The scope of every thing that he either said or did, was to benefit mankind. Whether his discourses savoured of affection or severity, and whether his miracles were more or less bene- volent in their immediate aspect, his design was invariably the same; namely, to prepare men for the reception of his truth, and the enjoyment of his salvation b.]
a Mark iii. 21. "On e£c<rrjj, see Doddridge in loc.
b His menaces in Matt, xxiii. were to reclaim the Pharisees : and his suffering the devils to destroy the swine, was to shew how great a mercy it was to be delivered from their power.
3. His self-denial — [It was no small self-denial that he exercised in under- going so many labours, and submitting to so many privations, even of food to eat, and of " a place where to lay his head." But there was another species of self-denial, far more painful in its nature, and distressing in its operation, which yet he had to endure every day and hour. In the midst of all his exertions for the good of men, his words were made a ground of cavil and dispute; his condescension was interpreted as a participation in the vilest crimes ; and his very miracles were construed into a confederacy with the devil. This was the way in which his benevolence was constantly requited. His unwearied labours for the honour of God, and the benefit of mankind, procured him only the reputation of an impostor, a blasphemer, a de- moniac. Yet under all these circumstances, and well knowing that, instead of being improved by time, they would terminate in his death, he persevered in seeking the salvation of his very enemies, and at last " gave his own life a ransom for them."]
It being needless to confirm this record by any further testimonies, we shall,
II. Deduce from it some important observations —
Here also we must be content to notice only two or three things out of multitudes that obtrude themselves upon our minds : 1. The Divine mission of Jesus is clear and indis- putable—
[Our blessed Lord frequently appealed to his works as the clearest evidence of his Messiahshipc: and indeed they were so in a variety of views. They were precisely such as had been predicted by the prophets as characteristic of the Messiah's reign ; and therefore they must be considered as establishing his claim to that office. Besides, they were such as no man could work unless God were with him. Now can we conceive it possible that God should conspire with an impostor to deceive mankind? That he might in some particular instances permit something praeternatural to be wrought for the hardening of an obstinate and incorrigible opposer, is possible enough d: but the nature and number of Christ's miracles, together with the scope and tendency of all his discourses, shews that this idea
c John x. 38.
(1 This was the fact with regard to Pharaoh's magicians. They could bring some plagues, but not all : nor could they remove any : so careful was God to shew that " whereinsoever his enemies dealt proudly he was above them."
1767.1 Christ's diligence in benefiting man. 377
is wholly inadmissible in the case before us. Nor indeed can it be imagined, that a person whose character and conduct resembled that of Christ, should, without any other prospect than that of infamy in life, and misery in death, carry on an imposture for the sole purpose of deceiving and ruining mankind.
Let us then behold the life of Jesus, and doubt his Messiah- ship if we can.]
2. Jesus is at this instant both able and willing to " do good" to us —
[When Jesus left this world, he did not cease to possess almighty power: on the contrary, he began to exercise it in the most unlimited extent. He still continued to work miracles through the instrumentality of his Apostles. Was Eneas healed? "Eneas," says the Apostle, "Jesus Christ maketh thee whole e." Jesus Christ himself, many years after his ascension, told his beloved Disciple, that he had " the keys of hell and of death," or, in other words, the power over both the visible and invisible world. Yea, he comes amongst us as truly by the preaching of his Gospel, as ever he did among the Jews by his bodily pre- sence : he comes to seek out the most miserable and unworthy objects, that on them he may bestow all the blessings of grace and glory. All of us may have access to him, and pour our complaints into his bosom, and obtain from him the mercies we stand in need of. If only we can by faith touch, as it were, the hem of his garment, our most inveterate corruptions shall be healed. Let us but be thoroughly persuaded of this truth, and " virtue shall come forth from him to heal us all."]