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tranfcendent Excellency as a Teacher, fo as mightily to heighten our Efteem of him, and to fill our Hearts with Thankfulness to God for having Spoken to us by his Son.

From the Accounts given by the Evangelifts it appears, that the Things out Saviour taught were not of a trifling Nature, but of the highest Importance to the Glory of God, and to the Good of Mankind: That he taught with inimitable Dignity, and yet with great Plainnefs and Simplicity: That he was unweariedly di ligent and affiduous in his Teaching, and laid hold on all Opportunities for inculcating the most useful and excellent Inftructions: That his Way of expreffing himself was admirably comprehenfive, comprizing a great deal in a few Words; and that he frequently made Ufe of short and pithy Sentences, full of profound Senfe and Wisdom: That he taught with a noble impartial Freedom and Boldness, and yet with great Prudence and Difcretion, gradually inftilling his Divine Leffons, and taking the propereft Seasons for doing it : That he often chose to make Ufe of Parables, whereby he conveyed the most important Inftructions in a very lively and agreeable Manner: And, laftly, that he taught with a wonderful Divine Power and Authority, in which he far excelled all that K 2

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ever pretended to inftruct Mankind. I fhall make some Observations on each of thefe, which will give me Occafion to take a distinct Notice of feveral Things recorded in the Gofpel concerning our Saviour and his Teaching, which, though we cannot be fuppofed to be abfolutely unacquainted with, yet are often flightly paffed over without being fo carefully attended to as they well deferve.

First, I would obferve in the first Place, that the Things which Jefus taught were not of a mean trifling Nature, but of the higheft Importance to the Glory of God, and to the Good of Mankind. The uniform manifeft Tendency of all his Inftructions was to make Men wifer and better, to purify their Hearts, and reform their Lives. Never did he defcend to low trivial Janglings and Difputes, to little Defcants upon Words or Controverfies about trifling Obfervances and Traditions, which at that Time made up a great Part of the Learning of the Jewish Doctors. He did not concern himself with the Disputes between the Schools of Hillel and Shammai, or what this or that celebrated Rabbi faid or decided upon fuch a Point. He entertained not his Hearers with Obfervations about nice Punctilio's of the Law, nor amused them with curious and useless Speculations. Nothing

Nothing of this Kind is to be found in his admirable Difcourfes, nor is there any Thing of that vain Deceit which hath often paffed under the Name of Philofophy, nor of the Oppofitions of Science, falfely fo called. But all is great, wife, and good, of a practical and moft excellent Tendency. He came to inftruct Men in the Nature of true Religion, to recover them from their wrong and partial Conceptions of it, and to fhew them what it is, and wherein it doth properly confift. This must be acknowledged to be of vaft Concernment to Mankind: For Religion, rightly underftood and practifed, is certainly the most excellent Thing in the World, and of the utmost Importance to our Happiness.

It is evident to any one that reads the Gofpel with Attention, that one principal Thing which our Saviour feems to have had in View, in the whole Courfe of his perfonal Ministry, was to guard Men against that most pernicious Delufion, to which they have been very prone in all Ages, and which hath done fo much Mifchief in the World, the placing Religion in Things that do not really belong to it, or the laying too great a Strefs on smaller Matters, on mere outward ceremonious Obfervances, to the Neglect of those Things that are of the highest and most effential Importance.

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Importance. Though he was far from encouraging Men in a Neglect or Difregard to any pofitive Divine Inftitutions, yet he taketh every Occafion to recall them from a too great Dependence on mere external Forms and Profeffions to real inward fubftantial Piety and Virtue. And, as he ftrongly urgeth the Practice of Righteoufnefs and true Holiness, fo he reprefenteth it in it's juft Extent, and carrieth it to a nobler Degree of Purity and Perfection, than was ever done before.

With Refpect to the Duties we more immediately owe to God, our Lord Jefus hath taught us to form the most just and worthy Notions of the Deity, fuch as lay the best Affections and Difpofitions towards him. And it is particularly the Design of feveral of his Inftructions to impress our Minds with a strong Senfe of the conftant Care of Divine Providence, as extending even to the most inconfiderable Creatures, and much more to the rational and nobler Part of the Creation. And this, when really believed, muft needs engage us to a firm Dependence upon God, and a religious Regard to him in our whole Courfe. But that which especially deferves to be confidered, in our Saviour's Doctrine, is, that he hath made the most amiable Reprefentations of God's rich Grace and Mercy

Mercy towards Mankind, and hath

opened to us the wonderful Councils of his Wisdom and Love for the Salvation of Sinners. He it was that firft clearly publifhed the glorious Tidings, that God fo loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him, viz. with a vital operative Faith, productive of fincere Obedience, fhould not perish, but should have everlasting Life. John iii. 16. And the Ufe he made of that most aftonishing Discovery, in which there are the most marvellous Displays of the Divine Grace and Goodness that can poffibly be conceived, was to engage Sinners to Repentance. He offered himself to them as the great appointed Saviour, who was fent to feek and to fave that which was loft. And never was there any Thing fo tender and moving as the Invitations he gave them to come to him, that they might find Reft unto their Souls, and to return through him to God, the Father of Mercies, whom he most affectingly reprefents as rejoicing in the Converfion of Sinners, and ready to pardon all their Iniquities, and to receive them to his Grace and Favour upon their penitent Return. And yet, that this Grace of God might not be abused to Licentioufnefs, he takes Care to guard it in such a Manner, as not to give the leaft Encouragement

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