Discourses Vari Subjec Illustrative of the Evidence, Influence, and ...

D I S C O U R S E S

V A R I S U B j E C

I L LUSTRA T I VE OF TH E

EVIDENCE , INFLUENCE , AND DOCTRINES

C H R I S T I A N I T Y .

_

By the REV . ROB E RT G RAY ; M . A .

L O N D O N

PRI N TED FOR F . A N D c . R I V I N G TO N , N° 62 , ST. P AU L

’

S

C HURCH- Y ARD ; A ND J . ROB S O N , N EW B O N D - STREET”

T O T H E

R I G H T R E V E R E N D

W I L L I A M,

LORD B I SH OP OF CH E STER.

MY LORD,

ENCOURAG ED by your Lord fhip’

s veryflattering Recommendat ion of a formerWork ,to the Clergy o f your D iocefe , I pre fume to

folicit your Attent ion to the prefent Publicat ion . Proud o f that, and o f o ther Te i’t imon ies o f your No tice , I cannot

'

but f ee limprefi

‘

ed with Sentiments o f perfonal Obli

gation to your Lord fhip, and chearfully availmyfielf of this Occafion to profefs them .

The Author ity of your Lordih ip’

s Judgmerit, could it be pleaded as affording any

Sanction to the Appearance of the f ollow ingD ifcourfes, would fecure the ir Autho r f romall Apprehenfion as to the Reception Whichthey might exper ience f rom the Public . A s

he canno t boal’t of that Sanction , he in

fcribes them to you, not to {helter themunder the Pro tection

'

o f your Name , but to

grat ify himfelf in the Expreffi on of thatgrateful Re fpeé

’t which he entertains for your

L ord ih ip . Although the pre fent Product iondoes not d ifplay that So lidity o f Remark ,and

sAccuracy o f Di fcr imination , which

characte rife your Refearches on Subjectsof Theo logy and anc ien t E rudit ion , yet

it w ill , I truth be accep ted not unfa

vourably , fi nce it was defigned ab leafi: to

afii ft and promo te the i nfluence o f that Rel igion, o f which you are fo em inently an

O rnament, and o f \m your Exer tions andWr it ings fo fuccefsfully contr ibute to fuppor tthe Authority and Doctrines .

That you, my Lord, am idi’c the elévated

Stat ions which you (0 honourably fill in the

Church , and in the Un iverfity, {t ill findTime for very general and extenfive Enquiry,is well known ; and I hope i t w il l not be

confidered as too prefumptuous to expeét thata few of your le ifure Moments may be allo ttedto the perufal of the follow ing Page s . The

unefrpeé’ced Infiance o f your Lord fhip

’

s Fa

vour in the Author ’ s Behalf , already man ife f

’ted in the Courfe of your zealous Atten tion

to the Gaufe o f facred L iterature , rendershim folicitous to ob tain your Approbation of

the prefent Work .

I have the honor to be,

My LOR D ,

With great Refpeé’t,

Y our obliged and obedient Servant,

RO BE RT GRAY .

TW I CKE N r—IA M ,

Afpr il 20, 1 793 .

PR E FA C E

fo llo wing Difcourfe s are ofl’

e red to

the public, upon a pre fump tion that the im

por tance of the ir fubjeét s may recommendthem to its attention , though they {hould bethough t to promife but l ittle novelty o f e n

quiry . E very po int connected W i th the e vi

dence and doctr ine s o f chri f t ianity has beenf requen tly d ifcufie tl ; ye t each , pe rhaps , iscapable o f farthe r illuf’crat io n The atten

t ion of mankind ihould be o f ten drawn to

the l i e s o f re ligious confi eration , d ifcuffed

in a ityle and manner adap ted to the d ifpofi

t ion o f the age . i t is ne ce ffarr , f requen tly ,to vifit the ground on which chri il ian ity was

f ul l e f’tabli fhed, to afcertain the limits and

a 4. extent

vi i i “

P R'E F A C E .

extent of the pr im itive faith , and to recoverthe parts taken by unjuft violence , o r lo ft by

injfudicious concefl i on . It is‘

u fe ful to p re

fent, in a fam il iar and popular form , the beft

fupported opin ion s, upOn importan t top icsand pr inc iples of our re ligion ; to vindicatei ts re lat ion s and doctr ine s , by argumen t and

au thor ity , from thofe m ifrepre fe

ntations whichthey may have 'fuffered ; to feparate themf rom fpurious add it ion s , and to re fute the

objeé‘t ion s raifed up , or rev ived again ft them .

The re i s, perhaps , no more ufeful and

compendious mode of communicating rel igions infi rufi '

ion than that of Sermon s whichin terefi ve ry‘ general atten t ion , and convey,

w i th occafional effect, impre lli ve and perma

nent info rmation .

Some of the fuhieéts he re {e lected by the

Autho r, are amo ng tho fe wh ich appear to

him to have bee n le fs f requen tly co n f ide red ,

under this fo rm , than the ir importanceme ri ts . D ifco urfe s , upon rel igious fubjec

’

rs,

be ing ufually w r itten for oral commun icatio n,

P R E F A C E . ix

are confi rué’ted in fuch form as is deemed hef’tcalculated for popular infi ruétion and tho fe

fubjeét s are commonly rej ected which requ irethe production o f remo te author ity, or the

difcufii on o f intr icate quefi ions , as be ingjudged too ab ftrufe fo r ready concept ion .

The Se rmons preached in this country,

be fore and af ter the Re fo rmation , were o f ten

fo perplexed w ith fubtle enqu ir ies, and fo

encumbe red w ith fcholal’tic learn ing, thatthey do no t appear to have

'

been calculatedf or general infi ruétion . They were del ivered,howeve r, at a t ime when the doctrines of

chrifitian ity were more gene rally canvaffed

than at prefen t when , f rom prevail ing con

t rove rfies , all rank s had collected fome knowledge on the impor tan t theme s o f d ifcufii on

when d ivin ity was the fa fh ionable ftudy, and

a competen t acquain tance w ith i ts fubjeéts ase ffential to tho fe who would { hine i n focie ty,

as to tho fe who would triumph in the fchools .

TWearied w ith controverfies too far pu fhed ,

and mortified w ith the difcove ry o f the wealt

x P R E F A C E .

ne fs o f human reafon ,f rom the f requent

failure of itsattempts, the pre fen t age wouldfafi id ioufly rejeét al l diff i cul t enqui r i e s f rom

public difcourfe s . Admonit ion s are daily heldout the Minifters o f our religion , to feleé

’c

fubjects o f pract ical impor tance , to infl fit,

p rinc ipally, on the moral obligat ion s o f religion , and to p roduce fuch Sermons as are

calculated to make men better . The admo

n itions are , doub tle fs, grounded on juf r con

fideration ; and, cer tainly, no greater cr iter iono f the excel lency o f a D ifcourfe can be laiddown than that it {hould be con tr ived to im

prove the conduet of m en . But the d irec

t ion may be pu lhed too far 5 and Difcourfe s,

modelled merely on the plan of commun icatingpractical precepts, would not always producethe defired e ff ect : and it mutt be maintained,that mo ral le ffons, however eloquen tly t e

commended , e r jud icioully en forced, are no t

the only, o r the greateft proof s of the util ityof a Difcourfe .

Chrifi ianity

P R E F A C E . xi

Chriftianity was commun icated no t fimply

to recommend the v irtue s , of wh ich expe

r ience and reflecftion m ight approve the exce lleney, but to reveal to mankind a de fcription

o f the : divine pe rfeétions and attr ibutes : a

declarat ion of his nature and defigns , as far

as they have re lat ion to man’

s dut ie s ; to un

fo ld a w ife and benevo len t plan o f redemp

t ion , e ffected by unprecedented means, and

connected w ith new and great confide rationsto inculcate a moral ity, no t on ly fuperidr to

the deduct ions of human'

reafon , but en forced

on new pr inc iples and mo tive s, and {trengthened by fre fh confideration s , der ived f romthe highei

’t fource , and directed to the nobler’tend .

The praetical d irec’

t ion s of chri lt ianity are

fo plain and obvious, that he who runs

may read them and the preacher who

con fi ne s him felf to a repet ition o f the fe c ialdutie s of men, w ill be heard with that in

d iff ere . cc which fcarcely attends to acknowledged truths 5 and which, though i t may

depart

'

P R E F A C E .

depart w ith a co ld commendation on the pro

p rie ty o f the leffe n, will be little aff eé’t‘

ed by

the detail of fir ft p rinciples, and fam iliarmaxim s . The intention o f public Sermonswas no t merely to recommend mo ral precep tsfor the bene fi t o f the in fer ior ranks of l ife ,but to commun icate, to the general claffe s

o f foc ie ty, f uch info rmation , upon importan t po ints, as a w ell educated and en ligh tened M in ifl ry is enabled to furni fh to draw

fo rth the wifdom o f revealed inftruétion fromi ts facred fources ; to explain its concealedknowledgee ; to illui’trate i ts remo te accoun ts ;

to interp re t and comment on its figure s and

parable s ; to fam iliarife what i s difficul t to

e luc idate what is obfcure to affe rt its doc

t r ine s to v indicate its m iracles , and to de

fcr ibe the accomplif’

nmen t o f its prophec ie sto recom ; end i ts re lations by collateral accounts , and to exhib it i ts in fluence by hifl ot ical (l e dué’rion to de ta i l i n fimple and un

an Lt red f och know ledge as enqu iry

Chril’tianity

P R E F A C E .

Chril’tianity will operate upon the hear t in

propo r tion as it {hall be accepted by the un

derftanding . Men do no t negle é’t theprac

~

t ical laws o f rel igion becaufe they difpute , o rare ignorant o f them they canno t e n te r the

church w ithout fee ing them infe r ibed in " c

charaé‘ters ; nor can they hear a fingle i e f lbn

of fcripture that doe s no t pathe tically recom

mend them : bu t, generally, th e

y are i nfen fi nl

to the influence o f religio’

n , becaufe i t ope

rates not with the full fo rce of conv iétion

becaufe the ir relué t ant affen t is founded ratheron acquiefcence than on full perfuaf1011 ; becaufe the ir faith is buil t rather on educationand habi t than on argument and refleét ion

fome doub ts, f rom ignorance o f the evidenceo f chii ftian ity fom e b e li ta tion f rom m lf

concept ion o f 1ts doé‘rrines , deadens the fpirit

o f p ie ty, o r weakens the con ftancy of ob

d ience . The (l ighted. m ill o f incredun ty

that r ife s in the m i nd 18 fufl—ZCien t gradu a llyto darken the under ftand ing , and to co rn p t

the affeé‘cions o f men : and the preacher ,thou 7h

though he ihould {peak w ith the tonguesof men and o f ange ls, w ill plead in vain

f or the excellency o f Chril’t ian obedience ,who has not firft removed the fufp icions thatimpeach its autho r ity, and the di ll ruft whichrej ects i ts fané t ions and c laim s .

I t is no t neceflary, indeed, that the teacherwho addrefi

’

e s a‘

Chril’rian audience , fhould beever labouring to demon l’trate the truth of a

religion which has been e fl abli lhed for ages,on un fhaken foundations 5 that he fhould

excite doub ts by endeavours to remove them :

but, ce rtainly, i t i s incumbent on him, occa

fionally, to b ring forward that foundat ion o f

evidence which lub l l an t iates i ts pre tenfions,and on which alone faith can he rat ional lybuilt i t mull be ufeful to de tail the fubord inate proo f s which may be

i

drawn f rom a

confideration o f i ts particular relation s 3 i tmutt be exped ien t, l ikewife , {omet imes to

re fute tho le idle, o r cap tion s obj ect ions , whichare perpetually railed up by fanc iful o r evild ifpofed men ; which infinuate their mifchief

in to

P R E F A C E .

into every department of foc iety, and wh ichmay dece ive and miflead the be lt under{l andingsChriftian ity, though it m ight reft on the

bafis o f i ts own internal excellency, muf’e

no t be depr ived o f that lull re wh ich i s t e

flected by i ts extrinfic proo f s , by the demon

fi ration o f its prophe tic teftimonie s, and the

defcr ip tion o f i ts m iraculou s fupport and pro~

pagation . E very imprefii ve po in t o f evidencewhich confirm s our be lie f in the t ruth o f

re ligion , difpofes us to rece ive and abide byi ts in ltrurftion s .

l t deferve s fer ioufly to be confidered, whe

ther the cry for practical D i fcourfe s , and the

obj ect ion s raifed again f’t what are improperly

called myi’terious Subj ects , may no t, i f car

r ied too far , tend to exclude all po ints o f

doctr ine f rom our enquiry, and to reducechr il’tian ity to a fyf

’rem o f ethics .

I f the d ifquifi tions on mvll erious po intso f faith , a s introduced in the Difcour fes o f

earlier t imes, were found to be p roductive o f

xvi P R E F A C E .

m ifchievous e ffects, it was becaufe they fubjeé ted, to the difcuff ion of reafon , enquirieson which i t was not competent to dec ide .

I t is now well unde rfl ood , that the myfte

r ie s o f faith are to he accepted no t o n the

ground o f the ir b e ing compa tib l e w ith our

no tion s o f exper ience , but becaufe commu

micated to us by Teache rs eviden tly fent f romG od : by Wri ters con fe lfedly in fpired ; and

i t is ce rtainly incumben t on the Minif t ers o f

the G o fpel to inculcate, and infi ll on the

truth o f the fe doctr ine s, that are evidentlyde livered as the Revelat ions of G od , how

eve r fuperior they may be to the l im ited con

ceptions, and narrow expe rience of mankind ;and no t to fhrin l; f rom the com i un ication

o f them , becaufe the popular w i f h feem s in

clined to wave the ir difcufl i on, and to t e

commend, that matters o f faith thould re

main undifcufied , while the mo ral excellenc ie s o f chril’cian ity are i ndull rioufly difplayed .

A filence on the doctrine s of Reve lat ion can

be v indicated only on a fuppofition, that

po ints

iii P R E F A C E .

o f the“

word of Chrifl ians, r eligion mufl bedegraded to the charaé’ter o f an earthly mo

‘

ni ,tor, lifelefs in its i

'

nltruél ions, and feeble ini ts influence . Upon this plan the mo t1ves to

C hr ifi ian obedience are torn away 5 the thingsa f f cripture hard to. be underfl ood, and whichwere in ferted to exercife our enquiry : the

doé’tr ines which were revealed to e levate the

iconcept ions of faith, and to abate the prideo f reafon, are to be

i

fhuflled over, or {up-1

p refi'

ed as ufelefs ; po ints which were .efia

bl ithed as marks and boundar ies of t ruth, a ret o be given up and negleéted , till the di fciples

p f a reformed faith are feduced by feétar ia ,

who take advantage of the ir ignorance ; and

real difficulties are no t attended to t il l infidelso fli cioufly ob trude them to {bake the faith of

uninformed men . Chrilt d id no t fo proceed,

nor did his apol’tles ve il over the doét’

rine s of

chriftianity f or f ear o f giving o ff ence to oh

f i lmate or conceited men : leaving the pr in

c iples of faith , they fough t to go oni unto

perfeétion . , Le t fallhood {b rink f rom x -en a

quiry,

is R 11: r Ae 11. m

fluffy; and {uperfl ition abate, and recede fromitsclaims 5 but let chrifl ian ity5 which , at firil,prefented

i

“‘ {tumbling blo’

cks to the Jews,and to the

‘

G reek s foolifhne fs, f till bominu‘e

to defpife the f uperc ilious pr ide of human‘

wifdom, and to br ing into captivity everythought in fubjeé’cion to Chrilt .

”

Thefe remarks are de‘

figned to counteract,i n 161116 d egree , the e ff eé

'

t of tho fe pr evailingi

fentim‘

en ts, w i th refpeét to the 1ntention'

o f

w hich tend to degrade their

’

hpOrtance of preaching , and to le ffen the‘

cha‘

iziél et of its miniltry, reducmg 1ts merribe‘rs,

‘

f rom teachers o f great and int’ereftingtruths, 1 tomere moralifi s . When f airly um

de'

rf’coo'

d they canno t be though t to have any

tendency e ither to revive the fpirit of ufele fscontroverfy, to recommend the d ifcufli on o f

ab l’rtufe and abfi raéted fubjee’ts, or to com

mend the pedantry and affecftation of o ften

tatious’

l earning. Whether they may or may

not b e thought juf’r, when applied to Sermon s

wh ich‘are tObe del ivered in public preaching,b a

xxx P R E F A C E .

i t cannot furely be di fpute d, that Difcourfes,intended for pr i vate perufal, may be renderedmore interefl ing by the in troduction of fuch

e xplanatory particulars as are drawn f rom re

m ote fources, which are illuftrative of the

primitive faith , and tend to e luc idate difficult ies of fer ions confideration . Extraordinaryrelations ,de tailed in the hiftorical parts of {cr ipture , fuch as thofe of the temptation of Chrift,of the poo l o f Be thefda, and of the Demo

n iacs, which , from the ir remarkable characte r, make an imprefii on very forcible, and

which mull prove ufe ful or prejudic ial in

proportion as they are underflood or mifcon~

ceived 5 which are , in themfelves, pregnantw ith inftruétion , and tend to fubf’tantiate theclaims of chrif rian ity, appear to be fubjeé

’ts

extremely p roper for full and diff ufive exami

nat ion , and may be confidered w ith mo re

advantage than d iffertations on moral qual it ie s, however e legantly recommended .

Popular Difcour fes, on thefe and fimilar

fubjeet s, are not fufliciently f requent,fince

Funni e r . xm

the difiicul ties attending them are daily ope

ratingon the m inds o f waver ing Chrifi ians, ‘

and o f ten contribute to.

{bake the faith o f the

uninformed difciples of Chrif t . The fe fub

jeel s then, it was conce i ved by the Author,required to be fully d ifculf ed : w ith produétion of authority, and reference to early0p1n10ns . The i nterpretations o f antiquityare not fo much raifed above the eye of com

mon attention as to be inconfiftent with thedefign of thefe D ifcourfes . The fcholar is

not difpleafed to find the author ities, whichhe knows to be important, produced in cm

dence ; He 18 thereby rel ieved from the

trouble o f re fearch, or the necefii ty

'

of ac

quiefcing with unfupported affertion 5 and

the general reader 13 no t infenfible to the

we igh t conferred by f iich authorit ies on the)

que ftions d ifcufi'

eld .

‘rIf deep learn ing be the

polf efii on of but few, yet the notice s and“

imprefli ons of i t are very generally difperfed,‘

and the dedué’ uon s; or pre tended deduétions‘

of it, operate very extenfively . The Dif

b 3 courfe‘

arxii P R E F A C E .

courfe on t hex

Daamoniacs was particularlydefigned to oppo fe the no tion laid downb ythe learned Dr . Farmer, in his E lfay on the

Damoniacs o f Scrip ture ; a work in which,undoub tedly, much erudit ion i s perverted and ;confi rained , to bend i n fupport of his hypothefis . The book is popular, and its ten

deney is m i fchievous, fince it leads to a re

jection o f the lite ral fenfe ,o f fcripture, and

to,fi rengthen the opinion o f tho fe who fe

idle and firange mi feoncep tions would reducethe . agency of the apo ftate fpiri t to the ope,

raticn lof ran evil ,pr incip

le .

O ther fubjeéts che fen by, the Au thor, as

that of the in troductoryDifc‘

ourfe, tho fe on the

Re furreé’tiou, a nd

/

on, the Influence of Chr if -gt iani ty, have been very fully, and very f ren

quen tly di fculli

edg in popular Difcourfe s 5 but

whoever reads, w ith attention , the works of

othe rs, mull‘

occafionally remark fome defi

c ienc ies, which he w ill think 1.m igh t befupplied ; fome arguments which he mull

conce ive m igh t be more {trongly urged and

enfo rced .

P R E F A C E . me

i"«The"

fubjeé’c of the Refurreé

’tion i s db

importan t, that it cannot be too f requently.

confidered ;'

fince , as , BifhoP Pearce has obi-i

ferved, it is a point on which . the Wholewe ight o f chril

’rianity refi s . The no tion

o f fame feeming'

iri con’

li i’cenhiéh in 3'

the “dif

feren t . relation s '

of this great e vent , is verjr

prevalent ; and though the fe are very fat is~

f acto rily reconc iled, in the judicious and dif i

t inct'deduction of particulars f urni fhed byMr . We ll, the detail i s made at fome lengthand the 'gene ral readerm ight no t be d ifpofedto follow up the chain of events , as drawnout with difl

'

ufive dCfCl'lptIOIl ,'

and lengthenedby collateral proof s .

" The Author then '

con -f

ce ive s , that no apology need'

be made for theintroduction of this fubjeels, e fpeciallyas it con-1"

ftitutes a link m that‘

chain of the evi dence ‘

of

chrifi ian ity which he wi fhed to‘

pre fent, bya difplay o f forne of its m iraculous proofs

“

;

Dr . Townfon’

s book , which has recentlyappeared as a pofihumous work , vvas not‘feen’

by the Author‘

till the fe two Difcourfes were

printed

xxiv P R E F A C E .

pr in ted o ff, or fome no tice m ight have beet}taken o f

‘

thete fl igh t particulars, in which hed iffers from, and o f the ingenious illuftration ,

by which he confirms the accounts of Mr .

Wcit .

The two Difcourfes on the Influence of

Chrifiianity, w ill, perhaps, be thought fuperfluous by thofe who have read the Sermons,

not longtim e Wr itten on this fubjeé’c, by theBi fhop of London, the Bi fhop of St . David ’

s,

and Dr . Coombe but as the former of

thefe w r iters has we ll obfe rved , that chrilf-a

t ianity has been the parent o f much mifery,

is fo favour ite an argument w ith all our phi-

1

lofophical {cep tics, that i t is every day drefiedp p in fome new form , and repeated, ince ffan tly, with an air of pecul iar triumph and

exul tation and it may no t, there fore, be,

inexped ien t as f requently to counteract the

influen ce o f the argument by a fair {tatemen t

o f the hifiorical truth . The fe Difcourfes,

howeve r, as well indeed as. mo lt o f thofe in,

i f Bi t p Po rteus’

s Sermons, p . 2 7 1 . Serm. XII“

.

xxr i P'

R El

F A C E .

fThe f ldifiértation on the Millennium, it)

was though t, might b e ufeful, when the

attention of'

mankind is raifed to the

fations of Providence , by the important revo'

~

lutions that have recently occurred, w ith fuch

unp recedented rapidi ty'

and e ffe é’t; and whenvague and ind iftinét notions on the Tubjeét

appear very generally to prevail .The fuhjeé

’cs o f the D ifcourfe s collect ively

confidered, have , perhaps, more connectionthan they may, at fir f

’c fight, appear to have .

Af ter the i nt roductory Difcourfe , . whieh is

defigned to excite tho fe juft fen timents of

humil ity, and of reverence for G od, which,

facilisate , , the attainmen t o f . truth in everypfi rfuit, a

]

regular. cha in o f evidence , in

defence of chriftian ity, is exhi bited in the

hifiorical order '

of the miracles and re furrec

tion of Chrii‘r, o f the influence , the p refent

proof s, and prom if es as to the future efi ablifh

ment o f that rel igion . In a difcufii on o f .

re l igious fubjeéts, there is, however, alwaysforne connexion. No part of chri ftianity

can

P R E F A C E .

pan be illufirated without throwing ligh t onall . E ve ry {tar that appears , he igh tens byi ts rays, the general br illiancy .

The Author has endeavoured to {elect thofefubjeé

’ts wh ich he though t might prove mofl:

important, and to render them as in tere i’cing

as he could, by illuf’rrating them w ith f uchinformation as is conneé’ted w ith, and tendsto explain the theme. If they fhould bejudged of l ittle value themfelves, he hopesthat they will be confidered as a proof of his

w ith to employ that le ifure WhICh he enjoys,ufefully to others and to fulfil , as far as he

can, the object of the Chrii’tian m inifiry : thediff ufion of ufeful and important knowledge,

C O N T E N T S.

D I S C O U R S E

ON THE IMPORTA N C E OF PROSECUT INGOUR ST UD I E S A ND E NQJ I R I E S UNDER

RE L I G IOU S IM PRE S S ION S , A ND W ITH A

V I EW T o MORAL IMPROVEME NT .

Jo B XXXVI I I . 4— 7 .

Wher e tea/l tboa when I laid the f ouadetion: of the ear th D eclar e, g

“{bozo

boy} under/landz'

flg . Woo barb laid toemag/ares ther eof , if tboa knowe/l or

i

1060 barb fi r etebea'the line upon it

Wber eapofl ar e t/oe f ounda tions ther eof

f a/z’eaea

’or 705 0 la id the corner fione

ther eof ; Wberz tbe mor azhg fiar r f angtogether , and all tbe/oar of Godflooaz

‘ea’

f or joy Page I

xxx C O N T E N T S.

D I S C O U R S E II .

ON Tina TEMPTAT ION OF CHR I ST .

MA T T . I v. 4 .

B at he anf zoereb’and

7

f a itl, It is wr itten,Man jha ll not live hy hr ead a lone, hut

hy every word that pr oceedeth out of the

mouthof Goa’.

D I S C O U R S E III .

ON THE POOL OF B ETHE SDA .

Jo H N v . 6— 9 .

When fife/us"fl ewhim lie, and knew that

he had heen now a long tune ta that eafi’

,

he fizith unto him, l l/ i/t thou he made

whole The impotent man an/wer ea’

him, Si r , I hav e noman when the wa ter

is tr ouhled, to put me into the pool hut

while I am eornzhg anotherfl oppeth a’

own

hefor e me. ji g/its fa ith unto him,Ri/e,

take up thy hea’

, and wa lh. fi ne! theme

diately the man was made whole; and

f oot up his hea’

, ana’

tea/hell.

C O N T E N T S

D I S CO U RS E Iv.

ON The DE MON IA C S .

MA T T . V I I I .

‘

3 1 , 32 .

So the devils he/ought him,fizymg , [f thouea/l u: out, f ufi r ui to go away into

theherd of‘

f wzne. And he j azd unto

them,Go and when they wer e come

out, they went into the herd,of f wine

and hehold, the whole herd of [wine ran

v iolently down a [leep place into thefi a,andper i/hed in the water s .

“D I S C O U RS E V‘

.

ON THE RE S URR E CT I ON .

Fm E A S T E R D A Y .

P A R T I .

L UK E xx I v . 4— 8 .

fi nd it came to pty} , a t they wer e much

perplexed ther eahout, hehold two men

f lood hy them in jhining garment: fi nd

(I!

xxxii C O N T E N T S .

a : they wer e af ra id, and hawed,down

their f ace: to the ear th, they f i nd unto

them, Why/eehye the living among the

dead He is not her e, hut is rfiénr ememher how he fpahe unto you whenhe was yet in Galilee, f ay ing, The Son

of man mu/Z he deliver ed into the hand;

of finf ul men, and he eruehied, and the

her ed his words .

D I S C O U R S E VI.

ON THE RE SURRE CT ION .

For E A S T E R D A Y .

F AR T IL

I - C O R . xv . 20 .

Now is Chr i/Z r i/en f r om the dead,

heeome the f r/t f ruit: of them

flept . w

D I S

C O N T E N T S .

D I S C O U R S E IX.

ON THE A C COM P L I SHME N T OF PROPHEC Y ,

A S I L L U ST RAT ED I N T H E PR E S EN TC I RCUM STAN C E S OF T H E WORLD .

2 P E T E R I . 1 9 .

We have al/Zz a mor e fi ne word of pro.

phecy , wher eunto ye do well that ye take

heed.

D I S C O U R S E X .

ON THE M I L L E N N I UM , OR R E I G N

SA I N T S .

R E V E L . xx . 4 , 5 , 6 .

fi nd I [aw thr onec, and they fi t upon

them, and judgement was given unto

them and I /aw the fi ulxof them”that

wer e heheaded f or the w itnef f of 7 4 m,and f or the wor d of God, and which

had not wor/hipped themy}, neither hisimage, neither had r eceived hie marh

upon their f or eheads“

, or in their hands ;

and

OF

C O N T E N T S . xxxv

and they lived and reigned with Chruia thozf and year : . But the r ay} of the

dead lived not again until the thou/21nd

year : wer e fini/hed thif i f the fi ij?re/ur r ec

‘tion . Blej'

ed and holy i: he that

hath par t in the fi ijl ryur r eé'

tion on

juch the fl cond death hath no power ,

hut they jha li he pr ie/ie of God and

of Chr i/i , and fhall r eign with him a

O

2‘ D I S C O U R S E I .

dec ree s, and p re fumptuoufly dec ided on his

j udgme n ts ; A n appeal to the glo r ious wo rk swhich G od had difplayed in the c reation o f

the world , was indeed Well calculat ed to

i‘iu ftrate the divme attr ibute s , and ferved

Bi l e fi e étually to d ifcoun tenance the exulan ion o f human pride . The te f’t imon ies o f

his w ifdom and powe r, to which the Alm igh tyre fers , are {trikingly expre f five Of thOfe per

f e f r ions , and canno t but awaken our admirat ion and regard .

The re are indeed no fubjeét s on whichthe m ind dwells w ith more afi eét ing in tere f

’c

than on thofe'

which lead us to meditate on

the pow e rs and excellenc ie s o f G od 5 hencei t is that the atten tion of the thinking parto f mankind is fo Of ten employed in confide r

ing feparately, o r colleétively, the wo rk s Ofthe c reat i on and hence the efior ts Of induitry

t o explore , and the exertions Of gen ius to

f i e fcd he , the fcenes which furround them .

51 co n templation o f the wo rks of nature ,

much as It exc i te s emo tions o f adm irat ion ,

in a l ime enjoym ent , is produétive of ad

ve zn atwu s wh ich con fp ire Wi th our implanted

love o f. excellence, and elevate the afieétionsIO

D I S C O U R S E I . 3

to an adoration of the fupreme Be ing . The

advantage, however,will be more confiderable

as we regulate our inquirie s on juf’t pr inci

p les and it {hall be the objeét of the pr efent

d ifcourfe , after Rating the circumftances un

der which, in every purfuit, we mui’r f i e

ce fiari ly aé’t, to po in t out the fource from

whence tho fe juf’r pr inciples of thinking may

be derived .

Of the imprefii ons on the m ind, wh ichwould be proportionate to the vifible fplendoro f God ’

s works, as difplayed in the grandObjeéts of creation, we can form no adequateapprehenfion, fince the e fl

'

eét o f the ir firfl:appearance is produced under unfavourablec irc

'

umfiances . Theic Objeét s be ing prefentedto the m ind before the judgment can exercife

i ts powers, are adverted to only as they afl'

eél:

immediate fen fations, Of which the memory

re tains no recolleétion . Enlarged exper ience;i t is true, may open f re fh Objef ts in nature ,

and the . contemplation of thefe feldomf failsto excite emotions afi

‘

eé’

ting and important .But thefe obj ec’ts ; however great, are but

d ifi’erent comb inations of mate rials, o f whichthe mind muf’c have previoufly formed fomeconcep tion f rom fmaller reprefentation. He

B 2 to

4 D I S C O U R S E I .

to whom the ocean firf’r Open s its expanfe,

has at lcail heard o f i ts wave s, and beheldthe accumulat ion o f agitated waters on a

fmaller fcale . If the mountain rear its fum

mit in fudden magnificence to the clouds, hehas before marked the e levat ion Of the hill,and therefore rece ive s only inadequate fenfat ions from a fecondary imprefii on . He thatfurveys the dark extent Of the forei’r, or pur

fues the‘

river in its courfe which fpreadethf er til ity in the valley, may adm ire indeed thegrandeur or the beauty of the fcene, but

he w ill adm i re them only as a more perfeé’t

reprefentation Of objeéts already familiar to

his imag inat ion .

If farther we advert to the c5 t producedon m inds , matured by expe r ience and reflec

t ion , when , by the attainment Of a new

f enfe , anyo f the chief objeé’rs o f c reation arc

fi rf’cd ifcove red , as when , for initance , the films

of natural blindne fs are removed, and the eye

o f manhood is firft opened to the day , we

{hall Obferve , that however rapturous may be

the enj oyment , the full and adequate e ffeé’t is

no t produced : If the eye hath been clofed ,

the ear hath no t been fhut . He who {trainedin vain to find that light which hath en

Iivened

D I S C OU R S E I . 5

l ivened the compan ions who furround him,

hath at leafl: fe lt the warmth Of its rays ;

his mind hath been prepared by defcription,

faint though it may have been, to expeét

fome great difcovery of unknown perfeétion .

The powers Of fancy have been fi retched tofo rm , f rom the combina ti on o f ideas elfewhere acqu ired , fome concept ion o f fuperior

excellence ; add l ikewife, that the eye hath ,w ith cautious confideration , been expofed

gradually to the adm ifli on Of ligh t in itsfainter degrees . It hath no t, w ith inftantaneous enjoyment, beheld the enlivemng dif

fufion of its fplendo r , nor hath been dazzledto fecond blindne fs by the d ifplay Of the

glorious luminary f rom which that fplendor

is derived . O f the full and adequate e fi’

eét'

there fore,wh ichm igh t be produced on rationalminds, by the

,fir f’r difcovery o f the grand

Objeét s Of nature , we can form no true judgm en t

, becaufe no m ind, matured to reflec

t ion , exiits fO un informed as to rece ive imprefii ons f rom them intirely new .

Acquainted with the works Of G od beforewe have learn t to apprec iate the i r Import

ance , we in ,general con template the f eatures

of creation with indiff erence . Obj eéts ftampedB 3 w ith

a D I S C O U R S E I .

w ith obvious mark s of divine con tr ivance, areo verlooked in habitual negleét . How few

are they, who in the o rd inary courfe Of lifer efleét on the order and excell ent fi ruéture o f

the bodie s wh ich furround them, on the re

lative propor tions and en tire harmony w ithwhich they are fo rmed, on the rules whichthey Obferve , and the pr inciples on wh ichthey aét. E ven the regular arrangement o f

day and n igh t, the fuccefii on o f the feafons,

and the per iodical re turn of the heavenly bo~d ies, are, to the general ity o f mankind, the

fubjeét but'Of cafual remark . Some devia

tion f rom cuftomary o rder , or expeéted even t,muf’r awaken thought, fome f ears fo r perfonal

fecurity mutt roufe attention , o r o therwife the

daily wonde rs o f God’

s providence are un

heeded ; no t when due and fufi‘icient fufi enancei s dif’tributed to every earth ly creature , but

when the drought prevails , and vege tationd rops, do we cal l to m ind that i t is G od who

fendeth fer til ity by his ihowers , that i t is hewho caufe th it to rain on the ear th , to

fatisfy the de folate and wai’te ground, and

to caufe the bud of the tender herb to fpringforth .

”Le t the l igh tnings of the A l

migh ty go for th , and his thunder rol l abroadlet

8 D I S C O U R S E I .

{till ignorant, attent ive only to the f ragrance ,t he form , or the co lours Of the plant ; butbecaufe he has walked through his daily pathVvithout thought, and looked around him on

fcenes too familiar for particular confidera

t ion .

Men o f more improved m inds are {tillmore difpofed by the in format ion which theypotfefs to advert with profi t to thofe hintswhich remind them Of the wonders Of thec reat ion . In thofe repre fentations wh ich are

furnifhed hy the imitative arts, they are Of ten

excited to adm ire Objeé’ts and fcenery, which ,

in the ir or iginal exii’tence , they have pafiedunnoticed . In v iew ing thefe reprefentations,they remark no t merely the fidel ity Of the

copy, and the {k ill Of the rad ii in the ar

rangemen t of his fubjeét, but they recall tom ind likewife the real in tere ft o f the thingsdefcribed, and are pleafed at the d ifcovery as

wel l Of tranfient beauties to which art hathgiven permanency, as Of inheren t proper ti e s,on which they have of ten glanced an heedlefs

and unconce rned regard .

The re lations o f the traveller, and the

paint ings Of the poe t, in the ir mo lt fimple

and unexaggerated defcriptions, never fail toawaken

D I S C O U R S E I. 9

awaken a pleafing and ufeful recollect ion o f

fcenes famil iar to the m ind, though tho fe

fcene s had pr‘

evioufly impre fled no deep trace,nor produced any moral confideration .

From thefe reflect ions i t is evident that

the work s of the creation are , in fact, infi

n itely more glorious than they appear to be

that they are feen by us under tho fe c ircumfi ances and d ifadvantages which ob fcure the irt rue character and intr infic fplendor that,in proportion as our attent ion is fixed uponthem, the ir lui’tre br igh tens , and the ir excellencie s become more confp icuous , as to the

fi ed fat’r and perfevering eye , the Ptars in the

fi rmamen t emerge and multiply, o r as to the

ftudious and confiderate m ind, the fublimityand wifdom o f God ’

s difpenfat ions become

more man i fe l’t and clear . It is the p rovinceo f the moralif’c to awaken fuch attent ion , and

to avail him fe lf o f tho fe fen fations wi thwhich we are naturally moved at the d ifco

very of any fre lh proof of God’

s wifdom or

power . I t i s his duty to po int out the attri

bute s o f the Creato r in the perfect ion o f h is

work s The benevo lence of him who wouldinfi ruét mankind in juli apprehenfions o f theAlmigh ty, cannot be more fuccefsful ly em

ployed

D I S C O U R S E I .

ployed than in d ilating on tho fe arguments

which may be drawn from a contemplationo f the . feveral par ts o f creation . In this thefacred wr iters are em inen tly great and infi ruct ive . In the plain and unaffected accoun t o f

the firft fo rmation o f the world , w i th whichMofe s open s the in fpired book , how fub

limely are the attr ibute s o f G od difplayed !

In the Vivid de fcr iption s o f the Pfalm if’t ,

what praife s and what thankfgivings are con

Veyedl

The g reat and glo r ious works wh ich G od

hath created , and the ftud ies wh ich con tr ibute to illufi rate the ir nature and per fection ,

then exc ite jufi and ,

proper fen t imen ts in the

m ind, when they awaken rel igious afft ions .

The awful le ffons which are to be deducedf rom the con templat ion o f mater ial obj ects,are tranfcribed, as we have obferved in the

infi ruét ive pages o f the f ac red vo lume . The

vifible world i s there/ depif ted in a moral and

rel igious ligh t, and the att r ibute s of G od

”3? See, for ini’tance, {he fublime and adm irable de fcr ip

t ion o f God’

s pe rfeél io ns , as i lluftrated in his wo rks,which is conta ined in the l o4 th Pfalm . F rom [0 an i~

mated a p icture what obj ef’t can we {elect in pre ferenc e

?

D I S C O U R S E I . I t

are pourtrayed in the animated repre fe’

ntation

o f his work s . This then is the primary

founce o f infi ruction, and as the m irror or thelake , i t will reflect the fcenes o f nature withn ew co lours and enl ivened imagery . I t i s

no b arren adm iration which w ill re fult f romfuch atten tion to the wo rks o f nature , o r to

the facred commentary : hence w ill. fpring no tmere ly the conv iction o f the exii

’rence o f an

al l - wife and all - powerful G od, which eve ry

carelefs remark , o r acc iden tal though t, mutt

fugge ft but a l ively fen fe o f his perfect ions,a firm confidence in his pre fence and pro tect ion, an ho ly reverence fo r, and defire to imitate his d ifcovered excellencie s, an anxiousand Ready zeal to attain to that approved innocence f rom which we have fallen, that

declared refemb lance to our‘ Creato r which

conftitutect the o riginal characte r o f man .

In proo f o f this we may ob ferve , thatthey who have mo f

’t deeply ftudied the cha

raéte r and pr inc iple s o f G od’

s created works,have been €V€1 mo lt fincere ly imprefied w itha fen ie of his glo ry, molt incl ined to bow to

his reveale d rrifi r i i étion s, and mo i’c fe l ic itousto practife his laws . It may farther be re

marked as probable, that tho fe who, i n a

future

xz D m c o u a s a r.

f uture life , will be adm itted to a nearer con

templation of the div ine perfect ions , will der ive no inconfiderable enjoymen t f rom be

holding the emanat ions o f his glory, as dif

p layed in the grandeur of his works, as

illuftrated by the d ifcovery o f fecret relationsand laten t excellencies, as manifefied in the

great defign and final purpofe o f every dependen t fcene .

But if the facred writ ings dep ict, in livelycolours, the intere fting fcene ry o f the vifible

world, they Open an inftruc'

tive difplay o f a

more glo r ious and impor tant (e conomy, in

the manifeflation of a fpiritual fyftem , whichirradiates the mater ial world, as the foul ofman beams th rough his co rporeal f rame .

The revelation of the great fcheme o f re

demption, f rom its firfi dawnings to its fullfplendor in the adven t of Chrift ; the gra

dual accompl i lhmen t of the fuccefii ve decla

rat ions of prophecy, of its promi fes and

threats ; the completion o f its type s, and the

departure o f i ts ceremon ial figure s beforethe prefence of th ings typ ified ; the hiftoryo f the incarnat ion and lowly birth o f Chrift,

proclaimed alfo as good t idings of great

joy by the mul titude of the heavenly he ft.

D I S C O U R S E I . 3

The defcription of the m in if’cry, m iracles ,and in ftruétions, of the fuffe rings and cruc i~fixion of the Lord and Redeemer o f man

kind ; the teftimony o f his refurreé’t ion and

afcenfion into heaven ; the allurance o f the

refioration o f mankind , and o f the con fum

mation of all things in the judgmen t and

difpenfation s o f a future l ife, as de tailed w ithinfpired confidence , and un fhaken fincerity,

by ‘the facred wr iters, furni fh fubjeél: for the

mo lt fublime and inf’trué’t ive contemplations .

They are themfelves the noble f’t theme s ; and

they enable us to afcertain the value o f everyo ther fubjec

’t : they po int out the fources o f

knowledge , and teach us how to ob tain it .The rife alfo and progre fs of rel igion ; itsfmall beginn ing and rap id advancement ; i ts

m iraculous fucce fs in oppofition to human

powers, and more than earthly adverfaries

its e f’tabl ifhment and propagat ion am idi’c c ivilized nation s, and in unenlightened countriesits intrinfic excellencies pract ically demon

I’trated ; its m ild influence and benefic iale ffects, unde r diff erent circuml’cances, and indiff erent t imes, conftitute topics o f intereftingand infirué’tive difcufii on, and lead to the difeo

very

14 D I S C O U R S E I .

very of the divine wifdom and goodnefs to

mankind .

