price," which every one who finds, will sell all that he has to purchase1? What, though we behold him not with our bodily eyes, is our joy the less on that account? No: for “though we see him not, we love him: yea, though now we see him not, yet, believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; receiving even now the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls m."] In conclusion, I would beg to ask two QUESTIONS: 1. Have you attained this happiness yourselves? [The Lord Jesus Christ has been fully made known among you, and "has even been set forth, as it were, crucified before your eyes "." Observe on what slight evidence of his Messiahship his first Disciples rejoiced. Neither he, nor John his Forerunner, had wrought any miracle: yet, because the Holy Ghost had descended in a visible shape upon him at his baptism, both John and others believed on him. They, moreover, could have but very indistinct views of his character; and yet they rejoiced in him. How strong, then, should be your faith, and how exalted your joy, now that you have a full discovery of his glory; a discovery, which not even the angels in heaven enjoyed, till it was given to them through the medium of the Christian Church°! Surely you have cause to be ashamed, if, amidst all your privileges, you remain ignorant of the Saviour's love, or strangers to the salvation which he has obtained for you.] 2. Are you endeavouring to impart it to others? [You find not any in the days of old, who, having found the Saviour themselves, did not endeavour to make him known to others. It is indeed impossible to feel our need of him, and to be experimentally acquainted with the blessedness of his salvation, and not to labour, according to our ability, to make others partakers of our joy. I know full well, that a zeal for his glory, and for the salvation of our fellow-men, will entail upon us a considerable measure of reproach, as enthusiastic, and "righteous overmuch." But why should we regard such a contemptible imputation as that? It is remarkable, that Philip was under a mistake, when he announced Jesus as "of Nazareth;" for he was not of Nazareth, but of Bethlehem. Yet because Philip supposed him to be of Nazareth, where he was not born, but had only sojourned, he willingly proclaimed his Master as of that place, notwithstanding the obloquy universally attached to it. So let us never be ashamed of Christ, because of the odium that attaches to a profession of his name. We should not indeed, by ignorance 1 Matt. xiii. 44-46. • Eph. iii. 10. m 1 Pet. i. 8, 9. n Gal. iii. 1. P ver. 46. and inadvertence, put a stumbling-block in the way of any: but, if despised for the sake of Christ, we should welcome the shame, and rejoice that we are counted worthy to bear it. No consideration whatever should intimidate us: but, having found "Christ precious to our own souls," we should " fess him openly before all," and commend him to all around us, as "all our salvation, and all our desire."] MDCIII. EVIL, AND CURE, OF PREJUDICE. con John i. 46. Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. KNOWLEDGE is not given to any man for himself alone. As "a light is not put under a bed or under a bushel, but is set on a candlestick, that it may give light to those who are in the house;" so knowledge is imparted by God, in order that it may be rendered subservient to the good of those who are in intellectual or spiritual darkness. The example of those who were first called to attend upon our Lord is worthy of imitation in this respect. Andrew, having been directed to Christ by John the Baptist, and having been convinced, by personal intercourse with Jesus, that he was indeed the Messiah," he finds his own brother Simon, and says to him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus"." The next day, Philip, who was of the same city as Andrew and Peter, was called to follow Christ: and "he, also, finding Nathanael, said to him, We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." In the mind of Nathanael, however, there existed a prejudice against Nazareth, as being the last place from whence a person of so exalted a character would ever proceed and therefore he asked, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" It is generally supposed that this prejudice was called forth by Philip speaking of Jesus as belonging to Nazareth; when it a ver. 36-42. b ver. 43-45. was known that the Messiah was to be born at Bethlehem. But, had that been the case, I conceive that the answer would rather have been, " Can the Messiah come out of Nazareth?" and not, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" For, though Bethlehem was to give birth to the Messiah, it was not the only city from whence any good could proceed. I rather imagine, therefore, that it was to the general bad character of Nazareth that Nathanael referred intimating, that, so far from giving birth to the Messiah, it was scarcely possible that any good whatever should proceed from it. This prejudice was not altogether without foundation; for Nazareth was deservedly infamous even in Galilee, the whole province of which was considered as less honourable than any other part of Judæaa. of Judæa. The conduct of the Nazarenes, both at the first opening of our Lord's ministry there, and on a subsequent occasion', clearly shewed, that they were a blind and wicked people. Yet that was no reason why nothing good should come forth from thence. And, if this prejudice had not been corrected, it might have terminated in a continued ignorance of Christ, and a consequent lost of his salvation. Let me then, from this history, shew you, I. The evil of prejudice Prejudice is deeply rooted in the heart of fallen man: and it is productive of most injurious effects, 1. To those who are the objects of it [Prejudice has always some ground. It may indeed be founded on error, as well as on truth: but the very existence of it supposes that the person exercising it beholds, in