and SAVIOUR, 7ESUS CHRIST, and his APOSTLES, &c. 291 expreffed the deepelt concern for the wel- fare of mankind, to whichhis glorious life and fufferings effeaually opened the way. The greateft and bell: men have had their failings, which tarni{h the luftre of their virtues, and {hew them to have been nothing more than men. This was the cafe with Noah, Abraham, Mofes, Job, David, Paul, and other heroes celebrated in hiftory ; but it was otherwife withJEsus: he was fuperior to all the men that ever lived, both with regard to the purity of his manners, and the pereaion ofhis vir- tues : he was holy, harmlefs, undefiled, and feparated from finners. Whether we confider him as a teacher, or as a man, he did nofin, neither was guile found in his mouth, t Pet. ii. 22. His whole life was perfeEtly free from fpot or weaknefs, at the fame time it was remarkable for the greateít and molt extenfive exercifes of virtue : but never to have committed the dealt fin in word or in deed, never to have uttered any fentiment that could be cen- fured, upon the various topics of religion and morality, which were the daily fubjeas of his difcourfes, and that through the courfe of a life filled with anion, and led under the obfervation of many enemies, who had always accefs to convene with him, and who often came to find fault, is a pitch of perfection evidently above the reachofhuman nature ; and, confequently, he who poffeffed it, mull have been divine, and a moil perfe& Being. This adorable Perfon is the fubjeE&of the evangelical hiftory. If the reader, by re- viewing his life, dolrine, and miracles, as they are here reprefented to him united in one feries; has a clearer idea of thefe things than before, or obferves a beauty in his a/lions thus linked together, which taken feparately do not appear fo fully; if he feels himfelf touched by the charaRter of JESUS in general, or with any of his fer- mons and a/ions in particular, thus fimply delineated in writing, whole principal charms are the beauties of truth : above all, if his dying fo generoufly for men, 1 {bikes him with admiration, or fills him withjoy, in the profpe& of that pardon which is thereby purchafed for the world ; let him feriouflyconfider with himfelf, what improvement he ought to make of the divine goodnefs, and what returns ofpraife and gratitude are due from him. The Saviour of mankind, by his death, bath fet open the gates of immortality to all the pofterityofAdam ; and by his word, fpirit, and example, gracioufly offers to make them meet for the glorious rewards in the kingdom of the heavenly Canaan, and to condo& them into the inheritance ofthe faints in light : let us, therefore, re- member, that, beingborn under the dif- penfation of his gofpel, we have, from our earlieít years, enjoyed the belt means ofacquiring wifdom, virtue, and happinefs, the lineaments of the image of God. We have been called to afpire after an exalta- tion to the nature and felicity of the Al- mighty exhibited to mortal eyes in the man CHRIST JESUS, to fire us with the noblelt ambition. His gofpel teaches us, that we are made for eternity; and that our prefent life is to our future exiftence, as infancy is to manhood: but as in the former many things are to be learned, many hardfhips to be endured, many habits to be acquired, and that by a tedious courfe ofex- ercifes, which in themfelves though painful, and poffibly ufelefs to the child, yet are ne- ceffary to fit him for the bufinefs and enjoy- ments of manhood; fo while we remain in this infancy of human life, things are tobe learned, hardfhipsto be endured, and habits tobe acquired by a laborious courfe of difci- pline,whichhoweverpainful mull be under- gone, becaufe neceffary to fit us for the em- ployments and pleafures of our riper exift- ence in the realms above. Enflamed, there- fore, with the love of immortality and it's joys, let us fubmit ourfelves to our heavenly Teacher, and learnofhim thole graceswhich alonecan render life pleafant, death defira- ble, fill eternity with ecílatic joys, and the tongues and hearts of the bleffed with a fong oftriumph inhonourof their Deliverer. CHAPTER.
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