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The Different Characters of John the
Baptift, and Jefus Christ.

SERMON XIV.

LUKE vii. 33, 34.

John the Baptift came neither eating Bread, nor drinking Wine, and ye fay, he bath a Devil. The Son of Man is come, eating and drinking, and ye fay, Behold a gluttonous Man, and a Wine-bibber, a Friend of Publicans and Sinners.

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HIS is our bleffed Lord's own Ac-SER M. count both of the Manner of Life

ufed by John the Baptift, his Forerunner, and by Himself; and of the Perverseness of the Jews, in mifinterpreting and cenfuring the Conduct of them Both. John the Baptift came neither eating Bread, nor drinking Wine; i. e. he avoided all common Converfation with Men, and retired from the Noife of the Multitude; not fo much as allowing himself the Enjoyment

XIV.

SER M. Enjoyment of human Society frequently; or XIV. laying hold on any Opportunities of eating, ~ and drinking, with the reft of the World about Him. And the Jews, because they were not difpofed to receive his Doctrine, (which was the fevere Doctrine of Repentance, and Amendment,) and his Teftimony concerning Jefus Chrift, reprefented him as a Perfon difturbed in his Brain, poffeffed by fome evil and melancholy Spirit; and led, by That, into the Retirement, and Solitude, and Austerity, which he feemed to affect.

Well then, one would have thought, by this, that if a Prophet fhould appear amongst them, with all the Signs of a divine Miffion; and converse freely with Them; not refufing to be present at their Entertainments, or to mix himself with them, upon all just Occafions; that This should be quite acceptable to Them; and all their Prejudices be removed. But it was far otherwife. For the - Son of Man, the Meffiah, Jefus Christ, came eating and drinking; i. e. converfing freely with Mankind; partaking with them, upon all proper Occafions, of the ordinary Refreshments of Life, without Scruple; and laying hold on all Opportunities of a free Society with the World around Him: and yet This alfo was fo far from pleafing, that

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They only changed their Note of Diflike and SER M. Cenfure; and faid, Behold a Man, addicted to xiv. his Appetite, a Lover of Wine, and a Friend to the Worft of Men.

And, indeed, He was a Friend of Publicans and Sinners, in the trueft Sense of the Word, Friendship: i.e. His great Design was to do them real Service, and to lead them to Repentance and Happiness. But it was fo manifeft a Piece of wicked Scandal and Injustice, that he was intemperate, in thofe Opportunities which only he could take of converfing with the Men, whom he came to fave; that no Perfon of common Sense; No One, whose Eyes were not blinded with the darkest Prejudice, could poffibly believe, much less, report, fuch a Thing. So far from it, that Nothing was more vifible, than the greatest and ftrictest Abftinence from all Excefs, through his whole Life and Conversation: no Delight in the pampering of his Body, or the pleafing of his Senfes ; but a conftant Regard to the Rules of Sobriety and Temperance. But, waving this, I shall return to my Design in choosing these Words, at this Time: and That will appear in the Confideration of thefe following Particulars.

I. The different Behaviour of St. John Baptift, and our bleffed Saviour, with Respect to human

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SERM. human Society; and the Agreeablenefs of it XIV. to their different Defigns.

II. The grofs Mifinterpretation put by the Jews, upon this their different Conduct; and the Lesson we may learn from thence.

which I defign,

After

III. To fay fomething, with respect to these two different Methods of Life: That of Aufterity and Retirement; and That of a more free Enjoyment of human Society.

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I. We fee plainly, in the very Words now before us, the different Behaviour and Conduct of our bleffed Saviour, and John the Baptift, with respect to human Society: and fhall prefently obferve the Agreeableness of it to their different Defigns. John the Baptift chofe a Wilderness, or Defert, for the Scene of his Appearance and Action avoided the Places of Concourfe and Society; and took upon him, in the best Senfe, the Habit and Vow of Aufterity, and the strictest Abftinence. I call it the Scene of his Appearance, and Action: for this Retirement was not, as fome have been in later Ages, chofen by Him for an unactive and idle Life of Contemplation, and useless Speculation; nor with the least Thought of withdrawing himself from the Eyes and Ears of a vain

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and wicked World, by a voluntary and pleaf- s ERM. ing Reclufeness within Walls and Fences. But XIV. it was embraced by Him, on quite contrary, and very useful Accounts.

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He was to preach, and therefore to be known, to his Country-men. And accordingly, the Defert he chofe, at his opening his Ministry, was very near to Jerufalem: where his Name could not but be foon heard of, and whither He fometimes went himself. And there was fomething fo peculiar in his Manner of Life, and his Preaching, which presently became the Subject of Discourse; that it drew the Attention of all People towards him ; and They were induced by his Fame, and the Curiofity which That raised in them, to go out to Him, and hear what He taught, and what He pretended to. Our bleffed Lord, on the contrary, when he difplayed himself, and opened his Meffage to Mankind, frequented the Places of greatest Concourfe; and laid hold on all fair and good Opportunities of converfing with the World of Sinners. He chofe even to eat and drink with Them; and took their own Times, and attended their Leifure, and their Invitations; and feemed rejoiced at every Occafion of the most familiar Intercourfe with them.

And this different Conduct, We shall now fee, was very suitable and agreeable to their different

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