they who pretend to any principle, or any religion, will do well to remember, that He who has the fole right of regulating our conduct, and who alone can inform us on what terms he will receive or reject us for ever, He has prescribed to us a very different course of behaviour. He requires from us, not merely the appearance, but the reality; not the "form only, but the power of godliness." He holds out the fame rule of life to high

and low, to rich and poor: "He regardeth "not the perfons of men;" and, if he has given any one human being" a licence to fin," let that licence be produced, He commands us not to conform to a corrupt world, not to flatter and dissemble, in order to please and deceive all mankind, but, " IN SIMPLI86 CITY AND GODLY SINCERITY to have our "conversation in the world *." What some call pardonable infirmities, He calls vices of the heart; and plainly tells us that they defile the man. And, to cut off all hopes of indulgence to any favourite fin, even though surrounded with a constellation of virtues, he declares, that whofoever fhall keep the “whole law, and yet offend in one point, he "is guilty of all."

2 Cor. i. 12.

+ Matth. xv. 18. SERMON

SERMON XVII.

LUKE iv. 17, 18, 19, 20.

AND THERE WAS DELIVERED UNTO HIM THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ESAIAS; AND WHEN HE HAD OPENED THE BOOK, HE FOUND THE PLACE WHEREIN IT WAS WRITTEN,

THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE HATH APPOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR; HE HATH SENT ME TO HEAL THE BROKEN-HEARTED, TO PREACH DELIVERANCE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERING OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND; TO SET AT LIBERTY THEM THAT ARE BRUISED,

TO PREACH THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.

AND HE CLOSED THE BOOK, AND HE GAVE IT AGAIN TO THE MINISTER, AND SAT DOWN; AND THE EYES OF ALL THEM THAT WERE IN THE SYNAGOGUE WERE FASTENED ON HIM.

N this manner did our gracious Redeemer

IN

open his divine commiffion; with a dignity and a tenderness, both of language and

of

of fentiment, which we shall in vain look for in any other public teacher of religion. We may easily conceive, that after he had uttered this noble prophecy," the eyes of all them "that were in the fynagogue" would be "fastened on him." They all immediately "bare him witnefs, and wondered at the

gracious words that proceeded out of his "mouth." This admiration indeed of theirs foon gave way to far other emotions, and, in confequence of the juft reproof they received from him, for their perverfe and fenfeless prepoffeffions against him, "they were filled with

wrath, and thruft him out of their city*." But we, who have no fuch prejudices and paffions as theirs to mislead our judgements and overpower our natural feelings, muft neceffarily be filled with love and reverence towards him, when we read that fublime and affecting declaration of his intentions, which is conveyed in the words of the text. We cannot but perceive that "the Spirit of the "Lord was indeed upon him," and that he was in truth the perfon to whom the paffage in Ifaiah, which he recited, evidently referred. We know that our Lord moft compleatly ye

* Luke iv. 28, 29.

rified the words of the prophet, both in their literal and their spiritual meaning. He preached the Gofpel to the poor in fortune, the poor in fpirit, and the poor in religious knowledge. He healed the broken-hearted.; he raised and comforted thofe that were oppreffed with calamity, with disease, and with fin. To him that was bowed down, with infirmity either of body or of foul, his language was, "Son, be of good cheer, thy fins "be forgiven thee; go in peace, and fin no "more." "He ftrengthened the weak hands, " and confirmed the feeble knees; he said to "them that were of a fearful heart, Be strong, "fear not, behold your God will come. He "will come, and fave you *." "He gave

fight alfo to the blind;" he removed the

film from the mental, as well as from the corporeal eye; and to thofe that "fat in. "darkness, and in the fhadow of death," he disclosed at once the cheerful light of day, and the still more glorious light of divine, truth. "To the captives," to them that were "bruifed, he preached deliverance." He preached a doctrine which not only re

*Ifaiah xxxv. 3,4.

leafed

leafed from spiritual bondage those that had been enthralled and led captive by their fins, but fo foftened and fubdued the moft ferocious minds, and diffused throughout the earth fuch a spirit of mildness, gentleness, mercy, and humanity, that the heavy chains of perfonal flavery were gradually broken in moft parts of the Christian world; and they that had been for fo many ages bruised by the cruel and oppreffive hand of pagan masters, were at length fet free.

Thus did our bleffed Lord accomplish what the prophet foretold, and what he, by the infpiration of that "fpirit which was upon "him," fo explicitly applied to himself. It is therefore evidently incumbent on those who are the appointed teachers of his religion, and more especially on that VENERABLE SOCIETY, whofe profeffed defign and province is THE PROPAGATION OF HIS GOSPEL IN FOREIGN PARTS, to tread as nearly as they can in the steps of their heavenly master, and carry on, to the best of their abilities, that gracious and benevolent work which he begun. It was plainly one great purpose of his life to relieve mifery of every kind, and under every shape;