LECTURE XI.

LUKE, IV. 13-32.

And when the devil had ended all the temptation he departed from him for a feafon. And Jefus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their fynagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the fynagogue on the fabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the Prophet Efaias: and, when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, the spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of fight to the blind, to fet at liberty them that are bruifed; to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he clofed the book, and he gave it again to the minifter, and fat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the lynagogue were fastened on him. And he began to fay unto them, this day is this fcripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witnefs, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they fard, is not this Jofeph's fon? and he faid unto them, ye will furely fay unto me this proverb, phyfician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do alfo here in thy country. And he faid, verily, I jay unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Ifrael in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and fix months, when great famine was throughout all the land; but unto none of them was Elias fent, fave unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in lirael in the time of Eljeus the prophet; and none of them was cleanfed, javing Naaman the Syrian. And all they in the fynagogue, when they heard thefe things, were filled with wrath, and roje up and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill, whereon their city was built, that they might caft him down headlong. But he, paffing through the midst of them, went his way, and came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the

Jabbath

fabbath days. And they were aftonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

WHEN the Son of God came for the Salvation of a loft

world," verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the feed of Abraham;" he affumed. not royal state, but "the form of a fervant;" his progress was marked, not by the blood of thofe who oppofed themfelves, but by the benefits which he conferred on the evil and, unthankful. Subject himself to the finlefs infirmities of hu-. man nature, he was experimentally taught to fympathize with. the weak;" in that he himfelt hath fuffered being tempted, he is able to fuccour them that are tempted.”

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The wildernefs exhibited a wonderful difplay of the divine. nature united to humanity, of the humiliation of the man of forrows and acquainted with grief," and of the majefly of the mighty God, who has all creatures at his disposal, and under his control. The man" was an hungred," and exposed to, temptation, and arbitrarily difpofed of by an infolent foe: He was humbled to the hearing of blafphemous fuggestions, and the bearing of cruel and unmerited infults. The Divinity miraculously fuftained the infirmity of nature, quenched the fiery darts of the devil, put Satan to flight, received the hom-. age and fervice of angels. In all he prefented an object of admiration and love, and in every display of human excellence. he exhibited a pattern for imitation.

Jefus had now attained his thirtieth year. The Spirit of God and of glory refted on him; and a voice from heaven had declared his generation. In the folemnity and folitude of a forty days retirement from all human converfe, the order of his future procedure is fettled, according to the plan of the eternal mind. Behold him then, in the power of the Spirit, in the greatness of his ftrength, in the travail of his foul, returning from the defert into Galilee, to enter on his arduous and important undertaking. The public attention was fixed, and expectation excited by the fingular circumftances attending his birth and baptifm. The difcerning eye of the Baptift faw in him "The great Prophet who fhould come into the world," and with the finger he pointed him out as " the lamb. of God which taketh away the fin of the world." His fudden disappearance after his baptifm, and after the teftimony then borne to him from above, muft have been an occafion of fome. wonder, and a fubject of much converfation, for on his return, at the end of the forty days, we find his fame already spread abroad, and a general difpofition to receive and to hear him. manifefted.

manifefted. And where does he begin his career, and what character does he affume, and what arms does he employ? At Rome, the feat of empire, in the triumphant ftate of a conqueror, with his fword dyed in the blood of his enemies? No, in Galilee, the proverbially reproachful refilence of almoft his whole life, in the humble character of a teacher of religion, and employing only the fword of the Spirit which is the word of God. In this we behold him teaching us a generous fuperiority to the little invidious diftinctions of country and kindred, a noble contempt of the glory of this world, an ardent zeal for the glory of God, a benevolent concern for the happiness of men, and a juft difcernment of the means beft adapted to the attainment of thefe ends.

What a filent inftructor had his childhood and youth been of fubjection to parental authority, of contentment with a poor and mean condition, of holinefs in all manner of conver fation? What an interefting object was prefented to the eye in a form so fair, animated by a mind to pure and exalted! With what delight muft the ear have hung upon thofe lips which wifdom infpired, and into which grace was poured! How commanding, how attractive that goodness which was inceffantly aiming at communicating good to others! Is it any wonder that when He became the public and active inftructor of his countrymen, he fhould be " glorified of all." It was probably about this period, that "the beginning of his miracles" he performed at Cana of Galilee, "and manifested forth his glory," by turning water into wine, at the marriage folemnity of one of his relations or friends. By this he approved himself the affectionate, condefcending brother of mankind, and, at the fame time, the great Lord of nature, to whom all elements are fubject; and whereby he reproves the unbending pride of affected wildom, the uncomplying precifenefs which refuses to partake of the harmless intercourse and enjoyments of human life, and the coldnefs and indifference with which felfifhnefs endeavours to life the voice of blood, of friendship and of natural affection. How greatly muft his public miniftrations have been enhanced and endeared by the meeknefs and gentlenefs of his private deportment! What force muft divine truth, delivered in the fynagogue, have derived from the utterance of that tongue which in domeftic and focial communication was governed by "the law of kindness."

