SER M. tion and excellence it is, that it is not in man XII. to contrive or imagine any other way to renwder it fo glorious. And therefore I will leave

them here to confider how prepofterously they acted, when they crucified the Lord of life for that very crime, of which they themfeves are so notoriously guilty; and laid to his charge the annulling and corruption of that law, which he came thus literally to fulfil.

2. But Chrift's thus fulfilling this part of the law of Mofes is not only an unanfwerable argument against the Jews, but it is a clear proof and evident demonstration of the truth of the chriftian faith in general; it is fuch as cannot be counterfeited, and it is what no impoftor ever could pretend to; namely, to have an intire inftitution of religion framed and calculated, to represent and typify his coming into the world; and that with fuch nicety and exactnefs, not only in the main body of it, but in all the little circumftances that attend it.

And now we see the great wifdom of Almighty God, in giving thofe laws and forms of worship only to one particular people, which were however the concernment of the whole world. They were the people among whom Chrift was to be born, and therefore it was neceffary they should be fingled out from the rest of the world; not that they were more worthy, or that God had no regard to the reft of mankind; but that the

nature

nature and conftitution of these laws might SER M. be fuch an evidence of his divine miffion, XII. when he came into the world, as was not to be counterfeited by the Devil himself. That there might be a particular people, among whom there should be a tabernacle, and temple, and a public fervice, and a series of prophecies all contrived and preferved to point him out, to prefigure and represent him; and that fo plainly, that they should fill the world with expectation of him before he came, which they effectually did. And now we afk what it is that God could have contrived, to have been a more convincing evidence, and clearer demonstration of the divine miffion of our Saviour than this? What could have been done more for the conviction of men's minds? An impoftor may delude with falfe miracles, as Simon Magus, and Apollonius did; and he may pretend to prophecies by wrefting and diftorting them, as Barchochab and Mahomet; but when was there ever an impoftor, who pretended that any religion in the world before him, and that too delivered by miracles for feveral ages, and observed with great fuperftition and exactness, was calculated with the greatest nicety in all its circumstances, to point him out to the world before-hand, and to be a type and representative of all that he was to perform. The ufual ftyle of impoftors is, that they come to reveal fomething altogether new; and they either reject and defpife all that ever

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SER M. was received before; or they teach things di XII. rectly contrary to former revelations, or to the common fentiments of mankind before: Thus making God inconfiftent with himself, who is immutable and the fame for ever; and doth not reveal one thing in one age, and another thing contrary to it in another. Which of them all can fay as our Saviour doth, that be came not to destroy, but to fulfil; to perform all that ever was prefigured or intended, not only by the religion of the Jews; but of the whole cuftom of facrifices and purgations, which prevailed over the heathen world in all ages till he appeared; by this means fhewing that the courfe of providence, in his difpenfations by mankind, are more unalterable than that of nature; for that till heaven and earth pafs, one jot, or one tittle fhall in no wife pass jrom the law till all be fulfilled, which is expreffed thus, in allufion to that tradition of the Jews; that in the times of the Prophets a fort of learning prevailed, which confifted in the numbering up the very poinrs and letters of the law: And that by a wonderful providence, that the only doubt remaining might be removed; namely, whether thefe records, which have fo plain a reference to Chrift, were fo early extant in the world; and whether they were faithfully handed down to pofterity.

SERMON

SERMON XIII

Chrift came to fulfil the Law.

MATTH. V. 17.

Think not that I am come to deftroy the Law or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

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Have already, from this text, fhewn how SER M. our Saviour came to fulfil the cremonial or XIII. ritual part of the law; and therefore, now I W come to confider how he fulfilled the moral part of that law, or the law of nature, which is principally intended in this place.

Now in order to the understanding of this and the three following verfes, which are all to one thing; and that we may conceive rightly what improvement the law of nature hath received from chriftianity, we must look ́back as far as verfe 23. of the foregoing chapter, where it is faid, Jefus went about preaching the Gospel of the kingdom; i. e. the

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SERM. doctrine of the kingdom of the Meffias, XIII. which St. John affirmed to be at hand: The ftate of the Gofpel is called a kingdom, and the preaching of Christ the doctrine of that kingdom, with great aptitude and elegance of fpeech, for these two reafons: First, because the main intent and defign of them is in order to the future happiness of the blessed in another world; it is all in order to the kingdom of heaven hereafter; wherein the degrees of glory will be in proportion to the attainments of men's virtue and holiness in this life. There is no respect of persons with God; all our worldly distinctions of honour and dignity will vanish; and all the Saints of God, when they go in to poffefs this kingdom, shall take place as they were fealed in this life: The first may be laft, and the last may be firft: And as the wicked of all ranks will be cast out into utter darkness, from the presence of the Lord; so to fit on his right hand, and on his left, will be given to them for whom it was prepared of his father. Secondly, because of that resemblance and analogy there is, between the power of virtue and goodness in the minds of men, the dominion and sway of the fpirit of God in their hearts; and that authority and command which earthly princes have over their bodies. Though this kingdom of Christ be fpiritual, and not of this world; yet it hath in it all the forms of government suitable to its spiritual nature: