W7

L «Y

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

Gift of

.Clemens E. Prokesch.

1, 1 1 her if thou /,' mi/Iiiii/. iriiimr this cup /mm me:
ma rtliilrss. not ply ill//. 611/ thin,: Ot doll f ¦
Luki 2 2 Chap 42 I ,

THE LIFE
OF
OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR
JESUS CHRIST,
CONTAINING A FULL, ACCURATE, AND
UNIVERSAXi HISTORY
OF THE VARIOUS TRANSACTIONS,
FROM
HIS TAKING UPON HIMSELF OUR SINFUL NATURE,
TO HIS
CRUCIFIXION, RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD,
AND
(Slotious ascension into p?eaue it :
TOGETHER WITH THE
Utoig, ^Transactions, attir SuHtvina*,
OF HIS
HOLY EVANGELISTS, APOSTLES, DISCIPLES, AND OTHER
PRIMITIVE MARTYRS,
WHO SEALED THE GREAT TRUTHS OF, CHRISTIANITY WITH^THEIR BLOOD.

BY THE
REV. JOHN FLEETWOOD, D. D.

PUBLISHED BY NATHAN WHITING.
1829.

PREFACE.

The first and greatest object that should most materially en
cage the attention of Mankind is, the pursuit of that knowledge
which tends to promote their welfare while on this transitory stage
of life, and their eternal happiness in that which is to come. No
measures whatever can be taken to effect this, but the most earn
est endeavours to make themselves perfectly acquainted with, and
strictly to follow the example of Our Blessed Redeemer, the
great Captain of our sufferings — the preserver of our souls from
death to life everlasting — the grand pattern of sanctity, humility,
meekness, and charity — the King of Glory — the guiding star to
righteousness — and who, as himself expresses it, is " the Way,
the Truth, and the Life."
As, therefore, in Our Blessed Redeemer only rests the whole
of our eternal salvation, let Him only engross our most serious at
tention : and let the examples of his Holy Apostles, who have
sealed their faith with their blood, inspire us with resolution to
make us emulous to be accounted voluntary servants of Christ,
who condescended to suffer an ignominious and painful death, to
clear us from our sins, and the punishment due to our manifold
offences. In seriously perusing the Life and Transactions of the Great
Redeemer of Mankind, we shall there find those balmy sweets,
those solid comforts, which, if properly attended to, will promote
our felicity here, and secure to us eternal happiness hereafter. If
we endeavour to pursue the divine system laid down by Our Bless
ed Saviour, there is no reason to doubt but our obedience will
be crowned with that reward which he has been pleased to promise
to all those who imitate his glorious example. Our Blessed. Lord
himself tells us, that if we are poor in spirit, we shall gain the
kingdom of heaven — if we mouru here, we shall be comforted —
if we hunger and thirst after righteousness, we shall be filled. It
is from these assurances that St. Augustine says, " the happiness

4 PREFACE.
of this life consists in the Holy Gospel, without which we cannot
come to the knowledge of God." All true knowledge, virtue and
perfection, that a Christian can desire, or attain to, are contained
in the doctrines and transactions of our Glorious Redeemer ; who
teaches us, that righteousness and holiness consist in the inward
purity and integrity ofthe mind, and not in the outward show of
works — in a conscience void of offence, not in the pompous ap
plause of men — in humility, not in ostentation — in contempt, not
in pursuit of worldly honors — and he farther teaches us to love
our enemies as well as our friends. Here we read of the nature
of true faith ; of trusting in Christ alone ; and how we ought not
to glory but in Him. Here we read, also, of the certainty of
salvation, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
and of life eternal.
We most sincerely hope, that the perusal of this work will
produce that effect for which it is so happily adapted, namely,
the promotion of the cause of Christianity, and making man
kind wise unto salvation. A serious attention to the divine
transactions contained in this history, will fill the mind with
awful, though pleasing ideas ; banish every doubt ; confirm the
reader in the most sublime truths, and fill his soul with divine
•ecstacies. We shall only further observe, that in the execution of this
pious work, we have endeavoured to improve the understanding
and warm the heart, to inspire the mind with gratitude for the
astonishing love of a dying Saviour, and to excite the soul to
embrace his kind invitations of forgiveness, of happiness, and
peace.

AN

INTRODUCTORY
DISSERTATION,

IN WHICH
THE EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY ARE FAIRLY STATED, THE NEW
TESTAMENT PROVED TO BE GENUINE, AND THE RELIGION OF
JESUS TRULY DIVINE.

It is a well-attested truth, that immorality ever grows with
infidelity, and to the prevalence of vice must certainly be impu
ted that scorn and derision in which too many in the present day
hold the sacred oracles of God, the revealed will of the Great
Creator of Heaven and Earth.
From hence, therefore, it is reasonable to ask, what cause
can produce so strange a deviation ,from the ways of God ?
Doubtless from that unhappy disregard, either to the Gospel in
general, or to his peculiar and essential truths so visible in the
world, and which appear to be continually increasing. It is
too evident that multitudes among us, like those of old, who
thought and professed themselves the wisest of mankind, or, in
other words, the free-thinkers of the age, have been desirous of
banishing God and his truths from their knowledge ; and it is
therefore the less to be wondered at, if " God has given them
up to a reprobate mind ;" to the most infamous lusts and enor
mities ; and to a depth of degeneracy, which, while it is in part
the natural consequence, is in part also tbe just, but dreadful
puuishment of their apostacy from the faith. And we are per
suaded that those who wish well to the cause of Christ, as
every true Christian most certainly does, cannot serve it more
effectually, than by endeavoring to establish men in their belief
of the Gospel in general, and to build them up in its most holy
faith. The latter, we flatter ourselves, we have sufficiently
done in the following lives of the blessed Jesus, and his Apos
tles and followers ; and propose in this Dissertation, to prove
that the Christian Religion is true, and owes its origin to God
himself.

b AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
It will be needless to observe, that this is a matter of the
highest importance, as every one will apprehend that this is the
foundation of all our hopes. It is absolutely necessary in this
age of libertinism, that every Christian should be able " to
give a reason for the hope that is in him," and to put to si
lence the tongues of those men that have " evil will at Zion."
And may the Almighty enable us to plead -his cause with suc
cess ! May the divine Spirit accompany these arguments, that
the faith of our readers being more and more established, it
may appear that the tree is watered at the roots, by all the other
graces growing and nourishing in an equal proportion !
God has made ample provision for the honour and support of
his Gospel, by furnishing it with a variety of proofs, which
may, with undiminished, and indeed, with growing conviction,
be displayed in the eyes of the whole world : and we should be
greatly wanting in gratitude to him, in zeal for a Redeemer's
kingdom, and in charitable concern for the conversion of those
who reject the Gospel, as well as for the edification of those
who embrace it, should we wholly overlook those arguments,
or neglect to acquaint ourselves with them. This is the evi
dence we propose, and beg our readers would peruse it with
becoming attention.
In prosecution of this great design, we shall endeavor more
particularly to shew, that if we take the matter on a general
survey, it will appear highly probable, that such a system of
doctrines and precepts, as we find Christianity to be, should
indeed have been a " divine Revelation ;" and then, that if
we examine into the external evidence of it, we shall find it
certain, in fad, that it was so, and that it had its origin from
on high.
First, then, we are to shew, that taking the matter merely
in theory, it will appear highly probable, that such a system as
the Gospel, should be indeed, a divine revelation.
To prove this, we shall endeavor to shew, That the state
of mankind was such as greatly to need a revelation ; That
there seems, from the light of nature, encouragement to hope
that God would grant one ; That it is reasonable to believe,
that if any were made, it should be introduced and transmitted
as Christianity was ; and, That its genera! -i iture and substance
should be such as we find that ofthe Gospel is. If we satisfac
torily prove these particulars, there will be a strong presumptive
evidence that the " Gospel is from God," and a fair way will
be opened for that more divine proof which is principally in
tended. 1. The case of mankind is naturally such as to need a divine
revelation.

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 7
We would not be understood to speak here of a man in his
original state, though even then, some instruction from above
seemed necessary to inform him of many particulars, which it
¦was highly proper for him then to know ; but we speak of him
in the degenerate condition in which he now so evidently lies,
by whatever means he fell into it. It is very easy to make
florid encomiums on the perfection of natural light, and to de
ceive unwary readers by an ambiguous term, as a late author
has done in his deistical writings ; a fallacy beneath an ingenious
reasoner, and which alone ought to have exposed his book to
the contempt of every serious reader. Truth needs no dis
guise ; a candid advocate scorns such subterfuges ; let facts
speak for themselves, and controversy will soon be decided.
We appeal to every intelligent reader, who is acquainted with
the records of antiquity, or that has any knowledge of the pres
ent state of those countries where Christianity is unknown,
whether it is not too obvious a truth, that the whole heathen
world has lain§! and still lies in a state of wickedness. Have
not the greater part of them been perpetually bewildered in their
religious notions and practices, very different from each other,
and almost equally differing on all sides from the appearances
of truth and reason ? Is any thing so wild as not to have been
believed ; any thing so infamous as not to have been practised
by them, while they not only pretended to justify it by rea
son, but to have consecrated it as a part of their religion ? To
this very day, what are the discoveries of new nations in the
American or African world ; but, generally speaking, the open
ing new scenes of enormity ? Rapine, lust, cruelty, human sa
crifices, and the most stupid idolatries, are, and always have
been, the morality and religion of almost all the Pagan nations
under heaven ; and if they have discovered a dawn of reason,
it has only sufficed to convince them of the want of an abler
guide, to direct them in pursuit of real happiness.
But perhaps some of our readers have only heard those
things by uncertain reports. If this be the case, look around
you within the sphere of your own observation, and remark
the temper and character of the generality of those who have
been educated in a Christian, and even in a Protestant country.
Observe their ignorance and forgetfulness of the Divine Being,
their impieties, their debaucheries, their fraud, their oppression,
their pride, their avarice, their ambition, their unnatural in
sensibility of the wants, sorrows, and interest of each other ;
and when you see how bad they generally are in the midst of
so many advantages, judge by that ofthe probable state of
those that want them. When the candid reader has well weigh
ed these particulars, let him judge whether a revelation be an
unnecessary thing.

8 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
2. There is, from the light of nature, considerable en
couragement to hope, that God would favor his creatures with
so desirable a thing as a revelation appears to be.
That a revelation is in itself a possible thing, is evident be
yond all shadow of doubt Shall not He that " made man's
mouth," who has given us this wonderful faculty of discovering
our sentiments, and communicating our ideas to each other ;
shall not He be able to converse with his rational creatures,
and, by sensible manifestations, or inward impressions, to con
vey the knowledge of things which lie beyond the discernment
of their natural faculties, and yet may be highly conducive to
their advantage ? To own a God, and to deny him such a
power would be a notorious contradiction. But it may appear
much more dubious, whether he will please to confer such a
favor on sinful creatures.
Now it must be acknowledged, that he would not certainly
conclude he would never do it ; considering, on the one hand,
how justi}' they stood exposed to his final displeasure : and, on
the other, what provision he had made by the frame of the hu
man mind, and of nature around us, for giving us such noti
ces of himself, as would leave us inexcusable, if we either fail
ed to know him, or to glorify him as God, as the apostle argues
at large. (Rom. i. 20, &tc.) Nevertheless, we should have
something of this kind to hope, from considering God as the
indulgent father of his creatures ; from observing the tender
care he takes of us, and the liberal supply which he grants
for the support of the animal life ; especially from the provision
he has made for man, considered as a guilty and calamitous
creature, by the medicinal and healing virtues he has given to
the productions of nature, which man in a perfect state of recti
tude and happiness, never would have needed.
This is a circumstance which seems strongly to intimate, that
be would, some time or other, graciously provide an adequate
remedy to heal the minds of the children of men ; and that he
would interpose to instruct them iu his own nature, in the man
ner in which he is to be served, and in the final treatment which
they may expect from him. And certainly such an apprehen
sion seems very congruous to the sentiments of the generality
of mankind, a sufficient proof that men naturally expect some
such kind of interposition of the Almighty.
3. It is natural to conclude, that if a revelation were giv
en, it would be introduced, and transmitted in such a manner
as the Evangelists shew us Christianity was.
It is, for instance, highly probable that it should be taught
either by some illustrious person, sent down from a superior
world, or at least by a man of eminent wisdom and piety, who
should himself have been not only a teacher, but an example

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 9
of righteousness. In order to this, it seems probable, that he
should be led through a series of calamities and distress ; since,
otherwise, he could not have been a pattern of that resignation,
which adorns adversity, and is peculiar to it. And it might
also have been expected that, in the extremity of his distress,
the Almighty, whose messenger he was, should, in some ex
traordinary njanner, have interposed either to preserve or to
recover him from death.
It is, moreover, exceedingly probable, that such a person,
and perhaps also those who were at first employed as his mes
sengers to the world, should be endowed with a power of work
ing miracles, both to awaken men's attention, and to prove his
divine mission, and the consequent truth of his doctrines, some
of which might perhaps be capable of no other proof; or if
they were, it is certain that no method of arguing is so short,
so plain, and so forcible, and on the whole «o well suited to
conviction, and probably the reformation of mankind, as a
course of evident, repeated, and uncontrolled miracles. And
such a method of proof is especially adapted to the populace,
who are incomparably the greater part of mankind, and for
whose benefit we may assure ourselves a revelation would be
chiefly designed. It might be added, that it was no way im
probable, though not in itself certain, that a dispensation should
open gradually to the world ; and that the most illustrious mes
senger of God to men should be ushered in by some predictions
which should raise a great expectation of his appearance, and
have an evident accomplishment in him.
As to the propagation of a religion so introduced, it seems
no way improbable, that having been thus established in its
first age, it should be transmitted to future generations by cred
ible testimony, as other important facts are. It is certain, that
affairs ofthe utmost moment, transacted among men, depend on
testimony ; on this, voyages are undertaken, settlements made,
and controversies decided : controversies on which not only the
estates but the lives of men depend. Though it must be owned,
that such an historical evidence is not equally convincing with
miracles which are wrought before our own eyes; yet it is certain
it may rise to such a degree as to exclude all reasonable doubt.
We know not why we should expect, that the evidence of a rev
elation should be such as universally to compel the immediate
acquiescence of all to whom it is offered. It appears much
more probable, that it should be so adjusted as to be a kind of
touchstone to the tempers and characters of men, capable,
indeed, of giving ample satisfaction to the diligent and candid
inquirer, yet attended with some circumstances, from whence
the captious and perverse might take occasion to cavil and
object. Such we might reasonably suppose a revelation would

10 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION,
be, and such we maintain Christianity is. The teachers of it
undertake to prove that it was thus introduced, thus established,
and thus transmitted ; and we trust that this is a strong pre
sumption in its favor, especially as we can add,
4. That the principal doctrines contained in the Gospel are
of such a nature, that we might in general suppose a divine
revelation would be — rational, practical, and sublime.
It is natural to imagine, that in a revelation of a religion
from God, the great principles of natural religion should be
clearly asserted, and strongly maintained : such as the existence,
the unity, the perfection, and the providence of God ; the essen
tial and immutable difference between moral good and evil ;
the obligations we are under to the various branches of virtue,
whether human, social, or divine ; the value and immortality of
the soul ; and the rewards and punishments of a future state.
All these particulars every rational person would conclude were
contained in it; and that upon the whole it should appear cal
culated to form men's minds to a proper temper, rather than to
amuse them with curious speculations.
It might, indeed, be farther supposed, that such a revelation
would contain some things which could not have been learned
from the highest improvements of natural light : such as, that
God would pardon the sins of the most flagrant offender, on
account of the satisfaction made by his dear Son, the Redeemer
of the world ; that he would work holy desires in the hearts of
his people, by the power of his divine grace, and form them for
happiness hereafter by implanting in them a principle of ho
liness. In short, the Christian system is undoubtedly worthy of God,
nor is it possible to imagine from whom else it could have pro
ceeded.* Thus have we considered the first branch of the argument,
and shewn, we hope satisfactorily, that, taking the Christian
system only in theory, it appears highly probable. The truth
is, that to embrace the Gospel is so safe, and upon the whole
so comfortable a thing, that a wise man would deliberately ven
ture his all upon it, though nothing more could be offered for
its confirmation. But, blessed be God, we have a great deal
more to offer in this important cause; and can add, with still
greater confidence, that it is not only probable in theory, but,
Secondly, That it is in fact certain, that Christianity is, in
deed, a divine revelation.
* From what has been said, it sufficiently appears, that a revelation was abso
lutely necessary to instruct mankind in the most important principles of religion ;
and consequently all the fallacious arguments of deistical writers, against the
necessity of an extraordinary revelation fall to the ground, like a mighty structure
wVen the foundation is destroyed.

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 11
On this it must be confessed the chief stress is to be laid ;
and therefore we shall insist more largely on this branch of the
argument; and endeavor, by the divine assistance, to prove the
certainty of this great, this important fact. And in order to
this, it will be necessary to shew,
I. That the books in the New Testament, now extant, may
be depended upon as written by the first preachers and pub
lishers of Christianity. And,
II. That from hence it will certainly follow that what they
assert is true, and that the religion they teach brings with it
such evidences of a divine authority, as may justly recommend
it to our acceptance.
Each of these heads would furnish matter for several vol
umes ; but as we are writing only a Dissertation, it is our
business to strike at the most obvious and important particulars,
by which they may briefly be illustrated and confirmed.
We are to prove, that the books of the New Testament, now
extant, were written by the first preachers and publishers of
Christianity. We shall now confine ourselves to the books of the New
Testament, as that particular part of the sacred oracles has
engrossed our present attention, though we propose, in another
place, to lay down some solid arguments in defence of the au
thenticity ofthe Old, which is an invaluable treasure, being the
very foundation of the New, and detnands our daily pleasing
and grateful perusal, and is capable of being defended in a man
ner we are persuaded its most subtle enemies will never be able
to answer.
After premising these particulars ; we shall go on to the argu
ment, and advance it by the following degrees : We shall prove
that Christianity is an ancient religion ; — That there was such
a person as Jesus of Nazareth crucified above seventeen hun
dred years ago, at Jerusalem ; — That the first preachers of his
religion wrote books, which went by the name of those that
now make up the volume of the New Testament; — And that
the English translation of them, now publicly used, is in the
main faithful, and may be depended upon.
1. It is certain that Christianity is not a new religion, but
one that was maintained by great multitudes soon after the time
in which the Gospels tell us Jesus appeared.
That there was, considerably more than seventeen hundred
years ago, a body of men that went by the name of Christians,
is full as evident as that a race of men was then subsisting in
the world ; nor do we know that any enemy to the religion of
Jesus has ever been vile and confident enough to dispute it.
Indeed, there are such numbers, both of Christian and Heathen
writers, who attest this fact, that it would be madness to deny

12 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
it, and therefore superfluous for us to prove it. But we cannot
help observing, that Tacitus, Suetonius, Pliny, Marcus Antoni
nus, and others, not only attest the existence of such a body of
men, but also inform us of the extreme persecutions they under
went in the very infancy of their religion ; a strong evidence
that they were firmly persuaded that their religion was from
on high.
2. That there was such a person as Jesus of Nazareth, who
was crucified at Jerusalem, when Pontius Pilate was the Roman
governor there.
It can never be imagined, that multitudes of people should
take their names from Christ, and sacrifice their lives for their
adherence to him, even in the same age in which he lived, if
they had not been well assured that there was such a person.
Nay, Tacitus himself tells us that he was put to death under
Pontius Pilate, who was procurator of Judea in the reign of
Tiberius. And it is well known that the primitive Christian
apologists often appeal to the acts of Pilate, or the memoirs of
his government, which he, according to the custom of all other
procurators, transmitted to Rome, as containing an account of
these transactions ; and as the appeal was made to those who
had the command of the public records, we may assure our
selves such testimonies were then extant. But it is a fact which
our enemies never denied. They owned it ; they even gloried
in it, and upbraided the Christians with the infamous death of
him whom they called their Saviour. Thus it sufficiently ap
pears that there was, at the time, commonly supposed, such a
person as our blessed Saviour Christ, who was a divine teacher,.
and who gathered many disciples, by whom his religion was
afterwards published in the world.
3. It is also certain, that the first publishers of this religion
wrote books, which contained an account of the life and doc
trines of Jesus their Master, and which went by the names of
those that now make up our New Testament.
It was in the nature of things highly probable, that they
would declare and publish to the world, in writing, the things
they had seen and heard, considering how common books were
in the age and countries in which they taught ; and of how
great importance an acquaintance with the history and doctrine
of Christ was to the purposes which they so strenuously pur
sued : but we have much more than such a presumptive
evidence. The most inveterate adversaries to Christianity must grant
that we have books of great antiquity, written some fourteen,
some fifteen, and some more than sixteen hundred years ago ;
in which mention is made of the life of Christ, as written by
many, and especially by four of his disciples, who, by way

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 13
of eminence, are styled Evangelists. Great pains have indeed
been taken to endeavor to prove that some spurious pieces
were published under the names of the apostles, containing the
history of these things. But all these have been confuted, and
the vile assertors stigmatized with that contempt their false
asseverations justly deserved. And we are sure he must be
very little acquainted with the ancient ecclesiastical writers
who does not know that the primitive Christians made a great
difference between those writings, which we call the canonical
books of the New Testament, and others ; which plainly shews
that they did not judge of writings merely by the names of
their pretended authors, but inquired with an accuracy becom
ing the importance of these pretences. The result of this inqui
ry was, that the four Gospels, the Acts, the Epistles of St. Paul,
one of St. Peter and one of St. John, were received upon such
evidence, that Eusebius, a most accurate and early critic in
these things, could not learn that they had ever been disputed.
And afterwards the remaining books of the New Testament,
namely, Hebrews, — James, — the second of Peter, — the second
and third of John, — Jude, — and the Revelations, were admitted
as genuine, and added to the rest. On the whole it is suffi
ciently plain, that the primitive Christians were so thoroughly
satisfied ofthe authority of the sacred books, that they speak of
them, not only as credible and authentic, but as equal to the
oracles of the Old Testament, as divinely inspired, as the words
ofthe Spirit, as the law and organ of God, and as the rule
-of faith, which cannot be contradicted without the greatest
guilt ; with many other expressions of the same kind, which
often occur in their discourses. To which we ma}' add, that
in ^some of their councils the New Testament was placed on a
throne, to signify their desire that all their controversies might
be determined, and their actions regulated by it.
From the whole, therefore it is plain, that the primitive
church did receive certain pieces which bore the same titles
with the books of our New Testament. Now we think it is
evident, that they were as capable of judging whether a book
was written by Matthew, John, or Paul, as the ancient Romans
could be of determining whether Horace, Tully, or Livy,
wrote those which go under these names. And certainly the
interest of the former was much more concerned in the writings
of the apostles, than that of the latter in the compositions of
their poets, orators, or even their historians; and there is
reason to believe they would take much greater care to inform
themselves fully in the merits of the cause, and to avoid being
imposed upon by artifice and fiction. Let us now proceed to
shew,

14 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
4. That the books of the New Testament have been pre
served in the main uncorrupted to the present time, in the
original language in which they were written.
This is a matter of the last importance ; and, blessed be
God, we have a proportional evidence : an evidence in which
the hand of Providence has indeed been remarkably seen ; for
it is certain there is no other ancient book in the world, which
may so certainly and so easily be proved to be authentic.
And here we will not argue merely from the piety of the
primitive Christians, and the heroic actions and resolutions
with which they chose to endure the greatest extremities, rather
than deliver up their Bibles, though that consideration is evi
dently of the greatest weight ; but shall entreat our readers to
consider the utter improbability of altering them. From the
first ages they were received and read in churches, as a part of
their public worship, just as Moses and the prophets were in
the Jewish synagogues : they were presently spread far and
near, as the boundaries of the church were increased ; they
were early translated into other languages, of which translations
some remain to this very day. Now, when this was the case,
how could they be adulterated ? Is it a thing to be supposed
and imagined, that thousands and millions of people should
have come together from distant countries ; and that with all
the diversities of language and customs, and, it may be added,
of sentiments, too, they should have agreed on corrupting a
book, which they all acknowledged to be the rule of their faith
and their manners, and the great charter by which they held
their eternal hopes ? It would be madness to believe it, espe
cially when we consider what numbers of heretics appeared in
the very infancy of the church, who all pretended to build their
notions on Scripture, and most of them appealed to it as the
final judge of controversies. Now it is certain, that these dif
ferent sects of Christians were a perpetual guard upon each
other, and rendered it impossible for one party to practise thus
grossly on the sacred books, without the discovery and clamor
ofthe rest.
Nor must we omit to observe, that in every age, from the
apostles' time to our own, there have been numberless quota
tions made from the books of the New Testament ; and a mul
titude of commentaries in various languages, and some of very
ancient date, have been written upon them ; so that if the books
themselves were lost, they might, in a great measure, if not en
tirely, be recovered from the writings of others. And we may
venture to say, that if all the quotations ever made from all the
ancient writings now in Europe were gathered together, the
bulk of them would by no means be comparable to that of the
quotations taken from the New Testament alone. So that any

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 15
man might with much better reason dispute whether the writings
ascribed to Homer, Demosthenes, Virgil, or Csesar, be in the
main such as they left them, than he could question it concern
ing those of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, and
Paul. It may be said in the main, because we readily allow, that the
hand of a printer, or of a transcriber, might chance, in some
places, to insert one letter or word for another ; and the various
readings of this, as well as all other ancient books, prove that
this has sometimes been the case. But those various readings
are generally of such little importance, that he who can urge
them as an objection against the assertion we are now maintain
ing, must have little judgment, or little integrity ; and, indeed,
after those excellent things which have been said on the subject
by many defenders of Christianity, he must, if he has read their
writings, have little modesty too.
Since then it appears that the books in the New Testament,
as they now stand in the original, are, without any material al
teration, such as they were when they came from the hands of
the sacred authors, nothing remains to complete this part of the
argument, but to shew,
5. That the translation of them now in common use may be
depended upon, as, in all particulars, agreeable to the original.
This is a fact of which the generality of readers are not able
to judge immediately, though it is of the last importance; it is,
therefore, with great pleasure we reflect, how ample evidence
they may have another way, to make their minds easy on this
head. We mean by the concurrent testimony of others, in cir
cumstances in which it cannot be imagined they would unite to
deceive them.
There are few who preach the Gospel of the Son of God, but
have examined this matter with the greatest care, and are able
to judge in so easy a case; and who will all unanimously de
clare, that the common English translation is in the main faith
ful and judicious. ,We do not, indeed, scruple, on some occa
sions, to animadvert upon it ; but these remarks never affect the
fundamentals of religion, and seldom reach any further than the
beauty of a figure, or the connexion of an argument.
But the argument does not wholly rest on the unanimous suf
frages of the teachers of the Gospel. The different sects of
protestants in this kingdom bear witness to this truth. For it is
certain, that where a body of men dissent from the public estab
lishment, and yet agree with the church from which they dis
sent, in using the same translation, though they are capable of
examining and judging of it, it is as great evidence as can be
desired, that such a translation is right in the main. But the
dissenters unanimously unite with us in bearing testimony to

16 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION1.
the oracle of God, as delivered in our own language: and con
sequently our translation may be depended upon.
Thus have I finished the first part of my argument, and
shewn that the Christian religion is certainly true, and that the
New Testament is genuine. I shall next proceed to shew,
II. That from allowing the New Testament to be genuine, it
will undeniably follow, that Christianity is a divine revela
tion. And here a person is at first ready to be lost in the multi
plicity of arguments which surround him. It is very easy to
find proofs, but difficult to range and dispose them in such an
order as best to illustrate and confirm each other. We shall
therefore offer them in the following natural series.
The authors of the books contained in the New Testament
were certainly capable of judging concerning the truth of the
facts they asserted : their characters, so far as we can judge of
them by their writings, render them worthy of regard ; and they
were under no temptation to attempt imposing on the world by
such relations as they have given us, if they had been false.
Nevertheless; it is certain in fact, they did gain credit, and suc
ceeded in a most amazing manner, against all opposition. It is
therefore certain, that the facts which they asserted were true ;
and if they were true, then it was reasonable for their con
temporaries, and it is reasonable for us, to receive the Gospel
as a db/ine revelation ; especially if we consider what has hap
pened to the world for the confirmation of it, since first prop
agated by them. This is the conclusion to which we must
attend ; and therefore let us seriously consider each of the steps
by which we arrive at it.
It is exceedingly evident, that the writers of the New Testa
ment certainly knew the facts they asserted were true.
And this they must have known, for. this plain reason: be
cause they inform us, they did not trust merely to the report
even of persons whom they thought most credible, but were pre
sent themselves when several of the most important facts hap
pened ; and so received them on the testimony of their own
senses. On this St. John, in his first epistle, ch. i. ver. 1  3,
lays a very great and reasonable stress : " That which we have
seen with our eyes ;" and that not only by a sudden glance,
but " which we have attentively looked upon, and which even
our hands have handled, of the word of life :" i. e. of Christ
and his Gospel, declare we unto you.
Let the common sense of mankind judge here. Did not
Matthew and John certainly know whether they had personally,
and familiarly, conversed with Jesus of Nazareth or not ?
Whether he had chosen them for his constant attendants and
apostles ? Whether they had seen him heal the sick, dispossess

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 17
devils, and raise the dead ? And whether they themselves had
received from him such miraculous endowments as they declare
he bestowed upon them ? Did they not know whether he fell
into the hands of his enemies, and was publicly put to death or
not ? Did not John know whether he saw him expiring on the
cross or not? and whether he received from him a "dying
charge^ which he records, ch. xix. ver. 27 ? Did he not know
whether he saw him wounded in the side with a spear or not ?
and whether he did, or did not see the effusion of blood and
water, which was an infallible argument of his being really
dead"? Concerning which, it'beirig so material a circumstance,
he adds, " He that saw it bare record ; and he knoweth that he
saith true;" i. e. that it was a case in which he could not possi
bly be deceived. And with regard to Christ's resurrection,
did he not certainly know whether he saw our Lord again and
again ; and whether he handled his body, that he might be
sure it was not a mere phantom ? What one circumstance of
bis life could he certainly know if he were mistaken in this ?
Did not Luke know whether he was in the ship with Paul
when that extraordinary wreck happened, by which they were
thrown ashore on the island of Malta? Did he not know
whether, while they were lodged together, in the governor's
house, Paul miraculously healed one of the family, and many
other diseased persons in the island, as he positively asserts that
he did in Acts xxviii. ?
Did not Paul certainly know whether Christ appeared to him
on the way to Damascus or not ? whether he was. blind ; and
afterwards, on the prayer of a fellow-disciple, received his sight ?
or was that a circumstance in which there could be room for
mistake ? Did he not know whether he received such extraor
dinary revelations and extraordinary powers, as to be able, by
the laying on of his hands, or by the words of his mouth, to
¦work miracles ?
To add no more : Did not Peter know, whether he saw the
glory of Christ's transfiguration, and heard that voice to which
he so expressly refers, when he says, " We have not followed
cunningly devised fables, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty,
when there came such a voice to him ; and this voice we
heard?" 2 Peter, i. 16—18.
Now Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, and Peter, are
by far the most considerable writers of the New Testament ; and
surely when we reflect on these particulars, we must own that
there are few historians, ancient or modern, that could so certain
ly judge of the truth of the facts which they have related. The
reason why we have enlarged in stating so clear a case is, that
it is the foundation of the whole argument ; and that this branch
of it alone, cuts off infidels from that refuge which they could
3

18 AN INTRODUCTORY BISSERTATIQN.
generally choose, that of pleading the apostles were enthusiasts ;
and leaves them silent, unless they will say that they were im
postors. For you evidently see, that could we suppose these
facts to be false, they could by no means pretend an involuntary
mistake; but must, in the most criminal and aggravated sense,
as St. Paul himself expresses it, 1 Cor. xv. 15, " Be found
false witnesses of God." But how unreasonable it would be to
charge them with so notorious a crime will in part appear if we
consider, That the character of these writers, so far as we can judge
by their works, seems to render them worthy of regard ;' and
leaves no. room to imagine that they intended to deceive us.
It would be unnecessary to shew at large, that they appear
to have been persons of natural sense, and at the time of their
writing, of a composed mind ; for certainly, no man that ever
read the New Testament with attention, could imagine they
were idiots or madmen. Let the discourses of Christ in the
Evangelists, of Peter and Paul, in the Acts, as well as many
passages in the Epistles, be perused, and we will venture to say,
that he who is not even charmed with them, must be a stranger
to all the justest rules of polite criticism. But he who suspects
that the writers wanted common sense, must himself be most ev
idently destitute of it ; and he who can suspect they might pos
sibly be distracted, must himself, in this instance at least, be
just as mad as he imagines them to have been. It was neces
sary, however, just to touch upon this ; because, unless we are
satisfied that a person be himself in what he writes, we cannot
pretend to determine his character from his writings.
Having premised this, let us, on perusing the New Testament,
observe what evident marks it bears of simplicity and integrity,
of piety and benevolence ; upon which we shall find them plead
ing the cause of its authors, with a nervous, though gentle el
oquence ; and powerfully persuading the mind, that men who
were capable of writing so excellently well, must evidently ap
pear to have strictly adhered to the rectitude of truth.
The manner in which they relate this narration is most
happily adapted to gain our belief. For as they tell it with a
great deal of circumstances, which by no means could be pru
dent in legendary writers, because it leaves so much the more
room for confutation ; so they also do it in the most easy and
natural manner. There is no air of declamation and harangue :
nothing that looks like artifice and design ; no apologies, no
encomiums, no character, no reflections, no digressions: but
the facts are recounted with great simplicity, just as they ap
pear to have happened ; and those facts are left to speak for
themselves in their great author. It is plain that the rest of
these writers, as well as the apostle Paul, did not affect excel-

AN INTRODUCTORY piSSERTATION. 19
lency of, speech, or flights of eloquence as the phrase signifies ;
but determined to know nothing, though amongst the most
learned and polite, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. A
conduct which is the more to be admired, when we consider
how extraordinary a theme theirs was, and with what abun
dant variety of most pathetic declamation, it would easily have
furnished any common writer : so that one would really wonder
how they could forbear it. But they rightly judged that a vain
affectation of ornament, when recording such facts of their own
knowledge, might perhaps have brought their sincerity into
question ; and so have rendered the cross of Christ of no effect.
Their integrity likewise evidently appears in the freedom
with which they mention those, circumstances, which might
have exposed their Master and themselves to the greatest con
tempt among prejudiced and inconsiderate men ; such as they
knew they must generally expect to meet with. As to their
Master, they scruple not to own, that his country was despised,
his birth and education mean, and his life indigent ; that he was
most disdainfully rejected by the rulers, and accused of sabbath-
breaking, blasphemy, and sedition : that he was reviled by the
populace as a debauchee, a lunatic, and a demoniac; and at
last, by the united rage of both rulers and people, was public
ly executed as the vilest of malefactors, with all imaginable cir
cumstances of ignominy, scorn, and abhorrence.
Nor do they scruple to own that terror and distress of spirit
into which he was thrown by his sufferings, though this was a
circumstance at which some of the heathens took the greatest
offence, as utterly unworthy so excellent and divine a person.
As to themselves, the apostles readily confess Dot only the mean
ness of their original employment, and the scandal of their for
mer life, but their prejudices, their follies, and their faults, after
Christ had honored them with so holy a calling. They ac
knowledge their lowness of apprehension under s° excellent a
teacher ; their unbelief, their cowardice, their ambition, their
rash zeal, and their foolish contentions. So that, on the whole,
they seemed every where to forget they were writing of them
selves, and appear not at all solicitous about their own reputa
tion ; but only that they might represent the matter just as it
was, whether they went through honor or dishonor, through evil
report or good report. Nor is this all ; for,
It is certain that in their writings there are the most genuine
traces, not only of a plain and honest, but of a most pious and
devout, a most benevolent and generous disposition. These ap
pear especially in the epistolary parts of the New Testament,
¦where indeed we should most reasonably expect to find them : and
of these it may be confidently affirmed, that the greater progress
any one has made in love to God, in zeal for his glory, in a

20 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
compassionate and generous concern for the present and future
happiness of mankind ; the more humble, and candid, and tem
perate, and pure he is ; the more ardently he loves truth, and
the more steadily he is determined to suffer the greatest extrem
ity in its defence; in a word, the more his heart is weaned
from the present world, arid the more it is fired with the pros
pects of a glorious immortality, the more pleasure he will take
in reading those writings ; the more will he relish the spirit
which discovers itself in them, and find that as face answers
face in water, so do the traces of divine grace which appeaF
there, answer to those which a good man feels in his own soul.
Nay, it may be added that the warm and genuine workings
of that excellent and holy temper, which every where discov
ers itself iri the New Testament, have for many ages been the
most effectual method of animating true believers with a zeal
for the honor ofthe Gospel, and a desire of framing tbeir con
versation as becomes the Gospel of Christ.
Where then there are such genuine marks of an excellent
character, not only in their discourses^ but in their epistolary
writings, and those sometimes addressed to particular and in
timate friends, to whom the mind naturally opens itself with the
greatest freedom, surely no candid and equitahle judge would
lightly believe them to be all counterfeit ; or would imagine,
without very substantial proof, that persons who breathe such
exalted sentiments of God and religion, should be guilty of any
kind of wickedness ; and in proportion to the degree of enor
mity and aggravation attending such a supposed crime, it may
justly be expected that the evidence of their having really com
mitted it should be unanswerably strong and convincing.
Now it is very certain, on the principles laid down above,
that if the testimony ofthe apostles was false, they must have
acted as detestable and villainous a part as one can easily con
ceive. To be found, as the apostle with his usual energy ex*
presses it, false witnesses of God, in any single instance, and
solemnly declare to have done miraculously, what we in our own
consciences, know was never done at all, would be an auda
cious degree of impiety, to which none but the most abandoned
of mankind could arrive. Yet if the testimony of the apostles
was false, as we have proved they could not be themselves mistak
en in it, this must have been their case ; and that not in one sin
gle instance only, but in a thousand. Their lives must, in ef
fect, be one continued and perpetual scene of perjury ; and alt
the most solemn actions of it (in which they were speaking to
God, or speaking of him as God the Father of Christ, from
whom they received their commission and powers) must be *
most profane and daring insult on all the acknowledged perfec
tions of his nature.

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 21
And the inhumanity of such a conduct would on the whole,
have been equal to its impiety. For it would have been de
ceiving men in their most important interests, and persuading
them to venture their own future happiness on the power and
fidelity of one whom, on this supposition, they knew to have
been an impostor, and justly to have suffered a capital punish
ment for his crimes. It cannot be supposed that God, who re
gards the interest of his children, would long suffer such an im
position to prevail, without preventing it by the interposition of
his wisdom and power.
It would have been great guilt to have given the hearts and
devotions of men so wrong a turn, even though they had found
magistrates ready to espouse and establish, yea, and to enforce
the religion they taught. But on the contrary, to labor to
propagate it in the midst of the most vigorous and severe op
position from them, must equally enhance the guilt and folly
ofthe undertaking. For by this means they would have made
themselves accessary to the ruin of thousands ; and all the ca
lamities which fell on such proselytes, or even on their remotest
descendants, for the sake of Christianity, would be in a great
measure chargeable on these first preachers of it. The blood of
honest, yea, of pious, worthy, and heroic persons, who might
otherwise have been the greatest blessings to the public, would
in effect, be crying for vengeance against them. And the dis
tresses of the widows- and orphans, which those martyrs might
leave behind them, would join to swell the account.
So that on the whole, the guilt of those malefactors, who
are from time to time the victims of public justice, even for rob
bery, murder, or treason, is small when compared with that
which we have now been stating. And corrupt as human nature
is, it appears to be utterly improbable that twelve men should
be found, we will not say in one little nation, but even on the
whole face of the earth, who could be capable of entering into
so black a confederacy, on any terms whatsoever.
And now, in this view of the case, let us make a serious
pause, and compare with it what we have just been saying of
the character of the apostles of Jesus, so far as an indifferent
person could conjecture it from their writings, and then say,
whether we can in our hearts believe them to have been these
abandoned wretches, at once the reproach and astonishment of
mankind ? Would they have sealed a known falsity with their
blood, or bartered their lives for the confirmation of vague no
tions or uncertain conjectures ? We cannot surely believe such
things of any, and much less of them, unless it shall appear they
were in some peculiar circumstances of strong temptation ; and
what those circumstances could be, it is difficult even for imag
ination to conceive.

22 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
But history is so far from suggesting any unthought-of fact,
to help our imagination on this head, that it bears strongly the
contrary way. I shall now proceed to shew,
That they were under no temptation to forge a story of this
kind, or to publish it to the world, knowing it to be false.
They could reasonably expect no gain, no reputation by it.
But on the contrary, supposing it an imposture, they must with
the most ordinary share of prudence, have foreseen infamy and
ruin, as the certain consequences of attempting it. For the
grand foundation of their doctrines was, that Jesus of Nazareth,
who was crucified at Jerusalem by the Jewish rulers, was the
Son of God, and the Lord of all things. We appeal to men's
consciences, whether this looks at all like the contrivances of
artful and designing men ?
It was evidently charging upon the princes of their country,
the most criminal and aggravated murder ; indeed, aU things
considered, the most enormous act of wickedness which the sun
had ever seen. They might therefore depend upon it, that
these rulers would immediately employ all their art and power
to confute the testimony, and to destroy their persons. Ac
cordingly, one of them was presently stoned ; another quickly
beheaded ; and most of the rest scattered abroad into strange
cities (as we learn from the Acts of the Apostles) where they
were sure to be received with great prejudices, raised against
them amongst the Jews, by reports from Jerusalem, and highly
strengthened by their expectations of a temporal Messiah : ex
pectations, which, as the apostles knew by their own experi
ence, it was exceeding difficult to root out of men's minds : ex
pectations which would render the doctrine of Christ crucified
an insuperable stumbling-block to the Jews.
Nor could they expect a much better reception among the
Gentiles, with whom their business was to persuade them to re
nounce the gods of their ancestors, and to depend upon a per
son who had died the death of a malefactor ; to persuade them
lo forego the pompous idolatries in which tbey had been educa
ted, .and all the sensual indulgences with which their religion
(if it may be called a religion) was attended, to worship one
invisible God through one Mediator in a most plain and simple
manner ; and to receive a set of precepts, most directly calcula
ted to control and restrain not only the enormities of men^s ac
tions, but tbe irregularities of their hearts.
A most difficult undertaking ! And to engage them to this,
they had no other arguments to bring but such as were taken
from the views of an eternal state of happiness or misery, of
which they asserted their crucified Jesus to be supreme disposer,
who should another day dispense his blessings or his vengeance,
as the Gospel had been embraced or rejected. Now, could

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 23
k be imagined, that men would easily be persuaded, merely oil
the credit of their affirmation, or in compliance with their im
portunity, to believe things which to their prejudiced minds
would appear, so improbable, and to submit to impositions to
their corrupt inclinations so insupportable ? And if they could
not persuade them to it, what could the apostles then expect ?
What but to be insulted as fools or madmen by one sort of peo
ple ; and by another to be persecuted with the most savage and
outrageous cruelty, as blasphemers of their gods, as seducers
of the people, and disturbers of the public peace ? All which
we know happened accordingly. Nay, they assure us, that
their Lord had often warned them of it; and they themselves
expected it ; and thought it necessary to admonish their fol
lowers to expect it too. And it appears, that far from drawing
back upon that account, as they would surely have done, if
they had been governed by secular motives, they became so
much the more zealous and arduous ; and animated each other
to resist, even at the price of their blood.
Now, as this is a great evidence of the integrity and piety
of their characters, and thus illustrates the former head, so it
serves to the purpose now immediately in view, that is, it
proves how improbable it is that any person of common sense
should engage in an imposture, from which, as many have justly
observed, they could on their own principles have nothing to
expect, but ruin in this world, and damnation in the next.
When we therefore consider and compare their characters and
circumstances, it appears utterly improbable, on various ac
counts, that they would have attempted in this article to impose
upon the world. But suppose that in consequence of some un
accountable, as well as some undiscoverable frenzy, they had
ventured on the attempt, it is easy to shew,
That, humanly speaking, they must quickly have perished in
it ; and their cause must have died with them ; without ever
gaining any credit in the world. Common sense must have
suggested to them that the report of a circumstance most extra
ordinary in its nature, if not attested by the most convincing
evidence, must have exposed their cause as base, absurd, and
contemptible. One may venture to say this in general, on the principles
which we have before laid down. But it appears still more ev
ident, when we consider the nature of the fact they asserted, in
conjunction with the methods they took to engage men to be
lieve it ; methods, which, had the apostles been impostors, must
have had the most direct tendency to ruin both their doctrine
and themselves.
Let us a little more particularly reflect on the nature of (jfaat
grand fact, namely, the death, resurrection, and exaltation of

24 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
Christ ; which, as already observed, was the great foundation of
the Christian system, as first represented by the apostles. The
resurrection of a dead man, and his ascension unto, and abode
in the upper world, was so strange a thing, that a thousand ob
jections might immediately be raised against it : and some ex
traordinary proofs might justly be required as a balance to them.
Now the rejectors of the Gospel, it might be supposed, would
set themselves to invent some hypothesis, which should have
some appearance of probability, to shew how such amazing cir
cumstances should ever gain credit in the world, if they had not
some very convincing proofs. But this, with all their endeav-
crs, is totally impracticable ; and consequently the most con
vincing proof that can be given ofthe great truth ofthe whole.
When the Christian seriously considers the horrid but vain at
tempts these enemies to the Gospel make, to pervert that reli
gion on which the redemption of the human race is founded,
how natural is it for him to ask, Is it possible that even the
most impious and obstinate atheist can read with attention, the
various and astonishing circumstances that attended the divine
Redeemer from his birth to his crucifixion, and yet disbelieve ?
Does not even the minutest circumstance and transaction fully
evince the great truths of his mission ? And shall the atheist
continue even to doubt, merely because himself was not an eye
witness to the facts recorded by those who were ?
The celebrated Dr. Watts has very justly pictured the char
acter of the atheist in the following stanzas :
Fools in their hearts believe and say,
That all religion's vain,
There is no God that reigns on high,
Or minds the affairs of men.
From thoughts so dreadful and profane.
Corrupt discourse proceeds ;
And in their impious hands are found
Abominable deeds. .
Their tongues are us'd to speak deceit,
Their slanders never cease :
How swift to mischief are their feet.
Nor know the paths of peace !
Such seeds of sin (that bitter root)
In all their hearts are found ;
Nor can they bear diviner fruit,
Till grace refine the ground.
But let us pursue the argument a little further, and we shall
easily discover what must destroy every observation made by
the Infidel, and confirm his opponent in the incontrovertible
and glorious cause of the Christian religion.

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 23
The manner in which the apostles . undertook to prove the
truth of their testimony to these facts : and it will evidently ap
pear, that instead of confirming their system, it must have been
sufficient utterly to have overthrown it, had it been itself ihe
most probable imposture that the wit of man could ever have
contrived. It is evident that they did not merely assert that
they had seen miracles wrought by this Jesus, but that he had
endowed themselves with a variety of'miraculous powers. Arid
these they undertook to display, not in such idle and useless
tricks as slight-of-hand might perform ; but in such solid and
important works as appeared worthy of a divine interposition,
and entirely superior to human power : restoring sight to the
blind, soundness to lepers, activity to the lame, and, in some
instances, life to the dead. Nor were these things undertaken
in a corner, in a circle of friends or dependants ; nor were
they said to have been wrought on such as might be suspected
of being confederate in the fraud ; but they were done often in
the public streets, in the sight of enemies, on the persons of
such as were utter strangers to the apostles ; but sometimes
well known to neighbors and spectators, as having long labored
under those calamities, which, to human skill, were utterly
incurable. Would impostors have made such pretensions as
these — or, if they had, must they not immediately have been
exposed and ruined?
Nor is there any room at all to object, that perhaps the apos
tles might not undertake to do these things on the spot, but
only assert that they had done them . elsewhere ; for even then it
would have been impossible that they should have gained credit ;
and they would have seemed less credible, on account of such
a pretence. Whatever appearance there might have been of
gravity, integrity, and piety, in the conversation of Peter, for
instance, very few, especially such as had known but little of
him,' would have taken it upon his word, that he saw Jesus
raise Lazarus from the dead at Bethany : but fewer yet would
have believed his affirmation, had it been ever so solemn, that
he himself raised Dorcas at Joppa, uriless he had done some
extraordinary work before them, correspondent at least, if not
equal, to that. One may easily think of invincible objections,
which otherwise might have been made; and undoubtedly the
more such assertions had been multiplied, every new person,
scene, and fact, had been an additional advantage given to the
enemy, to have detected and confuted the whole system, which
Peter and bis brethren had thus eudeavored to establish.
But to come still closer to the point : If the New Testament
be genuine, as we have already proved it, then it is certain
that the apostles wrought miracles in the very presence of those
to whom their writings were addressed ; nay more, they Hke-
4

26 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
wise conferred those miraculous gifts in some considerable de-
gree on others, even the very persons to whom they wrote j
and they appeal to their consciences with regard to the truth of
it. And could there possibly be room for delusion here? It is
exceedingly remarkable to this purpose that Paul makes this
appeal to the Corinthians, and to the Galatians, when amongst
them there were some persons disaffected to him, who were
taking all opportunities to sink his character, and to destroy
his influence. And could they have wished for a better oppor
tunity than such an appeal? An appeal which, had not the
fact it supposed been certain,- _ far from recovering those that
were wavering in their esteem, must have been sufficient utterly
to disgust his most cordial and steady friends. The same re
mark may be applied to the advices and reproofs which the
apostle there gives, relating to the use aud abuse of their
spiritual gifts: which had been notoriously absurd, and even
ridiculous, had not the Christians to Whom he wrote been really
possessed of them. And these gifts were so plainly supernatu
ral, that, as it had been observed, if it be allowed that mira
cles can prove a divine revelation, and that the First Epistle
to the Corinthians be genuine, (of which, by the way, there is
at least as pregnant evidences as that any part of the New Tes
tament is so) then it follows, by a sure and easy consequence,
that Christianity is true. Nevertheless, other arguments are
not to be forgotten in these observations. And therefore, as
we have proved, that had the. testimony of the apostles been
false, it is not to be imagined they could have gained credit at
all ; especially when they had put the proof of their cause on
such a footing as we are sure they did. We shall now proceed
to shew,
That it is a certain fact, the apostles did gain early credit,
and succeeded in a most wonderful manner ; from whence it will
follow, that their testimonies were true.
That the apostles did, indeed, gain credit iu the world, is
evident from what we before offered, in order to prove the
early prevalence of Christianity in it, and this may be farther
confirmed from many passages in the New Testament. And
here we insist not so much on express historical testimonies,
though some of them are very remarkable ; especially that of
the brethren at Jerusalem, who speak of vast numbers of be
lieving Jews assembled at the feast of Pentecost, mentioned in
chap. ii. of the Acts. But I argue from the Epistles written
to several churches, which plainly prove, that there were con
gregations of Christians in Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Colosse,
Thessalbnica, Philippa, Laodicea, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thya-
tira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Crete, Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, Bythinia, and many other places ; insomuch that one ofthe

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 27
apostles could say, " That Christ had so wrought by him to
make the gentiles obedient not only in word or profession, but
in deed too ; that from Jerusalem, even round about into Illyr-
ium, he had fully preached the Gospel of Christ:" or, as the
word imports, " had accomplished" the purposes of it. And
there is a great deal of reason, both from the nature pf the
thing, and from the testimony of ancient history, to believe that
Others of the apostles had considerable success elsewhere. So
that St. Paul might with reason apply to them and their doc
trine, what is originally spoken ofthe luminaries of heaven, and
the instruction they communicate, " their sound has gone put
through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world."
So great was the number of those who were made proselytes
to Christianity by the preaching of the apostles. And we have
all imaginable reason to believe that there were none of all those
proselytes but what were fully persuaded of the truth of the
testimony they bore ; for otherwise no imaginable reason can be
given for their entering themselves into such a profession. The
apostles had no secular terror to affright their proselytes; no
secular rewards to bribe them ; no dazzling eloquence to en
chant them ; on the contrary, all these were in a powerful man
ner pleading against the apostles ; yet their testimony was
received ; and their new converts were so thoroughly satisfied
with the evidence they gave them of their mission, that they
encountered great persecutions, and cheerfully ventured estate,
liberty, and life itself, on the truth of the facts they asserted;
as plainly appears from the many passages in the Epistles,
which none can think the apostles would ever have written, if
those first Christians had not been in a persecuted condition.
Nor will it signify any thing to object, that most of these
converts were pers'ons of a low rank and ordinary education,
who therefore might be more easily imposed upon than others.
For not to mention Sergius Paulus, Dionysius the Areopagite,
or domestics of Csesar's household, (with others of superior
station in life) it is sufficient to call to mind, that the apostles
did not put their cause on the issue of labored arguments, in
which the populace might quickly have been entangled and
Jost, but on such plain facts as they might judge of as easily
and surely as any others ; indeed, on what they themselves saw,
and, in part too, on what they felt.
Now this might be sufficient to bring the matter to a satisfac
tory conclusion. It has been shewn, that there is no reason to
believe, that the apostles, who certainly knew the truth, would
have attempted a fraud of this kind^-so, if they had attempted
it, they could not possibly have succeeded : nevertheless, they
did succeed in a very remarkable manner. Whence it plainly
follows, that what they testified was true.

28 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
Admitting the facts which they testified concerning Christ to
be true, then it was reasonable for their cotemporaries, and is
reasonable for us, to receive the Gospel,' which they have trans
mitted to us as a divine revelation.
The great things they asserted were,' that Jesus was the
Christ ; and that he Was proved to be so, by prophecies accom
plished in him, and by miracles wrought by him, and by others
in his name. Let us attend to each of these, and we shall find
them no contemptible argurhents; but must be forced to ac
knowledge, that these premises being established, the conclu
sion most easily and necessarily follows. And this conclusion,
" that Jesus is the Christ," taken in all its extent, is an ab
stract of the Gospel revelation; and therefore is sometimes put
for the whole of it.
The apostles, especially when disputing with the Jews, fre--
quently argued from the prophecies of the Old Testament, in
which they say many things were expressly foretold, which were
most literally and exactly fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. Now,
greatly to the evidence, confirmation, and advantage of Chris
tianity, so it is that these prophecies are to this day extant in
the original language ; and this in the hands of a people most
implacably averse to the Gospel. So that an attentive reader
may still, in a great measure, satisfy himself as to the validity of
the arguments drawn from them.
On searching these ancient and important records, we find,
not only in general, that it appeared the wisdom of God to raise
up for his people an illustrious deliverer, who, among other glo
rious titles, is sometimes called the Messiah, or the Anointed
One : but we are more particularly told, that this great event
should happen before the government ceased in the tribe of
Judah, while the second temple was standing ; and a little
before its destruction, about four hundred and ninety years
after a command was given to rebuild Jerusalem; which was
probably issued out. in the seventh year of Artaxerxes Longi
manus, or at least within a few years before or after it. It is
predicted that he should be of the seed of Abraham, born of a
virgin, of the house of David, in the town of Bethlehem; that
he should be anointed with an extraordinary effusion of the
Divine Spirit; in virtue of which he should not only be a per
fect and illustrious example of universal holiness and goodness,
but should also perform many extraordinary and beneficial mir
acles. Nevertheless, that for want of external pomp and splen
dor, he should be rejected and insulted by the Jews, and after
wards be cut oft" and slain by them. It is added, that he should
rise from the dead, before his body should be corrupted in the
grave; and should be received up to heaven, and there seated
at the right hand of God : from whence he should, in a won-

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 29
derful manner, pour out his spirit on his followers ; in conse
quence of which, though the body of the Jewish people per
ished in their obstinate opposition to him, yet the Gentiles should
be brought to the knowledge of the true God, and a kingdom
established amongst them, which from small beginnings should
spread itself to the end of the earth, and continue tothe remotest
ages. Besides these most material circumstances, there were sev
eral others relating to him, which were either expressly foretold,
or at least hinted at ; all which, with those already mentioned,
had so evident an accomplishment in Jesus, that we have no
reason to wonder that they should receive the word with all
readiness who searched the Scriptures daily, whether these
things were so predicted there, as the apostle's affirmed. For
'we are persuaded that no wise and religious person could ima
gine, that God would permit an impostor to arise, in whom so
great a variety of predictions, delivered by so many different
persons, and in so many distant ages, should have an exact ac
complishment. ' When the apostles were preaching to heathens, it is indeed
true, that they might wave the argument from prophecy, be
cause they were not capable judges of it. But when they insist
on another, which might as soon captivate their belief, and as
justly vindicate ; we mean " the miracles performed by Christ,
and those commissioned and influenced by him ;" many of these
were of such a nature as not to admit of any artifice or deceit:
especially that most signal one of his resurrection from the
dead, which may be called a miracle performed by, as well as
upon, Christ; because he so expressly declares, that he had
himself a power to resume his life, at pleasure. The apostles
well knew that this was a fact of such a nature that those who
believed this, would never doubt of the rest. They often
therefore single this out, and lay the whole stress.of their cause
upon it. This they proved to be true by their own testimony
miraculously confirmed : and in proving this, they established
Christianity on an impregnable rock. For we may safely refer
it to any judge, whether it is an imaginable thing that God
should raise the dead body of an impostor, especially when
he had solemnly appealed to such a resurrection, as a grand
proof of his mission, and had expressly fixed the very day on
which it was to happen.
From these undeniable observations it is evident, that those
who, on the apostles' testimony, believed that the prophecies of
the Old Testament were accomplished in Jesus, and that God
bore witness to him by miracles, and raised bim from the dead,
had abundant reason to believe, that the doctrine which Christ
taught was divine, and his Gospel a revelation from heaven.

30 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
And if they had reason to admit this conclusion, then it is
plain that we, who have such satisfactory evidences, on the one
hand, that the testimony of the apostles was credible, and on
the other, that this was the substance of it, have reason also to
admit this grand inference from it, and embrace the Gospel as
a faithful saying, and well worthy of acceptation. This is the
thing we have attempted to prove ; and here we should finish
the argument, were it not for the confirmation it may receive
from some additional considerations, which could not properly
be introduced under any of the preceding heads.
We therefore add, in the last place, That the truth of the
Gospel has received farther and very considerable confirmation
from what has happened in the world since it was first pub
lished. And here we must desire the reader to consider, on the one
hand, what has been done to establish it, and, on the other, the
methods which its enemies have been taking to destroy it.
1. Consider, what God has been doing to confirm the Gos
pel, since its first publication. And we will venture to assert,
that it will prove a farther evidence of its divine original.
We might here argue at large from its surprising propagation1
in the world ; — from the miraculous powers with which not only
the apostles, but succeeding preachers ofthe Gospel, and other
converts, were endowed ; — from the accomplishment of the pro
phecies recorded in the Old Testament ; — and from the preserv
ation of the Jews, as a distinct people, notwithstanding the
various difficulties and persecutions through which they have
passed. It might be particularly urged, in confirmation ofthe truth of
Christianity, the wonderful success with which it has been at
tended, and the surprising propagation of the Gospel in the
world. We have endeavored, under a former head, to shew, that the
Gospel met with so favorable a reception in the world, as evi
dently proved, that its first publishers were capable of produ
cing sufficient evidence of its truth ; evidence absolutely incom
patible with imposture. ' But we shall now carry this remark
farther, and assert, that considering the circumstances of the
case, it is amazing, that even truth itself, under so many disad
vantages, should have so illustrious a triumph ; and that its won
derful success so evidently proves such an extraordinary inter
position of the Almighty in its favor, as may justly be called
a miraculous attestation of it.
There was not only " one of a family, or two of a city, taken
and brought to Zion ; but the Lord so hastened it, in its ap
pointed time, that a little one became a thousand, and a small
one a strong nation." And as the apostles themselves were

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 31
honored with very remarkable success, so this divine seed was
propagated so fast in the next age, that Pliny testifies, " He
found the heathen temples in Achaia almost deserted :" and <
Tertullian afterwards boasts, " That all places, except those
temples, were filled with Christians ; so that were they only to
withdraw, cities and provinces would be depopulated." Nor
did the Gospel only triumph thus within the boundaries of the
Roman empire; for long before Tertullian was born, Justin
Martyr, in his dialogue with Trypho the Jew, which seems to
have been written not much above an hundred years after
Christ's death, declares, " That there was no nation of men,
whether Greeks or Barbarians, not excepting those savages
that wandered in clans from one region to another, and had no
fixed habitation, who had not learned to offer prayers and
thanksgivings to the Father and Maker of all, in the name of
Jesus, who was crucified."
Now how is it possible to account for such circumstances as
these, but by saying the hand of the Lord was with the first
preachers of "the Gospel, and therefore such multitudes be
lieved, and turned to the Lord ? How was it possible for so
small a fountain to have swelled immediately into a mighty riv
er, and even have so extensively spread itself on the face of the
earth, if it had not sprung from the sanctuary of God, and been
rendered triumphant by his Almighty arm ?
Had this new religion, so directly contrary to all the preju
dices of education, been formed to soothe men's vices, to coun
tenance their errors, to defend their superstitions, or to promote
their secular interests, we might easily have accounted for its
prevalence in the world. Had its preachers been profound phi
losophers, or polite and fashionable orators, many might have
been charmed, at least for a while, to follow them : or had the
princes and potentates of the earth declared themselves its pat
rons, and armed their legions for its defence and propagation,
multitudes might have been terrified into the profession, though
not a soul could by such means have been rationally persuaded
to the use of it. But without some such advantages as these
we can hardly conceive, how any new religion should so strange
ly prevail ; even though it had crept into the world in its dark
est ages, and the most barbarous countries ; and though it had
been gradually proposed in the most artful manner, with the
finest veil industriously drawn over every part which might at
first have given disgust to the beholder.
But every one knows that the very reverse of all this was the
cause of Christianity. It is abundantly evident, from the ap
parent constitution of the religion of Jesus, that the lusts and
errors, the superstitions and interests of carnal men, would im
mediately rise up against it as a most irreconcileable enemy.

3*2 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
It is known that the learning and wit of the Greeks and Ro*
mans were early employed to ridicule and obstruct its progress.
It is known, that as all the herd of heathen deities were to be
discarded, the priests, who subsisted by the superstitious wor
ship paid them, must in interest find themselves obliged to op
pose it. It is known, that the princes of the earth drew the
sword against it, and armed torments and death for the de
struction of its followers. And yet it triumphed over all,
though published in ages and places celebrated for learning and
elegance ; and proposed, not in an ornamental and artificial
manner, but with the utmost plainness; the doctrines of the
cross being always advanced as its grand foundation,, though so
notorious a stumbling both to the Jews and Gentiles; and the
absolute necessity, not only of embracing Christianity, but also
of renouncing all idol worship, being insisted on immediately
and in the strongest terms, and which must have made the reli
gion of the Gospel appear to them the most singular that had
ever been taught in the world.
Had one of the wits or politicians of the present age seen
the apostles, and a few other plain men, who had been educated
among the lowest of the people, as most of the first teachers of
Christianity were, going out armed with nothing but faith!
truth, and goodness, to encounter the power of princes, the
bigotry of priests, the learning of philosophers, the rage of the
populace, and the prejudices of all ; how would we have de
rided the attempt, and said with Sanballat, " What will these
feeble Jews do ?" But had he seen the event, surely he must
have owned with the Egyptian Magi, in afar less illustrious
miracle, that it was the finger of God ; and might justly have
fallen on his face, even among those whom he had insulted,
with an humble acknowledgment "that God was with them
of a truth."
We must not forget to mention the accomplishment of several
prophecies, recorded in the New Testament, as a further con
firmation given by God to the Gospel.
The most eminent and signal instance under this head, is that
of our Lord's prediction concerning the destruction of Jerusa
lem, as recorded by St. Matthew, in his twenty-fourth chapter.
The tragical history of it is most circumstantially described by
Josephus, the historian, who was an eye-witness of it; and
the description which he has given of this sad calamity so ex-.
actly corresponds with the prophecy, that one would have
thought, had we not known the contrary, that it had been
written by a Christian, on purpose to illustrate it. And one
can never enough admire that series of amazing providence, by
which the author was preserved from most imminent danger,

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 33
that he might leave us that invaluable treasure which his wri
tings contain.
We have no need of further evidence than we find in Jose
phus, of the exact accomplishment of what was prophesied
.concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. But our' Lord had
also foretold the long-continued desolation of the temple. And
we cannot forbear mentioning the awful sanction which was
given to that part ofthe prediction. For it is well known,
that a heathen historian has assured us, that when Julian the
apostate, in deliberate contempt of that prediction, solemnly
and resolutely undertook to rebuild it, his impious design was
frustrated miraculously, again and again ; the workmen con
sumed by globes of fire, which broke out from the founda^
tions. The prediction of St. Paul concerning the man of sin, and
the apostacy of the latter times, is also well worthy of our
remark ; and though a great part of the book of Revelations
be still concealed under a dark veil, yet the division of the Ro
man empire into ten kingdoms, the usurpation, persecution,
and idolatry of the Romish church, and the long duration of
the papal power with several other extraordinary events, which
no human prudence could have foreseen, and which have hap
pened long since the publication of that book, are so clearly
foretold there, that we cannot but look on that part of the
Scripture as an invaluable treasure : and it is not at all improb
able, that the more visible accomplishment of some of its other
prophecies, may be a great means of reviving the Christian
cause, which is at present so much on the decline.
The preservation of the Jews, as a distinct people, is another
particular, under this head, which well deserves our attentive
regard. 'Tis plain that they are very numerous, notwithstanding all
the slaughter and destruction of this people in former and latter
ages. They are dispersed among various and most distant na
tions, and particularly in those parts of the world where Chris
tianity is professed ; and though they are exposed to great hatred
and contempt on account of their different faith, and in most places
subject to civil incapacities, if not to unchristian severities ; yet
they are still most obstinately tenacious of their religion : which
is the more wonderful, as their fathers were so prone to aposta
tize from it ; and as most of them seem to be utter strangers en
tirely to piety or humanity, and pour, the greatest contempt on
the moral precepts of their own law, while they are so attached
to the ceremonial institutions of it, troublesome and inconven
ient as they are. Now .let us seriously reflect, what an evident
hand of Providence is here ;— that by their dispersion, preser
vation, and adherence to their religion, it should come to pass,
5

34 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
that Christians should daily see the accomplishment of many
remarkable prophecies concerning this people ; and that we
should always have amongst us such a crowd of unexceptiona
ble witnesses to the truth of those ancient Hebrew records, on
which so much ofthe evidence of the Gospel depends : records
which are many of them so full to the purpose for which we
alledge them, that, as a celebrated writer very well observes,
" Had it been represented that the whole body of the Jewish
nation had been converted lo Christianity, men would certainly
have thought the assertion had been forged by Christians ; and
have looked upon them in the same light with the prophecies of
the Sybils, as made, many years after the events which they pre
tended to foretel."
And to add no more here, the preservation of the Jews as a
distinct people, evidently leaves room for the accomplishment
of those Old and New Testament prophecies, which relate to
their national conversion and restoration : whereas that would
be impossible in itself, or at least impossible to be known, if
they were promiscuously blended with other people. On the
whole, it is such a scene in the conduct of Providence, as we
are well assured, cannot be paralleled in the history of any oth
er nation upon earth : and affords a most obvious and important
argument in favor of the Gospel.
Thus has Christianity been further confirmed since its publi
cation, by what God has done to establish it. It only remains
that we consider,
2. What confirmation it receives from the. methods which
its enemies have ta%en to destroy it.
And these have generally been, either persecution, or false
hood, or cavilling at some particulars in the revelation, without
entering into the grand argument on which it is built, and fair
ly debating what is offered in its' defence. Now who would not
think the better of a cause for being thus attacked ?
At first it is known, that the professors, and especially the
preachers of the Gospel, were severely persecuted. In every
city, bonds and imprisonments awaited them. As soon as ever
the apostles began to preach Jesus and his resurrection, the Jew
ish rulers laid hold on them ; and having confined and scourged
them, strictly prohibited their speaking any more in his name.
A little while after Stephen was murdered ; and afterwards
James and some other of the apostles. Now certainly such a
conduct evidently betrayed a consciousness that they were not
able to answer the apostles, and to support their own cause by
the fair methods of reason and argument, to which, so far as the
history informs us, they made no preterice, but attempted to bear
them down by dint of authority, and to silence them by brutal
force.

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 35
It would be needless to attempt shewing particularly how
these unrighteous methods were pursued in succeeding ages and
distant countries. The savage cruelties of Nero to these innocent
and holy men were such as raised the pity even of their enemies.
Yet this was one of the least extensive and destructive of the ten
general persecutions, which arose in the Roman empire, besides
several others in the neighboring countries, of which ecclesias
tical history informs us.
These early enemies of the Gospel added falsehood and slan
der to their inhumanities. They endeavored to murder the
reputations of Christians, as weil as their persons ; and were
not ashamed to represent them as hatirs of the whole human
species, for no imaginable reason but that they would not asso
ciate themselves in their idolatrous worship. Nay, they
charged them with human sacrifices, incest, idolatry, and all
the crimes for which themselves and their false. gods were in
deed justly detestable : but .from which the Christians knew how
to vindicate themselves, highly to their own honor, and the
everlasting reproach of these malignant and pestilent accusers.
And they have not failed to do it in many noble apologies,
which through the divine Providence are transmitted to us, and
are incomparably the most valuable of any ancient uninspired
writings. Such were the infamous, the scandalous methods, by which
the Gospel was opposed in the earliest ages of the church ; and
it must be added, that the measures more lately taken to sub
vert it, especially among ourselves, seem rather to reflect a
glory on it. The unhappy enemies of the Gospel of the Son
of God have been told again and again, that we put the proof
of it on plain facts. They themselves do riot and cannot deny,
that it prevailed early in the world, as we have shewn at large.
There must have been some man or body of men who first in
troduced it ; and even themselves notwithstanding all their ob
stinacy and perverseness, generally confess that Christ and his
apostles were the persons ; which is a manifest acknowledg
ment ofthe most forcible argument they can give against their
own debased principles.
Now which of these schemes will the unbelievers take ? It
seems that the deists of the present age fix on neither, as be
ing secretly, conscious they cannot support either ; but they
content themselves with cavilling at some circumstances attend
ing the revelation, without daring to encounter its grand evi
dence ; that is, they have been laboriously attempting to prove
it to be improbable, or absurd, to suppose that to have been,
which nevertheless plainly appears to have been facts. One
of them most weakly and sophistically attempts to prove, in de
fiance of the common sense of mankind, that the light of na-

36 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
ture is a perfect rule, and therefore, that all revelation is need
less, and indeed impossible. Another disguises the miracles of
Christ by false representations of them, and then treats them
as idle tales. A third takes a great deal of fruitless pains to
shew, that some prophecies referred to in the New Testament
are capable of another sense, different from that in which the
apostles have taken them.
These things have been set in a very artful and fallacious
light by persons, whose names will perhaps be transmitted to
posterity with the infamous stigma of having been leaders in
the cause of infidelity ; but not a man of them undertakes to
ascertain the grand fact. Nay, they generally take no more
notice of the positive evidences by which it is even demonstra
ted, than if they had never heard it proposed ; though they cav
il at incidental passages in those books in which it is most clear
ly stated. And as for what they have urged, though perhaps
some who were before weary of Christianity, may have taken
occasion to reject it, and others fbr want of consulting the an
swers to them, may have been unwarily ensnared ; yet the ex
amination of these points has been greatly for the honor and
vindication ofthe truth, which seems on this occasion to have
been set in a clearer and stronger light than ever, at least in
these latter ages.
The cause of Christianity has greatly gained by debate, and
the Gospel comes like fine gold out of the furnace, which the
more it is tried, tbe more it is approved. It must be owned,
that the defenders of the Gospel have appeared with very differ
ent degrees of ability for the work ; nor could it be otherwise
among such numbers of them : but, on the'whole, though the
patrons of infidelity have been masters of wit, humor, and ad
dress, as well as of a moderate share of learning, and gener
ally much more than a moderate share of assurance ; yet so
great is the force of truth, that (unless we may except those
writers who have unhappily called for the aid of the civil
magistrate in the controversy) we cannot recollect to have seen
any defence of the Gospel, which has not, on tbe whole, been
sufficient to establish it, notwithstanding all the sophistical ar
guments of its subtle antagonists.
This is an observation that is continually gaining new
strength, as new assaults are made upon the Gospel ; and we
cannot forbear saying, that as if it were by a kind of judicial
infatuation, some who have distinguished themselves in the
wretched cause of infidelity, have been permitted to fall into
such gross misrepresentations, such senseless inconsistencies,
such palpable falsehoods, and in a word, into such various
and malignant superfluity of naughtiness, that to a wise and
pious mind, they must appear like those venomous, creatures,

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 37
which are said to carry an antidote in their own objections,
particularly a noble Lord, who has given up several of the
deistical objections, and even acknowledged the divine original
of the Gospel ; for he asserts, " That no religion ever ap
peared in the world, whose natural tendency was so much di
rected to promote the peace and happiness of mankind." He
declares, that " No system can be more simple and plain than
that of a natural religion as it stands in the Gospel." He
avers, that " he will not say, that the belief that Jesus was the
Messiah, is the only article of belief necessary to make men
Christians. There are other things doubtless contained in the
revelation he made of himself, dependent on, and relative to
this article, without the belief of which I suppose our chari
ty would be very defective. But this I say, that the system of
religion which Christ published, and his evangelists recorded,
is a complete system to all the purposes of religion, natural
and revealed. It contains all the duties of the former, it en
forces the whole law of faith, by promising rewards and threat
ening punishments," wbich he declares he will distribute when
he comes to judge the world." The same writer alloweth that
the Gospel is in all cases one continued lesson of the strictest
morality, of justice, of benevolence, and of universal charity.
He professeth a great concern for true charity, in opposition
to theology, and says, that " genuine Christianity was taught
of God." And not to multiply passages to this purpose, he
pronounces, that " the Christian system of faith and practice
was revealed of God himself, and it is absurd and impious to
assert, that the divine Being revealed it incompletely and im
perfectly. Its simplicity and plainness shew, that it was de
signed to be the religion of mankind, and also manifest the di
vinity of its original." After reading these quotations and a
great variety of others, which might be produced from his
Lordship's writings, the reader may easily judge what reli
gion has to fear from this noble writer's arguments, and we
will venture to assert, that he has himself entirely confuted his
own objections.
Thus have we given the reader a brief view of the chief ar
guments in proof of Christianity, and the sum of the whole
is this:
The Gospel is probable in theory, as considering the nature
of God, and the circumstances of mankind, there was reason
to hope a revelation might be given ; and if any were given,
we should naturally apprehend its internal evidence would be
such as that of the Gospel is, and its external such as it is said
to be. But it is also true in fact ; for Christianity was early
professed, as it was first introduced by Jesus of Nazareth
whose life and doctrines were published by his immediate at-

38 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
tendants, whose books are still preserved in the original lan
guage, and, in the main, are faithfully translated into our own ;
so that the books of the New Testament now in use, may be
depended upon as written by the persons whose names they
bear ; and admitting this, the truth of the Gospel follows by a
train of very easy consequences : for the authors certainly
knew the truth of the facts they related ; and considering what
appears in the character and circumstances, we can never be
lieve they would have attempted to deceive us ; or if they had,
they could not have gained credit in the world : but they did
gain it in a very remarkable manner ; therefore the facts they
attested were true, and the-truth ofthe Gospel evidently follows
from the certainty of those facts, and is completely confirmed
by what has happened in the world since the publication of it.
This is the sum of what we flatter ourselves we have suffi
ciently proved ; and shall now conclude what we have to say
on this subject, with a few words by way of reflection.
I. Let us gratefully acknowledge the divine goodness, in fa
voring us with so excellent a revelation, and confirming it to
us by such ample evidence.
We should daily adore the God of nature, for lightirig up
the sun, that glorious, though imperfect image of his own un
approachable lustre ; and appointing it to gild the earth with
the various rays, to cheer us with its, benign influences, and to
guide and direct us in our journeys and our labors. But how
incomparably more valuable is that " day-spring from on high,
•which hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in dark
ness, and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet in the
way of peace ?" Oh ye Christians, whose eyes are so happy
to see, and your ears to hear, what reason have you for daily
and hourly praise ! When your minds are delighted with con
templating the riches of Gospel grace, when you view, with won
der and joy, the harmonious system of your redemption ; when
you feel the burden of your guilt removed, the freedom of your
address to the throne of Grace encouraged, and see the pros
pect of a fair inheritance to eternal glory opening upon you ;
then, in the pleasing transports of your souls, borrow the joy
ful anthem of the psalmist, and say, with the humblest grati
tude and self-resignation, " God is the Lord who sheweth us
light ; bind the sacrifice with cords even to the horns of the
altar." Adore " God who first commanded the light to shine
out of darkness," that by the discoveries of his word, and the
operations of his Spirit, he hath " shined in your hearts to
give you the knowledge of his glory, as reflected from the
face of his Son." Let us all adore him, that this revelation
hath reached us, who live in an age and country so distant
from that in which it first appeared ; while there are to this

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 39
very day, not only dark corners, but regions of the earth, that
" are full of the habitations of idolatry and cruelty."
Let us peculiarly address ourselves to those whose educa
tion and circumstances of life have given them opportunities
of a fuller inquiry into the state of those ancient or modern na
tions, that have been left merely to the light of unassisted rea
son ; even to those who are acquainted with the history of their
gods, the rites of their priests, the tales and even the hymns of
their poets ; nay, we will add, the reasoning of the sagest
philosophers ; all the precious and all the erroneous things they
have said where religion and immortality are concerned. It
may be imagined, that God gave to some of the most celebrated
pagan writers that uncommon share of genius and eloquence,
that they might, as it were, by their art, embalm the monsters
of antiquity; that so succeeding ages might see in a more
affecting view than we could otherwise have done, how weak
the human mind is in its best estate, and the need which the
greatest as well as the meanest of mankind have of being taught
by a revelation from above. While we are daily conversing
with such monuments as these, and are also surveying the evi
dences of Christianity, in a large and more distinct view than
it was possible for us here to suppose them, we are under pe
culiar obligations to be very thankful for the Gospel ourselves,
as well -as to compassionate the cause of those to whom it has
never been offered, or by whom it is slighted. And this leads
us to another reflection.
2. What reason have we to pity those who reject this glori
ous Gospel, even when they have opportunities of inquiring
into its clearest evidences ?
Such undoubtedly we have in our own age and nation : and
surely we should sometimes bestow a compassionate thought up
on them, and lift up humble prayers for them, that God, per-
adventure, may give them repentance to the acknowledgment of
the truth, that they may recover themselves out of the snares
of the devil, who are now led captive by him at his pleasure ;
we should pity heathens and Mahometans under their darkness
and errors ; but how much more deplorable is the case of these,
who though they dwell in Emanuel's land, and in the valley of
Zion, turn it into the valley of the shadow of death, by clos
ing their eyes against so bright a lustre, and stopping their ears
against the voice of the charmer? They are, indeed, in their
own conceit, the only wise people, but their wisdom will die
with them : so that to be sure, they will scorn our pity. But
who can forbear it? Is there a more melancholy thought than
this, that the Son of God should have done so much to intro
duce and establish the Gospel, and his Spirit so much to per
petuate and increase its evidence ; and that after all it should be

40 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
contemptuously despised, even by creatures who are perishing
without it ? This is not only done, though we believe most
frequently, by men of profligate and abandoned lives ; but some
times by persons who have the appearance of external morali
ty, decency, and humanity, (for such are to be found among
them) as well as men of wit and genius, of politeness and
learning, of human prudence and experience in worldly affairs.
It may also be added, that it is the case of some who were the
children of pious parents, who were trained up in religious ex
ercises, who once discovered serious impressions, and gave
very encouraging hopes. Alas, whither are they fallen ! How
shall we shelter those that were once our brethren, that are
perhaps still our friends, from the awful sentence which the Gos
pel denounces against all that reject it without any exception ?
As to the wretches that add insult and derision to their infideli
ty, we tremble to think of that load of guilt which they are
bringing upon themselves ; and how near their approach to the
unpardonable sin, if they have not already committed it. For
the rest, who behave in a more modest and sober manner, it
will no doubt be a very difficult task to convince them ; and so
much the rather, as some of them, by too easy a transition,
have renounced many of the most important principles of nat
ural religion : nay, it might be added, even the whole of it,
together with the Christian revelation. But the influences of
divine grace are almighty. Let us recommend them to it, and
omit no other proper method, either of recovering such as are
already seduced, or at least of securing those who are not yet
infected ; but may be, as most of the youth are, especially in
the most populous places, in imminent danger of the contagion.
To this end let us add,
3. How reasonable it is, that Christians should form a fa
miliar acquaintance with the great evidences of our common
faith. It is what we so apparently owe to the honor of God, to
the interest of Christ, to the peace of our own souls, and the
edification of others, that we hope we need not urge it at large,
especially considering what has been said before. In conse
quence of all, let it be your care to make evidences of Chris
tianity the subject of your serious reflection and frequent con
verse. , Especially, study your Bibles, where such marks of
truth and divinity are to be found, that we hope few who have
familiarly known them aud have had a relish for them, were
ever brought to make shipwreck of their faith as it is in Jesus.
Above all, let it be your care, to act on the rules which are
here laid down : and then you will find your faith growing in
a happy proportion, and experience the truth of our Saviour's
declaration, that if any man resolutely and faithfully do his wih>

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 41
be, shall know of the Christian doctrine, whether it be of God.
We verily believe, that it is the purity of its precepts which
lies al the bottom of most men's opposition to it ; or a natural
pride of heart, which gives them an aversion to it; or a fond
affectation of seeming wiser than others, in rejecting what most
of their neighbors do, and profess to believe. When these un
happy prejudices and conceptions are, by divine grace, con
quered and rooted out, the evidence of truth will daily appear
with increasing lustre : as the light of the sun does to an eye
recovering from the film with which it hath been overgrown ;
and which before had veiled it with midnight in the midst of
noon. 4. How solicitous should we be to embrace and obey that
Gospel, which comes attended with such abundant evidences !
We may undoubtedly address ourselves to most of our readers,
and say as Paul did to King Agrippa : " Believest thou the
prophets ? I know that thou believest :" yet let me entreat and
charge you not to rest here ; but attentively to examine how
far your hearts are affected, and your lives regulated by such
a belief. The Christian revelation is a practical thing ; and is
heard, believed, and professed in vain, if it be not obeyed.
In this Gospel " the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all the ungodliness of men :" but it is revealed with re
doubled fury against that audacious sinner, " who holds the
truth in unrighteousness." In this Gospel the blessed Jesus is
exalted, both as a " Prince and Saviour ;" and it is not with
impunity, that the impenitent rebel can reject his yoke, and
trample on his blood. What must they expect, who have pour
ed contempt on such a Sovereign, and on such a Redeemer ?
Let it be earnestly and frequently recollected, that this Gos
pel is the touchstone by which we are one day to be tried ; the
balance in which an impartial judge will weigh us : and must,
on the whole, prove our everlasting triumph, or our everlasting
torment. The Almighty did not introduce it with such solemn
notice, such high expectation, such pompous miracles, such
awful sanctions, that men might reject or dishonor it at pleas
ure ; but it will certainly be found, to the greatest and meanest
of those that hear it, " a savour of life unto life, or a savour
of death unto death."
Let it therefore be your immediate care to inquire, which of
these it is likely to prove to your souls ; remember it is so far
from being a vain thing, that it is really your very life. If it
has been hitherto despised, and that blessed Redeemer, in whom
it so evidently centres, has been neglected, assure yourselves
that all we have said in confirmation of its truth proves only
that the " hand-writing of God" is set to your condemnation.
Allow yourselves, therefore, not a moment's rest, till you have
6

42 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
with humble submission applied to his throne, while there, is
yet hope that it may be reversed.
And for you who have hitherto believed and obeyed the Gos
pel, let it be your care to defend and adorn it; " be blameless
and harmless, the children of God, without rebuke, in the midst
of a crooked and perverse generation, shining among them as
lights in the world :" perhaps your example may not only serve
to entertain their eyes, but " to guide their feet into the way of
peace," and engage them also to join with you in " glorifying
your Father which is in heaven :" above all, be careful to hold
fast the form of sound words, and to adorn the doctrine of
your blessed Saviour in all things.

THE
HISTORY
OF THE
LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD AND SAVIOUR
JESUS CHRIST.

-»B ^ »¦

CHAPTER I.

Presage of the Birth of Christ. — Prediction of the Birth of
John the Baptist. — Salutation of the Blessed Virgin by the
Angel. — Visitation of the Virgin Mary to Elizabeth. —
Birth of ihe Baptist.
No event that ever did, or perhaps will happen, can more re
markably display the wisdom and power of the GREAT JE
HOVAH, than the glorious manner in which he brought life
and immortality to light, by the Gospel of his only Son, man
ifested in the flesh.
History, as it refers merely to human events, is a pleasing
and instructing subject ; but that which relates to our immortal
interest, certainly claims our most serious regard.
The mind of man cannot be more delightfully employed, than
in the contemplation of the wisdom and goodness of the omnip
otent Creator of the universe, who, by means the least thought.
of and imagined, confirmed and established that glorious Gos
pel, on which depend all the sinner's hopes of eternal salvation.
Notwithstanding the strength and number of its enemies, the
church of Christ grew, from the most inconsiderable begin
nings, to an immense fabric or building in the Lord ; nor shall
the united efforts of earth and hell be able to prevail against it.
As it was planted, so it was reared, by an Almighty, Hand,
which, like the careful husbandman, pruned and cultivated each
tender sprig, till it arrived at full perfection ; or, to use the
words of our blessed Lord, " The least of all seeds grew up
and waxed a great tree, and spread out its branches, and filled
the earth."
Thus prevailed eternal truth ; nor could the inveterate Jews,
or superstitious heathens, resist its progress ; though Herod
and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and people of Israel,

44 . LIFE OF CHRIST.
" gathered themselves together against the Lord, and against
his anointed ;" for the doctrine of God confouuded the wisdom
of the one, and overcame the folly of the other.
If we survey the stupendous works of the creation, we shall
find that few arrived at perfection at once. This observation
is amply confirmed by the various productions in the natural,
and changes in the moral, world. The Supreme Being, who
conducts all his operations according to his infinite wisdom,
appears to have retained the same maxim in regulating bis kind
est dispensations to the sons of men. The divine will was not
revealed at first, in its clearest evidence and fullest splendor.
The dawn, in a spiritual as well as in a natural sense, preceded
the meridian glory ; the former revelation was but a type or
earnest of the latter, and, in comparison with it, intricate and
mysterious. The all-gracious God, as it seemed best to his unerring
wisdom, was pleased, by degrees, to open and unfold his glori
ous counsels ; and man, by degrees, attained to the knowledge
of the great plan of salvation, and the means used by its great
Author to promote and establish it.
Some time before the incarnation of the blessed Jesus, an
opinion prevailed among the pious part of the Jews, that the
great Jehovah would condescend to favor them with a clear
revelation of his divine will, by the mission of some eminent
person, qualified from above, to instruct them in the same.
This opinion was founded on the predictions of the ancient
prophets, who had described, with the utmost beauty and clear
ness, the person, character, and glory of the Messiah, appointed
by God, in his own good time, to declare his eternal counsels to
mankind. Relying on the fulfilment of these prophecies, the devout
persons among the Jews imagined the time appointed by God
near at hand, and that the promised Messiah would shortly
make his appearance, and therefore are said to have " waited
night and day for the consolation of Israel." These people, at
that time grievously oppressed by the Roman power, aud con
sequently anxious of regaining their liberty, as well as revenging
themselves on their tyrannical oppressors, waited the accom
plishment of the prophecies with the most solicitous desire. But
this opinion of the approach of a general deliverer extended
much farther than the country of the Jews; for through their
connexions with so many countries, their disputes with the
learned men among the heathens, and the translation ofthe Old
Testament into a language now almost general, their religion
greatly prevailed in the east ; and, consequently, their opinion
that a prince would appear in the kingdom of Judea, who would
dispel the mists of ignorance, deliver the Jews from the Roman

LIFE OF CHRIST. 45
yoke, and spread his dominion from one end of the world to
the other.
While the eastern world was fraught with these sanguine
hopes, the angel Gabriel, who had appeared to Daniel the pro
phet, with a certain information as to the period of the Messiah s
coming, as well as his transactions in this lower world, was sent
to Zacharias, a pious priest, while he was executing his office
before God, in the order of his course (which was to burn in
cense when he went into the temple of the Lord), to foretel that
a child should spring from him and his wife Elizabeth, though
they were stricken in years, who should be endowed with ex
traordinary gifts from heaven, and honored with being the
forerunner ofthe Saviour ofthe world.
Zacharias, when he saw the angel, though he knew him to be
of heavenly extraction, could not judge the subject of his mis
sion, and therefore discovered a mixture of fear and surprise ;
but the heavenly ambassador cheered his desponding soul with
this kind address : " Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is
heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou
shalt call his name John." That he waited, day and night, for
the consolation of Israel, he well kuevv, which is all we can un
derstand by his prayer being heard ; for it was unnatural for
him to think that he and his wife Elizabeth, who were advanced
in years, should have a son ; nay, he intimates his doubt con
cerning it in these words : " Whereby shall I know this ? for I
am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years." Besides, .
he was a priest of the course of Abiah, whose particular office
was to pray in behalf of the people, for public and national
blessings ; so that it is very reasonable to think, that on all oc
casions of public worship, he prayed most earnestly for the
accomplishment of the prophecies relative to the appearance of
the long-expected Messiah, who was promised as a general
blessing to all the nations of the earth.
That this was the great subject of his prayer, appears from
the declaration of Gabriel : The prayer thou hast directed with
sincerity to an almighty ear, concerning the coming of tbe
Messiah, is heard ; " and behold thy wife Elizabeth shall bear
thee a son," who shall prepare the way for the mighty Redeemer
of Israel. The old priest, indeed, was as much astonished at
the subject of the mission, as he was at the appearance of the
messenger ; and esteeming it impossible that his wife, thus ad
vanced in years, should conceive a son, weakly demanded a
sign, to confirm his belief in the fulfilment ofthe promise, though
be knew the authority of the angel was derived from the God of
Truth. But as it is the lot of humanity to err, Zacharias had,
for that time, forgot that nothing was impossible to Omnipo
tence, as well as that it was not the first time the aged were

46 LIFE OF CHRIST.
caused to conceive, and bear a child. The least reflection
would have reminded him, that Sarah conceived and bore Isaac,
when she was far advanced in years ; and that Samuel was born
of a woman, who had been long reputed, and even called
barren. His curiosity was, indeed, gratified, but in a manner that
carried with it, at once, a confirmation of the promise, and a
punishment of his unbelief. As he had verbally testified his
doubt of the fulfilment of the prediction of the angel, he was
punished with the loss of his speech, which was to continue to'
the very day in which the prediction should be accomplished :
" Behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the
day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest
not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season."
Zacharias soon received an awful testimony of the divinity of
the mission of Gabriel, who was no sootier departed than he was
struck dumb ; for when he came to pray, in the course of his
office, during the oblation of his incense, he could not utter a
word, and was under a necessity of making signs to the people,
that an angel had appeared to. him in the temple, and that he
was deprived of the faculty of speech, as a punishment for his
doubting the fulfilment of an event of which he had been fore
told concerning him.
Soon after Zacharias departed to his own house, (the days of
his ministration being accomplished,) his wife Elizabeth, accord
ing to the prediction ofthe angel, conceived, and retired into a
private place, where she lived five months in the uninterrupted
exercises of piety, devotion, and contemplation on the myste
rious providence ofthe Almighty, and his amazing goodness to
the sinful children of men.
When Elizabeth was advanced six months in her pregnancy,
the same heavenly ambassador was sent to a poor virgin, called
Mary, who lived in obscurity in Nazareth, under the care of
Joseph, to whom she was espoused. This man and woman were
both lineally descended from the house of David, from whose
loins it was foretold the great Messiah should spring.
This virgin being ordained by the Most High to be the moth
er of the great Saviour of the world, was saluted by the angel
in the most respectable terms : " Hail! thou that art highly fa
vored, the Lord is with thee ; blessed art thou among women !"
Such an address, from so exalted a being, greatly alarmed the
meek and humble virgin, to allay whose fear, and encourage
whose heart, the angel related, in most rapturous terms, the
subject of his embassy, which was to assure her, that she was
chosen by God to the greatest honor which could be conferred
on a mortal, and which would perpetuate her memory; an hon
or no less than that of being mother of the promised and long-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 47
expected Messiah, who upon earth shall be called Jesus, be
cause he should save his people from their sins, be the restorer
of human nature, and the procuring cause of eternal bliss to
sinners, who had forfeited the favor, and incurred the resent
ment, of an offended God : that this divine person was to be
considered as the Son of the most high God ; to whom should
be given by his Almighty Father the throne of David his earthly
father, on which he should preside, and which, being the whole
church of Christ, the house of Jacob, the spiritual Israel, or
the kingdom of the Messiah, should continue for ever and ever.
The astonished virgin, unmindful, likewise, that Isaiah had
long -since prophesied, " That a virgin should conceive, and
bear a son," thought her virginity an insurmountable barrier to
the fulfilment of the prophecy, especially as such an event had
never occurred since the creation of the world, and 'therefore
required of the angel an explanation of the manner in which
such a circumstance could be effected.
This desire by no means implies her not remembering, that
with God all things were possible, but only serves to prove the
weakness of her apprehension on the one hand, or her diffidence
and sense of her own unworthiness on the other.
The angel," therefore, perceiving the goodness of her dispo
sition, notwithstanding some little proof of human weakness,
and shortness of sight, vouchsafed an immediate answer to her
inquiry, " The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power
ofthe Highest shall cover thee;" or, in other words, this mirac
ulous event shall be brought about by the aid ofthe Holy Spir
it, and wonderful exertion of the power- of the Most High. As
thy conception is effected by the immediate interposition of the
Holy Ghost, " Therefore that holy thing which shall be born of
thee, shall be called the Son of God." To confirm her faith
in the glorious message, the heavenly messenger observed to
her, that her cousin Elizabeth, notwithstanding her advanced
years, and reputed barrenness, was above six months pregnant,
assigning this incontestable argument for the miraculous inci
dent, " For with God nothing shall be impossible."
This reply not only removed all her doubts and fears, but
filled her with inexpressible joy, so that she even anticipated the
promised felicity^ for she, with the rest of the daughters of
Jacob, had long indulged a hope of being selected by God to
be the honored mother of the Saviour of Israel ; and therefore,
on her being assured that such happiness was destined her by
the Great Disposer of all events, she thus expressed her reliance
on the fulfilment of the Divine promise, and perfect acquiescence
in the pleasure of the Almighty: "Behold the handmaid of
the Lord! be it unto me according to thy word."

48 LIFE OF CHRIST.
The angel had no sooner departed, than Mary set out for the
mountainous country of Judea, though at a very remote dis
tance from Nazareth, in order to rejoice with her cousin Eliza
beth in the joyful news she had received from the angel concern
ing her. The rapture and delight which filled the minds of
Mary and Elizabeth, on the occasion of this salutation, can
alone be expressed from the affecting description recorded by
the evangelist Luke, who is peculiar for the beauty of his style,
and elegance of his expressions.
That evangelist writes, that the salutation of Mary had such
an effect upon Elizabeth, that on hearing the miraculous event
which had befallen the virgin, the babe leaped within her, and
that she, being inspired with a holy delight on the approaching
prospect of the nativity of her Saviour, exclaimed with rhap
sody, " And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord
should come to me ?" Luke i. 43. Nor did her ecstacy cease
with this token of humility and joy on the important event, in
*he ardor of which she evinced that prophetic influence, which,
while it amazed the blessed virgin, could not fail of establishing
her belief in what the angel had foretold ; for she repeated the
very words expressed by the angel, in his salutation of the holy
virgin, " Blessed art thou among women;" together with a quo
tation from the Psalms, " and blessed is the fruit of thy womb."
For as Mary conceived the seed long promised and earnestly
desired, the seed in whom all the nations of the earth were to
be blessed, he could not but be blessed himself, according to
the words of the psalmist : "His name shall continue as long
as tbe sun, and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall
-call him blessed." The happy virgin, catching the holy flame
from the aged Elizabeth, broke out into an humble acknowl
edgment of her unworthiness, and the wonderful grace of the
Almighty, in appointing her to the exalted honor of bearing in
ber womb the Redeemer of Israel, in those known^vords, " My
soul doth magnify the Lord," &c.
Thus having, by this visit, confirmed herself in the belief of
the prediction of tbe angel Gabriel, when the period of Eliza
beth's pregnancy approached, she returned to Nazareth, having
resided in Judea about three months.
Soon after the departure of Mary, Elizabeth brought forth
her son, the appointed harbinger of the King of Glory : and on
the eighth day after his birth, according to the Judaical custom,
he was circumcised, and called, according to the appointment
of the angel, John, alluding, in the Hebrew tongue, to the gra
cious display of the wisdom and goodness God was about to
manifest to the world, by the spreading ofthe Gospel of his Son,
of whom this John was the appointed forerunner.

THE ANNUNCIATION.
[Page 47.]

" And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall eome upon thee, and
the power ofthe Highest shall overshadow thee ; therefore also that holy thing, ivhich shall
be born of thee, shall be called the Sen of God." — Luke i. 35.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 49
The promise being thus fulfilled, the aged priest was restored
to his speech, and immediately broke out into praise and rap
ture at the marvellous works of God, in strains which aston
ished all around him. This surprising event greatly alarmed
the people of the adjacent country, who were divided in their
opinions concerning a child, whose birth was attended with so
many extraordinary circumstances. Indeed, these incidents
were worthy of general admiration ; that he who was to be the
forerunner of the mighty Saviour of Israel, should not make
his entrance on life in an obscure and common manner, but with
particular tokens of the favor of heaven, iu order to attract the
observation of his countrymen, and excite their attention to that
ministry which he was called to by God, even the preparation of
the people for the reception of the Messiah, who was shortly to
appear in the flesh.
It is observable, that the Baptist, from his infancy, displayed
great qualities, both of mind and body ; for such was his
strength of constitution, through the blessing of the God of na
ture, that he lived till near the thirtieth year of his age, when
his public ministry began, in the mountains and desert country
of Judea, bereft of almost all the comforts of life. But at
length the prophecy of the good old Zacharias, relating to his fc
future elevation, was literally fulfilled : " Thou, O child, shalt
be called the prophet of the. highest ; for thou shalt go before
the face of the Lord, to prepare his ways, to give knowledge
of salvation to his people, by the remission of their sins, through
the tender mercies of our God, whereby the day-spring from
on high hath visited us; to give light to them that sit in dark
ness, and in the shadow of death ; to guide our feet in the way
of peace."
As Joseph had abstained from all matrimonial intercourse
with his wife, he was not a little alarmed, when, shortly after
her return to Nazareth, she discovered evident signs of preg
nancy ; nay, so far was he wrought on by this circumstance,
that he absolutely resolved on a dissolution of the marriage;
but previous to such a rigorous procedure, questioning her con
cerning the same, she, to wipe off so foul an aspersion, minutely
related to him the particulars of the vision from the angel, and
the extraordinary event that had befallen Zacharias and Eliz
abeth. Notwithstanding this ingenuous declaration, Joseph's suspi
cions continued, and suggested to him, that this might be a
device, concerted by the friends of Mary, to exempt her from
that disgrace, which must attend a divorce on such pretence ;
however, he resolved to execute his purpose as privately as pos
sible, and without assigning the cause ofthe same, which, un
der their constitution, would have subjected her to the penalty
7

S& LIFE OF CHRIST.
of death. But, on cooler reflection, he called to mind the sove
reign power of Omnipotence ; for which reason, however op
posite her case might be to the nature of things in general,
her vindication of herself might be well-grounded. He now
thought himself bound by every tie of justice and duty, to pre
serve her character inviolable; though as he was a just man, and
a most religious observer of the law, the assertions she made,
did not appear to him sufficient to justify him in retaining her
in his house. While he was thus ruminating on this interesting
event, he was overtaken with a pleasing slumber, and received
a communication from above, which fully revealed the cause and
manner of Mary's pregnancy, dispelled his doubts, and encour
aged hirn to take home his falsely-suspected spouse; "Joseph,
thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife :
for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost." ,
The pious Joseph complied with the voice of heaven most
cheerfully; for no sooner did the morning dawn appear, than he
arose from his couch, and obeyed the commands of the -Most
High, by relating to his wife his being assured of her innocence,
and immediately restored her to former favor.
While he related to her the manner of this extraordinary rev
elation, by a messenger from the heavenly Canaan, he discov
ered in her a remarkable chastity of heart, entirely conformable
to so mysterious an operation, and knew her not till she had
brought forth the great Redeemer of Israel.
Thus was fulfilled that which was foretold by the prophets ;
and particularly the prediction of Isaiah, which imported that a
virgin should bring forth a son — " Behold, a virgin shall con
ceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Imrnanuel,"
(Isaiah vii. 14,) which being interpreted, is God with us.

CHAPTER II.
General decree for taxation published. — The Birth of Christ.— -
Declaration of ihe same to the Shepherds. — Circumcision,
and presentation of Christ in the Temple. — The Wise Men
of the East worship the Holy Child. — Flight of Joseph into
' Egypt. — Massacre of Infants at Bethlehem. — Death of Her
od. — Return of Joseph out of Egypt.
Augustus Cjesar, the Roman Emperor, having at this time,
issued an edict for a general taxation on all the nations, cities,
and towns, subject to the empire, King Herod, in consequence

LIFE OF CHRIST. 51
of that decree, commanded all under his government to mus
ter in the city of his people, or place of his descent, that an
estimate might be taken of their persons and effects. Pursu
ant to this order, Joseph and Mary, as descendants from the
line of David, departed from Nazareth where they then resid
ed, and came to Bethlehem, a city of Judea, the place ofthe
nativity of David and his ancestors.
So numerous were the people that repaired to this place, on
account of the general decree, that every dwelling was occupied :
and Joseph and Mary, though they could not depart thence
till after the taxation, were forced to take up their residence in
an humble stable, the spot in which it pleased the Divine
Wisdom, should be born the Lord of Life and Glory, who, as
a perfect example of humility to all his followers, was to make
his entrance into, and his exit out of, the lower world, in a
very mean and humble manner.
In this lowly tenement, the blessed virgin brought forth her
first-born godlike Son., wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and
laid bim (having no better place) iu a manger.
It is remarkable that all the generations of the intervening
spaces, between three of the most remarkable periods, relative
to the house of David, and the birth of our blessed Saviour.
are exactly the same ; for the Evangelist Matthew informs us,
that all the generations, from Abraham to David, are fourteen
generations; and from David unto thcBabylonish captivity are
fourteen generations ; and from the Babylonish captivity unto
the birth of Christ, are also fourteen generations. The same
Evangelist also traces his genealogy from Abraham, and proves
his direct lineal descent from that father of the faithful, through
the line of David, from race to race, to that of the humble
virgin and the aged Joseph. But to return to the immediate
subject of our history.
The manner and place of our Lord's birth certainly demand
our highest admiration and wonder, as a striking display of
wisdom, both in the direction and accomplishment of the will
of his heavenly Father. Considered in his Divine nature,
beaven is the habitation of his seat, and the earth is his foot
stool ; considered in his human nature, he is humbled beneath
all, being confined within the narrow limits of a manger !
Though, as the Son of God, he is " the brightness of his Fa
ther's glory, the express image of his person," and his " throne
is for ever and ever !" as the son of man, 0 wondrous conde
scension ! he is wrapped in the meanest swaddling clothes ; and as
man, he takes up his habitation with the beasts of the field.
In fine, let us adore his grace and love in divesting himself of"
those glories, for a time, which he enjoyed at the right hand of
bis Father, assuming our nature, and that in its humblest state,

62 LIFE OF CHRIST.
in order to raise us to that degree of glory and happiness,
which, by our apostacy from God, we had justly forfeited ;
exulting with the prophet, " Sing, O heavens, and be joyful,
O earth, and break forth into singing, O mountains, for the
Lord hath comforted his people."
But the humble manner in which the blessed Jesus made
his appearance in the world, did not long eclipse the glory of
his descent ; a heavenly messenger being dispatched from above
to apprize mankind of their Saviour's incarnation. It pleased
the wise Disposer of all things, by this holy angel first to make
known to some honest shepherds, who were watching their flocks
by night, in the neighboring fields, the birth of the long-prom
ised, long-expected Messiah. The radiance which shone around
them terrified the astonished peasants ; but to dissipate their
fears, and confirm their joys, the divine messenger interposed,
and thus addressed them : " Fear not ; for behold, I bring you
good tidings of great joy, which shall be to' all people. For
unto you is born, this day, in the city of David, a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you ;
ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling .clothes, lying in a
manger." Luke, ii. 10, &c.
The glorious news was no sooner proclaimed, than a number
of the celestial choir were heard to resound the praises ofthe
Almighty, for this transcendent display of his goodness to sin
ful men : " And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude
ofthe heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God
in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men."
Transported with the happy tidings of the birth of the Redeem
er of Israel, the angel no sooner departed, than the shepherds
hastened to Bethlehem, in quest of the babe, whom, according
to the information of the sacred misssionary, they found wrapt
in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. This event, so
exactly conformable to the angel's prediction, equally delighted
and amazed them ; nor could they conceal the purport of his
mission, but published abroad all they had seen and heard.
Having viewed with praise and wonder their long-expected
Saviour, and offered their grateful praises to God, for the man
ifestation of his goodness to mankind, they departed with hearts
filled with love and gratitude, still glorifying the Almighty
Parent of universal nature.
After the expiration of eight days frorn the birth of the holy
infant, he was circumcised according to the Mosaic institution ;
and thus, by a few drops, gave earnest of the abundance of
blood which he was to shed for the purification of mankind.
The blessed Redeemer passed through this ceremony, not that
he stood in any necessity of conforming to laws of any kind,
being the supreme lawgiver, with respect to his exalted nature ;

LIFE OF CHRIST. 53
but as, considered in his humble state, " he was born of "a wo
man, made under the law," and came, according to his own
declaration, " to fulfil all righteousness," it was requisite he
should conform to that custom, which characterized the Jewish
nation, and was one of the principal injunctions ofthe Mosaic
law, under which he was born ; in order to fulfil all that is
Spoken of him in the scriptures.
Besides, as all the promises made to Abraham were to be ful
filled in the Messiah, it was necessary he should receive the seal
of circumcision, in order to prove his descent from the patriarch,
concerning whom it was foretold, " In thy seed shall all the fam
ilies ofthe earth be blessed." As a further reason for our Lord's
compliance with this Jewish institution, we may urge the propri
ety of his finishing the former dispensation, by au exact adher
ence to its rules, as he was about to establish another, and much
better, which could not be 'effected more fully, than by con
forming to that sacrament, which was of divine injunction, and
indispensably requisite to admission into the former.
As the same institution also required that every first-born son,
without any regard to circumstance or family, should be presen
ted to the Lord, ill the temple, by delivering him "into the
hands of the priest, and paying five shekels, together with an
offering, which, from the poorer sort, consisted of a pair of tur
tle-doves, or two young pigeons ; a ceremony in commemora
tion ofthe divine mercy in sparing the first-born in Israel, when
those of Egypt, both men and beasts were destroyed ; his par
ents having tarried at, Bethlehem till the days of Mary's purifi
cation were fully accomplished, brought the child Jesus to Jeru
salem, and there presented him in the temple to the Lord, in the
manner just described, with the offering allowed to the poorer
sort of people ; a repeated instance ofthe exact obedience ofthe
immaculate Jesus to the ceremonial law, as well as the poverty
of his parents, though descended from a royal house.
During. the presentation of the holy infant, there entered the
temple a pious and venerable old man, named Simeon, who,
with all the devout, had " waited day and night for the conso
lation of Israel," and to whom it had been revealed by the spirit
of truth, that he should not depart this mortal life, till he had
seen the Lord of life and salvation.
Accordingly it was signified to him by the Holy Ghost, at
whose instance he came at the precise time into the temple, that
the child there presented was the long-expected Messiah, even
the Redeemer of Israel. In an ecstacy of joy he embraced the
heavenly infant in his arms, and broke out into this rhapsody :
" Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according
to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation : which

54 LIFE OF CHRIST.
thou hast prepared before the face of all people : a light to
lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." Luke
ii. 29, &c.
The exultation of Simeon astonished the parents of our Lord ;
not as unworthy the divine subject of it ; to which are due strains
superior to men or angels, but as evincing the old man's cer
tain knowledge that the child was the promised Messiah^, though
be was an absolute stranger. But their surprise was soon re
moved by Simeon's saying unto Mary his mother : " Behold,
this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel ;"
or, in other words, this is the stumbling-block and rock of of
fence, which it was long foretold by God should be laid in Zion,
and which should occasion the fall of many in Israel ; for through
the humble manner of his birth, and his abject state upon earth,
he became despised and rejected of men ; yet he is set for the
rising again of many, who shall rely on his merits, and submit
to his government.
Commentators are divided in their opinions concerning this
old Simeon. Some think he was of the order of priests, and
that he uttered the words cited above, while he was presenting
the child to the Lord, in the office of his function. But as the
Evangelist, who recites in a particular manner, the presentation
of our blessed Lord, is silent on that head, it appears little more
than conjecture.
Others affirm, he was Simon the Just, a disciple of the fa
mous Hillel, the master of Gamaliel, under whom the apostle
Paul was educated ; and that while he was attempting to ex
plain to the people that passage in the prophecy of Isaiah,
¦" Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son," it was re
vealed to him, that he should see, with mortal eyes, the promised
Messiah : and that on his beholding the child and his mother in
the temple, he broke out into that well-known rhapsody. — But
this could not be, for Simon the Just lived till forty-one years
after the death of Christ ; and it has been affirmed by Eusebius,
that he was not above seventy when he died. Besides, it is re
markable, that the Almighty at that time was pleased to reveal
his will with respect to the Messiah, not to the great, the wise,
and the learned, but to the poor and illiterate, such as Joseph
a carpenter, Zacharias an ordinary priest, and a company of
shepherds ; therefore, as the point is not settled, we presume to
offer it as our opinion, that this old man, to whom God was
pleased to make so extraordinary a revelation concerning the
Saviour of the world, was a plain man, rather eminent for the
goodness of his heart, than the knowledge of his head ; and
who possessed more piety and devotion, than learning or earth
ly pomp.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 55
A certain good prophetess, called Anna, who had a long
time waited for the redemption of Israel, entering the temple
at the instant in which Simeon exulted in the birth of the heav
enly infant, and finding that he was the promised Messiah, like
wise joined with him in praising God, and went forth and de
clared the glad tidings of salvation to all the faithful in these
parts. Having, in every respect, complied with the ceremonies and
rites contained in the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary, with the
child Jesus, entered into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth,
but did not long abide there ; for having adjusted their affairs,
they returned again to Bethlehem, the place of our Lord's na
tivity. This step seems to have been pursued in consequence of their
opinion, that it was necessary in order to his being acknowledg
ed the Messiah sent by God, that he should reside, some time,
in the place of his birth. Whatever was their motive for remov
al, it is evident from Scripture, that while they were in Beth
lehem, with their son, certain eastern philosophers, called Magi,
or Wise Men, came in consequence of the appearance they had
seen, to Jerusalem, and inquired for the King of the Jews ; de
claring they had seen his star in their own quarter, and were
come to pay him the adorations due to his dignity.
Various conjectures have been formed by the learned concern
ing this star, which is said to have appeared in the east : some
think that it was the spirit of God, others an angel, some a com
et, others a luminary appearance, &tc. A modern writer thinks
it was the glory that surrounded the angels who had appeared to
the shepherds at Bethlehem, on the night of the blessed Lord's
nativity. But notwithstanding these uncertain conjectures, the star an
swered the end designed, and directed the Magi to the spot
where resided the Lord of life and glory. Some men, too wise
to admit of the evidences from Revelation, have sceptically in
quired, how these eastern Magi could arrive at any knowledge
that the Jews expected the Messiah ; and that, therefore, on the
appearance of this new star in the firmament, how they should
apprehend it pointed out the birth of the great Redeemer of Is
rael ? The learned assertors of the Christian cause, in answer
to these queries, observe, that an opinion of the approach of the
Messiah's kingdom had long prevailed all over the east ; nay,
this is declared in profane history, by Suetonius, Tacitus, and
others. The reason of this prevailing opinion is very obvious. The
Jews conceived mighty expectations of the Messiah, from the
many prophecies concerning him recorded in their own lan
guage ; and the Arabians, from the prophecies to the same im-

56 LIFE OF CHRIST.
port made to Abraham ; it being certain that those people re
tained traditional knowledge of this promise, from the words of
Balaam, who was an Arabian prophet : " There shall come a
star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall arise out of Israel," &c.
which every impartial reader must acknowledge rather refers
to the appearance ofthe Messiah, than any other incident what
ever. The other eastern nations derived their expectations of the
Messiah from their commercial connexions with the Jews and
Arabians, but more especially from the Jews, who being scatter
ed over the whole country of the East, spread their religion
wherever they went, which, occasioned several Roman historians
to take notice of the prevalence of that opinion.
Nay, the expectation of the Messiah being born in Judea, was
strongly impressed on the minds of the followers of Zoroaster,
who reformed the religion of tbe Persians, being a servant to
the prophet Daniel, and particularly favored with revelations
concerning the appearance ofthe Messiah.
From these considerations, it evidently appears that this
opinion prevailed throughout the East ; and that the Magi might
with great reason, on the appearance of the star, repair to Je
rusalem in quest of the promised Saviour of Israel.
But to leave this subject, as not immediately appertaining to
our purpose. The whole city of Jerusalem was alarmed at the
unexpected arrival of the Eastern Magi ; an event which much
perplexed the tyrant Herod, whose ambitious mind, maintained
the utmost aversion to the very thought of a rival or a competi
tor, and consequently could not brook a report that favored the
news of the birth of the King ofthe Jews.
Disguising, however, his sentiments, he received the Magi
with seeming respect, attended to the design of their errand with
affected complacency, and to gratify their curiosity, summoned
a general council, and demanded of them, Where Christ should
be born ? The council kept him not long in suspense, for well
remembering that the prophets had particularly foretold the place
of his birth, they replied to the demand of their monarch, " In
Bethlehem of Juda ;" and to confirm their answer, cited pro
phetic authority : " And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Juda,
art not the least among the princes of Juda ; for out of thee
shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel." — Matt.
ii. 6. The tyrant king, in consequence of the reply from the
supreme council of the nation, directed the Magi to Bethlehem,
as the place according to ancient prophecy, designed for the
honor of Christ's nativity, earnestly entreating them at the same
time, immediately on their finding out the child, to send him
word, that he might repair thither, and pay his adoration to him
also.

THE ADORATION OF THE WISE MEN.
[Page 57.]

" And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mai*y his moth
er, and fell down, and worshipped him ; and when tliey had opened their treasures, they pre
sented unto him gifts, gold, and frankincense and myrrh ." — Matt. n. 11.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 57
But this was mere pretence, and vile hypocrisy ; for so far
was Herod from entertaining any religious regard for the infant
Jesus, that he vowed in his heart to destroy him as soon as he
should be found ; looking on him as designed for a temporal
prince, who would expel him, or his descendants, from the throne
of Judea, instead of a prince whose kingdom was wholly spiritu
al, and whose throne was not to be established upon earth, but
in the heavenly Jerusalem.
We cannot have a more convincing evidence of the divinity
of our Saviour's mission, than his miraculous preservation from
the designs of the ambitious Herod. The tyrant, in this case,
acted with the utmost subtilty ; he declined accompanying the
wise men iu person ; nor did he even send attendants with them,
who, under the guise of honoring them, might have secretly in
formed him of the abode of the Messiah.
However, the Magi having obtained the intelligence they
sought in Jerusalem, set forward, under the guidance of the
same star that conducted them from their own country, but had
left them on their arrival in Judea, which was the cause of their
directing their course to the capital, in order to seek that infor- ,
mation, which, by the desertion of the star became requisite. —
Thus it appears the design of the Almighty, in directing the
eastern Magi to the capital of Judea, was, that the whole nation
might be made acquainted with the cause of their journey.
Accordingly, they had no sooner proceeded from Jerusalem
on their way to Bethlehem, than their kind conductor again ap
peared, went before them to the very city, and fixed on the hab
itation of the heavenly infant. Guided by this celestial conduc
tor, they entered the house, and prostrating themselves at the
sacred feet of their spiritual king, presented him with gifts of
gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Having thus accomplished the
design of the expedition, they proposed, according to promise,
returning to Jerusalem ; but being diverted from that intention
bys a dream, in which they were warned by God of Herod's de
sign, they pursued another course, towards their own country,
and by those means defeated his malicious purpose.
But it is natural and reasonable to suppose, that the end of
the divine wisdom, in directing these eastern Magi to the king
dom of Judea to worship the child Jesus, was not merely to
gratify the curiosity of the wise men, because the event promo
ted many other very important designs, some of which we shall
mention. It proved to succeeding ages, the great expectation the Gen
tiles formed of the appearance of the Messiah, and consequent
ly established the truth of those prophecies, which related to
that event, as well as excited in the minds of men the most san
guine hopes, and longing desires. S

S8 LIFE OF CHRIST.
As these Magi doubtless reported, on their return to their
own countrymen, the particulars they had heard and seen in the
kingdorii of Judea, relative to the Messiah, such report must
certainly have promoted the belief of the gospel in those parts,
when afterwards preached 'there by the apostles. The expedi
tion of the wise men was the cause of the answer of the Sanhe
drim, in which it was unanimously declared to be the opinion
of all the Jewish Rabbis then living, that according to ancient
prophecies, Bethlehem was the place appointed by the Almighty
to give birth to the promised Messiah.
It also contributed to another valuable purpose, in that the of
ferings of the wise men procured a subsistence for the holy family
in Egypt, whither they were soon after warned to fly, in order
to escape the vengeance ofthe enraged king; for no sooner had
the wise men departed from Bethlehem, than Joseph was warn
ed by a heavenly messenger, of the barbarous purpose of Her
od, and commanded to flee into Egypt with the young child and
his mother.
Joseph, in obedience to the Almighty's command, rose that
very night, and fled into Egypt ; " and was there until the death
of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the
Lord, by the prophet ; Out of Egypt have I called my Son."
This prophecy, which is quoted from Hosea, seems originally
to refer to the Israelites ; though the Evangelist's reference will
be amply justified, by considering that the Egyptian captivity
alludes to the subjection ofthe Israelites to great hardships, and
their deliverance from the same, by an Almighty hand.
Now, as the departure of the Holy family into Egypt, was
in obedience to the divine command, in order to protect the Ho
ly Jesus from the incensed Herod, the application of the proph
et, " Out of Egypt have I called my Son," appears very just,
as well as elegant. The King of Judea long waited, with the
most earnest expectation, the return of the wise men, anxious
to glut his full resentment on the innocent Jesus ; till, from their
long delay, he began to suspect a delusion, and that his de
signs were frustrated by some extraordinary interposition of
Providence. At length, irritated by disappointment, he resolved to accom
plish by cruelty, a resolution he could not effect by art, and
accordingly issued orders to a large party of soldiers to go
throughout Bethlehem, and all the neighboring villages, and mas
sacre all the children they could find therein that were two years
old, and under ; thinking that the infant Jesus, whom as a prince,
he both envied and dreaded, would fall in the general slaughter.
But the heavenly missionary was sheltered from above ; nor
was the relentless king permitted to impede the design of an
Almiehtv Creator.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 59
However, the cities through which the soldiers carried the
destructive sword, exhibited such scenes of horror and distress,
as could not fail to thrill every soul not entirely lost to humani
ty : no sound was heard but the piercing cries of parents, the
groans of expiring babes, and a general imprecation of ven
geance on the merciless tyrant. But he did not long survive
his cruel decree, being swept from his throne by a nauseous dis
ease, to answer for his conduct at tbe bar of a tremendous
Judge. No description can paint the horror of such a scene of relent
less cruelty in a more glaring light, than the verse quoted by
the evangelist Matthew, from the prophet Jeremiah : " Then
was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet,
saying, In Rama there was a voice heard, lamentations, and
weeping, and great mourning. Rachael weeping for her chil
dren, and would not be comforted* because they were not." —
This prophecy must not be understood literally, but descrip
tively, or as a figure used to display the horror of the scene, as
there applied by the Evangelist, in which acceptation it has a
peculiar beauty ; representing Rachael, the beloved wife of Ja
cob, buried many years ago, in the fields of Bethlehem, awak
ened by the cries of slaughtered infants, bursting even the chains
of death, and lamenting the hapless fate of the murdered in
nocents which surrounded her.
The tyrant Herod being thus cut off from the face of the
earth, Joseph was warned by a heavenly messenger to return
to the land of Israel. The good old man obeyed the Almighty's
command, and appears to have had a great desire of residing
in Judea, and very probably in Bethlehem ; but hearing that
Herod was succeeded in his throne, by his son Archelaus, and
fearing that he might pursue the barbarous design of his father,
he directed his course another way ; but being warned again by
a heavenly mission, he retired into Galilee, then under the gov
ernment of a mild and benevolent prince, called Antipas, and
took up his habitation at Nazareth, where the particular cir
cumstances which attended the birth of the blessed Jesus, were
not generally known. Tbe evangelist affirms, that Joseph,
with the infant and his mother, resided in Nazareth, where
the Holy Jesus spent his youth, " That it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the prophet, He shall be called a
Nazarene." ^
The advocate^ for infidelity, whose notice the smallest
inaccuracy in the sacred scriptures have not escaped, have not
failed to observe, that the Evangelist refers to what he cannot
justify from any of the prophetical writings, in which there
are no such words to be found, as " He shall be called a
Nazarene." But be it known, that the Evangelist may, with

60 LIFE OF CHRIST.
justice, be vindicated from impropriety, by reminding these
sceptics, that though the very words are not to be found, the
allusion is just, and consequently the application. This
expression refers to the general contempt and ridicule in which
the Israelites held the Galileans, and especially the Nazarenes,
who were even despised by the Galileans themselves, insomuch
that the word Nazarene became a term of reproach.
Now, as the prophets in general, foretold the disgrace and
infamy through which the blessed Jesus should pass, they
consequently foretold he should be called a Nazarene, or
exposed to every token of contempt and ridicule, of which
this appellation, at that time, was a remarkable instance.
It is evident, that our Lord's residing at Nazareth, tended,
in a remarkable manner, to the fulfilment of those prophe
cies ; because, in the course of his public ministry, he was fre
quently reproached with the same, and his countrymen often
urged it as a reason for their disregard of his doctrine. But
as the stubbornness of unbelief will never admit of convic
tion, we have therefore added these remarks, to confirm the
faith of the Christian, rather than convince the obstinate in
fidel.

CHAPTER III.
State of our Lord's childhood, and private life. — His argument
with the Jewish Doctors. — Mission, Character, and Doctrine
of the Baptist. — Baptism of Christ, and visible descent of
the Spirit on that solemnity.
The precise circumstances of our Lord's childhood and life,
previous to his public ministry, cannot be ascertained from the
writings of any of the Evangelists, which can alone be relied
on as authentic. All we can gather from those inspired men
is, that the faculties of his mind were enlarged in proportion
to the growth of his body, insomuch that he arrived at the
very perfection of heavenly wisdom.
As his parents were mean and poor, he had not the
advantage of a finished education ; and he seems to have
received no other instruction than what his parents gave him,
in conformity to the Jewish laws. But supernatural abilities
amply compensated for the deficiency of natural acquirements,

LIFE OF CHRIST. 61
and he gave instances, in his earliest years, of amazing
penetration and consummate wisdom. ,
According to the Mosaic institution, his parents annually
went up to Jerusalem ; and when he arrived at the age of
twelve years, carried him with them to that city, in order
that he might early imbibe the precepts of religion and virtue.
In this place the holy Jesus tarried, without the knowledge
and consequently the consent of his parents, who departed
with the rest that were going towards Galilee ; and thinking
that he was gone forward with some of their relations or
acquaintance, they continued their journey, not doubting but
they should overtake him on the road, or meet x with him at
the place they had appointed to lodge. But, on their arrival,
not finding the child in the village, nor amongst their relations,
they returned to Jerusalem, much troubled ; and after a most
anxious search of three days, found him in the temple, sitting
among the learned doctors, who were amazed at the wisdom of
his questions, and the pertinence of his replies, which were
greatly superior to the utmost they could expect from one of
his tender years, and his education.
These doctors, or expounders of the law, among the Jews,
always taught the people publicly on the three great festivals :
and it was on one of these public occasions that the blessed
Jesus gave such manifest proofs of his wisdom and penetration
as astonished all beholders, many of whom thought he must be
something more than human. As, according to his own
declaration, he was employed in his Father's business, it is.
natural to think, in the course of his disputes, he modestly
corrected some of the errors which the Jewish doctors then
taught, and which were repugnant to the principles of that
religion he came to promote and establish. .
The wonder of his parents, at finding him in such sublime
employment, was beyond expression ; though his pious mother,
notwithstanding the pleasure which the discovery afforded her,
could not help showing the concern which his absence, without
their knowledge, had occasioned them, by addressing him thus:
" Son, why hast thou dealt thus with us ! Behold thy father
and I have sought thee sorrowing." To this question he
replied, that their surprise at his absenting himself without their
knowledge was groundless and absurd, as they might have
been assured, from his extraordinary birth, and the wonderful
circumstances attending it, that his Father was no less than the
Almighty One of Israel; that. he assumed human nature to
promote his glorious designs ; and, therefore, as his errand was
of such moment, they must not imagine he could always reside
with them, " How is it that ye sought me ! Wist ye not that
I must be about my Father's business ?"

62 LIFE OF CHRIST.
Though his parents did not clearly discern the force of thia
excellent remonstrance, his pious mother committed his words
to memory, and together with Joseph her husband, joyfully
returned with him to their poor dwelling at Nazareth, where he
lived with them in dutiful subjection, and thereby afforded a
noble example for the imitation of all children, who certainly
are bound to yield obedience to their parents, since the Son of
God himself, when on earth, has set tham the pattern, by
practising every branch of filial duty to his earthly parents.
The blessed Jesus continued in this "lowly state for some time,
during which he greatly advanced both in knowledge and
stature ; and by his extraordinary qualities, attracted, the regard
and admiration of all who either saw or heard him.
Being happily free from those inordinate disquieting desires,
which disturb and distract mortals, he was always in temper
calm and sedate, which added to a pleasant countenance,
combined to prove the strength of his faculties, and the goodness
of his disposition. He was also an excellent orator, being
endowed with a most nervous and persuasive elocution, insomuch
that his hearers, frequently astonished at the substance and
manner of his address, would suddenly cry out, " Never man
spake like this man." Though considered in his divine nature,
he was so far superior to human nature, during the tiihe in which
he lived thus humbly with his parents, yet he condescended to
work with his father at his trade of a carpenter, and thereby left
us a shining example of industry.
Thus obscurely did the blessed Jesus live till the time of his
public ministry ; nor did he show any miracles, or perform
any actions to distinguish him from the rest of mankind ; his
divine nature, and the annexed properties, during the time of
his private life, being concealed under the veil of his human
nature. As this is the whole account collected from sacred history,
concerning the childhood and private life of the blessed Jesus,
the Saviour of mankind, we must content ourselves therewith,
not seeking to indulge a curiosity, which such silence seems to
forbid, as sinful and impertinent.
Many people, of more speculation than piety, may be induced
to inquire the cause which prevented the Evangelists giving us
an exact detail of the transactions of our blessed Saviour's life,
from the twelfth year of his age till the time of his public
ministry. To such we answer, that the design of the inspired
writers being to instruct rather than amuse, they consulted our
spiritual interest more than our humor and caprice ; and that,
therefore, the wisdom of God, by whose inspiration they wrote,
demands our admiration, in that they passed over less important
parts of our Saviour's life, which would have swelled their

LIFE OF CHRIST. 63
gospels to an enormous bulk, fit only for the perusal of the
studious, and those persons who had much vacant time ; whereas
the four Gospels, as they are written, make only a small volume,
which is convenient for carriage, for reading, for the memory
to retain; as well as adapted by the plainness of its style, to the
meanest capacities ; notwithstanding which, "they contain all the
important transactions of our Saviour's life, such as those which
relate to his mediatorial office, the design of his incarnation,
which was to teach us those things that belong to our eternal
peace and happiness : to instruct us in his heavenly doctrines, as
our prophet ; to offer himself a sacrifice upon the cross, as our
priest ; and to burst the chains of death, and triumphantly as
cend into heaven, as king, or head, of his church.
The omissions, therefore, can be of no real consequence,
since, " These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, ye might have
life through his name."
During the obscure state of our blessed Redeemer at Naza
reth, the Emperor Augustus died, in Campania, after a long
reign of near forty years, to the general regret of the whole
Roman empire. He was succeeded by Tiberius, his step-son, a
prince of very different temper of mind from his predecessor.
This emperor, in the second year of his reign, recalled Rufus
from the government of Judea, and sent Valerius Gracchus to
succeed him. After reigning eleven years, Gracchus was re
called and succeeded by Pontius Pilate, a person resembling in
disposition his master Tiberius, who was malicious, cruel, and
covetous. Soon after Pontius Pilate was appointed to the government
of Judea, John the Baptist began to open his commission for
preparing our Saviour's way before him, according as was ap
pointed, "The baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."
Sacred history has not informed us of the manner in which the
Baptist spent the former part of his life ; but, according to an-
cieut tradition, Elizabeth hearing of Herod's barbarous massacre
of the infants of Bethlehem, fled into the wilderness to secure
the infant John from the relentless cruelty of that inhuman mon
ster, and there nurtured him with all the tenderness of an affec
tionate mother. John the Baptist was about eighteen months
old when his mother fled with him into the wilderness, within
forty days after which she died.
His aged father Zacharias, when he afterwards officiated in
the temple, was slain by the command of Herod, for refusing to
discover the place of his son's abode. The intended harbinger
of the blessed Jesus being thus deprived of his earthly parents,
the Father of the fatherless took compassion on him, and sent

64 LIFE OF CHRIST.
an angel to defend and support him, till he had attained to a
sufficient age and strength to provide for himself.
It appears, from the accounts of the evangelists, that he
dwelt in the desert till the time of his public ministry, resem
bling the ancient prophet Elijah, in the meanness of his clotta-
ing, and the plainness of his diet. His dress was composed of
camel's hair, his food the spontaneous production of the wilder
ness, such as locusts and wild honey, and his drink the pure
water of some crystal spring. His course of life was, indeed,
admirably adapted to the doctrine of repentance, which he
preached, as well as to engage the attention of his hearers ; so
that it appears highly reasonable, that those people who waited
the coming of the Messiah with earnest expectation, should flock
to him, anxious to hear what he had to deliver concerning him.
He proved very successful in his ministry, as he enforced the
doctrine of repentance, because the kingdom of heaven was at
hand ; persons of all degrees and professions flocked to him,
confessed their sins, were baptized in Jordan,, and submitted to
whatever the prophet prescribed as necessary to obtain an in
heritance iu that kingdom, the approach of- which he came to
declare. Amongst his converts were many of the pharisaical
tribe, some of whom confessed their sins, and were likewise bap
tized in Jordan.
The conversion of the Pharisees surprised the Baptist, know
ing that they maintained an high opinion of their own sanctity,
for which reason il was very astonishing that they should express
any desire of obtaining a remission of their sins. In short, he
was much surprised to find the whole nation so affected by his
threatenings, especially as he knew they expected salvation on
account of their being ofthe seed of Abraham, a conceit which
they greatly cherished, and which they seem to have derived
from a misrepresentation of the following passage : " Thus saith
the Lord, who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the or
dinances of the moon, and the stars for a light by night ; who
divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; the Lord of
Hosts is his name. If those ordinances depart from before me,
saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from be
ing a nation before me, for ever. Thus saith the Lord, if the
heaven above can be measured, and the foundations ofthe earth
searched out beneath, I will also cast off the seed of Israel, for
all that they have done, saith the Lord."
But the Baptist, to curb their arrogance, called them the
" offspring of vipers," instead of the children of Abraham ; per
haps the Pharisees and Sadducees applied to John for Baptism,
thinking by that means to avoid the danger they might incur,
from being the avowed enemies of the Messiah, whom tbey

LIFE OF CHRIST. 65
expected to come in all the pomp of royalty, and to maintain
bis superiority by force of arms.
The Baptist, who was no stranger to those hypocritical sects,
well knowing their application to him arose from sinister views,
severely reprimanded them in general : " O generation of vipers,
who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come ? Bring
forth fruits worthy of repentance." O deceivers, hypocrites,
whence have you obtained knowledge of the approaching event
I am destined, by God, to make known ? Whence have you a
sense of the impending judgment of the Almighty ? I have
plainly told you tbe proper method of avoiding it, is by a sii>
cere repentance, which can only be evinced by the conformity
of the heart and life to the word and will of God. — " And be*
gin not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our fa
ther ; for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to
raise up children unto Abraham." Deceive not yourselves with
a vain presumption that eternal blessings are yours, merely on
the score of your lineal descent from Abraham : such pretence
will avail you nothing ; for to partake of the promises made to
that father of the faithful alone, spiritually considered, you
must show forth some resemblance of his faith and piety.
The Almighty Creator, who formed our first parent out of
the dust, and caused Sarah to bear a son unto Abraham, when
they were both well stricken in years, can by virtue of his om
nipotence, raise up children unto that faithful patriarch, even
from these very stones : children, indeed, who by the integ
rity of their hearts, and purity of their lives, shall prove their
spiritual alliance to Abraham, and share with him the promised
salvation. The Baptist, by this plain but honest declaration, at once set
at nought the towering expectations of this hypocritical tribe,
by showing them that God respected the heart alone, and that
all their pretences to descent, ceremonies, and other outward
parade, was of no avail with him, who tried the heart, and
searched the reins of the children of men.
He went farther, and assured them, that conviction and con
fession of sin were not sufficient ; no, nor even a promise to for
sake it, but that there must be a speedy and actual putting it
into practice. " Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand." Delay not this important work, for the judgments of
the Almighty are at hand ; therefore, if you continue in your
sins, impending ruin will certainly fall upon you.
Nothing could be more sincere, nothing better calculated,
than this doctrine of the forerunner of the blessed Jesus ; it
struck at the very root of the Jewish prejudices, which induc
ed too many of them vainly to rely upon outward rites and
ceremonies, prayers, fasting, &c. ; which, if not performed with
9

66 LIFE OF CHRIST.
a proper spirit, and from proper views, were an abomination to
an holy God. Nor did his conduct less reprove the pride and
hypocrisy of the scribes and pharisees, than his doctrine ; for
whereas those upstart people used to shun the converse of the
publicans, and meaner sort, and would rarely deign to give
them instruction, the humble Baptist received their applications
in the most submissive manner, and preached to them the ab
solute necessity of faith, repentance, and obedience.
Indeed, throughout the whole of his ministration, he happi
ly adapted his discourses to the circumstances and capacities
of the various people he addressed ; and took every pious
means to prepare them for the reception of the promised Mes
siah, who was shortly to appear amongst them in the glorious
character of Saviour and Redeemer of Israel.
Thus, by a life of inflexible virtue, discourses nervous and
pathetic, exhortations sincere and fervent, and rebukes honest
and courageous, the Baptist became renowned throughout the
region of Judea.
Such was the admiration of the people at his life and doc
trine, that from the vision of his father Zacharias in the tem
ple, the arrival of the Magi at Jerusalem, the prophecies of
Simeon, circumstances recent in their memories, they began to
conjecture that John might be the promised Messiah, and were
even ready to pronounce him the Redeemer of Israel. So that
had he aspired to worldly dignity, he might, for a time, have
shone in all the grandeur of human pomp, and claimed a regard
superior to any of the sons of men. But, pious in principle,
and humble in heart, he could not arrogate honors of which he
was conscious of his unworthiness ; and therefore honestly unde
ceived his numerous followers, by assuring them, that so far
from being the glorious person promised, he was only his fore
runner, and that such was his own inferiority, that he was un
worthy of doing his most menial offices. " I indeed baptize you
with water : but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of
whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose." Luke iii. 16.
During the time of the Baptist's continuance at Bethabara,
the blessed Jesus left his retirement at Nazareth, and, previ
ous to his public ministry, repaired to the banks of the river
Jordan, where John was executing his commission from above,
in order to be there baptized by him. We cannot impute this
conduct of our Lord, to any necessity there was for his con
forming to the institution of baptism, for purity needs not
cleansing ; it is therefore evident, that his motive was to add a
sanction to that ordinance, for ever after appointed to be the
initiating right of Christianity—" Go, baptize all nations," &cc.
It appears that John immediately, as it were by a prophetic
revelation, knew the Saviour of the world ; for we find, from

LIFE OF CHRIST. 67
the Evangelist, that he acknowledged his superiority, and de
clined the office ; " I have need to be baptized of thee, and
comest thou to me ?" Our Lord's answer, though short, is
very full and expressive ; " Suffer it to be so now, for thus it be-
cometh us to fulfil all righteousness." As if he had said, Re
gard not the precedence, at this time, but perform thy office ;
for it is necessary that we should; in the minutest point, conform
to the Divine will, by which this institution is enjoined.
This remonstrance removed the objections of John, and he
baptized the immaculate Jesus in the river Jordan, in the pres
ence of numerous spectators.
When the ceremony was performed, as he needed not the in
structions usually given on the occasion, he went up straight
way out of the water, and kneeling on the bank of the river,
fervently addressed' his Almighty Father, for an '.abundant effu
sion of his Holy Spirit, as he was now entering on his public
ministry, the prelude of his important mission, the end of which
was the salvation of mankind.
His prayer was heard, his request was granted ; and an imme
diate attestation of the divine pleasure given by a visible ray of
glory around him, and an audible voice proceeding from the
Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, and pronouncing these words,
" This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased :" dis
tinguishing his peculiar approbation ofthe blessed Jesus, by the
epithet beloved, as well as his standing in that relation to him
in a manner nearer than any of the human race, who are called
in common, the sons of men. This voice resembled not any
human sound ; but was loud and awful, like the thunders of
heaven, in order to strike with reverence the surrounding multi
tude, and publicly declare the holy mission of the promised
Messiah. The blessed Jesus was called, in the Old Testament, the Son
of God, but was, on this occasion, declared by the Almighty
himself, to be the long-expected deliverer of Israel. Thus, ail
who were present at this marvellous descent of the Holy Spirit,
were amply convinced of the divine mission of our blessed Lord
by an infallible testimony from above : this being " the star that
was to come out of Jacob, and the sceptre that was to rise out
of Israel ; the Shiloh foretold by the patriarch Jacob ; the
Great Prophet, by Moses; the Holy One, by David; the
Prince of Peace, by Isaiah ; and the Son of Man.
But this remarkable event tended much more to the glory of
the Messiah, than all those prophecies ; as it was, in some meas
ure, a real display of what they could only picture in the dark.

G8 LIFE OF CHRIST.

CHAPTER IV.
Commencement of our Saviour's ministry. — His temptation iri
the wilderness. — Deputation of the Sanhedrim to John the
Baptist. — First miracle wrought by the blessed Jesus. >
The great Redeemer having thus complied with the institution
of Baptism, and received a most convincing testimony of his
heavenly Father's approbation, by the miraculous descent and
effusion of the Holy Ghost upon him while praying on- the
banks of Jordan, in the presence of a multitude of spectators,
entered on his public ministry, at the age of thirty years, ac
cording to the custom of the priests among the Jews.
It was apprehended by the people, that, as he had just be
gun his public office, he would repair to Jerusalem, the seat of
power and grandeur, in order to display to the mighty and the
learned, his miraculous abilities, and effulgent glories.
But, averse to human parade, the heavenly-minded Jesus pre
ferred solitude to the noise and hurry of mortal life: he there
fore retired into the wilderness, in order to prepare himself, by
fasting, meditation, and prayer, and sustaining temptation, for
the important work on which he was entering — the salvation
of mankind.
To promote this grand design, the Evangelists write, that this
retirement into the wilderness was in cousequence of the imme
diate direction of the Divine Spirit. Though solitude itself is
melancholy, the blessed Jesus added to the dismal scene, by re
tiring on a barren spot, surrounded by high and craggy moun
tains, and forming a dark and gloomy chaos.
In this wild and dreary situation the great Redeemer, as Mo-
s6s and Elijah had done before him, fasted forty days and
forty nights, maintained an incessant communion with his
heavenly Father, digested the doctrine he was about to deliv
er, and the obedience he came to perform ; and by a total ab
stinence from food for forty days and forty nights, evinced
the divinity of his mission, or, in other words, proved that he
was " a teacher from God." But the melancholy solitude of a
desert, and the extremes of hunger and thirst, were but a small
part of our Saviour's sufferings in the wilderness : Satan, that
implacable foe to mankind, was permitted to buffet him with
the most insinuating wiles, and assail him with the most allur
ing temptations, in order to attempt the defeat of heaven's most
gracious designs, and keep mankind under the dreadful domin
ion of sin and death.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 63
The enemies of revelation have not failed to represent this
event in a most ludicrous manner : if any, therefore, should de
mand why God permitted his only Sou, the Saviour ofthe world,
to be tempted by the devil, whose power was deemed to be
restrained, we reply as follows : — One cause of the Redeemer's \
being suffered to be tempted was, that he, being personally ac
quainted with the wiles of Satan, might become a faithful and
compassionate high priest, know how to succor his people in
time of adversity, and pity them when they fell into temptations.
That in order to be a shining pattern of every virtue, and also
a wise and valiant general, the blessed Redeemer underwent all
the difficulties and trials attending his service, that we, being
animated by his glorious example, might not sink under the
pressure and troubles which God, for our good, should be
pleased to lay upon us.
The Saviour of the World hath not only been exposed to
poverty. and ridicule, but also to the most trying temptations of
Satan ; that as the captain of our salvation has undergone the
same, we ought not to faint when we are tempted, but, like him, ,
be able to withstand the fiery darts ofthe devil.  -/'
It doubtless appears highly proper, in order that our blessed
Lord and Master might both enter upon, and prosecute his
ministry, with more glory to himself, and advantage to mankind,
that he should previously overcome the most subtle arts of that
deceiver, who, under the mask of the serpent, seduced our first
parents, and involved them and their posterity in one common
ruin. The peculiar devices used by the old serpent to tempt the Son
of God, during the time of his fasting, are not recorded in holy
writ, aud consequently cannot be ascertained.
But at the expiration of the forty days, when the blessed Jesus
had endured the keenest hunger, the tempter, to make proof of
the divinity of his mission, insolently demanded, why be bore
the sensations of hunger, since, if he was the Son of God, he
must have power to change even the stones of that dreary
wilderness into bread ; and by so marvellous a transmutation, he
might have the satisfaction of knowing the truth of what was-
said concerning him at his baptism.
But our blessed Saviour repelled this de-vice, by citing the
words of Moses, which implied, that God, whenever it seemed
good in his sight, could, by extraordinary means, provide for
the support of the human race. " Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word of God." Luke iv. 4.
Satan, being defeated in this effort, took him to the top of a
very high mountain, and thinking to work upon him by another
artifice, showed him a bright view of all the kingdoms of the
world, with their alluring glories, promising him universal

70 LIFE OF CHRIST.
empire over the whole, if he would bow down and yield to him
the honor of the benefaction.
But observe, his accursed pride and arrogance, in promising
that which is the gift of God alone, universal empire over the
earth ; and requiring what was due to none but the Supreme,
religious homage. This blasphemy, as well as insolence, incited
the blessed Jesus to exert his divine authority, and command
him, in a peremptory manner, to desist, citing this special injunc
tion from sacred writ, " Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and him only shalt thou serve." Thus repelled, he repeated
the attempt, and having taken our Lord to Jerusalem, placed
him on the pinnacle of the temple, and by a taunt of insolence,
urged him to prove the truth of his mission, by casting himself
down from thence, citing, as an encouragement for him to comply
with his desire, a text from the Psalms — " If thou be the Son
of God cast thyself down ; for it is written, He shall give his
angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall
bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a
stone." Matt. iv. 6. But our Saviour soon baffled this attempt,
by another apt quotation from- scripture — " Thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy God." Matt. iv. 7. Thou shalt not provoke
the Lord, either by disobeying his command, or by an imperti
nent curiosity to know more concerning his mind and will, than
he is pleased to reveal.
Thus baffled in all his art and devices, by the wisdom and
power of the Son of God, he departed from him, and an host of
celestial spirits, dispatched from the regions of bliss, came and
ministered refreshment to our Saviour, after his victory over the
great enemy and deceiver of mankind.
Hence, notwithstanding the ridicule of the infidel, Christians
may derive great encouragement to fight manfully against the
flesh, the world, and the devil, under the banner of the great
Captain bf their salvation, who is ever ready to supply them
with spiritual armor to sustain the combat with that inveterate
and subtle foe, whose devices he has experienced, being in every
respect tempted like them.
During the time of our Saviour's retirement in the wilderness,
his faithful harbinger, the Baptist, being assured, from the mira
culous descent, ofthe Holy Spirit, and other concurring testimo
nies, that Jesus was the promised and long-expected Messiah,
continued publishing his mission to the multitude ; so that the
rulers in Jerusalem received information of the surprising events
that had happened in Bethabara, beyond Jordan, before they
saw the blessed Jesus, in confirmation of whose mission and
doctrine they were effected.
Prompted by curiosity, they dispatched a deputation of
Priests and Leyites to the Baptist, to demand of him, who this

LIFE OF CHRIST. 71
wondrous person was ; whether he was the Messiah, or Elias, or
that prophet who was to rise from the dead, and precede the
Messiah, the powerful prince so earnestly expected by the whole
nation of Israel.
The Baptist frankly replied, That he was not the Messiah
whom they expected, nor Elias, who, as they vainly thought,
would personally appear amongst them, nor any other prophet
risen from the dead ; but at the same time hinted to them, that
though he was not Elias himself, yet he was that person spoken
of by the prophet Isaiah, and of whom he thus prophesied :
" The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the
way of the Lord ; make straight in the desert a highway for our
God." Isaiah xl. 3.
The Priests and Levites, not sufficiently gratified with this
reply of the Baptist, demanded of him, why he assumed the
power of baptizing the people, if he was neither the Messiah,
nor Elias, nor any of the ancient prophets risen from the dead.
To this demand John answered, I indeed baptize, to show the
necessity of repentance, but my baptism is only that of water,
and wholly ineffectual in itself to the remission of sins ; but' that
washing, foretold by Zacharias, is of most sovereign effect : it
is not my province, but solely that of the Messiah, who is actur
ally upon earth, and among ye, though ye know him not,
because he hath not manifested himself unto the world. The
Messiah is so far exalted beyond me, in power and dignity, that
I am not worthy to do him the meanest offices.
The day after the departure of the Priests and Levites from
Bethabara, our blessed Lord left the wilderness, and repaired
thither himself, while John was yet baptizing and preaching the
doctrine of repentance.
The Baptist, as his grand business was to direct all persons to
the Messiah, for life and salvation, in and through him, embra
ced this seasonable opportunity of pointing him out to the
multitude, — " Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the
sins of the world !"
Lest the attending crowd should surmise, that it had been
previously concerted between Jesus and John, that the former
should assume, and the latter give him, the appellation of Mes
siah, he publicly and solemnly declared, that he was equally with
them ignorant of the pretensions of Jesus to that high character,
till he saw the miraculous descent of the Holy Ghost, and heard
him pronounced, in the most awful manner, the Son of God.
«' And John 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 baptize with water, the same
said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending,
and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with tfce

n LIFE OF CHRIST.
Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son"
of God.*' John i. 32, 33, 34.
The Baptist having made this public declaration, the Messiah
left Bethabara, but returned the day following, and John, hap
pening to stand with two of his followers on the bank of the
river Jordan, poiniting to him as he passed, and in a pious rap->
ture, repeated what he had addressed to the multitude the*
preceding day, " Behold the Lamb of God." It is hence
imagined, that these two disciples, or followers of the Baptist,
Were absent at the time of the descent of the Holy Ghost, and for
that reason this method was taken of pointing out to them the
venerable person of the promised Redeemer of the world.
Animated with an ardent desire of hearing, as well as seeing
this extraordinary person, they left John and followed Jesus,
who, conscious of their design, turned about> and, with the
utmost, affability, gave them an invitation to the place of his
residence. The Evangelist John informs us, that one of these
disciples was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter ; and it is
conjectured, from his silence, that himself was the other ; for it is
remarkable, that in his writings he studiously concealed his own
name. Be that as it will, it is abundantly evident, that the
testimony of the Baptist, added to the tokens he had from the
blessed Jesus, in the course of his converse with him, amply
satisfied Andrew that he was indeed the promised (Messiah, the
Saviour and Redeemer of lost and perishing sinners/} "
Andrew soon after found his brother Peter, and^brought him
to our blessed Lord, who immediately called him by his name,
telling him that he should afterwards be called Cephas, (which
signifies a rock) from his firm resolution of mind, and also
because he should contribute towards the foundation of the
Christian church.
Some time after, Jesus casually met with Philip, an inhabitant
of the town of Bethsaida, and said to him, " Follow me."
Philip immediately obeyed the divine command, having heard
of the character and mission of our blessed Saviour. It is sup
posed that this disciple was present at the miraculous descent of
the Holy Spirit on our Lord at his baptism, which being
admitted, his ready compliance with his call is no matter of
admiration. Philip meeting with Nathaniel, an inhabitant of Cana, a town
in Galilee, informed him of the actual coming of the long- \
expected Messiah, that great deliverer of Israel, spoken of by
Moses and the ancient prophets : " Jesus of Nazareth, the son
of Joseph." Nathaniel was assured, from- the predictions
concerning the Messiah, that he was to be descended from the
line of David, and born in the city of Bethlehem, and therefore
discovered an amazement at his being called Jesus of Nazareth :

LIFE OF CHRIST. 73
"Can any good thing come out of1 Nazareth ?" Can that most
contemptible of places, Nazareth, be supposed to have given
birth to the mighty Saviour, the Prince of Peace ? especially
as it was expressly foretold by the prophet, that he was to be
born in Bethlehem, the city of David.
Notwithstanding tbe,'improbability of such art event, Nathan
iel listened to Philip, and determined ort an examination of the
person who he said was the promised Messiah. Accordingly,
under his direction, he repaired to the blessed Jesus, who know
ing his character, saluted him, on his approach, with this
honorable appellation, " Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom
is no guile." •
Nathaniel, amazed at our Lord's pertinent address, as he had
never before seen him, asked by what means he obtained such
precise knowledge of him. Our Lord replied, "he had seen
him under the fig-tree." Probably Nathaniel had been praying
under the fig-tree, and been overheard by our Lord, who,
from the substance of his prayer, thus concluded his character ;
for when the blessed Jesus informed him that he gave him'that
character on account of what had passed under the fig-tree,
Nathaniel perceived that he knew not only what had passed at a
distance, but had access to the inmost thoughts of the heart, a
property not allotted to mortals; and therefqre exclaimed with
rapture, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God,- thou art the king of
Israel." Our Saviour then told him-, he should hereafter have much
stronger testimonials' of the divinity pf his mission, when he
should be eye-witness to what the old patriarch Jacob had
before seen in a vision, the angels of heaven descending and
ascending, to attend the person and execute the commands of
the Son of Man : an appellation our dear Lord assumed not only
as considering his humanity, but in order to fulfil most peremp
torily that remarkable prediction ofthe prophet Daniel concern
ing him.
" I saw in the night visions, and behold one like the Son of
Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the ancient
of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was
given him dominion, and glory,- and a kingdom, that all people,
nations, and languages, should serve him. His dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his king
dom that which shall not be destroyed." Dan. vii. 13, 14.
The great Redeemer, having attested the divinity of his mis
sion by many incontestable evidences, and made five diseiples,
departed for Galilee, where, soon after his arrival, he was
invited, with his mother and disciples, to a marriage feast at
Cana, a place near Nazareth. 10

74 LIFE OF CHRIST.
At these nuptials there happened to be a scarcity of w'me,
and his mother, who interested herself in the conduct of the
feast, and was therefore desirous that every thing should be done
with decorum, applied to her son, hoping he would be able to
remedy the defect.
She had, doubtless, conceived he had the power of working
miracles, and was therefore desirous that he would give proof of
his ability in the presence of her friends, who were assembled at
the marriage.
Addressing herself, therefore, to her son, she told him, " they
have no wine." Our Lord gently reproved her, in these words,
" Woman, what have I to do with thee ? Mine hour is not yet
come ;" that is, the time or period of my public ministry is not
yet arrived; ner is it time for me to display my supernatural
powers. Notwithstanding this mild reproof, his mother still entertained
an opinion that he would interest himself in behalf of her and
the company, and therefore ordered the servants punctually to
obey his commands.
Our blessed Lord being assured, that working a miracle
would greatly tend to confirm the faith of his young disciples,
exerted his divine power, by ordering the servants to fill six
water-pots, containing each about twenty gallons, with water;
which was no sooner done, than the whole was converted into
excellent wine.
He then ordered them to draw, and bear to the governor of
the feast, who being ignorant of the miracle that bad been
wrought, and astonished at the preference of this wine to that
which had been served up at the beginning of the feast, address
ed himself to the bridegroom, in the hearing of the whole
company, telling him that, contrary to the usual custom, he had
reserved the best wine to the last, at the same time commending
so judicious a practice, as a plain proof of his approbation of
his friends present at the entertainment. The bridegroom was
equally surprised at the address of the governor of the' feast, and
the occasion of it, which was effected by the supernatural power
of our blessed Lord.
This miracle, which was the first wrought by Jesus, confirmed
the faith of his followers, and spread his renown throughout the
adjacent country. — The votaries of infidelity have not failed to
arraign the truth of this event, as well as to vent their sarcastic
humor upon it. Their mirth and ridicule seem chiefly founded
on a supposition, that most of the company were intoxicated,
and consequently more liable to delusion ; but we desire them
to suspend their opinion, or at least their judgment a little, while
we remind them, that the governor's speech to the bridegroom,
" Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine ; and

LIFE OF CHRIST. 75
wlien men have well drunk, then that which is worse," does not
imply even such a supposition ; but an evident reference to the
manner in which the entertainment was conducted, a manner
much preferable to that customarily followed.
Nor can these wise people in their own conceit, rationally
think, that Jesus ordered, or expected, that all the wine he had
furnished should be expended at this entertainment ; for, accord
ing to the Jewish custom on these occasions, it continued a
week. — Permit us likewise to observe, that there might be a
very important reason assigned for our Lord's furnishing such
abundance ; because, if the quantity had been considerably less,
the miracle would- have been much less apparent, and the ene
mies of Christianity, ever ready to grasp at the shadow or the
pretence, might have- denied that a miracle was wrought at all,
it having been easy to convey away a small quantity of water,
and substitute the like quantity of wine in its place ; whereas
such a deception must be allowed impracticable, in so large a
quantity, the transmutation being momentary.
The deists have likewise made much parade of argument
concerning the size of these water-pots. In this we give them
their utmost scope, persuaded, that all which they can say on
that head will not, in the least, tend to invalidate the Christian
cause. The blessed Jesus, having thus, by divers means, confirmed
the faith of his disciples, and attested the truth and divinity of
his mission, among those with whom he had been brought up,
departed from Cana, and proceeded towards Jerusalem, in order
to keep the approaching passover.

