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^ SEP 30 ]
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DISCOURSES
O N T H E
MIRACLES
AND
PARABLES
OF OUR
Bleffed LORD and SAVIOUR
JESUS CHRIST.
BY THE
Revd. WILLIAM DODDy
Lecturer of Weft-Ham, in E fex, and of St. Olave's Hdrt-Street> London.
In FOUR VOLUMES.
LONDON:
Printed for T. Waller, oppofite Fetter-Lane; and W. Fa den, in Wine- Office- Court, Fleet-!: tre t; and E. Duly, in the Poultry near the Manfioa-Houfe.
MDCCLVil7
PREFACE
H E reader is here prefented with a fet of practical difcourfes on the MIRACLES and PARABLES of
our blefled Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift : defigned at firft folely for the pulpit, and a popular congregation : but fince re- vifed, enlarged, and improved for the prefs : as it was judged they might be ferviceable to the great caufe of religion ; and tend, in fome degree at leaft, to promote the true and only valuable inte- refts of mankind.
The fubjects treated of are of fuch a nature as cannot fail greatly to engage the ferious reflections of all, to whom they are prefented : and ferious reflections on fuch fubjects, cannot fail much to influence every mind for its good. The author hoped therefore by introducing and recommending fuch to the public attention, he might be doing fervice, however he himfelf mould fucceed in the handling of them. If well, he clearly difcern'd the high advantage: if otherwife, high advantage he perceiv'd mud alfo arife to his readers, who by his difcourfes wou'd be led to think more clearly on thefe important matters, to confult the facred Scrip- tures more carefully, as well as thofe able authors, who have done greater juftice to the glorious argu- ment.
Difcourfes on the Miracles only were originally intended : and when thefe were firft pubiifhed, there was not the leaft defign or apprehenfion of
Vol. I. JSr A proceeding
rxiUi u iii
StC, NOV 1881
THEt: .
li PREFACE.
proceeding farther. But the preflin g follicitation of fo many, and thofe, a great part of them un- known to the authcr, rendered it almoft impofiible for him to withdraw from the Public, and to refufe the difcourfes on the Parables, which accordingly followed. Some doubtlefs will not be backward to cry out upon this as a ftale pretence, and to condemn it as downright vanity : but the truth will ever bear itfelf out, more efpecially fince there are fo many ready to bear witnefs to it, and to acknow- ledge their own repeated defires : which we would wifh to interpret as a favourable argument in be- half of our common Chriftianity, as a token of the kind reception of thefe poor labours, and as a pleafing evidence, that they are not wholly v/anting to the great end for which they were preached, for which they are publifhed.
I. As the difcourfes were defigned for a popular congregation, it is eafy to fee, that the author could not properly be led to confider the Miracles in a control) erfial manner : his chief view and aim was fo to explain and enforce them, as to render them inftru&ive and edifying to his hearers. But as, to this end, it is highly needful, that any apparent dif- ficulties in the letter, or any trite objections,, raifed in the fchool of infidelity, fhould be removed : "he hath therefore endeavoured, in as brief and plain a manner as poflible, to ftate the LITERAL iacts : and to obviate real or fuppofed difficulties. It rriuft be confeffed that a right and clear flaiing of our Saviour's miracles is of very prime confequence in the Chriilian Syftem : fince their evidence tends fo much to confirm the truth of his divine million and revelation.* Hence we find that the enemies
of
* See bifhop S ti 111 w feet's Origjnes Sacra, B. 2 c. o. Dr. Pattens Cbrijiian Apology, and two Defences, in anfwer to Mr. Ralph Hcathcote. And particularly Occafional Annotations the a8:fr in the 5th vol. of Parkers Uibliotbeca Biblia, p. 683.
PREFACE. ill
of our common faith have ever been bufy to weaken this evidence, and to make tn'is pillar of the heavenly building, againit which however we are afTured, the gates cf hell foal! ntver prevail. Nay we cannot help obferving the depth of the DI- VINE WISDOM, who, from that darknefs which infidels and heretics would draw over his facred,. word and works, hath caufed the light of his truth to emerge with infinitely brighter lr.it; e : and made the malice and perverfenefs of enemies ferve, by the labours of his faithful fervants, to illuftrate that very revelation which they meant to darken and decry.
Many inftances hereof in other refpects might be given : but a more evident one we cannot have, than in the cafe of fFOLSTON, whofe infamous attacks upon our Saviour's Miracles, fo far from gaining the end he propofed, ferved only to engage the thoughts and pens of the able fervants of their Lord ; and fo to elucidate and undeniably con • firm the evidence, he meant to confufe and over- throw.* Truth, like genuine gold, will always bear the touchftone, and appear the brighter the more it is examined.
From the excellent labours of our divines, en- gaged in that controverfy, I have reaped no final 1 milts : but have not attempted to handle the fub- jecls in that view, which they have done : ima- gining it fufficient for my purpofe, to obviate ge- neral objections without producing them, and to refer to their labours, fuch as defire or need fuller information. I muft confefs, for my own part, that the cuflom of producing the objections of in- fidels or heretics, either from the pulpit or the prefs, (except when abfolute neceflity, or an immediate reply to an author calls for it) feems not the moil
A 2 eligible
* See bifhop Gitfons three excellent Papral Letters.
Iv PREFACE.
eligible way of inftrucYmg, and has frequently, I fear, been attended with bad confequences. Ob- jections are generally couched in a few ftrong and plain terms, and fo are made level to every appre* hen lion : the anfwers frequently and neceffarily are long, laborious and diffufe % and of confequence not apprehended with that ftrength and clearnefs, which is neceflary totally to remove the ill impref- fion.* For which reafon the more plainly and fimply truth is propofed, and the more covertly and pajfingly, if I may fo fay, objections are obvi- ated, the lefs probability is there for prepoffefficns and prejudices to warp the mind.
I have endeavoured to proceed thus in flating the literal facls, where neceffary ; but my defign led me to be but brief, as having chiefly the practical ufe of the Miracles in view : and to this end, I have endeavoured to draw from them fuch moral and fpiritual obfervations, as I hoped through grace, might tend to make men more in love with God and holinefs. — Though the chief and primary inten- tion of our Saviour's miracles is doubtlefs to con- firm his divine million : yet, I prefume, it cannot be denied, that they have other great and good purpofes ; amongft which that which I have chiefly infi (led on in the courfe of thefe Sermons claims a principal place, from the clear and unde- niable testimony of innumerable writers of the firft antiquity and credit, " His wonderful works and miracles in nature^ were intended to difplay and prefigure his no lefs wonderful works and mi- racles in grace.f" This I have attempted to (hew
in
* For which reafon Stackboufe's Hiftory of the Bible is a book fo dangerous, and of fo great prejudice to many : The objec- tions there will be found more itrongly and clearly expreft than the anfwers. The book would be of great ufe, were it poffible to remove the objections, and to give the anfwers, without infer t- ing the obje:>ions at all.
t See the firft Sermon, vol. I. fee alfo p. 57, &ct of the f3m$ vol. aud alfo vol. II. p. 399, 4^0, note,
PREFACE. v
in the courfe of the following Sermons on the Mra-
cles
The attempt of WOLSfON, whether more weak or wicked, it is difficult to fay, hath brought up an evil report and much prejudice on the Jpi- ritualox allegorical interpretation of the fcriptures in general, but the miracles in particular. Hb, would have all our Saviour's miracles to be merely allegorical, to the utter deftruclion of the literal itory. An abfurdity which, one would conceive, need only have been propofed to confute itielf A defire to fleer as clearly as pofFible from this bcylla* hath perhaps driven fome very learned men too near the oppofite Charybdis : who while they have excellently fupportedthe literal fiory, the fur z foun- dation of all interpretation, have too lufhly denied and excluded zWfpiritual or allegorical meaning : and of neceflity have fet themfelves at oppofition with the firft and moft valuable writers of the church. The truth in this, as in moft other cafes, lies in the midft. The Miracles, though flriftly and truly literal, are not confined folely to the letter : though fpiritual or allegorical in their interpretation, are not, cannot be folely allegorical From the literal fad is derived the evidence for the truth of the divine revelation ; in thofe fads, fpiritually interpreted, are feen the moil beautiful reprefentations of Ckrijl's miracles of mercy, and wonders of grace, vouchfafed to fouls laden and oppreffed, with all the weight and miferies of fin. Thus the ancient andbeft writers of the church have interpreted: never putting afunder thoie which are thus excel- lently connected. And while thus we proceed in
A 3 t"eir
* Dr Pocock (Not. Mif. 176.) obferves well, Multum certe omnibus ieculis paffa eft Veritas, a duobus hominum genenbus : altero eorum qui omnia in allegorias, & fenfus, quos falfo vocant Jpirituales, veitunt : altero eorum qui omnia hum ac ad Uteram exponunt, oft.
yi PREFACE.
their fieps, prefcrving always the literal ftory in its due honour, there is no fear of going greatly out of the way.*
11. The cafe is very different with the PARA- BLES : the outward letter is nothing more than the fhells the vehicle by which the purpofed in- itruction is conveyed to us. So that to hear or read a parable without knowing the interpretation, is to fee and perceive not, to hear and not underfland. A parable^ as I have had occafion elfewhere to ob- ferve,f is 2,/imilitude^ or compartfon^ " a transferring the ideas cr properties, which are in one fubje<5t, (generally familiar and well known) to another, lefs known and underftood, in order to heighten and en- liven that other the more to the mind."J It is a putting of one thing for another, that the matter intended to be taught may not immediately appear from the bare letter and the cafe put : but, when the key is given, ftrike more fully and flrongly on the mind from the cafe put to reprefent and enforce it. For a parable^ is exactly what we call " putting a cafe"— when one thing is faid and fuppofed with a delign to teach, illuftrate, and enforce fome other* And fuch are our Saviour's parables: fo that to underfland them we mufl look beyond the letter ; and in fuch as he hath not himfelf interpreted, we (hall either find the key from his general application^
or
* The reader is by all means referred to a judicious and ex- cellent preface of the learned Dr. Water land, prefixed to the third edition of his Scripture vindicated : wherein he treats of the literal, figurative, and tnyjlical (or fpiritual) interpretation of .cripture.
t See vol. the laft of thefe Difcourfes, p. 420.
\ See the reverend Mr. Merrick\ fermon on Chrifi the true Vine, Sec. Dr. Waterlandm the Preface above mentioned, ob- ferves, that a parable is a kind of fimilitude, or fictitious parallel, taken up at pleafure to reprefent fome real cafe. It ha cafe in fic- tion aptly made choice of, to iignify fome cafe in fact, be it fup- pofed pad, prefent, or future, 6v. p. 9.
PREFACE. vit
or from the connection wherein the parahle ftands, with his miracles or other difcourfes. And, while carefully attending hereto, we explain the other circumftances agreeably to the fubject in hand and the analogy of faith , there is no doubt but we (hall obtain all the profit, which was intended to be conveyed to us by this moil pleafing, beautiful, and perfuafive method of inflruclion.
That parables were very familiar and much in ufe among the Eailern nations, and particularly thofe of Palrfilne we learn not only from the tefti- mony of St. Jercm^ produced in the Motto to the third volume of thefe difcourfes, but from the con- current evidence of all writers on the fubject. And for the moft part, as an able writer * obferves, *6 both Chrift and his forerunner John, as well as the old prophets, were wont in their parabolical difcourfes to allude to things prefent, and fuch as immediately offered themielves." By this manner of teaching our Saviour fulfilled -f* the prophecies concerning the Mejfiah in this refpecl, of whom the Evangelift tells us it was foretold, that he Jhculd open his mouth in parables^ Jhould utter thing? which have been kept fecret from the foundation of the world: and hence it is, that the myfteries and fecrets of the kingdom of heaven are generally the iubjects of our Saviour's parables : his grand and fundamental doctrines being delivered in clear, plain, and exprefs
terms:
* Sir Ijaac Newton on Daniel, p. 148. where he gives many examples, and fpeaks with great exactnefs on the fubjecl. The note is too long to be inferted, and therefore the reader is re- ferred to it.
f I humbly conceive the bleffed Jefus did not do fuch and fuch things merely and folely to fulfil the prophecies ; hue rather the prophecies foretold thefe things, becaufehe was to do them, for other and good reafons. See bifnop Chandler % Defence of Chriftianity, from the Prophecies of the Old Tefiamcr.t. r - 2nd CJ; fe&. 2 and 3.
viii PREFACE.
terms : heightened and enlivened however very often by the addition of beautiful parables ; which as they are the mod fimple method of teaching,* and moft accommodated to the comprehenfion of the vulgar and unlearned, moft eafy to be underftood, remem- bered and applied :f fo are they the fineft veil for myfteries, and the beft means to convict the proud and obftinate finner, as well as to conceal from him thofe great truths, which his perverfenefs and infidelity have rendered him unworthy to have more clearly communicated to him. And this feems to be the reafon which our Saviour himfelf gave to his difciples, why he fpoke in parables : 'The difciples came and faid to him, why fpeakeft thou unto them in Parables ? He anfwered and faid unto them, becavfe it is given unto you to know the myfteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whofoever hath to him jhall be given, and he fhall have more abundance : but whofoever hath not, from him fhall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore 1 fpeak to them in parables : becaufe they feeing, fee not j and hearing they hear not, neither do they un- derftand. And in them is fidfilled the prophecy of Ifaiah, &c. as if our Saviour had laid, (to ufe Dr. Goodman' 's § paraphrafe,) " You my difciples,
who
* The words of Erafmus, as produced in the motto to the fourth volume of thefe difcourfes.
f This is the reafon given by Dr. Markland, in his firfl Dif- courfe, vol. i . which fee.
§ In his Penitent pardoned,^. 12. where he enlarges on the reafons why our Saviour fpoke in parables. " Much like to this fays he, at the end of the above paraphrafe, is the account which Jamllichus gives of the obfeurity of Pythagoras. Pytha- goras, faith he, jliuticd fome obfeurity in his dictates, to the intent that thofe only who were 'virtuoufly difpofed, and fa prepared for his notions, might be benefited by his difcourfes, but as for others, they (as H Oiner faith <?/" Tantalus) fhculd be furrounded with fuch things a^ were in themfthes defrablef but not be able to touch or tafle them.
cc
PREFACE. \x
** who are of an humble, docible temper, and arc '* content to uie means and to refort to me for the *' underftanding of fuch things as I deliver : to ** you it mail be no difadvantage that they are ic cloathed in parables: for, (befides that I am ** ready to interpret every thing to you) my Dif- "■ courfes are fo ordered, as to become plain and " intelligible to fuch unprejudiced minds, the 6i truth will mine thro' the veil, and the fhadow <c mall guide you to the body and fubfcance. But " as for thefe proud and felf- conceited Pharifees, <c that are tranfported with their own prejudices, and will neither underfland nor pra&ife things plainly delivered : for the juft hardning them ic and fuch as they are, I deliver myfelf in fuch a <c manner^ as will not readily be apprehended by *' men of their temper. They fhall choke them- " felves with the hufks, while you feed upon the *c kernel." They have brought this willing blind- nefs upon themfelves, that in feeing they fee not ; and this wilful deafnefs, that in hearing they hear not, neither do they underfland *.
Upon the whole then, we may fay, that our Saviour fpoke in parables, ift, as a judicial punifh- mentupon thofe, who were hardened againft, and ill-difpofed to the truth : and fometimes as a more lively means to convince and confute them, even from their own mouths -f. 2. Asa means to a- waken the attention and whet the enquiry of thofe
* See Bp Halls Paraphrafe on the text, in his Explication of difficult Texts : but above all, Dr. Whitby $ very excellent and (elaborate note on the place deferves the reader's mole careful perufal. Mr. Macknigbt labours to eftablifh a new interpreta- tion, which it mull be owned is a good one, if the words would bear it, but it is feared they will not : and Dr. Doddridge feems /ully to have refuted it beforehand. See them on the text,
f See vol. JV. of there Difcourfes, p. 144.
who
k PREFACE.
who were well-difpofed ; and to lead them to a ferious examination and diligent fearching after the truth : and as a method the moil natural, beauti- ful and inftructive, to teach from common and f miiiiar objects the mod divine and important lef- fons, and to imprint them on the memory. 3. As a veil to the myileries of the kingdom, and a me- thod leaf! pfFenfive to convey fome very ungrateful and unpalatable truths *, fuch particularly as the rejection of the Jews and the calling of the Gentiles 9 &c. 4. As a leflon or" man's natural blindnefs, and ignorance in fpintual matters, unlets Chrifi, by his grace, is pleaied to open the underflanding, and enlighten the mind — ^and all this, 5th, to fulfil the prophecies concerning him, in this re- fpecl, as well as to comply with the cuftoms and manners of the nation, with whom this method of inftruction was familiar -f-.
III. In interpreting the PARABLES, as well as in explaining the MIRACLES, I have fpared no pains to arrive at the truth : my method hath al- ways been diligently and carefully to confider the original, to collate and confer Scripture with Scripture, for which, the marginal references of our Bible, and thofe of Dr. Mill f , are highly ufe- ful : this done, I have made it my bufineis to con- lult the bed and ableft critics and commentators, ancient and modern : as well as the writings of the frft9 and mod approved fathers of the church, reaping from them all pofhble advantage. Our
* Stanbopis Epiftles and Qofpels, vol. II. p. 230, and vol. III. p. 200.
f See Dr. Ligbtfoot, vol.1, p. 229, and II. p. 293.
% The Amfterdam edition byWeftein abounds with the mod co- pious and befi felefted marginal readings : Canne has collected a great many in his Bible y but frequently without much judgment. Clark has feletted the befly in his Bible with brief Annotations. Folio,
own
PREFACE. *t
own writers on the New Teftament generally iuc- ceeded thefe, in my enquiries : and after them any that I could find, who had treated the fubjecl: in hand. From each of which having derived all the information and profit I was able, it has been my endeavour, under the afiiftance of divine grace, to exprefs my fentiments, as clearly, plainly, and ftrongly, as I might : not confidering myfelf as writing for the learned, but for the inftru&ion of the many, with whom it is necefTary, to ufe more words, to be more diffufe — to deliver line upon line,
and precept upon precept than if we were fpeak-
ing to thofe whofe education and ftudies lead them to fuch enquiries, and make them of much quicker difcernment and penetration.
It was once my defign to have tranflated and prefixed Ader's ufeful Difcourfe on our Saviour's Miracles : wherein that learned and pious phyfician fully proves, that every difeafe cured by our Re- deemer was incurable by all the means of art: but my compafs would not allow me : I cannot how- ever but recommend the work to the perufal of thofe, who are engaged in thefe ftudies *. Nor mull I omit here to make my due acknowledg- ments for the very large afftftance I have received from the excellent Harmony of the Gofpels, begun in Latin by M. Chemnitz^ a learned Lutheran di- vine, continued by Polycarp Lyfer, and finifhed by the labour of the celebrated Dr. John Gerhard: the book is far lefs known than its uiefulnefs demands: and when I firfl met with it, I found but few of my learned or fcriptural acquaintance, who had any knowledge cf it. There is in it a great fund of divine in ft rue! ion, and many of our Harmonifls,
* It is to be found at the end of the 6th volume of the Cri- tici Sacri. {Amjterdam edition.)
tho»
xii PREFACE.
tho' they have not thought fit to fay fo much1* have evidently been much indebted to it. For my own part, I have received lingular pleafure and profit from it •, and very frequently tranflated large paragraphs, for which, I hope, the prefent per- formances will not be found the worfe. Thus much I conceived myfelf bound to declare in gra- titude to my author, and good-will to my worthy brethren of the .clergy* who may chance not to be acquainted with the Harmony of Chemnitz.
Many of thefe Bifcourfes^ not to fay moil of them, have in the tranlcribing and revifal of them been very much enlarged : and fo are become longer than the generality of fermons : but fince they may be confidered as a kind of Comment , as well as D'lfcourfe^ on the portions of Scripture which they handle, it is hoped, their length will eafily be pardoned. — That the fame thoughts and expreffions are not repeated in them* the author: by no means avers : it is indeed fcarce to be a- voided on fubjects fo fimilar ; and the pious reader, we trull, will not be offended thereat, fhould it not be found to difguft him with a nau- feating frequency.' That many expreffions might not be altered for the better •, many fentences ex- preffed with greater clearnefs and precifion, and many words uled with greater propriety and cm- phafis, the author again is fo far from denying, that he is very fenfibly convinced of it : and hath nothing to urge on his behalf, in this refpect, but the periodical manner of publication, which expe- rience hath fhewn him, renders errors unavoidable, and is an enemy tocorrectnefs. Hafle to fupply the prefs, and hade to publifh, t.00 commonly making it impoffible to correct either the errors of the copy or of the /beet : on this account he hath to plead, as well for his printer, as himfelf. How- ever,
P REFACE, xi
ever, to make all amends poflible, a table of the more material errata is added: leaving it to the difcerning reader to correct the merely literal er- rors, as well as the improper printing*
But if he cannot plead an exemption from a famenefs of thought and expreilion, from literal impropriety or error, nor perhaps from miftakes in judgment: fince to err is human, and infalli- bility only the property of the ALL-WISE : — yet he can plead an abfolute exemption from all volun- tary error, from all defign to obtrude any opi- nions of his own, from any intention to favour one doctrine or recommend one principle which has not its clear foundation in the Word of God, and the doctrine of that church, whereof he hath the happi- nejs to be a minifter : and the fatisfatlion, to be- lieve moil exactly conformable, in its dcttrines and fervices, to the holy Scriptures, and the faith of the primitive church. And he hopes and prays, that he may never receive or embrace any doctrine whatlbever, which cannot be evidently proved from that word, and (hewn to be agreeable to the faith of the church of Chrift, in thtfirjl three centuries \ and fo to the faith of the church of 'England, which hath happily retained all the fundamentals of the chriftian doctrine. It would be far better, if all were wife enough to follow the excellent advice given in one of our Canons in the reign of queen Elizabeth, in the year 1571 : " That the clergy " mould teach nothing from the pulpit, as being 46 of religious obligation to the people to believe, " but what mould be confonant to the doctrine " of the Old, or New Teftament, and what theca- " tholic fathers and ancient bifhops had collected or <c concluded from thence." " How would both truth and learning flourifh, as the great Dr. Water- land remarks, were but this rule carefully obferved ?
