Glory; and therefore kindly draws a Veil over it, and fuits his feveral Difpenfations to the Subjects of them. He fends a Meffenger in our own State and Circumftances; who being encompaffed with our Infirmities, experiencing our Difficulties and Temptations, and having a Fellow-Feeling of our Troubles, might fhew how well qualified he was to bear with us, and help us to bear them; to have Compaffion on the Ignorant, and those that were in Error; pointing out to us the true Way, and enabling us to walk therein; leading us gently by the Hand*, inviting and encouraging us to come to God through him. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; he that hath feen me, hath feen the Father. All that my Father hath is mine: I and my Father are one, as I and you are one. I have not called you Servants, but Friends and Brethren. The Father himself loveth you; and if ye love him, as he loveth me, and I love him, we will manifeft ourfelves to you; we will come unto you, and make our Abode with you.

Thus he who was to his own People formerly the Lord of Hofts, a mighty God and terrible, jealous, avenging; and whofe whole Worship was ftiled Fear, [a Worship well accommodated to fuch People,] is now to Men of more enlarged Minds, under this proportionably more indulgent Difpenfation, the God of all Joy, and Confolation, the Father of Mercies, whofe Children and Heirs we are faid to be; whom we are taught to approach in a more liberal Way, with a true filial Affurance; whofe darling Attribute is Goodness; and the first Principle and great Commandment * Lactant, de ver. Sap. L.4. 24.

in his Law, the End and the Completion of it, Love.

These amiable Representations, confirm'd by a long Train of condescending Meekness, and illuftrated in the moft free, familiar Manner, muft above all Things tend to ftrengthen and invigorate our Faith, enliven our Hope, and draw our whole Soul after him that fo loved us, and lived amongst us: efpecially that which must seem to be the greateft poffible Inftance of Affection for us, his voluntarily laying down his Life, to reconcile us to him and our heavenly Father: this cannot but endear his Character to all who are capable of giving Attention to it; and will, in a much more near and tender manner, unite him to us, and make the Memory and Contemplation of him infinitely more affecting, than that of any other Being, however great, good, and glorious, who has not undergone the like Office, or appear'd in fuch Lights to us.

And though in order to direct our Reason and Judgement to the principal Object of religious Worship, and guard against every Misconception of our true Relation thereto, we are oft reminded who it was that originally provided this Redemption for us; who fo firft loved the World, as to give bis only begotten Son, for our Sal vation; and are taught to refer all ultimately to the Glory of God the Father: yet in that other, no lefs effential, [perhaps with the Bulk of Mankind, much fuperior] Part of our Nature, by which Religion and every thing else takes the ftrongest hold of us, the Paffions, we are neceffa rily touch'd in a much more fenfible Manner with

what is so very adequate and obvious to our prefent Comprehenfions, and as it were analogous to what we feel among ourfelves; and may be fatisfy'd that the kind Author of our Being will make due Allowances for this; fo far as it is neceffary and unavoidable, which is the Cafe at prefent univerfally; and every one that reflects upon the general Turn of his own Mind in his Devotion, will, I believe, find it fo: which is an experimental Proof of the Propriety and Beauty of the Plan in this refpect.

And as this Difpenfation was well fuited to the Frame of Human Nature, and an Improvement on the foregoing one to the Jews; fo was it no less fitly accommodated to the State of the Heathen World, and no less neceffary in the Circumstances under which that then was, and muft have continued.

The Founders and Supporters of religious Inftitutes among the Gentiles had nothing but fome empty Apparitions of their idle Deities, or more uncertain Tales, and blind Reports to build upon; fome of them ill devised by themselves, others in great part copied from true Scripture Hiftory, or primitive Tradition; but all fo ftrangely abufed and blended with each kind of Vice and Folly, to comply with the general Corruption of Mankind, and fuit them to the feveral Taftes and Tempers of particular Countries, as at length render'd the whole little elfe than a Compound of Abfurdity and Immorality; and made their very Worfhip and Devotion impious. Their Doctrines and fubfequent Rites muft by this means be very complicated, and vary according to the various

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Degrees of Superftition and Impurity that reign'd amongst them; but yet were fo far of the fame Caft and Complexion, that there could be no great room for a Competition with each other in point of either Truth, or Excellence: it would be hard to distinguish between the different forts of Evidence and Authority producible in different Places for the one, or of the Reasons that might be alledg'd to explain, and vindicate the other; fince Custom was the common Plea for both fince both were equally uncertain in their Origin, and both alike unprofitable as pertaining to the Confcience. So that when any Species of Idolatry was once establish'd in a Nation, it must, with the generality, be either a point of Neceflity to abide by it, fince they could find no better or appear matter of Indifference whether they fhould exchange it for any other; or admit that other along with it, as occafion ferv'd: And this might well be left to the Determination of the State.

Such were the Circumftances of the Heathen World, when Chrift appear'd, to put an end to all thofe lying Vanities, and turn Men to the living and true God; by introducing a Syftem of Religion fuitable to fuch a Being, and which would lead them to the Love and Likeness of him.

Farther, Men had been fo long used to the Notion of Appearances and Meffages from Heaven, and these been made the ground of every Article of Faith and Mode of Worship, that nothing but a real one, one of a fuperior kind, and better circumftanc'd, could be conceiv'd effec

tual to filence every wild Pretence of that fort, and reduce Men to a right Faith, and a suitable Practice: nothing lefs would be able to lead fuch to a firm Belief in one true, fpiritual, invifible God; and induce them to worship him in Spirit and in Truth; and affure them of always finding access to him, through one only all-fufficient Mediator. Dry, abstract Reasoning would go but a little way with the vulgar, who are moft fufceptible of Impreffion, but yet require fomething strong and visible to strike them; nor would a few tranfient Signs and Wonders serve to make fuch Impreffion laft. Of these they had too many reported among them, and the more common fuch Reports grew, the lefs were they minded; not only on account of their fufpicious Evidence, tho' that was enough to difcredit them; but chiefly for want of Connection with fome regular courfe of Goodness, and a fett of Doctrines worthy of fuch Interpofition from Heaven; and of their being expressly produced as Vouchers for thefe Doctrines, and apply'd directly to confirm that Interpofition.

This did Chrift fully and frequently; in the plainest and most public manner: and hereby did his Inftitution outshine, and extinguish every part of Heathenifm, as well in point of Evidence afforded to it, as of Inftruction conveyed by it. From whence might be drawn another Proof, both of the Ufefulness of fuch a Plan, and of the great Neceffity that there was for it.

But I proceed to what we were about to confider, viz. fome of the remarkable Circumstances in our Saviour's more public Life, and Manner of teaching.

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