CHAPTER V.
Expulsion of the profaners of the Temple. — Jesus visits and
disputes with JYicodemus. — Baptizes in Judea. — Instructs a
poor Samaritan. — Heals a sick person at Capernaum. —
Retires again to Nazareth, and is expelled thence by his
impious countrymen. * .
Our blessed Lord, immediately on his arrival at Jerusalem,
repaired to the temple, nor was a little shocked at beholding a
place, dedicated to the solemn service of Almighty God, so
prostituted to purposes of fraud and avarice, and become the
resort of traders of every kind.

76 LIFE OF CHRIST.
Such abuse could not long escape his notice or correction,
having an absolute right to chastise so flagrant a perversion
of a place, that, strictly speaking, was his own. " The Lord
whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple : even the mes
senger of the covenant, whom ye delight in ; behold, he shall
come, saith the Lord of Hosts."
Accordingly the blessed Jesus, whose pious soul was vexed
at their profanation of the sacred place, drove out the traders,
and overset the tables of the money-changers, saying unto them
that sold doves, " Take these things hence ; make not my Fa
ther's house an house of merchandise."
These mercenary wretches a'ppear to have been struck at once
with a consciousness of their guilt, and the severity of our Lord's
reproof, as they immediately departed, without making the least
resistance. But our Lord's conduct in this affair, carrying with
it every token of zeal, for which the ancient prophets were so
remarkable, the council' assembled,' and determined to inquire
by what authority he attempted such a reformation, requiring,
at the same time, a demonstrative proof of the divinity of his
commission. To gratify their curiosity, our blessed Lord referred them
only to the miracle of his own resurrection ; " Destroy," says
he, laying his hand on his breast, " this temple, and I will raise
it up in three days." The rulers, mistaking his meaning, im
agined that he referred to tbe superb and lofty temple finished
by Herod, and therefore told him such relation was highly im
probable ; nor had they the least reason to think he could pos
sibly rebuild, in three days, that magnificent structure, which
had been finished at immense expense, and was the labor of so
many years.
Though the blessed Jesus declined compliance with the re
quest of the mighty and noble amongst the inhabitants of Jeru
salem, he wrought several miracles in the presence of the com
mon people, in order to confirm the doctrines he delivered, aud
prove the divinity of his mission.
As there had not been any miracles wrought amongst them
for a considerable time, though many were recorded in their
sacred books, they beheld our blessed Lord with amazement and
veneration ; and numbers were satisfied that he was the long
promised Messiah, "the desire of all nations," so often foretold
by the ancient prophets. For wise reasons, however, he did
not publicly discover that he was the Great Prophet, as he knew
that tbe faith of numbers was yet but weak, and that, conse
quently, many would desert his cause, when they found he was
opposed by the Sanhedrim, or great council of the nation, and
did not set up a worldly kingdom, as they thought the expected
Messiah was to do. But the miracles wrought by the Holy Je-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 77
sus did not excite the wonder and astonishment of the common
and illiterate class of the people alone.
Nicodemus, a principal person among them, impartially re
flecting on his wondrous works, so astonishing in their nature,
so demonstrative in their proof, so salutary in their effect, so
happily adapted to the confirmation of his doctrines, and so
perfectly agreeable to the attributes of the Deity as well as the
predictions of the ancient prophets, concerning the Messiah,
" the Sun of righteousness, who was to rise with healing in
his wings," was perfectly assured that nothing less than Om
nipotence itself could produce such wonders ; and thence, like
many others pf his countrymen, concluded that Jesus was of a
truth the Son, and sent of God, which last term is the mean
ing of the word Messiah. But scruples still arose in his mind
when, on the other hand, he considered the obscurity of his
birth, and the meanness of his appearance, so different from
the exalted notions the people of the Jews always entertained
concerning this powerful prince, who was to- erect his throne in
the mighty city of Jerusalem, and subject to b>s dominion all
the states and kingdoms of the earth. To obviate, therefore,
these scruples, and solve these perplexing doubts, Nicodemus re
solved on an interview with the blessed Jesus ; but choosing to
conceal his visit from the other members ofthe Sanhedrim, who
were greatly averse to his person and doctrine, he chose the
night as most convenient for that purpose.
His salutation of the mighty Redeemer of Israel was this:
" Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God : for
no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be
with him." John iii. 2.
Rabbi, I am sufficiently convinced that thou art immediately
sent as a teacher from on high ; for nothing less than power di
vine could enable thee to perform the miracles which thou hast
wrought in the presence of multitudes. But this salutation by
no means implies, that Nicodemus thought Jesus the great
promised Messiah, even the Redeemer of Israel ; nor could he
obtain that knowledge, till it was revealed to him by the blessed
Spirit of God.
We may observe, that our Saviour waiving all formality and
circumlocution, which tend to no real profit, immediately preach
es to this disguised Rabbi the first great doctrine of Christian
ity, regeneration ; " Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." ? Nico
demus, I declare unto thee, as a truth of the last importance ;
verily, verily, unless a man be regenerated in the spirit of his
mind, have his will and affections transferred -from earthly to
spiritual objects, he cannot see the kingdom of God, which is
holy and spiritual in its nature and enjoyments. _.

78 LIFE OF CHRIST.,
This was a mysterious system to the Rabbi, whose religious
views extended no farther than rites and ceremonies, and were
bounded by time and space ; besides he thought the very posi
tion of our Lord an absurdity in terms, " How can a man be
born when he is old ? Can he enter a second time into his
mother's womb, and be born ?" Our Lord replies to this ques
tion, " Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God." The regeneration
which I preach unto you is not of a natural, but of a spiritual
nature : unless a man embraces the Christian religion and doc
trines, whose initiating ordinance is baptism, and the subject of
divine grace, he cannot be the subject of divine glory, which
consists not in earthly splendor, and the gratification of the
meaner passions, but in an exemption from whatever is earthly,
sensual, and devilish, and the prosecution of whatever is heav
enly, holy, and spiritual. — " That which is born of the flesh is
flesh ; and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not
that I said unto thee, ye must be born again ;" wonder not at
my doctrine of regeneration, which is designed to inform you,
that you derive no excellence from your boasted descent from
Abraham ; as such you are merely earthly, subject to sins, and
infirmities of every kind ; as well as to shew that you must un
dergo a spiritual mental regeneration, a renovation ofthe heart,
which changes the whole man, and fits you for the participation
of heavenly blessedness.
This important work is likewise spiritual in its operation, un
seen by mortal eyes, being wrought on the mind or heart of
man, by the powerful influence of the Holy Spirit, which chan
ges his nature, and with respect to eternal things, makes him
another, a new creature. " The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it
cometh, and whither it goeth : so is every one that is born of
the spirit."
Notwithstanding this explanation of the blessed Jesus, Nico
demus was so prepossessed with partiality towards the Jews,
who, on account of their alliance to Abraham, thought they were
the people of God, entitled to heaven, and consequently in no
need of this new operation ofthe mind, called regeneration, that
he again demanded, " How can these things be ?" The divine
instructor then reproves his dulness and misapprehension of
what he had so clearly explained and propounded to him, es
pecially as he was himself a teacher of the people, and one of
the great council of the nation. " Art thou a master of Israel,
and knowest not these things ?" The doctrines I deliver are
not fiction, and mere surmise, but founded on eternal truth, im
mediately revealed from God, and consistent with the will of
heaven. I am witness to the same, and therefore affirm that

LIFE OF CHRIST. 79
such testimony is sufficient to render them valid. But your
prejudices still prevail, nor can your unbelief be conquered by
all the arguments I can advance. " We speak that we do
know, and testify that we have seen ; and ye receive not our
witness." If ye thus reject the first principles of the Christian religion,
such as the necessity of regeneration, or the influence of the
spirit e-f God upon the heart of man, how will ye believe the
sublimer truths I shall hereafter deliver concerning the kingdom
of God, or state of the saints in glory ? If I 'inform you of
spiritual transactions in this lower world, and ye believe not,
how can ye believe if I tell you of those things which relate
solely to another and heavenly state ? But to confirm your be
lief in what I have delivered, know that my assured knowl
edge of these things is derived from the Father of Light, the
God of Truth, by whom I am vested with gifts superior to any
of the ancient prophets.
No man hath ascended the- regions of immortality, and des
cended from thence, but " the Son of Man ;" consequently, no
man but " the Son of Man," can, with truth and certainty, re
veal the immediate will of the Father, who is in heaven. Your
great lawgiver Moses, ascended not there, Mount Sinai was the
summit of his elevation ; whereas the Son of Man, who was in
heaven, and came down from thence, with a divine commission
to sinful mortals, had the most clear and convincing proofs
of the will of his Almighty Father, penetrated into the designs
of infinite wisdom aud grace, and consequently must be higher
than any prophet, being in a peculiar sense, the prophet of the
most high God, or Angel of the presence.
This divine preacher, who spake as no man ever spake, like
wise labors to eradicate the favorite principle of the Jews : I
mean, that of confining all blessings, temporal and eternal, to
their own nation and people, as well as to show the vanity of
their expecting the appearance of the Messiah, in pomp and
magnificence. To effect this glorious design, he lays open to the Rabbi
that it was agreeable both to the doctrines of Moses, as well as
the will of God, that the Redeemer, in this state of mortality
should be exposed to poverty and distress of every kind : that
his conquests were not to be of a temporal nature, over the
hearts and wills of mankind : that his throne was not to be
established in the earthly, but heavenly Jerusalem, previous to
which he was to shed his blood, as, by virtue ofthe same, all of
every nation and kingdom, throughout the earth, might pass
into the heavenly world, and there, for ever, provided they reli
ed on his merits, and conformed their lives to the doctrines
he preached, enjoy that summit of bliss, which, through his suf-

80 LIFE OF CHRIST.
ferings, was provided for them, by God himself, to all eter
nity. This is the sum and substance of Christianity ; this is the
sum and substance of what our blessed Lord preached to Nic
odemus, that great ruler and teacher of the Jews ; a sermon
comprehending the whole of what need be' taught, notwithstand
ing religion is at this day rent to pieces by sectaries ; each of
whom invent some new-fangled doctrine, suggested by igno
rance, presumption, or both united.
That God Almighty, the Father, out of his unsupplicated,
unmerited grace and mercy to the sinful race of men, sent his
only begotten Son to purchase eternal life, through the effusion
of his own blood, for all of every nation and kingdom through
out the earth, who should believe in him ; that is, who should
believe in the divinity of his mission, the efficacy of his atone
ment, and, in consequence of that faith, conform, as far as the
infirmities of sinful nature will permit, to the rules of his Gos
pel, " Only let your conversation be as becometh the Gospel of
Christ:" condemnation justly passed on all transgressors of the
law of God, (which are all mankind) can alone be averted ac
cording to the divirie institution, the propriety of which it is the
height of impiety and presumption to call inquestion; by faith
in the blessed Jesus, such a faith as we have just explained,
" He that believeth on him is not condemned ; but he that be
lieveth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed
in the name ofthe only begotten Son of God."
It appears, from the future conduct of Nicodemus, that in
stead of supposing Jesus to be only " a teacher come from
God," he was fully convinced that he was the " Messiah, the
Redeemer of Israel :" for he afterwards constantly espoused his
cause in the great council of the nation ; and when his country
men put him to an ignominious death, he, together with Joseph
of Arimathea, conveyed him to burial, when all others had
forsaken him.
The time of the passover at Jerusalem being expired, Jesus,
together with his disciples, withdrew into the remote parts of
Judea, where he continued a considerable time preaching the
kingdom of God, and baptizing the new converts. — John the
Baptist being also, at the same time baptizing in the river Enon,
a dispute arose between his disciples and certain Jews, concern
ing the preference ofthe baptism of Jesus.
Being unable to decide the point, they referred it to the opin
ion of John ; on which the pious Baptist immediately declared,
that he was only the harbinger of the great Messiah, who
baptized not only with water, but with the Holy Spirit ;
adding, that his own ministry was on the decline, as the
beauty of the morning star, the harbinger of the sun, decreases

JACOB'S WELL.
[Page 81.]

" Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinkelh of this water, shall thirst again ?
" But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst." —
John, iv. 13, 14.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 81
when that fountain of light but dawns in the chambers of the
east. The Baptist likewise mentioned to his disciples and hearers
many circumstances tending to prove the divinity of the mis*
sion of the Holy Jesus, and the important design of his incar
nation. " He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life,
but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the
wrath of God abideth on him."
The Baptist, having publicly preached the great doctrine of
salvationt^through faith in Jesus, departed from the wilderness
of Judea, where he had continued a considerable time, and went
into Galilee, often repairing to the court of Herod, who esteem
ed, or affected to esteem, both his preaching and person. But
John, being faithful in his ministry, could not fail to remonstrate
on the injustice and impiety of a known practice of Herod,
which was, his cohabiting with Herodias, his brother Philip's
wife ; and thereby incurring the displeasure of that ambitious
woman, he was, at her instance, cast into prison, and there
reserved for future destruction.
Whilst these things happened in Galilee, our blessed Lord
continued preaching in the wilderness, whither great numbers
resorted, attracted by curiosity, to see the miracles which fame
reported he daily wrought. The success of his ministry, exci
ting the envy of the hypocritical tribe of Pharisees; our blessed
Lord thought proper to retire into Galilee, in order to promote
the design of his mission in those parts.
In the course of his journey, being weary with travelling in so
warm a country, and excessive thirsty, he sat down in Samaria,
by a celebrated well, given by the old patriarch Jacob to his
son Joseph, while his disciples were gone to the city to procure
provisions. While the humble Jesus was sitting by the well-side, a woman,
a native of the country, came with her pitcher to fetch water;
and our Lord requested of her to give him to drink. The
appearance of Jesus astonished the woman, because she knew
him to be a Jew, and the Samaritans were held in the utmost
contempt by those people, who, indeed, arrogated a preference
to all nations upon earth. But though she knew him to be a
Jew, she knew not that he was the Son of God, full of grace
and truth, divested of human prejudices, and the very essence
of humility, and every virtue.
As the design of his mission and incarnation was to promote:
the real happiness of mankind, he embraced every opportunity
of enforcing his salutary doctrines, and therefore, though his
thirst was extreme, he delayed its gratification, iu order to in
form this woman, though of an infamous character, of the means
by which she might obtain living water, or, in other words, eter-
11

82 LIFE OF CHRIST.
nal life. As the best method to effect this purpose, he gave her
to understand, that had she known the character of the suppli
cant, she would have eagerly satisfied his desire, and been
retaliated by a gift the most invaluable, even " living water,"
issuing from the well of eternal salvation.
The woman, taking his words in the common acceptation,
imagining that he suggested his power of supplying her with
water flowing from a perpetual spring, which, in that parched
climate, appeared impossible, demanded of him if he was vested
with a power superior to their father Jacob, who dug this well,
drank out of it with his family, and left it for the benefit of pos
terity. The Saviour and friend of mankind, still benign in his pur
pose towards this poor wretch, replied, " That all who drank
of the water of Jacob's Well would thirst again, being but a
temporary allay of a desire incident to human nature : whereas
those who drank of the water which he was ready to dispense,
should never thirst ; because that water flowed from the inex
haustible fountain of Divine Grace, and could not be drained
but with immensity itself."
Though this great preacher of Israel, by a simple and natural
allegory, displayed the power of divine grace, the woman, blind
to the allusion, endeavored to turn his pious and benevolent
discourse to ridicule, desiring the gift of that " living water,"
which would for ever prevent her from thirsting for the future.
To shew her the malignity of her presumption, in turning
into contempt the discourse of him, who had the words of eter
nal life, the blessed Jesus, by some pertinent questions and
replies, evinced his knowledge of her infamous course of life,
and by that means convinced her that he acted under an influ
ence more than human. To evade, however, the present subject
of discourse, which filled her with a degree of awe and fear, she
proposed to his discussion a case long warmly contested between
the Jews and Samaritans, " Whether Mount Gerizim, or the
city of Jerusalem, was destined by God, as the place peculiarly
set apart for religious worship ?" Our blessed Lord replied to
this evasive as well as insignificant question, " that it was not
,the place, but the manner in which adoration was offered to the
Father of Spirits, that rendered such worship acceptable; ob
serving, that " God is a spirit, and they that worship him must
worship him in spirit and in truth." John iv. 24.
In consequence of this reply to her, which apparently referred
to things spiritual and eternal, she informed the blessed Jesus
of her expectation of the arrival of the promised Messiah, who
should punctually inform them concerning these points, so long
indecisively contested.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 83
Ottr Lord, embracing the opportunity of preaching himself to
this poor woman, as the Saviour of sinners, replied, without
hesitation, " I that speak unto thee am he."
While Jesus continued talking with the woman, his disciples
returned, and approached him at the very time when he told
the woman that he was the Messiah. Though they were aston
ished at his condescension in conversing with an inhabitant of
Samaria, and even of instructing her in the doctrines of religion,
none presumed to ask him why he conversed with one who
was an enemy to the Jews, and the worship in the temple at
Jerusalem. But the woman hearing Jesus call himself the
Messiah, left her pitcher, and ran into the city to publish the
glad tidings, that the great Deliverer of mankind was then
sitting by the well of Jacob ; and had told her all the secret
transactions of her life. This report astonished the Samaritans, -
and at the same time roused their curiosity to see a person'
foretold by Moses and the prophets, and of whose appearance
there was then so universal an expectation.
The disciples, on their return, set before their master the pro
vision they had purchased ; but he, wholly absorbed in medita
tion, refused the refreshment so highly requisite, telling them
he had " meat to eat they knew nothing of." This unexpected
answer surprised his disciples, who, understanding his words in
their natural sense, asked one another, whether any person had,
daring their absence, supplied him with provisions ? But Jesus
soon explained the mystery, by telling them, that he did not
mean natural but spiritual food ; that, to execute the commission
he had received from his Father, was far better to him than
meat or drink ; and the satisfaction he was going to receive
from the conversion of the Samaritans much greater than any
sensual enjoyment.
Many pf the Samaritans were now near Jesus, who, lifting
np his eyes, and seeing the ways crowded with people coming
to him from the city, stretched out his benevolent hand towards
them, and addressed his disciples in the following manner^
" Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh har
vest? Behold I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on
the fields^ for they are white already to harvest." John iv. 35.
Behold yonder multitudes, how they are thronging to hear
the word, which has only a few minutes been sown in their
hearts ! It is not, therefore, always necessary to wait with pa
tience for the effect ; for it sometimes immediately follows the
cause. To gather this spiritual harvest, and finish the work of
him that sent me, is my proper food ; adding; for the encourage
ment of his disciples, As you have labored with me in this
harvest of souls, so shall you participate in the great reconn
pense of eternal reward : "be that reapeth receiveth wages, and

$4 LIFE OF CHRIST.
gathereth fruit unto life eternal; that both he that soweth, and
he that reapeth, may rejoice together." John iv. 36.
Many of the people had been so affected at the words of the
woman, that they were fully persuaded Jesus could be no other
than the great Messiah ; accordingly their first request was,
that he would deign to take up his residence in their city. The
compassionate Redeemer ofthe human race so far complied, as
to stay with them two days ; an interval which he spent in
preaching to them the kingdom of God ; so that the greatest
part of the city embraced the doctrine of the gospel; and at his
departure, said unto the woman, " Now we believe, not because
of thy saying : for we have heard him ourselves, and know
that this is indeed the Christ, the saviour of the world." John
iv. 42.
Having accomplished his gracious design in Samaria, Jesus
continued his journey to Galilee, to exercise his ministry, and
preach there the kingdom of God : telling his disciples, that the
time was now accomplished which had been pre-determinod by
Omnipotence, for erecting the happy kingdom of the Prince of
Peace ; and, therefore, the Mosaic ceremonies were no longer
obligatory, righteousness alone being now required from the
children of men.
Our Lord had performed several miracles at Jerusalem during
the passover, at which the inhabitants of Galilee were present.
His preaching was, therefore, at first attended with great suc
cess, for they listened attentively to his doctrine, and received
it with particular kindness and courtesy ; especially the people
of Cana, where he had turned the water into wine.
During his residence iri that city, a nobleman of Capernaum
came to him,, requesting, with great humility and reverence,
that he would come down and heal his son, who was at the
point of death. Our blessed Saviour readily complied with the
latter part of this request ; but to remove a prejudice they had
conceived, that it was necessary to be personally present, in
order to restore the sick person to health, refused to go down to
Capernaum, dismissing the father with this assurance, that his
son was restored to health. " Go thy way ; thy son liveth."
John iv. 50. Tbe nobleman obeyed the word of Jesus, and
immediately departed for his own house ; but before his arrival,
he was met by his servants, with the joyful news that his son
was recovered. On this the father inquired at what time they
perceived an alteration for the better ; and from their answer
was satisfied, that immediately after the words were spoken by
the blessed Jesus, the " fever left him," and he was recovered
in a miraculous manner. This amazing instance of his power
and goodness abundantly convinced the nobleman and his fam-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 85
ily, .that Jesus was the true Messiah, the great prophet so long
promised to the world. ,
After some stay in the city and neighborhood of Cana,
Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had spent the greatest part
of his youth, and, as his constant custom was, went to the syn
agogue on the sabbath day, and read that celebrated prediction
of the Messiah in the prophet Isaiah, " The spirit of the Lord
is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel
to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to
preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to
the blind; to set at liberty them that are bruised, and to preach
the acceptable year ofthe Lord." Luke iv. 18, 19.
It should be remembered, that our blessed Saviour read this
passage in the original Hebrew, which was then a dead lan
guage : and, as he had never been taught letters, could do it
only by inspiration from above. But he did more ; he explained
the passage with such strength of reason, and beauty of ex
pression, that the inhabitants of Nazareth, who well knew he
had never been initiated into the rudiments of learning, heard
him with astonishment. But as he performed no miracle in
their city, they were offended at bim. Perhaps they thought
the place of his residence should have been his peculiar care ;
and, as he could, with a single word, heal the sick at a distance,
not a single person in Nazareth should have been afflicted with
any kind of disease. That they really entertained sentiments of
this kind seems plain from our Saviour's own words : " Ye will
surely say to me, Physician, heal thyself: whatever we have
heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country;" evi»
dently alluding to the great and benevolent miracle he had
wrought on the nobleman's son.
But the holy Jesus, by enumerating the miracles Elijah had
done in behalf of the widow of Sarepta, who was a heathen,
and an inhabitant of an idolatrous city, in the time of famine,
when many widows in Israel perished with hunger ; and of
Naaman the Syrian, who was cured of his leprosy by the pro
phet Elisha, when numbers of Jews, afflicted with the same
loathsome disease, were suffered to continue in their unclean
ness, sufficiently proved that the prophets had, on some extra
ordinary occasions, wrought miracles in favor of those whom
the Israelites from a fond conceit of their being the peculiar
favorites of heaven, judged unworthy of such marks of particu
lar favor. The council were so incensed at this reply, that,
forgetting the sanctity of the sabbath, they hurried him through
the street " to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built,"
intending to cast him headlong down the precipice ; but the
Son of God defeated their cruel intentions, by rendering himself
invisible, and withdrawing from the fury of these wretched people.

86 LIFE OF CHRIST.

CHAPTER VI.
Our Lord proceeds to Capernaum. — Adds to the number of his
followers.-*— Proclaims the Gospel in Galilee. — Preaches to a
numerous audience his well-known and excellent ^Discourse
vpon the Mount.
The holy Jesus, aggrieved by the cruel Nazarenes, departed
from them, and fixed his habitation in Capernaum, the capital of
Galilee, and, from being built on the borders ' of the Lake of
Genesareth, a place highly convenient for his designs ; for, be
sides the numerous inhabitants of that city, the trading towns
on the Lake were crowded with strangers, who, after hearing
the doctrine of the Gospel preached by the great Redeemer of
mankind, would not fail to spread, in their respective countries,
the happy tidings of salvation.
Though it was expedient that he should spend a considerable
time in preaching, and working miracles, to confirm his mission,
and instruct his disciples in the doctrine they were afterwards
to publish to the whole world, this could not be done at Jeru
salem, the residence of the Scribes and Pharisees, whose ambi
tion would never have suffered so celebrated a teacher as Jesus
to reside among them : these countries were, therefore, the only
places where he could, for any time, take up his residence, and
instruct the people in such a manner, as to answer the great
intention of his coming into the world.
If any should inquire why he chose Capernaum in preference
to all the other places situated on the Lake of- Genesareth, we
reply, because he was certain of being favorably received by the
inhabitants of that city. He had gained the friendship of the
principal family, by restoring to health a favorite child, who,
to all human appearance, was just sinking into the chambersof
the grave. Nor was this family the only friends he had in that
city ; so stupendous a miracle could not fail of procuring the
love and esteem of all the relations of that noble family ; be
sides, so benevolent and surprising a miracle must have concil
iated the respect of all the inhabitants of Capernaum, who
could not be ignorant of so remarkable an event. And accord
ingly our Saviour spent here, and in other places bordering on
the Lake, a great part of the time of his public life ; so that
the inhabitants of these parts enjoyed a considerable share of
the blessed company and divine instructions of the Son of God.
It may not be amiss, in this place, to give a short description
of the celebrated Lake, called in the Old Testament, the Sea
!of Chinnereth ; but in the New^ it has three different appella-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 8?
tions, being called the Sea of Galilee, from the province of
Galilee in general ; the Sea of Tiberias, from a city of that
name on its western shore ; and the Lake of Genesareth, from a
particular tract of Galilee, extending a considerable way along
its Western side.
According to Josephus, it is a hundred furlongs in length,
and forty in breadth. The bottom is of gravel, which renders
the waters both of a good color and taste. It is softer than
either fountain or river water ; and, at the same time, so cold
that it will not grow warm, though exposed to the rays of the
sun in the very hottest season of the year. The river Jordan
runs through the midst of it, which stocks it with a great variety
of fish, of a peculiar form and flavor, not found in any other
place. The countries surrounding this lake were large, fertile, and
populous, especially the two Galilees, which, according to
Josephus, had a great many towns, and a multitude of villages,
the least of which contained fifteen hundred souls. On the east
side were the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, Gadara, and Hip-
pon ; on the west, Capernaum, Tiberias, and Tarrichea. Arid
from all these advantages, it was a common saying among tbe
Jews, that God loved the sea of Galilee above all other seas.
An observation strictly just, if to these we add its greatest
advantage, namely, that this sea, above all others, was frequent
ly honored with the divine presence of the great Redeemer of
mankind, while he dwelt at Capernaum, and even once after he
arose from the dead.
While Jesus tarried at Capernaum, he usually taught in the
synagogues on the sabbath-day, preaching with such energy of
power, as greatly astonished the whole congregation. He did
not, however, constantly confine himself to that city ; the adja
cent country was often blessed with his presence, and cheered
with the heavenly words of his mouth.
In one of .the neighboring villages, he called Simon and
Andrew, wh'o were following their occupation of fishing on the
lake, to accompany him. These disciples, who had before been
acquainted with him, readily obeyed the heavenly mandate, and
followed the Saviour of the world. Soon after he saw James
and John, who were also fishing on the lake, and called them
also. Nor did they hesitate to follow the great Redeemer of
mankind ; and, from their ready compliance, there is reason to
believe that they, as well as Simon and Andrew, were acquaint- '
ed with Jesus and Jordan; unless we suppose, which is far from
being improbable, that their readiness proceeded from the secret
energy of his power upon their minds. But, however this be,
the four disciples accompanied our blessed Saviour to Caperna
um, and soon after to different parts of Galilee.

88 LIFE OF CHRIST.
How long our Lord was on this journey cannot be deter
mined : all the Evangelists have mentioned is, that he wrought a
great number of miracles on diseased persons ; and that the fame
of these wonderful works drew people from Galilee, Jerusalem,
Judea, and beyond Jordan. Nor was the knowledge of these
miracles concealed from the heathen, particularly the inhabit
ants of Syria ; for they also brought their sick to Galilee to be
healed by him. Consequently, the time our blessed Saviour
spent in these tours must have been considerable, though the
Evangelists have said very little concerning it.
But whatever time was spent in these benevolent actions, the
prodigious multitudes which flocked to him from every quarter,
moved his compassion towards those who were bewildered in
the darkness of ignorance, and determined him to preach to
them " the words of eternal life."
For this blessed purpose, he ascended a mountain in that
neighborhood ; and placing himself ou an eminence, from
whence he could be heard by throngs of people attending him,
he inculcated, in an amazingly pathetic manner, the most impor
tant points of religion. But, alas ! they were coldly received,
because many of them were directly opposite to the standing
precepts delivered by the scribes and pharisees. Surely, these
people, who had seen the blessed Jesus perform so many benev
olent actions to the poor, the diseased, and the maimed, might
have entertained a more favorable opinion of his doctrine, and
known that so compassionate and powerful a person must
have been actuated by the Spirit of God, and, consequently,
that the doctrine he taught was really divine.
He opened his excellent sermon with the doctrine of happi
ness, a subject which the teachers of wisdom have always con
sidered as the principal object iu morals, and employed their
utmost abilities to convey a clear idea of it to their disciples,
but differed very remarkably with regard to the particulars in
which it consisted. The Jews were, in general, persuaded that
the enjoyments of sense were the sovereign good. Riches,
conquest, liberty, mirth, fame, revenge, and other things of the
same kind, afforded them such pleasures, that they wished for
no better in the Messiah's kingdom, which they all considered
as a secular one ; and that a " golden," instead of a " sceptre
of righteousness," would have been the " sceptre of his king
dom." Nay, some of the disciples themselves retained, for a
time, the like kind of notion, till they were convinced of their
mistake by the conduct of their divine Master.
Our Lord and Master, therefore, to shew his hearers in gen
eral, and his disciples in particular, the grossness of their error,
declared, that the highest happiness of man consisted in the
graces of the Spirit, because from the possession and exercise of

LIFE OF CHRIST. 89
them, the purest pleasures result ; pleasures which satisfy even
the Almighty himself, and constitute his ineffable felicity. The
rich, the great, the proud, said the great Redeemer of mankind,
in whom the wisdom of God was fully displayed, are not hap
py, as you imagine ; they are always wishing for what they
cannot obtain ; and their disappointments are poisoned arrows,
festering in their breasts. On the contrary, the poor in spirit
are the truly happy, who discharge the duties of their station, ,
whatever it be, with virtue and integrity, and bless the omnip
otent Hand who fashioned them in the womb, and guards them
from all dangers in this humble vale of sorrow and distress :
and though they are excluded from enjoying an earthly king
dom, yet they have a much better reserved for them eternal in-
the heavens. " Blessed are the poor in spirit : for their' s is the
kingdom of heaven."
The jocose and flighty are not the happy race of mortals ;
but, on the contrary, the afflicted, provided they rightly improve
their afflictions ; that is, if they are excited by them to mourn
for their sins, forsake their wicked courses, and seek a better
life. For they shall here enjoy the consolation that their sins
are forgiven ; and, after passing through the valley of the shad
ow of death, the fruition of eternal joys. " Blessed are they
that mourn : for they shall be comforted."
The truth of this heavenly aphorism is very evident; for what
has so great a power to turn the feet of the sons of men into
the path of virtue, as affliction ? Has not affliction a natural
tendency to give mankind a distaste to the pleasures of the
world, and convince them they are nothing more than " vanity
and vexation of spirit ;" and consequently, to demonstrate that
they must seek for happiness in things more solid and permi-
nent than any in the vale of tears ? Affliction awakens the most
serious thoughts in the mind ; composes it into a grave and
settled frame, very different from the levity inspired by prosper*
ity: it gives a fellow-feeling ofthe sorrows of others ; and makes
it thoroughly sensible of the danger of departing from God, the
source and centre of all its joys.
Nor are the passionate happy ; but, on the contrary, the meek :
those who have subdued their tempers can patiently bear provo
cation, and are strangers to that destructive passion, envy. —
The meek shall inherit the choicest blessings ofthe present life ;
for, indeed, they principally flow from that benevolent and heav
enly temper of mind. Meekness consists in the moderation of
our passions, which renders a person lovely and venerable in the
eyes of his fellow-mortals ; and thence he possesses their sincere
esteem, while the passionate and envious man is considered as
despicable, though adorned with the robe of honor, and digni-
12

90 LIFE OF CHRIST.
fied with the most ample possessions. " Blessed are the meek :
for they shall inherit the earth."
Men, through vanity and blindness, consider those as hapr
py who enjoy the pleasures of this life, by rioting in luxury
and excess. But this is far from being the case ; on the con
trary, those are the truly happy who have the most vehement
desire of treading the paths of virtue and religion. For they,
by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, shall obtain every thing
they desire ; shall be happy here in the practice of righteous
ness ; and, after this transitory life is ended, shall be received
into the blissful mansions of the heavenly Canaan. " Blessed
are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness : for they
shall be filled."
Forgiveness, not resentment, for injuries done, is the spring
of happiness; and those who are of a humane and beneficent
disposition, rejoice when they can perform a benevolent action,
especially to their fellow-mortals in distress. The merciful shall
see themselves recompensed even in this life : for they shall find,
after many days, the bread they have cast upon the waters of
affliction, returning tenfold into their bosoms. And surely noth
ing can surpass the pleasure felt by a generous mind at having
relieved a brother, when pressed beneath a load of misfortunes ;
the pleasure is godlike ; it is divine. " Blessed are the merci
ful : for they shall obtain mercy."
Sensuality, which is a subjection to the appetite, cannot be
enjoyed by those who seek it in the goods of fortune : it is the
state of those who have mortified their carnal appetites, to en
joy an inward purity of mind. With what delight do we behold
the glories of the sun, and contemplate the beautiful scenes of
nature that surround us! But what proportion has this to the
ineffable delights that must fill the minds of those who behold
the great Creator himself, who called the whole universe from
nothing, and still supports it with the word of his power ? " Bles
sed are the pure in heart : for they shall see God."
The tyrants and conquerors of the earth, who disturb the
peace of mankind, are far from happy ; it falls to the share of
those who love their fellow-creatures, and do all in their power
to promote peace and harmony among the children of men.
For they imitate, as far as human nature will permit, the per
fection of their Maker ; and therefore will be acknowledged by
him for his children, and participate of bis happiness. " Bles
sed are the peace-makers : for they shall be called the children
of God."
Nor does happiness consist in liberty and ease, if those priv
ileges are purchased at the expense of virtue. Those who have
suffered the severest trial that human nature is capable of sus
taining, from purity of heart, and for conscience' sake, shall

LIFE OF CHRIST. 91
be honored with the highest rewards in the blissful mansions of
eternity. " Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteous
ness' sake : for their's is the kingdom of heaven."
Contentment is not to be expected from the applause of the
world ; but will be the portion of those who are falsely reviled
for their righteousness, and share in the affronts offered to God
himself; for by these persecutions the prophets of all ages have
been distinguished. " Blessed are ye when men shall revile
you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against
you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad :
for great is your reward in heaven : for so persecuted they
the prophets which were before you." Matt. v. 11, 12.
These are the declarations, with regard to happiness, made
by the Son of God ; and surely we may believe the words. of
him who came down from heaven ; and who,- in compassion to
our infirmities, took upon himself our nature ; and to redeem
us from the power of sin and death, offered himself a sacrafice
on the cross, and thereby open to us the gates of eternal life.
Having shewn iu what true happiness consisted, our Saviour
addressed himself to his disciples, and explained their duty as
the teachers appointed to conduct others in the paths that lead
to eternal felicity : excited them to diligence in dispensing the
salutary influences of their doctrine" and example, that their
bearers might honor and praise the great Creator of heaven and
earth, who had been so kind to the children of men.
As his definition of bappiness was very different from what
the Jews were accustomed to hear from the scribes and phari-
sees, he thought proper to declare that he was not come to .de
stroy the moral precepts contained in the law or the prophets,
but to fulfil or confirm them.
Nothing is so steadfast as the eternal truths of morality ; the
heavens may pass away, and the whole frame of nature be dis
solved, but the rules of righteousness shall remain immutable
and immortal. And, therefore, he ordered his disciples, on the
severest penalties, to enforce both, by preaching and example,
the strict observation of all the moral precepts contained in the
sacred writings ; and that in a much greater latitude than they
were taken by the teachers of Israel. And, in consideration of
the frailties of human nature, taught them that excellent form
of prayer, which has been used by Christians of all denomina
tions to this very day.
" Our Father," &,c.
If earthly parents are called fathers, the Almighty has the
best title from every creature, and particularly from men, being
the father of their spirits, the maker of their bodies, and the
continual preserver of both. Nor is this all ; he is "our father"
in a still higher sense, as he regenerates us, arid implants his

92 LIFE OF CHRIST.
image upon our minds : so that, partaking of his nature, we be
come his children, and therefore, we can, with a holy boldness,
call him by the title of that relation. In the former sense, God
is the father of all his creatures, whether good or bad ; but in
the latter, he is the father only of the righteous. " Father" is
the most magnificent title invented by philosophers or poets, in
honor of their gods ; it conveys the most lovely idea possible
to be conceived by the human breast. As it is used by man
kind in general, it marks the essential character of the true
God, namely, that he is the first cause of all things, or the au
thor of their being ; and, at the same time, conveys a strong
idea of the tender love he ¦ bears to his creatures, whom he
nourishes with an affection, and protects with a watchfulness,
infinitely superior to that of an earthly parent. The name of
" father" also teaches us, that we owe our being to God, points
out his goodness and mercy in upholding us, and expresses his
power in giving us the things we ask. Nor is this all ; we are
likewise taught to give our Maker the title of " father," that our
sense of the tender relation in which he stands to us may be
confirmed ; our faith in his power and goodness strengthened ;
our hopes of obtaining what we ask in prayer cherished ; and
our desire of obeying and imitating him quickened ; for the light
of nature teaches us, that it is disgraceful in children to de
generate from their parents, and that they cannot commit a
greater crime than to disobey the commands of an indulgent
father. Lastly, we are commanded to call him " father" in the plural
.number, and that even in our secret addresses to the throne of
grace, to put us in mind that we are all brethren, the children
of one common parent; and that we ought to love one another
with sincerity, as we pray not for ourselves only, but for all the
human race. •
" Which art in heaven." These words do not suppose tbe
presence of God confined ; he is present every where ; is about
our paths, and about our bed, and narrowly inspecteth every ac
tion of the sons of men. But they express his majesty and
power, and distinguish him from those we call fathers upon
earth, and from false gods, which are not in heaven, the happy
mansions of bliss and felicity, where the Almighty, who is essen
tially present in every part of the universe, gives more especial
manifestations of his presence to such of his creatures as he hath
exalted to share with him in the eternal felicities of the heavenly
Jerusalem. " Hallowed be thy name." By the name of God, the He
brews understood God himself, his attributes, and his works ;
and, therefore, the meaning of the petition is, May thy exist
ence be universally believed, thy presence loved and imitated,

LIFE OF CHRIST. 93
thy works admired, thy supremacy over all things acknowledg
ed, thy providence reverenced and confided in ! May all the
sons of men think so highly of his divine majesty, of his at
tributes, of his works : and may we so express our veneration
for God, that his glory may be manifested in every corner of the
world !
" Thy kingdom come." Let the kingdom of the Messiah, or
the gospel dispensation, be extended to the utmost parts of the
earth, that all the children of men " may become one fold, un
der one shepherd, Jesus Christ the righteous."
" Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." May thy
will, O thou great Father of the universe, be done upon us, that
by the light of thy glorious Gospel we may be enabled to imi
tate the angels of light, by giving as sincere, universal, and con
stant obedience to thy divine commands, as the imperfection of
human nature will permit.
" Give us this day our daily bread." Give us, from time to
time, such wholesome and proper food, that we may be enabled
to worship thee with cheerfulness and vigor.
" And forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors." The
Almighty, as supreme governor of the universe, has a right to
support his government, by punishing those who transgress his
laws. The suffering of punishment, therefore, is a debt which
sinners owe to the divine justice : so that when we ask God in
prayer to forgive our debts, we beg that he would be mercifully
pleased to remit the punishment of all our sins, particularly the
pains of hell ; and that, laying aside his displeasure, he would
previously receive us into favor, and bless us with life eternal.
In this petition, therefore, we confess our sins, and express the
sense we have of their guilt ; namely, that they deserve death ;
and sure nothing can be more proper than such a confession in
our addresses to God ; because humility, and a sense of our own
unworthiness, when we ask favors of the Almighty, whether
spiritual or temporal, have a tendency to augment the goodness
of God in bestowing them upon us.
The terms of this petition are worthy our notice : " Forgive
us only as we forgive." We must forgive others, if we hope
ourselves to be forgiven ; and are permitted to crave from God
such forgiveness only as we grant to others ; so that if we do
not forgive even our enemies, we seriously and solemnly implore
the Almighty to condemn us to the punishments of eternal death.
How remarkably careful, therefore, should men be to purge their
hearts from all rancor and malice, before they enter into the
temple of the Almighty, to offer up their prayers to the throne
of grace !
" And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
That is, do not lead into such temptations as are too hard for

94 LIFE OF CHRIST.
human nature ; but deliver us, by some means, from the evil ',
either by removing the temptation, or increasing our strength to
resist it. This petition teaches us to preserve a sense of our own
inability to repel and overcome the solicitations of the world,
and of the necessity there is of our receiving assistance from
above, both to regulate our passions, and enable us to prosecute
a religious life.
" For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, for
ever and ever." Because the government of the universe is
thine for ever, and thou alone possessest the power of creating
and upholding all things ; and because the glory of thine infinite
perfections remain eternally with thee ; therefore, all men ought
to hallow thy name, submit themselves to thy government, and
perform thy will ; and in a humble sense of their dependence,
seek from thee the supply of their wants, the pardon of their
sins, and the kind protection of thy providence.
This is emphatically called the Lord's prayer, because deliv
ered by the Son of God himself; and therefore, we should do
well to understand it thoroughly, that when we enter the temple
of the Lord, and address him in solemn prayer, we may have
hopes that he will grant our petitions. And, above all, not to
harbor in our breasts the least envy or malice against any who
may have offended us ; for it is only a supposition that we have
forgiven others, that we have the least reason to hope for obtain
ing forgiveness from the great Creator.
The divine Preacher proceeded to consider the great duty of
fasting, in which he directed them not to follow the hypocrites
in disfiguring their faces, and in clothing themselves in the mel
ancholy weeds of sorrow ; but to be chiefly solicitous to appear
before God as one that truly fasteth. Then will the Almighty,
who constantly surrounds us, and is acquainted with even the
most secret thoughts of our hearts, openly bestow upon us the
rewards of a true penitent, whose mortification, contrition, and
humility, he can discern, without the external appearances of
sorrow and repentance. It must, however, be remembered, that
our blessed Saviour is here speaking of private fasting, and to
this alone his directions are to be applied ; for when we are call
ed upon to mourn over the public sins or calamities, it ought
to be performed in the most public manner.
Heavenly-mindedness was the next virtue inculcated by the
blessed Jesus : and this he recommended with a peculiar earn
estness, because the Jewish doctors were, in general, strangers
to this virtue, in which he was desirous his followers should be
clothed, as being the most excellent ornament for a teacher of
righteousness. This virtue is strenuously recommended by our blessed Sav
iour, by shewing the deformity of its opposite, covetousness^

LIFE OF CHRIST. 95
which has only perishable things for its object. " Lay not up
for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay
up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor
steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be al
so." Matt. vi. 19, 20, 21.
, More solid happiness will accrue from depositing your treas
ures in the chambers of the courts of heaven, than in this earth
ly habitation of clay, where they are subject to a thousand dis
asters ; and even, at best can remain only for a short series of
years ; whereas, those laid up in the heavenly Jerusalem are
permanent, subject to no accident, and will purchase " a crown
of glory that fadeth not away, eternal in the heavens." Nor let
any man be so foolish as to think he can place his heart on
the happiness of a future life, when his treasures are deposited
in this vale of misery ; for wherever are laid up the goods which
his soul desireth, there his heart and affections will also remain.
If, therefore, ye are desirous of sharing in the joys of eternity,
ye must lay up your treasures in the " mansions of my Father's
kingdom." Lest they should imagine it was possible to be both heavenly-
minded and covetous at the same time, he assured them that
this was full as absurd as to imagine that a person could, at the
same time, serve and divide his affections equally between two
masters of opposite characters. " No man cau serve two mas
ters ; for either he will hate the one, and love the other ; or else
he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot
serve God and mammon." Malt. vi. 24.
To strengthen this doctrine, he added a few plain and evi
dent instances of the power, perfection, and extent of God's
providence, in which his tender care for the least and weakest of
his creatures shines with a remarkable lustre, demonstrating the
wise and »paternal attention of the Deity to all the creatures of
his hand. He desired them to observe the birds of the air the
lilies, and even the-jgrass ofthe field ; leading his most illiterate
hearers to form a more elevated and extensive idea of the divine
government than the philosophers had attained, who, though
they allowed, in general, that the world was governed by God,
had very confused notions of his providence with regard to eve
ry individual creature and action. He taught them that the Al
mighty Father of the whole was the guardian and protector of
every being in the universe; that every action js subject to his
will, and nothing left to the blind determination of chance.
And if we direct our lives according to the divine will, we
have surely no reason to be anxious about the necessaries of life.
" Behold," says the blessed Jesus, " the fowls of the air : for

96 LIFE OF CHRIST.
they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns ; yet
your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye much better
than they ?" Matt. vi. 26. Are not the fowls of the air, who
have no concern for future wants, fed and nourished by the be
neficent hand of your heavenly Father ? and can ye doubt that
man, whom he hath made lord of the whole earth, shall be des
titute of his tender care ? " And why take ye thought for rai
ment ? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow ; they
toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, that
even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of
these." Matt. vi. 28, 29. Consider the lilies thct so finely
adorn the adjacent fields ; how beautiful their form ! how lively
their»colors ! how fragrant their scent! the productions of art
but faintly imitate them. Even Solpmon himself, dressed in his
splendid robes of royalty, was but meanly adorned in compari
son of these. And surely, if Omnipotence thus beautifully
clothes various productions of the fields, whose duration is re
markably transient and uncertain, you have not the least reason
to doubt but he will bless your honest endeavors, and send you
proper clothing. Are ye not of infinitely more value than
they ?
Be ye anxiously solicitous to obtain the happiness of the life
to come ; and all the good things of this life, shall, in the course
of divine Providence, be added unto you.
Our Lord then prohibited all rash and uncharitable censure,
either with regard to the characters of others in general, or their
actions in particular : lest, in doing so, both God and man re
sent the injury. If you judge charitably, says the meek and be
nevolent Redeemer of the human race, (making proper allow
ances for the frailties of human nature) and are ready to pity and
pardon their faults, both your heavenly Father, and man will
deal with you after the same manner. But if you always put
the harshest construction on every action, and are not touched
with a feeling of your brother's infirmities, nor shew any mercy
in the opinions you form of his character and actions, no mer
cy will be shewed you, either from Omnipotence, or the sons of
men. God will inflict on you the punishments you deserve,
and the world will be sure to retaliate the injury. " Judge not,
that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye
shall be judged : and with what measure ye mete, it shall be
measured to you again. Matt. vii. 1, 2.
The blessed Jesus, in his pious discourse, told them to in
culcate an entire reformation in themselves, a particular abso
lutely necessary in those whose office it is to reprove and reform
their brethren. And surely, nothing can be more preposterous,
than to condemn in others, what we practice ourselves ; or to set
up for reformers of the world, when we ourselves are contami-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 97"
nated with the most enormous vices. With what countenance
can we undertake to rebuke others for small faults, when we are
ourselves plunged in the most detestable pollutions? Well
might the Redeemer of the world say, " Thou hypocrite, first
cast out the beam out of thine own eye ; and then shalt thou
see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." Matt.
vii. 5. , ,
These are the important points of doctrine recommended by
the infallible Preacher, as necessary to the teachers ofthe Gos
pel of peace ; but it is not enough that they know and practise
the several branches of their duty : to extend the happy doc
trine among mankind, there must also be a readiness, and even
a desire, in the people to receive them : for if these be wanting,
all attempts to spread these heavenly truths will prove abortive :
and therefore our blessed Saviour added : " Give not -that
which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before
swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again
and rend you." Matt. vii. 6. Do not reprove men of a snarl
ing disposition, as the attempt, instead of having the happy
effects intended, will but provoke them to pursue their wicked
ness with greater boldness than ever. You may warn others
against their company and example, you may weep over them,
and you may pray to your heavenly Father for them ; but you
cannot reprove them with safety, or any hopes of success.
Lest the disciples should think that these precepts were not
to be attained by human nature, he directed them to apply to
God for the assistance of his Spirit, together with all the other" ,
blessings necessary to their salvation : assuring them, that if
they asked with earnestness and perseverance, the Father of
mercies would not fail to answer their requests, and give them
whatever they desired ; adding the noblest precept of morality
that was ever delivered by any teacher, " All things whatsoever
ye would that men should do to you, do,ye even so to them;
for this is the law and the prophets." Matt. vii. 12. How
clear a rule of duty is this, and how easy and applicable to
practice ! Look into your breast, and do- as you would be done
by, in the same condition.
Having enforced these beavertjy precepts, he exhorted then!
to place an humble dependence on the Spirit, to strive to prac
tise the precepts of religion,' however difficult the, task might
appear. " Enter ye in at the strajt gate ; for wide is the gate,
and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many
there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and
narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that
find it." Matt. vii. 13, 14. How strait indeed is the gate, '
how narrow the way, that leadeth to life! In the way, nothing
is to be found that flatters the flesh, but many things that'
13

98 LIFE OF CHRIST.
have a tendency to mortify it ; poverty, fasting, watching, inju
ries, chastity, sobriety. And with regard to the gate, it receives
none that are puffed up with the glory of this life ;. none that
are elated and blown up with pride ; none that are distended
with luxury : it does not admit those that are laden with the
caskets of riches, or incumbered with the goods of this world.
None can pass through it but those who are stripped of all
worldly lusts, and who, having put off their bodies, are, if I may
be allowed the expression, emaciated into spirits. There is,
however, no reason for us to despair of entering through this
heavenly portal ; if we sincerely endeavor, the assistance of the
Hply Spirit will make us " more than conquerors ;" and we
shall safely pass through the " strait gate," and pursue our
journey with ease along the " narrow path," till we arrive at
the blissful mansions of the heavenly Canaan.
But, lest evil-minded men, under the mask of piety and reli
gion, should endeavor to draw them from the paths of right
eousness, our blessed Saviour cautioned his disciples to beware
of such persons, and carefully make the strictest scrutiny into
their lives and doctrines.
Our Lord closed his sermon with the parable of the houses
built on different foundations ; intimating, that the bare knowl
edge, or the simple hearing of the divinest lessons of morality
ever delivered, nay, even the belief of these instructions, with
out tbe practice of them, is of no manner of importance.
Religion alone is the foundation which can so. firmly establish
us, that we cannot be shaken by all the tempests of afflictions,
temptations, and persecutions of the present life. It is this
foundation alone, which, like a flinty rock, or the basis of the
mountains, can support us in the day of trial. This alone can
enable, us to frustrate the attempts of men and devils, and pa
tiently endure all the troubles of mortality.

CHAPTER VII.
Our blessed Lord cures the Leprosy ard, Palsy. — Casts out a
Devil. — Succors the Mother-in-law oj Peter; and afterwards
pursues his Journey through the country of Galilee.
The great preacher of IsraeJ having finished his 'excellent
discourse,, came down from the mountain, surrounded by a mul
titape, of people, who had listened with astonishment to the
doctrines he delivered, which were soon confirmed by divers

LIFE OF CHRIST. 99
miracles. A leper met him in his way to Capernaum, and
being, doubtless, acquainted with the wondrous works he had
already performed, threw himself, with great humility, before
the Son of God, using this remarkable expression) " Lord, if
thou wilt, thou canst make me clean."
The species of leprosy common amrtng the Jews, and other
eastern nations, was equaUy nauseous and infectious ; but this
was so far from preventing the blessed Jesus from approaching
so loathsome an object, that it increased his pity ; he even
touched him; but, instead of being 'polluted himself, the leper
was instantly cleansed, and he departed, glorifying God.
The Evangelist adds, that Jesus forbade him to tell any per
son what had been done, but repair immediately to the priest,
and offer the gift commanded by Moses.
Having performed the cure on the leper, our blessed Lord
proceeded to Capernaum; but as he entered the city, he was
itiei by a Roman centurion, who represented to him, in the most
pathetic manner, the deplorable condition of his servant, who
was grievously afflicted with a palsy. The compassionate Re
deemer of the world listened attentively to his complaint, and
immediately told him he would come and heal him. The cen
turion thought this too great a condescension to one who was
not of the seed of Jacob, and therefore told him, that he did
not mean be should give himself the trouble of going to his
bouse, as this was an honor he had not the least reason to ex
pect, he being assured that his word alone would be sufficient ;
diseases and devils being as much subject to his commands, as
his soldiers were to him.
Our Lord was amazed at these words. Not that he was
ignorant of the centurion's faith, or the basis on which it was
built ; he well knew the thoughts of his heart long before he
uttered his request ; but he was filled with admiration at the
exalted idea the Roman officer had conceived of his power ; and
to make this faith the more conspicuous, he gave it .the praise it
so justly deserved. " Verily t pay unto you, I have riot found
eo great faith ; no, not in Israel." Matt. viii. 10.
This centurion,- doubtless, relied upon the miracle Jesus had
before wrought upon the nobleman's son; but the excellency
arid peculiarity of it consisted in applying the most grand ideas
of the divirie power of Jesus, who, according to outward ap
pearance, was only one of the sons of meii.
This exalted faith induced the blessed Jesus to declare the
gracious intentions bf his Almighty Father with regard to the
Gentiles ; namely, that he would as readily accept their faith
a!s that ofthe Jews, and place them with Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, iri the kingdom of heaVen, while those who boasted of
fceTng the offspring of these great patriarchs, but fell far short

100 LIFE OF CHRIST.
of the'heathens in faith, should be excluded from the blissful
seats of Paradise. " And I say unto you, that many shall
come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abra
ham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But
the children ofthe kingdom shall be cast out into outer dark
ness ; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matt.
viii. 11, 12.
Having thus addressed the multitude, the blessed Jesus turned
himself to the centurion, and said, " Go thy way, and as thou
hast believed, so be it done unto thee." Though the idea
thou hast conceived of my power is just, though remarkably
great, as a reward for thy faith, I grant thee the petition thou
hast asked of me. "And," the Evangelist adds, "his servant
was healed in the self-same hour." Matt. viii. 13.
On the succeeding Sabbath, our Saviour went into the Jew
ish synagogue, at Capernaum, and taught the people, delivering
his instructions in so graceful and elegant a manner, that they
were all astonished ; and to increase their admiration, one of
the congregation, possessed with an unclean spirit, cried out,
in a terrible manner, " Let us alone ; what have we to do with
thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us?
I -know thee, who thou art, the Holy One of God." Mark,
i. 24..
But the blessed Jesus, who wanted the testimony of no such
confessors, commanded him to keep silence, and immediately
come out of the man ; which command the evil spirit instantly
obeyed, to the great surprise and astonishment of all the spec
tators. The enemies of the Gospel have always endeavored to de
preciate our Saviour's miracles, pretending that no more is
meant by a person possessed of the devil, than that he was
afflicted with some loathsome disease ; and that, because sepul
chres were considered as polluted places, therefore, whenever
any melancholy person frequented them, they were said to be
possessed with unclean spirits. They add, that it will be diffi
cult to assign a reason why demons were, at this time, more
numerous in Judea than in any other country.
To the first of these objections, namely, that the demoniacs
were ip reality nothing more than persons afflicted with some
Joathsome disease, we reply, it is evidently false ; the Evangelist
having taken care to be very particular on this head. " They
brought unto him (says he) all sick people that were taken with
divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed
with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had
the palsy ; and he healed them." Matt. iv. 24. " He gave to
the apostles power against unclean spirits, to cast. them out, and
jo heal aU manner of sickness, and all manner of disease."

LIFE OF CHRIST. 101
Matt. x. 1. And, accordingly, " he healed many that were
sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils." Mark, i. 34.
It is therefore evident, that those said to be possessed with un
clean spirits were different from those which had diseases. Let
us therefore pass to the second objection, and see whether we
cannot give a satisfactory reason why demons were at this time
more numerous in Judea than in any other country.
That there were evil spirits of this kind is abundantly evident
from the holy scriptures, the sacred penmen having taken care
to acquaint us with their origin and fall, their names and num
bers, their government and orders, their malicious designs and
employments, with several other particulars. So that no one
can doubt of the existence of demons, who believes these holy
oracles to be the word of God. And it is equally evident, both
from sacred and profane history, that before our Saviour's ad
vent great numbers of men were possessed with those evil
spirits. The truth is, these angels of darkness had, at this time, taken
possession of so large a share of the world, that they began to
rival the Almighty in his worship; and, therefore, one end of
the incarnation of the Son of God was " that he might destroy
the works of the devil." And hence we may easily see the
reason why Omnipotence suffered these apostate spirits to ap
pear so frequently in Judea at the time of our Saviour's minis
try, namely, that the Son of God might, in a more signal
manner, triumph over all the powers of darkness, and convince
mankind that he was truly the Saviour ofthe world.
But to return. The fame of this miracle was soon spread
over the neighboring country. He had before healed the sick,
and done many other wonderful things ; but to command with
authority the unclean spirits to quit their residence ; and to see
these enemies to mankind readily obey his voice, filled them
with astonishment, and abundantly convinced them that he was
filled with the Spirit of God.
It has been asked, why the devil, who, it is plain from the
text, knew our Saviour to be the Son of God, should put it into
the heart of Judas to betray him, since this was the proper
method of accomplishing the redemption of mankind ? But the
answer to this is obvious and easy. The devil, doubtless, knew
Jesus to be the Messiah ; but he was ignorant of the mystery
of man's redemption. And, therefore, though he was not igno
rant of his divinity, yet he might be so far infatuated as to
think that, by destroying his humanity, he should defeat the
great design of Omniptotence. For however extensive we may
suppose his intellectual faculties to be, yet the wonderful work
of man's -redemption, by the death of Christ, was a mystery

102 LIFE OF CHRIST.
that no finite understanding could comprehend, till God himself
was pleased to reveal it.
Having performed this astonishing miracle in the synagogue,
our Lord retired to Peter's house, where he found his wife*s
mother sick of a fever ; bnt, on taking her by the hand, she
was immediately restored to her former health, and arose from
the bed, and ministered unto him."
The Evangelist, St. Luke, in his account of this miraculous
cure, tells us, that " he rebuked the fever," (Luke, iv. 39) to
intimate his authority over all diseases ; being analogous to the
figurative expressions in scripture, which not only represent all
inanimate creatures as servants to the Almighty, but diseases,
famine, pestilence, and the like, as executioners, waiting on hirii
to inflict punishment on rebellious sinners. " Before him
went the pestilence, and burning diseases went forth at his
feet." The fame of these miracles was soon spread through the city ;
and as soon as tbe sabbath was over, which ended at the setting
of the sun, the whole city was gathered together about Peter's
house, and with them great numbers of sick persons and those
possessed with devils. The sight of so many human objects iu
distress excited the pity of this heavenly physician; so that he
immediately healed them all. And thus was the prophecy of
Isaiah fulfilled : " Himself took Our infirmities and bare our
sicknesses." But the vast concourse of people that now gathered round
him in Capernaum began to be troublesome, and he retired into
a desert, whither the multitude soon followed him, and entreated
him never to depart from them. But as this request was in
consistent with the design of his mission, he, for the first time,
refused their request, " and preached in the synagogues of Gal
ilee." Luke, iv. 44.

CHAPTER VIII.

Jesus confirms his Mission by producing a miraculous Draught
of Fishes ; — curing the Leprosy a second Time ^appetising
the boisterous Waves; — casting Devils out of divers Persons
grievously possessed.
Our blessed Lord, having spread his doctrine throughout
Galilee, returned to Capernaum, followed by such numbers of
people that he found it necessary to step into Peter's ship:

DRAUGHT OF FISHES.
[Page 103.]

" When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me ;
for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord.
" For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which
they had taken."— Luke, v. 8, 9.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 103
from whence he taught the multitude, who stood on the shore
listening, with great attention, to his doctrine.
Having concluded bis discourse, he turned himself to Simon
Peter, desiring him to launch out further from the shore, and let
down his net. On which the disciple told him of the unsuc
cessful pains they had taken during the whole night; but added,
that he would, in obedience to his command, make one trial
more. Nor had he any cause to repent ; for the net was no
sooner in the lake, than they found it so full of large fishes, that
it was in danger of breaking.
This success, after such ill fortune, astonished Peter, who,
falling down at the feet of Jesus, cried out, " Depart from me,
for I am a sinful man, O Lord." He was conscious of the
many sins he had been guilty of, and therefore afraid of being
in the company of so divine a person, lest some infirmity or
offence might have exposed him to more than ordinary chastise
ment. But the benevolent Redeemer of mankind removed his fears,
by telling him, that from thenceforth the employments of him
and his companions should be far more noble : they should
" catch men ;" that is, they should turn them from the crooked
path of iniquity, to the straight road leading to the heavenly
mansions. This miracle was considered by the disciples as a plainer
manifestation of his being the Son of God, than those they had
seen him perform on the sick in the city and neighborhood of
Capernaum. It was a received opinion among the Jews, that
all good men, by prayers, and laying their hands on the sick,
were able to cure certain diseases, and even to cast out devils ;
but that the creatures inhabiting the elements of air or water
were subject only to the commands of Omnipotence himself:
consequently, the power shewn by our blessed Saviour, on this
occasion, undeniably proved him to be divine. And, accord
ingly, this demonstration of his power rendered these disciples,
for the future, absolutely devoted to his will ; and in the great
ness of their admiration they abandoned every thing, and follow
ed the Saviour ofthe world.
The disciples being thus attached to their divine Master,
followed him through the cities of Galilee, where, according to
his usual custom, he preached the gospel of the kingdom of
God, and confirmed the doctrines he delivered with astonishing
miracles. In one of the cities through which he passed, he found " a
man full of leprosy, who seeing Jesus, fell on his face, and
besought him, saying, f Lord, if thou [wilt, thon canst make me
clean." Lake, v- 12

104 LIFE OF CHRIST.
It was the custom in Judea for the priests to banish from
society those persons who were afflicted with the contagious
species of leprosy. The disease of this person, therefore, was of
a less pestilent kind, as he was suffered to enjoy the conversa
tion of men. His case, however, excited the pity of the com
passionate Jesus, who immediately cleansed him, ordered him
to repair to Jerusalem, and, after shewing himself to the
priest, offer the gifts commanded by Moses, giving him the
same admonition he had done to others, namely, not to tell any
man what he had done for him. But the blessing he had re
ceived was so great and unexpected, that, instead of conceal
ing, he published every where the great things Jesus had done
for him; which brought such crowds to the Son of God, that
he was obliged to retire from Capernaum into the wilderness,
to refresh his body with rest, and his spirit with prayer and
meditation. The generality of commentators suppose that this leper, and
the other mentioned in the foregoing chapter, are one and the
same person ; but this is a mistake. The former was cured in
the fields, the latter in the city. After cleansing the first, Jesus
went to Capernaum, and healed the centurion's servant : but
after curing the latter, he retired into the wilderness to shun
the prodigious crowds, which soon gathered round him, from
the leper's publishing every where the miracle Jesus had
wrought for him.
If the curious should inquire why our blessed Saviour so
often commanded the people to conceal his miracles? we an
swer them : his modesty and humility would not suffer that his
works should have the least appearance of ostentation ; oor the
Jews to have the least pretence for accusing him of " seeking
his own glory." Nor was it proper, at this time, to irritate too
greatly the scribes and pharisees. He well knew that in a cer
tain determinate space of time they would bring about what
had been determined by Providence concerning him. In the
mean time, " he was to work the works of him that sent him,
while it is day," (John, ix. 4,) and to propagate his Gospel
with the greater facility, both among the Jews and Gentiles j
which could not have been so conveniently performed, if the
greatness of his miracles had once provoked the malice and
envy, of his enemies, to exert their utmost power against bim.
He likewise knew the mad capricious humor of the multitude,
and had reason to apprehend " that they would come and take
him away by force, to make him king," (John, vi. 15.) if all his
miracles had been blazed abroad, before he had sufficiently
instructed them in the spiritual nature of his kingdom, and that
his throne was not to be established in the earthly, but in tbe
heavenly, Jerusalem.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 105
From these instances we see that the blessed Jesus did not,
without sufficient reason, desire his miracles to be concealed.
The fame of this single miracle being spread through the neigh
boring countries, brought such multitudes of people to Caper
naum, that, as we have already observed, he was obliged to
retire into a solitary part of the neighboring wilderness. Nor
could he long enjoy the repose of tranquillity, he sought, even
in this thirsty waste ; the people soon discovered the place pf his
retreat, and flocked to him from every quarter.
Our blessed Lord, finding all his endeavors to conceal him
self in the desert would be in vain, ordered his disciples to ac
company him to the other side of the lake ; upon which a cer
tain scribe, who happened to be present, declared he would
follow him ; but Jesus, who well knew that his desire was only
to gain the profits and advantages of an earthly kingdom, which
he supposed the Messiah would establish, told him, if he intend
ed nothing more-by following him, than to improve his worldly
fortune, he would find himself wretchedly mistaken. " The
foxes have holes," saith the blessed Jesus, to this teacher of Is
rael, " and the birds of the air have nests ; but the Son of Man
hath not where to lay his head." Matt. viii. 20.
The title, " Son of Man," is a name by which the Messiah is
called in the prophecy concerning him, recorded by the prophet
Daniel, (vii. l3.) where his universal dominion is described ;
and therefore, when applied to our great Redeemer, denotes his
human nature, and, at the same time, conveys an idea of that
glorious kingdom, over which he was in his nature to preside.
But as it was also the name by which the old prophets were
called, from the contempt in which they were held by their
countrymen, it is used on several occasions to express the deep
humiliation of the Son of God.
The disciples 'having prepared the ship, took on board their
Master, and departed for the other side of the lake, attended
by many boats full of people, who were desirous of hearing his
heavenly discourses, and of being spectators of his astonishing
works. But Jesus, being fatigued with the labors of the day,
sat himself down at the stern of the ship, and fell asleep.
The weather, which had till now been calm and serene, sud
denly changed. A terrible storm came on, and the rising waves
dashed impetuously against the ship, threatening every moment
to bury them all in the bowels ofthe deep. The darkness of
the night increased the horrors ,of the tempest. Now they were
carried on the top of the mountainous wave, and seemed to
touch the skies ; then plunged to the bottom of the deep, while
the foaming billows roared horribly above thehi. In vain the
disciples exerted their utmost strength ; the storm continued to
increase, and baffled all the efforts of human strength. The
14

106 LIFE OF CHRIST.
waves broke over the ship, the waters rushed in, and she be
gan to sink. All hopes of escaping were vanished ; despair
seized every individual ; "and they were on the brink of perish
ing, when they ran to Jesus, crying out, " Master, Master, we
perish !" Their vehement cries roused him from his sleep. He
raised his hand, so often employed in acts of mercy and benevo
lence ; and with a stern and awful voice, rebuked the boisterous
element. The raging, sea instantly obeyed his command. The
aerial torrent stopped short in its impetuous course, and be
came silent as the grave, while the mountainous waves sunk at
once into their beds, and the surface of the deep became as
smooth as polished marble.
The disciples had before seen their great Master perform
many miracles ; and therefore had abundant reason to rely whol
ly on his power and goodness. They should have considered
that he who could, by his word, restore the sick, and bring
the inhabitants of the sea to their nets, could with the same
ease have supported them on the surface of the deep, had the
ship sunk beneath them, and carried them safe to the place
whither they were going. But .they seemed to have forgotten
the power of their Master ; and when human assistance failed,
to have abandoned all hopes of life. The blessed Jesus, there
fore, very justly rebuked them. " Why are ye fearful, O ye of
little faith ?" Why should ye doubt of my power to protect you ?
The voyage was undertaken at • my command ; and therefore
you should have been confident that I would not suffer you to
perish in it.
It is indeed strange that the disciples should have been so
remarkably terrified during the storm, and after it to make this
remarkable reflection : " What manner of man is this, that even
the winds and the sea obey him ?" Matt. viii. 27.
But it should be remembered, that the terror of the storm
had deprived them of all presence of mind ; so that they did
not recollect the divine power of their Master, during the fury of
the tempest ; and the transition from a terrible storm, to the
most perfect calm, was so quick and astonishing, that they ut
tered this reflection before the confusion in their minds was
over. Soon after the storm was allayed, they arrived in the country
of Gadara ; and on their landing, two men possessed with devils
came from the tombs, to meet Jesus. One of them, who was
more furious than the other, had been often bound with chains
and fetters, but to no purpose, being always broken with great
fury ; so that no man attempted farther to restrain him. Being
therefore at liberty, he shunned the society of men, wandering
day and night in desert places, among the sepulchres or caverns

LIFE OF CHRIST. 107
where the dead were deposited, crying and making the most dis
mal complaints, and cutting himself with stones.
The disciples were terrified at the approach of these furious
mortals; but Jesus soon dissipated their fears, commanding,
while the men were at a distance, the devils to come out of
them. The heavenly mandate was no sooner given, than they
fell on their faces, crying out, " What have I to do with thee,
Jesus, thou Sou of the most high God?" (Mark v. 7.) " Art
thou come hither to torment us before the time?" (Matt. viii.
29.) " I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not !"
(Mark v. 7.) The apostate spirits well knew the power of the
Son of God, and trembled lest he should immediately cast them
into the torments prepared for them, and not suffer them to con
tinue roving through the earth till the day of judgment, when
they should be condemned to eternal punishments in the sight of
the whole creation.
Jesus being willing that the torments suffered by these miser
able men should be known, before he healed them, asked one
of the devils his name, who answered, " Legion, for we are
many," (Mark v. 9,) begging at the same time, that he would
not command them to repair into the deep, or bottomless
pit, but suffer them to enter a herd of swine, feeding at a
distance. How subtle are the wiles of the devil ! The power of the
Son of God he knew was not to be resisted ; but he could not
help envying the benevolent miracles he had wrought for the
sons of men ; and was therefore willing to prevent, as much as
possible, their good effects on the miserable people of this coun
try. This was the true reason why he begged leave to enter
the herd of swine : he knew, if he could obtain that permission,
he could destroy them ; and this he hoped would render our
blessed Saviour odious to the wicked inhabitants of Gadara.
Though Jesus well knew his crafty design, yet he permitted
the devils to enter the swine, that his disciples and, others who
were with him, might be fully convinced these unhappy persons
were really possessed by apostate spirits ; and at the same time
give them a terrible instance of their power, when free from all
restraint. The divine permission was no sooner granted, than the spec
tators beheld, at a distance, the torments these poor creatures
suffered ; with what amazing rapidity they 'ran to the confines
of the lake, leaped from the precipices into the sea, " and per
ished in the waters." While the persons who, a moment before
were raving and cutting themselves in the most shocking man
ner, became at once meek and composed, having recovered en
tirely the exercise of their reason.

108 LIFE OF CHRIST.
The keepers ofthe herd, terrified at this astonishing miracle,
ran into the city, publishing in every part, the cure of the
men possessed with the devils, and the destruction of the swine.
This surprising report threw the inhabitants into the greatest
consternation: they left the city to be spectators of so wonder
ful an event ; but when they saw the men who had been possess
ed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, decently clothed, and in their
right minds, their fear was increased. For knowing they had
trespassed in keeping the swine, which was contrary to the law
of Moses, they dreaded a more severe punishment ; and being
ignorant of the goodness of Jesus, though he had given them
so remarkable a proof of it, in the cure of these wretched mor
tals, they besought him that he would leave their country.
There prevailed a custom among the heathens, when any
illustrious hero had delivered his country from his enemies, or
from any other great evil, to erect lofty columns to his memory ;
his statue was seen in every place ; altars blazed to its glory ;
tbey honored him with the high appellation of Saviour ; and
thought nothing, not even divine honors, too great to confer
upon him, But when Christ had removed a monster from the
Gadarenes, more formidable and fearful than any in heathen
history, even a " legion of devils," and rendered the way, by
which no man could pass before, secure from danger ; instead
of being received by them as a Saviour, and as a God, with the
acclamations and hosannas of the people, he was besought to
depart out of their coasts. Stupid people ! they had, indeed,
lost their herd of swine ; but surely the valuable gift they had
received, in two of their countrymen and fellow-creatures being
delivered from the tyranny of Satan, was better than the cattle
on a thousand hills, and merited, at least, their thanks and
acknowledgments !
The stupid request of the Gadarenes was, however, compli
ed with by the blessed Jesus, who, entering the ship, return
ed to the country from whence he came, leaving them a valua
ble pledge of his love, and us a noble pattern of perseverance
in well-doing, even when our kindnesses are condemned, or re
quited with injuries. He would not suffer the persons dispos
sessed to accompany him, though they earnestly requested it ;
but ordered them to stay in their own country, as a standing
monument both of his power and goodness. " Go home to thy
friends," said the compassionate Jesus to one of them, " and
tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and
hath had compassion on thee." Mark v. 19.
We cannot but remark in this place, that we have here a
fuller display of the tyranny and power of the devil, than in
any other part of scripture : and, therefore, we may oppose it
to the loose scoffs, and recommend it to the serious attention of

LIFE OF CHRIST. 109
those infidels and thoughtless sinners, who like the pharisees
and sadducees of old, when exhorted to abandon their evil
courses, from a consideration of the power of Satan, and the
dread of eternal torments, made a mock at both, esteeming
them nothing more than religious fables, calculated to keep an
ignorant world in awe. But with regard to themselves they
vainly think their minds too well furnished with wisdom, and
their discernment too penetrating, to believe any thing of the
flames of the bottomless pit, and the malice of the prince who
sways the sceptre of that horrid place ; esteeming him a more
mild and generous governor than he is represented in this mir
acle. But could they be persuaded to attend seriously to the
miserable spectacle drawn by the Evangelist, of a wretched
mortal, naked, dwelling in tombs, crying out day and night,
cutting himself with stones, furious, fierce, destructive ; surely
their scoffs and idle mockeries would be changed into compas
sion, and a watchful care of themselves. This surely common
prudence would dictate. But if they will deride, and still dis
believe, a short space of time, perhaps a single moment, will
convince them of their fatal error ; and dreadful experience
force them to acknowledge the greatness of the tyranny, the
bitterness and malice of this prince of darkness, against the
souls of the sons of men.
May that blindness of mind, and obduracy of heart, be re
moved, that so they may know and acknowledge the salvation
of God, even Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life !

CHAPTER IX.
Our Lord proceeds in acts of mercy and benevolence. — Adds
Matthew to the number of his Disciples  Casts out an evil
Spirit. — Passes again through Galilee.. — Selects twelve from
among his Disciples, as his constant followers and compan
ions, and harangues the multitude in an excellent discourse.
The arrival of our Saviour and his disciples at Caperna
um, a city of Galilee, was no sooner published, than such
throngs of people were gathered together, that the house could
not contain them, nor even the court before it. He however,
preached the words of eternal life to the listening audience,
among whom were many pharisees and doctors of the law,
who, from the fame of his miracles, were come from all quar
ters to hear him.

110 LIFE OF CHRIST.
He not only addressed them in the most nervous and pa
thetic manner, in order to inculcate the doctrines he deliver
ed ; but also performed such astonishing miracles as ought to
have removed all their scruples with regard to the truth of his
mission. Among other instances he gave of his divine power, was
that of restoring a man to perfect health, who had long been
afflicted with the palsy, and was reduced by that terrible disease
to the most melancholy condition, being unable to move any
member of his body, but seemed rather an emaciated carcass
than a man. This miserable object was supported in his bed
by four persons, who being unable to enter by the door, on ac
count of the multitude, carried him to the top of the house,
which, like the other roofs in that country, was flat, and had
a battlement round, according to the direction given by Moses.
Deut. xvii. 8.
On these roofs there was a kind of trap-door, by which they
came out of the houses upon the roofs,. where they spent a con
siderable part ofthe day. It was also 'common to have a flight
of stairs from the garden to the roof: and by these the per
sons seem to have carried the sick of the palsy ; but finding
the door fastened, forced it open, or uncovered the roof, and
through the opening let down by ropes, the sick of the palsy,
lying on his bed into the midst of the company, before Jesus,
who seeing the faith of the friends of this afflicted person, he
had compassion on him, and spake aloud, " Son, be of good
cheer ! thy sins are forgiven thee."
The pride of the scribes taking offence at this saying, cried
out, this man speaketh blasphemy ; for he appropriates that to
himself, which is solely the province of Omnipotence. " Who
can forgive sins, but God only ?" They were ignorant that the
person who uttered such' gracious words was the Son of God;
and consequently, had the power of forgiving the sins of the
human race.
But our Lord, who had recourse to the most secret recesses
of the heart, and was willing to shew them that he was really
endued with the Spirit of God, said to them, " Wherefore
think ye evil in your hearts ? For whether is it easier to say
to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say,
Arise, take up thy bed, and walk ?" These were questions
beyond the abilities of the haughty scribes to answer, and they
held their peace. The blessed Jesus then added, that the mir
acle he was going to perform would sufficiently demonstrate
that he had not usurped what did not in the strictest manner,
belong to him. And turning himself from these bigoted teach
ers of Israel, towards the sick of the palsy, he said unto him,

LIFE OF CHRIST. Ill
M Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine own house." Matt.
ix. 6.
Nor was this divine mandate any sooner given, than the
man was restored to his former health and strength ; and, to
the astonishment of all present, rose, took up his bed, and de
parted to his own house, glorifying God. And all the people,
when they saw this great work, expressed the highest degree
of surprise, mixed with admiration, for the great honor the Al
mighty had conferred on human nature. " They glorified God,
who had given such power unto men."
But with regard to the scribes and pharisees, though they
must have been confounded at this miracle, yet they still con
tinued in their unbelief; an instance, which should awaken in
us the most serious thoughts, as it abundantly demonstrates, that
the palsy of the soul is a much more deplorable disease than the
palsy of the body.
The blessed Jesus having wrought this miracle, repaired to
the sea-side, and taught a multitude of people. What the sub
ject of his sermon was, the Evangelists have not told us ; but
it was, doubtless, like the rest, calculated to promote the eternal
welfare of mankind.
His discourse being ended, he returned to the city ; and in
his way saw Matthew, or Levi, the son of Alpheus, a rich pub
lican, sitting in his office, where the customs were levied, at
the port of Capernaum, whom he ordered to follow him. Mat
thew immediately obeyed the summons, and followed the Sav
iour of the world, to pursue a far more honorable and im
portant employment, being afterwards both an apostle and Evan
gelist. A few days after his calling, he made a splendid entertain
ment for his Master, inviting all the publicans he knew ; hop
ing, that by hearing the heavenly conversation of Christ, they
might also repent and embrace the doctrines of the Gospel.
The self-righteous scribes and pharisees, who considered all
men as sinners except themselves, especially the publicans, were
highly offended that one who called himself a prophet, should so
far demean himself, as to be seen in the company of such men j
and asked his disciples with an air of insolence, in the hearing
of all the guests, how their Master could sit down at the same
table with publicans and sinners ?
Our Lord replied to this artful question, that the sick only
had need of a physician, and desired them to reflect seriously
on the prophet Hosea's declaration : " I will have mercy, and
not sacrifice." The turning sinners into the paths of righteous
ness, which is the highest act of benevolence, is far more ac
ceptable to the Almighty, than all the ceremonies of the law of
Moses, so highly magnified by your fraternity ; who, on many

112 LIFE OF CHRIST.
occasions, observe them at the expense of charity ; adding, " I
am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
The repentance of the righteous is not so much the object of
my attention, as the conversion of sinners.
This answer, however satisfactory to an unprejudiced person,
was far from being so to the scribes and pharisees, who, joining
with some of John's disciples, then present, returned to Mat
thew's house, and demanded of Jesus why his disciples wholly
neglected to fast, a duty often performed by the rulers of Isra
el, and the disciples of John ? To this the blessed Jesus repli
ed, it is not a proper season for the friends of the bridegroom
to fast and afflict themselves, while they enjoy his company i
" but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken
away from them, and then they shall fast." The various calam
ities and afflictions that shall attend them, after the departure of
their Master, shall cause them to fast, which they shall repeat
as often as the circumstances of distress and danger with which
they are surrounded, shall require. And added, that to have
obliged his disciples to observe the precepts of frequent absti
nence, at a time when he was employing them to preach the
Gospel, by which all the legal ceremonies of the law were to
be abolished, would have been as absurd, as to sew a piece of
new cloth upon a rotten garment, which would on|y make the
rent the worse ; or to put new wine into old leathern bottles,
which, on the first fermentation of the liquor, would burst. In
dicating, that the old corrupt nature of man would not admit
of a thorough reformation being made at once : that infant vir
tue must not immediately be put to the greatest trials, lest it
be destroyed by the severity of the exercise.
During this controversy between our Lord and the haughty
scribes and pharisees, in Matthew's house, Jairus, a ruler of
the synagogue, came running to him in all the agonies of grief;
and in the presence of the whole company, fell on the ground
before him, beseeching that he would come and heal his daugh
ter, who lay at the point of death.
When did the beneficent Jesus deny his gracious assistance
to those who implored it of him ? He immediately arose, and
followed the ruler towards his house, surrounded by a great
multitude of people, who were desirous of seeing so great a.
miracle. But as he passed through the streets, a woman, who had for
twelve years been afflicted with an issue, or flux, of blood, and
had spent her whole substance on physicians to no purpose,
" came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment : for
she said within herself, If I may but touch his clothes I shall be
well." Nor was she deceived ; for no sooner had she touched
the border of the garment of the Son of God, than " her issue

LIFE OF CHRIST. 118
of blood dried up :" and she felt, by the return of her health
and strength, and other agreeable sensations that accompany
such sudden changes, from painful diseases to perfect health, that
the cure was absolutely complete.
But this transaction could not be concealed : the blessed Jesus
knew the whole, and her secret thoughts, before she put them in
practice ; and, pleased with tbe opinion this woman had enter
tained both of his power and goodness, would not, by any
means, suffer it to pass unapplauded. Accordingly, he turned
himself about, and asked, " Who touched me ?" He well knew
the person : but asked this question for the fuller manifestation
of the woman's faith, and that he might have an opportunity of
instructing and comforting her. „^
His disciples being ignorant of what had passed, were sur
prised at the question : " Thou seest," said they to their Master,
" the multitude thronging and pressing thee, and sayest thou,
Who touched me ?" They did not distinguish between the spir
itual and corporeal touch, nor knew that such efficacious virtue
had gone out of their Master. Jesus, however,- persisted in
knowing who it was that had done the thing : and the woman,
finding it vain to conceal her action any longer, came to him,
trembling, and told him all. Perhaps the uncleanness of her
distemper was the reason of her fear, thinking he would be
offended, even at her touching the hem of his garment. But the
divine physician, far from being angry, spake to her in the
kindest manner, and commended her faith, on which account
he had consented to heal her plague : " Daughter, be of good
comfort : thy faith hath made thee whole." Matt. ix. 22.
Such a miraculous incident must, doubtless, have greatly
strengthened the ruler's faith ; for behold, a virtue, little inferior
to that of raising the dead, issues from the border of Christ's
garment, and heals a disease, which, for the space of twelve
years, had baffled all the precepts of the healing art, and defied
the power of medicine. Indeed, the faith of this ruler had
great need of the strongest confirmations ; for news was brought
him, that his daughter was even now dead; and therefore it
was needless for him to give any further trouble to Jesus, not
in the least suspecting that he had power to recall the fleeting
spirit, and to reanimate a breathless carcass.
This message was a terrible blow to the affectionate parent.
His only daughter, who, a few days before, was in the bloom of
youth, was now a pale and lifeless corpse ; and with her all his
joys and comforts were fled. But Jesus, commiserating his
grief, desired him to be comforted, promising that his daughter
should be made whole.
On his coming to the ruler's house, he found it full of
mourners, who made terrible lamentations ; a sufficient demon-

114 LIFE OF CHRIST.
stration that the damsel was really dead. And, accordingly,
when our blessed Saviour desired the mourners to cease their
funeral ceremonies, as " the maid was not dead, but sleeping,"
they " laughed him to scorn."
It is necessary to remark, in this place, that the Jews, when
they spoke of a person's death, styled it " sleep," to intimate
their belief that his spirit existed in the happy scenes of para
dise, and their hopes of a future resurrection to life eternal.
But the blessed Jesus used the word with remarkable propriety,
to signify, that though she was now locked in the cold embraces
s6f death, yet he was going to release her from the power of the
.km^ef terrors, with the same ease as a person is awaked from
'sleep. Thus our blessed Saviour, in the very manner of per
forming a miracle, modestly declined the honor that would un
doubtedly result from a work so greatly superior to all the
powers of the sons of men.
Having thus briefly addressed the mourners, he entered the
chamber where the damsel was lying, but suffered none to follow
him,; except Peter, James, and John ; together with the father
arid mother of the damsel. Probably his reason for suffering
these only to be spectators of so stupendous a work, was, that
they inight have an opportunity of examining the whole transac
tion iri the most careful manner, and be thence enabled, after
wards, to report it upon the fullest conviction, and wiUi every
circumstance of credibility.
The blessed Jesus now approached the body, took her by the
hand, and, with a gentle voice, said, " Maid, arise !" The
heavenly command was instantly obeyed : the damsel arose, as
from a sleep, and with all the appearance of health and vigor ;
for Jesus commanded to give her something to eat : a plain
proof that she did not appear in the weak and languishing con
dition of a person worn out with disease, or even like one who
had fainted away; a circumstance that abundantly proves the
greatness and perfection of the miracle. It is, therefore, no
wonder that her parents should be astonished at so stupendous a
work, the fame of which was soon spread through all the neigh
boring country ; though Jesus, who was in every sense above
praise, and therefore never courted it, had strictly charged them
that they should tell no man what was done.
These instances of power did the blessed Jesus display, to
convince the world, that those who die in him are not dead ;
and that he hath the keys of life and death. Those also of the
present age, who believe that the soul sleeps with the body till
the resurrection, would do well to consider the expression of
the Evangelist, " Her spirit came again," Luke, viii. 55 ; which
sufficiently shews that the soul exists separately, when the body
is laid in the chambers of the grave.

THE DAUGHTER OF JAIRUS.
[Page 114.]

' And he took her hy the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.
' And lier spirit came again, and she arose siraigliiway."— Luke, VIII. 54, 55.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 115
Having performed this benevolent miracle, our blessed Sav
iour left the ruler's house, and was followed through the streets
by two blind men, imploring assistance ; nor did they implore
in vain. The Redeemer of mankind was, and still is, always
ready to grant the petitions of those who apply to him for re
lief. Accordingly, he was no sooner entered into the house, to
avoid the thronging ofthe multitude, than he touched their eyes,
and said, " According to your faith, be it unto you," Matt. ix.
29 ; and immediately the valuable gift of sight was bestowed
upon them.
The blind men were so overjoyed at beholding the light, that
though our Saviour charged them to keep the miracle a secret,
they published his fame in every part of the country, being un
willing to conceal what, in gratitude for so great a mercy, they
thought themselves obliged to divulge.
The men, who had thus miraculously received their sight,
being departed, the multitude brought to him a " dumb man
possessed with a devil." So moving a sight could uot fail of
attracting a compassionate regard from the Saviour of the
world, who, being never weary of well-doing, immediately cast
out the apostate spirit ; on which the dumb man recovered the
use of his speech, and spoke in a very rational manner to the
multitude, who, with one voice, declared, that such wondrous
works were never wrought by any ofthe old prophets. " It was
never so seen in Israel." Matt. ix. 33.
These works did not remove the prejudices of the pharisees,
who, being unable to deny the miracle, insinuated that he, did
it by a power received from Beelzebub, " the prince of the
devils." A poor pretence indeed, which did not escape the ani
madversion it deserved from the Saviour of the world, as we
shall see in a succeeding chapter. Well might the prophet
Isaiah cry out, in a prophetic ecstacy, " Who hath believed our
report ? And to whom is the arm ofthe Lord revealed ?"
But all their calumnies could not provoke the meek and mer
ciful Jesus to cease from performing these compassionate offices
for the children of men. On the contrary, he exerted himself
still more and more, to promote the prosperity and salvation of
the whole human race. Accordingly, he left Capernaum, and
travelled through the country, in search of miserable objects,
on whom he might confer happiness and peace : visiting " all
the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preach
ing the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness,
and every disease among the people." Matt. ix. 35.
In his return from this tour to Capernaum, he was attended
by a great number of people,- who expressed a more than com
mon desire to hear the doctrine of the Gospel. An incident

116 LIFE OF CHRIST.
abundantly sufficient „ to ""engage the attention of this divine
teacher, who was always careful to cultivate the latent seeds of
virtue, and cherish the least appearance of piety and religion.
It was not this desire ofthe people alone that excited his com
passion towards them : he well knew they were wholly destitute
of spiritual teachers ; for the scribes and pharisees, who ought
to have instructed them, were blind, perverse, and lazy guides,
who, instead of seeking the glory of the Almighty, made it
their whole business to support and augment their own. They
magnified the ritual ceremonies and traditions, but took no
care to inspire the people with a love for virtue. " To do jus
tice, love mercy, and walk humbly with their God," were no
parts of their doctrine. The small appearance of religion they
entertained was wholly hypocritical ; and the disputes carried
on with so much bitterness, between the factions of the pharisees
and sadducees, distracted the minds of the people.
The inhabitants of Judea were truly in a deplorable situation,
which called loudly for the compassion of the Son of God, who
always regarded the descendants of Jacob with the most tender
affection. He saw the sheep of Israel scattered on the barren
wastes of error and superstition ; without a shepherd to lead
them to the heavenly pastures of the law and the prophets. He
saw ; he commiserated their distress ; and resolved to provide
some remedy for it. Accordingly he directed his apostles to
intercede with the Almighty, who, by his servants, the prophets,
had sown the seeds of piety and virtue in the minds of the Jews,
that he would not suffer the rich harvest to be lost, for want of
laborers. "The harvest," said the blessed Jesus to his disci
ples, " truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye,
therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labor
ers into his harvest." Matt. ix. 37, 38.
To these gracious acts he added the most powerful of all
intercessions to the throne of grace, his own prevailing prayer.
And, accordingly, ascended to the top of the mountain, and
there spent the night in' making the most powerful petitions, in
behalf of " the lost sheep of Israel," to his heavenly Father.
Having spent the night in this pious exercise, he lost no time
in putting his beneficent intentions in execution ; for no sooner
had darkness withdrawn her sable veil, and the blushing rays of
the morning adorned the chambers of the east, than this benev
olent Redeemer of mankind called his disciples to him, and
chose twelve, " whom he named apostles, to be with him : and
that he might send them forth to preach." He ordered them to
be with him, that they might learn from his own mouth the
doctrines they were to preach to the whole world ; that they
might " see his glory," the traascendant glory of the virtues

LIFE OF CHRIST. 117
which adorned his human life ; and that they might be witnesses
of all the wondrous works he should perform, during his resi
dence in the vale of misery, and by which his mission from the
courts of heaven was to be fully demonstrated.
These twelve persons, thus qualified, were to supply the
people with that spiritual food they so greatly wanted, both
while their master continued here below, and after his ascension
to the right hand of Power.
Having ordained them to their respective offices, he sent
them out by two and two, into the most distant parts of Judea,
to preach there the glad tidings of the Gospel, and prepare the
way for their Master, the great Shepherd of israel.
And that nothing might be wanting to render their preaching
acceptable to the people, and confirm the important doctrines
they delivered, he invested them with full power to cure all dis
eases, cast out devils, and even to raise the dead.
Perhaps the number -of the twelve apostles was fixed upon
rather than any other, to shew that God intended, by their minis
try, to gather together the scattered remnant of the twelve tribes
of Israel. But be that as it may, these twelve apostles con
stantly continued with him from the time of their election, till
he offered himself a sacrifice on the cross, for the sins of man
kind, never departing from him, unless by his own appoint
ment. All these persons being illiterate Galileans, and at first des
titute of the qualifications necessary in the discharge of their
duty, integrity alone excepted, were the most unlikely persons
in the world to confound the wisdom of the wise, baffle tbe
power of the mighty, overturn the many false religions which
then flourished every where, under the protection of the civil
government ; and, in short, to reform the manners of mankind,
then universally corrupted.
Had the choice of instruments for so grand an undertaking
been committed to human prudence, such, doubtless, would
have been chosen, as were remarkable for learning, strong
reasoning, and prevailing eloquence. But behold the wisdom
of God, infinitely superior to that of man, acted very differently ;
for the treasure of the Gospel was committed to earthern vessels,
that the excellency of its power might in all countries appear
to be of God.
Accordingly, the religion which these illiterate Galileans
taught through the world, exhibited a far juster notion of
things than the Grecian and Roman philosophers were able to
attain, though their lives were spent in study and contempla
tion. Hence, by its own intrinsic splendor, as well as by the
external glory of the miracles, that accompanied it, this religion
sufficiently appeared to be wholly original and divine.

118 LIFE OF CHRIST.
Besides, its truth and dignity were sufficiently attested, by
the remarkable success that attended it. It was received every
where by the bulk of mankind with the highest applause, as
something they had hitherto been seeking in vain; while the
maxims and precepts of the philosophers seldom spread farther
than their respective schools.
It was, therefore, with the highest wisdom that the founda
tions of the church were laid in the labors of a few illiterate
fishermen, for it demonstrated, with irresistible evidence, that
the immense fabric was at first raised, and is still sustained,
not by the arm of flesh, but purely by the hand of the Almighty.
After appointing the twelve apostles, he came down from the
mountain, and was joyfully received by the multitudes of people
who were waiting for him in the plain, and pressed to touch
him ; well knowing that if they could only touch the border of
his garment, they should be healed of whatever distemper they
were afflicted with. A sufficient reason why they were con
tinually waiting for him, and were willing to accompany him,
even into the remotest corners ofthe wilderness.
The preaching and miracles of our Lord were not attended
to by the low and vulgar only ; persons of the first rank and
character came from distant parts of the country, to converse
with him, hear his doctrine, and be spectators of his wonderful
works. It therefore evidently appears, that persons of all ranks
were desirous of following him ; and their desire could be found
ed on nothing but the truth of his miracles.
After healing all the sick among the multitude, he turned
towards his disciples, and delivered a divine discourse, some
thing like that he had before preached to them on the moun
tain : but in the former, he only pronounced blessings, whereas,
in the latter, he added curses also ; and in this principally it
differs from that recorded by St. Matthew : I shall therefore only
select a few passages from the sermon now delivered, as I have
given a larger paraphrase on the former.
" Wo unto you that are rich, for ye have received your con
solation." Luke, vi. 24. Riches, considered in themselves,
have no tendency to render us the objects of the Almighty's
hatred, unless accompanied with those vices which too often
flow from an opulent fortune; as luxury, covetousness, and the
like. The wo, therefore, is here denounced against such only
as are contaminated with these vices ; for those who make a
proper use of their wealth, and possess the virtues which should
accompany affluence, have no share in the malediction.
" Wo unto you that are full, for ye shall hunger." The
pain ye shall suffer in a future life shall be sharp and excrucia
ting. The opportunities you neglected of doing good to your

LIFE OF CHRIST. 119
afflicted brethren in this life, shall then be remembered with
the* most poignant grief, and bewailed with the most bitter
lamentations. " Wo unto you that laugh now, for ye shall mourn and
weep." This malediction of our blessed Saviour is not incon
sistent with the apostle's precept, which commands Christians
always to rejoice. Neither is the mirth, against which the wo
is here denounced, to be understood of that constant cheerful
ness of temper which arises in the breast of true Christians, from
the Comfortable and cheerful doctrine with which they are en
lightened by the Gospel, the assurance they have of reconcilia
tion with God, the hope they have of everlasting life, and the
pleasure they enjoy in the practice of virtue and the other duties
of religion ; but it relates to that turbulent, carnal mirth, that
excessive levity and vanity of spirit, which arises not from any
solid foundation, but from immoderate sensual pleasures, or
those vain amusements of life in which the giddy and the gay
contrive to spend their time ; that sort of mirth which dissipates
thought, leaves no time for consideration, and gives them an
utter aversion to all serious reflection. Persons who constantly
indulge themselves in this kind of mirth shall weep and mourn
eternally, when they are excluded from the joys of heaven, and
banished for ever from the presence of God, by the light of
whose countenance all the righteous are enlivened, and made
transcendently happy.
" Wo unto you when all men shall speak well of you, for so
did their fathers to the false prophets." Wo unto you, if by
propagating such doctrines as encourage men in sin, you shall
gain to yourselves the applause and flattery «f the generality of
men ; for thus in old times did the false prophets and deceivers,
who, accommodating their doctrines to the lusts and passions of
men, gained the applause of men, but incurred the wrath and
displeasure of a just and all-seeing God.

CHAPTER X.
Continuation of our Lord's glorious doctrines, beneficent acts,
and astonishing miracles, wrought in confirmation of the Divin
ity of his Mission, and the extending of his heavenly Kingdom.
The divine preacher having closed this excellent sermon, he
repaired to Capernaum, and was met by certain messengers

120 LIFE OF CHRIST.
from a centurion, desiring him to come and heal a Servant, who1
Was dear to him, and ready to die.
This centurion, from the account given of him by the Evan
gelist, seems to have been a proselyte to the Jewish religion,
as he was a lover of the sons of Jacob, and had erected for them'
a place of worship ; and, accordingly, the inhabitants of Caper
naum strongly espoused his cause on this occasion, saying,
" that he was worthy for whom he should do this. For he
loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue." Luke,
vii. 4, 5.
There was not the least danger that this petition would be
rejected by the blessed Jesus, who sought all occasions of doing
good to the children of men. Accordingly, he very readily
accompanied the messengers ; but before he came to the house,
he was met by some of the centurion's friends, who expressed
the high idea that officer entertained of his power, and desired
that he would not take the trouble of coming to his house, as a
word was abundantly sufficient to perform the cure. At this
message, Jesus turned himself about, and said to the multitude,
" I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no not in
Israel." Luke, vii. 9.
The persons having delivered their message, returned to the
house, and found the servant, who had been sick, perfectly re
covered. Many persons have thought that this miracle, and that men
tioned in \Matt. viii. are the same ; but this is a mistake. The
centurion, in the former, came in person, but in the latter, the
petition was sent by the elders of Capernaum. There is not
the least hint in the first miracle, that the centurion was a pro
selyte ; but he, in the second, is said to have been a lover of
the Jewish nation, and to have built them a synagogue. Sev
eral other particulars, which prove these miracles to have been
really different, will easily occur to the reader, and therefore I
shall not here enumerate them ; what has been said will, [ pre
sume, be sufficient to remove any objection that may be offered
against my considering them as different transactions.
Having thus miraculously healed the centurion's servant, he
repaired to Peter's house to eat bread ; but the multitude came
again together, and surrounded the house in a very tumultuous
manner, demanding, in all probability, that he would heal their
sick : and it was not without difficulty, they were dispersed by
his friends.
The multitude being dispersed, Jesus called unto him the
twelve apostles he had before chosen, and conferred on thera
the power of working miracles, in confirmation of the doctrines
they were appointed to preach, and delivered them such instruc-

life of christ; m
tidtts as he thought necessary, to enable them to discharge the
duties of this important commission.
" Go," said their heavenly Blaster, " and preach, saying, the
kingdom of heaven is at hand." Publish in every corner of
Judea, the glad tidings of the Gospel, and the near approach of
the great Messiah's kingdom ; not a temporal, but a spiritual
empire, consisting of righteousness and peace.
To inure them to those hardships and dangers which were td
attend them in their preaching, after the death of their Master,
our Lord forbad them to provide any thing for their journey J
teaching them to rely wholly on the providence of God, for sup-<
port in every distress, and to have recourse to his protection in
every danger.
Our Lord's disciples had, perhaps, flattered themselves with
the pleasing expectation, that the glad tidings they were going
to publish, and the miraculous cures they were enabled to per
form, would procure them an honorable reception wherever-
they came. Their Master, however, told them the event would
not in any manner answer their expectations ; but that they
were every where to be despised, persecuted, delivered into the
hands of the rulers, and punished as wicked men. But, at the
same time he promised them the aid of the Almighty, and gave
them instructions for their behaviour in eVery particular. He
added, that those who rejected their message should be treated
With severity, by the great Judge of all the earth ; but those
who received them kindly, and gave even a cup of cold water1
to the least of his disciples, for their Master's sake, should not
fail of receiving a large reward.
Having received this commission, the apostles visited all the"
parts of Palestine, where the Jews inhabited, preaching the
Gospel and the doctrine of repentance, working miracles for its
confirmation, and particularly healed the sick, while our blessed
Saviour continued the course of his ministry in Galilee.
The apostles being returned from their tour, Jesus Went to
Nain, a town situated near Endor, about two miles south of
Mount Tabor, attended by many of his disciples, and a great
multitude of people, &
On their coming to the entrance of the city, al melancholy
scene presented itself to the eyes of Jesus and his followers/
" Behold there was a dead man Carried out, the only son of
his mother, and she was a widow." Luke vii. 12. Who would
not have imagined, that God had indeed " forgotten to be gra
cious, and in his anger shut up his tender mercies," from this
poor widow, suffering under the heaviest load, and .laboring art*
der the most oppressive burden of distress ? Deprived of hef
son, her only son, in the flower of his youthj when he might
have repaid his mother's toils, and been to her in the place of *

122 LIFE OF CHRIST.
husband; of that husband she had long since lost, and whose
loss was supportable only through the comfort, of this child, thte
surviving image of his departed father, the balm of all her
grief, the hope of her afflicted soul : who now shall administer
consolation to this solitary widow, to this lonely parent, bereav
ed of her husband, deprived of her child ? What misery can
be more complicated ? What can be more natural than that
she should "refuse to be comforted," that she should "go
down to the grave with mourning," and visit the chambers of
death, the residence ofthe beloved remains of her husband and
her son, with sorrow?
Towards the receptacle of mortality, that dreary waste of
forgetfulness, the mournful funeral was now, with slow and sol
emn pomp advancing, when the compassionate Redeemer of
mankind met the melancholy procession, Composed of a long
train of her weeping neighbors and relations, who pitied her
distress, sympathized with her in this great affliction, and were
melted with compassion at her deplorable circumstances : but
sighs and tears were all they had to offer ; relief could not be
expected from a human being: their commiseration though
grateful to her oppressed soul, could neither restore the hus
band nor the son : submission and patience were tbe only
lessons they could preach, or this afflicted daughter of Israel
learn. But though man was unable to relieve the distresses of this
disconsolate widow, the Saviour of the world, who beheld the
melancholy procession, was both able and willing to do it.
There was no need of a powerful solicitor to implore assistance
from the Son of God, his owri compassion was abundantly suffi
cient. " When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her :"
he both sought the patient, and offered the cure unexpectedly.
" Weep not," said the blessed Jesus to this afflicted woman.
Alas ! it had been wholly in vain to bid her refrain from tears,
who had lost her only child, the sole comfort of her age, with
out administering the baliri of comfort to heal her broken spirit.
This our compassionate Redeemer well knew; and, therefore,
immediately advancing towards the corpse, " he touched the
bier :" the pomp of the funeral was instantly stopped, silence
closed every mouth, and expectation filled the breast of every
spectator. But this deep suspense, did not long continue ; that
glorious voice, which shall one day call our dead bodies from
the grave, filled their ears with the remarkable words i " Young
man, I say unto thee, arise." Nor was this powerful command
uttered without its effect. " He spake, and it was done :" he
called with authority, and immediately " he that was dead sat
up, and began to speak ; and he restored him to his mother."
He did not shew him around to the multitude ; but by a singu-

THE WIDOW OF NAIN.
[Page 122.]

" And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
" And lie came and touchedthe bier: and tliey that bare him stood still. And he said,
Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
" And he that was dead sat ap."— Luke, vii. 13-— 15,

LIFE OF CHRIST. 123
lar act of modesty and humanity, delivered him to his late af
flicted, now astonished, and rejoicing mother, to intimate, that
in compassion to her great distress, he had wrought this stu
pendous miracle.
A holy and awful fear fell ort all who heard and saw this
astonishing event : " and they glorified God, saying, that a great
prophet is risen up among us ; and that God hath visited his
people." Here it must be observed, that as this miracle is liable to no
objection, it therefore abundantly proves, that the power of the
blessed Jesus was truly and absolutely divine. He met this
funeral procession by accident. It was composed of the gr< at-
est part of the inhabitants of the city, who bewailed the dis
consolate state of the afflicted widow, and therefore well knew
that the youth was really dead. The powerful word, which
called the breathless body to life, was delivered in an audible
voice, before all the company, and even at the very gate of' the
city, the place of public resort.
This miracle, with others amply attested, abundantly evince
the truth of our Saviour's mission, and that he was, indeed,
the Son of God, the Redeemer of mankind.

CHAPTER XI.
The character of John the Baptist cleared and justified Jby the
blessed Jesus. — He visits Simon the Pharisee. — Display of our
Lord's humility and condescension.
We have taken notice, in a foregoing chapter, that Herod,
incensed at the honest freedom of the Baptist reproving his
adulterous commerce with Herodias, his brother Philip's wife,
had cast him into prison ; and in this state he still continued,
though his disciples were suffered to visit and converse with
him. In one of these visits they had given him an account of
our Saviour's having elected twelve apostles to preach the Gos
pel, and of his miracles, particularly of his raising to life the
daughter of Jairus, and the son of the widow of Nain.
On hearing these wonderful relations, the Baptist immedi
ately dispatched two of his disciples to Jesus, to ask him this
important question : " Art thou he that should come, or look
we for another ?"
Accordingly, the disciples of John came to Jesus, and pro
posed the question of their master, at the very time when he

124 LIFE OF CHRIST.
" cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spir
its, and to many that were blind he gave sight." Jesus, there
fore, instead of directly answering their question, bid them re
turn, and inform their master what they had seen : " Go,"
Said be, " and shew John again those things which ye do hear
and see : the blind receive their sight, the lepers are cleansed,
and the deaf hear ; the dead are raised up, and the poor have
the Gospel preached to them." Malt. xi. 4, 5. Go, tell your
master, that the very miracles the prophet Isaiah so long since
foretold should be wrought by the Messiah, you have your
selves seen performed.
It appears from the Scripture, that the Baptist, through the
whole course of his ministry, had borne constant and ample tes
timony to our Saviour's divirie mission ; that he exhorted those
who came to him, to rest their faith not on himself, but on " him
that should come after him ;" and that as soon as he was ac
quainted who Jesus was, hy a visible descent ofthe Holy Ghost,
and a voice from heaven, he made it his business to dispose
the J«ws in general, and his own disciples in particular, to re
ceive and reverence him, by testifying every where, that he was
the " Son of God, the Lamb of God, who came down from
heaven," and " spake the words of God," and " to whom God
had given the Spirit, by measure."
The Baptist therefore, well knew who Jesus was ; and, con
sequently, he did not send his disciples to ask this question, to
solve any doubt in his mind, concerning the Saviour of the
world. But, it may be asked what else could induce the Baptist to
put such a question ? To this, some answer, that he had no
Other intention, than to satisfy his disciples that Jesus was the
Messiah, so long expected among the Jews ; and to engage
them to follow a more perfect Master, especially as he himself
was now on the point of leaving the world.
This solution is doubtless partly right, but it does not seem
to remove the whole difficulty, as it is plain from the very ac
count recorded by the Evangelist, that the question had actual
ly some relation to himself; and therefore we must remove the
difficulty by another method. In order to which, it must be re
membered, that John had long been confined in prison ; that he
was persuaded it was necessary for him to preach the Gospel,
and prepare men to receive the kingdom of the Messiah ; and
for that reason, from the very time of his imprisonment, he
earnestly expected the Messiah would exert his power to procure
his release. But on hearing that Jesus had chosen twelve illit
erate fishermen to preach the Gospel, had furnished them with
miraculous powers, in order to enable them to perform so great
a work ; and that two persons of no consequence- were raised

LIFE OF CHRIST. 125
from the dead, while he was suffered to remain in prison, he be
gan to think himself neglected, and his services disregarded.
He therefore sent two of his disciples to ask him this question :
" Art thou he that should come : or look we for another ?" Not
that he entertained any dpubt of his being the true Messiah, in
tending nothing more, by asking the question, but to complain
that Jesus had not acted the part which he thought the Messiah
should have acted : and that this was really the case, seems
sufficiently plain, from the caution added by our blessed Sav
iour himself. " And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offen
ded in me :" as if he had said, When you have informed your
master of what you have -seen and heard, tell him that he would
do well not to be offended, either at the choice of the apostles,
or that no miracle has been wrought for his release.
From this circumstance it is evident, that impatience on ac
count of his long confinement was the true reason for the Bap
tist's sending his disciples with this question to Jesus ; and that
the purport of the answer was, to teach him submission, in a
case that was plainly above the reach of his judgment.
Lest the people, from this conversation, should imbibe any
notion prejudicial to the character of the- Baptist, our blessed
Saviour thought fit to place it in a proper point of light. He
praised his invincible courage and constancy, which was not to
be overcome, or " like a reed to be shaken with the wind :" his
austere and mortified life : for he was not " clothed in soft rai
ment," like those who wait in the palaces of kings ; adding,
that he was " a prophet, nay more than a prophet. For this is
he of whom it was written, Behold, I send my messenger be
fore thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.." But
subjoined, " Notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of
heaven, is greater than he."
The propriety of this remark will appear, when it is consider
ed that though the Baptist excelled all the prophets that were
before him, yet the least inspired person in the kingdom of
heaven, the least apostle or preacher of the Gospel, was great
er than he ; because, by constantly attending on Jesus, they
were much better acquainted with his character, disposition, and
doctrine, than the Baptist, who had only seen him transiently ;
wherefore, in respect of their personal knowledge of the Messi
ah, the apostle/s greatly excelled the Baptist. They were also
employed, not in making preparation for the Messiah's king-"
dom, but in erecting it ; and consequently greater than the Bap
tist with regard to the dignity of their office. Moreover, by
having the gift of miracles, and the like, conferred on them,
for that office, they were far superior to him with regard to il
lumination. They were so fully possessed by the spirit, that on
all occasions they could declare the will of God, infallibly, be-

126 LIFE OF CHRIST.
ing, as it were, living oracles ; and having been the subjects of
ancient prophecies, they had been long expected by the people
of God.
Having thus shewn the greatness of the Baptist's character,
and wherein he was surpassed by the disciples, our blessed
Saviour took occasion from thence to blame the perverseness of
the age, in rejecting both his own and the Baptist's testimony.
It seems that the scribes and pharisees, seeing their pretend
ed mortifications eclipsed by the real austerity of the Baptist,
imprudently affirmed that his living in the -deserts, his shunning
the company of men, the coarseness of his clothing, the ab
stemiousness of his diet, and the other severities he practised,
were the effects of his being possessed of an apostate spirit, or
of a religious melancholy. " For John came neither eating
nor drinking, and they say he hath a devil." Matt. xi. 18.
On the other hand, they would not listen to the heavenly
doctrines preached by Christ, because he did not separate him
self from society ; attributing his free manner of living to a cer
tain looseness of disposition, though they well knew that he ob
served the strictest temperance himself, and never encouraged
the vices of others, either by dissimulation, or example. £ "The
son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold
a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and
sinners; But wisdom is justified of her children." Matt. xi. 19.
He next proceeded to upbraid the several cities where his
most wonderful works bad been performed. For though they
had heard him preach many awakening sermons, and seen him
perform such astonishing miracles, such as would have convert
ed Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom, cities infamous for their impiety,
contempt of religion, pride, luxury, and debauchery; yet so
great was their obstinacy, that they persisted in their wicked
ness, notwithstanding all he had done to convert them from the
evil of their ways. " Wo unto thee Chorazin ! wo unto thee
Bethsaida ! for if the mighty works which were done in youj
had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented
long ago, in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, it shall
be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, at the day of judgment,
than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto
heaven, shall be brought down to hell ; for if the mighty works
which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it
would have remained unto this day. But I say unto you, it
shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, in the day of
judgment, than for thee." Matt. xi. 21, &c.
Having denounced these judgments on the cities which had
neglected to profit by his mighty works, he concluded his dis
course with these heavenly words : " Come unto me, all ye that
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my

LIFE OF CHRIST. 127
yoke upon you, and learn of me ; for I am meek and lowly in
heart : and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is
easy ; and my burden is light." Matt. xi. 28, &tc.
This affecting invitation must engage the most serious atten
tion and particular regard of every reader ; if the greatness of
the speaker, the importance of his message, or the affectionate
manner of his address, have any weight, have any force, have
any power to affect the soul. It is Christ, the Almighty Re
deemer, the Son of the Most High ; he into whose hands, as
our Mediator, all things are delivered of his Father ; he unto
whom all power in heaven and earth is given ; even he who
shall come in the clouds of heaven to judge all the inhabitants
Of the earth, and even by those words he hath himself deliver
ed : it is this wonderful person who speaks, declaring at once
his great willingness to receive, and his own supreme power to
give that rest and peace to the soul which should be the pursuit
of every son of Adam, and is the gift of his religion only.
And that nothing may prevent our accepting this benevolent
offer, he invites with the most affectionate tenderness, not the
great, the .happy, and the powerful, nor the merry-hearted, or
the sons of joy; but "all that labor, and are heavy laden,"
all that are under the bondage of sin and sorrow ; and those
he calls, not with a desire to expose their miseries, to punish
their offences, or to display his own glory; but solely with a
view to render them happy. " Come," says he, " come to me,
I entreat yoa to come, I will give you rest ;" I myself will re
lieve and release you from your heavy burdens ; come to me,
and you shall find perfect rest and peace to your souls. " Take
my yoke upon you, for it is easy ; and my burden for it is
light." Is it possible that creatures of a day like us ; can it be possi
ble " that mortals, who have but a short time to live, and are
full of misery ; who come up and are cut down like a flower ;
who flee as it were like a shadow, and never continue in one
stay;" can it be possible, that they should reject and disregard
a call, so full of love, so full of affection, of such infinite con
sequence, of such unspeakable advantage ? Can they reject the
love of him who gave them rest, took their burdens upon him
self; and who, after all his sufferings, desires them only to
" come," to exchange their own oppressive burdens for his
lightsome yoke ; to abandon their sins and sorrows, and become
his disciples ; to love and obey him, and thence to be happy ?
Can we possibly despise such grace, refuse such offers, fly from
such rest, thus freely proposed to us, and prefer the heavy yoke
of sin, and the cruel pangs of a wounded conscience ?
Having concluded this public address, one of the pharisees
(named Simon) desired he would "eat with him'" the blessed

J 28 LIFE OF CHRIST.
Jesus accepted the invitation, and accompanied him to his
house, and sat down to meat.
He had not continued long at the table, before a woman,
Who had lately left the paths of vice for those of virtue, placed
herself behind him, and, from a deep conviction of her former
crimes, and the obligation she owed the Saviour of mankind,
for bringing her to a sense of them, shed such quantities of
tears, that they trickled down on his feet, which according to
the custom of the country were then bare. But observing that
her tears had wet the feet of her beloved instructor, she imme
diately wiped them with the hairs of her head, kissed them with
the most ardent affection, and anointed them with precious oint
ment she had brought with her for that purpose.
It was a custom, among the inhabitants of the east, to pouf
fragrant oils on the heads of such guests as they intended par
ticularly to honor, while they sat at meat; and probably the
woman's original intention was to anoint Jesus in the usual
manner. But being exceedingly humbled on account of her
former crimes, she could not presume to take that freedom with
him, and therefore poured it on his feet, to express at once
the greatness of her love, and the profoundness of her humility.
The pharisee, who had attentively observed the woman, con
cluded from thence, that our Saviour could not be a prophet.
" This man," said the pharisee to himself, " if he were a
prophet, would have known who, and what manner of woman
this is, that toucheth him ; for she is a sinner." Luke vii. 39.
But though Simon spoke this only in his heart, his thoughts
were not concealed from the great Redeemer of mankind, who
to convince him that he was a prophet, and that he knew not
only the characters of men, but even tbe secret thoughts of
their hearts, immediately conversed with him on the very sub
ject he had. been revolving in his mind. He did not, indeed,
expose him before the company, by relating what he had said in
secret; but with remarkable delicacy pointed out to Simon
alone, the unreasonableness of bis thoughts. " Simon," said
the blessed Jesus, " I have something to say to thee. There
was a certain creditor, who had two debtors ; the one owed five
hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had noth
ing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore,
which of them will love him most ?" Simon answered and said,
I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto
him, Thou hast rightly judged. And then immediately he ap
plied this short parable to the subject of the woman, on which
the pharisee had so unjustly reasoned with himself. " Simon,"
continued our Saviour, " seest thou this woman ? I entered in
to thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet-; but she
hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs

LIFE OF CHRIST. 129
of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss : but this woman, since
the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head
with oil thou didst not anoint : but this woman hath anointed
my feet with ointment." Luke, vii. 44, &tc.
This woman's kind services were in no danger of losing
their reward from the blessed Jesus, who possessed the softer
and finer feelings of human nature in their utmost perfection.
Accordingly he added, in pursuance to so kind an invitation he
had before made to weary and heavy laden sinners : " Where
fore, I say unto thee, her sins, which are many, are forgiven;
for she loveth much : but to whom little is forgiven, the same
loveth little," Luke, vii. 47.
The blessed Jesus having thus commended the conduct ofthe
woman to the company, and rebuked, with great delicacy, the
unjust suspicions of Simon, turned himself to the woman, and
in the kindest manner, assured her, that " her sins were forgiv
en." But the power he assumed, in forgiving sins, greatly of
fended the Jews, who, not being acquainted with his divinity,
considered his speech as .derogatory to the honor of the Al
mighty. Jesus, however, contemned their malicious murmurs,
and repeated his assurance, telling the woman, that her faith had
saved her, and bade her depart in peace.
The next day Jesus travelled from Capernaum to different
parts of Galilee, going " through every village, preaching and
shewing the glad tidings ofthe kingdom of God." Luke viii. 1.
That is, he declared to the people the welcome tidings of the
Almighty's being willing to be reconciled to the children of men,
on condition of their repentance, and embracing the Gospel of
the grace of God.
Leaving Galilee, he repaired to Jerusalem, to keep the pass-
over, being the second feast of that kind since his public minis
try. In this journey he was accompanied by certain pious wo
men, " who ministered to him of their substance."

17

130 LIFE OF CHRIST,

CHAPTER XII.
Miraculous Cure effected at the Pool of Bethesda. — Reproof of
the superstition of the Jews, in condemning the performance of
necessary works on the Sabbath Day. — After doing many acts'
of mercy and wonder, our blessed Lord is visited by his Moth
er and his Brethren, and makes a spiritual reflection on that
incident. Our Lord had no sooner entered the ancient city of Jeru
salem, so long famous for being the dwelling-place of the Most
High, than he repaired to the public bath, or pool, called, in the
Hebrew tongue, " Bethesda," that is, " the House of Mercy,"
on account of the miracles wrought there, by the salutary effects
of the water, at certain seasons. This bath was surrounded
by five porches, or cloisters, in which those who frequented the
place were sheltered both from the heat and cold ; and were
particularly serviceable to the diseased and infirm, who crowded
thither to find relief in their afflictions.
These porches were now filled with a " great multitude of
impotent folks, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving
of the water. For an angel went down, at a certain season, into
the pool, and troubled the water : whosoever then first, after the
troubling of the water, stepped in, was made whole of whatso
ever disease he had." John, v. 3, 4.
Such is the account of this miraculous pool, given us by St.
John the Evangelist. Many controversies have arisen concern
ing the place, tbe time, and the nature of the pool ; questions
which will, perhaps, never be answered, because the pool of
Bethesda is not mentioned by any ofthe Jewish historians.
The time when this miraculous effect took place is not pre
cisely determined; but it is almost universally agreed, that it
could not be long before the coming of our Saviour ; and tha't
the miracle was intended to lead us to the Son of God. For the
gift of prophecy and of miracle had ceased among the Jews
for above four hundred years ; and therefore, to raise in them
a more ardent desire for the coming of the Messiah, and to in
duce them to be more circumspect in observing the signs of his
coming, God was pleased to favor them with this remarkable
sign at Bethesda. And as the descendants tif Jacob, in the
last times, were not only very obnoxious to the irruptions and
tyranny of the Gentiles, but had wholly lost their liberty ; so
God favored them with this eminent token of his favor, this won
derful pool, that they might not despair of the promises made to
their forefathers being fulfilled.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 131
The pool was situated near the Gate of Victims, which were
figures Pf the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, that they might
be convinced God had yet a regard to the posterity of Abra
ham, and the worship which he himself had established; and
might thus support themselves with the pleasing hope of the
coming of the Messiah, the great angel of the covenant to his
temple. And as this miracle of the angel descending from heaven be
gan when the coming of the Messiah was at hand, to advise
them of the speedy and near approach of that promised salva
tion ; so Christ entered these porches, which were situated
without the temple, and performed the miracle we shall present
ly relate, to vindicate what was the true intent of this gift of
healing, namely, to lead men to himself, " the fountain opened
for sin and uncleanness :" and the waters were troubled only at
this certain season of the passover, or at other stated periods,
and one only healed each time the angel descended, to shew
them at once the weakness of the law, and the great difference
between that and the gospel dispensation ; and to teach them
not to rest satisfied with the corporeal benefit only, as in the
ministration of an angel, but to reflect attentivly on the promi
ses of the Messiah's approaching advent.
Having made these necessary remarks relative to the celebra
ted pool of Bethesda, we shall now return to the blessed Jesus,
wbo thought proper to visit the porches of Bethesda, now crow
ded .with persons laboring under various diseases.
Among these objects of pity, was one who had labored under
his infirmity no less than thirty-and-eight years. The length
and greatness of -this man's afflictions, which were well known
to the Son of God, were sufficient to excite his tender compas
sion, and make him the happy object to demonstrate that his
power of healing was infinitely superior to the sanative virtue
of the waters ; while the rest were suffered to remain in their
affliction. Had not our Lord, at this time, restored any of them to
health, he would have acted contrary to the general account
which the Evangelists give of his goodness on other occasions,
namely, " that he healed all who came to him." For such dis
eased persons, who left their habitations through a persuasion
of his power and kindness, were proper objects of his mercy ;
whereas the sick in the cloisters of Bethesda were no more so,
than the other sick throughout the whole country, whom he
could have cured with a single word of his mouth, had he been
pleased to utter it.
Our compassionate Lord now approached the man whom he
had singled out as the person on whom to manifest his power !
he asked him, whether he was desirous of being made whole ?

132 LIFE OF CHRIST.
A question which must induce the man to declare publicly his
melancholy case, in the hearing of the multitude, and conse
quently render the miracle more conspicuous. And as this was
done on the sabbath-day, our blessed Saviour seems to have
wrought it to rouse the sons of Jacob from their lethargy, and
convince the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that the long-expected
Messiah was now come, and " had actually visited his people."
This distressed mortal beholding Jesus with a sorrowful
countenance, and understanding that he meant his being healed
by the sanative virtue of the waters, answered, in a plaintive
accent, " Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to
put me into the pool : but while I am coming, another steppeth
down before me." John, v. 7. But the compassionate Redeem
er of mankind soon convinced him that he was not to owe his
cure to the salutary nature of the waters, but to the unbounded
power of the Son of God ; and accrirdingly said to him, " Rise,
take up thy bed, and walk." Nor was the heavenly mandate
any sooner uttered, than the impotent man, to the astonishment
of the multitude, " was made whole, and took up his bed and
walked." John, v. 9.
This great and miraculous cure could not fail of having a
proper effect on the spectators : and his carrying his bed on the
sabbath-day, which the Jews considered as a profanation of that
day of rest, tended greatly to spread the fame of the miracle
over the whole city. Nor did the man scruple to obey the com
mands of his kind physician : he well knew that the person who
had the power of working such miracles must be a great proph
et ; and consequently, that his injunction could not be sinful.
He, therefore, thought that he gave a sufficient answer to those
Jews, who told him it was not lawful to carry his bed on the
sabbath-day, to say, " He that made me whole, the same said
unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk." John, v. 11. He that
restored my strength in an instant, and removed, with a single
word, a disease that had many years afflicted me, commanded
me, at the same time, to take up my bed and walk ; and sure
ly a person endued with such power from on high, would not
have ordered me to do any thing but what is truly right.
The votaries of infidelity should remember, that this signal
miracle was performed in an instant, and even when the patient
did not expect any such favor, nor even know the person to
whom he owed it. No one, therefore, can pretend that imagi
nation had any share in performing it. In short, the narrative
of this miracle of mercy sufficiently proves, that the person who
did it was really divine.
Soon after this miracle, Jesus met, in the temple, the man he
had healed at the pool of Bethesda ; and took the opportunity
of reminding him, that as he was now freed from an infirmity

LIFE OF CHRIST. 133
he had brought on himself by irregular courses, he should be
careful to abstain from them for the future, lest the Almighty
should think proper to afflict him in a more terrible manner.
The man, pverjoyed at having found the divine Physician who
had relieved him from his melancholy condition, repaired to the
scribes and pharisees, and with a heart overflowing with grati
tude, innocently told them, that it was Jesus who had perform
ed on him so astonishing a cure: being, doubtlessly, persuaded
that they would rejoice at beholding so great a prophet.
But, alas ! this was far from being, the case : the rulers of
Israel, instead of being pleased with the accounts of bis many
stupendous works of mercy and kindness, attacked him tumul-
tuously in the temple, and carried him before the Sanhedrim,
probably with an intentiou to take away his life, merely because
he had done good on the sabbath-day.
Jesus, however, soon vindicated, by irrefragable arguments,
the propriety of his works ; observing, that in doing works of
mercy and beneficence on the sabbath-day, he only imitated his
heavenly Father, the God of Jacob, whose providence was con
tinually employed, without any regard to times or seasons, in
doing good for the children of men. And, surely, he must be
more than blind, who cannot discover that the Almighty, on the
sabbaths as well as on other days, supports the whole frame of
the universe ; and, by the invisible operations of 'his power,
continues the motion of the heavenly bodies, on the revolution
of which the vicissitudes of day and night, of summer and win
ter, so necessary to the production of the fruit of the earth,
depend. But Jewish prejudice could not be overcome by argument.
Nay, the very observation increased their malice, as he claimed
a peculiar relation to God ; and by asserting that he acted like
him, insinuated that he was equal to the Almighty himself.
The Saviour of the World did not deny this conclusion ;
shewed that he acted agreeably to the will of God, and was
equal with him in power, doing whatsoever he saw done by his
Father: a convincing proof of his Father's love for him. "Veri
ly, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself,
but what he seeth the Father do ; for what things soever he
doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father
loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth :
and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may
marvel." John, v. 19, 20.
The blessed Jesus added, that he had not only power to
heal the sick, but even to raise the dead : and that" his Father
had constituted him the universal Judge of the world : and,
therefore, those who refused to honor him, refused to honor the

134 LIFE OF CHRIST.
Father. But, whoever believed on him should inherit eternal
life. And that they might not doubt of the truth of his mission,
but that he was actually invested with the power of raising the
dead, he desired them to remember the undoubted instances he
had already given of it, in restoring the daughter of Jairus, and
the widow's son, of Nain, to life : and, consequently, that he
could, on any future occasion, exert the same power: " Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when
the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God : and they that
hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath
he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given
him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son
of man." John, v. 25, &c.
The blessed Jesus added to this, Be not surprised at the
power of raising a few individuals from the dead, and the au
thority of inflicting punishment on a number ofthe human race;
I have a far greater power committed to me, even that of rais
ing all the sons of Adam, at the last day, and of judging and
rewarding every one of them according to his works.. " Mar
vel not at this : for the hour is coming, in the which all that
are in tbe graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth;
they that have done good unto the resurrection of life ; and
they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation."
John. v. 28, 29.
The great day of tribulation will distinguish between the good
and the evil ; for the tremendous Judge has been privy to all
the actions ofthe sons of men, from the beginning to the end of
time ; nor has he any interest to pursue, or any inclination to
satisfy, different from those of his heavenly Father. " And my
judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will
of the Father, which hath sent me." John, v. 30.
Nothing could more evince the character of our Lord, than
these assertions ; though he did not require his hearers to be
lieve them merely on his own testimony ; he appealed to that
of John, who was a burning and a shining light, and in whom
for a time, they greatly rejoiced, because the prophetic spirit,
which had so long ceased in Israel, was revived in that holy
man. Nay, he appealed to a much greater testimony than that
of John, even that of the God of Jacob himself, who was con
tinually bearing witness to the truth of his mission, by the ma
ny miracles he empowered him to perform ; and who, at his
baptism, had, with an audible sound from the courts of heaven,
declared him to be his beloved Son ; a sound which multitudes
of people had heard, and probably even some of those to whom
he was now speaking.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 135
The Jews had long expected the Messiah: but they had
expected him to appear as a temporal prince, who would not
only restore the former lustre of the throne of David, but infi
nitely augment it, and even place it over all the kingdoms of
the earth. And hence they were unwilling to acknowledge Je
sus for their Messiah, notwithstanding the proofs of his mission
were so undeniable, because they must, in so doing, have aban
doned all their grand ideas of a temporal kingdom. Our bless
ed Saviour, therefore, desired them to consult their own Scrip
tures, particularly, the writings of the* prophets, where they
would find the character of the Messiah displayed : and be ful
ly convinced they were all fulfilled in his person.
He also gave them to understand, that the proofs of his mis
sion were as full and clear as possible, being supported by the
actions of his life, which in all things agreed with his doc
trine : for he never sought the applause of men, or assumed
secular power, but was always innocent and humble, though
he well kriew that these virtues made him appear little in the
eyes of those who had no idea of a spiritual kingdom, but ex
pected the Messiah would appear in all the pomp of secular au
thority. In short, the fatal infidelity of the Jews was principally ow
ing to their pride. They had long filled the minds ofthe peo
ple with grand ideas of the glory and power of the Messiah's
kingdom ; they had represented him as a potent prince, who
was to appear at once, adorned with all the ensigns of power ;
and therefore to1 have ascribed that august character to a mere
teacher of righteousness, destitute even of the ordinary advan
tages of birth, fortune, and erudition, would have been so plain
a confession of their ignorance of the Scriptures, as must have
exposed them to the ridicule and contempt of the whole people.
Our blessed Saviour added, that he himself should not only
be their own accuser to the God of Jacob, for their infidelity ;
but Moses, their great legislator, in whom they trusted, would
join in that unwelcome office ; for, by denying him to be the
Messiah, they denied the writings of that prophet. " For had
ye," added he, " believed Moses, ye would have believed me ;
for he wrote of me : but if ye believe not his writings, how
shall ye believe my words ?" John, v. 46, 47.
Thus did the blessed Jesus assert himself to be the Son of
God, the great Judge of the whole earth, and the Messiah
promised by the prophets : and at the same time gave them such
convincing proofs of his being sent from God, that nothing
could be said against them.
Convincing as these proofs Were, yet it' did not in the least
abate the malice of the scribes and pharisees ; for the very next
sabbath, upon his disciples plucking a few ears of corn as they

136 LIFE OF CHRIST.
passed through the fields, and eating the grain after rubbing it
out in their hands, they again exclaimed against this violation
of the sabbath. But our blessed Saviour soon convinced them
of their error, by shewing, both from the example of. David,
and the constant practice of their own priests, who never omitted
the necessary works of the temple on the sabbath-day, that
works of necessity were often permitted, even though they broke
a ritual command ; that acts of mercy were the most acceptable
services to God, of any whatever ; that it was inverting the
order of things, to suppose that " man was made for the sab
bath, and not the sabbath for the benefit of man." Adding, that
if the service of the temple should be said to claim a particular
dispensation from the law of the sabbath, he and his disciples,
whose business of promoting the salvation of mankind was of
equal importance, might justly claim the same exemption ; as
they were carrying on a much nobler work, than the priest
who attended on the service of the temple. Thus did our bless
ed Saviour prove, that works of mercy should not be left uu-
done though attended with the violation of some of the most sa
cred institutions of the ceremonial law.
Soon after this dispute with the scribes and pharisees, our
blessed Saviour entered one of the synagogues of Jerusalem,
on the sabbath-day, and found there a man whose right-hand
was withered.
The pharisees, who observed the compassionate Jesus advance
towards the man, did uot doubt but he would heal him : and
therefore watched him attentively, that they might have some
thing to accuse him with to the people. Their hypocrisy was
arrived to that monstrous pitch, that they determined to injure
his reputation, by representing him as a sabbath-breaker, if he
dared to heal the man, while they themselves were profaning it
by an action which Would have polluted any day ; namely, of
seeking an opportunity of destroying a person who had never
injured them, but done many good actions for the sons of
Jacob, and was continually laboring for their eternal welfare.
The Saviour of the world was not unapprized of these mali
cious intentions. He knew their designs, and defied their impo
tent power, by informing them of the benevolent action he de
signed, though he well knew they would exert every art they
were masters of, in order to put him to death.
Therefore, when our Saviour ordered the man to shew him
self to the whole congregation, in order to excite their pity,
these hypocritical teachers declared, in the strongest terms, the
unlawfulness of his performing even such beneficent actions
on the sabbath: "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath-day?"
They did not, however, ask this question with an intention to
hinder him from performing the miracle. No, they had a very

LIFE OF CHRIST. 137
diflerent intention than that of accusing him. For they hoped
he would have declared openly that such actions were lawful ;
or, at least, make no reply to their demands, which they would
have construed into an acknowledgment of what they asserted.
Nor did our Lord fail to expose their malice and superstition ;
and accordingly asked them, " Is it lawful, on the sabbath-day,
lo do good or to do evil ? to save life, or to destroy it ?"
Luke, vi. 9. Is it not more lawful for me, on the sabbath-day,
to save men's lives, than for you to seek my death, without the
least provocation ?. This severe rebuke would admit of no
answer, and therefore they held their peace, pretending not to
understand his meaning. He therefore made use of an argu
ment, which stupidity itself could not fail of understanding, and
which all the art of these hypocritical sophists were unable to
answer. " What man," said the blessed Jesus, " shall there be
among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit
on the sabbath-day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
How much then is a man better than a sheep ? Wherefore it
is lawful to do well on the sabbath-day." Matt. xii. 11, 12.
The former question they pretended not to understand, and
therefore held their peace ; but this argument effectually silen
ced them, though they were determined not to be convinced.
This unconquerable obstinacy grieved tbe spirit of the meek,
the benevolent Jesus, who beheld them " with anger," that, if
possible, an impression might be made, either on them, or the
spectators. But at the same time that he testified his displeasure to
wards the pharisees, he uttered words of comfort to the lame
man, bidding him stretch forth his hand : and he no sooner
obeyed the divine command, than " it was restored whole as the
other." This astonishing work, performed in the midst of a congre
gation, many of whom, doubtless, knew the man while he labor
ed under this infirmity, and in presence of his most inveterate
enemies, must certainly have had a great effect on the minds of
the people, especially as they saw it had effectually silenced the
pharisees, who had nothing to offer, either against the miracle
itself, or the reasonings and power of him who had perform
ed it.
But though these whited sepulchres, as our blessed Saviour
justly termed them, were silenced by, his arguments, and aston
ished at his miracles, yet they were so far from abandoning
their malicious intentions, that they joined their inveterate ene
mies, the Herodians, or Sadducees, in order to consult how
they might destroy him : well knowing, that if he continued his
preaching, and working of miracles, the people would wholly
follow him, and their own power soon become contemptible.

138 LIFE OF CHRIST.
Jesus, however, thought proper to prevent their malicious de
signs, by retiring into Galilee, and there pursuing his benevo
lent purposes.
This retreat could not, however, conceal him from the mul
titude, who flocked to him from all quarters, bringing with them
the sick and maimed, who were all healed and sent away in
peace. Some of his disciples, however, who still entertained the pop
ular opinion, that the Messiah would establish his kingdom by
force, and bear down all opposition, were extremely mortified to
find their master retreat from so weak* an enemy. But had
they read with attention the prophecy of Isaiah, they would
have known that this weakness was one part of the Messiah's
character. " Behold my Servant, whom I have chosen ; my
Beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased : I will put my spirit
upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He
shall not strive, nor cry ; neither shall any man hear his voice
in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking
flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto vic
tory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust." Matt. xii.
IS, &c.
Though there are several small variations between this pro
phecy, as quoted by St. Matthew, and the original, in the book
of Isaiah; yet the sense in both places is the same. And we
cannot help observing, that there is in this prophecy an evident
difference between the publication of the Jewish religion, by
Moses, and the Christian religion, by Christ. The doctrine of
salvation, as taught by Moses, extended only to the single
nation of the Jews ; whereas that published by the Messiah
extended to every nation and people under heaven. Accord
ingly our blessed Saviour, by retiring into Galilee, fulfilled the
first part of this famous prophecy : " He shall shew judgment to
the Gentiles ;" for the Evangelist tells us, great multitudes came
to him from beyond Jordan, and from Syria, about Tyre and
Sidon. Being now returned into Galilee, there was brought unto him
a blind and dumb man, possessed with a devil ; but Jesus, with
a single word, cast out the evil spirit, and restored the noble
faculties of sight and speech. A miracle so surprising could
not fail of astonishing the numerous spectators, who now seemed
convinced that the person endued with such remarkable power,
could be no other than the Messiah.
The pharisees, who were come thither from Jerusalem, filled
with malice at seeing him perform so many miracles, impiously
asserted, contrary to the conviction of their own minds, that
they were wrought by the „power of Beelzebub, the prince of
the devils.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 139
So blasphemous a declaration could not be supposed to escape
a censure from the Son of God, who, addressing himself both
to them and the people, demonstrated the absurdity of the ca
lumny, by an argument drawn from the common affairs of life.
" Every kingdom," said the blessed Jesus, " divided against
itself, is brought to desolation : and every city or house divided
against itself shall not stand. And if Satan cast out Satan, he
is divided against himself, how then shall his kingdom stand ?"
Your calumny is malicious and absurd ; it is malicious, because
your own consciences are convinced of its falsehood ; and.it is
absurd, because Satan cannot assist me in preaching the king
dom of God, and destroying all the works of darkness, unless
he be divided against himself, and destroy all the works of his,
own kingdom. Adding, " And if I by Beelzebub cast out dev
ils, by whom do your children cast them out ? therefore they
shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of
God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." Ye did not
impute the miracles of your prophets to Beelzebub, but received
them, on the evidence of their miracles, as the messengers of
God. But ye reject me, who work greater and more numerous
miracles than they, and impute them to the power of evil spirits.
Is this conduct reconcileable ? These prophets, there/ore, shall
be your judges, they shall condemn you. But as it is true,
that I cast out devils by the assistance of the Almighty, it fol
lows that the kingdom of God, so long expected, is going to be
established. But this blasphemy, however great, may be forgiven you,
because stronger and more evident proofs of my mission may
convince you of your sins, and induce you to embrace the offers
of eternal life. And the time is coming, when the Son of Man
shall be raised from the dead, by the power ofthe Holy Ghost,
the gifts of miracles showered on almost all believers, and the
nature of the Messiah's kingdom more fully explained, in order
to remove the foundation of your prejudice, the expectation of
a temporal prince. But if you then shut your eyes, and speak
evil against the Holy Ghost, by affirming that his gifts and
miracles proceed from the prince of darkness, it shall never be
forgiven you : because it is a sin you cannot possibly repent of,
as no greater means of conviction will be offered ; but you shall
be punished for it, both in this world, and in that which is to
come. " Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and
blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men ; but the blasphemy
againt the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And
whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man, it shall be
forgiven him : but whospever speaketh against the Holy Ghost,
it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the
world to come." Matt. xii. 31, 32.

140 LIFE OF CHRIST.
This solemn sentence, on the sin against the Holy Ghost,
was probably now pronounced by our Saviour to awaken the
Consciences of the pharisees, by a sense of their danger, if they
continued in such detestable calumnies, when their own hearts
sufficiently told them, that they flowed entirely from malice and
resentment. But all his reasonings and threatenings had no effect on this
perverse set of mortals, who sarcastically answered, " Master,
we would see a sign from thee." Strange stupidity ! had not
he, a short time before, cast out a devil, and restored the facul
ties of sight and speech to the blind and dumb ? cleansed lepers,
raised the dead, and even rebuked the winds and waves ? Were
not these signs sufficient to convince the most bigoted mortal ?
What therefore could these stubborn doctors of the law require ?
Well might the great Saviour of the world call them " a wicked
and adulterous generation ;" for surely they could boast of no
part ofthe faith and piety of Abraham, their great progenitor.
Persons of such incorrigible inclinations certainly merited no
indulgence ; and, accordingly, Jesus told them they should have
no other sign given them, but what they every day beheld,
the sign of the prophet Jonas, who, by living three days and
three nights in the belly of the whale, was a type of the Son of
God; who should continue three days and three nights in the
chambers of the tomb. Adding, that-the Ninevites repented
at the preaching of the prophet Jonas ; and the queen ' of the
South undertook a long journey to Jerusalem, to hear the wis
dom of Solomon ; but they refused to attend to the doctrines of
an infinitely greater prophet than Jonas, or listen to one much
wiser than Solomon. Concluding his discourse with a very ap
posite parable, tending to shew the great danger of resisting
conviction, and breaking through resolutions, as such actions
tended entirely to render men more obdurate and abandoned
than before.
During this dispute with the pharisees, Jesus was informed
that his mother and brethren, or kinsmen, were without, desir
ing to speak to him : upon which the blessed Jesus stretched
out his hands towards his disciples, and said, " Behold my
mother and my brethren ! For whosoever shall do the will of
my Father, which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and
sister, and mother." Matt. xii. 49, 50. This glorious truth
should be stamped on the minds of all believers, as it shews that
every one, of what nation or kindred soever, who is brought
into subjection to the will of God, is allied to the blessed Jesus,
and ehtitled to the salvation of God.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 141

CHAPTER XIII.

Our Lord delivers many remarkable parables, and explains sev'
eral of them. — Returns to Nazareth, and commissions the
Twelve Apostles, whom he had before selected as his constant
attendants and followers, to disperse and preach the Gospel
of the kingdom of God, in divers places. — Circumstances pf
the death of John the Baptist.
The miraculous power of our blessed Lord, both in perform
ing the most astonishing acts, and confuting the most learned
ofthe pharisaical tribe, who endeavored to oppose his mission
and doctrine, brought together so great a multitude, that he re
paired to the sea-side ; and for the better instructing the people,
entered into a ship, and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
Being thus conveniently seated, he delivered many precepts of
the utmost importance, beginning with the parable ofthe sower,
who cast his seed on different kinds of soil, the products of
which were answerable to the nature of the ground, some yield
ing a large increase, others nothing at all. By this striking
similitude, the blessed Jesus represented the different kinds of
hearers, and the different manner in which they are affected by
the precepts of religion. Some wholly suppress the doctrines
delivered, in others they produce the fruits of righteousness, in
proportion to the goodness of their hearts. And surely a more
proper parable could not have been delivered, when such mul
titudes came to hear his discourses, and so few practised the
precepts, or profited by the heavenly doctrines they contained.
To vindicate the propriety of our Saviour's conduct, it mav
not be amiss here to observe, that parables were very familiar
to the oriental nations^ particularly those of Palestine, as we
learn from the concurrent testimony of all the eastern writers;
and it was the general method, both of the old prophets, John
the Baptist, and our blessed Saviour himself, to allude to things
present, and such as immediately offered themselves. Our Sav
iour also, by using this manner of teaching, fulfilled the prophe
cies concerning the Messiah, relating to his method of instruc
tion ; it being foretold, " that he should open his mouth in
parables ; and utter things which had been kept secret from the
foundation of the world." It is therefore no wonder that the
mysteries and secrets of the kingdom of heaven are generally
the subject of our Saviour's parables ; his grand and fundamen
tal doctrines being delivered in clear, plain, and express terms,
but sometimes heightened and enlivened by the addition of
beautiful parables. Similitudes of this kind are, indeed, the

142 LIFE OF CHRIST,
most simple method of teaching, and best accommodated to the
apprehension of the vulgar and unlearned, and very easy to be
remembered, understood, and applied. At the same time, they
are the finest veil for mysteries and the best means of convict
ing the proud and obstinate, as well as concealing from them
those truths which their perverseness and infidelity have ren
dered them unworthy of having more clearly displayed.
But to return. The parable being finished, his disciples
asked, why he taught the people in parables ? to which he an
swered, " Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of
the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For
Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more
abundance : but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken
away, even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in para
bles; because they seeing, see not ; and hearing, they hear not,
neither do they understand." Matt, xiii, 11, &c. As if he
had said, You, my beloved disciples, who are of a humble,
docile temper, and are ¦ willing to use means, and resort to me
for instruction, and the explanation of the truths I deliver ; to
you it shall be no disadvantage, that they are clothed in para
bles. Besides, my discourses are plain and intelligible to all
unprejudiced minds : truth will shine through the veil in which
it is arrayed, and the shadow will guide you to the substance.
But these proud, these self- conceited pharisees, who are so
blinded by their own prejudices, that they will neither hear nor
understand a thing plainly delivered ; to them I preach in para
bles, and hide the great truths of the Gospel, under such meta
phorical robes as will for ever conceal them from persons of
their temper. They have, therefore, brought upon themselves
this blindness, that in seeing tbey see not, and this wilful deaf
ness, that in hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
The blessed Jesus added, that there was no reason for their
being surprised at what he had told them, as it had long before
been predicted by the prophet Isaiah. " By hearing, ye shall
hear, and shall not understand ; and seeing, ye shall see, and
shall not perceive. For this people's heart is waxed gross, and
their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed-;
lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with
their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should
be convened, and I should heal them." Matt. xiii. 14, 15.
There H*some variation in tbe words, as quoted by the Evan
gelist, and those found in Isaiah, but the import of both is the
same, and may be paraphrased in the following manner : " The
sons of Jacob shall, indeed, hear the doctrines ofthe Gospel,
but not understand them ; aud see the miracles by which these
doctrines are confirmed, without perceiving them to be wrought
by the finger of God : not because the evidences produced by

LIFE OF CHRIST. 143
the Messiah are insufficient, but because the corruption of their
hearts will not suffer them to examine and weigh these eviden
ces ; for the sins of this people have hardened their hearts : their
pride and vanity have shut their ears, and their hypocrisy and
bigoted adherence to traditions and forced interpretations of
the law and the prophets, have closed their eyes, lest the brill
iant rays of truth should strike their sight with irresistible force,
and the powerful voice of divine wisdom force their attention,
and command their assent; being unwilling to be ^directed to
the paths of righteousness which lead to the heavenly Canaan."
Such are the reasons given by our blessed Saviour, for his
teaching the people by parables ; and to enhance the great priv
ilege his disciples enjoyed, he added, that many patriarchs and
prophets of old had earnestly desired to see and hear these
things which the people now saw and heard, but were denied
that favor ; God having, till then, shewed them to his most emi
nent saints, in shadows Only, and as they lay brooding in the
womb of futurity. "But blessed are your eyes, for they see}
and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, that
many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those
things which ye see, and have not seen them ; and to hear those
things which ye hear and have not heard them." Matt. xiii. 16.
Our Lord having by these means excited the desire of his dis
ciples, proceeded to explain to them the parable of the sower.
" The sower," said he, " sowed the word." The seed, there
fore, implies the doctrines of true religion ; and the various
kinds of soil the various kinds of hearers. The ground by the
highway-side, which is apt to be beaten by men treading upon
it, is an image of those who have their hearts so hardened with
impiety, that though they hear the Gospel preached, it makes no
impression on their callous hearts, because they either hear it
inattentively, or quickly forget the words of the preacher. And
surely no similitude could more strongly represent this insensi
bility and inattention, than the beaten ground, bordering on the
highway, into which this seed never entering, it is picked up
by the fowls of the air, or trodden in pieces by the feet of pas
sengers. " When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and
understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth
away that which was sown in his heart ; this is he which receiv
ed seed by the way-side." Matt. xiii. 19.
We must not suppose, that the devil has the power* of rob
bing hearers of their knowledge, by an immediate act of his
own, because he is said to catch away the word sown in their
hearts, but by the opportunities they give the deceiver of man
kind, for exerting his strong temptations, and particularly those
which have a relation to their commerce with men : a circum
stance that could not escape the observation of St. Luke, who

144 LIFE OF CHRIST.
tells us, that the seed was trodden down, or destroyed, by their
own headstrong lusts, which like so many birds, pinched with
hunger, devour the seed implanted in their minds.
The rocky ground represents those hearers who so far receive
the word into their hearts, that it discovers itself by good reso
lutions, which are, perhaps, accompanied with a partial refor
mation of some sins, and the temporary practice of some vir
tues. But the word has not sunk deep enough in their minds
to remain constantly there ; its abode with them is only for a
season ; and therefore, when persecution ariseth for the sake of
the Gospel, and such hearers are exposed to tribulations of any
kind, the blade, which sprung up quickly, withers, for want of
being watered with the streams of piety and virtue ; like the
vegetable productions of the earth, when deprived of the enliven
ing rains and dews of heaven, and a want of earth to contain
this balmy fluid, when the rays of the sun dart in full vigor up
on them. " But he that received the seed into stony places, the
same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth
it : Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while : for
when tribulation or persecution ariseth, because of the word, by
and by he is offended." Matt. xiii. 20, 21.
The ground encumbered with thorns, which sprung up with
the seed, and choked it, represents all those who receive the
word into hearts already filled with the cares of this world,
which will, sooner or later, destroy whatever good resolutions
are raised by the word. The cares of the world are compared
to thorns, not only because of their pernicious tendency in
choking the word, but because they cannot be eradicated with
out great pain and difficulty. In this parable, the hearers of
this denomination are distinguished from those who receive the
seed on stony ground, not so much by. the effect ofthe word up
on their minds, as by the different natures of each ; for in both
the seed sprang up, but brought forth no fruit. Those repre
sented by the stony ground have no depth of soil ; those by the
thorny ground are choked by the cares of this world ; by de-
ceitfulness of riches, and the love of pleasures, which, sooner
or later, will stifle the impressions of the word ; by^ which means
they at last become as unfruitful as the former. But both are
distinguished from those bearers represented by the seed sown
by the highway-side, that they receive the word, and, in some
measure, obey its precepts. Whereas, the first never receive the
word at all, hearing without attention ; or if they do attend,
forget it immediately. " He also that received seed among the
thorns, is he that heareth the word ; and the care of this world,
and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becom
eth unfruitful." Malt. xiii. 22.