Men
*iv PRE F A C E.
Men that know little of the fathers will of comic fpeak with contempt of them. They were men, 'tis true, but they were withal great and good men i a character which thofe will never arrive at, who prefume to flout or defpife them *." Were but the rule above mentioned carefully obferved, all our differences would foon be compofed : and thofe opinions and tenets which fo divide the church, and deftroy brotherly love, would loon be found not capable of enduring the trial, and fo of neceftity be given up. We cannot, 'tis true, con- tend too earneftly for the fundamentals of our com- mon faith ; but the great misfortune is, that our difputes and divifions frequently arife from points not fundamental, or rather from that, which we cannot too ftrenuoufly oppofe, from mens making thofe things fundamental, which really are not fo*f.
* Sec Dr. Water land's Remarks upon Dr. Clark's Exposition' of the Church Catechifm. p. 93.
f For an excellent difcourfe upon Fundamentals, I would re- fer my reader to T-uco Charges delivered to the Middle/ex clergy, by Dr. WaterlanJ, fo often mentioned and quoted in thefe Dif- courfes. He obferves ^from Sherlock's Vindication of the Defence of Stillingfieet) p. 14. that " a fundamental doclrine is fuch 3 doctrine as is in ftrict. fenfe cf the efjence of Chriftianity, with- out which the whole building and fuperftru&ure muft fall : the belief of which is neceiiary to the very being of Chriftianity, like the jirft principles of any art or fcipice."- — The next ilep we advance to, and which bears an immediate connection with the former, is ; that fuch doctrines as are found to be intrinfual or ejjential to the Chrijiian Covenant are fundamental trffib's> and fuch as are plainly and directly fubverfive of it, are fundamental errors. — The Chrijiian Covenant may be confidered as contain- ing the following articles; 1. A founder and principal cove- nantor. 2. A fubjecl capable of being covenanted. 3. A charter of foundation 4. \ mediator. 5. Conditions to be performed, 6. .:\i s or means to enable to performance. 7. Sanctions- alfo, to bind the covenant and fecure obedience. " ■1 he Doctor then enlarges upon each of thefe, and exr» mines at lrrge ail ether ru'es for fundamentals, and {hews them defective. See the work.
" In
PREFACE. xv
** In the rule above given, we ought to abide and there to fix our firm footing : every departure from it will be a departure, fo far, from truth, and fobriety : which if carried on, but a little way, will do mifchief: but if purfued to the utmoft (as it is natural for a fpirit of error to be reftlefsj can end in nothing elfe but the moft deplorable confufion." And furely this is not a time for Chriflians to pro- mote that confufion, to fall out and contend by the way : but to agree and unite all their endea- vours towards the repelling the common enemy, and promoting the caufe of Chrijl : which thro' the boldnefs of infidelity on one hand, and the impru- dence of enibufiafm on the other, is brought into imminent danger ; and calls for the joint and zeal- ous labours of all thofe, who profefs themfelves labourers in their Lord's vineyard.-
It is in fupport of this glorious caufe, that I have reached out my — alas — too feeble hand : willing, like the poor widow to throw in, at leaft, my mite, tho' inconfiderable, into the treafury, towards building up the fpiritual houfe of the Lord*. And having no feci to eftablifh, no party of any kind to efpoufe, no peculiar principles, but the plain precepts of the Gofpel, to recommend:— I cannot but flatter myfelf, that the ingenuous and unbigotted part of mankind will receive my la- bours with complacence : and pardon at leaft the Well-meant, fhould they be found, fruitlefs endea- vours of fincerity. It is ungenerous, not to fay
highly unjuft, to caft out random cenfures, and to play with the reputation of a clergyman, merely be- caufe he happens to be in earned, and to prefs the caufe of his divine Mafter, and of the eternal wel-
* The gifts caft into the treafury, ^heophylafi informs us, Were intended not only for the relief of the poor, but for facred ttfes, and for adorning the Temple, &<; xoyp<» t* Namt.
you I. [a ] fare
xvi PREFACE.
fare of his fellow- creatures, with fome degree of that zeal and importunity, which the greatnefs or the fubjects furely fo much demand. Yet thus unjuft, thus ungenerous are many : doing they know not what injury to the religion of Chrijl, by robbing his ministers of their due influence, and prejudicing the fouls of his hearers, by ill opinions of the doctrine he delivers.
The following Sermons, together with the general tenour of my preaching, and the manner of my life, which I flrive, thro' God's grace, to lead void of offence towards him, and towards man, — will, I truft, on my own behalf, ferve fufficiently to remove all luch afperfions ; and to convince thofe, whom it may concern, that as clofely and ftrictly attached to our excellent church, I have ever difapproved the practice and diftingvifhing tenets of our modern Sectaries : and hope to live and die in the faith and unity of the truly apoftclical church, planted by God's good providence in thefe realms. Thus much I conceived my lei f bound to declare, iri juftice to the church, whereof I am a minifter ; In juftice to my worthy friends and hearers, in the pari (lies wherewith I am connected, whom I bear in my heart, and whole everlafting welfare I greatly long for: and in juftice to myfelf, whofe honfty or underftarJing, muft, I humbly apprehend, be otherwife greatly called in queftion. If after this moft public declaration, any fhall think fit fo far to favour the Seffaries, as to fuppoie me an en- courager of them -, to thcmfelves be the reproach : it cannot reach me : not but I muft juftly efteem it, amongft thofe evilfpecMyigs, which our Saviour pronounces blejjed to thofe, on whom they fo\\ for his fake : and they can fall on me only/cr his fake \ for boldly, truly, and at all times fpeaking his word. And in fuch reproach, God forbid that \
fhould
PREFACE. xvii
ihould do other than glory ! Every honeft fe&ary, if true to his own principles, while he difclaims and pities me, (hould yet approve and efteem me for this declaration : fince, upon his own principles, every man is bound to be zealous and fincere : and we may challenge any of them to fhew, wherein the church of England is deficient in any fundamen- tal of the Chriftian Faith.
But alas, this will not do : nothing like di- vifion and difunion in the church tends to deftroy that divine love9 which leads us to rejoice even in the fmalleft glimmer of the truth : wherefoever feen, wherefoever found : in whatever profefibr, or difciple of this facred fchool. And we find, the prejudice of narrow-minded principles fo great, that a difagreement in fome favourite tenet is fuf- fkient to caufe men to difparage the whole of an- other's performance, however otherwife confonant to their own principles. Such will do well to con- fider, that they act little like the difciples, and far lefs like the minijlers of Chrift. But be they left to their own confciences, while we fincerely wifh them more knowledge, and more of that love9 which rejoiceth in the truth.
But while we wim it to others, \tt it be your chief care and mine, oh reader, to implant that divine love in our own breafts. 'Tis this alone which will never fail us : without this you may read and hear, and I may preach and print for ever, and yet be no wife acceptable in the fight of God. Let us therefore lay afide all other ftrifes ; and frrive only, who fhall love his neighbour moft, and io moft approve himfelf to that God9 who hath commanded us to love one another as he hath loved us. If thefe or any other labours of mine, fhall be found conducive to this great end, I fhall then not have lived in Yain. : and the Searcher of
hearts
Xvlii
PREFACE.
hearts knoweth, that I defire to live no longer* than while I can promote that great end. In which, if he is pleafed to blefs the very leaft of his fer- vants, be all the glory to him : in which if he is pleafed to blefs others, by my weak means, be his again the glory, mine their conflant prayers, and theirs the everlafting, the unfpeakable reward I Amen.
Plaiftow, Ejjex,
W. Dodd,
eOO$OOQO<S>#<&O0OGGOOGG#GGOO00O$©G
# iM^*^*#£*c^*"^ - '
*$
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DISCOURSES
O N T H E
MIRACLES
O F O U R Bleffed LORD and SAVIOUR _
JESUS CHRIST.
B Y T H E
Revd. WILLIAM D 0 D D,
Lecturer of Weft-Ham, m EJJex, and of St* Olave's Hart-Street, London.
All thefe things fpake Jefus unto the multitude in parables .* and without a parable fpake he not unto them : that it might be fulfilled which was fpoken by the prophet, fay- ing, I will open my mouth in parables ; I will utter things which have been kept fecret from the foundation of the world,, St. Matt. xiii. 34, 35.
Pamiliare ejl Syris, fcf maxime Palaeftinis ad omnem fermo- nem fuum parabolas adjungere ; ut quod Jimpelx pracep- tum teneri ab auditor ibus non potefl, per fimilitudinem ex- tmplaque ieneatur. Hieronym. in MattK-
V O L. IIL
LONDON:
Printed for W. F A D E N, in Wine - Office - Court, Fleet-Street. MDCCLVII.
Study the Holy Scripture, efpecially the New Teftament : therein are contained the words of eternal life: it has God for its Author, Salvation for its End, and Truth, without any mixture of Error, for its Matter. Locke,
% <s>&0®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®&®® er ij2 go®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®® %
CONTENTS
OF THE
Third VOLUME.
o
DISCOURSE I.
N the Parable of the Sower. Matt. xiii. 28.
Page 1 Part II. S3
DISCOURSE II.
— ~ — Of the Seed fpringing up of it f elf Mark iv. 16—29 71
DISCOURSE. III.
. Of the "Tares. Matt. xiii. 24—28, 104
Part II. Matt. xiii. 28 — 30. .130
DISCOURSE IV.
Of the Pearl of great Price. Matt. xiii.
45, 46. 162
DISCOURSE V.
» Of the Unmerciful Servant. Matt, xxviii.
35- l9$
D I S-
CONTENTS.
DISCOURSE VI.
- Of the Labourers in the Vineyard. Matt.
xx. 16. 227
Part II. 253
DISCOURSE VII.
* Of the importunate] Widow. Luke xviii. 1. ^ 285
DISCOURSE VIII.
— Of the Pharifee and Publican. Luke
xviii. 9. 323
Part III 348
DISCOURSE IX.
— Of the Loft Sheep. Luke xv. 3—7. 382
DISCOURSE X.
-• Of the Prodigal Son* Luke xv. u< — 13.
426 Part II. Luke xv. 18 — 20. 453
Part III. Luke xv. 21 — 24. 476
DISCOURSES
ON THE
MIRACLES
O F O U R Ik Jed LORD and SAVIOUR
JESUS C H R IS T.
B Y T H E
Revd. WILL IAM D 0 D £>,
Lecturer of Weft-Ham, Effex, and St. Olave's Hart- Street, London.
Jefus anfwered and [aid unto them, Go and fioew John again tbcfe things, whict'ye do hear and fee: The blind receive their fight, and the lame walk \ the lepers are clean 'fed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raifed up, and the poor have the gof pel preached unto them. And blejfed is he whofoever Jhall not be offended in me. Matt. xi. 4, 5, 6.
IN TWO VOLUMES. V O L. I.
LONDON:
Printed for T. Wa l l e r oppofite Fetter-Lane and W. Faden in Wine-OiHce-Court, Fleet-Street, and E. Dilly in the Poultry near the Manfion-Houfe. MDCCLVII.
ADVERTISEMENT.
A S I had no kind of intention to Jl jL proceed further, when I firfi: propofed the publication of thefe Dif- courfes, fo I promifed at the clofe of them to give a general Preface : but as I have been prevailed upon to con- tinue my Publications, and to go thro' the Parables, I muft poftpone my Preface to the conclufion of that work; concerning which I have nothing more to add, than what has been faid in the Propofals, to which I refer my Read- ers ; and commending them, as well as thefe my poor endeavours, for their good, to the divine favour and pro- te&ion, I humbly reft thereupon for Grace and Ability to finifli what I have begun: May it be to his Glory !
CONTENTS
O F T H E
FIRST VOLUME,
DISCOURSE I.
TH E Eafinefs of ChriJFs Yoke. Matt. xi. 28, 29, 30. page 5
DISCOURSE II.
The Cleanfing of the Leper. Part I. Matt. viii. , i> 2, 3, 4. 49
Part II. 83
DISCOURSE III. On the good Centurion. Matt. viii. 13. in v
DISCOURSE IV.
The Paralytic cured. Luke v. 18 — 20. 155 j
DISCOURSE V.
On the Widow's Son of Nain. Luke vii. 12. 210 j
DISCOURSE VI.
The Wind and Sea rebuked. Mark iv. 39 251 %/-
D I S-
The CONTENT S.
DISCOURSE VII.
^ On the Man diipoffefTed of the Legion. Part I. Luke viii. 27, 28. 291
Part II. 327
DISCOURSE VIII.
u Of the deaf and dumb Man. Mark y W. 32 365
DISCOURSE IX.
j On blind Bartimeus. Part I. Luke xviii. 42,43.
398 Part II. 425
DISCOURSE X.
J On the man with the withered hand. Matt. xM.i 3
453
The Eajinefs of Christ's Yoke. A
SERMON
O N
Matthew xi. 28—30*
P R E A C H ■ D In the Parifh Churches of Weft-Ham% Effex,
AND
St Olaves's Hart-Street, London. B Y
The Reverend Mr. WILLIAM BODD,
Le£urer of thofe Parifhes. Xlxvtsg 8V avOpwxo/ hot Ttjv rv\g U(xapri6cs Qv<riv H07riMV7s;f
Qea ctvcLKUvfftv. Orig. cont. Cels.
Thus faith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways and fee, and afk for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye (hall find reft for your fouls.
Jer. Vi. 16,
T O The Right Rev. Father inGOD
THOMAS SHERLOCK,
LORD BISHOP of LONDON;
So highly and juftly Efteemed and Honoured
FOR
His late excellent and ufeful Difcourfes, No lefs than his other nervous and unanfwerable
DEFENCES
OF THE
CHRISTIAN FAITH; This SERMON,
Is, with the higheft Refpect and Veneration, moil humbly infcribed and commended
By his LORDSHIP'S
Moji Dutiful, Faithful, and Obedient Son, and Servant,
Plaftow, Jan. 31, 1757.
WILLIAM DODD.
St. Matthew xi. 28-
Come nnto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden , and I will give yon reft.
Take my Yoke upon you, and learn of me ? for I am meek and lowly in heart : and ye JJjall find reft to your fouls.
For my Yoke is eajy and my burden is light'
F the greatnefs of the Speaker, if the impor- tance of his meffage, if the affectionate manner of his addrefs are at all times fufiicient to engage the attention of the Hearer, furely the paffage, I have read to you, above all others, mud demand your mod ferious and particular regard. It is Chri/l, the al-
* ,REC, NOV 1881 I
6 The Eafinefs of Christ'* Yoke.
mighty Redeemer, the Son of the moft High ; he into whofe hands as our media- tor, all things are delivered of his Father 5 he unto whom all power in heaven and earth is given, who yet in himfelf is God equal with the Father, God of God, and light of light; even he who mall come in the clouds to judge all the ends of the earth; nay, and who mall judge them, by * thofe very words which he himfelf delivered ; — It is this wonderful perfon who /peaks, de- claring at once his great willingnefs to re- ceive, and his own fupreme -f power to give that reft and peace to the foul, which is the purfuit of every fon of Adam, and which is the gift of his religion only : For no man, faith he, knoweth the S071 but the Father, neither kntrweth any man the Father fave the Son, and he to whomfoever the Son
* See John xii. 48.
f He manifefls here his own fupreme power and authority, in that he does not fay as Mcjes and the Pro- phets, Come wit 0 the Lord, and he will give you. See. or the Lord hath /aid, Come, &e. but Come unto ME, and I will give you, &c. 1 whom the Father hath fealed, hefides whom there is no Saviour, none other aide or ivil- li'ig to fave. For there is falvation in no other. See Ifaiahxliii.n. Ac~ts iv. 12. And all things, faith he, arc delivered unto me of my Father y&c. Matt. xi. 27.
The Eafmefs ^Christ^ Toke. 7
*will reveal him, ver. 27. And his invitation is important '; containing the fum of the whole gofpel, glad tidings indeed to every oppreffed and heavy-laden foul. That nothing may deter us from accepting it, fee with what affectionate tendemejs he invites to him, not the * great, the happy, and the powerful, not the merry-hearted, and the fons of joy, but all that labour , and are heavy laden , all that are under the bondage of fin and for- row : And he calls them, not with a defire to manifeft their miferies, to punifli their of- fences, or to difplay his own glory, but folely with a view to their happinefs and falvation. " Come, fays he, come to me, /entreat and ad- vikyou to come, and behold I will give you rejl $ I myfelf will relieve and releafe you from your heavy burdens ; come to me, and ye mall find perfect reft and peace to your fouls." The f world fays, Come to me, and I will fail you; the flefh fays, Come to me and I will deftroy you ; Chrift fays, Come to me
* In the 25th Verfe of this Chapter, Father I thank thee, fays Jefus, that thou haft hid thefe things from the wife and prudent, and haft revealed them unto BABES. See 1 Cor. i. 26, and the following verfes.
t See St. Barnard, Mundus clamat, ego deficiam, Sec.
A 4 and
8 The Eafmefs of Christ's Yoke.
and I will give you reft. Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is eafy, and my burden is light.
" Oh moft grateful burden, (fays StCbry- ic Jojlom) which more comforts them that u carry it ; the burdens of earthly mafters ce gradually wear out the ftrength of thofe <c who bear them : But the burden of " Chri/l more affifts the bearer of it, be- r< caufe we carry not grace, but grace us."
And can it be poflible, that creatures of a day like us, can it be poflible, that mor- tals, * who have but a JJjort time to live, and artfullofmifery, who come up and are cut down like a flower , who flee, as it were a fiadow, and never continue in one flay ; can it be poflible that they fhould rejedl and difregard a call fo full of love, fo full of affedtion, of fuch infinite confequence, of fuch unfpeakable advantage ? Can they rejedt the love of him, who, to give them refl, took their burdens upon himfelf \ who, to deliver them from bondage, became himfelf a flave ; and who, after all his Of- ferings, defires them only to come, to take
* Sec Jsb xiv. i, 2, and the Burial Service.
hk
The Eajinefs of Christ's Yoke. 9 his eafy yoke, inflead of their own oppref- iive burden 5 to leave fin and forrow, and to become his difciples ; to love and obey him, and fo to be happy ? Can it be pofllble that we fhould defpife fuch grace, refufe fuch proffers, fly from reft thus freely pro- pofed to us, and choofe inftead to bear the heavy yoke of fin, and to labour beneath the oppreflive load of an unappeafed and unquiet confcience ?— Oh, that we would all confider, that we would well weigh the infinite gain of an unreferved approach to Chrijl, of freely taking his eafy yoke and light burden upon us; then fhould wC foon difcover that the Icfs thereby fuftained, would be by far the greater part of the gain\ for the lofs would be only of trou- ble and grief, the gain entirely of reft and repofe.
But prefent objects ftrike fo ftrongly on the human fight, that we have no eyes for fpirituai things, removed from the view of fenfe, and (cen only by the eye of faith ; And though in reality, every man born of womana is thus heavy-laden and opprefled, though all men are not only finners, but
alfo
io The Ea/mejs of Christ's Tbte. alfo afflicted with many outward evils to remind them thereof, (for * nothing upon earth is perfectly happy, and death at leaft is an univerfal monitor of fin to all man- kind) though all are really thus heavy-laden ; yet while the things that are pen chiefly en- grofs our attention, the inward malady of the foul is but little heeded : foon as it pleafes God in his wifdom to fcourge and chaften us, foon as our kind Father lays his cor- recting hand upon us, then, for the molt part — burdened with worldly afflictions, temporal things no longer capable of amu- fing and engaging us,— then, we turn our eyes inward -y then the fpiritual grievances of our Souls appear to us, and then we are glad and willing to embrace Chrijl's propofal of
* It required no Revelation to teach this ; all man- kind from the Fall have had iufficient proof of it from their own experience, and a heathen poet could fay,
Nihil eft ah omni
Parte beatum. Hor. lib. II. ode 16. Nothing is completely bl eft. Francis.
