YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

Deposited by the
Tale Theological Seminary
1873

TWENTY SERMONS
PREACHED BEFORE
THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE,
In the Year M.DCCC.XXI.
AT
THE LECTURE
FOUNDED BY
THE LATE REV. JOHN HULSE,
of st. John's college.

HULSEAN LECTURES for 1821.

ON THE

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY,
AS THEY WERE
STATED AND ENFORCED

DISCOURSES OP OUR LORD:
COMPRISING A CONNECTED' VIEW
OF THE CLAIMS WHICH JESUS ADVANCED,
OF THE
ARGUMENTS BY WHICH HE SUPPORTED THEM,
AND OF
HIS STATEMENTS RESPECTING THE
CAUSES, PROGRESS, AND CONSEQUENCES OF INFIDELITY.
By JAMES CLARKE FRANKS, M. A.
CHAPLAIN OF TRINITY COLLEGE.

CAMBRIDGE:
Printed by J. Smith, Printer to the University ;
AND SOLD BY MESSRS. RIVINGTON, AND J. HATCHARD, LONDON :
DEIGHTON & SONS, NICHOLSON & SON, AND THE
OTHER BOOKSELLERS IN CAMBRIDGE;
AND PARKER, OXFORD.
1821

TO THE REVEREND
CHRISTOPHER WORDSWORTH, D.D.
MASTER OF TRINITY COLLEGE,
AND LATE VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY ;
TO THE
Very Rev. JAMES WOOD, D. D.
MASTER OF ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE, AND DEAN OF ELY;
AND TO THE
Rev. JAMES HENRY MONK, B. D.
PROFESSOR OF GREEK,
AND FELLOW AND TUTOR OF TRINITY COLLEGE ;
Stirttitotng QLvwm$
OF THE
LECTURE FOUNDED BY THE REV. JOHN HULSE,
THE FOLLOWING LECTURES
PREACHED BY THEIR APPOINTMENT
ARE
GRATEFULLY AND RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED
BY THE AUTHOR.

" CLAUSES from the WILL ofthe Rev. JOHN HULSE,
" late of Elworth, in the county of Chester, clerk,
" deceased, dated the twenty-first day of July, in the
" year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and
" seventy-seven, expressed in the words of the Tes-
" tator, as he, in order to prevent mistakes, thought
" proper to draw and write the same himself, and
" directed that such clauses should every year be
" printed, to the intent that the several persons, whom
" it might concern and be of service to, might know
" that there were such special donations or endow-
" ments left for the encouragement of Piety and
" Learning, in an age so unfortunately addicted to
" Infidelity and Luxury, and that others .might be
" invited to the like charitable, and, as he humbly
" hoped, seasonable and useful* Benefactions."

CLAUSE I.
" And from and after the end, expiration, or other
determination of the said term of ninety-nine years, deter
minable as aforesaid, I give and devise the same premises
to and to the use of the University of Cambridge for
ever, for the purposes herein after expressed, that is to
say, I will and direct that the clear rents, issues, and
profits of the same premises in Newton and Middlewich
shall be divided into six equal parts, of which four such

vin

sixth parts shall be paid or given to the person, being
a member ofthe said University, to be from time to time,
under the directions of this my Will, adjudged to the
author of the best Dissertation on the subjects herein
after for that purpose appointed. One other such sixth
part shall be given or paid every year, as an augmentation
of his salary, and for his own use, to the person, being
also a member of the said University, to be from time
to time appointed to the Lectureship herein after founded,
and who is to preach annually twenty Sermons agreeably
to this my Will."
CLAUSE II.
" And I do direct and declare that the said term of
one hundred years is so vested in them the said Ralph
Leeke, John Smith, and Thomas Vawdrey, upon further
trust, that they, or the survivors, or survivor of them,
or the executors, administrators, or assigns of such sur
vivor, do, and shall, by and out of the rents and profits of
the premises in Clive, which shall arise previous to the
determination of the said, term of one hundred years,
and no longer, annually pay the sum of sixty pounds,
(exclusive of such augmentation as herein before and
herein after is mentioned,) on Saint John the Evangelist's
day following the preaching of the twenty Lectures or
Sermons herein after mentioned, to such learned and
ingenious Clergyman in the said University of Cambridge,
of the degree of Master of Arts, and under the age of
forty years, as shall be duly chosen or elected at the time,
and by the persons herein after mentioned and appointed
for that purpose, as a salary for preaching the before-
mentioned Sermons or Lectures, on the days, and upon
the.subjects herein after more particularly mentioned and
prescribed, on the determination of the said term of
one hundred years.

IX
CLAUSE III.
" And upon further trust that they the said Ralph
Leeke, John Smith, and Thomas Vawdrey, or the sur
vivors, or survivor of them, his executors, administrators,
or assigns, do, and shall pay and apply the residue of the
rents, and profits of the premises in Clive, which shall
arise previous to the determination of the said term of one
hundred years, and no longer, and which are herein (or by
a grant or rentcharge of ten pounds per annum, dated
the fourth day of November, one thousand seven
hundred and seventy three, by me made and enrolled in
the High Court of Chancery, for certain perpetual cha
ritable uses in the aforesaid townships of Middlewich,
and Sandbach) otherwise disposed of, to and for the use
of the person and persons, who shall from time to time
preach the before named twenty Lectures, in augmentar
tion of the Salary herein before appointed for such
Lecturer."
CLAUSE IV.
" And from and after the end, or other determination
of the said term of one hundred years, determinable as
aforesaid, I give and devise all and every my said mes
suages, lands, tythes, and hereditaments in Clive aforesaid,
to the said University of Cambridge for ever, for the
purposes herein after mentioned and contained, that is to
say, I will and direct that the annual rents, tythes, and
profits thereof shall be divided into six equal parts or
shares, and disposed of in manner following."
" And first, it was always my humble and earnest
desire and intention, that the following donation and de
vise should be founded, as much as possible, on the plan
of that profoundly learned and successful inquirer into
Nature, and most religious adorer of Nature's God,
I mean the truly great and good (as well as honourable)

Robert Boyle, Esquire ; who has added so much lustre,
and done equal service, both by his learning and his life,
to his native country, and to human nature, and to the
cause of Christianity and truth."
"To the promoting in some degree a design so worthy
of every reasonable creature, I direct that four parts out
of six of the last mentioned rents, tythes, and profits,
to arise from the premises (exclusive of such augmenta
tions as herein before and herein after are mentioned)
shall be paid, on Saint John the Evangelist's Day fol
lowing the preaching of the Lectures or Sermons after-
mentioned, annually to such learned and ingenious
clergyman in the said University, of the degree of Master
of Arts, and under the age of forty years, as shall be duly
chosen or elected on Christmas-day, or within seven days
after, by the Vice-Chancellor there for the time being a,
and by the Master or Head of Trinity College, and the
Master of Saint John's College, or by any two of them,
in order to preach twenty Sermons in the whole year:
that is to say, ten Sermons in the following spring, in
Saint Mary's great Church in Cambridge, namely, one
Sermon either on the Friday morning, or else on Sunday
afternoon in every week, during the months of April, and
May, and the two first weeks of June ; and likewise ten
Sermons in the same Church, in the following autumn,
either on the Friday morning, or else on Sunday afternoon
in every week, during the months of September, and
October, and during the two first weeks in November."

» It is provided, in another clause of the Will, that if either
the Master of Trinity, or the Master of St. John's be Vice-
Chancellor, the Greek Professor shall be the third Trustee. —
The clauses here printed are carefully specified for that purpose
by Mr. rtul'se, as well the preamble and conclusion of the extract,
which is to be made by the Lecturer in conformity to his di
rections.

XI
" The subject of which discourses shall be as fol-
loweth ; that is to say, the subject of five Sermons in the
spring, and likewise of five Sermons in the autumn, shall
be to shew the Evidence for Revealed Religion ; and to
demonstrate, in the most convincing and persuasive man
ner, the truth and excellence of Christianity, so as to
include not only the Prophecies and Miracles, general and
particular, but also any other proper or useful arguments,
whether the same be direct or collateral proofs of the
Christian religion, which he may think fittest to discourse
upon, either in general or particular, especially the col
lateral arguments, or else any particular article or branch
thereof; and chiefly against notorious Infidels, whether
Atheists, or Deists, not descending to any particular
sects or controversies (so much to be lamented) amongst
Christians themselves ; except some new and dangerous
error, either of superstition, or enthusiasm, as of Popery
or Methodism, or the like, either in opinion or practice,
shall prevail ; in which case only it may be necessary for
that time to write and preach against the same."
" Nevertheless, the Preacher of the ten Sermons, last
mentioned, to shew the truth and excellence of revealed
religion, and the evidence of Christianity, may, at his own
discretion, preach either more or fewer than ten Sermons
on this great argument ; only provided he shall, in conse
quence thereof, lessen or encrease the number of the
other ten remaining Sermons, which are herein after di
rected to be on the more obscure parts of the Holy
Scripture, in a due proportion, so as that he shall, every
year, preach twenty Sermons on these subjects in the
whole." ' And as to the ten Sermons that remain, of which
five are to be preached in the spring, and five in the
autumn, as before mentioned, the Lecturer or Preacher
shall take for his subject some of the more difficult texts
or obscure parts of the Holy Scriptures ; such, 1 mean,

Xli
as may appear to be more generally useful, or necessary to
be explained, and which may best admit of such a com
ment or explanation, without seeming to pry too far into
the profound secrets, or awful mysteries of the Almighty.
And in all the said twenty Sermons, such practical ob
servations shall be made, and such useful conclusions
added, as may best instruct and edify mankind."
" The said twenty Sermons to be every year printed,
and a new preacher to be every year elected, (except iu
the case of the extraordinary merit of the Preacher, when
it may sometimes be thought proper to continue the same
person for five or, at the most, for six years together, but
for no longer term) nor shall he ever afterwards be again
elected to the same duty. And I do direct, that the
expence of printing the said Sermons shall be defrayed
out of the said temporary stipend or salary of sixty
pounds, with the augmentations first mentioned, or from
the further ' provision hereby made, of the rents, tythes,
and profits afterwards mentioned, for the said Lectures ;
and the remainder of the same given to him."
"And may the Divine blessing for ever go along with
all my Benefactions ! And may the greatest and the best
of Beings, by his all-wise Providence, and gracious in
fluence, make the same effectual to his own glory, and
the good of my fellow-creatures ! "

Mil

" An ABSTRACT of the heads or material parts" of the WILL
ofthe Rev. John Hulse, relative to the two Scholarships,
founded by him in St. John's College, and by him directed
to be added to the conclusion ofthe foregoing clauses, " so
that such Clergyman, or persons, whom the same may con
cern, may know that there are such endowments, of which
they may claim and take the benefit, under the regulations,
and with the qualifications, therein mentioned."
The Scholars are to be " Undergraduates of St. John's
College, who shall be born in the county Palatine of Chester."
" Such Scholar is to be elected by the Master and a majority
ofthe senior Fellows ofthe said College on Christmas-day,
or in the* first seven days after," and candidates are to
have the preference, in the order, and with the limitations
specified in the following extracts.
1. — "The son of any Clergyman, who shall at any time
officiate as Curate to the Vicar of Sandbach ; or next to him
the son of any Vicar or Curate, who shall then live and offi
ciate in the parish of Middlewich, as the proper Minister or
Curate of Middlewich ; or lastly of any Minister or Curate of
the Chapel of Witton, or who shall reside and live in the town
of Northwich or Witton, or the adjacent townships of Castle
Northwich and Winnington, and shall do the duty ofthe said
Chapel as the proper Minister of Witton (all of them in the
said county of Chester)."
2. " And in default of such persons, then the son of any
other Clergyman, who (that is which son) shall be born in
either of the said parishes of Sandbach or Middlewich, or in
the said Chapelry of Middlewich, shall have the preference.
And if none shall be admitted, then the son of any other
Clergyman shall be preferred, who (that is which son) shall be
born in the said county of Chester, and next in any of the
four following counties of Stafford, Salop, Derby, or Lan
caster; or lastly, elsewhere in any other county or part of
England, provided that it shall appear that the Clergyman
who is father to such Scholar is not, if living, or, if dead, was
not at the time of his death possessed of any spiritual pre
ferment of more than one hundred and forty pounds a year,
clear income; or whose income in every respect shall not
exceed the clear yearly value of two hundred pounds m the
whole." '¦ b

' XIV
" But if no son of any Clergyman, so entitled as aforesaid,
shall be elected into such Scholarship, the same shall be given
to the son of some lay person, whose clear yearly income does
not, if living, and, if dead, did not at the time of his death
amount to more than two hundred pounds; and such son
being born in the counties of Chester, Stafford, Salop, Derby,
and Lancaster, the counties in that order having a preference;
or lastly, elsewhere in England."
" And such Scholar, whether the son of a Clergyman, or
Layman, to be elected in manner aforesaid, shall continue to
enjoy this my benefaction until he shall take, or be of
standing to take his first degree of Bachelor of Arts, unless
some other person, being the son of some of the officiating
ministers at some ofthe Churches or Chapels before mentioned,
and otherwise qualified as aforesaid, and which qualification,.
had he been a member of the said College at the time the
party in possession of the Scholarship had been elected,.
would have been entitled to the preference, shall be admitted
a member of the said College; in which case the Scholar,
who shall then be in possession, shall only hold the same for
that year ; and the other, with a prior right, shall be elected
to the same the year following. And I do appoint the
Master and senior Fellows of St. John's College Trustees
for the said Scholarships."
One third part of the moiety of Mr. Hulse's estate in.
Sandbach and Bradwell is appropriated to each Scholar, after
the death of certain annuitants. One only of the Scholarships
is at present established.

POSTSCRIPT. ,
Perhaps it may not be amiss that the extracts from the
Will should once be printed according to Mr. Hulse's first
intentions. Future Lecturers may' avail themselves of the
liberty given them in a clause near the conclusion of his long
and intricate Will, in which he permits the Lecturer to select
and abridge the more material parts of the clauses printed
above; though he still requires the insertion of those relating
to the Hulsean Scholarships. The former extracts were
ready to he struck off when the Author discovered the clause
just mentioned.

PREFACE.

The object of this work is so fully explained in
the second Lecture, and the series of subjects and
texts, which form the table of Contents, will so
clearly point out the Author's plan, that it will
be unnecessary to detain the reader by any
further remarks on those topics. He deems it,
however, not inexpedient, to give some account
of the origin of the present publication, both as
it regards the form, in which it has been brought
before the world, and the manner, in which it was
first suggested to his own mind.
The following Lectures were composed and
delivered by the Author, in the capacity oi Deputy
to the Hulsean Lecturer, who was prevented, by
indisposition, from proceeding to the discharge of
his official duties, which commenced on the first
day of April in the present year. — A notice being
issued by the Trustees of the Lecture, dated

XIV PREFACE.
March 13, 1821, inviting persons to offer their
services to fulfil the provisions of Mr. Hulse's
Will, after such consideration as the interval
between the 13th and 26th of March allowed,
though with some hesitation, the Author finally
announced his willingness to undertake the
task. He has now to express his gratitude to
those who entrusted to him, under such circum
stances, the duties of the Hulsean Lectureship,
which are certainly more arduous than those of
any similar institution; yet he has endea
voured to discharge them in the best manner
he could. But he must now from the press
repeat the request, which he made from the
pulpit in his first Lecture, that he may obtain
such indulgence, as may be thought justly due
to a work of this nature, composed and printed
in less than nine months. It was undertaken
amidst numerous ordinary engagements, and it
has been pursued amidst various unavoidable, but
unexpected interruptions, with a detail of which
it is not necessary to trouble the reader, but
which have caused the work to appear without
that careful revision of so hasty a composition,

PREFACE. XV
which would have been exceedingly desirable.
He could not, however, defer the publication of
the work, and can therefore only say,
" Emendaturus, si licuisset, erat."
The hesitation of the Author, with respect to
the undertaking, was occasioned by the difficulty
which he felt as to the method and arrangement
in which so extensive a subject should be treated.
Yet he was exceedingly desirous to avail himself
of such an opportunity to bring it forward, since
it had been so highly satisfactory to himself, and,
as he thought, was likely to be generally useful. —
It was first suggested to his own mind, about two
years ago, by reading to a sick parishioner the
fifth chapter of St. John's Gospel; a complete
analysis of wrhich is included in the following
pages. The Author was at that time much
astonished, and somewhat perplexed, to find that
it contained a distinct enumeration and summary
of the principal arguments in favour of Christ
ianity. In his subsequent reading of the Gospels,
he was even more surprised to observe that they
contained, in other parts, so much on the same

XVI PREFACE.
subject; and he at length formed the opinion that
a complete system of evidence might be formed
in the very words of our Lord, and of the Sermons
and Epistles of the New Testament8. In con
sequence of this, when preaching before the
University in December 1820, he stated his
conviction that a work might be constructed upon
the principle explained in the second of the fol
lowing Lectures, so as to place the subject of
evidence in a point of view more intelligible, and
more generally edifying, than the separate and
abstract form, which it generally assumes. But,
although he had even then formed the design to
bring the subject forward, when he had fully
digested and arranged it, he had not the slightest
conception that he should, have done it within
a year from that time. And when the opportunity,
of which he has been able to avail himself,

» It was not until the Author had delivered several of the
Lectures, that he met with Dr. Gerard's Dissertations on subjects
relating to the genius and the evidences of Christianity. He was
gratified to find that so sensible a writer had taken a view of the
subject so nearly resembling that here given. Many other works
have also touched upon it, but none, that the Author has seen,
have completely and systematically exhibited it.

PREFACE. Xyii
occurred, it found him still more sensible than
ever of the extent, as well as of the importance
of the subject, in consequence of another perusal
of the four Gospels with a special. view to the
consideration of it. He has done what he could
to elucidate it, as far as they are concerned ; and
all censure which this work may deserve must
be directed against himself. He will contentedly
submit, even to incur the charge of presumption
for having ventured to undertake the following-
work, rather than that the subject should suffer
in consequence of his unskilful management of it.
If he has treated it with any tolerable degree of
success, he thinks that it will appear that the
subject of evidence is a topic of scriptural in
struction, and that it may be treated, if occasion
require, in our parochial ministrations, in a way
which is at once explanatory of Scripture, satis
factory to the believer, and applicable to practice.
The Author has only further to request that
the reader, whether, or not, he is satisfied with
the statements and representations contained in
this Volume, will at least borrow the hint which

XVU1 PREFACE.
is given in it, and study for himself the discourses
of our Lord, and the narrative which accompanies
and illustrates those discourses. Those divine
records will thereby receive a fresh light and
importance, and he, who so reads them, cannot
fail to receive both delight and satisfaction from
the heavenly and comprehensive instructions and
reasonings of our Lord himself.
Trinity College,
Dec. 21, 1S21.

CONTENTS.

Introductory Lecture I.
Human Frailty and Mortality the special Objects of God's
promised Mercy. — Suitable provisions of the Gospel,
more especially as they are noticed in the opening
Statements of the Evangelist St. John.
John i. 12 — 14. As many as received him, to them gave he power
to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on his
name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made
flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth  p, i
Introductory Lecture II.
The Evangelic Records designed, according to St. Luke
and St. John, to assure us of the certainty of the
Gospel, by laying before us its evidence. — -Their suffi
ciency for that end. — Nature and advantages of the
view which they suggest ; and the plan of the follow
ing Lectures in illustration of it.-
Luke i. 1—4. Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set
forth in order k declaration of those things which are most Surely
believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which
from the beginning were eye-witnesses, and ministers ofthe word;
it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of
all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most
excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of
those things, wherein thou hast been instructed  p. 27
d

XX CONTENTS.
PART I.
Lectures III1 — V.
STATEMENTS OF JESVS, RESPECTING HIS PRETENSIONS AND THE
OBJECT OF HIS MISSION, WHICH PRECEDED HIS ACTUAL APPEAL
TO THE EVIDENCES IN CONFIRMATION OF THEM.
Lecture III.
Our Lord's Conference with Nicodemus.
John hi. 1 — 3. There was a man of the Pharisees, named
Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews ; the same came to Jesus by
night, and said unto him, 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. Jesus answered and said unto
him, Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,
he cannot see'the kingdom of God  p. 53
Lecture IV.
Our Lord's teaching in Samaria and Galilee. — At what
period, and for what reason, he began to argue in
defence of his Mission.
Matt. iv. 23. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in
their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and
- healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among
the people  p. 82
Lecture V.
The Occasion of the Discourse recorded in St. John's
fifth Chapter, and the Persons to whom it was ad
dressed. — Illustration and Analysis of the first portion
of it.
John v. \, — 20. Jesus answered them, My Father worketh
hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to
kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said
.-also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.Then

CONTENTS.

XXI

Then answered Jesus, and said unto them, Verily, 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  p> 104

PART II.
Lectures VI— XVII.
THE REASONINGS OF OUR LORD RESPECTING THE EVIDENCES TO
WHICH HE APPEALED IN CONFIRMATION OF HIS CLAIMS.
Lecture VI.
Our Lord's recapitulation of his Claims connected with
a reference to the presumption in their favour from his
not seeking his own Will.
John v. 30, 31. I can of mine own self do nothing ; as I hear,
I judge ; and my judgement is just ; because I seek not mine
own will, but the will of the Father which hath' sent me. If I
bear witness of myself , my witness is not true  p. 129
Lecture VII.
Our Lord's reasonings, on the Evidence arising from the
witness of John, addressed to the Rulers, to the
Multitudes, to John's Disciples, and to his own.
John v. 31 — 35. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not
true. There is another that heareth witness of me; and I know
that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye sent unto
John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not
testimony from man; but these things I say, that ye might be
saved. He was a burning and a shining light; and ye were
wiUing for a season to rejoice in his Ught  p. 152

xxn contents.
Lecture VIII.
Our Lord's Appeal to his Miracles as attesting his Divine
Mission.
'John v. $6. But I have greater witness than that of John; for
the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same
works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent
me  p. 179
Lecture IX.
Our Lord's Appeal to his Miracles in proof of his
Messiahship.
Matt. xi. 2 — 6. Now when John had heard in the prison the
works of Christ, he sent two of his. disciples, and said unto him,
Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus
answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those
things which ye do hear and see ; The blind receive their sight,
and the lame walk ; the lepers are cleansed, aud the deaf hear ;
the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached
to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in
me  p. 203
Lecture X.
Our Lord's Answer to the Cavil which imputed his dis
possession of Demons to Satanic agency. He appeals
to that class of his Miracles as indicating the establish
ment of the Kingdom of God.
Luke xi. 20. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils,
no doubt th.e kingdom of God is come upon yo/a  p. 227
Lecture XI. •
Our Lord's Appeal to the Witness of the Father, by
whielj he was the subject, as well as the worker, of
. , Miracles.

contents. xXm
John v. 37, 38. And the Father himself which hath sent me,
hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at
any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding
in you ; for whom lie hath sent, him ye believe not  p. 257
Lecture XII.
Our Lord's Appeal to the Scriptures of the Old Testa
ment, as peculiarly designed to testify of Him.
John v. 39, 40. Search the Scriptures ; for in them ye think ye
have eternal life ; and they are they which testify of me. And
ye will not come to me, that ye might have life  p. 286
Lecture XIII.
A Review of the particular Instances in which our Lord,
during his life, actually cites or alludes to the Prophe
cies and Types ofthe ancient Scriptures.
Matt. xi. 12—14. From the days of John the Baptist until
now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent
take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied
until John. And, if ye will receive it, this is Elias which was
for to come  '.  p. 311
Lecture XIV.
Our Lord's Debates with the Jews. — That recorded in
St. John's eighth Chapter considered — in the course of
which our Lord specifies the period at which the
Evidence of his Messiahship would be complete ; ap
peals to the Purity of his Life, and of his Doctrine ;
hints at the Fulfilment in him of the Promise to
Abraham ; and asserts his pre-existence.
John viii. 28, 29, 45— .-47. Then said Jesus unto them, When
ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am
he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath
taught

XXIV contents.

taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with
me :. the Father hath not left me alone ; for I do always those
things that please him.
And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you
convinceth me of sin ? And if I say the truth, why do ye not
believe me? He that is of God, heareth God's words; ye there
fore hear them not, because ye are not of God  p. 33o
Lecture XV.
Our Lord's Statement that the Fulfilment of his own
Predictions would evince his Messiahship. The manner
in which he displayed and noticed his unlimited know
ledge of men and things.
John xiii. 18, 19. I know whom I have chosen: but that the
Scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me, hath
lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it come,
that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am
He  p. 362
Lecture XVI.
The remarkable Sayings of our Lord, at the time of his
Apprehension, on his Trial, and on the Cross, con
sidered.' — His Institution of the Sacrament in Comme
moration of his Death.
John xviii. 36, 37. Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of
this world ; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my
servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews : but
now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto
him, Art thou a king then ? Jesus answered, Thou say est that
I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came
I into the world, that I might bear witness unto the truth.
Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice  p. 387
Lecture XVII.
The Method in which our Lord evidenced the Reality of
his Resurrection, and his reasonings on Prophecy after that

contents. xxv
that event. — The distinguishing peculiarities of the
Christian Faith,
Luke xxiv. 44 — 48. And he said unto them, These are the words
which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things
must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in
the Prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened
he their understandings, that they might understand the Scrip
tures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved
Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, and
that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his
name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are
witnesses of these things  p. 417

PART III.
Lectures XVIII— XX.
OUR LORD'S NOTICE OF THE REJECTION OF HIS CLAIMS BY THE JEWS;
AND OF THE CAUSES, PROGRESS, AND CONSEQUENCES OF
INFIDELITY.
Lecture XVIII.
Our Lord's Notice of the Rejection of his Claims by the
Jews. — He specifies some of the moral Causes of
Infidelity.
John v. 40—46. Ye will not come to me that ye might have
life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that
you have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's
name, and ye receive me not ; if another shall come in his own
name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive
honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh
from God only ? Do not think that I will accuse you to the
Father : there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye
trust. For had ye 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 ?  P> 4*9

xxvi contents.

Lecture XIX.

The Infidelity of the Jews in its more advanced stage
noticed by our Lord with allusion to a passage of
Isaiah. — The occasion and purport of his Remarks;
and a similar application of the same passage by the
Evangelist St. John. — Other Cautions and Directions
given by our Lord respecting the Temper and Method
proper for Religious Inquiry.
Matt. xiii. 14 — 16. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of
Esaias, which saith, 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 they have 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 converted, and I should
heal them  .....'.  p. 475
Lecture XX.
Our Lord's Notice of Infidelity in its last and confirmed
stage. — The Blasphemy against the Son of Man, and
that against the Holy Ghost. — The demand of additional
Evidence, when that which is offered has been rejected.
— Sanctions with which the Gospel is accompanied. —
Conclusion.
Luke xii. 8—10. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall conf ess
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 against the Holy Ghost, it shall not
be forgiven  p. 500

HULSEAN LECTURES
FOR 1821.
INTRODUCTORY LECTURE I.
— O —
HUMAN FRAILTY AND MORTALITY
THE SPECIAL OBJECTS OF GOD'S PROMISED MERCY.
SUITABLE PROVISIONS OF THE GOSPEL,
MORE ESPECIALLY AS THEY ARE NOTICED IN THE OPENING
STATEMENTS OF THE EVANGELIST ST. JOHN,

A

LECTURE I.

St. John I. 12 — 14.
As many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the Sons of God, even to them that believe
on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and
dwelt among us, (and we beheld Ms glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full
of grace and truth.
He, who "giveth to all life, and breath, and
all things, hath made from one progenitor, and
of one blood, all nations of men for to dwell
on the face of the earth ; and will have all men
to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of
the truth V Yet, although all men have sprung
from the same original, partake of one common
nature, and are indifferently the objects of their
Creator's regard, they are variously distinguished
from each other. The diversities of form and
countenance, station and condition, ability and
pursuits, are as numerous as the individuals of
* Acts xvii. 25, 26". 1 Tim. ii. 4.
A 2

4 Lecture I.
whom the race is composed. These, however,
are distinctions of time only, and of this world ;
"at the hour of death, and in the day of judg
ment," they will have ceased for ever. But
distinctions co-exist with these, which in some
respects are already manifested ; which will here
after be more fully developed, and more completely
fixed ; which time cannot efface, and death cannot
destroy ; which will determine our destiny at the
last decisive day, and continue with us through
eternity. These important distinctions are such as
respect our inner man ; our moral and religious
character; the state of our affections, and soul,
and spirit, with reference to God, and his favour,
and the things unseen.
To those "who believe on the name ofthe only
begotten Son of God," belong privileges and ex
pectations, than which none more ennobling and
animating can be enjoyed by man. They derive
them from the mercy, and receive them through
the power of God; and the bliss and dignity
which are hereby communicated to them in this
world, are but a foretaste and pledge of more
perfect blessedness in another. The same beloved
Apostle who, in the words of our text, mentions
these privileges, and also the wondrous method
in which they were procured and revealed, in
another part of his writings exclaims ; " Behold,
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed

Lecture I. 5
upon us, that we should be called the Sons of
God." "Beloved," he adds, "now are we the
Sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what
we shall be."1 It is, however, already revealed,
that "redemption through the blood of Christ
has procured for us the forgiveness of sins." We
know that we were thus "redeemed, that we might
receive the adoption of sons;" and the adoption
will one day be perfected, by " the redemption of
our body" from the power of the grave. And
therefore " the earnest expectation of the creature
waiteth for the manifestation of the Sons of God ;
when it shall be delivered from the bondage of
corruption, into that glorious liberty" of which
the children of God will partake, by being " the
children of the resurrection." b
"The hope thus set before us" is one to
which we may "flee for refuge" amidst all the
fears, and adversities, and uncertainties of life.
And if we are convinced that "grace and truth"
have indeed "come by Jesus Christ;" and that
he, as " the only begotten Son of God, the Word
incarnate, hath declared to us the Father;" then
" though now we see him not, yet believing, we
may rejoice in him with joy unspeakable and full
of glory."
a 1 John iii. 1, 2.
" Eph. i. 7- GaLiv. 5. Rom. viii. 15—23. Lukexx. 35, 36.

6 Lecture I.
We purpose, in these Lectures, to call your
attention to the striking and satisfactory mariner
in which the certainty, design, and importance
of the Gospel were originally exhibited to man
kind. We shall shew you, in our next Lecture,
that the Evangelists, St. Luke and St. John, them
selves have directed us to such a view of the
subject. St. John has also prefaced his narrative
with a comprehensive statement respecting the
divine and eternal glory of the Word, who " was
made flesh, and dwelt among us full of grace and
truth ;" and the retrospective, present, and pro
spective, benefits of this incarnation of the Son of
God. If, therefore, we devote this introductory
discourse to a summary review of those impor
tant truths, into the certainty of which we are to
inquire, we shall, by such a procedure, still fol
low the guidance of the Evangelists, and conduct
our inquiries upon the plan which they suggest
to us. The Gospel announces to us an appropriate
and adequate provision for our necessities, as
sinful and, therefore, as dying, creatures. " For
since man was a partaker of flesh and blood,
the deliverer of men likewise took part of the
same; that through death, he might destroy
him that had the power of death, that is, the
devil; and deliver them, who through fear of
death, were all their lifetime subject to bond-

Lecture I. 7
age."a And rightly to have meditated upon that
guilt and frailty of man, which infuses bitterness
into the cup of life, and sharpens the sting of
death, will best teach us that humility and grati
tude, with which we ought to contemplate "the
exceeding riches of God's grace, in his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus." b
That we are frail and dying creatures is pro
ved by universal and unvarying experience. We
are carried down the stream of time ; and, like
every other bubble that floats upon its surface,
we also, in our turn, must disappear. Not only
the fleeting portion of time during which we our
selves exist, but even the generation to which we
belong, quickly passes away. The tolling bell, and
the opened grave, ever and anon remind us of the
unwelcome truth. Man, our brother, neighbour,
and friend, " goeth to his long home ;" " the dust
returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit to
God who gave it." And, when we remember the
judgment that comes after death, conscience re
minds us of our transgressions, and suggests dis
tressing, but not groundless, fears. For, by all
that we can discover of the "eternal power and
Godhead " of our Creator, by all that we have
been taught, or can comprehend, respecting his
character, we know that he is " glorious in holi-
a Heb. ii. 14, 15. b Ephes. ii. 7.

8 Lecture L
ness," and the "hater of iniquity ;" "abundant in
goodness and truth," and yet of inflexible justice ;
that he "searcheth the hearts and trieth the reins,"
and will "bring every work into judgment, with
every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether
it be evil." If we dwell exclusively on the con
trast exhibited to us between his perfections and
our imperfections, between his glory and our
degradation, we could scarcely do otherwise than
despair. But in order that humility may be com
bined with hope, we must consider these truths
in connexion, as in Scripture we are taught to do.
There all that is weak and frail in man is put in
immediate connexion with all that is mighty and
glorious in his God. Man's sinfulness and God's
mercy are noticed together, both in the general
declarations of his readiness to forgive, and also
in the more explicit statements respecting the
wondrous and consolatory provisions, which, by
the incarnation and humiliation of the Son of
God, are made for our redemption and salvation.
Hence we may indeed learn the salutary lesson of
humility and self-abhorrence ; but hence also may
we be raised from the debasing depths of despair,
and taught to lift up the down cast eye, to " be
hold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed
upon us." We are taught "worthily to lament
our sins, and to acknowledge our wretchedness,"
in order that the remedy provided for both may be

Lecture I. 9
worthily esteemed, and earnestly sought ; that so
we may obtain of "the God of all mercy, perfect
remission and forgiveness, through Jesus Christ
our Lord."" Yes, Christians, as "we have none
in heaven but God," so " if on earth we desire
none in comparison of him ;" then although our
" heart and flesh " may and must "fail, God will
be the strength of our heart, and our portion for
ever."b Let the Psalmist, in another place, give
us the assurance and the reason of such a hope:
"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord
pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our
frame ; he remembereth that we are dust. As
for man, his days are as grass ; as a flower of the
field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over
it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know
it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from
everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear
him ; and his righteousness unto children's child
ren ; to such as keep his covenant, and to those
that remember his commandments to do them."'
We are taught to take the same extensive and
consolatory view by St. Peter : " We are born
again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible,
by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for
ever. For all flesh is grass, and all the glory of

* Collect for Ash- Wednesday. b Psalm lxxiii. 25, 26.
c Psalm ciii. 13—18.

10 Lecture I.
man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth,
and the flower thereof falleth away ; but the word
of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the
word which by the Gospel is preached unto
you."a Here the Apostle cites and explains the
words, which Isaiah ascribes to the voice crying in
the wilderness ; when, rapt into Gospel times, he
already seemed to hear it uttering the proclamation,
" Prepare ye the way of the Lord ; that the glory
of the Lord may be revealed, and all flesh may
see it together." b Here then we are approaching
to a full discovery of the wondrous means, by
which " God's people are comforted, their warfare
is accomplished, and their iniquity pardoned."
Turn we then once more for information respect
ing this interesting matter to the declarations of
the Apostles of Jesus Christ. What says St. Paul?
"The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law could not do, in that it was
weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, con
demned sin in the flesh ; that the righteousness of
the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not

a 1 Pet. i. 23—25.
b Isai. xl. 1 — 8. Throughout the remainder of the chapter the
prophet gives a magnificent description of the divine attributes,
and applies them for the consolation of man.

Lecture I. ] \
after the flesh, but after the Spirit. And if Christ
be in you, the body is dead, because of sin ; but
the Spirit is life, because of righteousness. But if
the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the
dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from
the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by
his Spirit that dwelleth in you."c We have in these
words a clear and consolatory description of the
blessed fulfilment of that original promise, which
accompanied the sentence of death pronounced
upon our first parents ; and which shewed, that,
even then, "mercy rejoiced against judgment."
The deliverance then promised was that " wisdom
of God in a mystery, which God ordained before
the world unto our glory ;" the purposes of which
were accomplished by the incarnation, and ministry,
and sufferings, of the Son of God. This hidden
wisdom "God revealed unto the Apostles by his
Spirit, that they might know the things which are
freely given us of God; which things also they
spoke, not in the words which man's wisdom
teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth."d
And so instructed respecting that " Lord of Glory
whom the princes of this world crucified," the
Evangelist declared, in the words of our text,
"The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among
us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
¦ Rom. viii. 2—4; 10, 11. d 1 Cor. ii. 7—13.

12 Lecture I.
only begotten of the Father) full of grace and
truth." This passage stands in the middle of St. John's
introduction to his Gospel; and it is connected,
by the two first clauses, with the preceding verses
of that introduction, in which he speaks of the
preexistence and dignity of " the Word who was
made flesh," and of his reception in the world.
The latter clauses of the verse introduce the state
ment which he then subjoins respecting the exhi
bition of his glory, and the effects and purposes
of his manifestation in the flesh. The Evangelist
first states the original cause, and then proceeds
to state the effect ; which undoubtedly corresponds
to the order of the divine intentions and dispen
sations. But our limited conceptions will best
enable us, first to consider the effect, and then
to ascend to its cause ; first to observe the method
and consequences of the Gospel revelation, and
afterwards to advert to the origin and dignity of
him who was thus manifested in the flesh, which
afford the fullest, and indeed the only adequate,
assurance that he is "mighty to save."
" The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among
us full of grace and truth." The phraseology
both of this verse, and of the preceding ones,
can only be reconciled with the supposition that
the Evangelist speaks not here of any abstract
quality, or of the doctrine of the Gospel ; but of

Lecture I. 13
a person ; and certainly, therefore, of him who was
"the author and finisher of our faith." And
whether or not he had existed previously to his
appearance in the world ; and whatever were the
dignity which appertained to him in such a prior
state ; yet that being " made of a woman," he par
took of flesh and blood; that he "dwelt among
us" in the likeness of men, and shared in all the
affections, and infirmities, and casualties of our
common nature, was an obvious and undeniable
fact ; upon the certainty of which every other
assertion respecting him avowedly proceeds. Yet
he spoke and acted as one who had authority ;
he dwelt among us full of grace and truth, but in
an official character. He professed to be sent
of God ; yet he had not come armed with venge
ance ; but as one commissioned to offer for
giveness, "to seek and to save that which was
lost :" He was meek and lowly of heart, affable and
benignant in demeanour. With lips full of grace
he invited the weary and heavy laden to seek of
him rest for their souls. By admonition and by
promise he succoured the tempted. He encou
raged the suppliant to perseverance in prayer.
He animated the penitent with the assurance of
pardon. He imparted his instructions on subjects
of high and holy import with a condescension,
which shewed his unlimited benevolence; with
a readiness and calm confidence, which shewed

14 Lectuhe I.
that he spake of heavenly things as one familiar
with them, and of earthly things as one who
"knew what was in man." " He spake as never
man spake ;" as one " in whom were hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge;" and to
whose view "the abundance of the heart" of man
was open. His words flashed conviction on the
soul, for they met both the avowed objections,
and the secret surmises, of the gainsayer; they
were calculated to alarm the careless ; they were
adapted to the fears and wants and dangers of
the humble inquirer. Thus did he dispel those
mists of ignorance and error, which before ob
scured the knowledge of him, "whom truly to
know is everlasting life."
"He dwelt among us, full of grace and truth ;
and we," says the Evangelist, "beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father."
He came not indeed in the artificial pomp of
human glory and dignity ; but in mercy and ten
derness, majesty and omniscience, wisdom and
power ; in the bright effulgence of those perfec
tions which we attribute to the Father, and which
constitute his glory. Those who were with Jesus
most, saw more, not of his infirmity, but of his
glory. At his baptism, by his miracles, at his
transfiguration, resurrection, and ascension " he
manifested his glory" as "the only begotten of the
Father."

Lecture I. 15
To the Apostles was also vouchsafed a fuller
assurance and evidence of the same truth ; for
they were to " bear witness, and to shew unto the
world that eternal life, which was with the Father,
and was manifested unto them." " Of his fulness,"
says the Evangelist, "have all we received, and
grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses,
but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." The
same grace which he exhibited in his life, was
in a more especial manner exercised towards his
Apostles after his ascension ; that it might be
evidenced to the world by the illumination of
their minds, by the importance, and suitableness,
and efficacy of the doctrines they taught, and by
the mighty works which they wrought through
the name of Jesus, that they were sanctioned,
and taught, and supported from above. His was
the fulness of grace and truth ; and " of that fulness
they received grace" abundant in degree, increas
ing in extent, and "instead of" that of the Old
Testament, which "though it was glorious, yet
had no glory by reason of that which so far ex
celled it." "The law given by Moses" was holy
and divine, but it was " the ministration of con
demnation ;" and had only "the shadow of good
things to come." "The grace" which it left
imperfect, and " the truth" of all that it promised
and prefigured, "came by Jesus Christ;" who
was "the end of the law for righteousness to every

16 Lecture I.
one that believeth." "To know the only true God
and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent," is now
declared to be "life eternal."
With a similar statement the Evangelist con
cludes his introduction. " No man hath seen
God at any time ; the only begotten Son, which
is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared
him." By him are fully announced to us the
perfect and harmonious attributes of the Father ;
the relations in which we stand to him ; and the
way in which he will shew mercy, and can be
"just, while he justifies those that believe in
Jesus." The Evangelist particularly specifies that
he who hath " shewed us plainly of the Father,"
was "the only begotten Son which is in the bosom
of the Father ;" intending, by such a statement,
more deeply to impress us with a conviction of
the grace, and truth, and authority, of the in
carnate Word. He declares to us thereby his
antecedent personal dignity, "the glory that he
had with the Father before the world was ; " and
that "between him and the Father was the counsel
of peace," which in due time was testified by the
preaching of the Gospel. The incarnation of the
Son of God did indeed cause him to submit to
a state of humiliation ; and it was succeeded by
his "glorification as the Son of man," as "the
one Mediator between God and man," as "the
head over all things to his Church." But his

Lecture I. 17
being " crowned with glory and honour, because
of the suffering of death," and his high exaltation
to the throne of his mediatorial kingdom, did not
confer upon him a new personal dignity, but only
one of an official nature. It is true that as our
Saviour, and as the Christ, he received "a name
which is above every name ; that every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father"." But it was because
he was " the only begotten Son of God, which is
in the bosom of the Father," that he became our
Saviour and intercessor. In him, while he taber
nacled among men, " dwelt all the fulness of the
Godhead bodily;" for he, of whom these things
are spoken, was " God manifest in the flesh." The
whole Gospel of St. John teaches these great
and essential doctrines ; it opposes heresy, not by
the refutation of error, but by the establishment
of truth. And as, in the latter part of the intro
duction to his Gospel, the Evangelist notices the
incarnation, glory, and success ofthe Son of God;
so, in the former part of it, he instructs us in what
sense we are to believe that Jesus is the Son of
God. He states, in the text, that it was the
"Word who became flesh;" and in the pre
ceding verses he manifestly speaks of the Word
as a. person, one also who "came from God, as

* Phil. i. 9—1 1 ¦
B

18 Lecture I.
he afterwards went to God." Which of us will
venture to say, that he spoke not these things
by the inspiration of that " Spirit, which searcheth
all things, yea, even the deep things of God?"
We might acquiesce, therefore, in this his tes
timony, even if the words and works of Jesus,
and all the testimony of Scripture, did not teach
us the same.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God."
And having thus declared his pre-existence, his
existence in the bosom of the Father even at the
creation of all things, and his divinity; he adds
the statement, that " the same was in the begin
ning with God;" lest while we do "not confound
the persons," we should "divide the substance."
And again ; " All things were made by him, and
without him was not any thing made that has
been made." By him, by whose agency, as the
Word of Jehovah, the heavens and the earth were
made, and by Whom Jehovah revealed himself to
the Patriarchs, and to their chosen posterity, by
the same has the world been redeemed. "In him
was life, and the life was the light of men." That
"light ever shined in the darkness" of the heathen
world, "but the darkness comprehended it not."
One "came for a witness, to bear witness of the
light," even of " the true light which, coming into
the world, enlighteneth every man." He was

Lecture I. 19
"a man sent from God ; His name John." It is
not said of him that "he was with God, and was
God ;" for he was but a man, though sent of God.
"He was not that light, but was sent to bear
witness of that light, that all men through him
might believe." He " went before the face of the
Lord to prepare his ways ; to give knowledge of
salvation unto his people, by the remission of
their sins through the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited
usa." Yet as he, who "was in the world, and by
whom the world was made, was not known " by
the Gentile world; so also, when "he came to
his own home, even his own household," the
Jews, "received him not." For this their infi
delity we can fully account ; but let us not " fall
after the same example of unbelief." We may
safely confide in the truth of that record, which
announces to us, "that God hath given to us
eternal life, and that this life is in his Son."
And great are the privileges, and consequent
blessedness, which he is empowered to bestow.
For, "as many as received him, to them gave
he power to become the Sons of God, even to
them that believe on his name." Of the nature,
and future consequences, of this adoption of Sons,
which we receive through the Son of G«d, we
 ,  (_  ;  ¦   '¦  '  !T, 
* Luke i. 76—78.
B 2

20 Lecture I.
have already spoken. And "if the Son thus make
us free, we shall be free indeed ;" delivered here
from the dominion of sin, and hereafter from "the
bondage of corruption ;" for he who is " the. first
begotten from the dead, will "change the body
of our humiliation, that it may be made conformal
to the body of his glory ; according to the mighty
working, whereby he is able to subdue all things
unto himself," and to "swallow up death in victory."
We are thus begotten again unto a lively hope ;
" but not of blood," says the Evangelist ; for it is
not a blessing descending by natural inheritance ;
nor is it confined to any one favoured race, or
family, or nation. Nor does it come "ofthe will
of the flesh ;" for " that.which is born of the flesh
is flesh," but this is a spiritual generation to the in
heritance of spiritual blessings. Nor is it " of the
will of man;" his reason could not have discovered,
his power could not have procured, his works of
righteousness could not have deserved it. It is
"of God;" " who according to his own mercy hath
saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the
renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he hath shed
upon us abundantly through Jesus Christ our
Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we
should be made heirs according to the hope of
eternal life1." a Titus iii. 5 — 7-

Lecture I. 21
If, then, "God hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son," we have received through that
merciful dispensation a consolation for our fears,
and a remedy for our disorders ; thence we learn
that sin can be forgiven, and how our weakness
may be strengthened. Hope succeeds to despair
when we contemplate such a provision for our
frailty ; when we find that God has by "the Gospel
of his grace," confirmed all the assurances of
mercy which he had before given, supplied all that
yet was lacking, confirmed all that was promised,
and brought in "an everlasting righteousness."
These are unspeakably important truths; but short
may be the time which remains to ourselves, for
securing the blessings which they make known
to us. The awful hour of death is one in which
we shall fully learn the value of the righteous
man's hope. It is a season which will so surely
come, and which may be so near, that the con
templation of it ought to quicken us in the pursuit
of those blessings, which are designed to deliver
us now from the fear of it, and hereafter from
its power. We seek to impress upon you the
certainty of death, that you may consider its con
sequences ; that you may make the inquiries which
it suggests; that you may realize the unseen
verities which lie beyond the grave, and which are
eternal. We proclaim to you, with reference to
eternity, the doctrines of God's word, with all

22 Lecture I.
their evidence, their obligations, and their con
sequences; you hear them for eternity. The
decision to which you come respecting them is
a decision for eternity. Let then our inquiries
ever be pursued with a corresponding seriousness ;
let the illusions of time be dissipated, and the
fascinations of sense lose their power over our
souls, that we may learn to walk by the faith
of things unseen, though by the sight of them
we cannot ; that we may have our conversation in
heaven even while we remain upon earth.
We have more than once touched upon the
old and trite subject of death. But often are the
most important truths obvious and familiar ; and
therefore are they so, because they are important.
It is not, however, certain that, because they are
familiar to us, we have duly profited by them. Let
us then, in conclusion, once more renew the re
collection of our mortality ; and advert to the
striking remark of Solomon, "One generation
passeth away, and another generation cometh ;
but the earth abideth for ever'."
Contrast the continued succession of the gene
rations of men, with the permanency of the earth
upon which they live. Compared with their
fleeting existence, it may be said to "abide for
ever." After how short a period do we find
* EocL i. 4.

Lecture I. 2.1
nearly all those, amongst whom we used to dwell,
and with whom we were formerly connected, dis
placed and gone ; and succeeded by others who
have started into existence since ourselves ! Nay,
how soon are all the actors on this busy scene
completely changed; for "there is none abiding."
Soon the place that knoweth us now, shall know
us no more ; and others will occupy the estates
which were ours, and the dwellings we have
inhabited. Our bodies are " houses of clay, whose
foundation is in the dust;" and all that we can
call ourselves dwells in these frail tenements. The
works of man often long outlive him. What pur
pose do the magnificent ruins of the cities of the
wilderness, and the massy piles that adorn the
banks of the Nile, now serve, but to make us
wonder at the skill and diligence of those long-
forgotten people, of whose manners, history, and
language, we have now scarcely any record ; and
to cause us profitably to muse on the shortness of
human life, and the instability of human grandeur!
But we need not visit these distant wonders to
have a sensible proof of the same truth ; and one
which may perhaps be at once more familiar and
impressive. We are here surrounded by some of
those edifices, which are the ornament of our
country, and which excite and gratify the curi
osity of the inquiring stranger. They have
served the purposes of many generations that

24 Lecture I.
are past ; they serve ours now ; and will proba
bly continue to invite, receive, and instruct, gene
rations yet unborn. And in this place, assuredly,
we may most strikingly see how quickly one
generation passeth away, and another cometh!
A period of four or five years here almost
changes the scene. Those, who remove from
hence, do indeed for the most part go to form a
portion of the permanent population of some other
place. But what occasions the demand for their
services in this place or in that, but the removal
of some of our race by death? This perpetual
change, and constant transition, are caused by
the openings which death has somewhere made.
The fluctuations and varying- features of social
life as certainly result from this cause, as motion
in the natural world from a vacuum. Survey the
permanent population of this or of any other
place, and it will appear, that many of those,
who, on setting out in life have little success
and employment, in a few years become pros
perous, and, with their families, are established in
life. Why ? Because many of their former rivals
have been removed, and they have succeeded to
their abodes, connexions, and emoluments. Thus
is our prosperity, nay even our very means of
subsistence, derived from the mortality of our
predecessors and ancestors : and that of our suc
cessors and of posterity will depend equally upon

Lecture I. 2_>
ours. Death is the debt of nature; it meets us
in every time, place, and concern of life ; so true
is it, that "in the midst of life we are in death,"
and that " one generation passeth away, and an
other cometh."
When we look round on the great congrega
tion assembled in God's house, and recollect that,
considering it collectively, we can assign the
period within which all of us will have undergone
the pangs of death ; we might sit down, and, like
the Persian monarch, weep at the melancholy
reflection, did we not remember again, that ano
ther generation will ere that have gradually arisen,
upon whom the sun will shine as brightly ; for
whom the earth will bring forth as plentifully ;
whose will be all the joys and cares, the comforts
and disappointments that we have experienced ;
and who will share the same bounty and protec
tion of the same God., All will be well ordered
with respect to the fortunes and changes of the
world in general. But will it be well with us as
individuals ? We know the limit beyond which
we cannot survive, but we know not within how
small a span of time we have yet to move. We
know also, that whenever " the body shall return
to the earth as it was, the spirit shall return to
God who gave it;" to render its account before
him then, and at the appointed day before the
general assemblage of all generations. And let

26 Lecture I.
it be remembered by us, that we cannot have any
certainty that out eternal state will differ from
that which would be assigned to us this day,
if on this day the decision were to be made. We
may live long ; but we may " wax worse and
worse, deceiving and being deceived," and may
thus be treasuring up wrath against the day of
wrath. We may live long, and see many days ;
but our strength may be brought down in the
midst of our journey, and our days be shortened.
And who that now has not his loins girt, and his
lamp burning, can think that he will be ready,
if his Lord comes in an unexpected hour? How
then should we even now strive, and watch, and
pray, that the spirit may be saved in the day of
the Lord Jesus ! For by every thought, word,
and deed, we sow that seed, of which the harvest
will then be reaped ; and as we have sown to the
flesh or to the spirit, we then shall reap either
corruption or life everlasting.

HULSEAN LECTURES
FOR 1821.
INTRODUCTORY LECTURE II.

THE EVANGELIC RECORDS DESIGNED, ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE AND
ST. JOHN, TO ASSURE US OF THE CERTAINTY OF THE GOSPEL, BY
LAYING BEFORE US ITS EF/BEiVCE.  THEIR SUFFICIENCY FOR
THAT END,  NATURE AND ADVANTAGES OF THE VIEW WHICH
THEY SUGGEST ; AND THE PLAN OF THE FOLLOWING LECTURES
IN ILLUSTRATION OF IT.

LECTURE II.

Luke I. 1 — 4,
Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in
order a declaration of those things which are most surely
believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us,
which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and mi
nisters ofthe word; it seemed good to me also, having
had perfect understanding of all things from the very
frst, to write unto thee in Order, most excellent.
Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of
those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
We, as Christians, have been instructed in momen
tous truths ; even in all that was taught, promised,
and effected, by a divine, incarnate, suffering,
crucified, and exalted, Messiah. We have been
baptized into the name of Jesus Christ. Having
been begotten again by him to a lively hope, we
have been taught the articles of our faith, the
commands of our Master, the vows which are
upon us, the obligations which accompany all that
a Christian ought to know and believe to his soul's
health. We have, by our own mouths, ratified
the promises and vows which were made on our
behalf. We have received those holy mysteries,

30 Lecture II.
in the participation of which we are " fed with the
spiritual food of the precious body and blood of
our Saviour Jesus Christ." We have thus become
" very members incorporate of the mystical body of
the Son of God ;" we thus "shew forth the Lord's
death until his coming again;" professing that we
are " heirs through hope of his everlasting king
dom ;" and praying unto our God to "grant that, by
the merits and death of his Son our Saviour Jesus
Christ, and through faith in his blood, we and all
his whole Church may obtain remission of our
sins, and all other benefits of his passion"." We
have been instructed in all these great and con
solatory truths ; and we have professed to believe
them. If we have herein " witnessed a good con
fession," and are not " losing the things which we
have wrought," then " believing with the heart
unto righteousness, confession will be made by
the mouth unto salvation." Of this salvation we
may entertain a good hope through the promised
mercy of a gracious God." For we have also been
instructed, in the midst of the fears and infirmities
of our nature, and under the afflictions of this life,
to " commit the keeping of our souls to God in
well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." We have
been instructed, even in the hour of death, to
" commend our Spirits into the hands of that God

1 Communion Service.

Lecture It. 31
of truth who has redeemed them," " in hope of
eternal life, which he, who cannot lie has pro
mised;" and in the cheering and assured confi
dence, that " he, in whom we have believed, is
able to keep that which we have committed to
him until that day."
" So we preach, and so ye have believed."
When we appear before you in this sacred place,
and on this holy day, we claim not '* to have
dominion over your faith ;" but fain would we be
fellow-helpers of your joy," by endeavouring to
convince you of the value and importance of
"those things in which you have been instructed;"
by faithfully discharging " the ministry of recon
ciliation ; " and by " testifying, both to small and
great, repentance towards God, and faith in our
Lord Jesus Christ." And while we discharge the
ministry committed unto us, you also, by your
attendance here, seem to say unto us, what
Cornelius expressed in words ; " Now therefore
are we all here present before God, to hear all
things that are commanded thee of God."' — We
have already alluded to some of those things,
which are commanded us of God, and in which you
have been instructed ; and we purpose so to ad
dress you, that you may not be wholly at a loss
how to ascertain " the certainty of those things in
which you have been instructed." It is desirable
that we should always " be put in remembrance of

32 Lecture II.
these things, even though we know them, and
are established in the present truth ;" that we
should be instructed in their several uses and
applications, and be reminded of their certainty.
It is desirable for ourselves, that we may not " let
them slip," but " take the more earnest heed to
them," and not " neglect so great a salvation."
It is desirable for the continual benefit of all that
have yet to learn these things, that they also may
see on how solid a foundation the hope of a
Christian is built.
The topic, which is to form one prominent
feature in the discourses of the Hulsean Lecturer,
has been so often and so largely discussed, that
he cannot, perhaps, select any department of the
evidences for the truth of Christianity, abundant
and various as they are, in which he has not, in
some measure, been anticipated. But it is because
these subjects are important, rather than because
they are novel, that they demand our attentive
investigation. It is from the circumstance, that
many will listen to the discussion of such topics,
who might not have either opportunity or in
clination to read much respecting them, that the
utility of preaching is to be estimated, both as to
this, and other, subjects of Christian instruction.
The preacher may not advance any thing sub
stantially new. But the subjects themselves, of
which he treats, may have hitherto obtained only

Lecture II. 33
an imperfect attention from some of those whom
he addresses; and the renewed consideration of
the same extensive and interesting subjects may
not be without its use with respect to others;
especially if the preacher's plan, or his method of
illustration, present them in some point of view
in which they have been less generally con
templated. He will probably select some line of
argument, which has already afforded satisfaction
to his own mind; which he conceives calculated
to elucidate the difficulties, and obviate the doubts,
which may suggest themselves to the mind of the
serious inquirer. And such a view will, there
fore, at least have the recommendation, that it is
exhibited by one, who has inquired for himself into
the grounds of his belief; who is prepared to
avow his own conviction of the futility and false
hood of all the theories and objections of the
infidel; and who is at the same time ready to
give to every one, who stands in the posture of
a candid inquirer, " a reason of the hope that is in
him." With " meekness and with fear" would
we do this ; with that meek and lowly heart to
which alone God will "teach his way;" and with
that " meekness towards all men," which re
strains the bitter word, and the judgment of un-
charitableness. We are desirous also to maintain
that " fear of God, which is the beginning of
wisdom;" and which alone consists with that
C

34 Lecture II.
" good understanding," which can enable us to
judge rightly of what professes to come from him.
Nor must we omit to cherish a fear respecting
ourselves. Even when we seem to have attained
the fullest conviction, we should still bear in mind,
that " he, that thinketh he standeth, must take
heed lest he fall;" and we must also " fear, lest,
a promise being left us by God of entering into his
rest, any of us should seem to come short of it."
In such a temper of mind let us pursue our
inquiries respecting " the certainty of those things
in which we have been instructed." For the
present let it suffice, to specify and explain the
method which we propose to adopt. Perhaps it
may be considered in some respects a new one ;
not certainly new in its principle, nor in the
arguments and topics which we shall discuss ;
but yet perhaps new in the extent to which we
shall apply that principle, and in the form and
aspect which arguments, already familiar, may
assume, when they are so arranged and discussed.
We shall proceed, however, upon a principle,
which, though not generally adopted, is as little
novel as Christianity itself; which the Apostles
themselves have taught us, at the same time
that they also furnish the materials to which
it is to be applied. We propose to consider
the New Testament, not only as a directory in
matters of Christian faith and practice, which,

Lecture II. 35
if Christianity be from God, demands our implicit
obedience ; but as being also a repository of the
several arguments in proof of the divine original
of the Gospel. We contend that Jesus and his
Apostles have themselves appealed to the several
evidences of the truth and divine authority of the
religion which they taught; and that, since they
have so stated them, and reasoned upon them, the
Christian, who understands the authorized records
of his own religion, can be as little at a loss with
respect to the reasons for his belief in the Gospel,
as confessedly he ought to be, with respect to the
doctrines which it requires him to receive, and
the precepts which it commands him to obey.
The principle which I have now briefly stated,
and which will hereafter be more fully illustrated,
will indeed apply to a considerable portion of the
Acts of the Apostles, and of the Epistolary writings
of the New Testament. But the materials fur
nished by the Evangelists are so abundant, that
we must content ourselves with the endeavour to
embody and elucidate the arguments and reason
ings advanced in the discourses of Jesus himself.
But lest we should appear to be proceeding upon
Unsafe or unwarrantable grounds, we will now
explain in what manner the principle may be
deduced ; at what period in the Christian argu
ment we may have recourse to it; and the ad
vantages which it offers to the inquirer.
C 2

36 Lecture II.
I. In the important passage, which we read to
you as our text, and which forms the preface to
the Gospel by St. Luke, the Evangelist distinctly
asserts, that certain facts had occurred in his
time, of which those, who were eye-witnesses of
them, had widely promulgated the knowledge by
oral instruction ; that others had committed that
information to writing; and that he also had
deemed it expedient himself to undertake a similar
narrative for the benefit of Theophilus ; with the
design, that inasmuch as he had already been
informed respecting these things by word of
mouth, he might now, by means of an authentic
written narrative, further be assured of the cer
tainty of those oral instructions, and of the safety
with which he might rely upon the accuracy of
those accounts which he had heard1. The matters
which the Evangelist relates are a series of facts,
and also a series of discourses which were de
livered upon the several occasions he has specified.
Upon such facts and discourses, those who had
been eye and ear-witnesses grounded the whole
system of Christian doctrine. And the Evangelist
evidently conceived that Theophilus would both
better understand those instructions, and more
easily discover their truth, if furnished with that
assistance, which a comprehensive and orderly

a "Ira ewiyvm irep\ tov KaT»jT£i/0t/s \6y(av tiji/ 'A2$AAEIAN. v. 4-

Lecture II. 37
narrative of such matters would afford. History,
of whatever kind, is chiefly valuable because of
the inferences which may be drawn from the
events and experience of past ages, for our own
practical direction. But never did such conse
quences so immediately and obviously result from
any facts, as the doctrines and discoveries of the
Christian religion from the transactions and pro
ceedings by which it was established. The
religion itself, in all its leading peculiarities, prin
cipally consists in a statement of the design of
those facts, and in the application of this know
ledge as the occasion and motive of repentance,
faith, and obedience. If then we can be satisfied
that the narrative of the facts is correct, we may
employ it for the purpose which the historians
designed it to serve ; and see whether it justifies
the inferences drawn from those facts by the
founder and his followers.
The Gospel of St. John contains fewer facts
than the other Gospels, but a more copious record
of the discourses of Jesus. He seldom, indeed,
notices any fact, except for the purpose of explain
ing the occasion of our Lord's discourses and
reasonings, and of the debates which his hearers
held among themselves. And, near the conclusion
of his Gospel, he tells us the design with which
he wrote, and points out the inferences which he
conceives to follow from what he has recorded :

38 Lecture II.
" Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence
of his disciples, which are not written in this book;
but 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 name1."
If then an author has thus stated to us the
object of his work ; if he declares his conviction
that what he has written directs us to a certain
conclusion; we have only to consider the premises
upon which he builds it, in order to ascertain its
correctness and certainty. The materials upon
which to reason are fully given ; but the argument
is not drawn out in form by the Evangelists them
selves ; for they have only narrated certain facts,
and recorded certain discourses. But those dis
courses contain such arguments, and are connected
with such facts, that if we have reason to believe
that they were delivered by him to whom they are
ascribed, and that the facts to which they refer,
and which are related so circumstantially, are
correctly related, then no considerate person can
reasonably doubt that the Religion which we
profess is from God; for the Gospel is found to
be its own witness, defender, and apologist, in the
very contents of its acknowledged records. We
do not say of the Gospel history, as the Mahometan
says of the Koran, that it is itself a miracle, and
* John xx. 30, 31.

Lecture II. 39
that it proves in that way its divine original ; but
we do say, that the Gospels supply us with
materials, upon which we can reason for our
selves; and that the result of every line of argument
suggested by their contents is uniformly conclusive
in favour of the divinity of the Religion which they
teach. Not only do the style and method, the
temper and completeness, of the Gospel narratives
offer to an observing reader many internal indica
tions of the genuineness and credibility of the
records ; but, also, in the very contents of those
records, we find assistance in examining the
question with respect to the external evidence of
the Religion proposed to us therein. For, as will
hereafter appear, the discourses of Jesus alone
bring before us so many ofthe leading arguments
in favour of the divinity of his mission, as to be
almost sufficient of themselves, if rightly under
stood, and duly weighed, to establish the inquirer
in the belief of Christianity.
II. Probably it will be here observed, that our
proposed inquiry proceeds upon the assumption,
that the writings which we employ are genuine
and authentic. It certainly does ; and yet we do
not propose to enter on that discussion. For we
suppose, that both the genuineness and authenticity
of the Gospel history have been so often investi
gated, and so fully proved, by evidence more
complete and diversified than can be brought

40 Lecture II.
forward in corroboration of any other history
whatever, that no one, who has at all qualified
himself to form an opinion, would venture to deny
that the question is set at rest for ever. In fact,
there is less danger that we should doubt the
authenticity and credibility of these documents,
than that we should neglect to use them as such ;
much danger lest we should consider them less
seriously, that we should embrace the conse
quences which follow from their truth, less reso
lutely, and less unreservedly, than in all sober
reason we are bound to do. We might, if it
were indispensably necessary for your satisfaction,
immediately begin to ask you, how you could
account for the establishment and propagation,
nay even for the first publication, of Christianity,
unless upon the supposition, that some such facts
occurred. We might demand of you an answer
to Leslie's celebrated argument, from the con
tinual observance of the Christian ordinances;
from their avowed object, and the institution of
them in the very age, and at the time, of the
events which they commemorate. But we should
do this with the conviction, that you would succeed
no better than the acute Middleton, even though
you also attempted it for twenty years". We
a See Jones's Preface to Leslie's Short and Easy Method with
the Deists, in the edition published by the Society for Promoting
Christian Knowledge.

Lecture II. 41
might challenge you to shew how you can account
for the reception of these writings, at the time
when the verbal instructions of the declared
writers were fresh in the recollection of those who
heard them, nay even while they were yet alive,
unless they had been their genuine productions.
We might remind you of the opportunities of
accurate information which these writers had en
joyed ; of the improbability that the narrative
which they committed to writing would differ
from that, which they constantly published by
word of mouth, which they began to declare
immediately after the events had happened, in the
very place where they occurred, in the hearing,
and in defiance, of those, who were interested and
disposed to contradict their statement. Such a
contradiction was impossible. For when they
stated, that " Jesus was a man approved of God by
miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did
by him in the midst of them," the Apostles of Jesus
could add, " as ye yourselves also know." They
" could not but testify the things which they had
seen and heard ; " and their testimony was incon
trovertible, and uncontradicted, except with regard
to the consequences which they deduced from the
facts, and the system which they promulgated
in the world, by the command, and according to
the instructions, of their Master himself. There
have been those, indeed, who have denied that

42 Lecture II.
there is any difference between history and fable ;
and who therefore contend, that we can place no
reliance upon the testimony which evinces the
reasonableness of our faith, and that nothing is
certain but Metaphysical truth \ That which they
would substitute for Christianity is uncertain in
deed; but their very statement sufficiently betrays
a conviction, that nothing, except that which sub
verts the credit of all history whatever, can under
mine the foundation upon which we ground the
authenticity ofthe Scriptures; and that he who has,
in whatever method, retained or regained a convic
tion of that nature, has already entered on the path,
which, if pursued, will assuredly conduct him to
a belief of the divinity of the Gospel. For, having
been so far disposed to allow the credibility of the
Christian story, as to be willing, with candour and
attention, to peruse its records, he will perceive
that "Christianity was founded on argument" both
by Jesus and his Apostles. The acknowledged
reality and character of certain facts, and the prior
existence of certain prophecies, form the basis of
their reasonings. And the more we consider
these reasonings, in connexion with the occasions
a See the citations from a French writer, in the Appendix to
Bishop Van Mildert's Boyle's Lectures, Vol. II. p. 516, 517.
His Lordship justly remarks, that the resolution, ujem'abstiendrai
toujours d'entrer dans la discussion desfaits," " involves an im
plied concession of no small importance."

Lecture II. 43
upon which they were advanced, and with refer
ence to the circumstances to which they allude,
the more decided will be our conviction even of
the credibility of those facts themselves ; and the
more readily also shall we acquiesce in the con
clusion, that the nature of those facts, the whole
design which is displayed in them, and the
manner of its accomplishment, bespeak not merely
the divine permission, but the special intention
and interposition of God, that he might "give
witness of his Son."
III. You will already have perceived, that we
are not about to discuss such questions connected
with the evidences of our religion, as might lead
us to any depths of abstract reasoning. Yet we
mean not to undervalue such. In their place, for
the refutation of objections which proceed upon
such grounds, and for the satisfaction of those,
whose minds are harassed with difficulties of that
nature, such abstruse inquiries have their use
and value. But the belief of Christianity does not
result from these only, or chiefly. There is a
path which humbler minds may pursue, and which
leads to the same end by a less intricate and
circuitous route; nor need the wisest and most
discerning be ashamed to walk therein. Take
the Bible itself into your hands, and inquire how
the religion of Jesus was first offered to the ac
ceptance of mankind; upon what grounds, and

44 Lecture II.
with what arguments it was then defended and
enforced. And if you are unable to shew that the
faith of those, who in that age embraced it, was
irrational, you will feel obliged to allow the suf
ficiency of its evidence, and that we can have no
plea for rejecting it. Examine, indeed, as ac
curately as you please, every objection, whether
of an historical or metaphysical nature ; but still
remember the abundance, the strength, and the
consistency of the direct arguments in its favour ;
and beware how you suffer objections and theories,
which in fact do not interfere with that positive
evidence, to weaken its impression on your mind.
I am desirous to set before you, as faithfully
and distinctly as I can, the evidences of Christ
ianity as they are presented in the discourses of
our Lord, and in the accompanying narrative of
the Evangelists. We are apt either wholly to
neglect, or imperfectly to attend to, this view of
the subject. Yet I know not any writings, in
which the state of the question is so fully, strik
ingly, and satisfactorily exhibited. It is, perhaps,
not too much to assert, that the vindication of
his mission by Jesus himself is such as ought
to silence, if not to reclaim, the unbeliever ; but
it is undoubtedly such, as affords an ever present
and effectual means for confirming the faith of
the believer. Almost every chapter of the Evan
gelic records instructs us, not only in Christian

Lecture II. 45
doctrine, and duty, but in those arguments and
considerations, which persuasively teach " the
certainty of those things in which we have been
instructed ;" and which may, in an hour of doubt
and temptation, recall the conviction to our minds.
A disposition too generally exists, to consider
the question of evidence, as something apart from
the Bible ; as something which we ought to study
before we venture to make ourselves acquainted
with the Bible. But a knowledge, a full and ac
curate knowledge, of its contents, is necessary,
that we may judge of the force and application
of any of the arguments in favour of Christi
anity ; and that we may also ascertain whether
there is ground for the several objections, which
some have thought proper to advance. I believe
that he, who has carefully read the Scriptures,
particularly in the original, will find his faith very
little harassed by objections and cavils ; for he
will have seen that they have seldom any founda
tion, but in the objector's ignorance of the Bible,
or in his misinterpretation of it, or sometimes, we
fear, in wilful perversion. So that the objector is
generally combating the phantom of his own brain ;
and those things, which the Scriptures really
narrate, reveal, and require, still rest on the same
evidence, and authority. We even contend, that
the Scriptures actually include a statement of the
evidences for the religion which they teach. We

46 Lecture II.
refer to our Lord's discourses in corroboration of
this remark. We would say to the inquirer,
examine their connexion ; analyze the reasonings
advanced in them ; compare all that you know
of your own heart and life, and all that you have
observed of human nature, with the appeals which
are made by our Lord to the conscience. And we
confidently believe that he, who has done this, will
be previously fortified against the reasonings of
the infidel ; and will have attained a conviction of
the divinity, wisdom, and value, of the Gospel,
of which it will not be easy to deprive him.
Without such a knowledge as that we have been
describing, he is not in fact qualified to judge
aright. He may refuse to believe, but he has
never yet had sufficient reason to disbelieve ; he
may hesitate and waver, but he has never yet
taken the method which can lead him to a solid
and considerate decision.
We are also apt to consider the question of
evidence in such a way, that the affections are not
warmed, and the heart remains unmoved, even when
with the understanding we assent to truths and
realities so unspeakably important. We are apt
to lose sight of the nature, extent, and obligations,
of that into which we are inquiring ; and we lay
aside the inquiry, perhaps, with as little religious
emotion, as if we had satisfactorily settled some
question of science, taste, or criticism. But this

Lecture II. 47
is not a question of mere judgment, curiosity, or
temporary interest. It inquires into the truth of
a scheme, which embraces the concerns of time
and eternity, and professes to provide for both ;
but whose threatenings are as alarming to the
ungodly, as its promises are consolatory to the
faithful. The Scripture continually puts us into
a practical posture, summoning the whole man
to give judgment on this awfully important subject.
When it has advanced what may justly convince
the understanding, it then addresses the con
science; probes and dissects the heart, and lays
open all that hardens, deludes, and defiles it ;
shews to us what drags down the affections, and
what darkens the understanding. These moral
causes of unbelief, which leave some undecided
and inconsistent as Christians, and which confirm
others in infidelity, are abundantly specified in
Scripture. The view, which we propose to take
of the evidences, is thus invested with a practical
character. Not that the strict accuracy of our in
vestigation, and the hardihood with which we ought
to embrace and abide by the consequences of
it, need at all be diminished by an attention to
such considerations. Yet at the same time, also,
that we resolve carefully to scrutinize the argu
ments in defence of Christianity, we are bound,
both by the nature of the case, by reason, and
by interest, to remember that eternal life is too

48 Lecture II.
important a stake to be ventured either upon
a mere cavil, or even a plausible objection;
much less to be sacrificed to any of those unholy
and temporizing motives, which so often give
both existence and permanence to our doubts
respecting religious truth.
In endeavouring to illustrate the remarks,
which have now been offered, it will be impracti
cable to review all our Lord's discourses, and
the facts to which they refer, in chronological
order. This would, indeed, make us more com
pletely familiar with the way in which the evi
dences of Christianity were at first proposed, with
the effects successively produced, and with the
progress of the demonstration ; but it would lead
to frequent repetition, as well as to a less con
densed, and less comprehensive, view of the
subject. It would perhaps, therefore, be expe
dient to consider only a few of our Lord's dis
courses; or even, if such there be, some single
one, which brings the several heads of evidence
together. Now such a summary we find in the
discourse recorded in the fifth Chapter of
St. John's Gospel; which contains, I believe,
more orderly, distinctly, and fully, than any other,
the leading arguments in behalf of our Lord's
mission and character. That discourse consists
of three distinct portions. The first of these
contains a full and awakening statement of the

Lecture. II. 49
pretensions which Jesus advanced, in answer to
the objections of the Jews, and in arrest of the
hasty decision, and murderous intentions, which
their rulershad adopted, because he had cured the
impotent man on the sabbath day. The second di
vision contains an appeal to five important heads
of evidence in support of those pretensions. In
the third, our Lord states the fact of the infidelity
of the great body of the Jews.; and notices, : in
a striking and forcible manner, several of the
principles and errors, which were tending to, and
ultimately, produced, that result ; and which, being
for the mos.t part, common to all mankind, , under
the form and modifications which their respective
circumstances produce, ever have been, and still
are amongst ourselves, ; the leading causes of
avowed, suppressed, and practical unbelief.
We shall bring forward what we have to offer to
your consideration, in the order suggested by that
discpurse; not only entering upon a complete
analysis of it, but also employing, it as a directory
for. the convenient arrangement of many other
detached observations, and of the facts and pro
phecies to which those .observations refer. The
first portion .of our Lectures will be occupied in
considering the several statements which. Jesus
made of his pretensions/up to the period when
he delivered the discourse, in question. — We shall
then consider the appeals which from that tjme
: D

50 Lecture II.
he began to make to the evidences in support
of his mission and character; collecting under
each of the five heads of evidence specified on
that occasion, what our Lord elsewhere advanced
on the same topics; and afterwards considering
such as are omitted in that discourse, so as to
complete that department of our subject. — And
lastly, we shall conclude with considering the
infidelity of the Jews ; the principles and dispo
sitions to which our Lord attributes a rejection
of the Gospel ; and the awful sanctions both of
promise and of threatening with which it is
offered to our acceptance. — But it may be ex
pedient further to observe, that it will -often be
necessary to enter upon a detailed explanation of
the occasion, upon which the several arguments
were advanced ; in order that we may place our
selves, as nearly as possible, in the circumstances
of those to whom they were addressed. And we
may also observe, that our Lord's reasonings
upon evidence are scarcely ever separated from
the statement of his pretensions, and a practical
appeal to the conscience ; and that the two latter
topics are generally found in connexion with each
other, even when unaccompanied by the first.
We have been now endeavouring to shew you,
that a full acquaintance with the contents of the
Gospel history is as sufficient, as it is necessary, to
furnish just views of "the certainty of those things

Lecture II. 51
in which we have been instructed." But a full
acquaintance with all that Scripture teaches is
requisite, in order that we may rightly understand
the nature of "those things in which we have
been instructed," and in which many of us are
called to instruct others. " Let, then the word of
Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom." The
more we contemplate for ourselves, and exhibit to
others, the genuine doctrines of Scripture, in the
manner in which Scripture itself reveals them, the
better will our teaching be understood, and the
more will it edify. The more shall we be "joined
together in unity of spirit, by the doctrine of the
Apostles and Prophets;" the less will heresy or
infidelity disturb, and ignorance and immorality
darken, our Zion; and the more shall we "grow
into a holy temple in the Lord." — Revealed reli
gion is not a metaphysical theory. Many such
have been made, and substituted for religion ; but
they have been as unsatisfactory, and as baseless,
as any in philosophy. Thousands more might be
created, as fast as the canvas receives form and
colour from the painter's hand. They may speak
the same things as " the law and the testimony ;"
if they do not, " it is because there is no light in
them." But a knowledge of the real nature of
Revelation, of its connexion, and extent, and cir
cumstances, would banish all strange doctrines
and devices of men, and would prevent the recur-
d 2

52 Lecture II.
rence of the theoretical propensity; just as the
Newtonian philosophy subverts our belief of the
old philosophical theories, and supplies us with
one of real knowledge, because grounded on
certain facts. Thus the mind is disciplined to
reason, and brought into a habit of calm inves
tigation; is emancipated from the power of ima
gination ; and is taught to prefer plain and sober,
though it be yet imperfect truth, to the brightest
and most complete vision that fancy ever conjured
up. And as theories are not to be adopted as our
Religion, so neither are they a legitimate objection
to it; and for the same reasons. The Gospel
comes with higher claims ; with facts which chal
lenge our belief; with observations the truth of
which all experience has proved, and still does
prove.; with "the witness of God which he has
given us of his Son." Let us not then " make him
a liar," by rejecting it; let us not be " moved away
from the hope of the Gospel which we have
heard;" but rather let us gladly meditate on its
declarations, rely upon its promises, desire its
consolations, live in obedience to its precepts, and,
anticipating the prospects which it holds out to us,
"rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

HULSEAN LECTURES
FOR 1821.
Part I.
LECTURES III— V.
— 0 —
STATEMENTS OF JESUS, RESPECTING HIS PRETENSIONS AND THE
OBJECT OF HIS MISSION, WHICH PRECEDED HIS ACTUAL APPEAL
TO THE EVIDENCES IN CONFIRMATION OF THEM.

