fation was Affability itself, and the Law of Kindness dwelt on his Lips. What fretted and chagrined the Disciples, made not the least ruffling Impreffion on their LORD. The rude and trouble fome Behaviour of Some, the weak and impertinent Talk of Others, ferved only to display the unalterable Mildness of his Temper.

Nothing could imbitter his Spirit. Even the Wicked and Unthankful were Partakers, ample Partakers of his Benevolence. Who ever applied to Him in vain? When did He dismiss any needy Petitioner, without the defired Bleffing? What heavy Burden did He not unloose? What afflictive Evil did He not remove? He even took their Infirmities, and bare their Sicknesses *. In all their Afflictions He was afflicted. His tender fympathizing Heart felt, as it were, the Miseries of Others; and was as ready to fuccour them, as if the Complaints and Sorrows had been his own.

feeking the

He not only relieved, when his Aid was im plored, but prevented the Expectations of the Dif treffed. He went about doing Good +; Afflicted, and offering his Affiftance. Fatigue, He traveled to remote Cities;

With great

+ Acts x. 38.

with no

lefs

* Matt. viii. 17. JESUS, being weary with his Journey, exabelo elas. John iv. 6.-las is thus explained by a Greek Commen tator, añλws, xxi ws eluxe. Our LORD fat down, without Ceremony and without Complaint, even on the rough unfurnished Place: contented to use it, juft as He found it; neither defiring a fofter Seat, nor wishing for any better Accommodation.-I rather think, the Adverb refers to the preceding Adjective ExoTaxw, which fignifies a State of very great Fatigue; weakening a Perfon to fuch a Degree, that He can hardly walk with fteady

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Steps,

lefs Condefcenfion, He vifited the meanest Villages. That All might have the Honour, and All the Benefit, of his healing Prefence and heavenly Inftructions.

He gave Sight, and all the agreeable Scenes of Nature, to the Blind; Health, and all the choice Comforts of Life, to the Difeafed. He expelled malevolent raging Dæmons; and reftored, what is more precious than the Light of the Body, or the Vigour of Conftitution, the calm Poffeffion of the intellectual Faculties.-What greatly furpassed all the preceding Bleffings, He delivered the wretched Soul from the Dominion of Darknefs, and from the Tyranny of Sin. He made his Followers Partakers of a divine Nature, and prepared them for a State of never-ending Blifs.

Such priceless Treasures of Wifdom and Beneficence flowed from his Tongue, and were poured from his Hands !-How different thefe Triumphs of Mercy, from the Trophies erected, by wild Ambition, in the bloody Field! If Heathens celebrated thofe mighty Butchers, who made Cities their Slaughter-house; made half the Globe their Sham

bles;

Steps, or even fit in an upright Attitude. The facred Hiftorian feems to mean, that our LORD fat in fuch a Pofture, as bespoke the Laffitude of his Body; declared the Failure of his Spirits; and herved Him to be almoft fpent, with the Heat of the Day, and the Toil of Traveling Which Circumstance gives a most beautiful Heightning to his Charity and Zeal, fo generously and so fuccefsfully exerted in the following Conference.

Εχαρισαίο το βλεπειν, is the delicate and noble Expreffion of the Evangelift, Luke vii. 21. He made them a PreTent of Sight. Silver and Gold had He none. But these were his Gifts; fuch were his Alms. God-like Beneficence indeed!

bles; and measured their Merit, by the Devaftations they spread; how fhould Chriftians admire this heavenly BENEFACTOR, who rose upon a wretched World, with Healing under his Wings! Who diftributed, far and near, the unfpeakably rich Gifts of Knowledge and Holiness, of temporal Happiness and eternal Joy!

