terefting view of human life. Every relation has its corref ponding sphere of duty. The happiness of domestic fociety confifts not in the interchange of great benefits, on fignal occafions, but in the hourly reciprocation of the little offices of love, in kind looks, in kind affections, in mutual forbearance and forgivenefs, in the balm of fympathy whether we forrow or rejoice; in a word, according to the apoftolic injunction, in being of the fame mind one towards another,

The religion of the Gospel wears an aspect peculiarly favorable to families. The infancy and childhood of Jefus Chrift were pafled in the bofom of his family. His first public miracle was performed in putting honour upon a family party, at Cana of Galilee. He made one in the family of Simon, at Capernaum. The houfe of Lazarus and his fifters, at Bethany, he made his home, and there he cultivated all the endearing charities of exalted friendfhip. To find a home for his mother was his last earthly care; and, as the head of his own family, he prefided at the Pafchal folemnity, and inftituted the memo rial of his dying love. Thus are domeftic relations ftrengthened, fweetened, fan&tified, ennobled. A Chriftian kingdom or ftate never exifted. But a family of Chriftians, all of one heart and of one foul, we truft, is not a rarity. And to chrif tianize families is the direct road to the chriftianizing of natiens. In the contracted fphere of a family, however numerous, every one knows every one; every one cares for every one. The master's influence is felt and acknowledged by all. A common intereft, both temporal and eternal, unites the individuals to each other, and heaven defcends to dwell with men upon earth. So propitious is Chriftianity to the deareft and beft interefts of civil focfey.

The fcene which we have been reviewing paffed on the evening of the fabbath. Nor could the fanctity of the day be profaned by a work of mercy, or by the pious and friendly intercourse of kindred fpirits, whofe religion was feated in the heart, not chilled into lifeless forms. But the fuperftitious obfervance of the fabbath operated powerfully on the multitude. Though prompted by natural affection to apply for relief to their afflicted friends, they defer it till the going down of the fun, that is till the fabbath was over; for they had yet to learn "what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not facrifice;" and "the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day ;" and "the fabbath was made for man, and not man for the fabbath.” "Now when the fun was fetting, all they that had any fick with divers difeafes brought them unto him." A fenfe of the weakness of thofe good people is loft in refpect for their ha

manity.

manity. They are not chidden, away from Peter's door as unfeafnable intruders; they are not referred to another day. It is the cry of mifery entering into the ear of mercy, and it cries not in vain : " and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them." Here the mode of cure is the impofition of hands. Even fo, bleffed Jefus, for fo it feemed good, in thy fight. Let me be the fubject of thy miraculous grace, and convey thou the healing power through whatsoever channel thou wilt.

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The fervice of the fynagogue, in the morning of the fabbath, had been difturbed by a wretched demoniac, who cried out with a loud voice, faying, let us alone: what have we to do with thee, thou Jefus of Nazareth? art thou come to deftroy us? I know thee who thou art; the holy One of God." Jefus, by a word, difpoffeffed the impure fpirit, and restored the unhappy man to himself, in the prefence of the whole af fembly, who were juftly filled with aftonishment at fuch a difplay of power and goodnefs. It is affecting to think that this dreadful fpecies of malady was far from being uncommon at that period; for we find the fame of the morning's miracle spread abroad, and it attracts to the place where Jefus was, in the evening, many perfons in the fame. deplorable condition, One of the depths of Satan, in thefe cafes, was to pay affected homage to Jefus of Nazareth, in the view of infufing a fufpicion that there might be a fecret combination and collufion between him and them, and of thereby diminishing his dignity and authority in the eyes of the people. To be praised by the wicked, is offenfive and difhonourable to the good; and the adversary is never more dangerous than when he "is transformed into an angel of light." But when the prince of this world came, he found nothing in Chrift; no weak part to attack, no foundation whereon to erect his engines; but wif dom ever prepared to meet cunning, purity to refift every evil fuggeftion, and authority to filence the tempter whenever his encroachment became too daring. He difdained the teftimony of a demon in his favour, and rejected the infidious praise of an enemy. "And he, rebuking them, fuffered them not to fpeak for they knew that he was Chrift :" that is, he permitted them not to declare, though they fpake the truth, that they knew him to be the Chrift.

Having thus fulfilled the public duties of the fanctuary, and the more private offices of friendship; having employed the greater part of the night in receiving and relieving the numerous objects who came, or who were brought to him, he withdrew,

drew, toward the dawning of the day, into a ftill clofer retirement; and, for a feafon, fhut the world entirely out. And when it was day he departed, and went into a defert place." Sacred were thofe hours of folitude to heavenly meditation, to devotional intercourfe with Him that fent Him, whofe glory he ever fought, and whofe will it was his delight to execute. "Ye fhall leave me alone;" fays he to his difciples," and yet," adds he, "I am not alone, because the Father is with me." When fome great arrangement is to be made, toward the eftablishment and extenfion of his kingdom, preparation for it paffes in folemn abstraction from all fublunary things. Thus his own public miniftry was preceded by a forty days retreat into the wilderness." "And it came to pafs in those days," when he was about to confecrate the twelve to the office of apoftlethip," that he went up into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God;" thus allo was the glorious fcene of his transfiguration introduced; and thus he exemplified the practice which he fo powerfully recommends to his difciples: "But thou, when thou, prayeft, enter into thy clofet, and, when thou haft fhut thy door, pray to thy father which is in fecret, and thy Father, which feeth in fecret, fhall reward thee openly."

