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in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whofoever believeth in him fhould not perish but have everlasting life. For God "fo loved the world, that he gave his only begot$6 ten Son, that whofoever believeth in him should

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not perish, but have everlasting life: for God "fent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might .. be faved. He that believeth on him is not "condemned; but he that believeth not is already condemned, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God: And "this is the condemnation, that light is come in66 to the world, and men loved darkness rather "than light, because their deeds were evil."The latter part of the difcourfe with Nicodemus is fufficiently clear, and wants no explanation; but we do not find that, notwithstanding all that Jefus faid, this Pharifee was sufficiently converted to follow him in the regeneration of life; although it appears, that he had afterwards resolution enough to attempt to stem the torrent of abuse that they were pouring forth against Jefus in their council."Doth our law," fays he, "judge any man before "it hear him, and know what he doeth *?”

When Jefus began to preach, and to do his great miracles among the people, he did not openly avow that he was the Meffias and Son of God; but feemed rather to have defired that men would judge of him from his works and from his doc

"blind receive their fight, the lame walk, the

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lepers are cleanfed, the deaf hear, the dead are «Ε raised up, and the poor have the gospel preach"ed to them: And bleffed is he whoever shall 66 not be offended in me."-We fee from hence how hard it is for us to diveft ourselves of our own fuppofed wisdom and self-sufficiency; and, although we perceive that our ideas are extremely limited, and we behold every thing as it were in a thick cloud, we ftill go on endeavouring to develop all the myfteries of the great God of heaven and earth; but, after all our enquiries, for several thousands of years, we find ourselves totally ignorant of any thing more than what he has been pleased to reveal to us. I think this reflection alone would be fufficient to humble the pride and prefumption of many of our modern philofophers, who appear to have fuch a high opinion of their own wisdom and judgment.

After Chrift had feen how the wife and learned among the Jews were offended in him, because he did not come in a manner conformable to their ideas of grandeur, he said, "I thank thee, O Fa

ther, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou "haft hid those things from the wife and prudent,

and haft revealed them to babes: Even fo, Father, for fo it seemed good in thy fight."-And then, turning immediately to the multitude, he faid, “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am 66 meek

was it from heaven, or of men ?"-This was a question which they did not in the least expect; and which, in a great measure, frustrated their designs; for, on reasoning with themselves, they faid, "If we shall fay, From heaven, he will fay unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? but if we "shall say, of men, we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jefus "and faid, We cannot tell. And he faid unto

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them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do "these things."-Never were people fo difconcerted in their wicked intentions as those Jews were in the cafe before us; they came, in great formality, to demand of Jefus Chrift, by what authority he did the great miracles which he was doing daily among them, with an intent, as it afterwards appeared, if he had avowed his authority, and confeffed himself to be the Chrift, to put him to death. But Jefus, whose wisdom was equal to his goodness, not only out of their own mouth defeated all their wicked designs, by fhewing them that they were more ignorant and malicious, than the publicans whom they despised, but also gave them fuch a juft reprimand before all the people, that from that day forward they took every opportunity to murder him. However, seeing the disorder and confusion they were in, he began to reason with them, and, under the form of parables, pointed out their wickednefs and malicious designs,

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hired fervants of my father's have

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How many bread enough and to fpare, and I perish with "hunger! I will arife and go to my father, and "will fay unto him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and before thee, and am no more

worthy to be called thy fon; make me as one "of thy hired fervants."-Under this fimilitude, we fee the fituation of every human being, who, from the weakness of our nature, has offended the great God of heaven, our common Father, and the wretched fituation we are all in, from the violence and irregularities of our paffions, and from our presumption as being free agents. Happy are those, therefore, who can conquer their paffions, and diveft themselves of their own felf-fufficiency, so much, as to hear the reproofs of their internal monitor, and to proftrate themselves before their offended Father, to acknowledge their wretchedness, and, like the prodigal fon, to pray to be received again into his family upon the footing of his hired fervants !-But mark the father's behaviour towards this unhappy young man, as represented by Chrift;-" And he arose and came

to his father: But, when he was yet far off, "his father faw him, and had compaffion, and 66 ran and fell on his neck, and kiffed him." The fon then repeated to his father his sense of his own wretchedness, and told him he was no more worthy to be called his fon. "But the fa"ther faid to his fervants, Bring forth the best

robe, and put it on him, and put a ring upon

*his finger, and fhoes on his feet: And bring "hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us

eat and be merry; for this my fon was dead, "and is alive again; he was loft and he is "found."-Of all the accounts which we have received, from philofophers and others, of the tranfcendent goodnefs, indulgence, and mercy, of the Supreme Being, our common Father, none can come into competition with this which is now before us:-The father, fays Chrift, when he faw the fon, even at a distance, coming towards him, although he had fquandered away all his substance, and was reduced to mifery, instantly forgot all his faults, had compaffion, and ran towards him to kiss him; rejected the request which he made to be placed upon the footing of one of his hired fervants; ordered him to be invested again with all the prerogatives of his son, and to be clothed with all the ornaments of the heir of his family; and even appointed a feast, and day of rejoicing, for his family, for this happy event:-"For, fays he, there is joy in

heaven, and in the prefence of the angels of God, over one finner that repenteth."

Jefus likewife gives us another example of the univerfal benevolence and mercy of God, of his receiving the humble and meek, and rejecting the proud, arrogant, and felf-fufficient, under the fimilitude of the Pharifee and the Publican *.When Chrift was reproving the Pharifees, and