On the princ iples wh ich rel igion commu

nicates, and under the influence o f infpired

fentimen ts, fhould every human purfuit be

conduéted . If we feek for knowledge upon

any lowe r mo t ive , we to il and labour forunproduct ive recompence . We fow as it

were to the w ind, and [ball reap the whirlw ind . He who pants fo r that informa

t ion which he may d ifplay w ith ofi en tation

to o thers , afpire s to what can confer no

permanen t fatisfaétion, which , infi ead o f re

ve rence , w ill of ten excite envy and difguf’r,

and which , while it enl igh tens the m ind,e ffeé’ts no t a co rrefpondent improvemen t o f

the heart, which deligh ts to tr iumph in thedepr

'

efii on of o thers , and to r idicule ratherthan to remove the ignorance over which itexults .

He alfo who profecutes his fi udies w ithindi fcriminate and uncontro lle d eagernef s

af ter various knowledge , on ab fl rufe fub

jeé’ts, w ithout regard to the ir u tility, o r re

fpefi‘

to the weaknef s o f the human underfranding, w ill range w ith too excurfive fancy

over

1 6, D I S C O U R S E I .

. t ions that pr ide hath genera ted, and error

cheri fhed ! What weakne fs hath been be

trayed by evafive defe rtion o f pr inc iple s toounftable fo r defence , o f wh ich the propagat ion has e ff eéted mifchie f that fubfequentretraétion cannot counteraét, and for wh ichtardy repentance can fcarce atone !

The precepts of revelation were furnifhedto Mi ll mankind in every falutary and be

com ing purfuit . They teach us w ith whatmotives to cultivate improvement , they feekto inflame us with the defire of re nder ingourfelves more acceptab le to the De ity , and

more wor thy to partake o f e te rnal happinefs .If we walk under the direétion o f t hat l ightwhich they hold out, we {hall be led to con

template , l ike the {hepherds of Bethlehem,

divine w ifdom inveloped in human fo rm, to

wo rth ip G od , and to reve rence his glorionature , though c loathed in fimpl ici ty,

ror pre

fented under cuftomary and fam iliar objeél s .

Re l igion , upon fubjeéts mo f’r importantto man, ce nveys every information wh ichi s e ffential to the direction o f his condué’t .

If we adhe re to the inf’truétions o f this

great Teache r, we {hal l be fecure from tho fe

pre fumptuous and fhallow theories whichhaVe

D I S C O U R S E I . 17

have been fuccefi’i vely raifed and fucce flively

de ltroyed . How many have been the fanci

f ul fyftems concern ing the origin of the

world, bu ilt on bafele fs foundation s by thofewho knew not, o r rejeéted the accounts o f

fcr ip ture ;- E reéted on principles of popular

philo fOphy, and recommended wi th populare loquence , they have dazzled the imaginat ionfor awh ile , and been rece ived as if

_

the irauthors had been pre fent when the foun

dations of the ear th were laid ;i

d if‘tor ted

re lat io ns have been fo rced to give te ftimonyto each fpec ious hypothefis , t ill

\ juf’ter ac

coun ts , and more faith ful obfervation , h aved ifpelled the dece i tful fche‘mes, and havebrough t ‘back, w ith the light o f true philofOphy, the authentic documen ts o f revealedhifio ry .

In the inve fi igation of the feparate wo rkso f nature , they who have de tailed i ts features,and analyzed i ts par ts, have neve r quefi ionedthe perfeé

’tion o f the contrivance wi thout

difplaying the ir own ignorance . The chafms

wh ich haf‘cy pr ide would po int out, the de

feéts which prefumptuous criticifm wouldexpofe , have been found , on examinat ion, tobe imag inary and fittitieus . Deeper re fearch,

and

1 8 D I S C O U R S E I .

and more accurate fiudy, hath deve loped the"

relat ive proprie ty of eve ry par t, the entireand confiften t exce llence o f all . The d iffi

cultie s likewife that have been exc ited in op

pofition to accep ted docitr ine s o f religion ,

d rawn f rom wild and me taphyfical difcufi’

i on ,

n o t to

'

men tion the futil ity o f the ir charaé’rer ,

have been refuted even upon the ir own

g round, and by the ir own weapons . But

whatever fo rce and val idi ty may have beenafcribed to fceptical objeé

’tions, they can have

-no pretenfions to be lifiened to in oppofition

to the fure wo rd o f infpired infi ru'

é‘

tion .

H e who in exalted ftudie s extends his

ntemplations beyond the boundarie s o f thee arth , and confide rs the heavens, and the

fyPtems which they con tain ; who fe imaginatt ion is raifed by meditat ion on the afce rtained

p ropor t ion s and acknow ledged immenfity o f

the heavenly bod ie s ; Who d ifcove rs fyfl'

e rn

b eyond fyi’tem , and confl ellat ion s multipl ied,

w ith unbounded var i e ty, w ill no t , if he judge ,

by the l ight o f reve la tion , fuppo fe this to he.the re fult o f cafual p rodué t i

’

on , o r for tui touscombinat ion , but w ith the greate f

’r and 111 09:

enligh tened of mankind, as we ll as with the

infpired

”D I S C O U R S E I . 1 9”

infp1red wr iters, he w ill perce ive , l n the

endlefs multitude o f the heavenly hol’c, an

arrangement o f infin ite wifdom and o f infin ite

power . Taught to c'

onfider the diftiné’i and

ieparate impor tance of the world in whichhe breathe s, and from which he dif’iantly

contemplates o ther created works, he willhot fiit‘fer his admirat ion of larger bodies toléflenhis belief in the dign ity of that nature,for the

'

l'

alvation o f'

which‘

the Creator of thehnive rfe yielded up his only and bbloved son.

If o ther beings, if Seraph im and Cherubimbe mb re exalted , if unknown e ffence s be lefs

fl ifiant from the perfec‘i ion of the fup

'

r'

emé

Being, his comparat ive infer i or ity hath fi ill7the intrinli c worth ‘

o f a fp izitual natu'

re ,

breathed into us by G od himfelf .

Hewho c’

onfiders the condrt lon of hisown’

body, the excellent propbr tion of its parts;

the en tire harmony of its f rame , the o rganiza"

tion o f its nerves, and the pe rceptive power o fi ts fenfes, w ill acknowledge there in the con

t rivan'

c‘

e of a divine Creator, and,w ith the p iousand corifiderate David , e onfe fs that he is

fearf ully and wonderfully made i t If he

51? Pf . citxxix. 14 .

relied?!

ao D I S C O UR S E I .

re fleét‘

o rrthe in t imate un ion o f the body withthe foul, 1ts ready obedience to i ts fugge f

t ions , 1ts 1nexpl ieable powe r o f conveyingfenfations to it, he w ill find no d ifficulty mbel ie vmg, that though its exce llen t fi rué’turefhould be di lfolved , and 1ts membe r s moulderinto dull , ye t that the Alm igh ty . can, w iththe fame power by which he firfl formed ,

t e - affemble and unite its fcat tered parts, and

taife up the fame body to t he judgmen t of

e ternal life .

If farther he lhould med itate on the pfeé’cions of that m ind which now ex ifi s in.

1nt 1mate conjunétion w ith Th is body ; if heconfider its faculties, and the exce llen t en ;s

‘dowments o f which it i s fufceptible , he

w ill’

find no d ifli cul ty in conce iving that it

-is con fi ruéted fo r the inhe ritance of e te rnall i fe , and wel l calculated for the enjoymen t of

the divine pre fence ; he w ill think that 1t 18

neceffary gradually to p repare it for fuch en~

joymen t, to {l ore it w ith f uch know ledge as

may me lio rate its affeétions, t aife i ts afpiringthoughts, and be p roduc

drive o f f ruit s accep

table and f ra grant to G od, efieeming all at

tainmen ts valuable on ly as J hey contribute tothat purpo fe .

D I S C OU R S E 1 . 2 1

Aéting under fuch imprefii ons, t he d ifcipléo f Chril’cWill de rive profi t f rom every cu cum{tance and feene o f l ife H e w ill underftand,that every condition, pro fperous o r afll iéted,

may be rendered fubfe rvien t to the attainment

o f G od’

8 favour . He w ill confider thisworldas a fchool t in which his obedience is t be

proved , his vir tues d ifcipl ined , his r ecom

pence to be earned . If he occafionally t e

treat, i t w ill be to fi rengthen his faith and

good refolutions, by prayer and ho ly medi tation ; when he m ingle s w ith focie ty, he Willfeck

,by a coufiant exercife of focial and

benevolent aff eétions, to encourage the eater :t ion o f that charity wh ich he is enjomed byChril

’r to cultivate . He will condui t every

purfuit under {hfo ng imprefl i ons o f God’

s

at tributes , and w ith a becom ing d iffidence inhis own powers . A s the face o f nature is

unve iled to hi s re fearch, and as the volume

o f infp irat i on is explained to his under f’tand

ing, they w il l exc ite jult aff eé’cions, and dif

clofe ufeful and important knowledge n The

features o f the divine per fect ion , as d ifplayed

in the natural or intelleétual world , canno tbe revealed w ithout awakening p raife , and

the defire of humble imitation The m indwhen

ea D I S C O U R S E I .

when opened to rece ive true w ifdom, become s

enlarged in its v iew s fam il iarized wi th 6X 1

cellency, it moulds i tfelf in confo rm ity to its

pattern, and allume s a refemblance o f its

charac‘ter . In proportion as the under ftanding18 1mp roved, it becomes more fufceptible

i

ofgenuine and permanent pleafures, and more

pence . A s we co nful t the refo re our e ffentialand lal’cing interefl s, we {hall cul tivate thofequal ities which, while on ear ththey fiouriih,conciliate God

’

s favour,and whichwill here -

3

af ter be permitted to unfo ld the ir matureri

excellencies, unto theglon ousmanifeftation ofdivine

2 4- D I S C O 'U R S E 11;

thbfe afil icl ions which he w ill ingly fubmitted,in the execut ion o f his minill ry , to endure .

.In confider ing the condui t o f our Saviour ,w e a re to con template him as aé

’ting in the

union o f the divine and human cha raéter ‘

.

To the attr ibutes and perfections o f G od

w ere conjo ined the pafii ons and infirm1t1es o f

man . Capable , at all time s, o f exer tingthofe divine powers which were infeparably,

annexed to his perfon, he appears to haveoccafionally fubmitted to the ir fufpenfionThe d 1V1ne and the human nature o f Chrilt

be ing i ntrmately united , the relation of his

conduct m ight ‘ be expeéted to del ineate a

two - fo ld charaé’rer . The attr ibutes and per

f eétions of G od mull burf‘

t for th in rays of

glory . The real ity o f the manhood mull: be

proved by,

the wan ts and frailtie s of the flefh.

i f Irenaeus’

s He r . L . I l l . c . xx. p : 25 0 . Ed i t . G rabe .

'

A t our Lo rd’ s paf ii o n a lfo the re was 5. fufpenfion o f the

o perat i on o f the d iv ine nature . Luke xxi i . 53. A t his

temptat ion and c ruc ifixron, and at the begmnmg and con

clufron o f his minil’rry, he appears in his unfuppo r ted

human charaéler to have be en affarled by the power o f the

pr ince o f dark nefs unde r a voluntary re l inqurfhment o f

his d ivine agency, and to a full demon fl ration that the

d evi l had nothing in him.

” See John xiv.

D'

I S’

C’

O U R S'

E‘

II. he,

The l ife of an“ incarnate G od could - only be

"

the defcr iption o f m iraculous powe rs and

human fuffer ings, fome times blended; «fome -J

t imes feparately de tailed , as conjo i'ntly theywere manifefted , o r ind ividually exer ted and

fuf’cained .

Confid e ntly w ith this theo ry, the facred

wri ters pourtray the m ingled features o f per -g

feé’t'G od and perfeét man , de fc ribing aél ions

fometime s w ithout d ifcrimination o f theirappropria te re ference to e ither charaé’ter , and

developing the excellenmes df the d ivine ,and the integrity of the human nature, in

confiftency w ith the fc0pe and defign of theirfeveral relat ions

The wo rds and aritions attr i buted by the evangel ifts

to Chr ill , are fuch as could o nly be confid ent w i th the

doubl e charaél er which he affumed Some are obvioufly

charaél erifl ic o f G od,

and fome apprOpr iate to, and

defc r iptive o f man . The facred wr i ters treat o f them

w i thout d ifc rimination , 1n the fame manner as we {peak

o f the exe r t ions o f men, wi thout thinking it neceffaryto fpec ify that the mental exe rt ions proceed from the

mind, o r; the corpo real aél ions fr'

om the body and f rom

a co lleél ive exam inat ion o f the gene ral condui t o f our

Lord, as r epre fented 1n fcr ipture ; o f his words apparently

inconfifl ent, and his aél ion s feemingly 1ncongruous, the

mo lt i rrefilhble evidence of his two fold nature may beder ived.

g6‘

D I SC O U R S E II:

Dur ing the -

pe ri od which preceded the

public min iftration of Chr ii’c, the author ity ‘

and exce llence o f the godhead we re not of ten

man ife ited, unlefs indeed in the difplayt rao rdinary Virtues, and in the indicat ion s ofearly and unpreceden ted wifdom . When hiscommifii on was ratified by that vo ice f romhe aven, which pronounced him to be the

1 “ we ll - beloved Son of G od, in whom he

was well pleated , he prepared in fol itude

to demonitrate himfel f wo r thy o f that ap-g

probation which he had rece ived . Appo intedto def eat the powers o f darknefs, he figna

lized the commencemen t o f his m iniftry by

a perfonal t riumph over the ir apof’tate leader,

and prince .

F rom the account o f St . Luke and St .

Mark , we collect, that.af ter Jefus had been

led by the fp i l‘

l t into the w ildernefs , and,

previoufiy to that temptation of which weare about to coniider the par ticulars, he wasforty davs expofed to temptation s, o f whichthe c ircumitances are fuppre fied, as too nu

me rous for c

-

onc ife repo r t i t , or as lets im

Or igen fuppofe s, that the fcr ipture omi tted the ac

count o f temptat ions in the w ilderne fs mo re in numberthan the world could have conta ined . Homil . xxix. in

Lucam,John xxi. 2 5 . L ightf oot.

por tant

D I S G QU R S E'

H : 2 7

rtant for us to know, becaufe perhaps peculiar to the charaéter and cond i t1on of Chriit .

The wilderne fs in which Chri i’t d if—i

played his fir i’t triumph, wa s, probably ,the w ildernefs of Judea, which is

”

defcribedby traveller s as a mountainous, rude , andcheerlefs folitude i t 5 a fcene far d iff eren t f romthe paradife in whiph the firit Adam had

yielded to the fedutftion o f the temp ter .

St . Mark tells us , that he was w ith the beafi sp f the field, abiding there i n the fe curi ty or

"

that innocence which E liphaz de fcribes as

laugh ing at defirutft ion and famine , and

as not af raid o f the beafts o f the earth "

in

Here then, remo te f rom focial intercourfe,

and w ithout the means even o f partial fui’tenance , our Saviour fir it exer ted hi s fuper

natural powers, and faited miraculoufly for ty

The confi itution o f the human f rame ,

which, by an adm i rable arrangemen t, der ivesAdj acent to thi s Wildernei

'

s is a mounta in o f fi eep

and dangerous afcent, which is called (Li arantania, 1D.

reference to our Sav iour ’s fait o f forty days , and the trad it ion of the country repor ts it to be the mounta in on

which Chr ifi exper ienced his thi rd temptation . See

Maundrel’

s Journey to Jerufalem, p . 79

1 See Ma1k i . 1 3 . Job v. 2 2, 2 3 .

a s D I S C OU R S E II.

its fupport from a due fupply o f food, cannot,we k now, long fui’rain its v igo r, and fi xer -r

c ife ‘

1ts funétions, w ithout its accuftomed

f ufi enance . The b odyo f our Saviour , there -q

fore , which was regulated by the fame oeco

h omy, could n o t have pre fe rved its energi es,during fo long an ab ftinence , without the

operat ion o f a divine power . And as Mo fes

and E lias had ‘faf’ted forty days , it m ight have

furni lhed fubjeé’t for invidious comparifo n,

to tho fe who were ,d ifpo fed to cavil, if Chrifthad abf’tained fo r a iho rter per iod .

At the expiration o f this t ime, when pthe

m iraculous influence which coun teraé’ted the

infirm i ti e s o f the fle fh, was w ithdrawn , our

Saviour confented, for our example , to act in

the charaéte r o f man ,

‘

whic-h he had de igned totake into the godhead, and to be temp tedunde r the fame circumftances in which human

nature is expofed to temp tation . That whenhe had fafted forty days

i

and forty n ights, hefubm itted to fee l the wants of humannature ,we are pofitively told ; he con fented to fuff er

as a man, un fupported but by r ighteous mo

i ive s, and expe r ienced the keen; pangs of

hunger, feeling, doubtl‘

e fs, that folicitudewhich human nature mufl: fee l for the ir

removal.

D i s c o u n s n m an

removal Then it was that the great i ad

ve rfary o f mankind, who fe terro rs mutt havebeen excited by the c ircumf’tances that d illtinguifhed the appearance of Chrift, came

unto him, w ith defign, probably, to d ifcoverwhether he were that prom ifed feed whofhould e ffeét his de ftruét ion , that eXpeéted

Mefii ah whom fuccefii ve prophets fore to ld,and to who fe arri val he mutt have lookedfo rward with anxious apprehenfion and dif amay .

If, as we have reafon to

int imat ions o f divine mercy were ob fcure,

even to the princ ipal ities and powers in

heaven , and the ful l extent of the prophetic promife s concealed from the angels o fl ight , t ill they wrtnefihd the commencement

o f the ir accompl iihment i n the birth o f

Chri it we need not wonder that the

devil l hould have been ignoran t o f the , pre

c ife time at which the Saviour of mankind9“ Or igen obfe rves, that the reafon why St . John does

not mention the temptation o f Chr iit i s, becaufe he

t reats pr inc ipally of his d iv ine nature, and Ghr ilt as

G od could no t be tempted 3 but S t . Matthew,St . Ma r

_ ,k

and St. Luke, who d ifcourfe chiefly o f his human nature,

all fpeak o f the temptation . Homil . 2 9 in Lueam.

1 1 Pet. 1. 1 2 . Ep..ef. 1 i i . 10.

gs fi t s c‘

i o’

tfi it é n it

ihould be horn , o r that he fhould be unfufé

p'

icious that the infall ib le per feétions of afii

incarnate G od Were veiled under the humanper fon o f jefa

'

s916.

”

The heavenly h'

oit, it is

t rue , had announéed his birth as of a Saviour;a Mean , and Lord ; and the vo ice at God ,at his baptifr

‘

n , had proclaimed him as his

swe ll - beloved Son . Y e t {till the fallen fpirit,unenlightened to comprehend the tw

’

o- fb ld

Charaéter of Chr ii’t, o r impat ien t in reitlé fs

folic itude for far the r proofs o f his au thority",

that the approved'

M inifi’

e r‘

o f G od be inga

‘

fil ie’ted with hunger, was afih ilahle by his

arts .» In delufion , however, or iii d

’

e fpai r,

he , who had nevol ted f rom the omnipotence

of the Father, approached , i f i t were'

pofii ble‘

to dece ive the wifdomo f the Son, Or at leaf?to terminate the anxieties of doub t “

, by t e

ee iving the eonviétion o f his approaching?

ignat ius'

s Ep i l’r. ad Ephef . lg

‘

natiirs'

fuppofes

the v i rg in ity o f Mary, the charaéter o f her Son, and

his death, which he calls the three fo'

und‘mg my i

’t'

e r i es, to’

have been‘ concealed from'

the Pr ince o f thi s wo rld ;and O r igen approve s and confi rms the Op in i on . V ideHomil . 6 . in Lucam;

32 D i s c o u a s a it.

m igh ty, as to the e ftabl ifhed rul e o f man’

s con

d uet . It is wr itten”, fays he; man {hallno t l ive by bread alone , but by every wo rd

that proceede th out of the mouth ofG od . It is wr itten in the in fallible page

of G'

od ’

s law, that man’

s fuppo rt dependsnot fo much on cbrporeal fuftenance as on an

bbfervance of God ’

s precepts and infi rué’tions ;

The pafihge alluded to by our Saviour, iscontained in the 8th chapter o f the book of

D euteronomy, on r eferring to which we find ,that Mofe s, when exhor ting the people to

obedience , in a commeni b rative de tail of

God ’

s merc ies , rem inded them, that Wh enthe Lord had led them forty years in the

5‘ wilde rnefs, to prove the fincerity o f the irattachmen t, he had fuff ered them to

hunger , and fed them wi th manna, thathe m igh t make them know, that man

doth no t l ive by bread alone , but by everyword (o r, as in the o riginal ”6 It fiand s , by

eve ry thing) that proceede th out of t he

mouth o f the Lord do th man l ive , that

at In the Hebrew text it is not eve ry word, but every

thing . The Chaldee verl i on rende rs i t eve ry thing that

proceede th f rom the mouth of G od. Our Saviour hasfixed the fenfe .

D r a c o u a s n n . ‘3 3

he migh t teach them the ir dependance on

h is w ill, and that the pre fervation of man

refi'

s alone on the ab folute and uncontrolledpower o f G od .

In contemplating the conduét of our Sa

v iour upon this occafion , we PCI‘

CCIVC,1t to

be perfeé‘tly confiltent w ith the charaéter

which he had afi‘

umed , o f G od takingu pon h im the human nature , and exhib itinga pattern for the im itation of mankind . A s

G od, he evinced the fuper iority of hisi

di

vine nature, , by fuppor tingh during fo longan abf’tinence , an unimpaired and unalteredf rame, and by de feating that power bywhich the wo rld had been vanqui fhed .

,A s

a man , he re fi tted every temptat ion by whichhis pafii ons were afiailed , and profe ffed obe

d ience to that inf’crue’tion which was addre ffedto him as man fit

. A s a m i n ifi er o f the

L o rd, he d ifplayed un fubdued conf’rancy ;

with fubm ifl i on to the Father, he liftenedonly to his word ; w ith benevo lence to man

kind, he allowed himfelf to be tempted inthe fame circumflance s under which man

it It IS wr i tten, man {hall no t l ive by bread alone .

The anfwer would have been nugatory if Chrift had notfpoken as a man .

311. D I S C O U R S E Ii .

mutt be tempted, that in the fympathy of

fimilar fuff erings he m igh t experience Whatman feels, and aff ord fuitable help to us

when we are tempted For in that hehimfelf hath fuff ered be ing tempted, heis able to fuccour them that are tempted ?

”

Fo iled and difappo inted in his defign, the

d ev il mutt have perce ived the wi fdom of the

rebuke , and have apprehended f rom whencei t came . Unable to refift the e fficacy of the

reply, he fough t not to urge the argument,

but proceeded, by varying the temptation, toafl

‘

ail our Saviour on a diff eren t ground, and

to witne fs, af ter repeated tria ls, the afeen

dancy o f heavenly wifdom, and the fad affu

rance of his own de feat . With fatal conviet ion , he at length expe rienced that no inducement, no contr ivance, could betray the Sono f man to a momen tary forge tfulnefs of his

exalted duties, o r feduce him in to the fl ighteftconce f fion to the powers o f darknef s .

We , for who fe inftru€tion the eventful hif~tory o f Chri f

’t i s recorded, learn , f rom the re

lation here propo fed to our reflect ions, that ret irement, abltinence, and {elf - denial, are oblia

as Heb . u . 1 7, 1 8. See alfo Heb. iv. 1 5 .

D I S C O U R S E n . 3;

gations impofed on the d ifciple of Chrifi',

and cont ribute to enable him to fufiain tho fe

t rials and temptation s which he mufi en

counte r in his p rogre fs th rough life . Ad

in itted by baptifm to the fervice o f that

G od who chaf’cene th whom he loveth,

we are taugh t to expec‘t temptation s in our

w arfare , and fhould couht it all joy to fal linto them i t

, that we may be thereby dif~cipl ined to the perfeetion o f the fe rvants o f

Chrif’t , and ev ince our un fhaken confidence

in his word .

The appo inted means whereby we mufl:

qual ify ourfelve s to fuppo rt tr ials and temptat ions are , a ferious appl icat ion to t he in

fp ired wr it ings, a faith ful di fcharge of rel i

James i . 2 . Heb . xii . 1 0, I I . The pa ffages whiche ncourage us to rej o ice i n tho fe general temptat ions fort r ial and improvemen t, which are repre fen ted a s falutary

and aif eétionate d i fpenfat ions o f G od,are no t incon fxftent

with our Sav iour ’s dire étron to us , to p ray wi th becom ingd if’crufl in our felves again f

’t the feve rai temptat i ons which

m ight endange r our fa i th that G od would no t fuff e r us

to be led into temptat ions in which we might be ove r .

powered 3 o r, in other words, that he wo uld no t r emo ve

thofe re fl ricfh ons by which our adve rfary is c i rcumfcr ibed, o r W i thdraw from us that grace by which weare e nabled to r e fi li his a ttacks . See Mat t . vi . 1 3 .

Chap . xxvi . at . and Whi tby.

3 6 D I S C O U R S E II .

gious o ffi ces , and a f requen t appl icat ion for

divine a’

fii ftance in that infi ituted facramentby which God ’

s grace is conveyed .

When Chri lt ret i red to the feclufion of

the w ilde rnefs, I t was, doub tle fs , for the

purpofe s o f fecret praye r and ho ly meditat ion . It was to return , however , w ith re

newed vigor and an imated exer t ion to the

active o ffi ce s of his minif’try 3 and the afcetickp iety, which in af ter - t ime s re treated to thede fert, or to the clo if

’ter , failed in its imitat ion

o f Chrift, by neglect ing the object af ter it

had e ffeéted the preparation . The tempta

t ions l ikewife o'ver which we are to tr iumph

are to be encountered no t only in folitudeand feque f

’rered pr ivacy, but al fo in the pub

l ic fcenes and focial intercourfe of l ife .

When our Lo rd fafted , it was not to mor tifycorrupt aff ections, o r to re ftrain rebellious pafl i ons, for fuch the fubdued pur i tyand perfeetiono f his nature it difclaimed , but it was, by his

own example , to recommend the propr ie tyo f occafi onal refi riet ion and forbearance ; itwas to t each us fome t ime s to fo rego the

‘

cufiomary indulgenc ies o f life , that we might

at john xiv. 30.

D M C O U R S E IL y

thereby demonftrate the difpofition to refign

ought that in te rferes with rel igious obedience,o r adm inifters to the corruption of our na

ture . That by partial abftinence , we mightconfirm the habits of general refi raint, l iberate the m ind f rom fubjeétion to the body,and keep the pafii ons in temperate obed ienceto reafon , enligh tened by revealed law.

In confi ftency w ith the fame v iews, he approved, inprecept, o f that fafting which is therefa lt of fincere hum ility and contrite afhiel iono f the foul it . Wh ile his cen fures were levelledagain f

’c the pharifaical hypocrify o f fo rrow , and

condemned the aff eétation of mer itorious ferv ice s, he uniformly commended that fp iritwhich exhib its a con fcious fen fe of its own

unworthinef s, which fubmits to vo luntaryabafement and felf ~denial , and ob ferve s fuch

refi riétions as fac il itate the exerc ife o f pure

and unclouded p ie ty . When Chri f’c faited

forty days, he exceeded, as in eve ry o therinftance of m iraculous and exalted p iety,the lim its and extent of human im itat ion .

H e however thereby, furnithed occafi on for

the obfervance of a fiated period, which,

it Matt. vi . 1 6, 1 7 :

without

3 s D I S C O U R S E i t.

w ithout fuperf’rition , and in con form ity tn

the early praétice o f the church may be

confecrated to a more fi riét and vigilant performance of re ligious ofii ce s .

If the duties of felf - denial and ab l’tinence

have been undervalued in the prefent age, it

i s becaufe the relaxed tempe r o f the time s is

impatien t o f falutary re fi rain t The laws ofchrif’tian ity are no t, howeve r , to be facr ificedin compl iance w ith the pafii ons o f corrupted

men ; fi ill mutt it be maintained , as i t i till

w ill be exper ienced , that he who adopts thed ifc ipline o f prim it ive chri f

’rianity at this

feafon, w ill derive f rom thence a falutary

amendment , and fi nd that ab ftinence , whenno t carr ied to rigorous and fuperf

’t itious ex

ce f s, when undebafed by tr ivial refinements,

and when conj o ined, as in the excellency of

the Chriftian charaé’

ter, w ith prayer and

char ity, m uf’; operate to the improvement o f

our nature , and tend mo f’r e ff ectually to con

c il iate the d ivine favour . That national calam itie s have been ave r ted by publ ic hum iliat ion , we know as well from profane as f rom

facred hiftory 3 and that individual punifh~

a Can . Apoft. 69

meri ts

4 0 D I S C O U R S E II.

and urgent pre ffure o f necefii ty will no t drivehim to adopt any de fperate or unlawfulmeafures for rel ie f . To the evil fpiri t , who{hall f ugge f’c that he hath the power and oppo r tuni ty o f removing his d it’tre fs, and that

the means , though irregular, are at hand ,he w ill reply by an

,

appeal to tho fe fac red

o racle s which prohib it a difi'

ruf’t in G od’

s

providence , and teach a fubmiflion to his

w il l which inculcate an abhorrence o f al l

f raudulent o r prefump tuous p ractice s , and

enjo in an unre ferved and implici t obedienceto that word which hath the prom ife of

e ternal life .

To the evil fugge f’tion which prompts toa prefumptuous reliance on God

’

s favour,and which , w ith pe rve rted appl icat ion of

fc ripture , would lead to provoke him , by

doub ting the demon f’trations of his power

and pre fence , and by requir ing far ther evidence than he has vouchfafed to give , hew i l l produce the uncorrupted wo rd of God

’

s

w ifdom 956. Should the pro fpeé

’t o f unbounded

p rofi t be d ifplayed as the pro ffered reward of

his bowing down to evil, he will, w ith in

SeeWhi tby on Matt. iv. 7 .

dignation,

D I S C O U R S E n . 4 1

~d ignation , rej ect the bribe , con fcious, thati f a man fhould gain the who le world, and

l o fe his foul, he has bartered for the pr ice o f

m ifery and that as he canno t ferve two

mafi e rs, he mn i’c w or fh ip the Lo rd his G od,

who has an exclufive claim to his adorat ionand ob edience .

Such were the convict ions, as far as theyhad re fe rence to an uncreated be ing, wh ichfi rengthened our Mail e r, who is i n heaven,fi rmly to repel the attack s of that enemy

whom he bruifed . Such we re the confidera

t ion s which encouraged his d ifc iples to wrefl leagainf

’r princ ipalitie s , againft powers , againfl:

the rule rs o f the darknefs o f this world,againf

’t fpiritual w ickedne fs in high place s i f ,

to wande r , l ike him , de ftitute and affl icted,to fuppor t labours, fi r ipes and imprifonmen t,

in journeyings o f ten “

in in per ils o f waters, inf ore ign and dom e f

’cic dangers , in wearinef s

and pain fulnef s, in watchings o f ten , in hungerand thiri’t , in fail ings o f ten, in co ld and

nakedne fs, in inceffant cares for the churcheswh ich they planted as apo f

’tles and martyrs

f or the propagation of the faith which theyhad rece ived .

Ephef. vi . 1 2 . 1~ 2 Cor. xi . 26— 28

4 2 D I S C O U R S E H.

The fame confideration s Ihould likewife

an imate us to a l ively and un iform obed ience .

No views o f prefent grat ificat ion, no feduc

t ion of fenfual pleafure {hould be fuffered to

interfere w ith the high purpo fe and defign

o f our exil’cence . No circum f’rances of pre

fent affl ict ion fhould tempt us to fo rfake the

patien t and perfevering fubmifl i on which weowe to the div ine w ill . Ne ither t ribulat ion,nor d iftref s , nor pe r fecution , nor fam ine , nornakednef s, nor per il, nor the fword, fince thefufferings of

(

this pre fent time , are not wor thyto be compared w ith the glory wh ich {hallbe revealed in u s . Where the temptationsare fi rong, and the fie lh is weak , there , ifwe feck, fhall w e ob tain affifiance f rom him,

who in all things was tempted like as we ,

yet w ithout fi n However powerful the

e nemy w ith whom we con tend, G od, if we

ferioufly incl ine to him, and fol icit his graceagainfl: the evil craf ts and afi

‘

aults of the

devil, w ill fhield us from danger for G od is

faithful, fays the apofi le , and w ill not fuff er us to be tempted above that we are able,but w ill, w ith the temptation alfo , makea way to e fcape, that we may be able to bearit ' fo that by the fuccefsful tr ial of our

faith,

In s C O U R S E IL a

faith , we may be found worthy o f the in

heritance o f that crown wh ich is preparedfor thofe live and die the Lord.

D I S

D I S C O U iR S E III.

QN THE POOL OF B ETHE SDA

JO H N v . 6 -

9 .

When jh 'w him he, and hnew that he

had heen now a long t ime in that caf e, he

s z

'

th unto him, i'

It thou he made whole

The impotent noon e rg/”

wen ch hz'

tn, S ir , I

have no man when the water is tr ouh/eld, to

put me into the pool hut while I amcoming

another fiep‘heth down hef or e me. ye/itr

fizz’

th unto him, Rif e, tohe up thy heo’, and

wolh. And immediately the man we ; made

whole, and took up his heat, and walhed.

H E c ircumfiances o f the miracle aboverelated are of very peculiar and im

portant con’

fide ration . The account, asmoref ully given by the evangel if r, is interelting,

not only from the pr inc ipal fubjeé’t and event

which it defcribe’

s, but f rom fome particalass

D I S C O U R S E III.

lars referred to , as i t were , inc identally .

I t is the charaé’ter o f facred hif’cory to in

volve , in its concife relations, many fummarypo ints of a fi riking and infi ruétive nature,

which , howeve r conneéted w ith the mainpurport and defign, are to be confidered as

having a fepa rate and intrinfic value . In the

account o f St . John here alluded to, the

fl igh t ment ion which is made of the pool ofBe the fda mufi: fugge f

’t to our refleétion much

fubjef t for ferions enquiry and the conclufions which may be drawn f rom an exam inat ion of this fubjeét , mufi tend to confirm

the author ity‘

of other remarkable relations

in fcrip ture . It 18 the e ffeé’c of truth to becOrrefpondent i n all its parts . The grace of

confifiency br ightens th rough every page of

facred hif’rory . If it be feen in the entire

and conne f ted harmony o f the plan, it likewife o f ten burfi s with unexpeéted luftre f romits m inute and cafual reports .

The hi ftory o f the miracle which i s nowt o be confide

’

re

'

d , in its firfc afpeét, bearst eftimony to the accounts which are given inthe Old Te f’tament , of God

’

s m iracul ousgovernment o f the Heb rew nation . It leadsus l ikewife to conclude, that the Open and

vifible

as D I S C O U R S E tn .

the word tranflated ange l , which may implye ither a celef’tial , o r an human me ffenger

whence fome have fi rangely imagined, thati t impo rts here , fimply an human agent, de

p uted by the high priefi , or council o f t he

Jews , who {tirred the pool , into whichm igh t be thrown the entrails o f beaf ts fac t iheed and o ther things, which they con

ce ive m ight commun icate a falu tary influenceto the water . But i t canno t eafily be ad

m itted, «

that any o rdinary means could impart foch powers to water, as to render itinfiantaneoufly efii cacious to the removal ofall d ifo rders . Whereas , in the pool defcr ibedby the evangelifl , the water was . un ive

e fficac ious, though defin ite and re l’tr ié

’ted as

to its extent 5 a lim itat ion made , doub tlefs,w ith defign to keep al ive a conf

’tan t fen fe of

God ’

s provid e n c e , and to prev en t any rel iance (in the water as in itfelf operat ive .

The e ffeé’ts of the poo l awere

‘

no t therefore

Hammond on chap . v . o f John . The ophyl . p . 62 3 .

Ed i t . Par . Chryfo ft. c . xi i i . 3 2 . The e ntra i ls o f the

beall s facr ificed were not waf hed in thi s pool, but in an

apar tment o f the temple, called Conc lave Lavant ium.

(

V ide Cod . Middo c . v . ii . i i i . and if they had beenwafhed in it, what v i rtues could they polfe fs or exc i te 3

c o u n s n im w

d er ived from any inherent pr inc iple s, m ineralo r medicinal , no r f rom any fanative prope r

t ies infufed into the wate r by natural mean s .

Frequen t and falutary are the fpr ings thatflow, w ith avail ing powe r, in var ious parts ofthe

‘

earth . By the fecre t chym i f’try of na

ture , are prepared water s that i ffue aroundus with abundant and enl iven ing influence ,'

bu t each has its fpec ific l im ited e ff eéts , and

13 impregnated w ith p ri nciple s favou i able ,o r noxio us, as wel l, o r i ll applied . Thatwhich {hall b race the finews o f weaknef s,

w ill, perhaps , acce lerate the con fumption o f

decl ine and that which can purify the co r

rupted ve ins o f difeafe , may de range and

darken the b rightne fs o f the intelleé’tual

power . A s well m igh t Naaman have hopedfor rel ie f from the r iver s o f Damafcus , as the

d ifo rde red ind ividual apply to fi ream s, no t

empowered by Providence , to Operate again ft

his peculiar malad ie s .

In the‘

account he re confidered , we cannot

fuppof e, that only particula r infirm it ies werehealed , or that the agitation o f the waters

d id, by any natural means , ferve to promote"

their influence ; for the relation Prates, in uh

tef’trained terms, and w ith a precifion

’

, thatE i n

5 0 D I S C O U R S E 111.

in fcripture will admit of no qualified interpretation , that whofoeve r firfi , af ter the trou

bling of the water, {tepped in, was made

who le o f wha‘

tfoever d ifeale he bad . If ,

then , as i s mo lt reafonable, we fuppo fe thatthe water was miraculoufly defigned to

'

epo

rate by its cfi'

eéts‘

m the mo lt di f’tingui fhed

manner and farther, in confiftency’

wi tli'

the

general‘

fiyle of fcripture , underftand, by the

angel, a divine mefiénger, exprefsly de legated for the benefic ial purpofe of conveyingthatm iraculous power i t ,we mufi immed iatelyacknowledge ; that a confpicuou s demonf

’tra

t ion o f div ine prov idence was daily made forthe feafon of the paffover, at leaft to the

at Some think, that no vifible angel appeared,“

but thata mi raculous e ff eét be ing produced, an ange l Was {up

pofed, agreeably to the Jewifh notions, to be the agent . .

‘

1 Whitby, a fter St. Chryfo l’tom, is o f Opiinon,

- that

this cfi'

eét of the pool was experi enced only dur ing a_

?fea

(on male; Koapdv, and, probably, at the t ime o f the palli

over . If thi s be adm1tted, it will furn ifh an add1tional

p re fumpt ion, that the v i rtue wasmiraculo ii fly i ni paf tedto the water . ,

N o exprefl i on co rréfpondent to “ 3a cér

'

;

ta in feafon was to be found m three Lat in copies .

fpoken o f by Calmer nor is there any thing equivalentto t he words in the Coptic and other verfions “ See

‘Vhitby and Pearce

D I S C O U R S E 111. 5 :

Jews ; and we perce ive a confifiency in the“

d ivine proceedings , as defcribed by fucce flivehifiorians of diff eren t v iews, by prophetsand evang

’

el if’t s, by Hebrew and Chrifiian

writers .

