fo willing. And yet we have as good evidence, that the New Teftament was written by plain and unlearned men, as we have for any fact recorded in hiftory. How could fuch men, invent fuch a book! And how fhould they, without feeming directly to defign it, but incidentally, as it were, reprefent, that perfons of fuch various characters, who concurred in putting Jefus to death, should all equally concur in establishing the testimony of his innocence!

True Chriftians, when they fuffer unjustly, may learn, from the example of their Lord, to fuffer patiently. The apoftle preffes this argument upon fervants *who in those days were chiefly bond-fervants, or flaves. He, therefore, evidently fuppofes, that the knowledge of the gospel was fufficient to qualify people, in the loweft fituations of human life, with a fortitude, and magnanimity of fpirit, of which philofophy could scarcely reach the conception. In effect, to be much taken up with the interefts of felf, to live upon the breath of others, to be full of refentment for every injury, and watchful to retaliate it, these are the properties and tokens

VOL. I.

* Pet. ii. 18-20.

Ff

of

of a little and narrow mind. It requires no energy, no facrifice, no refolution, to acquire fuch a difpofition; for it is natural to us, and powerful and habitual, in the weakest and leaft refpectable characters. But to act uniformly as the fervants of God, satisfied with his approbation, under the regulation of his will, and, for his fake cheerfully to bear whatever hardships a compliance with duty may expofe us to, enduring grief, fuffering wrongfully, and acting in the spirit of benevolence and meekness, not only to the good, but alfo to the froward; this indicates a true nobleness of foul. And to this, we are called, by our profeffion; for thus Chrift fuffered. He did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth; yet he was reviled, but he reviled not again. He fuffered, though innocent; but he threatened not. He was crucified by wicked men; but he prayed for them, while they were nailing him to the crofs. This was an eminent branch of the mind that was in Chrift, and it ought to be a diftinguishing feature in the character of his people. For, is the difciple above his Lord? or fhould the conduct of the disciple contradict that of his Lord? Undoubtedly, fo far as we are partakers

in

in the doctrine of his fufferings, and have real fellowship with him in his death, we shall resemble him. If we fay, we abide in him, we ought to walk even as he walked *. But they, who, calling themselves Christians, are full of the spirit of self-justification, contention, and complaint; while they profess to believe in him, deny him by their works. The apostles, Peter and John, deeply affected by their obligations to him, and by the exquifite pattern of meeknefs and tenderness, which he had set before them, departed from the prefence of the council, not fwelling with anger, nor hanging down their heads with grief, but rejoicing that they were counted worthy to fuffer Shame for his fake. And he deserves no less, from us, than he did from them. It was for us, no less than for them, that he endured reproach, and was content to die as a malefac tor, though he was innocent.

* 1 John ii. 6.

↑ Acts v. 41.

Ff2

SER

SERMON XXV,

MESSIAH RISING FROM THE DEAD.

PSAL. xvi. 10.

For thou wilt not leave my foul in hell, neither wilt thou fuffer thine Holy One to fee corruption.

TH

HAT the gofpel is a divine revelation, may be fummarily proved, from the character of its Author. If an infidel was fo far divested of prejudice and prepoffeffion, as to read, the history of Jesus Christ recorded by the evangelifts, with attention, and in order to form his judgment of it, fimply and candidly, as evidence should appear; I think he muft obferve many particulars in his fpirit and conduct, fo very different from the prevailing fentiments of mankind, as to convince him, that man, in his present state, could not poffibly have conceived the idea of such a character. Poets, and historians, have often employ

Ff3