maintains, amidst the most unpromising circumstances. He knows that in this stupendous universe, there must be many things that lie beyond our comprehension.-As yet thou seest no more than the rise of the Divine government, the beginnings of a great plan which is not to be completed until the course of ages shall end. Meanwhile darkness must be allowed, for wise reasons, to remain upon many things; severe restraints must be imposed on conduct, and occasional sufferings must be endured. If thou sufferest, sigh, and be silent; wait, and be patient. Presume not to exalt thy weak reason against the revelations of Heaven, nor to give vent to thy impatient complaints against the ordinations of thy Supreme Governor. Think with awe, and speak with caution, of what is so much above thee. Wait till thy being shall be unfolded; till it shall have passed through the necessary steps that shall gradually prepare thee for beholding the secrets of the universe; for understanding the counsels of the God who made it. In the meantime, be content to submit and to adore. Let no other voice be heard from thee but this; "Thou hast made me, Oh God! and I am thine, for in "thee I live and move, and have my being. Wherever thou "commandest me to go, I follow. Whatever thou appointest 46 me to suffer, I bear without murmur. It is my part to per"severe in my duty; all the rest I leave to Thee; to Thee, "whose wisdom I revere, whose goodness I have so often ex"perienced; in whom therefore I repose implicit trust that all "shall end well, and the righteous be made finally happy.". Good is the word which the Lord hath spoken. Not my will, but His be done. Behold, here I am. Let him do to his ser

vant as seemeth good to him.*

Such are the principal dispositions which it becomes us to preserve towards God; to preserve towards Him at all times; not in the solemn hours of devotion only, but when we act in the busy world, or when we walk in retirement amidst the scenes of nature. If this union of reverence, gratitude, and submission, habitually possess our minds, they will of course shoot forth into what is termed delighting ourselves in God; thinking of him with peculiar complacency and warmth of affection; and elevating us sometimes into a sacred transport when we draw nigh to him in acts of immediate worship, in prayer and praise. Then is the season when the fulness of the soul gives rise to those sublime and pathetic effusions of piety which are recorded of saints in former times: My soul thirsteth for God; for the living God: when shall I come and appear before him? I will lift up my hands in thy name; my soul shall be satisfied as

* 2 Kings, xx. 19. Luke xxi

2 Sam. xv. 26.

with marrow and with fatness, when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee. O, that I know where to find him, that I might come even to his seat !*-When such sentiments as these, of ardent affection towards God, chastened by reverence and submission, as well as warmed by gratitude, predominate in our hearts, and when they exert their proper influence in purifying and regulating our life, we may then be truly said to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, and soul, and strength, and mind.

*Ps. xlii. 2. Ps. lxiii. 5, 6. Ps. lxv. 4, Job, xxiii. 3.

SERMON LXXIV.

ON THE MORAL CHARACTER OF CHRIST.

Jesus of Nazareth-who went about doing good.-ACTS, x. 30.

THERE are two great aspects under which we may contemplate the appearance of our blessed Lord on the earth. One is, his coming into the world in order to make expiation to Divine justice, by his sufferings and death for the guilt of the human race. The other is, his coming to act as the enlightener and reformer of the world, by his doctrine and his life. The first of those views is the most sublime; as on the atonement which he made for us, depended all our hopes of the pardon of sin, and of life eternal. In the other view, it is also of high importance that all Christians should frequently consider him, in order to the proper regulation of their conduct: the observation of his example is no less necessary for this purpose, than attention to his doctrine; as by his doctrine he taught us what we are bound to do, so in his example he shewed us what we ought to be.

Hence the example of our blessed Lord has been ever held up by serious writers to Christians for their instruction and imitation. It obviously possesses many advantages above any other standard of conduct. It carries peculiar obligations from gratitude, interest, and duty, to enforce the imitation of it; and it is the only example, in following which we are certain never to err. It has also another peculiar advantage attending it, which is not so commonly thought of; that is, the uniyersality of its use. It evidently appears that our Lord himself had this benefit to his followers in view, from the train of living which he chose to adopt. He had pitched upon any one station of life, the influence of his example would have been much more limited. The integrity, for instance, of Sa