The Hebrew nation being immediatelyfubjeéted to the

/

divine gove rnmen t, a d ifplay

o f the e fpec ial interfe rence of G od was fre

quently and confid en tly made . Public mirac les were performed by appo inted agen ts andprophets ; divine infi ruétion was commun icated by human organs, and vi li ble aétions

were executed by ange ls and heaven ly m inift ers . Accufi omed to the fe manifet’tations o f

God ’

s aétual in terpofition, the-Jews witne ff etd

them w ithout amazement, and fometimes

w ith indiff e rence . Even i n,the early per iods

o f the ir hifiory, we find them heedle fs, and

unconcerned a t the token s o f God’

s imme~

d iate attention to them ; or , at leaf’t, if

roufed occafionally by the ir portentous d ifplay, foon forge tful of the ir de lign and imtent ion Evenwhen the thunderwh ich announcedthe divine pre fence awakened fears, or the ac

knowledged ev idence of a divine comm if fion

excited refpeél: to God’

s

/'

agen ts, the e ff eét

was tranfient . Though the long l ine of theE 2 pro ,

5 D I S C O U R S E 111 .

poophets had fin ithed abo te three cen turie s

before the preaching o f the Bapti tt, and

though the oracular in fi ruf tions convey ed bvthe Ur im and Thumm im, and the m iracu

lous fire that con tumed the tacri fi ce s , had

probably cea i e d long be fore the birth o f

Chrif t , y e t , f r om the par ticulars in troducedin the evangelic d accoun t . which f ugge ttedthete remarks, cs vve il as f rom o the r

par ts of

l cripture , there i s re: to l uppo l e , that the

d iiplav c t G od 3 ag ency had not ter

m in11 :t i: and it is probable , that the eti

'

ef t

p roduced by cur Sav iour '

s m intcl 5 wo ul d

have be e n more confiderahle it manife fted

to a people who had been unaccuf tcmed to

the li ght o f fupernat'11d works . If , w e may

11 13 111 im itat ion o f Chr ir'

t’

s genera l repro a ch

l i l i lfl l t the ol ind obi t inacv of t ne Jews , If

the works which w e cone in l en d -w e

1

would b 1 r e re.. rp n ted in f ackc lo th and

Jofusaihes . If healed the ti ck , the

indeed , i n the pre rogati ve o f the ir own

po e r ; but pe rv er tenets te li o 111 at tends to

- cc . If Jetus ha d rail ed the de ad ,

E l ijah =c; re iEored the w idow '

s fun ; and

even

D I S C O U R S E III. 5 3

c'

ven the bones o f E lifha had revived himwho was buried in his fepulchre ? It t e

quired difcrim ination and j udgment to redeét,

that Chrift perfo rmed m iracle s in his own

name, and w ith the man ifefi ation o f a d ivinepower, afi

’

umed author ity that G od onlycould c la im :

S t . John is the 011117 evangel ifl who de‘

fcribe s the m iraculous c ircumfiances of the

pool of Be thefda 17 , (o r o f the houfe of mercy,

wh ich the word fignifies ) ; and we may

therefore no t unfair ly pre fume, that i nch, o r

fimilar efi‘

eéts o f God’

s power, were no t 1111

common . S t . John himfelf mentions themonly c-afually, as connected w ith the b ill oryof the m iracle wh ich he re late s ; a nd o therfacred wr iter s omit them, w ith many o ther

important c ircum ftances, wh ich the vo lumeso f the w o rd would no t con tain . St . John[pe ks o f the poo l o f Be thefda fl ightly, as a

place we ll known , as a par t icular of contem

porary exif’tence , of which enquiry m ight

2 Kings x i i i . 2 1 .

”r St . John, who di lates par t icularly on the proofs of

Chr ifi’ s d ivine nature, was t .. e evange li i’r fr om Whom {o

fi rong a demonf zration of that d iv ine natur e m ight moft

naturally be expect ed.1

34 D I S C O U R S E‘

HL

a fcertain the truth , and invo lve s its defcript ion w ith the circumfiances o f a miracle«which mull have been j udged un true , if anyaffer tion relative to it had been found fict it ious and no reafonable doub t can be enter

tained o f the commun icat ion of fuch_

.mira

culons powers to the pool, though they{hould no t appear to be mentioned by anyro ther 936 than the facred writers.

at 2 Kings xvm . 1 7 . Nehem. i i i .‘ 1 5 . Jofephus,i ndeed, fpealés o f two poo ls o r baths, under the term

Koxuncnepa , ufed by St . John, one o f » which was in, o r

-near Je rufalem, the o the r in the c i ty, and, by fome,

fuppofed to be tha t o f Be the l'

da . B e ll . Jud. L . V . c . i i i .2, and L ib . V. c . iv . 2 . It fhould be remembered,

however, that Jo fephus e i the r never wrote the full ac

count‘

o f j e rufalem and its walls,which he promifed,

and in which a de fcr iption o f B ethefda mi ght have beeno r i f he did, the wo rk is lo ft. The hii

’ror ian

might, indeed, have defignedly omi tted to defcr ibe the

poolf a‘

s it would have na turally led him to {peak o f a

mi racle o f Chrift . T e r tulhan fays, that thepoo l o f Be

thefda, which, t i ll the adven t o f Chrii’c, cured difo rde rs,

c eafediits blefii ngs when the Jews perfified in the chil i

nacy o f the i r madnefs in blafphem ing the name o f our

Lord. T e rtull . cont . Jud . c . xui . and there fore it was,

perhaps , no longe r extant, o r operat ive, in the t ime o f

'

Jo fephus . The reputed pool was ihewn at Jerufalemwhen Maundrell was there . See Maundi ell

’

s Journey,P. 1 07.

5-6 r m8 c 0 U a s E III.

‘

waters; d ivid ing the waters wh ich were under the firmament from the waters .whicljg

were above the firmament, d ifplayed i ts efii

cacy w ith equal pra ife when it founded a

firm and immoveable religion , which flaouldbe the boundary between exal ted righteouf -y

n efs and the floods of wickednefs, and on

which the power s and act ivity o f the . foulthould be employed w ith adequate indufi ry,and Wi th e ffect , corre fpondent to the exer

t ions of our‘ bodily powers on the mater ial

world The fame fpirit which moved upon

the face o f the waters, and gathered theminto one collect ed mais, ro ll ing by appo inted,laws, and governed by e i’rabl ilhed influence,exhibited its exifi ing omnipo tence in the

perfon of Chrif’r, when he commanded the

ftormy wavle s to ' ecafe , and they were filen t,

according to his wo rd . Shall we continuethe paral lel , and remember, that when G od

L e t the earth bring fo rth grafs, the

herb y ieldi ng feed, and the frui t tree yie lding f ruit af ter his kind , who fe feed is ini tfelf ,

”he fli ewed a part only of the fame

benevo lent w i fdom , which , when difplayed,w ith counte rpart e ffect, in the perfon of Chr ift,commanded and infiruéted the immater ial

world,

D I S C O U R S E 111: 57

World, t hat it might br ing forth its f rui ts ,and teem , with productive fulne fs , which,fl i ould {well under the divine influence , and

be r e frefhed by the divine grace , whichfhould o ffer up the f ragrance o f its produce

t i ons to that heavenly light that called,forth a nd enlivened the ir growth . D id the

lights that at the firf’t creation were placed inthe firmamen t , to d iv ide the day f rom the

night , and that were to be for fign s and

far feafons, and for days and fo r years;

more e v’ ince the operation o f a d ivine powerthan d id the appo in tmen t o f tho

'

fe {e lectedminii’rers who were comm ifiioned to feparate

the darknefs of paganifm f rom the l igh t of

chri i’rianity ; who fhould fpre ad wide the

glory o f the ir efiulgence who {hould be for

figns and demonftrations of the d ivine goodnefs whofe memor ials fhould be regifi ered in

reco rds o f celebration , and who le examplefhould be le t on high for the adm i ration and

direct ion o f mankind .P If , laf

’cly, G od had

created man in his own image, and breathedinto his no f

’rr ils the breath o f life , Chri fl:

evinced his partic ipation of the fame power

when he rai fed up the lifelefs f rame, and re

called

5 8 D I S C O U R S E - Mi .

called to ’ it the an imation of that fpirit’

which

had expired and departed .

f Of the'

inefli cacy

'

o f human art to refiore

that which hath perifhed, we all

mutt acknowledge , the conviction . A’

f t‘

et

ages of re fearch, and‘

af ter‘

accumula‘

tion ~o f

fuccefii ve remark af ter'

all that can be learntf rom the collected deduct ions of exper ience ,we can as ye t but alleviate, upon unce rtainp rinciples, a few of tho fe di forders whichweaken the f rame , and fap the confi itution

o f man . We may cafually prolong the flame

o f l ife , and perchance , by j udicious appl ication, invigo rate the finews of declin ingfirength . But flow are the

’

m eans, and pref

car ious is the fucce fs . To Chrift only, and

to the appo inted minif’rers of G od, d id i t

belong, by a word , to brace the witheredf rame , to rev ive the deadened fenfe , and -to

t e—ef tabl ifh the powers o f intellect deranged.

“

Le t us mark the te itimoii ie s of a heaven lypower in the c ircumfiances of the miracle thatdemands on rp re fent attent ion . Let us contem

plate the affeéting fp eétacle o f a man afil iéted

w ith an i nfirmity of e igh t and thir ty years,exhauf

’red by continued fuff erings, and har

r afi’

ed , for a long t ime, by repeated difappo intment

D I S C O‘U R‘

S E : 111. 5 9

poin tment,o f obtaining that relief whichawas

daily fnatched f romhis reach , by fome more

fortunate compe titor . See him wi thin a f ew

yards‘

of that fuccour wh ich no f r iendly handwould afii ft him to procure , . and, witlr our

Saviour,gwe-mufi compafii onate his impotent

attempts to enter the ,

troubled poo l . Thus,he lplef s and w re tched , he was pecul iarly an

object to engage the attention o f that Godwho confiders the un fupported 3 and whenf ‘~ Jefus faw him l ie , and knew that he had“ a be enu now a long t ime in that cafe; he

faith unto . him, Wil t thou be 1made“ in whole Under fuch c ircumfiances , to

be afked i f he would be made whole , wasto hear

‘

words thr ill ing and awakening indeedto

-

the ears o f m ifery, long unacgufi omed to

the vo ice o f fuccour, to the offers o f confo

Jation . It was to hear founds that mufi havep ie rced to his very foul . H e , however, in a

tone o f no impatience , related his fimple andintere f

’t ing cafe , defcribing himfelf at the

brink o f the health ful water, baffled, in re

iterated a ttemp ts , w ith no man to afii i’r himin shis i helplefs fiate . And inftantly , as not

flow to mercy, Jefus faith unto him, Rife,take up thy bed, and walk. Speaking then

60 D I S C O U R S E III .

as one having autho rity, and no t as the

fcrrbe s , in a tone o f power unc ircumfcribed

by human lim its , uncontro lled by earthlylaws , and enjo in ing to the fu ffere r a conduét

which Ihould bear a public and ftriking tefti

mony o f the mercy which he h ad’

received,

commanding him to prove his recove red

fi rength, by carry ing that Which had {ups

por ted his weak and recumben t l imb s . In

conform ity to the command , the man imme

diately was made who le from a di forder,

wh ich , in i ts confirmed Prate, admits o f nocure f rom human afii f tance i t ,

~Was no t fuch a m iracle fo wrought a fuffic ient te ftimony of the truth of Chrifi

’

s

pre tenfions Could ought but a divine wordoperate a cure fo initantaneous and effectualIt is defcribed, by the evangelif

’t , with the

utmo ft fimplicity . Such i t m igh t havebeen conce ived was a work , that if men had.

held their peace , the very {tones woul dhave cr ied out . But what faid the Jews

to a m iracle fo ftupendous ? In the fpirit-

of

“6 V ide Barthol in . de Paralyt ic , M . VIII . L . vu .

p . 338 . It is probable, that the diforde r ftyled by St .

John a oéevs za , was a confirmed paralyfis . See Matt. ix

6. where the fame direétion is given to a paralyt ic .

perverfe‘

D I S C O U R S E III. 6 1:

perverfe and childifh-

obfervation , they overlooked’

the greatnefs of the wo rk , and cavilled,with petty obj ect ion , at its circumftances .

Many of Chrift’

s benevo lent m iracle s wereperfo rmed publicly on the fabbath - day, as i f

expre fsly to intimate , t hat it fhould be d ift ingui fhed by deeds o f mercy, and that the

day confecrated to G od ihould be markedWith the proo fs of benevo lence to man . The

fabbath was that day which the Jews hallowedwith well founded adm iration, but w ith a

fuperltitious ob fe rvance, prejudic ial to , a nd

fubverfive o f that '

fp iri t o f re l igion , whichGo d ’

s commandment was intended t o exc ite .

To their baity obj ect ions , that his co nduct

was illegal it , the r e i’rored paralyt ic anfwered,that he who had made him whole, hadcommanded him to take up his bed and

walk, not doubt ing tha t he ‘who could p erform fuch a m iracle had fuff i cient au thor ity

“

to jufi ify a depar ture f rom the fi rict obfervance

of the fabbath . The Jews, mo re eager ‘to

condemn than to praife and admire, enquiredo f him, What man is that which fa id ~untothee, Take up thy bed and walk P” But

N ehem. xi i i . 1 9 . Jerem. xvu . 2 x, 22 .

62 D I S C OU R S E 111.

he that was healed could’

not then gratifythe ir ill - d irected curiofity, for he wift

not who it was,”fmce Jefus ‘had conveyed

himfelf away from the mult itude , feekingthe convict ion o f reflection, and no t the

murmurs o f popular applaufe .

The m iracles of Chrift were defigne’

d

ch iefly to promo te the fp iritual benefi t o f

mankind . This was as e ff ectually confulted

in - the cure o f one difordered per fon, placedin fuch helplefs C i rcumftances, as i i t couldhave been, had he extended his afii itance to

o thers, who , probably,'

Waited at the p oolfor the time when they {hould profi t by the

appo in ted means o f recovery .

‘Attent ivefarther to the higher interefts of him whomhe had thus fignally

’

ferved, and knowingthat the mind, when roufed by great even ts,and — fof tened to grat itude, by experiencedmercies, was rendered "

fufceptible o f goodimprefii ons, Chrift faid unto him in -

the

temple, where Jefus, with accuftomed p iety,and the paralytic, with awakened gratitude,repaired, Behold, thou art made who le;fin no more , le ft a worfe thing come unto

‘

thee .

64 D I S C O U R S E - III .

bath , but faid alfo , that G od was h is .Father *,

making himfelf eqhal with .E rom thisit appears, that the jews unde rf’co

'

gd the

ture of Chrifi’

s pretenfions, and the ,impo rt

ance o f the character which he afl’

umed .

They were aware , that he who fo emphati

cally f’tyled G od his Father, did make himfelf equal in maje fty to G od , and Je fus, con~

fi rm ing the ir apprehenfions,' faid, Ve rily,

ver ily, I fay unto you, the Son can do no

thing of himfe lf but what he ~fee th the

Father do for what things fio ever he doth ,tho fe al fo do th the Son l ikew ife the

Father loveth the Son , and ifhewe th,him

all'

things that himfelf do th . rThat is,

the Son o f G od, begotten of the Fathe r , and

partaking o f his nature , could do nothing of

himfelf but what he knew to be confifi ent

with the Father ’s work . A s the Son, he

acted in unity} and invariable agreemen t , withthe Father In conform i ty o f action, as f romcoinc idence o f w ill , fo r the Father love ththe Son . In correfpondence o f Vi ews, as the

In a pecul iar manner his Fathe r, as the iexprefl i on

imports Il a /spa £31011 sk ews r ov ! s ov, comp . w i th Rom”

. v i i i .3 2 . Matt . xxv i . 63— 65 . John x. 3 5

—38 . Hence did

the Jews, for this affumption, accufe him of blafphemy.

on

b i sc OU R s n m. 65

Son witnee th the ~defigns of the F ather ,

who Ihewe th him al l t hings t hat he do thand he w ill fhevwhim,

adds our .Saviour,

greater wo rk s than the fe , that ye maymarvel .” He w ill d ifplay higher attri~

~butes o f the godhead . in the pe rfon o f the

Son , which may exc ite the admiration o f theworld . For as the F athe r raife th up the

d ead, and quicke ne fh them ,. even ‘fo the Son

quickene th whom he w ill . ‘

E ven the greatand exclufive power o f G od * , tha t of re

f fioring the depar ted fpirit, and o f raifing up

the lifele fs f rame , eVen that doth the Son

partake w ith equal . and undivided authorityand {till farther, the righ t o f judging all men

is afl igned as the pecul iar and dif’ringui lhed

privilege of the Son , who d ied in atonement

for the fins of mankind, and whofe f riendlyand merciful regard for the ir intere f’ts mutt

render him the mo lt accep table Judge ;For the Father judge th no man, but hathcommitted all judgment unto the Son,

that all men fhould honour the Son evenas they honour the Father . He thathonoureth not. the Son, honoure th not the

Father which hath fen t him .

Deut. xxxh . 39 . I Sam. ii . 6 . Rom. iv. 1 7 ,

Sudice

D I S C O U R SE III.

Suffice i t thus to have fhewn, by an appeal

t o one of thofe works which bear witnef s ofChrif’t, that he was verily, and indeed, the ap »

po intedMeffenger of G od . Suffice it to havemain tained, that the m iracle o f Be thefda,

f ur

n ifhed a glor ious tefi imony o f the divinecharacter of Chrifi ; that, in Oppofit ion to

the fe who have had recourfe to myf’cical and

allego rical expofition, its l iteral in terpre tat ionreflects glo ry on God

’

s gove rnmen t 5 and lafi ly,

fuffice i t to have infi f’ted, f rom the words of

Chrifi , that he who could no t de ceive , and

who difplayed the powers of the Father ,though t i t not robbery to lay claim to equalhonor with the Father .

D I S C O ‘

U Ris E IV.

- In a confideration, however, o f the fcrip

ture re lations, i t is o f ten nece ffary to advertto contemporary circumftance s , and

“

del ibe

rately to‘

reflect on the impor tan t defigns 0G od in communicating a reve lation by hisSon . It

'

appears, that our Saviour, in the

execution of his benevolent miniftry, whenemployed in healing the difeafed , and in

counteracting the various affl ictions to wh ichmankind were expofed, did particularly man if eft his power and his mercy

‘

in de l iver ingthofe who were po ffe if ed of evil fp iri ts ; buon no occafion did he more expref sly demon

:Pcrate his divine attr ibute s thad in the p

f ormance bf that miracle o f which we are

about 'to exam ine the ‘

circum ftance s, af ter we

{hal l have taken a View o f ~fome particularswhich mayjten

’

d to'

illuftrate the account,

It may be ‘

collected f rom many paffages,

both in the Old tie and -N ew Teftamen t ffthat .prev

‘

ioil ily to‘

the creati“on“ ‘

of‘

the world,

G en . In. L Chron . xxi . 1 . Job i . 6, 7 .

Z echar . i i i . 1— 3 . Ifaiah xiv . 1 2— 1 5 .

T 2 Pe t . 11 . Jude v i . 1 John i i i . 8 . Ren t 11.

7—9 . Ephe f . i i . 2 . iv. 2 7 . I Theff . u . 1 8 .

i

Re’

vr xx.

2 . J ames 11. 1 9 .

i

1 Tim. i i i . Orngen‘

Hap: apxm

L . I . c . vi .

D. 1 s t: ow n-

s E W . 69

fdn’

i ev f uperiorl'

b e ing; «Who - h’

ad departedfrom his obedience to

,the Almigh ty, had

be en condemned withf "thefe a ffociate fp irits,

who,had,

been’

~feduceda to a fimilar mi fcon

duct, to depart f rom‘

the pre fence of G od,and to forfe it that glor ious fe licity which hehad enj oyed; for a Itate of guilty difquictudeand mifery .

‘ Concern ing the mo tives and

circumftances o f this difobedience the facredwr iters have f urni fhed us with no informa

t ion . and no fatisfactory intel ligence can be

de r ived f romthe early traditions, or the my

thological fable s, which repre fent a createdbe ing to have revolted in bold' and x extra

vagrant defiance o f omn ipo tence . It is certainonly f rom the

’

unqueftionable accounts o f

revelation , tha t fuch degraded fpirit did exift ;that ‘he d ir ected his early malevolence againftman, the created obj ect of God ’

s favour ; andthat, f rom the t ime that Adam yielded to the‘

feductions of the tempter, his defoendants

became more obnoxious to the attacks of

the ir great enemy .

The title by which this apo ftate f fpirit is

nfually defcribed in fcripture is, that o f fatan,or. the devil, which .words, if not appropriateto, are emphatically applied to the great

edveh

7 0 D I S C O U R S E'

IVZ

adverfary o f mankind * This evil fpiri tappears to b e fufiered by the Alm ighty to

po ffe fs a refi rié’red influence over human

afi‘

airs . Thus far, fays the d ivine perm ifii on,{hal t thou go , and exe rt dom in ion over tho fewho have vo luntarily fubmitted to thy fway .

And fubject to the lim itat ions laid down by

that G od, who forme th the ligh t and

create th darkne fs , who make th peace and

c reateth ev il , who allo ts the c ircumPcance s and regulate s the temptations o f

menv

i“

, the dev il may be confidered as the

immed iat e caufe and infi igator o f that moral

and in tellectual evil that darkens the wo rd‘.That this evil power is con trolled and c ir q

cum fcribed w ithin certain boundaries, we

learn f rom the hif’cory of Job ’

s temptationBehold

,

‘faith the Lord, he is in thine

1 Chron . xxi . 1 . Job i . 6 . Matt . iv. 1 . xii . 26.

xxv . 4 1 . Luke x . 1 8 . John x i i i . 2 . Aé'

l s v . 3 . x i i i .1 0 . 2 Co r . x i. 1 4 . Ephef . vi . I I . 1 Thefl

’

. i i . 1 8 .

ame s iv . 7 . 1 Pet . V . 8 . Jude 9 . Rev . xu . 9 .

jufi inMartyr, Apol . I . p . 46 . D ial . II. p . 309 ,

316, 360 Ed i t . Thirlb .

1» The fcr ipture condemns the no t ion o f an indepen

{lent prul C lPlC pf evxl. l fa iah xlv. 7 . 1 Cor . xx . 1 3 .

hand,

7 2“

o ther , and '

uninfl rueted to difeern ith'

at the exam

ifi enee of evil w as a confequence o f”

the lapfe

o f " man; and permitted? only to an exten t

compat ible with the benevolent defigns o£

G od , and the ul timate we lfare o f mankindA s the period o f our Saviour

’

s prefence d rew

near, the power of the evil fpirit was demon - 3

fi rated w ith {till great'er effect, and ferved to

xhibit the necefii ty for the com i ng of thatLo rd who {hould bruife the ferpent

’

s head .

I f in the ambitious co'

nte fi s, and; 1n . the :un

refi rained depravity i f in the luft s , t hefal fhood and opprefl i on o f the heathen world ,

if in the ambiguous prevari cati ons of the.

Pagan o racles “ i, in the gro fs delu

'

fions of

G entile theo logy, a nd the fupe rf’ri tious ignorance of the Gen tile wo rfhip ; if

’

in thefe the

agency o f Satan was fli ewn , his power was

manifefi ed, only in a lef s degree among the

jew s’

, who had expe r ienced the pecul iar att ention of the Almigh ty e

r 5 and the perverfe

and ido latrous difpofitions, the rebell ious -ob :

fi inacy of thi s people , as wel l as the '

cor'

rup

t ion introduced in to the doétr i nes of their

s.

i L imbo rchf

s Theolog . Chr if’r. L . V . c . 3 5 .

3;1 Ki ngs Xk l l . a t . 2 Chron . Xvi l l . 1 9

4 - 2 1 .

rel ig ion,

D~I S C O U R S E IV'. 7 3

*

in firiking charaéters, the

a‘

é’civ

‘

ity o f a n evil power .

But for the more confpicuous demonfi ration t o f the Mefii ah

’

s glo ry, and fo r the

punifhment o f the w ickedne fs of the Jews;and o the r. nations , of which the meafure Was

now filled up, the d ireét influence o f Satan

Was”

f requen tly'

and fully, {hewn before the

advent '

o f b ur Lord . It appear s, f rom many

writers, facred and profane, that the devilswe re futf ered to maintain an open contro l

over the '

perfons o f men, and that the e ff eé’ts

o f the ir p ower Were fubjeéted to the e ftterhal

fen fe s and obfervation of mankind . Many

anc1entEHeathen wr iters mention dazmoniacs itas :perfons aétually po ffe ffed by evil fpi

‘

rits,

which fpirits the Heathens fuppo fe‘

d to be

the ' fhades or fouls of w icked men depar ted

E fchylus, Sophocles, and Eur ipides, fpeak of dae

momac s . In the days o f He rodo tus, infan ity was fappo fed

‘

fome time s to proceed f rom po ffefli on . L. VI .

and in the tune o f Hippocr ates, ep ilepfy was s e

tr ibuted t o the fame caufe . V ide dc Morh. Sacr :fl Dae

mbnology was a part o f the Pythago rean and,Platon ic

philo fophy. V ide Plut . de Placit . Philo l . L ib .V. c .

‘

1 .

C icero de D iv in. L . I . § 5 . c . 82, 8 7 . A ll ant i qui ty,indeed, bel ieved i n po ffe li i ons, except the followers o f

Democri tus, and the Sadducees among the Jews .

7 4. D I S C O U R S E N .

f rom this l ife o r be ings o f c ele f’tial o rigin,

and o f a rank in te rmediate between gods andmen

"it. jo fephus fpeaks of daemons, and

afcribes to Dav id and Solomon the power o f

cafting them out ; and fays , when treating o f

Solomon, that the devils, by him ejeéted,were the fp irits o f evil men I .

From the accoun ts o f this hifio rian , i t is

eviden t that the abfolute p re fence of fome

P lato Sympo s, p . 32 7 . Among the d i ff e rent for tso f de mons, o f whi ch the Heathen s be li eved the exrftence,

they fuppo fed fome to be o f an o r ig in fupe r io r to that o f

the human race, and wo r i’

hipped them wi th fea rful deprecat ion. V i de Apule ius de Deo Socrat . p . 686, 687.

Ed i t . Delph. Plutarch‘

de Plac i t . Phi lo f . L . I . c . v i i i .de Defeél . Orac . p . 4 3 1 . Tom . II . Ed i t. -Par . . La&an

t ins tells us , that T r ifmeg iii us called daemons ev i l ange ls,aware that they had been c e le fl ial be ings . Mede ma in~

ta ins, that the He athen theo logi fts adm i tted the exitl e nc e

o f a k ind hf dxmon s mo re h igh and fublime than tho fe

which had b een the fouls o f m en ; daemons who were

f rom the beginn ing, o r w i thout beg inni ng, always the

fame,and whom he fuppo fes to anfwer to the fp i r i tual

power s which we call ange ls . B . III. c . iv. 1 Cor .

mu . 5 .

i Ant i q . L . v i . c v i i i . $ 25 c . xi . § 2 . L . VIII.

c . i i . 5 . L i b . VII. 0 . vi . 3 . Matt . xn . 2 7 .

H i e ron f i n Loc .

1 ~l o fephus attr i bute s the fame powe r l ikewife to

E leaz a r, a contempo rary, whom he r epre fents to have

ejcéi ed a dev i l in the pre fence o f Ve fpafi an, by ufing

the name of Solomon, and fome charms .

76 13 - 1 5 co U’

R-

‘

S E W.

nountrymen; it is probable that they often em .

xte rt‘

ained concept ions of higher fpiri ts thanthofe f Which had been releafedt f rom earthly,bodies : however, they: might imagine that:human fouls , of a depraved character, wereemployed l ikewife in tormenting mankind: aleand there is no fufii cient rea n to conclude,that hen they fpoke of Beelzebub, and his

angel s, and the prince o f the d evils, theymean t to defcr ibe the fhade s o

'

f mend " but

$ 1 CalmerDif t. A rt . Demon . G ro tius on Matt . v i ii .

i armer, after Jun eu, imag ines Beelzebub to have

been the fame as Pluto, and would lead us to fuppo fe ,that the Jews con fi dered him as the pr ince o f evi l fpi i it sbut Pluto was the ruler o f the infernal fp irits in general ;and if the Jews borrowe d the t i tle o f an Heathe n de i ty,

“

why fhould they be fuppofed to havexufed i t in a me re

r e fi riéted fenfe than it was employed b e fo re ? Or whyfhould they be thought at all to have adopted the mytho

logy becaufe they borrowed the name ? séc Farmer’ 3

L e tter s to worthingtoh, Let . II . p . 4 2 . note N . Selden

in forms, us, that the Heb rewmo numents repre‘

fent A fmodcus as the p1 ince of the demons, who was called alfeSaznael, which is appl ied as a proper name to the devil,11

1‘

no dece ived our hrf’t parents The prince o f the

C:aemons , and the feducer,were therefore the fame perfo'n .

\

‘

i n o ur Sav i our ’s reafoniiig likewife, Bee lzebub i s appa

re i1 1

t

h, reprcfented as the fame perfon wi th f atau,‘

the

po ll ate i t a ft er of the fallen fpirits. See Ma tt . .xii .

. D I S C .QU R S E W“

. 427

rather fi tfmaylb e firppofed ltha'

t'

they employed«thefe .t itle :s as tdefcript ifve

‘

o f evi l fipirit s : ing ene ral, and not

:a s i ’t rié

’tly

'

appropriaw jtmanyzpar ticular

t o‘lafs '

o r'd iitin <ftion to f i nvifibfle

be ings . The . rabbinica lmonoeits i concem in‘

sg”

the origia daemon s zlead to :no iprec i feza’

nd

Tatisfaétory accou nt“

o f the ropinions of ttheanc ien t JewseUpon

‘

the l fubjeét, and tfianne t

certainly1 be a llovved to i nval idate the 1

pmof s

wh ich demonf’rrate their dae li ef in tthe 1e frifience o f f uperior be ings .

‘OurfSav iour and his apofile si fpoke of i thefedaemon s in the popularContented with ejeétjing

‘

powers,-Whofe f fatfal

influence was ffo obvious, f theyuentered { into110 I

part iculari

di fcu'

fii on of 7the ir 11‘é‘ha‘raéter

and the e vangelical wr iters , twho afpeakvo f

d amon iacs as common f objeéts'

of attention,

characteri ze them'

only by f thei rs'

generalu ap“

pellations,3and by

Fa general defcription iofthe ir power, which , however ,matura

’

lly leads1

us'

to a i fuppdfi tion o f i thea étual in terferenceo f

“

evil fpit its .

That’

the -

ghofi s of

~1hould have been,_ perm itted to enter vinto . the

zbodies o f ra the r mortals fl andt .there, obyr a per

Tonal pdfl‘

efii oneharrafsaha. afilié’t'themy e an110 i:

$ 38 .,D I S C O U R STE IV.

not fnow be fuppofed , fince fuch a fuppofitiori

Would be as inconfifi ent w ith the accoun t 0~the 1ftate o f departed fp irits given i n fcrip

f ture as w ith '

the~

arguments which reafon

and reflect ion m ight fuggef’r But that /the

f allen fp irits m igh t be allowed to make fuchaétual d ifplay o f the ir malevo len t power isconfifi ent with the repre fentations o f the icharacter in the facred wr itings , and W ith . theacknowledged (e conomy of the divine government .

If ~the influence o f fupernatural power

We'

re really exper ienced 1n thofe h urtful ih

fi itution s v o f anc ient time s,

fufpeé‘ced to have prevailed , . it

.mufi

'

havebeen deduced from the inte rference of tho fe

degraded , fpi ri ts who directed the ir earli efi

e ff orts againi’t the peace of mankind . If the

Heathen oracle s w ere infp ired w ith mo re

than mortal knowledge , whence but f romthe powers of darknefs was that knowledg

der ived ? Mifiaken reverence m igh t confs

c rate l ts ido ls, and de luded wor fhip migh

direct its attent ion to the de ified ihades o

1‘ Luke xvi . 26 . I Pe ter i i i . 1 9 . Eccleff ix.

1

'

6

Job xiv . 2 1 . Farmer’

s Eflay on Daemon . p.

’

D i ffert. onM irac. p . 16 1 . Worthmgton, p . 1 7 1 .

80 D I SC O U R S E JV.

wonder and credulous rel iance of omankind it},

had o ugh t o f preternatural and m iraculouse ffect, and we re not merely the inventionso f impo f

’ture , they -muit /have been fupported

by the afii f’tance of fuperio r fpirits , who were

permitted to harden the obduracy, and to

c onfirm the delufions of a difobedient and

wayward people .

Leaving , however, the fe uncer tain and

precarious grounds , and confin ing ourfe lves

to the immediate obj ect o f enquiry, i t maybe maintained, that there are fufli cient proofs

in the gofpel , that the powers a nd minifi ers

of fatan did of ten pofiefs the bodies of men,

fometimes w ith confederate mal ign ity and

evinced the operation and efiicacy of'

theirpower by the f rantic geftures and , extravagan tf eroc ity of thofe whom they pofiefied .

I t‘

has been afferted, indeed, by wr iters of

confiderable em inence and learn ing i , thatthe

Juf’t . Mart. Apol. I. p . 83, 84 . D ial . P . I . p . 286,

P . II. p . 3 i8 . C lem . Alex . Coho rt. ad Gent i l . p . 5 2 .

Ed it. Potter . Eufeb . Ecclef . Hif’t . L ib. II. c . xxi i i .

1 Mark i i i . 1 5 .

11 V ide Plot inus, Ennead II. L i b . IX. c . xiv.

~Mede,

B . I. Difc. VI. Dodwell in Iren. L1b . l I . 1 7 5 .

Dr .

D I S C O U R S E IV 8 1

the d zmoniacs,“

mentioned in fcr ipture , were

p erfons affect ed only w ith ep ilept ic difo rde rso r w ith ~fome o ther fpec ies o f infanity, wh ichm igh t , i ndicate i ts e ffect s by the convulfive

mo tions and w ild demeano r of the patien t ;but though the div ine power o f Chrift wouldhave

, ,been fufii ciently demon f’trated by the

1.n ftan taneous cure even o f fuch d iforders,

and though p o llefii on was o f ten accompaniedw i th infanity, :ancl diforders i ntelleCtual

‘

and

bodily 95, it may be confiden tly main tained,

that the fcripture accounts treat o f actualpoflbfiions, and that the word daemon

whe ther it {hould be tranflated de vil o r no t,

undoubtedlyfome times applies to the fp irit

pofiemng the perfon, and no t to the af fl icted

Dr . Richard Mead,Dr . Sykes, Dr . A rthur Y oung, Dr .

Lardner . See Douglas’

s Cr i ter ion, p . 2 63 . no te . Boyle ’sLecture, fol . edi t . Vol . III . p . 2 65 . Fa1mer

’

s D1ffert .

on M irac . and Efl'

ay on Demon iacs .

9“ Matt xvu . 1 5 .

gr Amuwv muovtav. The Words imply a de i ty, goodor ev il.

1 Maxk v. 1 2 . ix. 2 2 . Luke vi i i . 2 9 . ix .

I

Cbr ill:

82 ~ D I S C O U R S E IV.

Chriftand his difciple s fpeak of dzemoniacs as

d iftinc’

t f rom lunatics or difo rdered perfons dethey addref s the daemon s as act ual be ings,podeffing the perfons o f m en 1

“

they fpeako f call ing out evil fp ir its f rom the bodies o fmen as d iftinct be ings It, and fome time s as

lim ited to a fpecific number The daemonsare repre fented, by the evangelifts, as per

form ing perfonal act ions, and as fpeak ing to

0m Saviour fome time s wi th clearer and mo re

perfect apprehenfions o f his chai acter thanhuman and diforde i ed perfons can be fuppofed

to have acquiredM.It has been before obferved, that . many

w r iters of Pagan and Jewi fh anti qm ty f up

pofed that dmmoniac s were perfons under the

influence o f human fpirits , difpo fed, and l1be

ratedhy the difib lution of human bodie s, to mif -ochicvous conduct . That the fuppofition was

i f Matt . iv. 2 4 . v i i i . 1 6 . x . 1 . Mark i . 32 , 34 .Luke vi . 1 7, 1 8 . V1 1 . 2 1 . mi l .

f Mark i . ix . 2 5 . v. 8 . Luke iv. 35 .

1 Mark i 2 6 . Luke x . 1 7, 2 0. Acts xix. 1 6.

Luke V111. 2 , 39 . Matt. v . 20 .

{1 Matt . v i i i . Mark v . 7 . Luke iv . 4 1 .

Mark i . 2 4, 34 . i i i . 1 1 . v. 7 .

8 er10nco 1as,

84 D I S C O U R S E IV

pr inc ipal, though , as in popular language , itwas no t nece fi

’

ary accurate ly to d ifcrim inate

in eve ry addre fs the fpirit f rom the pe rfon

po ii e if ed, the daemonized perfon is fome time s

fpoken o f by the evangeli ft as the organ of

the e vil fpiritIt has been difputed, whe ther the fathers

o f the four firft centurie s attributed po ffefii onas de fcr ibed in fcripture , and as they behe ldthem, to human fpirits, o r to the devil andhis ange ls ; and as the ir op in ions may be (up

.

pofed to have much we ight in afcertaining

the truth, it may be wo r th wh ile fhortly to

confider the que i’t ion .

It is un1ve rfally confe ffed, that thefe fathersbel ieved in the exiftence o f evrl fpirits of an

higher or igin than that of men and w e

haveat Mark v. 6— 9 . Luke xi . 1 4 .

C lemens Alexand . Pa d. L ib . III. e . 1 1 . p . 2 60.

Irenas . Hze res . L i b . II. c . v . T e rtull . Apol . c . xx i i .de Cult . Fscm . Laetant . A po l . p . 2 8. and c . xv . 1 1

,

1 5 . Tat ian . O rat. cont . m c . p . 1 4 8, 1 5 4 . Minuc .

Fe l ix, Impar t ial Enqui ry . Some

o f the fathe rs , it is true, en te r ta ined idle no t ions o f

the nature o f the demons, fuppof mg them enc lo fed in

fome thing o f an ae thereal mat er iali ty o f body, T er tul .

D m c o u a s n iv

have reafon to fuppo fe , that in general theya ttr ibuted the malignant e fficacy, di fplayedin t hefe po fie iiion s, to fuperior be ings , and

co n t. Marc ion . L ib . II . O r igen, IIspz apxwv, prmf . 8.

inhabitmg the den fe a 1r near the ear th, requir ing food,inhal ing odors

,and be ing nour i fhed with blood.

S ee On gen . Exho rt . ad Martyr . § 414 . p . 303 . Juftin

Ma rtyr, taking up, w i th o ther wr i ters, a not ion der ivedf rom j uda ical, o r apocryphal accounts, and pe rhaps o ri

g inally founded on a mif mterpre tat ion of a pafl’

age in

fcripture, [fee G en . vi . fuppofe s the demons, whofe

aé’tions are afcr ibed to Heathen de i t ie s, and who tor

mented mankind wi th fins and diforder s, to be the o ff

fpr ing o f tho fe angels to whom the charge o f human

a lf ai rs was commi tted, and to women, w i th whom they

had polluted themfe lves . Apol . II. p . 1 1 2 , 1 1 3 . He

repre fents them as { hut up in e ternal fire ; Apol . II.

p . 1 19 and c onfiders the fe rpent, or fatah , or the devi l,as the chief o f evi l demons ; Apo l . I . p . 4 6 . and, upon

a fuppofit ion tha t he was an apo f’tate fpirit, attempts to

g ive a der ivat ion o f his name ; erroneous, indeed, fromhis igno rance o f the Hebrew language . D ial . II. p . 360.

Mr . G ibbon affe rts, that it was the un iver fal fent iment,

bo th o f the church and‘

o f heret ics, that the demons

w ere the autho r s, the patrons, and the objeets o f idolatry.

Tho fe r ebell i ous fpir 1ts, who had been degraded from the

rank o f angels, and cafi down into the infe rnal pit, werePu ll perm i tted to roam upon earth, to to rment the bod ie s,and to feduce the m inds o f f mful men . In proof of whichhe r e fe rs to Jufi in Mar tyr, Laétantiu

s

,and Te rtulhan.

Decl ine and Fall of Rom . Emp . c . xv.

as D I S C O U R S E Etv.

no t to the depar ted fhade s o f men , in whofc

l icenfed interference they had no groundsto believe . Of the power o f the devil theyen tertained ferious apprehenfions ; they exo r .

c ifed and adjured him previoufly to baptifm ;

and upon a fuppofition of his prefence , re

f ufed the euchar if’t to daemon-iac s . St . Chry

fofiom, who oppofed the no tion that human’

fp irits became daemons, repre fents it as en

tertained by the meaner for t ”6 and the mul

titude e

k; eXprefii on s which , no twi thfiand~

ing the forced confiruétion s that have been“

put upon them i ,‘

feem to import that i twasan Opin ion held only by the lower claffes, andrej ected by the learned .

I t appears then , upon a general confidera.

t ion o f the fen timents o f ant iquity, as we llas f rom the obvious interpre tation o f the

f acred accoun ts, that there is fufli cient reafonto a ttribute the pofiefii on s, men tioned in

to the agency o f evil fpirits ; and

t his will be {till farther demon ftrated by a,

Hel l o; 7m: ogQDs l eyspwy. dc Laz. Ser . II. Tom. I.‘p. 7 2 7 .

y Torr Hol l ow,

4; See Farmer’

s Letters to Worthington, p. 7 1 , Z .

reti ree

88 D I S C O U R

'

S E'

IV .

that they compelled thofe whom they pof -Jfe lled, to the fepulchre s o f the dead : to place so f gloomy and feque f

’te red fol itude where

they m ight mo ft f ucce fs fullyiexercife the ir

dominion, and where they m igh t mof ’t pow

e rfully operate on the f ears of thofe who

cafually encoun te red them . The dark and

awful man ti ons of the dead, the {po ts to

wh ich the co rruptible remains of mor tal ityare confi gned, have ever been the fcenes

~which awaken the pafii ons, and arre i’t the

f ears cf mankind . I t is here that the con

fiderate reflect w ith fear ful and inftruét ive

m ed itat ion ; and it is here that the weak are‘

appalled w ith ind iftinét and e rroneous terrors .

By exerc ifing their tyranny am idi’c the depofi taries o f the dead, the minif’ters of Satan

confirmed the delufions o f tho fe who ima

gined that demons were human fp ir itsT,

and

i t In eaf’te rn countr ie s, fepulchre s we re generally in

the moft folitary and unf requented place s, where the

vapours o f infeEtion might be leaft injur ious . They

were fome ttmes hewn out o f rocks and mounta in s .

Jr Te r tull ian informs us

,that evil fpirits fometimes

e ndeavoured to delude men from the true doctr ine byaffert ing themfelve s to be men, in order to difl urb the

fai th o f a judgment and refurreél ion , but that af te r

wards,

D I S C OU R S E IV. 89

and thereby m i lled the atten tion ,and he igh t-2

ened the fuperf’t it ion s o f mankind .

A t the approach of Chrif’t , o f him who was

the expected vié’

tor o f the powe rs o f darkne fs , they who had terr ified o thers were

them felve s alarmed, and cr ied out, faying;What have w e to do w ith thee , Jef us , thouSon of G od ? ar t thou come h ither to torment us befo re the t ime , b efore the

judgment o f the great day

”?6 The devils,who were fenfible o f, and awed by the prefence of G od, imagined, that as he had ye t

d ifplayed no proo f s o f tr iumph , they had {til lt ime to harraf s and aff l ict mankind . Though ,w ith trembling conviétion,

they looked fo rward to the accompli fhment o f the predicfted.

curfe, as Chri f’t had yet given no demonftra

wards, overruled by the pre fenceo f d ivine grac e, thevr elué’tantly confe ffed the ir , chara6

’te r . T e rtulli an , de

An im . c . lv i i . which i s no t in contradiét i on, as Far

mer unjufi ly afli rms, w i th his forme r account, that

fome dzemons Vt ere the i ffue o f angels by the daughte rs

o f men, or that the Chr iftians could compe l daemons to

declare what they t ruly were , as finally he fays they did.

