he chofe a doctrine and a method very much refembling those of that venerable man. His fubjects were few, plain, and important, repentance was the chief. His ftyle was vehement, his images were bold and well placed, his deportment was folemn, his action eager, and his morals fevere. The people flocked in great multitudes after him, and furrounded him with a popularity, of which his enemies were afraid. He fell, however, a facrifice to female revenge at a tyrant's drunken bout, where defpotifm gave whatever prostitution required. Jefus Chrift had been openly introduced by John, to the knowledge and affection of the people, and at John's death Jefus appeared in publick as a preacher. Before his minifterial labours began, and preparatory to them, he had that vifion recorded in the first eleven verses of the fourth chapter of Matthew, a vision, as one of our minifters has most beautifully fhewn, excellently (5) adapted to the time and purpose.

Our Lord Jefus Chrift had been long expected to appear in the Jewish church, as a prophet like unto Mofes, and his ministry had been characterized, as the most beneficial, that could be imagined. The people, therefore, formed the highest expectations of his œconomy, and he framed it fo as to exceed all description. He taught.. not as the fcribes.

First, instead of deriving his doctrine from po pular notions, human paffions, the interefts of princes, or the traditions. of priests, he took it immediately from the holy fcriptures, to which he conftantly appealed. The truths of natural relid 2

(5) Rev. Mr. Farmer.

gion

gion he explained and established; the doctrines of revelation he expounded, elucidated, and enforced, and thus brought life and immortality to light by the gospel.

Next, the doctrines, which he taught, were all plain facts-God is a fpirit-God fent his fon into the world, that the world through him might be faved-Mofes wrote of me-He that believeth on him, that fent me, is paffed from death unto lifeThe dead fhall hear the voice of the Son of GodThe wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment-The righteous fhall go into life eternalMy kingdom is not of this world-The merciful are happy-Happy are the pure in heart-Few find the narrow way, that leadeth to life-Many go in at the wide gate, that leadeth to destruction. -All thefe, and many more of the fame kind, are facts plain and true, and they were the fimple truths, which Jefus Chrift chofe to teach.

Thirdly, the motives, which he employed to give his doctrine energy, were not taken from finful fecular things; but it was urged home in its truth and importance. This fact is true, and THEREFORE you ought to believe it, whether the world admit it or not. That duty is important to your health, to your property, to your comfort, to your falvation, to your pleafing God, and, THEREFORE you ought to perform it, whether the world perform it or not.

The tempers, in which he executed his ministry, were the nobleft, that can be conceived. He was humble, compaffionate, firm, difinterested, and generous. He difplayed, in all the courfe of his ministry, fuch an affortment of properties as obliged fome of his auditors to burft into exclamatory ad

miration.

miration, bleed are the paps, which thou haft fucked! others to hang upon his lips, wondering at the gracious words, that proceeded out of his mouth, and all to acknowledge, never man fpake like this man! This was not a temporary tide of popularity, it was admiration founded on reafon, and all ages fince have admired and exclaimed in like man

ner.

where

Add to these the fimplicity and majesty of his ftyle, the beauty of his images, the alternate foftnefs and severity of his addrefs, the choice of his fubjects, the gracefulness of his deportment, the indefatigableness of his zeal fhall I put the period? his perfections are inexhauftible, and our admiration is everlafting. The character of Chrift is the best book a preacher can study.

In order to mortify human vanity, to convince the world that religion was a plain fimple thing, and that a little common fenfe accompanied with an honeft good heart was fufficient to propagate it, without any aid derived from the cabinets of princes, or the schools of human science, he took twelve poor illiterate men into his company, ad. mitted them to an intimacy with himself, and, after he had kept them a while in tuition, fent them to preach the good tidings of falvation to their countrymen. A while after he sent seventy more, and the difcourfes, which he delivered to each class at their ordination, are made up of the moft wife and benevolent fentiments, that ever fell from the mouth of man. All the topicks are pure theology, and all unpolluted with puerile conceits, human politicks, literary dreams, ecclefiaftical traditions, party difputes, and all the other dif graces of preaching, which thofe fanctimonious

hypocrites,

hypocrites, fcribes, and pharifees, and pretended doctors and rabbies had introduced into it.

Jefus Chrift had never paid any regard to the place, where he delivered his fermons; he had taught in the temple, the fynagogues, publick walks, and private houses; he had preached on mountains, and in barges and fhips. His miffionaries imitated him, and convenience for the time was confecration of the place. He had been equally indifferent to the pofture, he ftood, or fat, as his own eafe and the popular edification required. The time alfo had been accommodated to the fame end. He had preached early in the morning, late in the evening, on fabbath days and festivals, and whenever elfe the people had leisure and inclination to hear. It had been foretold, the Meffiah should not lift up, nor cry, nor cause his voice to be beard in the streets, that is, fhould not ufe the artifices of thofe, who fought for popularity. It fhould feem, Jefus Chrift ufed very little action: but that little was juft, natural, grave, and expreffive. He fometimes wept, and always felt: but he never expreffed his emotions in a theatrical manner, much lefs did he preach as a drowsy pedant declaims, who has no emotions to exprefs.

The fuccefs, that accompanied the miniftry of our Emanuel, was truly aftonishing. My foul overflows with joy, my eyes with tears of pleasure, while I tranfcribe it. When this Sun of righteoufnefs arose with healing under his wings, the difinterested populace, who lay all neglected and forlorn, benighted with ignorance and benumbed with vice, faw the light, and hailed the brightness of its rifing. Up they fprang, and after him in multitudes men, women, and children went: Was

he

he to pass a road, they climbed the trees to fee him, yea the blind fat by the way fide to hear him go by. Was he in a house, they unroofed the building to come at him. As if they could never get near enough to hear the foft accents of his voice, they preffed, they crouded, they trod upon one another to furround him. When he retired into the wilderness, they thought him another Mofes, and would have made him a king. It was the finest thing they could think of. He, greater than the greatest monarch, despised worldly grandeur: but to fulfil prophecy, fitting upon a borrowed afs's colt, rode into Jerufalem the Son of the Highest, and allowed the tranfported multitude to ftrew the way with garments and branches, and to aroufe the infenfible metropolis by acclamations, the very children fhouting, Hofannah! Hofannah in the bigbeft! Hofannab to the son of David! Blessed be be, that cometh in the name of the Lord!

The Rabbies pretended, the populace knew not the law, and were curfed, and it is certain they knew not those gloffes of the law, which traditionists affected to teach: but this ignorance was their happiness. It would have been well for the teachers, had they never known them. The populace did know the law, and often quoted it in its true sense. What mystery is there in the ten commandments! or what erudition is requifite to determine, whether he, who opened the eyes of the blind, were a worshipper of God, or a finner! It is a high privilege of poverty, that it is a ftate degagé, difengaged, detached, unbiaffed, and nearest of all others to free inquiry. The populace are not worth poisoning by ecclefiaftical quacks, for they cannot pay for the drugs. Their fenfes of seeing

and