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SER MON 1.

The Confolation.

ISAIAH xl. I, 2.

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, faith your, God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerufalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for he hath received at the Lord's hand double for all her fins.

THE

HE particulars of the great mystery of godli nefs, as enumerated by the Apostle Paul, conftitute the grand and inexhauftible theme of the Gospel Ministry, God manifest in the flesh, juftified in the Spirit, Jeen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." It is my wifh and purpofe to know, nothing among you but this fubject; to preach nothing to you but what has a real connection with the doctrine of Jefus Chrift and him crucified, and with the caufes and effects of his obedience unto death, even the death of the crofs. But a regard to the fatisfaction and advantage of my stated hearers, has often made me defirous of adopting some plan, which might lead me to exhibit the principal outlines of the Saviour's character and mediation in a regular series of difcourfes; fo as to form, if not a picture, at least a flight sketch, of thofe features of his glory and of his grace, which endear him to the hearts of his people. Such a plan has lately, and rather unexpectedly, occurred to me. Converfation in almost every company, for fome time past, has much .1 VOL. I. turned

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1 Tim. iii. 16.

turned upon the commemoration of Handel; the grand musical entertainments, and particularly his Oratorio of the Meffiah, which have been repeatedly performed on that occafion in Westminster Abbey. If it could be reasonably hoped that the performers and the company affembled to hear the mufic, or the greater part, or even a very confiderable part of them, were capable of entering into the fpirit of the fubject; I will readily allow that the Mafiah, executed in fo mafterly a manner, by persons whose hearts, as well as their voices and inftruments, were tuned to the Redeemer's praife; accompanied with the grateful emotions of an audience duly affected with a fense of their obligations to his love; might afford one of the highest and nobleft gratifications, of which we are capable in the prefent life. But they who love the Redeemer, and therefore delight to join in his praife, if they did not find it convenient, or think it expedient, to hear the Meffiah at Westminster, may comfort themselves with the thought, that, in a little time, they fhall be still more abundantly gratified. Ere long, death · shall rend the vail which hides eternal things from their view, and introduce them to that unceafing fong and univerfal chorus, which are even now performing before the throne of God and the Lamb. Till then, I apprehend, that true Chriftians, without the affiftance of either vocal or inftrumental mufic, may find greater pleasure in a humble contemplation on the words of the Meffiah, than they can derive from the utmost efforts of mufical genius. This therefore is the plan I fpoke of. I mean to lead your meditations to the language of the Oratorio, and to confider in their order (if the Lord, on whom our breath depends, fhall be pleafed to afford life, ability, and opportunity) the feveral fublime and interefting paffages of Scripture, which are the bafis of that admired compofition.

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