Nazarenes was a just reason -for Christ’s <i>not doing many miracles among -them</i>, since the opposite conduct would have -tended <i>to defeat the end and execution of his -general office</i>.</p> - -<p>Still, the most direct and convincing answer -to the objection is behind: For,</p> - -<p>IV. Lastly, I observe that Jesus <i>did not -many miracles</i> before the unbelieving men of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_170">170</span> -Nazareth, <i>because</i> such a display of his power -would have <i>been contrary to a general rule of -conduct, which he prescribed to himself, and -that, on the highest reason</i>.</p> - -<p>This rule was, <i>not to work a miracle upon -them, or for them, who were deficient in -faith</i>: By which term, <i>faith</i>, I do not mean -a grounded faith in him, as the Messiah, (for -that could only be produced originally by miracles) -but such an honesty and probity of -mind as might dispose them to believe on the -evidence of miracles. It was in this case, as in -that of <i>Parables, to him only who hath, more -was given</i>. And therefore the first question -be put to those, who repaired to him for a miraculous -relief of their necessities, was, <i>Do Ye -believe?</i> Are ye withheld by no fixed and -willful prejudices from supposing that one, -coming to you under the character of the Messiah, -is empowered to do this for you, or from -yielding to its evidence, when it is done? This -was so indispensable a rule with him, that -St. Mark, in relating this adventure at Nazareth, -goes so far as to say that he <small>COULD -NOT DO</small> many mighty works there because of -their unbelief<a id="FNanchor_153" href="#Footnote_153" class="fnanchor">[153]</a>. The meaning of which is, -that there was, no <i>natural</i> indeed, but a <i>moral</i><span class="pagenum" id="Page_171">171</span> -impossibility of his working more miracles -there; that is, he <i>could not do it</i>, consistently -with the general principles, on which he -acted.</p> - -<p>And that these principles were founded in -<i>the best reason</i>, no man can doubt who reflects, -that the highest possible favour, which -can be conferred on man, that is, a miracle -wrought for his salvation, reasonably supposes -some degree of desert, some prior dispositions -to profit by it; who reflects farther, that, -where such a preparation of mind is not, -the miracle is thrown away; nay, worse than -that, can only serve to the hurt and condemnation -of that person, on whom, or for whom it -is performed.</p> - -<p>Men have a strange notion, that when God -intends to convince any one by the evidence of -miracles, he should repeat and enforce that -evidence, till it take effect, whether we will or -not; nay, that the most obstinate and determined -infidelity is only a stronger reason for -his contending with it. But this is a very presumptuous, -as well as injurious, conception of -the divine nature: It is presumptuous in the -highest degree, because it supposes that we -have a right to prescribe terms to infinite<span class="pagenum" id="Page_172">172</span> -power and wisdom: It is greatly injurious to -the Supreme Being, because it supposes that -he has no regard to the moral worth of his -creatures, or even to any reasonable end, in -the wonders he does for them. The Scriptures -represent this matter in another light: they require -something, where much is given; they -expect from us to <i>have</i>, before we receive; -they suppose us in short to be moral agents, -and not machines. And our Lord himself, -speaking in the proverbial language of the -Jews, gives it as a special command to his -Disciples, <i>Not to cast that which is holy unto -dogs, not to cast their pearls before swine</i><a id="FNanchor_154" href="#Footnote_154" class="fnanchor">[154]</a>. -All this is agreeable to our best notions of the -divine wisdom and goodness, as well as to the -usual course of God’s providence; and therefore -on this footing only the conduct of Jesus -towards the unbelieving Jews of Nazareth is -abundantly justified.</p> - -<p>To draw to a point, then, the substance of -what has been said. To the question, <i>why -Jesus did not more miracles, before the unbelieving?</i> -We reply, That such conduct was -not necessary to the end of miracles, which -was to afford a reasonable conviction—that it -was not likely to answer any good end, but, on<span class="pagenum" id="Page_173">173</span> -the contrary, would have been hurtful to such -unbelievers—that it tended to defeat the design -and success of Christ’s ministry, by narrowing -the sphere, of shortening the term of -it—that, lastly and chiefly, it was unreasonable -in itself, and contrary to the general -scheme and order of God’s moral government.</p> - -<p>Let no man then abuse himself with foolish -imaginations, as if Christ was wanting in that -which became his office and mission; still -less, as if he acted from any caprice, or unconcern -for the souls of men, in not forcing -their belief; but least of all, as if his pretensions -had any thing to fear from the little faith -of those to whom he addressed himself, and -could only prevail with the weak and credulous, -with those who were unable or indisposed -to scrutinize his miracles. Even this last -insinuation has been made, not only without -grounds, but against the fullest evidence; the -miracles of Jesus having been numerous, public, -illustrious, and even acknowledged, at least -not convicted of imposture, by his bitterest -enemies, by those who were most active and -most able to examine into the truth and -reality of them.</p> - -<p>With regard to the miracles in question, let -us be so ingenuous as to confess, that, if these<span class="pagenum" id="Page_174">174</span> -were necessary to announce his office and character -to the men of Nazareth, more than -these were unnecessary, and that their unbelief -affords the best grounds to conclude, that they -were so. Consider too, that, if no reasons had -occurred to us for this conduct, it could not -certainly appear that it was unreasonable. -When we know, in fact, what the method of -God’s dealing with mankind has been, in any -instance, we may be able perhaps to discern -good reasons for it. But we can seldom affirm -with any shew of reason, from any preconceptions -or general speculations of our own, what -it should or must be. Here we are manifestly -out of our depth, and cannot stir a step without -the hazard of absurdity or impiety.</p> - -<p>If we have reason to admit the divine authority -of our Religion, whatever conduct it -ascribes to Jesus, must be fit and right, however -impenetrable to us. If we admit it not, -our concern is to see that we have reason for -not admitting it. This matter is to be tried -by the evidence given of that authority only, -I mean by the external proofs, and historic -testimony, on which it rests. When this is -done, no slight cavils of reason, no fanciful -suspicions, no plausible objections, nor any -thing else but the most obvious contradiction<span class="pagenum" id="Page_175">175</span> -in something it asserts to the clearest dictates -of the human understanding (which no man -has ever yet found) can possibly shake, or so -much as affect, that authority.</p> - -<p>In the present case, we have seen how entirely -groundless the objection is to Christ’s -conduct at Nazareth. But if this objection -could not have been answered, nothing had -followed but a conviction of our ignorance. -It might still be true (as we now see it to be), -that Jesus acted agreeably to his divine character -<i>in not doing many miracles</i> before the -people of Nazareth, <i>because of their unbelief</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_176">176</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XL">SERMON XL.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED MAY 23, 1773.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">2 Cor.</span> iv. 5.</h3> - -<p><i>We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the -Lord.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">We</span> may consider these words, either as an -<i>admonition</i> to the ministers of the Gospel, <i>To -preach not themselves, but Christ Jesus the -Lord</i>; or simply as a <i>fact</i>, which St. Paul -asserts of himself and the other Apostles, <i>That -they preached not themselves, but Christ Jesus -the Lord</i>.</p> - -<p>In either sense, the words are instructive; -but I take them in the latter sense, only. I -would confirm and illustrate this assumed fact: -and then employ it as a medium to prove the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_177">177</span> -divine authority of the sacred writings. If it -be true, <i>that the Apostles preached not themselves, -but Christ Jesus the Lord</i>, it will, -perhaps, be seen to follow, <i>That therefore -they preached not from their own private -suggestions, but by the direction of the spirit -of God</i>.</p> - -<p>The assertion of the Text is, indeed, general, -and to this effect, “That a number of -persons, who were employed to convert the -world to the Religion of Jesus, did, in the -tenour of their lives and the course of their -ministry, pay no regard to their own interests -of any kind, and were only intent on the due -discharge of their commission.”</p> - -<p>But the subject, in that extent, is too large -for a discourse of this nature. What I would -offer to your consideration, is <small>ONE SINGLE INSTANCE</small> -of that indifference which the Apostles -shewed to their own interests, I mean, <i>Their -total disregard of human applause in preaching -the Gospel</i>.</p> - -<p>In this restrained sense of the words, men -may be said <i>to preach themselves</i>, in <small>TWO</small> respects: -When they shew a solicitude to set -themselves forth with advantage: 1. as to their -<small>MORAL</small> character. And 2. as to their <small>INTELLECTUAL</small>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_178">178</span></p> - -<p>I. When men would give an advantageous -idea of their <i>moral character</i>, they usually express -this design, either, 1. <i>By representing -or insinuating their superior worth and virtue</i>: -Or, 2. <i>By suppressing or palliating what may -render it suspected</i>: Or, 3. lastly, <i>By dwelling -on such topics, and in such a manner, as may -give occasion to others to think well of their -moral qualities</i>.</p> - -<p>Let us try the Apostolic writings by each of -these marks.</p> - -<p>1. The first way that men take to illustrate -their <i>moral character</i>, is, <i>By representing, -or insinuating their worth and virtue, on -all occasions</i>.</p> - -<p>Consider those apologists for themselves, -who have left us memoirs of their own lives. -You will find, in most of these, an ambitious -display of those moral virtues, by which they -desire to be distinguished. They lose no -opportunity of setting forth the purity of their -designs, and the integrity of their practice. -The rest, may do this with less pomp and affectation: -they may preserve a modesty in the -language, and a decent reserve in the air and -cast, of their narration. Still, the same purpose -is discoverable in all these writers, whether they<span class="pagenum" id="Page_179">179</span> -openly proclaim, or nicely suggest and insinuate -their own importance. When men are actuated -with a strong desire of appearing in the -fairest light to others, it unavoidably breaks -out in some shape or other, and all the indirect -ways of address cannot conceal it from the intelligent -observer.</p> - -<p>We have a great example in two, the most -extraordinary persons of the pagan world, I -mean, <small>XENOPHON</small>, and <small>JULIUS CÆSAR</small>. These -admired men thought fit to record their own -acts and atchievements; and have done it with -that air of neglect and unpretending simplicity, -which has been the wonder of mankind. Yet, -through all this apparent indifference, every -one sees the real drift of these elaborate volumes: -every one sees, that they are composed in such -a way as to excite the highest opinion, not of -their ability in the art of war only, but of the -justice, generosity, benevolence, in short, the -moral qualities of their respective authors. It -evidently appears that they designed to be their -own panegyrists; though none but such men -could have executed that design, in so inoffensive -and successful a manner.</p> - -<p>But now, if we turn to the sacred writers, we -shall find no traces of their <i>preaching themselves</i>, -in this respect. These plain fishermen<span class="pagenum" id="Page_180">180</span> -tell their story unambitiously, and without art; -or, if we call it art, it is such an one as Greece -and Rome had never been able to put in -practice. No exaggerations of what may be -thought praise-worthy in themselves: no oblique -encomiums on their own best qualities or actions: -no complacent airs in the recital of what may -reflect honour on their own characters: no -studied reserve and refinement in the turn and -language of their history.</p> - -<p>If there be any virtue, which we may suppose -them more than commonly anxious to -arrogate to themselves, any moral quality, in -which they would shine out to the observation -of others, what more likely than an unshaken -fidelity to their Master? that Master, whom -they made it their glory, their sole glory, as the -Text speaks, <i>to preach</i>? Yet they are so far -from respecting their own credit in this particular, -that they relate their own infirmities and -miscarriages; they acknowledge how wavering -and precarious their <i>faith</i> was; nay, they tell -us that, in his last distresses, <i>they all forsook -him, and fled</i><a id="FNanchor_155" href="#Footnote_155" class="fnanchor">[155]</a>.</p> - -<p>2. This last circumstance reminds us of the -next artifice which men employ to set off their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_181">181</span> -moral character, <i>that of suppressing or palliating -whatever may render it suspected</i>.</p> - -<p>As accomplished persons, as the great men, -before mentioned, were, can we doubt that -many exceptionable steps were taken by them -in the affairs, they managed: that, on some -occasions, their prudence failed them, and their -virtue, on others; that their counsels and -measures were conducted, at times, with too -little honesty, or too much passion? Yet, you -will in vain look for any thing of this sort in -their large and particular histories. All is candid -and fair, judicious and well advised: every -thing speaks the virtuous man, and able commander. -The obnoxious passages are either -suppressed, or they are turned in such a way -as to do honour to their Relaters.</p> - -<p>Or, take another instance. When Cicero -had offended against the capital law of his moral -code, that, which enjoined the love of his -country, first, by his backwardness to join the -camp of Pompey, and, afterwards, by his -prompt submission to the tyranny of Cæsar, -What is the conduct of the illustrious Roman -patriot, on this pressing occasion? Does he -frankly condemn these false steps, or does he -content himself with a simple relation of them?<span class="pagenum" id="Page_182">182</span> -Neither of these things: He softens and disguises -the truth; he employs all his wit and -eloquence to palliate this inglorious desertion of -his principles, to himself and others.</p> - -<p>I might add many other examples. But ye -see, in these, a striking contrast to the ingenuity -of the sacred writers. They study no -arts of evasion or concealment. They proclaim -their own faults, and even vices, to all the -world. One, acknowledges himself to have -been a furious bigot, a persecutor, and blasphemer<a id="FNanchor_156" href="#Footnote_156" class="fnanchor">[156]</a>: -Another, relates his own cowardice, -ingratitude, and treachery<a id="FNanchor_157" href="#Footnote_157" class="fnanchor">[157]</a>. There is nothing -like a concert between them to cover each -other’s defects: They expose the vindictive zeal -of one<a id="FNanchor_158" href="#Footnote_158" class="fnanchor">[158]</a>; the intolerant spirit of others<a id="FNanchor_159" href="#Footnote_159" class="fnanchor">[159]</a>; the -selfish intrigues of all<a id="FNanchor_160" href="#Footnote_160" class="fnanchor">[160]</a>. In a word, they give -up their moral character to the scorn and censure -of their readers, and appear solicitous for -nothing but the honour of their Master—<i>They -preach not themselves, but the Lord Jesus -Christ</i>.</p> - -<p>But ye will say, this apparent candour was -the most consummate art; and that they confessed -some obnoxious passages in their lives,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_183">183</span> -to procure themselves credit in other instances. -This, no doubt, is sometimes the case -with artful writers and speakers: But then only, -when small defects and miscarriages are confessed; -or, when the facts are too notorious to -be dissembled; or, if perhaps they confess such -things of themselves, as are highly blameable, -and might otherwise have been concealed, they -do it to gain the praise of a more than ordinary -frankness and ingenuity, they apparently make -a matter of vanity, even of that confession<a id="FNanchor_161" href="#Footnote_161" class="fnanchor">[161]</a>. -The case is much otherwise with the preachers -of Jesus. They scruple not to tax themselves -with the most odious vices; and these too, -many times of such a nature as shews, they -might well have been kept secret from all the -world; while yet the discovery is made in such -a way, that suspicion itself cannot charge them -with the design of drawing any credit to themselves -from it.</p> - -<p>Hitherto, we have considered how many men may -contrive to celebrate or insinuate their own -virtues, to suppress or disguise their own -vices, in narratives or memorials of their lives; -and how free the Apostles are from the suspicion -of doing either. But the same design -may be prosecuted in writings of another<span class="pagenum" id="Page_184">184</span> -sort: and we have writings of another sort -from the hands of the Apostles. I observe -then</p> - -<p>3. That, when writers are studious of their -own fame, they find means, in any moral or -historic work, though themselves be not the -professed subject of it, to do honour to their -own character, <i>by dwelling on such topics, and -in such a manner, as may give occasion to -others to think well of their moral qualities</i>.</p> - -<p>They declaim, perhaps, with much heat -against certain vices, or expatiate with much -complacency on certain virtues; or, they labour -some disgraceful portraits of bad men, -and draw their favoured characters with all the -heightenings of panegyrick: And who will -suppose, after this specimen of their zeal, that -they themselves are not adorned with those -good qualities, which they so studiously recommend, -or are not exempt from those bad -ones, which they so industriously expose? The -artifice is so common, that we have it played -upon us every day; and yet so imposing, that -it constantly succeeds with us. How many -popular characters does every one call to mind, -that have no foundation but in this favourable -prejudice! But let me carry your thoughts<span class="pagenum" id="Page_185">185</span> -back to ancient times, and fix them on far -higher instances. Who that reads the moral -prefaces and digressions of the historian <small>SALLUST</small>, -but must imagine the author to have -been a model of ancient frugality and austere -manners? And who that looks into the philosopher -<small>SENECA</small>, and finds him all on fire in -celebrating some distinguished characters, and -exposing some detested ones, but will conclude -the writer to have been himself accomplished -in all virtue?</p> - -<p>I make no enquiry, at present, into the real -characters of these illustrious persons: I pass -no judgment on the real merit of their books. -Their zeal might be an honest one; and the -form of their writings might be owing to that -zeal. But this, I observe, that the form itself -is well suited to the purpose of those who -would <i>preach themselves</i>; and that the sacred -writers have not thought fit to adopt this method.</p> - -<p>Their books indeed are full of moral sentences -and moral precepts (for they are teachers of -morality by profession); but short, and simple; -and though earnestly enforced, not ostentatiously -displayed. The historic part of their -writings is wonderful for its calmness, I had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_186">186</span> -almost said, insensibility. No attempt to colour -their good or bad characters. Even the -transcendant virtues of their Master are left to -be collected rather from the simplest exposition -of what he said and did, than from any formal -representation of them: And, what is stranger -still, his betrayers and murderers are loaded -with no invective, nor set to scorn in any odious -lights<a id="FNanchor_162" href="#Footnote_162" class="fnanchor">[162]</a>. These divine men are superior to the -prejudices even of virtue itself; and have so -little thought of deriving a vanity from their -own honest feelings, that we are almost left in -doubt, whether they were, indeed, actuated by -them.</p> - -<p>II. Thus much for the indifference of the -sacred writers to their moral character: Let us -now see whether they are more concerned for -their <small>INTELLECTUAL</small>.</p> - -<p>There are two ways which men take to display -their mental qualities: 1. <i>By labouring -to make appear an extraordinary acuteness of -understanding</i>: And 2. <i>By aiming at the -praise of extraordinary wit and eloquence</i>.</p> - -<p>It is superfluous to observe to you how -these two characters predominate in all the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_187">187</span> -writings and speeches of uninspired men. -Consider, if there be one exception in all -those whom the world most approves and admires: -Consider, if there be not evident symptoms -of this vanity in every single writer or -speaker, that has undertaken to instruct or -reform mankind. I deny not, that many of -these have been persons of great modesty and -distinguished virtue: Yet they never lose sight -of their own mental accomplishments; they -never forget, under some shape or other, in -this respect, to <i>preach themselves</i>. Even He, -who now so freely censures this infirmity in -others, is, perhaps, at the instant, an example -of it, himself.</p> - -<p>Let us see, then, if <i>the preachers of the -Gospel</i> have the singular prerogative to stand -clear of this general imputation.</p> - -<p>1. They certainly lay no claim to any superior -quickness of understanding. On the -contrary, they relate many circumstances, -which clearly imply their own dulness and inapprehension. -They acquaint us with the gross -mistakes, they were apt to fall into, in their -conversations with their Master; they are at a -loss to comprehend his parables, nay to look -beyond the literal sense of the plainest figures;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_188">188</span> -they even record the reproaches which Jesus -made to them on these occasions.</p> - -<p>But this slowness of conception, it will be -said, was in their early unenlightened state, -and was, perhaps, affected by them to do honour -to their subsequent illuminations. Be it -so. But how do these illuminated men employ -the divine light, that was imparted to -them? In advancing curious theories in Morals, -or in framing subtle Metaphysical systems? -Do they affect a philosophic depth or accuracy -in their researches into human nature, or a -superior penetration in their reasonings about -spiritual things? Do they shine in paradoxes? -or strike with quaint aphorisms? Do they entertain -us with exquisite positions, or remote -conclusions? Nothing of all this. What they -teach of moral and divine things, is with the -air of men, not who make discoveries, but who -deliver known and familiar truths. They tell -us many things, which we knew not before: -But they tell them as matters of divine commission, -not of their own collection or investigation. -And, for the rest, they presume not -to speculate upon them, at all.</p> - -<p>Indeed, the general subject of their discourses -was such, as gave no scope to the exercise,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_189">189</span> -and afforded no gratification to the pride, of -Reason. They publish to the world a matter -of fact, of which they were eye-witnesses; -they attest the death and resurrection of Jesus, -and preach remission of sins in his name. -These were the points <i>they witnessed both to -small and great; saying none other things -than those, which they had seen and heard, -and which the Prophets and Moses did say -come to pass</i><a id="FNanchor_163" href="#Footnote_163" class="fnanchor">[163]</a>. Is there any thing in -such a doctrine, as this, that looks like <i>preaching -themselves</i>? Can it be thought that such -teachers had an eye to the credit of their own -abilities, or that they meant to advance the reputation -of their own understandings above -that of other men?</p> - -<p>2. Still less reason is there to charge this -ambition on their manner of preaching, or -to imagine that they sought the fame of ingenuity -from the terms in which they conveyed -their instructions to mankind. If the substance -of their doctrine was plain facts, their -language was that of plain men. They spake -not <i>with the enticing words of man’s wisdom</i>; -scarcely with the ordinary propriety, certainly, -not with what is called the purity and elegance, -of their tongue.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_190">190</span></p> - -<p>But the fact is not disputed, rather is objected -to them by such as question their inspiration -(with what reason, we shall presently -see); so that I may fairly conclude, that such -men could have no purpose to recommend themselves -by the arts of speaking, or, that, with -regard to the praise of wit and eloquence, they -could not possibly mean to <i>preach themselves</i>.</p> - -<p>Not let it be said, that this unornamented -style of preaching was the effect of their ignorance, -and inability to reach the graces of a -juster manner. For, besides that it is no new -thing for men to affect what they have no -talents for, it is certain that <small>ONE</small> at least of the -Apostles, He, whose province it was to convert -the Gentile world, long since enamoured -of the study of eloquence, and who, of all the -Apostles, wrote most, it is certain, I say, that -this great man was not disqualified by a want -of parts or learning, from pretending to this -prize of eloquence, if his ambition had condescended -to it.</p> - -<p>III. It appears then, with a reasonable degree -of evidence, that the writers of the New -Testament had no regard <i>to themselves</i>, that -is, to the reputation either of their Moral or -Intellectual virtues, in composing those books.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_191">191</span> -The fact, as singular as it is, seems well established: -And I draw this interesting conclusion -from it, <i>That, therefore, they preached, not -from their own private suggestions, but by the -direction of the Holy Spirit</i>.</p> - -<p>This conclusion follows undeniably from that -fact. For, if such a number of persons, of -different tempers, educations, and professions, -could be so disinterested as to overlook their -own credit in a point, which all other men -have so exceedingly at heart, and which no -other men, nay which no other single man has -ever been able to give up; and that too, when -they were teaching a divine religion, and might -therefore seem to have a decent pretence for -assuming all sorts of merit to themselves; if -this, I say, be a certain fact, what can we -conclude, but that the Spirit of God, to whose -enlightening influences they ascribed their -doctrine, over-ruled their natural self-love in -the manner of preaching it, and that <i>these -holy men spoke, as they were moved by the Holy -Ghost</i>?</p> - -<p>To return then to the Text, and to conclude. -<i>We preach not ourselves</i>—said St. Paul, in his -own name and that of the other Apostles—<i>We -preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus<span class="pagenum" id="Page_192">192</span> -the Lord</i>. The writings of these men are still -extant; and bear the fullest testimony to the -truth of what they assert. This, then, among -many others, is an intrinsic character, impressed -on those writings, of their divine original. -It may be regarded, as a standing -miracle, which, as oft as we revolve and consider -them, speaks aloud, as in a voice from -Heaven, that the Scriptures, they have left us, -are the <i>word and work of God</i>.</p> - -<p>If their uninspired successors in the ministry -of the word be unable to copy so bright an -example of humility and self-denial, forgive -them this defect, or impute it, if you will, to -natural vanity and unsubdued self-love. But, -when ye chance to observe this infirmity in -others, forget not to say to yourselves, that -this high privilege of <i>preaching not themselves</i> -was reserved to the Evangelists and Apostles -only, to dignify their character; and to excite, -confirm, and support our faith; in a word, to -manifest to all the world, in the very frame and -texture of the sacred Oracles, that they were, -indeed, dictated by the Spirit of God.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_193">193</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XLI">SERMON XLI.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED DECEMBER 15, 1771.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Matth.</span> xi. 5.</h3> - -<p><i>The Poor have the Gospel preached unto -them.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">Many</span> circumstances, attending the Gospel -of Jesus, are such, as we should not previously -have expected: Yet, when duly considered, -they fully approve themselves to our best -reason.</p> - -<p>We have a memorable instance, in the Text. -Among other marks, by which it pleased our -blessed Lord to authenticate his mission, one -was, <i>That the Poor had the Gospel preached<span class="pagenum" id="Page_194">194</span> -unto them. Go</i>, (says he to the disciples of -John the Baptist, who had sent them to know -of Jesus, whether he were indeed the Messiah) -<i>Go, and shew John again those things which -ye do hear and see: The blind receive their -sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are -cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are -raised up, and</i> <small>THE POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL -PREACHED UNTO THEM</small>.</p> - -<p>We are surprized, perhaps, on the first mention -of these words, to find this last circumstance -put upon a level with the rest, even with -that greatest of all miracles, <i>the raising of -the dead to life</i>. We may not immediately -apprehend, why the <i>Poor</i> should be thus considered -by the Saviour of the world; or how -the truth of his pretensions comes to be concerned -in this treatment of them. But, upon -inquiry, we shall find there were some important -reasons which determined our Lord to -this conduct, and which made that conduct, in -a peculiar manner, expressive of his person -and office.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">First</span>, This character was directly applied -to the Messiah, in the ancient prophecies. Our -Lord himself, in the text, quotes the very words -of Isaiah: So that, <i>in preaching the Gospel to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_195">195</span> -the Poor</i>, he fulfilled that prediction, and so -far corresponded to the character, which the -word of prophecy had given of the Messiah.</p> - -<p>But this circumstance, we may suppose, -would have been no part of the Messiah’s -character, but for reasons which made it fit and -right, that He should be thus distinguished. -Let us, further, inquire, then,</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Secondly</span>, what those reasons, probably -were; only premising one word, to ascertain -the objects, both of the prophecy, and of our -Lord’s charitable attention.</p> - -<p>There is no doubt but the word, <i>poor</i>, in the -prophecies alledged, and in Christ’s application -of them, is very capable of being understood in -a metaphorical or spiritual sense, and was even -intended to be so understood; I mean, in that -sense, which our Lord gives to the word, <i>Poor</i>, -when he says—<i>Blessed are the poor in spirit, -for theirs is the kingdom of heaven</i><a id="FNanchor_164" href="#Footnote_164" class="fnanchor">[164]</a>. But -this metaphorical sense does not exclude, it -rather supposes, the literal. For, who are <i>the -poor in spirit</i>, for the most part, but <i>the poor -in fortune</i>? they, whom neither the pride of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_196">196</span> -knowledge and education, nor the pride of -wealth and place, has corrupted with vain ideas -of their own sufficiency? But, there is a peculiar -reason for the literal interpretation of the -Text. For the words, <i>blind</i>, <i>lame</i>, and <i>deaf</i>, -have, likewise, their metaphorical sense in the -prophet, as well as the word, <i>poor</i>. Yet our -Lord alledges the completion of the prophecy, -in the literal meaning of those words; for he -refers the messengers of John to what <i>they saw -and heared</i>; to the miracles, he was then working, -or had worked, on <i>the blind, lame, and -deaf</i>, that is, in restoring their bodily senses -and members<a id="FNanchor_165" href="#Footnote_165" class="fnanchor">[165]</a>. So that, when the poor are -spoken of by Jesus, at the same time, we must -needs understand him as speaking of the <i>poor</i>, -properly so called, that is, of the lower ranks -of people, whom he was even then instructing, -as well as healing.</p> - -<p>We see, then, That Christ <i>preached the -Gospel to the poor</i>, in the literal, as well as -spiritual sense of that word: And, in so doing, -he both fulfilled the whole extent of the prophecy; -and, as we shall now find, gave an -eminent proof of the <small>GOODNESS</small> and <small>WISDOM</small> of -his own character.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_197">197</span></p> - -<p>For, consider the state of the <i>poor</i>, how -much they wanted, and how much better, than -the rich, they deserved, instruction, when our -Lord, in mercy, came <i>to preach the Gospel to -them</i>.</p> - -<p>I. The condition of the <i>poor</i>, that is, of the -people at large, was truly deplorable, at that -time. They were every where treated by their -superiors with the utmost contempt, and left -to struggle with an almost invincible ignorance -and corruption.</p> - -<p>The Jews, indeed, had the benefit of a divine -law: but their Scribes and Doctors <i>had made -it of none effect, by their traditions</i><a id="FNanchor_166" href="#Footnote_166" class="fnanchor">[166]</a>. They -had corrupted the word of God, by their fanciful -cabbalistical glosses; and had debased their -holy ritual, into a frivolous and sordid superstition. -They had <i>the key of knowledge</i> in -their hands; but they neither employed it to -the purpose of opening the true meaning of the -Scriptures, themselves, nor would suffer the -people to make this use of it. In the mean -time, their pride increased with their other -vices: they thought themselves <i>wise and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_198">198</span> -prudent<a id="FNanchor_167" href="#Footnote_167" class="fnanchor">[167]</a>, and righteous</i><a id="FNanchor_168" href="#Footnote_168" class="fnanchor">[168]</a>; and, in sovereign admiration -of their own worth and knowledge, -<i>they despised others</i>. Their insolence to the -<i>poor</i> was so transcendant, that they reproached -them for that ignorance, which themselves had -occasioned; and even checked their endeavours -to understand the true meaning of their law, in -terms of the bitterest scorn and execration. -<i>Have any of the Rulers or Pharisees</i>, said -they, <i>believed in Jesus? But this people<a id="FNanchor_169" href="#Footnote_169" class="fnanchor">[169]</a>, -that knoweth not the law, are accursed.</i></p> - -<p>Such was the state of the <i>poor</i>, among the -Jews: and that of the Gentile poor was no -better. As the former were only insulted, and -not instructed, by their <small>RABBIS</small>; So the <i>latter</i> -were just as ill treated by their <small>PHILOSOPHERS</small>.</p> - -<p>These men, indeed, <i>professed themselves -wise</i>; and had, in some respects, a juster claim, -than the Jewish doctors, to that proud, distinctive -appellation. Though their reasoning, -on many subjects (on which, however, they -valued themselves most) was little better than -that of the Cabbalists; yet, in moral matters,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_199">199</span> -which are of the highest concern to mankind, -they had been able to trace out some plausible -and ingenious theories, and had even penetrated -so far as to apprehend some general and -fundamental principles of natural religion. Yet -all this was matter of vanity among them, rather -than of public use. Their most interesting -speculations were either confined to their -schools, or secreted from the common eye, in -their mysteries. Their moral systems were -calculated to amuse, to polish, and, we will -say, to instruct the higher ranks of men; but -they were composed in such a way, and proceeded -on such principles, that the vulgar could -be little benefited by them. And, for what -they knew of religious truth, they studiously -kept it from the <i>poor</i>, and left them to the -tyranny of their senseless, their impure, their -abominable superstitions. Even Socrates himself, -though he laboured very commendably to -reform the lives of his fellow-citizens, yet laboured -to little effect, as he would not, or -durst not, disgrace their idolatries, the source -of all their corruption and misery. The rest -of these wise men were well contented, at most, -with being <i>wise to themselves</i>; they stood aloof -from the prophane vulgar; and contemplated, -with much complacency, or with much disdain, -the popular errors.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_200">200</span></p> - -<p>Such, and so wretched were the <i>poor</i>, when -our blessed Lord came to announce the good -tidings of salvation to them! Incapable of -themselves to find out or to understand their -duty, and misled, neglected, or contemned by -those who should have been their instructors; -lost in error and in vice, with no prospect of -recovering themselves out of either; without -guides, and without friends; in a word, <i>without -hope, and without God in the world</i><a id="FNanchor_170" href="#Footnote_170" class="fnanchor">[170]</a>; -What could equal their wants and their distresses? -And how loudly did they cry to -Heaven for some friendly hand to be stretched -out, some celestial light to be dispensed, to -them?</p> - -<p>But, perhaps, these unhappy men deserved -not the care of Heaven. And, without doubt, -if we put their claim on that footing, it will be -difficult to make out their title to such distinction. -Yet they had something, too, to plead -for themselves, something to engage the regards -of their merciful Creator, if it be true, as I -observed,</p> - -<p>II. In the next place, that their hearts, depraved -as they were, were yet not so utterly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_201">201</span> -perverse, as those of the <i>rich and great and -wise</i>, who poured such contempt upon them.</p> - -<p>And, for our satisfaction in this point, we -need but look into the Gospel-history; where -we find, from many facts and testimonies, that -the poorer sort among the Jews were they who -gave the best proofs of their disposition to embrace -the doctrine, and acknowledge the pretensions, -of Jesus.</p> - -<p>When he <i>preached</i> to the Jews, the Scribes -and Pharisees, that is, the <i>rich and wise</i>, almost -universally and without exception, cavilled at -his doctrine, perverted his words, and sought -occasion only <i>how they might entangle him in -his talk</i><a id="FNanchor_171" href="#Footnote_171" class="fnanchor">[171]</a>. But the people, giving way to the -ingenuous sense of their own minds, <i>heared -him gladly</i><a id="FNanchor_172" href="#Footnote_172" class="fnanchor">[172]</a>: They were even <i>very attentive -to hear him</i><a id="FNanchor_173" href="#Footnote_173" class="fnanchor">[173]</a>. Nor let it be thought, that the -love of novelty, or some worse motive, which -oft seduces the populace in such cases, was the -cause of this attention. They give another, and -better reason of it—<i>Never man</i>, say they, -<i>spake like this man</i><a id="FNanchor_174" href="#Footnote_174" class="fnanchor">[174]</a>: Again, <i>they were -astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them<span class="pagenum" id="Page_202">202</span> -as one having authority, and not as the -Scribes</i><a id="FNanchor_175" href="#Footnote_175" class="fnanchor">[175]</a>; That is, they had the sense to perceive -there was a weight and force and importance -in his doctrines, which they had never -found in any other, and, least of all, in the -light, frothy, and frivolous doctrines of their -Scribes; and they had the honesty to acknowledge -and proclaim their own feelings.</p> - -<p>Again; When Jesus wrought his miracles -before the Jews, while their superiors were unconvinced, -or blasphemed against conviction, -the multitudes cried out in admiration, <i>Is not -this the Son of David<a id="FNanchor_176" href="#Footnote_176" class="fnanchor">[176]</a>?</i>—<i>It was never</i>, they -say, <i>so seen in Israel</i><a id="FNanchor_177" href="#Footnote_177" class="fnanchor">[177]</a>—With a becoming -candour and piety, <i>they marvelled, and glorified -God, who had given such power unto -men</i><a id="FNanchor_178" href="#Footnote_178" class="fnanchor">[178]</a>.</p> - -<p>Thus much for the Jews. And the same -difference, between the <i>rich and poor</i>, afterwards -appeared, when the Apostles turned -themselves to the Gentiles. So that St. James -reasons upon it, as a certain fact. <i>Do not rich -men oppress you, and draw you before the -Judgment seats? Do they not blaspheme<span class="pagenum" id="Page_203">203</span> -that worthy name by which ye are called<a id="FNanchor_179" href="#Footnote_179" class="fnanchor">[179]</a>?</i> -And St. Paul to the same purpose, when -appeals to the Gentile Christians themselves—<i>Ye -see your calling, my brethren, how that -not many wise men after the flesh, not many -mighty, not many noble, are called</i><a id="FNanchor_180" href="#Footnote_180" class="fnanchor">[180]</a>.</p> - -<p>And, if we extend our inquiries beyond the -Apostolic age, we still find, that, while councils -and synagogues, priests and philosophers, governors -and kings, were confederated against -the rising church, the <i>poor</i>, the <i>weak</i>, the <i>ignorant</i>, -the <i>ignoble</i>, very readily, and in great -numbers, pressed into it.</p> - -<p>Considering then this fairness of mind, which -distinguished the <i>poor</i>, together with their -multiplied necessities, we shall cease to think -it strange that our blessed Lord should first and -principally <i>preach the Gospel to them</i>; and -that this circumstance should be predicted of -him, and urged by himself, as characteristic of -his person and office. For what could distinguish -the divine Messiah more, than this -condescension to those who most needed, and -best deserved, his instruction? Who can wonder -that, <i>when he saw the multitudes</i>, thus<span class="pagenum" id="Page_204">204</span> -circumstanced, <i>he was moved with compassion -on them, because they fainted</i><a id="FNanchor_181" href="#Footnote_181" class="fnanchor">[181]</a>, under the -merciless vexations of their superiors, <i>and were -scattered abroad</i><a id="FNanchor_182" href="#Footnote_182" class="fnanchor">[182]</a>, and left exposed to every -injury, <i>as sheep having no shepherd</i><a id="FNanchor_183" href="#Footnote_183" class="fnanchor">[183]</a>? Could -any splendor of miracles more illustrate his -character, than that affectionate address to the -poor people, groaning under all their burthens, -of which the pride of wealth and wisdom was -not the least, <i>Come unto me, ye that labour -and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. -Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, -for I am meek and lonely in heart, and ye shall -find rest to your souls</i><a id="FNanchor_184" href="#Footnote_184" class="fnanchor">[184]</a>?</p> - -<p>Our Lord’s whole ministry seems uniformly -directed to this end of beating down the insolence -of all worldly distinctions, which had too -much vilified and degraded human nature. -For this purpose, he condescended, himself, -to be born in the lowest rank of life, to be -brought up in what the world calls a mean and -mechanic profession, to converse chiefly with -the poor and indigent, to take for his companions -and disciples the most sordid of the -people, and to propagate his religion by the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_205">205</span> -weakest and most unpromising instruments: -<i>Chusing</i>, as St. Paul divinely expresses it, <i>the -foolish things of the world, to confound the -wise; the weak things of the world, to confound -the things that are mighty; And the -base things of the world, and things which -are despised, yea, and things which are not, -to bring to nought things that are: That no -flesh should glory in his presence</i><a id="FNanchor_185" href="#Footnote_185" class="fnanchor">[185]</a>.</p> - -<p>In a word, he seems studiously to have bent -his whole endeavours, to vindicate the honour -of depressed humanity; to support its weakness, -to countenance its wants, to ennoble its misery, -and to dignify its disgrace.</p> - -<p>Nor let any one presume to insinuate, that -this conduct of our blessed Saviour was directed -to other ends; As if he sought, by this application -to the people, to engage <i>them</i> in the -support of his new kingdom, and then, by -their noise and numbers, to force the rest into -it. The suspicion is utterly without grounds. -Jesus made no factious use of the popularity -he acquired by his condescension; he discountenanced -and repressed every effort of that -nature; and, though his care was chiefly employed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_206">206</span> -about the <i>poor</i>, it was not confined to -them: He <i>preached</i> indiscriminately to all, -he did his miracles before all, in public, in -open day-light, in the presence of the greatest -persons, and in places of the greatest resort; -in short, his doctrines and his credentials were -equally offered to the examination of men of -all ranks and all denominations, of the doctors -and rulers of the Jewish people, as well as of -the people themselves. This, an impostor -most assuredly would not have done.