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And thus I have done with the first thing I propounded to fpeak to; namely, the evidence which our Saviour here gives of his being the true Meffias. First, The many and great miracles which he wrought, prove that he came from God. And,

Secondly, The correfpondence of the things he did, with what was foretold by the Prophets concerning the Meffias, declare him to be the true Meffias.

I now proceed to the next thing I propounded to fpeak to, namely,

Secondly, An intimation in the text, that notwithftanding all the evidence Chrift gave of himself, yet many would be offended at him, and reject him, and his doctrine. In fpeaking to which, it will be very proper to confider,

First, How the poor came to be more disposed to receive the gofpel, than others.

Secondly, What thofe prejudices are which the world had against our Saviour and his religion, at its first appearance, as alfo those which men have at this day against the Chriftian religion; and to endeavour to fhew the unreasonableness of them.

Thirdly, How happy a thing it is to escape and overcome the common prejudices which men have against religion.

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Firft, How the poor came to be more disposed to receive the gofpel than others; the poor have the Spel preached unto them. Which does not only fignify that our Saviour did more efpecially apply himfelf to them, but likewife that they were in a nearer difpofition to receive it, and did of all others give the most ready entertainment to his doctrine: And this our Saviour declares to us in the beginning of his fermon upon the mount, when he pronounced the poor bleffed upon this account, because they were nearer to the kingdom of God than others; Bleffed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God. So likewife St. James, chap. ii. ver. 5. Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he bath promised to them that love him? So that it feems the poor were upon fome account or other, in a nearer difpofition to receive the gospel, than the

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great and rich men of this world. And of this there are three accounts to be given.

First, The poor had no earthly intereft to engage them to reject our Saviour and his doctrine. The High-priefts, and Scribes, and Pharifees among the Jews, they had a plain worldly intereft which did engage them to oppofe our Saviour and his doctrine; for if he were received for the Meffias, and his doarine embraced, they muft of neceffity lofe their fway and authority among the people; and all that which rendred them fo confiderable, their pretended skill in the law, and in the traditions and obfervances of their fathers, together with their external fhews of piety and devotion, would fignify nothing, if our Sa viour and his doctrine fhould take place. And there are very few fo honeft and fincere, as to be content for truth's fake, to part with their reputation and authority, and become lefs in the esteem of men than they were before. Few are fo impartial as to quit thofe things which they have once laid great weight upon, and kept a great ftir about, because this is to acknowledge that they were in an error, and miftaken in their zeal, which few have the ingenuity to own, though it be never fo plain to others; and therefore it is no wonder that our Saviour's doctrine met with fo much refiftance from thofe, who were fo much concerned in point of honour and reputation, to make head against it. And this account our Saviour himself gives us of their infidelity, John v. 44. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and feek not the honour which cometh of God only? And chap. xii. 43. For they loved the praise of men more than the praife of God.

And befides the point of reputation, thofe that were rich, were concerned in point of intereft, to oppofe our Saviour and his doctrine; becaufe he called upon men to deny themselves, and to part with houfes and lands, yea and life itself, for his fake, and the gofpel's, which muft needs be a very hard and unpleafant doctrine to rich men, who had great eftates, and fet their hearts upon them. Upon this account it is that our Saviour pronounceth it fo hard for a

rich man to enter into the kingdom of God; and compares it with thofe things that are more difficult, and humanly impoffible; I fay unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

But now the poor were free from thefe incumbrances and temptations; they had nothing to lofe, and therefore our Saviour's doctrine went down more easily with them; because it did not contradict their inte reft, as it did the intereft of those who had great eftates and poffeffions.

Secondly, Another reafon of this is, that thofe that are poor, and enjoy little of the good things of this life, are willing to entertain good news of happiness in another. Those who are in a state of prefent mifery and fuffering, are glad to hear that it shall be well with them hereafter, and are willing to listen to the good news of a future happiness; and therefore our Saviour, when he had pronounced the poor bleffed, Luke vi. 20. adds by way of oppofition, ver. 24. But wo unto you that are rich; for ye have received your confolation. They were in fo comfortable a condition at prefent, that they were not much concerned what fhould become of them hereafter; whereas all the comfort that poor men have, is the hopes of a better condition, non fi malè nunc, & olim fic erit, that if it be bad now, it will not be always fo; and there fore no wonder if the promises and affurance of a future happiness be very welcome to them.

