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took themselves to his Attendance, being every one big with Expectation from him, that they fhould make their Fortunes in his Service. This. being then the State and Condition of the People at this Time, it is very natural to confider what Subject was most proper for our Saviour to entertain them with.

This Question leads me to the last Thing I obferve in their Circumftances; which is, that tho they expected the Kingdom of the Meffiah, and had an extraordinary Opinion of Jefus as the Perfon, and spread his Fame, and flocked after him in great Numbers; they had nevertheless exceeding grofs carnal Notions of this his Kingdom, and were in a very bad Temper and Difpofition of Mind for the Reception of it. They thought it was a Kingdom which would flow in Wealth and fenfual Pleasures, and that it would gratify their. carnal Appetites to the utmost, in enriching them with the Spoils, and fatiating them with the Pleafures attending a full Revenge and Conqueft over their Enemies. So that all the Difpofition they were in for the Kingdom of the Meffiah was, that they had Minds full of Covetoufnefs, Ambition, Oppreffion, Luxury, Luft, Cruelty, Defire of Conqueft, and Revenge; all which wicked Inclinations and Difpofitions they were in Hopes to gratify to the utmoft, from the Victories and Profperity they expected in that new State of Things, under the Meffiah. Now because it is this Temper, and thefe Inclinations of the People, and the Difciples, which I take to have given the true Occafion to this divine Sermon, and to be THE RIGHT KEY to unlock the Meaning of it ; it will be fit we prove firft that this was the Tem

per

of their Mind at this Time, and that they followed our Saviour upon thefe carnal Expectations; and that it was moft proper for him in the first Place to correct thefe wicked Inclinations and Difpofitions, before he taught them any Thing elfe.

That the Multitudes were poffeffed with these carnal Notions of the Meffiah's Kingdom, appears every where throughout the Hiftory of the Gofpels, and that not only among the ignorant Sort, but their great and learned Men, and even our Saviour's beft Difciples, the twelve Apostles. I fhall not need to labour, this Point being univerfally granted; yet because I make this the Occafion of the Sermon, which I think is a new Obfervation, I will diftinctly make out thefe three Things, which I fuppofe will fufficiently demonftrate the Truth of it.

1. That both the Multitudes and our Saviour's Disciples, who were his Hearers at this Time, were prepoffeffed with carnal Notions of the Mef frab's Kingdom.

2. That this was of all Things the most neceffary in the firft Place to obviate and prevent the evil Confequences of fuch Notions in the Minds of Men, as obftructing all the future Benefit of our Saviour's Doctrine among them.

3. That the Doctrine of this Sermon (particularly this of the Beatitudes) is excellently levelled for that End, even to root out of the Minds of his Hearers the wrong Belief, and the bad Difpofitions of Mind, which were the Confequences of this wrong Notion of the Kingdom of the Meffiab.

Firft, That both the Multitudes, and our Saviour's Disciples, who were his Hearers at this Time, were prepoffeffed with carnal Notions of the Meffiab's Kingdom. By carnal Notions of it I mean, that it was to be like one of the temporal Kingdoms of this World, for Wealth, and Grandeur, Ease and Pleasure, Conqueft and Revenge, and that the Followers of the Meffiah expected to make their Fortunes, as to this World, in his Service. The Truth of this Obfervation will be evident from the following Particulars. 1. We find upon the first News that the Meffiab was born, (which was brought to Jerufalem by the Eastern Magi) a very great Confternation in the Court of (u) Herod and all Jerufalem: He fearing a dangerous Rival, and they the Wars and Troubles which commonly attend Kingdoms and States, upon fuch Competitions to the Throne. What was the meaning of this, but that they expected the Meffiah would be a temporal Prince? This is further confirmed from the bloody Execution which Herod ordered of all the Children in (w) Bethlehem, and all the Country thereabouts, according to the Time and Place of the Birth of the Meffiah, which he had diligently inquired of the Wife Men. This Action fhews that his Jealoufy of the Meffiah was kindled to a very great Height; and that this Jealoufy continued all his Days, and a great Part of his Son's Days, appears from the Flight of (x) Joseph with the Child and his Mother into Egypt, and his not adventuring to return again to Judea till Herod was dead, and the News was hush'd of the Meffiah. 2. Our Saviour's

(u) Mat. ii. 3. 21, 22.

(w) Mat. ii. 16.

(x) Mat. ii. 19, 202

Saviour's many Reproofs of the Ambition of his Difciples while they ftrove (y) which of them fhould be the greatest in his Kingdom, are plain Demonftrations that he thought they miftook the Nature of it; and his reprehending the Multitudes that they followed him (x) for the Loaves, that is, for their own temporal Ends; is a clear Proof of the fame Thing. 3. The Accufation of him by his Enemies before Pontius Pilate, that be made himself a King, and their urging to Pilate, that (a) if he was a Friend of Cafar's he could not let him go; fhews plainly that they looked upon him as a Rival of Cafar's, and a dangerous Perfon, that might ufurp the Government. 4. Lastly, The great Difappointment of his Difciples upon his Death, and their not forbearing even then, to fignify what their Hopes had been, that he was the Perfon, (b) who should have redeemed Ifrael; and the ftrange Question put to him after his Resurrection, by the Apostles affembled in a full Body, (c) if he would at that Time reftore again the Kingdom to Ifrael; are plain Proofs that they, as well as all the rest of the People, looked upon him as one that they trufted would be a great earthly Prince, and rescue the Kingdom of Ifrael from Subjection to the Roman Yoke, and gloriously reign over them himself.

Secondly, This being laid down, that both the People and the Difciples expected that the Meffiah would fet up a worldly Kingdom; and that looking upon Jefus as the Chrift or Meffiah, they flocked after him in great Numbers upon that Account, it was of all Things the most neceffary

for

(9) Mark ix. 34, 35, (z) John vi. 26. (a) John xix. 12. (6) Luke xxiv. 21. (c) Acts i. 6.

for him to rectify these their carnal Notions, and to tell them what were the right Preparations and Difpofitions of Mind for the new State of Things under the Meffiah, commonly called in the New Teftament the Kingdom of Heaven. This of the Meffiah's worldly Kingdom was fuch a fundamental Error, that it was really in vain to offer any other fpiritual Points of Doctrine to be believed, or Rules of Life to be put in Practice, till they were undeceived in this Matter; this alone being fufficient to poifon all the good wholfome Truths that could be taught them. For was it not very natural for any Man prepoffefs'd with this Notion, to aim at fome high Preferment in the Meffiah's Service, and confequently to let into his Mind abundance of covetous and ambitious Thoughts and Defigns? Was it not very natural for fuch a one to feed himself with the Fancy of living a jovial fenfual Life, as to eating, drinking, building, purchafing, and all the utmoft Gratifications of Luxury? Was it not natural for fuch a one to flatter himself that he should have a full Revenge and Satisfaction of all his Enemies, and triumphantly lay them at his Feet? Was it not natural for him, inftead of applying himself to the honeft, but laborious and tedious Ways of providing for himself and his Family, by the way of a lawful Calling, to apply himself to the unjuft quick Ways of Conqueft, and getting by the Power of the Sword? Was it not natural for them, in order to their carrying on their ambitious Projects by the Sword, to put off all Bowels of Compaffion, and to refolve cruelly to go through with their Defigns, and to cut off all that ftood in the Way of them? Was it not likewise a natural

Conz

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