LIFE OF CHRIST. l4o
Tu opposition to these unprofitable hearers of the word, others
are represented, "whose goodness of heart, signified under the
similitude of the soil, receive the word with gladness, and bring
forth large increase. These are convinced of the truths deliv
ered, and practise them, though contrary to their prejudices,
and opposite to their inclinations. All those bring forth, some
a hundred-fold, some sixty, and some thirty, in proportion to
the different degrees of strength in which they possess the
graces necessary to the profitable hearing the word of right
eousness. Having ended this interpretation of the parable of the sower,
he continued his discourse to his disciples, explaining to them,
by the similitude of a lighted lamp, the use they Were expect
ed to make of all the excellent instructions they had and should
receive from him. Their understanding, he told them, was to
illuminate the world, as a brilliant lamp, placed in the centre of
an apartment, enlightens the whole. He added, that though
some of the doctrines of the Gospel were then concealed from
tbe people, because of their prejudices, yet the time would
come, when these doctrines should be preached openly and
plainly through the world ; and therefore it was their duty, to
whom. God had given both an opportunity of hearing, and a,
capacity of understanding these doctrines, to listen with the
utmost attention. " Is a candle brought to be put under a
bushel, or under a bed, and not to be set on a candlestick ?
For there is nothing hid which shall not be manifested : neitber
was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
If any man have ears to hear, let him hear." Mark, iv. 21,
22, 23.
But as it was a matter of great importance that the disciples
who were to publish the, Gospel throughout the whole world,
should listen with the closest attention to his sermons, he re
peated his admonitions: adding, that their present privileges
and future rewards should be both proportioned to the fidelity
and care with which they discharged the important trust com
mitted to them. "-(Take heed what ye hear : with what meas
ure ye meet, it shall be measured to you ; and unto you that
hear shall more be given." Mark, iv. 24.
Having explained these parables to his disciples, he turned
himself to the multitude on the shore, and, in his usual endear
ing accent, delivered the parable of the enemy sowing tares
among the wheat : and on their first appearance astonishing the
husbandman's servants, who knew the field had been sowed
with good seed ; and in order to free the wheat from such in
jurious plants, proposed to root them up. But this the husband
man absolutely refused, lest, by extirpating the one, they in
jured the other ; adding, that he would fake care, at the time
19

146 LIFE OF CHRIST.
of harvest, to give orders to his reapers, that they should first
gather the tares into bundles, and burn them, and afterwards-
carry the wheat to the granaries. "The kingdom of heaven,"
said the blessed Jesus, " is likened unto a man, which sowed
good seed in his field : But while men slept, his enemy came
and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But
when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then ap
peared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came,
and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy
field ? From whence then hath it tares ? He said unto them,
An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt
thou then that we go and gather them up ? But he said, Nay .
lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with
them. Let both grow together until the harvest : and in the
time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together
first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but
gather the wheat into my barn." Matt. xiii. 24, &c.
This parable of the tares being ended, he spake another,
concerning the seed which sprung up secretly, representing the
gradual and silent progress of the Gospel among the sons of
men. He informed them, under this similitude, that the hus
bandman does not, by any efficacy of his own, cause the seed
he casts into the ground to grow, but leaves it to be nourished
by the teeming virtues of the soil, and the enlivening rays of
the sun ; in the same manner Jesus and his apostles, having
taught men the doctrine of true religion, were not by any
miraculous force to constrain the wills, far less, by the terrors
of fire and sword, to, interpose visibly in the assistance of it;
but suffer it to spread by the secret influences of the Holy
Spirit, till it attained its full effect. And as the husbandman
cannot, by the most diligent observation, perceive the corn in
his field extending its dimensions as it grows ; so the minis
ters of Christ were not, at the first planting of the Gospel, to
expect to see it make quick progress through the world.
The ministers of religion, must not, however, from hence
imagine, that religion will flourish without their carefully and
importunately pressing its precepts upon the minds of their
hearers. The parable was spoken to inform the Jews in par
ticular, that neither the Messiah nor his servants would employ
force to establish the kingdom of God, as they vainly expected
the Messiah would have done; and to prevent the disciples
from fainting, when they saw that an immediate and rapid suc
cess did not attend their labors. " So is the kingdom of God,
as if a man should cast seed into the ground, and should sleep,
and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow
up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of
herself: first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn

LIFE OF CHRIST. 147
in tlie ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately
he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.". Mark,
iv. 26, &c.
The next parable he spake to the multitude was that of the
mustard-seed, which, though very small when sown, becomes,
in Palestine, and other parts of the east, a full spreading tree.
Intimating to his audience, under this similitude, that notwith
standing the Gospel would at first appear contemptible, from
the ignominy flowing from the crucifixion of its author, the
strictness of its precepts, the weakness of the persons by whom
it was preached, and the small number and mean condition of
those who received it ; yet being founded on truth itself, it would
increase to an astonishing magnitude, filling the whole earth,
and affording spiritual nourishment to persons of all nations,
who should enjpy all the privileges of the Messiah's kingdom,
equally with the Jews. And surely a more proper parable
could not have been uttered, to encourage his disciples to per
severe in the work of the ministry, notwithstanding it would
in the beginning be opposed by the learned, the rich, and the
powerful. "The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mus
tard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.' Which
indeed is the least of all seeds ; but when it is grown, it is the
greatest among berbs, and becometh a tree : so that the birds of
the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." Matt. xiii.
31, 32.
Our blessed Saviour concluded his discourse to the multitude,
with the parable of the leaven, to intimate the influence of the
doctrine of the Gospel on the minds of particular persons.
" The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman
took and hid- in three measures of meal, till the whole was
leavened." Matt. xiii. 33.
While Jesus was thus employed in his heavenly Father's bu
siness, his mother and brethren came a second time, desiring
to see him. In all probability they feared that the continued
fatigue of preaching would injure his health ; and were there
fore desirous of taking him with them, that he might refresh
himself. But the blessed Jesus, who was never weary of doing
good, answered his indulgent parent as before : " My mother
and my brethren are these which hear the word of God and do
it." Luke, viii. 21.
Night approaching, Jesus dismissed the multitude, and re
turned to the house in Capernaum, where he abode, and there
explained to his disciples the parable of the tares in tbe field.
The husbandman, said our blessed Saviour, is the Son of
man ; the field, the Christian Church, planted in different parts
of the world ; the wheat are those Christians who obey the pre
cepts of the Gospel, and are supported by the principles of the

148 LIFE OF CHRIST.
Holy Spirit; and the tares, the bad Christians seduced into
the paths of vice, by the temptations of the devil. Our blessed
Lord, therefore, by this parable, represented the mixed nature
of the church on earth, the dismal end of the hypocrites, and
those who forget God ; for these may deceive for a time, by as
suming the robes of virtue and religion ; yet they will not fail,
sooner or later, to betray themselves, and shew that they are
only wolves in sheep's clothing. At the same time, however
sincerely we may wish to see the church freed from her corrup
ted members, we must not extirpate them by force, lest, being
deceived by outward appearances, we also destroy the wheat,
or sound members. We must leave this distinction to the awful
day, when the great Messiah will descend to judgment ; for
then a final separation will be made : the wicked cast into tor
ments, that will never have an endj but the righteous received
into life eternal, where they " shall shine forth as the sun, in
the kingdom of their father." Matt. xiii. 43.
Our Lord, on this occasion delivered the parable of the
treasure hid in the field, and ofthe pearl of -great price. The
former was designed to teach us that some meet with the Gos
pel, as it were by accident, and without seeking after it, agree
ably to the predictidn of the prophet, " That God is found of
them that seek him not." But with regard to the latter, it was
designed to intimate, that men sometimes take the utmost pains
to become acquainted with the great truths ofthe Gospel. And
surely the similitudes, both of the treasure and pearl, are very
naturally used to signify the Gospel ; the former, as it enrich
es all who possess it ; and the latter, because it is more pre
cious than rubies.
But that the disciples must expect that the Christian church
would consist of a mixed multitude of people, the good blend
ed with the bad, in such a manner that it would be difficult to
separate them ; he compared it to a net cast into the sea, which
gathered fish of every kind, good and bad, which were sepa
rated when the net was drawn to land ; that is, at the last great
day of account, when the righteous will be conveyed to life
eternal, and the wicked cast into everlasting misery.
Our blessed, Saviour, having finished these,, parables, asked his
disciples, if they understood them? and upon their answering in
the affirmative, he added, that every teacher of the Gospel
ought to resemble a person whose house was completely fur
nished, and brought " forth out of his treasures, things new
and old,"
Soon after, Jesus left Capernaum, and repaired to Nazareth,
where he had been brought up, and preached in the synagogue
the glad tidings of the kingdom of God ; but his townsmen,
though astonished at his doctrine, could not overcome the pre-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 149
judices they had conceived against him, on account of the
meanness of his family, and thence refused to own him for the
Messiah. Our Saviour, finding them the same incorrigible per
sons as when he visited them before, departed from them, and
taught in the neighboring villages. They, in common with all
the Jews, were strangers to the true character of the Messiah,
whom they considered as a temporal prince ; and therefore
could not bear that a person so mean as Jesus appeared to be,
should perform works peculiar to that idol of their vanity, a
glorious triumphant secular Messiah.
While our Lord resided in the neighborhood of Nazareth,
he sent out his disciples to preach in different parts of Galilee,
and to proclaim the glad tidings that God was then going to es
tablish the kingdom of the Messiah, wherein he would be wor
shipped in spirit and in truth. And in order that they might
confirm the doctrines they delivered, and prove that they had
received their commission from the Son of God, they were en
dowed with the power of working miracles. How long they
continued their preaching, cannot be known, but it is reasonable
to think they spent a considerable time in it, preaching in sever
al parts of Judea.
The miracles, which the apostles wrought, raised the expecta
tions of men higher than ever ; the people were astonished to.
see the disciples of Jesus perform so many miracles ; and then
concluded, that our Saviour must be greater than any of the
old prophets, who could not transmit the power they enjoyed
lo any other. This extraordinary circumstance could not fail
of spreading his fame through the whole country : it even reach
ed the ears of Herod, the Tetrarch, who, fearing a person of
such extraordinary abilities, was very uneasy, which, some of
bis courtiers observing, endeavored to remove, telling him, that
one of the old prophets was risen from the dead ; but this did not
satisfy him, and he declared that he believed it was John the
Baptist risen from the dead. " And he said unto his servants,
This is John the Baptist ; he is risen from the dead, and there
fore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him." Matt.
xiv. 2.
The Evangelist^ having on this account mentioned John the
Baptist, inform us that Herod had put him to death ; but when
this happened is uncertain.
It has already been observed, that Herod had cast John into
prison for his boldness in reproving bim for the adulterous com
merce in which he lived with his brother's wife. The sacred
writers have not told us how long he continued in prison ; but
it is plain from his two disciples, who came from him to our
Saviour, that his followers did not forsake him in his melan
choly condition. Nay, Herod himself both respected and feared

150 LIFE OF CHRIST.
him, knowing that he was highly and deservedly beloved by the
people ; he consulted him often, and in many things followed
his advice. But Herodias, his brother's wife, with whom he
lived in so shameful a manner, being continually uneasy, lest
Herod should be prevailed upon to set him at liberty, sought all
opportunities to destroy him ; and at last an incident happened,
which enabled her to accomplish her intention.
The king having, on his birth-day, made a great feast for his
friends, she sent her daughter Salome, whom she had by Phil
ip, her lawful husband, into the saloon, to dance before the
king and his guests. Her performance was remarkably elegant,
and so charmed Herod, that he promised, with an oath, to give
her whatever she asked.
Having obtained so remarkable a promise, she ran to her
mother, desiring to know what she would ask ? and was in
structed by that wicked woman, to require the "head of John
the Baptist. ' Her mother's desire, doubtless, surprised Salome,
as she could not possibly see the use of asking what would be
of no service to her. But Herodias would take no denial,
peremptorily insisted ou her demanding the head ofthe Baptist.
Accordingly, she returned to Herod, saying, " I will thou give
me, by and by, in a charger, the head of John the Baptist."
So cruel a request thrilled every breast ; the gaiety of the
king was vanished ; he was vexed and confounded. But be
ing unwilling to appear either rash, fickle, or false, before a
company of the first persons of his kingdom for rank and char
acter, he commanded the head to be given her : not one of the
guests having the courage to speak a single word in behalf of
an innocent man, or attempt to divert Herod from his mad pur
pose, though he gave them an opportunity of doing it, by sig
nifying to them that he performed his oath, merely out of re
gard to the company. Thus Herod, through a misplaced re
gard to his oath and his guests, committed a most unjust and
cruel action ; an action that will for ever brand his memory
with dishonor, and render his very name detestable to the latest
posterity. Soon after the command was given, the head of that vener
able prophet, whose rebukes had struck Herod with awe in
his loosest moments, and whose exhortations had often excited
him to virtuous actions, was brought, pale and bloody, in a
charger, and given to the daughter of Herodias, in the presence
of all the guests.
The young lady eagerly received the bloody present, and
carried it to her mother, who enjoyed the whole pleasure pf
revenge, and feasted her eyes with the sight of her enemy's
head, now silent and harmless. But she could not silence the
name of the Baptist ; it became louder, filling the earth and

LIFE OF CHRIST. 151
heavens, and publishing to every people and nation this woman's
baseness and adultery.
Thus fell that great and good man, John the Baptist, who
was proclaimed, by our blessed Saviour himself, to be " more
than a prophet." Josephus tells us that his whole crime con
sisted in exhorting the Jews to the love and practice of virtue ;
and, in the first place, to piety, justice, and regeneration, or
newness of life ; and not by the abstinence from this or that par
ticular sin, but by an habitual purity of mind and body.
It may not be improper on this occasion, to hint, that the
history of this birth-day, transmitted to posterity in the Scrip
tures, stands a perpetual beacon, to warn the great, the gay,
and the young, to beware of dissolute mirth. Admonished by
so fatal au example, they should be more careful to maintain, in
the midst of their jollity, an habitual recollection of spirit, lest
reason, at any time, enervated by the pleasures of sense, shoUld
slacken the rein of wisdom, or let it drop, though only for a
moment ; because their headstrong passions, ever impatient of
control, may catch the opportunity, and rush with them into
follies, whose consequences will be unspeakably, perhaps eter
nally, bitter.

CHAPTER XIV.
Our Lord adds to the confirmation of his Mission and Doc
trine, by working a miracle in the wilderness of Bethsaida*
— 'The people, struck with the power and grace of the blessed-
Jesus, propose to raise him to the earthly dignity of King.
 Peter, by means of his blessed Master, performs a miracle
in walking upon the sea. — Our Lord's improvement of the
miracles wrought in the Wilderness, introduced in a Discourse
delivered in the Synagogue of Capernaum.
The disciples were so alarmed at the cruel fate of the Bap
tist, whose memory they highly .revered, that they returned
from their mission, and assisted in performing the last offices
to the bodyt of their old master, many of the apostles having
been originally disciples of John. As soon as these pious rites
were over, they repaired to Jesus, and told him all that had
happened. Their compassionate Master, on hearing this melancholy
news, retired with them by sea into a desert place, belonging
to Bethsaida, that by retirement, meditation, and prayer, they

152 LIFE OF CHRIST.
might be refreshed and recruited for their spiritual labors ; and,
at the same time, leave an example to us that we should often
retire from the noise and hurry of the world, and offer up the
most fervent prayers to our heavenly Father.
But the multitude attended so closely, that their departure
was not long concealed ; and great numbers of people repaired
to the place, where they supposed Jesus and his disciples had
secluded themselves. Struck with the greatness of his miracles
on those that were sick, and anxious to hear more instructions
from the mouth of so divine a teacher, no difficulties were too
great for them to surmount, nor any place too retired for them
to penetrate, in search of their admired preacher.
Nor was the beneficent Saviour of the world regardless of their
pious esteem. He saw them, he was "moved with compassion"
towards them, because they were as sheep not having a shep
herd, multitudes of people without a pastor, a large harvest
without laborers ; motives abundantly sufficient to excite com
passion in the Son of God.
Tbe situation of those numerous throngs of people scattered
abroad, without a guide, without a guardian ; a large flock of
defenceless sheep, without a siugle shepherd to defend them
from the jaws of the infernal wolf, "was truly deplorable ; the
blessed Jesus, therefore, that " good Shepherd, who came to lay
down his life for the sheep," was moved with pity towards
them : the same pity which brought him from the courts of
heaven, for the sake of his lost and wandering sheep in the
desert, now brought him to this multitude of people, whom he
instructed in the doctrines "of eternal life : and with his usual
goodness healed all the sick among them.
Intentionally devoted to teaching and healing the people, our
blessed Saviour did not perceive the day to wear away, and that
the greatest part of it was already spent : but his disciples, too
anxious about the things of this world, thought proper to ad
vise him of it; as if the Son of God wanted any directions from
man. The day, said his disciples, is now far advanced, and
the place a solitary desert, where neither food nor lodging can
be procured : it would therefore be convenient to dismiss the
people, that they may repair to the towns or villages, on the
borders of the wilderness, and provide themselves with food and
lodging ; for they have nothing to eat.
But our Lord prevented that trouble, by telling them there
was no necessity for sending the people away to procure victuals
for themselves, as they might satisfy the hunger of the multi
tude, by giving them to eat. And at the same time, to prove
what opinion his disciples entertained of his power, addressed
himself to Philip, who was well acquainted with the country,
and said, "Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"

LIFE OF CHRIST. 153
Philip, astonished at the seeming impossibility of procuring a
supply for so great a multitude, with the small sum of money
which he knew was their all, and forgetting the extent of his
Master's. power, answered, " Two hundred pennyworth of bread
is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a lit
tle." John. vi. 7. t.-,
Our blessed Saviour might now have put the same question
to Philip, that he did on another occasion : "Have I been so
long a time with you, and yet hast thou not known me Philip ?"
John, xiv. 9. Hast thou beheld so many miracles, and art still
ignorant that I can supply food, not only for this, people, but
for all the sons of men, and for " the cattle upon a thousand
hills ?"
But he contented himself with answering, " Give ye them to
eat." The twelve, not yet comprehending the design of their
Master, repeated the objection of Philip ; but added, that they
were willing to expend their whole stock, in order to procure
as large a supply as possible. " Shall we go," said they, " and
buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, that they may eat?"
But this was by no means the design of their great Master,
who, instead of making a direct answer to their question, asked
them, " How many loaves have ye ?" How much provision
can be found among this multitude ? Go and see ?
The disciples obeyed the command of their Master; and
Andrew soon returned, to inform him, that the whple stock
amounted to no more than five barley-loaves, and two small
fishes ; a quantity so inconsiderable, that it scarcely deserved
notice. " What are they," said this disciple, " among so
many ?" What, indeed, would they have been among such a
multitude of people, if they had not been distributed by the
creating hand of the Son of God ?
Jesus, notwithstanding the smallness of the number, ordered
them to be brought to him ; and immediately commanded the
multitude to sit down on the grass, with which the place
abounded, directing his disciples at the same time to range
them in a regular order, by hundreds and fifties in a company,
each company forming a long square, containing a hundred in
a rank, and fifty in a file, that the number might be more easily
ascertained, and the people more regularly served.
In obedience lo his command, the people sat down in the
manner they were ordered, big with the expectations of what
this uncommon preparation portended : while the great Master
of the banquet stood ready to supply the necessities of all his
guests ; a banquet where, though they had no canopy but the
azure sky, no table but the verdant turf, where their food was
only coarse barley-bread and dried fishes, and their drink only
water from a bubbling fountain, yet displayed more real gran-
20

154 LIFE OF CHRIST.
deur, by the presence of the divine Master of it, than the royal
feast of gorgeous Ahasuerus, or the splendid entertainment of
the imperious Nebuchadnezzar.
The multitude being seated, Jesus took the loaves and fishes
into his hands in sight of all the people, that they might be
convinced of the small quantity of provisions that were then
before them, and that they could only expect to be fed by his
supernatural power. But that hand, which had constantly sus
tained nature, could now easily multiply these five loaves and
two fishes : for, as the Psalmist elegantly observes, " He open-
eth his hand, and filleth all things living with plenteousness."
Accordingly, he looked up to heaven, returned thanks to God,
the liberal giver of all good things, for his infinite beneficence
in furnishing food for all flesh, and for the power he had
conferred on him, of relieving mankind by his miracles, par
ticularly for that he was about to work. This done, he blessed
them, and so peculiarly efficacious was his blessing, that these
five barley-loaves and two fishes were multiplied into a quantity
sufficient to supply the wants of five thousand men, besides
women and children, who, on the most favorable supposition,
must amount to an equal number. " And Jesus took the
loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the
disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down ; and
likewise ofthe fishes, as much as they would." John, vi. 11.
Thus did the compassionate and powerful Redeemer feed at
least ten thousand people with five barley-loaves and two small
fishes, giving a magnificent proof both of his power and good
ness. For after all had eaten to satisfy, they took up twelve
baskets full of the broken pieces, a much larger quantity than
was at first set before our Lord to divide.
Miraculous work ! But what is too hard for God ? What is
impossible to Omnipotence? Strange perverseness of the sons
of men, that after such manifestations of Almighty power, they
should incredulously doubt, or impiously distrust, the providence
and fatherly care of this sovereign, this infinitely gracious Be
ing, into whose hands the Father hath delivered this world, and
all its concerns ! We are his by right of creation and redemp
tion, and him we are bound to serve ; and blessed are they who
have so kind a Master, so compassionate a Father.
The literal account of this miracle, as recorded by the
several Evangelists, is very plain, as well as circumstantial ;
and it is remarkable, that the circumstances of the place and
time tended to magnify its greatness. The place was a desert,
where there was no possibility of procuring any sustenance.
Had he done this mighty work in any of the towns or villages
round about, the pharisees in those days, and the infidels of
pur's, might have objected, that he had received secretly

LIFE OF CHRIST. 155
Some supplies ; but this, in the present case, was impossible.
The time was the evening ; the people had been all the day
fasting, and consequently were ready for their meal ; had it
been done in the morning, they might have said, either that the
people had been just refreshed, or were not hungry; con
sequently, the miracle not great. But the time and place
wholly removed all objections of this, kind, and proved, be
yond the possibility of doubt, that " God can furnish a table in
the wilderness."
We should learn from this great miracle to remember, That
it is this Lord who every year blesses mankind with plentiful
supplies of every thing necessary ; it is this Lord who, agree
ably to the emphatical words of David, " visiteth the earth, and
blesseth it ; who maketh it very plenteous ; who watereth her
furrows, and sendeth rain into the little valleys thereof; who
maketh it soft with showers, and blesseth the Increase of it;
who crowneth the year with his goodness, while his clouds drop
fatness : making the valleys stand so thick with corn, that they
laugh and sing:" whose beneficent hand and liberal bounty
call for all their praise, and claim all their thankfulness. For
however inattentively we may behold this mighty work of Om
nipotence, it is no less a miracle, that our Lord should every
day support and feed the whole race of mankind, and all the
creatures of his hand, than that Christ should feed five thousand
with five loaves and two fishes : for what proportion does five
thousand bear to those myriads of men, who are daily fed from
the fruits of the earth ? the increase of which is equally a miracle
with the increase of the bread and loaves, by the blessing of
Jesus ! How small is the seed sown, when compared with the
produce I It is carried out in handsful, and brought home in
sheaves : and who can tell by what secret operations this won
derful effect is wrought ? Nature is equally wonderful in all
her works, as in this particular : and the Divinity, to an atten
tive observer, equally visible in these regular productions,
as in miraculous supplies afforded ; equally seen in the wine
produced from the moisture of the earth, filtrated through the
branches of the vine, as in that instantaneously made from
water at the marriage in Cana : equally seen in the corn grad
ually ripened and made into bread for the support of man
kind, as in the bread miraculously blessed to the support of
the five thousand. But the constant repetition of these surpri
sing operations renders them common, and, being common, they
are less observed. Our heavenly Father, therefore, condescends
to deviate from the common order of things to rouse and awa
ken our attention. But if we are dead and utterly inattentive
to the work of God in nature, where we see the divine magnifi
cence and bounty so visibly, so richly displayed* tnere 's t0°

156 LIFE OF CHRIST.
much reason to fear, that outward miracles will not now awa
ken us. We are, however, apt to deceive ourselves in this
respect, and are often led to conclude, that had we been present
at so stupendous a miracle, as that we are contemplating, we
should have adored the divine hand that wrought it, and never
have forsaken the blessed Jesus. But, alas ! if all the displays
of God's divine power in the works of creation, if all the evi
dences of his omnipotence, if the continual supplies of his boun
ty, and the most legible characters of his adorable love, written
upon all the creatures of his hand, will not elevate our grateful
and rejoicing hearts to him, there is great reason to fear, that
had we seen the blessed Jesus feed five thousand men with five
barley-loaves and two small fishes, had we ourselves been par
takers of this miraculous banquet, we should have acted like
many who really enjoyed these privileges, and have turned
away at some of his hard sayings, " and walked no more with
him." .But to return. The people, when they had seen the Saviour
of the world perform so stupendous a miracle, were astonished
above measure ; and in the height of their transport, purposed
to take Jesus by force, and make him a king, concluding, that
he must then assume the title ofthe Messiah, whose coming they
had so long earnestly expected, and under whose reign they
expected all kinds of temporal felicities.
But our Lord, well knowing the intentions of the multitude
and the inclinations of his disciples to second them, ordered
the latter to repair immediately to their boat, and sail for Beth
saida, while he sent away the multitude. They would, it seems,
gladly have detained the people, with whom they fully agreed
in sentiments ; and even lingered till he constrained them to get
into the boat ; so fully were they still possessed, that their
Master was to take the reins of government, and become a
powerful prince over the house of Jacob.
The people suffered the disciples to depart without the least
remorse, as they saw that Jesus did not go with them.
Perhaps they imagined he was sending them away to provide
such things as they had need of. Nor did they refuse to dis
perse, when he commanded them, purposing to return in the
morning, as we find they actually did.
Having thus sent the disciples and the multitude away,
Jesus repaired himself to the summit of a mountain, spending
the evening in heavenly contemplations and ardent prayers to
his Almighty Father.
But the disciples, meeting with a contrary wind, could not
continue their course to Bethsaida, which lay about two leagues
to the northward of the desert mountain, where the multitude
were miraculously fed. They, however, did all in their power

LIFE OF CHRIST. 157
to land as near that city as possible, but were tossed up and
down all night by the tempest : so that at the conclusion of the
fourth watch, or five o'clock in the morning, they were not
above a league from the shore.
Their divine Master beheld, from the mountain, their dis
tressed situation ; but they were ignorant of his presence,
though he was now coming to their relief. From hence we
should learn, when the stormy billows of affliction assault and
seem ready to overwhelm us, not to despair of relief; for he
who beholds every particular of our distress hath not " forgotten
to* be gracious," but will surely come to our asssistance, and
work our deliverance in a manner altogether unexpected. He
often calms the storm of affliction that surrounds us, and com
mands the bellowing waves of distress to subside. Human
wisdom, indeed, is often at a loss ; it can discover no hopes of
deliverance, nor see any way to escape : but the Almighty can
easily effect the one, or point out the other.
Such was the state of the disciples ; they were tossed by
boisterous waves, and opposed in their course by the rapid cur
rent of the wind, so that all hopes of reaching the place intend
ed were vanished : when, behold, their heavenly Master, to
assist them in this distressful situation, comes to them walking
on the foaming surface of the sea. Their Lord's approach
filled them with astonishment: they took him for one of the
apostate spirits, and shrieked for fear. Their terrors werer
however, soon removed; their great and affectionate Master
talked to them, with the sound of whose voice they were per
fectly acquainted. " Be of good cheer," said the blessed Jesus,
" it is I ; be not afraid."
Peter, a man of warm and forward temper, beholding Jesus
walking on the sea, was exceedingly amazed, and conceived
the strange desire of being enabled to perform so wonderful an
action. Accordingly, without the least reflection, he immediately
begged, that his Master would bid him to come to him on the
water. He did not doubt but that Jesus would gratify his re
quest, as it sufficiently intimated that he would readily under
take any thing, however difficult, at the^command of his Sav
iour. But it appeared, that his faith was too weak to support
him to that height of obedience to which he would have wil
lingly soared. To convince this forward disciple of the weak
ness of his faith, and render him more diffident of his own
strength, our blessed Saviour granted Peter his request. He
ordered him to come to him upon the water.
Peter joyfully obeyed his divine Master ; he left the boat,
and walked on the surface ofthe sea. But the wind increasing,
made a dreadful noise, and the boisterous waves at the same

J 58 LIFE OF CHRIST.
time threatened every moment to overwhelm him. His faith
now staggered, his presence of mind forsook him ; he forgot that
his Saviour was at his hand ; and in proportion as his faith
decreased, the waters yielded, and he sunk. In this extremity
he looked around for his Master; and on the very brink of
being swallowed up, cried, " Lord, save me !" His cry was
not disregarded by his compassionate Saviour; "he stretched
forth his hand and caught him, and said unto him, O thou, of
little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt ?"
Peter was convinced, before he left the ship, that it was Jesus
who was coming to them on the water : nor did he even doubt
it when he was sinking, because he then implored his assistance.
But when he found' the storm increase, and the billows rage
more horribly than before, his fears suggested, that either his
Master would be unable or unwilling to support him amidst the
frightful blasts ofthe tempest.
His fears were therefore both unreasonable and culpable :
unreasonable, because the same power, that had enabled him
to walk on the surface of the deep, was abundantly sufficient
to support him there, notwithstanding all the horrors of the
storm ; culpable, because he considered his Master as unable
to preserve him, or that he paid no regard to his promise; for
Jesus had virtually promised him his assistance, when he grant
ed this petition. This circumstance should teach us not to be
presumptuous and self-sufficient; nor to rush on dangers, and
fly in the face of opposition, unless there is a necessity for so
doing. We,iShould never refuse to undertake any action, how
ever difficult, when the cause of Christ calls upon us ; or aban
don the paths of virtue from a fear of the resentment of the
children of this world : but we should, at the same time, be
careful not to go farther than necessity obliges us, lest, like
Peter, we repent our own temerity.
This miracle' alarmed the disciples, for though they bad so
very lately seen the miracle of the five loaves, they did not
seem to have before formed a proper idea of his power ; but
being now persuaded that he could be no other than the ex
pected Messiah, they "came and worshipped him, saying, Of
a truth, thou art the Son of God." Matt. xiv. 33.
Our Saviour seems to have confirmed this miracle, by work
ing another : for the Evangelists tell us, lhat he had no sooner
entered the ship, and hushed the horrors of the storm, than
they^arrived at the place whither they were going. " Then
they willingly received him into the ship ; and immediately the
ship was at the land, whither they went." John, vi. 21.
When our Lord disembarked,' the inhabitants of the neigh
boring country ran to him, bringing with them all those that
were sick, and they were all healed. It must be remembered,

PETER'S WANT OP FAITH.
[Page 158.]

" But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he
cried, saying, Lord, save me." — Malt. xiv. 30.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 159
that though Jesus ordinarily resided in the neighborhood of
Capernaum, yet he had been absent ever since his visiting Naz
areth, and therefore, it is natural to think, that the inhabitants,
on his return, would not omit the opportunity of bringing
their sick in such prodigious crowds, that it seems our blessed
Saviour did not bestow particular attention on each of them;
and this was the reason for their beseeching him, " that they
might only touch the hem of his garment ; and as many as
touched were made perfectly whole." Matt. xiv. 36.
The virtue of that power by which he wrought these things
lay not in his garments, for then the soldiers, who seized them
at his crucifixion, might have wrought the same miracles ; but
it was because Jesus wished it to be so. It was now the ac
ceptable time, the day of salvation, foretold by Isaiah, and
Christ's power was sufficient to remove any distemper whatso
ever. It has been mentioned that our blessed Saviour, after miracu
lously feeding the people, ordered them to disperse, and retire
to their places of abode.
The former command they obeyed, but, instead of complying
with the latter, they staid in the neighborhood of the desert
mountain; and observing that no boat had come thither, since
the disciples left their Master, they concluded that Jesus still
continued in that place, and had no design of leaving his attend
ants. Hence they were persuaded, that though Jesus had
modestly declined the honor of being made a king, he would
accept it the next day ; especially as they might fancy his dis
ciples were dispatched to the other side, with no other intention
than to prepare every thing necessary for that purpose. Hopes
like these, animated them to continue in this solitary wilder
ness, and take up their lodgings in the caverns of the rocks
and mountains, notwithstanding their difficulties were greatly
increased by the raging of the storm.
But no sooner did the cheering rays of light appear, than
the multitude left their retreat, and searched for Jesus in every
part of the mountain, to the summit of which they had seen
bim retire. Finding their search in vain, they concluded that
he must have departed for the other side, in some boat belong
ing to Tiberias, which had been forced by the storm to take
shelter in a creek at the foot of the mountain. Accordingly,
tbey repaired to Capernaum, where they found him in the
synagogue, teaching the people ; and could not help asking him,
with some surprise, " Rabbi, when earnest thou hither ?" John,
vi. 25.
To this question our Lord replied, that they did not seek
him because they were convinced by his miracles of the truth
of his missioD, but because they hoped to be continually fed, in

160 LIFE OF CHRIST.
the same miraculous manner as before. " Verily, verily, I say
unto you, ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but be
cause ye did eat of the loaves and were filled." These are the
views which induce ye to follow me ; but ye are entirely mis
taken ; for happiness does not consist in the meat that perisheth,
nor is it that sort of meat ye must expect to receive from the
Messiah. Mere animal foods, which please and delight the
body only, are riot the gifts he came down from heaven to be
stow ; it is the meat that endureth to everlasting life, divine
knowledge and grace, which, by invigorating all the faculties
of the soul, make it at once incorruptible and immortal : neither
ought ye to follow the Son of man with any intention to obtain
the meat that perisheth; but in the hope of being rewarded
With the meat that endureth to everlasting life. " Labor not
for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth
unto, everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto
you : for him hath God the Father sealed." John, vi. 27.
The Jews, who were accustomed to the metaphors of meat
and drink, as they are frequently found in the writings of their
own prophets, to signify wisdom and knowledge, might easily
have understood what our blessed Saviour meant by the meat
" enduring to everlasting life." They, however, entirely mis
took him ; imagining that he spake of some delicious healthful
animal food, which would render them immortal, and which
was only to be procured under the government of their great
Messiah. It is" therefore no wonder that his exhortation should
so greatly affect them, that they asked him what they should do
to erect the Messiah's kingdom, and obtain that excellent meat
which he said God had authorized him to give to his followers ?
The Jews were elated with the prospect of the mighty empire
the promised Messiah was to establish ; and, doubtlessly, ex
pected that Jesus would have bidden them first to rise against
the Romans, vindicate their own liberties, and then establish in
every country, by the terror of fire and sword, the authority of
that powerful prince so long expected by the Jewish nation.
To convince them, therefore, of their mistake, and inform them
what God really required of them, towards erecting the Messiah's
kingdom, Jesus told them, that they should believe on the person
sent to them from the God of Jacob ; but at this answer they
were exceedingly offended. They were persuaded that he could
not be the Messiah promised in the law and the prophets, who
took no care to erect a temporal kingdom. And some of them,
more audacious than the rest, had the confidence to tell him,
that since he assumed the character ofthe Messiah, and required
them to believe in him as such, it was necessary that he should
perform greater miracles than either Moses or any of the old
prophets, if he was desirous of convincing them, that they ought

LIFE OF CHRIST. 161
to believe him the long-promised Messiah. " They said there
fore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see,
and believe thee ? What dost thou work ? Our fathers did
eat manna in the desert ; as it is written, He gave them bread
from heaven to eat." John, vi. 30.
By extolling the miracle of the manna, by calling it bread
from heaven, and by insinuating that this miracle was wrought
by Moses, the Jews endeavored to depreciate both Christ's
mission and his miracle of the loaves. They considered this
miracle as a single meal of terrestrial food, at which but a few
thousands had been fed ; whereas, Moses had supported the
whole Jewish nation, during the space of forty years, in the
wilderness, by celestial food. To this objection the blessed Je
sus replied, " Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you
not that bread from heaven ; but my Father giveth you the true
bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh
down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world." John vi.
32, 33. Moses did not give you the manna that fell around
the camp in the wilderness, nor did it descend from heaven ; it
was formed in the regions of the air, by the omnipotent hand of
the God of Jacob. But, by the miracle of the loaves, my
heavenly Father hath typified the true, the spiritual, the heav
enly bread, which he himself giveth to the sons of men, and
of which the manna was only a symbolical representation : the
food that sustained the Israelites in the wilderness was sufficient
only for a single nation ; but this for all the children of men.
Many of the Jews, who listened with pleasure to his doc
trine, having heard him describe the properties of the celestial
bread, were animated with an earnest desire of being always
fed with it. " Lord," said they, " evermore give us this
bread ;" to which the blessed Jesus answered, " I am the bread
of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger ; and he that
believeth on me shall never thirst." John vi. 35.
Having made this answer to those who listened- attentively to
his doctrine, he turned himself to such as had heard him with
prejudice, and took every advantage of wresting his words.
You ask me, says he, to shew you a sign, that ye may see and
believe me to be the true Messiah. Surely you have seen it :
you have seen my character and mission in the many miracles I
have performed : miracles abundantly sufficient to convince you
that I am really the Messiah so often promised by the ancient
prophets, so long expected by the whole Jewish nation. But,
notwithstanding all these proofs, your hearts are still harden
ed ; you expect a temporal prince, who shall raise the Jewish
kingdom above all the empires of the earth : and because I do
not affect the authority and pomp of an earthly monarch, you
reject me, as an impostor. Your infidelity, therefore, does not
91

162 LIFE OF CHRIST.
proceed from want of evidence, as you vainly pretend, but from
the perverseness of your own dispositions, which may perhaps
in time be overcome ; for all those that the Father hath given
me, however obstinate tbey may be for a season, will at last be
lieve on the Son of God. Nor will I ever reject any that come
to me, however low their circumstances may be, however vile
they may appear in their own eyes, or bowever greatly their vi
olence "against my doctrines may have been exerted. I came
down from heaven not to act according to the common meth
od of human passions, which excite men to return evil for evil,
but to bear with them ; to try all possible means to bring them
to repentance ; and lead them in the straight paths of virtue,
which terminate at the mansions ofthe heavenly Canaan.
It is the fixed will of my Father, to bestow eternal life on all
who truly believe in me ; and, therefore, I will raise them up at
the last day.
As the prospect of the greatest part of the Jews extended no
farther than temporal privileges and advantages, it is no wonder
that they were offended at this doctrine ; especially at his affirm
ing that he was the bread of life, and that he came down from
heaven. Was not this man, said tbey, born into the world like
other mortals? And are we not acquainted with his parents?
How, then, can he pretend to come down from heaven ?
But these degrading thoughts could not escape the censure
of him to whom nothing is a secret. You need not, said the
blessed Jesus, object to my birth, and the meanness of my
relations, nor consider them as inconsistent with my heavenly
extraction. For, while you believe your teachers, who have so
shamefully corrupted the oracles of Omnipotence, and filled
your minds with the vain expectation of a temporal kingdom,
you cannot believe on me. No man can believe on the Son of
God, unless he be persuaded by the Father. You need not be
surprised at this ; for however ye may imagine that all men, at
the appearance pf the Messiah, will flock to him with great
cheerfulness, and become the willing subjects of his kingdom,
without any extraordinary means of persuasion, the prophets
plainly foretold the contrary : for they promise that men shall
enjoy the teaching of the Father, in a far more eminent man
ner during the Messiah's kingdom, than under any preceding
dispensation ; consequently, persuasion, and the most earnest
persuasion too, is necessary. You are not to understand that
by being taught of God, you are to see, with your bodily eyes,
the invisible Jehovah, because that privilege is confined to the
Son alone ; but that you are to be taught by the Spirit of God
whatever is requisite, for your eternal interest in and by me.
who am the way, the truth, and the life.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 163
Having thus asserted the dignity of his mission, and demon
strated that it really belonged to him, the blessed Jesus exam
ined the comparison between himself, considered as the bread
from heaven, and the manna which Moses provided for their
fathers in the wilderness. The manna, said he, which your
fathers ate in the desert, could not preserve them from temporal
death ; but the bread which came down from heaven will ren
der men immortal. " I am the living bread, which came down
from heaven : if any man eat of this bread, he shall Jive for ever.
And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for
the life of the world." John vi. 51.
Though the divine teacher, on this occasion, made use of, no
other- expressions than what the Jews had been accustomed to
interpret in a figurative sense ; yet, so great was their perverse
ness, that they considered them as spoken literally, and were
astonished beyond measure at what he could mean, by saying
he would give them " his flesh to eat." Jesus, however, know
ing how unreasonable his hearers were, did not proceed to ex
plain himself more particularly at this time. But persisting in
the same figurative manner of expression, he repeated and affirm
ed more earnestly, what he had before asserted. Except, said
he, ye be entirely united to me, by a hearty practice and be
lief of my doctrine, partake of the merit of that sacrifice that
I shall offer for the sins of the world, continue in the commun
ion of my religion, and receive spiritual nourishment, by the
continual participation of those means of grace which I shall
purchase for you by my death, ye can never enter the happy
mansions of eternity. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my
blood, hath eternal life ; and I will raise him up at the last day.
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood drink indeed."
John, vi. 54, 55.
This is the bread which came down from heaven : a kind of
bread infinitely superior to that of manna, both in its nature
and efficacy. It is different in its nature from manna, because
it is not to be eaten, as your fathers did that food in the wilder
ness ; " they ate manua and are dead." It is different in its
effect, because he that " eateth of this bread shall live for
ever." These particulars Jesus spake in the hearing of all the peo
ple, who attended the public worship in the synagogue of Ca
pernaum ; and though most of the metaphors, were very easy to
be understood, yet they could not comprehend what he meant,
by " eating his flesh, and drinking his blood :" a thing not on
ly prohibited by the laws of Moses, but also repugnant to the
customs of all civilized nations.
Many, therefore, who had followed him, considered it as in
consistent, and absolutely absurd. But Jesus answered, Are

164 LIFE OF CHRIST. .'
you offended, because I told you my flesh is bread ; that it came
down from heaven ; and that you must, in order to have eternal
life, eat my flesh, and drink my blood ? But what if ye shall
see the Son of man ascend up bodily into heaven, from whence
he was sent by his heavenly Father ? You will then surely be
persuaded that I really came from heaven : and at the same
time be convinced that you cannot eat my flesh in a cor
poreal manner.
I never meant that you should understand the expression
literally ; my flesh in that case would be of no advantage to
the children of men. The metaphor was only used to indi
cate that you must believe in the doctrines which I preach ; for
to reveal these, I took upon me the veil of flesh, and assumed
the nature of man. It is, therefore, more properly my Spirit
that confers this life on the human race, and renders them
immortal. My doctrine may, perhaps, be ineffectual to some of you,
because ye are desirous of perverting it, and from thence to
form a pretence for forsaking me. I well know the secret
recesses of every heart ; and therefore told you, that no man
can believe on me, except it was given him of my Father.
The self-sufficient, self-righteous Jews were so offended at
this discourse, that many of them, who had hitherto been our
Saviour's disciples, went out of the synagogue, and never
came more to hear him. They found that all their pleasing
views of worldly grandeur, and an extensive kingdom, could
have nothing more than an ideal foundation, if they ac
knowledged Jesus to be the Messiah. And as they were un
willing to abandon all their favorite hopes of power, they re-
fusedtto own him for the great Redeemer of Israel they had
so long expected.
When the Jews were departed, Jesus turned himself to his
disciples, and, with a look of ineffable sweetness, said to them,
" Will ye go away ?" To this Peter answered, " Lord, to
whom shall we go ? Thou hast the words of eternal life ! And
we believe and are sure, that thou art that Christ the Son of
the living God." John, vi. 68, 69.
Peter, in this reply, alluded to our Lord's declaration of
himself, in which he says, that he was the. bread of life, found
ing his faith in him as the Messiah.
But Jesus, to convince him that he was not ignorant of the
most secret thoughts' of the heart, nor afraid that his enemies
should be spectators of his most retired actions, told him, that
one of the twelve was a wicked man, and would be guilty of the
vilest action. The prediction of Jesus was punctually verified,
when Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve chosen disciples, basely
betrayed his great Lord and Master.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 165

CHAPTER XV.
Pharisaical superstition severely reprimanded. — The great Re
deemer continues to display his power and benevolence in
the relief of several objects of affliction. — Guards his disci--
pies against the prevailing errors and fallacies of the Scribes
and Pharisees. — Proceeds on the works of his heavenly Fa
ther.
The season of the grand passover approaching, Jesus went
up to Jerusalem, to attend that solemnity. But the Jews being
offended at his discourse in the synagogue of Capernaum, made
an attempfupon his life. Our Lord, therefore, finding it im
possible to remain at Jerusalem in safety, departed from that
city, and retired into Galilee.
The pharisees were sensible they could not perpetrate their
malicious designs upon him on that occasion ; they therefore
followed him, hoping to find something by which they might
accuse him ; and at leugth ventured to attack him for permitting
his disciples to eat with unwashed hands, because, in so doing,
they transgressed the tradition of the elders.
Moses had, indeed, required external cleanness as a part
of their religion ; but it was only to signify how careful the
servants of the Almighty should be to purify themselves from
all uncleanness, both of flesh and spirit. These ceremonial
institutions were, in process of time, prodigiously multiplied,
and the pharisees, who pretended to observe every tittle of
the law, considered it as a notorious offence to eat bread with
unwashed hands, though at the same time they suffered -the
more weighty precepts of the law to be neglected and for
gotten. To expose the absurdity of such superstitious customs, our
Saviour applied to them the words of the prophet Isaiah,
" This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is
far from me." Adding, that all their worship was vain, and
displeasing to the Almighty, while they praised themselves, and
imposed upon others the frivolous precepts of mail's invention,
and at the same time neglected the eternal rules of righteous
ness : and to remove all objections that might be brought
against this imputation of gross profaneness in the pharisees,
he supported it by a very remarkable instance.
God, said the Saviour of the world, hath commanded chil
dren to honor their parents, and to maintain them, when reduced
to poverty, by sickness, age, or misfortunes, promising life to
such as obey this precept, and threatening death to those who

166 LIFE OF CHRIST.
disregard it. But notwithstanding the peremptory command
ment of Omnipotence, you teach, that it is a more sacred duty
to enrich the temple than to nourish their parents, reduced to
the utmost necessity ; pretending that what is offered to the,
great Parent of the universe is much better bestowed than what
is given to the support of our earthly parents ; making the in
terest of God absolutely different from that of his creatures.
Nay, ye teach, that it is no breach of the commandment for
a man to suffer his parents to perish, provided he has given what
ought to nourish them, to the temple of Jerusalem. Thus
have ye concealed, under the cloak of piety, the most horrid,
the most unnatural crime any person can commit.
Having thus reproved the pharisees, he called the multitude
to him, and desired them to reflect on the absurdity pf the pre
cepts inculcated by the scribes. These hypocrites, said he,
solicitous about trifles, neglect the great duties of morality,
which are of eternal obligation. They shudder with horror at
unwashed hands, but are perfectly easy under the guilt of a
polluted conscience, though they must be sensible, that " not
that which goeth into the mouth defiieth a man : but that which
cometh out of the mouth, this defiieth a man." Matt. xv. 11.
The haughty pharisees were highly offended at his speaking
in a degrading manner of their traditions. And the apostles,
who would gladly have reconciled their Master and the phari
sees, insinuated to Jesus that he ought to have acted in an
other manner. To which our Saviour answered, " Every plant
which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted
up." Matt. xv. 13. As if he had said, you have not cause to
fear their anger, as both they and their doctrine shall perish to
gether, for neither of them came from God. Adding, " Let
them alone : they be blind, leaders of the blind. And if the
blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." Matt.
xv. 14.
His disciples, not fully comprehending this doctrine, desir
ed their Master to explain it. This our Saviour complied with,
and shewed them that meats being of a corporeal nature, could
not defile the mind of man, or render him polluted in the sight
of the Almighty, unless they are used to excess, or in opposi
tion to the commandment of God ; and even then the pollution
arose from the man, and not from the meat. But, on the
contrary, that which proceedeth out of the mouth of a man
comes from his heart, and really polluteth his mind.
These doctrines of truth could not fail of irritating the phar
isees, as they tended to strip them of the mask with which they
concealed their deformity, and rendered themselves so venerable
in the eyes of the vulgar ; and therefore their plots were lev
elled against his reputation and life.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 167
Jesus, to avoid their malice, retired to the very borders of
Palestine, to the coast of those two celebrated Gentile cities,
Tyre and Sidon, proposing there to conceal himself for a time :
but he could not be hid. It was as impossible for the divine
" Son of righteousness" to be concealed where he came with
his healing wings and message of peace, as it is for the sun in
the firmament, when he riseth in all his glory, " as a bridegroom
cometh out of his chamber, and as a giant rejoiceth to run his
course." For a certain woman of Canaan, having heard of
him, determined to implore his assistance. She was, indeed,
one of the most abject sort of Gentiles, a Canaanite, one of that
detested race with which the Jews would have no dealing, nor
even conversation ; but notwithstanding all these discouraging
circumstances, she threw herself, as an humble petitioner, on the
benevolent mercies of the Son of God. Strong necessity urged
her on ; and insuperable distress caused her to be importunate.
Alas ! unhappy parent ! her only daughter, her beloved child,
had an unclean spirit, " was grievously vexed with a devil."
When her case was so urgent, and her woes so poignant, who
can wonder that she was so importunate, and would take no re
fusal from this divine person, who, she knew, was able to deliver
her ? Accordingly, she came ; she fell at his feet ; she besought
him ; she cried, saying, " Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou
Son of David, have mercy." I plead no merits ; as a worthless
suffering wretch, I entreat only the bowels of thy mercy ; I en
treat it, for I believe thee to be the Son of David, the promised
Messiah, the much-desired Saviour of the world ; have mercy
on me, for the case of my child and her distresses are my
own : " My daughter is grievously vexed with a devil." Matt.
xv. 22.
Is it not at the first view astonishing that such a petitioner
should be rejected ; and rejected by a bountiful and merciful
Redeemer, who kindly invited all that were heavy laden to come
to him ; who promised never to cast out any that would come,
and whose business it was " to go about doing good ?"
We, however, find he answered this woman not a word : he
did not, in appearance, take the least notice, either of her or
her distress. But this silence did not intimidate her ; she still
cried, she still besought, she still importunately pressed her pe
tition ; so that the very disciples were moved with her cries, and
became her advocates. They themselves, though Jews, be
sought their master to dismiss this petitioner, to grant her re
quest, and to send her away.
But Jesns soon silenced them, by an answer agreeable to their
own prejudices. " I am not sent," said he, " but unto the lost
sheep of the house of Israel." To this the disciples readily as
sented ; and as they had an high opinion of the Jews' preroga-

168 LIFE OF CHRIST.
tive, were so well satisfied with the answer, that we hear them
pleading no more for this lost, this miserable Gentile.
But this soothed not her griefs ; it was her own cause, and
what is immediately our own concern animates us to the most
zealous application. Somewhat encouraged that she was the
subject of discourse between our Lord and his disciples, she
ventured to approach the Saviour ofthe world, though she well
knew that the law actually forbad such an intercourse ; yet she
came, she worshipped "this Son of David," she confessed again
his divinity, and prayed, saying, "Lord, help me !"
The compassionate Saviour now condescended to speak to
her, but with words seemingly sufficient to have discouraged
every farther attempt ; nay, to have filled her with bitter dislike
to his person, though she had conceived such high and noble
notions of his mercy and favor : " It is not meet," said he,
" to take the children's bread and to cast it to the dogs." Matt.
xv. 26. It is not justice to deprive the Jews, who are the chil
dren of the covenant, the descendants of Abraham, of any part
of those blessings which I came into the world to bestow, espe
cially to you, who are aliens and strangers from the common
wealth of Israel.
This answer, though severe, could not shake her humility nor
overcome her patience ; she meekly answered, " Truth, Lord ;
yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's
table." Matt. xv. 27. Let me enjoy that kindness which the
dogs of any family are not denied ; from the plenty of miraculous
cures, which thou bestowest on the Jews, drop this one to me,
who am a poor distressed heathen : for they will suffer no great
er loss by it, than the children of a family do by the crumbs
which are cast to the dogs.
Our Lord having put the woman's faith to a very severe
trial, and well knowing that she possessed a just notion of his
power and goodness, as well as of her own unworthiness,
wrought with pleasure the cure she solicited in behalf of her
daughter ; and, at the same time, gave her faith the praises it
so justly deserved. " Oh ! woman, great is thy faith : be it
unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole
from that very hour." Matt. xv. 28.
After performing this miracle, Jesus returned to the Sea of
Galilee, through the region of Decapolis. In this country a
man was brought to him who was deaf, and had an impediment
in his speech.. Objects in distress were always treated with
benevolence by the holy Jesus : but as the people now throng
ed about him, in expectation that he would soon establish his
kingdom, he thought proper to take the man, with his relations,
aside from the multitude ; after which he put his fingers in his
ears, and touched his tongue, that the deaf man, who could

GIVING SIGHT TO THE BLIND.
[Page 171.]

w

^^fe^r^^sygss^^ij

mm

" But tliey cried the more, saying , Have mercy en us, 0 Lord, thou son of David.
" And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you 5
" They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened." — Matt xx. 31 — 33.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 169
hot be instructed by language, might know from whence all his
benefits flowed. He then " looked up to heaven, he sighed, and
saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straight
way his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue Was loos
ed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should
tell no man." Mark, vii. 34, 35, 36.
But, notwithstanding they were enjoined to secresy, the man,
or his relations, published it in every part of the country, doubt
less thinking they could not be too lavish in the praises of sp
great a benefactor : especially as the modesty with which he had
performed the cure abundantly demonstrated that his sole view
was the benefit of the human race.
This rumor gathered the multitude round him in Decapolis :
for the fame of his miracles was extended to every corner of
the country. He, therefore, to avoid the prodigious crowds of
people, retired into a desert mouhtain, near the Sea of Gal
ilee. But the solitary retreats of the wilderness were unable
to conceal this beneficent Saviour of the human race. They
soon discovered his retreat, and brought to him from all quar-
terstbe sick, the lame, the dumb, the blind and the maimed.
The sight of so' many Objects in distress so excited the com
passion of the Son of God, that he graciously released them
from all their complaints. Miracles like these, could not fail
of astonishing the spectators, especially those performed upon
the dumb; for it must be remembered, that he not only confer
red on those the faculty of hearing, and pronouncing articulate
sounds, but conveyed at once into their minds the whole Ian- '
guage of their country ; they were instantly acquainted with all
the: words it contained, their signification, their forms, their pow
ers, and their uses : at the same time they enjoyed the habit of
speaking it both fluently and copiously. This was surely
enough to demonstrate to the most stupid, that such works
could have been effected by nothing less than infinite power.
" The multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak,
tbe maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see ;
and they glorified the God of Israel." Matt. xv. 31.
The various works performed by the blessed Redeemer de
tained the multitude in the desert with him three days, during
which time they consumed all the provisions they had brought
into this solitary place. But Jesus would not send them away
fasting, lest any who had followed him so far from their habita
tions should faint in their return. Accordingly he again ex
erted his almighty power, to feed the multitude a second time
in the wilderness.
It is highly worthy of our notice, the great wisdom of our
blessed Saviour, in choosing to spend so great a part of the
time he executed his public ministry, in the wilderness, and in

170 LIFE OF CHRIST. *
solitary places. He did not seek the applauses of men, but the
eternal salvation of their souls ; and therefore often delivered
his doctrines in the silent retreats thereof: in consequence of
which he was followed by such only as had dispositions adapted
for profiting by his instructions. It could not be supposed that
many of different dispositions would accompany him into soli
tudes, where they were to sustain the inconveniences of hunger
for several days successively, and be at the same time exposed
to all the inclemencies of the weather. Those only who were
desirous of instruction, could, therefore, be expected to follow
the blessed Jesus into those retired parts ; and on those, doubt
less, his doctrine distilled like dew, and like the small rain upon
the tender herb. Happy mortals ! who thus exchanged the
shallow and frothy streams of folly, for the deep and salutary
rivers of eternal wisdom ; who left the noise and bustle of a cov
etous bigoted people, for the calm instructions of the Son of
God ; and exchanged the perishing bread of this world for the
" bread of life, the bread jthat came down from heaven !"
After feeding the multitude miraculously, Jesus retired into
a district, called Dalmanutha, a part ofthe territory of Magdala.
Here he was visited by the pharisees, who, having heard that he
had a second lime fed the multitude miraculously, were fearful
that the common people would acknowledge him for the Messi
ah : and therefore determined openly and publicly to confute
his pretensions to that character. a
In order to do this, they boldly demanded of him a sign from
heaven : for it must be remembered, that the Jews expected the
Messiah would make his first public appearance in the clouds of
heaven, and in a glorious manner establish a temporal kingdom.
This opinion was founded on the following prophecy of Daniel,
which they understood literally : " I saw in the night visions,
aud, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of
heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought
him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and
glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages,
should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away ; and his kingdom, that which shall
not be destroyed." Daniel, vii. 13, 14.
It is therefore evident, that the pharisees, by desiring Jesus
to shew them a sign from heaven, meant that he should demon
strate himself to be the Messiah, by coming in a visible and
miraculous manner from heaven, and wresting with great pomp
the sceptre of David from the hands of the Romans.
If the minds of the pharisees had been open to convict-ion,
the proofs which Jesus was daily giving them would have been
more than sufficient to establish the truth of his mission, and
demonstrate that he was the lonc-exoected Messiah.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 171
But they were not desirous of being convinced ; and to that
alone, and not to want of evidence, or of capacity in them
selves, it was owing, that they refused to acknowledge our Sav
iour to be the person foretold by the prophets. Their disposi
tion was absolutely incorrigible ; so that Jesus sighed deeply in
his spirit, and declared that the sign they sought should never
be given them ; and that the only sign they were to expect was
that of the prophet Jonas, or the miracle of his own resurrec
tion : a sign indeed much greater than any shewn by the ancient
prophets; and consequently, a sigh Which demonstrated that
Jesus was far superior to them all. " A wicked and adulterous
generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given
unto it, but the sign ofthe prophet Jonas." Matt. xvi. 4.
Having thus reproved the impertinent curiosity of *he phari
sees, he departed, With his disciples, and entered into a ship ;
and as they sailed, he cautioned them to beware of the doctrine
of the pharisees and sadducees, which he termed leaven, from
its pernicious influence in filling the minds of men with pride,'
and other irregular passions : these hypocrites chiefly insisted
on the observation of frivolous traditions, but neglected the
true principles of pietyj and hence filled the minds of their
hearers with an high opinion of their own sanctity.
But the disciples having forgotten to take bread with them,
understood that he intended to caution them against procuring
it from the heathens or Samaritans. They were so weak, as
not to think that their Master, who had fed some thousands of
people with five loaves, was also Capable of providing for them
in their necessities.
On his landing at Bethsaida, they brought unto him a blind
man, desiring that he would heal him : Jesus, accordingly, took
the man by the hand, and led him out of the city, and having
spit upon his eyes, and put his hands upon him, asked him if
he saw aught ? To which the man answered, " I see men as
trees walking." A very poor expression to convey an idea of
the indistinctness of his vision. Jesus then put his hands again
upon him, and he was restored to sight, " and saw every man
clearly." It should be remembered that the people of Bethsaida
had, by their ingratitude, impertinence, and infidelity, greatly
displeased the Saviour ofthe world : and this, perhaps, was the
reason why Jesus would not perform the cure in the city, but led
the mari out into the adjacent plain. The people had also,
for a long time, been solicitous that he would take upon himself
the character of the temporal Messiah ; and therefore he chose
to perform this miracle without the city, to prevent their farther
importunity, so incompatible with the modesty and lowliness
of our dear Lord and Master.

172 LIFE OF CHRIST.

CHAPTER XVI-
The blessed Jesus delegates a special power to Peter, one of Ms
Disciples. — Pronounces the final judgment ofthe ivorld, and
is afienvards transfigured upon the Mount.
Jesus having displayed his power and goodness in restoring
the blind man to sight, departed from Bethsaida, and retired
into the territory of Caesarea Philippi, where, being desirous of
proving, in some measure, the faith of the apostles, he asked
them, saying, " Whom do men say, that I, the Son of Man,
am ?" In answer to this question, the disciples replied, " Some
say, that thou art John the Baptist ; some Elias ; and others
Jeremias, or one of the prophets." Matt. xvi. 14.
The people in general mistook the character of our Saviour,
because he did- not assume that outward pomp and grandeur
with which they supposed the Messiah would be adorned. Je
sus was therefore desirous of hearing what idea his disciples
formed of his character, as they had long enjoyed the benefit of
his doctrines and miracles ; and accordingly asked them, What
they themselves understood him to be ? To this question Si
mon Peter replied, " Thou art the Christ, the Son ofthe living
God." Our Saviour acknowledged the title ; telling Peter that God
alone had revealed the secret to him. And in allusion to his
surname, Peter, which signifies a rock, our Saviour promised
that he should have a principal hand in establishing his king
dom ; and that the Christian church should be erected on his
labors, as on a solid foundation, never to be destroyed. " And
I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock
I will build my church : and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom
of heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be
bound in heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth,
shall be loosed in heaven." Matt. xvi. 18, 19.-
Having delegated this power to Peter, our Saviour strictly
forbade his disciples, to tell any man that he was the Messiah;
because it had heeri decreed in the courts of heaven that he
should be rejected by the rulers of Israel as a false Christ, and
suffer the pains of death. " Then charged he his disciples, that
they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ." Matt.
xvi. 20. Circumstances which could not fail of giving his fol
lowers great offence, as they did not yet understand the true
nature of his kingdom ; and therefore he thought proper to let

LIFE OF CHRIST. 173
every man form a judgment of his mission, from his doctrine
and miracles.
The foregoing discourses had doubtless filled the apostles'
minds with lofty imaginations, and therefore our Saviour thought
proper to acquaint them with his sufferings, in order to check
any fond expectation of temporal power. Peter, however, was
greatly displeased to hear his Master talk of dying at Jerusa
lem, when he had just before acknowledged the title of Messi
ah. Accordingly, he rebuked him for the expression, which he
was so bold as to think unguarded. But Jesus, turning himself
about, said to Peter, " Get thee behind me Satan : thou art an
offence unto me : for thou savorest not the things that be of God,
but those that be of men." Matt. xvi. 23.
Peter's conduct in this respect, arising from an immoderate
attachment to seusual objects, our Saviour thought proper to
declare publicly, that all who intended to share with him in
the glory of the heavenly Canaan, must deny themselves ; that
is, they ,must be always ready to renounce every worldly pleas
ure, and even life itself, when the cause of religion required it :
he also told them, that in this life they must expect to meet with
troubles and disappointments ; and, that whoever intended to
be his disciple, must " take up his cross daily, and follow
him." Thus did the blessed Jesus fully explain to his disciples the
true nature of his kingdom ; and at the same time intimated, that
though they had already undergone many afflictions, yet they
must expect still more, and greater, which they must sustain
with equaUbrtitude, following their Master in the footsteps of
his afflictions. This duty, however hard, was absolutely neces
sary ; because, by losing their temporal life, they would gain
that which was eternal : " For whosoever will save his life, shall
lqse it : but whosoever will lose his life for ;my sake, the same
shall save it." Luke, ix. 24. " For what is a man profited, if
he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? "Or
what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ?" Matt.
xvi. 26.
To add to the weight of this argument, and to enforce the
necessity of self-denial, our Saviour particularly declared, that
a day was fixed for distributing rewards and punishments to all
the human race; and that he himself was appointed by the Fa
ther as universal Judge ; so that his enemies could not flatter
themselves with the hope of escaping the punishments they de
served, nor his friends be afraid of losing their eternal reward.
" Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed of me and my words,
in this adulterous and sinful generation ; of him also shall the
Son of Man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Fa
ther, with the holy angels." Mark, viii. 38.

174 LIFE OF CHRIST.
To fortify the minds of his disciples, he informed them, that
he would not appear to judge the world in his low and despised
condition, but magnificently arrayed in both his own and his
Father's glory ; nor attended by twelve weak disciples, but sur-
rpunded by myriads of celestial spirits, with numberless hosts
of mighty angels ; nor should his rewards be the great offices
and large possessions of a temporal kingdom, but the joys of
immortality. Let us now ruminate on the glory of the Judge, and the so
lemnity of the final judgment. He shall come in the majestic
splendor of his glorified body, pompously arrayed with the in
accessible light wherein Jehovah resides, and which darting
through and enlightening the infinite regions of space with its
ineffable brightness, shall make even the sun to disappear.
Dressed in this awful manner, the great Judge, attended by
the whole celestial host, will " descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God," (1 Thess. iv. 16.) making heaven, earth, and hell to
resound. The dead Of all countries, and of all times, will hear
the tremendous call. Hark ! the living, filled with joy, exult
at the approach of Omnipotence ; or, seized with inexpressible
horror, send up the most piercing cries, and are all changed in
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye ! The dead press forth
from their graves, and follow each other in close procession !
Behold — but, ah ! nothing can behold ; nothing can bear his
presence ! The heavens depart like a scroll, rolling itself
together ! Every mountain, and every island is moved. The
bond, the free, the rich, the great, captains and kings, to avoid
the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, the presence of
the Lamb, rush beneath trembling mountains, and plunge into
flaming rivers ! but neither mountains nor flame will devour
them, for they are raised immortal. Behold him then, for" all
must behold him ! even his eye, whose unthinking hand drove
his nails at Calvary ; nor heaven nor earth exist, stars and sun
are vanished,,?; lest they should darken the procession ! Once
the crucifixion of Jesus, and now his glory, extinguishes the
sun ! Lo ! hell, with what reluctance, comes forth for sen
tence ! Lo ! two worlds to be judged, and the third an assist
ant spectator! Behold ! with what beauty, with what boldness,
with what joy, some spring forward% towards the judgment-seat.
See, on the other hand, how amazed, how terrified the wicked
appear ! with what vehemence they wish the extinction of their
being ! fain would they fly, but cannot ! impelled by a force,
by strong necessity, they hasten to the place of judgment : as
they advance, the sight of the tribunal from afar, strikes them
with new terror. They approach in the deepest silence, and
gather round the throne by thousands and thousands. In the

LIFE OF CHRIST. 175
mean time, the angels having gathered together the good from
the uttermost parts of the earth, fly around the numberless mul
titudes, chanting melodious songs, and rejoicing that the day
of general retribution is come, when vice shall be thrown from
its high post of usurpation, and virtue be exalted to the pinna
cle of honor ; when the intricacies of providence shall be unri
valled, the perfections of tbe Almighty vindicated, the church
of Christ purchased by his blood, cleared from her iniquitous
members, and every thing which offendeth banished for ever.
Behold ! the books are opened, silence proclaimed, and eve
ry individual filled with awful consciousness, that he, in partic
ular, is observed by the Almighty ; so that not one single person
can be concealed by the immensity ofthe crowd. The Judge,
who can be biassed by no bribes, softened by no subtle insinua
tions, imposed upon by no feigned excuses, needs no eviden
ces, but distinguishes with an unerring certainty. They sep
arate ! Tbey feel their judgment in them, and hasten to
their proper places; the righteous on one hand ofthe throne,
and the wicked on the other. Behold, how beautiful with the
brightness of virtue, do the righteous stand at God's tribunal !
their looks serene, and expressive of hopes full of immor
tality !
On the,,, other hand, the wicked, confounded at the remem
brance of their past lives, terrified with the bitter apprehensions
of what is to come, hang down their dejected heads, and wish
to hide themselves in the fathomless abyss ! but all in vain j
there is no escaping nor appealing from this tribunal.
Behold, with mercy shining in his countenance, the King in
vites ihe, righteous to take possession of the kingdom prepared
for them from the beginning of the world : but with frowns of
anger drives the, wicked to punishment which will have no end,
no remission, no alleviation. What horror, what despair must
seize these wretched souls, when they see hell gaping, hear the
devils howling, and feel the unspeakable torment of an awak
ened conscience ! Now they seek for death, but find it not ;
would gladly be righteous, but it is too late.
The happy land of promise, formed by the hand of the Al
mighty, large, beautiful, and pleasant, a proper habitation for
his people, and long expected by them as their country, now ap
pears. Here all the righteous are assembled, forming one vast,
one happy society, even the kingdom, the city of God. Here
Omnipotence manifests himself in a peculiar manner to his ser
vants, wipes away all tears from off their faces, and adorns
them with the beauties of immortality.
Here they drink A plenitude of joys from the crystal river,
proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb, and
eat' of the fruit of the tree of life. Here there shall be no

176 LIFE OF CHRIST.
death, nor sorrow, nor crying ; neither shall there be any more
pain. Happy day ! happy place ! and happy people ! imagination
faints with the fatigue of stretching itself to comprehend the
vast, the unmeasurable thought !
As this doctrine of Christ being appointed the universal judge
might appear incredible at that time on account of his humilia
tion, he told them, that some who heard him speak should not
taste of death, till they saw him coming in his kingdom, " Ve
rily,- I say unto you, there be some standing here, which shall
not taste of death, till they see tbe Son of Man coming in his
kingdom." Matt. xvi. 28.
There are some here present that shall not die till they see a
faint representation of the glory in which I shall come at the last
day, and an eminent example of my power inflicted on the men
of this sinful generation.
To verify which prediction, the disciples lived to see their
Master coming in his kingdom, when tbey were witnesses of
his transfiguration, resurrection, and ascension, and had the mi
raculous gifts of the Holy Spirit conferred upon them ; lived to
see Jerusalem, with the Jewish state destroyed ; and the Gos
pel propagated through the greatest part of the then known
world. About eight days after this discourse, our blessed Saviour
being with the multitude in the country of Caesarea Philippi, left
them in the plain, and, accompanied with Peter, James, and
John, ascended an exceedingly high mountain.
In this solitude, while Jesus was praying with these three dis
ciples, he was transfigured ; his face became radiant and daz
zling, for it shone like the sun in his meridian clearness. At the
same time his garment acquired a snowy whiteness, far beyond
any thing human art could produce ; a whiteness bright as the
light, and sweetly ^refulgent, but in a degree inferior to the radi
ance of his countenance.
Thus, as it were, for an instant, the Son of God, during his
state of humiliation, suffered the glory of his divinity to shine
through the veil of human nature, with which it was covered ;
and to heighten the grandeur and solemnity of the scene, Moses,
the great lawgiver of Israel, and Elijah, a zealous defender of
the laws, appeared in the beauties of immortality, the robes in
which the inhabitants of the heavenly Canaan are adorned.
The disciples, it seems, did not see the beginning of this trans
figuration ; happening to fall asleep at the time of prayer, they
lost that pleasure, together with a. great part of the conversa
tion which these two prophets held with the only begotten Son
of God. , • .

THE TRANSFIGURATION.
[Page 176.]

" Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high
mountain apart,
" And was transfigured before them ; and his fact did shine as the sun, and his raiment
was white as the light.
•' And, behold there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with Aim,"— Matt xyii
1— S.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 177
They, hpwever, understood that the subject was his meritori
ous sufferings and death, by which he was to redeem the world ;
a subject that had, a few days before given great offence to the
disciples, particularly to Peter. At beholding the illustrious
sight, the disciples were greatly amazed ; but the forwardness
of Peter's disposition prompting him to say something, he ut
tered he knew not what : " Master," said he, " it is good for us
to be here ; and let us make three tabernacles ; one for thee,
and one for Moses, and one for Elias." 'Mark, ix. 5.
This disciple imagined that Jesus had now assumed his prop
er dignity ; that Elias was come according to Malachi's predic
tion, and the Messiah's kingdom was at length begun.
Accordingly, he thought it was necessary to provide some
accommodation for his Master and his august assistants, intend
ing, perhaps, to bring the rest of the disciples, with the multi
tude, from the plain below, to behold his matchless glory. This
he thought, was much better for his Master, than to be put to
death at Jerusalem, concerning which Jesus had been talking
with the messengers from heaven, and the design of which Peter
could not comprehend.
But " while he yet spake, behold a bright cloud overshad
owed them ; and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said,
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased : hear ye
him" Matt. xvii. 5.
When the three disciples heard the voice, which, like the
roaring thunder burst from the cloud, and was such as mortals
were unaccustomed to hear, they fell on their faces, and con
tinued in that posture till Jesus approached, raised them up,
and dispelled their fears, saying unto them, " Arise, and be not
afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw np
man, save Jesus only." Malt. xvii. 7, 8.
Jesus having continued all night, with his three disciples oa
the mountain, returned to the plain early in the morning, charg
ing them to conceal what they had seen, till after he was risen
from the dead. He well knew that the world, and even his
own disciples, were not yet able to comprehend the design
of his transfiguration : and that if it had been published before
his resurrection, it might have appeared incredible : because
nothing but afflictions and persecutions had hitherto attended
him. " He was truly a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief." But the doctrine of the resurrection, to which the transfigu
ration alluded, was what the disciples were utterly unable to
understand. They had never learnt that the Messiah was to
die ; far less, that he was to be raised from the dead. They
were, on the contrary, persuaded that he was to abide for ever ;
and that his kingdom was to hnyp no end. They were also

178 LIFE OF CHRIST.
greatly surprised at the sudden departure of Elias, and could
not comprehend what the scribes meant by affirming that he
must appear before the Messiah erects his empire. They, there
fore, after long debating among themselves, asked their Master,
" Why say the scribes, that Elias must first come ?" To which
Jesus answered, that Elias should truly come first, according
to the prediction of Malachi, " and restore all things :" but at
the same time, he assured them, that Elias was already come,
and described the treatment he had met with from that stiff-
necked people ; giving them to understand that he spake of
John the Baptist. " But I say unto you that Elias is come al
ready, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatso
ever they listed : likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of
them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them
of John the Baptist." Matt. xvii. 12, 13.

CHAPTER XVII.
Our Saviour relieves a Youth, tortured with a dumb Spirit.—
Conforms cheerfully to the custom of the Country, by paying
the tribute. — Reproves the pride of his Disciples, and deliv
ers some excellent moral precepts.
When our Lord approached the descent of the mountain,
accompanied by his three disciples, he saw a great multitude
surrounding the nine who continued in the plain, and the scribes
disputing with them. The people, seeing Jesus coming down
from the mountain, ran to him, and saluted him with particular
reverence. After which Jesus asked the scribes, what was the
subject of their debate with his disciples ? to which one of the
multitude answered, " Master, I have brought unto thee my
son, which hath a dumb spirit : And wheresoever he taketh
him, he teareth him : and he foameth, and gnasheth with his
teeth, aud pineth away : and I spake to thy disciples that they
should cast him out, and they could not." Mark, ix. 17, 18.
This answer being made by one of the multitude, and not by
the scribes, to whom the question was directed, indicates, that
they had been disputing with the disciples on their not being
able to cure this afflicted youth : perhaps their making this un
successful attempt had given the scribes occasion to boast, that
a devil was at length found, which neither they nor their Master
were able to conquer. This seems to be indicated by the man
ner in which our Saviour addressed himself to these arrogant

LIFE OF CHRIST. 179
rulers. " Oh, faithless generation," says he, " how long shall
I be with you ? How long shall I suffer you ?" Will no mir
acles ever be able to convince you ? Must I always bear with
your infidelity ? You have surely seen sufficient demonstrations
of my power, notwithstanding ye still discover the most crim
inal infidelity. After speaking in this manner to the scribes, he
turned himself to the father of the young man, and said,
" bring thy son hither." But no sooner was he brought in
sight of his deliverer, than the evil spirit attacked him as it
were, with redoubled fury, " the spirit tare him, and he fell on
the ground and wallowed foaming." Mark, ix. 20.
Jesus could easily have prevented this attack : but he per
mitted it, that the minds of the spectators might be impressed
with a more lively idea of this youth's distress. And for the
same reason it was, that he asked the father how long he had
been in this deplorable condition ? To which the afflicted par
ent answered, " Of a child. And oft-times it hath cast him
into the fire, and into the water to destroy him : but if thou
canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us."
Mark, ix. 21, 22.
The inability of our Lord's disciples to cast out this spirit
had greatly discouraged the afflicted father : and the exquisite
torture of his son, and the remembrance of its long continuance,
so dispirited him, that he began to fear this possession was even
too great for the power of- Jesus himself, as the scribes had be
fore affirmed ; and therefore could not help expressing his doubts
and fears. But Jesus, to make him sensible of his mistake,
said to him, " If thou canst believe, all things are possible to
him that believeth." On which the father cried out with tears,
" Lord, I believe ; help thou mine unbelief." The vehement
maner in which he spake causing the crowd to gather from
every quarter, " Jesus rebuked the foul spirit ;" saying unto
him, " Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, Come
out of him, and enter no more into him." Mark, ix. 25.
No sooner was the powerful exit pronounced, than the spirit,
with an hideous howling, and convulsing the suffering patient in
the most deplorable manner, came out, leaving the youth sense
less, and without motion : till Jesus, taking him by the hand,
restored him to life, and delivered him perfectly recovered to
his father.
The nine disciples, during this whole transaction, remained
silent. They were doubtless mortified to think, that they had
lost, by some fault of their own, the power of working miracles,
lately conferred upon them by their Master : and for this reason
were afraid to speak to him in the presence of the multitude.
But when they came into the house, they desired Jesus to in
form them, why they failed in their attempt to heal that re-

180 LIFE OF CHRIST.
markable youth ? To which Jesus answered, " Because of your
unbelief." But to encourage them, he described the efficacy
of the faith of miracles. " If ye have faith as a grain of mus
tard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to
yonder place, and it shall remove: and nothing shallbe impos
sible unto you." Matt. xvii. 20. Nothing shall be too great for
you to accomplish, when the glory of God, and the good of
the church are concerned, provided you have a proper degree
of faith ; even yonder mountain, which bids defiance to the
storm, and smiles at the attacks of its mingled horrors, shall,
at your command, leave its firm basis, and remove to another.
place. The expulsion. of the dumb spirit seems to have astonished the
disciples more than any other miracle they had seen their Master
perform ; so that our Saviour found it necessary to moderate
their high admiration of his works, by again predicting his own
death, and retiring for a time into the unfrequented parts of.
Galilee. But they could not comprehend how the Messiah, who was.
to abide for ever, and was come to deliver others from the
stroke of death, should himself fall by the hand of that uni
versal destroyer. And because he spake of rising again the
third day, they could not conceive the reason of his dying at
all, and for his lying so short a time in the chambers of the
grave. Though they were alarmed at this declaration, they remem
bered that he had often inculcated this doctrine, and reprimand
ed Peter for being unwilling to hear it.
After a short tour through the desert part of Galilee, Jesus
returned into Capernaum, the place of his general residence.
Soon after his arrival, the tax-gatherers came to Peter,, and
asked him, whether his Master would pay the tribute ? That
disciple, it seems, had promised that Jesus would satisfy
their demand ; but, on a more mature consideration, fear
ed to ask him concerning his paying taxes on any pretence
Whatever. Jesus was, however, no stranger to what had happened, and
the fear of Peter to ask him ; and therefore turned the discourse
to this subject, by saying unto him, What thinkest thou, Simon ? -
Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute ? Of
their own children, or of strangers ? Peter saith unto him, Of
strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free ;
insinuating, that as he was himself the Son of the great King,
to whom heaven, earth, and sea belong, he had no right to pay
tribute to any monarch whatever, because he held nothing by a
derived right.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 181
Or, if we suppose this contribution was made for the service
and reparation of the temple, he meant, that as he was himself
the Son of that Omnipotent Being to whom the tribute was
paid, he could have justly excused himself. But the blessed
Jesus was always careful not to give offence ; and therefore
sent Peter to the lake with a line and a hook, telling him, that
in the mouth of the first fish that came up, he should find a
piece of money equal to the sum demanded of them both.
" Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the
sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up ;
and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece
of money : that take, and give unto them, for me and thee."
Matt. xvii. 27.
Our Lord took this extraordinary method of paying the tri
bute money in this manner, because the miracle was of such a
kind as could not fail to demonstrate that he was the son of the
Great Monarch worshipped in the temple, and who rules the
universe. In the very manner, therefore, of paying this tribute,
he shewed Peter that he was free from all taxes ; and at the
same time gave this useful lesson to his followers, that when
their property is affected only in a small degree, it is better to
recede a little from their just right than to offend their brethren,
or disturb the state, by obstinately insisting on it.
Notwithstanding our blessed Saviour had lately foretold his
own sufferings and death, and though their melancholy ac
counts had greatly afflicted the minds of his disciples, yet their
grief was of no long continuance ; for within a few days they
forgot the predictions of their Master, and disputed with each
other about the chief posts of honor and profit in the Messiah's
kingdom. This debate was overheard by the blessed Jesus,
though he did not mention it till after the tax-gatherers were
retired, when he asked them, what they were disputing about
on the way ? This question rendered them all silent. They
were fearful of discovering the cause that had given rise to the
debate, as they knew it would draw on them a reprimand from
their Master. Jesus, perceiving that they still continued silent,
sat down, and ordered them all to stand around him, aud attend
to what he was going to deliver. If any man, said the Saviour
ofthe world, is- ambitious of being the greatest person in my
kingdom, let him endeavor to obtain that dignity by preferring
others in honor, and doing to them all the good offices in his
power. " If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last
of all, and servant of all." Mark,, ix. 35.
The disciples were now convinced that it was in vain to
conceal the subject ofthe debate that had happened on the way ;
and accordingly they drew near to their Master, desiring him
to decide a point which had often given occasion to disputes :

182 LIFE OF CHRIST.
" Who," said they, " is the greatest in the kingdom of hea
ven?" Malt, xviii. 1. Jesus, to check these foolish emula
tions in his disciples, called a little child unto him, and placed
him in the midst, that they might consider him attentively, and
said unto them, " Verily I say unto you, except ye be con
verted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into
the kingdom of heaven." Malt, xviii. 3. Unless ye be hum
bled by the power of divine grace, and brought to a due sense
ofthe vanity of all earthly preferments, riches, and honors, and
become meek and humble in spirit, ye shall be so far from be
coming the greatest in my kingdom, that ye shall never enter
its borders. But whosoever shall be satisfied with the station
in which God has placed him, receive with meekness all the
divine instructions, however contrary to his own inclinations,
and prefer others to himself, that man is 'really the greatest in
my kingdom. " Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as
this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
Matt, xviii. 4.
Our Saviour, to demonstrate how truly acceptable the beauty
of the grace of humility is to the Almighty, took the child in
his- arms, declaring, that whoever humbled themselves, like a
little child, and shewed kindness to their fellow-creatures, should
have the same kindness shewed them in the great day of account,
especially if tbey performed these worthy actions in obedience
to his commands.
It appears, from circumstances, that James and John, the
sons of Zebedee, were principally concerned in this debate, for
we find that John endeavored to divert it, by telling his Mas
ter, that they had seen one casting out devils in his name, and
had forbidden him, because he did not join himself to their com
pany. To which Jesus replied, that they should not have for
bidden him, since he must have entertained very high notions of
their Master's power, at seeing the devils leave the bodies of
men, on mentioning the name of Jesus. " Forbid him not : for
there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can
lightly speak evil of me." Mark, ix. 39.
You should, added the blessed Jesus, consider that every one
who does not persecute us is a friend : and that the ejection of
devils in my name will advance my doctrine, and promote my
cause, even though the exorcist, and the devils themselves,
should design the contrary. He also told his disciples, that the
least degree of respect shewed him by any one, even though it
should be no more than the giving a cup of cold water to his
thirsty disciples, was acceptable to him, and should not fail of
meeting with an adequate reward. " For whosoever shall give
you a cup of water to drink, in my name, because ye belong to

LIFE OF CHRIST. 183
Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward."
Mark, ix. 41.
But, on the other hand, the- least discouragement given to
his disciples in the propagation of the Gospel, come from what
quarter it will, shall be punished with the greatest severity.
" And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that be
lieve in me, it is better for him that a mill-stone were hanged
about his neck, and he were cast into the sea." Mark, ix. 42.
From this saying, Jesus inferred, that it was more advan
tageous to deny ourselves the highest enjoyments of this world,
and to part with every thing, however precious, represented by
a hand, a foot, or an eye, than by these to cause the weakest of
his friends to stumble. And as the disciples were appointed to
sow the seeds of virtue and religion in the world, or, according
to the metaphor, to salt the people for an offering to heaven, in
allusion to sacrifices being salted at the temple, Jesus exhorted
them to mortify themselves, that they might appear worthy of
so high an office as that of salting mankind for the altar of
heaven ; for as they were to be the salt of the earth, it was
requisite they should themselves be filled with the spiritual salt
of all the graces, and particularly the holy salt of love and
peace, that they might, as far as possible, be free from the rot
tenness of ambition, pride, contention, and every evil work.
Pride is the source of numberless sins ; and therefore the
blessed Jesus cautioned his disciples, in the most solemn man
ner, to beware of that vice ; assuring them, that the meanest
child is an object of the care of Providence; and "that their
angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in
heaven." Our blessed Saviour did not mean by tbis expression,
that every man who practises the duties of religion has a partic
ular guardian angel assigned him ; but as all angels are sent as
ministering spirits, they may be called his angels.
To shew the concern of his Almighty Father for the least of
his reasonable creatures, and the great value he sets upon the
souls of the human race, our Saviour told them, that he not
only gave his highest angels charge concerning them, but had
also sent his only-begotten Son to seek and to save that which
was lost; and would share in the joy which the heavenly beings
are filled with on their recovery. "How think ye? if a man
have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth
he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains,
and seeketh that which is gone astray ? And if so be that he
find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep,
than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it
is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of
these little ones should perish." Matt, xviii. 12, 13, 14.

184 LIFE OF CHRIST.
Having thus addressed the offending party, he turned him
self towards bis disciples, and gave them instructions with re
gard to the offended. " If thy brother shall trespass against
thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone : if
he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will
not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the
mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Aud if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church ;
but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an
heathen man and a publican." Matt, xviii. 15, 16, 17.
Try every measure to reclaim thy brother, and in order to
this represent his fault to him privately. If this rebuke has the
desired effect, thou hast brought him back to the paths which
lead to happiness ; but, if this gentle method fail, two or more
grave persons should join in the rebuke, that he may be con
vinced ofthe injury he has done thee. If he still remains obsti
nate, tell his offence to the church, whose sentence will suffi
ciently shew that thou hast done thy duty, and that he alone is
to blame. But if he is so hardened as not to be affected by the
censure of the church, he is from thenceforth to be treated as the
pharisees treat the heathens and publicans ; namely, as an in
corrigible sinner, whose company and conversation being con
tagious, ought to be shunned by all who have any love for virtue
and religion.
Our Saviour now conferred the special power which he had
confined to Peter on all his disciples. " Verily, I say unto
you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in hea
ven : and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in
heaven." Matt, xviii. 18. That is, ye have free power to
preach the remission of sins through faith in the Gospel and re
pentance unto life, and such decree will remain valid in the
court of heaven, though passed here below.
But, on the other hand, if the offending brother continues
impenitent after all the methods' above described are tried, his
guilt is bound the faster upon him ; because, by the precepts of
the gospel, none but penitents can obtain pardon.
Our blessed Saviour also added, as an encouragement to
good men, that if they continued earnest in their endeavors to
bring sinners to repentance, and offered up their prayers to the
Almighty for assistance, he would always grant their petitions,
provided they were agreeable to the wise ends of his providence.
" Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth
as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for
them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or
three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the
midst of them." Matt, xviii. 19, 20.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 185
Peter bad before heard his Master speak of the doctrine of
frequent forgiveness, and imagined that what he had now so
strongly inculcated might prove dangerous to society; and
therefore thought it' his duty to offer his objections. " Lord,!'
said he, " how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I for
give him? till seven times?" Matt, xviii. 21. He thought it
a strange doctrine which obliged him to forgive offences seven
times repeated ; but our blessed Saviour told him that he was
very greatly mistaken : that he never intended to limit forgive
ness to seven times, but that it ought to be extended even to
seventy times seven.
This excellent moral precept he enforced by the parable of
the two servants, debtors to one lord ; in order to shew the ne
cessity of forgiving the greatest injuries in every case where
the offending party is sensible of his fault, and promises amend
ment ; because, on this conditipn alone, our heavenly Father
will forgive our offences. " Therefore," said the blessed Jesus,
" is the kingdom of heaven likened to a certain king, which
would take account of his servants." God is the great king
and sovereign of all creatures, and all are accountable to him,
as servants to a master. He will reckon with all : and happy
are they who live sensible of this important truth. When he
had began to reckon, one servant was brought unto him who
owed him an immense debt, " ten thousand talents," a debt
much greater than he was able to pay. His lord, therefore,
commanded him, agreeable to the custom of those times, to be
sold for a slave, and " his wife and children, and all that he
bad, and payment to be made."
The servant, convinced of the justice of the sentence, and
knowing he had nothing to hope for, but from the mercy and
clemency of his lord, fell down in the most humble manner,
and importunately besought him, saying, " Lord, have pa
tience with me, and I will pay thee all." The master, moved
with compassion towards him, accepted of his humiliation:
and to make his happiness complete, loosed him from the sen
tence inflicted, and freely forgave him the enormous debt : an
obligation surely sufficient to have melted the hardest heart into
gratitude towards his lord, and the tenderest sympathy towards
any of his brethren in distress. But, alas ! who is acquainted
with the human heart ? This very servant went ont from the
presence of his compassionate lord, and found one of his fel
low-servants, who owed him " an hundred pence :" a poor in
considerable debt in comparison of what he himself owed his
lord. But behold the base inhumanity of this servant: he laid hands
on the poor debtor, seizing him violently by the throat, and say
ing, " Pay me that thou owest." His fellow-servant fell dowtj

186 LIFE OF CHRIST.
at his feet, even just as he had before done at the feet of Iris
lord, and besought him in the very same words he himself had
so lately used, " Have patience with me, and I will pay thee
all." Such a similarity of circumstances, one would have
thought, must have affected his stony heart, brought to remem
brance his own late distress, and melted his soul into the like
generous compassion which had flowed so sweetly from his lord
to him. But his conduct was the very reverse : he would have
no patience, he would shew no pity : he went and cast the un
happy debtor into prison till he should pay the debt.
His fellow-servants, when they saw what was done, were ex
ceedingly afflicted, and came and told their lord the whole
transaction. Upon which he summoned the unmerciful servant,
to appear before him : and, filled with indignation and abhor
rence, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, how perverse is thy
behaviour, how ungrateful and base thy proceedings : " I for
gave thee all the debt," that enormous debt thou owedst me,
" because thou desiredst me :'¦' I was moved to clemency and
compassion by thy entreaties and distress, and " shouldest not
thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I
had pity on thee ?" Shouldest not thou much rather have for
given him, who was thy fellow-servant, and owed thee so small
a sum, when I, thy king and lord, had forgiven thee so immense
a debt ?
Having thus expostulated with him, his wrath was kindled,
and he " delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all
that was due unto him. So likewise," added the Son of God,
" shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your
hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." Matt.
xviii. 34, 35. And surely this awful threatening ought to
strike the minds of fierce and implacable men with terror. For
whatever they may think, it will certainly, in its full extent,.
be inflicted upon all who refuse to obey the dictates of divine
mercy, and forgive not only their fellow-servants, but every
brother in Christ, who, through weakness or inadvertence,
may have done them an injury either in person or property.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 187

CHAPTER XVIII.
Our blessed Lord attends for the fourth time the celebration of
the Passover at Jerusalem. — Harangues the multitude at the
solemn Feast of Tabernacles. — Exempts the woman detected
in adultery from the punishment annexed by the Jews to that
crime. — Escapes from the snares laid for him by the inveterate
Scribes and Pharisees.
The great Redeemer, having promoted his Father's work in
Galilee, departed into Judea, passing through the country be
yond Jordan, that the Jews who inhabited those distant parts
might enjoy the unspeakable benefits of his discourses and mir
acles. After sowing the seeds of eternal life, and publishing
the glad tidings of salvation in those remote countries, he re
paired to Jerusalem to celebrate the fourth passover ; but the
malignity of the scribes and pharisees was so great, that he
stayed but a short time in the capital ; and then returned into
Galilee, where the multitude again resorted to him, and he again
instructed them in the paths that lead to everlasting life.
The feast of the tabernacles now drew on, at which all the
males of the Jewish nation, capable of travelling, repaired to
Jerusalem, and dwelt in the tabernacles or booths made of the
boughs of trees, in commemoration of their fathers having had
no other habitation, during their forty years' sojourning in the
wilderness. To this feast some of the kinsmen of the blessed
Jesus desired he would accompany them, and there shew himself
openly to the whole nation of the Jews. They did not them
selves believe that he was the great prophet so long expected ;
and therefore condemned the method he pursued in his public
ministry as altogether absurd.
They could not conceive what reasons he had for spending so
much of his time in the deserts, and remote corners of the
kingdom, while he professed so public a character as that of
the Redeemer of Israel. Jerusalem, the seat of power, was, in
their opinion, much the properest place for him to deliver his
doctrines, and work his miracles in the most public manner
possible, before the great and learned men of the nation, whose
decision in his favor would have great weight in increasing
the number of his disciples, and inducing the whole nation to
own him for the Messiah. " Depart hence, and go into Judea,
that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.
For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he
himself seeketh to be known openly : If thou do these things,

188 LIFE OF CHRIST.
shew thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe
in him." John, vii. 3, 4, 5.
Our Lord well knew the rancorous prejudice of the inhabit
ants of Jerusalem, and therefore did not think proper to reside
among them any longer than was absolutely necessary. They
had more than once attempted his life, and therefore very lit
tle hopes remained that they would believe his miracles, or
embrace his doctrine ; but, on the contrary, the greatest reason
to think they would destroy him, if possible, before he had
finished the work, for which he assumed the veil of human
nature, and resided among the sons of men. " My time," said
the blessed Jesus to these unbelieving relations, " is not yet
come; but your time is alway ready. The world cannot hate
you ; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works
thereof are evil. Go ye up unto this feast ; I go not up yet
unto this feast, for my time is not yet full come." John, vii. 6,
7, 8. As if he had said, It is not proper for me to go before
the feast begins ; but you may retire to the capital whenever
you please ; the Jews are your friends, you have done nothing
to displease them ; but the purity ofthe doctrines I have preach
ed to them, and the freedom with which I have reproved their
hypocrisy, and other enormous crimes, have provoked their
malice to the utmost height ; and therefore as the time of my
sufferings is not yet come, it is not prudent for me to go so
soon to Jerusalem.
There was also another reason why our blessed Saviour re
fused to accompany these relations to the feast of tabernacles ;
the roads were crowded with people, and these gathering round
him, and accompanying him to Jerusalem, would doubtless
have given fresh offence to his enemies, and have in a great
measure prevented his miracles and doctrines from having the
desired effect. He therefore chose to continue in Galilee, till
the crowd were all gone up to Jerusalem, when he followed, " as
it were in secret," neither preachiug nor working miracles by
the way ; so that no crowd attended him to the feast.
As Jesus did not go up openly to Jerusalem, so neither did
he, on his arrival, repair to the temple, and there preach openly
to the people. This gave occasion to several disputes among
the Jews with regard to his character. Some affirmed that he
was a true prophet; and that his absenting himself from tbe
feast could be owing only to accident : while others as confi
dently asserted, that he only deceived the people, and paid no
regard to the institutions they had received from heaven.
But about the middle of the feast, Jesus appeared openly in
the temple, and taught the people, delivering his doctrines with
such strength of reason and elegance of expression that his very
enemies were astonished, knowing that he had uever enjoyed

LIFE' OF CHRIST. 189
the advantage of a learned education. " Now about the midst
of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And
the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters,
having never learned?" John, vii. 14, 15.
To which the great Redeemer of mankind replied, my doc
trine was not produced by human wisdom ; the sages of the
world were not my instructors ; I received it from heaven. It
is the doctrine of the Almighty, whose messenger I am. " My
doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me." John, vii. 16.
Nor can he who is desirous of practising the doctrines I de
liver, if he will lay aside his prejudices, and sincerely desire to
be taught of God, be at a loss to know from whom my doc
trines are derived : because he will easily discern whether they
are conformable to the will of man, or of God. It is no difii
culty to discover an impostor, because all his precepts will tend
to advauce his own interest, and gratify bis pride. Whereas all
the doctrines delivered by a true prophet have no other end
than the glory of God, however contrary they may prove to
himself. " He that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own glory ;
but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true,
and no unrighteousness is in him." John, vii. 18.
Our Lord was upbraided with impiety by some of the Jews,
because he had healed on the sabbath the impotent man in one
of the porches of Bethesda, which they pretended was a viola
tion of the law of Moses, and consequently what no prophet
would be guilty of. In answer to which, our blessed Saviour
told them, that however they might pretend to reverence the
authority of Moses and his law, they made no scruple of viola
ting the most sacred of his precepts : they had resolved to put
him to death, directly contrary to every law of God and man ;
and, in order to execute their detestable scheme, were laying
plots against his life.
The people replied, " Thou hast a devil, who goeth about to
kill thee ?" To which Jesus answered, I have done a miracle
of an extraordinary kind on the Sabbath-day, which you think
inconsistent with the character of a pious man, and therefore
wonder how I could perform it. But surely, Moses gave you
the law of circumcision, and you make no scruple of perform
ing that ceremony on the Sabbath-day, because it is a precept
both of Moses and the fathers. Since, therefore, ye think your
selves bound to dispense with the strict observance of the Sab
bath, in order to perform a ceremonial precept ; can you be an
gry with me, because, in order to fulfil the great end of all the
divine law, I have caused a man who was infirm in all his mem
bers, and even with far less bodily labor than you perform the
ceremony of circumcision ? Consider, therefore, the nature of
the thing ; divest yourselves of your prejudices, and the super-

190 LIFE OF CHRIST.
stitious opinions taught by your elders, and judge impartially.
" Moses ' therefore gave unto you circumcision, (not because it
is of Moses, but of the fathers,) and ye on the sabbath-day
circumcise a man. If a man on the sabbath-day receive cir
cumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken ; are ye
angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on
the sabbath-day ? Judge not according to the appearance, but
judge righteous judgment." John, vii. 22, 23, 24.
Notwithstanding the strength of this argument, several of
our blessed Saviour's inveterate enemies asked, with sarcastical
surprise, if the boldness of Jesus, and the silence of the rulers,
proceeded from their being convinced that he was the Messiah,
and at the same time, to deride his pretensions to that high
character, said, that they were acquainted both with his par
ents and relations : but that no man, when Christ appeared,
would be able to tell from whence he came ; founding their opin
ion on these words of tbe prophet Isaiah, " Who shall declare
his generation ?" Isaiah, liii. 8. To which the blessed Jesus
answered, that their knowing his parents and relations was no
reason against his having the prophetical character of the Mes
siah. Adding, I am not come of myself, but sent from heaven '
by God, who has uttered nothing by his servants, the prophets
concerning the Messiah, but what is true, and will all be fulfilled
in me : but ye are totally ignorant of his gracious perfections,
and gracious counsels, and have no inclination to obey his just
commands. You are really ignorant of what the prophets have
delivered concerning the Messiah ; for had you understood their
predictions, you would have known that one of his principal
characters is to understand the perfections and will of God more
fully,, and explain them to the sons of men more clearly than
any other messenger ever before sent from the Most High.
And would you attentively consider the doctrines I deliver,
you would soon perceive this character remarkably fulfilled
in me, and be convinced that I came from the Almighty God
of Jacob.
This observation, however powerful, and his reasons, how
ever solid, were far from disarming his enemies of their malice ;
for some of them were desirous of apprehending him ; but
Providence would not suffer any to lay hands on him, because
the time of his sufferings was not yet come. Many of the
people, however, convinced by the powerful miracles he had
lately wrought, and the unanswerable reasons he had advanced
in support of his character, Jielieved on him, and affirmed pub
licly in the temple, that he was the Messiah. " And many of
the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will
he do more miracles than these which this man hath done ?"
John, vii. 31.

LIFE OF CHRIST. J9I
The scribes and pharisees were highly provoked at this at
tachment of the common people to Jesus ; and accordingly on
the last and great day of the feast, they met in council, and
sent several officers to apprehend him, and bring him before
them. Jesus, during these transactions in the council, continued
in the temple teaching the people. My ministry, said he to the
multitude, is drawing near its period ; and therefore you should,
during the short time it has to last, be very careful to improve
every opportunity of hearing the word : you should listen with
the greatest attention to every discourse, that your minds may
be stored with the truths of the Almighty, before I return to
my Father ; for after my departure, you shall earnestly wish
for the same opportunities of seeing me, and hearing my instruc
tions, but shall never obtain them. '¦ Yet a little while am I
with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. Ye shall seek
me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot
come." John, vii. 33, 34.
The Jews, who did not understand that our blessed Saviour
alluded to his own death, resurrection, and ascension to the
right hand of the Majesty on high, whither their sins would
not permit them to follow him, wondered at this doctrine, and
imagined that he intended to leave Judea, and preach to their
brethren dispersed among the Gentiles. But this supposition
was not sufficient : because if he did go and preach among the
Gentiles, they thought it was not impossible for them to follow
him thither. " Then said the Jews among themselves, Whith
er will he go, that we shall not find him? Will he go unto
the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?
What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me,
and shall not find me : and where I am thither ye cannot come ?"
John, vii. 35, 36.
While the divine teacher was thus instructing the people in
the temple, the water from Siloam was brought in, according
to the appointment of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah,
part of which they drank with loud acclamations, in commem
oration of the mercy shewed to their fathers, who were relieved
by a stream which miraculously flowed from a rock, and re
lieved a whole nation, then ready to perish with thirst in a
dreary and sandy waste ; and the other part they poured out as
a drink-offering to the Almighty, accompanying it with their
prayers, for the former or latter rain to fall in its season ; the
whole congregation singing the following passage, " With joy
shall ye draw water ont of the wells of salvation." Isaiah,
xii. 3.
It was the custom of the blessed Jesus to deliver moral in
structions, in allusion to any occurrences that happened ; and
accordingly he took this opportunity of inviting, in the most

192 LIFE OF CHRIST.
affectionate manner, all who were desirous of knowledge or hap
piness, to come to him and drink, alluding to the ceremony they
were then performing. And to encourage all such as were de
sirous of believing in him, he promised them the gifts of the
Holy Spirit, which he represented under the similitude of a
river flowing out of their belly. " In the last day, that great
day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man
thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on.
me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow riv-
ers of living water." John, vii. 37, 38.
During this discourse to the people, the officers from the
council came to apprehend him ; but hearing that the topic he
was discussing was a very singular one, and he seemed to de
liver his discourse with remarkable fervor, their curiosity in
duced them to listen some time to his discourse before they laid
hands on him. But the eloquent manner in which he delivered
his subject, appeased their rage; the sweetness of his pronunci
ation, and the plainness and perspicuity of his discourse, eluci
dated the beauties of truth, and caused them to shine before the
understanding, with their native lustre. Accordingly, his very
enemies, who were come from the council on purpose to appre
hend him, were astonished ; the greatness of tbe subject, made
as it were visible by the divine speaker, filled their understand
ings; the warmth and tenderness with which he delivered him
self penetrated their hearts ; they felt new and uncommon emo
tions, and being overwhelmed with the greatness of their admi
ration, were fixed in silence and astonishment : they condemned
themselves for having undertaken the office, and soon return
ed to the rulers of Israel without performing it.
If our Lord had pleaded for his life before the officers of
the council who were sent to apprehend him, the success of his
eloquence, even in that case, had been truly wonderful ; but
in the case before us, it was surely superior to all praise ; for
in a discourse addressed to others, and even on a spiritual sub
ject, it disarmed a band of inveterate enemies, and made them
his friends.
Nor were the officers the only persons affected by this dis
course, for many of them declared that he must be one of the
old prophets ; and others, that he was no other than the Messi
ah himself. Some, however, led away with the common mis
take that he was born at Nazareth, asked with disdain, if the
Messiah was to come out of Galilee ? And whether they would
acknowledge a Galilean for the Messiah, when the Scripture
had absolutely declared that he was to be born in Bethlehem,
the native town of his father David? "Many of the people,
therefore, wheu they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is
the prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said

LIFE OF CHRIST. 193
Shall Christ come out of Galilee ? Hath not the Scripture
said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and -out of
the town of Bethlehem, where David was ?" John, vii. : 40,
41, 42.
Such were the dissentions on this subject, that some of his
enemies, knowing that the officers were sent to apprehend him,
threatened to lay hands on him ; but the Almighty would not
suffer them to execute their wicked design. " And some of them
would have taken him ; but no man laid hands on him." John,
vii. 44.
The officers now -returned to the council, and were asked,
why they had not brought Jesus of Nazareth ? whom the officers
answered, " Never man spake like this man." This reply en
raged the council, who reviled them for presuming to entertain
a favorable opinion of one whom they had pronounced an im
postor. It is strange, said they, that you, who are not ignorant
of our sentiments concerning this person, should entertain a fa
vorable idea of him. Have any persons of rank, or celebrated
for their knowledge of the laws, believed on him ? Are not
his followers the lower order of the people, who are totally ig
norant of all the prophecies concerning the Messiah ?
These officers made no answer to these railing accusations of
their masters ; but Nicodemus, a member of tbe council, ar
raigned their conduct in a very poignant manner, " Does our
law," says -he, "condemn any man before he has been heard?"
They had before condemned their officers for being ignorant of
the law, when it appeared they were themselves far more igno
rant in pretending to condemn a person before they had proved
him guilty. They were acting directly contrary to the funda
mental principles of the law of equity, at the time they boasted
of their profound knowledge of its precepts.
Incensed at this reprimand of Nicodemus, they asked him,
with an air of disdain and surprise, if he was also one of those
mean persons who had joined together to support the pretences
of a Galilean ; though tbe Scriptures had plainly said, that
Bethlehem was the place of the Messiah's nativity : adding,
that if he refused to listen to them, he should soon be convin
ced that the great prophet mentioned by Moses was not to ' be
born in Galilee. " Art thou also of Galilee ? Search, and
look ; for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet." John, vii. 52.
Having made this reply to Nicodemus, the council broke up,
and Jesus, who well knew their malicious intentions, retired to
the Mount of Olives, where he spent the night with his dis
ciples. Our blessed Lord, early the following morning, returned to
the temple, and again taught the people. The scribes and
pharisees now determined to render him odious to the multi-

194 LIFE OF CHRIST.
tude, or obnoxious to the Roman governor ; and therefore
placed before him a woman that had been taken in the act of
adultery, desiring his opinion what punishment she ought to
suffer. " This woman," said they to Jesus, " was taken in
adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded
us, that such should be stoned ; but what sayest thou ?" John,
Viii. 4, 5.
Had our Lord disapproved the sentence of the law, they
would doubtless have represented him to the multitude as a per
son who contradicted Moses, and favored adultery ; which could
not have failed of rendering him odious to 'the people. On the
other hand, had he ordered her to be stoned, it would have af
forded a plausible pretence for accusing him to the Roman gov
ernor as a person who stirred up the people to rebellion, the
Romans having now taken the power of life and death into their
own hands.
But Jesus, who well knew their malicious intentions, made
them no answer, but " stooped down, and With his finger
wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not." John,
Viii. 6.
They, however, still continued pressing him to give an an*5
swer, and, at last, Jesus, in allusion to the law, which ordered
that the hands of the witnesses, by whose testimony an adul
terer was convicted, should be first upon him, saicL, " He that
is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."
Let those who are remarkably zealous for having justice execu
ted upon others, at least take care to purify themselves from all
heinous crimes.
This reply had Hs desired effect. The hypocritical scribes
and pharisees were convicted of sin by their own consciences :
so that they immediately retired, fearing Jesus would have made
their particular sins publico " And they which heard it, being
convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, be
ginning at the eldest, even unto\he last." John, viii. 9.
The woman's accusers being alXretired, Jesus told her, that
as no man had pronounced sentencepf death upon her, neither
would he pronounce it: but advised her to be very careful for
the future, to avoid the temptations which had induced her to
commit so black a crime.
The wisdom,, knowledge, and power of our Blessed Saviour
were eminently displayed on this occasion : his wisdom in de
fending himself against the malicious attempts of his enemies ;
his knowledge in discovering the secrets of their hearts ; and his
power in making use of their own consciences to render their
artful intentions abortive. It was, therefore, with remarkable
propriety, that the great Redeemer of mankind now called him
self the " light of the world :" as if he had said, I am the spir-

THE WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY.
[Page 194]

" So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He tliat is
without sin among you, kt him first cast a stone at her." — John viii. 7.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 195-
itual sun, that dispels the darkness of ignorance and supersti
tion, in which the minds of men are immersed, and enlightens
the paths that lead to eternal life ; nor shall any who follow me,
ever be involved in darkness. " I am the light of the world :
he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have
the light of life." John; viii. 12.
This assertion of our Lord highly provoked the pharisees,
who told him he must be a deceiver because he boasted of him
self. To which the great Redeemer of mankind replied, You
are not to imagine that I called myself the light of the world
from a principle of pride and falsehood : that title justly belongs
to me : nor would you yourselves refuse to acknowledge it, did
you know from what authority I received my commission, and
to whom, when I have executed it, I must return. But of these
things ye are totally ignorant, and therefore judge according to
outward appearance, and condemn me because I do not destroy
those who oppose me, as you vainly think the Messiah will do
those, who shall refuse to submit to his authority. But the de
sign of the Messiah's coming is very different from your mistak
en notions ; he is not to destroy but to save the children of
men. " Though I bare record of myself, yet my record is true :
for I know whence I came, and whither I go ; but ye cannot
tell whence I come, and whither I go. Ye judge after the flesh,
I judge no man." John, viii. 14, 15. He added, that if he
should condemn any person for unbelief, the condemnation
would be just, because his mission was true, being confirmed by
his own testimony, and that of his Almighty Father, the God
of Jacob, by whose authority, and agreeable to whose will, all
his sentences would be passed. " And yet if I judge, my judg
ment is true : for I am not alone, but I and the Father that
sent me." John, viii. 16.
Having thus asserted the divinity of his mission, and shewn
that his judgment was just, he proceeded to inform them that
the Father himself bare witness to the truth of his mission.
You cannot, said he, justly complain, even if I should punish
you for your unbelief, because you are, by your own laws, com
manded to believe the testimony of two witnesses, that my
mission evidently is true. For the actions of my fife, which
are perfectly agreeable to the character of a messenger from
heaven, bear sufficient witness of me ; and the Father, by the
miracles he has enabled me to perform, beareth witness of" me ;
ye are therefore altogether culpable in objecting to my mission.
" It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men
is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father
that sent me beareth witness of me." John, viii. 17, 18.
The Jews then asked him, Where is the Father, the other
witness to whom thou appealest ? Jesus replied, Your conduct

196 , LIFE OF CHRIST.
sufficiently demonstrates that ye are strangers both to me and
my Father ; for had ye known whom I am, ye must have also
known whom it is 1 call my Father ; had ye been convinced that
I am the Messiah, you must also have been convinced that the
Father is no other than that Omnipotent Being, who created
and upholds all things by the word of his power. " Then
said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered,
Ye neither know me, nor my Father : if ye had known me, ye
should have known my Father also." John, viii. 19.
This discourse, the Evangelist tells us, was held in the treas
ury or court of the women, where the chests were placed for
receiving the offerings of all who came up to worship in the
temple ; and must therefore have been a place of great resort,
being frequented by all, even the priests and rulers. But not
withstanding the public manner in which our blessed Saviour
now asserted his claim to the character of the Messiah, no man
attempted to seize him ; Providence not suffering them to put
their malicious designs in execution, because his " hour," or
time of his sufferings, " was not yet come."
The debate being ended, Jesus again repeated what he had
before told them : namely, that he should shortly depart from
them ; and that they should then seek him, but not be able to
find him. "I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die
in your sins : whither I go ye cannot come." John, viii. 21. As
if he had said, After my ascension into heaven, when the Roman
armies shall spread horror and desolation in every corner of the
land, ye shall then earnestly wish for the coming of the Messi
ah, in expectation of being delivered by his powerful arm from
your cruel enemy, but ye shall then find your mistake ; ye shall
die in your sins, and be for ever excluded from the mansions of
happiness. The Jews by no means comprehended this departure of
which our Lord told them. They even fancied he would de
stroy himself, because they thought tbe only retreat where they
could not find him, was the gloomy habitation of the grave.
To which the blessed Jesus replied, Your vile insinuation dis
covers at once the wickedness of your hearts and the baseness
of your original. Ye are from the earth, and therefore subject
to all the evil passions that infect human nature ; and from the
dictates of your own hearts, you fancy that I can be capable of
committing the horrid crime of self-murder. But my extrac
tion is very different ; it is from heaven, and consequently my
mind is not tainted with the corruption of human nature, the
source of temptation to every sin. You, therefore, must believe
that I am the " bread of life," the heavenly manna, the light of
the world, the true Messiah, if you are desirous of being clean
sed from those pollutions which flow from your earthly origin ;

LIFE OF CHRIST. 197
but if ye still continue in your unbelief, " you shall die in your
sins." The Jews now, in order to vindicate themselves, demanded
what sort of person he pretended to be ? To which Jesus an
swered, " Even the same that I said unto you from the begin
ning," that is, at the beginning of this discourse, " the light of
the world." Adding, I have many things to say, and to judge
of you : but be that sent me is true ; and I speak to the world
those things which I have heard of him." John, viii. 26.
This discourse, however plain it may appear, was not under
stood by the perverse Jews ; they did not perceive " that he
spoke to them of the Father." But Jesus told them, that when
they had crucified him, they would be convinced, by the mir
acles accompanying that awful hour, the resurrection from the
dead, the effusion of the Holy Spirit on his disciples,' and the
destruction of the Jewish nation, who he was, and the Father
that sent him. " When ye have lifted up the Son of Man,
then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of my
self; but as my Father hath taught me, [ speak these things."
John, viii. 28.
He added, that though he should be crucified as a malefactor,
that punishment would not be inflicted on him, as a consequence
of his being deserted by his father; because he would never
leave him in any period of his misery, or even at the hour of
death, as he had always acted agreeable to his will.
These words induced many of the people to believe him to
be the Messiah. Perhaps by " lifting him up," they did not
understand his crucifixion, but his ascension to the throne of
David ; and hence supposed, that he now entertained sentiments
worthy of the Messiah, and were therefore very ready to ac
knowledge him as such, and believe the doctrine he had deliv
ered concerning his mission. But Jesus told them, that if they
persevered in the belief and practice of his word, they should,
in reality, become his disciples, have a title to that honorable
appellation, be fully instructed in every doctrine of the Gospel,
and not only freed from the slavery of sin and its consequences,
but also from the ceremonial laws delivered by Moses. " If
ye continue in my word, then are ye disciples indeed : and ye
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
John, viii. 31, 32.
The Jews, on hearing him mention that they should be made
free, answered, "We be Abraham's seed, and were never in
bondage to any man." This assertion, if taken literally, was
absolutely false ; the whole nation, at that very time, being in
bondage to the Romans ; nor were their ancestors any strangers
to slavery, having severely felt the hand of tyranny, both in
Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. The expression, therefore, must

198 LIFE OF CHRIST.
be taken in a metaphorical sense, to signify spiritual bondage :
it was a freedom by truth, a freedom in respect of religion,
which they now asserted. They meant that they were the de
scendants of illustrious ancestors; and, during the worst of
times, had preserved sentiments in religion and government
worthy of the posterity of Abraham ; nor had the hottest perse
cution of the Assyrian kings been able to compel them to em
brace the religion of the heathens. In respect of truth, " we
were never in bondage to any man : how sayest thou, Ye shall
be made free ?"
In answer to this question, Jesus told them, that those who
gave themselves up to a vicious course of life, and to the grat
ification of their sinful appetites, were absolute slaves, and how
far they might deserve that appellation, it was incumbent on
them to consider. " Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever
commitleth sin is the servant of sin." And as a slave cannot be
assured of the continuance of his master's favor, or certain of
abiding continually in the family ; so my Father can, when he
pleases, discard such habitual sinners, deprive you of the exter
nal economy of religion, in which you so highly boast, as you
have, through sin, rendered yourselves bondsmen to his justice.
If ye are desirous of becoming the children of God, and of re
maining for ever in his family, you must submit to the authority
•of his Son, and embrace his doctrine, which will induce him to
adopt you as co-heirs with himself. It is he only that can make
you free indeed, and place you in the city of the heavenly Jeru
salem, without the least danger of being removed. I well know
that ye are, in a natural sense, the seed of Abraham, but in a
moral one, the offspring of Satan ; for many of you are desirous
pf destroying me, because I enjoin a greater degree of sanctity
than you are willing to acquire. " I know that ye are Abra
ham's seed ; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no
place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father ;
and ye do that which ye have seen with your'father. They
answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father." John,
viii. 37, 38, 39.
Notwithstanding their claim to immediate descent from that
father of the faithful, Jesus told them that if they were the spir
itual progeny of Abraham, they would resemble that great and
good man in his righteousness ; and therefore, instead of en
deavoring to take away the life of a person who came with a
revelation from God, they would believe on him, in imitation of
Abraham, who was justly styled the father of the faithful, and
the friend of God. " If ye were Abraham's children, ye would
do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man
that hath told you the truth which I have heard of God : this
did not Abraham." John, viii. 39, 40.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 799
Jesus added, that their deeds sufficiently showed whose chil
dren they were, and from what stock they were descended ; even
from the great deceiver of mankind, who " goeth about like a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
The Jews at length discovered the purport of our Lord's
meaning, and accordingly replied, that they were undoubtedly
in that sense the children of God, as they were certainly not
born of fornication, alluding to the marriage-covenant, which
in Scripture is metaphorically said to subsist between God and
the people of Israel, and by which their obligation to love, hon
or, and obey him, was represented in a very lively manner.
We are neither, said the Jews, idolaters ourselves, nor sprung
from idolatrous parents ; consequently we are, with respect to
a spiritual descent, the children of God. " We be not born of
fornication : we have one father, even God." John, viii. 41.
But Jesus told them, that an outward profession of the true
religion was of no consequence. They must " love it in deed
and in truth," if they hoped to be, in reality, the children of
God : and if they truly loved religion, they must love him who
came down from heaven on purpose to reveal it to the sons of
men. Adding, that he did not come of himself, but was sent
by the great Creator of the universe. " If God were your
Father, ye would love me ; for I proceeded forth, and came
from God : neither came I of myself, but he sent me." John,
viii. 42.
But ye, continued the blessed Jesus, inherit the nature of
your father the devil ; and therefore will continue to gratify the
lusts ye have derived from him. He was an enemy and a mur
derer of mankind' from the beginning, and has ever since ex
erted his whole power to work their destruction : sometimes by
seducing into sin by his falsities, and sometimes by instigating
them to kill those whom God thought proper to send to reclaim
them. And having early departed from holiness and truth, a
custom of lying is become habitual to him. Being therefore a
liar and the father of lying, when he speaketh a falsity, he
speaketh what is properly his own. But I tell you the truth ;
and therefore it is natural to think that ye will disbelieve me.
" Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father
ye will do ; he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode
not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he
speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own ; for he is a liar, and the
father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me
not." John, viii. 44, 45.
Though ye dare even to reject my doctrine, are atay of you
able to shew that 1 have not received my commission from hea
ven, or that I have done any thing that has a tendency to ren
der me unworthy of belief? Can you shew that I have taught

200 LIFE OF CHRIST.
false doctrines, reproved you unjustly for your actions, or been
guilty myself of sin? If you are unable to do this, but, on the
contrary, must acknowledge that my doctrine and life are such
as become a messenger of God, what reason can ye pretend for
not believing me? " And if," in affirming that I am perfectly
free from sin, " I say the truth, why do ye not believe me ?"
Whoever is of God, receives, with the greatest humility, what
ever revelations God is pleased to make of himself by his mes
sengers, and makes it his study and delight to obey all his com
mandments. But. ye reject the revelations and precepts of the
Almighty, delivered by me, who came down from heaven, for
no other reason than because ye are not the children of God.
" He that is of God, heareth God's words ; ye therefore hear
them not, because ye are not of God." John, yiii. 47.
The Jews, still attached to their lineal descent, replied, that
his calling the descendants of Abraham the children ofthe devil,
was a sufficient proof that he was a very profligate wretch him
self, or instigated by some evil spirit. But Jesus told them he
was neither mad nor actuated by an evil spirit. On the con
trary, he honored his Father, by speaking the words of truth,
which he had sent him to deliver : and, therefore, they dishon
ored him in calling him by so opprobrious a title. Adding,
that he sought not their applause, but referred their conduct to
an omniscient and impartial Judge. " And I seek not my own
glory : there is one that seeketh and judgeth." John, viii. 50.
Our Lord, having declared his mighty and divine power,
asserts the happy effects of faith and obedience to the Gospel.
" Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he
shall never see death." John, viii. 51. On this declaration,
the Jews (who were total strangers to our. Lord's spiritual
meaning of death) cried out, now we sufficiently know that thou
art possessed with a devil ; for the most righteous persons that
ever flourished among the sons of men are dead : Abraham, and
the prophets, and other holy men, are all laid in the chambers
ofthe dust, and yet thou hast the impudence and folly to affirm,
that whoever keeps thy precepts shall never die. Thou surely
canst not think, nor pretend to be more in favor with the Al
mighty than Abraham and the prophets were, who, though the
strictest observers of the divine precepts, could not obtain the
privilege of being themselves exempt from the stroke of death,
much less for their followers. " Now we know that thou hast
a devil ; Abraham is dead, and the prophets ; and thou sayest,
If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art
thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead : and the
prophets are dead ; whom makest thou thyself?" John, viii'.
52, 53.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 201
In reply to this impertinent query, the Messiah returned, If
I should attempt to speak in praise of myself, you would call it
vain and foolish, and, like the pharisees, tell me, " Thou bear-
est record of thyself: thy record is not true." Instead, there
fore, of giving you a full description of my dignity, I shall only
inform you, that it is my Father who speaketh honorably of
me, by the many miracles he enables me to perform. And
surely this may be sufficient to convince you of what I have
promised for my disciples ; especially when I tell you that my
Father is no other than the Almighty God of Jacob, whom all
the descendants of Abraham piitend to worship. But though
you vainly boast of worshipping my Father as your God, you
are ignorant of him : you neither form just conceptions of him,
nor worship him in the manner you ought. Your knowledge
and actions, therefore, disagree with your profession; but, on
the contrary, I entertain proper ideas of him, and obey his pre
cepts. You may, perhaps, construe this declaration as pro
ceeding from vanity ; but if I should say, I do not form adequate
conceptions of him, or acknowledge him as he deserves, I should
be a liar like unto you. Even your father Abraham, of whom
you so highly boast, earnestly desired to behold the time when
I, the promised seed, should put on the veil of human nature,
and convert the nations of the world from their idolatry to the
knowledge and worship of the true God. He earnestly desired
to see the great transactions of my life, by which this invaluable
blessing was to be procured for all the sons of men ; and view
the happy state of all nations, when this blessing was bestowed
upon them. This was granted him ; he " saw it and was glad."
He was favored with the ravishing prospect of these happy
times, theh concealed in the womb of futurity, and was exceed
ingly transported with the scene. " Your father Abraham re
joiced to see my day : and he saw it, and was glad." John,
viii. 56.
The Jews, still blind to the spiritual meaning of our Lord's
words, concluded he had affirmed that he was before Abraham j
and knowing he was not yet forty years old, considered it as
absolutely ridiculous. They had no conception of his divine
nature, though he had so often told them he was the Son of
God, and consequently existed with the Father, long before this
world was called from its primitive chaos. This gross stupidity
and perverseness induced the Saviour of the world to assert his
dignity in still plainer terms : " Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Before Abraham was, I am." John, viii. 58.
The Jews, incensed at our Lord's prior claim to Abraham,
in point of existence, rushed on him, and attempted to stone
him ; but Jesus, by rendering himself invisible, passed unhurt
through the crowd, and retired out of the temple.

202 LIFE OF CHRIST.

CHAPTER XIX.
Our Lord continues to work Miracles in confirmation of hig
Mission and Doctrine. — Calls forth and sends out seventy
Disciples. — Preaches to the people of Judea, by way of
Parable. The great Preacher of Israel, having defeated the cruel de
signs of the obstinate Jews, in passing on his way, saw a man
who had been blind from his birth. The sight of so affecting
an object could not fail to excite the compassion of the benevo
lent Saviour of mankind. Nor could the affronts and indigni
ties he had just received from the Jews hinder him. from " work
ing the works of him that sent him," and dispensing blessings
-on that rebellious and ungrateful nation. Accordingly, he be
held this poor blind man, not with a transient view, but fixed on
him the eyes of his divine compassion, and presented him with
the riches of his adorable love.
The disciples, observing the affectionate regard of their Mas
ter to this object of compassion, and probably imagining that
he was going to extend his usual mercy to this unfortunate
'object, asked their Master, whether his blindness was occa
sioned by his own sin, or the sin of his parents ? They had
often heard their Master say, that afflictions were commonly
the punishment of particular sins ; and had learned, from the
law of Moses, that sin was the fruitful source of evil; and that
-the Lord punished the iniquities of the fathers upon the children.
Their Master kindly answered, that neither his own nor the sins
ofthe parents were the immediate cause of this peculiar punish
ment; but that he was born blind, "that the works of God
should be made manifest in him ;" particularly his sovereignty in
bringing him blind into the world, his power in conferring the
faculty of sight upon him, and his goodness in bearing witness
to the doctrine by which men are to be saved.
We may learn, by this pertinent reply of the Saviour of the
world, that a curious inquiry into the afflictions of other men
may be safely avoided ; and that we ought to suppose every ca
lamity subservient to the glory of Omnipotence ; never imputing
to their personal sins whatever miseries we behold in others,
Jest, like the disciples in the present case, we assign to sin, what
owes its origin to the glory of our Maker.
Having assigned the cause of this person's blindness, namely,
" that the works of God should be made manifest in him,"
Jesus added, " I must work the works of him that sent me,
while it is day; the night cometh when no man can work;"

LIFE OF CHRIST. 203
John, ix. 4. ; intimating to his disciples, and all the sons of men,
his unwearied labor in the work of his Almighty Father. In
this he was employed day and night, during the time of his
sojourning in the flesh. To this alone he directed all his
thoughts and all his intentions. This he esteemed even as his
meat and drink ; and for this he suffered the neglect of his ordw
nary food, that he might finish the blessed, the beneficent work
of human salvation. A work, to accomplish which he left the
courts of heaven ; and, during the execution of it, weht about
doing good.
It was now the sabbath-day, and the blessed Jesus was going
to perform a miracle, in which there was to be a small degree
of servile work ; and therefore he told his disciples, that they
heed not be surprised to see him work miracles of that kind on
the sabbath-day. For though they should imagine that he
might defer them till the day of rest was over, his time on earth
was so short, that it was necessary for him to embrace every
opportunity that offered of working miracles. Perhaps he
chose to perform this work on the sabbath, because he knew
the pharisees would, for that reason, inquire into it with the
utmost attention, and consequently render it more generally
known. But however this be, our blessed Saviour, who was now going
to confer sight on one that was born blind, took occasion from
thence to speak of himself as one appointed to give light also
to the minds of men involved in darkness. " As lohg as I am
in the world, I am the light of the world." John, ix. 5.
It appears from hence that our Saviour's miracles were de
signed not only as proofs of his mission, but also as specimens
of the power he possessed as the Messiah. For example, by
feeding the multitude with the meat that perished, he signified
that he was come to quicken and nourish mankind, with the
" bread of life," that sovereign cordial, and salutary nutriment
of the soul. His giving sight to the blind was a lively emblem
of the efficacy of his doctrine to illuminate the blinded under
standings of men. His healing, their bodies represented his
power to heal their souls, and was a specimen of his authority
to forgive sins, as if it was a real, though a partial removal of
its punishment. His casting out devils was an earnest of his
final victory over Satan, and all his powers. His raising par
ticular persons from the dead was the beginning of his triumph
over death, and a demonstration of his ability to accomplish a
general resurrection : and, in a word, his curing all promiscu
ously, who applied to him, shewed that he was come not to
condemn the world, but to save, even tbe chief of sinners.
Accordingly at, or soon after performing the^e miracles,
when the memory of them was fresh in the minds of his hearers.

204 LIFE OF CHRIST.
we often find him turning his discourse to the spiritual things
they represented. But to return from this digression.
Having declared the salutary design of his coming into the
world, " he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle,
and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and
said unto him, Go wash in the pool bf Siloam, (which is, by
interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed,
and came seeing." John ix. 6, 7.
From former examples it is evident that our blessed Saviour
could as easily have performed this miracle without the assist
ance of any external means. Indeed, those the great Redeemer
of mankind made use of on this occasion were so far from
being likely to effect the cure, that they seem properly adapted
to produce a quite contrary effect. We must, therefore, con
clude, that they were intended to direct our attention to higher
mysteries, and shew us, as in a glass, that it was through the
same divine power, who at first created man out of the dust of
the earth, and gave sight to his eyes, that lapsed mankind
were now restored and regenerated, and the black cement of
sin, which closed their eyes, wiped away.
This person seems to have known the power of the Redeem
er, or at least to have been informed by some person near him,
who Jesus was, the fame of whose miracles had been published
in every corner of Judea. Indeed, we cannot otherwise account
for the implicit and ready obedience paid him by the blind mari,
who was amply rewarded for his faith and confidence, by re
ceiving the invaluable gift of sight.
This miraculous operation could not fail of producing a gen
eral curiosity and surprise, and induced those who had seen
this blind man in his dark and deplorable condition, to be very
particular in their inquiries into the means of so singular a mir
acle. It was doubtless the subject of general conversation ;
and it is natural to think should also have proved the means of
a general conversion: but, as too frequently .happens, a per
verse curiosity prevented its salutary effects upon their souls.
Unbelief, and hardness of heart, led some of them even to
doubt of the plainest fact : a fact the most evident and indis
putable, and plainly the work of the divinity, and others to
persecute at once both the object and the author of it ! " The
neighbors, therefore, and they which before had seen him,
that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged ?
Some said, This is he; others said, He is like him : but he said,
I am he." John, ix. 8, 9.
The man, transported with gratitude and joy, and perceiving
his neighbors to doubt of the identity of his person, proclaim
ed himself to be the very same, whom they lately saw begging
in total darkness. I am he thus wonderfully blest with sight,

LIFE OF CHRIST. 205
by the peculiar mercy of the Almighty ! I am he who was
blind from my birth, whom ye have all seen, and many relieved
in my miserable distress ! I am he who was, even from my
mother's womb, involved in total darkness, but now enjoy the
enlivening light of day !
So genuine an acknowledgment of the fact excited their
curiosity to know bow this admirable effect was produced.
" How were thine eyes opened ?" To this question he readily
replied, " A man that is called Jesus, made clay, and anoint
ed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam,
and wash ; and I went and washed, and I received sight."
John, ix. 11.
They then asked him where the person was, who had per
formed so stupendous a work ? to which the man answered,
" I know not :" for Jesus had retired while the man went
to wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam, probably to avoid
the applauses which would naturally have been given him,
and which we see through the whole Gospel he generally stu
died to avoid.
The neighbors, either stimulated by envy, or excited by a
desire of having the truth of this extraordinary event searched
to the bottom, brought the man before the council as the
proper judges of this affair. Accordingly he was no sooner
placed before the assembly, than the pharisees began to ques
tion him, " how he had recovered his sight." Not daunted
by this awful assembly, though terrible to a man of his mean
circumstances, he boldly answered, " He put clay upon mine
eyes, and I washed, and do see." John, ix. 15.
On hearing this account of the miracle, the pharisees declar
ed that the author of it must be an impostor, because he had,
by performing it, violated the sabbath-day. But others, more
candid in their way of thinking, gave it as their opinion, that no
deceiver could possibly work a miracle of that kind, because it
was too great and beneficial for any evil being to have either
the inclination or power to perform.
The court being thus divided in their opinions with regard to
the character of Jesus, they asked the man himself what he
thought of the person who had conferred on him the blessing
of sight ? To which he boldly and plainly answered, " He is
a prophet." But the Jews wanting to prove the whole a cheat,
started another objection, namely; that this person was not born
blind, though all his neighbors had really testified the truth of
it. Accordingly, they called his parents, and asked them,
Whether he was their son : if he had been born blind ; and by
what means he had obtained his sight ? To which they answer
ed, that he was truly their son, and had been boi-n blind ; but
with regard to the manner in which he received his sight, and

306 LIFE OF CHRIST.
the person who had conferred it on him, they could give no in
formation : their son was of age, and he should answer for him
self. " These words spake his parents, because they feared the
Jews ; for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did
confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the syna
gogue." John, ix. 22.
This proves that the convictions of conscience act powerfully
on the mind : the parents of this blind man well knew by what
means their .son had received his sight; and like him they should
have glorified the divine hand that had wrought so marvellous
a work ; and dared to have confessed him before all men, what
ever dangers might have threatened them. Let us learn from
hence, to fear our own, and to pity human frailty, and to im
plore the assistance of the Holy Spirit to give us courage and
resolution in the day of trial : and let us take care not to love
the praise of men more than the praise of God.
The pharisees, finding that all attempts either to discredit
or disprove the fact, were useless, had recourse to their usual
method of calumniating the author of it. They called again
" the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the
praise : we know that this man is a sinner." John, ix. 24. To
which the man boldly answered these rulers of Israel, " Wheth
er he be a sinner or no, I know not : one thing I know, that
whereas I was blind, now I see." John, ix, 25.
This reply prevailed not with the obstinate Jews ; they were
desirous of confounding him with repeated questions, and the
art of sophistry, and accordingly asked him, " What did he to
thee ? How opened he thine eyes ?" They had before asked
these questions, but now proposed them a second time, in order
that the man, by repeating his account of the servile work per
formed at the cure, might become sensible that Jesus had there
by violated the sabbath, and consequently must be an impostor.
Thus the enemies of our dear Redeemer would gladly have
prevailed on the person who had received the valuable, gift of
sight, to join with them in the judgment they had passed on the
great person who had wrought so stupendous a miracle. But
their obstinacy in denying the truth appeared so criminal to him,
that he boldly answered, "I have told you already, and ye did
pot hear : wherefore would ye hear it again ? will ye also be his
disciples ?" John, ix. 27.
. The council were highly exasperated at this retort. " They
reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple ; but we are Mo
ses' disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses : as for
this fellow, we know not from whence he is." John, ix. 28, 29.
The poor man, incensed at their unbelief and hardness of
heart, replied, It is very strange that you should not acknowl
edge the divine mission" of a teacher who performs such aston-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 207
ishing miracles ; for common sense sufficiently declares, that
God never assists impostors in working miracles ; and accord
ingly there cannot be found a single example since the creation
of the world, of any such person's opening the eyes of one
born blind. My opinion, therefore, is, that if this man had
not been sent by God, he could not work any miracle at all.
" The man answered and said unto them, Why, herein is a
marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet
he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth
not sinners : but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth
his will, him he heareth. Since the world began, was it not
heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
If this man were not of God, he could do nothing." John, ix.
30, fee.
The honest man's arguments, though plain, were powerful,
and founded upon truths they could not deny. They all owned
that " God heareth not sinners :" they all knew that God had
heard Jesus, by the miracle he had wrought, which was a fact
proved beyond any possibility of doubt, and was such as never
man performed ; it therefore undeniably followed, that Jesus was
not a sinner, but sent from God, since otherwise he could do
nothing. The pharisees were not ignorant that this argument was con
clusive ; tbey felt its whole force, and well knew that it could
not be resisted. Accordingly they did not attempt to answer it,
but had recourse to punishment and abusive language. Thou
wicked, illiterate, impudent mortal, said they, whose understand
ing is still as blind as thy body lately was, and who wast born
under the heaviest punishment of sin, dost thou pretend to in
struct in a matter of this kind, the guides of the people, and
those who have rendered themselves eminent for their knowledge
in the law ? " Thou wast altogether born in sin, and dost thou
teach us ?" John,, ix. 34.
After their presumptuous taunts, the Evangelist adds, that
" they cast him out;" that is, they passed on him the sentence
of excommunication, which was the highest punishment they
had power to inflict. But though he was cut off from the Jew
ish society, he was nevertheless thereby united to one, where no
unjust sentences can ever be passed, nor any member' be ever
separated during a joyful eternity.
The presumption of the pharisees, should teach us to contem
plate the various arts, and subtle endeavors of all the adversa
ries and enemies of the Gospel and cross of Christ ; and not be
surprised to find them, though in different shapes, employed
against ourselves, if we zealously embrace the truth of Christ,
as weU as against all- who are not afraid to confess, before all
men, the glory of him who hath opened their eyes. It is im-

20S LIFE OF CHRIST.
possible that the world should love those who boldly declare
that its works are evil. Let us not therefore be shaken when
we come to experience it, but learn from this blind man, freely
and openly to confess the faith, and to declare the power of that
God, who hath brought us from darkness into his marvellous
light, and turned our feet into the way of peace.
The feast of dedication now drew near. This solemnity was
not appointed by Moses, but by that heroic reformer, Judas
Maccabeus, in commemoration of his having cleansed the tem
ple, and restored its worship, after both had been polluted by
Antiochus Epiphanes.
Although this feast was merely of human institution, Jesus de
termined to be present at it, even though he knew that farther
attempts would be made against his life. His public ministry
was indeed now drawing near its period : and therefore the bles
sed Jesus would not omit any opportunity of preaching to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel, and of doing good to the chil
dren of men. Nor did he now, as he had formerly done, travel
privately to the capital, but openly declared his intention of go
ing to Jerusalem, and set forward on his journey with great
courage and resolution.
The road from Galilee to Jerusalem lay through Samaria,
and the inhabitants were those which entertained the most invet
erate hatred against all who worshipped in Jerusalem. Jesus
being no stranger to this disposition ofthe Samaritans, thought
proper to send messengers before him, that they might, against
his arrival, find reception for him in one of the villages. The
prejudiced Samaritans, finding the intention of his journey was
to worship in the temple at Jerusalem, refused to receive either
him or his disciples into their houses.
The messengers being thus disappointed, returned to Jesus,
and gave him an account of all that had passed ; at which James
and John were so exceedingly incensed, that they proposed to
their Master to call for fire from heaven in order to destroy
such inhospitable wretches; alleging, in excuse for such violent
proceedings, the example of the prophet Elijah. " Lord, wilt
thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and
consume them, even as Elias did ?" Luke, ix. 54.
Our Lord, desirous of displaying an example of humility on
every occasion, sharply rebuked them for entertaining so unbe
coming a resentment for this offence. " Ye know not," said he,
" what manner of spirit ye are of." Ye are ignorant of the
sinfulness of the disposition ye have now expressed ; nor do ye
consider the difference of times, persons, and dispensations.
The severity exercised by Elijah on the men who came from
Ahab to apprehend him, was a just reproof to an idolatrous
king and people ; very proper for the times, and very agreeable

LIFE OF CHRIST. 209
to the characters, both of the prophet who gave it, and of the
offenders to whom it was given ; and, at the same time, not un
suitable to the Mosaic dispensation. But the Gospel breatheth
a very different spirit ; and the intention of the Messiah's com
ing into the world, was not to destroy, but to save the lives of
the children of men.
Ye wise of this world, who reject saving knowledge, behold*
here an instance of patience, under a real and unprovoked inju
ry, which you cannot parallel among all your boasted heroes
of antiquity! An instance of patience which expressed infinite
sweetness of disposition, and should be imitated by all the hu
man race, especially by those who call themselves the disciples
of Christ.
Being denied reception by the inhospitable inhabitants of this
Samaritan village, Jesus, attended by his disciples, directed his
way towards another ; and as they travelled, a certain man said
to him, " Lord, I will follow thee, whithersoever thou goest."
But Jesus, to whom the secret purposes of all hearts were open,
knowing he only desired the riches and honors of the Mes
siah's kingdom, thought proper to make him sensible of his mis
take ; and accordingly said to him, " Foxes have holes, and
birds ofthe air have nests, but the son of man hath not where
to lay his head." Luke, ix. 58. I am so far from boasting of a
temporal kingdom, and the power and pomp attending it, that
I have not even the accommodations provided by nature for the
beasts of the field and the fowls of the air. They have safe
and secure retreats ; but the son of man is destitute of an habi
tation. Jesus, in the course of his wandering, met with one who had
formerly been his disciple, and ordered him to disengage himself
from all worldly employments, and to follow him ; but he was
desirous of excusing himself for the present, under the pretence,
that he was bound by the ties of gratitude to continue with his
aged father, till death had put a period to his existence, and he
had laid his remains in the sepulchre of his ancestors : " Lord,"
said he, " suffer me first to go and bury my father." To which
Jesus answered, " Let the dead bury their dead ; but go thou
and preach the kingdom of God." Luke, ix. 60. Letthose that
are immersed in worldly affairs, follow the affairs of the world ;
but those who have embraced the doctrines of the Gospel do ev
ery thing in their power to spread the glad tidings of salvation
in every part of the earth.
A third person offered to follpw him, provided he would give
him the liberty to return to%js house, and take leave of his
family : but Jesus told him, that he should not suffer any domes
tic affairs to interfere with the care of his salvation ; that the
calls of religion were too pressing to admit of the least delay
27

210 LIFE OF CHRIST.
or excuse whatever ; and that all who set themselves to seek tbe
welfare of their souls, should pursue the work assiduously, with
out looking carelessly around them, as if they were regardless
of the work they had undertaken to perform. " No man hav
ing put his hand to the plough, aud looking back, is fit for the
kingdom of God." Luke, ix. 62.
As our blessed Saviour's ministry was from this time, till its
filial period, to be confined to Judea, and the countries beyond
Jordan, it was necessary that some harbingers should be sent
into every town and village he was to visit, to prepare his way.
Accordingly he called his seventy disciples unto him, and after
instructing them in the duties of their mission, and the particu
lars they were to observe in their journey, he sent them into
diflerent parts of the country, to those particular places whither
he himself intended to follow them, and preach the doctrines of
the Gospel to the inhabitants.
Our Lord, according to his own declaration, dispatched these
disciples on the same important message, as he had done the
twelve before.
The harvest was plenteous in Judea and Perea, as well as in
Galilee, and the laborers also few; and being never more to
preach in Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, the cities
wherein he had usually resided, he reflected on the reception
he himself had met with from thc inhabitants of those cities.
He foresaw the terrible consequences that would flow from their
rejecting his doctrine, and the many kind offers he had made
them. He was grieved for their obstinacy ; and in the over
flowing tenderness of his soul, he lamented the hardness of their
hearts. " Wo," said he, " unto thee, Chorazin ; wo unto thee,
Bethsaida : for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and
Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while
ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be
more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for
you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shall
be thrust down to hell." Luke, x. 13, 14, 15. To which our
Saviour added, as some consolation to his disciples, " He that
heareth you, heareth me : and he that despiseth you, despiseth
me : and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me."
Luke, x. 16.
Such a token of heavenly regard could not fail of comforting
the seventy, and alleviating their minds when thinking of the ill
usage they expected to meet with during the course of their mis
sion. They well knew, that th^preaching of Christ himself
had been often despised, and ofifnunsuccessful, with respect to
many of his hearers ; and therefore they had not very great rea
son to expect that they should find a more welcome reception
than their Master.

THE DISCIPLES SENT FORTH.
[Page 210.]

'* After tliese things, the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two
before his face, into every city and place whither he himself would come." — Luke, X. 1.

LIFE OF CHRIST. ill
The seventy disciples, having received their instructions, and
the power of working miracles from the Messiah, departed to
execute their important commission in the cities and villages of
Judea and Perea. And after visiting the several places, pub
lishing the glad tidings of salvation, and working many miracles
in confirmation of their mission, they returned to their Master
with great joy, saying; " Lord, even the devils are subject unto
us, through thy name !"
From this appeal it seems that they knew not the extent of
their delegated power: and were pleasingly surprised to find
the apostate spirits tremble at their command. To which their
great Master replied, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from
heaven." You will be no longer astonished that the devils are
subject to the power I have given you, when I tell you that
their prince is not able to stand before me; and, accordingly,
when I first put on the veil of human nature, to destroy him
and his works, I saw him, with the swiftness of the lightning's
flash, fall from heaven. Adding, in order to increase their joy,
and prove that he had really cast Satan down from the seats of
heaven, that he would enlarge their power. " Behold," says
he, " I .give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpi
ons, and over all the power of the enemy : and nothing shall by
any means hurt you." Luke, x. 19. ' * •«-
Lest they should exult beyond measure in the honor thus
conferred on them, which was merely temporary, our Lord adds,
" Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject
unto you ; but rather rejoice, because your names are written
in heaven." Luke, x. 20.
Nor could the blessed Jesus reflect on the unsearchable wis
dom and goodness ofthe divine dispensations to mankind, with
out feeling extraordinary joy ; so that his beneficent heart over
flowed with strains of gratitude ; " I thank thee, O Father, Lord
of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the
wise and prudent, and hast revealed ihem unto babes ; even so
Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." Luke, x. 21.
When the disciples had executed their commissions, Jesus left
Samaria, and retired into Judea, and in the way was met by a
certain lawyer, or scribe, who being desirous of knowing wheth
er the doctrines preached by Jesus were the same with those be
fore delivered by Moses, asked him, What he should do to in
herit eternal life ? It is really amazing that any mortal should
ask a question like this, with a view to tempt, not to be instruct
ed ! This was, however, the case ; but the blessed Jesus, though
no stranger to the most secret thoughts of the heart, did not
reply, as he had before done to the pharisees, " Why temptest
thou me, thou hypocrite ?" He turned the scribe's weapon's
against himself; What, said he, is written in the law, pf which

212 LIFE OF CHRIST.
thou professest thyself a teacher ; " How readest thou ?" That
law will teach thee what thou must do to be saved ; and hap
py will it be for thee, if thou compliest with its precepts. The
scribe answered, it is there written, " Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy strength, and with all thy miud ; and thy neighbor as thy
self." Luke, x. 27.
Our Lord then shews the strength and spirituality of the law,
" Thou hast answered right : this do, and thou shalt live."
Perform these commands, and thou hast fulfilled the duties of
an Israelite : for on these two commandments hang all the law
and the prophets.
Where is the man that can fulfil the law ? The lawyer, who
in all probability expected no such answer, being conscious of
his defects, and, consequently, ofthe impossibility of obtaining
eternal life on these conditions, was willing as the sacred histo
rian inform us, "to justify himself;" was willing to stifle the
rising suggestions of his own conscience, and, at the same time,
to make a shew of his own devotion ; and in order to this, he
said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor ?" A question very,
natural to be asked by a bigoted Jew, whose narrow notions led
him to despise all who were not of his own fold ; all who were
not the natural descendants of his father Abraham.
To remove their obstinate attachment to their own principles,
open their hearts to a more generous and noble way of thinking,
and shew them the only foundation of true love, and the exten
sive relation they and all mankind stand in to each other, our
Saviour delivered the following most beautiful and instructive
parable. A certain person, in his journey from Jerusalem to Jericho,
bad the misfortune to fall into the hands of robbers, who, not
content with taking his money, stripped him of his raiment, beat
him in a deplorable manner, and left him for dead. While he
continued in this miserable condition, utterly incapable of as
sisting himself, a certain priest happened to travel the same
road ; " and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side."
And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and
looked on him, and passed by on the other side. So little
compassion had these ministers of religion for a brother in the
most deplorable circumstances of distress, that they continued
their journey without offering to assist so miserable an object,
notwithstanding their sacred characters obliged them to perform,
on every occasion, the tender offices of charity and compassion.
It was a brother, a descendant of Abraham in distress ; and
therefore those hypocrites could offer no reasons to palliate their
inhumanity. Their stony hearts could behold the affecting ob-

THE GOOD SAMARITAN.
[Page 213.]

" But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was ; and when he sato him,
he liad compassion on him, ***
" And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and' wine, and set him on
his oivn beast} and brought him to an inn, and took care of him." — Luke, X. 33, 31

LIFE OF CHRIST. 213
ject of an unfortuuate Israelite, lying in the road, naked and
cruelly wounded, without being the least affected with his dis
tress. Though these teachers of religion were hypocrites, and whol
ly destitute of grace and charity, compassion glowed in the
heart of a Samaritan, who, coming to the spot where this help
less object lay, ran to him ; and though he found him to be a
person of a different nation, and one who professed a religion
opposite to his own, yet the hatred which had been instilled in
to his mind from his earliest years, and every objection arising
from the animosity subsisting between the Jews and Samaritans,
were immediately silenced by the tender sensation of pity, awak
ened by the sight of such complicated distress; his bowels yearn
ed towards tbe miserable object ; though a Jew, he flew to him
and assisted him in the most tender manner.
It was the custom in these eastern countries for travellers to
carry their provisions with them ; so that this compassionate
Samaritan was enabled, though in the desert, to give the woun
ded man a little wine to recruit his spirits. He also bound up
his wounds, pouring into them wine and oil, placed him on his
own beast, and walked himself on foot to support him. In
this manner he conducted him to an inn, took care of him dur
ing the night ; and in the morning, when business called him
to pursue his journey, recommended him to the care of the host,
left what money he could spare, and desired that nothing might
be denied him ; for whatever was expended he would repay at
his return.
Having finished the parable, Jesus turned himself to the law
yer, and asked him, " Which now of those three, th'inkest thou,
was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?" The law
yer, struck with the truth and evidence of the case, replied,
without the least hesitation, " He that shewed mercy on him."
Upon which Jesus replied, " Go, and do thou likewise." Per
form all the good actions in thy power, extend thy kindness to
every one who stands in need of thy assistance, whether he be
an Israelite, an Heathen, or a Samaritan. Consider every man
as thy neighbor in respect to works of charity, and make no
inquiry with regard to his country or religion, but only with
regard to his circumstances.
On examination of the particulars of this beautiful parable,
we shall find that it is composed in the finest manner to work
the conviction designed ; so that the lawyer, however desirous
of considering those of the Jewish religion only as his neigh
bors, it was impossible for him to do it on this occasion. The
Jews had long considered the favors of a Samaritan as a more
detestable abomination than the eating swine's flesh ; yet,
notwithstanding this prepossession, the lawyer was obliged to

214 LIFE OF CHRIST.
acknowledge that neither the priest, nor the Levite, but the
travelling Samaritan, by discharging the great office of human
ity to the Jew in distress, was truly his neighbor ; that the like
humanity was due from an Israelite to a Samaritan Jn the like
distressed circumstances : and, consequently, that men are neigh
bors, without any regard to country, kindred, language, or re
ligion. Mankind are intimately connected by their common wants,
and their common weaknesses. Providence has formed them in
such a manner, that they cannot subsist without the assistance of
each other ; and, consequently, the relation subsisting between
them is as extensive as their natures, and their obligations to
assist each other by mutual good offices, as strong as the neces
sities of every individual. Our blessed Saviour has, therefore,
by this admirable parable, shewn that the heart is the seat of
genuine grace, and that good principles will ever produce good
actions.

