And the firft paffage is Luke ii. 48. when his SERM. parents having loft him, at laft "found him in the CXCI. temple difputing among the doctors;" and his mother reproved him, "fon, why haft thou thus "dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have "fought thee forrowing." He gives them this fhort and obfcure answer, which they knew not what to make of," how is it that ye fought me ? wift ye not "that I must be about my FATHER's business ?" This happened when he was but "twelve years "old. And that we may not think, that during his minority, he did ordinarily affume this behaviour towards his parents, but only upon this first effay of his publick appearance, the evangelift purposely adds, ver. 51. that "he went down with his parents "to Nazareth, and was fubject to them."

The second paffage is John ii. 4. when his mother defiring him to work a miracle, at his firft appearance and entrance upon his publick ministry, he takes occafion to declare to her, that he was dif charged from her conduct and government, and this in terms to all appearance of no great refpect: "woman, what have I to do with thee? mine ❝hour is not yet come." Greg. Nyffen reads both sentences with an interrogation; "what have I to ❝ do with thee? is not mine hour now come?" As if he had faid, "why doft thou interpofe in these "matters is not the time come, that I am to "enter upon my office; and in the discharge of it, "to be directed by GoD, and none else?"

The third paffage is Matth. xii. 47. when he was told that his mother and his brethren stood with"out, defiring to fpeak with him who is my "mother," fays he, " and who are my brethren?"

And

SERM. And pointing to his difciples, "behold my mother, CXCI. "and my brethren; for whofoever fhall do the will "of my FATHER which is in heaven, the fame " is my brother, and fifter; and mother." Here is but little appearance of regard; for we do not find, that he left the bufinefs he was about, to fpeak with her when the defired it. Nor it feems did the understand her power fo well as the church of Rome hath done fince, when (as is to be feen in fome of their mafs-books) they addrefs to her in these terms, jure matris impera redemptori; "by the au"thority of a mother, command the redeemer."

The fourth paffage is not much different from the former, Luke xi. 27. When "a certain woman "faid to him, bleffed is the womb that bare thee, "and the paps which thou haft fucked; he said,

:

yca, rather bleffed are they that hear the word of "GOD and keep it." He does not deny what was faid in honour of her; but turns his difcourfe another way and foreseeing the danger of a fuperftitious veneration of her, he feems to bring her down to the fame level with all fincere chriftians; teaching us, that no external privilege or relation, how glorious foevever, no not of that of being the mother of the Son of GOD, was fo valuable, as doing the will of GOD. "Yea, rather bleffed are they that hear "the word of GOD, and keep it."

The laft paffage is at the time of his death, John xix. 25, 26, 27. "Now there ftood by the cross of

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JESUS his mother: when JESUS therefore faw "his mother, and the difciple standing by, whom he loved, he faith unto his mother, woman, be"hold thy fon: then faith he to the difciple, "behold thy mother. And from that hour that disciple

3

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disciple took her unto his own home." Here in- SERM. deed he fhewed his great kindness and concernment for her, in committing her to the care of his best beloved friend; but yet without any extraordinary demonftration of refpect in the manner of it.

These are all the paffages I know in the gospel, which concern our LORD's carriage towards his mother, which, upon the whole matter, is so strange, that we cannot imagine but there must be fome fpecial and extraordinary reason for it and we who have lived to see and know what hath happened in the christian world, are now able to give a better account of this great caution and refervedness in his behaviour towards her; namely, that out of his infinite wifdom and forefight, he fo demeaned himfelf toward her, that he might lay no temptation before men, nor give the leaft occafion to the idolizing of her. He always called her " "woman; and by the privilege of his divinity and high office, hardly feems to pay her the refpect due to a mo ther, that he might reftrain all chriftians from worshipping her as a deity; or if they did, that they might have no colour or excufe for it, from any thing he faid or did. This is fo probable an account of that which might otherwife feem fo unaccountable, that I perfuade myself, that all unprejudiced perfons will readily affent to it. And which is farther remarkable in this matter, the apostles of our LORD in all their writings ufe the fame reservedness; and no doubt, by the direction of the fame SPIRIT, concerning the bleffed mother of our LORD. For, throughout the hiftory of the acts, and all the epiftles of the apoftles, there is but once mention made of her, and that only by

the

SER M. the by, Acts i. 14. where it is faid, that "the dif

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ciples all continued with one accord in prayer and fupplication, with the women, and Mary the mo"ther of JESUS." So far are they from propofing her for an object of our worship, that they only once make mention of her, and that joining with others in prayer and fupplication to GoD, without any special remark concerning her; much less do they fpeak of any devotion paid to her.

And furely if this "bleffed among women, the "mother of our LORD," (for I keep to the titles which the fcripture gives her) have any sense of what we do here below, fhe cannot but look down with the greatest disdain upon that facrilegious and idolatrous worship which is paid to her, to the high difhonour of the great GoD and our SAVIOUR, and the infinite scandal of his religion. How can fhe, without indignation, behold how they play the fool in the church of Rome about her; what an idol they make of her image; and with what fottishness they give divine honour to it? how they place her in their idolatrous pictures in equal rank with the bleffed trinity, and turn the falutation of the angel, Ave Maria," hail Mary, full of grace," into a kind of prayer, and in their bead-roll of devotion repeat it ten times, for once that they fay the LORD'S prayer, as of greater virtue and efficacy? and indeed they almoft juftle out the devotion due to almighty GOD, and our bleffed SAVIOUR, by their endless idolatry to her.

So that the greater part of their religion, both publick and private, is made up of that which was no part at all of the religion of the apoftles and primitive christians; nay, which plainly contradicts it: for that

exprefly

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exprefly teaches us, that there is but one object of SERM. our prayers, and one mediator by whom we are to make our addreffes to GOD. "There is one "GOD; and one mediator between GoD and "man, the man CHRIST JESU s," fays St. Paul, when he gives a standing rule concerning prayer in the christian church. And yet notwithstanding all the care that our bleffed SAVIOUR and his apoftles could take, to prevent the grofs idolatry of the bleffed mother of our LORD, how blindly and wilfully have the church of Rome run into it? and in despite of the clearest evidence and conviction, do obftinately and impudently persist in it, and justify themselves in fo abominable a practice. I come now to the

V. And last advantage of our LORD's example, that it is in the nature of it very powerful, to engage and oblige all men to the imitation of it.

It is almost equally calculated for persons of all capacities and conditions, for the wife and the weak, for those of high and low degree; for all men are alike concerned to be happy. And the imitation of this example, is the most ready and direct way to it, the most effectual means we can use to compass this great and univerfal end; nay, it is not only the means, but the end, the best and most effential part of it. To be like our LORD, is to be as good as it is poffible for men to be; and goodness is the higheft perfection that any being is capable of; and the perfection of every being is its happiness.

There is a kind of contagion in all examples; men are very apt to do what they fee others do, though it be very bad every day's experience furnifheth us with many and fad inftances of the in

Aluence