See Farme r ’s E ffay on Mi racles , p . 2 26 . See al fo

Chryfo il . de Lai ar . Tom . I . p . 728.

Jirde vi . 6. 2 Peter n . 4 .

9 0 D I S C O U R S E IV.

t ion of his final viétory over fin, they f’rill,w ith malignant exul tation, hoped to contriveagainf

’t the happinefs of man

it

And there was, a good way o ff , cont inues the evangeli ft, an herd o f fwine feeding .

The Jews were , by the precepts o f the Le

v itical law, proh ib ited f rom eating fwine ’

s

fie fh, or even f rom touching the ir carcaf efirfi and princ ipally, perhap s, becaufe it waschiefly offered up in ido latrous facrifices toH eathen deitie s i ; - and alfo , among manyo ther reafon s, becaufe it contributed to produce and aggravate the lepro fy : a d iforder

which then prevailed confiderably in the

eaf’tern countr ie s, and of which unclean d ife aife the Mofaic law, addreffed to a peoplee fpe e ially con fecrated to God ’

s fervice, incul

cated particular abhorrence .

I t doe s no t appear , f rom‘

the relation, for

whatIpurpofe thefe fwine were kept, as the

evangelifts furnifh no fuperfluous information.

4‘The dev ils be fought Chr ift that he would no t com

mand them to go out into the de ep, Luke v i i i . 3 1 .mean ing, probably, by the deep, a place allo tted to ev ilfp ir its . 2 Peter i i . 4 . Reve l . ix. 1— 2 . and Whitby.

f Levi t . xi . 7, 8. Deut . x iv. 8.

I l faiah lxv. 4 . lxv i . 3, 1 7 .

9 2 D I S C O U R S E IV .

To fuffe r o r to command ev il fp ir its todepart from men in to fwine , was fure ly a

work o f me rcy ; and i t mu ff be fupe r fluous

to obferve , that he who was Lo rd o f all

things had an unque ftionable r ight to d ifpofeo f the proper ties o f

‘

his creature s , as {hould

feem good to him ; nor can the captious andf rivo lou s obje€t ions o f tho fe who cavil at thed ecree , be though t to meri t aferrous refutat i on .

It is , at fi rf’t figh t, obvious to remark , thatby this ejeét ion of the evil fp irits , not by

exo rcifm s and fantaftic th ew, but by the

e fficacy of a word at, our Saviour demon

fi rated ,‘

as well the omn ipotence of h is con

t ro ll ing power a s the actual and perfohal

exif’tence of tho fe malignant be ings who boret e f

’timony to his godhead . The powers of

darknefs could no t w illingly o ff er up evidence‘to truth , nor

”

could they confp ire , w itheagernefs , to the ir own defeat , unlef s con

fi rained by an overruling powe r . H e then

lake o f T ibeu as, was fhewn as the place from which the{wri te we re prec ipi tated. Or igen . Com. i n Matt . p . 3 1 1 .

T om . 1. Ed i t . Hue t.

3"Matt. xxi i . 1 6. ix . 33 . Mark i . 2 7 .

D I S C O U R S E IV. 9 3

who , wh ile he exerted the autho r ity o f G od,

wa s acknow ledged by the dev ils as the Son

o f G od , mutt ver ily, - and indeed, have beenen ti tled to tho fe attr ibuteswhich he afi

’

umed .

The expre fs defign ,l ikew ife , o f Chr ift,

in comply ing w ith the requef t o f the de mons ,

wa , doub tle fs , to ev ince , in the mo ft ap p a

ren t and unquefi ionab le manner , the real and

po ft tive exi f’tence o f tho fe e vil be ings.who

labour for the de ftruétion o f the human race .

This m iracle may, therefore , be producedamong o ther par ts o f fc ripture to prove th

l iteral and ab fo lute operat ion of evil fp ir i ts .

The open e ffects o f the ir agency have, indeed , now ceafed . The firf’t fruits o f Chrift‘sviétory w ere to check and c ircumfcribe the irmal ignant power , making a [how o f themOpenly , tr iumphing over them on (o r by) his

c ro fs . The apoftles l ikewi fe , and the ir immediate fucce lf ors whofe m inif’try was

fignal ized

Tho fe who difpute the exiftence o f mi raculouspowers in the church, af te r the death of the apo ftles,

a re dr iven to a very fophiftical i nte rpre tation o f paffages

in the w r i t ings o f the apo fto lic fa the rs, and a re obliged tocont rad ié’c and inval idate what they admi t to be fi ro ng,

expl ic i t, and repeated atte ftations of many extraord inary

g i f ts

9 4. D I S C O U R S E IV.

fignalized by a m iraculous autho ri ty, wereinVef’ted with a power of contro lling and

expelling evil fp iritsI t appears, however, f rom the unan imous

teftimony o f the e arlier fathers , that for

three centur ies af ter Chrift the vifible influ

ence o f daemons was experienced ; and thatt ill the foundations of chriftian ity were fi rmlye ftabli fhed, and our religion coun tenanced,

under the protect ion of the fccular power f ,

no t

gi fts and miraculous powers which were publ icly exertedin Chrift i an churche s through each fucceeding age .

’ f

M iddle ton ’

s fre e Enquiry .

Luke ix . 1 . x . 1 7 , 1 8.

1 Whi lton colleé’ced te fl imon ies to prove, that the

power o f eXpellihg dmmon s r ema ined t i ll the m iddle of

the 4 th century. The chi e f drfii culty that embarraffes

tho fé who adm it the continuance o f mi racle s in the pr i

m itive church, is to afcertain the pe r iod o f the ir ce ffation .

It i s impofli ble to d ifpute the te ftimon ies o f the exiftenc'

e

o f mi raculous g i fts dur ing the three fi rft centur i es, unle fsw e ove rthrow all hii’co r ical e vidence whatever ; and

though falfe accounts ar e m i ngled w i th relat ions o f m i rac le s in the ath century, it is pre fumptuous to deny that

they w e re then performed Upon fome occafi ons . Doda

we ll fuppo fes them to have con t inued t i ll the t ime o f

Eufebius, who flouri fhed towards the conclufion o f the

3d century. W aterland feems incl ined, from the autho

r i ty

9 6 D I S C O U R S E IV

whom o ther exo rcifts, whom forcerers and

,charmers could no t cure i t

Ter tullian al fo , who l ived towards the conclufion o f the fecond century , in his Apology ,

addre ffed to the RomanGove rnment o r Prie ft

hood , o ff ers to t e ll the truth of chriftian ity,

and the fafety o f its difc iple s, on the power o f

Chr iftians , to ej ect evil fpirits . H e , in his de

f ence publicly challenges his adver farie s to produce , before the tribunals , any one po ffe ff ed o f ad aemon ; and defire s , that immediate death may

be inflicted on that unworthy Chr iftian whofhould no tbe able to compel the daemon to con

fcfs his charaé’ter ”

iv

. O rigen i atte fl s likewife ,

juil in Martyr, Apol . II . p . N 6 . D ial . Part II.p . 32 1 . l ren . L ib . l l . c . 5 7 . Eufeb . Hi ft . L ib . V.

c . Vi i .

1 T ertull . Apol . c . xxi i i . Minuc . Fel ix, c . xxvn .

Cypr ian ad Dona t . p . 3 , 1 3 . De Ido l. Van i t . p . 1 0 .

Lafi an t . L i b . II. c . xii . Farm e r on l‘vl iracles, p . 2 1 7 .

A n o rder o f men,c alled Exo rc ifi s, was e f’tabli fhed in

the p rim i t i ve church fo r the a dj ur ing o f evi l fpir its ; and

the real m i racles pe rfo rmed i n the name o f Chr i ft gave

ri fe to many fict i t i ous im i tat i o ns in later t imes .

i O t igen con t . C e is . L i b . I. 6 , 2 5 , 4 6, 67 . L . VII .

§ 4 , 67 . Ed i t. Pa r . Vo l . I . C lemen .,Recog . L . IV.

c . xxxn . xxxn i . p . 4 6 1 . Cyp r ian . de Ido l . Vani t . § 4 .

ivl inuc . Fe i ix . if; 2 7 .

D I S C O U R S E Iv. 9.I

that there were many perfons among the

meane f’t Chriftians, who, w ithout forcery or

magic, did, by prayer and fimple adj urations,ej ect dmmons ; adding, agreeably to the au d

thentic reprefentation s o f fcripture thatfo e ffi cac ious to this purpo fe was the name

o f Chrift, that it fome times a’

vailed whenemployed even by w icked men

"

fr

.

When , however, chrifl ianity was too firmlye ftabli fhed to need any extrao rdinary evidence,the external operation of evil fp irits appears

to have ceafed, as confequently the miracu

l ous powers which were nece ffary to control

the ir ferocity : they were led captive at the

departure of the appointed guardians of

at Matt . vu . 32 . Mark ix . 38 . Luke ix . 49 . xi . 1 9 .

S t. A ufl in indeed, and o thers, under ftand by the fons

here ment ioned the 70 difc iple s . Cypr ian . de Idol . Van .

p . 2 06 . ad Donat. p . 1 4 . Ed i t. Ox . Lactantius fays,that the follower s o f Chr ifl ejeéted ev il fp ir its by the

name o f Chr ift, and the f ign o f his palli on . See alfo

T ertul . ad Scap . c . i i . Theoph. ad Auto]. L . II . p . 87 .

Juf’t in Martyr thought that if any fhould exorcrfe dmmons

in the name of the G od o f Abraham, l faac and Jacob, i twould be e fficac ious, D ial . Par t II . p . 3 2 1 . and Irenz us

fays, that even Jews did ej ect daemons by invocat ion o f

God’

s name L i b . II . e . v . p . 1 23 . Matt. x i i . 2 7 .

1 Matt. vn . 2 2, 23 .

Chri fl’

s

98 D I S C O U R S E IV.

Chrif’t’

s church , and fuif ered to aifault man -c

kind’

only in thofe fpiritual conflict s for whichfpiritual pro tect ion is fupplied . The ir/ appa

ren t interference was fuppre ffed and the ir

p ublic defeat is fuppofed to have been more

f ully manifefted by the ceffation 1'o f tho fe

o racles, which , however notorious for eva

f i ve equivocations, are fome times reprefented

to have been in fpired w ith more than humanfagacity The memory, however, of the irOpen influence , was long retained ; and hascont inued, in every age , to {hew itfelf in the

t rad itionary f ears, and popular relations, of

all countries .

Among many eaf’tern nations, where fuper

fi itious ignorance hath built largely on the

foundat ions of truth , nothing i s, at this day ,fo common as a bel ief in diabol ical poffefl i onsand where, in Europe , is the country fo

philofophical and enl ightened as to retain no

veftiges, of a fimilar credulity jl

915 John xii . 3 1 .

4; Strabo, L ib . IX . p . 4 1 9 . Plutarch dc Defeét.

Orac . p . 4 1 1 .

‘

Rufeh. Praep . Evang . L ib . V. c . i .

I It {hould be obferved, that the learned b it p o f

VVorcef’ter has given fome countenance to the be l i e f in

polleil i ons

t oo D I S C O U R S E IV.

prehenfion and deftructive confidence . Froma con fi deration of the fcripture accounts, he

w ill d ifcard Sadducean incredul ity, and be

convinced of the actual exiftence o f mal ignant fpirits , who labour, w ith unremittedinduf’try, to the p rejudice of mankind . H e

w ill learn to f ear them no longer as fiends,pe rm itted in this world to terrify and torment

the bodies of men , but as concealed and in

f i dious enem ie s, who feck to e ff ect the e ter

nal perdition o f the ir fouls . H e w ill guardagainf

’t them where they are really dangerous .

Perfuaded that the adverfary, whom he fear~

e th, goe th to and f ro, fecking whom he

may inj ure and feduce, he w ill vigilan tlyfi r ive to defeat the purpofe : he will fuppl icate afii f’cance again fl: him, no t merely as

againft an evil principle , as they idly talk,who err, no t knowing the fcriptures, but asagainft a temp ter, by whom Chrift himfelf

was tempted ; as the fatal enemy, from

who fe whifpers ar ife the evil fugge ftion, and

the unholy thought * the with , and the

o ccafi on to fin q.

’

i f John x i i i . 2 , 2 7 . A él s i i i . 3 .

it I Peter v. 8 . 1 John i i i . 8 . Luke xxu . 3 1 .

M ark iv. 1 5 . d i ets xv. 2 Cor . i i . 1 1 . Ephe f . vi .

t a.

D I S C O U R S E IV.

Who , indeed, that meditates on the way

w ard propenfitie s, and finful appetite s, thato ccafionally allure , or precipitate the m ind toevil who that has felt the impul fe o f van ity ,o f avarice , o f ambition, the f uggefi ion s o f

anger, and the d ictate s of intemperancewho that, in pro fperity, has been feduced to

pride 5 and who that, in afil iC’tion, hath beentempted to de fpair, but muf’c

‘

perce ive , on

re flection, that he has been milled by the

arts and fugge ftions of the great adverfary of

mankindWho , likewife , that contemplates the pri

vate d iffenfions and hateful contefl s of fociety ;who that beholds the envyings , the frauds ,

the vio lence,the oppre flions and uncharitabledeeds, which mal ignantly combine againll:

the peace of mankind, but mull acknowledge that the fallen fpirit hath bufied himfelf in diffem i nating the feeds of d ifco rd and

m ifery among the fons o f men . Surely

an enemy hath done this an enemy ever

act ive to inflame the pafl i ons, and to aggra

vate the fugge ftions of a corrupted nature .

Again& the affaults i and evi l endeavoursof that enemy, we are in f

’truéted to pray, in

H 3 that

D I S C O U R S E IV.

that compendious form of prayer, which our

Saviour furnifhed and i t i s only by unre l

mitred vigilance, and by that afiifiance Whichis to be ob tained by prayer, that we can

e ff ectually counteract hisfucce fs w

k. i t is p ie tyalone, wh ich , l ike the harp of David, {halld ifpo ffefs u s of every evil quality . I t i s our

important interelt to cultivate the p rinc ipleso f rel igion, if we would raife up barr iersagain l

’c our dangerous and infidious enem ies .

If we clofe not every avenue againf’c the ir

accefs, we {hall gradually be depraved to a

refemblance o f thofe whom we abhor , and

be finally involved in the ir deftruétion I .

To e ncourage the grow th of Chri ftian pu

r ity, is to d ifcountenance the powers of darknefs . It 18 to put to flight thofewho , like]udas,would betray innocence to danger . It is to

qualify ourfelves hereaf ter to affociate with

That by 7 8 wovnpa, in our Lord’s Prayer, we are

to unde rf’rand the great adverfary of mankind, and not

me re ly natural and moral evi l, has been fuffic iently provedby commentato rs, and

,indeed, appears by the word o f

the text. V ide Matt . vi . 1 3 . and Dr . Lort ’s Treatife .

Matt x . 2 8 .

i

1 jamcs iv . 7 . I Peter i i i . 8.

1 2 Pe ter 11 . At. Jude 6 .

I

E ros ]

D I S C O U R S E V.

ON THE RE S URRE CT ION .

For E A S T E R D A Y .

P A R T I .

L U K E XX IV . 4— 8 .

And it came to pew, or tbey wer e inneb per .

f lexed tber enbont, bebold two men f lood byi beni in f bining garments A’nd or tbey wer e

qf rnid, and bowed down tbeir f aces to tbe

ear tb, tbey f etid unto tbern, Wby j eeb y e tbelining among tbe dead He is not ber e, but

is ryen r emember bow be fpobe unto you

wben be war y et in Ga lilee, f ay ing,‘Tbe Son

of man mnfi be deli ver ed into tbe bnndr offinful men, and be er uefied, and tbe tbird

day rfi again , And tbey r emember ed bis

wordr ,

H E c ircumftances of the refurreét ion of

our Saviour, which are this day recalledto our efpeeial remembrance , are defcribed,

more

06 D I S C O U R S E V.

more or lefs m inutely, by al l the evangelifis .

In the feveral de fcriptions of this great even t,there is fuch variation as migh t be expectedf rom perfons notwriting upon any plan of concerted agreement, and relating, accord ing tothe fc0pe and defign of the ir gofpel , detachedand independent even ts, while, at the fame

t ime, there is fufficient correfpondence in theaccoun ts to illuf’crate the ir confiftency witht ruth .

Minute conformity is the plaufible glofs

o f artifice ; fincerity labours not for - fpecious

and exaé’c co inc idence . By accurately col

lating the evange l ical relation s, by noting thediftinétions which , in a concife defcription,

are no t always marked, and by feparating thedifferent particulars, which are of ten crowdedinto one eventful page , we {hall be able to

d ifcover a clear and confid ent hiftory, wherehafiy and prefumptuous readers have talkedo f miftakes and contradit

‘tions, which couldnot fairly be charged on wr iters of the lowefi;character; much le fs be fufpeé

’ted to have

efcaped f rom the facred hi f’rorians .

From the colleétive accounts o f the evan

gel il’rs, i t appears, that on the firf’c day of

the week, towards the dawn of the th irdday,

1 08 D I S C O U R S E V.

the ir way, arr ived at the fepulchre at the

r ifing o f the f un . About the t ime o f the irdepar ture there had been a great earthquakeand the ange l o f the Lord had defcendedf rom heaven, and rolled back the {tone ds

w ith which the fufp icious traducers o f Chriithad clo fed the mouth o f the fepulchre ; at

who fe fearful appearance “

? the fo ldiers, ap

po in ted to guard the fepulchre , had become

as dead men ; and, probably, during the iramazement, Chri l

’r had r ifen .

I t appears that Mary Magdalene had no

foone r ob ferved that the {tone was movedf rom the f epulchre , than convinced that thebody of Chr il

’c mutt have been taken away,

the hurr ied back w ith the intelligence to

Pe ter , while the o ther Mary and Salome em.

tered the external enclo fure of the fepulm

The Prone, accord ing to B eza ’s copy o f the gofpe l,

was fo large, that twenty men could hardly roll i t.

1 The ange l appears to have defcended, not only to

Open the entrance to the fepulchre, but to te rr i fy the

fo ldier s from the ir po f’r, who might otherwife have oh

l’rruél ed the approach o f the d ifc iples . The women

w e re, pofii bly, no t apprifed o f the Roman guard ; and

whenthey we re go ing to the fepulchre, they del iberatedwho th ould remove the Rome .

D I S C O U R S E V 1 09

chre and were addreffed by the angel,who had removed the Ilene , and who

informed them that Chri ft was rifen, invitingthem to approach nearer, and fee the placewhere the Lord lay . Soon af ter, Peter and

John,having rece ived Mary

’

s accoun t, ran

un to the fepulchre , and Pe ter having enteredin, faw the l inen clo thes l ie , and the napkinthat was about his head , no t lying w ith the

l inen c lo the s, but wrapped toge ther in a

place by itfel f e

f'

, w ith a deliberate care,

which proved that there was no hally re

moval of the body .

Mary, it fhould feem,did not fl ay to enter the

I epulchre . S t . Matthew, who ment i ons no t every m inutepart icular, omits to fpeak o f the feparat ion o f the women ;

but i t muft have taken place , f i nce Mary had no t beheldany v i l l on o f angels before {he ran to Peter, o the rwife

(he would have ment ioned it to Peter ; and {he would'

not have lamented, on account o f the fuppofed removal

o f the body, o r have enqu i red o f Chr if’t (whom [he

_rn ifi ook for the gardene r ) wher e they had la id it . Y et

as Mary, in her account to the apo f’rles, fa id i n the jo int

name o f tho fe that were wi th her, we know not

where they have la id him,the report might be r epre

fented by S t . Pe ter and St. John as the j o int repor t ofthe two Mar ies .

1 They do not feem to have feen the angels, who

were, probab ly; not always in cont inuance vifible

n o D I S C O U R S E V.

aMary, who, af ter the departure of the dif

c iple s, approached, fl ood w ithout, at the

f epulchre , weep ing ; and as th e wept, fhe

{looped down , and looked into the fepulchre, and feeth two angels in white,fi tting one at the head, and the otherat the feet, where the body of Jefa s hadlain 3 and they fay unto her, Woman, whyweepet

’c th’

ou And {he faid, Becaufe theyhave taken away the body o f my Lo rd,and I know not where they have laid him .

Andwhen fhe had thus faid, {he turned herfelf back, and faw Jefus fianding, and knewnot that it was Jefus 3

”who foon, however,

d ifclofed himfelf to her, and faid, Touchme not, for I am no t ye t afcended unto myFather ; but go to my bre thren y and fay

unto them, I afcend un to my Father, andunto your Father, and to my G od, and

your G od in”

Not

45 Mary. came after the departure of the difc iples for

{he faw the angels, who did no t appear to Peter andJohn ; and the angels afterwards fl ood up ; for St. Lukereprefents them to have been feen fi anding .

1~W e ft'

thinks, that by the fe words Chrifl: de figned toallude to the promife s which he

O

had made and would fulfil.

Vid. John xiv. xv. xvi . and to intimate that Mary needed

DOt

1 1 2 D I S C O U R S E V.

the had feen a v'

ifion of angels, who hadatiu i'ed her that Chrit’r was r ifen, again ran

to the fepulchre , and {l oop ing down , lookedin, but fee ing only the l inen c lothes, and no

appearance o f angels, he departed, wonder ingin him fe lf at that wh ich was come to pafs

and e ither w ith Pe ter, or about that'

t ime,

went fome o ther difciples , who were pre fentwhen Joanna reported what the had feen ,

and found i t even fo as the women had faid .

I t appears, f rom a confideration o f the fe

par t iculars, that in con fequence of the re fort

of feparate compan ies to the fepulchre, the

proof s and atl‘

urance s o f Chrit’r’

s re furreé‘rion

were multipl ied ; and as al l of thofe partieswhich had Witnetfed the vifion, and heardthe information of the angels, mutt have

o f the 2 4 th chapter o f his go fpel, fpeaks of a d i ff erentv iti t o f St . Pe ter to the fepulchre from that ment ionedby St . John . Comp . Luke xx iv. 1 2 . w i th John xxvi .

6, 7 . St . Luke fays no thing o f S t . John’

s accompany ingS t . Peter ; and, in the latter infrance, St . Pe ter did not

e nter,but only looked in, and m ight have fe en the

‘

ange ls , had they then appeared, as Mary Magdalene did

f rom the outti de . See John xx . I I . See thi s fully made

out byWe ll , who expla ins the account, and po ints o ut

the del ign and b ene fi t o f the fucce tlive circumttance s that

proved the refurredtion of Chi it‘r.

battened

D I S C O U R S E V.

hali ened to commun icate fuch important intelligence to the ir feveral f riends, the gladt idings were d ifperfed , and the attention of

mankind was awakened to ob fervation on the

farther wonders which were about to appear .

It i s c lear, f rom all the accounts of the

evangelifts who {peak of our Lo rd’

s firft ap

pearance , that the peniten t and affl icted Mary

Magdalene was firfl: honoured w ith the fightof him . He foon af terwards appeared to theo ther Mary and Salome

3“ and , on the fame

day, made‘

himfelf known to two of his difc i

ples, who were journeying to Emmaus af ter

having communed wi th them , and, in affect

ing reafoning, explained to them the fcriptures, the ir eye s be ing at firt

’t holden that

Matt . xxvi i i . 9 .

1 Luke xx iv. 1 3—32 . The two difciple s feem not to

have heard Mary Magdalene’

s repor t, for {he had l'

e en

Jefus ; and the angels ‘

had not fa id to he r that he was

al ive ; ne i ther had the difc iple s rece ived the repo rt from

the otherMary and Salome, to whom Je fa s had appea red,as they were hafi en ing Wi th the angel

’

s me llage to the

d ifc iples ; they had heard, the refo re, probab ly, only the

account o f Joanna and he r compan ion, which, though

amaccount o f e ven ts, late r in po int o f t ime, mull have

been del ivered ea rl ier than that of Mary, who mighthave miffed Peter .

5 1 4 D I S C O UR S E V.

they fhould not know him , le ft the ir mindsfho

'

uld be cohtufed, and the ir unde rfiand ingno t have a free and unb iafied fcope , till hedifco if e red him fclf to them i n breaking bread,probably , by fome peculiar action

f

and form

o f thankfgiving, as perhaps by that whichhe had

‘

u fed at the laf’t fupper .

Chrift af terwards appeared on feveral occafions He appeared to Pe ter on the day of

his refurrefi ion, + though the evange li f’ts haveno t part icularized the c ircumfiances o f his

appearance . He appeared at the {ea 045 Tiber ias, o r the fea of Gal ilee, as he had fore

to ld 1 and af terwards at an appo inted moun

tain in Galilee He converfed with his

I Co r . xv. 5— 7 . John xx . 1 9, 2 6. Mark xvi . 1 4 .

The evange lilts appear to have r e lated only what was

connefi ed w i th the (cope of the ir difcourfe . Thus St .

Luke ment ions the app earance t o Joanna as connected

w i th the account o f the appearance to the difc iple s j ourneying to Emmaus . St . Matthew {peaks o f two a

‘

ppear

ance s ; St . Mark and St . Luk e of three ; and St . Johno f four .

1 Luke xxiv . 34 .

1 Mat t . xxv i . 3 2 . John xxi . I .

Matt . xxvi i i . I 6 . Gal i le e was the country of

Chr i lt’

s b i r th, refidence , and m i racle s : he was there foremo re known the re . He d id no t

, however, appear to all

indi fcr iminate ly, but to wrtne lles chofen'

before p f G od .

Vid. .A éts x. 4 1 .

difciples,

1 16 fi I S C O U R S E V.

they were about to w itnefs . I t appears, thatthe intellectual, l ike the natural darknefs,was no t ye t d i fperfed 5 and that they affem

bled at the fepulchre to ano in t and honour thebody o f the ir Lord, not aware that theyfough t the l iving among the dead,” for

as yet they knew no t the fcriptures thathe mult ri fe again from the dead .

The full d ign ity and fplendor of Chrift’

s

character was as yet concealed . The im

portant dehga of his advent and fufi‘

erings

was no t comple tely difclofed . They who

had rece ived inftrué't ions f rom the l ip s o f

Jefus himfelf , though the ir eyes had been,in fome meafure , opened to admire the ac

compli lhment o f prophecy in him, as the

eXpeéted Mefii ah though they had wi tnefledthe m iraculous circumftances that preceded,and accompan ied his advent ; though theyhad l iftened to the w ifdom o f his difcourfe ,

and heard him proclaimed the well - be lovedSon of G od , feem no t to have underf’tood

the necefii ty of his death, o r to have foref een the glor ious c ircumftances that wouldbe thereby opened to mankind . The appa

rent inco nfif’tency o f aMefii ah w ithout fplen

dor, and the myf’tery of an incarnate G od,

xvere

D I S CO U R S E v. 7

w ere no t yet fully explained . They did notunderftand an exaltati on to be der ived f romv olun tary abafement, a v ictory to be ob tainedby fufferings , a religion to be fealed on the

crofs, a triumph to be Opened in the grave .

Hence it was , that though in the trauf

figuration o f Chrif’r, fome of the difciples

had witnefi'

ed a

'

vifible and fymbolical repte

fentation o f his future glory though theyhad heard f requent allufions to the expectedfuff erings o f the ir Matter ; though they hadheard him tell the Jews that if they de ftroyedthe temple of his body, he would raife

it up in three days + 3 though they hadb een pofitively told by him, that he went upto Jerufalem in certain expectat ionof fuf

f ering many things of the elders and chiefpriefts, and fcribes , and o f be ing betrayed,

S ee the Bilhop of Loddon’

s E lfay on the Tranf a

figurat ion o f Chr ift. Our Saviour commanded the

three difc iples, who were pre fent at the vifion, to tell

it to no man t i ll his re furreél ion, as, t ill then, i ts pro.

phet ic intent ion would not have been underfloo d, and i ts

delign might have been mifconce ived. Vid. Matt.

xvi i . 9 .

1 John 11 . 1 9— 2 1 . Matt . xvi i . 22 . xxvi . 2 1— 32.

Mark xiv. 1 8. Luke xix. 2 2 .

4 1 8 D I S C O U R S E‘V .

k illed, and raifed the third and

though they had heard Pe ter reproved, whenw ith an aff ect ion , miftaken , and favour ing o f

ear thly fen timents, he had faid , Be i t far

f rom thee, Lord this {hall not be un to

thee ; ye t did they entertain no d ifi inct

conviction, nor even, it {hould feem, any“

expectation o f the refurrect ion o f the ir Lord .

When, the refo re , Mary and her compa

mons approached'

the fepulchre , i t was w ithreverence for the memory of a well - belovedTeacher and Lord ; wi th defire of givingevery teftimony of regard to the remembranceo f one who had been miraculoufly di ltin

gui fhed, and f rom whom they had expec’ted

{till greater evidence and demonftratron of

power, t ill the term i nat i on o f his life had cut

o ff the ir pre fent expectat ions of del iverance .

When Mary wept, i t was becaufe the

ce ived that they had taken away the bodywh ich {he came to indulge her grief in con

t emplatinge

l She knew not where theyhad laid him . When the angel had

it See al fo Matt. xvi . 2 1, 22 . xx. 1 8. Mark ix. 3 1 °

aohn xvi . 16 .

1 John xx. 1 1— 1 3 .

afi'

u-

red.

1 20 ' D I S C O U R S E V.

were the affurance s which he had given of

his own refurrection , ye t fuch a refioration of

their blefiéd Lo rd was beyond what his friendshad prefumed to hope , and fuperior to whatthey could readily believe . However, whendeprefied by afi‘l iction, they migh t be fuppo fed to cherifh hope , and to call up the t e

collection of any promife that might affordconfolation to the ir dej ected minds : they donot appear to have remembered, or to haveunderfl ood the promifed re furrection, t illreminded by the angel of the words of

Chri f’t

A s the full fcheme o f redemption was notye t unde r

’ ftood, and as all the traditions andOp in ions of the Jews led them to fuppo fe

that the Mefii ah could not die 1 3 they muff

The chi e f pr ie l’ts and Phari fees recollected Chril’c’

s

declarat ion, that he would, after thre e days, r i fe again ;and the i r cold and fufp ic lous tempe r led them to expect

fo in e contr ivance on the part o f the d i fc iple s to fupport

the r eputat ion o f the i r Lo rd . Matt . xxvi i . 63, 64 .

The difc iples th'

etn felves, abfo rbed by the ir forrow, clo fed

the ir eye s aga inft the p rofpect o f confolat ion, mifcon

ce iving, or mifi r’

ufl ing the a ffurances o f Chr ilt, which

they m ight confi der as figurat ive, and incapable of l i teralaccomplilhment .

m} John xi i . 34 .

D I S C O U R S E V 1 2 1

have confidered the cruc ifixion as a darkcloud, which overfhadowed a divine fcheme ;and however the glories o f their departedMatter m ight be expected to break forth in a

f uture l ife , they muft have lamented thatthe ir pre fent expectat ions we re bur ied in the

grave : they muft have reflected on Chrift’

s

d eath as on the departure o f one who, how

e ver exal ted in character , and adorned byv irtues ; however commifii oned by G od for

benevo lent purpofe s, had fallen a facrifice to

the mill aken, or mifguided pafii ons of tho fe

who underfl ood not, and refufed the excellence o f his doctrine . The knowledge o f

the divine plan was only gradually impartednor d id the apoftles comprehend the myfieryo f Chrif’c

’

s death t ill he himfelf , af ter his

refurrec’tion, had opened the ir underf’cand

ing that they m ight underfiand the fcr iptures and fhewed them, that thus i tbehoved Chri lt to fufi’

er, and to r ife f romthe dead the third day,

”and breathed on

them that they m ight rece ive the HolyG hof’c who fhould conduct them to all

wifdom .

as John xx. 22.

i za D I S C O U R S E V.

This gradual commun icati on of knowledge;to the difciples o f our Lo rd, while i t ledthem , by infenfible degree s, to a firm and

pe rfect faith, was nece ffary, as i t admitted,by fuccefii ve revelations, a l ight too powerfulfo r inf’tantaneous comprehenfion . Very fub

f rantial proofs , l ikew ife, were furn ifl ied , bythe incredulity of the di fc iple s, to demon

i’rrate that they we re no t de luded by any

fuperftitious fancie s ; and to {hew,that the

evide nce on which they buil t the ir conv ictionswas fat isfaétory and i rre fragable ; and whenwe confi der under What variety o f c ircumfiancee, and upon what d iff erent occafion s

our Saviour was feen af ter his re furreétion , i t.

is impofii ble to que fl ion the ce rtainty o f that;event .

It may be p roper, in conformity to the

cuftomary divi fi on o f the fubjeét , to contem

plate the re furreél ion o f Chrift unde r two

poin ts o f View ; fi rft, as bear ing a glorious

and confummate te ftimony to the truth of

our re l igion ; and , fecondly , as aff ord ing a

po li tive a nd fatisfaéto ry aff urance o f our own

re furrecl ion to an inher itance o f i ts rewards ;In the prefen t d ifcourfe , i t may be fufii c ien t

to examine it in the l igh t of bearing evidencetO

1 2 4 D I S C O U R S E v

which the difpenfations o f the jewi th hi fl orybore to events under the Chrif’rian e fl abli fh

ment , develop ing the typ ical charaéter of theLevit ical facrifices, the prophetic afpeél: o f

c eremonial infi itutions, the reprefen tative na

ture o f hiftorical relationsB

'

ut {till farther, w ith imprefii ve and con

vinc ing expofition, he mufi have referred tothe var ious and feemingly incompatible pred ié

‘

tions that could be fulfilled in him only,who was G od and man, as par ticularly withreference to his recent fufi

’

erings and refur

reétion . He might have obferved , that Davidhad clearly defcribed him as to be betrayedby his familiar f riend “

i“

as c ircumventedand encompafi

’

ed by the w icked, who fhouldgive him gall to eat 1, who fhould p iercehis fide, and caf’t lots for his vefiure . He

m igh t have added, that Ifaiah had, in expre fs

te rm s, declared t hat the Lo rd had laid on

him the iniquity of all that he fhould berough t as a lamb to the flaughter,

”and

G en . xxu . 1— 1 8. c omp . wi th Heb . xi . I 7 - 1 9 .

Jonah i . 1 7 .

1 Fralm xl i . e ix and cxix. comp. wi th ans i . 1 6, at .

1 Pfalm lxix . 2 1 .

s l fa iah l i i i . 6, 7 .

D I S C O U R S E V. 1 2 5

be cut o ff out of the land of the

that he fhould make his grave w ith the

w icked, and w ith the r ich in his death 1 3

becaufe (or though ) he had done no vio

lence , ne ither was any dece it in his

mouth . He m ight have farther toldthem,

that the Pfalmift had fore fhewn that

the Lo rd would no t fuffer his foul to remainin hell, nor his ho ly one to fee corrup tionThat our Saviour po inted out the comple

t ion of prophecy in the fe and o ther fignalin fl ance s we have reafon, f rom the evan

gel ical accounts , to conclude I] and the en

l ighten ing influence o f the fpirit foon enabledhis d ifciple s to d ifcern the full"appl ication of

the refi .

The refurreé’tion of Chrifl: afforded {till

farther a conclufive evidence o f the truth of

his p reten fions and religion, inafmuch as it

Ifaiah l i i i . 8 . Dan . ix. 2 6 .

1> Ifaiah l i i i . 9 . comp . w i th Luke xxi i i . 5 0, 5 3.

Matt . xxv i i . 5 7, 60 . Mark xv. 4 3— 4 6 .

1 Pfalm xvi . Pfalm x. comp . wi th Aé’cs u . 2 7 . Aé’ts

xi i i . 3 5 .

See Z echar . xii . I O. comp. wi th John xix. 3 7 . and

Revel . i . 7 .

[5 Luke xxiv. 44 ,

12 6 D I S C O U R S E V.

was the highe f’c and mo ft conv inc ing m iracl

which he difplayed in te f’t imony o f his m if

fion, and that to which he appealed as to

ratification of his divine charaéter, It d if

played , in full perf ect ion , the completion 0

the Me fii ah'

s glo ry ; i t proved his afiure

Claim to the dign ity o f King "

l”

, o r viéto

over death - and fin ; and ratified his pre tenfions as the appo in ted Judge o f the wo rld

,

the ho ufe o f Ifrael ,

that G od had made that fame Jefus, whomthey had crucified, both Lord and Chrift .

9'

s Matt. xi i . 38, 39 . Luke xvi . 2 7 . xxx i . Deut.

xvm. 2 1 , 2 2 .

i

f Juftin Martyr afferts, that afte r the words fa

amo ng the Heathen that the Lo rd re igne th,”in Pfalm

Xvi f 1 0 . fo rme rly fo llowed from the crofs'

o r wood,’

a r m7 8 Euaa, and that th Jews defigned‘

ly om i tted themand othe r fathe rs c rte the text W i th the fe words . V id

Tei tul . adv. Jud . e. x i . Gregc r . Mag , Hom . IV.

fup . Ez ec . fo l . 26x. Leo . Serm . IV . de Pafii on Dom.

p . 50 . Ambro f. in I Co r . 1 5 . col . 4 00 . Scr iptorL i b . .de Mont . S ina 86 S ion . Cypr iano Ol im . a fcr ip t

p . 37 . and Augufi in . A t h ob . 85 Cafi i od . Com . but th

words are na in the Vulgate, nor are no ticed by O r igero r Jerome

, no r"

i n any Heb rew or G re ek manufc ript

and ther efore, probably, they we re no t genuine , fi nce w

have no grounds to bel i eve that the Jews de lignedl)mut i lated the i r fcr iptures . Vid . Juflm Martyr, D i al .

p . 294 .

Ed i t . Thirlb.

‘

1 2 8 D I S C O U R S E V.

r ions difplay of the immortality and attr ibutesof the ir Lord s

Then it was that confirmed likewife , by'

the influence o f the Ho ly Gbo fi , they wereinfp iredwith a zeal which no hard fh ip s coulddeter, no difficult ies appal , then i t was , as

Clement, B ifhop of Rome, expreff es him

felf , that rece iving the commandmen ts ,

and be ing confirmed in the faith by the

re furreél ion o f our Lord Jefus Chrif’t, and

trufting in the word o f G od, they wentout in the confidence o f the Ho ly. Sp ir it,preach ing that the kingdom o f G od was

about to come Then i t was that theyencountered all trials and mockeries, and la~

boured, w ith ,unremitted induftry, to e ffec

tuate the convérfion of the world . Hence

i t proceeded, that am idf’t the fore& perfecu

t ions, they maintained an unfubdued con

fi ancy, and prefented, to the admirat ion of

mankind, illufl rious examples o f every Chrif ft ian virtue ; and that with meeknefs and patience though de fl itute, ai c

’

ted, and to r-fin

mented, they maintained the caufe of a

c rucified Saviour in oppofition to every earthly

6

G

CV0

fi6

a Clemen . Rom. Epif’c. I. ad Cor in. xl i i .

power 3

D I S C O U R S E V. 1 29

power and many were the faints and martyrswho breathed out the ir laf’t words in acknowledgment of Chrift’s faith and d ifplayed , in

the ir laf’c moments, an animated reverencefo r the charitable and forgiving precepts

which he had taugh t .

The religion of Chrift, l ike its Autho r,was weak and lowly at i ts firfi appearance .

Preached under humble circumfianees, it

fli ed only a faint and ob ftruéted light riverthe circumfcribed limits of judea. But whenits great Teache r had complete ly defi ned i tsprinc iple s, and fully rat ified it s proof s, it

ro fe , as Chr ifi to fe, f rom the grave of dar k;nef

‘

s to exaltation and glory . Though Chrifthimfe lf had perfonally d ifappeared, ye t did

his faered influence con tinue to prefide over,

and'

a fii f’t the i nteref’t s o f his oon fe crated

church 39 . By the unfo lding o f the prophet ictefi imonie s to which it appealed , a divinela fi te was refle é’ted on its canfo. By the

figns wh ich were wrought as credent ials , andby the fauf tio ns which co - operated with, and

confirmed the preaching of Chri f’c’

s difc iples,

an irreii fl ib le e ffeét was giVen to their labours,

Matt. xxxvn i . 20. Mark xvi . 201

1 30 D I S C O U R S E V".

while the excellent contexture which it d ifplayed, and the fol id vir tue s whi ch it produced, enfured a firm foundation for its efia‘blifhment .

Many, however, we re the imped imentswh ich ignorance and prejudice raifed up to

o bftruét its progrefs and the novelty and

irnportance of its doctrines excited fufpicion,d oub ts, and incredulity among the learnedand arrogant profefi

'

ors of human wifdom.

A refurreétion o f the body from the grave,was an event fo unprecedented to thofe who

h ad no t wrtne ffed the miracles of Chrifi :‘

fo

repugnant to the expe rience , and fo fuperior

to the contr ivance and power o f mankind,that the doctrine m igh t we ll be eXpe i ted to

be‘ lifiened to with diftruft. To the G re eks ,

who proudly afp ired to the fame of philofo

phical knowledge, t he doctrine appeared

f ool ilhne fs ”K; thout had they deliberatelyr eflected on the infal lible proofs and te ftimo

r ues on which it refied , had they impartial lyWe ighed its accumulated evidence they couldnot well have rej ected its bel ief .Had they co nfidered that Chrifl , after his

refurreétion, had appeared, at different inter”F I Cor . i

i

. 2 3 . Aél s xvu . 1 8 .

‘

1 32 D I S C O U R S E V;

Jewsof all nations, who came up f rom“

every"

part to keep the paffover ; had they farther re‘

marked, that the difc iples, who were eye witnefl

'

es of hisMajefly,and without wavering, or paying regard to

idle obj ections, perfif’ted m the ir account,

which was invo lved w ith o ther faét s eafily'

to

be afcertained, and complicated with eharaeters o f men ftill l iving ; that

'

the difciples

were fimple and u'

nlettered men, profefiing‘

doctrines abhorrent f rom all fal fhood and

inconfii’tent w ith all enthufiafm , or humanartifice, who could not be interefted for

“

the

fuccefs of their preaching in the prefent life ;i n which alone , if they had hOpe, they wereTenfible that they were , of

”

all men, moft

wretched who , unle fs they were per

funded t hat they were hereaf ter to‘

afcend to

their cruc ified Lord, would never have fogladly de fpifed the prefent l ife , in fupport ofa religion in which they were taught to expecthazard , and perfecution, and death ‘

; and for

which they were prepared, and taught to l aydown their l ive s i n im i tati on of the ir i

ll e

deemer and Lord .

