that purpose, he now, in compassion to their infirmity, condescendeth to have their scruples propounded in his own name; affording us thereby a very useful hint, that in order to instruct others, we should abase ourselves, and know how to become weak with those that are so. For it often happens, that men need information upon some important point, who either through pride or bashfulness will not ask it, or through passion and prejudice will not receive it at our hands. In this case, the good, which we cannot do directly, we must contrive, if we can, to do indirectly, by proposing those questions ourselves, which we know that others in company want to hear answered, but cannot bring themselves to ask. This method of edifying the weak, without exposing their infirmities, will produce in them that love and confidence towards us, which, for their own sakes, we wish them to have. Whereas a contrary conduct, by provoking and alienating their affections from us, may put it out of our power ever to be of service to them again.

The same charitable plan is carried on by our Lord, who, in his answer, instructs the disciples by seeming to instruct their master: "Go," saith he, " and tell John what ye have seen and heard." And this may suggest a reason, why Christians in general should converse more upon religious subjects than they are wont to do, both asking questions, like St. John, and returning answers, like Christ, for the benefit and improvement of the by-standers, who may need information, though the person to whom one immediately addresseth oneself, should not. And

many a man hath been the better, all his life after, for a seasonable word spoken in common conversation, which is often more regarded and attended to, than a formal discourse from the pulpit.

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The best proofs of a divine mission, which man is capable of receiving, are miracles, evidently and incontestably such; miracles, of the reality of which the outward senses, the eyes and the ears, are competent judges; miracles wrought publicly in the face of the world, in the presence of enemies as well as friends; and that, not once or twice, but repeatedly; and these miracles expressly predicted, hundreds of years beforehand. Such were the proofs offered by Christ to the disciples of Jolin. For "in "that same hour," while they were present, and before their eyes, he cured many of their infirmi"ties and plagues, and of evil spirits, and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then said "he unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the "deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the "Gospel is preached. And blessed is he whosoever "shall not be offended in me." As if he had said; I bear not witness of myself; my miracles bear witness of me. Only tell John what you have heard and seen, and he will teach you how to draw the proper inference. Isaiah, as he well knoweth, did foretell, that when Messiah came, he would perform such and such mighty works. You yourselves are eye and ear witnesses of the works done by me. Lay the premises fairly together, and you cannot be to seek for the conclusion.

John had engaged his reputation as a prophet, that Jesus of Nazareth, whom he baptized in Jordan, would answer the character of Messiah, and do the works predicted of him; as appears from John, x. 39, where we read, that Jesus, having escaped from the Jews, "went again beyond Jordan,

unto the place where John at first baptized; and "there he abode. And many resorted unto him, "and said, John did no miracle: but all things that "John spake of this man were true. And many

"believed on him there." Malice itself cannot find reason to suspect a collusion, when prophecies and miracles thus unite their testimony, and proclaim Jesus to be the Messiah.

At his word, "the eyes of the blind were opened, "and the ears of the deaf unstopped; the lame man

leaped as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb "did sing," the leprosy, that foul, contagious, and obstinate disease, for which so many ceremonies of purification were appointed by the law, was healed at once; and the dead in their graves, hearing the voice of the Son of man, came forth. Every malady and infirmity, to which the children of Adam were subject, vanished at his presence, and confessed the almighty deliverer of his people. This, therefore, is "He that should come,' nor let us think of looking for another," to open the eyes of the understanding, and let in the light of heavenly knowledge upon ignorant and benighted minds; to remove all obstructions, formed by interest, prejudice, or

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Isa. xxxv. 5, 6.

passion, and give us the hearing ear; to restore and invigorate the will and affections, that we may make large advances in the course of duty, and run with delight the way of God's commandments; to loose the tongues which guilt hath tied, and tune them to hymns of praise and thanksgiving; to cleanse us, by his blood, from all sin, that leprosy which excludeth from the congregation of Israel, the camp of the saints, and the beloved city; to raise our souls from death to life, and our bodies from dust to glory. "We have found him of whom Moses in the law, "and the prophets, did write-Rabbi, thou art the "Son of God, thou art the King of Israel!"

There is one particular in this answer of Christ, which remaineth yet unnoticed; "The poor have the "Gospel preached unto them." Our Lord here referreth to the celebrated passage in Isaiah, which, in the synagogue of Nazareth, he had expounded, and declared to be fulfilled in himself. "The Spirit "of the Lord God is upon me, because he hath "anointed me to preach good tidings," or the Gospel, "to the meek," or poor; "he hath sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives,-to comfort all "that mourn, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil "of joy for mourning","&c. The meaning of all the figurative expressions here used by the prophet, is this that Messiab should, at his appearance, confer upon such as were disposed to receive them, the two great evangelical blessings, namely, remission of sins, and a participation of the Spirit of joy and

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gladness, with which God had "anointed him above "his fellows." The inauguration of Jesus to all the offices of the Messiah, by this divine unction, John had beheld, when, after his baptism, he saw the Holy Ghost descending upon him, and thereby knew him to be that "Rod," or " Branch of Jesse," on whom Isaiah had elsewhere foretold, that "the "spirit of the Lord should rest"." Nothing therefore could be more apposite, than this part of Christ's answer, "The poor have the Gospel preached unto "them;" the full import of which, considered as referring to the sixty-first chapter of Isaiah, and addressed to St. John, is as followeth-Go show John again, that the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of might and counsel, which Isaiah foretold should rest upon the Rod and Branch of Jesse, and which John saw descending and abiding upon me, in the likeness of a dove, at my baptism, is not departed from me. The unction of the Spirit was not given me for mine own use; nor is it spent or consumed, although it hath powerfully diffused itself to all about me. By it the poor are made rich, being instated in the kingdom of grace and of the Gospel, and anointed heirs unto the kingdom of glory. By it every contrite heart is healed; such as were shut up are set at liberty; such as were bound are loosed; and by it the yoke of the oppressor is broken.

We must not omit to mention the end for which,

w Isa. xi. 1, 2.

* See the Works of Dr. Jackson, vol. ii. p. 542.