found fault with on this account; efpecially as he is well known to have addreffed his mother by the appellation of Woman, at a time when he meant to fhew her the higheft and tendereft regard, by recommending her from the crofs to the care of the beloved difciple. John xix. 26. "Woman, behold thy fon." To proceed, the fentence read interrogatively will eafily run thus: "Woman, what have "I to do with thee? is not mine hour come?" is not the feafon of my public miniftry commenced, in which I am to be no longer, under the direction of my parents; but must work miracles, when I myself and not you judge it proper ?The answer which he gave to the people in Capernaum, who told him that his mother and brethren defired to speak with him, does not imply the least contempt of the natural relations eftablished by God among mankind in ge neral, nor any want of affection to his mother and brethren, in particular; on the contrary, it imports the highest regard to both. Matth. xii. 49. "Who is my mother and brethren?" Who do you think are the objects of my tendereft regard? "And he stretched "forth his hands towards his difciples, and faid; Behold my mother and my brethren. For whofoever fhall do the will of my Father which "is in heaven, the fame is my brother, and fifter, and mother." They who do the will of God, are beloved by me with a tenderness equal to that which I bear to my brother, my fifter, and my mother. A declaration of this kind is fo far from throwing contempt in general on the relations established between mankind by nature, or on Chrift's mother and brethren in particular, that it implies thefe relations to be objects of the strongest and tendereft affections in the human nature; and that he had the higheft refpect and love for his own relations in particular. 2. The manner in which Jefus reformed the abuses committed in the temple is found fault with. We are told that his driving out, with a fcourge of fmall cords, not only the cattle and those who fold them, but the money-changers alfo, and the people; his overturning the tables of the money-changers, and the feats of them who fold doves; and his fcattering the changers money; were outrageous actions, more becoming the furious zeal of an enthufiaft, than that command of temper and fobriety which Jefus is faid to have poffeffed.But to underftand this part of our Lord's conduct, we muft remember, that in the action itself he called himself the Son "of him to whom the temple belonged," John ii. 16. " And he faid "unto them that fold doves, Take these things hence, and make not my father's houfe, a houfe of merchandize." Wherefore, as on this occafion he exprefsly affirmed that he was the Son of God, his right to reform the abuses of the temple, the house of God, was unquestionable. Nor can any fault be found with the manner of the reformation, confidering the authority of the person who made it. He acted plainly as mafter of the houfe. And though he was unfupported, the terror which he fingly impreffed upon the minds of the men, by the air of his countenance and the tone of his voice, was fo great, that none of them made any refiftance. The whip of N 2 cords cords was defigned not for the men, whom he never could have intimidated by the exertion of bodily force, but for the beafts, which were at market in the temple, and which could no otherwise be driven out. Wherefore, the whole of this tranfaction was perfectly fuitable to our Lord's dignity as the Son of God; and the rather that, in fo far as it regarded the men, there was here an exertion of his miraculous power, very proper at the beginning of his miniftry. Accordingly, the Jews neither found fault with the action itself, nor with the manner of it: they only defired him to prove that he was the perfon he pretended to be. ver. 18. "What fign "fheweft thou unto us, feeing thou doft thefe things?" Befides, among the Jews, it was common for prophets, by their own authority, to reform fuch abufes as were introduced into the worship of God, and to punish with their own hands, upon the spot, grofs violations of the law: witness the action of Pninehas, by which he ftaid the plague, and which (Pf. cvi. 30.) "was accounted to him "for righteoufnefs to all generations for evermore." The profanations of the temple which Jefus reproved were the most hor rid abuses imaginable. The priests for gain allowed a fair to be kept in the outer court, whereby the Gentile profelytes were excluded from the place of worship allotted them. Or if any room was left them, they could not but be exceedingly difturbed in their devotions, by the noife and hurry of the market. Add to this, that great frauds were committed in the bargains tranfacted here, by which the court of the temple, which had been affigned to the Gentiles as a house of prayer, was made a den of thieves. No wonder, therefore, that Jefus expreffed the utmoft indignation against the tranfgreffors, and used fome violence in expelling them. The men he intimidated by his miraculous power; the cattle he drave out with the fcourge he had made; the implements of