</p> - -<p>We have now, then, a reasonable account -given us, why it pleased God that the Saviour -of the world should be known by this mark, -among others, of <i>his preaching the Gospel to -the poor</i>. The <small>GOODNESS</small> of his character was -signally illustrated, by this gracious conduct. -I have only to observe, further, that his <small>WISDOM</small> -was equally displayed by it: And both -together must needs furnish a presumptive argument -of his divine mission.</p> - -<p>Had the ablest speculative philosopher been -consulted about the proper method of reforming -the world, though with the attending evidence -and authority of miracles, I suppose his plan -for effecting this design would have been wholly -different from that, which was taken. He<span class="pagenum" id="Page_207">207</span> -would have counselled an application, not to the -<i>poor</i> chiefly, if to them at all, but to the <i>rich</i>, -the <i>great</i>, and the <i>wise</i>. The minister of this -important charge would have been directed to -shew himself in the most conspicuous scene, -to make the capital of the world, imperial -Rome, the head-quarters of his mission, to -perform his miracles before the Roman senate, -and to proselyte, first of all, the wise and -learned of that empire; As conceiving this to -be the readiest way to the establishment of his -new Religion, and trusting to the power of -these great instruments, as to some irresistible -vortex, to draw the people with them, into -the general profession of it.</p> - -<p>This, or something like this, we may imagine, -would have been the language of human -wisdom. But what would have been the event -of these profound and politic counsels? Most -probably, the design would not have taken -effect. The interests, the prejudices, the pride, -and the very philosophy of the world would -have revolted against it. The plainest miracles -would have been shuffled over, as the sleights -of magick: and the divinest truths, been derided -as unlearned and ignorant conceits.</p> - -<p>But what if the event had been otherwise? -What, if the new religion had prospered and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_208">208</span> -acquired an establishment by these mighty -means? Posterity would then have turned the -argument in another manner. They would -have accounted, and with some reason, for -this revolution in the sentiments of mankind, -not from the will of Heaven, but the power -and policy of men. They would have sought -the origin of this triumphant religion in the -operation of human causes, and not in the -controlling influence of divine. The new system -might be preferred to many others that -have prevailed in the world, but would be -thought to have made its way by the same -means. It would still be considered, as a mere -human engine, calculated to serve the ends of -society, and not to interest the conscience, as -proceeding from the sole authority of God. -And what could have been opposed to these -suggestions? The cause is plainly adequate to -the effect: And, thus, the glory of God would -have been obscured; and the dispensation itself, -exposed to contempt.</p> - -<p>See then <i>the riches both of the goodness and -wisdom of God</i>: Of his <small>GOODNESS</small>, in caring -for the poor; and of his <small>WISDOM</small>, in providing by -his use of so unlikely means, <i>that our faith -should not stand in the wisdom of man, but in -the power of God</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_209">209</span></p> - -<p>To conclude; <i>the ways of God are</i>, very -frequently, <i>not our ways</i><a id="FNanchor_186" href="#Footnote_186" class="fnanchor">[186]</a>; Yet, when the -difference is most striking, a diligent inquiry -will sometimes convince us (as in the case before -us) that they may be justified even to our -apprehensions: The use of which conviction -should be, to satisfy us, in other cases, that -his ways are always adorable, even when to US, -in this state of weakness and blindness, they -are <i>past finding out</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_210">210</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XLII">SERMON XLII.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED JANUARY 24, 1773.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">John</span> xiv. 2.</h3> - -<p><i>In my Father’s house are many mansions</i>: <small>IF -IT WERE NOT SO, I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU</small>.</p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">These</span> words are not a little remarkable; -and, if carefully considered, will be found to -make very much for the honour of the Christian -religion, and its divine author.</p> - -<p>Our blessed Lord was now upon the point of -leaving the world. He foresaw, distinctly, his -own approaching death, and the discouragements -of all sorts, which, of course, would -oppress his disciples, when he should be taken<span class="pagenum" id="Page_211">211</span> -from them. He therefore applies himself, in -this farewell address, to animate their courage -by the assurance of future glory. “<i>Let not your -heart be troubled</i>, says he, at the worst that -may befall you: <i>Ye believe in</i> the general providence -of <i>God</i>: <i>believe also in me</i>, in the -care which I shall especially take to see an -ample recompence made you for all your sufferings -on my account. <i>For in my Father’s -house are many mansions</i>; wherein each of you, -according to his deserts, shall for ever enjoy -an inviolable repose and felicity. And on this -promise ye may rely with the most entire confidence: -for know this, That, <i>if it were not -so</i>, no consideration should have induced me -to fill your minds with vain hopes; on the -other hand, <i>I would have told you</i> the plain -truth, how unwelcome soever it might be to -you.”</p> - -<p>We have here, then, from the mouth of -Christ himself, an express disavowal of <small>RELIGIOUS -FRAUD OR IMPOSTURE</small>; and that, in a -point where wise men have sometimes thought -themselves at liberty, nay under an obligation, -to <i>lye</i> for the public service, and in a conjuncture, -too, when, if ever, it might seem allowable -for a good man to deceive his friends on a -mere principle of compassion.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_212">212</span></p> - -<p>For what so beneficial, it may be said, to -mankind, at large, as the persuasion of a future -state, in which their happiness shall be proportioned -to their virtue? And who, that has -any bowels, would carry his attachment to -strict truth so far, as not to suffer an unhappy -friend to <i>die</i>, at least, in this persuasion, when -the hopes of life, or the comforts of it, had -entirely forsaken him?</p> - -<p>These questions are plausible: but our Lord, -who was <i>the Truth</i>, as well as <i>the Life</i>, governed -himself by other maxims. He knew -that the real interests of mankind are only, or -are best promoted by veracity; that every degree -of fraud, though it may have some immediate, -or temporary good effects, is, in the -order of things, productive of much mischief; -is injurious to our moral and reasonable nature, -which was made for truth, and finds its proper -satisfaction in it; is liable to detection, to suspicion, -at least; and if it be but the latter -(entertained on probable grounds, and become, -as it soon will be, universal), not only the -chief benefits of the imposture are, thenceforth, -lost, but truth itself, in other cases, is taken -for imposture: of which there is not a more -deplorable instance, than in the subject we are -now considering: for, it being well known<span class="pagenum" id="Page_213">213</span> -that men have been forward to deceive each -other in matters of religion, and particularly -in what concerns the hope or fear of a future -state, hence, an incurable suspicion has sunk -deep into the minds of too many, concerning -Christianity itself; as if, in this momentous -doctrine of life and immortality, it amused us -only, as many other schemes of religion have -done, with a plausible and politic fiction.</p> - -<p>But our blessed Lord, as I said, had other -views of this matter, and governed himself by -other principles. He knew, who it was that -had been <i>a liar</i>, and therefore <i>a man-slayer -from the beginning</i><a id="FNanchor_187" href="#Footnote_187" class="fnanchor">[187]</a>; and left it to him, the -adversary of God and man, to signalize himself -by <i>murderous</i> deceit and imposture. For -himself, he tells his disciples, whom of all -men, it concerned him most to possess with -this salutary belief of a future state; He tells -them, I say, that, instead of deluding them -with a groundless hope, he would certainly, -and even at this season, which made that hope -so infinitely precious, declare to them the -simple truth, and on no account permit them -to continue under a false (if it had been false), -though flattering persuasion.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_214">214</span></p> - -<p>Shall we believe this great teacher, on his -own word? Or, will you suspect, that even -this uncommon declaration, uncommon in the -founder of a new religion, was only a refinement -of art and policy; and that Jesus hoped, -by this shew of frankness, to propagate his -favourite imposture the more successfully in -the world?</p> - -<p>I know, and have just now observed, to what -lengths our ingenious suspicions on this subject -are apt to run. But consider the circumstances; -and then judge for yourselves, whether -the suspicion, in this case, be well founded.</p> - -<p><i>In my Father’s house</i>, says he, <i>are many -mansions: if it were not so, I would have told -you</i>. And can we doubt his sincerity in this -declaration, when he was now to make an -experiment of its truth; and the deception, if -it were one, was first to operate on himself, -before it affected others? A speculative reasoner, -or a politic legislator, when planning his system -at his ease, and in no danger of being called -upon to make trial of his own principles, might -discourse with much complacency, though with -little inward belief, of a happy futurity. But -for one, who was just stepping into that world, -of which he announced such wonders, who was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_215">215</span> -going, by one confident venture, to put his -doctrine to the proof, and to expire in torments -from a view to his own promises; for one, I -say, thus circumstanced, knowingly to delude -himself and others, is not in human nature, -unless perverted by such a degree of weakness -or vanity, as no man will think chargeable on -the character of Jesus. Socrates, the ablest and -the honestest of the ancient sages, had, on -moral principles, reasoned himself into a -favourable opinion of the soul’s immortality. -He had often expressed this opinion to his -friends, in terms of some force; and there were -times in which he seemed very little, if at all, to -question the truth of it. Yet, when he came -to die, and had taken the fatal cup into his -hand, his resolution gives way, he hesitates, -and leaves his followers, after first of all confessing -himself to be left, in the utmost uncertainty -on this momentous topic: a conduct -surely very natural, and becoming a wise man, -who had not, and who knew he had not, the -most convincing evidence of its reality!</p> - -<p>But there are further reasons to think that -Jesus was sincere in making this declaration to -his disciples, suggested to us by <i>the terms of -his religion</i>, and by <i>his own personal character</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_216">216</span></p> - -<p>Those <i>terms</i> were, that whoever believed in -the name of Christ, that is, became a convert -to his religion, was thenceforth to encounter all -sorts of difficulties, and dangers, and distresses, -nay, death itself, and that, in every dreadful -shape, which the malice of the world could -invent, rather than to retract or forego his open -profession of it. This, the disciples had been -often told by their Master: who, whether as a -prophet, or a wise man (it matters not which, -to our present purpose) had distinctly foreseen, -and had set before them in all its force, what -they were to expect and to suffer for his sake, -and the sake of the Gospel. Other teachers of -religion and philosophy required no such terms -of their followers, or had reason to apprehend -no such consequences from the propagation of -their opinions. They might therefore keep -their doubts to themselves, if they had any, -of a future state: In Jesus, such reserve, or -dissimulation, would have been the most unfeeling -cruelty.</p> - -<p>And against whom is this suspicion indulged? -Why against <small>HIM</small> (and that was the other consideration -I mentioned) whose personal character -was that of goodness and philanthropy itself. -This character shines out in every page of the -Gospel. We see it in all he said and did to his -disciples, whom he calls his <i>friends</i>, and treats<span class="pagenum" id="Page_217">217</span> -as such on all occasions: witness his condescension -to their infirmities, his concern for their -safety (while it might consist with their duty), -his compassion for their sufferings, his friendliness -of temper, we may even say, his affection -for their persons and virtues. In short, the -sympathetic tenderness of his nature was -evidenced in all ways, in which it could possibly -shew itself, even by that of tears.</p> - -<p>Now, put these two things together, his <i>deep -concern for the interests of his disciples</i>, on the -one hand, and <i>the severe injunctions he gave -them</i>, on the other, and see if there be any -possibility of mistrusting our Lord’s good faith -in that memorable declaration—<i>In my Father’s -house there are many mansions</i>: <small>IF IT WERE -NOT SO, I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU</small>.</p> - -<p>His language on the subject, so interesting -to them, had, indeed, been always the same. -<i>Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, -and persecute you, and shall say all manner of -evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoyce, -and be exceeding glad: for great is your -reward in heaven<a id="FNanchor_188" href="#Footnote_188" class="fnanchor">[188]</a>.</i> This he said in the beginning -of his ministry: This he now repeats in -the close of it; but with that remarkable<span class="pagenum" id="Page_218">218</span> -assurance (now for the first time given, and, -from the <i>time</i> of giving it, not more important, -than it is credible) <i>if it were not so</i>, if your -<i>reward in heaven</i> were not such, and so great, -as I have ever affirmed it to be, in recompence -of all your sufferings, past and to come, for my -sake, I would not have left you under an error -in what so infinitely concerns You—<i>I would</i> -expressly <i>have told you of it</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">The use</span> we have to make of these reflections -is, to see what our <i>Lord’s character</i> truly was; -and what our reasonable <i>hopes and expectations</i> -from him are.</p> - -<p>I. But for this declaration, it might be -thought, that Jesus, pushed on by an eager ambition -of being the founder of a sect, had, for -his <i>own</i> ends, preached up this alluring doctrine -of a future state; or, that, heated by a moral -enthusiasm, he had overlooked the mischiefs -of his scheme, in contemplation of the <i>public</i> -ends, it might serve, as applied to the important -interests of virtue and religion. Surmises of -this sort might have sprung up in the minds of -men, not prejudiced against the author of our -faith; and would certainly have been cherished -and malignantly insisted upon by his enemies. -But it now appears, that he disclaimed all such -views and purposes: that he was cool enough<span class="pagenum" id="Page_219">219</span> -to see the iniquity of all religious deception; -and just enough to acknowledge the cruelty of -it, in the present instance. If he had not -certainly known the truth of his doctrine, he -would have recalled and disowned it. He felt, -in his own case, what it was to encounter death -for conscience-sake: and he knew what deaths -others were to encounter on the like grounds of -persuasion. But <i>for the joy that was set before -him</i>, how could the shame and agony of that -cross be endured? And, if there be no recompence -of reward, should he expose to such, or -to equal sufferings, his honest, unsuspecting, -affectionate followers? The instant moment<a id="FNanchor_189" href="#Footnote_189" class="fnanchor">[189]</a>, -the imposed duty<a id="FNanchor_190" href="#Footnote_190" class="fnanchor">[190]</a>, the foreseen event<a id="FNanchor_191" href="#Footnote_191" class="fnanchor">[191]</a>, the -upright mind<a id="FNanchor_192" href="#Footnote_192" class="fnanchor">[192]</a>, the feeling heart<a id="FNanchor_193" href="#Footnote_193" class="fnanchor">[193]</a>, all conspire -to satisfy us, that Jesus was not, could not, -be the fraudulent, that is, the insensible, the -unrelenting, the merciless inventor or publisher -of a politic fable, but a teacher of truth -and righteousness sent from God.</p> - -<p>Thus much for our Lord’s <i>general character</i>; -which we shall do well to keep in mind, -when we meditate on any part of his instructions<span class="pagenum" id="Page_220">220</span> -to us; but more especially, when, for -our singular comfort, we attend to his great -doctrine of a <small>BLESSED IMMORTALITY</small>. Our -divine Master has in the clearest and fullest -terms, announced this doctrine to us; and, -what is more, he has anxiously removed the -only possible doubt, which we could have of -its truth, by disclaiming the politic use, which -too many others had presumed to make of it.</p> - -<p>II. It follows, that we may rely, with confidence, -on this invaluable promise of a future -life; the only source of peace and comfort to -the mind, without which the disordered scene -of this life is inexplicable to the wisest men, -and scarce supportable by the happiest; we -may, I say, rely with safety on this <i>glorious -hope</i><a id="FNanchor_194" href="#Footnote_194" class="fnanchor">[194]</a> of immortality, unless we will suppose -that Jesus meant to deceive us even then, when -he most deliberately and solemnly pledged -himself to us for his veracity: a supposition, -which is, in truth, as foolish as it is indecent.</p> - -<p>Assured therefore, as we are, that our Saviour -both taught this doctrine, and taught it -without the least mixture of guile or dissimulation, -let us hold fast our expectation of it to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_221">221</span> -the end; and in all the troubles of this life, -whether endured for conscience-sake or not, -provided only they be such as consist <i>with</i> a -good conscience, let us reckon with certainty -on our title to one of those eternal <i>mansions</i>, -of which there are so <i>many in the house of our -heavenly Father</i>; and that, for the sake and -through the merits of our <small>LORD JESUS CHRIST</small>; -the author of our salvation, as well as the proclaimer -of it: our merciful Redeemer, at once, -and infallible Instructor; to whom be all honour, -praise, and thanksgiving, now and for ever. Amen.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_222">222</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XLIII">SERMON XLIII.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED MAY 5, 1776.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">John</span> xvi. 12, 13.</h3> - -<p><i>I have yet many things to say unto you, but -ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when -he, the Spirit of truth, shall come, he will -guide you into</i> <small>ALL TRUTH</small>: <i>for he shall not -speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall -hear, that shall he speak: and</i> <small>HE WILL -SHEW YOU THINGS TO COME</small>.</p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">There</span> is scarce a page in the Gospels, -which to an attentive reader may not afford a -striking proof of their divine original.</p> - -<p>We have an instance in the words before -us: in which, Jesus, now about to leave the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_223">223</span> -world, tells the disciples, that he had <i>many -things to say unto them</i>, which were not proper -for their ear at this time, but that these, -and all other necessary truths should hereafter -be imparted to them by a <i>divine spirit</i>, to be -sent from heaven to be their guide and instructor: -that, from <i>him</i>, they should learn -what, for the present, he forbore to communicate -to them, of his views and purposes in the -religion, they were to teach mankind; nay, -and that this divine <i>Spirit of truth would -shew them things to come</i>.</p> - -<p>Now Jesus, I suppose, whatever else may -be thought of him, will be readily acknowledged -to have been, at least, a discreet and -wise man: for without a very high degree of -discretion and wisdom, it was plainly impossible -for him to do the great things, he did; I -mean, to be so successful, as he was, in imposing -a new faith and religion on mankind. -They, who take Christianity for an imposture, -must confess, at least, that it was an imposture, -artfully contrived, and ably conducted: -otherwise, the effects of it could never have -been, what we see they are.</p> - -<p>But would any man, acting on the principles -of human wisdom, only, have given an<span class="pagenum" id="Page_224">224</span> -assurance of this kind (an assurance, too, that -seemed not <i>necessary</i>) to those whom he -thought fit to entrust with the care of his imposture, -when yet he must certainly know that -he could not make good to them what he had -promised; and when they, to whom such assurance -was given, might easily, and, as he -must foresee from his knowledge of human -nature, would certainly abuse it, to selfish -ends of their own, not consistent with his, -and to the hurt of that very cause, which he -wanted to promote?</p> - -<p>Say, that he had, only, told them—<i>this divine -spirit shall instruct you in many things -concerning my religion, which I have not, -myself, thought fit to reveal to you</i>—would -not this general promise have opened a door -to all sorts of fraud, or extravagance? And -could he reasonably expect that any well-concerted -scheme of religion, such as was likely -to make its fortune in the world, would be -delivered and established by men, who were -commissioned to enlarge his system, at pleasure, -and as their various passions, or fancies, -might suggest? And all this, on the same -authority with that which he had claimed to -himself?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_225">225</span></p> - -<p>Suppose, they were <i>honest</i>, or, <i>faithful to -him</i>, that is, disposed to teach nothing but -what should agree to their Master’s doctrine, -yet who could answer for their skill or judgment? -And, if they were <i>dishonest</i>, or <i>unfaithful</i>, -what ruin must not this license of -building on his doctrine, have brought on the -structure, he had already raised?</p> - -<p>When Mark Antony was allowed to <i>forge</i> a -will for Cæsar, we know the use he made of -that liberty. But had he been a better man, -than he was, and inclined to give out that only -for Cæsar’s will, which might probably seem -to be so, yet his capacity to make a will for -Cæsar, in all respects uniform, and consistent -with that great man’s known views and character, -might well be called in question, notwithstanding -the whole contrivance depended -on himself; much more, if the arduous task -had been entrusted to <i>eleven</i> persons, besides, -of different abilities and dispositions.</p> - -<p>Still, the case is more desperate, than we -have hitherto supposed. Besides a liberty of -adding what new consistent doctrines, they -pleased, to the doctrine of Jesus, the disciples -have a greater and more dangerous power -committed to them, a power of <i>prophesying</i>, -or foretelling <i>things to come</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_226">226</span></p> - -<p>To see how the case stands on this last supposition, -consider, 1. <i>What is implied in this</i> -<small>PROPHETIC</small> <i>power</i>. 2. <i>What abuses are likely -to be made of such an assumed power by</i> <small>ANY</small> -<i>men whatsoever</i>. And, 3. <i>What peculiar -abuses of it were to be expected from</i> <small>SUCH</small> -<i>men, as the disciples</i>. Consider, I say, these -three particulars, and then, upon the whole, -determine for yourselves, whether any man of -ordinary prudence would have commissioned -his followers to exercise such a power; or, if -he had done so, and had been an impostor, -whether the event could possibly have been -what it clearly was.</p> - -<p>1. The <i>prophetic power</i>, implies an ability -of looking into the future history of mankind; -of foreseeing what revolutions shall happen in -states and kingdoms; what shall be the issue -of depending wars, or counsels: what the prosperous, -or adverse fortune shall be of public, -or private persons; of those, who have any -authority over us, or connexion with us; of -individuals, or collective bodies of men; of -friends, or enemies. Whoever has this extraordinary -power committed to him, or who -thinks he has, has the characters of all men -at his mercy; can blast the reputation of, the -wisest and best men, by a charge of follies and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_227">227</span> -crimes, <i>not yet committed</i>; or can raise the -credit of the worst and weakest, by covering -their <i>future</i> life with wisdom and honour. -He can intimidate the greatest men by announcing -their disgrace and ruin; or exalt -the meanest by bringing out to view their -successes and triumphs. In a word, he can -speak peace or war, fame or infamy, life or -death, to any state or person, against whom -he thinks fit to level this powerful engine of -inspiration.</p> - -<p>And as all men, so all <i>times</i>, are equally -within his reach. He can pursue the objects -of his love or hate through ages to come; and -can excite hopes and fears in the breasts of -those, who are not to appear on the stage of -the world, till many centuries after he has left -it, and when himself has nothing to apprehend, -let his predictions take what turn they will, -from the shame of detection.</p> - -<p>Such then being the nature of this mighty -privilege to foretell <i>things to come</i>, you cannot -but see</p> - -<p>2. In the next place, <i>how liable this power -is to be abused by</i> <small>ANY</small> <i>men whatsoever, who -have a pretence to assume it</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_228">228</span></p> - -<p>Make, if you will, the most favourable supposition, -that these pretended prophets are -<i>able and learned</i>: But then, what endless -schemes of fraud, of policy, of imposture, may -ye not expect from the dextrous management -of this faculty! Revolve with yourselves the -history of ancient divination, or modern prophecy, -when lodged in the hands of artful and -designing men; and see, what portentous -abuses must needs arise from this commission, -and yet what certain disgrace and confusion to -the memory of those, to whom it is given.</p> - -<p>What blessings will not men, entrusted with -this convenient foresight of futurity, lavish on -their own friends, or party! And what curses, -what terrors, equally belied in the event, will -they not scatter over the persons or affairs of -rivals and enemies, for the gratification of a -present passion or interest!</p> - -<p>Suppose them cool enough to distrust the -reality of their inspiration, yet the temptation, -to make the pretence of it subservient to their -own views, would be almost irresistible: Or -suppose them, on the other hand, to prophesy -with good faith, this genuine enthusiasm might -enable them to act their part more naturally -indeed, but, in the end, not more successfully.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_229">229</span></p> - -<p>Had then the Apostles been, each of them, -as provident and wise, as their Master himself, -and as much persuaded of their own inspiration, -as he could desire them to be, they would -not, we may be sure, have been encouraged by -him, if an impostor only, to think themselves -possessed of a prophetic power, when it must -have turned to the ruin of his cause, on every -supposition; I mean, equally on the supposition -of its being regarded as a real or pretended, -power; that is, whether the Apostles -were guided by the views of a dishonest policy -themselves, or were the honest dupes of their -Master’s policy. But there is</p> - -<p>3. Still more to be said on the improbability -of a wise man’s giving such an assurance to -men <i>qualified and circumstanced</i>, as the Apostles -were, in other words, <i>to men of their</i> -<small>PECULIAR</small> <i>character and situation</i>.</p> - -<p>1. The <i>character</i> of the Apostles, was that -of plain, uneducated, illiterate men; men, -totally unacquainted with the world, and with -those arts, which are necessary to conduct a -great design with ability and success; men, of -good sense, indeed, and of honest minds, but, -from their singular simplicity, only qualified to -report what they had seen or heared, and by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_230">230</span> -no means provident or skillful enough to round -and complete a scheme, but half-disclosed by -its author, and that half delivered incidentally -and by parcels to them, and ill understood.</p> - -<p>Yet to these men, Jesus declares, that much -was wanting to the integrity of that religious -system, which they were appointed to teach: -and that all defects in it were to be supplied -not by himself, but by a <i>divine spirit</i>, who -should hereafter descend upon them, and <small>LEAD -THEM INTO ALL THE TRUTH</small><a id="FNanchor_195" href="#Footnote_195" class="fnanchor">[195]</a>; nay, who should -not only instruct them in such parts of his -religion, as he had imperfectly, not at all, -explained, but should, further, open to their -view I know not what scenes of futurity, and -<small>SHEW THEM THINGS TO COME</small>.</p> - -<p>These magnificent promises, you see, were -likely to make a deep impression on the rude -minds of the disciples; half-astonished, we -may suppose, at the idea of such superior privileges, -and more than half-intoxicated with -the conceit of that pre-eminence, which those -privileges were to bestow.</p> - -<p>Their implicit faith, too in a beloved and -revered Master, would incline them to expect,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_231">231</span> -with assurance, the completion of these promises: -And thus, every principle, whether of -simplicity, vanity, or credulity, would make -their presumption violent, and leave it without -controul.</p> - -<p>2. If we turn, next, to the <i>situation</i> of these -men, buoyed up with such exalted hopes and -expectations, we shall find it apt to create a fanaticism, -which, of itself, might drive them, -in the absence of their politic Master, into -any excess. These simple, over-weening men -were, at the same time, poor, friendless, despised, -insulted, persecuted; exposed to every -injury from the number, power, and malice of -their enemies, as Jesus indeed, had honestly -forewarned them; yet stung with the desire of -founding a temporal kingdom (contrary, it -must be owned, to his express declaration) and -of rising themselves to the first honours of it. -Could any thing flatter their ambition more, -than to be told that they had the modelling of -their own scheme left to themselves, under the -cover of a supernatural direction? Or, could -any thing gratify their resentments, all on fire -from ill usage, more effectually, than to be assured -that the fates of their adversaries, all the -secrets of futurity, lay open to their view? -How oft has oppression turned faith into fanaticism,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_232">232</span> -and made prophets of those, whom it -only found zealots! And do we think that secular -ambition, concurring with religious zeal, -in the like circumstances, could have any other -issue; especially, when the prophetic impulse -was looked for by such zealots, and, on the -highest authority, actually engaged to them? -Or can we, who see the probability, the certainty, -of this consequence, conceive so meanly -of Jesus, considered in the view of a wise man -only, as to imagine that He should not be -aware of it?</p> - -<p>As then it is very unlikely that any politic -impostor should make such a promise, as the -text contains, a promise liable to be abused by -<i>any</i> sort of men, and most of all by <i>those</i>, to -whom it was made; so neither is it conceivable -that, if a rash enthusiast had authorized his -followers to rely on such a promise, the issue -of it could have been that, which we certainly -know it to have been.</p> - -<p>For consider, what were the additions, made -to the scheme of Jesus by his enlightened followers, -and what the prophecies delivered by -them? Only, such additions, as served to open -and display the scheme of the Gospel, in a -manner that perfectly corresponded with the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_233">233</span> -declared views of its author, or at least no way -contradicted them: And only, such prophecies, -as have either been clearly fulfilled, or not convicted -of imposture, to this day.</p> - -<p>Then, again, those additions, were directly -contrary to the preconceived notions and expectations, -of those who made them; such, for -instance, as the doctrines concerning <i>the rejection -of the Jews</i>, <i>the call of the Gentiles</i>, -<i>the abolition of the Mosaic ritual</i>, and <i>the -spirituality of Christ’s kingdom</i>; doctrines, -which, in the life-time of their Master, and till -enlightened by the promised Spirit of truth, -they had either not understood, or had rejected -as false and incredible; yet doctrines, which -made the principal part of those <i>truths</i>, into -which they were <i>led by the Spirit</i>.</p> - -<p>And as to the prophecies, delivered by them, -what less could one expect from so general, -and so flattering a promise, than that they -should be <i>numerous</i>, and, at the same time, -replete with <i>presages of good fortune</i> to -themselves and their party, and with <i>terrible -denunciations of wrath</i> against their opposers? -Yet nothing of all this followed. The predictions, -they gave out, were indeed so many -as to shew that the promise was performed to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_234">234</span> -them; yet, on the whole, but <i>few</i>; in truth, -much fewer than can be imagined without a -particular inquiry into the number of them: -And of these few, the greater part were employed -in declaring the corruptions, that -should hereafter be made of the new religion, -they were teaching, and the disasters that -should befall the teachers of it; and scarce -<i>one</i>, directed against their present and personal -enemies.</p> - -<p>All this is astonishing, and unaccountable -an the common principles of human nature, -if left to itself in the management of such a -faculty as that of prophetic inspiration. And, -though, on these principles, it was to be supposed, -nay, might certainly have been concluded, -that a set of the craftiest impostors, or -of the honestest fanatics, that ever lived, must, -in the end, dishonour themselves by the exercise -of such a power, and defeat their own -purpose; yet, to the surprize of all reflecting -men, they have maintained, to this day, their -character of veracity, not one of their prophecies -having fallen to the ground; and, what is -more, with so many chances against the success -of their cause, they have triumphed over -all opposition, and have established in the -world a new religion with that force of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_235">235</span> -evidence, which, as their Master divinely foretold, -<i>all their adversaries have not been able -to gainsay</i>.</p> - -<p>In a word, the <small>EVENT</small> has been, and is such, -as might be expected, if the divine assistance -promised, was actually imparted to them; but -improbable in the highest degree, or rather -impossible to have taken place, if fraud, or -enthusiasm, had been concerned, either in -giving, or fulfilling, this promise.</p> - -<p>It would be equally an abuse of your patience, -and an affront to your good sense, to -enlarge farther on so plain a point. From recollecting, -and laying together, the circumstances, -which have been now briefly touched, -and pointed out to you, ye will conclude, -That, when Jesus gave this extraordinary <i>promise</i> -of the Spirit to his followers, he certainly -knew, that he should be able to make good his -engagements to them: And that this <i>spirit</i>, -being of God, would not be at the command -of his followers, to be employed by them, as -their passions, or short-sighted policies, might -direct; but would operate in them, according -to the good pleasure and unerring wisdom of -<small>HIM</small>, who sent this celestial guide; or, in the -words of the text, <i>that he should not speak of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_236">236</span> -himself, but whatsoever he should hear, that</i>, -only, <i>he should speak</i>.</p> - -<p>No ill effects would, then, proceed from the -privilege of being let into <i>new truths</i>, or, of -being entrusted with the power of foretelling -<i>things to come</i>. And, from the very consideration, -that Jesus had <i>engaged</i> to confer such -privileges upon his disciples, who, if not over-ruled -in the use of them, that is, if not truly -and immediately inspired, would, or rather -must, have employed them to the discredit -and subversion of his own design; from this -single consideration, I say, it may fairly be -concluded, especially when we can now compare -the assurance with the event, That He -himself was the person, he assumed to be, that -is, <small>A DIVINE PERSON</small>; and his religion, what -we believe it to be, <small>THE WORD AND WILL OF -GOD</small>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_237">237</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XLIV">SERMON XLIV.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED MAY 29, 1774. T. S.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Acts</span> i. 11.</h3> - -<p><i>Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up -into heaven? This same Jesus, which is -taken up from you, shall so come, in like -manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">As</span> the entrance of Jesus into the world, so -his departure out of it, was graced, by the -ministry of angels. Events, so important as -these, deserved, and, it seems, required, to -be so dignified. His birth was, indeed, obscure -and mean; and therefore the attendance -of those <i>flaming ministers</i> might be thought -necessary to illustrate and adorn it. But his -ascension into heaven was an event so full of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_238">238</span> -glory, that it needed not, we may think, any -additional lustre to be thrown upon it by this -celestial appearance. For what so likely to -raise the ideas and excite the admiration of -those, who were witnesses of this event, as the -fact itself, so sublimely and yet so simply related -in these words of the sacred historian—<i>while -they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud -received him out of their sight</i>?</p> - -<p>We may presume, then, that the heavenly -host were not sent merely to dignify this transaction, -in its own nature so transcendently -awful; but for some further purpose of divine -Providence. And we find that purpose expressed -very plainly in the words of the text; -which contain an admonition of great importance, -and direct the attention of the disciples -to the true end, for which this scene of -wonder was displayed before them. For <i>while -they looked stedfastly toward heaven, as he -went up, two men stood by them in white apparel; -which, also, said, Ye men of Galilee, -why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This -same Jesus which is taken up from you into -heaven, shall so come, in like manner as ye -have seen him go into heaven.</i></p> - -<p>The Apostles, we may suppose, were only -occupied with the splendor of the shew; or<span class="pagenum" id="Page_239">239</span> -they were wholly absorbed in the contemplation -of its miraculous nature; or they were -speculating, perhaps, on the circumstances of -it. They were asking themselves, as they gazed -(at least, if they had possessed the philosophic -spirit of our days, they might be tempted to -ask), how the natural gravity of a human body -could permit its ascent in so light a medium—how -a cloud, which is but a sheet of air, impregnated -with vapours, and made visible by -reflected light, could be a fit vehicle of a gross -and ponderous substance, and serve for the -conveyance of it into the purer regions of æther, -which we call <i>heaven</i>—or, what need indeed -there was, that Jesus should be carried up -thither; as if the God, to whom he ascended, -were not in every place, alike; as if there were -any such distinction, as high and low, with -regard to him; as if all space were not equally -inhabited by an infinite spirit; and as if his -throne were not in the depths beneath, as well -as the heights above, every where, in short, -without respect to our descriptions of place, -where himself existed.</p> - -<p>From such a state of mind, or from such -meditations as these, the Angels divert the -Apostles, and call off they attention to a point, -which deserved it better, and concerned them<span class="pagenum" id="Page_240">240</span> -more nearly. ’Tis, as if they had said, “Suspend -your admiration of this glorious spectacle; -suppress all your fond and useless speculations -about the causes of this event, and learn -from us the proper uses of it. Ye have seen -your Master thus visibly carried up from you -into heaven; by what means, ye need not -know, and may well forbear to inquire. But -this intelligence receive from us (and it much -imports you to be made acquainted with it); -this same Jesus, who is thus gone up from you -for a time into heaven, will come again with -the same, or even additional glory, to judge -the world in righteousness; to see what improvements -ye have made of all he has done -and suffered for you; and to fix your final -doom according to your respective deserts, or -miscarriages. Think well of this instruction, -which so naturally results from all he said -while he was with you on earth, and from what -has now passed before your eyes; drop all -your other inquiries, and resolve them into -this, above all, deserving your best attention, -how ye may prepare yourselves for that day, -when <i>he shall so come, in like manner as ye -have seen him go into heaven</i>.”</p> - -<p>The weight of this angelic admonition was -enough to put all curious imaginations to flight,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_241">241</span> -and to convince the Apostles then, and all -believers at this day, “That their true wisdom -consists in adverting to the moral and practical -uses of their religion, instead of indulging -subtle, anxious, and unprofitable speculations -concerning the articles of it; such especially as -are too high, or too arduous for them; such, -as they have no real interest in considering, and -have no faculties to comprehend.”</p> - -<p>Permit me then to enforce this conclusion, -by applying it to the case of such persons, and -especially of such Christians, as have been, at -all times, but too ready to sacrifice conduct to -speculation; to neglect the ends of religious -doctrines, while they busy themselves in nice -and fruitless and (therefore, if for no other -reason) pernicious inquiries into the grounds -and reasons of them.</p> - -<p>1. In the days of ancient paganism, two -points in which religion was concerned, chiefly -engaged the attention of their wise men; “<small>GOD</small>,” -and the “<small>HUMAN SOUL</small>:” interesting topics -both; and the more necessary to be well considered, -because those wise men had little or -no light on these subjects, but what their own -reason might be able to strike out for them. -And, had they been contented to derive, from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_242">242</span> -the study of God’s works, <i>all that may be -known of him</i>, by natural reason, <i>his eternal -power and Godhead</i>, and had then glorified -him with such a worship, as that knowledge -obviously suggested; or, had they, by adverting -to their own internal constitution, deduced -the spirituality of the soul, together with its -free, moral, and accountable nature, and then -had built on these principles, the expectation -of a future life, and a conduct in this, suitable -to such expectation; had they proceeded thus -far in their inquiries, and stopped here, who -could have blamed, or, rather, who would not -have been ready to applaud, their interesting -speculations. But, when, instead of this reasonable -use of their understandings in religious -matters, they were more curious to investigate -the essence of the infinite mind, than to establish -just notions of his moral attributes; and -to define the nature of the human soul, than to -study its moral faculties; their metaphysicks -became presumptuous and abominable: they -reasoned themselves out of a superintending -providence, in this world, and out of all hope, -in a future; they resolved God into fate, or -excluded him from the care of his own creation, -and so made the worship of him, a matter of -policy, and not of conscience; while, at the -same time, they dismissed the Soul into air, or<span class="pagenum" id="Page_243">243</span> -into the spirit of the world, either extinguishing -its substance, or stripping it of individual -consciousness; and so, in either way, set aside -the concern, which it might be supposed to -have in a future state, to the subversion of all -morality, as well as of religion.</p> - -<p>Such was the fruit of pagan ingenuity! The -philosophers kept <i>gazing</i> upon God, and the -Soul, till they lost all just and useful conceptions -of either: And thus, as St. Paul says, <i>they -became vain in their imaginations; and their -foolish heart was darkened</i><a id="FNanchor_196" href="#Footnote_196" class="fnanchor">[196]</a>.</p> - -<p>If from the Grecian, we turn to the oriental, -and what is called, barbaric philosophy, what -portentous dreams do we find about angels and -spirits, or of two opposite principles, contending -for mastery in this sublunary world; ingeniously -spun out into I know not what fantastic -conclusions, which annihilate all sober piety, or -subvert the plainest dictates of moral duty? So -true is it of all presumptuous inquirers into the -invisible things of God, that, <i>professing themselves -wise, they become fools</i>!</p> - -<p>But these extravagancies of the heathen world -deserve our pity, and may admit of some excuse.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_244">244</span> -The worst is, that, when Heaven had revealed -of itself what it saw fit, this irreverent humour -of searching into the deep things of God, was -not cured, but indeed carried to a greater, if -possible, at least to a more criminal excess; -as I shall now shew in a slight sketch of the -mischiefs, which have arisen, from this audacious -treatment even of the divine word.