,transcriber's ,note3 ,italicized text delimited by underscores4 ,there are many special characters in this text that require a utf-#h compliant font4 ,if you find characters that appear as a question mark in a black box or a small rectangle with numbers in it1 you should check your reader's default font4 ,if you have a font installed with ,,sil after the font name1 you should use that one4 ,,the ,,works ,,of ,,richard ,,hurd1 ,d4,d4 ,,lord ,,bishop ,,of ,,worcester4 ,,vol4 ,,vii4 ,printed by ,j4 ,nichols and ,son1 ,red ,lion ,passage1 ,fleet ,street1 ,london4 ,,the ,,works ,,of ,,richard ,,hurd1 ,d4,d4 ,,lord ,,bishop ,,of ,,worcester4 ,,in ,,eight ,,volumes4 ,,vol4 ,,vii4 ,illustration ,,london3 ,,printed ,,for ,t4 ,,cadell ,,and ,w4 ,,davies1 ,,strand4 #ahaa4 ,,theological ,,works4 ,,vol4 ,,iii4 ,,sermons ,,preached ,,at ,,lincoln',s-,,inn1 ,,between ,,the ,,years #agfe ,,and #aggf3 ,,with ,a ,,larger ,,discourse1 ,,on ,,christ',s ,,driving ,,the ,,merchants ,,out ,,of ,,the ,,temple2 ,,in ,,which ,,the ,,nature ,,and ,,end ,,of ,,that ,,famous ,,transaction ,,is ,,explained4 ,,satis ,,me ,,vixisse ,,arbitrabor1 ,,et ,,officium ,,hominis ,,implesse1 ,,si ,,labor ,,meus ,,aliquos ,,homines1 ,,ab ,,erroribus ,,liberatos1 ,,ad ,,iter ,c,,leste ,,direxerit4 ,,lactantius4 ,,contents ,,of ,,the ,,seventh ,,volume4 ,,sermon ,,xxix4 ,preached ,march #ba1 #aggc4 ,,acts xxiv4 #bd1 #be4 ,after certain days1 when ,felix came with his wife ,drusilla1 which was a ,jew1 he sent for ,paul1 and heard him concerning the faith of ,christ4 ,and1 as he reasoned of righteousness1 temperance1 and judgment to come1 ,felix trembled1 and answered1 ,,go ,,thy ,,way ,,for ,,this ,,time1 ,,when ,i ,,have ,a ,,convenient ,,season1 ,i ,,will ,,call ,,for ,,thee4 #a ,,sermon ,,xxx4 ,preached ,dec4 #ai1 #aggc4 #a ,,john v4 #aa4 ,and this is the record1 that ,god hath given to us eternal life2 and ,,this ,,life ,,is ,,in ,,his ,,son4 #ah ,,sermon ,,xxxi4 ,preached ,june #ab1 #aggd4 ,,gal4 vi4 #h4 ,he that soweth to the ,spirit1 shall ,,of ,,the ,,spirit ,,reap ,,life ,,everlasting4 #cb ,,sermon ,,xxxii4 ,preached ,june #ai1 #aggd4 #b ,,cor4 vii4 #a4 ,having therefore these promises 7dearly beloved7 let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit1 perfecting holiness in the fear of ,god4 #df ,,sermon ,,xxxiii4 ,preached ,april #bh1 #aggf4 #a ,,tim4 iii4 #af4 ,without controversy great is the mystery of godliness3 ,god was manifest in the flesh2 justified in the spirit2 seen of ,angels2 preached to the ,gentiles2 believed on in the world2 received up into glory4 #fb ,,sermon ,,xxxiv4 ,preached ,may #ai1 #aggf4 ,,isaiah l4 #aa4 ,behold1 all ye that kindle a fire1 that compass yourselves about with sparks2 ,walk in the light of your fire1 and in the sparks which ye have kindled3 ,this shall ye have of my hand1 ye shall lie down in sorrow4 #gg ,,sermon ,,xxxv4 ,preached ,nov4 #ae1 #agfg4 #b ,,cor4 iv4 #c4 ,if our ,gospel be hid1 it is hid to them that are lost4 #ie ,,sermon ,,xxxvi4 ,preached ,nov4 #ac1 #aggd4 #a ,,peter iii4 #ae4 --,be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you1 with meekness and fear4 #aaj ,,sermon ,,xxxvii4 ,preached ,feb4 #d1 #aggj4 ,,john vii4 #df4 ,never man spake like this man4 #abd ,,sermon ,,xxxviii4 ,preached ,nov4 #bj1 #aggd4 ,,matth4 xiii4 #aj4 ,the ,disciples came1 and said unto him1 ,why speakest ,thou to them in ,parables8 #adc ,,sermon ,,xxxix4 ,preached ,nov4 #bg1 #aggd4 ,,matth4 xiii4 #eh4 ,and he did not many mighty works there1 because of their unbelief4 #aei ,,sermon ,,xl4 ,preached ,may #bc1 #aggc4 #b ,,cor4 iv4 #e4 ,we preach not ourselves1 but ,christ ,jesus the ,lord4 #agf ,,sermon ,,xli4 ,preached4 ,dec4 #ae1 #agga4 ,,matth4 xi4 #e4 ,the ,poor have the ,gospel preached unto them4 #aic ,,sermon ,,xlii4 ,preached ,jan4 #bd1 #aggc4 ,,john xiv4 #b4 ,in my ,father's house are many mansions3 if it were not so1 ,i would have told you4 #baj ,,sermon ,,xliii4 ,preached ,may #e1 #aggf4 ,,john xvi4 #ab1 #ac4 ,i have yet many things to say unto you1 but ye cannot bear them now4 ,howbeit1 when he1 the ,spirit of truth1 shall come1 he will guide you into all truth3 for he shall not speak of himself2 but whatsoever he shall hear1 that shall he speak3 and he will shew you things to come4 #bbb ,,sermon ,,xliv4 ,preached ,may #bi1 #aggd4 ,t4,s4 ,,acts i4 #aa4 ,ye men of ,galilee1 why stand ye gazing up into heaven8 ,this same ,jesus1 which is taken up from you1 shall so come1 in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven4 #bcg ,,sermon ,,xlv4 ,preached ,june #bc1 #aggf4 ,st4 ,,matth4 xiii4 #ee1 #ef4 ,is not this the carpenter's son8 ,is not his mother called ,mary8 ,and his brethren1 ,james and ,joses and ,simon and ,judas8 ,and his sisters1 are not they all with us8 ,whence then hath this man all these things8 ,and they were offended in him4 #bec ,,sermon ,,xlvi4 ,preached ,feb4 #d1 #aggf4 ,,james iv4 #g4 ,resist the ,devil1 and he will flee from you4 #bfg ,,sermon ,,xlvii4 ,preached ,march #bi1 #aggb4 ,,prov4 xvi4 #f4 ,by the fear of the ,lord men depart from evil4 #bhc ,,sermon ,,xlviii4 ,preached ,may #ca1 #aggb4 #a ,,cor4 vi4 #ab4 ,all things are lawful unto1 me2 but all things are not expedient3 ,all things are lawful for me2 but ,i will not be brought under the power of any4 #bif ,,sermon ,,xlix4 ,preached ,july #e1 #aggb4 ,,matth4 v4 #ch1 #ci1 #dj1 #da4 ,ye have heared that it hath been said1 an eye for an eye1 and a tooth for a tooth4 ,but ,i say unto you1 that ye resist not evil3 but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek1 turn to him the other also3 ,and1 if any man will sue thee at the law1 and take away thy coat1 let him have thy cloak also3 ,and whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile1 go with him twain4 #caj ,,sermon ,l4 ,preached ,may #ad1 #agge4 ,,luke ix4 #bf4 ,whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words1 of him shall the ,son of man be ashamed1 when he shall come in his own glory and in his ,father's1 and of the holy ,angels4 #cbg ,,sermon ,,li4 ,preached ,may #ba1 #agge4 ,,luke ix4 #bf4 ,whosoever shall be ashamed of me1 and of my words1 of him shall the ,son of man be ashamed1 when he shall come in his own glory1 and in his ,father's1 and of the holy ,angels4 #cda ,,sermon ,,lii4 ,preached ,jan4 #bi1 #agge4 ,st4 ,,matth4 xvi4 #ah4 ,i say also unto thee1 that thou art ,peter1 and upon this rock ,i will build my ,church2 and the gates of ,hell shall not prevail against it4 #ced ,,sermon ,,liii4 ,preached ,feb4 #e1 #agge4 ,st4 ,,matth4 xvi4 #ah4 ,and ,i say also unto thee1 that thou art ,peter1 and upon this rock will ,i build my ,church1 and the gates of ,hell shall not prevail against it4 #cfg ,a ,,larger ,,discourse1 by way of ,commentary1 on that remarkable ,part of the ,gospel-history1 in which ,jesus is represented1 as driving the ,buyers and ,sellers out of the ,temple#a4 #chc ,,sermon ,,xxix4 ,,preached ,,march #ba1 #aggc4 ,,acts xxiv4 #bd1 #be4 ,after certain days1 when ,felix came with his wife ,drusilla1 which was a ,jewess1 he sent for ,paul1 and heard him concerning the faith of ,christ4 ,and1 as he reasoned of righteousness1 temperance1 and judgment to come1 ,felix trembled1 and answered1 ,,go ,,thy ,,way ,,for ,,this ,,time2 ,,when ,i ,,have ,a ,,convenient ,,season1 ,i ,,will ,,call ,,for ,,thee4 ,this ,felix1 whose name is become so memorable in the ,christian church1 had been made ,procurator of ,juda by the ,emperor ,claudius1 and continued in that government during the six or seven first years of ,nero3 when he was recalled to answer for his oppressive administration before the emperor2 who1 we are told1 would have punished him1 according to his deserts1 but for the interposition of ,pallas1 at that time ,nero's chief minister4 ,he was1 indeed1 in all respects a very corrupt and profligate man1 as appears from the testimony of ,tacitus#b and ,josephus#c2 from whom we learn1 that he was more especially addicted to the vices of lust and cruelty2 both which he exercised in the most audacious manner2 vexing the people with all sorts of oppression1 and rioting in his excesses1 without restraint4 ,drusilla1 too1 is represented to us in a light1 not much more favourable4 ,for1 though a ,jewess1 and the wife of another man1 she had contracted a marriage1 or rather lived in adultery with this pagan governor of ,juda2 transgressing at once both a moral and positive law of her religion1 for the sake of ascending to that honour4 ,one would wonder how persons of this character should have any curiosity to hear ,paul concerning the faith of ,christ4 ,and1 without doubt1 they had no serious desire of information4 ,it is likely they proposed to themselves some entertainment from questioning the prisoner2 and the presence of ,drusilla makes it credible that the entertainment was chiefly designed for her2 who might be a bigot to her religion1 though she scorned to live up to it2 and therefore wanted1 we may suppose1 to insult ,jesus in the person of his disciple4 ,however1 let their purpose be what it would1 such were ,,felix and ,,drusilla1 before whom ,paul reasoned of righteousness1 temperance1 and a judgment to come4 ,paul was not in the number of those complaisant preachers1 who take a text1 in which their hearers have no concern4 ,he had to do with persons1 who bade defiance to religion in all its forms2 and his subject was well suited to the occasion4 ,they expected an amusing tale of ,jesus ,christ3 but the ,apostle1 who knew how unworthy they were of being instructed in the faith1 as not yet possessing the fist principles of morals1 took up the matter a great deal higher2 and1 discoursing to them on the natural duties of justice and temperance1 which they had grossly violated1 and on the natural doctrine of a judgment to come1 which they had never believed or respected1 gave them to understand1 that they had much to learn1 or practise at least1 before they were fit hearers of what he had further to say concerning the ,christian revelation4 ,being taken at this advantage1 we may easily conceive their surprise and disappointment3 and1 as the speaker knew how to give an energy to his discourse on these interesting topics1 we cannot wonder1 that one or both of them should be much discomposed by it4 ,of ,drusilla the sacred text says nothing3 she was1 perhaps1 the more skilful dissembler of the two2 or her rage and indignation might1 for the moment1 get the better of her fears3 but ,felix had not the address1 or the fortune1 to disguise his feelings2 he trembled before this plain1 intrepid speaker4 ,this event is instructive1 indeed1 as it sets before us the power of conscience over the worst of men2 and1 at the same time1 the meanness of guilt1 which1 in such place and dignity1 could not help shrinking at the voice of truth1 though speaking by the mouth of a poor dependant prisoner4 ,but when we have made the proper use of these reflexions1 on the case of ,felix1 we shall find a still more instructive lesson in the subsequent conduct of this affrighted sinner4 ,when the fit of trembling came upon him1 he said hastily to the preacher3 ,go thy way for this time2 when ,i have a convenient season1 ,i will call for thee4 ,how striking a picture of that fatal disposition which men have to put off repentance1 even under the fullest conviction of guilt2 and that too1 on the most frivolous pretences6 ,what ,felix should have done instantly1 when his conscience was so much alarmed1 he omits to do3 ,go thy way for this time3 and yet1 to quiet that conscience1 he would not be thought to lay aside all purpose of reformation3 ,when ,i have a convenient season1 ,i will call for thee4 ,with this famous example in my eye1 ,i shall attempt to shew in the following discourse3 #a4 ,that ,,procrastination is the usual support of vice3 #b4 ,that false reasoning1 or1 what we may call1 the ,,sophistry ,,of ,,vice1 is the great support of procrastination3 #c4 ,that a ,,final ,,impenitence is the too common effect of this pernicious confederacy4 ,and ,i4 ,,procrastination is the main support of vice2 the favourite stratagem1 by which the grand deceiver himself ensnares the souls of men1 and maintains his empire over them4 ,there are few persons so desperately wicked but they resolve1 secretly at least1 and in their own minds1 to amend their bad lives1 at some time or other4 ,but that time is rarely the present4 ,they have other business in hand3 some scheme of interest to manage1 some project of ambition to pursue1 some intrigue of pleasure to accomplish2 in short1 some darling sin or other to gratify1 before they can be at leisure to execute this intended work of reformation4 ,nay1 there are seasons of recollection1 in which the memory of their past lives afflicts and torments them2 there are hours of melancholy1 or ill health1 in which the necessity of repentance seems pressing and instant2 there are certain moments of terror1 in which the final resolution is on the point of being taken3 yet still1 this delusive idea of to-morrow steps in3 the memory1 the necessity1 the terror1 are over-ruled3 the ungrateful task is1 for the present1 deferred2 to-morrow laid aside1 and the next day forgotten4 ,this was the case of ,felix in the text4 ,when bad men are clothed with power1 it is not easy for truth of any kind1 especially for moral truth1 to gain access to them4 ,yet it made its way to this potent governor1 and with a force which nothing could resist4 ,it borrowed the thunder of ,paul's rhetoric to speak home and loudly to his affrighted conscience4 ,it shook his guilty mind with the sense of his crimes1 his incontinence and injustice1 his riot and rapine1 his lust and cruelty2 and still more1 with the apprehension of a judgment to come1 armed with terror1 and ready to take vengeance of his multiplied iniquities4 ,you expect now1 that1 in this agony1 he should take the part1 which duty and prudence1 his conviction and his fears1 equally recommended to him4 ,you expect1 that he should apply to his instructor1 who had raised this storm1 to compose it2 and that1 leaving his chair of state1 he should spring forth and accost his prisoner1 as the honest jaylor at ,philippi had done1 on a similar occasion3 ,what must ,i do to be saved#d8 ,but1 no2 it was not yet convenient to put that question4 ,his pleasures1 his fortune1 his ambition1 might be endangered by it4 ,it was not the moment to take this decisive step4 ,better to think twice of it1 and dismiss the preacher for this time4 ,and is there nothing in this case which we may apply to ourselves8 ,is there none here1 whom the free remonstrance of a friend1 an unexpected sentence in a moral writer1 the admonition of a preacher1 and1 above all1 the word of ,god1 hath1 at any time1 awakened to a lively sense of his condition8 ,a reproof from one or other of these sometimes falls in so exactly with a man's own case1 and goes so directly to the heart1 that he is more than commonly disturbed and confounded by it4 ,it flashes such conviction on the mind1 and shews the sinner to himself in so just a light1 that he stands aghast at the deformity of his conduct1 and at the peril of it4 ,in the agitation of this distress1 he half resolves to repent3 nay1 he strives for a moment to enforce this good resolution3 when1 let but that dmon1 which every sinner carries about with him1 whisper the word1 to-morrow1 and his conscience revives1 his fears disperse1 and this precious opportunity is lost1 though at the hazard of never returning any more4 ,not that he permits this idle insinuation to banish all thoughts of future repentance1 or to prevail with him1 for the present1 in its true and proper form3 ,no3 to be thus far the dupe of his own folly1 would disgrace him too much1 and expose his prevarication too plainly3 if it pass upon him1 it shall be under the mask of wisdom4 ,he turns sophister then in his own defence1 and is easily convinced1 8,that his conduct is not altogether absurd or unreasonable40 ,and thus1 as ,i proposed to shew1 ,,ii4 ,in the next place1 this fatal procrastination1 which supports vice1 is itself supported by a ,,ready ,,and ,,convenient ,,sophistry4 ,the case of ,felix will again illustrate this second observation2 and shew us the whole process of that preverted ingenuity1 by which the credulous mind is made easy under its delusion4 ,he thought it not sufficient to say to ,paul2 ,go thy way for this time4 ,this abrupt dismission of the preacher was to be justified1 in some sort1 to himself1 and to those who were witnesses of his consternation4 ,he covers it1 then1 with this pretence2 ,when ,i have a convenient season1 ,i will call for thee4 ,the ,,time1 it seems1 was not proper for his immediate conversion4 ,to become a penitent just then2 on the instant2 to be surprised into a good life1 had the appearance of too much facility and inconsideration4 ,he must take a space to reflect on the grounds and reasons of what had been offered to him4 ,he had1 besides1 other affairs1 which pressed upon him at this moment3 or1 if not1 to deliberate on the matter1 would render his conversion more solemn and effectual4 ,the ,,place1 too1 we may believe1 was as little suited1 as the time1 to this business4 8,what6 in a public apartment of his palace6 in the presence of ,drusilla1 whose tenderest interests were concerned in the case1 and whose delicacy required managing6 before his pagan courtiers1 and many1 we may suppose1 of his ,jewish subjects1 who would be equally scandalized at this precipitate conversion of their master and governor60 ,these1 and other pretences of the like sort1 without doubt1 occurred to him3 and on the strength of these he concludes his procrastination to be fit1 and decent1 and justifiable1 in a good degree1 on the principles of virtue and prudence4 8,but why1 unhappy man 7if one may presume to expostulate the case with thee7 why this hasty and unweighed conclusion8 ,could there be any time more convenient for thy conversion1 or any place more suitable1 if thou wert in earnest to be converted8 ,wast thou ever so prepared for this change as now8 ,was thy mind ever so convinced1 or thy heart so affected8 ,didst thou ever hear and tremble till this day1 and wilt thou expect such a miracle a second time8 ,can thy bad life be reformed too soon1 or can it need an afterthought to justify such reformation8 ,can any other business come in competition with this8 and can it deserve the name of weakness and surprise to give way to the powerful workings of thy own conscience8 ,in a doubtful case1 it may be well to deliberate3 but can it be a secret even to thyself1 that nothing is questionable here1 but thy sincerity8 ,for what1 let me ask1 is that convenient season1 which flatters thy present irresolution8 ,wilt thou find such a monitor1 as ,paul1 in thy dependants8 ,will thy tax-gatherers preach righteousness to thee1 and thy centurions1 temperance8 or1 thy philosophers 7if1 perhaps1 thou hast of these about thee1 to grace thy provincial pomp7 will they reason with thee1 on a judgment to come8 ,but the ,,place is unfit2 and thou wilt send for ,paul to confer in private with thee4 ,wast thou then afraid to expose thy honour by this step8 ,and did it seem too much to give to ,god and truth1 the glory of thy conversion8 ,true penitence knows nothing of these punctilios4 ,the example had edified thy unbelieving court2 and might have had its effect on the insensible ,drusilla4 ,thy injustice and incontinence had been open to all men4 ,was it not fit thou shouldst atone for this scandal by as public a reformation8 ,yet still thy pretence is1 a convenient season6 ,as if the first season1 that offers for renouncing a bad life1 were not always the most convenient40 ,but ,i continue this address to the ,roman governor too long1 if you consider me as directing it to him only4 ,let me profess1 then1 that by ,felix ,i mean every sinner at this day1 who procrastinates in the affair of his salvation1 and would colour that procrastination by a still more contemptible sophistry4 ,for1 let us be ingenuous4 ,this miserable ,pagan1 after all1 had something to say for himself4 ,this was1 probably1 the only time that repentance had ever been preached to him4 ,he still1 perhaps1 was acquainted with little more than the name of ,jesus3 for his teacher1 as we have seen1 insisted chiefly on the great truths of natural religion4 ,if he then scrupled to take the benefit of this first and imperfect lecture1 there is some allowance to be made for his folly4 ,but what shall we say of those who possess every possible advantage of light and knowledge1 who have grown up in the profession of ,christianity1 and are not now to learn either its duties or terrors8 ,if such as these have sinned themselves into the condition of ,felix1 and yet resist the calls of grace1 the commands of the ,gospel1 the exhortations of its ministers1 the admonitions of their own conscience1 all of them concurring to press upon them an immediate repentance2 if there be among us such procrastinators as these1 what topics of defence are there by which they can hope to excuse1 or so much as palliate1 their prodigious infatuation8 8,shall we say for them1 or will they say for themselves1 that they are young and healthy8 that they have time enough before them1 in which to grow wise at their leisure8 that they wait till the boisterous passions have been calmed by reason and experience8 that they expect a convenient season for repentance1 in declining life1 and the languor of old age8 or that they shall find it1 as others have done1 on the bed of sickness1 or on the bed of death80 ,i have never heard that ,christians have any better reasons than these for delaying repentance3 and1 if they have not1 though the sophistry of ,felix deserved to be laid open1 the respect ,i owe to those who now hear me1 will not permit me to imagine that such sophistry as this1 can want to be exposed4 ,it will be to better purpose to set before you1 ,,iii4 ,in the last place1 the issue of this too natural alliance between procrastination and vice1 in a ,,final ,,impenitence2 of which the case of ,felix1 again1 affords us a striking example4 ,when ,i have a convenient season1 says he to ,paul1 ,i will call for thee4 ,this season came1 and ,paul attended2 to what effect1 we shall now understand4 ,when ,felix dismissed him from his presence1 he insinuated1 nay perhaps thought1 that he should have a disposition hereafter to profit by his religious instructions4 ,but time and bad company quieted his fears3 and a favourite vice inspired other motives for the interview1 than those of religion4 ,for he hoped1 says the historian1 that money should have been given him of ,paul1 that he might loose him3 wherefore he sent for him the oftener1 and communed with him4 ,the case1 we see1 is well altered4 ,he trembled before at ,paul's charge against him of rapine and extortion3 he would now exercise these very vices on ,paul himself4 ,such was the fruit of that convenient season1 which was to have teemed with better things6 ,but this is not all3 ,for1 after two years ,portius ,festus came into ,felix's room2 and ,felix1 willing to shew the ,jews a pleasure1 left ,paul bound4 ,felix then had his preacher within call for two whole years3 time sufficient1 one would think1 to afford the opportunity of many a lecture concerning the faith of ,christ4 ,yet1 though he communed with ,paul oft1 it does not appear that his conferences with him turned on this subject4 ,what he wanted to draw from him was1 not truth1 but money2 and1 when this hope failed1 he was little concerned about the rest4 ,nay1 the impression which ,paul had made upon him was so entirely effaced1 that he left an innocent man in bonds1 for the sake of doing a pleasure to the ,jews4 ,but he had his reason still for this unwonted courtesy4 ,for their complaints were ready to follow him 7as indeed they did7 to the throne of ,csar2 whither he went1 at last1 unrepentant and unreformed1 to encounter1 as he could1 the rigors of imperial justice2 just as so many others1 by the like misuse of time and opportunity1 expose themselves to all the terrors of divine4 ,not but there is yet this advantage in the parallel on the side of ,felix4 ,he neglected to use the space of two years1 which was mercifully allowed him for the season of reformation3 but how many ,christians omit this work1 not for two only1 but for twenty1 forty years2 nay1 for the whole extent of a long life2 and never find a convenient season for doing the only thing1 which it greatly concerns them to do1 although with the astonishing delusion of always intending it4 ,to conclude3 ,we have seen that procrastination serves the ends of vice2 and that vice1 in return1 is but too successful in pleading the cause of procrastination3 leaving between them this salutary lesson to mankind1 8,that he who seriously intends to repent to-morrow1 should in all reason begin to-day2 to-day1 as the ,apostle admonishes1 while it is called to-day1 lest the heart1 in the mean time1 be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin#e40 ,,sermon ,,xxx4 ,,preached ,,december #ai1 #aggc4 #a ,,john v4 #aa4 ,and this is the record that ,god hath given to us1 eternal life2 and ,,this ,,life ,,is ,,in ,,his ,,son4 ,we are indebted to the ,gospel for the knowledge and hope we have of eternal life2 this important doctrine having1 first1 been delivered by ,jesus ,christ1 and only by him1 on any proper grounds of authority4 ,this then is the record1 or the substance of what the ,gospel testifies and affirms1 ,that ,god hath given to us eternal life3 and this life1 adds the ,apostle1 ,,is ,,in ,,his ,,son3 that is1 he procured this blessing for us2 he is not only the teacher1 but the author of eternal life4 ,this last is a distinct and very momentous consideration4 ,reason might seem to have some part in discovering1 or at least in confirming1 the doctrine itself3 but the manner of conveying the inestimable gift of eternal life1 whether immediately from the giver of it1 or by the mediation of some other1 this is a matter of pure revelation2 and reason hath nothing more to do in the case1 than to see that the revelation is1 indeed1 made1 and then with all humility to acquiesce in it4 ,being1 then1 to treat this sublime subject1 the redemption of mankind through ,christ1 ,i shall do it simply in the terms of scripture1 or at least with a scrupulous regard to the plain and obvious sense of them4 ,the text says1 eternal life is in the ,son of ,god2 and my discourse must be merely a scriptural comment on this declaration4 ,now1 the scripture teaches1 that immortality was originally1 and from the beginning1 the free gift of ,god to man1 on the condition of his obeying a certain law1 or command1 prescribed to him3 whether that command be interpreted literally1 of not eating the fruit of the forbidden tree in paradise1 as we read in the second and third chapters of ,genesis2 or allegorically1 of some other prohibition1 expressed agreeably to the oriental genius1 in these terms4 ,this diversity of interpretation makes no difference in the case3 whatever the test of man's disobedience was1 the will of the law-giver is clearly announced3 ,if thou art guilty of disobedience1 thou shalt surely die#f4 ,obedience1 then1 had the promise of continued life2 the penalty threatened to disobedience1 was death3 which was only saying1 that the gift freely bestowed on a certain condition 7and surely what man had no right to demand1 might be offered on what terms the giver pleased7 should be withdrawn on the breach of it4 ,the loss1 indeed1 was immense2 but to the loser no wrong was done3 and of him who recalled the free gift1 conditionally bestowed1 and justly forfeited1 no complaint1 in reason1 can be made4 ,but to what purpose1 some will ask1 to give that with one hand1 which was presently to be withdrawn by the other8 for the best reason1 no doubt1 whether conceivable by us1 or not4 ,however1 the sad event was certainly foreseen3 and1 what is more1 such provision was made against it1 as to infinite wisdom and goodness seemed meet4 ,by contemplating the gradual steps of ,providence1 as we are able to trace them in the revelation itself1 we understand1 that it was in the eternal purpose of the divine ,governor to restore life to fallen and mortal man1 as freely as it had been at first bestowed1 and on terms still more advantageous him4 ,but the ways of heaven are not as our ways1 nor to be regulated by our impatient wishes1 or expectations4 ,what man1 in a moment1 had wantonly thrown away1 he was to recover once more2 but in ,god's good time2 not instantly1 but after a long succession of ages1 and such a state of intermediate discipline and preparation1 as might best serve to introduce the intended blessing with effect4 ,man1 then was to be reinstated in his forfeited inheritance3 and the promise was made1 though purposely in obscure terms1 from the moment the forfeiture was incurred4 ,in process of time1 it was less1 and still less obscurely signified2 yet so as that the full discovery of what was intended1 and1 still more1 the execution of it1 was long deferred4 ,at length1 ,jesus ,christ came into the world to fulfill and to declare the whole will of ,god on this interesting subject3 and from him1 and from those commissioned by him1 we learn what the wisest men1 and even angels1 had desired to look into1 and could at most discern but imperfectly through the types and shadows of the patriarchal and ,mosaic dispensations4 ,the great mystery1 now unveiled1 was briefly this3 that ,god of his infinite goodness had1 indeed1 from the foundation of the world1 purposed the restoration of eternal life to his unworthy creature1 man2 but that in his wisdom he saw fit to confer this unmerited blessing in a way1 that should at once secure the honour of his government2 and1 if any thing could secure it1 the future obedience and happiness of his creature3 that he would only confer this mighty privilege at the instance1 as it were1 and for the sake of a transcendantly divine person1 his only begotten ,son1 the second person in the glorious ,trinity1 as we now style him3 that this divine person2 of his own free will co-operating with the eternal purpose#g of the all-gracious ,father1 should descend from ,heaven2 should become incarnate2 should as man1 converge with men1 and instruct them by his heavenly doctrine2 should taste deeply of all their sorrows and infirmities 7sin only excepted72 should even pour out his blood unto death1 and by that blood should wash away the stain of guilt2 and1 on the condition of faith in his name1 operating1 as of course it must do1 by a sincere obedience to his authority1 should admit us1 once more1 to the possession of eternal happiness2 of which1 finally1 we have a lively and certain hope1 in that he who had laid down his life1 had power to take it again1 as was declared to all the world by his resurrection from the dead#h4 ,in this awfully stupendous manner 7at which reason stands aghast1 and faith herself is half confounded7 was the ,grace of ,god to man1 at length1 manifested3 and thus it is1 when we come a little to unfold the record1 or testimony of the ,gospel1 that ,god hath given to as eternal life2 and that this life is in his ,son4 ,curious men have perplexed themselves and others by inquiring into the nature of this astonishing scheme1 and have seemed half inclined not to accept so great salvation1 till they could reconcile it to their ideas of philosophy4 ,hence those endless altercations concerning merit1 satisfaction1 imputed sin1 and vicarious punishment2 in which it is hard to say1 whether more subtlety has been shewn1 or more perverseness2 more ingenuity1 or presumption4 ,if most of these questions were well examined1 it would appear1 perhaps1 that they are mere verbal disputes1 and as frivolous as they are contentious4 ,but1 be the difference between the parties nominal or real1 this we are sure of1 without taking part in the controversy1 that the scriptures speak of the death of ,christ1 as a ransom for many#i2 the price of our redemption#aj2 a sacrifice for us#aa2 a propitiation for the sins of the whole world#ab3 that they speak of ,christ himself1 as dying for us#ac1 as bearing our sins in his own body on the tree#ad2 as suffering for sins1 the just for the unjust#ae2 as tasting death for every man#af2 as giving himself for us1 an offering and sacrifice to ,god#ag2 as justifying us by his blood#ah2 and redeeming us by the price of it#ai3 with a multitude of other passages to the same purpose4 ,now let men use what art they will in torturing such expressions as these2 they will hardly prevent our seeing what the plain doctrine of scripture is1 8,that it pleased ,god to give us eternal life only in his ,son2 and in his ,son only as suffering and dying for us40 ,but in this consideration the whole mystery consists2 how to be fully cleared up to our reason1 men may dispute if they will1 and they will dispute the rather1 because the subject is out of their sphere1 and beyond their comprehension4 ,whether ,god could accept such a sacrifice for sin as the death of his own ,son1 many have presumptuously asked4 ,whether he could not have given life to man1 in another way1 some have more modestly doubted3 but the issue of all this arrogant or needless curiosity1 is but the discovery of their own weakness1 on the one hand1 and the confession of this stupendous truth1 on the other2 ,that ,god did not see fit to bestow eternal salvation on mankind1 but in his own appointed way1 through ,christ ,jesus4 ,in this momentous truth1 then1 enough for us to know1 let us humbly acquiesce1 and leave to others the vanity of disputing the grounds of it4 ,but1 though the reasons of this dispensation be inscrutable to us1 the measure of its influence1 some think1 they have the means to discover4 ,for it seems to follow from ,st4 ,paul's assertion1 that1 as in ,adam all died1 so in ,christ shall all be made alive#bj2 and from the idea given us of the ,redeemer1 as of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world#ba2 that the benefits of ,christ's death extend to all men1 of all times1 and are1 in the proper sense of the word1 universal4 ,only it is to be remembered1 that1 if all men have an interest in ,christ1 whether they know it or not1 we who do know what our interest in him is1 have infinitely the advantage of them1 and are inexcusable1 if we reject it4 ,thus far then we go upon safe grounds1 and affirm without hesitation1 that ,god1 through his mercies in ,christ ,jesus1 is the ,saviour of all men1 but especially of them that believe#bb4 ,another consideration1 and of the utmost moment1 is yet behind4 ,though eternal life be now again bestowed on mankind1 this gift is not one and the same thing to all1 but is differently modified according to the different conduct of those to whom it is given4 ,all shall live2 but whether to happiness1 or misery1 and to what degree of either1 will depend on the use of those advantages1 whether of nature or grace1 which every one enjoys4 ,not1 that any degree of eternal happiness is1 or can be strictly due to any man1 but that the several degrees of it will be proportioned to our respective moral and religious qualifications4 ,to have done otherwise1 would have been to confound the order of things1 and to appoint a scheme of salvation1 which must utterly extinguish all virtuous industry among men4 ,hence1 we are told1 that the righteous shall shine out in different degrees of happiness1 as one star differeth from another star in glory#bc4 ,in like manner1 they who shall be found worthy1 not of happiness1 but misery1 will be sentenced to several allotments of it1 by the same equal rule4 ,it may seem1 perhaps1 that1 as our best works could not merit eternal life in happiness1 so our worst cannot deserve eternal life in misery4 ,but let us take care how we push our inquiries into this aweful subject4 ,in rewarding obedience1 the divine goodness is chiefly displayed2 and who shall presume to set bounds to it8 ,but1 in punishing disobedience1 the divine ,wisdom1 of which we conceive much more imperfectly1 is mainly concerned3 and what examples of severity in the punishment of incorrigibly impenitent offenders1 after such means as have been devised to reclaim them1 and for the support of his moral government over more worlds than we have any idea of1 this attribute may demand1 we shall do well1 with all submission and modesty1 to leave unexplored4 ,still1 what is just1 that is1 what is right and fit1 on the whole1 undoubtedly take place3 but we are not1 we cannot1 be competent judges of what is fit and right in this instance4 ,it will be safest to rely1 without further inquiry1 on the general declaration of him1 who was not only our ,redeemer1 but shall one day be our merciful judge3 ,these1 says he1 that is1 the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment3 but the righteous into life eternal#bd4 ,what remains on this subject1 is only to admonish you of those relations1 in which we stand towards the ,author of our salvation1 and the correspondent duties they impose upon us4 ,i can but just point out these relations and duties3 though they deserve to be inculcated 7as1 in fact1 they have been1 by the sacred writers7 with all the force of eloquent persuasion1 that words can give4 ,with regard1 to the supreme cause of all things1 who is of himself only the source1 and principle of deity1 and the original author of our salvation1 ,god1 thus understood1 is graciously pleased to present himself to us in the ,gospel1 under the idea of ,,the ,,father1 and to consider us in the tender relation of sons4 ,we owe him1 therefore1 all possible filial love and reverence1 and must so conceive of his part in the mystery of our redemption1 as to refer all the fruits of it1 ultimately1 to the glory of ,god the ,father#be4 ,in subordination to the ,father1 ,,he in whom we have eternal life1 is our friend#bf1 and therefore entitled to our warmest love3 he is our greatest benefactor#bg1 and therefore claims our utmost gratitude3 he is our only master#bh1 and of course1 must be followed with all observance3 he is our redeemer1 and sole mediator between ,god and man#bi2 therefore he challenges an implicit1 an exclusive trust and confidence from us3 he is the appointed judge of the world#cj2 therefore to be regarded with the humblest fear and veneration3 lastly1 he is the only begotten ,son of ,god#ca1 nay our ,lord and our ,god#cb2 to whom therefore we are to pay transcendant honour1 so as to honour1 the ,son even as we honour the ,father#cc4 ,these are some1 the chief of those duties1 which1 as ,christians1 we are bound to perform towards the ,author of our salvation4 ,the relations from which they spring1 could not be discovered by the light of nature2 but1 when made known to us by revelation1 they require as certainly1 and as reasonably1 the several duties which correspond to them1 as the relations in which we stand to ,god and man1 as discoverable by nature only1 require their respective duties4 ,you see1 then1 the sphere of a ,christian's duty is much enlarged beyond that of the natural man3 and not in these instances only1 for the gospel has made known another divine person1 7so we are obliged to speak7 the holy ,spirit of ,god1 who stands in a distinct relation to us2 and to whom1 therefore1 his proper and peculiar honour is due4 ,but of this divine person in the glorious ,trinity1 ,i shall find another occasion to lay before you1 at large1 what the scriptures have brought to light4 ,for the present1 it may suffice to have put you in mind of what we are taught concerning the grace of ,god in his ,son ,jesus ,christ2 to the end that1 religiously observing all the duties which this revealed doctrine requires of us1 we may fully correspond to the gracious intentions of the revealer1 by having our fruit unto holiness2 and the end1 everlasting life4 ,for the wages of sin 7be it ever remembered7 is death3 but eternal life is the gift of ,god through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord#cd3 ,to whom be all praise1 thanksgiving1 and honour1 now and for evermore4 ,amen4 ,,sermon ,,xxxi4 ,,preached ,,june #ab1 #aggd4 ,,gal4 vi4 #h4 ,he that soweth to the spirit1 shall ,,of ,,the ,,spirit ,,reap ,,life ,,everlasting4 ,without staying to point out the immediate occasion of these words1 or to enumerate and define the several senses of the word spirit1 in sacred scripture1 it is sufficient to my present purpose to observe1 that the text affirms a general and fundamental truth of the ,gospel1 more clearly and particularly explained elsewhere4 ,it is this3 ,that he who in this life conducts himself according to the rules and admonitions of ,god's holy spirit1 which the ,apostle calls1 sowing to the spirit1 shall1 through the influence of the same spirit1 obtain1 that is1 in the ,apostle's figurative style1 shall reap1 life everlasting4 ,but1 what6 you will say1 everlasting life is the gift of ,god through ,christ3 how is it then that we receive this gift at the hands of another1 of ,god's holy spirit8 ,to resolve this difficulty1 and to open to you at the same time the ,christian doctrine of grace1 together with the concern which we have in it1 ,i shall consider1 ,i4 ,in what sense we are to understand the assertion1 ,that everlasting life is of the spirit4 ,,ii4 ,in what way this blessing is conferred upon us2 under which head ,i shall have occasion to set forth the several offices and operations of the holy ,spirit4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 what returns of duty1 as corresponding to these offices of the ,spirit1 and as resulting from the relations in which we stand towards him1 are1 in consequence of this revelation1 reasonably required of us4 ,i4 ,to understand in what sense the scriptures assert everlasting life to be of the spirit1 it will be necessary to form to ourselves a distinct idea of the divine conomy in the whole work of our redemption2 which 7to sum up briefly what is revealed to us7 appears to have been conducted in the following manner4 ,god the ,father of his mere grace1 purposed and willed#ce1 from all eternity1 the restoration of life to man1 after his forfeiture of it by disobedience3 but he saw fit to make our title to this free gift depend on the death and sacrifice of his son ,jesus ,christ3 and1 lastly1 to give the actual possession of it only through the ministration of his holy ,spirit4 ,the whole of this process is full of wonder2 but there is no contradiction1 or inconsistency in its several parts4 ,however1 to open the conomy of this dispensation a little more distinctly1 it is to be observed1 that eternal life may be taken in two senses4 ,it may either imply a mere state of ,,endless ,,existence2 and1 in this sense1 it is solely and properly the gift of ,god through ,christ2 for as in ,adam all died1 even so in ,christ shall all be made alive#cf3 ,or1 it may mean1 what it always does mean in those passages of scripture1 where it is magnified so much1 a state of ,,happiness1 in that existence2 and then only a capacity of being put into this state is procured for us by the ,redeemer4 ,but this capacity1 this grace of ,god1 may be frustrated by us#cg1 may even turn against is1 if we be not duly prepared to enjoy that happiness of which we are made capable2 and such preparation1 is the proper distinctive work of ,god's holy spirit4 ,further1 to see the necessity1 the importance at least1 of such preparation1 we are to reflect1 that1 by the fall of man1 not only life was forfeited1 but the powers of his mind were weakened4 ,transgression had clouded his understanding1 and perverted his will4 ,he neither saw his duty so clearly as before1 nor was disposed to perform it so vigorously4 ,and this depravation of his faculties1 we easily conceive1 might1 as an original taint1 be transmitted to his posterity2 nay1 we certainly feel that it is so3 yet1 without any imputation on the author of our being1 who might have placed us in this disadvantageous state1 if he had pleased1 from the beginning2 and to whom we are accountable for the right use of the advantages we have1 not of those we have not4 ,still1 the purity of ,god's nature might require what his wisdom has decreed1 that without holiness no man shall see the ,lord#ch1 and that ,jesus should be the author of eternal salvation to those only1 who1 in a higher degree than our fallen nature of itself permits1 obey him#ci4 ,and this change in our moral condition from bad to good1 from a propensity to evil to a love of righteousness1 is called in scripture1 a renewing of our minds1 a new creation1 a new man2 in opposition to the former so different state of our minds1 which is called the old man corrupted according to the deceitful lusts#dj4 ,for the change itself1 it is represented in scripture as proceeding1 not from the virtue of our own minds1 but from the influence of the ,holy ,ghost upon them#da3 and when it has taken place in us1 then1 and not till then1 is our election sure1 and we are made heirs according to the hope of eternal life#db4 ,this extraordinary provision for restoring man to the image of ,god1 to the new man1 which after ,god is created in righteousness and true holiness#dc1 is what reason could not have hoped for1 but1 when made known by revelation1 seems to have been expedient1 may be conceived to have been even necessary1 and is clearly an expression of the divine goodness1 which1 though it fill our minds very justly with wonder1 well as gratitude1 none of our natural notions contradict4 ,we see1 then1 in general1 how the new man receives the gift of eternal life from the spirit4 ,let us now consider more particularly1 ,,ii4 ,in the second place1 in what way this new creation is carried on and perfected in us4 ,and here we shall find all the marks of that wisdom and fitness1 which are discernable in the thing itself4 ,for we are renewed in the spirit of our minds#dd1 by the teaching of the spirit of truth#de1 through sanctification of the spirit#df1 and comfort of the ,holy ,ghost#dg3 that is1 we have a new and better turn given to our minds1 by the light derived into them from the spirit2 by the good thoughts and purposes which he excites in them2 and by the joy and consolation with which he rewards our endeavours to profit by the assistance thus graciously afforded to us4 ,that we very much want these helps and encouragements1 we all know3 that we are very much indebted to them1 we ,christians believe3 and that they are not the less real1 because1 perhaps1 not distinguishable from the workings of our own minds1 now that revelation assures us of the fact1 we have no scruple to affirm4 ,to this divine ,spirit1 then1 the spirit of the ,father#dh1 and the spirit of the ,son#di1 as he is equally styled1 because proceeding from both2 to this spirit1 ,i say1 enlightening our understandings1 purifying our wills1 and confirming our faith1 we must impute all that is good in us1 all that proficiency in true holiness which qualifies us for the enjoyment of heaven3 and through this discipline it is1 that they who sow to the spirit1 are1 in the end1 enabled of the spirit to reap everlasting life4 ,these three characters might be further opened and distinctly considered2 and then it would appear1 that all the revelations of ,god's will1 chiefly with regard to the redemption of man1 made to the patriarchs of old1 to the prophets under the law1 to the ,apostles of our ,lord1 nay to our ,lord himself1 as the man ,christ ,jesus1 and all the secret illuminations of the faithful in all times1 are to be regarded as so many emanations from the spirit of ,god1 ,,the ,,enlightener3 that at the gradual improvements of our virtue1 all the graces which first descend upon our hearts1 and then manifest themselves in every good word and work1 are the production of the same spirit1 in his office of ,,sanctifier3 and1 lastly1 that all the firmness and resolution we possess under every trial in this world1 all the foretaste we have of future favour and acceptance1 all our joy and peace in believing1 are the signs and proofs of the ,,comforter1 speaking to us1 and1 according to our ,saviour's promise1 abiding in us4 ,it is very conceivable that all this diversity of operations may be justly and reasonably ascribed to the influence of the holy ,spirit1 without supposing that our own freedom is impeded or infringed4 ,for influence is not compulsion2 and we are every day induced by others to do that which we should not have done of ourselves1 without feeling or suspecting that the least violence is offered to our free-will4 ,a convincing truth clearly presented to us2 a virtuous thought incidentally suggested2 a gleam of hope or gladness1 suddenly let in upon us2 all this is no more than we frequently experience in the company of wise and good men1 who yet would be much surprised1 and would have reason to think themselves much injured1 if we complained of any undue influence exerted by them4 ,yet thus it is1 and thus only1 that the holy spirit constraineth us3 and the scriptures are so far from representing this constraint under the idea of force1 or physical necessity1 that they speak of it as the perfection of moral freedom3 ,where the spirit of the ,lord is1 says the ,apostle1 there is liberty#ej4 ,having1 therefore1 seen in what sense it is affirmed that the spirit giveth life2 and in what way1 consistently with the free use of our faculties1 he dispenses this gift1 and exercises a variety of offices towards us2 it remains1 ,,iii4 ,in the last place1 to see what returns of duty1 as corresponding to the several characters of the holy ,spirit1 and resulting from the relations in which we stand to him1 are required on our part2 in other words1 what we are to do1 before we can hope to be transformed by the renewing of our minds1 under the influence of the holy ,spirit4 ,one previous indispensable condition of our obtaining that influence seems to be1 that we ,,ask it1 that is1 put up our petitions to ,god for it3 a consideration1 which1 while it shews the utility1 the necessity of prayer1 sufficiently accounts1 ,i doubt1 to many of us1 for the little or no effect which1 as we pretend and sometimes lament1 this renovating power of the spirit has upon us4 ,this duty of prayer being supposed2 with regard to the holy spirit himself1 in general1 all the reverence1 honour1 worship1 which his divine nature exacts from us1 and all the love and gratitude which his gracious concurrence with the ,father and the ,son1 in the great work of our redemption1 so eminently deserves1 are to be religiously paid to him4 ,more particularly1 we are to consider1 that to the several characters or offices1 sustained by this divine person1 and exercised towards us1 several duties respectively correspond2 which indeed are obvious enough1 but must just be pointed out4 #a4 ,if a ray of light break in upon us1 if a new degree of knowledge be imparted to us1 if we see the truth of the gospel more clearly in any respect than before we had done1 we cannot mistake in ascribing this additional information or conviction 7which comes very frequently we know not how1 and when the general bent of our thoughts1 perhaps1 lies another way7 to the illuminating spirit within us2 and we are to see to what further purpose that illumination may serve1 and how far it may go towards dissipating the darkness of our minds in other instances4 #b4 ,if we feel 7as at times we all of us do7 a vicious inclination checked1 a virtuous purpose encouraged1 a moral or a pious sentiment suggested1 these secret motions are1 nay1 must be1 from the holy ,spirit2 and our duty is to entertain and to improve them4 #c4 ,or1 again1 if we perceive our devotions to be quickened1 our hopes enlivened1 our faith fortified1 though the present state of our temper or constitution may be instrumental in producing these effects1 yet1 if they go no father than scripture warrants1 and right reason allows1 we shall not mistake 7having the express promise of our ,lord and ,master7 in ascribing these consolations of peace and joy to the ,comforter2 we may regard them as the earnest and pledge of the spirit in our hearts#ea3 and then1 our part is so to cherish and use them1 as to go on from strength to strength#eb1 till we arrive at perfection4 ,you see there is enough for us to do1 though the spirit strive with our spirit#ec1 and in such sort that we derive the power to will and to do#ed what we ought1 ultimately from him4 ,i know that this1 and other things1 which on the authority of scripture1 ,i have delivered on the present subject1 will appear strange to natural reason4 ,but so that scripture has prepared us to expect they would do4 ,for the natural man1 says the ,apostle1 receiveth not the things of the spirit of ,god3 for they are foolishness unto him#ee4 ,and to the same purpose our divine ,master himself1 speaking of the spirit of truth2 whom1 says he1 the world cannot receive1 because it seeth him not1 neither knoweth him3 but ye1 addressing himself to his disciples that is1 to men1 who walk by faith1 and not by sight ye know him1 for he dwelleth with you1 and shall be in you4 ,on this assurance1 then1 we may reasonably believe what1 by reason1 we cannot understand4 ,and the substance of what we are to believe on this whole subject1 is contained in a single text of ,st4 ,peter1 where the three divine persons1 yet ineffably one ,god1 8the ,trinity in unity#ef10 whom we adore1 and their respective offices1 are accurately distinguished4 ,for in the opening of his first epistle1 he pronounces the ,christians1 to whom he writes1 ,,elect1 that is1 entitled to salvation1 according to the foreknowledge1 or pre-determination#eg1 of ,god the father2 through the sanctification of the ,spirit unto obedience2 and sprinkling of the blood of ,jesus ,christ4 ,in these memorable words1 we have a brief1 yet clear epitome of our whole faith4 ,and thus at length you see that1 though eternal life be the gift of ,,god in his ,,son1 it is only ensured1 and finally conveyed to us1 by the ministry of his ,,holy ,,spirit3 to which blessed ,,trinity1 therefore1 be all honour1 and praise1 and adoration1 now and for ever6 ,,amen4 ,,sermon ,,xxxii4 ,,preached ,,june #ai1 #aggd4 #b ,,cor4 vii4 #a4 ,having therefore these promises 7dearly beloved7 let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit1 perfecting holiness in the fear of ,god4 ,our discourses from this place turning very much1 as they ought to do1 on the great ,christian doctrine of salvation1 that is1 of eternal life1 considered as the gift of ,god to mortal and sinful man1 through the redemption of his ,son1 and the sanctification of his holy ,spirit1 it would be a strange neglect in us1 if we did not take care to remind our hearers of the effect which that doctrine ought to have upon them4 ,this duty ,i mean now to discharge towards you3 and ,i cannot do it more properly than by enforcing that advice which ,st4 ,paul gave the ,corinthians1 as the result of a long and eloquent discourse to them on the same subject4 ,having ,,therefore 7says he7 these promises i4 e4 the promise of eternal life1 and of acceptance through ,christ1 so as to become the people of ,god1 nay the sons of ,god1 with other assurances of the like sort#eh1 interspersed in the two preceding chapters1 ,having these promises let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit1 perfecting holiness in the fear of ,god4 ,the inference1 you see1 is direct to our purpose3 and common ingenuity1 if nothing else1 might well engage us1 in return for such great and precious promises1 to draw the same conclusion for ourselves4 ,but1 when we further consider that these promises are conditional1 and made only to those who obey the giver of them#ei1 interest1 as well as gratitude1 will oblige us to yield that obedience so expressly required of us4 ,this obedience is briefly summed up in the direction2 to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit1 that is1 to take care1 agreeably to the double obligation imposed upon us by the distinct parts of our constitution1 that we consult the integrity both of our bodies and minds2 and preserve them both from that defilement which each of them1 according to its nature1 is liable to contract in this state of moral probation4 ,i4 ,with regard to the ,,flesh1 the gross vices which defile that part of our frame1 are so expressly condemned by the law of reason1 as well as of the gospel1 and are so repugnant to the inbred modesty of every man1 especially1 a such as have had their natural sense of decency quickened by a good education1 that but to mention them in this place1 ,i would hope1 is quite sufficient4 ,if ,i go farther1 it shall only be to remind you of one thing1 which ,i have explained at large on a former occasion#fj1 ,that ,christianity hath added unspeakably to the worth and dignity of the human body1 by considering it no longer as the store-house of impure lusts1 but as the habitation1 the temple of the living ,god1 to whose sole use it is now dedicated#fa4 ,the turpitude1 the dishonour1 the impiety of desecrating this sanctuary of the holy ,spirit by sordid1 carnal excesses1 is then apparent to every ,christian4 ,but the vices of the ,,spirit do not always strike the attention so forcibly2 though they be as real as those of the body1 and sometimes more fatal4 ,the reason is1 that the spiritual part of man does not lie so open to observation as the corporeal4 ,the mind is not easily made an object to itself2 and1 when it is1 we have a strange power of seeing it in a false light1 and of overlooking its blemishes1 or of even mistaking them for beauties4 ,in short1 the filthiness of the spirit may be long unobserved1 and therefore uncleansed1 if it be not pointed out to us by some friendly monitor1 who is more practised in this mental inspection than ourselves1 or has less interest1 however1 to conceal our depravity from us4 ,permit me1 then1 to assume the charitable office of holding up to your view these spiritual vices2 not all of every sort 7for that would be endless7 but the chief of those which tend more immediately to defeat the gracious promises made to us in the gospel4 ,,ii4 ,i say nothing of that corruption which direct and positive infidelity strikes through the soul1 whether it be the infidelity of ,atheism1 or what is called ,deism2 because1 on men who espouse either of these systems1 the promises of the gospel take no hold2 and because it ought not1 cannot be supposed1 that men of no religion1 or of no faith1 appear in these ,christian assemblies4 ,you will think me better employed in pointing out such corruptions1 as may not improbably adhere even to believers2 though concealed from their own observation1 it may be1 or disguised1 at least1 to themselves1 under various pretences4 #a4 ,the first of these that ,i shall mention is a sort of ,,half-,,belief1 which floats in the mind1 and1 though it do not altogether renounce the hopes of the ,gospel1 is far from reposing a firm trust in them4 ,many professed believers have1 ,i doubt1 this infirmity1 this taint of infidelity1 still cleaving to them4 ,they think ,christianity an useful institution2 nay1 they think it not destitute of all divine authority4 ,but then they reduce this authority to just nothing1 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 revelation1 as they believe themselves able to make out to the satisfaction of their own minds1 and by rejecting1 at least by questioning in some sort1 whatever they cannot perfectly understand--by treating some things as incredible1 others1 as impracticable2 one part of their religion as too mysterious1 and another as too severe4 8,they believe1 they say1 what they can3 but1 after all1 there are many strange things in this religion2 and the evidence for the truth of them is not so controuling1 but that there is room for some degree of doubt and hesitation40 ,all this1 perhaps1 they do not say to others2 nay1 not to themselves1 except when they are pressed by some conclusion from scripture1 which either their prejudices1 or their passions1 make them very unwilling to admit2 and then they take leave to be as sceptical as the occasion requires4 ,but now from such a faith as this1 no wholesome or permanent fruits can be expected4 ,it has no root in them2 and the promises1 that should feed and nourish it1 have but a faint and feeble effect2 just enough1 perhaps1 to keep their hopes from dying outright1 but much too little to push them into any vigorous efforts of obedience4 ,the way for such to cleanse themselves from this pollution of spirit 7for to the several defects1 the proper remedy in each case shall1 as we go along1 be subjoined7 is1 once for all1 to examine the foundations of their religion2 and1 if they find them1 on