of dealing incurable calamities on the human race, he had the power, which he omitted no occafion to exert, of healing all manner of fickness and all manner of disease.

Great however as thefe teftimonies were, the fuperior orders of the Jews either obftinately fhut their eyes against them, or impioufly afcribed them to the agency of evil Spirits. On the common people they operated to more advantage. When they faw fuch exertions of fupernatural power, as were never seen before in Ifrael, they were difpofed to regard him as the Meffiah, whom they had defired fo long. Yet fo much had worldly prejudice overpowered their understandings, that they were greatly disappointed to behold him in fo humble and obfcure a garb, and could no otherwise be reconciled to the lowlinefs of his appearance, than by the hope to which they clung, that he would shortly break forth from his temporary fhade of obscurity and indigence, and manifeft himself to Ifrael in the style and authority of a temporal Prince. This common prejudice was alfo entertained by his perfonal Difciples, who had been the companions of his travels in his circuits of benevolence, and had been the conftant witneffes of all his words and works. Notwith

standing they had received many testimonies

in

in his conversation, of the spiritual nature of his kingdom, they continually expected his advancement to the throne of David in a literal fenfe, and in their fond imaginations they ambitiously affumed the highest offices of truft, authority, and honour in his kingdom. Nor could they be convinced till he expired upon the cross, that all their expectations of an earthly monarchy were vain.

That scene was undoubtedly fufficient to extinguish every hope of temporal aggrandizement for death is the certain termination of all worldly projects, and there is no work or device of ambition in the grave.Yet here the energies of his fovereign power most effectually prevailed. In that very scene of depreffion and of fuffering even to death he became the Prince of life to men. In his arduous encounter on the crofs he wrought a decifive conqueft over the powers of darkness, which he foon triumphantly displayed in his refurrection from the dead. The time was now come, when he fully manifefted himself to his Disciples in the real purport of his kingly character. He plainly told them that "all power was given unto him in heaven and in earth." And having appointed them his Ambaffadors to all the nations of the world he publicly afcended to his throne of glory

in the heaven of heavens, and was for ever feated at the right hand of God.

Sustained by his grace, and armed with his authority of working miracles themselves, they proclaimed his Kingdom to all peoples, nations, and languages. Weak and ignorant as they were before, and fearfully fhrinking from the very fhadow of danger, they now courageoufly difplayed the wifdom and the power of God. The fame Difciples, who timorously forsook their Lord, when he was arraigned as a criminal, were now forward to publifh his gofpel at the hazard of life and every thing which could be dear in life. And he in particular, who had recently denied him, when he was capitally accused before the High Priest and the council of the Jews, now boldly testified before the fame authorities, that the fame Jefus, whom they had ignominiously flain, was now exalted by the immediate operation of the Godhead, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Ifrael and remiffion of fins". Unfupported by an arm of flesh, or by the weapons of carnal warfare, and no otherwife accoutred than with the fhield of faith and the fword of the fpirit, which is the word of

a Acts v. 31.

God,

God, they went forth every where to reduce mankind to the obedience of the Gospel. And though inceffant labours were their portion, and perfecution in every form impended over their heads, yet they ftill perfevered in their heroic enterprise to death. In confequence of their labours the banner of the Crofs is established over all mankind, and the Kingdoms of the world are become the Kingdom of our God and of his Chrift.

Thus Jefus of Nazareth, the obfcure and lowly Peasant of Galilee, is advanced to be "the Prince of the Kings of the earth." When contemplated with the eye of faith, he is indeed the Lord of Lords and King of Kings." And though his Kingdom cometh not with obfervation, or is not oftenfibly dif played in external acts of royalty, yet he has completely executed, or is continuing ftill to execute, in its best and noblest purpose, every branch of the kingly function. Whatever has been done in their feveral kingdoms, that merits the praise and gratitude of men, by Princes famous in their generation, and defervedly ftyled the great and excellent of the earth, has been more amply and effectually done by Jefus Chrift in his fpiritual Kingdom, whether in fupport of his own authority, or

in advancement of the general good and happiness of his people. He came in his kingly character, to effect the deliverance of the human race from a bondage far more grievous and more fatal than that of Egypt, from the bondage of fin and Satan, the tyrants and oppreffors of the foul. He came to restore them not to civil life, as had been done to Ifrael on their exod out of Egypt by giving them a name among independent states, but to moral and fpiritual life by renewing them in the inner man, by giving them a new heart and a new spirit, and by re-creating them in the image and likeness of God. He came to establish for them a covenant of peace, not with the Kings of other nations, but with the fovereign Lord of all the earth. He came to confer his kingly bounties on them, not in remiffion of temporal debts, not in largeffes of worldly goods, not in fplendid veftments, and in rich repafts, but in forgiveness of fins, in all manner of fpiritual gifts, in the white robe of righteousness, in the true bread of life, and in every help effential to their juftification and acceptance with God. He came to give them, not a ceremonial law for the government of the body, not a civil law for the guidance of the state, but a spiritual law for the direction

of