CHAPTER XX.
The humble Jesus resides with Martha and Mary, two obscure
women of Bethany. — Improves a circumstance which occurred
at the Feast of Dedication. — Prescribes a mode of prayer to
his Disciples and future followers. — Revisits some ofthe phar-
isaical tribe.
The feast of the dedication approaching, Jesus turned his
course towards Jerusalem, and in tbe evening came to the house
of Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, at Bethany. Mar
tha was desirous of expressing her regard for the divine guest,
by providing for him and his disciples the best entertainment in
her power. But her sister, who was of a more contemplative
disposition, sat quietly at the feet of Jesus, listening with the
utmost attention to bis doctrine. For the great Redeemer of
mankind never omitted any opportunity of declaring the gracious
offers of the Almighty, and his unspeakable love for the children
of men. Martha, being greatly fatigued with the burden of the
service, complained to Jesus of the little care Mary took to as
sist her ; " Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me
to serve alone ? Bid her therefore that she help me." Luke,
x. 40.
But Martha's officiousness incurred our Lord's reproof, who
commended Mary for her attentive application to his doctrine.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 215
*• Martha, Martha, thou art careful, and troubled about many
things : but one thing is needful. And Mary hath chosen that
good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke, x.
41, 42.
When Jesus repaired to Jerusalem, to celebrate the feast of
dedication, he was informed, that the beggar he had restored to
sight, was, by the council, cast out of the synagogue. This in
formation excited the pity of the Son of God : and he resolved
to make him full amends for the injury he had suffered. It was
not long before he met the suffering person, and said to him,
" Dost thou believe on the Son of God ? He answered and
said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe in him ? And Jesus
said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talk-
eth with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he wor
shipped him." John, ix. 35, 36, 37, 38.
We have hinted, that the beggar was thoroughly convinced
the person who opened his eyes was a messenger from heaven ;
it is, therefore, no wonder that as he knew Jesus was the per
son who had performed so great a work, he readily believed
him to be the Son of God.
Our Saviour having thus given the poor man ample proof of
his Messiahship, directed his discourse to the people, and said
unto them, " For judgment I am come into this world : that
they which see not, might see ; and that they which see, might
be made blind." John, ix. 39. The meaning of our Saviour,
though he alluded to the blind man, was spiritual. He did not
intend to represent the design of his coming, but the effect it
would have on the minds of men ; as it would demonstrate what
character and disposition every person possessed. The humble,
the docile, and the honest, though they were immersed in the
night of darkness, with regard to religion, and the knowledge of
the Scriptures, should be enlightened by his coming, as the
blind man had enjoyed the invaluable gift of sight from his
hands : but those who were wise, learned, and enlightened in
their own opinion, should appear in their true character, abso
lutely ignorant, foolish, and blind.
The pharisees, who happened to be present when he spate
these words to the people, imagined that he intended to throw
a reflection on their sect, which the common people, from their
skill in the law, held in great veneration. Accordingly, they
asked him, with disdain, "Are we blind also?" Dost thou
place us, who are teachers, and have taken such pains to acquire
the knowledge of the Scriptures, on a level with the vulgar ?
To which Jesus answered, " If ye were blind, ye should have
no sin ; but now ye say, We see, therefore your sin remaineth."
If ye had not enjoyed the faculties and opportunities of dis
cerning the proofs of my mission, you might have been consid-

216 LIFE OF CHRIST.
ered as blind ; but as ye are superior to the vulgar, in point of
learning, and at the same time your hearts averse from ac
knowledging the truth, your enlightened understanding will only
aggravate your guilt.
Having condemned the obstinacy and pride of the sect, in
rejecting the most evident tokens of the divinity of his mission,
he continued the reproof, by describing the characters of a true
and false teacher. It was our Lord's custom always to allude
to objects before him ; and being now in the outer court of
the temple, near the sheep, which were there exposed to sale,
for sacrifice, he compared the teachers among the Jews to
shepherds, and the people to sheep; a metaphor often used by
the old prophets. He considered two kinds of bad shepherds
or teachers ; the one, who, instead of entering by the door
to lead the flocks to the richest pastures, entered some other
way, with an intention only to kill, to steal, and to destroy ;
the other, who though they entered by the door to feed their
flocks, with the dispositions of hirelings, yet when the wolf ap
peared, they deserted the sheep, having no love for any but
themselves. By the former, he plainly alluded to the pharisees,
who had cast the man born blind out ofthe synagogue ; for no
other reason, than because he would not act contrary to the
dictates of his conscience, and agree with them in declaring
Jesus to be an impostor. But though they had cast him out
of the church, Christ received him into his, which is the true
church, the spiritual enclosure, where the sheep go in and out,
and find pasture.
To illustrate the allusion, it should be observed, that the
sheep which were brought to be sold, were inclosed in little
folds, within the outer court of the temple ; so that the shep
herd himself could not enter, till the porter had opened the
door. And from this circumstance, the following parabolical
discourse may be easily understood. " Verily, verily, I say
unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheep-fold,
but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief, and a
robber." John, x. I . Believe me, that whosoever, in any age
ofthe church, assumed the office of a teacher, without a com
mission from me, was a thief and a robber; and in the present
age he is no better who assumes that office without my commis
sion, and particularly without believing on me. " But he that
entereth in by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep. To him
the porter openeth ; and the sheep hear his voice ; and he
calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out ; and
when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and
the sheep follow him : for they know his voice." John, x. 2S
3,4.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 217
The doctrine here inculcated is, that good men are obedient
to the instructions of true and faithful teachers ; and, in every
case, shew them their duty with the greatest plainness, not con
cealing it, because it may be disagreeable to their inclinations.
On the contrary, " A stranger will they not follow, but will flee
from him ; for they know not the voice of strangers." John, x.
5. The people of God will not hearken to impostors and false
teachers, but flee from them, like sheep from the voice of a
stranger : for they can easily distinguish them from the messen
gers of God, by their fruits, their doctrines, and their lives.
Thus did the great Redeemer of mankind, by this instructive
parabolical discourse, explain to the pharisees the difference
between true and false teachers ; but they being ignorant of his
meaning, he added, by way of explication, " Verily, verily, I
say unto you, I am the door of the sheep." I am not only the
door, by which the shepherd must enter, but I am also the door
of the sheep : it is by me that men enter into the spiritual en
closure of the church. "All that ever came before me;" all
those, who have presumed to assume the characters of teachers
of religion, without commission from me, " are thieves and rob
bers ; but the sheep did not hear them." John, x. 8.
" I am the door," through which alone any one can come ac
ceptably unto God ; " By me, if any man enter in, he shall be sa
ved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." If any man be
lieveth on me, he shall become a true member of the church of
God upon earth ; and shall, from time to time, receive such in
structions as shall nourish his soul unto eternal life. Our blessed
Saviour seems to change the image, in the last particular ; and
instead of the outer court of the temple, where the sheep were
kept, represented an enclosure, where cattle were fed.
" The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to
destroy ; I am come that they might have life, and that they
might have it more abundantly." John, x. 10. Tou may easily
know that I am neither a thief nor a robber, by considering that
the intention of such is only to steal, to kill, and to destroy the
flock. They assume the characters of teachers, who have re
ceived their commissions from heaven, for no'other reason than
to promote their own interest, at the expense of the souls of men :
but I am come merely to give you life, and even much more
abundantly than it was given by Moses, in the dispensation of
tbe law.
Nor am I an hireling shepherdy appointed by the owner to
take care of the flock ; I am the good shepherd, promised by the
prophets ; the true proprietor of the sheep. This is sufficiently
evident from my laying down my life for the safety of the flock.
Whereas an hireling, who proposes nothing but his own advan
tage, when he sees the wolf approaching, deserts the sheep J
28

218 LIFE OF CHRIST.
his whole care is for his own safety, and therefore he will not
expose himself to any danger on their account ; so that the wolf,
without resistance, tears some to pieces, and disperses the rest.
" I am the good shepherd : the good shepherd giveth his life for
the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd,
whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth
the sheep, and fleeth : and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth
the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and
eareth not for the sheep." John, x. 11 — 13.
And as I am the good shepherd, and so earnest in tending
them, so I know every particular ^sheep, am able to claim it, in
whose possession soever it be, and know every thing relating to
the sheep. I know the circumstances wherein they are placed,
am we.ll acquainted with their wants, and can judge what assist
ance they stand in need of. Besides, I love them all with the
greatest sincerity, and approve of their obedience to me, because,
though it be imperfect, it is sincere. For they have just notions
of my dignity and character ; they know that I am their shep
herd and Saviour, sent from God ; and that I am able to feed
them with knowledge, deliver them from the punishment of sin,
and bestow on them eternal life, and procure them a place in
the blissful mansions of my Father's kingdom. " I am the good
shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." John,
x. 14.
And this mutual knowledge and love of each other is like
that subsisting between me and my Father. " As the Father
knoweth me, even so know I the Father : and I lay down my
life for the sheep." John, x. 15.
I will give a convincing proof of the love I bear the sheep ; I
will lay down my life for them : an instance of regard that will
never be given by any hireling.
But I have other sheep, besides these of the seed of Abra
ham ; numbers of my flock are among the gentiles. These also
I must bring into my church, and they must cheerfully submit
to my laws. There shall be then but one visible church : they
shall know me, shall distinguish my voice from that of a stran
ger, and though consisting of Jews and gentiles, yet they shall
have but one shepherd to feed and govern them : for the middle
wall of the partition shall be broken down. " And other sheep
I have, which are not of this fold : them also I must bring, and
they shall hear my voice ; and there shall be one fold, and oije
shepherd." John, x. 16.
And because I lay down my life to save the world, therefore
my heavenly Father loveth me. But though I lay down my
life, I will take it again ; for I will in due time rise from the
dead. I do not, however, either lay down my life, or rise from
the dead, without the appointment of the Almighty. I act iu:

LIFE OF CHRIST. 219
both according to the divine wisdom, and agreeable to the will
Of my heavenly Father. " Therefore doth my Father love me,
because I lay down my life, that 1 might take it again. No
man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself : I have pow
er to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This
commandment have I received of my Father." John, x. 17, 18.
Various were tbe effects produced by this discourse upon the
minds of the Jews. Some of them cried out that he was mad,
and possessed with a devil, and that it was the highest folly to
hear him; while others, who judged more impartially of him
and his doctrine, declared, that his discourses were not those of
a lunatic, nor his miracles the works of a devil ; asking those
who were enemies to Jesus, if they imagined- any devil was able
to confer the faculty of sight on one that was born blind?
" There was a division therefore again, among the Jews, for
these sayings. And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is
mad ; why hear ye him ? Others said, These are not the words
of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the
blind?" John, x. 19—21.
Soon after, as Jesus was standing in Solomon's porch, the
Jews came to him, desiring that he would tell them plainly,
whether he was the expected Messiah, or not ? But Jesus,
knowing that they did not ask this question for information, but
to gain an opportunity of accusing him to the Romans, as a
seditious person, who endeavored to deceive the people, by
pretending lo be the great Son of David, promised by the pro
phets, in order to usurp the kingdom, told them, that they must
form a judgment of him from his actions. " I told you, and ye
believed not : the works that I do in my Father's name, they
bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of
my sheep, as I said unto you. John, x. 25, 26. Your unbelief
is the effect of your attachment to this world, being unwilling to
receive the doctrine of the kingdom of heaven : because you
must then renounce all your fond hopes of temporal power and
advantages. But, on the contrary, those who are of a meek and
humble disposition, and their minds free from worldly passions,
easily perceive the truth of my doctrine and miracles, and con
sequently are readily disposed to become my disciples. Nor
shall such persons lose their reward ; for I will willingly receive
them, and make them partakers of eternal life in my Father's
kingdom. And however assiduous malicious men may be, in
endeavoring to hinder men from believing on me, they shall
never be able to effect their purpose, though assisted by all the
powers of darkness. For my heavenly Father, who hath given
them to me, is far greater than them all : nor is any able to
contend with him. " My sheep hear my voice, and I know
them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life ;

220 LIFE OF CHRIST.
and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of
my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than
all ; and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."
John, x. 27, &c.
The Jews were so incensed at this declaration, which they
considered as blasphemous, that they took up stones to cast at
him, in conformity to the law, which commands all blasphemers
to be stoned. But Jesus asked them, which of the beneficent
miracles he had wrought, in confirmation of his mission, de
served such treatment. " Many good works have I shewed you
from my Father ; for which of those works do ye stone me ?"
John, x. 32, As if he had said, I have fed the hungry in the
desert, I have healed the lame, I have cleansed the lepers, I have
cured the sick, I have given sight to the blind, and have cast
out devils, and I have raised the dead ; for which of these works
are ye going to stone me ? Do these miracles indicate that the
author of them is an impostor ? Or can you be so stupid to
think that the Almighty would suffer any person to perform
such works, with no other intention than to deceive the human
race? The Jews answered, We are far from thinking that
thou deservest punishment for any good work thou hast done in
favor of the afflicted and distressed : the punishment is intended
to chastise thee for thy blasphemous speeches ; for thou, though
a weak mortal, a being of a day, like ourselves, arrogantly as
sumed the power and majesty ofthe Most High, and, by claim
ing the incommunicable attributes of the Deity, makest thyself
God. " For a good work we stone thee not: but for blasphe--
my, and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God."
John, x. 33.
Jesus replied, has not the Scripture expressly called those
" gods," and the " sons of God," who were commissioned to
govern God's people, on account of their high office, and the
inspiration of the spirit, which was, though sparingly, bestowed
upon them ? Can you, therefore, impute to that person whom
the Almighty had sanctified and sent into the world to save lost
mankind, and pay the price of redemption for all the sons of
men ; can you, I say, impute blasphemy unto him, for taking
on himself the title of the Son of God ? Jf my own assertion
be not sufficient to convince you of my personal dignity, you
must surely think that the many miracles I have wrought
abundantly prove that they are the works of the Most High, as
Omnipotence alone could perform them ; and, therefore, that
the Father find I are so united, that whatever I say, or do, is
approved of by tbe Almighty. " Is it not written in your law,
I said, Ye are gods ? If he called them gods, upon whom the
word of God came, and the Scriptures cannot be broken ; say
ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the

LIFE OF CHRIST. 221
world, Thou blasphemest ; because I said, I am the Son of
God ? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works : that
ye may know and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in
him." John, x. 34, &c.
But this reply, instead of satisfying the Jews, rather tended
to enrage 'them the more : and Jesus, seeing it was of no con
sequence to reasou with so headstrong a people, rendered him
self invisible, and by that means escaped from them. " There
fore they sought again to take him : but he escaped out of their
hand." John, *• 39.
The feast of the dedication being now over, Jesus departed
from Jerusalem, and retired into the parts of Perea bej'ond
Jordan. Here his ministry was attended with great success ;
for the inhabitants of the country, remembering what had been
told them, by John the Baptist, concerning Jesus, and being
sensible that the doctrine and miracles of our blessed Saviour
were fully equal to what the Baptist had foretold, firmly be
lieved him to be the Messiah.
According to this supposition, which seems the most agree
able to reason, the inhabitants of these countries enjoyed the
doctrines and miracles of the Son of God for a very consider
able time. But however this be, the Evangelist tells us, that
wliile he was executing his ministry beyond Jordan, he hap
pened to pray publicly with such fervency, that one of his dis
ciples, who was exceedingly affected both with the matter and
manner of his address, begged he would teach them to pray.
" And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain
place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord,
teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he
said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in
heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy
will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day
our daily bread. And forgive us our sins : for we also forgive
every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into tempta
tion ; but deliver us from evil." Luke, xi. 1 — 4.
Soon after our blessed Saviour cast out a devil, when some,
who were present, ascribed the miracle to Beelzebub ; " And he
was casting out a devil, and it was dumb : and it came to pass,
when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake ; and the people
wondered. But some of them said, he casteth out devils through
Beelzebub, the chief of the devils." Luke, xi. 14, 15. How
ever strange this argument may seem, and however weak and
absurd it must appear to impartial judges, yet it had a consid
erable effect on illiterate persons, especially on those whose
prejudices and interests it favored. The pharisees pretended,
that as Jesus had all along been at great pains to oppose the

2-22 LIFE OF CHRIST.
traditions which most of the teachers of that age considered as
the essentials of religion, and the principal branches of piety,
they concluded that he must be a very wicked person.
They also supposed, that a false prophet had tfie power of
working signs and wonders ; and thence concluded, that our
Saviour performed all his miracles by the assistance of evil spir
its, with an intention to turn the people from the worship of the
true God.
Another pretended reason for ascribing his miracles to evil
spirits was, that the demons themselves, when they departed out
ofthe persons possessed, honored him with the title ofthe Mes
siah. Their arguments, though so evidently founded on false
hood, contributed largely to the infidelity of the Jews, and
however we may be surprised that such weak reasons should
bave any effect, considering what multitudes were witnesses of
the many miracles the blessed Jesus performed on the sick of all
sorts, on the blind, the deaf, the dumb, the maimed, the lame,
on paralytics, lunatics, demoniacs, and other miserable objects ;
nay, on the dead, whom he raised again to life ; on the winds
and the seas; in a word, on every part of nature; yet experience
hath abundantly convinced us, that notwithstanding all these
evidences, their own superstitious opinions fixed that headstrong
people in their infidelity.
Though part of the multitude were content with ascribing this
miracle to the power of evil spirits, others went still farther, de
siring him to prove himself the Messiah, by giving them a sign
from heaven. But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, refused to
grant them this request : telling them that they were a wicked
race of mortals, and discovered a very perverse disposition, by
seeking, after so many miracles had been performed, a sign
from* heaven ; and therefore, that no greater sign should be given
them than the sign ofthe prophet Jonas. " This is an evil gen
eration : they seek a sign ; and there shall no sign be given it,
but the sign of Jonas the prophet." Luke, xi. 29.
"No man," added the Saviour ofthe world, "when he hath
lighted a candle, putteth it into a secret place, neither under a
bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see
the light." No man, endued with the Spirit of God, concealeth
the blessed gift ; but holdeth forth the glorious doctrines of
salvation, as it were like a candle, that the light of the same
may shine upon the souls of men who hear them. " The light
of the body is the e37e : therefore when thine eye is single, thy
whole body also is fulf of light : but when thine eye is evil, thy
body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore, that the
light which is in thee be not darkness." Luke, xi. 34, &c.
Take care, therefore, that thy soul is so completely enlightened
by the spirit, that the emanation of its light be not in the least

LIFE OF CHRIST. 223
interrupted by an evil passion or affection ; that all the faculties
of the soul may be as much enlightened and assisted, as the mem
bers of the body are by the bright shining of a candle. " If
thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark,
the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a
candle doth give thee light." Luke, xi. 36.
Thus did our blessed Saviour prove the truth of his mission,
against the cavils and sophistical reasoning of his malicious en
emies. And when he had done speaking, one of the pharisees
present desired he would dine with him. The Redeemer of
mankind accepting the invitation, though probably given with
an insidious design, accompanied the pharisee to his house, and
sat down to meat, but without performing the ceremony of wash
ing, observed by all the other guests.
An omission of this kind could not fail of surprising the
pharisee, as he had thereby shewn an open contempt of their
traditions. Jesus, who well knew the thoughts of this bigoted
pharisee, said to him, Your sect are remarkably careful to keep
every thing clean that touches your food, lest, by eating it,
your body should be polluted ; but you take no pains to clean
your^minds from the pollutions of rapine, covetousness, and
wickedness. You must surely be convinced, that he who crea
ted the body formed also the soul, and can you imagine, that
the Almighty, who requires purity of body, because it is the
work of his hands, will not also insist upon a greater purity of
soul, which is undoubtedly the far nobler part of human nature?
Instead, therefore, of that scrupulous solicitude of washing your
hands, when ye sit down to meat, ye should be careful to apply
yourselves to the great duty of charity ; a duty that will render
it impossible for any external things to defile you, but will be
at all times acceptable to your Maker. "Now do ye pharisees
make clean the outside ofthe cup and the platter; but your in
ward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did
not he that made that which is without, make that which is with
in also ? but rather give alms of such things as ye have, and be
hold, all things are clean unto you." Luke, xi. 39, &c.
But the pharisees, obstinate and perverse, withstood every
means made use of by the benign Redeemer of mankind to con
quer their prejudices, and bring them to the kowledge of the
truth ; and therefore our blessed Saviour treated them, on this
occasion, . with a kind and wholesome severity, denouncing
against them the most dreadful woes, for regarding so zealously
the ceremonial parts of religion, and at the same time utterly
neglecting the very precepts of their own religion. " Wo unto
you, pharisees, for ye tithe mint and rue, and all manner of
herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God : these ought
ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Wo unto

224 LIFE OF CHRIST.
you, pharisees, for ye love the uppermost seats in the syna
gogues, and greetings in the markets. Wo unto you, scribes
and pharisees, hypocrites : for ye are as graves which appear
not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them."
Luke, xi. 42.
A certain lawyer, who sat at the table, thinking that this
rebuke, though levelled principally against the scribes and phar
isees, affected his order also, was greatly displeased. But our
blessed Saviour, who had never any regard to the persons of
men, despised his resentment, and told him, -freely, what be
thought of their character. " Wo unto you, also, ye lawyers ;
for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye your
selves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers." Luke,
xi. 46. You pervert, in a very erroneous manner, the interpre
tation of Scripture, for no other reason than to favor the tra
dition of the elders, and by that means lay so heavy a burden
on the shoulders of the descendants of Jacob, that neither you
nor they will touch with one of their fingers.
The blessed Jesus also condemned them for building the sep
ulchre of the prophets, whom their fathers had murdered ; be
cause they did not do it from the respect which they had for the
memory of these holy men, but from a secret approbation of
their father's actions ; as too evidently appeared from their whole
conduct. " Wo unto you : for ye build the sepulchres of the
prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear witness
that ye allow the deeds of your fathers : for they indeed killed
them, and ye build their sepulchres. Therefore also, said the
wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and
some of them they shall slay and persecute : that the blood of
all the prophets which was shed from the foundation ofthe world
might be required of this generation : from the blood of Abel,
unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar
and the temple : verily, I say unto you, it shall be required of
this generation." Luke, xi. 47, &c.
Our Lord also reproved the lawyers for filling the minds of
the people with notions founded on wrong interpretations of
Scripture, whereby they .were prejudiced against the Gospel :
not being contented with rejecting it themselves, but took care
to hinder others from receiving it. " Wo unto you-, lawyers :
for ye have taken away the key of knowledge : ye entered not
in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered."
Luke, xi. 52.
Such honest reprimands highly provoked the pharisee and
his guests. They were conscious of being guilty of the crimes
laid to their charge, but unwilling the people should think them
guilty ; and, therefore, out of revenge, urged him to speak on
a variety of topics, hoping they should be able, by those means.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 225
to find occasion of rendering him obnoxious either to the gov
ernment, or the multitude. " And as he said these things unto
them, the scribes and the pharisees began to urge him vehement
ly, and to provoke him to speak of many things^ ; laying wait
for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that
they might accuse him." Luke, xi. 53, 54.

CHAPTER XXI.
Explanation of the origin and opinions of the different Sects
among the Jews. — Our Lord teaches the multitude by plain
discourse, and also by parables.
Having undertaken to write the history of the life of our
blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, we cannot omit a dis
tinct account of the different sects of the Jews, a people with
whom he was most intimately concerned, both as an elucidation
of many circumstances, as well as a verification of many things
foretold concerning the Messiah.
Josephus reckons four principal sects among the Jews; name
ly, the Pharisees, the Sadducees (called also Herodians,) the
Essenes, and the Galileans. The Evangelists mention only two,
the Pharisees and Sadducees.
The rise of the pharisees is unknown. They claim, indeed,
the celebrated Hillel for their founder, as he is by some sup
posed to have lived during the pontificate of Jonathan, about a
hundred and fifty years before the birth of Christ ; but others,
with more reason, suppose that he was contemporary with the
famous Someas, who lived about the time of Herod, long before
whom the sect of the pharisees was in high repute. It is there
fore probable that they claim Hillel rather as an ornament than
as the author of the sect.
One of the most famous tenets of the pharisees was that of an
oral tradition handed down from Moses, and to which they at
tributed the same divine authority as to tbe sacred books. This
being strenuously opposed by the Sadducees and Samaritans,
rendered these equally detested by them. But none more incur
red their hatred than the blessed Jesus, who embraced every oc
casion of reproving them for the unjustifiable preference they
gave this pretended tradition to the written word of God, and
for condemning those as apostates, worthy of death, who did not
pay the same, or even a greater regard to the former than to the
latter. 29

226 LIFE OF CHRIST.
Another tenet they embraced, in opposition to tbe Sadducees,
was that of the existence of angels, the immortality of the soul,
and the resurrection of the dead, and future rewards. But
with regard to the last, they excluded all who were notoriously
wicked from having any share in the happiness of eternity ; sup
posing, that as soon as death had put a period to their existence,
their souls were conveyed into everlasting punishments.
A third tenet was, that all things were subject to fate : or,
as some expressed it, to the heavens. It is not easy to conceive '
what they meant by this : Josephus, indeed, wilj have it, that
they designed to reconcile the fatality or predestination of the
Essenes, with the free will of the Sadducees.
If so, this is not the only absurdity, or even contradiction,
which they held : but a certain learned prelate seems to have
proved that they attributed all to fate, or-to that chain of causes
to which the Creator had subjected all things from the begin
ning ; among which the influence of the heavenly bodies was
considered the principal. This seems to be hinted at by St.
James, in the beginning of his epistle to the new converts, where
he explodes that pharisaical leaven by the most beautiful exposi
tion of the immutability of God, the giver of all good, to the
mutability of the planets, which, according to that notion, must
necessarily vary their aspects from a malign to a benevolent one,
and the contrary, even by their natural motions, and change of
position. This teriet of the pharisees was, therefore, a source of
dislike to the doctrines delivered by the blessed Jesus, as these
affirm that mpn are the authors of their own unbelief, disobedi
ence, and obstinacy ; and consequently, answerable for that, and
all the train of evils these' vices draw after them.
But the most distinguished character of the pharisees, and
that which rendered them most obnoxious to the just censures of
our blessed Suviour, was, their supererogatory attachment to the
ceremonial law, their frequent washings, fastings, and prayings,
their giving aims publicly, seeking for proselytes,, scrupulous
tithings, affected gravity of dress, gesture, and mortified looks:
their building the tombs of the prophets, to tell the world that
they were more righteous than their ancestors, who murdered
them, though they were themselves plotting the death of one
greater than all the prophets ; their over scrupulous observance
of the sabbath, to the exclusion of the works of the greatest
charity, and many others of the like nature : while they were
wholly negligent of the moral and eternal law of mercy and jus
tice, of charity and humility, and the like indispensable virtues.
The very best of them contented themselves with abstaining from
the actual committing any enormous act, while they indulged
themselves in the most wicked thoughts and desires. Nay,
some, more hardened in their vices, made no scruple, not only

LIFE OF CHRIST. 227
of coveting, but destroying poor widows houses ; of committing
the vilest oppressions, injustices, and cruelties, and of encour
aging these enormities in their followers, under the specious
cloke of religion and sanctity. Well, therefore, might the great
Redeemer of mankind compare them to whited sepulchres, beau
tiful indeed without, but within, full of rottenness and corruption.
The last erroneous opinion we shall mention of the pharisees,
common, indeed, to all other sects, but more exactly conformable
to their haughty, rapacious, and cruel temper, was, their ex
pectation of a powerful, a conquering Messiah, who was to
bring the whole world under the Jewish yoke ; so that there
was scarce an inhabitant of Jerusalem, however mean, tliat
did not expect to be made a governor of some opulent pro*
vince under that wonderful prince. How Unlikely was it, then,
that the preaching of the meek, the humble Jesus, whose doc
trine breathed nothing but humility, peace, sincerity, contempt
ofthe world, and universal love and beneficence, should ever be
relished by that proud, that covetous, that hypocritical sect, or
even by the rest of the people, while these, their teachers, So
strenuously opposed it ?
The sect of the Sadducees is said to have been founded by
one Saddoc, a disciple of Antigonus of Socho. Their chief
tenet was, that our serving God ought to be free either from
slavish fear of punishment or from selfish hope of reward ; that
it should be disinterested, and flow only from the pure love and
fear of the Supreme Being. They added, that God was the
only immaterial being ; in consequence of which, they denied
llie existence of angels, or any spiritual substances, except the
Almighty himself. It is therefore no wonder, that ihe Sad
ducees should take every opportunity of opposing and ridiculing
the doctrine of the resurrection.
Another of their tenets, equally opposite to the pharisees,
and to the doctrine of Christ, was, that man was constituted
absolute master of all his actions, and stood in no need of any
assistance to choose or act : for this reason they were always
very severe in their sentences, when they sat as judges. They
rejected all the pretended oral traditions of the pharisees, ad
mitting only the texts of the sacred books, and preferred those
of Moses to all the rest of the inspired writings.
They were charged with some other erroneous tenets, by Jo
sephus and the Talmudists ; but those already mentioned are
abundantly sufficient for the purpose. The notions of a future
life, universal judgment, eternal rewards and punishments, to
men, whom a contrary doctrine had long soothed into luxury,
and an overgrown fondness for temporal happiness, which they
considered as the only reward for their obedience, must, of
necessity, appear strange and frightful ; and as such could not

228 LIFE OF CHRIST.
fail of meeting with the strongest opposition from them ; espe
cially if we add, what Josephus observes, that they were, in
general, men of the greatest quality and opulence, and conse
quently, too apt to prefer the pleasures and grandeur of this life
to those of another.
The sect of the Galileans (or Gaulonites) so called from
Judas the Galilean or Gaulonite, appeared soon after the banish
ment of Archelaus, when his territories were made a Roman pro
vince, and the government given to Coponius. For the Jews
considering this as an open attempt to reduce them to slavery,
Judas took advantage of their discontent ; and to ripen them for
an insurrection, Augustus furnished them with a plausible
pretence, by issuing, about this time, an edict for surveying the
whole province of Syria, and laying on it a proportional tax.
Judas, therefore, who was a man of uncommon ambition, took
occasion from this incident to display all his eloquence, in order
to convince the Jews that such a submission was nothing less
than base idolatry, and placing men on a level with the God
of Jacob, who was the only Lord and Sovereign that could
challenge their obedience and subjection. The party which he
drew after him, became in a short time so considerable, that they
threw every thing* into confusion, laid the foundation for those
frightful consequences that ensued, and which did not end but
with the destruction of Jerusalem.
The Essenes, though not mentioned by the Evangelists, made
a very considerable sect among the Jews, and are highly cele
brated by Josephus, Philo, Pliny, and several Christian writers,
both ancient and modern. It is impossible to trace their origin,
or even the etymology of their name. This, however, is certain,
that they were settled in Judea, in the time of Jonathan, the
brother and successor of Judas Maccabeus, about a hundred and
fifty years before Christ.
The Essenes distinguished themselves, by their rules and
manner of life, into laborious, and contemplative. The former
divided their time between prayer and labour ; such as the ex
ercise of some handicraft, or the cultivation of some particular
spot of ground, where they planted and sowed such roots, corn,
&.c. as served for their food ; and the latter, between prayer,
contemplation, and study. In this last, they confined themselves
to the sacred books and morality, without troubling themselves
with any other branch of philosophy.
But the contemplative and laborious, had their synagogues,
their stated hours for prayer, for reading and expounding the
sacred books. The latter was always performed by die elders,
who were seated at the upper end of the synagogue, according
to their seniority ; while the younger, who were permitted to
read the lessons, were placed at the lower. Their expositions

LIFE OF CHRIST. 229
were generally of the allegorical kind, in which they seemed to
have excelled all their Jewish brethren. But they paid the
greatest regard to the five books of Moses, and considered that
lawgiver as the head of all the inspired penmen: they even
condemned to immediate death whoever spoke disrespectfully
either of him or his writings. Upon this account, they studied,
read, and expounded him more than all the rest, and seem to
have drawn all their religion chiefly from the Pentateuch. The
doctrines and expositions of the elders were received with implicit
faith, and in their practice they conformed with an entire sub
mission to all their sect.
With respect to their faith, they believed the existence of
angels, the immortality of the soul, and a future state of re
wards and punishments, like the pharisees ; but seem to have
had no notion of the resurrection. They considered the souls
of men as composed of a most subtle aether, which immediately
after their separation from the body, or from the cage or prison,
as they called it, were adjudged to a place of endless happi
ness or misery : that the good took their flight over the ocean,
into some warm or delightful regions prepared for them ; while
the wicked were conveyed to some cold and intemperate cli
mates, where they were left to groan under an inexpressible
weight of misery. They were likewise entirely averse to the
Sadducean doctrine of free-will, attributing all to an eternal
fatality, or chain of causes. They were averse to all kinds of
oaths : affirming that a man's life ought to be such that he may
be credited without them. The contemplative sort placed the
excellency of their meditative life in raising their minds above
the earth, and fixing their thoughts on heaven : when they had
attained this degree of excellency, they acquired the character
of prophets.
In their practice they excelled all the other sects in austerity.
If we may credit Philo, it was a fundamental maxim with
them, upon their entrance into the contemplative life, to re
nounce the world, and to divide among their friends and rela
tions their properties and estates. They never ate till after
sun-set, and the best of their food was coarse bread, a little
salt, and a few stomachic herbs. Then? clothing was made of
coarse wool, plain but white : they condemned all sorts of unc
tions and perfumes, as luxurious and effeminate. Their beds
were bard, and their sleep short. Their heads or superiors
were generally chosen according to seniority, unless there
started up among the brotherhood some more conspicuous for
learning, piety, or prophetic spirit. Some of them, indeed,
were so contemplative that they never stirred out of their cell,
or even looked out of their window, during the whole week,
spending their time in reading the sacred books, and writing

230 LIFE OF CHRIST.
comments upon them. On the sabbath-day they repaired to
their synagogues, early in the morning, and continued there
the whole day in prayers, singing of psalms, or expounding the
sacred books.
Having endeavoured to explain the origin and tenets of the
several sects among the Jews, we now return to the history of
our blessed Saviour, whom we left preaching in the country be
yond Jordan, where he was surrounded by an innumerable mul
titude of people.
In the audience of this vast assembly, he gave his disciples,
in general, a charge to beware of the leaven of the pharisees,
namely, hypocrisy ; because all their actions would be brought
to light, either in this world, or in that which is to come : and
therefore exhorted them to be very careful never to do any
thing which could not bear the light, but to let the whole of
their behaviour be honest, just, and good. " Beware ye of
the leaven of the pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is
nothing covered, that shall not be revealed ; neither hid, that
shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in
darkness shall be heard in the light ; and that which ye have
spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the house-
| tops." Luke, xii. 1 — 8
This argument against hypocrisy he improved as a reason fbr
their acquiring another quality, which would much better serve
all the ends they could propose ; namely, an undaunted reso
lution in the performance of their duty, founded on a firm con
fidence in God, who would bring to light the most secret word
and thought, publicly condemn the wicked, and justify his
faithful servants and childreu.
Fear not, said he, the malice of the human race : it can ex
tend no farther than the destruction of the body ; your soul may
bid defiance to their impotent rage. But dread the displeasure
of that Almighty Being, who, after he has destroyed the body,
is able to confine, the soul in eternal torments. Remember, all
things are iu his power, and that nothing happens without his
permission : he provides for the meanest of his creatures, and
surely you may think yourselves under his protection, who num
bers the very hairs of your head ; nor can your enemies touch
one of them without his permission. " And I say unto you,
my friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after
that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you,
whom ye shall fear : Fear him, which after he hath killed hath
power to cast into hell ; yea, I say unto you, fear bim. Are
not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is
forgotten before God ? but even the very hairs of your head are
all numbered. Fear not, therefore ; ye are of more value than
many sparrows." Luke, xii. 4, 8ic.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 231
Our Lord, to animate his followers to a perseverance, admo
nishes them to look forward unto the general judgment, when
he would acknowledge them as his servants, provided they ac
knowledged him in this world as their master, and cheerfully
and constantly obeyed his commands. But if they were ashamed
of him, and his doctrine, before the sons of men, he would
disown them before the celestial host. And that those, who
reviled the Spirit, by whom they performed their miracles,
should be punished by the Almighty, in proportion to the ma
lignity of their crime, which is greater than that of reviling the
Son of God himself ; because it will be impossible for them to
repent. " Also, I say unto you, whosoever shall confess me
before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the
angels of God. But he that denieth me before men, shall be
denied before the angels of God. And whosoever shall speak
a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him : but
unto him that blasphemeth the Holy Ghost it shall not be for
given." Luke, xii. 8, &c.
He also cautioned his disciples not to be perplexed with re
gard to an answer, when they should be brought before the
rulers of the people, because they should be inspired by the
Spirit of God. " And when they bring you unto the syna
gogues, and unto magistrates and powers, take ye no thought
how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say. For
the Holy Ghost shall teacb you in the same hour what ye ought
to say." Luke, xii. 11, 12.
While our Messed Saviour was delivering these exhortations
to his disciples, a certain person among the multitude begged
him that be would interpose bis authority with his brother, in
order to oblige him to divide their paternal inheritance between
them : but as this decision properly belonged to the magistrates,
our blessed Saviour, who came into the world to redeem the
souls of mankind, and to purchase for them an eternal, not a
temporal inheritance, declined the office. He however em
braced the opportunity of giving his hearers the most solemn
caution against covetousness ; declaring, that neither the length
nor happiness of human life had any dependence on the large
ness of possessions. " Take heed, and beware of covetousness ;
for a man's life consistent not in the abundance of the things
which he possesseth." Luke, xii. 15.
To excite their negligence ofthe things of this life, he placed
before them in the strongest light an example of the bewitch
ing influence of wealth, In the parable of the rich glutton, who
was cut off in the midst of his projects, and became a re
markable example of the folly of amassing the goods of this
life, . without having any regard to the commands of the Al-
niighty. This wretched man, forgetting his own mortality.

232 LIFE OF CHRIST.
made preparations for a long and luxurious life, pleasing him
self with thoughts of possessing an inexhaustible fund of sen
sual enjoyments. But, alas ! while he was providing reposi
tories for his riches, the inexorable king of terrors seized him,
and that very night hurried him before the awful tribunal of
Omnipotence. And he spake a parable unto them, saying,
" The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully :
And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, be
cause I have no room where to bestow my fruits ? And he said,
This will I do : I will pull down my barns, and build greater :
and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And 1
will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many
years ; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said
unto him, " Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of
thee : then whose shall these things be, which thou hast pro
vided ?" Luke, xii. 16, &.c.
How solemn the appeal ! While he lay waking on his bed,
in anxious solicitude, what he should do with his abundance ;
while his heart was dilated with the hopes of a variety of plea
sures and indulgences ; in that very moment the golden dream
vanishes at once ; all his thoughts perish, and, in their stead, a
horrid account stares him in the face ; a scene of judgment pre
sents itself to his terrified imagination ! a dark night of horror,
in an instant, overwhelms that soul to which he had promised so
much ease, so much pleasure ; and instead of ease, instead of
eating, drinking, and making merry, eternal tortures, unspeak
able thirst, weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, must be the
portion of this miserable soul to all eternity !
"So is he," added our blessed Saviour, "that layeth up
treasure for himself, jind is not rich towards God." Thus shall
he be taken away frdm all his soul desireth ; thus shall he be
torn from all his temporal prospects and pleasures. None of his
beloved enjoyments shall follow him ; naked as he came shall
he depart out of the world, nor shall all his riches be able to pro
cure him the least comfort or respite in these scenes of terror.
How should this reflection awaken us to a due care of our im
mortal part ! how would it alarm us, when planning fancied
schemes of worldly pleasures, without the least regard to the
great Disposer of all events ! Without his assistance, all our
promises of security are vain and foolish ; he will surely render
all our labours abortive ; and in a moment, when we think our
selves secure, the summons shall arrive, swift as the forky
lightning's flash, convey us to the boundless regions of eternity,
and present us, clothed in all our guilt, before the just, the
mighty Author of our being !
This awakening parable exhibits a striking picture of the
egregious folly of those Mho live only for themselves, 'laying up

LIFE OF CHRIST. - iMS
treasures for sensual enjoyments, but neglect the grace of God5
and the immense treasure of salvation laid up in Jesus Christ.
Having spoken this parable, our Lord proceeded to caution
his disciples against anxious cares for the things of this world,
from a consideration that the care of God's providence extends
to every part of the creations The fowls of heaven are fed by
his bounty, and the lilies that adorn the valleys are supplied
With rain from the clouds of heaven : If, therefore, said the
blessed Jesus, Omnipotence so carefully provides for the inferior
parts of the creation, the children of men have surely reason to
rely on his bounty, and depend for subsistence on his merciful
baud. He added, that as God had destined them to everlasting
happiness in a future life, he would surely provide for them all
the necessaries ofthe present. "Fear not, little flock ; for it is
your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." At
the same time he gave his disciples another precept, peculiarly
calculated for those times, in which the profession of the Gospel
exposed men to the loss of their substance : " Sell that ye have,
and give alms : provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a
treasure in the heavens that faileth not ; where no thief approach-
eth, neither moth corrupteth : for where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also." Luke, xii. 33, 34.
Having thus recommended to them the disengagement of their
affections fieom the things of this world, he exhorted them to la
bor after improvement in grace. " Let your loins be girded
about, and your lights burning ; and ye yourselves like unto
men that wait for their Lord, when he shall return from the
wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open
unto him ilrimediately." Luke, xii. 35, 36.
This was spoken in allusion to the customs ofthe East, where
anciently great entertainments were made in the evening ; and
On these occasions servants demonstrated their diligence by
watching, and keeping their loins girded, and their lamps burn
ing, that they might be ready, on the first knock of their master,
to open the door. Nor was it uncommon for the master, in
order to reward such a servant, to order him a refreshment,
and sometimes even give it him with his own hand. In allusion
to which custom, our blessed Saviour added, " Blessed are
those servants, whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find
watching. Verily, I say unto you, that he shall gird himself
and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and
serve them." Luke, xii. 37.
Our Saviour enforced this constant watchfulness, and habitual
preparation, by reminding them of the uncertainty of his com
ing ; telling his disciples, that as every master of a family, if he
knew the coming of the thief, would make some preparation
against a surprise, so it would be highly requisite for them to

234 LIFE OF CHRIST.
make some preparation for the approach of their Master, and
be always ready to receive him, as tbe time of his coming wa*
uncertain.

CHAPTER XXII.
Our Lord reproves the ignorance of the people in not under-'
standing the signs which preceded his appearance. — Perti
nently replies to an ignorant question and inference concern
ing the Galileans. — Teaches by parable. — Relieves a distressed
Woman.— -Is warned to depart the country, in order to escape
the resentment of Herod.
The great Preacher of Israel having delivered these salutary
admonitions to his disciples and followers, directed his discourse
to the unbelieving crowd. You can, said he, by the signs that
appear in the sky, and on the earth, form a judgment of the
weather ; and why can ye not also discover the time of the
Messiah's appearance, by the signs which have preceded it ?
" When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say,
There cometh a shower ; and so it is. And when ye see the
south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat ; and it cometh to
pass. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky, and of
the earth, but how is it that ye do not discern this time ?" Luke,
xii. 54, &c.
' The prediction of the Son of man coming to punish the Jews
for their rebellion and infidelity, delivered under the similitude
of one who cometh secretly and unexpectedly to plunder a
house, was a loud call to a national repentance. In order,
therefore,, to improve that prediction, he exhorted them to a
speedy reformation, telling them that the least degree of reflec
tion would be sufficient to point out to them the best methods
they could possibly make use of for averting the impending
judgments of the Almighty ; illustrating what he had said, by
the punishments commonly inflicted ou the man who refuses to-
make a reparation for the injuries he has done his neighbor.
" When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as
thou art in the way give diligence that thou mayest be delivered
from him, lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver
thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. I tell
thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very
last mite." Luke, xii. 58, 59.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 235
"Some of his hearers thought proper to confirm this doctrine,
by giving what they considered as an example of it. "There
were present at that season, some that told him ofthe Galileans,
whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices ;" thinking
that Providence, for some extraordinary crime, had suffered
these Galileans to be murdered at the altar.
But our Lord shewed them the error of their opinion and in
ference concerning this point, it being no indication that these
Galileans were greater sinners than their countrymen, because
they had suffered so severe a calamity, and at the same time
exhorted them to improve such instances of calamity, as incite
ments to their own repentance; assuring them, that if they neg
lected so salutary a work, they should all likewise perish. " And
Jesus answering, said unto them, Suppose ye, that these Galile
ans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered
such things ? I tell ypu, nay ; but except ye repent, ye shall
all likewise perish." Luke, xiii. 2, &c.
He illustrated this doctrine, by putting them in mind of the
eighteen persons, on whom the tower of Siloam fell ; shewing
them, by this instance, the folly of interpreting the dispensa
tions of Providence in that manner ; for though this calamity
seemed to flow immediately from the hand of God, yet, in all
probability, it had involved people who were remarkable for
their piety and goodness. " Or those eighteen upon whom the
tower in Siloam fell, and slew them : think ye that they were
sinners above all men that dwelt at Jerusalem ? I tell you,
nay ; but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Luke,
xiii. 4, 5.
To rouse them from their indolence, and to induce them to
seek the aid of God's grace and spirit, he added the parable
ofthe fig-tree, which the master ofthe vineyard, after finding it
three years barren, ordered to be destroyed : but was spared
one year longer at the earnest solicitation of the gardener.
" A certain man had a fig-treee planted in bis vineyard, and
he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said
he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I
come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none : cut it down ;
why cumbereth it the ground ? And he answering, said unto
him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it,
and dung it ; and if it bear fruit, well : and if not, then after
that thou shalt cut it down." Luke, xiii. 6, he.
By this parable our blessed Saviour represented the goodness
of the Almighty towards the Jews in choosing them for his peo
ple, giving them the outward dispensations of religion, and in
forming them of the improvements he expected they should
make of these advantages, and the punishments he would in
flict upon them, in case they slighted such benevolent offers.

2*36 LIFE OF CHRIST.
He also represented by it, in a very beautiful manner, the un
bounded mercies of the Almighty, in sparing them, at the in
tercession of his Son, and giving them a farther time of trial,
and still greater advantages, by the preaching of the blessed
Jesus, and his apostles; concluding with an intimation, that if
they neglected this last opportunity, they should perish without
remedy. During Jesus' abode in the country of Perea, he observed,
while he was preaching in one of the synagogues, on the sab
bath-day, a woman, who, during the space of eighteen years,
had been unable to stand upright. A daughter of Israel labor
ing under so terrible a disorder, could not fail of attracting the
compassion of the Son of God.
He beheld this affecting object : he pitied her deplorable con
dition, he removed her complaint. She who came into the syn
agogue, bowed down with an infirmity, was, by the all-power
ful word ofthe Son of God, restored to her natural health, and
returned to her house upright, and full of vigor.
Such a display of divine power and goodness, instead of ex»
citing the gratitude, so highly offended the master of the syna
gogue, that he openly testified his displeasure, and reproved the
people as sabbath-breakers, because they came on that day to
be healed. " There are six days," said this surly ruler to the
people, " in which men ought to work : in them therefore come
and be healed, and not on the sabbath-day." Luke, xiii. 14.
But our blessed Saviour soon silenced this hypocritical phari
see, by shewing that he had not deviated from their own avowed
practice. They made no scruple of loosing their cattle, and
leading them to water on the sabbath-day, because the mercy of
the action sufficiently justified them for performing it. And
surely his action of loosing, by a single word, a woman, a ra
tional creature, a daughter of Abraham, that had been bound
by an incurable distemper, during the tedious interval of eight
een years, was abundantly justified ; nor could this bigoted rul
er have thought otherwise, had not his reason been blinded by
his superstition, " The Lord then answered him and said,
Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you, on the sabbath,
loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to
watering ? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of
Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years,
be loosed from this bond on the sabbath-day ? And when he
had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed, and all
the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by
him." Luke, xiii. 15, &c.
From this instance we may form some idea of the pernicious
effects of superstition, which is capable of extinguishing reason,

LIFE OF CHRIST. 237
banishing compassion, and of eradicating the most essential
principles and feelings of the human breast. *
Our Lord having reproved the superstition of the ruler of the
synagogue, and observing the acclamations of the people, then
proceeded to demonstrate the reason and truth which so effectu
ally supported his kingdom. For he repeated the parables of
the grain of mustard-seed and of the leaven, to shew the effica
cious operations of the Gospel upon the minds ofthe children
of men, and its rapid progress through the world, notwithstand
ing all the opposition of its most inveterate enemies.
The great Redeemer having now planted the seeds of the
Gospel in the country of Perea, crossed the Jordan, and trav
elled by slow journeys towards Jerusalem, preaching the Gos
pel in every village, and declaring the glad tidings of salvation
to all tbe inhabitants of th se countries.
While he was thus laboring for the salvation of mankind,
one of the persons who accompanied him, asked him, "Lord,
are there few that be saved ?" In all probability, the person
who proposed this question, had heard the Son of God describe
the success of the Gospel by the parables of the mustard-seed
and the leaven ; and his notions of the kingdom of the Messi
ah being those that were then entertained by the Jews in gener
al, he meant a temporal salvation. But Jesus, to convince him
that he never intended to erect a secular kingdom; answered the
question in a spiritual manner, and told him, that a small num
ber only of the Jews would be saved ; exhorting them to em
brace the offers of mercy before it was too late, for that many,
after the period of their trial was concluded, and their state
finally and irreversibly determined, should earnestly desire these
benevolent offers, but should be denied their request.
" Strive to enter in at the strait gate : for many, I say unto
you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once
the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door,
and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying,
Lord, Lord, open to us ; and he shall answer, and say unto you,
I know ye not, whence you are." Luke, xiii. 24, 25. He also
repeated, on this occasion, what he had before delivered in his
famous sermon on the mount ; and what he had observed to the
multitude in commendation of the Centurion's faith ; " Then
shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy pres
ence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I
tell you, I know you not, whence ye are ; depart from me, all
ye workers of iniquity. . There shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and
all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves
thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the
west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down

238 LIFE OF CHRIST.
in the kingdom of God. And behold, there are last which shall
be first, and there are first which shall be last." Luke, xiii.
26, &c.
Immediately after Jesus had thus preached the kingdom of
God to the multitude, certain of the pharisees came to him, and
told him, that unless he departed thence, Herod would destroy
him : but this concern for his safety was altogether feigned, and
their real design no other than to intimidate him, hoping by that
means to induce him to leave the country, and retire into Judea,
where they did not doubt but the chief priests would find some
method of putting him to death. Perhaps Herod himself was
privy to this message, and desired that Jesus should leave his
territories, though the agonies he had suffered on account of
John the Baptist, hindered him from making use of force. That
this was really the case seems evident, from the answer our bles
sed Saviour made to the pharisees. " Go ye," said he, to those
hypocritical Israelites, " and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out
devils, and I do cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day
J shall be perfected. Nevertheless, I must walk to-day, and to
morrow, and the day following : for it cannot be that a prophet
perish out of Jerusalem." Luke, xiii. 32, 33.
Having given this answer to the pharisees, he reflected on
the treatment the prophets had received from the inhabitants of
Jerusalem ; pathetically lamerited their obstinacy, and the terri
ble desolation that would in a short time overtake them. " Oh !
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonfest
them that are sent unto thee ; how often would I have gathered
thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her
wings, and ye would not ! Behold, your house is left unto you
desolate : and verily I say unto you, ye shall not see me, until
the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in
the name of the Lord." Luke, xiii. 34, 35.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 239

CHAPTER XXIII.
The blessed Jesus accepts the Pharisee's invitation a third
time. — Delivers divers Parables, representing the requisites
for admittance into the Kingdom of God. — The care of the
Redeemer for every one of his people.— The reception of a
penitent Sinner ; and the punishment of misusing the ben
efits of the Gospel.
Our Saviour having finished this awful exclamation and
prediction, was invited by one of the pharisees to his house.
Though he knew that his invitation arose not from a generous
motive, yet, as he never shunned any opportunity of doing
good, even to his most implacable enemies, ^he accepted it.
At his entering the pharisee's house, they placed before him a
man that had a dropsy, doubtless with an intention to accuse
him for healing on the sabbath-day ; being persuaded that he
would work a miracle in favor of so melancholy an object. Je
sus, who knew the secret thoughts of their hearts, asked the
lawyers and pharisees, whether it was " lawful to heal on the
sabbath-day?" But they refusing to give any answer to the
question, Jesus laid his hand on the diseased person, and imme
diately his complexion returned, his body was reduced to its
ordinary dimension, and his former health and strength renewed
in an instant. So surprising a miracle might surely have con
vinced the pharisees, that the author must have been endued
with power from on high ; but, instead of being persuaded that
he was a person sent from God, and labored only for the benefit
of the children of men, they were contriving how they might
turn this miracle to his disadvantage. Our Lord, however,
soon disconcerted their projects, by proving, that according to
their own avowed practice, he had done nothing but what was
truly lawful. " Which of you," said he, " shall have an ass or
an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on
the sabbath- day ?" If a misfortune happens to one of your
beasts, you make no scruple of assisting it on the sabbath
though the action may be attended with considerable labor : and
surely I may relieve a descendant of Abraham, when nothing
more is requisite than touching him with my hand. This ar
gument was conclusive ; and so plain, that the grossest stupidi
ty must feel its force, and the most virulent malice could not
contradict it.
As the entertainment approached, our blessed Saviour had an
opportunity of observing the pride of the pharisees, and re
marking what an anxiety each of them expressed to obtain the

2*40 LIFE OF CHRIST.
most honourable place at the table. Nor did he let their ridiCd-*
lous behaviour pass without a proper animadversion ; in which
he observed, that pride generally exposes a person to many
affronts, and that humility is the surest method of gaining respect.
" When thou art bidden," said he, " of any man to a wedding,
sit not down in the highest room ; lest a more honourable man
than thou be bidden of him ; and he that bade thee and him come
and say unto thee, Give this man place : and thou begin with
shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go
and sit down in the lowest room, that when he that bade thee
cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt
thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with
thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased ; and he
that humbteth himself shall be exalted." Luke, xiv. 8, &c.
Having thus addressed the guests in general, he turned him to
the master ofthe house, and said unto him, " When thou makest
a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren,
neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours : lest they also bid
thee again, aud a recompense be made thee. But when thou
makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame,' the blind."
Luke, xiv, 12, 13. Be very careful not to limit thy hospitality
to the rich, but let the poor also partake of thy bounty, " And
thou shalt be blessed ; for they cannot recompense thee : for
thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just."
Luke, xiv. 14.
One of the pharisees, ravished with the delightful prospect of
the happiness good men enjoyed in the heavenly Canaan, cried
out, " Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God."
Blessed is he, who, being admitted into the happy regions of
Paradise, shall enjoy the conversation of the inhabitants of those
heavenly countries ; as those spiritual repasts must regale and
invigorate his mind beyond expression. In answer to which,
our blessed Saviour delivered the parable ofthe marriage supper,
representing, by the invitation of the guests, the doctrine of the
Gospel, and the success those beneficent invitations to the great
feast of heaven should meet with among the Jews ; foretelling,
that though it' was attended with every inviting circumstance,
they would disdainfully reject it, and prefer the pleasures of a
temporal existence to those of an eternal state ; while the Gen
tiles, with the greatest cheerfulness, would embrace the beneficent
offer, and thereby be prepared to sit down with Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, in the happy mansions of the kingdom of heaven.
But as this parable was afterwards spoken by our blessed
Saviour in the temple, we shall defer our observations on if, till
we come to the history where it was again delivered.
When Jesus departed the pharisee's house, great multitudes of
people thronged to him to hear his doctrine ; but mistook his

LIFE OF CHRIST. 241
true intention pf it, expecting he was going to establish the
Messiah's throne in Jerusalem, and render all the nations of the
world tributary to his power. The benevolent Jesus therefore
took this opportunity to undeceive them ; and to declare, in the
plainest terms, that his kingdom was not of this world ; and,
consequently, that those who expected, by following him, to ob
tain temporal advantages, would find themselves wretchedly
mistaken ; as, on the contrary, his disciples must expect to be
persecuted from city to city, and hated of all men, for his name's
sake: though it was requisite for those who would be his true
followers, to prefer his service to the riches, grandeur, and
pleasure of the world ; and to shew, by their conduct, that they
had much less respect and value for the dearest objects of their
affections, than for him. " If any man come to me, and hate not
his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren,
and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
And whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after me, can
not be my disciple." Luke, xiv. 26, 27.
And in order to induce them to weigh this doctrine atten
tively in their minds, he elucidated it with two apposite cases,
that of an unthinking builder, and that of a rash warrior. The
former was obliged to leave his structure unfinished, because he
had foolishly begun the building before he had computed the
cost ; and the latter reduced to the dilemma of being inglo-
riously defeated, or meanly suing for peace, previous to the
battle, having rashly declared war, before he had considered
the strength of his own and his enemy's army. " So likewise,
whosoever he be of you," added the blessed Jesus, " that for-
saketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." Luke,
xiv. 33.
The publicans and sinners, roused by the alarming doctrine
of our Lord, listened to it attentively. This opportunity was
readily embraced by the great Redeemer of mankind, who not
only condescended to preach to them the happy tidings of eter
nal life, but even accompanied them to their own houses ; that,
if possible, the seeds of the Gospel might take root in their
hearts. But this condescension of the meek and humble Jesus
was considered, by the haughty pharisees, as an action too mean
for the character of a prophet. They murmured, and were
highly displeased at a condescension, which ought to have given
them the greatest joy. But Jesus soon showed them their mis
take, by repeating to them the parables of the lost sheep and
piece of money. Intimating thereby, the great care all prophets
and pastors ought to take of those committed to their care, and
the obligation they are under of searching diligently for every
wandering sinner, whose conversion is a grateful offering to the
31

242 LIFE OF CHRIST.
Almighty. " There is joy in the presence of the angels of God,
over one sinner that repenteth." Luke, xv. 10.
To illustrate this doctrine still farther, and shew to the
greatest sinner, the willingness of God to receive him into his
grace and favour, if convinced of his unworthy and lost condi
tion in himself, and imploring forgiveness through the merits of
Jesus Christ, and the renewal of his heart by the efficacious
influences of his Spirit, he delivered the expressive parable of
the prodigal son.
A certain man had two sons, the younger of whom, not con
tent to live in his father's house, safe under his protection, and
happy under his eye, desired his father to give him the portion
of goods which fell to his share. The indulgent father did not
hesitate to grant his request ; but the ungrateful son had no
sooner obtained what he asked of his parent, than he left the
presence and neighbourhood of so kind a father, and retired
into a far country, where he had an opportunity of indulging,
without restraint, his wicked inclinations ; and there he wasted
his substance in riotous living. Having thus consumed the por
tion given him by his indulgent parent, he began to feel the
miseries of want, and, to add to his misfortunes, a terrible
famine arose in that land ; so that he soon became acquainted
with the sharp stings of hunger. In this distressed condition,
he joined himself to a citizen of that country, willing to try every
expedient, rather than return to his kind, his merciful father,
and humbly confess his faults. His master, from a just con
tempt of his former prodigality, employed him in the meanest
and most contemptible offices ; he sent him into his field, to
feed swine. Behold here, ye sons of extravagance, a change
indeed ! Behold this thoughtless prodigal, reduced at once
from a life of voluptuousness and gaiety, a life of pleasure and
excess, to a life of the most abject slavery, a life of penury and
want ! Nay, so great was his hunger, so prodigious his distress,
that he would even have been contented, in this miserable state,
to have satisfied the cravings of hunger, with the husks eaten by
the swine : but no man relieved him, no man shewed the least
compassion for him ; so that the very swine were in a better
condition than this miserable prodigal !
Thus miserably reduced, he was brought to himself: he had
hitherto been in a state of utter forgetfulness ; but now began
to reflect on his happy condition, while he continued with his
father, before he had deviated from the paths of virtue, and to
compare it with his present deplorable condition. " How many
hired servants of my father," said he to himself, " have bread
enough, and to spare, and I perish with hunger !" I will there
fore, undeserving as I am, have recourse to his mercy and fa
vour. " I will arise and go to my father," for such he still is,.

PRODIGAL, SON.
[Page 243.]

" His father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed
him. " And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and in thy sight,
and am no more worthy to be called thy son." — Luke, xv. 20, 21.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 243
atd I, though wretched and lost, am yet his son ; I will there
fore, say unto him, " Father, I have sinned against heaven and
before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son :" that
happiness is too great for me to expect or desire. I* have, by
my behaviour, forfeited all the right I once had in so endearing,
so valuable a title : '.' Make me as one of thy hired servants."
I desire nothing more than that thou wouldst mercifully receive
me as one of thy hired servants.
Having thus taken a firm resolution of throwing himself at
tlie feet of his father, and imploring forgiveness for his past
offences, he did not delay to put it immediately into execution ;
he arose, and with the utmost expedition came to his father.
A scene of tenderness and affection, amazingly pathetic, now
presents itself to out view ! His kind, his affectionate father
saw him while he was yet afar off; his bowels yearned towards
him ; be had compassion on his lost, his ruined child : paternal
fondness would not suffer him to forbear ; he ran to meet him,
he fell on his neck, he kissed him. Encouraged by this kind
reception, the son fell down at his father's feet and began to
make confession of his faults, to plead his own unworthiness,
to request his father's pardon • " Father," said he, " I have
sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more wor
thy to be called thy son." He was not suffered to proceed any
further ; the love of his parent prevented the rest ; he com
manded his servants to bring the best robe, and put it on him ;
to put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet ; and to kill the
fatted calf, that they might eat and be merry. " For this, my
son," said he, " was dead, and is alive again ; he was lost, and
is found." During this transaction, the elder brother was in the field,
properly employed in his father's business ; but returning from
thence, and hearing the sound of mirth, music, and dancing,
he called one of the servants, and asked what these things
meant ? The servant replied, that his younger brother was re
turned, and that his father had killed the fatted calf, because
he had received him safe and sound. This news greatly dis
pleased the elder son ; he was very angry, and refused to go in,
upon which his father came out and entreated him ; but he re
plied, " Lo ! these many years do I serve thee, neither trans
gressed I at any time thy commandment, and yet thou never
gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends :
but as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy
living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf,"
Luke, xv. 29, &c.
His father, with the most amiable condescending tenderness,
replied, " Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is
.thing : it was meet that we should make merry and be glad ;

244 LIFE OF CHRIST.
for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again ; and was lost,
and /s found." Though he hath devoured my living with har
lots, yet he is both thy brother and my son ; thou shouldest not,
therefore, be angry, because he has repented, and is returned,
after we thought him irrecoverably lost.
Thus beautifully did our Lord represent the work of grace on
the heart of man, from the first conviction of sin to the absolute
confession of it ; showing at the same time there can be no true
confession, without a thorough consciousness of guilt, a sense of
our lost state, and an entire reliance on the mercy of God,
through Christ our Lord.
There are three expositions given of this instructive repre
sentation, each of which seems to have some place in the ori
ginal design ; for it should be observed, and carefully remem
bered, that the parables and doctrines of our Saviour are by
no means to be confined absolutely to one single point of view,
since they frequently have relation to different objects, and con
sequently prove the riches and depth of the manifold wisdom of
Omnipotence. In this parable, for instance, the great and principal doctrine
intended to be particularly inculcated, is, that sinners, upon
their repentance, are gladly received into favour ; or, that there
is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth. There are,
however, two other expositions of this parable : the first is,
that of the greatest part of the ancients, who expound it of
Adam. He was made in the image of God, and endowed with
many other excellent gifts, which he might have used happily,
had he been content to stay in his father's house ; but, like this
younger brother, who foolishly desired his portion of goods to
himself, that he might be his own master, and under no con
finement or restriction ; he was unwilling to remain under the
obedience of the divine precept ; he was desirous of having a
free use of things in Paradise, and by the devil's instigation
affected a wretched independency, which caused him to break
the divine command, and eat of the forbidden tree, to obtain
the knowledge of good and evil. Thus he lost for himself,
and his posterity, the substance put at first into his possession ;
but his heavenly Father, on his and his posterity's return,
hath provided such grace and compassion for them, that they
may be reinstated in their former place and favour. And the
same grace not being granted to the higher order of intellec
tual beings, the fallen spirits, is the cause of their murmuring
against God and men, represented by the answer of the elder
brother in this parable.
Others, secondly, with a much greater show of probability,
expound this parable of the two people, the Jews and gentiles,
and who have both one Father, even God. And while tbey

LIFE OF CHRIST. 245
both continued in their Father's house, the true church, they
wanted for nothing ; there was plenty of food for the soul,
there was substance enough for them both. But the latter,
represented by the younger brother, possessed of his share of
knowledge, went into a strange country, left God, and spent
his substance, the evidence and knowledge of the Almighty,
fell into idolatry, and wasted all he had in riotous living ; all
his knowledge of God, in the loose and absurd ceremonies of
idolatry. Then behold a mighty famine arose in that land, the
worship of the true God was banished the country. In this
dreadful dearth and hunger, he joined himself to the devil, and
worked all " Uncleanness with greediness." But finding no
thing to satisfy his spiritual hunger, this prodigal, long es
tranged from his father, reflecting on his spiritual famine, and
his own severe wants, humbly confessed his faults, returned to
his offended Father, was readmitted into favour, and blessed
with the privileges of the Gospel. But the elder brother, the
Jewish church, daily employed in the field of legal ceremonies,
and who had long groaned under the yoke of the law, seeing
the gentiles received into the covenant of the Gospel, obtain the
remission of sins, and the hopes of everlasting life, murmured
against the benevolent acts of the Almighty. God, however,
out of his great compassion, pleaded pathetically the cause with
the elder brother, offered him all things, upon supposition of
his continuing in his obedience, and declared that he had de
livered the nations from the heavy yoke of the ceremonial law.
Thus the parable has a very clear and elegant exposition : the
murmuring of the elder brother is. explained to us without the
least difficulty ; and as the offence of receiving the gentiles to
pardon and peace through Jesus Christ, was so great a stum
bling block to the Jews, it is natural to imagine that our Saviour
intended to obviate and remove it by this excellent parable.
It is however evident, both from the context and the occasion
of delivering it, that the third interpretation is the first in design
and importance. The publicans and sinners drew near to hear
Jesus. This gave occasion to a murmuring among the phari
sees ; and upon their murmuring, our Saviour delivered this and
two other parables, to shew, . that if they would resemble God,
and the celestial host, they should, instead of murmuring, re
joice at seeing sinners willing to embrace the doctrines of , the
Gospel ; because there is joy in the presence of God and his
angels over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety-
and-nine just persons that " need no repentance."
The obstinacy and malicious- temper of the pharisees, who
opposed every good doctrine, made a deep impression on the
spirit of the blessed Jesus ; he did not therefore content himself
barely with justifying his receiving sinners, in order to their

246 LIFE OF CHRIST.
being justified and saved through him, but, in presence of the
scribes and pharisees, turned himself to his disciples and deliver
ed the parable of the artful steward, as an instance of the im
provements made by the children of this world, in embracing
every opportunity and advantage for improving their interests.
" There was," said he, " a certain rich man, which had a
steward, and the same was accused unto him, that he had wasted
kis goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it
that I hear this of thee ? Give an account of thy steward-ship :
for thou mayest be no longer steward." Luke, xvi. 1, 2.
This reprimand of his lord, and the inward conviction of his
own conscience that the accusation was just, induced him to
reflect on his own ill-management of his lord's affairs, and in
what manner he "should support himself when he should be dis
charged from his service. " What shall I do ?" said he, " for
my lord taketh away from me the stewardship ; I cannot dig, to
beg I am ashamed." Luke, xvi. 3.
In this manner he deliberated with himself, and at last re
solved ou the following expedient, in order to make himself
friends, who would succour him in his distress : " I am resolved
what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they
may receive me into their houses ; so he called every one of his
lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest
thou unto my lord ? and he said, An hundred measures of oil.
And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and
write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou ?
And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto
him, take thy bill, and write fourscore." Luke, xvi. 4, &c.
To illustrate this parable, we beg leave to observe, that the
riches and trade of the Jews originally consisted principally in
the products of the earth : they were, if we may be allowed the
expression, a nation of farmers and shepherds : so that their
wealth chiefly ar'pse from the produce of their flocks and herds,
and the fruits of the earth ; their corn, their wine, and their oil.
Thus the steward, to secure the friendship of his lord's ten
ants, bound them to him under a lasting obligation ; and his
master, when he heard of the proceeding of the steward, com
mended him, not because he had acted honestly, but because he
had acted wisely ; he commended the art and address he had
shewn, in procuring a future subsistence ; he commended the
prudence and ingenuity he had used with regard to his own
private interest, and to deliver him from future poverty and
distress. " For the children of this world," added the blessed
Jesus, " are in their generation wiser than the children of light."
They are more prudent and careful, more anxious and circum
spect to secure their possessions in this world, than the children
of light are to secure in the next an eternal inheritance. " And

LIFE OF CHRIST. 247
I say unto you, make to yourselves friends of the mammon of
unrighteousness ; that when ye fail, they may receive you into
everlasting habitations." Luke, xvi. 9.
This advice of our Saviour is worthy our most serious atten
tion ; the best use we can make of our riches being to employ
them in promoting the salvation of others. For if we use our
abilities and interest in turning sinners from the evil of their,
ways ; if we spend our wealth in this excellent service, we shall
conciliate the good-will of all the heavenly beings, who will
greatly rejoice at the conversion of sinners, and with open arms
receive us into the mansions of felicity.
But this is not the whole application our Saviour made of this
parable. He added, that if we made use of our riches in the
manner he recommended, we should be received into those ever
lasting habitations, where all the friends of virtue and religion
reside ; because, by our fidelity in managing the small trust of
temporal advantages committed to our care, we shew ourselves
worthy and capable of a much greater trust in heavenly em
ployments. But if, on the contrary, we do not apply our riches
to the glory of God, and the good of mankind, we shall be for
ever banished from the abode of the blessed ; because, in be
having unfaithfully in the small trust committed to us here, we
render ourselves both unworthy and incapable of a share in this
everlasting inheritance. " He that is faithful in that which is
least, is faithful also in much : and he that is unjust in the least,
is unjust also in much. If, therefore, ye have not been faithful
in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the
true riches ? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is
another man's, who shall give you that which is your own ?"
Luke, xvi. 10, &c.
And if, while ye are God's stewards and servants, ye desert
your trust, and become slaves to the desire of riches, you can
expect no other than to be called to a strict account of your
stewardship ; covetousness being as absolutely inconsistent with
a true concern for the cause of Christ, as it is for a man to un
dertake at one and the same time to serve two masters of con
trary dispositions, and opposite interests. "No servant can
serve two masters ; for either he will hate the one, and love the
other ; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Luke, xvi. 13.
The hypocritical pharisees treated this observation with de
rision ; to which our Lord replied, " Ye are they which justify
yourselves before men ; but God knoweth your hearts ; for that
which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight
of God." Luke, xvi. 15.
Such is the parable, and such is our Lord's application of it,
from whence the main intention and design of it is very evident.

248 LIFE OF CHRIST.
It was intended to incite us to a zealous concern for our future
and eternal state, by making a due use of the means of grace,
and working out our own salvation with fear and trembling, yet
remembering, that it is God who worketh in us both to will and
to do of his own good pleasure. And if we thus employ our
spiritual talents, we shall joyfully stand at the right-hand of the
great Judge of all the earth, and receive from him a public tes
timony of our faith and love. " Come, ye blessed of my Fa
ther, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, from the beginning
of the world ; for I was an hungry and ye gave me meat, I was
thirsty and ye gave me drink : 1 was a stranger, and ye took
me in : naked, and ye clothed me : I was sick, and ye visited
me : I was in prison, and ye came unto me."

CHAPTER XXIV.
Jesus rebukes ihe insolent derision of the Pharisees. — Describes,
by a parable, the nature of future rewards and punishments,
and enforces the doctrine of mutual forbearance.
The doctrines lately delivered by our Lord, being so repug
nant to the avaricious principles of the pharisees, they attended
to the doctrine of our Saviour, with regard to the true use of
riches, and the impossibility of men serving God and mammon ;
but at the same time they derided him as a visionary speculatist,
who despised the pleasures of this world, for no other reason than
because he was not able to procure them, tt is, therefore, no
wonder, that men, who had shown such a complication of the
very worst dispositions, should receive a sharp rebuke from the
meek and humble Jesus ; accordingly, he told them that they
made, indeed, specious pretences to extraordinary sanctity, by
outwardly shunning the company of sinners, while in private
they made no scruple of having society with them, or even of
joining with them in their wickedness. " Ye are they which
justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts."
Ye may, indeed, cover the foulness of your crimes with the
painted cloak of hypocrisy, and in this disguise deceive those
who look no further than the outside, but ye cannot screen your
wickedness from the penetrating eye of Omnipotence, to whom
all things are naked and exposed, and who judges of things, not
by their appearances, but according to truth ; it is, therefore, no
wonder that he often abhors both persons and things that are held

DIVES AND LAZARUS.
[Page 249.]

" There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared
sumptuously every day.
l[And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of
sores."— Luke, xvi. 19, 20.

LIFE OF CHRIST- 249
by men in the highest estimation : " for that which is highly es
teemed among men is abomination in the sight of God."
This affected sanctity, while the mind is unrenewed, is an abo
mination to the God of purity and truth. Jesus Christ detested
hypocrisy, and frequented the company of publicans and sinners,
to bring about their conversion ; the Mosaic dispensation, which
made a difference between men, ceasing when John the Baptist
first preached the doctrine of repentance ; and the Gospel dispens
ation, which admits all repenting sinners, without distinction, then
commenced. " The law and the prophets were until John :
since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man
presseth into it." Luke, xvi. 16.
Think not I mean to destroy, but to fulfil, the law, which is of
essential obligation ; for till the law is abrogated, the least of its
precepts cannot be neglected. " It is easier for heaven and earth
to pass, than one tittle ofthe law to fail." Luke, xvi. 17.
After treating of these particulars, he proceeded to consider
the love of pleasure, so highly valued by the pharisees, whose
lust discovered itself by their frequent divorces, a practice which
our blessed Saviour justly condemned : " Whosoever' putteth
away his wife,, and marrieth another, committeth adultery : and
whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband, com
mitteth adultery." Luke, xvi. 18.
These reasons were clear and unanswerable ; but the phari
sees, stupified and intoxicated with sensual pleasures, were deaf
to every argument, how powerful soever, provided it was levelled
against their lusts. In order to illustrate this truth, confirm his
assertion, and rouse these hypocritical rulers frOm their leth
argy, he spoke the awakening parable of the rich man and the
beggar. " There was a certain rich man, , which was clothed in purple
and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. And there
was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate,
fuM of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from
the rich man's table ; moreover," so great was his misery, so
exquisite his distress, " the dogs came and licked his sores."
Thus wretched in life, the Almighty, at last, released him : " the
beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's
bosom." Nor could the rich man's wealth rescue him from the
same fate : " the rich man also died, and was buried." But
behold now the great, the awful change ! " Ip hell, he lifted up
his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and"
the late despised and afflicted " Lazarus in his bosom." In this
agony of pain and distress, he cried to Abraham, his earthly
father, begging that he would take pity on him, and send Laza
rus to give him even the least degree of relief, that of dipping the
tip of his finger in water to cool his tongue, for his torment was
32

250 LIFE OF CHRIST.
intolerable. " Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send
Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool
my tongue ; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham
said, Son, remember that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy
good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things : but now he is
comforted, and thou art tormented. And besides all this, be
tween us and you there is a great gulf fixed ; so that they which
would pass from hence to you, cannot : neither can tbey pass to
us that would come from thence." Luke, xvi. 24, &tc.
The miserable wretch, finding it impossible to procure any
relief for himself, was desirous of preserving his thoughtless re
lations from the like distress. " Then he said, I pray thee,
therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's
house : for I have five brethren ; that he may testify unto them,
lest they also come into this place of torment." Luke, xvi. 27,
28. This also was a petition that could not be granted. It is
too late to hope for relief, when the soul is cast into the bottom
less pit. They may learn, said Abraham, the certainty of the
immortality of the soul, from the books of Moses and the pro
phets, if. they will give themselves the trouble to peruse them
attentively. To which the miserable object replied, that the
books of Moses and the prophets had been ineffectual to him,
and he feared would be so to his brethren. But if one actually
arose from the dead, and appeared to them, they would eertainly
repent, and embrace those offers of salvation -they had before
slighted. " Nay, father Abraham : but if one went unto them
from the dead, they will repent." But Abraham told him, that
in this he was greatly mistaken, for that if they refused to believe
the evidence of a future state, contained in the writings of Moses
and the prophets, the testimony of a messenger from the dead
would not be sufficient to convince them. " If they hear not
Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though
one rose from the dead."
This truth, asserted by Abraham, has been abundantly proved by
undeniable facts ; from whence it has appeared, that those who will
not be convinced by a standing revelation, will not be convinced
though one rose from the dead. These very Jews, to whom our Sav
iour spoke, were remarkable instances of this truth ; they were fully
assured, that another Lazarus was, by the power of Christ, raised
from the dead, after he had laid several days in the tomb : a fact
which they were so far from being able to disprove, that they at
tempted to kill Lazarus ; as if, by this wicked action, they could
have destroyed his evidence. Nay, they still had a more lively
proof, in the resurrection of Jesus himself, which they were so far
from being able to deny, that they bribed the soldiers to spread
that senseless tale, that his disciples came by night and stole him
away. So true were Abraham's words, that they whp believe

LIFE OF CHRIST. 251
not Moses and the prophets, which testify of Christ and his eter
nal redemption, would not be persuaded, though one rose from
the dead.
There is not a more awakening and alarming example than
this parable, through the whole Gospel : it is drawn in such
lively colors, that many, in all ages of the church, have con
sidered it not as a parable, but as a real history ; but however
this be, the important truths delivered in it are equally clear,
and equally certain. They are designed to describe the differ
ence between this state and a future, between the children of
this world and the children of light, the former having had their
portion of happiness here ; but the latter being reserved to a
glorious one hereafter.
Having thus reprimanded the pharisees, he took occasion to
speak of affronts and offences, described their evil nature, and
their dreadful punishment. " It is impossible," said he, " but
that offences will come : but wo unto him through whom they
come. It were better for him that a mill-stone were hanged
about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should
offend one of these little ones." Luke, xvii. 1, 2. That is,
the children of God, the followers of the Lamb, must meet with
disgrace, reviling, and persecution here ; but wo unto those who
revile and persecute them ; they had better undergo the worst
of teiriporary judgments than the awful one that shall ensue.
Hr spake also against a quarrelsome temper in his servants,
especially in the ministers and teachers of religion, prescribed i
a seasonable and prudent' reprehension ofthe fault, accompanied
with forgiveness on the part of the person injured, as the best
means of disarming the temptation that may arise from thence.
" Take heed to yourselves; if thy brother trespass against thee,
rebuke him : and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass
against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn
again to thee, saying, I repent ; thou shalt forgive him." Luke,
xvii. 3, 4.
It should be observed, that this discourse on forgiveness, ut
tered at a time when the pharisees had just affronted him, by
calling him a false teacher, sufficiently proves how truly he for
gave them all the personal injuries they had committed against
him : and should be a powerful recommendation of that amiable
virtue, the forgiveness of injuries.
But however beautiful these discourses of our Saviour appear,
when examined with attention, they seem to have staggered the
faith of his disciples and followers ; perhaps they still imagined
that he would shortly erect a temporal kingdom, and distribute
among them the rewards they expected for their services. If so,
they might well desire their master " to increase their faith ;"
as discourses like these had a very different tendency from what

252 LIFE OF CHRIST.
might naturally be expected from one who was going to estab
lish the throne of David, and extend his sceptre over all the
kingdoms of the earth ; but however this be, our Saviour told
them, that if they had the smallest degree of true faith, it would
be sufficient for overcoming all temptations, even those which
seem as difficult to be conquered as the plucking up trees, and
planting them in the ocean. " If ye have faith as a grain of
mustard-seed, ye might say unto this sycamore-tree, Be thou
plucked up by the roots, and be thou planted in the sea, and it
should obey you." Luke, xvii. 6.

CHAPTER XXV.
Our Lord is applied to in behalf of poor Lazarus.- — Cures ten
persons ofthe Leprosy in Samaria, and restores Lazarus io
life.Soon after our blessed Saviour had finished these discourses^
one of his friends, named Lazarus, fell sick at Bethany, a vil
lage about two miles from the countries beyond Jordan, where
Jesus was now preaching the Gospel. The sisters of Lazarus
finding his sickness was of a dangerous kind, thought proper
to send an account of it to Jesus ; being firmly persuaded that
he who had cured so many strangers would readily come -and
give health to one whom he loved in so tender a manner.
" Lord," said they, " behold he whom thou lovest is sick :"
they did not add, Come down and heal him, make haste and
save him from the grave : it was sufficient for them to relate
their necessities to their Lord, who was both able and willing to
help them from their distress.
" When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto
death." This declaration of the benevolent Jesus being carried
to the sisters of Lazarus, must strangely surprise them, and
exercise both their's and his disciples' faith ; since it is probable
that before the messenger arrived at Bethany, Lazarus had ex
pired. Soon after, Jesus positively assured his disciples that
" Lazarus was dead."
The Evangelist, in the beginning of this account, tells us,
that Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus ; and after
that he had received the message, he abode two days in the
same place where he was. His design in this might be to inti
mate that his lingering so long after the message came, did not
proceed from a want of concern for his friends, but happened

LIFE OF CHRIST. 253
according to the counsels of his own wisdom. For the length
of time which Lazarus lay in the grave put his death beyond all
possibility of doubt, removed every suspicion of fraud, and con
sequently afforded Jesus a fit opportunity of displaying the love
he bore to Lazarus, as well as his own divine power, in his un
doubted resurrection from the dead. His sisters, indeed, were
by this means kept a while in painful anxiety, on account of
their brother's life, and at last .pierced by the sorrows of seeing
him die ; yet they must surely think themselves abundantly re
compensed by the evidence, according to the Gospel, from this
astonishing miracle, as well as by the inexpressible surprise
or joy they felt, when they again received their brother from
the dead.
Two days being thus expired, Jesus said to his disciples,
" Let us go into Judea again." John, xi. 7. His disciples
were astonished at this proposal, and the recollection of his
late danger, in that country, alarmed them : " Master," said
they, the Jews of late sought to stone thee : and goest thou
thither again ?" Wilt thou hazard thy life among those who
desired nothing more than to find an opportunity of killing
thee ? " Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the
day ? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not because
he seeth the light of this world : But if a man walk in the night,
he stumbleth, because there is no light in him." John, xi. 9, 10.
By this he intended to inform his disciples that those who
lived by faith, and acted under the infallible influence of the
divine Spirit, could not stumble ; whereas, those who followed
the directions of unenlightened nature, were liable to perpetual
error. Jesus having removed their groundless apprehensions, and
strengthened their faith, that he might clearly explain to them
the cause of his going to Judea again, told them, "our friend
Lazarus sleepeth ; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep."
The disciples understanding his discourse in a literal sense, re
plied, " Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well :" his distemper is
abated, and he, in all probability, is recovering. It would be,
therefore, highly unseasonable in us, to take two days' journey,
only to awake him out of his sleep. Thus they discovered
their fears, and hinted to their Master, that it would be far safer
to continue where they were, than to take a hazardous journey
into Judea.
They were, however, mistaken ; for the Evangelist informs
us, that he " spake of his death, but tbey thought he had spo
ken of taking of rest in sleep." Jesus, therefore, to remove any
doubt, said plainly to them, " Lazarus is dead. And I am glad
for your sakes, that I was not there, (to the intent ye may ber
lieve)." I am glad for your sakes, that I was not in Judea

251 LIFE OF CHRIST.
before he died ; for had I been there, and restored him to his
health, your faith in me, as the Messiah, must have wanted the
great confirmation it shall now receive, by your beholding me
raise him again from the dead.
Having thus given his disciples a proof of his divine knowl
edge, aud of the designs of Providence in the death of Laza
rus, our blessed Saviour added, " Nevertheless, let us go unto
him." Thus Jesus, who could have raised Lazarus without
opening his lips, or rising from his seat, leaves his place of
retirement beyoud Jordan, aud takes a journey into Judea,
where the Jews lately attempted to kill him; because his being
present in person, and raising Lazarus again to life, before so
many witnesses at Bethany where he died, and was so well
known, would be the means of bringing the men of that place,
as well as others, who should hear of it even in future ages, to
prepare them for a resurrection unto eternal life : an admirable
proof! as an emblem of which, he gave them this great miracle.
Jesus having thus declared his resolution of returning into
Judea, Thomas, conceiving nothing less than destruction from
such a journey, yet unwilling to forsake his Master, said, " Let
us also go, that we may die with him." Let us not forsake our
Master in this dangerous journey, but let us accompany him
into Judea, that if the Jews, whose inveteracy we are well ac
quainted with, should take away his life, we also may expire
with him.
The journey to Judea being thus resolved on, Jesus departed
with his disciples, and in his way to Bethany passed through
Samaria and Galilee. " And as he entered into a certain vil
lage, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar
off: and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master,
have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them,
Go, shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass,
that as they went, they were cleansed." Luke, xvii. 12, inc.
Among these miserable objects, one of them was a native of
the country, who, perceiving that his cure was completed, came
back, praising God for the great mercy he had received. He
had before kept at a distance from our Saviour, but being now
sensible that he was entirely clean, he approached his benefac
tor, that all might have an opportunity of beholding the iriira-
cle, and fell on his face at his feet, thanking him, in the most
humble manner, for his condescension in healing him of so ter
rible a disease. Jesus, in order to intimate that those who
were enlightened with the knowledge of the truth ought, at
least, to have shewn as great sense of piety and gratitude as
this Samaritan, asked, "Were there not ten cleansed ? but
where are the nine ? There are not found that returned to give
glory to God, save this stranger." Luke, xvii. 17.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 255
Jesus and his disciples now continued their journey towards
Bethany, where he was informed by some of the inhabitants of
that village, that Lazarus was not only dead, as he had fore
told, but had now lain in the grave four days. The afflicted
sisters were overwhelmed with sorrow ; so that many of the
Jews from Jerusalem came to comfort them concerning their
brother. It seems the news of our Lord's coming had reached Bethany
before he arrived at the village ; for Martha, the sister of Laz
arus, being informed of his approach, went ont, and met him ;
but Mary, who was of a more melancholy and contemplative
disposition, sat still in the house. No sooner was she come into
the presence of Jesus, than in an excess of grief she poured
forth her complaints ; " Lord," said she, " if thou hadst been
here, my brother had not died." If thou hadst complied with
the message we sent thee, I well know that thy interest with
heaven had prevailed : my brother had been cured of his dis
ease, and delivered from the chambers ofthe grave. -
Martha, doubtless, entertained a high opinion of our Sav
iour's power ; she believed that death did not dare to approach
his presence ; and, consequently, if Jesus had arrived at Bethany
before her brother's dissolution, he had not fallen a victim to
the king of terrors. But she imagined it was not in his power
to heal the sick at a distance ; though, at the same time, she
seemed to have some dark and imperfect hopes that our blessed
Lord would still do something for her. " But I know," said
she, " that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God
will give it thee." She thought that Jesus could obtain what
soever he desired by prayer ; and therefore did not found her
hopes on his power, but on the power of God, through his inter
cession. She doubtless knew that the great Redeemer of man
kind had raised the daughter of Jairus, and the widow's son at
Nain, from the dead ; but seems to have considered tier brother's
resurrection as much more difficult ; probably, because he had
been longer dead.
But Jesus, who was willing to encourage this imperfect faith
of Martha, answered, " Thy brother shall rise again." As these
words were delivered in an indefinite sense, with regard to time,
Martha understood them only as an argument of consolation.,'
drawn from the general resurrection, and accordingly answered',
" I know that he shall rise again at the resurrection, at the last
day." She was firmly persuaded of that important article of
the. Christian faith, the resurrection ofthe dead : at which impor
tant hour she believed her brother would rise from the chambers
of the dust. And here she seems to have terminated all her
hopes, not thinking that the Son of God would call her brother
from the sleep of death. Jesus, therefore, to instruct her in

256 LIFE OF CHRIST.
this great truth, replied, " I am the resurrection and the life.'*
I am the author of the resurrection, the fountain and giver of
that life they shall then receive ; and therefore can, with the
same ease, raise the dead now, as at the last day. " He that
believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and
whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest
thou this?" To which Martha answered, "Yea, Lord; I be
lieve that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should
come into the world." I believe that thou art the true Messiah,
so long promised by the prophets, and therefore believe that
thou art capable of performing every instance of power that
thou art pleased to claim.
Martha now seemed to entertain some confused expectations
of her brother's immediate resurrection ; and leaving Jesus in
the field, ran and called her sister, according to his prder, being
willing that both Mary and her companions should be witnesses
of this stupendous miracle.
Mary no sooner heard that Jesus was come, than she immedi
ately left her Jewish comforters, who only increased the weight
of her grief, and flew to her Saviour. The Jews, who suspect
ed she was going to weep over the grave of her brother, fol
lowed her to that great Prophet who was going to remove all
her sorrows. Thus the Jews, who came from Jerusalem to
comfort the two mournful sisters, were brought to the grave ©f
Lazarus, and made witnesses of his resurrection.
As soon as Mary approached the great Redeemer of man
kind, she fell prostrate at his feet, and in a flood of tears
poured out her complaint : " Lord, if thou hadst been here, my
brother had not died." No wonder the compassionate Jesus
was moved at so affecting a scene ; on his side stood Martha,
pouring forth a .flood of tears ; at his feet lay the affectionate
Mary, weeping and lamenting her dear departed brother ;
while the Jews, who came to comfort the afflicted sisters, un
able to confine their grief,, joined the solemn mourning, and-
mixed their friendly tears, in witness of their love for the de
parted Lazarus, and in testimony to the justice pf the sisters'
grief, for the loss of so amiable, so deserving a brother. Jesus
could not behold the affliction of these two sisters, and their
friends, without having a share in it himself; his heart was
melted at the mournful scene, " he groaned in spirit, and was
troubled." To remove the doubts and fears of these pious women, he
asked them, where they had buried Lazarus; not that he was
ignorant where the body of the deceased was laid : he who
knew that he was dead, when so far distant from him, and could
raise him up by a single word, must know where his remains
Were deposited'; to which they answered, "Lord, come aod

LIFE OF CHRIST. 257
see." The Son ot God, to prove that he was not only so, but
a most compassionate man, and to shew us that the tender afe
lections of the human heart, when kept in due bounds,' — that
friendly sorrow, when not immoderate, and directed to proper
ends, is consistent with the highest sanctity of the soul, joined
in the general mourning. He wept, even at the time that he
was going to give the most ample proof of his divinity.
By his weeping, the Jews were convinced that he loved Laz
arus exceedingly ; but some of them interpreted this circum
stance to his disadvantage ; for, according to their mean way of
judging, they fancied he had suffered him to fall by the stroke
of death, for no other reason in the world, but for want of pow
er to rescue him. And thinking the miracle said to have been
wrought on the blind man, at the feast of tabernacles, at least
as difficult as the curing an acute distemper, they called the
former in question, because the latter had been neglected.
" Could not this man," said they, " which opened the eyes of
the blind, have caused that even this man should not have
died ?"
Our Lord, regardless of their question, but grieving for the
hardness of their hearts, and the blindness of their infidelity, groan
ed again within himself, as he walked towards the sepulchre of
the dead. At his coming to the grave he said, " Take ye away
the stone." To which Martha answered, " Lord, by this time
he stinketh ; for he hath been dead four days ;" or, as the pas
sage may be better rendered, hath lain in the grave four days.
She meant to intimate, that her brother's resurrection was not
now to be expected ; but Jesus gave her a solemn reproof, to
teach her that there was nothing impossible with God, and that
the power of the Almighty is not to be circumscribed within the
narrow bounds of human reason ; " Said I not unto thee, that
if thou wouldest believe, thou. shouldest see the glory of God ?'?
i. e. Have but faith, and I will display before thee the power
of Omnipotence.
The objections of Martha being thus obviated, she, with the
rest, waited the great event in silence ; and, in "pursuance of the
command of the Son of God, took away the stone from the
place where the dead was laid. Jesus had, on many occasions,
publicly appealed to his own miracles as the proofs of his
mission, though he did not generally make a formal address to
his father, before he worked those miracles. But being now to
raise Lazarus from the dead, he prayed for his resurrection, to
convince the spectators that it could not be effected without an
immediate interposition of the Divine Power. " Father," said
he, " I thank thee that thou hast heard me, and I knew that
thou hearest me always ; but because of the people which stand
by, 1 said it, that they, may believe that thou hast sent me."
33 '

258 LIFE OF CHRIST.
John, xi. 41, &c. I entertain no doubt of thy empowering me
to do this miracle, and therefore did not pray for my own sake ;
I well knew that thou hearest me always. I prayed for the
sake of the people, to convince them that thou lovest me, hast
sent me, and art continually with me.
After returning thanks to his Father for this opportunity of
displaying his glory, " He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus,
come forth !" This loud and efficacious call of the Son of God
awakened the dead ; the breathless clay was instantly reanima
ted ; and he who had lain four days in the chambers of the
tomb, obeyed immediately the powerful sound. " And he that
was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes ;
and his face was bound about with a napkin : Jesus saith unto
them, Loose him, and let him go." John, xi. 44. It would
have been the least part of the miracle, had Jesus, by his pow
erful word, unloosed the napkin wherewith Lazarus was bound ;
but he brought him out in the same manner as he was lying,
and ordered the spectators to loose him, that they might be the
better convinced of the miracle ; for, in taking off the grave
clothes, they had the fullest evidence both of his death and
resurrection. For, ou the one hand, the manner in which he
was swathed, must soon have killed him if he had been alive
when buried ; which consequently demonstrated, beyond all ex
ception, that Lazarus had been dead several days before Jesus
called him again to life : besides, in stripping him, the linen of
fered both to their eye and smell, abundant proofs of his putre
faction ; and by that means convinced them that he had not been
ki a delirium, but was really dead. On the other hand, by his
lively countenance appearing, when the napkin was removed,
his fresh color, and his active vigor, those who came near, and
handled him, must be convinced that he was in perfect health,
and had an opportunity of proving the truth of the miracle by
the closest examination. There is something exceedingly beau»-
tiful in our Lord's behaviour on this occasion : he did not utter
one upbraiding word, either to the doubting sisters, or the
malicious Jews, nor did he let fall one word of triumph or ex
ultation. " Loose him, and let him go," were the only words
we have recorded. He was in this, as on all other occasions*,
consistent with himself, a pattern of perfect humility and ab
solute self-denial.
Such was the astonishing work wrought by the Son of God
at Bethany ; and in the resurrection of Lazarus, thus corrupted,
and thus raised by the powerful call of Jesus, we have a strik
ing emblem, and a glorious earnest, of the resurrection of our
bodies from the grave, at the last day, when the same powerful
mandate which spoke Lazarus again into being, shall collect the
scattered particles of our bodies, and raise them to immortality.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 259
Such an extraordinary power, displayed before the face of
a multitude, and near to Jerusalem, even overcame the prejudi
ces of some of the most obstinate among them. Many believed
that Jesus could be no other than the great Messiah, so long
promised : though others who still expected a temporal prince,
and were therefore unwilling to acknowledge him for their Sav
iour, were filled with indignation, particularly the chief-priests
and elders. But this miracle, as well as all the rest he had
wrought in confirmation of his mission, was too evident to be
denied ; and therefore, they pretended that his whole intention
was to establish a new sect in religion, which would endanger
both their church and nation. " Then gathered the chief-priests
and the pharisees a council, and said, What do we ? for this
man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men
will believe on him : and the Romans shall come and take
away both our place and nation." John, xi. 47, he.
The common people, astonished at his miracles, will, if we
do not take care to prevent it, certainly set him up for the
Messiah ; and the Romans, under pretence of a rebellion, will
deprive us both of our liberty and religion. Accordingly, they
came to a resolution to put him to death. This resolution was
not, however, unanimous ; for Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea,
and Other disciples of our Saviour, then members of the coun
cil, urged the injustice of what they proposed to do, from the
consideration of his miracles and innocence. But Caiaphas,
the high-priest, from a principle of human policy, told them,
that the nature of government often required certain acts of in
justice, in order to procure the safety of the state. " Ye know
nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us that one
man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish
not." John, xi. 49, 50.
The council having thus determined to put Jesus to death, de
liberated for the future only upon the best methods of effecting
it; and, in all probability, agreed to issue a proclamation,
promising a reward lo any person who would deliver him into
their hands. For this reason our blessed Saviour djd not now
go up to Jerusalem, though he was within two miles of it; but
went to Ephraim, a city on the borders of the wilderness, where
he abode with his disciples, being unwilling to go too far into the
country, because the passover, at which he was to suffer, was
now at hand.

36,0 LIFE OF CHRIST.

CHAPTER XXVI.
The great Prophet of Israel foretells the ruin of the Jewish
State, and enforces many important Doctrines by parable.
— He blesseth the Children, as emblems of the Heavenly and
Christian temper and disposition.
While the blessed Jesus remained in retirement on the bor
ders of the wilderness, he was desired by some of the pharisees
to inform them when the Messiah's kingdom would commence.
Nor was their anxiety on that account a matter of surprise;
for as they entertained very exalted notions of his coming in
pomp and magnificence, it was natural for them to be very de
sirous of having his empire speedily erected. But our Sav
iour, to correct this mistaken notion, told them, that the Messi
ah's kingdom did not consist in any external form of govern
ment, erected in some particular country by the terror of arms,
and desolation of war ; but in the subjection of the minds of
men, and in rendering them conformable to the laws of the Al
mighty, which 'was to be effected by a new dispensation of re
ligion, and this dispensation was already begun. It was, there
fore, needless for them to seek in this or that place for the king
dom of God, as it had been already preached among them by
Christ and his apostles, and confirmed by innumerable miracles.
*' The kingdom of God," said he, " cometh not with observa
tion. Neither shall they say, Lo here, or lo there ; for behold,
the kingdom of God is within you." Luke, xvii, 20, 21.
Having thus addressed the pharisees, he turned himself to
his disciples, and in the hearing of all the people, prophesied
the destruction of the Jewish state ; whose constitution, both
religious and civil, was the chief difficulty that opposed the
erection of his kingdom. But because love aud compassion
were eminent parts of our Saviour's temper, he mentioned that
dreadful catastrophe in such a manner as might tend to the re
formation and profit of his hearers. He informed them, that the
prelude to this final destruction would be an universal distress ;
when they should passionately wish for the personal presence of
the Messiah to comfort them, but would be deified their request.
" The days' will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the
days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it." Luke, xvii.
22. He next cautioned them against those who should recom
mend different ways of escaping the awful catastrophe, but
are utterly. unable : " And they shall say to you, See here, or
see there ; go not after them, nor follow them. For as the
lightning that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven

LIFE OF CHRIST. 261
s'tiineth into the other part under heaven, so shall also the Son
of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things,
and be rejected of this generation." Luke, xvii. 23, fee.
The coming of the Son of man shall be sudden and unexpected.
He will come in his own strength, and with great power ; he will
throw down all opposition, destroy his enemies with swift de
struction, and establish his religion and government upon the
face of the earth, as suddenly as lightning darts from one part
of tbe heaven to the other. But before these things come'to
pass, he must suffer many things, and be rejected of this gene
ration. Notwithstanding this sudden destruction and calamity that
was to overwhelm the Jews, he told them, their stupidity would
be equal to that of the old world, at the time of the deluge, or
that of Sodom, before the city was destroyed : " And as it was
in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days ofthe Son of
man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were
given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark ;
and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it
was in the days of Lot, they did eat, they drank, they bought,
they sold, they planted, they builded ; but the same day that
Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven,
and destroyed them all: even thus it shall be in the day when
the Son "of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon
the house-top, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down
to take it away ; and he that is in the field, let him likewise not
return back. Remember Lot's wife." Luke, xvii. 26, he.
A more proper example than that of Lot's wife could not
have been produced : for if any of his hearers, through an im
moderate love ofthe world, should be prevailed on, in order to
save their goods, after they were admonished from heaven of
their danger, by the signs which prognosticated the destruction
of Jerusalem ; or if any of them, through want of faith, should
think that the calamities predicted to fall on the nation would
not either be so great or so sudden as he had declared, and did
not use the precaution of a speedy flight ; they might behold in
Lot's wife an example both of their sin and of their punishment.
He added, that those who were anxiously desirous of preserving
life, from an attachment to its pleasures and vanities, should lose
it ; whereas, those who were willing to lay down their lives'in
his cause, should preserve them eternally. " Whosoever shall
seek to save his life, shall lose it : and whosoever shall lose his
life, shall preserve it." Luke, xvii. 33.
Having foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, our blessed Sav
iour spake the following parable, in order to excite them to_a
constant perseverance in prayer, and not to be so weary and faint
in their minds, as to neglect, or wholly omit, this necessary duty.

262 LIFE OF CHRIST.
There was in a city, said the Saviour of the world, a judge,
who, being governed by atheistical principles, had no regard to
the precepts of religion, and being very powerful did not regard
what was said of him by any man : so that all his decisions were
influenced merely by passion or interest. In the same city was
also a widow, who, having no friends to assist her, was abso
lutely unable to defend herself from injuries, or procure redress
for any she had received. In this deplorable situation, she had
recourse to the unjust judge, in order to obtain satisfaction for
some oppressive wrong she had lately received ; but the judge
was so abandoned to pleasure, that he refused, for a time, to
listen to her request ; he would not give himself the trouble to
examine her case, though the crying injustice pleaded so power
fully for this distressed widow. She was not, however, intimi
dated by his refusal ; she incessautly importuned him, till, by
repeated representations of her distress, she filled his mind with
such displeasing ideas, that he was obliged to do her justice,
merely to free himself from her importunity. " Though," said
he to himself, " I fear not God, nor regard man, yet because
this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest, by her continual
coming, she weary me." Luke, xviii. 4, 5.
The sentiment conveyed by our blessed Saviour in this para
ble, is very beautiful. We hence learn that the cries of the
afflicted will, by being incessantly repeated, make an impres
sion even on the stony hearts of wicked men, who glory in their
impiety, and laugh at all the precepts of justice, virtue, and re
ligion ; and, therefore, cannot fail of being regarded by the
benevolent Father of the universe, who listens to the petitions of
bis faithful servants, and pours on their heads the choicest of his
blessings. " Hear," said the blessed Jesus, " what the unjust judge
saith ; and shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day
and night unto him, though he bear long with-them ? I tell you,
that he will avenge them speedily." Luke, xviii. 6, he. As if
he had said, if this man, though destitute of the fear either of
God or man, was thus prompted to espouse the cause of the
widow ; |shall not a righteous God, the Father of his people,
avenge on the wicked the many evils they have done unto them,
though he bear long with them ? — Certainly he will, and that in
a most awful manner.
Our blessed Saviour having thus enforced the duty of prayer,
in this expressive parable, asked the following apposite question :
" Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith
on the earth ?" As if he had said, notwithstanding- all the
miracles I have wrought, and the excellent doctrines 1 have de
livered, shall I find, at my second coming, that faith among the
children of men there is reason to expect ? Will not -most of

SELF-RIGHTEOUS PHARISEE.
[Page 263.]

" Two men went up into the temple to pray ; tlie one a pharisee, and the other a publi'
can."— Luke, xviii. 10.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 263
them be found to have abandoned the faith, and wantonly ask,
" where is the promise of his coming ?"
The blessed Jesus next rebuked the self-righteous pharisees.
But as these particulars are better illustrated by their opposites,
he placed the character of this species of men iu opposition to
those of the humble ; describing the reception each class met
with from the Almighty, in a parable of the pharisee and pub
lican, who went up together to the temple, at the time when the
sacrifice was offered, to direct their petitions to the God of their
fathers. ,
The pharisee, having a high opinion of his own righteousness,
went far into the court of the temple, that he might be as near
the place of the divine residence as possible. Here be offered his
prayer, giving God the praise of his supposed righteousness ;
and, had he been possessed of any, he would have acted pro
perly. " God," said he, " I thank thee that I am not as other
men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican,
I fast twice in the week, I give tythes of all that I possess."
Luke, xviii. 11, 12.
Having thus commended himself to God, he wrapped himself
up in his own righteousness ; and giving the poor publican a
scornful look, walked away, perhaps to transgress some o! the
weightier matters of the law ; judgment, justice, and truth ; and
to devour the houses of distressed widows and helpless orphans.
But how different was the behaviour of the humble publican I
Impressed with a deep sense of his own unworthiness, he would
not even enter the courts of the temple ; but stood afar off, and
smote upon his breast, and in the bitterness of his soul, earnestly
implored the mercy of Omnipotence. " And the publican stand
ing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven,
but smote upon bis breast saying, God be merciful to me, a
sinner." Luke, xviii. 13.
Specious as the pharisee's behaviour may seem, his prayer was
an abomination to the Lord ; while the poor publicaQ, who con
fessed his guilt, and implored mercy, was justified in the sight of
God, rather than this arrogant boaster.
This parable sufficiently indicates that all the sons of men
stand in need of mercy. Both the strict pharisee, and the de
spised publican, with the whole race of mankind, are sinners ;
and consequently all must implore pardon of their benevolent
Creator. We must all ascend to the temple, and there pour
forth our prayers before the throne of grace ; for there he has
promised ever to be present, to grant the petitions of all who ask
in sincerity and truth, through the Son of his love.
These parables were spoken in the town of Ephraim : and
during his continuance in that' city, the pharisees asked him,
Whether he thought it lawful for a man to put away his wife for.

264 UFE OF CHRIST.
every cause ? Our Saviour had twice before declared his opinv
ion of this particular, once in Galilee, and once in Perea ; it is
therefore probable that the pharisees were not ignorant of his
sentiments, and that they asked that question then, to find an op
portunity of incensing the people against him, well knowing that
the Israelites held the liberty which the law gave them of divor
cing their wives, as one of their chief privileges. But however
that be, Jesus was far from fearing the popular resentment, and
accordingly declared the third time against arbitrary divorces.
The pharisees then asked him, why they were commanded by
Moses to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away ?
Insinuating, that Moses was so tender of their happiness, that he
gave them liberty of putting away their wives, when they saw
occasion. To which Jesus answered, "Because ofthe hardness
of your hearts, Moses suffered you to put away your wives ; but
from the beginning it was not so." As unlimited divorces were
not permitted in the state of innocence, so neither shall they be
under the Gospel dispensation. " And I say unto you, Whoso
ever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and
shall marry another, committeth adultery. And whoso marrieth
her which is put away, doth commit adultery." Matt. xix. 9.
The disciples were greatly surprised at their Master's decis
ion ; and though they held their peace, while the pharisees were
present, yet they did not fail to ask him the reason on which he
founded his determination, when they were returned home.
" And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same
matter : and he saith unto them, whosoever shall put away his
Wife, and marry another, comraitteth adultery against her. And
if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to an
other, she committeth adultery." Mark, x. 10, he.
The practice of unlimited divorces, which prevailed among
the Jews, gave great encouragement to family quarrels, were
very destructive of happiness, and hindered the education of their
common offspring. Besides, it greatly tended to make their
children lose that reverence for them which is due to parents, as
it was hardly possible for the children to avoid engaging in the
quarrel. Our Lord's prohibition, therefore, of these divorces is founded
on the strongest reasons, and greatly tends to promote the wel
fare of society.
Our Saviour having, in the course of his ministry, performed
innumerable cures, in different parts of tbe country, several per
sons, thinking, perhaps, that his power would be as great iu
preventing as in removing distempers, brought their children to
him, desiring that he would put his hands upon them and bless
them. The disciples, however, mistaking the intention, were
angry with the persons, and rebuked them for endeavouring to

JESUS BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN.
[Page 265 ]

" But Jes'is said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me ; for of such
is the kingdom of heaven." — Matt. xix. 14.

< I
tth i'

LIFE OF CHRIST. 265
give this trouble to their Master. But Jesus no sooner saw it,
than he was greatly displeased with his disciples, and ordered
them not to hinder parents from bringing their children to him.
" Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not :
for of such is the kingdom of God." Luke, xviii. 16.
Such are those, in a spiritual light, who are brought to a sense
of their sins, and humbled for them iu the sight of God.

CHAPTER XXVII.
Our Lord departs from his retirement. — Declares the only Way
of salvation. — Shews the duty of. improving the means of grace
by the Parable of the Vineyard.— -Prediction of his sufferings
and contention ofthe Disciples about precedence in his kingdom.-
The period of our blessed Saviour's passion now approaching,
he departed from Ephraim, and repaired, by the way of Jericho,
towards Jerusalem : but before he arrived at Jericho, a ruler of
the synagogue came running to him, and kneeling down before
him, asked him, " Good Master, what good thing shall I do,
that I may have eternal life '¦?" Matt. xix. 16.
Though this young ruler pretended to pay great honour to
our dear Redeemer, yet the whole was no more than a piece of
raillery. For though he styled him " good," yet he did not
believe that he was sent from God, as sufficiently appears from
his refusing to observe the counsel given him by Jesus : nor
could his artful insinuations escape the piercing eye of the great
Saviour of the world. He well knew his secret intentions, and
beheld the inmost recesses of his soul : and accordingly rebuked
him for his hypocritical address, before he answered his ques
tion. " Why callest thou me good ? there is none good but one,
that is God." Matt. xix. 17. But as he had desired the advice,
of our blessed Jesus, who never refused it to any of the sons of
men, he readily answered his question, by telling him that he
must observe all the moral precepts of the laW ; there being a
necessary connexion between the duties of piety towards the Al
mighty, and of justice and temperance towards men ; the latter
of which were much more difficult to counterfeit than the for
mer. " If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
He saith unto him, Which ? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no
murder ; Thou shalt not commit adultery ; Thou shalt not
steal ; Thou shalt not bear false witness ; Honour thy father and
thy mother ; and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
34

266 LIFE OF CHRIST.
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept
from my youth up : What lack I yet?" Matt. xix. 17, &c.
These commandments, perhaps, he had obeyed in tlie vague
sense put upon them by the doctors and interpreters of the law ;
and, therefore, the character he here gave of himself might be
very just. For though he was far from being a person who
feared God from his heart, he might have appeared, in the sight
of men, as a person of a very fair character. And having main
tained that character, notwithstanding his great riches, he cer
tainly deserved commendation ; and therefore might be noticed
by that benevolent person, who left the bosom of his Father, to
redeem lost mankind. But he was, at the same time, very faulty,
with regard to his love of sensual pleasures ; a sin, which might
have escaped even his own observation, though it could not
escape the all-seeing eye of the Son of God. Our blessed
Saviour, therefore, willing to make him sensible of his secret
desire of possessing the riches of this world, told bim, that if he
aimed at perfection, be should distribute his possessions among
the poor and indigent, and become his disciple. " If thou wilt
be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and
thou shalt have treasure in heaven : and come and follow me "
His heart being set upon his possessions, he had no inclina
tion to a religion that enjoined self-denial, and parting with our
darling sins. " But when the young man heard that saying, he
went away sorrowful : for he had great possessions." Matt.
xix. 22.
This melancholy instance ofthe pernicious influence of riches
over the minds of the children of men, induced our blessed
Saviour to caution his disciples against fixing their minds on
things of such frightful tendency, by shewing how very difficult
it was for a rich man to procure a habitation in the regions of
eternal happiness. " Verily, 1 say unto you, that a rich man
shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say
unto you, It is easier for a camel" (i. e. a cable, or large rope)
" to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to
enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it,
they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved ?
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is
impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matt. xix.
23, he.
If man be not assisted by the grace of God, it will be im
possible for him to obtain the happy rewards of the kingdom of
heaven : but, by the assistance of grace, which the Almighty
never refuses to those who seek it with their whole heart, it is
very possible.
This answer of the blessed Jesus was, however, far from satis
fying his disciples, who had, doubtless, often reflected with

LIFE OF CHRIST. 267
pleasure on the high posts they were to enjoy in their Master's
kingdom. Peter seems particularly to have been disappointed :
and therefore addressed his Master, in the name of the rest,
begging him to remember that his apostles had actually done
whalsthe young man had refused. They had abandoned their
relations, their friends, their possessions, and their employments,
on his account : and therefore desired to know what reward they
were to expec*for these instances of their obedience? To
which Jesus replied, that they should not fail of a reward, even
in this life ; for immediately after his resurrection, when he as
cended to his Father, and entered on his mediatorial office, they
should be advanced to the honor of judging the twelve tribes
of Israel ; that is, of ruling the church of Christ, which they
Were to plant iu diflerent parts of the earth. " Verily, I say
unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration,
when tlie Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye
also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel." Matt. xix. 28.
Having given this answer to Peter, he next mentioned the
rewards his other disciples should receive, both in this world
and in that which is to come. They, said he, who have forsa
ken all for my sake, shall be no losers in the end : their benevo
lent Father, who intends to give them possessions in the hea
venly Canaan, will not fail to support them, during their long
and painful journey to that happy country ; and raise them up
friends who shall assist them with those necessaries they might
have expected from their relations, had they not left them for
my sake. Divine Providence will take care they have every
thing valuable that can be. given them by their relations, or they
could desire from large possessions. They shall, indeed, be
fed with the bread of sorrow, but this shall produce joys to
which all the earthly pleasures bear no proportion ; and, in the
end, obtain everlasting life. They shall leave this vale of tears,
with all its pains and sorrows, behind them, and fly to the bo
som of their Almighty Father, the fountain of life and joy,
where they shall be infinitely rewarded for all the sufferings
they have undergone in this world.
Things shall then be reversed, and those who have been re
viled and contemned on earth, for the sake of the Gospel, shall
be exalted to honor, glory and immortality : while the others
shall be consigned to eternal infamy. " But many that are
first shall be last, aud the last shall be first." Matt. xix. 30.
These words seem also to have been spoken to keep the dis
ciples humble ; for in all probability they at first understood
the promise of their sitting on twelve thrones, in a natural sense:
as they were ready to construe every expression to a temporal
kingdom, which they still expected their Master would erect

268 LIFE OF CHRIST.
upon earth. Our blessed Saviour, therefore, to remove all
thoughts they might entertain of this kind, told them that
though he had described the rewards they were to expect for
the ready obedience they had shewn to his commands, and the
pains they were to take in propagating the Gospel among the
children of men ; yet those rewards were spiritual, and not con
fined to the Jews alone, but extended also to the Gentiles, who
in point of time, should excel the Jews, and universally embrace
the Gospel, before that nation was converted.
To excite their ardent pressing forward in faith and good
works, our Lord relates the parable of the householder, who,
at different hours of the day, hired laborers to work in his vine
yard. " The kingdom of heaven," says our blessed Saviour,
" is like unto a man that is a householder, which went early
in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard : And when
he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them
into his vineyard. And he went out, about the third hour, and
saw others standing idle in the market-place, and said unto
them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I
will give you- And they went their way. Again he went out,
about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about
the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle,
and saith unto them, Why stanch ye here all the day idle ?
They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith
unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is
right, that shall ye receive. So, when even was come, the lord
of the vineyard said unto his steward, Call the laborers, and
give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour,
they received every man a penny. But when the first came,
they supposed that they should have received more : and they
likewise received every man a penny. And when they had re
ceived it, they murmured against the good man of the house,
saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast
made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and
heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said,
Friend, I do thee no wrong : didst thou not agree, with me for
a penny ? take that thine is, and go thy way ; I will give unto
this last even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what
I will with mine own ? Is thine eye evil because I am good ?
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called,
but few chosen." Matt. xx. 1, 2, 3, he.
Such is the parable of tbe householder, as delivered by our
Saviour : and, from the applications he has made of it, it will
not be difficult to interpret it. The dispensation of religion
which God gave to mankind, in different parts of the world, are
represented by the vineyard. The Jews, who were early mem-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 260
bers of the true church, and obliged to obey the law of Moses,
are the laborers which the householder hired early in the morn
ing. The Gentiles, who were converted at several times, by
the various interpositions of. Providence, to the knowledge and
worship of the true God, are the laborers hired at the third,
sixth, and ninth hours. And the invitation given at the elev
enth hour, implies the calling of persons in the eve of life, to
the knowledge of the Gospel. The law of Moses was a heavy
yoke ; and therefore the obedience to its precepts was very ele
gantly represented by bearing the heat and burden of the whole
day. But the prose.yted Gentiles, paid obedience only to some
particular precepts of the law ; bore but part of its weight ;
and were therefore represented by those who were hired at the
third, sixth, and ninth hours : while those heathens who regula
ted their conduct by the law of nature only, and esteemed the
works of justice, piety, temperance, and charity, as their whole
duty, are beautifully represented as laboring only one hour in
the cool ofthe evening.
When the evening was come, and each laborer was to receive
his wages, they were all placed upon an equal footing ; these
rewards being the privileges and advantages of the Gospel.
The Jews, who had borne the grievous yoke of the Mosaic
ceremonies, murmured whew they found the Gentiles were ad
mitted to its privileges, without being subject to their ceremo
nial worship. But we must not urge the circumstance of the
rewardfso far as to fancy that either Jews or Gentiles merited
the blessings of the Gospel, by their having labored faithfully
in the vineyard, or having behaved well under their several dis
pensations. The glorious Gospel, with all its blessings, was bestowed en
tirely by the free grace of. God, and without any thing in men
to merit it; besides, it was offered promiscuously to all, whether
good or bad, and embraced by persons of all characters. The
conclusion of the parable deserves our utmost attention ; we
should meditate upon it, and take care to make our calling and
election sure.
After Jesus had finished these discourses, he continued his
journey towards Jerusalem, where the chief priests and elders,
soon after the resurrection of Lazarus, issued a proclamation,
promising a reward to any one who should apprehend him. In
all probability, this was the reason why the disciples were aston
ished at the alacrity of our Lord during this journey, while they
themselves followed him trembling. Jesus, therefore, thought
proper to repeat the prophecies concerning his sufferings, in
order to shew his disciples that they were entirely voluntary ;
adding, that though the Jews should put. him to death, yet,
instead of weakening, it should increase their faith, especially

270 LIFE OF CHRIST.
as he would rise again, the third day, from the dead. " Behold
we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the
prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished :
For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mock
ed, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall
scourge him, and put him to death ; and the third day he shall
rise again." Luke, xviii. 32, 33.
As this prediction manifestly tended to the confirmation of
the ancient prophecies, it must have given the greatest encour
agement to his disciples had they understood and applied it in
a proper manner : but they were so ignorant in the Scriptures,
they had no idea of what he meaut. " And they understood
none of these things: and this saying was hid from them; nei
ther knew they the things which were spoken."
The sons of Zebedee were so ignorant, that they thought
their Master, by his telling them he would rise again from the
dead, meant that he would then erect his empire, and accord
ingly begged that he would confer on them the chief posts in
his kingdom ; which they expressed by desiring to be seated,
the " one on his right hand, and the other on his left," in allu
sion to his placing the twelve apostles upon twelve thrones,
judging the tribes of Israel.
This race, ever since our Saviour's transfiguration, had con
ceived very high notions of his kingdom, and possibly of their
own merit also, because they had been permitted to behold that
miracle. But Jesus told them they were ignorant of the nature
of the honor they requested ; aud since they desired to share
with him in glory, asked them if they were willing to share
with him also in his sufferings. " Ye know not what ye ask ;
are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with ?" Matt.
xx. 22.
The two disciples, ravished with the prospect of the dignity
they were aspiring after, replied, without hesitation, that they
were both able and willing to share any hardship their Master
might meet with, in the way to the kingdom. To which he an
swered that they should certainly share with him his troubles
and afflictions ; but that they had askedj a favor which was not
his to give. " Ye shall drink, indeed, of my cup, and be bap
tized with the baptism I am baptized with ; but to sit on my
right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be
given unto them for whom it is prepared by my Father." Matt.
xx. 23.
This ambitious request of the two brothers raised the indig
nation of the rest of the disciples, who, thinking themselves
equally deserving the principal posts in the Messiah's kingdom,
were highly offended at the arrogance of the sons of Zebedee.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 271
Jesus, therefore, in order to restore harmony among his disci
ples, told them that his kingdom was very different from those
of the present world, and the greatness of his disciples did not,
like that of secular princes, consist in reigning over others in
an absolute and despotic maimer. " Ye know, that the princes
of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are
great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so
among you ; but whosoever will be great among you, let him be
your minister ;. and whosoever will be chief among you, let him
be your servant : even as the Son of Man came not to be min
istered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a rarisom for
many." Matt. xx. 25, &c. Ye know that rank and precedence
denote merit of character here : but Christian greatness and
spiritual precedence consist in humility, of which Christ your
Saviour was made an eminent pattern.

CHAPTER XXVIII.
The benevolent Saviour restores sight to the Blind. — Kindly
regards Zaccheus the Publican. — Delivers the Parable of
the Servants entrusted with their Lord's money. — Accepts
the Mnd offices of Mary. — Makes a public entry into Jeru
salem. Jesus, with his disciples, and the multitude that accompa
nied him, were now arrived at Jericho, a famous city of Pal
estine, and the second in the kingdom. Near this town Jesus
cured two blind men, who sat by the road begging, and ex
pressed their belief in him as the Messiah. "And as they de
parted from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. And
behold, two blind men, sitting by the way-side, when they
heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on
us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And the multitude rebuked
them, because they should hold their peace ; but they cried the
more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David."
Matt. xx. 29, &c.
This importunate request had its desired effect on the Son of
God. He stood still, and called them to him, that by their
manner of walking, spectators might be convinced they were
really blind. As soon as they approached him, he asked them,
What they requested with such earnestness ? To which the beg
gars answered, That they might receive their sight. " What
will ye that I shall do unto you ?" They say, " Lord, that our

272 LIFE OF CHRIST.
eyes may be opened." This request was not made' in vain j
their compassionate Saviour touched their eyes, and immediate
ly they received sight, and followed him, glorifying and prais
ing God.
After conferring sight on these beggars, Zaccheus, chief of
the publicans, having often heard the fame of our Saviour's
miracles, was desirous of seeing his person ; but the lowness
of his -stature preventing him from satisfying his curiosity, "he
ran before, and climbed up a sycamore tree to see bim, for he
was to pass that way." As Jesus approached the place where
he was, " he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zac
cheus, make haste, and come down, for to-day I must abide at
thy house." Luke, xix. 5.
The publican expressed his joy at our Lord's condescending
to visit him, took him to his house, and shewed him all the
marks of civility in his power. But the people, when they saw
he was going to the house of a publican, condemned his con
duct, as not conformable to the character of a prophet. Zac
cheus seems to have heard these unjust reflections ; and, there
fore, was willing to justify himself, before Jesus and his attend
ants. " And Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord, Behold,
Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor ; and if I have
taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore
him four-fold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation
come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham."
Luke, xix. 8, he. • ,.. # _.. ,
Our Saviour, further to convince the people that the design
of his mission was to seek and to restore life and salvation to
lost and perishing sinners, adds, "The Sou of man is come to
seek and to save that which was lost."
While Jesus continued in the house of Zaccheus the publican,
he spake a parable to his followers, who supposed, at his arri
val in the royal city, he would erect the long-expected king
dom of the Messiah. " A certain nobleman," said he, *.' went
into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to re
turn. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten
pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citi
zens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will
not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that
when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he
commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he
had given the money, that he might know how much every man
had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy
pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well,
thou good servant : because thou hast been faithful in a very lit
tle, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came,
saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said

ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM.
[Page 275.]

->>*>,,

" And they brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him
thereon. " And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way ; others cut down branch
es from the trees, and strewed them in the way.
" And the multitudes that went before, and that foUowed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the
son of David : Blessed is he that cometh in the name ofthe Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
Matt xxi. 7—9.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 273
likewise to "him, Be thou also over five cities- And another
came, saying, Lord, behold here is thy pound, which I have
kept laid up in a napkin ; for I feared thee, because thou art an
austere man : thou takest up that thou laidst not down, and
reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out
of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant.
Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that 1 laid
not down, and reaping that I did not sow : Wherefore, then,
gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I
might have required mine own with usury ? And he said unto
them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to
him that hath ten pounds, (and they said unto him, Lord, he
hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every one
which hath shall be given ; and from him that hath not, even
that he hath shall be taken away from him. But those, mine
enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring
hither, and slay them before me." Luke, xix. 12, he.
In this parable we have the characters of three sorts of men,
delineated by our blessed Saviour himself; namely, the true dh\-
ciples of the Messiah ; the hypocrites and the openly profane.
And the treatment these servants met with, represent the final
sentences that will be passed upon them, by the awful Judge
of the whole earth. The true disciples shall be rewarded with
the honors and pleasures of immortality ; the hypocrites strip
ped of all the advantages they so often boasted, and loaded
with eternal infamy ; and the open enemies of Christ shall
suffer punishment, severe in proportion to the degree of their
guilt. But though this is the general sense of the parable, yet it has
also a particular relation to the time when it was spoken ; and in
tended to teach the disciples, that though they might imagine
the Messiah's kingdom was speedily to be erected, and they
were soon to partake of its happiness, yet this was not to
happen before the death of their Master ; that they themselves
must perform a long and laborious course of services, before
they received their eternal reward. That after his resurrection,
when he had obtained the kingdom, he would return from his
seat of majesty, and reckon with all his servants, and reward
every one according to the improvements he had made in the
trust committed to his care : and that he would execute, in an
exemplary manner, his vengeance on those who refused to let
him reign over them, and did all in their power to hinder the
erection of this kingdom among others.
After speaking this parable, Jesus left the house of Zaccheus
the publican, and continued his journey towards Jerusalem,
where he proposed to celebrate the passover : he was earnest
ly expected by the people, who came up to purify themselves,
35

274 LIFE OF CHRIST.
and who began to doubt whether he would venture to come to
the feast. This delay, however, was occasioned by the proc
lamation issued by the chief priests, promising a reward to any
who would discover the place of his retirement. " Now both
the chief priests and the pharisees had given a commandment,
that if any man knew where he were, he should shew it,~*that
they might take him." John, xi. 57.
Six days before the passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, and
repaired to the house of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the
dead. "There they made him a supper, and Martha served :
but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very cost
ly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and Wiped his feet with her
hair : and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son,
which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for
three hundred pence, and given to the poor ? This he said, not
that he cared for the poor ; but because he was a thief, and had
the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let
her alone ; against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
For the poor always ye have with you ; but me ye have not al
ways." John, xii. 2, he.
As Bethany was not above two miles from Jerusalem, the
news of his arrival was soon spread through the capital, and
great numbers of the citizens came to see Lazarus, who had
been raised from the dead, together with the great prophet,
who had wrought so stupendous a miracle, and many of them
were convinced both of the resurrection of the former, and the
divinity of tbe latter : but the news of their conversion, togeth
er with the reason of it, being currently reported in Jerusalem,
the chief priests were soon sensible of the weight so great a
miracle must have on the minds of the people ; and therefore
determined, if possible, to put both Jesus and Lazarus to
death. Our blessed Lord, though he knew the design of the Jews
upon him, also knew that it became him to fulfil 'all righteous
ness ; and was so far from declining to visit Jerusalem, that
he even entered it in a public manner. When they " were come
to Bethphage unto the Mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two
disciples, saying unto them, Go unto the village over against
you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with
her : loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man
say ought unto you, ye shall say, the Lord hath need of them ;
and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy king cometh tmto
thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of

LIFE OF CHRIST. 275
au ass. And the ''disciples went and did as Jesus commanded
them, and brought the ass and the colt, and put on them their
clothes, and they set bim thereon. And a very great multitude
spread their garments in the way : others cut down branches
from the trees, and strewed them in the way. And the multi
tudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna
to the Son of David : blessed is he that cometh in the name of
the Lord, Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into
Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this ? And
the multitude said, This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of
Galilee." Matt. xxi. J — 3, he.
Some ofthe most strenuous of the deistical tribe have endea
voured to turn this circumstance into ridicule : but in this they
discover the height of ignorance, because they judge by the pre
judices of our own times and country. And when those who
look no farther than the manners and customs before them, exa
mine this part of the sacred history by the standard of modern
prejudices, they see, or think they see, something quite incon
sistent with the gravity and dignity of the person, pretending to
be king of the Jews, when Christ is represented entering in
triumph into Jerusalem, sitting on an ass. But however con
temptible an ass, or a man riding on that creature, may be at
present, it was not so from the beginning. In many countries,
and particularly in Judea, persons of the highest distinction
usually rode upon asses. The governors of Israel are described
in the song of Deborah, as " riding on white asses." Judges, v.
10. And the thirty sons of Jair, who was judge and prince
over Israel twenty-two years, are said to ride oa thirty ass-colts.
Judges, x. 4. And another judge is recorded to have had forty
sons and thirty nephews, that rode on seventy ass-colts. Judges,
xii. 14.
It may, however, be asked, supposing it was an usual thing to
ride on an ass, why should this common practice be mentioned
in relation to the Messiah, as a mark of distinction ? Might not
the prophet, upon this supposition, as well have said, He shall
come walking on foot ? And would he not have been as well
known by one character as by the other ? Besides, if we turn to
the book of Zechariah, where this prophecy is to be found, we
shall see the person there described to be a king ; a just king,
and one having salvation : and what is there in this character of
riding on tbe back of an ass, that is peculiar to a king, to a just
king, and to one who was to bring salvation and deliverance t»
hie people ?
These questions, however difficult they at first sight may ap
pear, are easily answered, not by considering the state and con
dition of kings in general, but that peculiar to a king of Israel,
on which the propriety of this character is founded.

276 LIFE OF CHRIST.
If we look into the history of the rise and fall of nations, we
shall generally find, that their prosperity and success were pro
portioned to the force and power-, and to the conduct and abilities
of their leaders. But with the Jews, who, from slaves in Egypt,
became a powerful people, the case was very different. The
best and greatest of their kings, and he who carried their empire
to its greatest height, has left us another account of their affairs ;
" The people," says he, " got not the land in possession by their
own sword, neither did their own arm save tbem : but thy right
hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because
thou hadst a favour unto them." Psal. xliv. 3, he.
When we read these, and other similar passages, we are apt to
ascribe them to tbe piety and devotion of the psalmist, to con
sider them only as acknowledgments of God's general providence
in the affairs of the world, and hence are apt to overlook, or not
sufficiently consider, the historical truths they contain.
It is true, indeed, that all success, in the strictest sense, should
be ascribed to God ; that it is he who giveth victory unto kings ;
but he generally makes use of natural means, and it is no offence
to his providence, that kings list their thousands of horse and
foot, to secure themselves and their dominions. But with the
Jews it was very different : they were never so weak, as when
they made themsejves strong ; never so certainly ruined, as when
their force was great enough to create a confidence iu themselves.
For God had taken the defence of Israel upon himself ; and
whenever the people took it out of his hands, to place it in their
own, they were sure to be undone.
Nay, so tender was God of his honour, in this respect, and so
concerned to justify his promise to protect Israel, in the eyes of
the world, that he would not always permit natural causes to in
terfere in their deliverance, lest the people should grow doubtful
to whom they ought to ascribe their victories ; and for the same
reason it was, that he commanded the people. to have neither
horses nor chariots of war for their defence. Not because they
were thought useless in war, for it is well known they were the
strength ofthe ancient kingdoms, but because God himself had
undertaken their defence, and he wanted neither horse nor foot
to fight their battles.
This law, as is evident from the Jewish history, was observed
for near four hundred years, namely, till about the middle of
Solomon's reign. And while David swayed the sceptre of Israel,
when the kingdom was carried to its utmost height, he himself
rode upon a mule, and provided no better equipage for his son,
on the day of his coronation. " Cause Solomon, my son," said
David, " to ride upon my own mule, and bring him down to
Ghion. And let Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet,
anoint him there king over Israel." 1 Kings, i. 38, 34. And

LIFE OF CHRIST. 277
when that pious prince looked back, and contemplated this state
of things, he might well say, " Some trust in chariots, and some
in horses ; but we will remember the name of the Lord our
God." Psal. xx. 7.
In the reign of Solomon things quickly changed their aspect.
He married the daughter of the king of Egypt, and opened a
commerce between that country and his own, by which means he
soon acquired an immense number of horses and chariots ; and
all his successors, when they had it in their power, followed his
example. But what did the kingdom gain by this change ?
They were before a rich and flourishing people % but after break
ing this law ofthe Most High, their weahh and power gradually
declined, till at last their habitations were laid waste, their temple
and cities burnt with fire, and they themselves carried captive
into a strange land.
It may, perhaps, be asked, wherein the guilt of having a
country full of horses consisted ? There is certainly no moral
crime in purchasing and keeping these creatures ; but the kings
of Israel were exalted to the throne, on condition that they
should renounce the assistance of chariots and horses, and de-i
pend upon God for success in the day of battle.
Having thus considered this law, and the consequences that
resulted from the breach of it, let us now look back to the pro
phecy relating to the Messiah. — " Rejoice greatly, O daughter
of Zion : shout, O daughter of Jerusalem : behold, thy king
cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation ; lowly, and.
riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I
will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jeru
salem." Zech. ix. 9, he.
Such is the king who was to save the descendants of Jacob :
and what sort of a king could be expected ? Is it possible to
imagine that God would send a king to save them who would be
like the kings which had undone them ? Is it not more reason
able to think, that he would resemble those who had been de
liverers of their country ? Kings who feared God, and therefore
feared no enemy : who, though mounted on asses, and colts the
foals of asses, were able to put to flight the thousands and ten
thousands of chariots and horses that came against them.
The king, foretold by the prophet, was also to be just, meek,
and lowly ; but how could he have deserved that character, had
he appeared in the pride and pomp of war, surrounded with
horses and chariots, in direct opposition to the law of God ? or,
as he was to bring salvation to the people, ccytid he make use
of those means which God never had prospered, and which he
declared he never would ?
It appears, then, that it was essential to the character of a
king of Israel, who was to be just and lowly, and to bring sal-

278 LIFE OF CHRIST.
vation with him, that he should come riding on an ass, and a
colt the foal of an ass ; but if any doubt can yet remain, let the
prophet himself explain it, who immediately after the description
of the promised king, adds, " and I will cut off the chariot from
Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem ':" plainly intimating,
that the character given of the Messiah, that he should ride on
an ass, was in opposition to the pride of their warlike kings,
who, by their great strength in chariots and horses, had ruined
themselves and their people.
Thus have we, undeniably shewn the intention of the prophet,
when he foretold, that the Messiah should ride on an ass ; and
from hence it appears, that the enemies of revelation have not
the least reason for turning this transaction into ridicule. Was
it any reproach to Christ to ride into Jerusalem on the foal of
an ass, when David, the greatest of his ancestors, and Solomon,
the wisest, as long as he was wise, rode in the same manner ?
Can the Jews object to this circumstance, and yet talk of the
glories of David, and the magnificence of Solomon, who, in the
midst of all that glory and magnificence, did the very same
thing ? Or can they stflmble at this character of the Messiah,
without forgetting by what princes their ancestors were saved,
and by what undone?
But to leave this digression. The prodigious multitude that
now accompanied Jesus filled the pharisees and great men with
malice and envy, because every method they had taken to hinder
the people from following Jesus had proved ineffectual. " The
pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye
prevail nothing ? Behold, the world is gone after him." John,
xii. 19.
But when our blessed Saviour drew near the city of Jerusa
lem, surrounded by the rejoicing multitude, notwithstanding the
many affronts he had there received, he beheld the city, and with
a divine generosity and benevolence, which nothing can equal,
wept over it, and, in the most pathetic manner, lamented the ca
lamities which he foresaw were coming upon it, because its inhab
itants were ignorant of the time of their visitation: " If," said
he, " thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the
things which belong unto thy peace ! but now they are hid from
thine eyes. For the days shall come up^on thee, that thine ene
mies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and
keep thee in on every side. And shall lay thee even with the
ground, and thy children within thee ; and they shall not leave
in thee one stone upon another : because thou knewest not the
time of thy visitation." Luke, xix. 42, he.
Behold here, ye wandering mortals, behold an example of gen
erosity infinitely superior to any furnished by the heathen world !
An example highly worthy for them to imitate and admire !

LIFE OF CHRIST. 279
When Jesus, surrounded by the multitude, entered Jerusalem,
the whole city was moved on account of the prodigious concourse
of people that accompanied him, and their continual acclama
tions. Jesus rode immediately to the temple ; but it being eve
ning, he soon left the city, to the great discouragement of the
people, who expected he was immediately to have taken into his
hands the reins of government. " And Jesus entered into Jeru
salem, and into the temple ; and when he had looked round about
upon all things, and now the even-tide was come, he went out
unto Bethany with the twelve." Mark, xi. 1 1.

CHAPTER XXIX.
Jesus pronounces a curse upon the Fig-tree. — Expels the pro-
faners of the Temple. — Asserts his divine authority, ' and de
livers two Parables.
At the earliest dawn our blessed Saviour left Bethany to visit
again the capital of Judea. And as he pursued his journey, be
saw, at a distance, a fig-tree, which, from its fulness of leaves,
promised abundance of fruit. This inviting object induced him
to approach it, in expectation of finding figs, for he was hungry,
and the season for gathering them was not yet arrived ; but on
his coming to the tree, he found it to be really barren : upon
which the blessed Jdsus said to it, " Let no fruit grow on thee
henceforward forever." Matt. xxi. 19.
This action, which was purely emblematical, and prefigured
the speedy ruin ofthe Jewish nation, on account of its unfruitful-
ness, under all the advantages it then enjoyed, has, by the ene
mies of revelation, been represented as an action unbecoming the
Redeemer of mankind. But if they had fully considered its in
tention, they would have been convinced, that, like the rest of
his miracles, it'was done with a gracious intention ; namely, to
waken his countrymen from their lethargy, and, by repentance,
prevent the total ruin of their church and nation.
Being disappointed in finding fruit on the fig-tree, our blessed
Saviour pursued his journey to Jerusalem ; and, on his arrival,
went straightway to the temple, the outer court of which he
found foil of merchandise. A sight like this vexed his meek and
righteous soul, so that he drove them all out ofthe temple, over
turned tbe tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them
that sold doves, and would not suffer any vessel to be carried
through the temple, " saying unto them, It is written, My house

280 LIFE OF CHRIST.
is the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves."
Luke, xix. 46.
St. Jerome considers this as one of the greatest of our
Saviour's transactions. And it must be owned that the cir
cumstances are very extraordinary ; that one man should un
dertake so bold, and execute so hazardous a task. One man,
without a commission from Caesar ; without any countenance
from the Jewish rulers ; without any arras either to terrify the
multitude, or defend himself. — That he should cast out the
whole tribe of mercenary traffickers, wrest from those worship
pers of wealth their darling idol ; and trample it under foot :
and all this without tumult or opposition : not one of the sacri
legious rabble daring to move the hand, -or open the mouth.
Whoever, I say, reflects ou the fierce and ungovernable na
ture of an enraged populace, or considers the outrageous zeal
of Demetrius, and the craftsmen, on a less irritating occasion,
may possibly find himself almost, if not altogether of the Latin
father's opinion.
There is a tradition, that a certain bright and dazzling lustre
flamed from his eyes, which they were unable to bear, as the
people could not behold the face of Moses, for the glory that
surrounded him. But as the Scriptures take no notice of this
transcendent lustre, we must only adore the greatness of the fact,
and, at the same time, so improve this miracle to our spiritual
advantage, as to secure, by accepting his grace, the power of
this mighty reformer in our favour, that when he shall come in
glory, we may be safe under the shadow of his divine wings,
while he takes fearful vengeance on those, who prostitute the
most sacred places to mercenary purposes.
Having dispersed this venal tribe, the people brought unto
him the blind, the lame, aud the diseased, who were all healed by
the Son of God ; so that the very children, when they saw the
many miraculous cures he performed, proclaimed him to be the
great Son of David, the long-expected Messiah.
Such behaviour not a little incensed the pharisees : but they
feared the people, and therefore only asked him, if he heard what
the children said ? insinuating, that he ought to rebuke them,
and not suffer them thus to load him with the highest praises.
But Jesus, instead of giving a direct answer to their question,
repeated a passage out of the eighth Psalm. " Have ye never
read," said the blessed Jesus, " Out of tbe mouths of babes and
sucklings hast thou ordained strength ?" Giving them to under
stand, that the meanest of God's works have been made instru
mental in spreading his praise.
The evening being now come, Jesus, with his disciples, left
the city, and retired to Bethany, where his benevolent miracle,
in raising Lazarus from the dead, had procured him many

LIFE OF CHRIST. 281
friends, among whom he was always in safety. The next
morning, as they were returning u- Jerusalem, the disciples
were astonished at beholding tile tie-tree that had been, but the
morning before, declared barren, " dried up from the roots :"
they had, in all probability, forgotten what our Saviour had
said to this fig-tree, till its dry and withered aspect brought it
again to their memory. Peter, on seeing this astonishing phe
nomenon, said unto Jesus, " Master, behold the fig-tree which
thou cursedst is withered away !" To which Jesus answered,
that whoever had faith in the Almighty, or thoroughly believed
in his miracles, should be able to do much greater things than
the withering of the fig-tree. " And Jesus answering, saith
unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, that
whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and
be thou cast into the sea, and shall not do,ubt in his heart, but
shall believe that those things' which he**saith shall come to
pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith." Mark, xi. 22, 23.
Our Lord added, that whatsoever they should ask by faith,
they should receive ; and concluded by giving them directions
concerning prayer, which was necessary to increase the faith he
mentioned. " And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have
aught against any : that your Father also which is in heaven
may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive,
neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your tres
passes." Mark, xi. 25, 26.
During the time the blessed Jesus remained in the temple,
certain proselyted Greeks, who came up to worship at Jerusa
lem, desired to see him, giving long cherished expectations of
beholding the promised Messiah. Accordingly, they applied to
Philip, a native of Bethsaida, who mentioned it to Andrew,
and he told it to Jesus. Upon which our blessed Saviour told
his disciples, that he should soon be honored with the conver
sion ofthe Gentiles: "The hour is come," said he, "that the
Son of man should be glorified." But declared, that before this
glorious event happened, he must suffer death ; illustrating the
necessity there was of his dying, by the similitude of casting
grain into the earth. " Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except
a corn of wheat fall into the ground, and die, it abideth alone :
but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. v John, xii. 24. Ad
ding, that since it was absolutely necessary for him, their Lord
and Master, to suffer the pains of death before he ascended the
throne of his glory ; so they, as his followers, must also expect
to be persecuted and spitefully used for his name's sake ; but if
they persevered, and even resolved to lose their lives in his
service, he would reward their constancy with a crown of glory.
At the same time he intimated, that the strangers, if their desire
of conversing with him proceeded from a hope of obtaining
36

282 LD7E OF CHRIST.
from him temporal preferments, would find themselves sadly dis
appointed. " If any man serve me, let him follow me ; and
where I am, there shall also my servant be : if any man serve
me, him will my Father honor." John, xii. 26.
Our blessed Lord was now so affected, that be uttered, in a
very pathetic manner, his grief, and addressed his heavenly Fa
ther for succor in his distress. " Now is my soul troubled ;
and what shall I say ? Father, save me from this hour : but
for this cause came I unto this hour." John, xii. 27.
This should teach us, that prayer is the xuily method of
easing the mind overwhelmed with distress : but at the- same
time to be always resigned to the divine will ; for though the
weakness of human nature may shrink when persecution ov
sufferings of any kind appear, yet, by reflecting on the wisdom,
goodness, and power of God to deliver us, we ought to support
every trial, however severe, with' patience, as he doubtless pro
poses some happy end by these afflictions.
Our blessed Lord having made a short prayer to his Father^
begged him to demonstrate the truth of his mission by some
token which could not be resisted. " Father, glorify thy
name." Nor had he hardly uttered these words, before he was
answered by an audible voice from heaven, " I have both glo
rified it, and will glorify it again." The miracles thou hast
already performed have glorified my name ; and I will still con
tinue to glorify it, by other miracles to be wrought before the
sons of men.
This voice was evidently preternatural, resembling thunder
in loudness, but sufficiently articulate|to be understood by those
who heard our blessed Saviour pray to his heavenly Father.
And Jesus told his disciples that it was not given for his sake,
^but to confirm them in their faith of his mission. " This voice,"
said he, " came not because of me, but for your sakes." It
came to confirm what I have told you relating to my sufferings,
death, resurrection, and the conversion of the Gentile world to
the Christian religion.
Accordingly, he communicated this comfortable reflection to
his disciples ; telling them that the time was at hand, when the
kingdom of Satan should be destroyed, and that of the Messiah
exalted. " Now is the judgment of this world : now shall the
prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from
the earth, will draw all men unto me. John, xii. 31, &c.
The people, not understanding the force of this affirmation,
replied, " We have heard, out of the law, that Christ abideth
for ever : and how sayest thou, the Son of man must be lifted
up ?" John, xii. 34. Our Lord, in answer, told them, that
they should soon be deprived of his presence and miracles ; and,
therefore, they would do well to listen attentively to his pre-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 283
cepts, firmly believe the doctrines he delivered, and wisely im
prove them to their eternal advantage ; for otherwise they would
be soon overtaken with spiritual blindness, and rendered incapa
ble of inheriting the promises of the Gospel. That, while they
enjoyed the benefit of his preaching and miracles, which suffi
ciently proved the truth of his mission from the Most High,
they should believe on him: for by that means alone they could
become the children of God. " Yet a little while is the light
with you ; walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon
you : for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he
goeth. While ye have light, ^believe in the light, that ye may
be the children of light." John, xii. 35., he.
Having thus addressed the multitude he retired privately.
Hut notwithstanding the many miracles our great Redeemer
had wrought in presence of these perverse and stiff-necked peo
ple, the generality of them refused to own him for the Messiah ;
being filled with the vain expectations of a temporal prince,
who was to rule over all the kingdoms of the earth, and place
his throne in Jerusalem. Some, indeed, even of the rulers, be
lieved on him, though they thought it prudent to conceal their
faith, lest they should, like the blind man, be excommunicated,
or put out of the syriagogue; valuing the good opinion of men
above the approbation of tbe Almighty.
Nevertheless, to inspire such as believed on him with cour
age, he cried in the temple, " He that believeth on me, believ
eth not on me, but on him that sent me." John, xii. 44. He
that acknowledges the divinity of my mission, acknowledges
the power and grace of God, on whose special errand I am thus
sent. Adding, he that seeth. the miracles I perform, seeth the
operations of that Omnipotent Power by which I act. I am
the Sun of righteousness, whose beams dispel the darkness of
ignorance in which the sons of men are involved, and am come
to deliver all who believe on me out of that palpable darkness.
You must not, however, expect, that I will at present execute
my judgment upon those who refuse to embrace the doctrines of
the Gospel ; for I am not come to condemn and punish, but to
save the world, and consequently to try every gentle and win
ning method to reclaim the wicked from the error of their ways,
and turn their feet into the paths of life and salvation. They
shall not, however, escape unpunished, who neglect the instruc
tions and offers of salvation now made to them ; for the doc
trines I have preached shall bear witness against them at the
awful tribunal of the last day ; and as it has aggravated their
sin, so shall it then heighten their punishment.
While Jesus was thus preaching in the temple, a deputation
of priests and elders was sent from the supreme count 1, to ask
bira concerning the nature of the authority by which he acted.

284 LIFE OF CHRIST.
whether it was a prophet, priest, or king, as no other person
had a right to -make any alterations, either in church or state?
And if he laid''clai>n to either of those characters, from whom
he received.it? But our blessed Saviour, instead of giving a
direct answer to tbe questions of the pharisees, asked them
another ; promising, if they resolved his question, he would also
answer theirs. " I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell
me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these
things. The baptism of John, whence was it ? from heaven, or
of men ?" Matt. xxi. 24, he.
This question puzzled the priests. They considered, on the
one hand, that if it was from Goa^ it would oblige them to ac
knowledge the authority of Jesus, John having, more than once,
publicly declared him to be the Messiah ; and on the other, if
they peremptorily denied the authority of John, they would be
in danger of being stoned by the people, who, in general, con
sidered him as a prophet. They, therefore, thought it the most
eligible method to answer, that they could not tell from whence
John's baptism was.
Thus, by declining to answer the question asked them by
Jesus, they left him at liberty to decline giving the council the
satisfaction they had sent to demand. At the same time they
plainly confessed, that they were unable to pass any opinion on
John the Baptist, notwithstanding he claimed the character of a
messenger from God, and they had sent to examine his preten
sions. This was, in effect, to acknowledge that they were inca
pable of judging of any prophet whatsoever. Well, therefore,
might the blessed Jesus say, " Neither tell I you by what au
thority I do these things." You have no right to ask, since
you have confessed you are unable to judge; and, therefore, I
shall not satisfy your inquiry.
But because this deputation had said, that they were ignorant
from whence the baptism of John was, our blessed Saviour
sharply rebuked them, conveying his reproof in the parable of
the two sons commanded to work in their father's vineyard, and
by asking their opinion of the two, made them condemn them
selves. " A certain man," said he, " had two sons, and he came to
the first and said, Son, go work to-day, in my vineyard." But
this ungracious youth very roughly answered the kind command
of his father, and without the least preface, or appellation of
respect, answered, " I will not." However, after reflecting on
the impropriety and indecency of such behavior to his kind and
indulgent father, he repented of wfyat he had done, and went to
work in the vineyard. »The father having met with so sharp
a reply from the former son, had recourse to the other, and in
the same manner ordered him to work that day in his vineyard.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 285
This son was very different from the former, and, in a very
dutiful manner, said, " I go, Sir." But notwithstanding this
seeming obedience, he delayed to do as his father desired ; he
did not go to work in the vineyard. The temper and behav
iour of this second son were exactly conformable to that of the
pharisees. They gave the Almighty the most honorable titles,
and professed the utmost zeal for his service, in their prayers'
and praises ; but at the same time refused to do any' - part of
the work that he enjoined them. In the character ofthe other
son, the disposition of the publicans and harlots is well describ
ed. They neither professed or promised to do the will of their
Creator ; but when they came to reflect seriously on their con
duct, and the offers of mercy which were so kindly made them,
they submitted to our Saviour, and, in consequence of their
faith, amended their lives.
Having thus finished the parables, our Lord asked the phar
isees, " Whether of them twain did the will of his Father ?
They say unto him, The first." They did not immediately
perceive, that by this answer they condemned themselves, till
our Sayiour made a just application of the parable, in this
sharp but just rebuke, " Verily I say unto you, that the publi
cans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye
believed him not," nor entered into your Father's vineyard,
though, like the second son, you promised in the most fair and
candid manner ; " but the publicans and harlots believed him,"
repented of their former disobedience, and entered into the
. vineyard. The blessed Jesus did not only rebuke them for rejecting
the preaching of the Baptist, but represented the crime of the
nation,- iu rejecting ail the prophets which had been sent since
they became a nation, among the rest, the only begotten Son
of the Most High ; warning them at the same time, of their
danger, and the punishment that would inevitably ensue, if
they continued in their rebellion. The outward economy of re
ligion, in which they gloried, would be taken from them ; their
relation to God, as his people, cancelled ; and the national
constitution destroyed : but because these topics were extremely
disagreeable, be delivered them under the veil of the following
parable : " There was," said he, " a certain householder which
planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a
wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen,
and went into a far country."
The comparison of the church to a vineyard is frequent in
the sacred Scripture, but this particular parable, for the fuller
conviction of the Jews, is expressly taken from the fifth chap
ter of the, prophet Isaiah, with which they could not fail of be*

286 LIFE OF CHRIST.
ing well acquainted, nor ignorant of its meaning, as the proph
et at the end of it, adds, " The vineyard of the Lord of Hosts
is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant
plant : and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression : for
righteousness, but behold a cry." Our Saviour, therefore, con
tinued the metaphor, telling them, " that when the time of the
fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that
they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took
his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned an
other." The Almighty sent the prophets to exhort the Jews
to entertain just sentiments of religion, and tread the paths of
virtue ; but the Jews, irritated at the prophets for the freedom
they used in reproving their sins, persecuted and slew them with
unrelenting fury.
Their wickedness, however, in killing these messengers, did
not instantly provoke the Almighty to pour down his vengeance
upon them ; he sent more prophets to exhort and reclaim them,
but they met with no better fate than the former. His mercy,
however, still continued, and that no means might be left un
tried, he sent unto them his own Son, whose authority being
clearly established by undeniable miracles, ought to have been
acknowledged cheerfully by these wicked men ; but how dif
ferent was the consequence ? " When the husbandmen saw the
son, they said among themselves, This is the heir, come, let us
kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught
him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When
the Lord, therefore, of the vineyard cometh, what will he do
unto those husbandmen ? They say unto him, He will mis- ,
erably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vine
yard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits
in their seasons." Matt. xxi. 38, &c.
Shocked at this awful representation, the pharisees exclaim
ed, and said, " God forbid ;" surely these husbandmen will not
proceed to such desperate iniquity ; surely the vineyard will not
thus be taken from them. But to confirm the truth of this, our
Saviour added a remarkable prophecy of himself, and his rejec
tion, from the 118th psalm. "Did you never," said he, " read
in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders refused, is be
come the head-stone of the corner ; this is the Lord's doing,
it is marvellous in our eyes?"
The rejection of the Messiah by the Jews, and the reception
he met with among the Gentiles, all brought to pass by the
providence of God, are wonderful events ; and therefore I say
unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and
given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
The chief priests and pharisees being afraid to apprehend
Jesus, he was at liberty to proceed in the offices of his ministry ?