LECTURE III.

our lord's conference with nicodemus.

St. John III. 1—3.
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus,
a ruler of the Jews ; the same came to Jesus by night,
and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a
teacher come from God; for no man can do these mi
racles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily I say unto
thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God.
To peruse the works of the mighty masters of
reason, eloquence, and pathos, with that sensibility
to their beauties, which attention and reflection
alone can awaken, affords a pleasure, at once pure
in its kind, diversified in its form, and salutary in
its influence. Those, however, who have accu
rately studied the discourses of our Lord; who
have made themselves familiar with his manner of
instruction; who can judge ofthe propriety of his
remarks from a knowledge of that which occa
sioned them ; and still more those, who feel that
interest in the subjects on which he treats, which

56 Lecture III.
their importance is so fitted to excite ; — all such
will be disposed to assent to the declaration;
"Never man spake like this man." "His word
is with power ;" for " he knew what was in
man." He appeals to the conscience in a brief,
yet impressive, manner. He displays the attri
bute of Omniscience, " which understands long
before the thoughts " of the heart ; manifests an
acquaintance with the intentions of his hearers ;
and answers the doubt, objection, and cavil, when
" scarce struggling into birth," or, at least, not yet
clothed in words. The questions upon which he
decides, without hesitation, embarrassment, or
ambiguity, are such as calm the fears, remove the
doubts, and answer the inquiries, which have in
all ages exercised the sagacity of our fellow men.
He opens to us the door of hope, points out the
objects of faith, and describes the pathway of
obedience.' He speaks as befits one who "has
the words of eternal life;" with that solemnity,
which challenges our attention ; with that authority,
which evidences not the presumptuous confidence
of the conceited sciolist, but the deep and abiding
conviction of him, who "speaks of what he has
known, and who testifies what he had seen."
And as he declares to us the awful alternative of
either believing in him, or of dying in our sins;
so he also directs our attention to those several
.facts, considerations, and inquiries, by which we

Lecture III. 57
may be assured that he " came forth from God ;"
and that " no one cometh to the Father, but by
him, as the appointed way, the truth, and the life."
We proposed to consider our Lord's discourses
with more especial reference to the last mentioned
topic ; having previously noticed such as inform
us respecting the claims which he advanced. —
Now the earliest statements of our Lord respect
ing his mission and character and office, are both
important in themselves, and also furnish a key
for the right understanding of his subsequent
discourses. To several of these, therefore, we
shall direct your attention; all of them such as
were delivered previously to any of those reason
ings respecting the evidences of his mission, upon
which he entered at a more advanced period of
his ministry. Such is the conference with
Nicodemus; and that with the Samaritan woman,
and some of her countrymen. Such also is the
account given by the first three Evangelists of
the general tenor of our Lord's teaching in
Galilee ; and, more especially, the account given
by St. Luke of his discourse in the synagogue of
Nazareth. Such also is the opening portion of the
discourse recorded in St. John's fifth chapter,
which may, in some measure, be considered a
continuation of the discourse with Nicodemus.
A cursory review of these several discourses of
our Lord, will form the first general division of

58 Lecture III.
our Lectures ; and will introduce us to the con
sideration of the second portion of the last men
tioned discourse, which contains our Lord's first
appeal to the evidences in confirmation of his
claims. The remainder of our time on this day will be
occupied by the consideration of our Lord's, con
ference with Nicodemus, which took place at an
early period of his ministry. And it will be ex
pedient, in order to the better illustration of our
Lord's remarks on that occasion, first to take
some notice of the circumstances recorded by
St. John in his two first chapters, and of the
particular observations with which he introduces
his narrative of this conference.
Very shortly after his first miracle at Cana in
Galilee, Jesus went up to the passover at Jeru
salem. He then, for the first time, shewed his
zeal against the profanation of his Father's house,
by the removal of the traders, and their mer
chandize, from the outer court of the temple.
For the full proof of his " authority to do these
things," he referred to the future sign of his
resurrection from the dead : declaring, figuratively
indeed, but in a manner which the event proved
to be distinctly and accurately prophetic, that
when they should " destroy the temple of his
body, he would raise it up in three days." Even
his disciples, who had already believed on him,

Lecture III. 59
did not understand this " till after he was risen
from the dead." But in consequence of the testi
mony of John the Baptist, of the more than
human knowledge displayed by Jesus, and of the
manifestation of his glory by the miracle at Cana,
they had already received sensible, intelligible,
and sufficient evidence, to justify a belief in his
prophetic character ; even though they did not at
first understand the purport of all that he said,
and the reason of all that he did. And, at this
passover, Jesus exhibited, and, as it should seem,
very publicly, similar proofs of his divine com
mission. Although we are not told the particu
lars respecting them, we are fully apprized of their
effects upon those who were present. " When he
was in Jerusalem, at the passover, in the feast-
day, many believed on his name, when they saw
the miracles which he did." And afterwards,
" when he was come into Galilee, the Galileans
received him, having seen all the things that he
did at Jerusalem at the feast\" But Jesus,
" knowing all men, and not needing that any
should testify of man, because he knew what was
in manb," was well aware beforehand, as the
event has fully shewn to us, that much fuller
evidence would be necessary so to convince them
of his heavenly mission, as to dispose them finally

» John ii. 23. iv. 45. b John ii. 24, 25.

60 Lecture III.
to receive him in all his offices, and not to be
offended in him, because of what he came to do,
and to teach. To such he "did not commit,"
or trust, "himself," by a premature declaration
of his office and purposes. But this general rule
was not without exception ; as the case of Nico
demus, and of the Samaritans, will shew. To
them he made a more explicit declaration of
himself than for some time he did to others, even
than he made to the twelve disciples. And the
reason of this certainly was, that the rule, which
prudence, guided by a divine knowledge, led him
generally to adopt, did not apply to them. He acted,
in each of these cases, according to his accurate
knowledge of what was proper and expedient.
This observation, premised in fact by the Evan
gelist himself before he relates these incidents,
should be attentively borne in mind in the con
sideration of both of them ; and we trust that the
distinction between these two cases, compared
with each other, and also with the general conduct
of our Lord during his ministry, will appear from
what we offer in this, and a subsequent, discourse.
This observation of the Evangelist, is indeed one
of great importance ; for it explains the principle
upon which Jesus acted throughout his ministry.
And as an important rule for the interpretation
of the Gospels is suggested by it, we must not
lose sight of it while we endeavour to ascertain,

Lecture III. 61
from some of our Lord's earliest discourses, the
several views in which he places his character,
and office.
We are informed, by the Evangelist, imme
diately afterwards, that " there was a man of the
Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler ofthe Jews,
who came to Jesus by night," and made the
following profession of his own belief, and pro
bably that of some others; together with the
reasons upon which it was founded. " 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." This was a declara
tion, which implied his full conviction of the
reality of those miracles ; and which shews that
he drew from them that inference, in the pro
priety of which the records of the Old Testament
would abundantly instruct him ; which must ever
be drawn by every unprejudiced inquirer from
an evident and well-attested miracle ; and which,
indeed, cannot consistently be set aside, except by
subverting all reliance on human senses and
human testimony, or by proving that there is no
God to reveal his will to man. It was not upon
such grounds that the rulers and people of the
Jews ever hesitated to admit the authority of Jesus;
but because their prejudices, and fondly cherished
expectations, were painfully counteracted and dis
appointed. The miracles, and some parts of our

62 Lecture III.
Lord's teaching, frequently operated to produce
a conviction in his favour, and that apparently
deep, decided, and vehement in its character.
But the current was always arrested in its course,
and ultimately seemed to be wholly diverted in
another direction, by his faithful and precise
annunciation at such times of the mysterious and
unwelcome truths, which must be received by all
that would be his disciples. "Some even of the
rulers believed on him ;" but the temporal penalties
which the power and unbelief of their brethren
would draw down upon them, deterred them even
from advancing so far as Nicodemus. In him
our Lord had a candid judge, and a willing
disciple ; one impeded, as much as his fellow
countrymen, by the peculiar prejudices of a Jew
and a Pharisee; but who, amidst all the doubts
and difficulties which perplexed his mind, and
amidst all the weakness and fear which, in some
measure, kept him back from an open acknow
ledgement of his faith, still retained that hardi
hood of a candid and reasonable mind, which
resolves, and which sooner or later acts upon the
resolution, to abide by truth, however unwelcome,
which is evidenced to be such by undeniable and
sufficient proofs. He comes to our Lord with
a conviction, and in a temper, which he seems
to have ever retained. He comes with all his
prejudices strong, and with his mind imperfectly

Lecture III. 63
apprehending the office of him, whom he re
spected as "a teacher come from God." But
believing him to be such, he is willing to learn
from him "the way of God more perfectly."
Jesus, therefore, knowing both his imperfect know
ledge, and his desire of instruction ; and that he
would never employ it to further the hasty and
malignant opposition of his brother Pharisees,
gives to such a one an early, and comprehensive,
though at that period to him a difficult, statement
respecting "the mysteries of the kingdom of
heaven." But Nicodemus adopted, in all its
bearings, the principle which he afterwards re
commended to the Jewish council, and which it
becomes us also to adopt, as claiming the assent
of every impartial judge in this matter. " Doth
our law judge any man, before it hear him, and
know what he doeth a ?" He observed the works
and conduct of Jesus, and attentively considered
his instructions. By proceeding in the same way,
we can judge upon grounds as reasonable as he
did ; and shall doubtless, come to the same con
clusion respecting " Jesus, who is called Christ."
The instructions, which our Lord gave in
answer to the profession of Nicodemus, connect
themselves immediately with the previous decla-

a See John vii. 51.

64 Lecture III.
rations ofthe Baptist respecting the near approach
ofthe kingdom of heaven, the baptism with water
unto repentance, and the predicted baptism of the
Spirit. And we may be well assured, that one
who was a member of that council, which sent
an official deputation to John to inquire who he
was, and why he baptized, was well aware of
the tenor and purport of the Baptist's instructions.
We cannot, indeed, at all doubt it, when we
consider the publicity of his labours, and the
inquiring temper of Nicodemus. And we may,
with great probability, suppose, that the authori
tative act of Jesus in the temple, connected with
his miracles, disposed this ruler to suppose, that
he was the mightier one of whom John spoke ;
and either that he was the Christ, or that Prophet
whom they expected. If he had also been informed
that John had. borne witness personally to Jesus,
he might have already come to the conclusion,
which others afterwards expressed ; " John did
no miracle, but all things that John spake of this
man were true \" In some such frame of mind,
however, he came to Jesus, and Jesus meets his
implied desire of instruction from a divine teacher,
by unfolding to him more fully and definitely
than John had taught it :

John x. 41.

Lecture III. 65
1. The necessity of baptismal and spiritual
regeneration, in order to see and enter into
the kingdom of God; either to understand
its nature and provisions, or to enter upon
the possession of its privileges.
2. The certainty of the mysteries of the king
dom of heaven, as taught by the Son of man,
who came down from heaven.
3. The great and crowning event, which would
lead to the setting up of that kingdom, with
a statement of its origin and design; and the
necessity of faith in the Son of God in order
to partake of the blessings thereby procured.
4. The condemnation of those", who disbelieve,
and its justice evinced by the motives which
give rise to such a rejection.
I. The answer which Jesus gives to the de
claration with which Nicodemus accosted him,
appears, at first sight, abrupt ; and it is, in fact,
an answer to something implied, rather than ex
pressed, in the words of Nicodemus. But if we
bear in mind the observation which the Evangelist
has premised, that Jesus "needed not that any
should testify of man, because he knew what was
in man;" and if we remember also, that Nico
demus declared his confidence in Jesus as a divinfc
teacher, at a time when the Jews were expecting
the establishment of the kingdom of God, and
after the approach of that kingdom had already
E

66 Lecture HI.
been announced by the Baptist; it seems probable
that he supposed that the mission of Jesus,
sanctioned by miracles, and superior, therefore,
to that of the Baptist, had reference to the
kingdom which John had proclaimed. And such
indeed was the subject, in which Jesus was pre
pared to instruct those, who allowed him to be
"a teacher come from God." He therefore im
mediately entered upon it with Nicodemus ; there
by confirming his suspicions, and meeting his
wishes ; although he began by a statement which
was designed to rectify his erroneous conceptions.
" Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man
be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God." A Gentile, when converted to Judaism, aban
doned his former principles, and began, as it
were, a new life ; and they themselves inculcated
upon him such a thorough revolution of senti
ment, and acknowledged the necessity of it.
But a change of the same nature was also requi
site for the Jew, as the very door and entrance
into the kingdom of God. The many incorrect
notions, which they had adopted, would be an
insuperable obstacle, until they were abandoned,
and replaced by others of a wholly different
aspect. This Jesus announced in general terms
at first ; and in words which appear to refer only
to obstacles of such a nature as we have just

Lecture III. 67
mentioned, whether, in fact, they be Jewish or
Gentile prejudices. "Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God." The verb (yewt]9^)
being in the past tense, both in this verse, and
in a subsequent one, it would, perhaps, be more
accurately rendered, "Unless any one has been
born (or rather begotten) anew, he cannot see
the kingdom of God." He does not yet speak
of water and the Spirit; nor does he yet use
the expression, "enter into the kingdom of God."
There seems reason to believe, that this differ
ence of expression is not merely casual ; and that
in this proposition he does not advance so far as
in the subsequent one ; but that he speaks only
of the disposition to which we have already allu
ded, viz., a readiness to abandon all those pre
conceived opinions, which, as long as we resolutely
abide by them, oppose the admission of revealed
truth; and to embrace those which bear the impress
of divine authority, though they may have been
unexpected, and are at variance both with our pre
judices, and inclinations. This, in fact, seems
to parallel another of our Lord's declarations, in
which he speaks of the necessity of being " taught
of Goda;" and also that of St. Paul, in which
he declares, that "no man, speaking by the Spirit
a John vi. 45.
E 2

68 Lecture III.
of God, calleth Jesus accursed ; and that no man
can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy
Ghost \" The same Apostle also laments that
the Jews, "being ignorant of God's righteous
ness, and going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted themselves to
the righteousness of God ; for Christ is the end
of the law for righteousness to every one that
believeth b." " Christ crucified was to the Jews a
stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness ;"
but he, who had been begotten anew to more
correct views of the kingdom of God, would see
that " Christ was the power of God, and the
wisdom of God ;" and thus seeing and believing,
would desire to be "baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, that he
might receive the gift of the Holy GhostV
This further step in the way of salvation by
the Gospel, our Lord proceeded to explain to
Nicodemus, who misunderstood the former state
ment, by supposing it to speak of a literal birth.
" Jesus answered and said, Except a man be
born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God." The full import of
these words Nicodemus certainly could not com
prehend; but their general tenor he might have
¦l l Cor. xii. 3. b Rom. x. 3, 4.
<= 1 Cor. i. 23, 24. Acts ii. 38.

Lecture III, 69
apprehended, from the passages, in which Moses
speaks of the circumcision of the heart, and in
which David prays for the renewal of a right
spirit, and his establishment by the free Spirit of
God, in order that, "having been shapen in
iniquity, and conceived in sin, he might be made
to know wisdom d." The same also might he
learn from many passages, in which the prophets
connect the promise of the Spirit with an allusion
to the pouring out and sprinkling with water, in
order that God might "write his laws upon their
hearts in the latter days"." And more especially,
might he have learnt the meaning of these things,
if not, as " the Teacher of Israel," yet as the
disciple of the Baptist, who had accompanied
the preaching of the kingdom with the adminis
tration of baptism ; at the same time exhorting
to a repentance issuing in reformation, and pre
dicting the baptism of the Spirit. We, at least,
comparing the baptismal doctrine of John with
these words of our Lord, with the remainder
of his teaching, with his last commission to the
Apostles, and with their practice and declarations
in consequence of it, can surely be at no loss
to understand the meaning of our Lord. And we

d Deut. x. 16; xxx. 6. Psalm li. 5 — 13.
" Isai. xliv. 3—5; lv. I. Jer. xxxi. 31—34. Ezek. xxxvi.
25 — 27. See also Numb. xix. 20.

70 Lecture III.
shall not surely doubt, that, although "to be bap
tized with water and the Holy Ghost, to be
received into Christ's holy Church, and to be
made lively members of the same," is assuredly
"that thing, which by nature we cannot have;"
yet that "a means by which we receive the same,
and a pledge to assure us thereof," is instituted in
Christ's Church\ We, as Christians, have al
ready been instructed to believe, that, "after that
the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards
man appeared, not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to his mercy
God hath saved us, by the washing of regeneration,
and the renewing ofthe Holy Ghost; which he
hath shed upon us abundantly through Jesus
Christ our Saviour; that, being justified by his
grace, we should be made heirs, according to the
hope of eternal lifeV This is certainly the insti
tuted, covenanted, and ordinary way, in which we
are brought to "enter into the kingdom of God ;"
by which we are enabled to walk therein as the
sons of God, and to grow in grace and holiness,
till we are made meet, by means of God's word,
and the various ordinances of his house, to be " par
takers ofthe inheritance of the saints in light."
The end for which these doctrines are revealed,

" Baptismal Service, and Catechism.
" Titus iii. 4—7.

Lecture III. 71
and these assistances provided, is undoubtedly
this, "that we may be sanctified wholly ; and that
our whole spirit, and soul, and body, may be pre
served blameless unto the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ0." Our Lord obviously refers to this
subject, when he says to Nicodemus, " That which
is born of the flesh, is flesh ; and that which is
born of the Spirit, is spirit." And it must occur
to every one who is acquainted with the language
of the New Testament, that a like phraseology is
employed in many other passages ; perhaps in
almost all that treat of the nature, and operation,
of human depravity; and of that "renovation in
the spirit of our mind," by which we are " created
anew in knowledge, righteousness, and true holi
ness, after the image of him that first created
usd." By our natural birth, we also, as well as
Adam, are made "living souls;" but by our
descent from him, we also partake of that " fault
and corruption of the nature of every man, that
naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam ;
whereby man is very far gone from original right
eousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil,
so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the

c 1 Thess. v. 23.
d See more particularly from Rom. vii. 14. to the 17th verse
of the following chapter. 1 Cor. ii. 9— 16'. and iii. 1—4. xv.
42—54. Gal. v. 13. to the end, and vi. 1—8.

72 Lecture III.
Spirit3." The spirit of man, the intellectual and
more exalted part of his nature, is, in consequence
of ihe fall, so impaired and disordered, as to have
lost its ascendancy over the body and soul, the
inferior and merely animal part of his frame;
which in another passage is called the flesh, with
its affections and lustsb." "In our flesh dwelleth
no good thing;" for "we see a law in our members
warring against the law of our mind, and bringing
us into captivity to the law of sin which is in our
members;" so that "they that are in the flesh
cannot please God." " But," adds the Apostle,
" ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be
that the Spirit of God dwell in youc." For, as
our Lord observes, "that which is born of the
flesh, is flesh ; and that which is born of the Spirit,
is spirit." And we must derive this spiritual life
from "the second Adam, who was made a quick
ening spirit*1;" for he " baptizeth with the Holy
Ghost6," and has instituted the external and visible
sign of water in baptism, as a symbol of the in
ward and spiritual grace of regeneration by the

a Article IX. On Original or Birth Sin. — A reference to
the remainder of that Article will further shew, how closely our
Reformers adhered to the scriptural representation of the con
stitution of our nature, and of the disorder which the fall has
occasioned. b Gal. v. 24, e _Rom. vii. 18, 23 ; viii. 8, 9.
d 1 Cor. xv. 45. e John i. 33.

Lecture 111. 73
Holy Ghost ; to be " a means whereby we receive
the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof."
He who has observed, and duly considered,
this Scriptural view of the constitution of man, as
consisting of "body, soul, and spirit'," will find
that many passages have appeared obscure, prin
cipally in consequence of inattention to the uni
formity and consistency which characterises the
language of Scripture on this subject. He will
see how the word of God "pierces even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirits," in its accu
rate descriptions of the state of human nature; and
how wondrously the blessings which it announces
are adapted to the spiritual necessities of man.
A summary ofthe design of the Gospel, as "the
ministration of the Spirit11," and of its necessity
in order to the regeneration and salvation of man
kind, is given by our Lord to Nicodemus; the
whole of which we will now cite, in the hope that
the preceding remarks may have tended to elu
cidate them. " Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That
which is born of the flesh, is flesh ; and that

f The original words are a-Hfia, ^vyfj, and irvevna ; and adp^
is frequently used, and contrasted with irvev^a, as including the
two first. e Heb. iv. 12. h 2 Cor. iii. 8.

74 Lecture III.
which is born of the Spirit, is spirit. Marvel not
that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
The wind bloweth where itlisteth, 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."
By the comparison employed in the conclusion
of these words, our Lord teaches us, that although
he, " who is born of the Spirit," cannot discover
the cause, or comprehend the mode, of the ope
rations of the Spirit, this does not disprove their
necessity, or their reality ; for he can perceive their
effects. To adopt the language of an Apostle on
this subject, such an one knows that the " natural
man (^if^t/cos avOpwiros) receiveth not the things of
the Spirit of God, neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned"." He
knows that there is a "spirit in man ; and that the
inspiration of the Almighty giveth them under
standing1';" so that "he that is spiritual judgeth all
things." He knows that "if he lives after the flesh,
he shall die; but if through the spirit, he mortifies
the deeds of the body, he shall live;" — that "if
he have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his;
and if Christ be in him, the body is dead, because
of sin, but the spirit is life, because of righteous
ness0;" that "they that are Christ's, have crucified
» 1 Cor. ii. 14, 15. b Job xxxii. 8.
c Rom. viii. 13, 9, 10.

Lecture III. 75
the flesh, with the affections and lusts ;"— that
"if he walks in the spirit, he shall not fulfil the
lusts of the flesh d;" — that "as many as are led by
the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God ;"
— that " the Spirit itself beareth witness with their
spirit, that they are the children of God ; and if
children, then heirs ; heirs of God, and joint-heirs
with Christ6."
Thus comprehensive and important is this first
and most difficult portion of the discourse of our
Lord to Nicodemus. We shall now do little more
than refer to the remaining parts of it ; especially
as some of the views, which they contain, will
hereafter come under our notice, particularly in
the discourse delivered after the cure of the
impotent man; which is a continuation and
enlargement of some of the statements made to
Nicodemus. II. Surprised and perplexed by what he had
just heard, Nicodemus asked, "How can these
things be? Jesus answered and said unto him,
Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not
these things ? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We
speak that we do know, and testify that we have
seen, and ye receive not our witness. If I have
told you earthly things and ye believe not, how
shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things ?

d Gal. v. 24, 16. e Rom. viii. 14—17.

76 Lecture III.
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he
that came down from heaven, even the Son of
man, which is in heaven." As if he had said, " I
have spoken of things, respecting which the oracles
of God, committed to you, are by no means silent.
I have described them in phraseology which you
yourselves have also employed upon a similar
subject. I declare them from my own knowledge
and observation. And yet you do not seem dis
posed to receive my witness respecting them,
though you have had evidence that I am a divine
teacher; and though that evidence has induced
you to think me such. Yet I am sent to reveal
truths still more sublime. But if ye believe not
what I tell you respecting "earthly things," which
relate personally to yourselves, which are attested by
your own experience, and which can be illustrated
by allusion to terrestrial and familiar objects ;
" how will ye believe} if I tell you of heavenly
things," which are so remote from your apprehen
sions; which none ever yet knew, which none
could ever communicate, but the Son of man. For
no other man hath ascended into heaven, but he
came down from heaven ; for heaven is his native
and peculiar abode.
III. Having thus adopted, for the first time,
the title of the Son of man, in a manner which
clearly implied that he applied it to himself, and
the prophetic usage of which Nicodemus would

Lecture III. 77
probably recollect", Jesus proceeded further to
instruct Nicodemus respecting the method in
which the Son of man would accomplish his
mission, and alluded, prophetically, to the closing
scene of his life. He compared with it the last
miracle of the life of Moses, which bore a typical
resemblance to it; thereby again stating respecting
the kingdom of the Son of man, what would by
no means be conformable to the expectations of
a Jew. " As Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted
up, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life." Asserting, once
and again, the necessity of faith in the Son of
man, in order to a reception of the benefits of his
mission, Jesus yet more distinctly announced to
his disciple the universal extent of the intended
mercy, the spiritual nature of the blessings which
it conferred, the pure source from whence they
flowed, and the divine original ofthe Son of man,
who was sent to reveal, and to communicate them.
" God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him,
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For
God sent not his Son into the world, to condemn
the world, but that the world through him might
be saved." a Dan. vii. 13, 14.

78 Lecture III.
The truths conveyed in these words are,
indeed, familiar to our ears, and memories, and
understandings. They are truths in which we
have been again and again instructed. We have
need, however, to see to it, that, while we do in
words, and even in our judgment, acknowledge
their certainty, we do not "frustrate the grace of
God, and receive it in vain." We have need fre
quently to call to mind, that as the comforts and
prospects which they offer to us, are great and
eternal, so the end of them "that obey not the
truth in the love of it," and who are not through it
" transformed by the renewing of their minds," is
a fearful and a hopeless one. I know not what
words can more forcibly represent these things to
us, more fully represent to us the justice of our
condemnation, and more powerfully call upon us
to inquire into the real cause of our unbelief,
negligence, and disobedience, than the concluding
words of our Lord's discourse.
IV. "He that believeth on him is not con
demned ; but he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name
of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the
condemnation, that light is come into the world,
and men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds are evil. For every one that doeth
evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that

Lecture III. 79
doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may
be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."
Men would fain attribute their unbelief to other
causes rather than this. And there are, undoubt
edly, "sinful desires ofthe mind," as well as "ofthe
flesh." There is a perversity of understanding,
which can offer plausible apologies for error, both
doctrinal, and practical. But we fear that the
cause specified in -tho tox-fc is of more general in-.
fluence than meets the ken of mortal eye. Even
when we endeavour to analyze our own principles,
we may overlook the love of sin as a primary,
though concealed, cause, whether of infidelity, or
of perversion of the truth. We must, then,
earnestly " examine ourselves whether we be in
the faith." We must see " that the light that is
in us be not darkness ; for if it be, how great is
that darkness !" how impenetrable ! how dismal !
and how fatal ! And the great danger of such
a situation is, not only that we are in darkness,
when we walk in the paths of sin, but that we
" love darkness rather than light ! " For " light is
that which makes manifest," and the lamp of God's
word shews us the appalling view of our guilt, and
condemnation, and danger. We cannot bear such
a light, and we therefore hate it. We will not
come to it, lest our deeds should be reproved. We
become, at length, so habituated to our state, and
so reluctant to change it, that as soon might we

80 Lecture III.
suppose that one who has been brought up in the
depths of a mine, or been immured for years in
the darksome dungeon, can bear to emerge at once
into the light of the midday sun, as that the man,
whose principles and conduct are inconsistent with
the dictates of religion, will readily subject them
to the-text- of that word of God, which is " a dis-
cerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
Yet the works of darkness are " unfruitful works ;"
and " the end of them is death ;" but, on the con
trary, "reproofs of instruction are the way of life."
Let us then resolve, to " walk in the light of the
Lord ;" and to " prove what is the good, and
acceptable, and perfect will of God." Let us not
defer this resolution ; lest our heart become more
"hardened through the deceitfulness of sin ;" and
we at the same time become so familiar with those
truths, which ought to undeceive, reform, and
sanctify us, as to disqualify them from giving, and
ourselves from receiving, the necessary instruction
and conviction. But if we receive the word in an
honest and good heart, and press on towards per
fection, we shall derive abundantly more satisfaction
in the conviction, " that our deeds are wrought in
God," than ever the ways of sin could afford.
And our security will be as great as our happiness.
But those on the contrary, who hate the light of
truth, destitute alike of knowledge to direct the
steps, and of comfort to rejoice the heart, will walk

Lecture III. 81
on still in darkness; until "their feet stumble
upon the dark mountains ; and while they look for
light, the Lord their God turn it into the shadow
of death, and make it gross darkness"."
 ,  i__-  .  ^  s  >-~  ~  —  , 
a Jer. xiii. 16.

LECTURE IV.

OUR LORD'S TEACHING IN SAMARIA AND GALILEE.
 AT WHAT PERIOD, AND FOR WHAT REASON, HE
BEGAN TO ARGUE IN DEFENCE OF HIS MISSION.

Matthew IV. 23.
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their
synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom,
and healing all manner of sickness, arid all manner of
disease among the people.
We know that " Jesus of Nazareth went about
doing good ;" that, he imparted health to the
diseased, consolation to the distressed, and in
struction to the ignorant. As in reading the his
tory of the benevolent Howard, so also in perusing
that of Jesus, our admiration is mingled with
a feeling of thankful satisfaction that such an one
has appeared among mortals, gifted with the dis
position and the ability to alleviate " the miseries
of this sinful world." — But it is not merely as
a Philanthropist that we must contemplate the
character of Jesus. For at the moment that we
are sympathizing in the joy of those who are
rejoicing because he has dried up their tears, we
find a claim presented to ourselves for somewhat
more than admiration. We find that he has

Lecture IV. 83
Somewhat to declare to us, as well as to the im
mediate objects of his more than human benefi
cence. He has excited indeed a deep interest in
our minds ; but we perceive that his design is not
accomplished, unless he can prevail upon us to
recognize in himself the features of a messenger
of God, and, with unabated interest, and also with
implicit obedience, to listen to his heavenly doc
trine. And if, after such a discovery, we manifest
a disposition to stifle the feelings of admiration, to
withdraw our confidence, and to retire from his
presence, he suffers us not to depart, till he has
changed his tone of invitation into that of solemn,
but affectionate, warning, as to the ingratitude,
inconsistency, and danger, of disregarding his
instructions. We find that we must still follow
him, not only for the gratification of our benevo
lent feelings ; not only because we can " eat of
the loaves and be filled ;" nay, not only because
we can " see some miracle done by him," and
learn thereby that " God is with him ;" but that
we may " labour for, and be nourished by, the
meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which
he, as the Son of man, shall give unto us ; for him
hath God the Father sealed." And if we ask,
" What shall we do, that we may work the works
of God 1" we hear him declaring, " This is the
work of God, that ye believe on him whom he
hath sent." We naturally inquire in what cha-
p 2

84 Lecture IV.
racter he is sent ; and what evidence we have to
assure us that he is, for purposes so important,
" sealed, sanctified, and sent into the world/' —
Upon this principle we proposed to conduct our
inquiries; and taking occasion from the brief
statement given in our text, let us now so far
consider the detail of his earlier ministrations, sub
sequently to the discourse with Nicodemus, as to
learn from his own lips what he says of himself,
and also " what signs he shews that we may see
and believe him."
Subsequently to the solemnities of the Passover
at Jerusalem, and to the conference with Nico
demus, Jesus went from the city into Judea ; and,
because John had then retired into Galilee, tar
ried there for the space of probably six or seven
months, and baptized. But knowing that the
Pharisees were aware, that he had made and bap
tized even more disciples than John ; and probably
apprehending that the Pharisees, being jealous of
his success, might follow the example of Herod,
who had imprisoned John in Galilee ; he left
Judea, and journeyed towards Galilee, that he
might labour in the footsteps of his forerunner.
" And he must needs go through Samaria." 
Thither let us accompany him, and behold him,
wearied with his journey, sitting at the well of
Jacob, near the city Sychar. For there shall we
hear his heavenly doctrine, and an explicit avowal

Lecture IV. 85
of the character in which he delivered it, at the
well-known and interesting interview with a
Samaritan woman*.
As Jesus sat by the well, the woman came
to draw water ; and Jesus asked for a draught
of the water. The request was received with
an expression of wonder which almost implied
a refusal ; because the mutual enmity of the
Jews and Samaritans had long prevented all in
tercourse of a friendly nature. But our Lord,
who came to remove the enmity between Jew
and Gentile, and to reconcile them to each other,
so as to bring them into one body by his cross,
checked rather than encouraged her indulgence of
this national animosity ; and, borrowing, as his
custom was, an illustration from the objects imme
diately before him, in a gradual and familiar
manner he led her to the consideration and appre
hension of the great truths in which he designed
to instruct her.
" If, says he, thou hadst known the gift of God,
and who it is that says to thee, Give me to drink,
thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would
have given thee living water." Her attention and
curiosity were excited by the latter expression,
which seemed to allude to present and sensible
things ; but the first clause which pointed out the
a Johniv. 5^-42..

86 Lecture IV.
divine origin and source of that, concerning which
he spoke, seems not to have made so strong an im
pression. She answers first to the last clause of
our Lord's remark, " Sir, thou hast nothing to
draw with, and the well is deep, from whence
then hast thou that living water?" Being also
unable to understand the meaning of Jesus in the
preceding clause, in which he seemed to her to
state that he was a greater one than she supposed,
she added ; " Art thou greater than our father
Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof
himself, and his children, and his cattle?" Our
Lord did not stay to refute her probably unau
thorized claim to be a descendant of Jacob, but
proceeded to the more important endeavour to
lead her thoughts to that gift of God, of which
she yet knew so little, but of which it was his
desire to apprize her. " Whosoever drinketh of
this water shall thirst again ; but whosoever
drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall
never thirst ; but the water that I shall give him
shall be in him a well of water springing up into
everlasting life." She evidently did not yet per
ceive the drift of our Lord's remark; and therefore
with a mingled feeling of embarrassment, astonish
ment, and incredulity, she added, " Sir, give me
this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither
to draw." — Jesus next proceeded to deal with her
in a different manner ; but we stay, for a moment,

Lecture IV. 87
to inquire what was the living water of which he
spake. We know that the prophets described, under
this significant image, the future spiritual blessings
of the Gospel ; and that one passage specifies the
particular blessings which Were thereby intended.
" I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and
floods upon the dry ground ; I will pour out my
spirit Upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine
offspring"." Our Lord afterwards used the same
figure on the last and great day of the feast of
tabernacles, when they drew from the pool of
Siloam, and solemnly offered and poured out
water; thus, by an observance apparently sanc
tioned only by tradition, commemorating the
miraculous supply of water in the wilderness from
the smitten rock. An Apostle has said, that
" they drank of that spiritual rock which fol
lowed them, and that rock was Christ b." Accord
ingly Jesus here speaks of himself as having the
power to bestow this gift of God ; and in the last
day of the feast of tabernacles, resuming the
subject, he cried, " 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 rivers of living water." The Evangelist

* Isai. xliv.' 3—5. Iv, 1. Ezek. xxxvi. 26. Hosea xiv. 5.
b 1 Cor. x. 1—4.

88 Lecture IV.
adds a comment upon this beautiful and persuasive
declaration. " This spake he of the Spirit, which
they that believe on him should receive ; for the
Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was
not yet glorified." He adds, that " many of the
people, when they heard this saying, said, Of
a truth this is ]the Prophet ; others said, This is
the Christ"." They knew the writings of the
prophets, and hence they drew their inference.
But the Samaritans probably received only the five
books of Moses ; and yet our Lord proceeded to
shew the Samaritan woman, in a manner suited to
her circumstances, both that he was " a prophet,"
and also that he was " the Christ." And we may
here remark, that onjy on the day of that interview,
and the two which immediately followed it, did he
labour among the Samaritans. Yet they believed
in him. And when the Apostles, in obedience to
our Lord's order, became " witnesses to him in
Samaria," and preached him among them as the
Christ, they then also "gave heed with one
accord to the things preached to them" by Philip
the deacon. And " when the Apostles heard that
Samaria had received the word of God, they sent
Peter and John," who communicated to them
the gifts of that Holy Spirit, of which Jesus had
so long before spoken amongst them b.

1 John vii, 37—43. b Acts viii. 5—17,

Lecture IV. 89
But to proceed with our more immediate sub
ject. Jesus desired the woman " to call her
husband," and come to him again. Her simple
declaration that " she had no husband," with the
suppression of the disgraceful circumstances which
made her declaration true, gave occasion to Jesus,
to shew her, that he was fully aware of those very
circumstances, of the whole course of her past life,
and of her impure and illicit connection at that
time. Astonished and confounded, like Nathanael,
to whom our Lord displayed a knowledge of his
more commendable private history, she confessed
her conviction, at length, that she had not hitherto
appreciated his character. " Sir, I perceive that
thou art a prophet." But not immediately avail
ing herself of this opportunity to ask the full
import of what that prophet had just declared to
her, she proposed for his decision the controverted
question, so long debated between themselves and
the Jews, whether Gerizim or Jerusalem was
" the place in which men ought to worship!"
Our Lord decided this in favour of the Jews;
instructed her further in the true nature of
worship, as always more important than the place
where it was performed; and assured her that
shortly the very ground and occasion of their
debate would be removed, by the introduction of
a spiritual and more extensive dispensation.
" Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when

90 Lecture IV.
ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at
Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye
know not what ; we know what we worship ; for
salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh,
and now is, when the true worshippers shall wor
ship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the
Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a
spirit; and they that worship him must worship
him in spirit and in truth." In this intimation of
the near approach of a season, respecting which
it had been predicted that " in every place intense,
and a pure offering should be offered unto the
name of the Lord of hosts"," the woman appears
to have acquiesced ; for Jesus therein spoke as
a prophet, and she had been convinced that he
could justly claim that character. But Jesus had
yet to announce to her that he was " more than
a prophet;" that his was that title and character,
which authorized him, by her own confession, to
claim her ready and unreserved assent to his de
cision of the question. "The woman saith unto
him, I know that Messias is coming ; when he is
come, he will tell us all things. — Jesus saith unto
her, I that speak unto thee am he."
We have here a declaration, Which, in one
word, communicates to us a knowledge of the
office and character, to which Jesus laid claim ;
a Mali. 11.

Lecture IV. 91
but which he had never before stated in those
precise terms, nor afterwards did, until his last
arraignment before the High Priest. On that
occasion he replied in the affirmative to the
solemn "adjuration by the most High God, that
he should tell them whether he were the Christ,
or not." If we ask the reason of his openness
on this occasion, and of his reserve upon others,
we answer, that at this time only, during his
personal ministry, did he instruct the Samaritans,
at all other times, he laboured amongst Jews.
In Samaria "the fields were already white unto
the harvest;" and accordingly, when "the fulness
of the blessing of the Gospel of peace" was
preached unto them by the companions of the
Apostles, then also they "gladly received the
word." Yet as our Lord never visited them
again as a teacher, and also directed the twelve
not to enter into any city of the Samaritans;
so neither does it appear that John had preached
among them as our Lord's forerunner. He
laboured among the Jews only ; because among
them it was necessary that " every valley should
be filled, every mountain and hill be made low,
the crooked made straight, and the rough places
plain; before all flesh could see the salvation of
God." They had so joined the notion of
Messiah's office as a prophet and a priest, with
his kingly prerogative, as to make the latter
supersede, or at least neutralize, the former.

92 Lecture IV.
They were therefore dealt with in a manner,
which these partial and carnal prejudices rendered
necessary ; in order that, whether or not, they
ultimately recognized the real office of the
Messiah, and received Jesus as that Messiah,
they might, at least, not frustrate the end, for
which he was manifested. Had he in so many
words declared to them that he was the Messiah,
they were at that time prepared to understand
the term as first and principally denoting not
only a descendant of David, but the heir of his
temporal kingdom. The mass of the Jewish
people wanted only an avowal on his part that
he was the Messiah, to induce them resolutely
" to take him by force, and make him a king;"
and to raise such a tumult as would effectually
have prevented the designs of the "prince of
peace," if it had been successful ; and, if it had
been otherwise, would have prematurely termi
nated his own ministry, and perhaps the existence
of the Jews as a nation. Though he was indeed
a king, yet was his kingdom " not of this world ;
and therefore, when his hour was come, his
servants did not fight that he should not be
delivered to the Jews. To this end he was
born, and for this cause he came into the world,
that he might bear witness to the truth"."
Conformable to this end was his teaching and
a John xviii. 37.

Lecture IV. 93
conduct, both among the Samaritans, and among
the Jews; and among both, "every one, that
was of the truth, heard his voice."
Among the Samaritans, as we have seen, he
explicitly declared himself to be the Messiah.
We cannot suppose it probable, that the opinion
which the woman expressed respecting the
Messiah, antecedently to the declaration of Jesus,
was peculiar to herself, or derived from any other
source than the common traditional notions of
her fellow-countrymen. In fact she so states it,
as to imply that it was the settled and prevalent
opinion. "I know that Messiah is coming, — he
will tell us all things." She conceived of Messiah
as. a divine teacher; and expected that the time
of his appearance was not far distant. Her fellow-
countrymen, who " believed in him not only
because of her word, but because they heard
him themselves," at the same time that they
expressed their firm conviction that he was the
Christ, explained their notion of his office as such,
by the declaration, " we know that this is indeed
the Christ, the Saviour of the world.'' Bishop
Horsley has shewn at large, that the five books
of Moses, which alone they admitted as canonical
Scripture, afforded sufficient ground for this their
expectation. But from their use of the term
Messiah, which they could not derive from the
Pentateuch, we may suppose that they were not

94 Lecture- IV.
unacquainted with the later prophecies; indeed
it would be difficult to conceive otherwise, when
we consider that the Samaritans lived in the
very midst of the Jews, and that there was so
great a similarity in the religious system of the
two nations; although we allow that they did
not receive the prophetic books as canonical
Scripture. Be that, however, as it may, they
had not abandoned the principle, which the
Pentateuch ought to have taught to the Jews, as
well as to them, that he that was to come would
be " a prophet," and " a blessing to all nations."
And received in such a character, Jesus declared
to the woman that he was the Messiah; and
other Samaritans, to whom she communicated
the intelligence, heard him themselves. He
doubtless enlarged, in their hearing, also upon
the same truths which he had declared to her,
respecting the living water, the worship of God,
and the blessings about to be revealed; and
probably contributed to the maturity and definite-
ness of their expectations respecting the salvation
of the world, by some such declarations as he
had lately made to Nicodemus ; who like the
Samaritans, had attained to a conviction, that he
was "a teacher come from God."
Comparatively few of those, whom our Lord
had to instruct unto the kingdom of heaven,
had either the correct views, or the candid

Lecture IV. 95
dispositions, of the Samaritans and of Nicodemus.
When, therefore, we follow Jesus into Galilee,
where, until the next passover, "he taught in
their synagogues, and proclaimed the glad tidings
of the kingdom," we do not find that he was
so explicit in his declarations. Yet it is obvious,
that what he taught was the same in substance,
and preparatory, " as they were able to bear it,"
to that final avowal of his Messiahship, without
which he did not leave even the Jews, who were
so ill-prepared to understand it aright. Each of
the two first Evangelists has given us a summary
of the topics, which for a time formed the subject
of his discourses ; and St. Luke has handed down
to us a notice of some leading particulars in the
remarkable discourse, which, after some time,
he delivered in the synagogue of his own city
Nazareth. We at least, after having been
acquainted with his previous statements, cannot
be at a loss with respect to his meaning and
design in those annunciations and exhortations,
which we shall now very briefly notice. .
St. Mark relates, that Jesus coming into
Galilee, "preached the Gospel of the kingdom
of God, saying, The time is fulfilled, and the,
kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and
believe the Gospel"." It will doubtless occur

* Mark i. 14, 15. See also Matt. iv. 17. I-uke iv. 15.
John iv. 45 .

96 Lecture IV.
to every one, who hears these words, how similar
they are to the tenor of John's preaching in
Judea, and probably, therefore, to his more recent
preaching in Galilee. Yet it is never said, by
any Evangelist, that "the glad tidings of the
kingdom" were preached by the Baptist; for
the proclamation of the Gospel itself was peculiar
to that office, to which Jesus was anointed; as
he himself expressly stated shortly afterwards in
the synagogue at Nazareth. Both Jesus and
his forerunner announced the approaching esta
blishment of the kingdom of heaven ; and urged
it as a motive to repentance. But Jesus advanced
still further, when he said, "The time is ful
filled, and the kingdom of God is at hand."
We may suppose that he enlarged upon those
"signs of the times," which, when compared
with the intimations given by the prophets,
shewed that the season marked out by them for
the advent of him whom they predicted had
fully come. The kingdom of God was there
fore not only near at hand ; but the glad tidings
of it, which explained its nature and object, as
well as its approach, were then to be proclaimed.
Jesus himself was the anointed herald, of whom
John had already said to his disciples, that he
"spoke the words of God, and testified that
which he had seen and heard, and that God had
given all things into his hand." Jesus, therefore,

Lecture IV. 97
did not only continue to urge the call to repent
ance, but also demanded a ready belief of the
glad tidings which he proclaimed. But, because
his hearers had erroneous views of the nature
of the Messiah's kingdom, he did not' on that
account adopt another term ; for the term itself
was perfectly proper. It was his principal aim to
lead them to affix right ideas to it, and to attend
also to the other characteristics by which the
future dispensation, and its author, had been
described. Probably the discourse at Nazareth is only
a specimen of the method which he adopted in
other places. But we know that there, at least,
he taught his hearers to expect and seek after
spiritual blessings; and to consider him as ap
pointed to proclaim the offer, and to accomplish
the bestowment, of them. Having, on the sab
bath-day, stood up to read in the synagogue of
his native city, he found the place of the prophet
Isaiah, where it is written, "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 deliver
ance to the captives, and recovering of sight to
the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
to preach the acceptable year of the Lord"."
a Luke iv. 16 — 22. Isai. Ixi. 1—3.
G

98 Lecture IV.
Well might Jesus begin to say, when he had
closed the book, "This day is this Scripture
fulfilled in your ears." For never did circum
stances more accurately correspond to prophetic
description, than the condescension, doctrine, and
beneficent works of Jesus to these anticipations
of Isaiah. I say, anticipations; for surely Isaiah
" spoke not these things of himself, but of some
other" and greater man ; even of him, who was
the fruitful and animating theme both of himself
and all the other prophets. From this Scripture,
therefore, may we begin and preach Jesus as the
Christ ; that is, as the word signifies, as the
Anointed ; as him " upon whom is the Spirit of
Jehovah, because Jehovah hath anointed him to
preach the Gospel to the poor, and the acceptable
year of the Lord" to those whom he, as the Son,
can make free, and translate them into the glorious,
liberty of the children of God.
If, then, we listen to the statements, which our
Lord and Master advanced respecting himself,
principally by applying to himself the predictions
of the prophets, we cannot be ignorant that he
claimed a divine commission, as "anointed with
the Holy Ghost and with power," to give liberty,
light, and salvation, to all that feel, and lament,
and acknowledge, the slavery, darkness, and peril
of sin ; — that he came in that fulness of the
season which God had foreseen, appointed, and

Lecture IV. 99
prepared, and which the prophets had circum
stantially described; — and that he was no other
than the promised Messiah, the desire of all
nations, the Saviour of the world. Of the cer
tainty of these momentous and consolatory truths
God hath, "by many infallible proofs," "given
assurance unto all men ;" and it will shortly be
our endeavour to point out to you, and to elucidate,
several passages of our Lord's discourses, in which
he appeals to, and enforces, the evidences of his
divine authority.
But allow me, before I conclude this Lecture,
to call your attention to one remarkable circum
stance, with regard to these appeals and reasonings
of our Lord. They were not advanced in the
earliest part of his ministry ; nor at all, until the
opposition and objections ofthe Jews-was. excited
against him ; and scarcely ever publicly but upon
such occasions. And those particulars, the public
notice of which was not called forth in this manner,
were pointed out to his disciples in private, more
especially towards the close of his ministry. But
both at the beginning, and during the whole
course, of his ministry, the evidences themselves
were furnished in great abundance. For while
he proclaimed in their synagogues " the glad
tidings of the kingdom," he also " healed all
manner of sickness, and all manner of disease
among the people." But he left these mighty
g 2

100 Lecture IV.
works, and the other divine attestations to his
mission, to speak for themselves ; until either a
denial of his claims rendered it necessary to ap
peal to them, or cavils against the reality and
conclusiveness of those evidences led him to refute
the objectors. He did not, like the Arabian im
postor, boldly claim a divine mission for which no
sufficient proof appeared ; nor did he vauntingly
magnify and set off some seeming evidence, which,
without such a special notice, might never have
been observed. He was too well aware of the
justice of his pretensions, of the publicity and
splendour of his ^-miracles, of the notoriety of
the prophecies, and of their manifest fulfilment in
himself, to think any such laboured and suspicious
proceeding necessary. He was ready to allow
that sufficient evidence might justly be expected ;
and, accordingly, one of his earliest remarks on
this subject, was that which he made previously to
his cure of the nobleman's son at Capernaum;
"Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not
believe"." Signs and wonders he did therefore
perform ; but I find not that he expressly con
nected his miracles with his doctrine, so as to
argue with those who saw the miracles, until he
wrought the cure of the paralytic15, for the purpose
of proving his right to say to him, "Son, thy sins
a John'iv_ 48. *> Matth. ix. 4—6.

Lecture IV. 101
be forgiven thee." But it was not until the suc
ceeding passover, that he again thought it neces
sary to argue with those who saw and heard him ;
and then it was, that, being brought before the
ruling powers for a supposed breach of the sab
bath, he delivered that eloquent and comprehensive
defence of his mission, the whole of which will be
reviewed in our future Lectures, and the first por
tion of which will form the next subject of our
consideration. The subjects which have been brought before
your notice this day are fruitful in topics of prac
tical instruction. I might take occasion to caution
you against the prejudices and hardness of heart,
which may lead you to be offended in Jesus, by
setting before you the unbelief of the people of
Nazareth, and that murderous attempt, from which
a miracle only preserved our Lord. I might en
large upon the warnings which he at that time
gave them, lest, by a just retribution for the non-
improvement of religious privileges, they should
lose them, and others only be benefited by them.
I might recommend to you the candour, the ear
nestness, and the faith of the Samaritans ; and
shew what encouragement may be derived from
observing the condescension which our Lord ma
nifested to their infirmities, and the readiness with
which he staid with them, and instructed them.
I might exhort you to "ask of him, who will

102 Lecture IV.
freely give you to drink of that water of life," by
which the thirst after sin and worldly gratifications
is quenched, and the thirst after righteousness
satisfied. I might entreat you to listen to him,
who preaches "to all nations the glad tidings of
great joy, that unto them is born a Saviour, Christ
the Lord." And I might, in fine, recommend to your
serious consideration that exhortation with which
Jesus accompanied his proclamation; "Repent ye,
and believe the Gospel;" reminding you also of
the necessity, the nature, and the genuine effects
of such a " repentance towards God, and of such
a faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." But time only
permits me to express an earnest desire, that none
of these considerations may be forgotten in your
private meditation, and that they may be made the
subjects of earnest prayer. For scriptural know
ledge will little profit us, unless we are thereby
made "wise unto salvation;" unless the things
which " happened unto others for ensamples, and
which are written for our admonition," are suffered
to operate for our warning, and encouragement,
and guidance ; unless we know, and also are esta
blished in the love and belief of those truths, which,
in the sacred pages, have been so clearly revealed.
It will little avail you to receive the best in
structions, and in your judgment to be convinced
of the certainty of them, unless " with the heart
you helieve unto righteousness, make confession-

Lecture IV. 103
with the mouth unto salvation," and "in all things
adorn the doctrine of God your Saviour." "Where
fore, give diligence to make your calling and elec
tion sure ; for if ye do these things, if ye add to
your faith, virtue ; and to virtue, knowledge ; and
to knowledge, temperance ; and to temperance,
patience ; and to patience, godliness ; and to god
liness, brotherly kindness ; and to brotherly kind
ness, charity ; if these things be in you, and
abound, they shall make you that ye shall neither
be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ; and so ye shall never fall;
but an entrance be ministered to you abundantly
into his everlasting kingdom"." And soon will he
accomplish that prayer which we offer, when we
assemble round the opened grave. Soon will he
" accomplish the number of his elect, and hasten
his kingdom." Soon will the time of his second
coming be fulfilled. Soon will each of us be con
signed to that grave, in which we must await the
summons of that day. "The kingdom of God,"
with which our final redemption shall draw nigh,
"is near at hand. Repent ye therefore, and be
lieve the Gospel." » 2 Pet. i. 5— -11.

LECTURE V.

the occasion of the discourse recorded in
st. John's fifth chapter, and the persons to
whom it was addressed.  illustration and
analysis of the first portion of it.

St. John V. 17 — 20.
Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and
I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill
him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but
said also that God was his Father, making himself
equal with God. Then answered Jesus, and said unto
them, Verily, 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.
In the concluding words of our text our Lord
commences that important discourse, which first
suggested to the Lecturer's own mind the subject
to which he has solicited your attention ; which
guided him in the formation of his plan ; and the
successive portions of which, in their order, will
come under review in this, and in many subse
quent Lectures. Our first endeavour will there
fore be, to explain the circumstances which called

Lecture V. 105
forth this enlarged statement of the claims of our
Lord ; especially as our attention will thereby also
be directed to some other declarations, which he
made on occasions of a like nature. For these
several statements mutually illustrate each other }
and also suggest some reflections, which are, per
haps, peculiarly appropriate to the day on which
we are assembled".
The discourse in question was delivered very
shortly after the cure, which our Lord had miracu
lously wrought at the pool of Bethesda, upon one
who, for a period of thirty-eight years, had been
afflicted with an infirmity, and was then waiting
beside the pool, that, upon the troubling of the
waters, he might step in, and be healed. Jesus
not only healed him immediately, but also directed
him to take up the bed on which he lay, and to
carry it thence to his own house. This procedure
afforded a full and public demonstration of the
reality of the cure ; nor did the man hesitate to
comply with the injunction. And when he was
told, that, as " it was the sabbath-day, , it was not
lawful for him to carry his bed," because the Jews
refused, even with superstitious scrupulosity, to
carry any burthen on the sabbath, the man deemed
it a sufficient defence to answer; " He that made
me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy
a This Lecture was delivered on Easter-Day.

106 Lecture V.
bed, and walk." Yet, until he was afterwards
accosted by Jesus in the temple, he had not
known that it was Jesus who had made him
whole ; because Jesus had, at the time, suddenly
"conveyed himself away, a multitude being in
that place." When however he thus became
acquainted with the person of his benefactor, " he
departed, and told the Jews, that it was Jesus,
which had made him whole."
The Evangelist then adds, that " the Jews did,
therefore, persecute Jesus, and sought to slay
him, because he had done these things on the
sabbath-day ." It is very obvious, that this is not
to be understood of the attempts of isolated indi
viduals, much less of any ebullition of popular
indignation ; but of a legal procedure commenced
against Jesus, by persons in authority ; with
whom, of course, it rested, to enforce that provision
ofthe Mosaic law, which assigned capital punish
ment to a breach of the sabbath. A prosecution
was doubtless commenced against him by the
Sanhedrim, upon the information of the man who
had been cured; as the original word> used in this
place by the Evangelist, distinctly informs us". And
though it is observed, that " the Jews persecuted
Jesus, and sought to kill him," yet the same
phrase is used in many other passages of the
* Ka! Sia touto 'EAIQKON tov '\ri<rovv ol 'Ioi/Saibt. v. 1 6.

Lecture V. 107
Gospels, where we cannot properly understand it
of any others, than of the men in authority among
the Jews. Thus we are told, that " the Jews sent
priests and Levites from Jerusalem to John, to ask
him, who art thou ?" It belonged to the Sanhedrim,
officially, to make such an enquiry. — We are told
that " Jesus would not walk in Jewry, because
the Jews sought to kill him ;" and that though
there was at that time " much murmuring among
the people concerning him, no man spake openly
ofhim> for fear of the Jews." And the reason of
this sufficiently appears, when we read, that after
wards " the chief priests and Pharisees had given
a commandment, that if any man knew where he
were, he should shew it, that they might take
him ;" and that, even at an earlier period,. " the
Jews had agreed already, that if any man did
confess that he was the Christ, he should be put
out of the synagogue." — Again we are told, that
"Caiaphas was he which gave counsel to the Jews,
that it was expedient that one man should die for
the people." Caiaphas was the high priest that
same year; and we know that the advice specified
was given at "a council gathered by the chief
priests and Pharisees" after the raising of Lazarus,
in order to consider what must be done to prevent
the national danger, which they thought likely to
result from the growing_ popularity- of Jesus b.
" John i. 19. vii. 1,13. ix. 22. xi. 47— 57.

108 Lecture V.
There can, therefore, be no reasonable doubt, that
this discourse of our Lord was a defence of his
conduct delivered before the ruling authorities at
Jerusalem. Behold, Jesus, then, having done a miracle, at
which, as he afterwards observed, " they all mar
velled"," summoned before the rulers of the Jews
to answer for his life, " because he had done these
things on the sabbath-day." Afterwards, when
"he was oppressed and afflicted," and brought
before the same assembly, he avowed himself
to be the Christ; and having referred to the
prophecy of Daniel, respecting the future glory
of the Son of man, he assented to their in
ference from thence, that he thereby claimed
to be the Son of God. At this time he did not,
in so many words, declare that he was the Christ ;
for "his hour was not yet come." But he
declared, and that fully and openly, his claim to
those attributes, which their Scriptures ascribed
to the Lord's anointed ; nay, he largely unfolded
and reasoned upon them ; for this was yet "the
day, in which Jerusalem might have learnt the
things which made for her peace, before they
were hid from her eyes." — " My Father worketh
hitherto, and I work," was all that he at first
answered to those things, which they witnessed

John vii. 21.

Lecture V. 109
against him ; and he left the mysterious and
unhesitating assertion to work such effect as it
might. They conceived that he had now, "not
only broken the sabbath," but spoken blasphemy.
And, assuredly, we can put no obvious and con
sistent sense upon the words, but that which they
put upon them, viz. that "he called God his own
proper Father, making himself equal with God\"
For he thereby explicitly declared, that his own
performance of miraculous works of mercy was to
be placed in the same rank, and was defensible
upon the same grounds, as the daily exercise of
the bountiful Providence of1 the Father of the
Universe, to whom every day. is, in this respect,
alike. If he were not " equal with the Father,
as touching his Godhead," and^ even as the Son
of man, acting in perfect unison with him, then,
according to the injunctions of their law, they
now justly " sought the more to kill him," on
account ofthe words which he had spoken. But
if it were otherwise, then he who was the Son of
the Father, in a sense in which no other being
is, could justly appeal to the example of his Father;
and he who was, equally with him, Lord of the
sabbath, might, if need were, dispense with its
observance. Then was he proved to be authorized

b " iraTepa "cW e\cye tov Qeov, "<rov eaurov iroiwv ™ Oea."
v, 18.

110 Lecture V.
to give such a command to the. impotent man, in
order to shew his power over the sabbath, though
it appeared to them a violation of it. "If they
did not believe him, they might have believed the
works;" and both this miracle, and all that he had
before wrought, proved that " the Father was in
him, and he in the Father." To these works,
and to the various other evidences of his authority,
he appealed in his discourse on this occasion ;
and they could justify no other conclusion, than
that the Father had sent him. The rulers, whom
he addressed, were thereby so far silenced, and
convinced, as not to venture to put him to death
as a blasphemer ; either because they had not yet
fully steeled their hearts against all evidence ; or
because they feared the people, and shrunk, for
a time, from the unhallowed attempt to put him to
death, and thus fill up the measure of their fathers'
crimes. At the succeeding feast of tabernacles, when
Jesus referred to this wish to compass his death,
some of the people seem to have been aware that
their rulers entertained such a design; though
others professed, at least, to be ignorant of it, and
answered, " Thou hast a devil ; who goeth about
to kill thee?" Jesus took occasion to remind them
of this miracle, which he wrought at the preceding
passover, and of his arraignment in consequence
of it ; and, then also, he defended his conduct with

Lecture V. Ill
regard to the supposed breach of the sabbath,
though upon grounds somewhat different. " Jesus
answered and said unto them, I have done one
work, and ye all marvel. 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 circumcision, 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 appearance, but
judge righteous judgment"." — The incident here
referred to seems to have been the first instance of
the disregard of the sabbath imputed to our Lord.
But it is remarkable, how many of our Lord's
most signal miracles were wrought on the sabbath-
day. And we know how frequently he thereby
gave umbrage to the Jews, and occasioned both
many of the objections, which were expressed to
him when present, and also the insinuations, which
were circulated among the people to his disadvan
tage. But we should ever bear in mind the
sanction which his conduct in this respect received
from the miracles themselves. On one occasion,
when "the Scribes and Pharisees watched him,
whether he would heal on the sabbath-day, that
they might find an accusation against him," he

a John vii. 21 — 24.

112 Lecture V.
wrought a miracle, under circumstances of pecu
liar force and significancy. He commanded the
man with the withered hand, publicly to stand
forth in the midst of the synagogue; he then
entered upon the disclosure of principles specially
directed against their secret reasonings, opinions,
and intentions ; and lastly, by causing the stretch
ing out of the withered hand to be attended by
the complete restoration of its muscular power,
he did, indeed, prove to them that he, the Son of
man, whom they had summoned to their bar, was
" Lord even of the sabbath-day"." As such, he
has, indeed, connected with the sabbath a portion
of " that liberty wherewith he maketh us free."
But while we refuse to be " entangled again in the
yoke of bondage," let us not break through all
restraint. Let us remember, that, by establishing
the exceptions, he has proved the rule with respect
to sabbatical observances ; that we have no
countenance from him to venture beyond the
limits which he has marked out ; and that he has
marked them so definitely, that " he that runs may
read." If any one here present has had doubts re
specting the moral obligation, and the preceptive
detail, of sabbatical observances ; if any one's
conscience suggests that he may be guilty as con
cerning this thing ; let him peruse, compare, and
3 Luke vi. 1 — 11.

Lecture V. 113
study, all that our Lord did and taught respecting
it, the very copious records of which form so
prominent a feature in the Gospel history ; and
I doubt not that he will derive the fullest satis
faction, and the clearest light and direction, on
a subject most essentially connected with the
prosperity of personal, family, and national re
ligion. Our Lord has summed up the whole
doctrine respecting it in two short but expressive
apothegms. Each of these rescues the subject
from Pharisaical superstition, but each also en
forces the proper observance of the great and
original precept, which was coeval with the crea
tion of mankind ; and the latter will well prepare
us to enter on the consideration of our Lord's
discourse before the Sanhedrim.
" The sabbath was made for man, not man for
the sabbath." It is a day, the observance of which,
whatever be its use, cannot be supposed necessary
to the absolute,, and indefectible glory either of
our Creator, or of our Redeemer. Man, therefore,
was not created merely that he might observe the
sabbath; for it was instituted after the time of
man's creation, and because he existed ;. and its
design and utility result from the relation between
him, and his God. By considering, therefore,
both the present circumstances and the future
destination of man, let the command be inter
preted. It is designed for the full benefit of
H

114 Lecture V.
a creature, living in this world as a partaker of
flesh and blood ; surrounded by the present claims
of time and sense, and of social and terrestrial
connections ; but who also is destined for a better
world, for spiritual blessedness, for an eternal
portion, for communion with " the general as
sembly and Church of the first-born which are
Written in heaven, With God the Judge of all,
with the spirits of just men made perfect, and
with Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant."
Conformable to both these considerations must
be our observance of the sabbath. Go and
learn what this means, " I will have mercy*
and not sacrifice," and you will see that, while
God requires works of piety, he ho longer demands
them in the particular form of public prayer and
praise, if his providence has either placed us in
circumstances where the exercise of them is
clearly impracticable, or has presented to us urgent
claims for the performance of acts of laborious
and persevering benevolence to others. But still
must we be " fervent in spirit, serving the Lord ;"
though " he that loveth God, must love his brother
also," and " provide for him things that are need
ful for the body." — For go and learn also, that
"the sabbath is made for man;" that God hath
blessed it, and sanctified it, and required that it
be observed, ,and that its holy design be remem
bered. And we shall then see, that we must

Lecture V. 115
esteem it " a delight, the holy of the Lord, ho
nourable." — We shall then be convinced, that on
this day we must "honour him, not doing our
own ways, nor speaking our own words, but
delighting ourselves in the Lord." Then, " for
the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it," we shall
be " blessed in our deed."
Let the mind of a conscientious man be im
pressed and directed by such views, and he will
be no unskilful casuist in this matter. This is,
indeed, a day of rest ; it is a day on which we are
to rest from our worldly employments. But it is
so, principally, in order that we may rest from
worldly cares, and sinful desires; that we may
repose in God, and diligently and earnestly pre
pare for an eternal sabbath of perfect holiness and
bliss. It is true also that our Lord has conveyed
to us those views of this important subject, which
are usually and rightly summed up in the observa
tion, that works of piety, necessity, and charity, are
lawful on the sabbath, and not a breach of its
rest. But it were earnestly to be wished, that
Christians, while they condemn, as justly they
may, a Judaical observance of the sabbath, had
pot often run into the opposite extreme, and used
their Christian liberty in a manner, which their
Lord and Master would have condemned, even
more severely than that merely ceremonial ob
servance, which the erroneous traditions of the
Jews had recommended and sanctioned.
h 2

1 16 Lecture V-
But the most important principle yet remains to
be noticed ; for it declares to us what we have so
much need to call to mind, the sanction of the
commandment. — " The Son of man is Lord, even
of the sabbath-day," I doubt not that you have
already referred this declaration to the precepts
and decisions which we have been reviewing;
and to the miracles, with which they were accom
panied, and by which their authority was esta
blished. I doubt not that you have already antici
pated the remark, that, as on this day, the Son of
man rose from the dead ; and also, that on that
same day, which we, in imitation of the Apostles,
call "the Lord's day," our Lord did, generally, at
least, shew himself to his disciples after his resur
rection ; that on that day he poured out the seven
fold gifts of his Spirit ; and, to his beloved disciple,
" being in the Spirit on the Lord's day," shewed
the things which should be hereafter. Therefore
do we, ' in imitation of the first followers of
Christ, assemble for public worship on the day on
which our Saviour rose/ that we may thereon
" continue stedfastly in the Apostles' doctrine, and
in breaking of bread, and in prayers." But this
authoritative claim of our Master and only
Saviour, has a much more ancient original, and
includes a much more extensive obligation. Why
was the sabbath instituted ? " Because that on
the seventh day God rested from all his work
which he created and made ; and, therefore, blessed

Lecture V. 117
that day, and sanctified it." And who rested from
his work, but he that made the worlds ? And by
whom, and for whom, were " all things created,
that are in heaven, and that are in earth, whether
visible or invisible ; and by whom do " all things
consist, but by him who is the image of the invi
sible God, the first-born of every creature ;" who
is before all things, and, therefore, heir of all
things ? And who is he but the Son of God ; the
same that is also styled the Son of man ; who
" was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and de
clared to us the Father, whom no man hath seen
or can see;" and received of his Father the pro
mise of the Holy Spirit : to whom, as the Son of
man, is given, according to prophecy, dominion,
and glory, and a kingdom ; and who will one day
come in the clouds of heaven, with power and great
glory? The Son of man is, therefore, Lord of
the sabbath, as the Creator and upholder of the
universe ; as the angel of the covenant to his people
in the wilderness; as the Mediator of the new
covenant; as the first-begotten from the dead; as
the head over all things to his Church; as the
judge of quick and dead. His is the command
ment ; he has imposed, and ratified, and declared,
our obligations to this reasonable service ; and to
him we must give account. *
Thus sacred is " this day, which the Lord hath
made." Thus are we bound to " rejoice and be

118 Lecture V.
glad in it." Thus intimately is it connected with
all that God has done for man, and with all that
he has revealed of himself to man ; sanctioned
and recommended, as it is, by all that is great in
the Creator, merciful in the Redeemer, and con
solatory in the Sanctifier. Thus does the ob
servance of it rest, not merely on the narrow and
slippery basis of human recommendation, and ge
neral expediency, but on the extensive, solid, and
immoveable, foundation of divine and explicit
authority. We have not in this lengthened discussion been
wandering from the principal subject of this day's
Lecture. For .it has been stated to you, that the
sublime discourse, to the consideration of which
we must now proceed, was a defence made by our
Lord, against the accusation that he had violated
that sabbath. We shall now, I trust, be prepared
more fully to understand, and more duly to appre
ciate, the exalted claims which he therein advances
as the Son of the Father, acting in his mediatorial
capacity as the Son of man ; and which we have.
in fact, already deduced in a great measure from
other parts of his instructions on this subject,
compared with the general tenor of Scripture.
The views which have in this manner come before
us, will probably be thought to illustrate the words
with which our Lord commenced his answer to the
objections of the Jews. " My Father worketh

Lecture V. 119
hitherto, and I work." That remark clearly
shewed them what was the nature of the claim
which he advanced. And he was so far from recti
fying their interpretation, (or misinterpretation,
as some would fain have it,) that he proceeded
more fully to unfold his claim ; and to state all its
bearings, circumstances, and consequences, even
until the consummation of all things.
" Then answered Jesus, and said unto them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can d°
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. For as the Father
raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so
the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the
Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all
judgment unto the Son ; that all men should
honour the Son, even as they honour the Father.
He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the
Father, which hath sent him."
These words remind us of the statement which
our Lord made to Nicodemus, that " he spoke
that which he knew, and testified that which he
had seen ; for that he, who alone had ascended
into heaven, even the Son of man, which is in
heaven, could testify of heavenly things." He

120 Lecture V.
now fully unfolds to those, who conceived that
his recent declaration was presumptuously spoken,
the origin, object, and extent of his commission as
the Son of man ; of which his authority over the
sabbath was but a part. He announces his per
fect acquaintance with all the counsels and pro
ceedings of the Father, in consequence of the
love of the Father to him. And though he was
now acting in subordination to the Father, as sent
by him to execute a divine commission ; and
though he " did nothing of himself, but what he
saw the Father do ;" yet his knowledge was not
more extensive than the authority committed to
him. For as " the Father sheweth him all things
that himself doeth," so also "what things soever
the Father doeth, these also doeth the Son like
wise." Hence, if such were his authority and
power, it was no presumptuous statement which he
had advanced, when he said, " My Father work
eth hitherto, and- 1 work." Nay, "the Father
would shew him greater works than those," at
which they had already marvelled, that " they
might marvel" the more. For though the mira
culous works which he had already done, furnished
such evidence of his official character and au
thority, as ought to exempt him from the charge
of unjustly asserting a claim to a parity of opera
tion in conjunction with the Father; yet they
would see him " raise the deadand quicken them ;"

Lecture V. 121
not, as the prophets of the Old Testament, by
external and visible applications, through the in
strumentality of which his Father then raised
them, but evidently by his own power, and at his
own will.
But our Lord is not here principally intending
to speak of his eternal generation, of his pre-exist
ence, and of his glory with the Father. Those
doctrines are in other places distinctly revealed,
and they alone are consistent with the statements
here made. But Jesus is immediately describing
the authority and work of the Son of man, as
appearing among men in the form of a servant, to
finish the work which the Father gave him to do ; as
acting therefore in a subordinate capacity, though
in unison with the Father ; as sent to ratify and
promulgate the new covenant, of which he was the
visible Mediator, with the same authority, which
belonged to those, dispensations of the Old Testa
ment, which were conducted more expressly in
the name of the Father. Even then, indeed, the
Father was employing the agency of the Son,
though it was not, as yet, so openly announced.
But now, as our Lord stated, and as was evinced
both by his past miracles, and by the " greater
works" of which he spoke, " the Father, who
himself judgeth no man, had committed all judicial
authority to the Son." And as he now " spoke
by his Son," therefore was the Son to be obeyed

122 Lecture V.
with equal readiness, and to be received with
equal honour. For the very end and design of
this revelation was, " that all men might honour
the Son, even as they honour the Father;" a
statement, which, although it applies to Jesus
appearing in the likeness of man, yet would not
consistently be applicable to any other, than to
one who is also the Son of God, in a sense in
which no other son of man is so. In fact, Jesus
announced all that we have yet noticed, before he
spoke of himself under any other character than
the Son of the Father; although he afterwards
states, that " authority is given tp him to execute
judgment also, because he is the Son of man."
In fact, it was in consequence of his becpming
incarnate, and therefore visible to us, and a par
taker of our nature, that he proclaimed and pro
cured to us the blessings of salvation. And there
fore Jesus, speaking in his own person, adds the .
words; "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent
me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation, but is passed from death unto life."
This is a declaration which Jesus had already
made to Nicodemus; and which apprizes those,
who admit the authority of Jesus, of the nature of
the salvation which he offers, and ofthe means by
which it is to be obtained.
Our Lord proceeds, in the same solemn manner,

Lecture V. 123
to make a further annunciation. " 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." The concluding words of this
passage immediately introduce a reference to the
general resurrection. In the former part of it
he refers, either to those who were raised from
the dead in the subsequent part of his ministry ;
or to those saints " which arose, and appeared to
many, after his resurrection ;" or, as is more
closely connected with the last verse, and more
fully illustrated by the prophecies ofthe Old Testa
ment, to, the raising of the world from a state of
spiritual death to spiritual life ; or, it may be, to
all these, for in all these is it fully verified.
But I am aware that there is another and an
awakening interpretation of these words, which
considers them as parallel to several difficult and
mysterious passages in the prophetic writings, in
other discourses of our Lord, in the Epistles, and
in the book of Revelation. I allude, of course, to
the literal interpretation of the expression, " the
presence of the Lord Jesus" ;" and to that event,

- Matt. xxiv. 3. 1 Cor. xv. 23. 1 Thess. ii. 19. 2 Thess. i. 9-

124 Lecture V.
or course of events, which St. John predicts, by
stating, that the righteous "shall live and reign
with Christ a thousand years, though the rest of
the dead shall not live again until the thousand
years are finished." " This," adds he, " is the first
resurrection*." If any such interpretation, whe
ther literal or figurative, be correct ; if there is
any consistency in the language of prophecy, by
which we can as yet attain to its true interpreta
tion ; the event predicted is probably near, even
at the doors, to us who live in these latter days.
Time only can determine this. But, assuredly,
whatever be our views of this matter, "blessed
and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrec
tion ; on such the second death has no power b."
For we cannot doubt, whether any one, who does
not now " rise and walk in newness of life," can
have any part or lot in such blessings. None but
those, " who do God's commandments," can have
any "right to the tree of life0;" none else can
look forward, with hope or complacency, to that
awful and final transaction, of which our Lord
next speaks, in words, respecting the interpreta
tion of which we can entertain no doubt.
" Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming, in
the which all that are in the graves shall hear the
voice of the Son of man, and shall come forth ;
" Rev. xx. 4 — 6'. " Ibid. xx. 6. c Ibid. xxii. 14.