the whole1 solid and satisfactory1 to rely upon them thenceforth with a confidence entire and unshaken4 ,they should reflect1 that every revealed doctrine1 of whatever sort1 as standing on the same ground of infallible truth1 is equally to be admitted4 ,there is no compromising matters with their divine ,master3 they must either quit his service1 or follow him without reserve4 ,and this1 upon the whole1 they will find to be the manly and the reasonable part for them to take4 ,to halt between two opinions so repugnant to each other1 to embrace so interesting a thing as religion by halves1 is neither for the credit of their courage1 nor of their understanding4 ,having then the promise of eternal life1 let them reckon upon that promise1 like men who know its value1 and do not mistrust on what ground it stands4 ,if they are ,christians at all1 they cannot justify it even to themselves not to be ,christians in good earnest4 ,and thus will they happily escape the disgrace of an irresolved and indolent faith2 which involves them in much of the guilt1 and in almost all the mischiefs1 of infidelity4 ,but1 #b4 ,there are those who have not a doubt about the truth of ,christianity1 and yet1 through a certain ,,levity ,,of ,,mind1 derive but little benefit from their conviction4 ,this spiritual vice is1 perhaps1 the commonest of all others2 and1 though it seems to have something prodigious in it1 is easily accounted for from the intoxication of health1 youth1 and high spirits2 from the restless pursuit of pleasure1 which occupies one part of the world1 and of business1 which distracts another2 from a too passionate love of society in many2 from feverish habits of dissipation in more2 and from a fatal impatience of solitude and recollection in almost all4 ,but1 by whichsoever of these causes the vice of inconsideration1 we have now before us1 is produced and nourished1 it is of the most malignant sort1 and being ready to branch out into many others1 should be resolutely checked and suppressed4 ,though there be nothing directly criminal in the pursuit which takes us from ourselves1 it is always dangerous to lose sight of what we are1 and whither we are going1 and may be fatal4 ,for1 not to believe1 and not to call to mind what we believe1 is nearly the same thing4 ,and when a temptation meets us thus unprepared1 it wants no assistance from infidelity1 but is secure of prevailing by its own strength1 under cover of our inattention4 ,such1 ,i doubt not1 is the sad experience of thousands1 every day2 while yet the misjudging world1 that part of it1 especially1 whose interest it is to suppose that all men are equally destitute of religious principles1 rashly conclude that there is no faith1 where there is so much folly4 8,these hypocrites1 say they1 are convicted of the same unbelief1 which they perpetually object to us30 ,alas1 no3 they are convicted of inconsequence1 only4 ,not that this consideration excuses their guilt3 it even aggravates and inflames it4 ,for1 when one thing1 only1 is needful1 and they know it to be so1 not to retain a practical1 an habitual sense of it1 but to suffer every trifle to mislead1 every sudden gust of passion to drive them from the hope and end of their calling1 argues an extreme depravity of mind1 and deserves a harsher name than we commonly give to this conduct4 ,however1 soften it to ourselves1 as we will1 under any fashionable denomination1 the spirit must be cured of this vice1 or the promises of the ,gospel are lost upon us4 ,and the proper remedy is but one4 ,we must resolve1 at all events1 to acquire the contrary habit of consideration4 ,we must meditate much and often on what we believe3 we must force our minds to dwell upon it3 we must converse more with ourselves1 how bad company soever we take that to be1 and less with the world1 which so easily dissipates our thoughts1 and oversets our best resolutions4 ,if we would but every day set apart a small portion of our time1 were it but a few minutes1 to supplicate the grace of ,god1 and to say seriously to ourselves2 ,i believe the promises1 and ,i acknowledge the authority of the gospel2 7and less than this1 who can think excusable in any man1 whatever his condition of life may be1 that calls himself a ,christian87 this short and easy discipline1 regularly pursued1 and1 on no pretence whatever1 intermitted1 would presently effect the cure we so much want1 and restore the sickly mind to its health and vigour4 #c4 ,still1 there may be a general belief in the promises of the ,gospel1 and a good degree of attention to them1 and yet men may be but little impressed by what they thus believe and consider4 ,this affection of the mind is sometimes experienced1 but has hardly acquired a distinct name4 ,let us call it1 if you please1 a ,,deadness1 or ,,insensibility ,,of ,,heart2 which1 so far as it proceeds from natural constitution1 is a misfortune only2 but1 when cherished or even neglected by us1 it becomes a fault4 ,the danger of it lies here1 lest by seeing with indifference the most important objects of our hopes and fears1 we come by degrees to neglect or overlook them2 to question1 perhaps1 the reality of them2 or1 to lose1 however1 the benefit which even a calm view of these objects1 when frequently set before the mind1 must needs convey to us4 ,the rule in this case plainly is1 ,to prescribe to ourselves such a regimen as is proper to correct this spiritual lethargy3 that is1 to stimulate the sluggish mind by the most poignant reflexions2 to bring the objects of our faith as near and close to us as we can2 to paint them in the liveliest colours of the imagination1 which1 when touched itself1 easily sets fire to the affections2 and1 above all1 to keep our eye intently and steadily upon them4 ,we may see the utility of this regimen1 in a case which is familiar to every body4 ,when we look forward to the end of life1 it appears at a vast distance4 ,the many1 or the few years1 that lie before us1 take up a great deal of room in the mind1 and present the idea of a long1 and almost interminable duration4 ,hence the fatal security in which we most of us live1 as conceiving that1 when so much time is on our hands1 we need not be sollicitous to make the most of it4 ,but that all this is a mere delusion1 we may see by looking back on the time that is already elapsed4 ,we have lived in this world1 twenty1 forty1 it may be1 many more years3 yet1 in reflecting on this space1 we find it just nothing3 the several parts of it run together in the mind1 and the first moment of our existence seems almost to touch upon the present4 ,now1 by anticipating this experience1 and applying it to the remaining period of our lives1 we may satisfy ourselves1 that the years to come will pass away as rapidly1 and1 when gone1 will appear as inconsiderable as the past2 and the effect of this anticipation must be1 to convince us1 that no part of this brief term is to be trifled with1 or unimproved4 ,then1 again1 we have the power of imaging to ourselves1 in a very lively manner1 the circumstances in which death surprises very many thoughtless persons every day2 and what we should feel in their situation4 ,lay then these two things together2 make the shortness of life1 and the terrors of an unprepared death1 the frequent object of your meditation2 and see if the most callous mind will not presently be much affected by them4 #d4 ,the fourth and last vice of the spirit1 which ,i have time to mention to you1 is rather1 perhaps1 to be accounted a complication of vices4 ,but what ,i mean is that unhappy turn of mind which prompts many persons to elude the effects of faith1 reflexion1 and even a lively sense1 in matters of religion1 by certain tricks of ,,sophistry1 which they practise on themselves4 ,they believe1 and they would gladly obtain1 the promises of the gospel1 but repentance1 they suppose1 will supply the place of uniform obedience3 they will repent1 but not yet2 there is time enough1 and fitter for that purpose1 when passion cools1 and the heat of life is over3 or1 they fancy to themselves an inexhaustible fund of goodness in their religion2 the terms of it may not be rigidly insisted upon2 the promises may not be so conditional as they seem to be2 and the threats1 without doubt1 will not be punctually executed4 ,at the worst1 there is no need to despair of mercy1 considering the frailty of man1 and the infinite merits of the ,redeemer4 ,such reasonings as these argue a depraved mind1 and tend1 further1 to deprave it4 ,but your good sense prevents me in the confutation of them4 ,i would only observe1 that this vice is1 as ,i said1 a complicated one3 for1 together with the unfairness and disingenuity 7which belongs to all sophistry1 as such7 we have here united 7what is too common in religious sophistry7 a great deal of unwarrantable presumption4 ,the remedy in the case is1 ,to cultivate in ourselves a modest and ingenuous love of truth2 an awful reverence of the revealed word1 and that simplicity of heart which excludes all artifice and refinement4 ,from these so pernicious vices of the spirit1 then1 that is1 from a fluctuating faith1 an inconsiderate levity1 an inapprehensive deadness of heart1 and a perverse sophistical abuse of the understanding1 let us emancipate ourselves by a firm1 attentive1 vigorous1 and ingenuous dependance on the promises of the gospel2 from these defilements1 ,i say1 in particular 7having shaken off the other more sordid corruptions of the flesh and spirit7 let us anxiously cleanse our minds1 with the view of perfecting holiness1 as the text admonishes1 ,,in ,,the ,,fear ,,of ,,god4 ,this last clause is by no means an insignificant one2 as ye will see by recollecting1 that the true temper of a ,christian is1 hope mixed with fear2 hope1 to animate his courage1 and fear1 to quicken his attention4 ,for1 unless this principle of fear1 not a servile1 but filial fear1 inform the soul and invigorate its functions1 we shall be far from ,,perfecting ,,holiness2 we shall at best exhibit in our lives but some broken1 detached1 incoherent parcels of it4 ,a steady1 uniform piety1 such as begets that hope1 which maketh not ashamed#fb1 is only kept up by a constant watchfulness and circumspection2 which our probationary state plainly demands1 and which nothing but the fear of ,god effectually secures4 ,,sermon ,,xxxiii4 ,,preached ,,april #h1 #aggf4 #a ,,tim4 iii4 #af4 ,without controversy great is the mystery of godliness3 ,god was manifest in the flesh2 justified in the spirit2 seen of ,angels2 preached to the ,gentiles2 believed on in the world2 received up into glory4 ,the inspired writers1 sometimes1 dilate on the articles of the ,christian religion2 pursue them separately1 and at length1 for the fuller and more distinct information of the faithful4 ,sometimes1 again1 they give them to us1 as it were1 in clusters3 they accumulate their awful doctrines and discoveries1 to strike and astonish the mind with their united force4 ,this last is the method of the text1 which ,i shall a little open and explain2 but so as to conform myself to the ,apostle's purpose in giving a brief collective view of ,christianity1 that1 the whole of it being seen together1 we may be the more sensibly affected by it4 #a4 ,this great mystery of godliness opens with--,,god ,,manifest ,,in ,,the ,,flesh4 ,when the scheme of man's redemption was laid1 it was not thought fit that an ,apostle1 a prophet1 a man like ourselves1 no nor an ,angel or ,archangel1 should be the instrument of it2 but that the word of ,god1 the ,son of ,god1 nay ,god himself 7as he is here and elsewhere#fc called7 should take this momentous office upon him3 that heaven should stoop to earth1 and that the divine nature should condescend to leave the mansions of glory1 inshrine itself in a fleshly tabernacle1 should be made man1 should dwell among us1 and die for us4 ,if you ask1 why may not a man1 or angel1 have sufficed to execute this purpose of man's salvation2 or1 if only this divine person was equal to it1 why he did not rather assume a glorified1 than our mortal body2 why it was necessary for him to inherit all our infirmities 7sin only excepted17 and yet be conceived1 in so extraordinary a manner of the holy ,spirit2 nay1 and why he should be so conceived1 and born of a virgin 7a miracle of that peculiar sort as scarce seems capable of proof1 and1 in fact1 is only proved indirectly by the subsequent life and character and history of this divine person73 ,if you ask these1 and a hundred other such questions1 ,i answer readily and frankly1 ,i know not3 ,but then consider1 that my ignorance1 that is1 any man's ignorance1 of the reasons why these things were done1 is no argument1 not so much as a presumption against there being reasons1 nay1 and the best reasons1 for so mysterious a dispensation4 ,consider1 too1 that these mysteries no way contradict any clear principle of your own reason3 all that appears is1 that you should not have expected1 previously to the revelation of it1 such a design to be formed2 and that1 now it is revealed1 you do not understand why it was so conducted4 ,but we are just in the same state of ignorance1 with regard to almost every part of the divine conduct4 ,this world1 so unquestionably the work of infinite wisdom and goodness1 is not1 in numberless respects1 what we should expect it to have been2 of many parts we see not the use and end2 in some1 there is the appearance of deformity2 in others1 of mischief2 in all1 when attentively considered1 of something above1 or beside1 our apprehension4 ,such then being the case of the natural world1 why may not the moral have its depths and difficulties8 ,you see ,god in the creation3 why not in redemption8 ,in the former1 he condescends1 according to our best philosophy1 to manifest himself in the meanest reptile1 all whose instincts he immediately prompts1 and whose movements he directs and governs3 why then might he not manifest himself in man1 though in another manner1 and by an union with him still more close and intimate8 ,but ,i pursue these questions no farther4 ,it is enough that1 admitting the fact1 on the faith of the revelation itself1 we see a wonderful goodness and condescension in this whole procedure3 that we understand the importance of having such a saviour and guide and example of life1 as ,god manifest in the flesh2 that we are led to conceive1 with astonishment1 of the dignity of man1 for whose sake the ,godhead assumed our nature1 and1 at the same time1 with consternation1 of the guilt of man1 for the atonement of which this assumption1 with all its consequences1 became necessary4 ,god manifest in the flesh1 is then the first chapter of this mysterious book3 and yet1 as mysterious as it is1 full of the clearest and most momentous instruction4 #b4 ,the second is1 that this wonderfully compounded person was ,,justified ,,in ,,the ,,spirit3 that is1 by1 or through the ,spirit3 another mystery1 which1 however1 acquaints us with this fact1 that a third divine person ministered in the great work of our redemption4 ,and his ministry was seen in directing the ancient prophets to foretell the ,redeemer's coming#fd2 in accomplishing his miraculous conception#fe2 in assisting at his baptism#ff2 in conducting him through his temptation#fg2 in giving him the power to cast out devils1 which is expressly said to be by the ,spirit of ,god#fh2 in raising him from the dead1 by which event he was declared the ,son of ,god with power1 according to the spirit of holiness#fi2 in descending on his disciples on the day of ,pentecost#gj2 in bestowing diversities of miraculous gifts#ga upon them1 for the confirmation of his doctrine1 and the propagation of it through the world2 and lastly in sanctifying and illuminating the faithful of all times and places#gb4 ,in all these ways 7and if there be any other7 ,jesus was justified1 that is1 his commission was authenticated by the testimony of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,here1 again1 many curious questions may be asked3 but what we clearly learn is1 the awful relation we bear to the ,holy ,ghost1 as co-operating in the scheme of man's redemption2 and the infinite dignity of that scheme itself1 the execution of which required the agency of that transcendantly divine person4 ,hitherto the mystery of godliness has been doubly mysterious1 being wrapped up in the incomprehensible essence of the ,deity4 ,it now stoops1 as it were1 through this cloud of glory1 and gives itself to be somewhat distinctly apprehended by us4 #c4 ,in the next view we have of the ,redeemer1 as being ,,seen ,,of ,,angels4 ,we have some grounds from analogy to conclude1 that1 as there is a scale of beings below us1 there is also one above us3 at least1 the conclusion has been pretty generally drawn3 and the belief almost universal of such a scale ascending from us to ,god1 though the uppermost round of it still be at an infinite distance from his throne4 ,but the direct1 indeed the only solid proof of its existence1 is the revealed word1 which speaks of ,angels and ,archangels1 nay myriads#gc of them1 disposed into different ranks1 and rising above each other in a wonderful harmony and proportion4 ,such is the idea which scripture gives us of the invisible world4 ,now1 to raise our minds to some just apprehension of the great scheme of our redemption1 it represents that world1 as being put in motion by that scheme1 as attentive and earnest to look into it#gd3 and1 to exalt our conceptions of the ,redeemer himself1 it speaks of that world as being in subjection to him2 of all its inhabitants1 the highest in place and dignity1 as serving in his retinue1 and paying homage to his person#ge4 ,they accordingly ministered to him in this capacity1 when they celebrated his birth in the fields of ,bethlehem#gf2 when they took part with him in his triumphs over the adversary in the desart#gg3 when they flew to strengthen him in his last agonies#gh2 when they attended1 in their robes of state to grace his resurrection#gi3 and when they ranked themselves1 with all observance1 about him1 as he went up into heaven#hj4 ,of the angels1 then1 he was seen1 on all these1 and doubtless other1 occasions4 ,but how was he seen8 ,with love and wonder unspeakable1 when they saw their ,lord and ,master thus humbling himself for the sake of man2 when they contemplated this bright effulgence of the ,deity1 the express image of his person#ha1 veiling all his glories in flesh1 and1 --low-rooft beneath the skies1 as our great poet sublimely represents his humiliation#hb4 ,still the mystery continues1 though it now submits itself to the scrutiny of our senses2 for it follows1 #d4 ,that he was ,,preached ,,to ,,the ,,gentiles4 ,to enter into the full meaning of this clause1 we are to reflect1 ,that1 when the nations of the earth had so prodigiously corrupted themselves as to lose the memory of the true religion1 and to give themselves over to the most abominable impieties1 it pleased ,god to select one faithful family from the rest of the degenerate world1 and in due time to advance it into a numerous people2 which he vouchsafed to take into a near relation to himself1 and1 by a singular policy1 to preserve distinct and separate from the surrounding tribes of ,idolaters4 ,henceforth1 the ,jews 7for of that people ,i speak7 considered themselves as the sole favourites of ,heaven 7as they were1 indeed1 the sole worshippers of the true ,god71 and all the heathen as the outcasts of its providence4 ,this notion1 in process of time1 became so rooted in them1 that when ,jesus now appeared in ,judea1 they were ready to engross all his favours to themselves1 and thought it strange and incredible1 that any part of them should be conferred on the reprobate heathen4 ,so that he himself was obliged to proceed with much caution in opening the extent of his commission1 and ,st4 ,paul everywhere speaks of the design to save the ,gentiles as the profoundest mystery1 as that which had been kept secret since the world began#hc4 ,in the mean time1 the mercy of ,god had much larger views1 and sent the ,messiah to be the saviour of ,,all men1 especially of them1 out of every nation1 that believe#hd4 ,but this mercy1 so mysterious to the ,jews1 could not be much less so to the ,gentiles1 who must feel how disproportioned the blessing was to any deserts of man2 and who saw how enormous and how general that corruption was1 which in all likelihood must exclude them from it4 ,thus it might reasonably be matter of silent wonder#he1 to both parties1 to hear ,christ preached to the ,gentiles3 only1 this latter 7of which party we ourselves are7 might say with a peculiar exultation1 what the ,jews1 even in glorifying the ,author of it1 were not1 without some reluctance1 brought to acknowledge2 ,then hath ,god1 also1 to the ,gentiles granted repentance unto life4 ,and if the surprize be deservedly great to hear ,christ preached to the ,gentiles1 it must in all reason grow upon us to find1 #e4 ,in the succeeding link of this mysterious chain1 that he was even ,,believed ,,on ,,in ,,the ,,world2 that is1 in the world both of ,jews and ,gentiles2 in the former1 to a certain extent2 and1 in the latter1 to one which1 though not universal1 is truly astonishing4 ,of the ,jews it is affirmed1 that multitudes#hf of them believed3 and what especially redounds to their honour and to our benefit1 is1 that out of the ,jewish believers were taken those favoured servants of ,god1 that opened the door of faith to the ,gentiles1 and became his instruments in conveying the light of the ,gospel to all generations4 ,and1 considering the inveterate prejudices of that people1 such a measure of faith1 and such effects of it1 could not well have been expected from that quarter4 ,but then1 for the ,gentiles1 it is astonishing to observe how quick and how general their conversion to the faith was3 so that all men seemed to press#hg into the kingdom of ,god1 and1 as it were1 to take it by violence#hh4 ,for1 within forty years from the death of ,christ1 the sound of the ,gospel had gone out into all lands#hi2 and1 in less than three centuries from that event1 the empire itself1 that is1 all the civilized part of the earth1 became ,christian3 and this1 in spite of every obstruction1 which the lusts of men1 operating with all their force1 and confederated together1 could throw in the way of the new religion4 ,so mightily grew the word of ,god1 and prevailed#ij6 and it still prevails3 not every where indeed1 nor any where to that degree in which1 we trust1 it one day will2 but to a certain degree over a great part of the globe1 and especially in the more enlightened parts of it3 an evident proof1 that reason is congenial with faith2 and that nothing but ignorance1 corrupted by vice1 can hold out against the cross of ,jesus4 ,yet this power of the cross must be thought prodigious2 since its pretensions are so high1 and its doctrine so pure1 that1 in a world overgrown with presumption and vice1 it could never have made its way to so much consideration1 if the hand of ,god had not been with it4 ,such is the mystery of ,christ believed on in the world6 ,but now the ,apostle1 who had digressed a little from his main subject1 or rather had anticipated some part of it1 returns1 from the effects which ,christianity was to have on the world1 to the person of its divine ,author2 who1 as it follows in the #f4 ,sixth1 and last clause of this panegyrick1 ,,was ,,received ,,up ,,into ,,glory4 ,and this circumstance was proper to shut up so stupendous a scene4 ,it opened with a view of ,god manifest in the flesh1 degraded1 eclipsed1 obscured by this material vestment2 yet emerging out of its dark shade through the countenance of the spirit1 and by the ministry of angels2 then shining out in the face of the ,gentiles1 and gradually ascending to his meridian height in the conversion of the whole world4 ,yet was this prize of glory to be won by a long and painful conflict with dangers1 sufferings1 and death2 in regard to which last enemy 7the most alarming of all7 the ,apostle affirms1 that it was not possible for so divine a person to be holden of it#ia4 ,it follows1 therefore1 naturally and properly 7to vindicate the ,redeemer's honour1 and to replace him in that celestial state1 from which he had descended71 that1 in his own person1 he triumphed over hell and the grave1 and went up visibly into heaven2 there to sit down at the right hand of the ,father1 till1 his great mediatorial scheme being accomplished1 he himself shall voluntarily quit the distinction of his name and place1 and ,,god ,,shall ,,be ,,all ,,in ,,all#ib4 ,on this brief comment on the text1 thus far unfolded to you1 ,i have but one reflexion to make4 ,ye will not derive from it a clearer insight into the reasons of all the wonders presented to you3 for ,i undertook only to lay before you those wonders themselves2 not to account to you for them3 but1 if ye feel yourselves touched with a view of these things2 if ye find your hearts impressed with an awful sense of your divine religion1 and nourished#ic in the faith of it1 then will ye be in a way to reap that fruit from this discourse1 which is better than all wisdom and all knowledge2 the fruit of ,,holiness1 in this short but unspeakably momentous stage of your existence2 and of ,,happiness without measure1 and without end1 in the kingdom of glory4 ,,sermon ,,xxxiv4 ,,preached ,,may #ai1 #aggf4 ,,isaiah l4 #aa4 ,behold1 all ye that kindle a fire1 that compass yourselves about with sparks2 ,walk in the light of your fire1 and in the sparks which ye have kindled3 ,this shall ye have of my hand1 ye shall lie down in sorrow4 ,the expression1 we see1 is figurative4 ,by the fire kindled1 and the sparks1 with which men compass themselves about1 may1 indeed1 be understood any of those worldly comforts1 such as honours1 riches1 and pleasures1 which the generality of men are studious to procure to themselves2 and in the light of which they love to walk1 as being that1 which1 in their opinion1 contributes most to warm1 to chear1 and illustrate human life4 ,the effect1 however1 of these comforts1 is1 that they who possess the largest share of them1 and seek for no other1 lie down in sorrow3 that is1 their lives are without joy1 and their end is without hope4 ,this is the recompense1 which they receive from the hand of ,god2 as might easily be shewn1 if my purpose1 at this time1 were to enlarge of that common-place in morals1 the unsatisfactory nature of all earthly enjoyments4 ,but my design is to engage your thoughts on a different argument1 to which the letter of the text more directly leads us4 ,for light1 in all languages1 is the emblem of knowledge2 which is to the mind1 what that is to the eye3 ,and1 the speaker in the text being ,god himself1 we are naturally led to interpret that light1 of religious knowledge2 that genial fire1 which1 more than the ,sun itself1 is necessary to warm our spirits1 and guide our steps through the cold and dark passage of this life4 ,the question is1 ,whether we are to kindle this fire1 for ourselves2 or1 whether we should not derive it1 if we have it in our power so to do1 immediately from heaven3 ,whether we shall do best to walk in the light of those few sparks1 which our ,reason is able to strike out for us1 on the subject of religion2 or1 whether it will not be our interest1 and should not be our choice1 to take the benefit of that pure and steady flame1 which ,revelation holds out to us4 ,the text1 in a severe1 indignant irony1 refers us to the former of these expedients1 the better to excite our attention to the latter4 ,walk1 says the ,almighty1 addressing himself to the idolaters of human reason1 ,walk in the light of your fire1 and in the sparks which ye have kindled4 ,but to what end is this advice given8 ,to one1 they little dreamt of1 and would surely avoid--,this ye shall have of my hand1 in recompense of all your speculations1 ,ye shall lie down in sorrow4 ,it seems1 then1 to be the purpose of the text1 to inculcate this great truth1 ,that ,revelation is the only sure and comfortable guide in matters of religion4 ,and1 to second this purpose1 so energetically expressed by the prophet1 ,i would now shew you1 that all the sparks of human knowledge1 on this important subject1 are but smoke2 and all the fire1 which human genius or industry can kindle at the altar of human reason1 ice itself2 when compared with the light and heat of divine ,revelation4 ,i ,,suppose1 that we are all convinced of what the voice of nature so loudly proclaims1 that there is a ,god1 a moral governor of the world2 and that we are intimately related to him1 and dependant upon him4 ,the sum of our religious inquiries will then be ,i4 ,what we are to do1 in order to obtain the favour of that ,god3 ,and ,,ii4 ,what that favour is1 which1 when we have done our best1 we have reason to expect from him4 ,now1 it will be easy to shew1 that the issue of our best reason1 in the former of these enquiries1 is suspense and doubt2 and despair1 or disappointment1 in the latter4 ,it will appear1 that we cannot assure ourselves of the means1 by which the favour of ,heaven is to be obtained2 and that the highest degree of favour1 we have a right to claim1 is not that to which we aspire4 ,so fated are we1 when trusting to the faint1 delusive light of our own minds1 on this great1 this only important subject1 to lie down in sorrow4 ,i4 ,to begin with the consideration of what we are to do1 in order to obtain the favour of ,god4 ,that we are to worship ,god1 will be allowed by all reasonable theists4 ,but in what way is he to be worshipped8 ,by ,,gifts ,,and ,,offerings8 ,so a great part of the world has believed4 ,but1 by what gifts and offerings1 how1 and when1 and where1 and by whom presented8 ,are all indifferent to him1 and is no preference due to some above others8 or1 may not my offering lose its value1 unless made in a certain manner8 ,is it of no moment with what rites ,i tender my gifts to ,god8 ,are all seasons equally fit2 are all places equally pure2 are all persons equally hallowed1 for the oblation of them8 ,or1 again1 are gifts and offerings1 to the lord of all things1 impertinent and vain8 ,and is my reverence of him to be expressed by acts of ,,self-,,denial1 ,,penance1 ,,and ,,mortification8 ,so the pious of all times have very generally conceived4 ,but by what penance1 to what end referred1 to what degree carried1 and how long continued8 ,we may think of these questions1 and of ourselves1 what we will4 ,but such questions1 as these1 have been asked by wise men1 and1 when those wise men had only to take council of their own reason1 have rarely been answered to their satisfaction4 ,or1 let us advance a step further1 and say that our dependance on ,god is to be signified1 and his favour obtained1 by ,,prayer3 that gifts are mercenary1 and penance servile2 both1 a manifest affront to the all-sufficient and all-merciful ,deity2 and that the supplications of a devout mind are the only incense fit for heaven4 ,be it so3 ,good and wise men have at all times thought highly of prayer2 and are generally agreed in recommending it as the most becoming expression of human piety4 ,but here again1 doubts and difficulties meet us4 ,how are we to pray1 and for what8 ,are all forms of address equally acceptable to him1 we adore8 ,the ,gentile world thought not3 they were solicitous to petition their ,gods in a certain style1 and to gain their ear by some favourite appellation4 ,let this1 again1 pass for a scruple of superstition4 ,still1 is it indifferent with what sentiments we approach the throne of ,god1 and with what ideas of his nature and attributes we prostrate ourselves before him8 ,if those sentiments or ideas be not suited1 in some degree1 to the majesty of that great being1 is there no danger that we may dishonour1 may injure1 may insult him by our addresses8 ,may not our very prayers become affronts1 and our praises1 blasphemies8 ,and is it so easy to think justly on this mysterious subject1 as that reason1 every man's own reason1 can instruct him8 ,what if two or three divine men of the pagan world guessed right8 ,was their opinion any rule1 was it even any authority1 to the bulk of worshippers#id8 ,but say1 that it was their own fault to misconceive of the ,deity3 still1 for what shall they pray to him8 ,for every thing1 they want or wish8 ,but thus1 they would most commonly pray amiss1 for what they should pray against1 for what would corrupt and hurt them4 ,these difficulties1 with regard both to the mode and matter of this duty1 appeared so great to the old masters of wisdom1 that some#ie of them thought it the highest effort of human wit1 to form a reasonable prayer2 and others supposed that none but ,god himself could instruct man how to do it#if4 ,there is a way1 indeed1 to cut these difficulties short2 which is1 by maintaining1 as some#ig have done1 that prayer is no duty at all2 but a vain superfluous observance1 justly ranked with the fancies of superstition3 that ,god is not honoured by any external1 no1 nor by any mental1 applications to him3 that a good conscience#ih is true piety1 and a spotless life1 the only religion4 ,admit this exalted idea of divine worship2 yet1 where shall we find1 among the sons of ,adam1 one such worshipper8 ,who shall lay claim to that conscience1 or this life8 ,where is the man1 that passes a single day1 an hour almost1 without doing that which he ought not to do1 or omitting somewhat he ought to have done8 ,and what multitudes are there1 who cover themselves with infamy1 and with crimes8 ,and what shall the trembling mind do1 when it looks up1 as at times it cannot help doing1 to that ,god1 who is of purer eyes1 than to behold iniquity8 ,repent1 it will be said3 that species of piety is all-powerful with ,heaven2 it can efface sin1 and restore tranquillity4 ,here1 again1 the general sense of mankind runs another way4 ,for1 if it be so clear1 that repentance alone has this virtue1 how came the idea of atonement and expiation into the world8 and whence the almost universal practice of propitiatory sacrifices8 ,it is easy1 no doubt1 to brand this disposition of the human mind1 as so many others1 with the opprobrious name of superstition4 ,let us see1 then1 what the merits and claims are1 of ,repentance itself4 ,a man offends against ,god1 and the sense of his own mind4 ,on reflexion 7what can he do less87 he repents2 and 7if it please ,god7 is forgiven4 ,but passion revives2 he offends again1 and repents again2 and so goes on1 through his whole life1 in a course of alternate transgression1 and repentance4 ,and is this all the claim he has to be received1 at length1 into the favour of ,god1 that he never sinned1 though he did it every day1 but he was sorry for it8 ,yes1 you will say1 ,if my brother trespass against me seven times in a day1 and seven times in a day turn again and repent1 ,i am bound by the law of ,christ himself to forgive him#ii4 ,and will ,god be less placable1 than his creature man is required to be#ajj8 ,this rule of conduct is very fit to be observed by one offender towards another3 but is it past a doubt that it will1 that it must take place between ,god and man8 ,,we are bound to this repeated1 this continual forgiveness of others1 by a sense of our common infirmities4 ,,he has a government to support2 of what extent1 over what worlds1 and how connected with this1 no man may say3 ,and what would become of government in this world1 if every convict was to be pardoned on repentance8 ,nor is it enough to reply1 that human governors cannot pronounce on the sincerity of such repentance4 ,if they could1 they would certainly not regulate their proceedings by that consideration4 ,the law has denounced a penalty on such a crime3 ,and the public interest requires that the penalty1 for example-sake1 be inflicted4 ,something1 like this1 may be true of ,god's moral government4 ,no man can say1 it is not4 ,and therefore repentance1 as plausible as its plea may appear1 can never free the guilty mind from all apprehension4 ,but another dreadful circumstance attends this matter4 ,we often satisfy ourselves1 that we repent of a past crime3 ,yet we commit that crime again2 perhaps the very next hour4 ,can we call that repentance sincere8 ,or1 have we a right to conclude that ,god1 who sees through all the prevarication and duplicity of our hearts1 must accept such repentance1 on our profession of it8 ,let what virtue there will be in repentance1 when seen by the unerring eye of ,god to be true and unfeigned1 how shall man reckon on the efficacy of it1 when he may so easily mistake1 and cannot certainly know the real worth and character of what he calls repentance8 ,here then1 whether we consider what the moral attributes of the ,deity1 and his righteous government1 may demand2 or whether we regard the weakness and inefficacy of our best purposes2 there is room enough for the terrors of religion to invade and possess the mind1 in spite of all that ,reason can do to repell1 or dislodge them from it4 ,after all1 in contemplation of that infinite mercy which surrounds the throne of ,god1 and of the infirmity incident to frail man1 ,i am willing to suppose 7as it is our common interest to do7 that repentance1 at all times1 and how oft soever renewed1 is a ground1 on which he may reasonably build fair hopes and chearful expectations4 ,to repent1 is always the best thing we can do3 ,it is always a conduct right in itself2 and1 as such1 is intitled1 we will say1 on the principles of natural religion1 to the divine acceptance4 ,but what does that ,,acceptance import8 ,the reward of eternal life8 ,a remission of all punishment8 or1 only an abatement of it8 ,here1 again1 fresh difficulties start up1 and come to be considered1 ,,ii4 ,under the second general head of this discourse2 in which it was proposed to inquire1 ,what that favour is1 which1 when we have done our best to recommend ourselves to ,god1 we have reason to expect at his hands8 #a4 ,if presumptuous man could learn to estimate himself at his true worth1 he might perhaps see reason to conclude1 that his highest moral merit can pretend to no more1 than to some abatement of present or future punishment4 ,let him calculate how oft1 how knowingly1 how willfully he hath offended2 and1 on the other hand1 when he did his duty1 how coldly1 how remissly1 how reluctantly he did it3 with what a gust of passion he disobeyed2 and with what indifference he repented3 with how full a consent of his mind1 with what deliberation1 and against what conviction1 he sinned2 and then1 again1 with what hesitation1 by what degrees1 in what circumstances1 and upon what motives1 he recovered himself from any bad habit3 ,in a word1 how full and complete and contagious his vices have been2 and how faint and partial and ineffective1 his best virtues3 ,let him1 ,i say1 calculate all this1 and then tell us where is the stock of merit1 on the balance of the account1 that should encourage him to do more than hope that some part of the punishment1 he hath justly incurred1 may by a merciful judge be struck off1 in consideration of his virtues8 ,if such a man recovered his health1 when he left his intemperance2 or his credit in the world1 when he shook hands with his injustice2 or1 if his penitence could avail so far as to shorten the term1 or qualify the rigour1 of his sufferings in some other state of being1 would he not have reason to think he had all the recompense he deserved8 ,could most men1 at least1 on a strict scrutiny of their hearts and lives1 carry their pretensions higher8 ,but1 #b4 ,but let us be indulgent to human virtue1 and suppose it pure and active enough to work out all the guilt1 which vice had contracted1 could it do more than cancel the punishment due to vice1 and should we be authorized to expect more than a full remission of it8 ,suppose1 that after a long life1 checquered with good and bad actions1 but in such sort as that the good equalled the bad1 and perfectly atoned for them 7and which of us will say1 that this is not a favourable supposition872 suppose1 ,i say1 that after such a life1 as this1 the whole man were suffered to fall into a state of insensibility1 that all his powers and faculties were suspended1 or the man himself utterly extinguished1 could we complain of this allotment1 or could reason pretend that it was not according to the rules of strict justice8 #c4 ,still ,i agree to make a further concession to the pride of ,virtue4 ,let the moral qualities of some men be so excellent1 and the tenour of their lives so pure1 as to entitle them to a positive reward from the great searcher of hearts and inspector of human actions3 would not the daily blessings of this life be a suitable recompense for such desert2 would not health1 and prosperity1 and reputation1 and peace of mind1 be an adequate return for their best services8 ,or1 if all this did not satisfy their claims1 could they require more than such a portion of happiness in a future state1 as should correspond to their merits1 and make them full amends for all the sacrifices they here made to ,conscience and to ,virtue8 ,and might not a small degree of such happiness1 and for a short term1 be an equivalent for such sacrifices8 ,could they dream of living for ever1 and of living happily for ever in heaven2 and call such a reward1 as this1 a debt1 a claim of right1 which could not justly be withheld from them8 ,could any man in his senses pretend1 even to himself1 that a ,virtue of sixty or seventy years1 though ever so perfect1 ever so constant1 deserved immortal life in bliss and glory8 ,incredible3 impossible3 the merit and the recompense are too widely disjoined1 the disproportion between them is too vast1 to give the least colour of reason to such expectations4 ,a ,saint1 or a ,martyr1 has no claim of right to so immense a reward1 so transcendant a felicity4 ',tis true1 ,christianity gives us these hopes1 which ,reason forwardly assumes1 and makes her own2 forgetting at the same time1 or unthankfully slighting1 the only grounds on which they are founded4 ,for1 though eternal life be promised to favoured man in the ,gospel1 it is there promised to him1 not as a debt1 but as a free gift2 and that1 not in consideration of his good works1 but of his faith in ,jesus4 ,see then1 to what the hopes of nature1 the conclusions of reason and philosophy1 amount1 on this interesting subject4 ,we are in the hands of an all-wise and all-righteous ,god1 and are undone without his favour4 ,yet how that favour is to be obtained1 we know not2 or1 if we do know1 we are unable of ourselves to obtain it in the degree1 we wish1 and to the ends1 for which we aspire to it4 ,our best speculations on the means of propitiating ,heaven1 are mixed with uncertainty2 and our best hopes dashed with mistrust and suspicion4 ,for what man is so righteous as to have perfect confidence in his good works2 or1 so sanguine1 as to think heaven the due reward of them8 ,and yet will any thing1 short of this1 content our impatient desires8 ,should our virtues merit no more than some abatement of future misery1 so justly due to our innumerable ill deserts1 how sad a prospect have we before us8 or1 if they do but free us from punishment1 what man is so abject as not to shudder at the thought of extinction or insensibility8 or1 lastly1 if they supply some faint hope of future reward1 what generous man but wishes more to himself1 than a slight1 a precarious1 and short-lived happiness2 beyond which1 as we have seen1 he has no right to extend his expectations8 ,if the ,gentiles1 who had only the light of ,nature to conduct them1 had no way to get quit of these doubts and fears1 their condition was certainly unhappy1 but would bespeak the mercy of ,god3 their disadvantages and distresses would be allowed for1 and considered by him4 ,but for those1 who have now the light of ,heaven shining about them1 and yet chuse to walk in the dim1 disastrous twilight of their own reason1 what must be their folly1 as well as misery8 ,i say1 their misery4 ,for this last is no secret to observing men1 notwithstanding the airs of gaiety and satisfaction1 they sometimes assume2 and indeed deserves the tenderest pity1 though their perverse folly be apt to excite a different passion4 ,but to conclude3 ,it is enough to have shewn1 in justification of the sacred text1 that they who walk in the light of their own fire1 and in the sparks which they have kindled1 have this recompense of their choice1 allotted to them by the hand of ,god1 and the nature of things1 ,that they do and must lie down in sorrow4 ,to you1 who have determined more wisely to govern yourselves by faith1 and not by ,reason only2 who rejoice to walk in the clear sunshine of the blessed ,gospel1 and not in the malignant light of philosophical speculation1 ,to you1 ,i say1 the reward of your better conduct1 is1 that ye know how to recommend yourselves to the favour of ,god2 and ye know what to expect from that favour3 ,ye understand that1 by ,,faith ,,and ,,repentance1 ye have peace of mind in this transitory life1 and assured hopes of immortal unspeakable felicity1 reserved for you in the heavens4 ,,sermon ,,xxxv4 ,,preached ,,november #ae1 #agfg4 #b ,,cor4 iv4 #c4 ,if our ,gospel be hid1 it is hid to them that are lost4 ,the text implies1 that the evidence1 with which ,christianity is attended1 may fail of convincing the minds of some men4 ,and indeed from the time that the ,sun of righteousness rose upon the earth1 there have always been those1 who could not1 or would not1 be enlightened by ,him4 ,now it might be a question1 whether this effect were owing to the nature of the evidence itself1 or to some obscurity in the manner of proposing it4 ,this1 ,i say1 might have been a question1 even among ,christians themselves1 if the ,apostle had not determined it to our hands4 ,he who was fully instructed in the truths of the ,gospel1 knew the evidence1 with which they were accompanied1 was enlightened by the same spirit that had inspired them1 and had great experience in the different tempers and capacities of men1 roundly asserts that ,infidelity has no countenance1 either from within or without1 neither from the sort or degree of evidence1 by which the ,christian ,revelation is supported1 nor from any mysterious conveyance of it2 but that1 universally1 the fault lies in those1 who do not receive it4 ,if the ,gospel be hid1 it is hid to them that are lost3 to those1 who would not be convinced by any evidence whatsoever4 ,what the evidences of ,christianity1 in fact1 are1 and how abundantly sufficient for the conviction of all reasonable men1 ,i shall not now enquire4 ,the subject is fitter for a volume1 than a discourse in this place4 ,let it be supposed1 on ,st4 ,paul's authority1 that those evidences are sufficient2 still ye may be curious to know1 and it may tend to the establishment of your faith to understand1 how it has come to pass1 that so much light could be resisted4 ,to this question a pertinent answer has been given from the prejudices and passions1 from the vices and corruptions of unbelievers2 it being no new thing that men should love darkness rather than light1 when their deeds are1 and when they have resolved with themselves they shall be1 evil#aja4 ,for1 as our ,lord himself argues in this case1 ,every one that doth evil1 hateth the light1 lest his deeds should be reproved3 ,but he that doth the ,truth1 cometh to the light1 that his deeds may be manifested1 that they are wrought in ,god#ajb4 ,but then it has been replied1 that1 though ,vice may be many times the ground of infidelity1 and the condemnation of such men be just1 yet that some1 too1 have disbelieved from no such motives2 that the ,gospel has been rejected by persons1 who appear to have been men of large and liberal minds1 as free1 as others1 from all perverse prejudices1 and as little subject to gross vice or passion3 ,nay1 that1 in the class of unbelievers1 there have been those who have distinguished themselves as much by the purity of their lives1 as the brightness of their understandings4 ,all this may be true2 and yet our ,saviour affirms1 that he1 who believeth not1 is condemned already#ajc2 and ,st4 ,paul in the text1 to the same purpose1 that if the ,gospel be hid1 it is hid to them that are lost4 ,there must needs1 then1 be some latent cause of this strange fact2 some secret depravity lurking in the mind of those1 who disbelieve the ,gospel1 thought appearances be thus fair and flattering4 ,and1 though ,christian ,charity be not forward to think evil of his neighbour1 yet in this case we have reason to suspect it3 and what we suspect1 we may perhaps find1 in a ,,vice so secret and insinuating1 that it creeps upon men unawares2 so congenial1 as it were1 to our depraved nature1 that hardly any man can be sure of his being wholly free from it2 and so ingenious in disguising itself1 as to pass upon others1 nay upon the man possessed by it1 for one of his best qualities4 ,by these characters1 ye will easily see ,i speak of self-love1 or rather the vicious exertion of it in what we call1 ,,pride3 ,a vice1 which may as fatally obstruct our pursuit of ,truth1 as any the most vulgar immorality2 and the rather1 because it is not easily suspected or acknowledged by us4 ,this vice then it may be1 that hides the ,gospel from those better sort of men1 to whom it is hid4 ,they had need examine themselves well1 for it assumes1 as ,i said1 the most imposing forms4 ,who would look for it1 in the cultivation of the mind1 and the love of ,virtue8 ,yet in either of these1 it may lie concealed3 and an inquirer into the truth of the most rational1 and the purest of all religions1 may be prejudiced against it by a double ,pride1 by the ,,pride ,,of ,,reason1 and the ,,pride ,,of ,,virtue4 ,i4 ,,first1 ,infidelity may proceed from the ,pride of ,reason4 ,when it pleased ,god to bestow the faculty of ,reason on his creature1 ,man1 he intended that this substitute of himself should be the guide of life1 and the handmaid of ,religion4 ,and that it might serve to these purposes1 it was made sagacious enough1 if honestly exerted1 to lead him to some competent knowledge of his ,maker1 and of his moral duty1 and to judge of the pretensions of any further light from ,heaven1 which might be graciously vouchsafed to him4 ,man1 proud of this free ,gift1 was in haste to make trial of its strength2 and finding it could do something1 too easily concluded it could do every thing4 ,yet its weakness soon appeared2 first1 in man's transgression1 and consequent forfeiture of another free ,gift1 that of immortality2 and next1 in the portentous errors he fell into1 both in respect of virtue and religion4 ,for ,god1 who had graciously intended for him1 in due time1 another and safer guide1 to prepare him for the reception of it1 and to convince him1 in the mean time1 how much it was wanted1 had suffered him to abuse this1 to the worst purposes1 of immorality1 and idolatry3 by both which the earth was generally overspread for many ages1 and even in the most enlightened times1 notwithstanding his ,reason might1 and should have taught him better4 ,but ,god's wisdom and goodness foresaw this abuse1 and provided1 from the first1 for the correction of it4 ,he had signified his purpose from the moment of man's transgression1 and afterwards by a gradual opening of his scheme1 in many successive revelations2 all terminating in that universal redemption of mankind by the sacrifice1 and through the ,gospel1 of his ,son4 ,this last and greatest instance of the divine love for man1 it might be expected1 after so much experience of his own debility and folly1 he would gladly and thankfully receive2 and1 that he might be qualified to discern the hand of ,god from the practices of fallible and designing men1 was one main end1 as ,i said1 which ,god designed in lighting up the lamp of ,reason in him4 ,but now this boasted ,guide1 though found to be poor and weak1 grew proud and presumptuous4 ,it would not only judge of the credentials of divine ,revelation 7which was its proper office1 and without which faculty of judging there could be no security from the endless impostures of fanaticism and superstition1 but not content with this power7 it would decide peremptorily on the nature and fitness of the ,revelation itself2 and would either admit none1 or such only1 as it should perfectly comprehend4 ,here1 then1 ,reason forgot its own use1 and power3 its use1 which was to bring him to the acknowledgement of a divine ,religion2 and its power1 which did not enable him to judge of the infinite counsels of ,god1 but to try whether any such were revealed to him4 ,in a word1 he forgot that his utmost capacity extended no farther than just to see whether the proposed ,revelation were such as might come from ,god1 as contradicting no clear and certain principles of reason1 and whether the evidences were such as proved that it did so4 ,if it contained nothing repugnant to right ,reason1 that is1 to a prior light derived from the same source of ,truth1 it might come from ,heaven2 if the attestations of it were clear and convincing1 it must proceed from that quarter4 ,to try its credibility and authority1 was then within the province of ,reason3 to determine of its absolute necessity and fitness1 and to explore the depth and height of those counsels1 on which it is framed1 was above its reach and comprehension4 ,yet ,reason assumed to herself1 too generally1 this latter office2 and this ,i call1 the ,,pride of ,reason4 ,hence all its wanderings and miscarriages2 from this perverse application of its powers arose all the heresies that have distracted the ,christian ,church1 and all the infidel systems that have been invented to overthrow it4 ,in both cases1 men would be wise above1 or against1 what was written4 ,of the ,heresies1 ,i have nothing to say at this time4 ,they appear at large in the ecclesiastical historian4 ,of the dreams of infidelity1 as arising from the fumes of pride1 so much is to be said1 as my present subject requires of me1 but this in as few words as possible4 ,the pride of ,reason has then pronounced 7as it operated at different times1 and on different tempers71 that ,revelation is unnecessary1 because ,reason could see and discover by its own light all that was needful to our direction and happiness--that1 if it were wanted by us1 it was impossible to be given consistently with the laws of nature and experience--that as to that pretended scheme of ,revelation1 called the ,gospel1 its morality indeed was pure enough1 but that it carried no other internal marks of its divinity3 that its doctrines were such as ,reason would not expect1 and in many cases could not understand3 that it talked of divine things in a manner that was strange and extraordinary2 of a purpose to redeem mankind which1 if it were needful at all1 might have been effected by more rational and less operose methods2 and to save and sanctify them by such means as seemed fanciful and delusive3 that the divine nature was spoken of in high mysterious terms1 which puzzle and confound our ,metaphysics2 and that the offices1 in which the ,godhead was employed1 are either degrading1 or such as imply an immoderate and inconceivable condescension4 ,and what then1 say others1 is the basis on which this incredible ,revelation rests8 ,why on ,miracles1 which we cannot admit1 as being violations or suspensions of those laws1 by which we know the ,supreme ,being governs the world2 and on ,prophecies1 which may have been feigned1 as many have been1 or which imply such a prescience in the ,deity of free contingent events1 as is perhaps impossible4 ,if the ,gospel then is to be admitted as a truly divine ,revelation1 convince us1 that its external proofs are above all doubt and suspicion2 and that all its internal characters are such as lie open to the perfect scrutiny1 and entire investigation of our faculties4 ,thus does the ,pride of ,reason vaunt itself1 against ,reason4 ,for1 if to any or all of these objections 7on which so many infidel systems hang7 we should only say1 that they are nothing to the purpose1 what could the objectors reply to us8 ,if pressed closely1 they could only take refuge in this principle1 that no ,religion can be divine1 all the reasons of which are not fully known to us2 a principle1 for which they have surely no warrant from right ,reason4 ,how do they know what is necessary1 or fit1 or right1 with regard to the divine dispensations1 ,i mean 7which is the case here7 when they only silence1 not contradict our ,reason8 ,every thing may be fit and right1 and might appear to be so1 if the whole scheme of ,providence were fully unveiled to us4 ,it must be fit and right1 whether we see it or no1 if the ,religion in question be credibly attested3 ,and the credibility will depend not on our fancies or expectations of ,i know not what irresistible evidence 7which it might be best and wisest not to give7 but on the real moment of the arguments1 on which it is established4 ,so that the last effort of ,infidelity is only an appeal to the ignorance of mankind2 which proves nothing but the necessity of a long-forgotten virtue1 ,modesty1 in our researches into ,religion4 ,we see then how the ,pride of ,reason has betrayed presumptuous men into a disbelief of ,revelation1 and how true it is that1 if the ,gospel be hid1 it is hid to them that are lost1 as well by this means1 as by any other4 ,,ii4 ,but1 secondly1 there is ,a ,,pride ,,of ,,virtue1 as well as of ,reason3 and by this ,pride1 too1 7such is the infirmity of our common nature7 the ,gospel may be hid from us4 ,on whatever foundation a man chuses to build his moral system1 he easily convinces himself of the worth and excellence of moral action4 ,the reasonableness1 the utility1 and the beauty of ,virtue are so conspicuous1 that even the vicious look up to her with respect1 and the virtuous easily grow enamoured of her4 ,thus it came to be among the extravagances of the ,stoics1 its best friends in the pagan world1 that virtue was not only the perfection of man's nature1 but that it raised him in some sense1 above the ,divine#ajd4 ,and to make their arrogant system all of a piece1 they further maintained that this super-celestial virtue1 in which they gloried1 was their own proper acquisition2 that they derived it wholly from themselves1 and that ,god did not1 and could not give it#aje4 ,this1 you will say1 was stoical pride2 but it is1 too commonly1 also1 the pride of virtue1 of whatever denomination4 ,penetrated with a lively sense of its use and excellence1 virtuous men1 especially of a certain temperament1 take fire from their own heated ideas1 and flame out into a kind of moral fanaticism4 ,they consider virtue1 as the supreme and only good1 absolute in itself1 and independant of any other4 ,they exalt and deify themselves in their own imaginations2 and1 though their language may be more decent1 the sense of their hearts is truly stoical4 ,see1 now1 whether virtue1 under this intoxication1 be in a condition to benefit by the sober truths of the ,gospel4 ,it presents to us a frightful picture of the moral world2 much is said concerning the weakness and inefficacy of moral virtue4 ,this representation1 of itself1 is disgusting4 ,but one great design of the ,gospel was to reform this state of things3 ,and thus far is well3 ,but by what means would it reform it8 ,why1 among others1 by ,faith and ,hope4 ,yet1 in ,faith1 the proud moralist sees no virtue1 at all2 and ,hope1 in his ideas1 degrades and servilizes his adored virtue4 ,the ,gospel proposes to save us by the sacrifice of ,christ3 ,but ,he acknowledges no need of any sacrifice2 relies1 with confidence1 on his own merits2 and disdains the notion of an intercessor4 ,he holds1 that nothing more could be intended by a ,revelation1 if such were given1 than the promotion of our virtue2 and that we want not its aid1 for that purpose3 that we read our duty in the sense of our own minds2 which ,reason enforces in as high terms1 as the ,gospel1 in a more engaging way1 and on principles more sublime and generous4 ,above all1 the ,gospel speaks much of the succours of ,grace1 as necessary to infuse and to confirm our virtue2 a language1 which the ,pride of virtue will not understand3 ,and of a ,heaven1 and a ,hell2 by which if any thing more be meant than the proper natural effects of virtue and vice itself1 the idea is rejected1 as superfluous and even childish4 ,to such an extreme of folly1 and even impiety1 may the ,pride of virtue carry us2 and so fatally may the ,gospel be hid from those1 whom this last infirmity of human nature blinds by its specious illusions6 ,and that this is no ideal picture1 but one taken from the life1 will appear to those who know any thing of human nature2 and