</p> - -<p>2. Of the <i>Jewish</i> corruptions I shall say nothing, -because they did not so directly spring -from a licence of speculation in the Rabbins: -though their readiness in admitting unauthorized -traditions, and in giving way to evasive -glosses on the Law, had something of the -same character in it, and led to the same ill -effects.</p> - -<p>But when the <i>Gospel</i>, that last and best -revelation of the divine will, was vouchsafed to -mankind, it might be expected, that the most -curious would keep themselves within the -bounds of modesty and respect: that they -would thankfully receive the information imparted -to them, would improve it to its right -use, and acquiesce in the want of that light, -which it was not thought proper to give.</p> - -<p>But, no; the same ungoverned curiosity, -that had wantoned so long in the schools of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_245">245</span> -pagan philosophy, rioted, with a still more luxuriant -extravagance, in the Christian church: -as if that unholy flame had catched new strength -from the fires of the altar; and the revealed -articles of our creed had been only so much -fresh fuel to feed and augment it.</p> - -<p>Hence, in the days of the Apostles themselves, -we hear much of men that, <i>strove about -words, to no profit</i>—of <i>profane and vain babblings</i>, -that tended to nothing but <i>ungodliness</i><a id="FNanchor_197" href="#Footnote_197" class="fnanchor">[197]</a>, -of arrogant reasoners, who <i>intruded -into those things, which they had not seen, -vainly puft up by their fleshly minds<a id="FNanchor_198" href="#Footnote_198" class="fnanchor">[198]</a>, of</i> extravagant -speculatists, who allegorized and explained -away the fundamental articles of the -faith, even the <i>resurrection</i> itself<a id="FNanchor_199" href="#Footnote_199" class="fnanchor">[199]</a>: which, in -the literal sense, was rejected as a gross doctrine, -not suited to the apprehensions of wise -men.</p> - -<p>Thus the seeds of this evil were early sown, -and began to shoot up in those rank heresies, -of which a full harvest presently appeared.</p> - -<p>The Gnostic and Manichæan impieties led -the way. Others, of as ill name, followed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_246">246</span> -from all quarters; especially from the sects of -pagan philosophy; which now pressed into the -church, and, in their haste, forgot to leave -their quibbles and their metaphysicks behind -them. The evidences of the Gospel had, indeed, -extorted their assent: but how ill prepared -they were for the practice of the new religion, -sufficiently appeared, when, instead of -submitting themselves to the word of God, -they would needs torture it into a compliance -with their own fancies. Every convert found -his own tenets in the doctrine of Jesus: and -would be a Christian only, on the principles of -his pagan theology.</p> - -<p>Thus the pure and simple faith of the Gospel -was adulterated by every folly, which delirious -reason could invent and propagate; till, -instead of <i>joy and peace in believing</i>, the destined -fruits of Christianity <i>through the power -of the holy Ghost</i><a id="FNanchor_200" href="#Footnote_200" class="fnanchor">[200]</a>, all was dissonance and distraction: -contentious pride, and fierce inexorable -debate.</p> - -<p>These mischiefs continued very long; when -Plato, at one time, and Aristotle, at another, -gave the law to the Christian world; and decided<span class="pagenum" id="Page_247">247</span> -in all questions, or rather confounded all, -which the subtlety of human wit could extract -from the plainest articles of the Christian -faith.</p> - -<p>Even the barbarous ages could not suppress -this fatal ingenuity. The wits of the school-men -teemed with fresh chimæras, in the shade -of their cloysters; as the minds of disturbed -visionaries are observed to be more than commonly -active and prolific in the dark.</p> - -<p>At length Reason grew ashamed of these -more than fruitless altercations: and a few -divine men, at the Reformation, seemed resolved -to take the scriptures for their guide, and to -shut up all their inquiries in a frank and full -submission to the written word. Still their -former bad habits, imperceptibly almost, stuck -close to them; for which they had only this -excuse to make, that the zeal of their opponents -forced them into dispute. Necessity, sharpened -their invention; their successes, begot -pride; and persecution, engendered hate. In -this way, and by these steps, it was, that the -Protestants grew ingenious and dogmatical. In -opposition to the church of Rome, they would -explain doctrines, of which they had no just -ideas; founded on texts of Scripture, which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_248">248</span> -they did not understand. Presently, as was -natural for men in their blind situation, they -quarrelled among themselves; and their presumption, -we may be sure, was not lessened, -but increased, by this misadventure. The issue -of all these conflicts was, an inundation of -dark and dangerous writings, on subjects<a id="FNanchor_201" href="#Footnote_201" class="fnanchor">[201]</a>, -which confound human reason, and in which -religion has no concern.</p> - -<p>In process of time, however, these evils were, -in part, removed. Philosophers<a id="FNanchor_202" href="#Footnote_202" class="fnanchor">[202]</a> examined -the scriptures with care, and explained them -with reverence: and, what is more, Divines<a id="FNanchor_203" href="#Footnote_203" class="fnanchor">[203]</a> -became, in the best sense of the word, philosophers. -Between them, much light was thrown -on the general scheme of revelation. Its utility, -its necessity, was shewn: its sublime views -were opened: its evidences were cleared: its -doctrines, vindicated: and its authority, maintained. -Reason saw to distinguish between its -own province, and that of faith: It grew severe -in exacting its own rights: and modest in -prescribing to those of the revelation itself.</p> - -<p>But while men of superior sense were thus -intent on reforming the bad theology of former<span class="pagenum" id="Page_249">249</span> -times, the rest were too generally involved in it. -They were unwilling to give up their darling -habit <i>of gazing up into heaven</i>: that is, of -framing, or adopting theories, which had -neither solidity, nor use; and of explaining -mysteries, which they could not understand<a id="FNanchor_204" href="#Footnote_204" class="fnanchor">[204]</a>.</p> - -<p>Nor was the effect of this folly, merely to -disgrace themselves. Christianity was too frequently -seen in the false light, in which these -rash adventurers had placed it: And men of -shallow minds, and libertine principles, were -ready enough to take advantage of all their -indiscretions. For on this ground only, or -chiefly, the various structures of modern infidelity -stand. The presumptuous positions of -particular men, or churches, are forwardly -taken for the genuine doctrines of Christianity: -And those positions, being not unfrequently -either wholly unintelligible, or even contrary to -the plainest reason, the charge of nonsense, or -of falshood, is, thus, dexterously transferred on<span class="pagenum" id="Page_250">250</span> -the Gospel itself. And, though the abuse be -gross and palpable, yet, when dressed out with -a shew of argument, or varnished over with a -little popular eloquence, it shall easily pass on -ill-inclined, or unwary men.</p> - -<p>It is surely time for us to benefit by this sad -experience. We, the teachers of religion, -should learn, not to be <i>wise above what is -written</i>: And you, who would profit in this -school, should not think much to restrain your -curiosity within these bounds, which, not the -Scriptures only, but, right reason prescribes.</p> - -<p>For let it not be surmized, that, in deducing -this account of the mischiefs, which have -sprung from ill-directed inquiries into religion, -my purpose is in any degree to discountenance -the use of reason in such matters. Christianity, -if it be indeed divine, will bear the strictest -examination; and it is the prerogative of our -protestant profession to support itself on the -footing of free inquiry. The way of argument -is so far from being hurtful to the cause of revelation, -that it is, in truth, the basis and -foundation of it. We dishonour, we affront -our holy faith, if we believe it hath, or can -have any other. Only let us take heed, that -Reason do her proper work; and that we do<span class="pagenum" id="Page_251">251</span> -not dream, or fancy, or presume, when we -think we reason.</p> - -<p>In the instances, before given, the fault was -in concluding without premises, and in arguing -without ideas. When men call this <i>reasoning</i>, -they forget the meaning of the term, as well as -mistake the extent of their own faculties. We -cannot reason on all subjects, because there -are many subjects which we cannot understand: -And by the term, <i>reasoning</i>, is only meant -an act of the mind, which draws right conclusions -from intelligible propositions. The -nature of the infinite Being, the mode of his -existence, the œconomy of his providence, are -inscrutable to us, and probably to the highest -angels. Why then intrude into such things, -as no man hath seen, or can see? All that remains -is, to admit no proposition, which is -not clearly revealed; and, for the rest, to admit, -on the authority of the revealer, what must -be true, though we cannot, in the way of reason, -perceive that it is so.</p> - -<p>The inutility of all researches into divine -things, without a strict adherence to this well-grounded -principle, is apparent; the presumption -of them, is ridiculous; but, above all, -the mischiefs of them, are deplorable.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_252">252</span></p> - -<p>Men bewilder themselves, in inextricable -difficulties: they disbelieve, on incompetent -grounds: they give up the Gospel, and, with -it, their best hopes, for the gratification of the -idlest vanity: or they mis-spend their time in -exploring articles of faith, instead of attending, -to the obvious end and use of them.</p> - -<p>To return to the text, which led us into -these reflexions. The disciples were <i>looking -up into heaven</i>, when they should have been -considering how to follow him thither. Is not -our folly the same, or rather is it not more -inexcusable, when gazing, with our weak -reason, on celestial things, we neglect the ends, -for which a glympse of them is afforded to us? -For there is not an article of our creed, which -may not make us better, if not wiser: And -obedience, that is, <i>faith working by love</i>, -whatever some may think, is of another value -in the sight of God, and of higher concern to -man, than all knowledge.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_253">253</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XLV">SERMON XLV.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED JUNE 23, 1776.</span></h2> - -<h3>St. <span class="smcap">Matth.</span> xiii. 55, 56.</h3> - -<p><i>Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his -mother called Mary? And his brethren, -James and Joses and Simon and Judas? -And his sisters, are not they all with us? -Whence then hath this man all these things? -And they were offended in him.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">We</span> have, in these words, a striking picture -of <small>ENVY</small>; which makes us unwilling to -see, or to acknowledge, any pre-eminence in -those, whom we have familiarly known and -conversed with, and whom we have been long -used to regard as our inferiors, or, at most, -but on a level with ourselves. Our Lord’s<span class="pagenum" id="Page_254">254</span> -neighbours and countrymen, who had been -acquainted with him from his youth, could -repeat the names of his whole family, and -knew the ordinary condition, in which they -lived, were out of patience to think that, so -descended and so circumstanced, he should be -grown at once into distinction among them, -and should be taken notice of for abilities -and powers, which they, none of them, possessed.</p> - -<p>This temper of mind, I say, is here very -graphically expressed; and it operated among -the Jews with a more than common malignity, -shedding its venom on those, whom not their -own industry, but the special favour of Heaven -had raised above their fellows, and had commissioned -to go forth with extraordinary powers -(of which they had frequent instances in their -history) for the common benefit of themselves -and of mankind. Whence it acquired even -the authority of a proverbial sentence,—that <i>a -prophet hath no honour in his own country, -and in his own house</i><a id="FNanchor_205" href="#Footnote_205" class="fnanchor">[205]</a>.</p> - -<p>But, I mean not to enlarge, at present, on -this moral topick. There is <i>another</i>, and very<span class="pagenum" id="Page_255">255</span> -important use to be made of these words, which -is, to let us see, “how very small a matter -will serve to overpower the strongest evidence -of our religion, though proposed with all -imaginable advantage to us, when we <i>hate to -be reformed</i>, or, for any other reason, have -no mind to be convinced of its truth.”</p> - -<p>This strange power of <i>prejudice</i> is exemplified -in the text, and will deserve our serious -consideration.</p> - -<p>Our blessed Lord had now given many -proofs of the divine virtue, that was lodged in -him; and was, therefore, moved, not only by -the duty of his office, but, as we may suppose, -by that regard which every good man hears to -his country, to make a tender of his mercies to -those persons, especially, among whom he -had been brought up. Accordingly, we are -told, that he came to his own city of Nazareth, -and <i>preached in their Synagogue, insomuch -that</i> the people of that place <i>were -astonished, and said, whence hath this man -this wisdom</i>, which appears in his doctrine, -<i>and these mighty works</i>, which we have seen -him perform? And then, calling to mind the -mean circumstances of his birth and family,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_256">256</span> -before repeated, they expressed their dissatisfaction, -or, as the text says, <i>were offended in -him</i>.</p> - -<p>But, were those circumstances a reason for -rejecting a <i>doctrine</i>, which astonished them -with its wisdom; and <i>works</i>, which they -owned to be <i>mighty</i>, and above the common -power of man? Rather, sure, the opposite conduct -was to be expected; and, because they -knew certainly, from the mean extraction and -education of him who taught and did these -things, that he had no means of <i>acquiring</i> his -abilities (if they were at all to be acquired) in -an ordinary way, they ought, methinks, to -have had their minds impressed with a full -assurance, that they were owing, as they were -by himself ascribed, to the power of God.</p> - -<p>But, no: rather than admit a conclusion, -which hurt their pride, and crossed their -foolish prejudices, they stifle the strongest conviction -of their own minds; and resolve not to -receive a prophet, whom they had long desired -and expected, who came to them with all the -credentials of a prophet, and with the offer of -what they most wanted, the remission of their -sins, and the inestimable gift of eternal life. -And all this, because the prophet was <i>the son<span class="pagenum" id="Page_257">257</span> -of a carpenter</i>, in their own town, and because -his <i>brethren and sisters</i>, persons of a -mean condition, <i>were all with them</i>.</p> - -<p>When we contemplate such a conduct, as -this, we are ready to say, that it sprung from -a more than common perverseness of character, -and that the people of Nazareth were more -unreasonable and sottish, as the common -proverb made them to be, than the rest of -<i>Israel</i><a id="FNanchor_206" href="#Footnote_206" class="fnanchor">[206]</a>.</p> - -<p>Yet, if we turn our thoughts on the other -tribes and cities of that nation, on the inhabitants -of Judæa, and even of Jerusalem, we -shall find, that they reasoned no better than -the men of Nazareth had done; and discovered -equal, indeed, much the same prejudices as -those, by which our Lord’s own countrymen -had been misled.</p> - -<p>For, what else was it to say, as they commonly -did, that <i>no prophet could come out of -Galilee</i><a id="FNanchor_207" href="#Footnote_207" class="fnanchor">[207]</a>; that he could not be the Messiah, -because his disciples were illiterate fishermen<a id="FNanchor_208" href="#Footnote_208" class="fnanchor">[208]</a>, -and not Scribes and Pharisees; because none<span class="pagenum" id="Page_258">258</span> -of their rulers believed on him<a id="FNanchor_209" href="#Footnote_209" class="fnanchor">[209]</a>; because he -conversed, sometimes, with publicans and sinners<a id="FNanchor_210" href="#Footnote_210" class="fnanchor">[210]</a>; -because he did not observe their minute -ceremonies or traditions<a id="FNanchor_211" href="#Footnote_211" class="fnanchor">[211]</a>; because he manifested -his divine power in healing the sick, and -casting out devils, and not in breaking to pieces -the Roman empire and restoring the temporal -kingdom of Israel<a id="FNanchor_212" href="#Footnote_212" class="fnanchor">[212]</a>; because—but I need -not instance in more particulars: Universally, -the Jews, of all places and denominations, rejected -their Lord and Saviour for reasons, the -most absurd and trivial; for reasons, that came -from the heart, and not the head, which shewed -they were under the power of some contemptible -prejudice, and would yield to no evidence, unless -that was complied with.</p> - -<p>Still, “the Jews, in general, you will say, -were unlike other people. Tell us how the -polished Heathens reasoned on the subject of -Christ’s mission; and whether, when the Gospel -was addressed to them, they opposed it on -the footing of those senseless prejudices, which -you have enough disgraced.”</p> - -<p>Luckily, I have it in my power to accept -this challenge; and to shew you, on the best<span class="pagenum" id="Page_259">259</span> -authority, that those men of enlightened minds -and renowned wisdom were as weak in their -sophisms, and as childish in their cavils against -the new religion, as the Jews themselves.</p> - -<p>We read in the Acts of the Apostles<a id="FNanchor_213" href="#Footnote_213" class="fnanchor">[213]</a>, that -St. Paul came to Ephesus, a rich, learned, -idolatrous city of Asia; that he applied himself -more especially to the instruction of its -Gentile inhabitants; <i>disputing daily, for two -years together, in the school of one Tyrannus</i>, -a teacher of rhetorick, or philosophy, as we -may suppose, and a convert to the faith of -Jesus. That his success was great, we may -conclude, both from his long residence, and -from <i>the special miracles</i>, which he wrought, -among them. Yet, when <i>the word of God -had grown mightily and prevailed, a certain -silver-smith, who made silver shrines</i> for the -Goddess of the place, had credit enough with -this well instructed city, because its trade was -likely to suffer by the downfall of idolatry, to -raise such an uproar among the people, that -the Apostle’s labours were, at once, overturned -by this powerful argument, and he, himself, -compelled to leave them to their old infatuations: -which was much such treatment, as -Jesus himself had received from the Gadarenes;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_260">260</span> -who, because he had permitted the devils, -ejected out of one of their people, to enter into -a herd of swine, and to destroy them, would -not be saved at this expence, and required him, -but civilly indeed, <i>to depart out of their coasts</i>. -Now, was that <i>craft</i>, or this <i>husbandry</i>, a -matter to be put in competition with the saving -of their souls, which they had reason to expect -from the preaching of Paul and Jesus? Or, is -it not clear, that a petty interest, that is, a -sordid <i>prejudice</i>, prevailed against the most -precious hopes, supported by the fullest evidence?</p> - -<p>But these were <i>prejudices</i> of the ignorant -vulgar. Let us see, then, what success St. Paul -had in a nobler scene, among wits and sages, -men of refined sense and reason, in the head-quarters -of politeness and civility, in the eye of -Greece itself, in one word, Athens<a id="FNanchor_214" href="#Footnote_214" class="fnanchor">[214]</a>. Here, -the great Apostle, who had the charity, and -the ability, to <i>make himself all things to all -men</i>, encountered their ablest philosophers; -reasoning with them, even before their revered -court of Areopagus, on their own favourite -topics of <i>God, and the Soul</i>, in a strain of argument, -which was clearly unanswerable; and -concluding his weighty apology with <i>Jesus and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_261">261</span> -the Resurrection</i>. But what was the effect of -all this truth on the minds of these liberal heathens? -Why the text says—<i>when they -heared of the resurrection of the dead, some</i> -(that is, the Epicureans) <i>mocked</i>; and why? -because their philosophy admitted no future -state: while <i>others</i> (the Stoics) <i>said, We will -hear thee again of this matter</i>; but, for as poor -reason, as the other, because their philosophy -taught I know not what of a certain renovation -of the world, which, for the credit of their sect, -they were half inclined to confound with the -Christian resurrection. You see, in both parties, -the power of prejudice; where yet the -occasion was the most interesting, the hearers -the most capable, the ability or the speaker, -independently of his assumed inspiration, unquestionably -great, and where the conclusion, -(so carelessly dismissed) was, after all, a question -of <small>FACT</small>, which had no dependance on the -fanciful tenets of either party.</p> - -<p>I should weary you and myself, should I -carry on this deduction through the following -ages of the Christian church; and shew, as I -might easily do, that the ablest men of science, -who opposed Christianity, did it on grounds -no better than those of these Athenian sophists. -We see what these grounds were, in the fragments,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_262">262</span> -that remain to us, of many ancient unbelievers<a id="FNanchor_215" href="#Footnote_215" class="fnanchor">[215]</a>, -men, the most acute and learned of -their times; while yet every man of sense, that -now reads and considers their objections, will -own, whether he be himself a Christian or not, -that they are altogether weak and frivolous, -and have the face not so much of sound, or -even colourable arguments, as of faint and -powerless prepossessions against unwelcome -truth.</p> - -<p>I shall only instance in <i>one</i> of these prepossessions, -which you think prodigious. -The Roman empire, labouring under its own -vices, and many <i>physical</i> evils, which then lay -heavy upon it, experienced, in the fourth century, -that reverse of fortune, which, in its turn, -the greatest nations must expect. But by this -time Christianity had spread itself through all -the provinces, and was become the religion of -the state. In these circumstances, the Heathens, -very generally, not the rabble only, but -the gravest and wisest of the Heathens; ascribed -these disasters to the abolition of idolatry; -and thought it an unanswerable argument -against the faith of Jesus, that it did not -maintain their empire in that degree of splendour<span class="pagenum" id="Page_263">263</span> -and prosperity, to which, in the days of -pagan worship, it had happily been raised. -And this miserable superstition, which we now -only pity, or, perhaps, smile at, made so deep -an impression on the minds of men, that the -greatest of the ancient fathers, and particularly -St. Austin<a id="FNanchor_216" href="#Footnote_216" class="fnanchor">[216]</a>, were scarce able, with all their -learning and authority, to bring it into -contempt.</p> - -<p>Such was the power of <i>ancient</i> prejudice -against the Christian religion. But I hasten to -set before you, in few words, what its tyranny -has been in <i>later</i> times.</p> - -<p>The accidental and temporary commotions, -which reformed religion produced in our western -world, furnished in the minds of many, a -notable <i>argument</i> against the cause of Protestantism, -which, when taken up and improved, -as it soon was, by state-policy, had, indeed, a -fatal influence on its success. But, even as to -Christianity itself, that day-spring of knowledge, -which broke upon us at the Reformation, -and, as they say, has been brightening from -that time to this, could not disperse those phantoms -of prejudice, which are forever haunting -the human mind.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_264">264</span></p> - -<p>Men, who piqued themselves on their sagacity, -presently started up, and said, that, because -popery had been found to be an imposture, -Christianity was so too; and because the legendary -tales of the cloysters had been convicted of -falshood, that the Scriptures themselves deserved -but little regard. And when afterwards -these suspicions gave way to sober criticism and -learned inquiry, <i>prejudices</i> still arose, in -various shapes, against the <small>EVIDENCES</small>, and the -<small>DOCTRINES</small> of the Gospel-Revelation. We were -told, that the <i>prophecies</i> proved nothing, because -some of them were too obscure, and -others too plain. Could both these objections -come from the oracle, Reason? Or, is it so -much as likely, that either of them did so? -when, for any thing it could tell, both the -clearness, and the obscurity might be suitable -to the occasion, and each, be fit, in its place. -Then again, there were others bold enough to -deny the existence of <i>miracles</i>, not, because -many have been forged, but because none can be -true. Was this, too, the voice of Reason? or, -is not St. Paul’s appeal to common sense enough -to disgrace this fancy to the end of the world—<i>Why -should it be thought a thing incredible -with you that</i> <small>GOD</small> <i>should raise the dead</i>?<a id="FNanchor_217" href="#Footnote_217" class="fnanchor">[217]</a> -God, who surely has <i>power</i> to do this, or other -miracles, when his <i>wisdom</i> sees fit.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_265">265</span></p> - -<p>The <i>contents</i> of the Gospel have also been -treated, I do not say with as little respect, but -with as little shew of reason and argument, as -the evidences of it.</p> - -<p>For instance, it was current, not long ago, -that “Christianity was as old as the Creation;” -the meaning of which wise saying was, that -Christianity could not be true, because the -<i>moral</i> part of it was such, as nature taught, and -had at all times been able to discover by its own -light. Admit the fact: what follows? That -therefore a divine revelation needs not repeat -and could not occasionally enforce the laws of -nature. Is reason, pure unmixed reason, -accustomed to trifle at this rate?</p> - -<p>But the complaint now is, that nature does -not teach the <i>doctrinal</i> part of the Gospel. -And what then? Was it not equally to be expected -that what concerns the essence and -counsels and dispensations of God should be a -secret to nature, unassisted by revelation, as -that our practical moral duties should lie open -to its view? And, if the force of this question -be not generally felt, there is no doubt, I -think, but it will, in a short time. For, it is -to be observed of all these idle cavils, that they -presently vanish one after another; and, when<span class="pagenum" id="Page_266">266</span> -each has had its day, is, thenceforth, exploded -even by unbelievers themselves.</p> - -<p>But, ’tis time to come to a conclusion of this -matter. The purpose of all I have said is, only, -this, to shew, what weak and idiot prejudices -have, at all times, been taken up against -Christianity, and how generally they have -been mistaken by the acutest of its enemies, -for reasons of much weight.</p> - -<p>And, if all, who hear me, be led by this experience, -to suspect the infirmity of their own -minds; if, having seen the disgraceful issue of -so many fancies, which for a time have passed -for shrewd <i>arguments</i>, but have, afterwards, -appeared to be nothing more than childish <i>prejudices</i>, -they can be brought to mistrust those, -that occur to themselves; if, in a word, they -can be induced to question the pertinence and -force of what they too easily consider in the -light of objections to Christianity, and to argue -soberly and cautiously at least, if they will -needs try their skill in arguing against it; the -end, I have in view, will be answered, and -neither my pains, nor your attention, will be -thrown away on this discourse.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_267">267</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XLVI">SERMON XLVI.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED FEBRUARY 4, 1776.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">James</span> iv. 7.</h3> - -<p>—<i>Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">That</span> there are Angels and Spirits, good -and bad; that, at the head, of these last, there -is <small>ONE</small>, more considerable and malignant, than -the rest, who in the form, or under the name, -of a <i>Serpent</i>, was deeply concerned in the fall -of man, and whose <i>head</i>, as the prophetic language -is, the Son of man was, one day, to -<i>bruise</i>; that this evil spirit, though that prophecy -be, in part, completed, has not yet received -his death’s wound, but is still permitted, -for ends unsearchable to us, and in ways<span class="pagenum" id="Page_268">268</span> -which we cannot particularly explain, to have -a certain degree of power in this world, hostile -to its virtue and happiness, and sometimes -exerted with too much success; all this is so -clear from Scripture, that no believer, unless -he be, first of all, <i>spoiled by philosophy and -vain deceit</i>, can possibly entertain a doubt -of it.</p> - -<p>The subject, indeed, in its full extent, cannot -be discussed at this time, nor conveniently, -perhaps, in this place. But it may not be -improper to make some general reflexions -upon it; such as may serve to rectify your -<small>APPREHENSIONS</small> of the doctrine itself, which, as -I said, is truly scriptural, and to suggest, at -the same time, the <small>MORAL AND RELIGIOUS -USES</small>, we ought to make of it.</p> - -<p>1. An opinion prevailed in the East very -early, and was probably derived from some -still more ancient tradition of the fall, corrupted, -and misunderstood, that two, equally -great and independent beings, a good and a -bad, shared the government of the world between -them; that these beings, of directly opposite -characters, carried on a perpetual war -with each other, crossed each other’s designs -and operations, and, as either prevailed, produced<span class="pagenum" id="Page_269">269</span> -the good or evil, the happiness or misery, -of this life.</p> - -<p>This opinion was, afterwards, taken up by -some, who called themselves Christians; and -was especially applied by those, who loved to -philosophize (as too many did, and, at all -times, have been prone to do) on the secrets -of divine Providence, to the solution of that -great question, concerning the <i>origin of natural -and moral evil</i>.</p> - -<p>Now, to this notion some countenance, it is -thought, has been given by the scriptural doctrine -of the Devil, who is spoken of, as <i>the -Prince of this world</i><a id="FNanchor_218" href="#Footnote_218" class="fnanchor">[218]</a>, as the <i>Prince of the -power of the air</i><a id="FNanchor_219" href="#Footnote_219" class="fnanchor">[219]</a>, as <i>the God of this world</i><a id="FNanchor_220" href="#Footnote_220" class="fnanchor">[220]</a>, -and in other terms of the like sort, denoting -as well the <i>power</i>, as malignity, of this evil -Being.</p> - -<p>But, though these terms are, some of them, -very strong, and certainly imply, not the -existence only, but the extensive agency and -influence, of this wicked Spirit, yet there is no -pretence or colour for supposing that any thing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_270">270</span> -like an equality to the God of heaven and -earth, or an independency upon him, was intended -to be expressed by them. For it is manifest, -that no writings in the world exalt our -ideas of that God so high, or set forth his supreme -irresistible and sovereign dominion in so -strong and decisive terms, as the Jewish and -Christian scriptures. And with regard to the -particular evil being under consideration, he is -represented as <i>trembling</i><a id="FNanchor_221" href="#Footnote_221" class="fnanchor">[221]</a> at the very apprehension -of the omnipotent Creator, as sentenced -by his justice<a id="FNanchor_222" href="#Footnote_222" class="fnanchor">[222]</a>, and reserved for the -execution of it<a id="FNanchor_223" href="#Footnote_223" class="fnanchor">[223]</a>; as exercising a partial, a precarious, -a limited power in this world, working -only in the <i>children of disobedience</i><a id="FNanchor_224" href="#Footnote_224" class="fnanchor">[224]</a>, and in -them, consequently, no longer than they continue -to deserve that character; and baffled in -his attempts, not only by the Son of God, but -by the <i>resistance</i><a id="FNanchor_225" href="#Footnote_225" class="fnanchor">[225]</a>, by the <i>prayers</i><a id="FNanchor_226" href="#Footnote_226" class="fnanchor">[226]</a>, by the -<i>faith</i><a id="FNanchor_227" href="#Footnote_227" class="fnanchor">[227]</a>, of Christians; as a rebel indeed, yet a -rebel cast out<a id="FNanchor_228" href="#Footnote_228" class="fnanchor">[228]</a> and disabled<a id="FNanchor_229" href="#Footnote_229" class="fnanchor">[229]</a>, and compelled -to be an instrument, like all other things, in -the hands of the Almighty<a id="FNanchor_230" href="#Footnote_230" class="fnanchor">[230]</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_271">271</span></p> - -<p>But nothing shews more clearly, how abhorrent -the spirit of Christianity is from the -Manichæan doctrine, than the care that is -taken throughout the Gospel-history to set -forth the triumphs of Christ over the kingdom -of Satan, in <i>casting out devils</i>; of which the -instances are so many, and so circumstantially -described, as if our Lord’s main or sole purpose -had been to expose and explode that great impiety. -He not only, himself, commanded, by -a word, the devils to go out of the possessed, -who accordingly obeyed him, and, in departing, -deprecated that power<a id="FNanchor_231" href="#Footnote_231" class="fnanchor">[231]</a>, which they knew -he had over them; but he, likewise, gave the -same authority to his disciples, who went forth -with his commission, and <i>returned again with -joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject -unto us, through thy name</i><a id="FNanchor_232" href="#Footnote_232" class="fnanchor">[232]</a>. On which occasion, -<i>he said unto them</i>, as exulting in his -dominion over the enemy, and in the rapid, -instantaneous, irresistible effect of it, <i>I beheld -Satan, as lightning, fall from heaven</i><a id="FNanchor_233" href="#Footnote_233" class="fnanchor">[233]</a>.</p> - -<p>Thus much may suffice to shew, that, -though the Gospel affirms the existence of evil -spirits, and of one eminently so, yet that it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_272">272</span> -gives no countenance to the doctrine of the -two principles; as if the evil one were independent -of the good, or that Satan could have -the madness to think of rivalling the power of -God, and of entering into a direct formal contest, -as it were, with the Almighty. Whatever -of this sort has been said, or insinuated, -contradicts the express testimony, indeed, the -whole tenour, of holy scripture, and is nothing -but poetry, or misrepresentation.</p> - -<p>2. Still, on the face of that account, which -Scripture itself gives, it must be owned, that -the power of Satan is great and even dreadful.</p> - -<p>That he was permitted, in our Saviour’s -time, to vex, and, in various ways, torment -the <small>BODIES</small> of men, is clear from the number -of <i>possessions</i>, we read of in the Gospel; -which though some have laboured to explain -away (as they have, indeed, the personality of -the Devil himself) by reducing what is said of -his agency to a mere figure of speech, yet I do -not find that their attempts have, hitherto, -been, or are likely to be, successful.</p> - -<p>That he was, also, permitted to lay such -trains, and contrive such measures, as had a -fatal effect, sometimes, on the <small>FORTUNES</small> of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_273">273</span> -men, not of those only, who were the immediate -instruments of his malice, but of good -and innocent men, who stood at a distance -from him, we see by the sad catastrophe of -that council, which <i>he put into the heart of -Judas to betray his master</i><a id="FNanchor_234" href="#Footnote_234" class="fnanchor">[234]</a>; first, in the untimely -death of the traitor himself, and then, -by a series of connected events, in the crucifixion -of the holy Jesus; and by several other -instances. And, that he still retains this last -power, as formidable as it truly is, must be -concluded, if it be true, as we shall presently -see it is, that he insinuates himself into the -minds of bad men, and is concerned in exciting -and promoting their wicked purposes. -But, whether he be allowed to tyrannize over -the bodies of men, is more problematical. -That, for any thing we know, he may operate -in the way of <i>possession</i>, I do not see on what -certain grounds any man can deny: that he -does so, I would not affirm, because the Scripture, -our only guide as to what respects the -agency of spirits, is silent in that matter. But -the inquiry is of the less moment, because, -since the gift of <i>discerning</i> spirits hath ceased -in the church, we have no means of distinguishing -between <i>possessions</i> and <i>natural disorders</i>; -and, because, if we had, there is no -known cure, or antidote, for them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_274">274</span></p> - -<p>Had this been considered, all the mischiefs -which have arisen from the trade of witchcraft -and diabolism, would have been prevented. -For they have proceeded, not from the supposed -possibility of possessions, but from a -fraudulent pretence of knowing when they take -place, and from a superstitious belief of certain -charms or spells, which may be applied, with -effect, to the removal of them. Whereas, the -fact is not cognizable by us, the symptoms, -whether of the natural disorder, or of the -pretærnatural infliction, being equivocal; and -Christianity acknowledges no power in words, -or ceremonies, to exorcise evil spirits. The -only exorcism, which is now permitted to -Christians, is that of faith and repentance, that -is, of a good life; which every man may, and -should apply, when it is needful, to his own -case, and which, in that application, can surely -do no hurt to himself, or others.</p> - -<p>And, with this explanation, I leave the matter -of <i>possessions</i>. As I have no authority to -affirm, that there <i>are</i>, now, any such, so neither -may I presume to say, with confidence, -that there are <i>not</i> any.</p> - -<p>But, then, with regard to the influence of -evil spirits at this day upon the <small>SOULS</small> of men,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_275">275</span> -I shall take leave to be a great deal more peremptory. -For this influence is so constantly -supposed in the Gospel; there are so many admonitions, -cautions, advices, relating to it; -there are so many warnings given us by Christ -and his Apostles against the snares, the wiles, -the devices, the depths, of Satan, and these, conveyed -in the form of general precepts, plainly -calculated for the use of Christians in all ages; -it is so expressly said, in Christ’s own parable of -the sower, that the <i>tares</i>, that is, bad men, <i>are -sown by the devil</i>, and that this husbandry will -be carried on by him to the end of the world; -it is so apparent, that his empire over bad men -is exercised in the way of temptation and seduction, -by putting bad purposes into their -minds, and filling their hearts with corrupt -imaginations and intentions; it is, besides, so -evident that we are continually in danger of -this temptation, by that clause in the Lord’s -prayer, the daily prayer of all Christians—<i>deliver -us from the evil one</i><a id="FNanchor_235" href="#Footnote_235" class="fnanchor">[235]</a>—for such is the -proper sense of these words, which we translate, -<i>deliver us from evil</i>—All this, I say, is -so manifest to every one who reads the scriptures, -that, if we respect their authority, the -question, concerning the reality of demonic -influence upon the minds of men, is clearly -determined.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_276">276</span></p> - -<p>Nay, there are many instances, in history, -and common life, of prodigious, almost unimaginable -wickedness, strangely conceived and -executed, which, if they do not prove this -doctrine, in the way of sensible experience, -perfectly fall in, and harmonize with it. It -seems, as if the soul of some men were demoniacal, -as the bodies of others have been. Let -me appeal to yourselves. Suppose that a person, -duly commissioned for that purpose, had -dislodged as many devils from Nero or Cæsar -Borgia, as our Saviour did from the poor unhappy -man of Gadara, would this exorcism -have surprized you more in the former case, -than the latter? or would not this miracle have -furnished us with a better account, than we -can now give, of the transcendant wickedness, -which <i>possessed</i> the hearts of those monsters?</p> - -<p>Indeed, in the simpler ages, our forefathers, -who read the scriptures, and believed what -they read, constantly ascribed any crime, with -which they charged another, to <i>the instigation -of the devil</i>; as you may see from the language -of those forms, which are used, in criminal -prosecutions to this day: and, if those charges -be vow considered as <i>mere forms</i>, it was not -always so; and a better reason will be required, -than can be presently given, why any Christian -should so conceive of them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_277">277</span></p> - -<p>3. But to all this it be said, “that the -doctrine, here laid down, as scriptural, is -strange and incredible; that it makes the -virtue and happiness of men depend on -others, and not themselves; that it supposes -a power, adverse to the great Creator -and Governor, and able, on many occasions, -to prevail against him, which, degrades both -his <i>sovereignty</i> and his <i>wisdom</i>; and that, -above all, it represents weak simple men as -exposed to the practices of great and subtle -tempters, which overturn all our ideas of the -divine <i>justice</i> and <i>goodness</i>.”</p> - -<p>The objection might be expressed in more -words, but you see the drift and force of it. -Now, in answer, it would be enough to say, -that, let the difficulties be what they will, the -doctrine is scriptural. But then, as to those -difficulties themselves, I must further say, -that they are not peculiar to this doctrine, -as revealed in scripture, but bear equally -against the natural doctrine of God’s moral -government.</p> - -<p>For do we not see that we all of us depend -in a great measure, for the virtue and happiness -we possess, on the conduct of others? -Can we look about us, and not perceive an<span class="pagenum" id="Page_278">278</span> -order of beings, I mean, <i>wicked men</i>, opposing -themselves to the will of God, traversing his -righteous purposes, and prevailing, for a time -at least, against his primary intentions? Do -they not pervert, corrupt, destroy multitudes -every day; and are not the weak and simple -permitted to fall into the snares of the wise -and crafty? Do not these things evidently -take place in our world, and is it thought any -derogation from the attributes of God that -they should be allowed to do so? Are not -men, too oft, a sort of devils to each other, -and can we wonder that vice and misery are -much in the power of such agents? Yes, but -<i>spiritual unseen</i> agents!—Does that make any -mighty difference? Is it necessary to suppose -that <i>spirits</i>, of whatever rank, are privileged -from abusing their free-will, and from being -perverse and wicked, as we see men are? And, -what if they are <i>unseen</i>? Have we reason to -expect, from the present constitution of things, -that we should suffer only from the practices of -known and visible tempters? As if much of -the vice and wretchedness of this life did not -come upon us by surprize, as we may say, and -when we think little of the cause, or the -agent! A lye, flies in the dark, and misleads -many into errors, and even crimes. A libel, -gets abroad, nobody knows from whom, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_279">279</span> -yet shall tempt, perhaps drive, unwary multitudes, -into rebellion. How many plots of -wickedness are laid and succeed, when the -plotter is out of sight and not so much as suspected! -Nay, a certain cast of mind, or temperament -of body, things, wholly unknown -and unthought of by most men, shall, without -great care and circumspection, be fatal to our -virtue. Even the air, we breathe, (which, -like the <i>prince of the power of the air</i>, is to -us invisible) has a secret, and yet, sometimes, -powerful influence on our passions. And shall -we still disbelieve the seduction of an evil -spirit, because he steals insensibly upon us?</p> - -<p>But the true answer to all objections of this -sort, whether men or devils be the tempters, -is, that neither shall prevail, but by our own -fault, by some carelessness, or wilful corruption -of our own hearts, which are always sufficiently -admonished, that the enemy is at hand, -when evil thoughts, however produced, begin -to stir in them. Then is the time to watch, -and <i>resist</i>: and our resistance, the text tells -us, will not be in vain. And what though -legions of spirits lay siege to us! We may call -<i>more than twelve legions of angels</i>, even the -holy Spirit of God himself, to our assistance, if -we please; for <i>greater is</i> <small>HE THAT IS IN US</small>,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_280">280</span> -<i>than he that is in the world</i><a id="FNanchor_236" href="#Footnote_236" class="fnanchor">[236]</a>. So <i>faithful is -God</i>, after all our impious surmises and distrust -of his gracious providence, <i>who will not -suffer us to be tempted above that we are -able</i>, though Satan himself be the tempter, -<i>but will with the temptation also</i>, if we be -careful to do our part, <i>make a way for us to -escape</i><a id="FNanchor_237" href="#Footnote_237" class="fnanchor">[237]</a>.