Lecture V. .125
the}' that have done good, unto the resurrection of
life; and they that have done evil, unto the resur
rection of damnation." These are, indeed, decir
sive words, and they speak of a decisive day ; and
we know that " God hath appointed a day, in
which he will judge the world in righteousness, by
that man, whom he hath ordained ; whereof he hath
given assurance unto all men, in that he hath
raised him from the dead." That event, which
gives us so certain and so awakening an assurance,
we are, this day more especially, commemorating.
On this day we are placed, as it were, on another
Pisgah, from whence we can both look back on
scenes that are past, and on scenes yet to come^
both of which alike display the wonderful works
of God, both in mercy and in judgment, such as
may attract the attention of the dullest eye, and
arouse the feelings of the most sluggish heart.
On this day we celebrate that event, which de
clared the acceptance of the ransom paid for our
redemption, which shewed the triumph of the
Saviour over sin and death, the curse and the
grave ; which has laid the sure foundation for our
fondest hopes, and has made us rejoice in the
clear promise and earnest of our future inheritance
of " the purchased possession." " Thanks, there
fore, be unto God for his unspeakable gift ;" for
" he giveth us the victory, through our Lord
Jesus Christ." The sabbath is ever a joyful,

126 Lecture V.
though a sacred, day ; on which we may call to
mind all that is consolatory, as well as all that is
awful, in Revelation. For we celebrate it in
commemoration of our Saviour's resurrection, by
which he was " declared to be the Son of God>
with power." And every argument which evinces
to us the certainty of the event, also demonstrates
to us the certainty of that declaration, that " he
that believeth on the Son of God, hath everlasting
life ;" but also, on the contrary, that " he that be
lieveth not, is condemned already, because he
hath not believed in the name ofthe only-begotten
Son of God." Though, therefore, I wish not to
check the feelings of gratitude and " triumph in
Christ," but to encourage and excite them ; yet,
referring to those last cited words of our Lord, in
which he speaks of his coming to judgment, I
would say in the language of our excellent Light-
foot, " I shall leave it to him, who hears and
reads them, to make the most feeling and dread
commentary upon them that he can, towards the
awing of his heart to a preparedness against that
dreadful time when it shall come"."
a Lightfoot's Harmony, in loco.

HULSEAN LECTURES
FOR 1821.

Part II.
LECTURES VI— XVII.
— 0 —
THE REASONINGS OF OUR LORD RESPECTING THE EVIDENCES TO
WHICH HE APPEALED IN CONFIRMATION OF HIS CLAIMS.

LECTURE VI.

OUR lord's recapitulation of his claims con
nected WITH A REFERENCE TO THE PRESUMPTION
IN THEIR FAVOUR FROM HIS NOT SEEKING HIS OWN
WILL. St. John V. 30, 31.
I can of mine own self do nothing; as I hear, I judge;
and my judgment is just ; because I seek not mine own
will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
In these words our Lord recapitulates the declara
tions made in the opening of his discourse ; and,
while he in some measure enlarges them, he also
passes on to notice those considerations, which
evinced the justice of his claims, by first stating
the presumption in their favour, which his whole
life, conduct, and doctrine, suggested ; and then
the principle upon which plain and positive proofs
Were provided for their complete establishment.
The principle, to which we here allude, is laid
down in the conclusion of our text. On a different
occasion, our Lord stated another, which is, in
expression, the reverse of this ; which, therefore,
it will be expedient to compare with it, in
I

130 Lecture VI.
order that the force and application of each may
be ascertained.It being our object to consider the question
of our Lord's divine mission in the precise point
of view, in which his own discourses present it,
we shall proceed on this occasion, first, to prepare
the way for our future inquiries by the exami
nation of the two principles which we have
noticed ; secondly, to consider the statements re
peated, and enlarged, in our text; and, thirdly,
the presumption therein also noticed in favour
of the truth of those statements.
I. The principle laid down in the text is thus
expressed ; " If I bear witness of myself, my
witness is not true." This is briefly and gene
rally expressed, without noticing the limitation,
which it obviously admits and requires. We do
not, universally, conclude, that every testimony
so circumstanced is necessarily false ; for we are
continually acting on the contrary supposition.
But we are satisfied in so acting, only when we
are concerned with a person of known veracity,
when we have no reason to suppose him in
fluenced by undue motives, and when he is fully
qualified, in point of information, to deliver a true
testimony in the particular instance in question.
But our unhappy experience of the deceit and
falsehood of our fellow men, frequently disposes
us to receive such unsupported testimony with.

Lecture VI. 131
caution, even in the ordinary affairs of private
life ; and, in solemn and judicial proceedings, it
is considered wholly insufficient. In such cases
we at least suspend our judgment, unless we
have independent corroborating testimony. And,
therefore, our Lord, having granted the equity
of such a maxim, proceeds, after having stated
his record respecting himself, to specify some
separate and independent testimonies in support
of it. But if none of them had existed, it would
not therefore follow, that his record was abso
lutely and necessarily untrue. On the contrary,
in this, as well as in many other cases, we must
learn from the person himself the claims which
he advances, and then, having ascertained the
nature and circumstances of the matter in
question, we proceed to investigate and consider
that which is offered in confirmation of it. Hence
the maxim is to be interpreted as applicable, not
to the absolute truth of the matter in debate,
but to the grounds upon which we can properly
judge of its truth, and to the degree of our
conviction. Our Lord grants, that if he bear
record . of himself, and can offer nothing more
than his unsupported assertion, his testimony is
not true; that the maxim, in compliance with
which they usually rejected such a record, is just,
proper, and expedient; and, therefore, he ap
pealed and referred them to the positive confir-
i 2

132 Lecture VI.
mation, which God had vouchsafed to supply for
the satisfaction, even of the most scrupulous
inquirer. But, at another time, when they cited
this obvious, and to them familiar, maxim, and
wished to urge it beyond its proper application,
he then stated that the contrary maxim is, in some
circumstances, really admissible, and that it was
so with respect to himself. Teaching in the
temple, he declared himself to be " the light of
the world," and stated the consequences of such
a. doctrine. " The Pharisees, therefore, said unto
him, Thou bearest record of thyself, thy record
is not true. Jesus answered and said unto them,
Though I bear record of myself, yet my record
is true : for I know whence I came, and whither
I go ; but ye cannot tell whence I came, nor
whither 1 go. Ye judge after the flesh ; I judge
no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is
true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father
that sent me. 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"." Our Lord
here advances some assertions similar to those in
our text ; and briefly alludes to one of those in
dependent testimonies, which, in the subsequent
part of the discourse more immediately before
» John viii. 12— J 9.

Lecture VI. 133
us, he states more fully and distinctly. In the
former part of it, as we have already seen, he
is occupied in stating those claims, of the cor
rectness of which he, who thus advanced them,
had the fullest knowledge, inasmuch as he could
not but "know whence he came;" and, there
fore, if we find his words established by the
mouth of two or three other witnesses, how can
we, upon any principles of right judgment, refuse
our assent to them? Nay, further, are we not
often even independently of collateral testimony,
and before we have at all proceeded to examine
it, disposed to feel a strong and justifiable
conviction that we may safely rely upon a single
testimony ; a conviction which is rather strength
ened and matured, than newly produced, by any
additional confirmation ? Do not the general
character, conduct, and aims, of an individual,
and also the matter and manner of his statements,
frequently induce us to confess, that there is
a strong previous presumption in his favour,
which recommends him to our favourable regard,
patient attention, and unbiassed judgment ? Such
a presumption in favour of our Lord's divine
mission and authority will be suggested to every
candid and serious inquirer, who takes even a
general view of his character, proceedings, and
instructions; and he, who has most fully con
sidered these, will most decidedly entertain such a

134 Lecture VI.
presumption. Our Lord himself frequently no
ticed the considerations by which it is suggested ;
and, in our text, he adverts to it, in its natural and
immediate connexion with what he had previously
stated respecting his commission. In the two
remaining divisions of this discourse, it will be our
aim to illustrate each of these topics in the order
in which they lie ; principally by citing, or allud
ing to, other passages in our Lord's instruction
arid history, which are parallel with them.
II. We were to consider, secondly, the state
ments which are repeated, and somewhat enlarged,
in our text. — It will be remembered, that, upon
being arraigned for a supposed violation of the
sabbath, our Lord took occasion, in his defence,
to lay before the Jews the whole extent of his
commission ; within which that particular right, of
acting as he had done on the sabbath, though im
portant and extensive in its connexion, was in fact
included. He spoke of himself as the Son of God,
as if God were his own proper Father ; but with
reference, not so much to his prior and divine
glory, as to his commission and authority as the
incarnate Mediator, and as invested with all judicial
authority, "because he is the Son of man.''' Hav
ing proceeded to state that he was commissioned
to exercise that authority in all its bearings, even
until its last and final exertion, when it would
really and truly be the judgment of all mankind

Lecture VI. 135
at the general resurrection, he again addresses
himself to the establishment of his authority, in
answer to their disbelief of his being invested with
it. And, in the outset, while he spoke of it as
derived from, and exercised in, the name of the
Father, he yet spoke of it as unlimited in extent.
" Verily, 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, the same
doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth
the Son, .and sheweth him all things that himself
doeth." After having branched out this his com
mission into all its bearings, with reference to the
performance of greater works than he had yet
done, and having spoken of its filial exercise in
the day when he shall appear no longer as a
Saviour, but as a judge, he then, in our text,
restates the source whence he derived his autho
rity to execute judgment, and the original and
character of that judgment itself: " I can of mine
own self do nothing ; as I hear, I judge ; and my
judgment is just; because I seek not mine own
will, but the will of the Father which hath sent
me." — The words are few, but weighty, and im
portant. In other parts of our Lord's instructions
we find statements, the knowledge of which is
necessary to the full understanding of this pas
sage, and which fully elucidate the several particu
lars contained in it.

136 Lecture VI.
As " the Son can do nothing of himself," so
he states that what he heard of the Father was
his rule of judgment, and that the judgment ad
ministered according to such a rule is just. Hear
the following similar statements: "My, doctrine
is not mine, ./but his that sent me. If any man
will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine
whether it be of God, or whether I speak of my
self. He that speaketh of himself, seeketh his
own glory ; but he that seeketh his glory that
sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteous
ness is in him"." Our Lord declared to his disr
ciples upon another occasion ; " I have called you
friends ; for all things that I have heard of my
Father, I have made known unto you. If I had
not come and spoken unto them, they had not
had sin, but now have they no cloke for their sin.
He that hateth me, hateth my Father alsoV
In his concluding prayer, our Lord declares of
his disciples, " They have kept thy word. They
have known that all things whatsoever thou hast
given me are of thee. For I have given unto
them the words which thou gavest me ; and they
have received them, and they have believed that

a John vii. 16 — 18. It was after these words that our Lord
referred to the miracle, which occasioned the discourse now under
consideration.
b Johnxv. 15—21.

Lecture VI. 137
thou didst send mec." In connection with the
last clause, and in illustration of the connection
of the words which Christ had heard of the Father,
with the judgment of the last day, we may now
cite another passage : " He that believeth on me,
believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.
And he that seeth me, seeth him that sent me.
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever
believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
And if any man hear my words, and believe not,
I judge him not; for I came not to judge the
world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth
me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that
judgeth. him ; the word that I have spoken, the
same shall judge him in the last day. For I have
not spoken of myself, but the Father which sent
me, he gave me a commandment what I should
say, and what I should speak. And I know that
his commandment is life everlasting : whatsoever
I speak, therefore, even as the Father said unto
me, so I speak d." We know that our Lord de
clared, even before Pilate, that "to this end he
was born, and that for this cause he came into
the world, that he might bear witness to the
truth." We know also that he declared, that
"the Son of man came not to be ministered unto,
c John xvii. 6 — 8. d John xii. 44 — 50.

138 Lecture VI.
but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for
many." And as "the Father loveth the Son,"
so did the Son declare, "Therefore doth my
Father love me, because I lay down my life, that
I might take it again. No man taketh it from
me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power
to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received from my
Father"." — We may now perceive the purport
of our Lord when he said, "My meat is to do
the will of him that sent me, and to finish his
work." Those words were spoken when our
Lord was at Samaria, and when he foresaw, and
was deeply interested in, the successful result of
his approaching interview with the people of that
place. And I would fain hope and believe, that,
however little you may be convinced by any
reasonings I may have to offer, yet that, as I have
recited to you the words of our Lord more largely
than is perhaps usual, you may be able to say
with those Samaritans, "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." I know not, indeed,
how I could illustrate the words of our text more
clearly than in the manner I have adopted, or
how I may be likely more strikingly to exhibit to
* Johnx. 17, 18.

Lecture VI. 139
you, the claims, which he, "whom we preach,"
has upon your reverence, faith, and obedience.
And, before I proceed to reason upon the argu
ment which our text suggests to us, I would cite
one other passage, which at once includes the
same statement, in almost the same words, and
which declares to us what is that will of God
concerning us, which is revealed, accomplished,
and proposed for our compliance, in the Gospel.
" All that the Father giveth me," said our Lord,
" shall come to me ; and him that cOmeth to me
I will in no wise cast out. For I came down
from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the
will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's
will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath
given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise
it up again at the last day. And this is the will
of him that sent me, that every one that seeth
the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlast
ing life, and I will raise him up at the last day \"
And may we not truly remark, that "blessed also
are they, that have not seen, and yet have be
lieved;" who so receive, understand, and obey,
those things which are written, that they believe,
as indeed they have highest moral demonstration
to induce them to believe, " that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, in order that, believing,
they may have life through his name."
b Johnvi. 37—40.

140 Lecture VI.
III. That, as far as the subject before us this
day gives occasion, we may convince the gainsayer,
and assist the believer to build himself more se
curely on his most holy faith, let us now in the
third place, proceed to consider that presumption
in favour of the claims of Jesus, which he notices
in the text, and in many other parts of his dis
courses : " I seek not my own will, but the will of
the Father, which hath sent me."
Was he not sent by the Father ? Then must
he, that thinks so, believe, either that he knowingly
palmed an imposture upon the world, and taught
a cunningly devised fable; or even that he was
more weak than wicked, and published, under the
influence of delusion and enthusiasm, the infa
tuated reveries of a heated fancy. Yet, if the
latter and more charitable supposition be adopted,
why do we find so much that is sublime and unde
niable in theology; pure, holy, and enlightened,
in morality? Could an enthusiast surpass all the
ancient schools of philosophy? Could such a
teacher promulgate principles, which led even
those who opposed the Christian system to reform
their own ; which the wisest of men still allow to
be consonant with the most improved dictates of
human reason ; which have left speculation little
exercise in religious and moral inquiries, except
in demonstrating and arranging anew the im
portant truths, which have been revealed, or in the

Lecture VI. 141
barren research of useless curiosities ; and which
have in such a manner both advanced and
extended the knowledge of religious truth, that
a large proportion of the poor and unlettered
inhabitants of Christian countries, attain to a
more extensive, more certain, and more efficacious
acquaintance with God and their duty, than the
wisest Greeks and Romans ? If, with the Prus
sian monarch, we deny the great and more myste
rious peculiarities of Christianity, and reject all
as a divine revelation, we cannot do less than
value and admire, as he is said to have done, its
morality. We cannot but admit the truth of its
statements respecting morality, the unity and
spirituality of the Deity, and a future life. But
how can we separate these portions from others,
when inquiring whether the Gospel is a divine
revelation? And do not even the more mysterious
parts of the Gospel doctrine provide us with a
satisfactory elucidation of matters of anxious in
quiry to sinful, ignorant, weak, dying mortals;
with the only information respecting them, on
which we can place any reliance ? All surely is
delivered as claiming the same authority; how
then can we select some as excellent, and con
demn the other as the dictates of enthusiasm ?
But in what manner can the charge of enthu
siasm be suggested, except by our own reluct
ance to admit these instructions as true? And

142 Lecture VI.
how did the delusion of a Jew take an aspect and
direction so entirely different from all established
opinions and prejudices ? And, if that were the
case, how are we to account for the absence of all
the characteristics of enthusiasm ? We find no
vehemence, pride, conceit, or uncharitableness, in
Jesus. He had none of the impetuosity, forward
ness, or haste, that we should expect to have
found in an enthusiast. His whole doctrine,
though unfolded by degrees, is harmonious and
connected ; and contains no visions or rhapsodies.
Neither would enthusiasm have at all enabled
him to verify ancient predictions, or to deliver
others respecting himself and his Church, which
equally have been verified. He could not have
long persevered in attempting miracles, much less
could he have made others believe that he wrought
them, unless they were realities. We must then
adopt some probable solution. And the supposition
that he was sent from God, and performed his will,
satisfactorily explains the whole mystery.
If he were an impostor, and knowingly de
ceived others, then he "sought his own will,"
and was influenced by some sinister inclination,
from which no one, engaged in such a cause,
could be free, but one who had been sent from
God, and sought the will, and spoke the words,
of him that sent him. But such an imputation is :
so much at variance with the character and the

Lecture VI. 143
doctrines of Jesus ; with all that he did, and all
that he omitted to do; that it is in every point
of view improbable. His object could not be
covetousness ; for he continued in a state of
poverty, and made no attempts to rise above it.
He was so far from courting the favour of the
rich and powerful, that he checked their dispo
sition towards himself; though he would fain
have persuaded them to embrace the truths which
he taught. He required of the rich young man
to sell what he had, and to give the price, not
to himself, but to the poor. We learn, inci
dentally, that Jesus also gave to the poor, even
from his own scanty stock, which he committed
to the care of his only faithless disciple, and that
knowing his character. And trifling indeed were
the opportunities which Judas had for dishonest
gain, since he covenanted to betray his Master
for thirty pieces of silver. Though some
"ministered to Jesus of their substance/' yet
it was never sufficient to provide him, even the
ordinary comforts, much less the elegancies, of
life. And as he threw no temptations in the
way of the rich to draw them to him during his
life, so neither did he hold out any inducement
of a gratifying nature. For he repeatedly de
clared, and the nature of what he taught and
required abundantly tended to shew the propriety
ofthe declaratiqn, that "they that trust in worldly

144 Lecture VI.
riches," and therefore, too generally, those who
possess them, would with difficulty enter his
kingdom. Did we say that he spoke of a king
dom? We may ask, then, with Pilate, was he
a. King ; and did he advance and forward such a
claim? Yes, but his was not a kingdom like those of
this world, or that displayed "the glory of them."
"If my kingdom were of this world, then would
my servants fight, that I should not be delivered
to the Jews ; but now is my kingdom not from
hence." Neither did he himself fight, or attempt
any political innovation, authority, or disturbance ;
nor did he direct, or authorize, his servants to
do so. He endured, with a patience, and a sub
mission which he proposed as the model to all his
followers, contempt, violence, and persecution.
Ambition had no share in influencing his mind,
or directing his actions. He predicted the
establishment, not of an earthly, but of a spiritual,
kingdom ; and occupied most of his time, labours,
and instructions, in teaching its nature, while
he gave evidence of its authority. He did not
profess to attain it by triumphs in the field, in
which he should merely expose his life, but only
by his actual death. That death he predicted
distinctly, though figuratively, to the Jews ; but
to his own disciples openly, literally, and re
peatedly. And in the way in which he predicted
and expected, and for which he prepared, was

Lecture VI. 145
his kingdom set up. Yet it never offered any
allurement to worldly ambition, but included, in its
nature, all that was opposed to the desires, and,
in its accompaniments and transactions, much that
was at variance with the comforts, and hopes, and
attempts of the ambitious, and even with human
feelings. And Jesus himself never spoke of his
attainment of earthly, but of heavenly, glory.
Had he been an impostor, we may judge, with
certainty, what would have been the nature of
his aims ; and we know also, that the time at
which he lived, the expectations of the Jews at
that time, the situation of his country, and the
known feelings of his countrymen towards the
Romans, and their hopes and disposition towards
himself, would have abundantly favoured any
such interested intentions. But he did not act
consistently with the adoption and furtherance of
any selfish design. Opportunities offered for the
gratification of such, beyond what his fondest
wishes could have anticipated ; but he never
availed himself of them. He courted not popularity
for its own sake ; he retired and hid himself
when it was tending to actions in his favour;
he repelled it, and cooled its fervour, when of a
more quiet, though, as he taught his followers,
mistaken character. He did not shew himself to
the world, as one that sought to be known openly,
in any way which human wishes or corruptions
K

146 Lecture VI.
could have suggested. He declared that he ex
pected misrepresentation and obloquy ; nor did
he act as one desirous to avoid it for its own sake.
He did not court it, yet neither did he shrink from
it. He did not seek his own glory, but taught, and
exemplified, meekness and lowliness of heart.
Thus, both in the nature of his pretensions,
and in the means by which he promoted and
advanced them, was there an obvious and une
quivocal indication that " he sought not his own
will." His were not the artifices and measures,
which alone an impostor would have employed.
He proceeded in a manner wholly different ; and
adopted, in great abundance and variety, with
all publicity and evidence, such means as no
impostor could employ. Such were his mira
cles, his acquaintance with the thoughts and dis
positions of his hearers, the accurate adaptation
ofthe events of his life and of his death and of all
that he taught, professed, and accomplished, to
the prophecies, promises, types, and spirit, of all
the writings of the ancient Scriptures, and of the
religious dispensations which they record. To
pursue this train of argument further, would lead
us insensibly to anticipate some subsequent topics.
What we have just hinted may suffice to shew,
how high this general presumption rises; and
how fully it applies to the most extensive review
of the whole scheme described in Scripture,

Lecture VI. 147
though we can only touch upon some of the
principal features even of a more confined view.
But as we have endeavoured to shew, negatively,
that Jesus did not seek his own will, let us now,
though we have little space left for it, shew that
we have a positive and sufficient presumption,
that he "sought the will ofthe Father, which sent
him." What can we answer to his own appeals
on this subject? "Me the world hateth, because
I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
Because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if
I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He
that is of God heareth God's words ; ye therefore
hear them not, because ye are not of God.
I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me ; and
I seek not my own glory ; there is one that
seeketh and judgeth. If I honour myself, my
honour is nothing ; it is my Father that honoureth
me, of whom ye say that he is your God ; but
ye have not known him ; but I know him ; and
if I should say I know him not^ I should be a liar
like unto you ; but I know him, and keep his
saying"." — Is it not true, that the works of the
world are evil; that depravity has formed a
resisting medium through which even the rays

a John vii. 7. viii. 45 — 55.
K 2

148 Lecture VI.
of divine truth have too often in vain endeavoured
to penetrate ; and yet that the mists of error and
sin have been dispersed, and the world enlight
ened, by the Gospel only ? In what other way
has Jesus seen of the travail of his soul, except
by bringing many to righteousness? Has not his
doctrine most eminently promoted the knowledge
and glory of God ? Has it not been received, and
valued, principally by the friends and lovers of
whatsoever is holy, and just, and good? And have
we not, therefore, the most abundant reason to
acquiesce in the argument urged by our Lord
on another occasion, and which we cited in a
former part of this Lecture. " My doctrine is
not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will
do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether
it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
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*." — We may indeed confidently deny that
there was any unrighteousness in Jesus. For
he did himself illustrate the purity of his doctrine
by giving an exhibition of embodied virtue, by
doing all things which pleased the Father ? How
constant his devotion, how lively his faith in God,
how great his zeal for the honour of his temple,

John vii. \6 — 18.

Lecture VI. 149
how strict his care to " fulfil all righteousness,"
by the observance both of moral and positive
precepts ! How little did he consult his own ease,
when he endured fatiguing journeys by day, and a
houseless rest by night on the mountain or on the
sea, that he might go about doing good ! How
little can we suppose that he was engaged in
a pious fraud, when we consider that he referred
to the approach, manner, and consequences of his
death, as the proof and completion of his design.
Yet he could neither foresee nor control these,
except he were divine ; and that we should have
had no confidence or hope in him, if his predictions
had failed. How could we still further expatiate
on the complacency, with which he looked forward
to such a death, on his patience and submission to
the will of his Father, when the bitter cup was
put into his hand, and when the approach of the
betrayer c gave dismal note of preparation ' for
that trial, scourging, and crucifixion. Meditate
on his silence, meditate on his sayings, during
these solemn scenes; and say, to what other con
clusion can you come, than that he "gave himself
for our sins, that he might deliver us from this
present evil world, according to the will of God,
and our Father b!" Say, whether this was not he,
"whom the Father sanctified and sent into the
» Gal. i. 4.

150 Lecture VI.
world a!" Say, whether it was not "for the sake
of his disciples, and of those that should believe
on him through their word, that he sanctified
himself, that they also might be sanctified through
the truthb!" Say, in short, whether this was not
he of whom David spake, for David said it not of
himself: "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not
desire; mine ears hast thou opened; burnt-offering
and sin-offering hast thou not required. Then
said 1, Lo, I come ; in the volume of the book
it is written of me ; I delight to do thy will, O my
God ; yea", thy law is within my heart. I have
not hid thy righteousness within my heart ; I have
declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation. 1 have
not concealed thy loving-kindness and truth
from the great congregation0." Assuredly Jesus
" sought the will of his Father that sent him."
" By that will we are sanctified, through the
offering of his body once for alld." And God
"willeth also, that all men should be saved, and
come to the knowledge of the truth ;" saved
through the " one mediator between God and
man, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be
testified in due time V Let us receive the testi
mony thus given of the Son of God. Him let us
preach, and not refrain our lips from declaring,
' John x. 36'. b John xvii. 19, 20. c Ps. xl. 6—10.
d Heb. x. 10. e 1 Tim. ii. 4—6.

Lecture VI. 151
to the great congregation, . faith in his name for
the remission of sins. In him let us believe, and
him let us obey. Let us follow the example he
has left us, and "prove what is the good, and
acceptable, and perfect will of God." And " may
the Lord direct our hearts into the love of God,
and into the patient waiting for Christ1."
f 2 Thess. iii. 5.

LECTURE VII.

OUR LORD'S REASONINGS, ON THE EVIDENCE ARIS
ING FROM THE WITNESS OF JOHN, ADDRESSED
TO THE RULERS, TO THE MULTITUDES, TO JOHN'S
DISCIPLES, AND TO HIS OWN.

St. John V. 31—35.
If I bear vntness of myself, my witness is not true. There
is another that heareth witness of me; and I know
that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye
sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.
But I receive not testimony from man; but these things
J say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and
a shining light ; and ye were willing for a season to
rejoice in his light,
These are the words of him, whom we revere as
"the faithful and true witness;" who needed not
that any should testify to him either concerning
man, or concerning himself; who knew full well
man's original disposition, and necessities ; who
knew also whence he himself came, all things that
should in this world come upon him, and whither
he went ; and whose record, even when he bare
witness of himself, was true. Yet as he came

Lecture VII. 153
to purchase for us, and to offer to us, salvation, he
condescended to exhibit to us his heavenly cre
dentials; and, in appealing to our understandings,
he lowers himself to our capacities, by reasoning
with us upon our own principles. This he did,
not for his own sake, but for ours, "that we
might be saved;" that we might be enabled to
recognize his divine commission, and become
acquainted with his benevolent designs, and " be
saved from wrath through him."
That particular department of the Christian
argument, upon which our Lord reasons in our
text, was one peculiarly adapted for the conviction
of his contemporaries. For they had attended
personally on John's ministry, and had heard his
testimony so soon afterwards confirmed by the
proceedings, character, and doctrine, of our Sa
viour, and by the great -events of the Gospel
history. To us, also, it is both intelligible and
important. For we have in the Gospels a record
of the principal facts and statements of John's
ministry, which, although concise, is yet suffi
ciently copious to supply us with the materials
upon which we may reason, so as to come to
a satisfactory decision. And whether it be our
object to ascertain the doctrines of the Gospel,
the nature and design of the sacrament of baptism,
the method in which the Gospel was promulgated,
or the evidences of its divine original, it will be

154 Lecture VII.
found advantageous in all these cases to attend
particularly, and, if we follow the plan of the
New Testament, primarily, to the ministry of
John. By omitting to do so, we shall have
neglected to employ an important portion of the
materials provided for us ; I had almost said,
a portion, without a due attention to which, we
shall probably entertain imperfect, if not erroneous,
views. We propose not only to consider, in this
Lecture, the words of our Lord in the text, but
also to take occasion from them, to embody and
arrange all the discourses, in which our Lord refers
to the witness of John, principally with the view
of leading his hearers to attend to the evidence
which it afforded in proof of his divine mission
and Messiahshipa. We shall notice,
1. Those addressed to the persons in authority
among the Jews, of which our text is' one.

a The author has not included in this course a particular
review of the baptismal doctrines and predictions of John, and
of the connection between the missions and ministrations of John
and Jesus, because, only a few months before the delivery of these
Lectures, he had discussed the subject at large, as select Preacher
for December 1820. He has therefore, in this Lecture, confined
himself to the view more immediately suggested by the text. — The
message of the Baptist to Jesus is more largely considered in
Lecture IX ; and Lecture XI, also takes some notice of the
evidence arising from the miraculous, and other, circumstances
attendant on the births of John and Jesus.

Lecture VII. 155
2. His conferences on the same subject with
the multitudes, with the disciples of John,
and with his own disciples.
I. We have already observed, that the dis
course, the heads of which we are examining in
detail, was delivered before the Jewish Sanhedrim.
In the former and concluding clauses of our text,
our Lord refers them, generally, to the testimony
of John, as corroborating that which he advanced
respecting himself. Some of them, at least, had
probably acquainted themselves with the general
tenor of John's instructions, by a personal attend
ance as his hearers. At any rate, they had
certainly heard it from others, who had done so ;
and, in fact, they were so fully aware, from what
they had thus heard, of his remarkable appearance,
teaching, and proceedings, and of the attention
which he had excited among the people, who
believed him to be a prophet, that they had con
ceived it necessary to send priests and Levites
from Jerusalem, to ask him, who he was, and in
what character he adopted such a line of conduct11?
It was, indeed, the acknowledged duty and pre
rogative of the Sanhedrim to enquire into the
justice of the pretensions of those, who assumed the
prophetic character ; and to this exercise of their
public duty, our Lord specially refers in the third
h John i. 19—27.

156 Lecture VII.
verse of our text; and therefore, he addressed
those, who had every qualification, which adequate
information could give, to judge of his own pre
tensions, as far as the witness of John was con
cerned in supporting them.
Having defended himself against the charge
which they had now brought against him, by
claiming a divine commission, which, if admitted,
would fully justify his supposed violation of the
sabbath, and also prepare them to judge aright
respecting all his other proceedings, he wishes
them to consider the proofs of such a commis
sion. Adopting a judicial principle, in arguing
before an official body, he ceased to bear further
witness concerning himself; as they would not
receive this as true, unless, in his defence, he
could support his own assertions by other, and
independent, testimony. Now there was another,
who had appeared as his witness; and who, both
in public and private, had delivered a decided,
consistent, and persevering testimony in his fa
vour. Jesus himself was fully aware, that the
witness which John bore was true ; both because
he was fully acquainted with his own original
and commission, and also because he had been
present at, and immediately concerned in, that
visible communication of the Spirit, and that
audible attestation from heaven, which was the
crowning evidence to convince John himself,

Lecture VII. 157
that Jesus was the person, of whose approach
and office he had testified. Upon that evidence,
John had afterwards enlarged to such as had
considered his previous instructions. But as our
Lord was addressing those, who had themselves
taken the pains to obtain, officially, a statement
from John's own mouth ; he therefore more espe
cially referred them to the answer which John
had given. " Ye sent unto John ; and he bare
witness to the truth." For, " he confessed, and
denied not ; but confessed, that he was not the
Christ ;" " neither Elias," at least in person, and
for the purposes which they expected Elias to fulfil ;
" neither that prophet," nor a prophet at all in the
sense in which they looked for a prophet to appear
among them, by rising from the dead. When a
definite answer was demanded from him, he
referred them to that prophecy of Esaias, of
which their own interpretation, was in the main,
correct ; and explicitly declared, that his was the
voice of him, that was to cry in the wilderness,
"Prepare ye the way of the Lord." In this he
manifestly implied, that his office only authorized
him to bear testimony to another; that he was,
therefore, to be compared to " a sound, which, as
soon as it has expressed the thought of which it
is the sign, dies into air, and is heard no more1."
a Fenelon, cited by Bishop Home in his Considerations on the
Life and Death of John the Baptist.

158 Lecture VII.
Whether, therefore, they considered the prophecy,
and its usual interpretation ; or the express testi
mony of John ; they could not have rightly con
sidered, nor could they finally decide upon, his
witness, unless they looked out for another, whose
way he prepared, and whose forerunner he was.
Of such a one, greater than himself in office,
power, and dignity, he expressly spoke to them ;
of one, who when John testified this, had already
taken his station among them, but whom they had
then not known ; one, who was to come after
him, but who existed before him, and who was to
be preferred to him ; one whose office was more
extensive than his own, which merely authorized
him to baptize with water3. — We may consider
Jesus as demanding of them, in the words of our
text, whether these things had been duly con
sidered? They had known, or might have known,
or might easily ascertain, that John had pointed
out Jesus, personally and expressly, as him of
whom he had spoken. If he were so, the question
assumed an important aspect, and was of exten
sive connexion. Here was a declaration of the
approach of the kingdom of heaven ; a claim to the
office of its herald, and precursor ; and a specifica
tion of the person, whose approach was to be thus
preceded and prepared. They had, therefore, to
a Johni. 26, 27.

Lecture VII. 159
meet this great question, to consider these exten
sive claims. If they neglected to do this, they
would incapacitate themselves for judging in a
comprehensive and sufficient manner; and would,
probably, in consequence of their narrow and
partial views, again object, as they were now
doing, against some supposed breach of the law,
or apparently hasty statement, while they were
wholly inattentive to the miracles wrought pre
viously, and at the time; and though they had
never fully comprehended, or duly considered,
the extent and purport of his claims. Hence
they would be likely, both to blaspheme against
the Son of man, who was now personally preach
ing the Gospel ofthe kingdom amongst them, and
also against the Holy Ghost, of which John spake,
and who, though not yet given, was hereafter to
be given. Now our Lord never required of any,
that they should have made advancements beyond
the information and evidence which had been
communicated to them. He was satisfied with,
and commended, those, who were not far from
the kingdom ; who were willing to judge im
partially of what had come before them ; and
who, although some doubts and difficulties re
mained, were willing to suspend their judgment,
and not hastily to exaggerate such doubts, so as to
dismiss all further inquiry. All would in due
season be set before them ; so much already had

160 Lecture VII.
been exhibited, that it ought to arrest their atten
tion, and to claim their serious investigation. It
remained with themselves to make a proper and
successful use of what had been advanced, and
of what was yet in reserve. John had long ago
borne witness to the truth, and Jesus was now
himself declaring his office and authority. Not
that he himself received the testimony from man,
but he had "received from his Father a command
ment, what he should speak," and perform. They
might derive this assurance, not from his words
only, but from other sources. And these things
he declared to them, " that they might be saved."
If they refused to hear and consider them, theirs
was the danger, and the responsibility rested with
themselves. But our Lord went on further to remind
them, that, if they finally rejected the testimony of
John, they were in a measure self-condemned.
He was the burning and the shining light of that
age and country; the excellence of his instructions,
and their success and beneficial tendency, they
could not deny ; even they themselves, " for a
season, were willing even exceedingly to rejoice
in his light." Thus had they themselves, both
felt and vjrtually confessed, his prophetic charac
ter. Some of them might even have been ofthe
number of those Pharisees and Sadducees, who
came to his baptism. But they were by him

Lecture VII. 161
warned, reproved, and convicted. They found
that he proclaimed not that which they wished
and expected; they saw that he would not be
subservient to their carnal and temporizing po
licy ; they saw their influence, authority, and in
terests, at stake; they felt their prejudices attacked
and exposed; they were offended and alarmed;
and therefore their joyful hailing of him who pro
claimed the approach of the kingdom of heaven,
their reverence for his character, and their admi
ration of his instructions, were succeeded by a
sullen neglect, enmity, and contempt. The fact
is several times explicitly and publicly stated by
our Lord a ; and, in one passage, which we have
yet to notice, to persons in authority, at a time,
and in consequence of an incident in our Lord's
ministry, of leading importance. You will readily
suppose, that we allude to the question pro
posed to our Lord, after he had entered Jerusalem
in the lowly triumph described by Zechariah,
and had a second time purged the Gentiles' court
of the temple. "By what authority doest thou
these things; and who gave thee this authority b?"
The conversation which followed this question,
places the connexion between John's testimony,
and our Lord's mission, in a very clear point of

a Matt. xi. 16—19 ; xvii. 9—13. Luke vii. 29, 30 ; xvi. 14—17.
b Matt. xxi. 23. Mark xi. 28. Lukexx. 1, 2.
L

162 Lecture VII.
view ; though it is not always rightly represented
by the commentators.
The question was proposed by the " chief
priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the
people," under whose cognizance our Lord's pro
ceedings certainly fell. He answered by proposing
another question. " I will also ask you one thing,
which if you tell me, I in likewise will tell you by
what authority I do these things. The baptism of
John, whence was it ? of heaven, or of men ?" that
is, was it of divine, or of human authority? Now
their answer was, that "they could not tell;" and
Jesus, therefore, refused to tell them " by what
authority he did these things." They had declined
to answer his question, or rather they had openly
declared their inability to answer it. Now this
implied, either that they still allowed that John's
baptism possibly might be of divine appointment ;
Or that they had not come to an official decision ;
or that they did not think themselves concerned to
do so. The fact was, as we are fully informed in
other places, that they rejected John's baptism,
and refused to allow its divine authority. But
they reasoned with themselves, that if they should
say thus publicly that it was of men, the people,
who were fully persuaded that John was truly
a prophet, would raise a tumult, and stone them.
Their personal safety, therefore, prevented an
avowal of their disbelief. Nor could they make

Lecture VII. 163
a declaration, which would coincide with the pre
possessions of the people, without a virtual re
cantation of the opinions, which in their conduct,
at least, they had hitherto avowed ; without a vio
lation of consistency, as it regarded the past, an
imprudent committal of themselves for the future,
and a liability to be subjected to the unanswerable
reproof of Jesus, " Why then did ye not believe
him?" Yet this was not an evasive question, proposed
in' order to bring them into this dilemma ; though
it is too generally so represented, or is left imper
fectly explained. It was the most proper answer
which could have been made, as a few brief re
marks will shew. It reminded them of the words
of our text, judicially spoken before them ; which,
had they been duly considered, might have led
them to a right knowledge of the source and
nature of the authority of Jesus. And it also
reproved them, because they neither admitted the
authority of John, nor, because of their unworthy
fear of the people, did they disabuse them of what
they conceived an erroneous opinion ; though, as
the guardians of religion, and the judges of pro
phetic claims, they ought, officially, to have done
one or the other. By declining to give any defi
nite answer to our Lord's inquiry, they left him
no opportunity of entering on such a line of
argument, as would have evinced his authority
l_ 2

164 Lecture VII.
to do these things; yet he clearly taught them
that the question, to which he required an an
swer, was a previous question, the decision of
which would lead to an easy solution of their own.
— You will perhaps ask, why did not our Lord
take some other line of argument? I might an
swer, and the answer would be sufficient, that our
Lord knew what was in man ; and we might,
with satisfaction, acquiesce in the conviction, that
in this, as well as in other instances, he did all
things well. But we can answer more, fully, and
state, that his question related to the very point of
evidence which it was in this instance proper to
consider. He had entered Jerusalem in pro
cession, as the meek and lowly King of Zion,
amidst the repeated acclamation, " Hosannah to,
the Son of David ! Blessed be the King of Israel,
that cometh in the name of the Lord !" This was
a visible accomplishment of the prediction of
Zechariah. Was, then, the authority, which Jesus
claimed in the temple, conformable to the divine
purposes,, and to the intimations of prophecy?
Assuredly it was. It was designed, as to its ob
ject, to effect the removal of the desecrating traffic,
that was carried on in the house of his Father.
It was designed to espouse the cause of the Gen
tiles, that the outer court might be restored to
them, and that, according to prophecy, the house
of God might be made " a house of prayer for all

Lecture VII. 165
nations"." That the Messiah should thus actually
come in suddenness, and to the confusion of trans
gressors, to vindicate the honour ofthe house of
God, as " the Lord of the temple," and " greater
than the temple," was an especial subject of pro
phecy ; and it was foretold in immediate connexion
with the prediction of that Messenger, whom John
declared himself to be. For although, when ques
tioned by the priests and Levites, he cited the words
of Isaiah ; yet a passage of Malachi, -in which he
is also mentioned, specifies the same reason for his
mission, and also connects it with the appearance
of the Lord, whom the Jews expected, in the
temple. " Behold, I send my messenger, and he
shall prepare the way before me ; and the Lord,
whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple,
even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye
delight in. — And he shall purify the sons of Levi,
and shall purge them as gold and silver, that they
may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteous
ness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jeru
salem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of
old.- — And all nations shall call you blessed ; and
ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of

a Isai.,lvi. 6, 7. Mede observes, in his sermon on this subject,
that " the place alleged (by our Lord) to avow the fact, speaks
of Gentile-worshippers, not in the words toT. _6W_-i only, but in
the whole body of the context." .Works, p. 46.

166 Lecture VII.
hosts1." — By attending to the various and con
nected transactions thus predicted respecting John
and Jesus, we at once discover the propriety of
our Lord's conduct on this occasion, and the evi
dence in vindication of his authority, which, under
such circumstances, he pointed out as forcibly by
declining any further statement, as if he had en
tered on a detail ofthe argument. If the authority
of the precursor were admitted, it involved the
admission of his own; if they had really so little
considered the former question, as to be yet unde
cided, they then avoided, or hastily passed over,
the proper and sufficient evidence which was yet
open to their consideration.
But, though they were afraid to encounter our
Lord's arguments, and sought to avoid them, he
left them not unreproved and unwarned. In three
parables, — that of the obedient and disobedient
sons, who were requested to work in their father's
vineyard, — that of the wicked husbandmen, — and
that of the wedding garment, — he exposed the
guilt, impotency, and danger of their unbelief,
and also predicted their approaching murderous
rejection of himself, their forfeiture of the bless
ings of the kingdom, and the transfer of them to
the Gentiles, whose cause he had been espousing,
and who would bring forth the proper fruits.

» Mai. ii. 1, 3, 4, 12.

Lecture VII. 167
They saw the purport of the parables ; they
writhed under their severe correction ; they could
not refrain from deprecating the accomplishment
of his predictions ; yet they proceeded, even with
increased eagerness, in the furtherance of their
bloody designs.
Of the first parable he made an express appli
cation, which it will be expedient to notice with
reference to our subject. He obtained from them
a confession, that the son who first refused, but
" afterwards repented and went" into the vine
yard, " did the will of his father." And he then
answered, " Verily, I say unto you, that the pub
licans 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 ; but
the publicans and the harlots believed him. And
ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterwards,
that ye might believe hima." Our Lord here
notices the excellence of John's character, and the
efficacy of his instructions. Such a consideration
they ought not to have neglected. They had
been reminded of it in our text, and themselves
must have felt it, when they beheld the salutary
effects produced by John's labours, upon those
whom they themselves had yet been unable to
reform, even if they had indeed attempted to

a Matt. xxi. 31, 32.

168 Lecture VII.
do it. Yet this had not induced them to re
trace their steps, but had, perhaps, operated
to strengthen their prejudices. — The same princi
ple applied, and still applies, to our Lord's in
structions, as well as to those of the Baptist. They
are intelligible to those, who have neither leisure
nor capacity for philosophical research, or sys
tematic morality. The same Gospel, which is
preached to the rich and learned, is preached also
to the poor and illiterate. By one and the same
Gospel must both be instructed, edified, and saved.
Let us, then, value the wisdom and sublimity of
its design and contents ; let us also admire its
universal adaptation and utility ; and let neither
the pride of station, nor the prejudices of learning,
nor the vulgarity of a poor man's religious observ
ances, his uncouth phraseology, and his imperfect,
and often mistaken, opinions, prevent the serious
examination, and cordial acceptation, of the same
truths, which reform, edify, and comfort him.
For they were not intended to remedy the dis
advantages of station, and the defects of education,
excepting only so far as holiness here, and happi
ness hereafter, may thereby be affected.
Such were our Lord's reasonings and state
ments, in connexion with the witness of John, as
delivered to the ruling authorities of the Jews.
We have now only to notice the more remarkable
addresses of our Lord on the same subject to the

Lecture VII. 169
disciples of John, the multitudes, and his own
disciples. II. The earliest of these was on occasion of
the memorable message sent to Jesus by John.
The disciples of John had given him early infor
mation respecting the popularity and success of
him, " to whom he had borne witness beyond
Jordan." The Baptist had then, in the last of
his discourses which is recorded, endeavoured to
divest them of any jealousy respecting his own
honour, by directing them to the remembrance of
his former statements; by re-assuring them ofthe
divine and superior dignity of Jesus; and by
exhorting them to a reception of his doctrine.
Being informed by them, at a later period, of the
still growing fame of Jesus, of his repeated
miracles, and especially of the raising of the
widow's son at Nain, John actually sent them
to confer with Jesus, and to obtain, from his own
mouth, an answer to the question, " whether he
was he that should come, or whether they were
to look for another?" They, probably, as well
as the rest of the people, were in some degree of
suspense, because Jesus had not, in so many
words, declared himself the Messiah. Our Lord
retained them with him, until he had wrought
several additional miracles ; and then, in a brief
manner, led them to infer his Messiahship, from
the miracles which he performed; for they were

170 Lecture VII.
such as the prophets ascribed to the Messiah.
He reminded them, also, that the Gospel was by
him preached to the poor, according to another
prophecy of Isaiah; and then cautioned them
against suffering the faith, produced by such
considerations, to be impaired and subverted by
any inconsistency which presented itself to their
minds between his humble appearance and their
expectations. Thus our Lord at once shewed the
correctness with which John had described him
as one " mightier than himself," and as a teacher
who "spoke the words of God ;" pointed out the
agreement of John's testimony, with the prophe
cies respecting the Messiah, and the miracles
which he was to perform ; and intimated the
probability and danger of that rejection of his
testimony, of which also the prophets had spoken-
The discourse which our Lord addressed to the
multitudes, after the departure of John's disciples,
also very fully discusses the character and office
of the Baptist*. Of these his own disciples
entertained such an opinion, as made their
views end in him, and, therefore, for a time,
prevented the proper object of his mission. But
there was no such danger with the multitude;
but rather one of a contrary character. They
were in danger of losing the impressions, which
1 Matt. xi. 7—19-

Lecture VII. 171
the appearance and preaching of the Baptist had
produced. And yet they did not abate this respect
for him, in order to transfer it to the Messiah ;
but were disposed to err, both with respect to
him and his precursor. Our Lord, therefore,
adapted his discourse to the character of the per
sons addressed ; endeavouring to recall their former
feelings, in order that he might direct them to
a proper end and object. He reminded them
of the earnest attention, which had been excited
among them, by the solemn and unvarying testi
mony of that holy and self-denying man. He had
appeared, not as the herald or attendant of an
earthly monarch, though he proclaimed the setting
up of a kingdom. They allowed him to be a pro
phet ; but he was more. For, citing the words of
Malachi, our Lord applied them to him ; and
declared that he was " the Messenger who was to
prepare the way of the Lord." Thus he at once
directed their thoughts to the kingdom of the
Messiah, and pointed out what might prepare
them to discern its real nature. He spoke dis
tinctly of the introduction of a new religious
dispensation; of the superiority ofthe least pro
phet of that dispensation, even to John ; as more
honoured, and more enlightened, and more suc
cessful. They as yet had been under the guidance
of the law, and of the prophets. But each of
these had prophesied of more glorious times.

172 Lecture VII.
Those times had begun with the appearance of
John. Now the kingdom of heaven had com
menced ; not guarded, like Mount Sinai, in order
to repel and alarm ; but permitting, and even
inviting, all to approach and enter. They ex
pected Elias to come. Though no Elias, such as
they looked for, would come ; yet he who was to
come, he whom Malachi had predicted under that
title, had already come; for this was no other
than John the Baptist. This was important in
formation ; a statement to be attentively heard,
and earnestly examined. And our Lord therefore
added ; " he that hath ears to hear, let him,
therefore, hear."
Thus did our Lord declare the proper view, in
which they were now to examine the mission of
John; thus did he assist them in that examination,
and direct them rightly to employ the means which
already existed, for forming a correct decision,
and which the progress of his ministry rendered
continually more abundant. Yet he well knew,
both from the past conduct, and present dis
position, of that generation, and from his fore
knowledge of their future proceedings, that the
connected mission of John and himself, and the
different conduct and demeanour which suited
their respective functions, would not meet the
prejudices, or engage the impartial consideration,
of all. They had their favourite and obstinate

Lecture VII. 173
prejudices, which operated against each of these
messengers. Two consecutive, but distinct, me
thods had been employed for the introduction of
the kingdom of heaven. "John came neither
eating nor drinking;"' to him they objected,
because he came in a severe and repulsive cha
racter; of him they said, " He hath a devil." " The
Son of man came eating and drinking ;" not, de
clining to join in social and familiar intercourse
with the world, and yet, however inconsistently,
they found in this also a motive to reject and
calumniate him. " Behold, said they, a gluttonous
man, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and
sinners." They appeared therefore not disposed
to be satisfied with any thing, however expressly
calculated to obviate and remove their prejudices.
They therefore acted as perverse a part, as those
" children," whom " when assembled in the
market-place " for their pastime, no variety of
proposal, suggested by a spirit of compliance and
accommodation on the part of their companions,
could persuade to join in the amusements of the
hour. But however they might thus " reject the
counsel of God against themselves," "the children
of wisdom," all of candid and reflecting minds,
would perceive and acknowledge that both these
methods were adopted by divine wisdom, and that
they might justly be applauded and admired.
As too many among the Jews were offended,

174 Lecture VII.
both by the austere demeanour of John, and the
social one of Jesus, so the disciples of John were
backward to approve of the latter, and exclusively
admired the former. They therefore demanded
of Jesus, why they, and the disciples of the Pha
risees, fasted often, but his, like himself, did not
fast, but ate and drank like others, without any
such abstemiousness. Here also Jesus endea
voured to satisfy the well disposed inquirers ; and,
in several parabolical illustrations, shewed the
propriety of this part of his conduct. These you
will readily call to mind ; and we have only time
to observe, that he adopted, in one instance, the
same figure in which John had instructed them
respecting himself. For John had spoken of Jesus
as the bridegroom, and of himself as the attendant
of the bridegroom. And Jesus now observed,
that his chosen disciples, as well as John, were
attendants of him the bridegroom, but that he
called them not to any premature austerities ;
because these comparatively were the days of
their festivity. But after he had trained them
up for their future work, " the bridegroom would
be taken from them; and then they would
fast in those daysa." For the event to which he
alluded, and for its consequences, he was gradually
» Mark ii. 18—22. Luke v. 33—39. The inquiry seems to
have been proposed, not only by the disciples of John, but also by
the Scribes and Pharisees.

Lecture VII. 175
preparing them ; but if he adopted the procedure
to which they alluded, so harsh a discipline, em
ployed in the first instance, would too much dis
courage them.
The disciples of our Lord do not appear to
have entertained any objection to the proceedings
and appearance, either of John or Jesus. The
fact, " that the bridegroom should be taken from
them," was that, at the mention of which they
were confounded, in whatever manner it was
couched. They also expected, as other Jews did,
and as the Scribes taught, that " Elias would
first come, and restore all things ;" and, probably,
at the transfiguration, they conceived that their
expectations were about to be fulfilled. But their
joy and eagerness was soon checked by the in
junction to " tell the vision to no man, until the
Son of man was risen from the dead." This
recalled to their minds the parallel declarations
made by their Master a short time before ; and
they could not either understand " what the rjsing
from the dead should mean," as applied to their
Master, or how it could be reconciled with their
past expectations, and present suppositions, re
specting Elias. They proposed the difficulty to
their Master, and received, in answer, a statement,
calculated to remove their doubts, if not immedi
ately, yet soon afterwards. With the citation of
that answer, and of another remark of our Lord

176 Lecture VII;
to his disciples, we may conclude this review of
his reasonings respecting John.
" His disciples asked him, saying, Why then say
the Scribes that Elias must first come ? And Jesus
answered, and said unto them, Elias truly shall first
come, and restore all things. But I say unto you,
that Elias is come already, and they knew him
not, but have done unto him whatsoever they
listed ; likewise also shall the Son of man suffer
of them. Then the disciples understood that he
spake unto them of John the Baptist3." And
when the Son of man had " suffered many
things," and had " risen from the dead," then did
our Lord again direct their thoughts to that par
ticular prediction of the Baptist, which he had
himself also delivered, and which was then about
to be accomplished ; thus, in another instance,
pointing out to them the difference of their re
spective functions, and the tendency which their
consecutive ministrations had to accomplish the
purposes of God in the establishment of his king
dom. " Wait, said he, in Jerusalem, for the
promise of the Father, which ye have heard of
me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye
shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many
days hence b."
We may, I think, derive from the whole series
a Matt. xvii. 10—13. Markix. 11—13. b Actsi. 4, 5.

Lecture VII. 177
of our Lord's reasonings on this subject, and from
a comparison of his remarks with the instructions,
predictions, and transactions, to which they refer,
a conviction of the completeness and force, even of
this single head of evidence. It shews to us the
divine authority of the witness of John ; and how
clear a light is from thence reflected on the autho
rity of Jesus. And may we, therefore, be " child
ren of wisdom," and justify its proceedings. We
are men of like passions with those, who rejected
the instructions both of Jesus and of John. We
may be under the influence of prejudices equally
powerful ; we may, in like manner, be inattentive
and obdurate. But, though John were " a burn
ing and a shining light," he was not " that light,
which, coming into the world, enlighteneth every
man ;" he was sent only " to bear witness of
that light;" to exhibit to the world, as it were,
the dawn of the rising " Sun of Righteousness."
But "the day-spring from on high has now
visited us." " The true light now shineth."
Let us "be willing," not "for a season" only,
but continually and perseveringly, "to rejoice in
the light of him, who declared himself to be "the
light of the world." Let the convictions, which
from time to time we feel, be encouraged, and
not stifled. Let the resolutions, to which they
give rise, not be "like the morning dew," and
refresh us only for a time ; but be so cherished
M

178 Lecture VII.
and renewed, as to abide the scorching sun of
temptation and persecution. Let such a stedfast-
ness be maintained, that hope may arise, and
gather strength and maturity, within us. Yet a
genuine and well-grounded hope cannot even
exist in the soul of him, who does not know and
obey the promises and precepts of the Gospel.
But if hope has respect to the blessings which
Jesus has purchased, and be founded on a scrip
tural faith, and attended by that "charity, which
never faileth," it will then be "an anchor of the
soul, both sure and stedfast, which entereth within
the vail, whither our forerunner is for us entered,
even Jesus." He, as the Baptist declared, is " the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world." And John also bare witness, "that he
is the Son of God ;" and solemnly said to his
disciples, "He that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting life ; and he that believeth not the
Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God
abideth on him V t
" John i. 29, 34; iii. 36.

LECTURE VIII.

OUR LORD S APPEAL TO HIS MIRACLES AS ATTESTING
HIS DIVINE MISSION.

St. John V. 36.
f
But I have greater witness than that of John; for the
works which the Father hath given me to finish, the
same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the
Father hath sent me.
In whatever point of view the serious inquirer
contemplates the facts and circumstances of the
Christian story, or any portion of them, he can
not fail to be impressed with a conviction, that
he therein discerns the arm of the Almighty not
obscurely revealed, but errtployed for great and
holy purposes. The evidence arising from mira
cles doubtless affords to us one of the most obvious
and intelligible indications of this truth ; and one
which has been observed and acknowledged even
by those, who have taken a less detailed and
complete survey of the whole, and who have,
therefore, perhaps, not attended much to the
M 2

180 Lecture VIII.
evidence arising from the proceedings, character,
and witness, of John. The Gospel records,
however, present to us the latter of these as the
earliest subject for our examination ; and no one,
who has given to it the attention which it de
serves, will be disposed to deny, that it affords
a most satisfactory evidence of the truth of Christi
anity. In our last Lecture we took the particular
view of this extensive argument, which was sug
gested by the words immediately preceding our
text. In our text our Lord states, that the
miracles which he wrought are "a greater witness
than that of John." Not that the one was of
divine appointment and interference, and the other
not ; but because miracles are the visible tokens
of divine interposition, from which the inference
is more immediate, and of which the evidence
is more sensible. And, indeed, the witness of
John, considered merely as the testimony of a
zealous and holy person, and even as that of
a prophet, is not complete without the evidence
of miracles ; for these were necessary in order to
prove Jesus to be the mightier one of whom he
spoke. John's ministry wonderfully prepared the
way for that of our Lord, that he might, with
more advantage, appear as the worker of miracles,
and as the authoritative teacher of a more en
larged scheme. But the miracles themselves were
the greater, more definite, and more unequivocal

Lecture VIII. 181
demonstration of his authority, and of the divinity
of his doctrine.
The words of our text might, indeed, be con
sidered as referring, not merely to the mighty
works which he performed in order to our con
viction, but also to "the whole work which the
Father gave him to do." And, undoubtedly, from
the great design itself, and its accomplishment,
an argument arises which includes all others, and
which sets them before us with the greatest ad
vantage ; because we then not only discern the
force of each, separately considered, but of all
as connected with each other, and as manifesting,
both the unity and consistency of the design,
and the completeness of its accomplishment. But
that the words of our text have a more limited
reference, appears from • the phraseology which
our Lord employs on other occasions. And in
the first passage which we shall cite, there seems
decidedly to be such an allusion to the very words
of our text, as clearly to shew, that our Lord
intended therein to refer to his miracles.
Shortly after the cure of the man born blind,
some of the Jews, who, as the context shews,
probably were persons in authority, "said unto
him, How long dost thou make us to doubt?
If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus
answered them, I told you, and ye believed not ;
the works that I do in my Father's name, they

182 Lecture VI 1 1.
bear witness of mea." In a subsequent part ofthe
same conference, he again alluded to the "good
works which he had shewed them from his
Father ;" and added, " 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." To his disciples he delivered similar
statements ; which, being more enlarged, point
put to us more fully the connexion of these miracles
with the doctrines, in proof of which he wrought
them ; and the criminality of not attending to that
proof: — "Believest thou not," said he to Philip,
" that 1 am in the Father, and the Father in me ?
The words that I speak unto you, I speak not
of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me,
he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in
the Father, and the Father in me, or else believe
me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily,
I sav unto you, He that believeth on me, the
works that I do, shall he do also ; and greater
works than these shall he do, because I go unto
my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my
name, that will I do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son b." Shortly afterwards, when
speaking to his disciples of their future sufferings
in his cause, he observed, "These things will
» John x. 24, 25. b John xiv. 1Q— 13.

Lecture VIII. 183
they do unto you for my name's sake, because
they know not him that sent me. If 1 had not
come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin ;
but now have they no cloke for their sin. He
that hateth me, hateth my Father also. If I had
not done among them the works which none other
man did, they had not had sin ; but now have they
both seen and hated both me and my Father0."
The works referred to in these passages, of
which our Lord spoke as already past, had been
publicly exhibited in the presence of those whom
he addressed. And the miracles wrought by the
Apostles, in the name of Jesus, and through the
prayer of faith, of which our Lord spoke as yet
future, were afterwards exhibited with equal pub
licity. The Jewish people could not deny, and did
not in fact doubt, that they were really miraculous
works, impossible to the unaided powers of a
human being ; although they conceived, that the
authority of their traditions, and their received
interpretations of the Old Testament, justified
them in refusing their assent to the doctrines
and dispensation, of which these were the sanction
and demonstration. That dispensation and its
doctrines are as important to us, as they were to
them. But we are circumstanced with respect

c John xv. 21, 24. Some of the passages here quoted will,
in future Lectures, be more particularly considered.

