with the established opinion of the country, and produced himself in the character which they expected. Suppose he was an impostor, and had a scheme of taking advantage of the popular expectation, to impose himself upon the Jews for the great person whose appearance they were looking for, it was certainly his business to have framed his account and pretensions agreeably to those expectations.

Had he been an enthusiast, whose enthusiasm, or madness, if you choose to call it so, had been so far infected with the popular phrensy as to imagine itself to be the person promised and expected, then such enthusiasm must at the same time have unavoidably led him to prove himself to be such an one, and to be and to do what these expectations pointed out. And what is a better proof than any reasonings, the fact was so. All the false Christs, all the pretended Messiahs, of which there have been some hundreds, have to a man given themselves out to be the destined deliverers of the Jewish nation, and improvers of the world. We read in the Acts of the Apostles of Theudas and Judas, who, before the days of the Apostles, had drawn much people after them. Josephus, the famous Jewish historian, mentions only nine by name, and multitudes of others whom he does not name conformably with our Saviour's prediction: "that there should arise false Christs, false prophets, and deceive many." Some of these might be impostors whom the expectations of the times and consequent eagerness to listen to such pretences called forth; others might be enthusiasts, whose disturbed imagination caught the contagion from the public throng. But both the one and the other, expectants and enthusiasts, they who adapted these things to the received prejudices of the age, boasted and professed to be what they knew their followers wished for, or what they and every one expected.

Now why Christ did not go along with the rest who have called themselves Messiahs, if he was like them, it will be difficult to say. But where, it will be asked, did our Saviour in fact differ or depart from the common and received notion of what the Messiah was to be? This remains to be shown.

Now the difference consists in this: that whereas the Messiah, according to the Jewish notion, was to be in his nature a mere man, and like all other men, but in his condition in the world exalted to summits of honour and grandeur above the kings and princes of this world; he, on the contrary, describes

himself, and is described by his followers, as low and mean in his outward visible condition, but in his nature very different from the whole race of mankind.

First; I say that the Jewish Messiah was, in their expectation, to be a mere man. The Jews did not suppose Moses himself to be any thing more; nor is there any trace that they had a conception of any thing more in the Messiah. None of the false Messiahs set up for any thing different as to their nature from an ordinary man. The Jews themselves were at a loss to understand those expressions of our Saviour, by which he intended to intimate the distinction and superiority of his own nature. This was so little thought of, that they were unable to resolve the difficulty he proposed to them: "If Christ be David's son, how calleth he him the Lord?"

But in his condition their Messiah is to be exalted to superior power and dignity; he is to rule and triumph over all the enemies of the Jewish state; he was to restore the kingdom to Israel; he was to sit upon the throne of his father David, and reign over the house of Jacob for ever. All these expressions the Jews interpreted and applied literally. The contrary, however, of all this, our Saviour represents his worldly condition, which it evidently was-so mean and low, and humble and contemptible-born in a manger, and of parents of very inferior station-brought up with these parents-appearing, when he did appear, with a few poor fishermen-without name, fortune, or learning the son of man had not where to lay his head-indebted to the benevolence of a certain Galilean who ministered unto him of his substance. He came, indeed, as he expresses it, to minister to others, and not to be ministered unto himself; and at last, as he all along foretold he should be, was delivered to the malice of the Jews, and to the power of the Roman yoke. He never attempted to shake off the Roman yoke, nor encouraged any such attempts in his followers; on the contrary, he withdrew himself when the populace would have hailed their king. He disclaimed the idea of altering or subverting the civil governments of the world-the very purpose for which the Jewish Messiah was expected-expressly declaring that his kingdom was not of this world, and replying, when he was requested to interfere in a private dispute, "Man, who made me a judge over you?"

Secondly; but if the condition in which our Saviour ap

peared exceedingly disappointed the Jewish expectation, the nature of which he described himself to be differed as much from what they conceived or expected. He described himself as a being, though in form and fashion as a mere man, yet in reality, and in his nature, far transcending the whole human race-far, inasmuch as these are but creatures of a birth; "Dust thou art, and to dust shalt thou return." He was from the beginning,"before Abraham;"-possessed glory with the Father before the world was. "He came forth from the Father, and came into the world, as he left the world, and went to the Father." "He came down from heaven, even as he ascended up to heaven."