</p> - -<p>4. And this being the case, all objections -to the doctrine here inculcated, fall to the -ground; so that I have only to remind you, in -two words, (for the time will not allow many) -of the <i>moral and religious uses</i>, we ought to -make of it.</p> - -<p>I shall but mention <small>ONE</small>, of each sort.</p> - -<p>1. In a <small>RELIGIOUS</small> view, the belief of this -doctrine is of the utmost importance: for the -whole scheme of Redemption is founded upon -it. For <i>therefore</i> Christ came into the world, -and suffered upon the cross, <i>that, through -death</i>, as St. Paul says, <i>he might destroy him, -that had the power of death, that is, the</i> -<small>DEVIL</small><a id="FNanchor_238" href="#Footnote_238" class="fnanchor">[238]</a>. And, universally, <i>for this purpose</i> -(I quote the words of St. John) <i>the Son of -God was manifested, that he might destroy<span class="pagenum" id="Page_281">281</span> -the works of the</i> <small>DEVIL</small><a id="FNanchor_239" href="#Footnote_239" class="fnanchor">[239]</a>. It concerns us, -then, infinitely, to take heed lest, by denying, -or questioning, or explaining away, the existence -and agency of the evil spirit, we subvert -the foundation of our faith, detract from the -glory of our Saviour’s passion, and unthankfully -<i>despise the riches of his goodness</i> in -dying for us: nay, and lest we blaspheme the -Holy Ghost; who was given to <i>help our infirmities</i><a id="FNanchor_240" href="#Footnote_240" class="fnanchor">[240]</a>, -to <i>strengthen us with might in the -inner man</i><a id="FNanchor_241" href="#Footnote_241" class="fnanchor">[241]</a>, and therefore to save us, from the -power of <i>that spirit, which worketh in the -children of disobedience</i><a id="FNanchor_242" href="#Footnote_242" class="fnanchor">[242]</a>.</p> - -<p>2. In a <small>MORAL</small> view it is, also, of great importance, -that we entertain right notions on -this subject.</p> - -<p>I know that the <i>world</i> and the <i>flesh</i> are -powerful enemies enough, and that we need -not wish to signalize our courage by a contest -with any <i>other</i>.</p> - -<p>But if there <i>be</i> another, we are concerned -to know what our danger is, and to provide -against it. Security is generally fatal; especially -when the strength of the enemy is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_282">282</span> -greater than we take it to be. Therefore, let -us learn from scripture, what that strength is; -and let us use all diligence in <i>resisting</i> (as we -have long since engaged to do) not the <i>world</i> -and the <i>flesh</i> only, but also, the <small>DEVIL</small>. This -is the advice of the text—<i>Resist the</i> <small>DEVIL</small>. -And then, too, is the advice of the Apostle -Peter—<i>Be sober, be vigilant; become your -adversary, the</i> <small>DEVIL</small>, <i>as a roaring lion, -walketh about, seeking whom he may devour</i><a id="FNanchor_243" href="#Footnote_243" class="fnanchor">[243]</a> -(words, by the way, which put the <i>personality</i> -of the tempter out of all question); <i>Whom resist</i>, -says he, <i>stedfast in the</i> <small>FAITH</small>; under the -protection of which shield, <i>we shall be able to -quench all the fiery darts of</i> <small>THE WICKED</small><a id="FNanchor_244" href="#Footnote_244" class="fnanchor">[244]</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_283">283</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XLVII">SERMON XLVII.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED MARCH 29, 1772.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Prov.</span> xvi. 6.</h3> - -<p><i>By the fear of the Lord, men depart from -evil.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">All</span> the authority of Solomon’s name and -wisdom will, I doubt, be no more than sufficient -to procure respect to this observation; -which some may consider as a <i>trite and vulgar -truth</i>, scarce deserving their regard; while -others, perhaps, will not so much as allow it -to be a truth at all, but indeed a <i>vulgar mistake</i>, -arising out of the narrow views of ignorant or -superficial declaimers. It may be slighted by -one set of men, as conveying <i>no</i> information, -and by another, as conveying a <i>wrong</i> one.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_284">284</span></p> - -<p>Let me attempt then to rescue the sacred -text from both these imputations. Permit me -to shew you, that the observation, it contains, -is neither so generally received, as to make all -further discourse about it frivolous and unnecessary; -nor yet, on the other hand, of so -questionable a nature, as to justify the scorn -with which it is sometimes rejected.</p> - -<p>I. To those, who are such fastidious hearers -of the word, as to disregard an important truth, -because repeatedly inforced upon them, I might -reply that such truths can never be insisted -upon too much, that our duty is to inculcate -them, <i>in season, and out of season</i>.</p> - -<p>But the fact is mistaken. We are so far -from nauseating our hearers, with a too common -and superfluous truth, when we remind -them perpetually, that, <i>by the fear of God, -men depart from evil</i>, that, on the contrary, -very many want to be informed, or at least -convinced, of it.</p> - -<p>What the text affirms, is, that the <i>fear of -God</i>, or the <small>RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLE</small>, is the proper -guide of life. But look now into the <i>world</i>, at -large: there the acknowledged rule of life, is -<small>FASHION</small>. Look into the <i>civil or political</i><span class="pagenum" id="Page_285">285</span> -world: there the boasted rule of life, is <small>THE -LAW OF THE MAGISTRATE</small>. Look into the -<i>learned</i> world: there too commonly the only -rule of life is each man’s own reason, or what -he proudly calls <small>PHILOSOPHY</small>.</p> - -<p>And will it now be said that <i>the fear of God</i>, -is a principle too stale and too unquestioned to -be discoursed upon and recommended to you -from this place, when we see so large and so -considerable a part of the world actuated by one -or other of these different and discordant principles? -But neither</p> - -<p>II. Is the truth, though far enough from -being generally received, so slightly grounded -as to justify any man in the contempt of it.</p> - -<p>It is a truth, taught of God, and revered by -all wise men. It has nature, and reason, and -experience on its side; and is only combated -by the folly, the short-sighted policy, or lastly, -the pride, of half-thinking and presumptuous -men.</p> - -<p>For to give, now, the godless principles, -I before mentioned, a short and separate examination.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_286">286</span></p> - -<p>1. Tell <i>the man of the world</i>, that the religious -principle is that by which alone he ought -to govern himself, and you are presently told -of the power and prerogatives of <small>FASHION</small>.</p> - -<p>“<i>The fear of God</i>, he will say, may be the -proper rule of monks and hermits; but must -be qualified, at least, in many respects, by such -as live in the world and mix in the society of it. -They who have to converse with mankind, are -to accommodate themselves to their notions and -practices: they are to think with the rest of the -world, or at least they are to act with them: -they are to found their moral systems on the -liberal and enlarged basis of approved use or -custom. Their observation of human life must -inform them of the ways that men take to conciliate -the good will of their fellows, to prosecute -their own advantages in the world, and to -acquire the confidence and esteem of that society, -in which they are stationed. What they -find to be the rule of others, must be a rule to -themselves. To do otherwise is not weakness, -only: It is, besides, arrogance, incivility, -inhumanity.”</p> - -<p>All this is thought plausible by some men; -and taken together, it must be owned, forms a -very easy and commodious system: but how<span class="pagenum" id="Page_287">287</span> -consistent with conscience, with duty, and -with common sense, they will do well to consider. -For if <i>fashion</i> only be to regulate our conduct -in all cases, I ask not what becomes of -piety, but of humanity itself, I mean of those -offices which we owe to others and to ourselves, -and which reason dictates to us in every situation. -Custom, you will say, is practical reason. -But what! To be led blind-fold by the prevailing -practice, whatever it be, what is it but -to renounce our intelligent nature, and to live -at hazard, and without reason? Further still: -If it be sufficient to do as we see others <i>creditably</i> -do, without examining any farther, we -shall often find ourselves involved, I do not say -in the most irrational, the most inconsistent, -but the most horrid practices. Then, killing -with malice and with forethought, if the point -of honour prevail, will be no <i>murder</i>: And, -adultery, if the law of politeness so ordain, -shall hide its atrocious nature under the mask -of <i>gallantry</i>: Then shall society at large -become a scene of fraud and rapine; good faith, -shall be termed <i>simplicity</i>, and fair dealing, -<i>folly</i>.</p> - -<p>Go now, and say that <i>the fear of God</i> is a -needless restraint on free spirits; and count the -advantages which ye have reason to promise to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_288">288</span> -yourselves, from acknowledging no other guide -of life, but <i>imperious fashion</i>!</p> - -<p>2. A graver set of men come next, and tell -us, “That <i>fashion</i> is indeed a very uncertain -guide of life: But that <small>LAW</small>, the result of the -public wisdom, armed with the public force, -is an adequate rule of human action; that the -legislator’s province is to enact such salutary -laws, and the magistrate’s duty, to carry them -into execution, as shall be sufficient to secure -the peace and order of society; And that every -other rule of life is at once unnecessary and ineffectual: -<i>unnecessary</i>, because the interests -of virtue are amply provided for by the wisdom -of law; and <i>ineffectual</i>, because no other -principle has force enough to exact obedience: -That, in particular, <i>the fear of God</i> is too -remote a consideration to restrain the tumultuous -passions of men, which are held in subjection -by nothing but the instant terrors of -civil justice; in a word, that where the law of -the state is duly enforced, there is no need of -other restraints; and that, lastly, to lay a stress -on <i>the religious principle</i> is to weaken the operation -of law, as it opens a door to fanaticism -and superstition.”</p> - -<p>This plea of the politician receives an apparent -force from this certain truth, That law is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_289">289</span> -indeed of indispensable necessity, and that the -general virtue and happiness of a people cannot -be maintained without it. We join him therefore -very cordially in this encomium on civil -justice; but must remind him, withal, that -neither is the religious principle superseded by -it, nor can civil justice itself maintain its due -course, without the support of the religious -principle: That, when the authority of law has -done its best, there will be much for religion to -controul and regulate; <i>much</i>, that is not -within the reach of law, and without its jurisdiction: -That <i>the fear of the Lord</i> penetrates -deeper and farther, than the sword of the -magistrate; and that, even within his own -province, all his policy and all his power will -take a very imperfect effect, without the concurrence -of a higher principle; as he himself -is abundantly convinced from the necessity of -fortifying his own most important constitutions, -by the religion of an oath; which is nothing -else but an appeal to the fear of God, under a -sense of its being a needful supplement to the -fear of the magistrate.</p> - -<p>Yet society, they say, is entirely upheld by -the authority of law; at least, the world may -go on very well, by virtue of that only. Yes; -It may go on, as we see it does, full of open<span class="pagenum" id="Page_290">290</span> -violence, which all its terrors cannot restrain; -and of secret frauds, for which it cannot so -much as project a remedy: It may go on, indeed, -but polluted by vices of all sorts, which -are not the objects of law, and even by crimes, -which are often too strong for it: It may go -on indeed, till the religious principle be quite -effaced from the minds of men (if we may have -leave for a moment, to put so desperate, and, -thank God, so impossible a case); but, when -that dreadful time comes, society itself, with -all its bulwark of laws, must inevitably be -swept away with it.</p> - -<p>Universal history bears testimony to this awful -truth; there being no account of any state -on the face of the earth, which could ever support -itself in general virtue, or general happiness, -by the mere force of its civil institutions. -And how should it be otherwise, when the fear -of God is requisite to enforce the law, as well -as to observe it; to supply the state with faithful -magistrates, as well as with obedient -subjects?</p> - -<p>If then this vital principle of religion, so necessary -to the conservation of all states, cannot -be kept free from some mixture of fanaticism -or superstition, we are surely to endure<span class="pagenum" id="Page_291">291</span> -the inconvenience, as we can, rather than put -the interests of society to hazard by suspending -them all on the weak and false supports of an -irreligious policy.</p> - -<p>3. Lastly, the <span class="smcap">PHILOSOPHER’s</span> plea, though -specious at first sight, is of all others the weakest. -For <i>fashion</i>, if it chance to be on the -side of virtue, will be punctually followed: -And the sword of the <i>magistrate</i> can, in part, -at least, enforce obedience. But what coercive -power is there in <i>philosophy</i>? It may see and -determine right: but who, or what shall compell -this supreme directress of life to observe -its own determinations? “The fitness, it may -be said, of those determinations themselves; -the very reason of the thing being the proper -restraint of reasonable natures.” Still the question -returns, What if I am disposed to throw -off this restraint? I act against conviction, -indeed, and am self-condemned, which to a -liberal mind is no small punishment. But -look into the world, and see if that punishment -be sufficient to induce the bulk of mankind, -nay the gross body of philosophers themselves, -<i>to depart from evil</i>.</p> - -<p>And what, after all, is this magnified reason? -One man admits no other rule of life but <i>abstract<span class="pagenum" id="Page_292">292</span> -truth</i>, or what he calls <i>the differences of -things</i>: Another, will hear of none, but an -instinctive <i>moral sense</i>: And a third, entrenches -himself within the narrow circle of -<i>private happiness</i>. These several systems have -been laid down, each in its turn, as the only -proper basis of moral action: But could the -patrons of them be made to agree in any one; -or could their several schemes be made, as -perhaps they might, to consist together: still, -they could only serve to acquaint us what the -nature of virtue is; they do but slenderly provide -for the practice of it.</p> - -<p>Let the philosophers, then, debate this matter -among themselves. It is enough for <i>us</i> to -learn of Solomon, <i>to fear God</i>: To fear <small>HIM</small>, -who is everywhere and essentially present; -who is conscious to all our actions and all our -thoughts; from whose knowledge there is no -escape, from whose justice there is no appeal, -and to whose power there is no hope, or possibility -of resistance.</p> - -<p>With this principle, an unquestioned principle -of reason, if there be any, deeply rooted -in the mind, we have indeed an adequate rule -of life; or, what is better, a controuling motive -to put in practice whatever rule of life we<span class="pagenum" id="Page_293">293</span> -chuse to follow. Moral systems, taken by -themselves, are poor ineffective things; even -virtue’s self is but a name, till the religious -principle be infused into her. Then it is, that -she lives and acts, and by her powerful influence -inclines the hearts of men <i>to depart from -evil</i>.</p> - -<p>Nor let any man apprehend that this religious -fear will degrade, or servilize his virtue. To be -free from sin, and only the servants of God, is -the truest and noblest liberty.</p> - -<p>Dismissing, then, all other rules of life, let -us adhere to that, which Solomon prescribes -to us. It had been venerable from any hands, -but comes with an extraordinary grace and -propriety from <small>HIM</small>, who delivers it. So that -none of the parties, concerned in this discourse, -can excuse themselves from paying a peculiar -deference to his judgment.</p> - -<p>1. The <small>MEN OF THE WORLD</small> can have no pretence -for declining this determination. The -author of it is no obscure sordid moralist, -whose views of life are confined to a cloyster -or a cottage. He addresses them from the -throne of Israel, when it was the pride of the -East; and from the center of a court, which he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_294">294</span> -had made the envy of the surrounding nations. -The followers of fashion will then act but agreeably -to their own principles, if they respect the -example of such a court, and the authority of -its sovereign.</p> - -<p>2. The <small>POLITICIANS</small> will reflect, that their -instructor is himself a great magistrate, consummate -in the arts of government; who yet -could find no secret, but that of <i>the fear of -God</i>, by which he could reign securely himself, -or promote the real welfare and prosperity -of his people. With what complacency do -they sometimes urge a political aphorism, taken -from Aristotle! <i>But a greater than</i> Aristotle -<i>is here</i>.</p> - -<p>3. Lastly, to you, the sages of the world, -who are, or account yourselves <small>PHILOSOPHERS</small>, -nothing can be so respectable to you, as the -authority of <small>ONE</small>, whose name is the name itself -of wisdom; of <small>ONE</small>, who, like you, <i>had given -his heart to know wisdom</i><a id="FNanchor_245" href="#Footnote_245" class="fnanchor">[245]</a>; who had an understanding, -at least, equal to yours, and an -experience of life, far greater. Yet even <small>HE</small> -delivers it, as the result of all his knowledge, -<i>That by the fear of the Lord men depart from -evil</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_295">295</span></p> - -<p>It is indeed this principle only, which gives -its proper direction and integrity to every -other. It controuls Fashion; supplies the -defects of Law; and enforces the conclusions -of Reason. It rectifies all our systems, and -gives sense and solidity to all our speculations.</p> - -<p>To conclude, Let us all be wise enough to -reverence the plain doctrine of the text, and to -act upon it: The rather, as that doctrine is -not only just and reasonable in itself, but proceeds -from one, whom the Spirit of God had -been pleased to inform with celestial wisdom.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_296">296</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XLVIII">SERMON XLVIII.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED MAY 31, 1772.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">1 Cor.</span> vi. 12.</h3> - -<p><i>All things are lawful unto me; but all things -are not expedient: All things are lawful -for me; but I will not be brought under the -power of any.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">It</span> would be taking up too much of your -time, and of this discourse, to explain minutely -the occasion of these words, and the connexion -they have with the general argument of this -chapter. Let it suffice to say, that they are -introduced as an answer to something which -the Corinthian Christians did, or might alledge -for their neglect of the instructions, given<span class="pagenum" id="Page_297">297</span> -them by the Apostle. We may conceive them -to speak to this effect—“What you enjoin us -so strictly to avoid, is not one of those practices -which can be deemed unlawful: it is not, -as we conceive, condemned by the law of nature, -certainly, not by the law of that society -to which we belong. Now in matters of this -kind, there is no need of advice or direction: -the things being indifferent in themselves, we -may do as we please, and we are disposed, in -the present case, to make use of our Christian -liberty.”</p> - -<p>To this plea, or suggestion, the Apostle replies -in the text: “Admitting, says he, the -truth of what ye alledge for yourselves, it does -not follow that I may not properly and usefully -direct your conduct, in the present case. For -suppose that <i>all things are lawful to me, all -things are not expedient</i>: And, again, <i>though -all things are lawful to me, I will not be -brought under the power of any</i>.”</p> - -<p>St. Paul, you see, does not stay to consider -whether the things forbidden to the Corinthians, -were <i>lawful</i> or not (though possibly they might -mistake in that assumption, as licentious or -thoughtless people, we know, every day do) -but, be this as it may, he insists that he had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_298">298</span> -reason to lay them under some restraint even -in <i>lawful</i> things, because the practice of such -things was inexpedient, in many respects; -And because, if all other considerations might -be overlooked, it is enough that an unrestrained -indulgence in them begets slavish habits, and -would, in the end, destroy, or very much impair, -their moral freedom.</p> - -<p>Of the words, thus far opened, I propose to -make this use; to dissuade you from giving -a full scope to the pursuit even of innocent -pleasures; and that, from the two considerations, -expressed in the text:</p> - -<p>I. That such devotion of ourselves to them -is, on many other accounts, hurtful and improper—<i>all -things are not expedient</i>: And</p> - -<p>II. That, in particular, it violates the dignity -of human nature, by taking from us, or -weakening to a great degree, that manly authority -of reason, that virtuous self-command, -which we should always retain, and be in a -condition to exert, even in indifferent matters—<i>I -will not be brought under the power of -any</i>.</p> - -<p>1. Wealth and prosperity have a natural -tendency to alter, that is, in the language of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_299">299</span> -moralists, to <i>corrupt</i>, the public manners. -Hence it is that the old English habits of -plainness, industry, and frugality, are, now, -exchanged for those of indulgence, dissipation, -and expence. All the elegant accommodations -of life have an unusual stress laid upon them; -and there seems to be a general effort to advance -them all to the last degree of refinement. The -superfluous, which we call the fine arts, excite -an universal admiration, and administer, in ten -thousand ways, to a luxurious, which, again, -takes the name of a polite, indulgence. Hence, -society, which used to fill only the vacant intervals -of business, is now become the <i>business</i> -of life; and yet is found insipid (so insatiable -is the love of dissipation) if it be not, further, -quickened by amusements. These have multiplied -upon us so prodigiously, that they meet -us at every turn, and in every shape; nay, are -grown so common, that they would almost lose -the name of amusements, if every possible art -were not employed to give a poignancy to -them, and if fashion, after all, more than the -pleasure they afford, did not support the credit -of them. As the last resource of the weary -disappointed mind, we have found means to -interest our keenest passions in one species of -amusement, which is therefore called <i>play</i>, by -way of eminence; and is become the favourite<span class="pagenum" id="Page_300">300</span> -one, because the most violent: just as the -hottest cordials succeed to the free use of strong -liquors.</p> - -<p>In this state of things (a very alarming one, -in all views) nothing threatens the utter ruin of -the little virtue, that is left among us, so much, -as the general persuasion, that such pursuits -may be indulged to any degree, because they -are commonly acknowledged to be <i>lawful</i>. -Here, then, the distinction of the Apostle -comes in very seasonably, and may, one would -hope, be pressed on the lovers of pleasure, -with some effect. We may question, it seems, -the <i>expediency</i> of these pursuits, how indifferent -soever they be in their own nature; and -a little reflexion will shew that they are, indeed, -<i>inexpedient</i>, that is, unprofitable, unadvisable, -improper, in a great variety of respects.</p> - -<p>I do not suppose, at present, that the expence -of them is ruinous to those, who devote -themselves to these pleasures (for then they -would plainly not be <i>lawful</i> to such persons); -but consider, if you can afford to pay the price -of them ever so well, they take up too much of -your time: abundantly too much, if you have -any profession to follow, or to prepare yourselves<span class="pagenum" id="Page_301">301</span> -for, as most men have; but too much, -if you have not, because it might, and should -be employed on better things.</p> - -<p>Then, of the little time, they leave to yourselves, -they disable you, in some degree, for -making the proper use. For they dissipate -the attention; they relax the nerves of industry -and application; they spread a languor over all -the faculties, and make the exertion of them, -to any valuable purpose, painful at least, if not -impossible. We hear it generally observed, -that there is a scarcity of able men in all the -departments of life. Can it be otherwise, when -the vigour of the mind, which should nourish -all great and laudable efforts, which is so requisite -to push the active powers of invention, -or recollection, to their full extent, is wasted -on trifles, is checked by frivolous habits, and -left to languish under them?</p> - -<p>Or say, that you have force of mind enough -to elude this so natural effect of dissipation, is -it nothing that, by giving your countenance to -it, you draw in weaker spirits to make the -dangerous experiment? that you help to propagate -the enfeebling passion through all -quarters, till, from this authorized scene of -vanity, the Capital, the contagion spreads (as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_302">302</span> -we see it now does) to the smaller towns, and -even to private houses, in the remotest provinces? -that you contribute to make respectable -I know not what frivolous and worthless arts, -and, of course, to multiply the professors of -them, to the great discouragement and decay of -useful industry? that you hurt the interests of -society, by giving an air of importance to the -veriest trifles, and by diverting on these the attention, -and the passion, that should regularly, -and would otherwise, exert themselves on nobler -objects?</p> - -<p>I might push these questions still further. -For I remember what history attests, and what -wise men have said, on the chapter of <i>polite -arts and elegant amusements</i>.</p> - -<p>“They tell us, how sad a sign<a id="FNanchor_246" href="#Footnote_246" class="fnanchor">[246]</a> of the times -it is, when they grow into general repute among -us; that from incessantly indulged appetites -(let the object of them be what it will) such an -impotence of mind may follow, such a lust of -gratification, such an impatience of controuling -a predominant fancy, as shall overleap all the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_303">303</span> -fences of discretion and virtue. The dæmon -of taste, say they, shall be obeyed, in defiance -of every private and public duty, till distress, -disgrace, and infamy break in upon us; till we -seek the relief of our wants in fraud and rapine, -involve the public ruin in our own, and, in the -end, rush blindfold, through an extreme of -profligacy, to desperation.”</p> - -<p>To this effect, and in this tone, have some -inveighed against our more refined and elegant -<i>amusements</i>. But I return to what are commonly -known by that name: and with respect -to these, allow me to say that the life of man is -a serious thing<a id="FNanchor_247" href="#Footnote_247" class="fnanchor">[247]</a>: so serious, that dissolute, I -mean, untempered, continued mirth, or pleasure, -is not of a piece with it<a id="FNanchor_248" href="#Footnote_248" class="fnanchor">[248]</a>. Our virtue, our -hopes, nay, our present happiness depends on -keeping the mind in a firm and steady frame. -Whatever encroaches on this manliness of -temper, is pernicious, and unchristian.</p> - -<p>I will indulge the extreme candour to suppose, -that, in a constant round of <i>lawful</i><span class="pagenum" id="Page_304">304</span> -amusements, you do not forget, or intermit -your moral and religious duties. But with -what spirit are they performed? With disgust, -I doubt; but certainly, with indifference. -Nor is this the worst. Temptations are to be -expected in this life: and in what condition are -we to meet them? Nay, we expose ourselves -to needless temptation, even in the midst of -these <i>lawful</i> pleasures; and we bring no power -with us, hardly the inclination, to withstand -it. The present scene distracts the mind, and -fascinates the senses. And, in this delirium of -the whole man, without God in his thought, -or heaven in his eye, what wonder if he become -the sport, and, almost before he is aware, the -victim of every passion!</p> - -<p>Still he is not happy in this feverish state: at -most, he but forgets himself, for a moment: -and the intervals of his amusement, which, in -the nature of things, must be many and long, -are filled with disgust and languor. Nay, the -very amusement wears out by frequent repetition. -And then such a sickliness of mind succeeds, -and such a weariness of living on in a -too much used and exhausted world, as is insupportable -and fatal to him<a id="FNanchor_249" href="#Footnote_249" class="fnanchor">[249]</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_305">305</span></p> - -<p>You see then there are many good reasons, -which shew the inexpediency of prosecuting -even <i>lawful</i> pleasures with an unrestrained -passion. But, if all others were away, there is -ONE consideration still behind, and of so much -weight, that St. Paul scruples not to make a -distinct argument of it, and to press it on the -Corinthian Christians, as fully decisive of the -point in question—<i>All things are lawful for -me; but</i> <small>I WILL NOT BE BROUGHT UNDER THE -POWER OF ANY</small>—And to unfold this argument -is what I proposed to myself</p> - -<p>2. <i>Under the second head of this discourse.</i></p> - -<p>It should be the ambition of every man to -preserve the independency of his own mind on -all his natural or acquired inclinations. The -dignity of his character depends on this supremacy: -and his virtue is no longer secure, than -while he retains the power, on all occasions, to -exert it.</p> - -<p>1. The stoical wise man was exposed to -much ridicule by taking to himself the name -and office of a king. The pretensions were -high, no doubt, and the language, something -arrogant and ostentatious. But, let the terms, -we employ, be what they will, all philosophy, -that deserves the name, must agree in this,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_306">306</span> -That to have the command of himself, is the -duty, and chief distinction of a wise man<a id="FNanchor_250" href="#Footnote_250" class="fnanchor">[250]</a>. -There is, then, a consistency and harmony in -his whole conduct. We naturally respect those -who give this proof of respecting themselves; -and we place an entire confidence in the vigour -and uniformity of their character.</p> - -<p>Again: though the virtue of self-denial shine -out to most advantage in the conquest of ardent -passions and violent temptations, its use is not -inconsiderable in curbing all the lighter fancies. -The reason is, that custom prevails insensibly, -and reaches farther than we, at first, intended. -By humouring the mind in trifles, we teach it to -presume on its own importunity, in greater -matters: and it will be found a convenient -rule in the management of our passions, as of -our children, to refuse a compliance with them, -not merely when they ask improper things, but -when they ask any thing with impatience.</p> - -<p>Even our curiosity, an innocent and useful -passion, should be kept within bounds, and -not indulged, as we see it is, on every occasion -that presents itself to us.</p> - -<p>The continence of Scipio has been much and -justly applauded. But he went a step too far,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_307">307</span> -in seeing his captive. He triumphed, indeed, -over the stronger temptation, but he was not -enough on his guard against the weaker: by -complying too easily with a frivolous curiosity, -he risked the honour of that virtue, which a -pagan historian finds so divine in <small>ONE</small>, who was -<i>et juvenis, et cœlebs, et victor</i><a id="FNanchor_251" href="#Footnote_251" class="fnanchor">[251]</a>.</p> - -<p>To apply these reflexions to the case before -us. It may seem to be a matter of great indifference, -whether we indulge an inclination for -<i>lawful</i> amusements, or not. But the dignity -of our character is concerned in keeping a strict -hand over our inclinations of every sort: and, -if it were only for an exercise of self-government, -it would be worth the while to moderate, that -is, frequently to suspend, the use of a favourite, -though innocent gratification. To be enslaved -by vicious habits, is the ignominy of a little -mind: to be superior to all, is the glory of a -great one.</p> - -<p>2. But, in truth, there is no security in any -case, if we let go this <i>habit</i> of self-government. -One compliance inevitably brings on another; -and, though we set out with the design of stopping -at a certain point, we shall almost fatally<span class="pagenum" id="Page_308">308</span> -be carried much farther. We meant to acquiesce -in this, confessedly harmless, indulgence: -constant use makes it insipid; and then -we venture on one of a suspicious character. -Being now on the confines of vice, we are easily -pushed into that quarter; with some doubt and -hesitation, at first; but scruples give way, as -the habit strengthens, and all vices being connected -with each other, especially all of one -sort, we, by degrees, make the trial of all: and -thus, from an innocent fancy, or inclination, -indulged too freely, at setting out, we slip insensibly, -and beside our purpose, into manifest, -perhaps universal, dissolution.</p> - -<p>So salutary, so divine is the resolution of the -Apostle! <i>All things are lawful for me: but -I will not be brought under the power of -any.</i></p> - -<p>To interdict amusements, altogether, to the -vivacity of youth, would be severe and cynical. -They are abundantly too numerous, at present, -and too much frequented: but many of them -are supposed to be, and some, without doubt, -are, in themselves, <i>lawful</i>. Of these, only, I -am now speaking: and even of these it must be -affirmed, that the unrestrained use of them is -<i>not expedient</i>; as, for the other reasons suggested<span class="pagenum" id="Page_309">309</span> -to you in this discourse, so chiefly, -because it degrades the man, and enslaves -him.</p> - -<p>To conclude; the safe and manly part is, <i>to -be temperate in all things</i><a id="FNanchor_252" href="#Footnote_252" class="fnanchor">[252]</a>: to make our -pleasures, the occasional relaxation<a id="FNanchor_253" href="#Footnote_253" class="fnanchor">[253]</a> of the -mind, and by no means the employment of it: -not, perhaps, to affect a total abstinence from -them, which the world would account an incivility; -but resolutely to forbear all vicious, or -but suspected pleasures: and, for the rest, to -keep a great deal on this side of what is thought -allowable in the use of them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_310">310</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_XLIX">SERMON XLIX.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED JULY 5, 1772.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Matth.</span> v. 38, 39, 40, 41.</h3> - -<p><i>Ye have heared that it hath been said, an eye -for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I -say unto you, that ye resist not evil</i>: but -<i>whosoever shall smite thee on thy right -cheek, turn to him the other also</i>: And, <i>if -any man will sue thee at the law, and take -away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also</i>: -And <i>whosoever shall compel thee to go a -mile, go with him twain</i>.</p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">I suppose</span>, if these words had been found -in any book whatsoever, except the Bible, no -man of sense could have entertained the least -doubt of their meaning. But, while one sort<span class="pagenum" id="Page_311">311</span> -of readers think they do honour to God’s word -by taking every precept in the most strict and -rigid sense, and another, by the same mode of -interpretation, hope to dishonour it, we may -expect that, between them, the usual rules of -criticism will be very little regarded.</p> - -<p>The text refers us to a law of Moses, which -established the <i>jus talionis</i>, or <i>right of retaliation</i><a id="FNanchor_254" href="#Footnote_254" class="fnanchor">[254]</a>. -This law, in the main, is consonant -to natural equity; was of general use and authority -in ancient times; has, with some modification, -been adopted by legislators of all -times; and was peculiarly fit, or rather necessary, -in the Mosaic institute, composed in a -very remote age of the world, and addressed to -a fierce and barbarous people.</p> - -<p>But this, so reasonable law, had undergone -a double abuse in our Saviour’s time. What -was designed, in the hands of the magistrate, -to prevent future injury, was construed into an -allowance of private and personal revenge: -And, again, what was calculated to prevent -great and outrageous injuries, was pleaded in -excuse for avenging every injury. The Jews -retaliated, at pleasure, on those that offended -them, and for the slightest offence.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_312">312</span></p> - -<p>Our divine Master, then, without derogating -from the law, when administered in due form, -and on a suitable occasion, applies himself to -correct these so gross perversions of it—I <i>say -unto you, that ye resist not evil</i>—that is, that -ye do not retaliate on the person, that does -you an injury, in the way of private revenge; -or even of a public suit, for small and trivial -injuries.</p> - -<p>You see, our Lord’s purpose was, to oppose -the mild spirit of the Gospel to the rigid letter -of the law, or rather to an abusive interpretation -of it: And this purpose is declared in -three familiar and proverbial sayings, which, -together, amount to thus much; “That, when -a small or tolerable injury is sustained by -any one, either in his person, or property, or -liberty, it is far better (and was, thenceforward, -to be the law of Christians) to endure -patiently that injury, or even to risk a repetition -of it, than, by retaliating on the aggressor, -to perpetuate feuds and quarrels in -the world.”</p> - -<p>That such is the meaning of the text, would -appear more evidently, if the injuries specified -were, further, considered with an eye to the -sentiments and circumstances of the Jewish<span class="pagenum" id="Page_313">313</span> -people. <i>A blow on the cheek</i> was, always, an -indignity, no doubt; but the sense of it was -not inflamed in a Jew by our Gothic notions of -honour; though, if it had, the divine Saviour<a id="FNanchor_255" href="#Footnote_255" class="fnanchor">[255]</a> -would scarce have advised his followers to extinguish -it in the blood of a fellow-citizen: the -loss of a <i>vest</i><a id="FNanchor_256" href="#Footnote_256" class="fnanchor">[256]</a>, or under garment, was easily -repaired, or not much felt, in the cheap and -warm country of Judæa: and the <i>compulsion -to attend another</i><a id="FNanchor_257" href="#Footnote_257" class="fnanchor">[257]</a>, on his occasions, was not -much resented by a people, that had been -familiarised to this usage by their foreign -masters.</p> - -<p>But, without scrutinizing the expression farther -(which, as I said, is of the proverbial cast, -and, therefore, not to be taken strictly) it appears -certainly, that the rule enjoined is no -more than this, “That we are not to act on the -old rigid principle of <i>retaliation</i>, but rather -to exercise a mutual patience and forbearance, -in our intercourse with each other, for -the sake of charity and peace.”</p> - -<p>Still, it has been asked, whether this rule be -a reasonable one, and whether the conduct, it -prescribes, be not likely to do more hurt, than -good to mankind?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_314">314</span></p> - -<p>The ground of this question is laid in -following considerations:</p> - -<p>First, that resentment, being a natural passion, -was, without doubt, implanted in us for -valuable purposes, and that its proper and immediate -use is seen in repelling injuries:</p> - -<p>Secondly, That to eradicate, or to suppress -this movement of nature, is to dispirit mankind, -and to effeminate their character; in -other words, to make them unfit for the discharge -of those offices, which the good of society -requires:</p> - -<p>Lastly, That this softness of temper is injurious -to the individuals, in whom it is found, -as it exposes them to many insults, and much -ill usage, which the exertion of a quick and -spirited resentment would enable them to -avoid:</p> - -<p>From all which, conclusions are drawn very -unfavourable to the doctrine of the text, and -to the honour of our divine Master. It will, -then, be proper to give the premises a distinct -and careful examination. And,</p> - -<p>I. <i>The use of the natural passion of resentment -is not superseded by the law of Jesus.</i><span class="pagenum" id="Page_315">315</span> -For the legitimate use of this passion is to -quicken us in repelling such injuries as would -render human life wholly burthensome and -uneasy to us, not of those petty affronts and -discourtesies which afflict us much less by -being dissembled and forgiven, than by being -resented and returned. Now Christianity does -not require us to renounce the right of nature -in repelling injuries of the former class. The -law in question, as explained by our Lord -himself, does not, we have seen, import thus -much: and for the rest, the appeal is open to -the principles of nature and common sense—<i>Why -even of yourselves judge ye not what is -right<a id="FNanchor_258" href="#Footnote_258" class="fnanchor">[258]</a>?</i> The practice of the Apostles (the -best comment on the law) shews, too, that, on -certain critical and urgent occasions<a id="FNanchor_259" href="#Footnote_259" class="fnanchor">[259]</a>, they -scrupled not to take advantage of those principles. -So that universally, as it would seem, -where the ends of self-preservation, or of prepollent -public utility, require and justify resistance -in other men, there it is left free for -Christians, likewise, to <i>resist evil</i>; the purpose -of their divine legislator being, in this instance, -to explain the law of nature, and to -guard it from the abuse of our hasty passions, -not to abrogate, or suspend it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_316">316</span></p> - -<p>If any case be excepted from the general -permission, it is that of <i>persecution for the -sake of his religion</i>. And possibly this exception -was made in the early days of Christianity, -to afford a striking proof to the world -that this religion owed its success to the divine -protection only, and not to the power of men. -Accordingly, the command given in that case -has an extraordinary, that is, a suitable, promise<a id="FNanchor_260" href="#Footnote_260" class="fnanchor">[260]</a>, -annexed to it. But the end of God’s -special providence having been answered, and -the prophecies accomplished<a id="FNanchor_261" href="#Footnote_261" class="fnanchor">[261]</a>, by the patience -of the saints under the fiery trial of persecution -in those days (whence the miraculous establishment -of our religion is evinced) it seems -allowable to suppose that the Christian world -was, thenceforth, in this, as in other instances, -to conduct itself by the ordinary rules and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_317">317</span> -principles of human wisdom; provided that -the object of that wisdom be necessary <i>self-defence</i>, -and not dominion, or revenge, which, -in all the forms of either, Christianity forbids -and reprobates.</p> - -<p>But be this as it may, in cases where religion -is not concerned, it seems clear that -Christians are left at liberty to repell intolerable -oppressions by all those means, which -human wisdom dictates. And there is no need -of drawing the line very exactly between <i>tolerable</i> -and <i>intolerable</i> injuries, because the aggressor, -knowing the force of instinctive passion, -has reason, always, to fear, that it will -begin to operate too soon, rather, than too -late.</p> - -<p>The apprehension, then, that the proper use -of the natural passion, “<i>resentment of injuries</i>”, -is likely to be defeated by the patient -genius of the Gospel, is weakly entertained: -While, on the other hand, every one must see -the convenience of putting this fiery sentiment -of indignation under some restraint, and of -interdicting the exertion of it in cases, to -which so violent a remedy is ill and hurtfully -applied.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_318">318</span></p> - -<p>But</p> - -<p>II. It is said, that this doctrine of the Gospel -tends to <i>dispirit and effeminate mankind</i>, and -to <i>render Christians unfit for many offices, -which society requires of them</i>.</p> - -<p>What these offices are, one does not readily -conceive, since it is allowed that <i>evil may be -resisted</i>, when it becomes excessive, that is, -when it is worth resisting. But, I suppose, the -objectors mean, this patient spirit of Christianity -damps the vigour with which it is for the -interest of men in society that their civil rights -should be asserted, or a foreign enemy repelled: -they think, in short, it makes <i>bad -citizens</i>, and <i>worse soldiers</i>.