184 Lecture VIII.
to the miracles, which prove its divine authority,
in a manner somewhat different. We cannot see
them ; and to resolve, except we see signs and
wonders, not to believe, would be to require that
which would make them cease to be miracles.
Ours, therefore, cannot be that sensible and
striking impression of their reality and evidence,
which would be felt by the subjects and spectators
of miracles. Yet what we lose in this respect
is abundantly supplied by the more enlarged know
ledge which we have of the connection of miracles
with other branches of evidence, then not so
fully exhibited, and with the complete system of
truth, of which they proved the divine revelation.
Yet we do not lose much by the absence of such
an overpowering evidence ; for a sufficient con
viction of their reality alone is necessary to
establish the conclusion ; and of that we have
abundant evidence. It is, indeed, derived from
the testimony of others ; but a reliance, upon well
authenticated, and well circumstanced, testimony,
is as much a law of our moral nature, as the
belief of the ordinary laws by which the universe
is governed is of our understanding. We ordi
narily act with as little hesitation upon a sufficient
moral certainty, as upon the clearest philosophical
analogy, or mathematical demonstration. We
cannot in either case make our own personal
experience the test of all possible facts ; and to

Lecture VIII. 185
believe nothing, but that which we have ourselves
seen, is as unreasonable, as it would be em
barrassing. Whenever, therefore, distance of time
or place prevents us from being spectators of any
transaction, we can become acquainted with it
only by testimony; nor have we any just ground
to reject such testimony, if it be attended with the
proper marks of credibility. The case is very little
different, if the facts in question be of that cha
racter which we call miraculous. They differ from
other facts principally with reference to the cause
which produced them. It is essentially requisite
that they should be subject to the apprehension
and examination of the senses of mankind ; but
their miraculous nature is merely an inference
from their reality as facts, and from a conviction
that neither the ordinary procedure of nature, nor
the agency of man, could have produced them.
In our inquiries respecting them, we may justly
scrutinize, with all possible accuracy, the testimony
which reports that they occurred ; we may with
equal care weigh and compare the circumstances
of the facts in detail, with a view of discovering
whether there were any imposture or delusion.
But if, after such an examination, the inference
that they resulted from a miraculous agency,
is the only tenable one ; the nature of the con
clusion at which we have arrived is by no means
to be applied as an objection to its truth and

186 Lecture V1H.
correctness. That the ordinary laws of nature are
wise, useful, and constant, and that they are
designed for the benefit of all creatures that live,
affords no sufficient presumption that their progress
may not be counteracted or superseded, to pro
vide for objects so important, as the spiritual and
eternal interests of man. And if such a design
appear evident, as in the case of the Christian
miracles, the end is confessedly desirable and
necessary. The means by which we receive an
assurance that the end is attained, though they
involved a partial and temporary suspension, or
counteraction, of the laws of the universe, did not
at all supersede, or even interrupt, their general
beneficial operations. Yet they conferred valuable
personal benefits upon the individuals, who were
the subjects of them, at the same time that they
permanently provided for the continued consola
tions, and lively hopes., of all future generations.
The facts, to which our text refers, are those
upon which our religion is founded; and, without
allowing the truth of them, we cannot account for
its success. For the pretence to miraculous
powers, of such a kind, and under such circum
stances, would, if they had not been real, have
ruined the cause which it did so effectually pro
mote. Now the Gospel records of these facts
being so circumstantial, full, and perspicuous, we
are thereby enabled to place ourselves, as it were,

Lecture VIII. 187
in the midst of the scenes so described, and become
qualified to judge, perhaps, as accurately as those
who actually witnessed them, of their reality as
exertions of divine power. We are therein fur
nished with the testimony of eye-witnesses ; with
the written narrative of those things, which they,
day by day, and from year to year, proclaimed by
word of mouth, " both to small and great," both
to Jew and Gentile ; in the midst of persecution
and opposition, but without contradiction from
those, who, if there were a possibility of denying
them, were both interested and disposed to do so,
but who endeavoured to suppress the propagation
of Christianity, in defiance of these extraordinary
facts, rather than venturing to deny their truth.
Upon the practical proof, which these witnesses
gave, of the correctness and fidelity of what they
attested, this is not the place to enlarge ; they evi
dently themselves believed these things to have
been as they related them. For no other motive,
than the love of truth, can be assigned for their
diligence and earnestness in promulgating the
Gospel; or for their stedfastness and patience
under the trials to which their testimony exposed
them. The written narrative which they have
left us, is not composed in the adorned style of
other histories, but in a manner peculiar to them
selves. The miraculous facts are related in the
same brief, circumstantial, and inartificial manner,

188 Lecture VIII.
as the ordinary ones. An impression is left on the
mind by a perusal of these narratives, that the
authors did not write under the influence of
imagination, but of the vivid recollection of ob
vious, though astonishing, facts; and that they
had felt a conviction of the reality of what they
saw, which nothing could impair or destroy. In
very many instances they mention such particu
lars, as render it impossible to conceive but that
the facts, which they so particularly and graphi
cally describe, took place just in the manner in
which they relate them. And each Evangelist,
in other instances, makes such omissions of many
particulars, and such transitions from one incident
to another, as would be wholly inexplicable, except
upon the supposition that the writer's mind was
more occupied with the remembrance of circum
stances which he had actually observed, than with
the construction and arrangement of a fictitious
narrative. Another circumstance tends to shew, that the
Evangelists did not invent the miracles which they
record. They are not mere acts of power, ex
hibited with pomp and ostentation, so as merely to
dazzle and astonish the multitude; nor are they
characterized by moroseness, superstition, or re
venge. Yet such have those been, which have
either been put in competition with the Gospel
miracles, or which some have attempted to add to

Lecture VIII. 189
them. Why have men of far superior education
succeeded so ill in comparison with the Evangelists,
but that the former related what were either
fictions or impostures, the latter real facts ? Nor
are the miracles of Jesus isolated facts, referred to
no good or declared end, but expressly wrought
for the promotion of the greatest of purposes ;
connected with important incidents and discourses,
so as to add force, and dignity, and authority, to
the instructions, at the same time that they also
serve to illustrate them. Even when they are
most public, there is no appearance of ostentation,
but every feature of sobriety, dignity, and de
corum ; and often were they accompanied by
a remarkable humility and concealment of himself.
They were works of compassion and benevolence;
beneficial in their immediate effect, as well as
with reference to their ultimate purpose.
Such was the general character of the works
which Jesus did ; and a more particular notice of
their nature and circumstances shews them to be
so decisively miraculous, as to present a very
strong case even to those, who argue for the an
tecedent improbability or impossibility of miracles.
As it is undeniable that some such works were
done, we ask of the sceptic only a candid investi
gation of the facts of the case ; because we believe
that this will be of itself sufficient to induce him
to assent to the words of Jesus ; " the same works

190 Lecture VIII.
that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath
sent me." Jesus addressed those, who were
familiar with the facts in. question ; and we must,
in like manner, make ourselves acquainted with
them, before we can come to any just decision
respecting their competency to assure us of the
truth of the Gospel. The facts may be so cir
cumstanced, as to be wholly inexplicable on any
other supposition, than that the Author of nature
is the Author of these extraordinary phenomena.
It is ours to ascertain how far that is the case ;
and our Lord proceeded during his ministry in
a manner which offers to our consideration a great
variety of facts. Even before the imprisonment
of John, at which time he may properly be said to
have commenced his preaching, he began his
miraculous works ; thus exhibiting his credentials
before he delivered his message. And this proce
dure may be observed, not only in the general
plan of his ministry, but in the particular portions
of it. He generally taught after the exhibition of
his mighty works. Some of his more important
discourses were immediately preceded and occa
sioned by them. And the most full and particular
statements, which he delivered, were at the close
of his life, when he may be said to have at
length suspended the exercise of his power. In
every point of view, therefore, it is necessary
to ascertain the real state of the question with

Lecture VIII. 191
respect to the nature of the facts, that we may
decide whether they are, or are not, miraculous.
And if we find ourselves obliged to admit that
they are so, it is an admission • of a fact in
the history of the world, which may justly make
us conclude, that all reasonings in denial of the
possibility of miracles, are futile and erroneous ;
and if they are so, surely we may also admit
the obvious inference , that God has spoken by
Jesus ; and we should receive, with humble and
adoring faith, the testimony which he has given
us respecting that " eternal life, which is in his
Son." Consider then, still more particularly, the obvious
nature of these facts. They were of such a na
ture, as to be subject both to the senses and under
standings of all. If they were so, those, who were
the subjects and spectators of the miracles, had
complete evidence of their reality ; and the only
evidence which could apply. The greater number
of these miracles consisted in the cure of the
diseased ; the blind, the lame, and the maimed.
Their previous infirmity was notorious ; in many
instances it had been of long duration, and had
baffled the skill of physicians. Their recovery
was equally ascertainable, and was found, in all
cases alike, to be complete and lasting. The
change from the one state to the other was, in
most instances, effected, or, at least, preceded, by

192 Lecture VIII.
a word, by the touch, by some external application,
whose very nature shewed that it was not the
powerful agent which of itself produced the
change. That it could be neither the result of
imposture, nor the effect of imagination, the num
ber of the instances is sufficient to prove. If
imagination could be supposed to cure diseases of
every kind, under every circumstance, and of
every duration, it could not raise the dead. Much
less could any such causes suspend the operation
of gravity upon the body of Jesus, and that of
St. Peter, and cause " the winds and the sea to
obey him." That no ordinary physical cause
could have produced any of these effects, is ob
vious to common sense, and not deniable by
philosophy. There are only two tenable supposi
tions ; and, as far as the argument is concerned,
it is indifferent which we select. Either it was
a suspension, modification, or counteraction, of
the ordinary laws of nature, by the immediate
operation of divine power ; or it was a deviation,
for which the Creator had provided, in the original
formation and arrangement of the world ; which
took place exactly in that age, and at that moment,
when one, claiming to be a divine messenger,
accompanied these, even on this hypothesis,
extraordinary occurrences, by such visible signs,
as to connect them with his own teaching, and
with the other proofs which he gave of his divine

Lecture VIII. 193
commission3. On either of these suppositions the
proof of divine attestation is equally cogent.
The proof itself, and the sufficiency of its pre
mises, are also rendered more evident by the
greatness, number, and variety, of these miracles.
Impostors seldom venture on many attempts to
perform such wonders, as excite astonishment, and
provoke inquiry. But in this case the inveteracy
of the disorder, and the reality of death, were not
more certain, than the speedy, and even instanta
neous recovery of health and of life. To what,
then, but to a supernatural power, can we ascribe
that perfect and permanent efficacy of apparently
inadequate means, which neither the strictest
scrutiny, nor the lapse of time, could ever dis
prove ? Yet the number of such miracles is very
considerable. Upwards of fifty distinct instances
are related in detail ; besides many references
of the Evangelists to others, of which they have
given only a general notice. Now a number of
the same kind certainly adds to the probability of
each ; but much more a number of various kinds.
One or two might be the effect of chance ; but,
as the number and variety of regular phenomena
prove the existence of one designing cause, so
do the number and variety of our Lord's mira-
a See the latter hypothesis ably supported by M. Bonnet,
Hecherches de Christianisme, Chap. vi.
N

194 Lecture VIII.
cles tend still more and more to shew the cer
tainty of the position, which they were wrought
to prove, that he spoke the words of God. And
the variety of manner in which he performed
them, tends still more strongly to establish the
same conclusion. For we find that even the
same diseases are sometimes cured by one external
application, and sometimes by another; sometimes
only by a word, sometimes even when the sufferer
is in a distant place ; as if to shew us that it was
not by any charm, any more than by chance, but
by the power of God, that the effect was pro
duced. Consider further the publicity of the miracles.
They were not wrought, like the pretended ones
of ancient or modern times, in private, or under
circumstances which might evade scrutiny, or
render it inapplicable ; but openly, in the face of
day, before assembled multitudes of friends and
foes ; on the highway, in the house, in the syna
gogue, and in the temple; wherever an unfortunate
sufferer presented himself, or application was made
on his behalf. When the actual perfbmnwioe of
the cure was more private, its reality and perma
nence was equally ascertainable. It was obvious
to all who had known the previous condition of
those who had received it ; and they themselves,
even when Jesus attempted to restrain them,
published abroad ,the miracle which had been

Lecture VIII. 195
wrought, and that Jesus was he, who had made
them whole. To this frequency and publicity of
the miracles of Jesus is to be attributed that full
persuasion, which all applicants evinced, of his
ability to grant their request. For such confidence
could result only from their knowledge of his
previous miracles. To the same cause must we
also ascribe the remarks made by the astonished
multitude, that he had "done all things Well;"
and that <e it was never so seen in Israel." Hence
also they asked, " whether when Christ came, he
would do more miracles than Jesus." Hence also
their disposition, on some occasions, even forcibly
to urge him to assume a temporal kingdom; and on
others, their confident expectation that he would do
so of his own accord. But, at all such conjunctures,
Jesus shewed in another way his superhuman qua
lities. He was always aware of their designs and
wishes; and displayed his knowledge of them by his
words and by his actions. Nay, during the whole
course of his ministry, in various ways, and on nu
merous occasions> he manifested this his intimate
knowledge of the spiritual as well as of the ma
terial world ; and, as he saw fit, employed either
the one or the other to evince his divine authority.
The publicity and reality of the miracles of
Jesus are attested even by his enemies. For,
since they were not themselves convinced by
them, they deemed it necessary to diminish, if
N 2

196 Lecture VIII.
possible, their influence on the people. They
therefore circulated cavils against them ; but of
such a nature, as implied no doubt of their reality.
Once, indeed, they ventured to scrutinize one of
the miracles of Jesus ; but they were unable in
any degree to disprove it. They could only con
ceal their inability to deny the fact, by objecting
to the character of Jesus. " Give God the praise,"
said they to the blind man, to whom Jesus had
restored his sight ; " we know that this man is a
sinner, because he keepeth not the sabbath-day."
But all their opposition and misrepresentations
were insufficient to check the prepossessions ofthe
people in his favour ; and therefore, as they were
not disposed to abandon their own disbelief, they
found it necessary to have recourse to violence.
This resolution they made, not because Jesus had
given no proof of his mission, but because he had
proved it so abundantly. " This man, said they,
doeth many miracles ; if we let him alone, all
men will believe on him."
And why should not all men believe on him ?
For the method which was taken by his enemies
to arrest the progress of his doctrine, does not
invalidate, but supports and confirms, the argu
ment, that " the works which he did bore witness
of him, that the Father had sent him." They con
fessed that miracles were done ; and how can we
conceive them to have been done without divine

Lecture VIII. 107
assistance? Why was Jesus divinely assisted, if
not also divinely commissioned ; and if " the works
which he did, were not those, which the Father
had given him to finish?" His works were
wrought to prove the divine authority of what
he taught, and the divine appointment of what
he did and suffered. The proof is sufficient
for the conviction of mankind, if these works
were so wrought. And that they were, we
have evidence various in its kind, satisfactory
in its nature, and infallible in its consequence.
There may have been many unfounded reports
of miraculous works ; many instances, in which
knavery has contrived the semblance of a mi
racle, and in which credulity has too readily
admitted such pretences. But an examination of
the Gospel miracles soon evinces their decided
superiority over the boasted wonders of heathen
ism, superstition, and imposture. They were
wrought not among friends, but in the midst of
enemies; not in support of an established religion,
but as the foundation of a new one ; in further
ance of a religion, not which favoured the prejudices
of mankind, but which ran entirely counter to
them. They were wrought by the author of that
religion among those to whom miracles were not
unknown ; who demanded them of him in proof
of his mission ; who well understood the force and
nature of the evidence which they afforded ; who

198 Lecture VIII.
were qualified to judge of their reality ; and who,
because of his humble and unambitious life, were
not afraid to scrutinize them.
Jesus came in humility. But these his mighty
works abundantly compensated for this want of
the trappings of outward dignity. We recog*
nize in him such wisdom, benevolence, and
dignified condescension, as powerfully bespeak
our veneration. He claimed to he the Son of God,
the Christ, the Saviour ©f the world j and by hist
works, we believe him so to be ; for if we deny
the veracity of the Messenger, we insult the
authority of him who sent him. Other than
sent of God, Jesus could not be. The peculiar
authority with which he both spoke bis doctrines,
and also commanded the unclean spirits, the
winds and the waves, the diseases of the living:
and the spirits of the dead, might, indeed, have
seemed to argue a confidence little suited to one
" in the likeness of man," had they not invariably
obeyed him, and proved him more than man. For
we see exhibited in the splendour of his miracles,
ajtl the dignity of the Messiah, all the glory of the
Divinity ; a dignity and a glory, in comparison of
which all the splendour of earthly kingdoms is
poor and fadings The one is the glory of man ;
the other the glofly, the wisdom, and the power,
of God,., Yet the Jews were so prejudiced against
the doctrines of Jesus, which exposed their de-

Lecture VIII. 199
pravity, and taught them a purity after which
they hated to be reformed, that his miracles
scarcely restrained them from ridding themselves
of his reproofs. But by these miracles we may
see demonstrated the divinity of his doctrine.
Whether it attacks our vices, abases our pride,
reveals our ignorance, or calls us in repentance,
humility, and self-abasement, to submit to the
righteousness of God, we reject it at our peril.
" I have greater witness than that of John,"
said our Lord in the text, when alluding to his
works. He elsewhere connected the witness of
John with the witness of his own works, in a man
ner which presents to us a striking coincidence in
the train of thought, and which may, perhaps, appeal
to our hearts more effectually than even the most
convincing reasonings.— When Jesus had con
cluded that address to the multitudes, in which,
after the departure of John's disciples, he in
structed them respecting the character and office
of John, and how "wisdom would be justified of
her children," both with respect to John and
himself; he then hegan, by a transition similar to
that in the text, " to upbraid the cities in which
most of his mighty works were done, beeause they
repented not\" "Woe unto thee, Chorazin,
woe unto thee, Bethsaida; for if the mighty works
____„  ¦ i, |it , i. -, |  ,  ¦_—,,_.-—_ -_.,¦¦  ,-y-i  .  ,  ,  ¦- ¦¦¦¦ . _-«  ¦ ¦¦ —¦¦¦"- ¦¦ If.,..-
* See Matt. xi. 20—30.

200 Lecture VIII.
which were done in you, had been done in
Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long
ago in sackcloth and ashes ; Sodom would have
remained unto this day. But 1 say unto you,
That it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon,
and Sodom, in the day of judgment, than for you."
If so, how shall it fare with some of us in that
day ; whose prejudices are less inveterate, and
yet, perhaps, also less excusable,, than those of
the Jew ; who with the judgment and under
standing believe in Jesus, and yet have not
repented ; it may be are still wedded to our sins*,
and have resolved to delay repentance. " Repent,
and believe the Gospel," were the first words
which Jesus delivered in the cities of Galilee,
where his mighty works had been done, and
where they continued to be done, in confirmation
of his authority. We may know, then, that if
our's is not that "godly sorrow, which worketh
repentance unto salvation," if we do not with the
heart believe unto righteousness, then, — whether
the seed be taken out of our hearts by the father
of the lies of infidelity, or whether in time of
temptation we fall away, or whether the seed be
choked by the cares of this world, or the deceit-
fulness of riches, — it shall be more tolerable for
Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom, in the day of judgment,
than for us. For " God is no respecter of per
sons," and " his judgment is according to truth.'"

___.ECTURE VIII. 201
If such be the condemnation to which we are
liable, how ought we to be stirred up to strict and
serious self-examination, when we hear our Lord
address the Father, who had sent him, in words
like these ; " I thank thee, O Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these
things from the wise and prudent, and hast re
vealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for
so it seemed good in thy sight." Now if there
be sins, errors, and delusions, of the under
standing ; if there be " a way that seemeth right
unto a man, but the end of which is death ;"
if we " cannot enter into the kingdom of God,
except we be converted, and become as little
children," in all docility, humility, innocence, and
sincerity ; let us then pray, that " the thoughts of
our hearts may be cleansed by the operation of
his holy Spirit," and that, "as new-born babes,
we may desire the sincere milk of his word that
we may grow thereby." If such be our desire of
divine instruction, and such our fitness to receive
it, then shall we duly prize, and study, and obey
those holy Scriptures, which, through faith in
Christ Jesus, can make us wise unto salvation.
Then will our faith and hope be strengthened,
and our religious inquiries be directed, by our
Lord's next words : " All things are delivered
unto me of my Father; and no man knoweth
the Son, but the Father, neither knoweth any

202 Lecture VIII.
man the Father, save the Son, and he to whom
soever the Son will reveal him." We may partake
of so divine a benefit, as to " know the only true
God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent," if we
are truly disciples of Jesus. He was sent by the
Father to be our teacher and our Saviour ; and
he is as condescending and gracious, as he is
powerful and glorious.
This alarming, yet affectionate, discourse is
concluded with words, which always appear to me
to exemplify that consummate wisdom, that divine
charm, by which our Lord's instructions delight
the ear, captivate the affections, and impress
the conscience; which must even penetrate and
warm the heart of the unbeliever; and which
' have a beauty and pathos in them, which
although the Christian feels, the commentator
cannot express ",' Compare with the words last
cited those which we are about to cite; their
meaning will then be obvious, and may God
impress them on our hearts ! " Come unto me,
all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and
learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart ;
and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my
yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
a These are the words of Bishop Home in his Commentary
on Ps. lxxiii. 25, 26. But they are as applicable to these words
of our Saviour, as to those beautiful words of the Psalmist.

LECTURE IX.

OUR lord's appeal to his miracles in proof of
HIS MESSIAHSHIP.

St. Matthew XI. 2—6.
Now when John had heard in the prison the works of
Christy he sent two of his disciples,, and said unto him,
Art thou he that should come, or do we look for
another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and
shew John again those things which ye do hear and see;
The blind receive; their sight, and the lame walk; the
lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are
raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to
them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be
offended in me.
This message of the Baptist to Jesus is an inci
dent of so remarkable a character, that probably
few attentive Christians peruse the account of it,
without a wish to be satisfied respecting the
occasion and the object of it. A reference to the
Commentators will certainly make the inquirer
acquainted with several different opinions on the
subject ; some of which rest upon mere conjecture
and gratuitous assumption ; and others do not in-

204 Lecture IX.
elude that extended review of the ministry of the
Baptist, which is so necessary in order to the
right apprehension both of this and of many other
questions. Such opinions, however, we shall not
notice in a way of formal refutation, but only so
far as may be necessary to clear our path in that
inquiry, which will in the first instance occupy our
attention, viz. how the question respecting the
character and office of Jesus was situated, at the
time when the Baptist sent this message to him.
And as our Lord, in his answer, appeals to his
works in support of a claim to somewhat more
than merely a divine mission ; it will be our en
deavour in the latter part of this Lecture to shew
the nature and justice of that appeal.
I. In order to ascertain the occasion, and
intention of the Baptist's message, which we are
first to consider, we must have recourse to the
Evangelical records ; which afford sufficient, and
the only legitimate, materials for our purpose. —
When the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus, his
own public labours had for some time ceased ;
for he had been shut up in prison by Herod the
tetrarch of Galilee. But, ever after that event,
Jesus had gone about the cities of Galilee, pro
claiming the glad tidings of the kingdom, and
healing all manner of sickness and disease among
the people. After some time he selected twelve

Lecture IX. 205
of his disciples to be his constant attendants;
giving them the title of Apostles, with reference
to their future mission round Galilee in his life
time, and to all nations after his death. He still
continued to exercise his miraculous powers, in
healing the diseased ; and, at length, he raised to
life the only son of a widow, whom she, attended
by much people of the city of Nain, was carrying
out for burial as Jesus was entering the city.
A great impression was produced by this signal
miracle. " There came a great fear on all ; and
they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet
is risen up among us ; and, That God hath visited
his people. And this rumour of him went forth
throughout all Judea, and throughout all the
region round about. And the disciples of John
shewed him of all these things1." This state
ment of St. Luke, that they " told him concerning
all these things," leaves us no room to doubt that
they gave him a full account of all the proceedings
of Jesus. He might with reason rely on the cor
rectness of their report ; and the subject was one
of such interest to him, that he would as little
want the disposition, as he did the time and
opportunity, to hear all that they could tell him
respecting the doctrine and miracles of Jesus.
That Jesus had not yet stated himself to be the
» Luke vii. 11 — 18.

206 Lecture IX.
Messiah, it is scarcely necessary to remark. And,
therefore, as far as that fact is considered in con
nexion with the conduct of the Baptist, a reason
appears why, when, upon hearing all these things,
John sent two of his disciples to Jesus, the
question propounded by them was, " Art thou
he that should come, or do we look for another 1"
But again, we know that a person named Jesus
had formerly come from Galilee to John, to be
baptized of him. John then bore to him a re
markable testimony ; stating that he was the very
person of whom he had before spoken in several
predictions ; and applying to him not only the
attributes which he had previously specified, but
also several others still more exalted. And before
he separated from Jesus, to meet him no more,
he directed several of his own disciples to him.
They were afterwards numbered with the twelve
Apostles ; whom Jesus had selected from the body
of his disciples previously to the question proposed
by John. That question affords not the slightest
indication that he supposed the Jesus, who was
now so celebrated in Galilee, to be a person dif
ferent from him whom he had baptized in Judea,
and who had come from Galilee for that purpose.
His own disciples could have satisfied him on that
point ; for at an earlier period, after John had
retired into Galilee, they came to him, and said,
" Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to

Lecture IX. 207
whom thou barest witness, behold the same bap>-
tizeth, and all men come to him*." It was no
long time afterwards that John was imprisoned;
and Jesus, who had become so well known in
Judea, and whose miracles the Galileans also had
seen at the feast of the passover, himself went
into Galilee ; taught in their synagogues, being
glorified of all, and increased continually in
notoriety and popularity even till the time that
John sent to him the message by his disciples.
It is also certain that no others but John and
Jesus had appeared as divine teachers, and with
a belief on the part of the people of their pro
phetic character ; and certainly that no other than
Jesus had wrought miracles. And he, having
wrought his first miracle at Cana in Galilee,
shortly after his baptism, afterwards wrought
others in Judea; and then, upon beginning his
stated ministry in Galilee, wrought them unin
terruptedly up to the period when he raised the
widow's son, and the incident now under con
sideration occurred.
So far then all is sufficiently obvious. John the
Baptist, when he sent to ask of Jesus, whether he
was " he that should come," could not but have
been assured, that he, to whom he had borne wit
ness beyond Jordan, was the very person, the
a John iii. 26.

208 Lecture IX.
miraculous attestation to whose divine mission
was now so decided and notorious. In this the
supposed difficulty consists. Why, it is asked,
should he, who had so long known that Jesus was
the Messiah ; now give reason to suppose that he
doubted it? Why should he who had pointed
him out as the Messiah to others, now ask to be
satisfied upon that point himself? — I am ready to
allow that John might believe Jesus to be the
Messiah ; for so were many of the people disposed
to believe, who had not been favoured with the
divine intimations which he had received. He
expressly taught both the messengers of the San
hedrim, and his own disciples, that he himself was
" not the Christ," but that he was " sent before
him\" Some of his own disciples he introduced
to Jesus, stating that he was " the Son of God,"
" the same who would baptize with the Holy
Ghost," and " the Lamb of God, that taketh away
the sin of the world." They indeed made the
inference for themselves, and it was doubtless
a just one, that they had "found the Messiahb."
But we are not authorized from hence to conclude
that John had expressly taught them this ; for we
do not find it upon record that he ever did, nor
have we any reason to believe that he was com
missioned to do so. It is, however, this gratuitous
» John i. 20. iii. 28. b Ibid. i. 41, 45.

Lecture IX. 209
hypothesis, which has brought an appearance of
difficulty upon the question before us, which has
subjected the Baptist to the imputation of incon
sistency, and which, in a great measure, has pre
vented a right apprehension of the real state of the
case. But we confidently deny that we have any
authority, from the Evangelical records, to say that
John ever ascribed to Jesus the title of the
Messiah. It was, in fact, as expedient that John
should not made such a declaration, as that Jesus
himself should avoid it. And we know that Jesus
did not, among the Jews, publicly avow his Mes
siahship in express terms, except when he solemnly
declared it to the Sanhedrim at the close of his
ministry ; but only to the Samaritans, for reasons
explained above, and to the Apostles in private
after their own confession of his Messiahship. —
This circumstance should never be forgotten in
the perusal of the Gospels.
Having now disposed of those visionary hypo
theses, which serve only to perplex the question,
it will only be needful briefly to recal to your
minds some of the statements of the Evangelists,
respecting the proceedings of the Baptist and of
Jesus, in order that the object of John's message
may be fully seen.
John proclaimed that " the kingdom of heaven
was at hand ;" and stated that his was " the voice
of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the
O

210 Lecture IX.
way ofthe Lord." He spoke of one to "come after
him ;" adding, that himself " came baptizing
with water, in order that he might be made
manifest to Israel." But, as he denied that
himself was either the Christ, or Elias, or that
prophet, so neither did he state which of these
characters belonged to his successor. Yet he spe
cified many definite parts of his character, office,
and proceedings ; and one especially, which was
speedily verified in Jesus, that his successor
would be one " mightier than himself," for " John
did no miracle." When the jealousy of his disci
ples was excited by the growing popularity of
Jesus, as if they had wholly misunderstood his own
frequent reference to one who was to surpass him,
he reminded them that he had told them that "he
was not the Christ, but was sent before him."
And though he was not commissioned to declare
to them that Jesus was the Christ, he very
solemnly inculcated upon them the necessity of
receiving his testimony ; and while he stated that
his joy was fulfilled by the intelligence which they
brought, he also declared to them, " He must
increase, but 1 must decrease." It would be
superfluous to dilate upon the circumstances which
fully accomplished this prediction ; for you knoW
how John's public ministry was entirely termi
nated by his imprisonment, while that of Jesus
still proceeded with uninterrupted success. We

Lecture IX. 211
observe, however, more than once, besides on the
occasion of the message to Jesus, that several are
distinguished both by name, and by their proceed-
ingsr as still remaining peculiarly the disciples of
John. Nor did circumstances allow that he, to
whom they remained so much attached, should,
even then, explicitly declare to them that Jesus
was the Messiah. As he himself told them, " a
man can receive nothing, except it be given him
from above." He knew that such a declaration
would be beyond his commission from above. But,
after the miracle at Nain, and all the others of
which he had heard in the prison, he judged it
expedient to send two of his disciples to put the
question to Jesus himself. He thus indicated to
them his own expectations ; and though he could
not himself venture to declare the fact, if indeed
he were yet fully acquainted with it, yet he might
suppose that he, — of whom he had declared that
" he came from heaven, and was above all, that to
him the Spirit was given without measure, and
that the Father, loving him as the Son, had given
all things into his hand," — might see fit, at that
period, to give an explicit answer to the question,
" Art thou he that should come, or do we look for
another ?"
I have said that John might at that period have
indulged such a supposition. That he supposed
some such thing, the proposing of the question at
o 2

212 Lecture IX.
all sufficiently shews. But I have not said, with
out reason, that at that particular period he con
ceived such a notion. There is a peculiarity in
the phraseology of St. Matthew in our text, which
seems distinctly to inform us of this, and to confirm
all that we have already advanced with respect to
the Baptist's views and proceedings. In the verse
preceding our text, he says, " When Jesus had
made an end of commanding his twelve disciples,
he departed thence, to teach and to preach in their
cities." But he does not go on to say, " When
John had heard in the prison the words of Jesus,"
but, " when John had heard in the prison the
works of the Christ (tov Xpio-rov), he sent two of
his disciples." Now it is very true, that in some
ofthe later books ofthe New Testament, we find
the official title Christ, and the proper name Jesus,
applied to our Lord, as perhaps convertible terms.
But if that be the case in this passage, it is the
only instance in the Gospels, and, I think I may
say, in the historical books of the New Testament,
where it is so used in the ordinary narrative.
There is, I believe, no other instance where it
does not occur as a title of the office which we
ascribe to Jesus, and not as the proper name of
him as an individual. And this consideration will,
I think, dispose us to think, that neither is this
passage a solitary exception; that St. Matthew
meant by using that term in our text, to say some-

Lecture IX. 213
thing more, than is usually understood by the
passage ; more, in short, than if he had merely
stated, that " John had heard in the prison the
works of Jesus." I conceive that he meant to
say, that when John had been told of all these
things by his disciples, he perceived that he had
received intelligence of the performance of the
works of the Messiah, of those ascribed to him
by the prophets. And, therefore, after Jesus had
exhibited such indication of his Messiahship, he
might suppose the period arrived, when he could
properly send his disciples to ask of him " whether
he was he that should come." And though the
reasons, because of which Jesus had hitherto de
clined an explicit avowal, still existed, and therefore
he did not give a direct answer ; yet, as we shall
soon see, his answer was such as would fully con
firm the expectations of the Baptist. Whether his
ideas of the character of Jesus were previously so
full and definite, we have no data to determine ;
but we may at least venture to conclude, that he,
who like Simeon, had waited for and announced
the consolation of Israel, did not see death, until he
both had seen, and recognized, the Lord's Christ,
respecting whom it had before been revealed to
him by the Holy Ghost, that he was " the Lamb
of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,"
and that " whosoever believeth in him, the Son
of God,. hath everlasting life."

214 Lecture IX.
It will be expedient to notice somewhat more
particularly the question itself, which John's dis
ciples proposed, in compliance with their master's
direction. — "Art thou he that should come, or do
we look for another?" This evidently implies
a supposition either that Jesus was the Messiah,
or that the Messiah was to succeed him. It is
well known, that in consequence of the passage of
the prophet Malachi, which spoke of the Messiah's
forerunner under the title of Elijah, the Jews ex
pected Elijah to return in person, and inaugurate
the Messiah. John had disavowed all claim to
the character of Elijah in that respect. But we
find that our Lord's disciples, after his transfigura
tion, proposed to him a question respecting the opi
nion of the Scribes, " that Elias must first come."
And previously to that time, when our Lord asked
of his disciples, what were the prevalent opinions
respecting himself, they mentioned, that "some
said that he was Elias." It is far from improbable,
that, although the question of the Baptist was occa
sioned by the report of works characteristic of the
Messiah, it was supposed by him, or at least by his
disciples, that they might indicate Jesus to be Eli
jah. For the more immediate occasion of the mes
sage was the raising ofthe young man of Nain from
the dead ; and that was a work which Elijah had
wrought, as recorded in the Old Testament. The
state of things at that time, therefore, appeared to

Lecture IX. 215
justify the conclusion, either that Jesus was ac
tually the Messiah; or that he was Elijah, and
that they must still expect another as the Messiah.
Our Lord gave an answer obviously designed to
strengthen the opinion that he was he that should
come; but he left it to John to inform them more
fully what were the works characteristic of the
Messiah, and how the prophecies were fulfilled in
him. He himself, after high encomiums upon the
Baptist, taught the multitudes that he was "the
Messenger, who was to be sent before the face of
the Lord, to prepare his way ;" and he also in
structed them to consider him as " that Elias
which was for to come*." And we know how he
afterwards declared to his disciples that "Elias had
already come, and that they had done to him what
they listed;" so as to make them " understand that
he spake to them of John the Baptist1"." And if
John were the Elias, then Jesus was the Messiah,
of the Prophets.
It now remains that we notice the answer,
which Jesus returned, to a question proposed
under the circumstances, and with the views,
which we have now, at some length, endeavoured
to explain. The disciples of John arrived at a time, when
several opportunities offered themselves to our

* Matt. xi. 14. b Matt. xvii. 10—13.

216 Lecture IX.
Lord for the exercise of his miraculous powers.
" In that same hour he cured many of their
infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and
Unto many that were blind he gave sight"." They
had seen and heard of his former mighty works,
and they beheld him still equally ready and able
to continue them. " Then Jesus answering said
unto them, Go your way, and tell John what
things ye have seen and heard ; how that the
blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor
the Gospel is preached ; and blessed is he, who
soever shall not be offended in me."
This answer consists of three parts ; first a state
ment respecting his miracles, next respecting his
teaching, and lastly a caution against being offended
in him. And the question being, " whether he
was he that should come," since it was only from
the prophets that they could learn that any
Messiah might justly be expected to come, and by
what characters he might be known when he did
come, we may rightly be prepared to suppose,
that an appeal is herein made to the prophecies.
Yet it is not actually so stated. It appears, at
first sight, to be merely a statement of present
and obvious facts ; and unless the reality of those
facts were undeniable, no inference whatever
a Luke vii. 21.

Lecture IX. 217
could be drawn from it. But the language which
our Lord uses is almost literally a citation of well
known prophecies ; and that he should be able
in such a manner to describe what John's disciples
had both aforetime, and in that very same hour,
seen and heard, could not but strikingly convince
them that the prophets had spoken of what was
now before them, and that he who thus wrought,
and thus taught, was " he that should come, and
that they needed not to look for another."
The Baptist was himself described by the
prophet Isaiah ; and certain words in the fortieth
chapter of that prophet, he had applied to him-
selfb. In the same chapter, the prophet adds,
" Say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God.
Behold the Lord God shall come with strong
hand, and his arm shall rule for him ; behold, his
reward is with him, and his work before himc."
The Baptist had seen, and had borne record that
Jesus was the Son of God; and stated that,
" coming after him, he was mightier than he."
That attribute was now verified by his miracles.
But Isaiah had been still more particular on that
subject. " Behold your God shall come with
vengeance, even God with a recompence ; he
will come and save you. Then shall the eyes of
the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall
» Isai. xl. 3—5. John i. 23. c Isai. xl. 9, 10.

218 Lecture IX.
be unstopped ; then shall the lame man leap as an
hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing \" And
again, "He will swallow up death in victory"."
And again, " Thy dead men shall live, to
gether with my dead body they shall arise'."
Many passages occur to the same effect. The
works to which they refer had been already per
formed by Jesus before the disciples of John
came to him ; others were performed in their
presence, of which we have no particular account;
and with unfailing power did Jesus persevere in
these divine works. We can examine for our
selves the evidence of their reality.
a Isai. xxxv. 4 — 6". Also xiii. 6, 7 . b Isai. xxv. 8.
c Isai. xxvi. 19. See also Job xix. 25. Dan. xii. 2, 9 — 13.
Hos. xiii. 14. Gen. iii. 15, 19. It is not, in so many words,
predicted by the prophets, that Messiah would raise the dead.
For, perhaps, the passages cited above rather refer to the general
resurrection, than to the miracles of the Messiah. Yet, as they
speak of the consequences which would result irom his successful
undertaking, which was, in its original design, the redemption of
man from mortality as the penalty of sin, by obtaining the pardon,
and effecting the abolition of sin ; the raising of the dead, equally,
if not more than other miracles, was a proof of his Messiahship,
which had, virtually at least, been noticed by the prophets. And
our Saviour's statements in John v. 21 — 29. may be considered
as a comment on such passages as we have referred to. If " the
Son quickeneth whom he will," and proved his possession of this
power, even during his ministry on earth, by causing " the dead
to hear his voice, and live," we need not marvel at this, because
"Ihe hour is coming, when all that are in the graves shall hear his
voice, and shall come forth."

Lecture IX. 219
"The blind receive their sight." Can we
forget the cure which Jesus wrought, in the pre
sence of the multitude, upon the two blind men
who sat by the way-side begging; and that gradual
cure of the blind man near Bethsaida, by which
Jesus so fully shewed that every change was by
his agency, and at his will. " Since the world
began it was not heard that any man opened the
eyes of one born blind." Yet this still more signal
miracle Jesus performed ; and we shall do well to
examine the full relation, given by the Evangelist
St. John, respecting restoration of sight to the
man who was blind from his birth. For this
miracle was severely scrutinized by the Jewish
council ; but, to their confusion, the more they
examined, the less were they able to deny either
that the man was born blind, or that he now saw,
or that Jesus had opened his eyes. — " The lame
walked " also at the command of Jesus. Let it be
sufficient to instance the cure of the impotent bed
ridden sufferer at the pool of Bethesda; and the
paralytic who was let down through the roof,
because of the multitude who crowded the doors,
but who, at the word of Jesus, was enabled to take
up his bed, and walk. — Many " lepers also were
cleansed." And, that the reality of the cure might
be legally ascertained and recorded, Jesus com
manded them, as the law required, to "go and
shew themselves to the priests, as a testimony

220 Lecture IX.
against themselves " if they afterwards ventured
to deny the cure. — Do we ask whether he also
made "the deaf to hear?" Let the confession of
the multitude who were eye-witnesses satisfy us.
" He hath done all things well ; he maketh both
the deaf to hear, and the dumb to. speak." — The
"dead also were raised up." Not only the widow's
son at Nain, who was about to be committed to
the grave, was restored to life ; but the daughter
of Jairus, who had just expired; and Lazarus also,
who had been dead four days, upon whom the
mouth of the sepulchre had been closed, and the
witnesses of whose resurrection were numerous
friends ofthe family who had come from Jerusalem
to condole with them. Rightly, therefore, did the
people observe, " When Christ cometh, will he do
more miracles than this man doeth?" They were
the very works of the Messiah, and they needed
not to look for him in any other than Jesus.
But our Lord, having directed the inquirers to
these considerations, added another, which might
make the conclusion still more satisfactory. " To
the poor the Gospel is preached." It was not his
miraculous power alone, but the subject of his
doctrine, and the persons to whom it was preach
ed, and for whom it was suited, that evinced him
to be " he that should come." The Baptist had
himself " seen the Spirit descending upon him,
and remaining on him," and had testified that

Lecture IX. 221
"God gave not the Spirit by measure unto him."
Both he and his disciples would remember of
whom it had been declared by the same prophet
Isaiah, " The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord hath anointed me to preach glad
tidings to the meekV If, then, such were the
ministry of Jesus, they had another circumstance
to corroborate that inference, which they might
draw from his miracles, in favour of his Mes
siahship. — But the same prophet had also uttered
other predictions, which would equally be fulfilled
in their season ; though blessed were they only to
whom the darker portions of them did not apply.
" Thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion
for a foundation stone a tried stone, a precious
corner-stone, a sure foundation ; he that believeth
shall not make haste b," or stumble at that stone.
Again, Isaiah says in another place, " He shall
be for a sanctuary ; but for a stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel ;
for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jeru
salem. And many among them shall stumble, and
fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken V
Blessed is he, said Jesus in conclusion, and
alluding to these predictions, " Blessed is he, who
soever shall not be offended in me." Too many
of the men of that generation were, however,
» Isai. lxi. 1. h Ibid, xxviii. 16. c Ibid. viii. 14, 15.

222 Lecture IX.
offended in him ; for he came not in that pomp,
and with those offers of temporal ease, and riches,
and pre-eminence, which alone were congenial to
their carnal and groveling desires. He that should
come, was " meek, lowly, and having salvation ;"
but a salvation from sin and condemnation, and
which led to pardon, and holiness, and immortality.
" They would not come to him, that they might
have life." Miracles of vengeance, therefore, over
took them, because miracles of mercy failed to
convince. We shall hereafter have occasion to advert to
the motives and objections, which made the cross
of Christ, and his character, and doctrines, to
become, even before his crucifixion, a stumbling-
block to the Jews. But we may surely observe
at this period of our course, that the miracles
which he wrought proved that "the Father had
sent him;" and that the correspondency of these
miracles, as well as of his doctrine, and of the
whole of his ministry, to prophetic description,
proved him to be the Messiah. And, before
I conclude, I would notice some other prophecies
respecting the Messiah, and compare them with
another appeal to his miracles in proof of his Mes
siahship, which our Lord made upon another oc
casion, and in a different connexion.
We quoted above, from the fortieth chapter of
Isaiah, the words in which the prophet speaks of

Lecture IX. 223
the "Lord God coming with a strong hand,
having his reward with him, and his work before
him." He thus proceeds in the following verse.
" He shall feed his flock like a shepherd ; he shall
gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in
his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are
with young." Compare with the whole of that
passage another in the prophecy of Ezekiel.
" Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold I, even I,
will both search out my sheep, and seek them
out. — I will feed my flock, and I will cause them
to lie down, saith the Lord God. I will seek that
which was lost, and bring again that which was
driven away, and will bind up that which was
broken, and will strengthen that which was sick ;
but I will destroy the fat and the strong ; and I
will feed them with judgment. — And I will set up
one Shepherd over them, and he shall feed them,
even my servant David ; he shall feed them, and
be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their
God, and my servant David a prince among them ;
1 the Lord have spoken ita." — Now compare,
with these passages, our Lord's beautiful and well
known discourse concerning himself as the good
Shepherd, delivered immediately after he had
wrought one of the miracles mentioned in our
text, the healing of the man born blind. That

* Ezek. xxxiv. 11 — 24.

224 Lecture IX.
discourse, the previous instructions, and the recent
miracles of Jesus, caused a division among the
Jews ; and they therefore came round about him
in Solomon's porch, and said unto him, " How
long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the
Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them,
referring, as it should seem, to his discourse before
the Sanhedrim after the miracle at Bethesda, " 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\" He then spoke of his power
to save, of his unity with the Father, and of the
sanction given by his miracles to his claim of the
title. " Son of God," as being "he whom the Father
had sanctified and sent into the world." — It would
be easy to shew, from a comparison of the whole
of these statements with prophecy, that he here
appealed to his works in proof of his Messiah-
ship ; and also that he endeavoured to lead them
to acknowledge, that his claim to divinity, his
doctrines, and the professed object of his mission,
all corresponded to the prophetic description of
the Messiah.
The preaching of a lowly, spiritual, and cru
cified Messiah, ever was to the Jews a stumbling-
block; and to the Greeks it appeared foolishness.
a John x. 24, &c.

Lecture IX. 225
The offence of the cross has not even yet ceased.
Some there are, even at this day, who cavil at the
evidences of the Gospel. Some are ashamed of the
peculiar doctrines of the cross of Christ, in which
they should rather glory. And others value not the
offer of pardon, aspire not after the holiness to
which they are called, and are averse from the prac
tice of self-denial, and the cultivation of humility.
But still, " blessed are they whosoever are not of
fended in Jesus !" And should any one of you ask,
who they are that attain this blessedness, and what
are the rewards promised for your encouragement,
I would answer in the divine words of my Master
and your's : " Blessed are the poor in spirit ; for
their's is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are
they that mourn ; for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek ; for they shall inherit the
earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and
thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful ; for they shall obtain
mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart; for they
shall see Godb."
We have seen that Jesus, in proof of his
authority, gave sight to the blind. From this
miracle he also borrowed an illustration to teach
us the nature of his mission, and our responsibility
and danger in consequence of it. " For judg-
i> Matt. v. 1—8.
P

226 Lecture IX.
ment am I come into this world, that they
which see not might see, and that they which
see might be made blind1." " I am come a
light into this world, that whosoever believeth
on me should not abide in darkness"." — Did he
also raise up the dead ? He did it that we might
"believe that the Father had sent him;" that we
might know that he is "the resurrection, and the
life; that he that believeth in him, though he
were dead, yet shall live, and that whosoever liveth
and believeth in him shall not die eternally." And
He still demands of us as he did of Martha, "Be
lievest thou this?" Blessed shall we be, if we can
concur with her in the declaration, " Yea, Lord,
I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God,
that should come into the world0." Once more
then I repeat by way of caution, " Blessed is he
whosoever shall not be offended in Jesus !"
a John ix. 39. b Ibid. xii. 46. c Ibid. xi. 25—27.

LECTURE X.

OUR LORD S ANSWER TO THE CAVIL WHICH IM
PUTED HIS DISPOSSESSION OF DEMONS TO SA
TANIC AGENCY. HE APPEALS TO THAT CLASS OF
HIS MIRACLES AS INDICATING THE ESTABLISH
MENT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

St. Luke XI. 20.
But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt
the kingdom of God is come upon you.
These words form a portion of that discourse, in
which our Lord answers the well known cavil of
the Pharisees, who more than once ascribed to
Satanic co-operation the miracles mentioned in our
text. Of no miracles have the Evangelists made
more frequent mention, of none have they given
a more circumstantial description. They are
moreover of so remarkable a character, as to
suggest an inquiry into their nature ; and as our
Lord entered into an argument with a view of
evincing the reality of divine co-operation in that
particular class of miracles, and, having established
his position, specified the particular inference to

228 Lecture X.
be drawn from it, the consideration of this subject
must not be omitted, in a course of Lectures
designed to review and illustrate our Lord's
reasonings respecting the evidences of "his mis
sion. Our attention must, in the first place, be di
rected to the nature and reality of the miracles
in question. — The Evangelists state1, that there
were brought unto Jesus such as were "possessed
with devils," such as were " vexed with unclean
spirits;" and that "he healed them," and "cast
out the spirits with a word." To whatever de
cision we come as the nature and origin of the
affliction described in these terms, of its reality
we can entertain no doubt. In some instances
the Evangelists have recorded, either in their own
words, or in the words of those who requested
Jesus to extend his compassion to the sufferers,
many of the symptoms of the disorder with which
they were affected. They were the visible and
pitiable exhibitions of melancholy, furious dis
traction, and convulsion. That all these ceased at
the will and by the word of Jesus is not less evident.
"The people were amazed, insomuch that they
questioned among themselves saying, What thing
is this ? What new doctrine is this ? for with
authority commandeth he the unclean spirits, and
a Matt. viii. l6\ Luke vi. 18.

Lecture X. 229
they do obey him\" "The unclean spirit came
out of one, and hurt him not0;" "the people
found another sitting, and clothed, and in his
right mind a ;" the daughter of the Syrophenician
woman "was made whole from the hour," in
which Jesus declared to her that her petition was
granted6. The Pharisees never denied the reality
of the cure, though they endeavoured to account
for it in such a way as might obviate the in
ferences which the multitude were disposed to
make from it. And the fact itself must have been
both notorious and undeniable, which drove them
to the necessity of adopting such a procedure.
But still the question remains to be answered,
what was the nature of the calamity itself, to
which these unhappy sufferers had been subjected,
and from which they were delivered? We are
told by some that all these were cases either of
insanity or of epilepsy; and that they are to be
considered as ordinary disorders, resulting from
natural causes. Such an opinion makes this class
of miracles to differ little, if at all, from the
healing of the sick, the lame, and the blind.
We have, in that case, a greater variety of in
stances of the same description of miracle ; and
undoubtedly, the reality of the miracle being
b Mark i. 27. « Luke iv. 35. d Luke viii. 35.
* Matt. xv. 28.

230 Lecture X.
undeniable, the same general inference is deduci
ble in favour of the divine mission and Messiah-
ship of Jesus. But it cannot but occur to us,
that there is a peculiarity in the inference drawn
in the text from these miracles, which may dispose
us to hesitate, at least, in admitting such an
opinion ; and to suppose that there may also be
a peculiarity in the miracles themselves. But of
this we shall be better prepared to judge hereafter.
There is, however, another difficulty in ad
mitting that opinion. If the Evangelists had
merely, as in other cases, described the symptoms
of these disorders, the question whether they were
at all different from ordinary disorders would never,
probably, have been agitated. Did it appear,
that those only who applied to Jesus in behalf of
their suffering friends, ascribed their disorder to
a demoniacal possession, and had we been told,
at the same time, that such was the general
opinion of the Jewish nation in that age, we
might at once have granted that the notion was
merely a vulgar error. But we naturally pause,
when we find that the Evangelists themselves
ascribe the disorder to the same cause, in a great
variety of form and expression, repeatedly dis
tinguishing the demoniacs from other sick and
afflicted persons*. Even this perhaps might not
a Matt. iv. 24. Mark i. 34. Luke vi. 17, 18.

Lecture X. 231
stagger us, or be inexplicable. But we find that
our Lord uses precisely the same language on all
occasions. When enumerating his own miracles,
and when specifying those which he empowered
his disciples to perform, he clearly distinguishes
the expulsion of demons from healing the sick,
cleansing the lepers, and every other species of
miraculous cureb. When we learn from the
Gospel narrative how he " cast out the spirits
with his word," we find that he spoke in a manner
which was, at least, perfectly consistent with the
opinion that those persons who were supposed to
be under demoniacal influence, were really so
influenced; and also that the conduct of these
persons themselves appears from several circum
stances to corroborate the same opinion0. And
when our Lord reasons with the Pharisees on
this very subject in the text and context, he not
only argues with them on their own principles,
but he never hints that their notions were erro
neous ; and both on that occasion, and also when
the seventy returned, expressing their "joy that
even the demons were subject to them through
his name," the conclusions, and assurances which
he brings forward, so far from discountenancing

b Matt. x. 1, 8 ; xvii. 21. Mark iii. 15 ; xvi. 17- Luke ix. 1 ;
x. 17 — 20,; xiii. 32.
c Matt. viii. 28—32. Mark i. 24, 25 ; iii. 11, 12. Luke iv.
34—41 ; viii. 28—32.

232 Lecture X.
the notion of demoniacal possession, appear to
justify the opinion that the admission of its reality
is of no small importance in order to a right ap
prehension of the object both of his own mission,
and of that of the Apostles". — Those who are
familiar with the contents of the Gospels will have
already called to mind the several passages to
which we have alluded, and the citation of which
would have made it necessary to dwell much
longer on this topic.
Those Christian divines who undertake to
shew that "there never was a real demoniac in the
world," are of course prepared to explain the re
markable phraseology employed by our Lord and
the Evangelists. They observe that it was the
popular language on this subject, and that our Lord
adopted it, not with a view of countenancing the
notion in which such expressions originated, but
because the refutation of such errors in philosophy
and nosology was not one of the objects of his
mission, and because it was not either necessary
or expedient to run counter to the prevailing
opinion. Yet since they themselves strenuously
contend that this opinion has been the occasion
of much fraud and superstition, and that it is little
better than a relic of Paganism, we might have

» Matt. xii. 25 — 29. Mark iii. 23—27. Luke x. 17 — 24;
xi. 17—26.

Lecture X. 2S3
supposed it expedient that our Lord should not
so apparently give countenance to it, even if it
were not, in other respects, more than a question
of philosophy. If the received opinion be correct,
it has aii intimate connexion with the important
question relative to the power, designs, and agency
of our great spiritual " adversary, the Devil."
And if it be true that in our Christian warfare
" we do not wrestle against flesh and blood only,
but against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wicked
ness in high places ;" then it behoves us not only
to " take unto ourselves the whole armour of God,
that we may be able to stand against the wiles of
the devil," but also to " make ourselves acquainted
with his devices," and fully to inform ourselves
how " the Son of God was manifested to destroy
the works of the devil."
We are told indeed that the possessions in the
Gospels, are not, with the sanction of the original,
to be termed diabolical, but demoniacal, and that
wherever the plural word "devils" occurs in
Scripture, it is in the original " demons." We
allow the truth of this remark. But still the
question recurs, whether, or not, the scriptural
description of possessing demons supports the
received opinion. Much learning has been em
ployed to shew, that by the word demon is
meant " the spirit of a dead mortal," — that such

234 Lecture X.
only were worshipped as deities by the heathen
world, — that such is the use of the word in Scrip
ture, — and that, since the popular opinion referred
possession to such agents, we are to^ understand
the possessing demons in the Gospel in the same
sense, and not as at all alluding to " the devil and
his angels." This is not the place to enter upon
such an inquiry as this question requires". Suffice
it then to remark, that it is not true that even the
heathen writers meant by this term only the
spirits of dead men ; and the sense in which it is
used in the Gospels with respect to possessions,
will best be determined from the Scriptures them
selves. It is scarcely necessary to remind you that the
arch-apostate, the seducer of our first parents, is
called in Scripture by various titles, descriptive of
his character, influence, and operations. He is
called the wicked one, the tempter, Satan, or
the adversary, the prince of this world, the devil \
"¦ This, and most of the other questions connected with this
subject, were treated very largely, and the arguments on both sides
very fully detailed, in the celebrated controversy between Farmer
and Worthington. A luminous and masterly treatise was written
at the time by John Fell, entitled, " An Inquiry into the Heathen
and Scripture doctrine of Demons ; in which the hypotheses of
the Rev. Mr. Farmer, and others, on this subject, are particularly
considered." b 1 John iii. 12. v. 18. Matt. iv. 3. 1 Thess. iii. 5. Job ii. 6'.
1 Pet. v. 8. 2 Cor. iv. 4. &c.

Lecture X. 235
Now if we find some of these titles used by our
Lord on other occasions, when not speaking of
the subject of demoniacal possession, we can
scarcely be at a loss to understand of what descrip
tion of beings he is then speaking. For instance,
he three times mentions " the prince of this
world0." He also speaks of " the devil and his
angelsd ;" of " the devil as being a murderer and
liar from the beginning6 ;" and of " Satan as de
siring to sift St. Peter as wheat f." And the Evan
gelists ascribe the apostacy of Judas by the phrase
that " Satan entered into himg." Now if we find
that the same terms are connected with the sub
ject of demoniacal possession, it will afford no
slight presumption that they are in fact to be
referred to the same agents. What inference,
then, is suggested by the following passage in the
tenth chapter of St. Luke ? " The seventy returned
again with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons
are subject to us through thy name. And he said
unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from
heaven. Behold, I give you power to tread on
serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of
the enemyh; and nothing shall by any means hurt
you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that

c John xii. 31. xiv. 30. xvi. 11. d Matt. xxv. 41.
e John viii. 44. ' Luke xxii. 31.
s Luke xxii. 3. John xiii. 2, 27- h See Matt. xiii. 39-

236 Lecture X.
the spirits are subject unto you ; but rather rejoice
because your names are written in heaven"."
Hear also the following words of St. Peter, re
corded in the Acts of the Apostles, where the
word, upon which the antidemoniac system is
founded, is not employed. " God anointed Jesus
with the Holy Ghost and with power ; who went
about doing good, and healing all that were op
pressed of the devil; for God was with himb."
Again, when our Lord himself speaks of the
woman who is described by St. Luke, as having
had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, he says,
that " Satan had bound her0." We may remem
ber also, that it was Satan who was permitted to
afflict Job with his sore diseases'1; and that the
infliction of bodily disorders for the correction of
the incestuous offender at Corinth, was termed by
the Apostle, " the delivery of such an one unto
Satan '." — It is sufficiently evident from the pas
sages just cited, in whatever manner they be
explained, that the limited power, which according
to Scripture, is permitted in some cases over the
bodies of mankind, is ascribed to no other than
" that same old serpent, called the Devil and
Satan, which deceiveth the whole world," " who
beguiled Eve by his subtilty," and by whose
» Luke x. 17 — 20. b Acts x. 38. c Luke xiii. l6.
d Job i. e 1 Cor. v. 5.

Lecture X. 237
influence, as the tempter, our minds may also be
" corrupted from the simplicity which is in Christ."
But the discourse from whence our text is
taken, affords perhaps the most decisive evidence
of the propriety with which we may refer de
moniacal possessions to the same fallen being.
The Pharisees gave no indication that they
doubted the reality either of the possession, or of
its removal. They were chagrined at the inference
which the multitude were disposed to draw from
it, and they endeavoured to suggest to them
another. " The multitudes marvelled, saying, It
was never so seen in Israel. Is not this the Son
of David? But when the Pharisees heard it,
they said, This fellow doth not cast out demons,
but by Beelzebub, the prince of the demons3."
The god of the neighbouring nation of the Phi
listines was called by this or a similar name, and
thence probably they borrowed it. But the ques
tion to be determined is, whom they intended to
designate by it, and what was the nature of the
imputation cast upon our Lord. His answer would
not have been pertinent, unless it met them on
their own ground, and was conformable to their
own ideas. The Evangelist, prefacing the mention
of our Lord's answer by a significant declaration,
states that " he, knowing their thoughts, said
b Matt. ix. 33, 34.

238 Lecture X.
unto them, — If Satan be divided against himself,
how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say,
that I cast out demons through Beelzebub." If
then the casting out demons through Beelzebub,
be in fact synonymous with casting them out
through Satan, and if that imply the division of
Satan against himself, it must necessarily follow
that those who were possessed with demons, were,
in the opinion of our Lord, possessed with Satan
or his associates.
It was observed above, that we cannot doubt
the reality of the disorders, from which those
termed " Demoniacs" were delivered, whatever
opinion be adopted respecting their nature. We
have also endeavoured to ascertain the notion .
which both our Lord and the Evangelists convey
*
to us respecting the real origin of these pos
sessions. Both to the believer and to the un
believer such information is needful, in order to
form a correct judgment respecting this class of
our Lord's miracles, and what the sacred writers
teach us concerning them. But we must advance
still further, and point out some of those circum
stances, which evidence the reality of these as
demoniacal possessions ; though upon this, and
every other, department of this extended subject,
we must observe that brevity which our limits
require, though the difficulty and importance of
the subject would seem scarcely lo allow it.

Lecture X. 239
You have doubtless remarked, that the demo
niacs manifested a very correct apprehension of
the character and office of Jesus ; and that he,
therefore, "charged the demons to hold their
peace, and to come out;" and he " suffered them
not to speak, because they knew that he was
Christ3." They accosted him as " the Holy One of
God, the Son of God, the Son of God most high,
the Christ\" These professions, and their fear of
him, as " coming to torment them before the
time," though remarkable, are, notwithstanding,
explicable upon supposition that these individuals
were really under the influence of wicked spiritual
beings. But, if these declarations were only the
ravings of ordinary madness, we are at a loss to
conceive how the subjects of it had derived, at
that time, the distinct knowledge of the character
of Jesus, upon which so positive a testimony must
have been grounded. They made it, in several
instances, at an early period of his ministry ; but
both then, and afterwards, the popular opinions
respecting Jesus were not so decided either as to
what was the character of Jesus, or as to the
attributes which might be ascribed to him. The
supposition, .therefore, that these were merely
insane persons, who eagerly embraced from
a Marki. 25 — 34. Luke iv. 41.
b Matt. viii. 29. Marki. 24; iii. 11. Luke iv. 34, 41 , viii. 28.

240 Lecture X.
hearsay, and pertinaciously retained, an opinion
that Jesus was the Christ, is insufficient to ex
plain their full testimony respecting him. It is
much more probable that we may recognize herein
an exemplification of the remark which St. James
has applied to the existence and unity of God ;
"Even the demons believe, and tremble." In one
instance, indeed, the proposed hypothesis, even if
admitted, is entirely inapplicable. For one of these
attestations was given by the demoniac mentioned
by St. Luke; whose disorder the anti-demonists
themselves rank rather under the head of epilepsy,
than of insanity. And in narrating the cure of
that sufferer, the Evangelist has also used an ex
pression, which is scarcely consistent with the
notion, that his disorder was either epilepsy, or
madness, of any ordinary character ; though it is
perfectly intelligible to those who admit the rea
lity of possession. " When the demon had thrown
him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt
him not"."
But the migration of the demons, who had
possessed the two Gadarenes, into the neighbour
ing herd of swine, and the catastrophe which
followed, are circumstances, which most decisively
establish the supernatural character of these
afflictions, and which, perhaps, were designed for
» Lukeiv. 33—35.

Lecture X. 241
that purpose. The opinion that this numerous herd
was driven into the sea by the two demoniacs, is
inconsistent with the narrative of the Evangelists.
Others, who deny that the two demoniacs were
really such, ascribe the madness of the swine
to the immediate infliction of God. For what
end it does not sufficiently appear. If we adhere
to the statement of the Evangelists, it appears
that Jesus permitted the demons, at their own
public request, to go into the swine ; and as the
swine could not be confederates in any fraud, the
madness which ensued, and its consequence, was
a full and visible proof of the reality of that
demoniacal influence, from which the two men,
who, from that time, remained in their right mind,
had been delivered \
It now only remains that we notice the rea
soning by which our Lord proved to the Pharisees,
that it was "by the finger of God that he cast
out demons ;" and also the inference, which he
drew from thence, that therefore "the kingdom
of God was come upon them."
Either Jesus cast out demons by his own un
aided powers, or by compact with the prince of
demons, or by the finger of God. The first
b Mark v. 1—20. Luke viii. 26*— 39. Not only the circum
stance noticed above, which is peculiar to this instance of possession,
but almost every other very strongly corroborates the opinion that
it was a case of real possession. Q

242 Lecture X.
supposition the Pharisees ventured not to advance.
The only pretext which they could find for a denial
of the last position, was to contend for the second,
that "by the prince of the demons he cast out
demons." Jesus refuted that, and thereby esta
blished the true and only remaining supposition.
And, in this refutation, he made a tacit appeal
to the purity, and excellence of the doctrine, in
recommendation of which he wrought his mira
cles. If it was impossible to suppose that an
apostate, wicked, and seducing spirit would lend
his aid to establish such a doctrine, then was their
insinuation groundless. And, if that insinuation
had any force, it could still only prove that Satan
was himself, whether wittingly, or unwittingly,
subverting his own power and kingdom ; so that
still the inference would remain, that his power
was falling, and the kingdom of God about to be
established. For, answered our Lord, "Every
kingdom divided against itself is brought to deso
lation ; 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 stand3?"
Our Lord next subjoins an argument, the
precise bearing of which we cannot, perhaps, ac
curately determine ; though in any sense in which
we take it, it is certainly conclusive against the
a Matt. xii. 25, 26.

Lecture X. 243
Pharisees. " If I by Beelzebub cast out demons,
by whom do your children cast them out ? there
fore shall they be your judges." If we suppose
our Lord to refer to the miracles of the ancient
prophets, We may suppose that he wished them to
consider the consequences of their objection ;
since there was no circumstance attending his own
miracles, which would not equally apply to those
ofthe prophets, whom they believed to be divinely
assisted. His were even more numerous, signal,
and undeniable miracles. But, more probably,
Jesus refers to the dispossessions, whether real
or pretended ones of the Jewish exorcists; some
•of whom, as we learn both from the Gospels, and
from the Acts of the Apostles, attempted to cast out
demons in the name of Jesus \ But at any rate,
the same slander would apply to them as well as
to himself; for no reason appeared why their
dispossessions should not be ascribed to satanic
assistance, if they were correct in so ascribing his.
His argument does not necessarily grant that any
such miracles were really the consequence of their
attempts ; and indeed the surprise of the people
at these instances of the power of Jesus, shews
that they were as unprecedented, as they were
signal and astonishing; for they openly avowed,
that "it was never so seen in Israel." But
b Mark ix. 38. Acts ix. 14.
<?2

241 Lecture X.
waving such a comparison, if they persevered in
their cavil, their own children would accuse them
of calumniating their power as exorcists, and,
if appealed to as umpires in the dispute, would
condemn them, and acquit him. The only tena
ble supposition was, that he " cast out demons
by the finger of God," or, as St. Matthew ex
presses it, " by the Spirit of God ;" by that divine
influence and power, with which he " was anointed
to heal all that were brought into subjection by
the devil," and by which he " proclaimed deliver
ance to the captive, and set at liberty them that
were bruised."
"But," adds our Lord, "if I with the finger
of God cast out demons, no doubt the kingdom
of God is come upon you." Let it be here re
marked, that he does not say, " No doubt I am
sent of God," nor yet, " No doubt I am he that
should come ." He speaks not so much of the
Messiah's personal office and character, as of the
dispensation which he was to introduce. Both
John and Jesus began their ministry with the
proclamation, " The kingdom of heaven is at
hand ;" and both the twelve, and also the seventy,
disciples were sent out by Jesus, to deliver the
same annunciation. And when their message
was rejected by the inhabitants of a city, they
were commissioned to " shake off the dust of their
feet as a testimony against them," and to declare,

Lecture X- 245
" Notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the
kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." Now we
find it expressly mentioned that the twelve were,
in the first instance, empowered to " cast out
demons;" and the seventy, when they returned,
joyfully declared to their Master, " Lord, even
the demons are subject to us through thy name."
And Jesus took occasion from the remark of the
seventy to anticipate the downfal of Satan, and
the future triumphs of his own servants. " He
said unto them, I beheld Satan, as lightning, fall
from heaven ! Behold, I give unto you power to
tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the
power of the enemy ; and nothing shall by any
means hurt you." And these several considera
tions, taken in connexion with our text, readily
suggest to us, that this particular miracle was
peculiarly appropriate as an evidence of the in
troduction of the kingdom of God. Now I know
not how far this remark of our Lord may of itself
justify us in asserting, that the Jews expected
that the Messiah, who of course was to introduce
and set up the kingdom of God, would cast out
demons. For this is perhaps not definitely and
expressly predicted in the prophets. But still as
even the apocryphal book of Wisdom states that
"through envy of the devil sin entered into the
world," and as the history of the fall could not but
be understood of the seduction of some spiritual

246 Lecture X.
but wicked being; and as also the Jews them
selves stated in commenting upon the first promise
that "a remedy would be applied to the heel of
the woman's seed in the days of king Messiah,"
we may conclude that the persons, to whom our
Lord addressed the words of the text, had before
them such data as would enable them to under
stand the tendency, and to appreciate the cogency,
of our Lord's argument. For even the multitudes
felt themselves authorized, after witnessing his
cure of a demoniac, to exclaim, "Is not this the
Son of David3?" Nor is it easy to conceive how
such an inference was suggested to their minds,
except by such considerations as we have noticed.
Yet the objection, which the Pharisees circulated
in order to check the disposition to adopt that
opinion, was not at all directed against the in
sufficiency of the premises, if admitted, to establish
that conclusion. They knew that, if Jesus did
"cast out demons by the finger of God," they
could not disprove his claim to be the Son of
David, and the heir of his everlasting kingdom.
They ventured, therefore, to deny that these
miracles were wrought by divine assistance - but
their's was a mere assertion, not supported by any
semblance of argument ; and our Lord, as we
have seen, unanswerably refuted it, by shewing
its manifold absurdity. ' Matt. xii. 23.

Lecture X. 247
In the words following the text, our Lord
more fully explained his argument, by means of
a suitable, though familiar, illustration. He had
refuted the notion that Satan had been his con
federate. On the contrary, there was a trial of
strength between them ; and those, who watched
the progress of the conflict, would see, that the
power of Satan was on the decline, in spite of all
his efforts, and in consequence of the onset of
one superior in might. " If I, said our Lord, by
the finger of God, cast out demons, no doubt the
kingdom of God is come upon you. — Or else how
can one enter into a strong man's house, and
spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong
man ? and then he will spoil his house. When
a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods
are in peace ; but when a stronger than he shall
come upon him, and overcome him, he. taketh
from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and
divideth his spoil b."
Our Lord subjoined, on this occasion, the
solemn caution respecting the blasphemy of the
Holy Spirit, . and a statement of its unpardonable
criminality. That subject will come under our
notice in the last department of our Lectures. At
present we shall only request your attention to the
words which immediately follow those last cited ;
b Matt. xii. 2.0. Luke xi. 21, 22. Comp. Isai. xlix. 24—26.

248 Lecture X.
and which may be considered as the application
and improvement of all that we have been re
viewing. " He that is not with me, is against me, and
he, that gather eth not with me, scattereth abroad3."
If there be such parties, engaged in such a war
fare; — if there be a "prince of this world," a
"spirit that worketh in the children of disobe
dience ;" and also " a king, whom the God of
heaven and earth Would place upon his holy hill
of Zion," and who dwells and reigns in the hearts
of those, who are " turned from the power of
Satan unto God ;" — and if he, who " cometh in
the name of the Lord to receive the kingdom of
his father David," be "the stronger one," as
well as the more holy ; then, surely, it cannot
be a matter of indifference, whether we rank
ourselves under the standard of Satan, or of
Christ. The Captain of our salvation, who went
forth conquering and to conquer, and who calls
upon all who value their life, to follow him, hath
himself distinctly declared, and divine and un
deniable is his authority, that in this warfare there
can be no neutrality. He who takes part with the
Devil and his angels, will undoubtedly share in
their future overthrow and punishment. But
whosoever also does not actually espouse the
a Matt. xii. 30.

Lecture X. 249
cause of Christ, and " fight manfully under his
banner," will in this life be really promoting the
interests of Satan's kingdom, and at the decisive
day will be dealt with as having sided with him.
He will thus draw down upon himself the penal
ties, to which Jesus alluded when he said, "As
for those mine enemies, that would not that I
should reign over them, bring them hither, and
slay them before me."
That such is the meaning of these words of
our Lord, is evident from the connexion in which
they stand. On another occasion, and in another
connexion, he delivered a statement, which, at first
sight, appears of a contrary tendency. Yet that
also is an instructive declaration ; and before we
conclude, we shall cite it in his own words. But
the circumstances, under which it was spoken, are
so necessary to understand it aright, so striking
in themselves, and so illustrative of the subject of
this Lecture, that we cannot refrain from briefly
adverting to them.
We have seen that our Lord taught his hearers
to consider the miracles, which he wrought on the
demoniacs, as indications of the approaching esta
blishment of the kingdom of God. The scene
which was exhibited to the three favoured disci
ples, on the mount of transfiguration, was doubtless
a signal exhibition of the glory of him, who had
come to be "a Prince and a Saviour." There

250 Lecture X.
was much in that transaction which tended to
shew the spiritual nature of his kingdom. But the
splendour of it seems to have raised to the utmost
the expectations of the disciples ; nor were they
wrong in supposing, that he was then very shortly
about to enter on his glory. Yet they could not
comprehend what was then told them, of "the
decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem."
On descending from the mountain, retaining, to
the amazement of the multitude, a portion of the
glory in which he had been arrayed, he found the
Scribes disputing with his disciples, who had been
unable to cure a demoniac, and probably, there
fore, triumphing over them because of the apparent
failure of the power of Jesus3. Jesus, lamenting
the infidelity and perverseness of that generation,
by a word effected the cure. He also gently
reproved his disciples, either because they had
attempted the cure prematurely, and without di
vine suggestion, or because in attempting it, they
had distrusted the readiness of God to co-operate
in order to its success ; yet, at the same time,' he
spoke of the future efficacy of that miraculous
faith, which they would afterwards so signally
exercise. But both they and the multitudes were
deeply impressed by the miracle. " They were
all amazed at the mighty power of God." Pro-
i See Matt. xvii. Mark ix. Luke ix.

Lecture X. 251
bably even the people in general were more than
ever disposed to "think that the kingdom of God
should immediately appear." And the scene on
the mountain on the preceding day had very much
strengthened such expectations in the minds of
some of his disciples. But he took occasion to
rectify their apprehensions with regard to the
future transactions and real nature of that king
dom of God, the approaching establishment of
which had again been evidenced by the recent
miracle. " While they wondered every one at all
things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples,
Let these sayings sink down into your ears ; for
the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands
of men." They understood him not, and they
feared to ask an explanation. Yet so fully oc
cupied were their minds with anticipations re
specting " the dominion., and glory, and kingdom,
which were to be given to the Son of man," that
they " debated among themselves which of them
should be the greatest" in those days of approach
ing exaltation. When Jesus inculcated humility,
as the qualification of those who would either be
great in the kingdom of heaven, or could even
enter therein, one of those disciples, who had
desired that he and his brother should " sit on
his right hand and on his left in his king
dom," made a remarkable protestation of his zeal
in his Master's cause. " Master, said he, we saw

252 Lecture X.
one casting out devils in thy name ; and we
forbad him, because he followeth not with us."
This drew from our Lord many remarks, both
immediately in answer to the statement of John,
and also of general concern. We have time only
to notice that, which is more immediately connected
with our present subject, and which we proposed
to compare with the observation that occurs in
the discourse from whence our text is taken.
" Jesus said, Forbid him not ; for there is no
man which shall do a miracle in my name, that
can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not
against us is on our part. For whosoever shall
give you a cup of water to drink in my name,
because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto
you, He shall not lose his reward."
Our Lord's remarks, on this occasion also, are
sufficiently explained by the circumstances to
which they refer. When he observed, that " who
soever was not with him was against him," he
was addressing those, who not only did not actually
join the company of his constant followers, who
not only had need that he should help their im
perfect belief, but who actually disbelieved, and
maliciously cavilled against that which was suffi
cient for their conviction. They persevered in
blaspheming the Son of man ; and he judged it
necessary to caution them respecting the danger
of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. But he,

Lecture X. 253
whom John had ventured to forbid, had even such
a favourable opinion of Jesus, as openly to shew
a respect for him, by " casting out demons in his
name ;" and, for ought John knew, might be
a decided believer. But such a one would at least
not be disposed, even from inconsiderateness,
much less in malice, to speak evil of the Son of
man; but rather would he be inclined to believe
that " the kingdom of God had come," and that
Jesus was the Christ. And if every kindness
done even to themselves, in the name of their
Master, and because they were Christ's, would not
lose its reward, it was both unnecessary, and inex
pedient, to forbid such a one to shew his confi
dence in the power, and his respect for the
character of their Master, even though he did not
follow him with them. It would therefore become
them to regulate their own behaviour to others by
the maxim, that " he is on their part, who is not
against them ;" and to leave it to every one's con
science to consider for himself that individual
responsibility which was declared in the words,
" He that is not with me, is against me ; and he
that gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad."
" To our own Master we stand, or fall." From
his omniscience neither our external conduct, nor
our secret principles, can be concealed. A day will
. come " when God will make up his jewels, and
spare them that have feared him, and that have

254 Lecture X.
thought on his name ; when we shall discern be
tween the righteous and the wicked, between him
that serveth God, and him that serveth him not."
That Jesus, whose authority we have been main
taining, the object of whose kingdom we have
been explaining by his own words and works, and
who will hereafter appear as our Judge, has himself
declared, " Many will say to me in that day, Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name ? and
in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy
name done many wonderful works? And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you ; depart
from me, ye that work iniquity." Now if even
a participation of the miraculous powers and gifts
ofthe primitive ages was not, of itself, a decisive
proof that men were truly Christ's, so as to be
" confessed by him when he shall come in the
glory of his Father," what jealousy should we, of
these latter days, exercise over ourselves ! We
have seen that he came to establish the kingdom
of God upon the ruins of that of Satan. We have
seen that in this warfare none can be neuter. We
know that the kingdom of God is " righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost;" and that those
" are of their father the devil, who do the lusts of
their father." If then you would rightly judge of
your own situation in this matter ; if you desire to
ascertain whether you have been " delivered from
the power of darkness, and translated into the

Lecture X. 255
kingdom of God's dear Son," you perceive the
sufficient, and the only, test which you are to
apply. It is also fully explained in the words of
the beloved Apostle. " Little children, let no man
deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is
righteous, even as he is righteous. He that com-
mitteth sin is ofthe devil, for the devil sinneth
from the beginning. For this purpose was the
Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the
works of the devil. — In this the children of God
are manifest, and the children of the devil ; who
soever doeth not righteousness is not of God,
neither he that loveth not his brother3."
But at the same time that our subject calls
upon us to warn and to direct you, it also enables
us to console and to encourage you. The kingdom
of God has been established, and it will never be
destroyed. But it was established by the Son of
man, who came " not to destroy men's lives, but
to save them." He "gave his own life a ransom
for many," " that through death he might destroy
him that had the power of death, that is, the devil,
and deliver them, who, through fear of death, are
all their lifetime subject to bondage." We may,
therefore, be assured, that God hath made us
" more than conquerors, through him that loved
us ;" that Jesus has " spoiled principalities and

a 1 John iii. 7 — 10.

256 Lecture X.
powers, triumphing over them in his cross ;" and
that " Satan shall be bruised under our feet
shortly." It is, indeed, through the revelation of the
Gospel, that the temptations, the subtilty, and the
devices of the prince of darkness have been so
distinctly made known to us. By the attack which
he made on our Saviour at the commencement of
his ministry, and by the exhibition, during our
Lord's ministry, we may almost say, of his visible
and sensible influence over the bodies and souls of
men, we have been fully assured of his ex
istence, and power, and malignity. Yet are we
not left in despair. For he, who has given us the
opportunity to learn these things, has also given
us assurance of his own superiority ; has conquered
in our behalf; has assured us that " greater is he
that is in us, than he that is in the world ;" has
declared to us the Father, and poured out the gifts
of the Spirit ; and has thus furnished us with that
divine panoply, clad in which we may "withstand
in every evil day, and quench all the fiery darts
of the wicked one."

LECTURE XI.

OUR LORD S APPEAL TO THE WITNESS OF THE
FATHER, BY WHICH HE WAS THE SUBJECT, AS
WELL AS THE WORKER, OF MIRACLES.

