from on high bath visited us, to give Light to them that fit in Darkness, and in the Shadow of Death, to guide our Feet into the Way of Peace. 1 Luke, at the End.

With Reason therefore is the Meffiah ftiled in the Text, the Defire, of all Nations, who brought into the World all those ineftimable Bleffings, which every wife and good Man ardently defired, but were at a Lofs how to come at them.

And when at last, this glorious Light arofe, and the Meffiah was born, great and joyous was the Solemnity of his Entrance, for an Angel was difpatched to proclaim it Luke 2. 10. in thofe Words, Behold I bring you good Tidings of great Joy which shall be to all People; for unto you is born this Day a Saviour in the City of David, which is Chrift the Lord, and fuddenly there was with the Angel a Multitude of the heavenly Hoft, praifing God, and faying, Glory to God in the higheft, on Earth Peace, good Will towards Men.

And we read alfo, that the Notice of his Birth was no fooner given by an extraordinary Star, than the wife Men or Philofophers of Arabia, upon this glorious Epiphany came to pay the Homage of the Gen

tile World to the Infant Prince, and brought their Tribute of Gold, Myrrh and Frankincence; a becoming Acknowledgment to him who brought his faving Health to all Nations, and who opened to the Heathen World thofe Treasures of Goodness and Grace, of Light and Knowledge, which the wife and virtuous had long defired without being able to obtain.

The Uses that may be made of this Doctrine are various, but I fhall confine my felf to two.

The First is to fhew us the great Mischief of Prepoffeffion and Prejudice in Matters of Religion, especially where private Interest has any Share in the Mixture. The Jews were an extraordinary Inftance of this. They had for several Ages been fondly expecting the coming of the Meffiah, and their Prophets had fo well painted him to the Life, that it was hardly poffible to miftake the Original when he appeared. John the Baptift upon the Fame of his Works, gueffed that he must be the Perfon, and dispatched fome of his Difciples to learn the Truth of it. Our Saviour immediately performed fome extraordinary Miracles in their Prefence, and fent them away with no other

Answer,

Answer, but this, tell John what Things ye Luke 7. 19.have feen and heard, how that the Blind fee, the Lame walk, the Lepers are cleanfed, the Deaf hear, the Dead are raised, and to the Poor the Gospel is preached. Let John judge from thefe Things, whether I do not answer the Characters foretold of the true Meffiah, and let him believe accordingly. And we find that fuch of the Jews as were candid and impartial, confeffed and embraced him this Evidence; For many upon John 7. 31.0f the People believed on him, and faid, when Chrift cometh, will be do more Miracles than thefe which this Man doth.

It was impoffible to give stronger Proofs in the Cafe, and yet fuch was the Force of their Prejudices in Favour of a Meffiah who as they had figured to themselves was to come with worldly Glory and Splendour, to fubdue their Enemies, and make them all rich and great, that the Rulers and Chief Priests, and all who expected Preferments, defpifed and rejected him: their Prepoffef fion had blinded their Eyes, and Pride, and Ambition had hardened their Hearts against the strongest and cleareft Evidence, which ended, as it often happens, in their utter Ruin. And even to this very Day,

tho'

tho' they see their Temple, and Worship, destroyed, and the Scepter departed from Judah for many Ages past, yet their Unbe

lief remains.

We pity these blind Jews, and yet God knows, have no Pity for our felves under the like Circumstance. The Prejudices of Education, of Custom, of Example, of worldly Intereft, of great Authorities, and of Parties, work powerfully upon our Minds, without our perceiving it, and barricade the Avenues against Truth and Knowledge. They are few, very few of Mankind, who have Strength, and Candour, and Honesty fufficient to disentangle their Minds from Prepoffeffions, and to think, and reason, freely and fairly, and to purfue and embrace Truth for its own fake.

Hence it is that fome Men defpife and deny all revealed Religion, without giving it a fair Hearing, and are refolved to be against it, meerly because it reftrains their licentious Lives; while others wound Religion as fenfibly, by laying the main Stress of it on Points in which it leaft of all confifts; in external Rites and Obfervances, in corporeal Actions, in Traditions, and Conftitutions

ftitutions that are meerly human, in scholaftick Doctrines, and Points of curious Speculation, which have no Effect upon the Life and Practice; the natural Confequence of these are Bigottry, Schifm, Superftition, Perfecution, a Spirit of Bitterness and Malignity against those who differ from them in Trifles, which destroys that mutual Charity and Benevolence that are the very Life and Soul of Christianity and Virtue.

All these Mischiefs would foon have an End, if Men could once perfuade themselves to lay aside their Prepoffeffions and Prejudices, and make a fair Use of their Reafon in the Purfuit of Truth wherever it lies.

The other Ufe of this Difcourfe is to take Occafion from it, to blefs God for cafting our Lot in a Country where the Light of the Gospel has fhin'd, and where Chrift, the Defire of all Nations, has been made known. That the Day Spring from on high hath vifited us, whofe Forefathers fat in Darkness, and faw no Light, which is the unhappy Cafe of three Parts of the Globe at this Day.

Let us blefs the good Providence of God, that whilst his favourite People, the Jews,

were