</p> - -<p>Now to the <small>FORMER</small> charge I reply, that it -only tends to check, or prevent, the turbulent, -the factious, the seditious spirit of any community -(which is surely doing it no hurt) while, -at the same time, it allows men to assert their -essential civil interests by every reasonable exertion -of firmness and courage; nay, inculcates -those principles of a disinterested love for mankind, -and what is properly called a public -spirit, which make it their duty to do so. And -they will not do it with the less effect, for<span class="pagenum" id="Page_319">319</span> -waiting till the provocation given appear to all -men to be without excuse. <i>The fury of a -patient man</i>, is almost proverbial: and particularly, -in this case, it is to be expected that, -when the natural incitement to resistance, long -repressed and moderated, comes at length to -be authorised by necessity, and quickened by -sense of duty, it will act with a force and -constancy, not a little formidable to those -against whom it is directed. There is no danger, -then, that <i>true patriotism</i> should suffer -by the meek principles of the Gospel of peace.</p> - -<p>As to the <small>OTHER</small> charge of their weakening -the <i>military spirit</i>, it must be owned again, -they would render wars less frequent than they -now are, and less destructive—forgive Christianity -this wrong—but, when the necessity of -self-defence (the only justifiable ground of -war) is real and instant, I know not, why the -Christian prince, or Christian soldier, should -want courage, because he had given proof of -this equitable forbearance; or, that either will -be likely to do his duty the worse, for knowing -that what he does, <i>is</i> his duty.</p> - -<p>And, if we appeal to fact, it is enough -known, that the Christian soldiery have been -no disgrace to their profession; no, not even<span class="pagenum" id="Page_320">320</span> -then, when the unresisting spirit was at its -height, I mean, in the early days of our religion. -Christians had many good reasons for -not being forward to serve in the Roman -armies; but some of them did serve there; -without doubt, when they were released from -such military obligations and observances, as -they esteemed idolatrous: Nay, it appears, that -the number of Christian soldiers was, on some -occasions, considerable: Yet we no where find, -that these patient men misbehaved themselves -in a day of action; or, that they threw away -their swords, when they had said their -prayer.</p> - -<p>And I give this instance of bravery in the -primitive Christians, the rather, because it -cannot be imputed to a <i>fanatic spirit</i>, which -is able, we know, to controul any principles: -It cannot, I say, be imputed to a fanatic spirit, -because religion was not the object of those -wars, in which they were engaged: They were -left, then, to the proper influence of their own -principles; which at that time had their full -effect upon them, and yet did not prevent -them from acting with the true spirit of their -profession, that is, with a full sense of the duty -imposed upon them by their engagements to -the state.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_321">321</span></p> - -<p>With regard to the <i>publick</i>, then, there is -no reason to think that our Lord’s injunction -will disserve it, in any respect.</p> - -<p>III. The last, and most plausible objection -to the conduct prescribed in the text, is, -“That the tame spirit, it discovers, is injurious -to <i>individuals</i>, and only serves to provoke -much insult and ill usage, which a -quick resentment and return of injuries -would prevent.”</p> - -<p>This is the common plea, and passes with -many for a full justification, of that false honour, -which predominates in the world, but is -equally frivolous with the other pretences, already -confuted.</p> - -<p>For,</p> - -<p>1. It is taken up on a groundless and mistaken -notion, that the unfriendly and malevolent -passions are the most natural to mankind. -On the contrary, man is by nature, kind and -generous; proud and vindictive, indeed, if stimulated -by ill treatment, but prompted, again, -by that very pride, to relent at the appearance -of gentleness and submission in the party offending; -and easily disposed to lay aside the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_322">322</span> -thoughts of revenge, when no obstinate resistance -seems to make it necessary. There are, -certainly, few persons, at least in civilized life, -of so base a temper, as to insult others, and -much less to insult them the more, for their -gentle inoffensive manners. Or, if such monsters -there be, they will soon become detestable -in society; while the objects of their unprovoked -fury find an asylum in the general -good-will and favour of mankind.</p> - -<p>They, therefore, who pretend that the world -cannot be kept in order, but by resentment -and revenge, will do well to make trial of the -opposite conduct, before they have recourse to -so boisterous a remedy. They will probably -find, that <i>only by</i> <small>PRIDE</small> <i>cometh contention</i><a id="FNanchor_262" href="#Footnote_262" class="fnanchor">[262]</a>, -and that they have injured their species, in -thinking otherwise.</p> - -<p>2. Let it be remembered, that the Gospel -neither forbids us to take the benefit of the -laws in cases, where the injury is considerable, -nor to resist, without law, in extreme cases; -besides, that our corrupt nature will often get -the better of <i>principle</i>, I mean, when the provocation -is not of that size, as to justify either -remedy. Whence it follows, that brutal force<span class="pagenum" id="Page_323">323</span> -and malignity will lie under many restraints, -and will rarely be encouraged by the passive -temper of a conscientious Christian, to proceed -to such lengths, as the objection supposes. -But,</p> - -<p>3. Lastly, and principally, we should call to -mind, that, though some ungenerous dispositions -should take advantage of our dissembling -smaller injuries, to repeat, or even increase -them, till they come at length to the utmost -verge of what we call <i>tolerable</i> injuries, yet it -does not follow, from such inconvenience, that -the law is to be accounted inexpedient. For -the law has a general end in view, the good of -society at large, or of the individual: And the -law is a proper one, if the end be commonly -and for the most part attained by the conduct -prescribed, though with some exceptions.</p> - -<p>That the lawgiver foresaw the possibility of -such exceptions, is clear from the language, -employed by him. If a blow <i>on one cheek</i> be -patiently received, it may be succeeded by a -blow <i>on the other</i>: if we suffer our <i>coat</i> to be -taken away, our <i>cloke</i> may follow it: and if we -make no resistance to the requisition of going -<i>one mile</i>, we may be compelled to go <i>two</i>. -The inconvenience, then, is supposed and admitted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_324">324</span> -in the law itself; but it was seen not to -be of moment enough to evacuate the law. -Generally speaking, it will be better to bear -the inconvenience, than to violate the law; -better for the injured party himself, but certainly -better for society, at large.</p> - -<p>We are certain, that the law will operate -this effect, because the lawgiver is, by supposition, -divine. He, who knew <i>what was in -man</i>, what his nature, and true interest, is, -could not mistake in adapting the law to the -subject of it. And then, for the <i>exceptions</i>, -he has it in his power to make amends for -those, and to recompense fully, as he engages -to do, any sacrifice we make to conscience, -acting within the scope and purpose of the -law.</p> - -<p>So that, on the whole, it is but a just deference -to the law, and to the authority of the -lawgiver, to abstain from <i>resisting evil</i>, according -to the true sense and spirit of the -command, though, by so doing, we subject -ourselves to some, nay to much inconvenience. -For he must be slenderly instructed in the -school of Christ, who is yet to learn, that -greater sacrifices, than these, must be made, -if need be, for the sake of <i>him who died for us</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_325">325</span></p> - -<p>Enough, I hope, has been now said, not -only to vindicate the sacred text, but to let you -see how repugnant the doctrine of it is to that -contentious, vindictive, and even sanguinary -spirit, which prevails so much among those, -who, by a strange abuse of language, call -themselves Christians.</p> - -<p>The root of this mischief, is, a pride of -heart, nourished in us by an ill-directed education, -and fostered, through life, by the corrupt -customs and maxims of the world. To -counteract this inveterate evil, we shall do well -to consider who and what we are; weak, infirm, -and sinful creatures, who are provoking -Heaven every day, and should not therefore resent -it much, if we receive but little respect -from men. We should consider, too, that we -are the followers of <small>HIM</small>, who suffered every -indignity without deserving any, and yet requires -no more from us, than he practised -himself, and for our sakes.</p> - -<p>Such considerations will make us humble -and meek and placable; ready to forgive, as -we hope to be forgiven; and disposed to make -allowance for those defects in others, which -we have so much reason to lament in ourselves.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_326">326</span></p> - -<p>Still, if we find the duty, of <i>not resisting -evil</i>, painful and uneasy to us, let us be careful -to avoid the occasions, which require the -exercise of it. A prudent Christian (and -Christianity excludes not, nay enjoins, prudence) -will rarely be put to this trial of his -virtue. We bring an insult on ourselves by -indiscreet liberties, by offensive actions or rash -expressions; and then, rather than retract a -folly, we commit a crime.</p> - -<p>After all, the most cautious, inoffensive conduct -may not exempt us, in every instance, -from discourtesies and affronts, from the petulance -or injustice of unreasonable men. In -this case the authority of our divine Master -must controul the movements of nature. We -must resolve to endure what we dare not resist; -and, for the rest, may assure ourselves, that, in -giving this proof of our Christian temper and -principles, we do what is perfectly fit and right -in itself, is singularly conducive to the good of -society, and, whatever our impatient passions -may suggest, will contribute more than any -resistance, to our own true enjoyment, even in -this world.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_327">327</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_L">SERMON L.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED MAY 14, 1775.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Luke</span> ix. 26.</h3> - -<p><i>Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my -words, of him shall the Son of man be -ashamed, when he shall come in his own -glory and in his Father’s, and of the holy -Angels.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">If</span> we compare this text with the parallel one -of St. Mark<a id="FNanchor_263" href="#Footnote_263" class="fnanchor">[263]</a>, it will seem probable that it -more immediately concerned the Jews; who, -in consequence of their being <i>ashamed</i> of -Christ, and rejecting him, as their Messiah, -should themselves be covered with shame, and -be rejected by him from being his people, -when he came to take vengeance of their crimes<span class="pagenum" id="Page_328">328</span> -in the destruction of Jerusalem. In this view, -the words are prophetical of what should, and, -in fact, did, befall the <i>unbelieving Jews</i> of -that age, in which Christ lived; for <i>before -that age was passed, all these things were -fulfilled on</i> that <i>adulterous and sinful generation</i>: -were so remarkably fulfilled, that the -unbelieving Jews, only, were involved in that -calamity, while the Christians, even to a man, -as we are told, providentially made their escape -from it.</p> - -<p>But, though this be the primary sense of -the text, we have reason to believe that something -further, and still more terrible, was intended -by it. For the destruction of Jerusalem -was emblematical of that final destruction, -which should await all the enemies of Christ -in the day of judgment; as we may probably -gather from the exaggerated terms in which the -prophecy concerning Christ’s coming to judge -Jerusalem is delivered, and as we certainly conclude -from those passages of scripture, which professedly -describe the final day of judgment, when -<i>all that believe not shall be condemned</i><a id="FNanchor_264" href="#Footnote_264" class="fnanchor">[264]</a>, and -concerning which our Lord himself says—<i>He -that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_329">329</span> -hath one that judgeth him: the</i> <small>WORD</small> <i>which -I have spoken</i>, <small>THE SAME</small> <i>shall judge him in -the last day</i><a id="FNanchor_265" href="#Footnote_265" class="fnanchor">[265]</a>.</p> - -<p>Whence, you see, we are authorized to take -the words of the text in their full force, and to -understand them as a general declaration to -<small>ALL</small>, who shall be <i>ashamed of Christ and of -his words</i>, that <i>of them</i> shall Christ, also, <i>be -ashamed</i>, in the great day of retribution, sublimely -expressed by the circumstance of his -<i>coming in his own glory, and in his Father’s, -and of the holy Angels</i>.</p> - -<p>To be <i>ashamed of</i> <small>CHRIST</small>, is very intelligible -language, and means to disown him for -what he claims to be, The Messiah; and to -take it for a degradation to us, a reflexion on -our own sufficiency and importance, to regard -him as our Lord and Saviour. In like manner, -to be <i>ashamed of his</i> <small>WORDS</small>, is, to think it -beneath us to receive his doctrine, and to observe -it: It is to say, or to behave ourselves as -if we said, with neglect and scorn, that we -will not condescend to be influenced and directed -by it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_330">330</span></p> - -<p>But how, and in what respects, may we be -said to incur the guilt of this charge? in what -ways, may we testify to the world that the -shame of <small>CHRIST</small> and of his <small>WORDS</small> is predominant -in us?</p> - -<p>The inquiry, you see, is of the last importance; -for this <i>shame</i> of Christ, in whomsoever -it prevails, and so far as it prevails, will -be repaid in kind, in that day, when he shall -<i>come in glory</i>, in that day when it so much -concerns us to <i>have boldness</i> before him, <i>in -the day of judgment</i><a id="FNanchor_266" href="#Footnote_266" class="fnanchor">[266]</a>.</p> - -<p>To assist you, then, in making this momentous -inquiry, permit me to lay before you, -gradually and distinctly, the <small>CHIEF</small> of those -cases, which appear to me to express, or imply, -the existence of this <i>false shame</i>; and may -therefore let us see whether we are, or not, -involved in the guilt of it.</p> - -<p>I. They (if any such there be) who reject -Christianity on the grounds of a fair impartial -inquiry, cannot so properly be said to be -<i>ashamed</i> of Christ, as to be <i>convinced</i> that he -has no claim to their respect and veneration.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_331">331</span> -For they deny him, they will say, not from a -principle of <i>shame</i>, or disrespect, but of what -they take to be <i>right reason</i>.</p> - -<p>But then, if any oblique views have influenced -their disbelief; if conceit, or vanity, or -presumption, has any share in forming their -conclusions; if a careless or fastidious neglect -of the means, by which they might be better -informed, has mixed itself with their inquiries; -if they have felt the smallest disposition in -themselves to struggle with evidence, or to be -concluded by any thing but evidence; if any, -or all, of these motives can be imputed to them, -they will find themselves liable, more or less, to -the charge of the text; and it surely concerns -them to see that they stand clear of all such -imputations: It concerns them the more, because, -if the revelation be divine, the revealer -knew what evidence was fit to be given of it, -and that the evidence given was sufficient to -the conviction of a reasonable inquirer. To -the severe scrutiny of their own hearts, the -disbelievers on principle are, therefore, referred: -and, <i>if their heart condemn them</i> in -any degree, let them reflect with awe, that -<i>God is greater than their heart, and knoweth -all things</i><a id="FNanchor_267" href="#Footnote_267" class="fnanchor">[267]</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_332">332</span></p> - -<p>But, whatever these immaculate unbelievers -may have to say for themselves, there are others -who have the spots of <i>shame</i> indelibly impressed -upon them.</p> - -<p>Such were the Jews of old, who rejected -Christ, not because they wanted evidence of -his mission (for they could not deny, nay they -frankly owned, that <i>he did many miracles</i><a id="FNanchor_268" href="#Footnote_268" class="fnanchor">[268]</a>), -but because he was the <i>Son of a Carpenter</i><a id="FNanchor_269" href="#Footnote_269" class="fnanchor">[269]</a>; -because he was of <i>Galilee</i><a id="FNanchor_270" href="#Footnote_270" class="fnanchor">[270]</a>, and dwelt <i>at Nazareth</i>; -because their <i>rulers did not believe in -him</i><a id="FNanchor_271" href="#Footnote_271" class="fnanchor">[271]</a>; because they were afraid of being <i>put -out of their synagogue</i><a id="FNanchor_272" href="#Footnote_272" class="fnanchor">[272]</a>; because <i>they loved -the praise of men more than the praise of -God</i><a id="FNanchor_273" href="#Footnote_273" class="fnanchor">[273]</a>; in plain words, because on one account -or other, they were <small>ASHAMED OF HIM</small>.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Such</span>, too, in succeeding times, were many -of the pagan wise men, who disbelieved, because -the doctrine of the cross was <i>foolishness</i> -to them<a id="FNanchor_274" href="#Footnote_274" class="fnanchor">[274]</a>; because the Jews, who were the -first converts to the faith and the first preachers -of it, were, in their eyes, a contemptible<span class="pagenum" id="Page_333">333</span> -people; because the vulgar were generally inclined -to believe in him; because his doctrine -contradicted and degraded their philosophy; -because their pride of reason would not -submit to be tutored by the Galilæan; in a -word, for a hundred frivolous reasons, which -only shewed, that they were <small>ASHAMED OF -HIM</small>.</p> - -<p>Such, too, in later times (may we affirm -without a breach of charity) have been, and -are, many of those over-modest men, who -know not how to withstand the raillery of -prophane scoffers; who think the credit of -their parts concerned in rejecting their creed, -and applaud themselves for sitting loose to the -principles, which they call the prejudices, of -their Christian education; who affect to have a -religion of their own making, if they have any -at all, or, rather, disclaim all regard to religion, -on the authority of this or that renowned -patriarch of infidelity; to say all, in a word, -who have the infirmity, and yet make it a -matter of vanity, to be <span class="smcap">ashamed of Jesus</span>.</p> - -<p>Now, of such unbelievers it must be said, -that they clearly come within the description -of the text; they are <i>ashamed</i> of the Son of -man, and yet, perhaps, <i>glory in their shame</i>:<span class="pagenum" id="Page_334">334</span> -to what end, let them reflect, when they read -on, and find, that of such <i>shall the Son of man</i>, -in his turn, <i>be ashamed, when he shall came in -his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the -holy Angels</i>.</p> - -<p>II. [1.] Of men <i>professing</i> Christianity, -they are most exposed to the censure of the -text, who, under a full conviction that Jesus -is the Christ, yet, in <small>WORDS</small>, formally disown -and reject him. Such was the Apostle Peter, -who <i>thrice denied</i> his Lord, though he had not -the least doubt of his divine pretensions. And -why did he deny him? Because, it lessened -him in the eyes of a stranger or two, to have it -believed by them, that he was connected with -a supposed criminal; because he had not the -confidence to bear up against the reproach of a -<i>maid-servant</i>, who <i>looked earnestly upon him, -and said, This man was, also, with him</i>. Such -was the power, which a false shame had upon -this great, and otherwise fervent, disciple of -Christ! A memorable instance of human -frailty, which should admonish believers to be -on their guard against all approaches towards a -crime, the less pardonable, because committed -against the clear sense of the mind, and almost -without temptation.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_335">335</span></p> - -<p>St. Peter, it is true, might alledge the passion -of <i>fear</i>, as well as <i>shame</i>: he probably -thought his life in some danger, and had an -eye to his personal safety, as well as credit, -when he denied his Master. Yet when he reflected -on his unworthy conduct, though under -these circumstances of alleviation, he <i>wept -bitterly</i>, as he had reason to do. What then -should they feel, who have not this cloke for -their shame? who deny their Lord without any -inducement to do so, but the weak apprehension -of disgusting some persons, whose sentiments, -after all, they do not really adopt, -themselves. Yet is this no uncommon case. -Men are ashamed to confess with their mouths, -what they believe in their hearts; and give -themselves airs of a frank libertinism, when -they tremble at their own impiety: And all this -to be well with a frivolous circle, which they -frequent, or to merit the good word of certain -fashionable blasphemers.</p> - -<p>[2]. Another sort of men seem to come -within the description of the text, who, though -neither prompted by a sense of danger to their -persons, nor of disgrace to their reputation, are -yet induced by a regard to their <i>interest</i>, when -it presses upon them with a certain force, to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_336">336</span> -dissemble their conviction, or rather openly to -avow their shame of Jesus. Such are they, of -whom our Lord himself speaks, <i>who for a -while believe, and in time of temptation fall -away</i><a id="FNanchor_275" href="#Footnote_275" class="fnanchor">[275]</a>: And such, in particular, was the -young man in the Gospel, who had no vice to -keep him from believing, nay who would gladly, -perhaps have sacrificed any thing, but his -fortune, to the Christian faith. It seems, as if -he had been upon the point of entering, without -reserve, into the service of his new master, -when, being told, that he must part with <i>all -he had</i>, and then <i>follow him, he grew sad at -that saying, and went away grieved: for he -had great possessions</i><a id="FNanchor_276" href="#Footnote_276" class="fnanchor">[276]</a>. Poverty was a <i>cross</i>, -which this amiable young man was not prepared -to <i>take up</i>. His faith, which, before, gave a -promise of life and vigour, died away at the -proposal. He now found, doubtless with some -surprize to himself, that he had the seeds of -infidelity lurking in him. He could not resolve -to give this last proof of his sincerity: he, -therefore, withdrew himself from Christ; in -other words, he was <i>ashamed</i> of him. Let us -pity the weakness of this unhappy young man; -and only ask ourselves, if, in his circumstances, -or in any approaching to them, we should not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_337">337</span> -have hesitated, as he did, about <i>believing in -the name</i> of the Lord Jesus. If we should, let -us implore the divine grace to strengthen our -faith, and frankly confess, that a secret principle -of <i>shame</i>, though skulking behind some -other and more venial infirmity, has taken hold -of us.</p> - -<p>[3]. Still we may not have gone these lengths -of infidelity. We assure ourselves, perhaps, -that no consideration would induce us, simply -and wholly, to renounce the faith, and that, if -the hard alternative was proposed to us, we -should rather give up wealth, fame, and life -itself, than formally deny our Lord, and disclaim -all hopes of interest in him. But let us -explore our hearts a little, those <i>hearts</i>, which, -as we are told and have reason to know, are -<i>deceitful above all things</i><a id="FNanchor_277" href="#Footnote_277" class="fnanchor">[277]</a>. Have we never in -lesser instances detected ourselves approaching -somewhat towards this ignominious crime of -apostacy?</p> - -<p>Have we not contented ourselves with being -the disciples of Christ in private, and with <i>going -to him</i>, as the Ruler of the Jews did, <i>by night</i>, -in secrecy, and, as it were, by stealth, not to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_338">338</span> -draw the observation of men upon us? Have -we been willing and ready to serve him in the -congregation, to attend his ordinances, and to -revere his sacraments? Have we dared to let -the world see that we are not ashamed of the -cross of Christ<a id="FNanchor_278" href="#Footnote_278" class="fnanchor">[278]</a>? and that we glory in <i>remembering -him</i>, as we are admonished to do, at -his holy table<a id="FNanchor_279" href="#Footnote_279" class="fnanchor">[279]</a>? Have we no reluctance to let -our friends, nay our servants, know<a id="FNanchor_280" href="#Footnote_280" class="fnanchor">[280]</a> that we -live in a daily sense of our duty to him, and -that we hope for all the blessings of this life and -the next, only through his merits and intercession? -Have we never heared his pretensions -slighted, and his holy name blasphemed, without -expressing a becoming zeal for the honour -of our Redeemer? Have we testified out -displeasure at freedoms of this sort by an open -reprehension of them on all fit occasions; at -least by a look and manner, which shewed how -offensive they were to us? On the other hand, -have we never, in such circumstances, by an -assumed air of complacency, seemed to authorize -what we secretly disapproved, and to yield -our assent to propositions which we inwardly -detested? In a word, have we none of us, at -any time, given occasion to unbelievers to say<span class="pagenum" id="Page_339">339</span> -or think of us, that we were <i>almost</i> inclined to -be of their party; or at least that we had not -the zeal, and firmness and resolution, which -men ought to have, who profess themselves -believers in Jesus?</p> - -<p>To these, and other questions of the like sort, -it concerns us to think what answers we could -honestly make. But of this be we assured: If -we have not constantly and uniformly signified, -declared, proclaimed our attachment to -Christ; if we have not taken care to avoid all -irreverence toward our Lord and Master; nay, -if we have not been enough upon our guard to -let no man suspect us of <i>indifference</i> towards -him—we certainly have not done our duty; we -have virtually denied <i>the Son of Man</i>; we have, -in effect, been <i>ashamed</i> of him.</p> - -<p>And <small>THUS MUCH</small> may suffice for a commentary -on that part of the text, which more immediately -respects the <small>PERSON</small> of Jesus Christ—<i>Whosoever -shall be ashamed of</i> <small>ME</small>—but -our Lord goes farther, and says—<i>Whosoever -shall be ashamed of me, and of</i> <small>MY WORDS</small>—<i>of -him shall the Son of Man be ashamed</i>, in -the day of judgment.</p> - -<p>Here, then, is a new subject of discourse. I -call it a new one; because, though the two<span class="pagenum" id="Page_340">340</span> -topics run into one, and he that is ashamed of -Christ’s <i>words</i>, may not improperly be said to -be ashamed of <i>Christ himself</i>, yet, for the -sake of method, it may be convenient to keep -these two points distinct, and to give to each a -separate consideration.</p> - -<p>It remains, then, to set before you the -principal of those ways, in which we may incur -the guilt, especially, of being ashamed of our -Lord’s <i>words</i>, that is, his <small>DOCTRINES</small>, and -<small>LAWS</small>: a copious and important subject! on -which I shall reserve what I have to say to -another occasion. In the mean time, let us -lay to heart what we have now heard concerning -the honour due to the <small>PERSON</small> of our -great Redeemer. <i>Be we not, therefore, -ashamed of our Lord</i><a id="FNanchor_281" href="#Footnote_281" class="fnanchor">[281]</a>—but <i>let us</i> resolutely -<i>abide in him, that when he shall appear, we -may have confidence, and not be ashamed -before him at his coming</i><a id="FNanchor_282" href="#Footnote_282" class="fnanchor">[282]</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_341">341</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_LI">SERMON LI.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED MAY 21, 1775.</span></h2> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Luke</span> ix. 26.</h3> - -<p><i>Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of</i> -<small>MY WORDS</small>, <i>of him shall the Son of man be -ashamed, when he shall come in his own -glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy -Angels</i>.</p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">The</span> text distinguishes between <i>being ashamed -of</i> <span class="smcap">Christ</span>, and being <i>ashamed of his</i> <small>WORDS</small>. -And, though the two charges, in effect, run -into one, yet I have found it convenient, in -point of method, to observe that distinction. -Considering the subject, in this double view, -we shall see more clearly, <i>what</i> the crime is, -which we are here cautioned to avoid, and <i>when</i> -we are guilty of it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_342">342</span></p> - -<p>I have already gone through the first division -of the text, and shall now enter on the second. -If we have not formally disowned, or, in effect, -at least, been <i>ashamed</i> of <small>CHRIST</small>, that is, of -his name, dignity, and person, and of the relation, -which we bear to him, as our <small>SAVIOUR</small> -and <small>REDEEMER</small>, yet have we not felt in ourselves, -and evidenced to others, something of -that disposition in regard to his <small>WORDS</small>, that -is, considering him in the light of our <small>LORD</small> -and <small>MASTER</small>?</p> - -<p>Now, to do justice to this part of our subject, -we must consider the <i>words</i> of Christ, first, -in <small>THEMSELVES</small>, or as composing that form and -manner of address, in which he thought fit to -deliver himself to us: and, secondly, in the -<small>SUBJECT MATTER</small> of them, that is, as comprehending -both his <i>doctrines</i> and <i>precepts</i>, <i>articles -of faith</i>, and <i>rules of life</i>, all that, as -our heavenly <i>Instructor</i>, he requires us to believe, -and, as our <i>lawgiver</i>, to put in practice. -In both respects, I doubt, we shall, many of -us, find that we have too much, and too often, -been ashamed of Christ’s <i>words</i>.</p> - -<p>I. Under the first consideration of the words -themselves, that is, of his <i>manner</i> in addressing -himself to us, let it be observed, that, though<span class="pagenum" id="Page_343">343</span> -it be true, in several respects, that <i>never man -spake as this man</i>, yet this commendation -must not be extended to the <i>language</i> of his -discourses, in which no peculiar art or elegance -is affected. He condescended to speak, as any -other Jew might have done, and as his Apostle -afterwards did, plainly and clearly enough to -convey his meaning, but not with <i>the enticing -words of man’s wisdom</i>, that is, of men cultivated -and polished in the school of Greek or -Roman learning. Hence, both in ancient and -modern times, such as were, or pretended to -be, so accomplished, have not unfrequently -objected to the style of the Gospel, as rude and -barbarous, and not composed with that beauty, -which they have been taught to admire in -the masters of fine writing. Now, though this -pedantry might, perhaps, be excused in an -old Pagan sophist, and is naturally enough -assumed by a modern classical unbeliever, one -is shocked to find it in professed Christians. -And yet, I doubt, there are not a few of those, -who are <i>half ashamed</i> of the Gospel, because -not written in the best Greek, or according to -the rules of the most approved rhetorick: I -doubt, there are even those who might tell us, -if they would (as a polite Italian philologist -has done) that they read their bible but seldom, -lest a familiarity with it should hurt their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_344">344</span> -style; or perhaps abstain from reading it, altogether, -because not fashioned according to their -ideas of elegant composition.</p> - -<p>It would be paying too much respect to this -frivolous delicacy, to enter into a formal confutation -of it. What I shall say to it is, briefly, -this; first, that the style of scripture, though -not classical, is by no means destitute of life -and beauty: secondly, that, although it were, -where the matter of it concerns us so much, it -is childish to lay any great stress on the manner: -that, <i>further</i>, the very objection turns -to the honour of the Gospel, which was purposely -so composed that the effect of it, in the -conversion of the world, might be seen to flow -from supernatural causes, and <i>that our faith -should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in -the power of God</i>.</p> - -<p>To all which I might add, what perhaps is -a secret to our polite objectors, that the rules -of writing and speaking are more arbitrary than -they are taken to be: that they refer to our -customs and manners, and derive their merit -from that reference, only; that, in different -times and places and under different circumstances, -the same manner may be good and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_345">345</span> -bad; and that there is no universal archetype -of perfect speech, existing in nature<a id="FNanchor_283" href="#Footnote_283" class="fnanchor">[283]</a>.</p> - -<p>But these minute inquiries are not for this -time and place. On whatever principles the -style of scripture may be vindicated, or if it -cannot be vindicated at all to a fastidious reader, -still I affirm, that the taking offence at it is a -species of that false shame, which the text -condemns, and which deserves condemnation. -When the <i>word of God</i> is held up to us in the -great day, and the inquiry is, what attention -we have paid to it, think how poor a subterfuge -it will be from the <i>shame</i>, that will then -overtake us, to reply, in the face of men and -angels, that it was not the <i>word</i> of Cicero or -Plato.</p> - -<p>Having dismissed this trifling cavil, let us -now see,</p> - -<p>II. In the next place, in what respects it -may be charged upon us that we have been -ashamed of Christ’s <i>words</i>; that is, of their -<small>SUBJECT MATTER</small>; considered in the double -view of the <i>doctrines</i>, and <i>precepts</i>, contained -in them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_346">346</span></p> - -<p>1. As to the <small>DOCTRINES</small> of Christ, that -is, the peculiar articles of Christian faith, one -would think that to reject, or question, or explain -away these, was inconsistent with the -very profession of Christianity. Yet this conduct -in some shape or other, presents itself to -us every day, in those who are, or who desire -to be thought, Christians; and one cannot but -wonder at the pains they take to draw upon -themselves this charge of inconsistency.</p> - -<p>Some, bolder than the rest, would expunge -whole chapters, nay books, from the sacred -canon, when the narrative rises above their -faith, or the doctrine will not sink to a level -with their wisdom; others content themselves -with nibbling at single sentences, or, perhaps, -words; and, if no obscure manuscript be at -hand to favour the system they adopt, take -refuge in a forced, unnatural punctuation. How -many ancient and modern heresies have we seen -supported by that presumptuous, or this minute -strain of criticism!</p> - -<p>Some, again, when the text is not called in -question, turn their ingenuity another way, and -strike out new modes of interpretation. They -mangle and disfigure plain facts, or resolve them -into allegories: of this class were those primitive<span class="pagenum" id="Page_347">347</span> -heresiarchs, who maintained that <i>Christ -was not come in the flesh</i><a id="FNanchor_284" href="#Footnote_284" class="fnanchor">[284]</a>, and that <i>the Resurrection -was past already</i><a id="FNanchor_285" href="#Footnote_285" class="fnanchor">[285]</a>; and of the same -family, too, are those presumptuous moderns, -of whatever name, who stumble at the cross of -Christ, and sink the doctrine of Redemption in -a metaphor.</p> - -<p>A third sort excell in puzzling a clear text, -in putting a violent construction on artless -words, in explaining mysteries by metaphysics, -or, to get rid of them at once, in making -the plain fishermen of Galilee speak the language -of Platonism, or of the Jewish cabbala.</p> - -<p>In a word, it would be endless to specify all -those, who by studied devices, of various kinds, -mutilate, prevert, misinterpret, confound the -word of God, obtruding their own sense upon -it, and finding any thing there rather than the -plain obvious mind of the Revealer.</p> - -<p>And why is all this industry employed, these -daring liberties taken? Why to make <i>Christianity -not mysterious</i>, to shew how reasonable -its doctrines are, and to remove all objections -against them. The pretence is fair. But shall -we then admit nothing in scripture, in that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_348">348</span> -scripture which we call divine, but what we -perfectly understand, and can make appear, in -all its parts, to harmonize with our systems? -Alas, what is this, but to prescribe to the -Spirit of God; to substitute our wisdom in the -place of his; in a word, to be ashamed of -Christ’s words, and to idolize our own reason.</p> - -<p>To give one remarkable instance, out of -many, of this false shame. If there be any -thing clearly revealed in holy scripture, it is, -that there is a world of spirits, good and bad: -and of the last, that there is <small>ONE</small>, placed at the -head of them, who sets himself in opposition -(as indeed all bad men do) to the will of God; -who had a share in seducing our first parents, -and still works in the children of disobedience; -who was even permitted to tempt Christ, and to -possess Judas; in a word, who is styled the -<i>Prince of this world</i>, and, for the overthrow -of whose empire, principally, the Son of God -came down from heaven: If I say, there be any -clear undisputed point of doctrine in the Gospel, -it is this: the whole scheme of Christianity -depends upon it: and yet what pains have not -been taken to exterminate evil spirits, and disenchant -the world of them; although by such -methods, as would render language itself of no -use, and confound all the rules of just criticism -and sober interpretation?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_349">349</span></p> - -<p>These interpreters, I know, pretend (and -many of them, I dare say, with good faith) a -zeal for the honour of God, in their attempts of -this nature. But let them look deep into themselves. -They will, perhaps, find, that they are -paying, at the same time, a secret homage to -their own understandings, as if the whole of -God’s moral government lay open to their view, -and they were able to pervade every part of it; -that they hold a revelation in no esteem, which -puzzles their philosophy; and that, therefore, -they force a meaning of their own on the words -of Christ, because they are inwardly <i>ashamed</i> of -that, in which his words are most naturally to -be taken.</p> - -<p>Leaving, then, these rationalists to the scrutiny -of their own inmost thoughts, let us inquire,</p> - -<p>2. What regard is due to the <i>words</i> of Christ, -considered not as articles of belief, but <i>rules of -practice</i>.</p> - -<p>And here, I doubt, it must be acknowledged -that we have, all of us, more or less, been -<i>ashamed</i> of our divine Master. For we are convicted -of this shame, whenever we disobey his -commands, seen and admitted to be <i>his</i>, on<span class="pagenum" id="Page_350">350</span> -account of any repugnancy they have to the -fashion of the world, and to the consideration -we affect to have in it. And who is there, that, -in this respect, can hope to stand clear of all -blame, <i>when he is judged</i>?</p> - -<p><i>Be meek and lowly of heart</i>, says our Lord. -On the contrary, we are proud and arrogant, -that we may not be thought to want spirit. -<i>Take no thought for to-morrow</i>, are the words -of Christ: but the world says, be rich and great; -and we think of nothing else but <i>to-morrow</i>. -<i>Blessed are the pure in heart</i>, says our spotless -Preceptor: Are we not <i>ashamed</i> of these words, -when we had rather run the risk of any defilement, -than appear unfashionable? And so -in a multitude of other instances.</p> - -<p>Still, perhaps, we respect the rule, in some -sort, and blame ourselves for the breach of it.</p> - -<p>But what shall we say of those, who reject -the <i>word spoken</i> with a high hand, and offend -against it on principle, as we may say, and by -system?</p> - -<p><i>Go and sin no more</i>, says our Lord to an -adulteress convict; and his words imply a severe -censure of having sinned at all, in that instance.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_351">351</span> -But are there none who think this a hard saying, -who regard it as a narrow prejudice; who treat -the observance of it as a needless scruple; nay, -who pique themselves on the violation of it? -Are there not some, who delight in this sin by -way of preference? who lay it down for a maxim, -that this commerce, under certain circumstances, -and covered with a certain veil of manners, -is allowable, is reputable, is meritorious? Nay, -are there not those who would take it ill to be -thought incapable of aspiring to that distinction, -which, in certain quarters, this commerce -supposes?</p> - -<p>But let me not enlarge farther on this horrid -subject. Consider only, whether the parties -concerned must not deride a precept, which -they are proud to transgress, and whether in the -saddest sense of the word, they may not be said -to be <i>ashamed</i> of it.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Another</span> instance occurs, the mention of -which, I am sensible, can be of no farther use -than to illustrate my subject. A placability of -temper, the forgiveness of injuries, the love of -our enemies, nothing is more insisted upon in -the Gospel, than these virtues, which make -the very essence of a Christian’s temper. The -precepts to this purpose are numberless and express,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_352">352</span> -and enforced with all possible authority. -Yet, to persons, in certain conjunctures, and -of a certain rank in the world, it would be an -affront, but to remind them of their duty. We -know, who it was, that, <i>when he was reviled, -reviled not again, when he suffered, threatened -not, but committed himself to him who judgeth -righteously</i><a id="FNanchor_286" href="#Footnote_286" class="fnanchor">[286]</a>. But what then? Neither precept, -nor example, moves him, who calls himself -a man of honour, and is the slave of fashion. -He has command enough of himself to assume -an air of tranquillity, and to observe all the -forms of good-breeding. But his hate is rancorous, -his resentment hot as hell, his revenge, -immortal. Let his pretences be what -they will, his conduct cries aloud to all the -world, “I renounce the Gospel, I am <i>ashamed</i> -of the meek and merciful religion of Jesus.”</p> - -<p>To conclude: We now understand in what -ways, and in how many respects, we may be -<i>ashamed of Christ and his words</i>. In recounting -those several ways, whether respecting the -name and dignity of our Lord, or the rule of -faith and practice, which he has given us, we -have seen, at the same time, how little, how -base, how ungrateful, how impious, how inexcusable,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_353">353</span> -in all views, this <i>shame</i> is: especially -in all those, who wear the name, and do not -wholly disclaim the faith, of a Christian. More -words would be thrown away on those, who -are insensible to such considerations. Or, if -any further remonstrance can be of use, if -there be a motive left that can reach their case, -it must be one, that alarms their fears, and -shews the danger, the unspeakable hazard, to -which they expose themselves by this miserable -conduct. And, in the whole extent of God’s -word, there is not, in the nature of things there -cannot be, a more awakening, a more terrible -denunciation, than that of the text, which -therefore I cannot do better than leave with -you in its own proper form, as pronounced by -our Lord himself—<i>Whoever shall be ashamed -of me and of my words, of him shall the Son -of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his -own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy -Angels</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_354">354</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_LII">SERMON LII.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED JANUARY 29, 1775.</span></h2> - -<h3>St. <span class="smcap">Matth.</span> xvi. 18.</h3> - -<p><i>I say also unto thee, that thou art</i> <small>PETER</small>, <i>and -upon this rock I will build my church; and -the gates of hell shall not prevail against it</i>.</p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">The</span> way of giving a new name to an eminent -person, more immediately concerned in -any great transaction; a name, expressive of -that transaction, and therefore proper to fix -and perpetuate the memory of it; this custom, -I say, was of known use in the ancient world. -Thus, when God renewed his covenant with -<i>Abram</i>, and engaged to <i>multiply him exceedingly</i>, -the name of this patriarch was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_355">355</span> -changed to <i>Abraham</i>; which name, in the -Hebrew language, signifies <i>the father of a -great multitude</i><a id="FNanchor_287" href="#Footnote_287" class="fnanchor">[287]</a>: and, for a like reason, the -patriarch <i>Jacob</i> took the name of <i>Israel</i><a id="FNanchor_288" href="#Footnote_288" class="fnanchor">[288]</a>; to -omit many other instances of this usage, which -occur in the sacred scriptures.