of the perverse prejudices1 by which some ingenious1 and otherwise virtuous men1 have suffered themselves to be misled in their religious inquiries#ajf4 ,enough has been said to shew the issue of intellectual and moral ,pride3 ,and how it comes to pass that men lose themselves1 who reason1 on ,religion1 without modesty1 or would be virtuous without ,religion4 ,the application is short1 but striking4 ,it is1 ,that men should examine themselves well1 before they presume to think slightly of the ,gospel4 ,they may learn to suspect the power and influence of their grosser passions1 when they see that even these refined ones may corrupt their judgement1 and betray them into ,infidelity4 ,the ,apostle says expressly1 that if the ,gospel be hid1 it is hid to them that are lost3 and who1 that rejects the ,gospel1 but must tremble for himself1 when his ,,reason1 nay his ,,virtue1 may be the instrument of his ruin8 ,,sermon ,,xxxvi4 ,,preached ,,november #ac1 #aggd4 #a ,,peter iii4 #ae4 --,be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh ,you a reason of the hope1 that is in ,you1 with meekness and fear4 ,these words have been often and justly quoted to prove the rational genius of our religion3 but they have sometimes been quoted to prove much more1 8,the obligation1 that ,christians are under1 to justify their religion1 in the way of argument1 against all opposers1 and to satisfy all the difficulties and objections1 that can be brought against it40 ,a magnificent pretension6 but surely without authority from the text1 as ,i shall briefly shew1 by enquiring1 #a4 ,who the persons are1 to whom this direction is given3 #b4 ,what that hope is1 which is in them1 and concerning which they are supposed to be interrogated3 ,and therefore #c4 ,lastly1 what the proper answer1 or apology must be1 of those persons1 when required to give a reason of such hope4 ,the resolution of these questions will afford us a clear insight into the meaning of the text3 and then we shall be enabled to make some pertinent and useful reflexions upon it4 #a4 ,st4 ,peter addresses himself to the elect strangers scattered throughout ,pontus1 ,galatia1 ,cappadocia1 ,asia1 and ,bythinia--i4 e4 most probably1 to ,jewish ,christians1 dispersed through these countries1 in which they were properly strangers2 though1 in some sense1 all good men are strangers and sojourners on earth1 and therefore the use of this term may not necessarily exclude such ,heathen converts to the faith1 as lived in those quarters4 ,but whatever be the precise meaning of the term1 it is clear1 that all persons of this general denomination1 or all the stranger ,christians1 residing in the places1 here mentioned1 are1 without distinction1 concerned in this catholic epistle4 ,there is not a word that implies any difference of age1 or sex1 or education1 or rank3 not the least regard is had to the office of some1 or the qualifications of others3 all indiscriminately1 of the class specified1 who had knowledge and understanding enough to profess themselves ,christians1 are the objects of the ,apostle's address3 and of these1 universally1 is the requisition made1 that they be ready always to give an answer to every man1 that asketh a reason of the hope that is in them4 ,but what then #b4 ,is that ,hope1 of which all such persons were expected and required to render a reason8 ,plainly the general hope of ,christians1 the hope of eternal life1 the hope of a resurrection from the dead1 the blessed hope1 in short1 of salvation through ,jesus ,christ4 ,the context shews1 that it was this hope1 and this only1 of which they were to give an account4 ,for1 in the preceding verse1 the ,apostle had been speaking of the trials which they should undergo for the sake of their religion4 ,possibly1 they were1 then1 in a state of persecution2 or1 it was foreseen that they soon would be in that state4 ,but and if ye suffer1 says he1 for righteousness sake1 happy are ye4 ,why8 because they knew the hope of their calling1 and the ample recompense that would be made them in a future life for all such sufferings4 ,therefore1 he advises that they should always have this precious hope present to them1 and well established in their minds3 nay1 and that1 for their own better support in the midst of their sufferings1 and for the vindication of themselves to others1 their persecutors1 perhaps1 who might ask on what grounds they exposed themselves to such torments1 they should have in readiness an answer1 or apology for their own conduct1 setting forth the reason they had to confide in that hope2 from which reason it would appear that they acted1 as became prudent men1 and not as blind1 frantic enthusiasts4 ,it being now seen1 to whom the text is directed1 and what the hope1 under consideration1 is1 we have no difficulty in answering #c4 ,the last question1 8,what the proper answer might1 or rather must be1 of such persons1 when required to give a reason of such hope80 ,for what other answer could they give 7and this they all might give71 than that their ,lord and ,master1 ,jesus ,christ1 by whom they had been encouraged to entertain this hope1 had shewn himself well able to make it good by his own resurrection8 ,they might say1 in the words of the ,apostle ,paul 7who apologized for himself to the ,athenians1 in like circumstances71 ,we therefore think ourselves happy in suffering for righteousness sake1--because ,god hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness1 by that man whom he hath ordained2 whereof he hath given assurance unto all men1 in that he hath raised him from the dead#ajg4 ,this was an obvious reason of the hope1 that was in them1 and level to all capacities4 ,it was1 also1 a sufficient reason1 if it was any at all1 that is1 if the fact alleged be true2 and1 that it was so1 they might appeal to the testimony of those1 who had seen the ,lord and conversed with him1 after his resurrection2 nay1 whom themselves had seen confirming that testimony by signs and wonders1 done in the name of ,jesus4 ,we see1 then1 what is the true and full meaning of the text4 ,the ,apostle exhorts those1 to whom he writes1 all of them1 the simpler1 as well as more informed1 to bear in mind the end of their religion1 ,,everlasting ,,life2 and the grounds1 on which they expected it1 the ,,word of their divine ,,master1 confirmed to them by them that heared him#ajh1 and by his rising from the dead4 ,and now we are at liberty to make some reflexions on the text1 which may be useful and instructive to us4 ,and1 first1 ,i observe1 as most others have done1 that ,christians are allowed and encouraged to reason on the subject of their religion1 and to build their faith on conviction4 ,for the ,apostle's advice is1 not to decline the way of argument1 but to use such arguments as are cogent and satisfactory4 ,and in this free exercise of the understanding1 which is permitted1 or rather enjoined to all ,christians1 the manly genius of our religion is seen1 and by it is distinguished from that of every blind and servile superstition4 ,but then1 ,secondly1 ,i observe1 that this work of reason is enjoined1 only1 with regard to the hope1 that is in us1 that is1 to the end and scope of ,christianity1 and to the authority on which it rests2 in other words1 with regard to the ,,evidences of this ,religion4 ,it is true1 these evidences are a different thing to different persons1 according to their respective situations4 ,to the primitive ,christians1 such as those to whom the exhortation of the text is addressed1 it was evidence sufficient1 8,that they had the great facts of the ,gospel1 especially that decisive fact1 the resurrection of ,christ1 reported to them by persons1 who had been eye-witnesses of those extraordinary transactions1 or1 who had heared them1 at least1 from eye-witnesses1 and were endowed1 besides1 with the power of working miracles in confirmation of their testimony40 ,for in those days1 it is to be observed1 they1 who were commissioned to plant the ,gospel in the world1 went forth1 and preached every where1 the ,lord working with them1 and confirming the word with signs following#aji4 ,this state of things continued through what is called the ,apostolic ,age1 and perhaps longer1 during which time it was easy for the plainest ,christian to give such an answer1 to these who required a reason of the hope that was in him1 as was perfectly satisfactory4 ,but1 when the ,gospels were admitted by the faithful1 as authentic accounts of their ,master's history and doctrine1 and when the ,apostles had further drawn out and explained the principles and proofs of ,christianity in their several writings1 that is1 when the ,canon of the ,new ,testament was completed1 and generally received 7all which was done within the first century from the ,christian ra71 ,then the appeal lay to these scriptures1 and the ground of a ,christian's persuasion was1 the authority of the inspired writers4 ,and now1 if believers were asked the reason of the hope that was in them1 the answer was1 8,that so it was written in books1 which were in all hands1 and allowed by all to contain nothing but infallible truth40 ,nor could the force of this answer be disputed1 when the memory of certain facts was recent1 when the places where1 and the person to whom1 or for whose use the sacred books were written1 could be pointed out1 and when the writers of them were known1 by the miracles wrought by them1 to have been under the direction of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,on the conviction1 which this apology carried with it1 the world became ,christian4 ,but in process of time1 and after a course of many ages1 it might be doubted whether those books had been transmitted pure and uncorrupted4 ,and under these circumstances the answer1 being somewhat enlarged1 stands thus3 8,that the hope of a ,christian is founded on the authority of the sacred canon1 composed by inspired men1 as was universally allowed in the first ages of ,christianity1 and not materially altered1 as we have reason to believe1 to this day40 ,the answer given in these three periods1 is1 you see1 very general1 because the question is1 on what grounds of reason a plain man could justify his profession of ,christianity3 and the answer1 in each case1 is a proper one1 and of real weight4 ,but the answer of knowing and skilful men is more particular1 may indeed be infinitely varied and extended according to the abilities of the answerer2 and1 from such minute1 and laboured apologies much additional light and conviction hath been derived4 ,still you see the subject of inquiry1 is1 the ,,evidences of ,christianity1 how different soever in different ages1 and in the view of different persons in the same age4 ,all that unbelievers have a right to ask1 is1 on what grounds we affirm the truth and divinity of our religion3 and the sole duty which the text imposes upon us1 is to satisfy that question4 ,their curiosity1 and our labour1 should not1 at least needs not1 be extended beyond these bounds4 ,but ,thirdly1 what if inquisitive men should go farther1 and1 when they have set forth the evidences of ,christianity to their own satisfaction1 and that of others1 should proceed to give us a rationale of its doctrines3 ,would not their pains be useful1 as tending very much to promote the honour of our divine religion8 ,perhaps1 they might1 if soberly employed and if inquirers would set out with a resolution of stopping in their curious researches1 when they had no ideas1 or no clear or distinct ones4 ,but1 even with this restriction1 two things are1 further1 to be observed4 ,,one is1 that no ,christian is bound to make this solicitous inquiry into the doctrinal1 no1 nor into the moral part of the ,gospel4 ,it is enough that his faith and life be regulated by its doctrines and precepts1 whether he do1 or do not1 see the grounds in reason1 on which they stand4 ,nay1 possibly his conduct is then most acceptable1 when he looks no farther than to the authority of the ,gospel2 agreeably to that well-known decision of our ,lord himself--blessed is he1 who hath not seen1 and yet hath believed3 not1 that he expects any man to believe or to obey him1 without reason3 but he most approves the ingenuous turn of that man's mind1 who admits his divine mission1 on a sufficient indeed1 but not the highest1 degree of evidence2 and much more1 therefore1 who yields obedience to his laws1 acknowledged on such evidence to be divine1 without inquiring further into the reasons of them4 ,indeed1 to what purpose do ,i scrupulously ask a reason of that1 which ,i already know to be just and fit1 because reasonably admitted to proceed from divine authority8 ,the ,,other observation ,i would make1 is1 ,that1 if after the most diligent inquiry1 we should not1 yet1 be able to penetrate the reasons of many things1 or to give ourselves entire satisfaction about them1 this unacceptable experience should not in the least affect our belief and esteem of the ,gospel4 ,for all that follows from such disappointed curiosity is only this1 ,that we are weak and blind2 and not that the things themselves are either false or unreasonable4 ,our duty1 therefore1 is to confide in the revealed word2 not questioning its authority1 or torturing its language2 but accepting with thankfulness1 what we do understand1 and with reverence1 what we do not4 ,when these two conditions are inviolably observed1 the way of minute inquiry into the doctrines of ,christianity1 so far forth as they are the objects of inquiry1 at all1 may be usefully and commendably employed4 ,for then none but men of leisure and ability will think themselves concerned in making such inquiry3 and even these1 if they should not obtain all the satisfaction they propose to themselves1 will neither attempt to disturb the faith of others1 nor suffer their own faith to be disturbed by their curious speculations4 ,still3 when learned men are taken up in those profound inquiries1 and seem most confident that they have penetrated far into the reasons of many things which are kept secret from others1 they should especially remember 7and that is the ,fourth1 and last observation ,i shall make on the text71 to present their answer or apology to mankind1 with meekness and fear4 #a4 ,with ,,meekness1 or a soft and gentle spirit1 breathing in words1 neither passionate1 nor assuming2 that so they may gain as many1 and exasperate as few1 as they can4 ,this was a caution more than commonly necessary to the first apologists for ,christianity1 who had to plead its cause at the tribunal of ,kings1 at that time1 their enemies and persecutors4 ,but the rule is always a good one to be observed by the advocates of the ,gospel1 who never serve it better1 than when its prime virtue1 ,,charity1 corrects1 or rather consecrates1 their zeal4 #b4 ,the reason of the hope1 that is in them1 should1 also1 be given with ,,fear3 that is1 not only with a fear of giving needless offence to those1 to whom they address their apology1 but chiefly with a reverential awe of that transcendantly great ,being1 whose ways they desire to contemplate1 and some part of whose councils it is their ambition to unfold4 ,for1 when we speak of ,god1 farther than we are authorized by himself to speak1 we are in constant danger of ascribing to him our own weaknesses1 and of degrading his ineffable wisdom1 when we think to exalt it most4 ,such reason there is1 even when we apologize for the truth of ,god1 to do it with meekness and fear4 ,to conclude3 ,religious inquiries1 when thus conducted 7and only then7 are commendable and useful4 ,they exercise our best faculties on the noblest subjects3 ,they may be the means of bringing some to the kingdom of ,god1 and they can alienate none from it4 ,or1 whatever the merit and the success of these inquiries may be1 the authors of them will have the satisfaction of knowing1 that they have inquired in a right manner2 and1 that1 how little soever their ,,understandings have profited the ,almighty#aaj1 they have honoured ,him with the noblest sacrifice1 which a mortal can offer to his ,maker1 that of an ,,humble ,,and ,,submissive ,,spirit4 ,,sermon ,,xxxvii4 ,,preached ,,february #d1 #aggj4 ,,john vii4 #df4 ,never man spake like this man4 ,if by speaking1 be here meant what is called fine speaking1 or a discourse artificially composed according to the rules of human eloquence1 the subject is unworthy of this place1 and the praise1 infinitely disproportioned to the divine character of ,jesus4 ,a pagan philosopher1 nay1 and a ,christian preacher1 might haply so far forget himself1 as to affect the credit of fine speaking2 or1 his followers might think to honour him by applauding this talent#aaa3 ,but the ,son of ,god spake with other views1 and to nobler purposes2 and his inspired historians would not have condescended to make the panegyric of their ,master1 from so trivial a distinction4 ,let us see1 then1 to what the encomium of the text amounts2 and what those ,,circumstances are1 in the discourses of ,jesus1 which give real weight and dignity to the observation--that never man spake like this man4 ,this will be an inquiry of use1 and not of curiosity only2 we shall find1 in the course of it1 very much to confirm our faith1 as well as to excite our admiration4 ,i4 ,the first particular1 that strikes an attentive mind in considering the discourses of ,jesus1 is the ,,matter of them2 the most important2 and1 at the same time1 the most extraordinary2 of the utmost consequence to mankind1 and the most remote from all their natural apprehensions4 ,but1 by the discourses of ,jesus1 so qualified1 ,i mean chiefly those1 which are truly his own1 and properly ,christian3 such as acquaint us with the dignity of his person1 and nature of his office2 with the purpose of his mission1 and the manner in which that purpose was to be effected4 ,his moral discourses1 though they be divine too1 yet1 being intended1 for the most part1 to deliver the religion of nature1 or the religion of ,moses1 in all its purity1 may be thought to contain nothing more than what human reason had1 or might have discovered1 or what the ,law of ,god1 at least1 had already revealed4 ,yet it may deserve to be mentioned as an argument of his superiority to all other moral instructors1 that ,,he ,,only has delivered a doctrine of life and manners1 free from all mixture of error1 and carried in some instances to a degree of perfection which1 ,i do not say ,reason1 but1 no ,doctor of reason ever prescribed2 and that he penetrated further into the true meaning of the ,jewish ,law1 than any of its expositors had ever done4 ,but1 as ,i said1 ,i confine myself to his peculiar doctrines1 such as constitute the substance of that religion1 which we properly call ,christian4 ,and here1 the weight of his doctrine must be felt by those persons who reflect that1 coming into a world overrun with vice and misery1 he proclaimed pardon and peace in this life1 and everlasting happiness and glory in the life to come1 to all who with penitent hearts and true faith turned to him4 ,what ,doctor1 ,philosopher1 or ,legislator ever spake as ,he spake1 on these important articles8 ,what had ,nature taught the ,gentile world8 ,some fine lessons of morality1 indeed1 which might direct their lives for the future2 but none that could set their minds at ease from past guilt1 none that could free their consciences from instinctive terror1 much less could erect their hopes to any assured prospect of immortality4 ,what had ,moses taught the ,jews8 ,a divine religion1 it is true1 but such as left them under the burthen of a painful and oppressive ritual1 in which the neglect of any one precept1 or the irregular performance of any1 might shake their security2 and of which1 when punctually observed1 the reward was only some present ease or convenience in this world4 ,what was there in either institution1 that could deliver men from all doubt and uncertainty about their future condition1 or that could disarm and appease the universal guilt of mankind8 ,let this then admonish us of what1 from its familiarity1 we are1 now1 so prone to forget1 the importance1 which characterized the doctrine of ,jesus4 ,the extraordinary nature of it equally appears2 but will further and chiefly be seen1 if we attend to the means1 by which this supreme blessing is said to be conveyed1 and effected4 ,that a divine person1 divine in the highest sense of the word1 should descend from heaven and take our nature upon him2 the ,heir of all things#aab should be content to appear in the form of a servant#aac2 and1 having life in himself#aad1 should chuse to suffer death2 that1 by this astonishing humiliation1 he should propose to effect an end1 equally astonishing1 ,the salvation of a ruined world2 that1 being without sin himself1 he should offer himself a sacrifice for sin2 that in virtue of his all-atoning death1 he should undertake to abolish death1 and open the gates of eternal life to the whole race of mortal man2 that1 in this way1 he should assume to be our ,wisdom and ,righteousness1 our ,sanctification and ,redemption#aae2 ,these are the great things of which ,christ spake2 these the amazing topics with which he filled his discourses4 ,and must we not conclude1 that he spake as never man spake8 ,i do not1 at present1 urge the accomplishment of all these wonders4 ,that is a distinct consideration4 ,but it must be allowed1 that he spake in this tone1 and to this effect4 ,and did ever any man before him utter such things8 ,did it ever enter into the heart of man to conceive such things8 which surely are enough to arrest our attention2 to turn our thoughts on the evidence1 with which they are accompanied2 and1 till we admit the force of that evidence1 to convince us1 at least1 that such a speaker as this1 is eminently distinguished from all other speakers1 that ever addressed themselves to mankind4 ,he discovered1 on other occasions1 no defect of mind1 or temper2 nothing1 that should lead us to suspect him of weakness1 or enthusiasm2 ,and when such a person so speaks1 the sublime and extraordinary nature of his doctrine is no small presumption of its truth4 ,,ii4 ,another circumstance that distinguishes the discourses of ,jesus1 is the ,,authority1 with which they were delivered4 ,the people themselves remarked this circumstance1 and were astonished at it2 for he taught them1 says the sacred historian1 as one who had authority1 and not as the ,scribes#aaf4 ,interpreters differ in explaining what this authority was2 but it consisted1 very clearly1 in these three things4 #a4 ,he taught mankind without any degree of doubt and hesitation1 with the air of one who knew the truth of what he said1 and was perfectly assured of all he spake4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say to thee1 we speak that we do know1 and testify that we have seen#aag4 #b4 ,he taught his great lessons of morality and religion1 not as derived from the information of others1 or from the dictates of his own reason1 but as immediately conveyed to him from the source of light and truth1 from ,god himself4 ,whatsoever ,i speak1 even as the ,father said to me1 so ,i speak#aah4 #c4 ,lastly1 ,he delivered his doctrine on very many occasions1 as the proper author of it1 as one who had a right to propose the terms of ,salvation1 in his own name4 ,i say unto ,you--is the formulary1 with which he prefaces his momentous instructions4 ,he that believeth on the ,son1 hath everlasting life1 and ,i will raise him up at the last day#aai4 ,be thou faithful unto death1 and ,i will give thee a crown of life#abj4 ,nay1 he goes so far as to assert expressly1 that he hath life in himself1 even as the ,father hath life in himself#aba4 ,and though he says1 at the same time1 that he had this privilege given him by the ,father1 and though he declares1 elsewhere1 that as the ,father had taught him1 so he spake#abb2 yet there is no contradiction in these affirmations2 for he tells us expressly--,all things that the ,father hath1 are mine#abc2 ,and ,i and the ,father are one#abd4 ,these three circumstances1 taken together1 constitute the proper authority of ,christ's doctrine4 ,it was the authority of one1 who spake from conviction2 who spake by the special appointment of ,god the ,father1 who even spake1 by virtue of his own essential right1 from himself1 and in his own name4 ,compare1 now1 this authoritative way of speaking1 with that of the ,jewish scribes2 who explained their ,law1 as they could1 by the precarious traditions of their forefathers1 and the uncertain glosses of their celebrated ,doctors3 ,compare it with that of the ,gentile ,philosophers2 who quibbled1 by the help of a little logick or metaphysicks1 on the nature of ,god and the ,soul2 who advanced their doctrines of futurity1 on the credit of an old fable1 or an old song2 and even delivered their moral lectures on the weak grounds of their fanciful or discordant systems2 in the way of negligent speculation1 or1 which was worse1 of altercation and dispute3 ,compare it1 lastly1 with that of all others1 who1 in antient or modern times1 have taken upon themselves to instruct mankind2 and see1 if any of these ever assumed the exalted tone1 or spake with the authority of ,jesus1 of the ,carpenter's ,son1 as ,julian and the followers of that school affect to call him4 ,but high pretensions1 you will say1 prove nothing4 ,not much1 indeed1 when destitute of their proper supports2 yet so much1 as to verify the observation of the text--that never man spake like this man4 ,and if they prove thus much1 they prove more2 the necessity1 or reasonableness1 at least1 of examining whether these pretensions be well founded4 ,for claims of so extraordinary a nature1 as they must needs awaken our curiosity1 so they may demand our belief4 ,when a voice speaks1 as from heaven1 it naturally turns our attention to that quarter2 and1 when it speaks in inimitable thunder#abe1 it speaks1 methinks1 like itself1 and in accents that cannot well be misunderstood4 ,but our next observation will carry us further4 ,for ,i make it ,,iii4 ,a third circumstance1 in the character of ,christ's speaking1 that he expressed himself with more than mortal ,,wisdom1 on many occasions1 when the malice and captious subtlety of his enemies put that wisdom to its utmost test4 ,he gave early proofs of his wisdom1 when1 at the age of twelve years1 he reasoned with the ,doctors in the temple1 to such effect1 that all who heared him1 were astonished at his understanding and answers#abf4 ,these answers1 indeed1 are not recorded2 but many others are1 in the course of his ministry2 answers to nice1 insidious1 and concerted questions of the ablest men among the ,jews1 in critical circumstances1 and on the most trying emergencies4 ,and to these questions he always replied with a presence of mind so unshaken1 with a judgment so infallible1 with a dexterity and prudence so conciliating1 and at the same time with an integrity so pure and perfect1 that no advantage could in any degree be taken against him4 ,his adversaries came again and again to the charge2 whom yet he repelled with so triumphant a superiority over all the efforts of their wit and malice1 that he forced them in the end1 to marvel and hold their peace#abg4 ,his divine responses came out so contrary to their hopes and their interests1 that they were discouraged and deterred from provoking any more of them--they durst not ask him any more questions#abh4 ,the limits of this discourse will not give room for a detailed account of these questions and answers4 ,but they are thick sown in the ,gospels3 ,and ye will understand me to point more especially at those1 that respected his divine character1 and kingly office#abi2 in which conversations the danger was1 lest he should drop something that might be made a handle against him before the ,jewish ,consistory1 or the ,roman ,tribunals2 while yet he was not to betray his cause1 or bely his pretensions4 ,the danger was instant1 and1 if he had fallen under it1 must have been fatal4 ,for1 in withdrawing his claim of being the ,messiah1 the ,king of ,israel1 he must have owned himself an impostor2 in asserting it1 at this time1 clearly and openly1 he would have given his enemies a pretence for treating him1 as a criminal of state2 an imputation which could not consist with the truth or dignity of his mission4 ,he came into the world to suffer death1 indeed2 but not as convicted of any crime1 not as colourably condemned by any legal sentence4 ,his innocence was to be conspicuous1 and his honour unimpaired#acj4 ,in this respect1 then1 it seems1 as if it might be truly affirmed1 that never man spake as this man4 ,and1 if this much must be allowed1 we are1 methinks1 but a little way from a further conclusion1 ,that1 therefore1 he spake by a divine spirit4 ,if it be said1 that this conclusion does not hold1 for that the same faculties of the human mind1 which make us capable of ,,seeing this wisdom1 may have ,,produced it1 the ground of the observation is neither likely1 nor true4 ,not likely in the present instance1 where the wisdom in question appears to be exquisite and constant3 qualities which we are not accustomed to find united in the efforts of human wisdom4 ,but neither1 in general1 is the position true3 ,for then1 the power of perception and invention would be the same2 then1 the divine intellect would be levelled with the human2 then1 the wisdom of ,god himself1 so far as it was acknowledged and understood by us1 would be our wisdom4 ,whereas1 common sense tells us1 that to discover a truth and to apprehend it1 to project a measure1 and to conceive the fitness of it1 are two things#aca3 ,and1 though men differ widely in their capacities from each other1 yet there is a capacity1 which no man may claim1 as there is a wisdom1 to which no man pretends4 ,the sublime views of ,god in the system of nature are comprehended1 to a certain degree1 and justly magnified and unfolded by many men1 who1 yet1 have not the presumption to suppose that they were themselves capable1 of planning such a system4 ,in like manner1 we may see and adore the wisdom1 with which ,christ spake1 and yet conclude1 upon good grounds1 that as no man ever did1 so no man ever could1 speak with such wisdom4 ,,iv4 ,a fourth circumstance 7and the last ,i shall mention7 which distinguished ,jesus1 as a ,speaker1 was the penetrating influence of his discourses1 or the divine ,,energy1 with which they were accompanied4 ,other speakers have thought it enough to convince their hearers by cogent arguments2 to excite their passions by lively images2 to touch the general springs of humanity1 or to practise on the peculiar foibles and prejudices of the party addressed4 ,but ,jesus had the singular art to convince without reasoning1 and to persuade without rhetorick4 ,few and simple words1 from that mouth1 attained their end with ease3 they struck the soul with more than all the effect of that eloquence1 which hath been compared to lightning3 they needed no help from tropes and figures1 from the acquired knowledge of human nature1 or from the information of others1 but went directly to the heart by their own proper and irresistible virtue4 ,in a word1 ,jesus saw what no art could divine1 he saw intuitively the naked conscience1 the secret individual thoughts of those1 with whom he had any concern2 and being able1 withal1 to possess their minds with a consciousness of this intuition1 his least word1 his look1 nay his silence must needs speak beyond the eloquence of other men4 ,there are many instances of this sort1 recorded in the ,gospels4 ,he saw the malice of the ,scribes and ,pharisees#acb1 while it was yet latent in the heart1 and only forming itself into secret purposes and mental propositions2 and he surprized them by his answers1 into shame and madness#acc4 ,he saw the seeds of ambition putting forth in the minds of his disciples3 and by a word or two1 he prevented the growth of them#acd4 ,by only looking upon ,peter#ace1 he struck him into remorse and tears4 ,and by answering nothing1 he astonished1 at once1 and convinced the ,roman ,governor1 who sat in judgment upon him#acf4 ,this inspection of the heart1 was that which confounded the officers1 whom the chief priests had sent to apprehend him1 and drew from them1 on their return1 the advantageous report of the text--that never man spake like this man4 ,for1 by what he said in their hearing1 he gave them to understand that he knew their commission before they had opened it3 and so disarmed their rage1 by only signifying his acquaintance with their design4 ,the effect of what he said and did was1 in many conjunctures1 wholly disproportioned to his words and actions3 and is only to be accounted for1 from the clear insight he had into the mind1 and from the secret influence which he knew1 by an apt sentence#acg1 or by an expressive emblem#ach1 to inject into the conscience of his hearers4 ,and what resistance can1 indeed1 be made to such a speaker1 who hath the hearts of men in his hands1 and turneth them whithersoever he will#aci8 ,in all views1 then1 whether we consider the matter1 the authority1 the wisdom1 or the effect of ,christ's discourses1 we must needs be convinced that the text is amply verified1 and that never man spake like this man4 ,to conclude3 ,i have not amused you1 in this discourse1 with vain declamation4 ,i am not solicitous to establish the credit of ,jesus1 as a consummate orator4 ,my views are other and far higher4 ,i would convince you1 by a reference to plain facts1 that he was more than man2 that he spake by the unerring spirit of ,god2 that his word demands not your praise1 but your adoration4 ,if men would take their ideas of this divine teacher immediately from his own doctrines1 and not as they are misrepresented1 or at best imperfectly represented by the glosses of others1 they would come1 of themselves1 to this important conclusion3 if they would make the ,gospel their serious study1 and not their casual amusement1 they would want no monitor to let them into the merits1 or the use of it4 ,they would more than see1 they would feel the spirit1 with which ,jesus spake2 and they would readily offer to him1 not their barren applause1 but their sincere obedience4 ,till this salutary effect be wrought in those who call themselves the disciples of ,jesus1 it may not be improper to remind them of what he himself said to ,,one1 who was affected1 as we may now be1 by a sense of his divine power in speaking4 ,he had been delivering great truths1 with that authority and wisdom1 which ever accompanied his instructions1 and the effect was answerable4 ,for it came to pass1 as he spake these things1 that a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice1 and said to him1 in the customary style of approbation1 ,blessed is the womb that bare thee1 and the paps that thou hast sucked4 ,but ,,he said1 ,yea1 rather blessed are they that ,,hear ,,the ,,word ,,of ,,god1 ,,and ,,keep ,,it#adj4 ,,sermon ,,xxxviii4 ,,preached ,,november #bj1 #aggd4 ,,matth4 xiii4 #aj4 ,the ,disciples came1 and said unto him1 ,why speakest ,thou to them in ,parables8 ,two things are very observable in our ,lord's conduct towards the ,jews4 ,he came to instruct them in the principles of a new religion1 and to convince them of its divine authority4 ,yet to such of them1 as were least enlightened by his doctrine1 he generally addressed himself in ,parables3 ,and before such1 as were backward to admit his pretensions1 he was sparing of his ,miracles4 ,now the contrary of this conduct1 it is said1 might be expected3 ,that he should have explained himself in the clearest manner to the uninformed ,jews2 and should have multiplied his miracles1 for the conviction of the unbelieving4 ,i propose to consider both these circumstances in the history of ,jesus2 and to shew that his conduct1 in either case1 was suitable to his character and mission4 ,i1 now1 confine myself to the ,,parables2 and shall take another occasion to consider the ,,miracles4 ,the ,disciples1 having observed that their ,master spoke to the ,jews in a more obscure and indirect manner1 than he was wont to do in private to themselves1 came and said unto him1 ,why speakest thou to them in ,parables8 ,this method of conveying instruction in ,parables1 that is1 in some feigned story1 where one thing is put for another1 and in which the circumstances of the story are to be applied to something different in the intention of the speaker1 is well known to have been of constant and familiar use in the old world1 and especially in the ,eastern nations4 ,this figurative cast of language had its rise from necessity1 the rude conceptions of men requiring general truths to be presented to them1 in sensible images4 ,but it soon came to be affected as an ornamental way of speaking or writing1 the liveliness of the image awakening curiosity1 and affording amusement to the mind4 ,lastly1 it was sometimes employed as a mysterious cover of important truths1 to which a more than ordinary attention was to be raised1 and especially of such important truths as could not be communicated openly and directly without offence4 ,under this last idea1 the ,parable1 properly so called1 presents itself to us4 ,it was contrived on purpose to throw some degree of obscurity over the information1 it contained3 ,and it is in reference to this use and character of the ,parable1 that the ,disciples ask why ,jesus thought fit to address the ,jews in this way4 ,to this question1 why he spake to the ,jews in ,parables1 and not to the ,disciples1 our ,lord's reply is in these words--,because1 to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of ,god1 but to them it is not given4 ,by this answer we learn1 ,first1 that the things delivered by him in this obscure way were not the fundamental truths of the ,gospel1 but the mysteries of the kingdom of ,god1 that is1 certain secrets relating to the progress of the ,gospel1 and the event of it in the world2 a consideration1 which will be enlarged upon in its place3 ,and1 ,secondly1 that it was not given to the ,jews1 at large1 to be let into those mysteries1 but to the disciples only4 ,but why not given to the ,jews8 why was it thought less fit for them1 to be initiated in these mysteries1 than for the ,disciples8 ,our ,lord condescends to answer1 or rather to anticipate this question1 likewise--,for whosoever hath1 to him shall be given and he shall have more abundance2 but whosoever hath not1 from him shall be taken away even that he hath4 ,the answer1 we see1 is formed on this general principle1 8,that information in the councils of ,god is not to be claimed as a debt2 but accepted as a reward3 that he1 who hath acquired some knowledge and improved what he hath1 deserves a further communication of it2 but that he1 who hath been at no pains to acquire any1 or who puts his knowledge to as little use1 as if he had acquired none1 is so far from having a right to more1 that he even deserves to have the pittance1 he may already possess1 taken from him40 ,and what more indisputable rule of reason1 than this1 ,that1 in a matter of pure favour1 we should deserve1 by our good dispositions at least1 this distinction before we obtain it4 ,so that the answer comes out thus--8,i speak to the ,,jews in parables1 because they do not deserve1 by the pains they have hitherto taken to learn of me1 and by the dispositions they have shewn to improve what ,i have taught them1 to have further information plainly and openly conveyed to them3 ,but to ,,you1 who have already profited by my doctrine1 and are disposed still further to profit by it1 to you ,i address myself in a plainer manner1 because ye deserve to be more fully and abundantly instructed by me40 ,and to this answer1 thus understood1 what objection1 or even what cavil1 can be opposed8 ,but1 further1 when ,jesus said to his ,disciples1 that to them it was given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of ,god1 but to the ,jews1 at large1 it was not given1 this determination must be understood as founded1 not merely on the fitness of the thing1 as here explained1 but on the positive will and declared purpose of ,god4 ,this appears from what follows4 ,for therefore1 proceeds our ,lord1 speak ,i to them in ,parables1 because they seeing see not1 and hearing they hear not1 neither do they understand4 ,and in them is fulfilled the prophecy of ,isaias1 which saith1 by hearing ,ye shall hear and shall not understand1 and seeing ,ye shall see and shall not perceive4 ,for this people's heart is waxed gross1 and their ears are dull of hearing1 and their eyes they have closed1 lest at any time they should see with their eyes1 and hear with their ears1 and should understand with their hearts1 and should be converted1 and ,i should heal them4 ,hence it appears1 that the way of speaking in ,parables1 which ,jesus employed towards the ,jews1 was that which the word of prophecy had declared he should employ towards them4 ,so that this was one1 among others1 of the marks1 by which the ,messiah should be known and distinguished4 ,to speak in ,parables1 was a part of his office3 ,it was a duty imposed upon him1 in his very commission4 ,but this1 you will say1 is only removing the difficulty one step backwards1 and transferring it from the ,gospel upon the ,law2 ,and you still ask1 upon what reasons this strange way of proceeding with the ,jews1 thus foretold and enjoined1 was founded8 ,now1 though it becomes us with much reverence to inquire into the reasons of ,god's dispensations1 yet as we see1 in fact1 that it was ,god's will to treat the ,jews in this manner1 we may be allowed to indulge some conjectures on the subject2 ,and1 as we have traced this difficulty up to its source1 this will be the proper place to attempt a more full solution of it4 ,to make way for this solution1 let it be observed1 that there are two ways in which this famous prophecy of ,isaiah may be regarded by us2 either1 first1 as a mere prediction of the event1 namely1 that by this way of speaking to them in ,parables1 the ,jews would not be converted2 ,or1 secondly1 as a judicial determination of it1 namely1 that this obscure way of teaching was therefore employed1 because it was in the divine councils that they should not be converted4 ,in either way of considering the ,prophecy1 this mysterious conduct may1 ,i think1 be cleared up4 ,if we consider the event only1 as pointed out by this ,prophecy1 then the reason1 which ,jesus himself gives of this conduct1 and which has been before explained1 namely the general fitness of such a procedure in itself1 is a satisfactory account of it4 ,for what more just than to leave men to the consequences of their own behaviour1 and not to reward them with that which they neither desire nor deserve8 ,but1 perhaps1 the event was not simply predicted of the ,jews1 but determined upon them#ada4 ,and there may be reason to take the prophecy1 the rather1 in this light1 because however fit such a conduct1 as it describes1 may be in itself1 yet1 in fact1 it was not observed towards the ,gentiles1 nor even the ,jews after the descent of the holy ,ghost2 the ,apostles not addressing either in the way of ,parables1 as our ,lord had done the unbelieving ,jews3 and this agreeably to their ,master's express injunctions to them--for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed1 and hid that shall not be known2 ,what ,i tell you in darkness that speak ye in the light1 and what ye hear in the ear that preach ye upon the house-tops#adb4 ,this different conduct may then lead us to suspect that there was something peculiar in the situation of those ,jews1 to whom ,jesus addressed his ,parables1 which this prophecy respected2 and that it was ,god's purpose1 in the case of such of them as should stand out against this so long abused mode of information1 when proceeding from the mouth of the ,messiah himself1 to leave them under a judicial blindness4 ,and supposing this to be the case1 the conduct 7as severe as it seems7 may be justified by the following considerations4 #a4 ,all the notices1 which it had pleased ,god to give to the ancient ,jews of the ,gospel dispensation1 were conveyed in this way of ,parable4 ,the terms1 employed in the old prophecies1 were all taken from the ,law1 but the true meaning lay deeper1 and the right application of those prophecies was to the ,christian ,covenant1 and to the character and dispensation of the ,messiah4 ,this method of predicting the ,gospel under legal ideas1 was employed for the wisest reasons#adc3 ,the ,jews had been constantly trained and brought up in it2 and1 notwithstanding the real obscurity this mode of teaching was intended to have1 yet with fair attentive minds they might easily have apprehended the true drift and purpose of it4 ,the ,prophets call upon them perpetually to give this attention3 they even drop frequent hints1 that might lead them to the discovery3 and1 upon occasion1 do every thing but expound in direct terms1 their own parables4 ,what now was the effect of all this intelligence1 so gradually1 so repeatedly1 so solicitously1 as it were1 imparted to them8 ,why1 they would not hear1 nor understand3 they perversely and obstinately rested in the cover of these predictions2 would look for nothing beneath or beyond it1 indulged their prejudices about the eternity of their law1 and the temporal power of their expected ,deliverer1 so far1 that1 when at length their ,deliverer came1 for whom this chain of prophetic instruction was meant to prepare them1 they did not and would not acknowledge him4 ,for this gross neglect of a mode of information1 so long and so mercifully indulged to them1 ,god thought fit to punish them by the very instrument of their offence4 ,he commissioned ,jesus still to continue that way of ,parables1 which they had so outrageously abused2 and so1 in his justice1 made it the occasion of blinding their eyes and hardening their hearts#add1 to their final rejection and reprobation4 ,this seems to be the true state of the case3 and what has ,reason to object to it8 ,can any thing be more just1 than that a much abused mercy should end in punishment8 ,and can any thing be more fit1 than that such punishment should be the forfeiture of that blessing1 which the mercy was intended to convey1 and should even be inflicted by the very means of that mercy#ade8 ,what is there in this conomy of ,god's religious dispensations1 which contradicts our ideas of the divine attributes8 ,nay1 what is there in it1 which does not accord to the known methods of his ordinary and moral government of the world8 ,health and ,prosperity1 ,parts and ,learning1 are the merciful gifts of ,god to some men4 ,to these mercies1 rightly improved1 certain blessings are1 in the order of his providence1 annexed4 ,yet how often do we see men deprived of the blessings1 for their misuse of those mercies1 and deprived by means of the very mercies themselves6 ,the mercies are a snare to them2 and in the way of natural punishment inflict those evils1 which they were intended to prevent4 ,thus1 health and prosperity1 ill employed1 bring on a diseased old age1 and an uncomfortable enjoyment of life2 and parts and learning1 so fitted to produce true knowledge1 are the means by which many are led into presumption and mistake4 ,and in this way1 we easily conceive how justly the ,jews were punished1 in their rejection of the ,messiah1 for their wilful abuse and misinterpretation of the ,scripture ,prophesies concerning him2 and how fitly the punishment was conveyed by ,christ's speaking to them in ,parables1 that is1 by that mode of instruction by that very instrument of mercy1 which they had so much abused4 ,but though this perverseness of the ,jews may be reasonably thought judicial1 yet even in his ,judgments ,god remembers mercy4 ,let it therefore be considered #b4 ,in the second place1 that1 though ,christ's speaking to the ,jews in ,parables did eventually harden their hearts1 yet not more so1 perhaps not so much as the open communication of truth would have done4 ,i before took notice1 that the subject of ,christ's parables was not the fundamental tenets of the ,gospel1 but the mysteries of the kingdom of ,god4 ,this we know from the mouth of ,christ himself2 and it deserves to be considered4 ,that ,jesus was the ,messiah1 that all men were to believe in him1 and to be saved by him1 these great fundamental articles of his religion1 together with his moral doctrine1 were published plainly to all2 and the evidences of his ,messiahship1 as resulting from his miracles and an appeal to their own prophecies1 were in no sense concealed from the ,jews4 ,so that1 in truth1 the light afforded to them was by no means so penurious1 or so darkly conveyed1 as the objection supposes4 ,what was kept back from them and thrown into the shade1 was only or chiefly1 the future fortunes of the ,gospel1 called the ,mysteries of ,god's kingdom2 of which the rejection of the ,jews1 and the call of the ,gentiles1 were principal4 ,these ,christ delivered to the ,jews in parables1 and without a parable spake he not on these subjects1 unto them4 ,now1 though it be true that1 had people penetrated these mysteries1 they might1 by a right use of this knowledge1 have been led to a just apprehension of many of their own prophecies1 and1 in the end1 to an acknowledgement of the ,christian faith2 yet 'tis likely1 considering their inveterate prejudices1 that the clear delivery of these momentous truths would have had no such effect2 nay1 that their aversion to the faith of ,jesus might have been increased by having this offensive information plainly and nakedly presented to them4 ,and there will seem to be more weight in this conjecture1 if we reflect that even to the ,apostles themselves1 till after his resurrection1 our ,lord proceeded with much caution in unfolding the mysteries of his kingdom4 ,then1 indeed1 he opened their understandings#adf2 and1 beginning at ,moses and all the prophets1 he expounded unto them1 in all the ,scriptures1 the things concerning himself#adg4 ,but before that event had taken place1 so much light only was let in upon the minds of the ,disciples1 as they were able to bear#adh3 the parables were in some measure explained to them2 yet a certain degree of obscurity was still left on the explanation itself4 ,from which conduct of their great ,master1 apparently assumed by him in consideration of their infirmities1 it seems reasonable to conclude1 ,that his greater reserve towards the rest of the ,jews1 in speaking to them in unexplained parables1 was1 among other reasons1 therefore chosen by him1 because it was best adapted to their prejudices1 and even gave them the fairest chance for apprehending and embracing his doctrine4 ,but #c4 ,thirdly1 and lastly1 what if we suppose 7as we have the highest reason to do1 after the trials1 which had been already made of them7 that no evidence whatsoever1 not the clearest possible information1 would1 under any management1 have had its due effect on the unbelieving ,jews8 ,in this view of things1 the proposing of these mysteries under the impenetrable cover of ,parables was the greatest of all mercies to them1 since a further degree of light would not only have indisposed them to the reception of it1 but must have aggravated their guilt beyond measure1 and have left them totally without excuse4 ,to blind their eyes and harden their hearts was then a judgment1 if you will1 but surely a judgment in mercy1 if ever there was any such thing2 a punishment inflicted upon them in the most tender and compassionate manner1 which goodness itself could contrive1 or which their deplorable circumstances could admit4 ,these things being considered1 ,to the question1 ,why did ,jesus speak to the unbelieving ,jews in parables1 we may now reply1 first1 ,that this conduct was reasonable in itself1 on that general principle of ,,equity1 that he only1 who hath1 shall receive more abundantly3 ,that1 secondly1 the ,,justice of ,god was fitly exercised upon them for their refusing to be instructed by him in the way of ,parable1 and by the very medium of ,parable1 so abused3 ,that still1 thirdly1 this parabolical method of instruction was1 in all probability1 better adapted to their circumstances1 and more ,,likely to be effectual1 than a plainer communication3 ,and that1 lastly1 supposing it ,,certain that no information whatever would have taken effect1 this obscure and inefficient one of parables served1 at least1 as some excuse for their obstinacy1 and was contrived1 in mercy1 to alleviate their guilt4 ,the result of the whole1 is1 ,that we are hence taught to adore the awful ways of ,god's providence1 in this instance of ,christ's speaking in parables2 in which both his ,justice and ,goodness are so equally and signally displayed4 ,,sermon ,,xxxix4 ,,preached ,,november #bg1 #aggd4 ,,matthew xiii4 #eh4 ,and he did not many mighty works there1 because of their unbelief4 ,there were two things1 ,i observed1 very remarkable in the conduct of our blessed ,saviour towards the ,jews4 ,one was1 that he chose to instruct the more ignorant and uninformed of them1 in the obscure way of parable3 ,the other1 that he wrought but few miracles for the conviction of such of them as were incredulous and unbelieving4 ,these two circumstances may be thought strange2 because the less informed the people were to whom he addressed himself1 the more need there seems to have been of the plainest instruction2 and the less disposed they were to believe in him1 the greater necessity we may think there was for subduing their unbelief by the force of miracles4 ,yet the conduct of ,jesus was not according to these expectations1 in either instance2 and has accordingly furnished the occasion of ,,two corresponding objections to his divine character and mission4 ,to the former of these objections1 that which respects his way of speaking by parables1 ,i have already replied in a distinct discourse on that subject4 ,the latter1 which respects his way of working miracles1 ,i now propose to consider4 ,the text1 you see1 points out the subject1 and confines me to it4 ,jesus1 in discharge of his general office1 and from a principle1 as we may suppose1 of private affection1 went into his own country1 that is1 to ,nazareth1 where he had been brought up1 with the intention of preaching the ,gospel there1 and of giving the people of that place the proper proofs of his authority and mission4 ,accordingly1 the sacred historian tells us1 he taught them in their synagogue2 ,and we know1 besides1 that he wrought some miracles2 for the people were astonished and said1 ,whence hath this man this ,,wisdom1 and these ,,mighty ,,works8 ,they were the more astonished1 because ,jesus was no stranger to them2 and the rest of his family1 people of an obscure condition1 then lived among them4 ,they knew him only under the idea of a ,carpenter's ,son1 and they had observed perhaps nothing extraordinary him2 or1 if they had1 this very circumstance1 as is not uncommon among neighbours and countrymen1 might have infused some jealousy and dislike of him4 ,be that as it will1 their prejudices against him were extreme1 and they expressed them in the most contemptuous manner4 ,is not this1 say they1 the ,carpenter's ,son8 ,is not his ,mother called ,mary8 and his ,brethren1 ,james1 and ,joses1 and ,simon1 and ,judas8 ,and his ,sisters1 are they not all with us8 ,whence then hath this man all these things8 ,and they were offended in him4 ,to these disparaging questions1 which easily overpowered the evidence of conviction even from their own senses1 ,jesus only replied1 ,a prophet is not without honour1 save in his own country1 and in his own house4 ,and then the text follows1 which says1 ,and he did not many mighty works there1 because of their unbelief4 ,this is the ,,fact3 ,and the question upon it1 is1 ,why ,jesus forebore to work miracles among these people1 because they did not believe in him8 ,before ,i reply distinctly to this question1 permit me to premise two general observations2 one1 on the use of miracles1 considered in themselves2 and the other1 on the use of miracles1 as applied to the ,christian dispensation4 ,first1 then1 ,i observe1 that1 a miracle being1 for the time1 an alteration or suspension of the laws of nature1 our best ideas of the divine attributes lead us to conclude1 that this violence on his own plan of government is only exerted for some very important end1 and will be exerted no farther1 nor oftener1 than is necessary to that end4 ,it is true1 it may be difficult for us to judge1 in many cases1 of that importance1 and of that necessity2 but unless both be very apparent to us1 in no case1 can we be authorized to require or even expect1 a continuance or repetition1 much less a multiplication of these miraculous exertions4 ,to judge otherwise on this subject1 would be to charge ,god foolishly1 and1 in effect1 to blaspheme his wisdom4 ,secondly1 ,i observe1 that the use of miracles1 as applied to the ,christian dispensation1 is to give credit to the character and pretensions of ,jesus4 ,it is supposed in this argument that miracles1 duly circumstanced and fully attested1 are sufficient to this purpose2 but there is no reason to suppose that more or greater will be wrought1 than that purpose requires4 ,these things being premised1 to the question1 ,why ,jesus did not many miracles1 before the unbelieving ,jews of ,nazareth1 ,i reply directly by saying ,i4 ,in the first place1 because such a display of his power was not necessary to their conviction4 ,i mean not to say at present1 that more or greater miracles would not have convinced them 7though it be very unlikely1 that they would71 but that they were not necessary to the end proposed by them1 which was to afford such an attestation to the character of ,jesus as might be a reasonable and1 in itself1 a sufficient ground of their conviction4 ,more than this the ,jews had no right to expect4 ,and less than this was not offered3 ,for when it is said1 that ,jesus did not many miracles at ,nazareth1 it is implied that he did some2 and thus much they confess themselves in asking1 whence hath this man these mighty works8 ,now some miracles1 nay one single miracle1 seen and confessed as such1 was a reasonable ground of conviction4 ,more therefore could not be esteemed necessary1 that is1 were not required to furnish the fit and proper means of such conviction4 ,without doubt1 ,god1 if he had been so pleased1 might have shattered and confounded all the elements1 and have driven the men of ,nazareth1 and even the ,jewish ,sanhedrim itself1 by the force and terror of his almighty power1 into an unwilling acknowledgment of his ,son1 ,jesus4 ,but this is not the way in which he treats his reasonable creatures1 even when he exceeds the ordinary methods of his providence4 ,he does that which is simply fit and right1 in respect of the end he has in view1 and leaves the rest to ourselves4 ,this1 as far as we know1 is the universal mode of ,god's government1 and as far as we can judge1 is the most worthy of him4 ,still1 it will be said1 though ,jesus was not obliged to do more for the conviction of these unbelievers1 though more or greater miracles could not strictly be required of him1 yet so limited a display of his power on such an occasion seemed penurious1 and even unkind4 ,a little more zeal1 and some supernumerary wonders1 might have better expressed his concern for his unhappy countrymen4 ,i reply then1 ,,ii4 ,in the second place1 that as more or greater miracles were not necessary to the end of giving a just proof of his mission1 so they were most probably not expedient to any other good end1 but1 on the contrary1 would have been hurtful and pernicious to his unbelieving countrymen4 ,we have reason to conclude thus1 if we consider that the same prejudices1 which obstructed their conviction from some confessed miracles1 would not have given way to more4 ,we have an example in the other unbelieving ,jews1 especially in the rulers of that people1 who1 the more and greater miracles they saw performed by ,jesus1 were the more hardened in their unbelief1 and the more exasperated against him4 ,they even give it as a reason for their vindictive prosecution of him1 that he did1 and was doing many miracles#adi4 ,taking the matter then in this light1 what other effect could a waste of miracles have had1 but to heap guilt and vengeance upon their heads8 ,by leaving these perverse people to themselves1 perhaps their prejudices might subside1 and they might yield in time to the evidence they already had1 or they might submit to other evidence1 which they should collect for themselves hereafter4 ,to have irritated their prejudices1 now1 by further miracles1 might have fixed them absolutely in unbelief4 ,this conclusion becomes