abhorrence. The heathen philosophers, also, concurred with the Jews in viewing the meanness and sufferings of Jesus, as an objection against his divine authority too powerful for any argument to outweigh. In their eyes nothing appeared more unreasonable than to suppose, that the spotless, innocent Son of God, should suffer and die, and that by his death and crucifixion, life and immortality should be purchased for men. This story seemed to them, as it does to some of their neighbour-infidels of the present day, so ridiculously framed as to carry its own refutation along with it. But blind and miserably deluded mortals, what they accounted an insurmountable objection to Christianity, was really an argument in its favour. What to the Jews was a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness, was really the " power of God,

"and the wisdom of God." This the Apostle expressly declares to the Hebrews. Instead of being offended at the humiliation and sufferings of our Lord, or viewing them as inconsistent with our conceptions of Deity, he represents them as the appointment of heaven-as a most wise and effectual method devised by the Almighty for

the salvation of men.-" We see Jesus,

says he, who was made a little lower than "the angels, that he by the grace of God "should taste death for every man, for the "suffering of death crowned with glory and "honour." "For it became Him for whom "are all things, and by whom are all "things, in bringing many sons into glory, "to make the Captain of their salvation "perfect through sufferings." To make good this position of the Apostle in opposition to the rude clamours of the infidel, will be the object of this discourse. Far from considering the afflicted life and reproachful death of our divine master, as derogating from the justness of his claims, I shall endeavour to shew, that they were highly proper and expedient, nay, that, according to our views, they were necessary.

FIRST, To put beyond suspicion the truth of his mission.

SECONDLY, To exhibit him as a perfect pattern of virtue to his followers.

THIRDLY, To make him a proper propitiation for our sins.

FOURTHLY, To make room for his bringing more fully to light, a future state of immortality and glory.

And, LASTLY, To give us full assurance, that he knows and sympathizes with our frailties, and our sorrows, and will therefore mercifully intercede with the Father in our behalf.

For all these different reasons, it will appear, that it behoved the Captain of our salvation to be "made perfect through "sufferings."

And, first, it was expedient, in order to leave no room for suspecting the truth of his mission.

Had the Messiah appeared as a powerful and illustrious prince, the bulk of mankind could not have had an opportunity of freely examining his credentials. Almost none, but the great and the mighty, would have dared to come into his presence: or if they did venture to approach him, they would undoubtedly have been filled with dread and perturbation. Dazzled with his splendor

and his glory, they could not have maintained that calm dispassionate state of mind, which is necessary for judging of the pretensions of a messenger from heaven.

And had the Gospel been ushered into the world in this splendid manner, what a ground of exultation would it have afforded to the infidel and profane! Would they not have long since triumphantly said, that the Christian faith was not a rational homage to the truth, but a blind submission to earthly influence and authority. But by appearing in the lowliest scene of poverty, Jesus shewed, that he desired to take no unfair advantage of the weakness of the human mind. Unawed by external pomp and splendour, the meanest as well as the highest had access to his person, could with freedom examine the right which he had to the authority which he claimed-judge of the doctrines which he taught, and the miracles which he performed. And as the humble, suffering state of Jesus, encouraged the free examination of his credentials, it also shewed to those who examined themthat he was, not as a deceiver would have been, directed by any carnal, ambitious views, but was, in every thing which he said

and did, upright and sincere.

If he was a

deceiver, truly, he was the most extraordinary one the world ever saw. For as his doctrine every where required an inviolable regard to truth, and a contempt of all temporal interests, when brought into competition with our duty, so the poor, painful life which he lived, and the cruel excruciating death which he died, demonstrated that he sacredly observed himself, what he so pointedly required of others. They shew, that he breathed nothing of the spirit of this world, or of those impostors who have an interest in deluding mankind. Intent only on promoting the spiritual and eternal happiness of human nature, he spent his days in the deepest affliction, and ignominiously ended them on a cross. This is what we are certain no deceiver ever willingly did. Men may have sometimes, indeed, suffered and died for what was false, but never if they themselves were conscious of the falsehood. Now, if the claims of Jesus to the character of the Son of God, and the Messiah of the Jews, were not founded in truth, he himself must have known them to be so. But when the most bitter agonies, nay, even death itself, and that, too, of the most