</p> - -<p>Just so, when one of the Apostles, known -before by the name of <i>Simon</i>, had made a -memorable confession of his Master’s being -<i>the Christ, the son of the living God</i>, i. e. the -redeemer, the prince of Israel, the Messiah -foretold, our blessed Lord, to give weight and -emphasis to this confession, confers a new -name upon him. For he <i>answered and said -unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona; -for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto -thee, but my Father which is in heaven</i>: That -is, no man hath revealed this great truth to -thee, nor has any interest of man, any thing, -indeed, but the spirit of God, influencing thy -impartial and well-disposed mind, prompted -thee to entertain and avow it thus heartily and -publicly (the proofs of it not being, at present, -so strong, as they hereafter shall be): Therefore, -to express my approbation of this great -testimony to a truth, which is the fundamental<span class="pagenum" id="Page_356">356</span> -article of my religion, and, at the same time, -to signify to thee the honour, with which I -mean to reward thee for it, <i>I further say unto -thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock -will I build my Church; and the gates of hell -shall not prevail against it</i>.</p> - -<p>The name, <i>Peter</i>, signifying a <i>rock</i> in the -Greek language, implies, we see, the immoveable -truth of the confession, here made, on -which the Christian religion was to be built; -and the immoveable firmness, too, of the Confessor, -who should have a share, with the other -Apostles, in supporting the whole fabric, and -be himself, in point of time, the first stone, -on which the glorious superstructure was to be -made.</p> - -<p>It follows—<i>and the gates of hell shall not -prevail against it</i>—that is, <i>Death</i>, or <i>Destruction</i> -(for that, only, the oriental phrase—<i>the -gates of hell</i>—here signifies<a id="FNanchor_289" href="#Footnote_289" class="fnanchor">[289]</a>) shall<span class="pagenum" id="Page_357">357</span> -never prevail against this church, being founded -on thee, and the testimony, made by thee, as -on a rock of ages, which shall never give way, -or be removed.</p> - -<p>We see, then, the full meaning of this famous -text, which contains, in effect, <small>TWO</small> -prophecies: <small>ONE</small>, respecting the foundation of -the Christian church, and (so far as the Apostle -Peter was personally concerned in the prediction) -then verified, when Peter laid the first -stone of this august building in the converts -made by him both among the Jews<a id="FNanchor_290" href="#Footnote_290" class="fnanchor">[290]</a> and Gentiles<a id="FNanchor_291" href="#Footnote_291" class="fnanchor">[291]</a>: -the <small>OTHER</small> prophecy, respecting the -perpetuity of this church; which the divine -Providence would, in no future age of the -world, permit to be destroyed.</p> - -<p>So that, not the supremacy of Peter over the -rest of the Apostles (as the church of Rome -vainly pretends), but the priority of his claim, -in point of time, to signal services in the conversion -of mankind, is expressed in this memorable -promise made to Peter—<i>on this rock -will I build my church</i>: and, for the second -assurance, here given, and which, to so zealous -a master-builder, as our Apostle, must have<span class="pagenum" id="Page_358">358</span> -been singularly welcome—<i>that the gates of -hell shall never prevail against it</i>—we may, -now, by the experience of more than seventeen -hundred years, understand, how far it has been, -and how likely it is, in the full extent of the -words, to be fulfilled.</p> - -<p>But, to see little more distinctly what this -experience is, and what presumption arises -out of it for the truth of our holy religion, let -us call to mind, if you please, the more remarkable -of those attacks, which have been -made, at different times, on the church of -Christ, and yet how constantly and successfully -they have been repelled.</p> - -<p>I. No sooner had the foundations of the -church been laid on the <i>rock</i> of this testimony—that -<i>Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God</i>—than -the storms of persecution arose, and -beat violently upon it. Nor was it, indeed, -strange, that this new doctrine, published every -where, with great boldness, by men who had -been eye-witnesses of what they affirmed, and -calculated to overturn all the favourite maxims -and usages of the world, should meet with the -fiercest opposition. And how easy did it seem -for that world to crush the infant society, now<span class="pagenum" id="Page_359">359</span> -struggling for life in the hands of twelve poor, -illiterate, and friendless men, if the decree of -Heaven had not gone forth—<i>that the gates of -hell should not prevail against it</i>!</p> - -<p>I know, indeed, that this violence of persecution -was, in the end, of advantage to the -Christian cause; and, from the nature of the -human mind, when once persuaded of any -thing, true or false, might be expected to be -so. For cruelty, in such cases, only excites -an unconquerable firmness and perseverance. -But what was persuasion in succeeding converts -to the gospel of Christ, was knowledge, -or rather the infallible evidence of sense, in -the first publishers of it. The Apostles witnessed -a matter of fact, when they made known -the resurrection of Christ, on which their -whole doctrine rested. And it is not in nature -for any single man, much less for twelve men, -to suffer, and to die, for a false fact, not taken -upon trust from others, but asserted on their -own proper and personal experience. If Jesus -did not rise from the dead, they neither saw, -nor felt, nor conversed with him after his resurrection, -that is, they had no persuasion for -force to harden into obstinacy, but a consciousness -of falshood in their attestation, which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_360">360</span> -could not have held out against the rage of -their persecutors<a id="FNanchor_292" href="#Footnote_292" class="fnanchor">[292]</a>.</p> - -<p>If it be said, that criminals are often supposed, -and not without reason, to die with a -falshood in their mouths, I answer, it is very -possible: but, besides that the Apostles gave -no signs, in the rest of their conduct, of a want -of principle, by declaring the truth, in this -case, they might have saved their lives, whereas -a criminal, for the most part, is but the more -likely to lose his, by a true confession.</p> - -<p>Or, if, lastly (for suspicion, I am aware, is -not easily satisfied, if) the perseverance of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_361">361</span> -martyred apostles be accounted for from a false -point of honour, I admit, that this strange -principle sometimes overpowers conviction; -but rarely, in any number of men confederated -in the same cause, and, least of all, in a number -of men of so plain and artless characters, as the -Apostles.</p> - -<p>On the whole, we have reason to conclude, -that, if Christianity had not been true, it must -have perished with its first preachers: at least, -it cannot be denied, that in outliving the violence, -with which it was assaulted, both by -Jew and Gentile, on its appearance in the -world, this religion has thus far verified the -remarkable prediction of its author.</p> - -<p>II. The external peace of the church was -scarce settled under Constantine, when internal -commotions shook its frame, and with a -violence, which was likely to bring on, and -that in no long time, its entire dissolution. By -these commotions, I mean the heresies, that -sprung up in abundance, and distracted the -Christian world for several centuries. The zeal, -or rather fury, with which these disputes were -carried on, was unappeasable; and, if it be true, -that <i>a house divided against itself cannot -stand</i>, there was reason to expect that the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_362">362</span> -houshold of Christ would exemplify this -maxim: While, at the same time, the Christian -name was so dishonoured by these contentions, -and the lives, as well as the faith, of -Christians, so polluted by them, that believers -themselves were almost tempted to renounce a -profession, which laboured under so much infamy; -and the rest of the world could scarce -fail to contract an incurable aversion to it.</p> - -<p>This, indeed, was so much the case, and the -advantage, given to the enemies of our faith, by -these scandalous abuses of it, so great, that one -is not surprised to find</p> - -<p>III. A <i>third</i>, and still more alarming danger -of the Christian church, in the sudden rise -and propagation of the Mahometan religion.</p> - -<p>For it was the corruption of Christianity, -that gave occasion, or success, at least, to this -daring imposture. And now it might seem, -that <i>the gates of hell</i> were set wide open, and -destruction ready to rush upon, and seize, its -defenceless prey, the Christian church, disheartened -and disabled by its own vices. The -uncontroulable spirit of this ruthless sect was, -indeed, alarming to the last degree; when a -secret providence, first, softened its ferocity, -and, then, put a stop to its successes.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_363">363</span></p> - -<p>I ascribe these effects to the <i>good providence -of God</i>, watching over the preservation of our -holy faith; for what else could make the disciples -of Mahomet tolerant in spite of their -ignorance and bigotry; and pacific, when their -law breathed nothing but war and universal -dominion?</p> - -<p>Still the church had other trials to undergo; -and <i>hell</i> had yet in reserve some further engines -of its wrath to employ against her. For</p> - -<p>IV. While the African and Asiatic Christians -were in danger of a total suppression by -the rage of their Ottoman masters, the European -had almost as much to apprehend from exhaustless -swarms of Northern barbarians. And, -what darkened the prospect still more, all -knowledge and learning had disappeared, -during these turbulent ages. Hence, to the -destructive fanaticism of the East, was added -the grossest <i>superstition</i> of the West; which, -growing up in a long night of ignorance, and -yet directed by policy towards the establishment -of a vast and gloomy empire, involved all Christendom -in its pestilential shade, and threatened -the very extinction of all true religion.</p> - -<p>Yet it pleased God, in this distressful state -of his church, to provide for its continuance,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_364">364</span> -and even integrity, in due time, by making the -cloystered ignorance of the Monks serve to the -preservation of the sacred canon; and the enslaving -projects of a tyrannical hierarchy, to -the restoration of religious and civil liberty.</p> - -<p>And thus, though the powers of <i>hell</i> had -been successively let loose against the church of -Christ in the terrible shapes, first, of Jewish -and Gentile persecution; then, of heresy, in -the church itself; next, of Mahometan enthusiasm; -and, lastly, of Antichristian superstition; -yet have they not prevailed against this -sacred structure, founded on a <i>rock</i>, guarded, -as we believe, by heaven itself, and therefore -destined to be eternal.</p> - -<p>I have touched these several particulars -slightly and rapidly, just to put you in mind of -what the Christian religion has endured, since -its appearance in the world; and to let you see -how unlikely it is that this religion should have -kept its ground against these various and multiplied -attacks, if it had not been divinely -protected.</p> - -<p>But of all the trials, to which it has been exposed, -the greatest by far, if this religion had -been an imposture, is <small>ONE</small>, which I have not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_365">365</span> -yet mentioned; and that is, <i>the examination -of severe, enlightened Reason</i>.</p> - -<p>And this trial, to complete its honour, our -divine faith hath <small>TWICE</small> undergone: <i>once</i>, in -the very season of its birth; and now, <i>again</i>, -for two or three centuries, since the revival of -letters, in our Western world: periods, both of -them, distinguished, in the annals of mankind, -by a more than common degree of light and -knowledge; which must, in the nature of -things, have been fatal to any scheme of religion, -pretending only to a divine original, and -not really so descended.</p> - -<p>But this part of the argument is too large, as -well as too important, for me to enter upon at -present. Let me therefore conclude with a short -and interesting reflexion on so much of it, as -we have been considering.</p> - -<p>It was natural, no doubt, for the author of a -new religion, full of his scheme, and impressed -with the importance of it, to promise to himself -the perpetuity of his work. But a wise man -might easily conjecture that a religion, like the -Christian, would meet with the fiercest opposition: -and, though this be not a proper time -to shew it, it might be shewn, that <i>the spirit<span class="pagenum" id="Page_366">366</span> -of Christ</i><a id="FNanchor_293" href="#Footnote_293" class="fnanchor">[293]</a> distinctly foresaw the several species -of opposition, which his religion had to encounter<a id="FNanchor_294" href="#Footnote_294" class="fnanchor">[294]</a>.</p> - -<p>Yet, in the face of all these perils, our Lord -predicts, in the most direct and positive terms, -that his church should brave them all, and -subsist for ever. It has subsisted to this day, -after encountering such storms of persecution -and distress, as must, in all likelihood, have -overturned any human fabrick. Is not the -true solution of the fact, this, that it was -founded on <i>the word of God, which endureth -for ever</i><a id="FNanchor_295" href="#Footnote_295" class="fnanchor">[295]</a>? The rest, then, follows of course. -The wise master-builder (to use his own words -on another occasion, near akin to this) <i>had -built his house upon a</i> <small>ROCK</small>: <i>and the rain descended, -and the floods came, and the winds -blew and beat upon that house: and it</i> <small>FELL -NOT</small>, <i>for it was founded upon a</i> <small>ROCK</small><a id="FNanchor_296" href="#Footnote_296" class="fnanchor">[296]</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_367">367</span></p> - -<h2 id="SERMON_LIII">SERMON LIII.<br /> -<span class="medium">PREACHED FEBRUARY 5, 1775.</span></h2> - -<h3>St. <span class="smcap">Matth.</span> xvi. 18.</h3> - -<p><i>And I say also unto thee, that thou art -Peter, and upon this rock I will build my -church; and the gates of hell shall not -prevail against it.</i></p> - -<p class="drop"><span class="uppercase">The</span> religion of Jesus hath descended to us, -through <small>TWO</small>, the most enlightened ages of the -world. It was, first, published in the reign of -Tiberius: It was re-published, as we may say, -at the Reformation: and is it likely, that an -imposture should have made its way in the -<i>former</i> of these periods? Or, is it possible, it -should still keep its ground against the influence -of all that light and knowledge, by which -the <i>latter</i> has been distinguished?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_368">368</span></p> - -<p>To see what force there is in these questions, -permit me to lay before you a slight sketch of -the trials, to which Christianity has been exposed -from the improved reason of ancient and -modern times, and of the effect, which those -trials appear to have had on the credit and reception -of that Religion.</p> - -<p>I. Jesus preached the Gospel in the reign of -Tiberius: that is, in a time of profound peace, -when arts and letters were generally diffused -through the Roman empire; and in Judea, at -that time a Roman province. So far was this -thing from being <i>done in a corner</i><a id="FNanchor_297" href="#Footnote_297" class="fnanchor">[297]</a>!</p> - -<p>This religion, on its first appearance in the -world, had therefore to encounter two sorts of -men, well qualified, and not less disposed, to -give it a severe examination; I mean, the -learned <small>JEWS</small>, on the one hand, and the reasoning -<small>GENTILES</small>, on the other. Yet it prevailed -against all the efforts of both.</p> - -<p>It was, first, proposed to the <small>JEWS</small>, and its -pretensions were to be tried by the correspondence -of its principles and history to the doctrine -and predictions of their sacred books. -That vastly the greater part of the Jewish<span class="pagenum" id="Page_369">369</span> -nation resisted the evidence of that appeal, is -well known: but that great numbers did not, -and, of these, that some, at least, were of principal -note for their rank, and knowledge in the -scriptures, is equally certain and allowed; with -this further concession, that the evidence, -whatever it was, prevailed over the most inveterate -prejudices, that ever possessed any people, -and the most alarming difficulties and discouragements, -to which human nature can be -exposed. Let the fact, then, be considered, -with all its circumstances, on both sides. And -as to the merit of the argument, we are well -able to judge of it. The sacred writings of -the Jews, to which the appeal lay, are in all -hands: and with what triumphant superiority -the followers of Jesus reasoned from them, we -see, in their numerous works, still extant, and -especially in those of the great Apostle, St. -Paul. So that, if all the scriptural learning, -and all the bigotry of Judaism, could not stop -the progress of Christianity, as we know it did -not, it may fairly be presumed, that the way -of inquiry was not unfavourable to the new -religion, and that truth and reason were on -that side. But</p> - -<p>2. From the Jews, let us turn to the <small>GENTILES</small>, -at that time flourishing in arts and letters.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_370">370</span> -To them was the Gospel preached by -the Apostles, and especially by their Apostle, -St. Paul, through the whole extent of the Roman -empire; and not without success in the -head quarters of Gentilism, in the chief towns -of Asia, in Greece, at Athens, and even at -Rome itself.</p> - -<p>The pride of Gentile wisdom, indeed, kept -its professors, for some time, from taking more -than a superficial notice of the new religion. -But its rapid progress among the people, joined -to its declared purpose of prescribing to the -general faith of mankind, broke through this -real or affected indifference, rouzed, at length, -the attention of the great and wise, and provoked -the zeal of both to shew itself in every -mode of opposition. The great persecuted, and -the wise reasoned: and this latter species of -hostility (the more alarming of the two, if -Christianity had been an imposture) was carried -on with vigour, and without intermission -(whatever intervals there might be of the -<i>former</i>) through several successive ages. The -four Gospels, and the other authentic documents -of our religion, were now in all hands, -when this lettered war commenced against -Christianity, and continued, till Paganism was -utterly overthrown and subdued. Many adversaries<span class="pagenum" id="Page_371">371</span> -of the Christian name engaged in this -unequal contest: but the most distinguished -are, <small>CELSUS</small>, in the second century; <small>PORPHYRY</small>, -in the third; and <small>JULIAN</small>, in the fourth: all of -them, eminent philosophers; and the last of -this great triumvirate, an imperial one. The -two first wrote with all freedom, because -against a persecuted, and on the side of the -predominant, religion; and the third had the -whole power of the state in his own hands.</p> - -<p>The works of these great chieftains of infidelity, -it must be owned, are not extant in -their proper form. But Celsus is almost entire -in Origen; a great part of Julian may be seen -in Cyril; and considerable fragments of Porphyry’s -work have been preserved in Jerom -and other old writers.</p> - -<p>Ye do not expect me to produce, on this -occasion, the substance of what these three -philosophers have said against the Christian -cause. Any that will, may see it in the original -authors, just mentioned, or in many modern -collections, that have been made out of -them. It may be enough to say, that those, -who give themselves this trouble, will find -much abuse and misrepresentation, and some -argument: but the last so weak, and inconclusive,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_372">372</span> -that one cannot wonder much at what -Chrysostom tells us, “That the early books, -written against Christianity, soon fell into a -general contempt; that they perished almost -as fast as they appeared; and that, if they -still subsisted any where, it was, because -they had been preserved by the Christians -themselves<a id="FNanchor_298" href="#Footnote_298" class="fnanchor">[298]</a>.”</p> - -<p>But, setting aside, for the present, the merits -of the question, the fact<a id="FNanchor_299" href="#Footnote_299" class="fnanchor">[299]</a>, we know, is, -that all the efforts of Greek and Roman philosophy -were not successful: that the church -was soon filled with its professors, even before -the empire became Christian: and that this -great event itself happened within little more -than three centuries from the birth of Christ. -<i>So mightily grew the word of God, and -prevailed</i>, notwithstanding the severity, with -which its pretensions were tried.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_373">373</span></p> - -<p>It will be said, however, “that the argument, -drawn from the success of Christianity, -is not altogether so convincing, as we -pretend: that, for a time, the learned heathens -paid but little attention to the new -sect; that, when it had taken such root -among the people as to become the general -subject of inquiry, learning was now very -much on the decline; that barbarism had -prevailed to a great degree before the days of -Constantine, and then increased so fast, especially -after the irruption of the Northern -nations, as to leave no traces, almost, of -light and knowledge; and that to this sottish -state of ignorance, and, its usual attendant, -credulity, which continued through many -ages, the widely extended and permanent -establishments of Christianity are, therefore, -most probably to be ascribed.”</p> - -<p>Now, though I cannot assent to what is here -alledged, or insinuated, that the adversaries of -Christianity wanted either time, or light, or -zeal enough to discredit its pretensions, if the -way of reason and disputation could have done -it, before that long night of ignorance came -on which is supposed to be so favourable to -religious imposture; yet I will not deny that -taste and literature were degenerating in the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_374">374</span> -Roman empire, from the time that learned -pagans began to interest themselves in the -controversy with the Christians; and that, -therefore, had the last only prevailed through -this period of declining letters, something -would have been wanting to the force and -integrity of that argument, which infers the -truth of their cause, from its success. But the -fact is, that the event has been the same, in -opposite circumstances; as I shall now shew,</p> - -<p>II. Under the <small>SECOND</small> head of this discourse; -in which I proposed to point out to -you, very briefly, the influence of <small>REVIVING, -AND REVIVED</small> letters on the credit and reception -of the Christian faith.</p> - -<p>From the middle of the 14th century, and -even earlier, there were some efforts made to -break through that gloom of ignorance and -superstition, which had so long overspread the -Christian world; and, before the end of it, it -was visible enough that these efforts would, in -no long time, be attended with success. Accordingly, -a zeal for true and ancient literature -made its way through most parts of Europe, -and with so rapid a progress, that multitudes -of able men arose within the compass of the -next century, and were enough instructed to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_375">375</span> -assist in the reformation of religion, which -followed in the commencement of the 16th. -From that time to the present, arts and letters -have been studied with unceasing application; -and all the powers of reason put forth in the -cultivation of knowledge, in the discovery of -error, and the search of truth. It is pretended, -that we are now enlightened beyond the example -of all former ages: it is credible, that, -in some places, where liberty has attended -the pursuits of learning, the utmost ability -of the human mind, on the most important -objects of science, has been exerted and -displayed.</p> - -<p>Now, amidst this blaze of light, gradually -ascending from the dawn of science to its meridian -lustre, what has been the fortune of the -divine religion, we profess? It has been the -first, and last object of attention. It has been -examined with the most suspicious and sceptical -curiosity. It has stood the attacks of wit, -of learning, of philosophy; and, sometimes, of -all these acting in concert, without any restraint -or reserve whatsoever. Yet it keeps its -ground; or rather the belief of it is entertained, -not only by the multitude, but, more firmly -than ever, by the ablest and wisest men.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_376">376</span></p> - -<p>For the truth of this assertion, I can only -refer you to your own fair and candid observation; -the proof of it being much too long to -be given, at this time. For it would require -me to set before you the several topics of -argument, which have been employed against -Christianity, and the futility of them. It -would, further, oblige me to make appear, that -the number of those, who still embrace Christianity, -is not only vastly greater, but their -names, too, beyond comparison, more respectable, -than of those who reject it: all which it -would be tedious, indeed, but not difficult to -shew.</p> - -<p>However, till some such proof be produced, -ye will be apt, I know, to remind me of many -eminent persons, who have been the declared -enemies of our religion: ye will object to me -the complaints, which even divines make, of -an overflowing infidelity in the present times.</p> - -<p>In abatement of this prejudice, I could say -with much truth, that the character of those -eminent persons has been raised too high; and -that these complaints, though not without -foundation, have been carried too far. But I -have other, and more momentous considerations -to suggest to you, on this subject.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_377">377</span></p> - -<p>At the revival of letters, when the manifold -corruptions of Christianity had been discovered, -it was too natural for the disabused -mind to entertain some suspicions of the revelation -itself; and when reason, now emancipated -from authority, had tried its strength, -and found itself able to detect innumerable errors -in religion and science, it too hastily concluded -that there was no subject too vast for -its comprehension, and that its power and -right to decide on all questions whatsoever was -evident and beyond dispute. From that suspicious, -and this delirious state of the human -mind, infidelity sprung up, and on either stock -it still grows. “We have been deceived in -many things, with regard to this religion; -therefore in every thing.” “We know much; -therefore we are capable of knowing all -things.”—These, as extravagant as they appear, -are the two sophisms, into which all modern -free-thinking is to be resolved.</p> - -<p>But now it is so evident to men of sense, -that “a revelation may be true, though much -imposture has been grafted upon it, and that -its doctrines may challenge our belief, though -they be not within the reach of our knowledge.” -This, I say, is now so uncontroverted -among men of sense, that, if the list of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_378">378</span> -those, who, in the course of two or three centuries, -have supported the infidel cause on -those grounds, were ever so great or so conspicuous, -it could furnish no argument, or -even presumption, in favour of that cause -itself.</p> - -<p>But the truth is, that list is neither formidable -for its numbers, nor for the capacity of -those, of whom it consists. It shrinks into -nothing, when we oppose to it the multitudes -of able men, who have been, during this period, -and are, the advocates of Christianity; -and, among these, when we recollect the -names of Grotius, Pascal, Bacon, Locke, -Boyle, Newton, and many others (not of the -sacred order, though I know not why the authority -of these should be left out of the account); -when, I say, we look up to these great -lights and ornaments of the Christian world.</p> - -<p>Nor let it be surmized, that the reasonings -of infidel writers have been better, or other, -than they are here represented to be, or that -they have not been enforced with full liberty, -and in all their strength. What the liberty, -or rather licence, of these enlightened times -has been, we all know: And of their arguments, -ye may all judge: though this labour<span class="pagenum" id="Page_379">379</span> -be the less necessary, as most of them have not -only been triumphantly confuted by believers, -but successively exploded by unbelievers themselves; -and the rest of them, have not prevented -men of thought and ability from being -generally on the side of the Christian religion, -even to this day.</p> - -<p>Ye see, I am as concise as possible, and -omit very much of what might be said on this -subject, not to exceed the limits usually prescribed -to a discourse in this place. But when -ye contemplate the present state of Christianity, -in an age of the greatest light and freedom, -and the respect that is still paid to it, I -must just desire you to call to mind the state -of pagan religion under the like circumstances; -and to reflect that, when men of sense examined -its pretensions in the Augustan age, -there was not a single person, in the priesthood -or out of it, of ability and learning, who -did not see and know that the whole was a -manifest imposture, and destitute of all evidence, -that could induce a well-grounded and -rational assent<a id="FNanchor_300" href="#Footnote_300" class="fnanchor">[300]</a>. Can any thing like this be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_380">380</span> -said, or even suspected, of the Christian -faith?</p> - -<p>I know, that fraud and falsehood, by being -mixed with a great deal of acknowledged evident -truth, may obtain respect even with some -acute and inquisitive men; as, without doubt, -has been the case of Popery, since the Reformation: -I know, too, that a false religion, -unsupported by any truth, may even keep its -ground in a learned age, when restraint or -other causes have prevented a free inquiry into -that religion; as may have been the case of -Mahometanism, in one stage of the Saracen -empire: but that a religion, like the Christian, -as delivered in the Scriptures, which -must either be wholly false, or wholly true, -and has been scrutinized with the utmost freedom -and severity, should yet, if the arguments -for it were weak and fallacious, maintain its -credit, and subsist in the belief of the most -capable and accomplished reasoners, is, I think, -a prodigy, which never has appeared, or can -appear among men.</p> - -<p>I suppose, enough has been, now, said to -shew, that, in fact, the knowledge of past or -present times has not discredited the cause of -Christianity; and that what there is of infidelity<span class="pagenum" id="Page_381">381</span> -may be well accounted for from certain prevailing -prejudices, which unhappily sprung up -with returning Letters, at the Reformation. I -might go on to shew, that the evidences of the -Christian religion, as drawn out, and set before us, -by its modern apologists, are now -stronger, and more convincing, than they ever -were in any former period; and that, on the -whole, this religion has not lost, but gained -infinitely, by all the inquiries, which improved -science has enabled men of leisure and curiosity -to make into it. But it is time to return -to the <small>TEXT</small>, and to conclude this commentary -upon it, with one or two short reflexions.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">First</span>, if it be true, that after so many trials -of every kind, those especially of reason, and -philosophy, to which the religion of the Gospel -has been exposed, the belief of it remains -unshaken in the minds of men, Then is the -prophecy of the text thus far signally verified; -and it is indisputable, that <i>the gates of hell -have not</i>, hitherto, <i>prevailed against it</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Secondly</span>, if it be scarce imaginable that -any future trials, from without, should be -more severe, than those which Christianity -has already suffered; or that those, from within, -I mean the trials of severe rational inquiry,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_382">382</span> -should be more formidable, than what it has -undergone in two periods, the most distinguished -for the free exertion of the human faculties, -of any that have occurred in the history -of the world; then may it seem credible, -or rather then is the presumption strong and -cogent, that neither, hereafter, will the prophecy -be confuted, and that the <i>gates of hell -shall not</i>, at any time, or at all, <i>prevail -against it</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Thirdly</span>, and lastly, We may learn, from -both these conclusions, to put our trust in this -impregnable fortress of our Religion; to embrace -with stedfastness, and to observe with -the utmost reverence, a <small>RULE OF FAITH AND -LIFE</small>, which bears the signatures of immortality -upon it, and appears to be under the special -protection, as it proceeded originally from the -special favour and authority, of God himself.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_383">383</span></p> - -<h2 class="xx-large" id="A_DISCOURSE"> -<small>A</small><br /> -LARGER DISCOURSE,<br /> -<small>BY WAY OF</small><br /> -COMMENTARY,<br /> -<small>ON</small><br /> -THAT REMARKABLE PART<br /> -<small>OF</small><br /> -THE GOSPEL-HISTORY,<br /> -<small>IN WHICH</small><br /> -<span class="medium">JESUS IS REPRESENTED,<br /> -AS DRIVING THE BUYERS AND SELLERS<br /> -OUT OF THE TEMPLE.</span><br /> -</h2> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_384">384</span></p> - -<h2><small>A</small><br /> -DISCOURSE<a id="FNanchor_301" href="#Footnote_301" class="fnanchor">[301]</a><br /> -<small>ON</small><br /> -<span class="medium">CHRIST’S DRIVING THE BUYERS AND -SELLERS OUT OF THE TEMPLE.</span></h2> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_385">385</span></p> - -<p>I propose, in this discourse, to take into -consideration a very remarkable part of the -Gospel-history; in which Jesus is supposed to -have exercised an act of authority on some -persons, whom the Jews permitted to carry on -a certain traffic within the walls of the Temple.</p> - -<p>I shall, <small>FIRST</small>, recite the several accounts, -which the sacred historians have given of this -transaction; and shall, <small>THEN</small>, hazard some<span class="pagenum" id="Page_386">386</span> -observations, which will, perhaps, be found to -lessen, or to remove, the objections commonly -made to it.</p> - -<p>I begin with St. John’s account of it, which is -delivered in these words:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>Ch. ii. 13-17.</p> - -<p>“And the Jews passover was -at hand, and Jesus went up to -Jerusalem, and found in the -temple those that sold oxen, -and sheep, and doves, and the -changers of money, sitting: -And when he had made a -scourge of small cords, he -drove them all out of the temple, -and the sheep and the -oxen; and poured out the -changers money, and overthrew -the tables; and said -unto them that sold doves, -Take these things hence; make -not my Father’s house an house -of merchandize. And his disciples -remembered that it was -written, The zeal of thine -house hath eaten me up.”</p> - -</blockquote> - -<p>Thus far the Evangelist, St. John: And the -order of the history shews, that this was done<span class="pagenum" id="Page_387">387</span> -at the <i>first</i> Passover which Jesus attended, after -he had taken upon himself his prophetic office.</p> - -<p>The other Evangelists relate a similar transaction, -which had happened at the Passover, immediately -preceding his crucifixion. Some -have imagined that, on this last occasion, the -same act was repeated by him, on two several -days; but I see no sufficient ground for that -supposition. St. Mark is easily reconciled with -St. Matthew and St. Luke by only admitting, -what is very usual in the sacred writers, some -little neglect of method in the narration of one -or other of those historians.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>Mat. xxi. 12, 13.</p> - -<p>“And Jesus went into the -temple of God, and cast out -all them that sold and bought -in the temple, and overthrew -the tables of the money-changers, -and the seats of them -that sold doves, and said unto -them, it is written, My house -shall be called the house of -prayer, but ye have made it a -den of thieves.”</p> - -</blockquote> - -<blockquote> - -<p>Mark xi. 15-17.</p> - -<p>“And they come to Jerusalem: -And Jesus went into the temple,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_388">388</span> -and began to cast out -them that sold and bought in -the temple, and overthrew the -tables of the money-changers, -and the seats of them that sold -doves; And would not suffer -that any man should carry any -vessel through the temple. And -he taught, saying unto them, -Is it not written, My house -shall be called of all nations -the house of prayer? But ye -have made it a den of thieves.”</p> - -</blockquote> - -<blockquote> - -<p>Luke xix. 45, 46.</p> - -<p>“And he went into the temple, -and began to cast out -them that sold therein, and -them that bought, saying unto -them, It is written, My house -is the house of prayer: but ye -have made it a den of thieves.”</p> - -</blockquote> - -<p>In reading these passages, one is led to conclude, -that the <small>ACT</small> itself, here ascribed to our -Lord, was of no small importance; for it is related, -we see, by every one of the four Evangelists. -The substance of what we learn from all -of them, compared together, is this: “That -Jesus, at two several times, <i>once</i>, before the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_389">389</span> -first Passover which he attended after the entrance -on his ministry, and <i>again</i>, before the -Passover which preceded his passion, went up -to Jerusalem, and entered into the <i>temple</i>; -that is (as all interpreters agree, and as the -nature of the thing speaks) into the <i>first</i>, or -outermost court of the temple, or that which -was called <i>the court of the Gentiles</i>; because -the Gentiles, who acknowledged the one true -God, were permitted to come and worship him -there; that in this court (which was separated -from the next or second court by a sept or low -wall, and deemed by the Jews <i>prophane</i>, in -contempt of the Gentiles, to whose use it was -dedicated) <i>he found those that sold oxen and -sheep and doves, and the changers of money</i>; -that is, persons who attended there to furnish -what was necessary for the service of the temple, -and so made a kind of market, of this first -court or division of it: that, upon observing this -prophanation, <i>he made a scourge of small cords</i>, -or, as the word in the original strictly means, -of <i>rushes</i>, such as he may be supposed to have -found upon the spot, and with this scourge -drove these traffickers from their station; -signifying, by this and such like actions, his -displeasure at this pollution of a part of the -temple; and saying to them, withall, <i>It is -written, My house shall be called the house of -prayer of all nations: But ye have made it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_390">390</span> -an house of merchandize</i>, or, as the equivalent -expression is, <i>a den of thieves</i>.”</p> - -<p>Thus stands the history itself: And the light -in which it is commonly understood, is this; -“That Jesus, in virtue of his prophetic, or, if -you will, <i>regal</i> character, did this act of -authority, to testify his zeal for the honour of -God’s house, thus polluted and desecrated, contrary -to its original purpose and design, by the -base and commercial uses, that were now made -of it;” and it is probable, that the Disciples -themselves, <i>at the time</i>, considered it in this -light, only, <i>for they remembered</i>, St. John says, -<i>that it was written, The zeal of thine house -hath eaten me up</i>—applying a passage out of -the Psalms, to this act of zeal in their master.</p> - -<p>It is true, this circumstance is only related by -St. John, who records the <i>former</i> transaction, -and omits the <i>latter</i>: the reason of this difference -will, perhaps, be seen, as we proceed in -our inquiry.</p> - -<p>But to this solution of the case some objections -have been made.</p> - -<p>Besides the strangeness and indecency, as -many apprehend, of the proceeding itself, and -the improbability that the persons concerned in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_391">391</span> -this chastisement, who had public allowance for -what they did, should patiently submit to it (for -we hear of no resistance, nor of any complaint, -made by them)—Besides, I say, these obvious -considerations, the act itself was an act of -<small>CIVIL POWER</small>, which Jesus always disclaimed, -and for which, it will be said, he had no -warrant, either from the ruling Jews, themselves, -or from his regal, or prophetic character: -not, from <i>the ruling Jews</i>, who, we know, -were offended at his behaviour; not, from his -<i>regal</i> character, which was not of this world; -nor yet, lastly, from his <i>prophetic</i> office: for, -though that might authorize him to declare his -sense of this prophanation, it may be thought -not to extend so far as to justify him in disturbing -the civil rights of men, and doing a direct -violence to their property and persons. Jesus -himself, we understand, was so tender of <i>both</i>, -that, upon another occasion, when it was proposed -to him to divide a contested inheritance -between two claimants, he said to the proposer, -<i>Man, who made me a judge, or a divider over -you</i><a id="FNanchor_302" href="#Footnote_302" class="fnanchor">[302]</a>? Whence it may seem reasonable to infer, -that he would not have interposed, by an overt -act of authority or jurisdiction, in <i>this</i> case; notwithstanding -the reference it had to the honour -of religion, or the right he might have to condemn<span class="pagenum" id="Page_392">392</span> -an abusive practice, from his spiritual -character.</p> - -<p>These difficulties seem to shew, that there is -something more in the case, than a mere expression -of zeal against the prophaners of the -temple: not but this might be one end, but it -could not be the sole or even principal end, of -so extraordinary a transaction.</p> - -<p>I do not indeed find, that the ancient commentators -on the Gospels have said any thing -to the difficulties, I have mentioned. They -seem to have looked no further than to the obvious -sense of this transaction, and to have acquiesced -in the opinion of its being intended to -evidence our Lord’s zeal for the honour of God’s -house, without any further view or purpose -whatsoever. They found it related as a matter -of fact; and they piously admitted the authority -of Jesus to controul the civil usages and -rights of the Jews, by virtue of his transcendant -power and divine character.</p> - -<p>But the moderns have been aware of the objections, -which lie against this interpretation. -Our learned Selden, in particular, has an entire -chapter, in his book <i>De jure naturali et gentium -juxta disciplinam Hebræorum</i>, on this<span class="pagenum" id="Page_393">393</span> -subject<a id="FNanchor_303" href="#Footnote_303" class="fnanchor">[303]</a>. His notion is, That Jesus exerted -this act of power, in virtue of what the Jews -called <span class="smcap">The right or privilege of zealots</span><a id="FNanchor_304" href="#Footnote_304" class="fnanchor">[304]</a>; -by which they meant, not a general zeal or indignation -(such as is before spoken of) against -what they conceived to be derogatory to the -honour of their religion; but a <i>right</i>, strictly -so called, derived to them from the civil institutions -and approved usages of their country, -of interfering, in some extraordinary cases, to -repel a manifest insult on their law, by private -force, without waiting for the slow process of a -judicial determination.</p> - -<p>The principal, or rather sole foundation, on -which this notion is erected, is the case of <i>Phinehas</i>, -related in the book of <span class="smcap">Numbers</span><a id="FNanchor_305" href="#Footnote_305" class="fnanchor">[305]</a>: which -the Jews afterwards construed into a <i>law</i>, or -embraced at least as a <i>traditionary</i> rule of conduct, -derived to them, as they supposed, from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_394">394</span> -the times of Moses. But this case will by no -means bear the construction, which has been -made of it. For,</p> - -<p>1. It was a single and very <i>particular</i> case, -without any intimation from the historian, that -it was afterwards to be drawn into precedent.</p> - -<p>2. It may seem to have been, if not commanded, -yet in some measure authorized, or it -was at least, by an express revelation, afterwards -justified. For the matter is thus related. Upon -the defection of the Israelites at Shittim into -idolatry, in consequence of their prophane, as -well as impure commerce with <i>the daughters -of Moab</i>, God sent a plague among them, and -besides commanded Moses to put to death all -those who had been guilty of such abominations. -Moses obeyed, and <i>said unto the -judges of Israel, slay ye every one his men, -that were joined unto Baal-Peor</i>.</p> - -<p>This command was issued very properly to -the <i>Judges</i>: but a <i>private</i> man, <i>Phinehas, the -son of Eleazer, the son of Aaron the priest</i>, -instigated by his zeal, and presuming perhaps -on his relationship to the high priest (from whose -family, a more than ordinary zeal in such a case -might be expected) did, under these circumstances,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_395">395</span> -take upon himself to execute that command -on two persons, surprized in the very -act, for which the penalty had been denounced, -in the presence of all the people. Now, though -this proceeding was irregular in itself, yet the -notoriety of the fact, the most atrocious that -could be, and the most daring insult on the -divine authority, seemed almost to supersede -the necessity of a legal process. The consequence -was, that God himself was pleased to -accept and reward the deed, because the author -of it, on such a provocation, and at such a time, -<i>was zealous for his God, and had made an -atonement for the children of Israel</i>.