Nor were these righteous Acts his strange Work, but his repeated, his hourly, his almoft inceffant Employ, Sometimes, We hear him preaching in the Temple, or publishing his glad Tidings in the Sy-* nagogues. Sometimes, We fee Him furrounded with liftening Crouds, in a private House; or bringing forth the good Things of his Gospel on the Deck of a Ship. At other Times, He takes a Mountain for his Pulpit; the Heavens are his Sounding-board;" and all that have Ears to hear, are invited to be his Audience." He preached Holiness, fays an in"genious Writer, to Mens Eyes no lefs than their "Ears." Yes; his whole Life was a continual Lecture of the fublimeft Piety, of the most refined Morality, of Virtue truly divine. And which is to Us the crowning Circumftance, all this was not barely for our Imitation, but for our Juftification` alfo *. To be a lovely and inviting Model for the firft;

The Reader, I hope, will conftantly advert to this Remark. Otherwife, He will lofe, even in the Evangelifts themfelves, what is moft evangelical, That our LORD's Life was exemplary; was fublimely perfect; and a Pattern for our Imitation; all this is ftri&tly true. But in all this, there is nothing of genuine Gospel. Here are no Glad-tidings for an impotent and ruined Creature. Only a confummate Copy for a withered Hand to tranfcribe.

Whereas, if We believe, that in all this CHRIST acted as our Surety and Representative: that by all this,

D 3

He

firft; to be a fure and immoveable Ground for the laft.

Does He lay afide his folemn Office? It is only to carry on the fame generous Defign in a more condescending and familiar Manner. If He meets with the Pharifees, He difcovers their Errors, and reproves their Vices; He confutes their Objections, and (in cafe they are not abfolutely inacceffible to wife Counsel) rectifies their Miftakes. If He youchfafes to be present at a Feast, He furnishes the richest, incomparably the richeft Part of the Treat. Honey and Milk are under his Tongue *. He inculcates Lowlinefs of Mind on the vain +; He recommends difinterested Charity to the Selfish ; and promises Pardon to the weeping Penitent .-Is He retired from other Company, and attended only by his own Family? His Converfation is a Sermon. Whether He fit in the inner Chamber, or travel on the public Road, or walk through the Cora-fields, He is ftill profecuting his great Work; training up his Difciples for their facred Function; and revealing to them those Oracles of Heaven, which they may communicate to remote Nations, and transmit to diftant Ages.-Is He retired from all Company?

Even

He wrought a Righteousness, which, in the Judgment and Construction of the Law, is really ours that GOD imputes this Righteoufnefs to Us, and will deal with Us according to its Defert: when We believe this, We fee the Light of the glorious Gofpel, and enter into the unfearchable Riches of CHRIST. This gives an additional Beauty, an exquifite and inexpreffible Charm to all the Actions and Virtues, all the Trials and Sufferings of our bleffed Mafter. He was holy and righteous, not as a private Perfon, not for Himfelf alone, but for Us Sinners, and our Juftification. Amen! Hallelujah! *Cant. iv. 11. † Luke xiv. 8. + Luke xiv. 12. #Luke vii. 48.

Even then He does not discontinue his Labours of Love, but adds the fervent Interceffions of the Night, to the charitable Toils of the Day. When all but Himself, lay funk in soft Repose, this ADVOCATE for a guilty World, was engaged in an Exercise of Benevolence; which, though fecret and unobserved as the falling Dews, was far more beneficial to our best Interests, than those pearly. Drops to the languishing Herbs.

Unparalleled Benignity! He forgot his daily Food, neglected his neceffary Reft, to spend and be fpent for the Salvation of Mankind. Neither the Hardships of continual Self-denial, nor the Calumnies of envenomed Tongues, could divert Him from pursuing this favourite Bufinefs.-He fought none of your Honours, coveted none of your Rewards, O ye Children of Men! What He fought, what He coveted, was, to wear out his Life in your Service, and lay it down for your Ranfom. This was all his Defire, and this indeed He defired earnestly. -He longed (beneficent, bleffed BEING!) He longed for the fatal Hour. He feverely rebuked one of his Difciples, who would have diffuaded Him from going as a Voluntier to the Crofs. He was even ftraitened *, under a Kind of holy Uneafinefs,

Luke xii. 50. The original Word Cuvexual feems to exprefs the Condition of a Perfon, wedged in, on every Side, by a tumultuous Throng of People. His Hands are hampered, and his Body is confined in a moving Prison: He pants for Breath, and is almoft ftifled in the Crowd.-How muft fuch a One long to be difengaged from thefe very uneafy Circumstances! With equal Ardour did our most beneficent LORD defire thofe Sufferings, which were to overwhelm Him with Diftrefs, but exalt Us to Happiness; were to bathe his • D 4

Limbs