25. And the rain defcended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that boufe: and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. 26. And every one that heareth thefe Jayings of mine, and doth them not fhall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the Sand: 27. And the rain defcended, and the floods came, aud the winds blew, and beat upon that boufe: and it fell, and great was the fall of it. well fettled in your Principles, that no Temptations, Trials, or Perfecutions whatsoever, fhall be able to feduce you to Apoftacy in your Profeffion, or to a Relapfe into a finful Course of Life. Your Religion will be like a ftrong House built on a folid Foundation, which no Storms or Inundations can hurt. 26, and 27. But on the other Hand, if ye reft upon a bare Knowledge and Profeffion of my Doctrine, and rely on the Soundness of your Opinions, without an hearty, refolute, applying of your felves to the Study and Obedience of my Precepts, ye will lofe all your Labour, like a Man that builds a fightly House upon a bad Foundation: And in the Day of Trial and Temptation ye will be overcome, and be in Danger of falling away into a total and final Courfe of Sin and Apoftacy. nifhed at his doEtrine. 29. For be taught them as one having authority, and not as the Scribes. with the Excellency of the Doctrine, and its Suitablenefs to their Circumstances, and the mighty Authority and Energy of the Speaker, and the wonderful Grace and Bleffing of God, which carried Home these great Truths to the Hearts of most of the Auditory: For all thefe Things were quite new, and not to be met with in the fuperficial Comments and Traditions of the Jewish Rabbies, their ordinary Teachers. [51] SERMON I MAT. V. I. And feeing the Multitudes, he went up into a Mountain; and when he was fet, his Difciples came unto him. Ver. 2. And he opened his Mouth, and taught them, Jaying. A The First Sermon on this Text. SI would not, with fome Writers on this Divine Sermon, pafs by these Words as fuperfluous; fo I could not prevail with my felf to entertain you with feveral Obfervations, which I am apt to think, chiefly for want of better Matter, fome other Commentators have made, and infifted on from them; one of which is, that as the Law of Mofes was given on a Mountain, fo Christ that he might refemble Mofes, thought fit to deliver his Gofpel from the Mount; as if our Lord had confined his Preaching to this Mountain, and had not at other Times taught Gospel Duties in other Places; namely, in their Cities, Villages, Synagogues, the Temple, on the Plain, out of Peter's Ship, and in fhort every where, as Opportunity prefented. And indeed his going up into the E 2 Mountain Or looking upon. See Merk yiii. 33. Mountain here, feems from the Text it felf to have been occafioned by the Multitudes, for the Conveniency of Eafe from the Crowd, and that he might be the better heard and understood by this great Company of Auditors; it being natural upon fuch Occafions for any Man who is to fpeak to a Multitude, to take the Advantage of an higher Station; that his Voice may be the better heard, and his Perfon feen, which has no fmall Influence on the Authority and Freedom of Elocution, fo neceffary in all Orators, and fo particularly noted in our Saviour in the End of this Sermon, (a) that he taught with Authority, and not as the Scribes; for I am not for making Mysteries, where the Holy Writers are filent about them. Nor do I apprehend any further Mystery in the Pofture of Sitting, than that it might be either for his Eafe after a Journey; for his travelling through all (6) Galilee, and the People's following him from all Parts of the Country, are taken Notice of in the Context; or elfe that it was in Compliance with the Custom of the Jewish Do&tors, who ufually fat, when they taught in their Schools and Synagogues. Nor do I lay any great Stress on the Phrafe of opening his Mouth, and teaching, for this was a common Phrase among the Jews, for a deliberate breaking of Silence, and offering to make a Speech. Far lefs would I obferve, as I find fome do, that our Saviour called his twelve Apostles up to him from the Crowd, and gave them thefe Leffons and Inftructions apart; for this I take to be an Obfervation of no good Importance, and likewise directly contrary to fome Paffages in the Hiftory it felf, which tells |