‘

Had the fe unco nve r ted.

Ephe f . iv. 25 . Golof t i i i . Re al . ii i . 8 .

, J 1» 1 Cor. xv. 19 . 2 Cor . iv. 1 1 .

reafoners

D I S C O UR S E ,v . 1 313

reafoners obferved {till farthe r, that the ac

count was not refuted,that the apo ftles,

with great power and confidence , had givenwitnefs to the refurreétion preach ing, invarious languages, with infpired tongues, andperforming g reat miracle s ; t hat St . Paul,from whom they immediately der ived the

doctr ine , was him fe lf m iraculoufly convertedby the addrefs o f Chrii

’t to him, and f rom

a zealous perfecutor, had become a fi renuous

preache r of his religion : teaching, boldly,its doctr ines with more than human .elo~

quence, and with a force of reafoning greaterthan they had adm ired in the ir noblefit ora

tors : had they fairly and candidly confidered

thefe things, they could no t, one would con

ceive, have remained incredulous . Num

bers, indeed, were converted by refleéting on

them .

To us, who accept the hiftory o f this

great event as fub ltantiated by the concurrenttefi imonie s of every evangelifi , it muft be re

ceived as the ftamp and unquefi ionable proof

of the d ivine character o f Chrifi , and the

A3 S v. 32 . xiv. 3 . iv. 1 6, 30, 33 . Jofeph.

Ant. Lib. XVIII. c . iv.

1 34‘

D I S'

C‘O U R S E v

ful l and ‘

conclufive argument of the truth of

higher m i racle can be (hewn, no greater l

rnore folemn tefi imony can be given .

1 36 D I S C O U R S E VI .

’

and earneft of the future refioration of . its

members 916 He became the firft fruitso f them that flep t, and illuftrated the

pofii bility and aétual effect of that re - unionto which the devout difciples .of chr if’tianity

While the immortal ity of the foul was a

truth\ to be ‘

colleéted f rom the ligh t of reafon,the fecret intimations of the human mind ,o r the popular traditions of mankind, it wasrather an indi ftinét expectation than a fullperfuafion . The anxious hopes, and the folic itons apprehenfions of men, bufied themfelve s, indeed, in the fearch after whatevermight produce confidence in this expectation ;The fpeculations of reafon adver ted with pleafure to the univerfal affen t of all nations, to the

analogy o f n atural things, and to the acknowq

l edged a ttr ibutes of the fupreme Be ing . The

-Heathei1 “

philofophers dwel t, w ith fatis fac

t ions“

; on t he afcendant and controll ing.

power of the intellect e ver the body,”

on its

feparate and independen t na ture , and redee

tions, on powers and fee lings, its

Lt $”

1 101315 li . 22 !

D TSC‘

O ,U‘

R .S E "VI. 1 31

facul ties, and capab ility of improvement, andits a fpirin

’

g aft er pe rfect ion and immortal ity ;yet however general were the pe r fuafion ‘

of tthe

future exifi ence of the foul, i t was rather r aconfolatory foothing hope than a firm.

ro oted conviétio n, and a confiant incitementto virtue in the He athen world . I t was

mingled with‘

d oub ts, and entangled w ith diffi cu lties ; re lative “

to the firf’t pr inc iples and

in tended fdeftiny o f the foul ; i t g ene ratedante and fanciful theories concerning its.

,na-z

t ti'

re, it s p re- exifience and future migration

in to other bodies . It was no t,a princ iple of

refignat ion, nor did i t promo te the cult ivat ion f fof ‘

permanent excellenc ie s for it was,

no t fi accompanied by a full conviction of futuref é

‘

wards fince d

philo fophy of ten ridiculed theno t ion ; and the vulgar, who lamented d c.

ceafed 'mer it a s ann ihi lated and lo ft, hung upcyprefs, o r

‘

fi rewed i t on the grave o f departedf riends, in remembrance of virtues 119 more

at Durand’

s Ritual, L . VII. c. xxxv. The doétrine of

a future {l ate o f rewards and puniihrnents was familiarlyinculcated, it is true, among the Heathers , but 1twas not

firmly and generallybelieved. The learned, who’

had no

Conception

D 1 5 c o U’

R S‘

E y r.

Ameng the Jews, who had no ftipulated

and covenan ted t

promife of immortality an;i

nexed to an obfervance o f their law,. though

they had f requent _

intimations, and enter

.tained earneft hopes o f a —the

actual fo rms and condition of immortal itywer e . n o t fully underfiood * ; and - {ugh as

looked to the enjoyment o f a future gl are,,mufl; have grounded theirexPeétatipns on ethegeneral exho r tations of , the prophe ts, wh ich,while they held out the p ro fpeé

’t cfi ano ther

l ife , ,only figurat ive ly pourtrayed i ts blefli ngs,and ,obfcurely intimated the refurreétion ofthe body

”

l“

.

conception o f the refurreé’cion of the body, defpifed . the

vulgar no t ions and po e t ical fable s on the fubjeé’r o f a ffu

'

ttii‘e

fi ate, in” which bodily actions We re 1ncoher ently attr i

buted to departed fpirits . Some openly r idiculed themand o thers fuppor ted them only as fancies ufeful to fo .

c ie ty ; and a doctr ine fome f imes r idiculed,and feldom

defended w i th fincen ty, could not eflablifll itfelf to tidy

g 1 eat extent, even w i th the vulgar . Vid. Juvenal. Sat .XIII .

— 3 7 . Sat . II . I. 1 4 9— 1 5 2 . C icero . Tufc

'

ul .

Di fput . Lib . I . c . v . v i . Plin . II . 7 . Ael s xvi i.

Luke x . 2 5 .

o c 0i “

3; See Re s ln el’

s V1fion o f the r efurrcgghon o f dry bones,

Enoch and El ijah’s tranllationmi

D r s c‘

o u n s n v 1.

and‘

tfoul, independently o f that divine fp irittowhich the human nature was annexed , we

mutt oonfide r his death as a departure of thefoul from the body : as a feparation of the 1m

mor tal and immaterial fpirit from the fubfianceed the fiefl) , wh ich, howeve r, in the cafe of

Chrifi , miraculoufly p referved f rom corrup.

tion, was in itfelf of a peri fhable nature

,By the feparation of thefe, Which took placee a rth‘s erofs, when our ,Savio'

ur gave up the

g liofi , animation ceafed, and the body became a lifelefsmafs ; its powers were fi0pped ;

i ts r efinement o f fenfe was loft. , The foul

af our Saviou r '

took i ts fl ight fo l li cle regisms

e f intermediate exiftence, which he zfiy’

led

Paradife and inwhich , probably, departed

‘L uke xxi ii . 4 3 . Dan. X11. 2 .

‘

Deut. xxx i . 16.

Job i i i . 1 3 . Pfalm lxxv i . 5 . Acts i i . 34 . Reve l . vi . 9 .

The under the al tar, here ment ioned, are;i

poflxbly,

(the f ouls in a theta p f (eparate eXifisnce.‘

S ee PoJi

Synop . He re we fuppofe Chrift to have gone, when

we that be defcended into hell. Even the devils are

refer ved £0: the day o f judgment and the guilty, doubtlafs, 111 a feparate il ate, ant ic ipate the ir future condemnation. The doétr ine o f purgatory, and that of prayers

for the dead, are der ived, probably, from t he; bel iéf in a,

183318 Qf feparaae fixifl'

enqe . Jwfi in Martyr, - in the place

c ited in the preceding difcourfe, rays, that the Jews ne

D I VI. 14 1

iuul s remain i'

ni'

eonfciou’

s exifieh’

ce'

, and foreéi

mile o f that happinefis or mifery which, af tera n univerfal and impartial judgment, {hai l'

chara&erife the ir future doom.

That the‘death of Chrift was af eparatiori“

of the foul and body, we have grounds toC

‘

oncl iide even‘

from the prophe tic declaration

{cinded the following pail'

age from Jeremiah : The a

Lo rd G od o f Ifrae l remembered his dead who flept in“ 1 the earth o f the fepulchre, and defcended to them that

he might preach his falvation JuitlnMartyr,Dial . l ;294 . Edit .Thirlb. 1 Pet . iv. 6 . The pail

'

age i S filth

c ited f'e'veral t imes by Irenfi us and once'by himas the

Wei

r'

ds of l faiah. Vid . l ren . L. III. c . xxi i i . L . IV. «2 . ataxia .

lx’

vi . and L . V. 0 . 1111 111. Ed i t . G rabe . Vid. alfo C leric i.

Hi ll . Ecclef . p . 5 26 . but we canno t ava il ourfelve s o f thepaii

'

age, as, probably, it was not genuine, fines it wasalmoit impofii ble for the Jews to mut i late the i r fcriptureswi th fuce efs, as cop ies we re (0 mult iplied. The fa thers

o ften c i te inaccurately , pe rhaps, fometnn es, from tradi

t ional prophec ie s . Irenaeus r elate s it as a tradit ion t liatEnoch and El ias were tranflated to the Paradife from

Which Adam was expelled, and that St . Paul was‘5

caught up”the re . Lib. V . p . The later father s

adopted the t rad1tion, though Middlete n tre ats the opi

nion as falfe and abfurd ; and the fathe rs and pr imiti i e

Chr iftians 111 general hel l eved tha t the fo irl Went to a

reparat'

e‘

fl are, as is’

evi dent f rom the anc ient Li tufgiesS ee alfo Ambrofe . Orat . de Valent . Chryfoft. Homil. 23 .

1 11 Matt . Fp iphan Ha res 75 Chryi oit . Lit in Matt.

m u r s c o o n s n vr.

of zrt‘

he. Pfalm ifi'

, who f ore ihewed that ‘f God

no t' leave the foul o f Chrif’ctinhell,

neithen f ufi'

er his Holy One to fee corrupt ion’

for, as this pre’

diétion c anno t'

be

fuppo fed to afi'

ert two identical pmpofition s,

and : to refer only to the body of

mufi zbe confidered as de fcriptive of the human

character of Chri it, confifi ing of 1 foul and

The foul was not finally fuffered tocontinue in a {late o f feparate exiften

'

ce , whate

’

ver that {late might be , ne itherwas the bodyperm1tted to remain t in the grave, by wh ichi t ‘f could not be held, or to fuffer thecorruption , to which its perilhable materials.Were obnox iousIt has been a fubjeélt of 1mportant confide -3

ration, and generally admitted by men molt

converfant w ith fcr ipture, and mo ft- compe

tent to decide in fuch difqu ifitions, that no t:Withfianding the diffolution which took pl ace “

be tween the human foul and body of Chrif’t,"

each c ontinued to maintain the hypofi atical‘

uni on with the divine nature and cthe 111nterious conjunct ion of the divine nature, and

the mortal body; af ter fep’

aration from t he

1“ Pfalm xvi . I O. Aé’ts

i

u. 3 1 .

1 44 D I SC O U R S E VI.

ing of the maiden raifed up by Chrif’r, fays,

her fpiri t ‘came again * 5 the immo rtal

fpirit, which could not die, came again to

t e - animate her f rame . S t . Stephen, af ter a

vifion of Chr ift, in im itation of his blefied

Mailer, commended his fpirit to God at his

death inIt would be extraneous to our prefent pur

pofe to entangle ourfelves with the var iousOpinions that have been maintained with re

fpeé’c to the nature of the foul, as to its con

ftituent pr1nc1ples . The fcriptures give us

no information w ith regard to its ellence ,

fbecaufe , perhaps, w ith our reftricted facultieshere on earth , where we fee through a

glafs darkly,”and can judge of immaterial

things only by abfi raétion, we are incapableof comprehending its charaé

’ter .

What we collect, however , f rom reafon,

as difpafii onately exercifed is, that the foul isof a character efi

‘

entially different from that

o f a mate r ial fubf’tance, as endowed withfacultie s of confcioufnefs, p ercep tion , and

r eafoning, and capable of‘qual ities and per

f eétions of an unperi ihable nature . It does

Luke vi i i . 5 5 . 1 Af ts vn . 5 5 . Luke xbti ii . 4 6.

D I S C O U R S E VI. 1 4 ;

ne t change w ith the body, which undergoesdaily mutation s fince, if it did, it could l

no t

r etain the memory of events which havehappened to the body, o f which the parts

have peri ih ed, and the fenfes have decayed .

It exhibits a man ife f’c fupe rio ri ty in i ts ine l ination s and power s . It checks the p ropen

fi tie s , reje f ts the fol ic itations,\

and regulatesthe tendenc ie s o f the body . I t der ive s exi ftence f rom a divine fource , and is indepen

den t of human power . It originates its ownmo tions , and exercife s its unfettered w ill . It

exer ts its powers of fancy, of judgmen t, and o f

reflection , availing i tfelf o f tho fe obj ects whichare prefented to it by the fenfes, ye t rang i ngi n i ts unconfined fpeculations , beyond the

boundar ie s o f the mater ial world, and grafp~ing, W i th comprehenfive intel leé

‘r, the chain

and c ircum ftance s o f the pait, ,the pre fent ,

and the f uture t ime . It unravels, by fucceffive deduct ions , the contexture o f i ts own

exce llencie s and contemplate s , in i ts e levatedfl ights , the myite ries and wifdom o f revelat ion , the heavenly things o f faith, the attri

butes and perfeétions o f G od .

I t appears farther , thatif , in infancy, the foulbe inaétive, it is becaufe few fubjeé

’cs are {ug

L ge ll ed

i 4 6 D I S C O U R S E VI.

gefted to i ts refleétions by the fenfes yet

feeble and that its energies are difplayed, as‘encreafing o

/

bjeét s furn iih employment for its

excited powers that, i n fleep , it is engaged'

ou fubjeéts of refieé’tion,

/

and that its imaginations are then rapid and unchained, thoughthe imprefl i ons of them, which the memoryre tains, are of ten

'

faint, conf ufed, and imper~

f eét. It is independent of every part of thebody, wh ich it controls ; and it

'

s agency difappears only when the Vital conneétion ceafes .

It is not injured, though a member perifh .

It is not darkened, though an external facultyfhould fail . It improves of ten amidfi the impa

‘irment of fenfes, and r ifes above the con

fumption o f bodily decline . It is no t enfeebledby the decay o f outward fi rength, and '

totters

‘not with the debility of age , though its powers appear to faulter with the imbecillity ofits organs . Its energies may be ecl ipfed, butno t extinguifhed : its faculties deranged, but"not d efi royed . Its excellenc ies and endovV

ments are difcovered under the d ifadvantageso f perfonal deform ity . It th ines bright amida:the pains of difeafe and if , on approaching

‘

death , i t hath adverted to the fufferings of

the body, it hath of ten been but to defpifethe ir

1 4 8 D I S C O U R S E v1.

though thefe , as feparately fuggef’red, are

o f ten ind iv idually forgo tten, ye t the influence

o f the ir co lleétive operat ion remains, . and

confirm s our convié’tions hence we all know,

and we all f ee l, that the foul is d ifi inét f romthe body ; the r ighteous, w ith humble and

joyful confidence ; the wicked, w ith trem

bling and reluctant apprehenfi on . Hence has

it been the almoft univerfal creed, a t all

t imes, and in all countr ies, though fpeculat ive philofophy hath fome times laboured to

any g iven difi ance, one from another, 18 1t poii ible that

all thofe feparate parts fhould, in that fiate, be one ind iv idual confc ious b e ing ? Suppofe , then

,all thefe part i

cles brought together, into one fyftem, fo as to touch

one another, w ill they, thereby, or by any mo t ion o r

compofition whatfoever, become any whit lefs truly d iftinél be ings than they we re at the greate f

’c drflance ?

How then can the ir be ing difpofed, in any poffible fyfi em,

make them one ind i v idual confc ious be ing ? If you fup

po fe G od, by his infin i te powe r, fuperadding confc iouf

nefs to the uni ted part icles, yet {till the fe part icles be ingr eally and nece ffar ily as diftinét be ings as e ve r, cannot be

themfe lves the fubjeé’t in which that indiv idual confc iouf

ne fs inhe re s , but the confcicufne fs can o nly be fuperadded

by the add i t ion o f fome thing, which, in all the part icle s,m ull: it ill i tfe lf be but one indm d iial be ing . The foul

,

there fo re, whofe power o f thinking is, unden iably, one

indiv idual confc ioufnefs, cannot, pofii bly, be a mater ialfubi’tance .

”

contradif t

D I S C O U R S E VI .

"

1 4 9

co ntradiét the doétrine by fubtle refinemen ts,

which have been refuted even on the groundsof me taphyfical reafoning

i f

it It has been obferved, that Dr . Pr iei’rley, to prove

that the foul is mate r ial, r ej ects the commo n and true

defcript ion o f matte r as an abfolutely impenetrable, inertfubfl ance ; and, by fpir itual i fing matte r, endeavour s to

repre fen t i t as capable o f percept ion and thought. He

ma inta i n s alfo , that fince the powers o f perception and

thought have n eve r been obfervetl by us to exift but in

conjun f’rion w i th a certa in organ ized fyftem o f matter,

thofe power s mull: necelfarily depend upon fuch a fyfiem

as if conneétion proved dependance . It would, on t he

contrary, be more reafonable to argue, that as matter

exifl s w i thout thought and pe rcept ion, it canno t, by anymodificat ion, be the caufe o f them. He admi ts alfo,

that G od is immater ial of whom, c ertainly, percept ionand thought ar e attr i but'es . It is, befide s, d i fficult toc once ive how any man can be a materiahi’t when he con

frders the pafi'

age s which pr ove the, p re

- exifi ence o f

Chri it ; John v i i i . 5 8 . the general doétr ine o f fpirits ;

Luke xx iv . 39 . the d i f’ri né’r and immo rtal nature o f

the foul, and i ts feparate exif’re nce in a future Rate,

Matt. x . 2 8 . Adi s v ii . 5 9 . Heb . iv. 1 2 . Reve l .

vi 9 . W e do not ther efore wonde r, that, as Mr . G i bbonobfe rves, the m iraculous co ncept i on is one o f the lai’c

art icle s wh1ch Dr . Pr ie i’rley has curta iled f rom his fcanty

G l eed ; and we fufpea‘

, that the no t ion o f the mate r ial itv o f the foul was taken up, becaufe, as Dr . Pr ie f’tley

r emarks, it is em inen tly fubfe rw ent to the dofi r ine o f

the prope r, o r m ere human i ty o f Chrifi . See Pr ie ftleyon Matte r and Spi r i t .

1 50 D I S C O U R S E vi

It is happy fer us, that our bel ief in the

immo rtality of the foul, and of its future re

union to the body, refi s not, however , on

the fe grounds, but that our fa ith is built on

the fi rm and immoveable bafis of the divineword ; on the pofitive affurance o f that Lo rd

,

who ro fe f rom the grave that hemight authenticate a rel igion grounded on the promifes o f

a future re furreétion and judgmen t

By that revelation which Chrii’tv fealed w ithhis blood, and ratified by his re furreétion,

we are taugh t, that the foul is an immo rtal

fp irit, breathed into us by G od himfe lf , and

marked with the imprefii on o f his image ;that it i s efi

'

entially diff erent from the v italp rinc iple , which animates the brute crea t ion ;f i nce an imals are incapable of reafoning, hav

ing no

i

underfianding, and enjoying only fuchfenfations as refult f rom an o rgan ical difpofition of body "la and acting infl inétive ly, as

o ccafi on and wants fuggeft . That it d iffersf rom i t, 1n i ts final deftination, inafmuch as

the fpirit’

o f man goe th upwa rd, and the

fpirit o f -beaft downivard to the earth i x

”

Aéts xv i i . 3 1 . 1 Pfalm xxxn . 9 .

Ecclef . i i i . 2 1 .

1 5 2 D I S C O U R S E v1.

tained and though , in the cafe o f Chri ft,

no co rruption‘of the body had taken place ,

i t w ill no t be thought more fi range by tho fe

duly im’

pre ffed w ith a fen fe o f God’

s power,

that he f hould raife the dead : that he whofirfi compofed fhould co llect and again buildup

.

the fcattered materials o f every ear thlyf rame : that he who , in fublime language ,defcribed himfelf as the refurreét ion and

the l ife , and who raifed up himfelf f rom

the dead 956, fhould, when he cometh in the

clouds o f heaven , w ith power and greatglory, gather together his e leét f rom the

f our w inds, from one end of heaven to

the o ther “

l“

The fpeculative difficul tieswh ich have beenraifed in obj ect ion to this re furrefi ion , havebeen fufficiently re futed ; but the fp

‘irit o f

fober enquiry, which refi s confidently on the

unl imi ted power

'

o f G od, w ill no t range in

quef’t of difii cul tieswhich or iginate in our own

Acts xxv i . 8. Rom. v i i i . 1 1 . G od is here faid

to raife the dead, and to have raifed up Je fa s from the

dead and ye t-

the fame powe r is afcribed to Chr ift, who

mutt the refo re be G od. John x1 . 2 5 . 1 Thefl‘

. iv.

14 2'

T im . i i . 1 1 , 1 2 .

‘

l’ Matt. xxiv. 30, 3 1 .

mifcon~

D I S C O U R S E v1 . 1 5 3

mifconceptions . Confcious, that in the con

fideration of thofe ear thly obj ects which furround him, there are many particulars whichhe i s unable to underfi and, and of whichthe confif’tency is not ~obvious, he w ill no tthink that the difficultie s which accompany

a revealed doctr ine , confi itute a reafonable

obj ection to its accep tation .

It is related, to the d ifcredit o f Heathenw ifdom and ,

charity, that the enem ie s of

chrifi ianity, having burnt the bodies of

the martyrs whom they perfecuted, caft

the ir afhes into the r iver ,‘

that they m igh tbe d ifper fed by the w inds, and feparately lo fti n the ocean, to which they were hurr ied bythe fi reams, and that fo all expectation of

the r e furreétion might be def’rroyed in the irfurviving f r iends; and in the f uture d ifciples

of Chri f’c : as i f omn ipo tence were fe t tered

by refi r iétion s , and extended no t it s power

over the (ea , which {hall hereaf ter giveup its dead i t .

”In truth, the ir malevolent

defign was, in every re fpeé‘t, defeated and

de fp ifed . The un fhaken f aith o f the prim itive d ifciples o f Chrifl: triumphed over fuch

Rev. xx. 1 3 .

1 5 4 D I S C O U R S E VI;

weak ob ftruétions ; and the early Chrifi iansalmofi univerfally bel ieved 111 the refurreét ion

of the fame body, as we col lect f rom the irwritings , and alfo f rom many cuf

’toms , fi rongly

demonttrative o f that faith , fince they not

only lighted up lamps at the funeral s of theirf r iends, and fung hymns at the ir gravesdecorated w ith the uhchanging emblem s o f

immortality+, but depofi ted the ir co rpfe s w iththe face towards the eaft, whence they ex

p ected the ir Lord to appear i , as, eaftward

f rom Mount Ol iver, he was b elieved to haveafcended

Con templating, then, the re furreé’tion o f

Chrift , we rece ive a full demonfiration of

Chryfo i’r. Ser . 4 . ad. Heb .

1 A s ivy, laurel, or rofemary.

1 Matt . xx iv. 2 7 .

§ Dama£ Or thod . F id . L ib . IV . c . x i i i . Hence,

when we profefs a bel ie f in Chr if’r’

s refurreél ion, w e turn,

agre eably to an t i ent cuf’tcm, towards the eafi'

. Jewifh

trad i tion reported Jefus to have been bur1ed w i th his face

towards the eat’c. See G

rego ry 8: Bede in Dic . Sanét.

Pafchae . Tom. VII. B rand’s Popul . Anti q . chap . v .

p . 4 4— 5 3 . The pr im i t ive church, after the example,

probably, o f the apo ft les, zlways prayed towards the call ;

and Chrift, in fcr i,ture, is figurat ively fiyled the call",

(a va’

lom) Luke i 7 8 . the fource of l ight. Cave’

s Pr im.

Chrift. p . c . ix.

1 5 6 D 1 S’

C'

O U R'

S E“

vi .

redemp tion By his v ictory on the cro fs,

b e weakened the dom in ion , and le ffened the

te rro rs o f death , fhewmg i t to be the gate o f

l ife , no t the Open ing to annihilat ion , no t the

paii'

por t to‘

fo rrow . Hence the apofi le s and

mar tyrs glo ried in the c ro fs , when its mif

taken enem ie s deemed i t difgraceful and bafehence the primit ive Chri f’t ian s affumed i t on

all occafions, and at all time s, as t he badgeof a faith o f which they were no t afhamed ,

t ill , by c o ntinued and encreafing reverence ,

i t became the obje t‘t o f fuperfl i tious regard .

Hence is furnifh ed, to the d ifciples o f Chr ift

i n all ages , that an imating incen tive to

r ighteoufnef s , which , if any mot ive can Ope

rate , mufi lead them to the cultivation and

practice of righteoufnef s ; fince , i f the

fpirit of him”

who raifed up Je fus f rom the

dead dwell in them, he that raifed up'

Chrifl: f rom the dead {hall al fo quickenthe ir mortal bod ies by his fpirit ”

i“

.

The fp irit o f G od, of wh ich the f ruitsand revvards are thus importan t, is that fpiritwhich in fp ire s and invigorate s every gooddefign 3 which excites in us l ively p ie ty and

“it I Cor . xv. I 7 . 1 Rom. vi i i . 1 1 .

D I S C O U R S E Vi . 1 57

aétive benevolence ; wh ich , while it inculcate s the necefl i ty o f un iform obedience ,occafionally exc ites us to a mo re fe rven t andearne f

’t d ifplay o f rightecuf nef s ; which r e

m inds us , when we ce lebrate e fpec ial benefi ts, to demon f

’trate

‘

e fpec ial grat itude , as,

upon this occafi on , teaching us that the

period o f our Lo rd ’

s re furre ét ion i s pecul iarlyadapted

‘

for the d ifplay of re l igious joy ‘

and

thankfgiving .

The eve of the day in which the importantevent was celebrated , was anc ien tly ob ferved

w ith fo lemn watchings , by the l ight o f

torche s, even to the break o f day, in expec

tation of the hour in wh ich , the Redeemer of

mankind ro fe f rom the grave The dayi tfel f was regarded as a feafon o f fignal cha

r ity and imperial p ie ty was then di fplayed,and confpicuoufly man ife f’red , by the releafe

o f prifoners f rom the grave s , and dungeonso f defpair, and by the l iberal d if’tribu tion o f

e leemo fynary afii fiance to the wre tched t

i“

.

Rel igion , while i t recalls the fcenes, and de

Nazar . Orat . in Pafch. Orat . 2 . 1 9 . 4 2

f Eufeb. de Vit. C on fi'ant . L ib . iv. c . xxn . Chryfofr.

H om. 20 . ad Popul . Ant ioch. L . IX. Theod . T it. 38.

de Indul , L . VIII.

fcribes

1 58 D I S C O U R S E v1.

fcribes the c ircumfiances of primit ive cele

bration, bids us bring prepared, and early,o fferings to Chrift

’

s fepulchre, not to

ano int the body o f our Lord,” but to hearof his afcenfion to the Father exhorting us

,

w ith a View to general amendment, that,l ike as Chrift was raifed f rom the dead, bythe glory of the Father, even fo we alfofli ould walk in newnefs of l ife fince the

hour cometh that all that are in their graves(hal l hear his voice that they that have donegood , {hall come forth to the refurreétion of

lif e ; they that have done evil, to the re fur

r'

eCt ion of damnation .

”Becaufe he hath ap

po inted a day in which he will judge the

World in righteoufne fs, by that man whomhe

’hath ordained ; whereof he hath given

a ffuranCe to all‘

men, in that he hath‘him f rom the dead

Rom. vi. 4 . 1 Ad’

i s xvu. 3 4 .

D I S'

1 60 D I S C O U R S E VII.

death , and the father the child, and the

children {hall r ife up againfi f the ir paren ts,

and caufe them to be put to death 3”

fo r

I am come, con t inues he, to fe t a.

man at var iance againfi: his f ather, and the

daugh ter againf’t her mo ther, and the

daughter - in - law againi’t her mother - in

Such did Chrift forefee would fometimes

be the partial and perverted con fequences of

the preaching of that go fpel wh ich -was

ufhered in by angels as a d ifpen fat ion of

good—w ill towards mankind fuch the Ihades

and darkne fs which {hould lower overthat law which revealed the p recepts o f

benevolence and Chri fi ian charity to man

k ind . It may be in tere f’ring and infi rué’t ive

in po int ing out the accompli fhment o f the fe

p redict ions in fome important infiances, to

Ch

The biihop o f London, in a d i fcourfe on the words

o f the text, ma inta ins that they r elate folely to the firfl:

p reache rs o f the go fpel . The learned bifhop does not,

howeve r, it is apprehended, mean to refi riét the fubfe

quent paffages in the chapte r merely to the apofi le s .

They appearu

at leaf't to bear a more extended re ference

to fome general confequence s which our Lord‘

foreknew

w ould re fult from the pafli ons o f men on the propagat iono f chrifi ianity.

confider

D I S C O U R S E VII. 1 6 1

confider f rom what caufe s it has happened,that a blefii ng (0 real and fub ftantial as that ofchri ftianity, ihould in fome refpeé

’ts have been

made a pre text for diffenfion, and a fubjeéto f forrow and farther, it may contribute tovindicate our rel igion f rom unjut’t afperfions,if we demon ftrate that thofe evils which havebeen i'eprefented to flow f rom chrifi ian ity,

have der ived the ir exifience f rom fources

very remotely d iff erent, however unjufi lytraced to that or igin, however appear ing toroll in one common tide with i ts e ff ects .

I t has been fuppofcd by fome commenta

tors , that Chrif‘c, in the pred iCtions abovecited, alluded to the difcord and wars, as

Well c iv il as external , which preceded the

de ftrué’t ion of Jerufalem, o f which the irhif’torian give s very {triking and aff ecting ac

counts and of which Chritt himfel f evi

dently p rophefied upon ano ther occa lion, in

pathe tic defcrip tion of tr ibulation , fam ine,pe ftilence and warf -f ; and, doubtle fs, his

di fcourfe had fome reference to thefe nationald iftrefi

‘

es fince the converfion o f the Jews,

Jofeph. Bell . Jud. L . IV.-VII. Eufeb .Hift. Ecclcf.

L. II. c . vi .

1 Matt. xxiv.

1 62 D I S C O U R S E VII .

who emb raced chrif’t ian ity , muft have tende dto aggravate , by d iffenfion , the calam itie swh1ch aff eéted that people but it muft alfobe allowed, that our Saviour feems pr1ncr

pally to allude to tho fe con fequences whichfhould be afcribed more immed iately to the

introduc‘tion of his re ligion .

That fome par tial evils did accompany the

propagat ion of chrifi ianity , tho fe who are s e

quainted w ith i ts hi f’to ry w ill readily adm it ;though ce rtainly the cav illers againf

’c religion

have as much exaggerated their extent, as theyhave mifi aken the ir caufe, and reafoned f alfelyf rom the ir exit

’rence . The confe ffed adve r

far ie s o f revelation have accufed,it o f e ffe f ts

which it did no t countenance ; and have tr iumphed, w ith fal fe and p rophane exultation,

when they have po inted out the perver tedapplication o f an impar ted blefii ng

i

; while themii

’taken or infid ious hi itor ian hath m inutely

dwel t on the m ifconduét, and del iberate lyaggravated the cr ime s o f tho fe who have

p ro feffed them felve s the d ifciples o f Jef as .

The eai l ier pe r iods o f chri ftian ity have beenindu t r ioufly da1kened , the {hade s of igno

rance and fuper ftition have been he ightenedby unfair reprefentation, and whole nations

1 64 D I S C O U R S E vn .

rowed its femblance, but to exhibit its effeé'ton the general opinion and conduét of thofe

converted to us i nfi rué’tibns ; and then wouldi t be found that its feeds, where they havebeen (own, have produced good fruits, whatever tare s may have been fcatter

‘

ed with themand that though it could not entirely changethemanners , and extirpate the hurtful pafl i onso f mankind, it hath improved the temper ofevery age on which i t has fpread its principles .

The evils which , agreeably to our Saviour ’spredict ions, have been attr ibuted to chrifi i

anity, are e ither tho fe which attended itsfirft propagat ion, or thofe which fprung up

under its efiabl ifhmen t . Chrifl: him felf , and ,

his firf’t followers, fuff e red from the introdusftion o f that fwo rd o f which he predictedthe e ff ects , but forbad the ufe * . She evenwho had found favour w ith G od, and who

was blelf ed among women, was pierced"

as by a fwo rd to the foul , as S imeon hadfo retold by that fruit of he r womb,” whichthe Holy Gbo fi had pronounced to be b le ffed .

Jefus and his apoftles we re attacked with

9’ Matt. xxvi . 5 2, 5 3 . Luke xx“ . 38 .

fwords

D I S C O U R S E vn . 1 65

fwords and with fiaves . A fpear p ierced thefide o f our Redeemer on the crofs and theywho were fent forth harmlefs as doves,”

to communicate blefii ngs, and to impart thet idings of falvation to mankind, were taughtto expect every defi ruétion but that of the

foul .Scattered, af ter the death of the ir Lord, and

filled with the Holy Gho f’r, the difciples publithed, every where, w ith infpired zeal andpower, the doctr ines wh ich they had rece ived .

A s the proof s and excellency of the go fpel

were difplayed, they exc ited the admirationo f mankind yet, as its advocates oppofed

predominant intere fts, and attacked inveterateopin ions, they fome times addrefi

‘

ed their arguments w ith little fuccefs to prejudiced and

deluded men . Such as ignorantly o r obf’ri

nately rej ected the doctrines propo fed fo r the iracceptance , entertained refentment againfl:

teachers who attacked their deep- roo ted paffion_

s and immediate interefts . Here , then , the

animated zeal with which they who we re baptized into the faith were infpired, to propagaterevelations, on which depended the happinefsand future falvation o f mankind, ferved butto generate oppofition and conte l’t . A s thatzeal was,

‘

doubtlefs, al fo in proportion to

M 3 the

1 66 D I S C O U R S E VII .

the ftrength o f aff eétion which fub fi f’red

and as exe rtions we’re more incautiou'

s wheree f’tabli fhed intimacies le t'i

’

ened re ftrain t, do s

me itie d i ffenfion s nece f li rily arofe , and as

Chrif’t had fo re feen, a man

’

s foe s were thofe

o f his 0 vn houfho ld .

The d iff en fl on s and affi iétions which Chriftand his difc iple s experienced , in the ir endea a

vours to plant the fai th, may be reprefentedas the hrl

’c o f tho fe evils which re ful ted from

the introdud ion o f religion . Y e t who , w ithjufi ice , {hall accufe chri i’t iani ty o f ev ils to,

which i t gave no coun tenance ; who , in con

templating the (e conomy of a divine d i fpenfation, which is to be comple ted i n a f uture

l ife , {hal l m urmur at the f ate o f tho fe whofe

v ir tues we re tried , and called fo r th in affl ic

t ion , and who rej o iced, and were exceed

ingly glad, in the expeé’tation o f that

exceeding and e ternal we ight o f gloi y,

which had been p1omifed 111 recompence of

the ir well - fuppor ted fui‘fcrings, con fcious

that the i r light alf iiél ion was but for a.

moment ; and looking no t at the thingswhich are feen, but ,

at the things whichare no t feen ; f or the things which are feen

are temporal, but the th ings which are no t(cm are eternal .

1 68 D I S C O U R S E - VII .

which tended totally to fubver t the eftablifhedTyftem of idolatry, thus int imately incorporatedw ith every regulation o f foc iety ; and hence theunjuit and de term ined aver lion w ith whichthey v iewed chriftianity which daily of

fended the pafii ons , the opin ions, and the

prefumed intere fts of mankind . Hence the

firft crue lties which they exercifed on the

d ifciple s of a rel igion founded by a crucifiedLord, and {trengthened by the fuff erings and

martyrdom o f his affi iéted difciples .

Mildne fs and perfuafion , gentle meafures,and conciliating argument, were the me thodswhich Chri lt commanded, and which his

apofl les adopted . If the pafii ons o f mankindwere exc ited , and gradually mingled in the

caufe i f the introduct ion of l igh t was 0p.

po fed by thofe who loved darknefs , are we

therefore to complain o f the e ffect of l igh tChriftianity introduced not perfecution intothe world, though i t became i tfelf the obj ecto f pe rfecution . Religious bigotry had utteredits harfh decrees f rom Hea then tribunals f ,

it Vid . Tac it . Annal . L i b . XV . 44 . Sueton. Nero .

c . xvi . Plin . L ib . X . l . 9 7 . Acts xix.

1 That the fpir it o f pe rfecut ion had introduced itfe lfinto the Roman counc ils, notwithftanding the gen ius o f

Polythe ifm

D I S C O U R S E VII . 169

a nd religious animofities had excited contefi s

among Pagan nations If the minil’rers of

chril’tianity, when raifed f rom deprefii on and

Polythe ifm is certain, even from Mr . G ibbon’

s account,

though he by no means fiates fully the a£ts of the ir in¢to lerant power . He reprefents the Emperor Tiber ius,and Claudius, to have only fuppre ffed the dangerous

power o f the Druids in Gaul and afl‘

erts, that the priel’cs

themfelves, the ir gods, and the ir altars, fubli lted t ill thefinal defi ruétion o f paganifm, though

“ the accurate

Sue ton ius,” as he elfewhere {tiles him, in the place to

which Mr . G ibbon refers, fays o f the latter emperor,t‘Druidarum religionem apud Gallos penitus abolevit,

”

utterly abolilhed the rel igion of the Druids among theGauls . Sue ton. in Claud . § 2 5 . See o ther proo fs o f

Roman pe rfecution in the defi ruél ion o f the temple o f

Hi s and Serapi s 5 in the delegat ion o f freedmen, to

probable deftruétion in Sard in ia ; and in the expulfion

from Ita ly o f all who pro fefi'

ed the,

Hebrew or Egyptianrel igion, (an af t of the jultice, as Mr . G ibbon {tiles i t ofT i ber ius ) as related byD ion . Cafli us, L i b . XL . p . 2 5 2 .

and Tac i tus Annal . c . i i . 85 . See Dec line and Fall o f

Rom Emp . Vol. I . c . 11. See alfo C icero de Leg ib..

II. 8.

See Juvenal ’s I sth Sat ire, where, in the excefl'

es

and cann ibal fury o f {ome Egyptian bigo ts, againfi whichJuvena l inve ighs wi th the mo lt fpir i ted indi gnation, wemay find what Mr . G i bbon calls fome obfcure traces

o f an i ntolerant fpirit.”The Magi, in the eaft, often

{hewed a perfecuting temper.

contempt,

1 7 6 D I S C O U R S E vn .

con temp t, fome times practifed a feveritywhich they had been taugh t * ; if its proteéto rs in the confidence o f earthly powerprefcribed its acceptance in a tone too imper ious ; if , in d ifregard o f the precepts o f

the ir d ivine Matter, they fometimes employedthe fecular arm where fp iritual weapons alone{hould have been employed, are we to forge tthat religion 18 no t refponfible for a conduct

which it condemned ? Such mifchief aro fe,

no t becaufe chr ifi ian ity was in troduced, butbecaufe its true fpir it was weakened o r ob

fcured .

sThe chief perfecutions which have beencarried on in the name of Chrifi , have been,

at See BiIhOp Porteus’

s Twelf th Se rmon, p . 2 7 3 .

Even Mr. Vo l ta i re, i n {peaking of fome pe rfecut i on,

which the Chr iftians carr i ed on f t om re fentment in Syr iaand Palet’t ine, fays, that Ammianus .Marcellinus , whode fc rihes the per fecution, doe s not no t ice the i r grea t v irtues which they had d i fplayed. I] y avoit de grandes

ve r tus qu’

Ammian ne remarque pas ; e lles font pre fquetoujoui s cachée s, fur - tout ades yeux ennemi s ; e t les

v ice s eclate nt .“

E li a i fur I’

Hifto i re generale .

”Vo l . I .

c . v . S e e al fo L ivy, L ib . IV . c . xxx . L i b . XXVI .c . i . L ib . XXX IX . c . xv i . D ion . Calli us, L i b . LII.

and B ifl mp W at fon’

s Apol . for Chr ifi ianity, annexed to

fe rmons, p . 338 .

1 7 2 DI S C O U R S E vi i”

.

chrif’tianity been unknown , fome pretendedrevelations m igh t have been publifhed bycraf ty and ambit ious men, and the inventionsof impo fture have been difclofed to afii f’t the

exertion of pafii ons that panted fo r gratificat ion . Such, in the times of paganifm, of ten

were contr ived : fuch, in o ther countries, andin later periods, were fabricated and impofedby an enterprifing and afpiring conqueror,w ith defign to facilitate the ef

’tablithment of

an earthly empire .

L et the hafiy and fuperficial enquirer declaim againf

’t the rel igion of Chrif’t, when

he contemplates the fo lly and enthufi afm o f

tho fe who enl ified in confed erate attempts,

and unfolded the banners of the crof s, for

the recovery o f that land on which the Redeemer of mankind converfed and was cru

cified 9“o r when , in later times, he confiders

‘

the

Bifhop Po rteus’

s twelf th Sermon, p . 286 .

ion, i n ano ther po int o f v iew, repre fen ts many benefic iale ff ects to have been produced to Europe by the Crufades,which opened an inte rcourfe w i th countrie s

‘

where the

knowledge o f many ufe ful arts and impro vements, o f

civi l izat ion and commerce, we re pre ferved, an ac

qua intance which e ff ected falutary and mo lt important

changes in the property and manners, and Opprefli ve

govern

D I S C O U R S E VII. 1 7 3

the c ivil diffenfions, the unrefi rained perfe

cutions, or the intemperate enterpr ifes

which have been carr ied on under the name

of Chrifi , and under the pretence o f efi a

b lifhing his faith . In the fe , the confiderate

mind w il l difcover rather the lurking pafiionsand fecret luf’ts, that the co rruption of a de

praved nature generated ; which, in barbarousand dark per iods, broke out into excefl

'

es thatno laws could contro l ; and which , by theinfidious infi igation o f the apo ftate fp irit,

cloathed themfelve s in the garb and {auctionso f that religion which was levelled againfl:

the i r domin ion .

