Chap.2. Secb-:- SECT. II. Of Chnjf's Scrn:om thu year. I . His p~eachin~ thi•. year was frequent, and amongfl others his Sermons, now lt . wa~ rhar he del1vered that fil'il: Sermon, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. .z. Now was ir that he delivered that fpirimal and myllical Sermon of Regeneration, John 3· 4· at wh1ch i;l•rhodcrmu wonders, How can aman be born whm he uold? Can he emer the {econd time into hi&mothers IVomb and be born? But J efus rakes off the wonder, in telling him, this was no: a work.of fieJ? and blo.od, bur _of the Spirit of God, fer the Spi– rit blowe(~ where •< lifterh; and 15 as the wmd cerram and notorious in the effects bur fecrcr in the principle, aqd manner of production. Then Chri.ll: proceeds in hi; Ser– mon, telling him yet of l1igher things, as of his def,em from Heaven, of his Pamon and .Afcenfion, and of the mercy _of Redemption, which he came to, work and etfe<'l: for all that believe; of tl1e Love of the Father, the Million of the Son, the Rewards of Faith, an~ glories of Eternity. And this was thefum of hi; Sermon to Nichodemllf wbich was !he fulleil:of my~e;y and fpeculation that ever he made, except that which he maqe immediately befvre his death. k 1 3. N()w was it that the throng of Auditors forcing Cbrill: to leave the fhore, he Lu e ,: ' 1 ' makes fow's Ship his Pulpit; never were there fuch Nets •aft our of that FinJer-boar 3 ' 4 ' before; whiles he was upon land he healed the fick bodies by his touch and now he was tlpon Sea he cured the lick fouls by his Doctrine; he that made both s:a and Land, cau– feth both to confpire to the opportunities of doing good to the fouls and bodies of men. Luke 4. , 3, 4· Now it was that he preached that blelfed Sermon on that Text,7he Spirit ofthe Lord u upon me, becaufe he bath anointed me to preach the Gofpei to the poor : no queftion bur he preachfd both to poor and rich, Chrifl pr.ached to all : bur for thepower and fruit of his preaching, it was only received and entertained by the poor in fpirir. In rhe fol– lowing particulars, his Office is fer our ftill in an higher tenour, To hd thebrokffn-heart– edJ to preach deliver~tnce to the captives, and recovering of fig ht to theblind. or as iris in lfa. 61. 1. theopeningof the prifonto them that are botmd ; a (ld thing to be in captivity, but {adder to be bound in chains, or lockt up in a prifon there; bur 'tis moll fad of all robe imprifoned having ones eyes put out; as it was the cafe of Sampfon andZedekjah: Now the Evangelift willing to render the Prophet to the higheft comfortable fence rhar might be, he uferh an exprelllon that meets with the highefl myflery; that is, when a man is not only lhur up in a blinded prifon, but when he himfelf alfo bath his eyes pur our; and to fuch Chrift 010uld preach; Preach what? not only deliverance to rh, CapL~ke <· 4 a. tives, bur alfo rell:oring of light to captiv~ Prifoners, nay yet more, recovering of'ftJht to biind•d pri{oners, as the Evangelill: renders ir. 5. Now it was that he delivered the admirable Sermon, called .The Serm011 upon the Mount . Iris a breviary of all rhofe Precepts which are truly called Chrillian; ir con- , tains in it all the moral Precepts given by Mofes, and opens a flncter fence, and ll!ore fevcre expofirion than the ' cribes and Pharifees had given; it holds forth the docrnnes of meeknefs, poverty of fpirir, Chrillian mourning, defire of holy thmgs , mercy, and purity, anq peace, and patience, and_fuffcring of injuries; he teacheth us how to pray, how to fall:, how to give alms, howw conremn the world, and how to feek the E.i~gdom of God, ~nd its appendenr righteoufnefs. . . And thus Chrift being emred upon his Prophetical office; mrhefe and the reil: of h1s Sermons he gives a cl~ar r~ll:imony. tha~ he ':"as nor only an Inrrrpwer of the Law, bur a Law-giver; and that thl5 Law of Chnll m1ght ~eramfome propowon at leall: With the Law of Mofes, Chrilt in his !aft Sermon wem up Into aMounram, and f~·om thence gave the Oracle. I cannot ftand to paraphrafe on tills, or any other of lm Sermons, bill foeing nowwe find Chrift in rhe exercife of his Pro~hetical office, let us obferve fir£1 Ius Tides in this refpe&. 2. The Reafom of h1s bemg a Prophet. 3. The Excelkncy of Chrill above all other Prophets, and then we have don~. SEC'T.
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