truly seek his aid in penitence and faith, we fhall be made free from fin. If we take his yoke and learn of him, we shall find rest unto our fouls.

With Deliverance to the Captives is combined a correspondent image in the text of Ifaiah; And the opening of the prison to the Bound, or as it may be rendered, And all manner of opening to the Bound: which is accepted by the Evangelift, as it had been before interpreted in the verfion of the Septuagint, to fignify the opening of the eyes, And recovering of fight to the Blind; a rendering, which is countenanced by a parallel paffage of the fame Ifaiah, relating equally to the fame deliverance; "I will give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations; To open the eyes of the Blind, to bring the Captives out of prison, and out of the dungeon them that fit in darkness "."

Now this restoration most distinguished of And therefore this is

of fight is one of the our Saviour's miracles. mentioned firft in his enumeration of those mighty works, to which he appeals in evidence of his being the promised Minister from heaven. In his travels through the land this energy of grace was very frequently exerted.

8 Ifa. xlii. 6, 7.

Thofe,

Those, who had lost their sight, were cheered again with the gladfome light of day, and every thing defirable to the human eye. And thofe, who had never feen, were ftill more aftonished with the welcome opening of a new sense to the perception and understanding.

In this act of benevolence he gave an earneft of his authority to recover the spiritual fight of those, who were blind in ignorance and error. This he did in his preaching to the common people of the Jews, who were deftitute of all beneficial aid from thofe, who professed themselves to be guides of the blind and lights to them that were in darkness. He taught them, what they would have fought in vain from the Scribes and Teachers of the Law, whatever is requifite for a state. of grace on earth, as an effential qualification for a state of happiness in heaven. Thus under his ministration was fulfilled the welcome prophecy of the fame Ifaiah; "The people, that walked in darkness, have feen a great light: They that dwelt in the land. of the fhadow of death, unto them hath the light fhined h."

And the fame gracious exercise he con

h Ifa. ix. 2.

tinues in the world by the diffufion of his holy word, and by the operation of his holy Spirit. For he came to be the light and the life of men. Hence he is called in prophetic language, "The Sun of righteousness with healing on his wings." Ever fince he rose upon the world, it has been his benevolent office to illuminate the minds and to animate the hearts of men, to remove that mist of carnal paffion, which obstructs their moral fight, and to open their eyes to the perception and enjoyment of celestial truth. He directs us on the way of holiness in our journey through the wilderness of life. And he opens to our view, for the end of our pilgrimage, the City of the heavenly King, where the Pure in heart shall be for ever bleft in the vifion of their God.

In concurrence with these energies of grace, it was a like exertion of our Saviour's miniftry, To fet at liberty them that are bruised. Though this is not expreffed in the original text of Ifaiah, it is fupplied in that of the Evangelift; and is indeed no other than a kindred, if not a fynonimous image, with deliverance to the Captives, and opening of the prifon to the bound. To accept it in this place with fome little difference of fignification; by them that are bruifed we may un

derstand

derstand more immediately those unhappy perfons, who laboured under a dreadful malady more peculiar to that age and land, being expofed in their bodies to the malignant operations of the Devil. Thus they were bound with his chain, they were bruised with his rod. To these unhappy objects was our Lord's compaffion very frequently fhewn. Amid the various miracles which he wrought, the Gofpels more especially dwell on fuch, as he exercised on those who were poffeffed with devils. He fet them at liberty from this most afflictive fervitude, and he healed the bruises to which they had been expofed.

And in this exercife of his power toward those, who were unhappily bruised in the body, he gave a pledge of his authority to set at liberty those, who by the fame tyrannic foe were bruised in the foul. For this purpofe he was manifested in the flesh, that he might deftroy the works of the Devil. And the whole aim of his miffion was directed to overturn the dominion of this spiritual tyrant, and to break the rod of the preffor. At his entrance on his ministry, he began a conflict with this general foe, when he refifted his temptation in the wilderness. Through the whole courfe of his life he carried on the fame fuccessful warfare. In his

op

precious

precious death he engaged in mortal combat with the powers of darkness. And by his glorious refurrection and ascension he displayed his triumph both in heaven and earth.

And as he was employed, while he fojourned among us, in a personal conflict with his enemies, fo from his feat in heaven he contributes the affiftance of his holy Spirit to all, who are confcious of their captive state, and figh for redemption from the galling

chain.

For though by his painful encounter on the cross he hath fpoiled principalities and powers, who had fo long maintained a despotic empire in the world; yet as long as the prefent state of difcipline fubfifts, these enemies of our peace are still fuffered to annoy us with every kind of feduction and affault, Although not fubject to their visible dominion in the body, we ftill are liable to the rod of their oppreffion in the foul. As long as we continue in the militant state of the Chriftian life, we are called upon to contend, not only against the common temptations of flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darknefs of this world, against fpiritual wickedness in high places. In this arduous conflict we i Eph. vi. 12.