SECTION II.

Of the difcovery which Jefus gave of his character, and office, by the miracles which he wrought.

IN

'N the following part of this effay, we are to confider thofe marks of dignity and merit in the Lord Jefus Chrift, which proceeded more immediately from himself, and were the effects of his own extraordinary wifdom, power and goodnefs. By the events already mentioned, the Father' bore witnefs of 'him.' By those which we are now to mention, he bore witnefs of himself."

As God did not mark the dignity of his Son by the external honours and distinctions of this world, so Jesus Christ himself did not choose to be diftinguished, or to mark the merit and importance of his character, by any of thofe talents and abilities, by which the ambition, and the pride of men make them fond to be diftinguished.

'Tis by extensive science or inventions in ufeful arts, by skill in politics, or arms, and the like accomplishments, that men ftrive to acquire the admiration of their fellow men, and to raise themfelves to dignity and eminence; and in each of thefe, it must be own.

ed, there is an excellence and merit, which naturally raises admiration and respect. There is at the fame time, a different kind of excellence, which though less generally admired, deferves the highest admiration and efteem, viz. that which lies in the virtuous and benevolent affections of the heart; and which, without folliciting the honours and distincti ons of the world, is fatisfied with the fecret honour and reward which arifes from itself. Thofe virtuous and benevolent affections of the heart, when they are directed by fufficient wisdom, and supported by fufficient power, and are exerted in fome great and extenfive fphere of life, conftitute the highest excellence, and exhibit to our view the most refpectable and amiable character.

At the fame time it ought to be observed, that thefe good affections of the heart may be directed and applied to two different purposes. Ift, They may lead a man to employ the pow er and wifdom of which he is poffeffed, in promoting the external and temporary interests of mankind, arifing from the outward conveniencies, or ornaments of life; or, 2dly, They may lead him to promote thofe internal and immortal interefts of men, which are founded on the wisdom, piety and virtue of their hearts. The firft of thefe interefts are promoted by the literary, the mechanical, the

commercial, or the political arts of life; the latter are promoted by moral, and religious inftructions, and by virtuous example. When the kind affections of the heart are directed and applied to the last of these ends, they are then undoubtedly in the nobleft direction: and if, under this direction, they arc fupported by fufficient power and wisdom, they form a character of the higheft merit and impor

tance.

Now herein Jefus placed the merit of his character; neglecting thofe inferior kinds of excellence which gratify the curiofity and vanity of man, or are fubfervient only to the outward ornament, and happiness of life; overlooking the diftinctions which arise from fcience, eloquence, politics, and arms; he chofe to be diftinguifhed only by the piety and goodness of his heart, and by fuch exertions of his power and wisdom, as were requifite either to enfure, or to extend the effects of his benignity: and the bleffings which he laboured to spread among mankind, were not the external temporary bleffings of this life; but those internal and immortal bleffings which proceed from wisdom, piety and virtue. It was the business of his life, to establish upon this foundation, the present tranquillity and happiness of men, and their future, and immortal welfare in the kingdom of his Father.

That this was the peculiar excellence and merit of his character, will eafily appear from the hiftory of his life. The Evangelifts have not indeed atteinpted to give a defcription of his character, or to draw it in form. No effort of this kind appears in the history of the gofpel. They have only given a fimple narration of the conduct and tranfactions of his life, and left the world from thence to form their judgment of his character. When they relate his most deserving and illustrious actions, they do it without any expreffions of applause, and in the fame calm and artless manner in which they have recorded the least important circumftances of his life.

There feems to be in this refpect, a fimplicity of manner peculiar to the writers of the gofpel; and it gives a ftrong prefumption of their candour and fincerity. Hiftorians who write the lives of eminent and illuftrious men, (how candid foever in their narratives) are not able to conceal their prepoffeffions in their favour, or the art which they employ to embellish and exalt the merit of their character. But a fimple narrative of facts, without the fmallest effort in the writer to embellifh them, or to fet them in any other light than what they must appear in, to every one, after they are fimply told, gives a very strong prefumption both of the knowledge and veracity

C

of the writer, and that without being heated or mifled by his own imagination, he hath given an unaffected recital of real facts, of which he had the most undoubted certainty.

In order then to ascertain the character of Jefus Chrift, we must enquire into the meafures of his conduct, as recorded in the hiftory of the gofpel: and from these we may be able to form the most exact and certain judgment of it; for it is strongly markt in every circumftance and action of his life.

There is in every character, confiftent with itself, fome ruling principle or paffion, which gives it its peculiar diftinction: and in order to perceive the different parts of which it is composed, in their proper light, we must confider them in their connexion with this ruling principle. Attempting in this manner to afcertain the character of Jefus Chrift, it will ap pear from the records of the gospel, that the • ruling principle of his life was a compaffionate concern for the miseries of men; especially those fatal and eternal miferies which flow from ignorance of God, depravity and guilt, together with an ardent, generous defire to reftore them to the oppofite felicity, arifing from religious wifdom and immortal life; animated in this defire, by the thought, that by promoting these important and everlasting interests of men, he did the will of God, and