St. John V. 37, 38.
And the Father himself which hath sent me, hath borne
witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any
time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word
abiding in you ; for whom he hath sent, him ye believe
not.
This passage is certainly involved in considerable
difficulty. If we refer to the original itself, we
find that although, in some respects, its purport
might be more distinctly expressed, it requires
the assistance of the Commentator, rather than
the amendments of the Translator. For the diffi
culty principally consists, not in the ambiguity of
particular words, but in that apparent want of
connexion between the different clauses, which
has probably been occasioned by the conciseness
of the passage. As far, however, as these words
of our Lord will be employed in suggesting topics
R

258 Lecture XI.
for our present consideration, we shall proceed on
the most evident and certain grounds. Nor am
I without a hope, that we shall be able to illustrate
the scope ofthe whole passage, by comparing the
first clause of it with those that precede and
follow it. For such a comparison shews, that we
cannot, as many have done, identify its subject
with that which is treated either in the former, or
in the subsequent verses; since by such a suppo
sition we both neglect the most obvious meaning
of the passage, and impair t__e order and com
pleteness of this very methodical discourse of our
Lord. " The same works, that I do," argued our
Lord, " bear witness of me, that the Father hath
sent me." He then adds, " And the Father,
which hath sent me, himself hath borne witness
of me." The first of these appeals we have con
sidered in a former Lecture; the latter is the
subject of our present Lecture. And I have
retained the exact order of the words of the ori
ginal in reciting the latter clause ; because it thus
very obviously appears, that it is not subjoined
merely as a continuation and enlargement of the
former, but as an addition and contrast to it. Our
Lord had contended, that the works, which the
Father enabled him to perform, proved that he had
been sent by the Father. He then assumes the
truth of that inference, and proceeds to speak of

Lecture XI. 259
the Father, as " the Father which had sent him."
And he stated, still further, that the Father, as
having sent him, had even given a personal,
direct, and express declaration respecting him.
This, therefore, must be something distinct from
the miracles which our Lord himself wrought. —
Some having observed this, and also the mention
in the latter part of the text, of the word of the
Father, have referred this to the written word of
God in the law and the prophets. But to adopt
this opinion, would identify the subject of this
passage with that of the following verses, in which
our Lord makes a distinct appeal to the Scriptures,
or written word of God. But here he evidently
speaks of a personal testimony ; nor can we have
much hesitation in concluding that he referred
therein to that personal and audible testimony,
which was borne to him by a voice from heaven,
when, having been baptized by John, he came out
of the waters of Jordan. And this reference
was, if not on this occasion necessary, yet very ap
propriate and convincing. For in the opening of
his discourse, as we have already seen, he spoke of
God, as " his own proper Father ;" of himself, as
"the Son whom the Father loveth, and who sought
the will ofthe Father which had sent him." Now
when that " Father which had sent him, himself
bore witness of him," on the occasion which we
It 2

260 Lecture XI.
have specified, he declared, "This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased3."
The same heavenly voice, which witnessed to
Jesus at his baptism, also witnessed, and in nearly
the same words, at his transfiguration. — I mention
this now, in order to remark, that if we require
any further proof that we have been giving
a correct representation of our Lord's meaning,
we may find it in a well-known passage of St.
Peter. For that Apostle first argues from the
testimony given to Jesus by the voice from heaven
at his transfiguration, and then from the testi
mony of prophecy ; exactly in the same manner
in which our Lord subjoins an appeal to prophecy
to his notice of the similar testimony given by the
Father at his baptism. "We have not," says
the Apostle, "followed cunningly-devised fables,
when we made known unto you the power and
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye
witnesses of his majesty. For he received from
God the Father honour and glory, when there
came such a voice to him from the excellent glory,
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased. And this voice which came from heaven
we heard, when we were with him in the holy
mount. We have also a more sure word Of
prophecy ; whereunto ye do well that ye take

a Matt., iii. 17.

Lecture XI. 261
heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark
place b." And the Apostle then enlarges upon the
right principle of the interpretation of prophecy,
and its divine original.
By thus considering, singly, the^rsf clause of
our text, and also by connecting it with the pre^
ceding words, we have, I think, ascertained its true
purport. The remaining clauses will strengthen
us in the same opinion, and will present them
selves for consideration in a subsequent part of
this Lecture.
It will be expedient, therefore, now to direct
our attention to the remarkable incident specially
referred to, and to the two other occasions on
which the Father, in the same way, bore witness
to Jesus. We may, I think, even extend our
view still further. For there were several other
Occasions, on which Jesus was exhibited to us as
the subject of miracles, as well as the worker of
them; not, indeed, receiving a divine attestation
by means of the audible voice of the Father from
heaven, as in the three instances just specified;
yet in a manner, which is decidedly distinguishable
from his own miracles, and which, equally with the
former instances, bespeaks the interposition and
approbation of the Father. Each of these facts
tends to establish the justice of the claim which
b 2 Pet. i. 16—19.

262 Lecture XI.
Jesus advanced to the dignity and knowledge, the
power and authority, of the Son of God. And
when all are considered in connexion, they furnish
a distinct and important body of evidence.
As the instance, specially referred to in the
text, occurred at the commencement of our Lord's
public ministry, so the first occurrence of a simi
lar character accompanied his first introduction
into the world. — The miraculous conception of
our Lord in the womb of a virgin, is of the
highest importance, whether we consider it with
reference to the doctrines of the Gospel, or to its
evidences. If we consider it with reference to
the divinity of our Lord, we shall find that it is no
easy task to reconcile it with any other suppo
sition, than that he, who was thus born of a pure
virgin by an unprecedented and supernatural
generation, was our Emmanuel, "God with us;"
and that it was the divine, pre-existent, and eter
nal Word, who "was thus made flesh." And we
shall therefore confess the propriety and evidence
with which the Angel, after having announced to
the Virgin the approaching overshadowing of the
power ofthe Highest, added these words, " There
fore also that holy thing, which shall be born of
thee, shall be called (or rather, shall be acknow
ledged to be) the Son of God \"
* Luke i. 35. — KXnBqatTai vios Qeov.

Lecture XI. 263
It will appear, in the sequel of this Lec
ture, that Jesus, by the three declarations frorti
heaven, received a divine attestation of his inves
titure with the three offices of priest, prophet, and
king. And if the fact of his miraculous con
ception, and the attendant circumstances of his
birth, be established upon sufficient evidence, we
are thereby also, as we shall immediately shew,
assured of a previous divine interposition. These
will likewise evince, by the nature of the facts
themselves, by the circumstances connected with
them, and by the angelic declarations which then
explained their design, that Jesus was both
qualified to undertake those offices on our behalf,
and that he was actually invested with them.
We find in the evangelical records, an ample
and perspicuous detail of these incidents, resting
upon the same authority as the rest of the narra
tive. Two Evangelists, indeed^ have not touched
upon the subject of the birth of Jesus ; but
St. Matthew and St. Luke, who have done so, both
concur in the same general statement, though
St. Luke specifies some incidents which are
omitted by St. Matthew, and omits others which
the latter has related b.— But we are told by the
Unitarian, for reasons as well known to us as to
himself, that we are not to consider the two intro-

b Matt. i. and ii. Luke i. and ii.

264 Lecture XI.
ductory chapters of St. Matthew and St. Luke, as
either genuine, or authentic. The writings, in
which that opinion is espoused, you can compare
at your leisure with the full and satisfactory an
swers which they have called forth. But if it
occur to you, as it has done more than once to
myself, to hear such opinions broached in ordinary
conversation, you may answer, that such a muti
lation is sanctioned by no one single manuscript
or version ; that the early reception of these parts
of the Gospel is proved by the sentiments of the
early Christian writers, and by their actual cita
tions of them ; and that the only countenance for
such a curtailment of the Gospels is derived from
the extravagant procedure of two heretical sects,
who, not by the sanction of any rules of criticism,
or historical testimony, but in consequence of their
pre-conceived heretical opinions, rejected these
chapters, and with them the larger portion both of
the Old and New Testaments. But admitting,
as by every rule of just criticism we are bound to
do, the genuineness and credibility of these chap
ters, an examination and comparison of the events
recorded in them, will shew them to be such, so nu
merous, and so connected with each other, that the
supposition of imposture and concert, and indeed
of any other principle, than that they happened
by the wonderful providence, and signal interpo
sition of God, is both untenable and unreasonable.

Lecture XI. 265
That the Virgin could have no doubt, either
of the visit of the Angel, or of her conception
according to his annunciation, if they really took
place, it were absurd to suppose. If these cir
cumstances were fictitious, they were certainly
only a small portion of an imposture, which had
many and strange ramifications. Then were Za-
charias, and Elizabeth, and Joseph, and the Shep
herds, and the Magi, and Simeon, and Anna, all
concerned in it; and Herod and the Sanhedrim
were incautiously brought into connexion with the
scheme. But consider the parts which they re
spectively acted, and the number, situation, and
circumstances, of all concerned ; for all these
effectually tend to evince the reality of the events,
and to remove, at every step, the supposition of
imposture. Zacharias must have begun to carry it
into execution in the sanctuary of the temple ;
on the only day, perhaps during his whole life,
when he burnt incense in the order of his course3;
acting indeed in a manner which made all the con
gregation witnesses of his state. Coincident with
this, was the preternatural conception of the aged
Elizabeth ; and then the visit of Mary to her,
after an angelic annunciation, and supernatural
conception. Remember that the whole imposture.

* It seldom, if ever, happened, that the burning of incense fell
twice to the lot of the same priest.

266 Lecture XI.
if such it was, proceeded upon the perilous
assumption of the sex of both the children ; and
upon the assumption also, that having come to
mature age, they would willingly, and successfully
appear in two distinct and remarkable characters,
assumed by them indeed, and specified by the
predictions of those concerned, but also corre
sponding to the descriptions of the ancient pro
phets, and expected as about that period to appear,
though in a far different manner. Consider again
the incidents occurring at the circumcision of the
son of Zacharias, which were noised abroad among
the neighbours, which excited their attention, and
awakened their expectations. Consider the extra
ordinary coincidence ofpolitical events, by means of
which Mary, usually resident in Galilee, brought
forth her promised Son at Bethlehem, the only
birth-place suited to the character which her Son
was to assume. Consider the shepherds abiding on
that night in the fields of Judea, addressed by an
angel, who announced to them the glad tidings
of a Saviour, Christ, born to them in Bethlehem,
the city of David ; and hearing a chorus of the
heavenly host praising God, and saying, " Glory
to God in the highest ; and on earth peace, good
will towards men." Consider the infant Jesus,
visited in his lowly cradle, not by the Shepherds
only, but by the Wise Men; who were summoned
from a distant country by an extraordinary celes-,

Lecture XI. 267
tial luminary, and, being directed by Herod him
self and the Sanhedrim to Bethlehem, as the birth
place of the expected King of the Jews, saluted
the new-born Jesus with royal presents. Consider
Herod, and all Jerusalem with him, troubled at
the intelligence ; the sanguinary attempts of the
Jewish monarch to crush him in his infancy ;
his deliverance by a divine premonition to Jo
seph ; and the inspired declarations of Simeon
and Anna in the temple at Jerusalem, not only
to his parents, but "to all that looked for redemp
tion in Jerusalem." — Consider, I say, all these
things. Reflect on the number of those con
cerned, and the difference of their respective
stations, residences, and views. Call to mind the
visit of angels to Zacharias in the sanctuary, to
the Virgin in her solitude, to Joseph in his
nightly repose, to the Shepherds in their nightly
watches; — the heavenly signal which directed the
Magi, and the dream which warned them of
danger ; — the providence of God delivering Jesus
from a massacre, and, by his Spirit, inspiring
prophets to predict his future glory. Sum up all
these things, and' consider the improbability of
an imposture, the success of which was so re
mote, as well as so uncertain ; nay, rather confess
its impossibility under all the circumstances ; and
say to what other conclusion you can come, but
that these things, explicitly and satisfactorily at-

268 Lecture XI.
tested as they are, are the witness of God, which
he has given us of his Son, little less expressly
than by his own audible declaration from heaven3.
Many of those, who had been concerned in
the transactions we have been considering, had
been gathered to their fathers, and a period of
thirty years had elapsed, when Jesus prepared to
fulfil his high destiny, by entering on his public
ministrations. He had been ushered into the
world by circumstances which indicated the spe
cial interposition of the Father, and in which,
therefore, he gave witness, that he had sent him
for some great and holy purpose. We shall have
to point out three distinct repetitions, during the
short period of his public life, of " the witness of
the Father." And after the separate consider
ation of each of these, we shall also re-consider
in connexion with it the witness of the Father,
which had been given to the same effect, by the
circumstances attendant on his birth.
I. At the usual age for entering on the Aaronic
priesthood, Jesus came from Galilee, where he
had been brought up, into Judea, to partake of
that baptism, which John had been divinely com
missioned -to administer in the name of him who
» He who wishes to see this most satisfactory argument fully
discussed, may refer to the late Dr. Bell's Inquiry into the Divine
Missions of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ ; a work which
deserves to be more generally, and very attentively perused.

Lecture XI. 260
should come after him. When Jesus had received
the rite of baptism, and was coming out of the
water, "the heavens were opened, and the Holy
Spirit, in a bodily appearance, as a dove, de
scended upon him, and, as John testified, " abode
upon him." At the same time there came also
a voice from heaven, saying, " This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased b." — Thus had
the Father himself given to Jesus authority to
declare, as he did in the early part of the dis
course, from whence our text is taken, "The
Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things
that himself doeth." For he audibly announced
that he was that "beloved Son, in whom he had
ever been well pleased b;" and thus he testified
that he sanctioned and approved the office which
he was about to undertake. According to pro
phecy, he then also "put his Spirit upon his ser
vant, whom he upheld, his elect, in whom his
soul delighted0." Thus was the Baptist himself
enabled to point him out to1 others, as that exalted
personage, to whom appertained the Office of
"baptizing with the Holy Ghost;" for he had
now seen the exhibition of that signal which had
been promised for his direction. Hence he could
announce him as the Son of God, because he had

b Matt. iii. 17. — «'" <? euSok^o-o.
« See Isai. xiii. 1. Also 2 Sam. vii. 14. Psal.lxxxix. 26, 27.'

270 Lecture XI.
heard it so declared from heaven by that witness
of the Father, which was evinced both to the eye
and to the ear ; and the reality of which does,
from the very nature of the fact, prove its divinity.
But the Baptist also declared, by the same
divine inspiration which had before guided his
declarations, that Jesus was "the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world." If so,
then Jesus was he, for whom " a body was to be
prepared," that he might " come, as in the volume
of the book it was written of him, to do the will
of God, when God no longer desired sacrifice and
offering, nor required burnt-offering and sin-
offering3." Then was Jesus that "most Holy"
one, who was to be " anointed, to finish the
transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to
make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in
an everlasting righteousness, and to make the
sacrifice and oblation to cease"." Then was
Jesus he, who was to be "a priest upon his
throne"," uniting in himself the prerogatives of
Aaron and of David : for, though " not called after
the order of Aaron, he was called to be a priest
for ever after the order of Melchizedecd;" and
though he was David's Son, he was also " David's
Lord6." Jesus is indeed "the High priest of

a Isai. xl. 6, &e. b Dan. ix. 24, 27. c Zech. vi. 13.
A Heb. v. 6, &c. and chap. vii. Ps. ex. 4. « Ps. ex. i.

Lecture XI. 271
our profession." By his participation of human
nature, he was made acquainted with our infirmi
ties, and thus can be "a merciful as well as a faithful
high priest in things pertaining to God." But
by his supernatural and immaculate conception
we know that he is "such an high priest as became
us, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sin
ners," because he is not " shapen in iniquity, nor
conceived in sin f." Thereby we also know that
he is the Son of God, and therefore, " because he
continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priest
hood g." — And by the witness of the Father at his
baptism we know that as he was called of God
to be a high priest, so was he also consecrated
by God. " The word of the oath, of which David
spoke in the hundred and tenth Psalm, maketh
the Son a high priest, who is consecrated for
evermore1*;" and the voice from heaven at his
baptism declared that the Father was well pleased
in the priestly functions which he was then about
to discharge. He was at that time visibly inaugu
rated, in the sight of men, in a manner analogous
to that by which the Aaronic priests were con
secrated'. As they were washed with water, so
was he; and as they were anointed with oil, so did

f See Heb. ii. 16— 18 ; iii. 1, 2 ; vii. 24—28.
e Heb. vii. 24. h Ps. ex. 4. Heb. vii. 28.
' Exod. xxix. 4 — 7. Lev. viii. 6 — 10.

272 Lecture XI.
he partake of the measureless and abiding unction
of that Holy Spirit which was thereby typified.
This attestation of the Father had already been
given to Jesus, at the time when he spoke the words
of our text. If it be connected with the witness
of John, with his supernatural birth, and with the
prophecies of the ancient Scriptures, it points out
to us Jesus, as the Son of God, appearing as our
high priest. But if considered merely as a de
tached fact, it is declaratory of his divine mission.
And our Lord, in the latter part of the text, so
applies it for the conviction of those whom he
addressed. And since his remarks referred to
that incident, we must adopt that particular ex
position of the allusion, which corresponds to our
opinion respecting the circumstances of that fact;
for he therein specifies three of the particulars
concerned, the audible voice of the Father, the
visible appearance, and the word which was heard.
If, according to the opinion entertained by some,
and which seems the impression naturally pro
duced by a perusal of the narrative, we suppose
that this heavenly appearance and declaration took
place in the sight and hearing of those who came
to be baptized by John ; and that possibly, there
fore, some of those whom our Lord addressed,
were themselves present, we shall of course render
the first clause of the passage interrogatively, as
the original will certainly allow us to do : " The

Lecture XI. 273
Father, who hath sent me, himself hath borne
witness of me. Have ye never at any time heard
his voice, nor seen his appearance? And ye have
not his word (his declaration) abiding in you;
for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not." —
If we suppose, with others, that only John and
Jesus were present at this scene, then we may
understand our Lord as granting, that they had
not themselves heard the voice, and seen the ap
pearance, when the Father testified that " he was
his beloved Son, in whom he was well pleased."
Yet as John had both seen, and heard, and also
had publicly testified of these things, they erred
by not retaining an abiding recollection of this
declaration of God ; and, by not believing in him
whom the Father had sent, they were neglecting
and despising the express witness of God himself.
— But even if we suppose that John alone was,
with Jesus, the spectator and auditor of these
things, yet two instances of a similar kind soon
afterwards occurred, which are attested by a
greater number of witnesses; so that these inci
dents derive support from each other, both as to
the certainty of the fact, and as to the heavenly
information thereby conveyed.
II. The Father himself again bore witness
of Jesus at the time of his transfiguration. —
Those, who were with Jesus at the time, were
Peter, and James, and John. The incident is
S

274 Lecture XI.
related, circumstantially, by each of the three first
Evangelists; and St. John also seems prin
cipally to refer to it when he says ; " We have
beheld his glory, as that of the Only-begotten
of the Father3." St. Peter also, in words which
we have already quoted from his second Epistle,
largely states its certainty, its circumstances, and
the evidence which it gave to Jesus. At the time,
the splendour of a scene so glorious impressed
St. Peter so powerfully, that, in energetic lan
guage, "not knowing what he said," he gave
vent to his feelings ; in language, however, which,
though unadvised, proved his full conviction of the
reality ofthe unexpected scene. But in the words
which we cited from his Epistle, written but a
short time before he sealed his testimony with
his blood, he speaks of it with a coolness, which
indicated a sober and matured conviction of the
reality of that scene, of which he and others had
been eye-witnesses, of which he retained so vivid
a recollection, and of the design and evidence
of which he had now so distinct an apprehension.
Not only was Jesus seen by the three disciples,
arrayed in the "body of his glory," but Moses,
the legislator and prophet of the Jews, was there ;
and Elias also, one of the most eminent later

Matt, xvii ; Mark ix ; Luke ix ; John L 14.

Lecture XI. 275
prophets, and the restorer of the law. With
them Jesus held familiar converse, the grand
subject of which was his approaching death. But
shortly they retired, and Jesus was left alone;
then to receive that testimony from heaven, which
was to declare his divine and unrivalled dignity.
"A bright cloud overshadowed the disciples; and,
behold, a voice out of the cloud, which said,
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased ; hear ye him."
It will readily occur to any one, who considers
the terms of this declaration, that it supplies us
with a divine interpretation of that prediction,
which was delivered by Moses to the Israelites,
when they had desired that they might not again
see the awful glories, and hear the appalling
thunders and voices of mount Sinai. "The
Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet
from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto
me; unto him shall ye hearken \" Such a pro
phet and mediator was to be sent to the Israelites,
in compliance with the request which they had
made, and in condescension to human infirmity.
But though man should not again "hear the voice
of the Lord God, nor see that great fire," as in
Horeb, on the day of the assembly ; yet would
God reveal his will in a manner equally authori-

b Deut. xviii. 15 — 19-
s 2

276 Lecture XI.
tative, though with milder and less tremendous
glory. The Lord said to Moses, after the solemn
delivery of the law, "Thus shalt thou say unto
the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have
talked with you from heaven *." And after Jesus
had been transfigured on the holy mount, the
Father did again " talk with man from heaven ;"
declaring Jesus to be the mediator of the new
covenant, as Moses had been of the old. He, to
whom the Father thus gave witness, was sent to
make known to us " the truth which he had heard
of God." For God had declared by Moses re
specting that Prophet, " I will put my words in
his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that
I shall command him." When, therefore, the
Father, giving testimony to Jesus, says to us,
" Hear ye him," may we not be sure that " as
the Father gave him commandment, so he spoke ?"
Although, therefore, in the dispensation of which
Jesus is the prophet, "we are not come to the
blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and terrible
words" of mount Sinai, but to the milder glories
of mount Sion ; yet " the word, which went forth
from Sion," has its threatenings, as well as its
grace and truth. "It shall come to pass," said
the Lord again, " that whosoever will not hearken
unto my words, which that prophet shall speak
3 Exod. xx. 22.

Lecture XI. 277
in my name, I will require it of him." And very
justly, therefore, does the Apostle give to us the
exhortation ; " See that ye refuse not him that
speaketh ; for if they escaped not, who refused
him that spake on earth, much more shall not we
escape, if we refuse him that speaketh from
heaven ;" even God himself, who " in these last
days hath spoken unto us by his Sonb."
' Did we say that this heavenly Messenger was
the Son of God ? — What said the voice that came
out of the cloud? "This is my beloved Son;
hear ye him." And was not the same testimony
also given, when he was about to enter on his
ministry ? And had not that declaration, which
avouched Jesus, to be " the beloved Son, in whom
the Father was well pleased," been previously
declared before his birth, and been also confirmed
by the manner of his birth ? Did we not recite to
you the words of the angel, announcing to the
Virgin her approaching conception by the " over
shadowing of the power of the Highest?" " There
fore," said the heavenly herald, " that holy thing,
which shall be born of thee, shall be called the
Son of God." Though Jesus appeared " in the
likeness of sinful flesh," yet are we to believe in
him upon principles, and with views, which could
not be applicable to any one, who was nothing

» Heb. xii. 25. i. 1,

278 Lecture XI.
more than a prophet of the human race. We
have many declarations from the Father that he is
the Son of God ; many declarations from himself,
supported and confirmed by the witness of John,
of his own works, and of prophecy, that he is the
Son of God. Let then the " word of the Father
abide in you, that ye may believe in him whom he
hath sent." Hear him with that unreserved obe
dience of the full assurance of faith, which he
may justly claim, Who "came down from heaven;"
and who possessed that extensive and familiar
acquaintance with the divine will, which could be
attained only by him, who was from eternity " in
the bosom of the Father," who " came from
God, and went to God."
In this manner has it been testified to us, that
to Jesus belong the commission, and the authority,
of the Prophet promised by Moses. And hence
may we see, that while " Moses was faithful in all
his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those
things which were to be spoken after ; yet that
Jesus was so, as a Son over his own house3." But,
by a third witness of the Father concerning him,
he was declared to be " the King whom, as his
only-begotten Son, God would set upon his holy
hill of Zion, though the rulers of the earth took
counsel against him, and against his Anointed b."
" Heb. iii. 5, 6. b Ps. ii.

Lecture XI. 279
HI. This third testimony was given, as it
should seem, on the day on which Jesus entered
Jerusalem in his lowly triumph, and on which he
was saluted as " the Son of David, and the King
of Israel," by the eager multitudes, whose enthu
siasm he refused to repress. Probably it was even
ih the temple itself, but certainly in Jerusalem,
that the Greeks, who had come up to the feast,
applied to the disciples that they might be per
mitted to see Jesus G. Whether he granted their
request, or not, is uncertain. But the discourse
which he took occasion to deliver, and the incident
which followed, especially deserve our attention.
He immediately referred to that death, which he
suffered only a few days afterwards, under the
figure of corn, which, "except it fall into the
ground and die, abideth alone ; but if it die, it
bringeth forth much fruit." His human nature
felt all the fears and horrors which the prospect
of his approaching sufferings might be expected to
excite. But this public declaration of them was
followed by as public a " witness of the Father "
from heaven. — " 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. Father,
glorify thy name." This, whether it was the
language of submission, or of prayer, equally
c See John xii. 20 — 36'.

280 Lecture XI,
prepares us to attend to what followed. " Then
came there a voice from heaven, saying, / have
both glorified it, and I will glorify it again. The
people, therefore, that stood there, and heard it,
said, That it thundered; others said. An angel
spake to him." The voice was distinctly audible to
many, if not to all. The Greeks, if they were pre
sent, might not understand the language; and some
of the Jews might be disposed to misunderstand
and misrepresent it. But let us hear the remarks
of Jesus respecting it, and we can easily judge
whether they were verified. " This voice came
not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is
the judgment of this world ; now shall the prince
of this world be cast out. And I, if 1 be lifted up
from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This
he said, signifying what death he should die."
The Jews then present were unable to recon
cile this with their late joyful hailing of Jesus as
their Messiah, and with their expectations respect
ing the Messiah. — " The people answered him,
We have heard out of the law, that Christ abideth
for ever; and how sayest thou, The Son of man
must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man V
Now though our Lord did not at that time add
any explanation of the statement he had just
made ; he exhorted them to " walk while they had
the light, because the light would be with them
only for a little while." Soon the event, to which

Lecture XL 281
he alluded, was to take place. And on a former
occasion he said to them, " When ye have lifted up
the Son of man, then shall ye know that / am he,
and that I do nothing of myself, but as my Father
hath taught me, I speak these things." The
Father had just given witness to him, and he had
" done many miracles before them." They ought,
therefore, both to receive those communications
which they could then comprehend, and also to
believe that all others would afterwards be made
intelligible. But very shortly the Father did "glo
rify his name ;" and, "in consequence of his being
lifted up," • Jesus was " crowned with glory and
honour," and " all men were drawn to him."
Was Jesus forsaken and disowned of the
Father, because he was " given up into the hands
of wicked men, and suffered death upon the cross?"
The Father had spoken to him from heaven, and
an angel from heaven strengthened him during
his agony. But had he prayed to the Father to
deliver him from the suffering of death, though he
would " presently have given him more than
twelve legions of angels," yet " how then could
the Scriptures have been fulfilled, that thus it
must be?" Yet even in those very transactions,
which were so ignominious and so pitiable, was
the testimony of the Father given to Jesus. — For
remember the preternatural darkness, which, at
the time of the full moon, and beginning at noon-

282 Lecture XI.
day, for three hours overspread the land. And
can we forget the circumstances which attested
the truth of those words, so full of horror and yet so
abundant in consolation, — so expressive of glory
accruing to God, and of good will derived to men,
— which were uttered by the lips of our dying Sa
viour? With aloud voice he cried, It is finished.
He bowed his head, and dismissed his Spirit. —
Then was the law accomplished, then were the
prophecies fulfilled, then was the salvation of man
perfected. For did not God himself confirm this
declaration, by the rending of the veil of the
temple at the hour of incense, by the quaking of
the earth, by the rending of the rocks, by the
opening of the graves? The centurion, who
stood near to the cross of Jesus, had before heard
him exclaim, " My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?" But when he saw that Jesus,
uttering the declaration, " It is finished," expired
under circumstances, which so manifestly declared
the interposition of God, he was so impressed with
the solemnity of the scene, and with the majesty
of the innocent sufferer, that " he, and they also
that were with him, feared greatly, saying, Truly
this was the Son of God3."
Thus did the Father " again glorify his
name," by giving testimony to his Son. Thus
¦> Matt, xxvii. 54. Mark xv. 39.

Lecture XI. 283
did he confirm the authority, and sanction the
conduct of him, who had refused to repress the ac
clamations of the multitude who hailed him as " the
Son of David, and as the King of Israel that cometh
in the name ofthe Lord ;" who himself also avowed
to the high priest, that he was "the Christ, the
Son of the Blessed." — And had not the Father
given the same testimony by the mouth of an
angel, before he was conceived in the womb of
the Virgin? " He shall be great, and shall be
called the Son of the Highest ; and the Lord
God shall give him the throne of his father
David, and he shall reign over the house of
Jacob for ever ; and of his kingdom there shall
be no end-'6." He was " made of the seed of
David according to the flesh ;" but, by the
manner in which he was made a partaker of flesh
and blood, we also see, that he was David's Lord,
as well as David's Son ; and therefore that he, as
" the Christ, does indeed abide for ever," though
as ruling, not on earth, but in heaven. For God
himself has visited his people, by redeeming them
from spiritual slavery; and, in the house of his
servant David, hath raised up a horn of Salvation
from sin and condemnation; by him, who was
"called Jesus, because he would save his people
from their sins."

b Luke i. 32, 33.

284 Lecture XI.
Though, therefore, the Jews demanded of
Jesus, as the proof of his authority, " a sign from
heaven," and though their demand was refused,
yet we see that, in fact, several such tokens were
given ; not, however, exactly in the manner which
they presumptuously, and in the spirit of disbelief,
required of Jesus, " tempting him." For we must
be content to receive the evidences of our faith
in the manner in which they are proposed to us,
and to abide by the inference to which they both
severally and jointly lead us. Probably it is still
true, that such as are not convinced by the
numerous miracles which Jesus wrought, will not
more readily be impressed by those, in which the
Father himself bore witness of him. But when
the demand of a sign from heaven was refused to
those, who in such a temper demanded it, the
sign of the prophet Jonas was promised to them3.
That sign also has been given. " Three days
was the Son of man in the heart of the earth,"
and then was he again, and " with power, de
clared to be the Son of God, by the resurrection
from the dead." Then was the witness of the
Father completed; and then also began that wit
ness of the Spirit, the rejection of which renders
men incapable either of repentance or of pardon.
Calling to mind, then, all the wondrous events,
a See Matt. xii. 35—42.

Lecture XI. 285
and heavenly testimony, which we have been
surveying, with what reverence, confidence, and
obedience may we listen to the words, which our
Saviour spoke, after he had predicted the sign of
Jonas the prophet. " The men of Nineveh
shall rise in judgment with this generation, and
shall condemn it ; for they repented at the
preaching of Jonas, and, behold, a greater than
Jonas is here ! The queen of the south shall
rise up in the judgment with this generation, and
shall condemn it ; for she came from the utter
most parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of
Solomon, and, behold, a greater than Solomon is
here!" We have this day learnt that he was
" the beloved Son of God, in whom he is well
pleased, and whom we are commanded to hear." Let
us then " take up our cross and follow him ;" let
us " abide in his word, that we may be his dis
ciples indeed ;" let us glory in his cross ; let us
confide in his atonement ; let us pray for pardon
through his blood and righteousness; let us re
joice in his intercession ; and let us pray to be
sanctified by his word, and by his Spirit. For,
very shortly after he had spoken the words just
cited, he said also, " Whosoever shall do the
will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is
my brother, and sister, and mother3."

» Matt. xii. 38—50.

LECTURE XII.

OUR LORD'S APPEAL TO THE SCRIPTURES OF THE
OLD TESTAMENT, AS PECULIARLY DESIGNED TO
TESTIFY OF HIM.

St. John V. 39, 40.
Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have
eternal life ; and they are they which testify of me.
And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
We observed, in our fourth Lecture, that our
Lord either left the attestations to his divine
mission and character to convince by their own
native force and palpable evidence, or proposed
them in the most simple manner, until fuller state
ments and more detailed arguments were called
forth by the doubts and difficulties, the prejudices
and opposition of his contemporaries. But when
such occasions arose, he unfolded to them as much
as the imperfect accomplishment of the purposes
of his mission, and therefore the incomplete
exhibition of its evidences, would permit. Often,
however, his statements are applicable to, and an
ticipate the fuller developement of the evidences ;
of which, indeed, the discourse in which our text

Lecture XII. 287
occurs is a remarkable instance. Those of his
reasonings in this discourse, which we have
already considered, are sufficient to establish the
justice of this remark. When he noticed to them
the presumption in his favour from his not seeking
his own will, when he appealed to the witness of
John, to the witness of his own miracles, and to
the witness of the Father, he had laboured so long
and so publicly among them, that enough was
already before them, if not finally to convince, yet
at least to arrest the attention. Enough had been
already seen and heard to claim for him an impar
tial hearing ; enough to induce them, if not even
then to believe in him, yet to pause ere they
rejected his claims. And in order to come to
a just and satisfactory decision, it was requisite
that they should observe, in a candid frame of
mind, his future conduct; and should also de
liberately consider the more enlarged reasonings,
upon which he would be ready to enter, whenever
their difficulties called for appropriate statements,
and whenever fresh facts either illustrated his
former arguments, or supplied the materials for
others. The same remark is also applicable, and, in
some respects, more fully, to the appeal made in
the text to the written testimony, which the Scrip
tures of the Old Testament afforded to Jesus. —
The events, in which any prophecy is accom-

288 Lecture XII.
plished, alone can finally decide, either its true
interpretation, or the particular object to which it
referred. It follows from hence, that the events
in question must have come to pass, and their par
ticulars must be fully known, before that interpre
tation can be definitely settled, and the attestation
of prophecy can be rightly ascertained. Now the
prophecies of the Old Testament, which relate to
the Messiah, are very numerous, and refer to
a great variety of particulars. Of course, there
fore, when the Messiah came, before he could
be completely identified, all the characteristics by
which the prophets had described him must have
been exhibited ; and therefore all the events, in
consequence of which they were to be developed,
must have taken place. We believe that, at the
very time specified by the prophets, their pre
dictions were fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. If
in him they were not accomplished, there is cer
tainly no other in whom they were ; no other,
respecting whom the assertion can be advanced.
But the great argument, deducible from a collective
view of all the prophecies, could not be complete,
until after those transactions which closed his
ministry and life; by which so large a proportion
of the prophecies were rapidly, but minutely, ful
filled. Yet even at the time when our Lord spoke
the words of our text, much had already become
sufficiently obvious. And since an apprehension

Lecture XII. 289
of the entire prophetic argument could not be at
tained, except by discerning the correspondence of
a great number of particular events to at least as
many particular predictions, it would have been
well if those, whom our Lord addressed, had even
then commenced the inquiry. For having thus
seen the fulfilment of prophecy already evinced
to a certain extent, they might have been prepared
to watch the progress of his ministry, and would
have recognized thereby, more and more clearly,
him, " of whom Moses in the law, and the pro
phets, did write."
Rightly to apprehend the evidence which
arises from the word of prophecy, we must have
recourse to that repository, in which it has been
handed down to us. We must comply with the
exhortation, which our Lord in the text addressed
to the Jews. We must " search the Scriptures."
We must investigate and study the particular
predictions therein contained, and observe their
order and connexion ; and, by comparing them
with those events which correspond to them, as re
corded either in the same Scriptures, or in other
writers, we must trace their accomplishment.
Such an undertaking would evidently be too ex
tensive to be brought within the. compass of our
present design. There is, however, a more limited
range, which falls within the path we at first
marked out. For we proposed to contemplate the
T

290 Lecture XII.
subject of evidence, either as it is actually con
tained in our Lord's discourses, or immediately
suggested by them. Now our Lord has himself
actually cited many important prophecies, to many
he obviously alludes, and others afford at least a
valuable elucidation of his statements. Even this
more confined review exhibits, in a very satis
factory manner, the testimony of prophecy to
Jesus ; and also, which is even still more im
portant, it supplies us with such directions and sug
gestions as are sufficient to lead us to a proper
and conclusive view of the whole argument. It
will be the object of our next Lecture, to take
a cursory view of these .actual citations and illus
trations of prophecy by our Lord himself. In the
remainder of this we shall consider the subject
more generally, but still in immediate connexion
with our text.
We have just cited the first clause of it, as
containing an exhortation to " search the Scrip
tures." But many have preferred a translation of
the verb in the indicative mood. According to
this view, we must understand our Lord as grant
ing to the Jews, that they did search the Scrip
tures ; a concession, which all that we know of
that nation, and especially of its leading men,
shews to be made according to fact. To under
stand the words in this manner is, perhaps, more
consistent with the style and method of argu-

Lecture XII. 291
mentation throughout the whole discourse, which
in no other instance is in the hortatory form.
But still tthe same recommendation, which is
expressed in the other translation, perhaps more
agreeably to the phraseology of the original, is in
this implied with almost equal force. Our Lord
evidently conveys, in either case, his decided com
mendation of their attention to Scripture ; and he
assigns the powerful motive, which either did, or
ought to influence them in such a pursuit : " Ye
search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye
have eternal life."
With respect to the Jews of that time, this
motive might have considerable difference of cha
racter an,d operation. Some of them seemed to
think that the mere searching of the Scriptures,
and " making broad the phylacteries" on which
its words were inscribed, were of themselves
meritorious acts ; and that thereby " they had
eternal life." Others might think it attainable
by observance of the ritual law of Moses. Others,
like the scribe with whom Jesus conversed, doubt
less esteemed the moral law as more than all
" whole burnt-offerings and sacrifice," and that the
things therein prescribed they must " do, to in
herit eternal life." And, doubtless, they looked
forward to the Messiah, as their own writings
testify, as the bestower of eternal life on the Jews;
and some of those, who waited for " the consola-
T 2

292 Lecture XII.
tion of Israel," probably derived from the Scrip
tures an expectation less free from the general
prejudices of their nation ; and expected Ttim^who
was to be " the glory of his people Israel," would
also be " a light to lighten the Gentiles." — But to
all these our Lord's argument was equally cogent.
Whatever were the modifications of their senti
ments, it was believed by all, except the Sadducees,
that in them they had eternal life; and therefore
did they value them, and therefore were they bound,
by their own principles, to make themselves fully
acquainted with their contents. We also are
assured, that the Holy Scriptures are able to make
us wise unto salvation ; and that their record is,
not only that " God hath given to us eternal life,"
but also "that this life is in his Son;" and that,
' both in the Old and New Testament, everlasting-
life is offered to mankind through Jesus Christ, as
the only Mediator between God and man3.' Yet
the Jews in general " were not willing- to come to
him that they might have life." They had lh_^
-t?_u____i,such interpretations of the prophecies, as
could result only from attending to some, and
overlooking others. And when these others were
pointed out, and when the event shewed the
proper sense both of these and of the former, their
prejudices in favour of their own interpretation,
" Art. vii.

Lecture XII. 293
and against the external humility of a suffering
Messiah, armed their perverse and depraved wills
against the decision, which would have been sug
gested by an unfettered judgment ; and therefore
were they "unwilling to come to Jesus that they
might have life." They themselves thought that
in the Scriptures they had eternal life ; and, added
our Lord, " they are they which testify of me."
In this important declaration, our Lord not
only asserts that the Scriptures would be found
to predict and testify of him, but that he was that
exalted Person, who, as Jewish writers themselves
have confessed, is' the great and continual theme
of all the prophets. He lays down therein that
principle, which is, in fact, a guide to the con
sistent and complete elucidation of the whole pro
phetic scheme. Prophecy had indeed a present
and immediate use in supporting the hope, and
exercising the faith, of those to whom it was first
delivered. But even this end was attained by
speaking of good things to come ; and by giving
repeated assurances that a personage, who, after
having been designated by various other titles and
characteristics, was at length called "Messiah the
Prince," would in the latter days appear to ac
complish the purposes of God, and to complete
the felicity of man. To predict the advent of
Messiah — to communicate the previous knowledge
of those marks by which he might be recognized

294 Lecture XII.
as he that was to come — to display the necessity,
and to explain the object of his coming — and to
attest the importance of his mission, by shewing that
all the revolutions of the world, as well as of the
Jewish people, were overruled in order to prepare
for his advent, and for the establishment of his
kingdom — this was the main end and aim of " all
that was spoken by the mouth of God's holy
prophets which had been since the. world began."
Thus had the matter been stated by Zacharias in
his prophetic hymn; thus was it stated by our
Lord, when, after his resurrection, " he expounded
to them in all the Scriptures the things con
cerning himself, beginning at Moses and all the
prophets." Thus did the Apostles declare, that
" to him give all the prophets witness ;" thus did
the angel declare also to St. John, " the testimony
of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy ' ;" ' the spirit
of prophecy having no other use or end than to
bear testimony, and to do honour, to himV
* Luke i. 68, &c. xxiv. 27, 44. Acts x. 43. Rev. xix. 10.
See also 1 Pet. i. 10—12. 2 Pet. i. 19—21.
b Bishop Hurd in Serm. II. on the Prophecies. — He who, like
the Ethiopian convert (Acts viii. 27, &c.) is ready to say, " How
can I understand what I read in the Prophets, except some man
should guide me ?" may with great satisfaction and benefit peruse
Bishop Hurd's Introduction to the Study ofthe Prophecies, Serm.
I — VI ; Bishop Sherlock's Discourses on the Use and Intent of
Prophecy ; the four first Sermons of Bishop Horsley, Vol. II ; and
two

Lecture XII. 295
Let this principle be kept in view, and it will
shew, in the clearest manner, the object, and the
connexion, of all that the prophets have spoken.
It will teach us rightly to estimate the nature and
the evidence of prophecy. It will shew that it was
not vouchsafed to gratify the curiosity of mankind,
or to serve a merely temporary purpose ; but that
it was designed to demonstrate not so much the
general superintendence of divine providence, as
that particular and important exercise of it, which
was subservient to the establishment of the Gospel.
Hence it will also appear that the prophetic spirit
was generally confined to one family and nation,
not out of a peculiar favour or preference to them ;
but that these oracles were committed to their
care, in order that the priority of their existence,
and their uncorrupted preservation, might be gua
ranteed and demonstrated. For, at the arrival
of that period which was the fulness of the time,
considered with reference to the predictions them
selves, and the fitness of the time, considered with
reference to the actual state of the world, "the
Gentiles were to become fellow-heirs, and of the
same body, and partakers of the promise of God
two very valuable tracts by Mr. Rotherham, published in 1753,
and 1754, entitled, " The Foree ofthe Argument from a collective
view of Prophecy," and " a Sketch of the one great Argument,
formed from the several concurring Evidences, for the Truth of
Christianity,''

296 Lecture XII.
in Christ by the Gospel." — The argument from
prophecy is, therefore, one, which appeals alike
to Jew and Gentile. To the Jew — because he,
for other and independent reasons, receives, vene
rates, and preserves the Scriptures as the word
of God ; and because he, therefore, has a deep in
terest in the promises of the Messiah therein
contained, and is bound to inquire into the reality
of their accomplishment. To the Gentile — because
the prior existence of such a volume of predic
tions, does, if they have been fulfilled, bespeak
his assent also to the revelation made by that God,
who " has in these last days spoken by his Son,"
and has employed the wonders of his providence
to assure ,us of the wonders of his grace. In
order to enable. the Jews to verify the claims of
the Messiah when he appeared among them, one
prophecy had been added to another, beginning
from the first general promise of the efforts and
triumphs of the seed of the woman, proceeding
to limit the line of his descent within continually
narrower bounds, and then, in succession, speci
fying a great variety of features in his character,
and of circumstances in his life and proceedings,
so unprecedented, so remarkable, and apparently
so inconsistent, as to defy the most ingenious
fiction to be so constructed before the event, as
to unite them in one character, with a semblance
of fulfilment. — When we contemplate the ap-

Lecture XII. 297
pearance of Jesus, we see at once that some re
markable personage has been manifested, assuredly
of the house and lineage specified in earlier pro
phecy ; and answering, both in the place and the
circumstances of his birth, to the predictions of
the later prophets. He appears as a prophet sent
from God ; and having discerned, in the first
instance, the approach of some Great One, we
proceed, on a nearer view, to the discovery of one
feature after another, until we recognize in him
the personage previously described, and anxiously
expected, though not appearing at first in that
character and dignity, in which the Jews most
frequently and most fondly expected the Messiah.
But circumstance is added to circumstance, till
we find him to be the Messiah, to whom all the
prophets gave witness ; and that he has accom
plished, or is setting forward the accomplishment
of all that the prophets had predicted ; so that not
one word has failed of all that they had spoken,
and that the Evangelists have narrated "no other
things than those, which the prophets and Moses
did say should come."
It is manifest, from what we have already ob
served, that the prophetic argument is one of great
extent, comprehension, and force. When we
consider its extent, we immediately perceive that
the materials for its developement began to be
provided from the very beginning of the world,

298 Lecture XII.
and that they were continually accumulating
through a series of more than four thousand years.
We shall find also, that many of the earlier pre
dictions receive much illustration from considering
the time at which they were delivered, and the
circumstances of the persons to whom, or by
whom, they were spoken. They are, in fact,
arranged in such an order, that each succeeding
one, till, at least, the time of David, would lose
much of its force and propriety, if delivered at an
earlier period, and if the order were even disar
ranged at all3. We gather from hence, that they
are means used in order to further one uniform,
momentous, and continually advancing scheme;
we see how suited they were to the immediate
purpose of inspiring, cherishing, and elevating,
the faith and hope of primeval times ; and we pass
on to watch, with calm and increasing confidence,
for their full and evident accomplishment. And
whether we thus advance from the consideration
of them in their order and variety, to contemplate
the events of .the age in which they were fulfilled ;
or whether we begin from those events, and refer
back to the prophecies ; we cannot but observe,
with wonder, that they not only furnish a distinct
evidence in themselves, but that they had speci-
a See this strikingly illustrated in Rotherham's " Argument
drawn from a collective View of Prophecy," p. 10, &c.

Lecture XII. 299
fied beforehand every other evidence, and that
every other evidence is illustrated by them. For
the prophecies are found to have their fulfilment
not only in that particular series of ordinary events
which occurred during the life of Jesus, but also
in such facts, and instructions, and proceedings, as
themselves are independent evidences of a divine
mission. Almost every circumstance which has
been considered in our former Lectures, was a
fulfilment of prophecy; we may almost say that the
very arguments themselves are pointed out by the
prophets ; but at least we have found that each of
our Lord's reasonings could be very satisfactorily
illustrated by a reference to the Old Testament
predictions. This remark, which points out the
comprehensiveness of the argument from prophecy,
also very obviously suggests the great force which
it possesses. And prophecy will still more con
stantly and prominently connect itself with the sub
jects of our future inquiry. Well therefore might
our Lord observe in language so significant, " The
Scriptures are they which testify ofmeb." As if
he had said, 'They are the special, comprehen
sive, and sufficient testimony respecting me. My
coming, my character, my proceedings, my in
structions, and the object at which I aim, are all
attested by them. My future sufferings and ex-

b ixeivcu e'uriv al piapTvpovtrai. irep\ e/j.ov. v. 39.

300 Lecture XII.
altation will be in conformity to their predictions.
Every argument which I can offer, will be found
justified by their intimations, if you will but search
them, as well as by the facts which are familiar
to you, and upon which I have been reasoning.'
It should also be remembered, that these pro
phecies were delivered, not only at a great di
versity of times, ages, and countries, but in a great
variety of methods. Sometimes God himself com
municated the promise in words. Sometimes he
revealed it in a dream or in a vision, and provided
that a prophet or an angel should give an in
terpretation of these, which itself became a
prophecy, to be explained only by the event.
Sometimes he immediately inspired the prophet
himself to deliver it in his own words. " Thus,
at sundry times, and in divers manners, God spake
in time past unto the Fathers by the Prophets."
And they, who were either the recipients, inter
preters, or promulgators of these diversified
communications, were men of all ranks, ages,
conditions, and circumstances ; severally according
to their own necessities, or the situation and cir
cumstances of others, or of their country, or of the
world, receiving intimations of those things which
should come to pass. The events which were to
precede, and to prepare the way for the fulness of
the time in which the Promised One was to appear,
were those transactions and revolutions of the four

Lecture XII. 301
great monarchies, which are the well known
subjects of ancient and classical history. The
predictions respecting these were fulfilled only in
the course of many centuries. Those, which re
spected the personal appearance of the Messiah,
were sometimes delivered conjointly with the
former, sometimes were distinct from them; but
were fulfilled in the course of a very few years.
All together formed one connected chain. The
events were such, and so numerous, as to exclude
the possibility of accounting for this conformity to
previous annunciation by the supposition of casual
coincidence; nor could the mere conjectures ofthe
wisest mortals have so accurately described them.
Either we must say that they were delivered by
the communication of him, who alone could foresee
those contingent events, which are brought about
by the ordinary motives and proceedings of human
conduct ; or that the same great Being, " who
doeth according to his will among the armies of
heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth,"
moulded, controlled and adjusted the motives,
actions, and successes of all these numerous
assents, so as to produce an exact conformity to
the predictions of the prophets. Either of these
suppositions involves the interposition of the Deity.
And in the same manner as a miracle implies and
teaches the exercise of the same Omnipotence
which created the world, and which gave to the

302 Lecture XII.
course of nature a law unbroken, except at the
will of the Creator; so does the clear previous
existence of prophecy, and the certainty of its
extensive fulfilment, prove that he, whose omni
science perceives, whose prescience foresees,
and whose providence overrules all things, must
in this case also have interposed. And we need
surely no argument to convince us that he, who
is the God of nature, is the same God, who alone
" declares the end from the beginning, and from
ancient times the things that are not yet done ;
saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all
my pleasure." His alone is that " wisdom, which
reacheth from one end to the other mightily, and
doth sweetly order all things."
We have now taken a general survey of the
manner in which the Scriptures of the Old Tes
tament give testiniony to Jesus, as the Messiah
promised of old. We have principally alluded to
the express predictions of the Old Testament ;
and also to the history of the earlier ages of the
world, as indicating a tendency of all the arrange
ments of Providence towards the fulfilment of
those predictions in their season. In the mean
time, those assurances of mercy thus given to the
Fathers, and the holy covenant into which God
entered with them, were sufficient to animate and
guide them in their pilgrimage through this world
to a better and a heavenly country. For by the

Lecture XII. 303
miracles which sometimes accompanied the deli
very of these predictions, and by the partial
fulfilment of them, or of others of a similar
origin, they had such evidence of the care and
gracious intentions of that God, " who had pro
vided better things for us, that they without us
should not be made perfect," as that even they
" died in faith ; not having received the promises
indeed, but having so seen them afar off, as to be
persuaded of them, and to embrace them." — And
in another way also did the provisions of earlier
revelation provide a testimony to the promised
Messiah. The method of worship by sacrifices,
the various ceremonies of the Mosaic ritual, and
very many of the peculiar arrangements of their
civil and political system, were all occasioned by
the design of raising up out of the Jewish nation
that Deliverer, who was predicted by their own
prophets. The consideration of the numerous
particulars to which we have alluded is highly
satisfactory ; for it tends to strengthen more and
more our conviction that the Scriptures of the
Old Testament, are they that testify of Jesus.
For it shews not only that their predictions
describe him, and that the events which they
relate were preparing for his advent, but also
that the civil and political injunctions were de
signed to shew that he was born of the promised
house and lineage, and that the religious cere-

304 Lecture XII.
monies, in a vast variety of methods, represented
and typified his character and understanding3.
" Search, then, the Scriptures ; for in them
ye think ye have eternal life. And they are those
which testify of Me," said Jesus, whom we believe
to have been the Christ. — Now the Scriptures,
^eternal life, and Jesus Christ, are terms familiar
to us, and^in some degree, at least, understood by
all of us. And it is by allowing the connexion
and mutual dependency of the ideas thereby
conveyed, that the Christian deduces those prin
ciples and motives, and cherishes those hopes
and expectations, which distinguish him from the
Jew and the Infidel. — The Infidel, indeed, either
does not at all concern himself about the hope of
eternal life ; or he derives it from the boasted
arguments of natural religion, independently both
of the Scriptures, and of him, who, " through the
Gospel, has brought life and immortality to light."
— The Jew does indeed look forward to eternal
life, but he derives not that hope from the record
which God has given of his Son Christ Jesus.
For he believes not that Jesus was one whom God
had sent ; and, therefore, while he admits the
divine authority of the Scriptures of the Old
a Among other excellent works which would elucidate this
part of our subject, I would refer more especially to " Allix's
Reflections on the Old and New Testament." They are reprinted
in Bp. Watson's Tracts, Vol. I.

Lecture XII. 305
-Testament referred to in the text, and allows that
they testify of a promised Messiah, he believes not
that Jesus is that Messiah. Multitudes of Jews
have, indeed, even in modern times been induced,
from the evidence of the prophecies, to admit the
Messiahship of Jesus, and have embraced the
Christian faith. Very many of these have been
learned men, and have left behind them, in their
several writings, a statement of the reasons which
influenced themb. But as a nation, they reject
the claims of Jesus. In the apostolic times also,
" great multitudes of Jews," " many even among
the chief rulers," believed on him, and " a great
company of their priests became obedient to the
faith c." But then also, as a nation, they rejected
him. The motives and grounds of that rejection,
in some respects common to unbelievers of all
ages and nations, our Lord notices in the words
following the text, which will be considered in
a future Lecture. But when our Lord delivered
this discourse, these principles had not yet come
into fail operation. The question of his divine
mission and Messiahship was. as yet, in a great

b See a very interesting account of the conversion and writings
of Jewish Rabbis, and of their labours among their countrymen,
at the end of Chapman's Eusebius ; who gives references to those
authorities which be says would have enabled him to enlarge bis
list. c John xii. 42. Acts vi. 7 ; xxi. 20.
U

306 Lecture XII.
measure, undecided. The Jews, and more espe
cially their rulers, were evidently prejudiced
against him, and rather disposed to oppose and
persecute him, than to admit his claims. This
prejudice and opposition had not, however, pro
ceeded to the lengths to which it afterwards did ;
but only so far as to draw from our Lord a more
full statement respecting his claims, and the several
arguments which he was able (o produce in sup
port of them. We have heard what claims he
advanced, we have considered his reasonings, we
have surveyed and scrutinized the facts to which
he referred, and we have now considered that
testimony of Scripture to which our Lord last
directed the attention of those whom he addressed.
How then are we affected with regard to this
important question, respecting eternal life, and that
divine messenger who was sent to offer, who died
to procure, and who was exalted to bestow a boon
so unspeakably precious? Do we virtually sym
bolize with the Jew and the infidel, either refusing,
because of the objections which are suggested to
our understanding, or neglecting, because of the
backwardness of our hearts, to " come to Christ
that we may have life?"
If we entertain doubts respecting the fulness
and conclusiveness of the Christian argument,
have we given to it that deep and serious atten-.
tion, by which alone we can be advancing to a

Lecture XII. 307
solid and abiding conviction ? I cannot persuade
mysielf that it can, in general, be necessary to
enter on a large and laborious investigation of
philosophical objections^ and metaphysical reason
ings, in order to attain a conviction sufficiently
enlightened and rational ; one upon which any
thinking man will act, who remembers the short
ness of life and the magnitude of the objects at
stake, who considers the obvious force ofthe various
reasons in favour of revealed religion, and the
anxious scrutiny, both by friends and foes, which
has not discovered the weakness, but shewn the
strength of its evidence. Let us beware lest, after
all, the truth be, that " we are not willing to come
to Christ that we may have life ;" because we are
aware that he who will enter into life must keep
the commandments, and that the narrow way that
leadeth unto life is a way of holiness and self-denial.
The defect is more generally in the will than in the
understanding; and even when it appears to be in
the understanding, it generally proceeds from that
predominance ofthe will, enslaved by its affectiohs
and lusts, which is, in fact, the essence and opera
tion of almost all the modifications of human
depravity. '
It is this unhappy slavery, this love of sin, of
the world, and of our present interest, that
operates, not only to produce infidelity, but many-
other errors, which deviate from the doctrine
U 2

308 Lecture XII.
according to godliness. 1 cannot but persuade
myself, however, that a remedy is proposed in the
text, which, if duly adopted, would be effectual,
both as to errors in doctrine, and inconsistency in
practice ; which can make us both wise unto
salvation, and also thoroughly furnished unto all
good works. " Search the Scriptures, for in them
ye think ye have eternal life." Our ignorance, or
our crude, partial, and unsanctified, knowledge of
the Scriptures, is the fruitful source of error. Do
we desire that it should be otherewise with us ?
We must imitate the example of the Bereans ;
and the same effects will follow in us with respect
to the whole range of Christian doctrine and duty,
which were produced in them with respect to that
fundamental truth of our religion, the Messiahship
of Jesus. " They received the word with all
readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures
daily, whether those things were so ; and therefore
many of them believed3." Few comparatively,
we trust, are they, who do not acknowledge them
as the words of eternal life ; who do not know
that they testify of Jesus, as " the end of the law
unto righteousness," and " as the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth." We
fear, however, that few do value and search them

' Acts xvii. 11, 12.

Lecture XII. 309
as such Yet is there an expediency, almost
amounting to a necessity, that both the preacher'
and the hearer of the Gospel should be well ac
quainted with these divine records. None doubt
that " if any man speak, he must speak as the
oracles of God ;" and that from the discourses of
our Lord, and the writings of his Apostles, he
must learn, both the subject and the manner of
Christian instruction. But a competent know
ledge of the same Scriptures is also equally neces
sary to the Christian hearer. The allusions,
reasonings, statements, and exhortations, of the
preacher, will not otherwise be sufficiently intel
ligible and impressive. We fear, therefore, that
the success of our ministrations is much less than
it might be, if the word of God were more read in
the family and in the closet. Our success would
probably be far less than it is, if the reading of
Holy Scripture were not so prominent a part of
our public Service. For the knowledge and in
fluence derived from that source we have, perhaps,
more abundant cause to be thankful than we have
yet been aware of. Yet how much greater would
be our Christian edification, if the family altar,
and the hour of retirement, could witness to our
perusal of the Scriptures ! From how many errors
would this guard us, from how many temptations
would it preserve us ! How powerfully, though,
perhaps, imperceptibly, would it dispose us to be

310 Lecture XII.
not willing only, but eager, and thankful, to come
unto Christ, that we may have life! — Receive,
then, and search the Scriptures, " not as the word
of man, but, as they are in truth, the word of God,
which effectually work also in them that believe."
Value and obey them, as those who know the
authority which they possess, and the obligations
which rest upon yourselves. For you rightly
" think that in them you have eternal life."

LECTURE XIII.

A REVIEW OF THE PARTICULAR INSTANCES IN WHICH
• OUR LORD, DURING HIS LIFE, ACTUALLY CITES OR
ALLUDES TO THE PROPHECIES AND TYPES OE THE
ANCIENT SCRIPTURES.

St. Matthew XI. 12 — 14.
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom
of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by
force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied
until John. And, if ye will receive it, this is Elias
which was for to come.
This explicit and comprehensive declaration did
Jesus make to the assembled multitudes, after the
dismissal of John's disciples with the answer to
their master's message. He uttered these words
with all the confidence and composure of one who
" spoke that which he knew, and testified that
which he had seen;" and he subjoined in this
instance, as well as on other important occasions,
the awakening words, " He that hath ears to hear,
let him hear."
The statement, which he had just advanced,
did indeed demand attention, if they considered
him from whom it proceeded. It came from one

312 Lecture XIII.
to whom John had just been proposing the ques
tion, " Art thou he that should come, or look we
for another?" It came from one who had been
performing in their presence such miracles, that the
simple enumeration of them served as an answer to
that question ; miracles, in consequence of which
they themselves " glorified God, saying, That a
great prophet has risen up among us, and, That
God has visited his people." — The declaration also
demanded attention, if they considered the purport
of it. It announced to them the termination of
that season, during which the glories of the latter
days were made known to the sons of men only
in consolatory promises, foreshadowing types, and
prophetic anticipation. It announced the actual
presence, exhibition, and offer of the expected
blessings. It referred them to the valedictory
declaration of the last of the prophets, with which,
four hundred years before, the voice of prophecy
had ceased, and by which the volume of inspira
tion had been completed. " Remember ye," said
the Lord of hosts by Malachi, "the law of Moses
my servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for
all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Be
hold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the
Lord3." — Thus were the Jews, to adopt the ex-
a Mai. iv. 4, &c.

Lecture XIII. 313
pression of an Apostle, to be " kept under the
law, shut up unto the faith which should after
wards be revealed1"." Yet the law and the pro
phets were not silent respecting " good things to
come." Both the one and the other " prophesied."
Previously to the appearance of John the Baptist,
these prophecies had not received their accom
plishment. But then had that period commenced,
in which " the God of heaven would set up a
kingdom that should never be destroyed0." "From
the days of John the Baptist," said our Lord,
" the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and
the violent take it by force. And if ye will
receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."
Such declarations as these also claim the atten
tion of us Gentiles. For the things of which the
law and the prophets prophesied, were spoken of
" the last days, in which it was to come to pass
that the mountain of the Lord's house would be
established in the tops of the mountains, and be
exalted above the hills ; and all nations would flow
into it." And already has it come to pass that
many nations have said, " Come ye and let us go
up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of
the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his
ways, and we will walk in his paths ; for out of
b Gal. iii. 23. c Dan. ii. 44.

314 Lecture XIII.
Zion hath gone forth the law, and the word of the
Lord from Jerusalem3." He, who was the mes
senger of the new and universal covenant, through
whose doctrine " the idols have been utterly
abolished1*," and in whose name we trust, appealed
to the law and to the prophets as giving witness
to himself. He came " not to destroy, but to fulfil
them." He referred to the Scriptures, as " they
that testify of him," and to Moses, as " writing of
him." He declared that " all things that were
written by the prophets concerning the Son of
man would be accomplished0." And as he de
clared that " the law and the prophets prophesied
until John," so did he manifestly thereby intimate,
that in his time we may justly expect to find the
accomplishment begin, and that from his time we
shall be able to trace its progress.
In the investigation of this, as weli as of the
other evidences of the mission and character of
Jesus, we may take his own discourses as a faith
ful and sufficient directory. He has not omitted
either expressly to cite, or very intelligibly to refer
to, the entire prophetic testimony respecting the
Christ, and has required of us to inquire and
judge for ourselves whether it has not received its
fulfilment in himself. During his personal mi-

» Isai. ii. 2, 3. h Ibid. v. 18.
» Matt. v. 17. John v. 39, 46'. Luke xviii. 31.

Lecture XIII. 31 5>
nistry, indeed, as we observed in the last Lecture,
the proof from prophecy could not be fully stated
and exhibited, because the most signal events to
which the prophets referred had not then taken
place. But the transactions of his crucifixion and
resurreptipn having rapidly, and beyond all human
calculation, evinced the fulfilment in Jesus of one
large class of predictions, occasion was thereby
given to appeal to them ¦ and the way was also
then prepared for the fulfilment of many others.
But even durirjg the progress of his personal minis
try, a portion of the proof from prophecy was al
ready developed, and was accordingly appealed to
by Jesus. — And it is also worthy of remark, that
during this period he made provision for the
elucidation of the remainder, and also for the
establishment of his own character as an original
prophet, by express, literal, and enlarged pre
dictions of those very events, which furnished the
clue for unraveling the whole mystery of the prQr
phecies, which reconciled the apparently contra
dictory attributes, of the promised Messiah, and
which displayed fully and finally the character of
his office, the nature of his kingdom, and the
purposes for which he was manifested. These
several particulars we shall endeavour, under the
guidance of the statements of Jesus, to elucidate
in some future Lectures ; confining our attention,
during the remainder of this, to his actual citations

316 Lecture XIII.
and allusions to the law and prophets during his
personal ministry.
One of the circumstances upon which Jesus
insisted, both at the opening, and once and again
during the progress, of his ministry, was the ful
ness of the season marked out by a particular
class of predictions, which had indeed already led
the Jews previously to admit and adopt an opinion,
that the promised Messiah would shortly come.
" The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God
is at hand3." And again, when they demanded
" a sign from heaven," he said, "Ye can discern
the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is
it that ye do not discern this timeb?" At another
time, also, he referred them to "the signs ofthe
times," which would prepare them, "even of them
selves, to judge what was right0;" since they must
either conclude that Jesus was "he that should
come," or that another speedily would come to
accomplish the predictions of the prophets.
Jesus himself appeared in the character of " a
teacher come from God," referring to his works as
a proof that he was "sent by God," and that he
" spoke the words of God." He therefore taught
"as one that had authority." He declared that
he " came to seek and to save that which was
lost," to "call not the righteous, but sinners to
1 Mark i. 15. b Matt. xvi. 1—3. - " Luke xii. 56, 57.

Lecture XIII. 317
repentance." He invited the " meek to learn of
him ; the weary and heavy laden to come to him
for the rest which he would give to their souls."
In proof of this as the proper office of him, whom
the prophets had announced, he referred, both in
the synagogue at Nazareth, and also in the con
ference with John's disciples, to the passage in
the sixty-first chapter of Isaiah, in which all this,
with great particularity and variety of expression,
was ascribed to him, upon whom would be " the
Spirit of the Lord, because he was anointed to
preach these glad tidings d." — The same was also
specified in many other passages of the Old Tes
tament6. Though Jesus, as well as the Baptist, taught
that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, yet he
adopted, as the ordinary description of his official
character, the title of " the Son of man." And
from the way in which, on various occasions^
he connected that title with other statements, he
evidently intended to direct their attention to the
following words of the prophet Daniel. " 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,

d Isai. lxi. 1—3.
• Ibid. xi. 1 — 5; xiii. 1— S; lvii. J 1— I 8, &c.

318 Lecture XIII.
and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, and
nations, and languages should serve him ; his do
minion is an everlasting dominion, which shall
not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall
not be destroyed3." These words evidently de
scribe a state of glory and exaltation ; and yet
he, by whom such glory was to be attained, is
called " one like the Son of man." — That phrase,
at least, certainly applies to Jesus, who appro
priated the title to himself; for he did undoubt
edly appear " in the likeness of men." But consider
the remarkable manner and connexion in which
he employed it as his appropriate designation. He
spoke of a time when there should indeed " appear
the sign ofthe Son of man in heaven ;" referring
to that expectation of "a sign from heaven"
which the Jews had derived fijom this prediction
of Daniel, and of which they had several times
required the exhibition. When calling God " his
own Father," and speaking of himself in a manner
consistent with such a claim, he declared that he,
the Son of God, "had authority to execute judg
ment also, because he is the Son <of man." He
spoke also of a time " when the Son of man
should come in the clouds of heaven, with power
and great glory ; in the glory of his Father, with
the holy angels." He not only spoke to Nico-
1 Dan. vii. 13, 14,

Lecture XIII. 319
demus of " the Son of man coming down from
heaven, and being in heaven," but also declared
that "the Son of man must be lifted up ;" but he
declared publicly to the Jeavs, " when ye have
lift up the Son of man, then shall ye know that
I am he." And when on another occasion he
declared that "when he was lifted up from the
earth, he would draw all men to him," he had
just said, " the hour is come that the Son of man
should be glorified." And when he had affirmed,
in answer to the question of the high priest, that
he was the Christ, the Son of God, he added these
remarkable words, " Nevertheless I say unto you,
Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on
the right hand of power, and coining in the clouds
of heaven." Thus both by his assumption of this
title, and also by his application to himself of
those attributes, which appertained to him whose
it really was, Jesus appealed to those prophecies
which described the humanity, humiliation, and
subsequent exaltation of Messiah ; although he
avoided the title of Messiah, which suggested to
the minds of the Jews only the idea of earthly
powerb. b Matt. xxiv. 30. John v. 27- Matt. xxv. 31. John iii.
13, 14 ; viii. 28 ; xii. 23. Matt. xxvi. 64. The Jews by adopt
ing the title of Christ or Messiah, as the usual designation o f" him
that should come,'' seem to have connected with their expet'taitibns
of him only the ideas immediately suggested by the title " Messiah the

320 Lecture XIII.
The prophecies, upon which perhaps Jesus
dwelt most largely, were those which respected
his forerunner, and their connected mission. He
expressly cited to the multitudes the prophecy of
Malachi, which spoke of him, as " the messenger
who was to be sent to prepare the way of the
Lord ;" stating that John was he of whom this
was written. He also added, with reference to the
expectation which they still entertained respecting
the personal appearance of Elijah, that "if they
would receive it, he was the Elias who was to
come ;" John being described under that name
in the concluding words of Malachi3. And the
prediction of "the messenger of the Lord," was
immediately followed by the assurance that 'Hhe-
Lord whom they sought should suddenly come to
the prince." (Dan. ix. 25.) Hence our Lord, and also the Baptist,
principally adopted the other prophetic descriptions of the promised
deliverer. We have contended in several passages of these Lectures,
as indeed even a superficial observation of the Gospel history
teachei us to do, that John did not call Jesus the Messiah, and
that Jesus did not himself publicly adopt the title. We, as
Christians, rightly conceive that this and the other scriptural
titles of our Lord are convertible terms. In the Epistles, as being
addressed to Christians, it is the term generally adopted. But
when we peruse or interpret those parts of the New Testament,
which record the discussions of those periods, when it was still
in debate, whether Jesus was the Christ, and also whether the
functions of the Christ were of a spiritual nature, we must bear
in mind the errors of the age respecting .that title, as well as its
full and genuine import.
- Mai. iii. 1—4 ; iv. 5, 6".

Lecture XIII. 321
his temple, to purify the sons of Levi, and to purge
them as gold and silver, that they might offer unto
the Lord an offering in righteousness, and that
the offering of Judah and Jerusalem might be
pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old."
When, therefore, the witness of the Father and
of the Baptist had declared of Jesus that he was
the Son of God, he entered the temple, and
expelled the traders from thence with the words,
" Make not my Father's house a house of mer
chandise11." And at a later period he exercised
the same authority; which indeed belonged to him,
if he was " one greater than the temple0." And he
then accompanied the act with the still more re
markable words; "It is written, My house shall
be called a house of prayer for all nations'1." He
therein actually cited a prediction of Isaiah respect
ing the calling of the Gentiles ; and also brings to
our recollection the prophecy of Haggai, that
" the Desire of all nations should come, and that
the Lord of hosts would fill that house with glory ;
and that the glory of the latter house should be
greater than that of the former6." Let it be re
marked in addition to our former remarks on these
transactions, that in the first instance the Jews
asked him "what sign he shewed, seeing he did

» See John ii. 13—22. c Matt. xii. 6.
d Mark xi. 15—17. Isai. lvi. 7. e Hag. ii. 6—9.
X

322 Lecture XIII.
such things." On that occasion, adapting his
answer to their question, he referred them, as
he always afterwards did, when they demanded
a sign, to his resurrection from the dead. " Destroy
ye this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
But in the latter case, when they merely proposed
the question, " by what authority he did these
things, and who gave him this authority," he then
prepared to reason with them respecting the pas
sage of Malachi, which connected the "sudden
coming of the Lord whom they sought to his
temple," with the " sending of the messenger to
prepare his way before him," by asking of them,
" whether the baptism of John were from heaven
or of men." They knew the message that John
had delivered ; if then they allowed the authority
of that messenger, whom he had immediately fol
lowed, and who had borne witness to him, his
authority was that of " the messenger of the cove
nant, and of the Lord, whom they sought;" and he
had suddenly come to his temple, as " one greater
than the temple3." And Jesus had also previously
prepared them for considering this question, by his
solemn entry into Jerusalem in the manner describ
ed by the prophet Zechariah : by receiving during
his progress to the temple, and in the temple itself,
a Compare 2 Chron. vi. 16 — 18, and Isai. ix. 6, 7, with
Haggai ii. 7, and Mai, iii. 1.

Lecture XIII. 323
the acclamations of the multitude, who saluted him
as " the blessed one that cometh in the name of
the Lord," and as " the Son of David." He re
fused to forbid or restrain these acclamations ; nay,
he even declared that " if they were silent, the
stones would immediately cry out." And when the
Pharisees put to him the significant question,
"Hearest thou what these say?" He answered,
" Yea ;" and added, citing the words of the Psalm
ist, " Have ye never read, Out of the mouths of
babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praiseb?"
Thus fully and willingly did Jesus appeal to the
prophets, and cite from them such passages as
either proved or illustrated his mission. And fain
would he have reasoned with the Jews more largely
upon the testimony of prophecy to those circum
stances, which were already sufficiently before
them, and to which such a discussion was already
applicable. When our Lord made the enlarged defence
of his conduct before the Sanhedrim, and stated
to them the evidences of his authority, he ex
pressly stated, "If ye had believed Moses, ye would
have believed me, for he wrote of me." — We can
readily call to mind the several promises made to
Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; all of
which are recorded by Moses ; as are the predic-

* Psalm viii. 2.
X 2

324 Lecture XIII.
tions of Jacob and Balaam. But that which should
have seemed most likely to have had influence with
those, who boasted that they were Moses's disciples,
was his prediction of the " Prophet like unto him
self, who was to be raised up from among their
brethren, and to whom they were to hearken."
Yet as many of that generation would not hearken
to the words, which that Prophet " spake in the
name of God, who had put his words in his mouth,"
God did, as he had predicted by Moses, " require it
of them." All the temporal calamities, which God's
former dealings with the Jews would lead them to
anticipate from such a threatening, " came," as
our Lord predicted, " on that generation." For as
before for their idolatries, so now for their rejec
tion of him, in order to whose, manifestation they
had been preserved as a separate nation, their city
and temple were destroyed, and themselves led
away into captivity. And we have reason to believe
it an historical fact, that none but those Jews, who
became Christians, escaped from the calamities of
the ruined Jerusalem. — Our Lord did not indeed
actually cite any of these predictions during his
public ministry. But we shall see, in our next
Lecture, that he alluded very intelligibly to the
first promise made to Adam ; and that he also
made a declaration, which shews that he intended
us to recognize in himself that Seed, promised to
Abraham, and also to Isaac, and to Jacob, "in

Lecture XIII. 325
which all the families of the earth were to be
blessed." And we would also remind you of his
frequent assertions that the doctrine which he
taught was that " which he had heard of God," —
that "he did not judge the man who rejected his
words," but that there was one "who sought to
be glorified, and would judge him," — that "the
word spoken, the same would judge him," because
"the Father had given to himself a commandment
what he should say, and what he should speak,
and, as the Father gave him commandment, so he
spoke." Now if these expressions do not, in the
first instance, remind us of the prediction given by
Moses, they at least receive an important illustra
tion, and claim an increased and serious attention,
when we read that prediction. For whosoever that
Prophet was, whom God " raised up like unto
Moses," and to whom he charged them to "heark
en," it was said of him by God himself, " I will
put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak all
that I shall command him ; and whosoever shall
not hearken unto my words, which he shall speak
in my name, I will require it of him."
But there was another way in which " the law
prpphesied" of the blessings of the future dispen
sation, viz. by type and figure. This subject was
fully unfolded by the Apostles after Jesus had
actually accomplished all that was thereby sha
dowed forth. But there are at least three in-

326 Lecture XIII.
stances in which Jesus has himself touched upon
this subject. In allusion to the brazen serpent, which
was raised on high amidst the Israelites dying of
the plague, that they might look thereon, and be
miraculously cured, our Lord said to Nicodemus ;
"As Moses* lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that
whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but
have everlasting life*." — After our Lord had
fed the five thousand, the people, probably from a
recollection of the manner in which Moses mira
culously fed the Israelites in the wilderness, said,
" This is of a truth that Prophet that should come
into the world." And, finding Jesus, they spoke of
"their fathers having been fed with manna in the
desert." Jesus said, "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 world1'." —
And when Jesus instituted the feast which is to
be kept in remembrance of " his being sacrificed
for us as our passover," he noticed the typical
nature of the Jewish passover ; " for he said unto
the disciples, With desire I have desired to eat this
» John iii. 14, 15. Numb. xxi. 6 — 9.
b John vi. 31—63. Exod. xvi. 14, &c. Psalm lxxviii.
24, 25.

