on yourselves, and see how you have deserved all this love: this will teach you how to divide your affections, to admire and adore the unbounded goodness of your Redeemer, and to lament and weep only for yourselves.

Many prophecies there are relating to our Lord, which regard only some particular actions and circumstances of his life; but this in the text points at no single calamity that befel him, but is a general description of his condition during his abode on earth: it begins at his cradle, and ends with his cross, pursuing him in every step, and discovers to us the Son of God through the darkest veil of sorrow and affliction.

'Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world:' in wisdom he ordained them all, and in mercy he has revealed some of them to the children of men. How gracious was it in him to forewarn the world by the spirit of prophecy of the mean appearance of their Redeemer, that their faith might be armed against the reproach and contempt which attended his poverty, and the great scandal of his cross! In human reckoning a mean condition bespeaks a mean man; but here the case is otherwise for when God had foretold the mean appearance of his Son, his poverty became a proof of his authority, and the lowness of his condition showed the excellency of his person. He was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;' and had he not been so, we could never have believed him to be that glorious Redeemer, who, as the spirit of prophecy foretold, should be despised and rejected of men.' The consideration therefore of our Saviour's sufferings is not only an argument to inflame our love, but to strengthen our faith likewise; showing as well that he is our Redeemer, as how much he underwent for the sake of our redemption.

There are three things then which in this subject:

may deserve your attention

First, the wisdom and goodness of God in determining to send his Son into the world in a state of poverty and affliction.

Secondly, the evidence of prophecy, that he should so appear in the fulness of time.

Thirdly, the historical evidence, that he did so appear, and that in him the prophecies had their completion.

First, the wisdom and goodness of God in determining to send his Son into the world in a state of poverty and affliction.

The sufferings of Christ we find often insisted on by the sacred writers, as an evidence of the mercy of God towards mankind. Thus St. Paul: He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?' And again: God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.' So likewise St. John: Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.' This indeed was a great demonstration of his love; for as our blessed Lord himself hath told us, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.' Were it then ever so hard to render an account of Christ's sufferings to the inquisitive, to the reasoners of this world; yet, since it is plain his sufferings were on our account, if we consider them as an argument of God's goodness, and our Redeemer's love to us, it stands clear of all difficulties whatever, and plainly speaks how much our salvation was the care of heaven. Perhaps we cannot see the reasons that made it necessary for Christ to die, that the world might live but this we certainly know, that if Christ died that the world might live, he had an exceeding great tenderness for the world, and we are bound to him in the strictest bonds of gratitude and love. And since this scene lies so open to our view, it shows great perverseness of mind, and a base ungenerous disposition, to shut our eyes on it, and to harden our hearts against the impressions of so much kindness, and to amuse ourselves with curious inquiries into the hidden reason of this mysterious love. What is it that your Lord requires of you, but to love and to obey him? What greater inducement can you have to both than this, that he first loved you, and laid down his life for you ? Could you give ten thousand reasons for the expediency of his so doing, yet still your love and your obedience would stand on the same bottom, that Christ died that you might live. What purpose then of religion would it serve, to know these hidden things of God? Knowlege will save no man. And who would not choose rather to be found in the number of the most ignorant lovers of Christ and of his word, than among the profoundest inquirers into the secret mysteries

of Providence? Would you see the goodness of God? Nothing plainer, Christ died for you. Would you encourage yourself in the practice of virtue by the expectation of God's assistance and favor? or would you comfort yourself in your repentance, and be glad to know that God will receive you, if you return from the evil of your ways?-go, learn to reason of St. Paul: 'If God spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how will he not with him also freely give us all things?'

Thus far then, that is, as far as we are concerned to go, our knowlege is clear and distinct, and the sufferings of Christ afford us such an argument for love and obedience, as the weakest man must understand, and the wisest must adore.

But farther though we cannot enter into the hidden wisdom of God, and see the reasons which made it necessary for Christ to suffer; yet if we consider his sufferings with respect to ourselves, we may discern many wise ends of Providence in this dispensation.

First, with regard to his being a teacher, his sufferings.set him above the reach of suspicions. What ends could he have to serve by his doctrine, who met with nothing but misery and affliction as the reward of his labor? Religions, we know, have been instituted to serve the ends of policy, and new kingdoms have sprung out of new doctrines: thus the empire and Alcoran of Mahomet have the same date. But what room is there for these jealousies with respect to the Christian religion? what advantage did Christ or his followers make of the gospel? The Master lived in poverty, and the disciples in distress: he ended his life on the cross, they theirs by sundry kinds of death. Nor was he disappointed 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 suspect there was no wisdom in this; and all I think must own that there was no worldly wisdom in it. Had our Lord come in the form of a temporal prince, surrounded 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 gospel stands 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 example of holiness and obedience, set before us for our instruction and imitation. His sufferings render the pattern perfect, and show his virtues in their truest lustre, and at the same time silence the pleas which laziness or self-love would otherwise have sug gested. Had he lived in worldly prosperity, and found all things easy about him, let his virtues have been ever so conspicuous, his example would have been extended but a little way. Perhaps poor men, and unfortunate, would have upbraided the rich and prosperous for not following the copy set before them; but they would have thought their own hard circumstances a sufficient excuse for not attempting it. But what pretence is there now left for any mortal? Are you more wretched than your Master? are you poor, and therefore discontented? Look to him, who had not where to lay his head, and yet was easy, and paid a cheerful obedience to his God. Are you provoked by ill usage to forget the peaceful duties of charity? Are you hurried to revenge by uncommon injuries? and can you at the same time think yourself a disciple of the blessed Jesus, who even on the cross, and under the bitter agonies of death, prayed for his persecutors, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do?'

Thirdly, with regard to his divine mission. His sufferings were an evident token that the hand of God was with him: he only can produce strength 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 so easily oppressed, that this before us is perhaps the only instance in which a whole nation ever rose to suppress 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 sought, he was hid in the midst 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 Samson's, was more victorious than his

life; in this only it differed, Samson by his death destroyed his enemies, but the enemies of Christ were by his death redeemed.

Add to this the evidence of prophecy, which is so 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 should do great things; whenever that great man had come, it might have been doubted whether he was the person foretold, and whether his mighty deeds were not the common effects of such 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, oppressed with sorrow, and worn out with grief; this was a case that could not be mistaken, hardly two such men should come; and whenever he came, he would be easily distinguished by the greatness of his works, and the meanness of his condition. And this leads me to consider,

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

I shall not need to carry you far in search of this evidence; the chapter of the text alone is so full a description of this part of our Saviour's character, that it looks more like a history than a prophecy, and may with more reason be suspected to be a copy drawn from his life, than not to be a description of it. Yet this Scripture 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 preservers and the fulfillers of this prophecy. Here you find him represented as void of 'form and of comeliness;' as having no beauty that we should desire him;' one despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;' from whom we hid as it were our faces; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.' Yet this is he, of whom before the Prophet had prophesied : Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be on his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end on the throne of David, and on his

SHERL.

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