the more probable1 if we admit the pretensions of ,jesus3 ,for then he may be supposed to have certainly foreseen the present impracticability of converting these men1 and to have restrained his power before them1 on that account4 ,but ,i am now arguing with those1 who make this conduct an objection to his pretensions4 ,i offer it therefore as a conclusion only very probable from the nature of the thing1 that his not doing many miracles before his unbelieving countrymen1 was1 among other motives1 from a principle of mercy and kindness to them4 ,at least1 the contrary1 ,i think1 cannot be affirmed with any shew or colour of reason4 ,but whatever kindness our ,lord might have for these men1 his continuing to work more miracles among them1 under the present circumstances1 would have been improper1 because ,,iii4 ,in the next place 7and this is my third answer to the objection7 this conduct would have opposed1 and tended directly to defeat1 the general end and success of his ministry4 ,the proper ,,end of his ministry was to preach salvation to the ,jews1 and to give them such evidence of his being the ,messiah1 as was sufficient to their conviction4 ,when he had done this in one place1 if no very important considerations induced his longer stay1 he was to proceed to another4 ,this was so essential a part of his office1 that it seems not to have been forgotten1 even when there was no peculiar complaint of unbelief1 in those with whom he had resided4 ,for when the people of another place1 of more faith1 as it should seem1 came to him1 and would have stayed him1 that he should not depart from them1 ,he refused to comply with them1 and said1 ,i must preach the kingdom of ,god to other cities also1 for ,,therefore ,,am ,i ,,sent#aej4 ,this then was the end of his ministry4 ,he was to preach the word2 but was not obliged to see that it took effect1 or to wait the success of it4 ,how repugnant then had it been to this end1 to waste unnecessary time and power on unbelieving ,nazareth1 when so many other cities1 and those better disposed1 claimed their share of each6 ,but1 further1 the dispositions of these people towards him were such1 as seemed likely1 not only to retard and interrupt1 but totally to prevent the execution of his ministry4 ,they would either have found means1 had he continued longer with them1 to deliver him into the hands of the ,jewish rulers1 or by some act of violence would have taken away his life4 ,this appears from the rage with which they drove him out of their city1 and from their purpose1 as ,st4 ,luke relates the story1 to cast him down headlong from the brow of the hill1 whereon their city was built#aea4 ,so that his attempt to convert them by more miracles1 might have put an untimely end to his ministry1 when it was now but little more than begun4 ,and1 though this event might at any time have been prevented by an exertion of his miraculous power1 and without doubt would have been prevented in that manner1 had the conjuncture made it necessary2 yet this was no reason for his exposing himself to that danger1 since1 as we before observed1 miracles are not to be expected or employed1 where the end in view may be accomplished by human means4 ,accordingly1 our ,saviour consulted his own safety on all occasions during the course of his ministry1 by every prudential method3 ,and when he afterwards armed his disciples with the power of working miracles1 he prescribed the same conduct to them1 and1 when they found themselves persecuted in one city1 bade them flee to another#aeb4 ,it is generally thought1 indeed1 that nothing but a miracle rescued him out of the hands of the enraged people of ,nazareth4 ,if so1 his danger among them must have been extreme1 and shews the necessity of his removing from them4 ,however1 if this last miracle was wrought1 it was one more added to the number of those he had worked in that city1 and1 like all the rest1 was lost upon it4 ,on the whole1 it appears certain then1 that the unbelief of these ,nazarenes was a just reason for ,christ's not doing many miracles among them1 since the opposite conduct would have tended to defeat the end and execution of his general office4 ,still1 the most direct and convincing answer to the objection is behind3 ,for1 ,,iv4 ,lastly1 ,i observe that ,jesus did not many miracles before the unbelieving men of ,nazareth1 because such a display of his power would have been contrary to a general rule of conduct1 which he prescribed to himself1 and that1 on the highest reason4 ,this rule was1 not to work a miracle upon them1 or for them1 who were deficient in faith3 ,by which term1 faith1 ,i do not mean a grounded faith in him1 as the ,messiah1 7for that could only be produced originally by miracles7 but such an honesty and probity of mind as might dispose them to believe on the evidence of miracles4 ,it was in this case1 as in that of ,parables1 to him only who hath1 more was given4 ,and therefore the first question be put to those1 who repaired to him for a miraculous relief of their necessities1 was1 ,do ,ye believe8 ,are ye withheld by no fixed and willful prejudices from supposing that one1 coming to you under the character of the ,messiah1 is empowered to do this for you1 or from yielding to its evidence1 when it is done8 ,this was so indispensable a rule with him1 that ,st4 ,mark1 in relating this adventure at ,nazareth1 goes so far as to say that he ,,could ,,not ,,do many mighty works there because of their unbelief#aec4 ,the meaning of which is1 that there was1 no natural indeed1 but a moral impossibility of his working more miracles there2 that is1 he could not do it1 consistently with the general principles1 on which he acted4 ,and that these principles were founded in the best reason1 no man can doubt who reflects1 that the highest possible favour1 which can be conferred on man1 that is1 a miracle wrought for his salvation1 reasonably supposes some degree of desert1 some prior dispositions to profit by it2 who reflects farther1 that1 where such a preparation of mind is not1 the miracle is thrown away2 nay1 worse than that1 can only serve to the hurt and condemnation of that person1 on whom1 or for whom it is performed4 ,men have a strange notion1 that when ,god intends to convince any one by the evidence of miracles1 he should repeat and enforce that evidence1 till it take effect1 whether we will or not2 nay1 that the most obstinate and determined infidelity is only a stronger reason for his contending with it4 ,but this is a very presumptuous1 as well as injurious1 conception of the divine nature3 ,it is presumptuous in the highest degree1 because it supposes that we have a right to prescribe terms to infinite power and wisdom3 ,it is greatly injurious to the ,supreme ,being1 because it supposes that he has no regard to the moral worth of his creatures1 or even to any reasonable end1 in the wonders he does for them4 ,the ,scriptures represent this matter in another light3 they require something1 where much is given2 they expect from us to have1 before we receive2 they suppose us in short to be moral agents1 and not machines4 ,and our ,lord himself1 speaking in the proverbial language of the ,jews1 gives it as a special command to his ,disciples1 ,not to cast that which is holy unto dogs1 not to cast their pearls before swine#aed4 ,all this is agreeable to our best notions of the divine wisdom and goodness1 as well as to the usual course of ,god's providence2 and therefore on this footing only the conduct of ,jesus towards the unbelieving ,jews of ,nazareth is abundantly justified4 ,to draw to a point1 then1 the substance of what has been said4 ,to the question1 why ,jesus did not more miracles1 before the unbelieving8 ,we reply1 ,that such conduct was not necessary to the end of miracles1 which was to afford a reasonable conviction--that it was not likely to answer any good end1 but1 on the contrary1 would have been hurtful to such unbelievers--that it tended to defeat the design and success of ,christ's ministry1 by narrowing the sphere1 of shortening the term of it--that1 lastly and chiefly1 it was unreasonable in itself1 and contrary to the general scheme and order of ,god's moral government4 ,let no man then abuse himself with foolish imaginations1 as if ,christ was wanting in that which became his office and mission2 still less1 as if he acted from any caprice1 or unconcern for the souls of men1 in not forcing their belief2 but least of all1 as if his pretensions had any thing to fear from the little faith of those to whom he addressed himself1 and could only prevail with the weak and credulous1 with those who were unable or indisposed to scrutinize his miracles4 ,even this last insinuation has been made1 not only without grounds1 but against the fullest evidence2 the miracles of ,jesus having been numerous1 public1 illustrious1 and even acknowledged1 at least not convicted of imposture1 by his bitterest enemies1 by those who were most active and most able to examine into the truth and reality of them4 ,with regard to the miracles in question1 let us be so ingenuous as to confess1 that1 if these were necessary to announce his office and character to the men of ,nazareth1 more than these were unnecessary1 and that their unbelief affords the best grounds to conclude1 that they were so4 ,consider too1 that1 if no reasons had occurred to us for this conduct1 it could not certainly appear that it was unreasonable4 ,when we know1 in fact1 what the method of ,god's dealing with mankind has been1 in any instance1 we may be able perhaps to discern good reasons for it4 ,but we can seldom affirm with any shew of reason1 from any preconceptions or general speculations of our own1 what it should or must be4 ,here we are manifestly out of our depth1 and cannot stir a step without the hazard of absurdity or impiety4 ,if we have reason to admit the divine authority of our ,religion1 whatever conduct it ascribes to ,jesus1 must be fit and right1 however impenetrable to us4 ,if we admit it not1 our concern is to see that we have reason for not admitting it4 ,this matter is to be tried by the evidence given of that authority only1 ,i mean by the external proofs1 and historic testimony1 on which it rests4 ,when this is done1 no slight cavils of reason1 no fanciful suspicions1 no plausible objections1 nor any thing else but the most obvious contradiction in something it asserts to the clearest dictates of the human understanding 7which no man has ever yet found7 can possibly shake1 or so much as affect1 that authority4 ,in the present case1 we have seen how entirely groundless the objection is to ,christ's conduct at ,nazareth4 ,but if this objection could not have been answered1 nothing had followed but a conviction of our ignorance4 ,it might still be true 7as we now see it to be71 that ,jesus acted agreeably to his divine character in not doing many miracles before the people of ,nazareth1 because of their unbelief4 ,,sermon ,,xl4 ,,preached ,,may #bc1 #aggc4 #b ,,cor4 iv4 #e4 ,we preach not ourselves1 but ,christ ,jesus the ,lord4 ,we may consider these words1 either as an admonition to the ministers of the ,gospel1 ,to preach not themselves1 but ,christ ,jesus the ,lord2 or simply as a fact1 which ,st4 ,paul asserts of himself and the other ,apostles1 ,that they preached not themselves1 but ,christ ,jesus the ,lord4 ,in either sense1 the words are instructive2 but ,i take them in the latter sense1 only4 ,i would confirm and illustrate this assumed fact3 and then employ it as a medium to prove the divine authority of the sacred writings4 ,if it be true1 that the ,apostles preached not themselves1 but ,christ ,jesus the ,lord1 it will1 perhaps1 be seen to follow1 ,that therefore they preached not from their own private suggestions1 but by the direction of the spirit of ,god4 ,the assertion of the ,text is1 indeed1 general1 and to this effect1 8,that a number of persons1 who were employed to convert the world to the ,religion of ,jesus1 did1 in the tenour of their lives and the course of their ministry1 pay no regard to their own interests of any kind1 and were only intent on the due discharge of their commission40 ,but the subject1 in that extent1 is too large for a discourse of this nature4 ,what ,i would offer to your consideration1 is ,,one ,,single ,,instance of that indifference which the ,apostles shewed to their own interests1 ,i mean1 ,their total disregard of human applause in preaching the ,gospel4 ,in this restrained sense of the words1 men may be said to preach themselves1 in ,,two respects3 ,when they shew a solicitude to set themselves forth with advantage3 #a4 as to their ,,moral character4 ,and #b4 as to their ,,intellectual4 ,i4 ,when men would give an advantageous idea of their moral character1 they usually express this design1 either1 #a4 ,by representing or insinuating their superior worth and virtue3 ,or1 #b4 ,by suppressing or palliating what may render it suspected3 ,or1 #c4 lastly1 ,by dwelling on such topics1 and in such a manner1 as may give occasion to others to think well of their moral qualities4 ,let us try the ,apostolic writings by each of these marks4 #a4 ,the first way that men take to illustrate their moral character1 is1 ,by representing1 or insinuating their worth and virtue1 on all occasions4 ,consider those apologists for themselves1 who have left us memoirs of their own lives4 ,you will find1 in most of these1 an ambitious display of those moral virtues1 by which they desire to be distinguished4 ,they lose no opportunity of setting forth the purity of their designs1 and the integrity of their practice4 ,the rest1 may do this with less pomp and affectation3 they may preserve a modesty in the language1 and a decent reserve in the air and cast1 of their narration4 ,still1 the same purpose is discoverable in all these writers1 whether they openly proclaim1 or nicely suggest and insinuate their own importance4 ,when men are actuated with a strong desire of appearing in the fairest light to others1 it unavoidably breaks out in some shape or other1 and all the indirect ways of address cannot conceal it from the intelligent observer4 ,we have a great example in two1 the most extraordinary persons of the pagan world1 ,i mean1 ,,xenophon1 and ,,julius ,c,,sar4 ,these admired men thought fit to record their own acts and atchievements2 and have done it with that air of neglect and unpretending simplicity1 which has been the wonder of mankind4 ,yet1 through all this apparent indifference1 every one sees the real drift of these elaborate volumes3 every one sees1 that they are composed in such a way as to excite the highest opinion1 not of their ability in the art of war only1 but of the justice1 generosity1 benevolence1 in short1 the moral qualities of their respective authors4 ,it evidently appears that they designed to be their own panegyrists2 though none but such men could have executed that design1 in so inoffensive and successful a manner4 ,but now1 if we turn to the sacred writers1 we shall find no traces of their preaching themselves1 in this respect4 ,these plain fishermen tell their story unambitiously1 and without art2 or1 if we call it art1 it is such an one as ,greece and ,rome had never been able to put in practice4 ,no exaggerations of what may be thought praise-worthy in themselves3 no oblique encomiums on their own best qualities or actions3 no complacent airs in the recital of what may reflect honour on their own characters3 no studied reserve and refinement in the turn and language of their history4 ,if there be any virtue1 which we may suppose them more than commonly anxious to arrogate to themselves1 any moral quality1 in which they would shine out to the observation of others1 what more likely than an unshaken fidelity to their ,master8 that ,master1 whom they made it their glory1 their sole glory1 as the ,text speaks1 to preach8 ,yet they are so far from respecting their own credit in this particular1 that they relate their own infirmities and miscarriages2 they acknowledge how wavering and precarious their faith was2 nay1 they tell us that1 in his last distresses1 they all forsook him1 and fled#aee4 #b4 ,this last circumstance reminds us of the next artifice which men employ to set off their moral character1 that of suppressing or palliating whatever may render it suspected4 ,as accomplished persons1 as the great men1 before mentioned1 were1 can we doubt that many exceptionable steps were taken by them in the affairs1 they managed3 that1 on some occasions1 their prudence failed them1 and their virtue1 on others2 that their counsels and measures were conducted1 at times1 with too little honesty1 or too much passion8 ,yet1 you will in vain look for any thing of this sort in their large and particular histories4 ,all is candid and fair1 judicious and well advised3 every thing speaks the virtuous man1 and able commander4 ,the obnoxious passages are either suppressed1 or they are turned in such a way as to do honour to their ,relaters4 ,or1 take another instance4 ,when ,cicero had offended against the capital law of his moral code1 that1 which enjoined the love of his country1 first1 by his backwardness to join the camp of ,pompey1 and1 afterwards1 by his prompt submission to the tyranny of ,csar1 ,what is the conduct of the illustrious ,roman patriot1 on this pressing occasion8 ,does he frankly condemn these false steps1 or does he content himself with a simple relation of them8 ,neither of these things3 ,he softens and disguises the truth2 he employs all his wit and eloquence to palliate this inglorious desertion of his principles1 to himself and others4 ,i might add many other examples4 ,but ye see1 in these1 a striking contrast to the ingenuity of the sacred writers4 ,they study no arts of evasion or concealment4 ,they proclaim their own faults1 and even vices1 to all the world4 ,one1 acknowledges himself to have been a furious bigot1 a persecutor1 and blasphemer#aef3 ,another1 relates his own cowardice1 ingratitude1 and treachery#aeg4 ,there is nothing like a concert between them to cover each other's defects3 ,they expose the vindictive zeal of one#aeh2 the intolerant spirit of others#aei2 the selfish intrigues of all#afj4 ,in a word1 they give up their moral character to the scorn and censure of their readers1 and appear solicitous for nothing but the honour of their ,master--,they preach not themselves1 but the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,but ye will say1 this apparent candour was the most consummate art2 and that they confessed some obnoxious passages in their lives1 to procure themselves credit in other instances4 ,this1 no doubt1 is sometimes the case with artful writers and speakers3 ,but then only1 when small defects and miscarriages are confessed2 or1 when the facts are too notorious to be dissembled2 or1 if perhaps they confess such things of themselves1 as are highly blameable1 and might otherwise have been concealed1 they do it to gain the praise of a more than ordinary frankness and ingenuity1 they apparently make a matter of vanity1 even of that confession#afa4 ,the case is much otherwise with the preachers of ,jesus4 ,they scruple not to tax themselves with the most odious vices2 and these too1 many times of such a nature as shews1 they might well have been kept secret from all the world2 while yet the discovery is made in such a way1 that suspicion itself cannot charge them with the design of drawing any credit to themselves from it4 ,hitherto1 we have considered how many men may contrive to celebrate or insinuate their own virtues1 to suppress or disguise their own vices1 in narratives or memorials of their lives2 and how free the ,apostles are from the suspicion of doing either4 ,but the same design may be prosecuted in writings of another sort3 and we have writings of another sort from the hands of the ,apostles4 ,i observe then #c4 ,that1 when writers are studious of their own fame1 they find means1 in any moral or historic work1 though themselves be not the professed subject of it1 to do honour to their own character1 by dwelling on such topics1 and in such a manner1 as may give occasion to others to think well of their moral qualities4 ,they declaim1 perhaps1 with much heat against certain vices1 or expatiate with much complacency on certain virtues2 or1 they labour some disgraceful portraits of bad men1 and draw their favoured characters with all the heightenings of panegyrick3 ,and who will suppose1 after this specimen of their zeal1 that they themselves are not adorned with those good qualities1 which they so studiously recommend1 or are not exempt from those bad ones1 which they so industriously expose8 ,the artifice is so common1 that we have it played upon us every day2 and yet so imposing1 that it constantly succeeds with us4 ,how many popular characters does every one call to mind1 that have no foundation but in this favourable prejudice6 ,but let me carry your thoughts back to ancient times1 and fix them on far higher instances4 ,who that reads the moral prefaces and digressions of the historian ,,sallust1 but must imagine the author to have been a model of ancient frugality and austere manners8 ,and who that looks into the philosopher ,,seneca1 and finds him all on fire in celebrating some distinguished characters1 and exposing some detested ones1 but will conclude the writer to have been himself accomplished in all virtue8 ,i make no enquiry1 at present1 into the real characters of these illustrious persons3 ,i pass no judgment on the real merit of their books4 ,their zeal might be an honest one2 and the form of their writings might be owing to that zeal4 ,but this1 ,i observe1 that the form itself is well suited to the purpose of those who would preach themselves2 and that the sacred writers have not thought fit to adopt this method4 ,their books indeed are full of moral sentences and moral precepts 7for they are teachers of morality by profession72 but short1 and simple2 and though earnestly enforced1 not ostentatiously displayed4 ,the historic part of their writings is wonderful for its calmness1 ,i had almost said1 insensibility4 ,no attempt to colour their good or bad characters4 ,even the transcendant virtues of their ,master are left to be collected rather from the simplest exposition of what he said and did1 than from any formal representation of them3 ,and1 what is stranger still1 his betrayers and murderers are loaded with no invective1 nor set to scorn in any odious lights#afb4 ,these divine men are superior to the prejudices even of virtue itself2 and have so little thought of deriving a vanity from their own honest feelings1 that we are almost left in doubt1 whether they were1 indeed1 actuated by them4 ,,ii4 ,thus much for the indifference of the sacred writers to their moral character3 ,let us now see whether they are more concerned for their ,,intellectual4 ,there are two ways which men take to display their mental qualities3 #a4 ,by labouring to make appear an extraordinary acuteness of understanding3 ,and #b4 ,by aiming at the praise of extraordinary wit and eloquence4 ,it is superfluous to observe to you how these two characters predominate in all the writings and speeches of uninspired men4 ,consider1 if there be one exception in all those whom the world most approves and admires3 ,consider1 if there be not evident symptoms of this vanity in every single writer or speaker1 that has undertaken to instruct or reform mankind4 ,i deny not1 that many of these have been persons of great modesty and distinguished virtue3 ,yet they never lose sight of their own mental accomplishments2 they never forget1 under some shape or other1 in this respect1 to preach themselves4 ,even ,he1 who now so freely censures this infirmity in others1 is1 perhaps1 at the instant1 an example of it1 himself4 ,let us see1 then1 if the preachers of the ,gospel have the singular prerogative to stand clear of this general imputation4 #a4 ,they certainly lay no claim to any superior quickness of understanding4 ,on the contrary1 they relate many circumstances1 which clearly imply their own dulness and inapprehension4 ,they acquaint us with the gross mistakes1 they were apt to fall into1 in their conversations with their ,master2 they are at a loss to comprehend his parables1 nay to look beyond the literal sense of the plainest figures2 they even record the reproaches which ,jesus made to them on these occasions4 ,but this slowness of conception1 it will be said1 was in their early unenlightened state1 and was1 perhaps1 affected by them to do honour to their subsequent illuminations4 ,be it so4 ,but how do these illuminated men employ the divine light1 that was imparted to them8 ,in advancing curious theories in ,morals1 or in framing subtle ,metaphysical systems8 ,do they affect a philosophic depth or accuracy in their researches into human nature1 or a superior penetration in their reasonings about spiritual things8 ,do they shine in paradoxes8 or strike with quaint aphorisms8 ,do they entertain us with exquisite positions1 or remote conclusions8 ,nothing of all this4 ,what they teach of moral and divine things1 is with the air of men1 not who make discoveries1 but who deliver known and familiar truths4 ,they tell us many things1 which we knew not before3 ,but they tell them as matters of divine commission1 not of their own collection or investigation4 ,and1 for the rest1 they presume not to speculate upon them1 at all4 ,indeed1 the general subject of their discourses was such1 as gave no scope to the exercise1 and afforded no gratification to the pride1 of ,reason4 ,they publish to the world a matter of fact1 of which they were eye-witnesses2 they attest the death and resurrection of ,jesus1 and preach remission of sins in his name4 ,these were the points they witnessed both to small and great2 saying none other things than those1 which they had seen and heard1 and which the ,prophets and ,moses did say come to pass#afc4 ,is there any thing in such a doctrine1 as this1 that looks like preaching themselves8 ,can it be thought that such teachers had an eye to the credit of their own abilities1 or that they meant to advance the reputation of their own understandings above that of other men8 #b4 ,still less reason is there to charge this ambition on their manner of preaching1 or to imagine that they sought the fame of ingenuity from the terms in which they conveyed their instructions to mankind4 ,if the substance of their doctrine was plain facts1 their language was that of plain men4 ,they spake not with the enticing words of man's wisdom2 scarcely with the ordinary propriety1 certainly1 not with what is called the purity and elegance1 of their tongue4 ,but the fact is not disputed1 rather is objected to them by such as question their inspiration 7with what reason1 we shall presently see72 so that ,i may fairly conclude1 that such men could have no purpose to recommend themselves by the arts of speaking1 or1 that1 with regard to the praise of wit and eloquence1 they could not possibly mean to preach themselves4 ,not let it be said1 that this unornamented style of preaching was the effect of their ignorance1 and inability to reach the graces of a juster manner4 ,for1 besides that it is no new thing for men to affect what they have no talents for1 it is certain that ,,one at least of the ,apostles1 ,he1 whose province it was to convert the ,gentile world1 long since enamoured of the study of eloquence1 and who1 of all the ,apostles1 wrote most1 it is certain1 ,i say1 that this great man was not disqualified by a want of parts or learning1 from pretending to this prize of eloquence1 if his ambition had condescended to it4 ,,iii4 ,it appears then1 with a reasonable degree of evidence1 that the writers of the ,new ,testament had no regard to themselves1 that is1 to the reputation either of their ,moral or ,intellectual virtues1 in composing those books4 ,the fact1 as singular as it is1 seems well established3 ,and ,i draw this interesting conclusion from it1 ,that1 therefore1 they preached1 not from their own private suggestions1 but by the direction of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,this conclusion follows undeniably from that fact4 ,for1 if such a number of persons1 of different tempers1 educations1 and professions1 could be so disinterested as to overlook their own credit in a point1 which all other men have so exceedingly at heart1 and which no other men1 nay which no other single man has ever been able to give up2 and that too1 when they were teaching a divine religion1 and might therefore seem to have a decent pretence for assuming all sorts of merit to themselves2 if this1 ,i say1 be a certain fact1 what can we conclude1 but that the ,spirit of ,god1 to whose enlightening influences they ascribed their doctrine1 over-ruled their natural self-love in the manner of preaching it1 and that these holy men spoke1 as they were moved by the ,holy ,ghost8 ,to return then to the ,text1 and to conclude4 ,we preach not ourselves--said ,st4 ,paul1 in his own name and that of the other ,apostles--,we preach not ourselves1 but ,christ ,jesus the ,lord4 ,the writings of these men are still extant2 and bear the fullest testimony to the truth of what they assert4 ,this1 then1 among many others1 is an intrinsic character1 impressed on those writings1 of their divine original4 ,it may be regarded1 as a standing miracle1 which1 as oft as we revolve and consider them1 speaks aloud1 as in a voice from ,heaven1 that the ,scriptures1 they have left us1 are the word and work of ,god4 ,if their uninspired successors in the ministry of the word be unable to copy so bright an example of humility and self-denial1 forgive them this defect1 or impute it1 if you will1 to natural vanity and unsubdued self-love4 ,but1 when ye chance to observe this infirmity in others1 forget not to say to yourselves1 that this high privilege of preaching not themselves was reserved to the ,evangelists and ,apostles only1 to dignify their character2 and to excite1 confirm1 and support our faith2 in a word1 to manifest to all the world1 in the very frame and texture of the sacred ,oracles1 that they were1 indeed1 dictated by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,,sermon ,,xli4 ,,preached ,,december #ae1 #agga4 ,,matth4 xi4 #e4 ,the ,poor have the ,gospel preached unto them4 ,many circumstances1 attending the ,gospel of ,jesus1 are such1 as we should not previously have expected3 ,yet1 when duly considered1 they fully approve themselves to our best reason4 ,we have a memorable instance1 in the ,text4 ,among other marks1 by which it pleased our blessed ,lord to authenticate his mission1 one was1 ,that the ,poor had the ,gospel preached unto them4 ,go1 7says he to the disciples of ,john the ,baptist1 who had sent them to know of ,jesus1 whether he were indeed the ,messiah7 ,go1 and shew ,john again those things which ye do hear and see3 ,the blind receive their sight1 and the lame walk1 the lepers are cleansed1 and the deaf hear1 the dead are raised up1 and ,,the ,,poor ,,have ,,the ,,gospel ,,preached ,,unto ,,them4 ,we are surprized1 perhaps1 on the first mention of these words1 to find this last circumstance put upon a level with the rest1 even with that greatest of all miracles1 the raising of the dead to life4 ,we may not immediately apprehend1 why the ,poor should be thus considered by the ,saviour of the world2 or how the truth of his pretensions comes to be concerned in this treatment of them4 ,but1 upon inquiry1 we shall find there were some important reasons which determined our ,lord to this conduct1 and which made that conduct1 in a peculiar manner1 expressive of his person and office4 ,,first1 ,this character was directly applied to the ,messiah1 in the ancient prophecies4 ,our ,lord himself1 in the text1 quotes the very words of ,isaiah3 ,so that1 in preaching the ,gospel to the ,poor1 he fulfilled that prediction1 and so far corresponded to the character1 which the word of prophecy had given of the ,messiah4 ,but this circumstance1 we may suppose1 would have been no part of the ,messiah's character1 but for reasons which made it fit and right1 that ,he should be thus distinguished4 ,let us1 further1 inquire1 then1 ,,secondly1 what those reasons1 probably were2 only premising one word1 to ascertain the objects1 both of the prophecy1 and of our ,lord's charitable attention4 ,there is no doubt but the word1 poor1 in the prophecies alledged1 and in ,christ's application of them1 is very capable of being understood in a metaphorical or spiritual sense1 and was even intended to be so understood2 ,i mean1 in that sense1 which our ,lord gives to the word1 ,poor1 when he says--,blessed are the poor in spirit1 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven#afd4 ,but this metaphorical sense does not exclude1 it rather supposes1 the literal4 ,for1 who are the poor in spirit1 for the most part1 but the poor in fortune8 they1 whom neither the pride of knowledge and education1 nor the pride of wealth and place1 has corrupted with vain ideas of their own sufficiency8 ,but1 there is a peculiar reason for the literal interpretation of the ,text4 ,for the words1 blind1 lame1 and deaf1 have1 likewise1 their metaphorical sense in the prophet1 as well as the word1 poor4 ,yet our ,lord alledges the completion of the prophecy1 in the literal meaning of those words2 for he refers the messengers of ,john to what they saw and heared2 to the miracles1 he was then working1 or had worked1 on the blind1 lame1 and deaf1 that is1 in restoring their bodily senses and members#afe4 ,so that1 when the poor are spoken of by ,jesus1 at the same time1 we must needs understand him as speaking of the poor1 properly so called1 that is1 of the lower ranks of people1 whom he was even then instructing1 as well as healing4 ,we see1 then1 ,that ,christ preached the ,gospel to the poor1 in the literal1 as well as spiritual sense of that word3 ,and1 in so doing1 he both fulfilled the whole extent of the prophecy2 and1 as we shall now find1 gave an eminent proof of the ,,goodness and ,,wisdom of his own character4 ,for1 consider the state of the poor1 how much they wanted1 and how much better1 than the rich1 they deserved1 instruction1 when our ,lord1 in mercy1 came to preach the ,gospel to them4 ,i4 ,the condition of the poor1 that is1 of the people at large1 was truly deplorable1 at that time4 ,they were every where treated by their superiors with the utmost contempt1 and left to struggle with an almost invincible ignorance and corruption4 ,the ,jews1 indeed1 had the benefit of a divine law3 but their ,scribes and ,doctors had made it of none effect1 by their traditions#aff4 ,they had corrupted the word of ,god1 by their fanciful cabbalistical glosses2 and had debased their holy ritual1 into a frivolous and sordid superstition4 ,they had the key of knowledge in their hands2 but they neither employed it to the purpose of opening the true meaning of the ,scriptures1 themselves1 nor would suffer the people to make this use of it4 ,in the mean time1 their pride increased with their other vices3 they thought themselves wise and prudent#afg1 and righteous#afh2 and1 in sovereign admiration of their own worth and knowledge1 they despised others4 ,their insolence to the poor was so transcendant1 that they reproached them for that ignorance1 which themselves had occasioned2 and even checked their endeavours to understand the true meaning of their law1 in terms of the bitterest scorn and execration4 ,have any of the ,rulers or ,pharisees1 said they1 believed in ,jesus8 ,but this people#afi1 that knoweth not the law1 are accursed4 ,such was the state of the poor1 among the ,jews3 and that of the ,gentile poor was no better4 ,as the former were only insulted1 and not instructed1 by their ,,rabbis2 ,so the latter were just as ill treated by their ,,philosophers4 ,these men1 indeed1 professed themselves wise2 and had1 in some respects1 a juster claim1 than the ,jewish doctors1 to that proud1 distinctive appellation4 ,though their reasoning1 on many subjects 7on which1 however1 they valued themselves most7 was little better than that of the ,cabbalists2 yet1 in moral matters1 which are of the highest concern to mankind1 they had been able to trace out some plausible and ingenious theories1 and had even penetrated so far as to apprehend some general and fundamental principles of natural religion4 ,yet all this was matter of vanity among them1 rather than of public use4 ,their most interesting speculations were either confined to their schools1 or secreted from the common eye1 in their mysteries4 ,their moral systems were calculated to amuse1 to polish1 and1 we will say1 to instruct the higher ranks of men2 but they were composed in such a way1 and proceeded on such principles1 that the vulgar could be little benefited by them4 ,and1 for what they knew of religious truth1 they studiously kept it from the poor1 and left them to the tyranny of their senseless1 their impure1 their abominable superstitions4 ,even ,socrates himself1 though he laboured very commendably to reform the lives of his fellow-citizens1 yet laboured to little effect1 as he would not1 or durst not1 disgrace their idolatries1 the source of all their corruption and misery4 ,the rest of these wise men were well contented1 at most1 with being wise to themselves2 they stood aloof from the prophane vulgar2 and contemplated1 with much complacency1 or with much disdain1 the popular errors4 ,such1 and so wretched were the poor1 when our blessed ,lord came to announce the good tidings of salvation to them6 ,incapable of themselves to find out or to understand their duty1 and misled1 neglected1 or contemned by those who should have been their instructors2 lost in error and in vice1 with no prospect of recovering themselves out of either2 without guides1 and without friends2 in a word1 without hope1 and without ,god in the world#agj2 ,what could equal their wants and their distresses8 ,and how loudly did they cry to ,heaven for some friendly hand to be stretched out1 some celestial light to be dispensed1 to them8 ,but1 perhaps1 these unhappy men deserved not the care of ,heaven4 ,and1 without doubt1 if we put their claim on that footing1 it will be difficult to make out their title to such distinction4 ,yet they had something1 too1 to plead for themselves1 something to engage the regards of their merciful ,creator1 if it be true1 as ,i observed1 ,,ii4 ,in the next place1 that their hearts1 depraved as they were1 were yet not so utterly perverse1 as those of the rich and great and wise1 who poured such contempt upon them4 ,and1 for our satisfaction in this point1 we need but look into the ,gospel-history2 where we find1 from many facts and testimonies1 that the poorer sort among the ,jews were they who gave the best proofs of their disposition to embrace the doctrine1 and acknowledge the pretensions1 of ,jesus4 ,when he preached to the ,jews1 the ,scribes and ,pharisees1 that is1 the rich and wise1 almost universally and without exception1 cavilled at his doctrine1 perverted his words1 and sought occasion only how they might entangle him in his talk#aga4 ,but the people1 giving way to the ingenuous sense of their own minds1 heared him gladly#agb3 ,they were even very attentive to hear him#agc4 ,nor let it be thought1 that the love of novelty1 or some worse motive1 which oft seduces the populace in such cases1 was the cause of this attention4 ,they give another1 and better reason of it--,never man1 say they1 spake like this man#agd3 ,again1 they were astonished at his doctrine1 for he taught them as one having authority1 and not as the ,scribes#age2 ,that is1 they had the sense to perceive there was a weight and force and importance in his doctrines1 which they had never found in any other1 and1 least of all1 in the light1 frothy1 and frivolous doctrines of their ,scribes2 and they had the honesty to acknowledge and proclaim their own feelings4 ,again2 ,when ,jesus wrought his miracles before the ,jews1 while their superiors were unconvinced1 or blasphemed against conviction1 the multitudes cried out in admiration1 ,is not this the ,son of ,david#agf8--;,it was never1 they say1 so seen in ,israel#agg--,with a becoming candour and piety1 they marvelled1 and glorified ,god1 who had given such power unto men#agh4 ,thus much for the ,jews4 ,and the same difference1 between the rich and poor1 afterwards appeared1 when the ,apostles turned themselves to the ,gentiles4 ,so that ,st4 ,james reasons upon it1 as a certain fact4 ,do not rich men oppress you1 and draw you before the ,judgment seats8 ,do they not blaspheme that worthy name by which ye are called#agi8 ,and ,st4 ,paul to the same purpose1 when appeals to the ,gentile ,christians themselves--,ye see your calling1 my brethren1 how that not many wise men after the flesh1 not many mighty1 not many noble1 are called#ahj4 ,and1 if we extend our inquiries beyond the ,apostolic age1 we still find1 that1 while councils and synagogues1 priests and philosophers1 governors and kings1 were confederated against the rising church1 the poor1 the weak1 the ignorant1 the ignoble1 very readily1 and in great numbers1 pressed into it4 ,considering then this fairness of mind1 which distinguished the poor1 together with their multiplied necessities1 we shall cease to think it strange that our blessed ,lord should first and principally preach the ,gospel to them2 and that this circumstance should be predicted of him1 and urged by himself1 as characteristic of his person and office4 ,for what could distinguish the divine ,messiah more1 than this condescension to those who most needed1 and best deserved1 his instruction8 ,who can wonder that1 when he saw the multitudes1 thus circumstanced1 he was moved with compassion on them1 because they fainted#aha1 under the merciless vexations of their superiors1 and were scattered abroad#ahb1 and left exposed to every injury1 as sheep having no shepherd#ahc8 ,could any splendor of miracles more illustrate his character1 than that affectionate address to the poor people1 groaning under all their burthens1 of which the pride of wealth and wisdom was not the least1 ,come unto me1 ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest4 ,take my yoke upon you1 and learn of me1 for ,i am meek and lonely in heart1 and ye shall find rest to your souls#ahd8 ,our ,lord's whole ministry seems uniformly directed to this end of beating down the insolence of all worldly distinctions1 which had too much vilified and degraded human nature4 ,for this purpose1 he condescended1 himself1 to be born in the lowest rank of life1 to be brought up in what the world calls a mean and mechanic profession1 to converse chiefly with the poor and indigent1 to take for his companions and disciples the most sordid of the people1 and to propagate his religion by the weakest and most unpromising instruments3 ,chusing1 as ,st4 ,paul divinely expresses it1 the foolish things of the world1 to confound the wise2 the weak things of the world1 to confound the things that are mighty2 ,and the base things of the world1 and things which are despised1 yea1 and things which are not1 to bring to nought things that are3 ,that no flesh should glory in his presence#ahe4 ,in a word1 he seems studiously to have bent his whole endeavours1 to vindicate the honour of depressed humanity2 to support its weakness1 to countenance its wants1 to ennoble its misery1 and to dignify its disgrace4 ,nor let any one presume to insinuate1 that this conduct of our blessed ,saviour was directed to other ends2 ,as if he sought1 by this application to the people1 to engage them in the support of his new kingdom1 and then1 by their noise and numbers1 to force the rest into it4 ,the suspicion is utterly without grounds4 ,jesus made no factious use of the popularity he acquired by his condescension2 he discountenanced and repressed every effort of that nature2 and1 though his care was chiefly employed about the poor1 it was not confined to them3 ,he preached indiscriminately to all1 he did his miracles before all1 in public1 in open day-light1 in the presence of the greatest persons1 and in places of the greatest resort2 in short1 his doctrines and his credentials were equally offered to the examination of men of all ranks and all denominations1 of the doctors and rulers of the ,jewish people1 as well as of the people themselves4 ,this1 an impostor most assuredly would not have done4 ,we have now1 then1 a reasonable account given us1 why it pleased ,god that the ,saviour of the world should be known by this mark1 among others1 of his preaching the ,gospel to the poor4 ,the ,,goodness of his character was signally illustrated1 by this gracious conduct4 ,i have only to observe1 further1 that his ,,wisdom was equally displayed by it3 ,and both together must needs furnish a presumptive argument of his divine mission4 ,had the ablest speculative philosopher been consulted about the proper method of reforming the world1 though with the attending evidence and authority of miracles1 ,i suppose his plan for effecting this design would have been wholly different from that1 which was taken4 ,he would have counselled an application1 not to the poor chiefly1 if to them at all1 but to the rich1 the great1 and the wise4 ,the minister of this important charge would have been directed to shew himself in the most conspicuous scene1 to make the capital of the world1 imperial ,rome1 the head-quarters of his mission1 to perform his miracles before the ,roman senate1 and to proselyte1 first of all1 the wise and learned of that empire2 ,as conceiving this to be the readiest way to the establishment of his new ,religion1 and trusting to the power of these great instruments1 as to some irresistible vortex1 to draw the people with them1 into the general profession of it4 ,this1 or something like this1 we may imagine1 would have been the language of human wisdom4 ,but what would have been the event of these profound and politic counsels8 ,most probably1 the design would not have taken effect4 ,the interests1 the prejudices1 the pride1 and the very philosophy of the world would have revolted against it4 ,the plainest miracles would have been shuffled over1 as the sleights of magick3 and the divinest truths1 been derided as unlearned and ignorant conceits4 ,but what if the event had been otherwise8 ,what1 if the new religion had prospered and acquired an establishment by these mighty means8 ,posterity would then have turned the argument in another manner4 ,they would have accounted1 and with some reason1 for this revolution in the sentiments of mankind1 not from the will of ,heaven1 but the power and policy of men4 ,they would have sought the origin of this triumphant religion in the operation of human causes1 and not in the controlling influence of divine4 ,the new system might be preferred to many others that have prevailed in the world1 but would be thought to have made its way by the same means4 ,it would still be considered1 as a mere human engine1 calculated to serve the ends of society1 and not to interest the conscience1 as proceeding from the sole authority of ,god4 ,and what could have been opposed to these suggestions8 ,the cause is plainly adequate to the effect3 ,and1 thus1 the glory of ,god would have been obscured2 and the dispensation itself1 exposed to contempt4 ,see then the riches both of the goodness and wisdom of ,god3 ,of his ,,goodness1 in caring for the poor2 and of his ,,wisdom1 in providing by his use of so unlikely means1 that our faith should not stand in the wisdom of man1 but in the power of ,god4 ,to conclude2 the ways of ,god are1 very frequently1 not our ways#ahf2 ,yet1 when the difference is most striking1 a diligent inquiry will sometimes convince us 7as in the case before us7 that they may be justified even to our apprehensions3 ,the use of which conviction should be1 to satisfy us1 in other cases1 that his ways are always adorable1 even when to ,,us1 in this state of weakness and blindness1 they are past finding out4 ,,sermon ,,xlii4 ,,preached ,,january #bd1 #aggc4 ,,john xiv4 #b4 ,in my ,father's house are many mansions3 ,,if ,,it ,,were ,,not ,,so1 ,i ,,would ,,have ,,told ,,you4 ,these words are not a little remarkable2 and1 if carefully considered1 will be found to make very much for the honour of the ,christian religion1 and its divine author4 ,our blessed ,lord was now upon the point of leaving the world4 ,he foresaw1 distinctly1 his own approaching death1 and the discouragements of all sorts1 which1 of course1 would oppress his disciples1 when he should be taken from them4 ,he therefore applies himself1 in this farewell address1 to animate their courage by the assurance of future glory4 8,let not your heart be troubled1 says he1 at the worst that may befall you3 ,ye believe in the general providence of ,god3 believe also in me1 in the care which ,i shall especially take to see an ample recompence made you for all your sufferings on my account4 ,for in my ,father's house are many mansions2 wherein each of you1 according to his deserts1 shall for ever enjoy an inviolable repose and felicity4 ,and on this promise ye may rely with the most entire confidence3 for know this1 ,that1 if it were not so1 no consideration should have induced me to fill your minds with vain hopes2 on the other hand1 ,i would have told you the plain truth1 how unwelcome soever it might be to you40 ,we have here1 then1 from the mouth of ,christ himself1 an express disavowal of ,,religious ,,fraud ,,or ,,imposture2 and that1 in a point where wise men have sometimes thought themselves at liberty1 nay under an obligation1 to lye for the public service1 and in a conjuncture1 too1 when1 if ever1 it might seem allowable for a good man to deceive his friends on a mere principle of compassion4 ,for what so beneficial1 it may be said1 to mankind1 at large1 as the persuasion of a future state1 in which their happiness shall be proportioned to their virtue8 ,and who1 that has any bowels1 would carry his attachment to strict truth so far1 as not to suffer an unhappy friend to die1 at least1 in this persuasion1 when the hopes of life1 or the comforts of it1 had entirely forsaken him8 ,these questions are plausible3 but our ,lord1 who was the ,truth1 as well as the ,life1 governed himself by other maxims4 ,he knew that the real interests of mankind are only1 or are best promoted by veracity2 that every degree of fraud1 though it may have some immediate1 or temporary good effects1 is1 in the order of things1 productive of much mischief2 is injurious to our moral and reasonable nature1 which was made for truth1 and finds its proper satisfaction in it2 is liable to detection1 to suspicion1 at least2 and if it be but the latter 7entertained on probable grounds1 and become1 as it soon will be1 universal71 not only the chief benefits of the imposture are1 thenceforth1 lost1 but truth itself1 in other cases1 is taken for imposture3 of which there is not a more deplorable instance1 than in the subject we are now considering3 for1 it being well known that men have been forward to deceive each other in matters of religion1 and particularly in what concerns the hope or fear of a future state1 hence1 an incurable suspicion has sunk deep into the minds of too many1 concerning ,christianity itself2 as if1 in this momentous doctrine of life and immortality1 it amused us only1 as many other schemes of religion have done1 with a plausible and politic fiction4 ,but our blessed ,lord1 as ,i said1 had other views of this matter1 and governed himself by other principles4 ,he knew1 who it was that had been a liar1 and therefore a man-slayer from the beginning#ahg2 and left it to him1 the adversary of ,god and man1 to signalize himself by murderous deceit and imposture4 ,for himself1 he tells his disciples1 whom of all men1 it concerned him most to possess with this salutary belief of a future state2 ,he tells them1 ,i say1 that1 instead of deluding them with a groundless hope1 he would certainly1 and even at this season1 which made that hope so infinitely precious1 declare to them the simple truth1 and on no account permit them to continue under a false 7if it had been false71 though flattering persuasion4 ,shall we believe this great teacher1 on his own word8 ,or1 will you suspect1 that even this uncommon declaration1 uncommon in the founder of a new religion1 was only a refinement of art and policy2 and that ,jesus hoped1 by this shew of frankness1 to propagate his favourite imposture the more successfully in the world8 ,i know1 and have just now observed1 to what lengths our ingenious suspicions on this subject are apt to run4 ,but consider the circumstances2 and then judge for yourselves1 whether the suspicion1 in this case1 be well founded4 ,in my ,father's house1 says he1 are many mansions3 if it were not so1 ,i would have told you4 ,and can we doubt his sincerity in this declaration1 when he was now to make an experiment of its truth2 and the deception1 if it were one1 was first to operate on himself1 before it affected others8 ,a speculative reasoner1 or a politic legislator1 when planning his system at his ease1 and in no danger of being called upon to make trial of his own principles1 might discourse with much complacency1 though with little inward belief1 of a happy futurity4 ,but for one1 who was just stepping into that world1 of which he announced such wonders1 who was going1 by one confident venture1 to put his doctrine to the proof1 and to expire in torments from a view to his own promises2 for one1 ,i say1 thus circumstanced1 knowingly to delude himself and others1 is not in human nature1 unless perverted by such a degree of weakness or vanity1 as no man will think chargeable on the character of ,jesus4 ,socrates1 the ablest and the honestest of the ancient sages1 had1 on moral principles1 reasoned himself into a favourable opinion of the soul's immortality4 ,he had often expressed this opinion to his friends1 in terms of some force2 and there were times in which he seemed very little1 if at all1 to question the truth of it4 ,yet1 when he came to die1 and had taken the fatal cup into his hand1 his resolution gives way1 he hesitates1 and leaves his followers1 after first of all confessing himself to be left1 in the utmost uncertainty on this momentous topic3 a conduct surely very natural1 and becoming a wise man1 who had not1 and who knew he had not1 the most convincing evidence of its reality6 ,but there are further reasons to think that ,jesus was sincere in making this declaration to his disciples1 suggested to us by the terms of his religion1 and by his own personal character4 ,those terms were1 that whoever believed in the name of ,christ1 that is1 became a convert to his religion1 was thenceforth to encounter all sorts of difficulties1 and dangers1 and distresses1 nay1 death itself1 and that1 in every dreadful shape1 which the malice of the world could invent1 rather than to retract or forego his open profession of it4 ,this1 the disciples had been often told by their ,master3 who1 whether as a prophet1 or a wise man 7it matters not which1 to our present purpose7 had distinctly foreseen1 and had set before them in all its force1 what they were to expect and to suffer for his sake1 and the sake of the ,gospel4 ,other teachers of religion and philosophy required no such terms of their followers1 or had reason to apprehend no such consequences from the propagation of their opinions4 ,they might therefore keep their doubts to themselves1 if they had any1 of a future state3 ,in ,jesus1 such reserve1 or dissimulation1 would have been the most unfeeling cruelty4 ,and against whom is this suspicion indulged8 ,why against ,,him 7and that was the other consideration ,i mentioned7 whose personal character was that of goodness and philanthropy itself4 ,this character shines out in every page of the ,gospel4 ,we see it in all he said and did to his disciples1 whom he calls his friends1 and treats as such on all occasions3 witness his condescension to their infirmities1 his concern for their safety 7while it might consist with their duty71 his compassion for their sufferings1 his friendliness of temper1 we may even say1 his affection for their persons and virtues4 ,in short1 the sympathetic tenderness of his nature was evidenced in all ways1 in which it could possibly shew itself1 even by that of tears4 ,now1 put these two things together1 his deep concern for the interests of his disciples1 on the one hand1 and the severe injunctions he gave them1 on the other1 and see if there be any possibility of mistrusting our ,lord's good faith in that memorable declaration--,in my ,father's house there are many mansions3 ,,if ,,it ,,were ,,not ,,so1 ,i ,,would ,,have ,,told ,,you4 ,his language on the subject1 so interesting to them1 had1 indeed1 been always the same4 ,blessed are ye1 when men shall revile you1 and persecute you1 and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely1 for my sake4 ,rejoyce1 and be exceeding glad3 for great is your reward in heaven#ahh4 ,this he said in the beginning of his ministry3 ,this he now repeats in the close of it2 but with that remarkable assurance 7now for the first time given1 and1 from the time of giving it1 not more important1 than it is credible7 if it were not so1 if your reward in heaven were not such1 and so great1 as ,i have ever affirmed it to be1 in recompence of all your sufferings1 past and to come1 for my sake1 ,i would not have left you under an error in what so infinitely concerns ,you--,i would expressly have told you of it4 ,,the ,,use we have to make of these reflections is1 to see what our ,lord's character truly was2 and what our reasonable hopes and expectations from him are4 ,i4 ,but for this declaration1 it might be thought1 that ,jesus1 pushed on by an eager ambition of being the founder of a sect1 had1 for his own ends1 preached up this alluring doctrine of a future state2 or1 that1 heated by a moral enthusiasm1 he had overlooked the mischiefs of his scheme1 in contemplation of the public ends1 it might serve1 as applied to the important interests of virtue and religion4 ,surmises of this sort might have sprung up in the minds of men1 not prejudiced against the author of our faith2 and would certainly have been cherished and malignantly insisted upon by his enemies4 ,but it now appears1 that he disclaimed all such views and purposes3 that he was cool enough to see the iniquity of all religious deception2 and just enough to acknowledge the cruelty of it1 in the present instance4 ,if he had not certainly known the truth of his doctrine1 he would have recalled and disowned it4 ,he felt1 in his own case1 what it was to encounter death for conscience-sake3 and he knew what deaths others were to encounter on the like grounds of persuasion4 ,but for the joy that was set before him1 how could the shame and agony of that cross be endured8 ,and1 if there be no recompence of reward1 should he expose to such1 or to equal sufferings1 his honest1 unsuspecting1 affectionate followers8 ,the instant moment#ahi1 the imposed duty#aij1 the foreseen event#aia1 the upright mind#aib1 the feeling heart#aic1 all conspire to satisfy us1 that ,jesus was not1 could not1 be the fraudulent1 that is1 the insensible1 the unrelenting1 the merciless inventor or publisher of a politic fable1 but a teacher of truth and righteousness sent from ,god4 ,thus much for our ,lord's general character2 which we shall do well to keep in mind1 when we meditate on any part of his instructions to us2 but more especially1 when1 for our singular comfort1 we attend to his great doctrine of a ,,blessed ,,immortality4 ,our divine ,master has in the clearest and fullest terms1 announced this doctrine to us2 and1 what is more1 he has anxiously removed the only possible doubt1 which we could have of its truth1 by disclaiming the politic use1 which too many others had presumed to make of it4 ,,ii4 ,it follows1 that we may rely1 with confidence1 on this invaluable promise of a future life2 the only source of peace and comfort to the mind1 without which the disordered scene of this life is inexplicable to the wisest men1 and scarce supportable by the happiest2 we may1 ,i say1 rely with safety on this glorious hope#aid of immortality1 unless we will suppose that ,jesus meant to deceive us even then1 when he most deliberately and solemnly pledged himself to us for his veracity3 a supposition1 which is1 in truth1 as foolish as it is indecent4 ,assured therefore1 as we are1 that our ,saviour both taught this doctrine1 and taught it without the least mixture of guile or dissimulation1 let us hold fast our expectation of it to the end2 and in all the