The admiring and delighted multitude trace him into his place of retirement, and, fenfible of the value of fuch a vifit, they entreat him to prolong it. Various motives might fuggeft this requeft. In fome, it might be the attraction of novelty, in others the love of the truth: here the fense of grati. tude for benefits received, there the principle of curiofity gap. ing after a farther difplay of wonders. In one it might be the full conviction of an honest and enlightened mind, and in another a malignant difpofition to difcover a blemish. We know from the fequel that the fuccefs of our Lord's miracles and preaching at Capernaum, was wofully fimilar to what it had been at Nazareth, for this is the dismal account which he himfelf gives of it, "And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, fhalt be brought down to hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I fay unto you, That it fhall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee." Whatever were their motives for wifhing his longer continuance among them, they are for the prefent refifted, and a reafon is affigned. "I muft preach the kingdom of God to other cities alfo, for therefore am I fent." Every word here is fignificant and powerful. "I muft preach." What impofed the neceffity? The commiffion which

he

he had undertaken to execute; his own fovereign will and pleafure; his own unerring underftanding: his own unbounded benevolence; the extenfive demands of perishing humani ty. "I must preach the kingdom of God:" its defcent to earth; its adaptation to the nature and condition of ignorant and guilty men; its divine object, to raife tallen man from earth, from hell, to heaven; its prefent operation and effect, “righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft;" its stability. "a kingdom that cannot be moved;" the fovereign grace which confers it," fear not little flock: for it is your Father's good pleature to give you the kingdom." Such was the glorious fubject of Chrift's preaching; a fubject, compared to which the purfuits of avarice, of ambition, and the pride of kings are lefs than nothing and vanity: a fubject that interests not Nazareth, and Capernaum, and the cities of Galilee only, where it was first proclaimed, but the men, the cities, the na tions of all ages and generations. On fuch a narrow and feemingly flender foundation, what a fabric has arifen ? "This is the Lord's doing, it is marvellous in our eyes." Let the great object of Chrift's miffion direct and control our pursuit of every object. He was fent to bring men under the dominion of the kingdom of God; and he has taught us when we pray to fay: "Thy kingdom come." If we enter into the spirit of that petition, it will be our concern that the empire of fin and Satan in our own hearts be completely fubverted; that peace on earth, and good will among men be.promoted; that the kingdoms of this world, become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and that he may reign for ever and ever.

Let us review this portion of our blessed Lord's history, and thus reflect:

t

1. The duties of religion, then, and those of ordinary life are intimately united and interwoven; they are perfectly confiftent, and yield mutual fupport. The fervice of the fanctuary must not be unneceffarily protracted, to the wearying of the flesh, and to become an encroachment on the juft, prudent or neceffary concerns of the family, and no domeftic regards muft preclude works of charity and mercy, even to strangers. On the other hand, no attention to civil and domestic affairs, except in cafes of urgent neceffity, and no works of mercy must plead a difpenfation for the non-observance of the ordinance of God. Under the governance of a well-regulated ipirit, daily lawful employments become not only a reasonable but a religious fervice, and the functions neceflary to the fupport of mere animal life, may be performed to the glory of God. And neither the public offices of the temple, nor family order and devotion

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devotion must be alleged as an exemption from the obligations. of private and perfonal religion. Indeed all must begin here. For families are compofed of individuals, and the churches of Chrift of families. To the perfect health of the natural body, the foundness of every member is effential: a perfection, however, rarely to be found, and feldom of long continuance. But the prefent feeblenefs, imperfection and diforder of the particular members of that body whereof Chrift is the head, are relieved by the profpect of "the perfecting of the faints, of the edifying of the body of Chrift," when we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the ftature of the fulness of Chrift."

2. Can the father of lies fpeak truth? Yes, when it promif es to answer his purpofe; and truth itfelf partakes of the nature of a lie, when it is employed for the purpofe of deception. Do devils believe ? Yes, to their forrow; "they believe and tremble." Does Satan give a juft teftimony to the Son of God? Yes, in hope of bringing it into difcredit. Let no one, then, value himself on the mere truth and foundnels of his principles, on the exact orthodoxy of his faith. A principle, however excellent, that remains inactive, is of no value, like a mathematical propofition, demonftrably certain, but applied to no ufe; or a wholefome ftream frozen up and ftagnating at the very fource. "Not every one that faith unto me, Lord, Lord, fhall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." "This isthe victory that overcometh the world even our faith: Who is het that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jefus is the Son of God."

3. Who has not known disease, and danger, and manifold affliction? And who has not experienced frequent and merci. ful deliverance? The diftrefs came from an unseen hand, and fo did the relief. The agent, the inftrument was human, was fenfible. It was the fkill of the phyfician, it was the power of medicine, it was the fympathy of friendship. But who taught the phyfician to comprehend my malady, and to reach it ? Who gave virtue to the prescribed medicine? Who excited compaffion in the bofom of my friend? He who rebuked the fever, and it fled; he who laid his hands on the fick, and they were made whole; he who took the dead daughter of the ruler of the fynagogue by the hand, and faid, "Damfel arife;" and "ftraightway fhe arofe and walked." Whether, therefore, health remain unimpaired, or be restored, by natural or extraordinary