MARRIAGE SUPPER.
[Page 287.]

" And he sent his servant at suvper-time, to say to them tliat were bidden, Come; for
all things are now ready.
" And they all with one consent began lo make excuse."— Lake, xiy. 17 18.

LD7E OF CHRIST. 287
accordingly he delivered another parable, wherein he described,
on the one hand, the bad success which the preaching of the
Gospel was to meet with among the Jews ; and, on the other,
the cheerful reception given it among the Gentiles. This gra
cious design of the Almighty, in giving the Gospel to the chil
dren of men, our blessed Saviour illustrated by the behaviour
of a certain king, who, in honor of his son,, made a great
feast, to which he invited many guests. " The kingdom of
heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage
for his son." This marriage supper, or great feast, signifies
the joys of heaven, which are properly compared to an elegant
entertainment, on account of their exquisiteness and duration ;
and are here said to be prepared in honor of the Son of God,
because they are bestowed on men in consequence of his suffer
ings in their stead and behalf.
Sometime before the supper was ready, the servants went
forth to call the guests to the wedding : i. e. when the fulness
of time approached, the Jews, as being the peculiar people of
God, were first called by John the Baptist, and afterwards by
Christ lumself ; but they refused all these benevolent calls of
mercy, and rejected the kind invitations of the Gospel,'- though
pressed by the preaching of the Messiah, and his forerunner.
After our Saviour's resurrection and ascension, the apostles
were sent forth to inform the Jews, that the Gospel-covenant
was established, mansions in heaven prepared, and nothing
wanting but the cheerful acceptance of the honor designed
them. " Again he sent forth other servants, saying, . Tell them
which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my
oxen and my fadings are killed, and all things are ready : come
unto the marriage." But these messengers were as unsuccess
ful as the former. The Jews, undervaluing the favor offered
them, mocked at the message ; and some of them, more rude
than the rest, insulted, beat, and slew the servants that had
been sent to call them to the marriage supper of the lamb.
" But when the king heard thereof he was wroth ; and he sent
forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burnt up
their city." This part of the parable plainly predicted the
destruction of the Jews by the Roman armies, called here the
armies of the Almighty, because they were appointed by him
to execute vengeance on that once favorite, but now rebellious
people. The parable is then continued as follows : The king again
sent forth his servants into the countries of the Gentiles, with
orders to compel all tha&they met with to come into the mar
riage. This was immediately done, and the wedding was fur
nished with guests ; but when the king came into the apartment,
' he saw there a man which had not a wedding garment ; and

i

288 LIFE OF CHRIST. .
he saith unto him, Friend, how comest thou in hither, not.fiav-
ing a wedding garment ? And he was speechless. Then said
the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him
away, and cast him into outer darkness : there shall be weep
ing and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are
chosen." Matt. xxii. 11, he.
By the conclusion of the parable, we learn that the pro
fession of tbe Christian religion will not save a man, unless he
acts from Christian principles. Let us, therefore, who have
obeyed the call, and are by profession tbe people of God, think
often on that awful day, when the king will come in to see his
guests, when the Almighty will, with the greatest strictness,
view every soul that lays claim to the joys of heaven. Let us
think of the speechless confusion that will seize such as have '
not on the wedding garment, and of the inexorable anxiety
with which they will be consigned to weeping and gnashing
of teeth : and let us remember, that to have seen for a while,
the light of the Gospel, and the fair beamings of an eternal
hope, will add deeper and more sensible horrors to these gloomy
caverns. Ou the other hand, to animate and enconrage us, let
us anticipate the joyful hour which will consign us to bliss
immortal.

CHAPTER XXX.
The blessed Jesus wisely retorts on the Pharisees and Herodians,
who propound an intricate question to him. — Settles the most
important point of the law. — Enforces his Mission and Doc
trine, andforetels the Judgment that whuldfall upon the Phar
isaical tribe.
This representation of the state of the finally impenitent,
appearing to be levelled at the pharisees, they immediately con
certed with the Herodians and Sadducees, on the most proper
method of putting Jesus to death. It is sufficiently evident,
that their hatred was now carried to the highest pitch, because
the most violent enmity which had so long subsisted between the
two sects, was, on this occasion, suspended, and they joined
together, to execute their cruel determination on the Son of
God. They, however, thought it most eligible to act very cau
tiously, and endeavor, if possible, to catch some hasty ex
pression from him that they might render him odious to the
people, and procure something against him that might serve

LIFE OF CHRIST. 289
as a basis for a persecution. Accordingly, they sent some of
their disciples to him, with orders to feign themselves just men,
who maintained the greatest veneration for the divine law, and
dreaded nothing more than the* doing any thing inconsistent
with its precepts : and, under this specious cloak of hypocrisy,
to beg his determination of an affair that had long lain heavy
on their consciences ; namely, the paying tribute to Csesar,
which they thought inconsistent with their zeal for religion.
This question was, it seems, furiously debated in our Saviour's
time ; one Judas, a native of. Galilee, having implanted in the
minds of the people a notion that taxes to a foreign power were
absolutely unlawful. A doctrine so pleasing to the worldly-
minded Jews, could not fail of friends, especially among the
lower class, and therefore must have many partisans among the
multitude that then surrounded the Son of God. The priests
therefore imagined, that it was not in his power to decide the
point, without rendering himself obnoxious to some of tbe par
ties : if he should say it was lawful to pay the taxes, they be
lieved that the people, in whose hearing the question was pro
posed, would be incensed against him, not only as a base pre
tender, who, on being attacked, publicly renounced- the char
acter of the Messiah, which he had assumed among his friends,
but also as a flatterer of princes, and a betrayer of the liberties
of his country, one who taught a doctrine inconsistent with the
known privileges of the people of God ; but if he should affirm
that it was unlawful to pay tribute, they determined to inform
the governor, who they hoped would punish him as a form
er of sedj|ion. Highly elated with their project, they accord
ingly came ; and after passing an encomium on the truth of his
mission, his, courage, and impartiality, th.ey proposed this fa
mous question, " Master," said they, " we know that thou art
true, and carest for no man : for thou regardest not the person
of men, but teachest the way of God in truth." Tell us,
therefore, what thinkest thou, " Is it lawful to give tribute to
Caesar, or not ?" Mark, xii. 14.
But the blessed Je'sus saw their secret intentions, and ac
cordingly called them hypocrites, to signify that though they
made conscience, and a regard for the divine will, their pre
tence for proposing this question, he saw through the thin veil
that concealed their design from the eyes of mortals, and knew
that their intention was to ensnare him.
He, however, did not decline auswering their question, but
previously desired to see a piece of the tribute money. The
piece was accordingly produced, and proved to be coined by
the'Romans. Upon which our blessed Saviour answered them,
since this money bears the image of Caesar, it is his, and by
making'use of it, you acknowledge his authority. But at the
37

290 LIFE OF CHRIST.
same time that you discharge your duty to the civil magistrate,
you should never forget the duty you owe to your God ; but
remember, that as you bear the image of the great, the om
nipotent King, you are his subjects, and ought to pay him the
tribute of yourselves, serving him to the very utmost of your
power. The pharisees and their followers, under a pretence of re
ligion, often justified sedition ; but the Herodians, in order to
ingratiate themselves with the reigning powers, made them a
compliment of their consciences, complying with whatever tbey
enjoined, however opposite their commands might be to the
divine law. Our Lord, therefore, adapted his answer to them
both, exhorting them, in their regards to God and the magis
trate, to give each his due ; there being no inconsistency be
tween their rights, when their rights only are insisted on.
So unexpected an answer quite disconcerted and silenced
these crafty enemies. They were astonished, both at his
having discovered their design, and his wisdom in avoiding
the snare they had so artfully laid for him. " When they had
heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their/
way." Matt. xxii. 22.
Though our Lord thus wisely obviated their crafty designs,
enemies came against him from every quarter. The Saddu
cees, who denied the doctrine of a future state, together with
the existence of angels and spirits, came forward to the charge ;
proposing to bim their strongest argument against the resur
rection, which they deduced from the law given by Moses,
with regard to marriage. " Master," said they, " Moses wrote
unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die
without children, that his brother should take his wife, and
raise up seed unto his brother. There were therefore, seven
brethren ; and the first took a wife, and died without children.
And the second took her to wife, and he died childless. And
the third took her ; and in like manner the seven also. And
they left no children, and died. Last of all the woman died
also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of them is
she ? for seven had her to wife." Luke, xx. 28, he.
The Sadducees, who believed the soul to be nothing more
than a refined matter, were persuaded that if there was any
future state, it must resemble the present : and that being in
that state material and mortal, the human race could not be
continued, nor the individuals rendered happy, without the
pleasures and couveniences of marriage. And hence consid
ered it as a necessary consequence of the doctrine of the res
urrection, or a future state, that every man's wife should be
restored to him.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 291
But this argument our blessed Saviour soon confuted, by
telling the pharisees they were ignorant of the power of God,
who had created spirit, as well as matter, and who can render
man completely happy in the enjoyment of himself. He also
observed, that the nature of the life obtained in a future state
made marriage altogether superfluous, because in the world to
come, men being spiritual and immortal, like the angels, there
was no need of natural means to propagate or continue the kind.
" Ye do err," said the blessed Jesus, " not knowing the Scrip
tures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they
neither marry nor are given in marriage." Matt. xxii. 29, 30.
" Neither can they die any more ; for they are equal unto the
angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the
resurrection." Luke, xx. 36. Hence we may observe, that good
men are called the children of the Most High, from their in
heritance at the resurrection, and particularly on account of
their being adorned with immortality.
Having thus shewn their folly and unbelief, he proceeded to
shew that they were also ignorant of the Scriptures, and partic
ularly of the writings of Moses, from whence they had drawn
their objection, by demonstrating, from the very law itself, the
certainty of a resurrection, at least that of just men, and con
sequently, quite demolished the opinion of the Sadducees, who,
by believing the materiality of the soul, affirmed that men were
annihilated at their death, and that their opinion was founded
on the writings of Moses. " Now," said our Saviour, " that
the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he
calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob. For he is not a God of tbe dead, but
of the living : for all live unto him." Luke, xx. 37, 38. As if
he had said, The Almighty cannot properly be called God, un
less he has his people, and the Lord of the living. Since there
fore, Moses called him the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob, long after these venerable patriarchs
were dead, the relation denoted by the word of 'God still sub
sisted between them : consequently they were not annihilated as
you pretend, but are still in being, and continue to be the ser
vants of the Most High.
This argument effectually silenced the Sadducees, and agree
ably surprised the people, to see the objection hitherto thought
impregnable totally abolished, and the sect they had long abom
inated fully confuted. " And when the multitude heard this,
they were astonished at his doctrine." Matt. xxii. 33.
Nor could even the pharisees refrain from giving tbe Saviour
of mankind the praise due to his superlative wjadom ; for one
ofthe scribes desired him to give his opinion on a question often
debated among their teachers ; namely, which was the great

292 LIFE OF CHRIST.
commandment of the law ? The true reason for their proposing
this question, was, to try whether he was as well acquainted
with the sacred law, and the debates that had arisen on dif
ferent parts of it, as he was in deriving arguments from the in
spired writers, to destroy the tenets of those who denied a future
state. *•»
In order to understand the question proposed to our blessed
Saviour by the scribe, it is necessary to observe, that some of
the most learned rabbis had declared," that the law of sacrifices
was the great commandment ; some that it was the law of cir
cumcision ; and others that the law of meats and washings ,had
merited that title.
Our blessed Saviour, however, shewed that they were all mis
taken ; and that the great commandment of the law is the duty
of piety: and particularly mentioned that comprehensive sum
mary of it, given by Moses : ' Hear, O Israel, the Lord our
God is one Lord : and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and
with all thy strength. This is the first commandment." Mark,
xii. 29, 30.
The first and chief commandment is, to give God our hearts.
The divine Being is so transcendantly amiable in himself, and
hath, by the innumerable benefits conferred upon us, such a title
to our utmost affection, that no obligation bears any propor
tion to that of loving him. The honor assigned to this precept
proves, that piety is the noblest act of the human mind ; and
that the chief ingredient in piety is love, founded on a clear and
extensive view of the divine perfections, a permanent sense of
his benefits, and a deep conviction of his being the sovereign
good, our portion and our happiness. But it is essential to love
that there be a delight in contemplating the beauty of the ob
ject beloved, whether that beauty be matter of sensation or re
flection ; that we frequently, and with pleasure, reflect on the
benefits conferred on us by the object of our affections ; that we
have a strong desire of pleasing him, great fear of doing any
thing to offend him, and a sensible joy in thinking we are be
loved in return. Hence the duties of devotion, prayer and
praise, are the most natural and genuine exercises ofthe love of
God. Nor is this virtue so much any single affection, as the
continual bent of all the affections and powers of the soul :
consequently, to love God is as much as possible to direct the
whole soul towards him, and to exercise all its faculties on him
as its chief object.
Accord'ragly, the love of God is described in Scripture by
the several operations of the mind, " a following hard after
God," namely, by intense contemplation ; a sense of his perfec
tions, gratitude for his benefits, trust in his goodness, attach-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 293
ment to his service, resignation to his providence, the obeying
his commandments, admiration, hope, fear, joy, he. riot because
it consists in any of those singly, but in them altogether ; for to
content ourselves with partial regards to the Supreme Being, is
not to be affected towards him in the manner we ought to be,
and which his perfections claim.
Hence the words of the precept are, " Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind, and with all thy strength ;" that is, with the joint
force of all thy faculties ; and, therefore, no idol whatsoever
must partake of the love and worship that is due to him. But
the beauty and excellency of this state of mind is best seen in
its effects : for the worship and obedience flowing from such an
universal berit of the soul towards God, is as much superior to
the worship and obedience arising from partial considerations,
as the brightness of the sun is to any picture that can be drawn
of that luminary.
For example, if we look upon God only as a stern lawgiver,
who can and will punish our rebellion, it may indeed force an
awe and dread of him, and as much obedience to his laws as we
think will satisfy him, but can never produce that constancy in
our duty, that delight in it, and that earnestness to perform it in
its utmost extent, which are produced and maintained in the
mind, by the sacred fire of divine love, or by the bent of the
whole soul turned towards God, as a reconciled father ; a frame
the most excellent that can be conceived, and the most to be
desired, because it constitutes the highest perfection, and real
happiness ofthe creature.
Again, this commandment requires us to fear God ; and cer
tainly we cannot love the Lord our God, unless we fear and
reverence him ; for as the love, so the fear of God, is the sum
of all the commandments, and indeed the substance of all reli
gion. Prayer and praise are the tribute and homage of reli
gion % by the one we acknowledge our dependence upon God ;
by the other we confess that all our blessings and comforts are
from him. Such, therefore, as neither prsjy to God, nor praise
him, cannot be said to have a God ; for thej acknowledge none,
but are gods to themselves ; and as the jove and fear of God
are often used in Scripture for his whole wbrship and service, so
' is this invocation of his name ; " Pour oat thy fury upon the
heathen, and upon the families that have | not called upon thy
name ;" that is, those who do not worship or serve him.
But to return. Our blessed Saviour having thus answered
the question put to him by the scribe, added that the second
commandment was that which enjoined the lpve of our neighbor.
This had, indeed, no relation to the lawyer's question con
cerning the first commandment ; yet our blessed Lord thought

294 LIFE OF CHRIST.
proper to shew him which was the second, probably because the
men of his sect did not acknowledge the importance and prece
dency of love to their neighbors, or because they were remark
ably deficient in the practice of it, as Jesus himself had often
found in their attempts to kill him. " And the second is like
unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
This principle of love to God will be also fruitful of every
good work. It will make us really perform the duties of all re
lations in which we stand. And because love worketh no ill to,
his neighbor, therefore it is the fulfilling of the law ; for it will
prompt us to a cheerful and ready performance of every office,
whether of justice or charity, that we owe to our neighbor. All
the best things we can do, if destitute of this principle, will
appear to be either the effect of hypocrisy, or done to procure
the esteem of men. Without love, a narrowness of soul will
shut us up within ourselves, and make all we do to others only
as a sort of merchandize, trading for our own advantage. It is
love only that opens our hearts to consider other persons, and
to love them on their own account, or rather on account of
God, who is love.
Those who possess such a temper of mind have a constant
calm within, and are not disturbed with passion, jealousy, envy,
or ill-nature. They observe and rejoice in the happiness of
others ; they are glad to see them easy, and share with them in
their joy and felicity ; not fretting or complaining, though they
enjoy less than their neighbors.
It is true, love has a very different effect ; for the same tem
per will render ihany so considerate ofthe misfortunes of others,
as to sympathize with them in their distress, and be greatly
affected with such objects of compassion as it is not in their
power to assist. But there is a real pleasure even in this com
passion, as it melts us to the greatest tenderness, and proves us
to be men and Christians. The good man, by the overflowings
of his love, is sure that he is a favorite with his Maker, because
he loves his neighbor. His soul dwells at ease ;. there is sweet
ness in all his thoughts and wishes. This makes him clear
in his views of every kindj and renders him grateful to all
around him.
This charitable temper also maintains in him a constant dis
position for prayer. A charitable man, who has had occasion
to forbear and forgive others, and to return good for evil, dares,
with an humble assurance, to lay claim to mercy and pardon,
through the alone merits of his blessed Redeemer.
But we return to tbe scribe, who was astonished at the just
ness of our Saviour's decisions, and answered, That he had
determined rightly, since there is but one supreme God, whom
we must all adore : and if we love him above all temporal

LIFE OF CHRIST. 295
things, and our neighbor as ourselves, we worship him more
acceptably than if we sacrifice to him " all the cattle upon a
thousand hills."
Our blessed Lord highly applauded the piety and wisdom of
this reflection, by declaring that the person who made it was
not far from the kingdom of God.
As tlie pharisees, during the course of our Saviour's ministry,
had proposed to him many difficult questions, with intent to
prove his prophetical gifts, he now, in his turn, thought proper
to make a trial of their knowledge in the sacred writings. For
this purpose he asked their opinion of a difficulty concerning
the Messiah's pedigree. " What think ye of Christ ? Whose
son is he ? They say unto him, The son of David." Matt.
xxii. 42. I know, answered Jesus, you say Christ is the son
of David ; but how can they support their opinion, or render it
consistent with the words of David, who himself calls him Lord ?
and " how is he his son ?" It seems the Jewish doctors did not
imagine that their Messiah would be endowed with any perfec
tions greater than those that might be enjoyed by human nature ;
for though they called him the Son of God, they had no notion
that he had a divine power from heaven, and therefore could
not pretend to solve the difficulty.
The latter question, however, might have convinced them of
their error ; for if the Messiah was only to be a secular prince,
as they supposed, and to rule over the men of his own time,
he never could have been called Lord, by persons who died be
fore he was born ; far less would so mighty a prince as David,
who was also his progenitor, have conferred on him that title.
Since, therefore, he rules over not only those of former ages,
but even over the kings from whom he was himself descended,
and his kingdom comprehends the men of all countries and
times, past, present, and to come ; the doctors, if they had
thought accurately upon the subject, should have expected in
their Messiah a king different from all other kings. Besides,
he is to sit at God's right hand, " till all his enemies are made
his footstool."
Such solid reasoning gave the people an high opinion of his
wisdom ; and shewed them how far superior he was to their most
renowned rabbis, whose arguments to prove their opinions, and
answers to the objections which were raised against them, were,
in general, very weak and trifling. Nay, his foes themselves,
from the repeated proofs they had received of the prodigious
depth of his understanding, were impressed with such an opinion
of his wisdom, that they judged it impossible to entangle him
in his talk. Accordingly, they left off attempting it, and from
that day forth troubled him no more with their insidious ques
tions.

296 LIFE OF CHRIST.
But having mentioned the final Conquest and destruction of
his enemies, who were to be made his footstool, agreeable to the
prediction of the royal psalmist, he turned towards his disciples j
and, in the hearing of the multitude, solemnly cautioned them
to beware of the scribes and pharisees ; insinuating thereby who
the enemies were whose destruction he had mentioned. " The
scribes and the pharisees," said he, " sit in Moses' seat. All,
therefore, whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and
do ; but do not ye after their works : for they say and do not."
Matt, xxiii. 2, 3.
While they teach the doctrines before delivered by Moses,
observe all they say ; but by no means imitate their practices ;
for they impose many precepts on their disciples, which they
never perform themselves. " For they bind heavy burdens, and
grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders, but
they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
But all their works they do for to be seen of men." Matt.
xxiii. 4, 5.
The difficult precepts they impose on others are never re
garded by these hypocrites, and any good action they may hap
pen to perform is vitiated by the principle from whence it pro
ceeds. They do it only with a view to gain popular applause,
and not from a regard to God, far less from a love of goodness.
They are proud and arrogant to excess, as is plain from their
affected gravity in their clothes ; from the anxiety they discover
lest they should not obtain the principal seats in the public
assemblies, and from their affecting to be saluted in the streets
with the sounding titles of rabbi, and father. " They make
broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their gar
ments. And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief
seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to
be called of men, rabbi, rabbi." Matt, xxiii. 5 — 7.
The word rabbi signifies, properly, great, and was given to
those men who had rendered themselves remarkable for the
extent of their learning ; it is therefore no wonder that the proud
and supercilious pharisees were fond of a title, which so highly
complimented their understandings, and gave them great author
ity with their followers.
But the disciples of the blessed Jesus were to decline this
title ; because the thing signified by it belonged solely to their
Master, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowl
edge, and because they owed no part of their knowledge to
themselves, but derived it entirely from him who came down
from heaven. " But be not ye called rabbi ; for one is your
master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren. And call no man
your father upon the earth ; for one is your Father, which is in
heaven." Matt, xxiii. 8, 9. Life, with all its blessings, comes

LIFE OF CHRIST. 297
from God, and men wholly depend upon him ; all praise and
thankfulness, therefore, should ultimately be referred to him ;
so that if any one teacheth rightly, not the teacher, but the wis
dom of the Almighty is to be praised, which exerts and commu
nicates itself by him.
Nor were the disciples of our blessed Saviour to accept of
the title of master, or leader, which the Jewish doctors also
courted, because, in point of commission and inspiration, they
were all equal, neither bad they any title to rule the consciences
of men, except by virtue of the inspiration which they had. re
ceived from their Master, to whom alone the prerogative of in
fallibility belonged. " Neither be ye called masters ; for one is
your master, even Christ." Matt, xxiii. 10.
The divine teacher, however, did not intend by this to inti
mate, that it was sinful to call men by their stations they held
in the world : he only intended to reprove the simplicity of the
common people who loaded their teachers with praises, and
forgot to ascribe any thing to God ; and to root out of
the minds of his apostles the pharisaical vanity, which deck
ed itself with honor belonging solely to the Creator of the
universe. Accordingly, that he might instil into their hearts
humility to dispose them to do good offices to one another, as
occasion offered, he assured them it was the only road to
true greatness ; for by assuming what did not properly be
long to them, the}' should be despised both by God and men.
Whereas those who did not disdain to perform the meanest
offices of love to their brethren, should enjoy a high degree
of the divine favor.
The above discourses greatly incensed the scribes and phari
sees, as they were pronounced in the hearing of many of that
order ; it is therefore no wonder, that they watched every op
portunity to destroy him. But this was not a time to put
their bloody designs in execution ; the people set too high a
value on his doctrine, to suffer any violence to be offered to
his person ; and as this was the last sermon he was ever to
preach in public, it was necessary that he should use some se
verity, as all his mild persuasions proved ineffectual.
He therefore denounced, in the most solemn manner, dread
ful woes against them, not on account of the personal injuries '
he had received from them,., but on account of the'ir excessive
wickedness. *
They were public teachers of religion ; and therefore should
have used every method in their power to recommend its pre
cepts to the people, and to have been themselves shining ex
amples of every duty it enjoined : but, on the contary, they
abused every mark and character of goodness for all the pur
poses of villany, and under the cloak of a severe and sanctified
38

298 LIFE OF CHRIST.
aspect, they were malicious, implacable, lewd, covetous, and
rapacious. In a word, instead of being reformers, they were
the corrupters of mankind, and consequently their wickedness
deserved the greatest reproof that could be given by the great
Redeemer of mankind. " Wo unto you, scribes and pharisees,
hypocrites ! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men ;
for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that
were entering to go in. Wo unto you, scribes and pharisees,
hypocrites ! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence
make long prayers ; therefore ye shall receive the greater dam
nation. Wo unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites ! for
ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and, when he
is made, ye make him two-fold more the child of hell than your
selves. Matt, xxiii. 13, he.
The punishment you shall suffer will be terribly severe, be
cause you have given a wrong interpretation of the ancient
prophecies concerning the Messiah, and done all that is in your
power to hinder the people from repenting of their sins, and
believing the Gospel : because you have committed the gros
sest iniquities, and under the cloak of religion have devoured
the substance of widows and orphans, hoping to hide your villa-
nies by long prayers ; because ye have expressed the greatest
zeal imaginable in making proselytes, not with a view to render
the Gentiles more wise and virtuous, but to acquire their riches,
and a command over their consciences ; and instead of teaching
them the precepts of virtue, and the great duties of religion,
you confine them to superstitious and ceremonial institutions ;
and hence they often relapse into their old state of heathenism,
and become more wicked than before their conversion, and con
sequently liable to a more severe sentence.
He also exposed their doctrine concerning oaths : and declar
ed, in opposition to their abominable tenets, that every oath, if
the matter of it be lawful, is obligatory ; because when men
swear by any part ofthe creation, it is an appeal to the Creator
himself; for in any other light an oath of this kind is absolutely
ridiculous, the object having neither knowledge of the fact,
nor power to punish the perjury. " Wo unto you, ye blind
guides ! which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple it is
nothing : but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple
he is a debtor. Ye fools and blind ! for whether is greater,
the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold ? And who
soever shall swear by the altar it is nothing, but whosoever
sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and
blind ! for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanc
tifieth the gift? Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar,
sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall
swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth

LIFE OF CHRIST. 299
therein. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by
the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon." Malt.
xxiii. 16, he.
He likewise reprehended their superstitious practices, in ob
serving the minutest parts of the ceremonial precepts of the
law, and at the same time utterly neglecting the eternal and
indispensable rules of righteousness. " Wo unto you, scribes
and pharisees, hypocrites : for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise,
and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the
law, — judgment, mercy, and faith ; these ought ye to have
done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides,
which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel." Matt, xxiii.
23, he.
Their hypocrisy did not escape the censure of the Son of
God ; they spared no pains to appear virtuous in the eyes of the
world, and maintain an external conduct that should acquire
the praises of men, but at the same time neglected to adorn
their souls with the robe of righteousness, which is the only
ornament that can render them dear in the sight of their Maker.
" Wo unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye
make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within
they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind pharisee,
cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the
outside of them may be clean also." Matt, xxiii. 25. Cleanse
first the mind, thy inward man, from evil dispositions and affec
tions, and the outward behaviour will of course be virtuous and
praiseworthy. Moreover he animadverted upon the success of their hypocri
sy. They deceived the simple, and unthinking part of man
kind, with their pretended sanctity, appearing like whited sep
ulchres, beautiful on the outside, while their internal parts
were full of uncleanness. " Wo unto you, scribes and phari
sees, hypocrites ! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which
indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead
men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also out
wardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hy
pocrisy and iniquity." Matt, xxiii. 27, 28.
He also reproved the pains they had taken in adorning the
sepulchres of the prophets ; because they pretended a great ven
eration for their memories, r and even condemned their fathers,
who killed them, saying, that if they had lived in . the days of
their fathers, they would have opposed such monstrous wicked
ness, while, at the same time, all their actions abundantly
proved that they still cherished the same spirit they condemned
in their fathers, persecuting the messengers of the Most High,
particularly his only begotten Son, whom they were determined
to destroy. "Wo unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, !

300 LIFE OF CHRIST.
because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sep
ulchres of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of
our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the
blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto your
selves, that ye are the children of them which killed the proph
ets." Matt, xxiii. 29, he.
He added, that the divine Being was desirous of trying every
method for their conversion, though all these instances of mer
cy were slighted, and that they must expect such terrible ven
geance, as should be a standing monument of the divine dis
pleasure against all the murders committed by the sons of men
from the foundation of the world.
Having thus laid before them their heinous guilt and punish
ment, he was, at the thought of tbe calamities which were soon
to fall upon them, exceedingly moved, and his breast filled with
sensations of pity to such a degree, that, unable to contain him
self, he brake forth into tears, bewailing the hard lot of the city
of Jerusalem : for as its inhabitants had more deeply imbrued
their hands in the blood of the prophets, they were to drink
more deeply of the punishment due to such crimes. " O Jeru
salem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest
them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gather
ed thy children together, even as a ben gathereth her chickens
under her wings, and ye would not ! Behold your house is left
unto you desolate." Matt, xxiii. 37, &c.
This benevolent, as well as pathetic exclamation of our bles
sed Lord, cannot fail to excite in the pious mind the warmest
emotions of love to the gracious Saviour of mankind, as well
as pity for that once chosen, but since degenerate race. How
often had the Almighty called upon them to return from their
evil way, before he sent' his only begotten Son into the world?
How often, how emphatically, did the compassionate Jesus en
treat them to embrace the merciful terms now offered them by
the Almighty ; and with what unconquerable obstinacy did they
refuse the benevolent offers, and resist the most winning ex
pressions of the divine love ! By the word " house," our blessed-
Saviour meant the temple, which was from that time to be left
unto them desolate ; the glory of the Lord, which Haggai had
prophesied should fill the second house, was now departing from
it. Adding, " I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth,
till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the
Lord." Matt, xxiii 39. As if he had said, As ye bave killed
tbe prophets, and persecuted me whom the Father hath sent
from the courts of heaven, and will shortly put me, who am
the Lor,l °f l^e temple," to death, your holy house shall be left
desolate, and your nation totally deserted by me ; nor shall you
see me any more till ye shall acknowledge the dignity pf my

LIFE OF CHRIST. 301
character, and the importance of my mission, and say with the
whole earth, " Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the
Lord." Thus did the blessed Jesus strip the scribes and pharisees of
their hypocritical mask. He treated them with severity, be
cause their crimes were of the blackest dye : and hence we
should learn to be really good, and not flatter ourselves that we
can cover our crimes, with the cloak of hypocrisy, fiom that
piercing eye from which nothing is concealed.
The people could not fail being astonished at these discourses,
as they had always considered their teachers as the most right
eous among the sons of men. Nay, the persons themselves,
against whom they were levelled, were confounded, because
their own consciences convinced them of the truth of every par
ticular laid to their charge. They therefore knew not what
course to pursue ; and in the midst of their hesitation, they let
Jesus depart without making any attempt to seize him, or in
flict on him any kind of punishment.

CHAPTER XXXI.
Our Saviour commends even the smallest act, because it proceeded
from a truly benevolent motive. — Predicts the demolition of the
magnificent Temple of Jerusalem, and delivers several instruct
ive Parables.
Jesus, the infallible preacher of righteousness, having thus
exposed the. secret practices ofthe scribes and pharisees, repair
ed with his disciples info the court of the women, called the
treasury, from several chests being fixed to the pillars of the
portico surrounding the court, for receiving the offerings of
those who came to worship in the temple. While he continued
in this court, " he beheld how the people cast money into the
treasury : and many that were rich cast in much. And there
came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which
make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and
saith unto them, Verily, I say unto you, that this poor widow
hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treas
ury. For all they did cast in of their abundance : but she of
her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."
Mark, xii. 41, he.
Though the offering given by this poor widow was in itself
very small, yet, in proportion to the goods of life she enjoyed,

302 LIFE OF CHRIST.
it was remarkably large ; for it was all she had, even all her
living, fn order, therefore, to encourage charity, and show
that it is the disposition of the mind, not the magnificence of the
offering,, that attaches the regard of the Almighty, the Son of
God applauded this poor widow, as having given more, in pro
portion, than any of the rich. Their offerings, though great in
respect <jf her's, were but a small part of their estates ; whereas
her offering was her whole stock. And from this passage ofthe
Gospel jve should learn, that the poor, who in appearance are
denied the means of doing charitable offices, are encouraged to
do all they can. For how small soever the gift may be, the
Almigl/ty, who beholds the heart, values it, not according to
what it is in itself, but according to the disposition with which
it is given.
On the other hand, we should learn from hence, that it is not
enouih for the rich that they exceed the poor in the gifts of
charity ; they should bestow in proportion to their income ; and
they would do well to remember, that a little given, where a
little only is left, appears a much nobler offering in the sight of
the Almighty, and discovers a more benevolent and humane
temper of mind, than sums much larger bestowed out of a plen
tiful abundance.
The disciples now remembered that their Master, at the con
clusion of his pathetic lamentation over Jerusalem, had declared
that the temple should not any more be favored with his pres
ence, till they should say, " Blessed is he that cometh in the
name ofthe Lord."
A resolution of this kind could not fail of greatly surprising
his disciples ; and therefore, as be was departing from that sa
cred structure, they desired him to observe tbe beauty, of the
building ; insinuating, that they thought it strange he should
intimate an intention of leaving it desolate ; that so glorious a
fabric, celebrated in every corner of the earth, was not to be
deserted rashly ; and that they should think themselves supreme
ly happy, when he, as the Messiah and descendant of David,
should take possession of it, and erect his throne in the midst
of Jerusalem. And as they went out ofthe temple, one of his
disciples saith unto him, " Master, see what manner of stones,
and what buildings are here."
The eastern wall of the temple, which fronted the mount of
Olives, whither the disciples, with their Master, were then retir
ing, was built from the bottom of the valley to a prodigious
height, with stones of an incredible bulk, firmly compacted to
gether, and therefore made a very grand appearance, at a dis
tance. The eastern wall is supposed to have been the only
remains of Solomon's temple, and had escaped when the Chal
deans burnt it. But this building, however strong or costly it

DESTRUCTION OP THE TEMPLE FORETOLD.
[P,ge 303.]

" As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not
be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." — Luke, xxi. 6.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 303
appeared, our Saviour told them should be totally destroyed.
" Seest thou," said he, " these great buildings ? there shall not
be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down."
Mark, xiii. 2.
That noble edifice, raised with much labor, and at a vast
expense, shall be razed to the very foundation. The disciples,
therefore, when they heard their# Master affirm, that not so
much as one of these enormous stones, which had withstood the
fury of Nebuchadnezzar's army, and survived the destructive
hand of time, was to be left one upon another, they perceived
that the whole temple was to be demolished, but did not suspect
that the sacrifices were to be taken away, and a new religion
introduced, which rendered the temple unnecessary. They,
therefore, flattered themselves, that the fabric then standing,
however glorious it might appear, was too small for the nu
merous worshippers who would frequent it, when all the nations
ofthe world were subject to the Messiah's kingdom, and was,
therefore, to be pulled doWn, in order to be erected on a more
magnificent plan, suitable tp the idea they had conceived of
his future empire. Filled with these pleasing imaginations,
they received the news with pleasure, meditating, as they walk
ed to the mountain, on the glorious things which were shortly
to come to pass.
When they arrived on the Mount of Olives, and their Master
had taken his seat on some eminence, from whence they had a
prospect of the temple and part of the city, his disciples drew
near, to know when the demolition of the old structure was to
happen, and what were to be the signs of his coming, and of
the end of the world. " And as he sat upon the Mount of Ol
ives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us,
when shall these things be ? and what shall be the sign of thy
coming, and of the end of the world ?" Matt. xxiv. 3.
The disciples, by this request, seem desirous of knowing what
signs should precede the erection of that extensive empire, over
which they supposed the Messiah was to reign ; for they still
expected he would govern, a secular kingdom. v They, there
fore, connected the demolition of the temple with their Master's
coming, though they had not the least notion that he was to
destroy the nation and change the form of religious worship.
They, therefore, meant, by " the end of the world," or, as
the words should have been translated, " the end of the ages,"
the period of the political government then executed by heathen
procurators ; and considered their Master's coming to destroy
the constitution then subsisting, as a very desirable event.
They also thought the demolition of the temple proper, as they
expected a large and more superb building, proportioned to the

304 LIFE OF CHRIST.
number of the Messiah's subjects, would be erected in its
stead. That this is the real sense of the disciples' question, will suffi
ciently appear, if we consider that the disciples were delighted
with the prospect; whereas, if they had meant by the end ofthe
world, the final period of all things, the destruction of the tem
ple would have exhibited to them, in their present temper of
mind, a melancholy prospect, which they could not have beheld
without a deep concern.
Our blessed Saviour, therefore, was careful to convince them
of their mistake, by telling them, that he was not come to rule
a secular empire, as they supposed, but to punish the Jews for
their perfidy and rebellion, by destroying both their temple and
nation. " Take heed," said he, " that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and
shall deceive many."
This caution was far from being unnecessary, because,
though the disciples were to see their Master ascend into hea
ven, they might take occasion from the prophecy, to think that
he would appear again on earth, and, therefore, be in danger
of seduction by the false Christs that should arise. " And ye
shall hear of wars and rumors of wars : see that ye be not
troubled, for all these things must come to pass ; but the end is
not yet." Before this nation and temple are destroyed, terrible
wars will happen in the land ; " For nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom ; and there shall be fam
ines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places." Matt.
xxiv. 7.
These are the preludes of the important event, forerunners of
the evils which shall befal this nation and people. At the same
time you shall meet with hot persecutions ; walk, therefore, cir
cumspectly, and arm yourselves both with patience and fortitude,
that ye may be able to perform your duty, through the whole
course of these persecutions ; for ye shall be brought before
the great men of the earth, for my sake. " But when they
shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought before-hand
what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate ; but whatsoever
shall be given unto you in that hour, that speak you : for it is
pot ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost." Mark, xiii. 11.
During this time of trouble and confusion, he told them the
perfidy of mankind should be so great towards one another, that
" brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the
son ; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall
cause them to be put to death." The unbelieving Jews, and
apostate Christians, shall commit the most enormous and inhu
man crimes. It is, therefore, no wonder that the perfidy and
wickedness of such pretended Christians, should discourage

LIFE OF CHRIST. 305
many disciples, and greatly hinder the propagation of the Gos
pel. But he who supports his faith, during these persecutions,
and is not led astray by the seduction of false Christians, shall
escape that terrible destruction, which,,, like a deluge, will over
flow the land.
And when Jerusalem shall be surrounded with armies, pagan
armies, bearing in their standards the images of their gods, the
" abomination of desolation," mentioned by the prophet Dan
iel : then let him who readeth the predictions of that prophet
understand, that the end of the city and sanctuary, together
with the ceasing of sacrifices and oblations there predicted1, is
come, and consequently the final period of the Jewish polity.
" Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains,
and let them which are in the midst of it depart out." Luke,
xxi. 21. " Let him which is on the housetop not come down
to take any thing out of his house. Neither let him which is in
the field return back to take his clothes." Matt. xxiv. 17; 18.
Then shall be fulfilled the awful predictions of the prophet
Daniel, and the dreadful judgments denounced against the im
penitent and unbelieving.
In those days of vengeance, the women who are with child,
and those who have infants hanging at their breasts, shall be
particularly unhappy, because they cannot flee from the im
pending destruction. " But pray ye that your flight be not in
the winter," when the badness ofthe roads, and the rigor ofthe
season, will render speedy travelling very troublesome, if not
impossible;' " neither on the sabbath-day," when you shall
think it unlawful. " For then shall be great tribulation, such
as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no,
nor ever shall be." This is confirmed by what Josephus tells
us, that no less than eleven hundred thousand perished in the
siege. The heavenly prophet added, that except the days of tribu
lation should be shortened, none of the inhabitants of Jerusa
lem and Judea, of whom he was speaking, should escape de
struction : in confirmation of which, Josephus tells us, that the
quarrels which raged during the siege, were so fierce and obsti
nate, that both within the walls of Jerusalem, and without in the
neighboring country, the whole land was one continued scene
of horror and desolation : and, had the siege continued much
longer, the whole nation of the Jews had been totally destroyed,
according to pur Lord's prediction. " But," added our blessed
Saviour, " for the elect's sake, whom he hath cbpsen, he hath
shortened the days." By the elect are meant,, such of the Jews
as had embraced the doctrines of the Gospel, and particularly
those who were brought in with the fulness of the Gentiles. *
39

306 LIFE OF CHRIST.
As it is natural, in time of trouble, to look with eager exr»
pectation for a deliverer, our blessed Saviour cautioned his dis
ciples not to listen to any pretences of that kind, as many false
Christs would arise, and deceive great numbers of the people.
A prediction that was fully accomplished, during the terrible
siege of Jerusalem by the Romans ; for Josephus tells us, that
many arose, pretending to pe the Messiah, boasting that they
would deliver the nation from all its enemies. And the multi
tude, always too prone to listen to deceivers, who promise tem
poral advantages, giving credit to those deceivers, became more
obstinate in their opposition to the Romans, and thereby ren
dered their destruction more severe and inevitable.
And what still increased the infatuation of the people, was
their performing wonderful things, during the war ; and accord
ingly Josephus, calls them magicians and sorcerers. Hence we
see the propriety of the caution given by the Sori of God, who
foretold that " they should shew great signs and wonders, inso
much that, if it were possible, they would deceive the very
elect. But take heed : behold I have foretold you all things."
And as thc partisans of the false Christs might pretend that
the Messiah was concealed awhile, for fear of the Romans, and
the weaker sort pf Christians, without this warning, have ima
gined that Christ was actually returned to deliver the nation in
its extremity, and to punish their enemies, who now so cruelly
oppressed them, and that he would shew himself as soon as it
was proper, the blessed Jesus thought proper to caution them
against this particular : " Wherefore, if they shall say unto you,
Behold, he is in the desert, go not forth : behold, he is in the
secret chambers, believe it not. For as the lightning cometh
out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be." Matt. xxiv. 26, he.
The coming of the Son of man shall be like lightning, swift
and destructive. But he will not come personally, his servants
only shall come, the Roman armies who, by his command, shall
destroy this nation, as eagles devour their prey.
Having thus given them a particular account of the various
circumstances which should precede the destruction of Jeru
salem, he next described that catastrophe itself, in all the pomp
of language and imagery made use of by the ancient prophets,
when they foretold the destruction of cities and kingdoms.
" But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light : and the stars
of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be
shaken." Mark, xiii. 24, he. " And upon the earth distress
of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring :
men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those
things which are coming on the earth." Luke, xxi. 25, Sic.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 307
By these lofty and figurative expressions, the decaying of all
the glory, excellency and prosperity of the nation, and the in
troduction of universal sadness, misery and confusion, are beau
tifully described. The roaring of tlie sea and the waves, may
justly be considered as metaphorical, as the signs in the sun. in
the moon, and in the stars are plainly so, and by the powers of
heaven are meant the whole Jewish po.ity, government, laws
- and religion, which were the work of heaven : these, our Lord
tells us, should be shaken, or rather dissolved.
As the disciples had, in conformity to the repeated questions
ofthe pharisees, during his ministry, asked what should be the
sign of his coming ; our blessed Saviour told them, that after
the tribulation, of those days, when the sun should be darkened,
and all the enemies of the Messiah should mourn, they should
see the accomplishment of what Daniel foretold, by the figura
tive expression of the Son of man coming in the clouds of hea
ven: for they should behold the signal punishment executed on
the Jewish nation by the Roman armies sent for that purpose,
and by the decree and permission of heaven. " Then shall ap
pear the sign' of the Son of man in heaven : and then shall all
tbe tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of
man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glo
ry." Matt. xxiv. 30.
Then were the followers of Christ to be delivered from the
oppression under which they had long groaned, and openly
honored before the whole earth ; and on this may true believers
rest, because it is founded on eternal truth. " Verily, I say
unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be
fulfilled. — Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words
shall not pass away." Matt. xxiv. 34, 35.
Whoever shalr compare the prediction of our Saviour with
the history Josephus wrote of the war, cannot fail of being
struck with the wisdom of Christ, and acknowledging that his
prediction was truly divine ; for as the Jewish nation was at
this time in the most flourishing state, the event here foretold
appeared altogether improbable. Besides, the circumstances
of the destruction are very numerous and surprisingly great :
and the whole delivered without any ambiguity. It is therefore
a prophecy, of such a kind as could never have been uttered
by any impostor, and consequently the person who delivered it
was acquainted with the secret councils of heaven, and was truly
-divine. Many cavillers against the Christian religion have asked,
why Christ should order his disciples not to flee from Jerusa
lem, till they saw it encompassed with the Roman army, when
it would then be impossible for them to make their escape?
But persons, before they propose such questions, would do well

308 LIFE OF CHRIST.
to read attentively the history Josephus has given us of these
terrible calamities ; because they would there find a solution to
the difficulty. That historian tells us, that Cestius Gallus sur
rounded the city with his army, and, at a time when he could
easily have taken the city, suddenly withdrew his forces, with-*
out any apparent reason. He adds, that as soon as the siege
was raised, many eminent persons fled from it, as from a sinking
ship. In all probability many of these were Christians, who,
being warned by this prophecy of their great Master, saved
themselves by flight, as he had directed. Thus we see what
frivolous objections are made by the free-thinkers of our age
against the truth of the sacred writings, and how easily they are
answered. Having thus beautifully, but awfully, described this impor
tant and striking event, the blessed Jesus assured his disciples,
that it would be very unexpected, and thence urged the neces
sity of a watchful vigilance, lest they should be surprised, and
have a share in those calamities. " But as the days of Noe
were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matt.
xxiv. 37. " Watch ye therefore ; for ye know not when the
master of the house cometh ; at even, or at midnight, or at the
cock crowing, or in the morning ; lest coming suddenly, he find
you sleeping." Mark, xiii. 35, 36.
It was natural, as men were to undergo, at the destruction of
Jerusalem, nearly the same miseries, and as the passions which
its approach would raise in their minds were similar to those
which will happen at the destruction of the world and the gene
ral judgment ; it was natural, I say, for our blessed Saviour,
on this occasion, to put his disciples in mind of that judgment,
and to exhort them to the faithful discharge of their duty, from
the consideration of the suddenness of his comiug to call every
individual to account after death : — " Therefore, be ye also
ready ; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man
cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his
Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in
due season ? Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord, when he
cometh, shall find so doing. Verily, I say unto you, that he
shall make him ruler over all his goods." Matt. xxiv. 44, Sic.
As if he had said, You, who are the ministers of religion, ought
to be particularly attentive in discharging the important trust
committed to your care ; you are the stewards to whom are in
trusted the whole household of the church ; and you would do
well to remember, that your example will have a great effect
upon the minds of those employed under you. It is your duty
to be well acquainted with the stores of evangelical truths, and
to understand how they may be applied to the best advantage ;
von should be also careful to know the characters of the different
b'

THE WISE AND FOOLISH VIRGINS.
[Page 309.]

"Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
"But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not." — Matt, xxv.'ll, '.

,-./,

LIFE OF CHRIST. 30&
persons under your directions, that you may be able to give ev
ery one of them his portion of meat in due season ; and if I find
you thus employed at my coming, I Will reward you with the
joys of my kingdom, even as an earthly master bestows particu
lar marks of respect on such servants as have been remarkably
faithful in any important trust.
But on the other hand, if you are not true to the trust re
posed in you ; if you pervert your office and watch not over
the souls committed to your care, I will come unto you un
expectedly, and make you dreadful examples of mine anger,
by the severe' punishments which I will inflict upon you. " But
and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delay
ed! his coming, and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and
to eat and drink with the drunken : the lord of that servant
shall come in a'day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour
that he is not aware of; and .shall cut him asunder, and appoint
him his portion with the hypocrites : there shall be weeping, and
gnashing of teeth." Matt. xxiv. 48, Sic.
Having thus generally prescribed the future state of retribu
tion, our Lord passed to the consideration of the general judg
ment, when those rewards and punishments should be distributed
in their utmost extent. This could not fail of animating his
disciples to a vigorous discharge of their duty; and the striking
representation of the last judgment he has here given, must
greatly tend to rouse the . consciences of men from their iethar-
gy, and consider, before it be too late, "the things which belong
to their peace."
Then shall the kingdom of heaven, the. gospel-kingdom, in
the last dispensation of it, when the kingdom of grace is going
to be swallowedjip in the kingdom of glory, " be likened unto
ten virgins whicW took their lamps, and went forth to meet the
bridegroom, and five of them were wise, and five of them were
foolish." They that were foolish took their lamps, but put no
oil in their vessels ; while the wise, as an instance of their pru
dence and foresight, took both their lamps, and oil in their
vessels, knowing that it was uncertain when the bridegroom
would arrive, and that they might in all probability, wait long
for his coming. Nor were they mistaken : for the bridegroom
did not come so soon as they expected., Aud while he tarried,
they all slumbered and slept ; and at midnight there was a great
cry made, " Behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet
him : then all those virgins arose and trimmed -their lamps ;
and the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil, for our
lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so,
lest there be not enough for us and you ; but go ye rather to
them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went
%o buy, the bridegrom came ; and they that were ready went iu

310 LIFE OF CHRIST.
with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. Afterwards
came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
But he answered and said, Verily, I say unto you, I know you
not. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day, nor the
hour, wherein the Son of man cometh." Matt. xxv. 6, 7, Sic.
In order to understand this parable, we must remember, that
it alludes to eastern people. It was usual with them for the
bridegroom to bring his bride home in the evening, sooner or
later, as circumstances might happen ; and that they might be
received properly at his house, his female acquaintance, espe
cially those of the younger sort, were invited to come and wait
with lamps, till some of his retinue, dispatched before the rest,
informed them that he was near at hand ; upon which they trim
med their lamps ; went forth to welcome him, and conduct
him with his bride into the house ; for which they were hon
ored as guests, at the marriage feasts, and shared in the usual
festivities. To ten such virgins our blessed Saviour compares all those to.
whom the Gospel is preached, because this was the general num
ber appointed to wait on the bridegroom ; and to these all Chris
tian professors may be likened, who, taking their lamp of Chris
tian profession, go forth to meet the bridegroom ; that is, pre
pare themselves as candidates for the kingdom of heaven, and
desire to be admitted with Christ, the celestial bridegroom, into
the happy mansions of immortality.
We must remember, that there always was, and always will
be, a mixture of good and bad in the church, till the great day
of separation arrives. The weakness of the foolish is represent
ed by their taking no oil in their vessels, with their lamps ; that
is, the foolish Christians content themselves with the bare lamp
of a profession, and never think of furnishing it with the oil of
divine grace, the fruit of which is a life of holiness. Whereas
the wise, well knowing that a lamp, without the supply of oil,
would be speedily extinguished ; that faith, without love and ho
liness, will be of no consequence, take care to supply themselves
with a sufficient quantity of the divine grace, and to display in
their lives the works of love and charity. While all those vir
gins, though differently supplied, waited the coming of the bride
groom, all slumbered and slept; that is, all Christians, both
good and bad, the sincere and the hypocrite, all lie down to
gether in the sleep of death ; and while the bridegroom delays
his coming, slumber in the chambers ofthe dust.
The Jews have a tradition, that Christ's coming to judgment
will be at midnight, which agrees with that particular in the
parable, " at midnight there was a cry made, Go ye out to meet
him." But however this be, whether he will come at midnight,
or in the morning, it will be awfully sudden and alarming.

LIFE OF CHRIST, 311
The great cry will be heard to the end of the earth ! the
trumpet shall sound, and the mighty archangel's voice pierce
even the bowels ofthe earth, and the depths ofthe ocean : " Be
hold the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him."
The graves, both earthly and watery, must surrender their
clayey tenants, and all will then begin to think how they may
prepare themselves to find admittance to the marriage supper of
the lamb. " Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their
lamps." But the foolish soon perceived their folly : their lamps
were gone out, totally extinguished, and they had no oil to sup
port the flame; in like manner the hypocrite's hope shall perish.
But the wise were in a much happier condition ; they had oil in
their vessels sufficient for themselves, but, none to spare ; for,
when the foolish virgins would have procured some from them,
they denied their request, fearing there would not be enough
for both.
They are here beautifully represented nominal and sincere
Christians. The former having only the bare lamp of a profes
sion, and who have not been solicitous to gain the oil of divine
grace, by a constant use of the means assigned, will fare like
the foolish virgins. While the latter whose hearts are stocked
with divine oil, will, like the wise virgins, enter into the joy of
their Lord.
But the foolish, going to purchase oil, missed the bridegroom,
and behold " the door was shut." They at last, however,
reached the gate, and with great importunity cried, " Lord,
Lord, open unto us." But he answered and said, " Verily, I
say unto you, I know you not." As you denied me on earth, I
deny you now; depart from me, I know you not! How just
ly, therefore, did our blessed Saviour bid us all " watch," that
we may be found ready whenever he cometh ; or commands, by
the king of terrors, our attendance before his judgment seat. Let
us not refuse this kind invitation, of being constantly prepared
to meet the heavenly bridegroom : let us fill our lamps with oil
that we may be ready to follow our great master into the happy
mansions of the heavenly Canaan.
But, as this duty was of the utmost importance, our blessed
Saviour, to shew us more clearly the nature and use of Chris
tian watchfulness, to which he exhorts us at the conclusion of
the parable of the ten virgins, he added another, wherein he
represented the different characters of a faithful and slothful ser
vant, and the difference of their future acceptation.
This parable, like the former, is intended to stir us up to a
zealous preparation for the coming of our Lord, by diligence in
the discharge of our duty, and by a careful improvement of our
souls in holiness ; and at the same time to expose the vain pre
tences of hypocrites, and to demonstrate, that fair speeches and

312 LIFE OF CHRIST.
outward form, without the power of godliness, will be of no sef*
vice in the last day of account.
The Son of Man, said he, may, with respect to his final com
ing to judge the world, be likened unto " a man travelling in
to a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered
unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to
another two, and to another one : to every man according to
his several ability : and straightway took his journey." Matt.
xxv. 14, 15.
Immediately on his master's departure, he that had received
the five talents lost no time, but went and traded with the same,
and his increase was equal to his industry and application ; he
made them other five talents. He that had received two talents
did the same, and had equal success. But he that received one,
very unlike the conduct of his fellow-servants, went his way,
digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money, idle, useless, un
employed, and unimproved.
After a long time, and at an hour when they did not expect
it, the lord of those servants returned, called them before him,
and ordered them to give an account of their several trusts.
Upon which he that had received five talents, as a proof of his
fidelity produced other five talents, saying, " Lord, thou deliv-
eredst unto me five talents, behold I have gained besides them
five talents more." Matt. xxv. 20. His lord, highly applauding
his industry and fidelity, said to him, " Well done, thou good
and faithful servant ; thou hast been faithful over a few things,
I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy
of thy lord." Matt. xxv. 21.
In like manner also, he that had received two talents declared
he had gained two others ; upon which he was honored with
the same applause, and admitted into the same joy with his fel
low servant ; their master having regard to the industry and
fidelity of his servants, not to the number of the talents only,
but tbe greatness of their increase.
After this, he that had received the one talent came, and, with
a shameful faleshood, to excuse his vile indolence, said, " Lord,
I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast
not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed : and I
was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth ; lo, there
thou hast that is thine." Matt. xxv. 24, 25.
This perversion of even the smallest portion of grace greatly
excited the resentment of his lord, who answered, " Thou wick
ed and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed
not, and gather where I have not strewed : thou oughtest, there
fore, to have put my money to the exchangers, and then, at my
coming, I should have received mine own with usury. Take,
therefore, the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath

LIFE OF CHRIST. 313
ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and
he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not shall be
taken away, even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprof
itable servant into outer darkness ; there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth." Matt. xxv. 26, Sic.
Such is the parable of the talents, as delivered by our blessed
Saviour ; a parable containing the measures of our duty to
God, and the motives that enforce it, all delivered in the plain
est end simplest allusion. But its views are so extensive and
affecting, that while it instructs the meanest capacity, it enga
ges reverence and attention from the greatest, *nd strikes an
impression on the most improved understanding. We are to
consider God as our Lord and Master, the author and giver of
every good gift, and ourselves as his servants or stewards, who,
in various instances and measures, have received from his good
ness such blessings and abilities, as may fit us for the several
stations and offices of life to which his providence appoints
us. But then we are to observe, that these are committed to
us as a trust or loan, for whose due management we are ac
countable to the donor.
If we faithfully acquit ourselves of this probationary charge,
we shall receive far greater instances of God's confidence and
favor ; but if we are remiss and negligent, we must expect to
feel his resentment and displeasure.
A time Will come, and how near it may be none of us can
tell, when our great Master will demand a particular account
of every talent he hath committed to our care. This time may,
indeed, be at a distance : for it is uncertain when the king of
terrors will receive the awful warrant to terminate our existence
here below : yet it will certainly come, and our eternal happi
ness or misery depends upon it : so that we should have it con
tinually in our thoughts, and engrave it, as with the point of a
diamond, on the tables of our hearts.
We learn from this instructive parable, that infinite wisdom
hath intrusted men with diflerent talents, and adjusted them to
the various purposes of human life. But though the gifts of
men are unequal, none can, with justice, complain ; since what
ever is bestowed, be it more or less, is a favor entirely unmer
ited. Each then should be thankful, and satisfied with his portion ;
and, instead of envying the more liberal endowments of" others,
apply himself to the improvement of his own. And it should
be attentively observed, that the difficulty of the task is in pro
portion to the number of talents committed to each. He who
had received five was to gain other five; and he who had re
ceived two, was to account for other two.
40

314 LIFE OF CHRIST.
Surely then, we have no reason to complain if our master has
laid on us a lighter burthen, a more easy and less service, than
what he has on others. Especially as our interest in the favor
ofthe Almighty, does not depend on the number of our talents,
but on our diligence and application in the management of
them : so that the moral design of this parable is, to engage
our utmost attention, to improve such talents as our heavenly
Father has thought proper to bestow upon us.
By these talents are principally meant, the communication
and graces of the Holy Spirit, which God bestows in different
measures, " dividing to every man severally as he will." And
subordinate to these are all the means, opportunities, and abil
ities to exercise or improve their grace ; all the advantages of
station, fortune, education, and whatever may enable us to do
good ; for we, having received all we enjoy from God, are
strictly obliged to promote the wise ends for which he bestows
his favor. And here let us take a short and imperfect view of
what God has done for us. He has given us reason and under
standing to discern good from evil, and inquire into the causes,
relations, and consequences of things, to .collect from them
proper rules of judgment and action. Indeed, since the fall,
this faculty has been much obscured ; but still it remains an
universal gift of God to men ; and though not equal in all, yet
it is given to every man in such measure, as is sufficient for
their direction. In the knowledge of our duty, and; the pursuit
of our happiness, God has, by the Gospel, so graciously suppli
ed the defect of reason, that the weakest understanding may
know how to be happy ; such assistances of divine grace attend
every Christian, if he will apply to God for it, as may enable
him to direct his inclinations, govern his passions, and subdue
his corrupt affections. These talents of nature are in some de
gree common to all men ; and by tbe improvement of that grace
which is conferred on every one, all have sufficient to conduct
them through the several stages of life, if they will use but
proper diligence and application. But regard must be had to
all the means fbr cultivating those gifts of nature and grace,
Such as all opportunities of instruction, the ministry, and ordi
nances of religion, the reproofs and examples of good men, the
occasions offered and the abilities given for the exercise of vir
tue. All these are talents, or gifts of God, deposited with us,
to be diligently made use of, and for which we are accountable
to him.
We shall therefore proceed to show what duty is required
from us, in the improvement of these talents. It is here sup
posed, that these talents are improvable, or otherwise they
would be of no use or value ; and indeed we are bound, by the
command of God, who has threatened to inflict severe penal-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 315
ties, if we neglect it, to improve them. And if they are not
improved, they will not continue long with us, but be lost ; the
finest parts and capacities, without proper culture, will make
but a mean and contemptible figure. No knowledge can be
preserved, without use and exercise, and the same holds with
regard to moral accomplishments. It requires great care and
attention to form a virtuous habit, but much more to preserve
it ia its vigor. Unless we co-operate with the motions of God's
grace, and cultivate it by use and application, its impressions
will gradually wear out, and be lost. " The Spirit of God
will not always strive with man." He gives us a stock to man
age, equal to the service he expects from us ; but if we are
slothful and negligent, and will not apply it to the purposes for
which it was given, he will recall the useless gift. "Take
from him," says he, " the talent, and give it to bim that hath
ten talents." Let us, therefore, diligently improve every talent
committed to us, because this will be required ef us, in the day
of accounts. Happy the man who has improved his talents on
earth ! What this improvement implies, and how we may dis
charge this duty, is an inquiry of the nearest concern to us.
The proper improvement of all God's gifts is the employing
them so, as may best promote his glory.
This is the end the Almighty has proposed in our creation ;
in all the powers he hath endued us with, and in all the aids of
grace he has vouchsafed us. Whatever other improvements we
make of them will not profit us, nor be admitted as any proof
of our fidelity, in the day of reckoning. We may cultivate our
understanding by learning and study, and extend our knowledge
through all the subjects of human inquiry; but if our end be
only to gratify our curiosity or our vanity, we are not serving
God, but ourselves ; we may increase our portion of God's
outward gifts, but if we only apply them to enlarge our own
conveniences, we are not making the improvements our Master
expects ; we may take pleasure in our knowledge and fortune,
rejoice in them as our portion and instrument in our present
situation ; but we must still remember, that in our reckoning
with God, all these improvements of our capacities and abilities
will be added to our account. And the only use God will
admit us to set in balance of our debt to him, is to employ
them as means of increasing and multiplying our virtues, or as
instruments of exercising them in the work of piety and reli
gion. From hence we may infer that there will be degrees of future
glory and happiness, proportioned to our eminence in the divine
life, and the service we have done to the cause of Christ.
Dreadful will be his curse, who has squandered away the
stock itself; suffered his gifts to perish for want of use; or, by

316 LIFE OF CHRIST.
abusirig them to the service of sin, has provoked the Almighty
to take them from him.
How shall the prodigal recall the fortune he has spent, and
appease the anger of his judge ? The terrors of the Lord may
justly affright him ; but it should not extinguish his endeavors
in despair. He has lost many excellent talents ; but he who
gave can restore. Indeed, the most circumspect piety will, in
the great day of accounts, want much to be forgiven : and must
expect his reward from the mercy of his judge, not from the
merit of his service. Let us then do all in our power to bring
forth fruits meet for repentance. For though the awful day' of
the Lord may be at a great distance, yet the time allotted us to
prepare for it is limited by the short space of human life. The
night of death cometh, when no man can work. To-day, there
fore, while it is called to-day, let us be diligent in the work of
the Lord, correct our errors, and finish what is imperfect, that
we may obtain his approbation, and make our calling and elec
tion sure.
We shall now proceed to the third parable delivered at the
same time by the blessed Jesus, namely, that of the last judg
ment. " When the Son of Man"," said hp, " shall come in his
glory, and all the holy angels with him,, then shall he sit upon
the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all
nations; and he shall separate them, one from another, as a
shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats ; and he shall set the
sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left." Matt. xxv.
31 It is common, in the Old Testament, to compare good
men to sheep, on account of their innocence and usefulness ; and
wicked men to goats, for their exorbitant lusts. Our blessed.
Saviour, however, does not pursue the allegory farther, but de
scribes the remaining, and indeed the greatest part of this awful
scene, in terms perfectly simple : so that though the sense be,,
profound, it is obvious.
Here the judgment of all nations, Gentiles, as well as Chris
tians, is exhibited : and the particulars on which these awful
trials are to proceed, displayed by the great judge himself.
Here we learn, that we shall be condemned or acquitted, ac
cording as we have neglected or performed works of charity ;
works which flow from the great principles of faith and piety
and which the very heathens are, by the light of nature, invited
to perform. But we must not understand that such works mer
ited this favor from the Judge ; no, all who are acquitted at
that day, whether heathens or Christians, shall be acquitted
solely on account of the righteousness of Christ, the true, the
only meritorious cause.
Good men can at best but consider their present state as a
banishment from their native country. A state in which they

LIFE OF CHRIST. 3}7
are often exposed to innumerable temptations, to persecutions,
to poverty, to reproach, to contempt. But the consideration
that they are travelling towards the heavenly Jerusalem,, a 4city
prepared for them when the foundations of the world were laid,
will be abundantly sufficient to support their spirits, and render
them " more than conquerors." The glory laid up for them in
the mansions of eternity, and which the great Judge will, at
the awful day of accounts, confer upon them, will animate them
to bear the violences of their oppressors, and even defy the mal
ice of men and devils. Nay, they will behold with contempt
the flourishing prosperity of the wicked, and look forward to
that glorious and immortal crown, which will be given them by
their great Redeemer. " Then shall the king say unto them on
his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat : I was thirsty,
and ye gave me drink : I was a stranger, and ye took me in :
naked, and ye clothed me : I was sick, and ye visited me : I was
in prison, and ye came unto me." Matt. xxv. 34, Sic.
The enraptured and amazed soul shall then ask, with great
reverence and humility, when they performed these services ?
as they never saw him in want, and therefore could not assist
him. " Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or
thirsty, and gave thee drink ? When saw we thee a stranger,
and took thee in ? or naked, and clothed thee ? Or when saw
we thee sick or in prison, and came unto thee ? And the king
shall answer and say unto them, Verily, I say unto you, inas
much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my breth
ren, ye have done it unto me." Matt. xxv. 37, &c. This is tru
ly astonishing ! The united wisdom of men and angels could
never have discovered a more proper method to convey an idea
of the warmth and force of the divine benevolence to the sons of
men, or offer a more forcible motive to charity, than that the
Son of God should, from his seat of judgment, in presence of
the whole race of mankind, and all the hosts of blessed spir
its from the courts of heaven, declare that all good offices done
to the afflicted are done to himself.
During the time of his dwelling with human nature in this
vale of tears, he suffered unspeakable injuries and afflictions :
and, therefore, considers all the distressed virtuous as members
of his body, loves them with the utmost tenderness, and is so
greatly interested in their welfare, that he rejoices when they
are happy, and grieves when they are distressed."
Perhaps the true reason why the grand inquiry shall rest sole
ly on the performance of duties is, that men, generally speaking,
consider the neglect of duties as a matter of no great conse
quence, but dread the commission of crimes. And hence it

318 LIFE OF CHRIST.
happens, that while they keep themselves free from the latter,
they easily find excuses for the former. An<! as there is not a
- more pernicious error, with regard to religion and morality,
than this, the blessed Jesus thought proper to give such an ac
count of the judgment as should prove the most solemn caution
against it.
But as the inquiry turns wholly on the performance of the
duties of charity, it has been asked, why these duties only are
mentioned, and no notice taken of the duties of piety ; though
the judge himself, upon another occasion, declared these to be
of more importance than the duties of charity, so highly ap
plauded in this parable ? But those who ask this question,
would do well to remember, that piety and charity, cannot sub
sist separately; piety, and its origin faith, always producing
charity ; and charity, wherever it subsists, necessarily pre-sup-
posing piety.
The connexion between piety and charity will evidently ap
pear, if it be considered, that no man can be truly benevolent
and merciful, without loving those dispositions. Consequently,
be must love benevolence in God, that is, he must love God ; for
piety, or the love of God, is nothing else but the regard we cher
ish towards God on account of bis perfections.
Piety and charity being thus essentially connected together,
it is abundantly sufficient to examine the conduct of riien, with
regard to either of those graces. In the parable, the inquiry
is represented as turning upon the duties of charity, perhaps,
because in this branch of goodness, there is less room for self-
deceit than in the other. It is common for hypocrites by a pre
tended zeal in the externals of religion, to make specious pre
tences to extraordinary piety, and at the same time are to
tally deficient in charity ; are covetous, unjust, rapacious, and
proud, and consequently destitute of all love for their Creator.
But none can assume the appearance of charity but by feeding
the hungry, clothing the naked, relieving the distressed, and
performing other benevolent offices to their brethren.
The work of charity may, indeed, in some particular cases,
flow from other principles than those of a pious and benevolent
disposition, as from vanity, or even views of interest ; but then
it should be remembered, that a common degree of hypocrisy
will hardly engage men to undertake them ; they are by far too
weighty duties to be sustained by those false principles, and,
therefore, are seldom counterfeited. Consequently, wherever a
genuine, extensive, and permanent charity is found, we may
conclude, that there the love of God reigns in perfection.
Hence we learn that all pretences tp goodness, without a prin
ciple of grace wrought in the heart, avail nothing in point of
eternal salvation. At the same time, if we consider it in its full

LIFE OF CHRIST. 319
light, it will give us no reason to think well of ourselves, if we
are wanting in our duty to God ; and that we should not only
be charitable, but grateful also, just, temperate, aud blameless
in all our dealings with mankind. For we should remember
that the duty we owe to the Almighty is no other than what is
due to men in the like circumstances, and which it would be
unjust in us to neglect. It consists in dispositions and actions,
the same in kind, but different in degree, proportionate to the
perfection of the object.
He who loves and admires holiness, justice, and truth in men,
cannot but love those perfections in God, that is, he must love
God ; so, likewise, he that is truly grateful to any earthly bene
factor, canuot be ungrateful to one from whose bounty he re
ceives all the good things he enjoys ; and since ingratitude in
men is nothing more than forgetting the benefit received, and
the benefactor who conferred the favor ; how can we acquit our
selves from the charge of ingratitude tp God, if we forget the
obligations we lie under to him, and are at no pains to return
him thanks ; that is, if we wholly neglect the external and in
ternal exercises of devotion ?
Since, therefore, the duty we owe to God is the same in kind
with that we owe to man in like circumstances, it will undenia
bly follow, that true morality can never exist where piety is
wanting ; and that those who pretend to morality, and are desti
tute of piety, render themselves ridiculous.
The awful judge himself has told us, that after he has passed
the happy sentence on the righteous, he, will pronounce the fol
lowing sentence of condemnation upon the wicked : " Depart
from me, ye cursed, iuto everlasting firej prepared for the devil
and his angels. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no
meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink : I was a stran
ger, and ye took me not in j naked, and ye clothed me not :
sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they
also answer him, paying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered,
or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and
did not minister unto thee ? Then shall he answer them,
saying, Verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not
to one of tbe .least of these, ye did it not to me." Matt.
xxv. 41, Sic.
It is remarkable, that our blessed Saviour has told us, that
the original design of Omnipotence was to render man happy,
not miserable ;. a state of consummate felicity was formed for
the human race, at the time they were created ; but the fire
of hell was prepared for the devil and his angels immediately
after their fall. And as wicked men joined with devils in their
sin of rebellion against the Almighty, they are doomed to share

32/) LIFE OF CHRIST.
with them in their punishment : a punishment of the heaviest
kind ; a punishment of devils.
After having represented the sentences that are to be passed
on the righteous and the wicked, our Saviour closed. the parable
in \he following manner : " And these shall go away into ever
lasting punishment : but the righteous into life eternal." Matt.
xxv. 46.
Happy decision to the followers ofthe Lamb ! awful sentence
to the workers of iniquity ! may it excite us to pray for that
grace by which alone we shall obtain the latter !

CHAPTER XXXII.
Our blessed Lord is anointed by a poor but pious woman. — The
perfidious Judas consents to betray his Master. — The humble
Jesus washes the feet of his Disciples, and foretels that Dis
ciple who was to betray him into the hands' of his inveterate en
emies.
The blessed Jesus used frequently to retire, in the evening,
from the city to the Mount of Olives, and there spend the night,
either in some village or the gardens, in order to avoid falling
into the hands of his enemies.1 They did not, indeed, presume
to attack him, while he was surrounded by his followers in the
day time : , but, in all probability, had he lodged within the
city, they would have apprehended him during the darkness and
silence of the night.
When our blessed Saviour had finished these parables, he
added a short account of his own death, in order to fortify
his disciples against the greatest trial they had met with ; name
ly, the sufferings of their Master. " And it came to pass, when
Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and
the Son of Man is betrayed to be crucified. Then assembled
together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the
people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caia
phas, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and
kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be aa
uproar among the people." Matt. xxvi. 1, he.
When the evening approached, our blessed Saviour, with his
disciples, repaired to Bethany, and entered the house of Simon
the leper, probably one who had experienced the healing effica
cy of his power. But while he sat at meat, a woman, wh»

LD?E OF CHRIST. 321
had also, doubtless, been an object of his mercy, poured a box
of precious ointment upon his head.
This action displeased the disciples, who knew that their
Master was not delighted with luxuries of any kind; and there
fore they rebuked the woman, imagining that it would have been
more acceptable to the Son of God, if the ointment had been
sold, and the money distributed among the sons and daughters
of poverty and affliction.
To reprove the disciples, Jesus told them, that it had pleased
the divine Providence to order that there should always be per
sons in necessitous circumstances, that the virtuous might never
want occasions for exercising their charity ; but that those who
did not now testify their love to him would never more have the
opportunity of doing it, as the time of his ministry was near its
period, when the king of terrors should enjoy a short triumph
over his body; and therefore this woman had seasonably anoint
ed him for his burial. And to make them sensible of their folly,
in blaming the woman for this her expression of love to him, he
assured them that she should be highly esteemed for this action,
in every part of the world, and her memory live to the latest
period of time.
Judas Iscariot (one of the twelve, having been more forward
than the rest in condemning the woman, thought the rebuke was
particularly directed to him) stung with the guilt of his own
conscience, arose from the table, and went immediately into the
city, to the high priest's palace, where he found the whole
council assembled. His passion would not suffer him to reflect
on the horrid deed he was going to commit ; he immediately
promised, for the reward of thirty pieces of silver, to betray in
to their hands his Lord and Master.
Having thus engaged with the rulers of Israel, to put into
their hands a person who had been long laboring for their sal
vation, who had often invited them in the most pathetic manner,
to embrace the benevolent terms of the Gospel, offered by the
Almighty, he sought an opportunity to betray him in the ab
sence ofthe multitude.
Our Lord, who well knew that the time of his suffering drew
nigh, desired, therefore to celebrate the passover with his disci
ples. He was now going to finish the mighty work for which
he came into the world ; and therefore would not neglect to ful
fil the smallest particular of the law of Moses. He therefore
sent two of his disciples into the city, to prepare a lamb, and
make it ready, for eating the passover ; telling them that they
should meet a man, bearing a pitcher of water, who would con
duct them to his house, and shew them a large upper room fur
nished, where they were to make ready for him. He was wil
ling in this last transaction to convince his disciples, that he
41

322 LIFE OF CHRIST.
knew every thing that should befirl him ; that his sufferings were
all pre-determined by the Almighty ; and that they were all, on
his own account submitted unto voluntarily.
When night approached, Jesus left Bethany ; and every thing
being ready for him, at the time he entered into the city, he sat
down at the appointed hour. But knowing that his sufferings
were now near, he told his disciples in the most affectionate
manner, that he had greatly longed to eat the passover with
them before he suffered, in order to shew them the strongest
proofs of his love. These proofs were to give them a pattern
of humility and charity by washing their feet ; instructing them
in the nature of his death, and a propitiator}' sacrifice ; institu
ting the sacrament, in commemoration of his sufferings : com
forting them by the tender discourses recorded John, xiv. xv.
xvi. in which he gave them a variety of excellent directions, to
gether with many gracious promises ; and recommending them
to the kind protection of his heavenly Father. " With desire I
have desired to eat this passover with you, before I suffer. For
I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof until it be fulfil
led in the kingdom of God."
Having thus spoken, he arose from the table, laid aside his
garments, like a servant, and, with all the officiousness of a
humble minister, washed the feet of his disciples, without dis
tinction, though one of them, Judas Iscariot, was a monster of
impiety ; that they might at once behold a conjunction of char
ity, and humility, and self-denial, and indifference, represented
by a person glorious beyond expression, their great Lord and
Master. He washed their feet (according to a custom wbich prevail
ed in those hot countries both before and after meat) in order
to shew them an example of the utmost humility and condes
cension. The omnipotent Son of the Father lays every thing aside
that he may serve his followers: heaven stoops to earth, one
•abyss calls upon another, and the miseries of man, which were
almost infinite, are exceeded by a mercy equal to the immensity
of the Almighty. He deferred this ceremony which was a cus
tomary civility paid to honorable strangers at the beginning of
their feast, that it might be preparatory to the second, which
he intended should be a feast to the whole world, when all the
followers of the blessed Jesus should have an opportunity, in
a spiritual manner, of feeding on his flesh, and drinking his
blood. When our blessed Saviour came to Peter, be modestly de
clined it ; but his Master told him, if he refused to submit im
plicitly to all his orders, he could have no part with him. On
which Peter cried out, " Lord, not my feet only, but also my

LIFE OF CHRIST. 323
hands and my head." But Jesus told him, that the person who
had bathed himself had no reason to wash any part ofthe body,
except his feet, which he might have dirtied' by walking from
the bath. And added, Ye are all clean, as to the outward laver,
but uot as to the inward and spiritual laver: I well know that
one of you will betray me.
When our gracious Lord had finished this menial service, he
asked his disciples, if they knew the meaning of what he had
done, as the action was purely emblematical ? You truly, added
he, style me Master and Lord, for I am the Son of God, and
the Saviour of the world. But if I your Master and your
Lord, have condescended to wash your feet, you surely ought
to perform with the utmost pleasure, the humblest offices of char
ity one to another. I have set you a pattern of humility, and
I recommend it to you.
And certainly nothing can more effectually shew us the ne
cessity of this heavenly temper of mind than its being recom
mended to us by so great an example: a recommendation,
which in the present circumstances, was particular seasonable ;
for the disciples having heard their great Master declare that the
kingdom of heaven was at handt their minds were filled with
ambitious thoughts. And therefore our blessed Saviour added,
Ye need not be ashamed to follow my example in this particu
lar ; for no servant can think it beneath him to condescend to
perform those actions his lord had done before him. And there
fore if he knows his duty, he will be happy if he practises it. ,
He moreover added, that though he had called them all to
the apostleship, and well knew the secret dispositions of every
heart, before he chose them, they need not be surprised that one
among them should prove a traitor, as it was done that the
Scripture might be fulfilled : " He that eateth bread with me,
hath lift up his heel against me."
As our blessed Saviour was now to be but a short time with
his disciples, he thought proper to take his farewell of them,
which he did in a most affectionate manner. These melancholy
tidings greatly troubled tljem. They were unwilling to part
with so kind a friend, so dear a Master, so wise a guide, and so
profitable a teacher ; especially as they thought they should be
left in a forlorn condition, a poor and helpless prey to the
rage and hatred of a blind and malicious generation. They
' seemed willing to die with their Lord, if that might be ac
cepted. Why cannot I follow thee? I will lay down my
life for thee ! was the language of one, and even all of them ;
but they could not support the thoughts of a disconsolate sep
aration. Their great and compassionate Master seeing them thus de
jected, endeavored to cheer their drooping spirits : " Let not

324 LIFE OF CHRIST.
your hearts be troubled." Listen attentively to what I am go
ing to deliver for your consolation : " I am going to prepare a
place for you ; I will come again and receive you to myself, that
where I am, there you may be also." A reviving admonition !
They were one day to meet again their dear, their affectionate
Master, in a place where they should live together to all
eternity. But death makes so vast a distance between friends, and the
disciples then knew so little of a future state, that they seemed
tp doubt whether they should, after their parting, meet their
great Redeemer. They neither knew the place where he was
going, nor the way that led to his kingdom. "Lord," said they,
" as we know not whither thou goest, how can we know the
way ?" In answer to this question, he told them, that he was
" the way, the truth, and the light ;" as if he had said,,
Through the propitiatory sacrifice I am about to offer, the sa
cred truths I have delivered, and the divine assistance which I
shall hereafter dispense, you are to obtain that happiness
which I go to prepare for you.
But lest all these arguments should not be sufficient to quiet
their minds, he had still another, which could not fail of suc
cess : " If ye love me," says he, " ye will rejoice, because I
said, I go to the Father." Intimating that he would consider
it as a proof of their love to him, if they ceased to mourn.
They doubtless thought, that by grieving for his death, they
expressed their love to their Master ; and it might seem strange
that our Saviour should put so contrary an interpretation on
their friendly sorrow, or require so unnatural a thing of them,
as to rejoice at his departure. What ! (might they think) shall
we rejoice at so amiable a friend's removal from us ; or can we
be glad, that he retires, and leaves us in this vale of misery ?
No, it is impossible ; the human heart, on so melancholy an oc
casion, can have no disposition to rejoice.
Our blessed Saviour, therefore, adds his reason, to solve tbe
seeming paradox ; because he was going to the Father : that
is, he was going to ascend to the right hand of infinite pow
er, from whence he would send them all the assistance they
could desire, It must not, however, be supposed, that he
meant by these words, that his disciples should not be concern
ed at his death, or that they could not love him unless they ex
pressed a visible joy on this occasion. That would, indeed,
have been a hard interpretation of their grief : he knew their
grief flowed from love ; and that if their love had not been
strong, their sorrow had been much less. Indeed, their Mas
ter was fully convinced that love was the occasion of their sor
row ; aud, therefore, he used these arguments to mitigate it, and
direct it in a proper course.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 325
Nor did our Lord intend to intimate that all sorrow for so
worthy a friend was unlawful, or an unbecoming expression of
their love : doubtless he was not displeased to see his disciples
so tenderly affected at his removal from them. He who shed
tears at the grave of Lazarus, blended with sighs and groans,
cannot be thought to forbid them wholly at his own. He there-,
fore did not chide his disciples with angry reproaches, as though
they had been entirely in the wrong, but gently reasoned with
them by kind persuasion. " Let not your hearts be troubled,"
as rather pitying than condemning their sorrow.
Soon after Jesus had spoken these things, his heart was great-t
ly troubled, to think that one of his disciples should prove his
enemy ; he complained of it at the table, declaring that one
of them should betray him. This moving declaration greatly
affected the disciples ; and they began every one of them to say
to their Master, "Lord, is it I?" But Jesus giving them no
decisive answer, John, the beloved disciple, whose sweet dis
position and other amiable qualities is perpetuated in the peculr
iar love his great Master bore him, and was now reclining on
his bosom, asked him, who among the disciples could be guilty
of so detestable a crime ? Jesus told him, that the person to
whom he should give the sop, when he had dipped it, was he
who should betray him. Accordingly, as soon as he had dip
ped the sop in the dish, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, saying to
him, at the same time, " That thou doest, do quickly."
Judas received the sop, without knowing any thing of what
his Master had told the beloved disciple : nor did any of the
disciples, except St. John, entertain the least suspicion that
Judas was the person who would betray their Master.
The innocentdisciples were, indeed, so deeply affected with this
declaration, that one of them should betray him, that they did
not remark the words of Jesus to his apostate disciple ; but con
tinued to ask him, who was the person that should be guilty of
so unnatural a crime ? Willing, at last, to satisfy their impor
tunity, the blessed Jesus declared, that the person who dipped
his hand with him in the dish should betray him. This, to the
eleven, was a joyful declaration, but confounding in the highest
degree to Judas. Impudent as he was, it struck him speechless,
pointing him out plainly, and displaying the foulness of his
heart. While Judas continued mute' with confusion, the blessed
Jesus declared that his death should be brought about accord
ing to the decrees of heaven, though that would not, in the
least, mitigate the crime of the person who betrayed him ; add
ing, " it had been good for that man if he had not been born."
Judas having now recovered himself a little, asserted his inno
cence by a question which implied a denial of the charge. But

326 LIFE OF CHRIST.
his Master soon silenced him, by positively affirming that he
was really the person.
As various conjectures have been formed concerning the mo
tives which induced the perfidious Judas cruelly to deliver up
his innocent Master into the hands of his enemies, it may not
be improper to cite those which appear to be most probable,
though the decision must be entirely left to the reader.
Some are of opinion that he was induced to commit this vil-
lany by the resentment of the rebuke given him by his Master
for blaming the woman who came with the precious ointment,
and anointed the head of Jesus, as he sat at meat in the house
of Simon the leper. But though this had, doubtless, its weight
with the traitor, yet it could not, I think, be his only motive ;
because the rebuke was given in general to all the disciples,
who had, perhaps, been equally forward with him in censuring
the woman. Nor can we imagine, even if he had been rebuked
alone, that so mild a reproof could provoke any person, howev
er wicked, to the horrid act of murdering his friend ; much
less Judas, whose covetous disposition must have disposed him
to bear every thing from his Master, from whom he expected
the highest preferment, if he should openly declare himself
the Messiah, and take the reins of government into his own
hands. Others think that Judas betrayed his Master through covet
ousness. But, if we understand by covetousness the reward
given by the priests, this opinion is equally defective ; for the
sum was too small for the most covetous wretch to think equiv
alent to the life of a friend, especially when he expected from
him the highest posts and advantages.
Others attribute the perfidy of Judas to his doubting whether
his Master was the Messiah ; and that he betrayed him in a fit
of despair. But of all the solutions, this is the worst founded.
For if Judas believed his Master to be an impostor, he must
have observed something in his behavior which led him to form
such an opinion of him ; and in that case he would doubtless
have mentioned it to the chief priests and elders, when he made
the contract with them ; which it is plain he did not, as they
would have reminded him of it when he came back and ex
pressed his remorse for what he had done. It should also be
observed, that had Judas given them any intimations of this
kind, tbey would doubtless have urged them against our blessed
Saviour himself, in the course of his trial, when they were at
so great a loss for witnesses to support their accusations ; and
against the apostles, afterwards, when they reproved them for
speaking in the name of Jesus. Besides, had Judas thought
his Master an impostor, and proposed nothing by his treachery
but the price he put upon his life, how came he to sell him for

LIFE OF CHRIST. 327
such a trifle, when he well knew that the chief priests and rulers
would have given him any sura rather than not have got him
into their hands ?
In fine, the supposition that Judas believed his Master to be
an impostor is directly confuted by the solemn declaration he
made to the priests, when he declared the deepest conviction of
the innocence of our great Redeemer : " I have sinned," says
he, " in betraying the innocent blood."
It must be remembered that the remorse he felt for his crime,
when he saw his Master condemned, was too bitter to be-endur-
ed ; so that he fled even to the king of terrors for relief.
The Evangelist St. John, tells us, that he was of so covetous
a disposition, as to steal money out of our Lord's bag ; and
hence we have sufficient reason to believe, that he first followed
Jesus with a view of obtaining riches, and other temporal ad
vantages, which he expected the Messiah's friends would enjoy.
It likewise authorizes us to think that as he had hitherto reaped
none of these advantages, he might grow impatient under the
delay : and the rather, as Jesus had lately discouraged all
ambitious views among his. disciples, and neglected to embrace
the opportunity of erecting that kingdom which was offered
him by the multitude, who accompanied him into Jerusalem
with shouts, and crying, Hosannah to the Son of David. His
impatience, therefore, becoming excessive, suggested to him the
thought of delivering his Master into the hands of the council,
firmly persuaded that he would then be obliged to assume the
dignity of the Messiah, and consequently be able to reward his
followers. For as this court was composed ofthe chief priests,
elders, and scribes, that is, the principal persons of the sacerdo
tal order, the representatives of the great families, and the doc
tors ofthe law; the traitor did not doubt that his Master, when
brought before so august an assembly, would assert his preten
sions to the title of Messiah, prove his claim to their full con
viction, gain them over to his interest, and immediately enter to
his regal dignity. And though he must be sensible that the
measures he took to compass his intention were very offensive
to his Master, yet he might think the success of it would, pro
cure his pardon from so compassionate a Master, and even
recommend him to favor. In the mean time his project, how
ever plausible it may appear to one of his turn, was far from
being free from difficulty : and therefore, while he revolved it
in his own mind, many things might occur to stagger his reso
lution. At length thinking himself affronted by the rebuke of
Jesus, at the time when the woman anointed the head of his
Master, he was provoked to execute the resolution he had form
ed of obliging him to alter his measures. Rising, therefore,
directly from the table, he went immediately into the city, to

328 LIFE OF CHRIST.
the palace of the high priest, where he found the council assem
bled, consulting how they might take Jesus by subtlety in the.
absence of the multitude.
To them he made known his intention of delivering his Mas
ter into their hands ; and undertook, for a small sum of money,
to conduct a band of armed men to the place where the Saviour
of the world usually spent the night with his disciples, where
they might apprehend him without the least danger of a tumult.
Some reasons may be offered in support of this opinion con
cerning the motives which induced Judas to betray his Master.
First, — From the nature of the contract : " What will ye give
me," said he, " and I will deliver him unto you ?" He did not
mean that he would deliver him up to be put to death ; for
though the priests had consulted among themselves, how they
might destroy Jesus, they had not been so abominably wicked
as to declare their intention publicly ; they only proposed to
bring him to trial, for assuming the character of the Messiah,
and to treat him as it should appear he deserved. The offer,
therefore, which Judas made them of delivering him up, was in
conformity to their declared resolutions. Nor did they under
stand it in any other light; for had the priests thought that
his design in this was to get his Master punished with death,
they must also have thought he believed him to be an impostor ;
in which case they would, doubtless, have produced him as
one of their principal evidences, .no person being more proper.
Also, when Judas returned to them with the money, declaring
that he had sinned, in betraying the innocent blood, instead of
replying, " What is that to us ? see thou to that ;" it was the
most natural thing in the world to have upbraided him with the
stain he had put upon bis Master's character, by the contract
they had made with him.
It is true, they called the money they gave him " the price of
blood ;" but they did not mean this in the strictest sense, as
they had neither hired Judas to assassinate his Master, nor can
they be supposed to have charged themselves with the guilt of
murdering him. It was only the price of blood, consequently
being the reward they had given to the traitor, for putting it in
their power to take away the life of Christ, under the color
and form of public justice. Now it may be doubted whether
Judas asked the money as a reward of his service. He covet
ously,, indeed, kept it ; and the priests, for that reason,' called
it the' price of blood.
In short, Judas knew that the rulers could not take away the
life of any person whatsoever, the Romans having deprived
them of that power^ and therefore could have no design of this
kind in delivering him up : not to mention that it was a common
opinion among the Jews, that the Messiah could never die : an

*i- LIFE OF CHRIST. S2.9
opinion that Judas might readily embrace, having seen his
Master raise several persons, and among the rest one who had
been in the grave no less than four days.
Another reason which may be assigned, in confirmation of
this opinion, is the traitor's hanging himself, when he found him
condemned, not by the governor, but by the council, whose
prerogative it was to judge prophets. Had Judas proposed to
take away the life of his Master, tire sentence of condem
nation passed upon him, instead of filling him with despair,
must have gratified him, being the accomplishment of his
project :- whereas, the light wherein we have endeavored to.
place his conduct, shews this circumstance to have been per
fectly natural.
He knew him to be thoroughly innocent, and expected that
he would have wrought such miracles before the council as
should have constrained them to believe. Therefore, when he
found that nothing of this kind was done, and that the priests
had passed the sentence of condemnation upon him, and were
carrying him to the governor to get it executed, he repented of
his rash and covetous project, came to the chief priests and el
ders, the persons to whom he had betrayed bim, offered them
their money again, and solemnly declared the deepest conviction
of his Master's innocence, hoping that they would have desisted
from the persecution. But they were obstinate, and would
not relent ; upon which his remorse arose to such a pitch, that,
unable to support the torments of his conscience, he went and
hanged himself.
Thus, it is probable that the traitor's intention in delivering
up his Master, was not to get him punished with death, but
only to lay him under a necessity of proving his pretensions
before the grandees, whom he had hitherto shunned; think
ing, that if they had yielded, the whole nation would imme
diately have been raised forthwith to the summit of their ex
pectations. This account of Judas' conduct is by no means calcula
ted to lessen the foulness of his crime, which was the black
est imaginable. For even in the light above mentioned, it im
plied both an insatiable avarice, and a wilful opposition to the
councils of Providence, and rendered the actor of it a dis
grace to human nature. But it is calculated to set the cred
ibility of the traitor's action in a proper light, and to shew
that he was not moved to it by any thing suspicious' in the
character of his Master: because, according to his view of
it, his perfidy, instead of implying that he entertained suspi
cions of his Master's integrity, plainly proves that he had the
fullest conviction of his being the Messiah. Nor was it pos«>
42

330 LIFE OF CHRIST.
sible for any one, who had been present at the miracles
which Jesus wrought, and the doctrines which he delivered,
to admit of a doubt of his being the Son of God, the Sav
iour of mankind ; unless blinded by the most obstinate pre
judice.

CHAPTER XXXIII.
Jesus institutes the Sacrament in commemoration of his Death
and Sufferings. — Settles a dispute which arose among his
Disciples.— Predicts Peter's cowardice in denying his Master.
—Fortifies his Disciples against the approaching shock. —
ForeUls Peter's cowardice again. — Preaches to, and prays
with, his Disciples for the last time- — Passionate address of
our Lord to Kis Father, in the Garden.
The great Redeemer, ever mindful of the grand design
of his mission, even the salvation of lost and perishing sin
ners, was not in the least aftected by the treachery of his
apostate disciple. For, knowing that he must become a sac
rifice for sin, Sic. he instituted the sacrament of his supper, to
perpetuate the memory of it throughout all ages. According
ly, as they were eating the paschal supper, " Jesus took bread,
and blessed it and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and
said, Take, eat : this is my body." Matt. xxvi. 26. Observe
this rite no longer in remembrance of your deliverance from
Egypt, but in remembrance of me ; who by dying for you, will
bring you out of the spiritual bondage, a bondage far worse
than the Egyptian, under which your fathers groaned, and will
establish you in the glorious liberty of the children of God. Do
it in remembrance of me, who, by laying down my life, will
ransom you from sin, from death, from hell, and will set open
the gates of heaven to you, that you may enter immortality in
triumph. »
Having given the bread to his disciples, he also took the cup,
and gave it to them, saying, " Drink ye all of it ; for this is my
blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many, for the
remission of sins." Matt. xxvi. 27, 28. All of you, and all of
my disciples, in all ages, must drink of this cup, because it
represents my blood shed for the remission of the sins of man
kind : my blood by which the new covenant between God and
man is ratified. It is, therefore, my blood of the" new covenant;
so that this institution exhibits to your joyful meditation, the

THE LAST SUPPER.
[Page 330.]

" And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, Tliis
is my body, which is given for you : this do in remembrance of me.
" Likewise also tlie cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in roy bipod,
which is shed for you." — Luke xxii. 19, 20.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 331
grand basis of the hopes of the children of men, and perpet
uates the memory of it to the end ofthe world. He added, "I
will not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until that
day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."
Matt. xxvi. 29.
The manifestation of the Son of God is the most illustrious,
the most momentous event that is possible to engage the medita
tions of mankind. To his life and deafo, his resurrection and
ascension into glory, we are indebted for our hopes and assur
ances of pardon, for our peace, for our happiness. To procure
our benefit, he made the most amazing condescension from the
dignity he enjoyed with his Father, by putting on the veil of
flesh ; he poured divine instruction from his lips, and shone forth
with an all-perfect, and all-lovely example. For our benefit, he
submitted to a course of the most cruel treatment from his bitter
enemies, to the agonies of the cross, and to the stroke of the
king of terrors. For our benefit, he arose again with power
and lustre, ascended into the mansions of eternal happiness,
manages our affairs with the Almighty, and holdeth the reins
of government. With the greatest wisdom and goodness, there
fore, this beneficent Jesus instituted a rite that should recall his
love to our memories, and awake each pious passion in our
breast ; a rite, which, by the breaking of bread, and the pouring
out of wine, should represent to us, in a striking manner, that
most signal proof of the affection both of him and his heavenly
Father, when his tender frame was exposed to wounds and
bruises, when streams of the most precious blood issued from
his sacred veins.
The more we reflect on this instance of divine love, the
more we shall perceive that there was a peculiar propriety in
pointing out by a particular ordinance; a fact of such immense
importance in the system of revelation. Nay, we may venture
to conjecture, that in some dark and corrupt ages, when the
scriptures were but little known by the common people, and
hardly studied by the priests, the death of our Saviour would
have been almost forgotten, had not the remembrance of it been
renewed by the celebration of this sacred ordinance.
It should also be remembered, that the Vanities of the world,
the allurements of sensual pleasure, the charms of ambition, the
splendor of riches ; in short, temptations from present objects
of every kind, have often too fatal an influence on our temper
and conduct. They have a fatal aptitude to draw the soul aside
to folly, and to obliterate the impressions of things divine. It
was therefore a wise, a kind intention of our great Redeemer,
by a frequent repetition of the sacramental feast, to call back the
wandering heart of man to a sense of his duty and obligations as
a Christian.

332 LIFE OF CHRIST.
Besides, though the religion of the immaculate Jesus is alto
gether gentle, generous, and beneficent ; though its whole ten
dency is to correct the passions, sweeten the dispositions, and en
large the affections of men ; and though it enforces all this upon
us by motives surprisingly powerful and affecting ; yet such is
the perverseness of the human heart, that jealousies and con-,
tentions, envy, wrath, and malice, too often find admittance
there. Was it not then an instance of our Saviour's wisdom
and benevolence, by uniting us together at the sacrament of his
body and blood, to urge the putting away all bitterness, anger,
evil-speaking, and revenge ; and to inspire us with condescen
sion, compassion, and love ?
How careful, therefore, ought we to be in performing this
duty appointed by our dying Saviour ! We should, in order to
receive it worthily, employ our meditation on the design and ex
cellency of the Gospel ; on the noble system of the doctrines
and duties it contains ; on the illustrious, divine, and complete
example of the blessed Jesus ; on tbe important privileges, the
valuable promises, and the ravishing prospects his revelation af
fords ; and on the bright and convincing evidence with which it
is attended. t
We should contemplate that essential and unparalleled benev
olence of the Father in forming the means of our redemption ;
on the readiness manifested by the Son of God in undertaking
our cause ; and on his wonderful transactions in the prosecution
of this grand, this amazing work. Above all, we should impress
upon our souls a strong sense of the special and immediate pur
poses for which this sacrament was appointed.
When we actually join in communion, we should be careful •
that our affections be properly directed and warmly engaged.
To have our hearts fixed -upon the vanities, the profits, and the
cares of this world, is a direct violation of the ordinance : and
therefore we should be extremely careful to maintain a right
temper and behaviour at that time. We should study to abstract
our thoughts as much as possible from every foreign, every ter
restrial consideration, and to have our passions fervently em-
ployed in the solemn service. " Retire, O my soul (each of us
should say) from this inferior scene of things; from all its
pleasures and all its pursuits, and bold communion with the Al
mighty, and his Son, the immaculate Jesus. Meditate upon
that infinite grace of Omnipotence, which formed the amazing
plan that displayed pardon, peace, and endless happiness, to so
undeserving a creature as thou art. Recollect that surprising
Condescension and tenderness of thy compassionate Redeemer,
which induced him to bring down from heaven salvation to the
Sons of men. Call to mind the admirable instructions he offer
ed, the charming pattern he exhibited, the hard labors and suf-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 333
ferings he endured, in the course of his ministry ; especially,
call to mind the ignominy, the reproaches, the agonies, he en
dured when he hung upon the cross, and purchased for thee,eter-
nal mercy. Think upon these affecting subjects, till thine heart
is filled with sorrow for thine iniquities ; till thy faith becomes
lively, active, and fruitful ; till thy gratitude and love are eleva
ted to the highest pitch ; till thy pbedience is rendered uniform,
steady, and complete. Hast thou, O my God, the parent of
universal nature f — hast thou so illustriously manifested thy
compassion for sinners, as not to spare thine own Son : hast
thou sent the Saviour into the lower world, in order to raise the
children of men to immortality, perfection, and glory : and am I
now in thy presence on purpose to celebrate this institution,
which requireth me to commemorate the death of the great
Messiah ; to declare my public acceptance of his excellent reve
lation, and my regard to my Christian brethren ? May then
the remembrance of his beneficence dwell upon my mind, and
upon my tongue, for ever and ever ! May I consider and com
ply with the intention of his Gospel ; and may the sentiments of
kindness and charity towards all my fellow mortals, and fellow
disciples, reign in my breast, with increasing purity, with in
creasing zeal."
Such are the views that should possess our souls, when we
partake of this sacred ordinance ; but it will signify little to en
tertain these views, at that time, unless the effects of them are
apparent in our future conduct and conversation ; for a transient
flow of affections, or sallies of immediate delight, were not
principally intended in this institution.
The blessed Jesus did not ordain it as a ceremony or charm,
but as a proper method of establishing our hearts in the fear
and love of God, who gave his only beloved Son to die for
wretched sinners. Though ye have, therefore, O Christians !
obeyed the Redeemer's command in this appointment, and
found your passions greatly moved, yet this is not the whole
required at your hands ; it will justly be expected that ye should
live to the honor of your divine Master. As you have solemnly
professed your faith in him, and your love towards him, the
reality of your faith and love should be demonstrated by walk
ing more strictly in the way of his precepts, and by abounding
in that heavenly character and temper which his spotless exam
ple so engagingly recommends. Thus only will the sacrament
become subservient to the most beneficial purposes. Thus only ,
will it be instrumental in qualifying us for sharing in the' dignity
and felicity ppssessed by our exalted Saviour.
May therefore all the followers of the immaculate Jesus, by
uniting together at his sacred table, advance from holiness to
holiness, till they arrive at the regions of eternal felicity 1

334 LIFE OF CHRIST.
Our blessed Saviour, after delivering the sacramental cup,
and telling them that his blood was shed for them, mentioned
the treachery of Judas a second time: " Behold, he is at hand
that doth betray me." Matt. xxvi. 46. This second declara
tion was made very properly after the institution of the sacra
ment, which exhibits the highest instance of our great Redeem
er's love to mankind, his dying to obtain the remission of their
sins ; for it abundantly proves that the person who could be
deliberately guilty of such an injury to so kind a friend, must
have been a monster, the foulness of whose ingratitude cannot
be described by the force of language.
Some of the disciples, particularly struck with horror at the
thought of Judas' treachery, rebuked him, by asking him, with
surprise, how he could betray his Master ? This accusation
Judas no doubt repelled, by impudently denying the fact : but
consciousness of guilt giving edge to the reproaches of his
brethren, and to every circumstance of the affair, he immediate
ly left the company, exceedingly displeased at thinking himself
insulted and affronted.
The important, the awful scene now approached, when the
great work was to be finished. The traitor, Judas, was gone
to the chief priests and elders, for a band of soldiers to appre
hend him ; but this did not discompose the Redeemer of man
kind : he took occasion to meditate on the glory that would
accrue, both to himself and the Almighty, from those sufferings,
and spake of it to his disciples. " Now," said he, " is the Son
of man glorified, and God is glorified in him." He told them
that, having already done honor to his Father by the past ac
tions of his life, and being about to honor him yet farther by his
sufferings and death, which would display his perfections, par
ticularly his infinite love to the human race, in the most aston
ishing and amiable light, he was in his turn to receive honor
from his Father; intimating that his human nature was to be
exalted to the right hand of Omnipotence ; and that his mission
from, God was to be supported by irrefragable attestations. But
his disciples, imagining that he spake of the glory of a temporal
kingdom, their ambition was again revived, and they began
to dispute with as much keenness as ever, which of them should
be the greatest in that kingdom. This contention Jesus sup
pressed by the arguments he had formerly used for the same
purpose. Among the Gentiles, said he, they are reckoned the
greatest who have the greatest power, aud have exercised it in
the most absolute manner : but your greatness shall be very dif
ferent from theirs ; it shall not consist in being unlimited with
regard to tyrannical power, even though it should be joined
with an affectation of titles, which denote qualities truly honor
able ; but whosoever desires to be great, or chief among you,

LIFE OF CHRIST. 335
let him be so by his humility, and the service he renders to the
rest, in imitation of me, your Master, whose greatness consists
in this, that I am become the servant of yon all. Adding, as
they had continued with him in this temptation, he would be
stow upon them such a kingdom as his Father had appointed
for him. At the same time, to check their ambition, and lead
them to form a just notion of his kingdom, he told them, that
he was soon to leave them, and that whither he was going, they
could not at that time follow him ; for which reason, instead of
contending with one another which of them should be the great
est, they would do well to be united among themselves, in the
happy bond of love. For by loving one another sincerely and
fervently, they would prove themselves his disciples, to the con
viction of mankind, who could not be ignorant that love was a
distinguishing part of his character.
This is termed a new commandment, not because mutual love
had never been enjoined to mankind before, but because it was
a precept of peculiar excellency ; for the word, translated new,
in the Hebrew language denotes excellency and truth ; he also
called this a -new commandment, because they weie to exercise
it under a new relation, according to a new measure, and from
new motives. They were to love one another, in the relation of
his disciples, and in that degree of love which he had showed
to them ; for they were to lay down their lives for their brethren.
This excellent doctrine, however, did not make such an im
pression on Peter, as the words which Jesus had spoken con
cerning a place whither his disciples could not come. He
therefore replied by asking where he was going. ' To which
Jesus answered, " Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now ;
but thou shalt follow me afterward."
In order to make his disciples farther humble, watchful, and
kindly affectionate one towards another, he assured them that
Satan was seeking to ruin them all by his temptations : " And
the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to
have you, that he might sift you as wheat; but I have prayed
for thee that thy faith fail not ; and when thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren." Peter was greatly offended that his
Master should have singled him out as the weakest ; for so he
interpreted his praying for him particularly ; and supposing that
he mentioned Satan's seeking to sift him, as the thing which
would hinder him from following his Master, replied, Why can
not I follow thee now ? Is there any road more terrible than
tbe dark valley of the shadow of death ? Yet through these
black and gloomy shades, I am willing this moment to accom
pany thee.
Jesus knowing his weak, though sincere, resolution, answered.
Art thou so very confident of thine own strength ? I tell thee,

336 LIFE OF CHRIST.
that this very night, before the cock crows, thou shalt thrice
deny me to be thy Master.
Our blessed Saviour having finished what he had to say to
Peter in particular, turned himself to his other disciples, and
put them in mind that when they were first sent out, he directed
them to rely wholly upon the Almighty for assistance. When
I sent you formerly, said he, to preach the Gospel, you may
remember I ordered you to go without any provision, either for
your sustenance or defence, assuring you, that though you
would indeed meet with great opposition, yet Providence would
dispose some men in all places to be your friends, and to fur
nish you wi.th all necessaries ; and accordingly you found that
you wanted for nothing, but were wonderfully supported, with
out any care or provision of your own, in the whole journey,
and finished your work with success. But now the case is very
different : the time of that greatest trial and distress, whereof
I have often forewarned you, is just at hand : and you may now
make all the provision in your power, and arm yourselves
against it, as much as you are able.
I have finished the work for which I was sent into the world :
and nothing now remains for nse, but to undergo those suffer
ings which the prophets have foretold concerning me, and to
complete this whole dispensation of Providence, by submitting
at last to a cruel and ignominious death.
The disciples, thinking their great Master meant that they
should arm themselves in a literal sense, and endeavor to op
pose the assaults that would shortly be made upon them by the
Jews, answered, " Lord, here are two swords :" but the blessed
Jesus, who only intended to convey an idea of their approaching
distress and temptations, and to arm them against the surprise,
replied, " It is enough ;" you need not trouble yourselves about
any more weapons of this nature for your defence.
Be not terrified and disconsolate, added the compassionate
Jesus, because I have told you that I must undergo great suf
ferings, and be taken away from you for a time. You have
always been taught to believe in God, who is the Almighty
Preserver and Governor of all things ; and to rely on him for
deliverance in every affliction and distress.
Learn now, in like manner, to believe in me, who have all
power committed to me, as a preserver and head of my church :
and trust in me to accomplish fully all things that I have prom
ised you. If you do this, and persist steadfastly in the belief
of my doctrine, and in the obedience of my commands, nothing
in this vale of misery, not even persecution, or death itself,
shall he able to hinder you from attaining the happiness I have
proposed to you. For in heaven, my Father's house, there is
abundant room to receive you : otherwise I would not have filled

LIFE OF CHRIST. 337
your minds with the hopes and expectation of happiness. But
as there are mansions sufficient for you in another state, you
may with confidence and assurance hope for the full accomplish
ment of my promises, notwithstanding all this present world
may contrive or act against you. And ye ought also to
bear patiently my departure from you, at this time ; since I
only leave you to prepare a place, and open the portals of those
eternal habitations where I shall be ever with you. When 1
have prepared a place for you in that eternal state, I will again
return, and take you to myself. Nor shall you ever more be
separated from me, but continue with me to all eternity, in full
participation of my eternal glory and happiness, in the blissful
regions of the heavenly Canaan. You must now surely know
whither I am going, and the way that leads to these happy seats
of immortality.
But the disciples, whose minds were not yet fully weaned
from the expectation of a temporal power and glory, did not
understand this discourse of their great and beloved Master.
Accordingly Thomas replied, Lord, we cannot comprehend
whither tbou art going ; and therefore must needs be ignorant
of the way.
To which the blessed Jesus answered, I myself, as I have
often told you, am the true and only way to life ; nor can any
man go thither by any other way. If ye say, you do pot know
the Father, I tell you, that no man who knoweth me, can be
ignorant of my Father, of his will, and the manner of pleas
ing him: if ye know me, you must know that all my actions
have been directed by the will of the Father, and for the glory
of his name.
Philip answered, Lord, shew us but once the Father, and we
shall be fully satisfied.
Jesus replied, Have I been so long with you, Philip, and yet
thou art a stranger to him who sent me ? I tell you, that to
know one, is to be acquainted with both. What then can you
mean by desiring to see the Father, as if you could be still ig
norant of him, after being so long acquainted with me ? Be
assured, Philip, that whatsoever I speak is the declaration of
his will, and whatsoever I do is the operation of his power. And
if you refuse to believe my own affirmation, yet, at least, let my
works convince you ; for they carry in them undeniable evi
dences of a divine power. " He that believeth on me, the
works that I do shall he do also, aud greater works than these
shall he do, because I go unto my Father." John, xiv. 12.
Surely then you have matter sufficient to comfort and sup
port your spirits, under the thoughts of my departure from you.
Ye have abundant reason to believe that I have power to per
form all the promises I have made you ; and the design of my
43

338 LIFE OF CHRIST.
departure actually to perform them. When I am returned %a
my Father, ye shall soon receive sufficient pledges of my care
and remembrance of you. Ye shall be endued with power not
only to perform the same works ye have seen me do, as heal
ing diseases, giving sight to the blind, casting out devils, and
the like, for the conviction of the Jews ; but even to do greater
things than these : to speak with all kinds of tongues, and to
propagate my religion among the Gentiles, even through all the
nations of the earth.
And whatsoever ye shall ask of my Father, in my name, as
being my disciples, and in order to promote the work of the
Gospel, shall certainly be granted you. That God may be
greatly glorified by the extraordinary success and spreading of
the religion of his Son, I say, that whatsoever ye shall ask, I
will take care, after my return to the Father, that it shall
be granted you. Only ye must remember, as the necessary
condition upon which all depends, that ye be careful, above
all things, to continue steadfast and immovable in your obe
dience to my commands: this is the only true mark you can
give of the sincerity of your love towards me ; it is more than
your grieving at my departure, or any other external indications
of zeal whatsoever.
The Father, I say, shall send you another advocate and com
forter, even his Holy Spirit, the author and teacher of truth,
who shall guide and direct, assist . and comfort you in all cases.
This Spirit the sensual and corrupt world cannot receive ;
having no knowledge of the divine truths or disposition to be
governed by them. But ye know them, and are disposed to
entertain them. The spirit of the Father is already within you,
by the secret and invisible efficacy ; and shall hereafter appear
in you openly, by great and visible manifestations.
Thus, though I must depart from you, yet I do by no means
leave you comfortless. I leave you with a promise of the Holy
Spirit ; and I leave you in expectation also of my own return.
For though, after a very little while, I shall appear no more
to the world, yet to you I will appear again ; for I shall five
again, and ye also shall live with me.
When, therefore, I have conquered and triumphed over death,
ye shall understand more fully, and it shall appear more visible,
by great and manifest effects, that I act in all things agreeably
to my Father's will, and am perfectly invested with his power ;
and that ye in like manner, have my power and commission
communicated to you ; so that there is a perfect unity and com
munion between us. Only ye must remember, that the one ne
cessary condition on which all depends, is, that ye continue
steadfast and immovable in your faith in me, and in your obedi
ence to my commands. He, and he only, who embraces my

LIFE OF CHRIST. 339
doctrine, and obeys and practises it, shall be judged to be sin
cere in his love towards me. And he who loves me in that man
ner, shall be loved by my Father ; and I myself also will love
him, and manifest myself to him.
Here Judas Thaddeus interrupted his Master, saying, Lord,
why wilt thou choose to manifest thyself to us, a few particular
persons, and not to the generality ofthe world?
Jesus replied, I have already told you the reason for my act
ing in this manner ; because the generality of the world are not
disposed to obey my commandments, the necessary condition of
maintaining communion with me. But ye are disposed to em
brace my doctrine, and to obey it ; and, therefore, I manifest
myself to you. And whoever else will so love me as to keep
my commandments, him also will I and my Father love, and
will maintain communion with him, and all spiritual blessings
shall be poured down upon him, and he shall be made partaker
of happiness and eternal life.
On the contrary, whoever loves me not, that is, obeys not
my commandments, shall have no intercourse or communion
with me. Neither will my Father love or honor him, or make
any manifestations of himself to him ; for as my commandments
are not my own, but the Father's commandments ; therefore,
whoever dishonors me, my Father will look upon him as dishon
oring himself.
These things have I briefly spoken to you now, according to
the shortness ofthe time I am to continue with you, and to com
fort you for the present, against my departure. But when
the Comforter whom I promised you, is come, even the Holy
Spirit, whom my Father shall send you on my account, he
shall instruct you more fully, recalling to your remembrance
what you have forgotten, explaining what is yet obscure, and
supplying what is farther necessary to be taught .you, and to
be understood by you.
In the mean time I take my leave of you, and my blessing I
leave with you : not formally, and after the common fashion of
the world, but affectionately and sincerely ; retaining a careful
remembrance of you, and with an earnest desire and intention
of returning again speedily to you. Wherefore, be not over
much grieved for me and my departure, nor fearful of what
may then befal yourselves. I go away from you, but it is
with an intention as I have already told you, to return to you
again. If you loved me with a wise and understanding affec
tion, ye would rejoice, instead of grieving at my present depar
ture ; because I am going to my Father, the supreme author of
all glory and happiness.
These things I have now told you before they come to pass,
.that when ye see them happen, your faith in me, and your ex-

340 LIFE OF CHRIST.
pectation of the performance of all my promises, may be con
firmed and strengthened: the time will not allow me to say
much more to you, at present : my end draweth near, the ruler
of this world, the prince of the power of darkness, is at this in
stant employing all his wicked instruments to apprehend and de
stroy me. Not that either the power of the devil, or the malice
of man, can at all prevail over me, but because the time of my
suffering, according to the appointment of divine wisdom, is ar
rived ; and that I may demonstrate to the world my love and
obedience to my Father, I willingly submit myself to be put to
death by the hands of sinful and cruel men. Rise up, let us be
going, that I may enter on my sufferings.
Having thus spoken, they finished the passover, with singing
a hymn, and went out to the Mount of Olives.
On their arrival at the place which was to be the scene of his
sufferings, he desired therii to fortify themselves by prayer, and
forewarned them of the terrible effects his sufferings would have
upon them : they would make them all stumble, that very night,
agreeably to the prophecy of Zechariah : " I will smite the
shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad."
To strengthen their faith, therefore, he uot only mentioned his
own resurrection, but told them they should see him in Galilee,
after he was risen from the dead.
On our blessed Saviour's mentioning the offence that his dis
ciples would take at his suffering, Peter recollected what had
been said to him in particular, before they left the house. Griev
ed, therefore, afresh, to find his Master entertain such thoughts
of him, and being now armed with a sword, the vehemence of
his temper urged him to boast a second time of his courageous
and close attachment to his Master. " Though all men," said
he, " should be offended because of thee, yet will I never be of
fended." But Jesus knowing that human confidence and secu
rity were weak and frail, thought proper to forewarn him again
of his danger, and told him, that the cock should not crow be
fore he had denied him.
Peter, however, still continued to repeat his confidence, I will
die with thee, but never deny thee. The disciples all joined
with Peter in professing their fixed resolution of suffering death,
rather than they would deny their Master ; but the event folly
confirmed the prediction of our Saviour. From hence we may
learn, how ignorant men are of their own hearts, and that the
strongest resolutions in their own strength avail nothing.
The compassionate Redeemer of mankind, not willing to lose
one single moment ofthe short time of his ministry that yet re
mained, continued to instruct his disciples in the great truths he
came into the world to explain : and from the vines which were
growing round him on the Mount of Olives, he began his ex-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 341
cellent discourse, With the parable of the vine, to the follow
ing import.
Hitherto, said the blessed Jesus, the Jewish church and na
tion have been the peculiar care of Providence ; as a choice and
goodly vine, likely to bring forth much fruit, is the special care
ofthe husbandman. But from henceforth, mytchurch, my dis
ciples, and the professors of my religion, of what country or
nation soever they be, shall become the people of God, and the
peculiar care of divine Providence. 1 will be to them as the
root and stock of a vine, of which they are the branches, and
my Father the husbandman and vine-dresser.
As in the management of a choice vine, the skilful vine-dresser
cuts off all barren and superfluous branches, that they may not
burden nor exhaust the tree, and prunes and dresses the fruitful
branches, that they may grow continually, and bear more fruit ;
so, in the government of my church, all useless, wicked, and
incorrigible members, my Father, by his judgment, cuts off and
destroys ; but those who are sincerely pious and good, he, by
the various and merciful dispensations of his Providence towards
them, tries, purifies, and amends, that they may daily improve,
and be more and more abundant in all good works.
Now ye, my apostles, are such members as these, being puri
fied in heart and mind, and prepared for every good work, by
your lively faith in me, and sincere resolutions to obey my com
mands. Continue steadfastly in this state, and then you may be
sure of deriving all spiritual blessings from me, as the branches
receive sap and nourishment from the vine. But as a branch,
without continuing in the vine, cannot bear any fruit, but pres
ently dries up and perishes ; so ye, unless ye continue steadfast
in your communion with me, by a lively faith and sincere- obe
dience, so as to receive grace and spiritual blessings, can never
bring forth any good fruit of true holiness and righteousness,
but will fall into vanity, superstition, and wickedness, ahd, at
last, utterly perish.
I am, as it were, I say, the root and stock of the vine, where
of ye are the branches. He that continues to adhere to me) by
a constant faith in me, shall bring forth much fruit unto ever
lasting life; eve*n as a branch which continues to grow in a vine,
and receives sap and nourishment from it. But he that does
not continue his relation to me in this manner, is a false and
useless professor, and shall be cast out from me, and perish for
ever ; even as a fruitless branch is cut off from the vine, and left
to wither and dry, and is, at last, burned in the fire.
If you continue in me, by believing my words, and holding
fast what ye believe, and obeying and practising it accordingly ;
no power or malice, either of man or of devils, shall be able to
hurt you, or oppose your doctrines. For though I be absent

342 LIFE OF CHRIST.
from you in body, yet I will hear your prayers, and my Fathei
himself, also, will hear you : and whatsoever ye shall ask, for
the glory of the Almighty, and the propagation of my true re
ligion in the world, shall certainly be granted you. But above
all things carefully remember to demonstrate your continuance
in me1, by abounding in all good works of holiness, righteous
ness, and charity. This is the honor which my Father desires
and expects from you ; even as it is the glory and desire of a
vine-dresser, that his vine should bring forth much fruit. And
this is the honor that I myself expect from you, that ye should
prove yourselves to be really and indeed my disciples, by im
itating my example, and obeying my commands. This yeare
bound to do, not only in duty, but in gratitude also ; for as my
Father hath loved me, so have I also loved you; and ye in like
manner ought to love me again, that you may continue to be
loved by me. But the way to express your love towards me,
and to continue to be loved by me, is to keep my command
ments ; even as I, by keeping my Father's commandments, have
expressed my love towards him, and continue to be loved by
him. These things have I spoken to you before my departure, that
the comfort ye have taken in my presence, may be continued in
my absence, and even increased to the coming ofthe Holy Spirit,
as it will be upon this condition, which I have so often repeated
to you, that you keep my commandments. And the principal
of these commandments is, that 3'e love one another; not after
the common fashion of the world, but in such a manner as I
have loved you ; nor can you be ignorant what sort of love
that is, when I tell you that I am now going to lay down my
life for you. This is the highest instance, in which it is possi
ble for a man to express his love towards his greatest friends
and benefactors : but this I am now going to do for you, and
for all mankind. I do not consider you as my benefactors, but
as my friends, upon this condition only, that ye keep my com
mandments. I might, indeed, justly call you servants, consid
ering the infinite distance between me and you, and the obliga
tion ye hSve to obey my commandments ; but I have not treated
you as servants who are not admitted into theit Master's coun
sels, but as friends, revealing to you the whole will of my
Father, with all freedom and plainness.
I have, I say, behaved myself to you, as to the nearest friends.
Not that you first obliged me, or did any acts of kindness for
me, but I have freely, and of my own good pleasure, chosen
you to be my apostles, and the preachers of my Gospel, that
you may go and declare the will of God to the world, and
bring forth much and lasting fruit in the conversion of men to
the knowledge of the truth, and to the profession and practice

LIFE OF CHRIST. 343
of true religion and virtue. In the performance of this work,
whatsoever ye shall ask of my Father, in my name, in order
to enable you to perform it effectually and with full success,
shall certainly be granted you.
Now all these things which I have spoken unto you concern
ing the greatness of my love towards you, in choosing you to
be my apostles, in revealing unto you the whole will of my Fa
ther, and in laying down my life for you ; I have urged and
inculcated upon you for this reason chiefly, as I at first told you,
that ye may learn, after my example, to " love one another."
The world, indeed, you must expect will hate and persecute
you, upon my account. But this you ought not to be surprised
or terrified at, knowing that it is no worse treatment than I
myself have met with before you.
Be uot, therefore, surprised when ye meet with opposition ;
nor think to find better treatment in the world than I myself
have done. Remember what I have already told you, that the
disciple is not above his Master ; nor is he that is sent greater
than he that sent him. If men had generally and readily em
braced my doctrine, you might, indeed, have had some reason
to expect that they would willingly have received your's also.
But since I myself have suffered great indignities and persecu
tions from wicked and perverse, from obstinate and incorrigible
men, only for opposing their vices, it is highly reasonable that
you should expect to undergo the like treatment upon the like
account. In all which sufferings you will, moreover,6 have this
further comfortable consideration to support you, that the jus
tice of your own cause, and the injustice of your persecutors,
will by that means most evidently appear ; seeing ye are perse
cuted only for professing and preaching in my name the doc
trine of true religion and virtue ; and they persecute you only
because they know not God, and out of mere malice will not
bear to be instructed in his commands.
Indeed, had not I appeared to the world with all possible
demonstrations of authority and truth, teaching men a most
holy and undeniable doctrine, sufficient to reform their manners
and amend their lives, and moreover demonstrating my divine
commission by such proofs as ought to satisfy and convince the
most doubting and suspicious minds, they might have had some
plea and excuse of ignorance for their unbelief. But now, since
all reasonable evidence has been offered them, and proper meth
ods used for their conversion and salvation, and yet they wil
fully and obstinately reject these means of grace, it is plain they
have no excuse for their sin ; but they oppose and persecute
you only because they will not forsake their worldly lusts, and
out of mere malice will not bear to be instructed in the com
mands of the Almighty. So that tbey who oppose and perse-

344 LIFE OF CHRIST.
cute you, as they have before persecuted me, shew plainly that
they are haters of God, and of his most holy commandments.
Which is, as I have already told you, a plain evidence of the
justice of your own cause, and of the injustice of your perse
cutors. If I had not, I say, done such works among them as no man
ever did, they might, indeed, have had some appearance of
excuse for their sin. But now, having seen abundant proofs of
my authority, and undeniable evidence of the truth of my doc
trine, and yet wilfully and obstinately persisting to oppose it,
because inconsistent with their lusts, it is plain that their dis
honoring me is a dishonor done to God himself, and a direct
contempt of his commands : so that they are utterly inexcusable.
But it is no wonder, when men have given themselves wholly
up to be governed by worldly affections, passions, and vices,
they should act contrary to all the reason and evidence in the
world. For this is but the natural consequence of obstinate and
habitual wickedness ; and hereby is only fulfilled in me what
holy David long since prophetically complained of, that they
hated him without a cause.
But notwithstanding all the opposition that wicked and in
corrigible men will make against my doctrine, there will not be
wanting powerful promoters of it, who shall effectually overcome
all opposition. For the Comforter, whom I said I will send
you from heaven, even that " spirit of truth," which cometh
forth, and is sent from the Father, shall, when he cometh, with
wonderful efficacy bear testimony to the truth of my doctrine,
and cause it to be spread through the world with incredible
success. Nay, and ye yourselves, also, though now so weak,
fearful and doubting, shall then very powerfully bear testimony
to the truth of all the things, whereof ye, having been all along
present with me, have been eye-witnesses from the beginning.
Thus have I warned you, beforehand, of the opposition and
persecution ye must expect to meet with in the world, that when
it cometh, ye may not be surprised and terrified, so as to be
discouraged thereby from persisting in the performance of your
duty. Ye must expect, particularly, that the chief priests, and rulers
of the Jews, men of great hypocrisy and superstition, zealous
for their ceremonies and ritual traditions, but careless to know
and obey the will of Omnipotence in matters of great and eter
nal obligation, and invincibly prejudiced against the spiritual
holiness and purity of my doctrine ; these, I say, you must ex
pect will excommunicate you as apostates, and cast you out of
all their societies, as the vilest of malefactors. Nay, to such an
absurd height of malice will their superstition carry them, that
they will even fancy they promote the service of God, and the

LIFE OF CHRIST. 34S
cause of religion, when they most barbarously murder and de
stroy you. But I have warned you of all this, beforehand, that
ye may prepare and fortify yourselves against it ; and that when
it cometh to pass, ye may remember, I foretold it to you, and
your faith in me may thereby be strengthened.
It was needless to acquaint you with these scenes of suf
ferings, while I was with you : but now being about to leave
you, I think it necessary to acquaint you what things are like
ly to come upon you after my departure, and also, at the same
time, what comfort you may expect to support you under them.
Now I must mention the melancholy part, namely, that I am
going from you, and that great temptations will befall you Jn
my absence ; this, indeed, ye readily apprehend, and suffer
yourselves to be overwhelmed with grief at the thoughts of it.
But the comfortable part of my discourse, namely, that my de
parture is only in order to return to him that sent me, and that
I will soon after send you the Holy Spirit, and the other ad
vantages that will thence result to you, are neither considered,
nor are you solicitous about them. Nevertheless, if ye will lis
ten, I will plainly tell you the truth. Ye are so far from hav
ing reason to be dejected at the thoughts of my departure,
that, on the contrary, it is really profitable and expedient for
you, that I should now depart : for such is the order and dispen
sation of Providence towards you, and the appointment of my
Father's eternal and all-wise counsel, that before I go and take
possession of my kingdom, the Comforter, which is the Holy
Spirit, cannot be sent unto you ; but when I am departed from
you, and have all power in heaven and in earth committed
unto me, then I will send him unto you. And when he com
eth, he shall abundantly support and comfort you under all your
troubles ; shall powerfully plead your cause against your ad
versaries ;. and shall, with wonderful efficacy, cause the doctrine
of the Gospel to spread and prevail in the world, against all op
position. He shall particularly^ and in a most extraordinary
and convincing manner, make the world sensible of the great
ness and heinousness of a sin of which they were not aware ; of
the righteousness and justice of a dispensation they did not un
derstand, and of the execution of a most remarkable judgment
they did not expect.
First, by wonderfully attesting and confirming the truth of
my doctrine, by the gift of tongues, and other wonderful signs,
he shall convince the world of the greatness and heinousness of
their sins in disbelieving and rejecting me.
Secondly, by demonstrating that my departure out of the
world, was not perishing and dying, but only a returning to my
Father, in order to be invested with all power both in heaven
and earth ; he shall convince the world of the righteousness
44

346 LIFE OF CHRIST.
and justice of my cause, and of the excellency of that dis
pensation which I preach and declare to mankind.
Lastly, by mightily destroying the power of the devil and
dominion of sin, and propagating the doctrine of true religion
in the world, with wonderful efficacy and success, he shall con
vince men of my power and authority to execute judgment up
on mine enemies, for the establishment of my kingdom upon
earth. There are yet many other things hereafter to be done in re
lation to the settling and establishing of my church, which, if
it were proper, I would now acquaint you with ; but ye are
not yet prepared tp understand and receive them.
tHowbeit, when the Spirit of truth, whom I promised you, is
come, that shall enlarge your understandings, remove your prej
udices', and instruct you in all necessary and divine truths, to
enable ysu to go through that great work which I have begun
in person, and which I will carry on by your ministry, for
the Spirit is not to begin any new work, or to found any
new doctrine of himself. But as I have taught, and will teach
you, only in my Father's name, so the Spirit shall instruct
you only in mine and my Father's will, and in things necessary
to promote and carry on the same design.
Every thing that he does shall be only in order to manifest
my glory, and establish my religion in the world : even as
every thing that I have done has been only to manifest my Fa
ther's glory and reveal his will to mankind. For as all that I
have taught, is only what I received from my Father, so all
that the Spirit shall teach you, is only what he receives from
me. Whatsoever, I say, the Spirit shall teach you, is only what
he receives from m.e ; for receiving from my Father, I call re
ceiving from me, and teaching his will is teaching mine ; seeing
all things that the Father hath are common to me, and all pow
er and dominion by him committed to me.
And now be careful to remember what matter for comfort I
have given you, and support yourselves with it under the ap
proaching distress. It is now indeed, but a very little while
before I shall be taken away from you ; nevertheless let not this
cause you to despair ; for, after I am departed, it will be also
a little while before I appear to you again ; forasmuch as my
being taken away from you, is not perishing, but only return
ing to my Father.
At these last words of Jesus, the disciples were greatly dis
turbed and troubled, not understanding his true meaning, that in
a very short time he should be taken from them by death ; and
that after having overcome death, by a glorious resurrection,
he would appear to them again, before his ascension into heav-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 347
en. Not understanding this, I say, they inquired one of an
other, What can he mean by telling us, that in a very little
time he shall be taken out of our sight ; and that in a very
little time more we shall see him again, and this because he
goeth to the Father ? We cannot understand the meaning of
all this.
Jesus, observing their perplexity, and knowing that they
were desirous of asking him, replied, Why are ye thus dis
turbed and perplexed about what I told you? Is it a thing
so very hard to be understood, that I said, within a very lit
tle time I should be taken away from you, and that within a
very little time more, I should appear to you again ? Verily,
verily, I tell you I must very soon depart out of this world.
Then the world, who are your enemies, will rejoice and triumph
over you, as if they had destroyed me, and wholly suppressed
you ; and ye, for your parts, will be overwhelmed with grief
and sorrow. But within a short '.ime I will return to you
again ; and then your sorrow shall be turned into exceeding
great joy.
' Even as a woman when she is in labor, hath great pain and
sorrow for the present, but as sdon as she is delivered, forgets
all her sufferings, and rejoices greatly at the birth of her son ;
so ye, while ye are under the immediate apprehension of my
departure from you, and during that time of distress and temp
tation, which shall befall you in my absence, will be full of sor
row and anxiety of mind : but when I return to you again, then
shall ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of jrlory, and no
power or malice of man shall ever be able to take from you any
more the cause or continuance of it.
But though I shall return to you again, and your hearts will
thereupon be filled with inexpressible joy, and which never shall
be taken from you any more ; yet there will be no necessity that
I should then continue long with you in person, to instruct you
upon every occasion, as I have now done, with my own mouth.
For besides that the Holy Spirit wiH be sent to instruct you in
all things necessary, my Father himself also will hear your peti
tions, and be ready to grant you whatsoever you shall desire of
him in my name, and as being my disciples.
Hitherto ye have asked nothing of God in my name ; but
from henceforth put up your petitions in my name ; and what
soever ye shall so ask for the glory of God, and in order to
enable you to go through the work of your ministry successful
ly, shall certainly be granted you : that your joy, which will
begin at my appearing to you again after my death, may be
completed by the wonderful success and efficacy of your own
ministry.

348 LIFE OF CHRIST.
These things I have told you at present, imperfectly and ob
scurely, according as your capacities are able to bear them.
But the time is coming, when I will speak to you with more
openness, freedom, and plainness, the whole will of my Fa
ther concerning the nature and establishment of my kingdom,
and what things, and in what manner ye ought to pray un
to him for.
At that time ye shall with firm assurance pray to my Fa
ther in my name for what ye want. And I need not tell you,
that I will intercede with the Father on your behalf; for
besides tbe love he has borne for me, and the power and
authority my prayers have with him, he has moreover of him
self a great love for you, and a ready disposition to grant
your prayers, because ye are become grateful and accepta
ble to him, by your love towards me, which ye have shewn
in embracing willingly that holy doctrine which I have reveal
ed to you from him.
To conclude : the sum of what I have told you is briefly
and plainly this. I came down from heaven from God my
Father, and have lived upon earth in the state of frail and
mortal man, that I might reveal to mankind tbe will of my
heavenly Father, and the way to attain eternal life and happi
ness ; and now having finished this great work, I am about to
leave this world, and return again to my Father, from whence I
at first came.
These last words of Jesus, being more plain and express than
any he had before spoken, so that now the disciples clearly
perceived, that the departure he had so often mentioned was
no other than his actual going out of this world, they repli
ed, Now, Lord, you speak plainly and without any figure"; so
that we apprehend fully what you mean. And now that our
curiosity is satisfied, you have likewise greatly confirmed our
faith : having given us a certain token whereby we are assured
that you know all things, even the hearts and secret thoughts
of men ; since you have answered us a question which gave us
great perplexity, and we were desirous to ask your opinion, but
were afraid : but now we are convinced that you are endued
with a truly divine power, and did, indeed, come forth from
God. To which Jesus answered, And do you now at length jirmly
believe in me ? Are ye resolved to continue steadfast in this
faith ? Do you think yourselves able to persevere immoveably
in the profession of it ? Be not confident of your own strength ;
but pray that ye may be delivered from temptation in the time
*f distress, such as will come upon you much sooner than ye
expect. For I tell you, that ye will all of you, within a few
hours, utterly forsake me, and fly in hopes to secure yourselves,

LIFE OF CHRIST. 349
leaving me alone. And yet I should not say alone, since my
Father is with .me, who is more than all.
I have, therefore, acquainted you with these things before
hand, that your minds may be furnished with sufficient matter
of comfort and strength to bear up under all temptations, from
the consideration of my having foretold both what distress will
befal you, and. how ye shall terminate j'our victory over all your
enemies. You must, indeed, expect to meet with much affliction ;
but let not this discourage you: I have subdued the world;
follow my example, and partake of my reward.
Having thus finished this discourse, " Jesus lifted up his eyes
to heaven ; and prayed" with great fervency to his Father ; the
prayer itself is recorded in the xviith chapter of John, the sub
stance and import of it is as follows : " Oh Almighty Father,
now the time of my suffering, for wbich I was sent into the
world, is arrived ; I entreat thee support me under it, and make
me triumph over death by a glorious resurrection, and ascen
sion into heaven ; that by this means the glory may redound to
thee, and cause thy will to be believed and obeyed through all
the world, to the salvation of mankind ; according to the full
intent of that office and power with which thou didst originally
invest me. In order to tbe bringing about this great design of
salvation, I have declared thy will to mankind. 1 have publish
ed thy precepts, and discharged the great mission intrusted to.
me ; I have preached thy doctrine of repentance to salvation,.
and have finished the work which thou sentest me to do, to the
glory of thy name upon earth ; and now, to complete the great
design, do thou, O Almighty Father, likewise glorify me with
thine own self. Support me under my sufferings : let me pre
vail and triumph over death, by a glorious resurrection, and
exalt me again to the same glory in heaven, which I had with
thee before the creation of the universe. I have manifested thy
wil) to the disciples, the men that thou gavest me out of the
world. To those persons thou didst in thine infinite wisdom
appoint, that thy truth should be made known. Therefore to
them I have revealed the mysteries of thy kingdom, the precepts
of thy Gospel, and the doctrine of thy salvation.
" And this doctrine they have willingly embraced, steadfastly
adhered to, and sincerely obeyed ; as they are fully satisfied
and convinced, that what I taught them as from thee was really
a divine doctrine, taught by thine immediate appointment and
command; and that I did not preach any human invention
or institution of men, but was really sent by the divine authority
and commission.
" For these persons, therefore, I now pray, that as tfiou hast
begun the work of their salvation, by my preachiug and reveal
ing to them thy will, while I have been present with them here

350 LIFE OF CHRIST.
upon earth, so also that thou wouldst preserve them when I am,
departed from this world, and complete the work of their salva
tion by my resurrection and ascension into heaven, after my
death. I do not pray for the unbelieving impenitent world, but
for those who have embraced that most holy doctrine, which thou
hast taught them through me by my preaching ; for those who
have glorified, and will glorify my name, by their ministry, and
who consequently are to be esteemed as thine own, in common
with me. I am now about to leave the world, in order to
return to thee : but these my disciples, who continue after me,
I recommend lo thy divine protection, when I am gone : endue
them with powers to persevere in preaching and practising the
truth, and to deliver the same holy doctrines which I have given
to them, that so they may remain inseparably united to me, as
I am to thee. So long as I have been with them in the world,
I have watched over them, and kept them from falling away,
both by example, preaching, and continua] admonition, accord
ing to tbe power and authority which thou didst commit to me;
nor has any orie of my apostles miscarried under my care, ex
cept that perfidious traitor, who, as the Scripture foretold, has
ungratefully conspired with my enemies to destroy me, and will
perish according to his deserts. While I have continued with
my disciples, I have watched over them and preserved them un
der mine own eye ; but now, as I am going to leave the world,
I beseech thee to keep and assist them by thy good Spirit, and
let tbe expectation of their continuing under thy special care
and protection, be their comfort and support in my absence.
The world, indeed, will persecute and hate them on this account,
as my doctrine is repugnant to their lusts and appetites, the
passions, designs, and inclinations of worldly men ; it must
necessarily be that the vicious and incorrigible world will oppose
and persecute them, as it has before persecuted me. I beseech
thee, therefore, take them under thy particular care, to support
them against the violence and oppression of an evil world. I
do not desire that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but
preserve them in it to be instruments of thy word, thy glory,
and to be teachers of thy truth ; nor suffer them to be either
destroyed by the malice and violence, or corrupted by the evil
customs and opinions, of a perverse and wicked generation.
" They are of a temper and spirit very different from the
current affections and common dispositions of the world, ac
cording to the example of purity which I have set before them.
Do thou preserve and increase in them that moderation and
candor of mind, cause them to be thoroughly affected and im
pressed with that true doctrine so frequently recommended to
them from my mouth, so as to express it visibly1' in their "lives
and practice, and to promote it zealously in their preaching,

LIFE OF CHRIST. 351
that they may, both by word and good example, become worthy
and successful ministers of my Gospel.
" For as thou hast sent me into the world to reveal thy will
to mankind, so send I these my apostles to continue preaching
the same doctrine begun by me. And the principal design of
my exemplary life, constant teaching, and now voluntarily offer
ing myself ,to death for it, is, to sanctify and enable them to
preach with success and efficacy for tbe salvation of men. Nei
ther pray I for these my apostles only, but for all others, who
shall, by their preaching and practice^ promote thy true religion ;
and being converted from the world, may, by their sincere en
deavors, go on to reform others, convincing the world of the
excellency of their religion, and consequently enforcing men to
acknowledge the truth and divine authority thereof. For pro
moting which great end, I have communicated to my apostles
the same power and authority of doing mighty works for the
confirmation of their doctrine, and the evidence of thy truth,
as thou didst communicate to me : that so I working in them,
as thou hast done in me, and thus confirming with great efficacy
and demonstration of the spirit, they may establish the same
doctrine which I published in person, the world may, by this
evidence, be convinced that 1 was really sent by thee, and that
my disciples act by the same divine commission.
" Holy and Almighty Father, all those whom thou hast thus
given me, who bave heartily embraced my doctrine, and sincere
ly obeyed it, I desire that thou wouldest make them partakers
of the same happiness with myself, and exalt them to behold
the incomprehensible glory wherewith thou didst originally in
vest me, in thy eternal love, before the foundation of the world.
The generality of mortals, O righteous Father ! have not known
thee, nor been willing to embrace and obey the revelation of
thy wilL But I have known thy will, and have made it known
to my disciples, men of simplicity and honesty ; and they have
embraced and obeyed it. And I will continually make.it known
to them more and more, that they may grow up and improve in
faithj in holiness, and in all good works, so as finally to arrive,
and cause others to arrive, at that eternal happiness, which is
the effect of thy infinite love towards me, and through me tow
ards them."
This pious and benevolent prayer being ended, Jesus and
his disciples came down from the mount of Olives into a field
below, called Gethsemane, through which the brook Cedron
ran, and in it, on the other side pf the brook, was a garden,
called the garden of Gethsemane. Here he desired his disci
ples to sit down, till he should retire to pray, taking with him
Peter, James, and John, those three select disciples, whom he
had before chosen to be witnesses of his transfiguration, and now

352 LIFE OF CHRIST.
to be eye-witnesses of his passion, leaving the other disciples at
the garden door, to watch the approach of Judas and his band.
The sufferings he was on the point of undergoing were so
great, that the very prospect of them terrified him, and made
him express himself in this doleful exclamation, " My soul is
exceeding sorrowful even unto death ; tarry ye here, and
watch." On this great occasion he sustained those grievous
sorrows in his soul, by which, as well as by dying on the cross,
he became a sin-offering, aud accomplished the redemption of
mankind. He now withdrew from them about a stone's cast, and bis
human nature being overburdened beyond measure, he found
it necessary to retire and pray, that if it was possible, or con
sistent with the salvation of the world, he might be delivered
from the sufferings which were then lying on him. It was not
the fear of dying on the cross, which made him speak or pray
in such a manner. To suppose this would infinitely degrade his
character. Make his sufferings as terrible as possible, clothe
them with all the agravating circumstances of \distress; yet the
blessed Jesus, whose human nature was strengthened by being
connected with the divine, could not shrink at the prospect of
sufferings, or betray a weakness which many of his followers,
who, though mere men, were strangers to. He addresses his
divine Father with a sigh of fervent wishes that the cup might,
if possible, be removed from him : in the Greek it is, " O that
thou wouldest remove this cup from me!" And having first
kneeled and prayed, he fell prostrate on his face, accompanying
his address with due expressions of resignation, adding, imme
diately, " Not as I will, but as thou wilt."
Having prayed, he returned to his disciples, and finding them
asleep, he said to Peter, " Simon, sleepest thou ? couldest thou
not watch one hour ?" Thou, who so lately didst boast of thy
courage and constancy iu my service, canst thou so soon forget
thy Master ?
But in his greatest distress he never lost sight of that kind
concern he had for his disciples. " Watch ye," said^he, " and
pray, lest ye enter into temptation." Neither was he, on those
extraordinary occasions, in the least chagrined with the offences
which they had committed through frailty and human weakness ;
on the contrary, was always willing to make excuses for them ;
alleging, in their defence, " that the spirit" truly " was willing,
but the flesh was weak." It seems, from these particulars,
that he spent some considerable time in his addresses; because
the disciples fell asleep in his absence, and he himself retired
again to pray ; for the sorrows of our Lord continuing to in
crease upon him, affected him to such a degree, that he retired
a second time, and prayed to the same purpose, saying, " O my

LIFE OF CHRIST. 353
Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink
it, thy will be done :" after which he returned again to them, and
found them asleep, " for their eyes were heavy."
He returned thus frequently to his disciples, that they, by
reading his distress in his countenance and gesture, might be
witnesses of his passion, which proves that his pains were be
yond description intense, and complicated ; for he went away
the third time to pray, and notwithstanding an angel was sent
from heaven to comfort and strengthen him, yet they over
whelmed him, and threw him into an agony : upon which he
still continued to pray more earnestly.
But the sense of his sufferings still increasing, they strained
his whole body to so violent a degree, that his blood, as it were,
was pressed through the pores of his skin, which they pervaded,
together with his sweat, and fell down in large drops on the
ground. " And he left them and went away again. And there
appeared an angel unto him from heaven strengthening him.
And being in an agony he prayed the" more earnestly : and his
sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the
ground." Thus did he suffer unspeakable sorrows in his soul,
as long as the divine wisdom thought proper.
At length he obtained relief, being heard on ,account of his
perfect and entire submission to the will of his heavenly Father.
*' And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his dis
ciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow." This circumstance
shews how much the disciples were affected with their Master's
suffering's. The sensations of grief which they felt on seeing
his unspeakable distress, so overpowered them, that they sunk
into sleep.
Our blessed Saviour, for the last time, came to his disciples,
and seeing them still asleep, he said, " Sleep on now, and take
your rest ; behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is
betrayed into the. hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going ; be
hold he is at hand that doth betray me." Matt. xxvi. 45, Sic.
The event will soon be over, which causes your sorrow : I am
betrayed, and ready to be delivered unto death.

45

354 LIFE OF CHRIST.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

The blessed Redeemer is taken by a band of Soldiers, at (lie
information of the traitor Judas. — Heals a wound given the
High Priest's servant by Simon Peter.
Judas, who had often resorted to the garden of Gethsemane
with the disciples of our Lord, knowing the spot, and the usual
time of his Master's repairing thither, informed the chief priests
and elders that the proper time for apprehending Jesus was now
come. They therefore sent a band of soldiers with him, and
servants carrying lanterns and torches to shew them the wayj
because, though it was always full moon at the passover, the
sky might be dark with clouds, and the place whither they were
going was shaded with trees. At the same time a deputation
of their number accompanied the band, to see that every one
did his duty.
Judas having thus received a band of men and officers from
the chief priests and pharisees, they went thither with lanterns,
and torches, and weapons ; for they were exceeding anxious to
secure and get him into their hands : and the soldiers having,,
perhaps, never seen Jesus before, found it necessary that Judas
should distinguish him, and point him out to them by some par
ticular sign.
The treacherous Judas went before the band, at a small dis
tance, to prepare them for the readier execution of their office,
by kissing his Master, which was the token agreed upon, that
they might not mistake him, and seize a wrong person. " And
he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them
and drew near unto Jesus, to kiss him." Stung with remorse
at the horrid engagement into which he had entered, and not
being now able to retract from the execution of it, he deter
mined to make use of art in his vile proceedings, and weakly
imagined he could deceive him whom he was about to betrav,
on a supposition, that when he should give the kiss, it might
be considered by his Master as a siugular mark of his affec
tion. When, therefore, they approached near the spot, Judas
(who was at the head of the band) suddenly ran forward, and
coming up with Jesus, said, " Hail, Master ! and kissed him.
And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come ?
Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss ?" Before, how
ever, Judas could make any reply, the band (who had fixed
their eyes on the person he had kissed) arrived immediately,
and surrounded Jesus.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 355
The artifice and wicked designs of the base and perfidious
Judas are here manifestly displayed. In order to conceal his
villany from his Master and his 'disciples, he walked hastily,
and without waiting for the band, went up directly and saluted
him ; wishing, perhaps, to have that considered as a token for
apprizing him of his danger. But Jesus did not fail to con
vince him that he knew the meaning and intent of his salutatidri,
saying, " Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss ?" Judas
certainly concealed his treachery so weU, that Peter did not
suspect him, as it is probable he would have struck at him,
rather than at Malchus, the high priest's servant.
The appointed time of our Lord's sufferings being now coirie,
he did not, as formerly, avoid his enemies ; but on the contrary,
on their telling him they sought Jesus of Nazareth, he replied,
"I am he:" thereby intimating to them, that he Was Willing to
put himself info their hands. At the same time to shew thenl
that they could not apprehend him without his own consent, he,
in an extraordinary manner, exerted his divine power ; he made
the whole band fall back, and threw them to the ground. " Je
sus, therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him,
went forth, and said unto them, Whpm seek ye ? They answer
ed him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said unto them, I am he.
And Judas also who betrayed him, stood with them. As soon
then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward,
and fell to the ground." But the soldiers and the Jews, ima
gining, perhaps, that ' they had been thrown down by some
demon or evil spirit, with whom the Jews said he was in confed
eracy, advanced towards him a second time. " Then asked he
them, again, Whom seek ye ? and they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he," expressing
again his willingness to fall into their hands. " If, therefore,
ye seek me, let these go their way." If 3'our business be with
me alone, suffer my disciples to pass: for the party had sur
rounded them also-. He seems to have made this request to the
soldiers, that the sa3'ing might be fulfilled which he Spake, " of
them which thou gavest me have I lost none." For as he al
ways proportioned the trials of his people to their strength ; so
here he took care that the disciples should escape the storm,
which none but himself could sustain.
At length, one of the soldiers, more daring than the rest,
rudely caught Jesus, and bound him ; upon which Peter drew
his sword, and smote off the ear of the high priest's servant,
who probably was showing greater forwardness than the rest
in this business. "Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew
it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right
ear ; the servant's name was Malchus." The enraged disciple
was on the point of singly attacking the whole band, when

356 LIFE OF CHRIST.
Jesus ordered him to sheath his sword ; telling him that his
unseasonable and imprudent defence might prove the occasion
of his destruction. " Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again
thy sword into his place : for all they that take the sword shall
perish with the sword." Matt. xxvi. 52. He told him like
wise, that it implied both a distrust of God, who can always
employ a variety of means for the safety of his people, and
also his ignorance in the Scriptures. " Thinkest thou," said
he, " that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall pres
ently give me more than twelve legions of angels ? But how
then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be?"
Matt. xxvi. 53.
The word legion was a Roman military term, being the name
which they gave to a body of five or six thousand men ; where
fore, in regard that the band which now surrounded them was
a Roman cohort, our Lord might make use of this term, by
way of contrast, to show what an inconsiderable thing'the co
hort was, in comparison of the force he could summon to his
assistance ; more than twelve legions, not of soldiers, but of
angels. He yet was tenderly inclined to prevent any bad con
sequences which might have flowed from Peter's rashness, by
healing the servant, and adding, in his rebuke to him, a dec
laration of his willingness to suffer. " The cup which my
Father has given me, shall I not drink it ?"
The circumstance of his healing the ear of Malchus, by
touching it, evidently implies, that no wound, or distemper,
was incurable in the hand of Jesus : neither was any injury so
great that he could not forgive. It seems somewhat surprising
that this evident miracle did not make an impression upon the
chief priests, especially as our Lord put them in mind, at the
same time, of his other miracles ; for having first said, " Suffer
ye thus fair. And he touched his ear and healed him :" he
added, " Be ye come out as against a thief, with swords and
staves ? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretch
ed forth no hands against me : but this is your hour, and the
power of darkness." Luke, xxii. 51, Sic. The priests had
kept at a distance, for some time, but drew near, when they
understood that Jesus was in their power; for they were proof
against all conviction, being obstinately bent on putting him
to death. And the disciples, when they saw their Master in the
hands of his enemies, forsook bim, and fled, according to his
prediction ; notwithstanding they might have followed him with
out danger, as the priests had no design against them. " Then
all the disciples forsook him, and fled. Then tbe band and the
captain and officers took Jesus and bound him." But it was
pot the cord which held him ; his immense charity was by far
the stronger bond, He could have broken those weak ties, and

LIFE OF CHRIST. 357
exerted his divinity in a more wonderful manner ; he could have
stricken them all dead, with as much ease as he had before
thrown them on the ground ; but he patiently submitted to this,
as to every other indignity which they chose to offer him ; so
meek was he under the greatest injuries. Having thus secured
him, they led him away. " And there followed him a certain
young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body ;
and the young men laid hold of him ; and he left the linen cloth,
and fled from them naked." This, perhaps, was the proprietor
of the garden, who, being. awakened with the noise, came out
with the linen cloth, in which he had been lying, cast round his
naked body ; and having a respect for Jesus, followed him, for
getting the dress he was in.
They first led him to Annas, father-in-law of Caiaphas, who
was high priest that year. Annas having himself discharged the
office of high, priest, was consequently a person of distinguished
character, which, together with his relation to the high priest,
made him worthy of the respect they now paid him. But he
refused, singly, to meddle in the affair ; they therefore carried
Jesus to Caiaphas himself, at whose palace the chief priests,
elders, and scribes, were assembled, having staid there all night
to see the issue of their stratagem. This Caiaphas was he that
advised the council to put Jesus to death, even admitting he
was innocent, for the safety of the whole Jewish nation. He
seems to have enjoyed the sacerdotal dignity during the whole
course of Pilate's government in Judea : for he was advanced
by Valerius Gratus, Pilate's predecessor, and was divested of it
by Vitellius, governor of Syria, after he had deposed Pilate
from his procuratorship.

