SERMON VI.

JESUS CHRIST THE PRINCE OF PEACE.

ISAIAH IX. 6.

UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN, UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN ;- AND HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED THE PRINCE OF PEACE.

THE verse, of which the text is a part, is generally viewed by Christians as a prophecy of our Saviour. The whole deserves attention; but the consideration of it would lead me into a long, and what would be to many of my auditors uninteresting, discussion respecting the true reading of the passage, as well as its meaning. The words, which I have selected, are acknowledged by all to be a genuine part of the sacred text, for they are found in all the copies, and in all the versions; and they appear to me to afford ample matter for more than one discourse.- Jesus Christ is the prince of peace in two senses: the first is, that God by him has reconciled us to himself: and the second is, that the Saviour is the author of inward peace, or tranquillity of heart. It is to this last sense that I purpose to confine myself.

When the child was born, when the son was given, peace on earth was proclaimed by the angels; and our Saviour himself declared, that by him we obtain rest to our souls. Now this blessed effect is produced by the practice of all the virtues which Christianity enjoins; but

principally by its peculiar virtues, humility, piety, and benevolence. That the Christian religion commands these virtues, is what I need not undertake to prove at large. It will be sufficient to recite two texts. In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and thy neighbor as thyself. The author of our religion taught the same precepts by his example. He practised humility, for he was meek and lowly in heart; piety, for he always did those things which pleased his Father; benevolence, for he went about doing good.

The religions, which existed in the world before the birth of Jesus, either did not teach, or misunderstood, or did not lay sufficient stress on these virtues. The morals of the heathen were in a deplorable state. I would not here, in imitation of certain controversial writers, exaggerate the faults of the ancients; for by doing this I should contradict many records, which still exist, and should obtain no credit with the candid and impartial. We ought not to take the character of the heathen from satirical poems, from the descriptions given of a Roman emperor, or a Roman emperor's wife; because the poets have always claimed the privilege of feigning, for the sake of producing an interesting effect: But we ought to take their character from grave historians and moral writers, and from the public sentiment, in whatever way we come to its knowledge. Thus if an act of fraud or cruelty was inveighed against by an orator, we have reason to think that it excited the indignation of his hearers, as well as our indignation in the present age. If an act of civility, or a humane sentiment, was applauded by

the spectators at a theatre, there is ground for believing that they understood civility and humanity, and that they sometimes put them in practice. The heathen were acquainted with several of the duties of man; and without doubt they were faithfully observed by many: but that they had little knowledge of the peculiar virtues of the gospel is certain. For humility they had scarcely a name; of benevolence they had so imperfect an idea, that their best moral writers inculcate only a dignified kind of selfishness; and there could have been no true piety among them, as they were ignorant of the God who is its object. Being then in a great measure destitute of these three virtues, humility, piety, and benevolence, they could not have enjoyed true tranquillity.

I. For, first, there is no peace without humility. As the proud man despises almost every person whom he meets, he consequently does not delight in him; that is, from another man he derives no pleasure. He is filled with envy and jealousy, and is perpetually afraid that others will outshine him, and be more honored than himself. If he has talents and knowledge, he displays them, not to benefit the world, but to procure fame. If he performs an action, which is good in its effects, his motive is the love of praise. He may obtain praise; but he will not obtain sufficient to satisfy him. For the love of praise is like the love of the intoxicating draught; it is never quite strong enough: a little more ardent spirit, and a little more pungent spice must every day be added, or it will appear as cold and as insipid as water. Of fame however, it is probable, he will seldom receive a large portion. Even the humble and candid will overlook a part of his merit; for they cannot enter into all

his feelings, or be acquainted with all his labors: they have other objects to attend to beside him, and cannot with justice look at him only. The ignorant will not understand him; the critical eye will pry into his defects; his rivals will thwart him. Those, who are as proud and envious as himself, will depreciate his talents; and those, whom he has treated with contempt, will repay him with hatred and calumny.

Is such a man happy? Is his heart tranquil? Has he peace within, when his bosom is swelling with turbulent desires; when what he wishes he does not enjoy? Such however was the character of the heathen. Their systems of morals inculcated self-esteem, and held out the love of fame as a motive. Their best men appear

to have been proud men; who did what they called good in order to be talked of, or to display a false dignity; who denied themselves the pleasures, which other men relish, for the sake of receiving the pleasure of applause; who affected to despise pain, that they might rise above the vulgar; who hardened their hearts against the charities of life, that they might not appear to possess the weakness of tenderness; who could see the death of a wife without emotion, and plunge a dagger into the bosom of a sister, for the sake of hearing the shouts of the populace; who could adjudge a son to death, though that painful office might better have been performed by another person; and who could be the first to murder a friend, that their countrymen might extol the heroism of the deed.

Others of the heathen, who had no virtue, except that which they call virtue, that is, bravery, sought for and obtained the applause of their contemporaries by the most detestable actions, and are in the present age prais

ed by those, who think and feel like the heathen. With souls swelling with pride, they eagerly coveted the fame of warlike achievements. Contemptuously trampling on those, who had nerves like themselves, they slaughtered, and laid waste, and made millions wretched, from no other motive than that they might appear great. They were great, I confess the historian and orator have immortalized their names: but were they happy? Was there peace in their hearts? They were as happy as the hero, whom Milton, by the magic of verse, has rendered as sublime as he is hateful; and who, whilst he is suffering the most exquisite torments, is the object of admiration and shuddering delight.

The child, whose birth we this day celebrate, was sent to teach us a different system of morality. There is no happiness in pride; and he came to give us the peace which flows from humility. The true Christian, who imbibes his spirit, who submits to the dominion of the prince of peace, may be despised and rejected by men; but he cannot be very miserable; for he has in his heart a peace, which the world cannot take from him. As he desires not fame, he is not disappointed, if it is not bestowed. As he has a low and just opinion of himself, and knows that he is only one atom among the infinite number, which compose the works of God, he does not presume that he shall become the object of general attention. He is not proud, and consequently endures none of the pangs of envy. He endeavors to acquire all the knowledge, which is necessary to enable him to act well the part assigned by his Maker; but he knows that God has not imparted to him all his gifts: he does not therefore expect, and hardly hopes to shine. He is willing however that others should be brilliant. He re