muel as a judge, the devotion of David on the throne, the fortitude of Daniel in the midst of a corrupt court, hold forth indeed splendid instances of virtue, but they hold them out only to a few; whereas when Christ appeared on earth, he confined himself to no one state of fortune or line of life; he did not addict himself to any particular calling; he did not even fix his residence in one place; but he gives us opportunity of viewing him in different places and situations, in all that variety of lights which indiscriminately regard the bulk of mankind: his life was divided between the contemplative and the active; devotion and business equally shared it. We behold him in private life among his disciples, like a father in the midst of his family. We behold him in public life, acting with authority in the discharge of his high commission, assuming the dignity which belonged to his office, and boldly reproving the great and the powerful. We see him sometimes in poverty and obscurity, contemned and persecuted. We see him at other times elevated into public favour, followed by applauding crowds, and entering Jerusalem in triumph. We can challenge all history, sacred or profane, to shew us any eminent personage, saint, philosopher, or hero, whose character was so thoroughly tried, and so fully exhibited to admiration, as that of our Saviour. What adds greatly to the lustre of his example, it was marked by no affected singularities nor peculiar austerities. He did not seclude himself from ordinary society, but conversed among men with that sort of modest piety and virtue which suits itself to the level of human infirmity, and is conspicuous for the discharge of the plain and substantial duties of a good life.

It is not my intention at present to attempt a full survey of all the graces and virtues which distinguished our Lord's life, and ennobled his sufferings and death; as this would lead into a field too extensive for one discourse: I mean to confine myself to the manner in which he fulfilled the social duties, and exercised his benevolence as a man among men. This will afford an instructive view of what may be termed the moral character of Christ in his ordinary intercourse with the world, and will point out a proper model of our behaviour towards one another. The most studied and laboured encomiums never drew a more amiable character than what is contained in the few and plain words of the text; Jesus of Nazareth, went about doing good. Let us consider in what manner he fulfilled this cha

racter.

I. We are to attend to his assiduity and alacrity in seeking out and embracing every opportunity of doing good; this is the most substantial part of the great virtue of charity. There is a sort of negative goodness with which most men are ready to be satisfied; they applaud themselves if they have kept their

hands free from unjust deeds, and no man can reproach them for working mischief to their neighbour; but with respect to his welfare they are totally indifferent. They remain in a sort of torpid apathy about the concerns of others, without either rejoicing in their prosperity, or being affected with their distresses; this is far below what is required of a good man. We were all designed by our Creator to be parts of one body, members of one great society, where every one was to contribute his part towards the common benefit, and to be made happy by studying to make others so. In proportion indeed as our ability and influence extend, the obligation to be extensively beneficial also grows; but hardly is there any sphere so narrow and circumscribed, as not to afford some opportunities of being useful.-In thy humble and obscure station, thou art apt to think thyself entirely insignificant and lost to the world. To thee, indeed, it may not belong to heal the diseased, to raise the fallen, to supply the indigent, or to bring forward the deserving. But is there none whose spirit thou canst cheer, or whose infirmities thou canst help to lighten? Hast thou no parent, no child, no brother, no friend, to whom thou canst speak the words of comfort in the hour of sowrow, whose mistakes thou canst rectify, or whose erring steps thou canst turn into the right path?

Here let the example of Christ, as far as thy sphere admits it, be before thine eyes, to quicken thy activity and animate thy zeal. The whole history of his life is the history of active and diffusive benignity. Wherever he was present, we find him employed in doing good; either relieving men from their distresses, or making them wise and happy by his instructions. The whole country around him seemed to be his family, and if in a literal sense he had been the father of them all, they could not have exercised his care, or shared his bounty more. The hungry were fed, and the sick were cured, the blind saw, and the lame walked, wherever he came. His miracles never were mere ostentations of power, but always expressions of goodness. Often he prevented the supplications of the distressed, and, unasked, conferred his favours; but never did any person apply to him for aid and relief without receiving it, whether he was Jew or Heathen, friend or foe. What is especially remarkable in his beneficence is, that it was continued and persevering in the midst of ingratitude. This is one of the hardest trials of virtue, not to be soured by the perversity of men, and which persons even of generous spirits find it the most difficult to bear. But though Christ had to deal with a most untoward and stubborn generation, whom no evidence could convince, and no goodness could mollify; though of all the great numbers who had been objects of his beneficence, we read of few who thankfully acknowledged, his kindness, fewer who became his followers, and none who