appointment to oppose the corruptions of the world, and season it, as it were, with wholesome doctrine. Their good examples too, he tells them, were as necessary as their precepts: they should be like a city placed on a hill, which every body might see. They should consider themselves, therefore, as lights shining before men.

At the seventeenth verse, Jesus informs his hearers, that although his kingdom was of a different kind from what the Jews expected, yet it was not by any means his intention to destroy the Jewish law and the prophets. He came to complete the moral law, and to fulfil the prophecies and Jewish ceremonies. He then shews them how far the Christian morality was intended to be carried, beyond what the Scribes and Pharisees practised. They forbad murder, for instance; but he forbids every degree of malice and anger. The words raca, and thou fool, were, among the Jews, words of the worst meaning; and implied a peculiar bitterness in those who used them. Our blessed Saviour then tells them, that as it is an easier matter to end a quarrel at the beginning, than by suffering it to proceed; so our boisterous passions should be early checked,

lest they should lead us into those sins which are so immediately connected with them.

With regard to the seventh commandment, he tells them, their teachers confined it to adultery but his law carried it much higher. He required a purity in the thought; and that all those lusts and passions, though as dear as an eye, or a right hand, which corrupt the purity of the mind, should be restrained. And as to divorces, so frequent and so allowed among them, he forbad them in any case but in that of adultery.

Again, says he, the use of oaths is very frequent among you; and you are instructed, that if you do not forswear yourselves, swearing may be allowed. But the Gospel entirely forbids the use of oaths in common conversation: it forbids not only swearing by God, but by every thing else; because, as every thing is the creature of God, an oath by the creature implies an oath by the Creator.

Then again, said he, the Jewish teachers allow you to return evil for evil - requiring an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth; but my religion enjoins you to return good for evil, anger with gentle

gentleness, and injuries with kindness: Whosoever shall smite thee on the one cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any man will sue at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also: and whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. The meaning of which expressions is, that in all little matters we should rather give way, even when our just rights are invaded, than defend them with rigour and contention. We should give to him that asketh; and from him that would borrow of us, we must not turn away: that is, as far as our means enable us, we must be ready to assist our poor neighbours, either by giving or lending.-Nay, we must treat even those with kindness, who persist in the most obstinate malice and wickedness towards us; and that, in imitation of our great Creator, who maketh his sun to rise on the evil, and on the good; and sendeth rain on the just, and on the unjust. How beautifully is this example of our great Creator proposed to our imitation and in how strong a light does it place the duty of returning good for evil! Thus, as our blessed Saviour declares, we become the children of our Father who is in heaven. For, if we love those only who love us, and do good to those only

;

who do good to us, we do but what the worst of mankind will often do. Whereas we ought to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect: that is, we ought to imitate Him, who makes his sun to shine on the evil and the good, by shewing kindness to those who shew even unkindness to us.

HERE we conclude the fifth chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel. I propose to begin next with the sixth. In the mean time, I could wish you to overlook both what I have been explaining to-day, in order to fix it in your memory, and likewise that you will overlook carefully two or three of the following chapters, particularly the sixth and seventh, that you may have ready beforehand such difficulties as you may wish to hear explained.

I shall detain you at present only to make a few remarks on what hath occurred this morning.

The dreadful story of Herod's putting so many innocent children to death, shews to what height wickedness may be carried, if it be not stopped in the beginning. It shews also, how impossible it is to attain our wicked ends in opposition to

God.

God. Herod, with all his power, and all his wickedness, could not compass the death of the holy Jesus. From this we learn, that it is our wisest way to act always in a uniform course of duty, and leave events to God.

From our Saviour's telling the Pharisees and Sadducees, that if they did not profit in proportion to the light they received from Christianity, they should increase their guilt, we ought to take warning. Our case resembles theirs. If we wickedly reject the offers of the Gospel, let us remember the awful sentence against us: The are is laid to the root of the tree; and every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.

Lastly, when we consider our Saviour's temptation, we have reason to thank God for giving us warning, by so striking an example, of the various modes of temptation which will beset us -for shewing us the proper means of opposing them by the truths of religion and for giving us a blessed assurance, that finally our strenuous opposition will prevail, through the assistance of the Spirit of God, which is figured out by angels ministering to Christ.

Q4

SERMON