Lecture XIII. 327
passover with you before I suffer ; for I say unto
you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be
fulfilled in the kingdom of Godc." — And, when he
said to the Jews, that " their father Abraham re
joiced to see his day, and saw it, and was gladd,"
we may justly suppose that he alluded to the typi
cal nature of the sacrifice of Isaac. For it was
doubtless on that occasion that Abraham was en
abled to foresee, and, in some measure, also to
understand, the manner in which the promised
Seed would become " a blessing to all nations," by
dying for them. And that sacrifice of Isaac,
when considered in connection with the predic
tions of that Seed, who was to descend from
Isaac, ' was a key to the sacrifices even of the law
itself.' Thus did Jesus appeal to the law, of which he
declared, when he repeated on another occasion
some of the words of our text e ; " It is easier for
heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle ofthe law
to fail." We have already noticed in some measure
how he appealed to the prophets. But he appealed
to them much more largely than the limits of this
discourse will allow us fully to lay before you.
One other detached example we shall notice, and

c Luke xxii. 15, 16. eoos otov -irXripaidij ev tjJ fia<ri\eia
tov Qeov. — Exod. xii. and xiii.
d John viii. 52 — 56. Gen. xxii. * Luke xvi. 16, 17.

328 Lecture XIII.
we shall then briefly class the principal remaining
instances under two general heads.
Jesus was frequently addressed by the title of
"the Son of David," nor did he decline it; although
it is evident that they conceived that title as
synonymous with the title " Messiah the Prince ;"
and indeed the prophets authorized them so to do.
But they doubtless understood by it the heir of
David's earthly throne ; and therefore our Lord
undertook to shew them, that David had himself
spoken of him in such a manner, as to shew that
the expected Potentate was not such, either as to
his original, his character, or the nature of his
dominion, as they fondly supposed. " Jesus asked
the Pharisees, What think ye ofthe Christ? whose
Son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.
He saith unto them, How then doth David in
Spirit call him Lord, saying, The Loro said unto
my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make
thine enemies thy footstool ? If David then call
him Lord, how is he his Son? And no man was
able to answer him a word." This was indeed
not the only difficulty which the same hundred
and tenth Psalm, which is so often cited in the
New Testament, would present to the Pharisees.
For it spoke in figurative language ofthe sufferings
of the Son of David as prior and introductory to
his exaltation ; and described him also as " a
priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec, and

Lecture XIII. 329
as therefore being, as Zechariah also had pre
dicted, "a priest upon his throne3."
I. One of the subjects, just alluded to, upon
which our Lord very frequently, though not
always avowedly, cites the prophecies of the Old
Testament, is the infidelity of that generation,
and the consequences of it in the persecution
of those who believed, and in the vengeance which
overtook those who disbelieved, because " they
knew not the time of their visitation." " In them,
said our Lord, is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias,
which saith, 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
understand with their heart, and should be con
verted, and I should heal themb." This passage
is also cited by the Evangelist St. John, when
speaking of the unbelief of the Jews, " although
Jesus had done so many miracles before them."
And our Lord, when speaking of the same sub
ject, observed, " This cometh to pass, that the
word might be fulfilled that is written in their

a Ps. ex. Matt. xxii. 41—46. Mark xii. 34—37- Luke xx.
40—44. Zech. vi. 13.
b Matt. xiii. 14, 15. Isai. vi. 9, 10.— See also Jer. v. 20—23.

330 Lecture XIII.
law, They hated me without a cause"." For he
" had done among them the works which no
other man did." — And again, " Ye hypocrites,
well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This
people honoureth me with their lips, but their
heart is far from meb." And the next verse of
that prophet contains a threatening, to which our
Lord seems also to have alluded, when he said ;
" Father, I thank thee, that thou hast hid these
things from the wise and prudent, and hast re
vealed them unto babes"."
When our Lord says, " I am come to set
a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and a man's foes
shall be they of his own household," he adopts
the language ofthe prophet Micah*. And it will
also be found that he has very largely cited the
ancient prophets in many of his statements respect
ing the destruction of Jerusalem, of which indeed
he expressly says, " For these be the days of
vengeance, that all things which are written may
be fulfilled" ." And it is scarcely needful to re-
" John xv. 22 — 25. Ps. xxxv. 19 ; Ixix. 4.
b Matt. xv. 7- Mark vii. 6. Isai. xxix. 13. Ezek. xxxiii. 31.
c Matt. xi. 25. Our Lord had just been speaking of his mi
racles. See ver. 18. ofthe same chapter ofthe Prophet. Com
pare also Isai. xxxii. 4; xliv. 18; liv. 13.
i Matt. x. 35, 36. Micah vii. 6, 7.
e Luke xxi. 22. Deut. xviii. 19 ; xxviii. 15 — 6'8. Dan. ix.
24 — 27. Zech. xi. and xii. Mai. iii. and iv.

Lecture XU1. 331
mind you of the awful words which he subjoined
to the parable ofthe wicked husbandmen, to whom
one messenger was in vain sent after another to
receive the fruits of the vineyard f, until the
owner "last of all sent unto them his Son."
" Did ye never read in the Scriptures, ' The
stone which the builders refused, the same is
become the head of the corner?' Whoso shall
fall on that stone shall be broken ; but on whom
soever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder5."
And when he added, on that occasion, that " the
kingdom of God, which was taken from them,
would be given to a nation bringing forth the
fruits thereof," he doubtless alluded to the ap
proaching call of the Gentiles, which in several
other instances he had even more distinctly pre
dicted, in strict conformity to what the prophets
had stated respecting those who would be included
in the Messiah's kingdom11.
II. But lastly, Jesus also referred, before his
sufferings commenced, to the prophetic testimony

f See 2 Chron. xxiv. 19—21; xxxvi. 15, 16. Neh.'ix. 26.
Jer. xxvi. 4 — 6.
s Ps. cxviii. 22. For the sources, whence our Lord borrowed
the general warning subjoined to his citation of the Psalmist,
see Isai. viii. 14, 15. Ix. 11, 12. Zech. xii. 2, 3. Dan.ii. 34, 35.
" Matt. viii. 11, 12. John x. 16. Gen. xxii. 18. Ps. lxxii. 10,
11, 17—19. Isai. xi. 10; xiii. 1 — 6. Zech. ii. 11 ; viii. 22, 23.
Mai. i. 11.

332 Lecture XI1L
of the Old Testament respecting them, and the
events by which they were to be brought about.
At the same time, however, by additional and
still more minute statements, he made them the
subjects of his own original and more express
predictions. " Behold," said he to the twelve,
" we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are
written by the prophets concerning the Son of
man shall be accomplished. — -The Son of man
goeth, as it is written of him, but woe unto that
man by whom the Son of man is betrayed. — I speak
not of you all, I know whom I have chosen, but
that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He that
eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel
against me.' — All ye shall be offended because
of me this night, for it is written, ' I will smite
the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.'
He that hath a purse, let him take it, and he that
hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy
one ; for I say unto you, that this that is written
must yet be accomplished in me, ' And he was
numbered among the transgressors ; ' for the
things concerning me have an end3."
Such things had he said to his disciples, be
fore there was yet any apparent fulfilment of the
things which he had thus predicted. — When
a Luke xviii. 31. Matt. xxvi. 24. John xiii. 18, 19. Matt,
xxvi. 31. Luke xxii. 36, 37.

Lecture XIII. 333
those who came to apprehend him in the garden
of Gethsemane were approaching ; he endea
voured to awaken their recollection of these
previous assurances, and to arouse them to a
sense of his and their danger by the declaration,
" He that betrayeth me is at hand." And when
they were astonished and confounded, he reminded
them once more that nothing had occurred, which
had not been prophesied respecting him, nothing, .
from which his Father, if it were expedient, could
not deliver him. " Thinkest thou," said he to
Peter, "that I cannot now pray unto my Father,
and he shall presently give me more than twelve
legions of angels ? But how then shall, the Scrip
tures be fulfilled, that thus it must beb?" He
noticed the same to those who came to apprehend
him. " All this has been done, that the Scriptures
ofthe prophets might be fulfilled.— The Scriptures
must be fulfilled.— This is your hour, and the
power of darkness0."
When on his trial, he professed himself to be
the Christ, he cited the prophecy of Daniel, re
specting the Son of man,, and argued respecting
the nature and object of his kingdom. — But
these things will be considered in a future
Lecture.

b Matt. xxvi. 53, 54.
c Matt, xxvi. 56. Mark xiv. 49. Luke xxii. 53.

334 Lecture XIII.
When suspended on the cross, " knowing that
ALL THINGS WERE NOW ACCOMPLISHED, that the
Scripture might be fulfilled, he said, I thirst3."
And " being numbered with the transgressors,
and having made intercession for them," he
vented the feelings of his agonized soul in the
opening verse of that Psalm, which had so dis
tinctly predicted those sufferings which he had now
been enduring, the minute circumstances which
had attended them, and the cruel taunts which his
enemies had unwittingly uttered against himb."
And soon, appealing both to the law, and to the
prophets, which had prophesied of all these things,
and which were now accomplished, he declared
with a loud voice, "It is finished V He "bowed
his head, and gave up the ghost."
To these words, and to all those which we
have cited, may we not apply the exhortation of
our text ? " He that hath ears to hear, let him
hear." We have not even alluded to more than
an extract from the great volume of Prophecy.
We have noticed those predictions only, which
we know that our Lord actually cited, and to
which he appealed, and even these but in an im
perfect and cursory manner. But do not even
these shew to us, that "the law and the prophets

a John xix. 28. Ps. Ixix. 21. b Ps, xxii. Matt, xxvii. 46.
c John xix. 30.

Lecture XIII. 335
prophesied" of Him? He, therefore, "that hath
ears to hear, let him hear." Let us hear "the
voices of the prophets," directing us to Jesus as
" the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of
the world." And let us hear also the voice of
HIM, who says, " Look unto me and be saved, all
the ends of the earth." And "to whom else
should we go? for he hath the words of eternal
life." Yet, how "slow of heart are we also to
believe all that the prophets have spoken!" How
careless about that salvation, " of which the
prophets enquired and searched diligently, who
did but prophesy of the grace that has come unto
us !" To them " it was revealed, that not unto
themselves, but unto us, they did minister these
things ; which are now reported to us by
them, that have preached the Gospel unto us,
with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven."
" Blessed, then, are our eyes, because of the
things which we have seen, and our ears, because
of the things which we have heard. For many
prophets and kings have desired to see those
things which we see, and have not seen them ;
and to hear those things which we hear, and
have not heard them."
"He, therefore, that hath ears to hear, let
him hear!"

LECTURE XIV.

OUR LORDS DEBATES WITH THE JEWS.  THAT HE-
CORDED in st. john's eighth chapter con
sidered—in THE COURSE OF WHICH OUR LORD
SPECIFIES THE PERIOD AT WHICH THE EVIDENCE
OF HIS MESSIAHSHIP WOULD BE COMPLETE ; AP
PEALS TO THE PURITY OF HIS LIFE, AND OF HIS
DOCTRINE ; HINTS AT THE FULFILMENT IN HIM
OF THE PROMISE TO ABRAHAM ; AND ASSERTS
HIS PRE-EXISTENCE. St. John VIII. 28, 29, 45 — 4?.
Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the
Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that
I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught
me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with
me : the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always
those things that please him.
And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
Which of you convinceth me of sin ? And if I say the
truth, why do ye not believe me ? He that is of God,
heareth God's words; ye therefore hear them not, be
cause ye are not of God.
The arguments of our Lord before the Sanhedrim
having been considered in our former Lectures,
and also such other arguments as were imme
diately referable to the same general heads, we
shall proceed, in this and the three following
Lectures, to discuss such as remain unnoticed.

Lecture XIV. 337
The subject of our next Lecture will be, our
Lord's reference to his own prophecies as fur
nishing an evidence of his character. We shall
afterwards notice his sayings at his apprehension,
at his trial, and at his crucifixion. And our re
view of his statements on the subject of evidence
will then be completed, by considering the man
ner in which he proved the reality of his resur
rection, and his reasonings upon the prophecies
after that event. — Our attention will be directed,
in this Lecture, to the debates which our Lord
held with the Jews at an advanced period of his
ministry. They are recorded in the sixth and
following chapters of St. John ; and we have se
lected, as a specimen, that which occupies a large
portion of the eighth chapter. We find in this
debate the same kind of instruction, argument,
and expostulation as in the others. And in the
words of our text, which are extracted from it,
three distinct heads of evidence are noticed,
which we have not yet considered in the same
point of view, and in the same connection ;
viz., his death as supplying the complete and
convincing demonstration of his character; and
the purity of his life, and of his doctrine, as
also claiming the confidence of all candid and
devout inquirers. Our Lord concluded the debate
with a significant intimation, that in him was
accomplished the promise made to Abraham.
Y

338 Lecture XIV.
And as he had, on other occasions, advanced a claim
to divinity, had reasoned upon it, and had given
evidence of it, so he here repeated the same claim,
by the declaration of his existence before Abra
ham. These- various topics must be noticed in
a very brief and cursory manner. But it is ob
servable, that in these debates, as well as in those
set discourses, to which the subject of these
Lectures had led us to advert, our Lord ever
combined with the statement of evidence, declara
tions respecting the character and design of his
mission, and forcible addresses to the conscience
of his hearers.
It will be expedient, with reference to the
first topic which will offer itself, to renew our
recollection of the state of opinion, which existed
among the Jews at Jerusalem at the time when
this debate took place3.
For some time after the cure of the impotent
man at the pool of Bethesda, and his arraignment
before the Sanhedrim in consequence of it, "Jesus
walked in Galilee ; for he would not walk in Jewry,
because the Jews sought to kill him," offended
by his supposed disregard of the sabbath, and
still more, because "he called God his own proper
Father, making himself equal with God." His
brethren in Galilee were anxious that he should
* See John, chapters vi. and vii.

Lecture XIV. 339
go into Judea at the approaching feast of taber
nacles, and " shew himself to the world." Jesus
declined for a time ; stating that " the world hated
him, because he testified concerning it, that the
works thereof are evil." About the midst of the
feast, however, " Jesus went up into the temple,
and taught." There had previously been " much
murmuring among the people concerning him ;
for some said, He is a good man ; others said, Nay,
but he deceiveth the people." They were how
ever astonished that, " having never learned," he
was able to deliver such instructions; and were,
therefore, not a little divided in their opinions re
specting him. Jesus himself in several instances
adapted his remarks to their own difficulties and
objections ; and, more than once, alluded to their
murderous wishes against him. "Then said some
of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he whom they
seek to kill ? But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they
say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know in
deed that this is the very Christ? Howbeit we
know this man whence he is ; but when Christ
cometh, no man knoweth whence he is." Upon
his repetition of the supposed blasphemy, in
noticing these their doubts, "they sought to
take him." But " many of the people believed on
him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do
more miracles than this man doeth 1" And on the
last day ofthe feast, after Jesus had spoken, under
Y 2

340 Lecture XIV.
the metaphor of water, of the future gifts of the
Spirit, "many ofthe people when they heard that
saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.
Others said, This is the Christ. But some said,
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? So there was a division among the
people because of him. And some of them would
have taken him ; but no man laid hands on him."
Even these officers of the chief priests gave this
reason for not bringing him, "Never man spake
like this man."
Thus deeply had the people been impressed
in favour of Jesus by his miracles and doctrine.
Nay, so strongly were they disposed even to con
fess him to be the Christ, that the Pharisees, as
we read in the following chapter, at this time
deemed it necessary to denounce the penalty of
excommunication from the synagogue, against all
who made such a confession. Yet even the
doubts which they entertained proceeded upon
erroneous suppositions. And Jesus, as we shall
see, at this season endeavoured to assist their
inquiries, and to strengthen and direct their faith,
at the same time that he avoided every thing that
might encourage the carnal and worldly views of
such, as dreanit only of the restoration of a tem
poral kingdom to Israel.

Lecture XIV. 341
" Early in the morning," on the day after the
feast of tabernacles, "he went into the temple, and
all the people came unto him3." Borrowing an
illustration from the rising sun, and thereby also
applying to himself several prophetic descriptions
of "the Redeemer who should come to Zion, and
unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob,"
he said, " I am the light of the world ; he that
followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall
have the light of lifeV — A discussion arose in
consequence of this declaration; in the course of
which Jesus stated, in answer to the objection of
the Pharisees, that even his record concerning him
self was true, " because he knew whence he himself
came, and whither he went." And he also re
minded them that "the Father had borne witness
of him," as well as he himself by his miracles. —
But we need not dwell upon this part of the dis
cussion, as we have already had occasion to con
sider it c.
" Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my
way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your
sins ; whither I go, ye cannot come d." — When
they cavilled at him, as if he had spoken of an
intention to kill himself, he reproved them be1

* John viii. 12 — 20. b Isai. lix. 20, 21 ; Ix. 1.
c See the former part of Lecture VI, and Lecture XI.
d John viii. 21, &c.

342 Lecture XIV.
cause of the earthliness of their minds, which not
only made them indulge the hope of a temporal
Messiah, but also seemed to incapacitate them for
learning better things. "Ye are from beneath,
I am from above; ye are of this world, I am not
of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye
shall die in your sins ; for if ye believe not that
I am he, ye shall die in your sins." — Our Lord
was evidently now conversing with some of those,
who were disposed to side against him ; and he
was kindly cautioning them against persisting in
those interested and deluding prejudices, which
now so effectually blinded their understandings.
Had they but had a disposition to judge impar
tially, or even to suspend their judgment, they
would, at the period to which he alluded, when
he said, "I go my way," have seen fully that he
was the Messiah that was to come, though not
such as they expected. But he foresaw that they
would, unhappily for themselves, cling to the fond
hope of a Messiah triumphant upon earth, while
they rejected him who was indeed the Messiah,
but who had then "ascended where he was be
fore*," and "gone whither they could not come."
The promised Messiah would have gone his way ;
they would still seek him ; and in the agony of dis
appointed hope, and amidst the destruction which
-1 John vi. 6'2.

Lecture XIV. 343
threatened them, would die in their sins. Because
of their inveterate carnal prejudices, would they
die in their sins ; " for if ye believe not that I am
he" — I, who appear in humility, in righteousness,
in the character of a prophet and divine instructor,
not of a warrior and monarch — " if ye believe not
that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." Whether
Jesus were proved to be the Messiah or not, he
had already given them such proofs that " God
was with him," that he had the full sanction of
heaven to demand of them a confidence in such
a declaration as he now made ; and the awful
alternative which he announced to them, might
justly dispose them to inquire, as they immediately
did, "Who art thou?" — Jesus saith unto them,
" Even the same that 1 said unto you from
the beginning b." He had already made many
declarations respecting himself. At Jerusalem at
a preceding passover he had publicly, before the
Sanhedrim, stated to them the authority which as
the Son of man he had received of the Father.
During the feast of tabernacles, which was just
over, he had not been backward in speaking of his
doctrine, of the source from whence he derived it,
and ofthe blessings which he would be empowered
to bestow on all that believed on him. On that
very morning, in the beginning of this conver-
b See Note in page 319.

344 Lecture XIV.
sation with them, he had declared himself to be
" the light of the world." But he proceeded to
inform them that he had not yet fully declared
either his own office, or their responsibility ; but
that, at a certain period, and after a certain event,
they would have the whole matter before them ;
and such complete evidence would then be pro
posed to them, as would make their unbelief no
longer excusable." " ' I have many things to say
and to judge of you ; but he that sent me is true ;
and I speak to the world those things which I
have heard of him.' They understood not that
he spake unto them of the Father. Then said
Jesus unto them ; When ye have lifted up the
Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and
that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father
hath taught me, I speak these things. And he
that hath sent me is with me ; the Father hath not
left me alone; for I do always those things that
please him."
The Evangelist adds, that " as he spake these
words, many believed on him." They were pro
bably impressed with an admiration of his fearless
declaration of his doctrine in the midst of dan_rer •
they recollected both his former and his recent
instructions, and they could not but confess their
truth and propriety; they felt an assurance, justi
fied by the past wonders which had borne witness
to Jesus, that the future instruction and evidence

Lecture XIV. 345
of which he spoke would hereafter be afforded
them ; and that " what they knew not now, they
should know hereafter." Perhaps they did not
understand what he meant by " the lifting up of
the Son of man." They might even still under
stand this as spoken of his exaltation to the tem
poral throne of David, rather than of his being
" lifted up from the earth" upon the fatal tree.
Probably, however, they had some imperfect notion
of his meaning; for we find them afterwards
observing, upon his use of the same expression,
" We have heard out of the law, that Christ
abideth for ever ; and how sayest thou, The Son
of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of
man3?" Jesus did not, even then, explain it; for
the event, which so speedily followed, could alone
properly explain it. But he then added a caution,
which might also have suited the occasion and
connexion of the words before us, if the question
had been at that time proposed to him, " Yet
a little while the light is with you ; walk while ye
have the light, lest darkness come upon you. —
While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye
may be the children of light."
As far as it respects the full understanding of
this difficulty, of the way in which the Son of man
was lifted up, and of all the glorious consequences
a John jdi. 34.

346 Lecture XIV.
of that great but awful event, — to this extent, we
are all " children of light." We know how Jesus
died, and rose again; how he thereby fulfilled what
was written, and was declared to be the Son of
God with power. Hereafter we shall have to con
sider this more at large ; let it suffice for the
present to have observed, that Jesus previously
specified this event as completing the evidence of
his mission. Yet during his personal ministry "he
that sent him was with him, the Father left him
not alone." Even before the Sun of Righteous
ness arose upon the earth in all the brightness of
his meridian splendour, those who waited for his
salvation, saw the brightness and felt the genial
warmth of those healing beams, which gave full
assurance that the light of Israel was come, and
which prepared them to expect the glory that
should follow. But to us are made known both
the wonders of his holy and spotless life, the
heavenly doctrine that flowed from his lips, the
miracles which he wrought, the witness of heaven
and of earth, of Prophets and Apostles, of holy
men and holy Angels. And in whom have we
therefore believed, but in Jesus, the Mediator of
the new Covenant ; in Jesus, of whom all these
things " were written, that we might know that he
is the Christ the Son of God, and that believing
we might" not die in our sins, but " have life
through his name." To us, therefore, who have

Lecture XIV. 347
known and received all these things, as well as to
those who " believed on him, as he spake the
words" which we have been considering, Jesus
says ; " If ye continue in my word, then are ye
my disciples indeed, and ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free."
That in these words he spoke of that slavery
of sin, which is unto death, and of that spiritual
liberty wherewith he maketh his people free, we
learn from his own subsequent explanation of his
words. In us there are probably few prepos
sessions so likely to frustrate his gracious inten
tions for our deliverance, as those which result
from the debasing influence of that our slavery,
which makes us in love with our fetters, which
causes us even gladly to remain in the darkness of
our prison-house, and which disposes us to hear with
apathy, if not with regret, the words of him who
" says to the prisoners, Go forth ; to them that
are in darkness, Shew yourselves3." But what
ever be the nature, and however domineering be
the influence ofthe unhappy principles, which make
us reluctant to be liberated from that service, of
which "the wages is death," by the Son, "who can
make us free indeed," we shall do well to reflect
how severely Jesus reproved and expostulated
with those Jews, to whom these words appeared
» Isai. xiii. 7 .

348 Lecture XIV.
to suggest, not, as to a Christian, a salutary and
yet encouraging admonition, but an attack on the
supposed hereditary and indefeisible prerogatives
of the children of Abraham. If they were culpa
ble for their ignorance and neglect of this freedom,
how much more so are we!
Forgetful of the national dependence on a
foreign power to which they then were, and had
been so often before, subject ; forgetful, also, that
as little could they boast of uninterrupted religious
liberty, the Jews answered Jesus with the words,
" We be Abraham's seed, and were never in
bondage to any man ; how sayest thou, Ye shall
be made free ?" — " Verily, verily, answered Jesus,
I say unto you, He that committeth sin, is the
servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the
house for ever ; but the Son abideth ever. If the
Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed. I know that ye are Abraham'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 were right in
supposing that Jesus intended to impute crimi
nality both to themselves and to their father ; and
they repeated the assertion, that " Abraham was
their father," as if to ask, whether he meant to
apply such an imputation to him. But if Abraham
were pure from guilt, it did not follow that they

Lecture XIV. 349
were his children in that respect, and that they
inherited his integrity. Jesus disproved their
claim, acquitted Abraham, and advanced his posi
tion against them in nearly the same words as
before. " 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 Abra
ham. Ye do the deeds of your father." They
had no resemblance to Abraham in that very
particular, for which he was especially commended ;
for " Abraham believed in the Lord, and he
counted it to him for righteousness3." But still,
what could Jesus mean by " their father," if he
meant not Abraham? Did he mean to accuse
them of idolatry, termed by the prophets fornica
tion, as being a breach of that covenant of God
with his people, which was described under the
similitude of a marriage b ? " We be not born of
fornication ;" they replied ; " We have one Father,
even God." Still had they not been aware of
whom Jesus spake. He had to refute another of
their unauthorized claims. He had to prove to
them, that idolatry was not the only modification
of error. He had to reveal to them the humiliating

" Gen. xv. 6.
b 2 Chron. xxi. 11. Jer. iii. 1 — 14. Ezek. xliii. 7—9.
Hos. ii. 19, 20; iv. 12.

350 Lecture XIV.
truth, which referred their original, in a spiritual
sense, to another and more ancient progenitor
than Abraham; to one, however, who had been
described in their own Scriptures ; and their
relation to whom fully accounted for their opposi
tion to himself, if he were what he claimed, and
what he knew himself to be.
" Jesus said unto them, If God were your
Father, ye would love me ; for I proceeded forth,
and came (am come3) from God; neither came
I (have I come) of myself, but he sent me. Why
do ye not understand my speech (i. e. my phrase
ology) ? even because ye cannot hear my word
(i. e. the truths which I declare). Ye are of
your father the devil, and the lusts of your father
ye are willing to 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. Which of you convinceth me of
sin ? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe
me ? He that is of God heareth God's words ; ye
therefore hear them not, because ye are not of
God."
a eK tov Qeov ejjrjXdov koi rJKW ovhe yap or' i/xavTov i\tj\v6a,
dX\' eiceii/os fie aitetTTeiKe. Aicer! tij* AAAIAN Trjv ip.rjv ov
•yii/(u_-K6T€ ; oti ov Sui/acrfle dicoveiv tov AOrON tov ifiov.
v. 42, 43.

Lecture XIV. 351
This is a most important passage. That the
devil " was a murderer from the beginning, that
he abode not in the truth, and that he is the
father of lies," the very first pages of Revelation
inform us. God had said, that if man eat of the
forbidden fruit, "he should surely die." "The old
serpent, which is the devil and Satan," said, " Ye
shall not surely die." The lie was believed. Man
disobeyed, and the sentence of death was pro
nounced. A declaration was at the same time
made by the Almighty, that " he would put enmity
between the seed of the serpent, and the seed of
the woman." The Jews identified themselves
with the seed of the serpent, by seeking to kill
him, "who told them the truth which he had heard
of God." They proved themselves to be " children
of the devil," not only by being thus " willing to
do the lusts of their father," but by disbelieving
Jesus, " because he told them the truth." For
they were " of the world ;" and he " testified,
that the world's works were evil," and therefore
they " hated him, and could not hear his word."
" If he told them the truth," and that he did, the
conscience of every one who has either heard or
read the words of Jesus must testify, why did they
not believe him, but " because they were not of
God." For "he that is of God will hear his
words." And if they were of God, they would
not have hated, but on the contrary have loved
him, who had by so many proofs evinced, that he

352 Lecture XIV.
"proceeded forth, and was sent, and had come
from God, and not of himself."
These declarations he fearlessly and confidently
advanced respecting himself. He feared not that
they should retort the charge ; for he feared not
to assert that "he did always those things that
pleased the Father." Nay, he even anticipated
and defied their objections in this matter, by the
challenge, " Which of you convinceth me of sin ?"
Full well, indeed, he knew that they would proceed
in co-operation with their father. The time was
at hand, which would be "their hour, and the
power of darkness ;" in which they would ac
complish their murderous purpose, and accomplish
his death. But it would be "with wicked hands"
that they would " crucify and slay him ;" and
both in his life, and in his death, did both they
and their father fail to "convict him of sin."
They could never bring any charge against him,
excepting as it regarded his supposed violation
of the sabbath, and his supposed blasphemy, in
calling himself the Son of God3. Both these he

a For the defence which our Saviour made, both by argument
and miracle, against these imputations, see Lecture V. and the
conclusion of the present Lecture. — The comprehensive character
of the debate, which is the subject of this Lecture, has rendered
it necessary to consider the appeal of our Lord to the purity of
his life and doctrine, only in immediate connexion with the course
of the discussion. A more general view of both those topics has,
indeed, been before taken in the latter part of Lecture VI.

Lecture XIV. 353
ever refuted by unanswerable arguments ; and at
the same time he demonstrated by his miracles, that
" the Father did not leave him alone," and, there
fore, that always, and in all these things, he did
"those things that pleased him." Satan had al
ready been vanquished in his early attacks upon our
Lord's faithfulness and integrity ; and when " the
prince of this world came" unto him at the closing
scene, he "found nothing in Jesus," and was him
self " cast out." Nay more, their present rivalry
and opposition would issue in that decisive conflict,
described in the original prediction of the enmity
which would subsist between "the Seed of the
woman, and the seed of the serpent." This was
he, whose "heel was indeed bruised," but who
" bruised the head of the serpent;" who thereby
" destroyed him that had the power of death," and
obtained that victory, by which the forfeited im
mortality was restored, and eternal life procured
for all that obey him. And Jesus on this very
same occasion, gave that promise of eternal life,
which he was so soon to be empowered to per
form ; thereby predicting the speedy accomplish
ment ofthe original promise, as he also immediately
afterwards asserted the accomplishment of that
given to Abraham.
His opponents contended, that by these im
putations he manifested such hostility to the Jews,
that he might justly be considered as siding with
Z

354 Lecture XIV.
the enemies of their country and religion, and
could scarcely be otherwise than infatuated. " They
answered and said unto him, Say we not well, that
thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? Jesus
answered, 1 have not a devil ; but I honour my
Father, and ye do dishonour me. And I seek
not mine own glory; there is one that seeketh
and judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If
1 man keep my saying, he shall never see death."
Not long before, in his discourse before the San
hedrim, he had advanced a similar statement in
the most confident and solemn manner. " Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word,
and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is
passed from death unto life3." He now repeated
the same declaration in a connexion still more
striking, and in one which more particularly ex
plained its meaning. For a comparison of his
expressions in the earlier part of this debate, and
of those immediately preceding the declaration in
question, will shew, that he claimed, and in the
strongest manner asserted his possession of the
power to deliver those, who were the bondslaves
of sin and Satan, not only from the present domi
nion, but also from the future condemnation, of
sin. But the Jews, staggered still more than ever
at such a statement, demanded of him, " Art thou

* John v. 24.

Lecture XIV. 355
greater than our father Abraham, which is dead,
and the prophets are dead : whom makest thou thy
self?" He concluded a defence, similar to that
which we have just cited b, with the words, " Your
father Abraham, eagerly desired that he might see
my day, and he saw it, and was glad." Whom
therefore did Jesus profess himself to be, but that
predicted Seed of Abraham, "in whom all nations
of the earth were to be blessed?" For whose
day but his, could Abraham ever have desired to
see ? And then, doubtless, did he see it, when the
typical sacrifice of Isaac was offered on mount
Moriah, and when the substitution of the ram in
the place of Abraham's son was followed by
a more particular repetition of the promise. And
all nations have been blessed by the actual sacrifice
of him, whom Isaac typified ; who, "after he had
been lifted up, was known to be he," of whom
" the law and the prophets prophesied," and who
thenceforth " drew all men to himc," as the Shiloh
whom Jacob had predicted.
b " Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing :
it is my Father which honoureth me ; of whom ye say, that he is
your God. Yet ye have not known him : and if I should say,
I know him not, I should be a liar like unto you ; but I know
him, and keep his saying. — Your father Abraham eagerly desired
that he might see my day (yyaWido-aTo "va "Br/ Trjv tjfiepav Ttjv
c/iqV) ; and he saw it, and was glad." ver. 54 — 56.
g See Gen. xlix. 10. " To him shall the gathering of the people
be." E. T. 'Ovk en\el\f/ei ap-yu>v e'f Tou'Sa — eaj? edv ekBri to
diroKe'ifxeva ciutw' tol avro\ irpoatoKia i&vmv. Septuagint.
Z 2

356 Lecture XIV.
But the Jews misunderstanding or perverting
what Jesus had said, asked him, not whether
Abraham had really " seen his day," but whether
" he, not being yet fifty years old, had seen Abra
ham." Jesus did not shrink even from meeting
this new state of the question, which demanded
an answer respecting his pre-existence. He
unequivocally answered " Before Abraham was,
I am." On many other occasions had Jesus virtually
affirmed the same position. His divinity, if he
did really and justly claim it, certainly implied his
pre-existence. And he frequently used language
from which the Jews inferred, that he made
himself " equal with God," nor did he disavow
the claim. When the Pharisees asked, " Who
can forgive sins, but God alone?" he cured the
paralytic, for the express purpose of proving that
" the Son of man had power on earth to forgive
sins"." He spoke ofthe Son of man "ascending
up where he was before," to prove that he said
truly, " / came down from heavenb." He ap
pealed to prophecy to prove that he, who was
David's Son, was also David's Lord0. He ap
pealed, on another occasion, both to the Scriptures
of the Old Testament as justifying, and to his
¦* Matt. ix. 6". Mark ii. 10. Luke v. 24.
b John vi. 42, 6'1, 62. c Matt. xxii. 42—45.

Lecture XIV. 357'
own works as proving, his claim to divinity. " Is
it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods ?
If he called them gods, to whom the word of God
came, and the Scripture cannot be broken ; say
ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and
sent into the 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 himd." He again appealed to his works
in proof of the assertion that he ought to be be
lieved in such declarations, when he said to Philip,
" He, that hath seen me, hath seen the Father ;
and how sayest thou, Shew us the Father? Be
lievest thou not that I am in the Father, and the
Father in me? The words that I speak to you,
I speak not of myself, but the Father, that dwelleth
in me, he doeth the works. Believe me, that
J am in the Father, and the Father in me; or
else believe me for the very works' sake"."
Thus does it appear, that Jesus supported by
the most cogent argumentation, and by diversified
evidence, every claim which he advanced. This
very circumstance itself, that he thus founded his
religion on argument, the truth also and the purity
of his doctrine, the unimpeachable purity and
* John x. 29—39. c IM' x>v. 6—11.

358 Lecture XIV.
disinterestedness of his own life, the accomplish
ment of every type and prophecy in the events
and purposes of his mission, and the many and
various attestations of a miraculous nature which
evinced its divine authority, — all these considera
tions may justly demand "the obedience of our
faith." And having now considered at length this
debate of our Lord with the Jews, let me briefly
direct your attention to the circumstances under
which it was concluded.
Jesus delivered himself by a miracle from the
effects of that indignation, which the assertion of
his pre-existence had excited. " They took, up
stones to cast at him ; but he was concealed from
them, and went out of the temple, going through
the midst of them, and so passed by3." — But
remark also what followed. — " As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man which was blind from his birth b."
He restored to him his sight ; and the severest
scrutiny of the perplexed rulers, only proved the
reality ofthe miracle, and that it had been wrought
by Jesus. Shall we then consent to the declara
tion, ofthe Pharisees, that "we know not whence
Jesus is?" Rather let every such thought give
way to the force of that rational expostulation of
the man, on whom this signal miracle was wrought.
" Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know
a John viii. 59. -: — 'I»j<ro_>5 ce eupvfttj, ku), &c. b Ibid.ix. 1.

Lecture XIV. 359
not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened my
eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sin
ners ; 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 born blind. If this man were not
of God, he could do nothing*." When Jesus
declared to this candid, and reflecting man, that
he was the Son of God, he answered, "Lord,
I believe," and worshipped him ". Jesus also de
clared, at the commencement of the debate which
we have been reviewing, that he is " the light of
the world." And he avowedly wrought this very
miracle to demonstrate the truth of that assertion.
For, immediately before he wrought it, he assigned
to his disciples his reason for so doing. " I must
work the works of him that sent me, while it is
day ; the night cometh, when no man can work.
As long as I am in the world, I am the light ofthe
world(." — We may know then the blessedness to
which we are invited ; for Jesus himself declared,
" he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of lifeg." But hear also
the condemnation of those, who persist in unbelief ;
for this also our Lord declared after the miracle.
"For judgment am I come into this world, that

d John ix. 30—33. ' Ibid. 35—38. ' Ibid. 4, 5,
s Ibid. viii. 12.

360 Lecture XIV.
they which see not might see, and that they which
see might be made blind3."
Sensible, then, of our necessities, and touched
with gratitude to him, who hath visited, enlight
ened, and redeemed us, let us " walk in the light
of the Lord ;" let us not shrink and retire from it,
even though it discovers to us our sinfulness and
guilt, our responsibility and danger. Let us not
disbelieve Jesus "because he tells us the truth."
When it is demanded of us, " Dost thou believe
in the Son of God ?" we can now have no plea to
offer in excuse for that ignorance, which would
lead us to say, as the man who was cured of his
blindness said, "Lord, who is he, that I might
believe on him ?" Let us then answer with him,
" Lord, I believe." — He worshipped Jesus. And we
must also " honour the Son even as we honour the
Father." — Jesus hath also declared that "whoso
keepeth his saying, shall never see death, but
shall have the light of life." He has " visited us,
as the day-spring from on high, to guide our feet
into the way of peace." And oh ! that " the
things, which belong to our peace, may never be
hid from our eyes ;" that "the God of this world,
who blindeth the minds of them that believe not,
may not prevent the light of the glorious Gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God, from shining
a John ix. 39.

Lecture XIV. 361
unto us." Such alas ! has been, and is, and may
again be the case with many. Many of those, who
saw this signal miracle, scrutinized it, perceived its
reality, and yet disregarded its force and intention.
And even now "the true light, which cometh into
the world to enlighten every man, shineth in the
world's darkness," and even enters into the dark
chambers of our own soiils, and yet we see it not,
we comprehend it not, we are not guided by it.
Yet "our light has come, and the glory of the
Lord has risen upon us." Let us then " arise,"
and, " though we were sometime darkness, let us
be light in the Lord ;" and " let our light shine
before men, to the glory of our heavenly Father,
by our good works which they shall behold." For
dreadful and hopeless is the state of those, " who
say they see, and whose sin therefore remaineth ;"
" who love darkness rather than light, because their
deeds are evil." May, therefore, that "God, which
commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shine
in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ ;
so that we may be changed into the same image
from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the
Lord."

LECTURE XV.

OUE LORD S STATEMENT THAT THE FULFILMENT
OF HIS OWN PREDICTIONS WOULD EVINCE HIS
MESSIAHSHIP. THE MANNER IN WHICH HE DIS
PLAYED AND NOTICED HIS UNLIMITED KNOW
LEDGE OF MEN AND THINGS.

St. John XIII. 18, 19.
/ know whom I have chosen : but that the Scripture may
be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me, hath lifted
up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it
come, that, when it is come to pass^, ye may believe
that I am He.
It was asserted by our Lord of John the Baptist,
that " there had not arisen a greater prophet than
he ;" nay that he was '¦' even more than a prophet."
And the reason which he assigned for such an as
sertion was this, that John was the very " messen
ger of whom it was written, that he should be sent
to prepare the way of the Lord." "He came for
a witness" to that dignified Person to whom all the
prophets had referred ; and his predictions were, in
many respects, more minute and particular than
those of his predecessors. " He came for a wit-

Lecture XV. 363
ness," not by his verbal annunciations alone, but
by his personal, and therefore more definite testi
mony to him " whom God had sent."
Now in all these particulars Jesus as far sur
passed his forerunner, as the immediate forerunner
did the remoter prophets. Jesus was the very per
sonage, to whom all these, " at sundry times and
in divers manners," gave their inspired testimony ;
and in and by whom their predictions were to have
their accomplishment. He carried forward the
scheme of prophecy still further ; describing in
more precise and even in literal terms the great
events which were approaching. He applied the
language of preceding prophets to those events,
so as to decide beforehand the true interpretation
of their predictions. And he included, at the
same time, such a distinct mention of additional
particulars, as proved that futurity was much
more extensively open to his view. Nay further,
the events predicted were such in themselves,
and so circumstanced, and Jesus also manifested
such a familiar acquaintance with them, as an
original prophet, that his Messiahship is as fully
proved from hence as his divine Mission. And
this his extensive prescience is also in another way
illustrated and proved, by the knowledge which he
ever displayed of past and present things, as well
as of futurity ; by his knowledge of the characters,
surmises, and intentions of all with whom he was

364 Lecture XV.
concerned ; a knowledge, such as nothing less than
omniscience could have communicated to him.
These considerations are pointed out to us by
our Lord himself in the words of our text, with
which he prefaced and prepared his distinct inti
mation of the treachery of Judas. He asserted
his acquaintance with the characters of his disci
ples, although not as yet displayed by their con
duct. When he spoke these words he was about
to prove that " he knew whom he had chosen,"
by declaring beforehand not only the treachery of
Judas, but the denial of Peter, and the cowardly
desertion of all of them in that hour of danger,
which, though by them not foreseen, was near at
hand. He cited the Scripture, which declared the
hostile conduct of one " that eat bread with him,"
that he might expressly apply it to one of those
individuals, who then sat with him at the table.
And he explained the design with which he pre
dicted this to them, in a declaration, similar to
which he made many others. " Now I tell you
before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye
may believe that I am he." — It will be our en
deavour to remind you of some of the instances of
this wondrous prescience of Jesus, in order that
we may shew how it bears upon the question of
the divine mission and Messiahship of Jesus ; and
that you may thus duly apprehend the force of
those arguments, which our Lord has derived from

Lecture XV. 365
the accuracy with which he both spoke of things
to come, and discerned the spirits of men.
The predictions of Jesus extend even to the ge
neral resurrection, and to the consummation of all
things. If we believe that he was what he claimed
to be, we may confidently expect that all these
predictions will be fulfilled in their season, although
the season for the accomplishment of some of them
is yet distant, and others are but imperfectly ful
filled. They are all such as it became the pro
mised Messiah to deliver ; they are all such as it
appertains to him to accomplish. And our con
viction of his power and authority will indeed rest
on the most solid basis, if to every other demon
stration of it, we can also establish the prescience
of Jesus, by shewing the fulfilment of his numerous
predictions. We must for this purpose consider
those -which have received their accomplishment.
I. Let us first consider such as were not ac
complished until after the Evangelists published
a record of them in their Gospels. Such was the
frequently repeated prediction of the calamities
Which were coming upon the Jews, and of the
overthrow of their temple, and city, and nation.
Jesus at one time gave only a general intimation
of the sad event, or couched it under an illustrative
parable3. In other instances he concisely noticed
a Matt. viii. 12. Luke xiii. 6", 35 ; xix. and x.

366 Lecture XV.
the fact, and a few of its circumstances ; as in his
addresses to the Pharisees3, and in the pathetic
lamentation over Jerusalem when he beheld it
from the mount of 01ivesb. And when the women
who stood round the cross wept for him, who had
so lately wept for their country, he repeated some
of the alarming intimations with the expressive
exhortation, " Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not
for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your
children"." On each of these several occasions
he distinctly pointed at the same event, but scarcely
ever in the same form, and always with an allusion
to some different circumstances. But in the
longest of all his predictions, delivered to his
disciples in private, he described the circumstances
which' would precede, attend, and follow that
signally calamitous event, with a wonderful but
awful precision. Yet " that generation did not
pass, till all was fulfilled ;" and the fullest con
firmation was given to the declaration of Jesus,
which he connected with these predictions,
" Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my
words shall not pass awayd."
It was also declared by Jesus, that his Gospel
should first be extensively preached throughout

* Luke xvii. 20. Matt, xxiii. b Luke xix. 43.
c Ibid, xxiii. 28—31.
* Matt. xxiv. 35. Mark xiii. 31. Luke xxi. 33.

Lecture XV , 367
the Roman empire ; that the " kingdom of God,
which should be taken from the Jews, would be
given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof;"
that he must bring together " into one fold, and
under one Shepherd," sheep of " other folds ;"
and that " many would come from the east, and
from the west, and sit down with Abraham and
Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God, while the
children of the kingdom were cast outV Hereby
he announced the accomplishment, in a manner
which the Jews were not prepared to expect, of
the divine promise given to Jacob at Bethel.
" I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and
the God of Jacob ; the land whereon thou liest,
to thee will I give it, and to thy seed ; and thy
seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou
shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east,
and to the north, and to the south ; and in thee
and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth
be blessed'." That the commission given by Jesus to " teach
all nations" will one day be effectual, and that
" the Gospel will be preached in the whole world,"
and "the fulness. of the Gentiles come in," we
retain the assured and consolatory hope. But as

e Matt. xxiv. 14; xxi. 41 — 43. John x. l6. Matt. viii. 11.
Luke xiii. 29-
f Gen. xxviii. 13, 14.

368 Lecture XV.
we see not as yet " obedience to the faith among
all nations," so, in this very circumstance, do we
recognize the prescience of Jesus, reaching to
every age of that Church, of which he has declared,
that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it3." For he also announced to his disciples, that
" the Jews would fall by the edge of the sword,
and be led away captive into all nations ; and that
Jerusalem would be trodden down of the Gentiles,
until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled6." This
prophecy has continued to receive its accomplish
ment for nearly two thousand years. The Jews
who were then carried captive, have ever since
remained, and still do remain, in the same dis
persed, despised, and often persecuted condition.
Jerusalem is still trodden down of the Gentiles ;
because the time of the Gentiles is not yet ful
filled. Yet has the Gospel of Jesus, though
rejected by the Jews, and though opposed by
Gentiles, not been arrested in its progress. Those
who first promulgated it, did endure the various
sufferings, and met with the unbelief and
hatred, of which their Master forewarned them0.
But, through their labours and writings, the
Gospel, like the " leaven hid in three measures
of meal," to which Jesus compared it, has ever

' Matt. xvi. 18. b Luke xxi. 24.
c Matt. x. 17, 18 ; xxiii. 34 ; xxiv. 9. John xv. 20 ; xvi. 2.

Lecture XV. 369
since continued and extended its beneficent in
fluence in the world, and we doubt not will finally
leaven the whole. Already has the " grain of
mustard-seed" sown in Judea, become a tree, and
many nations have reposed under its shadow, and
nestled among its branches'5.
These prophecies, and' their accomplishment,
are of themselves sufficient to establish the pro
phetic character of Jesus, had he delivered no
other. Their fulfilment had not begun in his
own life-time, and some of the most important
were not fulfilled until after the death of all those
who have transmitted them to usc. Yet their
correctness is proved both by the history of past
ages, and by the present state of the Christian
Church, of the Jews, and of the world. It is,
however, obvious, that the accomplishment of
these had no share in producing that faith in
Jesus as the Messiah, and that patience and tran
quillity in the midst of sufferings,.which the Apost les
did undoubtedly derive from some prophecies of
their Master; and the production of both which
results he expressly assigned as his motive for the
delivery of them, as we shall hereafter shew. But
the notice of these may have prepared us with

d Matt, xiii.
' St. John, who survived the destruction of Jerusalem, and
probably wrote after it, has not mentioned the prophecy respect
ing that event, which the earlier writers so carefully recorded.
Aa

370 Lecture XV. ,
fuller confidence to proceed to the consideration of
others, the accomplishment as well as the delivery
of which we learn from the New Testament, and
some of which more directly tend to prove the
divine mission of Jesus as the Messiah. i
II. Some predictions of a detached character
which Jesus delivered, 'received an almost imme
diate accomplishment. — Such was the declaration
to his disdples, a few days before the raising of
Lazarus. " Our friend Lazarus sleepeth ; but
I go that I may awake him out of sleep." Soon
after " he said unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there,
to the intent ye may believe." To Martha also
Jesus said, when he first met her, " Thy brother
shall rise again ;" and again at the grave, when he
had ordered the stone to be removed, and she
begaii to expostulate with him, " Said I not unto
thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest
see the glory of God?" The event itself also was
preceded by an address to the Father, with the
avowed design that they might see that it was
done with his approbation and by his power, and
that thus " they might believe that the Father had
sent him." And doubtless that conviction would
be much strengthened by the circumstance, that he
in this manner foretold it3. — A similar effect would
a John xi.

Lecture XV. 371
also be produced, in a more lively and impressive
manner than we can conceive, when the disciples,
who had been directed to go into the adjoining
village, found, as Jesus had told them, " the ass
tied, and the colt with her, and when the owners
upon being told that the Lord had need of them,
straightway sent them to him." " His disciples
understood not at first" the meaning of his entry
into Jerusalem in that manner;" but when Jesus
was glorified, then remembered they that these
things were written of him, and that they had
done these things unto him." Here also the con
viction produced by the recollection of Zechariah's
prophecy, would strikingly recal to their minds
how the display of the prophetic character of
Jesus himself preceded the fulfilment of Zecha
riah's prediction ; and that it related, though in
a manner wholly distinct, to a circumstance speci
fied by that prophetb. — Similar remarks might
be made on the foreknowledge which Jesus again
exercised, when he directed the disciples where to
find a place for the celebration of that passover.
They found as he had said, and made ready for
that last passover, at which he delivered his fare
well discourses, and his intercessory prayer, so full
of promise and important prophecy ; at which
also he instituted the perpetual memorial of his

b Matt. xxi. Mark xi. Luke xix. John xii.
A A 2

Ti2 Lecture XV.
approaching death; and immediately after which,
that death, and all the other transactions which he
Jiad predicted, were hastened and accomplished*. —
Thus do our Lord's own predictions, even in these
"detached instances, shed a lustre N^the attestation
of his own miracles and of ancient prophecy ; and
some of them even strengthen the conviction pro
duced by others.
But it is time to notice his predictions of those
important events, by which his own ministry was
terminated, by which the great object of his mission
and office was evinced, and which fully opened
the way for the display of its full evidence, and
for the erection, establishment, and perpetuity of
his Church. Some of these things, in a less
explicit and precise manner, were foretold to the
people in general ; but all of them in the most
plain and circumstantial manner to those whom
he had chosen.
It will suffice briefly to remind you of some of
the principal predictions of this nature, which
were delivered to the people in general. — Tbey
are concise and figurative, yet fully explained by
the events which correspond to them. The
earliest of them was one which referred to his
death and resurrection ; and the remembrance of
it by the disciples of Jesus, had an important influ-
4 Matt. xxvi. 17, &c, John xiii. 17,

Lecture XV. 373
ence in inducing them to "believe, not only in the
Scripture prophecy, but also in the word which
Jesus had said." A sign being demanded from
him as the proof of his authority, He answered,
" Destroy ye this temple, and in three days I will
raise it up; speaking of the temple of his bodyb." —
To Nicodemus, and to his hearers on- two other
occasions, he spoke ofthe "lifting up of the Son of
man ;" of the fact and design of his death, under
the phrase that he would "give his flesh for the life
of the world ;" and of the consequences of it in
" drawing all men to him," and of causing much
success to attend his mission". He several times
promised that " the sign of Jonah the prophet
would be given to that generation ;" and that "as
he was three days and three nights in the belly
of the whale, so the Son of man would be three
days and three nights in the heart of the earthd."
— In consequence of these, and perhaps of other
still more definite predictions, the chief priests
came to Pilate, to request that he would " com
mand that the sepulchre be made sure until the
third day;" because, said they, "we remember
that that deceiver said^ while he was yet alive,
After three days 1 will rise again'." Yet all these

b John ii. 19.
c Ibid. iii. 14 ; viii. 28 ; xii. 32 ; vi. 51 ; xii. 24.
d Matt. xii. 39, 40 ; xvi. 4. Luke xi. 29, 30,
' Matt, xxvii. 62, &c.

374 Lecture XV.
things were, notwithstanding, accomplished. It
was even by their own " counsel and deed," that,
Jesus, as he had predicted, was " cast out of the
vineyard, and slain by the wicked husbandmen."
And it was by their endeavour to prevent the
accomplishment of his predicted resurrection, that
the evidence of that event was strengthened by
one of its most convincing proofs. And equally
did it come to pass, that "the Son of man," as he
had also predjicted, " was seen to ascend up where
he wag before3." In the people of that genera
tion also was accomplished the parable of "the
unclean spirit who returned, and made the last
state of that man worse than the first ; and Jesus
had declared that so it would be to that wicked
generation b." "The stone, which they rejected,
became the head of the corner";" "false Christs
and false prophets deceived many d ;" "they sought
the true Messiah in vain, and died in their sinse ;"
and by the subversion of their whofe polity was it
brought to pass, that " neither at Gerizim,
nor at Jerusalem alone, was the Father wor
shipped f ." For our Lord had hinted to the Jews
at Nazareth, that as it had pleased God, in the
time of their fathers, to send Elijah to relieve
a woman of Sidon, and to enable Elisha to heal
a John vi. 62. " Matt. xii. 43—45. ' Matt. xxi. 42.
* Matt. xxiv. 24. ' John viii. 21. f John iv. 21.

Lecture XV. 375
Naaman the Syrian leper, while the " many
widows and lepers, that were then in Israel" were
not benefited, so, in their own age, he would send
the Apostles to "bring many from the east, and
from the west," to partake of the privileges of that
kingdom, of which they thought themselves ex
clusively the children5.
These things which Jesus himself predicted
respecting "the Christ crucified," were as un
welcome to the twelve disciples, as they were to
their fellow-countrymen. But they were dis
ciplined by their Master, "as they were able to
bear it," so that they were not ultimately " of
fended in him." And no means did our Lord
more studiously employ to secure an object, so
necessary for evangelizing the world, than by de
tailing to them, during the time that he remained
with them, all the leading particulars of those
distressing transactions by which he would be
removed from them ; as well as that astonishing
change from death to life, from humiliation to
glory, frorn apparent weakness to divine power,
which shewed that though he had first suffered
many things, yet hereby "was the Son of man
glorified, and God was glorified in him h." And
the series of prophecies which Jesus delivered on
these subjects, is so perspicuous and comprehen-

s Luke iv. 25— 27. Matt. viii. 11, 12. h John xiii. 31.

376 Lecture XV.
sive, that we may well conceive with what com
plete satisfaction the disciples in due season called
to mind the words of our text, and several other
similar declarations with which Jesus accompanied
these predictions ; " Now I tell you before it come,
that when it is come to pass, ye may believe that
I am he."
No sooner had the disciples avowed to Jesus
their joyful and assured confidence that he was
" the Christ, the Son of God," than he began to
prepare them for the knowledge of these events
by the declaration, "Have not I chosen you
twelve, and one of you is a devil" (a false ac
cuser) ?" And " he began from that time to shew
unto his disciples that he must go unto Jerusalem,
and that the Son of man would be betrayed unto
the chief priests and unto the Scribes, and that
they would condemn him to death, and deliver him
to the Gentiles, to mock, and to scourge, and to
crucify him. And that the third day he would
rise again b." And, repeating these things, he
solemnly prefaced his declaration by saying, " Let
these sayings sink down into your ears"." These
particulars are for the most part specified by the
ancient prophets. But the circumstance that he
should be " delivered to the Gentiles," was a pre
diction wholly original, and upon the completion
3 John vi. 70. b Matt. xvi. 21 ; xx. 18, 19. c Luke ix. 44.

Lecture XV. 377
of it depended, both the peculiar indignities which
were to precede his crucifixion, and even that
mode of execution itself. In one of his earlier
predictions of the overthrow of Jerusalem, he
noticed the previous occurrence of his own suf
ferings. " But first, said he, must the Son of man
suffer many things, and be rejected of this gene
ration d." And " when Jesus knew that the hour
was come that he should depart out of this world
unto the Father," he rendered his predictions still
more demonstrative of his perfect and familiar
knowledge of all things that were coming upon
him, by specifying the very day of crucifixion.
" Ye know," said he to his disciples, " that after
two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son
of man is betrayed to be crucified6." Yet even
after this prediction was delivered, the chief priests
and Scribes came to a resolution, that it would not
be prudent even " to take him by subtilty, and to
kill him, on the feast day, lest there should be an
uproar of the people." They abandoned the
design ; and they would not have resumed it, had
not the very circumstance which Jesus himself
previously mentioned, induced them to do so.
" The Son of man was betrayed unto them ; for
they accepted the offer which Judas made " to
deliver him unto them in the absence ofthe multi-
J Luke xvii. 25. e Matt. xxvi. 2.

378 Lecture XV.
tudeV Thus had Jesus twice predicted the
treachery of Judas before he had, as it appears,
even conceived the design. And a third time,
when, humanly speaking, it seemed incredible,
that any steps would be taken in the matter, he
declared still more particularly, in the words of
our text, his perfect knowledge of the respective
characters, of those whom he had chosen. He
was aware that one of them was then harbouring
the design of betraying him, and that the Scripture
would in that very way be fulfilled ; because it
had described one so circumstanced, as they all
then were, one " who eat bread with .him," as
the faithless one who would " lift up his heel against
him." Afterwards, in a very remarkable manner,
he pointed out to them the very individual; and
shewed to him, though the others misunderstood
his words, that he was well acquainted with his
purpose. Judas, "having received the sop, went imme
diately out," to " do quickly" that which he had
designed and covenanted to do. " It was night ;"
and he therefore went to repair to " the garden,
whither, as he knew, Jesus oft times resorted with
his disciples." Jesus knew that the transactions,
which he had so often predicted, would now im
mediately take place. He therefore solemnly

a Matt. xxvi. 14—16.

Lecture XV. 379
declared to the remaining eleven the importance
of the crisis at which they had arrived; and
during the short time that intervened, he endear
voured to prepare them for the approaching cir
cumstances, and reminded them of some of bis
public intimations respecting them. " Now is
the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in
him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also
glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify
him. Little children, yet a little while I am with
you. Ye shall seek me ; and, as I said unto the
Jews, whither I go ye cannot comeV He pre
dicted the fears and desertion of all them that
very night, and especially the actual denial of any
knowledge of him by St. Peter. These events
were not merely contingent upon circumstances
which had occurred very suddenly, and which were
as yet unknown to them, but they appeared in
every respect very improbable at that time. For
both Peter, and all of them, made the most solemn
protestations of inviolable fidelity, even if any
danger occurred. Little, indeed, had they been
willing to understand his former intimations to
the same effect. And they were quite incapable
of so far receiving them, as to remain faithful to
him, and to acquiesce in this sudden disappoint
ment of their darling hopes. Yet their Master
b John xiii. 30, &c.

380 Lecture XV.
proceeded in such a manner to instruct and to
pray for them, and to foretel the things that were
approaching, and the glory that should follow, as
might afterwards, at least, from their recollection
of his words, lead them to a right view of the design
of these transactions, and of his own character/and
induce them still more confidently than ever to
believe in him, "because of whom they were all
offended in that calamitous night." When he
foretold, in the earlier part of that evening, the
treachery of Judas, he assigned that reason for
his forewarning them of it; and he now con
joined with it a present proof of that his unlimited
knowledge, which he had often before displayed,
and which caused them now to feel, still more
strongly than ever, a conviction of his divine
mission, and very earnestly to declare it.
He had been interrupted in his discourse by
the protestations of Peter and his companions ;
and, doubtless, his distinct declaration, that they
would not act suitably to their late protestations,
would perplex and distress them. But he wished
to console, to exhort, and to inform, as well as to
caution them3. " Let not your heart be troubled;
ye believe in God, believe also in me. I go to
prepare a place for you." He reminded them of
the evidence of his miracles in order to assure

See John xiv. &c.

Lecture XV. 381
them of the truth of these various and mysterious
statements. He predicted the " greater works which
would be done by those that believed on him ;
because," said he, " I go unto the Father." But he
proceeded to predict the gift of •" another Com
forter to abide with them for ever," after his
departure, " even the Spirit of truth ;" by whom,
after the suspension of their faith, they would
be finally convinced that " he was in the Father,
and the Father in him ;" who would " teach them
all things, and bring all things to their remem
brance, whatsoever he had said unto them."
Having exhorted them to tranquillity, conjured
them not to be afraid, and assured them that his
return to the Father was a fitter cause for joy
than regret, he repeated his declaration, that " he
told them these things before they came to pass,
that, when they had come to pass, they might
believe." He then exhorted them to persevere in their
obedience; and proceeded also to foretel their
own sufferings, and, repeating the promise of the
Comforter, declared that " he would testify of him ;
and that they also would testify of him, because
they had been with him from the beginning."
Fully to state how the Comforter, by miracles,
and knowledge, and the gift of tongues, — and the
Apostles, by their testimony and miracles, by
their conduct and sufferings, by their reasonings

382 Lecture XV.
and success, testified of Jesus, would be to review
the whole history of the Acts of the Apostles.
Lastly, as an immediate assurance of the truth
of what he said, Jesus convinced them of his
knowledge of their own thoughts, and doubts,
and surmises, and availed himself of their con
viction of this to repeat his prediction of future
things, and also the reason why he thus foretold
them. He knew that although he had sO repeat
edly and plainly predicted his removal from the
world, and his glorification with the Father, they
did not understand, what he meant by the state
ment, " A little while, and ye shall not see me ;
and again a little while, and ye Shall see me,
because I go to the Father." He knew that they
were inquiring among themselves respecting it,
that they decided that " they could not tell what
he said," and that "they were desirous to ask
him." He explained it unasked, telling them that
he was aware of the difficulties which they had
felt. And they exclaimed, as soon as he had con
cluded, " now are we sure that thou knowest all
things, and needest not that any man should ask
thee ; by this we believe that thou camest forth
from God. — Jesus answered them, Do ye now
believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now
come, that ye shall be scattered, every one to his
own, and ye shall leave me alone, and yet I am
not alone, because the Father is with me. These

Lecture XV. 383
things have I spoken to you, that in me ye might
have peace. In the world ye shall have tribu
lation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome
the world."
Here let us pause. We have reviewed a Vast
number of predictions, which were uttered by the
mouth of Jesus, and all of which we know to have
been accurately fulfilled. By that fulfilment it is
clearly proved to us that he was sent of God, and
an original Prophet; and we may therefore justly
believe all his other communications. But we
have somewhat more than this evinced to us. We
see that he possessed such a familiarity with all
the detail of the events which he predicted, as
shews that he was far superior to all preceding-
prophets ; for they seem to have had but a very
imperfect knowledge of the meaning of what
they were commissioned and inspired to deliver.
" When the Spirit — that was in them testified
beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory
that should follow, they inquired and searched
diligently what or what manner of time was sig
nified." Now it was " the Spirit of Christ that
was in them3," and we believe that Jesus was the
Christ ; for we have seen that he knew fully both
the time, and the manner, and the object of all these
transactions. He foretold them, and they were

' 1 Pet. i. 10—12.

384 Lecture XV.
accurately accomplished. He foretold them, and in
him they were accomplished. He foretold them,
and they were the very things, which, at the same
time that they fulfilled his predictions, fulfilled all
those of the ancient prophets respecting the suf
ferings, and death, and resurrection of the Christ,
and respecting the nature and establishment of
his kingdom. He, therefore, who foretold events
of such a nature, and having such consequences ;
who so foretold them, as to prove that he was
acquainted with the whole scheme of the divine
counsels, and that the arrangement of the means
and events by which they were accomplished, was
known to him in such a manner as cannot be
conceived of any other than of him, " between
whom and the Father was the counsel of peace,"
— he, I say, could himself be no other than " the
Messiah, who was " to be cut off", but not for him
self," and who became " the Author of eternal
salvation to all them that obey him." We may
therefore ourselves derive from these predictions,
a conviction such as the Apostles themselves at
tained thereby, in conformity to our Lord's own
declaration. " Now I tell you before it come,
that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that
/ am he." When all these things had taken
place, Jesus enforced the argument, and to the
full establishment of their faith. " These are the
words which I spake unto you, while I was yet

Lecture XV. 385
with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which
were written in the law of Moses, and in the pro
phets, and in the Psalms, concerning me." They
had then seen, and they believed; and, through
their word, we also may believe in Jesus as the
Christ of God.
Since, then, the foreknowledge and the Mes
siahship of Jesus are so demonstrable, we may
expect that all his other predictions will be fulfilled
in their season. Those, of which the accomplish
ment is yet future, may exercise our confidence in
the perpetuity of his Church. We may believe
that " the gates of hell will not prevail against it3."
We may in hope expect the day when " the times
of the Gentiles will be fulfilled"," when " the
Gospel will be ' preached to every creature c,"
when " all men will be drawn " to the standard
of him, who was " lifted up that whosoever be
lieveth in him should not perish, but have ever
lasting life d." We may pray that "his kingdom
may come0." And ere long also, " all that are in
the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of
man, and shall come forth, they that have done
good to the resurrection of life, and they that have
done evil to the resurrection of damnation'." The
Son of man will then " come in the glory of his

a Matt, xvi. 18. b Luke xxi. 24. c Mark xvi. 15.
d John iii. 14 ; xii. 32. c Matt. vi. 10.
f John v. 28, 29- B B

386 Lecture XV.
Father, with his holy angels3." Then shall we
indeed know that he is the Christ, the Holy one
of God, the Saviour. May we now so believe in
him, as not to be confounded before him at that
day ; that we may not then be " denied by him
before the angels of Godb." But rather let us
now so " believe in God, and also believe in him,"
that we may now partake of the consolation, and
hereafter share in the accomplishment of those
delightful and animating words : " In my Father's
house are many mansions ; if it were not so, I
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for
you. And if I go to prepare a place for you,
I will come again and receive you unto myself,
that where I am, there ye may be alsoc."
* Matt. xvi. 27. . b Luke xii. 9. c John xiv. 1—3.

LECTURE XVI

THE REMARKABLE SAYINGS OF OUR LORD AT THE
TIME OF HIS APPREHENSION, ON HIS TRIAL, AND
ON THE CROSS, CONSIDERED. HIS INSTITUTION
OF THE SACRAMENT IN COMMEMORATION OF HIS
DEATH.

St. John XVIII. 36, 3f.
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world ; if my
kingdom were of this world, then would my servants
fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews : but
now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore
said unto him, Art thou a king then ? Jesus answered,
Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I
born, and for this cause came I into the world, that
I might bear witness unto the truth. Every one that
is of the truth heareth my voice.
When the Apostle Paul exhorted Timothy to
" fight the good fight of faith,- and to lay hold on
eternal life," he gave him charge to keep this
commandment "in the sight of God, who quick
eneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who
before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good con
fession11." That confession, in part at least, you
8 1 Tim. vi. 12—14.
BB 2

388 Lecture XVI.
have heard in the words of our text. If, however,
we agree with those, who so understand the
words of the Apostle, as to suppose that he spoke
of " the good confession which Jesus witnessed
in the days of Pontius Pilate a," we shall then
conceive that the Apostle also referred to an
equivalent confession which he had then just
made before the high priest ,- and we shall also
be reminded of the short but expressive decla
rations previously made, at the time of his appre
hension, and afterwards during his crucifixion.
We propose, in this Lecture, to take a cursory
review of this series of our Lord's sayings ; for
in various respects they strikingly exhibit to us
the character and office of Jesus, and they will
also suggest many considerations respecting the
evidences of his divine mission and Messiahship,
different, perhaps, from any upon which we have
yet touched.
In the conclusion of our last Lecture, we
noticed the farewell discourses of our Lord to
his disciples, which were followed by his inter
cessory prayer to the Father on their behalf b.
He then announced to them his approaching
sufferings and departure ; and we have now to

a evtoTiiov — Xpio-Tou 'Ifjerou tov /xapTvptjo-avTO': eVi Hovt'iov
HiX<xtov tijV KaXijv OfioXoyiav. ver. 13.
b John xvii.

Lecture XVI. 389
accompany them and their Master to the garden
of Gethsemane, where his sufferings were to
commence, and where, having prepared them, he
was about to prepare himself for the trying scene.
Leaving the other disciples with a charge to
" pray lest they should enter into temptation, and
to tarry while he retired to a little distance from
them to pray also," he took with him Peter, and
James, and. John. Having told them of the "ex
ceeding sorrow, even unto death," which had come
upon him, "he withdrew about a stone's cast" from
them also, leaving it in charge to them "to pray
and to watch." The words and the subject ofthe
prayer, which, " being in an agony," " he poured
out with strong crying and tears unto his Father,"
you cannot but remember0. Nor need I remind
you that his full knowledge of " the iniquity of us
all, which was about to be laid on him," and of
" the stripes and chastisement which he was about
to undergo for our peace and healing," put him to
grief, deep and still increasing. Returning from
his more earnest supplication for " the third time,"
and " strengthened by an angel from heaven,"
by the annunciation, perhaps, that he " had been
heard in that he feared," he comes to arouse them
to the full sense of their danger by the alarming as
surance, " It is enough, the hour is come ; behold

c Matt. xxvi. 36 — 44. Isai. liii. Heb. v. 7.

390 Lecture XVI.
the Son of man is betrayed into the hand of sin
ners. Rise up, let us go ; lo, he that betrayeth
me is at hand3." " While he yet spake," Judas
appeared with his company. And the contrast
exhibited between the conduct of the disciples
and of their Master was, if possible, more striking
than ever. They acted as men ; yet as those in
whom an affection for their Master was deeply
seated ; whose hasty zeal in his behalf, and
whose almost immediate fear and flight, were
equally natural in their circumstances. But Jesus
in his words displayed a composure, a courage,
and a perseverance in the discharge of his mission,
which was uniformly supported in his whole de
meanour, from the first moment of danger, even
until the last struggle of dissolving nature. Let
us then attentively consider all that from this time
fell from his lips, and also, as we have occasion to
do, the intelligible significancy even of his silence.
Jesus fearlessly advanced to meet the ap
proaching company of armed men b. " Knowing
all things that should come upon him, he went
forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?" When
he had told them that he was the person they
sought, " they went backward, and fell to the
ground ;" either overpowered by a consciousness
of his innocence and prophetic character, or
' Mark xiv. 41, 42.. b John xviii. 4.

Lecture XVI. 391
because Jesus himself exerted upon them a mi
raculous power. When they arose, still deter
mined to persevere in their design, Jesus pleaded
for the personal safety of his disciples only; "that
the saying which he had just spoken might be
fulfilled, Of those that thou gavest me, I have lost
none0." " I have told you," said he again, "that
I am he ; if then ye seek me, let these go their way."
Three other separate addresses he made at
the same season. — When Judas advanced to give
the signal, upon which he had agreed with the
officers beforehand, Jesus intimated to him his
knowledge of the plan which he had concerted,
and of its object. "Friend, wherefore art thou
come? Betrayest thou the Son of man with a
kiss?" The officers, emboldened by the perse
verance of their guide, laid hands on Jesus, and
bound him. — And is he then bound, and led away
as a malefactor, who is surrounded by those who
professed their readiness to "go with him even
unto prison, and unto death?" He," who claimed
the peculiar co-operation and protection of his
heavenly Father; who had wrought so many
wonders of mercy and of power ; who had
" spoken as never man spake?" Is he now
found unaided, and powerless, and silent ? He is
not indeed delivered. Yet he shewed, once and

c John xviii. 9- See xvii. 12.

392 Lecture XVI.
again, that he could even then be rescued, though
by no human arm ; that he could escape out of
their hands, in such a manner as he had done
aforetime. And he at this juncture so expressed
himself, as to leave his character as a divine
teacher unimpaired by these apparently humi
liating incidents, and to prepare us to expect
consequences from them of the highest import
ance, and of the deepest interest. He spoke
such things both to his own disciples, and to his
enemies. His disciples eagerly inquiring whether they
should smite with the sword, and Peter having
actually done so, Jesus charged him to " put up
again his sword into its place." " For," said he,
" all they that take the sword, shall perish with
the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray
to my Father, and he shall presently give me more
than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall
the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be3?
The cup which my Father hath given me, shall
I not drink it b?" — He had before apprised them
of the approaching fulfilment of prophecy by the
delivery of the Son of man into the hands of sin
ners. They had also just heard him declare, to
his heavenly Father his acquiescence in his will,
and his readiness to drink the cup which was

Matt. xxvi. 52—54. b John xviii. 11.

