He was fent into this

he came from God. world with a view to plant the principles of virtue, and religious wifdom in the hearts of men; and to raise them from the fenfible and temporary enjoyments of this life, to the purfuit of thofe enjoyments which are of a spiritual, religious and immortal nature. But the principal obftruction which Jefus had to encounter in the execution of this design, was that strong attachment to the interests and diftinctions of this world, which is deeply rooted in the heart of man. It behoved him therefore when he came into this world, to fet the. infignificance of all its interefts and enjoyments in a proper light. This he did in a ftrong and ftriking manner by the doctrines which he taught; and ftill more strongly by the deftitute and low ftate of life in which he chose to make his progrefs through this world. Jefus hereby taught his friends of how fmall account the enjoyments and distinctions of this world were in his esteem; and from his own example fhewed them, That the life of 6 man confifteth not in the abundance of the things which he poffeffeth.' To this it may be added, that the distinctions of this world are of too little importance in the fight of God to be chofen by him as the proper marks of his regard, or the means by which he would atteft the honour of his Son. The worthleffeft

of men have oftentimes the greatest share of them, and the worthieft of men have them leaft in their efteem. God, we may believe, fees nothing great or excellent among mankind, if it is not the immortal virtues and improvements of the foul, and the immortal and immutable diftinctions which proceed from these.

But although Jefus Chrift poffeffed none of the external honours and advantages of human life, he was nevertheless remarkably honoured and distinguished by his Father in a different way; and we meet with fuch extraordinary expreffions of regard from the providence of God, in the hiftory of his life, as must give us a very high idea of the dignity and merit of his character. These I proceed to mention.

On this part of the fubject it may be of ufe to divide the history of Jesus into the following periods.

ift, The period of his infancy and child, hood, when he made his firft appearance in this world.

2d, The period of his public miniftry.

3d, The period of his last fufferings and death. And,

4th, That period which fucceeded to his death till he finally departed from this world.

ift, Let us take a view of the infancy and childhood of the Lord Jefus Chrift, and ob

ferve by what extraordinary appearances he was then diftinguished by divine Providence, and declared to be the Son of God. A patient and candid reader will not be furprised, if the manner in which he was conceived and brought into the world is mentioned in the firft place ;* and the rather that this extraordinary circumftance is fo well connected with the fequel of the history, and so admirably fuited to the dignity of him who was declared to be the Son of God. In the beginning he had been ' with God;' and when he came into this world, he was to be distinguished from the whole human race, by being Holy, undefil'ed, and feparate from finners.' There could not therefore be a more proper introduction to the life of fuch an extraordinary man, nor could any circumftance either more strongly indicate the honour which in the beginning he had with God, or prefage his future innocence and purity, than this extraordinary event; and it may deserve our particular obfervation, that if it did not happen as recorded by the writers of the gospel, it is impoffible to conceive how they came to think of it, or to devise a circumstance so admirably fuited to the dignity of the person whose history they

• Luke i. 26.

have wrote. If it was only a contrivance of their own, to dignify the fubject of their story, they must have had a degree of ingenuity and art, of which no reasonable man can believe they were poffeffed.

After Jefus had been brought into the world in this manner, his first appearance upon earth was diftinguished by some fingular interpofitions from the providence of God. * An unusual star was feen by fome eastern Magi, by which they understood that the king of the Jews, who was expected about' that time by the whole Jewish nation, agreeably to the prophecies preferved in their facred records, was born in Judea; and by this marvellous appearance in the heavens, they were conducted to the place of his nativity.

+ Much about the fame time, fome fimple fhepherds waiting on their flocks in the adjacent fields, were astonished at the appearance of an extraordinary light which shone from heaven, and of one of the glorious minifters of God, who informed them that the Saviour of the world was then born at Bethlehem; directed them where and how they fhould discover him, and foretold that this event fhould be the fource of joy to all the na

* Mat. ü. I. + Luke ii. 8.

tions of the world: after which they heard a multitude of the heavenly hoft praifing God on account of this event.

To thefe marvellous events, are to be joined the defcription of his character and office, which was given by the angel to the Virgin Mary+, the prophecy of Zacharias concerning Jefus, the anthems that were fung by Mary and Elizabeth on the promise of the angel §, the revelation that was made to Anna and Simon in the temple, and the transport with which that holy man received the infant Saviour into his arms, and discoursed of him to those who were worshipping in the temple.**

By these events the nativity of Jesus Christ, and the first appearance which he made among mankind, were distinguished with peculiar marks of honour from the providence of God. In other refpects the circumstances of his birth were but mean, and fuch as tended rather to create contempt. His parents were obfcure and indigent; they were not able to procure for their infant child any better accommodation than is given to the cattle of the field; and were, foon after he was born, obliged to fly with him into a foreign country in order to preferve his life. But a

+ Luke i. 32. ** Luke ii. 25.

Luke i. 67.

$ Luke i. 39.