their illicit trade he overturned; and the things which he could not himself remove, he ordered to be taken away. In all this he acted agreeably to the character which he fustained. His zeal was no greater than what prophets far inferior to him had fhewed; and the feverity which he used was no greater than the crime deferved. Wherefore, in Wherefore, in every refpect, this part of our Lord's conduct was perfectly proper and confif tent. 3. That Judas fhould have been of the number of the apostles, is thought inconfiftent with the knowledge and wisdom afcribed to Jefus in the Gofpels. This objection our Lord him felf has taken notice of. He forefaw, that his honouring Judas with the apostlefhip, would be confidered as a prefumption that he was ignorant of his real character. Wherefore, long before Judas discovered himself, Jefus foretold what he would do, to fhew that he was fully acquainted with the character of the man. John vi. 70. "Have not I chofen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?" Wherefore, if any objection lies against the founder of Chriftianity for this choice, it cannot affect his foreknowledge, but must be levelled against his prudence. Yet in this part likewife, as in every other, he is perfectly free of 66 blame, blame. His making Judas an apoftle is a fhining inftance of wisdom. It was defigned to be a demonftration of our Lord's innocence. A man of profligate difpofitions, who he forefaw would at the conclufion betray him, Jefus chooses into the college of the apoftles. By the choice, this wicked perfon, who had not yet discovered himself, is appointed his master's conftant attendant, and made the witness of the most secret actions; he is admitted into all the myfteries of his fellowship. Who does not in this fee, that Jefus was not afraid of the eyes of his enemies, however malicious that his miracles were no juggling tricks, performed by compact with his difciples? and that he was not carrying on any plot, to deceive the world? If Jefus had been engaged in fuch a defign, muft he not have forefeen that Judas, when he betrayed him to the chief priests, would difcover the whole fraud? The choice therefore which our Lord, with the fullest knowledge of Judas's character, made of him for an apostle, instead of being an inftance of imprudence, was a proof of the most profound wisdom. He thereby demonftrated, in the cleareft manner, his own moft perfect innocence. I have only to add, that in this view the wisdom and propriety of the choice was fo great, that it was fore-ordained to be from the beginning: and that notices thereof were given early in the Jewish prophecies, which defcribed Meffiah's life, fufferings, and death. 4. The freedom Jefus ufed in "rebuking the Scribes and Pharifees," and the vehemence with which he denounced woes against them more than once, are thought inconfiftent with the sweetness of his difpofition, and with the refpect due to perfons of their rank. Neverthelefs, if we confider the matter in its juft light, we shall foon be fenfible that the feverity wherewith Jefus treated this order of men, was by no means inconfiftent with his general character, but was the neceffary refult of his wisdom, and of his love to the reft of mankind. The Scribes and Pharifees were perfons remarkable for avarice, fenfuality, pride, obftinacy, and contempt of real religion. Their corruption of heart exceeded all bounds. Gentle means would have made no impreffion upon them. They needed the feverest remedies.--Befides, without regarding their reformation at all, which perhaps was not to be accomplished by any methods; confidering the fhew of worth which they affumed, and by which mankind were cheated into an high admiration of them, it was neceffary, for the fake of the people, to pull off the mafk of hypocrify under which they had fo long concealed their wickedness, and led the world aftray. Luke xvi. 15. "Ye are they which juftify yourselves be"fore men, but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly efteemed among men, is abomination in the fight of God." Nor was there any other method to prevent the pernicious influence of their example and doctrine. This was the reafon Jefus rebuked them fo openly, and denounced woes against them with fuch vehemence. By fo doing, he, whofe judgment was by his miracles. proved to be the judgment of a prophet, fhewed his hearers every where what opinion he had of thofe hypocrites, and cautioned N 3 them, them, in the most affecting manner, to beware both of them and of their doctrine. And though on thefe occafions he expreffed himself with more than ordinary vehemence, it must be owned that he preferved an entire command of himself. For he uttered no fentiment of expreffion, but such as the offences fully warranted, and the regard which he had for virtue abfolutely demanded. 