For the e ff ects of thefe paflio ns, the advo

cate o f chrifi ianity has no apology to o ffer 3

he contends only, that they are not the f ruitso f that law which G od commun icated, however chargeable on tho fe who profe lfed an

obedience to that law . Rel igious wars have

government of the feudal t imes . See Robertfon’

s Viewo f the State o f Europe prefixed to Hif

’cory of Charles V.

Vol . I . I . p . 2 3 .

It would be unjuft to attr ibute the conduét o f the

Span iards in Amer ica to rel ig ious zeal . The Jefuits

every where/made religion a ve i l for pol i tical views .

1 74. D I S C O U R S E VII.

been ex‘c ite’d by political intercits 5 religious

d ifienfi01i s have been provoked by c ivil ani -lmofities i

v

, and re ligious perfecut ions haveBeen

éis"The perfecutions carr i ed on by Charle s the F i f th,

and by Phi lip the Second, we re he ightened and regulated

by amb i t ious v iews‘

; and, unde r the re ign o f the’

latter'

pr ince , by a fupe rftitious venerat ion fo r the Roman fe e .

The i nqu i fi tion, whereve r i t has—be en e ll ablifh ed, hath

been the in fi rument as‘

much o f po lit ical as o f re ligi oustyranny.

it R

'

e l igion had fo l i ttle to do w i th the c iv i l 3wars’ andfact ions carr ied on unde r the banners '

o f.

r el igion in

France, that we learn f rom the i r hill or ians , that the

Conde ’ s and icol ign i ’s embraced the reformed fa i th, becaufe the G uife s we re o f the Romilh

“

church. The ac

count o f Davi la i s very r emarkable : he fa'

ys, that the

admi ral Ande lo t advifed the patronif mg o f the Calvin if’ts,J

1n o rder to fpur them on to the de ftruél ion o f the I—l oufe

o f Lorra in, which, (b'

e fi de s o the r advantage s ) would

make it b el ieved, for the futur e , by all the wo rld, that,

the c ivil war was firfi k i ndled, and blown up, not ion the'

pr inces accoun t, and the i r pre ten fi ons ,to the gove rnmen t,

but by d i flem’

i ons and cont rove rfi e s in matte rs o f re l i~

gion .

’

He adds, that it was a co unfe l and re folut i o n fo

fatal and pern ic ious, that, as i t o pened a doo r to all thofe '

m ife r ies and calami t ies which, w i th ter r i ble example, fo r

a long t ime, afil iéted and difti aél ed tha t kingdom, fo it

brought to a m iferable end bo th the pe rfon hini fe lf that

advifed it, and all thofe who, led by the i r a ffect ions and

pre fent intere f’t s,

con fented to i t . See Fam ewo r’

th’

s

T ranflation o f Dav ila, B ook I . p . 3 3 . t o wo uld

thi nk

1 7s D I S C O U R S E vrri .

ples and extravagant errors gradual ly accu-s

mulated and the fcholafi ic fub tle ties, fpe

culations, and d ifputes , which were incorporated with it, at the revival of literature,when fairly confidered, re flect difcred it onlyon thofe who interwove fuch vanities withinfpired wifdom, and debafe not the purityo f truth .

The gradual depar ture f rom Chrifiian

r ighteoufnefs, in the practice of i ts prof é flors,

which kept place w ith the corrupt ion of the

faith , and which , at lai’t, attained to thathe igh t of depravity that called loudly for

reform, can be u rged only to illufi‘

rate the

fad e ff ects o f fuperfi ition, and impeach not

the pe rfection and natural tendency of a law ,

which in every l ine inculcate shol inefs , in everyprecept exhorts to purity . They prove thatall iance which fubfi fi s between Op in ion and

ractice ; and demonftrate , that in proportionas the wo rd of G od is neglected and con

cealed, corrupt manners, and l icen tious conduct, will prevail .

and all who were infected wi th the reafon ings of the

G ent ile wifdom, difputed for the ir pecul iar tenets as if

they had been the doctr ines of Chrii’c. See Lardner ’sHill . of Heret . B . I . § t i 3 .

D I S C O U R S E VII . 1 7 7

In the fanat ic zeal , and in the degradingfuper ftitions that have , in modern t ime s,

difgraced the pro fe lfo rs o f our ho ly religion ,

We behold the unhappy influence o f human

corrupt ion, which , impat ient o f re ftraint,

and bafe in its fugge fi ions, has mifapplied,and perver ted the precepts of an all - pe rfect

law . The law itfe lf do th not author ife

exce fs , nor give fanétion to folly ; but men

o f weak and impatien t m inds have blendedthe i r extravagant no tions w ith i ts precep ts,

and been hurr ied , b'y heated imaginat ions , toerroneous and dif reputable conduct . E veryv ir tue hath i ts exce fs ; and no thing ufeful

can be prefcribed that i s no t capable o f dan

gerous and extravagant appl ication but true

p ie ty is no t lof s hono rable becaufe inflamed

pafii on s have engendered phrenfi ed and ex

tatic fanc ie s fince re fai th i s no t lofs falutarybecaufe c redulity hath i nclined to fict itiousinve ntio ns and a fuper f

’t i tious creed .

If a zeal for God ’

s fervice has been com~

b ined with an into leran t fp irit ; if a reverence

f o r re l igion has been deemed compat ible withinactive and fecluded abfi raé’tion f rom its du

t ies ; if a f erven t regard to the welfare o f

Chri ft’

s church hath been counterfe ited byambitious

1 7 s D I S C O U R S E VII .

ambitiou s and diffembling pafii ons, the miftake s , o f the evil de fi gns o freflect no d ifcredit on a temperate and obedie‘n

'

t reverence f or a revealed law . The hypo~c ri fy which hath debafed devo t ion; t he barrenfaith which hath been divo rced f rom obed ience ; the e rrors , corrup tion s , and mo cker ies, which have been blended w i th religiousvVor fhip , fl i ould be feve red, in the e fl imation

o f cenfiderate men, f rom the genuine and

unde fi led character o f Chri fr ian r ighteoufnef s .

The anc ien t fchifm s, the numerous feel s and

herefie s, wh ich {till prevail , which aliena tethe affect ions , and embitter the in te rcour

’

fe

o f mankind , from whence come they, come

they no t hence , even o f your luf’cs ? The

doct rines o f Chr ill are fimple, and pro ff eredin firnple language to our acceptance if our

j udgm ent e rr in the concep tion o f them, it

i s becaufe that judgment is , by the deprav ityo f the hear t , m illed . D iffenfion s and here

fie s Were what our in fpired teache rs fore fawand predicted Q5"

; and the ir exiftence muf t be

urged in cri abli fhment , no t in de trac’t ion of

4“ D/Iatt . xv i i i . 7 . 1 Co r . xi . 1 9 . 2 Pe te r i i . I .

‘

Aé’rs xx . 29 , 30 . Luke i i . 34, 35 . 1 T im. iv. 1 .

1 80 D I S C O U R S E VII'

.

and mutt {till farthe r p rove , - falutary'

and

good ; if , as Chrift fore told, the fword o f

the Chri f’tian has been fome times .w ielded indefiance of the re itr iétions of chriftianity,

that fword [hall ultimate ly be converted in toan in l’trument benefic ial to mankind . The

armour of G od, furnifhed to l his difc iples , is

to enable them to {land againf’e the w iles

of the devil ; to wrefi le , no t againfi: fie fh

and blood, but againfi pr inc ipalities , again i’r

power s, againfi the rulers of the darknef s o f

this world, againfl: {prawn wickednefs in

high place s Var iance and difcord may be

the cafual refa lt of the introdué‘cionof thatlaw which rebukes the follies, and wouldcorrect the fins of mankind 3 but the {tillvo ice of infpired w ifdom mufi: finally be

heard the admon ition s of a peace ful monitormutt ultimately prevail . That which is fe t

for the fal l and r ifing again of many, and for

a fign, which {hall be fpoke n againf’t,”

mutt;

in the end, overpower the fi rength o f humanoppofit ion , and confound the reafonings o f

human wifdom . The church , wh ich has

been aiTailed by fo many d iffi culties, and againi’r

it Ephef. vi . I I , 1 2 5

which,

D I S C O U R S E VII . 1 8;

which, as founded on a rock, the gates of

hell cannot prevail, w ill ult imately be ll if ted

up, and unfold “ its everlafi ing doors , in a

triumphant Rate , when Chrifi: the King o f

glory {hall come in and there fhall in no

w ife enter into i t any thing that defileth, o r

worketh abominat ion, or a lie , but they whicha re wr itten in the book o f l ife 919

.

Chrilt him felf was defp itefully infulted

and mocked . He fuff ered, and was cruc ified, for tran fgrefii ons which he did no t comm it ; and his rel ig ion alfo has been calumniated and condemne d fo r imputed evil .Amidfi revil ing, however, and apparen t ignom iny, our Saviour difplayed a tr iumph on the‘

c ro fs and appeared ,‘

af ter his v icto ry, w ithgrac ious and fr iendly afpeé’t , to rece ive and to

reli ed : honor and glo ry on mankind fo likew ife his re lig ion fui’tain s its character , unde

graded by falfe accufation and mal ignantcharges, and w ill hereaf ter exhibit to the

world the unfullied majefiy o f its divineperfection .

Wherever fc ience begins to dawn, thereachriflzianity alfo {h eds its r ifing beams 3 where

Pfalm xx iv. 7— 1 0 . Rev. xxi . 26, 27

CVCL’

£8 2 D I S C O U R S E VII.

e ve -r fc ience has long fl i one , the re chrif’tianitylikewife d iffufes a fi eady light, which {hal lfinally difper fe eve ry cloud and fhadow thatmiftake n apprehenfions have raifed up to en

c ircle i t ignorance and p rejudice flee away

f rom i ts pre fence 5 de fpo tifm , and cruelty, andguil t, {hrink f rom i ts awful l ight .A s the lefibns o f chr iftianity are admitted

by g radual propagation in the we itern continent, they awaken the rude and untutoredInd ians from the n ight of darkne fs , raife

them in the fcale o f created beings, exci te

the ir highe ft facul tie s, and call forth al l

tho fe foc ial affeé‘cion s which tend to c ivilize

and improve mankind . The cheerle fs regionso f A f rica glow at length w i th the impar tedrays o f revelation ; and the naked and har

raffed inhabitant s o f i ts de far ts hail them as

the fignal o f f reedom, and improvement to

the ir unhappy tribes .

The mo re pol ifl i ed and enl igh tened inhahitants o f the cafiz, where revelation s we refirf’t commun icated to mankind , and wherethe pr i nciples o f divine truth frill remain,i nterwoven with fpur ious pre tenfion s, a nd~encumbered w ith fiétitious addition s, are pre

pared f g r the recep tion of the true faith , and

1 84 D I S C O U R S E'

VII .

C’hr ifi ianity, then , as i t fpreads ,will overturn the fupe rf

’t it ions and bigo try of o ther

r eligions : i t w ill d ifperfe the fullen '

lhade s

and gloomy devo t ion of barbarous cl imes

and it w ill vind icate i ts genuine truth f romthe fictions and inventions of more refinedtheologies .

In c ivilized and enl igh tened countrie s, thefabrics o f human error have been under

m ined , as the afihmptions o f human autho

r ity , i n po ints o f faith , have been difclaimed .

The authenti c reco rds of our religion , col

lated , and refi o red to the ir genuine character,and exclufive pre

- eminence , mufi finally. con

c iliate a general and fi ncere afi’

en t . Then{hal l truth triumph w ith unrefifted evidence ,f cepticifm {hall be abafhed, and herefy (hall bet rodden under fee t . That {harp and fpiritual

fword, that goe th out o f the mouth o f“

the wo rd of G od ,”{hall then d ifcomfit

the nations afiembled againft his fain ts . The

b eaf’t and the falfe prophe t {hall be caf’t aliveinto a lake o f fire , and Satan himfelf , the

great initigator to evil , be cai’c into the bo t

toi

mle fs pit . All nat ion s {hall then join inunited wo rlh ip : al l people {hall affemble w ithaffociate praife . Then, as the Pfalmifi , in

pro-s

D I S C O U R S E vn . 1 85

prophetic defcription, concludes his infp iredp raye rs , Chri ft {hall judge the people w ithC‘

C6

flN

KG

AG

6 Q

Q0

r ighteoufnefs , and the poo r with judgment .

He th all beat in pieces the Oppre ffor . In

his days {hall the r ighteous flour ifh . H e

{hall have dom inion f rom fea to fea, and

f rom the r iver to the ends of the ear th .

They that dwell in the w ildernef s iball bowbefore him; and his enem ies fhall lick thedull . All kings {hall fall before him ; all

nations {hal l ferve him . For he fhall de

liver the needy when he c r ieth the poor

alfo, and him that hath no helper . His

name {hal l endure for ever : his name {hallbe cont inued as long as the fun and men

{hall be blefi‘ed in him : all nations [hallcall him b le ffed . Blefied be the LordG od, the G od of Ifrael, who only doethwondrous things . And bleffed be his glorious name for ever : and let the who leearth be fi lled w ith his glory . Amen, andAmen

at See Pfalm lxxu .

D I S

1 88 D I S C’iO U R S E VIII .

in a defcription o f the evils f rom which i thas re fcued us ; and , fecondly , to po int out,by a reprefen tation of the good that it hasconfer red , in how great and impor tant in te

. re fl s i t has promoted the welfare and happine fs o f mankind .

To have a comple te and q t idea o f the

evils f rom which chriftianity has re fcued us,

we fhould take a v iew of the rel igion and

manners which prevailed at its firl’t intro

dué’t ion . On a general and unprej udiced

furvey o f Pagan t ime s, we find only religions formed on imperfeét tradit ional informat ion, and gradually degraded in to abj ectfuperf

’t it ion and pern ic ious idolatrie s . The re

l igions which were founded on human terro rs ,

and built up by ar tifice , w ith a fuper ftruci ure

o f fal fhood, of omens, augurie s'

, prodigi e s,and o racles ; which were fupported by the

pre tenfions o f judic ial afi rology, and the ar ts

o f conjeétural divinat ion , or the fuggefi ions

o f evil fpirits, could excite only a pe rve rtedand corrup t fervice . A mythology, w oven

and fpread out by fittion , could be difplayedbut to generate , in its beho lders , e rroneous

and prejud ic ial fen timen ts ; and the fancifuland attract ive colourings in which It was

worked

D I S C O U R S E VIII . i sg

worked, ferved but to increafe the mifchief

o f its decept ions : its fam il iar and co rporealimagery rendered it acceptable to vulgar apprehenfion , while the e legance and p oe t ical o rnamen t o f its con texture , and the philo fo

phical explicat ion of its allego rie s, fof tenedthe gro ffnefs of the machinery to more t e

fined imaginations . Fafcinated to reve renceevery objeét o f capric ious adm iration, the

j udgmen t o f men became vitiated : paflion swe re ido l ized , and popular vice s were em

bod ied and confecrated for . worfhip . In

countr ies the molt c ivilized and infi ruéted,

the objeéts of ado rat ion were de te f’cable theywere worfhipped w ith human facrificés and

Eufeb . Le Laud . Conll ant . c . x i i i . Prmp . L ib . IV.

c . xvi . Liv. L i b . XXII. c . lvi i . P lutarch . in Marce l .

In i t . Macrob . Satur . L ib . I . c . vii . Alex . ab Alex.

L ib . VI . c . xxv i . Human vié’tims Were immo latednot on ly by barbarous nat ions, but by Greek s and R0 .

mans, the Pr imaVirorum .

”Ar iftomene s a Mi ffenian

fl aughte red three hundred, among whom was Theopom

p us, in one facr ifice . Among the Romans, human fae ri

fice s were interdiéted by a dec ree o f the fenate, dur ingthe confulth ip o f C11 . Cornel ius Lentulus, and Pub . c i

nius C raffus ; but a feroc i ous fpirit _

o f fuperfi i t ion cla imed

its viétims t i ll Adr ian again fo rbad the cont inuance of the

far age cufi om.

honoured

IQO' D I S C O U R S E » vm.

honoured by fanguinarya nd favage fpeétacles 9f .The confeque nce o f fuch re l igions could

not but be an extreme corruption of mari a

ners ; and i t is certain , that the fcripture

reprefentations o f the Heathen wickednefs

are no t exaggerated j . They are confirmed,

indeed, by Heathen accounts, no t only bythofe o f poe ts and fa tyril

’cs, but by the fair

confe f fions o f h il’tor ical te i’cimony . The

Pagan World, given up unto vile affeétions,”

comm itted all iniquityw ith greedinef s and

the mo lt flagitious cr imes that have ever difgraced our nature , were difplayed, not byfolitary and de te ited individuals, but underthe fan

‘

rStion of a rel igion, of which the r itesand myfte rie s were pro fl igate , and the fe i’ri u

vals and public celebrations l icentious 1 .

Ne itherSeneca, Epift. 9 5 .

1 Rom . i . Ephe f . iv. 1 7— 1 9 . and G rotius . The

defc ript ions, by profane wr i te rs, are no t lefs feve re .

T ac i tus reprefents his t ime as fze va e t infe ll a virtutibus ;

and the hifl or ian e lfewhe re Rates, Magnitudinem infa

m im a nonnullis concupifci, arque ejus, apud prodigos

noviflimami

i

e ffe voluptatem ; but i t is va in to fe leét in «

d ividual paffage s in proo f o f what eve ry page of hill ory

wi ll demonfl ra te in glar ing c olours .

1 The temple s expo fcd and demolilhed by C onfian

t ine, were the fech es of every fpecies of publ ic dehauChery.

1 9 2 D I S C O U R S E VIII .

power of afi ive fervice , and the har fh cruelt ies of the treatment which they exper ienced ,were calloufly lef t to peri fh Un feel ingand inful ting tr iumphs were di fplayed w itho ftentatious emulat ion . Fal fhood 13 fuicide ,and polygamy, and many horrible and unna

tural v ice s, were allowed and v indicated .

In the fubverfion of a fyf’tem fo pern ic ious,

chrif’tian ity eff ected immediate benefi t . The

f ew fage s, whofe m inds were enl ightened bythe dawn of true wi fdom, were fenfible , thatWithout a divine revelation, no general reformcould be expected and wherever chriftian itywas commun icated, it e ff ected its hoped - fo r

benefi t . It rel ieved mankind f rom wandering by the glimme rings of trad itional knowledge f rom a rel igion of ceremon ies and

fervile fuperftition to“

a rel igion o f vir tue,pur ity, and fubf

’rantial reformation . It fub

dued the haughtinef s of human pr ide , re

Qi intil . Initit . L ib . III. c . vi i i . G ro t ; de Jur .

Bel . B . III . IV . IX . Bp . Po rteus’

s l gth Sermon , p .

’

3 1 2 .

The Roman mafi ers had the powe r o f l i fe and death ove r

the i r Have s t i ll the humanity o f Adr ian Wi thdrew the

dange rous authori ty . See Adr ianin Hii’r. A uguft. Scr ipt .c . xvi i i . p . 1 69 .

1 ‘Vhitby on Ephef . iv .; 2 5 .

fi rained

D I S C O U R S E VIII. 4 93

(trained the licent io us fenfuality of Heathenappetites; and expe lled the grofinefs o f Hea

then principle s : It drew over the corr tlpt ion of mankind a Ve il of decency. It fo f t

e ned the rugged and b rutal pafii ons whichp revailed , by introduc ing a courtefy and ur

banity of manne rs . It brake the fe t te rs o f

fla ve ry , as i t now defires to remove i ts t e

main ing chains It threw down the bar

t iers of p rejudice , and the narrow dii’cinétions

o f nat ional pr ide . It difcoun tenanced ha tredand revenge, and brough t forth the fp irit o funiverfal charity, to move, as did the fpirit of

at The number of {lavas is fl ared, by fome hil’tor ians,

t o‘

have been equal to that of the free inhabitants of themRoman world . The Chr ifi ian emperors enaé’ted manylaws to check

'

the capr ic ious tyranny o f the mail ers of

the!

flave s . See Infi itut . Lib . I . Tit . VIII. Dige i’t .

L i b . I. T it . VI. 1 , 2 . L ib . XLVIII. Tit . VIII. XI.Nove l]. XXII. c . v i i i'. 8 m. Robertfon obferves, that

the humane fp irit o f , religion fi ruggled long‘in this refpeét

wi th the max ims and manners of the world, and con

tributed more thah any o the r c ircumflance to introduce

the‘

pracStice o f manumiflion, and he proves thi s by a

long deduf tion of part iculars, and by a reference to

many documents . See View of the State of Europe.

Note 20 :

1 9 4 D I S C O U R S E VIII;

God at the firi’t creation, when . the earth wasWi thout form, and vo id, on the face tot ‘h‘e

waves o f a troubled world, overlhadowed bydarkne fs , and agitated by fio rms .

Chrifi ianity, then , muf’t be allowed to haveremoved away itho pollution o f much ey il,

and to have compo fed, f rom the confufion

and jarr ing e lemen ts of d iforder , a fyfi em o f

a rrangement and harmony that is .

‘f verygood .

”He who is no t biafied by any paf

ti ons to contemplate that religion i n an

favourable po in t of Vi ew, will, on exam ining.it s firf

’t or igin, find it to have been al fo the

can fo o f genuine and efiic ien t benefi t to mank ind 3 and far ther tracing its operat lon in

d iff e rent pe riods , w ill fee i t aéting with powe rful and benefic ial effeét in every age .

Chrifi ianity, 1n .1ts firf’t appearance , by nu

fo lding the true charaéter and ihfcrutable at

t ributes o f G od, and the real nature and con

d it ion of inan, infi ruéted mankind in a rea

fonable and acceptable fervice. By revealingthe promifes o f life and immortal ity, and by

fi amping the affurance w ith pofitive ratifica

t ion, in - the re furreé’tion o f its Founder,chrifi ian ity opened the profpeét of a future

Judgments

1 96 D I S C O U R S E VIII .

‘of every commun ity, where its infi r‘

uetions

were preachedIn every country in which chr ifi ianity

g radually reared its peaceful and conc il iatingfo rm,

’ we find i t ftrengthen the p illars of

foc ie ty, confirming the re lations, and invi

gorating the connexions of life ; combiningreligious fanétions w ith c ivil obligations ; introducing order, temperance , grat itude , fidel ity, forbearance, harmony ; giving energy toobedience ; enforcing, by confcience , whatexte rnal regulations could not reach ; excitingvirtues which pol it ical authori ty could not

c laim ; unit ing mankind in clofer ties, and

animating them to the exertion of everyfocial, and every f riendly afi

’

eetion .

Plin . Epifiz. Lib . X . Epifl . 97 . Luc ian de Mort.

Pe i'eg . p . 764 . Te rtull. Apo‘

l. chap. xxxix. Eufeb .

Hi i’t . E cclef . L i b . VII . c . xxu . Jortin’

s Remarks,Tom. II . Even Jul ian commended the conduét o f

the Chriil ians as exc i ting admirat ion ; Mi lapog . p . 9 9 .

and Mr . G ibbon ment ions the pure and aul'

tere mo rals

o fl

ths Chriftians among the c‘

aufes which he Inppo fes tohave contr ibuted to the growth o f the Chriitian church .

He elfewhe re alfo obferves, that even the faults, o r rather

e rrors of the Chriftians; were der ived from an excef s o f

v i rtue.

Enquire

D I S C O U R S E V111. 1 9 7

Enquire we of hifio r i ans, however par tial,however unfriendly to our religion , howeverreluétant to reveal the v irtues of thofe who

profefi’

ed the faith o f Jefus, and we {hall findthat the difciple s o f chriftianity have beenever peaceable and patient fubjeéts. Sub

mifl i ve , even under governments the mo lt

i ntolerant and Opprefii ve, they fi len tly cultivated a pe rfecuted faith, recommended it onlyby the praétife and commun i cat ion -of i ts

precepts, jo ined in no factions refifiance to

ei’tabli fhed autho rities, confpired in no - tur

bulent or feditious fchemes, exaggerated no

grievances, nor jo ined in the c lamours of

popular d ifcontent . From its fi r ft appear

ance , the Chriftian fpirit interferes with no

lawful claims o f human authority . It ren

ders to Cmfar the things that are Caefar’

s ;

tribute, to whom tr ibute is due . The Roman

magif’trate , in his perfecution, charge s it w ith

no faétious contrivance . It confen ts to fuff er

rather than excite dangerous commotions, o rforfe it due and incumben t allegiance . It gain safcendancy by its own excellence and, when

countenanced by imper ial protect ion, confers

o rnamen t and advantage on the powers withwhich it is combihed .

O 3 Chrif .

1 98 D I S C O U R S E VIII“

.

Chri fi ianity,Which firf’t publ ifhé'

d'

if'

s

h

mild

decrees i n the ftillne fs and calm o f univerfal

p eace , endeavoured to ef’tabli ih, on permanent

pr1nc1ples, the concord and harmony of man

k ind . It difcoui aged the w ild ardour o f conquefi , teaching that victory is fubjeé’t to thecontrol o f the Lord o f Ho f’t s, before whomi“

the nations are as a drop o f a bucke t, and arecounted as the fmall duft of the balance ;

as lofs than no thing, and van ity . It difcountenanced the pr ide o f power , exhibiting,.i n the infi ru

‘

étive reco rds to wh ich it appealed,nation s ove rthrown , and kingdoms def’troyed ;

and lead ing ambition to con template the/ broken image o f dom i n ion, confumed, in

prophet ic de fc ription , by that {tone which

{hall ultimately fi ll the ea1 th * It held up

then aw ful infi ruét ion agai n f’r that mi o f

power which

’

had led the four th kingdom to

ravage , and tyrann ife over the earth , w ith itsiron fway , and which was then to tter i ng,w ith its own bulk , to weaknefs and divifion .

Amidfi the defi ruction which overwhelmedthe Roman world , invo lvingflour ifhing c itiesand dependent nations in i ts fate , whenbail and fire , m ingled With blood, were

5? Dan . 11 . 3 1— 375 .

cafiz

zoo D I S C O U R S E VIII .

In the age s which fucceeded the fubverfiono f

[

the Roman power, and in the bar barousgovernments e i

‘

ee‘ted 0 11 its ruins, we . f1nd no

grays b ut what ehriftianity, diffufed, no v irtuesb ut w hat chriftianity dife l

‘

o fed . If ough'

t of

k nowledge , or of fcienee flouriihed, it was

m religious feclufion . If equity or benevo

lence w ithheld the hand of opprefl i on,-it was

becaufe they were enforced by the perfuafivevoice of religion . If agr iculture and ufe ful

arts were encouraged and commended, i t wasby. the . patronage and example of thofe mo

~nattie infi itutions, o f wh ich many o f the

advantages, in dark periods, have been for

The f/

ame Pont i ff obta ined from the Vandal G enfe r ie,

that in the fecond fack o f Rome the perfons and. houfes

o f the ci tizens fhould be fpared, which they were, as

much as pofii blc, amidfi the confufion and havock o f

p i llage , which cont inued fo r fourtee n days . He diii in .

guilhed himfelf alfo by endeavours to refiore the mif,

chie f fuftained by the fuff ere rs in the plunder, at the

fame t ime that the bit p o f Carthage char i tably fupported an immenfe number o f Roman p rifpners, carr iedinto Afr ica, many o f whom we re afterwards redeemed,and re turned to inhab i t the i r ru ined country. See o ther

proof s o f great and em inent v i rtues, which raifed eccle

fiaf’rics above the i r contemporar i es in Den ina delle Rivoluz ion i D

’

Italia, L i b . V , c . and - Cave’

s f r imitive/

Q‘

hrif’tianity, Part III. e . i i .

gotten,

C

DTS C C H R S~E“

VIII. 2 01

go tten, in . ind ifcriminate cenfure of theirex

’

cefs What but ‘chriftianity was that‘fpirit o f paternal regard which foftened the

fier eenefs o f the feudal feverity What were"

the cour te fy and gentlenefs which m itigatedthe wild enthufiafm and f erocity o f military

intro duced a generous . forbearance

to contro l the pafl ions o f 'men ! What butthe f uggeftions of Chrii

’tian char ity !

Chriftianity con fpired, at thefe per iods, ytocheek private quarrels, and to ‘fof ten revengea nd hoftilities . between i ndividual Chief tains ;to abol ifh the abfurd t rial by jud icial comi‘bat and to

‘dived: even war itfelf of eru

cl ty and of the half of i ts ho rrors .

The wifdom and benevo lence likewife ofour rel igion , in preport ion as they we re

transfufed into . the c ivil laws and regulationsof focie ty,. introduced a more conc iliatingpolicy, and a. more faithful attachment 1 ;

4‘Volta i re ’s EfIai fur L’

Hifioire Generale, Vo l . III.

e .

’

c ii . and Robertfon’

s State o f Europe, Vol . I . p . 5 3,

54 ) 5 5 °

‘

1 Du G loffar. Cange Voce Duellum,V ol. II. p . 1 675

I The canon law was fo rmed on pr inciple s o f gene ra lequi ty, and d ireeled by confifl ent and determinate rules,

when c ivil jurifprudence was e fiablifhed on the worft andmo ft exceptionable grounds .

2 02 D I s on U R’

S E'

vnr.

f or though chrifi ianity pre fcribe no form of'

c ivil confi itution, nor would, by fubver tingthe various fyi’ter

‘

ns that prevail, reduce all

governmen ts to the fame‘

«in; propo rtion as its pr inciples are adopted,theymelio rate and improve

'

every confi itu‘

tion .“The laws . o f chrifi ianity refi rain alike

oppre f‘iion and revo lt ; rel igi ous and c ivil

l iberty cdmbine in effen tial u nion'

; they flouri fh

'

under the fame pro tection ; they peri ihby the fame wounds ; a veneration o f G od,

a nd a charity fo r man, are the great foundat ions on which jafi ice , fubordination, and

peace , mui’t be founded . The princ iples ofre ligion are fieady and unchangeable . The

legiflator who re fpeéts them , w ill facrifice no

llaf’ting interefi s fo r temporary objec’ts. The’ fchemes of policy, which have been devifedin o ppofition to them , however they may

have amufed the fanc ies o f men, have beenfound tranfien t and unfound . Reflectionhath condemned, and experience hath .

bQ

wailed thein .

Very inte refting and importan t proof s oi’\

the d iv ine character, and falutary operat ionp f chrifi ian ity, may be der ived f rom a con

fideration of that wifdom by which i t i s

adapted

2 04 D I S C O U R S E - VIII .

o f pre- eminence , and to plead the claims of

fubjecfi‘rion . The faith o f the lowly and cru

c ified Je f as, rej ected by nations , where defpotifm and ignorance preva il, inco rporatesi tfel f wi th the government of c ivilized and

enligh tened coun tr ies, confpiring w ith the

t emperate exertions o f f reedom, cafi ing away

the fe tters which tyranny and fuper f’tition haveimpofcd , and which f’till confine in darknefs,the nations fubjeéted to the ir control ; promoting, w ith zealous induftry, that diff ufi’

on

o f knowledge which enable s mankind to

judge of its pretenfions ; exerting the f ree

exe rcife of the in tellectual powers to the ,dif

cove ry of truth raili ng the m ind to ~fublime

fiudies, and intere f’ting c on templat ions itima

dating . it to the attainmen t of every morala nd . fp iritual perfection , and awaken ing the

facul ties of an immortal Be ing to an artem

tion to his e ternal interef’ts .

It is the e ff ect of fuperfi ition to deadenthe powe rs , and to deprefs the i ndufiry of

men but the rel igion of Chrif’t Ptirs up i ts

d ifciples to an act ive and animated obedience ;bids them mingle with focie ty for the t exer tion

o f f rie ndly o fiice sn and for the communica

t ion of afii duous charities .

13 1 3 c O U R S E ' v‘

m. a b s

Since the period when chriftianity was,

refe

C’

ued by the re formation f rom d ifguife , and

reflored to its true characte r, its infi ruétionshave e lf efi ed the men falutary and important'

change s, in the opin ions and conduct /bf everypeople who have rece ived its genuin

‘

e nracles .

The attr ibutes and perfect ions o f God havebeen proclaimed with fidel ity. The condit ion and expectation, and dutie s of men, haveb een de fcrib ed w ithout flattery, or refpeé

’t to

perfons . Hence a worih ip in fincerity and

in tru th has been e ftabl ifhed, undebafe‘

d by

barren ceremon ies, unencumbered by fuperfiuous parade ; and hence a pattern of the

‘

true'

church has been refiored on apo ftol ic

p rinc iple s . Hence the r ights o f human ityhave been taught with a fucce fs that da iiyOperates to alleviate the for rows , and to mul

t iply the enjoyments of life ; to harmonizethe tempers, to reconcile the animofities , and

to fubfiantiate the concord of mankind .

The appropriation of a fabbath day to re

l igious retirement, f rom f‘

ecular concerns, and

to a performance of the fo lemn o ffices s f

devotion, has a tendency to a llay the too‘

great violence of human pafl ions; to-

abar

te

the

a s D I S C O U R S E vnr’

.

the ardour ~o f felfifh compe ti ti ons, - and tc‘i

raife the mind to rat ional p ie ty ; The in .

,fi ruétion ,on that day conveyed to ignorancethe reproof held out to fin ; ' the wholefome

admonitions and falutary warnings, deliveredto every rank of l ife , undoub tedly contributeto check the

‘inroads o f corruption . The

re fl riétions o f the day ; its re ferve . and order ;

i ts repo fe and exemption f rom labour ; i tsdecent ornament, and . quiet charaé

’rer , pro

“

duce even , in a polit ical po int o f View , verybenefic ial and importan t difc ipline and e ff eé’ts

to focrety . Con template the appearance, and

confider the confequences o f the infi l tution,

no t fo much in the difl i pated and tumultuous

town as in the fequeftered v illage ; obferve

the aflociate wor f hip , the decent chearful

ne fs, the harmony and ufeful recreation of

the day : the confolation which it aff ordsto the aged, and the infi ruc‘tion which it procure s, by exho rtat ion and difcipl ine , to the

young ; and it mutt he allowed , that muchintrinfic good thence accrues to the com

mun ity .

The hallowed pe r iods likewife , . and thefl ated t ob fervauee s i nfi ituted by the church ,

11]

208 D I S C O U R S E VIII.

adverfity and of forbearance in fuccefs ;

whatever o f generofity can be fancied in

d ifinte re fled exertion , in felf den ial , in liberaland extenfive be nevolence, hath been f requently difplayed in the difciple s of Chrift.

If faith in its holy and afpiring veneration of

an all - perfect and all - feeing God if hope in

its humble and afli duous endeavours to oh

tain an immortal rec‘

ompence if charity, inits var ious and en larged defigns if thefe be

lovely in themfelves, and benefic ial in the irtendency to mankind, they have ever aecompanied and charaéterifed the prefence of

genuine chrif’tian ity .

The natural operation o f rel igion, in private as in publ ic l ife, is to awaken and regulate the affection s, and to encourage ,

'

ou d if -r

interefied pr inciples, the cultivation o f focial

virtues . In the various t ies and complicatedrelations which reful t f rom our connemon in

civil ized l ife, it hold s out a rule o f conduél ,

o f which all ages, fince its revelat ion, haveconfpired to ce leb rate the excellence ; of

The conduct o f tho fe great men, who contr ibutedto the efiablifhment o f the re formation in thi s country,may be ment ioned as among fome of the moft fi

’

gn'

al

proofs of thefe efi

'

eéts .

which

D i S C O U R S E VIII. 2 09

which all deferiptions of men , however theyulhy d iff er as to doétrinal and fpeculative

po ints o f faith, agree to commend the mora

l ity ; which add re ffes the inmofi fen timents,

and regulates the feCre t thoughts ; whichappeals to our judgment, and to our heart :no t by a languid de tail of fpeculative precepts , but by the mo f’c animated and impref afive illuf’trated by example , and en

fo rced by every mo tive inte re f’cing and aff ect

ing to mankind a rule which fluétuates notwith the caprice s of popular op in ion, whichbows to no prevalent princ iples, nor accom a

modates i tfe lf in conform ity to any fyfiem,

but which, on fieady and fecure grounds,defines the dutie s, and marks out the greatand efiential intere f’ts of man . Such a rulem ight be fuppo fed, in theory, to promo te

fome good, where it fli ould be e ftabli fhed ;

and th i s , by exper ience , i t hath been foundto do . Men are not fo perverfe ly wicked as

to recede f rom exce llence in propor tion as it

is difcovered or to turn to evil becaufe infl ruéted to forefee its confequences and

punifhment.

St il l if it be enquired Why greater efiefi shaVe not been produced by chrifiian ity, and

why

, 2 1 0 D I S C O U R S E VIII .

why a purity of manners , in fome d egree

correfpondent with the perfection o f ~that

law, doe s not generally prevail, i t mutt be

anfwered’

, that it is ow ing to that corruptionof our nature, o f which chrifi ianity has t e

vealed the fource, and po inted out the remedy .

The amendment of our manners has not beenin propor t ion to the exce llency o f the in

fi ruétion which we have rece ived, but fi illmuch amendment has been produced ; and if

our manners be compared with thofe of anyunenl igh tened people that have formerlyexifted, or that now do exif’t, they w ill befound to be eminently fuperior .

The conduct of individuals alfo will beal lowed, on fair examination, to be in general

more commendable in proportion as they

have ferioufly and fincerely accepted re ligionas an unerr ing teacher and guide . If tho fe

who mo ft loudly call themfelves Chrifi ’

s d if

ciples, have fometimes mofi glaringly violatedhis laws, it is no t difficult to difi inguiih

affected reverence f rom real attachment but

ufually a faith in the mer its of our Saviour ,fhines for th in humble imitation of his exce llences .

m D I S C O U R S E VIII.

approve ; and what, perhaps, they themfelves, in practice , delighted to difplay : thusref uting, by their conduét, the abfurdity o f

the ir own”maxims

That men o f enlarged underfiandings arecapable o f forming erroneous Opin ions uponfubjeéts molt interefi ing and important to

mankind, is certain . Gen ius is accuf’tomedto

'

confider, in an exaggerated po int of view,

whatever it generates or acquires . A loveof new and {trange op in ions difpofes it to

credulity . It adop ts w ith eagerne fs, and t e

tains with per tinacious adherence . Hence

the numberlefs theories which are daily en

gendered by active imaginations . Hence the

new fyfi ems which are daily erected on

hollow and unfubfiantial grounds, and decorated w ith every embelliihment that partialityand inven tion can furn ifh . Chri i’tianity, bydifclofing the cr iterion by wh ich we may

Celfus p bjeéted to chrifl ianity, that it taught patience under infult ; Bayle, upon fimilar grounds, vin

d icated revenge and Tyndal difapp roved of the fo rg ivene fs of injur ies . Hume thought humi li ty and {elf- den ialufele fs ; and we have o ften feen, that they who rej ectthe ev idence o f chr iftianity, are eafily led to difpute the

mofi obvious pr inc iples of natural rel igion.

D I S C O U R S E vm. 2 1 3

judge of thefe, enables us to guard againfl:

the delufive reprefentations which men of

great and captivating talents hold out . It

teaches us to ant icipate the fal l of thofe

fabrics which are erected but for temporary ,

e ff ect ; and exhibits truth as alone re tainingi ts permanent lufi re and ef’cablifhment .

If , in every great and momentous pointwhich aff ects the happinefs of mankind, weare furn ifhed with clear and dec ided op ini ons”let us remember that it i s to chriftianity w e

are indebted for the infiruétion . If falie vir

tues have been divefi ed of the ir impofingfplendor ; if humble and decried qual itieshave been raifed to deferved efi imation if

characters, which the miitaken admiration of

mankind confecrated as glorious, have, byjuit e f’timation , been exhibited as obj ects ofhorror , and the re verence of men been directed to ufeful and honorable example s, itwas chr iftian ity that reformed the opin ionsof the world . If profperity hath

‘been taugh tto feel , and abafemen t encouraged to h0pe

if fuccefs has been tutored - tfi moderat ion,

and ai étion been cheered to patience , ithath been from the fuggef

’rions of that Coun

fel which threatens the elevat ion of the

proud,

2 1 4 D I S C O U R S E vm .

proud, and afi‘

ociate s itfelf in f riendly confo

lation w ith the diftreffed. Where, then, isw ifdom that rel igion hath not infpired ? Wherei s the virtue that rel igion hath no t taught ?The ftrengthened ties of kindred bear tefti g

mony to the e fficacy of chriftian ity . Its pre

cepts are tranfcribed in the extenfion of the

focial charities ; in the reciprocal deeds of

filial and parental love ; i n the o ffices of

kindne fs to ne ighbours and dependan ts ; in

the atten tion to the difcipline of youth, and

the virtue s of r iting generations ; in the

conde fcenfion o f the great, and in the fub

mifiion o f the lowly ; in the exertions o f

manly and f raternal friendfhip ; in the chaftened aff ections, and mild afii duities o f femaletendernefs . What law but that of chriitianity,can unite focie ty in one extended bond of

charity Where , but in Chri l’rian countries ,has been kept a l ive the flame o f univerfal

love Whe re,e lfe has been raifed the houfe

for indigence, the hofpital for difeafe , the

fchool for ignorance, the {belte r fo r infirm ityand age

Whe rever chrif’tianity is obeyed , there itmuf’c awaken the be ft fenfibilities o f the

human heart, call forth its virtues, and de

prefs

2 1 6 D I S C O U R S E VIII.