But how beautifully is it fet forth by Solomon > in his di- vine writings, than whom no man had greater opportu- nities to prove the extent of all human happinefs, and the fum of his experience is this, Vanity of vanities^ faith the preacher , vanity of vanities 3 all is vanity. Ec- clef. i. 2.
reft
The Ea/inefs of Christ's Yoke. 1 1 reft and repofe. Here we fee the great * advantage of affliction : For that muft be highly advantageous, which caufes the foul to come to Chrijl ; and none can come, for none are invited, but the labour- ing and heavy-laden.
Hence we find in the gofpel, that all, who came to jefus^ for relief, did labour and were heavy-laden, were oppreffed with the burdens of fin and for row, and fo brought to him : and each one of them was intended to point out to us, not only
* Dr. Young has beautifully enlarged upon this truth, in words which every chriftian mull feel.
Great God of wonders, (if thy love furvcy'd Aught d(c the name of wonderful retains) What rocks are thefe on which to build our trull ! Thy ways admit no blemifh : none I find-. Or this alone, "That none is to be found. ." Not one to foften cenfures hardy crime, Not one to palliate peevim griefs complaint : Who, like a Demon, murrn'ring from the dull, Dares into judgment, call her judge — supreme. For all I blefs thee ; moil for the fever e : Her death, my own at hand, the fiery gulph, That flaming bound of wrath omnipotent ! It thunders; but it thunders to preferve : It flrengihens what it ftrikefs : its wholefome dread Averts the dreaded pain: its hideous groans Join heav'n's hallelujahs in thy praife, Great fource of good alone ! — How kind in all ? In vengeance, kind ! Pain* death, Gehenna, SAVE. Night Thoughts Confutation.
the
12 The Eafmefs of Christ'j Yoke.
the proper manner of coming to Chrift, but alfo thofe fpiritual maladies, that fpiritnal leprofy and pojjejjton, that fpiritual blindnefs, deafnefs, dumbnefs, deadnefs, yea, that de- privation of all fpiritual health and found- nefs, and that utter inability to every good work, which are, to corrupt human nature, the unhappy confequences of our firft pa- rents tranfgreflion. And, as I propofe to enlarge upon thefe examples, it feemed no improper, and I hope, will not be un- profitable to introduce my intended dif- courfes, with this pathetic invitation of our Lord; wherein, we fee that ALL are invited to him, and that all are in a proper ftate to come, when labouring and heavy-laden. In fpeaking to thefe words, three particu- lars naturally occur to our obfervation : Firft, in them we have an invitation, Come unto ME-, fecondly, the perfons invited, thofe> who will be the acceptable guefts, All ye that labour and are heavy-laden ; and thirdly, what fuch fhall receive, namely, rejl, and what they muft do, in order to the receiv- ing it, who come to Chrijl as their Prieft, Prophet and King, to be faved, taught, and ruled by him ; I will give you rejl, on con- dition
The Eafinefs of Christ'* Yoke. 13 dition that you come to me, Take my Toke upon you and learn of me, for 1 am meek and lowly of heart-, fo Jhall ye find reft to your fouls \ reft to your fouls, by learning of me, and taking my Toke upon you, for my Toke is eafy, and my burden is light. In which, as well as in the coming to Chriftt is fet forth the duty of thofe, who are in- vited, or what they muft do on their parts, who defire reft to their fouls from him: fince very vain and deceitful will all hopes of reft be found to fuch as do not come to Chrift, as do not take his Toke upon them, and learn of him, to be meek and lowly in heart.
Ift, Then here is an invitation, Come to Me. the word in the original * Asvre, come, ex- prefTes not fo much a command, as a friendly requeft; & familiar exhorting, begging and
* Leigh, in his Critica facra, obferves; Eft hoc ad- vet bium hortantis fimul & accerfentis\ ufurpatur ah illis qui humanijfime incitant &f hortantur ad a liquid fa- ciendum : imprimis autem qua funt grata & jucunda. Chemnitius alfoin his harmony makes the fame remark. To him I am indebted for many excellent obfervations, nay, and indeed for much matter, as the learned reader will fee in the courfe of thefe fermons, and as I fhall fully acknowledge in the general preface, which I propofe to ddiver at the concluhon of them.
14 Ihe Eqfinefs of Christ'* Toke. defiring that we would do any thing, particularly what is pleafant and profitable to us : as much as to fay/ Come, I pray, I advife and befeech you. And, in this view the love of Chrift is exceedingly magnified. " Come, fays he, come, I befeech, I ear- neftly exhort, I advife and intreat you, 2S your heft friend, come unto me-, unto trie* who came into the world folelv to call you to repentance and life ; unto me, who invite you only to beftow reft and peace and joy upon you: unto me, who am ever ready and willing to receive you ; unto me, who am your only hope, rock and truft ; to whom, whofoever cometh, he fhall in no wife be caft out $ in whom whofoever be- lieveth, he fhall never die, but have everlaft- ing life, For he that cometh to me Jfrall ne- ver hunger, and he that believetpi on me JJoall never thirft!' *
And upon Encouragement like this, what fhould keep thee back ? — What, oh
* See St. John xi. 25, 26. and vi. 35, 36, 37, &c. Whoever carefully reads this chapter, as well as the next, of this cvangelift, cannot want to be informed, that coming to Chrift ig ufed as an equivalent term to believing in him.,
man,
The Eafinefs of Christ'.* Yoke. i ^ man, fhould detain thee from coming to this Lord, when thus he not only invites, but, fo unbounded is his love, fo great his defire of thy foul's eternal health, thus preffingly entreats, thus familiarly advifes thee to come to him ? To him, who has all power in heaven and in earth. — Well may we rejoice in fuch an advocate and ranfom ; — to him who hath the keys of death and of hell, * who openeth, and no man jhutteth, who JJjutteth, and no man openeth.
But that none may deceive themfelves, or expect that the Father fhould reveal the Son to them, fliould give them reft from fin here, or from its wages hereafter; you find our Lord offers his reft upon this con- dition or necefTary qualification only, that We do indeed come to him. Unlefs we come, we can never expect to be received, unlefs we feek, we can never hope to find. This is our part : And as the poor afflicted blind, and lame, deaf and dumb, &c. came to Chrijl in perfon, when prefent upon earth > fo now muft we, afflicted with fpiritual evils, come, by faith, to him our great mediator, whofe ears are ever open to our prayers, and
f Revelation iii. 7,
who
i6 The Eafinefs of Christ's Yoke, who ever liveth to make inter cejfion for usy in Heaven. He is the fame Lord, equally willing to hear, equally ready and able to fave: the fame yefterday, to day and forever: and whenever we come to him by fincere faith, hungring and thirfting after his righteouf- nefs, heavy-laden and labouring under our burden, defiring, feeking, afking, believing; moft certain it is, that his divine promife will be made good to us ; we (hall be com- forted by that blefTed Spirit, who is the very comforter, * and thus find reft to our fouls. For Heaven and earth Jha/l pafs away, but one jot, or one tittle of his word andjaithful promife Jhall not pafs away -J\
As thus we can receive nothing from him, unlefs we come to him, fo fhall we not defire to receive reft from him, unlefs we feel a want of it. They, who are per- fectly at eafe, the world at peace with them, and they well fatisfied with them- felves, in whofe land no mighty famine hath yet ari fen ; they who are under no remorfe for fin, no terrors for its punifhment . who either think it no burden, or expedt to be juftified by their own merits and de-
* See the fecond hymn in the Ordering of thePriefls. t See St. Matt. v. 18. xxiv. 35.
fervings
The Eqfinefs of Christ's Toke. iy
fervings without the blood of a Redeemer : —Thefe, as experiencing no want of reft, can have no longing deiires for it, and of confequence will never come to Chrifl to feek and fue for it ; wherefore we find that this invitation is made.
Ildly, Only to thofe that labour and are heavy-laden ; but to ALL of thefe, Come unto me, All ye that labour, &c. and as all men are finners, and fo heavy-laden, whether they feel and confefs it or not, this invitation, like redemption, is univerfal, and extended to all mankind $ a word of inexpreffible com- fort to every afflicted and heavy-laden foul ; and a fufficient anfwer to all the efpoufers of that horrible doctrine of election and repro- bation, which fuppofes the grace of God de- nied to fome, and confined only to thofe who are elect from the beginning, according to fomefecret and hidden decree of God. To all fuch impious pofitions, which make the God of love, a God of the greateft injuftice, thefe fweet and refreshing words of our Lord are a fufficient, and perhaps the befh reply, — Come unto Me, All,— All ye that labour and are heavy-laden, I except, I reject none, for B every
1 8 Yhe Eafmefs of Christ's Yoke, every one that afketh, receiveth : and he that feeketh,findcth, and to him thatknockethitjhall be opened*. He invites not the rich, and the full, the increajed with goods, that have need of nothing, but thofe that fee and acknowledge themfelves to be wretched, and miferable, and poor, and blind, and naked -f. From thefe he removes all fcruples of unworthinefs, " Bring but your burdens, faith he, to me, however opprefs'd with guilt, however laden beneath the weight and mifery of fin, come only to me as your advocate and propitiation^ come only in true truft, conf effing your fins, and ye (hall find me faithful andjufl to for* give them ; caft all your burdens upon me,. on whom the Lord hath laid the iniquity of you all %, receive my counfel, and buy of me gold tried in the fire to make you rich, white raime?tt that you may be clothed, and that the fame of your nakednefs do not appear, anoint your eyes with eye-falve that you may fee\\ — draw near with faith, take my yoke upon you, learn of me, and ye {hall find reft to your fouls ; for I came not to call
* Matt. vii. 8. f Revel, iii. 17, 18- J 1 Johni. 9, and ii. 1, 2. H Ifai. liii. 6.
the
The Eqfinefs of Ch r i s t 's Toke. i 9
the righteous, but finners to repentance, I came to feek the loft: fheep, to receive the returning prodigal."
Chriji in thefe words invites, Firft, thofe who were burden'd and opprefs'd beneath the weight of the legal ceremonies, which St. Peter calls, a yoke that neither our fathers nor we were able to bear *, and who from the law could find no reconciliation with God, no reft to their own confciences, as having this dreadful fentence always thun- dering in their ears, Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things^ which are written in the book of the law to do them *f\ Secondly, Thofe whofe confciences fo labour and ftruggle beneath the burden of fin, the wrath of God, and the fear of future judg- ment, that their heart and fpirit is bent down and opprefs'd, that they go mourning all the day long, and find no remedy to heal, no means to relieve their wounded fouls. And, thirdly, thofe, who labour beneath the burden of troubles, of outward or inward af- flictions, (o that they can obtain no worldly comfort> but at length broken in fpirit,hum-
* A&s xv. jo, and it is called Gal. v. 1. the Yoke of bondage. f Gal.iii. 10.
B 2 ble
20 The Eafinefs c/'ChristV Yoke.
ble and contrite in heart, are led to the knowledge of their fins as the cauj'e, and the love of J i jus as the cure of them. This is the great ufe of afflictions, which unlefs thus fanclified, become the heavieft of bur- dens to us ; and as none of us live without afflictions and troubles of fome fort or other, more or lefs, without fome kind chaftife- ments and correcting calls from our hea- venly Father ; herein is our wifdorn, to fee and confider them in this view, — as loving rebukes, an happy means to bring us unto him, who hath promifed reft to all the la- boaring and heavy -lade?i> that come to him for it -, and who hath faid, As ma?iy as I love, I rebuke and chaften *.
None have either will or power to come to Chrifty but fuch as are thus burdened : Thefe, by whatever means God hath been pleafed to -f draw them to him, and to open their heart s^ by his grace and good fpirit ; by whatever means he hath been pleafed to convince them of fin, and of their own vilenefs, of the vanity of earthly, and the immenfe value of eternal things : Thefe alone will come to him, thefe alone are en-
* Rev. iii. 19. f Ifuiah vi. 44. and Adsxvi. 14.
titled
The Eqfinefs o/Chr isrys Yoke. z \ titled to his offers ; and thefe alone are they, who delivered frcm their prefent burden, fhall find prefent * reft to their fouls in peace of confcience here, and future reft in everlafting peace with God in heaven.
For this, Illdly, is what our Lord pro- mifes to give • and the greatnefs of his gift, as it can be priz'd by none, but thofe who really experience the want of it, fo will it be ever fufficient to draw every labouring and heavy-laden foul to him. For what fo fweet as reft to the weary ? what fo grateful as refrefhment to the hungry and thirfty foul ? what fo delicious as a cooling flicker from the fcorching fun, as the pure foun- tain to the panting hart -f- ? Sweeter, far jfweeter than all of thefe, far more delicious (and grateful, wronged by every fimilitude, jand infinitely above all comparifon is the fenfe of God's forgiving love in Chrifiy is
* Chrijl is to us in reality, yea, and to all the Pa- triarchs and Prophets, that which Noah was in figure — }ur reft and confolation. For Lamech called his Con's lame iV^, faying, This fame Jhall comfort us con- 'erning our work and toil of our hands , becaufe of the \round ivhich the Lord hath curfed* Gen. v. 29.
f David beautifully cries out, As the hart panteth lifter the water brooks ', fo panteth my foul after thee9 J God. My foul thirfteth for God, for the living God, den Jhall I come and appear before God ? Pfal, xlii. 1, 2.
B 3 the
22 The Eafinefs of Christ's Yoke. the ferife of his freedom from the yoke and burden, the flavery and guilt of fin> is the fenfe of his acceptance in the belov- ed*, to the foul long labouring under the oppreflion of iniquity, heavy-laden be- neath the burden of condemning guilt, the dread of its eternal wages ! And this reft Chrift offers to All \ who will
come
* Ephef. i. 6.
f It is a delightful rcflscYion to every foul, that the
grace of God is thus freely offer'd, that All have it in
their power, if they will ufe the due means to obtain
eternal life. How different a view of the Father of
mercies, and the gofpel of peace doth this give us,
from the mocking and prefumptuous light in which
both are reprefented by the maintainers of particular
election and reprobation ! may the God of power
iilence all fuch doclrines amongft us ! and as no
improper antidote, I fubjoin the following pafTage
from the excellent Bifhop Beveridge's fermon on
the Chr'iftlanrace. u In this he (God) would havel
*« all run fo as to obtain it; this being fuch a prize- i
<c that not only one, but all may have it, that will bull
«* run a- right for it ; for God is no refpecler of perfonsf
" he would have all men to be faved, and come to thii
«' knowledge cf the truth, i Tim. ii. 4. and accord ing-f
«' ly, he Jo loved the world, that he gave his only begotte.j
<c fon, that whofoever believeth in him Jhould not periA
*« but haze everlajling life, John iii. 16. He except!
" againft no man ; but every one of you may as cer
<( tainly be a glorified Saint in heaven hereafter, as h
«' is now in this place, if it be not his own faui
" God permits, he invites, nay, he commands you a
" to run, fo as to obtain etemal life, and therefore
" any of you mifs of it, they muft blame themfelves ft
" it
The Eajinefs of Christ's Toke. 23 come to him : who will come burden'd and heavy-laden, take his yoke upon them, his eafy yoke, and light burden, learn of him, meek and lowly as he is, and fo obtain per- fect peace and perfect confolation.
We may obferve here how excellently the wifdom of God is difplay'd in the fal- vation of finners : for fin is of itfelf the greateft evil, and, if unrepented of, will conftitute the worft part of hell : if we are not faved from it here, we can * never
c< it : and fo they will when it is too late ; they will " blame themfelves to all eternity for being fuch fools <c and madmen, as to lofe fuch a glorious prize, which ** once they might have had, but would nor. The ** remembrance whereof will be a great aggravation of *c the mifery, that you will then fuffer by your own *c default. — This is a thing much to be obferved, and " I wifh you would always carry it in your minds, " even that whatfoever your outward condition may be «« at prefent, you are all as yet in a capacity of ob- <c taining the crown of glory. This prize is fet before " you All, and you are all, and every one required *c to run fo as to obtain it."
* Very emphatical are our Saviour's words to Nl- codemus, John iii. 3. Verily, verily, I fay unto thee, ex~ cept a man be born again, he cannot fee the kingdom of God. He doth not fay, he /hall not, he muft not — But he cannot, while unregenerate he is not in a ca- pacity either for the gofpel kingdom, or the kingdora of glory : how can a proud, a drunken, an adulterous man have any pleafure, or perceive any joy in the pure love of God, and the chafte delights of the bldfcd ?
B 4. enter
24 73fe Eafinefs of Christ'j Yoke. enter into Heaven hereafter : for fuch as are our paffions and defires when we depart hence, inch they will be found when we rife again : fince there is no repenting in the grave, no poffibility of any future change, if we neglect the prefent proffers of grace, the prefent means of regeneration. So that Chrijl offers to deliver us from fin, as the greateft evil, and as our fure obftacle to blifs : and that by making us firft fenfible of it, then leading us to a fufFicient atone- ment for it, then giving us a rule whereby to walk, which tends immediately to throw down all the ftrong holds of the world, the flem, and the devil, and to fit us for the enjoyment of God and the fellowfhip of beatified fpirits — Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart.
To enlarge a little on this point :— Sin is a grievous and oppreffive burden : its fer- vice is perfect flavery, the harden: and worft of fervice it is, to ferve diverfe lufls and pajjtons, to live in malice and envyy hatejul and hating one another * : But when once the finner's eyes are opened, and his heart begins to condemn him, when once
° Titus iii. 3,
he
The Eaftnefs of ChristV Yoke. 25
he fees the gilt and mifery of this ftate, and knows that the wages of fin are death ; when once he feels the heavy bondage, and finds that a guilty confcience is its own hell ; when once he fees a good and merciful God fet at an everlafling diftance from him, and a bleeding loving Redeemer crucified by his enormous iniquities ; when once he be- holds the joys of Paradife feparated, for- ever feparated from his approach, and blacknefs, eternal blacknefs of darknefs, referved for impenitent offenders — when once thefe reflections lay hold of the con- fcience, and thefe terrors of the Lord make the flout hearts to tremble, who can wonder that the load is well nigh too heavy to be borne, that the burden of them is intolerable ? who can wonder that when a foul like this is led to the jountain opened for all uncle annefs *, when a foul like this is led to a Saviour, who is willing and able to remove this more than \Mtnean mountain
from
* Zachariah xiii. 1.
f The Heathen fables relate, that the burning mountain JEtna was caft by ^Jupiter upon the rebel- lious giant Enceladus, concerning whom the poets, and amongft the reft the elegant Virgil Tpeaks thus —
On
2 6 The Eafinefs of Cmr ist \s Yoke. from his bread:, who can wonder that in the fenfe of this love, and this full deliverance, he finds unipeakable reft, and in the change of his yoke, full repofeto the foul ? For the firmer that comes to Chri/i, fincerely defirous of this reft, muft exchange the hard and heavy yoke of his former /Egyptian tafk- mafters for the light and eafy one of his prefent Lord and Saviour : he muft ceafe to fin, and learn to ferve God : he muft take up ChrijVs crofs, become his difciple, be- lieve his doctrine, fubmit to his difcipline, and give himfelf up wholly to be ruled and governed by him — mujl deny himfelf) and follow his great exemplar. Thus alone can he find reft. For as faith muft bring the finner to Chrif, that fame faith muft caufe him to walk as he hath walked, to keep his holy commandments -f ; the fpirit of God working in him all thofe heavenly graces
On vaft Enceladui this pond'rous load
Wa i thrown, in vengeance, by the thund'ring god :
Who pants beneath the mountain and expires,
Thro' openings huge, the fierce tempeftuous fires
Oft as he fhiftb his fide, the caverns roar,
With fmoke and flame the fkies are cover'd o'er,
And all Trinacria (hakes from (hore to fhore.
Pitt, ^n. Ill \ John ii. 3, 6.
and
i
*The Eajinefs of Christ'* Yoke. 27
and tempers, which adorn and diftinguifb the Sort of God, and heir of heaven, and which are to the foul the feal and earnejl of its inheritance *.
And therefore our Lord adds, Learn of me, for 1 am meek and lowly in heart, and ye [hall find reft to your fouls. The fure and natural fruit of meeknefs and lowlinefs or humility, is reft and peace ; of that meek- nefs and humility which comprize almoft the whole of our duty to God and to man -J- -y teaching us fuch a perfedl refig- nation and unfeigned fubmiffion to the will of the one as to be wholly fatisfied with whatever he pleafes ; fuch an entire renunciation of felf-will, and thorough con- tentment in every ftation, as to defire no- thing but that the will of God may be done in us , and with regard to the other, teach- ing us fo to prefer all men to ourfelves, as to abound in mildnefs and love to the good 3
in
* See Gal iv. 22. EphefA. 13, 14. and iv. 30.