In the mere human teacher, the profeffional appearance must frequently be at variance with the perfonal; a heart torn, with a thousand anxieties, muft try to conceal its bitternels under a ferene

ferene forehead,. and calmnels of fpeech; and the unhappy man may be adminiftering to others that confolation to which he himlelt is a ftranger, or, what is infinitely worse, may be called by public duty to declare that truth which is his fecret zeproach and condemnation. But O how delightful the entertainment, when the hand which difpenfes to others can with holy confidence take its own appropriated fhare! How dignified is the character which, in the clofet, in the parlour, in the market-place, in the fynagogue, in the pulpit, prefents but one .and the fame perfon, the fervant of God, the friend of man ; the refpectable and amiable member of fociety, the kind relation, the agreeable neighbour, the gentle mafter, the patriotic citizen, the faithful paftor! What a model, in all these refpects, is prefented to the Chriftian minifter, in the perfon, the char acter and the conduct of his divine Mafter! What must have been the ineffable charm of that divine eloquence which captivased every ear, every heart; which commanded univerfal admiration and applaufe; and which, alas, fuch is the enmity of the carnal mind, fo foon roufed the vileft and worst of human paffions in the breast of his neighbours and acquaintance, envy, and jealoufy, and malice, and hatred ! O how pleasant it is to accompany, in thought, the bleffed Jefus trom houfe to Choufe; from devotional retirement, to ufeful and neceffary employment; from honourable employment, to focial endearment; from the pure and innocent delights of virtuous friendhip, to the folemn and fublime exercises of public worship; and to observe in all the changing scenes, the fame lovely fimplicity, the fame unaffuming dignity, the fame unvarying charity and good will!

But the Evangelift leads us from general to particular ideas; and gives vivacity and effect to our meditations, by bringing them to one point of time, of place and of expreffion. Behold him then at Nazareth, where he had been brought up, in the fynagogue, on the fabbath day, according to his ufual cuftom, ftanding up to read, unfolding the prophecy, the prophecy of Ifaias, a remarkable prediction, and himself the fubject of it; then closing the book, delivering it again to the minifter, fitting down to explain and apply what he had read; and how pleafant it is to mark the emotion which every word, every action produced in an astonished and delighted audience! Ev. ⚫ery one of these circumstances seems to merit a few moments' meditation.

He came to Nazareth. Having visited other parts of Galilee, and taught in their fynagogues, and received the cheerful homage which heartfelt gratitude pays to real worth; having

performed

performed the duties of a benevolent neighbour and kind relation at Cana, rejoicing with them that rejoiced, and putting refpect on the ordinance of God, the idea of home fuggefts itfelf, the kind affections become concentrated, the calls of na.. ture are felt and obeyed. At Nazareth his mother dwelt; he was well aware of her maternal tenderness and folicitude; his forty days abfence about his "Father's business" must havefilled her with pain inexpreffible; her foul was about to be pierced through with many a fword, whofe keen point could not be averted; but filial affection will not fuffer her to feel the ftroke before the time; and what moments of eeftacy to a mother those must have been which paffed at Nazareth, in the house and in the fynagogue, during this bleffed interval! And what delight muft it have been to that Son to minifter to the confolation of his mother!

He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. Thescenes,in which early life was paffed, are painted in lively col-ors on the imagination. Memory frequently recals, and the heart fondly cherishes them. They are blended with the ideas of gaiety, and want of care, and innocence. I think with rap ture on the tree from which my childifh hand plucked the golden fruit; on the cooling ftream which refreshed the tongue, parched with juvenile exercife; on the flower-enamelled turf whereon I caft my weary limbs ; on the afcent to the house of God along which my yet unconfirmed footsteps accompanied my venerable grand fire at the hour of prayer; the note of the fummoning bell is even now in mine ears. The feeling is nat-. ural; it is harmless; perhaps it may be virtuous. And is it a degradation of our subject to say that we fee in the history be fore us, the ingenuous, generous Nazarene, thinking with complacency on the particular spots confecrated by the recollections of early piety, of friendship and of enjoyment; thinking. with affection, fuch as only the Son of God could feel, on the affociates of tender years; on the relations which the hand of nature, on those which the wisdom of Providence had formed; ftriving in the maturity of thirty, to communicate to grown men that wisdom and happinefs, which the unfufpecting, unenvious generofity of twelve delights to convey to its equal. The Saviour of the world is here held up in the honourable, engag... ing, and attractive character of a liberal and generous townf man; rejoicing in the exertion of his ripened talents, his im... proved powers, his enlarged abilities, for the information, im provement and comfort of the friends of his youth.

Attend to the place which he chofe for this purpofe-the place of public affembly, devoted to the fervice of God, to the:

conveyance: