tions, the vain follies of life fade away; the gratifications, which wealth procures, become tasteless; and honours and power appear but a mockery of woe. In such a state, Religion and the assured prospect of a better world can alone minister relief. The Gospel to those who have not rendered themselves undeserving of its promises, will contribute a balm for evils which appear incurable; it presents to the Christian a recompence for his sufferings, certain as the divine truth, great in proportion to his patient virtues, and which shall never know interruption, or experience any end.

But the truly "broken-hearted" are they who feel a deep sorrow for their sins, and an earnest desire to turn to God, that they may flee from the wrath to come: on these in a more especial manner did the Sun of righteousness arise with "healing "in his wings." To every kind of guilt did our Saviour come to offer pardon, if the sinner implored His forgiveness: He offered an assurance of it to

* Malachi iv. 2.

those who should be sensible of the heinousness of their past deeds, and humble themselves before their God. Offences, which human justice cannot pardon without injury to society, obtain forgiveness at the mercy-seat of heaven. Until this gracious assurance was given to mankind, the condition of every contrite sinner was truly deplorable. The sense of his guilt was ever present to him, and weighed heavy on his mind, and it was most uncertain on what he might trust to obtain forgiveness. The blood of bulls and of goats, the sorrowing Israelites of old felt and acknowledged, had nothing in it to wash away sin. And how much soever the known goodness of God might raise the offender's hopes, still more must these hopes be again sunk from the consciousness of having long abused the goodness, and defied the justice of the Almighty. Fear, and the prospect of approaching dissolution, could not but make the sinner reflect most seriously upon his situation, and terrify him with the danger of an uncertain reliance, which, if it failed, would

deceive him in a matter of the highest importance, and that irretrievably.—It was, therefore, an act of the most exalted goodness and condescension to man, and most worthy of the divine Nature, to rescue His reasonable creatures from this state of doubt and anxiety, and give them assured hopes of eternal happiness in a life to come, upon their sincere repentance and amendment.

But farther:-Our Lord was sent to confer another great blessing upon mankind, even "to preach deliverance to the

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captives, and recovering of sight to the "blind, and to set at liberty them that "were bruised;"-in other words, to rescue both Jews and Gentiles, who were alike captives to spiritual ignorance and superstitions, and alike bigotted to their errors from such a state of slavery. I have already mentioned briefly the deplorable state of the poor amongst the Jews, and also amongst the Gentiles; but I shall trespass upon your time a little longer, while I set before you the state of the world before the promulgation of the Gospel a little more at large, in order that

you may the better perceive the great goodness of God in proposing such a Religion to His creatures.-The Jews were governed by a divine law; but in how many things, which they performed with the most scrupulous exactness, did our Saviour inform them no merit did, or could possibly consist! In how many important points did their received doctrines of religious service set aside the plainest duties of natural affection, of mercy and judgment! How many of the most positive precepts of their law had they so restrained within the circle of their own nation only, even believing it to be justifiable to shun and to despise every other people.-That our notions are far more liberal,—our affections more enlarged-our piety to God of a nature more worthy of Him, is indeed an undeniable truth: but it is a truth no less manifest, that every improvement which we possess, we possess from Him, and Him alone, who was sent, not so much to open the eyes of a few who were "blind" in one nation, as to heal the

spiritual blindness of every generation to the end of the world.

As for the Gentiles, they were in still greater need than the Jews of being “ set at liberty" from gross ignorance and the corruptions arising therefrom. Their religion, the earnest of their morality, most evidently shews this. The Gods, whose worship was enjoined, were such as the learned amongst them were justly ashamed of, and in whom the most illiterate vulgar alone could confide. St. Paul, who, as the Apostle of the Gentiles, was well acquainted with these nations, and their gross superstitions, thus describes them; "their foolish hearts were darkened,

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they changed the glory of the incor

ruptible God into an image made like "unto corruptible man, to birds, and four"footed beasts, and creeping things."*

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Nor were their morals less gross; they were filled," the same Apostle adds, "with all unrighteousness; full of envy, "murderers, proud, disobedient to pa

* Rom. i.