</p> - -<p>But to argue from a single instance, so circumstanced, -that the same zeal was allowable -in other cases, in which no such countenance -had been given, and no such necessity or provocation -could be pretended, is evidently so -unreasonable, that no stress ought to be laid on -this argument. The Jews, indeed, in succeeding -times, might fancy a general rule to -have been implied in this single instance; and -we know from their history, to what enormous -excesses this their easy belief, concurring with -a natural violence of temper, afterwards transported -them, during the last calamities of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_396">396</span> -this devoted people<a id="FNanchor_306" href="#Footnote_306" class="fnanchor">[306]</a>: but our Lord was very -unlikely to give a countenance to their traditions, -or to add the sanction of his authority to -a principle, so weakly founded, and so liable to -the worst abuse.</p> - -<p>3. This <i>traffic of the merchants</i>, in the -court of the Gentiles, how unfit soever it might -be, depended on the same authority, as this -pretended <i>right itself of the zealots</i>; that is, -on the allowed usage and constant discipline of -their country. No express precept of the law -could be alledged for either. So that this <i>right</i> -could not be exerted but at the expence of <i>another</i>, -equally well founded.</p> - -<p>4. Mr. Selden himself appears to have had -some distrust of his own hypothesis, by the -care he takes to interweave, in his discourse, a -charge of <i>fraud</i> on the merchants, together -with their <i>prophanation</i> of the temple. But -the learned writer forgets, that <small>ZELOTISM</small> (if I -may have leave to use a new term) respected -<i>religion</i> only, and not private morals. For -even <i>the act of zeal</i>, performed by Phinehas -(from which, only, the very idea of this <i>Jewish -right</i>, if it were one, was derived) had, for its<span class="pagenum" id="Page_397">397</span> -object, not the <i>fornication</i> simply, but the -<i>idolatry</i>, of the criminals: it was a sacrifice, -not to the honour of <i>virtue</i>, as such, but to -the <i>honour of God</i>. And, indeed, nothing -but the singular structure of the Jewish polity, -in which the honour of God was so extraordinarily -considered, could give any the least colour -to the <i>fiction</i> of such a right.</p> - -<p>5. <i>Lastly</i>, whatever degree of credit this -principle of <i>zelotism</i> might have acquired -among the Jews, it was very unlikely, perhaps -we may say, impossible, that Jesus should act -upon it. When the Disciples, <i>James</i> and -<i>John</i>, on a certain occasion, were instigated -by this <i>zeal</i> to call for fire from Heaven on the -heads of some persons, who had offered an -insult to their master, Jesus himself rebuked -them in these terms—<i>Ye know not what -spirit ye are of: For the Son of man is not -come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them</i> -[Luke ix. 55.]—To <i>burn with fire</i>, is indeed -something more than, <i>to scourge</i>: but, though -the vengeance be not equal, in these two instances, -the <i>spirit</i> is the same from which it is -derived, and by which it is justified: and this -<i>spirit</i>, we are expressly told, is not that by -which Jesus chose to conduct himself. It was -to no purpose to alledge the case of a Phinehas,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_398">398</span> -or even an Elias: these were no precedents for -<small>HIM</small>, who <i>came not to destroy men’s lives, but -to save them</i>.</p> - -<p>I conclude then, upon the whole, that Jesus -did not perform this act of driving the merchants -out of the temple, in the Jewish character -of <small>ZEALOT</small>; in what <i>other</i> character -he might possibly perform it, I shall now inquire.</p> - -<p>The ingenious conjecture of Mr. Selden, already -considered, was apparently taken up by -him to avoid the difficulties which he found in -accounting for this act of zeal in our Lord, from -his <i>prophetic</i> character only. These difficulties, -he saw very distinctly, and has explained with -much force.</p> - -<p>“Though the Saviour of the world, says he, -was undoubtedly both God and King, and, -by his absolute dominion, not over the Jews -only, but the whole race of mankind, must be -supposed to have had a right of doing whatever -he saw fit to do; yet since we know, that he -constantly submitted himself in all things to -the established forms of civil justice, whether -of Jewish, or Roman institution; and, as being -desirous to exhibit in his own person a most<span class="pagenum" id="Page_399">399</span> -absolute example of obedience to the course of -human authority, was careful always to abstain -from every thing, that might be thought a -violation of it in any private man; since, besides, -we know, that, considering the peculiar -envy, to which his life was exposed, he could -not possibly have gratified his enemies more, -than by putting it in their power to bring a -criminal charge against him: it must, on all -these accounts, be thought reasonable to suppose, -that our Lord would not have ventured -on so extraordinary an act, as that of driving -the merchants out of the temple, unless it had -been such, as, even in the opinion of those -who were most prejudiced against him, he might -lawfully and regularly perform<a id="FNanchor_307" href="#Footnote_307" class="fnanchor">[307]</a>.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_400">400</span></p> - -<p>All this, the reader sees, is prudently, -piously, and ably said, by this very learned -writer; and I readily subscribe to every word -of it. We only differ in our conclusion from -these premises. Mr. Selden holds, that what -Jesus did on this occasion, <i>cannot</i> be reconciled -to the idea of his <small>PROPHETIC CHARACTER</small>, -as sustained by him in the course of his ministry: -I, on the contrary, conceive, that it -very well <i>may</i>. But then I consider that <i>character</i>, -as exercised by our Lord, at this time, -in <i>another manner</i>, and to <i>other ends</i>, than -the learned writer supposed.</p> - -<p>In a word, I see Jesus in the light, not of a -<small>ZEALOT</small>, but of a <small>PROPHET</small> only, in this whole -transaction. I see him acting, not on precarious -principles and rabbinical traditions, but -on the sure basis of scripture; and regulating -his conduct by the known ideas of his office, -such as had at all times been entertained of it, -and were even now familiar to the Jews in the -times in which he lived.</p> - -<p>To make way for what I have further to -advance on this subject, it will, then, be necessary -to consider, <i>first</i>, the <small>PRACTICES AND -USAGES</small> of the Jewish prophets, I mean the -<i>manner</i>, in which that high office was sometimes<span class="pagenum" id="Page_401">401</span> -discharged and exercised by them, even -to the very times in question: and, <i>secondly</i>, -to consider, the true scope and meaning of the -<small>PROPHECY</small> itself, to which Jesus appeals, and -on which he justifies this obnoxious part of his -conduct.</p> - -<p>1. It is impossible for those, who have read -the scriptures of the Old Testament, not to -observe, how much they abound in figures and -material images. Nay, the prophets are frequently -represented as instructing those, to -whom they are sent, not in figurative expression -only, but in the way of action and by -sensible signs. And this mode of information -has been shewn by learned men<a id="FNanchor_308" href="#Footnote_308" class="fnanchor">[308]</a> to arise from -the very nature of language, in its rude and -imperfect state; being indeed an apt and necessary -expedient to supply the defects of -speech, under that circumstance. It has further -been made appear, from the history of -mankind, that this practice universally prevailed -in all barbarous nations, as well as in -Judæa; nay, that it every where <i>continued</i> to -prevail, as an ornamental method of communication, -long after the necessity was over,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_402">402</span> -which had given birth to it; especially among -the inhabitants of the East, to whose natural -vivacity it was so well suited. Hence, the -Jewish prophets, it is said, but conformed to -the established practice of their own times, -when they adopted this use of representative -action: as, when one Prophet <i>pushed with -horns of iron</i>, to denote the overthrow of the -Syrians<a id="FNanchor_309" href="#Footnote_309" class="fnanchor">[309]</a>; and another, <i>broke a potter’s vessel -to pieces</i>, to express the shattered fortune of -the Jews<a id="FNanchor_310" href="#Footnote_310" class="fnanchor">[310]</a>; with innumerable other instances -of the like nature.</p> - -<p>This the prophet Hosea calls, using <i>similitudes -by the</i> <small>HAND</small> <i>of the prophets</i><a id="FNanchor_311" href="#Footnote_311" class="fnanchor">[311]</a>; and the -effect of it was, to impress the proposed information -on the minds of men with more -force (being addressed to their eyes and senses) -than could have been done by a mere verbal -explication.</p> - -<p>This mode of teaching by signs, then, let -it be remembered, was familiar to the Jewish -nation, and prevailed even in the days of Jesus; -as is clear from John the Baptist’s <i>wearing a -garment of camel’s hair, and eating locusts and -wild honey</i><a id="FNanchor_312" href="#Footnote_312" class="fnanchor">[312]</a>; to signify the mortification<span class="pagenum" id="Page_403">403</span> -and repentance, which he was commissioned -to preach—from Christ’s <i>riding into Jerusalem</i><a id="FNanchor_313" href="#Footnote_313" class="fnanchor">[313]</a>; -to signify the assumption of his regal -office—and from his directing his disciples to -<i>shake of the dust of their feet<a id="FNanchor_314" href="#Footnote_314" class="fnanchor">[314]</a>, as a testimony -against them</i>, who would not receive his -Gospel.</p> - -<p>And we find that, sometimes, even a miracle -was wrought to furnish a convenient <i>sign</i>—As -when Simon’s <i>draught of fishes</i><a id="FNanchor_315" href="#Footnote_315" class="fnanchor">[315]</a>, was -made to denote the success he should have in -his ministry; according to the interpretation of -Christ himself, who said to him, <i>Henceforth -thou shalt catch men</i>—As, again, when Jesus -<i>curst the barren fig-tree</i><a id="FNanchor_316" href="#Footnote_316" class="fnanchor">[316]</a>, to signify the unfruitfulness -and rejection of the Jewish nation—And, -as when he permitted <i>the unclean -spirits to enter into a herd of swine</i>, which, -thereupon, <i>ran violently down a steep place -and perished in the waters</i><a id="FNanchor_317" href="#Footnote_317" class="fnanchor">[317]</a>: an exertion of -his miraculous power, which, among other -purposes, might be intended to express, in the -way of <i>representation</i>, the tyranny of evil -spirits, and their attendants, evil habits, over -sensual and voluptuous men (of whom <i>swine</i><span class="pagenum" id="Page_404">404</span> -are the acknowledged emblems), and the consequent -<i>perdition in which they drown them</i>. -Nay, the very parables of our Lord, are but -this mode of information, by material signs, -once removed.</p> - -<p>It may, further, be observed, that the two -Christian Sacraments themselves are founded -on this principle: and so prevalent was the -use of conveying information in this form, that -even the Roman Governor, when he condemned -Jesus, <i>took water and washed his hands<a id="FNanchor_318" href="#Footnote_318" class="fnanchor">[318]</a> before -the multitude</i>, to signify to them, that -he was innocent of that horrid crime.</p> - -<p>From all this we may certainly conclude, -that it was very customary in our Saviour’s -time for men to express themselves by outward -and visible signs: that this mode of expression -was especially of ancient and approved -use among the Prophets, when they would inforce -some high and important topic of instruction: -and that, not impossibly therefore, the -famous transaction in the temple may be only -an information of this nature.</p> - -<p>If then we would know, what that <i>information</i> -was, or, in other words, what was the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_405">405</span> -peculiar <i>object</i> of it, it will be proper, in the -next place,</p> - -<p>2. To turn to the <span class="smcap">Prophecy</span>, to which Jesus -appeals, and to consider the true scope and -purpose of it.</p> - -<p>The prophecies of Isaiah, it is well known, -are chiefly taken up in predicting the future -glories of Christ’s kingdom, of which <i>the call -of the Gentiles</i> makes a conspicuous and shining -part. This great event is foretold in a vast -variety of places; and in different forms of expression, -one while, plain and direct, at other times, -figurative and obscure. The Messiah is spoken of -as <i>bringing forth judgement to the Gentiles</i>; -and more clearly still, as <i>being given for a -light to the Gentiles</i><a id="FNanchor_319" href="#Footnote_319" class="fnanchor">[319]</a>. In other places, the -expression is ænigmatical; as where the Heathen -are mentioned as <i>prisoners</i>, who shall be -set at liberty<a id="FNanchor_320" href="#Footnote_320" class="fnanchor">[320]</a>—as <i>strangers</i>, who should -build up the walls of Jerusalem<a id="FNanchor_321" href="#Footnote_321" class="fnanchor">[321]</a>—<i>as blind -people that have eyes, and deaf that have -ears</i><a id="FNanchor_322" href="#Footnote_322" class="fnanchor">[322]</a>—and under a multitude of other -images.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_406">406</span></p> - -<p>Full of these ideas, the Prophet begins the -fifty-sixth chapter with the following triumphant -exhortation—<i>Thus saith the Lord, Keep -ye judgment, and do justice, for my salvation -is near to come, and my righteousness to be -revealed</i>; the very language, almost, in which -the Baptist afterwards announced our Saviour -to the Jews: whence it may appear, of <i>what</i> -salvation the Prophet is here speaking. But -to <i>whom</i> is this salvation promised? Why, in -general, to those <i>who keep the Sabbath from -polluting it</i>, ver. 2; that is, in the prophetic -style, to those who should embrace the Christian -faith: for the <i>Sabbath</i> being the sign or -token of God’s covenant with the Jews, hence -the prophets transfer this idea to the Christian -Covenant; and, by <i>keeping the Sabbath</i>, they -express the observance of that future covenant, -to which mankind should be admitted under the -ministry of Jesus.</p> - -<p>But, perhaps, the Jews <i>only</i> were to be admitted -to this new covenant of salvation. The -prophet expressly asserts the contrary: for not -only the Jews of the captivity (to whom we are -to suppose the course of the prophecy to be -immediately directed) are concerned in this -salvation, but <small>THE SONS OF THE STRANGER</small>, that -is, the Gentiles (whom the Jews always considered<span class="pagenum" id="Page_407">407</span> -under the idea of <i>Strangers</i>, just as -the Greeks did the rest of the world, under that -of <i>Barbarians</i>)—<i>Even them</i> (says the Prophet, -speaking in the person of God) <i>will I -bring to my holy mountain</i>, ver. 7, and make -them joyful <i>in my house of prayer: their -burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be -accepted on my altar</i>. The language is still -<i>Jewish</i>, according to the prophetic style, which -describes the Christian dispensation under -Jewish ideas: but by <i>holy mountain</i> is meant -the Church of Christ; and by <i>Sacrifices</i>, the -spiritual services of that new œconomy. And, -to make this purpose of his prophecy the clearer, -he even departs, in one instance, from his -<i>legal</i> manner of expression, in saying, <i>I will -make them joyful in my</i> <small>HOUSE OF PRAYER</small>; -which is a spiritual and Christian idea; the -Jewish temple being properly a <i>house of sacrifice</i>, -and not of <i>prayer</i>; for which last service -there is no express precept in the law. And -then follows the prophecy, quoted by Jesus, as -explanatory of what he was then doing—<i>for -mine house shall be called an house of prayer -for all people</i>. The prophet, as solicitous to -be understood, repeats and marks out this distinction: -I spoke of it, says he, as my house -of prayer, <i>For my house shall</i> [in those latter -days] <i>be called</i> [that is, shall <i>be</i>] a <i>house of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_408">408</span> -prayer</i>, and that too, <i>for all people</i>; that is, -not for the Jews only, but for <i>all the Gentiles</i>. -And, as if all this were not still clear enough, -he adds—<i>The Lord God, which gathereth the -outcasts of Israel</i>, the Jews dispersed in the -captivity, <i>saith, Yet I will gather</i> <small>OTHERS</small> <i>to -him, besides those that are gathered him</i>, -ver. 8. that is, the Gentiles.</p> - -<p>This famous text, then, is clearly a prediction -of the call of the Gentiles into the -Church of Christ, a prediction of that great -event which should take place under the new -dispensation, when the Jewish enclosure was -to be laid open, and all men indifferently, the -Gentiles, as well as the Jews, were to be admitted -into the Christian covenant.</p> - -<p>It is true, our English version of this text, -quoted by our Lord, very much obscures, or -rather perverts, its sense. It stands thus in the -Gospel of St. Mark—<i>My house shall be called -of all nations the house of prayer</i>, xi. 17. -Whence it appears, that our translators considered -this text, as describing only the <i>destination</i> -of the Jewish temple, and not as predicting -the <i>genius</i> of the Christian religion. -But the scope of the prophecy, as above explained, -and the Greek text itself, clearly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_409">409</span> -shews that it ought to have been rendered -thus—<i>My house shall be called a house of -prayer for all the Gentiles</i>: ὁ οἶκός μου, -οἶκος προσευχῆς κληθήσεται πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν.</p> - -<p>Thus much being premised, both <i>of the -prophetic manner of teaching by signs</i>, and <i>of -the true meaning of this prophecy</i>, let us see -now what light these considerations afford to -our present subject.</p> - -<p>Jesus enters into that court of the temple, -which was called <i>the court of the Gentiles</i>; -who had leave to worship the God of Israel -there, but were permitted to advance no further. -This <i>court</i>, he finds polluted by the -sale of beasts, and the traffic of merchants; the -Jews, in their sovereign contempt of these -poor heathen, not only excluding them from their -own place of worship, but debasing them still -farther by the allowance of this sordid society -to mix with them. What is the conduct of -our Lord, on this occasion! Why, agreeably -to his prophetic character, he declares himself -sent to break through all these exclusive privileges -and distinctions; to accomplish that -great mystery, which the old prophets had so -much and so triumphantly spoken of, as reserved -to be revealed by him; and to admit<span class="pagenum" id="Page_410">410</span> -the Heathen to an equal participation of the -blessings, which the Gospel-covenant was to -dispense, with the Jewish people.</p> - -<p>But, in what manner does he declare this -purpose? Why, he <i>makes a scourge of small -cords</i>, and, by the representative action of -driving this prophane company out of the -temple, shews that he is come to break down -that partition-wall, which separated the Gentile -and the Jewish worshippers, to vindicate the -despised Heathen from the insults offered to -them, and to lay open the means of salvation -to all people. <i>He began to cast out them that -sold therein and them that bought, saying to -them, It is written, My house shall be called -a house of prayer for all the Gentiles.</i> The -action, we see, is used as <i>expressive</i> of his -design; and his <i>design</i> is clearly ascertained, -by applying to himself the express words of -Isaiah. The whole is, then, <i>a prophetic information, -by way of action</i>, of the genius of -Christianity, which was to extend its benefits -even to the Gentiles.</p> - -<p>I have before acknowledged, that a <i>secondary</i> -purpose of this transaction might be, to give -the Jews to understand, how culpable they had -been in permitting even a lawful traffic to be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_411">411</span> -carried on in any part of their temple. For it -was usual with Jesus to accomplish several ends -by the same act, and even to lay the greatest -apparent stress on that end, which was not first -in his intention: of which some examples may -hereafter be given. But the primary design of -<i>this</i> act (and but for the sake of which it -would not have been undertaken) I suppose, -was, to point out the diffusive nature and influence -of his spiritual kingdom.</p> - -<p>It may be said, perhaps, that, if such was -the intention of Jesus, it had been more properly -and significantly expressed by a different -act, I mean, by that <i>of bringing the Heathen -into the temple</i>, rather than <i>of driving the -merchants out of it</i>. But we are to reflect, -that, as the Heathen were already permitted -to come into this part of the temple (and it -would have given, at this time, too great a -shock to the prejudices of the Jews, to have -carried them into any other), that act would -have conveyed no new information; it being -on all hands agreed that the devout Heathen -might worship there. The business was, to -shew that their religious privileges were, hereafter, -to be the same with those of the Jews; -and that no more contempt was to be countenanced, -towards the one, than the other.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_412">412</span> -All distinctions were to cease; and this information -was, therefore, most fitly conveyed by -an act, which expressed the same regard for -the court of the Gentiles, as for the court of -the Jews: that is, the honour of each is equally -asserted, and no prophanation allowed of -either.</p> - -<p>In further confirmation of the sense, here -given to this transaction, it may be observed, -that the relation of it is joined, or rather interwoven -with that other of his <i>cursing the -barren fig-tree</i>: which was plainly an emblem, -and so is <i>confessed</i> to be, of <i>the rejection of -the Jews</i>; just as that we have been considering -is <i>presumed</i> to be, of <i>the call of the Gentiles</i>: -these two things being closely connected in the -order of God’s dispensations. Whence St. Paul -speaks of the one, as the consequence of the -other; of <i>the fall of the Jews</i>, as <i>the riches -of the world</i>; and of <i>the loss of the Jews</i>, as -<i>the riches of the Gentiles</i><a id="FNanchor_323" href="#Footnote_323" class="fnanchor">[323]</a>. Now, if we turn -to St. Mark, we there find<a id="FNanchor_324" href="#Footnote_324" class="fnanchor">[324]</a>, that the <i>fig-tree -is cursed</i>, as Jesus is coming from Bethany to -Jerusalem—that, when he came to Jerusalem, -he went into the temple, and <i>drove out the -money-changers</i>, &c.—and that the next<span class="pagenum" id="Page_413">413</span> -morning, when he and his disciples were returning -the same way, <i>as they passed by, they -saw the fig tree dried up from the roots</i><a id="FNanchor_325" href="#Footnote_325" class="fnanchor">[325]</a>.</p> - -<p>If then it be allowed, that Christ meant, by -the <i>sign</i> of the blasted <i>fig-tree</i> (the story of -which is so remarkably incorporated with that -other of purging the temple), to express and -predict <i>the rejection of the Jews</i>, how natural -is it to suppose that, in purging the temple, he -meant to express and predict, by another -sign, <i>the vocation of the Gentiles</i>! Or, if -there be still any doubt in the case, Christ’s -own parable of the <i>Vineyard</i> (which follows -close in the history<a id="FNanchor_326" href="#Footnote_326" class="fnanchor">[326]</a>) will effectually remove -it. For the application of this parable is made -by Christ himself to <small>BOTH</small> these subjects<a id="FNanchor_327" href="#Footnote_327" class="fnanchor">[327]</a>—<i>What -shall the Lord of the Vineyard do?—He -shall come and destroy</i> <small>THOSE</small> <i>husbandmen, -and shall give the Vineyard to</i> <small>OTHERS</small>—That -is, He shall <span class="smcap">reject the Jews</span>, and <span class="smcap">admit -the Gentiles</span>: an interpretation, so clear -and certain that the Jews themselves could not -avoid seeing it; <i>for they perceived that he had -spoken this parable against them</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_414">414</span></p> - -<p>But I think it appears, from the conduct of -the ruling Jews, on occasion of what had passed -in the temple, that it was well understood for -<i>what general purpose</i>, and under <i>what character</i>, -Jesus had exhibited that extraordinary -scene. For they presently come to him, and -say, <i>By what authority doest thou these things, -and who gave thee this authority<a id="FNanchor_328" href="#Footnote_328" class="fnanchor">[328]</a>?</i> That this -question relates to <i>what things</i> he had done in -the temple, when he applied the scourge to -the merchants, the context clearly shews; and -is indeed beyond all doubt, since we find the -same question put to him, and almost in the -same words, when he had performed this act -before, at the first Passover: <i>Then answered -the Jews, and said unto him, What sign shewest -thou unto us, seeing thou doest these -things<a id="FNanchor_329" href="#Footnote_329" class="fnanchor">[329]</a>?</i></p> - -<p>Now, if the Jews had seen this transaction -in the light of an <i>act of authority</i> or of <i>violence</i> -against the persons of the merchants, it neither -agreed with their <i>character</i>, nor indeed with -their <i>principles</i>, to put this question. <i>The -chief priests and elders of the people</i> are the -persons who interrogate Jesus in this manner<a id="FNanchor_330" href="#Footnote_330" class="fnanchor">[330]</a>:<span class="pagenum" id="Page_415">415</span> -and would they, who constantly <i>laid wait for -him, that they might accuse him</i><a id="FNanchor_331" href="#Footnote_331" class="fnanchor">[331]</a>, let slip so -fair an opportunity of citing him before the -magistrate, as a disturber of the public peace, -and a violater of their civil rights and customs? -Instead of taking this obvious advantage against -him, they at once drop all the malice of their -character, and only ask him, in the way of -civil and almost friendly expostulation, <i>By what -authority he did these things</i>. It is certain, -they never had so specious a pretence, as this -affair administered to them, of bringing a public -accusation against him. Yet it seems never -once to have entered into their thoughts. Nor -can it be said, that they stood in awe of the -<i>people</i> (as they sometimes did, when they -were enough disposed to lay hands on him); -for the people, in this case, when so free an -attack was made on their privileges, as well -as prejudices, would naturally be on their -side.</p> - -<p>But neither would their <i>Principles</i> suffer -them to put this question. Jesus had, as they -conceived, committed a flagrant act of injustice, -in assaulting the persons of men, who were -under the protection of the state: and they call<span class="pagenum" id="Page_416">416</span> -upon him only for <i>a sign, since he did these -things</i>. Is it credible that men, so attached, -as they were, to their own laws and customs, -should demand, or accept a <i>sign</i>, in such a -juncture? Could all Paul’s miracles justify him, -in their opinion, for <i>not walking after their -customs</i><a id="FNanchor_332" href="#Footnote_332" class="fnanchor">[332]</a>? Or, would a <i>sign</i> from heaven, of -how transcendant a nature soever, have absolved -Jesus in their apprehension, from a -crime, so palpably proved upon him? They -would certainly have said, as they did say on -another occasion, <i>We have a Law</i>, which forbids -all offences of this sort; and <i>by that Law</i>, he -ought to be tried and judged.</p> - -<p>Thus, I think, the matter stands, if the -Jews had regarded Jesus, in the light of a -<span class="smcap">Criminal</span>. On the other hand, if they saw -him only in the light of a <span class="smcap">Prophet</span>, of one -who <i>assumed</i> that character, and had now, in -the way of his office, employed this act to -convey some important information to them, -their conduct was very natural in demanding -some proof of his being what he pretended to -be: and that proof, could be no other than a -<i>sign</i>, or miracle; which was the proper evidence -of his being a person sent from God.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_417">417</span> -This evidence, indeed, of his prophetic mission -had already been given to the Jews, in the <i>signs</i>, -or miracles, which he had wrought among -them. But they wanted more than a general -conviction of his being invested with the prophetic -character. They were anxious to know -by what <i>authority</i> he did <small>THESE THINGS</small>; in -other words, what <i>Commission</i> he had, and how -it came to be in his commission, to put the -Jews and Gentiles on a level. A prophet he -might be; but not a prophet, authorized to -declare himself so roundly, as by this expressive -act he had done, against the peculiar people of -God, and in favour of the despised heathen. Of -his commission to publish such a doctrine, as -this, it was no ordinary <i>sign</i> that would satisfy -them. They pressed him, therefore, for some -<i>sign</i>, purposely and expressly wrought for this -end; some <i>sign</i>, so extraordinary in itself, and -so peculiarly adapted to the nature of the case, -as to furnish an immediate and decisive answer -to their demand, <i>Who gave thee</i> <small>THIS</small> <i>authority</i>?</p> - -<p>This question our blessed Lord thought fit -to elude (for reasons, which will, in part, appear -in the progress of this discourse) at both -the times, when it was proposed to him: once, -by referring them to the authority of John the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_418">418</span> -Baptist: and, again, by referring them (but -in ænigmatic terms) to his own resurrection. -Yet even <i>the Baptist</i> would have let them into -some part of the secret, which they desired to -penetrate; for, knowing the master-prejudice -of his countrymen, he addressed them in these -remarkable words—<i>Think not to say within -yourselves, We have Abraham for our Father: -for I say unto you, God is able even of</i> <small>THESE -STONES</small><a id="FNanchor_333" href="#Footnote_333" class="fnanchor">[333]</a> <i>to raise up children unto Abraham</i><a id="FNanchor_334" href="#Footnote_334" class="fnanchor">[334]</a>. -And then, for the miracle of his own <i>resurrection</i>, -that would not only be the fullest proof of -his prophetic mission, but would, at the same -time, be the completion of what he was now -signifying to them, by this prophetic act: for -the spiritual kingdom of the Messiah, into -which all the nations were to be admitted, was -to take place from that event. <i>Destroy</i>, says -he, <i>this temple</i>, [meaning, as we are told, <i>the -temple of his body</i>] <i>and in three days I will -build it up</i><a id="FNanchor_335" href="#Footnote_335" class="fnanchor">[335]</a>. So that, although Jesus refused -to gratify his questioners by working instantly -before them the <i>sign</i>, which they demanded: -yet he refers them to <i>such</i> a sign, which would -be wrought in due time, and to the very purpose<span class="pagenum" id="Page_419">419</span> -of their inquiry; that is, it would be a -sign, which should, <i>both</i>, demonstrate his -prophetic commission to declare, by this <i>significant -act</i>, the favour which God intended to -confer on the Gentiles, and should, <i>also</i>, realize -his declaration, or set before them <i>the thing -signified</i>. Such is the force of that divine -answer—<i>Destroy this temple, and in three -days I will build it up</i>.</p> - -<p>Where, by the way, we may, further, observe, -that the <i>symbolic language</i>, in which -he here predicts his resurrection, not being at -all apprehended by the Jews, was afterwards -made the foundation of a charge against him, as -if he had entertained the criminal <i>design</i> of -destroying the temple of Jerusalem<a id="FNanchor_336" href="#Footnote_336" class="fnanchor">[336]</a>. How -much more would his enemies have laid hold on -this symbolic <i>act</i>, which he performed in the -temple, in order to found a charge of sedition -against him, if they had not conceived of him -as acting in the character of a <i>prophet</i> only, -and so had clearly comprehended, at least, the -<i>general</i> scope and meaning of that act!</p> - -<p>That it was taken in this light, I mean, of a -<i>prophetic action</i>, by the very persons on whom<span class="pagenum" id="Page_420">420</span> -this seeming outrage was committed, may be -reasonably presumed, since they make no resistance -to it, nor complain of any injury, done -them by it: a conduct, very strange and unlikely, -if the parties concerned had received any -considerable damage: or if they conceived that -any <i>intended</i> violence had been offered to them. -It is plain, they considered the whole transaction, -as a piece of <i>scenery</i>, or representation -only; under the cover of which, Christ proposed, -in the manner of the Eastern sages, and -especially of the Jewish prophets, to convey -some momentous information to them, and to -impress it with much force and energy on their -minds.</p> - -<p>Nor can it be concluded from the narration -of the Evangelists, that any thing more was intended -by their master. They relate this adventure, -simply as <i>a matter of fact</i>; and it -could not well be related otherwise, for the <i>information</i> -was given in the <i>fact</i>. They intermix, -indeed, no explanation; because they -probably saw not, any more than the generality -of the by-standers, the <i>specific</i> information, -it was meant to convey. They only saw, in -general, that <i>some</i> information was the end and -purpose of the act. The ruling Jews, who interrogated -Jesus concerning this act, I have no<span class="pagenum" id="Page_421">421</span> -doubt, saw or suspected, at least, the real drift -of it. But, as Jesus could not be brought to -explain himself by any direct answer, they were -left to their own conclusions about it: and were -content, we may suppose, to keep these conclusions -to themselves: the rather, as the turn, -which our Lord thought fit to give to this act, as -if it respected only the honour of God’s house, -put it out of their power to charge that other -meaning, decisively, upon him.</p> - -<p>We may further observe, that the <i>history</i> -of this fact is not to be construed with the -utmost rigour. Some of the evangelists express -themselves in such terms, as, in the strict sense -of them, imply, that Jesus actually drove all -the beasts and traffickers out of the temple. -But we need only suppose that he applied himself -to this action, <i>as if</i> his purpose had been -actually to drive them all out: and that he continued -to employ himself in it in such sort, -and for so long a time, as that the persons present -might take notice of what he did, and so be -able (I do not say immediately, but in due -season) to interpret this <i>sign</i>, together with -Isaiah’s <i>prophecy</i>, in the manner he intended. -I say, <i>we need only suppose this</i>: because if no -more was done by Jesus, the Evangelists, in -their concise and simple way of narration<span class="pagenum" id="Page_422">422</span> -would naturally express themselves, as they -have done, their accounts of this fact; and I -believe, if we consider the accounts we have of -many other informations <i>by action</i>, recorded in -the old Scriptures, we shall find it necessary to -understand them with some such restrictions -and qualifications.</p> - -<p>If, after all, it be thought, that some <i>violence</i> -was offered to the merchants, and that -some <i>inconvenience</i> was suffered by them, in -consequence of it; I suppose they deserved -this punishment for their pollution of the -temple; and I admit that the prophetic character -of Jesus authorized him, in the course of -his ministry, to inflict it; just as, without doubt, -it authorized him to destroy the barren <i>fig-tree</i>, -when it served his purpose to discharge a part of -his office by making use of that <i>emblem</i>, though it -might be with some loss to the proprietor of it. -The case was the same here, when he drove -the traffickers from their station. But there is -a wide difference between supposing the <i>violence</i>, -offered to them, to be the <i>direct and -proper purpose</i> of the act, and the <i>incidental -effect</i> of it. And the silence of the merchants -themselves, under this violence, sufficiently -shews, as I observed, that they <i>felt</i> this difference.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_423">423</span></p> - -<p>But the main difficulty, perhaps, is still behind. -For, it will be asked, Why was this -<i>mysterious</i> method used by our Saviour at all, -in conveying the supposed momentous information, -when he might have expressed his meaning -<i>directly</i>, in plain words?</p> - -<p>1. One reason, I suppose, might be, the -inveterate and insurmountable prejudices of -the Jewish converts to this part of the Messiah’s -character. For, though the prophets -had given frequent, and sometimes the most -clear, descriptions of it: yet, so possessed were -they with the notion of their <i>being</i>, and of -their <i>continuing</i> to be, even under the dispensation -of their Messiah, a chosen and peculiar -people, that they never could hear (no, not -the Apostles themselves, till enlightened by -the holy Spirit, and by a special revelation for -that purpose; they could never hear, I say) -without the utmost indignation, <i>That God -had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles</i><a id="FNanchor_337" href="#Footnote_337" class="fnanchor">[337]</a>. -This indirect information was then in condescension -to the weakness of his own disciples -and followers.</p> - -<p>And of this tenderness to their infirmities -we have a remarkable instance in the case of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_424">424</span> -the <i>fig-tree</i>, so often mentioned; the drift of -which was unquestionably to denote the approaching -<i>rejection of the Jews</i>, for their unfruitfulness -under the means of grace, and -their rejection of the Messiah. But, the minds -of the disciples being too infirm, at this time, -to bear the open communication of so mortifying -a truth, Jesus purposely diverts them -from the main purpose of that miracle (though -it was wrought, and the <i>sign</i> given, for their -future information and recollection) and turns -their attention on another and very remote -circumstance, <i>the efficacy of faith</i> to enable -them to work this and greater miracles<a id="FNanchor_338" href="#Footnote_338" class="fnanchor">[338]</a>. But -it was a <i>general</i> rule with our Lord to consult -the infirmities of his disciples, and to communicate -to them only so much of his purposes -and councils, as they could bear; leaving the -rest to be collected by them, in due time, from -casual hints and obscure passages, when they -should afterwards call them to mind, and be -in a condition, under the influence of the holy -Spirit, to profit by them. Thus, in John xvi. -12. <i>I have yet many things to say to you, but</i> -<small>YE CANNOT BEAR THEM NOW</small>: and then refers -them to the spirit of truth, for further information.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_425">425</span></p> - -<p>Connected with this tenderness for his disciples,</p> - -<p>2. A <i>further</i> reason, without doubt, was a -prudential regard to the general <i>success</i> of his -ministry, with the rest of the Jews.</p> - -<p>For that great event, the call of the Gentiles, -was not to take place during the life of -Jesus; <i>who was sent only to the lost sheep of -the house of Israel</i><a id="FNanchor_339" href="#Footnote_339" class="fnanchor">[339]</a>; that is, he was <i>personally</i> -to address himself only to <small>THEM</small>; the -conversion of the Heathen being to be effected, -after his ascension, by the ministry of his -Apostles and followers. Hence, had our Saviour -plainly unfolded this secret to the Jews, -he would certainly have indisposed them for -paying any regard to his mission. And yet, -so important a part of his character was not to -be wholly concealed. It was therefore signified -in this covert way; and (being itself a prophecy -of something yet to be deferred) in the -mode, and with the usual obscurity, of a prophetic -information.</p> - -<p>What I have just now observed of the caution -with which our Lord revealed his purpose of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_426">426</span> -calling the Gentiles, explains the reason why -St. John’s account of the <i>first</i> transaction in -the temple, differs so much from that which -the other Evangelists give of the <i>second</i>. Jesus -had just entered on his prophetic office, -when he used the <i>sign</i> of purging the temple, -of which St. John speaks: he therefore leaves -the Jews to their own interpretation of that -sign, saying only, <i>Take these things hence; -make not my Father’s house an house of merchandize</i>; -as though a zeal for that house had -been his sole inducement to make use of it: -and accordingly the disciples, as I before observed, -so understood him. But, when he -thought fit to employ this <i>significative action</i> -a second time, of which the other Evangelists -only speak, his ministry was then drawing to -a conclusion. So that he is now less scrupulous -of giving offence, and does all but directly -interpret the sign himself, by referring his -hearers to the prophecy of Isaiah, which was -the proper key to it—<i>He taught them, saying, -Is it not written, My house shall be called -the house of prayer for all the nations</i><a id="FNanchor_340" href="#Footnote_340" class="fnanchor">[340]</a>? -Still, there was some obscurity, which he did -not think fit altogether to remove: but he had -said enough to correct their former hasty conclusion.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_427">427</span> -For we are not told by those other -Evangelists, as we are by St. John, that the -disciples considered what they had seen their -Master do, as a pure act of <i>zeal</i> for the honour -of the temple: the prophecy, without doubt, -suggested something to their minds, which led -them to apprehend a farther and higher purpose -in that transaction.</p> - -<p>3. Lastly, we may suppose, that the information -was given in this <i>symbolic way</i>, that, -when men saw the event, they might be the -more strongly convinced of its being Christ’s -intention it should come to pass, by calling to -mind the sensible and striking manner, in -which it had been predicted by him.</p> - -<p>For these, or other reasons, the method here -employed by Christ to signify his intended -favour to the Gentiles, might be most proper. -In the mean time, as I said, this intention was -not wholly to be concealed: for then the call -of the Gentiles might be deemed an afterthought, -and not to have been originally in his -commission. Accordingly, it is intimated very -frequently in our Lord’s discourses to the Jews, -and opened more clearly on many occasions to -his Apostles; and was, in truth, so much in -his view, and so constantly present to him,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_428">428</span> -that, as we now find, it was one of the <i>first</i>, -and <i>last</i> things he did, to go into the temple, -and, by an expressive sign, to declare his gracious -purpose towards the Heathen.</p> - -<p>We may, further, observe (so intent was -The Divine Providence on gradually unveiling -<i>the glory of this mystery</i><a id="FNanchor_341" href="#Footnote_341" class="fnanchor">[341]</a>, as St. Paul terms -it) that the moment our blessed Lord expired -on the cross, <i>the veil of the temple was rent -in twain from the top to the bottom</i>: a <i>sign</i>, -to some purpose, of that great event which -Jesus had foretold, and which God himself -held forth to the astonished Jews, as the clearest -emblem of his purposed favour to the Gentiles; -when the Sanctuary itself, as well as the outermost -court of their temple, was thus laid open -to the access, and vindicated to the use, of all -nations.</p> - -<p><i>Finally</i>, in due time, this purpose was clearly -and explicitly made known to Peter, in his -famous vision: and thus it pleased God to reveal -this adorable mystery, “The salvation of -the Gentile world,” (which, though not the -<i>immediate</i>, was the most important end of -Christ’s commission) by every mode of communication, -which he had ever employed in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_429">429</span> -his intercourse with mankind; by the <i>word of -prophecy</i>—by <i>similitudes</i>, <i>by the hand of -Jesus</i>—by an <i>extraordinary sign from heaven</i>—and -by <i>Vision</i>.</p> - -<p>After so minute a commentary on this famous -act of <i>Christ’s driving the buyers and -sellers out of the temple</i>, may I be permitted -to conclude, that it, now, stands clear of those -difficulties, which have been usually found -it?—It was no indecent start of zeal in our -Lord: it was no violent invasion of the rights -of any: it was no act of civil authority, usurped -by him: but a <i>prophetic information</i>, conveyed -in a <i>prophetic form</i>, of an event, the -most important to mankind, and to the accomplishment -of his own office and ministry. It -was a calm, rational, inoffensive act; not unworthy -the person of our blessed Lord; or, -rather, full of that wisdom, which adorned his -character, and shone out in all his conduct and -conversation.</p> - -<h3>THE END OF THE SEVENTH VOLUME.</h3> - -<p class="copy">Printed by J. Nichols and Son,<br /> -Red Lion Passage, Fleet Street, London.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<h2 id="FOOTNOTES">FOOTNOTES:</h2> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">1</a> The substance of this Discourse was delivered in a -Sermon at Lincoln’s-Inn, May 15, 1768.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="label">2</a> Annal. xii. c. 54. Hist. v. c. 9.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_3" href="#FNanchor_3" class="label">3</a> Antiq. Jud. L. xx. c. 5.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_4" href="#FNanchor_4" class="label">4</a> Acts xvi. 30.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_5" href="#FNanchor_5" class="label">5</a> Heb. iii. 13.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_6" href="#FNanchor_6" class="label">6</a> Gen. ii. 17.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_7" href="#FNanchor_7" class="label">7</a> Ephes. iii. 11.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_8" href="#FNanchor_8" class="label">8</a> 1 Pet. i. 3.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_9" href="#FNanchor_9" class="label">9</a> Matth. xx. 28.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_10" href="#FNanchor_10" class="label">10</a> 1 Cor. vi. 20.