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passed upon us. Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with him, lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing."

With respect to adultery, our Lord declares that unchaste desires and intentions render us guilty of it in the view of the divine law, and in the sight of God. That God who sees the heart, will punish all such evil intentions as want nothing but opportunity to become actual crimes.

The Saviour adds, "If thy right eye offend thee, (rather, cause thee to offend, or lead thee into sin,) pluck it out, and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee." "This is a strong eastern manner of expressing, that seductions to sin and stumbling-blocks in the way of duty, should be avoided at all events; and that the causes of guilt should be removed, whatever favourite gratifications were foregone, whatever temporal evils were endured. As you would lose an eye or a limb to prevent a death by fire, so let every thing most dear be sacrificed to prevent eternal death."

With respect to divorce, which was common among the Jews for the most frivolous causes, Jesus declares, that nothing but adultery can render them lawful.

It was taught by the Jewish doctors, that oaths were obligatory only according to the nature of a thing by which a man swears; and that those which were not obligatory might be freely used in common conversation. In opposition to this, Jesus gives a

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catalogue of some of the oaths which, in the opinion of these doctors, were not obligatory; and prohibits these and all other oaths in common conversation; and commands his disciples to maintain such sincerity and truth, that in order to gain belief they need only assert or deny a thing, without invoking the name of God. Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths; but I say unto you, Swear not at all, neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King; neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be Yea, yea; nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."

The Saviour proceeds, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." Many commentators have endeavoured to show that these precepts, with proper mitations, oblige all Christians, at all times: That the import of them is merely this, that in matters not of great consequence we should rather suffer wrong than angrily repel it; that patience and submission ought to be shown in many instances of unreasonable treatment, instead of returning violence for violence; that this was particularly so in the case

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which so often occurred at that time, of being obliged to attend public messengers; that, in general, liberality should be exercised to all men; that Christians should lend to the honest and industrious, as far as their duty to themselves and their families enables them; and, in unusually afflictive cases, hoping for nothing again.

But there is another mode of explaining these precepts, which appears to me much more natural. This discourse was addressed to the disciples of our Lord, in the presence of the multitude; disciples, whom he was about to send out as professors and propagators of a new religion, in which character they would meet with much opposition and persecution. A peculiar conduct was required of such men. Jesus, therefore, bids them to go forth, and display the power of religion by the most perfect acquiescence, under those personal injuries and temporal losses which they would often endure on a religious account; when judicially spoiled of their goods, gladly to suffer still further injustice for the name of Jesus; and when customary acts of oppression occurred, to show mildness instead of reluctance; so that after a compelled assistance, to give a voluntary one to the oppressor, instead of resenting the wrong. Being under the immediate care of God, they were to have no regard for the world, to take no thought for the morrow, and to lend, not only without usury, but without hoping for any thing again.

SERMON XLIV.

LIFE OF CHRIST.

No. XI.

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

MAT. vi. 9-14.

UNASSISTED reason is sufficient to convince us at once of the indispensable necessity of prayer, and of our need of a divine instructer to teach us to pray aright. Many of the pagans, on whom the sacred light of revelation never shone, were deeply persuaded of both these truths. They beheld man weighed down by afflictions which he could not remove, exposed to calamities which he could not avert, polluted by sins which he could not expiate, tyrannized by passions which he could not subdue; and they were convinced from this humiliating view of our condition, that it was both our duty and privilege to implore from heaven those numberless mercies which it alone could bestow. But on the other hand, they beheld man ignorant of the future, incompetent to judge what tends to his true felicity, seduced by his desires, panting after things that undo him. At this view, they felt that a heavenly light was requisite to direct us in our supplications. Plato, that celebrated Grecian philosopher, in one of his dialogues introduces Socrates conversing with

the most beloved of his pupils, and proving to him, that the ignorance of the wisest is so great, that man knows not what to request from heaven; that therefore he ought to use none but the most general petitions, until that time arrived, when a more illustrious and a heavenly teacher, whom he hoped God would send to men, should appear to enlighten their darkness, and teach them what favours they should ask from the Divinity."

My brethren, this heavenly teacher has appeared upon earth; the ardent desires of Socrates and of Plato have been fulfilled; Jesus Christ has not only opened a way for us to the throne of grace, he has also in the prayer that has just been read to you directed our requests, and dictated even our expressions. That supernatural instruction, the necessity of which was felt by pagans, is enjoyed by us : ought we not to receive it with gratitude? ought we not to use it with ardour? ought we not to employ it to cultivate in our hearts the principles of piety and vir tue?

But that these beneficial effects may be attained from this prayer, it is necessary for us to understand its sense and import. Though all its expressions are simple, and its terms intelligible, yet it is frequently repeated without being understood. We learn it in our earliest years, when our understanding and our attention are both feeble; and many continue to repeat it in advanced age, without ever carefully inquiring into its sense; and because the expressions are simple, and the words familiar, the attention is never arrested, nor the mind employed to search into their meaning. It cannot therefore be a useless

* See Plato's second Alcibiades.