reward of his labour? Religions, we know, have been inftituted to ferve the ends of policy, and new kingdoms have sprung out of new doctrines: thus the empire and Alcoran of Mahomet have the fame date. But what room is there for thefe jealoufies with respect to the Chriftian religion? What advantage did Chrift, or his followers, make of the Gofpel? The Mafter lived in poverty, and the difciples in diftrefs: he ended his life upon the crofs, they theirs by fundry kinds of death. Nor was he difappointed in meeting with this usage: he knew before that it was ordained for him; and it was one great part of his business to prepare his disciples to follow his example, by acquainting them long before of the afflictions which both he and they were to endure. Some perhaps will fufpect there was no wisdom in this; and all I think muft own, that. there was no worldly wisdom in it. Had our Lord come in the form of a temporal prince, furrounded with power and majesty, often had we heard before now of his cunning and his policy, and been told, that our religion was more nearly allied to this world than the other. But now the Gofpel ftands clear of all these objections, from which perhaps nothing could have purged it but the blood of its! divine Author,

Secondly, with regard to our Lord's being an ex-› ample of holiness and obedience, fet before us for: our inftruction and imitation. His fufferings render the pattern perfect, and fhew his virtues in their truest luftre, and at the fame time filence the pleas' which lazinefs or felf-love would otherwife have. fuggefted. Had he lived in worldly profperity, and:

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found all things eafy about him, let his virtues have been ever fo confpicuous, his example would have been extended but a little way. Perhaps poor men, and unfortunate, would have upbraided the rich and profperous for not following the copy fet before them; but they would have thought their own hard circumftances a fufficient excufe for not attempting it. But what pretence is there now left for any mortal? Are you more wretched than your Mafter? Are you poor, and therefore difcontented? Look to him, who had not where to lay his head, and yet was eafy, and paid a cheerful obedience to his God. Are you provoked by ill ufage to forget the peaceful duties of charity? Are you hurried to revenge by uncommon injuries? And can you at the fame time think yourself a difciple of the bleffed Jefus, who even upon the cross, and under the bitter agonies of death, prayed for his persecutors; Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do?

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Thirdly, with regard to his divine miffion. His fufferings were an evident token, that the hand of God was with him. He only can produce ftrength out of weakness, and knows how to confound the mighty things of the world by things which are of no account. Power, we know, especially if attended with happy incidents, can produce great things; but a weak poor man is fo eafily oppreffed, that this before us is perhaps the only inftance in which a' whole nation ever rofe to fupprefs one. And what was it that enabled him to withstand the rage of the people, and the malice of the priests, supported by the power of the government? When his life was fought, he was hid in the midft of the crowd, and

was covered with darkness at noon-day; but, when his time was come, he fell an easy victim but his death, like Sampfon's, was more victorious than his life; in this only it differed, Sampfon by his death deftroyed his enemies, but the enemies of Chrift were by his death redeemed.

Add to this the evidence of prophecy, which is fo much the stronger, by how much the weaker Christ was so admirably has the wisdom of God displayed itself in this mystery of faith. Had the prophets foretold that a great man fhould do great things; whenever that great man had come, it might have been doubted whether he was the perfon foretold, and whether his mighty deeds were not the common effects of fuch might and power as he was armed with: but when the prophets declared, that all they foretold should be accomplished by a mean and wretched man, oppreffed with forrow, and worn out with grief; this was a cafe that could not be mistaken, hardly two fuch men could come; and whenever he came, he would be easily diftinguished by the greatness of his works, and the meanness of his condition. And this leads me to confider,

Secondly, The evidence of prophecy concerning the mean appearance our Lord was to make.

I fhall not need to carry you far in search of this evidence; the chapter of the text alone is fo full a defcription of this part of our Saviour's character, that it looks more like an hiftory than a prophecy, and may with more reafon be fufpected to be a copy drawn from his life, than not to be a defcrip-, tion of it. Yet this fcripture was in being long

before our Lord was born, was in the keeping of his enemies, of those who hated and despised him, and at last put him to a cruel death, and were at once the prefervers and the fulfillers of this prophecy. Here you find him reprefented as void of form and of comeliness; as having no beauty that we fhould defire him; one defpifed and rejected of men; a man of forrows, and acquainted with grief; from whom we hid as it were our faces; he was depifed, and we efteemed him not. Yet this is he, of whom before the Prophet had prophefied: Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlafting Father, the Prince of Peace; of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with jaftice from henceforth even for ever. What enigmas are these? Shall he be a mighty prince, and yet despised and rejected of men? Shall he be encompaffed with the glories of David's throne, and yet be void of form and of comelinefs? Shall he reign. for ever, and establish justice and judgment for evermore, and shall he yet be taken from prison, and cut off from the land of the living? Where can these contradictions meet, and in what manner of person can they be reconciled? But to go on: after this general description of his low eftate, the Prophet proceeds to point out fome of the moft remarkable calamities of his life. He was not only despised and rejected, but he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was taken

buried him, he adds, He

from prifon and from judgment, and cut off from the land of the living; for the tranfgreffion of the people! he was fricken. And yet he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleafed the Lord to bruife him, and to put him to grief. His · foul was an offering for fin. And yet after this, when the Prophet had killed and Shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall profper in his hand. He fhall fee the travail of his : foul, and fhall be fatisfied. By his knowledge fhall my.. righteous fervant juftify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Where are we now? Muft he die a wretched death, and be numbered with the tranfgreffors; and yet shall he prolong his days, and fee the work of the Lord profper in his hands? How fhall we clear these things? Look into the Gofpel,, and there you will find the scene opening apace: there you will find your Lord defpifed and rejected of men, perfecuted and afflicted, and put to a cruel death and open fhame, and yet rifing to glory and honour. There you may fee this prifoner of the grave afcending to the glory of his Father, giving gifts unto men, and leading captivity captive.

Let us then, in the laft place, confider the hiftorical evidence we have for the completion of these prophecies, which describe the calamitous condition of our bleffed Redeemer.

The way was prepared before he was born. His. conception led to it; fince the meannefs of his parentage could promife nothing for the child but labour and forrow and fo it proved. This mighty. Prince of peace made his first appearance in a manger; and we may well fuppofe the other convenien

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