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_11" href="#FNanchor_11" class="label">11</a> Heb. ix. 26.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_12" href="#FNanchor_12" class="label">12</a> 1 John ii. 2.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_13" href="#FNanchor_13" class="label">13</a> 1 Thess. v. 10.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_14" href="#FNanchor_14" class="label">14</a> 1 Pet. ii. 24.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_15" href="#FNanchor_15" class="label">15</a> 1 Pet. iii. 18.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_16" href="#FNanchor_16" class="label">16</a> Heb. ii. 9.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_17" href="#FNanchor_17" class="label">17</a> Eph. v. 2.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_18" href="#FNanchor_18" class="label">18</a> Rom. v. 9.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_19" href="#FNanchor_19" class="label">19</a> 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. 1 Cor. vi. 20.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_20" href="#FNanchor_20" class="label">20</a> 1 Cor. xv. 22.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_21" href="#FNanchor_21" class="label">21</a> Rev. xiii. 8.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_22" href="#FNanchor_22" class="label">22</a> 1 Tim. iv. 10.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_23" href="#FNanchor_23" class="label">23</a> 1 Cor. xv. 41.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_24" href="#FNanchor_24" class="label">24</a> Matth. xxv. 46.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_25" href="#FNanchor_25" class="label">25</a> Phil. ii. 11.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_26" href="#FNanchor_26" class="label">26</a> John xv. 15.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_27" href="#FNanchor_27" class="label">27</a> John xv. 13.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_28" href="#FNanchor_28" class="label">28</a> Matth. xxiii. 8.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_29" href="#FNanchor_29" class="label">29</a> Rev. v. 9. 1 Tim. ii. 5.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_30" href="#FNanchor_30" class="label">30</a> Acts x. 42.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_31" href="#FNanchor_31" class="label">31</a> John iii. 18.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_32" href="#FNanchor_32" class="label">32</a> John xx. 28.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_33" href="#FNanchor_33" class="label">33</a> John v. 23.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_34" href="#FNanchor_34" class="label">34</a> Rom. vi. 22, 23.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_35" href="#FNanchor_35" class="label">35</a> 2 Tim. i. 9.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_36" href="#FNanchor_36" class="label">36</a> 1 Cor. xv. 22.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_37" href="#FNanchor_37" class="label">37</a> Gal. ii. 21.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_38" href="#FNanchor_38" class="label">38</a> Heb. xii. 14.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_39" href="#FNanchor_39" class="label">39</a> Heb. v. 9.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_40" href="#FNanchor_40" class="label">40</a> Eph. iv. 22.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_41" href="#FNanchor_41" class="label">41</a> Tit. iii. 5.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_42" href="#FNanchor_42" class="label">42</a> Tit. iii. 7.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_43" href="#FNanchor_43" class="label">43</a> Eph. iv. 24.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_44" href="#FNanchor_44" class="label">44</a> John xvi. 13.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_45" href="#FNanchor_45" class="label">45</a> John xvi. 13.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_46" href="#FNanchor_46" class="label">46</a> Thess. ii. 13.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_47" href="#FNanchor_47" class="label">47</a> Acts ix. 31.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_48" href="#FNanchor_48" class="label">48</a> Matth. x. 20.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_49" href="#FNanchor_49" class="label">49</a> Gal. iv. 6.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_50" href="#FNanchor_50" class="label">50</a> 2 Cor. iii. 17.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_51" href="#FNanchor_51" class="label">51</a> Eph. i. 14.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_52" href="#FNanchor_52" class="label">52</a> Ps. lxxxiv. 7.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_53" href="#FNanchor_53" class="label">53</a> Gen. vi. 3. Rom. viii. 16.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_54" href="#FNanchor_54" class="label">54</a> Phil. ii. 13.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_55" href="#FNanchor_55" class="label">55</a> 1 Cor. ii. 14.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_56" href="#FNanchor_56" class="label">56</a> Athanasian creed.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_57" href="#FNanchor_57" class="label">57</a> So the word πρόγνωσιν means in this place; as it likewise -does in Acts ii. 23. where the sense of it is clearly explained -and defined by the words, τῇ ὡρισμένῃ βουλῇ, which -introduce it. The participle προεγνωσμένου has the same -sense in 1 Pet. i. 20.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_58" href="#FNanchor_58" class="label">58</a> Ch. v. 1. v. 18. And vi. 16, 18.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_59" href="#FNanchor_59" class="label">59</a> Heb. v. 9.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_60" href="#FNanchor_60" class="label">60</a> See Sermon XXVI. in the preceding volume, p. 378.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_61" href="#FNanchor_61" class="label">61</a> 2 Cor. vi. 16. 1 Cor. iii. 16.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_62" href="#FNanchor_62" class="label">62</a> ἡ δὲ ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει. Rom. v. 5.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_63" href="#FNanchor_63" class="label">63</a> For which reason it is not necessary for me to enter -into the controversy, that divides the critics, concerning -the authentic reading of this part of the text.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_64" href="#FNanchor_64" class="label">64</a> 2 Pet. i. 21.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_65" href="#FNanchor_65" class="label">65</a> Matth. i. 18.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_66" href="#FNanchor_66" class="label">66</a> Matth. iii. 16.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_67" href="#FNanchor_67" class="label">67</a> Matth. iv. i.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_68" href="#FNanchor_68" class="label">68</a> Matth. xii. 28.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_69" href="#FNanchor_69" class="label">69</a> Rom. i. 4. 1 Pet. iii. 18.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_70" href="#FNanchor_70" class="label">70</a> Acts ii. 4.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_71" href="#FNanchor_71" class="label">71</a> 1 Cor. xii. 11.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_72" href="#FNanchor_72" class="label">72</a> 1 Cor. vi. 11. John xv. 26.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_73" href="#FNanchor_73" class="label">73</a> Heb. xii. 22.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_74" href="#FNanchor_74" class="label">74</a> 1 Pet. i. 10, 11, 12.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_75" href="#FNanchor_75" class="label">75</a> Heb. i. 6.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_76" href="#FNanchor_76" class="label">76</a> Luke ii. 13.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_77" href="#FNanchor_77" class="label">77</a> Matth. iv. 11.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_78" href="#FNanchor_78" class="label">78</a> Luke xxii. 43.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_79" href="#FNanchor_79" class="label">79</a> Matth. xxviii, 3. Luke xxiv. 4. ἐν ἐσθήσεσιν ἀστραπτούσαις.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_80" href="#FNanchor_80" class="label">80</a> Acts i. 10.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_81" href="#FNanchor_81" class="label">81</a> Heb. i. 3.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_82" href="#FNanchor_82" class="label">82</a> Milton.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_83" href="#FNanchor_83" class="label">83</a> Rom. xvi. 25.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_84" href="#FNanchor_84" class="label">84</a> 1 Tim. iv. 10.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_85" href="#FNanchor_85" class="label">85</a> Acts xi. 18. ἡσύχασαν.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_86" href="#FNanchor_86" class="label">86</a> Acts v. 14.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_87" href="#FNanchor_87" class="label">87</a> Luke xvi. 16.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_88" href="#FNanchor_88" class="label">88</a> Matth. xi. 12.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_89" href="#FNanchor_89" class="label">89</a> Ps. xix. 4. Matth. xxiv. 14.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_90" href="#FNanchor_90" class="label">90</a> Acts xix. 20.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_91" href="#FNanchor_91" class="label">91</a> Acts ii. 24.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_92" href="#FNanchor_92" class="label">92</a> 1 Cor. xv. 28.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_93" href="#FNanchor_93" class="label">93</a> 1 Tim. iv. 6. ἐντρεφόμενος τοῖς λόγοις τῆς πίστεως, καὶ τῆς καλῆς -διδασκαλίας.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_94" href="#FNanchor_94" class="label">94</a> “What this or that philosopher delivered, was but a -saying of his. Mankind might hearken to it, or reject it, -as they pleased; or, as it suited their interest, passions, -principles, or humours. They were under no obligation; -the opinion of this, or that philosopher, was of no authority.” -<span class="smcap">Locke</span>, V. II. p. 578. fol. Lond. 1759.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_95" href="#FNanchor_95" class="label">95</a> The Stoics. Ὁ σοφὸς—μόνος εἰδὼς εὔξασθαι. See Casaub. -ad Sat. 11. Persii.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_96" href="#FNanchor_96" class="label">96</a> Plato. Alcib. 11.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_97" href="#FNanchor_97" class="label">97</a> The Epicureans of old and modern times.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_98" href="#FNanchor_98" class="label">98</a></p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">—incoctum generoso pectus honesto.<br /></span> -<span class="author"><span class="smcap">Persius.</span><br /></span> -</div></div></div> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_99" href="#FNanchor_99" class="label">99</a> Luke xvii. 4.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_100" href="#FNanchor_100" class="label">100</a> See this argument urged by Mr. Locke, V. II. p. 574. -fol. Lond. 1759.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_101" href="#FNanchor_101" class="label">101</a> John iii. 19.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_102" href="#FNanchor_102" class="label">102</a> Ibid. 20, 21.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_103" href="#FNanchor_103" class="label">103</a> John iii. 18.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_104" href="#FNanchor_104" class="label">104</a> Ferte fortiter: hoc est, <i>quo Deum antecedatis</i>: Ille -extra patientiam malorum est, vos supra patientiam. <i>Sen. -de Prov.</i> c. vi.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_105" href="#FNanchor_105" class="label">105</a> <i>Cic. Nat. Deor.</i> iii. 36.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_106" href="#FNanchor_106" class="label">106</a> Lord Shaftesbury, and others.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_107" href="#FNanchor_107" class="label">107</a> Acts xvii. 31.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_108" href="#FNanchor_108" class="label">108</a> Heb. ii. 3.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_109" href="#FNanchor_109" class="label">109</a> Mark xvi. 20.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_110" href="#FNanchor_110" class="label">110</a> Job xxii. 2.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_111" href="#FNanchor_111" class="label">111</a> Hence the name of Theophrastus, or <i>the divine speaker</i>, -given to the favourite scholar and successor of Aristotle; -And hence the stories told of Plato, whose eloquence -Quintilian so much admired, that he thought it more than -human—<i>Ut mihi, non hominis ingenio, sed quodam Delphico -videatur oraculo instinctus</i>. Quintil. l. x. c. 1.—Hence -too, the name of <i>Chrysostom</i>, given to the famous -Greek Father.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_112" href="#FNanchor_112" class="label">112</a> Heb. i. 2.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_113" href="#FNanchor_113" class="label">113</a> Phil. ii. 7.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_114" href="#FNanchor_114" class="label">114</a> John v. 26.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_115" href="#FNanchor_115" class="label">115</a> 1 Cor. i. 30.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_116" href="#FNanchor_116" class="label">116</a> Mark i. 22.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_117" href="#FNanchor_117" class="label">117</a> John iii. 11.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_118" href="#FNanchor_118" class="label">118</a> John xii. 50.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_119" href="#FNanchor_119" class="label">119</a> John vi. 40.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_120" href="#FNanchor_120" class="label">120</a> Rev. ii. 10.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_121" href="#FNanchor_121" class="label">121</a> John v. 26.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_122" href="#FNanchor_122" class="label">122</a> John viii. 28.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_123" href="#FNanchor_123" class="label">123</a> John xvi. 15.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_124" href="#FNanchor_124" class="label">124</a> John x. 30.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_125" href="#FNanchor_125" class="label">125</a> <i>Non imitabile fulmen.</i> Virg.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_126" href="#FNanchor_126" class="label">126</a> Luke ii. 47.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_127" href="#FNanchor_127" class="label">127</a> Luke xx. 26.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_128" href="#FNanchor_128" class="label">128</a> Luke xx. 40.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_129" href="#FNanchor_129" class="label">129</a> See <span class="smcap">Locke’s</span> <i>Works</i>, vol. II. fol. p. 545-7. Lond. -1759.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_130" href="#FNanchor_130" class="label">130</a> <span class="smcap">Locke’s</span> <i>Works</i>, vol. II. fol. p. 543. Lond. 1759.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_131" href="#FNanchor_131" class="label">131</a> Every one may observe a good many truths, which he -receives at first from others, and readily assents to, as consonant -to Reason, which he would have found it hard, and -perhaps beyond his strength, to have discovered himself. -Native and original truth is not so easily wrought out of -the mine, as we, who have it delivered, ready dug and -fashioned into our hands, are apt to imagine. And how -often, &c. <span class="smcap">Locke’s</span> <i>Works</i>, Vol. II. fol. p. 577 and 579. -<i>Lond.</i> 1759.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_132" href="#FNanchor_132" class="label">132</a> Luke v. 22. vi. 8. xi. 17.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_133" href="#FNanchor_133" class="label">133</a> Luke vi. 11.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_134" href="#FNanchor_134" class="label">134</a> Luke ix. 47.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_135" href="#FNanchor_135" class="label">135</a> Luke xxii. 61.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_136" href="#FNanchor_136" class="label">136</a> Matthew xxvii. xiv. and xxiv.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_137" href="#FNanchor_137" class="label">137</a> John xviii. 4-6.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_138" href="#FNanchor_138" class="label">138</a> Luke vii. 40. ix. 47.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_139" href="#FNanchor_139" class="label">139</a> Prov. xxi. 1.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_140" href="#FNanchor_140" class="label">140</a> Luke xi. 27, 28.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_141" href="#FNanchor_141" class="label">141</a> See John ix. 39.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_142" href="#FNanchor_142" class="label">142</a> Matth. x. 26, 27.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_143" href="#FNanchor_143" class="label">143</a> See D. L. Vol. V. p. 339, &c. Lond. 1765.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_144" href="#FNanchor_144" class="label">144</a> D. L. Vol. V. p. 341. n.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_145" href="#FNanchor_145" class="label">145</a> See more on this subject in Dr. Warburton’s Sermons, -Vol. I. p. 325.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_146" href="#FNanchor_146" class="label">146</a> Luke xxiv. 45.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_147" href="#FNanchor_147" class="label">147</a> Luke xxiv. 27.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_148" href="#FNanchor_148" class="label">148</a> John xvi. 12. Mark iv. 33, 34.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_149" href="#FNanchor_149" class="label">149</a> John xi. 47.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_150" href="#FNanchor_150" class="label">150</a> Luke iv. 43.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_151" href="#FNanchor_151" class="label">151</a> Luke iv. 29.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_152" href="#FNanchor_152" class="label">152</a> Matt. x. 23.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_153" href="#FNanchor_153" class="label">153</a> Mark vi. 5.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_154" href="#FNanchor_154" class="label">154</a> Matth. vii. 6.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_155" href="#FNanchor_155" class="label">155</a> Matth. xxvi. 56.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_156" href="#FNanchor_156" class="label">156</a> St. Paul. 1 Cor. xv. 9.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_157" href="#FNanchor_157" class="label">157</a> St. Peter. Mark xiv. 71.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_158" href="#FNanchor_158" class="label">158</a> Luke xxii. 51.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_159" href="#FNanchor_159" class="label">159</a> Luke ix. 54.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_160" href="#FNanchor_160" class="label">160</a> Luke ix. 46.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_161" href="#FNanchor_161" class="label">161</a> See the Essais of <i>Montaigne</i>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_162" href="#FNanchor_162" class="label">162</a> Pensées de M. Pascal, c. xvi. § 3.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_163" href="#FNanchor_163" class="label">163</a> Acts xxii. 15. and xxvi. 22.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_164" href="#FNanchor_164" class="label">164</a> Matthew v. 3.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_165" href="#FNanchor_165" class="label">165</a> Compare, <i>Luke</i> vii. 21, 22.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_166" href="#FNanchor_166" class="label">166</a> Matthew xv. 6.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_167" href="#FNanchor_167" class="label">167</a> Matt. xi. 25.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_168" href="#FNanchor_168" class="label">168</a> Luke xviii. 9.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_169" href="#FNanchor_169" class="label">169</a> ὄχλος, <i>the mob</i>. John vii. 49.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_170" href="#FNanchor_170" class="label">170</a> Eph. ii. 12.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_171" href="#FNanchor_171" class="label">171</a> Matth. xxii. 15.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_172" href="#FNanchor_172" class="label">172</a> Matth. xii. 37.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_173" href="#FNanchor_173" class="label">173</a> Luke xix. 48.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_174" href="#FNanchor_174" class="label">174</a> John vii. 46.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_175" href="#FNanchor_175" class="label">175</a> Matth. vii. 28.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_176" href="#FNanchor_176" class="label">176</a> Matth. xii. 23.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_177" href="#FNanchor_177" class="label">177</a> Matth. ix. 33.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_178" href="#FNanchor_178" class="label">178</a> Matth. ix. 8.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_179" href="#FNanchor_179" class="label">179</a> St. James ii. 6, 7.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_180" href="#FNanchor_180" class="label">180</a> 1 Cor. i. 26.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_181" href="#FNanchor_181" class="label">181</a> ἐσκυλμένοι—<i>vexati</i>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_182" href="#FNanchor_182" class="label">182</a> ἐῤῥιμένοι—<i>projecti</i>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_183" href="#FNanchor_183" class="label">183</a> Matth. ix. 36.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_184" href="#FNanchor_184" class="label">184</a> Matth. xi. 28, 29.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_185" href="#FNanchor_185" class="label">185</a> 1 Cor. i. 27-9.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_186" href="#FNanchor_186" class="label">186</a> Isaiah lix. 8.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_187" href="#FNanchor_187" class="label">187</a> ψεύστης—ἀνθρωποκτόνος—John viii. 44.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_188" href="#FNanchor_188" class="label">188</a> Matth. v. 11, 12.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_189" href="#FNanchor_189" class="label">189</a> John xiii. 1.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_190" href="#FNanchor_190" class="label">190</a> Matth. x. 32, 3. and 38, 9. Luke xiv. 26. 1 John -iii. 16.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_191" href="#FNanchor_191" class="label">191</a> John xvi. 2, 33.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_192" href="#FNanchor_192" class="label">192</a> Matth. vii. 12.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_193" href="#FNanchor_193" class="label">193</a> Luke xix. 41. John xi. 35.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_194" href="#FNanchor_194" class="label">194</a> ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς δόξης·—Col. i. 27.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_195" href="#FNanchor_195" class="label">195</a> εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν ἀληθείαν.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_196" href="#FNanchor_196" class="label">196</a> Rom. i. 21.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_197" href="#FNanchor_197" class="label">197</a> Tim. ii. 14 and 16.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_198" href="#FNanchor_198" class="label">198</a> Coloss. ii. 18.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_199" href="#FNanchor_199" class="label">199</a> 2 Tim. ii. 18.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_200" href="#FNanchor_200" class="label">200</a> Rom. xv. 13.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_201" href="#FNanchor_201" class="label">201</a> <i>Divine prescience</i>, <i>absolute decrees</i>, &c.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_202" href="#FNanchor_202" class="label">202</a> Bacon, Boyle, Locke, Newton.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_203" href="#FNanchor_203" class="label">203</a> Barrow, Clarke, Butler, Warburton, &c.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_204" href="#FNanchor_204" class="label">204</a> “It hath been the common disease of Christians from -the beginning, not to content themselves with that measure -of faith, which God and the Scriptures have expressly -afforded us: but out of a vain desire to know more than -is revealed, they have attempted to discuss things, of which -we can have no light, neither from reason nor revelation.” -<span class="smcap">J. Hales</span> <i>Works</i>, Vol. I. p. 125. <i>Glasg.</i> 1765.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_205" href="#FNanchor_205" class="label">205</a> Matth. xiii. 57.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_206" href="#FNanchor_206" class="label">206</a> John i. 46.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_207" href="#FNanchor_207" class="label">207</a> John vii. 52.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_208" href="#FNanchor_208" class="label">208</a> Acts iv. 13. See Whitby on the place.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_209" href="#FNanchor_209" class="label">209</a> John vii. 48.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_210" href="#FNanchor_210" class="label">210</a> Matth. ix. 11.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_211" href="#FNanchor_211" class="label">211</a> Matth. xv. 2.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_212" href="#FNanchor_212" class="label">212</a> Luke xxiv. 21.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_213" href="#FNanchor_213" class="label">213</a> Acts <small>XIX.</small></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_214" href="#FNanchor_214" class="label">214</a> Acts xvii.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_215" href="#FNanchor_215" class="label">215</a> Celsus, Porphyry, Julian.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_216" href="#FNanchor_216" class="label">216</a> In his famous book, <i>De Civitate Dei</i>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_217" href="#FNanchor_217" class="label">217</a> Acts vi. 8.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_218" href="#FNanchor_218" class="label">218</a> John xii. 31.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_219" href="#FNanchor_219" class="label">219</a> Ephes. ii. 2.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_220" href="#FNanchor_220" class="label">220</a> 2 Cor. iv. 4.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_221" href="#FNanchor_221" class="label">221</a> James ii. 19.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_222" href="#FNanchor_222" class="label">222</a> Gen. iii. 14, 15.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_223" href="#FNanchor_223" class="label">223</a> Matth. xxv. 41.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_224" href="#FNanchor_224" class="label">224</a> Eph. ii. 2.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_225" href="#FNanchor_225" class="label">225</a> James iv. 7.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_226" href="#FNanchor_226" class="label">226</a> Matth. xvii. 21.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_227" href="#FNanchor_227" class="label">227</a> 1 Pet. v. 9.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_228" href="#FNanchor_228" class="label">228</a> John xii. 31.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_229" href="#FNanchor_229" class="label">229</a> Luke x. 18.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_230" href="#FNanchor_230" class="label">230</a> Job i. 12.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_231" href="#FNanchor_231" class="label">231</a> Matth. viii. 21.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_232" href="#FNanchor_232" class="label">232</a> Luke ix. 1. and x. 17.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_233" href="#FNanchor_233" class="label">233</a> Luke x. 18.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_234" href="#FNanchor_234" class="label">234</a> John xiii. 2.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_235" href="#FNanchor_235" class="label">235</a> ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ· Matth. vi. 13.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_236" href="#FNanchor_236" class="label">236</a> 1 John iv. 4.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_237" href="#FNanchor_237" class="label">237</a> 1 Cor. x. 13.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_238" href="#FNanchor_238" class="label">238</a> Heb. ii. 14.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_239" href="#FNanchor_239" class="label">239</a> St. John iii. 8.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_240" href="#FNanchor_240" class="label">240</a> Rom. viii. 26.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_241" href="#FNanchor_241" class="label">241</a> Eph. xiv. 16.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_242" href="#FNanchor_242" class="label">242</a> Eph. xi. 2.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_243" href="#FNanchor_243" class="label">243</a> 1 Peter v. 8.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_244" href="#FNanchor_244" class="label">244</a> τοῦ πονηροῦ· Eph. vi. 16.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_245" href="#FNanchor_245" class="label">245</a> Eccles. i. 17. and vii. 25.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_246" href="#FNanchor_246" class="label">246</a> <span class="smcap">Signa, tabulas pictas, vasa cælata mirari</span>—reckoned, -by the philosophical historian, among the prognosticks -of falling Rome.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_247" href="#FNanchor_247" class="label">247</a> Homo, res sacra. Seneca.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_248" href="#FNanchor_248" class="label">248</a> Neque enim ita generati à naturâ sumus, ut ad ludum -et jocum facti esse videamur; sed ad severitatem potiùs, -et ad quædam studia graviora atque majora.</p> - -<p class="author">Cic. Off. L. i. 29.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_249" href="#FNanchor_249" class="label">249</a> Fastidio illis esse cœpit vita, et ipse mundus; et subit -illud rabidarum deliciarum, <span class="smcap">Quousque eadem</span>? Seneca, -de tranq. anim. c. xi.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_250" href="#FNanchor_250" class="label">250</a> <span class="smcap">Sapiens, sibique imperiosus</span>—are convertible terms -in the moral poet.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_251" href="#FNanchor_251" class="label">251</a> Val. Max. IV. 3.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_252" href="#FNanchor_252" class="label">252</a> 1 Cor. ix. 25.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_253" href="#FNanchor_253" class="label">253</a> Ludo—uti quidem licet; sed, sicut somno et quietibus -cæteris, tùm cùm gravibus seriisque rebus satisfecerimus.</p> - -<p class="author">Cic. Off. L. i. 29.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_254" href="#FNanchor_254" class="label">254</a> Exod. xxi. 24.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_255" href="#FNanchor_255" class="label">255</a> John xviii. 22, 23.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_256" href="#FNanchor_256" class="label">256</a> χιτῶνα.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_257" href="#FNanchor_257" class="label">257</a> ἀγγαρεύσει. See Grotius on the place.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_258" href="#FNanchor_258" class="label">258</a> Luke xii. 57.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_259" href="#FNanchor_259" class="label">259</a> Acts xvi. 37. xxv. 11.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_260" href="#FNanchor_260" class="label">260</a> Matth, v. 11. x. 23. xxvi. 52. From the two last passages -we learn, that the Jewish persecutors of Christ and -his disciples were reserved for a <i>special</i> vengeance of Heaven; -to be inflicted upon them in no long time, and here -predicted, as it seems, to let the disciples know why, in -this case, <i>resistance</i> was forbidden, God having taken the -matter into his own hands.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_261" href="#FNanchor_261" class="label">261</a> The accomplishment of prophecy is given by Jesus -himself as one reason, why he forbad resistance to the -Jews—<i>how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus -it must be</i>, i. e. that the violence of the Jews should prevail? -Matth. xxvi. 54.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_262" href="#FNanchor_262" class="label">262</a> Prov. xiii. 10.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_263" href="#FNanchor_263" class="label">263</a> Ch. viii. 38.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_264" href="#FNanchor_264" class="label">264</a> Mark xvi. 16.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_265" href="#FNanchor_265" class="label">265</a> St. John xii. 48.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_266" href="#FNanchor_266" class="label">266</a> John iv. 17.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_267" href="#FNanchor_267" class="label">267</a> John iii. 20.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_268" href="#FNanchor_268" class="label">268</a> John xi. 47. Acts iv. 16.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_269" href="#FNanchor_269" class="label">269</a> Mark vi. 3.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_270" href="#FNanchor_270" class="label">270</a> John vii. 41. i. 46.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_271" href="#FNanchor_271" class="label">271</a> John vii. 48.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_272" href="#FNanchor_272" class="label">272</a> John xii. 42.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_273" href="#FNanchor_273" class="label">273</a> John xii. 43.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_274" href="#FNanchor_274" class="label">274</a> 1 Cor. i. 23.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_275" href="#FNanchor_275" class="label">275</a> Luke viii. 13.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_276" href="#FNanchor_276" class="label">276</a> Mark x. 17, 23.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_277" href="#FNanchor_277" class="label">277</a> Jer. xvii. 9.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_278" href="#FNanchor_278" class="label">278</a> Public Baptism, disused.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_279" href="#FNanchor_279" class="label">279</a> The Lord’s Supper, neglected.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_280" href="#FNanchor_280" class="label">280</a> Family Prayer, omitted.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_281" href="#FNanchor_281" class="label">281</a> 2 Tim. i. 8.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_282" href="#FNanchor_282" class="label">282</a> 1 John ii. 28.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_283" href="#FNanchor_283" class="label">283</a> See Bp. Warburton’s <small>DOCTRINE OF GRACE</small>, Ch. ix.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_284" href="#FNanchor_284" class="label">284</a> 1 John iv. 2.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_285" href="#FNanchor_285" class="label">285</a> 2 Tim. ii. 18.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_286" href="#FNanchor_286" class="label">286</a> 1 Peter ii. 23.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_287" href="#FNanchor_287" class="label">287</a> Gen. xvii. 5.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_288" href="#FNanchor_288" class="label">288</a> Gen. xxxii. 28.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_289" href="#FNanchor_289" class="label">289</a> Ἅδης, or <i>death</i> [see Grotius in loc.] is here personized: -and, the gates of cities, being anciently the places of -counsel and judgment, as well as their chief defence and -strength, hence the <i>gates of death</i> are the power and policy, -which this person should employ to accomplish his -ends: which is, in other words, to say, that those ends, -or <i>destruction</i>, should by no means be effected.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_290" href="#FNanchor_290" class="label">290</a> Acts ii. 14.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_291" href="#FNanchor_291" class="label">291</a> Acts x. and xv. 7.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_292" href="#FNanchor_292" class="label">292</a> An ancient apologist for Christianity seems to think, -that, if a sect of philosophy had been persecuted, as Christianity -was, it would presently have vanished out of the -world. His words are—τὴν μὲν φιλοσοφίαν τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν -ἐὰν ὁ τυχὼν ἄρχων κωλύσῃ, οἴχεται παραχρῆμα· [Clemens Alexandr. -Strom. L. vi. p. 827. Oxon. 1715.] Perhaps, the -learned father was mistaken. But a religion, founded on -facts, not on opinions, and persecuted from the beginning, -could not have supported itself, if those facts had -been false. This is the case of Christianity. The subsequent -persecutions, when the truth of Christianity was -admitted on the credit of the first martyrs, might tend to -advance this religion, even though it had been originally -an imposture. The difference of the two cases is palpable. -The Apostles shewed, by their sufferings, that they <i>knew</i> -what they attested to be a true fact: Succeeding sufferers -shewed, that they <i>believed</i> it to be so.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_293" href="#FNanchor_293" class="label">293</a> 1 Peter i. 11.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_294" href="#FNanchor_294" class="label">294</a> Of Persecution. John xvi. 2.</p> - -<p>Of Heresies. Acts xx. 30. 1 Cor. x. 19.</p> - -<p>Of Mahomet’s impiety, ix. 1-12. See Mede.</p> - -<p>Of the great Apostasy. 2 Thess. ii. &c.</p> - -<p>Of these, and other woes still to come. The Revelation, -<i>passim</i>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_295" href="#FNanchor_295" class="label">295</a> 1 Peter i. 25.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_296" href="#FNanchor_296" class="label">296</a> Matth. vii. 24, 25.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_297" href="#FNanchor_297" class="label">297</a> Acts xxvi. 26.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_298" href="#FNanchor_298" class="label">298</a> Τοσοῦτός ἐστι τῶν ὑπ’ αὐτῶν γεγραμμένων ὁ γέλως, ὥστε ἀφανισθῆναι -καὶ τὰ βιβλία πάλαι, καὶ ἅμα τῷ δειχθῆναι, καὶ ἀπολέσθαι τὰ πολλά. Εἰ -δέ που τὶ καὶ εὑρεθείη διασωθὲν, παρὰ Χριστιανοῖς τοῦτο σωζόμενον εὕροι -τις ἄν. Tom. II. p. 539. Ed. Bened.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_299" href="#FNanchor_299" class="label">299</a> “The Christian religion,” says the finest of our English -writers, whom I need not therefore stay to name, -“made its way through paganism with an amazing progress -and activity. Its victories were the victories of -reason, unassisted by the force of human power, and as -gentle as the triumphs of light over darkness.”</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_300" href="#FNanchor_300" class="label">300</a> This effect of inquiry upon the Gentile religions was -foreseen by men of sense—<i>Non sunt ista</i> [the traditionary -tales of the heathen Gods] <i>vulgo disputanda, ne susceptas -publicè religiones disputatio talis extinguat</i>. Cic. Frag. -Olivet. T. III. p. 586.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_301" href="#FNanchor_301" class="label">301</a> The substance of this Discourse was delivered in a -Sermon at Lincoln’s-Inn, May 15, 1768.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_302" href="#FNanchor_302" class="label">302</a> Luke xii. 14.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_303" href="#FNanchor_303" class="label">303</a> L. iv. c. 5.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_304" href="#FNanchor_304" class="label">304</a> And to the same purpose, our excellent Archbishop -Tillotson—“His [Christ’s] whipping of the buyers and -sellers out of the temple, the only action of his life in -which there appears any transport of anger, was no other -than a <small>BECOMING ZEAL</small> for the honour of God’s house, -which he saw so notoriously prophaned; which zeal was -<small>WARRANTED</small>, after the example of Phinehas, by the extraordinary -occasion of it.” Works, vol. iii. § 136. p. 222.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_305" href="#FNanchor_305" class="label">305</a> <i>Numbers</i>, ch. xxv.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_306" href="#FNanchor_306" class="label">306</a> <span class="smcap">Josephus</span>, <i>De Bello Judaico</i>, l. iv. c. 12.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_307" href="#FNanchor_307" class="label">307</a> Certè, quamquam Servator humani generis et Deus -et Rex erat, adeoque ita universi, nedum Judæorum, -dominus, ut quicquid ei placeret illud non licitum fuisse -nefas sit putare; attamen, cum cæteras res omnes etiam -et seipsum receptis atque stabilitis reipublicæ formulis judiciariis, -qua Ebraicæ eæ essent, qua Romanæ, permiserit, -atque absolutissimum justitiæ exemplar ab omni vi illicitâ, -veluti privatus, abstinere voluerit; quin et tanta ei imminuerit -invidia, ut nihil magis incidentium in votis esset, -quam ut cujuscunque delicti reum eum peragere potuissent; -haud rationi sane ita consonum videtur existimare -ejectionem illam factam seu vim illatam ab eo fuisse sine -agnitâ, etiam ab ipsis qui tam malignè ei invidebant, lege -seu more, quo in id genus homines templi sanctitatem ita -polluentes incurrere licuerit, atque vi ejicere. L. iv. c. 5. -p. 464.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_308" href="#FNanchor_308" class="label">308</a> Mr. Smith’s Discourses, <i>Disc.</i> vi. ch. vi. Bishop -Chandler, <i>Def. of Christianity</i>, ch. iii. § 1. and, very -lately, the Bishop of Gloucester, <i>Div. Leg.</i> b. iv. § 4.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_309" href="#FNanchor_309" class="label">309</a> 1 Kings xxii. 11.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_310" href="#FNanchor_310" class="label">310</a> Jeremiah xix.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_311" href="#FNanchor_311" class="label">311</a> Hosea xii. 10.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_312" href="#FNanchor_312" class="label">312</a> Matth. iii. 4.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_313" href="#FNanchor_313" class="label">313</a> Mark xi. 7.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_314" href="#FNanchor_314" class="label">314</a> Matth. x. 14.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_315" href="#FNanchor_315" class="label">315</a> Luke v. 6.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_316" href="#FNanchor_316" class="label">316</a> Mark xi. 14</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_317" href="#FNanchor_317" class="label">317</a> Matthew viii. 32.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_318" href="#FNanchor_318" class="label">318</a> Matthew xxvii. 24.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_319" href="#FNanchor_319" class="label">319</a> Isaiah xlii. 1, 6.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_320" href="#FNanchor_320" class="label">320</a> Ibid. ver. 7.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_321" href="#FNanchor_321" class="label">321</a> Isaiah lx. 10.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_322" href="#FNanchor_322" class="label">322</a> Chap. xliii. 8.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_323" href="#FNanchor_323" class="label">323</a> Rom. xi. 12.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_324" href="#FNanchor_324" class="label">324</a> Mark xi. 14.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_325" href="#FNanchor_325" class="label">325</a> Mark xi. 15-20.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_326" href="#FNanchor_326" class="label">326</a> Mark xii. Luke xx. Matth. xxi.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_327" href="#FNanchor_327" class="label">327</a> Luke xx. 16-19.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_328" href="#FNanchor_328" class="label">328</a> Matthew xxi. 23.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_329" href="#FNanchor_329" class="label">329</a> John ii. 18.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_330" href="#FNanchor_330" class="label">330</a> Matthew xxi. 23.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_331" href="#FNanchor_331" class="label">331</a> Luke xi. 54.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_332" href="#FNanchor_332" class="label">332</a> Acts xxi. 21.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_333" href="#FNanchor_333" class="label">333</a> By <i>these stones</i>, the ancient interpreters universally understood -<i>the Gentiles</i>. See Whitby <i>in loc.</i></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_334" href="#FNanchor_334" class="label">334</a> Matt. iii. 9.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_335" href="#FNanchor_335" class="label">335</a> St. John, ch. ii. 19.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_336" href="#FNanchor_336" class="label">336</a> Matthew xxvi. 61.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_337" href="#FNanchor_337" class="label">337</a> Acts xiv. 27.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_338" href="#FNanchor_338" class="label">338</a> Mark xi. 21, 24.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_339" href="#FNanchor_339" class="label">339</a> Matthew xv. 24.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_340" href="#FNanchor_340" class="label">340</a> Mark xi. 17.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_341" href="#FNanchor_341" class="label">341</a> 1 Coloss. i. 27.</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<div class="transnote"> - -<h3>Transcriber’s Note:</h3> - -<p>Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation are as in the original.</p> - -<p>Greek words beginning with ϖ have had the character replaced with π.</p> - -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WORKS OF RICHARD HURD, VOLUME 7 (OF 8) ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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