troubles of this life1 whether endured for conscience-sake or not1 provided only they be such as consist with a good conscience1 let us reckon with certainty on our title to one of those eternal mansions1 of which there are so many in the house of our heavenly ,father2 and that1 for the sake and through the merits of our ,,lord ,,jesus ,,christ2 the author of our salvation1 as well as the proclaimer of it3 our merciful ,redeemer1 at once1 and infallible ,instructor2 to whom be all honour1 praise1 and thanksgiving1 now and for ever4 ,amen4 ,,sermon ,,xliii4 ,,preached ,,may #e1 #aggf4 ,,john xvi4 #ab1 #ac4 ,i have yet many things to say unto you1 but ye cannot bear them now4 ,howbeit1 when he1 the ,spirit of truth1 shall come1 he will guide you into ,,all ,,truth3 for he shall not speak of himself2 but whatsoever he shall hear1 that shall he speak3 and ,,he ,,will ,,shew ,,you ,,things ,,to ,,come4 ,there is scarce a page in the ,gospels1 which to an attentive reader may not afford a striking proof of their divine original4 ,we have an instance in the words before us3 in which1 ,jesus1 now about to leave the world1 tells the disciples1 that he had many things to say unto them1 which were not proper for their ear at this time1 but that these1 and all other necessary truths should hereafter be imparted to them by a divine spirit1 to be sent from heaven to be their guide and instructor3 that1 from him1 they should learn what1 for the present1 he forbore to communicate to them1 of his views and purposes in the religion1 they were to teach mankind2 nay1 and that this divine ,spirit of truth would shew them things to come4 ,now ,jesus1 ,i suppose1 whatever else may be thought of him1 will be readily acknowledged to have been1 at least1 a discreet and wise man3 for without a very high degree of discretion and wisdom1 it was plainly impossible for him to do the great things1 he did2 ,i mean1 to be so successful1 as he was1 in imposing a new faith and religion on mankind4 ,they1 who take ,christianity for an imposture1 must confess1 at least1 that it was an imposture1 artfully contrived1 and ably conducted3 otherwise1 the effects of it could never have been1 what we see they are4 ,but would any man1 acting on the principles of human wisdom1 only1 have given an assurance of this kind 7an assurance1 too1 that seemed not necessary7 to those whom he thought fit to entrust with the care of his imposture1 when yet he must certainly know that he could not make good to them what he had promised2 and when they1 to whom such assurance was given1 might easily1 and1 as he must foresee from his knowledge of human nature1 would certainly abuse it1 to selfish ends of their own1 not consistent with his1 and to the hurt of that very cause1 which he wanted to promote8 ,say1 that he had1 only1 told them--this divine spirit shall instruct you in many things concerning my religion1 which ,i have not1 myself1 thought fit to reveal to you--would not this general promise have opened a door to all sorts of fraud1 or extravagance8 ,and could he reasonably expect that any well-concerted scheme of religion1 such as was likely to make its fortune in the world1 would be delivered and established by men1 who were commissioned to enlarge his system1 at pleasure1 and as their various passions1 or fancies1 might suggest8 ,and all this1 on the same authority with that which he had claimed to himself8 ,suppose1 they were honest1 or1 faithful to him1 that is1 disposed to teach nothing but what should agree to their ,master's doctrine1 yet who could answer for their skill or judgment8 ,and1 if they were dishonest1 or unfaithful1 what ruin must not this license of building on his doctrine1 have brought on the structure1 he had already raised8 ,when ,mark ,antony was allowed to forge a will for ,csar1 we know the use he made of that liberty4 ,but had he been a better man1 than he was1 and inclined to give out that only for ,csar's will1 which might probably seem to be so1 yet his capacity to make a will for ,csar1 in all respects uniform1 and consistent with that great man's known views and character1 might well be called in question1 notwithstanding the whole contrivance depended on himself2 much more1 if the arduous task had been entrusted to eleven persons1 besides1 of different abilities and dispositions4 ,still1 the case is more desperate1 than we have hitherto supposed4 ,besides a liberty of adding what new consistent doctrines1 they pleased1 to the doctrine of ,jesus1 the disciples have a greater and more dangerous power committed to them1 a power of prophesying1 or foretelling things to come4 ,to see how the case stands on this last supposition1 consider1 #a4 ,what is implied in this ,,prophetic power4 #b4 ,what abuses are likely to be made of such an assumed power by ,,any men whatsoever4 ,and1 #c4 ,what peculiar abuses of it were to be expected from ,,such men1 as the disciples4 ,consider1 ,i say1 these three particulars1 and then1 upon the whole1 determine for yourselves1 whether any man of ordinary prudence would have commissioned his followers to exercise such a power2 or1 if he had done so1 and had been an impostor1 whether the event could possibly have been what it clearly was4 #a4 ,the prophetic power1 implies an ability of looking into the future history of mankind2 of foreseeing what revolutions shall happen in states and kingdoms2 what shall be the issue of depending wars1 or counsels3 what the prosperous1 or adverse fortune shall be of public1 or private persons2 of those1 who have any authority over us1 or connexion with us2 of individuals1 or collective bodies of men2 of friends1 or enemies4 ,whoever has this extraordinary power committed to him1 or who thinks he has1 has the characters of all men at his mercy2 can blast the reputation of1 the wisest and best men1 by a charge of follies and crimes1 not yet committed2 or can raise the credit of the worst and weakest1 by covering their future life with wisdom and honour4 ,he can intimidate the greatest men by announcing their disgrace and ruin2 or exalt the meanest by bringing out to view their successes and triumphs4 ,in a word1 he can speak peace or war1 fame or infamy1 life or death1 to any state or person1 against whom he thinks fit to level this powerful engine of inspiration4 ,and as all men1 so all times1 are equally within his reach4 ,he can pursue the objects of his love or hate through ages to come2 and can excite hopes and fears in the breasts of those1 who are not to appear on the stage of the world1 till many centuries after he has left it1 and when himself has nothing to apprehend1 let his predictions take what turn they will1 from the shame of detection4 ,such then being the nature of this mighty privilege to foretell things to come1 you cannot but see #b4 ,in the next place1 how liable this power is to be abused by ,,any men whatsoever1 who have a pretence to assume it4 ,make1 if you will1 the most favourable supposition1 that these pretended prophets are able and learned3 ,but then1 what endless schemes of fraud1 of policy1 of imposture1 may ye not expect from the dextrous management of this faculty6 ,revolve with yourselves the history of ancient divination1 or modern prophecy1 when lodged in the hands of artful and designing men2 and see1 what portentous abuses must needs arise from this commission1 and yet what certain disgrace and confusion to the memory of those1 to whom it is given4 ,what blessings will not men1 entrusted with this convenient foresight of futurity1 lavish on their own friends1 or party6 ,and what curses1 what terrors1 equally belied in the event1 will they not scatter over the persons or affairs of rivals and enemies1 for the gratification of a present passion or interest6 ,suppose them cool enough to distrust the reality of their inspiration1 yet the temptation1 to make the pretence of it subservient to their own views1 would be almost irresistible3 ,or suppose them1 on the other hand1 to prophesy with good faith1 this genuine enthusiasm might enable them to act their part more naturally indeed1 but1 in the end1 not more successfully4 ,had then the ,apostles been1 each of them1 as provident and wise1 as their ,master himself1 and as much persuaded of their own inspiration1 as he could desire them to be1 they would not1 we may be sure1 have been encouraged by him1 if an impostor only1 to think themselves possessed of a prophetic power1 when it must have turned to the ruin of his cause1 on every supposition2 ,i mean1 equally on the supposition of its being regarded as a real or pretended1 power2 that is1 whether the ,apostles were guided by the views of a dishonest policy themselves1 or were the honest dupes of their ,master's policy4 ,but there is #c4 ,still more to be said on the improbability of a wise man's giving such an assurance to men qualified and circumstanced1 as the ,apostles were1 in other words1 to men of their ,,peculiar character and situation4 #a4 ,the character of the ,apostles1 was that of plain1 uneducated1 illiterate men2 men1 totally unacquainted with the world1 and with those arts1 which are necessary to conduct a great design with ability and success2 men1 of good sense1 indeed1 and of honest minds1 but1 from their singular simplicity1 only qualified to report what they had seen or heared1 and by no means provident or skillful enough to round and complete a scheme1 but half-disclosed by its author1 and that half delivered incidentally and by parcels to them1 and ill understood4 ,yet to these men1 ,jesus declares1 that much was wanting to the integrity of that religious system1 which they were appointed to teach3 and that all defects in it were to be supplied not by himself1 but by a divine spirit1 who should hereafter descend upon them1 and ,,lead ,,them ,,into ,,all ,,the ,,truth#aie2 nay1 who should not only instruct them in such parts of his religion1 as he had imperfectly1 not at all1 explained1 but should1 further1 open to their view ,i know not what scenes of futurity1 and ,,shew ,,them ,,things ,,to ,,come4 ,these magnificent promises1 you see1 were likely to make a deep impression on the rude minds of the disciples2 half-astonished1 we may suppose1 at the idea of such superior privileges1 and more than half-intoxicated with the conceit of that pre-eminence1 which those privileges were to bestow4 ,their implicit faith1 too in a beloved and revered ,master1 would incline them to expect1 with assurance1 the completion of these promises3 ,and thus1 every principle1 whether of simplicity1 vanity1 or credulity1 would make their presumption violent1 and leave it without controul4 #b4 ,if we turn1 next1 to the situation of these men1 buoyed up with such exalted hopes and expectations1 we shall find it apt to create a fanaticism1 which1 of itself1 might drive them1 in the absence of their politic ,master1 into any excess4 ,these simple1 over-weening men were1 at the same time1 poor1 friendless1 despised1 insulted1 persecuted2 exposed to every injury from the number1 power1 and malice of their enemies1 as ,jesus indeed1 had honestly forewarned them2 yet stung with the desire of founding a temporal kingdom 7contrary1 it must be owned1 to his express declaration7 and of rising themselves to the first honours of it4 ,could any thing flatter their ambition more1 than to be told that they had the modelling of their own scheme left to themselves1 under the cover of a supernatural direction8 ,or1 could any thing gratify their resentments1 all on fire from ill usage1 more effectually1 than to be assured that the fates of their adversaries1 all the secrets of futurity1 lay open to their view8 ,how oft has oppression turned faith into fanaticism1 and made prophets of those1 whom it only found zealots6 ,and do we think that secular ambition1 concurring with religious zeal1 in the like circumstances1 could have any other issue2 especially1 when the prophetic impulse was looked for by such zealots1 and1 on the highest authority1 actually engaged to them8 ,or can we1 who see the probability1 the certainty1 of this consequence1 conceive so meanly of ,jesus1 considered in the view of a wise man only1 as to imagine that ,he should not be aware of it8 ,as then it is very unlikely that any politic impostor should make such a promise1 as the text contains1 a promise liable to be abused by any sort of men1 and most of all by those1 to whom it was made2 so neither is it conceivable that1 if a rash enthusiast had authorized his followers to rely on such a promise1 the issue of it could have been that1 which we certainly know it to have been4 ,for consider1 what were the additions1 made to the scheme of ,jesus by his enlightened followers1 and what the prophecies delivered by them8 ,only1 such additions1 as served to open and display the scheme of the ,gospel1 in a manner that perfectly corresponded with the declared views of its author1 or at least no way contradicted them3 ,and only1 such prophecies1 as have either been clearly fulfilled1 or not convicted of imposture1 to this day4 ,then1 again1 those additions1 were directly contrary to the preconceived notions and expectations1 of those who made them2 such1 for instance1 as the doctrines concerning the rejection of the ,jews1 the call of the ,gentiles1 the abolition of the ,mosaic ritual1 and the spirituality of ,christ's kingdom2 doctrines1 which1 in the life-time of their ,master1 and till enlightened by the promised ,spirit of truth1 they had either not understood1 or had rejected as false and incredible2 yet doctrines1 which made the principal part of those truths1 into which they were led by the ,spirit4 ,and as to the prophecies1 delivered by them1 what less could one expect from so general1 and so flattering a promise1 than that they should be numerous1 and1 at the same time1 replete with presages of good fortune to themselves and their party1 and with terrible denunciations of wrath against their opposers8 ,yet nothing of all this followed4 ,the predictions1 they gave out1 were indeed so many as to shew that the promise was performed to them2 yet1 on the whole1 but few2 in truth1 much fewer than can be imagined without a particular inquiry into the number of them3 ,and of these few1 the greater part were employed in declaring the corruptions1 that should hereafter be made of the new religion1 they were teaching1 and the disasters that should befall the teachers of it2 and scarce one1 directed against their present and personal enemies4 ,all this is astonishing1 and unaccountable an the common principles of human nature1 if left to itself in the management of such a faculty as that of prophetic inspiration4 ,and1 though1 on these principles1 it was to be supposed1 nay1 might certainly have been concluded1 that a set of the craftiest impostors1 or of the honestest fanatics1 that ever lived1 must1 in the end1 dishonour themselves by the exercise of such a power1 and defeat their own purpose2 yet1 to the surprize of all reflecting men1 they have maintained1 to this day1 their character of veracity1 not one of their prophecies having fallen to the ground2 and1 what is more1 with so many chances against the success of their cause1 they have triumphed over all opposition1 and have established in the world a new religion with that force of evidence1 which1 as their ,master divinely foretold1 all their adversaries have not been able to gainsay4 ,in a word1 the ,,event has been1 and is such1 as might be expected1 if the divine assistance promised1 was actually imparted to them2 but improbable in the highest degree1 or rather impossible to have taken place1 if fraud1 or enthusiasm1 had been concerned1 either in giving1 or fulfilling1 this promise4 ,it would be equally an abuse of your patience1 and an affront to your good sense1 to enlarge farther on so plain a point4 ,from recollecting1 and laying together1 the circumstances1 which have been now briefly touched1 and pointed out to you1 ye will conclude1 ,that1 when ,jesus gave this extraordinary promise of the ,spirit to his followers1 he certainly knew1 that he should be able to make good his engagements to them3 ,and that this spirit1 being of ,god1 would not be at the command of his followers1 to be employed by them1 as their passions1 or short-sighted policies1 might direct2 but would operate in them1 according to the good pleasure and unerring wisdom of ,,him1 who sent this celestial guide2 or1 in the words of the text1 that he should not speak of himself1 but whatsoever he should hear1 that1 only1 he should speak4 ,no ill effects would1 then1 proceed from the privilege of being let into new truths1 or1 of being entrusted with the power of foretelling things to come4 ,and1 from the very consideration1 that ,jesus had engaged to confer such privileges upon his disciples1 who1 if not over-ruled in the use of them1 that is1 if not truly and immediately inspired1 would1 or rather must1 have employed them to the discredit and subversion of his own design2 from this single consideration1 ,i say1 it may fairly be concluded1 especially when we can now compare the assurance with the event1 ,that ,he himself was the person1 he assumed to be1 that is1 ,a ,,divine ,,person2 and his religion1 what we believe it to be1 ,,the ,,word ,,and ,,will ,,of ,,god4 ,,sermon ,,xliv4 ,,preached ,,may #bi1 #aggd4 ,t4 ,s4 ,,acts i4 #aa4 ,ye men of ,galilee1 why stand ye gazing up into heaven8 ,this same ,jesus1 which is taken up from you1 shall so come1 in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven4 ,as the entrance of ,jesus into the world1 so his departure out of it1 was graced1 by the ministry of angels4 ,events1 so important as these1 deserved1 and1 it seems1 required1 to be so dignified4 ,his birth was1 indeed1 obscure and mean2 and therefore the attendance of those flaming ministers might be thought necessary to illustrate and adorn it4 ,but his ascension into heaven was an event so full of glory1 that it needed not1 we may think1 any additional lustre to be thrown upon it by this celestial appearance4 ,for what so likely to raise the ideas and excite the admiration of those1 who were witnesses of this event1 as the fact itself1 so sublimely and yet so simply related in these words of the sacred historian--while they beheld1 he was taken up1 and a cloud received him out of their sight8 ,we may presume1 then1 that the heavenly host were not sent merely to dignify this transaction1 in its own nature so transcendently awful2 but for some further purpose of divine ,providence4 ,and we find that purpose expressed very plainly in the words of the text2 which contain an admonition of great importance1 and direct the attention of the disciples to the true end1 for which this scene of wonder was displayed before them4 ,for while they looked stedfastly toward heaven1 as he went up1 two men stood by them in white apparel2 which1 also1 said1 ,ye men of ,galilee1 why stand ye gazing up into heaven8 ,this same ,jesus which is taken up from you into heaven1 shall so come1 in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven4 ,the ,apostles1 we may suppose1 were only occupied with the splendor of the shew2 or they were wholly absorbed in the contemplation of its miraculous nature2 or they were speculating1 perhaps1 on the circumstances of it4 ,they were asking themselves1 as they gazed 7at least1 if they had possessed the philosophic spirit of our days1 they might be tempted to ask71 how the natural gravity of a human body could permit its ascent in so light a medium--how a cloud1 which is but a sheet of air1 impregnated with vapours1 and made visible by reflected light1 could be a fit vehicle of a gross and ponderous substance1 and serve for the conveyance of it into the purer regions of ther1 which we call heaven--or1 what need indeed there was1 that ,jesus should be carried up thither2 as if the ,god1 to whom he ascended1 were not in every place1 alike2 as if there were any such distinction1 as high and low1 with regard to him2 as if all space were not equally inhabited by an infinite spirit2 and as if his throne were not in the depths beneath1 as well as the heights above1 every where1 in short1 without respect to our descriptions of place1 where himself existed4 ,from such a state of mind1 or from such meditations as these1 the ,angels divert the ,apostles1 and call off they attention to a point1 which deserved it better1 and concerned them more nearly4 ',tis1 as if they had said1 8,suspend your admiration of this glorious spectacle2 suppress all your fond and useless speculations about the causes of this event1 and learn from us the proper uses of it4 ,ye have seen your ,master thus visibly carried up from you into heaven2 by what means1 ye need not know1 and may well forbear to inquire4 ,but this intelligence receive from us 7and it much imports you to be made acquainted with it72 this same ,jesus1 who is thus gone up from you for a time into heaven1 will come again with the same1 or even additional glory1 to judge the world in righteousness2 to see what improvements ye have made of all he has done and suffered for you2 and to fix your final doom according to your respective deserts1 or miscarriages4 ,think well of this instruction1 which so naturally results from all he said while he was with you on earth1 and from what has now passed before your eyes2 drop all your other inquiries1 and resolve them into this1 above all1 deserving your best attention1 how ye may prepare yourselves for that day1 when he shall so come1 in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven40 ,the weight of this angelic admonition was enough to put all curious imaginations to flight1 and to convince the ,apostles then1 and all believers at this day1 8,that their true wisdom consists in adverting to the moral and practical uses of their religion1 instead of indulging subtle1 anxious1 and unprofitable speculations concerning the articles of it2 such especially as are too high1 or too arduous for them2 such1 as they have no real interest in considering1 and have no faculties to comprehend40 ,permit me then to enforce this conclusion1 by applying it to the case of such persons1 and especially of such ,christians1 as have been1 at all times1 but too ready to sacrifice conduct to speculation2 to neglect the ends of religious doctrines1 while they busy themselves in nice and fruitless and 7therefore1 if for no other reason7 pernicious inquiries into the grounds and reasons of them4 #a4 ,in the days of ancient paganism1 two points in which religion was concerned1 chiefly engaged the attention of their wise men2 8,,god10 and the 8,,human ,,soul30 interesting topics both2 and the more necessary to be well considered1 because those wise men had little or no light on these subjects1 but what their own reason might be able to strike out for them4 ,and1 had they been contented to derive1 from the study of ,god's works1 all that may be known of him1 by natural reason1 his eternal power and ,godhead1 and had then glorified him with such a worship1 as that knowledge obviously suggested2 or1 had they1 by adverting to their own internal constitution1 deduced the spirituality of the soul1 together with its free1 moral1 and accountable nature1 and then had built on these principles1 the expectation of a future life1 and a conduct in this1 suitable to such expectation2 had they proceeded thus far in their inquiries1 and stopped here1 who could have blamed1 or1 rather1 who would not have been ready to applaud1 their interesting speculations4 ,but1 when1 instead of this reasonable use of their understandings in religious matters1 they were more curious to investigate the essence of the infinite mind1 than to establish just notions of his moral attributes2 and to define the nature of the human soul1 than to study its moral faculties2 their metaphysicks became presumptuous and abominable3 they reasoned themselves out of a superintending providence1 in this world1 and out of all hope1 in a future2 they resolved ,god into fate1 or excluded him from the care of his own creation1 and so made the worship of him1 a matter of policy1 and not of conscience2 while1 at the same time1 they dismissed the ,soul into air1 or into the spirit of the world1 either extinguishing its substance1 or stripping it of individual consciousness2 and so1 in either way1 set aside the concern1 which it might be supposed to have in a future state1 to the subversion of all morality1 as well as of religion4 ,such was the fruit of pagan ingenuity6 ,the philosophers kept gazing upon ,god1 and the ,soul1 till they lost all just and useful conceptions of either3 ,and thus1 as ,st4 ,paul says1 they became vain in their imaginations2 and their foolish heart was darkened#aif4 ,if from the ,grecian1 we turn to the oriental1 and what is called1 barbaric philosophy1 what portentous dreams do we find about angels and spirits1 or of two opposite principles1 contending for mastery in this sublunary world2 ingeniously spun out into ,i know not what fantastic conclusions1 which annihilate all sober piety1 or subvert the plainest dictates of moral duty8 ,so true is it of all presumptuous inquirers into the invisible things of ,god1 that1 professing themselves wise1 they become fools6 ,but these extravagancies of the heathen world deserve our pity1 and may admit of some excuse4 ,the worst is1 that1 when ,heaven had revealed of itself what it saw fit1 this irreverent humour of searching into the deep things of ,god1 was not cured1 but indeed carried to a greater1 if possible1 at least to a more criminal excess2 as ,i shall now shew in a slight sketch of the mischiefs1 which have arisen1 from this audacious treatment even of the divine word4 #b4 ,of the ,jewish corruptions ,i shall say nothing1 because they did not so directly spring from a licence of speculation in the ,rabbins3 though their readiness in admitting unauthorized traditions1 and in giving way to evasive glosses on the ,law1 had something of the same character in it1 and led to the same ill effects4 ,but when the ,gospel1 that last and best revelation of the divine will1 was vouchsafed to mankind1 it might be expected1 that the most curious would keep themselves within the bounds of modesty and respect3 that they would thankfully receive the information imparted to them1 would improve it to its right use1 and acquiesce in the want of that light1 which it was not thought proper to give4 ,but1 no2 the same ungoverned curiosity1 that had wantoned so long in the schools of pagan philosophy1 rioted1 with a still more luxuriant extravagance1 in the ,christian church3 as if that unholy flame had catched new strength from the fires of the altar2 and the revealed articles of our creed had been only so much fresh fuel to feed and augment it4 ,hence1 in the days of the ,apostles themselves1 we hear much of men that1 strove about words1 to no profit--of profane and vain babblings1 that tended to nothing but ungodliness#aig1 of arrogant reasoners1 who intruded into those things1 which they had not seen1 vainly puft up by their fleshly minds#aih1 of extravagant speculatists1 who allegorized and explained away the fundamental articles of the faith1 even the resurrection itself#aii3 which1 in the literal sense1 was rejected as a gross doctrine1 not suited to the apprehensions of wise men4 ,thus the seeds of this evil were early sown1 and began to shoot up in those rank heresies1 of which a full harvest presently appeared4 ,the ,gnostic and ,manichan impieties led the way4 ,others1 of as ill name1 followed from all quarters2 especially from the sects of pagan philosophy2 which now pressed into the church1 and1 in their haste1 forgot to leave their quibbles and their metaphysicks behind them4 ,the evidences of the ,gospel had1 indeed1 extorted their assent3 but how ill prepared they were for the practice of the new religion1 sufficiently appeared1 when1 instead of submitting themselves to the word of ,god1 they would needs torture it into a compliance with their own fancies4 ,every convert found his own tenets in the doctrine of ,jesus3 and would be a ,christian only1 on the principles of his pagan theology4 ,thus the pure and simple faith of the ,gospel was adulterated by every folly1 which delirious reason could invent and propagate2 till1 instead of joy and peace in believing1 the destined fruits of ,christianity through the power of the holy ,ghost#bjj1 all was dissonance and distraction3 contentious pride1 and fierce inexorable debate4 ,these mischiefs continued very long2 when ,plato1 at one time1 and ,aristotle1 at another1 gave the law to the ,christian world2 and decided in all questions1 or rather confounded all1 which the subtlety of human wit could extract from the plainest articles of the ,christian faith4 ,even the barbarous ages could not suppress this fatal ingenuity4 ,the wits of the school-men teemed with fresh chimras1 in the shade of their cloysters2 as the minds of disturbed visionaries are observed to be more than commonly active and prolific in the dark4 ,at length ,reason grew ashamed of these more than fruitless altercations3 and a few divine men1 at the ,reformation1 seemed resolved to take the scriptures for their guide1 and to shut up all their inquiries in a frank and full submission to the written word4 ,still their former bad habits1 imperceptibly almost1 stuck close to them2 for which they had only this excuse to make1 that the zeal of their opponents forced them into dispute4 ,necessity1 sharpened their invention2 their successes1 begot pride2 and persecution1 engendered hate4 ,in this way1 and by these steps1 it was1 that the ,protestants grew ingenious and dogmatical4 ,in opposition to the church of ,rome1 they would explain doctrines1 of which they had no just ideas2 founded on texts of ,scripture1 which they did not understand4 ,presently1 as was natural for men in their blind situation1 they quarrelled among themselves2 and their presumption1 we may be sure1 was not lessened1 but increased1 by this misadventure4 ,the issue of all these conflicts was1 an inundation of dark and dangerous writings1 on subjects#bja1 which confound human reason1 and in which religion has no concern4 ,in process of time1 however1 these evils were1 in part1 removed4 ,philosophers#bjb examined the scriptures with care1 and explained them with reverence3 and1 what is more1 ,divines#bjc became1 in the best sense of the word1 philosophers4 ,between them1 much light was thrown on the general scheme of revelation4 ,its utility1 its necessity1 was shewn3 its sublime views were opened3 its evidences were cleared3 its doctrines1 vindicated3 and its authority1 maintained4 ,reason saw to distinguish between its own province1 and that of faith3 ,it grew severe in exacting its own rights3 and modest in prescribing to those of the revelation itself4 ,but while men of superior sense were thus intent on reforming the bad theology of former times1 the rest were too generally involved in it4 ,they were unwilling to give up their darling habit of gazing up into heaven3 that is1 of framing1 or adopting theories1 which had neither solidity1 nor use2 and of explaining mysteries1 which they could not understand#bjd4 ,nor was the effect of this folly1 merely to disgrace themselves4 ,christianity was too frequently seen in the false light1 in which these rash adventurers had placed it3 ,and men of shallow minds1 and libertine principles1 were ready enough to take advantage of all their indiscretions4 ,for on this ground only1 or chiefly1 the various structures of modern infidelity stand4 ,the presumptuous positions of particular men1 or churches1 are forwardly taken for the genuine doctrines of ,christianity3 ,and those positions1 being not unfrequently either wholly unintelligible1 or even contrary to the plainest reason1 the charge of nonsense1 or of falshood1 is1 thus1 dexterously transferred on the ,gospel itself4 ,and1 though the abuse be gross and palpable1 yet1 when dressed out with a shew of argument1 or varnished over with a little popular eloquence1 it shall easily pass on ill-inclined1 or unwary men4 ,it is surely time for us to benefit by this sad experience4 ,we1 the teachers of religion1 should learn1 not to be wise above what is written3 ,and you1 who would profit in this school1 should not think much to restrain your curiosity within these bounds1 which1 not the ,scriptures only1 but1 right reason prescribes4 ,for let it not be surmized1 that1 in deducing this account of the mischiefs1 which have sprung from ill-directed inquiries into religion1 my purpose is in any degree to discountenance the use of reason in such matters4 ,christianity1 if it be indeed divine1 will bear the strictest examination2 and it is the prerogative of our protestant profession to support itself on the footing of free inquiry4 ,the way of argument is so far from being hurtful to the cause of revelation1 that it is1 in truth1 the basis and foundation of it4 ,we dishonour1 we affront our holy faith1 if we believe it hath1 or can have any other4 ,only let us take heed1 that ,reason do her proper work2 and that we do not dream1 or fancy1 or presume1 when we think we reason4 ,in the instances1 before given1 the fault was in concluding without premises1 and in arguing without ideas4 ,when men call this reasoning1 they forget the meaning of the term1 as well as mistake the extent of their own faculties4 ,we cannot reason on all subjects1 because there are many subjects which we cannot understand3 ,and by the term1 reasoning1 is only meant an act of the mind1 which draws right conclusions from intelligible propositions4 ,the nature of the infinite ,being1 the mode of his existence1 the conomy of his providence1 are inscrutable to us1 and probably to the highest angels4 ,why then intrude into such things1 as no man hath seen1 or can see8 ,all that remains is1 to admit no proposition1 which is not clearly revealed2 and1 for the rest1 to admit1 on the authority of the revealer1 what must be true1 though we cannot1 in the way of reason1 perceive that it is so4 ,the inutility of all researches into divine things1 without a strict adherence to this well-grounded principle1 is apparent2 the presumption of them1 is ridiculous2 but1 above all1 the mischiefs of them1 are deplorable4 ,men bewilder themselves1 in inextricable difficulties3 they disbelieve1 on incompetent grounds3 they give up the ,gospel1 and1 with it1 their best hopes1 for the gratification of the idlest vanity3 or they mis-spend their time in exploring articles of faith1 instead of attending1 to the obvious end and use of them4 ,to return to the text1 which led us into these reflexions4 ,the disciples were looking up into heaven1 when they should have been considering how to follow him thither4 ,is not our folly the same1 or rather is it not more inexcusable1 when gazing1 with our weak reason1 on celestial things1 we neglect the ends1 for which a glympse of them is afforded to us8 ,for there is not an article of our creed1 which may not make us better1 if not wiser3 ,and obedience1 that is1 faith working by love1 whatever some may think1 is of another value in the sight of ,god1 and of higher concern to man1 than all knowledge4 ,,sermon ,,xlv4 ,,preached ,,june #bc1 #aggf4 ,st4 ,,matth4 xiii4 #ee1 #ef4 ,is not this the carpenter's son8 ,is not his mother called ,mary8 ,and his brethren1 ,james and ,joses and ,simon and ,judas8 ,and his sisters1 are not they all with us8 ,whence then hath this man all these things8 ,and they were offended in him4 ,we have1 in these words1 a striking picture of ,,envy2 which makes us unwilling to see1 or to acknowledge1 any pre-eminence in those1 whom we have familiarly known and conversed with1 and whom we have been long used to regard as our inferiors1 or1 at most1 but on a level with ourselves4 ,our ,lord's neighbours and countrymen1 who had been acquainted with him from his youth1 could repeat the names of his whole family1 and knew the ordinary condition1 in which they lived1 were out of patience to think that1 so descended and so circumstanced1 he should be grown at once into distinction among them1 and should be taken notice of for abilities and powers1 which they1 none of them1 possessed4 ,this temper of mind1 ,i say1 is here very graphically expressed2 and it operated among the ,jews with a more than common malignity1 shedding its venom on those1 whom not their own industry1 but the special favour of ,heaven had raised above their fellows1 and had commissioned to go forth with extraordinary powers 7of which they had frequent instances in their history7 for the common benefit of themselves and of mankind4 ,whence it acquired even the authority of a proverbial sentence1--that a prophet hath no honour in his own country1 and in his own house#bje4 ,but1 ,i mean not to enlarge1 at present1 on this moral topick4 ,there is another1 and very important use to be made of these words1 which is1 to let us see1 8how very small a matter will serve to overpower the strongest evidence of our religion1 though proposed with all imaginable advantage to us1 when we hate to be reformed1 or1 for any other reason1 have no mind to be convinced of its truth40 ,this strange power of prejudice is exemplified in the text1 and will deserve our serious consideration4 ,our blessed ,lord had now given many proofs of the divine virtue1 that was lodged in him2 and was1 therefore1 moved1 not only by the duty of his office1 but1 as we may suppose1 by that regard which every good man hears to his country1 to make a tender of his mercies to those persons1 especially1 among whom he had been brought up4 ,accordingly1 we are told1 that he came to his own city of ,nazareth1 and preached in their ,synagogue1 insomuch that the people of that place were astonished1 and said1 whence hath this man this wisdom1 which appears in his doctrine1 and these mighty works1 which we have seen him perform8 ,and then1 calling to mind the mean circumstances of his birth and family1 before repeated1 they expressed their dissatisfaction1 or1 as the text says1 were offended in him4 ,but1 were those circumstances a reason for rejecting a doctrine1 which astonished them with its wisdom2 and works1 which they owned to be mighty1 and above the common power of man8 ,rather1 sure1 the opposite conduct was to be expected2 and1 because they knew certainly1 from the mean extraction and education of him who taught and did these things1 that he had no means of acquiring his abilities 7if they were at all to be acquired7 in an ordinary way1 they ought1 methinks1 to have had their minds impressed with a full assurance1 that they were owing1 as they were by himself ascribed1 to the power of ,god4 ,but1 no3 rather than admit a conclusion1 which hurt their pride1 and crossed their foolish prejudices1 they stifle the strongest conviction of their own minds2 and resolve not to receive a prophet1 whom they had long desired and expected1 who came to them with all the credentials of a prophet1 and with the offer of what they most wanted1 the remission of their sins1 and the inestimable gift of eternal life4 ,and all this1 because the prophet was the son of a carpenter1 in their own town1 and because his brethren and sisters1 persons of a mean condition1 were all with them4 ,when we contemplate such a conduct1 as this1 we are ready to say1 that it sprung from a more than common perverseness of character1 and that the people of ,nazareth were more unreasonable and sottish1 as the common proverb made them to be1 than the rest of ,israel#bjf4 ,yet1 if we turn our thoughts on the other tribes and cities of that nation1 on the inhabitants of ,juda1 and even of ,jerusalem1 we shall find1 that they reasoned no better than the men of ,nazareth had done2 and discovered equal1 indeed1 much the same prejudices as those1 by which our ,lord's own countrymen had been misled4 ,for1 what else was it to say1 as they commonly did1 that no prophet could come out of ,galilee#bjg2 that he could not be the ,messiah1 because his disciples were illiterate fishermen#bjh1 and not ,scribes and ,pharisees2 because none of their rulers believed on him#bji2 because he conversed1 sometimes1 with publicans and sinners#baj2 because he did not observe their minute ceremonies or traditions#baa2 because he manifested his divine power in healing the sick1 and casting out devils1 and not in breaking to pieces the ,roman empire and restoring the temporal kingdom of ,israel#bab2 because--but ,i need not instance in more particulars3 ,universally1 the ,jews1 of all places and denominations1 rejected their ,lord and ,saviour for reasons1 the most absurd and trivial2 for reasons1 that came from the heart1 and not the head1 which shewed they were under the power of some contemptible prejudice1 and would yield to no evidence1 unless that was complied with4 ,still1 8the ,jews1 in general1 you will say1 were unlike other people4 ,tell us how the polished ,heathens reasoned on the subject of ,christ's mission2 and whether1 when the ,gospel was addressed to them1 they opposed it on the footing of those senseless prejudices1 which you have enough disgraced40 ,luckily1 ,i have it in my power to accept this challenge2 and to shew you1 on the best authority1 that those men of enlightened minds and renowned wisdom were as weak in their sophisms1 and as childish in their cavils against the new religion1 as the ,jews themselves4 ,we read in the ,acts of the ,apostles#bac1 that ,st4 ,paul came to ,ephesus1 a rich1 learned1 idolatrous city of ,asia2 that he applied himself more especially to the instruction of its ,gentile inhabitants2 disputing daily1 for two years together1 in the school of one ,tyrannus1 a teacher of rhetorick1 or philosophy1 as we may suppose1 and a convert to the faith of ,jesus4 ,that his success was great1 we may conclude1 both from his long residence1 and from the special miracles1 which he wrought1 among them4 ,yet1 when the word of ,god had grown mightily and prevailed1 a certain silver-smith1 who made silver shrines for the ,goddess of the place1 had credit enough with this well instructed city1 because its trade was likely to suffer by the downfall of idolatry1 to raise such an uproar among the people1 that the ,apostle's labours were1 at once1 overturned by this powerful argument1 and he1 himself1 compelled to leave them to their old infatuations3 which was much such treatment1 as ,jesus himself had received from the ,gadarenes2 who1 because he had permitted the devils1 ejected out of one of their people1 to enter into a herd of swine1 and to destroy them1 would not be saved at this expence1 and required him1 but civilly indeed1 to depart out of their coasts4 ,now1 was that craft1 or this husbandry1 a matter to be put in competition with the saving of their souls1 which they had reason to expect from the preaching of ,paul and ,jesus8 ,or1 is it not clear1 that a petty interest1 that is1 a sordid prejudice1 prevailed against the most precious hopes1 supported by the fullest evidence8 ,but these were prejudices of the ignorant vulgar4 ,let us see1 then1 what success ,st4 ,paul had in a nobler scene1 among wits and sages1 men of refined sense and reason1 in the head-quarters of politeness and civility1 in the eye of ,greece itself1 in one word1 ,athens#bad4 ,here1 the great ,apostle1 who had the charity1 and the ability1 to make himself all things to all men1 encountered their ablest philosophers2 reasoning with them1 even before their revered court of ,areopagus1 on their own favourite topics of ,god1 and the ,soul1 in a strain of argument1 which was clearly unanswerable2 and concluding his weighty apology with ,jesus and the ,resurrection4 ,but what was the effect of all this truth on the minds of these liberal heathens8 ,why the text says--when they heared of the resurrection of the dead1 some 7that is1 the ,epicureans7 mocked2 and why8 because their philosophy admitted no future state3 while others 7the ,stoics7 said1 ,we will hear thee again of this matter2 but1 for as poor reason1 as the other1 because their philosophy taught ,i know not what of a certain renovation of the world1 which1 for the credit of their sect1 they were half inclined to confound with the ,christian resurrection4 ,you see1 in both parties1 the power of prejudice2 where yet the occasion was the most interesting1 the hearers the most capable1 the ability or the speaker1 independently of his assumed inspiration1 unquestionably great1 and where the conclusion1 7so carelessly dismissed7 was1 after all1 a question of ,,fact1 which had no dependance on the fanciful tenets of either party4 ,i should weary you and myself1 should ,i carry on this deduction through the following ages of the ,christian church2 and shew1 as ,i might easily do1 that the ablest men of science1 who opposed ,christianity1 did it on grounds no better than those of these ,athenian sophists4 ,we see what these grounds were1 in the fragments1 that remain to us1 of many ancient unbelievers#bae1 men1 the most acute and learned of their times2 while yet every man of sense1 that now reads and considers their objections1 will own1 whether he be himself a ,christian or not1 that they are altogether weak and frivolous1 and have the face not so much of sound1 or even colourable arguments1 as of faint and powerless prepossessions against unwelcome truth4 ,i shall only instance in one of these prepossessions1 which you think prodigious4 ,the ,roman empire1 labouring under its own vices1 and many physical evils1 which then lay heavy upon it1 experienced1 in the fourth century1 that reverse of fortune1 which1 in its turn1 the greatest nations must expect4 ,but by this time ,christianity had spread itself through all the provinces1 and was become the religion of the state4 ,in these circumstances1 the ,heathens1 very generally1 not the rabble only1 but the gravest and wisest of the ,heathens2 ascribed these disasters to the abolition of idolatry2 and thought it an unanswerable argument against the faith of ,jesus1 that it did not maintain their empire in that degree of splendour and prosperity1 to which1 in the days of pagan worship1 it had happily been raised4 ,and this miserable superstition1 which we now only pity1 or1 perhaps1 smile at1 made so deep an impression on the minds of men1 that the greatest of the ancient fathers1 and particularly ,st4 ,austin#baf1 were scarce able1 with all their learning and authority1 to bring it into contempt4 ,such was the power of ancient prejudice against the ,christian religion4 ,but ,i hasten to set before you1 in few words1 what its tyranny has been in later times4 ,the accidental and temporary commotions1 which reformed religion produced in our western world1 furnished in the minds of many1 a notable argument against the cause of ,protestantism1 which1 when taken up and improved1 as it soon was1 by state-policy1 had1 indeed1 a fatal influence on its success4 ,but1 even as to ,christianity itself1 that day-spring of knowledge1 which broke upon us at the ,reformation1 and1 as they say1 has been brightening from that time to this1 could not disperse those phantoms of prejudice1 which are forever haunting the human mind4 ,men1 who piqued themselves on their sagacity1 presently started up1 and said1 that1 because popery had been found to be an imposture1 ,christianity was so too2 and because the legendary tales of the cloysters had been convicted of falshood1 that the ,scriptures themselves deserved but little regard4 ,and when afterwards these suspicions gave way to sober criticism and learned inquiry1 prejudices still arose1 in various shapes1 against the ,,evidences1 and the ,,doctrines of the ,gospel-,revelation4 ,we were told1 that the prophecies proved nothing1 because some of them were too obscure1 and others too plain4 ,could both these objections come from the oracle1 ,reason8 ,or1 is it so much as likely1 that either of them did so8 when1 for any thing it could tell1 both the clearness1 and the obscurity might be suitable to the occasion1 and each1 be fit1 in its place4 ,then again1 there were others bold enough to deny the existence of miracles1 not1 because many have been forged1 but because none can be true4 ,was this1 too1 the voice of ,reason8 or1 is not ,st4 ,paul's appeal to common sense enough to disgrace this fancy to the end of the world--,why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that ,,god should raise the dead8#bag ,god1 who surely has power to do this1 or other miracles1 when his wisdom sees fit4 ,the contents of the ,gospel have also been treated1 ,i do not say with as little respect1 but with as little shew of reason and argument1 as the evidences of it4 ,for instance1 it was current1 not long ago1 that 8,christianity was as old as the ,creation20 the meaning of which wise saying was1 that ,christianity could not be true1 because the moral part of it was such1 as nature taught1 and had at all times been able to discover by its own light4 ,admit the fact3 what follows8 ,that therefore a divine revelation needs not repeat and could not occasionally enforce the laws of nature4 ,is reason1 pure unmixed reason1 accustomed to trifle at this rate8 ,but the complaint now is1 that nature does not teach the doctrinal part of the ,gospel4 ,and what then8 ,was it not equally to be expected that what concerns the essence and counsels and dispensations of ,god should be a secret to nature1 unassisted by revelation1 as that our practical moral duties should lie open to its view8 ,and1 if the force of this question be not generally felt1 there is no doubt1 ,i think1 but it will1 in a short time4 ,for1 it is to be observed of all these idle cavils1 that they presently vanish one after another2 and1 when each has had its day1 is1 thenceforth1 exploded even by unbelievers themselves4 ,but1 'tis time to come to a conclusion of this matter4 ,the purpose of all ,i have said is1 only1 this1 to shew1 what weak and idiot prejudices have1 at all times1 been taken up against ,christianity1 and how generally they have been mistaken by the acutest of its enemies1 for reasons of much weight4 ,and1 if all1 who hear me1 be led by this experience1 to suspect the infirmity of their own minds2 if1 having seen the disgraceful issue of so many fancies1 which for a time have passed for shrewd arguments1 but have1 afterwards1 appeared to be nothing more than childish prejudices1 they can be brought to mistrust those1 that occur to themselves2 if1 in a word1 they can be induced to question the pertinence and force of what they too easily consider in the light of objections to ,christianity1 and to argue soberly and cautiously at least1 if they will needs try their skill in arguing against it2 the end1 ,i have in view1 will be answered1 and neither my pains1 nor your attention1 will be thrown away on this discourse4 ,,sermon ,,xlvi4 ,,preached ,,february #d1 #aggf4 ,,james iv4 #g4 --,resist the ,devil1 and he will flee from you4 ,that there are ,angels and ,spirits1 good and bad2 that1 at the head1 of these last1 there is ,,one1 more considerable and malignant1 than the rest1 who in the form1 or under the name1 of a ,serpent1 was deeply concerned in the fall of man1 and whose head1 as the prophetic language is1 the ,son of man was1 one day1 to bruise2 that this evil spirit1 though that prophecy be1 in part1 completed1 has not yet received his death's wound1 but is still permitted1 for ends unsearchable to us1 and in ways which we cannot particularly explain1 to have a certain degree of power in this world1 hostile to its virtue and happiness1 and sometimes exerted with too much success2 all this is so clear from ,scripture1 that no believer1 unless he be1 first of all1 spoiled by philosophy and vain deceit1 can possibly entertain a doubt of it4 ,the subject1 indeed1 in its full extent1 cannot be discussed at this time1 nor conveniently1 perhaps1 in this place4 ,but it may not be improper to make some general reflexions upon it2 such as may serve to rectify your ,,apprehensions of the doctrine itself1 which1 as ,i said1 is truly scriptural1 and to suggest1 at the same time1 the ,,moral ,,and ,,religious ,,uses1 we ought to make of it4 #a4 ,an opinion prevailed in the ,east very early1 and was probably derived from some still more ancient tradition of the fall1 corrupted1 and misunderstood1 that two1 equally great and independent beings1 a good and a bad1 shared the government of the world between them2 that these beings1 of directly opposite characters1 carried on a perpetual war with each other1 crossed each other's designs and operations1 and1 as either prevailed1 produced the good or evil1 the happiness or misery1 of this life4 ,this opinion was1 afterwards1 taken up by some1 who called themselves ,christians2 and was especially applied by those1 who loved to philosophize 7as too many did1 and1 at all times1 have been prone to do7 on the secrets of divine ,providence1 to the solution of that great question1 concerning the origin of natural and moral evil4 ,now1 to this notion some countenance1 it is thought1 has been given by the scriptural doctrine of the ,devil1 who is spoken of1 as the ,prince of this world#bah1 as the ,prince of the power of the air#bai1 as the ,god of this world#bbj1 and in other terms of the like sort1 denoting as well the power1 as malignity1 of this evil ,being4 ,but1 though these terms are1 some of them1 very strong1 and certainly imply1 not the existence only1 but the extensive agency and influence1 of this wicked ,spirit1 yet there is no pretence or colour for supposing that any thing like an equality to the ,god of heaven and earth1 or an independency upon him1 was intended to be expressed by them4 ,for it is manifest1 that no writings in the world exalt our ideas of that ,god so high1 or set forth his supreme irresistible and sovereign dominion in so strong and decisive terms1 as the ,jewish and ,christian scriptures4 ,and with regard to the particular evil being under consideration1 he is represented as trembling#bba at the very apprehension of the omnipotent ,creator1 as sentenced by his justice#bbb1 and reserved for the execution of it#bbc2 as exercising a partial1 a precarious1 a limited power in this world1 working only in the children of disobedience#bbd1 and in them1 consequently1 no longer than they continue to deserve that character2 and baffled in his attempts1 not only by the ,son of ,god1 but by the resistance#bbe1 by the prayers#bbf1 by the faith#bbg1 of ,christians2 as a rebel indeed1 yet a rebel cast out#bbh and disabled#bbi1 and compelled to be an instrument1 like all other things1 in the hands of the ,almighty#bcj4 ,but nothing shews more clearly1 how abhorrent the spirit of ,christianity is from the ,manichan doctrine1 than the care that is taken throughout the ,gospel-history to set forth the triumphs of ,christ over the kingdom of ,satan1 in casting out devils2 of which the instances are so many1 and so circumstantially described1 as if our ,lord's main or sole purpose had been to expose and explode that great impiety4 ,he not only1 himself1 commanded1 by a word1 the devils to go out of the possessed1 who accordingly obeyed him1 and1 in departing1 deprecated that power#bca1 which they knew he had over them2 but he1 likewise1 gave the same authority to his disciples1 who went forth with his commission1 and returned again with joy1 saying1 ,lord1 even the devils are subject unto us1 through thy name#bcb4 ,on which occasion1 he said unto them1 as exulting in his dominion over the enemy1 and in the rapid1 instantaneous1 irresistible effect of it1 ,i beheld ,satan1 as lightning1 fall from heaven#bcc4 ,thus much may suffice to shew1 that1 though the ,gospel affirms the existence of evil spirits1 and of one eminently so1 yet that it gives no countenance to the doctrine of the two principles2 as if the evil one were independent of the good1 or that ,satan could have the madness to think of rivalling the power of ,god1 and of entering into a direct formal contest1 as it were1 with the ,almighty4 ,whatever of this sort has been said1 or insinuated1 contradicts the express testimony1 indeed1 the whole tenour1 of holy scripture1 and is nothing but poetry1 or misrepresentation4 #b4 ,still1 on the face of that account1 which ,scripture itself gives1 it must be owned1 that the power of ,satan is great and even dreadful4 ,that he was permitted1 in our ,saviour's time1 to vex1 and1 in various ways1 torment the ,,bodies of men1 is clear from the number of possessions1 we read of in the ,gospel2 which though some have laboured to explain away 7as they have1 indeed1 the personality of the ,devil himself7 by reducing what is said of his agency to a mere figure of speech1 yet ,i do not find that their attempts have1 hitherto1 been1 or are likely to be1 successful4 ,that he was1 also1 permitted to lay such trains1 and contrive such measures1 as had a fatal effect1 sometimes1 on the ,,fortunes of men1 not of those only1 who were the immediate instruments of his malice1 but of good and innocent men1 who stood at a distance from him1 we see by the sad catastrophe of that council1 which he put into the heart of ,judas to betray his master#bcd2 first1 in the untimely death of the traitor himself1 and then1 by a series of connected events1 in the crucifixion of the holy ,jesus2 and by several other instances4 ,and1 that he still retains this last power1 as formidable as it truly is1 must be concluded1 if it be true1 as we shall presently see it is1 that he insinuates himself into the minds of bad men1 and is concerned in exciting and promoting their wicked purposes4 ,but1 whether he be allowed to tyrannize over the bodies of men1 is more problematical4 ,that1 for any thing we know1 he may operate in the way of possession1 ,i do not see on what certain grounds any man can deny3 that he does so1 ,i would not affirm1 because the ,scripture1 our only guide as to what respects the agency of spirits1 is silent in that matter4 ,but the inquiry is of the less moment1 because1 since the gift of discerning spirits hath ceased in the church1 we have no means of distinguishing between possessions and natural disorders2 and1 because1 if we had1 there is no known cure1 or antidote1 for them4 ,had this been considered1 all the mischiefs which have arisen from the trade of witchcraft and diabolism1 would have been prevented4 ,for they have proceeded1 not from the supposed possibility of possessions1 but from a fraudulent pretence of knowing when they take place1 and from a superstitious belief of certain charms or spells1 which may be applied1 with effect1 to the removal of them4 ,whereas1 the fact is not cognizable by us1 the symptoms1 whether of the natural disorder1 or of the pretrnatural infliction1 being equivocal2 and ,christianity acknowledges no power in words1 or ceremonies1 to exorcise evil spirits4 ,the only exorcism1 which is now permitted to ,christians1 is that of faith and repentance1 that is1 of a good life2 which every man may1 and should apply1 when it is needful1 to his own case1 and which1 in that application1 can surely do no hurt to himself1 or others4 ,and1 with this explanation1 ,i leave the matter of possessions4 ,as ,i have no authority to affirm1 that there are1 now1 any such1 so neither may ,i presume to say1 with confidence1 that there are not any4 ,but1 then1 with regard to the influence of evil spirits at this day upon the ,,souls of men1 ,i shall take leave to be a great deal more peremptory4 ,for this influence is so constantly supposed in the ,gospel2 there are so many admonitions1 cautions1 advices1 relating to it2 there are so many warnings given us by ,christ and his ,apostles against the snares1 the wiles1 the devices1 the depths1 of ,satan1 and these1 conveyed in the form of general precepts1 plainly calculated for the use of ,christians in all ages2 it is so expressly said1 in ,christ's own parable of the sower1 that the tares1 that is1 bad men1 are sown by the devil1 and that this husbandry will be carried on by him to the end of the world2 it is so apparent1 that his empire over bad men is exercised in the way of temptation and seduction1 by putting bad purposes into their minds1 and filling their hearts with corrupt imaginations and intentions2 it is1 besides1 so evident that we are continually in danger of this temptation1 by that clause in the ,lord's prayer1 the daily prayer of all ,christians--deliver us from the evil one#bce--;for such is the proper sense of these words1 which we translate1 deliver us from evil--,all this1 ,i say1 is so manifest to every one who reads the scriptures1 that1 if we respect their authority1 the question1 concerning the reality of demonic influence upon the minds of men1 is clearly determined4 ,nay1 there are many instances1 in history1 and