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as the fublime in conduct, it is furely this. But the fource of this was fomething more than we ever find in man. It had evidently a higher origin, and the affectation of any thing like it, without the actual prefence of God, far from infpiring with awe and reverence, would only have expofed a man to contempt.

7. Jefus having wrought a great number of miracles, in the most public manner, fo as to have given abundant evidence of his divine miffion, had no occafion to act in the fame open manner at all times. He fometimes fhewed his benevolence to afflicted perfons without wishing to have the miracles by which he relieved them known, except to the perfons who received the benefit. Thus when he cured two blind men, after raifing to life Jairus' daughter, "he straightly charged them, (Matt. ix. 30.) faying, See that no man know it." Nay, after giving life to the young woman, at which only the father, the mother, and three of his difciples were prefent, he alfo "charged them ftraightly, (Mark v. 43.) that no man should know it." When at one time the Pharifees" held

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a council (Matt. xii. 14.) against him, how they might destroy him, he withdrew himself from the place; and when a great multitude followed him," and he "healed them all," he at the fame time "charged them, that they should not make him known,' or difcover where he was. This might also be intended to avoid giving unneceffary provocation to his enemies, the proper time for delivering himself up to them not being come. The conduct of Jefus on thefe occafions, and his often avoiding the crowds that attended him, fhew that he was naturally far from being given to oftentation, but discover an amiable modesty ; and the reverse of this would have been the case of an impoftor.

8. On one particular occafion Jefus purfued a different method. The people of Gadara, after the deftruction of the herd of fwine, and the cure of the demoniac in those parts, having " befought him (Matt. xiii. 34.) to depart out of their coafts," said to the man whom he had relieved, and who (Mark v. 9.) " prayed him that he might be with him, Go home to thy friends, and

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tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compaffion on thee." He was then leaving that part of the country, and probably did not apprehend any inconvenience from this publication of the miracle. Befides he had wrought very few miracles in those parts, and might think that the people were not fufficiently impreffed with them.

DISCOURSE II. PART III.

I HAVE confidered feveral particulars of Jesus's authoritative manner of speaking when he was inftructing his audience, and alfo the dignified manner in which he wrought his miracles; a manner which would have been unnatural and prepofterous in an impoftor, and abfolutely impoffible to a common carpenter, but easy and natural to any perfon confcious of fpeaking and acting in the name of God, and impowered by him to work real miracles. I fhall now bring into view fome other particulars in the general behaviour of Jefus, independent of his teaching,

teaching, or working miracles, which difcover the same sense of perfonal dignity and fuch authority as no other man in the same rank in life could have thought of affuming, or would have been capable of supporting if he had attempted it. And yet this highly dignified character Jefus maintained with perfect eafe, propriety, and consistency, through the whole of his history.

1. Mahomet could not immediately perfuade his own family to believe that he had the fupernatural communications that he pretended to, though for three years he had made it his practice to feclude himself from the world, and fhut himself up in a cave, in order to favour that idea; and he was careful to endeavour to make converts of his own family, and near friends, in the first place. Jefus, on the contrary, gave no particular attention to his own family or former acquaintance, but addreffed himself to his countrymen at large, who knew nothing more of him than they then faw, and his mean parentage, of which they would foon be informed; and yet he appears not only to have had numerous difciples as foon as

ever he began to fhew himself, but to have commanded whom he pleased to be his conftant followers.

Immediately after the first paffover, at which he worked fome miracles, though they are not specified, at Jerufalem (after which, and not before, he began to preach) as he was walking by the fea of Galilee, and

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faw two brethren, Simon and Andrew, cafting a net into the fea, (Matt. iv. 18. Mark i. 17.) for they were fishermen, he faid unto them, Follow me, and I will make fishers of men; and immediately they left the ship, and their father, and followed him." It appears from the Gospel of John, that these men had been his disciples in Judea, and had attended him some short time there; but they had returned to their ordinary occupation, as the disciples of John in general probably did; but from this time they never left him. In the fame authoritative manner he seems to have commanded the attendance of all whom he thought proper.

Seeing Matthew, a perfon in a public employment, and evidently wealthy, at his office,

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