ful and friendly to all thine offspring, and desirous of their true and lasting happiness.

And give us a firm undoubting assurance, notwithstanding any present dark appearances of sin, disorder, and misery, that thou, O Father, orderest all things for the best, in thy visitations of us, however severe and heavy thy hand doth sometimes lie upon us; and that such temporary interruptions of thy benevolent designs are only permitted for greater good to all. For,

It is but a single link and part of thy work which we behold, and of the great connected chain and plan of thy providence, which hath been from everlasting, and will never cease.

Teach us then in humble silence to adore the methods of thy wise universal governrient which we cannot comprehend, and to wait the end:

We desire further to thank thee, and to rejoice before thee, O Lord, that there is no evil being who has power to counteract thy works of goodness, or to obstruct the virtue and happiness of thy creatures: but thou, supremely wise, powerful, and good, presidest over and directest all things, and all are safe in thy hands.

• VOL. I.

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Continue,

Continue, O righteous and benevolent Father, to give us only good, and to remove from us the evil we may bring upon ourselves.

Now unto Thee, who art the only living and true God, be glory in the church in Christ Jesus, and holy thanksgivings from all thy rational creation, for ever and ever!

January 31, 1779.

SERMON

SERMON XVII.

MATTH. xxvii. 38.

There were two thieves crucified with him; one on the right hand, the other on the left.

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We have here an exhibition of two men, in the same situation, suffering the same punishment for the like crimes from the civil power; but in their end and apparent future destiny, the most opposite that can be conceived.

It must raise more than a bare curiosity, it must give us an interested concern, to know what there could be that could make such an infinite difference betwixt those, who in other respects so much resembled each other; so that one should be seen to go out of the world with such dispositions as must make him ever miserable so long as they continue; Y 2 whilst

whilst the other receives the approbation of him, who spoke with authority from God, and gave him an assurance of future happiness. For no other construction can we put upon that answer of our Saviour to the man's humble application to him at the moment; (Luke xxiii. 42.) "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today thou shalt be with me in paradise."

It has been, indeed, matter of dispute, when this promised happiness was to commence: whether the instant the man died, i. c. a few hours after he had made his request; or not till the resurrection at the last day of this world, which is the general period of retribution assigned by Christ and his apostles. And that only the latter was or could be intended, I remember some years ago to have pointed out to you.

I am to call your attention, at present, to inquire into the grounds of the prodigious preference given to one of these men above the other; and particularly on account of the strange interpretation some put upon it and it will lead us to many useful reflections.

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I.

It has been said, that this was not owing to difference of the characters of the two men, at the time that they were hung upon the cross; but the change was made suddenly afterwards in one of them. For that he that became the penitent joined at first with his fellow-criminal in impiously railing at our Sa

viour.

And this conclusion has been thought to be supported by the narrative of two of the evangelists, (Matt. xxvii. 44. Mark. xv. 32.) who both say, that "they that were crucified with him reviled." Speaking as if there was the same behaviour at first, of both.

But, as has often been observed by others; it is an obvious and just rule, for the understanding of the same passages of the Gospelhistory, recorded by the different evangelists ; as it is indeed the same in other parallel authentic histories," that when two or three of them relate the same story, but one more particu larly and distinctly than the others, the full account of it is to be taken and learned from him who enters into the circumstances the most minutely. Now, Matthew and Mark stay not to

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