140 PATTERN FOR A DISSENTING PREACHER. victory of the gospel over their spirits ! They dared to disobey their lords and masters in this unrighteous command, to let go the man whom they sent for as a heinous criminal. As they were under adirect command to seize the Lord, so they were in dan- ger of severe reproaches, and being turned out of their places, and perhaps of excommunication too, if they did not fulfil their orders : But the power which came with the word of Christ gave them courage, and they told their masters, they dared not seize sucha man, a man that preached at that rate, so as never man preaehed. Now when they not onlyhad the obstacles and prejudicesof their own irregular notions founded upon a long course of edu- cation, but were enemies to Christ in their hearts, and were under authority to lay hold of hint, yet the power of God, in the mouth of his Son, brought them to confess there was something extra- ordinary in him, and to tell their rulers so too. All this gave a noble testimony to the mission of Christ. Such sort of witness God was pleased frequently to give to the gospel of his Son, is the lips of his apostles, and his inspired preachers, in primitive times. Men who have come into their assemblies, ignorant of the gospel, and disbelievers of Christ, have been convinced and judged by the words which they heard, the secrets of their heart have been manifested, they have fallen down and worshipedGod, and confessed that God was in the midst of them of a truth; see 1 Cor. xiv. 24, 25. Some ap- pearances of this kind have been also seen in our day, and among our fathers in their public labours ; and perhaps as many mighty prejudices, and as great obstacles have been broken through by the almighty power of the word of God, in the lips of his ministers, who derive not their authority from the state. Such instances give a divine testimony to the words of the gos- pel which are published, though the preachers are not commis- sioned by the national establishment. If God give us his seal in such a powerful manner as this is, we will believe our authority is from God, and not question our commission. IV. I infer, that the " first work of God upon the consci- ences of natural and carnal men, is very surprising to them." The officers seemed to be under astonishment, and cried out, never man spoke like thisman. Perhaps they were never under a sermon before, where the Spirit of God attended it, or where their consciences were in any measure awakened. And thus it it in our days, when persons are under the first conviction of sin and righteousness by the preaching of the word, they confess they never heard such words before. Though the matter and the manner of Christ's preaching was very different from that of the scribes, yet I take the biggest reason of the exclamation of these officers, to be the attending H
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=