.6 The compaffionate concern which he expreffed for the fafety of his friends, when he put himself into the hands of those who came to apprehend him, I have told you that I am he whom ye feek, if therefore ye feek me, 'let these go their way.'-+ The calm fubmiffive filence which he kept when they spitted on him, and reviled him, and witneffed many falfe and malicious blafphemies against him. -The mild reply which he made to the perfon who ftruck him on the face in the prefence of the council, If I have spoken evil, bear witnefs of the evil; but if well, why fmiteft thou me ?'-The generous distress, which, in the midft of his own bitter fufferings, he expreft for the approaching calamities of his country §, Weep not for me, but 'for yourselves, and for your children. For behold, the days are coming, in the which they fhall fay, Bleffed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare.'-His unexampled goodness and forgivenefs, when he prayed unto his Father, in the midst of his expiring agonies, for thofe who were putting him to death**, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'-Laftly, the devout and holy manner in which he bowed 6 Mat. xxvi. 63. xxvii. 13. John xviii. 8. xviii. 23. #John his head, and yielded up the Ghoft.-Looking backward on all that he had done, and perceiving that the wife and great designs of Providence were now fully accomplished by his fufferings, he therefore chearfully refigned his life into the hands of God, saying, * ‘It ' is finished.'-Looking forward from this prefent, to the future and eternal world, he breathed out his laft, in the exercife of holy confidence in God, and with joy committed his departing spirit into his hands. Father into thy hands I commit my fpirit.' In this manner did the Lord Jefus Chrift leave this world, and return unto his Father. His death was in all refpects equal to his life. In both it appears how much his mind was raised above this world; and that neither its allurements nor afflictions, nor its friendship' or malice, could give the smallest interruption to the progrefs of his goodness. Superior to these, in every instance of his conduct, hé proceeded to the last moment of his life, with invariable conftancy, to execute the work which his heavenly Father had given him to do. Examples of heroic magnanimity are always affecting. When we fee the worthy man involved in deep affliction and calamity, yet undaunted and ferene, and still preferving the • John xix. 30. † Luke xxiii. 46. enjoyment of himself with composure and tranquillity, his fortitude and strength of mind is regarded with peculiar approbation and complacency.-When to this compofure, in the midft of his calamity, he adds the exercife of every virtuous and kind affection towards men; preferves the fame benignity and goodness to his friends; and gives the fame attention to their happiness, that he did in the moft ferene and eafy periods of his life: we behold fo noble and generous an effort, with high admiration and furprize.—When to this he farther adds the fofteft emotions of humanity and mercy, to the unjust and cruel inftruments of his calamity, expreffing no other affection towards them, but a forrowful compaffion at the thought of their unhappiness, while he neither fhrinks from his own miffortunes, nor fupplicates our tears and fympathy for himself; there is fomething so divinely graceful in this conduct, that it raifes our aftonishment, and feems to rife above the higheft effort of humanity! That Jefus fuffered, and left the world in this manner, will ap pear to every one who gives attention to the hiftory of his fufferings and death. SECTION IV. General reflections on the history and life of Jefus Chrift. HA AVING attempted to delineate the cha racter of Jefus Chrift, from the history of his life, it is natural to pause a little, and reflect on the profpect which it fets before us. The hiftory of Jefus is of a very fingular and extraordinary nature; and the character it exhibits to our view, is as fingular and extraordinary. It prefents us with an example of excellence and goodness, far above the common level of the world; and feems to realize thofe fublime ideas of the perfect man, which were entertained with fo much admiration and delight, by the best philofophers in ancient times. In this light, the character of Jefus Chrift will appear, by reflecting on the great principle by which he was directed; and the invariable influence which this principle preferved in every circumftance of his life, and on every inftance of his conduct. We have seen the ruling principle and motive of his life. It was that fame principle by which we must believe the Almighty was induced to create the human race, and by which, he is directed in the whole of his divine adminiftration. According to our best ideas of his nature, nothing can be deemed of fuch importance in the eye of God, as the eftablifhment of truth and righteoufnefs among the rational fubjects of his kingdom. To this end, as alone adequate to the defigns of infinite goodness and perfection, we must conceive all the other parts of his administration, to be ultimately referred.—To re-establish this important intereft among mankind, when it was unhappily obftructed and impaired, Jefus came into this world: and from thence the whole tenor of his life and manners was derived.-Directed by this principle, the bleffings which he spread among mankind, were not only of the moft excellent, but of the most permanent and diffusive nature; and fuch, as men of every age and nation under heaven, might equally participate. The wif dom which he brought from God, and that religious virtue which he laboured to establish upon earth, were of as much importance to every other age and nation of the world, as to that age and nation of the world in which he lived. He was therefore equally the friend and benefactor of the whole human race. We have alfo feen the invariable influence of this principle on the whole of his deportment. The circumstances and reception which |