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DISCOURSE IX.

JESUS CHRIST THE GOVERNOR OF HIS DISCIPLES.

[AT WHITTLESFORD, before a public Baptism.]

MATTHEW XXiii, 10.

One is your master, even Christ.

It was a custom formerly, in some Christian churches in the eastern part of the world, for people newly baptized to wear, seven days, white garments, and crowns on their heads. They intended to inform their neighbours, by their white clothes, that the Christian religion was innocent and holy, and by the crowns or garlands on their heads, that Christians were advanced to dignity. The custom was needless and superstitious; for the ordinances of religion, like the stars in the firmament, were formed in such perfection, that they are not capable of improvement; and, as one Christian hath as much right to alter religion as another, if it were allowable to alter any thing, it would be allowable to alter every thing, and to multiply fanciful improvements till the religion of Jesus would be entirely lost. owing to this false principle, that formerly our forefathers in this country worshipped the Virgin Mary and the saints, after they had worshipped Jesus Christ, and made offerings of money at altars built in the churches for the purpose: but in process of time, the altar of Christ went out of fashion; and when our king Harry the Eighth abolished these superstitions, the books of the cathedral church at Canterbury proved, that in one

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year the people had offered above nine hundred and fifty pounds to one saint Thomas, a little more than four pounds to the Virgin Mary, and to Jesus Christ nothing at all.

When we trace most errors and superstitions, we find they took their rise in some truth; and though in the present case it was superstitious to crown Christians newly baptized, yet it is true that the man, who embraces the Christian religion, does actually rise into dignity by doing so. The Scripture saith, "Jesus Christ makes his disciples kings unto God," that is, he advances men from a state of ignorance, to a state of wisdom; from vicious company to virtuous company; from slavery under sin to a dominion over their own passions; and in this advancement stands the true dignity and glory of a Christian.

It was with a view to raise the apostles to this honour, that our Lord admonished them in the chapter, out of which I have taken the text, to "beware of the Pharisees." In one part of his discourse he guards them against their cruelty; in another against their ignorance and hypocrisy; and in that part to which our text belongs, he inculcates humility and brotherly love, in opposition to that spirit of pride and dominion, which the Pharisees in every thing discovered. They pretended to know more of religion than others, and took the title of Rabbi, master or doctor, and along with that, dominion over the faith and practice of the common people. "But," says our Lord to his disciples, "be not ye called Rabbi, and call no man your Father upon the earth; for one is your Father, which is in heaven, and one is your master, even Christ." This is the doctrine which I am going to explain and enforce.

If you would understand this doctrine, you must take care to restrain it to that subject, to which only it belongs, that is, religion. We affirm, that Jesus Christ is the governor, and the only governor and director of all his disciples: but we mean the governor of the religion of his disciples. I will explain myself more at large.

We do not mean that Jesus Christ taught a body of

laws of civil government. When mankind agree to live together in society, it is necessary they should agree together on certain rules or laws by which they should conduct themselves to one another; and as all mankind, if they choose to make use of their reason, are able to judge what laws are most proper to answer the end of their associating together, which is self-preservation, so there is no need of a Divine interposition. Our Saviour never once spoke to his disciples on this subject. If the inhabitants of one kingdom choose to submit the absolute disposal of their lives, liberties, and properties to one person of one family; if the people of another country choose to resign themselves up to twenty families; and if the inhabitants of another part of the world choose to keep the disposal of these invaluable blessings in their own hands; in all these cases praise is due for the exercise of reason, or blame for the disuse of it. Christianity is no further concerned with civil government than as it teaches its disciples to make a virtuous use of their reason. If men reason virtuously, they will be led to accommodate the preservation of themselves to the safety and happiness of their fellow citizens; and though Christianity doth not teach a form of civil government, yet it doth teach all the virtues that are necessary to make men happy in society. When, therefore we say, Christ is the only governor of his disciples, we do not mean to disturb the civil order of making and executing human laws for the preservation of the lives, and liberties, and properties of mankind.

Nor do we mean to apply the text to universities, or other academies of literature. We consider learning as the embellishment, or, if you will, the clothing of a country, and it would be easy to show that our universities have informed and adorned all Europe. Too great praise cannot be given to these learned bodies, nor can too much respect be paid to the members of them; for it is owing to their unwearied studies and indefatigable pains, that you are enabled to read a Gospel in English, which was at first taught in Hebrew and Greek. To their learned labors in several arts and sciences, at a vast expense, and at the hazard of their

lives, you are indebted for that inestimable annual present, an almanack; a book of more value than the ten folio volumes of St. Augustin. Hence you derive physicians to administer healing in your sicknesses; and hence, in a word, thousands of improvements in all the useful labours of life. The religion taught us by Jesus Christ includes no directions on this subject. It doth not tell us whether to prefer a private academy, or a public foundation; and much less doth it censure, as some of the old Puritans thought, the conferring of degrees in arts and sciences. Religion affects literature only as it affects governments, by teaching us a habit of virtuous reasoning.

Further, we do not apply the doctrine of the text to public charities, alms-houses, work-houses, or common practices in life. It is not conceivable, that Jesus Christ gave any laws for or against medical matters; as, for example, inoculation, or that he wasted his time, and the attention of his hearers about comparative trifles; for where reason is sufficient, revelation is unnecessary. In all manner of cases, except in that of the direct and immediate worship of God, there is one, and but one general law, which may not improperly be expressed in these words, "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things."

It is to religion, and to religion alone, then, that we apply the doctrine of the text, "One is your master, even Christ." Jesus Christ taught us a perfect religion. It is perfect in its kind, because it is religion, and it wants nothing that a religion ought to have: and thus our master differs from all teachers in the heathen world. It is perfect in degree, because it adapts itself to all the conditions of mankind, and herein the Christian religion differs from that of the Jews. That of the Jews was perfect in kind, for it was all founded on the knowledge and fear of God; but it was not perfect in degree, because it was incumbered with ceremonies, and intended only for that nation; whereas Jesus taught

a religion fit" for every creature in all the world." Our master believed and practised every part of the religion he taught us. This religion is practicable by us: every doctrine may be understood, and every duty performed. Our guide commanded us to follow his example, and rested the proof of our love to him on our obedience to his commandments.

To be more explicit. Let us divide Christianity into four parts, the facts, the proofs, the duties, and the motives; and let us examine each of these parts, in order to explain what we mean when we call Jesus Christ the only governor of the religion of his disciples.

Observe first, the facts reported in the New Testa ment. That there is a God... that he takes notice of the actions of men . . . that in love to mankind he sent his son to instruct them. . . that this illustrious person was born as the Prophets had foretold in the reign of Herod, at the town of Bethlehem in the country of Judah, of a virgin of the family of David... that he taught a state of future rewards and punishments, and that he vehemently exhorted men to seek the first in a course of virtue, and to avoid the last by laying aside the practice and the love of sin. . . that he himself exemplified his doctrine in his own person. that he took a few men under his immediate tuition, and left them to instruct mankind after his death, promising to give them extraordinary assistance . . . that having finished his ministry he was crucified between two thieves; his virtuous sufferings being highly acceptable to God, and exceedingly beneficial to all his followers. . . that three days after his crucifixion he rose from the dead, and appeared to his disciples, and that having given them full instructions what to believe, and how to act, he forty days after ascended to heaven, and entered on the enjoyment of that honor and happiness, which his merit demanded, and which all good men approve. This is a set of facts exhibited by our Divine Master in person to his disciples, and by them in their writings to us. A man, whose understanding is governed, as it ought to be, by evidence, examines these facts, admits them to be true, and so yields to what I call the sole government of

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