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you are freed from condemnation, making it the anchor of your soul, and the joy of your heart, and determining to know nothing for life, but Christ and him crucified? This sounds well; and now you see the almighty arm of his grace stretched out for your deliverance.

But you must not stop here; you must go on, and say, Christ, in giving himself up for sinners, has done a mighty work for me, far beyond my deserts, far beyond any thing I could conceive, or hope for, and this shall be the refuge and stay of my soul; but in return for his love, and with a view to my happiness, he has his demand upon me for a grateful, unreserved submission to the work he has to do in me. I have an earthly, carnal heart, and naturally desire worldly things and a worldly happiness; I have a proud heart to be humbled; I have a dark heart, and am backward to admit the light which cometh from above; I have a stubborn will, opposing itself to the will and law of God: Lord Jesus, says the awakened man, help here. Enlighten my dark mind, quicken my dead heart, conquer my rebellious will, humble me in the dust, turn me to God as my Lord and portion, set my affections on things above, make me thy disciple in the truth and purity of a free obedience. Let not my faith fail me, and I am sure thou wilt not. Dearly beloved, so Christ is received and believed in by all whom he saves. He convinces them of their guilt and danger, turns their eyes to him as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, grounds them in his love, and this belief binds them to his service. The Lord carry you beyond all forms into the depth of this work. It is said, when the men of that place "had knowledge of him," viz. that he who wrought such miracles was come among them," they sent into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased, and besought him that they might only

h the hem of his garment." Do you, who have know

ledge of him, are baptized into the belief of him, and hear of him continually, bring yourselves, your diseased, guilty, helpless souls, to him, with a full persuasion of your want of such a Saviour, and of his will to save you, that this Scripture may also be fulfilled in you-" as many as touched were made perfectly whole." The words seem to imply that those who so touched him were strong in faith, and had a very high opinion of his power to help them. I do not mean that he has not healing for the least degree of a true faith; but whatever it is, let us pray to the Lord for the increase of it.

PRAYER.

Blessed God, who didst look upon us in mercy when we were dead in trespasses and sins, and sent thy only begotten Son to help and to save us; bring us, we beseech thee, to the knowledge of thy grace and faith in thee; that, knowing thee as a reconciled Father, we may serve thee without fear, in holiness and righteousness before thee all the days of our life. Enlighten our dark minds, bend our stubborn wills, quicken our dead hearts. Suffer us not to be the most unhappy of all creatures, either by despising the offer of thy great mercy, or living unreformed under it. Fill us with devout admiration of thy goodness, and inspire us with a holy resolution of securing our portion in thee, through the Son of thy love, Let the desire of our souls be to Jesus, that being made perfectly whole by him, we may bless and praise thee the God of our salvation, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be glory and dominion, for ever and ever. Amen.

VOL. I.

SECTION XXXII.

ST. MATTHEW, xv. 1.

THEN came to Jesus the Scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem.-Here was a kind of solemn embassy of learned doctors, to inquire into his conduct. And what was the matter? His disciples did not wash before they ate. You will find he takes occasion from hence to lay open the hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees, and charge them with the neglect of what was more substantial. And what you are to observe for yourselves is, the vanity and wretched deceit of resting in the use of outward means, or being scrupulous about them, when the great end of bringing the heart nearer to God by them is overlooked.

Ver. 2. Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?-The Jewish traditions were of their own invention, mere will-worship, superadded to the written word; and, as appears from this passage, preferred to it. It is, therefore, probable that Christ had instructed his disciples to disregard them.

-For they wash not their hands when they eat bread.Outward things are comparatively easy, and cost but little; and nothing blinds us more with regard to our state than the most exact observation of them, where inward purity is neglected. Be not deceived. This is the way of men at all times. Take heed it be not yours. You value yourselves upon your baptism, come to church on Sundays, and sometimes receive the sacrament: Well, the hand is washed; but is this all that Christ has to do in you? And will he require nothing else of you at the day of judgment? You are convinced at once that you must not abide by this plea. What then are you doing in

religion? Have you an eye continually to your hearts, and is the cry of them for Christ's cleansing?

Ver. 3. Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? - Whoever they are that transgress, much more live in the breach of any one of the commandments, and upon whatever pretence they do it, the question is to them from Christ's own mouth, and it behoves them to consider what answer they will give to it, "Why do you transgress?"

Ver. 4. For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and he that curseth father or mother.-Our Lord has before opened three of the commandments, chap. v. to guide us in the understanding of them all, and to show what a depth of spiritual meaning they have. I suppose him here to comment upon the fifth commandment in the same manner, and that his design is to lay the rule to the heart, and charge it with the guilt of cursing father or mother, when they are not succoured. In effect, how could we curse them more? It is for want of knowing the commandments in their true meaning and full extent, that many are ignorant of their state, and, priding themselves in the decency of an outward character, are so hard to be convinced of their sin and want of a Saviour. Whereas others, who learn of Christ to measure themselves by his standard, and trace sin up to the heart, can see their manifold defects, sue for mercy unfeignedly, apply their endeavours in the right place, and pray devoutly for the Spirit's help.

-Let him die the death.-This is God's law, and God's justice, at all times. Though human laws neither do, nor can, take exact cognizance of this and other breaches of duty to parents, yet, in the judgment of God, those who do not support them in their distress, deserve death as much as a murderer.

Ver. 5. It is a gift, &c.—God rejects with scorn whatever we give him to another's wrong.

Ver. 8. Their heart is far from me.— And, therefore, the man; for nothing draws nigh truly to God but the heart. The next time you pray, think what you are doing. Think what end you propose to yourself in your whole religion, and what it can be good for, if it does not bring the heart to God for that rest which it wants, and can find no where but in him.

Ver.9. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.—And adhering strictly to them, so as to vacate a known command of God. This was horrid presumption; and, therefore, no wonder that all the worship of such men is declared to be vain. To worship God in vain, is unhappy indeed; and to lose that labour, is of all errors the most to be dreaded.

Ver. 10. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear and understand.—It is observable that he spoke to "the multitude." He endeavoured to undeceive them; they could hear; but the Scribes and Pharisees were above his teaching, and left to their own blindness. God deliver us from so great a curse, and give us grace to hear and understand the instruction! For he sets a mark of importance upon it: "he called" to the multitude, and said to them, as he now does to us, "hear and understand."

Ver. 11. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth the man.-A little dirt or soil from the hands, in eating. But that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Coming from a rotten heart, as you will hear presently.

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Ver. 12. Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, &c. To hear their traditions slighted, and themselves charged with the breach of God's commands. What!