•f- The learned Jofeph Mede, in a fermon on this text, and on the part of it, where fpeaking of thefe words meek and lowly ^ obferves, " Under thefe two <c words our Saviour comprehends the whole habit of ■'" obedience , they being two fuch difpofitions of the mind, «c as make it tradable and pliable to put on and wear
" the
2$ 7he Ediincjl of Christ's Yoke. in gentlenefs, forbearance, and companion to the evil and unthankful Thefe hea- venly tempers were eminently found in our Lord, and he hath fet us an example, nay and commanded us, to* learn of him, meek, humble and lowly lamb of God ! of him, who was perfectly refign'd to his Father's good-pleafure, who came not to do, who de fired not his bwp will, but the will of him that fait him \ who was fo particularly mild, fo tender and companionate, fo gen- tle and patient, no lefb to the evil than the good. The nearer we approach to him in thefe divine tempers, the more rejl we (hall obtain \ for you obferve, this meeknefs and humility, this resignation to God's will, and renunciation of our own, this patience, love and gentlenefb, are the very oppofltes
" the yoke he fpeaks of. As if he had faid, I am f* wholly qualified to obedience, I am fitted for this " yoke: Ic mi of me to put it on, for I am ?neck and ** lowly. Now though low'inefs and ?nc chiefs are of <c very near affinity, and fuch as both of them do dif- " pofe a man for the duties of both tables of God's tc commandments, yet hath lowlinefs, as I take it, a " prerogative in our devotion tqgpd-ward, inimeek- *'• uefs is more proper f^r the duties we owe to our *' neighbour, &■-/' — He enlarges upon thefe as the reader may fee b" confulting his fermon, Page 158. of h.s works.
to
The Eafitiefi oj Chr i st'j Yoke. 29 to that felf-fufficient pride and affectation of independency, that vanity, impatience, and envy, that hatred and contempt of others, yea and that love of every thing tending to fin, — to all and each of thefe which are the adequate cauies of that a- bounding mifery and burning uneafinefs reigning and raging in the human bread.
And thefe are things which we may all eafily learn, for the love of Chrifl herein is admirable : he doth not fay, (as one of the fathers well obferves) " Learn of me, for cc I am great and glorious :" he doth not fay, " learn of me to make a world and " to perform miracles *," but he fays, learn of me if or I am meek and lowly in heart : this we may all learn: and no man can fay that thefe are graces and tempers, which he cannot imitate, and to which he cannot ar- rive -, it is our own faults, if we do not copy herein his divine example : it is and muft be our pride and vanity, our love of luft, of fin, and the world, which alone can keep us from being meek and lowly in heart.
* St, Ambrofe and Aujlin.
And
30 The Eqfinefs of Christ's Yoke, And in truth, when we reflect, that fuch
was the Son of God I am meek, &c.
what excufe fhall we, poor finful duft and afhes, have to make, what excufe fhall pride> power, or place, what excufe (hall great- nefs, pleafure or honour have to offer for themfelves, if they difobey the will of God, become not meek and lowly in heart, when he who made the worlds , who is the bright nefs of his Father's glory *, and the ex- prefs image of his perfon hath in himfelf fet the example, and made this the only road to prefent and eternal blifs ?
I fay the only road ; for tho' Cbrift hath promis'd us r eft, — and his word can never fail : yet it is manifeftly upon thefe conditions J, that we do, firft, come to him, in fincere faith
as
* Heb. i. 3.
t It is to be hoped the word conditions will not dif- guft any real and fincere chriftians : that fome may be offended at it, I neither doubt nor regard : fome who are for following Cbriji (0 far as to receive from him, fo far as unto the breaking of bread — but are not willing to hear what they mujl do^ and muji have done in them in return : if fuch mould be offended, that I affirm the promifes of prefent and eternalrcji to be conditional, I (hall not be furprized : Chriftians defirous to mew their faith by their works, I am fure will not -} and to
the
"The Eafinefs of Christ'* Yoke. j x as the onlv redeemer of our fouls, able and willing to fave, as our only advocate and propitiation, as our only fure truft and con* iidence, truly deploring, heartily lamenting, and ftedfaftly refolving to forfake all our former fins and mifdoings : that we dof fecondly, take his yoke upon us, obey his doctrine and fubmit to his difcipline, denyi?ig ungodlinefs, and worldly lujls, and living righteoufly, fobcrly, and godly in this prefent world*: that we do, thirdly, learn of him, follow the example of his meek- nefs and lowTlinefs, walk as he walked, and purify our f elves even as he is pure J. If we do not on our parts perform thefe condi-
the others, I cannot recommend a more proper remark* than this which I find in Dr. TVaterland's preface ta Blair's fermons, p. 10. edit. 2d. «« I am apprehenfive " that by our unwary confutation of the Pcpijh errors, •* concerning merit and flip er -er -rogation, we have toa " much depreciated gosd works themfelves : whereas it <c is mcft certain they ought to he highly had in efti- cc mation : not only as the genuine figns and fruits of '" a lively faith, but as necefTary conditions of falvation ; <c and not only of falvation, but of out growth in grace, " and of our advancement to higher degrees of glory.*' Vol. I. ferm. 21. p. 374. For the juftifying the term conditions, the reader who has any fcruples, may confute Bifhop Bull, in his Harmoni a, &c. and Bifhop Stilling- fleet in his anfwer to Mr. Lobb.
* Titus ii. 12. 1 John iii, 3.
tion?
32 The Eaftnefs o/Christ'j Yoke. tions uniting all our efforts, and feek- ing for continual aid and fupport from the throne of grace 5 with whatever hopes of prefent or future reft we may lull and de- lude our own fouls, moft infallibly certain it is, we have no right to expert it from Chri/l : moft infallibly certain it is, in the end we fhall be found miferable deceivers of ourfelves, which is of all deceits the worft.
But if on the contrary we do come to him in faith, and endeavour to the utmoft of our poor ability to lead godly, righteous and fober lives ; meek and lowly; refign'd, patient and gentle 5 then we (hall for our- felves experience the truth of his divine words — my yoke is eafy*> and my burden light.
We
* Eafy — the original word ^rojfignifies ay«9o$.good, and form thing more, good in the hi gh eft degree y and is rendered 1 Pet. ii. 3. gracious ; the Seventy render it, Pfal. xxxiv. 8. O tafte and fee oT» xpnrog 0 atrpby, that the Lord is gracious. And foro xpJrosfoa, Rom, ii. 4. the bounty of God, that which is immediately before
0 7t*«to? %p>?roT>?To?, the riches of his bounty. And pro- portionally here Chri/l' $ yoke, the precepts which he
1 a] on his difciples, (biing of all other the things moft agreeable to our human rational nature, and which by ;s em who did not think men bound to do them have
yet
The Ea/inefs of Chr xst's Yoke. 3 3
We mall then find that his yoke is eafy and his burden light, not only in itfelf but in comparifon of all other yokes and burdens, beneath which we have groaned, as of the law, of Jin, the world, and the jlefk — and in freedom from which, thro* the truth * we fhall no lefs rejoice than captives re- deemed from the deep dungeons, and op- preffive irons of blood-thirfty tyrants. We fhall then find, that the bearing of the crofs, the denying our/elves and following Jefus, though hard at firfl perhaps to cor- rupt human nature, will through the grace of God, become the greateft joy and con- folation to the foul. We fhall then find that the fervice of this dear and loving
yet been counted moft excellent in them that did pracrife them, and which, if the one cuftomoffin did not make us incompetent judges of if, would appear to us the fitted for our turns, the moft pleafurable, profitable and honourable of all things) are here faicl by him not only to be a good, but a gracious, benign, bounteous yoke, that any man is the better for taking en him ; and if he confidered it well, he would put it on of his own accord, prefer it before liberty cr any other fervice. Hammond on the place.
* See St. John viii. 31, 32. If ye continue in my word (h'\&Chrifl) then are ye my difciples indr^J : and ye Jhall know the truth, and the truth /hall make you free.
Vol. I. C mailer
34 ^be Eafinefs of Christ's Yoke. mafter is perfedt freedom, that his command- ments are not grievous, fince every one that is bom of God overcometb the world, and this is the vidtory, even our faith * ; we fhall find all his heavenly precepts plain, and eafy to be underftood, good and pleafant to be prac- tise, efpecially thro' his grace preventing and afiifting us, efpecially thro' his favour, and merit recommending and compleating our weak and imperfect fervices. Yea, we fhall find his teftimonies the very joy and -f- delight of our fouls, as being all ful- filled in love, whofe very nature is fweet- nefs and peace, and which is cc fo great " a good, that it maketh every burden " light, and beareth with equanimity all the " viciiTitudes of life J." We fhall foon
find
* John v. 3, 4..
•| See Pfalm cxix. 92. cxi. and xix. 8, 10, &c. &c.
\ See Tbcmasa Kcmpis. and particularly ch. J2. b. ii. Our poet Waller in his poem on Divine Love, canto 3. has thcfe fweet lines, happy had it been for him if, as he beautifully wiihes,
(' O that my youth, had thus employ'd my pen,').
no other theme had ever given his foul delight.
Love as he lov'd ! — how can we foar fo high ? He can add wings, whea he commands to Mv ;
■ : Nor
The Eqfinefs of Christ'* Toke. 35 find that the natural tendency of Cbrijl's dodtrine and difcipline is no lefs to inform the judgment concerning the moft im- portant points, and to fettle the will in the right choice of them, than to diredt the paffions and affections aright, and to deftroy and mortify in us, all thofe evil and corrupt defires which naturally tend to make men miferable here, and more fo
Nor mould we be with this command difmay'd,
He that examples gives will give us aid :
For he took flefh, that where his precepts fail,
His practice, as a pattern, may prevail :
His love at once and dread, inftrucT: our thought,
As man he fuffered, and as God he taught.
Will for the deed he takes : we may with eafe
Obedient be, for if we love, we pleafe.
Weak though we are to love is no hard tafk,
And love for love is all that heav'n doth afk.
Love ! that would all men juft and temp'rate make5
Kind to themfelves and others for his fake.
'Tis with our minds, as with a fertile ground 5 Wanting this love, they muft with weeds abound : (Unruly paffions ) whofe effects are worfe, Than thorns and thirties fpringing from the curfe.
And again, canto v.
Love as he lov'd ! — a love (o unconfln'd, With arms extended wou'd embrace mankind ; Self-love wou'd ceafe, or be dilated, when We mould behold as many felves as men : All of one family, in blood ally'd, His precious blood, that for ourranfom dy'd !
C 2 here-
;6 The Eafinefs of Christ1* Yoke. hereafter : — for one great end of the Son of God's taking our nature upon him, was that we fhould be delivered from the pre- fent evil nature of fin, and the tyranny of Satan built thereupon -, that we fhould put oft the old man and put on the new, which after God is created in righteoufnefs and true holinefs : that a new nature by the Spirit fhould be derived into us from Cbrijl our head, a new nature abounding with all the new fruits of the fpirit ; and that our old mature fhould be deftroyed and crucified, with all its old affections and lufts — And when by faith coming to Chrift, we thus take his yoke upon us, and learn of him, we fhali then find in that yoke reft to our fouls indeed ; reft from all our former burdens \ reft from the thunderings of the law, from the power and condemnation of fm, from the dread and fear of death ; reft front the flings -of- confclence 3 reft from the dread of future and almighty wrath. And yve'fhall find reft, in the fenfc of Cbrijfs infinite love to us 3 reft in the fenfe of our free forgivenefs and gracious acceptance.
with
"The Eafinefs of Christ's Yoke. 37
with the Father ; reft fri the happy fenfe of our adoption, in the comfort and confo- lation of the Spirit, in the joyful teftlrnony of our own confcience ; reft in the plea- ling fenfe that we are doing that work, and difcharging that duty for which we were born ; reft in the glad remembrance that though imperfectly, yet if difcharged fincerely and with a true heart, our frail and feeble offices will be accepted of the Father as perfect and entire for the fake and merits of. his beloyed Son ; reft flialj we find in the blefled hope of everlafting life ; and when death fhall be fwallowed up in vi&ory, reft, eternal rejl to our fouls fhall we find and enjoy with God in hea- ven !
And is not the yoke of Chriji eaf\\ — is not then his burden light,— is not his fer- vice perfect freedom, — is not his reft, oh, Chriftian ! earneftly to be defired by thy thirfty, thy labouring and heavy-laden foul — his reft, whofe ways are ways of pie af ant- nefi, and all whofe paths are peace ? Can the hungry and thirfty foul want perfua- fions to come, eat and drink when plen- C 3 teous
38 The Eafmefs ^Christ'* Yoke. teous fupplies are freely prefented to him ? Can the weary traveller refufe refreshing reft kindly offered ? Can the fhipwreck'd mari- ner want invitations to come on fhore, from raging tempefls and the mercilefs waves ? much lefs furely can we need perfuafion to come and receive this gift from Cbrijt> fo befet on all fides with the guilt and power of fin, with the temptations of the world, the flefh, and the devil, with corrupt affections and prevailing lufts — fo furrounded with forrows and difquietude, fo unable to procure peace and reft to our fouls, in fuch imminent danger of pre- fent ruin, of future and eternal woe ? Oh come unto the merciful, companionate and long-fuffering jfefus, Come all ye that labour and are heavy-laden 3 Come unto Me, are his own affectionate and inviting words : and the Jpirit and the bride fay come, and let him that is athirjl come, and whofoever will let him take of this water of life freely*. Could you, my brethren, refufe this word of love, fup- pofing your Lord himfelf was ftanding
* Rev. xxii. 17,
arnongft
The Eqfinefs of Christ's Yoke. 39
amongft you, and making this gracious
and kind offer to you all ? doubtlefs you
would make uncommon hafte to fly to him,
doubtlefs you would lay all your burdens
at his feet, gladly take up his crofs, deny
yourfelves, and follow the lamb wherefo-
ever he fhould lead ! Now then we are am-
bajjadors for Chrijl : as though God did be-
feech you by us, we pray you inCbrift'sJlead,
be ye reconciled to God *. In Cbrijl's Jlead>
in his place, as his meflenger, minifter and
embaffador, I pray you, I earneftly entreat,
advife and exhort you, to come to him, and
take his heavenly yoke upon you—\ befeech
you, dearly beloved, in the name of our
bleeding mafter, and for the fake of your
own fouls, be ye reconciled to God, come
to Chrijl, your only mediator and redeemer,
and learn of him, fo {hall ye find rejl to
your fouls.
But alas, what can his minifters do, when infenfible of fin, and blind to their own unworthinefs, men have no defire to attain this reft, for they feel not the want
* 2 Cor, v, io.
C 4 of
40 "The Eafmefs of Christ'* Take. of it ? None but the labouring and heavy- laden can come to Chrijl : How then can they come who full of their own fancied righteoufnefs, think themfelves ftrong e- nough to bear their own burdens, acknow- ledging neither the weight nor guilt of fin, nor the want of an almighty fufferer ? How can they come, who place all their religion in form, and depend wholly upon outward fervices and nominal profeffion, not on the merits of Chrijl for falvation— or who, worfe than thefe, — vile and fenfelefs hypocrites, — make the bleffed gofpel of Chrijl) a mere ftalking horfe for worldly and unrighteous purpofes ? How can they come, who continue in a courfe of impiety, without remorie, without reftraint, re- gardlefs of the law, and infenfible of the wrath of God, who have their confciences feared^ as it were, with an hot iron *, pafl feeling) working all unrieannefs with greedi- nefs? How can they come, who are fo buried and inebriated in the delights of fenfe, the pleafures, profits and vanities of
* I Tim. iv. 2. Ephef. iv. 19.
this
The Eajinefs of Christ's Toke. 41
this poor tranfitory world, that they never knew a ferious thought of the divine grace of God, and the gift of eternal life, that they have never caft one longing look, or raifed one pious eye to heaven -y that they never yet in godly fear have enquired, what they flail do to be faved*? How can they come, who, when afflidions befal them, and God lays his heavy and correcting hand upon them, perverfely ftruggle be- neath the burden, impatient and difcontent, and give themfelves up to four melancholy and black defpair, rather than come with all their cares to Chrijl? How can any of thefe receive our Lord's invitation ? and think, my brethren, how large a part of the world is comprifed in thefe : — But may God grant better things to each one of you : may he by his Spirit open your eyes to a due knowledge of yourfelves and the exceeding finfulnefs of fin : and fureiy, if ye would duly and impartially examine your own hearts, and bring to the clear light of the gofpel the many evil thoughts,
^ A£ts xvl. 40,
words,
42 7 be Eafinefs of Christ'* Yoke. words and actions which crowd in condem- nation againfl: you, the many fhameful com- miffions of evil, the many no lefs fhame- ful omiflions of good — and confider, if ye will not thus judge yourfelves here, every thought, word, and action muft and will be weighed in the exacteft balance by a juft and fin-avenging judge hereafter *, — would you then but ferioufly examine and judge yourfelves, "that you be not judged of the Lor dy you could not fail being heavy-laden indeed under the fenfe of fo many fins, you could not
* The inimitable author of Night-Thoughts > thus finely expatiates on the folly of neglecting that awful consideration.
Shall man alone, whofe fate, whote final fate,
Hangs on that hour, exclude it from his thought ?
I think of nothing elfe — I fee, I fed it;
All nature like an earthquake trembling round :
All deities, like fummer's fwarms, on wing !
All balking in the full meridian blaze !
I fee the JUDGE inthron'd ! the naming guard !
The volume open'd ; open'd every heart !
A fun-beam pointing out each fecret thought !
No patron, interceflbr none ! now pail:
The fweet, the clement mediatorial hour !
For guilt no plea ; to pain no paufe, no bound !
Inexorable, all ! and all extreme !
Consolation^ p. 148.
help
The Eafmefs of Christ'* Yoke. 4-
help feeling and confeffing that the remem- brance of them is grievous, the burden of them intolerable ; you cou'd not fail earnestly to repent, and heartily to be forry for thefe your mifdoings," for the very leaft of which you can make no amends to God -y which have all been committed under fuch aggravating circumftances, againft fo much light, and fo much grace ; committed even by Chrijiians, by perfons baptifed and dedi- cated to the ever blefled and holy trinity ; by thofe, who have promifed, — promifed even to the faithful God, — to renounce all fin, the world and the devil, committed againft a God, who is all love to aflift in every good courfe, whofe fpirit is continually ftriving and ftruggling in the evil and re- bellious hearts of men ; againft a God, who, to redeem us from fin, and its cer- tain wages, fo great is his love to us, hath given his only-begotten, his beft-beloved Son, to die for us, and to become our propitiation and furety! — And muft not the fenfe of offending fuch a God and Father,
tread-
44 ^e Eqfinefs of Christ's Toke. treading under foot and defpifing the moft precious blood of fuch a Lord and Saviour, of grieving, and quenching the holy ad- monitions of fuch a guide and comforter — muft not this ftir you up to reflection, and caufe you in fear and anguifh of foul, to fly to him, who with open arms (lands ready to receive, yea and prepared to run and meet every returning, humbled and fup- pliant prodigal !
But if thefe considerations, joined to the knowledge, which you all have of the prefent mifery and difquietude, and the future fore condemnation of a life of fin, if thefe are not fufficient to awaken you, — if thefe joined to the infinite love of Jc/hs, are not fufficient to bring you unto him s yet let us pray, that by his grace, through iome means or other, he may, ere it be too late, caufe you to feel and labour under your burden : and when it doth pleafe him to lay any affliction upon you, whether in mind, body or eftate, whether in yourfelves or your friends, — when he opens your eyes to fee the emptinefs of all worldly
bleffings,
The Eafinefs of Christ'* Yoke. 45
bleffings, the vanity of every thing beneath the fun ; when he caufes you to labour and be heavy-laden ; then take efpecial heed, that you fruftrate not the good favour and grace of God towards you : that you defpife not, nor abufe his loving and fatherly cha- ftifements : but carefully defcend into your- felves, examine your own hearts, look to your paft lives — -and whon the true caufe of all troubles (hall appear, when your fins fhall manifeft themfelves, and your confcience (hall join in the teftimony , then remember thefe blefled words of the Lord JefuSy Come unto me> all ye that travel and are heavy laden, and / will give you rejl ; and as it is the very nature of af- flictions to humble the mind, the crofs of Chrijl will be found fo much the more eafy to you, fo much the more eafily will you learn of your fufferingLord, to be meek and lowly in heart: Come therefore to him with all your burdens, caft all your care and put all your confidence in him 5 fit humbly with Mary at his feet, and care- fully liflen to his divine voice and do6tri;:.;;
. C/jne
46 The Eafmefs of Christ's Yoke. Come to him, there where he hath promifed ever to be prejenty in his word and facra- ments, as rightly and duly adminiftred by his church : attend him diligently in all the means of grace ; feek him with fervour, with fincerity, with perfevering importu- nity ; with believing reliance on his facred promife to blefs and fandtify the means to every thirfty foul ; be refigned wholly to his will, glad to bear his crofs, and to be conformed to his divine example , re- nounce all felf-efteem, felf-feeking and felf-will, and let it be your meat and drink to do your heavenly Father's will : your chief and conftant care, to keep a good confcience, void of offence towards God and towards man ; that fo you may be perfected in love, and fo poffefs that heavenly reft and peace which furpaffeth all underftanding ; which Chrijl here pro- mifeth to All who will come to him for it, and which you may All of confequence ob- tain,, for you All have it in your power, fo that if you receive it not, it will be wholly your own faults,— and which when once
ob-
The Eafinefs of Chr i st ys Yoke. 47 obtained, you will find to be indeed the pearl of great price, and think the fale of all you have but fmall to give in purchafe of it.