5. Our Lord's riding into Jerufalem on an afs, amidst the acclamations of his difciples and the people, has been grofsly misunderftood, and ignorantly ridiculed by the adverfaries of religion. Hitherto Jefus had affumed the title of Meffiah, only in private, and among his difciples. The reafon was, if he had declared his intentions publicly in the beginning of his miniftry, the rulers would have put him to death before his work was finifhed. It was necessary, however, both for the more certain information of mankind, who were not to be left to guess who he was, and for the credit of his own character, which was not to be doubtful or ambiguous, that he fhould openly affume the dignity which really belonged to him. Wherefore, his miniftry having continued the time determined, a few days before his death he refolved to receive the titles of Meffiah, Son of David, and king of Ifrael, publicly; though he knew it would become the foundation of that accufation by which he was to be cut off.—This feafon was of all others the most proper for his purpose. A great multitude now attended, in expectation that he was to fet up his kingdom immediately. He knew that much people was coming from the city, to ufher him in with the pomp and ftate of Meffiah. Among the reft, there were to be many Scribes and Pharifees, his enemies, before whom it was proper he should acknowledge himself Meftah. Wherefore, he did not think of fhuning the multitude as formerly; but determined to enter Jerufalem amidft the acclamations which he knew they would offer him as Meffiah. And left, in the narrow paffages and lanes leading into the city, he might have been hurt by the croud, he made his difciples bring him an afs to ride upon. Nor in this equipage was there any thing mean or ridiculous; affes being the beafts commonly ufed by the Eafterns, who feldom rode on horfes, except they were perfons of the firft rank. Hence, in the prophecy which foretold this event, it is mentioned as an inftance of Meffiah's humility, that when he should make his public entry into Jerufalem, he would ride, not upon an horfe, after the manner of great kings and princes, but upon an afs, becaufe" he was meek and lowly." 6. The defpondency which Jefus fhewed in the garden of Gethfemane at the approach of his trial and death, and the words which he uttered upon the crofs, are thought inconfiftent with that patience and fortitude, which, as the Son of God, he ought to have poffeffed. But they can be fo only, on fuppofition that his forrow and trouble in the garden, with his agony and bloody fweat, proceeded from the fear of death. Nevertheless, the profpect of death, though it was in him to be attended with every aggravating circumftance of pain and ignominy, cannot be fuppofed to have railed any violent perturba P tion in one who on all occafions fhewed the greatest firmness and For the * I know fome imagine our Lord's diftrefs in the garden arofe from the more lively view, which he at that time had, of the miseries of mankind, occafioned by fin. But the confideration of thefe, however lively, could only raise fympathy in the breaft of Jefus; where too it must have been greatly foftened by the certain profpect which he then had of their deliverance, by what he had already done, and was still to do for their recovery. In the above account of our Lord's agony, I only affirm the fact, that it arose from the pains which were then inflicted upon him by the immediate hand of God. And I affirm it, because in every page, the fcriptures fpeak of Jefus as having fuffered for the fins of mankind; alfo because it beft accounts for his behaviour in the garden. To object to the fact, that we do not know how one who knew no fin could fuffer for fin, is incompetent, because it may be a matter above our comprehenfion. It deferves however to be confidered, whether Almighty God, who by means of fecond caufes conveys into our minds every fenfation, whether of pleasure or pain, may not by the direct operation of his power, without the intervention of any fecond caufes, convey precifely the fame fenfations. If this is admitted, though Jelas knew no fin, God might, by the immediate operation of his power, make him feel thofe pains which shall be the punishment of fin hereafter, in order that by the vifible ef fects which they produced upon him, mankind might have a juft notion of the greatness of thefe pains. In this no injuftice was done to Jefus. He freely confented to fuffer in this manner, because it was for fo great an end as the falvation of the human fpecies. His bearing thofe pains, with a view to fhew how great they are, was by no means punishment. It was merely fuffering. These pains were not the effects of the divine anger; for at no time Was God better pleafed with his Son, than when he made his foul an offering for fin. Lastly; thefe pains did not arife from God's withdrawing his favour from his Son. Of the divine favour, Jefus in his fufferings had the fulleft conviction: as appears from the affectionate manner in which he then addreffed God; “O MY FATHER, if it be poffible," &c.---The above particulars merit attention, not as matters contained in revelation, but as an explication of facts contained there, which fome reafoners reject, I fuppofe, because they think a proper explication cannot be given of them. 1 1 |