Lecture XVI. 393
presented to him, since it was not to "pass from
him, except he drank it." They might there
fore collect from his present observations that
nothing had come upon him which he had not
foreseen. And if, by such a destiny, Scripture was
fulfilled, and the Father's will accomplished ; and
if he, who had to drink the bitter cup, was
himself unmoved and resigned, and exhorted them
to be so ; they might reasonably, not only so far
submit, as to abstain from actual resistance, but
they might also contentedly acquiesce in, and
await the approaching developement of the pur
poses of God.
To those, who came to apprehend him, Jesus
spoke in a different manner. Their present con
duct was prompted by the spirit of malignant
unbelief, rather than occasioned by the infirmity
of human nature. With them therefore he ex
postulated, not at all with the design of procuring
his liberation, but that he might shew them the
injustice and cowardly baseness of their present
procedure, and also announce to them that while
they followed the suggestions of their own de
pravity, they would unwittingly be the agents for
the fulfilment of Scripture. But he prefaced his
words by the miraculous cure of the wounded
Malchus, thereby once more demonstrating the
authority of that doctrine, for which he was " an
ambassador in bonds." Having checked the too

394 Lecture XVI.
forward zeal of his disciples, he thus addressed those
who had apprehended him. " Are ye come out,
as against a thief, with swords and staves for to
take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the
temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this
has been done that the Scriptures of the prophets
might be fulfilled3. This is your hour, and the
power of darknessV
Not far dissimilar were his remarks when,
brought before the Sanhedrim, assembled in the
house of Caiaphas, he stood alone, forsaken of all
his disciples, and was questioned by the high
priest respecting his disciples, and his doctrine.
" 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 said0." — The rulers knew that
they could bring forward no witnesses who could
give evidence upon which he might be capitally
convicted. That nothing less than this would
satisfy them, or answer their purpose, is evident
from their former watching of Jesus, and from
their consultations " how they might put him to

a Tovto Se bXov yeyovev, "va TrXrjpiodmo-iv ql ypacpai rtSv -rrpo-
(j>r)Tuv. Matt. xxvi. 55, 56.
b Luke xxii. 53. c John xviii. 20, 21.

Lecture XVI. 395
death ;" and their whole conduct both in their
own court, and before Pilate, proved the same.
In default of evidence, Caiaphas was desirous to
draw from him some incautious expression, which,
being publicly heard, might supply a pretext for
his condemnation. He might hope, when he
questioned him concerning his disciples, and his
doctrine, to be able either to convict him of tumul
tuous proceedings, or of impugning the law of
Moses, or of blasphemy. But this mode of proce
dure was as unavailing, as it was unjust. Jesus
knew that even his condemnation, which was
shortly to follow, would be found perfectly con
sistent with his innocence, and that it would even
furnish many unequivocal proofs of it; and he
therefore challenged them to bring forward those
who had heard him in public. He manfully
and calmly maintained his ground, even when
angrily smitten, by one of the officers that stood
by, because he had "so answered the high priest."
" If," said he, " I have spoken evil, bear witness of
the evil ; but if well, why smitest thou med ?" His
answer to the high priest was perfectly just and
respectful, unless it could be proved that he had
taught some dangerous doctrine. *He required of
the officer to do so, if he could bring witness of any
such. An endeavour was made by the rulers to

d John xviii, 22, 23.

396 Lecture XVI.
establish such an accusation, but in vain. " False
witnesses were sought," and when at length they
found them, their testimony was contradictory,
and insufficient3. They were obliged to abandon
this method of prosecution. — Let it, therefore,
be borne in mind, that Jesus could be convicted of
no moral or political crime. He had advanced
nothing in his doctrine, which calumniated or
opposed the laws and institutions of Moses; he
had stated nothing respecting himself, which he
had not established by argument, and confirmed
by miracles. And, in the face of such demonstra
tion, they ventured not at this time to repeat their
former imputations of blasphemy, lest, as afore
time, he should baffle their designs. — He was ques
tioned again as to his defence of himself against
these varied, though inadmissible accusations.
" The high priest stood up in the midst, and
asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing?
What is it which these witness against thee? —
But he held his peace, and answered nothing." —
He left them to their own conviction of the
insufficiency of the testimony ; and would enter
on no defence, when, in fact, there was no crime
even apparently proved.
But the trial soon took a different turn. The
high priest proposed a definite and leading ques-
a Matt. xxvi. 59, &c. Mark xiv. 55, &c.

Lecture XVI. 397
tion, and accompanied it with an adjuration ; in
order that Jesus, in obedience to a specific pre
cept of Moses, might be compelled to give an
answer6. " I adjure thee by the living God, that
thou tell us whether thou be the Christ." And
he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not
believe ; and if I also ask you, ye will not answer
me, nor let me go." He thus stated that he was
fully aware of the manner in which they would
receive his answer ; yet he gave it, and said,
" I am." And that they might learn that although
he hitherto appeared in humility, yet he did not
disavow a claim to the glories ascribed to the
Lord's Christ, he assured them that though the
time was not yet come for his exaltation, it would
hereafter be known and recognized. He applied
to himself the prophetic descriptions of the second
and hundred and tenth Psalms, and of a passage
in the book of Daniel. " Nevertheless, I say
unto you, that hereafter ye shall see the Son of
man sitting on the right hand of the power of
God, and coming in the clouds of heaven." They
all exclaimed in consequence of this declaration,
" Art thou then the Son of God ?" He said to

b 'E£ookiT«j <re koto tov Qeov tov £b?i/tos "va tjfuv eVij?,
k.t.X. Matt. xxvi. 63.— See the precept concerning the cpavtj
6pKi<rp.ov in Lev. v. I. And see also 1 Sam. xiv. 24, 26.
1 Kings ii. 42, 43; viii. 31, 32; xxii. 16. Prov. xxix. 24.—
edv opxov irporedevTos aKovvavTe? ut] aVceyyelAaxn. Septuagint.

398 Lecture XVI.
them, " Ye say that I am." He assented to the
justness of their supposition, that he asserted his
right to that, as well as to every other dignity of
the Messiah ; and they all, contending that he
had spoken blasphemy in their presence, declared
that he was worthy of the capital punishment
assigned to blasphemers by the law of Moses*.
If he was not the Christ, he was justly con
demned to death. If by that death itself he was
not glorified, if he was not redeemed from the
power of the grave, then the hopes of all that
trusted in him were buried for ever with him.
But assuredly he did burst through the bands, in
which death for a season detained him ; " because
it was not possible that he should be holden of it."
He died in the character, the avowed character,
of the Christ, the Son of God. As the Christ he
died. As the Christ he is risen from the dead,
and " declared thereby to be the Son of God with
power." He has " sat down on the right hand
of the Majesty on high." But if he were the
Lord's Anointed, he was anointed to inherit a
kingdom. And the next question to be deter
mined, is, what is the nature and object, and who
are the subjects of his kingdom ? This we shall
find stated in due time by Jesus, when he was
accused to Pilate by the high priest of asserting
himself to be " Christ, a kingb."
a Lev. xxiv. l6. b Luke xxiii. 1 — 3.

Lecture XVI. 399
It was not lawful for those, who had decided
that a cause of death was found in Jesus, to
execute that punishment without the authority of
the Roman governour; who required of course
to be satisfied that the sentence was just. It was
not sufficient that they assured Pilate that " if he
were not a malefactor, they would not have de
livered Jesus unto him"." They were required
to "take and judge- him according to their law."
But that would not content them, because they
could not inflict that punishment which alone
would satisfy them. They therefore contended
that he was guilty of sedition, by assuming the
title ofthe Christ, and therefore " making himself
a king, and speaking against Cesar ;" adding that
he " forbad to give tribute to Cesar ;" an asser
tion which they did not attempt to prove, and
which was directly contrary to the truth d. The
question which Pilate had first to decide, was
whether he really declared himself the king
of the Jews; for they brought no witnesses to
prove it. He asked Jesus whether he was so.
Jesus demanded in return, " whether he asked
this of himself, or whether others had told it to
him?" Pilate implied that the latter was the
only source whence he, a Roman, could have

c John xviii. 29 — 31.
d Luke xxiii, 2. — See Matt, xvii. 27; xxii. 21,

400 Lecture XVI.
learnt it. " Am I a Jew ? Thine own nation
and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me.
What hast thou done?" He answered in the
words of our text ; not merely alluding to the ab
sence of any proof that.he had done any thing which
could be considered seditious, but even appealing
to fact to shew the contrary ; and applying that
circumstance in illustration of the nature of the
kingdom to which he advanced a claim. " My
kingdom is not of this world; else would my
servants fight that I should not be delivered to the
Jews. But now is my kingdom not from hence."
There was therefore nothing which brought
his claims under the cognizance of Pilate. He
avowed his right to a kingdom ; but not such as
either had occasioned, or would occasion, any
disturbance to the political order and civil govern
ment of the world. He had taught indeed the
approach of a kingdom, but it was the kingdom
of God ; for admittance into which repentance,
and the belief of promises relative to religious
blessings, were requisite3. He had taught that
this kingdom " cometh not with observation," but
that it is situated in the hearts of menb. He
had avoided every thing that might encourage
tumults and insurrections for his temporal exalta
tion0. He had refused to act as " a judge and
* Mark i. 15. Luke iv. 21. b Luke xvii. 20. c John vi. 15.

Lecture XVI. 401
a divider" even among his own followers'*. He
had checked and endeavoured to eradicate those
anticipations of earthly grandeur, which arose in
the minds, either of the multitude, or of his own
disciples0. The topics of his instruction had been
the duties of morality, — the attributes of God,
his promises and his will, — the evidences and
spiritual purposes of his own mission. Thus had
he ever taught, as they were able to bear it, that
" his kingdom was not of this world ;" and the
same truth he now declared in " his good confes
sion before Pontius Pilate." In the former part
of this avowal of his character, for we can scarcely
call it a defence, he had declared himself to be
the Christ. This he declared to Jews, who were
qualified to judge of his claim to that title. But
when arraigned before Pilate, he further declared,
that the kingdom which belonged to him as such,
was not in any sense of a political nature, and
that he was not thereby rendered accountable to
a civil ruler.
But if such were his kingdom, did he then
profess himself to be a king? Pilate put this ques
tion also. And the answer of Jesus was to the
same purport as before ; but he did not now speak
so much of the nature of the dispensation which
d Luke xii. 14.
6 John vi. 7, 12. Matt. xvi. 17; xx. 17 — 285 xxii. 41 — 46.
Cc

402 Lecture XVI.
he was introducing, as of the employment and
procedure by which it has been his commission
to introduce it. " For this end was I born, and
for this cause came I into the world, that I might
bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of
the truth, heareth my voice." He declared that
those were the subjects of his kingdom, who obeyed
his commands as a teacher of moral and religious
truth. In such a character he had appeared, and
all his statements and labours had been suitable to
it. He had been born in order to promote the
establishment of a spiritual kingdom of truth and
righteousness. He had gone forth into the world
to fulfil the end for which he was born. He had
borne witness to the truth. Those only he ex
pected to be his followers, who were of the truth,
and were, therefore, willing " to receive the truth
in the love of it." No others would obey him, for
none but they had corrtect apprehensions respecting
the purposes of his mission. His kingdom not
being of this world, he required not in his subjects
any of the qualifications for the warlike or diplo
matic transactions of the kingdoms of the earth.
It had not been proved by his accusers that he had
given any handle for such an imputation ; nor did
they afterwards establish the truth of the: state
ments, which they had so repeatedly advanced. —
But Jesus thenceforth made no declaration whatever
until the ground of accusation was changed ; and

Lecture XVI, 403
not even then until an occasion was given by
a remark from Pilate.
In answer to the observations of Jesus, Pilate
exclaimed, " What is truth ?" ' Why do you speak
of truth ? What connection can that have with
the accusation of the chief priests? They have
brought no evidence to support their accusation ;
and it does not appear, from your professions,
that you have given them any ground for it.'
He therefore went out to the accusers, who stood
without Pilate's judgment-hall, " lest-they should
be defiled," and disqualified for the celebration of
the passover. He announced to them that " he
found in Jesus no fault at all," and would fain
have released him, according to the usual custom
at the time of the passover. But they requested
the release of Barabbas, who, indeed, not only had
headed an insurrection, but had committed murder.
Determined to accomplish their purpose, they
changed their plea ; and, as they could convict
Jesus of no political delinquency, they endeavoured
to obtain the sanction of Pilate to their own pre
vious sentence3. " By our law," said they, " he
ought to die, because he made himself the Son of
God. — Wheri'Pilate heard that saying, he was the
more afraid.*' Perhaps he was already disposed to
think, from what he had now seen, and might
a John xix. 7, &c.
c c 2

404 Lecture XVL
formerly have heard, that Jesus was a remarkable
personage; or some superstitious fears were awaken
ed in his mind; or finding, not only that " the
Jews had delivered him for envy," but that the
occasion of their enmity was connected with
questions of their own religion and law, he was
alarmed by the indications of an inclination to
rebel, and to accuse him to Cesar, if he refused to
give up Jesus to their will. He therefore asked
Jesus, " Whence art thou ?" But no answer was
given to the Gentile ruler. The title of the Son
of God was by the prophets ascribed to the
Messiah, but it was one of which Pilate, as a
Gentile, could not judge; and he had already
proved to Pilate that he was clear of every charge
which came under his cognizance. But when
Pilate pleaded for an answer on the ground that
" he had power to crucify him, and had power to
release him," then Jesus made his final declaration
to the same purport as those made at the time
of his apprehension. " Jesus answered, Thou
couldest have no power at all against me, except it
were given thee from above ; therefore he that
delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin."
The rulers knew, and by their recent proceedings
in their own Council had in fact allowed, that the
Messiah was to be the Son of God. Yet they
had separated the claim to the latter character ;
and had condemned Jesus, regardless of his own

Lecture XVI. 405-
declaration that he was the Christ, and forgetful
of all the arguments and evidences by which he
had supported his divine authority. They had
endeavoured upon false pretences to procure, his
condemnation by Pilate ; and when they men
tioned the real one, upon which they had them
selves proceeded, they did in fact still make an
improper and imperfect statement. The declara
tion, however, which Jesus made to Pilate, was
quite consistent with his former statements to him;
and, if he were the Son of God, it was evidently in
character. It certainly increased the fear of
Pilate, and his reluctance to condemn him ; for
" he sought thenceforth to release him," and not
Barabbas. But " the voice of the multitude and
of the chief priests prevailed." " He gave sentence
that it should be as they required, and delivered
Jesus to their will."
Thus did the trial of Jesus proceed in such a
manner, as to produce the most various and incon
trovertible attestations of his complete innocence
with reference to man. Occasions also arose which
called forth declarations of the character in which
he professed to be sent of God, viz. that he was
the Christ, the Son of God, hereafter to come in
power, as then he appeared in humility ; and that
he was born, and sent into the world that he might
testify of the truth, and declare " riot the wisdom
of the world, nor of the princes of this world,

406 Lecture XVI.
which come to nought," but the necessity of re
pentance for the remission of sins, and of obedience
to his precepts in all such as were willing that he
should reign over them, and who desired to enter
into those mansions which he would prepare for
his faithful soldiers and subjects. He declared also
that the issue of his trial and condemnation not
only was conformable to the- predictions of the
prophets, but to the will of God ; and that Pilate
was indeed permitted to authorise it, but that,
without that permission, his power would have
been ineffectual.
Connect these declarations with what we have
already heard from the lips of him who made
them ; of him, who had appeared, at a former
period of his ministry, before the tribunal of the
Jewish council ; and who then fully stated to them
his authority and the proofs of it. And though his
hour was now come, and the day of Jerusalem's
visitation expiring, yet are not the Words that we
have this day considered, the words of one sent
of God ; of one who was about to " finish the work
which the Father had given him to do?" Such
indeed he was, though, after cruel mockeries and
humiliating indignities, " he went forth bearing his
cross," and touching the tenderness of the female
heart with pity even to tears. He was going forth
to offer himself for the life of the world. But he
foresaw the obstinacy, and unbelief, and ruin of

Lecture XVI. 107
that generation ; and well might he exhort " the
daughters of Jerusalem to weep for themselves,
and for their children," upon whom the guilt of
that innocent blood had so thoughtlessly been
imprecated and entailed3. Well did he know,
and often would he fain have taught them, the
things that would have made for their peace. But
now he could only pray, as they nailed him to the
tree, " Father, forgive them, for they know not
what they dob." Yet behold again the authority
and power, and benevolence of him, who was
then made "a spectacle to angels and to men."
He could confidently anticipate his Father's ac
ceptance of his sacrifice, and could declare to the
penitent thief who attested his innocence, and
prayed to be remembered in his kingdom, that
" That day he should be with him in Paradise0."
Soon did he perform the last office of filial affection
to his earthly parent; and, declaring in several
ways that " all things were accomplished," he
commended his Spirit into the hands of his
Father, and gave up the ghostd. The darkened
heavens, and the convulsed earth, the opening
graves, and the unveiled sanctuary, rebuked the
madness of the agents in that scene ; and declared

* Matt, xxvii. 25. Luke xxiii. 28—31. Acts v. 28.
b Luke xxiii. 34. ° Luke xxiii. 39—43.
•* Matt, xxvii. 46, 50. John xix. 30. Luke xxiii. 46.

408 Lecture XVI.
to them and to every child of Adam that hears of
these transactions, that "truly this was the Son
of God," who had then " brought in an ever
lasting righteousness," and finished the work
which the guilt of man required, and which the
mercy of God had promised.
And is not Jesus Christ, in the word of God,
and by the preaching of his ministers, evidently set
forth among you as Christ crucified ? And is not
an institution observed amongst us, which purports
to be a commemorative ordinance, designed to be
celebrated, even unto the end of time, wherever
a Christian church exists, that Christians, " eating
of that bread, and drinking of that cup, may shew
forth the Lord's death till he come?" We have
derived the custom from our forefathers, who
believed in Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
They derived it from those, who first preached
to them these great truths. And in what did it
originate, in what could a commemorative ordi
nance originate, but in the fact which it comme
morates ? We can account for the first observance
of this rite, only by believing that it is an historical
fact that Jesus died. And it was observed in
obedience to his injunctions, and in consequence
of his celebration of it before he died. And how
should any but an innocent person, one who knew
that his innocence would be undeniably attested,
institute a rite to keep up " a perpetual memory'*

Lecture XVI! 409
of his public and ignominious death ? Again, why
should he wish it to be celebrated, and why should
any others even be persuaded to celebrate it,
unless they discerned in the Lord's body and
blood, somewhat in which they had a great
concern ? And what does this, and every other
argument in support of the Gospel, prove to us,
but that he spoke not only with foreknowledge
of the fact, but with a full acquaintance with
its design, and success, when he declared, " This
is my body which is broken for you ; This is my
blood of the New Testament which is shed for
you and for many for the remission of sins. Do
this in remembrance of Me3."
These benefits, doubtless, will be commemo
rated, and be received by multitudes, even till
the Lord, by whose death they were obtained,
shall come again in such manner as he has de
clared that he will come. Our share in keeping
up the remembrance of them is confined within
a very brief portion of these latter times ; but that
portion is to us " the accepted time, and the day
of salvation." We must therefore meditate on
the design of this event, on the necessity for it,
on the purposes accomplished by it, on the con
sequences of it here and hereafter. And it should
be our prayer and endeavour, that " by the merits

_ Matt. xxvi. 26—29. Mark xiv. 22—26. Luke xxii. 17—22.

410 Lecture XVI.
and death of Jesus Christ, and through faith in
his blood, we and all his whole church may obtain
remission of our sins, and all other benefits of his
passion." If we can with heartfelt gratitude and
joy " glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,"
and if " by it the world is crucified unto us, and
we unto the world," then " all things are our's,
whether life, or death, or things present, or things
to come, all things are our's ; for then are we
Christ's, and Christ is God's."
Let us remember, however, that the cup, of
which Jesus drank even the last bitter dregs, will
one day be presented to our lips ; and we too
must drink of it. And if the draught be not
sweetened, by a hope of deliverance from its
deadly consequences in eternity ; if we have not
a well-grounded hope that the sufferings of this
present time, and the pains of dissolution, will
issue in the attainment of " a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory ;" then has Jesus died
in vain for us, and in vain have these things been
written, that "through patience, and comfort of
the Scriptures, we might have a good hope" of
inheriting the promises. How strong and how
fatal a delusion must have come upon us, if, when
death approaches, and makes us feel his presence
and his power, we are in such a moment still
insensible to our guilt and danger, still regardless
of the judgments and of the mercies of God!

Lecture XVI. 411
And, on the other hand, how agonising will be
our reflections, if an awakened conscience then
utters her voice, and can give no other testimony
than this, "Thy sins, which are many, are not
forgiven thee!" Yet it is not always thus, even
when the summons is most sudden and unex
pected. " The righteous hath hope in his death."
Death still is clad in the garb of the king of
terrors, but he delivers a message of peace. He
is still an enemy, but he is " the last enemy" of
the Christian, and one day he will " be destroyed."
Even his present hostilities have by our Redeemer
been converted into blessings. By the antici
pation of these we are the more readily induced
to " take to ourselves the whole armour of God."
"Arming ourselves with the same mind which
was in him, who once suffered for us in the flesh,
we cease from sin." We are no longer " sub
jected to bondage through the fear of death."
" God giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ."
We hear from time to time how thickly the
shafts of death fly around us ; how one fellow-
creature is cut off in his sins, another in the midst
of his virtuous and useful designs; one because
threescore years and ten have worn out his short
lived frame, another in the vigour of youth ; one
by the disorders of the body, another by some
unlocked for accident. These dealings of Provi-

412 Lecture XVI.
dence, while they answer wise ends with respect
to the individuals taken away, are also intended
to remind us of our own insecurity. And yet we
are marvellously forgetful of so important a con
sideration. The soldier, indeed, in the field of
battle, is heedless of the thousands that fall around
him, and of the weapons which may the next
moment level him with his dying comrades. But
this may be accounted for. It is said that, at the
first onset, a pale terror sits on every brow, and
that those of the stoutest heart feel a momentary
conviction of the awful situation in which they are
placed. But the instant that they are engaged, this
gives way to an earnestness and exertion, which
leaves no time, almost no possibility, for fear and
reflection. Reflection, and fear, and even the
thought of death is then certain destruction.
With us the case is different. We have time for
reflection, and it is our security. The busiest
has more than time so to "number his days, as
to apply his heart unto wisdom." Why then are
we as heedless as the soldier, though perhaps
really in as great peril? Not because we cannot
reflect — not because time has been wanting- —
not because it increases our danger. None of
these suppositions are true in point of fact. The
reason is that we are unwilling. We dread the
thoughts of death, because we "love the world
and the things ofthe world,"— because the things

Lecture XVI. 413
unseen have little, hold upon our affections— be
cause we are sinners by nature, by practice, and
almost by determination — because we " hate to be
reformed "—because with the thought of death is
associated the fear of "a judgment to come." We
tremble when we realize such things to our minds,
and we therefore hate the recollection of them,
and scarcely dare to encourage it.
It is true that such subjects are solemn, me
lancholy, and alarming. But are they unprofitable?
Is it better to attend to them, or to dismiss
them — to avoid them — to drown the remembrance
of them in vanity and indulgence? Such, in
deed, is the way in which the worldling acts.
" Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die,"
is his law and gospel. " Let us banish care and
sorrow," is his resolution. But what says the
wisest of men ? " The day of death is better than
the day of one's birth. It is better to go to the
house of mourning, than to go to the house of
feasting ; for that is the end of all men, and the
living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than
laughter ; for by the sadness of the countenance
the heart is made better. The heart of the wise
is in the house of mourning." This is at all times
more satisfactory, and it has a far greater blessed
ness in reserve. It is more safe, for it presents
fewer temptations. It is more profitable, for it
shews us the value of those principles and hopes,

414 Lecture XVI.
which in the house of feasting we may undervalue
or forget. We come away from thence improved
in heart, and strengthened in every holy purpose.
It lies most directly in the road to heaven ; and it
displays to us the operation, and directs us to the
acquirement of " that consolation wherewith we
ourselves may be comforted of God."
But alas ! Solomon did not speak as a prophet
when he said, " The living will lay it to heart."
He knew that too generally they would do far
otherwise. At the same time he also knew, and
so do we, that if the living are wise, If they are
prudent, if they are not content to inherit ":shame
and everlasting contempt," " they will lay it to
heart." We know that all men must die. But
we must apply the truth to our own case. The
mercies of God's providence, and the wonders of
his grace, the compassion and sufficiency of a cru
cified Redeemer, will be worse than lost upon us,
unless our hearts and consciences whisper to us
daily — I too must die — I must then be ready — 4
must prepare to meet the Son of man — I must
make him my friend — I must glory in his cross— ^-1
must have faith in his blood— I must rely upon
his intercession— I must be sanctified by his Spirit
-^1 must live a life of faith, and devotedness, and
holy obedience. Nothing less than this is " to
lay at to heart." Nothing less than this is "to be
of the truth, and to hear the voice of Jesus."

Lecture XVI. 415
Have you done this ? are you disposed to do it ?
Go on in this way, and " in due season you shall
reap, if you faint not." But " be ye always ready ;
for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of
man cometh." " Have your loins girt, and your
lights burning," and then, "through the grave,
and gate of death, you will pass to your joyful
resurrection, for his merits who died, and was
buried, and rose again for us, Jesus Christ our
Lord3."

a It may probably occur to those who read, as it did to some
who heard this Lecture, that some particular circumstance must
have suggested the reflections with which this Lecture concludes. On
the day before it was delivered, the Author had seen removed from
his own house the corpse of a Clergyman, whose useful life had sud
denly been terminated in consequence of the injuries which he acci
dentally received on the preceding Thursday. When the Author
left that which had so unexpectedly become " the house of
mourning," and sat down to finish this Lecture, the preparation of
which had been suspended by that melancholy event, the recol
lection of the uncertainty of life, and of the blessedness of a state
of preparation for death, mixed itself with all his thoughts. The
contemplation of our Saviour's death also directed his thoughts
into the same channel ; and perhaps it was not surprising that he
should, under such circumstances, endeavour to communicate to
others the lessons which himself had so profitably, and yet so
painfully, been receiving. For he had witnessed the last hours of
one to whom death had given a sudden summons ; yet who
received it with a rare and enviable composure, and submitted to
the stroke in faith, and hope, and resignation. He had " adorned
the doctrine of God our Saviour by his life," und it was suffi
cient to support him in the hour of death. — Another exemplary
Clergyman,

416 Lecture XVI.
Clergyman, whom the Author had known from childhood, was in
Cambridge when the next Lecture was delivered, and with him the
Author conversed respecting the recent accident, of which that
friend had heard on his way to Cambridge. And little did it
then seem likely that he also, within eight days from that time,
would be removed to another state of being. The Author cannot
refrain from embracing this opportunity of bearing testimony to
the steady and beneficent lustre of those truly Christian virtues,
which characterised the lives of the Rev. Thomas Wilson, and
the Rev. Walter Smith. Their memory will doubtless ever be
embalmed in the hearts of their parishioners, and relatives, and
friends ; and " though they have been punished in the sight of
men, yet was their hope full of immortality." — The former died
Oct. 12; the latter Oct. 29- a. d. 1821.

LECTURE XVII.

THE METHOD IN WHICH OUR LORD EVIDENCED THE
REALITY OF HIS RESURRECTION, AND HIS REA
SONINGS ON PROPHECY AFTER THAT EVENT. 
THE DISTINGUISHING PECULIARITIES OF THE
CHRISTIAN FAITH.

St. Luke XXIV. 44—48.
And he said unto them, These are the words which I
spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all
things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law
of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms con
cerning me. Then opened he their understandings,
that they might understand the Scriptures, and said
unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved
Christ to suffer, and to rise from ihe dead the third
day, and that repentance and remission of sins should
be preached in his name among all nations, beginning
at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things.
These words are ascribed to Jesus of Nazareth ;
to him, into whose name we were baptized, and
whose religion we profess. And what are the
things of which he spoke, but those indignities,
and sufferings, which did indeed end in death,
but which were followed by his resurrection from
the dead ? He, whose words we have read, had
D D

418 Lecture XVII.
been apprehended, condemned, and crucified by
the Jews. He had died, and he had been buried.
But he now. visibly appeared, and stood alive be
fore those, who had so lately misunderstood, and
denied, and forsaken him; and who, even then,
scarcely had recovered from their disappointment
and despondency. At this, as well as at all pre
vious seasons, Jesus is found to be his own apolo
gist. No sooner are the requisite data furnished,
and circumstances brought into a posture, which
admits an explanation and defence of his preten
sions, than he proceeds to obviate the doubts and
difficulties of those around him, and to draw, from
familiar and acknowledged facts, the most import
ant inferences respecting the evidence, nature,
and purposes of his mission.
Whether, or not, the resurrection of Jesus be
found to rest upon satisfactory evidence, there can
at least be no hesitation, in the most sceptical
mind, with respect to the reality of his death.
If, indeed, there could be any doubt of that
event, it would be mere trifling to talk of his
having risen from the dead. But the proofs that
Jesus truly died were both public and various.
Not to mention the miraculous circumstances
which attended the death of Jesus, and which
added an awful solemnity to the conviction of
its reality ; would not the attention of the sur
rounding multitude be attracted by the loud voice

Lecture XVII. 419
with which he cried out, "It is finished," and
"commended his Spirit into the hands of the
Father3?" Even if the darkness, which until the
ninth hour overspread the land, prevented some
from seeing how "he bowed his head," when
"he gave up the ghost;" would they not draw
near, to behold the paleness of death sitting on his
brow? Would not a decided conviction of the
fact have been universal among "all the people
that came together to that sight," ere they, " be
holding the things that were done, smote their
breasts and returned"?" What was the declara
tion of the centurion, " who stood over against
Jesus," but a testimony to the character of one,
whom he believed to be dead- occasioned indeed
lay his "seeing him so cry out and give up the
Ghost0?" Why did they omit to break the legs
of Jesus, as they did those of the malefactors, but
because they saw that he was already dead d ? The
Symptoms of a violent and painful death are not
indeed either imitable or equivocal. But lest we
should have any ground for supposing that they
continued such in the case of Jesus, while he yet
remained on the cross, the spear of the soldier
pierced his side; and that weapon which would
have produced the extinction of life, if any had
" Matt, xxvii. 50—53. Johnxix. 30. b Luke xxiii. 44—49.
« Matt, xxvii. 54. Mark xv. 39. "* John xix.- 3 1—33.
D D 2

420 Lecture XVII.
remained, gave the demonstration that life had
then already departed, by the out-pouring ,of
blood and water. Of which transaction, St. John,
"who saw it, has borne record, and his record
is true, and he knew that he said what was
true, that we might believe3." When Joseph
applied for permission to take down the body
from the cross, he too must have had the full
conviction, that it was in a state fit only for
interment. Pilate, who " marvelled if Jesus were
already dead," inquired of the centurion himself;
and not until he knew it of the centurion did he
give the body to Joseph \" And assuredly both
Joseph and Nicodemus, who wound the body in
linen clothes with spices, as the manner of the Jews
is to bury ; and the women also, who sat over
against the sepulchre, and beheld both where, and
how the body was laid c ; all these could have no
reason but to be fully satisfied that they had thus
committed to the sepulchre a lifeless corpse; and,
if it were otherwise, they must have discovered it.
And those, who had accomplished the execution
of Jesus, could have no doubt that they really had
taken away the life of Jesus. For if otherwise,
why did they " make the sepulchre sure, and seal
the stone, and set a watch?" Why this precaution,
a John xix. 34, 35. b Mark xv. 42 — 45.
" Matt, xxvii. 59— 6l. Mark xv. 46, 47. Luke xxiii. 50
—56. John xix. 39—42.

Lecture XVII. 421
lest the disciples should "steal away" his dead
body d ? — We can in rto respect suggest a doubt as
to the reality of that event, which was a subject of
lamentation and despair to the friends of Jesus,
and of a malignant complacency and expected
triumph to his enemies. It was witnessed, and
attested by the leading individuals of either party;
and also by Pilate, and the centurion, and the sol
diers, who were less interested in the issue.
Well might the Infidel triumph, and the
Christian despair, if the resurrection of Jesus
from the dead were not also ascertained by the
most satisfactory evidence. Then should we have
no reason to hope, as now we do, that " they which
are fallen asleep in Christ have not perished ;"
and "we should be yet in our sins." "Our
preaching, and your faith, would alike be vainc."
,Vain also would have been the instructions and
the miracles, the promises and the sufferings of
rJesus. The religion, of which he had laid the
foundations, would either never have been estab
lished, or long since would have fallen to decay,
had not his resurrection, as the key-stone, com
pleted, and strengthened, and adorned the whole.
— But we, as the ministers of Jesus who was
crucified, maintain that he "both died and rose
again;" and "for this end, that he might be
d Matt, xxvii. 62—66. e 1 Cor. xv. 14, 17, 18.

422 Lecture XVII.
Lord both of the dead, and of the living." And
such was the personal character of those who
were witnesses of these things to the world —
they gave their testimony with such exhibitions of
divine approbation — yet under circumstances which
would have been so trying to those whose con
sistency was supported by any other principle that
a conviction and a love of truth — that we need little
more, to justify a reliance upon their authority,
than to be satisfied that they were not, and could
not have been, deceived into a persuasion, that
Jesus "shewed himself alive after his passion by
many infallible proofs* ." If we recall the train
of events to our recollection, we shall be able to
place ourselves in the circumstances of those, to
whom the words of our text were addressed, and
to ascertain both how the resurrection of their
master was evidenced to them, and what he taught
them after that event.
I. The chief priests and rulers of the Jews
waited only for the arrival of the third day, in
the hope that they should then be able finally
to disabuse the people of their opinions respecting
Jesus, by demonstrating the failure of the pre
diction that " after three days he would rise
again." His own disciples were already so com
pletely confounded, as to have no disposition to
" Acts i. 3.

Lecture XVII. 423
occasion any further jealousy. They had given
up all for lost; and the prediction, which had
occasioned the precaution of the rulers, had left
almost no trace on the minds of those, who were
occupied by all the contending emotions of dis
appointed ambition. As far as Jesus was con
cerned, they, who had slept when they attended
him in the garden, had now sunk into a deep
mental lethargy. None of his followers were
found in motion, save only a few women, who
having, on the eve of the sabbath, "prepared
spices and ointments, and rested the sabbath-day
according to the commandment," went early on
the morning of the first day of the week to pay
their last tribute of affection and respect to the
remains of their entombed friend b. Little did
they think that the body, which they were desirous
to embalm, would " never see corruption." They
had no opportunity to accomplish their purpose.
The stone which had closed the sepulchre was
rolled away, and " entering in, they found not the .
body of Jesus c." Whilst Mary Magdalene ran to

b Luke xxiii. 54 — 56 ; xxiv. 1 .
c Luke xxiv. 2, 3, &c. Compare also Matt, xxviii. Mark xvi.
John xx. — This short notice of the very numerous events of the
morning of the resurrection is of course not designed as any thing
more than a general statement, and does not profess to include all
the incidents, or notice all the feelings, and surmises of those
concerned.

424 Lecture XVII.
inform Peter and John, that the Lord had been
" taken away from the sepulchre, and laid they
knew not where," an angel appeared to her
companions, on the spot within the sepulchre
where they had before seen Jesus laid. They
were doubting concerning the matter, when the
angel informed them of the fact, reminded them
of the predictions of Jesus, and sent them to com
municate to his disciples the intelligence they
had received. " Be not afraid; 1 know that ye
seek Jesus who was crucified. Why seek ye the
living among the dead. He is not here, but is
risen ; come, see the place where they laid him.
Remember how he spake unto you while he was
yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be
delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be
crucified, and the third day rise again. And go
quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from
the dead; and behold, he goeth before you into
Galilee ; there shall ye see him, as he said unto
you3." " They," says the Evangelist St. Luke, " re
membered his words, and returned from the sepul
chre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and
to all the rest." — Peter and John also came to the
sepulchre, and found the intelligence of Mary Mag
dalene confirmed by their own observation. She,
again coming to the sepulchre, beheld two angels
a Matt, xxviii. 5—7. Mark xvi. 6, 7. Luke xxiv. 5 — 7-

Lecture XVII. 425
sitting therein; and her lamentations to them
respecting the body, were followed by the first
appearance of Jesus, who sends her to the disci
ples with an assurance of his approaching ascen
sion11. But her report was disbelieved. Jesus
again appeared to the other women, and confirmed
the direction of the angel to go and tell the
disciples that they should "go into Galilee,, and
there they should see him." To the disciples these
things as yet "seemed as idle tales, and they
believed them notc." Yet Jesus brought them, ere
that day closed, to a full conviction of the fact of
his resurrection. Two disciples, in the course ofthe same day,
journeyed towards Emmaus, having left Jerusalem
before they had received an accurate report of
all the incidents which we have just noticed d.
But they were very deeply impressed by the
events of those days. They could think of
nothing else, they could talk of nothing . else.
These things had happened in a manner the very
reverse of all that they had . wished, and hoped,
and expected. They therefore communed to
gether respecting them, in the hope that they
might assist each other in reviewing and account
ing for them, and in judging of the prudence and

b Matt, xxviii. 9, 10. John xx. 14 — 18.
c Luke xxiv. 10, 11. d Luke xxiv. 13—32.

426 Lecture XVII.
propriety of their past conduct. But they saw
evident difficulties. They had various doubts.
They were perplexed. They were sad.— A stranger
who joined them observed their sadness. He asked
its cause. He concluded that it could be no other
than the subject of their earnest discourse together.
He would fain be made acquainted with it. Their
minds were indeed so full of it, that they scrupled
not for a moment to communicate, even to a
stranger, the subject of their grief, and all its
particulars. But indeed what need had "they to
detail the events, by which they were overwhelmed
with such despondency ? ' Though a stranger to
us, said they, " Art thou only a stranger in Je
rusalem, and hast not known the things which
are come, to pass there in these days?"' They
entered into a disclosure of their feelings respect
ing them. They were shocked and distressed by
the proceedings which had taken place respecting
Jesus of Nazareth. They confessed that they
were his disciples, his devoted followers. They
could not even now doubt that he was " a prophet,
mighty in deed and word before God and all the
people." And yet how could they still rationally
believe it ? For " the chief priests and the rulers
had delivered him to be condemned to death, and
had crucified him." God, whose Messenger they
had conceived him to be, appeared to have dis
owned and abandoned him. Yet they had here-

Lecture XVII. 427
tofore even ventured to hope " that it was he,
who should redeem Israel," and fulfil the pro
mises made of God to Israel by the prophets.
Yet he, whose exaltation to a throne they had
expected, had been executed as a malefactor, had
died, had been buried ! Their hopes were at an
end ! And yet had they not had reason to believe
them just and reasonable ? And even now the
matter was pregnant with fresh and yet unex
plained wonders. "Besides," added they, "this
is the third day since these things were done."
c We remember certainly that he did speak some
thing, which we never could comprehend till the
event explained it, about being delivered up, and
crucified. And he spoke also of rising again on
the third day. That day has arrived, and, though
we have certainly had no convincing proof that he
has fulfilled a promise of such a nature, yet,
strange to tell, some women and others have been
to the sepulchre, but have found it empty ! They
have reported also that they had " seen a vision of
angels, which said that he was alive. And certain
of them that were with us also went to the sepul
chre, and found it even so as the women had said ;
but him they saw not." What are we to think ?' —
Their companion was not slow to answer, and not
incompetent to teach them what they ought to
think; what indeed they would have thought
before, had not their understanding of the Scrip-

428 Lecture XVII.
tures been imperfect, had they not been " slow of
heart to believe all that the prophets had spoken."
They expected one " to redeem Israel." They for
merly believed that Jesus was anointed of God for
that end ; nor were present circumstances at all in
consistent with that supposition. Had they attended
to all that the prophets had spoken, they would
have seen that " the Christ ought to have suffered
those things, which they knew that Jesus had suf
fered; and to enter into his glory." " Beginning,
therefore, at Moses and all the Prophets, he ex
pounded to them in all the Scriptures the things
concerning himself." For it was Jesus — whom
they had confessed to be the Christ, but of the
validity of whose pretensions they were now in
doubt— who then addressed them. He shewed
them, while he remained unknown to them, that
their belief of the; Messiahship of their Master
ought, not to be destroyed by his sufferings and
death; and that they might justly expect that he
would rise from the dead. Soon he removed their
doubts on that subject also by revealing himself
to them ; thus shewing that he who had died,
had already risen, and that they had for some time
seen and conversed with him. " He took bread,
and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
And their eyes were opened, and they knew
him." They saw him administer to them that
ordinance, which he had celebrated with them

Lecture XVII. 429
before his death, then explaining its design, and
commanding them to continue it "in remembrance
of him." But in the joyful moment of recog
nition, " he vanished out of their sight ;" and
left them to their own reflections on all that he
had taught them from the Scriptures, in con
nection with the fact that he had risen from the
grave, and was alive. They had even before
been deeply interested in the conversation of this
stranger; and therefore was it that they requested
him to "abide with them" on their arrival at "the
village whither they went." And, after his mira
culous departure, recollecting, in the fulness of
their conviction, every circumstance which con
tributed to communicate and confirm it, they
observed to each other, " Did not our heart burn
within us, while he talked with us by the way,
and while he opened to us the Scriptures?" It
was Jesus, himself, still speaking " with authority
and with power," as one " who had the words of
eternal life."
This conference very fully discovers to us the
views and feelings of the disciples at this junc
ture, when they had heard of the absence of the
body of Jesus from the tomb, and that angels
had declared that it was not in consequence of
the removal of the body, but of the resurrection
of Jesus from the dead. The same hesitation was
manifested by the whole body, when the two

430 Lecture XVII.
disciples, returning immediately to Jerusalem, " told
the eleven what things were done in the way, and
how Jesus was known to them in the breaking
of bread." They were also told, " The Lord is
risen indeed, and hath appeared unto Simon."
Yet the report which they made seems not to have
obtained full credit, though it had now come to
their ears that Jesus had appeared to three of the
disciples, as well as to the women 3. The intelli
gence was unexpected, and surprising. It was
too good to be true ! It put their expectations as
to futurity to the full stretch. For if Jesus were
such as they had known him to be, when among
them before his death, what would be his glory,
and power, and proceedings, and what would be
the consequences, if he had indeed risen?
The evidence of the fact was not yet so de
cisive and infallibly convincing as it afterwards
was. Jesus had not yet been seen by all of them.
There had been an appearance of some one like
him ; but how were they to be assured that it was
not his disembodied spirit? There could remain
no doubt, if they not only saw and heard him, but
also beheld him yet more nearly, and saw the
wounds in his hands, and side, and feet, and could
perfectly identify them as the Jesus who was cruci
fied ; and if it were also proved that he had risen

a Luke xxiv. 33-35. Mark xvi. 12, 13.

Lecture XVII. 431
ih the body, by palpable evidence that he pos
sessed a material body, and that he exercised all
the faculties of one existing in the body. They
were now prepared for this conclusive demon
stration ; and they received it. — " Jesus himself
stood in the midst of them, and said unto them,
Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and
affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a
spirit." But their master removed all these ap
prehensions, by removing every doubt which could
occasion them ; for he gave them the complete
and joyful assurance that he had truly risen.
fWhy are ye troubled? said he to them. And
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 notflesh-and bones,
as ye see me have. And when he had thus
spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. '
And while they yet believed not for joy, and
wondered, He said unto them, Have ye here any
meat ? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish,
and of a honey comb. And he took it, and did
eat before them."
We must not here omit to notice that there
was an appeal made by our Lord on this occasion,
to the understandings, as well as to the senses of
the disciples. He not only gave them evidence
b John xvi. 17, &e; xxix. 30. c John xx. 26—28.

432 Lecture XVII.
of the reality of his bodily presence, and of his
identity, but also invited their attention to the
circumstances which proved it, with an express
and pointed reference to those secret fears and
surmises of their minds, which they had neither
time nor inclination to state in words. By thus
alluding to "the thoughts which arose in their
hearts," and directly answering them, he in another
way identified himself. For he thereby shewed
that he was the same Jesus who had often, during
his ministry, displayed his knowledge of the hearts
of all men. Their feelings, therefore, must now
have been the same, as when they exclaimed on
a similar occasion, " Now are we sure that thou
knowest all things, and needest not that any man
should ask thee ; by this we believe that thou
camest forth from God3."
The same union of both these proofs is also
observable, in the method by which, eight days
afterwards, our Lord convinced Thomas, who on
this occasion was absent. Jesus did not in the
intermediate time continue his intercourse with the
disciples ; but he entered among them, on the
eighth day, in the same miraculous manner as
before. Introducing himself with the same bene
dictory salutation, he shewed that he was perfectly
aware of the resolute perseverance of Thomas
¦ a John xvi. 30.

Lecture XVII. 433
in disbelieving the report of his brethren. For
immediately he said to him, " Reach hither thy
finger, and behold my hands ; and reach hither
thy hand, and thrust it into my side ; and be not
faithless, but believing!" Unable any longer to
resist a conviction of the truth, for which he had
been prepared by the testimony of others, and of
which he himself now had such perceptible and
varied demonstration, he answered in faith and
with joy, "My Lord and My God."
II. We have reviewed the circumstances, and
the declarations of Jesus, which preceded the deli
very of the words of our text. They were addressed
to those, who by a series of clear and satisfactory
proofs, had ascertained the certainty, not only of
the death, but also of the resurrection of their
Master. His body was not found in the sepulchre.
The women who first discovered this, saw a vision
of angels, who said that he was alive. The dis
ciples ascertained the absence of the body ; Peter
and John found the sepulchre in such an orderly
state, as indicated the probability that the body
had not been surreptitiously removed. Peter saw
Jesus. Mary Magdalene, and the other women
also saw him. The two disciples going to Em
maus for some time conversed with him. He then
appeared to the eleven, and proved to them that
he was risen in the body, and in the same body
in which he had died. This complete identity
E E

434 Lecture XVII.
was also still further evinced by his celebration
of his recently appointed ordinance, by the subject,
and comprehensiveness, and impressiveness of his
instructions, by his supernatural knowledge of the
human heart, and by his miraculous disappearance
and re-appearance. And, in the words of the text,
spoken at his interview with the eleven, he takes
occasion from the full demonstration given of his
resurrection, and from the conviction which his
disciples had attained of its reality, to re-establish
and advance them in the knowledge and belief
of his divine mission and Messiahship, as fully
and decisively proved by this event. And he also
announced to them the purposes which, were now
accomplished, the blessings which were from that
time to be published to the world, and the means
through which their publication was. to commence,
with sufficient evidence to convince mankind.
We can do little more than call your attention to
the several considerations which Jesus, proposed
to the disciples at this interesting crisis. But
such a brief notice as we can lake, will bring to
a close our review of the evidences of Christianity,
as stated and defended in tlje discourses of its
founder. The first argument upon which Jesus entered
on this occasion was that derived from his own
prophecies; and though some of them were wholly
original, yet they were more generally an ap-

Lecture XVII. 435
plication of the ancient prophecies to himself,
and to the events in which he would be the
principal agent or sufferer. He cited and ap
plied those predictions in such a manner, as to
shew that he was previously aware of the true in
terpretation of them ; and described in literal terms
the events, which, at an earlier period, had been
described in figurative language. He specified
many additional particulars, announced the speedy
fulfilment of them in his own person, and even
limited the precise day for their accomplishment.
His prophetic character was shewn not only by
the exact accomplishment of these numerous
predictions, but by the peculiar nature of those
unexpected incidents, which so rapidly fulfilled
his anticipations. The events themselves had
now become familiar to the minds of his disciples.
The predictions had perplexed and distressed them
at the time of delivery ; the fulfilment was more
deeply and sensibly afflictive. But from con
sidering both in connection, from remembering
his words before the events occurred, and from
observing that none of those words had failed,
they might derive consolation and conviction.
We may well, therefore, conceive what entire satis
faction would possess their minds, when Jesus
directing them to these considerations, said unto
them; " These are the words which I spake unto
you, i&hile T was yet with you, that allthings must
E E 2

436 Lecture XVII,
be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses,
and in the prophets, and in the Psalms con
cerning me." — We have in a former Lecture
considered the entire series of our Lord's pre
dictions, and shewn how he stated beforehand the
purpose for which he delivered them, in order
that "when the things referred to, came to pass,
they might remember that he told them of those
things ; and, thus remembering his words, might
believe." And when "all things were brought to
their remembrance, whatsoever he had said unto
them," every previous fear that they might have
been deceived in Jesus, was replaced by the most
perfect confidence in him, and the most consola
tory belief of his divine mission. Nor do I know
any consideration more convincing to ourselves,
than that Jesus distinctly foresaw, accurately de
scribed, and with the utmost composure and
complacency looked forward to those painful
transactions, which terminated his ministry, and
produced consequences so astonishing, and so
permanent. It obviously appears from the resurrection of
Jesus, that God did not disown him, though he did
not deliver him from sufferings, and from death.
Nay, those very sufferings were almost immediately
followed by that event, which confirmed his words as
a prophet, and established his authority as a divine
teacher. But in order to the complete discovery

Lecture XVII. 437
of his character, we must advance still further,
and once more advert to the consideration, that
the things, which had happened to him, were such
as had been described by the Prophets. Jesus
was therefore one, whose mission had long before
been designed in the counsels of God. But this
may also be said of Cyrus and of John the Baptist.
A comparison of the sufferings and resurrection of
Jesus, with the predictions respecting them, en
ables us to ascribe to him a more exalted cha
racter ; no other than that of the Messiah, whose
coming had been foretold to the Jews, and who
was by them expected to come.
Jesus himself enlarged upon this subject to
his disciples after his resurrection, then entering
upon the more particular detail of those state
ments, which, as we have shewn in a preceding
Lecture, he frequently made before his death.
"These are the words which I spake unto you,
while I was yet with you, that all things must be
fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses,
and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, con
cerning Me." Even a very general and superficial
view will discover to us that the circumstances of
the birth of Jesus, the character and office of his
forerunner, and his own character, ministrations,
and miracles, were certainly conformable to pro
phetic description. If. then, his claim to be the
Messiah is established as far as these are con-

438 Lecture XVII.
cerned, are his sufferings and death sufficient to
refute his pretensions ? They still more strongly
confirm them. For these very things are as dis
tinctly and variously specified " in the law of
Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms,"
as any of the others 3. And in order to shew this
important truth to his disciples, and thus perfectly
to instruct them unto the kingdom of God, Jesus
advanced still farther than to announce the mere
fulfilment of the prophecies in himself; for he
applied the obvious fact to establish them in the
belief of his Messiahship, and in the right know
ledge of the purposes of his now finished commis
sion. " Then opened he their understandings
that they might understand the Scriptures; and
said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it
behoved the Christ to suffer, and to rise from
the dead the third day, and that repentance and
remission of sins should be preached in his name
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."
He led them to see that one consistent and
ever growing testimony to the character, and
office, and proceedings of the Messiah, is ob
servable in the prophetic writings ; and that all
their sublime, and varied, and seemingly contra-
a As the establishment of this position would occupy more
room than the plan of these Lectures will allow, the Author
must content himself with referring to Mede, Discourse 13. and
to Dr. Hales's Chronology, Vol. II, Part II. p. 929.

Lecture XVIl. 439
dictory descriptions were fulfilled in those things
which had happened to himself. They had seen
reason, before his " delivery into the hands of
wicked men," to acknowledge his Messiahship.
But his death had wholly Staggered thehi; for
" as yet they knew not the Scripture, that he
must rise from the dead." But that death which
had overwhelmed them with despair, and that
resurrection Which they had so little expected,
and of Which they were with such difficulty con
vinced, were as necessary as any other particulars,
to prove his Messiahship. For " thus it was
written, and thus it behoved the Christ to suffer,
and to rise again the third day." Since thef-efore
such thirtgs were predicted of the Christ, and
since they had been fulfilled in himself, he was
by new and decisive evidence proved to have
a just claim to that title.
He announced to them further, that " it be
hoved the Christ thus to siiffer, and rise from the
dead," not in Order that he inight be exalted to
an earthly throne, but that "repentance and re
mission of sins might be preached among all
nations." For thus also " it is written " of the
Christ. The occasion and the terms of the
original promise of the deliverer from evil — the
succeeding prortiises and predictions of the pa
triarchal ages — the typical observances of the law
— the prayers and promises, and predictions,

440 Lecture XVII.
found in the writings of the later prophets — all
these asserted and explained the spiritual nature
of the blessings which it was his office to procure
and to bestow. — And although the Messiah was
to be born in Judea, and "the word of recon
ciliation " was to be ministered by Jews, and to
begin at Jerusalem, yet all nations have ever been
contemplated as having an interest in this design.
So had it been expressed in all the earlier pro
phecies ; nothing had been stated to the contrary
in the later ones ; and to all nations would this
grand scheme in due time be made known.
Although only the heads of that discourse, in
which our Lord unfolded and illustrated these
things, are recorded in the Gospels, yet in the
citations of prophecy, and allusions to it, by all
the Evangelists, and by the Apostles, in their
discourses recorded in the Acts, and in their
Epistolary writings, we are furnished with ample
aid for taking a survey of the whole prophetic
scheme, and for ascertaining the fulfilment of the
prophecies, and the accomplishment of the divine
promises, in the character, and office, and work
of Jesus. Enough, probably, is already familiar
to each of us to enable us not only to comprehend
the reasonings of our Saviour in the text, but also
to derive from thence a conviction of the truth of
the Gospel, and an illustration of its nature. And
Jesus having thus instructed his disciples, in the

Lecture XVII. 441
purposes and previous design of these events;
added, " And ye are witnesses of these things.
And behold, " I send the promise of my Father
upon you ; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem,
until ye be endued with power from on high."
He had before his death given the promise of
the Holy Spirit ; he now predicted its speedy
communication and the design and consequences
of it. "John truly baptized with water; but
ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not
many days hence." " Ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon -you ;
and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jeru
salem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and unto
the uttermost part of the earth3." As Jesus
predicted, so it came to pass; and we have reason
to cherish feelings of the most lively gratitude
to God for those inspired writings which the
Evangelists and Apostles have bequeathed to the
world, and for the wisdom, and boldness, and
success, with which they were enabled to dis
charge the ministry committed to them.
The commission which Jesus gave to his
Apostles was suitable ' to the declarations which
we have been considering. " Go ye into all the
world," said he to them, " and preach the Gospel
to every creature. He that belieteth and is bap-
a Acts i. 5—8.

442 Lecture XVII.
tized shall be saved; and he that believeth riot
shall be dartiiied3." This is an alarming sanctibri,
a fearful penalty. If these things be so,— if he,
who declared these things, had that dignity and
authority which has been so abundantly evidenced
to us, then a great responsibility rests upon us,
who have been made acquainted With the glad
tidings of salvation through hiin. We shall here
after have to consider the danger, as well as the
causes of infidelity. Let us now ask, what does
the Christian, who fully comprehends the pur
port of the title which he bears, profess to believe ?
— ^Our text will furnish us with ah answer.
" Thus it is written — that the Christ should
suffer, and rise again the third day, and that
repentance and remission of sins should be preach
ed in his name among all nations." — Promises of
such things, and predictions of their accomplish
ment in the fulness of time, had existed for ages
before the Christian era. And the fulfilment of
such previously existing intiirtatiohs may convince
the Gentile, as well as the JeW, that the com
munications of God's mefcy, and the interpo
sitions of his providence, have not been itiade in
vain. Important purposes were thereby to be
answered, or these things would neither in such
a manner, nor even at all, have been foretold and
transacted. a Mark xvi. 15, 16.

Lecture XVII. 443
And not only " thus is it written," but " thus
it behoved the Christ to suffer." There was
a moral necessity for it, the whole extent of which
we can but imperfectly comprehend ; but the
nature and occasion of which we know. The
same God who " created man upright," when man
fell from the security of innocence into the peril
of guilt, gave to him the promise of restoration
and deliverance. That general intimation of
mercy, and the perfect and explicit revelation of
it through the Christ, are the only ground of
present consolation and future hope, amidst the
depravity and sinfulness of our nature. Hence
alone the assurance of pardon of sin, the means
of sanctification, and the hope of future glory.
The origin and prevalence of evil does indeed
still perplex us ; but we may justly believe, that
all will finally issue in the glory of God, and
that, through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there is
" Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will towards men."— " God was in Christ
reconciling the world to himself;" and therefore,
"it behoved the Christ to suffer," "the just for
the unjust, that he might bring us to God." — It
was necessary that we should have sufficient
grounds for faith and hope in him ; and therefore
" it behoved the Christ to rise from the dead."—
It was necessary, in order that the world might be
reformed and regenerated, that these facts and

444 Lecture XVII.
their design should be made known to the sons of
men ;— and, therefore, it behoved that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached among
all nations." We have still in our hands those
records, which shew us how the merciful design
was at first formed and promised, how it was
carried on, and how it was completed.
The facts and miracles, the types and prophe
cies, by which the divine intention respecting
" so great a salvation," is evinced, form the highest
possible moral demonstration. All is harmonious
and consistent ; all tends to the great and import
ant end, the salvation of man through a long pre
dicted, divine, incarnate, and crucified Redeemer.
The demonstration is as complete in its kind to
prove the mercy of God to his sinful creatures,
as is that, by which, from the wonders and order
and arrangement of the material world, we deduce
the existence and wisdom wao\ power ofthe Creator.
And so abundant is the evidence, and so satis
factory to all who will seriously consider it, that
it is as little needful that Jesus should now repeat
his miracles, and that all the other proofs both of
his divine mission, and of the success of it, should
again be exhibited, as that the world should be
created anew, to prove the being and attributes
of the Creator.
What then remains for us but to "believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ that we may be saved?"

Lecture XVII. 445
His words and his works, his sufferings and his
exaltation, are all recorded for our instruction,
"written" with the pen of inspiration, "that we
may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God, and that believing we may have life through
his name." Therefore were we "baptized into
Christ, that we might put on Christ," " baptized
in the name ofthe Father, and ofthe Son, and of
the Holy Ghost," the authors of our salvation.
Therefore are we "taught to observe all things
whatsoever Jesus hath commanded us." We also
have the sure and encouraging promise, " Lo I am
with you alway even unto the end of the worid."
One other evidence of the truth of the Gospel,
was noticed by our Lord, the exhibition of which
depends upon ourselves; which, through the
" special grace of God preventing and following
us," we may be enabled to illustrate, and than
which none will be more effectual for our , own
consolation, and for the conversion and establish
ment of others in " the truth as it is in Jesus."
Our Lord himself prayed for us and for all men,
after he had prayed for the Apostles, who were
to be his witnesses to all men of " what they had
seen and heard." "Neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also which shall believe on
me through their word, that they all may be one,
as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that
they also may be one in us ; that the world may

446 Lecture XVII.
believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory
which thou gavest me I have given them ; that
they may be one even as we are one ; I in them,
and thou in me, that they may be made perfect
in one ; and that the world may know that thou
hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast
loved me. — And / have declared unto them thy
name, and will declare it ; that the Jove wherewith
thou hast loved me, may be in them', and I in
them V
May therefore " God, the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, our only Saviour, the prince of
peace, give us grace seriously to lay to heart the
great dangers we are in by unhappy divisions.
May he take away all hatred and prejudice, and
whatsoever else may hinder us from godly union
and concord ; that as there is but one body, and
one Spirit, and one hope of our calling ; one
Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God, and
Father of all ; so we may henceforth be all of one
heart, and of one soul, united in one holy bond
of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may
with one mind and one mouth glorify God,
through Jesus Christ our Lordb."
1 John xvii. 20, &c.
h Collect in the Service for the Anniversary of the King's
Accession.

HULSEAN LECTURES
FOR 1821.
Part III.
LECTURES XVIII— XX.

OUR LORDS NOTICE OF THE REJECTION OF HIS CLAIMS BY THE JEWS J
AND OF THE CAUSES, PROGRESS, AND CONSEQUENCES OF
INFIDELITY.

LECTURE XVIII.

OUR LORD S NOTICE OF THE REJECTION OF HIS
CLAIMS BY THE JEWS.  HE SPECIFIES SOME OF
THE MORAL CAUSES OF INFIDELITY.

St. John V. 40—46.
Ye will not come to me that ye might have life. I receive
not honour from men. But I know you, that you
have not the love of God in you. I am come in my
Father's name, and ye receive me not ; if another shall
come in his ozen name, him ye will receive. How can
ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and
seek not the honour that cometh from God only ? Do
not think that I will accuse you to the Father : there
is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
For had ye 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 ?
We have cited in our text the whole of the third
and concluding division of that discourse of our
Lord before the Jewish Sanhedrim, the former
portions of which have occupied so much of our
attention in the course of these Lectures. We
have done this in order that we might at once
announce the subject of this day's Lecture.
F p

450 Lecture XVIII.
You cannot, I conceive, have heard these
words, without calling to mind the infidelity of
the Jews. You must already have pictured to
yourselves that sullen perverseness and watchful
malignity, which exposed our Lord, during his
public ministry, to contradiction, calumny, and
persecution; that enmity, which continually be
came more fixed, determined, and extensive, till,
through the machinations of the rulers, and with
the consenting plaudits of the multitude, they
finally rejected and crucified him. Carrying for
ward your recollections to the days, when the
Apostles, " with great power, gave witness of the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus," and wrought
those " notable miracles3," which the rulers could
not deny, yet by which they were not persuaded
to embrace the Christian faith, you observe them
rejecting and persecuting the servants, in like
manner as they had before hated their Master.
You behold every Jewish prejudice and jealousy
rousing them to vehement and desperate opposi
tion to the doctrine of Christ ; amidst the excesses
of which " deceivableness of unrighteousness,"
and partly through its instrumentality, their
" faith became faction," their polity was sub
verted, and their name and place as a nation
removed. * Acts iv. 16.

Lecture XVIII. 451
But we must not even here terminate our
survey of the fate and fortunes of this misguided,
but remarkable people, as if then they ceased to
exist, as if they could no longer be traced amidst
the inhabitants of the earth. We may follow
them from kingdom to kingdom, and from century
to century, till we come to look upon the times in
which we ourselves live, and traverse the cities
and kingdoms through which our race is distri
buted. In these, the Pagan, the Mahometan, and
the Christian, partake of the general characteristics
of their several countries and manners. The
conquerors and the conquered become assimilated
to each other. All other distinctions change and
cease, except those by which the Jew is known,
amidst every revolution, and in every age, country,
and nation ; the same in his religious and civil
peculiarities, in his person, and in his sufferings.
It is not enough to say, that all this is unprece
dented ; it is a miracle, which has hitherto been
lasting and universal, and which appears destined
to continue for ages yet to come ; for there is yet
little appearance of its cessation. The Jew as yet
retains his, infidelity, and, therefore, his distin
guishing characteristics. His ancestors rejected
the lesson taught them by those miracles which
were a counteraction and suspension of the laws
of nature, and therefore the laws of providence,
which mould and affect the destiny of all other
F F 2

452 Lecture XVIII.
nations, are still, since the Christian era, as well
as before it, suspended with respect to them ; that
they may be a standing miracle, obvious to the
view and apprehension of every people, and
nation, and language. And what does it testify,
but that truly they have been so separated, and so
governed, and so preserved, by a divine council
and design, for important and still progressive
purposes ; for purposes which respect every nation
of the earth, since in all are they present, and to
all they may establish the same truths? They
hold in their hands the oracles of ancient revela
tion, delivered by Moses and the prophets, and
they account them divine. We also hold in our's
the writings of the Evangelists and Apostles, and
them also we account, divine. The antiquity and
divinity of both is proved by their unbelief and
marvellous history, for these are an exact and
abiding fulfilment of what Moses and the prophets,
of what Jesus and his Apostles, have foretold.
Although they deny that Jesus is the Christ,
although they " would not come to him that they
might have life," yet by what they believe and by
what they disbelieve, by what they do and by
what they suffer, they condemn their own infi
delity, and they justify our faith. This we believe
to be " eternal life, to know the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom he has sent." The oracles
of God committed to the Jews, and which they

Lecture XVIII. 453
themselves received as the record and charter of
eternal life, did " testify of Jesus." The same
testified also of their infidelity, and of its punish
ment ; and their prejudices, their peculiarities,
and their fortunes, remain unaltered after the
lapse of near two thousand years, and are, there
fore, proved to be not transitory, but abiding.
This is a fact, which at once bespeaks the interpo
sition of God in the ages that are present, and
evidences both his interposition and foreknowledge
in the ages that are past, and the more remarkable
Consequences of which are reserved to be seen in
ages yet to come.
Behold, then, the solitary individuals of that
nation, who in almost every town offer themselves
to your observation. Behold them congregated in
your metropolis. Cross the sea, and see them in
still greater numbers inhabiting the metropolis of
Holland, and the cities of Poland. See them abid
ing alike under Christian, Mahometan, and Pagan
dynasties in every quarter of the globe ; some
times restricted, persecuted, and oppressed, some
times enjoying a portion of liberty and prosperity,
but still unmixed and readily recognized. Ask
yourself what, and of what original, is this strange
tribe, whose fortunes and peculiarities form one
solitary exception in the history of mankind. One
people alone is found destitute of those affinities,
by which men- of like faculties, and opportunities,

454 Lecture XVIII.
and pursuits, are ever amalgamated, and united in
the same political and social relations? The drama,
the fictitious narrative, and the historical annals
of our own and other nations, shew the universal
belief and experience, that such as they are, such
have they long been. If we search the records of
classical writers, and those which the sacred and
ordinary writers of their own nation have handed
down to us, we identify the same people, then
subsisting as a nation, and then as remarkable in
their theology, and character, and fortunes, as they
have since been. The fact admits of no denial ;
the conclusions drawn from it are certain and
satisfactory. The infidel cannot either refute, or
weaken the argument. He rather directs his
attention to one particular period of the Jewish
history, and contends that their rejection of the
Gospel is a valid objection to the claims of Jesus,
and to the reality, of the evidences in favour of
Christianity. Now we contend that, in some
respects, the case is completely the reverse of his
representation, and that he cannot, in any respect,
establish the validity of his inference.
We undoubtedly grant, that the infidelity of
the Jews is an astonishing, and, in some respects,
a mysterious fact. Of course the entire body of
the Jews of the present day are characterized by
a rejection of the Gospel. But we cannot say so
of those who lived in the reign of Augustus, and

Lecture XVIII. 455
who heard the instructions, beheld the miracles, and
were witnesses, of the crucifixion of Jesus. Great
multitudes, in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in the
other countries in which they were dispersed, did
embrace the Gospel, and no longer were ranked with
their unbelieving fellow-countrymen, but with the
Christians. The numerous and increasing society,
which received that title first at Antioch import
ing their convictions that Jesus of Nazareth was
the Christ, consisted, for many years, only of
believing Jews ; who are, therefore, not incompe
tent, but admissible witnesses of the miraculous
works of Jesus and his Apostles. The reality of
these miracles was not indeed denied, even by those
who remained in unbelief. We know that these
unbelieving Jews did not admit that the prophe
cies were fulfilled in Jesus. But we must still bear
in mind that a very large proportion of the nation
thought otherwise ; and that more of those in
power were not of that number, renders the argu
ment which is supplied by the conviction of
others, more satisfactory. For the circumstance,
that those who had the disposition, had also the
power to persecute the early Christians, is a very
decisive demonstration of the assurance and sin
cerity of that belief, which impelled men to join
the standard of the cross, when the warfare to
which it engaged them was so hazardous, and
even when the hottest fire of persecution was

456 Lecture XVIII.
directed against the company of the Apostles and
their followers. If we consider the inhabitants.
even of this land, where Christianity is established,
and where it has an influence so extensive, I know
not whether we should find that the number of
converts in Jerusalem fell very far short of the
number of those who, among ourselves, give evi
dence of their Christian faith, by regularly attend
ing on the worship and sacraments ofthe Christian
Church, and by a life which adorns the doctrine
of God their Saviour. Surely, then, there is no
view, which can rightly be taken of the infidelity
of the Jews, which can at all impair our con
viction of the reality of the Christian miracles, of
the justness ofthe Christian interpretation of the
prophecies, and of the cogency of the various other
arguments, which persuade us, with " the full as
surance of understanding, with the full assurance
of faith, and in the full assurance of hope," to
think that, " both in the Old and New Testament,
we have eternal life offered to us by Jesus Christ,
as the only Mediator between God and man," and
that " to him we must be willing to come that we
may have life."
But we may, and ought to proceed still further
in considering the infidelity of the Jews; we
must fix our attention more exclusively on those
who remained and persevered in unbelief. We
must investigate the causes, and motives, and

Lecture XVIII. 457
operations of this unbelief. This will in two
respects be useful to us. It will shew that the
Gospel was rejected from no just, defensible, or
sufficient motive, and, therefore, that their infi
delity need not hinder us from seeking the
blessedness of those, " who have not seen, and yet
have believed." It will also give to us an impres
sive and salutary caution, lest we fall after the
same example of unbelief.
It must suffice merely to remind you of those
erroneous interpretations, or rather of that partial
selection of Scripture, which led them to reject
a spiritual and suffering Messiah ; to believe in
the perpetuity and sufficiency ofthe Mosaic ritual;
and to claim an interest in the promises made to
Abraham in virtue of their lineal and natural
descent from him, and also an unconditional and
indefeisible right to the land of Canaan. It was not,
however, until the scheme of the Gospel was fully
unfolded, and found to be directly opposed to
these favourite notions, which they had embraced
so firmly, and which so many refused to abandon,
that the Jews became " exceedingly jealous of the
traditions of the Fathers," and mad against the
Christians. Those principles had then their full
operation ; and the topics just mentioned became
the subjects of open controversy between those
who embraced, and those who rejected the Gospel
of Christ. Those topics had been slightly touched

458 Lecture XVIII.
upon even by the Baptist. They were also occa
sionally adverted to by our Lord ; and in one or
two instances became the subjects of his discourses,
parables, and reasonings with the Jews. But, in
general, as in the words of our text, we find our
Lord unfolding the moral causes of infidelity ;
causes which, of themselves, if unchecked and
predominant, are sufficient to choke the good seed
of Evangelical truth, and to render it unfruitful.
And when to these moral impediments preju
dices and errors were added, such as those just
noticed, we may cease to wonder that the Jew
remained incapable of conviction, and proof against
every argument which might persuade him to
embrace the Christian faith.
These moral obstacles, which are the sub
stratum in which all other accidental ones inhere,
and whence the latter derive their strength and
permanency, are not, alas ! confined to the Jew.
They result from that " fault and corruption of
the nature of every man that naturally is engen
dered of the offspring of Adam, whereby he is of
his own nature inclined to evil," and " is not sub
ject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."
For so long as " the flesh thus lusteth against the
spirit," it will produce, amongst its other deadly
fruits, " heresies3 ;" some, it may be, only slightly
- Gal: v. 20.

Lecture XVIII. 459
deviating from " the truth as it is in Jesus," but
others also those " damnable and destructive ones,
by which men even deny the Lord that bought
them, and draw back unto perdition b." But let
us remember the judgments which came upon that
generation among whom our Lord preached ; and
let us also reflect that these things, as well as those
that befel their fathers in the wilderness, " hap
pened unto them for ensamples, and are written
for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the
world are comeV Let the judgments, then, with
which the Lord visited his once favoured and
peculiar people, excite us to " remember how we
have received and heard, and to hold fast, and to
repent, if peradventure our works have not been
found perfect before God, lest our candlestick be
removed out of its place d." Hereby also let us be
individually warned to prepare for the terrors and
justice of that day, when " the Son of man shall
come in the glory of his Father, with his holy
angels ;" when " all the nations shall be gathered
before him ;" when " he will take vengeance on
them that know not God, and that obey not the
Gospel of. our Lord Jesus Christ." We have
been " grafted" into the body of his Church, and
" partake of the root and fatness of the olive6 :
"2 Pet. ii. l. c 1 Cor. x. 11.
d Rev. ii. 5; iii. 2, 3. ' Rom. xi. 17, &c

460 Lecture XVIII.
the natural branches being broken off, that we
might be grafted in." " Well ;" says the Apostle
to , each one of us, " because of unbelief they
were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be
not high-minded, but fear. For if God spared not
the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare
not thee. Behold, therefore, the goodness and
severity of God; on them which fell severity ; but
toward thee goodness, if thou continue in his
goodness ; otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
And they also, if they abide not in unbelief, shall
be grafted in ; for God is able to graft them in
again."-. — Here is, indeed, a salutary and awaken
ing caution. And its concluding words forcibly
remind us of that glorious season, which is rapidly
advancing on the wheels of time, when, " the
times of the Gentiles being fulfilled," the " blind
ness which hath in part happened unto Israel"
shall cease.
Let us now more particularly direct our atten
tion to the remaining words of our text, with
which our Lord concluded his discourse before the
Sanhedrim. In them he upbraided the Jews for
their unbelief and hardness of heart ; and in such
a manner as will also upbraid us, if we are not
" holding fast the form of sounds which we have
heard, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."
Did Jesus, as he passed on from laying before
the Jews the evidences of his divine mission,

Lecture XVIII. 461
declare that they " would not come to him that
they might have life ?" Had he declared, in the
former part of his discourses, that " whoso heareth
his word, and believeth on him that sent him,
hath everlasting life ; and that all judicial authority
was committed to the Son, that all men should
honour the Son even as they honour the Father?"
Was, then, the applause, respect, and adulation of
man the object at which he aimed? This he
explicitly renounced; this he ever refused. — "I re
ceive not honour from men." — He claimed it not,
as if he needed any such thing; nor as if that
could accomplish his purposes, or increase his-joy.
He sought it not, except so far as it might lead to
higher and more holy principles; he demanded
it not, except upon the motive that " he, who
honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father
which had sent him." If it were not of this cha
racter, he rejected, exposed, and repressed it.
And little did he find of the honour which was
due to him, who left the bosom of the Father that
he might be made in the likeness of men. He was
" by men despised and rejected ; they hid, as it
were, their faces from him, and esteemed him not."
" He came to his own, and his own received him
not.'? Do we inquire into the cause of their strange
infatuation ? We may learn it from the mouth of
him, " who knew all men, and who needed not

462 Lecture XVIII.
that any should testify of man, because he knew
what was in man ;" who exhibited throughout his
ministry this intimate knowledge of the thoughts
of the heart, who thereby confounded his enemies,
and drew from Nathanael, and the woman of
Samaria, and his own disciples, an acknowledg
ment of his divinity and prophetic character.
" J know you*," said he to the Jewish rulers,
" that ye have not the love of God in you." Do
we say, this is a hard saying ? Yet can we not
discover evident proofs of it in their principles and
conduct ? Though " to love the Lord their God
with all their heart, and soul, and strength," was
" the first and great commandment of their law,"
did they not,* " while they made their boast ofthe
law, through breaking the law dishonour God ?"
Did they not " make void his commandment
through their traditions ; and omit the weightier
a We took some notice, in one or two former Lectures, of this
instance of our Saviour's superhuman knowledge. It is often
expressly stated by the Evangelists, and in many other cases it
supplies a valuable illustration. See Newcome's Observations on
our Lord's Conduct. Chap. ii. Sect. 7, 8. Dr. Gerard observes,
that our Lord " scarce ever urged or appealed to it as an evidence."
(Dissertations, p. 165.) He certainly never noticed it in ihe same
form as he did the other arguments. But it appealed so directly
to the heart and conscience that it was not so necessary to do it.
But he did expressly notice it, and in a very varied manner. ' See
John i. 50. Matt. ix. 2, 4. Luke vii. 39—50 ; viii. 45—48 ;
ix. 47. John xiii. 10, 11; 18—27; xvi. 30, 31. Luke xxii. 6l.
Mark xvi. 14. Luke xxiv. 38. John xx. 27.

