ftrefs he juftly lays on the indifpenfable neceffity of repent ance, yet he tells his followers at the fame time, that it was to Chrift only, and to his death, that they were to look for the pardon of their fins. "Behold," fays he, "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the fins of the world !"* And again," he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son hath not life, but the wrath of God abideth on him."+ Since then the expiation of fint by the facrifice of Chrift is a doctrine not only taught in the Gospel itself, but enforced alfo by him who came only to prepare the way for it; it is evident, from the care taken to apprize the world of it even before Chriftianity was promulgated, how important and effential a part this must be of that divine religion.

1

Laftly, it will be of ufe to obferve, what the particular method was which John made use of to prepare men for the reception and the belief of the Gofpel; for whatever means he applied to the attainment of that end, the fame probably we fhall find the most efficacious for a fimilar purpose at this very day.

Now it is evident that the Baptift addreffed himself, in the first instance, not to the understanding, but to the heart. He did not attempt to convince his hearers, but to reform them; he did not fay to them, go and study the prophets, examine with care the pretenfions of him whom I announce, and weigh accurately all the evidences of his divine miffion; he well knew how all this would end, in the then corrupt ftate of their minds. His exhortation was therefore, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." It was on this principle he reproved with fo much feverity the pharifees and fadduces who came to his baptism, whom one would think he should rather have encouraged and commended, and receiv ed with open arms. "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth, therefore, fruits meet for repentance." Till you have done this, till you have purified your hearts and abandoned your fins, my baptifm will be of no use to you, and all the rea foning in the world will have no effect upon you. In perfe ↑ John, iii. 36. Matth. iii. 7, 8,

• Luke, i. 29.

conformity to this, Jofephus informs us, that John exhorted the Jews not to come to his baptifm, without first preparing themfelves for it by the practice of virtue, by a strict adherence to the rules of equity and juftice in their dealings with one another, and by manifefting a fincere piety towards God.

This is the preparation he required; and thus it is that we also must prepare men for the reception of divine truth. We must first reform, and then convince them. It is not in general the want of evidence, but the want of virtue that makes men infidels; let them cease to be wicked, and they will foon cease to be unbelievers. "It is with the heart," fays St. Paul (not with the head)" that man believeth unto righteousness."* Correct the heart, and all will go right. Unless the foil is good, all the feed you cast upon it will be wafted in vain. In the parable of the fower we find, that the only feed which came to perfection was that which fell on good ground, on an honest and a good heart. This is the first and most effential requifite to belief. Unbelievers complain of the myfteries of revelation; but we have the highest authority for faying, that in general the only mystery which prevents them from receiving it, is the mystery of iniquity.

We hear, indeed, a great deal of the good nature, the benevolence, the generofity, the humanity, the honor, and the other innumerable good qualities of those that reject the Gofpel; and they may poffibly poffefs fome oftentatious and popular virtues, and may keep clear from flagrant and difreputable vices. But whether fome grofs depravity, fome inveterate prejudice, or some leaven of vanity and felf-conceit, does not commonly lurk in their hearts, and influence both their opinions and their practices, they who have an extensive acquaintance with the writings and the conduct of that clafs of men will find no difficulty in deciding. If however this was the decision of man only, the juftnefs of it might be controverted, and the competency of the judge denied. It might be faid, that it is unbecoming and prefumptuous in any human being to pass severe cenfures on large bodies of men; and that without being able to look into the heart of man, it is impoffible to form a right judgment of his moral charac

Rom. x. 10.

ter.

This we do not deny. But if he who actually has that power of looking into the heart of man, if he who is per fectly well acquainted with human nature, and all the vari ous characters of men; if he has declared that men love darknefs rather than light, because their deeds are evil,* who will controvert the truth of that decifion? On this authority then we may fecurely rely, and may reft affured, that whatever pretences may be fet up for rejecting revelation, the grand obftacles to it are, indolence, indifference, vice, paffion, prejudice, felf-conceit, pride, vanity, love of fingularity, a disdain to think with the vulgar, and an ambition to be con fidered as fuperior to the reft of mankind in genius, penetration, and discernment. It is by removing thefe impediments in the first place that we must prepare men, as St. John did, for embracing the religion of Chrift. Thefe (to make use of prophetic language) are the mountains that must be made low; thefe the crooked paths that must be made straight these the rough places that must be made plain. Then all difficulties will be removed, and there will be A HIGH WAY FOR OUR GOD. Then there will be a smooth and easy ap proach for the Gofpel to the understanding, as well as to the heart; there will be nothing to oppofe its conqueft over the foul. THE GLORY OF THE LORD SHALL FULLY BE RE VEALED, AND ALL FLESH SHALL SEE IT.

LECTURE IV.

MATTHEW iv.-former part.

THE

HE fourth chapter of St. Matthew, at which we are now arrived, opens with an account of that most fin gular and extraordinary tranfaction, THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST IN THE WILDERNESS. The detail of it is as fol lows;

"Then was Jefus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil: and when he had fafted forty days and forty nights he was afterwards an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, if thou be the Son of God, com mand that these ftones be made bread. But he answered and faid, it is written man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and fetteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and faith unto him, if thou be the Son of God, caft thyfelf down; for it is written, he shall give his angels charge, concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, left at any time thou dafh thy foot against a stone. Jefus faid unto him, thou fhalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and fheweth him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, and faith unto him, all these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.. Then faid Jefus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, thou fhalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only fhalt thou ferve. Then the devil leaveth him, and behold angels came and miniftered unto him."*

Such is the history given by the Evangelifts of our Lord's temptation, which has been a fubject of much difcuffion

Matth. iv. I-II.

among learned men. It is well known in particular that several ancient commentators as well as many able and pious men of our own times, have thought that this temptation was not a real tranfaction, but only a vifion or prophetic trance, fimilar to that which Ezekiel defcribes in the 8th chapter of his prophecy, and to that which befel St. Peter when he faw a vessel descending unto him from heaven, and let down to the earth.* And it must be acknowledged that this opinion is fupported by many fpecious arguments, and feems to remove some confiderable difficulties. But upon the whole there are I think stronger reafons for adhering to the literal interpretation, than for recurring to a vifionary representation.

For in the first place, it is a rule admitted and established by the best and most judicious interpreters, that in explaining the facred writings we ought never, without the most apparent and moft indifpenfable neceffity, allow ourselves the liberty of departing from the plain, obvious, and literal meaning of the words. Now, I conceive that no fuch neceffity can be alledged in the prefent inftance. It is true, that there are in this narrative many difficulties, and many extraordinary, furprifing, and miraculous incidents. But the whole history of our Saviour is wonderful and miraculous from beginning to end; and if whenever we meet with a difficulty or a miracle, we may have recourse to figure, metophor, or vifion, we shall foon reduce a great part of the facred writings to nothing elfe. Befides, thefe difficulties will feveral of them admit of a fair folution; and where they do not, as they affect no article of faith or practice, they must be left among thofe infcrutable myfteries which it is natural to expect in a revelation from heaven. This we must after all be content to do, even if we adopt the idea of vision; for aven that does not remove every difficulty, and it creates fome that do not attach to the literal interpretation.

2. In the next place, I cannot find in any part of this narrative of the temptation the flightest or moft distant intimation that it is nothing more than a vision. The very firft words with which it commences feem to imply the di

• Acts x. 10-16,