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Show ,· chrifl h~tth a tend,er c11r~ T'hi~J • flax to which fire is newly put; and hat It not got fuch a Jlrength as to break out into a flame. Now this is faid of Chrill, if it pea .reed, thougli a bruifed reed Chrill will not break it, ifit be flax; though the fire of Divine love and grace be but newly put to it, and it dot!> not yet flai'De out; yet he wiU not quench it. Thus it was prophecied of-Chrill before be came into the world. Let us take a view of him, when come into the world. He reads his commitlion ('cis tbe lirfl Text we read be took Lui(, 4· 18. ) taken out oflfoiah 61, The Spiritoftbe Lord is upon me,beca•ftbehath ~noint ed me to preach the GofPel to the poor ,be bath fmt me to be,l tht bro/;fn,bearted,to prr•ch drliverance to the Captiver, and recovering of fight to the blind, to fet them at Liberty that are bruifed. Who aoe the broken-hearted, who are the Captives? but the tender Grapes which theText (peaks of? C-hrifi interpreteth his Vnilio11 and commitlion you fee with a fpecial reference unto thefe. Let us come to our Lords practice. 1. Ho"' tmd<rly from tfme to time, doth he inllruct thofe, whom he calls men of little Faitb, Matt.6.3o. t-fatt.8.26. & 16. 8. When he fpake to others in Parables, he expounds unto them the ,Par:ilile, telling them that to them was given to know the the myfleries of the Kingdom of Heaven. 2. What carl! doth he ta~e not to difeo•rage tb"m by too hard dutiul Matt.51. 17. Mar. 2. 22. be would not put new wiHt into oM Bottlu. 3• How cartful_il he that npne jhould o_ffe11d Pr hurllhtm,? de. clJring that it were betttr for 11 nran that a Milftone wert hung 11bout hil nee~, and he cafi into -the bottom of the Sea. Matt. J8. 6. +· When any of his Difciples {hewed themfelvu "'eak,, Oh I how gently doth he lend them his hand to help them. When Philip pifcovercd his weak._neji, faying, 7oh. 14. 8. fhe"' us the Fatim and i!fufficetb us: mark our Lords anfwer,v . .9. Have I beeH fo lo01g with you,and yet ha(l thou not ftn•wn mePhilipl he that h•th feen nze baih fom the Father: When Peter !hewed his weaknefs,by crying out, M•fter fove me, I Pmfh, Chrift lent him bis 9and and P"Ued bim' into the !hip. Wh,en qe bad difcovqed a (urcber·weaknefs. by denyJng his Mailer, though be gave him Je~v~ · w .go out ana to weep bit'terly; yet be looks upOJI him kin_d)y, aQ\I.f~nt him word. h~ !hould meet -him in G•lilee. when Tbort~4Jijai:\.difcovered his weaknefs; fayiJJg, he would not b~licve e,xcepf he 11!it.htthruf/_b~ ban .. JPhich havt tender graptt. ~91 ll•nd into bis fiile,andlay hi1 Fingm in the print of the nail/; Chrifi }oh.2e.2s,.a. within eight dayscalis to him; faying, rtacb hither tb] Finger, and l!ebnld my hand1, and reach hither thy band, a"d thr11f/_it into my fidt, 11nd be not faithlefi, b"t believing. When he faw ali his Difdples troubled, (and trouble always argues fome weaknefs) he Preach. cth to them that excellent Sermon, Job. 14, t), 16. Ch. Let not yo~~r bearll ie troMbled,yo• believe in God, l>tlievt alfo in me. 5· Let me yet in fiance in one thing more, it is that which you have recorded, Mar. 4• 3 3• with many f"cb Parable/ aJ they wert 11bltto btar it. A Text which looketh dreadfully upon a great many fantaf/_ick._ vain Preacher/ in our Age. As too many mix their Sermons with fuch evomitions of there lulls and paffions, as no faber ears arc able to bear; fo there are many that fcorn to humble their Rhetborical tongues, and Philofophical dialects to the capacity ofpoorChrifiians : in fiead of Preaching as Chrifiians are ablt to bear ( after the example of their Lord ) they either Preach fo (if it may be called Preaching ) as no Chriftian is able to bear ; ·or at bell fa, that Chrillians of mean k._nowledg, wea~ j•dgmmll, are not able to bear it. Chrill did other wife, be humbled his preaching to Cbriflians capacity ; he thought it no di!honour to him to Preach as people were able to bear. He could ( no doubr of it) have delivered his mind, in as high ranting language, as fame think it their glory now to do it; he could have delivered them as deep philofopbical [peculation/; yea, and doubrlefs would, but that be did not think clay and fpittle a proper means to cure blind mens eyes, though once (for a Miracle) be [o !hewed his Divine Power ; nor Bread bak!d rt~ilh mans dung, good ofdi"nary food, although be once for a fign commanded Ezel(! elfo to take his: Bur in this I fay be !hewed a tender care of weak Chrillians; he ta,.gbt them as th•y wert able t• bear it. We have kitherto fcen our Lords perfonal practice, and ald! ough this were and ought to have ~en judged enough for his Minltlers and Churches, to direct them what they ought to do; yet our Lord bath not left here, but as a further demonflration of his care of and tendernefs towards them, !ell through the pzide -arid paffion of, men (for Elijabs are men fubject to like "pa!lions with other men:) be hath left a charge with his Mini!lers and Churches to deal tenderly with them. Thi; I !hall evidence in five or fix particulars. 1. He |