The full efficacy o f religion, however,fi ill remains to be feen, and will be graduallyexperienced as it fhall be more extenfivelyand more perfectly ef’cablifhed . As the

glory of the Lord ih ines round about,"

peace on earth , and good- w ill towardsmen, may be proclaim

—

ed . Whereverlance and fimpl icity abide, there the goodt idings of great joy are gladly rece ivedWherever reafon and exper ience lii’cen , therethe power of the divine Word muft produceits e ff ect The difii dence of the (hepherd

accepts its commun ications w ith praife i .

The wifdom o f the fage bows in adorationof its Teacher § . A s the precepts of clarif

tianity are delive red in fincerity, and in truth ,they fpread w ide a diffufion of ufeful knowledge . The benevo lent fentiments of univerfal philanthropy, which are now pro fefi

'

ed by

thofeWho would recommend new theo ries, areder ived f rom an acquaintance with the moralmaxims of chrifi ianity . They are to be

found in no earlier code than the infpired

volume , and are firf’t regiftered in facred

4‘ Luke I I . 8— 14 . 1 Luke II . 46 ,

1; Luke i i . 20 . Matt. 11. i — I I .

characters.

D I S C O U R S E VIII. 25 1 7

charafi ers . When the peaceful days whichfpecdlative philofophy, In Imitation of pro

phetic defcription foretels, (hall be éfiabliihedin the world, it muft be by the extenfion of

that Chrii’tian fpirit which fhall guide the

paf fions, and refi rain the lufi s of mankind .

If , as in new fchemes is promifed, nation{hall no longer lif t up fword againf

’t nation,

neither learn war any more ,

”if (words {hall

be beaten into ploughfhares, and fpears into

prun ing hooks, it mutt be not by the ope

ration of a feif - fufli cient and overweening phiIéfephy which would fuperfede the Teacher,f rom whom its knowledge has be en derived,but by the gradual influence o f that lawwhich went forth from Zion , and f rom the

word of the Lord, which proceeded fromJerufalemTo the univerfal eftabl ifhment of that law

in purity, and to its vital ope rat ion in fincerity and truth , i t is the intere f

’c and duty of

every man to labour and co - Operate . In the

private example of its excellence , all may

difplay the ir zeal ; in the public propagationof its principles, few are they who cannot

W“ Ifaia‘

h u. 3, 4.

contribute

D I S C O U R S E VIII.

contribute : by attention to domef’tic infl ruc q

t ion ; by encouragement of public feminar ie s ; by di ftributron of re ligious works, and

by contribution to religious infl itutions . In

propo rtion as ch‘

rifl ianity prevails , fo wi llrighteoufnefs and peace be e f’rablifhed . As

we labour to enlarge and confirm its autho

r ity , we contr ibute to the advancement of

that kingdom for which we daiiy pray ; and

recommend curfelves to the favour o f that '

Lo rd who hereaf ter fhail deal out r ighteousand inexorable judgments to the world

D I S

2 20 D I S C O U R S E IX.

his converts, that the apoftle s had not

followed cunningly devifed fables, whenthey made known the power and comingof our Lord Jefus Chrif’t, but were eye

witnefle s o f his glory ; for he rece ivedf rom G od honour and glory, when therecame fuch a voice to him f rom the exce llent glory, This is my beloved Son, inwhom I am we ll pleafed .

The glo rious attefi ation alluded to by St.

Pe ter, was that given to Chrifi'

at his trauf

figuration , which , as an anticipated repre

fentation of our Lord ’

s majefly, furni fhed a

p ledge of his future comingBrut , con tinues St . Pe ter, to thofe who

might difpute the tef’timony of the apo i’rles,

we have alfo a more

.

fure word of prophecyto conv ince us of

'

the ce rtainty of Chrift’

s

future advent : alluding to the Hebrew prophecies in general that fore tel that event,

and perhaps particularly to the revela tion of

St . john , wh ich opens w ith an enrapturedvifion of his coming Wi th when

G

4"See B it p Porteus’s Effay on the Transfigurat ion

(if Chrift.

1 Revel . i . 7 . Newton on the Prophec i es, Vo l . III .

p . 368—370. Sir Ifaac Newto n on the Apocalypfe, ch. i .

D I S C O U R S E IX. 22 :

he (hould_

be feen by every eye and‘

clofes

with a declaration, that he who tefi ified the

things which his beloved difciple had re

vealed , had faid , Surely, I come quickly * .

St . Pe ter then, without raifing the wo rd of

prophecy above every o ther tefiimony, as

fome have e rroneoufly imag ined, only urgesto tho fe, who might rej ect his evidence, thatthere was alfo a fure r word of what he hadpreached, the concurrent predict ions of in

fpired wr iters, wh ich , as a ligh t ihiningin a dark place , had p ie rced the clouds

o f futurity , and promifed the fecond advento f o ur Lord to judge the world in righte d

oufnef s .

St . Pe ter terms p rophecy a more fure

word i “ Its pofitive prom i fes mufi haveexc ited , indeed, more confidence than any

typical pledge could produce . The char‘

aé‘ter

o f the anc ient prophets had been long efia

b lithed . The ir wr itings were acknow ledgedto have long exifted and they recorded fueceffive revelations fuccefii vely fulfi lled .

Revel . xxn . 20.

1 BsCa 7spov My ov, a furer word, a more firm and un

exceptionable ground.

fi I S C OU‘

R S E TX.

The generation then extant, in a retrofpea:

of the fcripture hiftory, found numberlefs

prophecie s, of different nations, accuratelyfii lfilled ; and could difcover no circumf’rance s

that contradicted the truth of prophecy ,though all its predictions were , by no means,

yet accompl ifhed . In the detail of the Jewifhhiftory, they m ight note the del ineation of

the pr’

omifes and threats o f God ; the Amoer ite , the Canaanite , and the Hittite, and the

Per izz ite, and the Hivite, and the Jebufite,Were driven out i t .

”If they enquired fo

‘

r

Moab , it was fmitten, and cut o ff from

be ing a nation; for the children of Sheth,

theyWere defi royedT.

”The remembrance

of Amalek,” the firi’r o f nation s, was

utterly put out from under heaven t and

4‘Exod. i i i . 8. xxxi i i . 2 .

1 Exod . xv. 1 5 . Numb . xxi . 24 . xxiv. 1 8. Jet .

xlvi i i . 2 , 4 6 . comp . w i th Jud. i i i . 29, 30 . I Sam. xiv.

2 Sam. v i i i . 1 4 . 1 Chron . iv. 2 2 . She th is fuppofed to have been the name o f fome diftinguifhed per

fon, or place, among the Moab i tes . Newton, Vol . I.

D iffert . V .

I Exod . xv i i . x4 . Numb . xx iv. 20. comp . wi th

Jud. vi i. 1 Sam. xv. 1— 7 . 2 Sam. i . I . I Chron .

Iv. 4 3 .

Edom

2 24 D I S C O U R SE IX.

known to prove that they Were producedlong before the events which they prediét .The prophecies delivered by the patr iarchs andthe defce

‘

ndants of Abraham could not havebeen received as facred oracles, if del iveredfubfequent to the events which they defcribe .From Mo fes to Malachi, revelations weremingled with hif’rory, and with the laws onwhich the Jewifh (economy was

‘

et‘eéted and

preferved ; and no temptation could occur to

fubftantiate preceding records by the inter~mixture of fiétitious prediétions . No con-s

trivance couldf

inter‘

weave fpurIous prophec iesin facred regifters, generally difperfed, and

publicly rece ived and read .

That the prophecies re lative to the Mefl iah

were produced before the appearance of

Chrift that they we re tranflated into Greek,and d ifperfed abroad , near three centuries

before the birth o f Je fa s , is notorious andallowed . Who then that has confidered the

predictions and re lations of the Old Te f’rament, as recorded by fuccefl i ve and uncon

nected prophe ts and hiftorians, but is fi ruck

w ith the fure ty of prophecy, as exemplifiedin the comple tion of blefl i ngs promifed, and

curfes denounced, to individuals , and in the

foretold”

B I S C‘

O U’

R S E IK2 as;

fo retold defcription o f national even ts PWhothathas compared the fate of the d ifferent g oc

’

»

vernmen ts of the world, as fore fhewn in the

Old Tefiamen t, w ith the ir revolutions and

deftrué’cion, as de fcribed by Heathen b iffo s

r ians ; who , laf’cly , that has collated the pro -z

phe ts w ith the evangel if’cs the types and figns,

the figurative and the literal prophecies of

the Hebrew fcrip ture s, w i th the circumf i ances and even ts recorded in the N ew

Te f’tamen t , but mu fi acknowledge thatp rophecy came no t in old t ime by the w illo f man , but holy men o f G od fpake as

they were moved by the Ho ly G ho ft.”

Waving, however, a retro fpeét that hasbeen o f ten made ; waving enquirie s thatfome tim es need the re fearches o f chronology ,le t us adver t chiefly to tho fe add itional proo fso f the truth o f prophecy whichh ave occurredfince the firft preaching o f chr if’tian ity, and

turn ing to a fcene that l ie s before our eye s,

confider its accompl if hmen t in the prefen t

fi ate and c ircumftance s o f the wo rld . Of

thefe all can j udge : we po ffe fs the predict i ons , and need b l l t look to the even t, and

the prophecy and the accomplifhmen t havethe fame evidence ; which he that hath ears

Inuit hear he that hath eye s muf’t fee .

(L

2 26 D I S C O U R S E Ix.

Be it the object o f the prefen t difcourfe ,

in a fl igh t confideration of fome countriesand nations as they now exi f’c, to po int outthe comple tion o f many fignal prophecies,de fcribing the wo rld in its p re fent fl are , w ithre ference to the changes which it has undergone , as we ll as to what it has le ft, as to

what it {till re tains . If the kingdoms againf’t

which reve lation d irected i ts th reats, are

levelled w ith the duf’t ; if the Aflyrian, the

Babylon ian, the Pe rfian, the G rec ian , and

the Roman emp i res, have fuccefii vely va

n ifhed, like the chaff which the windfcat tere th away,

” it is no t po f fible to con

template the countrie s in wh ich they flou

r ifhed,/changed , as they are , f rom feats of

dom inion to feats o f defolation, and no t to

fee l a convict ion of the truth of tho fe fcript

ture s which p red icted the ir feveral fates as

preparatory to the kingdom o f the Me f fiah .

N ineveh the exceed ing great and rej o ic ingc ity, has d ifappeared , and an utter end

has been made o f i t Babylon , the glory

Nahum iI .i

'

8 . Z ephan . I I . 1 3— 1 5 . Theveno t

’

s

Trave ls, Pa rt ‘

II . B o o k I . 0 . x i . p . 5 0 . Tave rner in

Ha rr i s, Vc l . II . B o ok II . c . iv.

2 2 8 D I S C O U R S E IX .

and, laf’tly, the fourth kingdom,

‘

thoughf’trong as iron , which devoured the

whole earth, has , in turn , been d i’

fmem

bered into ten kingdoms pourtrayed by theten horns, the emb lem s o f fovere ignty

i i; and

the G od o f heaven hath fe t up that k ingdomwhich fhall f ever be d e ftroyed .

Le t‘the fphere be revo lved on its axis , and

fuccefii vely pre fen t to o ur view the variousnations ‘

of the earth , and we {hall eve ry whered ic ver circum ftanc

'

es fore fhew n in v ifion,

and '

no ,where eve r ts inconfi f’cen t w ith the

facred de fcrip tions . Lo the great objeét in

f urvey , that fir ft inte re i’t s his

attention : the land o f Judea fpo iled, and

Lyfimachus, and Se leucus, who were no t his de fcendants,

e ftablifhed four kingdoms, in G reece, in Egypt, in

Thrace, and in Syr ia ; in the we ft, in the fouth, in the

north, and in the eaf’r. See Fr id . Ant . Chn ft . 30 1 .

it Dan f i i . 33—35 . v i i i 7 . S i r I . Newton r eprefents the

ten kingdoms into which the Roman emp i re was d i videdto have been tho fe o f the Vandals and Alans in Spa inand A fr ica ; o f the Sue v ians in Spa i n o f the Vi figo ths ;

o f the /A im s in Gall ia ; o f the B urgund i ans ; o f the

F ranks ;' o f the B r i tons ; o f the Huns ; o f the Lom

bards, and o f Ravenni

a . Se e Obfe rvat . on Dan . ch. vi .

I Nhatever was the i r number a fterWards, they wer e ftill

called the ten k ings .

made

D I S C O U R S E 1x . 2 2 9

made defolate by the nation that came

f rom far ,”

as fw if t as the eagle fl ie th .

Je rufalem hath been compaff ed W i th ar

m ies , and i ts eople have fallen by theedge o f the fwordf

gfland been led away cap

t ive in to all nations It .is trodden downo f the Gen tiles The fenced c ities areimpoverifhed . The fanétuaries o f Ifrae l

laid w'

afte . The holy place s de fi led by thewo rd of the Heathen . The days are

come”

when the temple is utterly throwndown , and no t one flo ne le f t on ano ther i

’i.

Thence le t the eye wander to Arabia, where

C h

the defcendants o f l fhmael authen ticate the

account , and verify the prediétions‘

of fcrip

ture . S till is the Arab a wild man, as

the angel of the Lo rd fore told . Still is his

hand again f’t every man , and eve ry man

’

s

hand againft him”

v

i"

; and ftill, though everyo the r coun try in the wo rld hath w itheffed a

revo lution o f empire , and a change o f man

.

ners, {till do the mul tiplied and unnumbereddefcendants of Ifhmae l, in con fo rmity to the

i f“ Levi t . xxvi . 33 . Deut. xxvi i i . Jerem. iv.

20— 3 1 . v . 1 1 . Amo s vn . 9 . Ezek . VI I . 2 4 . Matt.

xxi i i . 3 7, 38 . xxiv. 2 . Luke xix. 4 1— 4 4 . xxi . 24 .

TG en . xvi . I I , 1 2 .

2 30 D I S C O U R S E Ix.

d ivine decree , maintain an independent fl arein the prefence o f, and in defiance o f the

re f s of mankind . The career o f Viéto ry hathbeen o ften

'

checked on their f rontie r s ; and

fuccefl i ve conquero rs , who have meditatedthe ir fubjecl ion , have been arre f

’ted by the

hand,

o f Providence , o r w ithhe ld by the

grafp o f death i f

Sh l ikewife con fult the traveller, and thou,fhalt learn that Tyre , the proud c ity ,

who fe merchants we re pr inces, and whichi“ enriched the kings o f the earth w ith the

multitude o f he r r iches which heapedup hive r as da ft, and fine gold as the m ireo f the fi ree ts, pre fents, as the pr ophets

fo refaw, a fad fcene o f broken walls and

rui ned towers and is inhabited but by a few

wretches, who feem to be preferved to fulfi l,literally, the prophe tic defcription , by fpread

ing the ir ne tson the bare rocks that projeétand overhang the fea i f .

Alexander, Pompey, Traj an, [Elius Gallus, and

§everus . Vid . Diede r . Sic . L ib . II . p ., oz. Edi t . Ste

phan. Di oms Calf . Hi fth L ib . LXVIII . p . 785 . L ib .

.LXXV. p . 85 5 . L i l) . LV . p . 5 6 1 . Edi t . Leunclav.

'

l‘ Z ochar . ix . 3, 4 . Ezek . xxv i . 3— 5 . I 4 . xxv i i i .Shaw

’

s Trave ls, p . 3305 NIaundrcll’

s Travels ,

p , 4 8, Volney, Vol . II. ch . xxix . Thevenot, p . 2 .

Book I. ch x1 .

2 32 D I S C O U R S E ix.

who der ived the ir o r igin from Japheth { and

fince , in confo rmity to the divine decree , bythe Saracens , the defcendants o f Shem, now

g roan in fubjeétion to the Turk s, who fprangf rom the progeny o f Japheth , thus remain

ing, in al ternate fubjeé’cion ,4‘ a fervant of

4“ fervants to the ir brethren .

The po f’terity o f Japhe th, whom G od

i “ hath enlarged, has fpread itfelf in colon ies , and numerou s and viétorious arm ie s overLege r Aha, Media, part o f Armenia, Iber ia,A lban ia, Antient Scythia or Tartary, over

almo f’t all Europe , and, pe rhaps, has peopledeven the wefiern continentN o where can the cur ious enqui rer turn

his eyes, and no t find fi rik ing proo f s of the

accompl ifhment of the fcr ipture prophec ies .

IDI OCQCd we farther to unfold the evidence ofthe ir truth , by open ing the pro fpeét of otherfcenes . Let us confider the defcendants of

Abraham, multiplied as the flat s of hea1 “

ven , or as the fand which is on the fea

6‘ flnore , yet plucked o ff f rom the ir own

of Ham,has be en fucce i

’

i'

i vely fubjeét to the Romans,

Saracens and T urks . V i d. Bochart . Phaleg . L ib . I .

chap . 1 L ib . I l l . chap. i . col . 1 4 9 . L ib . IV . ch. vii .

pol .

(d

en . ix.

land.

D I S C O U R S E IX . 2 3 3

land, and fcattered and d ifpe rfed throughall countr ie s ; removed unto all the corners

o f the earth , to the we ft, to the eaf’t ,’

to

the nor th , and to the fouth th,

”marked

out and fe t apart in many place s, to par

t icular ob fervation, and every where knownby the {triking features of a pecul iar character ; ye t, though difperfed, not de ftroyed

w

k;unjufi ly Opprefied, and cruelly fpo iled, havethey been evermore in the hand of the ir enem ies ; the ir l ife of ten hanging in

doub t, while they have f eared day‘

and

n ight, and have had none affurance of

the ir life i ,”

as if punifhed to the extent

of the curfe which they imprecated on themfelve s and on their children always har raffed,yet not utte rly caft away . A full end hathbeen made of nations whither they havebeen fcattered, yet a full end hath no t beenmade o f them , though theyhave been afi

’

ailed

on all fides Slaugh tered have they beenin uncomputed numbers,ye t no t exterminatedlike the bufh of Mofes, as a learned

G en . xxvn i . 1 3— 14 . T Jerem. xlv i .’

2 8 .

Levi t . xxvi . 34 , 4 5 . I Deut. xxvi i i . 66.

Matt. xxvi i . 2 5 . ll Jerein . i i i . I I .

wr iter

234 D I S C O U R S E IX .

w rite r has ob fe rved , always bur n ing, ye tno t confumed .

They are become a prove rb , a taunt , a

curfe , an afl onifhment and a hiffing, and

a bye- wo rd among nations where they have

no cafe ; ne i the r hath the fole o f the ir fee tany re ft ever de fp ifed , ever wander

ing . The ir p lague s are , indeed, wonde rful ,and o f long co ntinuance : they are mad fo r

the figh t o f the ir eyes + 5 and have boweddown , l ike Naaman , in fubferviency to de

fp ifed idols .

The Jews {till the n exift a l iv ing e videnceo f the truth o f fcrip ture , and remain in the

expectation o f the accompl i fhmen t of far the r

prophec ie s ; and howeve r de fpifed , however

d efe rvcdly condemned for the ir ob fl inate re

Dent . xxv i i i . 65 . Je rem. xxiv, 9 . Newton on

P rophec ie s, Vol . I. chap . v i i . p . 1 9 1 . Bafnage’

s Hid .

o f Jews, Book VI . chap . i . I . Kenne t,Echa rd,&c .

1 Deut . xxv i i i . 34 . O rof i us defcr ibes the jews, in

the t ime o f T rajan; wi th a r emarkab le cor refpondence

o f eXpr e fl i on, a s e ve ry where mad with'

rage .

”In~

c red ib i li de i nde mo tu, ful) uno tempo re, Judae i quafi Rabice ff e rati , per di vcrf as (vel un ive rfas ) te rrarum par tes

cxa rfe rui i t . Hift. L ib . VII . chapf xi i. See fa rthe r

pro o fs o f the ir phrenfied de fpa ir in R. G adalias, and

Han d G a i i z, and Newton, Vol . I. p . 1 9 5 .

2 36 D I S C O U R S E ix .

and wi thout an ephod, and w ithout a te raphim , or without d i vme man ife ftation 46

.

But let us advert to the d ifclo fure of a

fl ill greater fe ch e , and contemplate the fett ingup of that kingdom which was producedw ithout hands, o r human powe r, which{hall {l and for ever ; which was e fta

b l ifhed in contempt o f human pride , by thatfool i fhnefs o f preaching

”wh ich de

ftroyed the w ifdom o f the wife, and

brought to no thing the under f tanding o f

the pruden t ; which, under ci rcum ftances

contrary to all experience , and w ith a fucce fs

unprecedented and miraculous , was prepagated by the power o f that God, who

chofe , as the apo f’rle fore faw , the weak

things of the world, to confound the

a Ho fea i i i . 4 , 5 . Dr . C larke jufl ly remarks upon this

paffage, that it is an unparalleled mi racle, that through all

the changes which ha ve happened in the k ingdoms o f

the earth, from Mofes t ill the prefent t ime, no thing

{hould have o ccurred to prevent the po if i bil i ty o f the

accompl i fhment o f the fe prophec ie s ; but, on the con

trary, that the fi ate o f the JeW i fh and Chriftian churches,

at this day, fli ould be foch, as r enders them eafi ly capable,no t only o f afigurat ive , but even o f a l i te ral comple t io n,i f the w i ll o f G od be (0 . See Clarke ’

s Evidences o f

Natural and Revealed Rel ig ion.

D I S C O U R S E ix. 237

things tha t are m igh ty ; and bafe thingso f the wo rld, and things which are de

fpifed ; and things which are no t, to b ringto nought things that are , that no fle fh

fhould “ glo ry in his prefence , o r exult inthe pre fumpt ion of having e ff eé

‘ted the p ro

gre fs o f the faith, by the e nticing wordso f man

’

s w ifdom , but in demonfi i ation o f

the fp ir it and o f powert’e

. On turn ing to

the predict ions which fo re told the e f‘tabl ifh

ment and encreafe o f Chrift’

s kingdom , we

find its fucce f s and feveral even tf ul pe riod sde fcribed, and its charaéter and e ffeets m i

mute ly del ineated . Its dom i n ion is confirmed,

in defiance o f all human oppo fi tion . The

grain of mu ftard”

is become a greattree ; which, however obfi rué’ted in i ts

growth and expanfion, w ill finally fpread itsb ranche s ove r eve ry kingdom o f the ear th .

The feed which our Saviour fowed, was

fcorched, o r w ithered, or broughtfo r th in abundance, according to the fo il inwhich it f ell r

r. With the good feed, as

Chrif‘c in his parable fore fhewed, the tare s have

at 1 Co r . i . and i i . 1 Luke vi i i . 5 , 1 5 .

Matt. xi i i . 3 i , 32 .

2 38 D I S C O U R S E IX.

been fown alfo and the difciples , as in exprefs

language he fore told, have been deliveredto be aff licted and killed , and hated,” and

perfecuted, and de livered up to fynagogues

and prifons, be ing brought before kingsand rulers for his name

’

s fake, be

trayed”of ten , by parents and brethren,

and kinsfolk ; and many of them put

to death Many al fo , as p rophe tically defcribed by Chrifi , have been o ff ended,

o r fcandali fed : many have waxed co ldmany have departed from the f aith “

in

The prophec ie s of the infpired autho r o f thebook of Revelation are {trikingly fulfilled . If

We feleét thofe addre ffed to the feven Churcheso f Afia, as they exified in the t ime of the

apoitle, are they not come to pafs i ? Theyhave been ruined by internal herefies and

external enemies . The power of the Sara

cens has been efiablifhed over them, and the

mofque s of Mahomet, ereéted on the ruins

A

Matt. xxiv. 9 . Luke xxi . 1 2 . Matt . x . 34—36.

1 Matt . xx iv. 1 2 . 1 T im . iv. 1 . Jude 1 75

2 The ir. i i i11 Mede fugge f

’red

, that the prophec i es relating to the

feven churches m ight have fome farther reference to {even

analogous ages o f the church

2 40 . D I S C OU R S E ix.

l igion , which]

giveth a crown

in fome degree , cultivated,and tlefs , hereaf ter triumph, whenthe clouds o f impofiure (hal l difappear , agree~ably to the confolatory affurance o f the apof

tol ic prophe t . Fear none o f tho fe thingswhich thou {halt futf er . Be thou faithfulunto death , and I w ill give thee a crown

of l ifeAgain ft Pergamos, the feat o f Satan,

wh ich held the doctr ine o f Balaam, and o f

the N icolaitane s Jr , Chrif’t has fought .

A few miferable fam ilie s remain to groan, in

abjeét fervitude , under the accomplifhment

o f the d ivine decrees , and re tain only one

church in which they can aff emble, and de

p recate farther puni fhment i .

Thyat ira,‘é'fi Revel . i i . 3, 10. Smi th, Rycaut, &c.

_

1 The N icola i tane s were a l ice n tious feet,who affeé’tedabfl inence, but who acted in de fiance o f the facred ina

juné’tion, to abftain from meat o ff e red to idols, and from

b lood, and from things fi rangled, and from forn icationSec

'

Aél s xv . 2 9 . follow ing the fi n o f Balaam, .who en

t iced God’

s people to commi t fo rn ica t ion w i th the M id ianite s . Numb . xxx i . 1 6 . They, probably, adopted o ther

e rro rs, as St . John {peaks o f the i r doél r ine d i f’rincftly f romthat o f Balaam .

1 That o f St . Theodo rus . A pr ie i’r is fent from

Smyrna to offi ciate there . The magn ificent church o f

Santa

D I S C O UR S E IX. 2 4 :

Thyatira, whofe inhabitant Lydia and herhoufhold were among the early converts tochriftianity has rece ived according to

her works, and has now no ve ftige of

any antient building, o r of its churches,which were polluted by fpiritual forn ication .

Sardis, once the r ich cap ital o f the Lydiank ings, exhibits , amidft its grand and exten

five ruins, only the poor and unfhel tered

habitations of fli epherds and herdfmen , who

feed the ir cattle in the ne ighbour ing plains .

The few defponding Chrif’cians who remain,

have neither prieft, nor church in which to

fupplicate the divine mercie sPhiladelphia, which had a little fi rength,

has been ' kept from the hour of temptation ; and pre ferves near two hund red

families o f Chriftians, who are allowed to

worih ip God in four churches, which the fuperftition of Mahomet hath not

'

prophaned

Santa Sophia is turned into a mo fque, and the cathedral

o f St . John is bur ied in ruins . Vid . Smi th, Rycaut,&C . &c .

Af ts xvi. 1 4 , 1 5 . Revel . i i . 1 8— 2 5 . Smi th,Rycaut, &c . Ibid .

f Smi th, Rycaut, Heyman’

s Travels, chap . x. &c .

Ib id .

1 Revel . i i i . 7— 1 3 . Sm i th, &C. Ibid .

R Laodicea,

D I S C O U R S E ix.

Laod icea, once the mo ther of fixteen

bi fhoprics, and difl inguifhed for its extent

and buildings , and r iches, is now utterlyruined and forfaken, for i ts lukewarm indif

f erence . It i s fpit out, and the c ity is become an habitation for beafi sSuch changes and defl ruét ion , b rough t

down upon feven c it ies, as m inutely fore told,with gradation of circumflance , and difparity

o f event, fully evince the juf’tice of God

’

s

judgmen ts, and the fidel ity of his p romifes,

and inculcate aff eéting leffons of repentance

to mankind .

The pre fent difcourfe would exceed its

intended boundarie s we re it to dilate in a

confideration o f al l thofe m inute partienlars of d i ff erent events revealed to St . John .

In the feals, which the Lamb only couldopen , and in the l ittle book fubjo ined,as a remainder o f the prophecies, are un

fo lded the vicifii tude s and revo lutions o f theRoman empire, be fore and af te r its divifion ;

the fuccefl i on o f i ts emperors d if’tinétly ‘

charaé’terifed e

r; its calamities, and the accu

mulated

Revel. i i i . 1 4— 1 7 .

1 Revel . v i . 2 . Lowman fuppo fes Chr ift to be rept efented as feared on the whi te horfe . See Pfalm xlv. 3 .

and

24 4. D I S C O U R S E IX.

Mahomet, who Opened the bottomlefs

pit, out of which arofe fmoke,”

and

whofe people have overfpread the earth likeIocuits which darken the atmo fphere w iththe ir numbers and who were allowed totorment, with fcorpion fi ings , the unfealed

members of the emp ire for fi ve prOphe ticmonthsL

The

Rev . ix . 1 0. The locuil s were fit emblems o f theArab ians, f mce the locuf’cs fpoken o f in fcr ipture came

from Arab ia . Exod . x. 1 3, 1 4 . vii . 1 2 . Joel i i . Theyare fa id, in the character o f the tr00ps which they re

prefent, not to hurt the grafs o f the earth, ne i ther anygreen thing, ne ither any tree .

”See Ockley

’

s Hi fi . o fthe Saracens, Vol . I . p . 2 5 . The ir faces were as the

faces o f men, and the ir ha ir as the hair o f women, a

defcr iption which alludes to the femin ine 11e o f trefl'

ed

and bra ided ha i r adopted by the Arabians . See Plin .

N at . HiPc. L ib . VI . chap . xxv i i i . Mede C lav . Apocal .

Book III. Tub . V . and W aple . The Saracens have in

vaded only tho fe parts o f Europe which locufts infe i’r.

1 It deferves to be no t iced as a remarkable c ircumfi ance, that about the fourth o r fi fth year o f the Heg ira,the half o f the fun is repo rted, by an Arabian hiftor ian,to have been eclipfed (0 that the fun and air were l iterallydarkened . See Abulpharag . Dyn. VIII. p . 1 99 . Ver .

Poco ck .

1 The devai’ration occafioned by locufi s, as alfo that

e ffected by the A rab ian incurfion s, is duri ng the fummermonths . The fi ve months have been, by fome, unde r

fl ood

D I S C O U R S E 1x. 2 4 5

The leaders of the Turks the ir fourf ul tanies, or the people affembled from the

four quarters o f the ir emp ire , charaéte rifed

as four angel s prepared to execute , at all

t ime s, the d ivine w ill, and loo fed, w ith re

fi rié’ced power, for def’crué’rion , w ith the irmyriads, and myriads of horfemen, haveoverrun a third, o r great part o f the world,having breai’t plates of fire, of jac inth , and

brimf tone 5 the heads of whofe horfe s wereterrible as the heads of l ions, and out of

who fe mouths ifih ed fire , and fmoke, and

briml’tone i .

flood to be prophet ic months o f thirty days, and to definethe per iod o f one hundred and fifty years, dur ing whi chthe Saracen s vexed the emp i re . See Daubuz and

’Waple .

Revel . ix . 1 3 . Lowman,upon an idea that the re

would be too great an interval be twe e n the t ime o f the

p reced ing p rophecy relat ive to Mahomet,and the per iod

o f the Turki fh v iétor ies , appl i es thi s prophecy to the

Saracens, who invaded Spa in about A . D . 7 1 3, and

afterwards France . But the fpir it o f prophecy is not

chained down to the flow fe ri e s o f hiftor ical events ; itfeleéts chi efly the mo l’r remarkable per iods, and the viaor ie s o f the O ttomans feem to co rre fpond mo re w i th the

prophe t ic de fcr iption than tho fe o f the Sarace ns .

1 Red, blue, and yellow ; the colours o f the Ottoman

uni form.

1 This was, probably, an allufion to the Ottoman

art i llery, fo d ifi inguifhed fo r its fize and eff ec‘l s

R 3

54 6 D I S C O U R S E IX .

Am idft the defcription of thefe events thusprophetically detailed by St . John, as con

neéted w ith the efiabl ifhment and intere f‘ts

o f chri i’tianity, w e are {hewn a

]

repre fentation

o f the fpiritual church , revealed with gloriousc ircum

i

fiance s and exhib ited under every

Rate , f rom i ts firf’t difplay to I ts final triumphunder the univer fal dominion of Chrii’c Its

fuf fer ings and perfecutions under the Romanempire are particularly d ifplayed The

defi ruét ion of i ts adverfaries 1 ; its tranquillityand aggrandizement by the acce fiion of mul

t itudes o f Hebrew and Gen tile pro felytesthe recompence o f i ts pure members the

grac ious acceptance of the fupplications of

i ts faints “ 95 the idolatry and corruption of i ts

external members, who apoftate to Paganr ites, profane the fanétuary for 1 2 60 yearsH,

gt Rev . iv . and v. 1 Rev. vi . 1— 1 0.

1 Rev . vi . 1 2— 1 7 4 Rev . vii . 1— 1 2 .

BRev . vi i i . 3, 4 .at ? Rev. vii . 1 3

— 1 7 .

+1 Prophe t ic days. See Ezek . iv .,6 . The per iod

co inc ides w i th the t ime , t imes, and hal f a time, o r the

three years and half o f prophet ic days o f the woman -s

abode i n thewildernefs, andWi th the f01 ty two months o f

prOphe tic days o f the cont inuance of the beafi , and o f the

treadmg down o f the holy c i ty.

2 4 s D I S C O U R S E 1x .

in that city o f Rome where Chrif’t was fpiritually crucified and fuff er every indign ity,t ill the conclufion of the period of 1 260

years : when G od than vindicate the ir te f‘ri

mony, and raife them up 1n his fpirit, to the

confufi on of thofe , who , w ith unfeeling ex

ultation , tr iumphed over the ir unburied bod ies ; when the church , which , fo r fo longa time , had been nouri fhed and m1raculoufly

p ro tected in a {l ate of ban ifhmen t, thoughthe d ragon had perfecuted her , and the rem

nant of her feed and which had prefentedher confecrated number of redeemed and 111-1;

Rev . v i i i 8— 1 0 . xv i i . 1 8 .

~f Rev . xu . Mode reckons the per iod o f the ban iih

ment of the church, and o f the dominat ion o f the beait,

f rom the wound o f the Impen al fove re ignty o f Rome ;

and hate s it to commence e ithe r from A . D . 365 , when

the no rthern nat ions attacked Rome, o r from 4 5 5 , when

they e ff erfii ed its de f’truétion . Reckon ing, however, f rome i the r o f tho fe pe r iods, the te rm,

i s compleated, and the

ban i? nmen t and beai’c {t ill cont inue . Newton and o thers

c ompute f rom the t ime o f the e fi abl iihmen t o f the tem

poral powe r o f the Pope, about A D . 7 5 6, whe n he

b ecame prope rly a horn o r fove re ign power and i f we

adopt thi s mra, the conclufi on o f the 1 260 years w i llco incide nearly w i th the termi nation o f the fixth m i llenn sum, when, agreeably to a11c1ent tradi t ion, great change s

defiledhave b een expeéted.

D I S C O U R S E IX. 2 4 9

defiled members to the Lamb, as her firi’t

fruits , [hall at laf’c triumph over the fallenBabylon, and witnefs the blefiings of thofe

who have died in the LordContemporary w ith the period o f the

church , in a fi ate of perfecution and banifh

ment, is defcribed the operation of that -antichri f’cian power which raifed itfelf in oppofi

t ion to the eftabl ilhment and continuance of

chr if’tiamty in the world . The prophec ies o fDaniel, and tho fe of St . John, which more

fully unfold the charaéter of this ho f’tile

power, have been very early and very generally appl ied to the papal fee and been fuppofed, as we ll as tho fe pre fumed to relate tothe reputed type of antichri f’t, Ant iochusEpiphanes, to have been very remarkably fulfilled 4 .

The firft features which the r ifing power

difplayed, feemed to exhibit a correfpondence

w ith the in fpired defcription and it mufi be

confe ffed , that the fubfequen t delineation of‘

charac’ter is fo conformable to the prophetic

Rev . xiv

Dan . V111 . 2 3, 2 5 . Newton, Vol. II. Di ff . XV.

chap. xvu . Hie ron. col . 1 1 2 7 .

rept e

2 5 0 D I S C O U R S E 1x .

reprefentation , that we fhould not be juftifiedin difregarding the interpretation , counte

h anced as it i s, by the fanétion o f the mo i’r

learned and j udic ious commentators, ancientand modern .

This myi’tery o f iniquity i s faid to have

begun in the t ime o f St . Paul : i t was to beconfirmed when another, that is, the Romanpower, which re igned over the kings of the

earth , fhould be removed fays the

apoitle, he who now le tteth mufi le t, t illhe be taken out of the way

if.

at 2 Thefl'

. i i . 7, 8 . The early fathers, who had not

witneffed the difplay o f the antichr iftian charaéters in the

fucceffors o f St . Pe ter, eXpeéted the prophec ies relat iveto Antichri f’t to be fulfilled at fome dif’tant t ime, and generally in an ind ividual perfon . Thofe prophec i es were ,

indeed, in fome meafure, {hut up and fealed”t i ll the

t ime

'

o f the end 3”andM ede is o f Opin ion, that Antichrifl:

was to be a myftery t i ll the twelfth century. If we admi tthi s, all previous appl ication of the pro phec ies to the

Pope mui’r be confidered as pafl i onate and conjeétural .

In the tenth century, at the fynod o f Rhe ims, A rnulphus,b ifhop o f Orleans, reprefented that the Pope was Ant ichr ift. Ull

'

er . de Chr if’r . Ecclef . Succe fs . 81: S tat . c . i i .

p . 36 . Lo nd. 1 6 1 3 . l llyr . T e ft. Ve t . p . 1 5 5 8 . Abbo tJoachim, in 1 1 9 1 , is fa1d to have aderted, that the Popewas Ant ichr ift . See Rap in, Vo l . I . p . 2 4 7 . W ickhff

appl ied the defcr ipt ion to the Pope , and the re fo rmers

vmdicated

2 5 2 D I S C O U'

R S E IX.

faints of the mod High, and thinkingto change t imes and laws * ; as fartherdo ing, according

'

to his w ill, and exaltinghimfelf , and magn ifying himfelf , aboveevery G od, and fpeaking marvellous thingsagainft the G od of gods ; as no t te

garding the G od of his fathers, no r the

defire of women j"

, but as honour ing,in his efiate, the G od of force s, and a G od

whom his fathers knew no t, with gold andfilver, and with prec ious fiones, and plea

fant things I , and as acknowledgingand encreafing with glory the Mahuzzim,

Dan. V11. 7, 8, 1 9— 25 .

1 Dan . xi . 36, 37 .

1 Dan. xi . 38. The verfe is o therwife tranflated by

Mede ; for to (or toge ther wi th) G od, in his feat, he {hall

honourMahuzzim,

”&c . The or iginal word Mahuzz im,

(de r ived from mahoz, firength, or a for trefs ) whichmany verfions re tain, means pro teé

’to rs, and defcribes

here the confecrated fa ints o f the Romifh church. The

fathers and o the rs, fays Mede, even at the beginning of

fa int wo rih ip, by I know no t what fatal in fi iné’c, ufed to

call fa ints and the i r rehque s, towers, walls, bulwarks,fo rtre ffes ; that is, Mahuzz im,

in the pr ime and nat ivef ignification o f the word . See Mede, Vol. II . Book III.chap . xvi . xvi i .

D I S C O U R S E 1x. 2 53

(or the de ified faints) together w ith God, inconfewated and {trong holds, and as caufing

them to rule over many, and divide the

land for gain i s

He is farther reprefented, by St . Paul, as

the man of fin , the (on of perdition, who

oppofe th and exalte th himfelf above all thatis called G od, or that is worlh ipped -

ir fo

that he, as G od, fi tte th in the temple of

G od, th ewing himfelf that he is G od it, as

CQ

Dan. xi . 39 . and he {hall make the holds o f the

Mahuzmms wi thal (or j o intly) to the fo re ign god.

Mede, Book III. chap . xvi i .f Above all that i s reverenced as great ; above all

that is called G od . See 1 Cor . v i i i . 5 . A ffuming a

pre- eminence above that which is a fcribed to the gods

o f the de rogato ry f rom the honour o f the

true G od, the G od o f gods,”

as in Dan . xi . 36.

I Thi s is appl icable to the papal aifumptions wi thout:exagge rat ion. The power o f the Pope,

”fays Anto

n inus, is greater than that o f all created powe r, and

extendsitfelf over all things ce le f’rial, terref’trial, and

infernal .” The author i ty o f the church, and there ino f the Pope, has been fet Up above the wo rd o f G od,

and be en held compe tent to difpen fe wi th G o’s laws

‘

and precepts . The Popes have arrogated to themfe lves

wor fh ip, and the d ivine attr ibute s o f omn ipo tence and

in fall ib i l i ty. In a glodary o f the canon law, publifhed

under the fané’cion o f Gregory XlII . the Pope is calledthe Lord our G od . Vid . Po l. SynOp : in loc . and

Br ightman on Revel. xi i i . 3, 6 .

2 5 4' D I S C O U R S E IX .

‘

coming af ter the wo rking o f Satan, withall power, and figns, and lying wonders,and with all deceivablen e f s of unrighteouf

nefs He is the chief among thofe who,in the latter t imes depart f rom the faith ,giving heed to feduc ing fpirits, and doc

tr ines of devils “

Jr

, fpeaking l ies in hypocrify forbidding to marry, and com

fl

fl

manding to ab itain from meats 1, whichG od hath created, to be rece ived withthankfgiving o f them which believe, and

know the truth .

Lai’rly, he i s pourtrayed by St . John w ith

f ull delineation of character , and w ith difl inct ion of circumfiance , f rom the imper ial Rateo f Rome to the full e f’rablifhment o f papalfupremacy, as the agent o f Statan, havingfeven heads §, and ten horns, and as {l anding before the church , ready to devour,

as‘

foon as it fhould be born, the man child,

aG

2 Theff . ii . 3— 1 0 .

T 1 T im. iv. 1 . and Mede, Vol . II. Book III. p . 1 .

chap . i .

I 1 T im . iv . 2 , 3 . and hl ede, Vol . II. Book III .p . 2 . chap . i . vi i i .

Revel . xvu . 9, 1 8 . and Propertius SeptemUrbs alta

Jugis toto qua praefidet orb i .