That therefore we may one, and all of us, fo come to Chrijl> fo take his yoke upon us and learn of him, as to pro- cure this blefled and everlafting reft, God of his infinite mercy grant thro' the merits of the fame Jefus Chrijl, his Son, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
DIS.
ft
DISCOURSE IL
The Cleaning of the Leper,
Being the Subftance of Two Sermons;
PART I.
St. Matthew viii. i-— 4.
When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
And behold there came a Leper and wor- flipped him, faying. Lord, if thai wilt, thou canjl make me clean. And J efus put forth his hand, and touched him, faying, I will, be thou clean. And immediately his leprofy was cleanfed. And Jefus faith unto him, See thou tell no man, but go thy way, flew thy [elf to the priefl, and offer the gift that Mofes command- ed, for a teftimony unto them.
F)OOSC*5E are told by this Evangelift w w S chap. iv. ver. 23. that Jefus went >$( & about all Galilee teaching in their
\LWiykM fyhagogues, and preaching the go f pel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of D fchiefs,
50 The Cleanfing of the Leper. fickncfs, and all manner of difeafe among the people. Having given therefore in the fore- going chapters a notable fpecimen of his preachings which ferves to prove abundant- ly that never man fpake like this man : he now proceeds to give fome inftances of the power of his divine word in confirmation of the doctrine *, which he taught, and as undeniable evidences, that he was indeed a teacher come jrom God, feeing no man coidd do the works which he did, except God were with him. The Miracles which he wrought conduce not only to this end, but to fhew us, the proper application and practice, if I may fo fay, of our Saviour's doctrine : which will then be experienced with power in all our fouls, when we come to Chrify after the example of thefe fufFerers in the gofpel, as the almighty redeemer, able and willing to fave and to reltore. That his readinefs fo to do, might not ever be doubted by any labouring and heavy-laden foul, he never rejected the fuit, or caft out
RccTe (fays St. Jeroiv) poft prtedicationem atque doRrinam, fignl offer tur occafioy ut per virtutcm mira* fuh\ p-rctcritus afjtd aud:rnici firm? firmeiur.
the
The Cleanfing of the Leprr. $x the petition of any who applied to him ; fulfilling to our unfpeakable comfort, the words of the prophet, himfelf took our infir- mities, and bare our fickriefies* \ And that his power to fave might be inconteftibly demon- ft rated to our faith, that power , we find was exerted over objects, that could be no partners and confederates in fraud or col- lufion, — over raging winds and uncon- troulable waves $ over devils, that no man could tame, no chains could hind ; over difeafes and ficknefTes inftantaneoufly re- moved by his word; the cure of which, fuppofing them curable by natural means, muft have been by very flow degrees ; but mod, or all of which were far beyond the reach of human {kill, and incurable by all the powers of human art : for fin ce the world began was it not heard that any man ope?ied the eyes of one, that was born blind ~\. This was eminently the cafe with the kr projy, the afflicting difeafe of the fir ft pe- titioner, who came to Chrfi for relief, after
* Matt. vi'u. I J, •j- lohri ix. 32.
D 2. his
52 Thi CIcanfing of the Leper; his defcent from the mountain. For Id far was the cure of it above the arm of fiejl:, that it was efteemed the higheft and moft impious prefumption, even to attempt it. As peculiarly inflicted, and immediate- ly to be cured by God, through means, naturally fpeaking, the moft improbable, weak and unavailing, it was called empha- tically the finger of God: and none but the priefl appointed and directed in his courfe, had power to infpect and determine con- cerning it. Separation from fociety was the unhappy lot of thofe undeJ this loathfome difeafe, which was generally efteemed a punifliment immediately inflicted for fin: and as on this account, there could be no doubt of the reality of it in the peribn ap- plying, (fince this feparation was the con- fequence of the prieft's infpection and order) fo neither could there be any poflibility of deceit in the cure, which the fews well knew, no human power could effect:, which the loathfome nature of the difeafe would fufficiently manifeft, *tind of which the priefts upon the man's
fhewing.
*Fhe Cleanfing of the Leper. 53 dewing himfelf to them, rauft have been abundantly convinced.
Thefe confiderations fuggeft to us fome- thing very remarkable in this addrefs of the Leper to Chri/l: who having heard, as it is probable, his divine fermon on the mount, and thence conceived ftrong faith and hope in this bleffed perfon, who taught as one having authority and not as the fcribes> — and being under great affliction by means of this horrible malady, fully con- vinced of Chrift's power, but from his own unworthinefs greatly doubting of his will to cleanfe him, — he came, fell down at his feet, and worfhipped him, faying, Lord if thou wilt thou cart ft ?7iake me clean. He knew that no human power could make him clean : he knew, that this was the work of God alone. His calamity moved our merciful high-pried to compaffion : his faith and prayer obtained the blefling: For Jefus put forth his hand and touched him, faying, 1 will, be thou clean. And his divine word was attended with power : all nature is at his beck : he faith, unto this fervant of his go and it gocth ; to another P 3 come
54 2S6f Cleanfing of the Leper.
come, and it cometh *. As foon as be had Spoken, immediately the Leprofy departed from the man, arid he was cleanfed: the filthinefs and defilement of his diforder was re- mo v'd, he faw that he was cleanfed -f-, and probably, as in the cafe of Naaman, hisfejh came again like unto the fiejh of a little child* and he was clean %. This done, Jefus ftraitly charged him, that he mould tell no man ; but proceed in the due and re- gular way, by (hewing himfelf immediately to the prifl, and offering the gift commanded
* Matt. viii. g:
•f Luke xvii. 15.
J 2 Kings v. 14. It is fpfncwhat remarkable that Etibu in Job, xxxiii. 24, 25, after fpeaking of man in his unregencrate ftate, add?, upon leading him to the atonement and means of regeneration — \{\s flefi {hall he frtfhkt than a child's, he Jhall return to the days of his youth j manifeftly, as it is mould feem inculcating that doctrine, (a defeat, in and ignorance of which fome learned menfunpofe to have been the grand faultof Job, for which he was (o feverely tried, and upon a fight of which he cries out, wherefore I abhor my fdf and repent in nuft arid ofies, xlii. 6.) namely, the doctrine of the natu- ral finfulnefs and depravity of his nature, the means of its fcu're, and the need of a better righteoufnefs than his own, to render him acceptable in the fight of a juft, a pure, and a holy God. The whole railage deferves an accurate furvey, and perhaps the Leper's cafe ana1 i> . may be found not wholly inapplicable.
h
The Cleanfing of the Leper. 55 by Mofesfor a teflimo?iyy and undeniable evi- dence to them, that the cure, as being per- fectly wrought, muft have been wrought by one fuperior to the law, that of confequence, Jefus, whofe divine word effe&ed the cure1, was the promifed Meffiah, the expedted redeemer of Ifrael -, and that it was their wifdom and duty, if they would not blind their eyes and harden their hearts to receive and contefs him, as fuch *.
As winds and ftorms and unclean fpirits were obedient to his word, fo here we fee the moft inveterate difeafe no lefs obedient : giving in undeniable atteftation to the fu* preme power and authority of Chri/i. Men may command actions to be done, but to perform them by a command only is the fure prerogative of divinity. And as is his power, fo is his mercy; ready to be ex-
* St. Amhrofe obferves,that our Saviour's cleanfing of the Leper follows clofe after the bcnedidtions, and the reft of his fermon on the mount, in which he had de - clared, that he came not to deftroy the law, but to fulfil it: giving the 'Leper thereby to underftand, that, being cleanfed by the power and act of Chriji, it was not in virtue of the law, bi.t by one much fuperior that his leprofy was done away.
D 4 erted
56 Tie Cleanfing of the Leper, crted in behalf of our leprous fouls, when in humble faith, and fervent prayer, we feek to the all-prevailing merits of our Lord for fuccour : when like this Leper we fall down at his feet, confeffing, that we believe him able, and we hope him willing to make us clean. For we have all need of his cleanfing. And as our fouls are all fpotted over with the filthy contagion and leprofy of fin, as we are all by nature born in fin, uncle an ^ h: our blood *, unlefs we apply to Chrifl for a cure, we muft for '"ever befepa- rated from him and that glorious city, into which there flail in no wife enter any thing that defleth f.
For the fuller manifestation of this im- portant truth, and our better understanding the greatnefs of the prefent miracle, I will,
lit, Give you from the fcripture, a ge- neral account of the nature, cure, and fpi- ritual defignation of leprofy ; and,
* Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? not one, How can he be clean that is born of a wo- rn, n ? Job xiv. 4. xxv. 4. When I palled by thee, fa th God, and faw thee polluted in thine own blood, I Jala* unto tb.ee, in thy blood, live. Ezekielxvi. 6.
-J- Rev. :::-i. 27.
2dly,
The Cleanfing of the Leper. 57
Ildly, I will dwell upon the feveral points of doctrine, ufe, and improvement which arife from the prefent miraculous cure of this difeafe by the commanding word of Jefus.
One thing I could wifh you always to retain in mind: that in whatever bodily dif- eafes and fickneffes Chrift healed, fome- thing more was intended than the mere corporal healing. He is the blefled fun of ' right eoufnefsy that arofe with healing in his wings, not only to difpenfe health to the difeafes of the body, but to the far more dangerous difeafes of the foul. He came not only to raife bodies from the dead, but fouls from the death of fin : he came a light into the world, not only to reftore fight to the blind, but fpiritual light to the blind in heart and underftanding : he came not only to cure the leprous in body, but the leprous in foul alfo, thofe who are fpotted over with the contagion of fin and deeply in- fe&ed with the poifon of original corruption : which, fays one*, " that it might he fhadow- ed out by a vifible fign, Chrifi conferred health and foundnefs of body, as an image or f Grotins on the place.
pledge
58 The Cleanfing of the Leper. pledge of a certain greater health and found- nefs, on thofe who believed him able to perform it, and to make them clean/' And, I truft, our reflections on the prefent dif- eafe will be found confirmative hereof: will demon,ftrate to us at once the power, and goodnefs of God, our Saviour 5 the mifery and depravity of our fallen nature, and the abfolute neceffity of the blood of a redeemer, and the blelTed un&ion of the holy fpirit to cleanfe and fanctify us. For without blood and oil, no Leper ever could, no finners, (oh that the defpifers would regard and wonder) no finner ever can be cleanfe d !
lit, Then I am to fpeak of the nature, cure, and fpiritual defignation of Leprosy: which was a difeafe of all others the moil defiling and hateful ; by human means in- curable; fhockingly contagious, fo as to pollute even whole houfes and garments, and for that reafon, by the law, excluding the perfon infected from the fociety of others. It was a very voracious difeafe, working its way wide writhin, before
it
Tloe Cleanfing of the Leper. 59 it fhewed itfelf in any outward part: which it did by horrible boils and loath- fome fores over-fpreading the whole body, arifing, as was fuppofed, from a general taint and corruption of the whole human mafs: there were different degrees and ftages of the diforder; fome having only rifing fpots, fome being wholly covered over with it -y to have it in the head was the laft and moft dangerous ftage of all. It rendered the object filthy and odious to fight and fmell: nay, and deteftablc too for the moft part, as the difeafe was generally efteemed a punifhment * in- flicted by God for enormous crimes. It was thought and therefore dreaded, as the greateft and worft of all legal pollutions, and was in reality the moft painful, melan- choly, and foul diforder, depriving the af- flicted fufferer of all comforts both of body and foul, of all corporal eafe, of all fpiritual and civil correfpondence. And
* See the cafe of Afiriam, Gehazi, Uzziab, &c. Chr'iji^ fays one, to (hew that he came to take away the wrath of God by taking away fin, began with thfc cure of a Leprr.
as
6o The Cleanfing of the Leper."" as it was abfolutely incurable, fave by the hand and finger of God, working by the means of the legal ceremonies, (a great variety of which were neceffary to perfect the cure, and all of which the prieft was to apply) therefore the priefts alone were ordained and appointed of God to infpect and judge of thofe under fufpicion of this devouring malady: in order to which the exacted rules poffible are prefcribed by the Almighty himfelf in Leviticus * ; And when they determined it to be a real lepro- fy, all outward demon fixations of mame and forrow were to be made. <c The Leper (faith the Lord) in whom the plague is, his clothes Jhall be rent, and his head bare: and he ft: all put a covering upon his upper lip, and fall cry, Unclean, unclean-, and all the days, wherein the plague fall be in him, he fall be defied: he is unclean, he fall dwell alone, without the camp fiall his habitation be. Levit. xiii. 45, 46.
Such was the difeafe of Leprofy : and what could in a more full and lively man-
:- See ch. xiii, and for a comment upon it Confult Jitifivorih, Bibliolhcca blbllca, Q itlca facri> Sec.
ner
The Cleanfing of the Leper. 61 ner reprefent that original taint and cor- ruption, which hath worked its way wide, and fpread itfelf all through the foul of man; — that heiliili poifon of the old ferpent, which^vith its deadly bane, hath corrupted the whole nature and conftitution of man, (hewing its inward and fatal efficacy by its outward and loathfome fruits? For thoje things (faith our Saviour, in testimony to this inward fountain of uncleannefs) which proceed out of the month, come forth from the HEART, and they defile the man. For out of the Heart proceed evil thoughts, murder sy adulteries, fornications, thefts^ falfe-witneffes, blafphe?nies ; thefe are the things which defile a man*. Thefe are the outward and fure mani- feftations of the inward taint, the leprofy of the foul: Thefe are as undeniable and un- erring proofs of original fin, as the outward plague in the fie m was ofthe/;z<^rJplague of leprofy: and thefe alas — to all mankind, more or lefs, are very convincing evidences of that fin, wherein We are conceived, who may fry to corruption thou art my father, and
* Matt, xv, i -3, io.
6a The Cleanfmg of the Leper. to the worm thou art my mother and fijler *# I fay more or lefs ; becaufe though all are by nature born in fin-f, tho' every individual is an heir of that fame original death and evil introduced into the world by our firft parents tranfgreffion, the feeds of every vice being fown in all our hearts; — yet every one doth not advance equal fteps in iniquity; thofe feeds have not in all the fame means of fprouting up to full matu- rity, every one is not equally leprous : fome indeed are wholly fpotted over and perfeftly covered with the contagion, working all iinckannejs with greedinefs : fome have only riling fpots and burning boils, evil lulls and ftrong paffions, which, or ever they burft into aft, they labour to fubdue, mortify and keep under : applying to God in due feafon, and finding his grace fufficient for them : others aeain have it in head and heart, are utterly gone aft ray from the
* Job xvii. 14. T cannot but recommend here Father Caimet's ingenious obfervations on this fubjecl:, which the reader will find in p. 163 of the Hid volume of ttibliotheca liblica, as well as in that writer's own com rrentary.
f See the 9th article of our church, entitled, Of taig'uuiljG, b. rib Jin.
com-
The Cleaniing of the Leper. 63 Commandments of God, beady, high-minded, f elf -willed, hoping to be cured by their own means, or vainly thinking themfelves well in the midft of ficknefs, fafe and fecure in the midft of danger, crying cut, peace, peace ,when there is no peace. Very dreadful indeed is this fame leprofy in the head: doubly un- clean is the man in this woful cafe : the far- theft of all others from converfion, becaufe leaft capable of conviction: felf-juftifiedj having eyes and feeing -not, ears and yet hearing not : and at the greateft remove from that fimplicity of intention, that humble, child- like difpontion, which places the willing foul, in lowly attention at the feet of Jefus : the prophet pronounces his Wo upon fuch : Wo unto them that are wife in their own eyes, and prudent in their own fight : the wife man tells us, there is more hopes oj a fool, than of thefe men: wherefore he warns us againft this falfe, this felf-wifdom. and (hews us what is the true : I ft, be not wife in thine own ryes : 2d, fear the Lord and depart from eviu And to convince us fully of the danger of a fond leaning to our own vain imagination, the great
apcfil?
64 The Cleanfing of the Leper; apoftle St. Paul commands — be not wife in your own conceits *.
This difeafe was very filthy and loath- fome to the fight: it changed the appear- ance of thofe who were infected with it: making them who were before never fo lovely to behold, odious and frightful to the view : fo fin renders man, who was created in perfect beauty, the very image and fimilitude of his Creator, hateful and odious in his fight, an abomination to him : it makes him a perfect ftranger to God, changes his form and vifage, and feparates between him and his Creator: corrupt in undemanding, will and affection, he is loathfome as a dead caicafs, abhorred as a vejfel wherein there is no pleafure -f. And this pure God gave a fignal proof of his hatred and abhorrence of fin, as well as of its filthy and defiling nature, when he fent his Son to die upon the crofs as the only means to atone for the fins of a guilty world; to flied his divine blood, as the only means to cleanfe the infinite filth of a world of
* See Ifai. v. 21. Proverbs xxvi. 12. iii. 7. Rom. xii. 16, {• Jerem: xxii. 28.
lepro us
The Cleanfing of the Leper.^ 65 leprous finners ! Should not this caufe us to look upon fin in ourfelves, and others with abhorrence and holy indignation ? — » Should it not advifeus to take efpecial heed, that we apply this blood of God to the cleanfing ourfelves yr0/7; all filtbinefs of flefij and fpirit, perfecting holinefs in the fear of God? *
The Leprofy was the worft of all dif- eafes: and of all evils fin is and ought to be efteemed by us the very worft: more formidable than all earthly ills, than fick- nefs or forrow, than even death or hell : for fo it is both in itfelf and in its confe- quences: robbing the moft high God of his due honour and glory ; and robbing the foul of all prefent health and peace, of that only true happinefs for which it was created, the love and enjoyment of God: bringing on a deteftable crowd of evils ; and if perfifted in, finally and for ever ex- cluding from the paradife of blifs ; finally and for ever (hutting up the felf-condemned foul in the flaming pit, with devils and
* 2 Cor. vii. 1,
N«. II. E damned
66 The Cleanfing of the Leper. damned fpirits, to howl and gnafh the teethe bewail and curfe its own wretched and in- excufable folly, through endlefs ages, with- out hope of pardon, without the leafl ex- pectation of releafe.
This difeafe alfo was very noifome; and no wonder, when all the humours were vitiated in thofe infected with it. The fame is the cafe with their minds, who are polluted and defiled by fin: whofe throats we are told are as open fepidchres *. For as an intolerable ftench exhales from fe- pulchres, where putrid carcaffes lie : fo from that body, wherein the foul is dead, becaufe of fin, nothing but the moll noi- fome flench arifeth to offend the great Ma- jefty of heaven. And, if from the acceptable offerings of good men the Lord is faid to fmell a fweet favour -f, what a foul ftench muil daily afcend from the numberlefs and filthy iniquities of a world of tranfgreffors? While this man from the fepulchre of a defiled mouth fends forth nothing but -blafphemies, oaths, lies, lafeivioufnefs : while-
* See Rom. iii. 13.
1 his is faid of Noah's offering, Gen. viii. 21.
flom
The Cleanfing of tie Leper. 67 from that proceeds nothing but evil- thoughts > murders, adulteries, &c. even all that hellifti crew of barking degs conceived and nourished in the fertile womb of fin, from the hellifh offspring and poifon of their father the devil ! *
The very breath of thofe infe&ed with this difeafe was contagious; it was remark- ably defiling; on which account, the Le- pers were excluded from all civil as well as religious communion, and compelled to dwell alone without the camp. And what is
* Milton's beautiful allegory of Saian^ fin and death, book II. line 648, &c. is here referred to. He makes fin the daughter of Satan, and death the offspring of both : the inceftuous mixture between fin and death produces thofe monfters and hell-hounds, which enter into her womb and tear' her bowels, while her fon (death) fets oppofite — and fets them on,
And me his parent (faith Jhe) would full foon devour, . For want of other prey, but that he knows , His end with mine involv'd !
What can more emphatically paint to our view the origin and fad fruits of fin — or be a nobler and more inftru&ive poetical improvement of St. yatries's words i. 15. Then when LUST hath con reived* it hi in geth forth SIN, and fin when it isfinijhed bringeth forth DEATH ! I cannot wifh my reader a finer < tertainment than a perufal of the whole paffage a§ it frauds in the incom- parable Parad'fe Lojf, which any extract Would greatly injure.