Lecture XVIII. 463
matters ofthe law, judgment and mercy, and the
love of God?" Did not a scrupulous and spiritless
formality and a specious hypocrisy distinguish
some, while profaneness and licentiousness cha
racterized others ? Undoubtedly so it was ; and,
therefore, we cease to wonder at those, who, in
the face of a public miracle wrought on the sab
bath, arraigned, and then would fain have stoned
Jesus, because he called God his Father; and
who scrupled to enter into the judgment-hall lest
they should be defiled, at the very time when, by
a foul conspiracy, they employed bribery and
subornation to put Jesus to death, in order to
satisfy their malignity. — But let us beware how
we judge them, lest we condemn ourselves. For
how imperfectly do' we obey the word of Jesus,
and believe in him that sent him ! How little are
we impressed with the majesty of God ! How little
do we seek his glory, dread his wrath, or seek his
favour ! Hereby do we prove that we are not
Christians in deed and in truth, and that " the
love of God is not in us;" and we are not
Christians in deed and in truth, if " the love of
God is not in us." For he loveth the Father, who
loveth the only-begotten Son who hath declared
him ; whom, " though he has not seen him in the
flesh, he loves, and in whom, though he sees him
not, yet believing, he rejoices with joy unspeak
able and full of glory." If we say that we love

464 Lecture XVIII.
God, where then are the effects of it ? " He that
loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can
he love God whom he hath not seen?" "This
is the love of God, that we keep his command
ments." " If any man love the world, the love of
the Father is not in him. For all that is in the
world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father,
but ofthe world." Now if it be an evident and
notorious truth, that there is much unchecked
disobedience, and little habitual obedience, even
in the Christian world ; does not this prove a pro
portionate want of the love of God ? If it be true,
that he who loveth another will desire to possess
a conformity of disposition, it follows that if we
are not " partakers of a divine nature, so as to
escape the pollutions that are in the world through
liist," we do not love God, and cannot be his
obedient children ; and, therefore, cannot rightly
value, esteem, and believe in him, whom God hath
sent to " call us with a holy calling."
But mark another symptom and operation of
unbelief. " I am come in my Father's name, and
ye receive me not; if another shall come in his
own name, him ye will receive." — The history of
the Jews, both as it respects their rejection of
Jesus, and also their readiness to follow any
impostor, who, for his own purposes, deluded
them, affords a lamentable illustration ofthe just-

Lecture XVIII. 465
ness of this declaration. We find them despising,
opposing, and calumniating him who called them
to holiness, and gave to his followers the promise
of eternal life. Yet he alone came with the witness
of the law, of the prophets, of the Baptist ; with
the witness of his miraculous works, and of the
Father himself. He alone " sought not his, own
glory." All his instructions and labours and suffer
ings tended to the glory of God, and to the benefit
of mankind. In what dark and melancholy colours,
therefore, does the infatuation of the Jews appear,
when we behold that " deceivableness of unright
eousness," which led myriads to follow, and perish
with every interested, ambitious, and deluded
upstart ; who succeeded so far, not because he
could offer any evidence of his mission, but because
he came in his own name, and encouraged those
temporal hopes, to which that unhappy people have
ever clung with such unparalleled pertinacity, even
amidst the ruins of their city and temple, and in
every country through which they have been dis
persed. — But they have not been the only people
thus deluded. Not Jews only, but Pagans, and
even Christians, received and followed the Arabian
impostor, treading in the path of lust, murder,
and ambition, without a single argument but such
as would appeal to men's interests or sensuali
ties. — But here again let us also look at ourselves.
Do we not live in times " when men will not
G G

466 Lecture XVIII.
endure sound doctrine?" Does not every novelty,
whether in ceremony, manner; or doctrine, how
ever unmeaning, and however dangerous, attract
its thousands both from among those who have
not been taught better things, and from among
those who have? The Christian minister pro
claims the truths of the Gospel, and the realities
of eternity, to empty seats, to unwilling ears, to
reluctant hearts ; while the ravings of pretended
prophets, the rhapsodies of a Swedenbourg, a
Brothers, and a Southcott, and even the venal
prognostications of the fortune-telling beggar, can
awaken the fears, obtain the confidence, and call
forth the self-denial of deluded thousands. Nay,
do we not all, because our interest is concerned in
it, receive "the witness of men" without suspicion,
even after we have repeatedly been deceived, and
although we know that they are so powerfully bi
assed by interest? Yet by how many is " the wit
ness of God, which he hath given us of his Son,"
neglected and undervalued, if not actually rejected!
— These surely are facts, indicative of human folly,
and humiliating to human pride ! They show how
liable the mass of mankind is to imbibe the most
gross delusions, how much all are occupied by
present interest and gratification, how calamitously
they are beguiled even with respect to terrestrial
and sensible objects, and how little they are dis
posed to rise to the contemplation of spiritual
things, and to look forward to eternal realities.

Lecture XVIII. 467
But to proceed with our Lord's further remarks
on the operation of such a frame of mind. " How
can ye believe3, which receive honour one of
another, and seek not the honour which cometh
from God only?" Those there are, in every age,
who never even frame a wish for divine appro
bation, or whose conduct, at least, is never in
fluenced by such a motive. Those of our Lord's
contemporaries who were of such a description,
would of course be negligent of his instructions,
and little anxious to inquire into the nature of his
claims. Nay, to such persons every system and
modification of religion would be a subject of
little interest, and would excite no attention,
except so far as a compliance with custom might
be necessary to preserve their reputation with
others. But " the fear of man brought a snare "
even upon some who were otherwise minded.
It led some who believed in Jesus, "not to confess
him, lest they should be put out of the syna
gogue; because they loved the praise of men
more than the praise of God." The observance
of their own religious ordinances, and the dis
charge of the duties of morality-, were in others
rendered useless to their own hearts, and worthless
in the sight of God, because they "did all their
works to be seen of men." " Verily, they had

a IIws AYNA2GE vfnet^ ma-Tedo-ai, k.t.X.
GG 2

168 Lecture XVIII.
their reward," for the praise of men is easily
obtained. But "they had no reward from their
Father which is in heaven;" for they did not
these things " as seeing him who is invisible, nor
as having respect unto the recompense of the
reward," which he will bestowl But he requires
the service of the heart ; and will " reward
openly," because he has " seen in secret." — Has
this fear of human censure, this love of human
applause, ceased to affect the external conduct,
and to influence the motives of mankind? Does
it not still afford an inducement to " obey man
rather than God," to suppress the convictions of
conscience, to disobey the dictates of the under
standing, to sacrifice integrity to interest, and to
purchase the friendship of the world by sinful
compliances with its irreligious maxims and un
holy customs ? Yet if our ears are attuned only
to the praises uttered by human lips, if our
feelings and our fears depend for their quietness
upon the smiles and frowns of our fellow-men,
we cannot look forward in faith and hope to the
time, when " the Lord will make manifest the
counsels of the .hearts, and when every man shall
have praise of God." We can derive no comfort
from that prospect, if we are doing " those things
which, although highly esteemed among men, yet
are abomination in the sight of God," — if our
" hearts are not right in his sight," — if we " seek

Lecture XVIII. 469
not the honour which cometh from him only,"
by doing his will, and living to his glory. If
this be not our desire and endeavour, " we cannot
believe in him, nor in Jesus Christ whom he has
sent." We shall find religion an enemy to our
peace; and our every wish and feeling will have
a fatal tendency to make us shrink from the
consideration of our present duty, and of our final
accountableness. " We cannot serve both God
and Mammon." The service of two masters of
opposite interests, and therefore of contrary com
mands, is impracticable. The duties and events
of every day will call upon us to make our choice
between them. We must give a preference to
the one or to the other. Our habitual conduct in
consequence of that preference, will determine
whether we " seek for the honour that cometh
from God only," or whether we are pursuing such
a course, as will one day bring us to that sense of
woful desertion, and to that feeling of unavailing
regret, which once prompted the well known
words, " If I had served my God, as faithfully
as I have served my King, he would not have
forsaken me at my latter end."
" Do not think," said our Lord in conclusion,
" that I will accuse you to the Father : there is
one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye
trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have
believed me ; for he wrote of me. But if ye

470 Lecture XVIII.
believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my
words ?" That an actual disbelief both of Moses
and of the, Prophets prevailed very extensively
among the Jews in our Lord's time, we have the
express testimony of Josephus; and it is obviously
assigned by oiir Lord as one leading cause of their
rejection of himself. If they had had a firm belief
in Moses, and a thorough acquaintance with his
predictions and institutions, and with his account
of those of the earlier ages, they would have
allowed, upon his authority, that they might ex
pect the Messiah to be a Prophet like their ori
ginal legislator, a spiritual Deliverer from moral
evil, " a blessing to all nations." His writings
they had it in their power to study, and to com
pare with later revelations. If they disbelieved
them, or if their prejudices and interested views
were stronger than their convictions, or if they
were ignorant of them,' — from whatever cause they
believed not what Moses taught, it was not likely,
that they would receive the doctrine of Jesus ; for
" Moses wrote of him." It is asserted that a
similar infidelity is far from uncommon among the
Jews of this day, It would of course be of little
avail to attempt to convince any such, that Jesus
was the Messiah. We must consider them as
consenting with all other Deists in a denial not
only of the fact of Revelation, but also of its im
portance, and necessity, and probability.

Lecture XVIII. 471
All who profess Christianity, thereby imply
a confession of the divine authority both of the
Old and New Testaments. Why, then, is the
efficacy of Christianity so incomplete ? Why, but
because all the causes and motives which we have
already considered do in fact weaken, if they do
not destroy, the belief of its certain and au
thoritative truth ? If it is really believed, why
not also valued, and obeyed? A firm conviction
of those things, which, if true, involve such an
awful responsibility, and lead to such momentous
consequences, would at least excite our desires,
and arouse us to diligent endeavours. If we
really are not disposed to deny the truth of the
Scriptures, our obedience may be imperfect, and
our impression of their importance insufficient
and inefficacious, because our attention to them
has probably been too slight. Yet will not the
religion which we profess, and the Scriptures
which we believe, convict us of criminality in this
unhappy negligence? — If, again, we repose our
hopes of salvation on merely outward conformity
to the ceremonial of Christianity, or if we hope
that our obedience to some commands will com
pensate for our neglect of others, will not the
Scriptures, which command and require all these,
in this case also condemn us? If we think that
the dictates of unassisted reason are sufficient, and
if therefore we are not careful to appeal " to the

472 Lecture XVIII.
law and to the testimony," will not our own
consciences tell us that our imperfect obedience
requires that more perfect rule, and that better
righteousness, which the Scriptures teach us ?
And if we place our trust in the general belief
ofthe mercy of God, will not the Scriptures again
condemn us, because God has not promised mercy
except to those, who have " repentance towards
him, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ ? If we
trust in uncertain riches, and in the sufficiency of
our own skill and diligence, will not our own
experience of the vanity and uncertainty of all
earthly things, and the testimony ofthe Scripture
to the certainty and . importance of the things
unseen, again condemn us ?--Jesus as yet con
demns us not. He now is preached to us as a
Saviour. There is "an appointed day," in which
he will be our Judge. He needs not to accuse the
sons of men. Moses and the prophets will accuse
the Jews. Their word, and that which Jesus
spoke, and the writings of hi$ Apostles, will
accuse us. "The same will judge us at the
last day." And it will then appear, however it
may seem to us now, that in whatsoever way we
have " departed from the living God," we have
evidenced the existence, and been subject to the
influence of " an evil heart of unbelief." To all
who are in such a state " the Gospel is hid." Its
promises do not invite, and its terrors do not

Lecture XVIII. 473
impress them. They feel not their need of pardon,
and righteousness, and salvation ; and the Gospel,
therefore, is not to them " the power of God unto
salvation," because it is so only "to him that
believeth." "Examine yourselves, therefore, whether ye
be in the faith." For if this Gospel was "first
spoken to us by the Lord, and confirmed to us by
them that heard him, how shall we escape if we
neglect so great salvation 1" If we abide in un
belief, in error, or in unholiness, we shall have
no sufficient plea to be excused, but shall be
counted unworthy to be partakers of that " eternal
glory to which we are called by Christ Jesus."
Are ye then meet for that inheritance ? Seriously,
I beseech you, consider that question. — Ere an
other sabbath arrives, most of you, that are
present here this day, will have separated from
each other for a considerable season3. If the last
week has announced to us the removal from life
of two of the younger members of our body, what
may be the events of so long a period ? / may not
be permitted to conclude my appointed labours ;
some of you may never return to resume your's.
But, even if this should not be the case, are we
prepared to meet the trials which may come upon
* This Lecture was delivered June 3, 1821, two days after the
division of the Easter term, and it completed the Spring course.

474 Lecture XVIII.
us, should we be continued in life ? How are we
fitted to endure the rev'erses of fortune, the re
moval of our dearest relatives, and the lengthened
days of sickness ? Are we armed with patience ?
Are we prepared to receive such visitations " to
our profit, that we may be partakers of God's
holiness ?" But religion is requisite not only to sup
port and instruct us in the hour of adversity, but
to keep us from falling in the still more slippery
path of prosperity, to direct us in every duty, to
preserve us in every temptation. It is 'our light
in darkness, and our life in death.' Therefore,
"beloved, building up yourselves on your most
holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,' keep your
selves in the love of God, looking for the mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life"."
1 Jude 20, 21.

LECTURE XIX.

-*-

THE INFIDELITY OF THE JEWS IN ITS MORE ADVANCED
STAGE NOTICED BY OUR LORD WITH ALLUSION
TO A PASSAGE OF ISAIAH.  THE OCCASION AND
PURPORT OF HIS REMARKS ; AND A SIMILAR AP
PLICATION OF THE SAME PASSAGE BY THE
EVANGELIST ST. JOHN.  OTHER CAUTIONS AND
DIRECTIONS GIVEN BY OUR LORD RESPECTING
THE TEMPER AND METHOD PROPER FOR RELIGIOUS
INQUIRY. St. Matt. XIII. 14— 16.
And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which
saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not under
stand; 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 they have 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 converted, and I should heal them.
To bestow on mankind a remedy for the diseases
of the soul, and to heal the wounds which sin had
inflicted, was the office and merciful purpose of
him whose words we have cited. But the ' com
fortable words' in which he offered these benefits,
gave the assurance of them only to such as ' truly
turned to him;' to those who were converted from

476 Lecture XIX.
the error of their ways, who recognized both their
own need of healing, and his power to heal ; who
"came unto God by him," who "loved him, and
kept his saying." None but persons of such
a character could rightly esteem, and desire his
interposition on their behalf, or even be fitted to
participate in its benefits.
Those who are described in the words of our
text, were as yet far from having attained to such
a state of mind. They had yet to perceive his
divine character, and the commission with which
he was charged. They had yet to understand the
spiritual nature of Messiah's kingdom, and to dis
cern "the signs of the times" which indicated its
approach. They had to purge their hearts from
the grossness of their unscriptural opinions and
carnal expectations ; to lend a willing ear to state
ments which combated their favorite prejudices,
and which demanded of them conduct and sacri
fices little congenial to their wishes. They had to
open the eyes, which had hitherto regarded only
sensible and temporal good, to contemplate the
blessedness and glory of that heavenly kingdom
which should dignify them with spiritual and eternal
privileges. They had to retrace the steps by which
they were now fast advancing towards a determi
nation not to believe, and towards a voluntary
insensibility to the force of the most decisive
evidence. — When Jesus had noticed the symp-

Lecture XIX. 4.7
toms and fatal operation and increasing influence
of unbelief, he passed on to congratulate and en
courage the faithful few, who were afterwards
to be his witnesses throughout the world, and who,
though yet deficient in knowledge, discovered
a readiness and desire to obtain an increase of it.
" But blessed," said he, " 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."
We also, through the labours and writings
of these disciples of Jesus, have been made ac
quainted with those "mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven," which were unfolded to them. Yet
although these heavenly truths were in old time
the subjects of promise and of prophecy, and the
-objects of earnest expectation to those who had
not as yet seen their accomplishment; and al
though they have exercised the faith and joy
and gratitude of thousands, who, since their full
revelation, have derived from them consolation,
and hope and victory; yet comparatively few,
even now, are they, who see and hear and un
derstand them, so as to seek and embrace them,
and to hold them fast. Many are they who reject
and despise them, and who even endeavour to
beguile others of their consolations in time, and

478 Lecture XIX.
of their hopes for eternity, by the revival of
objections long since refuted, and often wholly
groundless. Many are they also, whose instability,
self-indulgence, and depravity make them rejoice
in any pretext, by which they may entrench them
selves in the short-lived and perilous security of
unbelief. — Yet is truth ever the same ; and, like
its divine Author, hath " no variableness, neither
shadow of turning." The hope set before us,
the grounds of that hope, and the character of
those, to whom alone it belongs, change not.
Nay, even error and infidelity, though diversified
in form, and modified by circumstances, are in all
ages substantially the same as to their sources,
and motives, and operations.
We observed in the commencement of our
Lectures, that our Lord's discourses very fre
quently touch upon this important head. He
seldom either states to us his pretensions and
doctrine, or enlarges upon the evidence of them,
without in some way appealing to the conscience,
and laying open the depravity and waywardness
of the human heart. Almost every, passage which
has been made the subject of our meditation has
furnished some appropriate topic of practical ap
peal; and our last Lectere was wholly occupied in
the consideration of the infidelity of the Jews, and
of those moral causes, to which our Lord ascribed
its origin in the close of his discourse before the

Lecture XIX. 479
Sanhedrim. In our two remaining Lectures we
purpose to take some further notice of several
detached passages on the same subject. In this,
such will be noticed as speak of infidelity in a
more advanced stage, and those also which may
caution us against its approaches, and apprize us
of that temper and method, which must be pur
sued by the impartial and successful inquirer.
In our next we shall have to consider infidelity
in its last, confirmed, and irremediable stage, and
those sanctions and declarations, by wrhich our
Lord required us to "believe the Gospel."
The occasion of the words of our text was,
the inquiry of the disciples why Jesus adopted
the use of Parables. The propriety and meaning
of his answer will readily be discovered, if it be
remembered, that he spoke to the people without
parables, until the time that his miracles were
attributed to the co-operation of Beelzebub, and
"a sign from heaven" was demanded by those,
whom all his former miracles had failed to con
vince, and yet whose cavils against them had been
unanswerably refuted 3. This obduracy continued
to characterize a large proportion of our Lord's
hearers, more especially a majority of those in
power. 'Yet had he many truths yet to declare
to them, some of which were even still more

* See Matt. xii. and xiii.

480 Lecture XIX.
likely to excite their prejudice and opposition ;
and therefore, because of their unbelief, he veiled
them under the figurative language of parables.
Frequently they were able to perceive the general
design of what he delivered in this manner, and
were on such occasions offended and exasperated.
Not that such truths were designed to be concealed
from them for ever. They were only partially
concealed even for a time. But this method of
delivery was sufficient to prove that Jesus had
himself stated all these unwelcome truths ; and
not only did he explain all things to his disciples
in private, but informed them that they were de
signed for universal publication, after the objection
occasioned by his humble appearance was removed,
and the evidence of his character and authority
was completed by his entering into glory". Our
Lord expressly assigns these reasons for his
adoption of the parabolic mode of instruction.
The more teachable character of his disciples
enabled him to proceed in imparting to them
fuller instructions; and the office, which they were
afterwards to sustain when the full publication of
the Gospel should commence, rendered it necessary
thus to inform and discipline them. But in con
sequence of the non-improvement and rejection

a See Matt. xiii. 36, 51, 52. Mark iv. 10—25, 33, 34.
Matt. x. 25—27. Luke viii. 10—18.

Lecture XIX. 481
of what he had before taught, it was both just
and necessary to refrain from communicating to
others the same knowledge. It could as yet serve
no good end, though he " spake to them the word
in parables, as they were able to bear it." " It is
given unto you," said he to his disciples, "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 parables ; because they seeing
see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do
they understand. And in them is fulfilled the
prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye
shall hear, and shall not understand ; and seeing
ye shall see, and 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 understand with their
heart, and should be converted, and I should heal
them." In the text our Lord distinctly asserts that
unbelief was generally prevalent among those, to
whom he ministered the words of eternal life;
and he so describes it, in the prophetic language
of Isaiah, as to shew that he knew that it had
already assumed a decided and confirmed cha-
H H

482 Lecture XIX.
racter. He had previously declared, before the
council, that he was aware that "they were not
willing to come to him that they might have life ;"
and he then endeavoured to awaken them to
serious reflection by referring them to several
sinister and unholy principles which were likely to
entangle them in the fetters of unbelief. The fact
was soon found to be such as he had intimated.
The longer he laboured among them, the more
were prejudice, and calumny, and opposition
excited. "Because he told them the truth, they
would not believe him." They closed their ears
against the reception of truths so unwelcome, and,
as they thought, so needless. Hearing with the
outward ear, they understood not with the heart ;
like their fathers of old to whom the prophets had
been sent. Every faculty of the soul was armed
and fortified against the supposition that such a
teacher could be their Messiah, or that they had
need of any change in religion, or indeed of any
blessing which the Messiah could bestow, except
deliverance from national subjection, and the
possession of national glory. Seeing therefore
with their eyes the miracles of Jesus, they per
ceived not the finger of God therein revealing
itself, and, as it were, pointing out Jesus as that
^his beloved servant, on whom he had put his
Spirit." Not that they could disprove, or that
they ever attempted to deny the reality of the

Lecture XIX. 483
miracles. But they were not disposed to admit
their evidence, because they had no inclination to
admit the pretensions of him who wrought them.
They could behold the exhibition of the most
signal miracles, without any other emotion than
a feeling of jealousy and indignation. Some, in
consequence of having been eye-witnesses of the
raising of Lazarus, immediately went to inform
the Pharisees; and they, avowedly on the very
ground of the reality and notoriety of these " many
miracles," coolly deliberated on the safest and
surest method of putting him who wrought them
to death. Yet, at the same time, they " built the
sepulchres of the prophets, and boasted how, if
they had lived in the days of their fathers, they
would not have been sharers in their blood-
guiltiness." — The pure, perspicuous, and heart-
searching discourses of Jesus seemed to have as
little permanent influence as his miracles. Many
even listened with no other feeling or design,
than " that they might entangle him in his talk,
and have somewhat of which to accuse him." So
that fact fully justified the assertion of Jesus
respecting them, in allusion to the words of Isaiah.
" Their heart had waxed gross, and their ears were
dull of hearing, and their eyes had they closed, in
such a manner as if they had determined to secure
themselves against any probability that at any
time they should see with their eyes, and hear with
h h 2

484 Lecture XIX.
their ears, and understand with their heart, and be
converted, and he should heal them3."
Our Lord applies the words of the prophet
more especially to their rejection of his doctrine.
But still, as we have just observed, that rejection
had then recently been shewn to be decided and
irrecoverable, because the doctrine was rejected
in defiance of those miracles, by which he
established its divine authority, and because they
had even ventured to propagate the most malig
nant cavils both against Jesus and his miracles.
But it is worthy of remark, that St. John cites the
same, and also another passage of Isaiah, with
more immediate reference to the miracles of Jesus,
after he closed his own narrative of them. He
had recorded the caution of Jesus to the people to
" walk while they had the light, lest darkness
should come upon them." " But," adds the
Evangelist, " though he had done so many mira
cles before them, yet they believed not on him.
That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be
fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed
our report, and to whom hath the arm of the
Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not
believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath
blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that
they should not see with their eyes, nor understand
a Isai.vi. 9, 10.— Compare Ezek. xii. 2.

Lecture XIX. 485
with their heart, and be converted, and I should
heal themb." To this state of mind the Evangelist
attributes an incapacity for believing the report of
the prophets respecting him, " who, when he was
seen, was without form or comeliness, and had no
beauty that men should desire him ; and whom,
therefore, they despised and rejected, and esteemed
not." By all who were affected in this manner
" the arm of the Lord," which upheld, and co
operated with Jesus, was not discovered; and
therefore he who was " sent of the Father, and
sealed and sanctified by him," was esteemed
" stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." No
other than such delusion, and obduracy, could be
the consequence of the state of mind which is
described by the prophet, and which is brought
before our notice, both by our Lord and his
Apostles0. But St. John seems to cite the words as if it
vvere God who had thus " blinded their eyes, and
hardened their heart." And St. Mark and St.
Luke also report our Lord's citation of the passage,
as if Jesus adopted the use of parables in order to
give occasion to this blindness and unbelief1. — We
have already remarked that it is, in a sense, true
that Jesus employed parables to conceal some

b John xii. 37, &c. c See also Acts xxviii. 26. Rom. xi. S.
* Mark iv. 11—13. Luke viii. 10.'

486 Lecture XIX:
obnoxious truths for a time. But it is also equally
clear, that St. Matthew teaches us that this very
blindness and unbelief was itself the occasion of
his first use of the parabolic method. But if we
consult the passage as it stands in the prophet
himself, we find that Jesus, in the latter words
of our text, has rather interpreted than cited the
latter part of the prophecy. For the prophecy
itself has the form of expression which is found in
the other three Evangelists. " Go and tell this
people^ Hear ye indeed, but understand not, and
see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of
this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and
shut their eyes ; lest they see with their eyes, and
hear with their ears, and understand with their
heart, and convert, and be healed." But it does
follow even from hence, that this " shutting up in
unbelief" is wholly, and in the first instance to be
ascribed to divine influence on the mind. This is
a phraseology adopted in many other places of the
prophetic writings ; and it is designed only to
express the lamentable certainty with which the
event is foretold. And we will illustrate this pecu
liarity of the prophetic style by one citation from
the prophet Jeremiah. " The Lord said unto me,
Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See,
I have this day set thee over the nations and over
the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to
destroy, and to throw down, and to build, and to

Lecture XIX. 487
plant." This passage evidently speaks only of the
commission given to the prophet to announce the
certainty with which those things could come to
pass, of which he is figuratively said to be the
instrument. No other interpretation could for
a moment be entertained. Upon the very same
principle should we interpret the passage Under
consideration. It predicts the existence, and
prevalence, and fatal strength of unbelief among
those, who heard the words of God, and had the
arm of the Lord revealed before them. But it
ascribes not the effect to God as the cause. The
cause was in themselves, and resulted from the
depravity of the human heart. It is not the God
of heaven, but " the god of this world that blinds
the minds of them that believe not3." " No man
can say when he is tempted, I am tempted of
God ; for he is but drawn away, and enticed of his
own lustb." The Spirit of God strives with man,
to convince, recover, and reform him. But we
must add, with all faithfulness and admonition,
that he does not always strive with man ; that he
may be grieved and resisted, and that his holy
influence may be quenched. Then, indeed, do
we allow that man is given over to a judicial
blindness; that they, " who like not to retain
God in their knowledge0, who believe not the

' 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4. b James i, 13—17- c Rom. i. 28.

488 Lecture XIX.
truth, and have pleasure in unrighteousness, are at
length given over to a reprobate mind." Because
they " received not the love ofthe truth, that they
might be saved, God sends upon them strong
delusion, that they should believe a lie3." And
therefore are we called upon to " suffer the word
of exhortation" respecting this matter. There
fore are we bound to " teach every man, and to
warn every man." Therefore do we beseech every
one to inquire respecting himself, whether he has,
with the heart, and with a true and lively faith,
believed in Jesus Christ ; or whether there be any
unsatisfied doubt, any secret reserve, any unmorti-
fied lust still abiding within him. For ought he
knows, such disorders of the soul, if they receive not
a timely check, may generate in the end a deadly
and incurable malady. The understanding may
be blinded, the will become alienated from the life
of God, and the conscience be rendered insensible
to every warning and visitation. He who is not
recovered from such a state, " will wax worse and
worse, deceiving and being deceived," and "not
having the spirit of Christ, and therefore being none
of his," may finally " make shipwreck of faith, and
of a good conscience ;" and " not understand, nor
be converted, nor be healed."
" But, beloved, we are persuaded better things
a 2 Thess. ii. 10—12,

Lecture XIX. 489
of you, and things that accompany salvation,
though we thus speak." Yet our Lord himself
exhorted his disciples to "watch and pray, lest
they should enter into temptation ;" and assigned
for the precept a reason, which our own expe
rience very abundantly confirms, that even when
" the spirit of man is willing, the flesh may be
weakb." Let us not, therefore, shrink from the
most minute and awakening view of the dangers
which beset us; that thus we may be excited to
seek the peace, and rest, and joy, which Jesus
promised and bequeathed to his disciples. If we
have already followed him, let us not, " having
put our hand to the plough, look back," and thus
" unfit ourselves for the kingdom of God c." But
rather let us " sit down, and count the cost, and
consider whether, having begun to build, we shall
be able to finish." Let us ascertain our strength
for this long and arduous warfare, and see " whe
ther we be able, with ten thousand, to meet him
that cometh against us with twenty thousand11." If
" in the world we have tribulation," let us be
cheered by the recollection that '¦ our Master hath
overcome the world6." And when, "because ini
quity abounds, the love of many waxes cold," and
when others, who " have endured for a season,

" Matt. xxvi. 41. c Luke ix. 62.
« Luke xiv. 28-30, 31. e John xvi. 33.

490 Lecture XIX.
in time of temptation fall away "," let us remem
ber the words which Jesus repeated on more than
one occasion, " He that endureth to the end,
the same shall be saved b."
We have not alluded to difficulties and temp
tations which have no existence, or of which
Jesus did not forewarn mankind, when stating
to them the nature and design of his Religion.
There are " fightings without, and fears within."
There are trials to be endured, and sacrifices to
be made, if need and occasion be, which deter
the unbeliever, and try the stedfastness of the
believer. It was not without reason that Simeon
declared of the holy child Jesus, " Behold this
Child is set for the fall and rising again of many
in Israel, and for a sign that shall be spoken
against, that the thoughts of many hearts may
be revealed0." It was a declaration which Jesus
himself afterwards confirmed. Both by various
general statements, and in his instructions to his
disciples, and also in his answers to several who
professed a readiness to follow him, he has suf
ficiently made it known that "if any man come
after him, he must deny himself, and take up his
cross daily, and follow himd." He prepared his
Apostles and early followers to expect " scourg-
* Matt. xxiv. 12. Mark iv. 17. Luke viii. 13.
b Matt. x. 22 ; xxiv. 13. c Luke ii. 34, 35. d Luke ix. 23.

Lecture XIX. 491
ings, and persecutions, and death, and to be hated
of all men, and of all nations, for his name's sake,"
even by all that numerous class in all ages, who
"have not known the Father nor himV He
distinctly told them that though " in him they
should have peace" of mind, yet " he came not
to send external peace on earth, but a sword;" and
that " a man's foes would be those of his own
household f." — Yet he made no allowance for
apostacy even in this extreme case : he appealed
to them for the reasonableness of what he spoke,
by the question, " What would a man be profited,
if he should gain the whole world, and lose his
own soul?" For what earthly thing is so precious,
as to be "given in exchange for the soul^?"
He therefore distinctly stated the absolute ne
cessity of stedfastness, the danger of swerving
from it, and the reward and true policy of main
taining it. " He that loveth father or mother
more than me, is not worthy of me ; and he that
loveth son or daughter more than me, is not
worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross,
and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that
loseih his life for my sake shall find it \" " He

e Matt. x. 17, 22 ; xxiv. 9. John xv. 20 ; xvi. 3.
f John xvi. 33. Matt. x. 34—36. s Matt. xvi. 26.
» Matt. x. 37—39.

492 Lecture XIX.
that is ashamed of me, and of my words,— he that
shall deny me before men, — of him will I be
ashamed, and him will I deny before the angels
of God3. Those that confess me before men,
I will confess before the angels of God." He
promises to those, that forsake all for his sake,
that ' ' they shall receive manifold more in this
present time, with persecutions, and in the world
to come life everlasting \" Now it is clear, from
the very nature of the case, that all this is neither
unreasonable nor unnecessary ; and although we
of this age and country are not called to endure
such persecutions, in testimony either of our
fidelity to the Gospel itself, or to its essential
doctrines, yet we know not how soon it may
come upon us. A generation has scarcely passed
away since such a trial" came upon all the pro
fessing Christians of a neighbouring nation.
Though we are not likely to experience the
persecuting intolerance of Paganism, nor the
effects of the " exceeding madness " of a Jew's
malignity against the Gospel, nor, we trust, the
restoration to power of the most intolerant pro
fessors of the Christian faith, who once lighted
up the fires of persecution in the cities and Uni
versities of England, and perpetrated the most
unheard of massacres; — yet have we not found
- Mark viii. 38 ; Matt. x. 32s 33. b Mark.x. 28—30.

Lecture XIX. 493
that Deism itself, which so proudly boasts of its
philanthropy, and disclaims all bigotry and into
lerance, can surpass all other systems in the
" cruelty of its tender mercies," and in the dead-
linessof its hatred to Christianity? The intimations
of those things " that are to come hereafter,"
recorded in the Scriptures of truth, do not permit
us to hope that such scenes will never again be
exhibited on this earth. Have we, then, that
firm conviction of the truth of the Gospel, and
of the value and certainty of its promises, and
that devotedness also to the cause of God and of
truth, which would enable us to retain our in
tegrity in such a fiery trial ? Those who are not
ready to make such sacrifices, and to practise
such self-denial, if any circumstances should arise
to require them, cannot be the disciples of Jesus.
Yet how many are even unable to endure the
contemptuous look and the slanderous word! How
many are more than ashamed of Christianity, and
even are proud of their disregard both of its threats
and promises ! This fear of man, this unhappy
vanity, this love of self and of this world, are
fertile sources of infidelity and inconsistency.
Our Lord has also cautioned us against the
unhappy influence of worldly wealth. " How
hardly shall they that have riches — they that trust
in riches — enter into the kingdom of God c!" We
c Mark x. 23, 24.

494 Lecture XIX.
know too well how readily our hearts become
attached to the " good things of this life," — how
soon they are " overcharged with the cares of
this life," — how rapidly covetousness is generated,
and how firmly it seats itself in the soul, — not to
understand how soon " the word of God becometh
unfruitful, when choked by the cares of the world,
and the deceitfulness of riches"." — " Take heed
then, and beware of covetousness b;" and seek
first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness0;"
like the merchant in the parable, "even selling
all that ye have, to purchase the pearl of great
price d."
But not only must the love of riches be aban
doned, and " poverty of spirit " be cultivated, but
purity of heart must also be maintained. The
love of sin naturally disposes us to " love darkness
rather than light, because our deeds are evil6."
Yet the sin that most easily besets us, though as
dear, and seemingly as necessary to our comfort,
as " a right hand, or a right eye," must be " cut
off and cast from us, that we may enter into lifef."
We must bring into our Christian life, not only
the hatred of sin, but also the love of holiness,
and a readiness to practise it, if we are rightly to

- Luke xvi. 25 ; xxi. 34. Matt. xiii. 22.
b Luke xii. 15. - Matt. vi. 33. d Matt. xiii. 46.
* John iii. 19, f Matt, xviii. 8, 9.

Lecture XIX. 495
apprehend either the divinity and excellency of
our religion, or to make progress therein, or not
to dislike and shrink from it. " If any man be
willing to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine
whether it be of God, or whether I speak of my
self s." — And we must make continual advances in
every good and holy purpose, improving the graces
to which we have already attained, and desiring
and seeking after an increase of them. For
" whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he
shall have more abundantly ; but whosoever hath
not, from him shall be taken away even that he
hath11." After we have "done all," we are but
" unprofitable servants;" but he, who is "an un
profitable servant" because he hath not employed
the talent committed to him, " will be cast into
outer darkness." — And that the necessity of walk
ing in all purity of heart and life may be more
deeply impressed upon our minds, let us hear
other declarations of our Lord. " That servant,
which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not
himself, neither did according to his will, shall be
beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not,
and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be
beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever
much is given, of him shall be much required ;
and to whom men have committed much, of him

s John vii. 17. '' Matt. xiii. 12.

496 Lecture XIX.
they will ask the more3." " In that day," said our
Master and our future Judge, " I will profess unto
them, that have not done the will of my Father
which is in heaven, I never knew you, depart from
me, all ye that work iniquity b."
Coming to the study of the truth as it is in
Jesus, with purity of heart and purposes of obe
dience, we must also come with docility and in
humility. " For except we be converted and be
as little children," and receive the kingdom of God
as meek, teachable, guiltless infants, " we shall
not enter therein0." We shall never either rightly
apprehend its nature, or be impressed by its pro
mises. They that are " proud," as well as " they
that do wickedly," will inherit not favour, but
shame. For said Jesus again, " Whosoever
exalteth himself shall be abased, but he that
humbleth himself shall be exalted4."
And lastly, in carrying on the important in
quiry after divine truth, we must ever remember
that it must be learnt from God; from his written
word, from the words and upon the authority of
Jesus, who " spoke as the Father gave him com
mandment," — and through the enlightening, and
sanctifying, and transforming influence of that
Holy Spirit, who can ' give us aright judgement

a Luke xii. 47, 48. b Matt. vii. 21 — 23. c Matt, xviii. 3.
d Mai. iv. 1. Luke xiv. 11. and xviii. 14.

Lecture XIX. 497
i?h all things, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by his holy inspiration, that so we may think
those things that be good, and by his merciful
guiding perforin the same.' This our Lord has
distinctly taught in that important, though difficult,
discourse respecting the " living bread which came
down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world."
— " But I said unto you, That ye also have seen
me, and believe not. "All that the Father giveth
me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me
I will in no wise cast out.' ' This is the Father's
will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath
given me I should lose nothing, but should raise
it up again at the last day. And this is the vflll
of him that sent me, that every one which seeth
the Son, and believeth on him, may have ever
lasting life ; and I will raise him up at the last
day.' c Murmur not among yourselves. No man
can come unto me, except the Father, which hath
sent me, draic him. It is written in the prophets,
And they shall be all taught of God6. Every
man, therefore, that bath heard, and hath learned
of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any
man hath seen the Father, save he which is of
God, he hath seen the Fatherf."— I need scarcely
to repeat to you, what I have already stated/ as
collected from a careful examination of these

• Isai. liv. 13. Jer. xxxi. 33, 34. ' John vi. 37—46.
I I

498 Lecture XIX.
words, that if we are so to believe on the Son
as to obtain at the last day a resurrection to eter
nal life, we must learn of the Father by the
witness which he has given of his Son. We must
be taught of him through his word, and be drawn
by his Spirit, by that holy Spirit of his promise,
which " he giveth to them that ask him ;" and
which " shall be in us a well of water springing
to everlasting life ;" refreshing and fertilizing our
souls, and causing us to " wait for the hope of
righteousness by faith3."
We must, therefore, diligently avail ourselves
ef those means of grace, by which the know
ledge of God may be obtained and increased, —
our affections drawn heaven-wards,-^our holy
resolutions strengthened; until we are brought
into that happy state, of which our Saviour speaks
in those mysterious, yet consolatory words: "If
a man love me, he will keep my words ; and my
Father will love him, and we will come unto him,
and make our abode with him." But if, on the
other hand, we neglect those ' means of grace'
which are designed to communicate a ' hope of
glory/ — if we neglect to pray for 'God's con
tinual help/ — if we are wilfully ignorant of his
word, — if we are puffed up with a conceit of

» See 1 Johnii. 20—27; iv. 1—6, and 12—16; v. 9—13.
Luke xi. 13. John iv. 14. Gal. v. 5. James i. 5, 17, &c

Lecture XX. 499
our own sufficiency and wisdom, — if we are
averse from the holy ways and requirements of
God, and prefer the lusts, and riches, and in
dulgences of the world, to the promised blessings
of eternity, — if we are unwilling to practise
patience and self-denial, — if the fear of man
deters us from duty, and the applause of man is
more esteemed than the approbation of God, — if
we are suffering any of these propensities to grow
and gather strength within us, then are we in
imminent danger of apostacy and infidelity.
Let our's, then, be the endeavour and the
prayer, that we may ever share in the character
and hopes of those, of whom Jesus said, " My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they
follow me ; and I give unto them eternal life, and
they shall never perish ; neither shall any man
pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which
gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is
able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I
and my Father are oneb." For, upon hearing
such words as these, we may say with the beloved
Apostle, " We know that the Son of God is come,
and hath given us an understanding, that we may
know him that is true ; and we are in him that
is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is
the true Godi and eternal life0."

•> John x. 27—30. c 1 John v. 20.
I I 2

LECTURE XX

OUR LORD S NOTICE OF INFIDELITY IN ITS
LAST AND CONFIRMED STAGE.  THE BLASPHEMY
AGAINST THE SON OF MAN, AND THAT AGAINST
THE HOLY GHOST.  THE DEMAND OF ADDI
TIONAL EVIDENCE, WHEN THAT WHICH IS
OFFERED HAS BEEN REJECTED.  SANCTIONS
WITH WHICH THE GOSPEL IS ACCOMPANIED. 
CONCLUSION.

St. Luke XII. 8—10.
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 who
soever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it
shall be forgiven him ; but unto him that blasphemeth
against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven.
Conformably to the directions of the pious foun
der of this Lecture, I now appear before you for
the twentieth time, that I may on this day complete
the task assigned to me. It has been my endea
vour to lay before you, in the very words of Jesus
himself, the claims which he advanced, and the
arguments by which he supported them. Adopting
the same method. I have also considered the

Lecture XX. 501
infidelity of the Jews, in connexion with those
moral causes in which it originated ; also calling
your attention, to the statements in which our
Lord himself has specified those dispositions of
mihd, which alone can lead to an honest, im
partial, and successful inquiry. But I should be
leaving unnoticed, an important department of my
subject, did I not proceed to consider infidelity,
in its last, and confirmed, and irremediable Stage ;
and also to bespeak your attention to some of
those passages, in which our Lord has declared
the awful responsibility of mankind, with regard
to their reception, or rejection of his message.
Among the circumstances which finally ope
rated to confirm the infidelity of a great body of
the Jewish people, we may reckon the opposition
and ultimate triumph of the rulers, — and the dis
appointment of those hopes of a temporal king
dom, which the multitude had entertained, and
which had probably been revived by the solemn
entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. None of the
rulers or Pharisees had openly professed their
belief in him ; and those who were disposed so
to do, suppressed their convictions, because the
majority of their brethren had decided upon the
excommunication of all such, and had issued a
proclamation for the apprehension of Jesus. The
same motives, strengthened by the example of
their superiors, operated very powerfully on the

502 Lecture XX.
multitude, so that they concurred " with loud
voices," in the demand that he should be crucified. —
When Jesus had predicted that "the Son of man
should be lifted up," they had objected, in answer
to his remark, that they conceived " from the law,
that Christ abideth for ever." — Again, both the
people and their rulers knew, from the prophets,
that " the Christ would come from Bethlehem,
the city of David." But they took it for granted,
that, because Jesus had principally resided in
Galilee, he was a Galilean. — But they had also other
doubts respecting his Messiahship. They thought
that they knew " whence he was," that he was
" the Son of Joseph," and that " his brethren
were living among them ;" whereas they expected
that " when Christ should come, no man would
know whence he was." Besides, the mean occu
pation and obscurity of his supposed parents, and
the poverty and external lowliness of his own
condition, contributed still further to increase
their prejudices against his claims to be the
Messiah. — As a person obviously professing sanc
tity of character, and the office of a divine teacher,
he also appeared to act inconsistently, and in
opposition to the precepts of their laws, and the
custom of their own teachers, by adopting an
unreserved and familiar intercourse with persons
of all ranks and characters. " He came eating and
drinking," observing no particular abstinence, a*

Lecture XX. 503-
they supposed that a prophet ought to do ; and
they were therefore disposed to call him "a glut11
tonous man and a wine-bibber." He was "the
friend of publicans and sinners," and went to eat
bread with them. He suffered them "to touch
him," as if he had not known their real character,
as a prophet ought to have done. He did not:,
either by his actions, or by his remarks in defence
of them, appear to pay sufficient respect to the
sabbath ; and they therefore contended that he was
" not of God, because he kept not the sabbath-
day," in the manner conformable to their notions.
These objections proceeded from their own
ignorance of the law and prophets, of his real
history and original, and of the design of his
mission; — or from an impatient wish that he should
shew himself openly to the world, — or from the
fear of the ruling Jews, — or from inattention to
the miracles which he wrought before them, to
the arguments by which he defended himself, and
to the future evidences which he predicted ; by
which all their objections to his lowly original,
and humble demeanour would be answered. Even
at the time, they saw that there were many cir
cumstances, for which they could not consistently
account, except upon principles which would in
duce them to believe in him. For "how could
he know letters, having never learned?" " Whence
had he such wisdom, and such mighty works?"

504 Lecture XX.
They were "astonished at his doctrine," they
allowed that he was " a good man ;" and they
justly asked each other, "When Christ cometh,
will he do more miracles than this man doeth?"
So there was " a division among the people con
cerning him." And though some of them thought
that "the words, which he spoke, were not the
words of one possessed," yet many scrupled not to
assert that to his face, and to propagate the same
insinuation among the people. — When he alluded
to the murderous designs harboured against him,
they answered, " Thou hast a devil ; who goeth
about to kill thee?" implying that he was under
the influence of a lying Spirit3. — When he ap
peared to attack their supposed privileges as the
children of Abraham, they answered, " Say we
not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a
devil?" Imputing to him the enmity of a Samari
tan against their law and national privileges ; and
the erroneous views of one possessed \ — And when
he further told them, that " if a man kept his
saying, he should never see death," they answered,
"Now we know that thou hast a devil c." — And
some of those who thought that he "deceived the
people," said to their associates, " He hath a devil
and is mad ; why hear ye him d ?"

a John vii. 20. b John viii. 48. c Ver. 52.
d Ibid. x. 20, 21.

Lecture XX. 505
Such, and so various, were the instances of
that which our Lord terms "the blasphemy against
the Son of man ;" which, as it proceeded in a
great measure from ignorance, and from pre
judices for which there was at that time a plau
sible excuse, might therefore be repented of, and
obtain forgiveness. But the same imputation was,
upon some other occasions, propagated with a
different connexion and application, which may
perhaps be found to approach at" least to crimi
nality of a deeper dye, if not actually to constitute
that guilt to which forgiveness is denied. The
blasphemy or evil speaking, was not merely
directed against the person, and conduct, and
doctrine of the Son of man, but even against the.
evidences by which the divinity of his mission
was supported. The cavils to which we allude
were of two kinds, one, which imputed the miracles
already wrought to diabolical agency ; the other,
which complained of the absence of a particular
species of evidence, which they chose to require,
implying, at the same time, that nothing less than
a compliance with their demand, would obtain their
acquiescence in his pretensions.
The occasion, and intent, and invalidity of the
first>f these cavils we have formerly considered6."
" He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the.

c Lecture X.

506 Lecture XX.
devils he casteth out devils." We endeavoured
to shew the reality of possessions, and the reality
of that class of our Lord's miracles. We con
sidered at the same time his refutation of the cavil
of the Pharisees, and the meaning and justice of
the other and only tenable inference from those
miracles, "If I by the finger of God cast out
demons, no doubt the kingdom of God is come
upon you." That remark was followed by ; the
solemn declaration respecting the blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit*, some brief notice of
which is required by the subject of our present
Lecture. I. " Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of
sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men,
but the blasphemy against 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 whosoever speaketh against
the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him,
neither in this world, neither in the world to
come ;" or as St. Mark records it, " hath never
forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damna
tion*." I almost fear to enter on a subject at once
so awful and difficult as this, more particularly as
i » Matt. xii. 31, &c. Mark iii. 28, &c. b Mark iii. 30.

Lecture XX. 507
I shall be unable to enter on an enlarged dis
cussion respecting it, because several other topics
must be adverted to in this concluding Lecture.
Three questions, however, obviously suggest
themselves ; first, Whether those, whom our Lord
addressed, were then guilty of this irremissible
sin ; secondly, What reference his declaration had
to the period which follozioed his personal minis
try; and thirdly, Whether we are liable to incur
the guilt by him stated to be unpardonable.
1. With respect to the first of these questions
it may be observed, that many suppose that the
Pharisees were at the time guilty of this sin, and
also contend that it was almost peculiar to them.
They ground this supposition on the , connexion
of this declaration with the cavil of the Pha
risees0, — on the words ascribed by St. Matthew
to our Lord himself, that he "cast out demons
by the Spirit of Godd ;" — and on the remark
immediately subjoined by St. Mark, after he has
repeated the denunciation itself, "Because they
said, He hath an unclean Spirit6." But this
observation of St. Mark seems more properly
referable to the whole answer of our Lord to the
cavil of the Pharisees, than to the last clause of it
only. And with regard to the expression, "If
I cast out demons by the Spirit of God," it may

c Matt. xii. 24— 31. * Matt. xii. 28. e Mark iii. 30.

508 Lecture XX.
be observed that from the absence of the article
in the original, it cannot with certainty be
understood of the Holy Spirit as personally re-
ferred to, but that it would with more probability
be rendered, " If I cast out demons by divine co
operation ;" a translation which is rendered still
more probable by the parallel expression of
St. Luke, "If I by the finger of God cast out
demons3." And certainly when our Lord speaks
of his miracles, he seems to ascribe them to the
Father, rather than to the Holy Spirit. "My
Father which dwelleth in me, he doeth the
works b."
But the question still recurs, whether it does
not follow, from considering the occasion on which
these words were spoken, that our Lord meant
to imply that the Pharisees had incurred this
extremity of guilt. I must confess, though I do
it with diffidence, that I conceive that he is not so
to be understood. This was the very first cavil
which had been advanced against the evidences
of his mission ; and it was probably on the second
occasion on which it was brought forward, that
our Lord entered upon these statements respecting
it. But it should be remembered that the words
will equally bear to be understood, as if spoken
* Ei 8e 670) ev Trvev/iaTi Qeov eKpaXXw to! iai/xovia, — Matt.
xii. 28. — Ei _>e iv SaKTvXio Qeov, k. t. X.
b John xiv. 10.

Lecture XX. 509
only by way of caution. Such a caution was
needful; because, in consequence of the same
disposition which induced them then to circulate
such an insinuation, they would be likely both to
remain in the same obduracy with regard to the
evidence afforded during his personal ministry,
and also to reject .the future and stjll greater
cjemonstration of his resurrection, and of the gifts
of tbe Holy Ghost. We know that in several
forms, and on many occasions, he spoke of the
evidence of his mission as not yet actually com
pleted. He specified the time which followed
" the lifting up of the Son of man," as being that
in which they " should know that he was the
Messiah;" and he told them that then, "if they
believed not, they would die in their sins." Hence,
although their cavil was not directed personally
against the Son of man, so much as against the
evidences of his authority, yet it seems probable
that it did not amount to the "blasphemy against
the Holy Ghost."
2. Again, our Lord evidently spoke of the
blasphemy as directed personally against the Holy
Ghost". Yet the personal operations, and, as it
were, the distinct dispensation of the Holy Ghost,

c 'H Se tov ¦jrvevnaTOi fiXa<r<f>t}H'a — Matt. xii. 31. os 2' ar
e'lirr) kotoI tov irvevp.aTo<s toS dylov.— ver. 32. toT &_ ... to
ayiov TrveS/ia fiXaaQrmijcravTi. — Luke xii. 10.

510 Lecture XX.
by his divers gifts and influences did not commence
until after the ascension of our Lord3. We must
therefore understand our Lord as speaking by
anticipation of that future dispensation, and of
the increased responsibility which it would bring,
and of the heinous guilt which they would incur,
if, when more abundant proof was offered, their
malignant and calumniating propensities should
continue to gather strength, and confirm them in
infidelity, instead of yielding to the force of that
evidence which demanded their assent. The evi
dences of the Gospel would then be more nume
rous, more perceptible, and complete. To those
which had already been exhibited, would be added
many others. Of all these " the disciples would bear
witness ;" and " not they only, but also the Holy
Spirit, which God would give to them that should
obey Jesus." For as " the Advocate of Jesus,"
and as " the Spirit of truth," he would " testify of
Jesus," and " reprove the world of sin, because
they believed not in him." — The principal and
original causes of disbelief, both at the time at
which our Lord spoke, and afterwards, were vir
tually the same. But some of those, who remained

2 The Holy Spirit was not yet (given), because Jesus was not
yet glorified. John vii. 39. The word given is supplementary,
and somewhat obscures the sense of the passage. Ovnto yap »}i>
wvev/ia ayiov, on, ~. t. X. — Compare Acts xix. 2.

Lecture XX. 511
under the unhappy influence of such delusive
views during the time of Christ's humiliation,
might see reason to abandon them, when after
Christ's entrance on his glory, the Holy Spirit
was poured out. And probably many of them
actually did repent, and were converted, and be
lieved, and joined the company of primitive
believers ; even though, perhaps, a still greater
number still " mocked, and contradicted, and
blasphemed^ ."
These considerations seem to render it most
probable, that the declaration of our Lord respect
ing " the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost" was
not immediately, much less exclusively, applicable
to those whom he then addressed. It seems rather
to have been intended as a timely caution to those,
who had already begun, not only to resist, but to
cavil at the evidence which was furnished ; inti
mating to them the danger in which they would
be involved at a future period, if they persevered
in their malignity.
The words of our text afford a very strong
confirmation of this opinion. The same declara
tion respecting this unpardonable blasphemy is
there found in a connexion wholly different.
I have adopted this passage as my text in order
to give the greater prominence to it; because

. Acts ii. 13 ; xiii. 45.

512 Lecture XX.
I am not aware that it is generally attended to
in inquiries upon this subject. The context
seems distinctly to shew, that this important
statement of our Lord had a prospective refe
rence lo the time when the Gospel was published
by the Apostles, that is, after the evidences, as
well as the great transactions of the Gospel, had
been completed, and that salvation, "which first
began to be spoken by the Lord, was confirmed
to mankind by them that heard him, God also
bearing them witness, both with signs and
wonders, and divers miracles, and gifts of the
Holy Ghost." The last of these divine attesta
tions, which was a distinct and most convincing
species of evidence, our Saviour specially notices
in the words which follow our text. The discourse
in which they occur was certainly delivered subse
quently to the occasion, which at first called forth
this denunciation of our Lord. But it was deli
vered, though in the presence of the multitude,
only to his disciples ; and with reference to their
future ministrations and sufferings, in promul
gating the Gospel. For he first exhorted his
disciples to " beware of the leaven of the Phari
sees, which is hypocrisy," having directed them
"to proclaim upon the house-tops even all that
he had spoken to them in private," he states that
they ought not to " fear man, but God, who could
both kill and cast into hell ;" and he also assures

Lecture XX. 513
them of the protection of God's providence. He
then adds ; " Also I say unto yoO, 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 for
given him; but unto him that blasphemeth against
the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven. And
when they bring you unto the synagogues, 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 teach you in
the same hour what ye ought to say." — To
the Apostles were given " a mouth and wisdom,
which all their adversaries were not able to
gainsay nor resist a." To "one also was given
by the Spirit the word of wisdom ; to another the
word of knowledge by the same Spirit ; to ano
ther faith by the same Spirit ; to another the gifts
of healing by the same Spirit; to another the
working of miracles ; . to another prophecy ; to
another discerning of spirits; to another divers
kinds of tongues ; to another the interpretation
of tongues"." In that day the Gospel came unto
mankind, " not in word only, but in power, and
in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance1."

¦> Luke xxi. 15. b 1 Cor. xii. 8—10. ',1 Thess. i. 5.
Kk

514 Lecture XX.
Its designs were accomplished, its offers universal,
and its evidence complete ; and it was accom
panied with " demonstration of the Spirit, and
of power a." The offence of the cross had not
ceased ; but it was no longer that which perplexed
the understanding, but which was contrary to the
prejudices of mankind, and to the pride and de
pravity of their hearts. To all that heard it,
it brought either the means of salvation, or the
increase of condemnation.
Yet final negligence, and final impenitence,
though undoubtedly they also end in condemna
tion, are not the same thing with " the blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit;" the grand characteristic
of which is, that it shuts out from the hope of for
giveness. And if that be the consequence of this
guilt, and of this guilt only, as our Lord expressly
declares, we shall find several other descriptions
of it in the writings of the Apostles, though it is
there considered in a somewhat different point of
view. And perhaps we may state, that nothing
amounts to this most awful, and only irremissible
sin, but a wilful, malignant, open, and determined
opposition to those truths, of which we have per
ceived the evidence, and of the divine origin of
which we have in our consciences been convinced.
Yet it should seem that such was the conduct, in the
. * 1 Cor. ii. 5. .

Lecture XX. 515
Apostolic times, not only of many of those who
never embraced the Gospel, but even of some who
had received and understood it, and yet apos
tatized from it; who, by their wilful, deliberate,
and malignant renunciation and opposition, com
mitted that " sin which is unto death," and of
which St. John declared that "he did not say
that they should pray for it ;" for, in fact, it invol
ved the impossibility of repentance, as well as of
pardonb. "For," says St. Paul to the Hebrews,
" it is impossible for those who were once enlight
ened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and
were made partakers of ihe Holy Ghost, and have
tasted the good word of God, and the powers of
the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew
them again to repentance ; seeing they crucify to
themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to
an open shame -." And again ; " If we sin wil
fully, after that we have received the knowledge
of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice
for sins." And he more fully describes the trans
gression of this voluntary offender, by stating,
that he is one " who hath trodden underfoot the
Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the cove
nant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing,
and hath done despite unto the Spirit of graced"

b 1 John v. 16, 17. ' Heb" *j- 4~6-
d jje{,_ x_ 26  39. 'Ekouo-"*? yap dptapTavovrav r,fti2v, k. t. A.
K K 2

516 Lecture XX,
3. It is evident from these descriptions, that
no one, who retains the profession of Christianity,
can be supposed to be included in any of these
denunciations. Indeed they are not applicable to
any but those, who, from malignity of heart,
reject or apostatize from the Gospel, and who
endanger the comfort and stability of others by
an open, active, acrimonious cavilling against its
evidences and doctrines. And as wilful apostacy
and opposition, arising from depravity of heart,
alone produces the full measure of guilt, none
but they who have the gift of " discerning of
spirits," can be authorized to ascribe this guilt
to any of their fellow-sinners. We cannot now
incur it by opposition to sensible and present
miracles. Yet what the evidence of the Gospel
now wants in that respect, is perhaps abundantly
counterbalanced by many circumstances, which,
since the Apostolic times, have augmented, and
strengthened, and made still more satisfactory,
the arguments in behalf of the Gospel. We
therefore cannot deny the possibility of the crime,
even in our own circumstances; but we must
rather dread its approaches in ourselves, than
venture to impute it to others. And as it is a
crime which is brought into full operation by
actually leading, not only to suppressed infidelity,
but to open revilings directed against the Gospel,
we shall, at least, do well in suffering the caution,

Lecture XX. 517
which our Lord subjoined to this denunciation,
to work its full effect upon that " unruly member
the tongue," and upon that corrupt fountain the
heart, "out ofthe ahundance of which the tongue
speaks." " Either make the tree good, and his
fruit good ; or else make the tree corrupt, and
his fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by his
fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being
evil, speak good things ? for out of the abundance
of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man
out of the good treasure of his heart hringeth
forth good things, and an evil man out of the
evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But
I say unto you, that every idle word that men
shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the
day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be
justified, and by thy words thou shalt be con
demned." II. 1 observed that a second cavil was also
advanced against the sufficiency of the proofs, by
which the mission of Jesus was supported, in the
demand of a particular species of evidence which
the Jews chose to require. One of the occasions
upon which it was advanced, was after our Lord
had refuted the former one. " Then certain of
the Scribes and Pharisees, answered, saying,
Master, we would see a sign from thee." This
demand was however made on several occasions ;
and it is more fully expressed by St. Mark, when

518 Lecture XX.
he mentions the repetition of it after the feeding
of the fotir thousand. " The Pharisees came
forth, and began to question with him, seeking of
him a sign from heaven, tempting him. And he
sighed deeply in his Spirit, and saith, Why doth
this generation seek after a sign ? There shall no
sign be given to this generation a." No sign,
such as they required, would be exhibited to
them. For alas! they knew as little ichat they
asked, as do those who, in playful but thoughtless
depravity, invoke c damnation on their souls.'
They referred to the sign of " the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven," of which Daniel
had spoken. But, as our Saviour observed with
reference to the same prophecy, " When the Son
of man 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 his left. — And these shall
go away into everlasting punishment, but the
righteous into life eternal"0 ." There was a time,
however, when Jesus, avowing his Messiahship
to the high priest, said with awful significancy,
a Mark viii. 11, 12.
b Matt. xxv. 31 — 46. Compare this with Dan. vii. 9 — 14.

Lecture XX. 519
" Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting
on the right hand of power, and coming in the
clouds of heaven0." Yet, even after that decla
ration, they continued the same " blasphemy
against the Son of man," the same neglect,
and even contempt of the various evidences which
he had exhibited of his authority, and again spe
cified that particular evidence, which alone would
induce them to abandon their unbelief. "He
saved others, himself he cannot save. Let Christ,
the king of Israel, descend now from the cross,
that we may see and believe4." Again, they knew
not what they asked: Jesus came to destroy every
enemy of man's salvation, by " triumphing over
them on his cross." To have complied with their
demand, would have been to have left undone the
work which he was then about to finish. Jesus
made not any answer to them from the cross ;
for he knew that the glory, which would follow
his sufferings, would be made known by his resur
rection from the dead, and that the gifts, which he
would receive for men, would soon be poured down
from on high. But on the former occasions, though
unwittingly they had made a demand with which
it was impossible to comply, he answered them
c Matt. xxvi. 64.
d T\|ark xv. 29  32. It is worthy of notice that this allows
the miracles of Jesus, and that he had advanced a claim to be the
Messiah.

520 Lecture XX.
according to their intention. For they meant
to require another evidence, in addition to all that
had previously been afforded. And although no
such sign, as that to which they had alluded,
would be given to that generation, another would
be given, which he described under the phrase
" the sign ofthe Prophet Jonas." " For," added
our Lord in explanation, " as Jonas was three
days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall
the Son of man be three days and three nights in
the heart of the earth a."
In what manner that prediction was fulfilled,
it is unnecessary to repeat. But let it be observed
that, in two different respects, the spirit of infi
delity ignorantly and erroneously objected to the
sufficiency of the proofs that Jesus was what he
claimed to be. — They hastily complained of the
supposed deficiency, when a little patience would
have furnished them with decisive evidence. It was
not indeed of the precise kind which they demand
ed ; but the question which they ought to have con
sidered was, whether it was not sufficient. — And
again, they insisted on the want of such exhibitions
of the power of Jesus as could not have been
given consistently either with the intentions of
God, or the good of mankind. Yet infidelity
still continues to make similar objections and
1 Matt. xii. 39, &c.

Lecture XX. 521
demands. We must, however, take the evidence as
we find it. It is such as God has seen fit to furnish,
and it is sufficient to prove that " he has spoken
by his Son." It is obvious even to our own limited
discernment, that many of the demands of the
infidel are unreasonable; they would probably
appear still more so, if we were more fully ac
quainted with the scheme of the divine counsels.
There are evidences of the truth of the Gospel
still in reserve. And since we can even now give
a sufficient reason of the hope that is in us, why
should .we be dissatisfied that the Gospel is yet
incompletely promulgated, and that all the pro
phecies are not completed ? These are proofs
reserved for the conviction of those of the latter
days ; and one day we shall all see " the sign
of the Son of man coming in the clouds of
heaven." Our Lord took occasion from the allusion to
Jonah the Prophet, to shew, by a beautiful and
impressive contrast, the criminality of those who
rejected his words. " The men of Nineveh shall
rise in judgment with this generation, and shall
condemn it ; because they repented at the
preaching of Jonah ; and behold a greater than
Jonah is here. The queen of the south shall rise
up in the judgment with this generation, and
shall condemn it ; for she came from the uttermost
part of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ;

522 Lecture XX.
and behold a greater than Solomon is here." Has.
he not been proved to be all that he claimed to
be, by demonstration at once varied and con
vincing ? And "he that believeth on Jesus, be
lieveth on him that sent him." And that heavenly
Messenger himself has declared, " He that re-
jecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one
that judgeth him; the word that I have spoken,
the same shall judge him in the last daya." Nay,
he has even told us, and it ought to be seriously
considered by all that have heard of his name,
that " he that believeth not in him is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name
of the only-begotten Son of God," who has been
"lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting lifeV "If he
had not come and spoken to us, and done the
works which no other man did, we had not had
sin; but now have we no cloke for our sinc."
And though we have not seen him in the flesh,
and have not heard him ourselves, we must
not conceive that hereby we can be excused.
For he declared to those, who were to record his
instructions, and to disperse them through the
world ; " He that despiseth you, despiseth me ;
and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent

a John xii. 44, &c. b John iii. 16 — 18.
c John xv. 22 — 24.

Lecture XX. 523
me d." For Jesus was " that stone, which was laid
in Zion for a foundation ;" and " whosoever," said
he again, "shall fair upon that stone shall be
broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will
grind him to powder '.'"
We must then believe, and obey. We must
" endure unto the end ;" for it is even " better,
as the Apostle tells us, never to have known the
way of righteousness, than, having known it, to
turn away from the holy commandment delivered
unto us." And not an Apostle only, but Jesus
himself has given us the same admonition, in the
concluding portion of that discourse, which was
occasioned by the two cavils which we have
noticed in this Lecture. He borrows from the
case of the demoniacs, by his undoubted miracles
upon whom they had not been convinced, a
striking illustration of the fatal progress of infi
delity. " When the unclean spirit is gone out of
a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest,
and findeth none. . Then he saith, I will return
into my house, from whence I came out; and
when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and
garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with him
self seven other spirits more wicked than himself,
and they enter in and dwell there; and the last

d i/Uke x. 16. ' Isai. xxviii. 16. Matt. xxi. 42—44.

524 Lecture XX.
state of that man is worse than the first. Even so
shall it be also unto this wicked generation \"
It concerns us, who, though Gentiles, have
become "fellow-heirs, and of the same body, with
the chosen people of God, and partakers of his
promise in Christ by the Gospel," to take heed
lest we also " frustrate the grace of God,"— lest
we " draw back unto perdition,-;— lest we do not
believe to the saving of the soul." For shall any
thing, but our unbelief, "separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?"
Remember, then, that the Gospel gives us the
offer of pardon, and the promise of sanctification.
It is " the new covenant established upon better
promises. It comes to us with sanctions of pro
mise and of threatening. It comes recommended
and enforced by numerous evidences, which appeal
both to the understanding and to the heart, and
which have brought conviction to the minds both
of the learned, and of the unlearned.
Do you delight to peruse the histories of
past ages? Are you interested and edified by
tracing events up to their causes, and by pursuing
a 2 Pet. ii. 20 — 22. Matt. xii. 43— 45.— These two passages
illustrate each other. And we might, from this parabolic des
cription given by our Lord of the progress of the infidelity of the
Jews, deduce an additional argument in support of the opinion
defended in the former part of this Lecture, that our Lord spoke
of the unpardonable blasphemy by way of anticipation.

Lecture XX. 525
the order in which they produced their conse
quences ? — Consider then the existence, the
operation, and the effects of Christianity. As
inquisitive men, as Scholars, as Philosophers, as
Christians, examine this remarkable era in the
history of the human intellect, — this event which
was prepared by all preceding ones, — which has
since so materially influenced the opinions and
the civilization of the world, — which predicts the
future universality of its own propagation. Come
to some decision respecting these things, which are
important with regard to the faith and guidance of
your fellow-men, and still more so as they concern
yourselves. — While you investigate the laws and
phenomena of the material world, forget not that
there is a spiritual world, hereafter to be revealed,
and that we are the destined heirs of an immor
tality, which will be happy, or miserable, according
to our characters here. And remember, that for
the knowledge which is requisite in this matter,
you can go to none but to Christ Jesus; for
" he alone bath the words of eternal life."
Remember, that while many are doubting, and
investigating, and deriving from human learn
ing- almost as much hindrance as assistance,
many a poor and unlettered peasant in our own
land, many an uncivilized heathen in foreign lands,
is laying hold on eternal life; and finds in the
purifying and consolatory tendency of the Gospel

526 Lecture XX.
the most satisfactory evidence both of its truth
and utility. For he finds it a provision for all the
wants which he previously felt. And if it dis
covers to him more extensive views of his own
guilt and danger, and of the perfections and re
quirements of God, it does but discover that, of
which he allows the justice and the propriety.
And in proportion as he is thereby more humbled
before his God, he also derives more abundant
consolation from his word, and exercises a more
confirmed confidence in his promises. And thus,
being made perfect in love, and growing in grace
and holiness, he waits for the hope of righteous
ness by faith.
The same meetness for heaven is attainable
by all, and is necessary for all. But we must
"give earnest heed to the things which we hear,"
if we are to "live and grow thereby." The same
arguments which have convinced so many of the
truth and of the importance of our religion, are
still sufficient to satisfy us. And we must be
content to receive the Gospel as it is offered to
us, neither dissatisfied because of the absence of
any evidence which we may suppose ought to
have been furnished, nor objecting to the doctrines
which are revealed by it. Our Lord referred
the Jews to the witness of their own Scriptures ;
but he declared that "if they heard not Moses
and the prophets, neither would they be persuaded

Lecture XX. 527
though one rose from the dead"." He declared
that, while some cavilled at the character in which
the Baptist appeared, and others at his own,
" wisdom would be justified of all her children b."
And assuredly, though " the Jews required a sign,
and the Greeks sought after wisdom," we can
shew that each of those demands was unreason
able, if they were made in any view which disposed
them to a rejection of the Gospel. For it is most
abundantly demonstrable, that "Christ crucified
is both the power of God, and the wisdom of
God c."
But if we allow the evidence, and value, and
necessity of the Gospel, let us not remain in
ignorance of what is thereby revealed. We not
unfrequently meet with some, even in a Christian
country, who have had such opportunities, and
have arrived at such an age, that, " for the time,
they ought to be teachers; yet who have need
to be taught again, which be the first principles
ofthe oracles of God d." That ignorance is some
times openly avowed; and those who make the
avowal sometimes even appear to be proud of it.
Yet a young Athenian would have been ashamed
to be thought so ignorant with respect to the
philosophical systems of his age and city. Nay,

» Luke xvi. 31. " Matt. xi. 19. c 1 Cor. i. 24.
i Heb. v. 12.

528 Lecture XX.
would not many among ourselves be ashamed to
fee thought ignorant of the laws, and literature,
and science of our own country, who are yet
negligent of the doctrine, and precepts of Jesus ?
Yet there is a more important knowledge than
any that relates to terrestrial objects ; there is a
teacher more divine, and of more authority than
any that we can "call Master upon earth"."
He calls upon us to hear, and to believe in him ;
to repent, and follow him. He declares to us the
authority with which he is invested, and the re
sponsibility which rests upon ourselves. — "All
power is given to me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye, therefore, and preach the Gospel to every
creature. — He that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved; and he that believeth not shall be damned?'
We have to conjure you, therefore, by the
dignity of him, whom the Father sanctified, and
sent into the world, — by the miracles which he
wrought, — by the prophecies which he fulfilled, —
by the greatness of the salvation which he pur
chased, — by the promises, and by the terrors of the
Lon^ — by the shortness of life, and the approaches
of death, — by the realities of eternity, and the
inestimable value of your immortal souls — that
you " turn not away from him that speaketh from
heaven." — If we have at all increased your ad-

» Matt, xxiii. 10.

Lecture XX. 529
miration of the beauty and comprehensiveness
of the word of God, from whence we have drawn,
and ever shall draw, our arguments and repre
sentations, — if we have disposed you to peruse it
more frequently and attentively, — if we have been
able to strengthen your conviction of its truth,
to impress you with a sense of its importance, and
to persuade you to a compliance with its dictates
— our labours will not have been in vain. And
if those, who are able, will defend the Gospel
against its adversaries, and turn to righteousness
those that profess it,— and if all ' that profess and
call themselves Christians,' will adorn the doctrine
of God their Saviour by a sober, righteous, and
godly life, "endeavouring to keep the unity of
the Spirit in the bond of peace," — then will our
heavenly Father be glorified. Our Saviour will
then "see of the travail of his soul, and be satis
fied ;" — and we shall one day be " with him, and
behold his glory." ,

Li,

ERRATA.
P. 79- 1. 9. for the text read this passage.
SO. 1. 7. for text read test.
99- 1- If- for raa* read awe.
292- 1. 3- for Aim read that he.
 1.21. fpr untraced read embraced.
372. 1. 5. for to read on.

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