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One would have expected that, when this grateful creature published the name of his Benefactor, crowds should have thronged about Jesus, to have heard the words of his mouth, and to have received the blessings of his gospel; and that the whole nation should have gloried in the presence of such a person, as far more valuable than the descent of a heavenly spirit at some particular seasons for the cure of their diseases, or even the abode of an incarnate angel among them would have been, But instead of this, behold the malignity of our fallen nature, and the force of stubborn prejudice! They surround him with an hostile intent; they even conspire against his beneficial life, and for an imagined transgression in a point of ceremony, would have put out this light in Israel. Let us not wonder then if our good be evil spoken of; (Rom. xiv. 16.) Let us not wonder, if even candour, benevolence, and usefulness, do not wholly disarm the enmity of some; especially of those who have been taught to prefer sacrifice to mercy; and who, disrelishing the genuine contents of the gospel, naturally seek occasion to slander and persecute the professors, and especially the defenders of it.

SECTION II.

JOHN V. 17-30.

BUT Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also, that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say untó you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my

word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. I can of mine own self do nothing; as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

With what humble prostration of soul should we bow before the Lord Jesus Christ while we read such words as these! Though he appeared under the form of a servant; and as man and mediator, confessed a holy subjection to his Father and his God; yet is he his own, his only-begotten Son, the Son whom he loves, whom he honours, whom he commands all men to honour even as himself, and to whom such power and authority are committed, that he is the principle of life and the administrator of judgment. Let us adore the wisdom of such a contrivance, that he who humbled himself thus low, should be so highly exalted. Let us labour to secure an interest in him; treating him with that submission, duty and obedience, which becomes at once the divinity of his nature and the dignity of his office.

May we be enabled by Divine grace so to hear the voice of his gospel, that we may arise to a life of holy obedience; that we may another day hear him with joy calling forth our sleeping dust, and arise to the resurrection of life; while those that have despised and rejected him, shall find themselves the helpless prisoners of his justice, and with reluctance and terror come forth to the resurrection of damnation !

SECTION III.

JOHN V. 31-47.

IF I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me, and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man; but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than that of John; for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

How various is the evidence of our Redeemer's mission, and with what pleasure should we trace it in the testimony which John bore, the miracles which himself wrought, the testimony of the Father to him, and the predictions which the prophets uttered and recorded! To confirm our faith in all, let us be

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daily searching the scriptures, as the oracles of God and the great fountains of life and salvation. We profess a regard to them may that regard never be our condemnation! or the blessed penmen witness against us, as Moses against those who gloried in his writings, and yet wanted a true faith in them! In proportion to the degree in which we are convinced of the truth of Christ's religion, let us set ourselves to cultivate the temper which he exercised. He sought not glory from men, but made his Father's will the rule of his actions, and his Father's honour the end of them. Let us not greedily catch at human applause, but aim at an infinitely nobler object, even the honour that cometh from God alone, the only true judge of actions and characters, because the only discerner of hearts.

May we have not only his word in our hands, but his love remaining in us; that thereby our natural aversion to the methods of his saving grace in the gospel may be subdued, that notwithstanding the obstinacy of our degenerate wills we may come unto Christ that we may have life! May we receive him with the greatest readiness, as coming to us in his Father's name; and not only for a season rejoice in his light, but stedfastly continue in his word, as made known to all nations for the obedience of faith; that the advantages which we enjoy may not be found to aggravate our guilt and to condemn us with the unbelieving Jews!

Christ shewed the tenderness of his compassion even in the severity of his rebukes, and spoke these awful and awakening words that these his unjust and inveterate enemies might be saved. May they be the power of God unto our salvation! as they will be, if we believe in him whom he hath sent.

SECTION IV.

MATTHEW XII. 1-8.-MARK II. 23-28.—

LUKE VI. 1-5.

AND it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn-fields; and his disciples were an hungered, and began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat, rubbing them in their hands. But when the Pharisees saw it, certain of them said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath-day? They said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath-day. And Jesus answering

them said unto them, Have ye never read so much as this, what David did, when he had need and was an hungered, he, and they that were with him; How he went into the house of God in the days of Ahimelech the high-priest, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbathdays the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, that in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

With pleasure we observe the zeal which these attendants of Christ express, who chose on a sacred festival to expose themselves to hunger as well as toil, rather than they would lose the benefit of his instructions, which, like the heavenly manna on the day preceding the sabbath, were then poured out in a double plenty. But what numerous auditory is so candid as to contain none who come, like these Pharisees, with a desire to cavil rather than to learn! The malignity of their temper sufficiently appeared in taking exception at so small a circumstance: hypocrites that could thus strain at a gnat and yet swallow a camel, (Matt. xxiii. 24,) scrupling to rub out a few grains of corn, while they sought to devour widows' houses, and were, under this grave mask of the strictest piety, inwardly full of rapine and all wickedness. (Luke xx. 47, and xi. 39.)

Let us attend to the apology Christ makes for his disciples. It speaks his own authority, as greater than the temple, and Lord of the sabbath; and well might he, in whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, without the least presumption, use such language as this. It likewise declares much of the genius of his religion, which deals not in forms and ceremonies, and dispenses even with rituals of a Divine appointment, when humanity and benevolence interfere with the observance of them. Since God will have mercy rather than sacrifice, let us abhor the perverseness and wickedness of those who sacrifice mercy itself, not merely to ceremonies of a Divine original,

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