common life1 of prodigious1 almost unimaginable wickedness1 strangely conceived and executed1 which1 if they do not prove this doctrine1 in the way of sensible experience1 perfectly fall in1 and harmonize with it4 ,it seems1 as if the soul of some men were demoniacal1 as the bodies of others have been4 ,let me appeal to yourselves4 ,suppose that a person1 duly commissioned for that purpose1 had dislodged as many devils from ,nero or ,csar ,borgia1 as our ,saviour did from the poor unhappy man of ,gadara1 would this exorcism have surprized you more in the former case1 than the latter8 or would not this miracle have furnished us with a better account1 than we can now give1 of the transcendant wickedness1 which possessed the hearts of those monsters8 ,indeed1 in the simpler ages1 our forefathers1 who read the scriptures1 and believed what they read1 constantly ascribed any crime1 with which they charged another1 to the instigation of the devil2 as you may see from the language of those forms1 which are used1 in criminal prosecutions to this day3 and1 if those charges be vow considered as mere forms1 it was not always so2 and a better reason will be required1 than can be presently given1 why any ,christian should so conceive of them4 #c4 ,but to all this it be said1 8that the doctrine1 here laid down1 as scriptural1 is strange and incredible2 that it makes the virtue and happiness of men depend on others1 and not themselves2 that it supposes a power1 adverse to the great ,creator and ,governor1 and able1 on many occasions1 to prevail against him1 which1 degrades both his sovereignty and his wisdom2 and that1 above all1 it represents weak simple men as exposed to the practices of great and subtle tempters1 which overturn all our ideas of the divine justice and goodness40 ,the objection might be expressed in more words1 but you see the drift and force of it4 ,now1 in answer1 it would be enough to say1 that1 let the difficulties be what they will1 the doctrine is scriptural4 ,but then1 as to those difficulties themselves1 ,i must further say1 that they are not peculiar to this doctrine1 as revealed in scripture1 but bear equally against the natural doctrine of ,god's moral government4 ,for do we not see that we all of us depend in a great measure1 for the virtue and happiness we possess1 on the conduct of others8 ,can we look about us1 and not perceive an order of beings1 ,i mean1 wicked men1 opposing themselves to the will of ,god1 traversing his righteous purposes1 and prevailing1 for a time at least1 against his primary intentions8 ,do they not pervert1 corrupt1 destroy multitudes every day2 and are not the weak and simple permitted to fall into the snares of the wise and crafty8 ,do not these things evidently take place in our world1 and is it thought any derogation from the attributes of ,god that they should be allowed to do so8 ,are not men1 too oft1 a sort of devils to each other1 and can we wonder that vice and misery are much in the power of such agents8 ,yes1 but spiritual unseen agents6--,does that make any mighty difference8 ,is it necessary to suppose that spirits1 of whatever rank1 are privileged from abusing their free-will1 and from being perverse and wicked1 as we see men are8 ,and1 what if they are unseen8 ,have we reason to expect1 from the present constitution of things1 that we should suffer only from the practices of known and visible tempters8 ,as if much of the vice and wretchedness of this life did not come upon us by surprize1 as we may say1 and when we think little of the cause1 or the agent6 ,a lye1 flies in the dark1 and misleads many into errors1 and even crimes4 ,a libel1 gets abroad1 nobody knows from whom1 and yet shall tempt1 perhaps drive1 unwary multitudes1 into rebellion4 ,how many plots of wickedness are laid and succeed1 when the plotter is out of sight and not so much as suspected6 ,nay1 a certain cast of mind1 or temperament of body1 things1 wholly unknown and unthought of by most men1 shall1 without great care and circumspection1 be fatal to our virtue4 ,even the air1 we breathe1 7which1 like the prince of the power of the air1 is to us invisible7 has a secret1 and yet1 sometimes1 powerful influence on our passions4 ,and shall we still disbelieve the seduction of an evil spirit1 because he steals insensibly upon us8 ,but the true answer to all objections of this sort1 whether men or devils be the tempters1 is1 that neither shall prevail1 but by our own fault1 by some carelessness1 or wilful corruption of our own hearts1 which are always sufficiently admonished1 that the enemy is at hand1 when evil thoughts1 however produced1 begin to stir in them4 ,then is the time to watch1 and resist3 and our resistance1 the text tells us1 will not be in vain4 ,and what though legions of spirits lay siege to us6 ,we may call more than twelve legions of angels1 even the holy ,spirit of ,god himself1 to our assistance1 if we please2 for greater is ,,he ,,that ,,is ,,in ,,us1 than he that is in the world#bcf4 ,so faithful is ,god1 after all our impious surmises and distrust of his gracious providence1 who will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able1 though ,satan himself be the tempter1 but will with the temptation also1 if we be careful to do our part1 make a way for us to escape#bcg4 #d4 ,and this being the case1 all objections to the doctrine here inculcated1 fall to the ground2 so that ,i have only to remind you1 in two words1 7for the time will not allow many7 of the moral and religious uses1 we ought to make of it4 ,i shall but mention ,,one1 of each sort4 #a4 ,in a ,,religious view1 the belief of this doctrine is of the utmost importance3 for the whole scheme of ,redemption is founded upon it4 ,for therefore ,christ came into the world1 and suffered upon the cross1 that1 through death1 as ,st4 ,paul says1 he might destroy him1 that had the power of death1 that is1 the ,,devil#bch4 ,and1 universally1 for this purpose 7,i quote the words of ,st4 ,john7 the ,son of ,god was manifested1 that he might destroy the works of the ,,devil#bci4 ,it concerns us1 then1 infinitely1 to take heed lest1 by denying1 or questioning1 or explaining away1 the existence and agency of the evil spirit1 we subvert the foundation of our faith1 detract from the glory of our ,saviour's passion1 and unthankfully despise the riches of his goodness in dying for us3 nay1 and lest we blaspheme the ,holy ,ghost2 who was given to help our infirmities#bdj1 to strengthen us with might in the inner man#bda1 and therefore to save us1 from the power of that spirit1 which worketh in the children of disobedience#bdb4 #b4 ,in a ,,moral view it is1 also1 of great importance1 that we entertain right notions on this subject4 ,i know that the world and the flesh are powerful enemies enough1 and that we need not wish to signalize our courage by a contest with any other4 ,but if there be another1 we are concerned to know what our danger is1 and to provide against it4 ,security is generally fatal2 especially when the strength of the enemy is greater than we take it to be4 ,therefore1 let us learn from scripture1 what that strength is2 and let us use all diligence in resisting 7as we have long since engaged to do7 not the world and the flesh only1 but also1 the ,,devil4 ,this is the advice of the text--,resist the ,,devil4 ,and then1 too1 is the advice of the ,apostle ,peter--,be sober1 be vigilant2 become your adversary1 the ,,devil1 as a roaring lion1 walketh about1 seeking whom he may devour#bdc 7words1 by the way1 which put the personality of the tempter out of all question72 ,whom resist1 says he1 stedfast in the ,,faith2 under the protection of which shield1 we shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of ,,the ,,wicked#bdd4 ,,sermon ,,xlvii4 ,,preached ,,march #bi1 #aggb4 ,,prov4 xvi4 #f4 ,by the fear of the ,lord1 men depart from evil4 ,all the authority of ,solomon's name and wisdom will1 ,i doubt1 be no more than sufficient to procure respect to this observation2 which some may consider as a trite and vulgar truth1 scarce deserving their regard2 while others1 perhaps1 will not so much as allow it to be a truth at all1 but indeed a vulgar mistake1 arising out of the narrow views of ignorant or superficial declaimers4 ,it may be slighted by one set of men1 as conveying no information1 and by another1 as conveying a wrong one4 ,let me attempt then to rescue the sacred text from both these imputations4 ,permit me to shew you1 that the observation1 it contains1 is neither so generally received1 as to make all further discourse about it frivolous and unnecessary2 nor yet1 on the other hand1 of so questionable a nature1 as to justify the scorn with which it is sometimes rejected4 ,i4 ,to those1 who are such fastidious hearers of the word1 as to disregard an important truth1 because repeatedly inforced upon them1 ,i might reply that such truths can never be insisted upon too much1 that our duty is to inculcate them1 in season1 and out of season4 ,but the fact is mistaken4 ,we are so far from nauseating our hearers1 with a too common and superfluous truth1 when we remind them perpetually1 that1 by the fear of ,god1 men depart from evil1 that1 on the contrary1 very many want to be informed1 or at least convinced1 of it4 ,what the text affirms1 is1 that the fear of ,god1 or the ,,religious ,,principle1 is the proper guide of life4 ,but look now into the world1 at large3 there the acknowledged rule of life1 is ,,fashion4 ,look into the civil or political world3 there the boasted rule of life1 is ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,the ,,magistrate4 ,look into the learned world3 there too commonly the only rule of life is each man's own reason1 or what he proudly calls ,,philosophy4 ,and will it now be said that the fear of ,god1 is a principle too stale and too unquestioned to be discoursed upon and recommended to you from this place1 when we see so large and so considerable a part of the world actuated by one or other of these different and discordant principles8 ,but neither ,,ii4 ,is the truth1 though far enough from being generally received1 so slightly grounded as to justify any man in the contempt of it4 ,it is a truth1 taught of ,god1 and revered by all wise men4 ,it has nature1 and reason1 and experience on its side2 and is only combated by the folly1 the short-sighted policy1 or lastly1 the pride1 of half-thinking and presumptuous men4 ,for to give1 now1 the godless principles1 ,i before mentioned1 a short and separate examination4 #a4 ,tell the man of the world1 that the religious principle is that by which alone he ought to govern himself1 and you are presently told of the power and prerogatives of ,,fashion4 8,the fear of ,god1 he will say1 may be the proper rule of monks and hermits2 but must be qualified1 at least1 in many respects1 by such as live in the world and mix in the society of it4 ,they who have to converse with mankind1 are to accommodate themselves to their notions and practices3 they are to think with the rest of the world1 or at least they are to act with them3 they are to found their moral systems on the liberal and enlarged basis of approved use or custom4 ,their observation of human life must inform them of the ways that men take to conciliate the good will of their fellows1 to prosecute their own advantages in the world1 and to acquire the confidence and esteem of that society1 in which they are stationed4 ,what they find to be the rule of others1 must be a rule to themselves4 ,to do otherwise is not weakness1 only3 ,it is1 besides1 arrogance1 incivility1 inhumanity40 ,all this is thought plausible by some men2 and taken together1 it must be owned1 forms a very easy and commodious system3 but how consistent with conscience1 with duty1 and with common sense1 they will do well to consider4 ,for if fashion only be to regulate our conduct in all cases1 ,i ask not what becomes of piety1 but of humanity itself1 ,i mean of those offices which we owe to others and to ourselves1 and which reason dictates to us in every situation4 ,custom1 you will say1 is practical reason4 ,but what6 ,to be led blind-fold by the prevailing practice1 whatever it be1 what is it but to renounce our intelligent nature1 and to live at hazard1 and without reason8 ,further still3 ,if it be sufficient to do as we see others creditably do1 without examining any farther1 we shall often find ourselves involved1 ,i do not say in the most irrational1 the most inconsistent1 but the most horrid practices4 ,then1 killing with malice and with forethought1 if the point of honour prevail1 will be no murder3 ,and1 adultery1 if the law of politeness so ordain1 shall hide its atrocious nature under the mask of gallantry3 ,then shall society at large become a scene of fraud and rapine2 good faith1 shall be termed simplicity1 and fair dealing1 folly4 ,go now1 and say that the fear of ,god is a needless restraint on free spirits2 and count the advantages which ye have reason to promise to yourselves1 from acknowledging no other guide of life1 but imperious fashion6 #b4 ,a graver set of men come next1 and tell us1 8,that fashion is indeed a very uncertain guide of life3 ,but that ,,law1 the result of the public wisdom1 armed with the public force1 is an adequate rule of human action2 that the legislator's province is to enact such salutary laws1 and the magistrate's duty1 to carry them into execution1 as shall be sufficient to secure the peace and order of society2 ,and that every other rule of life is at once unnecessary and ineffectual3 unnecessary1 because the interests of virtue are amply provided for by the wisdom of law2 and ineffectual1 because no other principle has force enough to exact obedience3 ,that1 in particular1 the fear of ,god is too remote a consideration to restrain the tumultuous passions of men1 which are held in subjection by nothing but the instant terrors of civil justice2 in a word1 that where the law of the state is duly enforced1 there is no need of other restraints2 and that1 lastly1 to lay a stress on the religious principle is to weaken the operation of law1 as it opens a door to fanaticism and superstition40 ,this plea of the politician receives an apparent force from this certain truth1 ,that law is indeed of indispensable necessity1 and that the general virtue and happiness of a people cannot be maintained without it4 ,we join him therefore very cordially in this encomium on civil justice2 but must remind him1 withal1 that neither is the religious principle superseded by it1 nor can civil justice itself maintain its due course1 without the support of the religious principle3 ,that1 when the authority of law has done its best1 there will be much for religion to controul and regulate2 much1 that is not within the reach of law1 and without its jurisdiction3 ,that the fear of the ,lord penetrates deeper and farther1 than the sword of the magistrate2 and that1 even within his own province1 all his policy and all his power will take a very imperfect effect1 without the concurrence of a higher principle2 as he himself is abundantly convinced from the necessity of fortifying his own most important constitutions1 by the religion of an oath2 which is nothing else but an appeal to the fear of ,god1 under a sense of its being a needful supplement to the fear of the magistrate4 ,yet society1 they say1 is entirely upheld by the authority of law2 at least1 the world may go on very well1 by virtue of that only4 ,yes2 ,it may go on1 as we see it does1 full of open violence1 which all its terrors cannot restrain2 and of secret frauds1 for which it cannot so much as project a remedy3 ,it may go on1 indeed1 but polluted by vices of all sorts1 which are not the objects of law1 and even by crimes1 which are often too strong for it3 ,it may go on indeed1 till the religious principle be quite effaced from the minds of men 7if we may have leave for a moment1 to put so desperate1 and1 thank ,god1 so impossible a case72 but1 when that dreadful time comes1 society itself1 with all its bulwark of laws1 must inevitably be swept away with it4 ,universal history bears testimony to this awful truth2 there being no account of any state on the face of the earth1 which could ever support itself in general virtue1 or general happiness1 by the mere force of its civil institutions4 ,and how should it be otherwise1 when the fear of ,god is requisite to enforce the law1 as well as to observe it2 to supply the state with faithful magistrates1 as well as with obedient subjects8 ,if then this vital principle of religion1 so necessary to the conservation of all states1 cannot be kept free from some mixture of fanaticism or superstition1 we are surely to endure the inconvenience1 as we can1 rather than put the interests of society to hazard by suspending them all on the weak and false supports of an irreligious policy4 #c4 ,lastly1 the ,,philosopher',s plea1 though specious at first sight1 is of all others the weakest4 ,for fashion1 if it chance to be on the side of virtue1 will be punctually followed3 ,and the sword of the magistrate can1 in part1 at least1 enforce obedience4 ,but what coercive power is there in philosophy8 ,it may see and determine right3 but who1 or what shall compell this supreme directress of life to observe its own determinations8 8,the fitness1 it may be said1 of those determinations themselves2 the very reason of the thing being the proper restraint of reasonable natures40 ,still the question returns1 ,what if ,i am disposed to throw off this restraint8 ,i act against conviction1 indeed1 and am self-condemned1 which to a liberal mind is no small punishment4 ,but look into the world1 and see if that punishment be sufficient to induce the bulk of mankind1 nay the gross body of philosophers themselves1 to depart from evil4 ,and what1 after all1 is this magnified reason8 ,one man admits no other rule of life but abstract truth1 or what he calls the differences of things3 ,another1 will hear of none1 but an instinctive moral sense3 ,and a third1 entrenches himself within the narrow circle of private happiness4 ,these several systems have been laid down1 each in its turn1 as the only proper basis of moral action3 ,but could the patrons of them be made to agree in any one2 or could their several schemes be made1 as perhaps they might1 to consist together3 still1 they could only serve to acquaint us what the nature of virtue is2 they do but slenderly provide for the practice of it4 ,let the philosophers1 then1 debate this matter among themselves4 ,it is enough for us to learn of ,solomon1 to fear ,god3 ,to fear ,,him1 who is everywhere and essentially present2 who is conscious to all our actions and all our thoughts2 from whose knowledge there is no escape1 from whose justice there is no appeal1 and to whose power there is no hope1 or possibility of resistance4 ,with this principle1 an unquestioned principle of reason1 if there be any1 deeply rooted in the mind1 we have indeed an adequate rule of life2 or1 what is better1 a controuling motive to put in practice whatever rule of life we chuse to follow4 ,moral systems1 taken by themselves1 are poor ineffective things2 even virtue's self is but a name1 till the religious principle be infused into her4 ,then it is1 that she lives and acts1 and by her powerful influence inclines the hearts of men to depart from evil4 ,nor let any man apprehend that this religious fear will degrade1 or servilize his virtue4 ,to be free from sin1 and only the servants of ,god1 is the truest and noblest liberty4 ,dismissing1 then1 all other rules of life1 let us adhere to that1 which ,solomon prescribes to us4 ,it had been venerable from any hands1 but comes with an extraordinary grace and propriety from ,,him1 who delivers it4 ,so that none of the parties1 concerned in this discourse1 can excuse themselves from paying a peculiar deference to his judgment4 #a4 ,the ,,men ,,of ,,the ,,world can have no pretence for declining this determination4 ,the author of it is no obscure sordid moralist1 whose views of life are confined to a cloyster or a cottage4 ,he addresses them from the throne of ,israel1 when it was the pride of the ,east2 and from the center of a court1 which he had made the envy of the surrounding nations4 ,the followers of fashion will then act but agreeably to their own principles1 if they respect the example of such a court1 and the authority of its sovereign4 #b4 ,the ,,politicians will reflect1 that their instructor is himself a great magistrate1 consummate in the arts of government2 who yet could find no secret1 but that of the fear of ,god1 by which he could reign securely himself1 or promote the real welfare and prosperity of his people4 ,with what complacency do they sometimes urge a political aphorism1 taken from ,aristotle6 ,but a greater than ,aristotle is here4 #c4 ,lastly1 to you1 the sages of the world1 who are1 or account yourselves ,,philosophers1 nothing can be so respectable to you1 as the authority of ,,one1 whose name is the name itself of wisdom2 of ,,one1 who1 like you1 had given his heart to know wisdom#bde2 who had an understanding1 at least1 equal to yours1 and an experience of life1 far greater4 ,yet even ,,he delivers it1 as the result of all his knowledge1 ,that by the fear of the ,lord men depart from evil4 ,it is indeed this principle only1 which gives its proper direction and integrity to every other4 ,it controuls ,fashion2 supplies the defects of ,law2 and enforces the conclusions of ,reason4 ,it rectifies all our systems1 and gives sense and solidity to all our speculations4 ,to conclude1 ,let us all be wise enough to reverence the plain doctrine of the text1 and to act upon it3 ,the rather1 as that doctrine is not only just and reasonable in itself1 but proceeds from one1 whom the ,spirit of ,god had been pleased to inform with celestial wisdom4 ,,sermon ,,xlviii4 ,,preached ,,may #ca1 #aggb4 #a ,,cor4 vi4 #ab4 ,all things are lawful unto me2 but all things are not expedient3 ,all things are lawful for me2 but ,i will not be brought under the power of any4 ,it would be taking up too much of your time1 and of this discourse1 to explain minutely the occasion of these words1 and the connexion they have with the general argument of this chapter4 ,let it suffice to say1 that they are introduced as an answer to something which the ,corinthian ,christians did1 or might alledge for their neglect of the instructions1 given them by the ,apostle4 ,we may conceive them to speak to this effect--8,what you enjoin us so strictly to avoid1 is not one of those practices which can be deemed unlawful3 it is not1 as we conceive1 condemned by the law of nature1 certainly1 not by the law of that society to which we belong4 ,now in matters of this kind1 there is no need of advice or direction3 the things being indifferent in themselves1 we may do as we please1 and we are disposed1 in the present case1 to make use of our ,christian liberty40 ,to this plea1 or suggestion1 the ,apostle replies in the text3 8,admitting1 says he1 the truth of what ye alledge for yourselves1 it does not follow that ,i may not properly and usefully direct your conduct1 in the present case4 ,for suppose that all things are lawful to me1 all things are not expedient3 ,and1 again1 though all things are lawful to me1 ,i will not be brought under the power of any40 ,st4 ,paul1 you see1 does not stay to consider whether the things forbidden to the ,corinthians1 were lawful or not 7though possibly they might mistake in that assumption1 as licentious or thoughtless people1 we know1 every day do7 but1 be this as it may1 he insists that he had reason to lay them under some restraint even in lawful things1 because the practice of such things was inexpedient1 in many respects2 ,and because1 if all other considerations might be overlooked1 it is enough that an unrestrained indulgence in them begets slavish habits1 and would1 in the end1 destroy1 or very much impair1 their moral freedom4 ,of the words1 thus far opened1 ,i propose to make this use2 to dissuade you from giving a full scope to the pursuit even of innocent pleasures2 and that1 from the two considerations1 expressed in the text3 ,i4 ,that such devotion of ourselves to them is1 on many other accounts1 hurtful and improper--all things are not expedient3 ,and ,,ii4 ,that1 in particular1 it violates the dignity of human nature1 by taking from us1 or weakening to a great degree1 that manly authority of reason1 that virtuous self-command1 which we should always retain1 and be in a condition to exert1 even in indifferent matters--,i will not be brought under the power of any4 #a4 ,wealth and prosperity have a natural tendency to alter1 that is1 in the language of moralists1 to corrupt1 the public manners4 ,hence it is that the old ,english habits of plainness1 industry1 and frugality1 are1 now1 exchanged for those of indulgence1 dissipation1 and expence4 ,all the elegant accommodations of life have an unusual stress laid upon them2 and there seems to be a general effort to advance them all to the last degree of refinement4 ,the superfluous1 which we call the fine arts1 excite an universal admiration1 and administer1 in ten thousand ways1 to a luxurious1 which1 again1 takes the name of a polite1 indulgence4 ,hence1 society1 which used to fill only the vacant intervals of business1 is now become the business of life2 and yet is found insipid 7so insatiable is the love of dissipation7 if it be not1 further1 quickened by amusements4 ,these have multiplied upon us so prodigiously1 that they meet us at every turn1 and in every shape2 nay1 are grown so common1 that they would almost lose the name of amusements1 if every possible art were not employed to give a poignancy to them1 and if fashion1 after all1 more than the pleasure they afford1 did not support the credit of them4 ,as the last resource of the weary disappointed mind1 we have found means to interest our keenest passions in one species of amusement1 which is therefore called play1 by way of eminence2 and is become the favourite one1 because the most violent3 just as the hottest cordials succeed to the free use of strong liquors4 ,in this state of things 7a very alarming one1 in all views7 nothing threatens the utter ruin of the little virtue1 that is left among us1 so much1 as the general persuasion1 that such pursuits may be indulged to any degree1 because they are commonly acknowledged to be lawful4 ,here1 then1 the distinction of the ,apostle comes in very seasonably1 and may1 one would hope1 be pressed on the lovers of pleasure1 with some effect4 ,we may question1 it seems1 the expediency of these pursuits1 how indifferent soever they be in their own nature2 and a little reflexion will shew that they are1 indeed1 inexpedient1 that is1 unprofitable1 unadvisable1 improper1 in a great variety of respects4 ,i do not suppose1 at present1 that the expence of them is ruinous to those1 who devote themselves to these pleasures 7for then they would plainly not be lawful to such persons72 but consider1 if you can afford to pay the price of them ever so well1 they take up too much of your time3 abundantly too much1 if you have any profession to follow1 or to prepare yourselves for1 as most men have2 but too much1 if you have not1 because it might1 and should be employed on better things4 ,then1 of the little time1 they leave to yourselves1 they disable you1 in some degree1 for making the proper use4 ,for they dissipate the attention2 they relax the nerves of industry and application2 they spread a languor over all the faculties1 and make the exertion of them1 to any valuable purpose1 painful at least1 if not impossible4 ,we hear it generally observed1 that there is a scarcity of able men in all the departments of life4 ,can it be otherwise1 when the vigour of the mind1 which should nourish all great and laudable efforts1 which is so requisite to push the active powers of invention1 or recollection1 to their full extent1 is wasted on trifles1 is checked by frivolous habits1 and left to languish under them8 ,or say1 that you have force of mind enough to elude this so natural effect of dissipation1 is it nothing that1 by giving your countenance to it1 you draw in weaker spirits to make the dangerous experiment8 that you help to propagate the enfeebling passion through all quarters1 till1 from this authorized scene of vanity1 the ,capital1 the contagion spreads 7as we see it now does7 to the smaller towns1 and even to private houses1 in the remotest provinces8 that you contribute to make respectable ,i know not what frivolous and worthless arts1 and1 of course1 to multiply the professors of them1 to the great discouragement and decay of useful industry8 that you hurt the interests of society1 by giving an air of importance to the veriest trifles1 and by diverting on these the attention1 and the passion1 that should regularly1 and would otherwise1 exert themselves on nobler objects8 ,i might push these questions still further4 ,for ,i remember what history attests1 and what wise men have said1 on the chapter of polite arts and elegant amusements4 8,they tell us1 how sad a sign#bdf of the times it is1 when they grow into general repute among us2 that from incessantly indulged appetites 7let the object of them be what it will7 such an impotence of mind may follow1 such a lust of gratification1 such an impatience of controuling a predominant fancy1 as shall overleap all the fences of discretion and virtue4 ,the dmon of taste1 say they1 shall be obeyed1 in defiance of every private and public duty1 till distress1 disgrace1 and infamy break in upon us2 till we seek the relief of our wants in fraud and rapine1 involve the public ruin in our own1 and1 in the end1 rush blindfold1 through an extreme of profligacy1 to desperation40 ,to this effect1 and in this tone1 have some inveighed against our more refined and elegant amusements4 ,but ,i return to what are commonly known by that name3 and with respect to these1 allow me to say that the life of man is a serious thing#bdg3 so serious1 that dissolute1 ,i mean1 untempered1 continued mirth1 or pleasure1 is not of a piece with it#bdh4 ,our virtue1 our hopes1 nay1 our present happiness depends on keeping the mind in a firm and steady frame4 ,whatever encroaches on this manliness of temper1 is pernicious1 and unchristian4 ,i will indulge the extreme candour to suppose1 that1 in a constant round of lawful amusements1 you do not forget1 or intermit your moral and religious duties4 ,but with what spirit are they performed8 ,with disgust1 ,i doubt2 but certainly1 with indifference4 ,nor is this the worst4 ,temptations are to be expected in this life3 and in what condition are we to meet them8 ,nay1 we expose ourselves to needless temptation1 even in the midst of these lawful pleasures2 and we bring no power with us1 hardly the inclination1 to withstand it4 ,the present scene distracts the mind1 and fascinates the senses4 ,and1 in this delirium of the whole man1 without ,god in his thought1 or heaven in his eye1 what wonder if he become the sport1 and1 almost before he is aware1 the victim of every passion6 ,still he is not happy in this feverish state3 at most1 he but forgets himself1 for a moment3 and the intervals of his amusement1 which1 in the nature of things1 must be many and long1 are filled with disgust and languor4 ,nay1 the very amusement wears out by frequent repetition4 ,and then such a sickliness of mind succeeds1 and such a weariness of living on in a too much used and exhausted world1 as is insupportable and fatal to him#bdi4 ,you see then there are many good reasons1 which shew the inexpediency of prosecuting even lawful pleasures with an unrestrained passion4 ,but1 if all others were away1 there is ,,one consideration still behind1 and of so much weight1 that ,st4 ,paul scruples not to make a distinct argument of it1 and to press it on the ,corinthian ,christians1 as fully decisive of the point in question--,all things are lawful for me2 but ,i ,,will ,,not ,,be ,,brought ,,under ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,any--,and to unfold this argument is what ,i proposed to myself #b4 ,under the second head of this discourse4 ,it should be the ambition of every man to preserve the independency of his own mind on all his natural or acquired inclinations4 ,the dignity of his character depends on this supremacy3 and his virtue is no longer secure1 than while he retains the power1 on all occasions1 to exert it4 #a4 ,the stoical wise man was exposed to much ridicule by taking to himself the name and office of a king4 ,the pretensions were high1 no doubt1 and the language1 something arrogant and ostentatious4 ,but1 let the terms1 we employ1 be what they will1 all philosophy1 that deserves the name1 must agree in this1 ,that to have the command of himself1 is the duty1 and chief distinction of a wise man#bej4 ,there is1 then1 a consistency and harmony in his whole conduct4 ,we naturally respect those who give this proof of respecting themselves2 and we place an entire confidence in the vigour and uniformity of their character4 ,again3 though the virtue of self-denial shine out to most advantage in the conquest of ardent passions and violent temptations1 its use is not inconsiderable in curbing all the lighter fancies4 ,the reason is1 that custom prevails insensibly1 and reaches farther than we1 at first1 intended4 ,by humouring the mind in trifles1 we teach it to presume on its own importunity1 in greater matters3 and it will be found a convenient rule in the management of our passions1 as of our children1 to refuse a compliance with them1 not merely when they ask improper things1 but when they ask any thing with impatience4 ,even our curiosity1 an innocent and useful passion1 should be kept within bounds1 and not indulged1 as we see it is1 on every occasion that presents itself to us4 ,the continence of ,scipio has been much and justly applauded4 ,but he went a step too far1 in seeing his captive4 ,he triumphed1 indeed1 over the stronger temptation1 but he was not enough on his guard against the weaker3 by complying too easily with a frivolous curiosity1 he risked the honour of that virtue1 which a pagan historian finds so divine in ,,one1 who was et juvenis1 et clebs1 et victor#bea4 ,to apply these reflexions to the case before us4 ,it may seem to be a matter of great indifference1 whether we indulge an inclination for lawful amusements1 or not4 ,but the dignity of our character is concerned in keeping a strict hand over our inclinations of every sort3 and1 if it were only for an exercise of self-government1 it would be worth the while to moderate1 that is1 frequently to suspend1 the use of a favourite1 though innocent gratification4 ,to be enslaved by vicious habits1 is the ignominy of a little mind3 to be superior to all1 is the glory of a great one4 #b4 ,but1 in truth1 there is no security in any case1 if we let go this habit of self-government4 ,one compliance inevitably brings on another2 and1 though we set out with the design of stopping at a certain point1 we shall almost fatally be carried much farther4 ,we meant to acquiesce in this1 confessedly harmless1 indulgence3 constant use makes it insipid2 and then we venture on one of a suspicious character4 ,being now on the confines of vice1 we are easily pushed into that quarter2 with some doubt and hesitation1 at first2 but scruples give way1 as the habit strengthens1 and all vices being connected with each other1 especially all of one sort1 we1 by degrees1 make the trial of all3 and thus1 from an innocent fancy1 or inclination1 indulged too freely1 at setting out1 we slip insensibly1 and beside our purpose1 into manifest1 perhaps universal1 dissolution4 ,so salutary1 so divine is the resolution of the ,apostle6 ,all things are lawful for me3 but ,i will not be brought under the power of any4 ,to interdict amusements1 altogether1 to the vivacity of youth1 would be severe and cynical4 ,they are abundantly too numerous1 at present1 and too much frequented3 but many of them are supposed to be1 and some1 without doubt1 are1 in themselves1 lawful4 ,of these1 only1 ,i am now speaking3 and even of these it must be affirmed1 that the unrestrained use of them is not expedient2 as1 for the other reasons suggested to you in this discourse1 so chiefly1 because it degrades the man1 and enslaves him4 ,to conclude2 the safe and manly part is1 to be temperate in all things#beb3 to make our pleasures1 the occasional relaxation#bec of the mind1 and by no means the employment of it3 not1 perhaps1 to affect a total abstinence from them1 which the world would account an incivility2 but resolutely to forbear all vicious1 or but suspected pleasures3 and1 for the rest1 to keep a great deal on this side of what is thought allowable in the use of them4 ,,sermon ,,xlix4 ,,preached ,,july #e1 #aggb4 ,,matth4 v4 #ch1 #ci1 #dj1 #da4 ,ye have heared that it hath been said1 an eye for an eye1 and a tooth for a tooth4 ,but ,i say unto you1 that ye resist not evil3 but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek1 turn to him the other also3 ,and1 if any man will sue thee at the law1 and take away thy coat1 let him have thy cloke also3 ,and whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile1 go with him twain4 ,i suppose1 if these words had been found in any book whatsoever1 except the ,bible1 no man of sense could have entertained the least doubt of their meaning4 ,but1 while one sort of readers think they do honour to ,god's word by taking every precept in the most strict and rigid sense1 and another1 by the same mode of interpretation1 hope to dishonour it1 we may expect that1 between them1 the usual rules of criticism will be very little regarded4 ,the text refers us to a law of ,moses1 which established the jus talionis1 or right of retaliation#bed4 ,this law1 in the main1 is consonant to natural equity2 was of general use and authority in ancient times2 has1 with some modification1 been adopted by legislators of all times2 and was peculiarly fit1 or rather necessary1 in the ,mosaic institute1 composed in a very remote age of the world1 and addressed to a fierce and barbarous people4 ,but this1 so reasonable law1 had undergone a double abuse in our ,saviour's time4 ,what was designed1 in the hands of the magistrate1 to prevent future injury1 was construed into an allowance of private and personal revenge3 ,and1 again1 what was calculated to prevent great and outrageous injuries1 was pleaded in excuse for avenging every injury4 ,the ,jews retaliated1 at pleasure1 on those that offended them1 and for the slightest offence4 ,our divine ,master1 then1 without derogating from the law1 when administered in due form1 and on a suitable occasion1 applies himself to correct these so gross perversions of it--,i say unto you1 that ye resist not evil--that is1 that ye do not retaliate on the person1 that does you an injury1 in the way of private revenge2 or even of a public suit1 for small and trivial injuries4 ,you see1 our ,lord's purpose was1 to oppose the mild spirit of the ,gospel to the rigid letter of the law1 or rather to an abusive interpretation of it3 ,and this purpose is declared in three familiar and proverbial sayings1 which1 together1 amount to thus much2 8,that1 when a small or tolerable injury is sustained by any one1 either in his person1 or property1 or liberty1 it is far better 7and was1 thenceforward1 to be the law of ,christians7 to endure patiently that injury1 or even to risk a repetition of it1 than1 by retaliating on the aggressor1 to perpetuate feuds and quarrels in the world40 ,that such is the meaning of the text1 would appear more evidently1 if the injuries specified were1 further1 considered with an eye to the sentiments and circumstances of the ,jewish people4 ,a blow on the cheek was1 always1 an indignity1 no doubt2 but the sense of it was not inflamed in a ,jew by our ,gothic notions of honour2 though1 if it had1 the divine ,saviour#bee would scarce have advised his followers to extinguish it in the blood of a fellow-citizen3 the loss of a vest#bef1 or under garment1 was easily repaired1 or not much felt1 in the cheap and warm country of ,juda3 and the compulsion to attend another#beg1 on his occasions1 was not much resented by a people1 that had been familiarised to this usage by their foreign masters4 ,but1 without scrutinizing the expression farther 7which1 as ,i said1 is of the proverbial cast1 and1 therefore1 not to be taken strictly7 it appears certainly1 that the rule enjoined is no more than this1 8,that we are not to act on the old rigid principle of retaliation1 but rather to exercise a mutual patience and forbearance1 in our intercourse with each other1 for the sake of charity and peace40 ,still1 it has been asked1 whether this rule be a reasonable one1 and whether the conduct1 it prescribes1 be not likely to do more hurt1 than good to mankind8 ,the ground of this question is laid in following considerations3 ,first1 that resentment1 being a natural passion1 was1 without doubt1 implanted in us for valuable purposes1 and that its proper and immediate use is seen in repelling injuries3 ,secondly1 ,that to eradicate1 or to suppress this movement of nature1 is to dispirit mankind1 and to effeminate their character2 in other words1 to make them unfit for the discharge of those offices1 which the good of society requires3 ,lastly1 ,that this softness of temper is injurious to the individuals1 in whom it is found1 as it exposes them to many insults1 and much ill usage1 which the exertion of a quick and spirited resentment would enable them to avoid3 ,from all which1 conclusions are drawn very unfavourable to the doctrine of the text1 and to the honour of our divine ,master4 ,it will1 then1 be proper to give the premises a distinct and careful examination4 ,and1 ,i4 ,the use of the natural passion of resentment is not superseded by the law of ,jesus4 ,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 us1 not of those petty affronts and discourtesies which afflict us much less by being dissembled and forgiven1 than by being resented and returned4 ,now ,christianity does not require us to renounce the right of nature in repelling injuries of the former class4 ,the law in question1 as explained by our ,lord himself1 does not1 we have seen1 import thus much3 and for the rest1 the appeal is open to the principles of nature and common sense--,why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right#beh8 ,the practice of the ,apostles 7the best comment on the law7 shews1 too1 that1 on certain critical and urgent occasions#bei1 they scrupled not to take advantage of those principles4 ,so that universally1 as it would seem1 where the ends of self-preservation1 or of prepollent public utility1 require and justify resistance in other men1 there it is left free for ,christians1 likewise1 to resist evil2 the purpose of their divine legislator being1 in this instance1 to explain the law of nature1 and to guard it from the abuse of our hasty passions1 not to abrogate1 or suspend it4 ,if any case be excepted from the general permission1 it is that of persecution for the sake of his religion4 ,and possibly this exception was made in the early days of ,christianity1 to afford a striking proof to the world that this religion owed its success to the divine protection only1 and not to the power of men4 ,accordingly1 the command given in that case has an extraordinary1 that is1 a suitable1 promise#bfj1 annexed to it4 ,but the end of ,god's special providence having been answered1 and the prophecies accomplished#bfa1 by the patience of the saints under the fiery trial of persecution in those days 7whence the miraculous establishment of our religion is evinced7 it seems allowable to suppose that the ,christian world was1 thenceforth1 in this1 as in other instances1 to conduct itself by the ordinary rules and principles of human wisdom2 provided that the object of that wisdom be necessary self-defence1 and not dominion1 or revenge1 which1 in all the forms of either1 ,christianity forbids and reprobates4 ,but be this as it may1 in cases where religion is not concerned1 it seems clear that ,christians are left at liberty to repell intolerable oppressions by all those means1 which human wisdom dictates4 ,and there is no need of drawing the line very exactly between tolerable and intolerable injuries1 because the aggressor1 knowing the force of instinctive passion1 has reason1 always1 to fear1 that it will begin to operate too soon1 rather1 than too late4 ,the apprehension1 then1 that the proper use of the natural passion1 8resentment of injuries01 is likely to be defeated by the patient genius of the ,gospel1 is weakly entertained3 ,while1 on the other hand1 every one must see the convenience of putting this fiery sentiment of indignation under some restraint1 and of interdicting the exertion of it in cases1 to which so violent a remedy is ill and hurtfully applied4 ,but ,,ii4 ,it is said1 that this doctrine of the ,gospel tends to dispirit and effeminate mankind1 and to render ,christians unfit for many offices1 which society requires of them4 ,what these offices are1 one does not readily conceive1 since it is allowed that evil may be resisted1 when it becomes excessive1 that is1 when it is worth resisting4 ,but1 ,i suppose1 the objectors mean1 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 asserted1 or a foreign enemy repelled3 they think1 in short1 it makes bad citizens1 and worse soldiers4 ,now to the ,,former charge ,i reply1 that it only tends to check1 or prevent1 the turbulent1 the factious1 the seditious spirit of any community 7which is surely doing it no hurt7 while1 at the same time1 it allows men to assert their essential civil interests by every reasonable exertion of firmness and courage2 nay1 inculcates those principles of a disinterested love for mankind1 and what is properly called a public spirit1 which make it their duty to do so4 ,and they will not do it with the less effect1 for waiting till the provocation given appear to all men to be without excuse4 ,the fury of a patient man1 is almost proverbial3 and particularly1 in this case1 it is to be expected that1 when the natural incitement to resistance1 long repressed and moderated1 comes at length to be authorised by necessity1 and quickened by sense of duty1 it will act with a force and constancy1 not a little formidable to those against whom it is directed4 ,there is no danger1 then1 that true patriotism should suffer by the meek principles of the ,gospel of peace4 ,as to the ,,other charge of their weakening the military spirit1 it must be owned again1 they would render wars less frequent than they now are1 and less destructive--forgive ,christianity this wrong--but1 when the necessity of self-defence 7the only justifiable ground of war7 is real and instant1 ,i know not1 why the ,christian prince1 or ,christian soldier1 should want courage1 because he had given proof of this equitable forbearance2 or1 that either will be likely to do his duty the worse1 for knowing that what he does1 is his duty4 ,and1 if we appeal to fact1 it is enough known1 that the ,christian soldiery have been no disgrace to their profession2 no1 not even then1 when the unresisting spirit was at its height1 ,i mean1 in the early days of our religion4 ,christians had many good reasons for not being forward to serve in the ,roman armies2 but some of them did serve there2 without doubt1 when they were released from such military obligations and observances1 as they esteemed idolatrous3 ,nay1 it appears1 that the number of ,christian soldiers was1 on some occasions1 considerable3 ,yet we no where find1 that these patient men misbehaved themselves in a day of action2 or1 that they threw away their swords1 when they had said their prayer4 ,and ,i give this instance of bravery in the primitive ,christians1 the rather1 because it cannot be imputed to a fanatic spirit1 which is able1 we know1 to controul any principles3 ,it cannot1 ,i say1 be imputed to a fanatic spirit1 because religion was not the object of those wars1 in which they were engaged3 ,they were left1 then1 to the proper influence of their own principles2 which at that time had their full effect upon them1 and yet did not prevent them from acting with the true spirit of their profession1 that is1 with a full sense of the duty imposed upon them by their engagements to the state4 ,with regard to the publick1 then1 there is no reason to think that our ,lord's injunction will disserve it1 in any respect4 ,,iii4 ,the last1 and most plausible objection to the conduct prescribed in the text1 is1 8,that the tame spirit1 it discovers1 is injurious to individuals1 and only serves to provoke much insult and ill usage1 which a quick resentment and return of injuries would prevent40 ,this is the common plea1 and passes with many for a full justification1 of that false honour1 which predominates in the world1 but is equally frivolous with the other pretences1 already confuted4 ,for1 #a4 ,it is taken up on a groundless and mistaken notion1 that the unfriendly and malevolent passions are the most natural to mankind4 ,on the contrary1 man is by nature1 kind and generous2 proud and vindictive1 indeed1 if stimulated by ill treatment1 but prompted1 again1 by that very pride1 to relent at the appearance of gentleness and submission in the party offending2 and easily disposed to lay aside the thoughts of revenge1 when no obstinate resistance seems to make it necessary4 ,there are1 certainly1 few persons1 at least in civilized life1 of so base a temper1 as to insult others1 and much less to insult them the more1 for their gentle inoffensive manners4 ,or1 if such monsters there be1 they will soon become detestable in society2 while the objects of their unprovoked fury find an asylum in the general good-will and favour of mankind4 ,they1 therefore1 who pretend that the world cannot be kept in order1 but by resentment and revenge1 will do well to make trial of the opposite conduct1 before they have recourse to so boisterous a remedy4 ,they will probably find1 that only by ,,pride cometh contention#bfb1 and that they have injured their species1 in thinking otherwise4 #b4 ,let it be remembered1 that the ,gospel neither forbids us to take the benefit of the laws in cases1 where the injury is considerable1 nor to resist1 without law1 in extreme cases2 besides1 that our corrupt nature will often get the better of principle1 ,i mean1 when the provocation is not of that size1 as to justify either remedy4 ,whence it follows1 that brutal force and malignity will lie under many restraints1 and will rarely be encouraged by the passive temper of a conscientious ,christian1 to proceed to such lengths1 as the objection supposes4 ,but1 #c4 ,lastly1 and principally1 we should call to mind1 that1 though some ungenerous dispositions should take advantage of our dissembling smaller injuries1 to repeat1 or even increase them1 till they come at length to the utmost verge of what we call tolerable injuries1 yet it does not follow1 from such inconvenience1 that the law is to be accounted inexpedient4 ,for the law has a general end in view1 the good of society at large1 or of the individual3 ,and the law is a proper one1 if the end be commonly and for the most part attained by the conduct prescribed1 though with some exceptions4 ,that the lawgiver foresaw the possibility of such exceptions1 is clear from the language1 employed by him4 ,if a blow on one cheek be patiently received1 it may be succeeded by a blow on the other3 if we suffer our coat to be taken away1 our cloke may follow it3 and if we make no resistance to the requisition of going one mile1 we may be compelled to go two4 ,the inconvenience1 then1 is supposed and admitted in the law itself2 but it was seen not to be of moment enough to evacuate the law4 ,generally speaking1 it will be better to bear the inconvenience1 than to violate the law2 better for the injured party himself1 but certainly better for society1 at large4 ,we are certain1 that the law will operate this effect1 because the lawgiver is1 by supposition1 divine4 ,he1 who knew what was in man1 what his nature1 and true interest1 is1 could not mistake in adapting the law to the subject of it4 ,and then1 for the exceptions1 he has it in his power to make amends for those1 and to recompense fully1 as he engages to do1 any sacrifice we make to conscience1 acting within the scope and purpose of the law4 ,so that1 on the whole1 it is but a just deference to the law1 and to the authority of the lawgiver1 to abstain from resisting evil1 according to the true sense and spirit of the command1 though1 by so doing1 we subject ourselves to some1 nay to much inconvenience4 ,for he must be slenderly instructed in the school of ,christ1 who is yet to learn1 that greater sacrifices1 than these1 must be made1 if need be1 for the sake of him who died for us4 ,enough1 ,i hope1 has been now said1 not only to vindicate the sacred text1 but to let you see how repugnant the doctrine of it is to that contentious1 vindictive1 and even sanguinary spirit1 which prevails so much among those1 who1 by a strange abuse of language1 call themselves ,christians4 ,the root of this mischief1 is1 a pride of heart1 nourished in us by an ill-directed education1 and fostered1 through life1 by the corrupt customs and maxims of the world4 ,to counteract this inveterate evil1 we shall do well to consider who and what we are2 weak1 infirm1 and sinful creatures1 who are provoking ,heaven every day1 and should not therefore resent it much1 if we receive but little respect from men4 ,we should consider1 too1 that we are the followers of ,,him1 who suffered every indignity without deserving any1 and yet requires no more from us1 than he practised himself1 and for our sakes4 ,such considerations will make us humble and meek and placable2 ready to forgive1 as we hope to be forgiven2 and disposed to make allowance for those defects in others1 which we have so much reason to lament in ourselves4 ,still1 if we find the duty1 of not resisting evil1 painful and uneasy to us1 let us be careful to avoid the occasions1 which require the exercise of it4 ,a prudent ,christian 7and ,christianity excludes not1 nay enjoins1 prudence7 will rarely be put to this trial of his virtue4 ,we bring an insult on ourselves by indiscreet liberties1 by offensive actions or rash expressions2 and then1 rather than retract a folly1 we commit a crime4 ,after all1 the most cautious1 inoffensive conduct may not exempt us1 in every instance1 from discourtesies and affronts1 from the petulance or injustice of unreasonable men4 ,in this case the authority of our divine ,master must controul the movements of nature4 ,we must resolve to endure what we dare not resist2 and1 for the rest1 may assure ourselves1 that1 in giving this proof of our ,christian temper and principles1 we do what is perfectly fit and right in itself1 is singularly conducive to the good of society1 and1 whatever our impatient passions may suggest1 will contribute more than any resistance1 to our own true enjoyment1 even in this world4 ,,sermon ,l4 ,,preached ,,may #ad1 #agge4 ,,luke ix4 #bf4 ,whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words1 of him shall the ,son of man be ashamed1 when he shall come in his own glory and in his ,father's1 and of the holy ,angels4 ,if we compare this text with the parallel one of ,st4 ,mark#bfc1 it will seem probable that it more immediately concerned the ,jews2 who1 in consequence of their being ashamed of ,christ1 and rejecting him1 as their ,messiah1 should themselves be covered with shame1 and be rejected by him from being his people1 when he came to take vengeance of their crimes in the destruction of ,jerusalem4 ,in this view1 the words are prophetical of what should1 and1 in fact1 did1 befall the unbelieving ,jews of that age1 in which ,christ lived2 for before that age was passed1 all these things were fulfilled on that adulterous and sinful generation3 were so remarkably fulfilled1 that the unbelieving ,jews1 only1 were involved in that calamity1 while the ,christians1 even to a man1 as we are told1 providentially made their escape from it4 ,but1 though this be the primary sense of the text1 we have reason to believe that something further1 and still more terrible1 was intended by it4 ,for the destruction of ,jerusalem was emblematical of that final destruction1 which should await all the enemies of ,christ in the day of judgment2 as we may probably gather from the exaggerated terms in which the prophecy concerning ,christ's coming to judge ,jerusalem is delivered1 and as we certainly conclude from those passages of scripture1 which professedly describe the final day of judgment1 when all that believe not shall be condemned#bfd1 and concerning which our ,lord himself says--,he that rejecteth me1 and receiveth not my words1 hath one that judgeth him3 the ,,word which ,i have spoken1 ,,the ,,same shall judge him in the last day#bfe4 ,whence1 you see1 we are authorized to take the words of the text in their full force1 and to understand them as a general declaration to ,,all1 who shall be ashamed of ,christ and of his words1 that of them shall ,christ1 also1 be ashamed1 in the great day of retribution1 sublimely expressed by the circumstance of his coming in his own glory1 and in his ,father's1 and of the holy ,angels4 ,to be ashamed of ,,christ1 is very intelligible language1 and means to disown him for what he claims to be1 ,the ,messiah2 and to take it for a degradation to us1 a reflexion on our own sufficiency and importance1 to regard him as our ,lord and ,saviour4 ,in like manner1 to be ashamed of his ,,words1 is1 to think it beneath us to receive his doctrine1 and to observe it3 ,it is to say1 or to behave ourselves as if we said1 with neglect and scorn1 that we will not condescend to be influenced and directed by it4 ,but how1 and in what respects1 may we be said to incur the guilt of this charge8 in what ways1 may we testify to the world that the shame of ,,christ and of his ,,words is predominant in us8 ,the inquiry1 you see1 is of the last importance2 for this shame of ,christ1 in whomsoever it prevails1 and so far as it prevails1 will be repaid in kind1 in that day1 when he shall come in glory1 in that day when it so much concerns us to have boldness before him1 in the day of judgment#bff4 ,to assist you1 then1 in making this momentous inquiry1 permit me to lay before you1 gradually and distinctly1 the ,,chief of those cases1 which appear to me to express1 or imply1 the existence of this false shame2 and may therefore let us see whether we are1 or not1 involved in the guilt of it4 ,i4 ,they 7if any such there be7 who reject ,christianity on the grounds of a fair impartial inquiry1 cannot so properly be said to be ashamed of ,christ1 as to be convinced that he has no claim to their respect and veneration4 ,for they deny him1 they will say1 not from a principle of shame1 or disrespect1 but of what they take to be right reason4 ,but then1 if any oblique views have influenced their disbelief2 if conceit1 or vanity1 or presumption1 has any share in forming their conclusions2 if a careless or fastidious neglect of the means1 by which they might be better informed1 has mixed itself with their inquiries2 if they have felt the smallest disposition in themselves to struggle with evidence1 or to be concluded by any thing but evidence2 if any1 or all1 of these motives can be imputed to them1 they will find themselves liable1 more or less1 to the charge of the text2 and it surely concerns them to see that they stand clear of all such imputations3 ,it concerns them the more1 because1 if the revelation be divine1 the revealer knew what evidence was fit to be given of it1 and that the evidence given was sufficient to the conviction of a reasonable inquirer4 ,to the severe scrutiny of their own hearts1 the disbelievers on principle are1 therefore1 referred3 and1 if their heart condemn them in any degree1 let them reflect with awe1 that ,god is greater than their heart1 and knoweth all things#bfg4 ,but1 whatever these immaculate unbelievers may have to say for themselves1 there are others who have the spots of shame indelibly impressed upon them4 ,such were the ,jews of old1 who rejected ,christ1 not because they wanted evidence of his mission 7for they could not deny1 nay they frankly owned1 that he did many miracles#bfh71 but because he was the ,son of a ,carpenter#bfi2 because he was of ,galilee#bgj1 and dwelt at ,nazareth2 because their rulers did not believe in him#bga2 because they were afraid of being put out of their synagogue#bgb2 because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of ,god#bgc2 in plain