E 2 there
68 The Cleanfing of the Leper.
there fo contagious, fo defiling as fin ? how doth the prevalence of ill example, like a peftilence, fpread its malevolent and baneful effects around ? who can touch pitch and not be defiled with it ? men's natural cor- ruptions caufe them to Aide into an imitation of the evil practices of others, and to catch their vices, as eafily as dry wood the flame put to it, as tinder the fpark from the flint. Wherefore St. Paul compares fin to leaven, be caufe a little leave?! leave net b the whole lump** Both in communities and in our own fouls, one ill- example and one vice predominant may continually fpread the difeafe, and bring on the laft and moft defperate ftage of fpiritual leprofy. Let a man looft with the fmall-pox full upon him, and none will doubt but that the infection will fpread through the neighbourhood. Infinitely more contagious is the leprous finner. Would God, we were all as careful to guard againfl the evil of fuch contagion> as we are againft that of bodily dif- eafes.
* i Cor, v. 6.
Every
The Cleanfing of the Leper. 69 Every thing the Leper touched was de- filed by him ; nay the plague not only in- fected men, but houfes, vefTels, and gar- ments: from whence we have a fuller de- monftration of the defiling nature of fin, and the evil ftate of the finner, who brings a. curfe upon himfelf, his houfe and pofief- fions — For I will bring forth the curfe ', faith the Lord of ho/Is, and it fi:all enter into the houfe of the thief y and into the houje of him that fweartth fafy by my name: and it (hall remain in the midji of his houje, and fhall confume it, with the timber thereof and the Jlones thereof*. Oh ye finners, that ye would be wife and confider : O fools and flow of heart, to believe all that the prophets have f poke n I will ye not fee your folly, will ye not believe the words of the God of truth ? — Will ye not be convinced that the very means ye are taking to fecure worldly things are the fure means of your own and your pofterity's lofs and deftrudtion ? In par- ticular, oh ye falie fwearers, let me addrefs you, for whofe fake the land mourmthy and
* Zechariah v. 4.
E 3 for
no The Clcanfing of the Leper, for the increafe of whom amongft us, our Jerufakm> it is to be feared, will at length Jit folitary and become as a widow : To what end is the number of your oaths ? fee ye not the curfe of God that is gone out againft you, and hangs by a thread overyour devoted heads? — what will ye do in the end there- of ? . — it fhall confume your houfes — it fholl bring you and yours to utter ruin; no profit (hall ye reap from your iniquitous f wearing, except eternal horror be deem'd a profit by you. Repent, repent, I befeech you, and turn to the Lord, that fo your fins may be blotted out; feek him while he may be found : call ye upon him while he is near : let the wicked for fake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts : and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upom him, and to our God for he will abun- dantly pardon *. But unlefs ye do fo return never vainly expect a pardon : ye are al- ready condemned! . Tcfhet is ordained of old, the breath of the Lord, like a jlreamof brim- Hone, doth kindle it -f : and it mufi burn a-
* ffaiah Iv. 7.
i bee John iii. \S, and Ifaiah xxx, 33.
gainil:
236* Cleanfing of the Leplr, 71 gainft you with irrefiftible fury for ever. For as the Leper was excluded from the camp and Ifrael of God, fhut out and com- pelled to dwell in mifery and diflrefs alone, fo muft the finner, remaining in his fin, unregenerate, unrepenting, for ever be ex- cluded from the true camp and Ifrael of God : and as {hut out here from the com- munion of Saints, from the kingdom of grace and falvation, from the church-mi- litant on earth, fo for ever be (hut out from •the church-triumphant in heaven, the new Jerufalem, the general affembly, and church of the firll-born, from God, from jejus, and from glory. And as an earneft hereof, both to admonifh him of his (late, and to advife him of the confequences — would Cod, leprous finners were fo rare as to enable us continually to pradife it ! — we are commanded, to ufe this wholefome fe- verity ; namely, to mark bad men, and thofe that caitfe divijions a fid offences : and to avoid them : to withdraw ourjehes from every dif orderly walker: riot to keep company, if any man, that is called a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a raiier, or a E 4 drunk-
72 *Ihe Cleanfing of the Leper. drunkard, or an extortioner ; with fuch a one no not to eat * And the public cenfures of the church were doubtlefs appointed alfo lo this end.
But this was not all: the leprofy if un- cured, reduced the body to a miferable, mutilated dead carcafs : eat out the ears, the eyes, the tongue : confumed the nofe, the feet, and deftroyed every faculty. Hence Aaron interceding with God, for his filler Miriam, fays, Let her ?20t be as one dead, of whom the flejlj is half confumed^ when he cometh out of his mother's womb -f*. And thus fin, if become habitual, corrodes and eats away every faculty of the foul, deftroy- ing all fpiritual fenfe and underflanding. It confumes the ears, fo that they can nei- ther hear nor obey the commands, or re- gard the threats of God : it blinds the eyes, fo that they cannot fee the greatnefs of their mifery, the danger of approaching death, the horrors of future judgment. It deprives the tongue of any power to pray
* Rom. xvi. 17. 2 ThefT. iii. 6. 1 Cor. v. See Thcocloret'j quefliont upQn Leviticus, f Numb. xii. j 2.
The Cleanfing of the Leper. 73
or to praife, to entreat the mercy or mew forth the merits of a bleeding God. In fine,fuch leprous finners have neither hands to perform, nor feet to run in the way of God's commandments: and cc this (agreea- ble to antient wifdom) is the greatefl: of all evils, if a man be neither wife himfelf, nor willing to attend to the wifdom of the wife ;" the unhappy cafe of thofe infect- ed with this fpiritual leprofy. — Of which whofoever defiresto be healed he muft apply to the true high prieft of our profeffion, with all demonftrations of fhame and forrow, rending his clothes, and making bare his head, rending his * heart, in token of grief and contrition, covering -f his Up to exprefs his {hame, and to keep filence before God, as being under the greatefl confufion of face, and unworthy to open his lips before him,
* Joel iii. 13.
f Hefychius upon this place v/ell obferves, " the flench of fin is rank and foul from human nature in general, particularly fo from the tongue, and moft of all fo where it happens to be within the lips of a fpi- ritual monitor. For how fhould he open his mouth a gain ft a doclrine or practice, which at the fame time his example encourages and propagates ?
except
74 ¥ke Cleanfing of the Leper. except in words' of confeffion and humilia- tion : crying out, unclean > unclean, wo is me, feted man that lam, I have finned, 1 have dene amijs, who will deliver me from the body if this death, God be merciful to me a Jin- net I
Whoever thus apply to Chrift in true repentance, with firm faith, and earneft prayer, they will find him faithful and juji to forgive them their fnsy and to cleanfe them from all unri^hteoufnefs : which whatever means of cleanfing, whatever methods of (alvation men may propofe to themfelves, is the only way whereby we can be faved, for there is falvation in no other, and // is the blood of Jefus Chrift only, which cleanfeth m from all Jin *.
This was very emphatically figured out in the ceremonies ufed for the clean- fing of the Leper, who on the day of his cleanfing was to be brought to the pried, and the prieft was to go forth out of the camp, (even as our merciful high prieft came from heaven, and his fa-
•* Rem. vii. 24 Luke xviii. 13. 1 John i. 7 — 9.
fcher's
The Cleanfing of the Leper. 7$ ther's bofom for us miferable finners) to meet and infpecT: him, and to perform the appointed ceremonies : upon which I fhall be very brief, giving you a general key, whereby you may the better underfland them when you refer to, and carefully read God's directions concerning them, in the fourteenth chapter of Leviticus : as I would haften to the miracle before us, wherein we have a fight, without the veil of the law, of the great healer of the nations, the almighty reftorer of loft and lapfed human nature. Thefe ceremonies indeed do point out to us in as full and ex- preffive a manner as any perhaps in the whole law — the meritorious and all-fuffi- cient facrifice of Chrift, both God and man dying for our fins, and rifing again for our j unification, in the lively figure of two birds , which yet like the two * Goats on
the
* Confult thexvith chapter of Leviticus^ St. Cyr'ill of Alexandria in his fpiritual interpretation of the leprofy ipeaks thus, " Sin is the leprofy of the mind. 'Tis its deftru£i:ion, and when it has got pofieffion of it by the poifon of dead works, it deadens all its faculties, and makes it like a diftempered body, a burden to itfelf. — As for the two clean birds they are a type of the two
natures
76 Ihe Cleanfing of the Leper. the great day of atonement made but one facrifice, as God and man make but one Chrifl : one of thefe birds (figurative of the human nature, which was capable of Of- ferings and death,) was to be flain in an earthern vefTel over running water, that the mingled ftream of blood and water might reprefent that myftic ftream which flowed from the * broken veffel of Chri/l's body ; while the other bird itill alive, fi- gurative of the divine nature which was impafiible and could not be held in the grave, was to be dipt in the blood of the ilain one, with Cedar, Hyffop, and Scarlet, and let loofe into the open field ; to (hew the union of the divine and human nature, and the influence of that union, in all the concernments of our peace, and the ex- cellency and efficacy of that blood, which
natures in one Chri/t, as one facrifice. And Hefychius obfcrves upon the letting loofe the living bird, — ts Chri/t's divine nature was impafiible, though inseparable from bis human, which differed ; on which account it was that the human nature being baptifed In blood, the impafiible and that together might be let loofe into the open field, that is, afcend up into heaven.
* See 2 Cor. iv. 7. Rom. ix. 20, from whence it will manifeftly appear, that an earthen veffel is a Scrip- ture fimilitude for a body of fejh.
atoned
T'he Cleanfing of ;he Leper. yy atoned for us, and which is ftiled in fcrip- ture — wonderful to think — even the blood of God — who from that fame bleffed union, is faid to have laid down his life for us ! Hereby we perceive the love of GOD, becaufe he laid down HIS LIFE for us * / Oh how fhould we prize this moft precious blood ! — how fhould we adore the infinite love that poured it forth in rich ftreams from his heart, for our fakes ? — and how fhould we pity and pray for thofe who are fo refer- able and deceived as to defpife this fountain flowing plenteoufly to comfort the thirfty foul, as to count this blood of the covenant an unholy thing ! BlefTed Jefus, how long ! Father j or give them, for they know not what they do !
The neceffity of an effectual application of this cleanfing blood to the heart, is no lefs clearly taught us by the fprinkling of the Leper, and that feven times with the blood of the flainbird: For we are eleB throy fan&i- f cation ofthefpirit, and fprinkling of the blood cfjefus Chrijl -f. How requifite conftant
* i John iii. 1 6, comp. Ads xx. 28. t 1 Pet. i. 2.
mor-
78 The Cleanfing of the Leper. mortification, cutting off" all flefhly lufts, that war againjl the font \ laying apart all filtbinefs a?id fuperfluity of naught inefs -f, are to an effectual cleanfing by this blood fprinkled upon our hearts, we are (hewn by the Lepers (having all his hair off his head, his beard, and his eye-brows, and wafhing his cloaths and flefli in water. The Life of thankfgiving and the thorough fan&i- fication by the fpirit, which muft follow and demonftrate the reality of our freedom from the filth of fin, are beautifully pictured out to us by the treffpafs, lin, and meat of- fering to be offered before the Lord ; and particularly by the application of the blood and oil of thofe offerings to the extreme parts of the body £, which is the fame ceremony with that ufed
■f James i. 21.
"I Thefe rites were to fignify, how by the blood of Chrljl the ear fhould be fanclificd to obey, the hand to work, the foot to walk, in the commandments of God, and fo the whole man to be renewed. 2 Cor. vii.r. iPct. i. 14, 15, fays our incomparable Ainfworth in his note on the place, whom confult, as well as the ex- cellent Bochart either in Hieroz, p. 2. lib. I. ch. 22, &c. or as abridged in Bibliotheca biblica, vol. iii. p. 192. If the reader is inclined to fee the whole fubje£t largely handled, he may find it in Doctor Taylor's Chri ft re- vealed, or the Old Tejlament explained) chap. xiv. kSt.^ printed 1635.
in
The Cleanfing of the Leper, 79
in the confecration of the high-priefl ||, and the crowning one, as it were, of the whole: For the prieft was to put them (the blood and oil, the blood firft and the oil upon it for a very obvious reaibn) upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleanfd^ upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, pouring what remained of the oil upon his head, to de- note an entire confecration and perfect fanflification of his whole body and mind, who is cleanfed from the filth and mifery of fin, by the purifying blood of Jefus ; who is renewed and fanctified by the un£lion of that holy anointing fpirit, whofe com- fort to the foul, is like oil to the body, and who is the gift and purchafe of Imma- nuePs blood.
Such then was the leprofy, and fuch the ceremonies ufed for the cure of it : without which no Leper could poffibly be cleanfed, as without what thefe ceremonies fignified no finner ever can be faved. In all of them, it is obvious to remark, that there is nothing
\] See by all means Exodus xxix. 20,&c.
which,
So The Cleanfing of the Leper. which, humanly fpeaking, could be in the leaft likely to remove the diforder : the fprinkling a Leper with blood, the putting blood and oil upon his ear, hand and foot, the flaying fuch and fuch particular crea- tures, &c. could by no means have been effectual in themfelves for the recovery of foundnefs to a Leper's body : no, it was a divine act, the immediate work of God, the finger of the almighty! and as this was univerfally known and believed a- mongft the Jews, the Leper who applied to our Saviour, could not but acknowledge and fincerely believe his divine power : as his addrefs indeed fufficiently proves — which I come now,
Ildly, To confider, with fuch doctrines and ufes, as arife from this inflance of our Lord's mercy and might.
I need not from what has gone before ad- vife you of the loathfome, filthy and defiling nature of fin — nor need I produce any exam- ples to prove the truth of what has been ad- vanced ! I fincerely wifh vice was fo uncom- mon, as to require proofs of its flagrancy ! but you fee it, you hear it every day and
every
x The Cleanfing of the Leper. 8i eVery hour; you cannot fhut your eyes to it, nor help being offended with the repeated and abounding inflances of the breach of every one of God's holy commandments, of the neglect of the whole law of Chrijl: while blafphemy and dreadful abufe of the mod high, prophane curfing and fwearing, hor- rible prophanation of the fabbath, filthy drunkennefs and brutality, abominable luft, adultery, fornication, murders, revellings — - pride, malice, envy, and, not lead of all, im- pious defpight to the covenant of grace, and the God that bought us, with every other vice reigns in full power, and holds defpotic empire through the kingdom ! As fully fenfible hereof, would God we were as fenfible of the fatal effects and difmai fruits of this evil 5 that fo we might each one of us apply to him, who is able and 'milling to make us clean. No man can tell how far the force of his fingle example might prevail ; if vice is contagious, good- nefs is diffufive, in this refped: too we may fay, a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump : and it is more efpecially the cafe of thofe in exalted ftations, whofe good practices N°. 2. F bring
82 The Cieaniing of the Leper. bring virtue into reputation, and who, if they cannot wholly ftem the oppofing tide, will yet at a certain hour find unfpeakable iatisfaction in having made \ refolute ftand againft it. Dare therefore to be Angularly good: £C when vice is in fafhion, Angularity becomes a virtue :' ' look to your languifhing country, ye great ones of the land : it is in you to revive its drooping head ; it is in you to make religion ftourim; it is in you to recommend that ricrhteoufnefs and truth which are the only bulwarks of a kingdom, and which, as reaching even to the higheft heavens, no convulfions of the earth can ever remove, no terrors of the Lord will ever (hake : for right eoiifnefs exalt eth a natio?i9 the throne is ejiablified by right eoufnefs 5 and the work of righteoujnefs fhall be peace ', and the effect of right "eoufnefs , quiet nefs and afju- ranee for ever, faith the Lord of ho/is.
oa
Ifai. xxxii. 17, &
The
{ §3 )
7#£ Cleaning of the Leper. PART II.
St. Matthew viii. I — 4.
KSSFSSE^K Come now in the fecond place Jfei I ^ to confider the prefent miracle, ^ ^ and fo to explain, enforce, and
improve it, as fhall be moft to your fpiritual inftrudtion and advantage.
From this Leper we learn, Ift, The pro- per manner of applying to Chrifl, without which we can expect no favour from him; for to feeking only, the bleffing of finding is annexed. He came under the burden of a moft grievous difeafe, which he knew and confeffed a punifhment for fin : he came in the deepeft humility, under the fenfe of his own manifold unworthinefs, falling F 2 down
84 The Cleanfing of the Leper. down at Chrijl's feet, with lively faith iff his divine power, and with fervent prayer, faying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou can/1 make me clean. Thus manifeftly decftring his faith in J{fusy as the Son of God, as the expect- ed Median, as endued with power from on high, and able to do, what was confeffed- ly in the power of God only, to deliver a Leper from his leprofy. And, if we de- fire his falvation, thus muft we alfo approach him : confeious of our great and number- lefs offences, truly humbled beneath the guilt and mifery of fin, firmly perfuaded that he is not only able, but willing to fave to the uttermojl all that come to the Father by him *; and imploring with fervent prayer this Lord of mercy, this God of all power to make us clean. One great advantage we have over this Leper, in that we are bleffed with as ftrong an affurance of our Saviour's willy as of his ability to fave : we who have this example of his compaflion before us -, we who have heard him with a voice of love call all the labouring and heavy-laden to reft, and
* Hcb. vii. 25.
repofe
The Cleanfing of the Leper. $$
repofe -, and we who know that he laid down his life for us, and thus gave us the greateft proof poffible of his friendship; — We furely can never doubt of his good- will to fave, we furely can never want any motives to perfuade us to come to him, to fall down before him, and fay " Lord thou art able and willing to make us clean, be it unto us according to thy word ! limners though we are, thou camefl into the world to fave finners; thou waft called by that moft fweet and refrefhing name JESUS, becaufe born to fave thy people Jrom their fins : if we in Sincerity confefs our fins, thou art faith- ful and j 'uft to forgive us cur fins, and to clean fe us from all unrighteoufnefs. Low at thy foot-ftool therefore do we fall, imploring thy mercy, and relying upon thy infinite grace ; Jefus, mafter, have mercy on us, thou Son of David have mercy on us !" Thus if we come to Chrift, we mail for ourfelves have full experience of that reads'* nefs and ability to fave, which the prefent hiftory, for the confirmation of our faith, and the comfort of every repenting firmer., F 3 fo
85 The Cleanfing of the Leper;
fo beautifully pictures out in our compaf-
fionate high prieft.
Ildly, The Leper had no doubt. of Chrijl's power, thou canft\ all his fear was from himfelf— " if thou wilt do this, for fuch a mi- ferable, worthlefs wretch as I," — Oh, happy would it be for us, ifourfaith was thus flrong- ly eftablifhed in the divine and almighty power of our Lord, while we humbly trembled before him under a feeling fenfe of our manifold unworthinefs ! for we find that the Leper's loathfome and defiling ftate, his miferable and foul difeafe did not render Chriji averfe to him ; or turn away the bowels of his compaflion from him : nav, we are told that thofe bowels were vwved * towards him ; he was touched with the moft inward pity : even with fuch pity as he was moved toward a world of leprous finners, all lying in their blood, all lying in defiling guilt and iniquity, when
* St. Mark i. 41. fays exprefly, Jefus, moved with compaJfion,<T7i:\aiyxyw§uq the known and ufual word in the. New Teftament from wha,yx-»9 (bowels) to have the bowels moved.
he
The Cleanfing of the Leper. Sj
he came to do his father's will, to cleanfe? redeem and fave them from all their pollu- tions ! — even with fuch pity as he is moved towards thee, oh penitent and heart afflict- ed finner, when with all thy difeafes and all thy forrows, thou applieft unto him, feeking for mercy, for mercy and for- givenefs from that crucified Saviour, who defireth not the death of a finner; and whofe crofs for the confolation of all who will look up to it and be Javed, is furround- ed by a denying Peter, an unbelieving Thomas, an adulterous Magdalen, a perfe- cting 'Paul!
Who then can doubt of his will to fave all that in true repentance and fincere faith draw nigh unto him ? And his Power a Chriftian fhould blufh to queftion, when he contemplates this Leper, and fees the triumphs of his faith. If thou wilt] thou canfl make me clean — faid he *-— / will, laid Chri/1, be thou clean. And, immediately his leprofy was cleanfed. You have heard from the law a defcription of this loath- fome, inveterate, and obftinate difeafe, which was indeed the finger of God, for
F 4 the
88 Tfo Cleanfing of the Leper,' the cure of which fo many ceremonies were ordained, and fo long time was necef- fary. But the God, who cleanfed the Leper by means of thofe ceremonies, could as eafily do it without them — and you fee him here, in an inftant, perfecting the mi- raculous cure. This was an undeniable proof of his divinity; and the Pharifees, who once reafoned right, proving him the true God — who can forgive fins but God alone? might have reafoned in the fame man- ner here — " who can cure a Leper but God alone," — fefus both forgave fins, and cured Lepers, and can any human being be blind to the conclufion ? * Hence when John Baptiji fent meffengers to enquire whether he were really the expected Meffiah or not, the Son of the moft High, he returns for anfwer, amongft other marks of his divinity, that the Lepers were cleanfed *•}-, as being the peculiar act of God, and never performed by the word of man, or by any power lefs than that of Jehovah : which the king of Jfracl affirms as a matter well
• See this more fully treated of3 in the following fcrmon on the Paralytic, f Matt. xi. 5.
known
The Cleanfmg of the Leprr. R9 known, when Naaman was fent to him by the king of Ajjyria to be cured of his le- profy ; cc Am 1 a God, (faith he) to kill and to make alive, that this man doth fend unto me to - recover a man of his leprofy. *
The very touch of Lepers was defiling ; yet Chrijl in the performance of this cure did not not difdain to touch the man : for we read, that he put forth his hand and touched him, faying, I will, &c . He could with no lefs eafe have cleanfed him by a word, (as he did afterwards in another cafe-f-) than now by his touch, had he thought good fo to do; but he chofe rather this method to convince and confute any calumnies, which the Pharifees might raife concerning the true author of the cure ; and to (hew that he was the Lord, yea and fulfiller of the law, who could Dot be polluted with the touch of the le- profy, as in the law, but who on the con- trary, by his touch took away the leprofy and all uncleannefs. He converfed with Publicans and finners, yet was harmlefs, holy, and undefiled : feparate from finners,
* 1 Kings v. 7.
f See Luke xvii. 14.