CHAPTER XXXV.
Fulfilment of our Lord's prediction concerning Peter.
The apprehending of their dear Master could not but strike
his disciples with horror and amazement : though he had fore
warned them of that event, such was their consternation that
they fled different ways : some of them, however, recovering
out of the panic that had seized them, followed the band at a
distance, to see what the issue would be. Of this number was
Peter, and another disciple, whom John has mentioned, without
giving his name, and who therefore is supposed to have been
John himself. This disciple being acquainted at the high

358 LIFE OF CHRIST.
priest's, got admittance for himself first, and soon after for Pe
ter, who had come with him. " And Simon Peter followed
Jesus, and so did another disciple. That disciple was known
unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of
the high priest. But Peter stood at the door without. Then
went out that other disciple which was known unto the high
priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought 'in
Peter. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst oft he
hall, and were sat down together, Peter sat down among them."
The maid servant, who kept the door, concluding Peter to be
a disciple also, following after him to the fire, and looking
earnestly at him, charged him with the supposed crime. " Then
saith the damsel that kept the door, unto Peter, Art not thou
also one of this man's disciples ?" This blunt attack threw
Peter into such confusion, that he flatly denied his having
any connexion with Jesus, replying, " I am not ;" and adding,
" I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest." As if
he said, I do not understand any reason for your asking me such
a question.
Thus the very apostle who had -before acknowledged his
Master to be the Messiah, the Son of the living God, artd had
so confidently boasted of his fortitude, and firm attachment to
bim in the greatest dangers, proved himself an arrant deserter
of his cause upon trial. His shameful fears were altogether
inexcusable, as the enemy who attacked him was one of the
weaker sex, and the terror of the charge was in a great meas
ure taken off, by the insinuation made in it that John was like
wise known to be Christ's disciple : for as he was known at the
high priest's, be was consequently known in that character.
" Art thou not also one of this man's disciples ?" Art thou not
one of them, as well as he who is sitting with j'ou ? Nothing
can account for this conduct of Peter, but the confusion and
panic wbich had seized him on this occasion. As his inward
perturbation must have appeared in his countenance and ges
ture, he did not choose to stay long with the servants at the
fire. He went out, therefore, into the porch, where he was a
little concealed. " And he went into the porch : " after he had
been some time there, another maid saw him, and began to say
to them that stood By, This is one of them ; and he again deni
ed it, with an oath, I know not the man ;" adding perjury
to falsehood.
After Peter had been thus attacked without doors, he thought
»proper to return and mix with the crowd at the fire. " And
Simon Peter stood and warmed himself." From this circum
stance, it is clear, that the ensuing was the third denial ; and
that Peter left the porch where the second denial happened,
and <was come again into the hall, " Here one of the servants

LIFE OF CHRIST. 359
of the high priest, (being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut
off,) saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? Pe
ter then denied again, and immediately the cock crew." The
words of Malchus' kinsman, bringing to Peter's remembrance
what he had done to that man, threw him into such a panic,,
that when those that stood by repeated the charge, he impru
dently denied it : he even " began to curse and to swear, say
ing, I know not this man of whom ye speak." For when they
heard Peter deny the charge, they supported it by an argu
ment drawn from the accent with which he pronounced his
answer. " Surely thou art one of them : for thou art a Galile
an, and thy speech agreeth thereto :" so that being pressed on
all sides, to give his lie the better color, he profaned the name
of God, by imprecating the bitterest curses on himself, if he
was telling a falsehood. Perhaps he hoped by these acts of im
piety, to convince them effectually, that he was not the disci
ple ofthe holy Jesus.
Thus the apostle denied his Master, three distinct times, with
oaths and asseverations, totally forgetting the vehement protes
tations he had made, a few hours before, that he would never
deny him. He was, probably, permitted to fall in this man
ner, to teach us two lessons. ; first, that the strongest resolutions
formed in our own strength, cannot withstand the torrent of
temptation ; secondly, that the true disciples of Christ, though
they fall, shall be brought to a conviction of their sin ; for he no
sooner denied his Master the third time, than the cock crew,
and first awakened in htm the conviction of his sin. " And the
Lord turned and looked upon Peter ; and Peter remembered
the words of the Lord, how he had said unto "him, Before the
cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out
and wept bitterly." St. Luke is the Evangelist who particular
ly mentions this beautiful circumstance of Christ's turning and
looking on Peter. The members of the council who sat, on
Jesus, were placed at the upper end of the hall : in the other
were the servants, with Peter, at the fire : so that Jesus being
probably, placed ou some eminence, that his judges, who were
numerous, might see and hear him, could easily look over
towards Peter, and observe him denying him, and in passionate
terms, loud enough to be heard, perhaps, over all the place.
The look pierced him, and with the crowing of the cock
brought his Master's prediction fresh into his mind. He was
stung with deep remorse, and being unable to contain himself,
he covered his face with his garment, to conceal the confusion
he was in, and going out into the porch, wept very bitterly.
All this passed while the priests examined Jesus, with many
taunts and revilings ; and while the most zealous of Christ's
disciples was denying him with oaths and imprecations, the peo-

360 LIFE OF CHRIST.
pie insulted him in the most inhuman manner. Thus a compli
cation of injuries, ihsults, and indignities, was at one time heap
ed upon the blessed Redeemer, the meek and mild Jesus, in
order to fulfil the prophecies concerning him, and teach his
followers a lesson of humility,

CHAPTER XXXVI.
The Saviour* of the world is arraigned at the bar of the San
hedrim, and tried by the Jewish Council.
When the band of soldiers arrived at the high priests with
Jesus, they found there all the chief priests, the scribes, and
the elders assembled. " And as soon as it was day, the elders
of the people, and the chief priests, and the scribes, came to
gether, and led him into their council. And the high priest
asked Jesus of his disciples, and his doctrine," He inquired of
him what his disciples were ; for what end he had gathered
them; whether it was to make himself a king, and what the
doctrine was which he taught them ? In these questions there
was a great deal of art; for' as the crime laid to our Saviour's
charge was, that he had set up for the Messiah, and deluded the
people, they expected he would claim that dignity in their
presence, and so would, on his own confession, have condem
ned him, without any farther process. This was unfair, as it
was artful and ensnaring. To oblige a prisoner on his trial to
confess what might take away his life was a very inequitable
method of proceeding ; and Jesus expressed his opinion thereof
with very good reason, and complained of it, bidding them
prove what they had laid to his charge by witnesses. " Jesus
answered him, I spake openly to the world, I ever taught in the
synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort,
and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me ? ask
them which heard me what I have said unto them ; behold -they
know what I said." It was greatly to the honor of our blessed
Redeemer, that all his actions were done in public, under the
eye even of his enemies : because, had he been carrying on any
imposture, the lovers of goodness and truth had thus abundant
opportunities of detecting him, with propriety, he therefore, in
his defence, appealed to that part of his character, but his an
swer was construed disrespectful ; " for when he had thus spok
en, one of the officers which stood by, struck Jesus with the
palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so?"

LIFE OF CHRIST. 361
To which he meekly replied, with the greatest serenity, " If I
have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil : but if well, why
smitest thou me ?" Shew me, prove before this court, wherein
my crime consists, or record it on the evidence on the face of
my trial ; which if you cannot, how can you answer this inhu
man treatment to a defenceless prisoner, standing on his trial
before the world, and in open court ?
Thus Jesus became an example of his own precept, " Who
soever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
also," Matt. v. 39 ; bearing the greatest injuries with a patience
that could not be provoked.
When the council found that Jesus declined answering the
questions, whereby they expected to have drawn from him an
acknowledgment of his being the Messiah, they proceeded to
examine many witnesses to prove his having assumed that char
acter : as they considered such a pretension as blasphemy in
his mouth, who being only a man, according to their opinion,
could not, without the highest affront to the divine majesty,
pretend to the title of the Son of God, as it belonged only to
the Messiah.
But in this examination they acted like interested and enra
ged persecutors, rather than impartial judges, forming their
questions in the most artful manner, in order, if possible, to
draw expressions from him, which they might pervert into sus
picions of guilt, as some foundation for condemning Jesus, who
had so long and faithfully labored for their salvation.
Their witnesses, however, disappointed them, some of them
disagreeing in their story, and others mentioning things of no
manner of importance. At last, two persons agreed in their
depositions, namely, in hearing him say, that he was able to
destroy the temple of God, and to raise it in three days. But
this testimony was absolutely false ; for our great Redeemer
never said he could destroy and build the temple of Jerusalem
in three days, as they affirmed. It is true, that after banishing
the traders from the temple, when the Jews desired to know by
what authority he undertook to make such a reformation, he
referred them to the miracle of his resurrection ; bidding them
" destroy this temple (pointing probably to his body) and in
three days he would raise it up." The witnesses, therefore,
either through malice or ignorance, perverted his answer into
an affirmation, that he was able to destroy and build the mag
nificent temple of Jerusalem in three days : and the judges con
sidered this assertion as blasphemy, because it could be only
done by the divine power.
Our Saviour made no reply to the evidences that were pro
duced against him, which greatly provoked the high priest,
who, supposing that he intended by his silence to put an affront
4fi

362 LIFE OF CHRIST.
on the council, rose from his seat, and, with great perturbation,
demanded the reason for so remarkable a conduct. " Answer*
est thou nothing ?" said he, " what is it which these witness
against thee ?" And some of the council added, " Art thou
the Christ ?" To which our blessed Saviour answered, If I
should tell you plainly, you would not believe me ; and if 1
should demonstrate it to you by the most evident and undenia
ble arguments, ye would neither be convinced, nor let me go.
The high priest, finding all his attempts to trepan our Sav
iour, in vain, said to him, I adjure you solemnly, by the dread
ful and tremendous name of God, in whose presence you stand,
that you tell me plainly and truly, whether thou art the Messiah,
the Son of God.
The consequence attending a confession of the truth did not
intimidate the blessed Jesus ; for, being abjured by the chief
magistrate, he immediately acknowledged the charge, adding,
Ye shall shortly see a convincing evidence of this truth, in that
wonderful and unparalleled destruction which I will send upon
the Jewish nation ; in the quick and powerful progress which
the Gospel shall make upon the earth ; and, finally, in my glo
rious appearance in the clouds of heaven, at the last day, the
sign you have so often demanded, in confirmation of my mis
sion. Upon our blessed Saviour's making this answer, a number of
them cried out, at once, " Art thou the Son of God?" To
which our great Redeemer replied, " Ye say that I am :" a
manner of speaking among the Jews, which expressed a plain
and strong affirmation ofthe thing expressed.
When the high priest heard this second assertion, he rent his
clothes with great indignation, and said unto the council, Why
need we trouble ourselves to seek for any more witnesses ? Ye
yourselves, nay, this whole assembly, are witnesses, that he
hath spoken manifest and notorious blasphemy : What think
ye ? To which they all replied, that for assuming to himself
the character of the Messiah, he deserved to be put to death.
Then began the servants and the common people to fall upon
him as a man already condemned ; spitting upon him, buffeting
him, and offering him all manner of rudeness and indignities.
They blindfolded him ; and some of the council, in order to
ridicule him for having pretended to be the great prophet, bid
him exercise his prophetical gift, in declaring who had smote
him. Such was the treatment of the Son of God, the Saviour of
sinners, which, though derogatory to his character, he bore
with patience and resignation, leaving his people an example
to follow his steps, and submit to the will of God in all things,
nor murmur at any of the dispensations of his providence.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 363

CHAPTER XXXVIt.
Our blessed Saviour is carried before ihe Roman Governor. —
The traitor Judas becomes his own executioner. — Pilate pub
licly acquits Jesus, and refers his case to the decision of
Herod.
The blessed Jesus being thus condemned, by the unanimous
voice of the grand assembly, it was resolved to carry him be
fore the governor, that he likewise might pass sentence upon
him. The Roman governors of Judea generally resided at
Csesarea ; but at the great feasts they came up to Jerusalem,
to prevent or suppress tumults, and to administer justice ; it
being a custom for the Roman governors of provinces to visit
the principal towns under their jurisdiction, on this latter ac
count. Pilate being accordingly come to Jerusalem, some
time before the feast, had been informed of the great ferment
among the rulers, and the true character of the person on whose
account it was raised ; for he entertained a just notion of it :
" He knew that for envy they had delivered him." He knew
tlie cause of their envy, was impressed with a favorable opinion
of Jesus, and wished, if possible, to deliver him from his vile
persecutors. Early in the morning, the Jewish council brought Jesus to
the ball of judgment, or governor's palace. They themselves,
however, went not into the hall, but stood without, lest they
should be defiled, and rendered incapable of eating the pass-
over. Now Judas Iscariot, who had delivered his Master into the
hands of the council, finding his project turned out very differ
ent from what he expected, was filled with the deepest remorse
for what he had done. He saw all his golden dreams of tem
poral honors and advantages sunk at once to nothing ; he saw
his kind, his indulgent Master, condemned and forsaken by all
his followers ; he saw all this, and determined to make all the
satisfaction in his power for the crime he had committed.
Accordingly, he came and confessed openly his sin, before
tbe chief priests and elders, offered them the money they had
given him to commit it, and earnestly wished he could recall
the fatal transaction of the preceding night.
It shews he thought this was the most public testimony he
could possibly give of his Master's innocence, and his own re
pentance. I have, said he, committed a most horrid crime, in
betraying an innocent man to death.

364 LIFE OF CHRIST.
But this moving speech of Judas had no effect on the callous
hearts of the Jewish rulers. They affirmed, that, however he
might think the prisoner innocent, and for that reason had sin
ned in bringing the sentence of death upon his head, they were
not to blame ; because they knew him a blasphemer, who de
served to die. " What is that to us ?" said they, " see thou to
that." Nay, they even refused to take back the money they
bad given him as a reward for performing the base act of be
traying his Master.
The deepest remorse now seized upon the wretched Judas,
and his soul was agitated by the horrors of despair. The in
nocence and benevolence of his Master, the many favors -he
himself had received from him, and the many kind offices he
had done for the sons and daughters of affliction, crowded at
once into his mind, and reudered his torments intolerable.
Racked with those agonizing passions, and unable to support
the misery, he threw down the wages of his iniquity in the
temple ; and confessing at the same time his own sin, and the
innocence of his Master, went away in despair, and hanged
himself. Thus perished Judas Iscariot the traitor, a miserable example
of the fatal influence of covetousness, and a standing monu
ment of divine vengeance to deter future generations from act
ing in opposition to the dictates of conscience, through a love
of the things of this world ; for which this wretched mortal
betrayed his Master, his friend, his Saviour ; and accumulated
such a load of guilt on himself, as sunk his soul into the lowest
pit of perdition.
The pieces of silver cast down by Judas were gathered up,
and delivered to the priests, who thinking it unlawful to put
them into the treasury, because they were the wages of a trait
or, agreed to lay them out in purchasing the potter's field,
arid to make it a common burial place for strangers.
This the Evangelist tells us was done, that a particular pro
phecy, relating to the Messiah, might be fulfilled : " And they
took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was
valued, whom they ofthe children of Israel did value ; and gave
them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me." This
prophecy is found in Zachariah ; but, by a mistake of some
copyist, the word Jeremiah is inserted in the Greek manuscripts
of St. Matthew's Gospel, unless we suppose with the learned
Grotius, that this remarkable prophecy was first made by Jer
emiah, and afterwards repeated by the immediate direction of
the Spirit by Zachariah ; and that, therefore, the Evangelist
has only ascribed the prophecy to its original author. But,
however this be, the prophecy is remarkable, and was remark
ably fulfilled. And the Evangelist, by thus appealing to a

LIFE OF CHRIST. 365
public transaction, puts the truth of this part of the history be
yond all manner of exception.
We have already observed, that the chief priests and elders
refused to go themselves into the judgment-hall, lest they should
contract some pollutions in the house of an heathen, which
would have rendered them unfit for eating the passover. The
same reason also hindered them from entering the governor's
palace, on other festivals, when that magistrate attended in
order to administer justice : a kind of structure was, therefore,
erected, adjoining to the palace, which served instead of a tri
bunal or judgment seat. This structure, called in the Hebrew
" Gabbatha," was finely paved with small pieces of marble of
different colors, being always exposed to the weather. One
side of this structure joined to the palace, and a door was
made in the wall, through which the governor passed to this
tribunal. By this contrivance, the people might stand round
the tribunal in the open air, hear and see the governor when he
spake to them from the pavement, and observe the whole ad
ministration of justice, without danger of being defiled, either
by him or any of his retinue.
Before this tribunal the great Redeemer of mankind was
brought, and the priests and elders having taken their places
round the pavement, the governor ascended the judgment seat,
and asked them what accusation they brought against the pris
oner ? Though nothing could be more natural than for the
governor to ask this question, yet the Jews thought themselves
highly affronted by it, and haughtily answered, If he had not
been a very great and extraordinary malefactor, we should not
have given you this trouble at all, much less at so unseasonable
an hour.
Pilate then examined Jesus; and finding he had not been
guilty either of rebellion or sedition, but that he was accused
of particulars relating to the religion and customs of the Jews,
grew angry, and said, What are these things to me ? Take him
yourselves, and judge him according to your own law. Plainly
insinuating, that, in his opinion, the crime they laid to the pris
oner's charge was not of a capital nature : and that such pun
ishments as they were permitted by Caesar to inflict, were
adequate to any misdemeanor that Jesus was charged with.
But this proposal of tbe Roman governor was absolutely re
fused by the Jewish priests and elders, because it condemned
the whole proceeding ; and therefore they answered, We have
no power to put any one to death, as this man certainly de
serves, who has attempted not only to make innovations in our
religion, but also set up himself for a king.
The eagerness of the Jews to get Jesus condemned by the
Roman governor, who often sentenced malefactors to be cru-

366 LIFE OF CHRIST.
cified, tended to fulfil the saying of our great Redeemer, who,
during the course of his ministry, had often mentioned what
kind of death he was, by the counsel of Omnipotence, appoint
ed to die.
Pilate finding it impossible to prevent a tumult, unless he
proceeded to try Jesus, ascended again the judgment seat, and
commanded his accusers to produce their accusations against
him. Accordingly, they accused him of seditious practices,
affirming that he used every method in his power to dissuade
the people from paying taxes to Caesar, pretending that he him
self was the Messiah, the great king of the Jews, so long ex
pected. But they brought no proof of these assertions. They
only insinuated, that they had already convicted him of this
assertion ; which was absolutely false. Pilate, however, asked
him, Is it true what these men lay to your charge, that yeu
have, indeed, attempted to set up 3'ourself as king of the Jews ?
To which Jesus replied, Have you ever, during your stay in
this province, heard any thing of me that gave you reason to
suspect me guilty of secret practices and seditious designs
against the government ? Or do you found your question on
ly on the present clamor and tumult that is raised against me ?
If this be the case, be very careful lest you be imposed on
merely by the ambiguity of a word : for, to be " King of the
Jews," is not to erect a temporal throne, in opposition to that
of Caesar, but a thing of a very different nature; the kingdom
ofthe Messiah is in the heavenly Canaan.
To which Pilate replied, Am I a Jew ? Can I tell what your
expectations are, and in what sense you understand these words ?
The rulers and chiefs of your own people, who are the most
proper judges of these particulars, have brought you before
me as a riotous and seditious person ; if this be not the truth,
let me know what is, and the crime thou hast been guilty of.
Jesus answered, I have a kingdom, and this kingdom I have
professed to establish. But then it is not of this world, nor have
my endeavors to establish it any tendency to cause disturbances
in the government. For, had that been the case, my servants
would have fought for me, and not suffered me to have fallen in
to the hands of the Jews. But I tell you plainly, my king
dom is wholly spiritual. I reign in the hearts of my people,
and subdue their wills and affections into a conformity to the
will of God.
You acknowledge then, in general, answered Pilate; that you
have pretended to be a king ? To which the blessed Jesus re
plied, In the sense I have- told you, I have declared, and do
now declare, myself to be a king. For this very end I was
born, and for this purpose I came into the world, that I should
bear witness to the truth ; and whosoever sincerely loves, and

LIFE OF CHRIST. 367
is always ready to embrace the truth, will have my testimony,
and be convinced by it.
Pilate answered, " What is truth ?" And immediately went
out to the Jews, and said unto them, I have again examined
this man, but cannot find him guilty of any fault, which, ac
cording to the Roman law, is worthy of death.
This generous declaration made by the governor, of the in
nocence of our blessed Saviour, had no effect on the supersti
tious and bigoted Jews. They even persisted in their accu
sations with more vehemence than before, affirming that he
had attempted to raise a sedition in Galilee : " He stir-
reth up," said they, " the people, beginning from Galilee to
this place."
Jesus, however, made no answer at all to this heavy charge,
Nay, he continued silent, notwithstanding the governor himself
expressly required him to speak in his own defence. A conduct
so extraordinary, in such circumstances, astonished Pilate ex
ceedingly ; for he had great reason to be persuaded of the in
nocence of our dear Redeemer. The truth is, he was altogeth
er ignorant of the divine counsel, by which the whole affair was
directed. There were many reasons which induced the blessed Jesus
not to make a public defence. He came into the world purely
to redeem lost and undone mankind, by offering up himself a
sacrifice to appease the wrath of his Almighty Father ; but had
he pleaded with his usual force, the people had, in all, probabil
ity, been induced to ask his release, and consequently his death
had been prevented. Besides, the gross falsehood of the ac
cusation, known to all the inhabitants of' Galilee, rendered any
reply absolutely needless.
In the mean time the chief priests continued to accuse him
with great noise and tumult. And the meek and humble Je
sus still continuing mute, Pilate spake again to him, saying,
Wilt thou continue to make no defence ? Dost thou not hear
how vehemently these men accuse thee ?
But Pilate recollecting what the chief priests had said with
regard to a sedition in Galilee, asked if Jesus came out of that
country? and on being informed he did, he immediately or
dered him to be carried to Herod, who was also then at Je
rusalem. The governor supposed that Herod in whose dominions the
sedition was said to have been raised, must be a better judge
of the affair than himself. Besides, his being a Jew rendered
him more versed in the religion of his own country, and gave
him greater influence over the chief priests and elders ; he there
fore considered him as the most proper person to prevail on
the Jewish council to desist from their cruel prosecution. But

368 LIFE OF CHRIST.
if, contrary to all human probability, he should at their so
licitation, condemn Jesus, Pilate hoped to escape the guilt
and infamy of putting an innocent person to death. He might
also propose, by this action, to regain Herod's friendship, which
he had formerly lost, by encroaching, in all probability, on his
privileges. But however that be, or whatever motive induced Pilate to
send our great Redeemer to Herod, the latter greatly rejoiced
at this opportunity of seeing Jesus, hoping to have the pleasure
of beholding him perform some great miracle.
In this he was, however, mistaken ; for as Herod had aposta
tized from the doctrine of John the Baptist, to which he was
once a convert, and had even put his teacher to death, the bles
sed Jesus, however liberal of his miracles to the sons and daugh
ters of affliction, would not work them to gratify the curiosity
of a tyrant, nor even answer one of the many questions he pro
posed to him.
Herod, finding himself thus disappointed, Ordered our blessed
Saviour to be clothed with an old robe, resembling in color
those worn b3' kings, and permitted his attendants to insult him.
From Herod's dressing him in this manner, it evidently ap
pears, that the chief priests and elders had accused him of
nothing, but his having assumed the character of the Messiah ;
for the affront put upon him was plainly in derision of that pro
fession. The other head of accusation, namely, his having attempted
to raise a sedition in Galilee, on account of tribute paid to Cae
sar, they did not dare to mention, as Herod could not fail of
knowing it to be a gross and malicious falsehood. And no
crime worthy of death being laid to his charge, Herod sent him
again to Pilate. It seems, that though he was displeased with
the great Redeemer of mankind for refusing to work a miracle
before him, yet he did not think proper to comply with the
wishes of his enemies.

OUR LORD SCOURGED BY THE SOLDIERS.
[Page 371.]

" Then released lit Barabhas unto them : and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered
him lo be crucified." — M.M. xxvn. 2(3.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 369

CHAPTER XXXVIII.
The Roman Governor, for want of evidence, proposes to ac
quit and release Jesus, three several times, but at length,
at the pressing instigation of the inveterate Jews, he condemns
and delivers him up.
The Roman governor, in order to acquire popular applause,
used generally, at the feast of the passover, to release a pris
oner nominated by the people. At this feast there was one in
prison, named Barabbas, who, at the head of a number of
rebels, had made an insurrection in the city, and committed
murder during the confusion.
The multitude, being now again assembled before the gov
ernor's palace, began to call aloud on him to perform the annual
office of mercy, customary at that festival.
Pilate, glad of this opportunity, told them, that he was very
willing to grant the favor they desired ; and asked them wheth
er they would have Barabbas or Jesus released unto them. But
without waiting for an answer, he offered to release Jesus, know
ing that the chief priests had delivered him through envy ; espe
cially as Herod had not found him guilty of tbe crimes laid to
his charge. ; .
While these particulars were transacting, Pilate received a
message from his wife, then with him at Jerusalem, and who
had that morning been informed of something in a dream which
gave her great uneasiness. The dream had so great an effect
on this Roman lady, that she could not rest till she had sent
an account of it to her husband, who was then sitting with the
tribunal on the pavement, and begged him to have no hand in
the death ofthe righteous person he was then judging.
The people had not yet determined whether they would have
Jesus or Barabbas released to them ; therefore when Pilate re
ceived the message from his wife, he called the chief priests and
rulers together, and, in the hearing of the multitude, made a
speech to them, in which he gave them an account of the exam
ination which Jesus had undergone both at his own and Herod's
tribunal, declaring, that in both courts it had turned out hon
orably to his character ; for which reason be proposed to them,
that he should be the Pbject of the people's favor.
Pilate did the priests the honor of desiring to know their
inclinations in particular, perhaps with a design to soften their
stony hearts, and, if possible, to move them for once to pity an
unhappy and iunocent man. But he was persuaded that if pity
was absolutely banished from their callous breasts, his proposal
4.7

370 LIFE OF CHRIST.
would have been acceptable to the people, who he expected
would embrace the first opportunity of declaring in his favor.
Yet in this he was disappointed. They cried out, all at once,
" Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas."
Apostate mortals ! a few hours ago ye listened with rapture
to his heavenly discourses, beheld with transport the many salu
tary miracles wrought by this benevolent Son ofthe Most High,
and earnestly importuned him to take possession of the throne
and sceptre of David ! Now nothing will satiate your infernal
malice, but his precious blood ! But remember, ye miscreants,
ye monsters in human form, that this same Jesus, whom ye
beheld with such contempt before the tribunal of the Roman
governor ; this Jesus, whose blood your infernal mouths so
loudly requested, shall one day come in the clouds of heaven
to take vengeance on bis enemies ! and how will ye be able to
bear the sight of his appearance, when the very heavens them
selves will melt at his presence, " the sun become black as sack
cloth of hair," the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fly
from their spheres ? How will ye then repent of your unjust
demand, and call to the mountains and rocks to fall on you,
and hide you from the presence of that immaculate Lamb of
God, the tremendous judge of the whole earth !
Pilate himself was astonished at this determination of the
multitude, and repeated his question ; for he could hardly be
lieve what he had himself heard. But on their again declaring
that they desired Barabbas might be released, he asked them
what he should do with Jesus, which is called Christ. As if he
had said, You demand that Barabbas should be released; but
what shall I then do with Jesus ; you cannot surely desire me to
crucify him, whom so many of you have acknowledged as your
Messiah ! " But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.
Then Pilate saith unto them, Why, what evil hath he done ?
And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him."
They were so resolutely determined to have him destroyed,
that notwithstanding the governor urged them again and again
to desire his release, declared his innocence, and offered several
times to dismiss him, tbey would not hear it, uttering their rage,
sometimes in hollow, distant, inarticulate murmurs, and some
times in furious outcries : to such a pitch were their passions
raised by the craft and artful insinuations of their priests.
Pilate, finding it therefore in vain to struggle with their
prejudices, called for water, and washed his hands before tbe
multitude, crying out, at the same time, that the prisoner had
no fault, and that he himself was innocent of his blood.
By this action and declaration, Pilate seems to have intend
ed to make an impression on the Jewish populace, by comply
ing with the institution of Moses, which orders, in case of ao

LIFE OF CHRIST. 571
unknown murder, the elders ofthe nearest city to wash their
hands publicly, and say, " Our hands have not shed this blood.'
And in allusion -to this law the Psalmist says, " I will wash
mine hands in innocence." Accordingly, therefore, to the Jew
ish rite, Pilate made the most solemn and public declaration of
the innocence of our dear Redeemer, and of his resolution of
having no hand in his death.
But notwithstanding the solemnity of this declaration, the
Jews' continued inflexible, and cried out, with one voice, " His
blood be on us and our children." Dreadful imprecation ! It
shocks humanitj' ! An imprecation which brought on them the
dreadful vengeance of Omnipotence, and is still a heavy bur
den on that perfidious peOple !
The governor, finding it impossible to alter their choice, re
leased unto them Barabbas. And as it was the general prac
tice of the Romans to scourge those criminals they condemned
to be crucified, Pilate ordered the blessed Jesus to be scourged,
before he delivered him to the soldiers to be put to death.
The soldiers having scourged Jesus, and received orders to
crucify him, carried him into the Praetorium, or common hall,
where they added the shame of disgrace to the bitterness of his
punishment; for, sore as he was, by reason of the stripes they"
had given him, they dressed him in a purple robe, in derision
of his being King of the Jews. Having dressed him in this
robe of mock-majesty, they put a reed in his hand, instead of
a sceptre, and after plaiting a wreath of thorns, they put it on
bis head for a crown ; forcing it down in so rude a manner,
that his temples were torn, and his face besmeared with his most
precious blood. To the Son of God, in this condition, the rude
soldiers .bowed the knee, pretending to do it out of respect ;
but at the same time gave him severe blows on his head, which
drove the prickles of the wreath afresh into his temples, and
then spit on him, to express their highest contempt.
The governor, whose office obliged him to be present at this
shocking scene of inhumanity, was ready to burst with grief.
The sight of an innocent and virtuous man treated with such
shocking barbarity, raised in his breast the most painful sensa
tions of pity. And though he had given sentence that it should
be as the Jews desired, and had delivered our dear Redeemer
to the soldiers to be crucified, he was in hopes that if he shewed
him to the people in that condition, they must relent, and peti
tion him to release him.
Filled with this thought, he resolved to carry him out, and
exhibit to their view a spectacle capable of softening the most
envenomed, obdurate, enraged enemy. And in order to render
the impression still more poignant, he went out himself, and said
unto them, Though I have sentenced this man to die. and have

372 LIFE OF CHRIST.
scourged him as one that is to be crucified, yet I once more
bring him before you, that I may again testify how fully I am
persuaded of his innocence, and that ye may yet have an oppor
tunity of saving his life.
As soon as the governor had finished his speech, Jesus ap
peared on the pavement, his hair, his face, his shoulders all
clotted with blood, and the purple robe bedaubed with spittle.
And that the sight of Jesus in this distress might make the
greater impression on the people, Pilate, while he was coming
forward, cried out, " Behold the man !" As if he had said,
Will nothing make you relent ? Have ye lost all the feelings of
humanity, and bowels of compassion ? Can you bear to see the
innocent, a son of Abraham, thus injured ?
But all this was to no purpose ; the priests, whose rage and
malice had extinguished 'not only the sentiments of justice and
feelings of pity natural to the human heart, but also that love
which countrymen bear for each other, no sooner saw Jesus,
than they' began to fear the fickle populace might relent,
and, therefore, laying decency aside, they led the way to the
multitude, crying out, with all their might, Crucify him ! cru
cify him !
Pilate, vexed to see the Jewish rulers thus obstinately bent
on the destruction of a person from whom they had nothing to
fear that was dangerous, either with regard to their church or
state, passionately told them, that if they would have him cru
cified, they must do it themselves : because he would not suffer
his people to murder a man who was guilty of no crime.
But this they also refused, thinking it dishonorable to receive
permission to punish a person who had been more than once
publicly declared innocent by his judge. Besides, they con
sidered with themselves, that the governor might afterwards
have called it sedition, as the permission bad been extorted^
from him. Accordingly, they told him that even though none
of the things alleged against the prisoner were true, he had
committed such a crime in the presence of the council itself,
as by their law deserved the most ignominious death. He had
spoken blasphemy, calling himself the Son of God, a title
which no mortal could assume, without the highest degree of
guilt. " We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, be
cause he made himself the Son of God."
When Pilate heard that Jesus called himself the Son of God,
his fear was increased. Knowing the obstinacy of the Jews in
all matters of religion, he was afraid they would make a tumult
in earnest ; or perhaps he was himself more afraid than ever to
take away his life, because he suspected it might be true. He
doubtless remembered the miracles said to have been performed
by Jesus, and therefore suspected that he really was the Son of

LIFE OF CHRIST. 373
God. For it was well known that the religion which the gov
ernor professed, directed him to acknowledge the existence of
demigods and heroes, or men descended from the gods. Nay,
the heathens believed that their gods themselves appeared up
on earth in the form of men.
Reflections of this kind induced Pilate to go again to the
judgment-hall, and ask Jesus from what father he sprung, and
from what country he came ? But our blessed Saviour gave
him no answer, lest the governor should reverse his sentence,
and absolutely refuse to crucify him.
Pilate marvelled greatly at his silence, and said unto Jesus,
Why dost thou refuse to answer me ? You cannot be ignorant
that I am invested with absolute power, either to release or cru
cify you. To which Jesus answered, I well know that you are
Caesar's servant, and accountable to him for your conduct. I
forgive you any injury, which, contrary to your inclination, the
popular fury constrains you to do unto me. Thou hast thy
power from above, from the emperor ; for which cause the Jew
ish high priest, who hath put me into thy hands, and by pre
tending that I am Caesar's e-aemy, .forces thee to condemn me;
or, if thou 'refusest, will accuse thee as negligent of the empe
ror's interest ; he is more guilty than thou. " He that delivered
me unto thee hath the greater sin."
This sweet and modest answer made such an impression on
Pilate, that he went out to the people, and declared his in
tention of releasing Jesus, whether they gave their consent
or not. Upon which the chief priests and rulers of Israel
cried out, " If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's
friend : whosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh against
Caesar." If thou releasest the prisoner, who hath set himself
up for a king, and endeavored to raise a rebellion in the
country, thou art unfaithful to the interest of the emperor thy
master. This argument was weighty, and shook Pilate's resolution to
the very basis. He was terrified at the thought of being accus
ed to the emperor, who, in all affairs of government, alwa3's
suspected the worst, and punished the most minute crimes rel
ative thereto, with death.
The governor being thus constrained to jield, contrary to his
inclination, was very angry with the priests for stirring up the
people to such a pitch of madness, and determined to affront
them. He therefore brought Jesus out, a second time, into the pave
ment, wearing the purple robe and the crown of thorns ; and
pointing to him, said, "Behold 3'our king!" ridiculing their
national expectation of a Messiah.

¦374 LIFE OF CHRIST.
This sarcastical expression stung them to the quick, and they
cried out, " Away with him ! away with him ! crucify him !"
To which Pilate answered, with the same mocking air, " Shall
I crucify your king ? The chief priests answered, We have no
king but Caesar." Thus did they publicly renounce their hope
of the Messiah, which the whole economy of their religion
had been calculated to cherish ; they also publicly acknowledg
ed their subjection to the Romans, and, consequently, condem
ned themselves, when they afterwards rebelled against the em
peror. We cannot help observing here, that the great unwillingness
ef the governor to pass sentence of death upon Jesus, has some
thing in it very remarkable. For, from the character of Pilate,
as drawn by the Roman historians themselves, he seems to have
been far from possessing any true principle of virtue. To what
then could it be owing, that so wicked a man should so stead
ily adhere to the cause of innocence, which he defended with
uncommon resolution, and perhaps would never have abandoned
it, had he not been forced by the threatenings of the chief
priests and rulers of Israel ; and when he did yield, and pass
ed sentence of death upon our dear Redeemer, why did he
still declare him innocent ? This can certainly be attributed to
no other cause than to the secret but powerful direction of the
providence of the Almighty, who intended that, at the same
time his son was condemned and executed as a malefactor, his
innocence should be made to appear in tbe most public man
ner, and by the most authentic evidence, even that of the judge
himself. From the circumstances we have been relating we may
learn, that though the Almighty, in the course of his providen
tial government of the world, and for purposes beyond the com
prehension of finite mortals, suffers the most virtuous characters
to be exposed, not only to the insults but the cruelty of tbe
most abandoned of mankind ; yet he will certainly vindicate
the cause of innocence, and strike the guilty with horror and
remorse, for their impious conduct.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 375

CHAPTER XXXIX.

The innocent immaculate Redeemer is led forth to Mount Cal
vary, and there ignominiously crucified between two notori
ous Malefactors. — Reviled by the spectators. — A phenomenon
appears on the important occasion. — Our Lord addresses his
friends from the Cross, and gives up the ghost.
The solemn, the awful period now approached, when the
Son of God, the Redeemer of the world, was to undergo the
oppressive burden of our sins, upon the tree, and submit unto
death, even the death of the cross, that we might live at the
right hand of God, for ever and ever.
Sentence being pronounced against the blessed Jesus, the
soldiers were ordered to prepare for his execution, a, command
which they readily obeyed ; and after clothing him in his own
garments, led him away to crucify him. It is not said that
they took the crown of thorns from his temples ; probably he
died wearing it, that the title placed over his head might be the
better understood.
It is not to be expected that the ministers of Jewish malice re
mitted any of the circumstances of affliction, which were ever
laid on persons condemned to be crucified. Accordingly Jesus
was obliged to walk on foot to the place of execution, bearing
his cross. But the fatigue of the preceding night, spent without
sleep, the sufferings he had undergone in the garden, his hav
ing been hurried from' place -to place, and obliged to stand the
whole time of his trials ; the want of food, and the loss of
blood he had sustained, and not his want of courage on this
occasion, made him faint under the burden of his cross. The
soldiers seeing him unable to bear the weight, laid it on one
Simon, a native of Cyrene, in Egypt* the father of Alexan-.
der and Rufus, well known among the first Christians, aud for
ced him to bear it after the great Redeemer of mankind. The
soldiers did not, however, do this out of compassion to the suf
ferings of Jesus, but to prevent his dying with the fatigue, and
by that means eluding his punishment.
The blessed Jesus, in his journey to Calvary, was followed
by an innumerable multitude of people, particularly of women,
who lamented bitterly the severity of his sentence, and shewed
all the tokens of sincere compassion and grief. Jesus, who al
ways felt the woes of others, more than he did his own, forget
ting his distress at the very time when it lay heaviest upon him,
turned himself about, and with a benevolence and tenderness
truly divine, said to them. 4t Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not

376 LIFE OF CHRIST.
for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For
behold, the days are coming in which they shall say, Blessed
are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps
which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the
mountains, Fall on us ; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they
do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry ?"
Luke, xxiii. 28, he. As if he had said, Dry up these tears, ye
daughters of Jerusalem, which ye shed in compassion to me,
and reserve them for the deplorable fate of yourselves, and of
your children : for the calamities that will soon fall on you and
your offspring are truly terrible, and call for the bitterest lamen
tations. In those days of vengeance you will passionately wish
that you had not given birth to a generation whose wickedness
has rendered them the objects of the wrath of the Almighty,
to such a degree as never was before experienced in the world.
Then shall they wish to be crushed under the weight of enor
mous mountains, and concealed from their enemies in the bowels
of the hills. The thoughts of these calamities afflict my soul
far more than the feeling of my own sufferings. For if the Ro
mans are permitted to inflict such punishments on me, who am
innocent, how dreadful must the vengeance be which they shall
inflict on a nation whose sins cry aloud to heaven, hastening
the pace of the divine judgments, and rendering the perpetrators
as proper for punishment as dry wood is for the flames.
Being arrived at the place of execution, which was called
Golgotha, or the Place of Skulls, from the criminals' bones
which lay scattered there, some of our Redeemer's friends offer
ed him a stupefying potion, to render him insensible to the ig
nominy and excruciating pain of this punishment. But as soon
as he tasted the potion, he refused to drink it, being determined
to bear his sufferings, however sharp,, not by intoxicating and
stupefying himself, but by the strength of patience, fortitude,
and faith.
Jesus having refused the potion, the soldiers began to execute
their orders, by stripping him quite naked, and in that condi
tion began to fasten him to his cross. But while they were
piercing his hands and his feet with nails, instead of crying out
through the sharpness of the pain, he calmly, though fervently
prayed for them, and for all those who had an}' hand in his
death ; beseeching the Almighty to forgive them, and excusing
them himself by the only circumstance that could alleviate their
guilt ; I mean, their ignorance. " Father," said the compas
sionate Redeemer of mankind, " forgive them, for they know
not what they do." This was infinite meekness and goodness,
truly worthy of the only begotten Son of God, an example of
forgiveness, which though it can never be equalled by any,
should be imitated by all.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 377
But behold the appointed soldiers dig the hole in which the
cross was to be erected ! The cross is placed in the ground,
and the blessed Jesus lies on tbe bed of sorrows — they nail him
to it-— His nerves crack — His blood distils — He hangs upon his
wounds naked, a spectacle to heaven and earth !
Thus was the only begotten Son of God, who came down
from heaven to save the world, crucified by his own creatures ;
and, to render the ignominy still greater, placed between two
thieves. " Hear, O heavens ! O earth, earth, earth, hear ! The
Lord hath nourished and brought up children, and they have
rebelled against him."
It was usual for the crimes committed by malefactors to be
written on a whhe board, with black, and placed over their
heads on the cross. In conformity to this custom, Pilate wrote
a title in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin languages, that all
foreigners, as well as natives, might be able to read it, and
fastened it to the cross, over the head of Jesus ; and the in
scription was, " This is the King of the Jews." But when the
chief priests and the elders had read this title, they were greatly
displeased ; because, as it represented the crime for which Jesus
was condemned, it insinuated that he had been acknowledged
for the Messiah. Besides, being placed over the head of one
who was dying by the most infamous punishment, it implied
that all who attempted to deliver the Jews should perish in
the same manner. The faith and hope of the nation, therefore,
being thus publicly ridiculed, it is no wonder that the priests
thought themselves highly affronted ;, and accordingly came
to Pilate, begging that the writing might be altered. But as
he had intended the affront in revenge for their forcing him to
crucify Jesus, contrary both to his judgment and inclination, he
refused to grant their request. " What I have written," said
he, " I have written."
When the soldiers had nailed the blessed Jesus to the cross,
and erected it, they divided his garments among them. But
his coat, or vesture, being without seam, woven from the top
throughout, they agreed not to rend it, but to cast lots for it,
by which the prediction of the prophet concerning the death
and sufferings of the Messiah was fulfilled. " They parted my
garments among them, and for my vesture did they cast lots."
A sufficient indication that every circumstance of the death and
passion of the blessed Jesus was long before determined in the
court of heaven ; and accordingly his being crucified between
two malefactors was expressly foretold, " and he was numbered
with the transgressors."
The common people, whom the vile priests had incensed^
against the blessed Jesus, by the malicious falsehoods they had;
spread concerning him, and which they pretended to found on,
48

378 LIFE OF CHRIST.
the deposition bf witnesses ; the common people, I say, seeieg
Mm hang in so infamous a manner upon the cross, aud reading
the inscription that was placed over his head, expressed their
indignation at him by sarcastical expressions. " Ah thou," said
they, " that destroyest the tenrple, and buildest it in three days,
save thyself, and come down from the cross."
But the common people were not the only persons who mock
ed and derided the blessed Jesus, while he was suffering to
obtain the remission of sins for all mankind. The rulers-, who
now imagined they ha?d effectually destroyed his pretension's
to the character of the Messiah, joined the populace in ridicul
ing hirn, and with a meanness of soul, which many infamous
wretches would have scorned, mocked him, even while be Was
struggling with the agonies of death. They scoffed at the mir
acles by which he demonstrated himself to be the Messiah, and
promised to believe on him, on condition of his proving bis
pretensions, by descending from the cross. "He saved others,"
said they, "himself he cannot save; if he be the king of Israel,
fet him npw come down from the cross, and We will belieVe
on him."
In the mean time, nothing could be more false and hypocrit
ical than this pretension of the stiff-necked Jews ; for they after-
Wards continued in their unbelief, notwithstanding they well
knew that he raised himself from the dead : a much greater
miracle than his coming down from the cross would have been ;
a miracle attested by witnesses whose veracity they could not
call in question. It was told them by the soldiers whotn they
themselves placed at the sepulchre, to watch the body, and
Whom they were obliged to bribe largely, to conceal tbe truth.
It is, therefore, abundantly evident that if the blessed Jesus bad
descended from the Cross, the Jewish priests would 'have con
tinued in their infidelity ; and, consequently, that their declara
tion was made with no other intention, than to insult the Re
deemer of mankind, thinking it impossible for bim 'how tP es
cape out of their hands.
The soldiers also joined in this general scene of 'mockery ;
"If thou be the king of the Jews," said they, "save thyself."
If thou art the great Messiah expected by the Jews, descend
from the cross by miracle, and deliver thyself from these excrti-
ciating torments.
Nor could even one of the thieves forbear mocking the great
Lord of heaven and earth, though laboring himself under the
most racking pains, and struggling with the agonies of death.
But the other exercised a most extraordinary faith, at a time
when our great Redeemer was in the highest affliction, mocked
by men, and hanged upon the cross, as the most ignominious
of malefactors. This Jewish criminal seems to have entertained

LIFE OF CHRIST. 379
a more rational and exalted notion of the Messiah's kingdom
than even the disciples themselves. They expected nothing but
a secular empire ; he gave strong intimations of his having an
idea of Christ's spiritual dominion ; for at the very lime when-
Jesus was dying on the cross, he begged to be remembered by
him when he came into his kingdom. " Lord," said he, " re
member me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Nor did- he
make this request in vain : the great Redeemer of mankind an
swered him, " Verily, I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with
me in Paradise."
But let us attentively consider the history of our blessed Sav
iour's passion, as it offers to our view events absolutely aston
ishing. For when we remember the perfect innocence of our
great Redeemer, the uncommon love he bore to the children of
men, and the many kind and benevolent offices he did for the
sous and daughters of affliction ; when we reflect on the esteem
in which he was held all along by the common people, how
cheerfully they followed him to the remotest corners of the
country, nay, even into the desolate retreats of the wilderness,
and with what pleasure they listened to his discourses : when we
consider these particulars, I say, we cannot help heing astonished
to find them at the conclusion rushing all of a sudden into the
Opposite extreme, and every individual, as it were, combined
to treat him with the most barbarous cruelty.
When' Pilate asked the people if they desired to have Jesus
released, his disciples, though they were very numerous, and
might have made a great appearance in his behalf, remained
absolutely silent, as if they had been speechless or infatuated.
The Roman soldiers, notwithstanding their general bad declared
him innocent, insulted him in the most inhuman manner. The
scribes and pharisees ridiculed him. The common people, who
had received bim with hosannas, a few days before, mocked
him as they passed by, and railed at him as a deceiver. Nay,
the very thief on the cross reviled him.
This sudden revolution in the humor of the whole nation,
may seem unaccountable. But if we could assign a proper
reason for the silence of the disciples, the principles which influ
enced tbe nest might be discovered in their several speeches.
The followers of the blessed Jesus had attached, themselves to
him in expectation of being raised to great wealth and power
in iris kingdom, which they expected would haye been estab
lished long before this time. But seeing no appearance at all
of what they had so long hoped for, tbey permitted him to be
condemned, perhaps, because they thought it would have obli
ged him to break the Roman yoke by miracle.
With respect to the soldiers, they were angry that any one
should pretend to royalty in Judea, where Csesar had estab- .

380 LIFE OF CHRIST.
fished his authority. Hence they insulted our blessed Saviour
with the title of king, and paid him, in mockery, the honors of a
sovereign. As fbr the common people, they seem to have lost their opin
ion of him, probably because he had neither convinced the
council, nor rescued himself when they condemned him. They
began therefore to consider the assertion of his destroying the
temple, and building it in three days, as a kind of blasphemy,
because it required a divine power to execute such an under
taking. The priests and scribes were filled with the most implacable
and diabolical malice against him ; because he had torn off
their mask of hypocrisy, and shewed them to the people in their
true colors. It is, therefore, no wonder that they ridiculed his
miracles, from whence he derived his reputation.
In short, the thief also fancied that he might have delivered
both himself and them, if he had been the Messiah ; but as no
such deliverance appeared, he upbraided him for making pre
tensions to that high character.
But now, my soul, take one view of thy dying Saviour,
breathing out his soul upon tbe "cross! Behold his unspotted
flesh lacerated with stripes, by which thou art healed ! See his
hands extended and nailed to the cross ; those beneficent hands
which were incessantly stretched out to unloose thy heavy bur
dens, and to impart blessings of every kind ! Behold his feet
riveted to the accursed tree with nails-! those feet which always
went about doing good, and travelled far and near to spread
tbe glad tidings of everlasting salvation ! View his tender
temples encircled with a wreath of thorns which shoot their
keen afflictive points into his blessed head ; that head which
was ever meditating peace to poor lost and undone sinners,
and spent many a wakeful night in ardent prayer for their hap
piness ! See him laboring in the agonies of death ! breathing
out his soul into the hands of his Almighty Father, and pray
ing for his cruel enemies ! Was ever love like this ? Was ever
benevolence so finely displayed ?
O my soul, put thou thy trust in that bleeding, that dying
Saviour ! Then, though the pestilence walketh in darkness,
and the sickness destroyeth at noon-day.; though thousands fall
beside thee, and ten thousands at thy right hand, thou needest
not fear the approach of any evil ! Either the destroying angel
shall pass over thee, or dispense the corrections of a friend, not
the scourges of an enemy, which instead of hurting, will work
for thy good. Then, though profaneness and infidelity, far
more malignant evils, breathe their contagion, and taint mul
titudes around thee, thou shalt be safely hid in the hollow of
his hand, and freed from every danger.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 381
Come, then, my soul, let us take sanctuary under that tree
of life, the ignominious cross of thy bleeding Saviour ; let us
fly for safety to that city of refuge, opened in his bleeding
wounds. These will prove a sacred hiding place, not to be
pierced, by the flames of divine wrath, or the fiery darts of temp
tation. His dying merits, his perfect obedience, will be " as
rivers of water in a dry place,'* or as the shadow of a great rock
in a dreary land."
But particularly in that last tremendous day, when the heav
ens shall be rent asunder, and be wrapt up like a scroll ; when*
his Almighty arm shall arrest the sun in his career, and dash
the structure of the universe to pieces ; when the dead, both
small and great, shall be gathered before the throne of his
glory, and the fates of all mankind bang on the very point of
a final irreversible decision : then, if thou hast faithfully trusted
in him, and made his precepts thy constant directors, shalt thou
be owned and defended by him. O ! reader, may both thou
that peruseth, and hiin who hath written this for thy soul's ad
vantage, be covered at that unutterably important juncture, by
the wings of his redeeming love ; then shall we behold all the
horrible convulsions of expiring nature with composure, with
comfort! we shall even welcome the consummation of all things
as the "times of refreshing from the presence ofthe Lord."
But see the sun, that glorious luminary of heaven, as it were,
hides its face from this detestable action of mortals, and is wrapt
in the pitchy mantle of chaotic darkness ! This preternatural
eclipse of the sun continued for three hours, to the great terror
and astonishment of the people present at the crucifixion of our
dear Redeemer. And surely nothing could be more proper
than this extraordinary alteration in the face of nature, while
the- Sun of righteousness was withdrawing his beams, not only
from the promised land, but from the whole world ; for it was
at once a miraculous testimony given by the Almighty himself
to the innocence of his Son, and a proper eriiblem of the de
parture of him who was the light of the world, at least till
his luminous rays, like the beams of the morning, shone out
anew with additional splendor in the ministry of his apostles.
Nor was the darkness which now covered Judea and the
neighboring countries, beginning about noon and continuing till
Jesus expired, the effect of an ordinary eclipse of the sun. It is
well known that this phenomenon can only happen at the
change of the moon ; whereas the Jewish passover, at which our
great Redeemer suffered, was always celebrated at the full.
Besides, the total darkness of an eclipse of the sun never ex
ceeds twelve or fifteen minutes, whereas this continued three full
hours. Nothing, therefore, but the immediate hand of that Al
mighty Being which placed the sun in the centre of the planet-

382 LIFE OF CHRIST.
ary system, could have produced this astonishing darkness.
Nothing but Omnipotence, who first lighted this glorious lumi
nary of heaven, Could have deprived it of its cheering rays.
Now, ye scoffers of Israel, whose bipod 3'e have so earnestly de
sired, and wished it might fall upon you and your children,
behold, all nature is dressed in the sable veil of sorrow, and,
in a language that cannot be mistaken, mourns the departure of
its Lord and Master ; weeps for our crimes, and deprecates
the vengeance of heaven upon your guilty heads ! Happy for
you that this suffering Jesus is compassion itself, and even in the
agonies of death, prays to his heavenly Father to avert from
you the stroke of his justice.
This preternatural eclipse of the sun was considered as a
miracle by the heathens themselves ; and one of them cried out,
" Either the world is at an end, or the God of nature suffers."
And well might he use the expression : for never since this plan
etary system was called from its primitive chaos, was known
such a deprivation of light iu the glorious luminary of day. In
deed, when the Almighty punished Pharaoh for refusing to let
the children of Israel depart out of his land, the sable veil of
darkness was for three days drawn over Egypt. But this dark
ness was confined to a part of that kingdom ; whereas, this that
happened at our Saviour's crucifixion wa's universal.
When the darkness began, the disciples naturally considered
it as a prelude to the deliverance of their Master. For though
the chief priests, elders and people, had sarcastically desired him
to descend from the accursed tree, his friends could not but be
persuaded that he who had delivered so many from incurable
diseases ; who had restored limbs to the maimed, and eyes to
the blind ; who had given speech to the dumb, and called the
dead from the chambers of the dust, might easily save himself,
even from the cross.
When, therefore, his mother, his mothers' sister, Mary Mag
dalene, and the beloved disciple, observed the veil of darkness
begin to extend over the face of nature, they drew near to the
foot of the cross, probably in expectation that the Son of God
was going to shake the frame of the universe, unloose himself
from the cross, and take ample vengeance on his cruel and
perfidious enemies.
The blessed Jesus was now in the midst of his sufferings. Yet
when he saw his mother and her companions, their grief greatly
affected his tender breast, especially the distress of bis mother.
Tbe agonies of death, under which he was now laboring, could
not prevent his expressing the most affectionate regard, both for
her and for them. For that she might have some consolation to
support her under the greatness of her sorrows, he told ber the
disciple whom he loved would, for the sake of that love, supply

LIFE OF CHRIST. 383
his place to her after he was taken from them, even the place of
a son ; and*, therefore, he desired her to consider him as such,
and expect from him all the duties of a child. " Woman," said
he, " behold thy son."
Nor was this remarkable token of filial affection towards his
mother the only instance the dying Jesus gave of his sincere
love to his friends and followers ; the beloved disciple had also
a token of his high esteem. He singled him out as the only
person among his friends to supply his place with regard to his
mother. Accordingly he desired him 'expressly to reverence
her in the same manner as if she had been his own parent ; a du
ty which the favorite disciple gladlyiundertook, carried her with
bim to his house, and maintained her from that hour to the day
«tf her death ; her husband Joseph, having, it seems, been dead
some time.
Thus, in the midst of the heaviest sufferings that human na
ture ever sustained, the blessed Jesus demonstrated a divine
Strength of benevolence. Even at the time when his own dis
tress was at tbe highest pitch, and nature was dressed in the
robe of mourning for the sufferings ofthe Redeemer of mankind,
his friends had so large a share of his concern, that their happi
ness interrupted the sharpness of his pains, and for a short
time engrossed his thoughts.
But now the moment when he should resign his soul into the
hands of his heavenly Father, approached, and he repeated part,
at least, of the twenty-second Psalm, uttering, with a loud voice
these remarkable words, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani ?" that is,
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Or, as the
words may be rendered, " My God, my God, how long a time
hast thou forsaken me ?"
Some believe that our blessed Saviour repeated the whole
Psalm ; it having been the custom of the Jews, in making
quotations, to mention only the first words of the Psalm or
Section which they cited. If so, as this Psalm contains
the most remarkable particulars of our dear Redeemer's pas
sion, being, as it were, a summary of the prophecies relative
to that subject, by repeating it on the cross, the blessed Jesus
signified that he was now accomplishing the things that were
predicted concerning the Messiah. And as this Psalm is com
posed iri the form of a prayer, by pronouncing it at this time,
he a'lso claimed of his Father the performance of all t!he promi
ses he had made, whether to him, or to his people.
Some of the people who stood by, when tbey heard our
blessed Saviour pronounce the first words of the Psalm, misun
derstood him, probably from their not hearing him distinctly,
ttnd concluded that he called for Elias. Upon which one of"
them filled a sponge with vinegar, pat it on a reed, and gave

364 LIFE OF CHRIST.
him to drink ; being desirous to keep him alive as long as pos
sible, to see whether Elias would come to take him down from
the cross.
But as soon as Jesus had tasted the vinegar, he said, " It is
finished." That is, the work of man's redemption is accom
plished ; the great work which the only begotten Son of God
came into the world to perform, is finished.
In speaking these words he cried with an exceeding loud
voice ; and afterwards addressed his Almighty Father, in words
which form the best pattern of a recommendatory prayer, at the
hour of death, " Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."
And having uttered these words, he bowed his head, and yield
ed up the ghost."
But behold ! at the very instant that the blessed Jesus resign
ed his soul into the hands of his heavenly Father, the veil of the
temple was miraculously rent from the top to the bottom; prob
ably ,in the presence of the priest, who burnt incense in tbe holy
place, and who, doubtless, published tbe account when he came
out : for our blessed Saviour expired at the ninth hour, the very
time of offering the evening sacrifice.
Nor was this the only miracle that happened at tbe death of
the great Messiah ; the earth trembled from its very foundations,
the flinty rocks burst asunder, and the sepulchres hewn in them
were opened ; and many bodies of saints deposited there awak
ened, after his resurrection, from the sleep of death, left tbe
gloomy chambers of the tomb, went into the city of Jerusalem,
and appeared unto many.
And as tbe rending the veil of the temple intimated that the
entrance into the holy place, the type of heaven, was now laid
open to all nations ; so the resurrection of a number of saints
from the dead demonstrated that the power of death, and the
grave, was broken ; the sting was taken from death, and the vic
tory wrested from the grave. In short, our dear Redeemer's
conquests over the enemies of mankind were shewn to be com
plete ; and an earnest was given of the general resurrection of
the dead.
Nor did the remarkable particulars which attended that awful
period, when Jesus gave up the ghost, affect the natives of
Judea only. The Roman centurion, who was placed near the
cross, to prevent disorders of any kind, glorified the Almighty,
and cried out, " Truly this was the Son of God !" And others
who were with them, when they beheld heaven itself bearing wit
ness of the truth of our great Redeemer's mission, smote their
breasts, and retired.
They had been incessant with loud voices to have him cruci
fied; but when they saw the face ofthe creation wrapped in the.

THE CRUCIFIXION.
[Page 386.]

" But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs :
" But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came thereout blood
and water." — John xix. 33, 34.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 385
gloomy mantle of darkness, during his crucifixion, and found
his death accompanied with an earthquake, as if nature had
been in an agony when he died, they rightly interpreted these
prodigies to be so many testimonies from the Almighty, of his
innocence ; and their passions, which had been inflamed and
exasperated against him, became quite calm, or exerted in his
behalf. Some were angry with themselves for neglecting the
opportunity the governor gave them of saving his life. Some
were stung with remorse for having been active in procuring
Pilate to condemn him, and even offering the most bitter in
sults, while he labored under the cruellest of sufferings. And
others were deeply affected at beholding the pains he suffered,
which were rigorously severe.
These various passions being visibly painted in their counte
nances, afforded a melancholy spectacle : many of the multitude
returning from the cruel execution with their eyes fixed upon
the earth, pensive and silent ; their hearts ready to burst with
grief, groaning deeply within themselves, shedding floods of
tears, and smiting on their breasts.
The grief they now felt for the blessed Jesus was distinguish
ed from their former rage against him by this remarkable par
ticular, that their rage was entirely owing to the artful insinua
tions of the priests ; whereas their grief was genuine, and the
natural feelings of their own hearts, greatly affected with the
truth and innocence of him who was the object of their commis
eration. And as flattery had no share in this mourning, so the
expressions of their sorrow were such as became a real and un
feigned passion.
Thus were demonstrated, by many awful tokens, the truth,
tbe divinity, the power of our Redeemer's mission : the blind,
the obdurate Jews were struck with horror, fully convinced that
the person they had cruelly put to death, was nothing less than
the Son and Servant of God, the promised Messiah, the Saviour
ofthe World.

CHAPTER XL.
The blessed Jesus treated with indignity after the Crucifixion.-^
A pious person begs his body of Pilate, in order for interment.
It was expressly forbidden by the law of Moses, that the
bodies of those who were hanged should remain all night on
the tree. In conformity to this law, and because the sabbath
49

386 LIFE OF CHRIST.
was at hand, the Jews begged the governor that the legs of thc
three persons crucified might be broken, to hasten their death.
To this request Pilate readily consented ; and accordingly gave
the necessary order to the soldiers to put it in execution.
But on perceiving that Jesus was already dead, the soldiers
did uot give themselves the trouble of breaking his legs, as
they had done those of the two malefactors that were crucified
with him. One of them, however, either out of wantonness or
cruelty, thrust a spear into his side, and out of the wouud
flowed blood and water.
This wound, therefore, was of the greatest importance to
mankind, as it abundantly demonstrated the truth of our Sav
iour's death, and consequently prevented all objections that the
enemies to our holy faith would otherwise have raised against
it. The Evangelist adds, that the legs of our great Redeemer
were not broken, but his side pierced, that two particular
prophecies might be fulfilled : " A bone of him shall not be
broken ;" and, " they shall look on him whom they have pier
ced." Among the disciples of our blessed Jesus, was one called Jo
seph of Arimathea ; a person equally remarkable for his birth,
fortune, and office. This man, who was not to be intimidated
by the malice of his countrymen, went boldly to Pilate, and
begged the body of his great Master. He had, indeed, no
thing to fear from the Roman governor, who, during the whole
course of our Saviour's trial, had shewn tbe greatest inclination
to release him ; but he had reason to apprehend that this ac
tion might draw upon him the malice of the rulers of the Jews,
who had taken such great pains to get the Messiah crucified.
However, the great regard he had for the remains of his Mas
ter, made him despise the malice of the Jews ; being persuaded
that Omnipotence would defend him, and cover his enemies
with shame and confusion. And he well knew, that if no
friend procured a grant of the body, it would be ignominiously
cast out among the executed malefactors.
Pilate was at first surprised at the request of Joseph, think
ing it highly improbable that he should be dead in so short a;
time. He had, indeed, given orders for the soldiers to break
the legs of the crucified persons ; but he knew it was common
for them to live many hours after that operation was perform
ed ; for though the pain they felt must be exquisite to the last
degree, yet, as the vital parts remain untouched, life would
continue some time in the miserable body.
The governor, therefore, called the centurion, to know the
truth of what Joseph had told him ; and being convinced, from
the answer of that officer, that Jesus had been dead some time,
he readily gave the body to Joseph.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 387
This worthy counsellor having obtained his request, repaired
to Mount Calvary ; and, being assisted by Nicodemus, took
the body down from the cross. The latter was formerly so
cautious in visiting Jesus that he came to him by night. But
in paying the last duties to his Master, he used no art to con
ceal his design. He shewed a courage far superior to that of
any of his apostles, not only assisting Joseph in taking down
the body of Jesus from the cross, but bringing with him. a quan
tity of spices, necessary in the burial of his Saviour.
Accordingly they wrapt the body with the spices in fine linen,
and laid it in a new sepulchre, which Joseph had hewn out of a
rock for himself. This sepulchre was situated in a garden,
near Mount Calvary : and, in which having carefully deposited
the body of the blessed Jesus, they fastened the door, by roll
ing to it a very large stone. " And when Joseph had taken the
body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth", and laid it in his
own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock : and he
rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed."
Matt, xxvii. 59, 60.
Oh ! what a wonderful spectacle was now exhibited in this
memorable sepulchre ! He who clothes himself with light, as
with a garment, and walks upon the wings of the wind, was
pleased to wear the habiliments of mortality, and dwell among
the prostrate dead ! Who can repeat the wondrous truth too
often? Who can dwell upon the enchanting theme too long?
He who sits enthroned in glory, and diffuses bliss among all
the heavenly host, was once a pale and bloody corpse, and
pressed the floor of this little sepulchre !
O death ! how great was thy triumph in that hour ! never did
thy gloomy realms contain such a prisoner before — Prisoner,
did I say ? No, he was more than Conqueror. He arose far
more mighty than Samson from a transient slumber; broke
down tbe gates, and demolished the strong holds of those dark
dominions. And this, O mortals ! is your consolation and secu
rity. Jesus hath trod the dreadful path, and smoothed it for
your passage. Jesus, sleeping in the chambers of the tomb,
has brightened the dismal mansion, and left an inviting odor
in those beds of dust. The dying Jesus is your sure protec
tion, your unquestionable passport through the territories of the
grave. Believe in him, and they shall prove a " highway to
Sion ;" shall transmit you safe to Paradise. Believe in him,
and you shall be no losers, but unspeakable gainers by your
dissolution. For hear what the oracle of heaven says on this
important point : " Whoso believeth in me shall never die."
Death shall no longer be inflicted as a punishment, but rather
vouchsafed as a blessing. The exit is the end of their frailty,

388 LIFE OF CHRIST.
and their entrance upon perfection : their last groan is the pre
lude to life and immortality.
But to return. The women of Galilee, who had watched
their dear Redeemer in his last moments, and accompanied his
body to the sepulchre, observing that the funeral rites were per
formed in a hurry, agreed among themselves, as soon as the
Sabbath was passed, to return to the sepulchre, and embalm
the body of their dead Saviour, by anointing and swathing him
in the manner then common among the Jews. Accordingly
they retired to the city, and purchased the spices necessary for
that purpose ; Nicodemus having furnished only a mixture of
myrrh and aloes.
During these transactions, the chief priests and pharisees, re
membering that Jesus had more than once predicted his own
resurrection, came to the governor, and informed him of it,
begging, at the same time, that a guard might be placed at
the sepulchre, lest his disciples should carry away the body,
and affirm that he was risen from the dead. This happened a
little before it was dark in the evening, called " the next day
that followed," by the Evangelist, because the Jewish day be
gan at sunset.
This request being thought reasonable by Pilate, he gave
them leave to take as many soldiers as they pleased, out of the
cohort, which at the feast came from the castle of Antonia, and
kept guard of the porticos of the temple. For that they were
pot Jewish, but Roman soldiers, whom the priests emplpyed to
watch the sepulchre, is evident, from their asking them of the
governor. Besides, when the- soldiers returned with the news
of our Saviour's resurrection, the priests desired them to report
that his disciples had stolen him away while they slept: and
to encourage them to tell the falsehood boldly, promised that if
their neglect of duty came to the governor's ears, proper meth
ods should be used to pacify him, and deliver thein from any
punishment : a promise which there was no need of making to
their own servants.
The priests having thus obtained a guard of Roman soldiers,
men long accustomed to military duties, and therefore the most
proper for watching the body, set out with them to the sepul
chre ; and to prevent these guards from combining with the
disciples in carrying on any fraud, placed them at their post,
and sealed the stone which was rolled to the door of the sepul
chre. Thus what was designed to expose the mission and doctrines
of Jesus, as rank falsehood and vile imposture, proved in fact
the strongest confirmation of the truth and divinity of the same,
that could possibly be given ; and placed what they wanted to
refute (which was his resurrection from the dead) eveii beyond
a doubt.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 3S9

CHAPTER XLI.

Two pious Women go to view the Sepulchre of their crucified
Lord and Saviour. — An awful phenomenon happens.— A min
istering Spirit descends. — The Redeemer bursts the chains of
death, and rises from the confines ofthe grave.
Ver* early in the morning, after the Sabbath, Mary Magda
lene and the other Mary came to visit the sepulchre, in order to
embalm our Lord's body ; for the performance of which, they
had, in concert with several other women from Galilee, brought
unguents and spicest; But before they reached the sepulchre,
there was a great earthquake preceding the most memorable
event that ever happened among the children of men, the resr
urrection of the Son of God from the dead. " For the angel
of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back
the stone from the door of the sepulchre, and sat upon it ; his
countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow :
and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead
men ;" they fled into the city, and the Saviour of the world
rose from the dead.
The angel, who had, till then, sat upon the stone, quitted his
station, and entered into the sepulchre. In the mean time Mary
Magdalene, and the other Mary, were still on their way to the
sepulchre, together with Salome, who joined them on the road,
As they proceeded on their way, they consulted among them
selves, "with regard to the method of putting their design of
embalming the body of their Master into execution ; particularly
with respect to the enormous stone which they had seen placed
there, with the utmost difficulty, two days before. " Who,"
said they, " shall roll away the stone from the door of the sep
ulchre? For it was very great." — But in the midst of this
deliberation about removing this great and sole obstacle to
their design (for it does not appear they knew any thing of the
guard) they lifted up their eyes, and perceived it was alread}-
rolled away.
Alarmed at so extraordinary and unexpected a circumstance,
Mary Magdalene concluded, that the stone could not have been
rolled away without some design ; and that those who rolled it
away could have no other intent than that of removing our
Lord's body. Imagining, by appearances, that they had really
done so, she ran iriimediately to acquaint Peter and John of
what she had seen, and what she suspected ; leaving Mary and
Salome there, that if the other women should arrive during her
absence, they might acquaint them with their surprise, at find-

390 LIFE OF CHRIST.
ing the stone removed, and of Mary Magdalene's running to
inform the apostles of it.
In the mean time, the soldiers, who were terrified at seeing
an awful messenger from on high roll away the stone from the
door of the sepulchre, and open it in quality of a servant, fled
into the city, and informed the rulers of these miraculous ap
pearances. This account was highly mortifying to the chief
priests, as it was a proof of our Saviour's resurrection that
could not be denied : they, therefore, resolved to stifle it imme
diately : and accordingly bribed the soldiers to conceal <*he real
fact, and to publish every where, that his disciples had stolen
the body out of the sepulchre.
What ! the body taken- away while the sepulchre was guarded
by Roman soldiers? Yes, the disciples stole the body while
the soldiers slept ! A story so inconsistent, and which so evi
dently carries the marks of its own confutation with it, that it
deserves no answer.
The priests themselves could not be so stupid as not to fore
see what constructions the world would put upon the account
given by persons who pretended to know and tell what was
clone while they were asleep.

CHAPTER XLII.
The angel addresses the pious Women. — Tivo disciples go to
ihe Sepulchre. — Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene. — After
wards to a company af Women. — Peter meets his Lord and
Master, after his Resurrection.
While Mary Magdalene was going to inform the disciples
that the stone was rolled away from the mouth of the sepul
chre, and the body tr ken away, Mary and Salome continued
advancing towards the sepulchre, and at their arrival found,
what tbey expected, the body of their beloved Master gone
from the place where it had been deposited by Nicodemus and
Joseph of Arimathea ; but at the same time beheld, to their
great astonishment, a beautiful young man, in shining raiment,
very glorious to behold, sitting on the right side of the sepul
chre. Matthew tells us that it was the angel who had rolled away
the stone, and frightened away the guards from the sepulchre.
It seems he had now laid aside the terrors in which he was then
arrayed, and assumed the form and dress of a human being, in

THE ANGEL AT THE TOMB.
[Pa,-e 390.]

" And the. angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye : for I know that ye seek
Jesus, which was crucified.
" He is not here : for lie is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. —
Matt, xxfin. 5, 6.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 391
order that these pious women, who had accompanied our Sav
iour during the greatest part of the time of his public ministry,
might be as little terrified as possible.
But notwithstanding his beauty and benign appearance, they
weie greatly affrighted, and on the point of turning back, when
the heavenly messenger, to banish their fears, told them, in a
gentle accent, that he knew their errand. " Fear not," said be,
" for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified. He is
not here ; for he is risen, as he said :" and then invited them to
come down into the sepulchre, and view the place where the
Son of God had lain : that is, to look on the linen clothes, and
the napkin that had been about his head, and which he had left
behind him when he arose from the dead : for to look at the
place in any other view would not have tended to confirm their
faith of his resurrection.
The women, greatly encouraged by the agreeable . news, as
wejl as by tbe peculiar accent with which this sweet messenger
from the heavenly Canaan delivered his speech, weqt down into
the sepulchre, when, behold, another of the angelic choir ap
peared* t -
They did. not, however, yet seem to ..give sufficient cijedit to
what was told them by the angel ; and therefore the other gently
chid them for seeking the living among the dead, with an inten
tion to do him an office, due only to the latter, and for not be
lieving what was told them by a messenger from heaven, or
rather for not remembering the words which their great Master
himself had told them with regard to his own resurrection.
" Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here,
but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was
yet iu Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into
the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day
rise again."
When the women had satisfied their minds by looking at the
place where the Lord had lain, and where nothing was to be
found but the linen clothes, the angel who first appeared* to
them resumed the discourse, and bade them go and tell his dis
ciples, particularly Peter, the glad tidings of his Master's res
urrection from the dead ; that he was going before them to
Galilee ; and that they should there have the pleasure of seeing
him. '%
The reason why the disciples were ordered to go into Gali
lee to meet their great and beloved Master seems to be this :
they were now most of them in Jerusalem, celebrating the pass-
over ; and it may be easily imagined that, on receiving the news
of their Lord's resurrection, many, if not all, would resolve to
tarry in Jerusalem, in expectation of meeting him there : a thing
that must have proved of great detriment to them, at that time

392 LIFE OF CHRIST.
of the year, when the harvest was about to begin, the sheaf of
first fruits being always offered on the second day of the pass-
over week.
In order, therefore, to prevent their staying so long from
home, the message was sent directing them to return into Gali
lee, with full .assurance that they should there have the pleasure
of seeing their great Lord and Master ; and by that means have
all their doubts removed, and be fully convinced that he had
patiently undergone all bis sufferings for the sins of mankind.
The women, highly elated with the news of their Lord's res
urrection, left the sepulchre immediately, and ran to carry the
disciples the glad tidings.
During these transactions at the sepulchre, Peter and John,
having been informed by Mary Magdalene, that the stone was
rolled away, and the body of Jesus not to be found, were hast
ening to the grave, and missed the women who had seen the
appearance of angels.
The disciples being astonished at what Mary Magdalene had
told them, and desirous of having their doubts cleared up, made
all the haste possible to the sepulchre ; and, John, being young
er than Peter, arrived at the sepulchre first, but did not go in,
contenting himself with stooping down, and seeing the linen
clothes lying, which had been wrapped about our Saviour's
bod3'. Peter soon arrived, and went to the sepulchre, where
he saw the " linen clothes lie : and the napkin that was about
his head not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together
in a place by itself."
Our Lord left the grave-clothes in the sepulchre, probably to
shew that his body was not stolen away by his disciples, who
in such a case would not have taken time to have stripped it.
Besides, the circumstances of the grave-clothes induced the dis
ciples themselves to believe when the resurrection was related
to them. But at that time they had not any suspicion that he
was risen from the dead.
These two disciples having thus satisfied themselves that what
Mary Magdalene had told them was really true, returned to
their respective habitations ; but Mary continued weeping at
the door of the sepulchre. She had, it seems, followed Peter
and John to the garden, but did not return with them, being
anxious to find the body. Accordingly, stepping down into the
sepulchre to examine it once more, she saw two angels sitting,
the one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of
Jesus had lain. They were now in the same position as when
they appeared to the other women ; but had rendered them
selves invisible while Peter and John were at the sepulchre.
Mary, on beholding these heavenly messengers, dressed in
the robes of light, was greatly terrified. But they, in the most

LIFE OF CHRIST. 393
endearing accent, asked her, " Woman, why weepest thou ?
To which she answered, " Because they have taken away my
Lord, and I know not where they have laid him." On pro
nouncing these words she turned herself about, and saw Jesus
standing near her ; but the terror she was in, and tfie garments
in which he was now dressed, prevented her from knowing him
for some time. Jesus repeated the same question used before
by the angel, " Woman, why weepest thou ?" To which Mary,
who now supposed him to be the gardener, answered, Sir, if his
body be trouble'some in the sepulchre, and thou hast removed
him, tell me where be is deposited, and I will take him away.
But our blessed Saviour, willing to remove her anxiety, call
ed her by her name, with his usual tone of voice, on which she
immediately knew him ; and falling down before him, would
have embraced his knees, according to that modesty and rever
ence with which tbe women of the East saluted the men, espe
cially those Who were their superiors in station.
But Jesus refused this compliment, telling her, that he was
not going immediately into heaven. He was often to shew him
self to the disciples, before he ascended ; so that she would
have frequent opportunities of testifying her regard, to him.
And at the same time, said to her, " Go to my brethren, and
say unto them, I ascend to my Father and your Father ; and
to my God and your God."
Thus did the blessed Jesus contemplate, with a singular
pleasure, the work of redemption he had just finished. The
happy relation between God and man, which had been long
cancelled by sin, was now renewed. The Almighty, who had
disowned them on account of their disobedience, was again rec
onciled to them ; he was become their God and Father : they
were exalted to the honorable relation of Christ's brethren, and
the sons of God ; and their Father loved them with an af
fection far exceeding that of the most tender-hearted parent
upon earth. The kindness of this message sent by our dear
Redeemer to his disciples, will appear above all praise, if we
remember their late behaviour. They had every one of them
forsaken him in the greatest extremity; when he was scourged
and mocked by the Roman soldiers, derided by his country
men, and spitefully entreated by all, they hid themselves in some
place of safety, and preferred their own security to the deliver
ance of their master. When he fainted under the burden of his
cross, none of them were there to assist him.
Simon, a Cyrenian, was compelled by the Roman soldiers to
ease him of bis ponderous burden. But notwithstanding they
had refused to assist their Master during his sufferings for the
sins ofthe world, he graciously, he freely forgave them ; he as-
50

394 LIFE OF CHRIST.
sured them of their pardon, and called them even by the endear
ing name of brethren.
There is something very remarkable in this part of the histo
ry. None of the apostles or male disciples were honored with
the first appearance of the angels, or with the immediate news
of the resurrection of the Sou of God, much less with the ap
pearance of Jesus himself.
The angels in the sepulchre kept themselves invisible all the
time that Peter and John were observing the linen clothes,. and
satisfying themselves that the body of their Master was not
there. Perhaps the male disciples in general were treated with
this mark of disrespect, both because they had, with shameful
cowardice, forsaken their Master when he was betrayed into the
hands of his enemies, and because their faith was so weak that
they had absolutely despaired of his being the Messiah, when
they saw him expire on the cross. But how different was the
conduct of the women ! Laying aside the weakness and timid
ity natural to their sex, they shewed an uncommon magnanim
ity on this melancholy occasion. For in contradiction to those
ofthe Jews, who so vehemently required Jesus to be crucified
as a deceiver, tbey proclaimed his innocence by tears, cries, and
lamentations, when they saw him led forth to suffer on mount
Calvary ; accompanied him to the cross, the most infamous of
all punishments ; kindly waited on him in his expiring moments,
giving him all the cpnsolatiou in their power, though at the
same time the sight of his sufferings pierced them to the heart;
and when he expired and his body was carried off, they accom
panied him to his grave, not despairing, though tbey found he
had not delivered himself, but to appearance was conquered by
death, the universal enemy of .mankind. Perhaps these pious
women entertained some faint hopes that he would still revive.
Or, if they did not entertain expectations of that kind, they at
least cherished a strong degree of love for their Lord, and de
termined to do him all the honor in their power.
A faith so remarkably strong, a love so ardent,, and a for
titude so unshaken, could not fail of receiving distinguished
marks of the divine approbation : and they were accordingly
honored with the news of Christ's resurrection, before the male
disciples had their eyes cheered with the first sight of their be
loved Lord after he arose from the chambers of the grave ; so
that they preached the joyful tidings of his resurrection to the
apostles themselves.
But there seem to have been other reasons why our great Re
deemer, shewed himself first to the women. Tbe thoughts of
the apostles were constantly fixed on a temporal kingdom, and
they had wrested all his words into an agreement with that
favorite notion. And whatever they could not construe as con,-»

LIFE OF CHRIST. 395
sonant to that opinion, they seemed either to have disbelieved,
or disregarded.
Hence, notwithstanding Jesus had repeatedly foretold his own
sufferings, they were astonished above measure when they found
he had expired on the cross. Immortality and terrestrial do
minion were, according to their notion, the characteristics of the
Messiah : for which reason, when they found that instead of es
tablishing himself in the possession of universal empire, he had
neither delivered himself from a handful of enemies, nor even
from death,' they gave over the hopes of his being the Mes
siah. And as for his resurrection, they seem not to have en
tertained the least notion of it ; so that when the news of this
great event was brought to them, they doubted the truth of
the information.
Not so the women; they were more submissive to their
Master's instructions, and consequently were much better pre
pared for seeing him after his resurrection, than the apostles ;
for though they did not expect that he would rise from the
dead, yet they were not prejudiced against it. This cannot be
said of the apostles : they not only absolutely rejected the mat
ter, at first, as a thing incredible, but even after they were ac
quainted with the account the soldiers had given of this great
transaction ; nay, after they had seen the blessed Jesus himself,
some of them were so unreasonable as still to doubt. How
much rather then would their incredulity have led them te sus
pect his appearing as an illusion, had he shewed himself to
them ? These reports led him to point out the arguments prop
er for disposing them to believe : particularly the prophecies
that had been so often delivered in their own hearing, con
cerning his resurrection. Hence the angels, when they told
this event to the women, and desired them to carry the news of
it to his disciples, put them in mind of the predictions Jesus
himself had made, as a confirmation of it. Hence we also
see the reason why Jesus, before he had made himself known
to the disciples at Emmaus, had prepared them for a discove
ry, by expounding to them on the road, the several prophe
cies concerning the Messiah, contained in the Old Testa
ment. The women, on their arrival, told as many of the disciples
as they could find, that they had seen at the sCpulcHre the ap
pearance of angels, who assured them that Jesus was risen from
the dead. This new information astonished the disciples ex
ceedingly ; and as they had before sent Peter and John to ex
amine into the truth of what Mary Magdalene had told them,
concerning the body being removed out of the sepulchre, so
they now judged it highly proper to send some of their number
to see the angels, and learn from them the joyful tidings of that

396 LIFE OF CHRIST.
great transaction, of which the women had given them an ac
count. That it was really the case, appears from what the disci
ples, in their journey to Emmaus, told their great Lord and
Master ; namely, that when the women came and told them that
they had seen the angels, certain of their number went to the
sepulchre, and found it even as the women had said, but him
they saw not.
The second .deputation from the apostles did not go alone.;
for- as Mary Magdalene returned with Peter and John, who
were sent to examine the truth of her information, so the women
who brought an account of the appearance of angels, in all
probability returned with those who were sent to be witnesses of
the truth of their report. Besides curiosity, they had an er
rand thither. The angels had expressly ordered them to tell
the news to Peter in particular ; for which reason, when they
understood that he was gone to the sepulchre, it is natural to
think they would return with the disciples to seek him. About
the time that the disciples and women set out for the sepulchre,
Peter and John reached the city ; but passing, through a differ
ent street, did not meet their brethren.
The disciples having a great desire to reach the sepulchre,
soon left the women behind, and just as tbey arrived, Mary
Magdalene, having seen the Lord, was coming away. But they
did not meet her, because they entered the garden at one door,
while she was coming out at another. When they came to the
sepulchre, they saw the angels, and received from them the news
of their blessed Master's resurrection ; for St. Luke tells us,
"They found it even as the women had said." Highly elated
with what they saw, they departed and ran back to the city,
with such expedition, that they gave an account cf what they
had seen, in the hearing of the two dispiples, before Mary Mag
dalene arrived.
Nor will their speed appear at all incredible, if we consider
that the nature of the tidings the apostles had to carry gave
them wings, as it were, to make their brethren partakers of their
joy at this surprising transaction.
In the meantime, the company of women, who followed the
disciples, happened to meet Peter and John. But they had not
gone far < from the sepulchre, before Jesus himself met them,
and said, " All hail !" On which they approached their great
Lord and Master, " held him by the feet and worshipped him."
This favor of embracing his kness, Jesus had before refused
to Mary Magdalene, because it was not then necessary : but
he granted it to the women, because the angels' words having
strongly impressed their minds with the notion of his resurrec-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 397
tion, they might have taken his appearance for an illusion of
their own imagination, had he not permitted them to touch him,
and convince themselves, by the united reports of their senses,
that he was their great Lord and Master, who was then risen
from the dead, after having suffered on the cross for the sins of
mankind. This company of pious women having tarried some time with
Jesus on (he road, did not arrive with the joyful tidings of their
great Master's resurrection, till some time after Peter and John ;
and perhaps were overtaken by Mary Magdalene on the road,
unless we suppose that she arrived a few minutes before them.
But be that as it may, this is certain, that they arrived either at,
or near, the same time, so that their accounts of this miracu
lous event tended to confirm each other.
The disciples were now lost in astonishment at what the wo
men had related; they considered the. account they had before
given them, of their having seen the angels, as an improba
bility, and now they seem to have considered this as some
thing worse ; for the Evangelist tells us, that they " believed
not." Peter, indeed, to whom the angel sent the message, was dis
posed, by his sanguine temper, to give a little more credit to
their words than the rest : possibly, because the messengers from
the heavenly Canaan had done him the honor of naming him in
particular. Elated with the respect paid him in particular, he immedi
ately repaired again to the sepulchre : hoping, in all probabil
ity, that his Master would appear to him, or at least, the angel,
who had so particularly distinguished him from the rest of the
disciples. As soon as Peter arrived at the sepulchre, he stooped down,
and seeing the linen clothes lying in the same manner as before,
he viewed their position, the form in which they were laid, and
returned, wondering greatly in himself at what had happened.

398 LIFE OF CHRIST.

CHAPTER XLIII.
Jesus appears, on divers occasions, to different Disciples. — Re
proves and convinces Thomas of his unbelief. — Shews himself
to a great number of his followers in Galilee.
Soon after the women's first return to the disciples with the
news that they had seen the appearance of angels, who told
them that Jesus was risen from the dead, two of the brethren
departed on their journey to a village called Emmaus, about
two miles distant from Jerusalem. The concern thev were in,
on account of the death of their great and beloved Master, was
sufficiently visible in their countenances. And as they pursued
their journey, talking with one another, and debating about the
things that had lately happened among them, concerning the
life and doctrine, the sufferings and death of the holy Jesus,
and of the report that was just spread among his disciples, of
his being that very morning risen from the dead, Jesus himself
overtook them, and joined company with them.
As he appeared like a stranger, they did not in the least sus
pect that their fellow-traveller was no other than the great
Redeemer of the sons of men. He soon entered into discourse
with them, by inquiring what event had so closely engaged
them in conversation, and why they appeared so sorrowful and
dejected, as if they had met with some heavy disappointment.
One of them, whose name was Cleophas, being surprised at
the question, replied, Is it possible that you can be so great a
stranger to the affairs of the world, as to have been at Jerusa
lem and not have heard the surprising events that have hap
pened there ? Events that have astonished the whole city, and
are now the common topic of conversation among all the inhab
itants ? Jesus asked what surprising events he meant. To
which Cleophas replied, The transactions which have happened
concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who appeared as a great proph
et aud teacher sent from God ; and accordingly was highly
venerated among the people, for the excellency of his doctrine,
his humility of Tife, and the number, benefit, and greatness of
his miracles.
Our chief priests and elders therefore envying him as one who
lessened their authority over the people, apprehended him, and
found means to put him to death.
But we firmly believed he would have proved himself the
Messiah, or great Deliverer : and this persuasion we a long
time supported ; nor were we willing to abandon it, even when
we saw him put to death. But it is now three days since

LIFE OF CHRIST. 399
these things were done : and therefore we begin to fear we were
mistaken. This very morning, indeed, a thing happened, which extreme
ly surprises us, and we are very solicitous with regard^ to the
event. Some women, who had entertained the same hopes and
expectations as we, going early„in the morning to pay the last
duties to their Master, by embalming his bofly, returned with
gre&t haste to the city, and informed us that they had been to
the sepulchre, but were disappointed in not finding the body ;
and to increase our surprise, they added, that they had seen
an appearance of angels, who told them that Jesus was risen
from the dead.
This relation seemed at first to us not probable ; nay, alto
gether incredible ; but two of the company going immediately
after to the sepulchre, found every thing exactly as the women
had reported ; they saw the angels, but heard not any thing of
the body : so that we are still in doubt and perplexity, with re
gard to this wonderful event.
In reply, Jesus said, Why are ye so very aVerse to believe
all that the prophets have with one voice predicted concerning
the Messiah ? Is it not clearly and very expressly foretold in
all the prophetic writings, that it was appointed by the counsel
of Omnipotence for the Messiah to suffer in this manner ; and
that after sustaining the greatest indignities, reproach, and con
tempt, from the malice and perverseness of mankind, and even
undergoing an ignominious and cruel death, he should be exalted
to a glorious and eternal kingdom ? Having said this, he be
gan at the writings of Moses, and explained to them, in order,
all the principal passages, both in the books of that great legis
lator, and the writings of the other prophets, relating to his own
sufferings, death, and glorious resurrection.
And this he did with such surprising plainness, clearness,
and strength, that the two disciples, not yet suspecting who
be was, were as much amazed to find a stranger so well ac
quainted with all that Jesus did and suffered, as they at first
wondered at his appearing to be totally ignorant of these trans
actions. They were also astonished to hear him interpret and
apply the Scriptures to their present purpose with such readi
ness and convincing clearness of argument, as carried with it a
strange and unusual authority and efficacy. When, therefore,
they came to the village whither they were going, and Jesus
seemed as if he would have passed on, and travelled further,
they, desirous of his company, pressed him, in the strongest
manner, to tarry with them that night, as it was then late.
To this request the great Redeemer of mankind consented ;
and when they were set down to supper, he took bread and
gave thanks to God, and brake it, and gave it to them, in the

400 LIFE OF CHRIST-
same manner he used to do, while he conversed with them upon
earth, before his death. This engaged their attention, and
looking steadfastly on him, they perceived it was their great
and beloved Master.
But they had then no time to express their joy and astonish
ment to their benevolent Redeemer : foB he immediately vanish
ed out of their siglit.
As soon as they found their Master was departed, they said
one to another, How slow and stupid were we before, not to
know him upon the road, while he explained to us the Scrip
tures ; when, besides the affability of his discourse, and the
strength and clearness of his argument, we perceived such an
authority in what he said, and such a powerful efficacy attend
ing his words, and striking our hearts with affection, that we
could, not but have known him (if we had not been remarkably
stupid) to have been the very same that used to accompany his
teaching, and was peculiar to it.
This surprising event would not admit them to stay any long
er in Emmaus. ' They returned that very night' to Jerusalem,
and found the apostles, with several other disciples, discoursing
about the resurrection of their Master : and on their entering
the room the disciples accosted them, saying, " The Lord is
risen indeed, and hath appeared unto Simon."
They had given little credit to the reports of the women,
supposing they were occasioned more by imagination than real
ity. But when a person of Peter's capacity and gravity de
clared he had seen the Lord, they began to think that he was
really risen from the dead. And their belief was greatly con
firmed by the arrival of the two disciples from Emmaus, who
declared to their brethren, how Jesus appeared to them on tbe
road, and how they discovered him to be their Master by the
circumstances before related.
While the disciples from Emmaus were thus describing the
manner of the appearance of Jesus to them, and offering argu
ments to convince those who doubted the truth of it, their great
Master himself put an end to the debate, by standing in the
midst of them, and saying, " Peace be unto you."
This appearance of our blessed Saviour greatly terrified the
disciples, who supposed they had seen a spirit ; for, having
secured the doors of the house, where they were assembled, for
fear of the Jews, and Jesus having opened the locks by his mi
raculous power> without the knowledge of any in the house, it
was natural for them to think, that a spirit only could enter.
The circumstance therefore of the doors being shut is very hap
pily mentioned by St. John ; because it suggests a reason why
the disciples took their Master for a spirit, notwithstanding
many of them were convinced that he was really risen from the

LIFE OF CHRIST. 401
dead, and were at that moment conversing about his resurrec
tion. But, to dispel their fears and doubts, Jesus came forward,
and spoke to them in the most endearing accent ; shewed them
his hands and his feet, and desired them to handle him, in or
der to convince themselves by the united powers of their differ
ent senses, that it was he himself, and no spectre or apparition.
" Why are ye troubled," said the benevolent Redeemer of, man
kind, "aud why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my
hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see, for a
spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have."
These infallible proofs sufficiently convinced the disciples of
the truth of their Lord's resurrection, and they received him
with rapture and exultation. But their joy and wonder had so
great an effect upon their minds, that some of. them, sensible of
the great commotion they were in, suspended their belief, till
they had considered the matter more calmly. Jesus, therefore,
knowing their thoughts, called for meat and ate with them, in
order to prove more fully the truth of his resurrection from the
dead, and the reality of his presence with them on this oc
casion. After giving this farther ocular demonstration of his having
vanquished the power of death, and opened the tremendous
portals of the grave, he again repeated his salutation, " Peace
be unto you." Adding, " The same commission that my Father
hath given unto me, I give unto you : go ye therefore into eve
ry part of the world, and preach the Gospel to all the children
of men." Then breathing on them, he said, " Receive ye the
Holy Ghost, to direct and assist you in the execution of your
commission. Whosoever embraces your doctrine, and sincerely
repents, ye shall remit his sins, and your sentence of abso
lution shall be ratified and confirmed in the courts of heaven.
And whosoever either obstinately rejects your doctrine, disobeys
it, or behaves himself unworthily, after he hath embraced it,
his sins shall not be forgiven him ; but the censure ye shall pass
upon him on earth, shall be confirmed in heaven."
Thomas, otherwise called Didimus, was absent at the meet
ing of the apostles ; nor did this happen without the special di
rection of Providence, that the particular and extraordinary sat
isfaction which was afterwards granted him, might be an abun
dant and uudeniable testimony of the truth of our blessed Sav
iour's resurrection to all succeeding generations, The rest of
the apostles therefore told him, that they had seen the Lord, and
repeated to him the words he had delivered in their hearing.
But Thomas replied, " This event is of such great importance,
that unless, to prevent all possibility of deception, I see him
with my own eyes, and feel him with mine own hands, putting
51

402 LIFE OF, CHRIST.
my fingers into the print of his nails, whereby he was fastened
to the cross, and thrust my hand into his side, which the soldier
pierced with his spear; I will not believe that he is really and
truly risen from the dead." '
Thus have we enumerated, in the most explicit manner, the
transactions of that day on which the great Redeemer of man
kind arose from the dea'd ; a day highly to be remembered by
the children of men, throughout all generations. A day, in
which was fully completed and displayed the conceptions lodged
in the breast of infinite Wisdom ! even those thoughts of love
and mercy, on which the salvation of the world depended.
Christians have therefore the highest reason to solemnke this
day with gladness, each returning week, by ceasing from their
labor, and giving up themselves to prayer, pious meditations,
and other exercises of religion. The redemption of mankind,
which they weekly, commemorate, affords matter for eternal
thought ; it is a subject impossible to be equalled, and whose
lustre neither length of time, nor frequent reviewing, can either
tarnish or diminish. It resembles the sun, which we behold
always the same glorious and luminous object; for the benefit
we celebrate is, after so many ages, as fresh and beautiful as
ever, and will always continue the same, flourishing in the mem
ories of pious people, through the endless revolutions of eternity.
Redemption is the brightest mirror by which we contemplate the
goodness of the Almighty. Other gifts are only mites from the
divine treasure ; but redemption opens, I had almost said, ex
hausts all the stores of his grace. May it be constantly the fa
vorite subject of our meditations, more delightful to our musing
minds, than applause to the ambitious ear ! May it be the dar
ling theme to our discourse ; sweeter to our tongues than the
dropping of the honey-comb to the taste ! May it be our
choicest comfort through all the changes of this mortal life ;
and the reviving cordial, even in the last extremities of dissolu
tion itself.
Eight days after the resurrection of our great Redeemer, the
blessed Jesus shewed himself again to his disciples, while Thom
as was with them ; and upbraided that disciple for his unbelief;
but knowing that it did not, like that of the Pharisees, proceed
from a wicked mind, but from an honest heart, and a sincere
desire of being satisfied of the truth, he thus addressed himself
to his doubting disciple : " Thomas," said he, " since thou wilt
not be contented to rely on the testimony of others, but must be
convinced by the experience of thy own senses, behold the
wounds in my hands, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust
it into my side, and doubt no longer of the reality of my resur-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 403
Thomas immediately obeyed the kind invitation of his dear
Master, and being fully satisfied according to his own desire, he
cried out, " I am abundantly convinced ; thou art, indeed, my
Lord, the very same that was crucified ; and I acknowledge
thine Almighty power in having triumphed over death, and wor
ship thee as my God."
To which the blessed Jesus replied : " Because thou hast both
seen and felt me, Thomas, thou hast believed that I am really
risen from the dead. But blessed are they who without such
evidence of the senses, shall, upon credible testimony, be willing
to believe and embrace a doctrine which tends so greatly to the
glory of God, and tbe salvation of the sons of men."
St. John adds, that the blessed Jesus appeared, on several
other occasions, to his (disciples, after his resurrection : and by
many clear and infallible proofs (not mentioned by the Evange
list) fully convinced them that he was alive after his passion.
But those which are mentioned are abundantly sufficient to in
duce men to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, the great
Messiah, so often foretold by the ancient prophets ; and that by
means of that belief, they may attain everlasting life, in the hap
py regions of the heavenly Canaan.
Our blessed Saviour having, first by the angels, and after
wards in person, ordered his disciples to repair to their res
pective habitations in Galilee, it is reasonable to think they
would leave Jerusalem as soon as possible. This they accord
ingly did, and on their arrival at their respective places of
abode, applied themselves to their usual occupations ; and the .
apostles returned to their old trade of fishing, on the lake of Ti
berias. Here they were toiling with their- nets, very early in
the morning, and saw Jesus standing on the shore, but did not
then know him to be their Master, ^ts it was something dark,
and they at a considerable distance from him. He however
called to them, and asked if they had taken any fish ; to which
they answered, they had caught nothing. He then desired
them to let down their nets on the right side of the boat,, and
they should not be disappointed.
The disciples, imagining that he might be acquainted with
the places proper for fishing, did as he directed them, and en
closed in their net such a prodigious multitude of fishes, that
they were not able to draw it info the boat, but were forced to
drag it after them in the Water towards ihe shore.
It seems they had toiled all the preceding night to no pur-*
pose ; and, therefore, such remarkable success could not fail of
causing various conjectures among them with regard to the
stranger on the shore, who had given them such happy advice.
Some of tbe apostles declared they could not imagine who he
was ; but others were persuaded that this person was no other

404 LIFE OF CHRIST.
than their great and beloved Master. John was fully convinced
of his being the Lord, and accordingly told his thoughts to
Simon Peter, who making no doubt of it, girded on his fisher's
coat, and leaped into the sea, in order to get ashore sooner
than the boat could be brought to land, dragging after it a net
full of large fishes.
When the disciples came ashore, they found a fire kindled,
and on it a fish broiling, and near it some bread. But neither
being sufficient for the company, Jesus bade them bring some
of the fish they had now caught, and invited them to eat with
him. Thus did the blessed Jesus prove again to his disciples
the reality of his resurrection, not only by eating with them,
but by working a miracle, like that which, at the beginning of
his ministry, had made such an impression upon them, as dis
posed them to be his constant followers.
This was the third time that Jesus appeared publicly to a
great number of his disciples in a body, besides his shewing
himself at several times to particular persons, upon special oc
casions. When they had eaten, Jesus reminded Peter how diligent and
zealous he ought to be in order to wipe off the stain of his
denying him when he was carried before the high priest. " Si
mon, son of Jonas," said our blessed Saviour to him, " art thou
more zealous and affectionate in thy love towards me than the
rest of my disciples?" To which Peter answered, "Yea, Lord:
thou knowest that 1 love thee." He was taught modesty and diffi
dence by his late fall : and therefore would not compare himself
with others, but humbly appealed to his Master's omniscience,
for the sincerity of his regard to him. Jesus answered, " Ex
press then thy love towards me, by the care of my flock com
mitted to thy charge. " Feed my lambs ; feed my sheep." Shew
your love to me, by publishing the great salvation I have ac
complished ; and feeding the souls of faithful believers with that
food which never perishes, but endures for ever and ever.
" I well know, indeed," continued the blessed Jesus, " that
thou wilt continue my faithful shepherd, even until death. For
the time will come, when thou who now girdest on thy fisher's
coat voluntarily, and stretchest out thy hands to come to me,
shalt in thine old age be girt by others, and forced to stretch out
thy hands against thy will, in a very different manner, for the
sake of thy constant profession of my religion."
By these last words, Jesus signified the manner of Peter's
death, and that he should finally suffer martyrdom, for the
glory of God, and the testimony of the truth of the Christian
religion. The time being now come, when the disciples were to meet
their great Lord and Master, according to the messages he had

LIFE OF CHRIST. 405
sent them by the women, and in all probability appointed at
some former appearance, not mentioned by the Evangelists, the
brethren set out for the mountain in Galilee, perhaps that on
which he was transfigured. Here five hundred of them were
gathered together, expecting the joyful sight of their great Mas
ter, after he had triumphed over death and the grave ; some
of them not having yet seen him after his resurrection.
They did not wait long before Jesus appeared, on which they
were seized with rapture, their hearts overflowed with gladness,
they approached their kind, their benevolent Master, and wor
shipped him. Some few, indeed, doubted ; it being then agree
able to nature for men to be afraid to believe what they vehe
mently wish, lest they should indulge themselves in false joys,
which vanish like a morning cloud. But Jesus afterwards ap
peared frequently to them, and gave them full satisfaction, and
instructed them in many things relating to their preaching the
gospel, establishing the church, and spreading it through the
whole earth.

CHAPTER XLIV.
Our blessed Lord instructs his Disciples in what manner they
should conduct themselves in order to propagate ihe doctrine
of the Gospel. — Promises to assist them in this important
business. — Gives them his final blessing, and ascends into
Heaven. — Comparison between Moses, the great lawgiver,
and our blessed Saviour. — General review ofthe life and
doctrines of the great Redeemer of mankind.
A few days before the feast of Pentecost, or the " feast of
weeks," the disciples went up to Jerusalem, where the blessed
Jesus made his last appearance to them ; and after instructing
them in many particulars concerning the kingdom of God, and
the manner they were to behave themselves in propagating the
doctrine of the gospel, he put them in mind that, during his
abode with them in Galilee, he had often told them that all
things written in the law, the prophets, and the Psalms, con
cerning him, were to be exactly accomplished. At the same
time, " he opened their understandings ;" that is, he removed
their prejudices, by the operation of his Spirit, cleared their
doubts, improved their memories, strengthened their judgments,
and enabled them to discern the true meaning of the Scrip
tures.

406 LIFE OF. CHRIST.
Having thus qualified them for receiving the truth, be again
assured them that both Moses and the prophets had foretold
that the Messiah was to suffer in the very manner he had suf
fered ; that he was to rise from the dead on the third day, as
he had done ; and that repentance and remission of sins were to
be preached in the Messiah's name, among all nations, begin
ning with the Jews.
He next delivered unto them their commission to preach the
doctrine of repentance and remission of sins, in his name, among
all nations, and to testify unto the world the exact accomplish
ment, in him, of all things foretold concerning the Messiah ;
and to epable them to perform this important work, promised
to bestow on them the. miraculous gift of the Spirit, wbich he
called the promise of his father; because the Almighty had
promised it by his prophets.
Having thus fortified them for the important work they were
going to undertake, he led them on to the mount of Olives, as
far as Bethany ; where, standing on a hill above the town, he
told them that he was going to ascend to his Father : for which
reason they might go courageously through all the world, and
preach the Gospel to every rational creature ; that they who
believe should be admitted into his church by the rite of bap
tism, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost :
and be taught, in consequence of their baptism, to obey all the
precepts he had enjoined them : that such baptized believers
should receive the pardon of their sins, together with eternal
life in the happy mansions of his Father's kingdom ; but such as
refused to embrace the doctrines of the Gospel should be for
ever excluded those happy regions, and have their portion in
the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone : that while they
were employed in this work, he would be constantly with them,
to assist them by his Spirit, and protect them by his providence.
Finally, that those who should, through their preaching, be in
duced to believe, should themselves work most astonishing
miracles, by which the, Gospel should be propagated with the
greatest rapidity.
When the blessed Jesus had spoken these things, he lifted up
his hands and blessed them. And in the action of blessing
them, he was parted from them, in the midst of the day, a
shining cloud receiving him out of their sight ; that is, this
brilliant cloud encompassed him about, and carried' bim up to
heaven; not suddenly, but at leisure, that they might behold
him departing, and see the proof of his ascending into heaven,
as he had promised them.
The cloud in which the blessed Jesus ascended1 was more
bright and pure than the clearest lambent flame, being no other
than the schechinah, or glory of the Lord ; the visible symbol

LIFE OF CHRIST. 40?
•f the divine presence which had so often appeared to the pa
triarchs of old : which filled the temple at its dedication, and
which, in its greatest splendor, could not be beheld with mor
tal eyes ; for which reason it is called the light inaccessible.
As he ascended, the flaming cloud that surrounded him
marked his passage through the air, but gradually lost its mag
nitude in the eyes of those who stood below ; till it at last van
ished, together with their beloved Master, out of their sight.
Thus was the great Redeemer of mankind triumphantly car
ried into heaven, where he now sitteth at the right hand of
God his Father, to whom be honor, glory, and power for ever
and ever. Amen. Hosanna to the prince of light,
That cloth'd himself in clay ;
Enter'd the iron gates of death,
And tore the bars away.
Death is no more he king of dread;
Since Christ our Lord arose ;
He took the tyrant's sting away,
And spoil'd our hellish foes.
See how the conqu'ror mounts aloft-
Aud to his Father flies,
With scars of honor in his flesh,
And triumph in his eyes.
There our exalted Saviour reigns,
And scatters blessings down ;
Our Jesus fills the right hand seat
Ofthe celestial throne.
In this illustrious manner did the great Redeemer of mankind
depart, after having finished the grand work which he left the
bosom of his Father to execute ; which angels with joy describ
ed was to happen, and which, through all eternity to come,
shall, at periods the most immensely distant from the time of its
execution, be looked back upon with inexpressible delight, by
every inhabitant of heaven ; for. though the minute affairs of
time may vanish altogether and be lost, when they are removed
far back by the endless progression of duration, this object is
such, that no distance, however great, can lessen. The king
dom of heaven is erected on the incarnation and sufferings of
the Son of God, the kingdom and city of tbe Almighty, com
prehending all the people of God in, the universe, made happy
by goodness and love, and 'therefore none of them can ever for
get the foundation on which their happiness stands established.
The human beings, in particular, recovered by the labor of the
Son of God, will view their deliverer, and look back on his
stupendous undertaking, with tbe highest rapture, while they
are feasting, without interruption, on its delicious fruits. The

408 LIFE OF CHRIST.
angels, likewise, the celestial inhabitants of the city of God,
will contemplate it with perpetual pleasure, as the happy means
of recovering their kindred that were lost, and bringing them
to a joint and proper subjection to him who reigneth for ever,
and whose favor is better than life itself.
Thus have we followed our dear Redeemer through all the
transactions of his life, and enlarged on the stupendous miracle
of his resurrection, on which glorious event the whole Christian
doctrine is founded.
As the similarity between Christ and the lawgiver Moses
(whom the divine Redeeriier mentioned to his disciples but a
short time before his ascension into heaven) is so very remark
able, we shall, as an illustration of the glorious subject, point
out a few instances, which will evince that the prophecies of
old were only to be completed in the sufferings and death of
Christ. Moses was the most distinguished of all the prophets, and his
greatest prophecy was that of another prophet to be raised like
unto himself. He was, at the time of this prediction, about to
leave his people, and therefore, to give them some comfort, he
promised them another prophet. " The Lord thy God," said
he, " will raise unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of
thy brethren, like unto me ; unto him shall ye hearken." Deut.
xviii. 15.
That this person, of whom Moses prophesied, was the great
Redeemer of mankind, is amply evident, and that Moses resem
bled Christ in a much greater degree than any other person
ever did, will appear from the following circumstances.
Both Moses and Christ shewed signs, and wonders, and in
'these respects none of the ancient prophets were like unto Mo
ses. None of them were lawgivers, they only interpreted and
enforced the laws of Moses. None of them had such clear
communication with God ; they all saw visions, and dreamed
dreams. Moses and Christ are the only two who perfectly re
sembled each other in these respects.
Moses fled from his country to escape the bands of the king
of Egypt : so did Christ when his parents went into Egypt.
Afterwards " the Lord said unto Moses, in Midian, Go, return
into Egypt ; for all the men are dead which sought thy life,"
Exod. iv. 19 : so the angel ofthe Lord said to Joseph, iri near
ly the same words, " Arise, and take the young child, and go
into the land of Israel ; for they are dead which sought the
young child's life," Matt. ii. 20. Pointing him out, as it were,
for that prophet, who should arise, like unto Moses.
Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to suffer affliction : Christ refused to be made
king, choosing rather to suffer the like. '

THE ASCENSION.
[Page 406.]

" And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted.from them, and carried up into
heaven. " And tliey worshipped him, and returned io Jerusalem with great joy." — Luke XXIT. 51,
52.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 409
" Moses," says St. Stephen, " was learned in all the wisdom
of the Egyptians ;" and Josephus says that he was a very for
ward and accomplished youth, and had wisdom and knowledge
above his years. St. Luke observes of Christ, that " he in
creased (betimes) in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God
and man," and his discourses in the temple with the doctors,
when he was but twelve years old, were a proof of it.
Moses was not only a lawgiver, a prophet, and a worker of
miracles, but a king and a priest : in all these offices the resem
blance between Moses and Christ was singular.
Moses brought darkness over the land : the sun withdrew his
light at Christ's crucifixion : and as the darkness which spread
over Egypt was followed by the destruction of their first-born,
and of Pharaoh and his host; so the darkness at Christ's death
was the forerunner of the destruction of the Jews.
Moses foretold the calamities which would befal the nation
ibr their disobedience : so did Christ.
The spirit which was in Moses was conferred in some degree
upon the seventy elders, and they prophesied : Christ conferred
miraculous powers on his seventy disciples.
Moses was victorious over powerful kings and great nations :
so was Christ, by the effects of his religion, and by the fall of
those who persecuted the church.
Moses conquered Amalek by holding up both his bands :
Christ overcame his and our enemies when his hands were fast
ened to the cross:
Moses interceded for transgressors, and caused an atonement
to be made for them, and stopped the wrath of God : so did
Christ. Moses ratified a covenant between God and the people, by
sprinkling them with blood : Christ with his own blood.
Moses desired to die for the people, and prayed that God
would forgive them, or blot him out of his book : Christ did
more, he died for sinners.
Moses instituted the passover, when a lamb was sacrificed
none of whose bones Were to be broken, and whose blood pro
tected the people from destruction : Christ was the paschal
lamb. Moses lifted up the serpent, that they who looked upon him
might be healed of their mortal wounds : by properly looking
up to Christ, all will be healed.
All the affection of Moses towards the people, all his cares
and toils on their account, were repaid by them with ingrati
tude, murmuring, and rebellion : the same returns the Jews
made to Christ for all his benefits.
Moses was ill-used by his own family ; his brother and sister
52

410 LIFE OF CHRIST.
rebelled against him: there was a time when Christ's own
brethren believed not on him.
Moses had a very wicked and perverse generation committed
to his care and conduct ; and to enable him to rule them, mirac
ulous powers were given to him, and he used his utmost endeav
ors to make the people obedient to God, and to save them from
ruin ; but in vain : in the space of forty-two years they all fell
in the wilderness, except two : Christ also was given to a gen
eration not less wicked and perverse, his instructions and his
miracles were lost upon them, and in about the same space of
time, after they had rejected him, they were destroyed.
Moses was very meek above all men that were on the face of
the earth : so was Christ.
The people could not enter into the land of promise until
Moses was dead : by the death of Christ the kingdom of heaven
was opened to believers.
Moses enlightened the Jews under the dispensation of the
old law : Christ enlightened the Christians under the Gospel.
Moses did great wonders in the land of Egypt : Christ did
great miracles in Judea.
In the deaths pf Moses and Christ there is a resemblance in
some circumstances : Moses died, in some sense, for the ini
quities of the people ; it was their rebellion which was the oc
casion of it, which drew down the displeasure of God upon
them, and upon him ; Moses went up in the sight of the people
to the top of Mount Nebo, and there he died, when he was in
perfect vigor, when " his eye was not dim, nor his natural force
abated :" Christ suffered for the sins of men, and was led up,
in the presence of the people, to Mount Calvary, where he died
in the flower of his age, and when he was in his full natural
strength. Neither Moses nor Christ, as far as we can collect from sa
cred history, were ever sick, or felt any bodily decay or infirm
ity, which would have rendered them unfit for the toils they
underwent ; their sufferings were of another kind.
Moses was buried, and no man knew where his body lay :
nor could the Jews find the body of Christ.
Lastly, as Moses, a little before his death, promised " another
prophet :" so Christ, before his death, promised " another Com
forter," " Moses," says, St. Ambrose, " was the figure of that Pre
ceptor, that was to come ; who should preach the Gospel, fulfil
the Old Testament, build the New, and feed the people with
celestial aliment.
Such are the comparisons relative to the great resemblance
between Moses and Christ ; but the greatest similitude consists
in their both being lawgivers, which no other prophet ever was.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 411

They may resemble each other in many other circumstances,
and a fruitful imagination may strike upon farther resemblan
ces ; but what we have been mentioning may suffice ; and we
may ask, Is this similitude between Moses and Christ the effect
of mere chance ? Let us search all the records of universal
history, and see if we can find a man who was so like to Christ
as Moses was. If we cannot find such an one, then have we
found him of whom Moses, in the law, and the prophets, did
write, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God.
We shall conclude this chapter with a few observations on
the general conduct of our blessed Redeemer, during his pere
grination on earth.
The human character of the blessed Jesus, as it results from
the account given of him by the Evangelists, for they have not
formally drawn it up, is entirely different from that of all other
men whatsoever ; for whereas they have selfish passions deeply
rooted in their breasts, and are influenced by them in almost
every thing they do, Jesus was so entirely free from them, that
the most severe scrutiny cannot furnish one single action in the
whole course of his life wherein he consulted his own interest
only. No ; he was influenced by very different motives : tbe
present happiness and eternal welfare of sinners, regulated his
conduct ; and while others followed their respective occupations,
Jesus had no other business than that of promoting the hap
piness of the sons of men. Nor did he wait till he was solicited
to extend his benevolent hand to the distressed : " he went about
doing good," and always accounted it " more blessed to give
than to receive ;" resembling God, rather than man. He went
about doing good ; benevolence was the very life of his soul :
he not only did good to objects presented to him for relief;
but he industriously sought them out, in order to extend his
compassionate assistance.
It is common for persons of the most exalted faculties to be
elated with success and applause, or dejected by censure and
disappointments : but the blessed Jesus was never elated by the
one, or depressed by the other. He was never more courage
ous than when he met with the greatest opposition and cruel
treatment ; nor more humble than when the sons of men wor
shipped at his feet.
He came into the world inspired with the grandest purpose
that ever was formed: that of saving frPm eternal perdition,
not a single nathjj, but the whole world ; and in the execution
of it went through the longest and heaviest train of labors that
ever was sustained, with a constancy and resolution, on which
no disadvantageous impression, could be made by any accident
whatever. Calumny, threatenings, bad success, with many oth
er evils, constantly attending; him, served only to quicken his

412 LIFE OF CHRIST.
endeavors in this glorious enterprise, which he unweariedly
pursued even till he had finished it by his death.
The generality of mankind are prone to retaliate injuries
received, and all seem to take a satisfaction in complaining
ofthe cruelties of those who oppress them ; whereas the whole
of Christ's labors breathed nothing but meekness, patience, and
forgiveness, even to his bitterest enemies, and in the midst of
the most excruciating torments. The words, " Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do," uttered by him when
his enemies were nailing him to the cross, fitly express the tem
per which he maintained through the whole course of his life,
even when assaulted by the heaviest provocations. He was
destined to sufferings here below, in order that he might raise
his people to honor, glory, and immortality, in the realms of
bliss above ; and therefore patiently, yea joyfully, submitted to
all that the malice of earth and hell could inflict. He was vilifi
ed that we might • be honored : he died, that we might live for
ever and ever.
To conclude : the greatest and best men have discovered
the degeneracy, and corruption of human nature, and shewn
them to have been nothing more than men : but it was otherwise
with Jesus. He was superior to all the men that ever lived,
both with regard to the purity of his manners, and the perfec
tion of his virtues. He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and sep
arated from sinners.
Whether we consider him as a teacher, or as a man, " he did
no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." His whole life
was perfectly free from spot or weakness ; at the same time it
was remarkable for the greatest and most extensive exercises of
•virtue. But never to bave committed the least sin in word or
in deed ; never to have uttered any sentiment that could be
censured, upon the various topics of religion and morality,
which were tbe daily subjects of his discourses ; and that through
the course of a life filled with action, and led under the observ
ation of many enemies, who had always access to converse
with him, and who often came to find fault, is a pitch of per
fection evidently above the reach of human nature ; and conse
quently he who possessed it must have been divine.
Such was the person who is the subject of the evangelical
history. If the reader, by reviewing his life, doctrine, and
miracles, as they are here represented to him, united into one
series, has a clearer idea of these things than before, or observes
a beauty in his actions thus linked together, which, taken sepa
rately, do not appear so fully : if he feels himself touched by
the character of Jesus in general, or with any of his sermons
and actions in particular, thus simply delineated in writing,
whose principal charms are the beauties of truth : above all, if

LIFE OF CHRIST. 413
his dying so generously for men strikes him with admiration,
or fills him with joy in the prospect of that pardon which is
thereby purchased for the world : let him seriously consider
with himself, what improvement he ought to make of the divine
goodness. Jesus, by his death, hath set open the gates of immortality to
the sons of men ; and by his word, spirit, and example, gra
ciously offers to make them meet for the glorious rewards iu
the kingdom of the heavenly Canaan, and to conduct them into '
the inheritance of the saints of light. Let us, therefore, remem
ber, that being born under the dispensation of his Gospel, we
have, from our earliest years, enjoyed the best means of secur
ing to ourselves an interest in that favor of God, which is life,
and that loving kindness which is better than life.
We have been called to aspire after an exaltation to the na
ture and felicity of the Almighty, exhibited to mortal eyes in
tbe man Christ Jesus, to fire us with the noblest ambition. His
Gospel teaches us that we are made for eternity ; and that our
present life is to our future existence, as infancy is to manhood.
But, as in the former, many things are to be learned, many
hardships to be endured, many habits are to be acquired, and
that by a course of exercises which iri themselves, though pain
ful, and possibly useless to the child, yet are necessary to fit
him for the business and enjoyments of manhood : so while We
remain in this infancy of human life, things are to be learned,
hardships to be endured, and habits to be acquired, by a labo
rious discipline, wbich, however painful, must be undergone, be
cause necessary to fit us for the employments and pleasures of
our riper existence, in the realms above ; always remembering
that whatever our trials may be in this world, if we ask for
God's assistance, he has promised to give it. Inflamed, there
fore, with the love of immortality and its joys, let us submit
ourselves to our heavenly teacher, and learn of him those graces
which alone can render life pleasant, death desirable, and fill
eternity with ecstatic joys.

414 LIFE OF CHRIST.

CHAPTER XLV.

Remarks on the peculiar nature of the Christian religion, the
principles it inculcates, and its fitness to render men holy
and humble here, and happily glorified hereafter.
We cannot close this delightful scene of the life of our dear
Lord and Saviour more comfortably, than by considering the
benefits resulting from a due attendance to his doctrines to all,
who shall, by faith, receive and embrace the same.
Probably none have been greater enemies to the progress of
religion than those who delineate it in a gloomy and terrifying
form: nor any guilty of a more injurious calumny against the
Gospel, than those who represent its precepts as rigorous impo
sitions, and unnecessary restraints.
True religion is the perfection of human nature, and the foun
dation of uniform exalted pleasure ; of public order and private
happiness. Christianity is the most excellent, and the most use
ful institution, having the " promise of the life that now is, and
of that which is to come." It is the voice of reason ; it is also
the language of Scripture, " the Ways of wisdom are ways of
pleasantness, and all her paths are peace ;" and our blessed Sav
iour assures us, that his precepts are easy, and the burden of
his religion light.
The Christian religion is a rational service, a worship " in
spirit and truth," a worship worthy of the majesty of the Al
mighty to receive, and of the nature of man to pay. It com
prehends all we ought to believe, and all we ought to practice ;
its positive rites ' are few, in plain and easy significancy, and
manifestly adapted to establish a sense of our obligation to God
and Christ.
The Gospel places religion, not in abstruse speculation and
metaphysical subtilties ; not in outward shew, and tedious cere
mony ; not in superstitious austerities and enthusiastic visions,
but in purity of heart, and holiness of life. The sum of our
duty, according to our great Master himself, consists in the love
of God, and of our neighbor.; according to St. Paul, in deny
ing ungodliness and worldly, lusts, and in living soberly, right
eously, and godly, in this present evil world ; according to St.
James, in visiting the fatherless and widows in affliction, and in
keeping ourselves unspotted from the world. This is the con
stant strain and tenor of the Gospel. This it inculcates most
earnestly, and on this it lays, the greatest stress.
But is the Christian system only a republication of the law of
nature, or merely a refined system of morality ? No, certainly ;

LIFE OF CHRIST. 415
it is a great deal more. It is an act of grace, a stupendous plan
of Providence, designed for the recovery of mankind from a
state of degradation arid ruin, to the favor of the Almighty, and
to the hopes of a happy immortality through a Media- or.
Under this dispensation, true religion consists in a " repent
ance towards God," and " in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,"
as the person appointed by the supreme authority of heaven and
earth, to reconcile apostate man to his offended Creator ; as a
sacrifice for sin ; our vital head and governing Lord. This is
religion, as we are Christians. And what hardships, what ex
action is there in all this ? Surely, none. Nay, the practice
of religion is much easier than the servitude of sin.
Our rational powers, all will readily agree, are dreadfully im
paired, and the soul weakened, by sin. The animal passions
are strong and corrupt, and oppose the dictates of the Spirit of
God : objects of sense make powerful impressions on the mind.
We are, in every situation, surrounded with many snares and
temptations. In such a disordered state of things, we cannot
please God, till created anew in Christ Jesus unto good works.
We must be born again ; born from above.
The God of all grace has planted in the human breast a quick
sense of good and evil ; a faculty which strongly dictates right
and wrong : and though by the strength of appetite and warmth
of passion men are often hurried into immoral practices, yet in
the beginning, especially when there has been the advantage
of a good education, it is usually with reluctance and opposi
tion of mind. What inward struggles precede ! what bitter
pangs attend their sinful excesses ! what guilty blushes and un
easy fears ! what frightful prospects and pale reviews ! " Ter
rors are upon them, and a fire not blown consumeth them." To
make a mock at sin, and to commit iniquity without remorse, is
an. attainment that requires length of time, and much painful
labor ; more labor than is requisite to attain that habitual good
ness which is the glory of the man, the ornament of the Chris
tian, and the chief of his happiness.
The soul can no more be reconciled to acts of wickedness and
injustice, than the body to excess, but by suffering many bitter
pains, and cruel attacks.
The mouth of conscience may, indeed, be stopped for a while,
by false principles : its secret whispers may be drowned by the
noise of company, and stifled by entertainments of sense ; but
this principle of conscience is so deeply rooted in human nature,
and, at the same time, her voice is so clear, and strong, that
the sinner's arts will be unable to lull her .into a lasting secu
rity. When the hour of calamity arrives, when sickness seizeth,
and death appfoacheth the sinner, conscience then constrains

416 LIFE OF CHRIST.
him to listen to her accusations, and will not suffer the temples
of his head to take any rest. " There is no peace to the wick
ed ;" the foundations of peace are subverted, they are at utter
enmity with their reason, with their conscience, and with their
God. Not so is the case of true religion. For when religion, pure
and genuine, forms the temper, and governs the life, conscience
applauds, and peace takes her residence in the breast. The
soul is in its proper state. There is order and regularity both
in the, faculties and actions. Conscious of its own integrity,
and secure of the divine approbation, the soul enjoys a calm
ness not to be described. But why do I call -this happy frame
calmness only ? It is far more than mere calmness. The air
may be calm, and the day overcast with thick mists and dark
clouds. The pious and virtuous mind resembles a serene day,
enlightened and enlivened with the brightest rays of the sun.
Though all without may be clouds and darkness, there is light
in the heart of a pious man. " He is satisfied from himself, and
is filled with peace and joy in believing." In the concluding
scene, the awful moment of dissolution, all is -peaceful and
serene. The immortal part quits its tenement of clay, with the
well-grounded hopes of ascending to happiness and glory.
Nor does the Gospel enjoin any duty but what is fit and rea
sonable. It calls upon all its professors to practise reverence,
submission, and gratitude to God ; justice, truth, and universal
benevolence to men ; and to maintain the government of our
own minds. And what has any one to object against this ?
From the least to the greatest commandment of our dear Re
deemer, there is not one which impartial reason can find fault
with. " His law is perfect : his precepts are true and righteous
altogether." Not even those excepted which require " us to love
our enemies, to deny ourselves," and to "take up our cross,"
To forgive an injury is more generous and manly than to re
venge it ; to control a licentious appetite, than to indulge it : to
suffer poverty, reproach, and even death itself, in the sacred
cause of truth and integrity, is much wiser and better, than, by
base compliances, to make " shipwreck of faith and a good
conscience." Thus in a storm at sea, or a conflagration on the land, a man
with pleasure abandons his lumber to secure his jewels. Piety
and virtue are the wisest and most reasonable things in the
world : — vice and wickedness the most irrational and absurd.
The all-wise Author of our being hath so framed our natures,
and placed us in such relations, that there is nothing vicious,
but what is injurious ; nothing virtuous, but what is advanta
geous to our present interest, both with respect to body and

LIFE OF CHRIS?. 417
tnind. Meekness and humility, patience, and universal1 charity,
and grace, give a joy "unknown to transgressors."
The divine virtues of truth and equity are the only bands
of friendship, the only supports of society. Temper-ance and
sobriety are the best preservatives of health and strength ; but
sin and debauchery impair the body, consume the substance, re
duce to poverty, and form the direct path to an. immature and
untimely death. Now this is the chief excellency of all laws ;
and what will always render their burden pleasant and delightful
is, that they enjoin nothing unbecoming or injurious.
Besides, to render our duty easy, we have the example, as
Vvell as the commands ofthe blessed Jesus. The masters of mo
rality among the heathens gave excellent rules for the regulation
of men's manners ; but tbey wanted either the honesty, or the
courage, to try their own arguments upon themselves. It was a
strong presumption that the yoke of the scribes and pharisees
was grievous, when they laid " heavy burdens upon men's
shoulders," which tbey themselves refused to touch with one of
their fingers. Not thus our great lawgiver, Jesus Christ, the
righteous. His behaviour was, in all respects, conformable to
his doctrine. His devotion towards God, how sublime and ar
dent ! Benevolence towards men, how great and diffusive ! He
was in his life an exact pattern of innocence ; for he " did no sin,
neither was guile found in his mouth." In the Son of God in*
carnate, is exhibited the brightest, the fairest resemblance of the
Father, that earth or heaven ever beheld, an example peculiarly
persuasive, calculated to inspire resolution, and to animate us
to use our utmost endeavors to imitate the divine pattern, the
example of " the author and finisher of our faith," of "him who.
loved us, and gave himself for us." Our profession and char-'
acter, as Christians, obliges us to make this example the model
of our lives. Every motive of decency, gratitude, and interest,
constrain us to tread the paths he trod before us.
We should also remember that our burden is easy; because
God, who " knoweth whereof we are made, who considereth that
we are but dust," is ever ready to assist us. The heathen sages
themselves had some notion of this assistance, though guided
only by the glimmering lamp of reason. But what they looked
upon as probable, the Gospel clearly and strongly asserts. We
there hear the apostle exhorting, " Let us come boldly to the
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to
help in time of need." We there hear the blessed Jesus him
self arguing in this convincing manner : " 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 f" 53

418 LIFE OF CHRIST.
I would not here be understood to mean, that the agency of
the spirit is irresistible, and lays a necessitating bias on all the
faculties and affections. Were this the case, precepts and pro
hibitions, promises and threatenings,. would signify nothing ;
and duty and obligation would be words without a meaning.
The spirit assisteth in a manner agreeably to the frame of hu
man nature ; not controlling the free use of reason, but by
assisting the understanding, influencing the will, and moderating
the affections. But though we may not be able to explain the
mode of his operations, the Scriptures warrant us to assert, that,
when men are renewed and prepared for heaven, it is " through
sanctification of the spirit," and " belief of the truth." How
enlivening the thought ! how encouraging the motive ! We are
not left to struggle alone with the difficulties which attend the
practice of virtue, in the present imperfect state. The merciful
Father of our spirits is ever near to help our infirmities, to en
lighten the understanding, to strengthen good resolutions, audr
in concurrence with our own endeavors, to make us conquerors
over all opposition. Faithful is he to his promises, and will
not suffer the sincere and well-disposed to be tempted above
what they are able to bear. What can be desired more than
this ? To promote the happiness of his people, every thing is
done that is requisite, his grace is all-sufficient, his spirit is able
to conduct us through this vale of tears, to never-fading bliss.
We should also remember, that the great doctrine of the
Gospel, concerning the propitious mercy of God to all penitents,.
through Christ Jesus, greatly contributes to the consolation of
Christians. Let it be granted' that the hope of pardon is essen
tial to the religion of fallen creatures, and one of its first prin
ciples, yet, considering the doubts and suspicions which are
apt to arise in a mind conscious of guilt, it is undoubtedly a
great and inestimable favor, to be relieved in this respect, by a
messenger from Omnipotence himself. This is our happiness.
We are not left to depend upon consequential reasonings, which
the bulk of mankind are little used to ; but we are assured,
that upon our true repentance, we shall, " through the mediation
of Christ," receive the " full remission of past sins," and be re
stored to the same state and favor with our Maker, as if we had
never transgressed his laws. Here the Gospel triumphs. With
these assurances it abounds. Upon this head the declarations
of our blessed Saviour and his apostles are so express and full,
that every one who believes them, and knows himself to be a
true penitent, must banish every doubt and fear, and rejoice
with joy unspeakable. "Come unto me, all ye that labor, and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matt. xi. 28.
" All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men."
Matt. xii. 31. " Be it known unto you therefore, men and

LIFE OF CHRIST. 419
"brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the for
giveness *of sins ; and by him all that believe are justified from
all things, from which we could not be justified by the law of
Moses." Acts, xiii. 38, 39. " The blood of Jesus cleanseth
from all sin." What grace and favor is this ! Who can dwell
upon the transporting theme too long ! Now our way is plain
before us, and the burden we are to bear is made easy. Our
sins are pardonable, if repented of and forsaken.
Consider this, all ye who have never yet regarded religion,
but pursued a course of vice and sensuality all your lives long.
Though your conduct has been base, to the last degree, your
case is not desperate. Far from it. The God whom you have
so highly offended commiserates your errors, is ever ready to
extend his pardoning mercy to his most degenerate creatures, '
upon their faith and repentance, and " is in Christ Jesus recon
ciling the world to himself, not imputing unto penitent sinners
their trespasses. Let the wicked, therefore, forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts ; and let him return unto
the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him ; and to our God,
for he will abundantly pardon." Isaiah, Iv. 7.
Another particular, which renders the Christian religion de
lightful, is, its leading us to the perfect, eternal life of heaven.
It cannot be denied, but that we may draw from the light of
nature strong presumptions of a future state. The present ex
istence does not look like an entire scene, but rather like the
infancy of human nature, which is capable of arriving at a much
higher degree of maturity ; but whatever solid foundation the
doctrine of a future state may have, in nature and reason, cer
tain it is, through the habitual neglect of reflection, and the
force of irregular passions, this doctrine was, before the coming
of our blessed Saviour, very much disfigured, and in a great
measure lost, among the sons of men.
In the heathen world, a future state of rewards and punish
ments, was a matter of mere speculation and uncertainty, some
times hoped for, sometimes doubted of, and sometimes absolute
ly denied. The law of Moses, though of divine original, is
chiefly enforced by promises of temporal blessings : and, even
in the writings of the prophets, a future immortality is very
sparingly mentioned, and obscurely represented : but tbe doc
trine of our Saviour hath " brought life and immortality to
light." In the Gospel we have a distinct account of another
world, attended with many engaging circumstances, about
which the decisions of reason were dark and confused. We
have the testimony of the Author of our religion, who was rais
ed from the dead, and who afterwards, in the presence of his
disciples, ascended into heaven. In the New Testament it is
expressly declared, that good men, " when absent from the

420 LIFE OF CHRIST.
body, are present with the Lord." Here we are assured of the
resurrection of the body in a glorious form, clothed with im
mortal vigor, suited to the active nature ofthe animating spirit,
and assisting its most enlarged operations and incessant progress
towards perfection. Here we are assured, that " the righteous
shall go into life everlastiug ;" that they shall enter into the
kingdom of the heavenly Canaan, where no ignorance shall
cloud the understanding, no vice disturb the will. In these re
gions of perfection, nothing but love shall possess tbe soul ;
nothing but gratitude employ the tongue : there the righteous
shall be united to an innumerable company of angels, and to
the general assembly and church of the first born ; there they
shall see their exalted Redeemer, at the right hand of Omnip
otence, and sit down with him on his throne ; there they shall
be admitted into the immediate presence of the supreme Foun
tain of life and happiness, and beholding his face, be changed
into the same image, from glory to glory. — Here language —
here imagination fails me! It requires the genius, the knowl
edge, and the pen of an angel, to paint the happiness, the bliss
ful scene of the New Jerusalem, which human eyes cannot be
hold, till this mortal body shall be purified from its corruption,
aud dressed in the robes of immortality : " ej'e hath not seen,
nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart to conceive,
the joys which God hath prepared for them that love him."
What is the heaven of the heathens, compared with the heav
en ofthe Christians? The hope, the prospect of this, is suf
ficient to reconcile us to all the difficulties that may attend our
progress, sweeten all our labors, alleviate every grief, and si
lence every murmur.
But why, says the libertine in the gaietj' of his heart, should
there be any difficulties or restraint at all? God hath made
nothing in vain. The appetites he hath planted in the human
breast are to be gratified. To deny or restrain them, is igno
minious bondage; but to give full scope to every desire and
passion ofthe heart, without check or control, is true manly
freedom. In opposition to this loose and careless way of reasoning, let
it be considered, that the liberty of a rational creature doth not
consist in an entire exemption from all control, but in follow
ing the dictates of reason, as the governing principle, and in
keeping the various passions in due subordination. To follow
the regular motion of those affections which tbe wise Creator
hath implanted within us, is our duty : but as our natural de
sires, in this state of trial, are often irregular, we are bound to
restrain their excesses, and not to indulge them, but in a strict
subserviency to the integrity and peace of our minds, and to the
order aQd happiness of human society established iu the world.

LIFE OF CHRIST. 421
Those who allow the supreme command to be usurped by sen
sual and brutal appetites, may "promise themselves liberties,"
but are truly and absolutely the " servants of corruption." To
be vicious, is to be enslaved. We behold with pity those mis
erable objects that are chained in the galleys, or confined in
dark prisons and loathsome dungeons ; but much more abject
and vile is the slavery of the sinner! No slavery of the body
is equal to the bondage of the mind : no chains press so closely,
or gall so cruelly, as the fetters of sin, which corrode the very
substance of the soul, and fret every faculty.
It must, indeed, be confessed, that there are some profligates^
so hardened by custom, as to be past all feeling ; and, because
insensible of their bondage, boast of this insensibility as a mark
of their native freedom and happiness. Vain men ! they might
extol, with equal propriety, the peculiar happiness of an apo
plexy, or the profound tranquillity of a lethargy.
Thus have we endeavored to place, in a plain and conspic
uous light, some of the peculiar excellencies of the Christian
religion ; and, from hence, many useful reflections will naturally
arise in the mind of every attentive reader. It is the religion
of Jesus that hath removed idolatry and superstition, and
brought immortality to light, when concealed under the veil of
darkness almost impenetrable. This hath set the great truths
of religion in a clear and conspicuous point of view, and pro
posed new and powerful motives to influence our minds, and to
determine our conduct. Nothing is enjoined to be believed,
but what is worthy of God ; nothing to be practised, but what
is friendly to man. All the doctrines of the Gospel are ration
al and consistent : all its precepts are truly wise, just, and good.
The Gospel contains nothing grievous to an ingenuous mind:
it debars us from nothing, but doing harm to ourselves, or to
our fellow-creatures ; and permits us to range any where, but
in the paths of danger and destruction. It only requires us to
act up to its excellent commands ; and to prefer, to the vanish
ing pleasure of sin, the- smiles of a reconciled God, and " an
eternal weight of glory." And is this a rigorous exaction, a
heavy burden not , to be endured ? How can sinful mortals
harbor so unworthy a thought ?
Surely no man, who is a real friend to the cause of virtue
and to the interest of mankind, can ever be an enemy to Chris
tianity, if he truly understands it, and seriously reflects on its
wise and useful tendency. It conducteth us to our journey's
end, by the plainest and securest path ; where the " steps are
not straightened, and where he that runneth stumbleth not."
Let us, who live under this last and most gracious dispensa
tion of God to mankind, "count all things but loss, for the
excellency ofthe knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord ;" and not

422 LIFE OF CHRIST.
suffer ourselves, by the slight cavils of unbelievers, to be
" moved away from the hope of the gospel." Let us demon
strate that we believe the superior excellency of the Christian
dispensation,, by conforming to its precepts. Let us shew that
we are Christians in deed, and in truth ; not by endless disputes
about trifles, and the transports of a blind zeal, but by abound
ing in those "fruits of righteousness, which are, through Christ,
to the praise and glory of God "
From what has been said, we may clearly perceive how
groundless all those prejudices are, which some conceive against
religion, as if it was a peevish, morose scheme, burdensome to
human nature, and inconsistent with the true enjoyment of life.
Such sentiments are too apt to prevail in the heat of youth,
when the spirits are brisk and lively, and the passions warm
and impetuous ; but it is wholly a mistake, and a mistake of the
most dangerous tendency. The truth is, there is no pleasure
like that of a good conscience : no real peace but what results
from a sense of the divine favor. This ennobles the mind, and
can alone support it under all the various and unequal scenes
of the present state of trial. This lays a sure foundation of an
easy, comfortable life, of a serene, peaceful death, and of eter
nal joy and happiness hereafter ; whereas, vice is ruinous to all
our most valuable interests ; spoils the native beauty, and sub
verts the order ofthe soul ; renders us the scorn of man, the re
jected of God, and, without timely repentance, will rob us of a
happy eternity- Religion is tbe health, the liberty, and the hap
piness of the soul ; sin is the disease, the servitude, and destruc
tion of it.
If this be not sufficient to convince you, let me lead you in
to the chamber of an habitual rioter, the lewd debauchee, worn
out in the cause of iniquity, " his bones full of the sins of his
youth," that from his own mouth, as he lies on his expiring bed,
you may learn that " the way of transgression is hard;", and
that, however sweet sin may be in tbe commission, " it strikes
like a serpent, and bites like an adder."
I am going, reader, to represent to you the last moments of
a person of high birth and spirit ; of great parts and strong pas
sions; every way accomplished, but unhappily attached to those
paths which lead to vice and destruction.
His unkind treatment was the death of a most amiable wife :
and his monstrous extravagance, in effect, disinherited his only
child. And surely the death-bed of a profligate is next in hor
ror to that abyss to which it leads ! It has the most of hell that
is visible upon earth, and he that hath seen it has more than
faith to confirm him in his creed. I see it now (says the worthy
divine, from whom I shall borrow this relation,) "for who can
forget it ? Are there in it no flames and furies ? — You are igno-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 423
Vant then of what a scared imagination can figure ! what a guil
ty heart can feel ! How dismal it is ! The two great enemies
of soul and body, sickness and sin, sink and confound his
friends; silence and darkness are the dismal scene. Sickness
excludes the light of heaven, and sin its blessed hope. Oh,
double darkness, more than Egyptian ! acutely to be felt !
The sad evening before the death of that noble youth, whose
last hours suggested these thoughts, I was with him. No one
else was there but his physician, and an intimate acquaintance,
whom he loved, and whom he had ruined. At my coming, he
said, " You and the physician are come too late. — I have neither
life nor hope. You both aim at miracles. You would raise
the dead."
" Heaven," I said, " was merciful."
'¦' Or I could not," answered he, " have been thus guilty.
What has it not done to bless and to save me ?— I have been too
strong for Omnipotence. I plucked down ruin."
I said " The blessed Redeemer — "
" Hold, hold," said he, " you wound me ! This is the rock
on which I have split ! I denied his name."
Refusing to hear any thing from me, or take any thing from
the physician, he lay silent, as far as sudden darts of pain would
permit, till the clock struck. Then he cried out with vehe
mence, — " Oh time ! time ! It is fit thou shouldst thus strike
thy^murderer to the heart. — How art thou fled, for ever !— A
month ! — Oh, for a single week ! I ask not for years, though
an age were too little for the much I have to do."
On my saying to him " We could not do too much ; that
heaven was a blessed place !" ,
" So much the worse," replied he, " 'tis lost ! 'tis lost ! Heav
en is to me the severest part of hell !"
Soon after, I proposed prayer. To which he answered, —
" Pray, you that can ; I never prayed. I cannot pray. My
conscience is too much wounded. I have deserted my benevo
lent Maker, and my soul is enveloped in the deepest horrors."
His friend, being much touched, even to tears, at this (for
who could forbear ? I could not,) he, with a most affectionate
look, said,
" Keep these tears for thyself, I have undone thee. — Dost
thou weep for me ? That is cruel. What can pain me more ?"
Here his friend, too much affected, would have left him.
" No," said he, " stay. You still may hope ; therefore, hear
me. How madly have I talked ! — How madly hast thou listen
ed and believed ! But look on my present state, as a full an
swer to thee and to myself. This body is all weakness and
pain ; but my soul, as if stung up by torment to greater strength

424 LIFE OF CHRIST.
and spirit, is full powerful to reason ; full mighty to sufier.
And that which thus triumphs within the joys of mortality, is
doubtless immortal. And as for a Deity, nothing less than an
Almighty could inflict the pains I feel."
I was about to congratulate this passive, involuntary confes
sion, in his asserting the two prime articles of his creed, ex
torted by the rack of nature ; when he thus very" passionately
added, " No, no ! let me speak on. I have not long to speak. — My
much injured friend ! My soul, as my body, lies in ruins ; in
scattered fragments of broken thought ; remorse for the past,
throws my thoughts on the future. Worse dread of the future
strikes it back on the past. I turn, and turn, and find no ray.
Didst thou feel half the mountain that is on me, thou wouldst
struggle with the martyr for his stake, and bless heaven for the
flame ; — that is not an everlasting flame : that is not an un
quenchable fire."
How were we struck ! yet, soon after, still more. With what
an eye of distraction, what a face of despair, he cried out, — >
" My principles have poisoned my friend : my extiavagance has
beggared my boy : my unkindness has murdered my wife ! —
And is there another hell ? Oh ! thou blasphemed, yet most in
dulgent Lord God ! Hell itself is a refuge, if it hides me from
thy frown."
Soon after, his understanding failed ; his terrified imagination
uttered horrors not to be repeated, or ever forgotten ; and be
fore the sun (which I hope has seen few like him) arose, this
gay, young, noble, ingenious, accomplished, and most wretched
mortal, expired.
It must, indeed, be owned, it sometimes happens, that men
who have lived very wicked lives, have gone out of the world,
as they have lived in it, defying conscience, and deriding a fu
ture, judgment as an idle fiction ; but these instances are very
rare, and only prove that there are monsters in the moral as well
as the natural world.
It will perhaps be said, that the sons of vice and riot have
pleasure in sensual indulgences. Allowed ; but it is altogether
of the lower kind, empty, fleeting, and transient : " like the
crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the mirth of the wicked."
It makes a noise and a blaze for the present, but soon vanishes
away into smoke and vapor.
On the other hand, the pleasure of religion is solid and last
ing : and will attend us through all, even the last stages of life.
When we have passed the levity of youth, and have lost our rel
ish for the gay entertainments of sense ; when old age steals up
on us, and stoops us towards the grave, this will cleave fast to-

LIFE OF CHRIST. 425
us, and give us relief. It will be so far from terminating at
death, that it then commences perfect, and continually improves,
with new additions.
Clad in this immortal robe, we need not fear the awful sum
mons of the king of terrors, nor regret our retiring into the
chambers ofthe dust. Our immortal part will wing its way to
the arms of its Omnipotent Redeemer, and find rest in the
heavenly mansions of the Almighty. And though our earthly
part, this tabernacle of clay, returns to its original dust, and is
dissolved, our joy, our consolation, our confidence is, that " we
have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eter
nal in the heavens."

54

THE

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

ST. PETER.

CHAPTER I.
-Account of the Life of St. Peter, prior to his call to the,
Apostleship of the blessed Jesus. '
St. Peter was born at Bethsaida, a city of Galilee, situate
on the banks of the lake of Genesareth, called also the sea of
Galilee, from its being situated in that country, and the lake of
Tiberias, from that city being built on its banks. The particu
lar time of this great apostle's birth cannot be known ; the
Evangelists, and other writers among the primitive Christians,
having been silent with regard to this particular. It is, howev
er, pretty certain, that he was at least ten years older than his
Master ; the circumstances of his being married, and in a settled
course of life, when he first became a follower of the great Mes
siah, and that authority and respect the grayity of his person
procured him among the rest of the apostles, sufficiently declare
this conjecture to be just.
As he was a descendant of Abraham, he was circumcised ac
cording to the rites of the Mosaic law, and called by his parents
Simon or Simeon, a name common at that time among the Jews.
But after his becoming a disciple of the blessed Jesus, the addi
tional title of Cephas was conferred upon him by his Master, to
denote the firmness of his faith ; the word Cephas, in the Syriac,
the common language of the Jews at that time, signifying a
stone, or rock ; and thence he is called, in Greek, Petros, and
by us Peter, which implies the same thing.
With regard to the parents of St. Peter, the Evangelists have
also been silent, except in telling us that his father's name was
Jonah, who was highly honored by our blessed Saviour, who
chose two of his sons, Andrew and Peter, to be his apostles,

428 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
and preachers of the glad tidings of salvation to the children of
men. St. Peter, in his youth, was brought up to the trade of fish
ing, on the lake of Bethsaida, famous for different kinds of fish,
which excelled all others in the fineness of their taste.
Here he followed the trade of fishing, but afterwards removed
to Capernaum, Where he settled ; for we find he had a house
there when our Saviour began his public ministry, and there he
paid tribute. Nicephorus tells us that Helen, the mother of
Constantine, erected a beautiful church over the ruins of St. Pe
ter's house, in honor of that apostle.
Capernaum was as well situated as Bethsaida for carrying on
his trade, standing at the influx of the Jordan into the sea of
Galilee; and where he might with equal advantage, reap the
fruits of an honest and industrious diligence. The business of
Peter was both mean and toilsome ; it exposed him to all the
injuries of the weather, the tempestuousness of the sea, and the
darkness and horror of the night, and all to acquire a mean live
lihood for himself and family. But meanness of worldly degree
is no obstacle to the favor of God : nay, if we review the state
of Christianity, from its rise to the present period, we shall find
that its fr'tends and votaries consist rather of persons of humble
and lowly stations of life, than of the great, the dignified, and
the opulent.
And herein are manifested the wise and admirable methods
used by Divine Providence, in making choice of such mean and
unlikely instruments in planting and propagating the Christian
religion in the world. Men who were destitute of the advanta
ges of education, and brought up to the meanest employments,
were chosen to confound the wise, and overturn the learning
of the great. Such were the persons whom the Almighty
sent to propagate the religion of his Son ; to silence the wise,
the scribe, and the disputer of this world, and to make fool
ish the wisdom of the earth. For though the Jews required a
sign, and the Greeks sought after wisdom ; though the preach
ing of a crucified Saviour made no impression on the former,
and wisdom became of little avail to the latter ; yet by this
preaching God was pleased to save them that believed, and in
the event made it appear, that the wisdom of God passeth all un
derstanding — That so the honor of all may redound to himself,
" that no flesh should glory in his presence, but that he that
glorieth should glory in the Lord."

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 429

CHAPTER II.
The manner by which Peter arrived to the knowledge of the
blessed Jesus, and of his call to the discipleship.
Sacred history hath not ascertained of what sect the apostle
was. We know indeed, that his brother Andrew was a follower
of John the Baptist, that preacher of repentance; and it is very
unlikely that he, who was ready to carry his brother the early
tidings of the Messiah, that the "sun of righteousness" was al
ready risen in those parts, should not be equally solicitous to
bring him under the discipline and influence of John the Baptist,
the day-star which appeared to usher in the appearance of the
Son of God. Besides, Peter's great readiness and curiosity at
the first news of Christ's appearing, to come to him and con
verse with him, shews, that his expectation had been awakened,
and some glimmering rays of hope conveyed to him by the
preaching and ministry of John, who was " the voice of one
crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his
paths straight."
He became acquainted with the immaculate Lamb of God,
in the following manner : The blessed Jesus having spent thirty
years in the solitude of a private life, had lately been baptized
by John in Jordan, and there owned by the solemn attestation
of" heaven to be the Son of God; whereupon he was immediate
ly hurried into the wilderness, and there for forty days main
tained a personal contest with the devil. But having conquered
this great enemy of mankind, he returned to " the place beyond
Jordan," where John was baptizing his proselytes, and endeav
oring to answer the Jews, who had sent a deputation to him to
inquire concerning this new Messiah that appeared among them.
To satisfy these curious inquirers of Israel, John faithfully rela
ted every thing he knew concerning him, gave him the greatest
character, and soon after pointed him out to his disciples ; upon
which two of them presently followed the great Redeemer of
mankind, one of which was Andrew, Simon's brother.
Nor did he conceal the joyful discovery he had made ; for
early in the morning he hastened to acquaint his brother Si
mon that he had found the Messiah. It is not enough to be
happy alone : grace is a communicative principle, that, like the
circles in the water, delights to multiply itself, and to diffuse its
influences all around, especially on those whom nature has pla
ced nearest to us. I have, said he, with rapture to his brother,
found that eminent person so long and signally foretold by the

430 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
prophets, and whom all the devout and pious among the sons
of Jacob so earnestly expected.
Simon, who was one of those who waited for the redemption
of Israel, ravished with the joyful news, and impatient of delay,
presently followed his brother to the place ; and on his arrival
our blessed Saviour immediately gave him a proof of his divin
ity; saluting him at first sight by his name, and telling him both
who he was, his name and kindred, and what title should soon
be conferred upon him.
But whether these two sons of Jonah constantly attended in
person from that time on the great Redeemer of mankind, and
became his disciples, the sacred history is silent. It is, howev
er, probable that they stayed with him some time, till they were
instructed in the first rudiments of his doctrines ; and then, by
the leave of their great and benevolent Master, returned to their
families, and to their callings ; for- it is reasoriable to suppose,
that the blessed Jesus was not at this time willing to waken the
jealousy of the rulers of Israel, and the suspicion of the Ro
mans, by a numerous retinue, and therefore dismissed his disci
ples, and among the rest Andrew and Peter, who returned to
their trade of fishing on the lake, and where our blessed Re
deemer afterwards found them.
The holy Jesus had now more than a year entered on his
public ministry, going into every part of the country, to seek
opportunities of doing good to the children of men ; so that by
the constancy of preaching, and the reputation of his miracles,
his fame was spread throughout all Judea ; and multitudes of
people flocked to him from all parts, to hear his doctrines and
be spectators of his mighty works.
But, to avoid this prodigious throng of people, our great Re
deemer often retired to some solitary place, to indulge the pri
vacies of contemplation. In one of these retreats, on the banks
of the sea of Galilee, the multitude found him out, and ran to
him from the city. Our Saviour, therefore, to avoid the crowd,
stepped into a fishing boat which lay near shore, and belonged
to Simon Peter, who, together with his companions, were on
shore, drying their nets, after an unsuccessful night spent in toil
and labor. The blessed Jesus, who might have commanded,
was pleased to entreat Peter, who now returned to his boat, to
thrust off a little from the land, that he might instruct the peo
ple, who were gathering in prodigious crowds on the borders
of the lake.
Peter gladly complied with the request of his Master, who
delivered his heavenly doctrine to the people on the shore. As
soon as he had ended his discourse, he resolved to seal it by a
miracle, that the people might be persuaded he was " a teacher
come from God." Accordingly he ordered Simon to row farther

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 431
from the shore, and cast his net into the sen. To which Simon
answered, that they had labored the preceding night, and had
taken nothing ; and, if they could not then succeed,' there were
little hopes of it now, as the day was far less proper for fishing
than the night. But as his Master was pleased to command,
he would obey ; and accordingly he let down his net, when, to
the astonishment both of him and of his companions, so great
a multitude of fishes were enclosed, that they were obliged to
Call their partners to their assistance. Amazed at this miracu
lous draught of fishes, Simon Peter, in an ecstacy of admiration,
blended with awe and humility, fell prostrate at his Master's
feet, acknowledging himself a vile and sinful person, and think
ing himself unworthy' of being admitted into the presence of a
person so immediately sent from God. But the compassionate
Son of the Most High kindly removed his fears ; telling him
that this miracle was wrought to confirm his faith, and indicate
to him that the Almighty had appointed a more noble employ
ment for him. that of saving the souls ofthe children of men.
From this time Peter and his companions became the insep
arable and constant disciples ofthe great Messiah, living under
tbe rules of his discipline and institutions.
Soon after, our blessed Saviour returned to Capernaum with
bis disciples, where they found the mother-in-law of Peter dan
gerously ill of a fever. But the compassionate Jesus, who never
omitted any opportunity of doing good to the human race, re
buked the disease, and taking her by the hand, restored her
in a moment to her former health ; demonstrating at once his
power and willingness to relieve the sons and daughters of af
fliction.

