which decisions, nevertheless, and doubts have the same operation upon their judgments, as if they had been the result of the most pure and impartial reasoning. It is not peculiar to religion; it is true of all subjects, that the mind is sure almost to be misled, which lies under a load of prejudice contracted from circumstances, in which it is next to impossible to weigh arguments justly, or to see clearly.

Fourthly, Let them; let all; especially those, who find themselves in a dissatisfied state of mind, fly to prayer. Let them pray earnestly and incessantly for God's assisting grace and influence; assisting, if it be His good pleasure, as well our minds and understandings in searching after truth, as our hearts and affections in obeying it, I say again, let us pray unceas ingly for grace and help from the Spirit of God. When we pray for any worldly object, we may pray mistakenly. We may be ignorant of our own good; we may err egregiously concerning it. But when we pray for spiritual aid and grace, we are sure, that we pray for what we want;

G g

want; for what, if granted, will be the great

And we pray with hope,

est of all blessings.

And we

because we have this gracious assurance given

us by the Lord himself of

grace and mercy; "if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your Children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him." (Mat. vii. 11.)

SERMON XV.

JOHN'S MESSAGE TO JESUS.

MATT, xi. 2, 3.

"Now when John had heard in prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou be that should come, or do we look for another ?"

THESE words state a transaction, to say

pro

the least of it, of a singular kind, and well entitled to observation. Some time before our Lord's appearance, John the Baptist had duced himself to the country, as a messenger of God, and as a public preacher. The principal thing which he taught was, that a greater and more extraordinary person than himself, G g 2

that

that is to say, no other than the long-foretold and long-expected Messiah, was about shortly to appear in the world; that for the appearance of this person, which would be the setting up of the kingdom of God upon earth, all men were to prepare themselves by repentance and reformation. Thus did John preach, before it was known or declared, and before he (John himself) knew or declared who this extraordinary person was. It was, as it should seem, upon our Lord's offering himself to John to be baptised of him in Jordan, that John, for the first time, knew and published him to be that person. This testimony and record John afterwards repeated concerning him in this manner, and it is remarkable: "the next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man, which is preferred before me, for he was before me, and I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptising with water. And John

This

bare

bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him and I knew him not, but he that sent me to baptise with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is he, which baptiseth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record, that this is the Son of God."

It came to pass, that, soon after our Lord's public appearance, John was cast into prison, and there remained, till, by a barbarous order from Herod, in wicked compliance with a wicked vow, this good and courageous servant of God was beheaded. It does not seem quite certain, whether he was not imprisoned twice. In prison, however, his disciples, as was natural, came to him, and related to him the great things, which Jesus had lately been doing; and it appears, from the accounts of the different evangelists, and by laying these accounts together in order of time, that Jesus, a little before this, amongst other miracles, had cured

the