3 when
90 The Cleanfing of the Leper.
when in the midft of them, for the prince of this "world had nothing in him.
But he intended principally hereby to fhew us the dignity, ufe and advantage of the flefh, which he aflumed : namely, that by it he reftores our corrupted nature, and becomes our life-giving Saviour; not by his divinity only, but by the affiftance and miniftry of that flefh which he took, and which, from the hypoftatic union with the divinity, is rendered life-giving, quicken- ing flejh *• Two birds were neceflary to make 07ie complete facrifice ; the two na- tures of God and man were neceflary to make one Chrijl. For as the living bird could not cleanfe the Leper, without the jdead one, nor the dead one without the living : fo neither could we be purged from our fins by the divinity without the huma- nity, nor by the humanity without the di- vinity *f\ Therefore he, in whom the
fulnefs
* John vi. 33. The Bread of God is he, which cometh down from heaven, and givcth life unto the world. Read the whole chapter.
-f Thefe are Bocbart's words from his Hierozdicon9 as quoted above,p.y8. Nam ut tuque avis viva fine mortua, neqite mortua fine viva point Uprofum a lepra pw gar c :
ita
The Cleanfing of the Leper. 9* fulnefs of the Godhead dwelt, took our flefh, became bone of our bone, an&flejh of our fejhy to give us an accefs, and a kind of right to receive grace from that fulnefs. But it may be objedted, that in his moft pure and holy flefh. the fulnefs of the Godhead dwelt bodily: while ours, miferably defiled by the filth of fin, is fo polluted, fuch a cage of un- clean birds ', that it appears unworthy the ma- jefty of Chriji to hold any communion with us, which reafon (perfuading us to judge like this Leper) would lead us to think he fhould abhor and utterly refufe. This objedion the prefent example wholly removes ; we fee him here, to our great and endlefs com- fort, flretching out his holy, clean, and divine hand, touching a body wholly infe&ed with a moft noifome and contagious leprofy : a touch which perfect foundnefs followed, For immediately the leprofy was cleanftd *. Such, and fo great are the benefits of the incarnation of Chriji: who taking our na-
it a nee a Deo fire homine, nee ah homlne fine Deo, deiuit fieri f -eccatorum purgatio .
* Thefe are the thoughts and expreffions of the divine St. Chryfofiom and St. Cyritf, and which I have taken from them and Chemnitz.
ture
92. T&e Cleanfing of the Leper.' ture cleanfed it from fin, fanctified and enriched it with the fulnefs of the deity. And that this bleffing and honour might not be thought to extend only to that mafs of human flefh which he himfelf took, he again communicates to us his own flefh, which, having received from us, he hath now fanclified, that by this means our corrupt nature may be reformed, and re- newed. And unlefs we do eat of that fleft fo fanftified, of that flefh which is meat indeed, how can we expect to have any life in as * ? Let us therefore eat in faith and gratefully acknowledge the im- menfe love of our Saviour Chriji to man, who hath not difdained to touch our leprous na- ture, with his own moft pure and holy flefh, which fo far from being defiled itfelf thereby,
CD J '
wholly cleanfes and fanclifies ours. And when we approach his hallowed table to re- ceive the divine food there prefented to our fouls, let us contemplate this Leper : and remember how powerful the touch of
* How — fince Chriji faith pofitively and perempto- rily, Vei ily, verily I fay unto you, except ye eat the fe]h of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no LIFE in you f John vi. 53,
Chriji
7%e Cleanfing of the Leper. 93
Chrlfi is to cleanfe us from all filthinefs of fiefh and fpirit ; and when we receive that divine food, then let us in humble fort entreat him to blefs it to the appointed end, to make it effectual to the cleanfing and fanctifying of our fouls : let us entreat him to touch and make us clean !
Illdly, As from this miracle we are taught the proper manner of applying to Chrijl, and the readinefs and ability of our Lord to fave all that come to him, labour- ing and heavy-laden — fo are we no lefs fully directed in the due conduct of our- felves afterwards.
He orders the Leper to tell no man, that is, till he had fhewed himfelf to the pried, for a teftimony to them ; a teflimony that Chrijl came not to deftroy, but to fulfil the Law 5 and that, upon the man's reporting what Chrijl had dons for him, the priefts who faw him cured without the legal means, might have convincing evidence, that this divine healer was in- deed the expected Meffiah, of whom it was foretold, that he fljould be a fountain 0- fened to the houje of David, and to the in-
habitants
^4 $%* Cleanfing of the Lepe&. habitants of Jerufalem, for Jin and for an* clcanncfs *, And when they had fuch a teftimony it argues the greateft hardnefs of heart in them ftill obftinately to ftand out, and refufe affent and worfhip to this defpifed Galilean. However they might footh their conferences, we have the ful- ler!: teftimony from hence, that jfefus is the Cbri/ty the Son of God, able and wil- ling to fave : and a fure rule whereby to conduct ourfelves. For though the clean- fing of a Leper was the immediate act of God, and though our Saviour performed the work by a touch of his almighty hand, yet the ceremonies of the Law, were by no means to be difpenfed with, being rendered neceffary and obligatory by the command of God himfelf. The cafe is the fame at prefent. We muft not think to act in religious matters ac- cording to our own caprice or fancy, nor do each one of us, what (hdll feem good in our own eyes \ but whatfocver thing the Lord hath commanded us, that we muji obferve to do, we mu ft neither add nor diminijb from
* /echar. xiii. t.
"the Cleanfing of the Leper. <£j it *. The word of God and the do&rine of the church* as built thereupon, rauft be our infallible rule, not any private pur- pofes, any delulive felf-will, any vain and felf-feeking. And this rule God would have kept fo fixed and inviolate, that he approves not thofe who depart from it, and without the word either from the traditions of men, private ends, or falfe zeal, attempt any thing, though apparently and out- wardly to the glory of God. They can no more be approved of him, than this Leper, who tranfgreiTed a plain command of CbriJI — fee thou tell no man ■+•, — though perhaps it might have been under a laudable pretence, to fpread abroad and make ma- nifeft the mighty works of Chriji.
I will not enter into the difputes concern- ing this man's difobedience : certainly, how-5 ever, his duty was to have done as Chriji directed him, to have obeyed his com-
* Deut. iv. 2.
f St. Mart's words are very ftrofig, f(x6]p*//i!a-af*s»o? «yT&>, e%t5a,tev clvtcv — having f?r iff ly andfolemnly charged bim, be forthwith difmijpd him. See Matt. xix. 30* and Doddridge's note on the p'ace, Vol. I. p. 272. w.d. of his Family Expositor,
2 mandj
96 The Cleanfing of the Lepe£." mand, and applied to the priefts. We, from this comand of our Saviour, are taught, that as he hath ordained a {landing miniftry, he will always have thofe who are converted to him, feek for him in and by that miniftry, and in the ways and means appointed. He referred Paul to Ananias, Cornelius to Peter, the Eunuch to Philip. There where he hath promifed to be always frefent *, he will have thofe who fincere- ly defire him, feek for and fue to him; and there they fhall always be afiured to find him, if they look up to him, thro' the means as acting in and by them. For though the means and ceremonies now ufed in the church of God are in them- felves a dead letter, yet by his immediate inftitution,they become efficacious and obli- gatory: nor can we have the leaft right, or the leaft reafon to expect any juftifica- tion from Chrifl, or fa notification from the fpirit, if we refufe to be baptized, and ab- fent ourfelves from the bleffed communion.
* Matt, xxviii. 20, Lo I am with TOU always^ even w.to the end of the world. See Bifhop Beveridge\ ex- cellent fcrmon on this text. Vol. I, Serm, 1.
For
The Cleanfing of the Leper, §* For thefe being means ordained of Chrift himfelf to convey to us fpiritual grace, we have no more reafon to fuppofe, that we fhall receive that grace without them, than a Leper had to fuppofe he fhould be clean- fed without the legal purifications and or- dinances. But neither will thefe avail us> unlefs we come to them as the Lepers did to the priefls under the law, and as this did to Chrift in the gofpel, under a true and feeling fenfe of our fins, an hearty forrow for all our offences, a fervent de- fire to be delivered from this body of death, and with firm faith and full per- fuafion that our mediator, who hath all power in heaven and earth, willeth not the death of a finner, but that all fhould turn to him and live. With this temper, thus contrite, humble, penitent and be- lieving, we muft wait upon him in the means of Grace, and we are then to our endlefs liappinefs affured, that this merciful high- prieft will come out to meet us, fpeak the word, and ckanfe m from all fpiritual de- filement.
G IVthly,
98 The Cleanfing of the Leper.
IVthly, But vainly fhall we hope for any other cure; and as we are all by na- ture leprous, all infected with this deadly poifon, all fpotted over with iniquity, all more or lefs under the power of fin, what mult be the confequence, if we are not cleanfed ? The wages of fin is death — tem- poral, fpiritual, and eternal. How infinite- ly blefled fhould we efteem ourfelves, that we have fuch a phyfician to whom we may thus confidently apply, whofe almigh- ty word and fovereign touch is able to difpel the moft inveterate maladies ? Did we each one of us really labour beneath the mi- feries of a bodily leprofy, and were inform- ed of fuch a phyfician, what earneft crowd- ing, what pathetic fuing, what endlefs ap- plication, would there be to him ? — Oh let us not condemn ourfelves! — let us not be more remifs in the care of our immortal fouls, lefs anxious for their everlafting health, than for that of poor perifhing bodies, fpeedily to corrupt in naufeous putrefaction! nor, with ftrange and un- reafonable pride, deny this ficknefs of our fouls, to which the fcriptures give fuch in- 2 fallible
tfhe Cleanfing of the Leper. 99 fallible teftimony, and to which our own hearts bear a teftimony no lefs infallible *. And as we cannot deny that we are grievous finners, miferable, fpotted, filthy Lepers, why fhould we refufe to wa/h and be clean ? why fhould we refufe to come to the pure fountain opened for all uncleannefs ? — why fhould we net rather receive the free gift of a cure offered us, than proudly, vainly, and foolifhly expedl it from our own weak means, our own poor and infignificant en- deavours ? We, alas, who have need of an atonement not only for our greater fins, but for our very beft fervices: we who have fuch continual need of our advocate and propitia- tion * we who can not do one good work, or perform one duty, read, hear, pray, communicate, faft or give alms, without the moft forrowful mixture of fin and im- perfection — the caufe of the good man's complaint and tears all the days of his pilgrimage, through this valley of death. But the natural man, whoje eyes are ?iot
* Read the lixth chapter of Ifuiqh and lxiv. 6. We
are ALL as an unclean things cur rightecufnejfes are as filthy rags : and we all do fade as a leaj r, and our in.- qitiiies like the wind have taken us away.
G 2 opened,
ico The Cleanfing of the LtEper. opened, hath no fuch opinion of himfelf of his duties : he thinks in a more noble and elevated manner; and is perfuaded, that his own divine reafon *, the eye of the foul, is very fufficient to guide him aright; his own works very capable of meriting luture hldfednefs. Alas to be proud in one's own eyes is a melancholy delufion in- deed. Seejl thou a man that is wife in his own conceit ? there is more hope of a fool than him ! Very far is fuch a one from that in- fant, child-like habit of mind and difpo- fition, with which our Lord allures us each muft be blefs'd, who would be his difciple, and receive that heavenly wifdom, which is not for the wife of this world, but for thofe, only who are wife to him -f. And yet one would conceive no extraordinary wifdom in any of our ftrong advocates for Deifm, or the faith of heathen men, — for can it be wifdom to counteract the decrees of omnipotence, can it be wifdom to re-
* I fpeakhere of mere natural, unenlightened reafon, which, it muft be acknowledged, is but a blind guide to follow in the broad day of revelation. For true en- lightened reafon, I would always contend in the purfuit of religious matters : lince that too is revelation.
f t;. • . xviii
fufc
The Cleanfing of the LeperJ ioi
Rife obedience to the commands of an eternal judge -? can it be wifdom to re- ject a gofpel, which the Son of God defcended from on high to eftablifh ; can it be wifdom to rejedt a Saviour whofe infinite love hath purchafed for all who will receive it, life and glory, and that by fhedding his own moft precious blood; can it be wifdom, to rejedt. that Saviour, to refufe that falvation, to tram- ple under foot that blood, the infinite price and value of which, endlefs ages will be too fhort to magnify and extol ? Oh call them no longer wife, feed not their unhappy vanity, with fuch fpecious terms, but let them know their folly; proclaim aloud their ingratitude and danger, fhew them their finfulnefs, and let them be told, fpite of all their proud boafling, " they are only the finful children of a finful father y that fo, ere it be too late, they may return and repent, that iniquity may not prove their
ruin?
Open their eyes, eternal fountain of all
light and love ■•— fufter them not, oh God
G3 of
102 \fbe Cieanfing of the Leper.
of mercy, fuffer them not to perifli in their blood -, but bring them home in true faith and repentance to thee, that their hearts defire being at length lifted up to thee, — thou may'ft fpeak the word and their leprofy be cleanfed !
Vthly, Happy is it for the foul, that per- ceives its leprofy; happy is it for the man, who fearching into his own heart, finds there this dreadful difeafe, and flying to the only prieft and iifiop of his foul, rends his garments, and in fincere forrow proclaims himfclf ancle an > unclean. And would you but examine yourfelves in fincerity, would you but ferioufly carl your eyes upon yourfelves, your duty, and your future expectations, the difeafe would foon abundantly manifeft itfelf. You would be convinced of your utter finfulnefs. If unconvinced of this, all other knowledge is unavailing : For what is the blood of Chrijl, and the unction of the holy fpirit to him who wants no cieanfing, as convinced of no unclcanncfs through fin-, v.Lo wants no holinefs/ as already fuf-
ficiently
"■The Cleanfing of the Leper, 103
ficiently jufl, honeft and upright to carry him to heaven ! But deceive not yourfelves : indeed one would judge that impoffible lay your hearts and confciences now open before God, furvey your pail lives, look upon your prefent difpofitions ; and fee what a multitude of evils, in a long fuc- ceffion, crowd thick to judge and condemn you! See what pride of heart, what vani- ty, and felf-applaufe, what envy, malice, and anger, confuming rancour, and gnaw- ing jealoufies: what a love of the world and all its vain pomps and vanities ; what a dreadful company of evil thoughts and defires, lufts fecret and unperpetrated, lufts of the will and intention, fiery pamons evil concupiscences, inordinate affedtions; — what vices in their full power and ftrength, the outward fores and biles, the manifefl- ations of the inward taint and corruption ; what extortion, covetoufnefs, drunkennefs, adultery, uncleannefs, and many other filthy works of the fleih: Add to thefe, what blafphemy and contempt of God; now little regard and love for his fervice ; how very little regard to his mod holy G 4 lav s,
1
104 The Cleanfing cf the Leper. laws, and the caufe of thofe brethren, whom he hath commanded us to love as mrfehes — alas, alas, how deficient are even the beft in this divine love, which not- withstanding is the confummation of every duty, and without which all becomes mere founding irafs, or a tinkling cymbal ! « — Let us confider thefe things — Let us prove cur ownfelveSy and examine whether they have not polluted our fouls ; whether we are not wholly covered over and de- nied with their contagion — whether they have not the full dominion and abfolute fway over us ! — Certain it is, thefe are the fruits of the flefh, the natural births of the old man : and if to the flefh we thus continue to Jbw, of the flef we can hope to reap nothing five corruption — But know- ing the fatal confequence of this diforder if uncured, knowing the fure wages of iin, if unrepented of, oh let us make hafte to be delivered therefrom, to remove the heavy burden from our back, and to take upon us, inftead, the light and eafy yoke of the meek and lowly jejus ! he alone by his cleanfmg blood, and lancYifying can give perfeft foundnefs to us, and fo
cleanfc
The Cleanfing of the Leper. 105
cleanfe our polluted faculties, as to reftore them to health, and a power of performing their feveral duties — he alone can change and purify the heart : all human power in this refpect is unavailing -, and he will af- furedly change and purify it, if we come to him, and truly requeft him to beflow that defireable bleffing.
What joy unfeigned mould it give every Chriftian, to find this change wrought in him, to have a glorious teftimony, that Chriji hath fpoken with power, and healed the foul of its leprofy ? To find his former tempers and defires perfectly changed and feparated from thofe things, wherein they before delighted ? To find the love of God taking place in his heart of the vain love of the world : and an anxious feeking after fin, the /lift ofthefejh, the lull cf the eyes, and the pride of life > driven cut of its former ftrong hold, by a far more anxious feeking after righteoufnefs, and the things which pertain unto God ? To perceive his ear no more delighted with vain converfation, but as Redeemed therefrom by the blood of Chr iff, de- lighting only in ail holy cowverfation and
?od-
c6 The Cleanfing of the Leper.'
\ •/>-, and (hewing therefrom his works witu meek nefi of wifdom ? To perceive his hands no more pleafed with the deeds of evil-doers, but rejoicing only to do good, glad to diftribute, ready to commum cat ley and labouring always in the work of the Lord: to perceive his feet no more fwift to j blood, his own and his neighbours by the acts of fin, but, fupported by the grace of God, running gladly in the way of his commandments ?
And, Vlthly, As fuch a change mufl fureiy convince him of the power of him wrho wrought it, fo mould it enlarge his heart with thankfulnefs. What infinite fatisfaclion muft the Leper have felt, when he perceived himfelf delivered from his loathfome difeafe, when he found his fa- culties reftored to their former health and foundnefs * ? But greater far greater joy
* We have a very inftrucYive leffbn of this fort, and at the fame time a frriking picture of the ingratitude of the human race, in the Samaritan Leper, the only one of the Ten cleanfej by our Saviour, who was found returning to give glory to God, when he jaw that he was healed. See St. Luke xvii. 15, &c.
will
The Cleanfing of the Leper. 107
will every firmer have in his heart, who finds the load of fin removed, who is no longer under the terror, the guilt and power of it, but, rejoicing always in the Lord, continues diligent in every good work, is careful to obey his mailer's wil!> and fcrupulous to perform it, in every the leaft particular to the utmoft of his power and knowledge ; thus alone fecuring to himfelf the bleffing conferred; and thus if perfevering faithful to the end, certain to be crowned with the crown of life, and to be rewarded with blifs unfpeakable !
Oh happy conmmmation of a life de- * voted to God and holinefs — devoutly to be wifhed, fervently to be defired of us —And we may all obtain this happy con- fummation; the Son of God hath power enough to fave, and love enough to in- cline him to exert that power on our behalf: we have mifery enough to caufe us to come in humble contrition to the foot of his crofs, and to move his compaffion towards us. And when fo coming and falling down before it, Sovereign grace will diftil there- from ; will infinuate itielf like balm into
all
io3 The Cleanfing of the LeperJ
all our wounds, heal, clea nfe, comfort and reftore us to life and favour. Our own unworthinefs can be no impediment, if we defire to be more worthy ; if we exert and put forth that defire in prayer, Chn/i will hear us, and if he hear us, he will help us, and if he help us, we fhall be fafe indeed — for if he be for us, who can be againfl us ? — Come therefore, ye leprous burdened fouls, come and cleave to the mercy and power of your redeeming God ; give up yourfelves, your fouls, and bodies to be wholly ruled and governed by him — take efpecial heed, that you obey all his divine commands, and that with chearful hope you attend him in all his appointed means — then doubt not, but he will put forth his moft pure and holy hand, touch your fouls, and fay I will be thou clean.
