from the faithful obfervance of His commandments. Be affured that He has forefeen all of them from eternity; that, foreknowing all of them, He promulgated His laws. Be affured that all His laws, with all their confequences, are the refult of Infinite Wisdom: that the beneficial tendency of all thofe laws, and of all their confequences to those who obey the laws, is afcertained by Infinite Power. Harbour not the prefumptuous imagination, that there is any one of His laws, the punctual obfervance of which in the fulness of its real extent can be in any cafe otherwise than conducive to good. Venture not on the wild endeavour to produce good by refufing or curtailing obedience to any one of His injunctions. The foolishness of God is wifer than men and the weakness of God is fronger than men (p)! Have faith in God; and you will follow Him through dark paths by the light of His word. A tree is known by its fruits. I close this investigation of the principle, to do evil that good may come, by fetting before you from the Scriptures an example of its influence: an example, which not only establishes the intimate connection fubfifting between that principle and the fyftem of general expe() 1 Cor. i. 25. diency, diency, but difplays the principle as determining the perpetration of the most tremendous fin ever committed upon earth. The Pharifees and the chief priests, who had long been bent on the deftruction of our Lord, but at a lofs, on account of the reverence with which he was regarded by the people, in what manner to effect it, were roused by indignation and alarm, on perceiving how greatly that reverence was ftrengthened and extended by the miracle of raifing Lazarus. They gathered a council, and faid; What do we? For this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe in him : and the Romans fhall come, and take away both our place and nation (q). The critical moment feemed to them to be arrived. The emergency appeared to call for the meditated blow. Yet how were they to ftrike it? How were they to ftrike it with fafety to themselves? They all dreaded to provoke the multitude. Some of them, as there are grounds for concluding, had qualms of confcience as to advancing the entire length of putting to death an individual whofe unblemished life they could not impeach, whofe miracles they acknowledged. Irrefolution pervaded the affembly. Then one of them, (9) John, xi. 47, 48. II named named Caiaphas, being the High Prieft that fame year, faid unto them; Ye know nothing at all: nor confider that it is expedient for us, that one man fhould die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not (r). Because, as High Priest, he ftood at the head of the Jewish commonwealth, it pleased God fo to overrule by His Holy Spirit the language in which this wretch expreffed his deteftable counsel, that his words, unconsciously to himself, involved a declaration of the momentous truth, that the atoning death of Jefus was indifpenfable to the falvation of mankind; a prophecy that Jefus fhould die for that nation, and not for that nation only, but that alfo he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad (s). But what was the counsel which Caiaphas intended to convey? It was as though he had thus addreffed his colleagues : "Ye "blind and timid politicians! How grofs "is your ignorance! How fhortsighted is your fear! Do you hefitate between the "alternative of destroying this man; or of bringing upon yourselves and your "country, by paffivenefs under his impious and rebellious pretenfions, the ex"terminating armies of Rome ? Does (r) John, xi. 49, 50. (s) John, xi. 51, 52. CC expediency expediency admit a moment's doubt? "What if there be danger from the people? "It must be hazarded to escape greater danger. What if the man be undeferving "of death? He muft die, that we may not "all be destroyed: we must do evil that good may come." What was the effect of this reafoning? Then from that day forth they took counsel together to put him to death (t). Behold the maturity of the principle! Beware left cherish it in the bud! you (t) Jolin, xi. 53. SER. SERMON XX. On the SUPERIORITY of MORAL CONDUCT required in CHRISTIANS. MATTH. V. 47· What do Ye more than others? THERE is no truth which in the word of God is more plainly declared under various forms than this: that Jefus Chrift gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works (a). Christians are to be, like their master, Sepa rate from finners (b). They are to fine as lights in the world (c). They are not to be conformed to the world (d): but to be crucified (a) Tit. ii. 14. (b) 2 Cor. vi. 17. Hebr. vii. 26. CC 2 to |