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Miracles, and to preach the Gospel, in the Beginning of Chap. 9. and it is the very fame first Com miffion and Instructions St. Matthew has in his tenth Chapter. It is true, Chap. vi. 13. St. Luke gives an Account of the Election of the Twelve, before the Sermon, but, as Interpreters generally confefs, that was only Chrift's feparating them from the rest of the Difciples, and taking them into his own Family: For they were not properly Apostles till they had their Commiffion, only Christ thought fit to take them nearer to his own Perfon for fome Time, the better to prepare them for that high Office, in which he defigned to employ them afterwards. This is not only a Conjecture, which the Nature of the Thing, and the reconciling St. Matthew and St. Luke fuggefts; but St. Mark too very clearly points at it, when he mentions the first Separation of the Twelve, which St. Matthew had omitted in its proper Place, and did not fpeak of till he came to their Commiffion. For St. Mark, Chap.iii. 14. gives this Account of the Matter: And be ordained (or appointed) Twelve (i) that they should be with him, and that he might fend them forth to preach, and to have Power to heal Sickneffes, and to caft out Devils; where the firft Thing that was to follow upon this Defignation was, that they were to be with Chrift, his infeparable Companions, to be fitted there for the other high Office of Apoftleship which was to follow. And Chronologifts, particularly the learned Dr. Lightfoot, in his Chronicle, proves that there was about the Space of a Year between the first affuming them into Chrift's Family, and the fending them out as Apoftles. St. Mark too takes 1G 2 Notice

(i) 'Exsince ♪♪exa, i.e. be appointed Twelve.

Notice of a great Space of Time between the first feparating the Twelve, when they were taken into Chrift's Family, and the fending them out with the apoftolick Commiffion: The firft he has Chap. iii. 14. and the other not till Chap. vi. 7. If then they were not made Apostles till after the Sermon, even by St. Luke's Account, as well as St. Matthew's; then this Sermon, nor any Part of it, could be addreffed to them in that Capacity. The other Thing we may obferve from St. Luke's Account of this Sermon (for we are still upon the Suppofition that his and St. Matthew's are both one) is, that in defcribing the Hearers of the Sermon, after he had named first the Twelve chofen Disciples who were then feparated, and afterwards made Apostles; he mentions next the Company of our Saviour's Difciples, that is, all his other Scholars whom he taught: Then, thirdly, great Multitudes of People out of all Judea and Jerufalem, and from the Sea-coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their Difeafes, Luke vi. 17. It follows, Ver. 20. that he lifted up his Eyes on his Difciples and faid, bleffed be ye Poor, &c. Now if the Disciples, on whom he lifted his Eyes, Ver. 20. be the fame Company of Difciples mentioned Ver. 17. allowing the Twelve into the Number of Difciples, (for it is confeffed of all Sides that they were ftill Difciples ;) then it follows very plainly, that the proper Auditors of this Sermon are all our Saviour's Difciples in general, the Twelve, and all the reft in their Chriftian Capacity, that is, all Chriftians: And that the Sermon is not reftrained to the Twelve only, nor addressed to them in their apoftolick Capacity. So much for the Hints which are given us of the proper

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proper Auditors of this Sermon by St. Matthew and St. Luke, who give us the Accounts of it. There are feveral other plain Obfervations may be made to the fame Purpose from the Body of the Sermon it felf; but having already exceeded our ufual Time, I must refer what remains to another Opportunity, when I hope to fhew the great Im portance, as well as the Truth of this Doctrine, concerning the proper Auditors of this Sermon, and the Influence it ought to have upon our Lives and Converfations. Now God blefs what we have heard, and give us a right Understanding in all Things: To him let us render, as is due, all Praife, Honour, and Glory, Might, Power, and Dominion, for ever and ever.

Amen.

SERMON III

MAT. V. I.

And feeing the Multitudes, be went up into a Mountain; and when he was fet, his Difciples

came unto him.

Ver. 2. And he opened bis Mouth, and taught them, Jaying.

The Third Sermon on this Text.

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OT to trouble you with Repetition, the Point we were laft upon was to find out who were the proper Hearers of this Sermon; a Point of the greateft Confequence, both for the right Interpretation of the whole Sermon, and to prevent the Subterfuges of a great many, who would be glad to creep out from the ftrict Duties here enjoined, as not being defigned for private Chriftians, but for the higher Office of Apoftles: The Hearers of the Sermon, I obferved to you, were the Multitudes, and the Disciples; by the Multitudes I understand thofe promifcuous Crowds that followed our Saviour either for Cures, or to fatisfy their Curiofity; to fee and hear fo wonderful a Person, that wrought fo many Miracles, tho' they did not as believe in him. And by the Disciples I unyet derstand those who not only followed him, but

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fo far believed in him, as to chufe him for their Master and Teacher; and I fuppofe many of them believed him to be the Meffiah, and were baptized in his Name (a). The chief Error Interpreters have run upon, occafioned by this Word Difciples, is the limiting of them to the Twelve chosen Dif ciples in their apoftolick Capacity; whereas what is here faid to the Difciples, is to be understood of Difciples at large, that is, Chriftians in general, and not to be limited to Apostles. I obferved to you, that this was the constant Ufe of the Word in the New Testament, and that if at any Time it was reftrained to thofe few chofen Difciples, who were likewife called Apostles, in their apoftolick or paftoral Capacity, Care was taken, by the Addition of the Number Twelve, or Eleven after the Apoftacy of Judas, that one or other of the Evangelifts did plainly intimate to us that Defignation; and in all other Places, where there is no fuch Limitation, that by the Word Difciples are meant in general all Chriftians: Or if by the Context the Twelve chofen Difciples are intended, yet what is faid to, or of them, without these express Limitations, is faid in their Chriftian, and not in their Apoftolick Capacity. Having observed thus much of the Ufe of the Word Difciples in the New Teftament in general, which is fufficient to ground my Interpretation upon; yet because fo great a Structure is to be built upon this Foundation, and because this leads me in a Way fo different from many other learned Interpreters; I undertook further to make out by clear Arguments from the Text and Context, that by the Word Disciples, in this Preface, are to be meant Disciples G4

(4) John iii. 22, and iv. 1.

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