his own opinion at least, something blame-worthy in him who is the object of it and it usually operates most forcibly in those who have taken the least pains to ascertain the truth. Nicodemus no sooner heard of the Lord Jesus as belonging to Nazareth, than he concluded, from that very circumstance, that he could not be the true Messiah: and he even appealed to Philip, whether any good thing could come out of Nazareth; insinuating, that on so plain a point, there could not be any reasonable c Matt. ii. 4-6. e Luke iv. 22, 23, 28-30. d John vii. 52. f Matt. xiii. 54-56. doubt: "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Now here was extreme injustice done to the people of that city: for though the majority of them might be worthless, there might be some as estimable characters as any in Israel. But it is in this way that prejudice condemns both things and persons in the mass. Nations will entertain these very notions respecting each other; so that the belonging to a rival nation shall be sufficient to make a person our enemy, though we are utter strangers to his character. The same malignant principle operates also very strongly between different societies belonging to the same nation. As, in Catholic countries, rival orders of men hate each other; so even in this Protestant land, where greater liberality might be expected to prevail, churchmen and dissenters are ready to question whether almost any measure of truth or piety be in the party to which they are opposed. It is scarcely necessary to say how strongly this unhallowed disposition prevails against individuals. A man may have embraced sentiments which are deemed strict and precise; and may, in conformity to them, be living a more holy, mortified, and self-denying life than others around him; and this shall be quite sufficient to render him odious and contemptible to all around him. From that moment, every one shall feel himself at liberty to speak evil of him; and nobody shall dare to defend him. All he says, and all he does, shall be an occasion of offence. John Baptist, because he was of secluded and mortified habits, was said "to have a devil:" and our blessed Lord, because he was of 66 more easy and social habits," was called "a gluttonous man, and a wine-bibber." And so, if we be truly religious, it will be done to us: whether we "pipe or mourn," we shall find no sympathy, but be alike objects of condemnation; every thing being viewed through the medium of prejudice, and therefore deemed extravagant and absurd. Every one who will follow the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity shall surely find that he has this cross to bear: he shall be despised, and hated, and "have all manner of evil spoken against him falsely, for Christ's sake. In truth, the real Christian does not live under the same laws as others; nor must he expect that measure of protection that is accorded to other men. He may be traduced, insulted, injured by all: and no one will take his part: whilst, if he were to act, in one single instance, towards others, as every one feels at liberty to act towards him, the mouths of all would be opened against him, and a fire would be kindled which would not readily be extinguished: so true is that saying of the prophet Isaiah, "He that departeth from evil, maketh himself a prey."] 2. To those who indulge it— [Prejudice blinds the mind to truth, and utterly indisposes us for the reception of it. A person under its influence can see no good in him whom it condemns, and will listen to nothing that shall tend to the vindication of his character. We have a remarkable illustration of this, in the conduct of the people of Ephesus. When they perceived that the preaching of the Apostle Paul was likely to lessen the veneration of many for the goddess whom they worshipped, they set the whole city in an uproar: and when a person, named Alexander, stood forth to vindicate him, the people, as soon as they saw that he was a Jew, instead of listening to a single word that he had to say, all, for the space of about two hours, cried out, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" Thus they shut out all means of conviction, and kindled in their own breasts the keenest resentments against those who sought only to make known unto them the way of life and salvation. In the common affairs of life, men act not thus. Our blessed Lord placed this matter in its true light, in answer to those who in the same perverse way rejected him: "When ye see a cloud rising in the west, ye say there will be rain, and it comes to pass. And when the south wind blows, ye say there will be heat and it is so. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the earth, and of the heavens; and how is it that ye discern not this time?" The truth is, that if prejudice once blind the eyes, nothing whatever will suffice to remove it: and men will rather ascribe the miracles of our Lord to Satanic influence, than acknowledge the plain and obvious inference that should be deduced from them. Thus, whilst this hateful disposition vents itself against the most deserving objects, it inflicts the deadliest wound on him who indulges it; inasmuch as it calls forth into activity. all his basest passions, and shuts up his soul in impenetrable darkness. Happily for Nathanael, he had a friend, who, if not able to satisfy all his doubts, was capable of giving him such advice, as, if duly followed, would issue in the removal of them.] In this advice of Philip we shall see, II. The remedy of it— Inquiry is the obvious remedy to be applied, in all cases. To all then, who are under the influence of prejudice, I would say, "Come and see." 1. To the profane Atheist [I will grant that your prejudices are not wholly destitute of some plausible grounds whereon to stand. There are in the world many things which seem calculated to impress the mind with an idea that there is no controlling Providence, to protect VOL. XIII. Acts xix. 34. h Luke xii. 54-57. |