And oh thou powerful and moft com- panionate high prieft, who art touched with the feeling of our infirmities, difdain not, we befeech thee to come among us, and with great might fuccour us; ex- tend thy faving hand, and with the fin- ger of thy power, thy hlefled fpirit, fo touch
and
The Cleanfing of the Leper. 109
and convince us all of the evil of fin, that we may come to thee in fincere contrition, and with fervent faithful prayer implore thy divine affiftance. And let us, oh boun- tiful JefiCy let us not pray in vain; fhew forth the riches of thy power and thy mercy toward us : fpeak the word only and thy fervants Jhall be healed j deftroy all fin in us, and implant in our hearts, by thy grace, all the fruits of the blefled fpirit. Oh take thofe hearts into thine own gui- dance and government ; enable them to keep thy commandments, and fo fulfil thy holy promife of coming with thy father to dwell therein ! And feeing we are un- worthy through our manifold fins and of- fences even to prefent one prayer unto thee, we entreat thee to pardon the fins of thefe our beft, though raoft imperfect fervices, to deal not with us, according to our merits, but thine own mercies ; and gra- cioufly looking upon us, with an eye of fatherly love and pity, we befeech thee in all our dangers and neceflities to firetch forth thy right hand, to help and defend us — that protected by thy power and
faved
no
The Cleanfing of the Leper.' faved by thy mercy here, we may rejoice forever hereafter, in thy love and praife ! To whom with the Father, and the Holy Ghoft, three perfons, and one God, be afcribed all power and glory in the church, throughout all ages, world without end.. Amen.
D IS.
(in)
DISCOURSE III.
On the good Centurion.
Matthew viii. 13
And Jefus /aid unto the Centurion, Go thy way, and as thou had believed, Jo b, done unto thee. And his fervaut Wi healed in the felj-fame hour.
py£WfC*ESUS having finifhed his fer- w j w mon on the mount, as foon as ^^\&\*2S ^e came down from thence, to mew that his words and doctrine pertained both to the Jews and Gentiles, performed two miracles : the one, for a Jew, a Leper, who came to him, the other
for
ti2 On the good Centurion.
for a Gentile, a Centurion, or Roman Cap- tain, who was ftationed at Capernaum. A fervant of this Centurion, who was iiedfi to him, whofe virtue and honefty, obedience and induflry made him very valuable * in the eyes of his matter, lay at home fick of the palfey, in the moft grievous ftage of the difeafe, tormented with infufferable pains -f and ready to die. The Centurion, hearing of Jefus £ (whofe fame began How to be fpread abroad, and to which his miraculous cure performed at a diftancc upon the fon of a nobleman in this fame city |j mutt have greatly contributed) but not thinking himfelf worthy to come unto him, engaged, as St. Luke informs us, the elders of the yews in his caufe 5 and fent them to befeech this bleffed perfon, of whom he had conceived fuch high no- tions, on the behalf of his afflicted fervant^ That he would COME and HEAL him,
smpd?, of great price.
1 Poflquam mortalla fcnfit
Tentamenta nihil, ml artes pojfe mulailurr.,
Auxilium c.-v.cjh ptftf. —
|| This event preceded the prefeftt not much .:■ • / bit iv 4.3 — 5 jj.
that
On the good Centurion. 113 that he -would COME and SAVE * him, from torment and death. And they per- formed their office punctually : for they came and befought our Lord inftantly and earneftly ; and ftrengthned their importu- nity by informing him, that the Centu- rion was worthy for whom he mould do this, for he loveth OUR nation^ fay they, and as a proof of it, hath built us a fynagogue. Jefus, ever ready to do good, made them no reply, but immediately went with them. The Centurion, hearing that he was coming, moved by the moft remarkable humility, and deeming his houfe unworthy the prefence of fo divine a gueft, imme- diately difmifTed his friends to defire the Majler not to give himfelf fo great trou- ble as to enter under the roof of one who judged himfelf fo far from being worthy of this great condefcenfion, that he thought himfelf not even worthy to come to Jefus, much lefs to have Jefus come to him -, his humble requeft was, that he would but deign to fpeak the word only, fince he was allured, that wrould be fufficient for
H the
H4 ®n ^3e 2°°d Centurion. the recovery of his fcrvant. But humility never yet prevented Chrift's approach : nay rather, the greater the humility, the fooner will he manifeft his divine prefence. And therefore he proceeded on towards the Centurion's houfe : Coming near to which, the Centurion himfelf, (as St. Mat- thew informs us, and thus the facred hif- torians are eafily reconciled) haftened out to meet him; and, with the molt profound veneration, the deepeft felf-abafement, and the livelieft faith, Lord, faid he, trouble not thyfelf, for I am not worthy that thou fioitld'Jl come under my roof, but fpeak the WORD only, and my fervant fall be healed. For I fully and firmly apprehend and believe the divinity and excellence of thy power, from a comparative view of my own office and ftation s wherein, though I am indeed fub- jecl: myfelf to the authority of others, yet have I foldiers under me, who are obedient even to my commands ; for, I fay unto one. Go, and he goeth ; and to another, Come and he cometh ; and to my fervant, Do this, and he doethit* Now if I, who am thus under the command and authority of o-
thers,
Oh the good Centurion. 115
thers, can have my will performed by a word fpeaking ; — how much rather canft thou who art the Lord *, the Jehovah, the expected Meffiah, and who, as is manifeft from thy mighty works already performed, haft all things in thy power ; — how much rather canft thou do, what feemeth thee good, by fpeaking that wcrd, which all the creatures, thy fubjedts and fefvants, ftand ready in a moment to fulfil ?" When je~ fits heard this notable confefnon, he mar- velled, — as man, he marvelled at that faith, which as God, he himfelf had given : and turning himfelf about to the people that followed, he faid unto them, Verily, I fay unto you, I have not found fo great faith, no not in ISRAEL, not in the chofen and pecidiar people, as in this Gentile. And influenced by the like humility and faith with him, I declare unto you, as an im-
* St. 'Jerom upon this plaee, fays, Intra corporis tegmen, divinitatem latentem videbat, f:iens non id fibi profuturum, quod etiem a'o incredulls videbatur, fed id quod latebat iritrinfecus -, " that he faw within the " covering of the body, the divinity lying hid, and u knew, that not that, which even unbelievers faw, " would profit him, but that which lay concealed *< withki."
H z portant
n6 On the good Centurion: portant truth, many Gentiles (hall come from the Eajl and Weft, from the utmoft parts of the earth, and fhall fit down with Abraham, and Ifaac and Jacob in the king- dom of heaven, the realm of everlafting glory. While the children of the king- dom, the Jews to whom fertaineth the adoption, &c. * fhall be rejected, fhall be caft out — even into outer darknefs -j- -y there mall be weeping and gnafhing of teeth." Having thus taken an occafion to give the Jews, who were prefent, an alarming ad-
* Rom. be. 4.
f There is a prodigious emphafis in the original words which our tranflation in a great degree hath preferved — Exj3**j0»<ro;a-a» Afro axo7o<; to E^uiTEfov. They /hall not only be cajl out., — that were bad enough — but they (hall be cajl out into darknefs, — what can be worfe? Behold they fhall be caji out into o-xotos to Ef«-- «fo», the very outer darknefs: and how is this aug- mented by the next words, there pall be weeping, 'ijfc.f The very reading of thefe terrors are pain enough — but, what, oh, what muft be the enduring
of them ? ■ ct Many commentators have obferved
(fays one) that this phrafe which is often ufed after the kingdom of heaven has been compared to a banquet, contains a beautiful allufion to the luftreof thofe illuminated rooms, in which fuch feafts were generally celebrated; as oppofed to that darknefs which furrounded thofe, who by night were turned out. But ir alfo fometimes goes yet farther, when the perfons excluded are fuppofed to be thrown into a dark dungeon/'
monitioa
On the good Centurion, 117 monition, the force of which was irrefifti- ble from the ruler's own teftimony to the worth of this Roman commander : he difmifTed him with this encouraging reply, Go thy way, and as thou ha (I believed, (ac- cording to thy faith) Jo be it done unto thee. And his fervant was healed in the felf-fame hour-, as they that were fent, foon dif- covered, upon their return to the houfc, where they found the fervant, that had been lick, that even now was grievouily tormented and ready to die, perfectly re« ftored to life and health.
In this ftory three particulars more ef- pecially demand our attention,
Ift, The great humility of this Centurion, — fo far was he from thinking himfelf, worthy the prefence of J{fus under his roof, that he did not think himfelf even worthy to come to him, and therefore he fends the elders of the Jews, and his friends to intercede for him.
lid, The faith of the Centurion — which was fo great as to caufe Chrifl himfelf to marvel, and which was fo fincere, that it ob- tained even all he defired— -as thou hajl be- lieved fo be it done unto thee.
H 3 Hid,
1 1 8 On the good Centurion.
Hid, The remarkable prophecy, which our Lord here delivers concerning the re- jection of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles ; which gracious difpenfation, fo happy for us, who are of the Gentiles, he now firft mentions, to (hew, that humili- ty and faith, like the Centurion's, will ren- der all, in every place and nation, accepted with him, who is no refpedler ofperfons.
To each of thefe I mail fpeak in then- order, but more fully to the two firft par- ticulars ; fince it is, this deep humility, and this lively faith only, which can caufe our Saviour readily to come to us ; and perform for our fouls, which lye lick at home, that which we dejire for them : — and may he by his divine fpirit, fo enlighten all our eyes, that we may fee ourfelves as we are by nature, in the condition of this Centurion's fervant, like this Centurion be found ftrong in faith j like him, in humility apply to Chrijl 5 like him fucceed on their be- half, and be difmiffed with this encouraging an.fwer, Go thy way, and as thou haft believed, fo it be done unto thee !
ift,
On the good Centurion. 119
Ift, Then, we are to confider, the great humility of this Centurion. You fee how differently the * Jews rate his merits, from what he does himfelf -, they tell our Lord, that, " he is worthy for whom he mould do this ; they — full, as they were, of their own righteoufnefs, Jceking to ejlablifjj which t (St. Paul fays) they did ?iot Jubmit unto the righteoufnefs of God — they proclaim his merits aloud, and declare, that his good works did indeed deferye the deflred blef- ling : and Chrift, by his readinefs to grant the requeft, fufficiently (hewed, that he was well f leafed with thefe good works of the Centurion, whom he knew to be himfelf very far from confiding in them, very far from efteeming himfelf, as the Jews efleem- ed him ; which if he had done, the fuc-
* Dr. Doddridge in his improvement of this hiflory, a very pie?fing and excellent part of his commentary, ol ferves with that ipirit of good -nature, which is fo peculiar to him, " We fee the force of real goodnefs to conquer the moft inveterate prejudices: The elders of the Jews at Capernaum turn petitioners for a Gen- tile, for a Roman Centurion : fo may we difarm the vi- rulency of a party fpirit, and conciliate the friendfhip of thofe, who otherwife might have their eyes upon us for evil! See Family Expof. Vol. I. p. 341.
H 4 cefs
120 On the good Centurion;
cefs would have been widely different* Though they came with a Lord, he is wor- thy, behold how oppofite is the Centurion's confeffion ! / thought myfelf, faith he, not even worthy to come unto thee, O Lord, much lefs can 1 think myfelf worthy, that thou (hculdfl come under my roof * -y he faw the imperfedion of his faith, and of all his works j he faw his own wretched finfulnefs, unworthinefs and weaknefs in the fight of an holy God ; and therefore perfectly hum- bled before him, difclaimed every title to any merit, and in lowly dependance threw himfelf at the feet of Jefus.
And yet this Centurion, if any man had much wherein to glory : he, as is plain from that regard which he ihewed to the Jewi/Jj nation (for he loveth our na- tion , and hath built us a fynagogue) had em- braced the dodlrines of the prophets, and
* St. Aujlln obferves, that this Centurion, dicendo fe indignant, pnejiitit dignum, non in cujus parietes, fed in cujus cor verb urn Dei Chriftus intraret — by faying that he was umuorthy^ rendered himfelf worthy not of re- ceiving the Word of God, Chrijj under his roof only, but into his heart / See his works, Tom. i o. Serm. 6.
was
On the good Centurion. 121
was an humble waiter for the kingdom of the Mejfiah, one of thofe, who amongft the Jews were called devout perfons *, receiving neither circumcilion, nor the ceremonies of the law, but the dodrine of the prophets only, concerning the hope oflfrael, and the expectation of all nations : he fliewed his zeal, for this dodtrine, by building a fyna- gogue, a great and expenfive work, where it might be preached ; and was what God, by the prophet Ifaiah, calls one of the nurfmg children of the church -f : And befides this regard which he fhewed to God and works of piety, he alfo fhewed a true love to man, true and fincere benevolence, by that kind concern, which he had for his fervant, and that at a time when fervants were ef- teemed little better than the verieft flaves. He was none of your firfl table-men only, (a dangerous and abfurd diftinftion made fome times by Chriflian writers, efpecially thofe of the laft age) but a zealous ob- ferver of all God's commandments. : as
* A&sii. 5. and viii. 2, f Ifaiah xJix, 23,
this
122 On the gccd Centurion.
this inftance abundantly proves, at the fame time that it ferves to manifeft the particu- lar goodnefs of his mind : " great variety of fuitors reforted to Chrifi, dne came to him for a Son, another for a Daughter, a third for himfelf : I fee none come for his Servant, but this one Centurion; nei- ther was he a better man than a mailer ; his fervant is fick -y he doth not drive him out of doors, but takes care of him at home ; neither doth he fland gazing by his bed- fide, but feeks forth ; he feeks forth not to vain and improfitable means, but to Ckrijl : he feeks to Chriji not with a cold and fafhionable relation, but with a vehe- ment aggravation of the difeafe. Had the mafter been fick, the faithfulleft fervant could have done no more. He is unwor- thy to be well ferved, that will not fometimes wait on his followers ; notions of inferiori- ty mull not breed in us a neglect of cha- ritable offices ; fo mull: we look down up- on our fervants here on earth, as that we muft ftill look up to our mafter in heaven" f. And thus did this Centu- rion,
f Szz Bifhop Hall's Contemplations, Vol. II. p. 52.
And
On the good Centurion. 123 rion, both regarding his mafter in heaven, and his fervant on earth ; thus fhewing true love to God as well as to man, and having on this account, (as much as any man) fomething whereof to boaft; yet fo far is he from any fyllable of merit, or f elf -right ecu fnefs> that he declares himfelf utterly unworthy > unworthy even to come to Chrz/l, much more unworthy to be vifited by this divine and all-powerful Lord !
How admirable a pattern of humility is this ! — what a glafs for every child of man to behold himfelf in! how much fhould it teach us to difcard every the leaft tendency to felf-efteem and felf-applaufe, while yet we are as diligent to obtain jufl: reafon for it as this Centurion had ! Ab- folute felf-renunciation amid ft continual works of faith and labours of love is the true humility — and not that which is falfe-
And it is with great fatisfa&ion that I take this op- portunity to recommend to my worthy reader's ac- quaintance this pious and fine writer's works, but more particularly his Contemplations — and I dare pronounce, that the more intimate you, my good reader and this holy Bifhop become, the more thanks I fhali receive for introducing you to the familiarity of fo wife a friend.
1^4 ®n ^Je g°°d Centurion, ly pretended as a covering for our real want of all deferving, or as a wretched cloak for fpiritual pride. This humility caufeth us always to have a quick eye to the evils of our own heart, and as quick a one to the virtues of others ; to efteem our- felves in the loweft degree — for the hum- ble man is well acquainted with his own fins and unworthinefs, better, far better, than he can be with thofe of others, and therefore he prefers all others to himfelf. This humility fhews us ourfelves ; and, in- forms us, that though indeed unworthy of any the leaft favour from God, nay juftly meriting his fevereft indignation — yet, as defirous to fhew our moil imperfect love and gratitude for his mercies in Chrifi Jefus, we muft be careful to maintain all thofe good works, which he hath ordained for us to walk in : and after having done all we can, to approve ourfelves faithful in that ftate of life, wherein it hath pleafed God to place us, we muft be content to acknow- ledge ourfelves but unprofitable fervants ; and be ready to fay in fincerity, enter not into judgment \ with thy fervant> O Lord,
for
On the good Centurion. 125
for in thy fight Jhall no man living be jujli- fied.
The beft and moft exalted Chriftians are ever moft humble : and it is their humility which makes them the beft Chriftians : for they are ever beft in the fight of God, who are worft, even nothing, in their own : and in truth this felf-annihilation, this efteeming ourfelves as mere finful duft and afhes be- fore God, is a mark at which we are all bound to aim; and without a conftant la- bour to attain it, we cannot be the difciples ofChrifl, who hath taught us, that whofoever exalt eth himfelf Jhall be abafed, and whofoever humbleth himfelf, Jhall be exalted -, a (ca* tence well worthy our obfervation, and re- peated more frequently than any other of our Lord's in the GofpeU It is this humi- lity which procures God's favour to us, and which doth for every man what it did for this Centurion, renders Chrijl ever willing to come, and grant the requeft of his lips — 1 will come and heal himy faid Jefus immediately; had the Centurion ex- alted him/elf made proud boafting of his
own
126 On the good Centurion.
own defert, of his regard to the Jewifi: nation, the fynagogue he had built, the care he had for his fervant, of his virtue, religion, and humanity, with a cc God, I lhank thee,'" joined to it ; Ghrift would have turned from him with indignation as from the hypocritic pharifees, and his fervant had never been cured; but he acted a contrary part, he humbled himfelf, andfo was exalted.
Would you therefore receive the blef- fings and exalting benefits of the gofpel, fee that like this Roman, you are humbled in your own eyes ; learn from him to place no value in your own performances, but to confefs your utter want of all deferving in the fight of a juft and holy God ; la- bour to be as exemplary as he was in the love of God and man, and you will certain- ly be as humble: for c< love alone is truly humble, becaufe fhe alone thanks God for all the good me fees in others, and always infpires thofe, whofe heart fhe has purified with an earned and fincere defire of fee- ing their brethren prefered to themfelves
in
On the good Centurion. 127 in every thing. *" And as there is a na- tural and neceffary connection between thefe graces of humility, love and faith, of confequence the one will promote and eftablifli the other ; the higher your love, the deeper your humility will be 5 the deeper your humility the more firm and lively your faith 5 and it is God's infalli- ble word and firm decree, as thou haft be- lieved, jo be it done unto tbee, which wras the reward of the Centurion's faith 5 the
lid Thing I propofed to confider; and may the giver of all faith fo root and ground us in the abovementioned humi- lity and love, that our faith may be found- ed thereon as on a rock, and we, with a fingle eye to God, walk worthy our high vocation and calling, as fully per- fuaded, that what he hath promifed, he is alfo able to perform.
This faith of the Centurion, you perceive, as thus rooted in humility, tower'd very high, and prevailed even with heaven :
* This is a remark of St. Jujiin'ls, as you will find by reading the Charaffers of Cha> ity, p. 1 9.
and
128 On the good Centurion. and it is a wonderful consideration to think, that fo great is the victory of faith *, that it can overcome not only the world, but God alfo, (if I may be allowed fo to fpeakj who gives himfelf, as it were, into the power of faith, and declares, that all things are ftojjible to htm that believeth.
The Centurion believed and confeffed, that Jefus was the LORD : that of ne- ceffity, his divine power was unlimited, and he could do, whatfoever feemed him good — Speak the WORD ONLT, faid he, and my fervant fljall be healed. As much
* I muft requeft of the reader, whenever I fpeak of faith as a fimple grace, not to underftand me, as tho' I meant any bare ajfent only, any bold perfuafion, or mere a£t of believing, but always fuch a faith, as is founded in humility, and accompanied with divine love — a faith working by love. — Seeing I do from my heart believe, that a faith, hov/ever diftinguifhed or however nicely defined, which is not built upon true repentance and accompanied with the fruits ofholinefs, — with all good works, — is only a faith of devils, and will never avail to any man's falvation. I fpeak here of living atting men, and mean not to puzzle the caufe as fome have done, with diftin&ions concerning dying people, and the inftance of the thief on the crofs fo often pro- duced. This is another confideration ; it is not ours to limit the mercy of God : one of the Fathers upon this inftance obferves very wifely — ct That we have one fuch inftance given us to prevent defyair, and but one, to prevent prefumption"
On the good Centurion. 129
3s to fay ; thou art divine and all-power- ful; thou, as Lord, haft all things under thy command and direction: fpeak there- fore the word only : give but the command, and thy minifters, all difeafes, as well as every creature, mail obey thee : and that word which could fay, Let there be light, and there was light , which could fpeak, audit was done, command and it flood f aft : which could fay to the feas, Be flill, and to the winds, Peace — that almighty word (hail be found prevailing in behalf of the para- lytic fervant." And he builds his confidence upon a very rational prefumption, even his own power over thefe that were fubjedl to him, and who were ready to execute his commands at a word : to whom he had no need to fay more, than Come, and they came, Go, and they went, Do this, and they did it. Much more, therefore, reafcned he, can this divine perfon, who is Lord of all, by fpeaking one word, not only deliver from the moit inveterate difeafe, but per- form whatfoever he pleafeth ; feeing all nature is at his command, and every crea- ture flands readv to execute his orders.
N°. *, I How
12,0 On the good Centurion.
How ilmple and natural is this compa- nion, how ftrong the reafoning deduced from it — how obvious the fact to all our notices, and yet how very rarely applied by us, as by this Centurion, to ftrengthen