CHAPTER III.

Peculiar transactions of this Apostle, from the time of his being
chosen, to his blessed' Master's mtermg the City of Jerusalem.
The blessed Jesus, having entered upon his important mis
sion, thought proper to select some peculiar persons from among
his followers, to be constant witnesses of his miracles and doc
trine, and who, after his departure, might be intrusted with the
care of building his church, and planting that religion in the
world, for which he himself left the mansions of heaven, and
put on the veil of mortality. In order to this, he withdrew
privately, in the evening, to a solitary mountain, where he spent

432 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
the night in solemn addresses to his Almighty Father, for ren
dering the great work he was going to undertake prosperous
and successful.
The next day, early in the morning, the disciples came tP
him, out of whom he made choice of twelve to be his Apostles,
and the attendants on his person. -
These he afterwards invested with tbe power of working mir
acles, and sent them into different parts of Judea, in order to
carry on with more rapidity the great work which he himself
had so happily begun.
All the Evangelists, in their enumeration of these Apostles,
constantly place St. Peter first. But we must not, on that ac
count, suppose that St. Peter Was invested with any personal
prerogative above his brethren : none of them ever intimated
any such thing ; and St. Paul says expressly, that he himself
was not inferior to the very chiefest Apostle.
Soon after this election, the blessed Jesus, attended by Peter
and the two sons of Zebedee, followed Jairus, a ruler of the
synagogue, to his. house, in order to restore his daughter, an
only child, who lay at the point of death : but before their ar
rival, a messenger arrived with the news that the damsel was
dead, and therefore it was unnecessary for our Saviour to give
himself any farther trouble. But our blessed Saviour bid the
ruler not despair ; for if he believed, his daughter should yet be
restored to her former health. And accordingly, on his arrival,
he took the maid by the hand, and with the power of a word,
recalled her fleeting spirit, which had quitted its earthly taber
nacle, and restored her again to life and health.
We have no farther account of St. Peter in particular, till the
night after our Saviour's miraculously feeding the multitude in
the wilderness. Jesus had ordered his disciples to take ship,
and pass over to the other side, while he sent the multitude
away. But a violent storm arising, they were in great danger
of their lives, when their great Master came unto them, walking
on the surface of the boisterous billows, with the same ease as
if it had been dry ground.
At his approach the disciples were greatly terrified, suppos
ing they had seen a spirit. But their compassionate Master
soon dispelled their fears, by telling them it was he himself,
and therefore they had no reason to be terrified.
Peter, who was always remarkable for bold resolutions, de
sired his Master to give him leave to come to bim on the water ;
and on obtaining permission, he left the ship, and walked on
the sea to meet his Saviour. But when he heard the deep roar
around him, and the waves increase, he began to be afraid ;
and as his faith declined, his body sunk in the water ; so that
in the greatest agony he called for assistance to him who was

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 433
able to. save. Nor was his cry in vain; the compassionate
Redeemer of mankind stretched out his hand, and again placed
him on the surface of the water, with this gentle reproof, " O
thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt ?" And no
sooner was the blessed Jesus and his disciple entered into the
ship, than the vvinds ceased, the waves subsided, and the ship
was at the land whither they were going.
A miracle of this kind could not fail of astonishing the dis
ciples, and convincing them of the divinity of his mission : ac
cordingly they drew near and worshipped him, with this confes
sion, " Of a truth thou art the Son of God."
The next day our blessed Saviour entered the synagogue of
Capernaum ; and from the miracle of the loaves, took occasion
to discourse concerning himself and the true manna, and the
"bread which came down from heaven;" opening to them the
more sublime and spiritual mysteries of the Gospel, on which,
great part of the audience, who expected he was going to erect
£» temporal kingdom, and re-establish the throne of David in
Jerusalem, offended at his representing his dominion as entirely
spiritual, departed from him, and came no more to hear his
discourses. Jesus, on beholding this defection, turned himself
towards his disciples, and asked them whether they also would
go away. To which Peter replied, " Lord, whither shall we
go ? Thou hast the words of eternal life : to whom should we
apply for life and salvation ? Thou art the way, the truth, and
the light."
The inhabitants of Judea, who beheld with astonishment the
miracles wrought by the blessed Jesus, had formed many con
jectures concerning him. Our great Redeemer was not igno
rant of this : but being willing to hear what account his disci
ples would give of the various opinions of the people, asked
them what the world said concerning him ? To which they re
plied, that some took him for John the Baptist, risen from the
dead ; some thought him t6 be Elias, and others Jeremiah, or
one of the old prophets. He asked them what they themselves
thought of him : to which Peter, in the name ofthe rest, answer
ed, " Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God," anointed
and set apart by the Most High, to be the great King, Priest,
and Prophet of Israel.
This full and comprehensive declaration of Peter satisfied the
inquiry of our blessed Saviour, who answered, " Blessed art
thou, Simon Bar-Jonah ; for flesh and blood hath not revealed
it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." That is, this
faith which thou hast now confessed is not human, or built'upon
the testimony of man, but upon that knowledge which I was
sent from God to reveal unto the world : therefore, I say also
unto thee, " that thou art Peter, aud upon this rock I will build

434 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
my church, and the gates of bell shall not prevail against it."
As thy name signifies a rock, so shalt thou prove firm, solid
and immoveable in building my church, which shall be so firmly
established by thy care and diligence upon that faith thou hast
now professed, that all the assaults of men and devils shall not
be able to destroy it.
The disciples had no idea that their Master was to suffer
death for the sins of the world ; on the contrary, they considered
him as immortal, having imbibed the opinion of the Scribes and
Pharisees, "that Christ abideth for ever:" so that when the
blessed Jesus told them of the sufferings he must undergo at
Jerusalem, what affronts and indignities he must suffer, and be
at last put to death with all the acts of torture and disgrace,
by a sentence of the Jewish Sanhedrim, Peter, who could not
endure the thought of his Master's suffering even the least pun
ishment, much less those cruelties he had mentioned, and at
last death itself, interrupted him very unseasonably, and said,
" Be it far from thee, Lord ; this shall not be unto thee." He
considered these sufferings as inconsistent with the character of
the great Messiah, whom he expected would restore the splen
dor ofthe throne of David his father, and reduce all the king
doms of the earth to his obedience. But our blessed Saviour,
who came down from heaven, to give his life a ransom for the
sins of tbe world, and who valued the redemption of mankind
infinitely more than his own ease and safety, highly resented
this speech of St. Peter, and accordingly returned this sharp
reproof: " Get thee behind me, Satan, thou art an offence unto
me." Thy pernicious counsels, in seeking to oppose the design
for which I purposely left the courts of heaven, are offensive ;
and thou " savorest not the things that be of God, but those that
be of men."
Some time after, the great Redeemer of the souls of men,
being to receive a specimen of his future glorification, took with
him three of his most intimate apostles, Peter and the two sons
of Zebedee, and went up into a very high mountain, and while
they were employed in earnest addresses to the Almighty, he
was transfigured before them, darting such lustre from his face,
as exceeded the meridian rays of the sun in brightness ; and
such beams of light issued from his garments, as exceeded the
light of the clearest day ; an evident and sensible representa
tion of that state, when the "just shall walk in white robes, and
shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." During this
heavenly scene, the great prophets Moses and Elias appeared
in .aH 'the brightness and majesty of a glorified state, familiarly
conversing with him, and discoursing of the death and suffer
ings he was shortly to undergo, and his ascension to the heav
enly regions of bliss and. happiness.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 435
In the mean time Peter and the two apostles were fallen
asleep ; but on their awaking were strangely surprised to see the
Lord surrounded with so much glory, and those two great per
sons conversing with him. They, however, remained silent till
those visitants from the courts of heaven were going to depart,
when Peter, in rapture and ecstacy of mind, addressed himself
to his Master, declared their infinite pleasure and delight in
being favored with this glorious spectacle ; and desired his
leave to erect three tabernacles, one for him, one for Moses,
and one for Elias. But while he was speaking, a bright cloud
overshadowed these two great prophets, and a voice came from
it, uttering these remarkable words, " This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." On which the apos
tles were seized with the utmost consternation, and fell vjpon
their faces to the ground ; but Jesus, touching them, bid them
dismiss their fears, and look up with confidence ; they immedi
ately obeyed, but saw their Master only.
After this heavenly scene, our blessed Lord travelled through
Galilee, and at his return to Capernaum, the tax-gatherers came
to Peter, and asked him, whether his Master was not obliged
to pay tribute ? When our blessed Saviour was informed of
this demand, rather than give offence, he wrought a miracle to
pay it. Our great Redeemer was now going, for the last time,
to Jerusalem ; and he ordered two of his disciples, probably
Peter and John, to fetch him an ass, that he might enter into
the city on it, as had been foretold. The disciples obeyed
their Master, and brought the ass to Jesus, who being mounted
thereon, entered the city amidst the hosannas of a numerous
multitude, with palm-branches in their hands, proclaiming at
once both the majesty of a prince, and the triumph of a Sav
iour.

CHAPTER IV.
Life of St. Peter, from the time ofthe celebration ofthe last
Passover to the Crucifixion of the great Redeemer.
The blessed Jesus proceeded from Jerusalem to Bethany,
from whence he sent two of his disciples, Peter and John, to
make preparations for his celebrating the passover.
Every thing being ready, our blessed Saviour and his apos
tles entered the house, and sat down to table. But their great
Master, who often taught them by example as well as precept,

436 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
arose from his seat, laid aside his upper garment, took the tow
el, and pouring water into a basin, began to wash his disciples'
feet, to teach them humility and charity, by his own example.
But on his coming to Peter, he would by no means admit his
Master to perform so mean and condescending an office. What!
the Son of God stoop to wash the feet of a sinful mortal ! A
thought which shocked the apostle, who strenuously declared,
" Thou shalt never wash my feet." But the blessed Jesus told
him, that if he washed him not, he could have no part with
him ; intimating, that this action was mystical, and signified the
remission of sins, and the purifying virtue of the Spirit of the
Most High, to be poured upon all true Christians. This an
swer sufficiently removed the scruples of Peter, who cried out,
" Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head."
Wa'sh me in every part, rather than let me lose my portion in
thee. The blessed Jesus, having set this pattern of humility, began
to reflect on his approaching sufferings, and on the person who
should betray him into the hands of wicked and cruel men, tell
ing them, that not a stranger, or an enemy, but one of his
friends, one of his apostles, and even one of them who then sat
at the table with him, would betray him.
This declaration exceedingly affected them all in general,
and Peter in particular, who made signs to St. John, to ask
him particularly who it was, Jesus complied with this request,
and gave them to understand that it was Judas Iscariot.
Our great Redeemer now began the institution of his supper,
that great and solemn institution, which he resolved to leave
behind him, to be constantly celebrated in his church, as a
standing monument of his loye in dying for mankind ; telling
thein at the same time that he himself was now going to leave
them, and that " whither he went, they could not come." Pe
ter, not well understanding what he meant, asked him whither
he was going. To which our great Redeemer replied, thathe
was going to that place whither he could not now, but should
hereafter, follow him: intimating the martyrdom he was to suf
fer for his Master's religion. Peter answered, that he was
ready now to follow hiin, even if it required him to lay down
his life. This confident presumption was not at all agreeable
to the blessed Jesus, who told him he had promised great things,
but would be so far from performing them, that before " the
cock crew" he would deny him thrice.
Supper being now ended, they sung an hymn, and departed
to the Mount of Olives ; where Jesus again put them in mind
how' greatly the things he was going to suffer would offend
them. To which Peter replied, that " though all men should
be offended because of him, yet he himself would never be

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 437
offended." How far will an indiscreet zeal and affection trans
port even a good man into vanity and presumption!' Peter
questions the fidelity of others, but never doubts his own :
though his Lord had just before reproved him for his self-suffi
ciency. This confidence of Peter inspired the rest of the apos
tles with courage: so that they declared their constant and
unshaken adherence to their Master.
They now repaired to the garden of Gethsemane ; and leav
ing the rest of the. apostles near the entrance, our blessed Sav
iour, taking with him Peter, James, and John, retired into the
most solitary part of the garden, to enter on the preparatory
scene ofthe great tragedy that was now approaching.
Here the blessed Jesus labored under the bitterest agony that
ever human nature suffered, during which he prayed with the
utmost fervency to his Father, " offering up prayers and suppli
cations with strong crying and tears ; and his sweat was as it
were great drops of blood, falling down to the ground."
While our blessed Redeemer was thus interceding with the
Almighty, his three disciples were fallen asleep, though he had
made three several visits to them, and calling to Peter, asked
him if he could not watch one hour with him. Advising them
all to watch and pray, that they might not enter into tempta
tion, adding, " the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is
weak." What incomparable sweetness ! what generous candor did
the Redeemer of mankind display on this occasion ! he passed
the most charitable censure upon an action which malice and
ill-nature would have painted in colors as black as the shades
of darkness.
The disciples were drowned in a profound security, and
were buried in a deep sleep, and though often awaked and in
formed of the approaching tragedy, they little regarded the
admonitions, as if nothing but ease and softness engaged their
thoughts : an action which seemed to imply the most amazing
ingratitude, and the highest disregard for their Lord and
Master. But he, who was compassion itself, would not impute it to
their want of affection, or disregard for his safety : he consid
ered it merely as the effect of their infirmities, and made an
excuse for them when they could make none for themselves ;
teaching us the useful lesson of putting the most favorable con
struction on the actions of others : and to imitate the bee and
not the spider, by sucking honey, instead of poison, from the
various transactions of human life.
While he was discoursing with tbem, a band of soldiers, from
the chief priests and elders, preceded by the traitor Judas, to
conduct and direct them, rushed into the garden, and seized the

438 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
great high priest of our profession. Peter, whose ungovern
able zeal would admit of no restraint, drew his sword, and,
without the least order from his Master, struck at one of the
persons who seemed to be remarkably busy in binding Jesus,
and cut off his right ear. This wild and unwarrantable zeal
was very offensive to his Master, who rebuked Peter, and en
treated the patience of the soldiers, while he miraculously heal
ed the wound.
But now the fidelity of the apostles, which they had urged
with so much confidence, was put to the trial. They saw their
Master in the hands of a rude and inconsiderate band of men :
and therefore should have exerted their power to release him,
or at least have been the companions of his sufferings, and
endeavored, by every kind, endearing action, to have lessened
his grief. But alas ! instead of assisting or comforting their
great Master, they forsook him and fled.
The soldiers, after binding Jesus, led him away, and deliv
ered him to the chief priests and elders, who carried him from
one tribunal to another, first to Annas, and then to Caiaphas,
where the Jewish Sanhedrim were assembled, in order to try and
condemn him.
In the mean time, Peter, who had followed the other disci
ples in their flight, recovered his spirits, and, being encouraged
by his companion St. John, returned to seek his Master. See
ing him leading to the high-priest's hall, he followed at a dis
tance, to know the event : but on his coming to the door, was
refussd admittance, till one of the disciples who was acquainted
there, came out, and prevailed upon the servant who kept the
door, to let him in. Peter, being admitted, repaired to the fire,
burning in the middle of tbe hall, round which the officers and
servants were 'standing ; where, being observed by the maid ser
vant, who let him in, she charged him with being one of Christ's
disciples : but Peter publicly denied the charge, declaring that
he did not know him, and presently withdrew into the porch,
where, being secluded from the people, the reflection of his mind
awakened bis conscience into a quick sense of his duty, and the
promise he bad a few hours before made to his Master. But
alas ! human nature, when left to itself, is remarkably frail and
inconstant. This Peter sufficiently, experienced ; for while he
continued in the porch, another«%iaid met him, and charged him
with being one of the followers of Jesus of Nazareth, which Pe
ter firmly denied, and, the better to gain belief, ratified it with
an oath.
About an hour after this, the servant of the high priest, he
whose ear Peter had cut off, charged him with being a disciple
of Christ, and that he himself had seen him in the garden with
him : adding, that his very speech sufficiently proved that he was

PETER>S UNGOVERNABLE ZEAL.
[Page 438.]

" Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and
cut off his right ear." — John, XVIU. 10.

PETER'S DENIAL.
[Page 43«).]

" And as Petei- was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of tlie maids of the high
priest : And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said,
And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.
" But Jie denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I wliat thou sayest." —
Mark, xiv. 66—68.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 439
a Galilean. Peter, however, still denied the fact ; and, to his
sin, ratified it not only by an oath, but a solemn curse and exe
cration, that " he was not the person," and that " he knew not
the man." But no sooner had he uttered this denial, (which
was the third time) than the " cock crew ;" at which his Master
turned about, and earnestly looked upon him in a manner that
pierced him to the heart, and brought to his remembrance what
his Saviour had more than once foretold, namely, that he would
basely and shamefully deny him. Peter was now no longer
able to contain his sorrow : he flew from the palace of the high-
priest, and " wept bitterly," passionately bewailing his folly,
and the aggravations of his sin.
The fall of St. Peter should convince us of the miserable
frailty, even of the best of men, and effectually subdue those
vain confidences which are apt to rise in our hearts, from oar
own supposed strength and virtue. For, as this great disciple
fell in so scandalous a manner, who shall hereafter dare to de
pend upon- the highest degree of knowledge, when one so wise,
so perfectly satisfied of the truth of the Christian doctrine, was,
after' the fullest convictions of his own conscience, so weak and
frail, as to deny and abjure his Lord who instructed and bought
him, even at the price of his own blood ? Who shall presume
upon his best resolutions, when he who declared so firm a pur
pose of adhering to Jesus, did, within a few hours perempto
rily and solemnly disown that very person, for whose sake he
was lately ready and disposed to lay down his life.
We ought, therefore, on all occasions, to pray for and rely
on the Divine assistance, which alone can enable us to stand
in a day of trial. There is, indeed, no reason to doubt that St.
Peter at that time spoke the very sense of his soul ; that he
had an honest and sincere heart, was steadfastly determined, and
as he thought, able to perform, what, with so much piety and
affection, he intended and professed. But his misfortune was,
that he did not consider the infirmities of human nature, prom
ising, in the warmth of his zeal, more than he was able to per
form. He relied on his own integrity, thinking good resolutions
a sufficient defence against the most violent temptations. But
when the assault was made, and danger, with her terrifying as
pect, appeared, the event sufficiently proved, that how willing
soever the spirit might be, yet the flesh was exceeding frail
and weak.
We have in St. Peter an example for our instruction. The
opinion of his own strength proved his ruin. So dangerous
and fatal is it to lean on our own understandings ; to be wise,
good, and safe, in our own conceit; when all our sufficiency, all
our safety, is of God.

440 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
We should also, from this example, remember the wisdom and
goodness of the Almighty, in causing the faults and infirmities
of his" saints to be recorded in the holy scriptures, and the use
we ought to make of their failings and temptations. Their
eminent perseverance in the cause of Christ, and their as emi
nent repentance where they did amiss, are written as a season
able warning, and exhibit an instance of humiliation to all
future ages ; by letting us see, that the most perfect are but
men, subject to blemishes and imperfections ; and that the high
est and purest state is no security from danger. This should
make us very tender how we judge and despise our brethren,
whose faults, however severely we may censure them, might
probably have been our own, had we been in their circumstan
ces ; for " let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he
fall." We should not then promise ourselves such safety and
freedom from temptations, in any circumstances of life, as to
think we are incapable of committing the blackest crimes, should
the Almighty withdraw his grace, and leave us to ourselves.
And as their failings admonish, so they should also comfort
us, by demonstrating that God does not suddenly cast off his
servants, when they have heinously offended him ; that we ought
not to despair, though our transgressions are great and many ;¦
for if we will return, with true contrition of soul, we shall be
kindly received, and freely pardoned. Those who fall with
him, should earnestly pray for that repentance which he had,
a repentance, like which, all Christians ought earnestly to desire
and seek after.

CHAPTER V.
An account of what befel this Apostle from the Resurrection
of his blessed Master, to his Ascension into Heaven.
It is certain, from various circumstances, that Peter, after
the crucifixion of his Lord and Master, stayed at Jerusalem, or
at least in the neighborhood, for when Mary Magdalene return
ed from the sepulchre to inform the disciples that the stone was
rolled away from the door, and the body not to be found, Peter
and John set out immediately towards the garden. John, who
was the younger, arrived at the sepulchre first, looked into it,
but did not enter, either out of fear or reverence to our Saviour.
Peter came soon after, and resolutely went into the sepulchre,
where he found the linen clothes lying together in one place,

LIVES OF THE 'APOSTLES. 441
tod the napkin that was about his head wrapped together in
another, a sufficient indication that the body was not stolen
away ; for had that been the case, so much care und order would
not have been observed in disposing of the linen clothes.
But Peter did not wait long in suspense, with regard to his
great Lord and Master ; for the same day Jesus appeared to
him ; and as he was the first of the disciples who had made a
signal confession of the divinity of the Messiah's mission, so it
was reasonable he should first see him, after his resurrection,
and at the same time to convince him that the crime he had
been guilty of, in denying him, was pardoned, and that he was
come, like the good Samaritan, to pour oil into the wounded
conscience. Soon after the apostles prepared to obey the command of their
great Master, of retiring into Galilee ; and we find that Peter,
Nathaniel, the two sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples,
returned to their old trade of fishing in the lake.
One morning early, as they were labouring at their employ-1
ment, having spent the whole night to no purpose, they' saw on
the shore a grave person, who called to them, and asked them
if they had any meat ?. To which they answered, No. Cast
then, replied he, the net on the right side of the ship, and ye
shall find. They followed his directions, and caught a prodir
gious number of large fish. Astonished at stich remarkable suc
cess, the disciples looked upon one another for some time, till
St. John told Peter, that the person on the shore was, doubtless,
their great Lord and Master, whom the winds, the sea, and the
inhabitants ofthe watery region, were ready to obey.
Peter no sooner beard the beloved disciple declare his opin
ion concerning the stranger, than his zeal took fire, and, not
withstanding the coldness of tbe season,- he girt on his fish
er's coat, threw himself into the sea, and swam to shore ; his
impatience to be with his dear Lord and Master not suffering
him to stay the few minutes necessary to bring the ship to
land. As soon as the disciples came on shore, they found a fire
kindled, and fish laid upon it, either immediately created by the
power of their divine Master, or which came ashore of its own
accord, and offered itself to his hand. But notwithstanding
there were fish already on the fire, he ordered them to bring
those they had now caught, and dress them for their repast, he
himself eating with them ; both to give them an instance of mu
tual love and friendship, and also to assure them of the truth of
his human nature, since he was risen from the dead.
When the repast was ended4 our blessed Saviour addressed
himself particularly to Peter, urging him to the utmost diligence
in the care of souls : and because he knew that nothing But

442 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
a sincere love to himself could support him under the trouble
and dangers of so laborious and difficult an employment, he
inquired of him. whether he loved him more than the rest ofthe
apostles : mildly reproving him for his over-confident resolution.
Peter, whom fatal experience had taught humility, modestly
answered, that none knew so well as himself the integrity of his
affections. Thou knowest the hearts of all men, nothing is hid
from thee, and therefore thou knowest that I love thee. The
question was three several times repeated by our blessed Saviour;
and as oftentimes answered by the apostle ; it being but just,
that he, who by a threefold denial had given so much reason to
question bis affection, should now, by a threefold confession,
give more than common assurance of his sincere love to his
Master ; and to each of these confessions our great Redeemer
added this signal trial of his affection, " Feed my sheep." In
struct and teach them with the utmost care, and the utmost ten
derness. The blessed Jesus having thus engaged Peter to a cheerful
compliance with the dangers that might attend the discbarge of
his office, particularly intimated to him the fate that would attend
him ; telling him, that when he was young, he girt himself, lived
at his pleasure, and went wherever his fancy directed him ; but
when he should reach the term of old age, he should stretch forth
his hands, and another should gird and bind him, and lead him
whither he had no desire to go, intimating, as the Evangelist tells
us, " by what death he should glorify God."
Peter was well pleased to drink the bitter cup and make his
confession as public as his denial, provided all would be sufficient
to atone for his former sin. And seeing John following, he
asked his great Master, what should be his fate, and whether he,
who had been the object of bis Master's love in his life-time,
should not have as honorable a death as he that had denied him ?
To which Jesus replied, It doth not concern thee to know how
I shall dispose of events, with regard to him : he shall see tho
destruction of the Jewish nation, and then go down to the
chambers of the dust in peace.
Not long after, our blessed Saviour appeared to his disciples at
Jerusalem, to take his last farewell of them who had attended him
during his public ministry among the sons of men. He led them
outas far as Bethany, a small village on the Mount of Olives, where
he briefly told them that they were the persons he had chosen to
be the witnesses, both of his death and resurrection ; a testimony
which they should publish in every part of the world. In order
to which, he would, after his ascension into heaven, pour out his
spirit upon them, in an extraordinary manner, that they might
be the better enabled to struggle with that violent rage and fury,
with which the doctrine of the gospel would be opposed by men

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 443
and devils. Adding, that in the mean time, they should return
to Jerusalem, and there wait till those miraculous powers were
given them from on high.
Having finished this discourse, he laid hands upon them, and
gave them his solemn benediction ; during which he was taken
from them, and received up into the regions of the heavenly
Canaan. The apostles, who beheld their Master visibly ascend
into heaven, were filled with a greater sense of his glory than
they had ever been while he conversed with them familiarly on
earth. And having performed their solemn adoration to him,
they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, there to wait for the
accomplishment of their great Master's promise. How sudden a
change was now wrought in the minds of the apostles ! They
who were lately overwhelmed with sorrow, at the very mention
of their Lord's departure from them, beheld him now with joy
and triumph ; they were fully satisfied of his glorious advance
ment to the right hand of Omnipotence, and of that peculiar care
and providence which they were sure he would exercise over
them, in pursnance of those great trusts he bad committed to
(heir care.

CHAPTER VI.
Transactions of Peter, from the Ascension of his blessed Master
to the dispersion of the Church at Jerusalem.
The apostles, though deprived of the personal presence of
their dear Lord and Master, were indefatigable in fulfilling the
commission they had received from him. The first object that
engaged their attention, after their return to Jerusalem, was to
fill up the vacancy in their number, lately made by the unhappy
fall and apostacy of Judas. In order to this, they called
together the church, and entered into " an upper room," when
Peter, as president of the assembly, proposed to them the choice
of a new apostle.
He put them in mind that Judas, one of the disciples of their
great and beloved Master, being betrayed by his covetous and
insatiable temper, had lately fallen from the honor of his place
and ministry. That this was no more than what the prophet
had long since foretold should come to pass, and that the care of
the church, which had been committed to him, should devolve
npon another : that therefore it was highly necessary that some
person who had been familiarly conversant with tbe blessed

444 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
Jesus, from first to last, and consequently, a competent witness
both of bis doctrine and miracles, his death, resurrection, and
ascension, should be substituted in bis room.
This, indeed, was highly requisite ; for as no witness is so
Valid and satisfactory as the testimony of an eye witness, as the
apostles all along principally insisted on this, that they delivered
pothing to the world, concerning the great Redeemer of mankind,
than what they themselves had seen and heard, as his rising from
the dead was a principle likely to meet with the greatest oppo
sition, and which would be'the most difficult tenet of the gospel
to be believed by the sons of men, they urged this great truth
incessantly, declaring, that they were " eye-witnesses of his
resurrection ;" that they had seen and felt him 5 eaten and famil
iarly conversed with him, after his return from the chambers of
tbe grave. It was, therefore, highly requisite that such an
apostle should be chosen : and accordingly two candidates were
proposed; Joseph, called Barsabas, and Matthias, both qualified
for the great and important office of the apostleship. And
having prayed that the divine providence would immediately
guide arid direct their choice, they cast lots, and the lot fell upon
Matthias, who was accordingly admitted into the number ofthe
apostles. After filling up the vacancy in the apostolic number, they
spent their time in prayer and meditation, till the feast of
Pentecost ; when the promise of their great Master in sending
the Holy Ghost was fulfilled. The christian assembly were met
as usual, to perform the public services of their worship, when
suddenly a sound, like that of a mighty wind, rushed in upon
them ; representing the powerful efficacy of that divine spirit
which was now to be communicated to them. After which there
appeared small flames of fire, which, in the shape of cloven
tongues, descended and sat upon the head of each of them, to
denote that their enjoyment of this gift should be constant and
perpetual ; and not like the prophets of old, who were inspired
pnlyat some particular times and seasons. Upon this they were
all immediately filled with the Holy Ghost, which, in an instant,
enabled them to speak fluently several languages they .had never
learned, and probably never heard.
The report of so sudden and strange an action, was soon
spread through every part of Jerusalem, which at that time was
full of Jewish proselytes, " devout men of every nation under
heaven, Parthians, Medes, Elamites, the dwellers in Mesopo
tamia and Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrj'gia and
Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Lybia and Cyrene," from
Rome, from Crete, and from Arabia. These no sooner heard
of this miraculous effusion of the Holy Spirit, than they flocked
in prodigious numbers, to the Christian assembly, where they

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 445
were amazed to hear these Galileans speaking to them in their
own native languages, so various and so very different from one
another. And it could not fail of exceedingly increasing the
wonder, to reflect on the meanness of the speakers, who were
neither assisted by genius, polished by education, or improved
by use and custom. The disciples were destitute of all these
assistances ; their parts were mean, their education trifling, and
their experience in speaking before great assemblies, trifling.
Yet now these persons spoke boldly, and with the greatest pro
priety, in various languages. Nor were their discourses filled
with idle stories, or the follies of a luxuriant fancy. No, they
expatiated on the great and admirable works of Omnipotence,
and the mysteries of the Gospel, which human apprehension
could never discover.
This surprising transaction had different effects on the minds
of the people : some attributing to it the effect of a miracle, and
others to the power and strength of " new wine." Upon which
the apostles all stood up, and Peter, in the name ofthe rest, un
dertook to confute this injurious calumny.
He told them, that this scandalous slander proceeded from the
spirit of malice and falsehood : that their censure was unchari
table, as it was unjust : that it was early in the morning, and
therefore not a time for drinking, especially on a day set apart
for devotion : that these extraordinary and miraculous effects
were but the accomplishment of an ancient prophecy, which the
Almighty had expressly declared should be fulfilled in the times
of the Messiah : that Jesus of Nazareth had evidently proved
himself to be that great Prophet, the Son of the Most High, by
many unquestionable miracles, of which they themselves had
been eye-witnesses ; and though, by the permission of Omnipo
tence, who was pleased, by this means, to bring about the re
demption of mankind, they had wickedly crucified and slain him,
yet God had raised him from the dead ; nor was it Consistent
with the justice and goodness of the Almighty, especially. those
divine predictions made concerning him, that he should be" con
fined' in the chambers of the grave ; David having particularly
foretold, " That his flesh should rest in hope, that God would not
leave his soul in hell, neither suffer his Holy One to see corrup
tion ; but would make known to him the way to life." That
this prophecy could not relate to David himself, as he had many
ages since been reduced to dust, and his flesh passed through the
different stages of corruption, his tomb being yet visible among
them, and from whence he was known never to return ; and
therefore the prophecy must relate to Christ, having never been
fulfilled in any but him, who both died and was risen again,
whereof they were his witnesses. Nay, that he was not only
risen from the dead, but ascended into the highest heaven, and,

446 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
according to David's prediction," " sat down on the right hand
of God, until he had made his enemies his footstool :" which
could not be primarily meant of David, as he never ascended
bodily into heaven ; that therefore the whole house of Israel
ought to believe, that this very Jesus, whom they had crucified,
was that person whom God had appointed to be tbe Messiah,
the founder of the Christian church, and the Saviour of the
world. This discourse, though the first that St. Peter ever made in
public, deeply affected the people, and every word, like a dag
ger, pierced them to the heart, so that they cried out, " Men
and brethren, what shall we do ?" To which Peter answered,
The only way to expiate your guilt, obtain pardon for the
mauy sins 3'ou have committed, and acquire the gift of the
Holy Ghost, is to repent sincerely, and be baptized into the re
ligion of this crucified Saviour. Upon these terms the promises
of the new covenant, ratified by the death of the Son of God,
will belong to you and your children, and to all that sincerely
believe and embrace the Gospel. He also used the most forci
ble and endearing expressions to prevail on them to listen to the
inviting calls of the Son of God, and by that means to save
themselves from that unavoidable ruin and destruction, which
would shortly fall on the heads of the wicked and headstrong
generation of unbelieving Jews.
The effect of this discourse was equally wonderfol and sur
prising ; for great numbers of those, who before ridiculed the
religion of Jesus, now acknowledged him for their Saviour,
and flew to him for refuge from tbe impending storm : and St.
Luke tells us, that there were that day added to the church no
less than three thousand souls, who were all baptized and re
ceived into the flock of the great Shepherd of Israel, the bishop
of our souls. A quick and plentiful harvest indeed ! " This
was the Lord's doings, and it is marvellous in our eyes."
Soon after this wonderful conversion, Peter and John, going
up to the temple about three in the afternoon, near the conclu
sion of one of the solemn hours of prayer, saw a poor impotent
cripple, near forty years of age, who had been lame from his
birth, lying at the " beautiful gate of the temple," and asking
alms of those who entered the sacred edifice. This miserable
object moved their compassion ; and Peter, beholding him with
attention, said, The riches of this world, the silver and gold so
highly covetted by the sons of men, are not in my power to
bestow ; but I possess the power of restoring life and health,
and am ready to assist thee,
Then taking the man by the hand, he commanded him, in tbe
name of " Jesus of Nazareth, to rise up and walk." Immedi
ately the nerves and sinews were strengthened, and the several

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 447
parts of the diseased members performed their natural functions.
Upon which the man accompanied them into the temple, walk
ing, exulting, and praising God. '
So strange and extraordinary a cure filled the minds of the
people with admiration, and their curiosity drew them round
the apostle, to view the man who had performed it. Peter,-
seeing the multitude gathering round them, took the opportuni
ty of speaking to them, in the following manner : " Men and
brethren, this remarkable cure should not excite your admira
tion of us, as if we had performed it by our own power. It
was wrought in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, our crucified
Master, by the power of that very Christ, that holy and just
person, whom you yourselves denied, and delivered to Pilate,
nay, and preferred a murderer before him, when the governor
was desirous of letting him go. But though you have put him
to death, yet we are witnesses that He hath raised bim again
from the dead, and that he is ascended into heaven, where he.
will remain till the great and tremendous day of general resti
tution. This I know was done by you and your rulers, through
ignorance, not being thoroughly convinced of the greatness and
divinity of his person ; the ignorance by which the great and
righteous designs of Omnipotence were brought about, and the
prophecies concerning the person and sufferings of the Messiah,
delivered by Moses, Samuel, and all the prophets, ' since the
world began,' have been accomplished. But now it is high
time to repent and turn to God, that your crying sins may be
forgiven, that when the Messiah shall appear to execute judg
ment upon the Jewish nation, it may be a time of comfort to
you, as it will be of vengeance and destruction to others. You
should remember, that you are the peculiar persons to whom
the blessings and the promises primarily belonged, and to whom
the Almighty first sent his Son, that he might shower on you
his blessings, by turning you away from your iniquities.
While Peter was speaking to the people in one part of the
temple, John was, in all probability, doing the same in the
other; and the success plainly indicated how powerful the
preaching of the Apostles was ; five thousand persons embra
cing the doctrines of the Gospel, and acknowledging the cruci
fied Jesus for their Lord and Saviour.
Such amazing success could not fail of exciting the attention
and envy ofthe rulers of Israel. Accordingly, the priests and
Sadducees repaired to the Roman magistrate, and intimated to
him, that, in all probability, this concourse of people would
prove the cause of a tumult and insurrection. Upon this in
formation, tbe captain of the temple seized on the Apostles,
and cast them into prison.

448 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
The next day they were carried before the Jewish Sanhedrim J
and being asked by what power and authority they had done
this, Peter boldly answered, " Be it known unto you, and to
all the descendants of Jacob, that this miracle was wrought
wholly in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom ye yourselves
have crucified and slain, and whom the Almighty hath raised
again from the dead. This is the stone which your builders
refused, and which is become the head of the corner. Nor is
there any other way, by which you, or any of the sons of men,
can be saved, but by this crucified Saviour."
The boldness of the apostle was admired by all, even by the
court of the Sanhedrim. And it should be remembered, that
these very judges were the persons who had so lately condemn
ed the blessed Jesus himself, and had no other way of coloring
their proceedings, than by a second act of cruelty ; that the
apostles did not charge them with the crime of crucifying the
Son of God in secret, but in the open court of judicature, and
in the hearing of all the people.
The court, after beholding them with a kind of astonishment,
remembered that they had seen them with Jesus of Nazareth,
and therefore ordered them to withdraw, while they debated
among themselves what was proper to be done. It was impos
sible to deny the miracle ; for it was performed before all the
people, and the person on whom it was wrought was no stran
ger iu Jerusalem. They therefore resolved to charge them
strictly, not to preach any more in the name of Jesus. Ac
cordingly they were again called in, and acquainted with this
resolution of the council. To which the apostles answered,
That as they had received a commission from heaven, to de
clare to all nations what they had seen and hearer, it was cer
tainly their duty to " obey God rather than man."
This was a fair appeal to the consciences of their very
judges ; but these rulers of Israel, instead of being satisfied
with it, would, in all probability, have proceeded to a greater
violence, had not the people's veneration for the apostles
checked their malice : so that all they dared to do, was to en
force their menaces, and dismiss them.
When the apostles were returned to their brethren, they in
formed them of the treatment they had met with from the
Jewish magistrates. Upon which they all joined ip prayer to
the Almighty, for an extraordinary supply of courage and as
sistance, to enable them to execute their commission in these
perilous times, and plant the religion of their crucified Saviour.
Nor were their prayers offered in vain; for before they had
concluded their fervent addresses to the throne of grace, the
house was again shaken with a mighty wind, as on the day of
Pentecost ; and they were instantly replenished with fresh mea-

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 449
sures of the Holy Ghost; and notwithstanding all the threaten
ings of the Jewish rulers, found themselves enabled to preach
the Gospel of their great and beloved Master, with more bold
ness than ever.
The labors of the apostles were crowned with abundant sue-
cess, and it seems that such was the aversion of the inveterate
Jews to those who became converts to the faith of Christ, that
they were deprived of business in their respective callings ; for
we find that the professors of the religion of the holy Jesus
sold their effects, and brought the money to the apostles, that
they might deposit it in one common treasury) and from thence
supply the several exigencies of the church.
But hypocrisy was not unknown among the professors of re
ligion, even in these primitive times. Ananias, and his wife
Sapphira, having embraced the doctrines of the Gospel, pre"
tended to follow the free and generous spirit of these times by
consecrating and devoting their estate to the honor of God, and
the necessities of the church. Accordingly they sold their pos-
sees'sions, and brought part of the money, and • laid it at the
apostles' feet ; hoping to deceive them, though guided by the
spirit of Omnipotence. But Peter, at his first coming in, asked
Ananias, how he could' suffer Satan to fill his heart with
such enormous wickedness, as to think " to deceive the Holy
Ghost?" That before it was sold, it was wholly in his own
power, and afterwards the money Was entirely at his own dis
posal ; so that his action was capable of no other interpretation,
than that he had not only abused and injured man, but mocked
the Almighty himself, who he must know was privy to his most
secret thoughts.
The apostle had no sooner finished, than Ananias, to the
great terror of all that were present, fell down dead, by a stroke
from heaven.
Not long after, his wife came in, whom Peter reproved in
the same riianner he had done her husband, adding, that she
should immediately end her life in the same awful manner :
upon which she was smitten by the hand of Omnipotence, and
fell down dead ; sharing with her husband in the punishment,
as she had before in the heinous crime. This remarkable in
stance of severity filled all the converts with fear and trembling,
and prevented, in a great measure, that hypocrisy and dissim
ulation, by which others might flatter themselves to deceive the
church. But such instances of severity were very extraordinary : the
power of the apostles was generally exerted in work of mercy
and beneficence towards the sons and daughters of affliction.
They cured all kinds of diseases, and cast out devils ; so that
they brought the sick into the streets, and laid them upon beds

450 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
and couches, that the shadow at least, of Peter, as he passed
by, might cover some of them ; well knowing a single touch or
word, from either of the apostles, was sufficient to remove the
most inveterate diseases.
Such astonishing miracles could not fail of contributing to the
propagation of the Gospel, and to convince the world, that tbe
apostles were far more considerable persons than they at first
took them to be ; and that poverty and meanness may be blend
ed with true worth and genuine greatness. How small and in
significant is the power and dignity of all earthly monarchs,
when compared to the glory of this apostle ! and how contemp
tible were the triumphs of a Pompey aud a 'Csesar, when placed
in competition with the greatness and majesty of St. Peter, who
converted the world from idolatry and the worship of devils,
and withdrew the veil of ignorance from the understandings' of
the human race ; not by the power of armies, nor the insinua
ting artifices of pomp and grandeur, but by faith in the power
of his Saviour.
But the stupendous works bf the apostles, and the growing
numbers of the- church, alarmed the rulers of Israel, who seized
the apostles, and cast them into prison. Their power, however,
was limited, like the drop of a bucket to the ocean, when op
posed to the Almighty arm of tbe great Jehovah. * The pris-
oivdoors, though fastened with the utmost caution, opened of
themselves at the approach of a messenger from the courts of
heaven, who commanded the apostles to leave the dungeon, re
pair to the temple, and preach the glad tidings of the Gospel
to the people.
The officers, returning in the morning, found the prison doors
shut aud guarded, but the prisoners gone. This- remarkable
circumstance greatly alarmed them, and they repaired to the
council to acquaint them with what had happened. The rulers
were astonished at the news ; but hearing that the apostles were
preaching, in the temple, they sent an officer to bring them,
without the least violence to their persons, before the Sanhe
drim. Their order was soon obeyed, and the disciples of Jesus
placed before the same court that had so lately condemned their
Master. The apostles being thus brought before the Sanhedrim, the
high priest asked them how they dared to propagate a doctrine
they had so strictly charged them not to preach ? To which,
Peter, in the name ofthe rest, replied, " We certainly ought to
obey God, rather than man. And though you have so barba
rously and rontumeliously treated the Saviour of the world, yet
God hath raised him up to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give
both repentance and remission of sins. And of these things

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 451
both we, and the miraculous power which the Holy Ghost hath
conferred on all Christians, are witnesses."
This answer, delivered with remarkable boldness, exasperated
the council, and they began to consult how they might destroy
them. But Gamaliel, a grave and learned counsellor, after com
manding the apostles to withdraw, desired them to proceed with
caution in an affair of this nature ; reminding them, that sever
al persons had already raised parties, and drawn great numbers
of persons after them ; but that every one of them had miscar
ried, and all their designs were rendered abortive, without the
interposition of that court ; that they would therefore do well
to let the apostles alone ; for if their doctrines and designs were
of human invention, they would come to nothing? but if they
were of God, all their powers and policies would be of nO effect,
and sad experience would too soon convince them, that they 'had
themselves opposed the Councils of the Most High.
This prudent and rational advice had the desired success ; the
council were satisfied ; and, after commanding the apostles to be
scourged, they strictly charged them to preach no more in the
hame ef Jesus, and set them at liberty.
But this charge had little effect on the disciples of the blessed
Jesus ; they returned home in triumph, rejoicing that they were
thought worthy to suffer in so righteous a cause, and to undergo
shame and reproach for so kind and so powerful a Master. Nor
could all the opposition of, men, blended with the malice of the
power of darkness, discourage them from performing their duty
to the Almighty, or lessen their zeal for preaching both in pub
lic and private, the doctrines of the Gospel.

CHAPTER VII.

Concluding scenes of St. Peter's Life.
The Christian doctrine had been propagated hitherto without
much violence or opposition, in Jerusalem, but now a storm
commenced with the death of the protomartyr Stephen, por did
it end but with the dispersion of the disciples, by which means
the glad tidings of the Gospel, which had till now been confined
to Judea, was preached to the Gentile world, and an ancient
prophecy fulfilled, which says, " Out of Sion shall go forth the
law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Thus does
the Almighty bring good out of evil, and cause the malicious
intentions ofthe wicked to redound to his praise.

452 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
Among the dispersed followers of the blessed Jesus, Philip,
the deacon, retired to Samaria, where he preached the Gospel,
and confirmed his doctrine by many miraculous cures, and cast
ing out devils. In this city was one Simon, who, by magic art
and diabolical sorceries, was beheld with admiration by the peo
ple ; and some considered him as the " great power of God," a
name he blasphemously gave himself, pretending to be the first
and chief deity, or what every nation considered as the supreme
God. This wicked mortal, hearing the sermons of Philip, and be
holding the miracles wrought by him, became a convert to the
religion of Jesus, and was baptized with the others who had em
braced the principles of the Christian doctrine.
The apostles who continued at Jerusalem, were soon informed
of this remarkable success of Philip's ministry, in Samaria, and
thought it necessary to send him assistance. Accordingly Pe
ter and John were deputed to this infant church, who having
prayed, and layed their hands on the new converts, they receiv
ed the Holy Ghost.
Such miraculous gifts astonished the magician ;» and desirous
of obtaining the same privilege, he offered the disciples money
to invest him with this power, that on whomsoever he laid his
hand, they might receivejthe Holy Ghost. But Peter; who per
ceived the insincerity of his heart, rejected his offer with scorn
and detestation. " Thy money," said the great apostle, "perish
with thee," And as thy heart is full of hypocrisy and deceit,
thou canst have no share nor portion in so great a privilege.
Thou wouldst do well to repent of so monstrous a crime, and
sincerely apply thyself to seek the Almighty, that the thoughts
of thy heart may be forgiven thee ; for I perceive that thy tem
per and disposition of mind is still vicious and corrupt, and thou
art yet bound by the chains of iniquity, and in a state displeas
ing to the Almighty, and dangerous to thyself.
Simon was terrified at tjiis speech of St. Peter : his conscience
flew in his face, and he praj'ed the apostles to make intercessions
for him to the throne of grace, that the Almighty might pardon
his sin, and not inflict on him those heavy judgments.
The apostles did not stay any longer in Samaria than was
necessary to confirm the new converts in the faith they had em
braced, and to preach the glad tidings of salvation in the adja
cent villages ; after which they returned to Jerusalem, to assist
the rest of the disciples with their power.
The storm, though violent, being at length blown over, the
church enjoyed a time of calmness and security ; during which,
St. Peter went to visit the churches lately planted in those parts,
by the disciples whom the persecution had dispersed. And at
his arrival at Lydda, he miraculously healed JEneas, who! had

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 453
been afflicted with the palsy, and confined to his bed eight
years ; but on Peter bidding him arise in the name of Jesus, he
was immediately restored to perfect health. Nor was the suc
cess of his miracle confined to iEneas and his- family; the fame
of it was blazed through all the neighboring country, and many
believed in the doctrine ofthe Son of God, It was even known
at Joppa, a sea-port town about six miles from Lydda, and the
brethren immediately sent for Peter, on the following melan-
ch6ly occasion : — Tabitha, whose Greek name, was Dorcas, a
woman venerable for her piety and extensive charity, was lately
dead, to the great loss of mankind, who loved genuine benevo
lence, especially the poor and afflicted, who were supported by
her charity.
At Peter's arrival, he found her dressed for funeral solemnity,
and surrounded by mournful widows, who shewed the coats and
garments wherewith she had clothed them, the monuments of
her liberality. But Peter put them all out, and kneeling down,
prayed with the utmest fervency ; then turning to the body, he
commanded her to arise, and taking her by the hand, presented
her in perfect health to her friends and others, who were assem
bled to pay their last duties to so good a woman. This miracle
confirmed those who had newly embraced the doctrine of Jesus,
and converted many more to the faith. After which he staid a
considerable time at Joppa, lodging in the house of one Simon,
a tanner. During his abode in this city, one day when he was offering
up his prayers to the Almighty, he found himself hungry, and
called for meat; but while it was dressing for, him, he fell into
a trance, wherein was represented to him a large sheet let down
from heaven, containing all sorts of creatures, clean and un
clean ; and at the same time a voice said to him, " Arise, Pe
ter, kill and eat." But the apostle, as yet tenacious of the
rites and institutions of the Mosaic law, answered, that his con
science refused to comply, having never eaten any thing that
was common or unclean. To which the voice replied, That it
was unjugt to consider that as commpn which God had cleansed.
This was done thrice, after which the vessel was again drawn
up to heaven, and the vision disappeared. By this symbolical
representation, St. Peter was given to understand, that the Al
mighty was going to send him on a new embassy, which the
Spirit at the same time commanded him to undertake. While
he was still wdndering with himself what the event would prove,
three messengers knocked at the gate, inquiring for him ; and
from them he received the following account : — That Cornelius,
a Roman,, a captain of a band of Italian soldiers at Caesarea,
-a person of great piety and religion, one who had been long a

454 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
proselyte, had, by an immediate command from God, sent for
him.
The next clay Peter, accompanied with some of the brethren,
went with the messengers, and the day after arrived at Caesarea.
Cornelius having information of his coming, had summoned his
friends and kindred to Caesarea ; and at the apostle'.s entering
bis house, fell at his feet, a method of address frequent in the
eastern countries. But Peter; who considered that honor as
due only to the Almighty, lifted him up, and declared to the
company the reason of his coming, saying, he had lately learned,
that there was no respect of persons with God.
When the apostle had ended his speech, Cornelius, at his
request, related the particular reason for his sending for him.
Four days ago, said this Roman officer, being conversant in the
duties of fasting and praying, an angel from the court of heaven
appeared to me, declaring that my prayers and alms were come
up as a memorial before tbe throne of the Most High ; and at
the same time ordered me to send to Joppa for one Simon Peter,
who lodged in the house of a tanner near the sea-side, who
would give me farther information in the mysteries of salvation.
Accordingly I made no hesitation to obey the heavenly messen
ger : I sent immediately for thee ; and now thou art come, and
we are met together to hear what instructions thou hast to com
municate. The relation of the Roman centurion astonished the apostle ;
but he was soon convinced that God had broken down the par
tition wall, and no longer maintained a peculiar kindness for the
sons of Jacob ; that it was not the nation, but the religion ; not
the external quality of the man, but the internal temper of the
mind, that recommended the human race to the favor of Om
nipotence : that the devout and pious, the righteous and the
good men, whatever part of the earth they may inhabit, are the
favorites of heaven ; that God as highly respects adjust and
virtuous man in the barren wastes of Scythia, as on the mountain
of Sion ; that the reconciling and making peace between God
and man by Jesus Christ, was the doctrine published by the pro
phets of old ; and that God had now aunointed and consecrated
Jesus of Nazareth with divine powers, iu the exercise whereof he
went about doing good to the children of men ; that they had
seen all he had done among the Jews, whom they had slain and
crucified, yet that God had raised him again the third day, and
bad openly shewed him to bis apostle and followers, and whom
he had accordingly permitted to eat and drink with him after his
resurrection, commanding them to preach the Gospel to all
mankind, and to testify, that he was the person whom God had
ordained to be the great Judge of the wprld ; that all the pro
phets with one consent bore witness of him ; and that this Jesus

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 455
is he, in whose name whosoever believes, would certainly receive
remission of sins.
While Peter was thus preaching to them, the Holy Ghost fell
upon the greatest part of his hearers, enabling them to speak
several languages, and in them to magnify the great Creator of
the sons of men. At this the Jews, who accompanied Peter,
marvelled exceedingly, to see that the gifts of tbe Holy Ghost
were poured upon the gentiles ; and Peter seeing this, told the
company, that he knew no reason why these persons should not
be baptized, as they had received the Holy Ghost as well as
they ; and accordingly he gave orders that they should be bap
tized, and to confirm them in the holy faith they had embraced,
he staid with them some time.
This action of St. Peter was considered in various lights by
the brethren at Jerusalem, who being but lately converted to the
Christian faith, were much attached to the religious ceremonies
ofthe Mosaic institution, and therefore most of them severely
charged Peter at his return, as being too familiar with the gen
tiles. How powerful is the prejudice of education !
The Jews had for many ages conceived an inveterate opposi
tion against the gentiles, considering them as persons hated by
the Almighty, who had chosen them for his peculiar people.
The law of Moses, indeed, enjoined them to be kind to their
own nation, in preference to all others ; and the rites and insti
tutions of their religion, and the peculiar form of their govern
ment, rendered them very different to the inhabitants of other
countries : a separation which, in after-ages, they contracted
into a much narrower compass. They were also tenaciously
proud of their external privileges in being the descendants of
their progenitor Abraham, and, therefore, looked upon the rest
of the world as reprobates, proudly refusing to hold any conver
sation with them, and even to shew them the common kindnesses
of humanity.
It is therefore no wonder that tljey were highly displeased with
St. Peter ; nor would he have been able to have defended his
conduct in a satisfactory manner, had not he been charged with
a peculiar commission from the Almighty for extending the
privileges of the Gospel to the gentile world. But he had no
sooner informed them that the grace of the Gospel was not
confined to any particular nation or people, nor to ranks or
degrees among men, than they immediately changed their dis
pleasure against him, into thanks to the beneficent Father of the
human race, who had grauted to the gentiles also repentance
unto life eternal.
Peter, after having finished his visitation to the new planted
churches, returned to Jerusalem, and was indefatigable in in
structing the converts in the religion of Jesus, and preaching

456 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES'.
the glad tidings of salvation to the descendants of Jacob. But
he did not long continue in this pleasing course ; Herod
Agrippa, in order to ingratiate himself into the favour of the
Jews, put the apostle James to death, and finding the action was
highly acceptable to that stiff-necked people, he resolved to'
extend his cruelty to Peter, and accordingly cast him into prison.
But the churches were incessant in their prayers to God for his
safety ; and what have mortals to fear, when guarded by the
hand of Omnipotence ? Herod was persuaded he should soon
accomplish his intention, and sacrifice Peter to the insatiable
cruelty of the Jews.
But the night before this intended execution, a messenger from
the court of heaven visited the gloomy horrors of the dungeon,
where he found Peter asleep between his keepers. The angel
raised him up, took off his chains, and ordered him to gird on
his garments, and follow him. Peter obeyed, and having passed
through the first and second watch, they came to the iron gate
leading to the city, which opened to them of its own accord.
The angel also accompanied him through one of the streets, and
then departed from him ; on which Peter came to himself, and
perceived that it was no vision : but that his great and beloved
Master had really sent a messenger from above, and released
him from prison. He, therefore, repaired to the house of Mary,
where the church was assembled, and offering up their prayers
to the throne of grace for his safety. On his knocking at the
door, a maid who came to let him in, knowing his voice, ran
back to tell them that Peter was at the door ; which they at first
considered as the effect of fancy ; but the damsel continuing to
affirm that it was really true, they concluded it was his angel,
or some messenger sent from the court of heaven. But, on
opening the door, they were convinced of their mistake, finding
that it was really Peter himself, who briefly told them how he
was delivered ; and desiring them to inform his brethren of his
being set at liberty, retired to another place.-
In the morning the officers came from Herod to the prison,
with orders to bring Peter out to the people, who were gathered
together to behold his execution. But when they came to the
prison, the keepers informed them that the apostle had made his
escape ; which so exasperated Herod, that he commanded those
who were entrusted with the care of the prisoner, to be put to
death. . Some time after this miraculous deliverance of St. Peter, a
controversy arose between the Jewish and Gentile converts, with
regard to the observation of the mosaic law ; a dispute which
gave great uneasiness to many persons ; the Jews zealously con
tending, that it was absolutely necessary to salvation to be cir
cumcised, and observe the precepts of the ceremonial law, as

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 457
well as those ofthe Gospel. To compose this difference, it was
thought necessary to summon a general council of the apostles
and brethren to meet at Jerusalem. This was accordingly done,
and the case thoroughly debated. At last Peter stood up, and
declared that God having chosen him, out of all the apostles, to
be the first preacher of the Gospel among the Gentiles, God, who
was best able to judge ofthe hearts of men, had borne witness to
them, that they were accepted of him, by giving them his Holy
Spirit as well as he had done the Jews, and consequently, that
there was no difference between them. They could not, there
fore, place the Jewish yoke, which neither they nor their fathers
were able to bear, upon the necks of the disciples, without tempt
ing and provoking the Almighty, who had given sufficient
reasons to believe that the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, would
be saved by the grace of the Gospel.
This declaration of St. Peter convinced the church, and it was
unanimously decreed, that no other burden than the temporary
observance of a few particular precepts, equally convenient to
the Jew and Gentile, should be imposed on them. And the de
cision was drawn up in a synodical epistle, and sent to the seve
ral churches for allaying the heats and controversies this dispute
had occasioned.
Soon after this council, Peter left Jerusalem, and went down
to Antioch ; where, using the liberty given him by the Gospel,
he freely ate and conversed with the Gentile proselytes, consider
ing them now as " fellow-citizens with the saints and of the
household of God." This he had been taught by the vision of
the sheet let down from heaven ; this had been lately decreed at
Jerusalem ; this he had before practised with regard to Cor
nelius and his family, and justified the action to the satisfaction
of his accusers ; and this he had freely and innocently done at
Antioch, till some of the Jewish brethren coming thither, he, for
fear of offending them, withdrew himself from the Gentiles, as jf
it had been unlawful for him to hold conversation with uncircum-
cised persons ; notwithstanding he knew, and was fully satisfied,
that our blessed Savior had broken down the wall of partition
between the Jew and Gentile.
By thus acting against the light of his own mind and judg
ment, he condemned what he had approved, and destroyed the
superstructure he had before erected ; at the same time he con
firmed the Jewish zealots in their inveterate errors, filled the
minds of the Gentiles with scruples, and their consciences with
fears. Nor was this all ; the old prejudices between the Jew
and Gentile were revived, and the whole number of Jewish
converts following the apostle's example, separated themselves
from the company of Gentile Christians. Nay, even Barnabas
58

458 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
himself was carried away by this torrent of unwarrantable
practice. St. Paul was now at Antioch, and resolutely opposed St. Pe
ter to his face ; he publicly reproved him as a person worthy to
be blamed for his gross prevarication. He reasoned and severe
ly expostulated with him, that he, who was himself a Jew, and
consequently under a more immediate obligation of observing
the Mosaic law, should throw off the yoke himself, and at the
same time endeavor to impose it on the Gentiles, who were
never under the necessity of observing the ceremonies of the
Israelites. A severe, though an impartial charge ; but the re
markable eagerness of St. Paul to place things on a proper
foundation, though he succeeded for the present, made a great
noise afterwards in the world, and gave occasion to the enemies
of Christianity to represent the whole as a compact of forgery
and deceit : of such pernicious consequence are disputes among
the principals of the church, and so fatal are the effects of pu
sillanimity, and a fear of offending persons bigoted to insignifi
cant ceremonies.
As we have now related all the transactions of this apostle,
that are founded on Scripture authority, we shall have recourse
to ancient historians for the residue of his life.
Some time before this contest at Antioch, St. Peter preached
the Gospel in various parts of the world, enlarging the kingdom
of his great Master, and spreading the glad tidings of salvation
among the inhabitants of various countries ; and among the rest
those of Rome, then tlie mistress of the world. In that capital
he is said to have continued several years, till the emperor
Claudius, taking advantage of some seditious tumults raised by
the Jews, published an edict whereby they were banished from
Rome, and among the rest St. Peter, who returned to Jerusa
lem, and was present at the synod already mentioned. But
how long he continued in the capital of Judea, is uncertain ;
for we have no account of his transactions for many years.
This, however, is certain, that he was not idle in the service of
his great Master; and Eusebius tells us, from Metaphrastus,
that he visited several ofthe western parts, and particularly the
island of Great Britain; where he continued several years,
spreading the glad tidings of salvation in these remote parts,
and converting the several nations to the Christian faith.
But however this be, whether St. Peter was, or was not, in
England, it is certain, that towards the latter end of Nero's
reign he returned to Rome, where he found the minds of the
people strangely bewildered, and hardened against the doctrines
of the Gospel, by the sorceries of Simon Magus, who, as is al
ready observed, was chastised by Peter for his wickedness at
Samaria. This monster of impiety not only opposed the

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 459
preaching of the apostles, but also did all in his power to ren
der them and their doctrine odious to the emperor. St. Peter,
foreseeing that the calumnies of Simon and his adherents would
hasten his death, took the greater pains, and was still more
assiduous to confirm those he had been any way instrumental
in converting to the sublime truths they had received. And in
order to this, he strongly opposed the great deceiver of man
kind ; for in the last years of his life, he seems to have wrote
his two epistles to the dispersed Jews in Pontus, Galatia, Cap
padocia, and Bythinia : and in an appointed encounter with
Simon, discovered his magical impostures, and through the
power and assistance ofthe Almighty, brought him to an exem
plary and miserable death.
The circumstances which attended this remarkable event are
related as follows : The apostle meeting with Simon at Rome,
and finding him still pretending to be some great person, even
the promised Messiah, he could not help opposing zealously"
his presumptuous arrogancies. But Simon, more incensed by
the opposition, offered to give the people such an evident dem
onstration of his being what he pretended that he would place
the whole beyond contradiction, by immediately ascending up
to heaven. Upon this, by the help of some uuperceived device,
he raised himself from the earth, and seemed to be moving tow
ards the regions of heaven. St. Peter and St. Paul beholding
the delusion, had recourse to prayers, and obtained their peti
tions ofthe Almighty, namely, that the impostor should be soon
discovered for the honor of the blessed Jesus. Accordingly, he
fell headlong to the ground ; by which he was so bruised, that
he died in a very short time.
Such was the end of this miserable, this unhappy man ; but
the news of it no sooner reached the emperor's ears, than he
vowed revenge, both for the death of his favorite, and the en
deavors used by the apostles to " turn mankind from darkness
unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God." Accord
ingly he issued orders for apprehending St. Peter, together
with his companion St. Paul. St. Ambrose tells us, that when
the people perceived the danger to which St. Peter was now
exposed, they prayed him to quit Rome, and repair for a while
to some secure retreat, that his life might be preserved for the
benefit ofthe church. Peter, with great reluctance, yielded to
their entreaties, and made his escape by night ; but as he passed
the gate, he was met by a person in the form of bis great and
beloved Master, and on his asking him whither he was going,
answered, " To Rome, to be crucified a second time :" which
Peter taking for a reproof of his cowardice, returned again into
the city, and was soon after apprehended, • and cast, together
with St. Paul, into the Mamertine prison. Here they were

460 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
confined eight or nine months ; but spent their time in the ex
ercise of religion, especially in preaching to the prisoners, and
those who resorted to them. And during this confinement, it
is generally thought St. Peter wrote the second epistle to the
dispersed Jews, wherein he endeavors to confirm them in the
belief and practice of Christianity, and to fortify them against
those poisonous and pernicious principles and actions which
even then began to break in upon the Christian church.
Nero at last returning from Achaia, entered Rome in triumph ;
and soon after his arrival, resolved that the apostles should fall
as victims and sacrifices to his cruelties and revenge. While
the fatal stroke was daily expected, the Christians in Rome
were continually offering up their prayers to heaven to protect
those two holy persons. But the Almighty was now willing to
put an end to their sorrows ; and after sealing the truth they
had preached with their own blood, to receive them into the
regions of .eternal bliss and happiness, and exchange their
crowns of martyrdom for crowns of glory. Accordingly they
were both condemned by the cruel emperor of Rome : and St.
Peter having taken his farewell of the brethren, especially of
St. Paul, was taken from the prison and led to the top of the
Vatican mount near the Tiber, where he was sentenced to sur
render up his life on the cross.
At his coming to the place of execution, he begged the fa
vor of the officers, that he might not be crucified in the common
manner, but with his head downward ; affirming, that he was
unworthy to suffer in the same posture in which his Lord bad
suffered before him. This request was accordingly complied
with ; and the, great apostle St. Peter surrendered up his soul
into the hands of his great and beneficent Master, who came
down from heaven to ransom mankind from destruction, and
open for them the gates of the heavenly Canaan.
His body, being taken down from the cross, is said to have
been embalmed by Mercellinus, the presbyter, after the manner
of the Jews, and then buried in the Vatican, near the Appian
way? two miles from Rome.
Here it remained till the time of pope Cornelius, who re-
conveyed it to Rome, where it rested in an obscure place, till
the reign of Constantine, who, from the great reverence he en
tertained for the Christian religion, erected many churches at
Rome, and rebuilt and greatly enlarged the Vatican in honor
of St. Peter. He also considerably enriched the church with
gifts and ornaments ; and it has continued increasing in riches
and splendor, every age, until it is become one of the wonders
of the world.
If we consider St. Peter as a man, there seems to have been
a natural eagerness predominant in his temper, which animated

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 461
his soul to the most bold, and sometimes rash undertakings. It
was this, in a great measure, that prompted him to be so very
forward to speak, and to return answers sometimes before he
had well considered them. It was this that made him expose
his person to the most imminent dangers, promise those great
things in behalf of his Master, resolutely draw his sword in his
quarrel against a whole band of soldiers, and wound a servant
of the high-priest ; nay, he had, in all probability, attempted
greater things, had not the Lord restrained his impetuosity, and
given a seasonable check to his fury.
If we consider him as a disciple of the blessed Jesus, we shall
find him exemplary in the great duties of religion. His hu
mility and lowliness of mind were remarkable. With what a
passionate earnestness, on the conviction of a miracle, did he
beg our blessed Saviour to depart from him ; thinking it un
worthy the Son of God to come near so vile a sinner.
When the great Redeemer of mankind, by that amazing
condescension, stooped so low as to wash the feet of his disci
ples, Peter could not be persuaded to permit his performing it,
thinking it highly improper that so great a person should sub
mit to such a servile office towards a person so mean as him
self; nor could he be induced to admit of it, till his great
Master threatened to deprive him of his favor.
When Cornelius, the Roman centurion, heightened in his
opinion of him, by an immediate command from the Almighty
concerning him, would have treated him with more than .ordi
nary marks of esteem and veneration ; he was so far from com
plying with it, that he declared he was nothing more thari a
mortal like himself. His love and zeal for his Master were re
markable ; he thought he could never express either at too
high a rate ; venturing on the greatest perils, and exposing his
life to the most imminent dangers^ His forwardness to own
his great Master for the Messiah and Son of the Most High,
was remarkably great ; and it was this that drew from his Lord
that honorable encomium, " Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-
Jona." But his courage and constancy in confessing Christ
even before his most inveterate enemies, was still greater after
he had recovered himself from his fall. How plainly does he
tell the Jews, that they were the murderers and crucifiers of the
Lord of Glory ! Nay, with what an undaunted courage, with,
what au heroic greatness of soul, did he tell the very Sanhe-'
drim, who had sentenced and condemned him, that they were
guilty of his death, and that they had no other way of escaping
the vengeance of the Almighty, but by the merits of that very
Jesus whom they had crucified and put to death !
Lastly, if we consider him as an apostle, as a pastor, or shep
herd of the souls of men, we shall find him faithful and diligent

462 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
in his office, zealously endeavoring to instruct the ignorant, re
duce the erroneous, strengthen the weak, confirm the strong,
reclaim the vicious, and turn the children of men into the paths
of righteousness. He never omitted any opportunity of preach
ing to the people, and spreading the glad tidings of the Gospel
among the human race; and so powerful were his discourses,
that he converted multitudes at one time. How many painful
journeys and dangerous voyages did he undertake ! With what
unconquerable patience did he endure the greatest trials, sur
mount every difficulty, and remove every opposition, that he
might plant the Gospel of his beloved Master ! Never refusing
even to lay down his life to promote it. Nor was he only as
siduous to perform these duties himself, but he was also careful
to animate others to do the like ; earnestly pressing and per
suading the pastors and governors of the church " to feed the
flock of God," to labor freely for the good of the souls of men,
and not undertake those offices to acquire advantage to them
selves : beseeching them to treat the flock committed to their
care with lenity and gentleness ; and to be themselves shining
examples of piety and religion, the surest method of rendering
their ministry successful. And because it was impossible for
him to be ahvays present to teach and warn the children of
men, he endeavored by letters to imprint in their minds the
practice of what they had been taught. A method, he tells us,
he was resolved to pursue, as long as he continued an inhab
itant of this world ; " thinking it meet, while be was in this
tabernacle, to stir up, by putting them in mind of these things;"
that so " they might be able, after his decease, to have them
always in remembrance."
Thus lived, thus died, Simon Peter, called to be an apostle
of Jesus Christ, and at length to offer up his life in ratification
of the doctrine he delivered, and the faith he maintained and
propagated.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 46E

ST. PAUL.

CHAPTER I.
Account of this Apostle, from his birth till his Conversion to
the Christian Faith.
This great apostle of the Gentiles, was a native of Tarsus,
and a descendant from the ancient stock of Abraham. He was
born about two years before the blessed Jesus, and belonged to
the tribe of Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob, who thus
prophecied of him : " Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the
morning he shall devour the prey ; and at night he shall divide
the spoil :" a prophetical character, which Tertullian and oth
ers will have to be accomplished in our apostle.
For in his youth, or " morning of his days," he persecuted
the churches, destroying the flock ofthe Almighty! he "devour
ed his prey." In his declining age, or " evening of his days,"
he became a physician of the nations, feeding and distributing
with the greatest care and assiduity, the sheep of Christ, that
great Shepherd of Israel ; he " divideth the spoil."
Tarsus, the place of this apostle's nativity, was the metrop
olis of Cilicia, and situated about three hundred miles distant
from Jerusalem ; it was exceedingly rich and populous, and a
Roman minicipium, or free corporation, invested with the priv
ileges of Rome by the two first emperors, as a reward for the
citizens' firm adherence to the Caesars iu the rebellion of Cras
sus. St. Paul was therefore born a Roman citizen, and he often
pleads this privilege on his trials.
It was common for the inhabitants of Tarsus to send their
children into other cities for learning and improvement ; espe
cially to Jerusalem, where they were so numerous, that they
had a synagogue of their own, called the synagogue of the Ci-
'licians. To this capital our apostle was also sent, and brought
up at the school of that eminent rabbi, Gamaliel, iu the most
exact knowledge of the law of Moses. Nor did he fail to profit
by the instructions of that great master; for he so diligently
conformed himself to precepts, that, without boasting, he asserts
of himself, that touching the righteousness of the law he was
blameless, and defied even his enemies to allege any thing to the
contrary, even in his youth. He joined himself to the sect of
the Pharisees, the most strict order of the Jewish religion, but,

464 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
at the same time, the proudest, and the greatest enemies to
Christ and his holy religion.
With regard to his double capacity, of Jewish extraction and
Roman freedom, he had two names, Saul and Paul ; the for
mer Hebrew, and the latter Latin. It was common for the des
cendants of Benjamin to give the name Saul to their children,
ever since the time of the first king of Israel, who was chosen
out of that tribe ; and Paul was a name as common among the
Romans. We must also consider his trade of tent-making as a
part of his education ; it being a constant practice of the Jews
to bring up their children to some honest calling, that, in case of
necessity, they might provide for themselves by the labor of their
own hands.
Saul having obtained a thorough knowledge of the sciences
cultivated by the Jews, and being naturally of a very hot and
fiery temper, became a great champion ofthe law of Moses, and
the tradition of the elders, which he considered as zeal for God.
This rendered him impatient of all opposition to the doctrines
and tenets he had imbibed, and a vehement blasphemer and
persecutor of the Christians, who were commonly reputed the
enemies and destroyers of the Jewish economy. We must not,
however, consider our apostle as guilty of the pride and hypoc
risy of the Pharisees ; for he declares that he had ever been
careful to act in conformity to the dictates of his conscience, by
which he thought himself bound to do " many things contrary
to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." It was, therefore, the pre
judices of his education, and the natural warmth of his temper,
that excited him to those violent persecutions of the Christians,
for which he became so famous.
The first action we find him engaged in, was the disputation
he and his countrymen had with the martyr Stephen, with re
gard to the Messiah. The Christian was too hard for them in
the dispute : but they were too powerful for him in their civil in
terests : for being enraged at his convincing arguments, they
carried him before the high-priest, who by false accusations con
demned him to death. How for Saul was concerned in this
cruel action, is impossible to say : all we know, is, that he
" kept the raiment of them that slew him."
The storm of persecution against the church being thus be
gun, it increased prodigiously, and the poor Christians of Jeru
salem were miserably harassed and dispersed. In this persecu
tion our apostle was a principal agent, searching all the adja
cent parts for the afflicted saints, beating some in the synagogue,
inflicting other cruelties, confining some in prison, and procur
ing others to be put to death.
Nor could Jerusalem and the adjacent parts confine his fiery
zeal : he applied to the Sanhedrim, and procured a commission?

CONVERSION OP ST. PAUL.
[Page 465.]

6|&flg||§|k
Bl||j||§|

*1||m| "i SpSs^gg^r"^:

-,-..- Hi '!''»»¦ .v:

WSSmmSm^-'y

r^^~~~~^=^^^^^^=?=

" .#nd suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven; And lie fell to the
earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why penecutestthoumef"  Acts
ix. 3, 4.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 465
from that court to extend his persecution to Damascus. How
infernally insatiable is the fury of a misguided zeal ! How rest
less and unwearied in its designs of cruelty lf It had already
sufficiently harassed the poor Christians at Jerusalem' ; but not
content with this, it persecuted them even to strange cities, even
to Damascus itself, whither mamy of them had fled for shelter,
resolving to bring them back to Jerusalem, in order to their pun
ishment and execution. 4
It may not be improper here to observe,, that the Jewish San
hedrim nad not only the power of seizing and scourging offend
ers against their law, within the bounds of their own country,
but, by the connivance and favor ofthe Romans, might send in
to other countries, where there were any synagogues that ac
knowledged a dependance in religious affairs upon the council
at Jerusalem, to apprehend them : and accordingly Saul was
sent to Damascus, to apprehend what Christians he could find in
that city, and bring them bound to Jerusalem.
But it was the will of Providence he should be employed in "
a work. of a very different nature; and, accordingly, he was!
stopped: in his journey. For as he was travelling between Jeru-
salemand Damascus, to execute the commission of the Jewish
Sanhedrim, a refulgent light, far exceeding the brightness' of the
sun, darted upon him; at which both he and his companions'
were terribly; amazed and confounded, and immediately fell-
prostrate on the ground. While they lay in this state* a, voice
was heard, in the Hebrew language, saying, "Saul, Saul, Why
persecirteSt thou me?" To which *Saul replied, " Who art thdU,J
Lord?" 1* And was immediately answered, "I am Jesus,' whom
thou persecutest : It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks."
As if the blessed Jesus had said, " All thy attempts to extirpate
the faith in me will prove abortive ; and like kicking against the
spikes, wound and torment thyself."
Saul was sufficiently convinced of his folly in having acted
against Jesus, whom he was now assured to be the true Messiah,
and asked, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" On which
the blessed Jesus replied, " Arise, and go into the city, andjiit
shall be told thee what thou must do."
The company which were with him heard the voice, but did
not see the person who spake from heaven. In all probability
they were ignorant of the Hebrew language, and therefore only
heard a confused sound ; for the apostle himself tells, that " they
heard not the voice of him that spake ;" that is, they did not
understand what was spoken. ,
The apostle now arose from the earth, hut found himself de
prived of sight-: the resplendent brightness of the vision being
too intense for mortal eyes to behold. ; His companions, there
fore, led him by the hand to the city of Damascus, where he

466 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
entered the house of Judas, and remained there three days with
out sight, nor did he either eat or drink, but spent his time in
prayer to the Almighty, beseeching him to pardon the sins of
his ignorance, and blinded zeal.
In the mean time our blessed Saviour appeared in a vision
to Ananias, a very devout and religious man, highly esteemed
by all the inhabitants of Damascus, though he professed the re
ligion of the crucified Jesus, commanding him to go into such
a street in the city, and inquire in the house of Judas for " one
Saul, of Tarsus," then offering, up the most fervent prayers to
the throne of grace. " And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and
go into the street, which is called Straight, and inquire in the
house of Judas, for one called Saul, of Tarsus : for behold he
prayeth, and hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias, com
ing in and putting his hand on him, that he might receive
his sight.
Ananias, who was ever ready to obey the commands of the
Most High, startled at the name, having heard of the bloody
practices of Saul at Jerusalem, and wha'. commission he was
now come to execute in Damascus. He, therefore, suspected
that his conversion was nothing more than a snare artfully laid
by him against the Christians. But our blessed Saviour soon
removed his apprehensions, by telling him that his suspicions
were entirely destitute of foundation ; and that he had now tak
en him, as a chosen vessel, to preach the Gospel both to the
Jews and Gentiles, and even before the greatest monarchs of
the earth. " Go thy way," said he, " for he is a chosen ves
sel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and- the kings,
and the children of Israel." At tbe same time he acquainted
him with the great persecutions he should undergo for the sake
of the Gospel : " For I will shew him how great things he must
suffer for my name's sake."
This quieted the fears of Ananias, who immediately obeyed
the heavenly vision, repaired to the house of Judas, and, laying
his hands upon Saul, addressed bim in words to this effect : —
" That Jesus," said he, " who appeared to thee in the way,
hath sent me to restore thy sight, and by the infusion of his
Spirit to give thee the knowledge of those truths which thou
hast blindly and ignorantly persecuted ; but who now is willing
to receive thee by baptism into his church, and make thee a
member of his body."
This speech was no sooner pronounced, than there fell from
his eyes thick films, resembling scales, and he received his
sight : and after baptism conversed with the Christians at Da
mascus. Nor did he only converse with them, he also, to the
great astonishment of the whole church, preached the Gospel

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 467
to those Christians he came with an intention to destroy, at the
same time boldly asserting, " that Jesus was the Christ, the
Son of God ;" and proving it to the Jews, with such demon
strative evidence, that they were confounded, and found it im
possible to answer him.

CHAPTER II.
Continuation of the Life of St, Paul, from the time of his Con
version, till the Council was held at Jerusalem.
The miraculous convert, at the instance of the divine com
mand, retired into Arabia Petraea, where he received a full rev
elation of all the mysteries of Christianity ; for he himself
declares that he conversed not with flesh and blood. Having
preached in several parts of that country some time,' he returned
again to Damascus, applying himself, with the utmost assiduity,
to the great work of the ministry, frequenting the synagogues
there, powerfully confuting the objections commonly made by
tbe descendants of Jacob against Jesus of Nazareth, and con
verting great numbers of Jews and Gentiles.
He was, indeed, remarkably zealous in his preaching, and
blessed with a very extraordinary method of reasoning, whereby
he proved the fundamental points of Christianity, beyond ex
ception. This irritated the Jews to the highest degree ; and at,
length, after two or three years' continuance in those parts, they
found means to prevail on the governor of Damascus to have
him put to death. But they k*ew it .would be difficult to take
him, as he had so many friends in the city ; they therefore
kept themselves in a continual watch, searched all the houses
where they supposed he might conceal himself, and also obtain
ed a guard from me governor to observe the gates,, in order to
prevent his escaping from them.
In this distress his Christian friends were far from deserting
him : they tried ever/method that offered, to procure his escape,
but finding it impossible for him to pass through either of the
gates of the city, they let him down .from one of their houses,
through a window, in a basket, over the wall, by which means
the cruel designs of his enemies were rendered abortive.
Having thus escaped from his malicious persecutors, he re->
paired to Jerusalem, and, on his arrival, addressed himself to
the church. But they, knowing well the former temper and
principles ef this great persecutor, shunned his company, till

468 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
Barnabas brought him to Peter; who was not yet cast into pris
on, and to James, bishop of Jerusalem, informing them of his
miraculous conversion, and that he had preached the Gospel
with the greatest boldness in the synagogues of Damascus ;
upon which they gladly received hjm, and familiarly entertained
him fifteen days.
During this interval, he was remarkably assiduous in preach
ing the Gospel of the Son of God, and confuting the Hellenist
Jews with the greatest courage and resolution. But snares
were laid for him, as malice can as easily cease to be, as to
remain inactive. Being warned by God in a vision, that his
testimony would not be received at Jerusalem, he thought prop
er to depart, and preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Accord
ingly, being conducted by his brethren to Caesarea Philippi, he
set sail for Tarsus, his native city : from whence he was soon
after brought, by Barnabas, to Antioch, to assist him in propa
gating Christianity in that city.
In this employment he spent one whole year, and had the
satisfaction of seeing the Gospel flourish in a very remarkable
manner. It was in this city that the disciples first acquired the name of
Christians, before which they were styled Nazarenes ; but this
appellation soon prevailed all over the world ; and the latter
was in a few ages almost entirely forgotten.
About this time a terrible famine, foretold by Agabus, hap
pened in several, parts of the Roman empire, particularly Ju
dea, which induced the Christians at Antioch to compassionate
the miseries of their brethren at Jerusalem. They accordingly
raised considerable contributions for their relief, which they sent
to the capital of Judea, by the hands of Barnabas and Saul,
who immediately after executing their commission returned to
Antioch. But while they were performing the public exercises
of their religion, it was revealed to them by the Holy Ghost,
that they should " set apart Barnabas and Saul," to preach the
Gospel in other places ; which was accordingly done, and they
were immediately deputed for that service by prayer, fasting,
and the imposition of hands.
The first place they visited was Seleucia, where they did not
continue long, but sailed for Cyprus ; and at Salamis, a great
city in that island, they preached in the synagogue of the Jews.
From thence they removed to Phaos, the residence of Sergius
Paulus, the proconsul of the island, a man of great wisdom and
prudence, but miserably seduced by the wicked artifices of
" Bar-Jesus," a Jewish impostor, who styled himself Elymas,
or the magician, vehemently opposed the apostles, and kept the
proconsul from embracing the faith.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 469
The- proconsul, however, called for the apostles, who after
severely checking Elymas for his malicious opposition to the
truth, told him, the divine vengeance was now ready to < seize
upon him ; and immediately he was deprived of his sight. The
vengeance of the Almighty was remarkably displayed iri this
punishment, by depriving him of his bodily eyes, who had so
wilfully and maliciously shut those of his mind against the light
of the Gospel, and also endeavored to keep others in darkness
and ignorance. This miracle convinced the' proconsul of the
truth of the doctrines taught by the apostles, and made him a
convert to the faith.
St. Paul, after this remarkable success in Cyprus, repaired to
Phrygia, in Pamphilia, and taking another' with him, in the
room of Mark, who was gone to Jerusalem, travelled to Anti
och, the metropolis of Pisidia.
Soon after their arrival, they entered the synagogue of the
Jews, on the sabbath-day, and after the reading of the law,
Paul, being invited by the rulers of the synagogue, delivered
himself in the following manner : " Hearken, all ye descend
ants of Jacob, and ye that fear the Almighty, to the words of
my mouth. The God of Israel made choice of our fathers, and
loved them, when they had no city of their own to dwell in,
but were strangers and slaves in Egypt, bringing them from
thence with a mighty hand and a stretched-out arm ; fed them
in the wilderness forty years, and would not suffer his anger to
arise against them, though they often provoked him in the des
ert. On their arrival in the land he promised their fathers, he
destroyed the nations that inhabited it, and placed them in that
fruitful country, dividing it to them by lot.
" When they were settled in the land, he gave them judges
during four hundred and fifty years, till Samuel tbe prophet.
But on their desiring a king, he placed over them Saul, the
son of Kish, a Benjamite, who reigned about forty years. Af
ter his death, he placed David on the throne of Israel, giving
him this testimony : ' I have found David, the son of Jesse, a
man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.' And
according to his promise the Almighty hath raised up to the
sons of David, a Saviour, Jesus, ' which is Christ the Lord ;'
the baptism of repentance having been preached before his
coming by John. And as his forerunner executed his office,
he asked his followers, « Whom think ye that I ^m ?' You
must not mistake me for the Messiah : he will soon follow me ;
but I am not worthy to perform the meanest office for him.
" To you, therefore, ye descendants of Abraham, and all
others who fear the Almighty, ' is this word of salvation sent.'
For the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and rulers of Israel, being
ignorant of him, and the voices of the prophets, though read

470 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
every sabbath in the synagogues, fulfilled their predictions by
condemning the immaculate Son of the Most High. They
found, indeed, no fault in him, though they earnestly desired
Pilate that he might be slain.
" When every thing that had been written by the prophets
concerning him was fulfilled, they took him from the tree, and
deposited his body in the chambers of the grave. But death
had no power to detain him : his Almighty Father raised him
from the habitations of the dead. After which, he was seen
during many days by his disciples, who attended him from Gal
ilee, and were the witnesses, chosen by Omnipotence, of these
great and miraculous works. And we now declare unto you
glad tidings, namely, that the promise made by the Almighty
to our forefathers, he hath performed to us, the children, by
raising Jesus from the dead. The prophet David also said,
' Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.' He also
foretold, that he should return from the chambers of the dust,
and no more be subject to corruption : ' I will give him,' said
he, ' the sure mercies of David.' And again, ' Thou shalt not
suffer thine holy One to see corruption.' Now this prophecy
must relate to the Messiah ; for David himself, after he had
swayed the sceptre of Israel a certain time, fell asleep, was de
posited in the chambers of the grave, and his flesh saw corrup
tion : but the great Son of David, whom the Almighty raised
from the dead, never saw corruption.
"Be it therefore known unto you, men and brethren, that
through this Saviour is preached unto you the forgiveness of
sins. It is by his merits we are justified from all things which
were impossible by the law of Moses. Be careful, therefore,
lest what was foretold by the prophets come upon you. ' Be
hold, ye despisers, and wonder and perish : for I work a work
in your days, a work which you shall in no wise believe,
though a man declare it unto you.'"
This spirited address of the great apostle carried with it its
own weight, and obtained from the converted Jews a request
that it should again be delivered the ensuing sabbath ; when
almost the whole city flocked to hear the apostle ; at which the
Jews were filled with envy, and contradicted Paul, uttering
many blasphemous expressions against the name of Jesus of
Nazareth. But their opposition could not daunt the apostles,
who boldly declared, that our blessed Saviour had charged
them to preach the Gospel first to the Jews, but, as they so
obstinately rejected it, they were now to address themselves tp
the Gentiles ; who hearing this, rejoiced exceedingly, magni
fying the works of the Almighty, and many of them embraced
the doctrines of the Gospel.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 471
This increased the malice and fury of the Jews, who by false
and artful insinuations, prevailed on some of the more bigoted
and honourable women to bring over their husbands to their
party ; by which means Paul and Barnabas were driven out of
the city. At which the apostles departed, shaking off the dust
from their feet, as a testimony of the sense they had of the in
gratitude and infidelity of the Jews.
From Antioch they went to Iconium, the metropolis of Ly-
eaonia, a province of the lesser Asia, where they entered into the
synagogue of the Jews, notwithstanding the ill-treatment they
had met with from the Jews in other places ; for so great was
their zeal for the Gospel, that they were not to be deterred from
preaching it by ill usage, however great. Therefore, according
to their usual method, they again began their preaching in the
assembly ofthe Israelites, and the Almighty so far assisted their
endeavors, that many, bpth Jews and proselytes, believed. Their
success encouraged them to continue a considerable time in the
city, to instruct the converts, and confirm their faith by miracles.
But though they had gained a considerable part of the city to
the faith, yet many continued in their infidelity: the old leaven
of Jewish malice began again to ferment, and the unbelieving
Jews, having stirred up many Gentiles against the apostles, a|
last prevailed on the multitude to stone them. But the apostles,
^having timely notice of their design, fled from the city and travel
led to Lystra, where they preached the Gospel to the inhabitants,
and those who dwelt iu the adjacent country.
Among the converts at Lystra, was a man who had been lame
from his mother's womb, and never had walked. But Paul,
perceiving that he had faith to be saved, thought proper to add
the cure of his body to that of his soul, knowing that it would
not only be beneficial to him, but to all the rest of the believers,
by confirming their faith. And that the miracle might be
wrought in the most conspicuous manner, he, in the midst of the
congregation, said, in an audible voice, to the'man, " Stand up
right on thy feet." And the words were no sooner pronounced,
than his strength was at once restored, and he leaped up and
walked. The people who beheld this miracle, well knew that it was
not wrought by any human power ; but having been initiated in
the superstitious customs of the heathens, they cried out, " The
gods are come down to us, in the likeness of men." According
ly, they called Barnabas, Jupiter, because of his venerable
gravity, and Paul, Mercury, from his eloquence. Nor was it
long before the whole city resounded with acclamations ; so that
almost all the inhabitants gathered themselves together, and,
preceded by the priest of Jupiter, and oxen dressed in garlands,

472 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
they came to the house where the apostles were, intending to do
sacrifice to them.
But as soon Barnabas and Paul understood their intentions,
they were greatly affected at this superstitious design ; and
rending their clothes, to express their grief and abhorrence of
the action, ran to them crying out, " Ye men of Lystra, ye are
mistaken in the objecfRof your worship*; for though we have
done many miracles in the name, and by the power, of Christ,
yet we are no more than rrien, and subject to the same passions
with yourselves, and preach unto you the glad tidings of salva
tion, that ye may forsake the vanities of this world, and turn to
the living God, who created the heavens and the earth, the sea,
and all the creatures they contain. This Omnipotent Being suf
fered all nations formerly to walk in their own ways, though he
never left himself without witness, doing the greatest good to the
children of men ; it is he that sendeth rain from heaven, and
crowneth the year with fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with
joy and gladness."
This argument of the apostles had the desired effect ; and the
people were at last, though with difficulty, persuaded to lay
aside their intended idolatrous sacrifice. And surely no argu
ment could be more proper to affect the minds of his audience.
Is it possible to survey the several parts of the creation, and not
discover in every place, evident traces of an infinite wisdom,
power, and goodness ? Who can survey universal nature, and
not at once see and admire its great Author, who has disposed
of all created things with such order and regularity, as to
display, in the clearest manner, his own power arid glory ?
Behold the sun ! How justly is that source of light and heat
placed in the centre of the planetary orb, that each may enjoy
its destined share of its prolific beams ; so that the earth is not
burned by a too near approach, nor chilled by the northern
blasts, from too great a recess ; but impregnated with fruits and
flowers, by the happy influence of a vital heat, and crowned with
luxuriant plenty, by the , benign influence of the season. It is
that Omnipotent Being, who " poises the balancings of the
clouds, that divides a watercourse for the overflowing of waters,
and a way for the lightening ofthe thunder." Who can " bind
the benign influence of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion ?"
Or who can " bring forth Mazaroth in bis season, or guide
Arcturus with his sons ?" Do these happen by chance, or by the
secret appointment of infinite wisdom ? Who can contemplate
the wonderful properties of the air, the great treasury of vital
breath, and not reflect on the divine wisdom that formed it ? If
we survey the earth, we there discover tbe footsteps of an
Almighty Being, who " stretcheth the north over the empty
space, and hangeth the earth upon nothing ;" filling it with

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 4T3
great variety of admirable and useful creatures, and maintain
ing them all by the bounty of his hand. It is he that clothes
the grass with a delightful verdure, that " crowns the year with
his loving-kindness," and causes "the valleys to stand thick
with corn." It is he that " maketh the grass to grow upon the
mountains, and herbs for the service of man." He adorns the
lilies of the field, that neither toil nor spin, with a glory that
excels the pomp and grandeur of Solomon's court. " He shut
up the sea with doors," and said„ " Hitherto shalt thou come,
and no farther, and here shall thy proud waves be stayed." It
is the Almighty Being that arrests the storm, and smooths the
tempestuous billows of the deep : that delivereth the mariner
from all his troubles, and bringeth his ship into the desired ha
ven of safety. How reasonable therefore, is it, that we should
worship and adore this Omnipotent, this kind Creator, and not
transfer the honors, due to him alone, to frail mortals ; much
less to dumb idols, the work of men's hands.
The apostles indefatigably persevered in the execution of their
important commission, declaring, wherever they went, the glad
tidings of salvation, through repentance unto life, and faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ. But the malice of the Jews still pursued
them ; for some of these bigoted Israelites coming from Antioch
and Iconium, exasperated and stirred up the multitude ; so that
those very persons who could hardly be restrained from offering
sacrifice to them, now used them like slaves, stoning them in so
cruel a manner, that Paul was thought to be dead ; and as such
they dragged him out of the city : but while the Christians of
Lystra were attending on his body, probably in order to carry
him to the grave, he arose, and returned with them into the city,
and the next day departed with Barnabas to Derbe, where they
preached the Gospel, and converted many ; no danger being
able to terrify them from the work of the ministry, and publish
ing the glad tidings of salvation in every place.
They did not, however, long continue at Derbe, but returned
to Lystra, Iconium, Antioch, and Pisidia, confirming the Chris
tians of those places in the faith, earnestly persuading them to
persevere, and not to be discouraged with those troubles and
persecutions, which they must expect would attend the profes
sion ofthe Gospel. Aud that the affairs of the church might be
conducted with more regularity, they ordained elders and pas
tors, to teach, to instruct, and to watch over them ; and then left
them to the protection of the Almighty, to whose care they re
commended them, by prayer and fasting.
After leaving Antioch, they passed through Pisidia, and came
tb Pamphilia ; and after preaching the Gospel at Perga, they
went down to Attalia. 60

474 HVES OF THE APOSTLES.
Having thus finished the circuit of their ministry, they return*
ed back to Antioch, in Syria, from whence they at first depart
ed. Here they summoned the church, and gave them an ac
count of their ministry, the success it had met in different parts,
and how great a door had thus beep opened for the conversion
of the Gentile world.
While St. Paul continued at Antioch, that famous controver
sy, with regard to tbe observation of the Jewish ceremonies in
the Christian dispensation, was set on foot by certain Jewish
converts, to the great disturbance of the whole church : and
it was determined to send Paul and Barnabas to consult with
the apostles and church at Jerusalem, that this affair might be
settled on the most solid foundation. On their arrival at Jeru
salem they first addressed themselves to Peter, James, and John,
the pillars of that church, by whom they were kindly entertain
ed, and admitted to the right hand of fellowship ; and perceiving
by the account given them by St. Paul, that the Gospel of the
uncircu incision was committed to him, as that of the circumci
sion was to Peter, they agreed, that Peter should preach to the
Jews, and Paul to the Gentiles. This being determined, a
council was summoned, wherein Peter declared his opinion, and
Paul and Barnabas acquainted them with the great things God,
by their ministry, had done among the Gentiles : a plain evi
dence that they were accepted by the Almighty, though uncir-
cumcised, as well as the Jews, with all their legal rights and
privileges: accordingly, it was unanimously determined, that
the Gentiles were not under the obligation of the law of Moses,
and therefore that some persons of their own church should be
joined with Paul and Barnabas, to carry the decrees of the
council to Antioch for their farther satisfaction in this matter. —
Nothing tends more to impede the progress of vital religion^
than a bigoted attachment to inessential forms and modes,

CHAPTER III.
Transactions of this great Apostle, from the time ofthe Synod
at Jerusalem, till his preaching at Athens.
The controversy concerning the observation of Jewish cere
monies m the Christian church, being decided in favor of St.
Paul, he and his companions returned back to Antioch ; and
soon after Peter himself came down. On reading the decretal
epistle in the church, the converts conversed freely and inoffen-

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 475
sively with the Gentiles, till some of the Jews coming thither
from Jerusalem, Peter withdrew his conversation, as if it had
been a thing unwarrantable and unlawful. By such a strange
method of proceeding, the minds of many were dissatisfied, and
their consciences very uneasy. St. Paul with the greatest con
cern observed it, and publicly rebuked Peter, with that sharp
ness and severity his unwarrantable practice deserved.
Soon after this dispute, Paul and Barnabas resolved to visit
the churches they had planted among the Gentiles, and Barna
bas was desirous of taking with them his cousin Mark ; but this
Paul strenuously opposed, as he had left them in their former
journey. This trifling dispute arose to such a height, that these
two great apostles and fellow-laborers in the Gospel parted ;
Barnabas taking Mark with him, repaired to Cyprus, his native
country, and Paul having made choice of Silas, and recom
mended the success of his undertaking to the care of Divine
Providence, set forward on his intended journey.
They first visited the churches of Syria and Cilicia, ' confirm
ing the people in the faith, by their instructions and exhorta
tions. Hence they sailed to Crete, where Paul preached the
Gospel, and constituted Titus to be the first bishop and pastor
ofthe island, leaving bim to settle those affairs of the church,
which time would not permit the apostle to settle himself. From
hence Paul and Silas returned back to Cilicia, and came to
Lystra, where they found Timothy, whose father was a Greek*
but his mother a Jewish convert, and by her he had been
brought up under all the advantages of a pious and religious ed
ucation, especially with regard to the Holy Scriptures, which he
had studied with the greatest assiduity and success. This per
son St. Paul designed for the companion of his travels, and a
special instrument in the ministry- of the Gospel. But knowing
that his being uncircumcised would prove a stumbling-block to
the Jews, he caused him to be circumcised ; being willing, in
lawful and indifferent matters, to conform himself to the tem
pers and apprehensions of men, in order to save their souls. In
this instance the apostle evinced much prudence, well knowing
that inveterate prejudices in religious matters are not easily
overcome ; for which reason he is said to become all things to
all men.
Every thing being ready for their journey, St. Paul and his
companions departed from Lystra, passing through Phrygia,
and the country of Galatia, where the apostle was entertained
with the greatest kindness and veneration, the people looking
upon him as an angel sent immediately from heaven ; and being
by revelation forbidden to go into Asia, he was commanded
by a second vision to repair to Macedonia, to preach the Gos-

476 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
pel. Accordingly, our apostle prepared to pass from Asia into
Europe. Here St. Luke joined them, and became, ever after, the in
separable companion of St. Paul, who being desirous of finding
the speediest passage into Macedonia, took ship with his com
panions, Silas, Luke, and Timothy, and came to Samothracia,
an island in the iEgean Sea, not far from Thrace ; and the
next day he went to Neapolis, a port of Macedonia. Leaving
Neapolis, they repaired to Philippi, the metropolis of that part
of Macedonia, and a Roman colony, where they stayed some
days. In this city, Paul, according to his constant practice, preach
ed in a proseucha, or oratory of the Jews, which stood by the
river side, at some distance from the city, and was much fre
quented by the devout women of their religion, who met there to
pray, and hear the law. To these, St. Paul preached the glad
tidings of the Gospel ; and by the influence ofthe Holy Spirit
converted many, especially a certain woman, named Lydia, a
Jewish proselyte, a seller of purple iri that city, but a native of
Thyatira. This woman, being baptized with her whole family,
was so importunate with St. Paul and his companions to abide
at her house, that they were constrained to accept of her in
vitation. During the time of the apostles residing in this city, they
continued their daily course of worshipping at the same orato
ry : and after several days, as they were repairing to the same
place of devotion, there met them a damsel who possessed a
spirit of divination, by whom her masters acquired very great
advantage. This woman followed Paul and his companions,
crying out, " These men are the servants ofthe most high God,
which shew unto us the way of salvation !" Paul, at first, took
no notice of her, not being willing to multiply miracles without
necessity. But When he saw her following them several days
together, he began to be troubled, and in imitation of his great
Master, who Would not suffer the devil to acknowledge him,
lest his false and lying tongue should prejudice the truth in the
minds of men, commanded the spirit, in the name of Jesus, to
come out of her. The evil spirit, with reluctance obeyed, and
left the damsel that very instant.
This miraculous cure proving a great loss to her masters,
who acquired large gains from her soothsaying, they were
filled with envy and malice against the apostles ; and, by their
instigation, the multitude arose, and seized upon Paul and his
companions, hurried them.before the magistrates and governors
of the colony ; accusing them of introducing many innovations
which were prejudicial to the state, and unlawful for them to
comply with, as being Romans.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 477
The magistrates being concerned for the tranquillity of the
state, and jealous of all disturbances, were very forward to
punish the offenders, against whom great numbers of the multi
tude testified ; and therefore commanded the officers to strip
them, and scourge them severely, as seditious persons.
This was accordingly executed ; after which the apostles
were committed to close custody, the gaoler receiving more than
ordinary charge to keep them safely ; and he accordingly thrust
them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
But the most obscure dungeon, or the pitchy mantle of the
night, cannot intercept the beams of divine joy and comfort
from the souls of pious men. Their minds were all serenity ;
and at midnight they prayed and sang praises so loud, that they
were heard in every part of the prison. Nor were their prayers
offered to the throne of grace in vain : an earthquake shook the
foundations ofthe prison, opened the doors, loosed the chains,
and set the prisoners at liberty.
This convulsion of nature roused the gaoler from his sleep;
and concluding from what he saw, that all his prisoners were
escaped, be was going to put a period to his life ; but Paul ob
serving him, hastily cried, "Do thyself no harm, for we are all
here." The keeper was now as greatly surprised at the good
ness of the apostles, as he was before terrified at the thoughts
of their escape : and calling for a light he came immediately in
to the presence of the apostles, fell down at their feet and took
them from the dungeon, brought them to his own house, Washed
their stripes, and begged of them to instruct him in the knowl
edge of that God, who was so mighty to save.
St. Paul readily granted his request, and replied, That, if
he believed in Jesus Christ, he might be saved with his whole
house : accordingly, the gaoler, with all his family, were after a
competent instruction, baptized, and received as members of the
church of Christ. How happy a change does the doctrine ofthe
Gospel make in the minds of men ! How does it smooth the
roughest tempers, and instil the sweetest principles of civility
and good nature into the minds of men ; he who, but a few mo
ments before, tyrannized over the apostles with the most cruel
usage, now treats them with the greatest respect, and the high
est marks of kindness !
As soon as it was day, the magistrates either hearing what
had happened, or reflecting on what they had done as too harsh
and unjustifiable, sent their sergeant to the gaoler, with orders
to discharge the apostles. The gaoler joyfully delivered the
message, and bid them " depart in peace ;" hut Paul, that he
might make the magistrates sensible what injury they had done.
them, and how unjustly they had punished them, without exam
ination or trial, sent them word, that, as they thought proper to

478 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
scourge and imprison Romans, contrary to the laws of the em
pire, he expected they should come themselves and make them
some satisfaction.
The magistrates were terrified at this message ; well know
ing how dangerous it was to provoke the formidable power of
the Romans, who never suffered any freeman to be beaten un-
condemned ; they came therefore to the prison, and very sub
missively entreated the apostles to depart without any further
disturbance. This small recompense for the cruel usage they had received
was accepted by the meek followers of the blessed Jesus ; they
left the prison, and retired to the house of Lydia, where they
comforted their brethren with an account of their deliverance,
and departed ; having laid the foundation of a very eminent
church, as it appears from St. Paul's Epistle to the Philip-
pians. Leaving Philippi, Paul and his companions continued their
journey towards the west, till they came to Thessalonica, the
metropolis of Macedonia, about a hundred and twenty miles
from Philippi. On their arrival at Thessalonica, Paul accord
ing to his custom, went into the synagogue of the Jews, and
preached unto his countrymen ; the ungrateful usage he had met
with in other places, not discouraging him in persevering in so
glorious a work His doctrine, however, was strenuously op
posed by the Jews, who would not allow Jesus to be the Messi
ah, because of his ignominious death. .
During the stay of the apostles at Thessalonica, they lodged
in the house of a certain Christian named Jason, who entertain
ed them very courteously. But the Jews would not suffer the
apostles to continue at rest- They refused to embrace the Gos
pel themselves, and therefore envied its success, and determined
to oppose its progress. Accordingly, they gathered together a
great nnmber of lewd and wicked wretches, who beset the house
of Jason, intending to take Paul, and deliver him up to an in
censed multitude. But in this they were disappointed ; Paul
and Silas being removed from thence by the Christians, and con
cealed in some other part of the city.
Their fury, however, was rather exasperated than lessened at
losing their prey, and, as they could not find the apostles of the
blessed Jesus, they determined to be revenged on Jason, who
had concealed them : accordingly they seized on him, with some
others of the brethren, and carried them before the magistrates
ofthe city, accusing them as they had before done the apostles
themselves at Philippi, of disturbing the peace of the empire,
and setting up Jesus as a king, in derogation of the emperor's
dignity and authority. This accusation induced both the people
and the magistrates to be their enemies ; and though Jason was

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 479
only accused of harboring those innovators, yet the magistrates
could not be prevailed upon to dismiss him and his companions,
till they had given security for their appearance.
As soon as the tumult was over, the Thessalonians, who had
been converted by them, sent away Paul and Silas by night to
Beraea, a city about fifty miles south of Thessalonica, but out
of the power of their enemies. Here also Paul's great love for
his countrymen, the Jews, and his earnest desire of their salva
tion, excited him to preach to them in particular ; accordingly,
he entered into their synagogue, and explained the Gospel unto
them, proving, out of the Scriptures of the Old Testament, the
truth of the doctrines he advanced. These Jews were of a
more ingenuous and candid temper than those of Thessalonica ;
and as they heard him, with great reverence and attention, e&*
pound and apply the Scriptures, so they searched diligently,
whether his proofs were proper and pertinent, and consonant to
the sense of the texts he referred to : and having found every
thing to be agreeable to what Paul had advanced, many of them
believed ; and several Gentiles, following their example, became
obedient to the faith, among whom were several women of qual
ity. The news of this remarkable success was carried to Thes
salonica, and greatly incensed the inveterate enemies of the
Gospel there, who accordingly repaired to Beraea, and raised
tumults against the apostle : so that Paul, to avoid their fury,
was forced to leave the town ; but Silas and Timothy, either
less known or less envied, continued still there.
Paul leaving Beraea, under the conduct of certain guides, it
was said he designed to retire by sea out of Greece, that his
restless enemies might cease their persecution ; but the guides,
according to Paul's order, brought him to Athens, and left
him there after receiving from him an order for Silas and Tim-
otheus to repair to him as soon as possible.
While St. Paul continued at Athens, expecting the arrival of
Silas and Timothy, he walked up and down, to take a more
accurate survey of the city, which he found miserably overrun
with superstition and idolatry. The inhabitants were remark
ably religious and devout ; they had a great number of gods,
whom they adored ; false, indeed, they were, but such as they,
being destitute of revelation, accounted true: and so very care
ful were they that no deity -should want due honor from them,
that they had an altar inscribed, TO THE UNKNOWN
GOD. A great variety of reasons are given for this inscrip
tion : some affirm, that it was the name which the pagans gen
erally gave to the God of the Jews ; but others think that it in
cluded all the gods of Asia, Europe, and Africa.
These superstitious practices grieved the spirit of the apos
tle ;— accordingly, he exerted all his strength for their conver-

480 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
sion ; he disputed on the sabbath-days in the synagogues of the
Jews, and at other times took all opportunities of preaching to
the Athenians the coming of the Messiah to save the world.
This doctrine was equally new and strange to the Athenians;
and though they did not persecute him as the Jews did, yet his
preaching Jesus was considered by the Epicurean and Stoic
philosophers as a fabulous legend, and by the more sober part
as a discovery of some new gods, which they had not yet placed
in their temples : and though they were not unwilling to receive
any new deities, yet as the Areopagus, the supreme court of the
city, was to judge of all gods, to whom public worship might
be allowed, they brought him before those judges, to give an
account of his doctrine.
Paul being placed before the judges, of this high assembly,
readily gave them an account of his doctrine, *in a grave and
elegant speech ; wherein he did not tell them they were horrible
and gross idolaters, lest he should offend them, and thereby
prevent them from listening to his reasons: ,but, having com
mended them for their religious dispositions, he took occasion,
from the altar inscribed to the " unknown God," to make a
proper defence of his doctrine. " I endeavor," said he, " only
to explain that altar to you, and manifest the nature of that
God whom ye ignorantly worship. The true God is he that
made the world, and all things therein ; and who being Lord
of all, dwells not in temples made with hands, nor is to be wor
shipped in lifeless idols. As he is the Creator of all things, he
cannot be confined to the workmanship of man, whether tem
ples or statues ; nor stand in need of sacrifices, since he is the
fountain of life to all things. He made from one common ori
ginal the whole race of mankind, and hath wisely determined
their, dependence on him, that they might be obliged to seek
after him and serve him. A truth perceivable in the darkest
state of ignorance, and acknowledged by one of your own poets.
If this be the nature of God, it is surely the highest absurdity
to represent him by an image or similitude. The divine pa
tience hath been too much exercised already with such gross
abuses in religion, but now expects a thorough reformation,
having sent his son Jesus Christ to make him known to the
world, and at the same time to inform them that he. hath ap
pointed a day of general judgment, when the religion of man
kind shall be tried by the test of the Gospel, before his only
begotten Son, who is appointed sole judge of the quick and
dead, and whose commissiori to that high office hath been ratifi
ed by the Almighty, in raising him from the dead."
On his mentioning the resurrection, some of the philosophers
mocked and derided him ; others, more modest, but not satisfied
with the proofs .he had given, gravely answered, Xi We would

PAUL. PREACHING AT ATHENS.
[Page 480.]

" Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars-hill, and said, Ye men of Alliens, I perceive
tliat in all things ye are too superstitious.
" For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription,
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare
I unto you."— Acts, xvn. 22, 23.

Lives of the apostles. 48i
hear thee again of this matter." After which Paul departed
from the court; but not without some success : for a few of his
auditors believed and attended his instructions.
Thus boldly did this intrepid servant and soldier of Jesus
Christ assert the cause of his divine Master, among the great,
the Wise, and the learned, and reason with great persuasion and
eloquence on the nature of God, j*nd the manner in which he
has commanded his creatures to worship him, even in spirit
and in truth.

CHAPTER IV.
Success of St. Paul's Ministry at Corinth and Ephesusi
During St. Paul's stay at Athens, Timothy, according to
the order he had received, came to him, out of Macedonia* and
brought an account that the Christians at Thessalonica were
under persecution- from their fellow-citizens, ever since his de
parture : at which St. Paul was greatly concerned, and at first
inclined to visit them in person, to confirm them in the faith
they had embraced ; but being hindered by the enemies of the
Gospel, he sent Timothy to comfort them, and put them in
mind of what they had at first heard, namely, that' persecution
Would be the constant attendant on their profession.
On Timothy*s departure, St. Paul left Athens, and travelled
to Corinth, a very populous place* and famous for its trade.
Here he found Aquila and Priscilla his wife, lately come from
Italy, having been banished from Rome, by the decree of Clau
dius. And they being of the same trade he himself had learned
in his youth, he wrought with them, that he might not be bur
densome to the new converts: — honest ministers are not mer
cenary. After some stay at Corinth, the apostle was joined by Silas
and Timothy, and disputed frequently in the synagogue, rea
soning and proving, that Jesus was the true Messiah. This
exasperated the Jews to the greatest degree, and what they
could not conquer by argument and force of reason, they en
deavored to carry by noise and clamor, blended with blasphe
mies and revilings ; the last refuge of an impotent and baffled
cause. But St. Paul, to testify his resentment, shook his gar*1
ments, and told them, that since they were determined to pull
down the vengeance of heaven upon titeir own heads, he was

482 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
absolutely guiltless and innocent, and would henceforth address
himself to the Gentiles.
Accordingly he left them, and repaired to the house of Jus
tus, a religious proselyte, where, by his preaching and miracles,
he converted great numbers to the faith; among whom was
Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and Gaius, and Ste-
phanus, who, with their families, were baptized, and admitted
members of the Christian church.
But, lest the ungrateful, yea cruel behaviour of unbelievers,
should discourage this able minister from prosecuting the glori
ous work of the conversion of sinners, our dear Redeemer ap
peared to him in a vision, and told him, that notwithstanding
the bad success he had hitherto met with, there was a large
harvest to be gathered in that place : that he should not be
afraid of his enemies, but preach the Gospel boldly and secure
ly, for that he himself would protect and preserve him.
About this time he seems to have written his First Epistle to
the Thessalonians, Silas and Timothy being lately returned
from thence, and delivered the message for which he had sent
them thither. The principal design of this epistle is, to con
firm them in the belief of the Christian religion, and to excite
them to persevere in it, notwithstanding all the malice of their
enemies, and the persecutions they must expect to suffer, and to
instruct them in the duties of a religious life.
During the apostle's stay at Corinth, he wrote his Second
Epistle to the Thessalonians, to supply his absence. In this
epistle he again endeavors to confirm their minds- in the truth
of the Gospel, and prevent their being shaken with those troubles
which the wicked and unbelieving Jews would be continually
raising against them. And because some passages in his former
epistle, relating the destruction of the Jews, had been misunder
stood, as if the day of the Lord was near at hand, he rectifies
these mistakes, and shews the signs that must precede our
Lord's coming to judgment.
St. Paul, on his leaving the church at Corinth, took ship at
Cenchrea, the port of Corinth, for Syria, taking with him
Aquila and Priscilla; and on his arrival at Ephesus, he preach
ed awhile in the synagogue of the Jews, promising to return to-
tbem, after keeping the passover at Jerusalem. Accordingly,
he again took ship, and landed at Caesarea, and from thence
travelled to Jerusalem, where he kept the feast, visited the
church, and then repaired to Antioch. Here he staid some
time, and then traversed the countries of Galatia and Phrygia,
confirming the newly converted Christians, till he came to
Ephesus. During the time he spent in this large circuit, Providence
took care of the churches of Ephesus and Corinth, by the means

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 483
of one Apollos, an eloquent Jew of Alexandria, and well ac
quainted with the law and writings ofthe prophets. This man com
ing to Ephesus, though he was only instructed in the rudiments
of Christianity and John's baptism, yet he taught with great
courage, and a most powerful zeal. After being fully instructed
in the faith, by Aquila and Priscilla, he passed over into Acaia,
being furnished with recommendatory letters, by the churches of
Ephesus and Corinth. He was of the greatest service in Acaia,
in watering what Paul had planted, confirming the disciples,
and powerfully convincing the Jews, that Jesus was the true
Messiah promised in the Scriptures.
While Apollos was thus employed, St. Paul returned to Eph
esus, where he fixed his abode for three years, bringing with
him Gaius of Derbe, Aristarchus, a native of Thessalonica,
Timotheus and Erastus of Corinth, and Titus. The first thing
he did after his arrival, was to examine certain disciples,
" Whether they had received the Holy Ghost since they believ
ed ?" To which they answered, " that the doctrine they had
received promised nothing of that nature, nor had they ever
heard that such an extraordinary spirit had of late been be
stowed upon the church."
This answer surprised the apostle, who asked them, in what
name they had been baptized; since in the Christian form, the
name ofthe Holy Ghost was always expressed ? They replied
that they had only received John's baptism ; upon which the
apostle informed them, that though John's baptism commanded
nothing but repentance, yet it tacitly implied the whole doctrine
of Christ and the Holy Ghost. When they heard this, they
were baptized according to the form prescribed by Christ him
self, that is, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost ; and after the apostle had prayed, and layed his
hands over them, they received the gifts of tongues, and other
miraculous powers.
Afte*, this, he entered into the Jewish synagogues, where, for
the first three months, he contended and disputed with the Jews,
endeavoring, with great earnestness and resolution, to convince
them of the truth of the Christian religion. But when, instead
of success, he met with nothing but obstinacy and infidelity, he
left the synagogue, and taking those with him whom he had
converted, instructed them and others who resorted to him, in
the school of one Tyrannus, a place where scholars used to be
instructed. Iu this manner he continued to preach the Gospel
tw#whole years ; by which means the Jews and proselytes had
an opportunity of bearing the glad tidings of salvation : and be
cause miracles are the clearest evidence of a divine commission,
the Almighty was pleased to testify the doctrine which St. Paul
delivered by amazing: and miraculous operations, many of which

484 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
were of a peculiar and extraordinary nature ; for he not only
healed those that came to him, but if napkins or handkerchiefs
were only touched by him, and applied to the sick, their disea
ses immediately vanished, and the evil spirits departed out of
those that were possessed by them.
About this time the apostle wrote his Epistle to the Galatians ;
for he had heard that, since his departure, corrupt opinions had
crept in among them, with regard to the necessity of observing
the legal rites : and that several impostors had found admit
tance into the church, who kuew no better method of under
mining the doctrine he had planted there, than by vilifying his
person, slighting him as an apostle only at second hand, not to
be compared with Peter, James, and John, who had familiarly
conversed with Christ in the days of his flesh, and been immedi
ately deputed by him, In this , Epistle, therefore, he reproves
them with some necessary severity, for their being so soon led
out of the right way, wherein he had placed them, and so easily
suffering themselves to be imposed upon by the crafty artifices of
seducers* He vindicates the honor of his apostleship, and the
immediate receiving hjs commission from Christ, wherein he
shews that he was not inferior to the very best of the apostles.
He largely refutes those Judaical opinions that had tainted and
infected them, and, in the conclusion, instructs them in the rules
and duties of a holy life.
During St. Paul's stay at Ephesus, an accident happened,
which was attended with great trouble and danger. In this city
was the celebrated temple of Diana, a structure so magnificent
for beauty, riches, and magnitude, that it was reckoned one of
the seven wonders of the world. But what increased its fame
and reputation, was an image of Diana kept there, which the
idolatrous priests persuaded the people was made by Jupiter
himself, and dropped down from heaven ; for which reason it
was held in great veneration, not only at Ephesus, but through
out all Asia- So -that people procured silver shrines or, figures
of this temple of such a size as to carry in their pockets, either
for curiosity, or to stir up their devotion. This proved the
source of a great deal of business to the silversmiths of Ephe
sus ; of whom one Demetrius was the chief. This man plainly
perceiving that Christianity tended to the1 subversion of idolatry,
and consequently to the ruin of their gainful employment, call
ed all the artists together, and pathetically represented to them,
how inevitably they must be reduced to a state of poverty, if
they suffered Paul to bring their temple and goddess into qpi-
tempt, by persuading the people as he did, that they were no
gods which were made with hands.
This speech of Demetrius fired them with a zeal which they
could no longer contain ; so that they cried out with one voice}

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 485
*• Great is Diana of the Ephesians !" They should indeed have
considered that if their goddess was able to defend herself
against the doctrines preached by PauJ, neither she nor the tem
ple were in any danger : whereas, if Paul waS able to destroy
their gods, it was in vain for them to resist him. But interest
and superstition, combining in the minds of a bigoted multitude,
admitted of no reason. They were all fired with zeal for their
goddess, and determined, if they could find Paul, to expose
him to the beasts in the theatre : for it was customary, in those
days, at the celebration of their public games and festivals, to
expose slaves to the ravage of wild beasts for the diversion of
the spectators. The whole city was filled with the tumult ; and
the crowd missing Paul, laid hold on Gaius and Aristarchus,
two Macedonians of Paul's company, and hurried them into the
theatre, with a design to throw them to the wild beasts. Paul,
who was at present in a place of security, hearing ofthe danger
to which his brethren were exposed, was very desirous of ven
turing after them, in order to speak in their behalf; but he was
at last dissuaded from it, not only by the Christians, but also
by the gentile governors of the theatrical games, who were
his friends, and who assured him that he would only endan
ger himself, without rescuing his friends.
The noise and confusion of the multitude was now prodigious,
most of them not knowing the reason for which they were come
together; and therefore some said one thing, and some another.
In this distraction, Alexander, a Jewish convert, was singled out
by the multitude, and by the instigation of the Jews, was go
ing to make his defence, in which doubtless, he would have
laid the whole blame upon Paul : but the multitude perceiving
him to be a Jew, and therefore suspecting he was one of Paul's
associates, raised another outcry, for near two hours together,
wherein nothing could be heard, but " Great is Diana of the
Ephesians !" This confusion brought the town-clerk, who kept
the register ofthe games, into the theatre* to suppress, if possi
ble, so uncommon a tumult. And having with great difficulty
obtained silence, he calmly and discreetly told them, "That the
world was sufficiently acquainted with the devotion paid by the
Ephesians to the great goddess Diana, and the image which fell
down from Jupiter ; and therefore it was absolutely needless for
them to publish it at that time. That if Demetrius and his fra
ternity had any thing to allege against Paul and his compan
ions, the courts were open, and they might bring their accusa
tion against them. Or, if they were questioned, with regard to
the breach of any of their laws, the cause ought to be heard
in a regular assembly. That they would do well to consider
this, and be quiet ; having already rendered themselves ob
noxious to the displeasure of the magistrates, if they should

486 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
think proper to call them to an account for that day's tu
mult." This discourse had the desired effect ; the multitude were
convinced that they had acted very improperly, and, therefore,
repaired to their respective habitations ; and Gaius, Aristarchus,
and Alexander, were released without any hurt. But the escape
of Paul was so remarkable, that he mentions it as a miraculous
deliverance. " We had," says he, " the sentence of death in
ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, who
raised the dead, who delivered us from so great a death." And
in another place he tells us, " he fought with beasts at Ephe
sus ;" alluding either to the design of the. enraged multitude of
throwing him to the wild beasts in the theatre, though their in
tention was not executed, or to the manners of the people, who
sufficiently deserved the character of being savage and brutal in
the highest degree.
About this time Paul was informed of some disturbances in
"the church at Corinth, hatched and fomented by a company of
false teachers, crept in among them, who endeavored to draw
them into parties and factions, by persuading one company to
be for Peter, another for Paul, and a third for Apollos : as if
the principal part of religion consisted in being of this or ^hat
denomination, or in a warm active zeal to depreciate and oppose
whoever was not of the same sect.
It is a very weak and slender claim, when a- man holds his re
ligion by no better title than his having joined himself to such
or such a sect or congregation, and is remarkably zealous to
promote it, to be childishly and passionately clamorous for some
person's particular mode of administration, or some particular
opinion ; as if religion rather consisted in disputes, or in separa
ting from our brethren, than "in righteousness, peace, and joy
in the Holy Ghost."
By these means schisms and factions broke into the Corin
thian church ; whereby many wild and extravagant opinions,
some of them such as tended to undermine the fundamental arti
cles of Christianity', were planted, and had taken root. To cure
these dissensions, St. Paul wrote his first epistle to the Corinthi
ans : wherein he smartly reproves them for their schisms and
parties, conjures them to peace and unity, corrects those gross
corruptions that had been introduced among them, and particu
larly resolves those many cases and controversies wherein they
had requested his advice and counsel. SoOn after, Apollos, de
termining to go to Crete, together with Zenos, St. Paul sent by
them his epistle to Titus, whom he had made bishop of that
island, and had left there for propagating the Gospel. In this
epistle he instructs him fully in the execution of his office, both
with regard to himself and others.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 487

CHAPTER V.
Transactions of St. Paul, during the farther progress of his"
Ministry, to the time of his arraignment before Felix.
Soon after the tumult at Ephesus, Paul called the Christians
together, and took his leave of them with the utmost tender ex
pressions of love and affection. He had now spent almost
three years at Ephesus, and founded there a very considerable
church, of which he had ordained Timothy the first bishop.
He first travelled about two hundred miles northward, to Troas,
before he took ship, expecting to meet Titus there. But miss
ing him, he proceeded on his voyage to Macedonia.
On his arrival there, he preached tbe Gospel in several places,
even as far as Illyricum, now called Sclavonia. During this
journey he met with many troubles and dangers, " without
were fightings, and within were fears ;" but God, who comfort-
eth those that are cast down, revived his spirits by the arrival
of Titus, who gave him a pleasing account of the good effects
his epistle had produced at Corinth. This worthy bishop came
thither with large contributions from the church at Corinth ;
and from the example of those liberal Christians, St. Paul stir
red up the Macedonians to imitate their charity, intending to
assist the poor Christians at Jerusalem.
During the stay of Titus in Macedonia, Paul wrote his Sec
ond Epistle to the Corinthians, and sent it to them by Titus
and Luke. In this epistle he endeavors to rectify what his
former epistle had not effected, to vindicate his apostleship
from that contempt and scorn, and himself from those slanders
and aspersions, which the seducers, who found themselves lash
ed by his former letter, had cast upon him ; together with sev
eral other particular cases relative to the church.
About this time also he wrote his first Epistle to Timothy,
whom he left at Ephesus ; wherein he gives him directions
how to conduct himself in the discharge of that great office
and authority ip the church committed to his care, and in
structs him in the particular qualifications of those he should
make choice of as bishops and ministers in the church. He
^likewise gives him instructions with regard to his giving orders
to deaconesses, and instructing servants ; warning him at the
same time against that pestilent generation of heretics and se
ducers that would arise in the church.
During his stay in Greece, he went to Corinth, where he
wrote his famous Epistle to the Romans, which he sent by
Phcebe, a deaconess of the church of Cenchrea, near Corinth*-

488 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
His principal intention in this epistle is, fully to state and deter
mine the great controversy between the Jews and Gentiles, with
regard to the obligations of the rites and ceremonies of the Jew
ish law, and those principal and material points of doctrine
depending upon it, namely, Christian liberty, the use of indiffer
ent things, and the like. And, which is the chief intention of
all religion, instructs them, and presses them, to perform the
duties of a holy and pious life, such as the Christian doctrine
naturally recommends.
St. Paul being now determined to return into Syria, in order
to convey the contributions to the brethren at Jerusalem, set
out on his journey ; but being informed that the Jews had form
ed a design of killing and robbing him by the wa}', he returned
back into Macedonia, and came to. Philippi, from whence he
went to Troas, where he staid seven days. Here he preached
to them on the Lord's day, and continued his discourse till mid
night, being himself to depart in the morning. The length of
his discourse, and time of the night, caused some of his audience
to be overtaken with sleep, and among them a young man
named Eutychus, who fell from the third story, and was taken
up dead ; but the apostle, by his prayers to the throne of grace,
presently restored him to life and health.
How indefatigable was the industry of this great apostle !
How closely did he tread in the steps of his great Master, who
" went about doing good !" He preached, and wrought mira
cles, wherever he came. As a master-builder, he either laid a
foundation, or raised the superstructure. He was " instant, in
season and out of season," and spared no pains to assist the
souls of men.
The night being thus spent in holy exercises, St. Paul took
his leave of the brethren in the morning, travelling on foot to
Assos, a sea-port town, whither he had before sent his compan
ions by sea. From thence they sailed to Mytilene, a city in
the Isle of Lesbos. They next sailed from thence, and came
over against Chios, and the day following landed at Trogylli-
um, a promontory of Ionia, near Samos. The next day they
came to Miletus, not putting in at Ephesus, because the apos
tle was resolved, if possible, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pen
tecost. On his arrival at Miletus, he sent to Ephesus, to summon the
elders of the church ; and, on their coming, reminded them of
the manner in which he had conversed among them, how faith
fully and affectionately he had discharged the offices of his
ministry, and how incessantly he had labored for the good of
the souls of men : adding, that he had never failed to acquaint
them, both in public and private, with whatever might be useful
and profitable to them ; urging both the Jews and Gentiles to

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 489
repentance, and reformation of life, and a hearty perseverance
In the faith of Christ : that he was now going up to Jerusalem,
wjiere he was ignorant of what might befal him, except what
had been foretold him by those who were endued with the pro
phetical gifts of the Holy Ghost ; namely, that afflictions and
imprisonment wpuld attend him ; but that this gave him no
concern, being willing to lay down his life whenever the Gospel
required it, and fully determined to serve faithfully his great
Lord and Master. " I well know," said he, " that you will see
my face no more, but for my encouragement and satisfaction,
ye yourselves can bear me witness, that I have not, by con
cealing any part of the Christian doctrine, betrayed your souls.
And as for yourselves, whom God hath made bishops and pas
tors of his church, you should be careful to feed, guide, and
direct those Christians under your inspection, aud be infinitely
tender of the welfare of souls, for whose redemption the blessed
Jesus laid down his own life. All the care, therefore, possible
for you to use is no more than necessary ; for, after my depar
ture, heretical teachers will appear in the church, tothe great
danger of the souls of men, seeking, by every crafty method
and pernicious doctrine, to gain proselytes to their party, and
by that means fill the church of Christ with schisms and factions.
Watch ye, therefore, and remember with what tears and sorrow
I have, during three years, warned you of these things. And
now I recommend you to the divine favor and protection, and
to the rules and instructions ofthe Gospel, which, if adhered to,
will undoubtedly dispose and perfect you for that state of hap
piness, which the Almighty hath prepared for good men, in the
mansions of eternity. You well know that I have, from the
beginning, dealt faithfully and uprightly with you ; that I have
no covetous designs, or ever desired the riches of other men ;
nay, 1 have labored with mine own hands, to support myself
and my companions : you ought, therefore, to support the
weak, and relieve the poor, rather than be yourselves chargea
ble to others, according to that incomparable saying of the
great Redeemer of mankind, ' It is more blessed to give than to
receive.' " If we minutely attend to the whole of this apostle's
preaching and writing, we shall find that he ever strenuously
inculcates not only points of faith, but also practical duties,
without which our faith is vain.
St. Paul having finished his discourse, he kneeled down, and
joined with them in prayer ; and they all melted into tears, and,
with the greatest expressions of sorrow, attended him to the
ship ; grieving in the most passionate manner for what he had
told them, " That they should see his face no more."
Paul, with his companions, now departed from Miletus, and
arrived at Coos, from whence they sailed the next day to

490 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
Rhodes, a large island in the iEgean sea. Leaving this place,
they came to Patara, the metropolis of Lycia, where they went
on board another vessel bound for Tyre, in Phoenicia. On bis
arrival, he visited the brethren there, and continued with them
a week, and was advised by some of them, who had the gift of
prophecy, not to go up to Jerusalem. But the apostle would
by no means abandon his design, or refuse to suffer any thing,
provided he might spread the Gospel of his Saviour. Finding
all persuasions were in vain, they jointly accompanied him to
the shore, where he kneeled down, and prayed with them ; and
after embracing them with the utmost affection, he went oa
board, and came to Ptolemais, and the next day to Caesarea.
During their stay in this place, Agabus, a Christian prophet,
came thither from Judea, who, taking Paul's girdle, bound his
own hands and feet with it, signifying, by this symbol, that the
Jews would bind Paul jn that manner, and deliver him over to
the Gentiles. Whereupon both his own companions and the
Christians of Caesarea earnestly besought bim that he would
not go up to Jerusalem. But the apostle asked them, if they
intended by these passionate dissuasives to add more affliction
to his sorrow. " For 1 am ready," continued be, " not only
to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem, for the name of the
Lord Jesus."
When the disciples found that his resolution was not to be
shaken, they importuned him no farther, leaving the event to
be determined according to the pleasure of the Most High.
And all things being ready, Paul and his companions set for
ward on their journey, and were kindly and joyfully received
by the Christians on their arrival at Jerusalem.
The day after their arrival, Paul and his companions went
to the house of St. James the apostle, where the rest of the
bishops and governors of the church were met together. After
mutual salutations, the apostle gave them a particular account
of the success with which God had blessed his endeavors in
propagating Christianity among the Gentiles ; for which they
all joined in thanksgiving to God, but withal told him, that he
was now come to a place where there were many thousands of
Jewish converts, who were all zealous for the laws of Moses,
and who had been informed, that he taught the Jews whom he
had converted to renounce circumcision, and the ceremonies of
the law. That as soon as the multitude heard of his arrival,
they would all assemble to see how he behaved himself in this
matter : and therefore, to prevent a disturbance, they thought
it advisable for him to join himself with four persons, who were
at that time to accomplish a vow, and perform the usual rites
and ceremonies with them, and provide such sacrifices for them,
as the law, in that case, required. St. Paul, who in such

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 4'91
cases was willing " to become all things to all men, that he
might gain the more," consented unto their counsel ; and taking
the persons with him to the temple, told the priests that the time
of a Vow they had made being now expired, and having purifi
ed themselves according as the nature of their case required,
they were come to make the offerings required by law.
The seven days in which those sacrifices were to be offered
being now almost ended, certain Jews from Asia, finding him in
the temple, began to raise a tumult, and laying hold of Paul,
called to their brethren the Jews to assist them, declaring that
this was the person who every where preached doctrines derog
atory to the Jewish nation, and destructive to the institutions of
the law. This accusation, though absolutely false, set the whole
city in an uproar, and seizing on the apostle, they dragged him
out of the temple, when the doors were immediately shut, to
prevent his returning into that holy place.
As they were proceeding in this manner, Paul asked the gov
ernor, whether he might have the liberty of speaking to him,
who finding he understood the Greek language, inquired of him,
whether he was not that Egyptian, who, a few years before,
had raised a sedition in Judea, and headed a party of four
thousand vile and profligate wretches ? To which the apostle
replied, That he was a Jew of Tarsus, a free man of a rich and
honorable city ; and therefore begged of him, that he might
have leave to speak to the people. This being readily granted,
Paul addressed them in the Hebrew language, as follows :
" Listen, ye descendants of Jacob, to a. person of your own
religion, and like yourselves a child of Abraham ; born in
Tarsus, and brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel,
and fully instructed in the law delivered by Moses to our fore
fathers, and formerly as zealous for the temple worship, as ye
are at present.
" Nay, I persecuted unto death all who believed in Jesus,
seizing on all I could find, both men and women, and casting
them into prison.
" But as I was pursuing my journey, to execute this com
mission, and was arrived near Damascus, there appeared, about
mid-day, a light from heaven, shining round about me.
" Terrified at so awful an appearance, I fell to the ground,
and heard a voice saying unto me, ' Saul, Saul, why persecu-
test thou me ?' To which I answered, ' Who art thou, Lord ?'
And the voice replied, ' I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou
persecutest.' " After recovering from the terror with which my mind was
filled, I answered, ' What shall I do Lord ?' And he replied,
c Arise, and go into Damascus, and there it shall be told thee
>.<• -11 ,i.:„„.» „,u:„u „„„ „  :„*„j for tHee t0 &Q;

493 LltES OF THE APOSTLES*
" The brilliancy of the glory deprived me of my sight : so that
my companions led me by the hand to Damascus, where one
Ananias, a person well respected by all the Jews of that city,
visited me, and said, ' Brother Saul, receive thy sight.' And
in a moment my eyes were opened, and I saw him standing
before me.
" When he saw that my sight was restored, he said unto
me, The Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, hath
appointed thee to know his will, to see the great Messiah, the
Holy One of God, and hear the voice of his mouth ; for thou
art chosen to be a witness to all the nations ofthe earth of those
surprising things thou hast seen and heard. Why, therefore,
tarriest thou here any longer ? ' Arise and be baptized, and
wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'
" After this glorious vision, and miraculous power of the
Most High, when I was returned from Damascus to Jerusalem,
and offering up my prayers in the temple, I fell into a trance,
and again saw the great Son of David, who said unto me, De
part quickly from Jerusalem ; for the sons of Jacob will refuse
to believe thy testimony concerning me. And I answered,
Lord, they know how cruelly I used thy saints and followers ;
that I imprisoned aud beat them in every city, aud in every syn
agogue. Nay, when they shed the blood of thy holy martyr
Stephen, I was also one of the spectators ; I consented to his
death ; I even kept the raiment of those that slew him.
" But he replied, Depart, I will send thee to countries far re
mote, even to the Gentiles."
The Jews had, till now, listened with some attention to his
speech ; but on his mentioning the commission he had received;
to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, their fury knew no bounds :
crying out, with one voice, " Away with such a fellow from the
earth." But the captain of the guard commanded him to be brought
within the castle, and that he should be examined and scourged
till he confessed the reason ofthe uncommon rage shewn against
him by the people. Accordingly the lictor bound him, and Was
going to put the Orders he had received into execution, when
Paul asked the centurion that stood by, whether it was lawful to
scourge a citizen of Rome before any sentence had been passed
upon him ? The centurion, instead of answering the question,
repaired immediately to the governor, and desired him to take
care how he proceeded against the prisoner, because he was a
Roman. On this information the governor came into the pris
on, and asked Paul, whether he was really a free citizen of
Rome ? and being told he was, he answered that himself procur
ed that great privilege by a large sum of money : but Paul an
swered, " I was free born." On receiving this account, the gov-

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. „ 493
i
erflor commanded the centurion not to scourge him, being terri
fied at what he had already done, namely, his chaining a free
denizen of Rome.
The next day he ordered his chains to be taken off: and that
he might thoroughly satisfy himself of the cause of so unu
sual a tumult the preceding day, summoned the Sanhedrim to
meet, and brought down Paul before them.
The apostle being thus placed before the great council of the
Jews, told them, that in all the passages of his life he had taken
care to govern his actions by the severest rules of duty and con
science. " Men and brethren," said he, " I have lived in aji
good conscience before God until this day."
But however this expression of St. Paul might tend to shew
the true state of his mind, the high-priest Annanias was so of
fended at it, that he commanded those who stood next him to
strike him in the face ; at which the apostle smartly replied,
" God shall smite thee, thou whited wall." On which some of
the spectators replied, " It, is not lawful to revile the high-priest
of the Almighty." Paul answered, " I did not know that Ana
nias was appointed by God to be an high-priest ; but as he is in
vested with authority, it is unjust to revile him, God himself
having commanded that ' no man should speak evil of the rul
ers of the people.' " Paul, perceiving that the council consisted
partly of sadducees, and partly of pharisees, cried aloud, "Men
and brethren, I am a pharisee, the son of a pharisee, and am
now brought before this tribunal, for asserting the resurrection
from the dead."
This declaration threw the whole court into confusion, by ex
citing the regard of the pharisees, who favored the doctrine of
the resurrection, and incurring the resentment of the sadducees,
who strenuously opposed it.
The dissensions of these sects increased to that degree, that
the captain feared Paul would have been pulled to pieces ; and
therefore took him from the bar, and carried him back to the
castle. But, during the silence of the night, he was comforted
by extraordinary communications of the Divine Spirit, encoura
ging him tp constancy and resolution, and assuring him, that
he should, notwithstanding all the malice and wicked designs of
his enemies, live to bear his testimony even at Rome itself.
The next morning the Jews, whose envy and malice were in
creased by these dilatory proceedings, determined to use a
quicker method of putting a period to his life. In order to this
above forty of the most turbulent entered into a shocking
confederacy of killing him ; ratifying it by oaths and the most
bitter execrations, that they would neither eat nor drink till they
had put their inhuman design in execution. Accordingly, this
j-_-__ .L-.._i. *__-i_-i i i ded un(jer, tne mantle of the

494 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
night, was discovered to St. Paul by his sister's son, and at the
request ofthe apostle told to the governor himself, who immedi--
ately commanded two parties of horse and foot to be ready by
nine o'clock that night, in order to conduct St. Paul to Felix,
the Roman governor of that province ; to whom also he sent an
account of the whole proceedings of the Jews against the priso
ner, and at the same time ordered his accusers also to appear
before the Roman magistrate. Accordingly, St. Paul was con
ducted to Antipatris, and afterwards to Csesarea, where the let
ters being delivered to Felix, the apostle was also presented to
him ; and finding that he belonged to the province of Cilicia,
he told him, that as soon as his accusers were come down he
would determine the affair, and in the mean time commanded
him to be secured in the place called Herod's Hall.

CHAPTER VI.
The Transactions of St. Paul, from his first Trial before Fe
lix, till his coming to Rome.
Our apostle, soon after his arrival, encountered Tertullus,
who, in a short, but eloquent speech, began to accuse him,
charging him with sedition, heresy, and the profanation of the
temple. The orator having finished his charge against the apostle,
Felix told St. Paul that he was now at liberty to make his de
fence, which he did in the following manner :
" I answer this charge of the Jews with the greatest satisfac
tion before thee, because thou hast for many years been a judge
of this nation. About twelve days since, I repaired to Jerusa
lem, to worship the G'od of Jacob. But I neither disputed with
any man, or endeavored to stir the people in the synagogues or
the city. Nor can they prove the charge they have brought
against me.
" This, however, I readily confess, ' that after the way which
they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, and ac
cording to this faith, I am careful to maintain a clear and quiet
conscience, both towards God and man.
" After I had spent some years in distant countries, I repaired
to Jerusalem, with the alms I had collected in other provinces,
for the poor of mine own nation, an offering to the God of
Jacob. And while I was performing the duties of religion,
certain Asiatic Jews found me in the temple, pOrified according

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 495*
to the law ; but neither attended with a multitude of followers,
or the least tumultuous assembly. It was therefore riecessary
that these Jews should have been here, if they had any thing to
allege against me. Nay, I appeal to those of the Sanhedrim
here present, if any thing has been laid to my charge, except the
objections of the Sadducees, who violently opposed me for as
serting the doctrine of the resurrection."
Felix having thus heard both parties, refused to pass any
final sentence, till he had more fully advised about it, and con
sulted Lysias, the governor of the castle, who was the most
proper person to give an account of the sedition and tumult ;
commanding, in the mean time, that St. Paul should be kept
under a guard, but at the same time enjoy the liberty of being
visited by his friends, and receiving from them any office of
friendship. Soon after this, Felix's wife, Drusilla, a Jewess, and daugh
ter of the elder Herod, came down to him at Caesarea, in
whose presence the governor sent for Paul, and gave him leave
to explain the doctrines of Christianity. In this discourse the
apostle took occasion to insist upon the most important points,
both of faith aud practice, particularly the influence which a
future judgment should have upon the whole tenor of his life
and conduct.
This discourse was wisely adapted to the state and temper of
Felix : though when St. Paul pathetically described the terrors
ofthe last judgment, Felix trembled on his throne, and was so
greatly affected, that he caused the apostle to break off abrupt
ly, telling him that he would hear the remainder of his discourse
at a more convenient season.
Felix, no doubt, had sufficient reason to tremble, and his
conscience to be sensibly alarmed at these reflections ; for he
was a man notoriously infamous for rapine and violence. Ta
citus tells us, that he made his will the law of his government,
practising all manner of cruelty and injustice. To these quali
ties he added bribery and covetousness ; and, therefore, often
sent for our apostle to discourse with him, expecting he would
bave given him a considerable sum for his release ; having, in
all probability, heard that St. Paul had brought a large quanti
ty of money to Jerusalem.
But finding no offers were made him, either by the apostle
himself or his friends, he kept him prisoner two years ; when he
himself being discharged from his office by Nero, he left Paul
in prison, in order to gratify the malice of the Jews, and engage
them to speak the better of his government, after his departure
from Judea.
Felix was succeeded in the government of the province by
Pnrrins Fpstm;. lipfnre whom, nt his first coming to Jerusalem,

496 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
the high priest and Sanhedrim preferred an indictment against
Paul, desiring that he might be sent for up to Jerusalem, in
order to take his trial ; intending to assassinate him by the way.
But Festus told them, that he was shortly going himself to Caes
area, and that if they had any complaint against Paul, they
should come down thither and accuse him.
Accordingly, as soon as he was come to Caesarea, he ascend
ed the tribunal, where the Jews renewed the charge they had
before brought against Paul ; but the apostle soon cleared him
self of every part ofthe charge, they not being able to prove
any thing against him. Festus, however, being willing to pro
cure the favor ofthe Jews at his, entrance on the government,
asked Paul, whether he would go up and be tried before him
at Jerusalem. But the apostle well knowing the consequen
ces of such a proposal, answered, as a Roman, " I appeal unto
Caesar." This method. of appealing was common among the Romans,
and introduced to defend and secure the lives and fortunes of
the people from the unjust encroachments and rigorous severi
ties of the magistrates, whereby it was lawful, in cases of op
pression, to appeal to the people for redress ; a thing more than
pnce settled by the sanction of the Valerian law.
Some time after St. Paul had appealed unto Cassar, king
Agrippa, who succeeded Herod in the Tetrarchate of Galilee,
and his sister Bernice, came to Caesarea to visit the new gov
ernor. Festus embraced this opportunity of mentioning the
case of our apostle to king Agrippa, together with the remark
able tumult this affair had occasioned among the Jews, and the
appeal he had made to Caesar. This account excited the curi
osity of king Agrippa, and he was desirous of hearing himself
what St, Paul had to say in his own vindication.
Accordingly, the next day, the king and his sister, accompa
nied with Festus the governor, and several other persons of dis
tinction, came into the court with a pompous and splendid
retinue, where the prisoner was brought before them. On his
appearing, Festus informed the court, how greatly he had been
importuned by the Jews, both at Caesarea and Jerusalem, to
put the prisoner to death as a malefactor ; but having, on exam
ination, found him guilty of no capital crime, and therprisoner
himself having appealed unto Caesar, he was determined to send
him to Rome ; but was willing to bave his cause debated before
Agrippa, that he might be furnished with some material partic
ulars to send with him; it being highly absurd to send a pris
oner without signifying the crimes alleged against him.
Festus having finished his speech, Agrippa told Paul, he was
now at liberty to make bis own defence : and silence being

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 497
made, he delivered himself in the following manner, addressing
his speech particularly to Agrippa :
" I consider it as a peculiar happiness, king Agrippa, that I
am to make my defence against the accusations of the Jews
before thee : because thou art well acquainted with all their cus
toms, and the questions commonly debated among them : I
therefore beseech thee to hear me patiently. All the Jews are
well acquainted with my manner of life, from my youth, the
greatest part of it having been spent with mine own country
men at Jerusalem. They also know that I was educated under
the institutions of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of our reli
gion, and am now arraigned for a tenet believed by all their
fathers ; a tenet sufficiently credible in itself, and plainly reveal
ed in the Scriptures, I mean, the resurrection ofthe dead. Why
should any mortal think it either incredible or impossible, that
God should raise the dead ?
" I, indeed, formerly thought myself indispensably obliged to
oppose the religion of Jesus of Nazareth. Nor was I satisfied
with imprisoning and punishing with death itself the saints I
found at Jerusalem ; I even persecuted them in strange cities,
whither my implacable zeal pursued them, having procured au
thority for that purpose from the chief priests and elders.
" Accordingly I departed for Damascus, with a commission
from the Sanhedrim : but as I was travelling towards that city,
I saw at mid-day, O king, a light from heaven, far exceeding
the brightness of the sun, encompassing me and my companions.
On seeing this awful appeararice, we all fell to the earth, and
I heard a voice which said to me, in the Hebrew language,
' Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? It is hard for thee to
kick against the pricks.' To which I answered, ' Who art thou,
Lord ?' and he replied, ' I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.'
But be not terrified, arise from the earth : for 1 have appeared
unto thee, that thou mightest be both a witness of the things
thou hast seen, and also of others which I will hereafter reveal
unto thee. My power shall deliver thee from the Jews and
Gentiles, to whom now I send thee to preach the Gospel ; to
withdraw the veil of darkness and ignorance ; to turn them
from falsehood unto truth, ' and from the power of Satan unto
God.' " Accordingly, king Agrippa, I readily obeyed the heavenly
vision : I preached the Gospel first to the inhabitants of Damas
cus, then to those of Jerusalem and Judea, and afterwards to
the Gentiles ; persuading them to forsake their iniquities, and,
by sincere repentance, turn to the living God.
" These endeavors to save the souls of sinful mortals exas
perated the Jews, who caught me in the temple, and entered
Into a conspiracy to destroy me. But, by the help of Omnip-
63

49S LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
otence, I still remain a witness to all the human race, preaching
nothing but what Moses and all the prophets foretold, namely,
That the Messiah should suffer, be the first that should rise
from the chambers ofthe grave, and publish the glad tidings of
salvation, both to the Jews and Gentiles.
While the apostle thus pleaded for himself, Festus cried out,
'"' Paul, thou art mad ; too much study hath deprived thee of
thy reason." But Paul answered, " 1 am far, most noble Fes
tus, from being transported with idle and distracted ideas ; the
words I speak are dictated by truth and sobriety ; and I am
persuaded that king Agrippa himself is not ignorant of these
things; for they were transacted openly before the world. I
am confident, king Agrippa, that thou believest the prophets,
and therefore must know that all their predictions were fulfilled
in Christ." To which Agrippa answered, " Thou hast almost
persuaded me to embrace tbe Christian faith." Paul replied,
" I sincerely wish that not only thou, but also all that hear me,
were not almost, but altogether, the same as I myself, except
being prisoners."
It being now finally determined, that Paul should be sent to
Rome, he was, with several other prisoners of consequence,
committed to tbe care of Julius, commander of a company be
longing to the legion of Augustus ; and was accompanied in his
voyage by St. Luke, Aristarchus, Trophimus, and some others
not mentioned by the sacred historian.
In the month of September, they embarked on board a ship
of Adramyttium, and sailed to Sidon, where the centurion
courteously gave the apostle leave to go on shore to visit his
friends and refresh himself.
After a short stay they sailed for Cyprus, and arrived oppo
site the Fair-Havens, a place near Myra, a city of Lycia.
Here the season being far advanced, and Paul foreseeing it
would be a dangerous voyage, persuaded them to put in and
winter there. But the Roman centurion preferring the opinion
of the master of the ship, and the harbor being at the same
time incommodious, resolved, if possible, to reach Phcenice,
a port of Crete, and winter there. But they soon found them
selves disappointed ; for the fine southerly gale which had favor
ed them for some time, suddenly changed into a stormy and
tempestuous wind at north-east, which blew with such violence,
that the ship was obliged to sail before it ; and to prevent her
sinking, they threw overboard the principal part of her lading.
In this desperate and uncomfortable condition they continued
fourteen days, and on the fourteenth night the mariners discov
ered they were near some coast, and, therefore, to avoid the
rocks, thought proper to come to an anchor, till the morning
might give them -better information.

PATTIi SHIPWRECKED AT MEL1TA.
[Page 499.]

" And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among
themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, thotigh he hath escaped tlie seat yet
vengeance sufferelh not to Ihr.
" And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm" — Acts, xxviii. 4, 5.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 499
During the time they continued at anchor, waiting for the
light of the morning, St. Paul prevailed upon them to eat and
refresh themselves, having fasted a long time, assuring them they
should all escape.
The country near which they were, was, as Paul had fore
told, an island called Melita, now Malta, situated in the Lybi-
an Sea, between Syracuse and Africa. Here they landed, and'
met with great civility from the people, who treated them with
humanity, and entertained them with every necessary accom
modation. But whilst St. Paul was laying a few sticks on the
fire, a viper, enlivened by the heat, came from among the wood,
and fastened on his hand. On seeing this, the inhabitants of
the island concluded, that he was certainly some notorious
murderer,, whom the divine vengeance, though it suffered him
to escape the sea, had reserved for a more public and solemn
execution. But when they saw him shake off the venomous
creature into the fire, and no manner of harm ensue, they
changed their sentiments, and cried out, " that he was a God."
After three months stay in this island, the centurion with his
charge went on board the Castor and Pollux, a ship of Al
exandria, bound to Italy. They put in at Syracuse, where
they tarried three days ; they then sailed to Regium, and from
thence to Puteoli, where they landed ; and finding some Chris
tians there, staid, at their request, a week with them, and then
set forward on their journey to Rome. The Christians of this
city, hearing of the apostle's coming, went to meet him as far
as the distance of about thirty miles from Rome, and others as
far as the Apii-forum, fifty-one miles distant from the capital.
They kindly embraced each other, and the liberty he saw the
Christians enjoy at Rome greatly tended to enliven the spirits of
the apostle.