Again; we believe that there are orders of creation in the universe much above us, as much, at least, as we are above the brute creation. He was elevated far beyond all these, a “being so much better than these, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they,"-for unto which of the angels, said he, at any time, "thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?"

Again; whereas no man hath seen God at any time: he was with the Father, in the bosom of the Father; he spake that which he had seen with the Father-the Father loved him, and showed him all things.

Again; he was next and dearest to his Father, above and beyond all creatures: he was not only the first born of every creature, but of all others "the only begotten of the Father;" which phrase must needs denote a relation, unknown, it is true, and unintelligible to us, but of peculiar value to him, and well understood. He was appointed also to be judge of the quick and the dead; "for the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement unto the Son." "It is he," saith St. Peter, "which was ordained of God to be the judge of the quick and dead." "We shall all stand," St. Paul assures us," before the judgement-seat of Christ."

Lastly; he was invested by the Father with power to raise us up, to recall us to life at the last day. "For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;" i. e. to have the same power over life. "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise them up at the last day." "I am the resurrection and the life; as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive." It seems by this, not

only figuratively, but literally true, that through the sin of Adam human nature became mortal. By the efficacy and power of Christ, the same nature is made capable of a restoration to life. "It is he," St. Paul assures us, 66 who is to change our vile body, that it may be like his glorious body."

Now these several particulars put together compose a character, or more properly speaking, a nature, not only different from any thing the Jews looked for from the Messiah, and in many particulars the reverse of it; but it is entirely, absolutely, and truly original. There was no example that could suggest it, no precedent to authorize it.

The next natural, and as I have argued already, not at all improbable, supposition, had he been guided by any thing else than truth, was, that he would be seen just what the Jews expected the Messiah should be seen; that these expectations had suggested the thought, and were to be the foundation of his claims, and the means of success.

But had our Saviour presented himself as a public and better instructor of mankind in his day, he would have had examples of this in the old philosophers. Had he assumed the character of a Jew, to the Jews he would have been a second Moses. Had he appeared an inspired prophet, instances of such had been of old frequent among the Jews.

But why he should not only depart from the established persuasion of his own country, and of all the world, concerning the Messiah who was expected, but assume pretensions different and unforeseen, superior to any of these already mentioned, and without any instance or example to lead to or suggest such a scheme and character, unless he was, as we believe him to be, really and truly what he called himself, it seems impossible to account for.

The character of Christ is single and alone in the history of mankind. If he was an impostor, there never was such lame and useless imposture. If he was an enthusiast, produce an instance of any character made up so well of enthusiasm, so calm, so rational, so sublime.

OUR Saviour's miraculous birth, and still more miraculous life, distinguished him from every person that ever appeared in the world. History affords nothing like him—and these miracles form, no doubt, our assurance, that "He was sent from God." He preserved his pretensions by his works: the wonders of his nativity were followed by the performances of his life. This was the reason his followers believed on him at the time; and this must be a reason for believing on him, throughout all ages. But, with considerate minds, there is a further reason for believing in him, exceedingly impressive, and that is, the excellency of his character. In this respect he surpasses the best men, of whom we have any knowledge. It might be expected that it would be so, with so great, so distinguished a messenger, sent from God; and it was so.

Pilate said of Jesus, "I find no fault with this man," and he spoke truly; nor has any one, that has examined his history, ever been able to lay a single charge against his conduct. The temper of his soul and the tenor of his life were blameless throughout. From the first moment of his birth, (which we this day commemorate,) to his last agony on the cross, he never once fell into the smallest error of conduct; never once "spake unadvisedly with his lips." This is a negative kind of excellence; but observe, it is more than can be said of any person, that ever yet came into the world. But however, though a thing so extraordinary is to be found in no other man, it formed but a small part of that perfection, which belonged to our Lord Jesus. He was not only exempt from every the slightest failing, but he possessed and practised every imaginable virtue, that was consistent with his situation; and that too, in the highest degree of excellence, to which virtue is capable of being exalted. We may in particular fix upon the following points of his character; namely, his zeal for the service, his resignation to the will, his complete obedience to the commands, of his heavenly Father. These constituted his piety. Then, the compassion, the kind