his wife instructions, not with reverence but with indignation, because their proud and worldly minds were offended with the apparent meanness of his origin, in confequence of which, they would not conde fcend to apply to our Lord for his interference, notwithstanding his long experienced power.-In all these cases the Son of God would not gratify the vain and unreasonable expectations of fome, or waste his miracles on others, who defpifed both him and them, for he could not do this confiftently with the dignity of his office, and the object of his miffion, which was calculated to try and to exalt the moral character of men, by fupplying abundant evidence to the fair and humble enquirer, without " extorting the affent of the wilfully blind and ob ftinately negligent, or violently fubduing to a reluctant fubmiffion the incorrigibly vicious and perverfé. h Thus it was that the want of faith prevented our Lord from difpenfing his miraculous favours; but never did the benign Jefus, when implored, refuse to exercise his fupernatural power in relieving misery; and in no instance did he ever attempt to exercise it without full fuccefs; while in the objects and the manner of the operation he conftantly displayed a just selection and calm dignity, utterly inconfiftent with the extravagance of fanaticism.. h Vid. John iii. 1-21. Alfo v. 41, and efpecially John vij 17. Alfo Luke viii. 4-18. C Our 3 4 Our Lord's fometimes appearing to conceal his miracles, has also induced a fufpicion that they could not stand the test of rational enquiry; but it is easy to account for this circumftance, fo as totally to repel the fufpicion. It cannot furely be denied, that our Lord exhibited multiplied proofs of his divine miffion even to his enemies, from whom however he was obliged frequently to fhade the full fplendor of these proofs, and to avoid difclofing the full extent of those objects which he came to accomplish, and the high majesty of that character which he was entitled to affume, because thus only could he fecure the credibility, the reputation, and the fuccefs, of that religion which he laboured to establish. In order to fecure these infinitely important objects, it was neceffary “that he should i compleat the time foretold "of his ministry, and after a life illustrious in mira"cles and good works, attended with humility, "meekness, patience and fufferings, and every way "conformable to the prophecies of him, fhould be "led as a sheep to the flaughter, and with all quiet "and fubmiffion fhould be brought to the cross, "though there were no guilt or fault in him; this "could not have been, if as foon as he appeared in "public, and began to preach, he had prefently "profeffed himself to have been the Meffiah, the king who owned that kingdom he published to be i Vid. Locke's Reasonablenefs of Chriftianity. Watfon's Tracts, vol. iv. p. 23. "at hand, for the Sanhedrim would have then taken, "hold on it to have got him in their power, and thereby have taken away his life-at least they "would have difturbed his miniftry, and hindred "the work he was about" obliging him perhaps to fubmit prematurely to their violence, or to use fuch fupernatural methods of escape or resistance, and to inflict fuch fupernatural punishments, as would be inconfiftent with the humble, merciful, and unrefifting character which it became him to fupport, and fuch as might prevent those final fufferings it was neceffary he should undergo. k Another purpose equally important to which this referve was neceffary, was, that he "fhould not be "feized for any thing that might make him a crimi❝nal to the government, and therefore he avoided "giving thofe, who, in the divifion that was about "him, inclined towards him, occafion of tumult for "his fake; or to the Jews, his enemies, matter of 66 just accufation out of his own mouth, by profef-, 66 fing himself to be the Meffiah, the king of 'Ifrael, "in direct words."-Hence alfo he was obliged fre quently to conceal his miracles, which would have roused the impetuous multitude, full of their ideas, of a temporal Meffiah, to repeat their efforts, to "take him by force and make him a king" -an. * Locke's Reasonableness of Chriftianity. vol. iv. p. 58. I Locke, ibid, p. 47•. C 2 Watson's Tracts, m John vi. 15. event event, which had it taken place, and been with any fhadow of reafon chargeable on our Lord's conduct, would have totally defeated the facred purpose of his miffion, fince he would thus have appeared to have been justly punished for abufing religion to gratify ambition, instead of appearing the founder of a religion whose scheme was totally free from every mixture of temporal and narrow views, and every way worthy of the Son of God. Had our Lord been impelled by the violence of enthusiasm, it is not conceivable that fuch would not have been his fate; but the confummate prudence which regulated his every action, enabled him to fteer his way through all the dangers that furrounded him.-In conformity, to fuch prudence it was, that he so often commanded those on whom he wrought his miracles-" Go, and tell no man who has made "thee whole;" but his apoftles he was ever careful fhould be eye witnesses of all his wondrous works, and conftant hearers of his words; to them he explained every difficulty, and condefcended gradually to enlighten their understandings and difpel their prejudices. A felect number of them attended his most private miracles-they beheld the awful anticipation of his divine glory at the "transfiguration on the mount, which they were commanded not to declare till after his refurrection, because then only Matt. xvii. Luke ix. Mark ix. . they they could declare it without any danger of being understood to defcribe a temporal Meffiah. Thus even the concealment of our Lord's divine works, which in some instances took place, so far from justifying any fufpicion of their being founded on fanatic delufion, clearly fhews they were under the direction of the most perfect wisdom, and performed, as well as related, with every mark of foberness. SECTION. IV. The nature of the miracles wrought by our Lord during his public miniftry, and the circumftances which attended them, prove they cannot be afcribed to the power of enthufiafm. THE E least attention to the evangelic history will fatisfy us, that the fubjects of our Lord's miracles were moft generally fuch as no power of imagination, no delufion of enthusiasm, could poffibly influence. To turn water into wine- to feed 5000 perfons at one time on five loaves and two fishes, and 4000 at another, on feven loaves and a few fmall fishes to restore a withered limb-to give fight to a man forty years old, who had been born blind } John ii. 1-12. 9 Matt. xv. 32—38. $ John ix. P Luke ix. 14. John vi. 10. Luke vi. 6-1I, to |