CHAPTER VIL
The Transactions of St. Paul, from his arrival at Rome, till
his Martyrdom.
Having refreshed himself after the fatigue of his voyage, the
apostle sent for the heads of the Jewish consistory at Rome,
and related to them the cause of his coming, in the following
manner : ." Though I . have been guilty of no violence of the
laws of our religion, yet I was delivered by the Jews at Jeru
salem to the Roman governors, who more than once would

500 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
have acquitted me as innocent of any capital offence : but, by
the perverseness of my persecutors, I was obliged to appeal un
to Csesar ; not that I had any thing to accuse my nation of:
I had recourse to this method merely to clear my own inno
cence." Having thus removed a popular prejudice, he added, " That
the true cause of his sufferings was what their own religion had
taught him, ' the belief and expectation of a future resurrec
tion." But his discourse had different effects on different hear
ers, some being convinced, and others persisting in their infi
delity. For two whole years Paul dwelt at Rome, in a house be had
hired for his own use ; wherein he assiduously employed himself
in preaching and writing for the good of the church.
Among others of the apostle's converts at Rome, was one
Onesimus, who had formerly been a servant to Philemon, a
person of distinction at Colosse, but had run away from his mas
ter, and taken with him some things of value.
Having rambled as far as Rome, he was now converted by
St. Paul, who advised him to return to his master, and gave him
a short recommendatory letter, — -" earnestly desiring his master
to pardon him, and, notwithstanding his former faults, to treat
him kindly, and use him as a brother, promising withal, that if
he had wronged or owed him any thing, he himself would
repay it."
This epistle may be considered as a master-piece of elo
quence, in the persuasive way ; for in it the apostle had re
course to all the considerations, which friendship, religion, pi
ety, and tenderness can inspire, to reconcile an incensed master
to his servant.
The Christians of Philippi hearing of St. Paul's being at
Rome, and not knowing what distress he might be reduced to,
raised a contribution for him, and sent it by Epaphroditus, their
bishop, by whom he returned an epistle to them, wherein he
gives some account of the state of his affairs at Rome ; grate
fully acknowledges their kindness to him, warns them against
the dangerous opinions which the Judaizing teachers began to
propagate among them, and advises them to live in continual
obedience to Christ; to avoid disputations, delight in prayer, be
courageous under affliction, united in love, and clothed with hu
mility, in imitation of the blessed Jesus, who so far humbled
himself, as to " become obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross."
St. Paul lived about three years at Ephesus, preaching the
Gospel to the numerous inhabitants of that city, and was there
fore well acquainted with the state and condition of the place :
so that taking the opportunity of Tychicus's going thither, he

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 501
wrote his epistle to the Ephesians, wherein he endeavors to
countermine the principles and practices both of the Jews and
Gentiles, to confirm them in the belief and practices of the
Christian doctrine, and to instruct them fully in the great mys
teries of the Gospel, their redemption and justification by the
death of Christ, their gratuitous election, their union with the
Jews in one body, of which Christ is the head, and the glori
ous exaltation of that head above all creatures both spiritual and
temporal ; together with many excellent precepts, both as to
the general duties of religion, and the duties of their partic
ular relations.
St. Paul himself had never been at Colosse : Epaphras, who
was then at Rome, had preached the Gospel there with good
success ; and from him he might learn that certain false teach
ers had endeavored to persuade the people, that they ought not
to apply to God by Jesus Christ, who, since his ascension, was
so far exalted above them, that angels were now become the
proper mediators between God and man ; and therefore, in
opposition to this, as well as other seductions of the same
nature, wrote his epistle to the Colossians ; wherein he mag
nificently displays the Messiah, and all the benefits flowing
from him, as being the image of his Father, the Redeemer
of all mankind, the reconciler of all things to God, and the
head of the church, which gives life and vigor to all its mem
bers. By what means St. Paul was discharged from the accusation
the Jews brought against him, we have no account in history :
but it is natural to suppose, that not having sufficient proof of
what they alleged, or being informed that the crimes they ac
cused him1 of, were no violation of the Roman laws, they durst
not-implead him before the emperor, and so permitted him to be
discharged of course. But by whatever means he procured his
liberty, he wrote his epistle to the Hebrews before he left Italy,
from whence he dates his salutations.
The principal design of it is to magnify Christ, and the reli
gion of the Gospel, above Moses and the Jewish ceconomy, in
order to establish and confirm the converted Jews in the firm be
lief and profession of Christianity, notwithstanding the trouble
and persecutions that would certainly attend them.
Having thus discharged his ministry, both by preaching and
writing, in Italy, St. Paul, accompanied by Timothy, prosecu
ted his long-intended journey into Spain ; and, according to
the testimony of several writers, crossed the sea, and preached
the Gospel in Britain.
What success he had in these western parts is not known : he,
however, continued there eight or nine months, and then return-

502 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
ed again to the east, visited Sicily, Greece, and Crete, and then
repaired to Rome.
Here he met with Peter, and was, together with him, thrown
into prison, doubtless in the general persecution raised against
the Christians, under pretence that they had set fire to the city.
How long he remained in prison is uncertain ; nor do we know
whether he was scourged before his execution. He was, how
ever, allowed the privilege of a Roman citizen, and therefore
beheaded. Being come to the place of execution, which was the Aquae
Salviae, three miles from Rome, he cheerfully, after a solemn
preparation, gave his neck to the fatal stroke ; and from this
vale of misery passed to the blissful regions of immortality, to
the kingdom of his beloved Master, the great Redeemer of the
human race.
He was buried in the Via Ostiensis, about two miles from
Rome ; and about the year 317, Constantine the Great, at thij
instance of Pope Sylvester, built a stately church over his grave,
adorned it with an hundred marble columns, and beautified it
with the most exquisite workmanship.
St. Paul seems, indeed, to have been eminently fitted for the
apostleship of the Gentiles, to contend with and confute the
grave and the wise, the acute and the subtle, the sage and the
learned of the heathen world, and to wound them with arrows
from their own quiver. He seldom, indeed, made use of learn
ing and philosophy, it being more agreeable to the designs of
the Gospel, to confound the wisdom and learning of the world
by the plain doctrine of the cross.
He was humble to the lowest step of debasement and con
descension, no one ever thinking better of others, or more mean
ly of himself. And though when he had to deal with envious
and malicious adversaries, who endeavored, by villifying his
person, to obstruct his ministry, he knew how to magnify his
office, and to let them know that he was not inferior to the
chiefest of the apostles ; yet at other times he always declared
to the world, that he considered himself " the least of the apos
tles, not meet to be called an apostle ;" and as if this were not
enough, he formed a word on purpose to express his humility,
styling himself, " Elachistoteron," that is, " less than the least
of the saints, nay, the very chief of sinners."
His repentance and sobriety were remarkable ; for he often
abridged himself of the conveniency of lawful and necessary ac
commodations. What he taught to others he practiced himself; his "conver
sation was in heaven," and his " desires were to depart, and to
be with Christ:" and hence it is very probable, that he always

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 503
led a single life, though some of the ancients rank him among
the married apostles.
His kindness and charity were remarkable : he had a com
passionate tenderness for the poor, and a quick sense of the
wants of others. To what church soever he came, it was al
ways one of his first cares, to make provision for the poor, and
to stir up the bounty of the rich and wealthy ; nay, he worked
often with his own hands, not only to maintain himself, but also
to help and relieve the poor. But his charity to the souls of
men was infinitely greater, fearing no dangers, refusing no
labors, going through good and evil report, that he might gain
men over to the knowledge of the truth, bring them out ofthe
crooked paths, and place them in the straight way that leadeth
to life eternal.
Nor was his charity to men greater than his zeal to God,
laboring with all his might to promote the honors of his Mas
ter. When at Athens, he saw them involved in the grossest
superstition and idolatry, and giving the honor that was due
to God alone, to statues and images : this fired his zeal, and he
could not but let them know the resentment of his mind, and
how greatly they dishonored God, the great maker and pre
server of the world. Nor in the course of a most extensive
ministry was he tired either with the dangers and difficulties he
met with, or the troubles and oppositions that were raised
against him.
This will easily appear, if we take a survey of what trials
and sufferings he underwent ; some parts of which* are thus
briefly summed up by himself: " In labors abundant, in stripes
above measure, in prisons frequent, in death oft; thrice beaten
with rods, once stoned, thrice suffered shipwreck, a night and
a day in the deep. In journeying often, in perils of water, in
perils by his countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in
the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in
perils among false brethren ; in weariness and painfulness, in
watchings often, iu hunger and thirst ; in fastings often, in cold
and darkness, and besides those things that were without, which
daily, came upon him, the care of all the churches." An ac
count though very great, yet far short of what he endured. He
did not want solicitations, both from Jews and Gentiles ; and
might, doubtless, in some measure, have made his own terms,
would he have been false to his trust, and quitted that way
which they so violently opposed.
But those things weighed very little with our apostle, who
" counted not his life dear unto him, so that he might finish his
eourse with joy, and the ministry which he had^received of the
Lord Jesus." And therefore, when he thought himself under
the sentence of death, could triumphantly say, " I have fought

504 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."
In short, he was a man in whom the grace of God was display
ed with peculiar lustre, and who gave the most convincing
proofs, that the influence of Gospel principles exceeds all moral
and legal obligations.

ST. ANDREW.

CHAPTER I.
The Transactions of St. Andrew, from his Birth ta his being
called to the Apostleship.
This apostle was born at Bethsaida, a city of Galilee, built
on the banks of the Lake of Genesareth, and was son to John,
or Jonas, a fisherman of that town. He was brother to Simon
Peter, but whether older or younger is not certainly known,
though the generality of the ancients intimate that he was the
younger. He was brought up to his father's trade, at which
he labored till our blessed Saviour called him to be a fisher
of men, for which he was, by some preparatory instructions,
qualified even before the appearance ofthe Messiah.
John the Baptist had lately preached the doctrine of repent
ance, and was, by the generality of the Jews, from the impar
tiality of his precepts, and the remarkable strictness and auster
ity of his life, held in great veneration.
In the number of his followers was our apostle, who accom
panied him beyond Jordan, when the Messiah, who had some
time before been baptized, came that way. Upon his approach,
the Baptist. pointed him out as the Messiah, styling him the
Lamb of God, the true sacrifice that was to expiate the sins of
the world. As soon as the Baptist had given this character of
Jesus, Andrew, and another disciple, probably St. John, follow
ed the Saviour of mankind to the place of his abode.
After some conversation with him, Andrew departed, and
having found his brother Simon, informed him that he had
discovered the great Messiah, so long expected by the house of
Jacob, and accordingly brought him to Jesus. They did not,
however, stay long with their Master, but returned to their
calling.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 505
Something more than a year after, Jesus, passing through
Galilee, found Andrew and Peter fishing on the sea of Galilee,
where he fully satisfied them of the greatness and divinity of his
person, by a miraculous draught of fishes, which they took at
his command. He now told them that they should enter on a
different series of labors, and instead of fish, should, by the efiU
cacy and influence of their doctrine upon the heart and con
science, catch men ; commanding them to follow him, .as his
immediate disciples and attendants ; and accordingly they left
all and followed him.

CHAPTER II.
The Transactions of St. Andrew, from our blessed Saviour's
Ascension, till his Martyrdom.
After the ascension of the blessed Jesus into heaven, and
the descent of the Holy Ghost on the apostles, to qualify them
for their great undertaking, St. Andrew, according to the gen
erality of ancient writers, Was chosen to preach the Gospel in
Scythia, and the neighboring countries.
Accordingly he departed from Jerusalem, and first travelled
through Cappadocia, Galatia, and Bithynia, instructing the in
habitants in the faith of Christ, and continued his journey along
the Euxine sea, into the deserts of Scythia. An ancient author
tells us, that he first came to Amynsus, where, being entertained
by a Jew, he went into the synagogue, preached to them con
cerning Jesus, and from the prophecies of the Old Testament
proved him to be the Messiah, and Saviour of the world. Hav
ing converted many here, he settled the times of their public
meetings, and ordained them priests.
He went next to Trapezium, a maritime city on the Euxine
sea ; from whence, after visiting many other places, he came to
Nice, where he stayed two years, preaching and working mir
acles with great success. After leaving Nice, he passed to
Nicodemia, and from thence to Chalcedon, whence he sailed
through the Propontis, came by the Euxine sea to Heraclea,
and afterwards to Amastris. In all these places he met with
the greatest difficulties, but overcame them by an invincible pa
tience and resolution.
He next came to Synope, a city situated on the same sea,
and famous both for the birth and burial of king Mithridates 'r
here he met with his brother Peter, and stayed with him a

606 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
considerable time. The inhabitants of Synope were mostly
Jews, who partly from a zeal for their religion, and partly
from their barbarous manners, were exasperated against St. An
drew, and entered into a confederacy to burn the house in which
he lodged. But being disappointed in their design, they treat
ed him with the most savage cruelty, throwing him on the
ground, stamping upon him with their feet, pulling and drag
ging him from place to place ; some beating him with clubs,
some pelting him with stones, and others, to satisfy their bru
tal revenge, biting off his flesh with their teeth ; till apprehend
ing they had entirely deprived him of life, they cast him out
into the fields. But he miraculously recovered, and returned
publicly into the city ; by which and other miracles he wrought
among them, he converted many from the error of their ways,
and induced them to become disciples of the blessed Jesus.
Departing from Synope, he returned to Jerusalem ; but he
did not continue long in that neighborhood. He returned
again to the province alloted him for the exercise of his minis
try, which greatly flourished through the power of the divine
grace that attended it.
He travelled over Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly, Achaia, and
Epirus, preaching the Gospel, propagating Christianity, and
then confirming the doctrine he taught with signs and miracles.
At last he came to Petrea, a city of Achaia, where he gave
his last and greatest testimony to the Gospel of his divine Mas
ter, sealing it with his blood.
iEgenas, proconsul of Achaia, came at this time to Petrea,
where, observing that multitudes had abandoned the heathen
religion, and embraced the Gospel of Christ, he had recourse to
every method, both of favor and cruelty, to reduce the people
to their old idolatry. The apostle, whom no difficulties or
dangers could deter from performing the duties of his ministry,
addressed himself to the proconsul, calmly putting him in mind
that, being only a judge of men, he ought to revere him who
was the supreme and impartial judge of all, pay him the divine
honors due to his exalted majesty, and abandon the impieties of
his idolatrous worship ; observed to him, that if he would re
nounce his idolatries, and heartily embrace the Christian faith,
he should, with him and the numbers who had believed in the
Son of God, receive eternal happiness in the Messiah's king
dom. The proconsul answered, that he himself should never
embrace the religion he mentioned ; and that the only reason
why he was so earnest with him to sacrifice to the gods was,
that those whom he had every where seduced might, by his ex
ample, be brought back to the ancient religion they had for
saken. The, apostle replied, that he saw it was in vain to
endeavor to persuade a person incapable of sober counsels, and

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 507
hardened in his own blindness and folly ; that with regard to
himself, he might act as he pleased, and if he had any torment
greater than another, he might heap that upon him ; as the
greatest constancy he shewed in his sufferings for Christ, the
more acceptable he should be to his Lord and Master. iEge
nas could hold no longer; and after treating him with very op
probrious language, and shewing him the most distinguished
marks of contempt, he passed sentence on him, that he should
be put to death.
He first ordered the apostle to be scourged, and seven lictors
successively whipped his naked body ; but seeing his invincible
patience and constancy, he commanded hiin to be crucified ; but
to be fastened to the cross with cords instead of nails, that his
death might be more lingering and tedious.
As he was led to the place of execution walking with a cheer
ful and composed mind, the people cried out, that a good and
innocent man was unjustly condemned to die. On his coming
near the cross, he saluted it in the following manner : " I have
leng desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been
¦consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it, and adorned
with his members as with so many inestimable jewels. I there
fore come joyfully and triumphing to it, that, it may receive me
as a disciple and follower of him, who once hung upon it, and
be the means of carrying me safe to my Master, being the in
strument on which he redeemed me."
After offering up his prayers to the throne of grace, and ex
horting the people to constancy and perseverance in the faith he
had delivered to them, he was fastened to the cross, on which he
bung two whole days, teaching and instructing the people in the
best manner his wretched situation would admit, being some
times so weak and faint as scarce to have the power of utter
ance. In the mean time great interest was made to the proconsul 'to
spare his life ; but the apostle earnestly begged of the Almighty
that he might now depart, and seal the truth of his religion with
his blood. His prayers were heard, and he expired on the last
day of November, but in what year is uncertain.
There seems to have been something peculiar in the form of
the cross on which he suffered. It was commonly thought to
have been a cross decussate, or two pieces of timber crossing
each other in the centre, in the form of the letter X, and hence
usually known by the name of St. Andrew's cross.
His body being taken down from the cross, was decently and
honorably interred by Maximillia, a lady of great quality and
estate, and whom Nicephorus tells us, was wife to the pro
consul.

508 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
Constantine the Great afterwards removed his body to Con
stantinople, and buried it in the great church he had built to the
honor of the apostles ; but this structure being taken down some
hundred years after, in order to rebuild it, by Justinian the
emperor, the body of St. Andrew was found in a wooden coffin,
and again deposited in its proper place.

ST. JAMES THE GREAT.

CHAPTER I.
The Transactions of St. James the Great, from his Birth, to
the Ascension of the Son of God.
This apostle (who was surnamed the Great, by way of dis
tinction, from another of that name) was the son of Zebedee,
and by trade a fisherman, to which he applied himself with re
markable assiduity, and was exercising his employment, when
the Saviour of the world passing by the sea of Galilee, saw
him with bis brother in the ship, and called them both to be
his disciples. Nor was the call in vain ; they cheerfully compli
ed with it, and immediately left all rb follow him ; readily de
livering themselves up to perform whatever service he should ap
point them.
Soon after this he was called from the station of an ordinary
disciple to the apostolical office, and even honored with some
particular favors beyond most of tbe apostles, being one of the
three whom our Lord made choice of as his companions in the
more intimate transactions of his life, from which the rest were
excluded. Thus, with Peter, and his brother John, he attended
his Master when he raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead ;
he was admitted to Christ's glorious transfiguration on the
mount ; and when the holy Jesus was to undergo his bitter ago
nies in the garden, as preparatory sufferings to his passion,
James was one of the three taken to be a spectator of them.
Nor was it the least instance of that particular honor our Lord
conferred on these apostles, that at his calling them to the apos-
tleship, he gave them a new name and title. Simon he called
Peter, or a rock ; and James and John, who were brothers,
Boanerges, or the sons of thunder.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 509
Some think that this name was given them on account of their
loud and bold preaching of the Gospel to the world, fearing no
threatenings, despising all opposition, and going on thundering
in the ears of a drowsy and sleepy world ; rousing and awak
ening the consciences of men with the earnestness and vehe
mence of their preaching, which resembled thunder, as the voice
of God powerfully shakes the natural world, and breaks in
pieces the cedar of Lebanon. Others think it relates to the doc
trine they delivered, teaching the great mysteries and promulga
ting of the Gospel in a more profound and lofty strain than the
rest. But however this be, our blessed Saviour, doubtless, alluded
by this term to the furious and resolute disposition of these two
brothers, who seem to have been of a more fiery temper than the
rest of the apostles, of which we have this memorable instance.
When our Lord was determined on his journey to Jerusalem,
he sent some of his disciples before him to make preparations for
his coming ; but, on their entering a village of Samaria, they
were rudely rejected, from the old grudge that subsisted between
the Samaritans and Jews, and because the Saviour, by going up
to Jerusalem, seemed to slight their place of worship on Mount
Gerraim. This piece of rudeness and inhumanity was so highly
resented by St. James and his brother, that they came to Jesus,
desiring to know if he would not imitate Elias, by calling fire
down from heaven to consume this barbarous unhospitable peo
ple ? Thus we find the best of men are but men, and that cor
rupt nature will sometimes appear even in renewed minds. But
the holy Jesus soon convinced them of their mistake, by telling
them, that instead of destroying, he was come to save the lives
of the children of men.

CHAPTER II.
The Transactions of St. James, from the Messiah's Ascension,
to his sealing the truth of the Gospel with his blood.
Sophronius tells us, that after the ascension of the blessed
Jesus, this apostle preached to the dispersed Jews ; that is, to
those converts who dispersed after the death of Stephen. The
Spanish writers will have it, that after preaching the Gospel in
several parts of Judea and Samaria, he visited Spain, where he
planted Christianity, and appointed some select disciples to per
fect what he had begun : but if we consider the shortness of

510 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
St. James' life, and that the apostles continued in a body at Je
rusalem, even after the dispersion of the other Christians, we
shall find it difficult to allow time sufficient for so tedious and
difficult a voyage as that was in those early ages ; and therefore
it is safest to confine his ministry to Judea and the adjacent
countries. Herod, who was a bigot to the Jewish religion, as well as de
sirous of acquiring the favor of the Jews, began a violent perse
cution of the Christians, and his zeal animated him to pass sen
tence of death on St. James immediately. As he was led to the
place of execution, the officer that guarded him to the tribunal;
or rather his accuser, having been converted by that remarkable
courage and constancy shewn by the apostle at the time of his
trial, repented of what he had done, came and fell down at
the apostle's feet, and heartily begged pardon for what he had
said against him. The holy man, after recovering from the
surprise, tenderly embraced him. " Peace," said he, " my son,
peace be unto thee, and pardon of thy faults." Upon which
the officer publicly declared himself a Christian, and both were
beheaded at the same time. Thus fell the great apostle St.
James, taking cheerfully that cup of which he had long since
told his Lord, he was ready to drink.

ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST.

CHAPTER I.
The Transactions of St. John, from his Birth to the Ascen
sion of his great Lord and Master.
From the very minute and circumstantial account this Evan
gelist gives of John the Baptist, he is supposed to have been
one of his followers, and is thought to be that other disciple
who, in the first chapter of his Gospel, is said to have been
present with Andrew, when John declared Jesus to be " the
Lamb of God," and thereupon to have followed him to the
place of his abode. ,
He was by much the youngest of the apostles, yet he was ad
mitted into as great a share of his Master's confidence as any of
them. He was one of those lo whom he communicated the

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. &l t
most private transactions of his life : one of those whom he took
with him when he raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead ;
one of those to whom he displayed a specimen of his divinity,
in his transfiguration on the mount ; one of those who were pres
ent at his conference with Moses and Elias, and heard that
voice which declared him " the beloved Son of God ;" and one
of those who were companions in his solitude, most retired de
votions, and bitter agonies in the garden.
These instances of particular favor, our apostle endeavored,
in some measure, to answer by returns of particular kindness
and constancy. For though he at first deserted his Master on
his apprehension, yet he soon recovered himself, and came back
to see his Saviour, confidently entered the high priest's hall,
followed our Lord through the several particulars of his trial,
and at last waited ou him at his execution, owning him, as well
as being owned by him, in the midst of armed soldiers, and in
the thickest crowds of his most inveterate enemies. Here it
was that our great Redeemer committed to his care his sorrow
ful and disconsolate mother, with his dying breath. And cer
tainly the holy Jesus could not have given a more honorable
testimony of his particular respect and kindness to St. John,
than by leaving his own mother to his trust and care, and sub
stituting him to supply that duty himself paid her while he
resided in this vale of sorrow.

CHAPTER II.
The Transactions of St. John, from the Ascension of Christ t&
his Death.
After the ascension of the Saviour of the world, when the
apostles made a division of the provinces among themselves,
that of Asia fell to the share of St. John, though he did not imme
diately enter upon his charge, but continued at Jerusalem till
the deatb of the blessed Virgin, which might be about fifteen
years after our Lord's ascension. Being released from the
trust committed to his care by his dying Master, he retired
into Asia, and industriously applied himself to the propagation
of Christianity, preaching where the Gospel had not yet been
known, and confirming it where it was already planted. Many
churches of note and eminence were of his foundation, particu
larly those of Smyrna, Pergamus, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadel
phia, Laodicea, and others ; but his chief place of residence

512 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
was at Ephesus, where St. Paul had many years before found
ed a church, and constituted Timothy bishop of it.
After spending several years at Ephesus, he was accused to
Domitian, who had begun a persecution against the Christians,
as an eminent assertor of atheism and impiety, and a public
subverter of the religion of the empire ; so that by his command
the proconsul sent him bound to Rome, where he met with the
treatment that might have been expected from' so barbarous a
prince, being thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil. But the
Almighty, who reserved him for further service in the vineyard
of his Son, restrained the heat, as he did in the fiery furnace of
old, and delivered him from this seemingly unavoidable de
struction. And surely one would have thought that so mirac
ulous a deliverance should have been sufficient to have persua
ded any rational man, that the religion he taught was from
God, and that he was protected from danger by the hand of
Omnipotence. But miracles themselves were not sufficient to
convince this cruel emperor, or abate his fury. He ordered St.
John to be transported to an almost desolate island in the
Archipelago, called Patmos, where he continued several years,
instructing the poor inhabitants in the knowledge of the Chris
tian faith ; and here, about the end of Domitian's reign, he
wrote his book of Revelations, exhibiting by visions and' pro
phetical representations, the state and condition of Christianity
in the future periods and ages of the church.
Upon the death of Domitian, and the succession of Narva,
who repealed all the odious acts of his predecessor, and by
public edicts recalled those whom the fury of Domitian had
banished, St. John returned to Asia, and fixed his seat again
at Ephesus ; the rather because the people of that city had
lately martyred Timothy the bishop. Here, with the assistance
of seven other bishops, he took upon himself the government of
the large diocese of Asia Minor, and disposed of the clergy in
the best manner that the circumstances of those times would
permit, spending his time in an indefatigable execution of his
charge, travelling from east to west, to instruct the world in the
principles of the holy religion he was sent to propagate.
In this manner St. John continued to labor in the vineyard
of his great Master, until death put a period to all his toils and
sufferings ; which happened in the beginning of Trajan's* reign,
in the ninety-eighth year of his age ; and, according to Euse
bius, his remains were buried near Ephesus.
St. John seems always to have led a single life; though
some of the ancients tell us he was a married man. He was
polished by no study or arts of learning ; but what was wanting
from human art, was abundantly supplied by the excellent con
stitution of his mind, and that fulness of divine grace with

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 513
which he was adorned. His humility was admirable, studiously
concealing his own honor. For in his epistles he never styles
himself either apostle or evangelist : the title of presbyter, or
elder, is all he assumes, and probably in regard to his age as
much as his office. In his Gospel, when he speaks of "the
disciple whom Jesus loved," he constantly conceals his own
name, leaving the reader to discover whom he meant. Love
and charity he practised himself, and affectionately pressed
them upon others ; the great love of his Saviour towards him
seems to have inspired his soul with a large and more generous
charity than the rest. This is the great vein that runs through
all his writings, especially his epistles, where he urges it as the
great and peculiar law of Christianity, and without which all
other pretences to the religion of the holy Jesus are vain and
frivolous, useless and insignificant. And this was his constant
practice to the very'hour of his dissolution ; for when age and
the decays of nature had rendered him so weak that he was un
able to preach to the people any longer, he was constantly led,
at every public meeting, to the church of Ephesus, and always
repeated to them the same precept, " Little children, love one
another." And when his hearers,' wearied with the I constant
repetition of the same thing, asked him why he never varied his
discourse, he answered, Because to love one another was the
command of our blessed Saviour, and, consequently, one grand
guide of our conduct through life. It is further added, that
this apostle, when stricken in years, would confine his discours
es often to these words, " Little children, love one another."
The greatest instance of our apostle's care for the; souls of
men is in the writings he left to posterity ; the first of which in
time, though placed last in the sacred canon, is his Apocalypse,
or Book of Revelations, which he wrote during his banishment
at Patmos.
Next to the Apocalypse, in order of time, are his tjiree epis
tles ; the first of which is catholic, calculated for all times and
places, containing the most excellent rules for the conduct of a
Chritian life, pressing to, holiness and pureness of mariners, and
not to be satisfied with a naked and empty profession of reli
gion. ; not to be led away with the crafty insinuation of seducers,
and cautioning men against the poisonous principles and prac
tices of the Gnostics. The apostle here, according to his usual
modesty, conceals his name ; it being of more consequence to a
wise man what is said, than he who says it. It appears from
St. Augustine* that this epistle was anciently inscribed to the
Parthians, because, in all probability, St. John preached the
Gospel in Parthia. The other two epistles are but [short, and
directed to particular persons ; the one to a lady of great qual-
65 *

514 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
ity, the other to the charitable and hospitable Gains, the kindest
friend and most courteous entertainer of all indigent Christians.
^Before he undertook the task of writing the Gospel, he caus
ed a general fast to be kept by all the Asiatic churches, to im
plore the blessing of heaven on so great and momentous an
undertaking. When this was done, he set about the work, and
completed it in so excellent and sublime a manner, that the
ancients generally compared him to an eagle soaring aloft
among the clouds, whither the weak eye of man was not able to
follow him. " Among all the evangelical writers (says St. Ba
sil) none are like St. John, the son of thunder, for the sublim
ity of his speech, and the height of his discourses, which are
beyond any man's capacity fully to reach and comprehend." —
" St.John, as a true son of thunder, (says Epiphanius), by a
loftiness of speech peculiar to himself, acquaints us, as it were,
out of the clouds and dark recesses of wisdom, with the divine
doctrine ofthe Son of God."
Such is the character given of the writings of this great
apostle and evangelist, who was honored with the endearing
title of being the beloved disciple of the Son of God ; a writer
so profound as to deserve, by way of eminence, the character
of " St. John the Divine."

ST. PHILIP.

CHAPTER L

The Transactions of St. Philip, from his Birth lo his beina-
called to the Apostleship.
This apostle was a native of Bethsaida, " the city of Andrew
and Peter." He had the honor of being first called to be a
disciple of the great Messiah, which happened in the following
manner : Our blessed Saviour, soon after his return from the
wilderness, where he had been tempted by the devil, met with
Andrew and his brother Peter, and after some discourse parted
from them. The next day, as he was passing through Galilee,
he found Philip, whom he presently commanded to follow him,.
the constant form he made use of in calling his disciples, and
those that inseparably attended him. So that the prerogative
of being first called, evidently belongs to St. Philip, he being

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 515
the first of our Lord's disciples ; for though Andrew and St.
John were the first that came and conversed with the Saviour
of the world, yet they immediately returned to their occupation,
and were not called till a whole year after.
It cannot be doubted, that notwithstanding St. Philip was a
native of Galilee, yet he was excellently skilled in the law and
the prophets. Metaphrastes assures us, that he had, from his
childhood, been excellently educated ; that he frequently read
over the books of Moses, and attentively considered the prophe
cies relating to the Messiah.
Nor was our apostle idle after the honor he had received of
being called to attend the Saviour of the world ; he immedi
ately imparted the glad tidings of the Messiah's appearance to
his brother Nathaniel, and. conducted him to him.
After being called to the apostleship we have very little rec
ord of him by the Evangelists. It was, however, to him that
our Saviour proposed the question, where they should find
bread sufficient to satisfy the hunger of so great a multitude.
Philip answered, that it was not easy to procure so great a
quantity ; not considering that it was equally easy for Almighty
power fo feed double the number, when it should be his divine
will. It was also to the same apostle that the Gentile prose
lytes, who came up to worship at Jerusalem, applied, when they
were desirous to see the Saviour of the world. And it was
with him our Lord had the discourse a little before the paschal
supper. The compassionate Jesus had been fortifying their minds
with proper considerations against his departure from them, and
had told them that he was going to prepare for them a place
in the mansions ofthe heavenly Canaan ; that he was " the way,
the truth and the life; and that no man could come to the Fa
ther but by him.
Philip, not thoroughly understanding the force of his Mas
ter's reasonings, begged of him, that he would " shew them the
Father." Our blessed Lord gently reproved his ignorance, that after
attending so long to his instructions, he should not know that
he was the image of his Father, the express character of his
infinite wisdom, power, and goodness, appearing in him ; that
he said and did nothing but by his Father's appointment ;
which, if they did not believe, his miracles were a sufficient
evidence : that such demands were, therefore, unnecessary and
impertinent ; and that it was an indication of great weakness in
bim, after three years' education under his discipline and in
struction, to appeal so ignorant with regard to these particulars.

516 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
CHAPTER II.
The Transactions of St. Philip to the time of his Martyrdom,
The ancients tell us, that in the distribution made by the
apostles of the several regions of the world, the Upper Asia fell
to his share, where he labored with an indefatigable diligence
and industry. By the constancy and power of his preaching,
and the efficacy of his miracles, he gained numerous converts,
whom he baptized into the Christian faith, curing at once their
bodies of infirmities and distempers, and their souls of errors
and idolatry. He continued with them a considerable time in
settling churches, and appointing them guides and ministers of
religion. After several years successfully exercising his apostolical of
fice in all those parts,, he came at last to Hieropolis, in Phry-
gia, a city remarkably rich and populous, but at the same time
overrun with the most enormous idolatry.
St. Philip, being grieved to see the people so wretchedly
enslaved by error and superstition, continually offered his ad
dresses to heaven, till, by his prayers, and often calling on the
name of Christ, he procured the death, or at least the vanish
ing, of an enormous serpent, to which they paid adoration.
Having thus demolished their deity, he demonstrated to them
how ridiculous and unjust it was for them to pay divine honors
to such odious creatures : shewed them that God alone was to
be worshipped as the great parent of all the world, who in the
beginning made man after his glorious image, and when fallen
from that innocent and happy state, sent his own Son into the
world to redeem him : that in order to perform this glorious
work, he died on the cross, and rose again from the dead, and
at the end of the world will come again to raise all the sons of
men from the chambers of the dust* and sentence them to ever
lasting rewards or punishments. This discourse roused them
from their lethargy ; they were ashamed of their late idolatry,
aud great numbers embraced the doctrines of the Gospel.
This provoked the great enemy of mankind, and he had
recourse to his old methods, cruelty and persecution. The
magistrates of the city seized the apostle, and having thrown
him into prison, caused him to be scourged. When this prepa
ratory cruelty was over, he was led to execution, and, being
bound, was hanged against a pillar ; or, according to others,
crucified. The apostle being dead, his body was taken down

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 517
by St. Bartholomew, his fellow-laborer in the Gospel, and Ma
riamne, St. Philip's sister, the constant companion of his trav
els, and decently buried ; after which, they confirmed the people
in the faith of Christ, and departed from them.

ST. BARTHOLOMEW-

CHAPTER I.
The Transactions of St. Bartholomew, from his Birth to the
Ascension of his great Master.
This apostle is mentioned amongst the twelve immediate dis
ciples of our Lord under the appellation of Bartholomew,
though it is evident, from divers passages of Scripture, that
he was also called Nathanael : we shall therefore, in our account
of his life, consider the names of Nathanael and Bartholomew
as belonging to one and the same person.
With regard to his descent and family, some are of opinion
that he was a Syrian, and that he was descended from the Pto
lemies of Egypt. But it is plain, from the evangelical history,
that he was a Galilean ; St. John having expressly told us that
Nathanael was of Cana, in Galilee.
The Scripture is silent with regard to his trade and manner
of life, though, from some circumstances, there is room to ima
gine that he was a fisherman. He was at the first coming to
Christ, conducted by Philip, who told him they had now found
the long-expected Messiah, so often foretold by Moses, and the
prophets, " Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." And when
he objected that the Messiah could not be born at Nazareth,
Philip desired him to come and satisfy himself that lie was
the Messiah.
At his approach, our blessed Saviour saluted him with this
honorable appellation, that he was an " Israelite indeed, in
whom there was no guile," not in an absolute but restricted
sense ; for perfection cannot be attached to human nature, but
in the character of the 'blessed Jesus, of whom it is said, with
peculiar propriety, that he was " holy, harmless, undefiled, and
separate from sinners ; also that he " knew no sin, neither was
guile," that is, fraud, or deception, found in his tongue. Our

518 LTVES OF THE APOSTLES.
Saviour knew that Bartholomew's doubt of his Messiahship arose
from Philip's announcing him in the character of Jesus of Naza
reth, a place stigmatized for the vices of its inhabitants ; which
on a similar occasion caused au interrogatory, which accords
with Bartholomew's opinion ; Can any good come out of Naza
reth ? Our Saviour therefore commends his frankness, by de
nominating him, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.
In another sense, he appeared to " be a true Israelite," or one
that " waited for redemption in Israel," which, from the times
mentioned in the Scripture predictions, he knew to be near at
hand. He was greatly surprised at our Lord's salutations, wondering
how he could know him at first sight, as imagining he had nev
er before seen his face. But he was answered, that he had seen
him while he was yet under the .fig-tree, even before Philip call
ed him. Convinced by this instance of our Lord's divinity, he
presently made his confession, that he was now sure that Jesus
was the promised Messiah, that Son of God whom be had ap
pointed to govern the church. Our blessed Saviour told him,
that if from this instance he could believe him to be the Messiah,
he should have far greater arguments to confirm his faith ; for
that he should hereafter behold the heavens opened to receive
him, and the angels visibly appearing joyful at his entrance
into the heavenly Canaan.

CHAPTER II. .
The Transactions of St. Bartholomew, from the Ascension of
Christ to his Martyrdom.
Our apostle having his peculiar spot allotted him, for the pro
mulgation of the Gospel of his blessed Master, who had now as
cended into heaven, and dispersed his Holy Spirit to fit and
qualify his disciples for the important work, visited different
parts ofthe world to preach the Gospel, and penetrated as far as
the Hither India.
After spending considerable time in India, and the eastern
extremities of Asia, he returned to the northern and western
parts, and we find him at Hieropolis, in Phrygia, laboring
in consort with St. Philip to plant Christianity in those parts;
and to convince the blind idolaters of the evil of their ways, and
direct them in the paths that lead to eternal salvation. This
enraged the bigoted magistrates, and he was, together with

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 51 9
St. Philip, designed for martyrdom, and in order to this, fasten
ed to a cross : but their consciences pricking them for a time,
they took St. Bartholomew down from the cross and set him at
liberty. From hence he retired to Lycaonia, and St. Chrysostom as
sures us that he instructed and trained up the inhabitants in the
Christian discipline. His last remove was to Albanople, in
Great Armenia, a place miserably overrun with idolatry, from
which he labored to reclaim the people. But his endeavors to
" turn them from darkness unto light, and from the power of Sa
tan unto God," were so far from having the desired effect, that
it provoked the magistrates, who prevailed on the governor to
put him to death, which he cheerfully underwent, sealing the
truth of the doctrine he had preached with his blood.

ST. MATTHEW.

CHAPTER I.

The Transactions of St. Matthew, from his Birth to the As-*
cension of Christ.
St. Matthew, called also Levi, though a Roman officer,
was a true Hebrew, and probably a Galilean. His trade was
that of a publican or tax-gatherer to tbe Romans, an officer
detested by the generality of the Jews, on two accounts ; first,
because having farmed the custom of the Romans, they used
every method of oppression to pay their rents to the Romans ;
secondly, because they demanded tribute of the Jews, who con
sidered themselves as a free people, having received that privi
lege from God himself. And hence they had a common proverb
among them, " Take not a wife out of that family in which
there is a publican, for they are all publicans." That is, they
are all thieves, robbers, and notorious sinners. And to this pro
verbial custom our blessed Saviour alludes, when speaking of an
hardened sinner, on whom neither private reproofs, nor the pub
lic censures and admonitions of the church, can prevail. " Let
him be to thee as an heathen man and a publican."
Our blessed Saviour having cured a person long afflicted with
the palsy, retired out of Capernaum, to walk by the sea-side,
where he taught the people that flocked after him.

520 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
Here he saw Matthew sitting in his office, and called him to"
follow him. The man was rich, had a large and profitable em
ployment, was a wise and prudent person, and doubtless under
stood what would be his loss to comply with the call of Jesus.
He was not ignorant that he must exchange wealth for poverty,
a custom-house for a prison, and rich and powerful masters for
a naked and despised Saviour. But he overlooked all those
considerations, left all his interest and relations, to become our
Lord's disciple, and to embrace a more spiritual way of life.
The pharisees, who sought all opportunities of raising objec
tions against the doctrines of the blessed Jesus, took this oppor
tunity of suggesting to his disciples, that it was highly unbe
coming so pure and holy a person as their Master appeared to
be, to converse so familiarly with the worst of men ; with publi
cans and sinners, persons infamous to a proverb. But he pres
ently replied to them, that these were the sick, and therefore
needed the physician ; that his company was of most conse
quence where the souls of men most required it ; that God him
self preferred works of mercy and charity, especially in doing
good to the souls of men, infinitely above all ritual observan
ces ; and that the principal design of his coming into the
world was not to call the righteous, or those who, like them
selves, vainly pretended to be so, but sinners, humble, self-con
vinced sinners to repentance.
After St. Matthew's election to the apostleship, he continued
with the rest till the ascension of his great and beloved Mas
ter ; but the evangelical writers have recorded nothing partic
ular concerning him during that period.

CHAPTER II.
The Transactions of St. Matthew from the Ascension of
Christ to his Martyrdom.
After our blessed Saviour's ascension into heaven, St. Mat
thew, for the first eight years at least, preached in different
parts of Judea ; but afterwards he left the country of Pales
tine, to convert the Gentile world. Before his departure he
was entreated by the Jew .sh converts to write the history of the
life and actions of the blessed Jesus, and leave it among
them as a standing monument of what he had so often delivered
to them in his sermons. This he readily complied with, as we

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 521
shall more particularly mention in giving an account of bis
Gospel. After his leaving Judea, he travelled into several . parts, espe^
cially Ethiopia, but the particular places he visited are not
known with any certainty. :, A
However, after laboring indefatigably; in the vineyard of bis
Master, he suffered martyrdom at a city of Ethiopia, called
Naddabar; but by what kind of death is not absolutely known,
though the general opinion is, that he was slain;\vith an "halbert.
St. Matthew was a remarkable instance of the power of reli
gion, in bringing men to a better temper of mind. If we re
flect upon his circumstances while he continued a stranger to the
great Redeemer of mankind, we shall find that the love of the
world had possessed his heart. But notwithstanding this, no
sooner did Christ call him, than he abandoned without the least
scruple or hesitation, all his riches ; nay, he not only renoun
ced his lucrative trade, but ran the greatest hazard of displeas
ing the masters who employed him, for quitting their service
without giving them the least notice, and leaving his accounts
in confusion. Had our blessed Saviour appeared as a secular
prince, clothed with temporal power and authority, it would
have been no wonder for him to have gone over to his service :
but when he appeared under all the circumstances of meanness
and disgrace, when he seems to promise his followers nothing
but misery and sufferings in this life, and to propose no other
rewards than the invisible encouragements of another world, his
change appears truly wonderful and surprising ; but divine grace
ean subdue all opposition.
His contempt of the world appeared in bis exemplary temper
ance and abstemiousness from all delights and pleasures ; hay,
even from the ordinary conveniences and accommodations of it.
He was mean and modest in his own opinion, always prefer
ring others to himself; for whereas the other Evangelists, in
describing the apostles by pairs, constantly place him before St.
Thomas, he modestly places him before himself. The rest of
the Evangelists are careful to mention the honor of his apostle
ship, but speak of his former sordid, dishonest, and disgraceful
course of life, only under the name of Levi; wliile he himself
sets it down with all the circumstances, under his own proper
and common name. A conduct which at once commends the
prudence and candor of the- apostle, and suggests to us this use
ful reflection, that the greatest sinners are riot excluded from di
vine grace; nor can any, if penitent, have just reason to despair,
when publicans and sinners find mercy at the throne of grace.
The last thing we shall remark in the life of this apostle, is
his Gospel, written at the entreaty of the Jewish converts,
while he abode in Palestine; but at what time is uncertain;
"6

522 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
some will have it to have been written eight, some fifteen, and
some thirty years, after our Lord's ascension. It was originally
written in Hebrew, but soon after translated into Greek by one
of the disciples.
After the Greek translation was admitted, the Hebrew copy
was chiefly owned and used by the Nazaraei, a middle sect be
tween Jews and Christians ; with the former, they adhered to
the rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic law, and with the latter
they believed in Christ, and embraced his religion ; and hence
this Gospel has been styled " The Gospel according to the He
brews," and " The Gospel of the Nazarines."

ST. THOMAS.

CHAPTER I.
The Transactions of St. Thomas, from his Birth to the Ascen
sion of our blessed Saviour.
Evangelical history i.s entirely silent with regard either to
the country or kindred of Thomas. It is, however, certain that
he was a Jew, and in all probability a Galilean.
He was, together hke the rest, called to the aposdeship ; and,
not lpng after, gave an eminent instance of his being ready to
undergo the most melancholy fate that might attend him. For
when the rest of the apostles dissuaded their Master from going
into Judea, at the time of Lazarus' death, because the Jews
lately endeavored tp stpne him, Thomas desired tbem not to
hinder his journey thither, though it might cost them all their
lives. " Let us go," said he, " that we may die with him ;"
concluding that, instead of Lazarus being raised from the dead,
they should all, like him, be placed in the chambers ofthe dust.
When the holy Jesus, a little before his sufferings, had been
speaking tp them of the joys of heaven, and had told them that
he was going to prepare mansions for them, that they might
follow him, and that they knew both the place whither, he was
going, and the way thither ; our apostle replied, that they
knew not whither he was going, much less the way that would
lead them thither. To which our Lord returned this short, but
satisfactory answer, " I am the way ;" I am the person whom

ST. THOMAS'S INCREDULITY.
[Page 523.]

" Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands ; and reach
hillier thy hand, and thrust it into my side : and be not faithless, but believing.
" And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God."— John xx.
27, 28.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 523
the Father has sent into the world to shew mankind the paths
that lead to eternal life, and therefore you cannot miss the way,
if you follow my example.
After the disciples had seen their great Master expire on the
cross, their minds were distracted by hopes and fears concern
ing his resurrection, about which they were not then fully satis
fied ; which engaged him the sooner to hasten his appearance,
.that by the sensible manifestations of himself, he might put the
matter bej'ond all possibility of dispute. Accordingly, the very
day in which he arose from the dead, he cairie into the house
where they were assembled, while the doors about them were
close shut, and gave them sufficient assurance that he was risen
from the dead.
At this meeting Thomas was absent, having probably never
joined their company since their dispersion' in the garden, where
every one's fears prompted him to consult his own Safety. At
his return they told him that the Lord had appeared to them ;
but he obstinately refused to give credit to what they said, or
believe that it was really he, presuming it rather a spectre or
apparition, unless he might see the very print of the nails, and
feel the wounds; in his hands and side. •;
But our compassionate Saviour would not take the least no
tice of bis perverse obstinacy, but on that day seven-night came
again to them, as they were solemnly met at their devotions,
and calling to Thomas, bade him look upon his hands, put his
ringers into the prints of the nails, and thrust his hand into his
side, to satisfy his faith by a demonstration from the senses.
Thomas was soon convinced of his error and obstinacy, con
fessing that he now acknowledged him to be his Lord and
Master, sayirig* "My Lord and my God." Our Lord answer
ed, that it was happy for him he believed the testimony of his
own senses ; but that it would have been more commendable iri
him to have believed without seeing, because it was foretold that
the Son of God should burst the chains of death, and rise again
from the dead.

CHAPTER II.
The Transactions of St. Thomas, from the Ascension ofthe Soh
of God to his Death.
Our great Redeemer having, according to promise before
his ascension, pottred an extraordinary effusion of the Holy

524 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
Ghost upon the disciples, to qualify them for the great work of
preaching the Gospel, St. Thomas, as well as the rest, preached
the Gospel in several parts of Judea ; and after the dispersion
of the Christian church in Jerusalem, repaired into Parthia,
the province assigned him for his ministry.' After which, as
Sempronius and others inform us, he preached the Gospel to
the Medes, Persians, Carmanians, Hyrcani, Bractarians, and
the neighboring nations. During his preaching in Persia, he is
said to have met with the Magi, or wise men, who had taken '
that long journey at our Saviour's birth to worship him, whom
he baptized,, and took with him as his companions and assist
ants in propagating the Gospel.
Leaving Persia, he travelled into Ethiopia, preaching the
glad tidings of the Gospe), healing their sick, and working
other miracles, to prqye he had his commission from on high.
And after travelling through these countries, he entered India.
When the Portuguese first visited these countries after their
discovery of a passage by the Cape of Good Hope, tbey re
ceived the following particulars, partly from constant and un-
controverted traditions preserved by the Christians in those
parts ; namely, that St. Thomas came first to Socotora, an
island in the Arabian Sea, and then to Cranganor, where hav
ing converted, many from the error of their ways, he travelled
farther into the East; and having successfully preached the
Gospel, returned back to the kingdom of Coromandel, where,
at Maliapour, the metropolis of that kingdom, not far from the
mouth of the Ganges, he began to erect a place for divine wor
ship, till prohibited by the idolatrous priests, and Sagamo,
prince of- that country. But after performing several miracles,
the work was suffered to proceed, and Sagamo himself embra
ced the Christian faith, whose example was soon followed by
great numbers of his friends and subjects.
This remarkable success alarmed the Brachmans, who plain
ly perceived that their religion would be soon extirpated, unless
some method could be found of putting a stop to the progress
of Christianity ; and therefore resolved to put the apostle to
death. At a small distance from the city was a tomb, whither
St. Thomas often retired for private devotions. Hither the
Brachmans and their armed followers pursued him, and while
he was at prayer, they first shot at him with a shower of darts,
after which one ofthe priests ran him through with a lance.
His body was taken up by his disciples, and buried in the
church he had lately erected, and which was afterwards im
proved into a fabric of great magnificence.
St. Chrysostom says, that St. Thomas, who at first was the
weakest and most incredulous of all the apostles, became,
through Christ's condescension to satisfy his scruples, and the

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 525
power of the divine grace, the most active and invincible of
them all : travelling over mpst parts of the world, and living
without fear in the midst of barbarous nations, through the
efficacy of that almighty power which can make the weaHfest
vessels to perform acts of the greatest difficulty and moment.

ST. JAMES THE LESS.

It has been doubted by some, whether this was the same with
that St. James who was afterwards bishop of Jerusalem, two of
this name being mentioned in the sacred writings, namely, St.
James the Great, and St. James the Less, both apostles. The
ancients mention a third, surnamed the Just, which they will
have to be distinct from the former, and bishop of Jerusalem.
But this opinion is built on a sandy foundation, for nothing is
plainer than that St. James the apostle (whom St. Paul calls
" our Lord's brother," and reckons, with Peter and John, one
of the pillars of the church) was the same who presided among
the apostles, doubtless by virtue of his episcopal office, and de
termined the causes in the synod of Jerusalem. It is reasonable
to think that he was the son of Joseph, afterwards the husband
of Mary, by his first wife, whom St. Jerome styles Escha, and
adds, that she was the daughter of Aggi, brother to Zacharias,
the father, of John the Baptist. Hence he was reputed our
Lord's brother. We find indeed several mentioned as the breth
ren of our Saviour in the evangelical history ; but in what sense,
was greatly controverted by the ancients. St. Jerome, St.
Chrysostom, and some others, will have them to be called, from
their being the sons of Mary, cousin-germau, or, according to
the Hebrew idiom, sister to the Virgin Mary. But Eusebius,
Epiphanius, and many others, tellus, they were the children of
Joseph by a former wife. And this seems to be more natural,
and best agrees with what the evangelists say of them, when
they enumerate the questions of the Jews : evidently implying
their astonishment, that a person descended from, and related to,
not the opulent and the mighty, but those of a humble sphere,
as his parents and brethren were known to be, should possess
such extraordinary endowments. The Jews looked for a Messi
ah invested with all the pomp and splendor of an earthly poten*

526 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
tate ; well then might they ask, when they beheld the display of
his power, "Whence then hath this man these things?"
After the resurrection, he was honored with the particular
appearance of our Lord to him, which, though passed over in
silence by the Evangelists, is recorded by St. Paul.
Some time after this appearance, he was chosen bishop of
Jerusalem, and preferred before all the rest for his near relation
to Christ ; for the same reason we find Simon chosen to be his
immediate successor in that see, because, after St. James, he was
our Lord's next kinsman : a consideration that made Peter and
the two sons of Zebedee, though they had been peculiarly hon
ored by our Saviour, not to contend for this high and honorable
station, but freely chose James bishop of Jerusalem.
When St. Paul came to Jerusalem after his conversion, he
applied to St. James, and was by him honored with " the right-
hand of fellowship." And it was to St. James that Peter sent
the news of his miraculous deliverance out of prison. " Go,"
said he, " shew these things unto James and to the brethren ;"
that is, to the whole church, especially to St. James the pastor
of it.
He performed every part of his duty with all possible care and
industry, omitting no particular necessary to be observed by a
diligent and faithful guide of souls, strengthening the weak, in
structing the ignorant, reducing the erroneous, reproving the
obstinate ; and by the constancy of his sermons, conquering the
stubbornness of that perverse and refractory generation he had
to deal with, many ofthe nobler and better sort being persuaded
to embrace the Christian faith.
But a person so careful, so successful in his charge, could not
fail of exciting the spite and malice of his enemies; a sort of
men to whom the apostle has given too true a character, that
" they please not God, and are contrary to all men." They
were vexed to see St. Paul had escaped their hands, by appeal
ing unto Caesar ; and therefore turned their fury against St.
James : but being unable to effect their design under the gov
ernment of Festus, they determined to attempt it under the pro
curatorship of Albinus his successor, Ananus the Younger, of
the sect ofthe Sadducees, being high priest.
In order to this a council was summoned, and the apostle,
with others, arraigned and condemned as violators of the law.
But that the action might appear more plausible and popular,
the scribes and pharisees, masters in the art of dissimulation,
endeavored to ensnare him ; and, at their first coming, told
him, that they had all placed the greatest confidence in him:
that the whole nation as well as they, gave him the title of a
just man, and one that was no respecter of persons ; that they
therefore desired that he would correct the error and false

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 527
opinion the people had conceived of Jesus, whom they consid
ered as the Messiah, and take this opportunity of the univer
sal confluence to the paschal solemnity to set them right in
their opinions in this particular, and would go with them to
the top of the temple, where he might be seen and heard by
all. The apostle readily consented, and being advantageously
placed on a pinnacle of the temple, they addressed him in
the following manner : " Tell us, for we have, all the reason in
the world to believe, that the people are thus generally led
away with the doctrine of Jesus who was crucified ; tell us,
what is the instruction of the crucified Jesus?" To which the
apostle answered, with an audible voice, " Why do you inquire
of Jesus the Son of Man ? He sits in heaven, at the right
hand of the Majesty on high, and will come again in the clouds
of heaven." The people below hearing this, glorified the bles
sed Jesus, and openly proclaimed, " Hosanna to the Son of
David." The scribes and pharisees now perceived that they had acted
foolishly ; that instead of altering, they had confirmed the peo
ple in their belief; and that there Was no way left but to des
patch him immediately, in order to warn others by his suffer
ings, not. to believe in Jesus of Nazareth. Accordingly they
suddenly cried out, That James himself was seduced, and be
come an impostor ; and they immediately threw him from the
pinnacle on which he stoodj, into the court below ; but not being
killed on the spot, he recovered himself so far as to rise on his
knees, and pray fervently to heaven for his murderers. But
malice is too diabolical to be pacified with kindness, or sat
isfied with cruelty. Accordingly r his enemies, vexed that they
had not fully accomplished their work, poured a shower of stones
upon him, while he was imploring their forgiveness at the
throne of grace; and one of them dissatisfied with this cruel
treatment, put an end to his misery with a fuller's club.
Thus did this great and good man finish his course, in the
ninety-sixth year of his age, and about twenty-four years after
our blessed Saviour's ascension into heaven. His death was la
mented by all good men, even by the sober and just persons
among the Jews themselves, as Josephus himself confesses.
He was a man of exemplary piety and devotion, educated un
der the strictest rules and instiiutions of religion. Prayer was
his constant business and delight ; he seems as it were to have
lived upon it, and continually to have had his conversation in
heaven ; and he who has told us, " that the prayer of a right
eous man availeth much," found it so by his own experience,
heaven lending a more immediate ear to his petitions ; so that in

528 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
a time of remarkable drought, on his praying for rain, the clouds
melted into fruitful showers.
Nor was his charity towards men less than his piety towards
God ; he did good to all, watched over the "souls of men, and
studied to advance their eternal welfare. He was of a remark
ably meek and Humble temper, honoring what was excellent in
others, and concealing what was valuable in himself. Neither
the eminence of his relation to the blessed Jesus, nor the digni
ty of the place he so worthily filled, could induce him to enter
tain lofty thoughts of himself above the rest of his brethren ; on
the contrary, he strove to conceal whatever might place him in
a higher rank than the other disciples of the Lord of glory.
Though he was a relative to the Redeemer of mankind, he Styles
himself only " the servant of our Lord Jesus Christ," not so
much as mentioning his being an apostle.
His temperance was admirable, wholly abstaining from flesh,
drinking neither wine nor strong drink, and never using the
bath. He lived indeed after the strictest rules of the Nazarite
order : and as the mitre he wore on his head evinced his priest
hood, which was rather from Melchizedec than Aaron ; so he
never shaved his head or used any ointments, his habit and diet,
and the great severity of his life, shewed him to belong to the
Nazarite institution, to which he was consecrated even from his
mother's womb. In short, he was a man of so divine a temper,
that he was at once the love and wonder of his age : and from
the reputation of his holy and religioijs life, was styled " James
the Just."
He wrote only one epistle, probably not long before his mar
tyrdom, as appears from some passages in it, relating to the near
approach of the destruction of the Jews. He directed it to the
Jewish converts, dispersed up and down those eastern countries,
to comfort them under their sufferings, and confirm them against
error. He saw a great degeneracy and declension of manners
coming on ; and that the purity of the Christian faith 'began to
be undermined by the doctrines and practices of the gnostics,
who, under pretence of zeal for the legal rites, generally mix
ed themselves with the Jews : he beheld libertinism flowing in
apace, and the way to heaven apparently made soft and easy by
men, -who declaimed against good works as useless and unneces-.
sary, and wresting the Scriptures to subserve the purposes of
their idle and corrupt affections ; our apostle therefore recom
mends that faith which works by love, purifies the heart, and
brings forth obedience to the will of God.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.1 529

ST. SIMON THE ZEALOT.

St. Simon, in the catalogue of the apostles, is styled " Si
mon the Canaanite," whence some conjecture he was born in
Cana of Galilee, and others will have him to have been the
bridegroom mentioned by St. John, at whose marriage our bles
sed Saviour turned the water into wine. But this word has no
relation to his country, or the place of his nativity, being deri
ved from the Hebrew word " kana," which signifies " zeal," and
denotes a warm and sprightly temper. What some of the Evan
gelists therefore call " Canaanite," others, rendering the Hebrew
by the Greek word, style " Zealot :" not from his great zeal, his
ardent affection to his Master, and his desire of advancing his
religion in the world, but from his warm, active temper, and
zealous forwardness in some particular sect of religion' before
his coming to our Saviour.
In order to understand this the better, it will be necessary to
observe, that as there were several sects and parties among the
Jews, so there was one, either a distinct sect, or at least a
branch, ofthe pharisees, called the sect of the Zealots.* This
sect of the Zealots took upon them to execute punishments in
extraordinary cases ; and that not only by the connivance, but
with the permission both of the rulers and people, till, in pro
cess of time, their zeal degenerated into all kinds of licentious
ness and wild extravagance ; and they not only became the pests
of the corrimonwealth at home, but opened the door for the Ro
mans to break iu upon them, to their final and irrevocable ruin.
They were continually prompting the people to throw off the
Roman yoke, and assert their natural liberty, taking care, when
they had thrown all things into confusion, to make their own
advantage of the tumult. Josephus gives a large account of
them, and every where bewails them as the great plague of the
nation. Many attempts were made, especially by Annas the high-
priest, to reduce them to order, and oblige them to observe the
rules of sobriety : but all were in vain. They continued their
violent proceedings, and joining with the Idumeans, committed
every kind of outrage. They broke into the sanctuary, slew the
priests themselves before the altar, and filled the streets of Je
rusalem with tumults, rapine, and blood. Nay, when Jerusa
lem was closely besieged by the Roman army, they continued
their detestable proceedings, creating fresh tumults and factions,

530 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
and were indeed the principal cause of the ill success of the Jew*
in that fatal war.
This is a true account of the sect of the Zealots ; though,
whatever St. Simon was before, we have no reason to suspect,
but after his conversion he was very zealous for the honor of his
Master, and considered all those who were enemies to Christ as
enemies to himself, however near they might be to him in any
natural relation. And as he was very exact in all the practi
cal duties of the Christian religion, so- he shewed a very serious
and pious indignation towards those who professed religion, and
a faith in Christ with their mouths, but dishonored their sacred
profession, by their irregular and vicious lives, as some of the
first professing Christians really did.
St. Simon continued in communion with the rest of the apos
tles and disciple* at Jerusalem ; and at the feast of Pentecost
received the same miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost ; so that
as he was qualified with the rest of his brethren for the apostol
ical office, in propagating the Gospel of the Son of God, we
cannot doubt of his exercising his gifts with the same zeal and
fidelity, though in what part of the world is uncertain. Some
say he went into Egypt, Cyrene, and Africa, preaching the
Gospel to the inhabitants of those remote and barbarous coun
tries. And others add that after he had passed through those
burning wastes, he took ship, and visited the frozen regions of
the north, preaching the Gospel to the inhabitants of the west
ern parts, and even to Britain : where having converted great
multitudes and sustained the greatest hardships and persecutions,,
he was at last crucified, and buried in some part of Great Brit
ain, but the place where is unknown.

ST. JUDE.

This apostle Is mentioned by three several names in the
evangelical history, namely, Jude or Judas, Thaddeus, and Leb-
beus. He was brother to St. James the Less, afterwards bishop of
Jerusalem, being the son of Joseph the reputed father of^Christ,
by a former wife. It is not known when or by what means he
became a disciple of our blessed Saviour, nothing being said of
him, till we find him in the catalogue ofthe twelve apostles ; noir

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 531
afterwards till Christ's last supper, when discoursing with them
about his departure, and comforting them with a promise, that
he would return to them again (meaning after his resurrection)
and that the " world should see him no more, though they should
see him," our apostle said to his Master, " Lord, how is it that
thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not unto the world ?"
Paulinus tells us that the province which fell to the share of
St. Jude, in tbe apostolic division of the provinces, was Lybia ;
but he does not tell us whether it was the Cyrenean Lybia, which
is thought to have received the Gospel from St. Mark, or the
more southern parts of Africa. But however that be, in his first
setting out to preach the Gospel, he travelled up and down Ju
dea and Galilee ; then through Samaria unto Idumea, and to the
cities of Arabia and the neigboring countries, and afterwards to
Syria and Mesopotamia. Nicephorus adds, that he came at last
to Edessa, where Abagarus governed, and where Thaddeus, one
ofthe seventy, had already sown the seeds ofthe Gospel. Here
he perfected what the other had begun ; and having by his ser
mons and miracles established the religion of Jesus, he died in
peace ; but others say that he was slain at Berytus, and honora
bly buried there. The writers of the Latin church are unani
mous in declaring that he travelled into Persia, where, after great
success in his apostolical ministry for many years, he was at last,
for his- freely and openly reproving the superstitious rites and
customs ofthe Magi, cruelly put to death.
St. Jude left only one epistle, which is placed the last of those
seven, styled catholic, in the sacred canon. It hath no particu
lar inscription as the other six have, but it is thought to have
been primarily intended for the Christian Jews, in their several
dispersions, as St. Peter's epistles were. In it he tells them
" that he at first intended to write to them in general of the com
mon salvation, and establish and confirm them in it ; but seeing
the doctrine of Christ attacked on every side by heretics, he
conceived it more necessary to spend his time in exhorting them
to fight manfully in defence of the faith once delivered to the
saints, and oppose the false teachers who labored so indefatiga-
bly to corrupt it."
It was some time before this epistle was generally received in
the church. The author, indeed, like St. James, St. John, and
sometimes St. Paul himself, does not call himself an apostle,
styling himself only "the servant of Christ." But he has added
what is equivalent, " Jude the brother of James," a character
that cap belong to no one but our apostle. And surely the hu
mility of a follower of Jesus should be no objection against his
Writings.

532 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

ST. MATTHIAS.

As Matthias was not an apostle of the first election, immedi
ately called and chosen of the Son of God himself, it cannot be
expected that any account of him can be found in the evangel
ical history. He was one of our Lord's disciples, probably one
of the seventy ; he had attended on him the whole time of his
public ministry, and after his death was elected into tbe apos-
tleship, to supply the place of Judas, who, after betraying his
great Lord and Master, laid violent hands on himself.
The defection of Judas having made a vacancy in the apos
tolic college, the first thing they did, after their return from
mount Olivet, when their great Master ascended to the throne
of his glory, was to fill up this vacancy with a proper person.
Accordingly, two persons were proposed, Joseph, called
Barsabas, and Matthias, both duly qualified for the important
office. The method of election was by lots, a way common
both among the Jews and Gentiles for determining doubtful
and difficult cases* especially in choosing judges or magistrates.
And this course seems to have been taken by the apostles,
because the Holy Ghost was not yet given, by whose immediate
dictates and inspirations they were afterwards chiefly guided.
The prayer being ended, the lots were drawn, by which it
appeared that Matthias was the person, and he was accordingly
numbered among the twelve apostles.
Not long after this election the promised powers of the Holy
Ghost were conferred upon the apostles, to qualify them for
that great and difficult employment upon which they were sent,
namely, the establishing the holy religion of the Son of God
among the children of men.
St. Matthias spent the first year of his ministry in Judea,
where he reaped a very considerable harvest of souls, and then
travelled into different parts of the world, to publish the^glad
tidings of salvation to a people who had never before heard of
a Saviour ; but the particular parts he visited are not certainly
known. It is uncertain by what kind of death he left the regions of
mortality, and sealed the truth of the Gospel he had so assidu
ously preached, with his blood. Dorotheus says, he finished
his course at Sebastople, and was buried there, near the temple
of the sun. An ancient Martyrology reports him to have been
seized by the Jews, and as a blasphemer to have been stoned
and then beheaded. But the Greek offices, supported herein
by several ancient brevia

lua. tMrfsJG

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 533

ST. MARK.

St. Mark was descended from Jewish parents, and of the
tribe of Levi. Nor was it uncommon among the Jews to
change their names on some remarkable revolution or accident
of life, or when they intended to travel into any of the Europe
an provinces of the Roman empire..
The ancients generally considered him as one of the seventy
disciples ; and Epiphanius expressly tells us, that he was one of
those, who, taking exception at our Lord's discourse of "eating
his flesh and drinking his blood, went back and walked no more
with him." But there appears no manner of foundation for
these opinions, nor likewise for that of Nicephorus, who will
have him to be the son of St. Peter's sister.
Eusebius tells us, that St. Mark was sent into Egypt by St.
Peter to preach the Gospel, and accordingly planted a church
in Alexandria, the metropolis of it ; and his success was so very
remarkable, that he converted multitudes both of men and
women ; persuading them not only to embrace the Christian
religion, but also a life of more than ordinary strictness.
St. Mark did not confine himself to Alexandria, and the
oriental parts of Egypt, but removed westward to Lybia, pass
ing through the countries of Marmacia, Pentapolis, and others
adjacent, where, though the people were both barbarous in their
manners, and idolatrous! in their worship, yet by his preaching
and miracles he prevailed on them to embrace the tenets of the
Gospel ; nor did he leave them till he had confirmed them in the
faith. After this long tour he returned to Alexandria, where he
preached with the greatest freedom, ordered and disposed ofthe
affairs of the church, and wisely provided for a succession, bv
constituting governors and pastors of it. But the restless ene
my of the souls of men would not suffer our apostle to continue
in peace and quietness, for while he was assiduously laboring in
the vineyard of his Master, the idolatrous inhabitants, about
the time of Easter, when they were celebrating the solemnities
of Serapis, tumultuously entered the church, forced St. Mark,
then performing divine service, from thence ; and binding his
feet with cords, dragged him through the streets, and over the
most craggy places, to the Bucelus, a precipice near the sea,
leaving him there in a lonesome prison, for that night ; but his
great and beloved Master appeared to him in a vision, com
forting and encouraffine: his soul, under the ruins of his shat-

534 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
tered body. The next morning early the tragedy began afresh,
for they dragged him about in the same cruel and barbarous
manner, till be expired. But their malice did not end with his
death ; they burnt his mangled body after they had so inhu
manly deprived it pf life : but the Christians, after the horrid
tragedy was over, gathered up his bones and ashes, and de
cently interred them near the place where he used to preach.
His remains were afterwards, with great pomp, removed from
Alexandria to Venice, where they were religiously houored,
and he was adopted the tutelar saint and patron of that state.
He suffered martyrdom on the 25th of April, but the year
is not absolutely known : the most probable opinion however is
that it happened about the end of Nero's reign.
His Gospel, the only writing he left behind him, was written
at the entreaty and earnest desire of the converts at Rome,
who, not content with having heard St. Peter preach, pressed
St. Mark, bis fellow-disciple, to commit to writing an historical
account of what he had delivered to them, which he performed
with equal faithfulness and brevity, and being perused and
approved of by St. Peter, it was commanded to be publicly
read in their assemblies. It was frequently styled St. Peter's
Gospel, not because he dictated it to St. Mark, but because
the latter composed it in the same manner as St. Peter usually
delivered his discourses to the people. And this is probably
the reason of what St. Chrysostom observes, that in his style of
expression he delights to imitate St. Peter, representing a great
deal in a few words. The remarkable impartiality he observes
in all bis relations is plain from hence, that so far from con
cealing the shameful lapse and denial of Peter, he describes it
with more aggravating circumstances than any of the other
evangelists.

ST. LUKE.

This disciple of the blessed Jesus was born at Antioch, the
metropolis of Syria, a city celebrated by the greatest writers of
those times for the pleasantness of its situation, the fertility of
its soil, the riches of its commerce, the wisdom of its senate, and
the civility and politeness of its inhabitants. It was eminent for
schools of learning, which produced the most renowned masters

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 535
hi the arts and sciences. So that, being born, as it were, in
the lap ofthe muses, he could not well fail of acquiring an in
genious and liberal education. But he was not contented with
the learning of his own country ; he travelled for improvement
into several parts of Greece and Egypt, and became particular
ly skilled in physic, which he made his profession.
But those who would, from this particular, infer the quality
of his birth and fortune, forget that the healing art was in those
early times generally practised by servants ; and hence Grotius
is of opinion, that St. Luke was carried to Rome, and lived
there a servant to some noble family, in quality of physician ;
but after obtaining his freedom he returned into his own coun
try, and probably continued his profession till his death, it be
ing so highly consistent with, and in many cases subservient to,
the care of souls.
He was also famous for his skill in another art, namely,
painting, as appears from an ancient inscription found in a
vault near the church of St. Maria de Via Lata, at Rome,
supposed to have been the place where St. Paul dwelt, which
mentions a picture of the blessed Virgin, Una ex vii. ab Luca
depictis, " being one of the seven painted by St. Luke."
St. Luke was a Jewish proselyte ; but at what time he be- ,
came a Christian is uncertain. It is the opinion of some, from
the introduction to his Gospel, tiiat he had the facts from the
reports of others, who were eye-witnesses, and suppose him to
have been converted by St. Paul : and that he learned the his
tory of his Gospel from the conversation of that apostle, and
wrote it under his direction ; and that when St. Paul, in one
of his epistles, says, " according to my Gospel," he means this
of St. Luke, which he styled " his," from the great share he
bad in the composition of it.
On the other hand, those who hold that he wrote his Gospel
from his own personal knowledge, observe, that he could not
receive it from St. Paul, as an eye-witness of the matters con
tained in it, because all those matters were transacted before
his conversion ; and that he never saw our Lord before he ap
peared to him in his journey to Damascus, which was some
time after he ascended into heaven. Consequently when St.
Paul says, " according to my Gospel," he means no more than
that Gospel in general which he preached ; the whole preaching
ofthe apostles being styled the Gospel.
But however this be, St. Luke became the inseparable com
panion of St. Paul, in all his travels, and his constant fellow-
laborer in the work of the ministry. This endeared him to
that apostle, who seems delighted with owning him for his
fellow-laborer, and in calling him " the beloved physician,"
and the "brother whose- praise is in the Gospel."

536 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
St. Luke wrote two books for the use of the church, his Gos
pel and the Acts of the Apostles ; both which he dedicated to
Theophilus, which many of the ancients supposed to be a feign
ed name, denoting a lover of God, a title common to all sincere
Christians. But others think it was a real person, because the
title of "most excellent" is attributed to him; the usual title
and form of address in those times to princes and great men.
His Gospel contains the principal transactions of our Lord's
life ; and the particulars omitted by him are in general of less
importance than those of the other Evangelists.
With regard' to the Acts ofthe Apostles, written by St. Luke,
the work was, no doubt performed at Rome, about the time of
St. Paul's residing there, with which he concludes his history.
It contains the actions, and sometimes the sufferings, of the prin
cipal apostles, especially St. Paul, whose activity in the cause of
Christ made him bear a great part in the labors of his Master ;
and St.. Luke being his constant attendant, an eye-witness ofthe
whole carriage of his life, arid privy to his most intimate transac
tions, was consequently capable of giving a more full and satis
factory account of them. Among other things, he enumerates
the great miracles the apostles did in confirmation of their
doctrine. In both these treatises his manner of writing is exact and ac
curate ; his style noble and elegant, sublime and lofty, and yet
clear and perspicuous, flowing with an easy and natural grace
and sweetness, admirably adapted to an historical design. In
short, as an historian he was faithful in his relations, and ele
gant in his writings ; as a minister, careful and diligent for the
good of souls ; as a Christian, devout and pious ; and to crown
all the rest, laid down his life in testimony of the Gospel he had
both preached and published to the world.

ST. BARNABAS.

St. Barnabas was at first called Joses, a softer termination
generally given by the Greeks to Joseph. His fellow disciples
added the name of Barnabas, as significant of some extraordi
nary property in him. St. Lake interprets it " the son of con-

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 537
eolation," from his being ever ready to minister to the afflicted,
both by word and action.
He was a descendant of the tribe of Levi, of a family re
moved out of Judea* and settled in the isle of Cyprus* where
they had purchased an estate, as the Levites might do out of
their own country. His parents finding him of a promising gen
ius and disposition, placed him in one of the schools of Jerusa
lem, under the tuition of Gamaliel, St. Paul's master ; an inci
dent which* in all probability* laid the first foundation for that
intimacy that afterwards subsisted between these two eminent-
servants ofthe blessed Jesus.
The first mention we find of St. Barnabas in the holy Scrip
tures, is the record of that great and worthy service he did the
church of Christ, by succoring it with the sale of his patrimo
ny in Cyprus, the whole price of Which he laid at the apostles'
feet, to be put into the common stock, and disposed of as they
should think fit among the indigent followers of the holy Jesus.-
This worthy example was followed by those who were blessed
with the goods of fortune ; none kept their plenty to themselves,
but turned their houses and land into money, and devoted it to
the common use of the church. St. Barnabas' is, indeed, men
tioned as selling the most valuable estate on this Occasion ; or
being the most forward and ready to begin a common stock,-
aud set others a laudable pattern of charity and benevolence.
And now St. Barnabas became considerable in the ministry
and government of the church : for we find that St. Paul,
coming to Jerusalem three years after his conversion, and not
readily procuring admittance into the church, because he had
been so grievous a persecutor of if, and might still be suspect-^
ed of a design to betray it, addressed himself to Barnabas, a
leading man among the Christians, and one that had personal
knowledge of him. He accordingly introduced him to Peter
and James, and satisfied them of the sincerity of his conversion,
and in what a miraculous manner it was brought about. This
recommendation carried so much weight with it, that Paul was
not only received into the communion of the apostles, but tak
en into Peter's house, " and abode with him fifteen days.'*
Gal. i. 18.
About four or five year's after this, the agreeable news was
brought to Jerusalem, that several of their body who had beera
driven out of Judea by the persecutions raised about St. Ste
phen, had preached at Antioch with such success-, that a great
number, both of Jews and proselytes, embraced Christianity j
and were desirous that some of the superior order would come
down and confirm them. This request was immediately grant--
ed, and Barnabas was deputed to settle the new plantation*
Being himself " a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost, aud

533 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES,
of faith," his charitable deeds accompanying his discourses, aud
his pious life exemplifying his sound doctrine, the people were
greatly influenced by him, and very considerable additions were
made to the Christian church. But there being too large a field
for one laborer, he went to fetch Saul from Tarsus, who came
back with him to Antioch, and assisted him a whole year in
establishing that church. Their labors prospered ; their assem
blies were crowded, and the disciples, who before this were call
ed among themselves, " brethren, believers, elect," and by their
enemies, " Nazarenes, .and Galileans," were now called " Chris
tians" first at Antioch.
When the apostles had fulfilled their charitable embassy, and
stayed some time at Jerusalem to see the good effects of it, they
returned again to Antioch, bringing with them John, whose
surname was Mark, the son of Mary, sister to Barnabas, and at
whose house the disciples found both security for their persons,
and conveniency for the solemnities of their worship. But soon
after the apostles returned to Antioch, an express relation was
made to the church by the mouth of one of the prophets who
ministered there, that Barnabas and Saul should be set apart for
an extraordinary work, unto which the Holy Ghost had appoin
ted them. Upon this declaration, the chnrch set apart a day for
a solemn mission ; after devout prayer and fasting, they laid
their hands upon them, and ordained them to their office ; which
was to travel over certain countries, and preach the Gospel to
the Gentiles. From this joint commission Barnabas obtained
tbe name of an apostle, not only among later writers of the
church, but with St. Paul himself, as we find in the history of
the Acts of the Apostles.
Paul and Barnabas being thus consecrated " the apostles of
the Gentiles," entered upon their province, taking with them
John Mark, for their minister or deacon, who assisted them in
many ecclesiastical offices, particularly in taking care of the
poor. The first city they visited after their departure from Antioch
was Seleucia, a city of Syria, adjoining to the sea ; from whence
they sailed for the island of Cyprus, the native place of St. Bar
nabas, and arrived at Salamis, a port formerly remarkable for
its trade. Here they boldly preached the doctrines of the Gos
pel in the synagogues of the Jews ; and from thence travelled
to Paphos* the capital of the island, and famous for a temple
dedicated to Venus, the tutelar goddess of Cyprus. Here their
preaching was attended with remarkable success ; Sergius Pau
lus, the proconsul, being, among others, converted to th.e Chris
tian faith.
Leaving Cyprus, they crossed the sea to preach in Para
philia, where their deacon John, to the great grief of his uncle

PAUL. AND BARNABAS REPUTED AS GODS.
[Page 539.]

'' And they called Barnabas, Jupiter ; and Paul called they Mercurius, because he
was the chief speaker.
" Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands
unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with thepeople." — Acts xiv. 12, 13.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 539
Barnabas, left them, and returned to Jerusalem : either tired
with continual travels, or discouraged at the unavoidable dan
gers and difficulties which experience had sufficiently informed
him would constantly attend the preachers of the Gospel from
hardened Jews and idolatrous Gentiles.
Soon after their arrival at Lystra, Paul cured a man who had
been lame from his mother's womb, which so astonished the in
habitants, that they believed them to be gods, who had visited
the world iu the forms of men. Barnabas they treated as Jupi
ter, their sovereigu deity, either because of his age, or the grav
ity and comeliness of his person ; for all the writers of antiquity
represent him as a person of a venerable aspect, and a majestic
presence. But the apostles, with the greatest humility, declared
themselves to be but mortals : and the inconstant populace soon
satisfied themselves of the truth of what they had asserted ; for
at the persuasion of their indefatigable persecutors, who follow
ed them thither also, they made an assault upon them, and ston
ed Paul, till they left him for dead. But, supported by an in
visible power from on high, he soon recovered his spirits and
strength, and the apostles immediately departed for Derbe. Soon
after their arrival, they again applied themselves to the work of
the ministry, and converted many to the religion of the blessed
Jesus. From Derbe they returned back to Lystra, Iconium, and An
tioch, in Pisidia, " confirming the souls of the disciples, and
-exhorting them to continue in the faith; and that we must
through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God."
Jlcts, xiv. 22. After a short stay they again visited the church
es pf Paraphilia, Perga, and Attala, where they took ship, and
sailed to Antioch in Syria, the place from whence they first set
out. Soon after their arrival, they called the church of this ci
ty together, and gave them an account of their travels, and the
great success with which their preaching in the Gentile world
had been attended.
But they had not long continued in this city, before their as
sistance was required. to compose a difference in the church, oc
casioned by some of the Jewish converts, who endeavored to
persuade the Gentiles that they were bound to observe the law
of Moses, as well as that of Christ ; and be circumcised as well
as baptized. Barnabas endeavored to dissuade the zealots from
pressing such unnecessary observances : but all his endeavors
proving ineffectual, he was deputed with St. Paul and others,
to the church at Jerusalem, to submit the question, to be deter
mined there in a full assembly. During their stay at Jerusa
lem, Mark, in all probability reconciled himself to Barnabas,
and returned with him and St. Paul to Antioch, after they had
succeeded in their business in Jerusalem, and obtained a decree

540 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
from the synod there, that the Gentile converts should not have
circumcision and other Mosaic rites imposed upon them.
This determination generally comforted and quieted the minds
of the Gentiles, but it did not prevent the bigoted Jews from
keeping up a separation from them ; and that with so much ob
stinacy, that when St. Peter, some time after, came to Antioch,
he, for fear of offending them, deviated from his former prac
tice and late speech and vote in the synod of Jerusalem, by
refraining from all kind of communion with the Gentiles : and
Barnabas himself, though so great and good a man, was in
duced, by the authority of his example, to commit the same
error : but, doubtless, on being reproved by St. Paul, they
both took more courage, and walked according to the true
liberty and freedom ofthe Gospel.
Some days after this last occurrence, Paul made a proposal
to Barnabas, that they should repeat their late travels among
the Gentiles, and see how the churches they had planted in
creased in their numbers, and improved in the doctrines they
had taught them. Barnabas very readily complied with the
motion; but desired they might take with them his reconciled
nephew, John Mark. This Paul absolutely refused, because,
in their former voyage, Mark had not shewn the constancy of
a faithful minister of Christ, but consulted his own ease at a
dangerous juncture ; departed from them without leave at Para
philia, and returned to Jerusalem. Barnabas still insisted on
taking him ; and the other continuing as resolutely to oppose it,
a short debate arose, which terminated in a separation, whereby
these two holy men, who had for. several years been companions
in the ministry, and with united endeavors propagated the Gos
pel of the Son of God, now took different provinces. Barna
bas, with his kinsman, sailed to his own country, Cyprus ; and
Paul, accompanied by Silas, travelled to the churuches of Syria
and Cilicia.
After this separation from St. Paul, the sacred writings
give us no account of St. Barnabas ; nor are the ecclesiastical
writers agreed among themselves with regard to the actions of
this apostle after his sailing for Cyprus. This however seems
to be certain, that he did not spend the whole remainder of his
life in that island, but visited different parts of the world,
preaching the glad tidings ofthe Gospel, healing the sick, and
working other miracles among the Gentiles, After long and
painful travels, attended with different degrees of success, in
different places, he returned to Cyprus, his native country,
where he suffered martyrdom, in the following manner : certain
Jews coming from Syria and Salamis, where Barnabas was
then preaching the Gospel, being highly exasperated at his ex
traordinary success, fell upon him as he was disputing in the

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 541
synagogue, dragged him out, and, after the most inhuman tor
tures, stoned him to death. His kinsman, John Mark, who was
a spectator of this barbarous action, privately interred his body
in a cave, where it remained till the time of the emperor Zeno,
in the year of Christ 485, when it was discovered, with St.
Matthew's Gospel in Hebrew, written with his own hand, lying
on his breast,

ST. STEPHEN.

Both the Scriptures and the ancient writers are silent with
regard to the birth, country, and parents of St. Stephen. Epi
phanius is of opinion that he was one of the seventy disciples :
but this is very uncertain. Our blessed Saviour appointed his
seventy disciples to teach the doctrines, and preach the glad
tidings of the Gospel ; but it does not appear that St. Stephen
and the six other first deacons, had any particular designation
before they were chosen for the service of the tables ; and there
fore St. Stephen could not have been one of our Lord's disci
ples, though he might have often followed him, and listened
to his discourses.
He was remarkably zealous for the cause of religion, and full
of the Holy Ghost : working many wonderful miracles, before
the people, and pressing them, with the greatest earnestness, to
embrace the doctrine ofthe Gospel.
This highly provoked the Jews ; and some of the synagogues
of the freed-men of Cyrenia, Alexandria, and Other places,
entered into dispute with him ; but being unable to resist the
wisdom and spirit by which he spake, they suborned false wit
nesses against him, to testify that they heard him blaspheme
against Moses and against God. Nor did they stop here ; they
stirred up the people by their calumnies: so that thev dragged
bim before the council of the nation1, or great Sanhedrim,
where they produced false witnesses against him, who deposed
that they heard him speak against the temple, and against the
law, and affirm that Jesus of Nazareth would destroy the holy
place, and abolish the law of Moses. Stephen, supported by
bis own innocence, and an invisible power from on high, ap
peared undaunted in the midst of this assembly, and his coun
tenance shone like that of an angel ; when the high-priest ask-

542 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
ing him what he had to offer against the accusations laid to his
charge, he answered in the following manner :
" Hearken unto me, ye descendants of Jacob ; the Almighty,
whose glory is from everlasting, appeared to our father Abra
ham, before he sojourned in Charran, even while he dwelt in
Mesopotamia, commanding him to leave his country and rela
tions, and retire into a land which he would shew him.
" Abraham obeyed the divine mandate ; he left the land of
the Chaldeans, and pitched his tent in Charran ; from whence,
after his father was dead, he removed into Canaan, even the
land you now inhabit ; but he gave him no inheritance in this
country, not even so much as to set his foot upon. He prom
ised, indeed, he would give it him for a possession, which
should descend to his posteritv, though at this time he had no
child. " God also intimated to him that his seed should sojourn in
a strange land ; the people of which should make them bond
men and treat tbem cruelly four hundred years. After which
he would judge that nation, bring out his people, who should
serve him in this place, as an earnest of which, he gave him
the covenant of circumcision ; and afterwards a son, whom
Abraham circumcised the eighth day, calling his name Isaac,
who begat Jacob, and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.
" But these, moved with envy, sold their brother Joseph into
Egypt, where the Almighty protected him, delivered him from
all his afflictions, endued him with wisdom, and gave him favor
in the sight of Pharaoh,, the monarch of Egypt,- who made him
governor both of his house and kingdom.
" Soon after the exaltation of Joseph, the countries of Egypt
and Canaan were afflicted with a terrible famine, and our fa
thers found no sustenance either for themselves or flocks. But
as soon as Jacob heard the welcome tidings that there was corn
in Egypt, he sent our fathers thither to purchase bread for the
famine of his household. And in their second journey thither,
Joseph made himself known to his brethren, and also informed
Pharaoh of his country and relations. After which Joseph's
father, with his whole house, consisting of threescore and ten
souls, went down into Egypt, where both Jacob and our fathers
died, and their remains were deposited in the sepulchre, pur
chased by Abraham of Ephron the Hittite.
" But as the time for fulfilling the promise made to Abraham
approached, tbe people multiplied in Egypt, till another king
arose, who was not acquainted with the merits of Joseph, and
the great things he had done for that country. This prince
used our fathers with cruelty, and artfully attempted to destroy
all the male children. At this time Moses was born, and being
exceeding fair, was nourished three months in his father's

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 543
house: but as it was dangerous to conceal him there any long
er, he was hid among the flags on the bank of the river; when
the daughter of Pharaoh found him, and educated him as her
own son.
" Thus Moses became acquainted with all the learning of
Egypt, and was mighty both in word and deed : but when he
was forty years old, he thought proper to visit his brethren, the
children of Israel ; and seeing an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew,
he assisted the suffering person, and slew the Egyptian ; suppos
ing that his brethren would have been persuaded, that from his
hand, with the assistance of the Almighty, they might expect
deliverance : but they conceived no hopes of this kind.
" The next day he again visited them, and seeing two of
them striving together, he endeavored to make them friends :
Ye are brethren, said he to them ; why do ye injure one anoth
er ? But he who did his neighbor wrong, instead of listening
to his advice, thrust him away, saying, By what authority art
thou a judge of our actions ? wilt thou kill me, as thou didst
the Egyptian yesterday ?
" Moses, at this answer, fled from Egypt, and sojourned in
the land of Midian, where he begat two sons. And at the end
of forty years, the angel of tbe Lord appeared unto him in the
wilderness of Mount Sinai, out ofthe middle of a bush burning
with fire ; a sight which surprised Moses ; and as he drew near
to view more attentively so uncommon a sight, the voice of the
Lord came untS him, saying, ' I am the God of thy fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'
At which Moses trembled, and turned aside his face. But the
Lord said to him, ' Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the
place whereon thou standest is holy ground. I have seen the
affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and I have heard
their groaning, and am come to deliver them. And now come,
I will send thee into Egypt.'
" Thus was that Moses whom they refused, sent by God to
be a ruler and a deliverer, by the hand of the angel who ap
peared to him in the bush. Accordingly, he brought them
out, after he had shewed signs and wonders in the land of
Egypt, in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness, forty years. It
is this Moses that told our fathers, ' A prophet shall the Lord
your God raise up unto you, of your brethren, like unto me.
Him shall ye hear.'
"And this prophet is the same who was in the church in
the wilderness, with the angel which spake unto Moses in
Mount Sinai, and with our fathers ; the same who received the
lively oracles to give unto us ; he whom our fathers would not
obey, but thrust him from them, and were desirous of returning
to their state of bondage : commanding Aaron to make them

544 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. .
gods to go before them ; and pretending that they knew not
what was become of Moses, who delivered them from the
slavery of Egypt. They now made a calf, offered sacrifices
to it, and rejoiced in the work of their own hands. On which
the Almighty abandoned them, as the prophets have recorded :
' O ye house of Israel ! have you offered unto me slain beasts
and sacrifices, by the space of forty years in the wilderness ?
Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of
your god Remphan ; figures which ye madey to worship them :
aud I will carry you away beyond Babylon.'
" Our fathers Were possessed of the tabernacle of witness in
the wilderness ; being made according to the pattern Moses had
Seen in the mount; This tabernacle our fathers brought into
the possession of the Gehtiles, who were driven out by the Al
mighty, till the days of David, a favorite ofthe Most High, and
who was desirous of finding a tabernacle for the God of Jacob ;
but Solomon built him a house.
" We must not, however, think that the Almighty will reside
in temples made with hands, as the prophet beautifully observed,
' Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool : what house
will ye build me, saith the Lord, or where is the place of my
rest? Hath not mine hand made all these things?'
"Ye stiff-necked, ye uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye
will for ever resist the Holy Ghost. Ye tread in the paths of
your fathers ; as they did, so do you still continue to do. Did
not your fathers persecute every one of the prophets ? Did not
they slay them who shewed the coming of the Holy One, whom
ye yourselves have betrayed and murdered ? Ye have received
the law by the disposition of angels, but never kept it."
At these words they were so highly enraged, that they all
gnashed their teeth against him. But Stephen, lifting up his
eyes to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at
the right hand of Omnipotence. Upon which, he said to the
council, " I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing
at the right hand of God." This so greatly provoked the Jews,
that they cried out with one voice, and stopped their ears, as if
they had heard some dreadful blasphemy ; and falling upon him,
they dragged him out of the city, and stoned him to death.
It was the custom of the Jews on these occasions, for the wit
nesses to throw the first stone. Whether they obseryed this
particular at the martyrdom of Stephen is uncertain ; but the
Evangelist tells us, that the witnesses were principally concern
ed in this action ; for they stripped off their clothes, and laid
them at the feet of a young man whose name was Saul, then a
violent persecutor of the Christian church, but afterwards one
ofthe most zealous preachers of the Gospel.

STONING OP ST. STEPHEN.
[Page S46.]

" And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
" And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.
And when lie had said this, he fell asleep.' '— Acls vii. 59, GO.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 545
Stephen, while they wer» mangling his body with stones,
was praying to Omnipotenc for their pardon. " Lord," said
he, " lay not this sin to their charge." And then calling
on his dear Redeemer to receive his spirit, he yielded up
his souk

TIMOTHY,

Timothy was a convert and disciple of St, Paul. He was
born, according to some, at Lystra ; or, according to others, at
Derbe. His father was a Gentile, but his mother a Jewess,
whose name was Eunice, and that of his grand mother, Lois.
These particulars are taken notice of because St. Paul com
mends their piety and the good education which they had given
Timothy. When St. Paul came to Derbe and Lystra, about
the year of Christ 51 or 52, the brethren gave a very advan
tageous testimony of the merit and good disposition of Timo
thy : and the apostle would have him along with him, and he
initiated him at Lystra before he received him into hip compa
ny. Timothy applied himself to labor with St. Paul in the bu
siness of the Gospel > and did him very important services,
through the whole course of his preaching. It is not known
when he was made a bishop ; but it is believed that he received
very early the imposition of the apostle's hands ; and that in
consequence of a particular revelation, or from the Holy Ghost.
St. Paul calls him not only his dearly beloved son, but also his
brother, the companion of his labors, and a man of God. He
declared there were none more united with him in heart and
mind, than Timothy.
This holy disciple accompanied St. Paul to Macedonia, to
Philippi, to Thessalonica, to Berea ; and when the apostle went
from Berea, he left Timothy and Silas there to confirm the
converts. When he came to Athens, he sent for Timothy to
come thither to him ; and when he was come and had given
him an account of the churches of Macedonia, St. Paul sent
him back to Thessalonica, from whence he afterwards returned
with Silas, and came to St. Paul at Corinth. There he contin
ued with him, and the apostle mentions him, with Silas, at the
69

546 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
beginning of the two epistles which he then wrote to the Thes
salonians. Some years after this, St. Paul sent Timothy and Erastus in
to Macedonia ; and gave Timothy orders to call at Corinth,
to refresh the minds of the Corinthians, with regard to the
truths which he had inculcated in them. Some time after, wri
ting to the same Corinthians, he recommends them to take care
of Timothy, and send him back in peace ; after which Timothy
returned to St. Paul in Asia, who there staid for him. They
went together into Macedonia ; and the apostle puts Timothy's
name with his own, before the second epistle to the Corinthi
ans, which he wrote to them from Macedonia, about the middle
of the year of Christ 57. And he sends his recommendations
to the Romans in the letter which he wrote to them from Corinth
the same year.
When St. Paul returned from Rome, in 64, he left Timothy
at Ephesus to take care of that church, of which he was the
first bishop, as he is recognized by the council of Chalcedon.
St. Paul wrote to bim from Macedonia, the first of the two let
ters which are addressed to him. He recommends him to be
more moderate in his austerities, and to drink a little wine be
cause of the weakness of his stomach, and his frequent infirmi
ties. After the apostle came to Rome, in the year 65, being
now very near his death, he wrote to him his second letter,
which was full of the marks of his kindness and tenderness for
this his dear disciple ; and which is justly looked upon as the
last will of St. Paul. He desires him to come to Rome to him
before winter, and bring with him several things which St. Paul
had left at Troas. If Timothy went to Rome, as it is probable
he did, he must have been a witness of the martyrdom of this
apostle, in the year of Christ 66.
If he did not die before the year 97, we can hardly doubt but
that he must be the pastor of the church of Ephesus, to whom
John writes in his Revelations : though the reproaches with which
he seems to load him for his instability in having left his first
love, do not seem to agree to so holy a man as Timothy was.
Thus he speaks to him : " I know thy works, and thy labor, and
thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil :
and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are
not, and hast found them liars. And hast borne and hast pa
tience, and for my name's sake hast labored and hast not faint
ed. -Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee; because thou
hast left thy first love. Remember, therefore, from whence thou
art fallen : and repent and do the first works, or else I will
come uuto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out
of his place, except thou repent." The greatest part of in
terpreters think that these reproaches do not so much concern

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 547
the person of Timothy, as that of some members of his church,
whose zeal was grown cool. But others are persuaded that they
may be applied to Timothy himself, who made ample amends,
by the martyrdom which he suffered, for the reproaches mention
ed by St. John in this place. It is supposed that Timothy had
Onesimus for his successor.

TITUS.

Titus was a Gentile by religion and birth, but converted
by St. Paul, who calls him his son. St. Jerome says that he
was St. Paul's interpreter ; and that, probably, because he
might write what St. Paul dictated, or explained in Latin what
this apostle said in Greek ; or rendered into Greek what St. Paul
said in Hebrew or Syriac. St. Paul took him with him to Je
rusalem, when he went thither in the year 51 of the vulgar
sera, about deciding the question which was then started, wheth
er the converted Gentiles ought to be made subject to the cere
monies of the law ? Some would then have obliged him to
circumcise Titus ; but neither he nor Titus would consent to it.
Titus was sent by the same apostle to Corinth, upon occasion of
some disputes which then divided the church. He was very well
received by the Corinthians, and very much satisfied with their
ready compliance : but would receive nothing from them, imita
ting thereby the disinterestedness of his master.
From hence he went to St. Paul in Macedonia, and gave
him an account of the state of the church at Corinth. A lit
tle while after the apostle desired him to return again to Cor
inth, to set things in order preparatory to his coming. Titus
readily undertook this journey, and departed immediately, car
rying with him St. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. Ti
tus was made bishop of the Isle of Crete, about the 63d year
of Christ, when St. Paul was obliged to quit that island, in or
der to take care of the other churches. The following year he
wrote to him, to desire that as soon as he should have sent Ty-
chicus or Artemas to him for supplying his place in Crete,
Titus would come to him to Nicopolis in Macedonia, or to Ni
copolis in Epirus, upon the gulf of Ambracia, where the apos
tle intended to pass his winter.

548 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
The subject of this epistle is to represent to Titus what are
the qualities that a bishop should be endued with. As the prin
cipal function which Titus was to exercise in the Isle of Crete
was to ordain priests and bishops, it was highly incumbent on
him to make a discreet choice. The apostle also gives him a
sketch for the advice and instructions which he was to' pro
pound to all sorts of persons : to the aged, both men and wo
men ; to young people of each sex ; to slaves or servants. He
exhorts him to keep a strict authority over the Cretans ; and
to reprove them with severity, as being a people addicted to
lying, wickedness, idleness and gluttony. And as many con
verted Jews were in the churches of Crete, he exhorts Titus to
oppose their vain traditions and Jewish fables : and at the
same time to shew them that the observation of the legal cere
monies is no longer necessary ; that the distinction of meat is
now abolished ; and that every thing is pure and clean to those
that are so themselves : he puts him in mind of exhorting the
faithful to be obedient to temporal power ; to avoid disputes,
quarrels, and slander ; to apply themselves to honest callings ;
and to shun the company of an heretic, after the first and sec
ond admonition.
The epistle to Titus has always been acknowledged by the
church. The Marcionites did not receive it, nor did the Basi-
lidians, and some other heretics ; but Titian, the head of the
Encratics, received it, and preferred it before all the rest. It is
not certainly known from what place it was written, nor by
whom it was sent.
Titus was deputed to preach the Gospel in Dalmatia ; and he
was still there in the year 65, when the apostle wrote his
second epistle to Timothy. He afterwards returned into Crete ;
from which it is said he propagated the Gospel into the neigh
boring islands. He died at the age of 94, and was buried in
Crete. We are assured that the cathedral of the city of Can-
dia is dedicated to his name ; and that his head is preserved
there entire. The Greeks keep his festival on the 25th of
August, and the Latins on the fourth of January.

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 549

THE VIRGIN MARY.

As we are taught by the predictions of the prophets, that a
virgin was to be the mother of the promised Messiah, so we
are assured by the unanimous concurrence of the evangelists5,
that this virgin's name was Mary, the daughter of Joachim
and Anna, of the tribe of Judah ; and married to Joseph of
the same tribe. The scripture, indeed, tells us no more of
the blessed virgin's parents, than that she was of the family of
David. What is said concerning the birth of Mary and her parents
is to be found only in some apocryphal writings ; but which,
however, are very ancient. St. John says, that Mary the wife
of Cleophas was the virgin's sister Mary, that was of the royal
race of David. She was allied likewise to the family of Aaron,
since Elizabeth, the wife of Zacharias, the motiier of John the
Baptist, was her cousin.
Not to build upon uncertainties, thus much we are assured
by the testimony of an angel, that she was happy above all
other women, in the divine favor ; that she was full of grace ;
and that the Lord was with her in a peculiar manner.
For since the Son of God, in order to become a man, and to
dwell among us, was obliged to take a human body from some
woman, it was agreeable to his infinite wisdom that he should
choose for this purpose one whose endowments of body and
mind were most holy and pious ; who excelled the rest of her
sex in chaste and virtuous dispositions ; and who, in short, was
a repository of all the divine graces.
The excesses of that devotion which has been paid to the
blessed virgin, and the legendary tales of monks, cannot in
reason blemish her real excellencies, no more than the idola
tries of the pagans can obscure the light of the sun which is
deified. After all the abuses of superstition or profaneness,
the extremes of honor and dishonor, there will ever be a very
high esteem and veneration due to the mother of the blessed
Jesus. That the mother of our Lord, notwithstanding her marriage,
was even in that state to remain a pure virgin, and to conceive
Christ in a miraculous manner, is the clear doctrine of the holy
scriptures. " Behold," says Isaiah, in chap. vii. prophesying
of this mysterious incarnation, " a virgin shall conceive, and
bear a son." The Hebrew word Almah most properly signifies
a virc-in : and so it is translated here by all the ancient inter-

550 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
prefers ; and never once used in the scriptures in any other
sense, as several learned men have proved against the particular
pretensions of the modern Jews. It primarily signifies " hid-,
den," or " concealed ;" whence it is used to denote a virgin,
because of the custom in the eastern countries of keeping such
concealed from the view of men, never suffering them to stir
out of the women's apartments.
Though we cannot doubt but that God, who ordained this
mystery, provided for all circumstances requisite to its accom
plishment ; yet we may consider which way a decorum was pre
served in this case by marriage. St. Matthew says, "-The
virgin was espoused to Joseph ; and that before they came
together, she was found to be with child of the Holy Ghost."
Whence we may conclude that it was not a constant custom for
the bride to go and live at the bridegroom's house immediately
upon her being affianced to him.
Notwithstanding the various circumstances relating to this
affair, as told us in apocryphal books, are not to be relied on
as certain; yet, however, Mary's resolution of continency, even
in a married state, cannot be called in question, since her vir
ginity is attested by the Gospel ; and that herself, speaking to
the Angel, who declared to' her that she should become the
mother of a son, told him, "That she knew not a man," or
that she lived in continency with her husband. For which rea
son, when Joseph perceived her pregnancy, he was at first so
extremely surprised and scandalized at it, that he resolved to
put her away, but secretly, without making any noise, and with
out observing the common formalities : for he knew the mutual
resolution they had agreed to, of being in continence, though
in a state of marriage.
The virgin Mary then being espoused, or married, to Joseph,
the angel Gabriel appeared to her, in order to acquaint her,
that she should become the mother of the Messiah. Mary
asked him how that could be, since she knew no man. To
which the angel replied, that the Holy Ghost should come
upon her, and the power of the Highest should overshadow
her; so that she should conceive without the concurrence of
any man. And to confirm what he had said to her, and shew
that nothing is impossible to God, he added, that her cousin
Elizabeth, who was old, and had been barren, was then in the
sixth month of her pregnancy. Mary answered him, " Behold
the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy
word." And by the miraculous power of the Holy Ghost, she
presently conceived the Son of God, the true Emanuel, that is
to say, " God with us." Whether the holy virgin, immediately
after the annunciation, went up to the passover at Jerusalem
(as some have imagined, this being the season of the year for

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 551
it) or not, we have no account from the Evangelist St. Luke;
but this he assures us, that a little while after she set out for
Hebron, a city in the mountains of Judah, in order to visit her
cousin Elizabeth, to congratulate her upon her pregnancy,
which she had learned from the angel, at an age when such a
blessing was not usually to be expected ; and no sooner had she
entered the house and began to speak, than upon Elizabeth's
hearing the voice of Mary's salutation, her child, young John
the Baptist, transported with supernatural emotions of joy,
leaped in her womb. Whereupon she was filled with the Holy
Ghost ; and being, by divine inspiration, acquainted with the
mystery of the incarnation, she saluted Mary, and cried out,
" Blessed art thou amongst women ; and blessed is the fruit of
thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my
Lord should come to me ? For lo ! as soon as the voice of thy
salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb
for joy. And blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a
performance of those things which were told her from the
Lord." Then Mary, filled with acknowledgments, and super
natural light, praised God, saying, " My soul doth magnify the
Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour," &tc. as
we find it in the hymn called Magnificat.
After Mary had continued here about three months* till Eliz
abeth was delivered (as St. Ambrose thinks, that she might
see him on whose account she principally made that visit) she
then returned to her own house.
When she was ready to be delivered, an edict was published
by Caesar Augustus, in the year of the world 4000, the first of
Christ, and the third before the vulgar aera, which decreed,
that all the subjects of the Roman empire should go to their
respective cities and places, there to have their names regis
tered according to their families. Thus Joseph and Mary,
who were both of the lineage of David, repaired to the city of
Bethlehem, the original and native place of their family. But
while they were in this city, the time being fulfilled in which
Mary was to be delivered, she brought forth her first-bom
son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a man
ger of the stable or cavern whither they had retired ; for they
could find no place in the public inn, because of the great
concourse of people that were then at Bethlehem on the same
occasion ; or they were forced to withdraw into the stable of
the inn, not being able to get a more convenient place for her
to be delivered.
The Greek fathers generally agree that the place of Christ's
birth was a cavern. Justin and Eusebius place it out of the
city, but in the neighborhood ; and St. Jerome says, it was at
the extremity of the city, towards the south. It was commonly

552 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
believed that the Virgin brought forth Jesus the night after her
arrival at Bethlehem, or on the 25th of December. Such is
the ancient tradition of the church. The fathers inform us that
Mary brought forth Jesus Christ without pain, and without the
assistance of any midwife : because she had conceived him with
out concupiscence ; and that neither she, nor the fruit she brought
forth, had any share in the curse pronounced against Adam and
Eve. At the same time the angels made the birth of Christ known
to the shepherds, who were in the fields near Bethlehem ; and
who came in the night to see Mary and Joseph, and the child
lying in the manger, in order to pay him their tribute of adora
tion. Mary took notice of all these things, and laid them up in
ber heart. Some time after came the Magi, or wise men, from
the East, and brought to Jesus the mysterious presents of gold,
frankincense, and myrrh* having been directed thither by a star
which led the way before them, to the very place where the
babe lay. After this, being warned by an angel that appeared
to them in a dream, they returned into their own country by a
way different from that by which they came, without giving
Herod the intelligence he wanted; which he pretended was in
order to come and worship the babe; though his real design
was to cu{ him °ff> from a jealousy of his rivalling him in his
kingdom. But the time of Mary's purification being come, that is, forty
days after the birth of Jesus, she went to Jerusalem in order to
present her son in the temple ; and there to offer the sacrifice ap
pointed by the law, for the purification of women after child
birth. At that time there was at Jerusalem an old man, named
Simeon, who was full of the Holy Ghost, and had received a se
cret assurance that he should not die before he had seen Christ
the Lord. Accordingly he came into the temple by the impulse
ofthe Spirit of God, a,nd taking the little Jesus in his arms, he
blessed the Lord ; and then addressing himself to Mary, said,
" This child is sent for the rising and falling of many in Israel ;
and for a sign which shall be spoken against you ; even so far
that thy own soul shall be pierced as with a sword, that the
secret thoughts in the hearts of many may be discovered."
Afterwards, when Joseph and Mary were preparing to return
to their own country of Nazareth, the angel ofthe Lord appear
ed to Joseph in a dream, bidding him to retire into Eg}'pt
with Mary, and the child, because Herod had a design to de
stroy Jesus. Joseph obeyed the admonition, and continued in
Egypt till after the death of Herod ; when both he and Mary
returned to Nazareth, not daring to go to Bethlehem, because it
was the jurisdiction of Archelaus, the son and successor of Herod
the Great.

x LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 553
Joseph and Mary went every year to Jerusalem to the feast
bf the passover : and when Jesus was twelve yearS of age, tbe^
brought him with them to the capital. When the days of/the
festival were ended, they set out on their return home : but the
child Jesus continued at Jerusalem, without their perceiving
it; and thinking that he might be with some of the company*
they went on a day's journey ; when not finding him among
their, acquaintance, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking for him;
Three days after, they found him in the temple, sitting among
the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions. When
they' saw him* they were filled with astonishment ; and Mary
said to him, My son, why have you served us .thus ? Behold
your father and myself, Who have Sought you in great affliction.
Jesus answered them, Why did you seek me ? did not yotl
know that I must be employed about my Father's business ?
Afterwards he returned with them to Nazareth, and lived in fil->
ial submission to them ; but his mother laid up all these things
in her heart. The Gospel says nothing more of the Virgin Ma
ry, till the marriage of Cana of Galilee, where she was present,
with her son Jesus.
In process of time, according to the divine appointment res-<
pecting his mission* our Saviour resolved to manifest hiinself to
the world, and therefore went to the baptism of St. John, from
thence into the wilderness, and thence to the before-mentioned
wedding, to which he, with his mother and disciples, had been
invited. At this entertainment the provision of wine being
somewhat scanty, (probably because the friends of the married
couple were but mean) Christ's mother told her son they had
Po wine, not doubting of his power to supply them : to Which
Jesus answered in terms which had some appearance of a re
buke, " Woman, what have I to do with thee ? mine hour is not
yet come." St. Chrysostom, and the followers of him in his ex
plications, impute what was said by the holy Virgin to some
motive of vanity, and that, she was tempted by a desire of seeing
her oWn credit raised by the miracles of her son ; but the oth
er fathers and commentators ascribe it to her charity and com
passion towards these poor people. And it is thought that
Christ's answer was intended for more general use than the pres
ent occasion ; namely, to teach us to wait God's time of doing
his own works; and certainly our Lord designed no affront to
his mother, to whom he always paid a pious and filial rever
ence. This answer is imputed by the said fathers and commen
tators to Jesus, not as man ; but to Jesus* as the Son of God.
In this respect he says to Mary, What have I to do with thee ?
I know when I ought to shew forth my power; nor does it be
long to you to appoint me the time of working miracles ; since
**•*• **-o»>pr time for this has not yet begun ; and further intima-
10

554 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
ting, that when it did, these were not to be wrought out of any
private, partial, and civil views, but in pursuance of that great
end which he had in charge, the conversion and salvation of
mankind. And so his mother understood him, receiving the an
swer with meekness, and charging the servants to attend him,
and do whatever he commanded them.
There being in the room six great stone pitchers, Jesus order
ed them to be filled brim-full of water ; and afterwards com
manded the servants to fill out and carry it to the master of
the feast, who, on tasting, found it was excellent wine. And
this is the first miracle Jesus wrought at the beginning of his
public ministry.
From hence our Lord went to Capernaum with his mother
and brethren ; that is, with his relations and disciples, in order,
as St. Chrysostom thinks, to fix the Virgin Mary in a settled
habitation, while he travelled about the country in the exercise
of his ministry ; and this indeed, seems to be the place where
the holy Virgin afterwards principally resided. St. Epiphanius,
on the contrary, believed that she followed him every where,
during the whole time of his preaching ; though we do not find
that the Evangelists make any mention of her when they speak
of several holy women of Galilee, who followed him and minis
tered to his necessities.
The Gospel informs us that as our blessed Saviour, in the
course of his travels for the fulfilment of his divine mission, was
on a certain day teaching in a house at Capernaum, so great a
crowd of people stood about him that neither he nor his disci
ples had time to take any refreshment, which caused a report to
be spread abroad, that he had fainted away. It was not the
multitude who raised and circulated this false report, but the ig
norant and malicious scribes and pharisees, who were ever devi
sing such methods as their malicious dispositions could project
to lessen the character and reputation of the blessed Jesus, and
to prepossess the minds of the people against the doctrines be
preached and taught. It was from this view they raised so un
just a report, and which occasioned some confusion and inter
ruption for a time ; but it was soon discovered to be false, the
tumult appeased, and the enemies of our Lord looked upon by
the people with that contempt they deserved.
The mother of Jesus and his brethren, as it was natural for
them, upon hearing such a report, came instantly to seek him,
and endeavored to take him out of the crowd, in order to give
him all the relief in their power. But when they could not get
into the house for the throngs of people, they caused a message
to be conveyed from one to another, till it was told Jesus " that
his mother and his brethren were at the door, and desired to
speak with him." Jesus being accordingly informed of their

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 555
coming, and that they waited to speak to him, being at that in
stant engaged in the work of his ministry, preaching the word
of God, he asked this question : Who is my mother, and who
are my brethren ? and looking upon those that were round about
him, he said, These are my mother and brethren ; declaring,
" That whosoever did the will of his heavenly Father, the same
was his mother, and sister, and brother." This was what
Christ hath taught in another place, that we must prefer God
to all human relations, and give the preference to his service.
But this saying could not reflect upon his mother, who was
among the principal of those who did the will of his heavenly
Father. Immediately upon her approach, a woman of the com
pany said with a loud voice, directing her words to Jesus,
" Blessed is the womb that bare tbee, and the paps which thou
hast sucked." To which he replied, " Yea, rather blessed are
they that hear the word of God and keep it." Not intimating
hereby that she who had the honor to bear him did not deserve
to be called blessed throughout all generations ; but that even
her happiness consisted more in doing the will of Christ, than
in giving him a human body.
From this time we have no further account ofthe holy Vir
gin, till we find her in Jerusalem at the last passover our SaVr
iour celebrated in that city. Here she saw all that was transac
ted against him, followed him to Mount Calvary, and stayed at
the foot of the cross during the passion of her blessed Son. We
cannot doubt that her soul was at this time pierced through, as
old Simeon prophesied, with the most acute pains for the death
of such a son. Yet her constancy was remarkable ; for when
the apostles were frightened away from their Master, she with a
courage undaunted and worthy of the mother of Christ, con
tinued even in the midst of the executioners, being prepared to
die with her son.
On this melancholy occasion we cannot but suppose the holy
Virgin to have been affected with sentiments fit for one who
had so miraculously conceived, and so carefully observed and
laid up in her mind all occurrences that related to the Son of
God. Our blessed Lord, who came to set us a pattern of all virtue
through the whole course of his life, was pleased, in these last
moments, to teach us that in what circumstances soever we are,
we must never cast off that love and care which God's law
obliges us to have for those who gave us life. Being now ready
to leave the world, and seeing his own mother at the foot of
the cross, and his beloved disciple, St. John, near her, he be
queathed her to him by his last will and testament, saying to
his mother, " Woman, behold thy son." And to the disciple,

556 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES'.
" Behold thy mother ;" and from that hour the disciple took
her home to his own house.
It is not to be doubted but that our Saviour appeared to his
holy mother immediately after his resurrection, and that she was
the first, or at least one of the first, to whom he vouchsafed
this great consolation.
St. Luke acquaints us, in the first chapter of the Acts, that
the Virgin Mary was with the apostles and others, and con
tinued with them when assembled at Jerusalem after his ascen
sion, waiting for the descent of the Holy Ghost; and it is
probable that from her they learned the whole history of our
Lord's private life before his baptism ; though St. Chrysostom
will have them to be taught it by revelation. After this she
dwelt in the house of St. John the Evangelist, who took care
of her as of his own mother. > It is thought that he took her
along with him to Ephesus, where she continued some time,
and there is a letter of the council of Ephesus, importing, that
in the fifth century it was believed she was buried there.
Yet this opinion was not so universally received but that
some authors of the same age think the Virgin Mary died and
was buried at Jerusalem : or rather in her sepulchre at Geth
semane, near that city, where to this day it is shewn in a mag-.
nificent church dedicated to her name.
Epiphanius, the most learned father of the fourth century,
declares he could not tell whether she died a natural death, or
by martyrdom : or whether she was buried or not. " None
(says he) knows any thing of her decease : but that it was glo
rious cannot be doubted. That body which was perfectly
chaste and pure must enjoy a happiness worthy of her through
whom the Sun of Righteousness arose and shone upon the
world.'? A learned writer has added to the before-cited passage of
the council of Ephesus, another remark from their act : " That
the cathedral church of Ephesus was dedicated under the name
of the Virgin Mary ; and that we find no other church of her
name at that time in any approved author." For though the
holy Virgin was always held in great veneration, yet it was not
the custom of the first ages to give the name of any saint to a
church, except they had some of the relics, or built it in the
place where such a saint was martyred ; or for some reason of
the like nature.
The sentiments of the Roman church are, that she is dead ;
but they are divided as to her having risen again : or whether
she stays for the general resurrection at Ephesus, Jerusalem, or
any other placed
With regard to the age at which she died, and the precise
year of her death, it is needless to trouble ourselves about this

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 557
inquiry : since nothing can be said on these matters but what is
very doubtful : and they cannot be fixed but at random. Nice
phorus Callistus, and those who have followed him, give no
proof of what they advance on this subject, and therefore de
serve no credit. Nor shall we build upon the description of
the Holy Virgin given us by the same author, who says, that
she was of a moderate stature ; or, according to Some, a little
below the ordinary stature of women ; that her complexion was
of the color of wheat, her hair fair, her eyes lively, the eye
balls yellowish, or olive-colored, her eye-brows black and semi
circular, her nose pretty long, her lips red, her hands and fin
gers large, her air grave, simple, and modest, her clothes neat,
without any pride and ostentation, and of the natural color of
the wool. It has been said that St. Luke drew her picture ;
and in several places are shewn pictures of her, which, it is
affirmed, are copies from the original by St. Luke.
The above-mentioned Nicephorus Callistus, an author of the
14th century, is the first who has spoken of this in a positive
manner ; but Theodorus, lecturer of the church of Constantino
ple, who lived in the sixth century, says, that Eudocia sent from
Jerusalem to Constantinople to the empress Pulcheria, a picture
ofthe Holy Virgin painted by St. Luke. BuUwe need be in
no great pain about this, since the true images of saints are the
ideas of their virtues, which we should form in our minds, and
express by our actions.
Certain it is, that this Holy Evangelist has acquainted us
with some particulars of the life of the Holy Virgin, that could
hardly be learned from any one but herself; which may incline
us to believe that he had the happiness of her acquaintance, and
a tolerable share of her confidence.
With regard to her character, we shall only mention in gen
eral* that common remark which the evangelists make, that she
was more disposed to think than to speak ; and observed the
extraordinary things which were said of her son iri silence ; or,
ps they express it, " she pondered them in her heart."

558 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

MARY, THE SISTER OF LAZARUS.
This holy woman has been preposterously confounded with
the sinful person who sat at the feet of the blessed Jesus weep
ing, while he was at meat in the house of Simon the leper (see
Luke vii. 37, 39.) Who this sinner was is unknown ; some
will have her to be Mary Magdalene ; but this opinion has
nothing more than conjecture for its basis.
But whoever that sinner was, she was a very different person
from Mary the sister of Lazarus, who, with her sister Martha,
lived with their brother at Bethany, a village near Jerusalem.
The blessed Jesus had a particular affection for this family, and
often retired to their house with his disciples. One day, and
perhaps the first time that Jesus went thither, Martha received
him with remarkable affection, and took the greatest pains in
providing a proper entertainment for him : but Mary her sister
continued sitting at our Saviour's feet, listening to his words
with peculiar attention. This Martha considered as an instance
of disrespect, and therefore said to Jesus, " Lord, dost thou
not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone ? Bid her,
therefore, that she help me." But the blessed Jesus justified
Mary, by telling her sister, that she had chosen the better part,
which should not be taken from her.
Some time after their brother Lazarus fell sick, and his sis
ters sent to acquaint Jesus of the misfortune ; but he did not
arrive at Bethany till after Lazarus was dead. Martha, hear
ing 'Jesus was come into the neighborhood, went and told him,
that if he had not been absent her brother had been still alive.
Jesus promised her that her brother should rise again. To
which Martha answered, "1 know that he shall rise again at
the last day." Jesus replied, " I am the resurrection and the
life ; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall
he live : and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never
die. Believest thou this ?" Martha answered, " Yea, Lord :
I believe that thou art the Christ the Son of God, which should
come into the world."
Having said this, she departed, and gave her sister notice
privately, that Jesus was come. Mary, as soon as she heard
the welcome tidings, arose and went to Jesus ; and, as Martha
had done before her, said, " Lord, if thou hadst been here, my
brother bad not died." The blessed Jesus was greatly moved
at the pathetic complaints of these two worthy sisters, and on

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 559
asking where they had buried him, they conducted him to the
sepulchre. On his arrival at the place where the body of Lazarus was
deposited, the great Redeemer of mankind groaned deeply in
his spirit ; he wept, he prayed to his Father, and then cried
with a loud voice, " Lazarus, come forth." The dead obeyed
the voice ofthe Son of God; Lazarus immediately revived, and
Jesus restored him to his sisters.
After performing this stupendous miracle, Jesus departed
from the neighborhood of Jerusalem, and did not return thither
till some days before the passover. Six days before that festi
val, Jesus came again to Bethany with his. disciples, and was
invited to a supper at the house of Simon the leper. Martha
attended, and Lazarus was one of the- guests.
During the supper, Mary, to express her gratitude, took a
pound of spikenard, a very precious perfume, and poured it ou
the head and feet of Jesus, wiping his feet with the hair of her
head ; and the whole house, was filled with the odor of tbe oint
ment. Judas Iscariot was highly offended at this generous
action ; but his Master vindicated Mary, and told him, that by
this she had prevented his embalment, signifying that his death
and burial were at hand.
After this we have no account of Mary, the sister of Lazarus,
in the sacred writings. Several authors, indeed, by not dis
tinguishing properly between Mary the sister of Martha, and
Mary Magdalene, say, that she was present at the crucifixion
of the great Redeemer of mankind : and also that both she and
her sister accompanied the women who went to embalm the
body. This is not, indeed, improbable ; but it is certain nei
ther of them are particularly mentioned by the evangelists.
The ancient Latins believed, and the Greeks are still of the
same opinion, that both Martha and Mary continued at Jerusa
lem, and died there ; and several ancient Martyrologists place
their feast on the nineteenth of January.

JOSEPH.

Joseph, or Joses, was the son of Mary Cleophas, brother to
St. James the Less, and a near relation to the blessed Jesus,
according to the flesh ; being the son of Mary, the holy Virgin's

660 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
sister, and Cleophas* who was Joseph's brother, or son to Jo*
seph himself, as several of the ancients suppose ; who have
asserted that Joseph was married to Mary Cleophas, or Escha,
before he was married to the holy Virgin. Some believe Jo
seph the son of Mary Cleophas, to be the same with Joseph Bar-
sabas, surnamed the Just, who is mentioned in the Acts of the
Apostles, and was proposed, with St. Matthias, to fill up the
traitor Judas*s place ; but in this there is no certainty. We
learn nothing particular in Scripture concerning Joseph, the
brother of our Lord. If he was one of those among his near
kinsmen Who did not believe in him, when they would have per
suaded him to go to the feast of tabernacles, some months before
our Saviour's death, it is probable that he was afterwards con
verted : for it is intimatedVin Scripture, that at last all our Sav
iour's brethren believed in him ; and St. Chrysostom says, that
they were signalized for the eminence of their faith and virtue.

JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA.

Joseph of Arimathea, or of Ranatha, Rama or Ramula, *
city between Joppa and Jerusalem, was a Jewish senator, and'
privately a disciple of Jesus Christ : he was not consenting to
the designs of the rest of the Jews, particularly the members of/
the Sanhedrim, who condemned and put Jesus to death : and
when our SavioUr was dead, he went boldly to Pilate, and desir
ed the body of Jesus in order to bury it. This he obtained,
and accordingly buried it after an honorable manner in a sepul
chre newly made in a garden ; which was upon the same Mount
, Calvary where Jesus had been crucified. After he had placed
it there, he closed the entrance of it with a stone cut particu
larly for this purpose, and which exactly filled the open part
of it.
The Greek church keeps the festival of Joseph of Arimathea,
July the 31st.
We do not meet with his name in the old Latin Martyrologies ;'
nor was it inserted in the Roman till after the year 1585. The
body of Joseph of Arimathea was, it is said, brought to the ab
bey of Moyenmontier by Fortunatus, archbishop of Grada ; to
which Charlemagne had given this monastery under the denomw

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 561
Elation of a benefice. His remains were honored till the tenth
age ; but then the monastery being given to canons, who con-
; inued seventy years there, the relics were carried away by some
foreign monks, and so lost with many others.

NICODEMUS.

Nicodemus, one ofthe disciples of our blessed. Saviour', was
a Jew by nation, and by sect a pharisee. The Gospel calls him
a Ruler of the Jews ; and Christ gives him the name of a Mas- ,
ter of Israel. When Our Saviour began to manifest himself by
his miracles at Jerusalem, at the first passover which he cele
brated there after his baptism, Nicodemus made no doubt but
that he was the Messiah, and came to him by night, that he
might learn of him the way to salvation. Jesus told him, that
no one could see the kingdom of heaven, except he should be
born again. Nicodemus taking this in the literal sense, made;
answer, How can a man be born again ? Can he enter a sec
ond time into his mother's womb ? To which Jesus replied, If
a man be not born agairi of wafer and the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the
flesh, is flesh ; and that which is born ofthe Spirit, is Spirit.
Nicodemus asked him, How can these things be ? Jesus an
swered : " Art thou a master of Israel, and ignorant of these
things ? We tell you what we know, and you receive not our
testimony. If you believe not common things, and which may
be called earthly, how will you believe me if I speak to you of
heavenly things ? And as Moses lifted up the brazen serpent in
the wilderness* so must the Son of Man be lifted up on*' high :
for God has so loved the world that he has given his only Son ;
so that no man who believes in him shall perish, but shall have
eternal life ; for God sent his Son into the wPrld, that the world
through him might be saved."
After this conversation, Nicodemus became a disciple of Je
sus Christ ; and as there is uo doubt to be made but he came to
hear him as often as our Saviour came to Jerusalem. It hap-,
pened, on a time, that the priests and pharisees had sent officers'
to seize Jesus, who returned to them, and made this report, that
never man spoke as he did ; to which the pharisees replied,
" Are you also of his disciples ? Is there any one of tbe elders
71

562 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
or pharisees that have believed in him ?" Then Nicodemus"
thought himself obliged to make answer, saying, " Does the
law permit us to condemn any one before he is heard ?" To
which they replied, " Are you also a Galilean ? Read the scrip
tures, and you will find that never any prophet came out of Gal
ilee." After this the council was dismissed. At last Nicode
mus declared himself openly a disciple of Jesus Christ,, when he
came with Joseph of Arimathea to pay the last duties to the
body of Christ crucified : which they took down from the cross,
embalmed and laid in the sepulchre.
Nicodemus received baptism from the disciples of Christ ; but
it is uncertain whether before or after his passion.
The Jews being informed of this, deposed him from his digni
ty of senator, excommunicated and drove him from Jerusalem.
It is said also, that they would have put him to death ; but that
in consideration of Gamaliel, who was his uncle, or cousin-
german, they contented themselves with beating him almost to
death, and plundering his goods.
Gamaliel conveyed him to his country house, and provided
him with what was necessary for his support ; and when he died,
Gamaliel buried him honorably near St. Stephen.
His body was discovered in 413, together with those of St.
Stephen and Gamaliel ; and the Latin church pays honor to all
three on the third of August.

JOHN MARK.

John Mark, cousin to St. Barnabas, and a disciple of his,
was the son of a Christian woman, named Mary, who had a
house in Jerusalem, where the apostles aud the faithful generally
used to meet. Here they were at prayers in the night, when St.
Peter, who was delivered out of prison by the angel, came and
knocked at the door : and in this house the celebrated church
of Sion was said to have been afterwards established.
John Mark, whom some very improperly confound with the
Evangelist St. Mark, adhered to St. Paul and St. Barnabas,
and followed them in their return to Antioch : he continued in
their company and service till they came to Perga, in Pam-
phylia, but then seeing that they were undertaking a longer

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 563
journey, he left them, and returned to Jerusalem. This hap
pened in the year 45 ofthe common asra.
•Some years after, that is to say in the year 51, Paul and Bar
nabas preparing to return into "Asia, in order to visit the church
es, which they had formed there, Barnabas was of opinion that
John Mark should accompany them in this journey ; but Paul
would not consent to it : upon which occasion these two apostles
separated. Paul went to. Asia, and Barnabas, with John Mark,
to the Isle of Cyprus. What John Mark did after this journey
we do not know, till we find him at Rome in the year 63,
performing signal service for St. Paul, during his imprisonment.
The apostle speaks advantageously of him in his Epistle to
the Colossians : " Marcus, sister's son io Barnabas, saluteth
you. If he cometh unto you, receive him." He makes men
tion of him again in his Epistle to Philemon, written in the
year 62, at which time he was with St. Paul at Rome ; but in
the year 65 he was with Timothy in Asia. And St. Paul wri
ting to Timothy, desires him to bring Marcus to Rome ; ad
ding, that he was useful to him for the ministry ofthe Gospel.
In the Greek and Latin churches, the festival of John Mark
is kept on the 27th of September. Some say that he was
bishop of Biblis, in Phoenicia. The Greeks give him the title
of apostle ; and say that the sick were cured by his shadow
only. It is very probable that he died at Ephesus, where his
tomb was very much celebrated and resorted to. He is some
times called simply John or Mark. The year of his death we
are strangers to ; and shall not collect all that is said of him
in apocryphal and uncertain authors-.

CLEMENT.

Clement is mentioned by St. Paul, in his epistle to the Phi-
lippians, where the apostle says that Clement's name is written
in the book of life. The generality of the fathers, and other
interpreters, make no question but that this is the same Clement
who succeeded St. Peter after Linus and Cletus, in the govern
ment of the church of Rome ; and this seems to be intimated,
when in the office of St. Clement's day, that church appoints
this part of the epistle to the Philippians to be read.

564 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
We find several things relating to Clement's life in the re
cognitions and constitutions called apostolical; but as those
works are not looked upon as authentic, though there may be
truths in them derived from the tradition of the first ages, little
stress is to be laid upon their testimony. St. Chrysostom thinks
that Clement, mentioned by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Phi-
lippians, was one of the apostle's constant fellow-travellers. Ire-
naaus, Origen, Clemens of Alexandria, and others of the an
cients assert, that Clement was a disciple of the apostles ; that
he had seen them, and heard their instructions. St. Epiphanius,
Jerome, Rufinus, Bede, and some others, were of opinion, that
as the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul could not be continually
at Rome, by reason of the frequent journeys which they were
obliged to make to other places, and it was not proper that the
pity of Rome should be without a bishop, there was a necessity
to supply the want of them by establishing Linus, Anaclet, and
Clement there. The constitutions inform us, that Linus was or
dained by St. Paul; Tertullian and Epiphanius say, that St.
Peter ordained Clement. Rufinus tells us, that this apostle
chose St. Clement for his successor. But Epiphanius believes,
that after he had beep made bishop of Rome by St. Peter, he
refused to exercise his office, till, after the death of Linus and
Anaclet, he was obliged to take upon him the care of the
church ; and this is the most generally received opinion. St.
Peter's immediate successor was Linus : Linus was succeeded
by Anacletus ; and Anacletus by Clement, in the year of Christ
91, which was the tenth of Dbmitian's reign.
During his pontificate, the church of Corinth having been
disturbed by a spirit of division, St. Clement wrote a large let
ter to the Corinthians, which is still extant, and was so much
esteemed by the ancients, that they read it publicly in many
churches ; and some have been inclined to range it among the
canonical writings. The emperor Domitian intended to declare
war against the church of Christ ; his design was made known
to Hermas, and he ordered to give a copy of it to Clement,
that he might communicate it to other churches, and exhort
them to provide against the storm. We have no certain ac
count of what happened to St. Clement, during this persecu
tion : but we are very well assured that he lived to the third
year of Trajan. His festival is set down by Bede, and all the
Latin Martyrologies, on the twenty-third of November. The
Greeks honor him on the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth of the
same month. Rufinus, and pope Zozimus, gjve him the title
of Martyr; and the Roman church, in its canon, places him
among the saints who have sacrificed their lives for Jesus
Christ. We read in an ancient histpry, to the authenticity of

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES. 565
which, however, there are some exceptions, that St. Clement
was banished by Trajan to the Chersonesus, beyond the Eux
ine Sea : besides other particulars in the history; which we
shall not mention, as not being well authenticated.

MARY MAGDALENE.

Mart Magdalene was a native either of Magdala, a town in
Galilee, on the other side of Jordan, or Magdalos, a town situ
ated at the foot of Mount Carmel, and had her surname from
the place of her birth. Some will have it that she was the sin
ner mentioned by St. Luke, chap. vii. 37, inc., but this opinion
is built only on conjecture. The evangelists Luke and Mark
tell us, that Jesus had cast out of her seven devils ; which some
understand in a literal, and others in a figurative sense.
But however this be, she became a constant attendant on the
blessed Jesus, after he had removed her plague. She followed
him to Mount Calvary, continued amidst the Roman guards at
the foot of the cross, with the Holy Virgin, and saw his pre
cious body laid in the tomb. After which she returned to Je
rusalem, to purchase spices to embalm him, as soon as the sab
bath was over.
It was she who carried the welcome tidings to Peter and
John ; and to her our blessed Lord himself first appeared after
his resurrection. The apostles did not, however, believe her
report till it was cqnfirmed by others, and they themselves had
seen the Saviour of the world.
We have no further account of Mary Magdalene in the sa
cred writings. But Modestus, archbishop of Constantinople in
the seventh century, tells us, that she continued at Jerusalem
till the death of the Holy Virgin, after which she retired to
Ephesus, and resided with St. John till she sealed the faith she
had so long professed with her blood. She was buried by the
Christians at Ephesus, where her tomb was shewn in the sev
enth century.
But the emperor, Leo the Wise, caused her body to be re
moved from Ephesus to Constantinople, the latter end of the
ninth century, in order to its being interred in the church
erected to the honor ofthe apostles.

566 LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
Thus bave we given the fullest account of the followers of
the blessed Jesus ; the persons who spread the light of the Gos
pel over the whole world, removed the veil of ignorance and
superstition drawn over the kingdoms of the earth, and taught
us the method of attaining eternal happiness in the courts of
the New Jerusalem.
May we all follow their glorious example ! May we imitate
their faith, their piety, their charity, and their love! Then
shall we pass " through things temporal, in such a manner,
that weshall finally gain the things eternal," and through the
merits' of an all-perfect Redeemer, be admitted as worthy guests.
at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

AN EXHORTATION TO CHRISTIANS. 567

AN EXHORTATION
TO CHRISTIANS TO IMITATE THE EXAMPLE OP OUR BLESSED
LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST, AS DISPLAYED IN HIS
LIFE AND DOCTRINES.
Though the Old and New Testaments exhibit many patterns
of piety and virtue in the accounts of patriarchs, prophets,
apostles, and other eminent servants of God, a perfect exam
ple of holiness and obedience never appeared but in the person
of the Messiah, who came upon earth for the express purpose
of doing the will of his Father respecting the salvation of man
kind. If we trace the life of the blessed Jesus, from the time of his
incarnation to that of his exaltation, we shall find that every cir
cumstance of it tended to that one grand and important end.
At an early period he began to preach the great doctrine of
repentance, and delivered his admirable sermon on the mount,
containing a complete system of practical religion. He after
wards gaye proofs of his divine mission by working divers mira
cles, and displaying in many instances his power and goodness.
He then selected his disciples, instructed them in his holy doc
trines, vested them with supernatural power, and commissioned
them to preach the Gospel of his kingdom. This done, he
himself persisted in the good work with indefatigable assiduity,
recommending unfeigned piety towards God, and universal ber
nevolence to mankind, by his preaching, his parables, and in
deed by the whole tenor of his life and actions. Nor was
there a virtue which he did not countenance and exemplify ; or
a vice he did not censure or condemn. In a word, the holy Je
sus went about doing good, according to the scriptural phrase ;
that is, he not only did most essential good, to the souls and
bodies of such as presented themselves to his view and suppli
cated his divine aid ; but he sought out poor objects on whom
he might exercise his pity and compassion.
His last and most important work still remained to be done.
He was to suffer an ignominious death, even the death of the
cross, to reconcile offending man to an offended God. In this
he was to give an instance of obedience to the divine will, and
love to sinful man, beyond the power of mortals.
This awful event, he predicted, and we find him struggling
with the feelings of the human nature, and exclaiming, " O, my
Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me ; nevertheless,
not as I will, but as thou wilt." Matt. xxvi. 39.

568 AN EXHORTATION TO CHRISTIANS.
At length, after being betrayed by a faithless disciple, and
undergoing the most indign treatment from a clan equally cruel
and perverse ; he was led to Calvary, the place of execution,
there crucified, and having commended his spirit into the hands
of his Father, gave up the ghost. His sacred body was com
mitted to the tomb ; but through a divine power he soon burst
the cerements of death, re-appeared to his disciples and others,
and having given them- the most demonstrative proofs of his
identity, " he was parted from them, and carried up into heav
en." Luke, xxiv. 51.
This summary account of the life of our blessed Lord premi
sed, we shall proceed to enforce upon Christians the imitation of
his example from the following considerations :
1st. Conformity in his people to the example of himself was
his grand design, as well as the absolute will of his Father.
The apostle Peter mentions it as one main end of his suffer
ings, " because Christ also suffered for us (says that apostle)
leaving us an example that we might follow his ' < steps." Our
blessed Saviour is called " the way, the truth, and the life ;"
that is, as he redeemed our souls from death by his atoning sac
rifice, so he is the truth and guide to our understandings, and
the life or grand actuating principle of our wills and affections,
leading us into those paths which terminate in endless felicity.
It is evident also from the whole tenor of our blessed Lord's
life and doctrines, that though the end of his mission was to de
liver mankind from the curse annexed to the violation of the
moral law, he by no means meant its abrogation ; nay, he pos
itively declares, that he came not to annul, but to fulfil the law.
He punctually adhered, not only to those parts of it which res
pected the duties owing to God and man, but even to the ritual
ceremonies. His obedience was as perfect as his atonement for
the delinquency of fallen man, which rendered his merits com
pletely adequate to the demands of law and justice ; so that
when he expired upon the cross, it might, with the utmost pro
priety, be said, " It is finished," meaning the important work of
man's redemption. To corroborate this matter, he particularly
cautions his followers not to trust to the mere profession of his
religion, without practising the duties of it, as appears from his
declaration : " Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the
Will of my Father which is in heaven." Matt. vii. 21.
He further demonstrates the necessity of a conformity to his
example under the idea of regeneration, that is, a change of the
heart and conduct from evil to good ; in his interview with
Nicodemus, a man of great authority with the Jews, declaring
to him that " except a man be born again (spiritually consid
ered) he cannot see the kingdom of God." John, iii. 3. In a

AN EXHORTATION TO CHRISTIANS. 569
word, if we advert to the transactions of his life, we must be
convinced, that they have one uniform, undeviating tendency to
promote holiness, as the necessary evidence of a claim and title
to the benefits purchased by his death and sufferings.
It appears, from scriptural evidence, that one of the great
purposes of God in the Messiah's taking upon him human na
ture, or becoming like unto us in every instance, sin excepted,
was, that we might also, as far as our fallibility will admit, be
like his Son ; or, in other Words, that as he, by taking our na
ture, was like unto us ; so we, by imitating his example, might
be like unto him, according to the import of the words of the
apostle, Rom. viii. 29. The word incarnate is the great exam
ple of all sincere genuine professors of the religion of Christ,
and thence arose the precept of the last mentioned apostle, " Put
ye on the Lord Jesus Christ." Rom. xiii. 14. The allegory
points out the duty, intimating, that as a garment is composed
and made of the same fashion with the body, and applied to each
part according to its respective proportion, so we should put on
Christ, or imitate as far as possible, his character, conforming
to every particular part, in order to 'demonstrate whose image
and superscription we bear, and be acknowledged as sons from
our resemblance to our great head and representative, who dis
dained not to call us his brethren.
The apostle John writes to the same purport in his first epis
tle, second chapter, and sixth verse : "He that saith he abideth
in him (Christ) ought himself also to walk even as he walked."
Here it is evidently implied, that our actions should be framed
according to the copy set us by our great Lord and Master,
and we should transcribe the original as nearly as possible to the
life. Those who contemplate seriously on the affection, fervor,
and resignation, which the blessed Jesus evinced in all his de
votions, will thereby be taught and excited to holy meditation
and religious prayer. The sweetness of his disposition, his char
ity to his very enemies, his reprehensions of the scribes and
pharisees, his candid and ingenuous behaviour to all men, in
culcate powerfully the virtues of patience, humility, candor and
justice in all our actions.
Upon the whole, the life of our blessed Lord should not only
be the subject of our admiration, but also of our imitation. Then
shall we, in the truest sense, walk as he Walked, treading in his
steps, looking constantly at our grand pattern, and glorifying
him, as he, by his obedience, glorified his Father.
2ndly. The greatest blessings, both temporal and spiritual,
are annexed to a holy and religious life, which essentially con
sists in following the example of the blessed Jesus.
In the Old Testament, a long and prosperous life were the
oromises of the covenant. The hopes of the Israelites were

570 AN EXHORTATION TO CHRISTIANS.
built upon it, and it was the support of all their duty. See Ex
odus, xv. 26, and xxiii. 25, 26. Solomon enjoins holiness and
obedience upon the same principle : " Fear the Lord and depart
from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy
bones." Prov. iii. 7, 8 : and again, verse 16, "Length of days
is in her right hand, (that is Wisdom) and in her left hand rich
es and honor." There are divers other passages to the same
purport. Under the Gospel dispensation, the consideration is more par
ticularly enforced. The apostle Paul calls children to observe
the fifth commandment, from the same argument which was used
in the first promulgation of it: "Honor thy father and mother
(which is the first commandment with promise) that it may be
well with thee, and thou mayest live long upon the earth."
Ephes. vi. 2, 3. It is to be observed, that though the Gospel is
built upon better promises than the law, it annexes all the prom
ises of the latter to obedience, according to the apostle's words,
1 Tim. iv. 8. " Godliness is profitable unto all things, having
promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."
When our blessed Saviour, in his sermon on the Mount par
ticularizes the beatitudes, he cites in one instance a temporal
blessing, and that in the very words of the Old Testament,
Matt, v. 5. " Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the
earth," which expression corresponds with that in Psalm xxxvii.
11. " But the meek shall inherit the earth." This he did to
shew, that that part of the old covenant which respects moral
duties, and the rewards of obedience to the divine laws, remains
firm, and included in the conditions of the Gospel.
Further, a religious life, according to the rule and example
of Jesus Christ, as propounded in his Gospel, is conducive to
peace of mind, and an approving conscience, than which no
temporal blessings can be more important. An over-anxious
care about worldly pursuits involves the mind in perplexity and
confusion. Vice and intemperance, of every kind, bring with
them even their own temporal punishments, and expose their
votaries to bodily diseases ; nor can they be recognised by the
abandoned themselves without a degree of conscious horror.
On the other hand, according to the wise man's expression,
"Wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are
peace." The mind of that man who follows the example of his
blessed Saviour, and walks even as he walked, is in general
calm, composed, and serene. He is not affected to an inordinate
degree by any ofthe events of this precarious state ; he is not
elated by prosperity, nor depressed by adversity, because he
has a fixed regard to a superintending providence ; he knows
that the wise disposer of events cannot but do right, and he is
firmly persuaded that all things work together for good to those

AN EXHORTATION TO CHRISTIANS. 571
that love God, and keep his commandments. The due dis
charge of our duty to God and man must be attended with an
approving conscience, which arms the mind against what are
called the ills of life, and enables it to sustain their most point*
ed attacks with Christian fortitude and intrepidity. These are
some of the principal temporal blessings that attend a holy and
religious life, as exemplified in the character of our blessed
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
With respect to spiritual blessings, the most important are
derived from a religious life, according to the sacred text be
fore cited ; " Godlinesss hath the promise of this life, and of
that which is to come." All true Christians are the Sons of
God, because they are co-heirs with Christ, and partakers of
the divine nature. It is observable, that the only solid founda
tion for a good hope, respecting a future state of bliss,, is built
upon duty. " We know that we have passed from death unto
life, (why?) because we love the brethren." ] John, iii. 14; im
plying, that the performance of our duty is an indispensable evi
dence of our title to the privileges of Christians, since we can
not be Christians without it.
These spiritual blessings are various, and expressed ' in
Scripture under various forms, as " tasting of the heavenly gift,
partaking of the Holy Ghost, tasting of the good word of God,
and the powers ofthe world to come." Heb. vi. 4, 5, he. These
are antecedent to the blessings of the glorified state, and design
ed as preparatory to their reception. It is positively affirmed in
Scripture, that without holiness no man shall see the Lord ;
therefore that essential requisite, included in the phrases first ci
ted, is given to all those who seek it in sincerity and truth. In
a word, the followers ofthe example of Christ are, and will be,
blessed with grace here, and glory hereafter. In these centre
all real felicity ; man's chief end being to glorify God, and enjoy
him for ever.
3dly and lastly. These considerations should induce us all
to inquire seriously, whether we find in ourselves a disposition
to imitate the example of our great Lord and Master, as dis
played in the sacred history of his life* to wbich we have been
lately attending ; if it has produced that happy effect, let us
press forward towards the mark for the prize of the high call
ing of God in Christ Jesus. As we have borne the image of
the earthly, may we also bear the image of the heavenly ; for
let us remember, that in vain we are called Christians, if we
live not according to the example and discipline of Christ, the
great author ofthe institution. The zeal ofthe primitive Chris
tians, who were first denominated so at Antioch, as recorded in
the Acts of the Apostles, in imitating the example of their great
Master, was abundantly evident. Their very enemies were

572 AN EXHORTATION TO CHRISTIANS.
observed frequently to say, " See how those Christians love
one another." No hardship, no threatening, not even death
itself could deter them from the prosecution of their duty. They
might be said to follow their Master wherever he went, and ma
ny of them sealed their profession with their blood.
We live in happier days. We enjoy the free exercise of re
ligion, and have constantly opportunities pf doing -and getting
good. The sacred volume is expanded to our view, and the bright
est example presented for our imitation, even that of the great
and immaculate Redeemer. If we follow it, the reward is sure ;
if we .wilfully neglect, the punishment is certain. Therefore,
my beloved brethren, let me, by way of conclusion, seriously
exhort you to think on these things.

THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, &c. 573

REASONS WHY THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION IS
PREFERABLE TO ALL OTHERS.
It is often matter of much surprise to me, that any reason
able being should reject the Christian system, when fairly and
truly proposed to him ; a system which, as a late elegant author
expresses it, " gives to virtue its sweetest hopes, to impenitent
vice its greatest fears, and to true penitence its best consola
tions." If a man be really virtuous and honest, and is desirous to
commend himself to the Deity by a rational and serious conduct,
it seems impossible to suppose, that he should have any objec
tion to that system, which " gives to virtue its sweetest hopes ;"
which places the duties of morality upon the firmest and most
extensive foundation, and which elevates the soul to the noblest
and most consistent ideas of God, and of the services which are
acceptable to him.
If, therefore, desirous to obtain the divine attention, a man
resolves to alter his life, and to abandon the paths of guilt, what
religion should he embrace so soon, so gladly, as that which
" gives to true penitenee its best consolations ;" nay, which
alone can give any solid consolation to penitence, and assure it
undoubtedly of the pardon for which it so anxiously wishes ?
The vicious man, if be hath any real understanding, can never,
with propriety, reject Christianity ; since if ever he intends to
repent, — and no man living, it is to be wished, intends to die
impenitent, — no religion but the Christian, can afford him a
solid, a rational ground of hope.
I observe, farther, that if indeed there be an eternity await
ing us, if the soul of man be immortal, and must, in conse
quence, partake of the due reward of its deeds — if man be
immortal, and that he is, the universal voice of nature declares
in every place and in every age — then, let who will be wrong,
the Christian must be right ; let whatever religion be true, the
sincere professor of Christianity cannot fail of his recompense;
cannot be unacceptable to the Deity. Cicero's fine argument
against Atheism may be applied to Christianity with double
force. " If there should happen," says he to his opponent, " to
be no God, I shall certainly be as well off as yourself; annihi
lation will then be your lot as well as mine. But if the matter
shall be found otherwise ; if there shall indeed be found a God,
when we enter into a future state ; how greatly shall I have the
advantage of you, who have all your life long professed and
inculcated atheism and impiety ; while I have continually labor
ed to honor the Deity, and to rjromote virtue and religion."

574 THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, be.
And thus the professor of Christianity may reply to the Deist
or Infidel : " If peradventure the doctrines which I believe shall
be found to be true ; if indeed the religion of Christ is, what it
assumes to itself, a revelation from the Most High God ; in how
sad a case will you be found, who reject and despise it, who
knowingly refuse to embrace it, and resist all the evidences
which it offers ? In how sad a case will you, particularly, be
found, who, born and bred in a country professing Christian
ity, nay, who being baptized into that faith, utterly cast off
and disclaim its obligations?
" Oh thipk, in such a case, if the doctrines of redemption be
found true, what a miserable situation yours will be ! — But on
the other hand, supposing, when we appear together in the
future world, that these doctrines should prove false, and the
facts of Christianity appear fictitious ; yet there can be no doubt
but that the Christian will obtain favor from the Deity. If he
be the God of the Deist, he cannot but approve me, who have
made it the business of my life to purify my heart and actions
from all defilement : for he is a God delighting in virtue ; and a
Being so good and gracious, that he will never punish for the
unavoidable errors of the head, where the heart was right. If
he be the God — all mercy — of the infidel, 1 have no need to be
afraid : my whole endeavor has been to supplicate and to ob
tain his mercy ; and, if I requested it through a Mediator, it
shews that I had the higher opinion of his adorable perfections.
Should the system of Mahomet be found true, I shall certainly
obtain the rewards offered to good Mussulmen. For Mahomet
himself allows the divine mission of Jesus Christ : and inculca
ting the belief of a just and good God, supposeth him only
not so pure and holy as the Christian supposeth him : and of
consequence the Christian, upon this plan, will find nothing to
his loss. It will appear indeed to him, that he has been more
virtuous than there was need ; and more exact in the perform
ance of duty, than was requisite for a reception of the blessings
of the Mahometan paradise. Suppose, lastly, that the Jewish
religion should, in the end, be proved the religion of truth ; yet
even agreeable to its tenets, the Christian is safe : the Jew
waited for and believed in a coming Messiah : the Christian
believed that he was come, and as such did honor to God the
Father by him. As to the rest, no man can deny that the mo
rality of the Christian is equal to, and must necessarily be as
acceptable with God as the Jewish morality. Thus, in the end,
let whatever faith be found right, it is undeniable, that the
Christian who lives up to the holy precepts of his religion can
not be wrong."

ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 575
t
We shall, by way of conclusion, subjoin the following excel
lent composition, as properly suited to the dignity and solem
nity of the whole.

ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.
" The end of ell things is at hand, be ye therefore sober, and watch unto
prayer." — 1 Peter, iv. 7.
When through the north a fire shall spread,
And catch the neighb'ring east,
Then like a rushing flood be led
To whelm the south and west :
When all shall blaze, and lightnings round
With their surprising gleams,
Both stars and elements confound,
And quite efface their flames^p
When thou, O Lord ! shall spend thy store
Of thunders in that day ;
And low as e'er they lay before
Thy six days' buildings lay :
When like a scroll the heav'ns shall pass,
And vanish qut of sight ;
And nought shall stand of that vast space,
And day shall cease — and night :
When one loud blast shall rend the deep,
And from tbe womb of earth
Summon the myriads now asleep
Up to a second birth :
When God shall make the clouds his seat,
And in the open air,
The quick and dead, both small and great,
Before bis bar appear :
My soul ! 'twill then be all too late
To say, " What shall I do V
Repentance there is out of date,
And so may mercy too.
Prepare me, therefore, 0 my God !
O let me now begin
To feel a loving father's rodJ«.
Killing the man of sin !
Give me, O give me, crosses here,
Still more afflictions lend ;
The pill, though bitter, is most dear,
That brings health in the end.

57fi ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.
Jesus, I beg nor friends nor wealth,
Thy grace excels them all,
Three things I'd have my soul's chief health,
And best defence from thrall :
A living faith, a heart of flesh,
The world an enemy ;
This last will keep the first two fresh,
And bring me where I'd be.

THE END.

YALE UNIVERSITY

3 9002 0731 1 5082

Wrf**: