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synagogue. Surely his devotion did not enervate, but rather invigorate and establish his valour; nor did he find himself less dutifully regarded by the soldiers under his command for his parental tenderness to his afflicted servant, which brought him thus humbly to petition Christ in his favour. Such may our officers be! and we may hope the hosts of heaven will with pleasure cover their heads in the day of battle, and obedient troops be formed, by their example and their care, to the discipline of virtue as well as of war.

We see the force of real goodness to conquer the most inveterate prejudices! the elders of the Jews at Capernaum turn petitioners for a Gentile-for a Roman centurion! so may we disarm the virulency of a party spirit, and conciliate the friendship of those who otherwise might have their eyes upon us for evil!

In plentiful circumstances and an honourable station, how great is the humility of this worthy man! How low are the thoughts that he has of himself! And with what veneration and respect does he address himself to Christ! And, had this centurion been even a tribune or a general, this humble address would well have become him when he was thus applying unto Christ. And how well does it become us, when entreating the blessed Jesus to exert his healing power on our hearts, to bow with deep humility before him, and to say, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof, or worthy the honour of appearing in thy presence!" He that thus humbleth himself shall be exalted, (Luke xviii. 14.) nor do we ever stand fairer for the praise of Christ than when we see ourselves undeserving even of his notice.

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Behold an instance of faith in a stranger to the commonwealth of Israel, by which their unbelief was condemned! Oh that the virtues of heathens may not another day rise up to our condemnation, notwithstanding an higher profession and much nobler advantages! We cannot but rejoice to hear that many shall come from the east and the west, to sit down with the pious patriarchs in the kingdom of heaven! but how deplorable is the case of those children of the kingdom, who, with all their towering expectations, shall be cast out, and doomed to hopeless sorrow and to everlasting darkness !

May Almighty Grace awaken those who are now ignorant of the value and importance of the blessings of the gospel; and excite those holy desires after them, which may prevent that impatience and envy, that rage and despair, with which they must otherwise view them at an unapproachable distance; yea, view them possessed by multitudes, whom they are now ready to despise !

SECTION XI.

LUKE VII. 11-18.

AND it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother: and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak: and he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God had visited his people. And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the region round about. And the disciples of John shewed him all these things.

It surely becomes us likewise to glorify God on account of this great Prophet, whom he has raised up, not only to his ancient people Israel, but to be for salvation to the ends of the earth. (Acts xiii. 47.) Welcome, thou Messenger of the Father's love! How illustrious thy miracles! how important thy doctrine! how beneficent and amiable the whole of thy behaviour.

He went from Capernaum to Nain, still on the same blessed errand, to do good to the bodies and the souls of men. Oh that our lives, in their humbler sphere, might be such a circle of virtues and graces; that we might thus go about doing good; and might learn, by the happiest of all arts, to make the close of one useful and pious action the beginning of another!

Of him may we also learn the most engaging manner of conferring benefits; that lovely mixture of freedom and tenderness, which heightens the sweetness, and doubles the value of every favour! May our hearts imbibe the same temper, and it will diffuse on our actions some proportionable grace

fulness. May our bowels, like his, yearn over the afflicted, and our hand be ever ready thus gently to wipe away their tears. But, O gracious Redeemer, how impotent is our pity when compared with thine; with thine, which could call back lamented children from the grave, and turn the sorrows of a weeping parent into a torrent of joy. We are sometimes ready fondly to say, "Oh that thou hadst been near when the darlings of our hearts were snatched away from us, and we left them in the dust!" But thou indeed wast near; for thou hast the keys of death and the unseen world. And this we know, that, if our beloved children are sleeping in thee, thy voice shall at length awaken them; and thou wilt deliver them to us, to die no more; and wilt thyself graciously take part in that mutual and lasting joy which thou shalt give to us and to them.

SECTION XII.

MATT. XI. 2—6.—Luke VII. 19-23.

Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he calling unto him two of his disciples, sent them unto Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come, or look we for another? When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come, or look we for another? And in that same hour

he cured many of their infirmities, and plagues, and of evil spirits, and to many that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way and tell John again what things ye have seen and heard, how that the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

We have here in John the Baptist a very edifying instance of a most candid and pious temper. How solicitous was he to remove those scruples from the minds of his disciples which, perhaps, their excessive fondness for him might have occasioned! He wisely sends them to converse with Jesus themselves and surely they who most accurately inquire into the credentials he brings, will be most effectually convinced and impressed by them.

Let us, when tempted to doubt of the truth of Christianity, recollect the various and unanswerable proofs of it, which are summed up in these comprehensive words; arising from the miracles and character of our Redeemer, and the prophetic testimony that was borne to him. Let us particularly rejoice that the poor have the gospel preached and that the blessings of it are offered to enrich the souls of those, whose bodily necessities we often pity, without having it in our power to relieve them.

And, since our Lord pronounces a blessing upon those that shall not be offended in him, let us consider what those things are, in the doctrine or circumstances of Christ, which have proved the most dangerous stumbling-blocks, and endeavour to fortify our souls against those temptations which may arise from them. So the trial of that faith which is a much more valuable treasure than gold which perishes, though tried in the fire, may be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, (1 Pet. i. 7,) and we, on the whole, may be advanced in our way by incidents which at first threatened to turn us entirely out of it; as the faith of these disciples of John must surely be confirmed by those doubts which they had for a while entertained.

SECTION XIII.

MATT. XI. 7-19. LUKE VII. 24-35.

AND when the messengers of John were departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold they that wear soft clothing, and are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts. But what went ye out for to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. For, verily, I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater prophet than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven

suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? They are like unto children sitting in the market-place, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced: we have mourned unto you, and ye have not wept. For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He bath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of all her children.

How happy would it be, if we could learn to correct the natural inconsistencies of our temper and conduct by wise reflections and considerations! How much more improving would our attendance on the ministrations of God's servants be, were we seriously to ask ourselves to what purpose we attended!

It ought surely to be followed with such considerations, since it is intended to lead us to the kingdom of heaven; a glorious prize! too glorious to be obtained by faint wishes and inactive desires. There is a sense in which it still suffers violence; and how sad is the degeneracy of our natures, that we should exert so little warmth in such a pursuit, and so much for every trifle! Instead of that holy ardour with which men should press into it, they fold their hands in their bosoms, and lose themselves in soft luxurious dreams, till the precious opportunity is for ever gone. May Divine Grace display the crowns and palms of victory before our eyes, in so awakening a manner, that we may joyfully seize them, whatever obstacles may lie in our way, whatever must be done, or whatever must be borne to secure them!

Let us not, as we love our own souls, through a proud

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