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at the Command of his Word, the Blind receive Sight, the Lame walk, the Lepers cleanfed, the Deaf restored to Hearing, and the Dead raised up to Life again: They faw likewise, that these mighty Powers were exercised without giving the least Suspicion of any worldly Defign; that no Court was made to the Great or Wealthy by fingling them out either for Patients or for Disciples. The Benefit of the Miracles was chiefly the Lot of the Poor; and as they were better difpofed to receive the Gospel, fo were they prefered before the Rich and Mighty to be the Disciples of Chrift. When the Baptift's Difciples had feen and heard these Things, our Saviour thought them fufficiently enabled to fatisfy John in the Inquiry upon which he had fent them: Go, fays he, and shew John thofe Things which ye do hear and fee: The Blind receive their Sight, and the Lame walk; the Lepers are cleanfed, and the Deaf hear; the Dead are raised up, and the Poor have the Gospel preached to them. Then follow immediately the Words of the Text: And bleed is be whosoever shall not be offended

in me.

The clofe Connection of the Text with the laft Words of the fifth Verfe fhews us what fort of Perfons our Saviour had in his

Eye, when he spoke of the Offence taken at him in the World: The Poor, says he, have the Gospel preached to them: And blessed is he whofoever shall not be offended in me, As if he had faid, The Poor are ready to embrace the Gospel, and happy are in this, yea happier far, notwithstanding their prefent uncomfortable Condition, than the Honourable and the Learned, who are too great, and in their own Opinion too wise, to hearken to the Inftructions of the Gospel.

The Words thus explained lead us to inquire,

First, What are the Offences which are generally taken at the Gospel of Christ : Secondly, From what Source thefe Offences

come.

The Poverty and Meannefs in which our Saviour appeared, was the earliest, and may probably be the latest, Objection to the Gofpel. He came from God to convert and to fave the World, to declare the Purposes and the Commands of the Almighty, and to exact Obedience from every Creature; but he came with lefs Attendance and Shew than if he had been an ordinary Meffenger from the Governor of a Province. Hence it is, that we so often find him upbraided either with the Meannefs of his Parentage,

the

the Obfcurity of his Country, or the present Neceffity of his Circumstances: Is not this the Carpenter's Son? fays one; Can any Good come out of Nazareth? fays another; or any Prophet out of Galilee? fays a third. And when they saw him oppreffed with Sufferings, and weighed down with Afflictions, they openly infulted his Sorrow, and triumphed over his fond Pretences to fave the World: Thou, fay they, that deftroyeft the Temple, and buildeft it in three Days, fave thyself: If thou be the Son of God, come down from the Crofs. And fo blinded are Men with the Notions of worldly Greatness, and fo apt to conceive of the Majesty of God according to their own Ideas of Power and Dignity, that this Prejudice has prevailed in every Age. The Apostle to the Corinthians preached Chrift crucified; but he was to the Jews a Stumblingblock, and to the Greeks Foolishness: For the Fews required a Sign, a vifible temporal Deliverance, and had no Notion, much less any Want, as they could apprehend, of fuch a Saviour as Jefus. The Greeks fought after Wisdom, and thought that, if God were indeed to redeem the World, he would act more fuitably to his Power and Wisdom: Whenever they made their Jupiter speak, his voice was Thunder, and Lightning was

his Appearance, and he delivered Oracles not to be communicated to vulgar Ears. So in the Old Teftament, when God fpeaks, Clouds and Darkness are round about him, and his Prefence and his Voice are terrible. But here every thing had a different Turn: The Appearance was in the Likeness of a Man, and in the Form of a Servant; and, as he came in like a Servant, he went out like a Slave, he was esteemed ftricken, and his Departure was taken for Mifery. His Doctrine was framed rather to purify the Heart, and to give Wisdom to the Simple, than toʻ exercise the Head, and furnish Matter for the Curious and Learned; to be a general Inftruction and a common Rule of Life to all Men, and not to fatisfy the Vanity of worldly Wisdom in Inquiries above its Reach. With Him the Precepts of Virtue are the Principles of Wisdom and Holiness, the greatest Ornament of the Mind of Man.

But these Things the wife and the great Men of the World find hard to reconcile with the Wisdom and Majefty of God, according to their Notions of Wisdom and Power. Why did not Chrift, fay they, appear in the Power and Majefty of his Father? Would not the Embaffy have been more worthy both of God and of Him? H Would

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Would any Prince, who had a mind to reclaim his rebellious Subjects to Obedience, not rather chufe to fend a Perfon of Honour with a fuitable Retinue, whofe Appearance might command Refpect and Credit, than an Ambassador clothed in Rags and Poverty, fit only to create in the Rebels a greater Contempt both of himself and his Prince? If it was the Purpofe of God, that the World through Faith fhould be faved, would not the World more fecurely and readily have confided in one whofe very Appearance would have spoke his Dignity, than in one who feemed to be even more miserable than themselves, and not able to rescue himself from the vilest and most contemptible Death?

But let us now, in the fecond Place, confider what Foundation there is in Reason for this great Prejudice.

It is no wonder to hear Men reason upon the Notions and Ideas which are familiar to them. Great Power and great Authority are connected with the Ideas of great Pomp and Splendor; and, when we talk of the Works of God, our Minds naturally turn themselves to view the great and miraculous Works of Providence: And this is the Reason why Men are flow to discern the Hand of God in the ordinary Courfe of Nature, where Things,

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