acts of benevolence. The way of Moses was marked by slaughter and by destruction. The Egyptians were subdued by plagues, and the children of Israel were conducted" by a mighty power and by a stretched-out arm1." The vast miracle of Joshua, in causing the sun and moon to stand still in the midst of heaven 2, was avowedly, that he might have time to destroy his enemies. And without going over the acts of other prophets, the generally benevolent Elijah, once called down fire from heaven, for the destruction of his enemies; and his successor, both in spirit and in power, Elisha, once caused some youths, who mocked him, to be slain 1. But our blessed Saviour's miracles, with two well-known exceptions, were always performed in the spirit of gentleness and benevolence; and in those two instances, in which there was a slight temporary departure from his general conduct, viz. in his suffering the devils to 1 Deut. ix. 29. 2 Josh. x. 12. enter into the herd of swine1, and in his cursing the barren fig-tree2, the lessons inculcated well justified those acts, by which the disciples were made so well acquainted with the power of Satan, when unrestrained, and with the necessity of bringing forth fruit unto holiness. But in every other respect, his miracles were, invariably, gracious and merciful. When two of his disciples would have persuaded him to call down fire from heaven, to consume a village of Samaria, whose inhabitants would not receive him, he severely rebuked them; "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of, for the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them "." This benevolence he exerted from the first to the last; and even at the very moment of his seizure in the garden, surrounded by his enemies, and in the midst of harassments and distress, was his divine power exerted for the cure of one of those very 1 Matt. viii. 32. 2 Matt. xxi. 19. 3 Luke ix. 55. persons who were arrayed in arms against him'. And in order that we may shew the benevolence of our Lord's nature in its strongest light, we may observe that it mingled even in those stupendous acts, which were primarily put forth as evidences of his divine power. Three times it pleased him to display his might, by raising the dead to life; and on each of these occasions, an attention to domestic suffering was joined to those miracles by which he evinced himself to be "truly the Son of God." The persons recalled from death were, the young and only daughter of affectionate parents 2: the only son of his mother, and she a widow 3 and his own beloved friend Lazarus, the lamented brother and sole consolation, as it would appear, of two orphan sisters *. Before we quit this subject, we will, lastly, draw your attention to the majestic and godlike way in which our Lord per 3 1 Luke xxii. 51. 2 Luke viii. 42. 3 Luke vii. 12. 4 John xi. formed his miracles. He not only wrought them, but he wrought them with dignity. He did not work them in any other name but in his own. Not as commissioned to do them, but with authority. To the paralytic he said," arise, take up thy bed and go unto thy house." To the leper his address was, "I will, be thou clean 2" To the raging wind he spake, “Peace, And to Lazarus in the tomb, be still 3." he exclaimed, "Come forth 4." Connecting, thus, every thing relating to our Saviour's miracles, with the answer which he sent to John's message, in which he confidently appealed to them, we may well be satisfied with the reply, as John himself was, and acknowledge him who sent it as the Messiah and the Saviour of the world. And having done so, we shall have no difficulty in reposing ourselves on him, and depending on him for help in time of need, both for our souls and our bodies. He is not, indeed, 1 Matt. ix. 6. 3 Mark iv. 39. 2 Matt. viii. 3. 4. John xi. 43. now present to heal us openly of our worldly evils; though if we trust to him, we may have reason to believe, if he sees it best for us, that he will even aid these by second means; but on him we may truly rely for our spiritual assistances; and then may we confidently hope, that the eyes of our faith will be opened; that the lameness of our understandings will be supported; that the leprosy of our souls will be cleansed; that the ears of our consciences will be awakened; and that the deadness and lethargy of sin in which we lie will be shaken off and removed. And that we may be certain of this, we have still his word communicated to us in "the Gospel," that he will not turn away from those who truly turn to him. "Come unto me," he says, " all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls; for my yoke is easy and my burthen is light." This "Gospel" is still |