words1 because on one account or other1 they were ,,ashamed ,,of ,,him4 ,,such1 too1 in succeeding times1 were many of the pagan wise men1 who disbelieved1 because the doctrine of the cross was foolishness to them#bgd2 because the ,jews1 who were the first converts to the faith and the first preachers of it1 were1 in their eyes1 a contemptible people2 because the vulgar were generally inclined to believe in him2 because his doctrine contradicted and degraded their philosophy2 because their pride of reason would not submit to be tutored by the ,galilan2 in a word1 for a hundred frivolous reasons1 which only shewed1 that they were ,,ashamed ,,of ,,him4 ,such1 too1 in later times 7may we affirm without a breach of charity7 have been1 and are1 many of those over-modest men1 who know not how to withstand the raillery of prophane scoffers2 who think the credit of their parts concerned in rejecting their creed1 and applaud themselves for sitting loose to the principles1 which they call the prejudices1 of their ,christian education2 who affect to have a religion of their own making1 if they have any at all1 or1 rather1 disclaim all regard to religion1 on the authority of this or that renowned patriarch of infidelity2 to say all1 in a word1 who have the infirmity1 and yet make it a matter of vanity1 to be ,,ashamed ,,of ,,jesus4 ,now1 of such unbelievers it must be said1 that they clearly come within the description of the text2 they are ashamed of the ,son of man1 and yet1 perhaps1 glory in their shame3 to what end1 let them reflect1 when they read on1 and find1 that of such shall the ,son of man1 in his turn1 be ashamed1 when he shall came in his own glory1 and in his ,father's1 and of the holy ,angels4 ,,ii4 #a4 ,of men professing ,christianity1 they are most exposed to the censure of the text1 who1 under a full conviction that ,jesus is the ,christ1 yet1 in ,,words1 formally disown and reject him4 ,such was the ,apostle ,peter1 who thrice denied his ,lord1 though he had not the least doubt of his divine pretensions4 ,and why did he deny him8 ,because1 it lessened him in the eyes of a stranger or two1 to have it believed by them1 that he was connected with a supposed criminal2 because he had not the confidence to bear up against the reproach of a maid-servant1 who looked earnestly upon him1 and said1 ,this man was1 also1 with him4 ,such was the power1 which a false shame had upon this great1 and otherwise fervent1 disciple of ,christ6 ,a memorable instance of human frailty1 which should admonish believers to be on their guard against all approaches towards a crime1 the less pardonable1 because committed against the clear sense of the mind1 and almost without temptation4 ,st4 ,peter1 it is true1 might alledge the passion of fear1 as well as shame3 he probably thought his life in some danger1 and had an eye to his personal safety1 as well as credit1 when he denied his ,master4 ,yet when he reflected on his unworthy conduct1 though under these circumstances of alleviation1 he wept bitterly1 as he had reason to do4 ,what then should they feel1 who have not this cloke for their shame8 who deny their ,lord without any inducement to do so1 but the weak apprehension of disgusting some persons1 whose sentiments1 after all1 they do not really adopt1 themselves4 ,yet is this no uncommon case4 ,men are ashamed to confess with their mouths1 what they believe in their hearts2 and give themselves airs of a frank libertinism1 when they tremble at their own impiety3 ,and all this to be well with a frivolous circle1 which they frequent1 or to merit the good word of certain fashionable blasphemers4 #b4 ,another sort of men seem to come within the description of the text1 who1 though neither prompted by a sense of danger to their persons1 nor of disgrace to their reputation1 are yet induced by a regard to their interest1 when it presses upon them with a certain force1 to dissemble their conviction1 or rather openly to avow their shame of ,jesus4 ,such are they1 of whom our ,lord himself speaks1 who for a while believe1 and in time of temptation fall away#bge3 ,and such1 in particular1 was the young man in the ,gospel1 who had no vice to keep him from believing1 nay who would gladly1 perhaps have sacrificed any thing1 but his fortune1 to the ,christian faith4 ,it seems1 as if he had been upon the point of entering1 without reserve1 into the service of his new master1 when1 being told1 that he must part with all he had1 and then follow him1 he grew sad at that saying1 and went away grieved3 for he had great possessions#bgf4 ,poverty was a cross1 which this amiable young man was not prepared to take up4 ,his faith1 which1 before1 gave a promise of life and vigour1 died away at the proposal4 ,he now found1 doubtless with some surprize to himself1 that he had the seeds of infidelity lurking in him4 ,he could not resolve to give this last proof of his sincerity3 he1 therefore1 withdrew himself from ,christ2 in other words1 he was ashamed of him4 ,let us pity the weakness of this unhappy young man2 and only ask ourselves1 if1 in his circumstances1 or in any approaching to them1 we should not have hesitated1 as he did1 about believing in the name of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,if we should1 let us implore the divine grace to strengthen our faith1 and frankly confess1 that a secret principle of shame1 though skulking behind some other and more venial infirmity1 has taken hold of us4 #c4 ,still we may not have gone these lengths of infidelity4 ,we assure ourselves1 perhaps1 that no consideration would induce us1 simply and wholly1 to renounce the faith1 and that1 if the hard alternative was proposed to us1 we should rather give up wealth1 fame1 and life itself1 than formally deny our ,lord1 and disclaim all hopes of interest in him4 ,but let us explore our hearts a little1 those hearts1 which1 as we are told and have reason to know1 are deceitful above all things#bgg4 ,have we never in lesser instances detected ourselves approaching somewhat towards this ignominious crime of apostacy8 ,have we not contented ourselves with being the disciples of ,christ in private1 and with going to him1 as the ,ruler of the ,jews did1 by night1 in secrecy1 and1 as it were1 by stealth1 not to draw the observation of men upon us8 ,have we been willing and ready to serve him in the congregation1 to attend his ordinances1 and to revere his sacraments8 ,have we dared to let the world see that we are not ashamed of the cross of ,christ#bgh8 and that we glory in remembering him1 as we are admonished to do1 at his holy table#bgi8 ,have we no reluctance to let our friends1 nay our servants1 know#bhj that we live in a daily sense of our duty to him1 and that we hope for all the blessings of this life and the next1 only through his merits and intercession8 ,have we never heared his pretensions slighted1 and his holy name blasphemed1 without expressing a becoming zeal for the honour of our ,redeemer8 ,have we testified out displeasure at freedoms of this sort by an open reprehension of them on all fit occasions2 at least by a look and manner1 which shewed how offensive they were to us8 ,on the other hand1 have we never1 in such circumstances1 by an assumed air of complacency1 seemed to authorize what we secretly disapproved1 and to yield our assent to propositions which we inwardly detested8 ,in a word1 have we none of us1 at any time1 given occasion to unbelievers to say or think of us1 that we were almost inclined to be of their party2 or at least that we had not the zeal1 and firmness and resolution1 which men ought to have1 who profess themselves believers in ,jesus8 ,to these1 and other questions of the like sort1 it concerns us to think what answers we could honestly make4 ,but of this be we assured3 ,if we have not constantly and uniformly signified1 declared1 proclaimed our attachment to ,christ2 if we have not taken care to avoid all irreverence toward our ,lord and ,master2 nay1 if we have not been enough upon our guard to let no man suspect us of indifference towards him--we certainly have not done our duty2 we have virtually denied the ,son of ,man2 we have1 in effect1 been ashamed of him4 ,and ,,thus ,,much may suffice for a commentary on that part of the text1 which more immediately respects the ,,person of ,jesus ,christ--,whosoever shall be ashamed of ,,me--but our ,lord goes farther1 and says--,whosoever shall be ashamed of me1 and of ,,my ,,words--of him shall the ,son of ,man be ashamed1 in the day of judgment4 ,here1 then1 is a new subject of discourse4 ,i call it a new one2 because1 though the two topics run into one1 and he that is ashamed of ,christ's words1 may not improperly be said to be ashamed of ,christ himself1 yet1 for the sake of method1 it may be convenient to keep these two points distinct1 and to give to each a separate consideration4 ,it remains1 then1 to set before you the principal of those ways1 in which we may incur the guilt1 especially1 of being ashamed of our ,lord's words1 that is1 his ,,doctrines1 and ,,laws3 a copious and important subject6 on which ,i shall reserve what ,i have to say to another occasion4 ,in the mean time1 let us lay to heart what we have now heard concerning the honour due to the ,,person of our great ,redeemer4 ,be we not1 therefore1 ashamed of our ,lord#bha--;but let us resolutely abide in him1 that when he shall appear1 we may have confidence1 and not be ashamed before him at his coming#bhb4 ,,sermon ,,li4 ,,preached ,,may #ba1 #agge4 ,,luke ix4 #bf4 ,whosoever shall be ashamed of me1 and of ,,my ,,words1 of him shall the ,son of man be ashamed1 when he shall come in his own glory1 and in his ,father's1 and of the holy ,angels4 ,the text distinguishes between being ashamed of ,,christ1 and being ashamed of his ,,words4 ,and1 though the two charges1 in effect1 run into one1 yet ,i have found it convenient1 in point of method1 to observe that distinction4 ,considering the subject1 in this double view1 we shall see more clearly1 what the crime is1 which we are here cautioned to avoid1 and when we are guilty of it4 ,i have already gone through the first division of the text1 and shall now enter on the second4 ,if we have not formally disowned1 or1 in effect1 at least1 been ashamed of ,,christ1 that is1 of his name1 dignity1 and person1 and of the relation1 which we bear to him1 as our ,,saviour and ,,redeemer1 yet have we not felt in ourselves1 and evidenced to others1 something of that disposition in regard to his ,,words1 that is1 considering him in the light of our ,,lord and ,,master8 ,now1 to do justice to this part of our subject1 we must consider the words of ,christ1 first1 in ,,themselves1 or as composing that form and manner of address1 in which he thought fit to deliver himself to us3 and1 secondly1 in the ,,subject ,,matter of them1 that is1 as comprehending both his doctrines and precepts1 articles of faith1 and rules of life1 all that1 as our heavenly ,instructor1 he requires us to believe1 and1 as our lawgiver1 to put in practice4 ,in both respects1 ,i doubt1 we shall1 many of us1 find that we have too much1 and too often1 been ashamed of ,christ's words4 ,i4 ,under the first consideration of the words themselves1 that is1 of his manner in addressing himself to us1 let it be observed1 that1 though it be true1 in several respects1 that never man spake as this man1 yet this commendation must not be extended to the language of his discourses1 in which no peculiar art or elegance is affected4 ,he condescended to speak1 as any other ,jew might have done1 and as his ,apostle afterwards did1 plainly and clearly enough to convey his meaning1 but not with the enticing words of man's wisdom1 that is1 of men cultivated and polished in the school of ,greek or ,roman learning4 ,hence1 both in ancient and modern times1 such as were1 or pretended to be1 so accomplished1 have not unfrequently objected to the style of the ,gospel1 as rude and barbarous1 and not composed with that beauty1 which they have been taught to admire in the masters of fine writing4 ,now1 though this pedantry might1 perhaps1 be excused in an old ,pagan sophist1 and is naturally enough assumed by a modern classical unbeliever1 one is shocked to find it in professed ,christians4 ,and yet1 ,i doubt1 there are not a few of those1 who are half ashamed of the ,gospel1 because not written in the best ,greek1 or according to the rules of the most approved rhetorick3 ,i doubt1 there are even those who might tell us1 if they would 7as a polite ,italian philologist has done7 that they read their bible but seldom1 lest a familiarity with it should hurt their style2 or perhaps abstain from reading it1 altogether1 because not fashioned according to their ideas of elegant composition4 ,it would be paying too much respect to this frivolous delicacy1 to enter into a formal confutation of it4 ,what ,i shall say to it is1 briefly1 this2 first1 that the style of scripture1 though not classical1 is by no means destitute of life and beauty3 secondly1 that1 although it were1 where the matter of it concerns us so much1 it is childish to lay any great stress on the manner3 that1 further1 the very objection turns to the honour of the ,gospel1 which was purposely so composed that the effect of it1 in the conversion of the world1 might be seen to flow from supernatural causes1 and that our faith should not stand in the wisdom of men1 but in the power of ,god4 ,to all which ,i might add1 what perhaps is a secret to our polite objectors1 that the rules of writing and speaking are more arbitrary than they are taken to be3 that they refer to our customs and manners1 and derive their merit from that reference1 only2 that1 in different times and places and under different circumstances1 the same manner may be good and bad2 and that there is no universal archetype of perfect speech1 existing in nature#bhc4 ,but these minute inquiries are not for this time and place4 ,on whatever principles the style of scripture may be vindicated1 or if it cannot be vindicated at all to a fastidious reader1 still ,i affirm1 that the taking offence at it is a species of that false shame1 which the text condemns1 and which deserves condemnation4 ,when the word of ,god is held up to us in the great day1 and the inquiry is1 what attention we have paid to it1 think how poor a subterfuge it will be from the shame1 that will then overtake us1 to reply1 in the face of men and angels1 that it was not the word of ,cicero or ,plato4 ,having dismissed this trifling cavil1 let us now see1 ,,ii4 ,in the next place1 in what respects it may be charged upon us that we have been ashamed of ,christ's words2 that is1 of their ,,subject ,,matter2 considered in the double view of the doctrines1 and precepts1 contained in them4 #a4 ,as to the ,,doctrines of ,christ1 that is1 the peculiar articles of ,christian faith1 one would think that to reject1 or question1 or explain away these1 was inconsistent with the very profession of ,christianity4 ,yet this conduct in some shape or other1 presents itself to us every day1 in those who are1 or who desire to be thought1 ,christians2 and one cannot but wonder at the pains they take to draw upon themselves this charge of inconsistency4 ,some1 bolder than the rest1 would expunge whole chapters1 nay books1 from the sacred canon1 when the narrative rises above their faith1 or the doctrine will not sink to a level with their wisdom2 others content themselves with nibbling at single sentences1 or1 perhaps1 words2 and1 if no obscure manuscript be at hand to favour the system they adopt1 take refuge in a forced1 unnatural punctuation4 ,how many ancient and modern heresies have we seen supported by that presumptuous1 or this minute strain of criticism6 ,some1 again1 when the text is not called in question1 turn their ingenuity another way1 and strike out new modes of interpretation4 ,they mangle and disfigure plain facts1 or resolve them into allegories3 of this class were those primitive heresiarchs1 who maintained that ,christ was not come in the flesh#bhd1 and that the ,resurrection was past already#bhe2 and of the same family1 too1 are those presumptuous moderns1 of whatever name1 who stumble at the cross of ,christ1 and sink the doctrine of ,redemption in a metaphor4 ,a third sort excell in puzzling a clear text1 in putting a violent construction on artless words1 in explaining mysteries by metaphysics1 or1 to get rid of them at once1 in making the plain fishermen of ,galilee speak the language of ,platonism1 or of the ,jewish cabbala4 ,in a word1 it would be endless to specify all those1 who by studied devices1 of various kinds1 mutilate1 prevert1 misinterpret1 confound the word of ,god1 obtruding their own sense upon it1 and finding any thing there rather than the plain obvious mind of the ,revealer4 ,and why is all this industry employed1 these daring liberties taken8 ,why to make ,christianity not mysterious1 to shew how reasonable its doctrines are1 and to remove all objections against them4 ,the pretence is fair4 ,but shall we then admit nothing in scripture1 in that scripture which we call divine1 but what we perfectly understand1 and can make appear1 in all its parts1 to harmonize with our systems8 ,alas1 what is this1 but to prescribe to the ,spirit of ,god2 to substitute our wisdom in the place of his2 in a word1 to be ashamed of ,christ's words1 and to idolize our own reason4 ,to give one remarkable instance1 out of many1 of this false shame4 ,if there be any thing clearly revealed in holy scripture1 it is1 that there is a world of spirits1 good and bad3 and of the last1 that there is ,,one1 placed at the head of them1 who sets himself in opposition 7as indeed all bad men do7 to the will of ,god2 who had a share in seducing our first parents1 and still works in the children of disobedience2 who was even permitted to tempt ,christ1 and to possess ,judas2 in a word1 who is styled the ,prince of this world1 and1 for the overthrow of whose empire1 principally1 the ,son of ,god came down from heaven3 ,if ,i say1 there be any clear undisputed point of doctrine in the ,gospel1 it is this3 the whole scheme of ,christianity depends upon it3 and yet what pains have not been taken to exterminate evil spirits1 and disenchant the world of them2 although by such methods1 as would render language itself of no use1 and confound all the rules of just criticism and sober interpretation8 ,these interpreters1 ,i know1 pretend 7and many of them1 ,i dare say1 with good faith7 a zeal for the honour of ,god1 in their attempts of this nature4 ,but let them look deep into themselves4 ,they will1 perhaps1 find1 that they are paying1 at the same time1 a secret homage to their own understandings1 as if the whole of ,god's moral government lay open to their view1 and they were able to pervade every part of it2 that they hold a revelation in no esteem1 which puzzles their philosophy2 and that1 therefore1 they force a meaning of their own on the words of ,christ1 because they are inwardly ashamed of that1 in which his words are most naturally to be taken4 ,leaving1 then1 these rationalists to the scrutiny of their own inmost thoughts1 let us inquire1 #b4 ,what regard is due to the words of ,christ1 considered not as articles of belief1 but rules of practice4 ,and here1 ,i doubt1 it must be acknowledged that we have1 all of us1 more or less1 been ashamed of our divine ,master4 ,for we are convicted of this shame1 whenever we disobey his commands1 seen and admitted to be his1 on account of any repugnancy they have to the fashion of the world1 and to the consideration we affect to have in it4 ,and who is there1 that1 in this respect1 can hope to stand clear of all blame1 when he is judged8 ,be meek and lowly of heart1 says our ,lord4 ,on the contrary1 we are proud and arrogant1 that we may not be thought to want spirit4 ,take no thought for to-morrow1 are the words of ,christ3 but the world says1 be rich and great2 and we think of nothing else but to-morrow4 ,blessed are the pure in heart1 says our spotless ,preceptor3 ,are we not ashamed of these words1 when we had rather run the risk of any defilement1 than appear unfashionable8 ,and so in a multitude of other instances4 ,still1 perhaps1 we respect the rule1 in some sort1 and blame ourselves for the breach of it4 ,but what shall we say of those1 who reject the word spoken with a high hand1 and offend against it on principle1 as we may say1 and by system8 ,go and sin no more1 says our ,lord to an adulteress convict2 and his words imply a severe censure of having sinned at all1 in that instance4 ,but are there none who think this a hard saying1 who regard it as a narrow prejudice2 who treat the observance of it as a needless scruple2 nay1 who pique themselves on the violation of it8 ,are there not some1 who delight in this sin by way of preference8 who lay it down for a maxim1 that this commerce1 under certain circumstances1 and covered with a certain veil of manners1 is allowable1 is reputable1 is meritorious8 ,nay1 are there not those who would take it ill to be thought incapable of aspiring to that distinction1 which1 in certain quarters1 this commerce supposes8 ,but let me not enlarge farther on this horrid subject4 ,consider only1 whether the parties concerned must not deride a precept1 which they are proud to transgress1 and whether in the saddest sense of the word1 they may not be said to be ashamed of it4 ,,another instance occurs1 the mention of which1 ,i am sensible1 can be of no farther use than to illustrate my subject4 ,a placability of temper1 the forgiveness of injuries1 the love of our enemies1 nothing is more insisted upon in the ,gospel1 than these virtues1 which make the very essence of a ,christian's temper4 ,the precepts to this purpose are numberless and express1 and enforced with all possible authority4 ,yet1 to persons1 in certain conjunctures1 and of a certain rank in the world1 it would be an affront1 but to remind them of their duty4 ,we know1 who it was1 that1 when he was reviled1 reviled not again1 when he suffered1 threatened not1 but committed himself to him who judgeth righteously#bhf4 ,but what then8 ,neither precept1 nor example1 moves him1 who calls himself a man of honour1 and is the slave of fashion4 ,he has command enough of himself to assume an air of tranquillity1 and to observe all the forms of good-breeding4 ,but his hate is rancorous1 his resentment hot as hell1 his revenge1 immortal4 ,let his pretences be what they will1 his conduct cries aloud to all the world1 8,i renounce the ,gospel1 ,i am ashamed of the meek and merciful religion of ,jesus40 ,to conclude3 ,we now understand in what ways1 and in how many respects1 we may be ashamed of ,christ and his words4 ,in recounting those several ways1 whether respecting the name and dignity of our ,lord1 or the rule of faith and practice1 which he has given us1 we have seen1 at the same time1 how little1 how base1 how ungrateful1 how impious1 how inexcusable1 in all views1 this shame is3 especially in all those1 who wear the name1 and do not wholly disclaim the faith1 of a ,christian4 ,more words would be thrown away on those1 who are insensible to such considerations4 ,or1 if any further remonstrance can be of use1 if there be a motive left that can reach their case1 it must be one1 that alarms their fears1 and shews the danger1 the unspeakable hazard1 to which they expose themselves by this miserable conduct4 ,and1 in the whole extent of ,god's word1 there is not1 in the nature of things there cannot be1 a more awakening1 a more terrible denunciation1 than that of the text1 which therefore ,i cannot do better than leave with you in its own proper form1 as pronounced by our ,lord himself--,whoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words1 of him shall the ,son of man be ashamed1 when he shall come in his own glory1 and in his ,father's1 and of the holy ,angels4 ,,sermon ,,lii4 ,,preached ,,january #bi1 #agge4 ,st4 ,,matth4 xvi4 #ah4 ,i say also unto thee1 that thou art ,,peter1 and upon this rock ,i will build my church2 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it4 ,the way of giving a new name to an eminent person1 more immediately concerned in any great transaction2 a name1 expressive of that transaction1 and therefore proper to fix and perpetuate the memory of it2 this custom1 ,i say1 was of known use in the ancient world4 ,thus1 when ,god renewed his covenant with ,abram1 and engaged to multiply him exceedingly1 the name of this patriarch was changed to ,abraham2 which name1 in the ,hebrew language1 signifies the father of a great multitude#bhg3 and1 for a like reason1 the patriarch ,jacob took the name of ,israel#bhh2 to omit many other instances of this usage1 which occur in the sacred scriptures4 ,just so1 when one of the ,apostles1 known before by the name of ,simon1 had made a memorable confession of his ,master's being the ,christ1 the son of the living ,god1 i4 e4 the redeemer1 the prince of ,israel1 the ,messiah foretold1 our blessed ,lord1 to give weight and emphasis to this confession1 confers a new name upon him4 ,for he answered and said unto him1 ,blessed art thou1 ,simon ,bar-,jona2 for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee1 but my ,father which is in heaven3 ,that is1 no man hath revealed this great truth to thee1 nor has any interest of man1 any thing1 indeed1 but the spirit of ,god1 influencing thy impartial and well-disposed mind1 prompted thee to entertain and avow it thus heartily and publicly 7the proofs of it not being1 at present1 so strong1 as they hereafter shall be73 ,therefore1 to express my approbation of this great testimony to a truth1 which is the fundamental article of my religion1 and1 at the same time1 to signify to thee the honour1 with which ,i mean to reward thee for it1 ,i further say unto thee1 ,thou art ,peter1 and upon this rock will ,i build my ,church2 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it4 ,the name1 ,peter1 signifying a rock in the ,greek language1 implies1 we see1 the immoveable truth of the confession1 here made1 on which the ,christian religion was to be built2 and the immoveable firmness1 too1 of the ,confessor1 who should have a share1 with the other ,apostles1 in supporting the whole fabric1 and be himself1 in point of time1 the first stone1 on which the glorious superstructure was to be made4 ,it follows--and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it--that is1 ,death1 or ,destruction 7for that1 only1 the oriental phrase--the gates of hell--here signifies#bhi7 shall never prevail against this church1 being founded on thee1 and the testimony1 made by thee1 as on a rock of ages1 which shall never give way1 or be removed4 ,we see1 then1 the full meaning of this famous text1 which contains1 in effect1 ,,two prophecies3 ,,one1 respecting the foundation of the ,christian church1 and 7so far as the ,apostle ,peter was personally concerned in the prediction7 then verified1 when ,peter laid the first stone of this august building in the converts made by him both among the ,jews#bij and ,gentiles#bia3 the ,,other prophecy1 respecting the perpetuity of this church2 which the divine ,providence would1 in no future age of the world1 permit to be destroyed4 ,so that1 not the supremacy of ,peter over the rest of the ,apostles 7as the church of ,rome vainly pretends71 but the priority of his claim1 in point of time1 to signal services in the conversion of mankind1 is expressed in this memorable promise made to ,peter--on this rock will ,i build my church3 and1 for the second assurance1 here given1 and which1 to so zealous a master-builder1 as our ,apostle1 must have been singularly welcome--that the gates of hell shall never prevail against it--we may1 now1 by the experience of more than seventeen hundred years1 understand1 how far it has been1 and how likely it is1 in the full extent of the words1 to be fulfilled4 ,but1 to see little more distinctly what this experience is1 and what presumption arises out of it for the truth of our holy religion1 let us call to mind1 if you please1 the more remarkable of those attacks1 which have been made1 at different times1 on the church of ,christ1 and yet how constantly and successfully they have been repelled4 ,i4 ,no sooner had the foundations of the church been laid on the rock of this testimony--that ,jesus was the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god--than the storms of persecution arose1 and beat violently upon it4 ,nor was it1 indeed1 strange1 that this new doctrine1 published every where1 with great boldness1 by men who had been eye-witnesses of what they affirmed1 and calculated to overturn all the favourite maxims and usages of the world1 should meet with the fiercest opposition4 ,and how easy did it seem for that world to crush the infant society1 now struggling for life in the hands of twelve poor1 illiterate1 and friendless men1 if the decree of ,heaven had not gone forth--that the gates of hell should not prevail against it6 ,i know1 indeed1 that this violence of persecution was1 in the end1 of advantage to the ,christian cause2 and1 from the nature of the human mind1 when once persuaded of any thing1 true or false1 might be expected to be so4 ,for cruelty1 in such cases1 only excites an unconquerable firmness and perseverance4 ,but what was persuasion in succeeding converts to the gospel of ,christ1 was knowledge1 or rather the infallible evidence of sense1 in the first publishers of it4 ,the ,apostles witnessed a matter of fact1 when they made known the resurrection of ,christ1 on which their whole doctrine rested4 ,and it is not in nature for any single man1 much less for twelve men1 to suffer1 and to die1 for a false fact1 not taken upon trust from others1 but asserted on their own proper and personal experience4 ,if ,jesus did not rise from the dead1 they neither saw1 nor felt1 nor conversed with him after his resurrection1 that is1 they had no persuasion for force to harden into obstinacy1 but a consciousness of falshood in their attestation1 which could not have held out against the rage of their persecutors#bib4 ,if it be said1 that criminals are often supposed1 and not without reason1 to die with a falshood in their mouths1 ,i answer1 it is very possible3 but1 besides that the ,apostles gave no signs1 in the rest of their conduct1 of a want of principle1 by declaring the truth1 in this case1 they might have saved their lives1 whereas a criminal1 for the most part1 is but the more likely to lose his1 by a true confession4 ,or1 if1 lastly 7for suspicion1 ,i am aware1 is not easily satisfied1 if7 the perseverance of the martyred apostles be accounted for from a false point of honour1 ,i admit1 that this strange principle sometimes overpowers conviction2 but rarely1 in any number of men confederated in the same cause1 and1 least of all1 in a number of men of so plain and artless characters1 as the ,apostles4 ,on the whole1 we have reason to conclude1 that1 if ,christianity had not been true1 it must have perished with its first preachers3 at least1 it cannot be denied1 that in outliving the violence1 with which it was assaulted1 both by ,jew and ,gentile1 on its appearance in the world1 this religion has thus far verified the remarkable prediction of its author4 ,,ii4 ,the external peace of the church was scarce settled under ,constantine1 when internal commotions shook its frame1 and with a violence1 which was likely to bring on1 and that in no long time1 its entire dissolution4 ,by these commotions1 ,i mean the heresies1 that sprung up in abundance1 and distracted the ,christian world for several centuries4 ,the zeal1 or rather fury1 with which these disputes were carried on1 was unappeasable2 and1 if it be true1 that a house divided against itself cannot stand1 there was reason to expect that the houshold of ,christ would exemplify this maxim3 ,while1 at the same time1 the ,christian name was so dishonoured by these contentions1 and the lives1 as well as the faith1 of ,christians1 so polluted by them1 that believers themselves were almost tempted to renounce a profession1 which laboured under so much infamy2 and the rest of the world could scarce fail to contract an incurable aversion to it4 ,this1 indeed1 was so much the case1 and the advantage1 given to the enemies of our faith1 by these scandalous abuses of it1 so great1 that one is not surprised to find ,,iii4 ,a third1 and still more alarming danger of the ,christian church1 in the sudden rise and propagation of the ,mahometan religion4 ,for it was the corruption of ,christianity1 that gave occasion1 or success1 at least1 to this daring imposture4 ,and now it might seem1 that the gates of hell were set wide open1 and destruction ready to rush upon1 and seize1 its defenceless prey1 the ,christian church1 disheartened and disabled by its own vices4 ,the uncontroulable spirit of this ruthless sect was1 indeed1 alarming to the last degree2 when a secret providence1 first1 softened its ferocity1 and1 then1 put a stop to its successes4 ,i ascribe these effects to the good providence of ,god1 watching over the preservation of our holy faith2 for what else could make the disciples of ,mahomet tolerant in spite of their ignorance and bigotry2 and pacific1 when their law breathed nothing but war and universal dominion8 ,still the church had other trials to undergo2 and hell had yet in reserve some further engines of its wrath to employ against her4 ,for ,,iv4 ,while the ,african and ,asiatic ,christians were in danger of a total suppression by the rage of their ,ottoman masters1 the ,european had almost as much to apprehend from exhaustless swarms of ,northern barbarians4 ,and1 what darkened the prospect still more1 all knowledge and learning had disappeared1 during these turbulent ages4 ,hence1 to the destructive fanaticism of the ,east1 was added the grossest superstition of the ,west2 which1 growing up in a long night of ignorance1 and yet directed by policy towards the establishment of a vast and gloomy empire1 involved all ,christendom in its pestilential shade1 and threatened the very extinction of all true religion4 ,yet it pleased ,god1 in this distressful state of his church1 to provide for its continuance1 and even integrity1 in due time1 by making the cloystered ignorance of the ,monks serve to the preservation of the sacred canon2 and the enslaving projects of a tyrannical hierarchy1 to the restoration of religious and civil liberty4 ,and thus1 though the powers of hell had been successively let loose against the church of ,christ in the terrible shapes1 first1 of ,jewish and ,gentile persecution2 then1 of heresy1 in the church itself2 next1 of ,mahometan enthusiasm2 and1 lastly1 of ,antichristian superstition2 yet have they not prevailed against this sacred structure1 founded on a rock1 guarded1 as we believe1 by heaven itself1 and therefore destined to be eternal4 ,i have touched these several particulars slightly and rapidly1 just to put you in mind of what the ,christian religion has endured1 since its appearance in the world2 and to let you see how unlikely it is that this religion should have kept its ground against these various and multiplied attacks1 if it had not been divinely protected4 ,but of all the trials1 to which it has been exposed1 the greatest by far1 if this religion had been an imposture1 is ,,one1 which ,i have not yet mentioned2 and that is1 the examination of severe1 enlightened ,reason4 ,and this trial1 to complete its honour1 our divine faith hath ,,twice undergone3 once1 in the very season of its birth2 and now1 again1 for two or three centuries1 since the revival of letters1 in our ,western world3 periods1 both of them1 distinguished1 in the annals of mankind1 by a more than common degree of light and knowledge2 which must1 in the nature of things1 have been fatal to any scheme of religion1 pretending only to a divine original1 and not really so descended4 ,but this part of the argument is too large1 as well as too important1 for me to enter upon at present4 ,let me therefore conclude with a short and interesting reflexion on so much of it1 as we have been considering4 ,it was natural1 no doubt1 for the author of a new religion1 full of his scheme1 and impressed with the importance of it1 to promise to himself the perpetuity of his work4 ,but a wise man might easily conjecture that a religion1 like the ,christian1 would meet with the fiercest opposition3 and1 though this be not a proper time to shew it1 it might be shewn1 that the spirit of ,christ#bic distinctly foresaw the several species of opposition1 which his religion had to encounter#bid4 ,yet1 in the face of all these perils1 our ,lord predicts1 in the most direct and positive terms1 that his church should brave them all1 and subsist for ever4 ,it has subsisted to this day1 after encountering such storms of persecution and distress1 as must1 in all likelihood1 have overturned any human fabrick4 ,is not the true solution of the fact1 this1 that it was founded on the word of ,god1 which endureth for ever#bie8 ,the rest1 then1 follows of course4 ,the wise master-builder 7to use his own words on another occasion1 near akin to this7 had built his house upon a ,,rock3 and the rain descended1 and the floods came1 and the winds blew and beat upon that house3 and it ,,fell ,,not1 for it was founded upon a ,,rock#bif4 ,,sermon ,,liii4 ,,preached ,,february #e1 #agge4 ,st4 ,,matth4 xvi4 #ah4 ,and ,i say also unto thee1 that thou art ,peter1 and upon this rock ,i will build my church2 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it4 ,the religion of ,jesus hath descended to us1 through ,,two1 the most enlightened ages of the world4 ,it was1 first1 published in the reign of ,tiberius3 ,it was re-published1 as we may say1 at the ,reformation3 and is it likely1 that an imposture should have made its way in the former of these periods8 ,or1 is it possible1 it should still keep its ground against the influence of all that light and knowledge1 by which the latter has been distinguished8 ,to see what force there is in these questions1 permit me to lay before you a slight sketch of the trials1 to which ,christianity has been exposed from the improved reason of ancient and modern times1 and of the effect1 which those trials appear to have had on the credit and reception of that ,religion4 ,i4 ,jesus preached the ,gospel in the reign of ,tiberius3 that is1 in a time of profound peace1 when arts and letters were generally diffused through the ,roman empire2 and in ,judea1 at that time a ,roman province4 ,so far was this thing from being done in a corner#big6 ,this religion1 on its first appearance in the world1 had therefore to encounter two sorts of men1 well qualified1 and not less disposed1 to give it a severe examination2 ,i mean1 the learned ,,jews1 on the one hand1 and the reasoning ,,gentiles1 on the other4 ,yet it prevailed against all the efforts of both4 ,it was1 first1 proposed to the ,,jews1 and its pretensions were to be tried by the correspondence of its principles and history to the doctrine and predictions of their sacred books4 ,that vastly the greater part of the ,jewish nation resisted the evidence of that appeal1 is well known3 but that great numbers did not1 and1 of these1 that some1 at least1 were of principal note for their rank1 and knowledge in the scriptures1 is equally certain and allowed2 with this further concession1 that the evidence1 whatever it was1 prevailed over the most inveterate prejudices1 that ever possessed any people1 and the most alarming difficulties and discouragements1 to which human nature can be exposed4 ,let the fact1 then1 be considered1 with all its circumstances1 on both sides4 ,and as to the merit of the argument1 we are well able to judge of it4 ,the sacred writings of the ,jews1 to which the appeal lay1 are in all hands3 and with what triumphant superiority the followers of ,jesus reasoned from them1 we see1 in their numerous works1 still extant1 and especially in those of the great ,apostle1 ,st4 ,paul4 ,so that1 if all the scriptural learning1 and all the bigotry of ,judaism1 could not stop the progress of ,christianity1 as we know it did not1 it may fairly be presumed1 that the way of inquiry was not unfavourable to the new religion1 and that truth and reason were on that side4 ,but #b4 ,from the ,jews1 let us turn to the ,,gentiles1 at that time flourishing in arts and letters4 ,to them was the ,gospel preached by the ,apostles1 and especially by their ,apostle1 ,st4 ,paul1 through the whole extent of the ,roman empire2 and not without success in the head quarters of ,gentilism1 in the chief towns of ,asia1 in ,greece1 at ,athens1 and even at ,rome itself4 ,the pride of ,gentile wisdom1 indeed1 kept its professors1 for some time1 from taking more than a superficial notice of the new religion4 ,but its rapid progress among the people1 joined to its declared purpose of prescribing to the general faith of mankind1 broke through this real or affected indifference1 rouzed1 at length1 the attention of the great and wise1 and provoked the zeal of both to shew itself in every mode of opposition4 ,the great persecuted1 and the wise reasoned3 and this latter species of hostility 7the more alarming of the two1 if ,christianity had been an imposture7 was carried on with vigour1 and without intermission 7whatever intervals there might be of the former7 through several successive ages4 ,the four ,gospels1 and the other authentic documents of our religion1 were now in all hands1 when this lettered war commenced against ,christianity1 and continued1 till ,paganism was utterly overthrown and subdued4 ,many adversaries of the ,christian name engaged in this unequal contest3 but the most distinguished are1 ,,celsus1 in the second century2 ,,porphyry1 in the third2 and ,,julian1 in the fourth3 all of them1 eminent philosophers2 and the last of this great triumvirate1 an imperial one4 ,the two first wrote with all freedom1 because against a persecuted1 and on the side of the predominant1 religion2 and the third had the whole power of the state in his own hands4 ,the works of these great chieftains of infidelity1 it must be owned1 are not extant in their proper form4 ,but ,celsus is almost entire in ,origen2 a great part of ,julian may be seen in ,cyril2 and considerable fragments of ,porphyry's work have been preserved in ,jerom and other old writers4 ,ye do not expect me to produce1 on this occasion1 the substance of what these three philosophers have said against the ,christian cause4 ,any that will1 may see it in the original authors1 just mentioned1 or in many modern collections1 that have been made out of them4 ,it may be enough to say1 that those1 who give themselves this trouble1 will find much abuse and misrepresentation1 and some argument3 but the last so weak1 and inconclusive1 that one cannot wonder much at what ,chrysostom tells us1 8,that the early books1 written against ,christianity1 soon fell into a general contempt2 that they perished almost as fast as they appeared2 and that1 if they still subsisted any where1 it was1 because they had been preserved by the ,christians themselves#bih40 ,but1 setting aside1 for the present1 the merits of the question1 the fact#bii1 we know1 is1 that all the efforts of ,greek and ,roman philosophy were not successful3 that the church was soon filled with its professors1 even before the empire became ,christian3 and that this great event itself happened within little more than three centuries from the birth of ,christ4 ,so mightily grew the word of ,god1 and prevailed1 notwithstanding the severity1 with which its pretensions were tried4 ,it will be said1 however1 8that the argument1 drawn from the success of ,christianity1 is not altogether so convincing1 as we pretend3 that1 for a time1 the learned heathens paid but little attention to the new sect2 that1 when it had taken such root among the people as to become the general subject of inquiry1 learning was now very much on the decline2 that barbarism had prevailed to a great degree before the days of ,constantine1 and then increased so fast1 especially after the irruption of the ,northern nations1 as to leave no traces1 almost1 of light and knowledge2 and that to this sottish state of ignorance1 and1 its usual attendant1 credulity1 which continued through many ages1 the widely extended and permanent establishments of ,christianity are1 therefore1 most probably to be ascribed40 ,now1 though ,i cannot assent to what is here alledged1 or insinuated1 that the adversaries of ,christianity wanted either time1 or light1 or zeal enough to discredit its pretensions1 if the way of reason and disputation could have done it1 before that long night of ignorance came on which is supposed to be so favourable to religious imposture2 yet ,i will not deny that taste and literature were degenerating in the ,roman empire1 from the time that learned pagans began to interest themselves in the controversy with the ,christians2 and that1 therefore1 had the last only prevailed through this period of declining letters1 something would have been wanting to the force and integrity of that argument1 which infers the truth of their cause1 from its success4 ,but the fact is1 that the event has been the same1 in opposite circumstances2 as ,i shall now shew1 ,,ii4 ,under the ,,second head of this discourse2 in which ,i proposed to point out to you1 very briefly1 the influence of ,,reviving1 ,,and ,,revived letters on the credit and reception of the ,christian faith4 ,from the middle of the #adth century1 and even earlier1 there were some efforts made to break through that gloom of ignorance and superstition1 which had so long overspread the ,christian world2 and1 before the end of it1 it was visible enough that these efforts would1 in no long time1 be attended with success4 ,accordingly1 a zeal for true and ancient literature made its way through most parts of ,europe1 and with so rapid a progress1 that multitudes of able men arose within the compass of the next century1 and were enough instructed to assist in the reformation of religion1 which followed in the commencement of the #afth4 ,from that time to the present1 arts and letters have been studied with unceasing application2 and all the powers of reason put forth in the cultivation of knowledge1 in the discovery of error1 and the search of truth4 ,it is pretended1 that we are now enlightened beyond the example of all former ages3 it is credible1 that1 in some places1 where liberty has attended the pursuits of learning1 the utmost ability of the human mind1 on the most important objects of science1 has been exerted and displayed4 ,now1 amidst this blaze of light1 gradually ascending from the dawn of science to its meridian lustre1 what has been the fortune of the divine religion1 we profess8 ,it has been the first1 and last object of attention4 ,it has been examined with the most suspicious and sceptical curiosity4 ,it has stood the attacks of wit1 of learning1 of philosophy2 and1 sometimes1 of all these acting in concert1 without any restraint or reserve whatsoever4 ,yet it keeps its ground2 or rather the belief of it is entertained1 not only by the multitude1 but1 more firmly than ever1 by the ablest and wisest men4 ,for the truth of this assertion1 ,i can only refer you to your own fair and candid observation2 the proof of it being much too long to be given1 at this time4 ,for it would require me to set before you the several topics of argument1 which have been employed against ,christianity1 and the futility of them4 ,it would1 further1 oblige me to make appear1 that the number of those1 who still embrace ,christianity1 is not only vastly greater1 but their names1 too1 beyond comparison1 more respectable1 than of those who reject it3 all which it would be tedious1 indeed1 but not difficult to shew4 ,however1 till some such proof be produced1 ye will be apt1 ,i know1 to remind me of many eminent persons1 who have been the declared enemies of our religion3 ye will object to me the complaints1 which even divines make1 of an overflowing infidelity in the present times4 ,in abatement of this prejudice1 ,i could say with much truth1 that the character of those eminent persons has been raised too high2 and that these complaints1 though not without foundation1 have been carried too far4 ,but ,i have other1 and more momentous considerations to suggest to you1 on this subject4 ,at the revival of letters1 when the manifold corruptions of ,christianity had been discovered1 it was too natural for the disabused mind to entertain some suspicions of the revelation itself2 and when reason1 now emancipated from authority1 had tried its strength1 and found itself able to detect innumerable errors in religion and science1 it too hastily concluded that there was no subject too vast for its comprehension1 and that its power and right to decide on all questions whatsoever was evident and beyond dispute4 ,from that suspicious1 and this delirious state of the human mind1 infidelity sprung up1 and on either stock it still grows4 8,we have been deceived in many things1 with regard to this religion2 therefore in every thing40 8,we know much2 therefore we are capable of knowing all things40--,these1 as extravagant as they appear1 are the two sophisms1 into which all modern free-thinking is to be resolved4 ,but now it is so evident to men of sense1 that 8a revelation may be true1 though much imposture has been grafted upon it1 and that its doctrines may challenge our belief1 though they be not within the reach of our knowledge40 ,this1 ,i say1 is now so uncontroverted among men of sense1 that1 if the list of those1 who1 in the course of two or three centuries1 have supported the infidel cause on those grounds1 were ever so great or so conspicuous1 it could furnish no argument1 or even presumption1 in favour of that cause itself4 ,but the truth is1 that list is neither formidable for its numbers1 nor for the capacity of those1 of whom it consists4 ,it shrinks into nothing1 when we oppose to it the multitudes of able men1 who have been1 during this period1 and are1 the advocates of ,christianity2 and1 among these1 when we recollect the names of ,grotius1 ,pascal1 ,bacon1 ,locke1 ,boyle1 ,newton1 and many others 7not of the sacred order1 though ,i know not why the authority of these should be left out of the account72 when1 ,i say1 we look up to these great lights and ornaments of the ,christian world4 ,nor let it be surmized1 that the reasonings of infidel writers have been better1 or other1 than they are here represented to be1 or that they have not been enforced with full liberty1 and in all their strength4 ,what the liberty1 or rather licence1 of these enlightened times has been1 we all know3 ,and of their arguments1 ye may all judge3 though this labour be the less necessary1 as most of them have not only been triumphantly confuted by believers1 but successively exploded by unbelievers themselves2 and the rest of them1 have not prevented men of thought and ability from being generally on the side of the ,christian religion1 even to this day4 ,ye see1 ,i am as concise as possible1 and omit very much of what might be said on this subject1 not to exceed the limits usually prescribed to a discourse in this place4 ,but when ye contemplate the present state of ,christianity1 in an age of the greatest light and freedom1 and the respect that is still paid to it1 ,i must just desire you to call to mind the state of pagan religion under the like circumstances2 and to reflect that1 when men of sense examined its pretensions in the ,augustan age1 there was not a single person1 in the priesthood or out of it1 of ability and learning1 who did not see and know that the whole was a manifest imposture1 and destitute of all evidence1 that could induce a well-grounded and rational assent#cjj4 ,can any thing like this be said1 or even suspected1 of the ,christian faith8 ,i know1 that fraud and falsehood1 by being mixed with a great deal of acknowledged evident truth1 may obtain respect even with some acute and inquisitive men2 as1 without doubt1 has been the case of ,popery1 since the ,reformation3 ,i know1 too1 that a false religion1 unsupported by any truth1 may even keep its ground in a learned age1 when restraint or other causes have prevented a free inquiry into that religion2 as may have been the case of ,mahometanism1 in one stage of the ,saracen empire3 but that a religion1 like the ,christian1 as delivered in the ,scriptures1 which must either be wholly false1 or wholly true1 and has been scrutinized with the utmost freedom and severity1 should yet1 if the arguments for it were weak and fallacious1 maintain its credit1 and subsist in the belief of the most capable and accomplished reasoners1 is1 ,i think1 a prodigy1 which never has appeared1 or can appear among men4 ,i suppose1 enough has been1 now1 said to shew1 that1 in fact1 the knowledge of past or present times has not discredited the cause of ,christianity2 and that what there is of infidelity may be well accounted for from certain prevailing prejudices1 which unhappily sprung up with returning ,letters1 at the ,reformation4 ,i might go on to shew1 that the evidences of the ,christian religion1 as drawn out1 and set before us1 by its modern apologists1 are now stronger1 and more convincing1 than they ever were in any former period2 and that1 on the whole1 this religion has not lost1 but gained infinitely1 by all the inquiries1 which improved science has enabled men of leisure and curiosity to make into it4 ,but it is time to return to the ,,text1 and to conclude this commentary upon it1 with one or two short reflexions4 ,,first1 if it be true1 that after so many trials of every kind1 those especially of reason1 and philosophy1 to which the religion of the ,gospel has been exposed1 the belief of it remains unshaken in the minds of men1 ,then is the prophecy of the text thus far signally verified2 and it is indisputable1 that the gates of hell have not1 hitherto1 prevailed against it4 ,,secondly1 if it be scarce imaginable that any future trials1 from without1 should be more severe1 than those which ,christianity has already suffered2 or that those1 from within1 ,i mean the trials of severe rational inquiry1 should be more formidable1 than what it has undergone in two periods1 the most distinguished for the free exertion of the human faculties1 of any that have occurred in the history of the world2 then may it seem credible1 or rather then is the presumption strong and cogent1 that neither1 hereafter1 will the prophecy be confuted1 and that the gates of hell shall not1 at any time1 or at all1 prevail against it4 ,,thirdly1 and lastly1 ,we may learn1 from both these conclusions1 to put our trust in this impregnable fortress of our ,religion2 to embrace with stedfastness1 and to observe with the utmost reverence1 a ,,rule ,,of ,,faith ,,and ,,life1 which bears the signatures of immortality upon it1 and appears to be under the special protection1 as it proceeded originally from the special favour and authority1 of ,god himself4 ,a ,,larger ,,discourse1 ,,by ,,way ,,of ,,commentary1 ,,on ,,that ,,remarkable ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,gospel-,,history1 ,,in ,,which ,,jesus ,,is ,,represented1 ,,as ,,driving ,,the ,,buyers ,,and ,,sellers ,,out ,,of ,,the ,,temple4 ,a ,,discourse#cja ,,on ,,christ',s ,,driving ,,the ,,buyers ,,and ,,sellers ,,out ,,of ,,the ,,temple4 ,i propose1 in this discourse1 to take into consideration a very remarkable part of the ,gospel-history2 in which ,jesus is supposed to have exercised an act of authority on some persons1 whom the ,jews permitted to carry on a certain traffic within the walls of the ,temple4 ,i shall1 ,,first1 recite the several accounts1 which the sacred historians have given of this transaction2 and shall1 ,,then1 hazard some observations1 which will1 perhaps1 be found to lessen1 or to remove1 the objections commonly made to it4 ,i begin with ,st4 ,john's account of it1 which is delivered in these words3 ,ch4 ii4 #ac-ag4 8,and the ,jews passover was at hand1 and ,jesus went up to ,jerusalem1 and found in the temple those that sold oxen1 and sheep1 and doves1 and the changers of money1 sitting3 ,and when he had made a scourge of small cords1 he drove them all out of the temple1 and the sheep and the oxen2 and poured out the changers money1 and overthrew the tables2 and said unto them that sold doves1 ,take these things hence2 make not my ,father's house an house of merchandize4 ,and his disciples remembered that it was written1 ,the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up40 ,thus far the ,evangelist1 ,st4 ,john3 ,and the order of the history shews1 that this was done at the first ,passover which ,jesus attended1 after he had taken upon himself his prophetic office4 ,the other ,evangelists relate a similar transaction1 which had happened at the ,passover1 immediately preceding his crucifixion4 ,some have imagined that1 on this last occasion1 the same act was repeated by him1 on two several days2 but ,i see no sufficient ground for that supposition4 ,st4 ,mark is easily reconciled with ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,luke by only admitting1 what is very usual in the sacred writers1 some little neglect of method in the narration of one or other of those historians4 ,mat4 xxi4 #ab1 #ac4 8,and ,jesus went into the temple of ,god1 and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple1 and overthrew the tables of the money-changers1 and the seats of them that sold doves1 and said unto them1 it is written1 ,my house shall be called the house of prayer1 but ye have made it a den of thieves40 ,mark xi4 #ae-ag4 8,and they come to ,jerusalem3 ,and ,jesus went into the temple1 and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple1 and overthrew the tables of the money-changers1 and the seats of them that sold doves2 ,and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple4 ,and he taught1 saying unto them1 ,is it not written1 ,my house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer8 ,but ye have made it a den of thieves40 ,luke xix4 #de1 #df4 8,and he went into the temple1 and began to cast out them that sold therein1 and them that bought1 saying unto them1 ,it is written1 ,my house is the house of prayer3 but ye have made it a den of thieves40 ,in reading these passages1 one is led to conclude1 that the ,,act itself1 here ascribed to our ,lord1 was of no small importance2 for it is related1 we see1 by every one of the four ,evangelists4 ,the substance of what we learn from all of them1 compared together1 is this3 8,that ,jesus1 at two several times1 once1 before the first ,passover which he attended after the entrance on his ministry1 and again1 before the ,passover which preceded his passion1 went up to ,jerusalem1 and entered into the temple2 that is 7as all interpreters agree1 and as the nature of the thing speaks7 into the first1 or outermost court of the temple1 or that which was called the court of the ,gentiles2 because the ,gentiles1 who acknowledged the one true ,god1 were permitted to come and worship him there2 that in this court 7which was separated from the next or second court by a sept or low wall1 and deemed by the ,jews prophane1 in contempt of the ,gentiles1 to whose use it was dedicated7 he found those that sold oxen and sheep and doves1 and the changers of money2 that is1 persons who attended there to furnish what was necessary for the service of the temple1 and so made a kind of market1 of this first court or division of it3 that1 upon observing this prophanation1 he made a scourge of small cords1 or1 as the word in the original strictly means1 of rushes1 such as he may be supposed to have found upon the spot1 and with this scourge drove these traffickers from their station2 signifying1 by this and such like actions1 his displeasure at this pollution of a part of the temple2 and saying to them1 withall1 ,it is written1 ,my house shall be called the house of prayer of all nations3 ,but ye have made it an house of merchandize1 or1 as the equivalent expression is1 a den of thieves40 ,thus stands the history itself3 ,and the light in which it is commonly understood1 is this2 8,that ,jesus1 in virtue of his prophetic1 or1 if you will1 regal character1 did this act of authority1 to testify his zeal for the honour of ,god's house1 thus polluted and desecrated1 contrary to its original purpose and design1 by the base and commercial uses1 that were now made of it20 and it is probable1 that the ,disciples themselves1 at the time1 considered it in this light1 only1 for they remembered1 ,st4 ,john says1 that it was written1 ,the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up--applying