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nocency of him who, in his human nature, was absolutely perfect, and in whom the presence and fulness of God dwelt; and it is indeed unnecessary to those who believe in his name. It is, however, a pleasing contemplation to them, and has an important influence upon their faith and hope. In this they triumph, " that he who knew "no sin himself, was made sin," was treated as a sinner for them, that they might be made the "righteousness of God in him." "The High "Priest of our profession needed not," as those who typified his office of old, "to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the sins "of the people;" for he was perfectly holy, harmless, and undefiled. And had he not been a lamb without spot or blemish, he could not have been accepted on our behalf. It was the perfection of his voluntary obedience to the law of our nature, under which he submitted to be made, which, conjoined with the excellency of his character as the Son of God, made him meet, able, and worthy, to expiate our transgressions. By the "one offering"-of himself, once offered, "he has made "an end of sin, brought in an everlasting righte"ousness, and having appeared with his own "blood within the vail, in the presence of God "for us, and ever living to make intercession for "all who come unto God by him," he is proposed in the Gospel as "the Author of eternal salvation "to all who obey him.' "In him, all the seed of "Israel shall be justified, and shall glory."* In him the true Israel, the partakers of the faith of Abraham, shall be saved, "saved to the utter"most, "saved with an everlasting salvation; they shall not be ashamed, nor confounded, "world without end."

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* Isa. xlv. 17. 25.

But who that knows these things can sufficiently commiserate the fatal effects of that unbelief which blinds and hardens the hearts of multitudes! especially that more learned and informed, and therefore more inexcusable, unbelief, which characterizes the modern patrons of scepticism. They read and admire ancient history. There is no old story so frivolous or improbable, but it is sufficient to engage their attention, and to exercise their acumen, if it be found in Herodotus or Livy. They spare no pains, they perplex themselves and weary their readers, with their attempts to decipher an ancient inscription, or to fix the date, or reconcile the circumstances of a supposed event, which, after all, perhaps never had place but in the imagination of the writer. Their implicit deference to such uncertain authorities as these, often verges upon the border of extreme credulity. The Bible is an ancient history likewise; and if it was only received upon the footing of the rest, as merely a human composition, the facts which it relates, and the manner in which they are related, the admirable simplicity of narration in some parts, the unrivalled sublimity of description in others; the justness and discrimination of characters; the views it unfolds, of the workings of the human heart, and the springs of action, so exactly conformable to experience and observation, might surely recommend it to their notice. And possibly, if it did claim no higher authority than a human composition, men, who have any just pretensions to taste, would admire it no less than they now undervalue it. But, because it does not flatter their pride, nor give indulgence to their corrupt propensities, they are afraid to study it, lest the internal marks of its divine original should force unwelcome convictions upon their minds. Therefore they remain willingly

ignorant of its contents, for the knowledge they discover of it is so very superficial, that a wellinstructed child of ten years of age may smile at the mistakes of critics and philosophers. That such a book is extant, is undeniable. How can they account for its production? A view of what they actually have done will warrant us to assert, that the wisest men of antiquity, neither would have written such a book if they could, nor were they able, had they been ever so willing. And yet we have as good evidence, that the New Testament was written by plain and unlearned men, as we have for any fact recorded in history. How could such men invent such a book? And how should they, without seeming directly to design it, but incidentally, as it were, represent, that persons of such various characters, who concurred in putting Jesus to death, should all equally concur in establishing the testimony of his innocence!

True Christians, when they suffer unjustly, may learn, from the example of their Lord, to suffer patiently. The apostle presses this argument upon servants;* who in those days were chiefly bond servants, or slaves. He, therefore, evidently supposes, that the knowledge of the Gospel was sufficient to qualify people, in the lowest situations of human life, with a fortitude and magnanimity of spirit of which philosophy could scarcely reach the conception. In effect, to be much taken up with the interests of self, to live upon the breath of others, to be full of resentment for every injury, and watchful to retaliate it; these are the properties and tokens of a little and narrow mind. It requires no energy, no sacrifice, no resolution, to acquire such a disposition; for it is natural to us, and powerful and habitual in the weakest and least respectable cha* 1 Pet. ii. 18-21.

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racters. But to act uniformly as the servants of God, satisfied with his approbation, under the regulation of his will, and for his sake cheerfully to bear whatever hardships a compliance with duty may expose us to, enduring grief, suffering wrongfully, and acting in the spirit of benevolence and meekness, not only to the good, but also to the froward; this indicates a true nobleness of soul. And to this we are called by our profession; for thus Christ suffered. He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth; yet he was reviled, but he reviled not again. He suffered, though innocent; but he threatened not. He was crucified by wicked men; but he prayed for them while they were nailing him to the cross. This was an eminent branch of the mind that was in Christ; and it ought to be a distinguishing feature in the character of his people. For, is the disciple above his Lord? or, should the conduct of the disciple contradict that of his Lord? Undoubtedly, so far as we are partakers in the doctrine of his sufferings, and have real fellowship with him in his death, we shall resemble him. "If we say, we abide in him, "weought 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 exquisite pattern of meekness and tenderness which he had set before them, departed from the presence of the council, not swelling with anger, nor hanging down their heads with grief, but "rejoicing that they were counted worthy to "suffer shame for his sake." And he deserves

* 1 John, ii. 6.

+ Acts, v. 41.

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 malefactor, though he was innocent.

SERMON XXV.

MESSIAH RISING FROM THE DEAD.

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PSALM xvi. 10.

For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

THAT the Gospel is a divine revelation, may be summarily proved from the character of its Author. If an infidel was so far divested of prejudice and prepossession, as to read the history of Jesus Christ recorded by the evangelists, with attention, and in order to form his judgement of it, simply and candidly, as evidence should appear; I think he must observe many particulars in his spirit and conduct, so very different from the prevailing sentiments of mankind, as to convince him, that man, in his present state, could not possibly have conIceived the idea of such a character. Poets and historians have often employed their powers in delineating what appeared to them the great and the excellent in human conduct. But how different are the pictures of their admired heroes, sages, and legislators, from the portrait of the Saviour, as it is drawn with the utmost simplicity by plain unlettered men, who, without art or affectation, only describe what they profess to have seen and heard! I fix at present upon a single consideration,

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