Thirdly, If by the poor we do not only understand thofe who were in a low and a mean condition as to the things of this world, but fuch likewife as had a temper and difpofition of mind fuitable to the poverty of their outward condition, which our Saviour calls poverty of fpirit, by which he means meeknefs and humility; there is no doubt but that fuch a frame and temper of fpirit is a great difpofition to the receiving of truth. And that this is included in the notion of poverty, is very plain, both from the words of the prophecy I cited before, Ifa. Ixi. 1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek, and to bind up the VOL. VI.

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broken-hearted; and likewife from our Saviour's decription of thefe perfons, in one of the Evangelifts, Matth.v. 3. Bleffed are the poor in fpirit; for theirs is the kingdom of God. So that by the poor who are fo nearly difpofed to receive the gofpel, our Saviour intended thofe, who, being in a poor and low condition in respect of outward things, were likewife meek and humble in their spirits. Now meekness and humility are great difpofitions to the entertaining of truth. Thefe graces and virtues do prepare the minds of men for learning and inftruction; meekness and modefty, and humility, are the proper difpofitions of a fcholar. He that hath a mean opinion of himself is ready to learn of others; he who is not blinded. by pride, or paffion, is more apt to confider things impartially, and to pass a truer judgment upon them, than the proud and the paffionate. Paffion and pride are great obftacles to the receiving of truth, and to our improvement in knowledge. Faffion does not only darken the minds of men, but puts a falfe bias upon our judgments, which draws them off many times from truth, and fways them that way to which our paffion inclines them. A man of a calm and meek temper ftands always indifferent for the receiving of truth, and holds the balance of his judgment even; but paffion fways and inclines it one way, and that commonly against truth and reafon: likewife pride is a great impediment to knowledge, and the very worst quality that a learner can have; it obftructs all the paflages whereby knowledge fhould enter into us, it makes men refuse inftruction, out of a conceit they need it not. Many men might have known more, had it not been for the vain opinion which they have entertained of the fufficiency of their knowledge. This is true in all kinds of learning, but more efpecially as to the knowledge of divine things. For God loves to communicate himself, and bestow his grace and wifdom upon meek and humble minds. So the fcripture tells us, Pfal. xxv. 9. The meek will be guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his ways. And Pet. v. 5. Be cloathed with humility;

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for God refifteth the proud, and giveth grace to the bumble.

And thus I have fhewn in what refpects the poor were more difpofed for the receiving the gospel than others. I now proceed to the

Second thing, namely, What thofe prejudices and objections are which the world had against our Saviour and his religion at their first appearance; as alfo to enquire into those which men have at this day against the Christian religion, and to fhew the weaknefs and unreafonableness of them. I begin,

First, With those prejudices which the world had against our Saviour and his religion at their first appearance.

Both Jews and Gentiles were offended at him and his doctrine; but not both upon the fame account. They both took exceptions at him, efpecially at his low and fuffering condition; but not both upon the fame reason. I fhall begin with the exceptions which the Jews took against our bleffed Saviour and his religion; and I fhall reduce them all, or at least the most confiderable of them, (as I find them difperfed in the hiftory of the gospel, and in the Acts of the Apostles) to these fix heads:

First, The exceptions which they took against him upon account of his extraction and original.

Secondly, At the meannefs of his condition, con trary to their univerfal expectation.

Thirdly, As to his miracles.
Fourthly, His converfation.

Fifthly, The prejudice that lay against him from the oppofition that was made by perfons of greatest knowledge and authority among them. And,

Lastly, That the religion which he endeavoured to introduce, did abolish and fuperfede their ancient religion, as of no longer ufe and continuance, though it was plain it was at firft inftituted by God.

First, The exceptions which they took at his extraction and original. In relation to this they were offended at three things:

1. That his original was known among them. This you find urged against him, John vii. 27. We

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