a passage out of the ,psalms1 to this act of zeal in their master4 ,it is true1 this circumstance is only related by ,st4 ,john1 who records the former transaction1 and omits the latter3 the reason of this difference will1 perhaps1 be seen1 as we proceed in our inquiry4 ,but to this solution of the case some objections have been made4 ,besides the strangeness and indecency1 as many apprehend1 of the proceeding itself1 and the improbability that the persons concerned in this chastisement1 who had public allowance for what they did1 should patiently submit to it 7for we hear of no resistance1 nor of any complaint1 made by them7--,besides1 ,i say1 these obvious considerations1 the act itself was an act of ,,civil ,,power1 which ,jesus always disclaimed1 and for which1 it will be said1 he had no warrant1 either from the ruling ,jews1 themselves1 or from his regal1 or prophetic character3 not1 from the ruling ,jews1 who1 we know1 were offended at his behaviour2 not1 from his regal character1 which was not of this world2 nor yet1 lastly1 from his prophetic office3 for1 though that might authorize him to declare his sense of this prophanation1 it may be thought not to extend so far as to justify him in disturbing the civil rights of men1 and doing a direct violence to their property and persons4 ,jesus himself1 we understand1 was so tender of both1 that1 upon another occasion1 when it was proposed to him to divide a contested inheritance between two claimants1 he said to the proposer1 ,man1 who made me a judge1 or a divider over you#cjb8 ,whence it may seem reasonable to infer1 that he would not have interposed1 by an overt act of authority or jurisdiction1 in this case2 notwithstanding the reference it had to the honour of religion1 or the right he might have to condemn an abusive practice1 from his spiritual character4 ,these difficulties seem to shew1 that there is something more in the case1 than a mere expression of zeal against the prophaners of the temple3 not but this might be one end1 but it could not be the sole or even principal end1 of so extraordinary a transaction4 ,i do not indeed find1 that the ancient commentators on the ,gospels have said any thing to the difficulties1 ,i have mentioned4 ,they seem to have looked no further than to the obvious sense of this transaction1 and to have acquiesced in the opinion of its being intended to evidence our ,lord's zeal for the honour of ,god's house1 without any further view or purpose whatsoever4 ,they found it related as a matter of fact2 and they piously admitted the authority of ,jesus to controul the civil usages and rights of the ,jews1 by virtue of his transcendant power and divine character4 ,but the moderns have been aware of the objections1 which lie against this interpretation4 ,our learned ,selden1 in particular1 has an entire chapter1 in his book ,de jure naturali et gentium juxta disciplinam ,hebrorum1 on this subject#cjc4 ,his notion is1 ,that ,jesus exerted this act of power1 in virtue of what the ,jews called ,,the ,,right ,,or ,,privilege ,,of ,,zealots#cjd2 by which they meant1 not a general zeal or indignation 7such as is before spoken of7 against what they conceived to be derogatory to the honour of their religion2 but a right1 strictly so called1 derived to them from the civil institutions and approved usages of their country1 of interfering1 in some extraordinary cases1 to repel a manifest insult on their law1 by private force1 without waiting for the slow process of a judicial determination4 ,the principal1 or rather sole foundation1 on which this notion is erected1 is the case of ,phinehas1 related in the book of ,,numbers#cje3 which the ,jews afterwards construed into a law1 or embraced at least as a traditionary rule of conduct1 derived to them1 as they supposed1 from the times of ,moses4 ,but this case will by no means bear the construction1 which has been made of it4 ,for1 #a4 ,it was a single and very particular case1 without any intimation from the historian1 that it was afterwards to be drawn into precedent4 #b4 ,it may seem to have been1 if not commanded1 yet in some measure authorized1 or it was at least1 by an express revelation1 afterwards justified4 ,for the matter is thus related4 ,upon the defection of the ,israelites at ,shittim into idolatry1 in consequence of their prophane1 as well as impure commerce with the daughters of ,moab1 ,god sent a plague among them1 and besides commanded ,moses to put to death all those who had been guilty of such abominations4 ,moses obeyed1 and said unto the judges of ,israel1 slay ye every one his men1 that were joined unto ,baal-,peor4 ,this command was issued very properly to the ,judges3 but a private man1 ,phinehas1 the son of ,eleazer1 the son of ,aaron the priest1 instigated by his zeal1 and presuming perhaps on his relationship to the high priest 7from whose family1 a more than ordinary zeal in such a case might be expected7 did1 under these circumstances1 take upon himself to execute that command on two persons1 surprized in the very act1 for which the penalty had been denounced1 in the presence of all the people4 ,now1 though this proceeding was irregular in itself1 yet the notoriety of the fact1 the most atrocious that could be1 and the most daring insult on the divine authority1 seemed almost to supersede the necessity of a legal process4 ,the consequence was1 that ,god himself was pleased to accept and reward the deed1 because the author of it1 on such a provocation1 and at such a time1 was zealous for his ,god1 and had made an atonement for the children of ,israel4 ,but to argue from a single instance1 so circumstanced1 that the same zeal was allowable in other cases1 in which no such countenance had been given1 and no such necessity or provocation could be pretended1 is evidently so unreasonable1 that no stress ought to be laid on this argument4 ,the ,jews1 indeed1 in succeeding times1 might fancy a general rule to have been implied in this single instance2 and we know from their history1 to what enormous excesses this their easy belief1 concurring with a natural violence of temper1 afterwards transported them1 during the last calamities of this devoted people#cjf3 but our ,lord was very unlikely to give a countenance to their traditions1 or to add the sanction of his authority to a principle1 so weakly founded1 and so liable to the worst abuse4 #c4 ,this traffic of the merchants1 in the court of the ,gentiles1 how unfit soever it might be1 depended on the same authority1 as this pretended right itself of the zealots2 that is1 on the allowed usage and constant discipline of their country4 ,no express precept of the law could be alledged for either4 ,so that this right could not be exerted but at the expence of another1 equally well founded4 #d4 ,mr4 ,selden himself appears to have had some distrust of his own hypothesis1 by the care he takes to interweave1 in his discourse1 a charge of fraud on the merchants1 together with their prophanation of the temple4 ,but the learned writer forgets1 that ,,zelotism 7if ,i may have leave to use a new term7 respected religion only1 and not private morals4 ,for even the act of zeal1 performed by ,phinehas 7from which1 only1 the very idea of this ,jewish right1 if it were one1 was derived7 had1 for its object1 not the fornication simply1 but the idolatry1 of the criminals3 it was a sacrifice1 not to the honour of virtue1 as such1 but to the honour of ,god4 ,and1 indeed1 nothing but the singular structure of the ,jewish polity1 in which the honour of ,god was so extraordinarily considered1 could give any the least colour to the fiction of such a right4 #e4 ,lastly1 whatever degree of credit this principle of zelotism might have acquired among the ,jews1 it was very unlikely1 perhaps we may say1 impossible1 that ,jesus should act upon it4 ,when the ,disciples1 ,james and ,john1 on a certain occasion1 were instigated by this zeal to call for fire from ,heaven on the heads of some persons1 who had offered an insult to their master1 ,jesus himself rebuked them in these terms--,ye know not what spirit ye are of3 ,for the ,son of man is not come to destroy men's lives1 but to save them ,luke ix4 #ee4--,to burn with fire1 is indeed something more than1 to scourge3 but1 though the vengeance be not equal1 in these two instances1 the spirit is the same from which it is derived1 and by which it is justified3 and this spirit1 we are expressly told1 is not that by which ,jesus chose to conduct himself4 ,it was to no purpose to alledge the case of a ,phinehas1 or even an ,elias3 these were no precedents for ,,him1 who came not to destroy men's lives1 but to save them4 ,i conclude then1 upon the whole1 that ,jesus did not perform this act of driving the merchants out of the temple1 in the ,jewish character of ,,zealot2 in what other character he might possibly perform it1 ,i shall now inquire4 ,the ingenious conjecture of ,mr4 ,selden1 already considered1 was apparently taken up by him to avoid the difficulties which he found in accounting for this act of zeal in our ,lord1 from his prophetic character only4 ,these difficulties1 he saw very distinctly1 and has explained with much force4 8,though the ,saviour of the world1 says he1 was undoubtedly both ,god and ,king1 and1 by his absolute dominion1 not over the ,jews only1 but the whole race of mankind1 must be supposed to have had a right of doing whatever he saw fit to do2 yet since we know1 that he constantly submitted himself in all things to the established forms of civil justice1 whether of ,jewish1 or ,roman institution2 and1 as being desirous to exhibit in his own person a most absolute example of obedience to the course of human authority1 was careful always to abstain from every thing1 that might be thought a violation of it in any private man2 since1 besides1 we know1 that1 considering the peculiar envy1 to which his life was exposed1 he could not possibly have gratified his enemies more1 than by putting it in their power to bring a criminal charge against him3 it must1 on all these accounts1 be thought reasonable to suppose1 that our ,lord would not have ventured on so extraordinary an act1 as that of driving the merchants out of the temple1 unless it had been such1 as1 even in the opinion of those who were most prejudiced against him1 he might lawfully and regularly perform#cjg40 ,all this1 the reader sees1 is prudently1 piously1 and ably said1 by this very learned writer2 and ,i readily subscribe to every word of it4 ,we only differ in our conclusion from these premises4 ,mr4 ,selden holds1 that what ,jesus did on this occasion1 cannot be reconciled to the idea of his ,,prophetic ,,character1 as sustained by him in the course of his ministry3 ,i1 on the contrary1 conceive1 that it very well may4 ,but then ,i consider that character1 as exercised by our ,lord1 at this time1 in another manner1 and to other ends1 than the learned writer supposed4 ,in a word1 ,i see ,jesus in the light1 not of a ,,zealot1 but of a ,,prophet only1 in this whole transaction4 ,i see him acting1 not on precarious principles and rabbinical traditions1 but on the sure basis of scripture2 and regulating his conduct by the known ideas of his office1 such as had at all times been entertained of it1 and were even now familiar to the ,jews in the times in which he lived4 ,to make way for what ,i have further to advance on this subject1 it will1 then1 be necessary to consider1 first1 the ,,practices ,,and ,,usages of the ,jewish prophets1 ,i mean the manner1 in which that high office was sometimes discharged and exercised by them1 even to the very times in question3 and1 secondly1 to consider1 the true scope and meaning of the ,,prophecy itself1 to which ,jesus appeals1 and on which he justifies this obnoxious part of his conduct4 #a4 ,it is impossible for those1 who have read the scriptures of the ,old ,testament1 not to observe1 how much they abound in figures and material images4 ,nay1 the prophets are frequently represented as instructing those1 to whom they are sent1 not in figurative expression only1 but in the way of action and by sensible signs4 ,and this mode of information has been shewn by learned men#cjh to arise from the very nature of language1 in its rude and imperfect state2 being indeed an apt and necessary expedient to supply the defects of speech1 under that circumstance4 ,it has further been made appear1 from the history of mankind1 that this practice universally prevailed in all barbarous nations1 as well as in ,juda2 nay1 that it every where continued to prevail1 as an ornamental method of communication1 long after the necessity was over1 which had given birth to it2 especially among the inhabitants of the ,east1 to whose natural vivacity it was so well suited4 ,hence1 the ,jewish prophets1 it is said1 but conformed to the established practice of their own times1 when they adopted this use of representative action3 as1 when one ,prophet pushed with horns of iron1 to denote the overthrow of the ,syrians#cji2 and another1 broke a potter's vessel to pieces1 to express the shattered fortune of the ,jews#caj2 with innumerable other instances of the like nature4 ,this the prophet ,hosea calls1 using similitudes by the ,,hand of the prophets#caa2 and the effect of it was1 to impress the proposed information on the minds of men with more force 7being addressed to their eyes and senses7 than could have been done by a mere verbal explication4 ,this mode of teaching by signs1 then1 let it be remembered1 was familiar to the ,jewish nation1 and prevailed even in the days of ,jesus2 as is clear from ,john the ,baptist's wearing a garment of camel's hair1 and eating locusts and wild honey#cab2 to signify the mortification and repentance1 which he was commissioned to preach--from ,christ's riding into ,jerusalem#cac2 to signify the assumption of his regal office--and from his directing his disciples to shake of the dust of their feet#cad1 as a testimony against them1 who would not receive his ,gospel4 ,and we find that1 sometimes1 even a miracle was wrought to furnish a convenient sign--,as when ,simon's draught of fishes#cae1 was made to denote the success he should have in his ministry2 according to the interpretation of ,christ himself1 who said to him1 ,henceforth thou shalt catch men--,as1 again1 when ,jesus curst the barren fig-tree#caf1 to signify the unfruitfulness and rejection of the ,jewish nation--,and1 as when he permitted the unclean spirits to enter into a herd of swine1 which1 thereupon1 ran violently down a steep place and perished in the waters#cag3 an exertion of his miraculous power1 which1 among other purposes1 might be intended to express1 in the way of representation1 the tyranny of evil spirits1 and their attendants1 evil habits1 over sensual and voluptuous men 7of whom swine are the acknowledged emblems71 and the consequent perdition in which they drown them4 ,nay1 the very parables of our ,lord1 are but this mode of information1 by material signs1 once removed4 ,it may1 further1 be observed1 that the two ,christian ,sacraments themselves are founded on this principle3 and so prevalent was the use of conveying information in this form1 that even the ,roman ,governor1 when he condemned ,jesus1 took water and washed his hands#cah before the multitude1 to signify to them1 that he was innocent of that horrid crime4 ,from all this we may certainly conclude1 that it was very customary in our ,saviour's time for men to express themselves by outward and visible signs3 that this mode of expression was especially of ancient and approved use among the ,prophets1 when they would inforce some high and important topic of instruction3 and that1 not impossibly therefore1 the famous transaction in the temple may be only an information of this nature4 ,if then we would know1 what that information was1 or1 in other words1 what was the peculiar object of it1 it will be proper1 in the next place1 #b4 ,to turn to the ,,prophecy1 to which ,jesus appeals1 and to consider the true scope and purpose of it4 ,the prophecies of ,isaiah1 it is well known1 are chiefly taken up in predicting the future glories of ,christ's kingdom1 of which the call of the ,gentiles makes a conspicuous and shining part4 ,this great event is foretold in a vast variety of places2 and in different forms of expression1 one while1 plain and direct1 at other times1 figurative and obscure4 ,the ,messiah is spoken of as bringing forth judgement to the ,gentiles2 and more clearly still1 as being given for a light to the ,gentiles#cai4 ,in other places1 the expression is nigmatical2 as where the ,heathen are mentioned as prisoners1 who shall be set at liberty#cbj--;as strangers1 who should build up the walls of ,jerusalem#cba--;as blind people that have eyes1 and deaf that have ears#cbb--;and under a multitude of other images4 ,full of these ideas1 the ,prophet begins the fifty-sixth chapter with the following triumphant exhortation--,thus saith the ,lord1 ,keep ye judgment1 and do justice1 for my salvation is near to come1 and my righteousness to be revealed2 the very language1 almost1 in which the ,baptist afterwards announced our ,saviour to the ,jews3 whence it may appear1 of what salvation the ,prophet is here speaking4 ,but to whom is this salvation promised8 ,why1 in general1 to those who keep the ,sabbath from polluting it1 ver4 #b2 that is1 in the prophetic style1 to those who should embrace the ,christian faith3 for the ,sabbath being the sign or token of ,god's covenant with the ,jews1 hence the prophets transfer this idea to the ,christian ,covenant2 and1 by keeping the ,sabbath1 they express the observance of that future covenant1 to which mankind should be admitted under the ministry of ,jesus4 ,but1 perhaps1 the ,jews only were to be admitted to this new covenant of salvation4 ,the prophet expressly asserts the contrary3 for not only the ,jews of the captivity 7to whom we are to suppose the course of the prophecy to be immediately directed7 are concerned in this salvation1 but ,,the ,,sons ,,of ,,the ,,stranger1 that is1 the ,gentiles 7whom the ,jews always considered under the idea of ,strangers1 just as the ,greeks did the rest of the world1 under that of ,barbarians7--,even them 7says the ,prophet1 speaking in the person of ,god7 will ,i bring to my holy mountain1 ver4 #g1 and make them joyful in my house of prayer3 their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted on my altar4 ,the language is still ,jewish1 according to the prophetic style1 which describes the ,christian dispensation under ,jewish ideas3 but by holy mountain is meant the ,church of ,christ2 and by ,sacrifices1 the spiritual services of that new conomy4 ,and1 to make this purpose of his prophecy the clearer1 he even departs1 in one instance1 from his legal manner of expression1 in saying1 ,i will make them joyful in my ,,house ,,of ,,prayer2 which is a spiritual and ,christian idea2 the ,jewish temple being properly a house of sacrifice1 and not of prayer2 for which last service there is no express precept in the law4 ,and then follows the prophecy1 quoted by ,jesus1 as explanatory of what he was then doing--for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people4 ,the prophet1 as solicitous to be understood1 repeats and marks out this distinction3 ,i spoke of it1 says he1 as my house of prayer1 ,for my house shall in those latter days be called that is1 shall be a house of prayer1 and that too1 for all people2 that is1 not for the ,jews only1 but for all the ,gentiles4 ,and1 as if all this were not still clear enough1 he adds--,the ,lord ,god1 which gathereth the outcasts of ,israel1 the ,jews dispersed in the captivity1 saith1 ,yet ,i will gather ,,others to him1 besides those that are gathered him1 ver4 #h4 that is1 the ,gentiles4 ,this famous text1 then1 is clearly a prediction of the call of the ,gentiles into the ,church of ,christ1 a prediction of that great event which should take place under the new dispensation1 when the ,jewish enclosure was to be laid open1 and all men indifferently1 the ,gentiles1 as well as the ,jews1 were to be admitted into the ,christian covenant4 ,it is true1 our ,english version of this text1 quoted by our ,lord1 very much obscures1 or rather perverts1 its sense4 ,it stands thus in the ,gospel of ,st4 ,mark--,my house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer1 xi4 #ag4 ,whence it appears1 that our translators considered this text1 as describing only the destination of the ,jewish temple1 and not as predicting the genius of the ,christian religion4 ,but the scope of the prophecy1 as above explained1 and the ,greek text itself1 clearly shews that it ought to have been rendered thus--,my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the ,gentiles3 1 4 ,thus much being premised1 both of the prophetic manner of teaching by signs1 and of the true meaning of this prophecy1 let us see now what light these considerations afford to our present subject4 ,jesus enters into that court of the temple1 which was called the court of the ,gentiles2 who had leave to worship the ,god of ,israel there1 but were permitted to advance no further4 ,this court1 he finds polluted by the sale of beasts1 and the traffic of merchants2 the ,jews1 in their sovereign contempt of these poor heathen1 not only excluding them from their own place of worship1 but debasing them still farther by the allowance of this sordid society to mix with them4 ,what is the conduct of our ,lord1 on this occasion6 ,why1 agreeably to his prophetic character1 he declares himself sent to break through all these exclusive privileges and distinctions2 to accomplish that great mystery1 which the old prophets had so much and so triumphantly spoken of1 as reserved to be revealed by him2 and to admit the ,heathen to an equal participation of the blessings1 which the ,gospel-covenant was to dispense1 with the ,jewish people4 ,but1 in what manner does he declare this purpose8 ,why1 he makes a scourge of small cords1 and1 by the representative action of driving this prophane company out of the temple1 shews that he is come to break down that partition-wall1 which separated the ,gentile and the ,jewish worshippers1 to vindicate the despised ,heathen from the insults offered to them1 and to lay open the means of salvation to all people4 ,he began to cast out them that sold therein and them that bought1 saying to them1 ,it is written1 ,my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the ,gentiles4 ,the action1 we see1 is used as expressive of his design2 and his design is clearly ascertained1 by applying to himself the express words of ,isaiah4 ,the whole is1 then1 a prophetic information1 by way of action1 of the genius of ,christianity1 which was to extend its benefits even to the ,gentiles4 ,i have before acknowledged1 that a secondary purpose of this transaction might be1 to give the ,jews to understand1 how culpable they had been in permitting even a lawful traffic to be carried on in any part of their temple4 ,for it was usual with ,jesus to accomplish several ends by the same act1 and even to lay the greatest apparent stress on that end1 which was not first in his intention3 of which some examples may hereafter be given4 ,but the primary design of this act 7and but for the sake of which it would not have been undertaken7 ,i suppose1 was1 to point out the diffusive nature and influence of his spiritual kingdom4 ,it may be said1 perhaps1 that1 if such was the intention of ,jesus1 it had been more properly and significantly expressed by a different act1 ,i mean1 by that of bringing the ,heathen into the temple1 rather than of driving the merchants out of it4 ,but we are to reflect1 that1 as the ,heathen were already permitted to come into this part of the temple 7and it would have given1 at this time1 too great a shock to the prejudices of the ,jews1 to have carried them into any other71 that act would have conveyed no new information2 it being on all hands agreed that the devout ,heathen might worship there4 ,the business was1 to shew that their religious privileges were1 hereafter1 to be the same with those of the ,jews2 and that no more contempt was to be countenanced1 towards the one1 than the other4 ,all distinctions were to cease2 and this information was1 therefore1 most fitly conveyed by an act1 which expressed the same regard for the court of the ,gentiles1 as for the court of the ,jews3 that is1 the honour of each is equally asserted1 and no prophanation allowed of either4 ,in further confirmation of the sense1 here given to this transaction1 it may be observed1 that the relation of it is joined1 or rather interwoven with that other of his cursing the barren fig-tree3 which was plainly an emblem1 and so is confessed to be1 of the rejection of the ,jews2 just as that we have been considering is presumed to be1 of the call of the ,gentiles3 these two things being closely connected in the order of ,god's dispensations4 ,whence ,st4 ,paul speaks of the one1 as the consequence of the other2 of the fall of the ,jews1 as the riches of the world2 and of the loss of the ,jews1 as the riches of the ,gentiles#cbc4 ,now1 if we turn to ,st4 ,mark1 we there find#cbd1 that the fig-tree is cursed1 as ,jesus is coming from ,bethany to ,jerusalem--that1 when he came to ,jerusalem1 he went into the temple1 and drove out the money-changers1 c4--and that the next morning1 when he and his disciples were returning the same way1 as they passed by1 they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots#cbe4 ,if then it be allowed1 that ,christ meant1 by the sign of the blasted fig-tree 7the story of which is so remarkably incorporated with that other of purging the temple71 to express and predict the rejection of the ,jews1 how natural is it to suppose that1 in purging the temple1 he meant to express and predict1 by another sign1 the vocation of the ,gentiles6 ,or1 if there be still any doubt in the case1 ,christ's own parable of the ,vineyard 7which follows close in the history#cbf7 will effectually remove it4 ,for the application of this parable is made by ,christ himself to ,,both these subjects#cbg--,what shall the ,lord of the ,vineyard do8--,he shall come and destroy ,,those husbandmen1 and shall give the ,vineyard to ,,others--,that is1 ,he shall ,,reject ,,the ,,jews1 and ,,admit ,,the ,,gentiles3 an interpretation1 so clear and certain that the ,jews themselves could not avoid seeing it2 for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them4 ,but ,i think it appears1 from the conduct of the ruling ,jews1 on occasion of what had passed in the temple1 that it was well understood for what general purpose1 and under what character1 ,jesus had exhibited that extraordinary scene4 ,for they presently come to him1 and say1 ,by what authority doest thou these things1 and who gave thee this authority#cbh8 ,that this question relates to what things he had done in the temple1 when he applied the scourge to the merchants1 the context clearly shews2 and is indeed beyond all doubt1 since we find the same question put to him1 and almost in the same words1 when he had performed this act before1 at the first ,passover3 ,then answered the ,jews1 and said unto him1 ,what sign shewest thou unto us1 seeing thou doest these things#cbi8 ,now1 if the ,jews had seen this transaction in the light of an act of authority or of violence against the persons of the merchants1 it neither agreed with their character1 nor indeed with their principles1 to put this question4 ,the chief priests and elders of the people are the persons who interrogate ,jesus in this manner#ccj3 and would they1 who constantly laid wait for him1 that they might accuse him#cca1 let slip so fair an opportunity of citing him before the magistrate1 as a disturber of the public peace1 and a violater of their civil rights and customs8 ,instead of taking this obvious advantage against him1 they at once drop all the malice of their character1 and only ask him1 in the way of civil and almost friendly expostulation1 ,by what authority he did these things4 ,it is certain1 they never had so specious a pretence1 as this affair administered to them1 of bringing a public accusation against him4 ,yet it seems never once to have entered into their thoughts4 ,nor can it be said1 that they stood in awe of the people 7as they sometimes did1 when they were enough disposed to lay hands on him72 for the people1 in this case1 when so free an attack was made on their privileges1 as well as prejudices1 would naturally be on their side4 ,but neither would their ,principles suffer them to put this question4 ,jesus had1 as they conceived1 committed a flagrant act of injustice1 in assaulting the persons of men1 who were under the protection of the state3 and they call upon him only for a sign1 since he did these things4 ,is it credible that men1 so attached1 as they were1 to their own laws and customs1 should demand1 or accept a sign1 in such a juncture8 ,could all ,paul's miracles justify him1 in their opinion1 for not walking after their customs#ccb8 ,or1 would a sign from heaven1 of how transcendant a nature soever1 have absolved ,jesus in their apprehension1 from a crime1 so palpably proved upon him8 ,they would certainly have said1 as they did say on another occasion1 ,we have a ,law1 which forbids all offences of this sort2 and by that ,law1 he ought to be tried and judged4 ,thus1 ,i think1 the matter stands1 if the ,jews had regarded ,jesus1 in the light of a ,,criminal4 ,on the other hand1 if they saw him only in the light of a ,,prophet1 of one who assumed that character1 and had now1 in the way of his office1 employed this act to convey some important information to them1 their conduct was very natural in demanding some proof of his being what he pretended to be3 and that proof1 could be no other than a sign1 or miracle2 which was the proper evidence of his being a person sent from ,god4 ,this evidence1 indeed1 of his prophetic mission had already been given to the ,jews1 in the signs1 or miracles1 which he had wrought among them4 ,but they wanted more than a general conviction of his being invested with the prophetic character4 ,they were anxious to know by what authority he did ,,these ,,things2 in other words1 what ,commission he had1 and how it came to be in his commission1 to put the ,jews and ,gentiles on a level4 ,a prophet he might be2 but not a prophet1 authorized to declare himself so roundly1 as by this expressive act he had done1 against the peculiar people of ,god1 and in favour of the despised heathen4 ,of his commission to publish such a doctrine1 as this1 it was no ordinary sign that would satisfy them4 ,they pressed him1 therefore1 for some sign1 purposely and expressly wrought for this end2 some sign1 so extraordinary in itself1 and so peculiarly adapted to the nature of the case1 as to furnish an immediate and decisive answer to their demand1 ,who gave thee ,,this authority8 ,this question our blessed ,lord thought fit to elude 7for reasons1 which will1 in part1 appear in the progress of this discourse7 at both the times1 when it was proposed to him3 once1 by referring them to the authority of ,john the ,baptist3 and1 again1 by referring them 7but in nigmatic terms7 to his own resurrection4 ,yet even the ,baptist would have let them into some part of the secret1 which they desired to penetrate2 for1 knowing the master-prejudice of his countrymen1 he addressed them in these remarkable words--,think not to say within yourselves1 ,we have ,abraham for our ,father3 for ,i say unto you1 ,god is able even of ,,these ,,stones#ccc to raise up children unto ,abraham#ccd4 ,and then1 for the miracle of his own resurrection1 that would not only be the fullest proof of his prophetic mission1 but would1 at the same time1 be the completion of what he was now signifying to them1 by this prophetic act3 for the spiritual kingdom of the ,messiah1 into which all the nations were to be admitted1 was to take place from that event4 ,destroy1 says he1 this temple1 meaning1 as we are told1 the temple of his body and in three days ,i will build it up#cce4 ,so that1 although ,jesus refused to gratify his questioners by working instantly before them the sign1 which they demanded3 yet he refers them to such a sign1 which would be wrought in due time1 and to the very purpose of their inquiry2 that is1 it would be a sign1 which should1 both1 demonstrate his prophetic commission to declare1 by this significant act1 the favour which ,god intended to confer on the ,gentiles1 and should1 also1 realize his declaration1 or set before them the thing signified4 ,such is the force of that divine answer--,destroy this temple1 and in three days ,i will build it up4 ,where1 by the way1 we may1 further1 observe1 that the symbolic language1 in which he here predicts his resurrection1 not being at all apprehended by the ,jews1 was afterwards made the foundation of a charge against him1 as if he had entertained the criminal design of destroying the temple of ,jerusalem#ccf4 ,how much more would his enemies have laid hold on this symbolic act1 which he performed in the temple1 in order to found a charge of sedition against him1 if they had not conceived of him as acting in the character of a prophet only1 and so had clearly comprehended1 at least1 the general scope and meaning of that act6 ,that it was taken in this light1 ,i mean1 of a prophetic action1 by the very persons on whom this seeming outrage was committed1 may be reasonably presumed1 since they make no resistance to it1 nor complain of any injury1 done them by it3 a conduct1 very strange and unlikely1 if the parties concerned had received any considerable damage3 or if they conceived that any intended violence had been offered to them4 ,it is plain1 they considered the whole transaction1 as a piece of scenery1 or representation only2 under the cover of which1 ,christ proposed1 in the manner of the ,eastern sages1 and especially of the ,jewish prophets1 to convey some momentous information to them1 and to impress it with much force and energy on their minds4 ,nor can it be concluded from the narration of the ,evangelists1 that any thing more was intended by their master4 ,they relate this adventure1 simply as a matter of fact2 and it could not well be related otherwise1 for the information was given in the fact4 ,they intermix1 indeed1 no explanation2 because they probably saw not1 any more than the generality of the by-standers1 the specific information1 it was meant to convey4 ,they only saw1 in general1 that some information was the end and purpose of the act4 ,the ruling ,jews1 who interrogated ,jesus concerning this act1 ,i have no doubt1 saw or suspected1 at least1 the real drift of it4 ,but1 as ,jesus could not be brought to explain himself by any direct answer1 they were left to their own conclusions about it3 and were content1 we may suppose1 to keep these conclusions to themselves3 the rather1 as the turn1 which our ,lord thought fit to give to this act1 as if it respected only the honour of ,god's house1 put it out of their power to charge that other meaning1 decisively1 upon him4 ,we may further observe1 that the history of this fact is not to be construed with the utmost rigour4 ,some of the evangelists express themselves in such terms1 as1 in the strict sense of them1 imply1 that ,jesus actually drove all the beasts and traffickers out of the temple4 ,but we need only suppose that he applied himself to this action1 as if his purpose had been actually to drive them all out3 and that he continued to employ himself in it in such sort1 and for so long a time1 as that the persons present might take notice of what he did1 and so be able 7,i do not say immediately1 but in due season7 to interpret this sign1 together with ,isaiah's prophecy1 in the manner he intended4 ,i say1 we need only suppose this3 because if no more was done by ,jesus1 the ,evangelists1 in their concise and simple way of narration would naturally express themselves1 as they have done1 their accounts of this fact2 and ,i believe1 if we consider the accounts we have of many other informations by action1 recorded in the old ,scriptures1 we shall find it necessary to understand them with some such restrictions and qualifications4 ,if1 after all1 it be thought1 that some violence was offered to the merchants1 and that some inconvenience was suffered by them1 in consequence of it2 ,i suppose they deserved this punishment for their pollution of the temple2 and ,i admit that the prophetic character of ,jesus authorized him1 in the course of his ministry1 to inflict it2 just as1 without doubt1 it authorized him to destroy the barren fig-tree1 when it served his purpose to discharge a part of his office by making use of that emblem1 though it might be with some loss to the proprietor of it4 ,the case was the same here1 when he drove the traffickers from their station4 ,but there is a wide difference between supposing the violence1 offered to them1 to be the direct and proper purpose of the act1 and the incidental effect of it4 ,and the silence of the merchants themselves1 under this violence1 sufficiently shews1 as ,i observed1 that they felt this difference4 ,but the main difficulty1 perhaps1 is still behind4 ,for1 it will be asked1 ,why was this mysterious method used by our ,saviour at all1 in conveying the supposed momentous information1 when he might have expressed his meaning directly1 in plain words8 #a4 ,one reason1 ,i suppose1 might be1 the inveterate and insurmountable prejudices of the ,jewish converts to this part of the ,messiah's character4 ,for1 though the prophets had given frequent1 and sometimes the most clear1 descriptions of it3 yet1 so possessed were they with the notion of their being1 and of their continuing to be1 even under the dispensation of their ,messiah1 a chosen and peculiar people1 that they never could hear 7no1 not the ,apostles themselves1 till enlightened by the holy ,spirit1 and by a special revelation for that purpose2 they could never hear1 ,i say7 without the utmost indignation1 ,that ,god had opened the door of faith to the ,gentiles#ccg4 ,this indirect information was then in condescension to the weakness of his own disciples and followers4 ,and of this tenderness to their infirmities we have a remarkable instance in the case of the fig-tree1 so often mentioned2 the drift of which was unquestionably to denote the approaching rejection of the ,jews1 for their unfruitfulness under the means of grace1 and their rejection of the ,messiah4 ,but1 the minds of the disciples being too infirm1 at this time1 to bear the open communication of so mortifying a truth1 ,jesus purposely diverts them from the main purpose of that miracle 7though it was wrought1 and the sign given1 for their future information and recollection7 and turns their attention on another and very remote circumstance1 the efficacy of faith to enable them to work this and greater miracles#cch4 ,but it was a general rule with our ,lord to consult the infirmities of his disciples1 and to communicate to them only so much of his purposes and councils1 as they could bear2 leaving the rest to be collected by them1 in due time1 from casual hints and obscure passages1 when they should afterwards call them to mind1 and be in a condition1 under the influence of the holy ,spirit1 to profit by them4 ,thus1 in ,john xvi4 #ab4 ,i have yet many things to say to you1 but ,,ye ,,cannot ,,bear ,,them ,,now3 and then refers them to the spirit of truth1 for further information4 ,connected with this tenderness for his disciples1 #b4 ,a further reason1 without doubt1 was a prudential regard to the general success of his ministry1 with the rest of the ,jews4 ,for that great event1 the call of the ,gentiles1 was not to take place during the life of ,jesus2 who was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of ,israel#cci2 that is1 he was personally to address himself only to ,,them2 the conversion of the ,heathen being to be effected1 after his ascension1 by the ministry of his ,apostles and followers4 ,hence1 had our ,saviour plainly unfolded this secret to the ,jews1 he would certainly have indisposed them for paying any regard to his mission4 ,and yet1 so important a part of his character was not to be wholly concealed4 ,it was therefore signified in this covert way2 and 7being itself a prophecy of something yet to be deferred7 in the mode1 and with the usual obscurity1 of a prophetic information4 ,what ,i have just now observed of the caution with which our ,lord revealed his purpose of calling the ,gentiles1 explains the reason why ,st4 ,john's account of the first transaction in the temple1 differs so much from that which the other ,evangelists give of the second4 ,jesus had just entered on his prophetic office1 when he used the sign of purging the temple1 of which ,st4 ,john speaks3 he therefore leaves the ,jews to their own interpretation of that sign1 saying only1 ,take these things hence2 make not my ,father's house an house of merchandize2 as though a zeal for that house had been his sole inducement to make use of it3 and accordingly the disciples1 as ,i before observed1 so understood him4 ,but1 when he thought fit to employ this significative action a second time1 of which the other ,evangelists only speak1 his ministry was then drawing to a conclusion4 ,so that he is now less scrupulous of giving offence1 and does all but directly interpret the sign himself1 by referring his hearers to the prophecy of ,isaiah1 which was the proper key to it--,he taught them1 saying1 ,is it not written1 ,my house shall be called the house of prayer for all the nations#cdj8 ,still1 there was some obscurity1 which he did not think fit altogether to remove3 but he had said enough to correct their former hasty conclusion4 ,for we are not told by those other ,evangelists1 as we are by ,st4 ,john1 that the disciples considered what they had seen their ,master do1 as a pure act of zeal for the honour of the temple3 the prophecy1 without doubt1 suggested something to their minds1 which led them to apprehend a farther and higher purpose in that transaction4 #c4 ,lastly1 we may suppose1 that the information was given in this symbolic way1 that1 when men saw the event1 they might be the more strongly convinced of its being ,christ's intention it should come to pass1 by calling to mind the sensible and striking manner1 in which it had been predicted by him4 ,for these1 or other reasons1 the method here employed by ,christ to signify his intended favour to the ,gentiles1 might be most proper4 ,in the mean time1 as ,i said1 this intention was not wholly to be concealed3 for then the call of the ,gentiles might be deemed an afterthought1 and not to have been originally in his commission4 ,accordingly1 it is intimated very frequently in our ,lord's discourses to the ,jews1 and opened more clearly on many occasions to his ,apostles2 and was1 in truth1 so much in his view1 and so constantly present to him1 that1 as we now find1 it was one of the first1 and last things he did1 to go into the temple1 and1 by an expressive sign1 to declare his gracious purpose towards the ,heathen4 ,we may1 further1 observe 7so intent was ,the ,divine ,providence on gradually unveiling the glory of this mystery#cda1 as ,st4 ,paul terms it7 that the moment our blessed ,lord expired on the cross1 the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom3 a sign1 to some purpose1 of that great event which ,jesus had foretold1 and which ,god himself held forth to the astonished ,jews1 as the clearest emblem of his purposed favour to the ,gentiles2 when the ,sanctuary itself1 as well as the outermost court of their temple1 was thus laid open to the access1 and vindicated to the use1 of all nations4 ,finally1 in due time1 this purpose was clearly and explicitly made known to ,peter1 in his famous vision3 and thus it pleased ,god to reveal this adorable mystery1 8,the salvation of the ,gentile world10 7which1 though not the immediate1 was the most important end of ,christ's commission7 by every mode of communication1 which he had ever employed in his intercourse with mankind2 by the word of prophecy--by similitudes1 by the hand of ,jesus--by an extraordinary sign from heaven--and by ,vision4 ,after so minute a commentary on this famous act of ,christ's driving the buyers and sellers out of the temple1 may ,i be permitted to conclude1 that it1 now1 stands clear of those difficulties1 which have been usually found it8--,it was no indecent start of zeal in our ,lord3 it was no violent invasion of the rights of any3 it was no act of civil authority1 usurped by him3 but a prophetic information1 conveyed in a prophetic form1 of an event1 the most important to mankind1 and to the accomplishment of his own office and ministry4 ,it was a calm1 rational1 inoffensive act2 not unworthy the person of our blessed ,lord2 or1 rather1 full of that wisdom1 which adorned his character1 and shone out in all his conduct and conversation4 ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,seventh ,,volume4 ,printed by ,j4 ,nichols and ,son1 ,red ,lion ,passage1 ,fleet ,street1 ,london4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,the substance of this ,discourse was delivered in a ,sermon at ,lincoln's-,inn1 ,may #ae1 #agfh4 #b ,annal4 xii4 c4 #ed4 ,hist4 v4 c4 #i4 #c ,antiq4 ,jud4 ,l4 xx4 c4 #e4 #d ,acts xvi4 #cj4 #e ,heb4 iii4 #ac4 #f ,gen4 ii4 #ag4 #g ,ephes4 iii4 #aa4 #h #a ,pet4 i4 #c4 #i ,matth4 xx4 #bh4 #aj #a ,cor4 vi4 #bj4 #aa ,heb4 ix4 #bf4 #ab #a ,john ii4 #b4 #ac #a ,thess4 v4 #aj4 #ad #a ,pet4 ii4 #bd4 #ae #a ,pet4 iii4 #ah4 #af ,heb4 ii4 #i4 #ag ,eph4 v4 #b4 #ah ,rom4 v4 #i4 #ai #a ,pet4 i4 #ah1 #ai4 #a ,cor4 vi4 #bj4 #bj #a ,cor4 xv4 #bb4 #ba ,rev4 xiii4 #h4 #bb #a ,tim4 iv4 #aj4 #bc #a ,cor4 xv4 #da4 #bd ,matth4 xxv4 #df4 #be ,phil4 ii4 #aa4 #bf ,john xv4 #ae4 #bg ,john xv4 #ac4 #bh ,matth4 xxiii4 #h4 #bi ,rev4 v4 #i4 #a ,tim4 ii4 #e4 #cj ,acts x4 #db4 #ca ,john iii4 #ah4 #cb ,john xx4 #bh4 #cc ,john v4 #bc4 #cd ,rom4 vi4 #bb1 #bc4 #ce #b ,tim4 i4 #i4 #cf #a ,cor4 xv4 #bb4 #cg ,gal4 ii4 #ba4 #ch ,heb4 xii4 #ad4 #ci ,heb4 v4 #i4 #dj ,eph4 iv4 #bb4 #da ,tit4 iii4 #e4 #db ,tit4 iii4 #g4 #dc ,eph4 iv4 #bd4 #dd ,john xvi4 #ac4 #de ,john xvi4 #ac4 #df ,thess4 ii4 #ac4 #dg ,acts ix4 #ca4 #dh ,matth4 x4 #bj4 #di ,gal4 iv4 #f4 #ej #b ,cor4 iii4 #ag4 #ea ,eph4 i4 #ad4 #eb ,ps4 lxxxiv4 #g4 #ec ,gen4 vi4 #c4 ,rom4 viii4 #af4 #ed ,phil4 ii4 #ac4 #ee #a ,cor4 ii4 #ad4 #ef ,athanasian creed4 #eg ,so the word means in this place2 as it likewise does in ,acts ii4 #bc4 where the sense of it is clearly explained and defined by the words1 1 which introduce it4 ,the participle has the same sense in #a ,pet4 i4 #bj4 #eh ,ch4 v4 #a4 v4 #ah4 ,and vi4 #af1 #ah4 #ei ,heb4 v4 #i4 #fj ,see ,sermon ,,xxvi4 in the preceding volume1 p4 #cgh4 #fa #b ,cor4 vi4 #af4 #a ,cor4 iii4 #af4 #fb 4 ,rom4 v4 #e4 #fc ,for which reason it is not necessary for me to enter into the controversy1 that divides the critics1 concerning the authentic reading of this part of the text4 #fd #b ,pet4 i4 #ba4 #fe ,matth4 i4 #ah4 #ff ,matth4 iii4 #af4 #fg ,matth4 iv4 i4 #fh ,matth4 xii4 #bh4 #fi ,rom4 i4 #d4 #a ,pet4 iii4 #ah4 #gj ,acts ii4 #d4 #ga #a ,cor4 xii4 #aa4 #gb #a ,cor4 vi4 #aa4 ,john xv4 #bf4 #gc ,heb4 xii4 #bb4 #gd #a ,pet4 i4 #aj1 #aa1 #ab4 #ge ,heb4 i4 #f4 #gf ,luke ii4 #ac4 #gg ,matth4 iv4 #aa4 #gh ,luke xxii4 #dc4 #gi ,matth4 xxviii1 #c4 ,luke xxiv4 #d4 4 #hj ,acts i4 #aj4 #ha ,heb4 i4 #c4 #hb ,milton4 #hc ,rom4 xvi4 #be4 #hd #a ,tim4 iv4 #aj4 #he ,acts xi4 #ah4 4 #hf ,acts v4 #ad4 #hg ,luke xvi4 #af4 #hh ,matth4 xi4 #ab4 #hi ,ps4 xix4 #d4 ,matth4 xxiv4 #ad4 #ij ,acts xix4 #bj4 #ia ,acts ii4 #bd4 #ib #a ,cor4 xv4 #bh4 #ic #a ,tim4 iv4 #f4 1 4 #id 8,what this or that philosopher delivered1 was but a saying of his4 ,mankind might hearken to it1 or reject it1 as they pleased2 or1 as it suited their interest1 passions1 principles1 or humours4 ,they were under no obligation2 the opinion of this1 or that philosopher1 was of no authority40 ,,locke1 ,v4 ,,ii4 p4 #egh4 fol4 ,lond4 #agei4 #ie ,the ,stoics4 -- 4 ,see ,casaub4 ad ,sat4 #aa4 ,persii4 #if ,plato4 ,alcib4 #aa4 #ig ,the ,epicureans of old and modern times4 #ih --incoctum generoso pectus honesto4 ,,persius4 #ii ,luke xvii4 #d4 #ajj ,see this argument urged by ,mr4 ,locke1 ,v4 ,,ii4 p4 #egd4 fol4 ,lond4 #agei4 #aja ,john iii4 #ai4 #ajb ,ibid4 #bj1 #ba4 #ajc ,john iii4 #ah4 #ajd ,ferte fortiter3 hoc est1 quo ,deum antecedatis3 ,ille extra patientiam malorum est1 vos supra patientiam4 ,sen4 de ,prov4 c4 vi4 #aje ,cic4 ,nat4 ,deor4 iii4 #cf4 #ajf ,lord ,shaftesbury1 and others4 #ajg ,acts xvii4 #ca4 #ajh ,heb4 ii4 #c4 #aji ,mark xvi4 #bj4 #aaj ,job xxii4 #b4 #aaa ,hence the name of ,theophrastus1 or the divine speaker1 given to the favourite scholar and successor of ,aristotle2 ,and hence the stories told of ,plato1 whose eloquence ,quintilian so much admired1 that he thought it more than human--,ut mihi1 non hominis ingenio1 sed quodam ,delphico videatur oraculo instinctus4 ,quintil4 l4 x4 c4 #a4--;,hence too1 the name of ,chrysostom1 given to the famous ,greek ,father4 #aab ,heb4 i4 #b4 #aac ,phil4 ii4 #g4 #aad ,john v4 #bf4 #aae #a ,cor4 i4 #cj4 #aaf ,mark i4 #bb4 #aag ,john iii4 #aa4 #aah ,john xii4 #ej4 #aai ,john vi4 #dj4 #abj ,rev4 ii4 #aj4 #aba ,john v4 #bf4 #abb ,john viii4 #bh4 #abc ,john xvi4 #ae4 #abd ,john x4 #cj4 #abe ,non imitabile fulmen4 ,virg4 #abf ,luke ii4 #dg4 #abg ,luke xx4 #bf4 #abh ,luke xx4 #dj4 #abi ,see ,,locke',s ,works1 vol4 ,,ii4 fol4 p4 #ede-g4 ,lond4 #agei4 #acj ,,locke',s ,works1 vol4 ,,ii4 fol4 p4 #edc4 ,lond4 #agei4 #aca ,every one may observe a good many truths1 which he receives at first from others1 and readily assents to1 as consonant to ,reason1 which he would have found it hard1 and perhaps beyond his strength1 to have discovered himself4 ,native and original truth is not so easily wrought out of the mine1 as we1 who have it delivered1 ready dug and fashioned into our hands1 are apt to imagine4 ,and how often1 c4 ,,locke',s ,works1 ,vol4 ,,ii4 fol4 p4 #egg and #egi4 ,lond4 #agei4 #acb ,luke v4 #bb4 vi4 #h4 xi4 #ag4 #acc ,luke vi4 #aa4 #acd ,luke ix4 #dg4 #ace ,luke xxii4 #fa4 #acf ,matthew xxvii4 xiv4 and xxiv4 #acg ,john xviii4 #d-f4 #ach ,luke vii4 #dj4 ix4 #dg4 #aci ,prov4 xxi4 #a4 #adj ,luke xi4 #bg1 #bh4 #ada ,see ,john ix4 #ci4 #adb ,matth4 x4 #bf1 #bg4 #adc ,see ,d4 ,l4 ,vol4 ,v4 p4 #cci1 c4 ,lond4 #agfe4 #add ,d4 ,l4 ,vol4 ,v4 p4 #cda4 n4 #ade ,see more on this subject in ,dr4 ,warburton's ,sermons1 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #cbe4 #adf ,luke xxiv4 #de4 #adg ,luke xxiv4 #bg4 #adh ,john xvi4 #ab4 ,mark iv4 #cc1 #cd4 #adi ,john xi4 #dg4 #aej ,luke iv4 #dc4 #aea ,luke iv4 #bi4 #aeb ,matt4 x4 #bc4 #aec ,mark vi4 #e4 #aed ,matth4 vii4 #f4 #aee ,matth4 xxvi4 #ef4 #aef ,st4 ,paul4 #a ,cor4 xv4 #i4 #aeg ,st4 ,peter4 ,mark xiv4 #ga4 #aeh ,luke xxii4 #ea4 #aei ,luke ix4 #ed4 #afj ,luke ix4 #df4 #afa ,see the ,essais of ,montaigne4 #afb ,penses de ,m4 ,pascal1 c4 xvi4 #c4 #afc ,acts xxii4 #ae4 and xxvi4 #bb4 #afd ,matthew v4 #c4 #afe ,compare1 ,luke vii4 #ba1 #bb4 #aff ,matthew xv4 #f4 #afg ,matt4 xi4 #be4 #afh ,luke xviii4 #i4 #afi 1 the mob4 ,john vii4 #di4 #agj ,eph4 ii4 #ab4 #aga ,matth4 xxii4 #ae4 #agb ,matth4 xii4 #cg4 #agc ,luke xix4 #dh4 #agd ,john vii4 #df4 #age ,matth4 vii4 #bh4 #agf ,matth4 xii4 #bc4 #agg ,matth4 ix4 #cc4 #agh ,matth4 ix4 #h4 #agi ,st4 ,james ii4 #f1 #g4 #ahj #a ,cor4 i4 #bf4 #aha --vexati4 #ahb --projecti4 #ahc ,matth4 ix4 #cf4 #ahd ,matth4 xi4 #bh1 #bi4 #ahe #a ,cor4 i4 #bg-i4 #ahf ,isaiah lix4 #h4 #ahg ----,john viii4 #dd4 #ahh ,matth4 v4 #aa1 #ab4 #ahi ,john xiii4 #a4 #aij ,matth4 x4 #cb1 #c4 and #ch1 #i4 ,luke xiv4 #bf4 #a ,john iii4 #af4 #aia ,john xvi4 #b1 #cc4 #aib ,matth4 vii4 #ab4 #aic ,luke xix4 #da4 ,john xi4 #ce4 #aid --,col4 i4 #bg4 #aie 4 #aif ,rom4 i4 #ba4 #aig ,tim4 ii4 #ad and #af4 #aih ,coloss4 ii4 #ah4 #aii #b ,tim4 ii4 #ah4 #bjj ,rom4 xv4 #ac4 #bja ,divine prescience1 absolute decrees1 c4 #bjb ,bacon1 ,boyle1 ,locke1 ,newton4 #bjc ,barrow1 ,clarke1 ,butler1 ,warburton1 c4 #bjd 8,it hath been the common disease of ,christians from the beginning1 not to content themselves with that measure of faith1 which ,god and the ,scriptures have expressly afforded us3 but out of a vain desire to know more than is revealed1 they have attempted to discuss things1 of which we can have no light1 neither from reason nor revelation40 ,j4 ,,hales ,works1 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #abe4 ,glasg4 #agfe4 #bje ,matth4 xiii4 #eg4 #bjf ,john i4 #df4 #bjg ,john vii4 #eb4 #bjh ,acts iv4 #ac4 ,see ,whitby on the place4 #bji ,john vii4 #dh4 #baj ,matth4 ix4 #aa4 #baa ,matth4 xv4 #b4 #bab ,luke xxiv4 #ba4 #bac ,acts ,,xix4 #bad ,acts xvii4 #bae ,celsus1 ,porphyry1 ,julian4 #baf ,in his famous book1 ,de ,civitate ,dei4 #bag ,acts vi4 #h4 #bah ,john xii4 #ca4 #bai ,ephes4 ii4 #b4 #bbj #b ,cor4 iv4 #d4 #bba ,james ii4 #ai4 #bbb ,gen4 iii4 #ad1 #ae4 #bbc ,matth4 xxv4 #da4 #bbd ,eph4 ii4 #b4 #bbe ,james iv4 #g4 #bbf ,matth4 xvii4 #ba4 #bbg #a ,pet4 v4 #i4 #bbh ,john xii4 #ca4 #bbi ,luke x4 #ah4 #bcj ,job i4 #ab4 #bca ,matth4 viii4 #ba4 #bcb ,luke ix4 #a4 and x4 #ag4 #bcc ,luke x4 #ah4 #bcd ,john xiii4 #b4 #bce ,matth4 vi4 #ac4 #bcf #a ,john iv4 #d4 #bcg #a ,cor4 x4 #ac4 #bch ,heb4 ii4 #ad4 #bci ,st4 ,john iii4 #h4 #bdj ,rom4 viii4 #bf4 #bda ,eph4 xiv4 #af4 #bdb ,eph4 xi4 #b4 #bdc #a ,peter v4 #h4 #bdd ,eph4 vi4 #af4 #bde ,eccles4 i4 #ag4 and vii4 #be4 #bdf ,,signa1 ,,tabulas ,,pictas1 ,,vasa ,c,,lata ,,mirari--reckoned1 by the philosophical historian1 among the prognosticks of falling ,rome4 #bdg ,homo1 res sacra4 ,seneca4 #bdh ,neque enim ita generati natur sumus1 ut ad ludum et jocum facti esse videamur2 sed ad severitatem potis1 et ad qudam studia graviora atque majora4 ,cic4 ,off4 ,l4 i4 #bi4 #bdi ,fastidio illis esse cpit vita1 et ipse mundus2 et subit illud rabidarum deliciarum1 ,,quousque ,,eadem8 ,seneca1 de tranq4 anim4 c4 xi4 #bej ,,sapiens1 ,,sibique ,,imperiosus--are convertible terms in the moral poet4 #bea ,val4 ,max4 ,,iv4 #c4 #beb #a ,cor4 ix4 #be4 #bec ,ludo--uti quidem licet2 sed1 sicut somno et quietibus cteris1 tm cm gravibus seriisque rebus satisfecerimus4 ,cic4 ,off4 ,l4 i4 #bi4 #bed ,exod4 xxi4 #bd4 #bee ,john xviii4 #bb1 #bc4 #bef 4 #beg 4 ,see ,grotius on the place4 #beh ,luke xii4 #eg4 #bei ,acts xvi4 #cg4 xxv4 #aa4 #bfj ,matth1 v4 #aa4 x4 #bc4 xxvi4 #eb4 ,from the two last passages we learn1 that the ,jewish persecutors of ,christ and his disciples were reserved for a special vengeance of ,heaven2 to be inflicted upon them in no long time1 and here predicted1 as it seems1 to let the disciples know why1 in this case1 resistance was forbidden1 ,god having taken the matter into his own hands4 #bfa ,the accomplishment of prophecy is given by ,jesus himself as one reason1 why he forbad resistance to the ,jews--how then shall the ,scriptures be fulfilled1 that thus it must be1 i4 e4 that the violence of the ,jews should prevail8 ,matth4 xxvi4 #ed4 #bfb ,prov4 xiii4 #aj4 #bfc ,ch4 viii4 #ch4 #bfd ,mark xvi4 #af4 #bfe ,st4 ,john xii4 #dh4 #bff ,john iv4 #ag4 #bfg ,john iii4 #bj4 #bfh ,john xi4 #dg4 ,acts iv4 #af4 #bfi ,mark vi4 #c4 #bgj ,john vii4 #da4 i4 #df4 #bga ,john vii4 #dh4 #bgb ,john xii4 #db4 #bgc ,john xii4 #dc4 #bgd #a ,cor4 i4 #bc4 #bge ,luke viii4 #ac4 #bgf ,mark x4 #ag1 #bc4 #bgg ,jer4 xvii4 #i4 #bgh ,public ,baptism1 disused4 #bgi ,the ,lord's ,supper1 neglected4 #bhj ,family ,prayer1 omitted4 #bha #b ,tim4 i4 #h4 #bhb #a ,john ii4 #bh4 #bhc ,see ,bp4 ,warburton's ,,doctrine ,,of ,,grace1 ,ch4 ix4 #bhd #a ,john iv4 #b4 #bhe #b ,tim4 ii4 #ah4 #bhf #a ,peter ii4 #bc4 #bhg ,gen4 xvii4 #e4 #bhh ,gen4 xxxii4 #bh4 #bhi 1 or death see ,grotius in loc4 is here personized3 and1 the gates of cities1 being anciently the places of counsel and judgment1 as well as their chief defence and strength1 hence the gates of death are the power and policy1 which this person should employ to accomplish his ends3 which is1 in other words1 to say1 that those ends1 or destruction1 should by no means be effected4 #bij ,acts ii4 #ad4 #bia ,acts x4 and xv4 #g4 #bib ,an ancient apologist for ,christianity seems to think1 that1 if a sect of philosophy had been persecuted1 as ,christianity was1 it would presently have vanished out of the world4 ,his words are-- 1 ,clemens ,alexandr4 ,strom4 ,l4 vi4 p4 #hbg4 ,oxon4 #agae4 ,perhaps1 the learned father was mistaken4 ,but a religion1 founded on facts1 not on opinions1 and persecuted from the beginning1 could not have supported itself1 if those facts had been false4 ,this is the case of ,christianity4 ,the subsequent persecutions1 when the truth of ,christianity was admitted on the credit of the first martyrs1 might tend to advance this religion1 even though it had been originally an imposture4 ,the difference of the two cases is palpable4 ,the ,apostles shewed1 by their sufferings1 that they knew what they attested to be a true fact3 ,succeeding sufferers shewed1 that they believed it to be so4 #bic #a ,peter i4 #aa4 #bid ,of ,persecution4 ,john xvi4 #b4 ,of ,heresies4 ,acts xx4 #cj4 #a ,cor4 x4 #ai4 ,of ,mahomet's impiety1 ix4 #a-ab4 ,see ,mede4 ,of the great ,apostasy4 #b ,thess4 ii4 c4 ,of these1 and other woes still to come4 ,the ,revelation1 passim4 #bie #a ,peter i4 #be4 #bif ,matth4 vii4 #bd1 #be4 #big ,acts xxvi4 #bf4 #bih ' 1 1 1 4 1 4 ,tom4 ,,ii4 p4 #eci4 ,ed4 ,bened4 #bii 8,the ,christian religion10 says the finest of our ,english writers1 whom ,i need not therefore stay to name1 8made its way through paganism with an amazing progress and activity4 ,its victories were the victories of reason1 unassisted by the force of human power1 and as gentle as the triumphs of light over darkness40 #cjj ,this effect of inquiry upon the ,gentile religions was foreseen by men of sense--,non sunt ista the traditionary tales of the heathen ,gods vulgo disputanda1 ne susceptas public religiones disputatio talis extinguat4 ,cic4 ,frag4 ,olivet4 ,t4 ,,iii4 p4 #ehf4 #cja ,the substance of this ,discourse was delivered in a ,sermon at ,lincoln's-,inn1 ,may #ae1 #agfh4 #cjb ,luke xii4 #ad4 #cjc ,l4 iv4 c4 #e4 #cjd ,and to the same purpose1 our excellent ,archbishop ,tillotson--8,his ,christ's whipping of the buyers and sellers out of the temple1 the only action of his life in which there appears any transport of anger1 was no other than a ,,becoming ,,zeal for the honour of ,god's house1 which he saw so notoriously prophaned2 which zeal was ,,warranted1 after the example of ,phinehas1 by the extraordinary occasion of it40 ,works1 vol4 iii4 #acf4 p4 #bbb4 #cje ,numbers1 ch4 xxv4 #cjf ,,josephus1 ,de ,bello ,judaico1 l4 iv4 c4 #ab4 #cjg ,cert1 quamquam ,servator humani generis et ,deus et ,rex erat1 adeoque ita universi1 nedum ,judorum1 dominus1 ut quicquid ei placeret illud non licitum fuisse nefas sit putare2 attamen1 cum cteras res omnes etiam et seipsum receptis atque stabilitis reipublic formulis judiciariis1 qua ,ebraic e essent1 qua ,roman1 permiserit1 atque absolutissimum justiti exemplar ab omni vi illicit1 veluti privatus1 abstinere voluerit2 quin et tanta ei imminuerit invidia1 ut nihil magis incidentium in votis esset1 quam ut cujuscunque delicti reum eum peragere potuissent2 haud rationi sane ita consonum videtur existimare ejectionem illam factam seu vim illatam ab eo fuisse sine agnit1 etiam ab ipsis qui tam malign ei invidebant1 lege seu more1 quo in id genus homines templi sanctitatem ita polluentes incurrere licuerit1 atque vi ejicere4 ,l4 iv4 c4 #e4 p4 #dfd4 #cjh ,mr4 ,smith's ,discourses1 ,disc4 vi4 ch4 vi4 ,bishop ,chandler1 ,def4 of ,christianity1 ch4 iii4 #a4 and1 very lately1 the ,bishop of ,gloucester1 ,div4 ,leg4 b4 iv4 #d4 #cji #a ,kings xxii4 #aa4 #caj ,jeremiah xix4 #caa ,hosea xii4 #aj4 #cab ,matth4 iii4 #d4 #cac ,mark xi4 #g4 #cad ,matth4 x4 #ad4 #cae ,luke v4 #f4 #caf ,mark xi4 #ad #cag ,matthew viii4 #cb4 #cah ,matthew xxvii4 #bd4 #cai ,isaiah xlii4 #a1 #f4 #cbj ,ibid4 ver4 #g4 #cba ,isaiah lx4 #aj4 #cbb ,chap4 xliii4 #h4 #cbc ,rom4 xi4 #ab4 #cbd ,mark xi4 #ad4 #cbe ,mark xi4 #ae-bj4 #cbf ,mark xii4 ,luke xx4 ,matth4 xxi4 #cbg ,luke xx4 #af-ai4 #cbh ,matthew xxi4 #bc4 #cbi ,john ii4 #ah4 #ccj ,matthew xxi4 #bc4 #cca ,luke xi4 #ed4 #ccb ,acts xxi4 #ba4 #ccc ,by these stones1 the ancient interpreters universally understood the ,gentiles4 ,see ,whitby in loc4 #ccd ,matt4 iii4 #i4 #cce ,st4 ,john1 ch4 ii4 #ai4 #ccf ,matthew xxvi4 #fa4 #ccg ,acts xiv4 #bg4 #cch ,mark xi4 #ba1 #bd4 #cci ,matthew xv4 #bd4 #cdj ,mark xi4 #ag4 #cda #a ,coloss4 i4 #bg4 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,inconsistent spelling and hyphenation are as in the original4 ,greek words beginning with have had the character replaced with 4