2 5 6 D I S C O U R S E IX .

and troubles of the world, w ith feven

heads and ten horns, and upon his h orns

ten crowns, as rece iving f rom ‘the dra

gon his feat, and his power as woundedin one of his heads, - as i t were , wounded todeath + ; as having his dead ly woundhealed ; as wor fhipped ; as unpa

ralleled and irrefifi ible ; as having a

mouth, fpeaking great things and blafphe

bliihed in the plen i tude o f the temporal and fpir itual

pow‘

er, gradually ro fe out o f the earth. See Revel . xi i i .l I— z8 . 2 The f f. i i . 7— 1 0 . 1 John 11. 1 8, 2 2 . Ant ichri f’c is a fp irit o f Oppo fi tion to Chrif’r, eminently perfonified in the papal power . 1 John iv. 3 . 2 John V11 .

See Daubuz .

The beal’c r ifing out of the feaW1th ten crowned horns,

could no t b e Pagan Rome already r i fen, but—

mui’t repre fent

the Roman {l ate after the defl ruétion o f the Imper ial

power, under the temporal go ve rnment o f the Pope s .The fecond beai’t pourtrays the Romiih church in partienlar, the fubordinate hi e rarchy, or body o f the clergy,

r egular and fecular . He is called alfo the falfe pro

phet .”

1 F ive o f the beafts heads were fallen in the t ime o f

St . John . Revel . xvi i . 1 0 . The f1xth head, that o f the

empe ror’s, was, as it were, wounded to death, when

the Roman emp i re was overwhelmed, or whe n Rome

was reduced to a dukedom, tr ibutary to Ravenna,The

wounded head was healed when Rome revo lted from

Ravenna, and aga in became formidable .

2

D I S C O U R S E ix . 2 5 7

con ti nuing forty and two

months ; as opening his mouth,

in

blafphemy again ft G od ;”

as makingwar wi th the fain ts , and overcom ingthem ; as f ucceeded and re info rced bya fecond bea it, gradually rifing f rom the

ear th, or a low’e f’tate , w ith two horns,

l ike a lamb , deno ting an hierarchy, w itha if ump tion o f fecular and ecc lefiaf’tical power ,

under a m eek appearance . This fecond beail:un i ted W i th the fi rft b ea f’t , doe th greatwonde rs, making fire to come down f romheaven on the ear th , in the figh t o f me n i

t,

and dece i ve th them that dwell on the ear th

by tho fe m iracle s, which he had powe r todo in the fight o f the bead H e refi oreth

and an imate th the power o f the ido limage ; fo rbidding any man

‘i

‘to buy or

f e ll, fave he that hath the name of the

beaft 4 , o r the number o f h is name ,

which is the numbe r o f a man , and'

his

number is fix hundred, threcfcore , and

i t Thi s has be en eve n l i terally pretended. See B r ightman, and Po l i Synopf . in loc .

This appears to

.

allude to the inte rdifi ion from

traffic, which has been o ften the confequence o f the papal

excommun ication .

2 5 8 D I S C O U R S E IX.

fi x. Antichr ift is farther [hewn as the

greatwho re that fitte th upon manywatersT,

at It mull: be remarked, that the number 666, is conta ined in the appe llative wo rd La te ino s, as wr i tten by theG reeks ; a c ircumfiance no t much to be infi fl ed on , as

not pecul iar to the wo rd, had i t no t been not iced byI renz us, befo re the appl icat ion o f the prophec ie s, re lat ingto A ntichr i li , to the Roman power, and did no t the

Hebrew t i tles, for the Roman emp ire, conta in the num

ber al fo, a s 11mm, Romana Sc i l . S edes, and wimm Ro

manus .

Romana, Sci l. S edes . Lateinos

200

6

40

1 0

1 0

h —4 OO

666

It is remarkable alfo, that the year 7 56, when the tem

poral power o f the Popes wa s e ftablifhed, co incides wi ththe year 666, i f we r eckon from the fir ft year o f Dom it ian ’

s pe rfecution, which began in the year 90, dur ingwhich pe rfecution S t. John faw his Vi fions in the Iile o f

Pa tmos .

1» Which~waters are peoples, and multi tude s, and na

t ions, and tongue s . See Rev . xv1i . 1 9 . Babylon, thetype o f Rome , is defcr ibed as

‘C dwe ll ing -on many

wate rs, be ing fi tuated on the Euphrates . Je rem. li .

wi th

Romanus vel Latinus .

‘1 2 00

n 4 0

17 70

i 5 0

1 6

w 300

2 60 zD I S C O U R S E IX .

and fi rength from the unan imous confent

o f the ten con temporary kings , and as after

wards hated , and made de o late and

naked , by tho fe kings , who had beforefubmitted the ir kingdom to the bead , on

wh ich was feated the woman who was the

great c ity, which re igne th over‘

the kingso f the earthSuch part iculars , thus d ifplayed, compofe ,

i t mufi be con fe ffed , a fi riking portraiture of

the papal power and, without trac ing prophecy to its further accompli fhmen t, in the

i t Rev. i . 1 7 . Thofe who would reprefent the cha'

1'

a&e r o f Antichr if’c to be long to Mahome t, are obl igedto pafs over many

—

features o f the an t ichr if’rian power .

The Roman i fts themfe lve s, adm i t that the prophec ies refpeét ing A nt ichr i ft apply to Rome

,but contend that it is

to Pagan Rome : but Dan iel defcr ibes the l i ttle horn as

r i fing af te r the ten horns or k ingdoms , into which the

fou rth emp i re was to be d iv ided fe e Dan . V11 . and the

head,w i th feven heads and ten horns, was to cont inue

1 260 years, Rev . x i i i . 1— 5 . which the Heathen emp i red id no t . The pr imi t ive church was accuftomed to pray,

in i ts L i turgy, fo r the pre fervation o f the Roman emp i re,that the com ing o f A n t ic n i i ft m ight be de layed, a s not

expedted to appear t i ll af te r the d e ftruéi ion o f that

empi re . Vid . T e rtul-

Apo l . C . xxx i i . 85 xxx ix . ad

Scapul . C . i i . 2 The ll . and when the Roman

empi re was defi i oyed, they b egan to look for the appear

ance o f Ant ichr i it .

prediéted

D I S C OU R S E ix .

predicted dei’truction o f this fp iritual Baby -I

10n *, we may wait the expl ication in the?

event, which w i ll cer tainly be as exact as'

that Of every forme r pred ict ion , o f which theObfcu rit ie s van ifh in the comple tion .

The accompl i lhmen t o f the many predictions thus fuccefii ve ly fulfilled , a part o f

which only we have confidered , {hould leadus to look up, w ith afion i fhme nt and reverence , to that grand fcheme o f prophecy,wh ich , Open ing w ith the firl’c dawn o f mercy,

impar ted to encourage the repentance o f

Adam, gradually unfolds the comprehenfive

at The feven vials , or the feven plagues , which fallti nde r the feventh trumpe t, and which are the fubjeé

’c o f

the th ird woe, appear to b elong to the pe r i od Of the de

fl rua io n o f A ntichr i f’r, o f which they, perhaps, mark out

the gradat ions, t i ll the wrath Of G o d {hall be aecom

plifhed .

”The expl icat i on o f them is no t he re ar

temp ted, becaufe, probably, they are as ye t future, as

Bp . Newton and O the rs have fuppo fed them to be . B r ightman and M ede pOi i i t out c i rcumf’cances, f i nce the be

ginn i ng O f the re fo rmat io n, in which they fuppo fe them“

to have begun to rece ive the i r comple t ion . Lowman“

ranfacks hii’co ry for earl i e r appl icat ions o f fome Of them .

Rober t F lem i ng, who fe calc u lat ions furpr i fe us by fome

cOnjecEtur e s par t ially ve r i f i ed, fuppo fes the fi r ft v ial tobe g in w i th the re fo rmat i on, and the fou rth

“

to exp i re inin

'

1 794 . See Difcourfe s by Robert F leming; publifhc'

d'

i t:~1 701 .

262 D I S C O U R S E IX.

plan Of the redemption o f mankind . A vai’

t

and fy i’tematic d ifpenfation, Of which the parts

are progreffively difplayed, and wh ich p ro

grefii vely develope new dependenc ie s whichder ive s fplendor from every detail, and exhi

b its conneé‘rion in every burfi: of c ircum

fi ance ; which pervades all t ime, and der ivesillufi ration f rom each revolving zera, cannot

be contemplated without exc iting a firm con

fidence in the div ine word, and ‘

a f ull conviction of the final accomplifhment o f the

declared defigns o f G od . Obfcure as pro

phecy may be in i ts general charaéter, we

find that its reve lations have been fufii c ientlyintelligible to exc ite the hope s, and to confolethe afii ié’cions o f the faith ful in every generation ; to awaken the attent ion o f mankindt o a confideration Of God ’

s providence inthe pro tec

’

t ion Of his church, and to leadthem to forefee i ts ultimate p rofperi ty, af ter

various changes and f’rriking vicifii tudes of

event . We collett, f rom i ts general declar at ions, and e fpecially f rom the reve lation of

St . John ,to whom every fiate o f Chri i’r

’

s

k ingdom , f rom its beginn ing to i ts confummat ion, was difclo fed, that we may hope for

the univerfal eftabl ifhment of that difpenfat ion,,

2 64 D I S C O U R S E IX .

p repared , by God ’

s p rovidence , fo r the fur there i

’cablifhmen t o f chrifi ianity in re fo rmed pu rity

and truth P The people may imagine vainth ings , and the ruler s take counfe l together again i

’t the Lord , and againft his

ano inted ,” ye t the decree o f G od {hal lbe declared The me te o rs of falfe phi

lo fophy glare but to fall and wheneve r rea

fon and enquiry {hall re turn , then {hall thecharacte rs o f truth be d ifcove red, thoughburied in the fal l o f fuperfi ition , o r o ver

whelmed in the ruins o f ind i fcr im inate de

fi rué’tion . D ifii dence , howeve r it may {b r ink

f rom the contemplation o f fcenes where

conj ecture can have no clue f rom experi

ence , may ve t fugge f’t, in harmle fs fpecula

t ion, that ce nfufion mutt fearfully illui’rrate

the nece ffi ty o f o rde r, and the de fl rué’tive

e ffect s of fal fe princ iples fatally evince the

excellency o f revealed truth . The fame G od

who created an harm on ious wo rld f rom a

fo rmlef s chaos , and who favdd Noah and his

children in the ark , from that defi ructionwhich overwhelmed the ear th, corrupt

and fi lled w i th v iolence , w ill {till prefervehis church . The floods o f w ickedne fs may

prevail and i ncreafe, but they thall bear up

the

D I S C O U R S E IX . 2 65

the ark . The unrigh teous may pe rifh, but'

God’

s covenan t {hall be e fl ablithed w ith hi sfervants . When the dove o f peace, With

‘

its

leaf o f o live , {h all re turn and fettle on the‘

earth, the altars of the Lord {hall again be ’

built °le whe re they have been demo l i fhed ;

and the how of G od’

s everlafting covenan to f me rcy {hal l be feen in the difperfing

c louds .

In fuch hope we are encouraged, by

God 's neve r~failing promife s, to confide ;and further purf uing p rophecy, beyond the

boundar ies o f the pre fent l ife , we look withc on fide nce to the future re furreét ion of the

body , and to i ts re —un ion w ith the foul ; and

to the feco nd adven t o f Chr i f’r, to j udge thew o rld : when a throne o f unfull ied puri tyt hall be d i fp layed and who ever is no t foundwr i t ten in the book of l ife , {hall be caft intothe lake o f fire . Mindful , there fore , o f the

wo rds which we re fpoken before , by the

holy p rophe ts , and of the commandmen ts of

the apofi les of our Lord and Saviour, le t usno t, w ith the {co ffe rs in the laft days , en

quire , with di i’truf’t , where is the promi fe of

all G en . v i i i . I I , 1 2, 20.

266 D I S C O U R S E IX.

his coming ;” for theday o f the will .come as athief in the n igh t : bu e ing

that we look for fuch things, be we dil igent, that we may be found of him in

peace, Wi thout fpot, and

a? Rev. xx. I s. 1 2 Peter u i .

2 68 D I S CM

O U R S‘

E x .

cefii ve affl ictions, its triumphan t recoveries,and e ftablifhed pro fper ity, reprefents it af ter

the fall o f Antichri f’t, and the converfion o f

the Jews and Gent ile s as ‘ta bride ready for

the marr iage” o f the Lamb : as pur ifiedf rom pollutions , and arrayed in the c lean

and white l inen of righteoufne f s Pur

f uing his enraptured de fcrip tion, he contem

plate s, in prophe tic vifion , the heavensopen , and him, who i s called the word

o f G od, who is King o f kings, and Lord of

lords , at the head of the heavenly armies,t r iumphan t againf

’c oppofing powers, and

v iétor over the old ferpen t, which is the

devil ; and then , as is exprefi'

ed in the text,

he difclo fes unto u s appo inted j udge s , fi ttingon thrones '

l 5 and the'martyrs of Jefus, who

had

Revel . xix . 7 , 8 . xxi . 2 , 9 , IO. comp . wi th Ifaiahlxi. 1 0 . See the prophe t ic allegory in the Cant icle s .

Jr Revel . xx . 4 . com . w i th Dan . Vl l . 9 . The thrones,

defcribed in thefe places, re late to the fp iritual k ingdomo f (Thr i ft on earth, and are confidered as di ff erent f romtho fe j ud ic ial thrones, promifed as the pecul iar recom

penfe o f a future l i fe to the difintere fted fidel i ty o f the

apo fl le s, who had le ft all,and followed Chrift, and con

t inned w i th him in his tempta t ion . S‘

ee Matt . xix . 28 .

Luke xxi i . 28 —30. M ede reprefents the thrones, fpoken

of

D I S C O U R S E x. 2 69

had been unpolluted by fpiritual fo rn ication,l iving and re ign ing w ith Chr ift a thoufand

years .

The paffage , and the follow ing prediétiori sconnect ed w ith it , as mo re fully de tailed inthe text, have been e rroneoufly interpre ted to

coun tenance fome ve ry extravagant and pe r

n icious Opin ions relat ive to the future ftate

o f the church , by tho fe who have no t fufli

éien tly al lowed fo r the figurative lle of

fcr ipture , no r accurately compared the vifi

ons o f St . John w ith tho fe o f preced ingprophets by tho fe who have no t cautioufly

feparated the doé’trine s o f'

fcripture f rom the

traditions of ant iquity, and who, in con

o f byDan i el and St . John, to be defigned for the twentyr’

our e lde rs, who perfonate the bit ps and\

de fender s o f

the church, and who co rre fpond w i th the Lev i tes and

pr ie fts in the camp o f l frael, as he‘

imagmes the who le

fcene o f thi s anguil fefl i on to be drawn up in confo rmi tyto the model o f the cafl rarne tation in the de fe r t . Comp .

Revel . xx . 4 . w i th Numb . i . 5 2— 5 4 . and ch. 1 1 . Mede

C om . in Apocal . Par t I . in Prophe t . I . Wh i tby con

ce i ve s, that the promife made to the apo i’rle s may r e

fpeé’t the i r gove rnmen t over the twe lve tr i bes , at the

clo fe o f the world, no t by a re furreétion o f the i r per fons,but by a revive fcence o f that fpir it which re fided in

them.

templation

2 70 D I S C O U R S E X .

templation of the glorious promife s of revelation , have too far indulged their fanc ies incarnal and fpeculative opin ions . By a tem

perate furvey of the prophec ies, del iveredunder the o ld difpenfation, which re late tothe final efi ablifhmen t of -

chri ll ian ity, we

{hal l be enabled to vindicate the genuine fenfeo f St . John ’

s promifes f rom the d ifii cul ties of

a too literal confi ruction 3 and, by an impart ial exam ination of the fentiments of fome

antien t and modern wr iters, be d ireéted to

f o rm a fafe and reafonable’

judgment on the

charaéter and nature o f that kingdom whichwe are inf

’trué

’ted to eXpeét.

Such difcufli on o f preceding prophecies,and o f the early and modern in terpre tat ionso f them , is indeed neceffary, if we wouldunde rf’tand the vifions of St . John, who , inthe fcene which he draws in the paffages

above referred to , is allowed to repre

fent the fame glor ious circumfiance s whichthe Hebrew prophe ts had difplayed, in the

de fcription of a fpiritual re ign o f Chrift.

The te f’timony o f Jef us is, we know,

the fpirit o f prophecy ; and the finale ftabli fhment o f his kingdom is the great oh

jeét on which every ray o f revealed l igh tconcenters .

that the Lo rd would gathe r them from all

nation s whithe r he had fcattered them , and

br ing them into the land which the ir fatherspo ffe ffed , mul tiplying them above the irfathe rs,” and e ff ect ing a fpir itual c ircumcifion ,

”and fince re amendment o f hear t i t

Dav id .

h and the prophets who fucceededhim, and who were infpired to hold out

con folation under great calam itie s , and mo re

fully to declare the particulars and c ircumPtance s

l

o f the Mefiiah’

s kingdom , did un

quefi ionably blend prom ife s o f remo te and

fp ir itual d ifpenf ation w ith tho fe o f earlyand tempo ral accompl ifhment 5 and fo re fhew

a pe rfeét and univerfal re ign o f Chriit to

fucceed the final illum ination o f the Jewsand Gent ile s, when the Heathen (hall be

given to the Son for his inhe ritance , and

the utte rmo f’t parts o f the earth fo r his

It { hall come to paf s, fays l faiah, in

the hi ll days that the mountain o f the

Lo rd’

s

i i Deut . xxx . 1— 6 . iv . 2 9—3 I .

f Pfal . lxxn . lxvm . xx i i . lxix . xxxv . xxxv i . c i i . xxi i .xxi i . 85 C . and All ix .

j; Pfalm i i . v i i i .T u at is , in the t ime o f the Mefii ah, the c ircum

fi ances o f who fe kingdom, in its fuccef i i ve d ate s, are

D I S C O U R S E x. 2 7 3

Lord ’s houfe {hall be efiablifhed on the

top o f the mountains, and {hal l be exal tedabove the hills * 5 and all nations {hallflow unto it 5

”and he fhall judge among

the nations , and (ball rebuke many people 5when the ear th {hall be full o f the knowledge o f the Lo rd , as the waters coverthe fea.

’

And in that day there {hallbe a roo t o f Jed'e , which {hall {l and foran enfign of the pe0p1e 5 to i t {hall the

o ften repre fented unde r one po int o f view . The lail:

t imes in ge neral, which beg in in the t ime o f the fourth

k ingdom o f Dan i el, are the t ime s o f the k ingdom o f

Chrii’t, from his pafli on to the end o f the wo rld . 1 Pe t . i .2 0. The latte r t imes are the t ime s o f the apoi

’tafy o f

the antichr ifi ia n powe r . Mede, Vo l . II. B ook III.ch. x i . —xiv. Burton fugge i’t s, that when t he prophets

fpeak o f the lat ter days, they re fer to the t imes immed iately preceding the coming o f Chrift ; and when of the

latter years, o r la f’t days, acco rding to the Jewifh ac

c ount, they mean the latter part o f the fuppo fed k ingdom o f Chr if’t upon earth. Burton on Dan ie l

, p . 3 7 .

But the latter days, fome times, cer tainly do fign ify the

latter ages o f chrifi ianity, or o f the world. Hofea i i i . 5 .

Dent. iv. 30 .

Ifa iah i i . 2— 4 . Micah iv. I . The Jewifh temple

was onMount Mor iah. 2 Chron . i i i . I . See‘

the fame

metaphorical defcription o f Chr if’t’

s kingdom in Dan.

i i. 35 .

274 D I S C O U R S E x .

l ¢

Q A6

h h

Gentiles feck, and hi s re ft {hall be glorious . And i t {hall come to pafs, in thatday , that the Lord {hal l fet his hand again ,

the fecond t ime , to recover the remnant

o f his people which {hall be lef t 5”

and

he {hall fe t up an enfign for the nations ,and (bal l affemble the outcaf’ts o f Ifrael ,

and gather toge ther the d ifoe r fed of Judahfrom the four corners o f the earth An d

kings {hall be nurfing fathers, and the irqueens nurfing mo the rs to the churchT5the glory o f the Lord {hall r ife upon it,

and Gentiles {hall come to its ligh t, and

kings to the b rightne fs o f its rifing i .

The people fball be all r igh teous, and in

her it the land for ever ; and new

heaven s and new earth {hall be created, inthe glory o f which the fo rmer {hall notbe remembered§ .

Ifaiah xi . 9— 1 6 . See alfo ch. x . 20— 2 2: xlru . 5 .

M icah i i . 1 2 . Rev . v . 9 , 1 0 .

1~ l fa iah xl ix . 2 3 . 1x. 1 6

I Ifaiah 1x . I , 3, 20 . xxxm . 20, 2 1 .

Ifaiah lxv . I 7 . Burnet {tyles the 65 th chapter'of

Ifaiah the bulwark o f the doétr ine o f the m illennium,

which neve r can be broken.

Purfuing

2 7 6‘

D I S C O U R S E x.

‘3 land, and fp rinkle clean water upon them,

and they (hall be c lean ”5 and he

will then give them a new heart anda new fp irit , and put his fp irit w ithin them,

and caufe them to walk in his fl atute s,and to keep his j udgments , and do them ;

and caufe them to dwe ll in the c it ie s ; andthe wai

’te places fhall be builded 1x

Then , as in allego r ic vifion the prophe t forefaw, the whole houfe of l frael” {hall r ife ,as i t were , by a refurreétion, f rom I ts dead,and w ithe red Prate ; i ts dry bones

”{hall be

again cloathed w ith finews and fle fh, and’

b e an imated by a breath , or fpirit,

breathed f rom the four winds o f heavenand l ive , and {land up an exceed ing great

army . The Lord {hall open the

graves” in wh ich they have been buried,and caufe themto come out, and br ing themto the land of If racl and Judah 5 and Jo fephand the tribes of Ifrael the ir fellows

, {hallb e re - un ited as '

one nation upon the moun

tains of Ifrael, under one king, and one

a: Ezek . xxxvi . 2 4 . T it. i i i . 5 .

1~ Ezek . xxxvi . 10, 24— 38. xxxix. 2 5 7

— 29 . xx .

f la n - 4 4 .

l hepherd 5

D I S C O U R S E X . 2 77

fli epherd ; arid walk in God ’

s judgments ,

and ob fe rve his ftatutes, and do them, and

his fanétuary {hall be in the m idi’r o f

them And af ter many days, as

the prophet, in an imated defcript ion foretels,in the latter years , when Ifrael {hall be at

t ell , and dwell fafely in unwalled villages , a congregated ho ft o f migh ty ar

m ies, w ith bucklers and fhields, and fwords,G og, the prince o f Me fhech and Tubal ”

l"Pe rfia, E thiop ia, and Lyb ia, Gomer, and

and al l his bands i : the houfe o f To

garmah of the north quar ters , and

all Ezek. xxxvn.

1 G og is reprefented, by Mede, to be the fathe r o f

the Scythians that dwelt in the call. and no rth- eaf’t o f the

Eux ine Sea . The no rthern nations o f Europe andA li awere gene rally fl yled G og and Magog . Me ihech was

Cappadoc ia 5 Tubal was Iber ia, the coun try to the fouth

call o f the Eux ine Sea. G og and Magog are the fame

name, for Mem is an Heemantick le tte r, and is appl iedto diftinguifh the land o f G og . Mede

, Book I . Difc . V .

1 Gomer, accord ing to Mede’

s account, poifeifed the

par ts o f A lia, which l ie upon the E gean Sea, and He l

lefpont northward ; Phrygia, Pontus, B i thyn ia, and part

of Galat ia .

.Togarmah, the fon o f Gomer, had Phryg ia Maj or,and part o f Galat i a . The fe are myi

’te r ious names fo r

fome future e nemi es o f the church, pofiibly the T urks,

who are o f Scythian de fcen t .

T 3

a7s D I S C O U R S E x .

fl

”AQ.

Q 6QQ

A

a a

QQ

C A

fll

1

fl

( C

Q

QC

i i i .

all his bands, and many people w ith him,

thall a fcend, and come l ike a d orm,and

l ike a cloud, to cover the land ;” to turn

hi s hand upon the de folate places that arenow Inhabited , and upon the people thatare gathe red out of the nations . The

Lord w ill fin ite his bow out of his lef thand , and will caufe his arrows to fall outo f his r ight hand , and (ball give him up .

to the ravenous bird s o f every fo rt, and to

the beail s o f the field, to be devoured 5and un to G og (hall be given a place o f the

grave s o f l f rael , and they {hall bury Gogand all his mul titude 5” and feven months{hall the houfe o f Ifrael be in burying o f

them ; and G od will fe t his gloryamong the Heathen , and all the Heathenw ill fee his judgmen t that he hath exe

and the Heathen (hall knowthat the houfe o f Ifrael went into capt iv ityfor the ir iniqu ity, becaufe they trefpafi

'

ed

againf’t him i t

.

Ezek . xxxvi i i . xxx ix . Joe l 11 . i i i . I , 2 . Z ephan .

8 . M icah v . 5 , 6, 9, 1 5 . Dan . x ii . x. Z echar .

X11. 9 0

Dan

’

el

2 80 D I S C O U R S E X.

’

6 6

6 Q

C fl

O\

6

6 C

and clofe up the breache s thereo f ; and I

w ill raife up his ruin s , a nd I w ill build itas in the days o f old ;

”and theWaite

c itie s {hall he inhabited and the peopleof l frael {hal l be no more pulled up out of

the ir land aFor then, fays Zephaniah , w ill I

turn to the people a pure language , thatthey may all call upon the name o f the

Lo rd to ferve him with one confent “

in”

The remnan t {hall no t do in iqu ity, nor

fpeak l ies ne ithe r {hall a dece i tful tonguebe found in the ir mou th . When the

daugh ter of Zion may rejo ice , for the

Lord {hall“

be in the m idl’c o f her ; and

6 2

C ‘

he w ill gather them that are fo rrowful for

the folem n affembly ; and 5‘get them

praife and fame in every land where theyhave been put to fhame ; a name and a

praife among all people o f the earth i .

For beho ld, fays the Lord of bolts; bythe mou th o f Z echar iah , Tw ill fave mypeople f rom the call country and f rom the

weft coun try 5”

and I w ill b ring them ,

Amos ix . 1 1— 1 5 . 1 Z ephan. i i i . 9 .

r Chap . i i i . 13 - 1 2 5 .

D-

I S C O U R ' S E X . 2 8 1

‘l‘and they {hall dwell in the ni idf’t o f Jerufalem, and t they {hal l be my people , and i

will. be the ir G od, in truth and in righte

oufnefs

From a collective confideration of thefe

and fimilar prophec ies , del ive red under the

old d ifpenfat ion , it i s evident that they po intto fome future e l’tabli lhment of Chrift

’

s

kingdom, in greater extent and perfectionthan i t has ye t difplaycd ; that the full e ff ecto f them was no t produced in the fo rmer

refioration o f the Hebrew nation, or the

c onverfion of the Gent iles, at the firfi: infl i

tution of chrifi ianity, or at any fubfequent

pe riod , i s“

certain and, f rom the earl iel’c

expl ication given o f them, i t is man ife f t thatthey were underfl ood to allude to fome re

mo te and unfulfilled circum ftance s .

The Jews, ‘ f rom very early ages , believedthat, at the conclufion of time , there f houldbe to them a world ful l o f joy and exultation,and a renewal of the heaven and ear th 13

when,

Z echar . v i i i . 7, 8 . See alfo 2 Eldras xi i i . 2 5— 5 1 .

Tob i t xiv. 6, 7 . W i ld. i i i . 7, 8 .

1~ R. Saadias Gaon Sepher Haemun . Rabb i Ket ina inG emar. Sanhedr im, apud Mede, B . 111. p . 667 . Some

traces

2 82 D I S C O U R S E X.

when, agreeably to the aflur’

ance of Ifaiah,

the children o f If rael {hould feel: the Lordthe ir G od, and David the ir king, and

fl iould fear the Lo rd the ir G od, and his

goodne fs in the latte r days .

The Hebrew fcriptures then , i t appears ,

did predict an univerfal return o f the tribeso f Ifrael to the ir own land ; the future con

verfion o f the Jew s and Gent ile s and the

e ftablifhment‘

of a dom in ion o f righteoufne fs,

which fhould extend its influence over the

whole earth . Our Saviour and his apo f’tles

f requently alluded to, and confirmed thefe

traces o f the bel ief in a future renovat ion of the world,

w i th greater glo ry, and more impo rtant blefii ngs, may be

found in the Chaldz an and Egypt ian theo logy ; in the

Wr i t ings o f Orpheus, o f the fybils, o f Plato and V irg i l : inthe fragments o f eaf

’tern theology, in the tranfcr ipti ons o f

clafli ca l mythology, and in the anc ient and modern no

t ions o f the Brachmans and other na tions . Vid . Shidas

in voce r vpp'l mcc C lem . Alex. S trom. V. Or igen cont .

c e ir. L i b . IV. E ufeb . Prae p . Evang . L i b . vn . chap.

xx i i i . Mafi‘e is’

s Hif’t . Ind . L i b . Vi . Daubuz on Rev.

xx. 2 . and Ske tches r elat ing to the H i ltory, Rel igi on,

o f the Hindoos, Vol . II . Ske tch XII I. A ll nature feems

to exhib i t an analogy and pattern o f a re furreél ion, and

renewal o f things ; and the facred wr iter s promi fe newheavens and a new earth to co inc ide w i th the re ign o f

righteoufne fs . l fa iah lxv i . I 7 . 2 Pe ter i i i . 1 3.

doctrines .

2 84 D I S C O U R S E x .

Jerufhlem, he pronounced that it (hould be

t rodden down o f the Gentile s, un til thet imes of the Gen tile s be fulfilled :

”and ,

in prophec ies no t to be fully accompliihed

t ill the end o f the world i t , he declared , thatthe generation, that is, the nation v

l~o f

the Jews, fhould no t pafs away t ill all

fhould be fulfilled .

The prediétions which Chr il’t uttered, on be ing{hewn the temple, vsere not comple tely fulfilled at the

d eftruél ion o f Jerufalem. H is final coming is to be

fadden, l i ke l ightning .

” The fign o f the Son o f man

i s to appear immediate ly (o r (con ) a fte r the tr i bulation,which b egan w i th the defirucfl ion o f Je rufalem, and

which was to laft as long a s i t fhould be trodden

down”

t i ll the t ime s o f the G ent i les be fulfilled .

”

See Matt . xx iv. Mark X l l l . Luke xx i . The hri’c comingo f Chri ft, to dell roy Je rufalem,

was a type o f hi s fecond

coming for the defi rué‘tion o f all his enem ie s ; and the

defcr iption employed by our Sav iour, is adm irably con

trived to comprehend both advents . See Dr . Trapp’

s

Dil'

courfe on Matt. xvi . 2 7, 28 . Mede, Vol . II .

Book IV . Epift. XII.

1 Matt. xx iv. 30 .vyevea , means nation, o r race, as

well as generat ion . See Matt. xx iv. 36 . Luke xv i i . 2 5 .

Chryl'

o f’tom ftyle s the whole body o f the Chr ifl ians veveaWe might, perhaps , tranflate s car a vma y?“ Tau/7a y er/7270. 1 ;

t ill all things {hall be, o r [ball begin, «y rfvoptac; is nafcor,

or ior o r fio ; or o therwife the verl'

e muil be underflood

to re late only to the defirué’tion o f Jerul

'

alem.

D I S C O U R S E X. 2 85

S t. Paul al fo , in aff e étionate concern for

the Ifrael ites , to whom pertaine th the

adoption and the glo ry, and the covenants,and the giving o f the law, and the fervic

'

e

o f G od, and the prom ife s ; whofe are the

fathers , and of whom, as concerning the

fle fh, Chri ft came ,

”declareth that G od

hath not cait away his people, but thatblindnefs, in part, is happened to Ifrael ,

until the fulne fs o f the Gentile s be come

in , and fo all Ifrael {hal l be favedThe fame apo ftle is , by fome , fuppo fcd to

fpeak o f the {late o f Chri fl’

s dom inion on

earth , when he treats o f the manife ftation

of the Sons of God, which {hall be made ,and in wh ich the creature {hall be de l ivered f rom the bondage o f corruption intothe glorious l iberty o f the children o f

G od ln”

He reveals to us, as a myfte ry, that all

{hall no t flecp i and fpeaks of fome that{hal l be alive , and remain unto the coming

of our Lo rd § and tells us, that as of ten as

4? Rom . ix. 4 , 5 . x i . 2,

1 Rom. v i i i . 1 9, 2 1 .

1 1 Co r . xv . 5 1 .

I Thell'

. iv. 1 5 .

2 86 D I S C O U R S E X .

we do par tic ipate o f the commun ion of the

body and blood o f Chri f’t, we do thew forth

the Lord t ill his com ing ; mean ing, po llib ly, at that time '

when Chrift is to partake

o f it new in his kingdomThe author o f the epiftle to the Hebrews,

treats o f a rei’t that remaine th to the people

o f G od + and is fuppo fed to fpeak of

the k ingdom o f Chri fl , under the exprefii on

o f the wo rld to come, wh ich is no t put i nfubjeé

’tion to angel s 1 .

St . Pe ter, preach ing conce rn ing the

Pr ince o f L ife , repre fents him as rece ivedby the heavens t ill the times of the refi itu

t ion , or the accomplifhment of all th ings,in which account he has been conce ived, byfome wr iters, to allude to the per iod of the

re ign o f faints , at the con fummation of wh ich,Chri ft may be expected to appear re~

”if 1 Cor . xi . 26 .

f Heb . iv . 9 . alfo chap . n . 5 . and Mede, Vol . II.

Book III . p . 7 16 . L i b . X II. ch. 2 2— 24 .

I Heb . ii . 5 . and M ede in Ice . Vol . II. Book HI.p . 1 1 29 , and Heb . i . b .

A f ts" i i i . 2 1 . The pa ffage, perhaps , no farther

allude s to the m i llenn ium than that the accompl ifhment

o f all things mutt be at the conclufion of that period .

vealed

D I S C O U R S E X".

o ircumfiances of which are‘

direétly revealedin o ther parts of the book f rom which the

text has been extracted .

From the earlie ll wr it ings of the Chritti

ans, we find that the fcripture s were in ter,p re ted by them as authorifing a bel ief in a

f uture re ign of Chrit’t ; and the expofitors o f

the pr imit ive fai th appear very generally'

to

have maintained the doétrine of the future

e f’tabl ifhment of Chrifi’

s kingdom, with cir

cumf’tances of exul tat ion and glory .

The fii

rPt notice which we have of the

op in ion en tertained upon this fubjec‘t, by thepr imitive church , i s that furnifhed by Barnabas, who was a

‘contemporary of the

apo ftles, and who is de fcribed, by St . Luke ,as a

,good man, and full of the Holy

Ghoft, and of faith 914. This wr iter , f rom

the facred account o f the creation of the wo rldi n fix days , f l are s an op inion of an analogousdi fpenfation , which is to take place of a cor

refpondent numberi

of 6000 years, previousto the introduct ion o f the fabbath, in whichall things are to be accompli fhed p

it Luke xi . 2 4 . Aéts xiv . 1 4 .

f Barnabas ’s Epift. 1 5 . See alfo 1 1 , andR. DavidKimchi in Ifaiah xxxvi . 6 . Pfalm xc . 4 .

fi I SCOUR S E x’

: asa

Juftiri Martyr, who flourifhed in the fecond

t entury, profe ffe s himfelf , with all or thodoxChrifi ians, to bel ieve in a fu ture re furrec

'

i

tion o f the fleth,and a re ign o f a thoufand

years in the fame Je rufalem‘

refiored , adorn

ed, and enlarged, for an influx o f Gen tilesand Jews ,” and reprefents the words o f

Ifaiah, for as the days o f a tree are the

days of my people , and m ine eleét {hal llong enjoy the work of their hands i f

, to

intimate myf’terioufly the thoufand years"

l"

.

Irenzeus, who l ived fomewhat late r, reprefents the myfi ery o f the re furreél ion of the

ju f’t and of the re ign I , as the beginning o fQ

incorruption by which reign, tho fe who

{hall be worthy, w ill , by degree s, become

accu l’tomed to

,rece ive G od 5 that, in

this renewed Prate , the j uil , fir ft r ifing at theappearance of G od , w ill rece ive the p romifeo f the ir inheritance for , fays he , in

that cond it ion in which they laboured, o r

were affl icted , approved in all t h ings by4 ‘ fufferance, i t i s q t that they -mould; in

6

flC

Ifaiah lxv. 22.

1 Juil . Martyr, Part II. p. 3 1 3—3 1 5 . Edi t . Thirlb.

I That is, the re ign o f a thoufand years .

that

290.D I S C O U R S E X'

.

( C

6‘

C C

that fame , rece ive the f ruits of the ir fuff er‘ing s ; and in that flate , in which theywe re flain for the love o f G od, in the fame

they fhould rev ive ; and in the fame con

dition in which they fuftained fervitude ,

in that they fhould re ign . In confirma

t ion of wh ich he refer s to many paffages in

fcripture

Te rtullian, a writer al fo o f the fecond cen

tury, afferts, that the Chrifi ians confcfiedC C

that an earthly kingdom was promifed to

them before the heaven , and in ano therfi ate , af ter the refurreétion for a thoufand

years, in a c ity o f d ivine confi ruétion , an

heavenly Jerufalem, as de fcribed by Eze

kiel , and St . Paul and St . John , which i sdefigned for the recept i on o f the faints, tobe compen fated by abundance of fpiritual

blefii ngs , for the affiiétion s which on ear ththey fui

’tained .

” Af ter the thoufand

year s of this pe riod, con t inue s Tertullian,

within which the re furreétion o f the jufl:

r ifing fooner o r later, accord ing to their

i“ Iren. Haer . L i b . V . c . xxxn— xxxv . and L ib . V

C . XXX .

f T e rtul . adver . Marc i on, L ib . III . c . xxiv.

I Galat . iv. 2 6.

merits,

D I S C O U R S E X .

exifi ed f rom the beginning , willi

l ive in

intercourfe with men a thoufand years , and

govern them with a ju f’c empire , agreeably

to what he reprefents the Cumman Syb iltod i ave foretold ; that then tho fe who {halllive in bodies {hall no t die , but (hall, dur ingthe thoufand years, bege t an infin ite mul

t itude and the ir progeny {hall be holy anddear to G od 3 and that they who {hall beraifed {hall prefide over the l iving as judges ;that fome Gentiles fhall be lef t to be van

quith ed by G od, triumphed over by the

faints, and fubjeéted to perpe tual fervitude

flRn

KN

aA

CA

that, at the fame time , the pr ince of daemons,

who is the contr iver o f all evil, {hall bebound in cufi'

ody the thoufand years of the

heavenly re ign, inwhich ji

ufi ice {hall fiouri lhin the earth, lef t any evil fli ould be at

tempted againl’c the people o f G od, af ter

whofe coming the juf’t {hal l be collected

f rom every land, and the judgment be ing"

finifhed, the holy c ity {hall be efi abl ifhed inth e m id il o f the ear th, in which G od, the

architeét, {hall abide w ith the jult, who

{ hal l then re ign .

” Af ter the completiono f the thoufand years , he afii rm s, thatthere will be a renewal of the world, and

that

AQ

Aa

6 fl

D I S C O U R S E X . 2 93

that G od — {hall transform men into the

fimilitude o f angels , for the e ternal enjoymen t o f the divine prefence ; and the un

juft be condemned, af ter a general re fur

reél lon , to e ternal torments“it

. He pro

f e ffe s to ground thefe accoun ts on the te f’t i

mony o f the prophets .

The fe early wr iters , then , who refer to

the fcripture s in fupport o f the doctr ine o f

the m illennium , did not der ive it, as has

bee n unjufl ly afierted merely from the

tradition o f Papias i , the f riend of Po lycarp,

it Laétant . de V i ta Beata, L ib . VII . c . xx iv .— xxvn .

1 W o tton Prae f . in C lement . Epif’r. p . 1 4 .

j; Eufebius r epre fen ts Pap ias, who was bifli op of Hiera

pol i s, to have be en a man o f very flender underfl anding,

(though he e lfewhe re defcribes him as eloquent, and

we ll ve rfed in fcripture ) as, he fays, m ight appear from

hi s wr i t ings . In the paffage which thi s hiftor ian C i te s

from them,Pap ias pro fe ffes to have de r ived trad i t i onary

intelligence from thofe who had conve rfed as well w i th‘

John, whom he {tyles the Pre fbyte r, as w i th S t . Johnthe evangel ift, and other d i fciples o f Chr if

’c. Eufebius

conce ives him to have der ived the grofs notion o f the

m i llenn ium which m i ll ed Irenaeus and o the rs f rom a too

l i teral confiruél ion o f the myi’t ical accounts o f the d i fc i

ples and appear s to int imate , that the no t ion o f a thou

{and years was der ived from John the Prefbyter, and

Arifi ion . Eufeb . Ecclef . Hift. L i b . III . ch. xxxix .

U 3

2 94 D I S C O U R S E X.

who is reprefented, by‘

Eufeb ius, to haveaff i rmed, that, on enquir ing diligently f romeach o f tho fe who .converfed w ith the apof

t les, what they m igh t have been taugh t bythem, he had colleéted , that Chrift, re turningf rom heaven, would perfonal ly re ign a thoufand years on ear th w ith his faints . The

facred wr itings had cer tainly laid the foundat ion o f the doétrine . The fathers , perhaps ,i nterpre ted the prophe t ic defcriptions too

l iteral ly and they adop ted no tion s re fpeétingthe future kingdom o f Chrif’t, which a juft

and reafonable conf t ruétion o f the infp ired

prom ife s w ill not author ife ,

In fome in fl ances they certainly feem to

have given too great a fc0pe to the ir imaginat ions, in the defc ription of this kingdom ;

but we mutt remember, that it was a fubjectpn which the fancy could no t but dwell,which genius mull have del ighted to con

template , and eloquence , with defcrip tive

embelli lhment , to de tail .Where , indeed , the fe w riters adopt the

de fcr ipti ons , and employ the figures whichthe prophe

t s ufed, however glow ing tho fe